February 2015 Favorites

February 2015 Favorites

I cannot believe another month has come and gone! This month was a short one, so I don’t have too much to report in the way of favorites, but there were a few standouts I’d like to share.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer – This was a sample I’ve recently pulled out and loved. I initially thought this would be too dark for my skin and that I would have to use the Milk Chocolate version, but as I’ve used this to contour this month, I have fallen in love! It’s a great cool toned bronzer that gives the right amount of color without being muddy, orange or too fake. I’m really glad I took a chance on this one.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Rose Gold – It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with these caviar sticks, but recently I’ve been especially in love with this one in Rose Gold. It’s a lovely base for any eye look. I’ve used it all over the lid with a cool toned brown shadow in the crease for a simple look, and I’ve also used it with full palettes for more complex looks. Either way, it works beautifully!

Julep Go Big Mascara – I got this in a Julep box a few months ago, and I love it! I was initially skeptical, but this really does make my lashes look just naturally big and gorgeous. It’s not a false lash look, but still super pretty.

Revlon Balm Stain in Honey – Another old favorite (clearly, all the writing has rubbed off), but it is just so pretty and easy! It’s moisturizing, the color goes with everything, and it’s easy to wear. The perfect everyday lip option.

Lorac Unzipped Palette – I purchased this with a recent Ulta 20% off coupon and I. am. in love. This palette is just like all the amazing Lorac palettes – super pigmented, easy to blend, beautiful colors. It’s full of rose-toned neutrals, and the darker outer corner colors are the perfect way to fill out these looks. I’ve loved playing with this and discovering smokier and more everyday looks with this palette.

The Balm InStain blush in Pinstripe – I am amazed every time I use this blush how the color completely transforms my face. I love the plum color and am always amazed at how the crazy color in the pan sheers out. It really defines my cheekbones, and I think it really transforms my whole makeup look. It’s perfect for winter weather!

What did you love in February?

 

Weekly Makeup Basket – Vol. 2.1

I’m bringing back a series I started last year around this time -the Weekly Makeup Basket! Last year, I gave up shopping for Lent, and this was a way to keep myself honest and really shop my stash. This year, I’m not giving up shopping, but I’ve been a little overwhelmed with my collection and want to make sure I’m really using what I have. I’m not doing weekly reviews of products this time because those usually end up in monthly favorites anyway, but I do like sharing my weekly choices.

First, here are my weekly staples that I’ll definitely be using every week:

Makeup Basket Staples

Staples
MAC Fix+ – perfect for setting any face and and prepping brushes
Urban Decay Glide-On Liner in Perversion – the ideal tightline
Laura Mercier Invisible Setting Powder – lovely for setting undereye concealer
Jessie’s Girl Liquid Eyeliner in Black – amazing
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Brightener – my go to brightener
Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Pencil in Nude – to really open up the eyes
Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate – not sure I can say much more about this except that it’s my favorite
Wet n Wild single eyeshadow in Brulee – perfect for cleaning up or prepping eyes for shadow

Face products

Face
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder
Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 1N2 Ecru
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla
Bare Minerals Blush in Pink Tourmaline
Makeup Forever Mat Velvet+ Foundation in Alabaster
Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
Bare Minerals Highlighting Powder in Citrine Radiance
Benefit Watt’s Up Highlighter
Benefit Blush in Hervana

Eye products

Eyes
Lorac Unzipped Palette
Julep Go Big Mascara
Naked Basics Palette
Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara
Em Eyeliner in Bronze
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly

Lips

Lips
NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Happy Days
Too Faced Lipliner in Perfect Nude
Bite Beauty Lip Primer
Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick in Touch of Spice

I may check in with FOTD posts, but either way, I’m excited to really be shopping my stash! What have you rediscovered lately?

Face-Off: Mascaras

Bare Escentuals Buxom Mascara, CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara

Another edition of Face-Off! This version is looking at 2 mascaras I’ve run through recently: Buxom Lash Mascara and CoverGirl Clump Crusher.

The Buxom Lash makes my lashes feel really fluffy and thick. The volume it gives is crazy and I love the brush – thick and captures all kinds of little lashes. My favorite part about this is how natural looking my lashes feel when I wear this. They’re soft when I apply this mascara.

The CoverGirl Clump Crusher is great for length. The brush picks up every. single. tiny. lash and makes them really long. You truly can layer this as many times as you want and there will be no clumps. And I layer mascara like crazy.

Overall, this isn’t a true Face-Off with a winner. I think these actually work best together! This is one of my favorite mascara combos. The Buxom gives the volume and thickness I want, while the CoverGirl gives amazing lash definition and length. Truly everything I look for in a mascara when I put them together. I have a ton of mascaras on the docket to try, so this won’t be the first Face-Off, mascara edition 🙂

Face-Off: Concealers

It’s been a while , but it’s time for a new Face-Off – This time for concealers!

BareMinerals Well Rested, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, MAC ProLongwear, Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer

Most of these are pretty close to used up, so I wanted to compare before I had an empties post. This Face-Off includes Bare Minerals Well Rested, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, MAC ProLongwear Concealer and the MakeUp Forever Full Cover Concealer.

A summary –

Bare Minerals Well Rested: This is a great, brightening powder that works perfectly as an undereye concealer. You do have to be careful to use thin layers so it doesn’t clump up or settle into any lines, but it does a great job covering dark circles, and it works to highlight as well.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer: A beautiful, liquid concealer. Again, thin layers create a flawless finish. It also works well for brightening or highlighting. It is super expensive, but the product is gorgeous. It doesn’t quite last all day, but you’ll get a good 6-8 hours out of this product. It’s not great for serious blemishes, but most should work well with it.

MAC ProLongwear Concealer: A gorgeous concealer. Works really well under the eyes, layers well over blemishes to cover them flawlessly. It could honestly just work as your regular foundation. It has some seriously great overage and the finish is really nice. A must have.

MakeUp Forever Full Cover Concealer: This is the best concealer for serious blemishes I’ve ever seen. Thankfully, my skin has cleared up significantly since I first bought this product, but serious blemishes are no match for this concealer. It is a little thick, but it will last all day and cover really well.

Overall? This face-off is a draw! I truly love all these concealers, and they all have a legitimate place in a make-up lover’s collection for a flawless face. If I had to pick only one? It would be the MAC ProLongwear. But again, I see a legitimate spot for all of these concealers in my collection. What concealer is your favorite?

February 2015 Birchbox Unboxing

Welcome to another edition of a Birchbox unboxing! First of all, can we talk about how Birchbox has upped their game in how cute their boxes have been? Love.

So that’s the outside. Let’s take a look at the goodies inside.
From Left:

Juicy Couture Hollywood Royal Perfume: I love all the Juicy Couture perfumes, and this is no exception. I’m terrible at describing scents, but this just smells very rich and regal, and I’m excited to wear it!

theBalm Read My Lips Lip Gloss in BAM! Such a nice color! This gloss smells a little like cherry and is pretty sticky, which I don’t mind. The color is definitely in my wheelhouse (swatch below), so this should be a win.

Gilchrist & Soames London Collection Shower Gel: I must say, I love getting shower gels in my Birchboxes. It lets me try all kinds of fancy bath stuff for such a low price (comparatively), and I don’t remember the last time I had to buy it. I have this brand of shower gel in a different scent, and it is so luxurious. This scent is very sweet and sophisticated but not overwhelming.

Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant: I have wanted to try something from this brand for a long time, so I am really excited about this! It’s a leave-on exfoliant that you apply to clean skin once or twice a day and just leave it. I can’t wait to try it!

PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Moisturizing Sea Salt Spray: As a curly-haired girl, I do not use a lot of sea salt sprays, but we’ll see how this works out for me. It does smell amazing, so even if it makes my hair gross, it will smell great!

Overall, a nice box! Here’s a swatch of the lip gloss:

Have you tried any of these products? What do you thing?

 

February 2015 Julep Maven Unboxing

With a new month comes a new Julep Maven unboxing! My February 2015 box was a little different for me, so here’s what I got!

This month, Julep launched a new highlighter to go along with their pore-refining blush. I got this in my box with a fan brush, plush pout lip crayon and 2 polishes.

Here’s what these two look like:

The highlighter isn’t super sparkly like it may appear in the pan, but it does give a really pretty glow. It reminds me of the Wet n Wild “bronzer” in Reserve Your Cabana that I love. I’ve never used a fan brush before, but this one seems very well-made and a little heavier than I expected. I’ve used it a few times with the highlighter and I’m not convinced how well it works, but I’m going to keep playing with it.

From left: Hazel and Hartleigh

And now onto polish!

Hazel: a “wild violet and bronze duochrome” does not quite look like what I thought it would be from the swatches I saw online. It looks more purple than the fuschia it was on the website, so we’ll see.

Hartleigh: This was a bonus polish for all Mavens this month! I have it layered over OPI’s Dutch Tulips and by itself above. I don’t love these kinds of top coats, and I couldn’t really get it to work for me this time, but it is a fun polish for Valentine’s Day. Overall, probably not something I’ll use very often.

And here’s Julep’s Plush Pout Lip Crayon in Aurora Pink. These Crayons have a moisturizing core and are very moisturizing on the lips. They remind me of a creamier, more pigmented version of Revlon Lip Butters.

Overall, I’m not in love with this month’s box, but there are some interesting products. What did you get in your Maven box?

 

January 2015 Favorites

January 2015 Favorites (apologies for the poor quality)

Welcome back, friends! Sorry I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus. I haven’t felt super inspired to blog, but I’ve planned out several posts for the future and hope to be back more regularly in 2015. And hopefully back with more creative posts…

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at what I’ve been loving in January.

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet + – I have mixed feelings on using this on its own (mostly because I think it’s a bit too pale for me), but I’ve been mixing this foundation with both my CoverGirl Outlast and Estee Lauder Doublewear, and it is gorgeous! It mixes really nicely with both of them and prolongs the wear/matte look of the foundation. This is a new technique for me, but I’ve really been loving this.

Beauty Blender – Why this went away, I’ll never know. Especially when I’ve been mixing a thicker foundation like the Mat Velvet + in with foundations, this helps give my foundation a more natural look to the finish. It makes my skin look flawless, blends concealer really well, and is such a great tool!

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Powder – I hauled this several months ago and never made up my mind about it. It turns out, I was just applying it wrong! I was trying to layer too many powders/use the powder puff that comes with this powder. Instead, when it’s used as an all-over setting powder with a fluffy brush, it is really nice! It really does blur pores and makes skin look more flawless. Too much can look too powdery and fake, but just the right amount makes the skin look a.

Lorac Pro Palette – I talk about this palette a lot, I know. However, the matte brown look has showed itself again this month, and I was reminded just how pretty it is. I need to play with some of the non-neutral colors and get out of my comfort zone more, but for work meetings where I need to look really professional but still glam, I’ve been obsessed with this palette. Everyone talks about it for a reason!

Julep Shari – I’ve been really into soft neutrals for nails this month, and this one is so pretty and unique! The website describes it as “sweet pea creme,” but it pulls a little pink, mauve or grey depending on how you look at it. The formula of this polish is super long-lasting on me, too.

L’Oreal Amber Rush pigment – I love this product, as I’ve talked about a lot in the past, but this month, I’ve really rediscovered it. I like it paired with a simple cool-toned brown shadow – easy, pretty look!

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil – I haven’t used this since I stopped using the BareMinerals foundation system, and never really gave it a second thought. I got a sample somewhere along the way, and it is a really nice setting powder! It gives my foundation a “finished” look for the whole day, especially in my oilier zones.

Benefit Dandelion – It’s been years since I pulled out this boxed blush, but it is so pretty! Once upon a time, I used it as an all over brightening powder because it’s a super light pink…but that was not wise. When you layer it on the cheeks, it’s a really nice, soft pink blush that looks great with anything. It also smells amazing, so it’s back in the rotation 🙂

DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel – I had a sample of this and had to buy the full size even before I had finished the sample. When I’m wearing my hair really long, as I am now, I’ve found I need to pursue different hair products for my curls. This one keeps my curls defined and frizz-free throughout the length of my hair and keeps the texture intact for several days. I am all about second and third day hair, so this has been a love.

Bite Lipstick in Cava – This formula is so gorgeous! I don’t wear lipstick a lot during the winter because my lips are already so dry. However, with this lipstick formula, it’s really easy! I do find that I have to reapply throughout the day more than with others, but the pigmentation is great and it feels so comfortable on the lips. And it’s really pretty! The reddish tone pumps up my look without being too much.

So there we have it! Sorry for the long break between posts, but I have several scheduled, so hopefully we’ll be back on track soon. Let me know what you’ve been loving in January!