Blue Blocking Glasses

With the pandemic still going on, I’m lucky enough to be able to work from home. This means even more time staring at a computer screen. These blue blocking glasses are stylish, fun to wear and prevent eye strain. I have five pairs to show you and I got them off Amazon!

Clear frames are easy to wear and go with any look/outfit.

Black on the top and clear on the bottom, these glasses look professional and stylish especially for those Zoom meetings.

These all black everything frames are classic glasses that are super versatile.

Tortoise shell is always a great pick for these blue blocking glasses. I usually pick this design for sunglasses as well!

Last but not least, choose unique blue frames for a fun pop of color!

These blue blocking glasses are comfortable, lightweight and fit my small face perfectly. I’ve even used them when I had been playing a game a little too long on my phone. They’re good for that too! I have worn all these glasses throughout the work week and will continue to wear them even when we go back in the office. (Whenever that is!)

Week of Marstè Fashion

I’m so excited I had the pleasure of meeting Marlena Stell, also known as Makeup Geek, at her pop-up shop in NYC. Her clothing line is called Marstè, a cute combination of her first and last name. I have been a fan of hers for years and learned how to do makeup watching her YouTube videos.

You would not believe how pleasantly surprised I was while admiring the display of Makeup Geek eyeshadow palettes, to hear her say, “Hi! Thanks for coming!” Shocked that she was there, she told me that she loves to surprise people! We talked and hugged – Needless to say it was a major fan-girl moment for me; she was down to earth and very welcoming.

The palettes were exclusive to the NYC pop-up shop so I wanted to pick one up. I chose Passion, which has MUG classic colors such as Frappe and Cosmopolitan.

The stylists let me know that Marlena designed the palettes to complement the colors in the clothing line. Since I bought plums and blushes, Passion was a no-brainer.

The line currently has sizes from Size 0 to Size 22, which is pretty awesome. It’s rare to see a clothing line catering to all women with a wide range of sizes. The clothes are flattering with great quality material. The color palette consists of black, white, emerald, blush, plum, olive and maroon, making it easy for mixing and matching as well as color-blocking. I’ll show you different ways to style Marstè pieces.

Marstè plum high-waisted skirt paired with an orange crop top and rose gold accessories

Threw loafers, shades and a jacket on with the same outfit for a different vibe

Marstè leggings are comfortable and have a thicker material

Shoutout to my petite ladies that can never find the perfect length of leggings

Marstè Mesh Jersey in blush tied and worn off the shoulder over a body-con dress

This versatile top can be dressed up or down depending on the accessories and how it’s worn. I have even worn this outfit with sneakers for an athleisure look. It is a jersey after all!

Can we all take a moment to admire this beautiful Marstè Milan Snap Skirt?

…And you can unbutton the skirt as high as you want!

I highly encourage wearing this skirt multiple ways: buttons on the side, buttons in the front, buttoned halfway, or buttoned all the way – depending on your mood

The skirt has a great quality material and will keep me warm in the cooler months

The Marstè stylists helped me pick out gorgeous pieces. I highly recommend checking out the Marstè fashion line. What was your favorite piece?

4 Ways to Style Gray Ultraboosts

My boyfriend loves his boosts about as much as he loves me. He was constantly raving about how comfortable his new Adidas felt, that it made me want to get a pair of my own! Now here I am starting off my newfound Adidas addiction with my first pair of Adidas Ultraboosts in Gray.

At first I didn’t know how to wear them, but here’s how I styled them. Also, these are Casual Friday work-friendly outfits:

I tried the gray-on-gray with the stripes and the sneakers.

I liked using the gray sneakers as a neutral color to complement my pop of color in the mint top.

Ever wonder how to make a skirt look casual af? Also, go makeup-free like I did! It completes the look 😂

My favorite way to style my Ultraboosts by a long shot is via Athleisure. I don’t go to the gym, but I sure have cute mesh panel/cutout workout pants!

Let me know your favorite way to style sneakers in the comments below! Thank you for reading!

Just Wanted to Say Hi

Hi! I used to post on this beauty blog everyday, once a day, without fail. It was a favorite hobby of mine while I searched for a full-time job. A little over two years later, I’m still working at my first full-time job, which unfortunately meant not blogging as much — or in my case, at all. What a slacker!

I’m posting mainly OOTDs like the shot above via Instagram @StyledWithJoy if you want to follow me there as well 😄

Thank you to the readers that helped my blog grow over the years!

Empties | Summer 2016

This season has been busy for me and it’s been great! I hope you all had a wonderful Summer, whether you’ve gone on vacation or stayed at home binge-watching Netflix. Here are my empty products that I used up to the very last drop from the months of June, July, August and September 2016.

Makeup

1. Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer – Let’s call this the never-ending concealer. I used it for my under eye area and even though it’s from the drugstore, it’s probably my best matching concealer for my skin that I have ever found. In case you were wondering, I got this in the Light-Medium shade and it blended out like a dream. The brush tip made it easy to apply and I miss this product already!
2. (2) Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner – For years, I have been trying to perfect the winged eyeliner look and I can say that this product is great for beginners trying to achieve that lovely wing. The felt tip is not flexible, but it’s sturdy for beginners. I learned by making little dashes along my lash line and ultimately connecting those dashes carefully. Be patient; It’s takes time, people!
3. Kat Von D Tattoo Liquid Eyeliner – I recommend this for intermediate learners who already know the shape/placement of their winged eyeliner. The brush tip is flexible and is much easier to use if you’ve already had practice with a felt tip. Its flexibility is what makes the product unique and you’re able to get the sharpest, cleanest wing. The competition is high, and I still don’t know which my favorite is of the two liquid eyeliners.
4. Anastasia Brow Wiz – This is one of the best high end brow products I have ever tried. The pencil is super thin and pigmented enough to look like brow hairs. The spoolie at the end is great because it brushes up the hairs so you know where there are sparse areas. I usually start at the bottom of the brow and end with the top of the arch. Always make sure to blend out with the spoolie so it does not look too harsh.
5. Buxom Mascara – This was nice, but it was not a favorite of mine. I would not purchase this mascara. It coated my lashes and gave some volume, but there truly was nothing special about it. I even forgot that I used this up.
6. Falsies Mascara – This was a great mascara because just like its name, your lashes get more volume and length just as false lashes would provide. I would use this more for nighttime use, but I really like its formula. It never gave me any problems and always looked great.
7. Collection 2000 Concealer – Since this was a very hyped up product by European YouTubers, I needed to try it. My sister brought it back for my other sister and me from her trip! It was very exciting to get to finally try the most loved concealer. It was very smooth, the color matched and even brightened up the eye area, and it was able to cover up any redness. My only small complaint is that the packaging rubbed off more and more with each use.
8. Dr. Brandt Pores No More – The orangey product inside was too much for my sensitive skin. It did fill in my pores beautifully. It made the skin appear smoother. I think because it literally fills in your pores, it made my skin break out. It was lovely, until it messed my skin up. Can’t have that!

Hair

1. Batiste Dry Shampoo – Both Wild and Cherry were very strong scented dry shampoos, and I gravitate towards the Original formula. They did the job, but I don’t need those strong scents. I love all Batiste products, but people are telling me that it causes baldness? Because of that I only use it twice a week at most.
2. Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe – This texturizing sea salt spray has lasted me for over a year. A little goes a long way and I discovered that the salt can act as a dry shampoo to soak up the oils in the hair. I mainly use this when I curl my hair; because my hair is so dark, I like to be able to see the texture I made in my hair.

Skincare

1. Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water – I mainly used this cleansing water on a cotton pad at night as my cleanser before I put my skincare on. It’s not the greatest at removing stubborn makeup, unless you have 4 soaked cotton pads – Who has time for that?
2. Swisspers – Speaking of cotton pads, these are the ones I use all the time. Doesn’t fall apart, but it’s nothing special either.
3. Philosophy’s Purity – Instead, I use this as my main makeup remover. It removes mascara, liquid foundation and the rest of stubborn makeup. I use a nickel sized amount on the palm of my hand, rub my hands together and apply to a wet face. From there, you can watch your makeup disappear. It’s gentle and never irritates my sensitive skin.
4. Aquaphor – This is the best remedy for dry, chapped lips. Within a day or two of using this, your lips will be completely healed. I usually use this in the winter time, but when my lips are acting up, I turn to this product. Nothing else beats the moisture you’ll lock in by applying aquaphor to your dry broken skin day and night.
5. DHC Deep Cleansing Oil – With makeup on, apply the oil to a dry face with dry hands. That is the most important rule to working with cleansing oils. If your hands are even a little wet, the formula does not work and you’re left with an oily mess of a face. This is awesome at removing stubborn makeup and almost feels like a spa treatment. It leaves the skin feeling smooth and hydrated after makeup removal.
6. Neutrogena Deep Clean Blotting Sheets(discontinued) – Oily girls, we need to keep these in our bags at all times. It’s quite the lifesaver and never disturbs makeup.
7. MAC Cleanse Off OilMAC Cleanse Off Oil – This is by far my favorite cleansing oil; Too bad it’s so expensive. I only have this because I bought so many MAC eyeshadows during a rare sale they had going on and I chose this as my sample because I love it so much. It was nice while the little sample lasted.

Fragrance and Body

1. DKNY Be Delicious – This apple scented perfume was a favorite of mine since I was 15 years old. I would always ask for it as a birthday present whenever I ran out of it, and this was my last bottle. I would wear it on interviews and even everyday wear. I will miss its unique apple shape and lovely scent. If I go through enough perfumes, (See my Perfume Collection here) then maybe I can purchase this one again.
2. Chloe – This is only a sample, but for me to finish a perfume sample out of the 40 or 50 samples I still have, says a lot. I really enjoyed how the rose/florals scent smelled on my skin. I will definitely purchase this probably during the next Sephora sale. (AKA the only time perfumes will ever go on sale!)
3. Neutrogena Beach Defense – My family and I used these little bottles of SPF and put them in my sister’s wedding welcome bags when we were in Cancun. They came in handy and we had extra bottles so we used them up for the remainder of the summer. Everyone’s skin was well protected and no one ever got sun burnt with this on. It didn’t feel greasy and was easy to blend into the skin.
4. Cetaphil Body Lotion – I used to put lotion on every single day and I want to be able to do that again – I’ve just been lazy. My skin always felt soft and smooth after using this product, and I will always remember that when I had a dry patch, nothing worked to heal it except for Cetaphil.

Thank you for reading about my Summer Empties. In the comments below, Please let me know your thoughts if you have tried any of the above products.

What was your latest empty product you’d like to share? 

Project Focus 10: Conclusion

I’m doing a Project Focus 10 with three beauty bloggers. I am trying to finish up 10 products in the span of 10 weeks. A new PF10 post on any updates along with a product review of one of the products will appear every Monday. It’s a challenge for me because the products must be ones I’d never done a full review on before but are still on the market!

February + March Empties | 2016

For the months of February + March, I finished up 10 products including some of my Project Focus 10 products.

Project Focus 10: Lorac Pro Palette

I’m doing a Project Focus 10 with three beauty bloggers. I am trying to finish up 10 products in the span of 10 weeks. A new PF10 post on any updates along with a product review of one of the products will appear every Monday. It’s a challenge for me because the products must be ones I’d never done a full review on before but are still on the market!

---

Here’s a review on 10/10 PF10 products:

Lorac Pro Palette

Lorac Pro Palette has half matte shades and half shimmers.

• LORAC PRO PALETTE
  Go PRO with the LORAC PRO Palette! Created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw, this PRO artistry palette is packed with 8 Shimmer and 8 Matte Eye Shadows in all the shades you need to create the hottest looks straight from the Red Carpet. LORAC’S velvety-smooth shadows are infused with soothing botanicals and are ultra-pigmented to perform wet or dry so you can shade, shadow, line and define your eyes, just like a PRO.

  PRO Palette Contains 16 Eye Shadows and a Mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer for stay-true color that lasts, a PRO must-have!

  PRO Palette Shades:
  Top Row: White (Matte), Cream (Matte), Taupe (Matte), Lt. Pink (Matte), Mauve (Matte), Sable (Matte), Espresso (Matte), Black (Matte)
  Bottom Row: Nude (Shimmer), Champagne (Sparkle), Gold (Shimmer), Lt. Bronze (Shimmer), Pewter (Shimmer), Garnet (Shimmer), Deep Purple (Shimmer), Slate (Shimmer)

Price: $44.00

Packaging: Thin, sleek, and black packaging with a mirror inside

Formula: Highly pigmented, easily blended mattes and shimmers

My thoughts

I really thought I was going to use this palette a lot more than I actually did during PF10. I started out using it all the time during the first two weeks. I think it’s because I don’t love every single shade in the palette.

I love this palette mainly because I hardly have any matte shadows. I was able to play with all the matte shadows and they were easy to use because of the high pigment and easy blending. I found that the looks I did with all matte shades tend to look better over time (over an 8 hour work day.)

The shimmers are great, but I have so many shimmers that these did not stand out to me. Although I love pairing the brown matte shades and putting a gold shimmer in the middle. It gives it dimension and look really pretty on the eyes.

What’s your favorite eye shadow palette at the moment?

---

Be sure to follow these bloggers for their Project Focus 10 as well!

StashMatters|Curly.Spring.Blossom|A Brash Attitude

Project Focus 10: Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe

I’m doing a Project Focus 10 with three beauty bloggers. I am trying to finish up 10 products in the span of 10 weeks. A new PF10 post on any updates along with a product review of one of the products will appear every Monday. It’s a challenge for me because the products must be ones I’d never done a full review on before but are still on the market!

Project Focus 10: The Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream

I’m doing a Project Focus 10 with three beauty bloggers. I am trying to finish up 10 products in the span of 10 weeks. A new PF10 post on any updates along with a product review of one of the products will appear every Monday. It’s a challenge for me because the products must be ones I’d never done a full review on before but are still on the market!