a love/hate relationship

I have a serious love/hate relationship with makeup. I love all the different kinds and options, and I love seeing all the makeup tutorials online. But I'm totally incapable of doing those tutorials most of the time, and usually stick to my main products no matter how many new ones I buy. I am trying to be better about that, but when getting ready for class in the morning, it's so much easier to stick to the routine I know will look good (and won't take too much time).
I pretty much stick to basics: foundation (although I've been using BB cream lately), powder, blush, tiny bit of eyeshadow, eyeshadow liner and mascara. And I very rarely stray out of that. The good thing that's come out of my routine is that it gave me the chance to try different brands of the products I use daily, and find my real favorites, which I do think is important. When you're wearing something every day on your face, you should most certainly be in love with it! So here are some of my absolute favorites...

The Too Faced Natural Palette is something I've had for over four years now. I like sticking with the neutral colors on my eyes (which are brown), especially for a daily use. "Silk Teddy" is what I use on a daily basis, "Honey Pot" really makes my eyes pop, and "Nude Beach" is the perfect sparkly shadow for a night out.

I also use this palette for my eyeliner. It comes with an angled brush that makes putting on eyeliner easy, even for eyeliner challenged people like myself! I can never seem to get an even line with normal stick eyeliner, and liquid terrifies me. But using eyeshadow is really simple, and can fixed quickly by just smudging it a little! I use "Sexpresso" normally, but will probably start using the "Erotica" soon, since my "Sexpresso" square is running out!

I started using BB Cream over the summer, and instantly fell in love with this Too Faced one. It gave me great coverage without being too heavy (which I always hated with my foundation), it has 20 SPF (which all magazines beat into you is really important), and it even has a little shimmer in it (very classy, not Bath and Body roll on glitter type). Plus, since you use a little less than you would with foundation, the bottle lasts a while! I use the "creme glow" and it blends nicely into my skin.

So, I apparently have a love affair with Too Faced products. I didn't even realize how much until making this post. This is Better Than False Lashes mascara, and easily the most amazing mascara I have ever used. Ever since I was allowed to start wearing mascara, I've been trying different ones and trying to find one that makes my eyelashes standout and look great all day. I bought this on a whim when at Sephora, and it's probably the best makeup purchase I've ever made. You put on a layer of the mascara, then the nylon fibers (using a mascara wand-super easy!), and seal it with another coat of mascara! It keeps my eyelashes looking long and beautiful all day. And the best part? Thanks to the nylon fibers, the mascara basically slides off your eyelashes with some water. 

Maybe this year will be the year I'll try to be adventurous with makeup. I have started to branch out and wear lipstick instead of my basic lipglosses, so I think that's a big step! Plus, I have some plans to try some makeup tutorials in the next couple months, so we'll see how it goes! Until then, I'll be keeping with my basics and my favorite products.

-Kylie

wishlist wanting: c.wonder

I LOVE C.Wonder. I went into a store about two years ago, and instantly fell in love. Not only is the store brightly colored and absolutely gorgeous, and the things they're selling makes you want to immediately whip out your credit card. (Which is why I'm lucky that I don't have a store near me. My bank account seriously appreciates it.) If you haven't experienced C.Wonder yet, do so immediately! It's a wonderful blend of Kate Spade, Tory Burch and J.Crew. And all at a semi-affordable price. Especially if they're having a sale! Their first wave of new spring arrivals just came out and I'm completely in love. Especially with their adorable smoking slippers! Gotta start saving ASAP.

Bee Happy//Whale Canvas

Canvas Ankle Boot

Je T'iame Sweater// Geo Dot Pullover

I'm desperately wanting all of these, especially the Bee Happy shoes! Can't wait to see what else they come out with for the season!

-Kylie

on wednesdays, we wear pink

Sorry for the cliche title, but for the first time ever, I thought of it while wearing pink on a wednesday!

I don't know about any of you, but I have such trouble dressing for school right now when it's so cold out! It seems like no matter what you do or how many layers you put on, you're still freezing! Which of course makes it extra tempting to revert to sweats every single day. But my New Year's resolution is to not do that, and to keep up style even when I'm lazy and cold, so I'm powering though! I've even started to wear fleece leggings under my jeans (you can get them for $4 at TJ Maxx!) and wearing two pairs of socks as well (a knee high pair over the leggings and a fuzzy pair over that)! 

Another thing I'm doing more often, so I can keep with my resolution, is layering collared shirts under sweaters. Another layer of warm, hooray! To be honest, this is really the first year I've started doing it. I think it's probably because it's the first year I've really settled into what I think my personal style is (prep!) and stopped trying to deny it. I definitely have spent too many years trying to dress "cool" (yes, college students can fall victim to that) and ended up feeling uncomfortable most of the time. But now I dress how I like, and keep extra warm while doing it! I've learned that it's best to use a collared shirt that fits you well, and use a sweater that isn't a skin tight one so it doesn't show all the bumps of your shirt.

I've also taken to wearing my rainboots almost every single day. With all the snow that keeps coming, and then melting, I'm too nervous to wear all my nice shoes and ruin them! I have Hunters right now, and even though they're more expensive, I highly recommend investing in a pair! I'd gone through three cheapy pairs of rainboots before getting a pair of Hunters, and I'm so glad I did! I'll never have to buy rainboots again.

Another one of my staples right now are my tech gloves! They make my bus ride to campus and changing music as I walk so much easier. Plus, I'm an absolute sucker for anything with a bow!

sweater: old navy (similar)// top: j.crew (similar)// jeans: lucky// bracelet: oh so bows// necklace: tiffany&co// gloves: nordstrom (similar)// boots: hunter (similar)

-Kylie

wanderlust

I've been having an extreme case of wanderlust lately (along with my love of that word). I always want to travel and see new places, but I think it's been even more lately since it's so incredibly cold here (7 degrees and a -7 degree windshield!). But since I'm a college student and can't escape this awful weather, I've been resorting to my pinterest board more and more, basically making a board of places I hope to go someday. Greece and Italy are at the top of my list, but at the moment, I just want to go everywhere!

(it's a water slide into the Mediterranean! how amazing is that!)

What about you? What places are at the top of your wanderlust list?

-Kylie

welcome to my blog!

Hi everyone! I'm Kylie and this is my blog, Dress in Sparkles. (Because who doesn't love sparkles?) I'm slightly nervous to be starting this blog, considering I have a long list of blogs that I check every day and I've been thinking about doing this for a while now. But I'm taking the leap and seeing what happens! Gotta stick to those New Year's resolutions, right? 
Basically, this blog is for me to live out all the dreams I'm not pursuing in career form, which includes everything from baking to fashion to travel and so much more. (I obviously have a lot of interests.) And the more I think about it, the more I feel like it's going to be my pinterest in blog form. Which hopefully will be lots of fun! 
So here goes on this exciting adventure!
-Kylie