January 30, 2015

Beauty Blog: My Favorite Eye Trios, Quads and Palettes

I am always buying new eyeshadow trios, quads and palettes so I thought I would share with you which ones are my favorites! I picked the ones that are my most used and the ones that I think would be a great addition to any makeup collection. Most of these are for all eye colors so they're pretty universal. They also range from matte shades to shimmery ones. I do tend to lean more to shimmery and frosted shades but I do have a few matte ones to share that I use often!

"Autumn Coppers" by Maybelline ($5.00)
This is a nice quad that is easy for a beginner because it tells you exactly where to put each color. It has minimal fall out and blends easily. I wear this mostly in the Spring & Fall. 




"Comfort Zone" by Wet n Wild ($5.00)
This palette contains 8 shades that you can do numerous looks with. It also is easy for a beginner as it tells you where to put each color. These are highly pigmented and blends easily. This color palette is great for brown and hazel eyes. I wear this one more in the Fall & Winter. 




"Florence" in the Fierce Foils collection by Milani ($6.99)
These are highly pigmented cream foil shadows that are stunning. It does take some time to get used to using. These are blendable, they do not crease and they last all day. I have worn these this winter. The copper shade really brings out my hazel eyes. 




"Metropolitan" in the Photoready collection by Revlon ($8.00)
This is another palette that is easy for beginners and you can do various looks with the shades provided. This is a great palette to own if you have hazel or brown eyes. 





"Naked Basics" by Urban Decay ($29.00)
The shades in this palette are very neutral and offer both shimmer and matte shades. There is some fall out with these but they are highly pigmented. If you are wanting to try any of the Urban Decay "Naked" palettes this is the one to buy because it's the most popular shades to use. Great for brown eyes!




"Suede Collection" palette by Nyx ($12.00)
I absolutely love this shimmer palette from Nyx and have used it a ton this past Fall and Winter. The shades are HIGHLY pigmented and blend nicely. This would help accentuate brown and hazel eyes. 



"Dusk til Dawn" Dream Catcher palette by Nyx ($12.00)
This is a must if you wanted to try the UD Naked 2 or 3 pallets but didn't want to fork over the money. They have very similar shades and in all honesty this is a better palette. There is very little fall out and the color pay off is phenomenal. 




"Pocket Palette" by Sephora ($10.99)
I got this palette around Christmas so I am not sure if they even make it anymore but it's a great one to own. This has both shimmer and matte shades that are highly pigmented. They are buildable and blendable. 





"Silent Treatment" by Wet n Wild ($3.99)
This is probably my favorite trio by WnW because it's so versatile. You can do a day to night look with this palette by simply adding the darker (center) shade. WnW produces highly pigmented shades that are affordable. You can't go wrong with adding this to your collection. 




















Beauty Blog: My Recent Favorites

It's been forever since I last did a beauty post and now that we are on the mend I felt like it was time to start these posts again. I went through my beauty drawers and picked out a few products that I have really enjoyed using the past few months. So, let's just jump into it!!

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater ($7.00) - This is something I picked up on vacation while in Savannah at Urban Outfitters on a whim. I love hydrating mist sprays because I suffer from dry skin and it helps add moisture to my face throughout the day. This particular spray caught my eye because it contained rose water and I love the smell of roses. I know that it sounds pretty high maintenance using a "hydrating spray" but don't knock it until you try it! This is a multi-purpose spray because you not only use it for hydration but you can use it to help set your make up and just give your skin a light boost throughout the day. It also smells wonderful so you can spray it all over if you want. I keep this handy at all times and spray it whenever I feel that my skin is feeling dry or irritated. It's also great to use on your skin if you are suffering from irritation as it helps soothes the inflammation/irritation. An added bonus is that your skin feels baby soft after applying it! You can pick this up at Ulta, Sephora or Urban Outfitters. 


Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer ($38.00) - I am a sucker for primers because I do have larger pores that I try to minimize. I received a sample of this in my ipsy bag one month and after using it I was totally impressed. It's nude in color and spreads nicely without a lot of tugging. It's thicker than lotion so it minimizes your pores nicely. I can tell a huge difference when I use this because not only do my pores appear smaller, my makeup goes on so much smoother and I use less foundation. This is 100% oil free so you don't have to worry if you have oily prone skin and it does give a matte effect once applied; it also lasts up to 8 hours before you need to reapply it. 



it Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye ($28.00) - If you have read any of my beauty blog posts you know that I am constantly looking for a great product to conceal my dark circles that I inherited. This is another product I received in an ipsy bag that I can't live without. I can't rave enough about this concealer because it's INCREDIBLE. I would have never spent $30 on something unless I knew for a fact that it worked wonders. This concealer hides my circles as well as a few spots of hyperpigmentation that I have on my cheeks. A little goes a very long way with this stuff; I literally apply half a dime size to my hand, rub it in a circular motion until it's warm and smooth then pat it on my problem areas. To set it, I use my HD powder from elf cosmetics. It doesn't run, crease or fade after hours of wear. I would buy this product over and over again because it's that awesome. You can also justify spending the money on it because the tube will last you forever if you use it correctly (as I stated above). Another perk is that this comes in 4 shades so you can pick the one that matches closest to your skin tone; I use the neutral medium shade. This concealer also contains collagen, Vitamins K & C. 


Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencils ($4.50) - I love any product that is multi-functional, high quality and also saves me money. Like most Nyx products these are a steal! I picked up several of these at Ulta when I had a coupon and honestly didn't expect much but I was shown otherwise. These jumbo pencils are amazing and provide a great, high end look. The color pigmentation is amazing, they are blendable, they don't crease and they last all day long. These cream shadow sticks are really worth adding to your makeup collection and I use them more often than not. The three that I would suggest buying if you wanted to try them are: Sparkle Nude, Iced Mocha and Black Bean. If  you are into a smokey look these make it super simple. I use the Black Bean to line my upper rim and it doesn't fade throughout the day. There are 23 shades to choose from so I am sure you can find the perfect one that suits your needs! 



Love Alpha 3D Fiber Mascara ($5-8.00) - This is a product I contemplated buying because it ships from China and I wasn't sure about the hype. Everyone in the beauty world has been approached about buying Younique's Fiber Mascara and before I shelled out $30 for it I wanted to do the research on what was out there. I ran across the Love Alpha on a review website and it had hundreds of reviews that beat the Younique brand. So, I jumped on the bandwagon and purchased myself a tube of fiber mascara. HOLY COW!!!!! This stuff is oh-maz-ing. You all know that I am a mascara junkie so if I say it's good....it's good. It doesn't irritate my sensitive eyes or contacts, it doesn't run and there is no fall out from the fibers. The only downfall is the directions come in another language but it's pretty self explanatory. You first apply the transplanting gel to your lashes and then layer and build up your lashes with the natural fibers. To add a more dramatic look I usually apply one coat of my Benefits They're Real mascara and then use the Love Alpha mascara. The thing I really love about this product is you can build up your look as much as you like and it never looks like spider legs. You actually look like you have extensions or falsies on. The other great thing that about this is it's not a pain in the ass to remove! I purchased my tube on Amazon and they have tons of vendors and different sets you can buy so just browse the site and pick which one you like best. It took me about a week to receive my order once it was placed. 


Viva La Juicy Gold Couture ($72.00) - I am absolutely in love with all the Viva La Juicy fragrances and the Gold is my favorite right now. The scent is a blend of caramel, vanilla, white floral, sweet and woodsy. Every single time I wear it I am usually stopped and asked what perfume I am wearing. I would say the only downfall is that the scent isn't as long lasting as the original Viva La Juicy but I think that's because it's not as heavy as a scent -- it's a tad lighter. However, I love the fragrance and would purchase it again. If you do want it to last longer I would just layer it with the Gold lotion and it will give you a longer lasting scent.