Weekly Wrap Up: Week 37

This was a hard week in so many ways. I was super stressed out and anxious, I had a mental breakdown at work and just felt on the verge of tears every single day. Not to mention my commute to and from work was an issue every.single.day and by tonight, I'm ready to throw in the towel.

Have you ever just felt defeated? Like you were one step away from falling off the edge of a cliff? That's how I feel right now. I'm very thankful that it's Friday night and very thankful that I'm in my pajamas and watching Hocus Pocus.

I was also super busy this week; work was the busiest it's been in a while and I was writing up a storm. I just got brought onto PizzaBottle as a freelance writer and wrote 4 articles for them this week...I also have an article coming out on one of my FAVORITE websites and I'll be sure to post that once it's up.

For now, here's my first (very personal) article for PizzaBottle! 

I'm writing more pitches while also trying to plan out content for the blog and responding to my emails... it's just been a week.

Tomorrow I'm going for brunch with my sorority sisters and I can't wait to eat, drink, and be merry with my best friends.

I will stop rambling and present you with my favorite links from the week!

• Silk pillowcases from Amazon, I'm in on these
• Ebay is bring in authentication services for their luxury bags which is better late than never
• A few Starbucks tricks to up your coffee game
• A new book from Lauren Graham? YES PLEASE
• I need the new Kate Spade book 'SHE' like yesterday
• My favorite website just went mainstream! VIVA

Here's what you missed on Royally Pink:

• Beauty in Review: Fenty Beauty Match Stix
• Book Review Wednesday: The Child
• Wanderlust Wonders: London
• Fashion Files: My Favorite Leopard Pieces for Fall

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo

B

Beauty in Review: Fenty Beauty Match Stix

When Fenty Beauty was being buzzed about, I don't think I was as excited as everyone else in the beauty world. I didn't really get why it was being talked about the way it was being talked about. I mean, I get that it's Rihanna's makeup line and Rihanna is BOSS but to me, it was just another brand.

That is until it launched and I saw all the hype. I mean, 40 foundation shades at the initial launch? YES.

After a few Youtube videos, I was intrigued and started browsing the Sephora website. Once I saw what Fenty was all about, I was in on it. I loved the fact that it was so heavy on the complexion while still having some color with the blush and highlight shades, both in compact and stick form.

I liked the fact that she had only one lip, because lip is more universal than foundation.

I was also in on Fenty after I saw the price tags. I mean, $25 for one Match Stix? YES. To me, that's a decent price for a new brand in Sephora, especially a brand as hyped up as Fenty; especially when Rihanna is behind it.

I wasn't in on the liquid foundation because I'm in between shades and really don't need another foundation (also, the reviews aren't that great for dry skin and my skin is getting super dry as the weather gets colder)

As intriguing as the blush and highlighters were, I knew that I didn't need any more at that moment (and at this moment) so I opted for the Match Stix in a shade that would work as a foundation and concealer.

My on the go makeup bag (which really means my work makeup bag) needed some help in the complexion category and I needed something that would be easy to apply and that I could do without thinking. I thought the Match Stix was perfect!

I got the shade Bamboo which I think is pretty decent for me (I never have trouble shade matching online. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I work at a makeup brand so I know the difference in shades, but it just is something I don't struggle with).

When the stick arrived, I was impressed. The packaging is super cute and weighty without being too heavy. The pale pink is super cute and I love the fact that it's magnetic so it can click to other Match Stix.

The formula is a little dry but I heard Emily Noel say she added a bit of oil to her face beforehand and it worked great. That doesn't bother me though because it blends out really nicely and offers a decent amount of coverage.

The Match Stix is defined as a matte stick formula to correct, conceal, contour, and touch up so it basically does everything and I can attest to that.

I used it as a foundation and concealer and it covered everything up nicely while giving me a nice, even finish to my skin. It definitely is a matte formula but doesn't dry my skin out.

I've been using it pretty consistently for the past few weeks since I got it and I love it. I blend it out with my Elf Blending Brush and it works like a dream.

I definitely would like to get a darker shade for contour and even the blush/highlight shade in Sinamon.

I'm not too crazy about the Fenty holiday collection but I am excited to see what else they have in store for us!

Have you tried Fenty Beauty yet? What were your thoughts?
xoxo
B

Book Review Wednesday: The Child

Fiona Barton is a great crime novelist and I loved her book "The Widow". When I saw that she was coming out with a new book, I knew that it was going to be my next listen (on Audible).

"The Child" was probably even better than The Widow, but had a similar feeling. You could almost tell it was written by the same person.

The Child is told in multiple points of view, just like The Widow, and it revolves around a group of women who are trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of an infant.

This is the publisher's summary:

As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers human remains, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who has been found at the building site?

As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A child was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.

But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell…

One of my favorite parts was that the reporter, Kate, from The Widow, is back again in The Child and is leading the investigation of this missing baby.

There are so many twists and turns, as usual in all my favorite novels, and at first, you think you know what happened but then something changes and everything is thrown up in the air.

At first, when I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was a little disappointed. I thought the book was too predictable but then when we were basically at the end, Barton threw another wrench in it. This was a huge surprise and it honestly made sense when you looped the entire story together.

This wasn't a gory or scary type of crime novel. I wasn't left feeling nervous or anxious about what was going to happen next. I was left more in suspense and interested to see what the outcome would be.

I thought it was a really great book, a quick read/listen and it was well worth it. If you liked The Widow, you will LOVE The Child by Fiona Barton.

What is on your reading list this week?
xoxo
B

Wanderlust Wonders: London

I've never really traveled to a lot of places. I'm not a traveler, even though I kind of want to be.

I've only been outside of the United States once, and that was for Spring Break to Punta Cana. Otherwise, I've been to Florida on vacation and to a handful of other states for work or a weekend trip.

As I've gotten older, and as we've seen the world and our society change, traveling has become more of a thing that you can do without breaking the bank or without really any thought.

I think there is also a huge pressure on us, as a generation, to travel more and to experience more. I love spending money on material things because it makes me happy. Would traveling make me happy? Probably but I'm impatient and I love instant gratification so waiting to plan a trip isn't something I would necessarily do.

Who to travel with is also a question -- who would I go with? What friends would I choose to plan an overseas trip with? I'm single as HELL so going with a boyfriend is out of the question.

I could make excuse after excuse but the truth is, I wish I could travel and I haven't.

The number one place on my travel list is London. I want to get there before I go anywhere else because I've always been fascinated and obsessed with the country and culture. I love the Royal Family, I love Princess Diana, I love the Union Jack, I love the accents, I love One Direction... I just love everything about England.

I want to go there to experience everything the country has to offer and some days, I can't stop thinking about it.

I hope to get there sometime in the next year or two and I think that it's definitely doable.

With all this said, I wanted to start a little series where I share my wanderlust list and show you what I want to do in each country/place I want to visit.

Big Ben, obviously

Notting Hill

Kensington Palace

Princess Diana Gardens

Westminster Abbey

British Museum

Piccadilly Circus

There are so many other things I want to do and see in London but these are definitely at the top of my list. It's what I think of when I think of this country and I can't wait for the day that I get to visit and make my dreams come true!

What is #1 on your travel list?

xoxo

B

Fashion Files: My Favorite Leopard Pieces for Fall

Leopard is BACK and in a big way! I knew it was coming back when the Nordstrom anniversary sale had an incredible amount of leopard pieces to choose from. Now that we're in the full swing of Fall, leopard is everywhere.

I've talked about the trend before but with every day that passes, I find something new that I can't get my mind off of.

My girl Kate Spade is leading the charge with a huge leopard collection and I really feel like I need at least something from the line. Nordstrom also has a few great pieces and I'm eyeing them up for sure.

I wanted to round up my favorite leopard pieces, some of which I have and some of which I need.

Are you feeling the leopard trend?

xoxo

B