My favorite brushes

I’ve been on the hunt for new brushes and then I realized that I literally use the same brushes everyday and I wanted to gather all of the brushes that I couldn’t live without.

 

 

Anastasia Duo Brush #12 ($18)

This brush obviously helps me use my Dipbrow. The bristles are soft but firm enough to help me carve and fill my brows.

Morphe M433 ($5.99)

Again, another fluffy brush I literally have 3 of them so that I don’t have to wash mine everyday haha.

Benefit Hoola Bronzing Brush ($24)

I love this to bronze my forehead, neck and cheeks. It gives me a sun kissed look without being too much. I also LOVE the gold bamboo handle and the teal bristles.

Anastasia A23 ($25)

I bought this brush when I bought my first Anastasia Glow Kit and this brush packs on my highlight without leaving a stripe of highlight on my cheek.

MAC 242 ($25)

I am “borrowing” this one from my mom since she never uses it. I love this for apply my paint pot on my eye or using it to pack on shimmer shades on my lid. My mom has had it for a very long time and it is still going strong.

Morphe R39 ($5.99)

Hands down on of the best fluffy brushes to buff crease colors out!

Morphe M124 ($3.99)

I love this to highlight my inner corners to make them pop. This also work to pack on glitters / shimmers for a halo eye look.

Zoeva 102 Silk Finish ($19.50)

My step sister brought this back for me from Germany and I love buffing my foundation in with the brush – it doesn’t leave my foundation streaky and doesn’t soak up my foundation.

Real Techniques Setting Brush ($7.99)

I love this for either highlighting my cheek bones or setting my under eye concealer with translucent powder!

Morphe R12 ($6.99)

I prefer this fan brush over any other fan brush I have ever tried. This allows me to pack on the highlight especially above the eyebrow, cupids bow and nose.

Morphe M333 ($3.99)

For nose and under lip contour, this is my brush. It lets me contour my nose to perfection and gives the illusion of bigger lips.

Anastasia A1 ($18)

This brush is great for concealing my brows for cleaner lines and even concealing my blemishes.

Morphe R2 ($14.99)

Hands down my favorite powder brush, it’s so fluffy and I can apply powder into certain areas of my face. I also love the rose gold and black on the handle.

ELF Pointed Powder Brush ($6)

This is a new find, I love to kick off my bake with this brush and it’s affordable.

Morphe M523 ($14.99)

Not gonna like but I bought this because of Jaclyn Hill. I love the white bristles because they’re so soft. This brush is great for bronzing and contouring the face!

Morphe M535 ($5.99)

This brush is great to diffuse shadows, blending out crease and transition shades out into perfection!

Sephora Collection 47 Foundation Brush ($30, $15 for LE)

This is a newer find because I am so used to applying my foundation with a beauty blender. I love how this brush has a little paddle shape to it, making it so easy to paint on your foundation and the shape helps get into the hard to reach places (ei. on the sides of my nose) and it doesn’t leave brush strokes. This packaging is limited edition and I ended up purchasing it because its on sale and I ended up paying only $9 for it!

 

You definitely do not need to spend big bucks on brushes, I just like what I like. Also, to keep your brushes in great shape for longer and cleaner applications; WASH YOUR BRUSHES! I used to wash my brushes once a blue moon but I just hated my makeup getting caked up in the bristles and my products going on streaky and patchy. I clean my foundation / cream brushes daily and eye brushes after 2 / 3 uses. I usually use my Vera Mona Color Switch to change colors. Cleaning your brushes helps brushes keep their shape, softness, prevent bristle fallouts and keeping bacteria off of your face!

These were just a few of my favorite brushes, what are some of the brushes you can’t live without? Thanks for reading!

xo

 

Lipstick Collection: Part 1

I’ve been seeing so many people posting their lipstick collections and I wanted to get on this train haha. I have to break it down into 3 parts because if I did them all in one, it would be long and super boring and I wouldn’t be able to finish it if I was a reader haha.

My liquid lipsticks:

 

 

Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick

• Ludwig
• Bow And Arrow
• Ophelia
• Lolita
• Lolita 2
• Mini K Dub (x2)

Sephora Collection Cream Lip Stain

• Chai Latte
• Dark Forest
• Always Red

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick

• Daddy
• Androgyny
• Deceased

Kylie Cosmetics Liquid Lipstick

• Candy K
• Koko K
• Pumpkin
• Brown Sugar
• Exposed
• Love Bite
• Kristen
• Posie K

Girlactik Matte Lip Paint

• Posh

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick

• Stepping Out
• Out Loud

Lime Crime Matte Velevetines

• Squash
• Shroom

Bare Minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lipstick

• Om
• Slay

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream

• Abu Dhabi
• London
• Zurich

Nyx Liquid Suede

• Sandstorm
• Brooklyn Thorn
• Soft Spoken

Colourpop Ultra Satin

• Hello Kitty Tiny Chum

Huda Beauty Liquid Matte

• Flirt
• Venus
• Trendsetter

Mac Cosmetics Retro Matte Liquid Lipstick

• Burnt Spice
• Dash O’ Spice

Too Faced Melted Matte Liquid Lipstick

• Queen B

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick 

• Ashton

 

Honestly I have so many liquid lipsticks that I need to play with again like I barely touch my Kylie ones anymore so I need to make a note to use and rotate my lipsticks (Im guilty of using the same ones over and over). What are some of the liquid lipsticks in your collection? Thanks for reading!

xo

Training with Benefit Cosmetics

Today I had a two hour one on one training with Benefit Cosmetics! Angelina was so sweet she taught us about the brand, the products and even tips and tricks on how to use them on clients. As you know Benefit is all about Brows right now, with a new brow product on the way! There were tables that had pretty much all of their brow products, concealers and primers for us to play and learn!

She pretty much educated us on the products, how to use them, how to shade match and layering different products to give your brows dimension! She even did a live demo on our skincare lead, Ally! When that was over, we broke out into groups and we did our partners brows and vice versa, it was so much fun! I definitely learned that everybody has different eye brows and there isn’t necessarily a “right way to do brows” because everyone has preferences based on their face shape.

Benefit was so nice to provide us with coffee and Starbucks food ( being we had to come in at 8 am). I was the most excited about the goodie bags that I seen when I walked in, and the makeup bags that were left on the table!

What was inside the bags blew my mind! They gave us a full size of the Hoola Bronzer (which is the number one selling bronzer in the world!), They’re Real Mascara and Stay Don’t Stray Lid Primer! there was also a box with a Bauble Bar Jewelry piece (I got 2 pairs of earrings) and mini sized High Beam & Posie Tint! I’m so excited to try the High Beam and Posie Tint, because I have never tried them before! I already love the They’re Real Mascara and I have never tried the eye shadow primer.

Just when I thought that was it, they gave everyone the Bigger & Bolder Brows Kit. They brow kit has a travel sized Ready, Set, Brow Clear Brow Gel, Ka Brow in shade 5, High Brow and some Brow Stencils! We learned a lot about the Ka Brow today and it really made clean lines because the brush is so small! I can’t wait to see how it works on my eyes. I thought this was just a pomade like my Anastasia one, but this is actually a cream gel that has a powder finish for a more natural look. The best part is that this is waterproof and 24 hour wear!

NOW…. I really don’t have a use for TWO Hoola Bronzers because I already have one and I am nowhere near hitting pan on the one I have now.. so I want to put this in a giveaway in the near future, I am thinking about doing a giveaway when I get 100 followers, which I am so close too! I would be giving a few of my favorite products to a lucky winner! What do you guys think?

Heres me and some people from my store (others had to leave because they had to open the store) but our glasses were so cute they had pink glittery eyebrows on them!

Have you tried any of these products? What are your thoughts? Thanks for reading!

xo

July Favorites!

Honestly, where did this month go? I go back to school for my junior year in college next month! This year is going by too fast. Anyway, these products have been my favorites and I have been reaching for them a lot.

Fresh Vitamin Nectar Face Cream 

Hands down my favorite moisturizer to reach for when I’m doing a fresh faced look or if I want my skin to have a healthy glow under my foundation. Its packed with super fruits and vitamin c to boost your skin and it smells so good.

Bliss Triple Oxygen Mist 

I got this baby at TJ Max for $7.99, originally $38 (according to Macys) and its a great mist that hydrates my skin especially in this heat. The mist is super fine and smells like oranges!

Soleil Tan De Chanel 

Ok, I need to shut up about this but I’m just letting you guys know I have literally been using this everyday since I got it!

NUGG Lip Mask 

I got this on clearance at Target for $8, and its a great mask to do during your skin care regimen. I usually do this when I’m doing a mask or moisturizing my face. Since my lips are so dry from constant lip products and the sun this is a great way to hydrate my lips.

Tatcha Water Cream 

When I’m not using my Fresh moisturizer, I’m using this. I use this everyday and I am trying to conserve because all the stores around me are sold out, because this moisturizer is so good!

Mac lipstick in Spirit 

This lipstick is a “my lips but better” color with a satin finish, I just makes my lips look fuller and juicy. I don’t know what it is but Ive been obsessed with satin finishes.

Loreal Lash Paradise Mascara in Blackest Black 

This has been all over the place but this mascara does wonders on my little baby lashes. It even makes my bottom lashes look super full and it does not crumble or transfer on me which is a common issue I have with mascaras on the bottom lash line.

Cover FX Clear Cove SPF 30

I have been loving this as my sunscreen especially when going to the beach! Its lightweight and it doesn’t break me out!

What were some of your favorites from this month? I would love to know! Thanks for reading!

xo

National Lipstick Day 💄

Happy National Lipstick Day Everybody!! Even though today was just like any other day. This post is gonna be a bit chatty, sorry!

Okay anyways, so I work at Sephora and all day I have been answering the phone because people keep asking us “Oh are you giving out free lipsticks” or “whats the specials for lipstick day” and I’m like oh no we’re not doing anything like that. I also kept hearing comments like “oh well MAC is giving out free lipsticks” and I was thinking like.. go to MAC then! After I finished work I went to a MAC counter in Macys and there was nobody in there and when I went to buy my lipsticks I got charged full price. So I asked her about it and she was like “oh the free lipsticks were the extras we had from they Colour-Rock collection or something like that. So I was thinking MAC falsely advertised their “free lipstick” promotion and people are sharing their experiences with waiting in those long lines and getting let down. So I’m glad I didn’t wake up early and wait in the lines. But also, I heard regular MAC counters were letting you choose a color, I’m so annoyed. BUUUT, Anastasia Beverly Hills had a promotion that you can buy any 2 lip products and get 1 for free which is a great deal because their lipsticks are like $20. I was checking out Ulta and they had special promotions and deals- 40% off of Stila, 50% off of Tarte, 20% off of Ofra and BOGO Makeup Revolution but it is online only. I’m personally not gonna order from Ulta because their shipping is expensive for Hawaii and they take FOREVER to get my package here. Every time I have ordered from their website I emailed them and they had to refund my shipping fee. No Thanks!

Okay anyway again, I got this idea from Nova, to count how many lipsticks I have in my collection and well… I came up with 64, yeah I know its excessive but you can change your lip colors everyday or if you’re like me, you bring extra options in your bag incase you want to change your look! I love lipsticks, hence my blog name haha. Even though I couldn’t get a free lipstick from MAC, I still decided to celebrate and picked up two lipsticks!

Men Love Mystery: lavender violet, matte finish

Brave: pink-beige with white pearl, satin finish

I got Men Love Mystery because I have been seeing a lot of ladies wear orchid colored lipsticks and I have nothing like this and I am glad I got it, I applied it in the store and wore it home.

As for Brave, I wanted a pinky color and a satin finish because I mostly have nudes and I can’t wait to see what this looks like when I wear it out!

 

Did you stand in the Mac lines? What did you get? Thank you so much for reading guys!

xo

 

Review: Mac Soft & Gentle

Hi beauties!

Since we all know I have been on a MAC kick. you know I have to get  highlighter because I had one of everything else! I was looking at getting a Extra Dimension Skin Finish, but I honestly didn’t want a duo chrome metallic highlight so I watched a lot of videos and it was obvious that the Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle was the number one recommended highlighter from MAC. The mineralize skin finishes are baked products and they are very soft and light on the skin. I’m weird and I decided to smell it, and it smells like a faint vanilla like the Give Me Sun! bronzer that I returned.

I ordered this item online because you get a 15% off coupon for your first order off of the Mac Cosmetics website. The skin finishes are usually $33 US, but I used my coupon and I paid $28.05 US for it so not too bad. My only complain is that they ship with UPS and it takes so long compared to other courier services. But, at least my product came nicely wrapped and not broken! Skin finishes have 10g, I’m assuming that all MAC powders have 10 grams because every item I have bought contains 10 grams. $28 is still expensive for some people, so I understand if you’re not interested in it – I am a makeup junkie so I will pay the price. I was so excited to use this product because I would swatch it in the stores and it was a gorgeous highlight. Soft & Gentle is described as a gilded peach bronze, and I agree. I feel like because I am tan, it really pops on my cheeks but I know my fair skin ladies will love this just as much as I do! This powder is soft to the touch and applies evenly on my cheeks – and it doesn’t emphasize pores or textures. This is supposed to be more of a natural highlight but I did two layers and I was honestly beaming!

 

 

Claims: A luxurious powder with MAC Multi-mineal complex that adds highlights to the face and body. I agree with these claims, I don’t highlight my body but I’m sure it will apply the same way it does to my cheeks.

 

 

Product / Packaging: You get 10 grams of product like I said above. The highlight itself is in a dome shape. It comes in the newer packaging that is black with little circle to show the product. I personally don’t like this packaging I wish it was still available in the old packaging that the blushes come in like this:

 

Credit: SugarFixxBeauty.com

I’m just picky, so I can live without the packaging looking the way I want it to. There is just something so satisfying about the old packaging though.

 

Swatch:

Final Thoughts: I am sad that I waited so long to try this highlight. It gives my skin radiance without being overly glittery or emphasize my pores on my cheeks. This also stayed on all day and when I went out I got a lot of compliments on my complexion. I know not everyone is quick to spend $33 on a highlight and there are some dupes out there for it, ei. ELF Blush Gem Highlight so if you love the look and color of Soft & Gentle, you might want to check out the cheaper alternative before you splurge.

 

What do you think guys? What are some of your favorite highlighters I would love to know! Thanks for reading!

XO

Juvias Place Magic Palette

So I posted about how much I wanted this palette but remember the shipping was $14.45 and I was like no way I’m gonna pay for that shipping cost for one item. So, I pretty much just stalked TrendMood1’s Instagram because she always posts restocks and even discount codes so when I saw Juvias Place having free shipping with promo code “freeship” I went to the website so fast.

The theme behind this palette are the goddesses’ of the moon and sun – hence why the top is orange and warm and the bottom is blue and cool toned. What really drew me to this palette was the the pretty lavender shimmer shade and the shimmery teal shade. I am really trying to experiment with more colors so that I can work on my artistry. I placed my order on a Friday, it didn’t ship until Monday and I got it on Wednesday so their shipping is quick and it was nicely packaged in the box!

Swatches:

Nubia, Zakiya, Osun, Keso, Zuba, Nana, Boronu & Kogi

 

Faso, Aja, Vai, Yemoja, Ife, Yara, Buzo & Yejide

I’m so excited to play with this palette, I plan on using Faso in a halo eye look! Would you like to see that look? Leave me your thoughts below! Thanks for reading.

 

xo

Review: Soleil Tan De Chanel

I recently hauled the Soleil Tan De Chanel at Nordstrom, in case you missed my post the other day about some products that I picked up at the mall. I was really drawn to this bronzer because its a gel-cream, and I usually only use powders to bronze my face. When I am interested in something, I go on Youtube and watch at least 10 videos on the product so that I can decide if its worth buying or not. Watching videos / reading reviews is helpful especially when the swatch the products too because they can tend to look different.

Claims: This light, gel-cream bronzer leaves skin with a velvety finish and beautiful sun kissed look. This product can be worn on its own and under or over a foundation.

I agree with the claims that Chanel gives for this bronzer. I have worn it over my foundation and it looks flawless all day. I actually wore it on a hot and humid day and when I got home and checked my makeup, my bronzer was actually still there and looking great.

Packaging / Product: It comes in a generously sized heavy plastic jar, with a glossy black like and the Chanel logo in gold. It also comes with a little plastic tab that protects the product from the lid, which I love because sometimes products can get messy. The product itself is a swirled gel, a light brown with some shimmer. The product smells so good it smells like a baby floral, I am not sure if its supposed to smell like a Chanel fragrance but it smells expensive.

Price: $50 US for 30 grams of gel. I found this interesting that you are actually getting a better deal buying of these because for example the Hoola Bronzer is $29 for 8 grams, so  if you bought it 3 and a half times (to get 30 grams) you would spend $101 US (I rounded). Another example, Nars Laguna is $40 US for 8 grams, if you spend 10 more dollars you can get 30 grams of Chanel. So, its a great value even though $50 sounds like a lot to spend at once.

Application: So again you can use this by itself, under and over foundation. I personally like to wear it over my foundation. The key here is to apply this bronzer before powdering / setting your face. I found that the best way to apply this is with a kabuki / round top brush. I use the Zoeva 102 Silk Finish Brush and I use patting / pushing motions initially and then blend it in. I love how this doesn’t take off your foundation underneath and the color really blends in and doesn’t look like its sitting on top of your foundation. This product is very pigmented so I barely had to dip into the jar.

Final Thoughts: Obviously I love this bronzer and now I totally get why this product has such high reviews and ratings. Not only is the product nice but the packaging is so beautiful and boujee I love the way that it looks on my dresser. This product really does give me that sun kissed glow without being orange. I will definitely be reaching for this especially because its summer and it just feels so light on the skin and doesn’t melt away. Here are some photos of me wearing this product all day with heat, humidity, sweating and no touch ups.

I’m wearing Mac Soft & Gentle on my cheeks, review coming soon!

Leave me your questions or thoughts down below. Thank you for reading!

XO

Review: MAC Give me Sun!

Okay, so long story short, I bought the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Give Me Sun! because the artist recommended it to me for a bronzer. She applied it to me in Macys on my bare skin and I love the way it looked. I went home and did a makeup look with some of the products that I have picked up and I thought I looked fine in my LED mirror, but when I went outside that was another story. I literally looked like an Oompa Loompa to the max I hated the way my face looked! We’ve all had those moments where we think we look great but then natural light shows you the truth!

I was so sad because the product is incredibly soft and buildable. I am so weird that I actually smelled it and it had a soft sweet scent, I guess the Mineralize Skin Finishes have a smell because my Matte Bronzer did not. On their website, Give Me Sun! is described as “light summer peach tan” and I think that description is right on point. I really loved how this bronzer has a slight sheen to it and it looked very beachy and summery. Give me Sun is $33 US, for 10 grams of product which isn’t bad because I feel like this would go a long way. Unfortunately, I ended up returning it because I didn’t see a point in keeping a product that made me look orange and like I didn’t know how to do makeup. This just shows me that I prefer deeper bronzer shades. I might re purchase it during the winter when I am much paler to see if that makes a difference and if I would like it then.

Here are some photos of my face, what do you think?

Please excuse my hair, also I chopped it about 11 inches! Also, I am wearing Mac Mehr on my lips.

Have any of you guys tried Give Me Sun!? Let me know some of your favorite bronzers down below in the comments, I am really into bronzing right now! Thank you so much for reading!

XO