L’Oréal Privée

Posted on May 8, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

L’Oréal has launched an exclusive nude collection from their Colour Riche line, yay! don’t we all love a good nude lip? What’s so unique about the Privée line is that the colors were created by Eva Longoria, Freda Pinto, Jennifer Lopez, Julianne Moore, Doutzen Kroes, and Liya Kebede, which are some of L’Oréal’s ambassadors. The shades come in a wide range of colors, inspired by the variety of skin tones of each of these women. I love that these were made with varying skin tones in mind in order to give you the perfect nude, whether you have light, medium or darker skin there is a color for you! I myself have medium to tan skin (depending on the time of the year) so I figured that Eva (610) and Jennifer’s (370) lip shades would match me the best and I was right! Take a look down below for a quick look at the colors.

Eva & Jennifer

Left: Jennifer’s nude Right: Eva’s nude

Jennifer’ nude on top, Eva’s on the bottom

First thing’s first the packaging on these are gorgeous! I am a sucker for anything black and gold so these guys definitely won my heart with that alone! The lipsticks are as creamy as can be and the color payoff is great. My lips are already naturally pretty pigmented making both of these shades compliment me very well. Jennifer’s nude is a soft nude and has more of a pink undertone while Eva’s has a bit more intensity and leans more towards a brown. Eva’s nude is basically the exact shade as my lips only better!

If you are wanting to try these you need to get to our local drugstore asap! I went to about five different ones and all of the displays had about 3 lipsticks left. I purchased one from CVS and the other from Rite Aid.

Till next time friends,

Oh can’t forget L’Oreal’s signature exiting line… because you’re worth it!

-Gwen

Lauren Conrad “Style”

Posted on May 3, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

When I was younger, I used to be an avid reader and would actually take on the tasks to finish lengthy materials super fast even if it meant getting some reading done at the dinner table or spending my summers at the local library. I loved where my books could take my imagination and how they made me feel. Throughout the years, school (in particular college) left a slight disdain for reading since it became more of a chore and not a hobby. I have made the choice today to get back to one of my favorite past times and enjoy reading just for the sake of it. Although it is more of a helpful guide versus a narrative “Style” by Lauren Conrad is a fun introductory easy read to get me back into the flow of things. I picked it up at my local Marshalls at a discounted price just merely based on the aesthetic appeal (great coffee table look) but quickly discovered that it actually had some awesome advice, guidelines, tips and tricks for the everyday girl interested in all things relating to fashion and beauty. Her simple yet chic look is broken down for even the basic beginner to be able to obtain as well as life and beauty hacks. From closet organization to choosing the right denim for your body type, this book has a little something for everyone and is an easy flowing read! Links below.

Find it here on Amazon

Barnes & Noble

-Love

Ari

Revlon by Marchesa Review

Posted on April 28, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I love me an at home manicure and what else is better than a cute set to keep my nails looking proper at all times! My lovely sister sent an awesome care package that included these products (will feature the rest in a different post). The packaging and design make all the difference with these everyday items. In collaboration with Revlon designer Marchesa added a touch of pink and florals that really make the average tools that much more awesome!

-The dual ended cuticle trimmer can be used to push back your cuticles as well as trim them up if needed.
-Nail clipper has a curved blade and small file
-The emery board has a floral design to file and also buff and shine on the opposite end
-The handy case protects and keep everything in place!

She also included a mini “to go” tweezer set that includes a slant and point tip for all of my tweezing needs! How freaking adorable are these babies?!

This and other designs can still be found at your local drugstores like CVS, Walgreens as well as Target.

Off to pamper myself!

-Ari

April Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Posted on April 20, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

April’s Ipsy bag is a lovely addition to my collection this month. I really haven’t had the time to go out and physically buy any new cosmetics (Ive been needing a new mascara for ages!) so times like this its always nice to check my mail and have some cool new products to try. This months actual makeup bag was not my favorite but overall the products it contained were great and made up for it.

This tinted lip balm from the brand “Cailyn” in Apple Pink has very interesting packaging. The base pot holds a nice amount of the balm, while you are provided with a convenient lip brush attached at the top. I love the color pay off (looks more coral on my lips) and the brush is definitely needed since the color is sort of difficult to spread evenly. Nice aesthetic appeal and great product!

I dont personally use mousse on my hair (only natural products for my curls) but I will be re-gifting this since it is a reputable brand and may work for some with less dry hair.

This product leaves little to be desired just by the looks, but when I actually swatched and used it on my eye it was great! It is an eyeshadow mousse, very creamy texture and the color payoff is amazing. On my personal skin tone it looks more gold and its very shimmery. The consistency is thick (mousse like) and seems to stick and have a long wear.

This sample size skin exfoliant is awesome! It smells very tropical and the micro beads really feel like they are deep cleaning my skin. I don’t know if over time it will improve the overall texture or quality. Stay tuned!

Lastly, this urban decay 24/7 black velvet eye pencil is of course a winner! Super pigmented, great for the water and tight line or even your lid since it glides on super smooth. Perfect to wear alone, or smoke out and make for a more smoldering look.

– Love Ari

January Ipsy Glam Bag Review

Posted on January 29, 2014 by itsapplesandorangesblog

I just received my first Ipsy Glam bag ever and I have to say I have very mixed reviews of the items and products that were included. For those who don’t know, Ipsy is just one of the ever popular monthly subscription bags out there meant to save makeup/beauty collectors money and allow you the customer to try products out before committing and buying them fully. Every month you get a selection of items based on a questionnaire that you fill out in the beginning, it does initially put you on a waiting list for a bag but my personal wait was not long at all. For $10 a month you can then read reviews and watch tutorials on the ipsy online community from other makeup lovers and learn and share tips and tricks based on that months bag.

First Impression-Love the fact that it comes in an extremely cute makeup case! I have so many of these but they get dirty often and sometimes even need replacing. These can make great items to re-gift later on and fill them with your own personalized items for friends and family. I love this first blue bag featuring a print of different cosmetic products and bottles.

Cons- The items I received were not full-sized except the tinted lip balm (pictured below)

Pros-
-It featured new products that I had never tried before and some that I had heard of already (proactiv and Mica).
-Good mixture of “high and low” products

Ipsy January Glam Bag

Proactiv + Mark Fading Pads

Mica Beauty Cosmetics- Tinted Lip Balm # 6 Fiesta
The color pay off of this product is great and shows up on my darker lips perfectly. The only con I could say is that it could be a little more moisturizing for being a “balm”. It feels more like a soft stain versus an actual regular lip balm.

Swatch of #6 Fiesta

Nourish Organic Lightweight Moisturizing Face Lotion-Argan +Rosewater
This feels super lightweight and has an amazing refreshing scent. The only con I would say is that my skin absorbs it super quick and I still feel a little dry. This is best for those with less dry skin (perhaps oily or combination) and also for areas with high heat as it is super light and refreshing on the face.

Elizabeth Mott- Smooth Shadow Creamy Eye Pencil
This pencil had a great consistency and cute little travel packaging, the only downside was that it was too light for either me or my sister’s skin tone. This was included in our giveaway a week ago.

Dont Despair, Repair! Deep conditioning mask This hair mask has an amazing scent and is meant for those with dry, damaged or chemically treated hair.

Briogeo-Dont Despair, Repair! Deep conditioning mask
This hair mask has an amazing scent and is meant for those with dry, damaged or chemically treated hair.

I will most likely continue and see what else Ipsy has to offer for the next couple of months and will be coming out with further reviews if I receive any items that I am in love with.

Until then….Enjoy!

-Ari

Nume Magic Wand

Posted on September 9, 2013 by itsapplesandorangesblog

Hey Everyone! It’s been way too long! The end of summer has approached NYC and I am so sad about it. I always think summer will be a relaxing time, but it never really is with all the traveling, parties, BBQ’s, picnics (I am not complaining) but being busy with life kept me away from blogging as often as I should, I know, I know my sister already lectured me on this, So sorry guys!

In other news I racked up some pretty awesome stuff over the last few weeks and I am super excited to share them with you! I will first start off with the very popular Nume magic curling wand. I ordered the 25mm barrel which I would describe as the “medium” sized one. I was looking to create “beachy waves” which is why I chose that size (The 32mm wouldn’t have much of an effect on my thin hair where as the 19mm would have given me tighter curls). Beachy waves are an awesome summer look which can also transition to any other time of the year. Check out how I created the wavy look down below.

25 mm Blue Magic Wand

Heat protecting glove included.

Wrapped my hair inward.

I curled all of my hair, once I was finished I opened up the curls to create the wavy look I was going for

Final look!

I am so happy with my Nume purchase! I also want to mention that my waves remained in tact the next morning as well, I just added some texturizing balm, hairspray and ran out the door! Fine haired girls can have awesome hair too!

Get Your Nume Magic Wand Here!

Hope this was helpful!
Toodles
-Gwen