Product Review: Firmoo Eyeglasses

Good afternoon, fellow lovers of pretty things! I am back from a bit of a break. Over the past three weeks, I have been moving all of my things into my new apartment that I now share with my husband-to-be. With our wedding fast approaching, it is now nice that we live in the same place! No more schlepping my stuff over to his place and vice versa. We now share one, wonderfully cozy living space...with my cat. That said, I HATE moving. This is the 3rd time I've moved in 15 months, so you can imagine how good I've become at it. I still hate it. I get rid of more and more stuff every time I move so it's been good for purging stuff...except clothes. I have just as many pretty clothes as ever. Thank goodness, right? I also now have a GORGEOUS walk-in closet for the first time ever. Installed it myself...This is the "before my clothes got there" picture.

Yes, I need that much long hanging space. THE DRESSES.

Anyway, now that I'm all settled, I can get back to posting! The wonderful folks at Firmoo.com contacted me and inquired if I would be interested in reviewing a pair of glasses for them here. I have ALWAYS loved eyeglasses since I was a teen. Both of my parents wear glasses and I always had crushes on boys who wore glasses. It was just a thing. Nerdy and blind? I'm going to prom with you and laughing at all your bad jokes.

I didn't become nearsighted until I was in college. I had a little trouble seeing street signs and reading the board in class, so I went out, got my first eye exam and my first pair of glasses. They were Ann Klein. They were adorable cat eye frames and they cost over $200. Seriously? I held on to those puppies for years, until one of the ear pieces kind of broke. I still have them, although I should throw them away. 

A friend of mine recommended an online site where you could go and buy glasses...they were super cheap. Maybe a little too cheap. For $75, I got 5 pairs, which is a lot. They were cute, but kind of cheap feeling and a lot of them didn't fit right. I keep them around because I can see when they are on my face and some of them are fun colors. So, when Firmoo contacted me, I was delighted. I had been thinking about a new pair anyway, so I picked out a pair that I thought would be flattering and I went for it.

The website is super cute and the selection of frames is huge. Prices are GREAT. Considering the website I shopped for glasses at before had SUPER CHEAP prices (like between $5 and $40), these prices were in a range where you KNEW you were going to be getting something higher quality at least. Picking out a pair was hard (so many choices!), but the checkout process was easy and fast. They arrived quickly in a padded envelope and look at the SUPER CUTE case!!!!

The underside is a cute map!

This is a GREAT quality plastic case with a GREAT soft interior to protect the frames. It also came with a lens cleansing cloth and a double-sided screwdriver to make repairs to the frames if need be. This was already MILES ahead of the previous online glasses retailer I had shopped from. Then I put them on my face. My fiancé was there with me as I was trying them on (this was moving day!) and the first thing he said is; "Is there glass in the frames?". Little did he know, I had poked the frames to find out the same thing a few seconds before; They were THAT clear. I had a few more people ask me that going forward. Lastly, they are ADORABLE and fit great. They are very comfortable to wear and I was thrilled to have them. 

Check out the sides!

The ultimate test...driving. Reading signs? Check.   

The weeks that followed, I got MANY, MANY compliments from people who had seen my old pairs of glasses. It was official: They were a hit and I was in love with them. They were my go-to pair and my eyelashes didn't hit the lenses, which was a win in my book. These retailed on the site for $36, which in my opinion is a great price. 

The verdict? You wear glasses? GET THEM HERE. I want to spread the love so the wonderful folks at Firmoo.com are going to let you guys get a nice little promotional discount on some glasses of your own! Simply visit http://www.firmoo.com/classic-series.html, shop and enter the voucher code: STYLISHSOPRANOBLOGS4

This is good for $15 savings on regular priced frames (excludes shipping & products already on sale). The code can be used up to 5 times!!! Get them! You can use this discount code until November 25th. After that, you're on your own!

Thanks for reading this review! Do you like these glasses? What do you think of them?

FTC Disclosure: I received the product in exchange for a blog review, although all opinions and thoughts stated in this review are my own, honest opinion. 

September Favorites!

Is the title of this post right? Is it the end of September? I can't believe it!Autumn is officially here! My wedding is a mere two months away! (insert scream here) Anyway...here are the things I have been loving during the month of September.

Benefit Benetint: Liquid Cheek and Lip Tint $30 specialty cosmetic retailers
Maybe I'm late to the party on this, but I know a lot of people love Benetint. I got this in a gift set, so it's not a full size. I was kind of ignoring it for a while and the intention was actually to use it as a lip stain. The color didn't take that well on my lips, so I put it away for a while. Then I picked it up one day and used it on my cheeks. What a great little cheek stain this is! I didn't know if this would show up on my deep complexion, but it does and you can really build up the color. It gives you a subtle "glowing from within" look and as a bonus, it smells like roses. I think it's a little expensive, but you can often grab it in a lot of Benefit gift sets.

Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette (Urban Decay): $54 Specialty Cosmetic Retailers
Maybe this post should be titled, September favorites that everyone else discovered 2 years ago. I bought a Naked 3 palette in April and I have been loving it. I didn't think I would get much use out of the Naked 2, but I have been LOVING this palette. I am finding it a bit more versatile than my Naked 3 for every day looks. This palette makes me feel like I know what I'm doing.

Atelier Cologne, Orange Sanguine: Travel Spray $25 at Sephora
This is now the SECOND time this has happened! I got sent this as a sample with my Sephora order in a "Niche Perfumes" sample set. I passed by it at first in favor of the Nest Amazon Lily. However, I went back to sniff it a few times. I do mess around in my perfume sample collection because it's out. Here is how I store my samples. They are next to my full size perfumes and because they are in this little acrylic drawer unit, I often go through them and play around with them.

This scent caught my attention because it smelled pretty heavily of blood orange. I didn't know I could like it so much, but the more I smelled it, the more I loved it. It also smelled really good with my body chemistry and I used almost the entire sample. So, one day after I did a voiceover gig, I stopped by the mall and picked up a travel size. It's kind of a summery scent, but I plan to wear this well into fall. If you are in a Sephora or live near an Atelier Cologne shop, definitely check them out! This scent is so special and totally unisex.

Ole Hendricksen Grease Relief Cleansing Cloths: $15 for 30 cloths at Sephora
I did NOT want to fall in love with these, but alas...they are amazing. My face is an oily mess and these cloths have a textured side and a smooth side. It won't remove your eye makeup, but it will clean up everything else (or at least, on my face since I don't wear foundation) and it makes your skin feel amazing. It's exfoliating, refreshing and smells like eucalyptus. I hate that I love these because they are so damn expensive. And that's an empty package you see there. SADNESS.

Lush Cupcake Fresh Face Mask: $7 Lush Store Locations
If you don't live near a Lush, then I'm sorry. They won't ship fresh face masks because they have to be refrigerated and have a short shelf life. This mask is for oily skin and its made with cocoa and mint. CHOCOLATE MINT ON YOUR FACE. Do I have to say anything more? this stuff makes my face feel amazing and it's only $7. Looks like brownie batter, smells like brownie batter with a mint overtone. This makes my skin feel amazing after I've used it and takes care of blemishes. Winning.

Coffee Mate Extra Sweet and Creamy: About $4 grocery stores
Okay, I feel like I'm a terrible person for having this as one of my favorites, but it's a guilty pleasure. If you live in New England or have ever been to New England...you know about the wonder of Dunkin' Donuts. I like to grab my coffee from there and have it taste like dessert, extra sweet and light with cream. Well, this stuff makes my coffee taste like I went to Dunkin' but at home. It's super sweet and super creamy just like it says. It's probably terrible for you and I probably shouldn't be ingesting so much sugar early in the morning, but I drink about one cup a day. Cut me some slack.

Lastly, I have been LOVING a dress *that was sent to be to try by the lovely folks at eShatki.com...my review is forthcoming!

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsore. All products in this post were purchased with my own money, except where indicated with an asterisk(*)

Product Review: Stila Eyes Are The Windows Palette (Spirit)

Confession Time: I love eyeshadow. Shocker. I know. I have a weakness when it comes to them because it's the only place on your face you can completely be a nut. Usually, we wear colors on our face that enhance a color that could actually happen: Your lips could be a pretty pink, when you are flushed, your cheeks will fill with color, you enhance the black in your eyelashes with mascara, and your natural brow color with brow gels and pencils and powders...

But could your eyelids be green? Maybe if you had some strange disorder, but most likely, no. You can be completely unrealistic when it comes to your eyelids and color and that's why it's fun. I happened upon the Stila Eyes Are The Windows Palettes in the store at Sephora and I just had to go and play with them. I fell in love and left the store.

This is my policy.

If I see something I like, I leave it there and wait to see if I want it the next day. Well, the next day...

Even though it was a ridiculous $49, I went back for the Spirit Palette. The colors were too pretty when I swatched them on my hand and Stila's best-selling shade Kitten was in there. I could not resist. These palettes were created as a celebration of Stila Cosmetics' 20th Anniversary which is super cool! The other palettes are Mind, Soul and Body. Spirit had the colors I was most attracted to. The packaging is beautiful. It's rose gold (so is the band on my engagement ring, so I am partial) and very shiny. It's not super heavy, but it's a lovely quality packaging and the palette opens and closes with a magnetic closure. When you open it...it's breathtaking. And it comes with a ginormous mirror. 

Here are the swatches on my arm...this is where it starts to get disappointing...

Brush Swatches, No Primer

Finger Swatches with Primer

As you can see, the pigmentation is not that great even though the darker colors are nicely pigmented. The colors are densely packed and a slightly powdery texture, not a buttery texture that you get with some other brands. When I had my brush in the palette, I had to really get in there and powder got all over the pan. However, even though the colors are pretty sheer, they are buildable and you can apply more product to get a more intense color. They blend very well and they are fun to play with, but you have to really get in there with your brush and grab product.

The Verdict? Is this worth $49? Not really? The packaging is gorgeous, but you will get your fingerprints all over it. If you're looking for a super high quality palette, both Urban Decay and Too Faced make beautiful shadow palettes. If you have $49 to spend and you want to try it, go ahead! It's a gorgeous palette and perhaps it would make a great first palette for a beginner, as it's impossible to be heavy-handed with the colors here.

I'll personally be keeping it, as I enjoy it, but it's not worth the $49 pricepoint in my opinion. But, there's no doubt that it's beautiful and I finally have a Kitten Shadow! Anyone else tried any of these new Stila palettes?

August 2014 Favorites!

So! August is over!?! How did that happen? It was unseasonably cool in Boston this month, so it didn't really feel like August, but I saved some money on cooling bills so, I'll take it! Anyway, here are the things I've been absolutely loving all month long.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: $23 Cosmetics Specialty Retail. The name of this mascara is just...*sigh*. It's not better than sex, but it's my new favorite, FAVORITE mascara. If they are going to say this is better than sex, it should come with a winning powerball ticket. I digress...

It is the blackest, most dramatic formula I've ever used. I have already ordered a replacement from Sephora. My new holy grail mascara for my nothing lashes (sorry lashes, but you are wispy).

Tip: Looks like if you buy this directly from Too Faced, they will include a travel size for free right now. Bonus Jonas.

Gel Eyeliner (in general): Price Varies, Drugstore and Cosmetic Specialty. I discovered my love for this backwards, I guess. I am a fan of some eyeliner, let me tell you. I love eyeliner! It makes your eyes look bigger, more dramatic and it comes in fun colors, although I only ever use black. I got a navy one in a beauty box, but I've only used it twice maybe (although it's beautiful and soft). When I first started wearing makeup, I only knew of pencil liner. Then I discovered the joys of liquid liner. Loved it. Earlier this year (yes, I'm behind the curve), I discovered gel eyeliner. I honestly had never even heard of this until a few months ago. A pot and a brush?! NO. WAY. NOT GONNA TRY THAT.

Then I got an email from Sephora saying that Benefit was coming out with a new gel eyeliner in a pen form. I purchased it before its release as a VIB benefit (Benefit as a benefit!??!) and I loved the formula, even though I found the application a bit challenging (full review forthcoming). I used it for about a month and liked it, but I found that it was difficult to use it and I had to get in to a mood to use it, like I had to get psyched up to apply it. Not good. Then, one day, I purchased a pot and brush "old school" type gel eyeliner from the drugstore. HOLY MOLY! Where has this been all my life!?!? It doesn't sound like a brush and a pot is an easy application regarding eyeliner, but I found this delivery system very simple. I got the most control from the brush and ultimately, I found it much easier than the pen form. Sorry, Benefit. I love you, but...

Nest Amazon Lily Perfume: $25 Roller Ball Specialty Cosmetics Retail. OMG. I got a sample of this with a Sephora order. I tried all the other perfume samples and when I sprayed this one, I thought: "Hm...weird. Smells kinda weird." However, I liked it. I tried it again and again and the more I tried it, the more I liked it. Then, I became obsessed and I had to order a larger size. It has a floral, yet citrusy and spicy fragrance. It's totally weird, but it hooked me like caffeine.

Well played, Sephora. Well played.

Rimmel Stay Matte Primer: $6-7 Drugstore Retail. I have issues with Rimmel products. Every YouTuber talks so much hype about this brand's Stay Matte Powder, but, they don't really make darker shades. Are they translucent?

I did come across this product at the drugstore and I gave it a try. I had been trying the Benefit Porefessional which was okay. It didn't keep me matte no matter how much I prayed on it. This stuff is a white cream, which looks like a moisturizer. You can put it on under makeup or wear it alone. It is supposed to blur your pores and keep your face from getting shiny. I wear this in the T zones and I hate to admit that it works really well. This stuff is the bomb dot com if you have oily T-zones. It kept me matte and looking nice most of the day. If you have darker skin, you DO have to be careful not to get this stuff in the drier areas of your face or you will look like a mime. Bottom line, for $7, this is a steal. Anyway, Rimmel...you get one.

Merrel Evera Shift Sandals: I seriously lucked out with these. I have a black and a tan pair. I happened to come by them at Marshall's and I paid so little for them that I feel like I stole them. They are so cute...so comfortable. I love the little heel. These are the sandals of the summer. Period. So much shoe love for these.

Garnier Sleek & Shine Moroccan Sleek Oil Treatment: $5.99 Drugstore Retail. A late entry, but I'm totally obsessed! Being a curly girl, I love me some hair oil. I had been using Kendi Oil but I mistakenly left it at home when I went on vacation. Kendi Oil smells amazing and works wonderfully, but my hair soaks up and eats product like The Greedy from the Raggedy Ann & Andy Movie (I am dating myself). Kendi Oil is $25 a pop. I went out to get some hair oil while I was in Hilton Head because I was going to be shampooing from the chlorine in the pool and salt in the ocean. This stuff is amazing! I applied it to my damp hair after I conditioned and shampooed and it made my curls soft and shiny and lessened the frizz (you can't be 100% frizz free if you're a curly girl. Let's just be honest). I like Kendi Oil, but I can be more generous with the Garnier since the price point is much lower and it works a little better too! Once again, a win for Garnier. I have used (and liked) their products in the past, so I'm anxious to try more products from their Sleek & Shine line. Recommendations anyone?

Special Meal Salad: Inspired by a salad I saw in Real Simple. It's farro underneath salad greens, snap peas, sauteed mushrooms (instead of chicken), fat-free feta, avocado and a lemon vinaigrette dressing. Grind a crap ton of fresh pepper on it. BAM. Lunch or dinner. Guilt-free, tasty as heck, easy, addictive. This was winning for me all month. Fiance is obsessed too.

That's what I've been loving as we slide into September. It's going to be autumn soon and that means I get to pick up and move in with my handsome fiance! Moving sucks but I can't wait to move in with the love of my life!

Vacation Luxuries for your inner Princess

Sometimes, there are crazy things you by from Sephora and you don't know why you spent that much on a single product. It doesn't make sense, it's probably not worth it and you probably didn't need it. But when I am on vacation, I like to have crazy, unreasonably-priced luxuries to make me feel like I'm royalty at my home away from home. Here are some of the crazy things I've brought with me on my beach vacation.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir: My friend Sara turned me on to this stuff and I'm not even sure what this does. On the Caudalie Website, it says it gives you a glow, minimizes your pores and sets your makeup. I'm not sure I believe all of that nonsense, but you know what it DOES do? It smells amazing and it feels amazing on your face when you spray it. It's got a rosemary, floral sort of smell and a slight tingle when you spray it on your face (eyes closed of course). This stuff is $49 for the full-size and I'm not even sure what it is. But you can buy a small little tiny size at Sephora for $18, which is just as stupid, but less of a sting on the wallet and was a perfect size for my purse. It's steamy and humid at the beach here and this has been so amazing in the middle of the day when my face is kind of feeling gross and hot. If you have money burning a hole in your pocket and you're vacationing somewhere hot, pick it up and treat yourself.

Ole Hendriksen Grease Relief Cleansing Cloths: I am super into cleansing cloths. Maybe because I'm lazy. My current favorite are the Yes to Cucumbers wipes for sensitive skin. I don't have sensitive skin necessarily, but for some reason, I love these wipes. They smell faintly of cucumber and they get your makeup off mostly. I had heard a lot of buzz in the beauty community about these (Ole Hendriksen) brand of cleansing wipes. I couldn't imagine that a stupid face wipe could be so amazing. I saw the little 10-count sample at the checkout at Sephora for $8. So it's $0.80 for each of these stupid face wipes, which is INSANE. But...

They are amazing. They feel amazing on your skin, they smell fantastic and they have a cool side with bumps on it that exfoliates your skin. I have oily skin and I enjoy anything that reduces the amount of grease and crap on my face and the fact that these wipes have AHA's in them is a huge plus for me. They leave my skin feeling clean, refreshed and smelling fantastic. The 30-count is a $15 which is a little more reasonable at $0.50 a wipe. I think I will definitely be going back for the big size, but maybe I can't buy them all the time. I don't use these to remove eye makeup (I use Clinique Take the Day Off Remover), it just takes off my blush and face powder and primer.

SUPERGOOP! Sun-Defying Sunscreen Oil: Sunscreen Oil, eh? Sure. I was attracted to this product initially because as a darker-skinned person, I didn't enjoy the blue-ish white cast that creamy sunscreens leave on my skin. Maybe I'm vain, but I think it looks really terrible. This product seemed like a good alternative because it was an oil. I initially didn't think an oil could really protect you from the sun because I believed that white-cast was coming from whatever chemical was keeping you from getting sunburned, but I took a chance on it anyway. It's $10 for a 1-ounce spray of this. That CRAZY. But I was going on vacation and this was a chance to be luxurious and treat myself like a princess. Well, I really love this product. It's waterproof up to 80 minutes and it feels really good going on your skin. Not greasy, but silky. I was out playing golf on a hot, sunny day and I did not get burned.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15: This is the most ridiculously expensive lip balm ever. It's $22.50 for a full-size, which is nuts because you only get 0.15oz worth of product. However, this is the best lip balm I've ever used. It goes on remarkably smooth and is incredibly moisturizing and the colors are usually very pretty. I have this balm in at least 5 colors but my favorite is the newest shade, Tulip. It's a pretty, bright pink and it's the perfect MYBB (my lips but better) color. Big ups to Fresh for compelling me to buy an insanely over-priced product in almost every color that they offer.

So, that's it for my ridiculously over-priced vacation luxuries! Are there expensive guilty pleasures that you enjoy? 

August Boxycharm Review!

For those of you who don't know, Boxycharm is a beauty subscription service similar to Birchbox and Ipsy Bag. Once a month for $21, they send you (free shipping!) 4-5 full-sized beauty products. It's a mix of high-end and drugstore, but this is my 4th box and I've only gotten one drugstore item (it was a mascara, which is great.) Boxycharm is my one and only beauty box subscription right now. What initially attracted me to the service is that they are sending full-sized items every time instead of samples. Not that I hate samples, I just think Boxycharm is the best bang for your buck right now. I have been waiting for it with great anticipation this week and now I'll let you know what's in my box! Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored by Boxycharm and I do pay for this box and chose to review it on my own for the benefit of my readers only!

Here is the box in upon opening. It's the Beach Babe Box! This is very exciting because in exactly seven days, I will be on the beach! YES. ALL of the products in this box are full-sized.

The first thing I noticed was a Tarina Tarantino lip color in Floriculture which was a really pretty berry color. I was very thrilled to see this in this month's box because in my June box, I also received a product from this line (which was a highlighter). I loved the highlighter, so I was very excited about this lipstick. The packaging is exquisite. It feels very heavy, high quality and has these adorable little crystals on the side. The color is absolutely gorgeous and it felt really soft on my lips and the color was perfect for me. It was a cute berry shade that goes perfect with my complexion and is exactly the shade of lipcolor I usually like to buy.

Verdict: AWESOME. I am not a lipstick girl, but I will be using this! (Retail price: $22)

Next, I saw this Enter Pronoun Blowtorch Bronzer. Enter Pronoun? What the heck? Well, turns out this is a unisex makeup line. Ok, cool. I also noticed that they don't really have a lot going on in terms of amount of products on their website. It looks like right now they are offering some concealers, this bronzer and an eyeliner. It looks like they are a startup or maybe just being cool by only selling 3 products? Who knows. But this bronzer retails for $35. Imagine me doing a Z-snapping motion after I say THIRTY-FIVE DOLLARS. That is like a YSL or Chanel pricepoint, baby!

That being said, the packaging is STUNNING. It's as beautiful as the Tarina Taratino product is and the bronzer seems nice. That being said...I'm not really a user of bronzer. Honestly, I have never even considered using it, especially since I don't see that many women of color reaching for it. But, I'm sure it's great and I'm going to hold on to it and give it a shot.

Verdict: STAY TUNED. I might use this, I might give it to a friend. Who knows. (Retail price: Once again with feeling...$35)

Next was this ModelCo Cheek and Lip Tint in Rosy Red. I've never tried a ModelCo product before. Is it just for models? Is it made by models? In general, I'm a little suspicious of products that are supposed to be for my lips AND cheeks. My first impression is that when I swatched it on my hand, it wasn't just a tint, it was a STAIN. It had a pretty good staining quality and I couldn't wait to try it on my lips. When you rub it it has a strange brick red color and it felt VERY sticky on my lips. When it dried, it felt okay, but in the 10 minutes that it was wet, it was sticky, sticky, sticky! I didn't try it on my cheeks since I was already wearing Tarte cheek stain.

Verdict: NEUTRAL. It's okay. It's a VERY SUBTLE color payoff (which is what it's marketed to be) for a no-makeup, makeup look. I'll use it and see how it goes. (Retail price $22)

Then there was the Ofra Cosmetics Lip liner in Silk. I watched a few YouTubers open their boxes and I appear to be one of the unfortunate ones who got a lip liner instead of a black eyeliner from this company. I got a stupid lip liner in July's box too. This was extremely disappointing.

Verdict: MEH. Who wears lip liner? I'll probably never use this. If anyone wants this, I'd be HAPPY to send it to you. Disclaimer: I did swatch it on my hand once. (Retail price: $13)

Lastly, I got this powder brush from Morphe Brushes. Here it is...

VERDICT: AWESOME. This brush rules! It's as soft as a bunny, feels really high quality and is a nice large size. I'll be using this to try my new bronzer or whatever. I would buy more brushes from this line. (Retail price: $19.99)

Overall, I was extremely pleased with this box! I was rather disappointed by my July box (which also came late), but this box is far more impressive and an extra bonus for including a Tarina Tarantino product! I can't wait until September's box! If you want to subscribe to Boxycharm, please use this link! This is my referral link and if you sign up, I get boxy "charms" which are points to buy full-sized products. 

Update

Oh hey, blog, HEEEEYYYY! I have been away for a while and BOY have I been busy! In the few months that I've been away from my blog, I've...

• Become a reasonably successful entrepreneur
• Made my Boston Jordan Hall soloist debut! (W00t!)
• Gotten my first solo reviews in Boston Music Publications
• Explored Voice Acting
• Been on AM Radio heard in 38 States! (OMG!)

and finally...

• gotten engaged to the man of my dreams!

So, when you ask yourself..."Where has Kay been?", you can now answer that question with confidence! I have missed my blog, but I have done SO MUCH! I just wanted to give a quick update as to where I've been! I'll be moving again in a couple of months so the mayhem continues!