My favorite makeup brushes

Hello everyone!

Today I thought I would tell you about my favorite makeup brushes! These are the brushes I reach for pretty much everyday.

MAC 266SE

I use this brush every day to fill in my eyebrows. It's nice and stiff and it's the perfect size. I especially love this one because the handle is so cute. I got it in a set from a CCO a little over a year ago.

Real Techniques Shading brush

This is by far my favorite brush for eyeshadow. This is ALWAYS the first one I reach for. It just puts color on the lid so nicely! It's also super soft.

Sigma E30 Pencil brush

This pencil brush is perfect. I love to use it to place eyeshadow in the outer V area. It's nice and soft but still firm.

Sigma E45 Small Tapered Blending brush

I love using this brush for my crease. It blends out the color beautifully and it is just a great brush.

BH Cosmetics Angled Eyeshadow brush

This brush is way to big for me to use it to put color all over the lid. I feel like it just gets everywhere and gets all messy. What I like to use this for is blending. It's so soft and the top is pretty dense, so once I'm done with my eyeshadow I use this to blend out the edges. It's PERFECT. I remember when I first used this brush to blend and it changed my life. I never put color on it- it's purely for blending.

ELF Blush Brush

I recently purchased 2 of these because I heard they were good for highlighting. They are SOOO soft I seriously was not expecting it. I'm so happy I bought these because it's the perfect brush for highlighting my cheeks. I use the second brush for setting my under eye concealer with powder and it works great.

Sigma F40 Large Angled Contour brush

This is my favorite blush brush. Soft and dense and applies my blush perfectly.

MAC 129SE

This is another brush I got in the set I bought from a CCO. I use this brush to apply my bronzer and I find that it's my favorite one. It's soft but still dense (do you see a trend here...) enough to apply the color and blend it nicely.

I have a bunch of brushes, but these are the ones I use every day. If I had to throw out all of my brushes, these are the only ones I would keep....and also my ELF kabuki. :)

What are your favorite brushes?

Buy them here!
BH Cosmetics
Sigma
MAC (both of the brushes are available in the permanent collection)
ELF
Real Techniques

Thanks for reading!

What I got for Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Is it weird to show you what I got for Christmas? Maybe? A little? Oh well!

I am so very grateful for the wonderful people in my life and the lovely gifts they got for me. :)

From the parents...

1. Urban Decay Naked 3 palette

2. Benefit They're Real! mascara

3. Benefit Dallas blush

4. Benefit Hoola bronzer

5. 2014 Yoga Cats calendar- I've had this calendar every year for the past 3 years annnnnd it's amazing. Each month has a picture of a cat doing a different yoga position. I'm weird, I know.

From the boyfriend...

1. Coach sunglasses- They are gold rimmed and the lens is brown. I fell in love when we were shopping together and he secretly put them on hold. :)

2. A mini bluetooth speaker- I love listening to Pandora Radio while I shower, but I hate taking my phone in the bathroom. Now I can leave my phone in my room and still listen to music while I shower!

3. A camera strap from Coopers Collars.

4. A teacup- This is not just any teacup....it's Chip from Beauty and the Beast!!! OBSESSED. My boyfriend ordered this from Tokyo Disney!! 

5. LUSH goodies- a few bath bombs, a lotion bar thingy, and my favorite hand cream in the entire world, Helping Hands.

From myself (...yep, I do that)

1. A Coach purse- I realllly needed a new one. I like small purses, but my last one was too small. This one is perfect and I love the color!

2. Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette- I've actually been using this for a little while and I'm in love <3

3. Bobbi Brown Beach perfume- THIS SMELLS LIKE SUNBLOCK AND IT'S FANTASTIC.

4. GHD hair straightener- So glad I bought this, it's awesome!

My best friend got me a grumpy cat calendar, a Jiminy Cricket ornament, a Sephora giftcard, and a picture of us in a frame. :) 

This was an awesome Christmas! Was Santa good to you?!

Thanks for reading!

A product I'm not too fond of...

So I have a product that I thought was lovely when I first tried it out, Benefit Fake Up concealer.

Turns out, it's not all that great.

:(


This concealer is said to be hydrating and crease free. This creases literally as soon as I put it on my under eye area.

The actual concealer is surrounded by a ring of hydrating product, but I just find it to be suuuuper greasy.

It's very easy to apply in the stick form, but somewhat difficult to blend out because of how greasy it is. The thing that bothers me the most about this product is that it never actually sets. After it's applied, it doesn't dry and just stays kind of tacky. I use a setting powder over top but it's still tacky all day long.

This concealer only comes in 3 colors; light, medium, and deep. I have the color light (yay for being pale) and I find it to be a little too yellow for under my eyes. I also don't find the coverage to be that great.

I was really hoping to like this product since I love a bunch of other Benefit products (also because the lady in Sephora talked about how great it is) but alas, it doesn't work for me.

However, I will continue to use this product because I will not be wasteful and throw $24 worth of concealer away!

Have you tried this product? What are your thoughts on it?

Thanks for reading!

Dior Amber Diamond Shimmer Powder

There is one product in every girl's makeup collection that is special and cherished, this is my cherished product.

Every time I take it out to use it I hold it like this:

.....just kidding.


Dior Amber Diamond Shimmer Powder is by far my favorite makeup product I own. It is absolutely perfect.

This highlighting powder is very smooth and fine, it glides right on the skin. It gives the most beautiful glow on the cheekbones. The lasting power is incredible. I'll come home after wearing my makeup for about 9 or 10 hours, look in the mirror and I can still see that subtle glow on my cheeks.

The powder has 5 strips of bronze colors that make a beautiful bronze highlight color when mixed together.

Swatches of each individual color strip on the left

swatch of all colors mixed on the far right

My favorite thing about this powder is that is has not one, but two uses!
I LOVE using this as an eyeshadow, it looks great and lasts all day.
I use the second color from the left all over my lid, and the darkest color in my crease and outer corner.

So in short, I'm obsessed with this powder and it is the best makeup purchase I have ever made. Seriously. I am in love.

At $46 this beauty is very pricy, but VERY worth it. I've owned it for over a year, I use it all the time, and I'm not even close to running out. You can purchase it from Sephora, or any Dior counter at department stores.

What's your product you can't live without?

Thanks for reading!

Current favorite mascaras

I can't believe it...but I have had pretty good luck with trying new mascaras lately! I thought I would share my favorite mascaras at the moment.

I swear this isn't on purpose, but they're all L'oreal brand. They've been putting out awesome mascaras lately!

L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions

Edit: After I took the original pictures, I threw out the mascara (it dried out) and bought a new one

in the carbon black color. I realized the original close up was blurry, so I had to take a new picture-which

is why this one has different packaging!

This is no shocker. I've loved this mascara for a while now, it's one of those all in one, don't even have to think about it mascaras. It lengthens and it gives my lashes lots of volume and I love it.

L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly 

I am loving this mascara! It has this interesting wand, one side is short while the other side has long bristles on the end. It really works to fan out those outer lashes, giving a butterfly affect. This mascara is great for lengthening the lashes and giving them that butterfly look.

L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess

Most of the time when I try a new mascara, it takes me a little time to warm up to it. Not with this one. I started putting it on and literally said "whoa". This mascara gives me so much volume, it's amazing. The brush is very similar to the Shocking Extensions wand, except the bristles are longer and bigger. I love it. This is a bold statement here....but I would say this mascara is comparable to Benefit They're Real! mascara.

All three of these mascaras have rubber bristles. I prefer rubber bristles over regular bristles. I feel like they grasp my lashes better and just overall make my lashes look better.

What mascaras are you loving right now?

Thanks for reading!

Stila In The Light palette

Hi everyone!

Today I bring you a post about one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes, the Stila In The Light Palette.

Ugh...so beautiful. <3

This Stila palette is a neutral palette that has 10 eyeshadows- 4 matte, 6 shimmer.

Please excuse my poor swatching. I need more practice!

Top row (L-R): Bare, Kitten, Bliss, Sunset, Sandstone.
Bottom row (L-R): Bubbly, Gilded Gold, Luster, Night Sky, Ebony.

All of the shadows in this palette are super soft. They glide right on, no chalkiness, and they have awesome pigmentation. I think that Stila shadows are probably the softest shadows I've ever used.

My favorite look with this palette is Kitten on the lid, Bliss in the crease, and Sunset on the outer half of the lid. I use Bare as my brow highlight and I like using Ebony and Luster together on a angled brush as an eyeliner.

This palette also comes with a brown eyeliner but I didn't find it very special. Just your ordinary brown liner.

I already own the Naked and Naked2 palettes and I feel like the shades in the Stila palette are so different from the Naked palettes. Okay even if they're not that different, you can never have enough neutral eye shadows! Am I right?!

At $39, this palette is definitely affordable (single Stila shadows are $18) and it would be a great addition to anyone's collection.

You can get this palette from Sephora or Ulta.

Thanks for reading!

My current favorites

Hello everyone!

Today I bring you a post all about my current beauty favorites! These are the products I have been reaching for the most over the past month or two.

My MAC eyeshadow Palette

From left to right starting on top- Phloof!, Jest, All That Glitters, Shale, Trax, Paradisco

Okay, okay....I can't say I've been loving it for the past month because I just got 4 of these colors (and the palette itself) a few days ago. But for the past few days it's all I've used!! I am totally in love with the shades I have in here. My favorite is the very first one, Phloof! It is so reflective and beautiful....awesome color to use in the tear duct to highlight.

Benefit Rockateur Blush

Ever since this blush was released, no one has been able to stop talking about it...and I totally understand why. This blush is beautiful! It gives a perfect rosy-glowy-flushed look. It looks very shimmery at first, but once you get past the top layer it is not that shimmery at all. Also, THE SMELL. <3

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer

This is literally the only concealer I've used for a while. It's just perfect. It covers my dark circles. Need I say more?

MAC Cleanse-Off Oil (Tranquil)

I can describe this product in a scenario.....If someone ever asked me to do without this product for a week and was holding it in their hands, I would snatch it from them and run away screaming. It's THAT good. I have never used an eye makeup remover that takes off my makeup so easily. I just pump some in my fingers, rub into my eye makeup, rinse, and I'm good! You get the oh so attractive "panda eyes" but then just rinse it all off and you're all good. I use the Tranquil version, but I've also used the regular version and they do the exact same thing. The only difference is I feel that Tranquil is a lot more gentle on my skin.

Almay Liquid Lip Balm

From left to right: Cantaloupe Cream, Apricot Pucker, Apple A Day

This is such a nice gloss! It's a little bit more opaque than a normal lipgloss, and it feels so nice on the lips. I'm in love with these.

L'Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black mascara 

This is my go to mascara for those mornings when I just throw on some mascara and concealer under my eyes and run out of the door (because I'm usually running late). It makes my lashes so long and it's very natural looking. Definitely one I always have to keep in rotation.


So that's it! What have you been loving lately?

Links!
MAC palette
MAC shadows
Rockateur blush
Maybelline concealer
L'Oreal mascara
MAC cleanse off oil
Almay lip balm

Thanks for reading!

Mascara fails

Lately I have had absolutely no luck with trying new mascaras.

I don't really need any new mascaras, but I just love trying new ones.

The two that I tried recently are Revlon Lash Potion and Covergirl Flamed out.

Let's talk about the obvious first. The packaging on both of these mascaras is adorable, especially the the Lash Potion!

Unfortunately both of these just did not work for my lashes. They both have huge wands, and I feel like they are way too big for me. The mascara literally got all over my eyelids.

They both also have bristle brushes, which I'm generally not a fan of. I usually like mascara wands with plastic brushes or rubber bristles (like L'oréal Telescopic Shocking Extensions or Maybelline One by One)

I feel like neither of these brushes really grabbed my lashes. They just kind of grazed them and colored my lashes a bit. They did absolutely nothing to make my lashes look good.

That's pretty much all I have to say about these mascaras. I just flat out did not like them.

Have you tried any products you haven't liked lately?

Talk to you soon!

Beauty Wish List

Hey everyone!!

There are sooo many high end beauty products I am dying to get my hands on! Here are a few I've been lusting after lately.

Stila Smudgepot in Kitten
This is a champagne colored cream eyeshadow. Every time I go into Ulta or Sephora I swatch this on my hand, and then I walk around the store staring at my hand because the swatch is gorgeous. I haven't purchased it yet because I own MAC Bare Study paint pot and I find that the colors of the two cream shadows are very similar, and I don't really need the Stila smudgepot. Maybe one day...

I also own an obscene amount of MAC paint pots, so I really don't think I'll be needing a new cream shadow anytime soon.

Josie Maran Cheek Gelée
This product is sort of like a cream blush, but more of a gel consistency. I love testing this on my hand whenever I go into Sephora. It glides on so smoothly and the color is so sheer and I just love it. I really want this in Poppy Paradise and I'm pretty sure I'll be picking this up next time I'm in Sephora!

Bare Minerals Well Rested Under eye brightening powder
I have super dark under eye circles, so I am always looking for anything that will help cover those bad boys up. This is supposed to be a powder to set your under eye concealer and brighten the area as well.

I actually picked up this powder recently and I wasn't going to include this (since I owned it it's obviously not on my wishlist anymore!) but I actually returned it today so I figured I'd share my thoughts. I used this the same night I bought it and didn't really see much a difference, but I thought I'd try the next day with a fresh layer of concealer. I took off all my makeup and went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning my under eye area was swollen, bright red, and itchy. There were no questions whether I'd be trying it again or returning it.

Dior Eye Quad
I have been dying to try a super high end eye quad but I wasn't sure what brand. I first wanted to try Burberry because I've heard great things about their makeup line, but I couldn't find anything in any stores and I want to test out a product before I shell out $65 for eyeshadow...so I decided against it. I figured I LOVE my Dior Amber Diamond and Rose Diamond highlighting powders, so why not try their eyeshadows? I swatched a few different quads in Sephora and I fell in love, but I just can't bring myself to spend that much money on the eye shadows just yet. Maybe for Christmas.

Bobbi Brown Extra Repair eye cream
I have deep wrinkles under my eyes already (how?!?!?) so I really want to try an intense eye cream. I'm currently using the Michael Todd eye cream and I'm not a fan at all. It's too light and I feel like it is very greasy and I don't find it hydrating. Once I finish that up I will be purchasing the Bobbi Brown eye cream.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave in spray
Again, I've heard so many people rave about this product. I just can't bring myself to spend $20 on a tiny bottle of leave in conditioning spray.

Sleek products
I have heard these blushes and bronzers are amazing. I looked them up online and the colors are beautiful!! I've been meaning to order a few, but one of the colors I wanted wasn't in stock at the time. Hopefully I'll be ordering some blushes soon. :)

Benefit Hoola Bronzer
This is yet another product I test out every time I go into Sephora or Ulta and I love it. I have the NYC Sunny bronzer and it works just fine, so I don't need Hoola. I only use bronzer to warm up my skin, so for me there is no reason to have a variety of bronzers. Once I run out of the NYC bronzer I will probably pick Hoola up.


That's all that's on my wish list right now!

What products have you been wanting to try?

You can get these products from Sephora, Ulta, and Sleek!

Talk to you soon!

Nail of the Day

I am leaving for Jamaica in about 3 hours....and I am still not tired, so I figured I'd do a quick post before I leave!

My NOTD: Essie Mint Candy Apple and Essie Set in Stones

I am extra excited about my nails right now. I never get to paint my nails fun colors (because of my job....boo).

This is 2 coats of Mint Candy Apple and about 3 to 4 coats of Set in Stones on my accent nail.

The bright color is perfect for a tropical vacation!

What nail polish are you currently wearing?

Talk to you soon!