Hey guys! Now that things have settled down a bit, I figured I'd take on a new challenge for myself and blog everyday this upcoming month! I know I've been majorly slacking on posting, but this year has just been so intense. But good news is that I recently finished my main clerkships, my acting internship, and Step 2 CK. So just a few more core rotations and Step 2 CS (which is just pass/fail) separate me from being totally completely done....well except for the whole applying and interviewing thing, which should be more exciting than studying for exams. Anyway, I wanted to blog most, if not all, days in August. I really love writing and sharing my opinions on beauty, so I'm quite looking forward to the challenge. I have a few ideas jotted down, so hopefully my efforts will stay strong and I'll complete this endeavor!

Plus August means one month closer to the best season of them all, FALL!

July 2015 Ipsy Bag

I haven't done an Ipsy bag review post in a few months now! The last few months flew by fast and I didn't get the chance to write a blog post in May and June. This month's Ipsy bag was okay, not the best but not the worst. The bag itself was not my favorite, just a geometric multicolored soft-shell sort of bag. The bags in the previous months have been a lot prettier, so not too amazed with this one.

The makeup itself was okay as well. I got a few haircare and skin products like every month.

Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics 2-in-1 Shadow/Liner -- I've been getting into brown eyeliners lately, so this is perfect! I prefer mechanical eye pencils since they're easier to work with, but the formula seems super creamy so I'm excited to try it.

Aurora Gel Effect Nail Polish in 4 Alarm Fire -- Really beautiful red-pink color! The perfect bright summer nail polish I can't wait to try on my nails next. I've never tried a gel nail polish before, so this should be exciting. Luckily this doesn't require UV radiation, so it makes for an easy application.

Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Lip Balm in Ruby -- My favorite product in this month's bag! Not going to lie, I would've never picked up this shade in the store myself, but I'm glad this came in my bag this month because it's a really beautiful red-coral lip balm. It's a super buttery, moisturizing balm that adds the perfect amount of color to my lips. Super excited to wear this in the summer and going into fall.

Octavio Molina Hair La Playa Salt Spray -- I've tried sea salt sprays in the past and they don't look too good on my hair since my hair's already super wavy and texturized. It smells super good though, so I may just give it another shot this summer!

Eau Thermale Avene Cleanance Gel Soapless Cleanser -- Unfortunately, this was my least favorite product in the bag this month. I don't like trying new skincare products since my skin is so sensitive, so this one was thrown out.

ColourPop Haul, Swatches, & Thoughts

A while back near my birthday, I placed my very first order at Colourpop. I've heard so many amazing things about this brand and had to try it out for myself, especially since their products are so cheap and I had a $5 off coupon. I ended up ordering 3 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, and one lipstick, all for $25! Since I bought these around May, I've used most of the products and can offer a review on them.



Here are swatches of the eyeshadows -- Get Lucky (top left), I <3 This (top right), and Smash (bottom).  As you may know, the texture of their products are a cream-mousse-powder hybrid, which is pretty unique. They remind me of the Maybelline Dream Mousse blushes from back in the day.  The formula and pigmentation of these shadows is amazing. They're very buttery and apply true to color. Get Lucky is a bright yellow-gold. I <3 This is a white gold duo chrome. Smash is a bronze-antique gold blend.

As far as application, I've been applying it all over my lids with a flat eyeshadow brush. Get Lucky and I <3 This contain more glitter and go on a bit patchy with the use of a brush. If I try to even out the color with a brush, that just causes the glitter to spread everywhere, which isn't the most flattering look. Smashon the other hand is a much less glittery and contains more sheen. It goes on very smoothly when applied with a brush. It's become one of my favorite products in my entire eyeshadow collection! I've been told that that the best way to apply the Colourpop eyeshadows is by patting them on the lid with a finger and then blending it out with a brush. I may try this method next time I use one and hopefully get a more even application with the more glittery shades. So overall, loving Smash but not having the best of luck applying the glittery Get Lucky and I <3 This with a brush. I'm hoping using my finger to apply these shades will work out better since they are quite gorgeous, brightening lid colors.

Here are swatches of the lipstick and blushes -- Brink Lippie Stix (left), Quarters blush (middle), Fruit Stand blush (right). Brink is a matte dusty rose-mauve. Quarters is a matte burnt apricot. Fruit Stand is a matte bright red-orange. They had a wide variety of blush shades but I chose these two because I didn't have colors like this in my collection. Again, the quality of these blushes are amazing. They're super pigmented and blend beautifully. Fruit Stand looks scary in the pan, but it blends out to a really beautiful bright coral-red shade. I haven't played around too much with Quarters, but it seems like a gorgeous fall shade. It looks much different in the pan than when it's swatched on my hand. Brink is by far the most surprising purchase. I mainly got the Lippie Stix to try out the formula, but I fell in love with the color. I'm not a huge fan of matte lipsticks but this one looks stunning on tan skin tones. Again, it's going to be gorgeous for the fall.

All in all, loving my first few ColourPop purchases. Super affordable brand with excellent quality products. I would recommend everyone try out at least 1-2 products from their line, just to try their unique hybrid eyeshadow and blush formula. I'm hoping to buy a few more eyeshadows and Lippie Stix from their line in the near future. They also have some new lip glosses that I have my eye on. And with just $5 a pop, my wallet won't be cringing!

June Beauty Favorites

Super long time since I last posted! As always, things have gotten so busy lately. I had my Pediatrics clerkship in May, an acting internship in June, and now I'm on a study month for Step 2 CK. So it's been back to back school stuff. Not to mention, residency applications are due in September so I've been working on stuff for that. I'm happy to say that my CV is now done, I've asked most of my letter writers, and I'm almost finished with my personal statement. At this stage, I'm just narrowing down a list of programs and of course studying for Step 2.

I've actually been wearing a decent amount of makeup on most days. I've been especially obsessed with eye looks, blushes, and highlighters and have been experimenting with a bunch of makeup in my collection. Here are my beauty favorites over the past month.

ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Smash

NARS Duo Eyeshadow in Kalahari

Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro

Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Brink

Maybelline Color Elixir Iridiscent in Pearlescent Peach

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Nail Coat

Essie Nailpolish in Cute As A Button