December 2013 Favorites! (And 1 Complete Waste of Money)

To wrap up the 2013 holiday season, here are my favorite products from this past month.  I do plan to do a blog post (but not a video) sharing my 2013 beauty favorites next week, but for now I just wanted to share the products I have been loving recently :)

Please share yours, too!

Products Mentioned:

Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Peppermint Lip Balm ($10)

I've talked this one to death.  You guys know I love it!!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Milk Chocolate ($30)

I finally broke down and put away my NARS Laguna Bronzer, and broke this baby out.  This is my favorite winter bronzer.  It's matte, the perfect shade, and it smells heavenly!

Naked Palette (the original!) ($52)

I've been giving this one a LOT of love lately!  It's just such an awesome range of colors...you cannot go wrong.

Avon 8 In 1 Neutral Palette ($7 on Amazon, but it's an add-on item, so it only ships when you spend $35+)

I found this little gem stashed away in my collection, and I've been loving it this month!  It is a little hard to find, since Avon does not sell it anymore, but if you can get your hands on it, it's really worth trying.  The colors are all shimmery, but the payoff is great and there is a good range of lights, mid-tone browns, and darks in the palette.  It's also really travel friendly, since it is a nice small compact with a mirror.

Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in 03 Blackened Brown ($9)

This was my replacement for Mac's Penultimate liner that I really didn't like.  It's a felt-tip pen style liner and I love it.  The color is pretty dark, but is still noticeably brown.  It's very very easy to use, too.

Jordana Fabuliner in Black (normally $6, but it's only $2.99 here!)

Basically the same as the Revlon pen liner, but in black, and way cheaper!

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel ($22)

I finally caved and bought this, and I'm so glad I did!  It does leave your brows a little crispy, but they don't look flaky or stiff.  It keeps each hair in place all day.

Trim Eyelash Curler ($3.49 on Drugstore.com, but I snagged mine in-store at Target for $1.99!)

WHAT AN AMAZING FIND!!!!!  OMG!  I only paid $2 for mine in Target, and it is the best $2 I have spent in a long time.  This little beauty makes my lashes look SO much curlier (they're naturally curly) and longer.  It works SO WELL, especially for the price.  I cannot rave enough about it.

China Glaze Poinsettia ($5 with free shipping on Amazon)

This is by far my favorite holiday red.  It's a perfect true red without any warm/cool undertones.  It's a cross between a jelly and a creme in my mind, an I love it!

Deborah Lippmann Candy Shop ($19)

I just HAD to grab this with my Sephora VIB $20 coupon earlier this month.  I've wanted this gorgeous pink glitter forever and it's finally mine.  :)  I have to admit, I expected the staying power to be a bit better, but the color is so fabulous I don't even care if I only get 24 hours out of a mani!

Diamoncel for Sephora #20 Coarse Foot File ($38)

I know this is stupid expensive for a foot file, but my feet need it, big time.  I am really super hard on them, and I have awful calluses, so I need something really heavy duty to help them out.  I wanted a metal file after having a professional pedicurist use one on me, and this was the 2nd item I grabbed with my VIB coupon.  If you have terrible calluses, it may be worth a shot.  It really smooths my feet down better than anything else I've tried.

Stridex Soft Touch Pads Maximum Strength (2% Salicylic Acid) ($8 for 180 pads at WalMart, but I got mine in-store...90 pads for about $4)

I wanted to grab these after hearing Josh Collier rave about them, and hoped they would help my clogged pores and redness.  I don't have acne, but I do have oily skin and a lot of discoloration.  I've only used them for about 2 weeks so far, but I definitely have noticed that my T-zone (where I use them nightly) is a lot smoother.  I'll update as I use them more, but for now they really seem great.

And the waste of money item is the Sonia Kashuk Brush Cleaner ($7).  The reviews on Target's website are a lie!!  It's just terrible...it really didn't clean my brushes well at all.  I tried it both as a spot cleaner (which just left a funky residue on my brushes) and as a soap-alternative.  I would not recommend purchasing this whatsoever!  Just go with Mac's Brush Cleaner instead, it's way better!

I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you all have a fabulous New Year's!

As always, everything in this post is my honest personal opinion.  No affiliate links were used.  I have not accepted any consideration for sharing these items with you.  Unless indicated otherwise, all products were purchased by me with my own money.

November 2013 Favorites!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!  I'm sure everyone is either shopping or decorating today, but for those who took a quick wine hot chocolate break to catch up on your blogs, here are my November 2013 beauty favorites :)  Enjoy!

Favorites This Month:

Mac Prolongwear Foundation ($31) mixed with Clarins Beauty Flash Balm ($45)
I love Prolongwear by itself, but it's a bit heavy for me for day-to-day use, so I like to sheer it out a bit with my Beauty Flash Balm, which is similar in concept to Mac's Strobe Liquid.  It's not as iridescent as Strobe Liquid, but it gives a great natural glow.  It smells divine, too!  (Full disclosure...the Beauty Flash Balm was a given to me by my sister to try, since she LOVES hers...I didn't buy it myself.)

NARS Orgasm Blush ($29 individually; mine is shown in an old palette)
An oldie but a goodie!  I sort of forgot about this blush for a while, but I picked it back up this month and have worn it most days.  You all know everything there is to know about Orgasm...but it's just a gorgeous shimmery pink that is flattering on all skin tones.

Mac Pro Shaping Powder in Emphasize ($16.50)
I use this to set my undereye concealer.  It's a white power with the slightest amount of sheen, and it is meant to highlight all areas of the face.  I like a little undereye brightness, and this works well with my skintone (Mac NC25/30).  

ELF Studio Makeup Remover Pen ($3)
I grabbed this at Target after hearing Josh Collier rave about it, and it's the one ELF product that I can honestly say was not a waste of money!  I love it!  It's great for getting rid of a mascara smudge or end of the day liner smudges.  It does leave a slight residue, but nothing that can't be just rubbed into your skin.

Hourglass Ambient Powder Brush ($35)
I resisted this brush for a while, but finally broke down and grabbed it during Sephora's VIB sale.   I am so glad I did.  If you use Hourglass' Ambient Lighting Powders, I would definitely recommending investing in the brush that goes with them.  I was using a large paddle brush that was sort of similar in shape, but it wasted too much product.  This brush really keeps the powder from flying around and gives you a flawless application.

Real Techniques Fine Liner Brush ($6; these go on sale B1G1 50% off at Ulta a lot!)

I love this brush!!!  I think it might be my new HG liner brush, and I don't say that lightly!  It's a round shape, but it is stiffer than other liner brushes I've tried, which makes application a breeze.

Chanel Eyeshadow in Fauve ($28.50)
Fauve is my sole Chanel eyeshadow, and I could only justify the purchase because it is SO unique.  It's a gorgeous greyish purple, but the insane shimmer is what sets it apart.  I don't get a ton of fallout, which is awesome, especially given the shimmer.  If you're ever near a Chanel counter, just go play with this one!!  I have yet to see a swatch that does it justice...

Mac Naked Pigment ($21)
I have been using this on my eyelids with warm browns in the crease and I have been loving the look.  It's a gorgeous super shimmery nude color and pairs well with anything.  You could absolutely use this pigment as a highlight, too!

Dior Amber Diamond Highlighting Powder ($45)

This highlighter gives such a gorgeous natural sheen to the skin...it's basically all I've been using for on my cheekbones this month.  It's a tan shade and may work better as a shimmery bronzer for the fairest of us, but on most complexions it will work as a gorgeous highlight.

Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Balm in Peppermint ($10)

I'm not sure how many times I can rave about this stuff before you guys get bored of me talking about it.  Just go and get it already!!!!  It's the perfect peppermint lip balm. 

What have you been loving toward the end of the fall??

As always, everything in this post is my honest personal opinion.  No affiliate links were used.  I have not accepted any consideration for sharing these items with you.  Unless indicated otherwise, all products were purchased by me with my own money.

October Favorites!

Happy end of October!!  Such a cliche - but I seriously cannot believe how fast this month went.  September and October flew by for me.  I blame it on being so excited to share Halloween and the upcoming holidays with my favorite little girl :)  (My little one is going to be 8 months old this week.  How did that happen??)

The end of October also marks a first for me...my first YouTube video to share with my readers!  I love watching monthly favorites videos, so I figured now would be a great time to take the plunge and film one.  Besides, it's way better to see a product than to just read about it.

And onto the beauty products I've given a lot of love this month!





Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation ($12.99 at Ulta)
Love this for the great natural glow it gives your skin.  I have oily skin, but this still does great things for me.

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet+ Foundation ($36 at Sephora)
This really does stay matte on me most of the day, plus the color match (I am shade 30) is spot on.  It gives a good medium coverage but can be built up.

Beauty Blender ($19.95 at Sephora)
A ridiculously expensive makeup sponge, but I've found nothing that beats it.  When you use it damp, it applies any foundation flawlessly and keeps it looking so natural.  I've been using mine basically every day this month.

Mac Prolongwear Paint Pot in Soft Ochre ($20 on Mac's website, but I found mine at a CCO!)
This is more yellow than the cult-classic shade Painterly.  It's the same shade as Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Eden, which really works well with my skin tone.  This works very well to block out redness and even out my lids.  Paint pots do crease on me, so I layer them over Primer Potion.

Nars Bronzer in Laguna ($36 at Sephora)
I've had my Laguna bronzer for-ev-er.  It's time for it to go, and I've been working on it for months now.  I LOVE the shade, but it's a bit dark for me in the winter, and I just have so many other bronzers I want to use.  I've been using this literally every day to try to use it up!

Burberry Blush in Russett ($42 at Nordstrom)
I absolutely love this color for fall - it is the perfect peachy brown.  It's actually the same exact shade as Mac's blush in Gingerly ($21), which I learned personally when I purchased Gingerly and compared them.  I have to say - Burberry's texture and blendability win by a mile, but the price is a little hard to stomach.  (In full disclosure, I received this as a gift...I did not purchase it myself.)

Mac 222 Brush (~$20, found at a CCO)
I love this brush because it is more dense and compact than a 217.  It deposits color more precisely in my crease, and I've been using it with a 224 to build up color and define my eyes more.  Mac no longer sells the 222, but Sigma's E35 brush ($14) is basically a dupe.  The brush that comes with the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette is also very similar.

Loreal Lineur Intense Liquid Liner in Carbon Black ($7.94 at WalMart)
No liquid liner will ever replace my beloved Fluidline, but I have been reaching for this one quite a bit this month!  It is by far the easiest liquid liner to apply (I use the felt tip version, not the brush version) because the tip is just firm enough to give you a nice, straight line.  Plus, it's ultra black so you don't need to keep going over it.

NYX Setting Spray in Matte Finish ($8 at Nordstrom)
I forgot to include this in my video, but I have been absolutely loving this spray.  It's the first setting spray I've used that actually does keep my makeup in place all day, let alone keep my face from getting shiny after a few hours.  One thing I didn't expect that I was so happy to see was that this spray really keeps my eye makeup from budging.  I typically get a lot of black smudging under my eyes from mascara, but this keeps them looking perfectly clean all day.  

Formula X Polish in Ignite ($10.50 at Sephora)
Holy cow - I never expected to love a nail polish as much as this!!  I will do a full post reviewing these polishes when I grab a few more with my VIB sale coupon, but for now, suffice to say that these are AMAZING.  They wear much longer and better than typical polishes, and you absolutely don't need to topcoat them.  They're just as shiny with Seche Vite as they are without it.  These things are going to be a new addiction for me, I can feel it!!!

What are your favorites this month?  Let me know what I'm missing out on!

 

As always, everything in this post is my honest personal opinion.  No affiliate links were used.  I have not accepted any consideration for sharing these items with you.  Unless indicated otherwise, all products were purchased by me with my own money.