10% Off At Target-Today ONLY!!!

Hey Everyone!

Photo courtesy of Target

I wanted to let you know that today ONLY, 8/28/2016, you can get 10% off your ENTIRE purchase at Target. This applies instore and online. There is no coupon code; the 10% will come off automatically during checkout. If you don't have a Target REDcard, you'll get free shipping at 25$+. With the card, shipping is free with no minimum, AND you'll get another 5% off! If you want to sign up for their REDcard (debit or credit) you can do so here. Now is the time to grab some new drugstore makeup that you've been wanting to try! You can stack this deal with manufacturer coupons and Cartwheel deals instore for even more savings! Text RUN10 to TARGET (827438) for store coupon. I'm sorry if this post looks strange, but I'm typing it on my phone so I can get it up as fast as possible! 

Exclusions for the 10% are as follows:all gift cards, prepaid cards (airtime, entertainment, iTunes, and online gaming), Laneige, LEGO, Cards Against Humanity, Vitamix, Weber, Dyson, DSLR cameras and lenses, Google products, iRobot, Samsung TV, LG TV, Bose, Sonos, GoPro, alcohol, dairy milk, Simple Human, Traeger, Duluth Pack, Pulsar, and Pharmacy, Clinic, Target Optical, Portrait Studio and Target Mobile purchases.

What do you plan on getting?! 

Thanks for stopping by!

*Links above are affiliate links. While you don't have to use them, it's always appreciated if you choose to! 

Benefit Gimme Brow and Essence Make Me Brow-Is It A Dupe?

Hey Everyone!

In a Birchbox months and months ago, I got a deluxe sample size of the Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow, and fell in love. Then a few months ago, I saw the Essence Make Me Brow at Target and snatched it up to compare. Keep in mind with my pictures that the Benefit is a deluxe sample size, not full size, and they have recently changed packaging. The Essence is full sized, though.

 Gimme Brow is described as a "Volumizing Fiber Gel" and Make Me Brow is described as an "Eyebrow Gel Mascara". However, the Essence packaging itself lists it as having fibers as well. The Benefit will cost you $24 for .1 oz and Essence will only set you back $2.99 for .13 oz. Gimme Brow comes in three shades (1 Light, 3 Medium, and 5 Deep), while Make Me Brow only has two colors (Blondy Brows and Browny Brows). Since I have the older Benefit version, I have the shade "Medium/Deep" which I think is closest to the new shade 5 Deep. I have the shade Browny Brows in Essence.

While the wands of each are similar, they're not exactly the same. The Essence version is the same width from the top to the bottom of the wand, and the Benefit one tapers to a smaller point at the top. While that doesn't seem like a big deal, it is huge when it comes to application.

Even though my Gimme Brow is a small size, I believe the applicator size is the same as the full size. Gimme Brow goes on a lot easier and cleaner with the tapered tip, while Make Me Brow is messier. These two colors look like they would be identical by looking at them, but the Essence one is darker. I can still make both of them work for me, though, since my natural brow hairs are pretty dark. If you read my brow tutorial post (here) that I did last year, you know I have sparse, patchy brows. While they have grown in a little more since then, they still need some help. These type of brow products have been a life saver on days when I have no time to do a full routine.

For these photos, the only makeup I have on is the Gimme Brow or Make Me Brow. I apologize for the fright. As you can see above, this is the Gimme Brow side. It does a great job of making my brow look fuller, and it fills in the baldish spot towards the tail extremely well. The tapered tip is amazing for getting right in the front of the brow and not making a mess.

This is the Make Me Brow side, and it doesn't quite look as nice. While it did make the existing hairs look fuller, it didn't do the best job of creating fullness where there were sparse areas. This one still looks a little patchy. The applicator of the Essence one makes a mess, even when you're careful. I didn't photograph it, but I had to go in with a cotton swab and clean up around the edges. Make Me Brow deposits a lot of product when you first lay the wand down, so I suggest you first apply to the thickest part of your brow, and not to the front. You'll need to get the excess off before you apply to any sparse areas. The formula of this one is a little thinner, so that contributes to the messiness of the application.

If you have naturally full brows, and are only looking for a tinted brow gel, or just a little bit of brow help, you could use the Essence one and be completely happy. If you have sparser brows, which need a lot of help, and you don't want to use any other brow product, then the Benefit one might be best for you. If you want to use a pencil/powder/or gel first and then just set your brows, the Essence one will be great. I don't experience any fading or flaking with either one. They both last the same amount of time on my brows. I really do enjoy both of these, but I don't think they are complete dupes. for a $21 difference, though, you can definitely make it work!

Have you tried either one of these? What did you think?

Thanks for stopping by!

*Some of the links above are affiliates.
*All products mentioned were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation-A Review for DRY skin!

Hey Everyone!

I picked up the new Urban Decay All Nighter Foundation two weeks ago, and have worn it every day since. I definitely have an opinion on it, so I wanted to share it with you! I tried the original Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Foundation when it was first released years ago, and I did use the entire bottle, even though I wasn't blown away by it. The new All Nighter foundation, though, wow. This foundation promises to be a "full coverage foundation with a modern matte finish, with three times the pigment of the Naked Skin foundation". It's oil-free, paraben-free, and waterproof.

  

The packaging on this foundation is beautiful. And, quite frankly, pretty badass! It feels lightweight, and not at all heavy. It looks metal, but is actually plastic. Due to the shiny packaging, it does hold onto fingerprints. You get the standard 1.0 oz and it retails for $44, which is four dollars more than the original formula. There are currently 24 shades, ranging from .5 to 12.0. It also has an airless pump, so that you can get as much out as possible by the end, Even though the All Nighter has a more elaborate packaging, there is still a clear portion where you can see the shade color and how much you have. 

With Urban Decay, shades ending in .5 have cool undertones, and those ending in .0 have warm undertones. With the launch of the All Nighter foundation, they also released four shades ending in .25 and .75, which are considered neutral undertones. I am cool-toned all the way, with no warm undertones. Sometimes foundations that have even the slightest yellow tint pull very yellow on me. I was originally matched as a 6.0 (ummm...that's a warm undertone), so I picked up a 5.5 since it's supposed to be cool toned.  WARNING!! This foundation oxidizes!! I had to make sure to blend this all the way down my neck so that I didn't look crazy. I did wear this shade for almost two weeks, but always felt like it was slightly too dark. I certainly couldn't wear bronzer with it; I didn't need it! Which was a bummer, since I love to use bronzer. Like most people, my body is darker than my face and neck, so I wanted to match my body, but once this oxidized I felt it was too dark. It didn't translate that way in photos, and no one ever said "girl, you look like an oompa loompa", so it may have just been me. However, I did exchange it for the 4.5 shade on Friday, and I wore that one today. I feel much better about this shade because like I said, it oxidizes. 

First pumped out

Oxidization after it dries down

4.5 looks like it has a yellow undertone when I pump it out, but once blended, it has a very peach undertone. Not pink; peach. While extremely unflattering on my hand, it doesn't translate that weird on my face. Thankfully. I did get a sample of the 5.0 from Sephora and it was so yellow on my face, I immediately washed it off. It may be because of the extreme pigmentation in this foundation, but the undertones are extreme, as well. If they had the 4 shade range with a .25 or .75, I would try that one as well. I'm not unhappy with the 4.5, but it's not an exact undertone match. 

Now, let's get on to why I LOVE the All Nighter foundation. I originally would pump one and a half pumps out to use, but quickly realized that it was way too much. It is so pigmented, that you only need one pump. I have hyperpigmentation on my face, and most things usually just end up giving those areas an ashy appearance. Not the All Nighter. It actually covers it! It is definitely a full coverage foundation, but never looks cakey or feels heavy. It feels like I have nothing on my face, which is wonderful. I've used it with the Becca Backlight Priming Filter, Mac Strobe Cream, and Mac Prep and Prime. I also used it today without any primer. For application, I've used both brushes and a Beauty Blender. Personally, I prefer to use a brush and then use my Beauty Blender to go over it to remove any excess. The brush gets it done quicker, and is easier to take down my neck. With the Beauty Blender, I have to be very careful with application because if I miss a spot, it is very noticeable. Once it dries down, you can't move it. If you notice that you missed a spot, you can't go back and blend it. Once it sets, it sets. Last weekend, I got caught out in the pouring rain (if you saw my Instagram Story, you saw this) and while my mascara was completely destroyed, my foundation still looked pretty great! I've worn the All Nighter for 17 hours, and while some fading is noticeable, my face still looks almost flawless at the end of the night. But, again, I have dry skin. As the day goes on, it does lose some of it's matte-ness, and start to look a little more natural on the skin. I would imagine if you have oily skin, this may happen quicker for you. It never looks bad, though. My other face makeup is still in place at the end of  the day when worn over this foundation. It doesn't settle into my (large) pores, and only slightly settles into my smile lines. Everything settles into my smile lines, though, so that's nothing new to me. 

I do want to mention that my mom bought the All Nighter foundation the same day I did, and she ended up returning it. She has more mature skin (I won't say her age, because I don't want her to kill me lol), but it was not flattering on her skin. She has more of a combo/oily skin type, with fine lines (I'm not stupid enough to say wrinkles!), and this settled into every one of those lines and made her face look dry. She has the most lines around her eyes, and it made them look ten times worse. She ended up exchanging this one for the original formula, and is much happier! So if you have more mature skin, you may want to get a sample before splurging for the full size or you may risk returning it. Regardless of you skin type or age, I do highly recommend you swatch this color at Ulta or Sephora and let is dry down due to the oxidization before you purchase it. It may be due to the intense pigmentation of the formula, but I think it's hard to get matched for the All Nighter. My mom was matched at a 7.75, my sister as a 3, and I was matched at a 6. My mom's was too dark, as was mine, and my sister's is too light. If you are near a Sephora, I'd suggest getting a few samples of potential colors. If you only have an Ulta, I'd recommend swatching and letting it oxidize before deciding. If you can only order online without trying any of the colors first, I highly suggest you google the heck out of all the colors you think will match! 

All in all, I truly love this foundation. I've worn it every day for two weeks, without alternating, which is a huge deal when you're a makeup lover! 

Have you tried the All Nighter foundation? If so, I'd love to know what you thought! 

*None of the links above are affiliates.

*None of the items mentioned were sent to me. All opinions are my own. 

July Favorites 2016!

Hey Everyone!

I'm a few days (months) behind on posting my monthly favorites, but you know, life. I have discovered so many good things in the past few months; I can't wait to share them with you! I ran out of my Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray, and decided to try something new. I've heard rave reviews about Skindinavia, and I thought I would try them out. If you look at the back of the UD setting spray, you will actually see "Skindinavia" on the bottle. I figured it had to be as good, right? I've used up the entire bottle, and I love it. It doesn't leave a matte finish like the UD ones, but it does hold my makeup in place all day. The spray nozzle shoots out a very fine mist, which is a must. I do feel like I ran through the Skindinavia bottle a lot faster than my UD one, even though they both contain four ounces. 

 I ran out of my Urban Decay Chill Makeup Setting Spray, and decided to try something new. I've heard rave reviews about Skindinavia, and I thought I would try them out. If you look at the back of the UD setting spray, you will actually see "Skindinavia" on the bottle. I figured it had to be as good, right? I've used up the entire bottle, and I love it. It doesn't leave a matte finish like the UD ones, but it does hold my makeup in place all day. The spray nozzle shoots out a very fine mist, which is a must. I do feel like I ran through the Skindinavia bottle a lot faster than my UD one, even though they both contain four ounces. 

I rediscovered how much I love my Too Faced Born This Way Foundation. Even  though it's a very thin consistency, it has great coverage and leaves a natural finish to the skin. I prefer it with my Beauty Blender; with a brush it ends up looking extremely streaky. If you've tried it, and weren't a fan, use it with a sponge!

I picked up the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel from Nordstrom after seeing rave reviews. I'd never used a cream bronzer before, but heard it dried down like a powder. I didn't want something melting off of my face! It is beautiful. It looks slightly orange in the container, but doesn't come off that way on the skin, even when I'm very fair. I think if you built it up a lot on fair skin, you would see some of that orange, but you really don't need a lot. It's described as a makeup base, so you could also apply it all over. 

My most used and loved eyeshadow palette was the Too Faced Natural Matte palette. I was having to force myself to use something different some days! The shadows are all super creamy and blendable. There are some brown tones, and some purple tones, which I appreciate. The palest highlight shade (Heaven) is so pigmented, it actually showed up on my fair skin! You even get a little "how to" guide in the compact.

 Another rediscovery was the Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre. It has yellow tone to it, which I didn't think would be flattering on my cool toned skin, but it helps to neutralize any discoloration on my lids.

 Another Mac item that I've been loving, but was new to me, is the Radiant Rose Prep+Prime Highlighter. If you have more warm or neutral undertones, I would suggest the Light Boost highlighter. It has a pink tone, which really helps with my super dark undereyes. It won't cover them up without some concealer underneath, but it does brighten beautifully! My only complaint is that it's in a click form with a brush tip, but mine wants to come out on the side of the brush for some reason. It has ever since the first time I used it, which is just annoying. However, it doesn't have anything to do with the actual product itself.

A new little tool I've been loving is the Beauty Blender Blusher. It;s smaller than the original Beauty Blender, but larger than the Micro blenders. This is amazing with cream blush. I've been using it with the cream blush that I will talk about in just a minute. I've also used it to cream contour and it works great. I've been meaning to try it with concealer, because I think it will be perfect. Just like with any other Beauty Blender, or BB dupe, you need to wet it for it's maximum potential. I do find that this little guy works to blend in my cream blush pretty well when it's dry, too.

Hands down, my favorite foundation brush for the past few months has been the Morphe Brushes E6 brush. It's a flat top buffer brush, but it's not as densely packed as some of the others I own. Morphe recently revamped their Elite collection, so  the one I have is from the old collection. I bought the first one when the Elite collection went on sale, and then bought another when they were 60% off. I needed a backup! I haven't tried the new collection, but I hope it's just as good! I don't have a coupon code for them, but I know a lot of YouTubers do, so I would search for one. No point in paying full price if you don't have to!

Another foundation that I've been loving is the new L'Oreal Infallible Pro Glow foundation. I did a whole review on it, so if you'd like to know exactly why I've been loving it, check that out here.

I finally picked up the much raved about lipliner by Mac in Whirl.I can see why it's so popular. It's a great neutral that goes with so many different lip colors. You can use it by itself, under a gloss, or under a lipstick, and it is still going to be beautiful. It's a drier formula, so it does last a very long time.

My two favorite lipsticks lately have both been by Urban Decay. First is Sheer Obsessed, which is described as a "sheer baby pink". I have it in the discontinued Sheer Revolution line, but they did bring that color back in the new Vice line. It's bright, but not super bright, thanks to the sheer formula. It's very flattering on the skin and livens up the face. I've used almost half of the tube since I got it!

The next one is the color Violate, which is a cream finish and is described as a "dusty purple with pink undertones". If you follow me on Instagram, you know my favorite lip color is purple. Violate quickly became a favorite! It has enough purple in it to make it look like an actual purple lipstick, but enough pink to keep it neutral. Yes, I consider some purple lipsticks neutral!

I broke out my It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores loose powder again, and found I really like using it to set my under eye concealer. It makes everything look so smooth! I did discover if I use it on my eyelids to set that base, my eyeshadow will NOT go on top of it. Just a warning. It just glides right back off of this siliconey powder.

I've been loving three products from Benefits Cosmetics lately. The first two are a combination that I love. The Benefit They're Real Tinted Lash Primer and Rollerlash together are amazing. I'm not a big fan of the They're Real mascara, but I love the Primer. As you can tell, I only have the travel sizes, but I will need the full size when I'm done scraping the last bit out of these! The primer also works great with every other mascara I've used it with.

The Goof Proof Brow Pencil has been the only pencil I've used lately. I got this one as a freebie or a perk from Sephora or Ulta, and I LOVE it. It's one of the new designs, with the angled tip that's a little wider than we're used to. Since I have pretty thin brows, this works amazingly for me. I can do my brows so quick with this! I have the shade 03, and it works perfectly for my brow color. The size I have doesn't have a spoolie on the end, but the full size does.

My other favorite brow product has been the Boy Brow in Brown from Glossier. It's an all in one product. I love it when I'm in a hurry, or for a natural makeup look. It helps fill in sparse areas and darken the lighter hairs in my brows, but not as much shape and structure as a pencil. I have used it over a pencil and it works just as great,

The cream blush I mentioned earlier is the Burberry Cheek and Lip Bloom in Poppy. These have a drier, non greasy texture to them and they blend like a dream. The packaging is also uber fancy. The lid screws on and off, so the product won't dry out. The color looks scary bright in the package, but it goes on lighter and you can build it up. They last a really long time on my skin, as well. The wider part of the Beauty Blender Blusher fits perfectly into this little pot, making it a great combination.

My absolute FAVORITE discovery over the last month has been the Becca Cosmetics Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blushes. Oh. My. WORD. I now own all of them, since I picked up Tigerlily for my birthday last weekend, but my favorite two have been Camellia and Snapdragon. Camellia is a beautiful pink and Snapdragon is a coral. Camellia looks beautiful on my skintone, and I've found all of these last more than 12 hours on my cheeks! Even after half of my other makeup has disappeared, these are still hanging in there! I ADORE these blushes!!

The rest of my favorites are from Becca as well. I got a small size of the Backlight Priming Filter in a Becca kit, and it is AMAZING. It gives such a beautiful glow to the skin, without any shimmer or glitter. It's like healthy skin in a bottle. It has a great consistency and goes on so well. It doesn't fill in lines or pores, but it does make your skin look amazing. You could even wear it with nothing over it, just to put some life back into your skin. I will definitely need a full size bottle, once my other luminous primers are gone. 

Speaking of glow, I've been loving Becca's Opal highlighter as well. I have four of her highlighters, but Opal is my favorite. It will work on a variety of skin tones, and gives a beautiful glow. If you're fair-light and want a more subtle glow, I would try Moonstone. I have the deluxe sample size, and it looks pitiful because it was damaged in the Ulta kit. It was the ONLY one they had left in the store, though, so I just fixed it up with some rubbing alcohol. It works just fine. ;-)

Last for Becca is the Perfect Skin Mineral Powder Foundation. Since I have dry/dehydrated skin, I don't use powder foundation. I do, sometimes, like to use a powder to set my liquid foundation, though. This powder is finely milled, and will give off a lot of kick up when you put your brush into it. I just tap it back into the compact so that I don't waste it. It doesn't look drying on the skin, or too matte and flat. It has a glow to it, without any detectable shimmer. Becca certainly knows how to do luminous right! 

The next item isn't technically a beauty item, but I'm using it for one. I found these two candy dishes at Walmart and thought they would be perfect for holding makeup brushes! I'm using one for foundation brushes, and the second for my other face brushes. They are made of a sturdy plastic and hold quite a bit,

The last thing I want to share is an UNfavorite. I haven't shared one of these in a favorites post yet, but it was so bad, I just have to. It's the Hard Candy Sheer Envy Hydrating Primer Mist. All of the claims on the packaging sounded perfect. Oil free, silicone free, alcohol free, 12 hour radiance primer mist. You get the idea. This mist does have a coconut smell, and it smells like actual coconut oil, not suntan lotion. It smells like I'm getting ready to cook with it, quite honestly. It feels super greasy on my face and I couldn't stand it on my lips. The worst part for me was right after I sprayed it on, my face started to itch like crazy. Some ingredient or another in here does not like me. I can't even say if it prolongs my makeup or not, because each time I tried it, I had to immediately wash my face before I clawed my skin off. I do not have sensitive skin, either. Emily Noel at Beauty Broadcast seems to really like it, but to me it's just a waste of money.

Thank you so much for hanging around til the end of this very long post! What have you been loving lately?


*Some of the links above are affiliates
*All products mentioned were purchased by me and all opinions are my own.

A New Bdellium Tools Review!

Hey everyone!

Last November, I did my first review of Bdellium Tools (you can read that here). While that one consisted of all face brushes, this one is mostly eye brushes. Bdellium Tools was nice enough to send me four new brushes to review, and I want to share my opinion of them with you!

The only face brush in this review is the Maestro 945 Contour Brush. The online picture gave me hope that it would be comparable to the Sigma F64, but it's closer to the F05. These two brushes are extremely similar, but the Bdellium ones are less expensive. I did find this brush to be a little too flimsy to contour with, and it did shed and leave little black hairs on my cheeks. I think it may work better as a setting brush under the eyes, but that doesn't stop the shedding. 

Next is the 783 Small Tapered Blending Brush. The girly part of me loves that all of the eye brushes I received are pink! If you are familiar with the Sigma E45, then this one will look familiar to you. It's great for getting right in the eye socket and giving a concentrated amount of color. It will not, however, give you a diffused, blown out look. 

The 766 Angled Shadow brush is similar to the Sigma E70, but not as fluffy. the Bdellium brush is a little more stiff. I found this brush fine for placing eyeshadow, but not good for blending it out. This was my least favorite brush of the four that I received. It is a good brush to highlight the brow bone area, though. 

The last brush is the 778 Large Shadow brush. This is my favorite out of these four. I've been using this daily for the past week to apply a cream colored shadow from lashline to brow bone as a base for all of my other shadows. It picks up the perfect amount of shadow and packs it on nicely.You could find similar brushes in most brush lines, but I really like this one. 

I experienced no shedding with any of the eye brushes, and they washed well. They also held their shape really well after washing. Bdellium has a lot of good brushes in their line, and I would recommend looking into them. They have a new brush in the Studio Line called the 950 Oval Multipurpose that I really want to try! 

Have you tried any Bdellium Tools brushes? They offer free shipping on $20+! I'd love to hear what you think!

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

*Links above are affiliates. While the products were sent to me for review, all opinions are my own.