Food Rave: Ladurée Macarons

Hey everybody! One of my recent food obsessions from this past year has been macarons! They're these little French meringue-based confections. They come in a wide assortment of colors and flavors, and are sweet and delicious. The shells are crunchy (think communion bread), while the inside is chewy or jam-like. Macarons are a favorite little splurge of mine, since the tricky baking process makes them pretty expensive. I purchased macarons from Ladurée, a famous pastry shop based in France. Since the macarons are so pretty, naturally I took lots of photos.  

Left to right, the flavors are cherry, pistachio, coffee, raspberry, vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut, and rose petal. 

The macarons did not disappoint, and I'll certainly go back to Ladurée for a rare treat. :) 

<3 Lucero 

Song of the Day: Wish List by Neon Trees 

Review: Benefit's They're Real Mascara

Hey everybody!

I recently picked up a tube of Benefit's They're Real Mascara (retails for $23), which I've wanted to try out since its launch. I'm a big fan of the Bad Gal Lash mascara, and was hoping this would live up to my expectations. Overall, this mascara is fabulous and I give it a 10 out of 10.

Grading system:
2 out of 2 points for wand and application
2 out of 2 points for effect and definition
2 out of 2 points for longevity
2 out of 2 points for removal
2 out of 2 points for packaging

Wand and application: as you can see from the following picture, the wand is large and has rubber bristles. This is my favorite type of wand, since it's great for separating lashes. The Bad Gal Lash is a bit different, and has a more feathery, but still large, wand. However, this wand might not appeal to everybody since it's more of a matter of opinion.

Effect and definition: The mascara formula is on the thicker side, and not watery by any means. It provided a lot of thickness and length without clumping up on me. It separated and coated the lashes beautifully.

My lashes prior to mascara, no curl.

 Longevity: So far, I've had no problems with flaking or dryness throughout the day. However, I do expect the drier formula to flake on me in several weeks time like the Bad Gal Lash did. It's an unfortunate part of having a thicker mascara formula. It's not a huge problem for me, though, since I try to throw out my old mascaras every few months anyways.

The left eye has mascara and is curled

 Removal: I had no problem removing this mascara with my regular eye makeup remover. I didn't expect any problems from a non-waterproof formula.

Both sets of lashes have mascara and are curled

 Packaging: I enjoy the silvery packaging, which luckily isn't prone to fingerprint marks. It's not unusually shaped or sized, which makes it easy to travel with. No problems here.

I love how it separates the lashes!

I hope you enjoyed! Until next time,
<3 Lucero

September Beauty Favorites 2012

Hey everybody! Here are my beauty favorites for September. 

First, we have Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara. This is a sample size, and I'm so glad I've gotten to try it out! It's an absolute dream. It provides lots of volume and length, and provides a very black color. Also, my favorite part is how it doesn't crease or smudge or flake throughout the day. The biggest problem I have with mascara is flakiness, and this hasn't let me down! 

Next we have the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. The one shown here is in Romantic, but I love the entire line! It provides a decent amount of color, with great lasting power. I prefer these over the regular stains because the balm also hydrates the lips. 

Next we have the Naked 2 palette by Urban Decay. Many bloggers rave about this palette, and for good reason! It has lots of neutral colors that are perfect for everyday. Each shadow is richly pigmented and doesn't crease, especially if paired with an eye primer for oily lids. I prefer it over the original Naked palette because the color selection in my opinion is better, and the packaging is more sturdy. 

Also from Urban Decay, we have the De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray. This goes on before and after foundation, concealer, and other face products are applied. It has helped me a lot with shine control. It doesn't keep me completely shine free in these hot desert days, but it's the best product I've used. 

Next up we have the Laura Geller Bake-n-Brignten powder in Honey Dipped. It's a gorgeous golden powder that I like to use in place of blush. It provides a wonderfully warm, shimmery glow that brightens up the skin

 Here's the Butter London nail polish in Jaffa. It's a wonderful orange color that's perfect for transitioning from summer to autumn. It's bright enough to sport during the summer, but has a lovely pumpkin tone that easily brings it into fall. I love Butter London polishes as they dry quickly, and only need two coats to get full coverage. 

 Next I have the Jemma Kidd Mannequin Skin concealer/ highlighter duo in 02 Mid-dark. I hardly ever use the highlighter, but I love the concealer! It's got a peachy under tone that makes it fabulous for under eye circles. It is creamy, so to prevent creasing I have to set it with a powder. But overall, I think it's fabulous and I don't know why it took me so long to dig it out of my makeup drawer! 

 The final item on my list has been a holy grail item for over a year now. It's the Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer in Almond. It's great, because it's extremely light weight and gives decent coverage. It never feels heavy and has also worked well with my problematic skin. I recommend it for anybody who wants coverage without the heaviness of foundation! 

These have been my September favorites, and I look forward to trying out new products. Until next time, 

<3 Lucero 

Song of the Day: Bruises by Chairlift