November Favorites

With a lot of craziness happening at work and trying out new products before holiday travel, I’ve been rocking a lot of low-maintenance makeup this month. However, I’ve loved the simple, pretty look and discovered some great products along the way!

Simple Protecting Light Moisturizer in SPF 15: I was looking for a daytime moisturizer with SPF that was a little more affordable, and I read somewhere (I don’t remember where or I would link!) that this one was good for oily skin because it has a light texture. I really love this! It feels great on the skin, is so clean and light, smells great, and it has SPF – all I want in a moisturizer. The drugstore price is a major plus, too. This is great for oily girls!

MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation in NW15: I’m traveling over the holidays and in my efforts to not check a bag, I’m looking for a great powder to wear as a base. This powder is so comfortable, and it has really nice coverage. It makes me look fresh faced and put-together while feeling really light and natural on the skin. It does work best with a denser powder brush, and I’m so excited to take this with me on vacation!

L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara: An old drugstore favorite, I’m so happy I brought this back to try! It makes my lashes look so thick and gorgeous, and it really opens up my eyes. It does get a little clumpy because of the wet formula, so you need to comb through the lashes to get rid of clumps, but for the price point, it’s excellent.

NYX Single Shadow in Underneath it All: One of my favorite low-maintenance looks is MAC’s Painterly paint pot with this shadow buffed into the crease – easy, gorgeous and put together. I’ve busted this out a lot. It’s the perfect crease color with no other shadow on the lid.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Amethyst: Another low-maintenance look, I’ve also loved this all over the lid, huge lashes and no eyeliner. It’s a very chill, pretty look. I love this shadow. It gives just a little color to the eyes without anything fancy or complicated. It’s great for an easy weekend look or when you want to look put together with very little effort.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla: I got this backup before I discovered my favorite concealer, the Urban Decay Naked Skin, but this is still a good one! I’ve loved it to cover up blemishes and under the eyes. It has good lasting power, but nothing too impressive like MAC Pro Longwear. It’s still a good concealer, so I like it, but I do have others I like better.

Benefit Dallas: This cheek color is great because it’s like a blush and bronzer mixed together. It brings life to my cheeks really naturally, and I really enjoy the look.

Trish McEvoy Lip Color in Sheer Iced Mocha: I’ve had this lip color a while, but I’ve just recently pulled it out. It’s such a great color for fall! It’s a mauve that pulls brown with a little shimmer. It’s so pretty and fun! The formula is also really comfortable on the lips. It’s a natural look that comes across a little more pigmented than a Revlon lip butter, and I’ve really enjoyed it this month.

DevaCurl Super Cream Coconut Curl Styler: This is the most transformative hair product for my curls! I had a sample and finally bought the full size – it’s lived up to the sample. It defines my curls nicely, keeps my hair hydrated and cuts down frizz.

I’m looking forward to a lot of glitter in December makeup! See you then 🙂

VIB Rouge Sale Haul

We’ve all had the most wonderful time of the year – Sephora VIB/VIB Rouge Sale! It’s been a while, but I’ve picked some wonderful products up and had a chance to try them. I’m ready to share the love!

Products

And the other samples and goodies!

It was clearly a hair care type of haul. So, if you’re a 3A/3B Curly Girl, some of these may work for you too!

DevaCurl Flexible Hold Hairspray: I saw this on this Instagram account, and had to buy it. I’ve been following her routine because her hair is amazing, and I’ve been really pleased so far! The smell is kind of gross, but it isn’t terribly noticeable throughout the day. I do think that it preserves my curls after washing. I made it to 3rd day hair without having to wear my hair up, so I think it’s a winner!

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Dry Shampoo: I had a sample of this before, and it is amazing. My hair is high maintenance, and I hate having to mess with it too much, so I love anything that helps me not have to wash it (but yes, I do shower!) This is the key. I feel like it really does clean my hair! I spray it from about 6 inches away, wait 30 seconds and shake it through my hair. Then, I’m good to go! It doesn’t weigh my hair down or leave it feeling greasy, and it smells amazing, too.

DevaCurl No-Poo Decadence: I’ve put this in my routine as my shampoo substitute, and I’ve loved the results! I feel like my curls are more defined and voluminous. It maintains the texture that I love but still feels clean.

NARS Lip Gloss in Chelsea Girls: I’ve heard about this gloss in pot form for the longest time, and was so excited to try it! The formula and color are both really pretty, but the staying power isn’t as long as a MAC lip glass or Buxom lip polish. Still, it’s an amazing everyday pretty lip gloss.

DevaCurl Super Creme: This. Stuff. Is. Magic. Seriously. It’s made me fall back in love with curly hair, even though mine is a little bit damaged and gross looking at the moment. It defines curls, cuts down on frizz and leaves my hair really hydrated. It has coconut oil in it, which I think is the secret. It leaves my hair gorgeous, and it will be in the rotation for a long time!

This order put me over the edge and renewed my VIB status through next year – and I got a Marc Jacobs lipstick!

I’m obsessed with the Black Opium Perfume, but I also got a Volupte Tint-In-Oil, Touche Eclat Blur Primer and Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils

And swatches: YSL Volupte Tint-in-Oil in Cherry My Cherie, NARS gloss, Marc Jacobs Lipstick

What did you pick up? What are you loving recently from Sephors

Haircare Haul!

I mentioned in a previous post that I was playing around with new hair products, so here are some things I picked up in a recent haul for my new hair routine!

Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Mask: I’ve used this for a while, but I was dumb and accidentally set it precariously in my shower…where the whole thing dumped out. So I needed to re-stock. This is an amazing, thick mask for hair made out of all natural ingredients. It eliminates frizz and makes my hair feel so healthy afterwards. This stuff is amazing.

Briogeo Be Gentle, Be Kind Co-Wash: As a devotee of the Curly Girl Method, I usually use conditioner for co-washing purposes, so I’ve been excited to try this. The texture is a cross between a shampoo and conditioner and makes my hair feel really clean and healthy. Like everything in the Briogeo line, it’s all natural, too.

Briogeo Curl Charisma Conditioner: I’ve mentioned this in a previous favorites post, but this is the best. It does run out a little quick and is super thick, but it’s my new go-to conditioner and has a permanent spot in my shower.

Devacurl Ultra Defining Gel: I’ve also talked about this a lot, but it’s a great defining product, eliminates frizz and truly defines curls. A quarter sized amount in my hair does not make it crunchy, and the curl definition lasts on second and third day hair, which is a huge plus!

So, basically here are all my go-to products for hair recently. What are your go-tos?

 

Recent Empties

Recent Empties

It’s been a long time since I’ve done an empties post, so I thought it was a good time to give an update.

Origins Zero Oil Moisturizer: This is part of my daily skincare routine, and I love it. It moisturizes my skin for the day without making my already oily skin super shiny and greasy. I’ve already repurchased it, and I love it.

DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel sample: As I said in my January Favorites, I bought the full size of this before finishing my sample. With growing my hair out, my curl pattern has changed a little, so I’ve been changing up my product routine. This has been a great way to define my longer curls and keep them frizz free.

Psssst! Dry Shampoo: I am a dry shampoo devotee now, but this was my first sample that I got in an Ipsy bag. This works okay but leaves a white cast that is pretty noticeable, and there are other drugstore brands I like better. I won’t be replacing it.

MAC ProLongwear Concealer: One of the best concealers ever. Love. You can see more in my Concealers Face-Off and 2014 Favorites, but needless to say, it’s already been repurchased. (Sidenote: getting the cap off these for the last bit of concealer is next to impossible! I used a butter knife to finally pry it off, but any other tips would be welcome).

Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner: I’ve mentioned this a lot, too, but it’s also amazing. It’s already been replaced in my shower.

BareMinerals Lash Domination Mascara: I loved this little sample! It picked up tons of little lashes with the brush, and it gave great volume. It was super black, and I was sad to see it go. I have so many mascaras waiting to be used, so I won’t be repurchasing it anytime soon, but I definitely would.

Julep Oxygen Base Coat: I really love this base coat, and I’ve definitely seen a difference in my nails since using it. It doesn’t always lengthen the wear of my nail polish, but it makes my nails healthier when I use it under polishes. I’ve already repurchased this.

OPI Nail Envy Maintenance: This is a really great nail treatment, too! I do like the Julep one better, but this does lessen the instance of peeling nails after using polish regularly. This was my holy grail for years and is a great product.

Seche Vite: I have mixed feelings about this. I love how quickly it dries nail polish and how shiny it is, but I don’t feel that it lengthens the life of my manicure and it gets so goopy at the end of the use. I like the Out the Door top coat much better (even though it takes longer to dry), so I won’t be repurchasing this.

I’m really trying to use up product this year, so hopefully there will be more of these posts in the future! To the trash…