Hi friends! I hope everyone has had a nice weekend. A lot of my friends have been having graduation lately at my high school. I only have one more week left and then SUMMER! I have to keep in mind that my final exams are this week, too. How is it for you guys? Do you have any final exams? If so, please go check out my Final Exam Survival Guide that I wrote about a couple days ago if you need any help!  

I love beauty sets. I am obsessed with a great deal for makeup and whenever I get the chance to try one out, I am always super excited to review it for you guys! I bought this one this past weekend and could not wait to open it up and test all of the products. I am going to do a full review of each of the products that came in this set and also link them individually if they are sold separately. All of the products in this kit are full-size, so you really are getting a deal. I have never tried Laura Geller so I was really curious to see what this Beautifully Nude set was all about!

The Baked Balance-N-Brighten Color Correcting foundation was pretty cool to be honest. At first glance, I thought it was like a bronzer or a highlighter, but it's not! I was really interested in this type of foundation because I don't think I have seen anything else like it. Since I am still a little light from the winter, this shade is a bit too dark for me. However, I have been using this as a bronzer and it looks really nice! It's just a shade darker than my natural skin tone so I think it should be great for an all over foundation in the summer. 

This set also comes with a pretty nice sized brush. However, I don't think i will really use this because it is a bit weird. I think it would be a nice travel brush because it is double-sided. I just don't really understand the sponge tip on the other end. It's a nice thing to have, but it's kind of useless in my opinion. 

I was really excited when I saw this in the kit because it looked so pretty on the box! The Color Luster Lip Gloss was really amazing. I mean this shade is called Cookie Dough. COOKIE-DOUGH. Natalie, does it smell like cookie dough, though? Yes it does my friends, yes it does. This lip gloss is extremely moisturizing and does not crack or stick to your lips. It's not matte, so if you are looking for a matte lip gloss, I suggest you check out the Lip Pops Waterproof Lip Gloss. I'm not a fan of wearing lip gloss, but I love the natural taupe-pink shade and the feel of this lip gloss. Maybe I'll wear lip gloss more often now!

I was a bit skeptical when I saw this mascara. Because of the wand, I was a bit concerned about the quality of it. I tried it once I got home and to my surprise, it is a really great mascara! It separates my lashes and gives me a great amount of volume. I was worried because the wand was really thin and skimpy. It's actually a really nice, black mascara. There's no flaking or clumping either. You can build it up for a more dramatic look, too. 

I love baked eye shadows and when I saw that this little duo was in the set, I knew I had to get it. I don't know what about baked eye shadows I love so much, they're just so great! Maybe it's because they are creamier and more pigmented? Well, this Baked Color Intense Shadow Duo in Dolce/Raisin is beautiful! I just swept Dolce all over my lid and blended Raisin into my crease. It looks very pretty and glowy, too. I have been loving pretty champagne shades for this season; it really brightens up your look!

All of the swatches are beautiful. You can't really see the foundation...because it's close to my skin tone, but all of the others are really nice. 

A very nice thing that was included in this set was the Spackle Under Make-up Primer. I like to use pore-minimizing primers more, but I am really excited to try this one out! I have heard that it's really great for making your foundation application really smooth and to make sure it stays on all day. I read that this primer also contains Aloe Vera which is pretty great! 

Hi everyone! I have a very pretty makeup look for you all. It's sweet and simple! I have been trying to use up a lot of the makeup that I have and I am experimenting with different looks all the time now. I have loved the rose-golden look for the spring and I want to share it with all of you.

It's very humid where I am and I don't like wearing a huge amount of makeup when it's like this. If you are anyone who needs a "sweat-free" or "oil-free" and simple makeup look, you're in the right place!

For eye shadow, I have been obsessed with this Lorac Bohemian Bronze Palette so much. It's a beautiful palette and it's great when you want to achieve a pretty gold-smokey eye. I love Lorac's eye shadows. They're always so extremely pigmented and creamy. They're also great eye shadows to blend and create looks with. I like to use the top left shade as a base all over my lid and then I use the top right shade in my crease. I try to stray away from black, but if you are looking for a more intense smoked out eye look, you could also include the bottom right shade in the crease or use it as a liner and smudge it out. I did a full review of this palette here.  

For the face, I love using my L'Oreal True Match foundation. It has pretty nice coverage, but you don't need much to get it. It has SPF which is great and it's very easy to build, too. They have a ton of shades to choose from so it's really easy to find the one that matches your skin tone!

I like to top off my foundation with a light, matte powder. The Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder is my all-time favorite powder to use for this type of look. Especially if it's kind of humid out, it leaves your skin matte and oil-free all day! I like to use a big Real Techniques powder brush and just apply it all over my face.

Another fan favorite is this Hoola Bronzer by Benefit. I love it so much. It's a very great bronzer and leaves a nice glow on your skin when you use it. It isn't too orange and doesn't have any sparkles and nonsense like that. It's a classic bronzer and works great with this summery look!

I love this blush by Tarte in the shade Blissful. It's one of my favorite blushes that I have ever owned! It's a great, warm peach shade and gives just the right amount of color to the cheeks. 

This Multi-Task brush is great for blush, bronzer, and powder! It came in the Travel Essentials kit and I used to use it for powder before I bought the big orange powder brush by Real Techniques. 

I always reach for this mascara now and I think I need to go out an buy the full size! Benefit's Roller Lash is amazing and you don't even need to curl your lashes before you use it. It gives just the right amount of volume and length, as well.

To top the look off, I like to use this Beauty Rush Lip Gloss by Victoria's Secret in Pink Lemonade. The best part is that it smells and tastes just like lemonade! It's delicious! However, I wouldn't advise you eat makeup. This lip gloss gives off a great shine and adds a little color to your lips. I carry it with me everywhere when I want to touch up my makeup. I'm not exactly sure if they still sell this specific lip gloss, though. I'm sure it's on Amazon somewhere, but I linked the actual Beauty Rush lip glosses so you all can check them out! 

I hope you guys liked this makeup look and it gives you some inspiration on new things to try out with your makeup! You don't have to always have new makeup in order to create new looks. Be creative and see what others are doing around you! I always read other people's beauty blogs for inspiration. If you guys have any other tips and looks you like to do this time of year, please let me know in the comments!

Xoxo, Nat

Hey guys! Ugh the ever-so-anticipated post. It's finals week and that means stress, stress, and more stress. But, not so fast! I have the sacred and very helpful tips and tricks you need to survive (or maybe to just pass) your semester exams/finals, so don't fret any further!

In my town, it's finals week. Every school district has different exam schedules, but since I have only two weeks of school left and my exams are coming up in the next couple of days, I thought that I could share the things that I make sure to remember and do in order to fully succeed (or at least pass the class...because it's the end of the year and I understand that some people get a little 'lousy' with studying and putting in work haha). I like to make sure that I start the studying process and prepare at least a week before my finals. I know that some people prefer to start like three or two weeks before, however, I still have like projects due and other work to finish up. So, my school has at least 3 days of finals. They set up a totally different schedule because you need at least an hour for each test. It's different for everyone so this may or may not apply to you.

1) Start Preparing

I know that this is kind of a given but, to reiterate, the only way you'll ever make it close to passing is by preparing for the exam. Make sure you have all of your study guides, notes, and books in order to make sure that you have all you need to study with. Ask your teacher for past study guides with the answers on it or go through you old notes and staple the important papers you need together to make it more organized.

2) Organize

I think that it's important to have a folder or some sort of organizational system to help you de-clutter all of the worksheets or notes you have received over the past semester. You could probably skip this step because I know a lot of people don't really care about being neat and that works out fine for them but, for some, I know that it might be a struggle and a hassle when they have to go back and find all of their work from like two months ago. 

3) Plan Out Test Dates

I would advise planning out when you're going to study and when your tests are. I like to write them on my calendar and make sure I'm not late to any of them. 

4) Find a Strategy That Works Best 

A lot of people have different things they like to do to study. For me, I like to make sure I have all of my study guides done (some of my classes don't provide finals study guides, though) and if I have like vocab or notes, I use a whole stack of flash cards to study with. Sometimes I go to my public library with a group of friends and use my note cards to review. At the end of exams, I'll have like four stacks of note cards. When you make flashcards, you're pretty much reviewing as you write them down. When you're on the go or if it's right before the exam, you could test yourself easily with them. 

I also like to ask my teacher about the exam: What to expect, how many questions, things I will need to know or not need to know, stuff like that. It's good to just check in with your teacher before the exam and ask questions you are unsure about so you make sure you know what to expect during the final.

Remember that it's about finding your way of studying. Which ever works best for you and makes you the most comfortable is best. If just reviewing your notes or re-reading the chapters helps, do it. No one's stopping you from getting that A+!

The Night Before...