Random, but One Direction…

Yes, One Direction. You know…The boy band.

And just in case you don’t…

They’re having a pretty major giveaway. You have a chance to win tickets to the 1D “Where We Are” Tour Concert next month at Gillette Stadium + their makeup before it hits stores!

For more details, check out the Facebook page.

There’s only 2 days left so enter, like, now!

That’s right they’re coming out with a makeup line! I won’t lie and pretend to be a huge Directioner. But I like their songs, and I’m pretty pumped about the makeup line.

One Direction The Looks Collection

But more on that later…

Stay tuned!

xx
Bet

This post was a sponsored post, powered by BrandBacker.

BeautyCon Swag Bag

As promised, here’s the BeautyCon swag I scored while attending BeautyCon NYC 2014! BeautyCon swag bag

BeautyCon Sunnies

The tote + these sunglasses + a shirt were the only things thatI knew for sure I would be getting. I knew the tote would be filled with products, but didn’t know brands, or quantities, or anything like that.

Primer

Contrary to lip products, I am not very adventurous when it comes to primer. I never really understood the different types. bareMinerals changed that. (There was also a bareMinerals booth and they gave out products + pointers. I didn’t get any additional products but the pointers were very useful. Also, I was not upset about missing out on the extra products because I had already splurged on all things bareSkin, their new liquid foundation…but more on that later, maybe.)

Maybelline

Maybelline was the first brand of mascara I’ve ever tried, and I still use it to this day. Why? Because it’s good. As is this lip color!

NYX + OPI

This NYX eyeshadow in Psychedelic is the perfect dupe for Urban Decay’s Thrash + I am a little too excited for fall to start rocking the heck out of this OPI is just perfect.

YouTube Mirror

Given that I have started to dabble in video, this was a nice little surprise from YouTube.
StyleHaul Sunnies

I collect sunglasses/shades/sunnies/whatever you call them. Thank you StyleHaul for the extra pair!

Bronze Booster

Really impressed by all the benefits of Bronze Booster!

Too Faced

You can never have enough bronzer! I use bronzer that’s a little too light for me as an illuminator. Too Faced in Chocolate Soleil

Snack

Who doesn’t love kettle corn?! So good + the bag is super cute!
Drink

I don’t like diet soda. I should not have expected to like this zero calorie soda. But I did. And I did not like it. I gave it to my mom to finish, she liked it. Then again, she likes diet soda.

Coupon

Thursday Friday designed the BeautyCon swag bag tote, so this coupon made perfect sense.

Me Undies

Me Undies tee shirts are my favorite! And while I don’t think they were at Beautycon, it was still cool to see a gift card from an upcoming brand that I love in the swag bag!

Elle Magazine

Elle was a major partner for BeautyCon NYC, and as an Elle Magazine subscriber,  I found this cover to be utterly flawless (I’m still not over the Jennifer Aniston + Brad Pitt breakup, but I can’t hate Angelina…She has ageless beauty and is an amazing actress)!

Three of these will be included in my next giveaway! Which three do you hope they are?

BeautyCon NYC 2014

I was very fortunate to be able to hit up NYC for BeautyCon!

BeautyCon Taxi

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, but after reading up on it, I wanted in.

And, thanks to the manfriend, I was able to snag a PRO ticket + some BeautyCon swag, along with my two besties.

BFFs

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BeautyCon NYC Makeup Application

What is Beautycon? Well, put frankly, it’s a beauty convention.

BeautyCon NYC Dance Floor

BeautyCon NYC Makeover Challenge

What does that mean? It means you get to stand in a lot of long lines to get to try makeup and beauty products from various companies, if you are 21+ you get free drinks, and you get to hear panelists speak on various topics such as social media and being a diva, as well as meet some of your favorite makeup and hair gurus, bloggers, vlogger, etc.

In other words, it is EVERYTHING!

BeautyCon NYC Beauty Store Line

BeautyCon NYC Stack Wine

BeautyCon NYC Cheers

BeautyCon NYC Panel

Was BeautyCon NYC worth it? I would say so!

Johnny Wujek selected me as one of his choices for the walk off contest! While I didn’t win, I werked it.

Not only did we have an absolute blast, but we are already looking forward to #BeautyConNYC 2015!

My next blog post will be all about my BeautyCon swag, so may sure you don’t miss it and subscribe!

spring fling voxbox

I joined Influenster not too long ago, and recently got my first VoxBox. I am always saying that I like to try new things, and VoxBox allows me to do just that + share my opinion on the products I try.

Spring Fling VoxBox

The theme of this particular VoxBox was Spring Fling, and had products to help you get ready for spring.

Spring Fling Vox Box

Spring Fling VoxBox

My Spring Fling VoxBox contained:

Peach Pie Car Freshener from the Labor Day Movie $21.24

Labor Day Pie Air Freshener Front

Labor Day Pie Air Freshener Back

Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara $5.47

Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara

NIVEA Skin Firming Hydration Lotion $5.97 for 6.8oz

Nivea Skin Firming Hydration Body Lotion

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance available in Walmart stores  $3.99 – $4.99

Playtex Sport   Playtex Sport

Kiss Everlasting French Nails $7.79

Kiss Everlasting French Nails

Kiss Everlasting French Nails

Kiss Everlasting French Nails

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These products were received complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.

10 beauty products to swap out for spring

Being in Vermont, this winter has been…long. After yesterday’s weather and looking at the forecast for the week, I think it is safe to say the spring is finally here to stay. Transitioning away from our winter wardrobe is something that those of us with heliophilia, await from the very moment that the leaves start to fall.

daffodil

I noticed that I don’t really find myself thinking about as much is updating my makeup bag. When I say updating my makeup bag, I don’t mean adding to it…that is a never-ending thing for me that just kind of happens whenever I have money. What I’m referring to is the swapping out of darker, more wintery and sultry makeup for brighter, lighter and fun makeup used in the spring.

20140509-093004.jpg Winter Beauty

20140509-093013.jpg Spring Beauty

Everyone has their rules for just about everything now-a-days. While I understand that rules can be broken…there are products that I generally find myself going to in particular seasons that I don’t care for as much during others.

The ten beauty products I swap out for spring:

1. Perfume

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Left: Dolce & Gabbana + Versace
Right: VS Coconut Passion + Viva La Juicy

2. Nail Polish

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Left: Essie in Wicked + OPI in Nein! Nein! Nein! OK Fine!  + Sinful Colors in Nirvana
Right: Butter London in Teddy Girl + Essie in A Crewed Interest + Ruby Wing in Gypsy

3. Lip Stick/Gloss/Balm/Etc.

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Left: Beauty for Real + Bite in VIB Rouge + Baby Lips
Right: Make + Givenchy + Dior

4. Foundation

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Left: Clinique
Right: Laura Mercier

5. Concealer

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Left: Benefit Fake Up
Right: Nars (Because my skin gets darker…)

6. Blush

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Left: Nars blush in Seduction
Right: Nars Illuminator in Orgasm + Nars blush in Taj Mahal

7. Mascara + Eyeliner

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Left: Guerlain + Sephora Define Yourself Black Eyeliner Set (Out of Stock + now I regret recommending it so much…)
Right: CoverGirl + Sephora Define Yourself Color Eyeliner Set (Out of Stock)

8. Face Lotion

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Left: Clinique
Right: Supergoop (+ SPF)

9. Anti-Bacterial “Stuff”

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Left: Bath & Body Works  (I want my hands clean, not dry + No longer available, so glad I stocked up!)
Right: Purell

10. Tools

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Left: Free gift with purchase from Sephora + sponge I found at a some drug store (here’s a better alternative + it’s a two pack!)
Right: Birchbox (No longer available, but here’s their new Birchbox exclusive Pouch) + Julep

Are these products that you find your self swapping out too? What else do you swap of for the spring? Do you have Instagram? Share a “What’s in my makeup bag” photo and share what’s stashed in your current makeup bag with the hashtag #myspringswapout!

 

 

meet your match

Meet Your Match Kit

Meet Your Match Kit (open)

I majorly heart Sephora.

I majorly heart trying new products.

Each time Sephora comes out with a new collection or kit I can’t fight the feeling of needing to have it.

This was very much so the case with the Sephora Favorites Meet Your Match Kit.

There was nothing that I disliked about this kit, but I want to stress that these are minis. Samples. Not full-sized products. A lot of the reviews were from those that were disappointed with the size, so I was prepared to be a little disappointed. I wasn’t. In fact, I was very pleased with it.

A few notes:

The “purple” nail polish is really thick. I only painted one coat and was afraid that two coats wouldn’t dry without me managing to smudge them, and the color was bold enough to look as though I’d painted two coats.

The “coral” nail polish was a bit thin and even after two coats, I could still see through it, but I didn’t mind as it wasn’t too noticeable…

Meet Your Match Coral

Coral

Meet Your Match Radiant Orchid

Radiant Orchid

Meet Your Match Neutral

Neutral

Kit Includes Deluxe Minis of the following products:

Nails Inc. Devonshire Row Nail Polish

Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Tint in Elite

Bite Beauty Lush Fruit Lip Gloss 

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Girls Just Want to Have Fun

Formula X Nail Color in Invincible

Hourglass Cosmetics Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Child

I am so glad that I purchased this kit! I really do like all the colors and can’t decide which color set I like the best.

Do you have one that you prefer over the others? Let me know in the comments, this info may be used to help me plan a special giveaway later on!

xx
Bethany

Lipstick Challenge

Social media has opened up whole new worlds for me! From twitter parties, to networking opportunites, to finding out about Keiko Kaveri’s #NoBareLips30.

This lipstick challenge starts today, with It’s World Kiss Your Mate Day, so take a photo kissing someone you love and join in on the fun! After the 30 days, I will share all my photos from the challenge along with what products I used.

Can’t wait until then? During the challenge, I will be sharing my photos on Instagram and Twitter, so if you aren’t already…FOLLOW ME! And don’t forget to tag me, if you want to make sure I see your lippies!

Instagram

Twenty Something Giveaway

This weekend I went to my home state, Connecticut, to spend time with family. And by spend time with, I mean two of my siblings and I signed up for a Spartan Workout.

The three of us had signed up for this event months ago, but about a week ago I found out that there was also going to be a Sephora VIB Rouge event going on at the same time.

I wanted to go to both.

So, even though I was informed that I could not eat my cake and have it too, I was luckily able to plan it out perfectly.  got to quickly pop into the Sephora event and still make it in time for the Spartan Workout. I also managed to snag a few freebies and since I already happened to have some extras, I wanted to share my good fortune, so I am holding my first ever GIVEAWAY!

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Nothing too major (sorry, I’m not big time…yet), but if you win you get twenty something, 25 to be exact, samples and a Sephora makeup bag.

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To enter, you must like my Facebook page, follow me on Instagram and Twitter, and comment on this blog post once you’ve done all three. For an additional entry, you can share on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the hashtag #20somethingplusgiveaway. Don’t have one of the above? Subscribe to the blog instead! There are no official rules or anything like that, but you have from April 1 – April 14 to enter the, winner will be selected at random and announced on April 15.

UPDATE: Congrats to the winner Shayna Clavin! 

Select Your Shade, But Not Mine

Benefit Cosmetics is one of my top five makeup/beauty brands. I’d been wanting to sample their new Big Easy multi-balancing complexion perfector (think BB/CC cream), and when one of the three free sample options from Sephora happened to be all the shades, I thought, PERFECT!

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Then I got it and read, ‘find your shade,’ but none of the options looked even remotely close to my complexion.

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I have darker skin, but would be typically considered ‘dark’ more so than ‘deep’. Shade 06-deep/beige, the darkest shade, looked like I could maybe get away with it, maybe…

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But, no, not unless I wanted to look really, really washed out. So, instead I will continue using my current go-to BB cream and call it a day. While I was a little disappointed, I was extremely grateful that I hadn’t shelled out the $40 like I’d wanted to, and encourage you to find sample sizes when trying new products so you don’t invest in something that may not work for you. I came up with a list of other products that are good alternatives for dark skin.

Alternatives for Dark Skin:
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer
Becca Ultimate Coverage Complexion Creme
bareMinerals Foundation
Maybelline BB Cream
Smashbox BB Kit

What do you use?

Eyeliner

The two beauty products that I wear most regularly are mascara and eyeliner. I go through black eyeliner like it’s nobody else’s business!

I really like the Sephora Collection Define Yourself Black Eyeliner Set. It comes with five different types of eyeliners and the entire set is less than an eyeliner pencil from some other brands. Plus, it’s waterproof and, in my opinion, just works really well.20140325-195421.jpg

The set comes with :
1) A retractable eyeliner
2) A contour eye pencil
3) A jumbo 12 hour wear liner
4) A long-lasting 12 hour wear eye liner
5) A smoky cream liner (My personal favorite for wings!)

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In high school I used to only wear eyeliner on my bottom lash line, but that is a huge NO-NO. I’d share pictures, but I’m pretty sure I’ve already burned them all. Now, I’ve learned that when I want my eyes to really POP, I can line them all the way around, instead of just my upper lash line.

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Whether you are a makeup pro or novice (clearly I am a novice), I highly recommend Bobbi Brown’s Makeup Manual!

Thoughts? Do you have any eyeliner tips? I would love to hear, please share!