Hey, y'all. Who would have ever thought that I would be the first to post for a collaboration post? Just some proof that miracles do happen. School has finally started for everyone here at FBG much to our dismay and irritation, but alas school is necessary. Today we are bringing to you our final installment of the Winter theme we've used for our new collaboration posts. This week is nail edition (so prepare to head to the drugstore to buy these gorgeous shades).

JEN
Sephora by OPI in If You've Got It, Haunt It
     Please pardon the slight chipping on a couple fingers - keeping my nails from chipping is a daily effort that usually fails. I painted my nails yesterday and life is too hard for me to keep them perfect for more than five minutes (I'm not exaggerating). This polish came in a set from Sephora which I purchased a while ago, which is obvious since this line is no longer sold.... so sorry. I just can't get over this black polish with the most subtle glitter in it. I usually hate glitter nail polish because it's so flashy but this is classy and understated. Unfortunately you'd have to search on Ebay to find this shade but I'm sure there are dupes out there. Look for black bases with teensy-tiny cool-toned glitter.

TESSA
Essie's Stylenomics
I purchased this shade about a year ago and didn't get around to using it much but I fell in love with it this holiday season. It's a dark, forest green that can look black in some lights (in fact, it's gotten mistaken for black on multiple occasions). Lots of colors like this picked up a lot of popularity during the start of autumn, specifically After School Boy Blazer, and of course I had to jump on the bandwagon. I own enough blue polish to sink a boat though, so green was my go-to alternative. I'm pretty sure this color is part of the permanent line so you should still be able to find it in store.


TORI
Essie's After School Boy Blazer

Like Tessa already mentioned, darker colors are pretty key to a winter look. Sure some people can pull off the light, pastel colors for winter. However, I am never one of those people. I was originally going to use a Sonia Kashuk nail polish that is a beautiful emerald green. Alas, Tessa nabbed the color and I went for navy. I first caught sight of this color through Vivianna Does Makeup and have been obsessed with finding it ever since. I actually got this color a couple weeks ago and I've just kept applying it. Also, navy is a nice alternative to black when you're looking for some color (yes, that's as far as I dare go).


RACHEL

TORI
Chloroform- Phoenix
Completely late on the game, I know. I was never a massive fan of Phoenix but their new album is extremely catchy. I have no idea what made me listen to it but I'm glad I did. The album has a really nice flow to it, I'll give them that. The majority of the album is what you would typically expect from them, pretty upbeat tunes. Which is totally fine because the entire album has the ability to put you in a good mood. Say, on your lunch break from work? I mean, it usually works for me. I would have to say that this album has definitely made me take a second look at this band. I had a hard time even picking a song because they're all prettayy solid.


TESSA
State of Your Heart - Logan Mize
Pretty sure my love affair for Logan Mize doesn't need to be talked about anymore, I think you all get it at this point. I actually couldn't find my original choice on YouTube, or second, or third (I Give In, Ball and Chain and Hey Carolina, respectively; in case you were wondering). So this actually is fourth place for the week. Anyway, pretty much all I've listened to — correction: all I've listened to — since returning from Manhattan is country. Much to Rachel's dismay I wouldn't turn on anything else in the car the other night, #sorrynotsorry, Rach. It's just what Manhattan does to me. I'm not sure why, but I don't hate it. So if you haven't checked out Logan already just do it. Otherwise I'll just continue to post about him until you do.
JEN
Dark Horse - Katy Perry
     You can ask any of my friends back home that I became shamelessly obsessed with this song over winter break. It's an illness. But in all seriousness, I've always been a fan of Katy but this song in particular is amazing. It's completely different from any other song she's done before in that she's experimenting with more of a dubstep feel as well as incorporating some Juicy J, y'all. If you like Katy Perry or dubstep or rap, you need to check out this song if you haven't already heard it (in which case you must be living under a rock).





RACHEL

I was honestly at a loss of what to post this week, so I went on bloglovin for a little inspiration (Speaking of, follow us on bloglovin if you aren't already). Much inspired by Kate's (gh0stparties) "This Week's Most Loved...", enjoy my favorite/most used products this week.


Chanel Vitalumiére Aqua in BR12
    I finally bit the bullet and bought this. After going through many samples, I decided I couldn't live without it. It's great on lighter coverage days, which is basically everyday for me. It pained me a lot to spend $50 on foundation, but my philosophy on foundation is much like skin care — get it right and it'll change your life. So it's well worth it.

MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
    This might be a regular appearance on the list. I use this as my eyeshadow base any time I wear eyeshadow. It's the perfect color, not too pink, too brown or too nude. It also makes eyeshadow last a ridiculous amount longer, with no creasing. So if you haven't invested in one of these already, you definitely need to.

Maybelline Baby Lips Neon in Oh! Orange!
    I dug this out of my lip drawer in order to use it up so I could buy more lip balm, because I really can't justify it right now. I have issues, I know. Anyway, I've fallen in love with this color all over again and can't remember why I put it away. It doesn't have as nice of a scent as the other Baby Lips I own, but the color pay off is beautiful, and much like Jen, Rachel and I were talking about the other night: any orange lip/blush color, I'm there.

Pixi Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched
    I got this a while back in an ipsy bag, used it a couple times and put it down and never looked back. Until I watched a Chelsea Wears video in which she talked about how she loves wearing brown blush, something I had never ventured into. I went home a did a good ol' "shop my stash" and stumbled upon this again. I've been loving this in place of blush lately, so much so that I took it on my trip to Manhattan with me — which was a very narrowed down make up stash, by the way. It looks great with any make up look and gives the skin a subtle glow.

Until next week,
xx
Tessa

On my day off last Wednesday I visited one of my really good friends, Marion, and my fur-nephew, Tomato. We got a chance to talk while Tomato had his training session with his Kinesiologist who is awesome and I pretty much completely admire. After Tomato had his two mile run, we got some Sushi at a place downtown. I completely failed and deleted the picture of my delicious bento box. I also got my Flyers ticket from her! Excited does not even begin to explain how I feel about this game. It will be my first hockey game cheering for my favorite team (so don't mess up, Flyers).



On Saturday, the girls and I managed to hang out for a bit. Beforehand I went to Rachel's house because we were going to go shopping with Tessa and then see the movie Her. I made sure I brought my camera so I could snap a few pictures of Auggie. All of his puppy energy made it quite difficult but he finally settled once he had his sock. Sure, he looks precious, but Tomato is more gentle and definitely more snuggly than Auggie. I know Rachel definitely can't wait for him to get his adult teeth because hot damn puppy teeth are sharp. Maybe I just don't understand the concept of "high energy."


Last but not least, I got my MacBook! I have had a terrible time with laptops (two in three years kind of terrible). My last laptop officially died on me last week, right before school started. Thank the lord for Apple financing because I wouldn't have been able to get one without it.

Anywho, hopefully the pictures of puppies entertained you a bit. I'll have a review of one of the products that I bought on Saturday up next Wednesday for you guys!
xx Tori

tessa
Cargo's Mendocino
     I'm not much of a blush junkie, but this is easily a winner for my winter favorite (mostly because I only own like 10 blushes. Whatever). I believe I talked about this in my fall edit, and my love for it applies just the same in winter. It's the perfect dusty rose color and gives the most natural pink flush. As usual, I kept the rest of my make up minimal, using my Naked Basics palette for my eyes and my usual EM Cosmetics Mascara that I can't seem to go a single post without mentioning. Seeing as today is the first day of classes and effort was an all around no, I just stuck with a Maybelline Baby Lips in Melon for my lip choice of the day. And yes, the picture is a campus bathroom selfie. You're all welcome for that.



tori
Mac's Stubborn
     Like Tessa, blush is not my forte. However, when I saw Stubborn, I knew I needed it. Not only because the name matches my personality, but it's a beautiful wine colored blush. Since this is a darker blush, I typically wear it with minimal makeup; Mascara and foundation minimal. This blush achieves the whole, "just in from the cold" look effortlessly.

Hola everyone and Happy MLK Day! Since most college students start back tomorrow, I figured this would be a perfect post for today. There are a few things I can't live without when studying as well as a couple other tips and tricks I utilize. The essentials first though:

1. Music
     Absolutely necessary. The genre of music differs depending on what type of homework I'm doing. Classical is for reading, dubstep for chemistry, Bon Iver for weekend mornings... my Spotify is a well-tuned weapon in my arsenal against college coursework.

Recommendations:
- Bon Iver Radio
- Ellie Goulding
- Lana Del Rey
- alt-J

2. Comfortable Clothing
     Bring on the fuzzy socks, leggings, and oversized sweaters (yes, I'm the epitome of a white girl). But in reality, you need to have something comfortable but please do not wear Uggs. I beg of you. There are other warm options out there.

Recommendations:
- Aerie
- Target
- Forever 21 (for sweaters, duh)

3. Some type of delicious drink
     I try not to snack while doing homework because I can easily eat a Family Size Cheetos bag in one sitting. It's a talent of mine. So instead, I have an array of drinks to choose from instead of water to satiate my craving for food. Which is constant. Also, if you don't have a Keurig, there is something very wrong in your life because I'm in love with mine.

Recommendations:
- Apple Cider (hot or cold... YUM)
- Coffee (duh).
     There are so many varieties out there, even for those of you who don't like it. Target has a great variety of flavored coffees that are delicious such as Pumpkin Spice and Caramel Macchiato.
- Chai Tea.
    I just started drinking this late last semester and I'm completely addicted. You can also buy the Chai concentrate from Target that Starbucks uses!
- Crystal Light.
    SO. GOOD. And so many options.

Other necessities:
- Hairbands to tie my hair back. I can never have bangs because I need all hair out of my face when I'm working. It makes me craaaaaay-zee.
- Laptop or iPad. I keep my to-do list and calendar on my computer cause it's easier to organize then re-writing everything.
- Gum. Another thing to prevent the snacking.

Welp, that's all for me today. Until next week!

xx
Jen