Review | Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara

If you watched my April Favorites video, then you heard me rave about this $3 eyebrow gel by Essence. As someone with naturally bushy brows, I'm always on the hunt for a brow gel that will slightly define my brows and hold them in place all day. Also, as someone with really dark hair I'm always looking for a gel that has a cool undertone and that will be dark enough for my black brows. There's nothing I hate more than having my brows look ashy or too warm, especially because it creates a harsh contrast against my dark brown hair. That's where the Essence Make Me Brow Eyebrow Gel Mascara comes into place. This is the first drugstore gel option that I've tried that has everything I look for in a brow gel, and the best thing is that it's less than $5!

Review | Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey Summer 2016

One of my favorite springtime fragrances for a few years now has been the Issey Miyake L'Eau d'Issey Florale which is a delicate daytime scent with lily, rose, and mandarin notes. The reason why I particularly enjoy Issey Miyake's fragrances is because they're really modern and clean. Issey Miyake is a Japanese clothing and fragrance designer that is known to apply technology, minimalism, and nature into his creations. One of his many creations is the annual limited edition version of the beloved L'Eau d'Issey which features different notes and beautiful artwork on the bottles each year. 

Record Store Day 2016 Haul

Music used to play a big role when I began this blog in 2013. I still remember awkwardly sitting in front of my iPad Mini with my auburn hair to record the Music Tag. From there I started curating and posting monthly playlists, those were honestly some of my favorite posts and I still find myself listening to them from time to time on Spotify. As much as I loved curating the playlists, it seemed that many of my readers couldn't care less about them so that discouraged me quite a bit. That's also around the time when I started being told to "stick to my niche" in blogger events. "If you write about beauty, then stick to beauty" but what if I like other things other than makeup? That's why I've decided to back to my blog's roots and start posting about music again. Music is something I really enjoy talking about, so why not share that aspect of my life? I'm going to get started with a little Record Store Day haul to re-introduce you to the music posts.

April 2016 Favorites

April was the month that I embraced some of my most minimal makeup looks. There were a few days that I would just add concealer, mascara, and a tinted lip balm. I've been switching my thicker foundations for light weight options and my matte liquid lipsticks for hydrating tinted balms. I also discovered two skincare items that have been helping out a lot on the problematic areas on my skin. I honestly didn't realize how many products were on heavy rotation this month until I gathered them all, but it should make for a good favorites video.

The Best Dandruff Shampoo

For some reason dandruff is one of those topics that beauty bloggers tend to avoid or get embarrassed about. I honestly don't quite understand why people embarrassed about dandruff when it is quite a common thing for both men and women. I've tried a good number of dandruff shampoo throughout my life containing different active ingredients to treat the flakes and itchiness. I found that many of the dandruff shampoos were not effective when treating my itchiness and they would dry out my hair. It took a while to find my favorite dandruff shampoo but I think that I've finally found a winner!

Sephora VIB Sale + First Impressions

The Sephora VIB Sale ended last week but I made sure to take advantage of the discount code while it was active. Normally I have a larger list of products that I want to try out, but this time around I actually had a tough time picking out things that I wanted to try. It also didn't help that the products that I've been dying to try out are launching after the sale. After much brainstorming (because I'm weird like that), I settled on these items pictured. Some are brand new to me, some I already know that I will love, and others just look very interesting. Instead of just taking items out of the box and just showing them in this haul, I've decided to share my first impressions about the products that I hauled in this video.

Found in San Diego | Record City

As someone who grew up going to Tower Records once a week as a child, I've always enjoyed buying and collecting music. There's a few record stores in San Diego that I like, but my favorite by far is Record City in Hillcrest. I've been coming to Record City for around four years now and it's been my go-to record shop to support on Record Store Day. If you've been following my blog for some time, then you know how passionate I am about supporting local small businesses and this store combines both my love for music and small businesses. The store itself seems like it's stuck in the past, but that's exactly what I love about it. There is no fancy decor here, no pretentious employees who judge your taste in music, and no social media accounts to tag in your Instagram pictures- all you get is music and tons of it!

Uncommon Jewelry Finds for the Everyday Person

Over the course of my blog I've documented my love for small businesses and handmade goods. I quickly developed a passion for handmade goods after working at a local small business that provided a platform for local artists, designers, and aspiring entrepreneurs to sell their work. And that's exactly why this post is very special to me. I've teamed up with UncommonGoods to bring you two very different but sustainable outfit options incorporating handmade jewelry. This company celebrates individuality, sustainability, and dreamers. They've also made it incredibly easy to find beautiful and one of a kind handmade gifts for any person.

Subtle Blue Eyeliner

I think by now I should just rebrand myself as the "minimal makeup YouTuber" because all the looks I wear are very easy and don't require many products. A few weeks ago when I uploaded my Messy Hair Tutorial a lot of you requested I film this makeup look, and so I did. Bright cobalt blue eyeliner is one of the biggest makeup trends for spring/summer 2016, but it can be an intimidating color if you're not used to bright makeup. This is a subtle version of the trend that will work incredible with brown eyes, but honestly any person can rock this look. All you need is an eyeshadow stick and a blue eyeliner to achieve this easy eye look.

Birchbox April 2016

I don't think I've ever been as excited to receive a subscription box as I was with the April Birchbox. First of all the box itself was designed by Rifle Paper Co. which is an American stationery and lifestyle brand known for beautiful illustrations and stationery. I've been a fan of Rifle Paper Co. for over a year now and own various of their products, so when I first heard that they would be collaborating with Birchbox I knew the box would end up being displayed in my room. Another reason why I was so excited to receive this box was because this box included products from natural and ingredient conscious brands.

Nails of the Day | Color Block Nail Art

It's been a hot minute since I've attempted any type of nail art on my own nails, but I felt like giving this very simple color block design a shot. I saw the color block nail art tutorial on Ipsy's YouTube channel a few weeks ago and fell in love with how minimal looks. Let me tell you, this nail art design is truly easy as pie! You don't need any fancy brushes or nail art tape to do this. All you need are three nail polishes and a smooth surface like a table, this will help avoid the dreaded shaky hands. I chose to do my nail art with the Pacifica 7 Free Nail Colors which are amazing and don't contain many of the chemicals known to affect a woman's health.

Outfit of the Day | Springtime Edge

What comes in mind when you think of spring trends? Pastels, floral prints, festival wear, rompers... What about leather jackets? Well, I know you normally wouldn't think of a leather jacket for spring but I do things quite differently. This Levi's leather jacket was purchased over 5 years ago and it still is my one and only leather jacket in my wardrobe. By this point in time, this has become my ride or die jacket. This jacket has seen Paul McCartney at Outside Lands, explored Budapest with absolutely no phone reception, seen some bad ass DJs in Paris, and even met St. Vincent after a show. We're inseparable and I honestly couldn't imagine ever parting ways with it.

First Impression | Holika Holika Pig Nose Clear Blackhead 3-Step Kit

Among the many things I dislike about oily skin, I think I dislike blackheads the most. Since people with oily skin have larger pores, I tend to get more blackheads especially on my nose. I've tried many face masks and even the classic Biore strips, but honestly nothing has worked for me. When I first heard about the Holika Holika Pig Nose Clear Blackhead 3-Step Kit I was honestly intrigued by the fact that anyone would need three steps to remove blackheads so I decided to give it a shot. We're about to become closer friends after this first impression since you'll be seeing my blackheads up close. Hope you enjoy!

Review | Kylie Jenner Lip Kit

Do you know how long it took to get myself one of these Kylie Lip Kits? I swear trying to buy a damn Kylie Lip Kit is the makeup equivalent to the Hunger Games. It is intense! You have to log on exactly or even before the launch time, refresh, hope that the site doesn't crash, or start praying so nothing sells out. It sounds quite ridiculous because it actually is, but somehow I was able to get my hands on Kourt K. Everyone and their mother have been hyping the Kylie Lip Kits since they were released last year and I honestly wanted one not because I adore Kylie Jenner but because I wanted to see if it would live up to the hype. In this post I'm going to show you everything! I'll be reviewing both the lip liner, as well as the matte liquid lipstick. And I'll also be showing you color dupes, formula comparisons, and run through the pros/cons.

Messy Short Hair

One of the biggest hair trends this year is messy textured hair and one of the biggest proponents of this style is hairstylist Anh Co Tran. I've mentioned Anh Co Tran a few times before and that's because I truly admire how he works with texture in the hair, in fact that's what he's known for. He coined the term "lived in" hair which is how he chooses to describe the messy but modern combination of waves and curls. The hairstyle is quite simple and foolproof, all it requires is one hair tool and a texturizing product to enhance your work. The messy look works really well with short hair but don't fret if your hair is longer than mine, this style will work amazing for you as well.

Review | Narciso Rodriguez NARCISO Eau de Parfum

I've found my newest perfume obsession and it's NARCISO, the newest fragrance by Narciso Rodriguez. If you watched my March Favorites, then you would have already heard me rave about this intoxicating fragrance. This perfume to me is the epitome of a springtime scent since it's feminine, floral, and very classy. Unlike many floral scents in the market the NARCISO Eau de Parfum doesn't have overly sweet and juvenile notes, instead this fragrance combines floral notes with more deeper and sensual notes.

Nails of the Day | Juicy Satsuma

There's nothing I love more than a juicy mandarin in the spring and I couldn't be happier that it's mandarin season right now. Whenever my mom buys Cuties (a brand of mandarins here), I will literally gulf them down like Pac-Man with absolutely zero regrets. To celebrate my love for mandarins, I've decided to paint my nails in a bright mandarin shade. This won't help my mandarin addiction whatsoever, but I just love the bright color of mandarins. To make things even better, this nail polish has a very glossy finish that kind of makes your nails look like candy!

3 Ways to Style a Breton Striped Top

For my second episode of my 3 Ways to Style series I've decided to style the classic Breton Striped Top. The top that you'll see in this video is from COS, one of my favorite Swedish fashion brands. If you're a fan of minimal pieces, great quality basics, and loose fitting clothes then COS is for you. Although the Breton stripes were originally worn by the French navy seaman in Brittany (north of France), the style has transcended time and gender to become one of the most versatile prints in fashion. Breton stripes are by far my favorite print to wear and once you get a good quality top it'll be real hard to put it down.

Natural Strobing

I don't what has gotten into me lately but this oily skin gal has been embracing dewy skin. It all started when I got the stunning Sleek Makeup Highlighting Palette in Precious Metals in my life. The palette includes three cream highlight shades and one powder highlight, all the shades give your skin a natural and luminous glow. If you've been wanting to try out the strobing technique but found a lot of the tutorials too dramatic for everyday life, then maybe you'll enjoy this subtle take on the trend.

March 2016 Favorites

I refuse to believe that March is now over! I still remember how excited I was to attend #WeAllGrow Summit earlier in the month, then in a blink of an eye the month ended and now we're suddenly in April. This last month was an incredible month for high-end and budget friendly beauty discoveries, definitely much better than February that's for sure. My top beauty finds in March ended up in this latest favorites video and you'll definitely be seeing the ones that didn't make it in next month's video. There's been an incredible amount of amazing beauty products launching as of late, way too many for one favorites video.