Rosettes, Transepts, and Groin Vaults!?

Foreign terms to you, perhaps?

Well, they were pretty foreign to me before I started taking art history this year. I'm not really a religious person either, so churches were pretty far away from my designated niche. However, I've become fascinated with churches as of late. The architecture of these buildings is truly spectacular. There is so much attention to detail in almost every inch of these churches. And so many of them were built a long time ago (some nearly 1000 years ago!), so I am so shell-shocked by how amazing and well-built they are. They are so magnificent and just so beautiful to look at.

Anyway, we were assigned to pick a church in Boston and analyze it. I chose the Old South Church, which was built in a Gothic revival style in 1874. The exterior isn't very impressive, but I found the interior to be quite lovely. It was intricate, but muted. It was simple, yet beautiful. Something I'm inevitably drawn to: simplicity. This church, in my opinion, was the perfect blend of traditional and modern architecture.

In this "Color Play," I wanted to emulate the warm browns and vibrant jewel tones of the church. These colors in the church itself created such an inviting and welcoming atmosphere.

1. Stila Charmed Eye Palette: Jewel tones and warm coppers? This is basically the church in one palette.
2. L'Oreal HiP Pigment in Valiant: I wanted to imitate the stained glass windows, and this blue was the one for the job. It has such a pretty multi-dimensional effect.
3. MAC Eyeshadow in Moth Brown: This complex purple-gray-taupe was the perfect match for the exterior of the church.
4. L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Smoldering Plum: Y'all know I love this eyeshadow. It's exactly the color of the regal purple robes in the stained glass windows and icons!
5. Covergirl Outlast Lip Stain in Plum Pout: What's Christmastime without a little red?
6. L'Oreal Hip Eyeshadow Pencil in Unmistakable: And some more red!
7. Revlon Beyond Natural Eye Pencil in Brown: The rich, reddish browns of the Cherrywood furnishing.
8. MAC Fluidline in Rich Ground: Another warm, cozy brown that reminds me of the nave of the church.
9. Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Rich Sable: There were darker brown bricks like this peppered throughout the faces of the church.
10. L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Sahara Treasure: To mimic the intricate caen limestone-carved screen, I decided to use this. The sheen adds some nice extra umph.
11. L'Oreal HiP Eyeshadow Duo in Gilded: A church has got to have some gold, so of course I added gold to my colors. In the church here, the gold is focused in the chandeliers and the cross hanging down from the ceiling.
12. MAC Blush in Loverush: This deep, maroon-y red is another jewel tone color that was used on the stained glass imagery and on the walls.

I thought it'd be nice to share these pictures since it's near Christmas! Like I said, I'm not really a religious person, but I've fallen (hard) in love with church architecture. Growing up I was a little creeped out by churches, but now I've come to really appreciate them! From an architectural and artistic standpoint, they are simply ah-may-zing. Unlike modern-day skyscrapers, these structures have been around for over a thousand years -- that in itself is something. Are you a fan of church architecture?

But I'm not a Nudist

Back when I first started getting into makeup, the lip colors I was most enamored with were nudes. I remember being swayed toward them by Laura (back then lollipop26 on Youtube), who sported the nude lip so effortlessly. (I might have been sold over by her accent too.) Consequently, I was at the drugstore almost weekly to seek out all these nude lip products to feed my obsession. Yeah, it was that bad.

Nude, nude, nude, nude, nude...

Because of that, I built up a little collection of nude lipsticks and lipglosses. However, they have not been given much love in the past year or two. I'd grown away from nudes, and I now much prefer darker lip colors like reds, berries, and roses. I mean, I would probably never even touch nude lip colors unless I'm wearing heavy eye makeup (which is pretty rare). And so I decided to take an inventory of the nude lip products I owned. Thanks to this, I realize that I actually have a nice variety of nudes.

1. Korres Cherry Lip Gloss in Nude: This is probably the least nude lip product I own. It's more of a 'my lips but better' shade. It's a redder/rosier nude with gold shimmers, which enhances your natural lip color making your lips appear as if they're nude (bare).
2. Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Nude Blush: Like its name suggests, the color is similar to a natural flush of color in your cheeks. Nude Blush is probably my favorite nude lipstick because it is the most wearable, and it's oh so creamy. I need to start wearing this more often.
3. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Nude Lustre: Along with Nude Blush, this is my favorite nude lip gloss (it's always been, actually). It's a creme finish with the most subtle, barely barely noticeable, fine shimmer. I love it. Gotta finish this before it goes all bad!
4. L'Oreal Colour Juice Lip Gloss in Strawberry Smoothie: Not much to say about this one because I've never really used it (got it because it was 75% off) and it's really sheer, but it has a really interesting opalescent finish.
5. Maybelline Moisture Extreme Lipstick in Sugar Plum Ice: This is a pale beige pink with a silver/frosty finish. It's actually really really frosty. But for some reason, I must have used it a lot back then because this is down to almost a nub. Perhaps I'll finish it soon (or try to).
6. Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Soft Nude: This is the last nude I ever bought. Everyone had raved about this when it came out, claiming it was the perfect nude nude. In many ways it is, but if I put it on now, I just look dead. It's basically a creamier, slightly pinkier version of the next one, Nude Attitude. 
7. Revlon Matte Lipstick in Nude Attitude: Nude Attitude was my go-to lipstick when I wanted to completely blank-out my lips, which explains why it's one of my most-used nudes (along with Sugar Plum Ice). This is a matte, peachy nude. Again, I don't think I'd go for such a nude nude nowadays, but it's nice to have this on hand.

Thanks to this little inventory check, I think I'll go back and finish some of these lipsticks. If not, they'd probably just sit there forever. Might as well mix up my lip color instead of sticking to one all the time. What do you feel about nude lip products? Love them, hate them or just okay with them?

Overcast Blues

The past two weeks here in Boston have been gray and rainy. The ever-present clouds made me appreciate the little peeks of blue sky even more than usual. Clouds really do have their own kind of beauty. Their different shapes, sizes, and intensities can really make a day feel gloomy or cheery. They could be an eerie sign of forthcoming rain. Or they could just be stray clouds wandering the bright blue sky.

Another snap from last week's little hike.

It was a beautifully, clear, cloudless sky today, though, which made me miss them a little bit. I thought I'd put together some colors to remind me of the skies of yesterday.

I pulled together a few dark, cool-toned eyeshadows. They consisted of blues, grays, taupes, and a few other muted colors. There was nothing too loud in the colors I picked out. There's always this fragile serenity to clouds, so I used that conceptualize my colors.

1. Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Bluesmoke: Like the name suggests, this is a nice, deep navy blue with this gray smokiness to it. I think this would create the perfect navy blue smokey eye along with Revlon's Matte eyeshadow in Riviera Blue (3).
2. MAC Pigment in Deep Blue Green: This is one heck of a pigment. It has a rich, deep bluish-charcoal base, but then it also has this gorgeous teal duochrome that makes it just so pretty.
3. Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Riviera Blue: I remember I thought these eyeshadows were the bomb when they came out. Oh silly young, makeup noob me. It's a nice, deep gray-blue color in the pan, but applies so unevely.
4. Urban Decay Deluxe Eyeshadow in Frigid: In the pan, Frigid looks like a very promising, unique indigo color. However, it applies more purple rather than indigo. I still quite like it, though, because it's still a really different color. 
5. MAC Eyeshadow in Moth Brown: I received this from Dovey this past week. I've never had much luck with giveaways, so this was such a pleasant surprise! Moth Brown definitely did not disappoint. It's this complex purple-gray-taupe that's so darn pretty, she explains it better here.
6. MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe: Between the two cooler taupes, Satin Taupe looks so much more brown. It adds a layer of complexity to the colors I gathered.
7. Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Quad in Sandstorm (the last shade): This is a deep, almost completely gray taupe. This really reminds me of dark rain clouds.
8. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Birthday Suit: I thought the group needed a little light, and this was the best fit. As a champagne color, though, it's not too bright nor too dark, which was perfect here.
9. Rimmel Lipstick in Airy Fairy: This is a cool-toned, mauve-pink with a gold sheen. It's such a unique shade because the color itself is very cool, but the gold sheen warms it up and creates a lovely lip color.
10. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle: What's a fall/cloudy color palette without a deep lip color? This is like my beloved Revlon Soft Rose's younger sister! It's a browny-rose pink that I just adore.

Is it just me, or would 5, 6, 7, and 8 make a lovely quad? I'd totally buy it.

Some close-ups of the swatches.

(I was too lazy to swatch it on my nails.)

Also, befitting with the theme is this Essie nail polish in Power Clutch. It's a rich, charcoal color -- totally reminiscent of smoke and dark clouds. 

The other goodies she packed into the package.

I really want to thank Dovey for hosting such an awesome giveaway and for being so generous with the samples! As you can tell already, I'm lovin' Moth Brown. I hope you guys enjoyed this post. It's been a while since I last played with some colors, huh? Have a great rest of the weekend! :)

Bye Bye Brights

With the first official day of fall quickly approaching, it's time to say goodbye to those bright lip colors we sported over the summer. It's time to say goodbye to the bright-colored shorts I lived in outside in the sun. As I start packing away my summer clothes, I discover that I'll be "packing away" my bright lip colors as well. I'll probably be leaving these untouched in my makeup drawer for the fall and winter. And so, I thought I'd give them a go one last time before stowing them away in the back of my other lippies.

The line-up.

As I picked them out, I realized that most of my bright lip products were from Revlon. Save for one lipgloss from Korres, all the lippies are from Revlon. I guess the reasoning here is that I shouldn't spend too much money on something I won't wear super often. It's nice to have some adventurous options that I didn't need to shell out too much for. And well, Revlon probably has the best selection of lip products at the drugstore.

1. Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Strawberry: This is probably my favorite bright lip gloss in my collection. It's a bright pinky red with such pretty silver glitters. The texture is great and the color really packs a punch.
2. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pink Pop: This is another great bright lip color. It's a creamy, cool-toned pink and it's basically almost fluorescent!
3. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti: A nice, flat-out orange. This is the only orange lipstick that actually kind of works for me. I talked about it more here.
4. Korres Cherry Lip Gloss in Fuschia: This is more so red than fuchsia. It has pretty multi-colored shimmers, but a not-so-pretty cherry scent.
5. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Coral Reef: Theeeeeeeeeee perfect coral peach color! This is absolutely beautiful on the lips.

I wanted to swatch these colors on the lips too, but didn't want to take so many pictures of essentially the same thing, so I decided to be a little creative and swatch all 5 colors...at once! Left to right it goes: Fuchsia, Coral Reef, Strawberry, Tutti Frutti, and Pink Pop. You can really see the beauty of Strawberry and Coral Reef here. I felt so "high fashion" the 10 minutes I had these crazy lips on.

It's times like this I wish I had a lip brush.

Doesn't this look like it would be in a magazine or something (not to toot my own horn)?

Speaking of bright colors, they remind me of a little watercolor quote thingamabobber I painted a few weeks ago. It's a quote from one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. I gifted it to my best friend (whom I got to like Haruki Murakami as well). Drawing cursive in bubble letters is really fun, but kind of tedious.

So, are you going to be stowing away your bright lippies this fall and winter? Or are you gonna wear them anyway? I'm so ready to break out the roses and reds and plums (I already am)! I hope this post "brightened" up your day if even a little, and have a great rest of the week!

Drugstore Thrills

After a long week of school, I didn't feel like going out with my friends so I headed home to be a (blogging) hermit. But first, I stopped by CVS to get some new makeup wipes. And well, I ended up spending a little bit of time there.

Some lighter reading material for the weekend.

This might just be me, but buying beauty products at the drugstore always gives me so much joy. Even more so than buying a fancy, high end makeup item. Is it a "simple pleasure"? I wouldn't necessarily call it that. But I guess I can say that there are a lot of reasons as to why I find so much pleasure in shopping there. 

Garnier Refreshing Remover Cleansing Towelettes.

I can browse at ease without a sales associate "helping me". It's convenient and relatively inexpensive (though they're not as cheap of a thrill nowadays, but let's save that topic for a rainy day). Seemingly endless aisles and rows are filled with product after product. There's a lot to choose from. And once you have the selected few held triumphantly in your hands, you cannot wait to pop open the seals at home and try them out.

Top: Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle, Bottom: Spoiled Nail Polish in Jewelry Heist

Yes, this must be it. It's the thrill of discovering a lovely little gem in a sea of so many unknowns. It's something you just can't experience at Sephora or a department store. You can't try it out and move on if it doesn't suit your fancy. You either buy it or put it back on the rack, never to know how it would have looked like on you. Yes, you could have gotten a nice Dior lipstick in exchange for all these things, but you just couldn't have gotten this kind of feeling. It's the epitome of a pleasant surprise (as are the facts on Snapple bottle caps).

Do you feel the same way about shopping for beauty products at the drugstore? I feel like I've rambled on too much about it, but well something about it just makes me really happy. The drugstore makes me feel very...druggy, eh? Can't wait to test these things out and tell you what I think! Hehe, have a great weekend! :)

Tooting this Frutti Lip Balm

Revlon's Tutti Frutti Colorburst Lip Butter.

Yum?

First off, for some reason, I really really really like the color of the cap -- I really don't know why I like the color this much. I also like how it's matte. I love matte-textured things. And of course, the quilting. Basically, I really like the packaging of this. Props to the Revlon design team, yo.

I went into CVS a couple weeks back to get some Revlon Lip Butters. I had heard all the raves about these, so I thought I should give them a try. The display had quite a plethora of shades, but none of them really caught my attention...except Tutti Frutti. It was a nice, bright orange amongst a sea of pinks. I already had too many pink lipsticks, so I decided to settle with this.

Aside from the packaging, I have to say that I don't really think this product is as amazing and life-changing as it was raved to be. Indeed it is smooth and relatively moisturizing, but really, a lot of lipsticks offer that. Essentially, this "lip butter" is like another lipstick to me. I might just be a little put-off by the hype of this product, maybe I'll love it with a couple more uses, but at the moment...I'm not really feeling it that much. I like it, but I don't love it enough to tell everyone to "go out and get them right now before they're gone!"

It is indeed, quite orange. But somehow, it kind of works on my complexion? Hmmm, perhaps I should have gotten a more wearable color...