nordstrom beauty – The Sol Compass

Happy Friday! I hope you all had an awesome Cinco de Mayo yesterday! I know Cinco de Mayo isn’t one of the blockbuster holidays in Mexico, but I’m down to celebrate anything that commemorates the underdog while allowing me to consume copious amounts of tacos.

While spring wardrobe updates are obvious (and required), something I think about less is updating my makeup routine. By the time the weather starts to change I desperately need a change though. Whether it’s adding a coral lip or bright warm toned nail polishes, here’s a quick roundup of some of my latest beauty buys!

I usually stick with nude and pink nail polishes, but all this gray weather has gotten me into a major slump, and I needed to shake things up and some unconventional nail polishes seemed like the perfect way to do that! The nail salon I go to uses OPI hand lotion and it is the bomb.com. I love these mini versions that are perfect to keep in your purse or car! Winter wreaks absolute havoc on my skin, so I’m constantly putting on lotion and OPI is one of my favorites.

Nail Polishes: OPI Got Myself into a Jam-balaya, OPI Purple Palazzo Pants, OPI I Cannoli Wear OPI, OPI Hand Lotion Set

95% of the time, I’m wearing either Burt’s Bees lip balm or a pale pink on my lips (a la these ones from the Lip Product Lineup). But spring does weird things to me and I suddenly felt much more adventurous then I usually do with my lip makeup. I ordered Caitlyn Jenner’s ‘Finally Free’ from MAC (100% of the proceeds are going to the MAC AIDS Fund Transgender Initiative), and the rosey nude mauve color is so universally flattering I think everyone needs this in their makeup bag!

On one of my weekly Ulta trips, I went on the hunt for a coral color to liven up my spring wardrobe, and saw that the Urban Decay Revolution lipsticks were 50% off this month. Without hesitation I scooped up the Sheer Streak and am loving the result-the sheerness makes the coral slightly more palatable than the conventional hue!

Lastly, old habits die hard, and I couldn’t resist adding another pink lipgloss to the repertoire. You’ll find this Naked ‘Liar’ shade nestled in my purse right between the old reliables.

Lip Products: Naked ‘Liar’ lipgloss by Urban Decay, ‘Finally Free’ lipstick by MAC, Sheer ‘Streak’ Revolution lipstick by Urban Decay (50% off this month!)

I am by no means a mask expert. I’ve only started recently using them because my tired skin needs some extra love. As someone who isn’t super willing to drop half of my paycheck on makeup and skincare products, these Sephora masks are the perfect price and do a great job of giving my face the extra boost that it needs. Between the harsh dry winter and just overall lack of sleep, I find that there is a mask solution for pretty much everything! I’ve been loving alternating them and seeing the magic come to life!

Masks: Sephora

Face Products: bareMinerals ‘Complexion Rescue’ in Opal | W3LL PEOPLE Contour Kit (also available here)

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend!

xo, C

You may remember I recently shared my favorite lip products, so today I thought I would share my every day eye makeup routine. I am not someone who’s willing to spend a lot of time on my makeup, so fancy things like contouring tend to get skipped with me. My eye makeup routine is like a well oiled machine and I can whip through it even when I’m half asleep and/or squished in front of a gym mirror with a dozen other women.

The cornerstone for my makeup routine for the past five years has been bareMinerals’ mascara and eyeliner. I’ve tried so many other mascaras and almost all of them irritate my eyes or clump or are just frustrating to apply evenly. These two gems are perfect for a natural makeup look and for someone who just wants to swipe on makeup and get on with their day.

In my Pixi by Petra post I included these two gems, but they have become so essential to my makeup routine I couldn’t imagine leaving them out today. This eye bright liner and eye zone brightener are crucial to making tired eyes look bright and fresh no matter how little sleep I got the night before.

I never used eye shadow for day to day makeup until I was gifted these Urban Decay palettes by my kind and beautiful friends and generously taught how to use them by my patient and talented sister. If a makeup amateur like I can figure out how to mix shades, then it’s not nearly as difficult as it seems. The Naked Palettes 100% live up to their hype. They are super easy to apply and definitely worth the price tag once you realize how many options you have. Plus an eyeshadow that stays put all day and doesn’t crease cannot be passed up. I love the colors in this Vice palette my friend Kelsey gave me, and I’ve slowly been starting to learn how to incorporate the brighter and bolder hues without scaring people off/getting confused for a ten year old on her way to a ballet recital.

Lately I’ve been lusting after the UD x Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette-it’s an insanely versatile palette, with a perfect mix of neutrals and jewel tones to complete any look, day or night! I know I’ll love the formula as I do with my current Urban Decay eyeshadows and it’s just a matter of time before I’m able to convince myself that yes, of course I need more eyeshadows! 😉

Urban Decay Vice Palette (old, new version here) | Urban Decay Naked3 Palette | Urban Decay Shadow Box (old, new version here)

The newest additions to my routine are Urban Decay’s Subversion Lash Primer and Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Clear Brow Gel. Lash primer is definitely not an every day product for me, but it sure is a game changer. I generally only use it for blog posts, date nights, or other special occasions. I am a HUGE fan of this clear brow gel. It’s super easy to put on, it keeps my eyebrows in place all day long, and tames any rogue strays; without the terrifying factor of me with bold eyebrows. For those lucky souls who can pull off the thick eyebrow trend, I’m sure the tinted brow gel from ABH is equally as amazing because the formula is 100% effective.

Thanks for stopping by! Do any of you have any must haves that I need to start incorporating into my routine? Sound off in the comments! Have a wonderful weekend!

xo, C

Tag: nordstrom beauty

Spring Makeup Updates

Eye Makeup Routine