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. 

Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara-A Review!

Hello, Everyone!

If you've been reading my posts, you know that I'm a part of Influenster, and sometimes they send me products to try and review. I am NEVER paid for these reviews, though. I just get to try out new products and let you know my thoughts!

My most recent box contained a full size Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara to try out. I received this before it even hit shelves!

The full size is .32oz and retails for $26. If you haven't heard about this mascara, it was inspired by Marc Jacob's first beauty memory of his mother shaving fibers from a velvet ribbon to create her own faux lashes. That is lash dedication! The wand has a traditional, bristle brush that looks similar to the hourglass wand of the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara, but not quite as large. I actually prefer the brush in the Velvet Noir mascara.

Due to Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's Disease, my eyelashes have thinned over the last four years, so large mascara wands tend to deposit mascara onto my eyelids during application. I experience a negligent amount, sometimes, with this wand. Tip: if you ever get mascara anywhere besides your lashes, wait until it dries before trying to remove it. Once dried, it will come right off. trying to remove it while wet will just cause a mess!

There are some crazy statistics with this mascara, such as 1800% more volume in three strokes and 300% more volume in one stroke. I don't know what kind of nifty gadget they have that calculates those claims, but I don't have one. What I do have, is my experience with this mascara for the last 22 days.

My lashes are blonde, so I always need mascara if I want my lashes to be visible. It is one thing I CANNOT skip. Velvet Noir is supposed to have  "super-concentrated black pigment" and the "Flash Volume Complex" that creates "instant, smudge-proof length and volume in three strokes or less". I agree that this is a super black mascara, which I love. The darker the better. I have experienced no flaking or smudging with this mascara, but I have NOT used it on my lower lashes; I use a specific mascara there. I love the Too Faced mascara, but because it is such a dry formula, it flakes. The "three strokes or less" I also find accurate. 1=Good, 2=Better, and 3=Best, in my opinion. My preference in my lashes is the more dramatic, the better! I don't mess with falsies, so I expect my mascara to really deliver a punch. The formula in the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir is more on the wet spectrum, but it doesn't weigh my lashes down, or cause the curl to fall. I've used this mascara with and without primer, and I love it either way. I love this mascara so much, I used 100 points at Sephora to pick up a deluxe sample as a back up!

(My full size tube next to the deluxe sample from Sephora)

My final thoughts on this mascara are this: I adore it! The formula isn't too wet or too dry, which makes it pretty much perfect. It holds my curl, gives amazing volume, and doesn't flake or smudge. Mascara is one of the most fickle things to recommend to someone. What works for me may certainly not work for you! However, if you have the opportunity, I recommend trying it! As of right now, it is still available as a 100 point perk here. This is my absolute current favorite mascara, and I fully intend on finishing this tube and diving into my small one! I wanted to include it in my December Favorites post, but I didn't receive it until 12/22/2015, so I didn't think it was fair. I bet it shows up in my January Favorites, though! ;)

This was my favorite Influenster box, and I couldn't wait to share how much I love this mascara! 

Have you tried the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir? Will you give it a shot? Let me know what you think!

*Some links above are affiliates.

*The above mentioned product was sent to me complimentary by Influenster, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Makeup Geek Flash Sale!!

Hello, Everyone!!

I just wanted to write a quick post letting you know that Makeup Geek is having a 24 hour Flash Sale, which will end at 9am PST on 1/8/2016! Use code "1MILLIONLOVE" on ANY MUG brand purchase, and you'll get 10% off your order. It works on sale items, too! Trust me, I tried it. 😉 

 

Photo used from Makeup Geek's Instagram

They have quite a few things on sale right now, including foiled shadows, pigments, and their regular shadows. Some of these colors are going away for good, so grab them while you can!!

Thanks for stopping by and reading!

*Links above are affiliates. 

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. 

YSL Black Opium Perfume-A Review

Hello, Everyone!

I’ve really dragged behind in the last month, haven’t I?! It was a busy time; I had some doctor appointments, and just didn’t feel well. There was one week where I didn’t even feel like wearing makeup!! The horror!!

As you may have seen in previous posts, or on my social media, I receive VoxBoxes from Influenster from time to time of products to review. I recently received two boxes, and this is the first one that I would like to share with you!

 Influenster sent out the YSL Black Opium Fragrance (0.25 oz) to be tested, so let’s see what I think!

 First, let’s look at that packaging! It is stunning! It’s a blackened-gray color, with a textured bottle, and the cap pops off to use it. I believe the bigger sizes are sprays. I leave it sitting on top of my vanity so that I can look at it. The bottle I received is an adorable miniature size of the 1-3 oz bottles that you can purchase. Sephora and Nordstrom also carry a .33oz spray fragrance. The price on this ranges from $25 USD (.33oz) to $115 USD (3 oz) at Sephora and Nordstrom. Sephora describes this as “Fascinating and seductively intoxicating, the opening notes of adrenaline-rich coffee and the sweet sensuality of vanilla recline into the softness of white flowers for a modern, young, and vibrant interpretation of addiction” with notes of “Coffee Accord, Orange Blossom, Cedar Wood Essence, and Patchouli Essence”. I am not someone who is really into fragrance. I also do NOT like typical “female” scents that are candy sweet, or scents that are very florally. I actually prefer men’s scents, because I prefer that musky, masculine scent. For the longest time, I only wore a vanilla body spray, and I was happy with that. In all of the notes Sephora describes Black Opium to have; the most noticeable one, to me, is the Cedar Wood Essence. This smells very musky and woodsy to me, with hints of vanilla, which puts it right up my alley! If I had a full size, I would probably spray it a few places, but since this is one that I have to put my finger on the top and tip it over, I’ve been enjoying putting it behind my ears. I have put it on my wrists and the inside of my elbows, but when I put it behind my ears, I catch the scent every time I turn my head! On the bright side, I can make the bottle last longer by only applying it behind my ears! 

This scent doesn’t give me headaches, which is so nice. I’m not extremely sensitive to scents, but I have been known to hang my head out a window for fresh air when a guy at work had on too much cologne. 

I think if you have a chance to get this perfume, even if it’s just the .33oz spray, go for it! It is perfect for fall and winter (although I’m going to wear it until it runs out!). 

*None of the links above are affiliate links.

*I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes, but all opinions are my own.