makeup – Page 3

May Beauty Favorites!

May 28, 2014 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I hope that you are all having a fantastic week so far!! Can you believe it is almost JUNE?! In my eyes once we’ve hit June, it’s summer!! Today I am going to quickly go over a few of the beauty products I have been loving this past month! What beauty products have you been reaching for? Let me know by commenting (click the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! I have created a Luvocracy collection to go along with this blog post if you’d like more information or would like to purchase directly online!

Let’s get started!

Face:

L’Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream

This comes out of the tube white and then color adjusts to your skin. This is a very light coverage BB cream, but slightly buildable. I am LOVING this for a light coverage “no makeup makeup” look for summer! I was a little worried it wouldn’t work on my combo/oily skin, but it actually stays very matte.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Brightener

This is a great salmon-y pink colored under the eye brightener that works great under concealer or on it’s own for a quick fix for tired eyes.

Benefit Blush in Rockateur

This is such a gorgeous light rosegold blush. This also isn’t as sparkly as it looks when you look at a just opened box, it is sprayed with a shine spray that coats only the top, but this does have shimmer.

L’Oreal True Match Super-Blendable Powder in Perfect Beige

I use this face powder as my contour and sometimes also as my bronzer. I find that it has a less orange look than a lot of actual bronzers, and I really like the way it works as a contour on my (very) light skin.

Eyes:

Benefit Gimme Brow

I think it is so key to do your eyebrows, even if you are going mostly barefaced. This is a tinted fiber brow gel that can be used with a pencil or powder, or on it’s own. I like it for days when I want very natural makeup, but don’t want to ignore my brows completely!

Covergirl Clump Crusher by Lashblast

This is one of my go-to favorite mascaras! I always have this in my rotation.

Lips:

L’Oreal Collection Privée in Doutzen

This is limited edition, but I saw it in stores last week so you *may* be able to find it in stores, or else possibly on eBay. I love love love this color!

Revlon Super Lustrous Gloss in 205 Snow Pink

This is a great neutral gloss! It’s a light peachy color with golden shimmer. It looks beautiful over nudes or pinks, and I also like it alone when I want a very minimal makeup look. I think the packaging is also very sleek.

Thank you for taking the time to read this! If you’ve enjoyed this post, please subscribe to my blog! It’s easy : ) and it’ll make my day! Have a wonderful rest of your week!

MY E.L.F COSMETICS COLLECTION AND MINI REVIEWS

May 9, 2014 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Frrrrrriday!

A few weeks ago someone asked me if I had used E.l.f Cosmetics products and mentioned that she had really good luck with the brand. E.l.f (eyes lips face) cosmetics is an extremely affordable drugstore makeup brand that carries products at $1, $2, $3 and $6 price points! I first stumbled upon some E.l.f cosmetics in either late high school or early college (shortly after the brands 2004 launch) but hadn’t used any of the products from the line consistently until the past couple of years. After being asked about what I had tried from the brand, I decided to pick up a few more things and do a post today on all of my e.l.f products and my thoughts. I have been seeing e.l.f products popping up in more stores lately, too!

Let’s get started…

MY E.L.F COSMETICS COLLECTION:

Brushes:

*NOTE: The first three brushes will be pictured together underneath the third brush overview/review!

Eye Shadow Brush

This is a really great eye shadow brush for packing on color and I haven’t had issues with hairs falling out. At $1 you really can’t beat this for a basic everyday brush.

Blending Eye Brush

I have had this brush for over a year and get quite a bit of use out of it. It works well for blending, and I also use it sometimes for the outer V of the eye. The brush head did seperate off of the handle, but for a $1 brush it has defintely lived up to my expectations.

Concealer Brush

I actually do not use this for concealer! I use it with nail polish remover to clean up nail polish that gets around my cuticles or skin by my nail beds. I need to pick up another one of these and see how it works for its intended purpose ; ) But, it is AWESOME for cleaning up around your nails because it is such a small brush, and it doesn’t leave fuzzies like Q-tips. Just make sure once you use it on your nails, you only use it on your nails.

Small Stipple Brush

This is such a great little brush! I like it for stippling on concealer, cream highlighters, and cream blushes! I want to pick up a couple of these! I highly suggest picking this brush up! It is a lot smaller than any of my other stippling brushes, so I showed it next to my Real Techniques Stippling Brush for comparison.

Kabuki Face Brush

This brush is SO soft! I just picked this brush up, but I really like it for buffing and blending in powders. I washed it once just to see how it handled after a wash, and it did well with no fallout.

Face:

Blush in Candid Coral

This blush is SO soft! It feels wonderful!! It is a sheer, very light coral color that can be built up to a blush or used as a gorgeous highlight. It is light, but I think that this would be beautiful on lots of skin tones. This is one of my favorite e.l.f products and I want to pick up more colors! I also want to try the baked blushes! Have you tried e.l.f blushes? Do you like them? I would love to hear from you! Comment (click on the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder in St. Lucia

This is another item that I just recently picked up because I thought it looked perfect for traveling. I love the blush color! It blends beautifully. The contouring bronzer is a tad more orange than I like and it does contain a very subtle shimmer, so I wasn’t sure if I would like it as a contour. As a bronzer, it is very pretty!!! I actually can use it as a contour if I use a very light hand and really blend it into the skin. This has been compared to Nars Blush/Bronzer Duo in Orgasm/Laguna…so for $3 what a fun dupe to try out : )

Eyes:

Long-Lasting Lustrous Eye Shadow in Toast

This is a super soft mousse texture that blends beautifully! This color is very sparkly, but I was able to sheer it out to a wearable look for me. I wore this as a base to make my other eye shadows *pop* and it held up very well. I really want to try the new e.l.f smudge pots that are being compared to M.A.C Paint Pots and Maybelline Color Tattoos.

Liquid Eyeliner in Black

This is eyeliner is SO black! The brush isn’t my favorite, but for $1 it is completely worth it to grab this and apply with an eyeliner brush! You can use the wand that it comes with, and I find that it works okay for a simple thin line.

Skin Care:

Moisture Stick

This is something that I always have in my bag!! It is fantastic to have on hand! I like to use it under my eyes if my concealer begins to crease (I got this idea from the amazing Emily Noel of BeautyBroadcast.net ) but you could for sure use this for dry spots on your hands, elbows, or knees as well!

My e.l.f collection is pretty tiny, but overall I am very impressed with the quality of the products! I have yet to try any eye shadows or lip products from elf, so if you have any recommendations let me know!

Thank you so much for reading this! If you have tried e.l.f products let me know your thoughts by commenting or finding me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! If you have already subscribed, thank you! If you haven’t yet and you enjoy my blog, please subscribe! It’s easy, just enter your email in the box on the right and you’ll only get emails when I post something new : ) Have a beautiful weekend loves!

HOW TO FIX BROKEN EYE SHADOW! QUICK TUTORIAL!

April 28, 2014 & Leave a Comment

Hi There! Happy Monday!

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! Our daughter turned 3 on Saturday, and we celebrated with family and friends! It was a great party, and we were so happy that she had fun : ) In my April PopSugar Must Have Box my Too Faced eye shadow palette arrived with one of the shadows broken, PopSugar replaced it, but I wanted to repair my broken one too. Today I thought that I would show you a quick tutorial on how to repair broken eye shadow, blush, bronzer, or most powder makeup products. There are several ways to do this, and I have pinned several different techniques on my Pinterest, but I am going to show you my favorite method.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

Broken eye shadow or other powder product ; )

A pen

Aluminum foil

Scissors

Rubbing alcohol in a small spray bottle

Paper towel

Chapstick tube

STEP 1:

This step is only needed if your eye shadow is in a palette with other shadows. Use the aluminum foil to cover up the shadows that are not broken.

STEP 2:

Use the pen to smash the broken pieces powder until it looks like a finely milled loose powder.

STEP 3:

Spray fairly heavily with rubbing alcohol.

STEP 4:

Wrap your chapstick tube in paper towel and press down onto the broken powder.

STEP 5:

Allow to dry for several hours and Ta-Da! Your powder may not be as pretty as before it broke, but it should work just as well and be all in one piece!

I hope that this was helpful for you! Please feel free to pin this onto your Pinterest account by clicking the pink “pin” button that shows up when you scroll over any of the pictures. If you have any questions or comments, let me know by commenting (click on the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this, and I hope you have a wonderful week! Don’t forget to subscribe! : )

Wet n’ Wild Limited Edition Spring 2014 Collection “And The Style Award Goes to…”

March 28, 2014 & 8 Comments

Hi There! Happy Friday!!

Today I am going to be showing you the Wet n’ Wild Spring 2014 Limited Edition Collection “And The Style Award Goes To…” I FINALLY got my hands on the entire collection with the help of a dear friend. I want to share it with all of you while it is still available in stores if you are interested. If you enjoy seeing posts like this, please take a minute to subscribe (enter your email in the subscribe box on the right and you will get emails each time my posts go up! That’s it!).

COLLECTION BASICS:

What’s in the Collection:

6 New Limited Edition Megalast Nail Polishes

2 New Limited Edition Eight Pan Eye Shadow Palettes

Where to buy:

The Wet n’ Wild Spring Collection is not at every drugstore so it can be a little hard to track down, but I suggest trying CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens Pharmacy or Big Kmart.

TIP: If you frequent a certain drugstore, it never hurts to befriend an associate in the cosmetics section. It sounds silly but I always make small talk with my local Walgreens employees! It makes it a lot more likely that they’ll actually want to help you find something, or mention your interest in certain brands to upper management. It can’t hurt!

MEGALAST NAIL POLISH INFORMATION AND SWATCHES:

This is without a doubt one of my favorite lines of nail polish, and definitely my favorite drugstore line of nail polish. They have a large brush that makes application easy, and they stay on the nails really well. I was super excited when I saw these new spring colors because most of my Megalast colors are brighter or bold shades, so it will be nice to have some more neutral, pastel colors from the line. These polishes retail from $1.50-$2.00

Sophisticated Lady 34359

This is a very light pink pearly frost polish. At first I thought I might be disappointed in this color, but I don’t have any other pinks like this in my collection and I ended up really liking this color on the nail. Frost polish can be hard to apply without getting brush strokes showing on the nail, but you can use a sponge tip eye shadow applicator to avoid this. If you are interested in seeing the sponge nail polish technique let me know in the comments (comment by clicking on the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. This color is shown with two coats of polish.

Candid Affair 34360

This is one of my favorites! It is a beauty with a cream base and lots of shimmer! I love lavender nails in the springtime. This color is shown with two coats of polish, but I will probably do three in the future.

Silver Lining 34358

This color looks really nice in the bottle, a blueish gray color with a hint of shimmer. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come off that way on the nail. It is very sheer and required three coats to get any sort of real pigmentation. With three coats it still isn’t what I expect by looking at the bottle and still isn’t opaque. I will still wear this, but don’t let the bottle fool you! This is shown with three coats of polish.

Valet Tag 34361

I love this color! It’s a gorgeous taupe cream with just a hint the right amount of shimmer. It applied very easily and was opaque. This is shown with two coats of polish.

Champagne 34362

This is a beautiful champagne pearly frost. It is not opaque, but I don’t mind that at all. I think this is a great neutral color that would look great with lots of different looks.

Elegance 34357

This is a white frost that is very pearly looking on the nail. I am happy to have this color because usually when you see true whites they are pretty plain.

Overall, all six of these colors are either shimmery or a frost, so be aware of that. I think they are very different for the Megalast line and I can’t wait to wear them for spring!

8 PAN EYE SHADOW INFORMATION AND SWATCHES:

I love Wet n’ Wild eye shadows because the prices really can’t be beat, and they are very pigmented. These retail for about $5. All of my swatches are shown without an eye shadow primer to try to show exactly what you get, but I would highly suggest using one with these eye shadows.

Flirting at the Afterparty 34356

This is a purple palette that I think is very on trend with the Pantone Color of the Year: Radiant Orchid. I typically stick with neutrals, but I think that this will be a lot of fun to play around with.

Walking the Red Carpet 34355

This is such a stunning neutral palette! This is perfect for everyday wear. The glittery gold shades were a little more sheer swatched than they look in pan, but if you packed the color on the lid I think you could still really build it up.

Do you like limited edition makeup collections? They kind of drive me nuts because they can be so hard to find, but I also love having new options out all the time. Let me know your comments, questions, or thoughts in the comments (click the link by the title of this post to comment) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

March 2014 Collective Beauty Haul from Sephora, Estée Lauder, and CVS Pharmacy

March 26, 2014 & 1 Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Today I have a collective beauty haul for you! My birthday was a couple weeks ago, so there are a few birthday gifts, and I also did a little shopping this past weekend. This haul has stuff from: Sephora, Estée Lauder, and CVS Pharmacy. Links to all of the items mentioned are in pink as always and I have created a luvocracy collection for more information on the products or if you want to shop for them online.

SEPHORA:

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes:

I have been in love with the Hourglass Ambient Powders since late 2013. I received a limited edition Ambient Lighting Powder set for Christmas that has Dim Light, Incandescent Light (limited edition), and Radiant Light. This set it no longer available, but you can purchase Dim Light and Radiant Light individually, as well as the other Ambient Lighting Powders in the permanent collection. I was so excited when I heard about their blushes launching, and at first they were very hard to find, but now they are readily available at Sephora. Each blush is swirled with one of the Ambient Lighting Powders.

Diffused Heat:

This is described on Sephora.com as “vibrant poppy blushed combined with Diffused Light for a subtle halo effect”. This is a beautiful pinkish coral color that isn’t too orange.

Dim Infusion:

This is described on Sephora.com as “subdued coral blush fused with Dim Light to add warmth”. I have a hard time with coral blushes, and often reach for more blue toned pinks, but this is the perfect coral! It isn’t orange at all. These blushes have a beautiful shimmer, but it isn’t chunky or too much. This shade is very light, but I was surprised at how pigmented it really is! I think that it would be a nice highlight or layered over other blushes as well.

Overall I think these blushes are beautiful! They are a bit pricy at $35 a piece for .15 oz. I really did my research figuring out which of the shades I wanted by looking at swatches online and at Sephora. They seem to last all day on my combination skin, and remain true to color. I think I will have them for a long time time because they are very pigmented and you don’t need to apply very much product per wear.

Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray:

I am a big fan of makeup setting sprays! I first used one for my wedding almost 4 years ago and have been using them ever since. I have only used Urban Decay All Nighter and De-slick. De-slick is meant to be oil controlling, but I find that All Nighter controls my oily spots just about the same. I like to use this after I have put on my foundation and concealer, and then again after everything but mascara is done. Using a setting spray like this one helps my makeup to stay on longer. I also love that it helps to give a more fresh-faced look, by helping to prevent a cakey or powdery appearance after applying lots of powder products. The one I got is a 1oz. travel size for $14 but the regular is a better deal at $30 for 4 oz. Urban Decay made an “XL” 6 oz. version when they had the old packaging, but I haven’t seen it since they launched the new packaging.

Benefit The Porefessional:

I will buy this primer again & again! I have combination/oily skin with my largest pores on either side of my nose. I love that this is a pore minimizer and primer in one. It is $31 for .75 US fl. oz. and I find that one tube lasts me a long time even with daily use.

Benefit They’re Real Mascara:

I received this as part of my birthday gift from Sephora for being a beauty insider. I love this brush and can’t wait to try this out! I do not like using the mini mascara sample tubes in general because I find it’s harder to get the brush exactly where I want it, but it’s great for travel or to toss in your purse.

Benefit Watt’s Up Soft Focus Highlighter:

I am a big big fan of highlights and couldn’t wait to try this one! This little baby is what made me pick the benefit cosmetics set for my free birthday gift for being a beauty insider. It’s a beautiful champagne color that is very soft to the touch cream-to-powder formula that applies in stick form. I really like the stick form, it allows for precise application and it is hard to mess up. It seems to blend well with the fingers, but I haven’t tried it with a brush yet.

ESTÉE LAUDER:

I finally was at a Macy’s this past weekend and was able to go to Estée Lauder to be color matched.

Double Wear Foundation:

I’m really excited to try this foundation! I love my Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet + and have heard that this is also a great choice for people with combination/oily skin. They were out of my shade (I believe it is 1C1 Cool Bone) and are shipping it to my house, so I do not have a picture yet.

Double Wear Brush-On Glow BB Highlighter:

This is a new product for the under eye area that conceals, brightens, and highlights. I have very dark circles and was amazed at how well this concealed them. While I was being color matched the makeup artist also used the product to highlight the brow area and it looked beautiful for that as well. I only had this on for a couple of hours, but didn’t notice any creasing under the eyes (a total pet peeve of mine with lots of under eye concealers!). My shade is 1N Extra Light.

Lily Pulitzer free gift with $35 purchase:

This gift is so fun for spring! I was especially excited about the Lily Pulitzer print! It’s completely up my alley and oh so adorable!

You could pick your eye shadow quad, lipstick, and moisturizer out of a couple different options. My mom ended up taking the lipstick since they had a color she really liked. They also threw in an extra mascara and lipgloss duo ended wand because they didn’t have the foundation in stock and had to ship it to my house. You can see more about the limited edition gift Estée Lauder gift here. The sales associate also told me that later this spring they will have a larger Lily Pulitzer tote for those who might be interested in that! Do you ever buy something at a makeup counter just to get the free gift? Let me know in the comments (comment by clicking the link next to the title of this post) or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! I didn’t know about this gift ahead of time, but this is one that I might actually do that for! Especially because I could use the exuse of stocking up on a staple item and getting some freebies out of it.

Lily Pulitzer Makeup Bag

Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara in Black

Take It Away Makeup Remover Lotion

Advanced Night Repair Serum

Pure Color Eye Shadow quad with lily Pulitzer packaging (60 Sugar Biscuit, 47 Nude Fresco, 35 Hot Cinnamon, 45 Lavish Mink)

DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme SPF 15

Shimmer Lipstick in Sugar Honey

CVS PHARMACY:

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 001 Black:

I love my Scandaleyes eyeliner in nude for an everyday brightening look for the waterline and wanted to try out the black.

Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink:

I have been hearing about these Milani blushes for months and just now got around to picking one up! It has a lot of shimmer and sparkle to it, so if that isn’t your thing you would probably want to pass. I think that the gold shimmer is enough to skip a highlighter when using this blush, and it applies and blends beautifully. It reminds me a lot of Nars Orgasm.

Out The Door America’s #1 Super Fast Drying Top Coat For Nails:

I love this top coat because it is fast drying, inexpensive, and I don’t get the annoying shrinkage that can happen after applying some top coats (shrinkage is where the polish looks like it pulled away from the tip of the nail or when it looks like you have tip wear but just applied the polish).

Phew! That was a long one! If you are reading this, thank you VERY much!! I can’t wait to really dig in to all these new goodies! If you would like a review or more information on any of these items, please let me know by commenting (click the link by the title of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Friday Favorite: Benjabelle Brush Tree Information and Review

March 21, 2014 & 1 Comment

Hi There! Happy Friday!!!

I have a Friday Favorite for you all today! I want to review a very handy and innovative product: The Benjabelle Brush Tree.

The Benjabelle Brush Tree is a product that allows you to dry your makeup brushes vertically so that no water gets into the ferrule of your brush. You should never dry your makeup brushes with the brush part up because water will run into the ferrule, causing it to eventually start to fall apart. Before receiving my Sunflower Benjabelle Brush Tree for Christmas, I would dry my brushes horizontally on a towel. That option works, but takes up a lot of space and can cause very large powder or kabuki brushes to become flat on one side.

One of the things I liked instantly when I went to the website www.benjabelle.com is how personable the creators, a husband and wife duo, seemed. The about us page is completely adorable and just warms my heart. The Benjabelle Brush tree comes with easy care and cleaning instructions. The brush tree also has a money back guarantee. Three pieces come that piece together: two for the trunk or the base, and one for the top. The Benjabelle Trees are made in America with American made materials. There are four different brush tree models: The Original, The Mini, The Daisy, and The Sunflower (they can be seen here and I have The Sunflower). They also sell two different brush cleaners, which I have not tried so I cannot speak to, and a brush tree base spinner that is not necessary, but I think it is really cool!

How It Works:

To use the brush tree you slide the two trunk pieces together and then I like to put the top piece onto my vanity before pressing the trunk into a slot at the top. It is really easy and very secure.

You then go ahead and wash you makeup brushes as usual (if you would like to see how I wash my brushes, let me know by leaving a comment at the top of this post) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!) and then insert the brush handle from underneath the brush tree. When the brushes are dry, pull the brushes up through the top!

I think that the brush tree is an amazing, simple, and brilliant invention! I think any makeup lover or makeup artist would be happy to have it in their beauty arsenal. Also, this isn’t marketed this way that I know of, but I think that it would be awesome for artists out there as well! I am not really an artist (read: I draw stick people…) but my husband is, and I know that this would be something that he could use for his paint brushes, so thought I would throw that out there.

Obviously, I really love this product and can’t stop gushing about it! But that is because it is THAT good.

How do you dry your makeup brushes? Tell me in the comments (comment at the top of each post), or find me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! If you have any thoughts, questions or if there is a product you would like to see me review, please feel free to let me know! If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe by entering your email in the subscribe box on the right hand side of the page. For those who have subscribed, thank you! I hope you all have an wonderful weekend!

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