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.

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.

Atlanta Weekend Makeup!

Hey, Everyone!

Earlier this month, I wrote about my Birthday Haul; this post is slightly a continuation of that! The weekend of my birthday, my husband and I went to Atlanta as a gift from my in-laws. I had packed some makeup, but knew I would be birthday shopping right before leaving for the trip, so my makeup for the weekend was a mixture of new items and things I had already packed. I used a lot of different makeup items for those three days. I realize this. ;) 

If you read my birthday haul, you'll be able to spot what the new items are in this picture. The only actual foundation I used Friday and Saturday was the new Too Faced Born This Way Foundation, which I have in "Sand". It matched my self tan perfectly. On Sunday, since we were traveling home, I opted to use the It Cosmetics CC+ Cream in "Medium". I have the travel size since I needed a darker shade than the "Fair" and "Light" I already owned. I used one actual powder, the It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination in "Medium", and one setting powder, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed. I took two bronzers, the It Cosmetics Ombre Bronzer and a mini size of the Nars Laguna. I alternated two blushes, Mac "Warm Soul" and Kat Von D "Wish", and used only one highlighter, which was Gerard Cosmetics "Audrey". I didn't pack any eyeshadows, knowing there were two palettes that I wanted to pick up, so I alternated the Tarte "Tartelette" palette and the Lorac "Pro Palette 2". I used the Kat Von D Tattoo liner in "Trooper" on Friday night and the KVD Ink Liner in "Baudelaire" on Saturday, along with the Stila Smudge Stick Liner in "Stingray". The only eyebrow products I took were my ELF Instant Brow Lift pencils in "Taupe" and "Medium Brown" and my Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel. I only used one concealer, and that was the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer in "Light Neutral". Because, yeah, it's the best concealer ever. For lips, I went between the Sephora Retractable lip pencil in "Mauve" topped with the Lorac Alter Ego lipgloss in "Supermodel" and the Alter Ego lipgloss in "Goddess". My primers of choice were the Urban Decay Primer Potion in "Enigma" and the Cover FX Illuminating primer.  For moisturizers, I used the Ole Henriksen Sheer Transformation, Josie Maran Argan Oil Light, and the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. For sprays, I used the Maria Badescu Facial Spray, Smashbox Primer Water, and the Urban Decay All Nighter Spray. I didn't buy any new makeup tools, so I took along my trusty Beauty Blender Pro, some Morphe, It Cosmetics, Sigma, Sonia Kaschuk, Bdellium Tools, Smashbox, and Mac brushes, as well as my Tarte eyelash curler. I also took my travel size Nars Ita Brush, but forgot to include it in the picture! Last, were my two hairsprays. I took the Kenra hairspray for maximum hold and the Living Proof Humidity Shield hairspray since I knew it was going to be hot. It wasn't as humid as Tennessee, though!  

Like I said, I know that is a lot of makeup for one weekend, but I'm okay with that. ;) With four kids, I don't usually have as much time as I'd like to spend doing my makeup, so with a weekend away, I took advantage and took my time to play! 

Thank you for stopping by and reading! I'd love it if you'd subscribe! :)

*None of the links above are affiliates.

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

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.

Sephora Haul!

Hello, everyone!

I recently renewed my VIB status at Sephora, and with it, received a 10% off discount on my next purchase. I also had a Sephora gift card burning a hole in my pocket! The great thing about those coupons is that you can use them once online and once in-store. This works out great for me because the closest Sephora to me is a Sephora in JCP, and those don't have the full range of products like a stand alone store does, or like the website. During the VIB sale (which was 15% off), I went into Sephora for one thing in particular, but it was sold out. Every summer, Sephora in JCP comes out with a Sephora Favorites Summer Obsessions kit that is exclusive to Sephora in JCP. They usually come with a makeup bag and quite a few items, from deluxe to full sizes. I bought the one last year, and really wanted this years! They put me on the waitlist and then called me once it came in so I could pick it up. Here's what this year's looks like:

The cost is $39 and you get a FULL-SIZE Beauty Blender Pro ($19.95) and a FULL-SIZE Nars lipgloss in Turkish Delight ($26). Those two products alone cost more than the entire kit! Also included is a travel size of the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes, a deluxe sample size of Benefit's Watt's Up, a travel size Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Fearless, a travel size Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, and travel size Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray ($14). Plus the makeup bag! I needed a new Beauty Blender and I've wanted Turkish Delight for years, so this was perfect! Here are swatches of the bronzer, blush, highlighter, and lip gloss:

 

That is actually the only thing I picked up in-store. The other things were ordered online, and here's a shot of those!

 

 One other item I wanted during the VIB sale was the Clinique Cheek Pop in Pink Pop, which was (in)conveniently out of stock during the entire sale. I managed to snag that, as well as the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Enigma, a 100 point perk which was the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel (travel size), a Makeup Forever 100 point perk of their new Artist Plexi Gloss in 202, 100 point perk of Caudalie's Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet, another of the Soap & Glory Hand Food lotions (no longer on the Sephora website), and since I needed a matte dark brown, long-wearing eyeliner, I picked up the Sephora Contour Eye Pencil in Tiramisu. I have heard great things about this formulation, and I haven't quite found that "perfect" brown yet. I got some great samples to try out, as well! Coffeebreakwithdani was singing the praises of Urban Decay's Enigma because 100% of the proceeds go to empower women. I am all for women empowerment! I haven't had a chance to try most of this out yet (which is why this is a haul and not a review) since I haven't worn makeup since the eventful ER trip. Trust me, I'm more shocked than anyone that I haven't worn a stitch of makeup in five days. I'm breaking it all back out tomorrow though!!

 

Have you picked up anything good (or bad) lately? Let me know below! Thanks for reading and please subscribe!

 

 

 

*None of the links above are affiliate links.

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

April 2015 Favorites!

Hello, everyone!

One of my favorite videos to watch on YouTube and one of my favorite blog posts to read are "favorites", so I'm excited that I finally get to share my own! Of course, since I knew I was planning on writing this, my mind totally spaced and couldn't think of anything. At all. I've been writing down favorites on my hot pink post it in my planner all week so that I wouldn't forget anything! Here are the things I used a ton this month and really loved!

I picked up the It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Blush with a 20% off coupon at Ulta this month, and I LOVE this blush. You can get three different colors with it, or swirl it all together for a beautiful flush. It only comes in one color, Je Nais Se Quoi. Next up, is my Maskcara Hac Pack (check out my review here) that I used for foundation, highlight, contour, and blush a ton this month. It really makes getting ready in the morning faster! I purchased the Dermablend Loose Setting Powder during Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty Steals, and this stuff is amazing. I have dry skin, so it's really not necessary for me to use powder to control oil, but I do like to use it to calm down some of my dewier foundations and BB creams. The Dermablend comes in three shades, but I have mine in "colorless". I'm very pale, and even though it says it's colorless, I still think it makes me just a tad bit lighter. It does a great job of giving an airbrushed finish, mattifying without looking flat, and not emphasizing pores or any fine lines you may have. Then there are the Makeup Geek Foiled Shadows. Oh my word, these shadows are PERFECT. I'm not going to go into too much detail because, unless you live under a rock, you already know all about these, and because I want to do a review on them once I get my next order in. Pictured above are In the Spotlight, Whimsical, Starry-eyed, and Jester. I may never wear any other shadows on my lids again! I also have to include my Makeup Geek blush in Spellbound. Yes, I have three blushes in my favorites. I'm a slight blush whore. Lol. The only other eye shadow I'm including is Mac's Satin Taupe. I used this almost every day on my lid when I was in a hurry and had minimum time to get ready, and it always turned out beautiful and looking like I had spent more time than I did. Mac's Soft Ochre paint pot is an every day, holy grail item for me. I use it to prime my eyes for shadow 99% of the time. The soft yellow color and the opacity of it conceals any redness and veins on my lids and leaves a wonderful blank canvas to apply shadow to. Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector, pressed, in Moonstone has been my go-to highlighter since I purchased it a few months ago. It's beautiful on pale skin and not for the faint of heart! My dry skin has absolutely LOVED the Too Faced Hangover RX Primer for the past few months, especially under the Hac Pack. Lip products were the hardest to narrow down, since they're the easiest to change out. For the first half of the month I was slightly obsessed with liquid lipsticks (as most people have been lately), and my two favorites were Lime Crime's Cashmere and LA Splash's Charmed. I am aware of all of the Lime Crime controversy, but since I paid for it, I'm going to use it. I don't know if I would purchase from them again, but I'm going to use what I already have. The LA Splash lipstick is more comfortable to wear than the Lime Crime one and a little more universal to wear. Last for this month is my Gerard Cosmetics lipstick in Buttercup. This lipstick is the perfect pinky-nude for my skin and absolutely perfect. I ordered it when they were running one of the amazing deals they had in March, and loved it so much I actually ordered a backup. I can't remember the last time I actually went through an entire lipstick, but I wanted to make sure I didn't run out of this one!

So there we have it! My April favorites. What were your favorites this month? Anything you didn't like? Let me know! Thanks for visiting and please subscribe!






*None of the links listed above are affiliate links.

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