Friday Fancies #16

For this week's round of Friday Fanices the theme is Outfit Crush. It may be the fact that the inauguration is now upon us but I have red white and blue on the brain lately. I pinned this a while back and I'm still obssessed. 

Here's my take. I may have gone a tad overboard with the broaches, but I love the combo of the feminine lacy dress with the structured, yet still feminine, military jacket. 

Sorry for being such a bad blogger this week, but life just gets in the way at times. My parents get into town tonight, so let the whirlwind weekend officially begin. I promise to tweet and instagram up a storm over the festivities! So follow me twitter and instagram.

Have a great weekend lovelies!

You need this brush

Do y'all remember when I did a brief overview of my essential makeup brushes here? Well I'm back for a quick (because I have no time in my life to actually blog) addition. 

I was contacted by Sigma Beauty about some of the reviews I've done, and the generously sent me some brushes to test out. Their brushes are great, and honestly rival my MAC brushes. They hold up to cleanings, are dense, soft, you name it. I honestly love the products and the prices are even better. So today I want to introduce you to one brush in particular I think you NEED to add to your brush collection.

The E25 Blending Brush.

This has seriously become my go to brush lately. In recent years I've become makeup obsessed. I spend way too much time reading makeup blogs and watching youtube videos, and if I can take anything from my hours of practicing, blending is the key to a great makeup look.  

PS. I cleaned every single one of my makeup brushes the other night. What's a reasonable number of brushes to own? 

I have 27. and I use EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. 

Hi my name is Emily. I am a makeup brush hoarder. 

Happy Thursday Ladies!

January Birchbox

Hello! Long time no see ladies, sorry for dropping off the face of the earth yesterday. No post. No instagrams, nothing on Facebook. Not even a tweet. What is happening to me? Well--- I'm a tad stressed about life right now. So much to do, so little time. And I didn't write any posts over the weekend- I normally write outlines for all of my posts on Sundays. So we're winging it. Woohoo. aka--- I might go MIA again until after the inauguration. But I promise to update Twitter and Instagram like a crazy person. 

Anyways. I received my Birchbox in the mail a few days ago, and I've been loving some things... others not so much. First up.

theBalm® cosmetics Put a Lid On It™

I'm still semi- new to the Balm product, but so far I love what I've seen. This is no exception. Great primer. Takes a bit to dry, but one it does you are set for the whole day. I still prefer my UD primer potion, but this is not to say I won't love using this lovely sample. Thanks!

Ojon damage reverse™ Instant Restorative Hair Serum

Birchbox must have read my mind, because I just ran out of my argon oil. Seriously, the day before my box came. I'm not sure I love this more than my orofluido elixir, this is a great product. You can use it on wet or dry hair (I've only tried dry), and a little goes a long way. Smooth the product from the mid-shaft to the ends to reduce frizz and protect ends.

alessandro Nail Polish

I'm kind of obsessed with this nail polish. The color is Blue Lagoon, and actually comes off a little closer to navy than this pictures makes it seem. The formula is great though, super pigmented color. Goes on smooth, and three days later I still have yet to see a chip. Plus they have tons of other fun colors!

Harvey Prince Skinny Chic - 50ml

I may be the only one out there who likes getting perfumes in my box, but this one was a miss for me. I can't quite put my finger on what I don't like about it, but I'm just not feeling it. Sorry. Birchbox says: 

"The dominant note of crisp green apple is tempered by marine mint and lovely lotus blossom. In the background, notes of grapefruit, bergamot, fennel, white cedarwood, amber, and iris mix and mingle."  

Which if you ask me sounds like a lot of different smells that don't necessarily mingle well.

Fresh Lotus Face Cream

Loving this great face cream. Smells lovely- very light and as you might think... fresh. It definitely moisturizes, so I would only ever use this at night, plus no SPF, but it's great! I'm new to night creams, so I don't really have anything to compare it to, but I'm a fan!

Emerald Inaugural {FF #15}

I'm not going to lie, I've had Inauguration on the brain all week. I'm so excited to get all dressed up, see friends and family, and pretend like we are a part of the Washington elite. What a glamourous life I lead (said with full sarcasm). So after Wednesday's post where I talked inaugural options, where SO many of you commented and just gushed about the emerald option (no longer available at Macy's BTW, ANNOYING), I've been re-evaluating my options. I want to incorporate emerald one way or another. But should I run out and get a new dress? or maybe invest in a few accessories? What to do. What to do. So these are all options I would love to consider adding to my look.

Evening dress | high heels | handbag | ring | necklace |  drop earrings | stud earrings | head band | sequin gown |  bangle

What do y'all think? Full on gown? or do I stick with accessories?

PS. How amazing would it be for Michelle to rock that Elie Saab Gown? I'm dying just thinking about it.  Have a great weekend loves!