I must admit, writing this entry whilst wrapped up in a gigantic cozy blanket, sipping on a delicious flat white and enjoying a luxurious hotel room for the next few days seems contradictory, I had to write these thoughts down.

Often times we find ourselves 'stuck' in the daily struggles of our every day lives. Things tend to fall into a mundane routine: sleep, work, eat, work, sleep, work, eat- you get the picture. Waking up tends to become more of a struggle and we find ourselves dragging our bums to work. Now if you don't fall into this category and you absolutely love your life, job, friends and family, then I salute you. It's more difficult to see the good in life then it is to see the bad. I am writing this for those that can't help but stop and feel frustrated, hopeless, down and lost. I'm writing this because I too have found myself 'stuck.'

Longest. Name. Ever.

I must admit, I am a notorious lip biter. And not the sexy Anastasia Steele-esque type of biting- we're talking about the gnawing-till-they're-bleeding-and-bruised type of biting. Yeah, it ain't pretty my friends.

Now I know I gushed earlier about the ZOEVA Cocoa Blend Palette (and I still stand by that palette as being one of my favorites) but I couldn't NOT talk about the palette that changed my eyeshadow game for the better- the Urban Decay NAKED palette.

If there's one thing I learned to love in 2015 it was the art of the contour. There's just something about chiseled cheekbones and a glowy highlight that give me butterflies. I blame the Kardashians- their makeup (always on point) has been something I've admired. Drama aside, you could literally watch the show only to see what they wear and how their makeup is done.

Cut to my sister's trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago. I had bugged asked her to check Sephora if they had the Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette- a palette I have been lusting over since I first saw it on the website (I blame YouTube) and how much it would cost me #AnArmAndaLeg What can I say? She had me at her Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw- my ultimate, go-to red (as seen on my Instagram A LOT)

My reasons for wanting this palette?

1. It's all matte
2. The first 2 contour shades are perfect for my skin tone
3. The yellow powder in the middle as a setting powder (a Jaclyn Hill recommendation!)

Long story short I got the palette (thanks Trina for making it your pasalubong!) and I am in love. From the easy to blend matte shades, to the versatility of the palette (I use the darkest contour shade as an eyeshadow and the pinky highlight as a blush topper) this palette is well on its way to being my "holy grail" contour palette. It is so easy to blend and sets perfectly on my combination skin and looks quite natural, giving me that sharp and chiseled cheekbone dream I've always wanted. I love using it with my latest and budget-friendly discovery, the contour brush by Clover which I got on a whim in Zalora!

Speaking of Zalora, one of the main things I've started struggling with are my dark under eye circles #ImAPanda (due to being up so late for my radio show) and some pigmentation I've been getting from spots that have taken a little longer to fade. Because of this, I started browsing through Zalora and stumbled upon the Olay page. My Mom had been talking to me about how she used to use (and still uses) Olay products (and her skin is FLAWLESS- move over Beyonce!) so I was ecstatic to see that they had products that could help target my main concerns. That by using Olay products that have whitening and skin nourishing ingredients, I could feel better about my skin and lighten my areas of concern. 

I highly recommend you checking this palette out if you are on the look out for an all matte contour and highlight palette. It is definitely worth the money and Kat Von D is SLAYING it in the makeup department. I am currently doing my research on her Lock-It concealer and tattoo liner in Trooper...