Ride Or Die Tag

Hey Everyone!

This tag has been going around for a couple of weeks (I think Jaclyn Hill started it), so I thought I would do it as a blog post! These are items that you would want on a desert island, and you can only have one in each category. No cheats!

Face Primer: Becca Backlight Priming Filter

Foundation: Urban Decay All Nighter 

Concealer: Tarte Shape Tape Concealer

Face Powder: I'm still searching for the Holy Grail!

Under Eye Powder: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores (loose)

Blush: I adore the entire Becca Luminous line, but since I can only choose one, I would pick the color "Camellia". 

Bronzer: Nars "Laguna"

Highlight: Becca "Opal"

Eye Primer:Mac Paint Pot in "Soft Ochre"

Eye Shadow Single: Makeup Geek foiled shadow in "Starry-Eyed"

Eye Shadow Palette: Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance 

Eye Liner: Colourpop "Best O"

Mascara: Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir

Brows: Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil in 03

Liquid Lipstick: Dose of Colors "Stone"

Lipstick:This is so hard!! It would probably be Gerard Cosmetics "Buttercup"

Lipgloss: Lorac "Goddess"

Lashes: N/A I don't wear them

Setting Spray: Skindinavia The Makeup Finishing Spray

Perfume: I'm not big on fragrance, but I would have to pick "Fierce" by Abercrombie and Fitch. 

What are your Ride or Die items?! I tag all of you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Too Faced Sale-Up to 70% Off!

Hey Everyone!
I don't usually do posts on sales, but I got excited when I saw this one! Too Faced is having a "Juicy" sale up to 70% off on some really great things!

I have all of the above items and I LOVE them! A lot of holiday collections from last year are in the sale, along with some permanent items. I stalked Ulta and Sephora for weeks last year for that Love Flush Blush Wardrobe!!  The Little Black Book of Bronzers is a great way to try out eight of their Bronzers, and the Melted Kisses and Sweet Cheeks set is a great way to try their blushes and Melted Liquid Lipsticks! That kit includes Melted Fig, which is my favorite color in the whole line! There are so many things in sale right now!! Run!!!
Thank you for stopping by!
*Links above are affiliates

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.

Tarte Double Duty Beauty Empowered Hybrid Gel Foundation-A Review!

Hello, Everyone! 

Today, I want to give you my opinion on the Tarte Double Duty Beauty Empowered Hybrid Gel foundation. Such a long name!! This foundation is exclusive to Ulta Beauty and is $39 USD for 1.0oz. Here is what Ulta's website has to say about this product: "Smooth skin is in with this radiant, full coverage foundation with skin-loving ingredients wrapped in a luxurious, creamy gel. The unique oil-free blend of smoothing, plumping and pore refining ingredients help brighten skin while moisturizing and blurring the look of fine lines and pores. The cooling, hypoallergenic gel feels like a drink of water for your skin, while masking any redness, dark spots, acne and uneven skin tone for 12-hour wear across skin types. It's available in a range of shades to match any skin tone with a soft, rose scent and natural, radiant finish."  The Tarte Double Duty foundation only comes in ten shades, and it is supposed to cater to different undertones, as well. This can make it difficult to find your perfect shade if you're very light or very dark. 

Fair-Light is the lightest shade in the range, and it was a tad too dark for me. I could make it work, but it wasn't a perfect match. This foundation has a wonderful texture, and it feels really nice while applying it. The description says it has a rose scent, but I don't smell it. Tarte Double Duty is a thicker foundation, as you would expect in a pot. Speaking of the pot container, I don't love it. It is extremely messy and unhygienic. There is one of those inserts that go in between the lid and the foundation, and every time you put the insert back on, foundation seeps out over the sides. 

It does feel cooling when you apply it, and it is hydrating (which my dehydrated skin loves). it looks amazing when I first apply it, especially in photos, but unfortunately that's where my love for this product ends, Ulta and Tarte claim this is a 12 hour foundation, but on my dry/dehydrated skin, it's not even close. It's supposed to be a full coverage, that blurs the look of fine lines and pores, but I don't agree. I can get a true medium coverage with one layer, but the freckles I have on the side of my cheek still peak through, and some hyperpigmentation. If you apply more than one layer, it could get cakey. I have large pores on the sides of my nose, and this does nothing to blur or hide them. This is a rather dewy finish foundation, which seems to actually highlight my pores, I use a setting powder on top, which helps a little, but they're still visible. As for the 12 hour claim, I don't get that result. This looks fantastic when it's first applied, but after 6-8 hours, it's faded away and just looks terrible. It also settles into my small laugh lines. I did try applying this with a Beauty Blender and with different foundation brushes, and the results were the same. Tarte did release a foundation brush specifically for the Double Duty Beauty Gel, but I didn't pick it up. 

This is what the Double Duty Gel foundation looks like an hour after application. A beautiful, natural finish, but not full coverage.

This is at the end of the day, so please excuse my messy eye makeup. You can see that it looks like the foundation has worn off. Freckles, hyperpigmentation, and pores are all making their appearance. And scaring off small children. Ulta and Tarte also claim this foundation is suitable for all skin types, but I think if you have combination or oily skin, you're going to want to use a setting powder and setting spray. I used both, even with my dry skin, and you can see my results above. 

My final thoughts: I love the concept of this foundation, and I was really excited to try it out. I don't love the packaging, the wear time, or how it accentuated my pores. I used it on and off for almost two months, so I did give it a fair shot. However, these are just my opinions, and it doesn't mean this can't work for you! 

Have you tried this foundation? I'd love to know what you thought!


*None of the links above are affiliates
*All opinions are my own, and all items mentioned were purchased by me. 

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks-A Review

Hello, Everyone!

I received three out of thirty-four of the new Amuse Bouche lipsticks by Bite Beauty from Influenster to review! Bite Beauty replaced their Luminous Creme line with the Amuse Bouche line in February. I only have one lipstick from the Luminous Creme line, so I'll be able to tell you the difference (if any) between them.

If you're not familiar with Bite Beauty, they focus only on lip products, and everything is made with food-grade ingredients. You could actually eat your lipstick, if you wanted! I don't recommend it, but to each their own. ;) Considering studies say we eat four to seven pounds of lipstick throughout our lifetime, I'd say having a lipstick made with food-grade ingredients is a good thing! The three colors I received were Beetroot (bold berry), Gazpacho (true blue-based red), and Pepper (dusty rose). I think Influenster did a great job choosing the colors for this box, because even if you don't love all of the colors, you're bound to like at least one. The Amuse Bouche line is made with "12 edible oils and triple milled pigments, providing saturated lip color with weightless coverage and a citrus flavor made from fresh pressed fruit." These do have a citrusy scent and flavor, which the Luminous line didn't have (to me), but it's not unpleasant. All three colors are extremely pigmented, so a lipliner and a light hand will be your friend. I don't think I own any other bullet lipsticks that are this pigmented. I find all three to be very moisturizing and, even though they aren't marketed as such, long-wearing.

(Top to Bottom: Pepper, Beetroot, Gazpacho)

The above swatches are two swipes of each color. Beetroot gets a lot darker with each layer.

The above is Beetroot applied with a light hand and even then, I blotted some off. 

The above is Pepper, my favorite of the three. It's a perfect neutral, and I love it. I couldn't get a decent picture of me wearing Gazpacho (it was rainy the day I wore it), but it is as described, a true blue-based red. 

The Luminous Creme lipstick I have is in the color Vouvray, which is a light pink color. I love that lipstick, but it doesn't have the opacity that the new line does. Weirdly, that's one of the things I like about it. My lips are naturally pigmented, so sometimes I like a lipstick that isn't full coverage so my natural lip color can peak through. Super opaque lipsticks can sometimes look strange on me. The Luminous Creme line was also $24 a lipstick, and the Amuse Bouche line is $26.

To sum it up, the Amuse Bouche line is creamy, moisturizing, long-wearing, and highly pigmented. If you want a quality lipstick and don't mind spending $26 on it, these are a great pick! 

Which colors are you looking forward to picking up on your next trip to Sephora?

 Thanks for stopping by and reading!

*Some links above are affiliates. 

*I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. 

*All opinions are always my own. 

January Favorites!!

Hey Everyone!

I realize we're already halfway into February, but I still wanted to get my January Favorites out there!

For Christmas, my mom got me the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette, and I have worn it so much since then, I've had to force myself to use other shadows! On days where I was in a hurry, I used "Anaheim" and "Blonde" from the UD palette for transition and brow bone shades, and then applied Makeup Geek's foiled shadow in "Charmed" to my lid. 

I went back to an old faithful for eyeshadow primer in January, and picked my UD Primer Potion in "Enigma". 

The only things I used on my top lashes were Benefit's "They're Real" tinted lash primer and Marc Jacobs "Velvet Noir" mascara. Seriously good combination!! 

I didn't do any heavy contouring for the month, but did love my Nars "Laguna" bronzer for warmth and subtle definition. 

I'm a blush junkie, so it's no surprise I have so many blushes in this post. My Too Faced Love Flush Blush palette got a lot of love for the month, as did my Makeup Geek blush in "Bliss" (Bliss is 50% off right now!). 

I have dark under eye circles, that lean on the blue side, and if I don't color correct on really bad days it can look gray under my concealer. I picked up the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealers in "Neutralizer" and "Brightener", and have used them in various combinations lately. I really love the "Neutralizer" by itself or in a combination. 

"Stone" from Dose of Colors restocked in January (now sold out again), and I wanted to try out their formula and that color, so I went ahead and picked it up. I love it. As far as liquid lipsticks go, this one has a comfortable formula and the color is beautiful. When it wears off, it doesn't leave a dreaded ring; instead, it wears off pretty evenly. 

I really loved the E.L.F Ex-tra Lipgloss in "Brian" in lip combos and just as a light pop of color. It's a really pretty pink color, but does have some micro shimmer in it. Through the end of 2/14/16, you can get a free Matte Lip Color in "Rich Red" with any purchase using code "KISS", and on 2/15/15 only, you can get free shipping on any order with code "FREESHIP".

Last for the month, is a cologne. I got this one for Christmas, as well. It's the Abercrombie and Fitch men's cologne in "Fierce". I've stated before that I do not like women's perfumes, so this is right up my alley. I've worn it every day! And, you know, the bottle...

Thank you for stopping by to read! What have you been loving?! Let me know below!

*Some links above are affiliates. 

*All opinions are my own.  

Makeup Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation-A Review!

Hello Everyone!

Two reviews back-to-back! Are you as excited as I am?! If you read my December Favorites, you know I picked up the Makeup Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation, and (obviously) have been loving it. 

December Favorites!

Yay for my first post of the new year!!

Hello, Everyone!

I was determined to not miss doing my December favorites! I have some things I really wanted to talk to you about! Here's an overview of what I was loving:

This lipstick was also a huge favorite, but it was in my purse when I took this picture. ;)

In my Collective Favorites post, I mentioned I had been loving the Makeup Forever HD foundation in the liquid form, but wanted to try the stick formulation. Wellllll....I picked it up...and I LOVE IT. I'll do a detailed post on it in the future!

My mom gifted me the Laura Geller Baked Blush in Catalina, and I've worn it a ton lately. It is an absolutely beautiful plummy color! It's a smooth formula, and has a nice sheen to it. There's no glitter or sparkle, just a healthy glow. To apply it, my favorite brush has been the Target Up&Up Blush Brush. I love this brush so much, I want to get a couple more! It's great quality, and inexpensive at only $5.99.

When Sephora sent out their Loyalty Rewards, I used my $25 off to pick up the Laura Mercier Blush & Glow Radiant Face Trio because MakeupByTiffanyD always raves about it, and I've been curious about the Matte Radiance Baked Highlighter in 01 for a long time. This palette has the highlighter, Bronze 03, and the Baked Blush Bronze in Ritual. I love everything in this palette. The highlight is stunning, the bronzer warms the face up naturally, and there's enough pink in the blush to help it actually work like a blush. Dani from CoffeeBreakWithDani was so incredibly sweet, and sent me a few things in December; one of which was the Anastasia Beverly Hills #23 brush. I've adored this brush with the Laura Mercier highlighter. Together, they create a beautiful glow!

If you remember from my Collective's post, I mentioned a powder that was giving my Nars Light Reflecting Powder a run for its money. That powder has been the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. This powder does amazing things for my under eyes. I only have the travel size, but I would certainly purchase the full size when it runs out! It never makes my (already dry) skin look or feel dry, or my under eyes look cakey. I absolutely love it.

I back to Mac'd some things last month, and decided on the lipstick in Modesty. It's a Cremesheen formula, which is my favorite. There's no glitter or sparkle, just a moisturizing formula with a hint of shine.

Last for the month, was my Lorac Pro Palette 2. I usually favor warm toned eyeshadows, but lately I've really loved cooler tones! Lorac has one of my absolute favorite eyeshadow formulas; they're smooth and creamy and easy to blend.

I'd love to hear what your favorites have been! Let me know below!

Thanks for stopping by and reading!


*Some of the links above are affiliates.
*All opinions are my own.

A Collective Post of Favorites!

Hello, Everyone!

One of my favorite beauty posts to read and favorite types of YouTube videos to watch is Monthly Favorites. It also happens to be one of my favorite posts to write! Unfortunately, I haven't written one since my August favorites! I would mean to compose one, and then next thing I knew, it was already the middle of the month, and I would think "Well, I'll just add it to next month's favorites", and here we are. Four months later. Yikes!

Today, I'm going to show you some of the things I've really been loving.

My favorite primer for the past few months has been the Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer. I have large pores around my nose and cheeks, and this does a great job of filling those in! The trick is to pat the primer in to the skin, instead of rubbing it around,

I've been alternating between foundations for a while; going between the Rimmel London Lasting Finish Comfort Serum , the Maybelline Fit Me Matte & Poreless, and some samples of the new formulation of the Make Up For Ever HD foundation, I really want  to try the MUFE HD in the Stick formulation, but Sephora wouldn't give me a sample of that one. ;) I do have dry/dehydrated skin, and the Maybelline foundation still works well for me.

For concealer, my tried and true Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer, has still been a favorite. I've been trying out two others to see if they're a "dupe" for this one, so look for that post soon! The UD concealer doesn't crease on me, has excellent coverage, and doesn't look drying under my eyes,

My eyeshadow primer of choice has been the Smashbox 24 hour primer (not pictured). It keeps my shadows from creasing and they look just as vibrant at the end of the day as they did when I applied them.

Out of the dozen or so eyeshadow palettes I own, I've found myself reaching for my Z palette full of Makeup Geek shadows. I can create any look I need with this palette. I have a mixture of all finishes, including some of the foiled shadows, which makes it convenient whether I'm doing a smokey eye or have five minutes to get a look together.

The only highlighters I've used since I got this palette, have been the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors in the Champagne Glow palette.  I've alternated Pearl and Champagne Pop, and I sometimes mix them.

I have absolutely loved the Stila Lash Stunner lash primer and the Huge Extreme Lash mascara for my upper lashes and the It Cosmetics Tightline mascara for my lower lashes. The Stila combo gives me amazing volume, which is what I'm always after. I have used the primer with other mascaras, and it's still wonderful.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Dark Brown has been my go-to pencil lately, and the Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow has been a life saver on days I haven't had time to completely sculpt out my brows. I received the deluxe sample size in a Birchbox a few months ago in the Light/Medium shade, but if I purchase the full size I'll need to go a shade darker.

Ever since I received the YSL Black Opium fragrance from Influenster to review, I've been loving it. It's everything I want in a fragrance. If you want to read more of what I think about it, you can view my review post here.

My go-to under eye setting powder is still the Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder, which I've heard is being reformulated, which scares me! Hardly anything is ever reformulated for good! I have been using a new powder that may be beating this one out though...

My most used blush has been the Tarte Exposed blush, but it hasn't been the only blush I've been using. I'm a blush enthusiast, so I tend to use a different one every day. Exposed is a great, everyday neutral blush, though!

Some of my standout brushes have been from Bdellium Tools and Morphe lately. I reviewed five Bdellium Tools brushes here, if you'd like to take a look. The Bdellium 942 has been the perfect contour brush and the Bdellium 962, the perfect blush brush. From Morphe, I've adored the E8 for concealer and the M124 for packing eyeshadow on the lids.

The Urban Decay All Nighter Spray and the Smashbox Primer Water are daily staples in my routine. I also love Mac Fix+, but I recently ran out of it and back-to-Mac'd it. 

I didn't have any ride or die new lip colors or eyeliners lately, since I typically use a different one every day to rotate through my stash.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading! What have you been loving lately?


*Some of the links above are affiliate links, but all opinions are my own.

Bdellium Tools-A Review!

Hello, Everyone!

Today I wanted to bring you a review that I'm very excited to write! I applied to the Bdellium Tools Review Program, and was accepted, so they sent me some brushes to try out! I've had them for a week and a half, but I wanted to test them thoroughly before reviewing them. I received these five brushes to review:

 While these were sent to me, I have purchased from Bdellium Tools in the past. I originally purchased the Studio 787 Duet Fiber Large Tapered Blending brush, the Studio 785 Tapered Blending brush, and the Studio 776 Blending brush. Yes, I have a blending obsession! I was looking to dupe some of my Sigma eye brushes with those three. Sadly, I was disappointed! The 787 is a mix of soft natural and synthetic mixed fibers and the 785 and 776 are all natural fibers. The 787 is very soft, but the other two were rough on my delicate eye area! I felt like they were scratching me! When I received this package from Bdellium, I was curious to try the natural fiber brushes the most to see if they were as scratchy as the eye brushes. Let's start from the top.

 Here we have the Studio 957 Precision Kabuki Brush ($16.50). This is said to be good for applying powder products, cream to powder, or mineral powders. It is a two tones synthetic hair brush, and is extremely soft. Personally, I have been using this for liquid foundations. I've tried it with light coverage to full coverage foundations, and it's wonderful! I usually use the Sigma F80 or the It Cosmetics Flat Top Kabuki for foundation, but I've been reaching for this one since I received it. It is smaller in diameter than the other two mentioned, and not quite as dense, but that's not a bad thing. I can get into trickier areas like the sides of my nose with this brush, and since it's not as dense, it's less likely to leave streaks. It's also easier to clean! I experienced no shedding with this brush.

 A close up of the 957 at a side view

A closeup of the 957 from a top view

 Next, we have the Studio 990 Angled Face brush ($19.00).

 I was really excited for this brush! MakeupbyTiffanyD is always raving about a Chanel brush that she loves, and (to me) this one's shape looks similar. It's said to be good for "whisking powder over the face" or to brush off excess product. To me? This is great to soften my contour, bronze up my face quickly, and (my favorite) to run my bronzer down my neck. This brush is so wide that it covers a large area in no time. You could also use it on your chest or shoulders if you wanted to. I do get a very small amount of shedding when I use the 990, and when I say "small" I mean one hair found on my face. It's usually a tiny hair, not even a full size bristle. Considering my less than stellar experience with the natural eye brushes, I expected this to be scratchy on my face or even irritate my skin. Thankfully, I can say that this is not the case! It's very soft against my skin and I've used it daily since I received it.

A close up of the 990 at a side view

Third in my line up is the Slanted 962 Slanted Blusher brush ($17.00). 

I have a few brushes that are shaped this way, but this one is amazing. If you have any Nars blushes, you are aware that the colors are sometimes sheer but buildable. I used this brush with Nars Doucer the day after receiving it and it picked up so much product that I had to buff out my blush! Doucer has never been that pigmented on my light skin, but this brush made it happen! I haven't used this as a a contour brush yet (and I'll explain why in a few minutes), but it has been my go-to blush brush! I do not experience any shedding with this brush. 

A close up of the 962 at a side view

Then there is the Studio 958 Duet Fiber Powder Blending brush ($17.00). This is, obviously, a great brush to lightly apply powder or blend out powder products. I've been using this to apply setting powder, and it never applies too much. It also doesn't pick up my liquid foundation on the brush, which I do notice with other powder brushes I own. I have had zero shedding with this brush. It's also the only duo fiber brush I received from Bdellium, but I can compare the quality to the duet fiber eye brush I purchased myself. These fibers are extremely soft, which makes using it a pleasure.

A close up of the 958 at a side view 

A close up of the 958 at a top angle

Last, but certainly not least, is the Studio 942 Slanted Contour brush ($11.00). 

 This brush is why I haven't tried the Slanted Blusher brush as a contour brush. This brush is amazing. It looks similar to the Sigma F40, but it's smaller and more dense. I have plenty of other contour brushes such as the Sigma F40 and F05, the Nars Ita brush, the small brushes that come in Benefit's Box O' Powders, and such. I can lightly dip this brush into whichever powder I'm using to contour and achieve perfect cheekbones immediately. My Ita brush doesn't even do that! Out of all five of these brushes, this one is my favorite! I've used it every day and I want a backup! I have a rounder face, and this brush helps me fake a slimmer, more angular face shape! I cannot stress how much I LOVE the 942! It also happens to be the least expensive out of the five reviewed here. ;) I do experience a tiny amount of shedding with this brush, but not every time that I use it. I'll find one or two hairs occasionally. My original Sigma F05 left black hairs everywhere when I used it and when I washed it. I quit using it because of that.

A close up of the 942 at a side view

I hope you enjoyed the review!! Even though these brushes were provided to me by Bdellium Tools to review on my blog, all of these opinions were my honest opinions. I was not paid to write the review; I only received the brushes. I do not have an affiliate link or a coupon code for you guys, but Bdellium does offer free domestic and international shipping on orders over $20! 

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to read my review!! If you've tried Bdellium Tools, let me know what you think in the comments below!

*None of the links above are affiliate links.

*The brushes were provided for review from Bdellium tools, but all opinions are my own.