Etsy Beauty Haul + Swatches

This post is not sponsored. I purchased these products with my own money, all opinions are my own.

Hi everyone!

As you all know, Sephora is one of my favorite stores for makeup shopping. But you probably didn’t know that I also do enjoy purchasing items, not just makeup, from small businesses.

A few months back, I discovered Pretties for Your Face on Etsy! PFYF is a handmade, cruelty free makeup company, based in MA, that sells gorgeous eyeshadows, highlighters, pigments etc. I had the Aphrodite highlighter in my cart for a good 2 months, until I finally purchased it last week during the holiday sale. This sale is actually still going on for the rest of January – use code HOLIDAY40 for 40% your order and a free shadow with purchase.

I am not going to spend a lot of time reviewing the products I purchased (honey eyeshadow and aphrodite highlighter) because you will be able to tell how stunning they are from the swatches! Both products are under $15 and totally worth the money. I wore the highlighter today and it is so sparkly! I felt like a unicorn/goddess/some sort of magical creature despite the freezing temperatures outside.

If you can’t tell from the photos, the highlighter pan size is huge! I’m talking even bigger than a MUFE Artist shadow. And the eyeshadow is the perfect size to fit in a MAC palette. Both are super soft and pigmented.

Swatches below are not built up, only one swipe.

no flash

flash

If you would like to see the live video swatches of these products, its up on my Instagram @marielelena_ 

What are your favorite makeup shops on Etsy? Let me know.

Love, Mariel

This post is not sponsored. I purchased these products with my own money, all opinions are my own.

Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette Swatches + Brief Review

Happy Holidays! I hope you are enjoying your time with family and friends, as we prepare to ring in the new year.

As a Christmas gift to myself, I purchased the Too Faced Sweet Peach eyeshadow palette during its second release. If you were not aware, Too Faced Cosmetics has launched an all new peach collection, featuring their infamous eyeshadow palette, a new highlighter palette, a peach blush, and 8 peach oil lip glosses. These are available at Too Faced, Sephora, and Ulta.

I have been eyeing this palette since it came out last year, and am beyond excited to finally get ahold of it. The sweet peach eyeshadow palette retails for $49 – if you want to get $10 back sign up for Ebates using my link, or purchase on HSN (new members get $10 off – coupon code available online).

This palette is absolutely gorgeous, and almost every shade lives up to expectation! The stand-out colors are Nectar, Luscious, Bellini, and Caramelized. As you will be able to tell from the swatches, those shades are stunning!! The worst shades in the palette are Delectable and Talk Derby To Me (Too Faced can never seem to make a pigmented purple). Those two are very patchy and chalky.

The only other thing to be aware of is the peach scent. It is very sweet and overpowering; you may want to steer clear of this one if you are not a fan of scented palettes. Also, the majority of shades are warm toned, so only purchase this if you can see yourself using peachy bronze shades. Sweet Peach definitely lives up to its hype, but make sure you will enjoy the shades before jumping on the bandwagon.

I really love this palette, and would definitely purchase it again. There is a great mix of mattes and shimmers as well, so you would not need to bring any other eyeshadows with you to create a look.

Below are finger swatches of the palette:

first row of shades, no flash or primer; left to right: white peach, luscious, just peachy bless her heart, tempting, charmed I’m sure

first row of shades, with flash and no primer; left to right: white peach, luscious, just peachy bless her heart, tempting, charmed I’m sure

second row of shades, no flash or primer; left to right: nectar, cobbler, candied peach, bellini, peach pit, delectable

second row of shades, with flash and no primer; left to right: nectar, cobbler, candied peach, bellini, peach pit, delectable

third row of shades, no flash or primer; left to right: peaches ‘n cream, georgia, caramelized, puree, summer yum, talk derby to me

third row of shades, flash and no primer; left to right: peaches ‘n cream, georgia, caramelized, puree, summer yum, talk derby to me

 

What do you think of the Too Faced Sweet Peach collection? Will you be purchasing any of the products?

For an unboxing photo of the Sweet Peach palette, check out my Instagram @marielelena_

Love, Mariel

Current Workout Routine

Hi Everyone!!

Welcome to my blog! Today’s post is going to be about my current workout routine and ways to stay fit and motivated, especially in the fall and winter. Currently, I try to exercise 5 out of 7 days in the week and I like to mix up the activities I engage myself in. Some days I take a short 1 mile run and then do some basic conditioning exercises after my run. Other days I will choose to focus on workouts targeted to specific parts of the body, such as abs, legs, and arms. I find it easy and fun to follow along with a YouTube video that explains and demonstrates different conditioning exercises, especially if you are a beginner and do not know the safe way to exercise your body. YouTube videos are also great because they allow you to exercise for free year round from your home, no matter what the weather. One of my favorite ways to work on my arms is to play a song and continually move my arms and hold them at my sides (like a horizontal line with your shoulders) until the song is over.

Here are some of my favorite YouTube workout videos:

Remember that the most important part of working out is to work hard and slowly make progress. Do not push your body so hard that you will never want to work out again. Instead, start exercising at a slow pace and eventually build up to a bigger goal. Motivate yourself by creating an exercise schedule or by participating in a fun challenge (30 day plank challenge!!). And don’t forget to drink lots of water! It is also important to realize that you are beautiful just the way you are, and you do not need to change anything about yourself for anyone else. Exercise is an important aspect of staying healthy, and for me working out is a way to release stress and have some fun. I really enjoy the quote, “I’m working on a new me, not because the old me is bad, but because the old me can improve.” So, if you are interested in strengthening your body, make sure you are doing it safely and for the right reasons.

Happy exercising!

Mariel