The comeback kid

After a 3 year absence, I've returned to the blogosphere. When I first started Fresh Faced Girl, I was hopeful and naive about my ability to maintain a beauty blog. I was inspired by the many beauty blogs I frequented, and I thought to myself, "Hey, why not me?" And so, I plunged myself into this little blog. At first, I was consistent and enthusiastic. That died real quick though, once my busy schedule kicked into gear. It takes a lot of work to maintain a blog. There's a great deal of behind-the-scenes work that needs to be done before a post can be published. It's true what they say: you get what you put into something, and this blog withered away as I put less and less time into it.

Looking back on my old posts, I can't help but laugh at myself. I was trying way too hard. Truth time: I am not that bubbly and outgoing in real life. I'm actually a bit of an introvert. Hah, I can't help but cringe when I read those old posts.

So, why am I back here now? Do I have that renewed enthusiasm and inspiration again? Perhaps, a little. I definitely have a more realistic view of what it means to blog. I'm going to take it a little at a time. If I don't set such high expectations for myself, then I won't feel overwhelmed by the things I want to achieve. To be honest, I don't know what I want, or expect to achieve with this very public, paperless online journal. It's my way of channeling my time and energy into something that might very possibly become productive (but let's not set that expectation just yet. My imagination tends to run wild).

Three years is a long time, and a lot has changed in my life. For one, I've relocated to the other side of the country, and now call the Pacific Northwest, home. I'll always be a city girl at heart though. With this change in scenery, I feel like this is another chance for me to try this thing again. We'll see. It's a work in progress.

I am a work in progress.

I'm still alive!

Hey there.

Soooo, I know I said that I'd write more posts during my two week break between semesters.. and then totally didn't. My apologies. I got caught up in playing this one video game with my boyfriend. Diablo 3, have you heard of it? If not, I'm sure if you ask any guy in your life, he can tell you what it's about. So yeah, the game came out on May 15, and my boyfriend got me addicted to it! It works out pretty well for him because I don't complain about him playing the game all the time... since I'm usually playing with him! Haha.

I've already logged waaaay too many hours on D3.

And then my summer classes started up, so I've been juggling classes, school work, and Diablo 3. I should really cut out the game, but it's hard. I'm too into it. I'm already on level 55 (the max is 60)! I'm slowly trying to wean myself off of it though. My classes keep me really busy as well. I have class twice a week, for 7 hours at a time!! Isn't that crazy? My first class is from 1-4:30pm, and then my second class is from 5-8:10pm. I also have to do some classroom observations, which means my Tuesdays and Thursdays will be even longer. Sigh. At least I'm already half done with one of my classes!

So, my beauty ban ended yesterday. I didn't adhere to my own rules. D'oh. I stayed away from more expensive beauty products, but I did buy a few things from the drugstore. I might stick to the ban for a little while longer because I don't use as many products in the summer time. Might as well shop my stash a while longer. I will make one exception though: NARS Ramatuelle eyeshadow trio. I've been coveting it for a while though, but decided to wait until the end of my ban to buy it. Is it worth it? Let me know in the comments :)

All righty, I just wanted to check in. I'm still alive! And I still read my favorite beauty blogs frequently. I just need to find a good time to take pictures of stuff and write posts. I have to write my empties post for April/May before it's too late, and it's no longer relevant :p

Happy weekend!

My most recent haul... and why I'm on a beauty ban!

Hello everybody! 

I'm done with classes (yay!) so now I have a bit more free time on my hands, which means more time for posts! I only have a 2 week break between the end of my semester and the start of summer classes, so I'm hoping to make the most of my time! It feels so nice to be done with this semester :)

So first off, I want to talk about my most recent beauty haul. I walked into Sephora with the intention of killing some time before meeting up with my friends. And instead, I walked out all of these things (excluding the Revlon lip butters). Whoops.. I just can't resist beauty products! 

Tarte Gel Liner in Brown - I've been wanting to switch up my eye liner routine so I decided to try Tarte's gel liner in brown. I swatched it in the store and really liked the color. It didn't budge at all when I tried to rub it off with a tissue, which convinced me of its staying power. I ended up returning this though because it did not sit well on my oily lids, even with primer :( I'll write a longer post about it in a few days. If you don't see it, feel free to give me a holler to remind me.

Laura Mercier SPF 15 Mineral Powder in Tender Rose - Ever since I heard Estee of Essie Button rave about Laura Mercier's mineral powder, it's been on my list of things to buy. So, of course, when I was presented with the opportunity to get it, I took it (the opportunity. Not the LM powder.. that would be stealing. Hah). And I have no regrets. I've been loving it so far! No break outs so far, which is always a good sign. And my skin looks fabulous.

Benefit Boi-ing concealer in #2 -The Benefit Boi-ing concealer has been working really well for me. It covers up all my dark spots and gives me a fresh, polished look. Love!

Benefit Triple Performing Facial Emulsion - All right, this one was an impulse buy. There was a Benefit event going on at the Sephora I went to and I got roped in by one of the SAs to buy this moisturizer. I also kind of wanted the mini travel version of it, so I decided to give it a chance. It did smell nice when she put it on me. Well, it was a whole different story when I got home. Maybe it was the bright lights, and the loud music that disabled my sense of smell because when I put it on the next day, the smell gave me a headache. One of those dull headaches that last all day. It sucked. The thing is, it's not a horrible smell. Some people might actually like it. It just wasn't for me. I can say this with confidence because I used it again the next day, thinking maybe I'd change my mind. Nope. I just don't like it. Needless to say, I returned this. I do still have the travel size one though. 

Jack Black Lip Balm in Lemon & Chamomile - I looooove their lip balms. Moisturizing and smells amazing. I bought this one as a back up to my current one.

Revlon Lip Butters in Candy Apple and Peach Parfait - I don't know what it is about these Revlon lip butters. They're like Pokemon to me, I just wanna catch 'em all! I have been on the hunt for these two shades for the longest time. Every time I go to the drug store, they're always sold out! So when I saw that Target was doing a sale on the lip butters AND offering free shipping on them regardless of how much you spend, I went for it. I am planning on doing a post (or two) on my Revlon lip butters, so be on the look out for those. I love Candy Apple so far, and I'm actually a bit "ehhh" on Peach Parfait. Gasp. 

I got this Ole Henriksen flawless beauty regime as my 500 point Sephora gift. Have any of you ever used Ole Henriksen products? I've never tried Ole Henriksen's skincare products (do toners count?), so I was curious to see how well it would work for me. I've been looking something to bring some brightness and evenness to my skin. I can't seem to get rid of the spots on my face, and it's driving me nuts. I've been trying different serums and treatments, but nothing's worked so far. Maybe this will do something to all those darned spots. I'll keep y'all updated! 

I've been kind of obsessed with nail polishes lately. I picked up these two Essie polishes at a local beauty store because it's cheaper than buying from a drug store. Armed & Ready is a dark, brownish grey color with a coppery, gold shimmer. Absolutely Shore is a light, sea foam green shade. I've only tried Armed & Ready at this point, so I can't say much about Absolutely Shore. I like Armed & Ready though. I love the coppery shimmer; it really adds a little somethin' special to the color. 

Beauty Ban

I've been spending a lot of money on beauty products lately, so I decided to put myself on a month long beauty ban. It started on April 29, and will be going until June 1st. I'm really hoping to finish some of my older products sitting at home so that I won't feel so guilty next time I want to buy something new.

I did kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind of break my ban the other day though. I bought nail hardener... and nail polish (OPI Are We There Yet?). I'm terrible. It's actually pretty hard, especially when I read all these awesome beauty posts about soooooo many things I want to try.

Have you ever put yourself on a beauty ban because you realized you were spending too much money? How did you get through it?

Lists make me feel productive

(image source)

I love writing lists. They make me feel organized, productive and on top of things. Whether or not I always follow my lists...well, ahem* that's another story. But yes, I love lists. Seeing everything I need to do, want to accomplish, look forward to, want/need to buy, etc, makes me feel like I know what I need to get done. And crossing something off my list? Ooooooh, it feels amazing.

With the end of my semester coming to a close, I have several things I need to get done before I can enjoy my two week break before summer classes.

1. Finish my 15 page final paper.
2. Complete notes for my final presentation.
3. Study for my final exam.

My big 3 for this week. Actually, it's more like 3 days. I need to have everything completed by Thursday at 5pm. Eep. I need to get a move on.

So. What am I doing, writing this post then? I just wanted to make a list of upcoming blog posts so y'all know that I'm not abandoning this blog! I have stuff I want to talk about, but right now is not the best time.

Upcoming blog posts (in no particular order)
1. Revlon lip butters (I know, I know. Everyone's written about these, but I will risk sounding like a broken record because I'm kind of really loving my lip butters. This may or may not be split into two posts.)
2. April/May empties (Because the feeling of finishing a beauty product is so awesome that it must be shared!)
3. My most recent haul ... and why I'm putting myself on a beauty ban
4. Revlon super lustrous lipsticks
5. Current skincare routine
6. Current makeup routine (I should come up with better names for these two)
7. Tidbits on my life

Until then... :)

PS. Follow me on twitter! @freshfacedme (freshfacedgirl was already taken. Boooo)

MAC So Chaud

Oh. Snap.

Two posts in a row? What the what! 

MAC So Chaud was my very first bold lip color purchase. 

I bought it last year on a whim. I'll be honest, the color scared me. It was just so... bright and attention grabbing. I didn't know if I wanted to grab all that attention. It took me two trips to Macy's, several swatches on my hand, a few swipes of it on my lips, lots of staring at myself in the mirror and a bit of talking up by the MAC SA to convince me to buy it. Huh.. I guess that doesn't really sound like a whim, does it? Whoops.

Since then, I've only worn it about half a dozen times. Maybe less. But wait! There's more. Of those times, how many times have I actually worn it out of my house?

*Drum rolllllllllllll please* 

Once. 

Like I mentioned in my other posts, I'm not too keen on bold lip colors. I usually stick to rosy, pink colors that are close to my own lip color. But I'm attempting to break out of my comfort zone this year; I've obtained several bright shades and have been wearing them on occasion. Baby steps! 

So Chaud is a reddish orange, matte shade and it's a part of MAC's permanent line. When I first saw it at the MAC counter, I thought it was a bright red, but upon further inspection, it has quite a bit of orange in it. It's quite pigmented; I usually pat the lipstick on, rather than swipe the color on my lips. The lasting power of this lipstick is impressive. Because of its vibrant hue, it almost stains my lips. Even with eating and drinking, the color stays on my lips, albeit a little faded. It can be a bit drying though because it's a matte shade. I usually wear lip balm underneath so my lips don't dry out. In the pictures below, I'm wearing Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 under So Chaud, which is why it looks a bit more glossy than a matte lipstick. 

In natural lighting, So Chaud looks quite red, but with flash, it leans more orange. 

It really looks like a bright red on my lips in natural lighting. It reminds me of Mad Men lips. 

Like Betty Draper and Joan Holloway. It's such a classic look.

I love the pop of color it gives to my every day look. 

With the flash on, the orange hues are quite evident, don't you think? 

Overall, I think So Chaud is a lovely addition to my collection. It's unique and makes quite a statement when worn. It also fits in with this season's trend of bright orange and coral colors. I'll definitely be wearing it more often as the weather gets warmer! 

The sky is falling

I love today's Google homepage. It's an animation of flowers growing, and this is the end result. Lovely, right? It's been raining all day in NY, so it's nice to see a burst of color, even if it's on my computer screen. 

I stopped by the MAC counter at Macy's earlier this week, and tried on the MAC Vegas Volt lipstick. I'm not big on bold lips so I was a little afraid of how it would look on me. But I think it turned out nicely. I loved the bright color on my lips. What do y'all think? I didn't get it, but it's definitely on my list of beauty products to purchase. I also tried on Ravishing, which is a bit more toned down than Vegas Volt. I took a picture of my lips, but I'm not posting the picture because I took it while I was on the subway, and the lighting is off :(

Despite the rainy weather, today was not bad. I went out with my parents, and I managed to pick up 3 full sized Origins moisturizers for free! Whoo-hoo! Such a good deal. So, how did I get three? My master plan: I got two of them from Sephora; my mom and I went in separately to get the moisturizers. A Perfect World for me, Starting Over for her. And then I went to Origins to pick up another tube of A Perfect World. 

I received a sample of Origins A Perfect World a few weeks ago and liked how it made my skin feel. I wanted to get a full size one, but I was reluctant to spend the money because I've been spending way too much money on beauty products. I'm so happy about the excellent timing of this Origins Earth Day promotion. Now I'm pretty much set on daytime face lotion for the next year! 

I got bored and thought my nails looked boring, so I decided to glitz them up with OPI Glitzerland. And now they're glittery and glamorous looking! I want more spring colors in my nail polish collection though. I have a lot of dark and neutral colors, but barely any cheery ones. I really want to pick up a bottle of Essie Mint Candy Apple. I've been seeing mint all over the blog'o'sphere and I think I need to jump on the mint bandwagon. That will be my next NOTD.


Have a wonderful week! :)

How RUDE! Illamasqua Cream Blush in Rude

Hello everyone! How was your week? 

This week went by pretty quickly for me but currently, I am trying to survive this sudden attack of allergies. Gahhhhh, it's been bad these past few days, but it just hit me like a BRICK today. Probably because the weather was nice, so all the pollen just lingered in the air. My allergies just kept getting worse and worse as the day wore on. I nearly clawed my eyes out because they itched so bad. My boyfriend had to hold my hands down so I wouldn't destroy my poor eyes. I took some Claritin when I got home though, and I am feeling much better now. Thank goodness for medicine!

It looks like I'll be rockin' my glasses for now since my allergies are so severe. Nerd alert! ;)

So, on to real reason why I'm writing this entry...

I picked up this Illamasqua cream blusher from Sephora a few weeks ago, and I am loving it so far.

The shade I purchased is called Rude (the name reminds me of Stephanie Tanner's famous line, "HOW RUDE!" I loved Full House when I was growing up) and it's a warm, coral color. I wasn't too sure about it at first because the color is a bit out of my comfort zone. It looks a little intimidating in the pan because of its bright color (at least, it made me feel intimidated), but the color is much more low key once you blend it out. If you're wondering, I use my fingers to blend out the color. I'm usually in a rush in the morning, and I feel like cream blushers are easier when you use your fingers. I haven't had any problems with it so far. Just remember to make sure your hands are clean.

The color is lovely on my cheeks; it gives me a natural flush. I love that natural flushed look! The pigmentation is great, and lasting power is excellent. It lasts all day when I wear it over powder, and my days are pretty long! It gets me through a 12 hour (or longer) day. Not bad, eh?

If you're interested in trying out a cream blusher, I'd recommend this one! It'll cost you $24 at Sephora, excluding tax. And if you live somewhere that doesn't charge tax, then lucky you! Illamasqua offers 9 shades of their cream blusher at Sephora, but not all stores carry the 9 shades. Some of the blushers might only be available online. I'm not too sure. The Sephora I purchased mine from only had 4 colors. Check out Sephora's site for a list of the available blushers. I want to try Seduce, Laid and Betray next. Hahaha, these names crack me up. Especially in the order which I listed the ones I want to try. First, I seduce, then I get laid and finally, I betray (or get betrayed?)! Haha, ahem. It's late, and I'm tired... so please excuse my somewhat inappropriate comment. I'm silly.

Anyhoo, I swatched Betray when I was in the store, and it's a beautiful rosy plum color that would be great for the cooler seasons.

Beautiful coral color! Isn't it lovely? I think it's perfect for spring and summer. It's so cheerful. I looooooove it. It's so easy to use and I don't have to use a lot to get some color on my face. I'm obsessed with blushes. I pretty much don't leave my house without some color on my cheeks. I feel like it makes me look alive. It's true. I'm kind of pasty and pale with just foundation and powder on... blush gives some life to my face. 

I always want to buy new blushes, but I'm generally pretty good about resisting those urges. I feel guilty buying more of something when I can't even manage to finish up one blush. I don't think I've ever hit the pan on ANYTHING! That's my goal this year... to hit the pan on something in my makeup collection. Anything. ANYTHING. You know, when I think about it, my blush collection is pretty small compared to some other beauty bloggers. Maybe I'll post a picture of it one day. I have a lot of sample blushes too, but I hardly ever use those (read: never). They're all those "Free Gift with Purchase" Clinique eye shadow and blush palettes. Almost all the makeup bags I have at home are from Clinique. They know how to get me, with their free gifts and whatnot. 

Swatched heavily.

Blended out. My hand looks like it's blushing! 

Have any of you tried Illamasqua's cream blushers? If so, what did you think? 
What are some of your favorite cream blushers?