Showing posts with label NYX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYX. Show all posts

Monday, July 20, 2015

Some Current Favorites

I think it’s time for a favorites post.  I’ve acquired a few things that I have really been loving, and bonus – they’re also products that have been working well for me for the summer heat. Interesting, though, I actually didn’t have a real lip product favorite, although that may because I actually have been switching things up a little and not wearing the same 3 products every day.  I think later in the summer I’ll have to devote an entire post to my favorite lip combos of the summer because there are actually quite a few of them!



First, let’s talk about the Becca Ombre Nudes Palette.  Like the rest of the beauty community, I completely fell for matte shadows this year.  I just can’t get enough of them, and this palette is probably everything I could ever want in a basic all matte palette.  It has everything from a lid, transition, to crease shade, AND the shades are cool enough for me to use as contour or brow powders.  This texture of this palette is also out of this world smooth and pigmented.  They’re not too powdery or hard, but are smooth and easy to blend out.  I already have my eye on the new version of this palette coming out in the fall, which has slightly warmer shades. Anyone else?

Another palette I’ve been loving is my custom made Inglot trio, especially the matte contour shade and  the shimmery shade in the middle.  I walked into the Inglot store a couple months ago and asked for 3 things: a transition/blending shade, a shimmery lid shade, and a cool brown that could double as a brow powder (are you seeing a trend in the type of things I’ve been buying lately?), and the lady in the store was so great at picking out the perfect shades for me.



After finishing my beloved Physician Formula Eye Booster Liquid Eyeliner, I set out to find another replacement just to see if anything else can compare, and I stumbled upon the Essence Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner.  It has a felt tip instead of a brush tip, but it still offers plenty of control and I am still able to get a fine line with my eyeliner.  It holds up great in the summer heat, and I’ve noticed that it is indeed, waterproof.  I think I may prefer the ultra-fine line I get with the Physician’s Formula liner, but this is still a great alternative!

Next, I finally got around to trying the Kat Von D Autograph Liner, which I believe has been discontinued.  I bought this last year, actually, but I think you could easily find a similar shade in the Urban Decay 24/7 liners.  It’s a tan/taupe shade with some micro shimmer that I use on my lower lashline to define my eyes instead of using a black or dark brown liner.  It adds just a hint of definition without making my eye makeup look too heavy.

For blush, I’ve been having a major love affair with coral and golden-tan shades…so typical of me for the summer.  The blushes I’ve been reaching for in particular are the NYX Mosaic Blush in Coral and the Kiko Soft Touch Blush in #100.  The NYX blush is the perfect balance of coral-tan, and it is SO pigmented, while the Kiko blush has become a staple in my stash for being a glowy tan-peach shade that complements a bright lip perfectly.



Although this is old news by now, I’ve been re-loving my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette, and I’ve been particularly loving Radiant Light as a subtle highlighter over my blush.  With the humidity, my face is looking shiny enough as it is, so I’ve been staying away from my more shimmery highlighters, but Radiant Light has been a great subtle alternative to all my more obvious highlighters.

As for base products, the Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector has been an absolute life-saver for keeping my makeup matte. I kid you not, this is the first primer that has actually been effective at keeping my makeup intact and somewhat matte throughout the day.  This product has quite a learning curve to it (take a TINY amount, rub between your fingers, and PAT, not rub, onto your face), but once I mastered it, my makeup started lasting much longer.

And finally, my all-star product of the past few months has been the It Cosmetics Bye-Bye Undereye Corrector.  I bought it as a less pricy alternative to my Bobbi Brown Corrector, and I love the thinner formula of this product, making it slightly easier to blend on my face.  It has worked perfectly, until now, when I’m at probably the tannest point of the year.  The medium shade works best when I’m a true NC35, but the thinner consistency is much easier to work with than the BB Corrector sometimes!


Well, there you go. A very delayed favorites post and warm-up into blogging again.  Enjoy!

Saturday, April 5, 2014

March 2014 Favorites


I think I'm getting better at this....instead of being two weeks late, my favorites post is now up just one week late.  I actually don't have that many favorites, and they are all predictably products that I have posted about recently with a couple surprises here and there.  Apart from the blushes that I posted about earlier, I have been reaching for the same things pretty consistently.



 Keep reading to see what I've been using!

Sunday, March 16, 2014

A Little Haul (NYX and Real Techniques) and What Goes On A Face - FOTD

I don't know what spring break means for you - but it certainly doesn't mean sitting in my room writing a paper the entire week.  Alas, my spring break was not full of sun, beaches, warm weather, or too much of a "break," at all, but at the end of the day, I'm actually glad I had time to work on my homework without having to worry about class for a week. (Note that this is the life of an overachieving nerd, and I'm desperately hoping it will all pay off in the end)  

BUT, I did manage to get a few things done. Beauty-related things, too!  I bought makeup for the first time since January...a BIG deal for someone as beauty and makeup obsessed as me.  And I only managed to spend $20..not too bad, right?  

Here's the damage:




To see more details (and swatches), as well as how I incorporated these into a look (plus a haircut), keep reading!

Saturday, July 13, 2013

The Shop Your Stash Project: July

I have to say, I'm really liking my Shop Your Stash Project idea.  It's encouraging me to not only use products that I either haven't used in awhile or products that haven't been used much at all, but it's also pushing me to be more experimental and creative with my makeup rather than just blindly reaching or the Naked palette or my other neutral shadows.

As a refresher, here's what the whole "Shop Your Stash Project" is all about:
  • I pick 20 - 25 face, eye, and lip products that I want to use more often in the month
  • I have to use each product at least two times in the month
That's it.  Pretty simple.  If you want to see  the products I chose for June, check it out here!  There were some products that made it into my everyday rotation and that I absolutely LOVE (holler at the ELF Giddy Gold Highlighter and the Vincent Longo Lip and Cheek Gel Stain), and there were products that I really had make an effort to integrate into my routine, such as the Alverde Liquid Eyeliner, and MAC Orange Tempura lipgloss.  But all in all, I was happy about the "new" things I had to use from day to day.

This month, I have a whole new bunch of products to use, 22 items, to be exact.

Here they are in all their glory:



Keep reading to see exactly what these products are and swatches!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

SOTD and some unusual combinations

I know you all want to know what's in this:



I didn't have any bananas around so I modified it a little bit, and the result was a great protein packed post-workout smoothie.

You're probably also wondering what silver looks like over brown, and what teal glitter looks like over pink lipstick.

Read on to see what I managed to do! 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

The 'Shop Your Stash' Project

So, last week I started something new. Although I've been going through my stash and rediscovering new things the past month, I wanted to find a way to use them all on a consistent basis.  This isn't a new concept - taking out a few products that haven't been used very much or in a long time, but it isn't something I've tried in awhile.

Here's what I'm trying to do: I took out 21 products for the month of June and my goal is to use each product at least twice, just so I can get some use out of it and be creative about the way I use it.  I've had this going for about two weeks now and I'm really pleased with how its going.  I certainly am enjoying products that I either haven't used in a long time or haven't used much at all.
I have a total of 5 face products, 7 eye products, and 9 lip products to use before June is over.  Some of these will undoubtedly end up in my June favorites, while others may just be average products - we'll see which ones make the cut!


To see what products I'm using, as well as tons of swatches, keep reading!