Despite being inundated with everything pumpkin spice flavored for at least a month... FALL IS NOW OFFICIALLY HERE! That means it's finally time to break out the chunky sweaters, chic booties, vampy lipstick, and darker nail polish shades (even though the weather in the South won't catch up until closer to Halloween). It makes me realize how fast time flies when the seasons change especially because I feel like I JUST packed up all of my sweaters and boots and put them in storage. It's been a crazy summer this year and it's been a while since I've posted because of it. I couldn't think of a better way to get back into the swing of things than to talk about the absolutely gorgeous collection released by OPI for Fall/Winter 2016.

OPI collaborated with the beautifully talented actress/activist, Kerry Washington, to bring us a collection inspired by a combination of Washington DC and feminine power in the midst of a groundbreaking election year. As stated in OPI World News magazine, "The Washington DC palette reflects a sophisticated twist on classic fall shades: winter squash, crimson reds, earthy browns, rustic gold, dusky blue, and lush green - fashion's hottest shade - to add a bolt of power to your favorite fall looks." 

Also included in this collection are three special edition shades that Kerry Washington seems to have had more creative control over when you consider the names of each shade - Kerry Blossom is named after herself, "Liv" in the Gray is named after her character in the TV series Scandal, and Inside the ISABELLEtway is named after her daughter Isabelle. One thing Washington made sure to do was include multiple shades of nude to suit a variety of skintones. In an interview with Us Magazine, she said "For me, growing up, when people were saying 'nude,' they weren't talking about my naked skin tone, I made sure that in my collection, we had nudes that also represent me."

Special Edition shades from left to right: "Liv" in the Gray, Inside the ISABELLEtWay, and Kerry Blossom

"Liv" in the Gray in indoor lighting

"Liv" in the Gray in direct sunlight

Inside the ISABELLEtway in indoor lighting

Inside the ISABELLEtway in direct sunlight

Kerry Blossom in indoor lighting

Kerry Blossom in direct sunlight

 

 

The palette comes with two highlighters and 3 blushes. Both highlighters contain 0.19 oz of product (for comparison- the original Champagne Pop is 0.28 oz). The mineral blushes Amaretto and Pamplemousse are 0.12 oz and the luminous blush Rose Spritz is 0.10 oz. Each pan is big enough to use any kind of brush you want. All five shades are very pigmented. I'll go into more details below.

 

 

Rosé Spritz arrived with a little smudge on it :(

I have small hands but maybe this helps give you a size comparison.

Natural lighting outdoors

Descriptions of Swatches From Left to Right 

• Champagne Glow- soft white gold with peachy pink undertones. I may be crazy but this version seems a little less buttery than the original Champagne Pop but it's still the same color and looks the same when applied.

• Prosecco Pop- medium warm gold (inspired by liquid gold) definitely more yellow undertone than Champagne Pop.

• Rosé Spritz- soft peachy pink with gold shimmer. I like it on its own but I find myself mixing it on top of Amaretto in my everyday routine. Apparently, Jaclyn Hill's new favorite shade combination is to use Prosecco Pop on top of Rosé Spritz on the apples of the cheek. So of course I'm going to do the same tomorrow morning!

• Amaretto- matte toasted almond (but too warm and orangey to use as a bronzer). I haven't been using a lot of blush lately so this one is right up my alley!

• Pamplemousse- matte warm coral pink (I personally have to mix this with Amaretto to make it wearable). This one is so pigmented and bright that I'm a little scared to use it. I have to say that this is my least favorite shade and I don't think it will be used often.

 

 

swatches outdoors on a sunny day

One last picture I took in my car because... Why not?

OPI comes out with a new SoftShades collection every spring, usually after they have already released their main collection for Spring/Summer. This year, the SoftShades collection does not disappoint (except for the fact that is was released AFTER Easter which would've been the perfect occasion to rock these shades). This collection revolves around opaque pastel shades instead of the usual sheer natural shades that they've released in the past. The formula is very similar in all 6 polishes- creamy but not crazy chalky like a lot of other pastel polishes (especially Essie's!). I am loving all of them so far- it was hard deciding which one to wear first! Keep reading for swatches and descriptions of each shade (descriptions in italics are straight from OPI).

It's a Boy!

This baby blue is a true bundle of joy.

OPI already came out with a polish called It's A Boy that was darker blue and shimmery but I like this pastel version even better. It looks so vibrant on tan skin and applies evenly.

This Cost Me a Mint

This cool, refreshing pale green is so worth it.

This one is very, very similar to OPI's That's Hula-rious from Spring/Summer 2015! I would pass on this shade if you already have That's Hula-rious in your collection.

One Chic Chick

Just take a *peep* at this downy soft yellow.

I LOVE THIS COLOR! Most yellow polishes are too neon and look like a highlighter or they aren't opaque enough and make it look like your natural nails are yellow (in a very bad way). This shade has the perfect amount of cream in it and it also has a good formula!

Stop it I'm Blushing!
A flattering flush of warm, baby peach.

This is the kind of shade that I think looks great on all skin tones! It's a good, opaque neutral for fair gals and contrasts really nicely on tanner skin. This is my favorite type of neutral to wear when I don't want to commit to a funky color.

 It's in the Cloud

I'm storing this creamy white in memory forever.
This one took me 3 coats to get a nice and even coverage. I don't know how to describe it differently from OPI because creamy white pretty much sums it up. This shade is lighter and brighter than OPI's other cream shades-- like Be there in a Prosecco and My Vampire is Buff.

Glo Minerals recently sent me their new Contour Kit (along with their Contour/Highlight brush) and it has already wiggled its way into my everyday routine and is now my new favorite, super time-saving product! I feel like there's no going back to the way I did things before finding this little gem. I think that all makeup lovers can agree that the list of products we can't live without gets a little longer as we fall in love with more and more makeup products. I fell in love with the Contour Kit because of the quality of the powders, sleek and slim packaging, and shade range. I own the medium to dark Contour Kit but glo Minerals also makes one for fair to light skintones (check out a review from Smoke and Mirrors Beauty!). I think there are shades from both palettes that any skintone can use.


These powders have a buttery, fine-milled texture and good pigmentation without being too intense, which makes it easy to blend. The powders are buildable so you can create a soft, subtle look to enhance features or you can create a more intense look with the illusion of chiseled features. This helps to make contouring and highlighting foolproof. The blendability also makes the Contour Kit a great product to use as eyeshadow and already has the perfect colors for an everyday look—yet another reason I love this product!

Highlight is a matte shade with yellow undertones. I like to use it to set my undereye concealer by applying it in a triangle from the top of my cheekbone to the side of my nose. Extending it to those areas (instead of only under the eye) will help to prevent a reverse racoon look and keep things natural and blended. I also place it on the arch of my brows to define them and make my face look more lifted and awake. If you want a super chiseled face you can also apply a little bit of this shade underneath the contour of your cheeks to create a more defined line, but make sure to blend!

Shimmer Hightlight is a golden champagne shimmer that I mainly use to highlight the top of my cheekbones for that 'lit from within' glow. I also like to use it on the inner corner of my eyes (or all over the lid) and on my cupid's bow. I like how this shade isn't too glittery but it still packs enough punch to try out the new Strobing trend.

Contour 1 is a cool toned brown that has a hint of gray to it (but not so gray that it makes you look like a skeleton). This kind of shade is what you want to use to contour your face because it mimics a natural shadow. I use it to contour under my cheekbones, which you can easily find by making a fish face or by placing your index finger in the hollow of your cheeks. This is also a good shade to use if you like to contour your nose.

Contour 2 is a warm toned brown that looks a little orangey compared to Contour 1. I use this to warm up my face and place it on my cheeks above the Contour 1 shade while keeping it below my cheekbones. This adds enough color to my face that I sometimes skip blush altogether. I also like to sweep it around my temples, hairline, and jawline.

The basics of contouring and highlighting is that you want to create shadows where you want to define your bone structure and add light to features you want to draw attention to. These areas can vary from person to person depending on face shape and facial features so just play around until you find what works for you! If you are like me and learn better from visuals you can consult the directions printed on the inside of the Contour Kit and watch this Youtube video tutorial from glo Professional.


If you thought things couldn't get better than the Contour Kit, here's some more info for you—glo Minerals also came out with a dual ended Contour/Highlight brush designed to work perfectly with the Contour Kits! The Contour end of the brush is a slim, round brush that fits perfectly in the hollows of the cheek. You can load product onto the tip of the brush for a sharp contour or you can use the roundness and softness to blend it out for a subtle contour. The Highlight end is a flat, dense brush that works well for setting undereye concealer with a matte highlight powder and creating precise lines for both contour and highlight. I learned some great tips on using this brush by watching the Youtube video that I mentioned earlier.

Both of these products can be found on http://www.gloprofessional.com/, where the Contour Kit sells for $36 and the Contour/Highlight Brush sells for $29. Both of these products are great items to add to your collection, whether you're a beginner or professional. I have been working at a spa that carries the glo Professional line for almost five years and have discovered some amazing products that I now use everyday, so it was no surprise to me when I fell in love with this one!

This month's Birchbox theme is Go Bold and features products that are supposed to dial up your beauty routine during the summer months, which is when we tend to let loose and go brighter and bolder than usual. The design of the box matches its theme and features a fun, bright geometric print. It is definitely one that I'm keeping to help organize my makeup collection. All details (descriptions from Birchbox are in italics) and a review of each product are listed below.