Getting primped and pretty for spring!

I am absolutely bursting with excitement that spring is finally here and I cannot wait for the warmer temperatures, flip-flop weather and spending lots of time outdoors to enjoy everything the season has to offer. During one of my recent shopping adventures, I decided that I might as well start picking up some new cosmetics for the season as well, since we all know us ladies must keep up with the trends and have a fresh new look each season in order to keep our super-cute status. (hehe!) Or at the very least, it is an amazing excuse to go shopping even if you don't really "change" your look each season. For me, I am fairly consistent with how I wear my makeup and with what tones or shades of makeup that I wear from one season to the next, but I do try to mix it up a little and put a bit of a seasonal spin on my look in order to add some freshness to my appearance and break up the monotony a bit. No extreme changes will be found in my makeup bag, but a little something-something new now and then never hurt anyone, now did it??? Here are a few of the new items I picked up recently along with a couple of other products that I now use religiously!

The first two new items I purchased were these lovely lip colors from Nars - I love both of these shades and LOVE Nars lipsticks as they have good pigment and last a long time without having to reapply over and over again throughout the day. Nars lipsticks were recently featured in InStyle magazine's Best Beauty Buys. They offer three different formulas of lipstick based on finish. All of the lipsticks are color true and enriched with vitamin E to increase wearability. The formulas offered include a sheer formula that offers a natural looking stain, a semi-matte formula that provides a velvety, full-bodied look and a satin formula that offers creamy, moist-looking lips. Both of these shades are actually from the sheer formula line and provide a lot of color without looking overly heavy once applied with your preferred lip liner. I LOVE both of these flirty colors and love the way they look and feel on my lips.

Flip-flop weather = must.have.pretty.toes! With that in mind, I selected these two uber-cute shades of nail lacquer to bring along with me when I go to get my toes and nails "did." Two completely different and contrasting colors, but I love both of them and especially love how they look ON my toes. The first color is a pretty and rich, deep merlot-esque tone which is maybe not what most people envision as a "spring color", but for me it is perfect! It is a metallic, opaque finish and truly looks great against my fair olive skin tone and provides just the look I want for my little "piggies." The second color is more of an opalescent metallic sheer tone and I plan on using that either as an overlay over a matte pink shade or something similar just to add a little extra shimmer. In any case, I thought it was a super fun color and couldn't resist picking it up as well on my little shopping trip. Nars generally offers a fairly limited selection each season of their wearable and durable nail lacquers.

Dubbed as "the best and most stylish eyelash curler ever", the Shu Uemura eyelash curler is one of my new best friend's! This fabulous eyelash curler which is reportedly loved by many famed celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, provides an amazing curl without causing any signs of crimp marks on the lashes whatsoever. I absolutely adore this iconic tool and love how gentle it is on my lashes and how easy it is to use. It will now forever be a staple item in my makeup bag for sure! Shu Uemura does recommend that you clean the curler daily for optimum performance and to also replace the silicone pad after 3 month of use.

If you are looking for a product to provide a flawless, long-lasting foundation application this is the product for you! Smashbox Photo Finish foundation primer is hands down the best on the market in my opinion. I have tried several other primer products previously and all pale in comparison to this awesome and highly acclaimed product. It is a lightweight product with a gel consistency and is applied prior to applying your foundation. The product assists in even application of your foundation and acts as a "barrier" of sorts keeping your foundation in place and evening out skin tone at the same time. It also works wonders on smoothing and filling out small lines and wrinkles which also aids in creating that flawless, smooth complexion that you know all of us women strive for.