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Hi! I’m Samantha!
Hi! My name is Samantha and I am a beauty lover. I decided to create this blog because makeup is something that brings me joy in life. It allows me to be creative and create a feminine touch in a professional life. I am an attorney by trade and I work at Goldberg Segalla where I do workers’ compensation defense work. I live in Connecticut in the USA and I am 34 years old. I am going to be posting reviews for all kinds of makeup products. My goal is to provide valuable information so that you can decide for yourself if the product I am reviewing has a place…
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NYX Ultimate Warm Neutrals Palette
Let’s take a break from all of the viral makeup for a moment and talk about some less discussed palettes. I saw Jessica Braun recently do a “drugstore hidden gems” video where she talked about some of her drugstore favorite that were a little bit lesser known. In that video she talked about this NYX warm neutrals palette. I remembered that I happen to own this palette and decided to pull it out. I am SO glad I did. This palette is very true to it’s name in that it is a more warm toned palette. There are some shades that lean a little more neutral to slightly cool toned…
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Makeup by Mario Surreal Skin Foundation
We all have that one product. You know what I mean, that one product for when you need to look good. I’m talking about that one product that you can always depend on. For me, this is that product. The brand Makeup by Mario is a newer brand that is currently sold at Sephora and on the Makeup by Mario website. I believe he only has one foundation at the moment, and it’s this one. This foundation retails for $42 at Sephora. It provides medium coverage and is advertised to provide a natural finish. I would agree with both of those claims. When I wear this foundation my skin doesn’t…
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Let’s Talk About God’s Grace
I think one thing we can all agree on is that we all have a past of some kind. We all have done things of one type or another that we aren’t proud of. That is okay and is part of being human. This verse tells us in black and white what God does with our past. God’s grace is so vast and so great that no matter what we have done, He can still redeem our story. Anyone can come to God with any kind of past and He has the same redemptive powers as He does for anyone else. When you accept Christ and make the decision to…
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Natasha Denona Biba Palette
I normally write about drugstore to mid-level luxury makeup but today we are going to switch gears and talk about a very high end product. The Natasha Denona Biba palette is definitely the most expensive palette that I currently (and will probably ever) own. This is a neutral palette that retails for $129. Yes, you read that right, $129. This palette is only available on Natasha Denona’s website. The packaging is a plastic packaging with a full size mirror inside. The palette contains 15 shades total. There are 3 shimmer shades, 4 satin shades and 8 matte shades. It’s a pretty neutral color story overall. There are some shades that…
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Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue
My general daily makeup looks is something that looks put together and polished but not necessarily like a full-glam look. This has to be one of my most repurchased products. This product is marketed as a tinted moisturizer and I would disagree with that description (but more on that later). This product is available at Ulta, Sephora or on Bare Minerals‘ website. This product retails for $37 and I wear the shade vanilla. You may be able to find this product at Macys or Nordstrom but I have never looked for it there so I’m not 100% sure. Despite this product being marketed as a tinted moisturizer, I would say…
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God’s Intentions for You
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you an expected end. – Jeremiah 29:11 KJV I think some of the most common misconceptions that I hear about God have to do with His character. I hear that “God doesn’t want me to have any fun” or “God doesn’t want me to have nice things” or “God didn’t give me what I last prayed for”. I have come to realize that in order to have a fulfilling and successful walk with Jesus/God you must first know and understand who Jesus/God is. First, Jesus is the Son of…
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Colourpop Bare Necessities Palette
There is something about a well-blended neutral eye look that just looks so effortless and pretty. I think this is why there are so many neutral palettes on the market right now. I decided to try out one of Colourpop’s larger 30 pan palettes and started with the Bare Necessities. If you have never heard of Colourpop, they are a fairly affordable brand. Colourpop is available at Ulta, Target and on their website. I got this particular palette on their website. At one point Ulta did carry this palette, however, Colourpop has come out with so many new things that they no longer carry it. This palette retails for $35…
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Philosophy Fresh Cream Warm Cashmere
Fall fragrances are some of my absolute favorites! I love all the warm and cozy scents. I picked this fragrance up during Ulta’s 21 days of beauty event and have been using it quite a bit ever since. Philosophy makes a few variations of the fresh cream scent. This is the fresh cream warm cashmere. Personally I have never smelled the original fresh cream fragrance and therefore I cannot comment on that or how this one is different. This fragrance is available at Ulta. I have also seen Philosophy carried at Macy’s but I am not 100% sure if Macy’s has this specific product. The .5 oz size of this…
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Juice Beauty Stem Cellular CC Cream
The weather has been rainy here in Connecticut lately. Rainy weather makes me want to cozy up in sweatshirts and t-shirts. When I dress down I prefer a lighter coverage base product and I decided to try out this Juice Beauty cc cream that I got from the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty event. This product is marketed as a cc cream that has anti-aging properties in it. I am not familiar enough with skin care ingredients to be able to tell you if the ingredients in this product actually will have anti-aging benefits. I am not too familiar with Juice Beauty as a whole but looking at the products…
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Tarte Maneater Nightfall Palette
Fall is here and I could not be happier about it. My favorite things about fall are fall coffee and fall fashion/makeup. I love all the rich jewel tones and earth tones that scream cozy fall vibes to me. When I saw this palette on Ultra’s website, I fell in love with the color story. I love that there are so many jewel tone options but plenty of neutral options as well. Tarte is a mid-tier luxury brand. The price point is significantly more than drugstore but not quite as high as a fashion house brand (like Tom Ford or Dior). Tarte is a woman-founded brand and was founded by…