August Favorites 2016!

Hello Everyone! 

It's time for another Favorites post! If you read my review of the Urban Decay All Nighter foundation here, it will come as no surprise to you that this makes my favorites list! If you want to know why, head on over to that post and read it. It is amazing. For concealer, I have been loving the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer and the new Kat Von D Lock It Concealer Creme. They both have wonderful coverage, without looking cakey or dry. I have the Shape Tape in Light, but I really need Light-Medium. It's a little too light. I have the Kat Von D in Medium 19, which I use to mix with the Tarte for a less intense highlighted look. I have heard that both do not crease, but I always set my concealer anyways. I did apply Shape Tape yesterday and let it sit for a few minutes without powder, and it did crease. Everyone is different, though. All concealers crease on me! Another concealing product I've really been loving is the Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector. Mine came melted from shipping, so the product isn't pretty to look at, but it sure gets the job done! I use it before concealer and it really does completely cover my dark circles. Which is nothing short of amazing. I've gone through an entire travel size Hand Food from Soap & Glory (not pictured) this month, and re-purchased two of the full sized versions. That's how much I love it. It absorbs quickly and keeps my hands soft, even through washing. I've still been loving the Becca blushes and highlighter I mentioned in last month's favorites, but I've been loving Benefit Cosmetics "Dallas" to contour with. I finally had to try that one! I received the Urban Decay Naked Smoky and Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palettes for my birthday in July, and absolutely adore them. I have to force myself not to use the ABH palette every single day! The eyeliner I kept going back to over and over again is Colourpop's "Best O" in pencil form. It does fall out of the plastic, but I love the liner so much that I can forgive it. It's a really dark purple, which looks great on hazel and green eyes, and lasts all day long. "All day" for me means 10+ hours, and it holds up great! I had a few lip loves this months, with the first being a new lipliner. Makeup Forever Aqua Lip in "2C" is such a universal nude for my complexion, and I can wear it under so many different lip colors. My favorite lipstick has been the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche in "Spritzer". It is such a beautiful purple!! Bite Beauty makes some the best lipsticks, in my opinion. My favorite liquid lipstick has been the Ultra Satin Lip Color in "Alyssa" by Colourpop. It's not as drying as the Ultra Mattes (obviously), and doesn't last as long, but it still holds up through most of the day and is a beautiful, neutral, every day color for me. 

What did you love in the month of August? Tell me below! 

Thanks for stopping by! 

*Some links above are affiliates

*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.

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.  

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! 

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*None of the links above are affiliates.

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

My Birthday Haul!

Hi, everyone!

My birthday was on Friday 7/31, and I decided to treat myself and do what I love most; makeup shopping! My husband and I were going away for the weekend, so I had a limited amount of time in which to go by Ulta and Sephora. I actually made a list of the things I wanted to pick up most (yes, I'm a list maker), and managed to get most of what I wanted! While I was packing for our trip, I purposely didn't pack the type of  makeup I would be buying. For example, I knew I needed a new color of my UD Naked Skin concealer; therefore, I didn't pack a concealer.

Let's start with what I picked up from Ulta! I had a 20% off prestige coupon (I LOVE when these come around!), and wanted to take full advantage! Last year, I bought myself the Lorac Pro palette for my birthday, and this year I grabbed the Lorac Pro 2! I'm usually not a fan of cool toned shadows, but I've been drawn to them a lot these last few months, and I actually didn't own but two or three of them! I certainly didn't have any cool toned palettes! Another thing on my list was the Too Faced Twice the Sex mascara duo. For the price of a full size mascara, you get one full size and one deluxe sample. Then, thanks to the beautiful @coffeebreakwithdani, I knew I needed to pick up the new Stila Lash Stunner Extreme Lash Primer. I am a huge fan of lash primers, and she made this one sound amazing. A few days before, while browsing the "new" sections of Ulta and Sephora, I saw a new hairspray by Living Proof called "Humidity Shield" and thought that sounded wonderful for my curly hair. While at Ulta, I spotted the travel size and scooped it up! I had forgotten to pack an eye makeup remover, so I needed to grab one while I was shopping. I usually use the Kroger brand of the Neutrogena one because it's inexpensive and it works. Since I was in Ulta, I went ahead and grabbed the actual Neutrogena one, and it works fine. It does the job. I've been loving the Rimmel foundation that I mentioned in my July Favorites, but I also forgot to pack my moisturizer with sunscreen, so I picked up the travel size It Cosmetics CC+ Cream in Medium. That covered my sunscreen, moisturizer, and the need to match my self tanner. If you read my post about the Lorac Alter Ego Lip Set, you know how much I love those lip glosses. I picked up a new color while at Ulta; a pretty peach called Super Model. One thing that was not on my list was a new foundation, However, the new Too Faced Born this Way foundation sucked me in and "Sand" found it's way into my bag. If you purchased anything from Too Faced, you got a sample pack of three different shades of the Born this Way foundation, which is what you see in the bottom of the picture above. A last minute impulse purchase was the Mario Badescu Facial Spray. It was on an end cap of travel things for $5, and I had heard @emilynoel talking about it, so I grabbed it. I love all things rose scented, and this smells wonderful. The last thing from Ulta was my birthday gift! Platinum members get two gifts for their birthday; a $10 off coupon and the makeup item all other members get. July birthdays got a deluxe sample of the Urban Decay Perversion mascara. I've tried this one a few times, and I'm not a huge fan, but maybe it will work better over the Stila lash primer!

There were two things on my list that were out of stock at Ulta, so next stop was Sephora! As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I needed a new shade of the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer. The one I had was Fair Neutral, which is too light with my tan. Ulta was out of the shade Light Neutral, so I purchased it from Sephora. The other thing that was on my list and sold out at Ulta was the Tartelette palette. @makeupbymaci, who is the queen of photographing her eye looks, was telling me how much she loves this palette, and she uses it in so many of her looks, I had to have it! The Kat Von D Ink Liner Trio was the other thing on my list. I already have and love the shade "Trooper", and this trio comes with that one, a navy, and a brown. I used the navy Saturday night and loved it! Sephora is great about offering samples, and the sweet girl who helped me gave me a sample of the First Aid Beauty Triple Remedy eye cream and the Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration moisturizer. As I was walking by the clearance table, I spotted the Kat Von D blush in "Wish" (no longer available on-line) and two bronzers on sale for $11.99 each. The bronzers looked similar to ones I already own, but "Wish" had been on my wish list for a long time, so I was happy to get it more than half off! A few weeks ago, I noticed that the Sephora automatic, waterproof lip liners were on the sale page on-line for $7, but all of the colors were sold out. My Sephora in JCP had them on the clearance table for $5.99! I've mentioned "Petal" in a post before, and I love it. They only had one left, which I bought, and then I bought two each of "Mauve" and "Naked". The last thing I picked up was the Josie Maran Argan Oil Light. I've used the regular version before, and loved it for my dry skin, but I thought the light version might be better for summer time. And then this happened...

Yep. Hello, Rouge!

Thank you for stopping by and reading! 

*None of the links above are affiliates.

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

May Favorites!

Hello, Everyone!

 

It's that time again! I didn't think I would actually have a lot this month because for two weeks out of four, I didn't wear any makeup. That is probably a new record for me! I love wearing makeup, but when I was having gallbladder attacks, and then surgery, I just didn't have the energy! Enough rambling, let's get to it!

 

I am including a few things that are EVERY month favorites, not just in May; however, since I just started blogging, no one knows what those things are! I'm actually going to start with those three things.

 

First up: the Beauty Blender! This really is a magical little sponge. I've had two of the Original (pink) ones, and now own two of the Pro (black) ones. It applies liquids, creams, and even powders flawlessly! I do have to say that I think the pointy end of the black ones aren't quite as pointy as the pink ones. Small thing, but still.

Next, would be these two brushes from Sigma. I own 30 or so Sigma brushes, but I use these two every. single. day. The E35 is labeled as a highlight brush, but I love it for setting my under eye concealer with powder. The E40 is the perfect eyeshadow blending brush. No other fluffy blending brush I own even compares. I need multiples of each of these!

Yes, I know this is a sample packet. However, I had four of these, and finished two. I LOVE this Laura Mercier Radiance Primer under my foundation. Especially under the foundation I'm going to mention in a  minute. It's not glittery, or sparkly, it just gives a beautiful luminosity to the skin. It has a peachy pink tint to it, and looks like it would be loaded with sparkle, but it's not. I haven't tried it under dewy foundations, because I don't want that much glow. I do love it under matte foundations, and I will definitely need to pick up the full size!

Loreal's Infallible Pro Matte foundation. THIS has been my favorite foundation this month, and the one I've been loving over the Laura Mercier Radiance primer. I actually plan on reviewing this since all of the reviews I've seen for it are by bloggers with combination or oily skin, and mine is dry. Spoiler alert: I love, love, love it!!

This concealer has become Holy Grail for me! It is exactly as the name claims: weightless and complete coverage. It feels like nothing on my skin, but covers my dark circles amazingly well. It doesn't leave my under eye area looking dry or crease. I do think the color selection will be difficult for some (I have Fair Neutral), and I've heard quite a few people are buying two shades and mixing. Considering the cost of this, I'm glad I only need one shade!

My most loved palette in May was the Laura Mercier Eye Art Artist's Palette. These were my first Laura Mercier eyeshadows, and they're beautiful. They're smooth, creamy, pigmented, and blend great. All of the purple tones and shadows make my green eyes pop and I've loved every look I've created with it. As for the Mac shadow in Satin Taupe, this was my most loved single for those I'm-in-a-rush-and-have-to-leave-now days. And I had quite a few of those last month! It's a beautiful all over the lid color, with a lighter, matte brown in the crease. A pop of a bright color on the lips and I looked like I had made a huge effort!

I originally purchased the eyeshadow primer in Enigma from Urban Decay because 100% of the proceeds went to empower women. Thankfully, I really love this primer! I usually use my Mac paint pot in Soft Ochre, but that took a back seat to Enigma last month. It's opaque and neutralizes the eyelids, creating a blank canvas for your shadows.

Here's where I become a little high maintenance. I've been loving combining all three of these products to get amazing lashes. I have long lashes, but they're blonde. Without mascara, I look like I have none! I've been using the Dior Diorshow Maximizer to prime, then the Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant mascara for volume, and topping it all off with Benefit's They're Real for separation. It's the perfect trio!

I've reviewed it and talked non stop about it, so it should be no shock that the It Cosmetics Ombre Bronzer in Warm Radiance made my favorites list. I have a feeling this is going to join the first three items in this post as "always and forever" favorites. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll see this listed in every makeup picture I've taken. Because it is that good.

My favorite blush of the month is the Clinique Cheek Pop in Pink Pop. The design of the powder, the packaging, and the color are all beautiful. It's not so pigmented that you need to barely dab the brush in and then tap it off before applying it to your cheeks, so you can build it up. I have found that I need to use a natural hair brush instead of synthetic for best color payoff. It gives a beautiful, healthy flush to my cheeks.

 

I have four favorite lip products, and believe me, that's a small amount. Lol. I picked up the Sephora waterproof, retractable lip liner in Petal, and it is the perfect pink liner for me. The only downside is that it does have glitter in it. It doesn't show through my lipsticks, but it's still there. It is extremely creamy, making it easy to apply, and does last for hours on my lips. It will work under numerous lip colors, or as a lip color itself! For lipstick, I chose my Gerard Cosmetics lipstick in Buttercup. I originally held out on getting this since I assumed the only reason people really loved it was because it was a Jaclyn Hill creation. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't want to buy something I don't think I'll love. Well, as you can see in the above picture, I LOVE this lipstick. It is the perfect neutral pink color for me. I love it so much that I bought a back up while they were having huge sales and free shipping. I can't recall ever doing that with a lipstick before! For lipgloss, I've really been loving the Lorac Alter Ego lipgloss in Girl Next Door. I'm more of a lipstick person than a lipgloss person, but this formula is amazing. You can read my review of these here to learn more about what I think. I also chose the LA Splash Smitten Lip Tint in Charmed. It's a beautiful nude-pink, matte liquid lipstick. It's comfortable on the lips and makes my lips look fuller. It lasts all day on the lips, and never feels drying.

Last, is this hand cream from Soap & Glory. I got it on clearance from Sephora (the brand is moving to drugstores), and loved it so much, I bought a back up before they sold out. I keep it on my desk at work and use it throughout the day. It's extremely moisturizing, but sinks in quickly, and doesn't have an offensive or overwhelming smell.

 

That's it for this month! What were some of your favorites for May? I'd love to know!

 

Thanks for reading and please subscribe!

 

 

*None of the links above are affiliates.

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