Kendo - Kat Von D Beauty
Showing posts with label glow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glow. Show all posts

Sunday, September 6, 2015

August Favorites!

Hey, Everyone!

I'm a little late for my August favorites, but better late than never, right?! If you saw my Birthday Haul, you know I got quite a bit of new makeup right at the end of July. Well, some of that ended up in my favorites!


My favorite foundation (by far) was the Too Faced Born This Way foundation. I have it in "Sand" and "Light Beige" to match my tan, and my faded tan. I'm going to need to pick up "Nude" once we really get into Fall, though. I absolutely LOVE this foundation. Never before has a foundation made me want to throw out all of my others, and just buy different colors to match any occasion. This one does. It's supposed to make you look "born this way", and you can't detect it on your skin. It's a solid medium-slightly full coverage for me. I don't need a lot of heavy duty coverage, so this makes my skin look perfect.

For concealer, I'm including a repeat, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer, but this time in the shade "Light Neutral". If you want to see why I love this concealer so much, check out my May Favorites! 

My go-to bronzer this month was the Nars Tahiti Bronzing Powder in "Laguna". I have a deluxe sample size of "Laguna", and it's slightly darker and a touch cooler than this version. This one has a hint more warmth/orange to it. On hurried days, I used it to contour and bronze. There is a slight shimmer in this, but I can never detect it on my face.

The powder that I really enjoyed this month was the It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination in "Medium". I picked it up when I didn't have a powder to match my tan, and (for once) decided not to go with one that would give me a matte finish, I was really into a glowy look this summer, which is rare for me (even thought I have dry skin). Celebration Foundation Illumination gave a beautiful glow, no glitter on the face, and an extra bit of coverage. Keep in mind that this is a powder foundation, so I used it lightly over liquid just to set things. It could be used alone for full coverage.

My most loved blush this month was the It Cosmetics Ombre Blush in "Coral Flush". It's a matte blush, that you can really get four different colors out of. You can dip your brush in each individual color, or swirl all of the colors together. It is extremely pigmented, so fair gals beware when dipping into the brighter side!

I alternated two highlighters this month: "Audrey" by Gerard Cosmetics and "Opal" by Becca. They are both beautiful on the skin, and I used "Audrey" when I didn't want a "BAM! In your Face!" highlight, and used "Opal" when I did! "Opal" gives an almost wet look to the skin. I have it in a deluxe sample size from a Sephora promotion, but it shattered in transit, so I can't travel with it. I have "Moonstone" in a full size, but I think I need "Opal", too...

My definite most used eyeshadow palette this month was the Tarte "Tartelette" palette. I had to force myself to use other things some days. That's how much I love this. The formula is incredibly smooth and easy to blend. The colors are beautiful and extremely flattering. I used it on my younger sister when I did her trial wedding day makeup. She is the complete opposite of me (in complexion, eye color, and hair color) and it was still beautiful!

I didn't wear a ton of eyeliner this month, but when I did, I used the It Cosmetics No Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner in "Brown". It's a very dark brown, but not as intense as a black. This one also doesn't transfer onto my contacts like the black one does. It does a great job of defining the tightline and waterline!

For amazing lashes, I've sworn by the Stila "Lash Stunner" primer and Too Faced "Better Than Sex" mascara this month. I've used the Lash Stunner under a few other mascaras this month, and it made me love mascaras I didn't initially like. I've used (and loved) Better than Sex before, so this was already a win for me . Combine the two together? AMAZING.

A $2 eyebrow pencil may have changed my life this month. The Elf Instant Brow Lift is wonderful; especially for $2!! I have the colors "Neutral Brown" and "Taupe", and it seems to me that they run dark. I've been "outlining" my brows with the Neutral Brown and filling them in with Taupe. The point isn't so big that it's sloppy, but not so fine that it takes forever to fill them in.

For lips, my lipliner love this month was the Sephora Waterproof Retractable lip liner in "Mauve". This particular formulation is being reformulated at Sephora, so these have been discontinued. Hopefully, the new ones come out soon! It's a beautiful color and really does last all day! It also has a smooth, creamy formula. I can't imagine how they're going to improve it!

My lipstick love was Gerard Cosmetics "Vintage Rose". It's a perfect MLBB color, suitable for day or night. It can be used with a natural look or a smokey eye and look beautiful. It's a satin, but looks like a matte. I love it.

Lorac's Alter Ego Lipgloss in "Supermodel" was my gloss love this month. It's a peachy pink color that is beautiful by itself or over a lipstick or liner. I can detect a shimmer when I look at the color in the tube, but I don't see any glitter once I apply it to my lips. It just makes my lips look great!

Last, is the Mario Badescu "Facial Spray with Aloe, Herb, and Rosewater". This came in handy while we were in Atlanta! I've been using it any time my skin feels dry or as a cool down. It's a nice refresher mist, and smells like roses, which I love. This isn't a makeup setting spray, though. I use it before moisturizer or later in the day as a refresher.

Those were my favorites for the month! What did you love for the month of August? Comment below! Thanks for stopping by and reading!


*None of the links above are affiliates
*Some of the items mentioned above were previously sent to me as part of a prize package or from a customer service rep. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

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!