Beauty By Kristin Renee

Hello lovelies!

Over the past few weeks I went into Sherlock mode trying to get my hands on this palette (and I feel like Lemony Snicket from the title of this post #alltheliteraryreferences). So let me take you back to the beginning of my Sweet Peach obsession.

Once upon a time, I was wasting time on Pinterest. I came across an image of this palette with a few other product (the PB&J Palette included). I thought this was a joke - well maybe not a joke, but that someone created this image for wishful thinking that Too Faced would see their ideas and want to make them. Low and behold, it was announced that these products were in fact being released.

I was determined to obtain the Sweet Peach Palette. So I bided my time. It was announced that the palette would be on sale on the Too Faced website - later to be released on Sephora and Ulta websites and then in stores. The interwebs went nuts. The palette sold out on Too Faced's website. After a second restock, it sold out again. Too Faced then announced that it would not be restocking. I did not attempt to purchase the palette on the brand's website, rather I decided to wait until it was available in stores.

At some point the palette went on sale on Ulta's website (I wasn't paying much attention at the time and missed it). It was sold out. But it was listed as being released in stores on April 7th. In the meantime, the palette was on Sephora's website but you could not purchase it - it was listed as being available in stores on April 15th.

After work on April 7th, I went to my local Ulta. I was told that they never received the palettes on that shipment that day (I now wonder if they received them prior and sold them before they were supposed to). I then made a trek out to a different Ulta - they were sold out. I checked the Sephora in that city - they had sold out (even though the palette should not have been on sale for four more days). I checked my local Sephora - they were sold out. I put my name on the lists at my local Sephora and Ulta to be called when it came back in stock. I have yet to receive a call.

I checked my local Ulta once more. They told me they would be getting a shipment the next day, but they did not know what products were being restocked. So the next day I called - the girl only told me they didn't receive any after I told her my name was on the list and what my name was (I'm cynical enough to believe that the amount of palettes they restocked was only enough for some of the people above me on the list). At some point I had checked the Ulta website again - it was no where to be found. The listing for the product had been removed. The same thing happened a few days later on the Sephora website.

This weekend, I went to Connecticut with my mom - we were going to Ikea since there isn't one by me. There was nothing in the store I checked in Connecticut. On my way home I stopped in my college town to check there.

I walked into Sephora and straight to the Too Faced display. There wasn't even a palette on display. I found the closest associate I could find and asked if they had any available - mentally trying to compel her to say yes. The second she said they had one left I immediately asked for it. She said I could just ask someone at the till for it. I don't think I've ever traversed a 10 ft space so quickly.

As I got to the register and asked the cashier for the palette my heart dropped when he said he thought they were sold out (there were two directly behind him on the table in my line of vision). But alas I was able to purchase the Sweet Peach palette. It only took multiple phone calls, several trips to multiple stores, and a trip out of state.

This story begs the question: what lengths have you gone to, to obtain a product you want?

XOXO

- K

Hello all!

Welcome back to my blog! Today I thought, in honor of being on vacation with no plans to go anywhere, I'd talk about the top five places I want to visit! I want to travel the world - I hate the idea of being stuck in one place. But I thought I'd just talk about the five places I'm dying to visit most at present (ask me tomorrow and they may change).

5. London/United Kingdom

_kristinrenee_

London and the entire United Kingdom has long been my favorite place in the world. I don't know what it is but I am obsessed with all things British. When I was 20, I had the opportunity to live in London for 3 months. Let me tell you, it was the most difficult thing I've ever done - I was by myself. But it was the best 3 months of my life. If I could live in London, or anywhere in the United Kingdom for that matter, I would be content. I have already been here, but my love for this country has not diminished which is why it made it onto this list today.

4. Australia

Gap Year

I don't know what it is about Australia - maybe I just have a desire to travel to places that speak English (I do not have an affinity for learning languages). Australia has just always been in the back of my head as a place to visit. There are several items on my bucket list that I could cross off after visiting this country: Climb the Sydney Harbor Bidge, Bungee Jumping, scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef (just to name a few).

3. South Africa

Truly Experiences

When I think of South Africa I think of nature and animals and complete and utter beauty. In my mind it is the stark opposite of America - a county of consumerism. I not saying that the picture in my head is 100% accurate by any means. But when I think of a place such as South Africa to travel to, I think of unplugging myself from my world that is so filled with technology (that is until I plug back in to post all the pictures - if I hypothetically went). I feel a sense of adventure when I think of this locale - more so than just the thought that traveling already incites.

2. Greece (Santorini)

Vault Blog Couture

I think the picture above says it all. The beauty and contrast between the white of the buildings and the blue of the sea is insurmountable. It could be the color scheme, but for me I think Greece would be the epitome of relaxation. I can just picture myself lounging and strolling along the streets of Greece and truly enjoying life - without going on an extreme adventure. I think here I could thoroughly enjoy doing nothing.

1. Thailand

Going Nomadic

BBC Good Food

Ahhh, my number one. The main reason for Thailand being top on my list of places I want to travel is mainly the elephants. Elephants are my favorite animals and there are elephant sanctuaries in Thailand. I would love to visit one and hang out with elephants. In doing research about Thailand, I was astounded by the sheer beauty of it. Everything is so bright and vibrant - a stark contrast to my life in Central New York (especially in the winter). Even just looking at these images, I do not have a care in the world.

So there you have it - my top five travel destinations. Most of these may not seem like they have an exact rhyme or reason, and they don't. I picked these locations purely because I want to travel to them. I want to visit them just to explore the world - and I don't think you should ever have to justify your travel decisions. Next year I want to plan a trip to one of these places. Next year: because this year is already shot to hell (the struggle of having to pick vacation time on a whim is December. PS have I mentioned the job part of adulthood is not fun). My only set back is that I do not have anyone to travel with, but I'll figure it out. Let me know in the comments what some of the places in the world are that you are dying to visit.

XOXO

- K

Hello lovelies.

I know this post is long over due, but I'm back at it!

I wanted to write this quick post this week before I get back to my usual makeup and beauty related topics.

I am back to posting regularly on Sundays again - starting today. This is my first post of April and certainly not my last.

I'm sorry I fell off the face of the planet for the month of March. Right after I published my last post, shit started to hit the fan (for lack of a better phrase). March has certainly been the most trying month of 2016 so far. I have had ups and downs in my personal life, as well as dealing with work. This month, my place of employment implemented mandatory overtime. So I was constantly working and frankly, just too physically and emotionally exhausted to do much of anything else.

Towards the end of the month events started improving. I was pulling myself out of my funk and working on better myself. This will continue for the foreseeable future. However, that's enough about my personal struggles - the important thing is that I am back to blogging weekly.

If there is one this that I have learned this month, it's that even when you are exhausted, and even when you don't have a job you love, and even when you are struggling you need to make time for the things you love to do. I love writing. I love writing on this blog. Yes, I needed some time off and to myself. But I also wasn't writing at all and that made me feel not like myself.

So, moral of the story - just stick to what you love - even if for the time being it's a hobby. There shouldn't be any other month long breaks. I was very proud of how often and regularly I was posting. I don't plan on disappointing myself like that again. Keep and eye on this space as my next post will be live next Sunday!

XOXO

- K

Hello lovelies! Welcome to my first ever February Favorites! I selected just a few items for my first favorites post as to prevent it from being exceptionally long. So without further ado, here are some things I have been loving through the month of February.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow

This product is amazing! It is so silky and I have never been able to get such a perfect contour and highlight from one product. For the past few months (like 6 months) I have been faithful to my Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour Palette. This month I decided to treat myself to this Charlotte Tilbury product, and I am so glad I did. The product is so finely milled and so pigmented. The sculpt shade is the perfect amount of warmth to add to my face without making me look or feel out of place in the winter months. The highlight powder provides the most perfect glow on my cheek bones. I am now in a fully committed relationship with this product. Bye bye, Kat.

Zoeva - Luxe Sheer Cheek

This brush, man. This is the softest brush I have ever felt on my skin. I am not exaggerating. It is so incredibly silky soft. It applies my contour impeccably well. I previously used the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush. As I said above, prior to my Charlotte Tilbury contour palette, I was using the Kat Von D palette. I don't know if it was the brush or the powders, but I will never use anything other than the Zoeva Luxe Sheer Cheek brush and the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow palette.

Your Tea - Tiny Tea and Happy Tea

I have been raving about Tiny Tea for around two years now. I swear by this product. No, it does not make me lose weight. However, I feel like my body feels so much better and healthier when I drink it. Drinking this makes me want to eat healthy. And as a plus, there's no laxative ingredient. If you don't believe me, check out the ingredients yourself. As for Happy Tea - I bought this on a whim. It is a much milder flavor than the Tiny Tea; however, I do love it and while I haven't had the chance to use it regularly yet, I expect nothing but great things.

Young Living Essential Oils - Thieves Spray

I. LOVE. THIS. STUFF. One of the women I work with is really big into essential oils. She buys through the company Young Living, so through her I can get the wholesale price. I wasn't that much into it, but the second she sprayed this stuff, I was sold. IT. SMELLS. SO. GOOD. This combination of essential oils acts as a disinfectant. Since I work in a cubicle, in an office with hundreds of other people, I like to keep my desk as clean as possible (illness spreads like wildfire). This smells incredible and it makes me feel more comfortable at my desk than the standard disinfecting wipe. The strongest smells I'm able to detect are cloves and cinnamon.

Lukas Graham - 7 Years

I first heard this on the radio and ever since I have been obsessed. I don't know what it is about this song but I can't help but sing along whenever it plays. I am 90% sure that the day I first heard this, I ended up playing on repeat a solid 15 times. Music has been the most important part of my life for as long as I can remember. Discovering new music is my favorite activity of all time - this month, "7 Years" is my favorite song.

And there you have it - my first ever favorites/my favorites through the month of February. Let me know if you like these types of posts! Comment below what some of your favorites this month are.

XOXO

- K

Happy Sunday my digital peeps!

Today I thought I'd write more of a chatty post. So just for the heck of it I thought I'd examine my slight obsession to makeup.

The above picture is just some of my recent makeup purchases (including my monthly Ipsy bag).

My name is Kristin and I am a makeup addict. I think I have hit my rock bottom (cue the Hailee Steinfeld track). Let's take this back to the beginning.

I was never a particularly girly-girl. During high school I genuinely couldn't care less about makeup. I had my drugstore makeup in my target makeup case. All was well. Around 2013 is when everything took a turn. I started watching makeup YouTube videos. My resolve was strong. I didn't buy into the hype of high end makeup - I couldn't fathom how one could spend so much on makeup. It was the beginning of 2015 - January to be exact - that I caved. I asked for the Naked2 palette for my birthday. After that, I started going to Sephora but just for Soap and Glory products. I had my Naked2 palette and my Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick (which is technically a drugstore brand in the UK). The rest of my makeup was still my good ol' fashioned drugstore brands.

As the year progressed I kept looking into more name brands. I held out (probably because I was a broke college student). When I got my tax refund check in May, I took my booty to Ulta and bought a couple Tarte products. Once I started my "big girl" job, as I call it, all hope was lost. I finally had an income. I could buy what I wanted. Don't get me wrong, I still put money away in savings every paycheck. But the amount of makeup I have accumulated in the last year (maybe it's a better estimate to say 9 months) is disgusting, but I love it.

Now sometimes I ask myself - Kristin, why do you spend so much money on makeup that you don't even wear everyday? Yes, it is true that more often than not I do not wear makeup. If there's something I love more than makeup, it's sleep. My sleep is a valuable thing on work mornings. As far as my answer, I just do. I don't have a rhyme or reason. I just love makeup (My 13 year old self would be shocked to read that sentence right now).

I think the saddest part of my makeup obsession is that most of my makeup - including all of the makeup in the above picture - is stored in boxes. I order makeup and store it in the boxes it comes in. I will use them, but then back in the box they go. I just have no storage space for my makeup. There are several Ikea pieces (I know, typical) that I have my eye on. Sadly, the closest Ikea is about three and a half hours away. And I refuse to pay $350 dollars for shipping. I am planning a trip to Ikea, but that's in a couple of months. For now a box shall remain the home for my makeup.

If you find yourself in the same situation let me know, or if you have any storage suggestions!

XOXO

- K

Hello lovelies! I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's day. This week's post is the final post in my Battle of the Lip Fixes series. I enjoyed trying out different products each week and comparing them. So, without further ado - Battle of the Lip Fixes: The Results.

For the last four weeks, I have been trying out three different lip products. The first week was the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, the second week was the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oil, and the third week was the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. You can read their respective reviews here, here, and here.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream - This "cream" is more of a gel (think of blistex) consistency. This product does have a scent; however, it is not particularly strong, nor is it particularly unpleasant. I love this product, and as an added bonus, it will last you a ridiculously long time. I don't think I've even made a dent in mine. During the week I was using this, I kept it right next to me on my desk at work and constantly reapplied it. I also used it at home. My lips did become more soft and the chapped spots did heal. I don't know what is in this product but it is magical. I did get sick at one point and put this on my nose as well (we all know how chapped noses can get when you're constantly blowing them). Overall, I think this product is a great investment. It is so versatile and is definitely going to be my go to winter lip product.

Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask - The Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask has a similar consistency as the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream if only a little more solid. It is still a gel - but it is not as soft as the other product. This also has a flavor - after all it is agave. It is just slightly sweet. Also unlike the other product, there is no scent. I don't know about you, but I would probably rather have a product that has a favor instead of a scent. This product works amazingly. My lips became incredibly soft - dare I say the softest they've ever been. This product is so thick, I would only use it in the morning when I got up and at night before I went to bed. The only downfall of this product was the fact that I didn't want to use it over the course of the day. Because I work in an environment that has such dry air, I constantly wanted to use another lip balm such as EOS. I feel like this may be best used as a summer product when the air isn't so drying. This will definitely be my summer lip balm and possibly my winter one as well (but only if I use another balm during the day).

Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil - Ahhhh Clarins, I had such high hopes for this product. Don't get me wrong it is a great product. I think this is amazing if you have done simplistic makeup for the day and need a slight tint, but also want to treat your lips. But I don't see this as being my go-to, constantly reached-for product. I'll use it up, but I don't know that I would repurchase. This product doesn't necessarily heal your lips so much as prevent them for being chapped. If you buy this, I would use it more as a preventative measure than a curative product.

All in all, I think the product I would be most likely to repurchase is the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask (let me tell you I would have been wrong in my prediction at the beginning of this venture). I would also probably repurchase the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. The only product I don't think I would repurchase would be the Clarins Instant Light Comfort Lip Oil. Although I do have two, so I don't think I will be hard pressed to make this decision anytime in the near future.

I had such a great time making this series for you guys. Let me know how you liked this and if there are any other products you like to see me review and compare!

XOXO

- K

Welcome back to this space! I just wanted to start off by saying thank you! I cannot believe how many views I have gotten in 2016 so far. I hope you continue to read and feel free to share with your friends!

Today is the third and final review in my Battle of the Lip Fixes series. This week, I tried out the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask. I have a couple of sample sizes (.18 oz) that I received in Bite's Christmas set, as well as purchasing their 5 Night Fix for Lips. It does not look like either of these options are available on Sephora's website, but you may want to keep an eye out in the store. It also appears that Bite came out with two tinted Agave Lip Masks as well, so if you're one for tinted balms (or masks in this case) take a look at those on Sephora's website.

This mask is very thick - a little definitely goes a long way. You need just the smallest amount and smear it across your lips. There is a sweet flavor to the mask, but what else should I expect from an AGAVE mask. It is a nice flavor which is always a plus in my book (not that you should eat this product).

The Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask does have a nice texture. As I said, it is thick; however, it does not leave your lips with a sticky feeling. On the contrary, I enjoyed the feeling of this product on my lips. For the application for this product, because it is a mask and not like a chapstick that you can apply throughout the day, I applied this twice per day - once in the morning and once at night.

I just have one thing to say about this - my lips are so soft. I don't have any chapped skin or anything. My only qualm about this product is using it in the winter. I don't know about you, but the air in my workplace is very dry in the winter. Because of this, all week long I wanted to use a chapstick or lip balm during the day. It took all of my will power not to use another product with this. I think I will continue using this product but with another in cunjunction with it during the day. I think this would be the perfect product for the summer months when you're not super worried about chapped lips, but still want soft lips, and the air isn't as dry.

Next week will be the final post of my Battle of the Lip Fixes series. Next week will be an overview of all three products and which ones I would repurchase and if there are any I probably will not use again. Let me know if you enjoyed this series and if there are any products you'd like to see reviewed and put up against one another (i.e. face products, eye products, skin products, etc.). Keep an eye on this space for Battle of the Lip Fixes: The Results.

XOXO

- K

The Perilous Process to Procure the Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette

Where In The World...

Back To Blogging

February Favorites!

My Name Is Kristin, And I Am A Makeup Addict

Battle of the Lip Fixes: The Results

Battle of the Lip Fixes: Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask

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