Going on Hiatus

As of today, Kathryn Rose will be going on hiatus indefinitely.  This isn't the end of a good thing but rather the beginning of two great new things, as we've each created our own blogs.  This split certainly doesn't indicate any kind of personal or professional (if this little blog could be considered such) rift between Bre and myself.  We're still best friends and continue to support one another's ventures in the blogging world.  We've simply reached a, perhaps inevitable, point where our blogging interests have begun to diverge.

That said, please follow Bre's new fitness blog (Skinny) Arm Wars and my new whatever blog Taryn Rose.  Thank you for caring about two college girls' outlet for our love of personal style, as well as said college girls as individuals and (hopefully) both our new outlets.

XOXO, T

Smudgy Eyeliner FOTD

This is how I've been doing my makeup pretty much every day lately. It's a little bit sexier than going completely sans makeup while still remaining perfectly appropriate for my morning classes (Okay, my first one is at noon.)--an almost bare face with neutral lips and a diffused, slept-in-looking Smudgy lash line. Ten products/steps might sound like a lot, but I typically knock this out in about six minutes.  This look can be recreated using products in your own makeup collection.  All you need is black liquid eyeliner (I prefer a pen), matte black eyeshadow,  rose blush and a pinky brown lipstick.  (Lipliner and finishing powder are optional, although highly recommended.)

I took this in the bathroom at college like a creeper.

What I'm Wearing
1. Jergens Natural Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer for Fair to Medium Skin Tones
2. e.l.f. Essential Eyelid Primer blended up to brow bone.
3. Milani Baked Eyeshadow in Intermix over entire lid
4. Revlon Color Stay Liquid Eye Pen in Black dotted and dashed into base of lashes (to darken/thicken them; doesn't have to be perfect)
5. Matte black from Wet n Wild Color Icon I Heart Matte palette smudged into lash line on top of eyeliner. (It's best to do this before the eyeliner dries, so I typically do each eye individually.)
6. One coat of e.l.f. Studio Vitamin Infused Mascara
7. Physicians Formula Mosaic Blush in Blushing Rose
8. Milani Easy Liner for Lips Retractable Pencil in Most Natural at the outer edge of my lips (to keep my lipstick from bleeding)
9. Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter in Pink Truffle
10. e.l.f. Studio High Definition Powder in Translucent across my forehead and down my nose and chin

Your Turn
How do you like my FOTD?
How does it compare to/differ from your everyday makeup routine?

XOXO, T

Official Start of Project 14 Pan

Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned I was going to be starting Project Pan?  Well, today is the day.  I'm posting this between classes at college (uni) so this list is just off the top of my head and whatever happens to have been shoved in my makeup bag.  I'll likely add a few more items when I get home and can actually assess my stockpile, but here's what I've decided on so far:

The Rules
1. I am not allowed to buy any makeup, skin care or hair products until I completely finish the contents of every item listed below.
2. The only exception to this rule is if I finish something necessary, ie moisturizer, that I have no backups of or substitutes for, I'm allowed to purchase one replacement.

Makeup
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Just Enough Buff
Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait
Revlon Color Burst Lip Gloss in Wild Orchid
Milani Lipliner in Most Natural
e.l.f. Essential Eyelid Primer
e.l.f. Essential eyeshadow quad in Butternut
e.l.f. Mineral Infused Mascara
e.l.f. Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder
NYC (New York Color) Sheer Red Lipstick
Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Single in Brulee

Skin Care
The Body Shop Cucumber Cleanser
The Body Shop Cucumber Toner
Yes to Blueberries Eye Roller
Jargens Natural Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer in Fair to Medium
Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil

Hair Products
Organix Moroccan Curl Cream
Organix Macademia Oil Conditioner

Your Turn
Have you ever done Project Pan?
Do you have any advice/suggestions for me?

XOXO, T

Eve Nguyen's BH Cosmetics Neutral Eyeshadow Pro Giveaway

Eve Nguyen is a popular beauty blogger.  I first discovered her on Luuux, but I also enjoy her blog.

She's giving away two BH Cosmetics Eyeshadow Pro 15 Color Palettes chock full of all the matte, satin and shimmer neutral shadows you could ever want.  I've never tried anything from BH cosmetics, but I've heard a lot of great things about their shadows in particular.  I would absolutely love to win Eve's giveaway.

On to her rules:

1. Follow Eve on Blogspot.

2. Follow and friend her on Luuux.

3. Leave ONE comment on her post answering the following question: If you could travel to any one place in the world, where would it be?

4. Re-post this on either your blog, Luuux, Tumblr, etc. (LEAVE THE LINK TO YOUR RE-POST IN THE COMMENTS ALONG WITH YOUR ANSWER).

5. Must be 18 or older (or have parental permission to provide Eve with your mailing address).

This giveaway is open to BOTH International and U.S./Canada residents and will last until the end of the month (ends Monday, May 28th).

P.S. It would be pretty cool if you add me on Luuux too.

Skin Care Sunday: Jergens Natural Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer

This product has been around for quite a few years, but I'd never tried it until recently.  In fact, this has been my first ever experience with any form of self tanner.  I picked this up at Target last weekend, and it also came with a little sample bottle of Natural Glow & Protect Daily Moisturizer for Body, but I haven't gotten around to trying that yet.

What Jergens Says

Jergens Natural Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer gradually creates fabulous, natural-looking color, for a healthy, radiant glow.  This advanced, Skin Cancer Foundation recommended, SPF 20 formula contains broad-spektrum UVA & UVB protection to defend against every day sun exposure.

What I Like

This moisturizer provides just the perfect wash of color to make me look alive without making me too blatantly tan.  (I thought I might need the shade Medium to Tan, but I'm so glad Bre convinced me to opt for the Fair to Medium version).  It's neither oily nor does it irritate my sensitive skin.  I also love the added benefit that the SPF 20 provides, saving me the step of having to apply an additional product and subsequently shaving a little time off my morning routine.

What I Don't Like

Really, nothing.  If I had to pick, I'd say I wouldn't mind a higher SPF, but as far as the tanning aspect I honestly wouldn't change a thing.  I can't believe I didn't start using this a lot sooner.

Your Turn

Have you ever used any products in the Jergens Natural Glow line?  Do you have any tips or tricks for self tanner n00bs like me?

XOXO, T

P.S. I'll add before and after photos if I ever get dressed and, you know, take a shower.  (I'm trying to hermit away the birthday hangover from hell.)

Influenster Spring Beauty VoxBox Unboxing

Tons of packaging peanuts, as always.

My Influenster Beauty VoxBox arrived on Tuesday, but I've been pretty busy with school the last couple days so I finally just got the chance to unbox it. Unfortunately, most of this month's products were tested on animals, so I'll only be reviewing the Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist, SOYJOY Bar and Sheer Cover Duo Concealer.  I do wish Influenster would include more (ideally, only) cruelty-free products.

XOXO, T

Insane Target Haul

I'm pretty much a crackhead when it comes to Target binge shopping. Bre and I went this Saturday past under the guise of checking out the Webster Miami collaboration.  As seems to be the case every time I set foot in a Target, I ended up spending way more money than I'd like to admit.  I did pick up two pieces from the Webster: the Deco Print Tank and Sand Dollar Disc Earrings in Silver, although they also come in gold.  (Believe me, editing the entire gorgeous collection down to two pieces was no easy feat.)  I also couldn't help but grab a purple Target brand crossbody baguette, two skinny pink baskets (which I plan on using for makeup storage), Jergens Natural Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer for Fair to Medium Skin Tones, Sonia Kashuk Nail Colour in Fairy Princess, e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner in Plum Purple and e.l.f. Essential Brightening Eye Color quad in Butternut.  Unfortunately I forgot to get any of the few things I actually need.

Your Turn

1. What do you think of my haul?

2. Did you get anything from the Webster Miami for Target?

3. Do you have any of these products?

XOXO, T

Summer Nights!

Now that it's summer, hopefully I'll have more time for more posts. Turning back to the fashion side of things, tonight I bring you my look for hitting up a popular bar near UCF-- World of Beer. It's a laid-back place, but everyone always looks fab. Tonight I'm going with one of my favorite dresses, a green lace shift dress from Francesca's. I'm topping it with a sleek bun and red lips, but keeping it laid back with some brown, leather sandals. I'll also be wearing my new ring (a graduation gift from Taryn!) on my wedding ring finger in hopes of keeping creepers at bay.

March-April Loves

I guess I should apologize for this post being late (but when am I ever not?)

My Loves posts seem to have become bimonthly (dimonthly?  semi-monthly?  Help me out here; I'm rusty on prefixes.)

Anyway, here are my favorite products for the months of March and April.

6. Milani Intermix
Intermix is a very versatile shadow.  I wear this dry during the day for a sheer wash of gold and wet at night for a metallic bronze pop.

5. Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter

I'm sure you've probably already read about a million reviews about these babies (I know I have), but they really are as fantastic as everyone says, and I can't help but include them here.  The term tinted lip butter makes me expect a chapstick-like product with perhaps the slightest hint of color, but this product far exceeds my expectations.  Although it isn't as hydrating as a true lip balm, it more than makes up for this in terms of color payoff.  Even though they call it Lip Butter, I would actually describe it more as the most hydrating lipstick you've ever tried.  The colors I've been enjoying most are Lollipop (creamy hot pink), Peach Parfait (sheer peach with gold shimmer) and Sugar Plum (neutral berry).

Lollipop, Peach Parfait and Sugar Plum

4. NYC Smooch Proof 16 Hour Lip Stain in 491 Forever Freesia

3. e.l.f. Professional Eye Liner Brush
This flat, little brush is perfect for either setting my cream liner or smudging shadow into my lashline for a more natural, diffused look.

2. e.l.f. Mineral Infused Mascara in Black
Upon seeing the small-ish brush, I wasn't expecting much from this mascara, but sometimes you really can't judge a book by its cover mascara by its brush.  Between its wet formula (think Cover Girl Lash Blast) and surprisingly effective brush, it gives me tons of separation and volume.

1. Milani Antigua
First, let me take a moment to teach you the correct pronunciation.  Antigua is one of my very favorite vacation spots.  It's a beautiful island inhabited by beautiful, friendly people.  Apparently the country's current spelling is a typo; it was originally meant to be spelled Antiga (without the u).  The locals pronounce it like "Antee-guh," not "Antee-gwah."
But onto the actual product: it's olive green with gold shimmer which, like Intermix, becomes really dramatic and gorg when applied wet; I never really wear this one dry.

Non-Beauty Favorites
Song: Home by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
Food and/or drink: Amaretto Coffee Creamer
Jewelry combo: vintage Gucci watch and Target cord wrap bracelet

Your Turn
Do you have any of these products?
What are your loves for March and April?
Would you be interested in more in-depth reviews and/or swatches of any of these products?

XOXO, T

Skin Care Sunday: Yes to Blueberries Brightening Eye Rolleroller

I know it's been forever since my last Skin Care Sunday, but it's not very often that I actually add a new product to my routine.
Eye creams are one of those products everyone else always seemed to use, but I never really thought I needed.  After talking to Liz (my person and go-to general knowledge expert), I learned that I actually should be using an eye cream.  She told me she uses Neutrogena and challenged me to find her a cruelty-free alternative.

What Yes to Blueberries Says
Free of Petroleum and SLS.  Paraben-free, naturally!  The Yes to Blueberries collection features products that help improve skin firmness. protect skin, diminish fine lines and wrinkles, and nourish age damaged skin.  Use the entire collection for a recipe of youth enhancing goodness!

What I Like
The metal rollerball itself feels very cool on my eye area.  While I don't have any major eye area concerns, my skin does occasionally get mad about my poor life choices, resulting in dull, dry eyes and a bit of puffiness.  This product does seem to alleviate these issues.  Also, I have very sensitive skin, and this doesn't seem to irritate me or break me out.

Rollerball

What I Don't Like
At $19.99 the price is a bit steep in comparison to most of my other skin care products.

Overall
Regardless of the price, I am quite enjoying this eye roller, and it's less expensive than a slew of designer products which may or may not even work.

Your Turn
Have you tried Yes to Blueberries Brightening Eye Roller?  How about any other Yes to products?


XOXO, T

Naturals...stop!

The last few months, I was on a mission to turn my beauty routine "green."  Yeah, it was good for the environment  and yada, yada, yada; but really, I just wanted to make sure I wouldn't get breast cancer from the crazy ish some companies put in their cosmetics.
I am sad to announce that I have thrown in the towel--the chemical life is for me!  I just couldn't control my want for luxurious beauty items that concealed wonderfully, prevented future wrinkles, and made my eyes so freaking sultry.  I honestly thought I could make-do with the natural products I had found and started using.  I wasn't completely pure--every once in awhile, my old bottle of Pantene hiding in the corner of my shower would lure me with its yummy scent.  Some days, I just couldn't take my hair smelling of flower child.
I think, though, that the final straw was when I started using a Neutrogena "natural" moisturizer.  When I saw it in the store, I trusted it, as Neutrogena is "dermatologist approved" and all.  Let me tell you, over the last month or so, I have broken out more than I have in the last 2 years and my skin was all kinds of uneven.  So today, I chucked what was last of the fail-ogena and happily bought my old, trusted Oil of Olay moisturizer.  I also bought a lot of un-natural loot while I was at it, but that's another post for another time.

(Me, with the failed product...sad face.)

Schick Hydro Silk Free Sample

Schick seems to be the only cruelty free razor brand available at drugstores.  [Please correct me if I'm wrong on either account.]  I've been using their Xtreme 3 Hawaiian Tropic scented razors for ages and have always been satisfied with the results.

Lately I've heard tons of good things about the brand's new Hydro Silk Razors and have been meaning to try them, so I was pretty stoked when I found this free sample offer.  Simply fill out your information and your sample will arrive in 3-4 weeks.

*Image does not belong to me; it's obviously a promo shot.

Nivea Product Review and Giveaway

Shannonof Frugal Beautiful is giving away this great Nivea lip & body care prize pack, full of some of the line's newest lip and body care products.  Nivea is a popular cruelty free drugstore brand that I don't have much experience with but am curious to try/learn more about.  I don't know about y'all, but I'd love to win this.



For giveaway rules and to enter, visit Beautiful Giveaways.

XOXO, T

*This video obviously doesn't belong to me.  It's from Shannon's YouTube.

Project Pan

Chances are you know by now that I'm a compulsive beauty buyer.  Sometimes I feel like I should be on Hoarders.  I rarely finish any makeup, except maybe mascara.  Granted, most of my beauty products are drugstore purchases, but when you have a ton of affordable makeup, it becomes much less affordable.

So I've decided to do project pan as a means of saving some money and actually using my crazy stockpile of products.  For those of you who might not know what project pan is, it's where you vow to not buy any makeup/beauty products until you use up a certain amount of what you already have.  [I know a bunch of bloggers did project 10 pan a while back, but I didn't have a blog--or quite so much makeup--at the time.  Thus my doing it now.]

Note: This certainly doesn't mean you should expect any shortage of my beauty posts, as I still have a million products I've never reviewed, including the ginormous  e.l.f. order I placed during their bogo best sellers sale a few weeks ago (that I've barely even unboxed), not to mention whatever products I end up receiving for my birthday in a fewweeks.

The Specifics:

I've yet to decide just how many items I'll be including in this project, but it'll probably end up being somewhere in the field of Project 15 Pan.

A lot of girls are satisfied with "hitting pan" (like the NYX blush above), but one tiny sliver of pan just isn't good enough for me.  I plan on finishing my products completely.  You can expect to start seeing Monthly Empties posts updating my project pan progress.

Your turn: Do you have an overabundance of makeup/beauty products?
Have/would you ever do project pan?

Wish me luck.

XOXO, T

*FTC: This image does not belong to me; I borrowed it from Makeup+Music=<3<3<3

Birthday Wish List

I'm turning 23 on May 19, and I can.  Not.  Wait.  Not because there's anything particularly cool about turning 23 but because, as anyone who knows me can tell you,  I'm kind of obsessed with my birthday.  I've been bookmarking since February, but since my birthday's officially only a month away now, I hope I'm not completely insane in choosing today to broadcast the carefully selected items I hope to be receive from my family and friends.  [A lot of bloggers seem to do this.  Is it utterly strange/narcissistic of me to participate?]  In an attempt to remain at least somewhat organized, I've divided my wish list items into three categories, each in ascending order from want/need to I am going to die if I don't get this:

Cosmetics

9. The Body Shop Satsuma Body Polish 

8. Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in FBI

7. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Trollop
6. Make Up Forever La Boheme Aqua Eyes Eyeliner

5. Coastal Scents Smokey Eyeshadow Palette
4. NYX Butt Naked Eyes Makeup Palette

3. Benefit Cabana Glama
2. Sigma Mrs. Bunny Travel Brush Kit

1. Tarte Glambag

Accessories

6. Neon Rosary

5. ASOS Pack of Two Bunny Rings

4. Topshop Peace Charm Ring

3. ASOS Filigree Pearl Capped Necklace

2. Sugalite Yoga Bracelet

1. Deje Vu Coral Trinket Necklace

Rando

4. Whoops-a-Daisy Dome Umbrella

3. Forever 21 Trouble Maker ASPCA Tank
2. TOMS Heather Grey Ballet Pullover

1. PB Teen Branch-Out Ring Holder

Your turn: What do you think of my wish list?  Do you want (or have) any of these items?  What do you want for your birthday?

Raise your hand if you're surprised that my wish list contains mostly cosmetics.
XOXO, T

*FTC: None of these images belong to me, as I don't yet own any of these items.  Each picture is from the number 1 source link in its category.

Fashion Treasures

Today, Refinery29 presented a post on some Chicago natives and their most prized fashion treasures. Some of them were designer, some old family heirlooms, some precious gifts. But the post got me thinking about what my fashion treasure would be. I don't own anything of a big designer name, but I do have a watch I bought about a year ago, which I adore. I'm proud of it, because it was sort of a gift to myself, yet I found it as an excellent steal. It's everything I could hope for in a watch: classic, able to be dressed up or down, a solid make. I'm pretty positive this is my most treasured fashion piece. What's yours? Share a pic!

Fashion Inspo #2: Pretty Pastels

Happy Easter!  While I can't say I subscribe fully to the whole zombie Jesus thing, I happen to be borderline obsessed with pastels.  So regardless of religious beliefs (or lack thereof), and without further adieu, here are a few of the cheeriest springtime trends the internet has to offer (in no particular order, as I couldn't bear to pick favorites):

Glitter Guide

Lindsey Calla is one of my very favorites.

Cheetah is the New Black

Blonde Bedhead

Dear Marguerite

*None of these images belong to me.  I've bookmarked them from a few of my favorite blogs.  Sources are linked below each picture.  [Please don't sue me; I'm broke.]

New Treasures at Target

Almost every designer collaboration at Target has been pretty successful (an understatement for the riot that was Missoni for Target); I'm always tempted to buy at least half of the pieces in each line. And now, I have another collection to look forward to--according to Style.com, The Webster's CEO and co-founder is releasing a Miami Beach-inspired line on May 6th. I'll be setting my alarm for 6am that day to make sure I get into Target right when it opens.

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Spring 2012 Luminous Creme Blush Review and Swatches

I've been pretty much living in these blushes ever since receiving them from My Beauty Bunny. Read on to find out why.

Taffeta; Tropical Glow; Rose Quartz; Champagne Life

Can you tell I've used Champagne Life more often than the others? It's the first one I tried, mostly because the name is just fantastic. It sounds like what I would've captioned a photo from a high school hotel party or written CHAMP LIFE on my knuckles in Sharpie.

Taffeta; Tropical Glow; Rose Quartz; Champagne Life

What Youngblood says: This oil-free cream-textured blush combines a shimmering glow with sheer, long-wearing color. Can be worn as a cheek color or highlighter, or layered with powder blushes for extra color.

What I like: These shades are so bronzey and gorg for springtime. They have just the right amount of shimmer to brighten up my dull winter skin, without making me look like a disco ball. The texture is unlike anything else I've ever tried; think a moister (real word?) version of the Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush I was crazy about in high school. As an added bonus, Youngblood is a cruelty free, paraben free, and vegetarian company, which we love.

What I don't like: I can imagine the creaminess reading as greasiness, particularly on oily skin. We'll have to wait and see how I feel about these on my combination dry-in-winter-oily-in-summer skin in a few weeks once the Florida summer is in full gear.

Overall: I believe these retail for somewhere around $30 for .21 oz (6 g) of product. To put this in perspective, Mac Cremeblend Blushes are .19 oz (5.6 g) and cost $20. So for the amount of product you're getting, Youngblood Luminous Creme Blush is actually more cost efficient than Mac Cremeblend Blush. Do you need this? If you're partial to cream blush, absolutely. (What are you waiting for? Go now.) If, however, you're a powder blush girl, save your money. There are some really great drugstore options for powder blush, especially Physician's Formula and e.l.f.

XOXO, T

*FTC: I received these blushes as a giveaway prize from My Beauty Bunny.  This in no way affects my opinion of the product, as we pride ourselves in the integrity of our posts.

Julep Maven It Girl Unboxing and 1¢ Promo Code (Pic Heavy)

I know I'm probably the last girl in the blogging community to take advantage of Julep's penny introductory deal. If, however, you have no clue what I'm talking about, click here to take the Style Quiz and enter the promo code PENNY at checkout to receive your personalized Julep Maven box for just one teeny little cent. I have no idea how much longer this promotion is going to be available, so you should hop to it. I realize I sound like a salesperson, but, honestly,

why would you want to miss out on this deal?

Anyway, my It Girl Maven box arrived just four days after I ordered it. My kit was packaged in this cutie little black box, which contained a generous amount of packaging confetti stuff to keep my polishes safe in their little bubble wrap bundle, which was garnished with a sleek black julep.com nail file in a red bow. I was scarcely able to snap this picture before my inner child-on-Christmas-morning annihilated Julep's pretty presentation. (You know you love my overly dramatic similes.)

The polishes I received are:

Leah- vivid and refreshing grass green with a hint of shimmer.

Helena- ultra-saturated fuchsia. Looks great on all skin tones.

Melissa- sheer opalescent shimmer adds a soft glow when used alone and a high-fashion holographic effect when used over another color.

How gorg are these colors? All three polishes are right up my alley, and I cannot wait to try them out. Swatches will be up as soon as I do. Are you a Julep Maven? Did you take advantage of the PENNY promo code?

XOXO, T