July Favorites!

Hey, Everyone!

I didn't do a June favorites because I had a lot of repeats from May, and didn't want to bore anyone! I have more than made up for it in July, though!

I had quite a few new makeup brushes that I absolutely loved this month. I used the It Cosmetics Wand Ball Brush to apply powder to set my makeup, and found it to apply just the right amount. It's fluffy enough that it doesn't apply so much that I look cakey. I think it would also make a great bronzer brush! I alternated the It Cosmetics Dual Airbrush Foundation/Concealer brush and the Flat Top Buffing Brush for foundation all month, and love them both! The flat top gives slightly more coverage than the Dual brush does, though. My favorite crease brush this month has been the Morphe Brushes E27 (currently sold out). I haven't even reached for my Sigma E40 since getting this brush. I even bought two. Yeah, I know. The Morphe Brushes M124 is a small, firm shader brush and is a GREAT brush to pack color on the lid! Last for the brushes is the Morphe Brushes MB23 fluffy brush. I'm sure this is meant to be a crease brush, but I've been using it to set my under eye concealer! I like the way it gets into all of the small areas that my usual brush can't.

A few months ago, I used some points at Sephora and got the Vita Liberata Luxury Tan mousse, but just tried it this month. I usually just rock the pale because I don't like to tan in the sun since I'm prone to hyper-pigmentation and really don't want to risk skin cancer. I've never self tanned, but after seeing so many people have great results with it, I really wanted to try it, Maskcara and thatgirlshaexo are the two that really pushed me to it, though, and I'm so glad they did! This particular tanner didn't have any weird coloring to it, and looked absolutely amazing! I love it!

I bought the Nars Light Reflecting Powder in the pressed version at the end of May, and this is THE BEST powder for setting under-eye concealer. EVER. I could pack this powder on, and it still wouldn't look cakey. It's translucent, and doesn't really add any extra coverage, but it makes everything look flawless. I would highly recommend picking it up!

A lot of You Tubers/Beauty Bloggers have been raving about the new Rimmel London Lasting Finish 25 hour foundation, and since I needed a darker color to match my self tan, I went ahead and picked it up. I don't know if it would last 25 hours, but it's still amazing! It has great coverage, lasts my entire work day, and doesn't have a flat finish. It has a very natural look to it; not matte, but not overly dewy. I love it. It's affordable and works really well. I'll need to pick up a color to match me when I'm not tanning!

I received the It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation (in the black packaging), but it was giving me a more matte appearance than I wanted, so I picked up the Celebration Foundation Illumination powder from Ulta. I swatched it months ago, but thought it looked too "glittery" and passed on it. This month, I've been all about the bronze and glow, though, so I picked it up. Even in sunlight, I don't see any glitter on my face; just a beautiful glow. It provides some extra coverage, and doesn't leave my face looking flat.

At the end of June, I got some new Mac goodies, and knew immediately that they were going to be favorites. I picked up the universally loved Soft & Gentle and Warm Soul. These are what started me on my "all things bronze and glowy" kick this month. I tried on Warm Soul at the counter, and then one of the Mac girls put Soft N Gentle on me and I was sold. I was having to stop myself wearing these everyday so that my Instagram posts didn't become repetitive and boring. Lol.

One of the promos Sephora was running earlier this month let you get a deluxe mini of the Fresh Sugar treatment balm and the rose tinted balm, and I've been loving the rose one. I actually had to hunt it down from inside my purse to include it in this picture. I was wearing only this on my lips a few weeks ago at Ulta, and a mom and her daughter stopped me to ask what I was wearing! They have a slick feel to them that I actually like, and are super moisturizing. The rose one has a hint of color, which makes it great when you're just looking for a small amount of color and a lot of moisture.

The little Sephora sample jar is holding the Perricone MD No Bronzer Bronzer, and it is amazing. My local Sephora is inside JCP, and they don't carry this in the store, so I've never been able to get a sample to try out. When we went on vacation, I was able to get this at the Sephora in Florida and I am so glad that I did! The full size will be mine!! It looks very warm/orange in the bottle, but doesn't translate that way on the skin. There's no shimmer or glitter in it, either.

The last two products are more new It Cosmetics products I picked up. I absolutely love this brand, if you couldn't tell! They released a new Ombre Blush in the shade Coral Flush, and knowing how much I love the one in Je Nais Se Quoi, I knew I wanted this one, too. While looking for the link to this, I just saw they have another new one called Sugar Plum!!! The Coral one is SUPER bright and highly pigmented, so I have to make sure to tap off the excess before applying it. Last, is the Eyelift in a Tube. It has the Bye Bye Under Eye concealer on one end, and a Hello Light brightener on the other end, and both have doe foot wand applicators. I got the color in Tan to match my tan, but it's working well when the tan starts to fade as well! When I'm not as tan, I can use it to correct dark circles, and then apply a lighter color on top.

That's all for this month! I'd love to hear what you've been loving this month! Let me know in the comments! Thanks for visiting!


*Some of the items mentioned were sent to me as part of a prize package, but all opinions are my own.

*None of the links above are affiliates.

What's On My Wishlist

Hey, Everyone!

I thought I would share what's on my wishlist right now. Some items have been on it for a looong time, while others are relatively new. I have a mixture of drugstore and high-end items on the list, so let's get started!

This nail polish has been on my list ever since Nicole from YoungWildandPolished posted it to her Instagram. It is such a beautiful blue!!

I've used up three sample packs of this face primer, and it blew me away. I will definitely need this once I've used up some of the other ones I own. I love it under matte foundations, and even under dewier ones!

Ever since getting a little more color to my skin, I've really wanted to try orange lips. I never felt that they would look right on my pale, cool-toned skin, but with a tan, I really want to try this one!

When I was on vacation, I got a sample of this bronzer from Sephora, and I LOVE it. It looks beautiful and blends amazingly!

I absolutely adore It Cosmetics brushes, and this is the next one I'd like to pick up!

Speaking of It Cosmetics, I'd love to try out this brow product! I fill my brows in every day, and I've heard great things about this!

I have this concealer, and it has already reached holy grail status, but I need a darker color. I currently have Fair Neutral, which is making me look a little ghostly!

Last year, I treated myself to the Lorac Pro palette for my birthday. This year, I'm going for this one!

I'd love to hear the items that are on your wishlists, and anything you think I should add to mine!

Thanks for stopping by!



*None of the links above are affiliates.

Metamorphosis by CoffeeBreakwithDani (&Colourpop)!

Hey, Everyone!

I received my Metamorphosis Be the Change quad almost a month ago, but I wanted to give it it's own review instead of mixing it in with my other Colourpop goodies. I mentioned in my last Colourpop review how Dani, from CoffeeBreakWithDani, was doing a second collaboration with Colourpop; this time with eyeshadows instead of lip products. This was my package when I got it. I did also get a new blush, highlighter, and bronzer, but I'm not including them in this post.

There are four shadows in the Metamorphosis Quad (hence the name "quad"), and they can only be purchased in a set, You can not buy any of them separately. Strength is a "soft peachy caramel" in a satin finish, Bravery is a "true medium brown" in a matte finish, Hope is a "radiant opal with pink, violet, blue, and silver duochrome" in a Sheer Opal finish, and Kindness which is a "warm red brown undertone with a gold, green, and blue duochrome" in a Sheer Opal finish.

(Hope, Strength, Bravery, and Kindness)

The Sheer Opal finish is (so far) exclusive to these two colors from Dani's collab. She designed them to be "transformers" (how many of you just heard Dani in your head say "robots in disguise"?), meaning they will transform any color you put under them. They are BEAUTIFUL. I know most people are going crazy over the shade Kindness, but my favorite is Hope. 

(Hope, Strength, Bravery, Kindness)

All four have the same consistency as all of the other Colourpop shadows (that not-quite-cream-not-quite-powder feel), and have great color payoff. I prefer to use Strength and Bravery in the crease with a synthetic fluffy brush, and I've tried the transformers over a few different bases, The first look I did with this quad was using Strength, Bravery, and Kindness. Strength and Bravery are in the crease and I applied Kindness over my Tarte Smolder Eyes in the shade Gunmetal. 

My next look was using the same colors in the crease, and this time, I used Hope over a Mally Shadow stick in Champagne. 

This was such a bright, beautiful look! 

The last one for reference, I once again used Hope, but this time I applied it over a Mally Shadow stick in Dusk. 

I have another picture on Instagram where I applied Hope over the NYX Slide on eyeliner in Purple Blaze, and it turned out really pretty, too! 

I have heard a lot of speculation on the similarity between Kindness and a few other popular eyeshadow colors from different brands. Below, I have compared Urban Decay Solstice, Kindness, and MAC's Blue Brown pigment.

As you can see, Kindness is not an exact dupe for either of these colors. While they all look almost identical in the packaging, you can see the differences in the swatches. Kindness doesn't have as much of a blue tone to it, and it isn't as opaque. Again, this is a transformer shade and isn't supposed to be completely opaque. You are supposed to be able to see the base you're using underneath. I absolutely love this quad, and am glad I picked it up! It is limited edition, so if you're interested in it, I'd grab it while it's available! If you don't follow Dani on YouTube, I'd suggest checking her out. She's such a bright, funny woman, and is a joy to watch. If nothing else, just watch her video where she explains the meaning behind the quad. 

Thanks for stopping by; I hope you enjoyed it!

*None of the links above are affiliates.

*All items mentioned were purchased by me and all opinions are my own. 

Beach Vacation Makeup

Hello, Everyone! 

My husband, kids, mother-in-law, and I took a trip to Florida over the holiday weekend, and I wanted to share the makeup I took with me! I didn't want to over pack, and I knew I wouldn't be doing any major makeup looks, or anything involving eyeliner, but I wanted to take something. I knew there would be times when I wouldn't be at the beach, and would want to do my makeup. Here are the items I decided to bring: 

I brought my It Cosmetics CC+ Cream in Light, for coverage and sunscreen. As a pale girl, sunscreen is a must!! Actually, sunscreen is a must for everyone, but we pale people show it quicker. ;) I usually wear Fair, but since I've gotten a little color to my skin, Light is matching me right now. To ensure my brows didn't melt off in the Florida heat and humidity (or when the kids dragged me into the water), I took my Anastasia Dip Brow in Medium Brown and my Number 7 brush to apply it. I took my Covergirl Clump Crusher in waterproof, since my eyelashes are blonde and practically invisible without mascara. To warm up my complexion without the sun, I took my new Colourpop Bronzer in Paradise Cove, and my Sigma F82 Round Top Kabuki to apply it. I hit pan on the bronzer while I was away, which kind of irritates me. I've only had it a few days, and I don't use it every single day. I like to rotate my products. I can't remember the last time I hit pan on something, and I've NEVER hit pan on a bronzer before. Maskcara's blush in Shortcake, the Josie Maran Illuminating highlighter (in the Sephora sample jar) and Argan Color Stick in Pink were the only other complexion items I took. For eyeshadow, I took three Mally Shadow Sticks in Champagne, Dusk, and Saddle Shimmer. They last all day and don't require brushes to apply them. Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Melted Fuschia made the cut for lipstick. I wanted something bright and long lasting without drying out my lips. I didn't want to worry about touch ups while enjoying my vacation. I don't like to wash my hair every single day, so I took the travel friendly size of Amika's Perk Up Dry shampoo that I got in one of my Birchboxes, and it works great. To protect and hydrate my lips, I took my Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask and the Aquaphor Lip Protect+Repair. The lip mask worked great at night, and I used  the Aquaphor during the day since it has an SPF of 30 in it. Last, but not least, I took a travel size Urban Decay All Nighter Spray. How else did I expect my makeup to survive the heat?! If you'll notice, I didn't take any powder products with me. I wanted to maintain a dewy, glowy, beachy look while I was on vacation. Plus, if things started fading, I wanted them to fade naturally, without getting cakey. I'm really happy with the items I took, and the looks I used them for! 

This was the only selfie I managed to take, but I liked the look! ;) 

What has been your vacation look this summer? Let me know in the comments!