Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette Review

Hey everyone! I'm back with another recent LV purchase. This is the newest addition to my collection and it is the Louis Vuitton Mini Pochette in Damier Azur.

This little bag is gorgeous and so functional! This is my first LV piece in Damier Azur and so far I have no complaints with this canvas. I had read many reviews and people do not like this color canvas due to the fact that if you wear a lot of dark denim it tends to rub off and stain the bag. I am always wearing dark jeans and since I have gotten this bag I have used it quite a bit and have yet to see any color transfer. The gold chain on this Mini Pochette is the main reason that I decided to go with this bag and not the regular Pochette Accessories. The gold chain gives it such a classy look and it can be removed from one side and tucked into the bag neatly. 

This is your perfect little "get up and go" bag. It surprisingly fits plenty without getting that weird deformed look when you overstuff your bag. This is definitely a "must have" in anyone's LV collection because it is perfect to use alone as a mini purse or to just throw inside any bigger LV. The strap on this bag can also be detached to clip onto a D-Ring in any other bigger LV bag. 

I recommend that everyone go out and invest in this Mini Pochette because you will get so much use out of it and whether its casual or a dressy occasion, this bag is the absolute best!

xo, 

T.

Louis Vuitton Monogram Pochette Croissant PM Review

Hey everyone! I'm back with another Louis Vuitton review. Today I am reviewing the Louis Vuitton Monogram Pochette Croissant PM. 

I purchased this bag in the LV store in Milano, Italy about 6 years ago. This was my first ever LV piece and to this day it is still fabulous and has barely aged. This bag is very petite and on the inside of the bag it features a soft red lining and has one pocket. 

This bag is a very cute dinner bag and its unique shape makes me cherish the bag even more. I rarely see this piece on anyone and this bag was discontinued so if you want to get a hold of it you will have to buy it pre-loved. 

I haven't used this bag much since I have gotten it only because since it is so small I can't fit much inside and I don't really go out to many formal events. When I do use this bag I throw in my phone, a lip gloss, and then put my credit cards and ID in the small inner pocket. The bag does have room to fit a little more but I tend to not over stuff it just to keep the canvas looking like-new.

I barely ever see reviews on this bag now since the croissant line was discontinued but I have seen a few people mention that if this bag is worn everyday and stuffed then the seams around the zipper start to fray and rip. So far my brass hardware has yet to age and discolor but I assume with constant use the coloring will start to turn more quickly. 

I do love this piece and plan on having this bag for a very very long time. Hopefully in the future I will be able to go out to more formal events just so I can bring this bag out! If you ever do plan on getting this bag pre-loved it is truly a treasure to have in your collection. This bag can be carried as a small everyday bag or just brought out for special occasions. You will definitely be turning heads with this unique piece.

xo,
T.

Louis Vuitton Zippy Compact Wallet Review

I recently purchased the Louis Vuitton Zippy Compact Wallet in Damier Ebene and I am completely obsessed. I knew I wanted a zippy wallet because I love just stuffing everything inside my wallet, zipping it up so nothing can fall out,  and being good to go. 

After watching many reviews on YouTube, I finally decided on this wallet because unlike the Louis Vuitton Zippy Wallet this wallet opens up and lays completely flat. This wallet is also smaller in length than the Louis Vuitton Zippy and it makes a very cute clutch when you don't want to bring a full bag out. I love that this wallet has 10 credit card slots, a large flap compartment used for notes or checks (which I use for cash), a zipper coin compartment, a huge compartment (as seen in the bottom left picture) that actually extends all the way down the full length of the wallet, and three additional smaller compartments. 

This wallet is very versatile and although it seems to look small in size, it fits everything you will ever need a wallet to fit plus more. I have the Samsung Galaxy S3 and when I go out I can easily slip the phone inside the wallet and zip it right up with ease. 

Detailed Features:

- 10 Credit card slots 

- 1 Large zippered coin compartment 

- 1 Large compartment for notes 

- 4 Additional compartments (1 flap and 3 slot compartments) 

- Calf leather lining 

You can get this wallet hotstampped if you get it from the Louis Vuitton website and it comes in the three traditional Louis Vuitton patterns. This wallet is a great wallet for every occasion and it truly a beautiful LV piece. I highly recommend this piece as a must-have.

Xo,

T.

Louis Vuitton Retiro GM Review

I bought my Louis Vuitton Retiro GM in the Louis Vuitton store in Atlantic City, New Jersey over a year ago. I absolutely love this bag! I use it often for an everyday bag, a travel bag, and for me this bag is so perfect.

I am always looking up reviews for this bag and I never really find many. It seems like no one is really interested in getting this bag, and then the reviews I do manage to find and read most people say they hate it because of it's large size.

Personally, I think the size is a huge plus! The bag is 40 x 32 x 17cm and it comes with an adjustable shoulder strap. The inside of the bag is a nice natural cream colored suede lining and there are three pockets (One large pocket big enough to fit my iPad, and two smaller ones for a phone or whatever), plus a D ring to hook on your key chains or whatever you want.

This bag is gigantic! It fits everything I need and more. Since I'm a student I am always carrying books, my binder, cosmetic case, iPad, and MacBook and it fits all of this with ease. If you fill up this bag and try to hand carry it then it does get to be a pain but luckily when using the shoulder strap it evenly distributes the weight and I don't feel like my shoulder is going to fall off.

The first three months I had this bag I used it and abused it, taking it everywhere with me. The bag began to patina and now instead of a light ivory color, I have a nice tanned brown leather that looks beautiful. Since I used this bag so much it did patina quicker than my other LV bags but after a year of wear and tear the bag is still holding up strong and looks great. The only signs of serious wear I began to notice are the bottom corners of the bag are a little scratched up, but I assume thats from always setting it down everywhere and such.

I really don't have anything bad to say about this bag. It is a true oversized bag and if you're someone who always has to carry their world in their purse, like me, then this bag is perfect for you.

This bag does come in a PM size, but when I seen it in the store I noticed that it was tremendously smaller and I was not a fan of it.

Overview: Louis Vuitton Retiro GM
 - Has plenty of room for everything you need
 - Does get heavy if you do not use shoulder strap
 - Bag patinas beautifully
 - Still looks beautiful after a year of wear and tear
 - Hardware has not shown signs of aging
 - Perfect for everyday use or travel

Overall I would definitely recommend getting this bag. It is a great investment and the Louis Vuitton monogram print never gets old. I have a very hard time finding reviews on this bag and I am hoping that after people read this they will get inspired to give this bag a shot.

xo,
T.

Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush Review

So for the past week I have been searching for the perfect foundation but in the process of that I have found the perfect brush!

Urban Decay's Optical Blurring Brush

This brush was designed by Urban Decay to use with their Naked Skin Foundation. I bought this brush after reading a few reviews and learning that people did use this with mineral make up and it worked. I had been using BareMinerals and needed a new brush so I thought, why not? 

The first day I used this brush with my BareMinerals and it gave me a nice airbrushed look. This brush is very easy to use and the bristles are tightly compacted so that you get a nice even coverage and there is no shedding (at least in the week that I have used it I have had no shedding). 

Then after seeing how good this brush worked I decided to try new make up because my face had been getting a little dry and I wanted to try a liquid foundation. So I went to Sephora and the beauty consultant hooked me up with Nars Sheer Matte Foundation. This brush again worked wonders with this liquid foundation and it gave me a very nice even coverage. There was no streaking and this brush blended the foundation so easily. I had also been reading reviews on Nars Sheer Matte Foundation and people had said that this foundation was extremely hard to blend but I found that with this brush I had no trouble blending AT ALL. 

A few days later I ditched the Nars and got Tarte Smooth Operator, which is a tinted moisturizer, and yet again this brush did not fail me! The brush blended beautifully and did not shed at all. I got a very nice light coverage and it didn't even feel or look like there was any make up on my face! 

Conclusion:

I LOVE THIS BRUSH! If you are looking for a new brush that does it all then this is it! This brush worked great with powder foundation, liquid foundation, and tinted moisturizer. This brush is so soft and the handle is designed beautifully. Well done Urban Decay! 

I have yet to try the Urban Decay Naked Foundation (that was designed to pair with this brush) but I have heard that it leaves you with a very dewy finish and I don't like that so I'm not sure I will ever get to trying it. 

Overview: Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush

 - Soft compact bristles give you an air brush finish 

 - Works great with liquid foundation, powder foundation, and tinted moisturizer

 - Has yet to shed on me 

 - Feels nice and soft on the face 

 - Bristles do not get clumpy from foundation or moisturizer

I would highly recommend going out and investing in this brush! 

If you would like to read a little bit more about the foundations I tried and why I ended up with tinted moisturizer then just scroll down to my previous reviews. 

xo,

T.

Tarte Smooth Operator Review

So after a few days of using Nars Sheer Matte foundation I started noticing that my skin was becoming even more dry than before! So I went down to my local ULTA and spoke to one of the beauty consultants. He told me that since my face is prone to being dry I needed to try a tinted moisturizer. Now, I have never even given a tinted moisturizer a chance because I thought it was just some fancy face lotion and why would I spend like $42 on fancy lotion..right? 

The consultant matched me with Agent 10 and when he put it on with the brush I hated it! It looked very cakey and gross and made me look waaaay too light. He told me that I need to trust him and go home and use it myself because when I do it myself I will have a lighter touch and I will end up loving this stuff.

I go home and washed my face and used Tarte's primer and then I followed my usual routine, which is applying a little product onto my finger tips then patting it onto my face then blending with my brush. I realized that he was right. This tinted moisturizer was extremely light weight and since I controlled how much I put on to my face it actually looked very natural and had a light coverage that I love. It looks like I have NO make up on at all and it leaves my face basically very even and smooth. After I applied that I used my BareMinerals Warmth on my cheeks as a bronzer and then set everything with my BareMinerals Mineral Veil.

As you can see my face looks very natural and you can't even tell I have any make up on. I have a few blemishes on my face that the tinted moisturizer covered right up. At first the finish was a little dewy but after I put my Mineral Veil on top I got a nice matte finish which is what I like. I cannot use "Matte" make up because it dries out my skin but I hate the look of dewy make up. This was perfect because the moisturizer hydrated my skin perfectly while the Mineral Veil set and de-slicked my face. 

It has been over 5 hours and my face still has a nice matte finish. I guess I will now stop the search of my "Holy Grail" foundation and accept the combination of Tarte's Smooth Operator & BareMineral's Mineral Veil for my perfectly natural look. 

Overview: Tarte Smooth Operator - Agent 10

 - Very light weight 

 - Has a slight dewy finish (You can easily de-slick with powder)

 - Goes on very smooth with fingers or with brush 

 - Does not clog pores

 - Hydrates face and has a light/medium coverage 

 - Very build able 

I would most definitely recommend this product!! 

Xo,
T.

Nars Sheer Matte Review.

Let me tell you guys a bit about myself before I get into the review. I absolutely hate taking hours and hours to do my make up. I am one of those girls who likes to just be done in 1, 2, 3. I started using BareMinerals because it was just that. I needed no make up talent and I could easily slab it on my face and my skin still looked flawless. I only use foundation and mascara. 

Lately I have noticed that my skin has been getting a little dry by my cheeks and chin area. I have combination skin and my t-zone usually gets a little oily by midday. I went to the local Sephora and asked my friend Josh to help me pick a foundation and color match me with the right shade. I had been reading reviews on different liquid foundations and I decided that I either wanted to go with Urban Decay's Naked Skin foundation or Benefit's Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! foundation. When I told Josh that he told me that I HAD to try NARS Sheer Matte because out of all the liquid foundations he has tried so far this one is his holy grail. 

I had read about Sheer Matte and many people had mixed reviews. Some people LOVED it and many HATED it so I was extremely skeptical. None the less I let him color match me and my perfect shade was Barcelona. I told him over and over again that I needed a foundation that was going to be extremely easy to apply because I am basically make up challenged. 

When I got home I was very excited to try out this new product. I washed my face and applied my primer and was ready to go. When I popped open the bottle and shook out some foundation it seemed like it had a nice texture and wasn't too runny. I put the foundation on the back of my hand and used my Urban Decay Optical Blurring blush to start blending foundation all over my face. I started to notice that my skin looked a bit pale so I was worried that I might not have the right shade, but I finished anyway. After that I applied my BareMinerals 'Warmth' as a bronzer and finished it off with my BareMinerals Mineral Veil. The foundation did not give me a cakey look and it was easy to build on. 

The next day, after reading different reviews on how to apply this foundation I found a new regimen that actually worked better for me. Instead of putting the foundation on the back of my hand and using the brush to apply it to my face I poured some foundation onto my finger tips, then rubbed my right and left finger tips together to spread the foundation a little. After that I pat my finger tips all over my face. This allows me to put more foundation where I need it! After that I use my brush to blend the foundation all over my face. I felt that this gave me a much more even look and a much more natural look. 

I have read that many people think this foundation is hard to blend, but for me that was not the case. The foundation easily blended while on my face and did not dry too fast. As a girl who needs quick and easy- this is it! My face stayed matte for almost 9 hours and I did not see the need to blot with paper or use powder to touch up my face. This foundation is buildable and light weight.

I have nothing negative to say about this foundation except that at first it did make me look very pale. But that was fixed once I changed my application technique. I think I might have just applied too much when I just did the whole foundation on brush, and brush to face. 

Hope you all enjoyed my first review. Many more to come! 

xo, 

T.

Hello Everyone!

Hi guys!

My name is Tonya & I am new to this whole blogging scene. I have currently become obsessed with reading and watching reviews on just about everything. I decided that since I loved other people's reviews and blogs so much that I would create one of my own. QueenShxt* is going to be dedicated to things that I love such as fashion, make up, and everything glam. I hope you all love my blog!

xo,
T.