October 2014 Favorites

Hello lovely ladies! Today I will be sharing my October Favorites. Fall time is here, which means darker colors are in! I have to admit however, I haven't been very good with stepping out my comfort zone for a darker lip. Unfortunately, I won't be including any lip products in this post today. Moving farward though, I have a few blushes perfect for fall I've really been loving!

I have quite a bit of favorites this month so I'll jump right in!

First, let me apologize for the super messy lid on my foundation. I was honestly too lazy to clean it out... 

Moving on, starting with the first face products we have:

⚫ L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup.

⚫ L'Oreal True Match Super-blendable Concealer.

⚫ Rimmel Stay Matte Primer.

L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup

I had originally tried this a little over a year ago and I LOVED it. But then I tried others, and when I ran out, I forgot all about this. Recently, I was reminded of this long lost favorite when I was watching someone on youtube. I made it a mission to get my butt to the store and track it down. And I'm soooo happy I did! To me, this has such a beautiful flawless finish, and covers wonderfully. 

Even though I have super oily skin, I forgot just how much I loved this stuff. I usually like my foundations nice and matte with no trace of shine or "glow" (I know I know, defeats the purpose), which is how I wore this when I first used to use it by setting with a powder. This time around though? I can truthfully say that I have only used a setting powder with this once. Every other time, I skip the powder all together. You must be thinking how, if I'm so oily and it states "Luminous" right on the packaging, wellllll that brings me to my next favorite! (Yes, I went out of order, I'm sorry.)

Rimmer Stay Matte Primer

I'm not sure if other matte primers exists, but seeing how the cosmetics industry is always changing and trying to be better than the next, I'm sure there are. I've never heard of them, but when I went to restock on my beloved Rimmel Fix&Perfect Pro Primer, this had caught my eye (not because it was right above it or anything) and I really wanted to try it. 

Like I stayed above, I usually prefer my foundations to be matte, which most of them are. So not to any (or some) surprise, a matte primer paired with a matte foundation, well.. It's just TOO matte. BUT, Rimmel Stay Matte Primer paired with L'Oreal True Match Lumi, a perfect combo! 

This primer dries matte, but still leaves a smooth canvas for foundation application. This also makes my (lumi) foundation the perfect balance of luminous and matte. It still has that luminous glow, without being too oily or shiny. I feel like this primer controls that aspect extremely well, and my makeup even lasts all day. This is definitely a new staple piece in my collection, and the only one I will use with the lumi foundation!

L'Oreal True Match Super-blendable Concealer

I've only tried a couple concealers, but so far I really like this one. It covers my dark circles when I don't get enough sleep, and redness from sore breakouts. I haven't used concealers much until last month, since I really had no reason to. This lasts all day, but if you apply to much, it will get cakey. I really want to try out the Mac Pro-long Concealer, have any of you tried it? But until then, this is my current favorite and I would definitely recommend it!

Next I have a couple blushes to show. Blushes are my absolute favorite piece of makeup. I just love the gorgeous flush of colors you can choose to help really pull any look together.

⚫ E.l.f Blush Palette.

⚫ Flower Beauty Cream Blush.

⚫ Maybelline Fit Me Blush.

E.l.f Blush Palette 

When I was shopping on the E.l.f site about a month or two ago, I was really excited when I saw this. I'm a blush fanatic (if it isn't obvious already(; ), so of course I had to have it! There are two different palettes with convenient names "Dark" and "Light. I own both. My favorite one at the moment, can you guess? .. The dark palette! But since it was late afternoon when I took these pictures, the lighting is really off so here is a better image:

The lighting is still a bit off, but this shows the color much better. The colors I've been using the most are the two on the right. The top right is a really pretty darker form of a babie pink color, while the bottom right is a darker berry color. I do plan on doing a full indepth review of both palettes soon!

Flower Beauty Cream Blush

Flower Beauty is a new cosmetics line made by Drew Barrymore, which are sold exclusively in Walmart stores. Her line is very affordable, and of good quality (from her intentions and what I hear). I have only tried two products from this line, with this being one of them. There are several different blushes, and I believe I got the darkest shade? I'm not sure, it's been awhile. The color I got however is "Rose-O-Den-Dron". A unique name to say the least. But the color payoff, and how it looks and feels on your cheeks. Phenomenal. I'm obsessed. It's the perfect shade for fall, and I definitely plan on going back for more (when I'm not broke of course!).

Maybelline Fit Me Blush

The last blush I have been loving this month is this one from Maybelline's Fit Me Line in Light Nude. Even though the name is nude, I certainly see a peachy tone to it. It's by far a gorgeous color, but it does take a few strokes for it to show up on my fair skin. I really love the color though, so I don't mind. I'm not sure if all the blushes in this line are like this, as I only own one, but I do plan on adding more to my growing collection. 

For eyes, I have a few products I've been loving and obssesing over.

⚫ Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume™ Lifting Mascar Sample.

⚫ Maybelline The NUDES Palette.

⚫ L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes.

⚫ E.l.f Smudge Pot.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume™ Lifting Mascara

I've never tried a high end mascara before until I recieved this in a gift set along with my purchase. This is also the first time I have used a fiber mascara. And I have to say, the first stroke/coat seriously amazed me. I have never tried a mascara that was anything close to this. I would definitely by the full size if it were in my price range. This gives both awesome volume and length, I couldn't ask for anything more. And being a fiber mascara, I had no problem with getting anything in my eyes (yay!). The formula on this is great, not to wet or dry. Perfectly in the middle. And since I like my mascaras to be more dry, a few days of using, I love it even more(;

Maybelline The NUDES Palette 

Everyone has already raved about this all over the beauty community, and I just had to add to the hype! I haven't worn eyeshadows in years. I didn't plan on buying this, but one day I said what the heck. It's cheap, affordable, and in arms reach. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and boy do I ever! With 12 different shades, the possibilities are nearly endless! And they blend sooo smoothly (with an eye primer of course). My eyelids do tend to get oily also, and so far I have gone a full work day with no creasing. I have not tried using this without a primer, so I really can't be sure if it's the primer or both. I'm certainly happy I finally caved though, definitely going to be a repurchase for me!

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes

I picked this up when I couldn't find my beloved one by Rimmel. I haven't tried many L'Oreal mascaras, simply for the fact I haven't had much luck. But this. This one really takes the cake! My lashes look so full and rich, I believe I have a new hg. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but I have to stop judging a book by it's cover..or brand. Just because I had no luck with a few, doesn't mean I will with all, right?

E.l.f Smudge Pot

If you saw my beauty bundle post, then you should remember this. This is a cream eye shadow in the color "Back To Basics". I don't really use this as a straight shadow, but rather a base/primer. I've ony used this with the Nudes Palette, and it does a great job. The color is a pretty light shimmery gold, and goes with just about every color beautifully. The color payoff is also really great. I love the formula and smooth consistency of this. Super easy to apply with an eyeshawdow brush or just using your fingers!

And finally, contouring! 

⚫ Covergirl Tru Blend Pressed Powder.

Covergirl Tru Blend Pressed Powder

I haven't really found anything that I really like to use for a contour. I know your supposed to use a cool tone color, but since I have no idea how to tell what undertone a product has, I'm left guessing. This is a good product, and since I've been using it the majority of the month, I decided to add it to my favorites. However, I'm not sure this is really my favorite product to use to contour with.. I got this in the shade "Translucent Honey", thinking any darker would have been too dark. But, I was wrong. This shade is a tad too light. I'm still deciding if I will pick this up in a darker color or not or try something else. We shall see!

*I know this is up a bit early, but since we are moving in just over two weeks, I wanted to make sure it was up in case I get too busy. But that is all for my favorites this month, I hope you enjoyed!

What have you been loving this month?!

Big News + EOTD!

If you have read my second post, then you would know my family and I have been going through a hard time. I didn't give specific details, and I don't plan to now, more so because it is a very personal matter. However, just when I thought this horrid thunderstorm would never come to an end, sunshine had finally shed it's light!

About a week ago we were at my daughters aunt's house, and she was telling us about a home her family was looking at. Her family is a bit larger than ours, now that they have a newborn, so it turned out to not be very ideal for them. 

As I'm listening to her go on in great detail, I couldn't help but think how perfect it sounded. Since she had said they weren't taking it, I asked if she would mind giving us the number to call and check it out for ourselves. Well, once we left, I called and was told we could come right down. So of course we headed right to it, and my goodness it was beautiful and so spacious! Plus it had an extra bedroom, which is perfect for when we finally decide to have another baby. 

Well, a week later (today) we put down a down payment. And guys, WE MOVE IN THREE WEEKS!

Now that I got to share my good news with you, here is my EOTD!

Don't mind the lil mess from my mascara, and the fact I accidentally went a tad far in my crease, and that annoying hair... Other than that, here's the look I created today using the Maybelline's NUDES Palette. 

How I got this look:

*Note: I used E.l.f's smudge pot in Back to Basics all over my lid up to my brow bone.

Bottom row:

⚫ I used the 3rd X(Fifth color in) all over my lid up to my brow bone.

⚫ I used the 1st X in my crease and blended it out.

⚫ I used the 2nd X(Forth color in) I used in the outer corner and blended slightly in my crease and out.

Top row:

⚫ I used the 1stX(Forth color in) I used in my inner crease and blended 2/3 on the lid.

This was just a quick* post, but I hope you all enjoyed this look! I'm loving this palette more than I thought I would!

Have a fun and safe weekend everyone!

FOTN: Featuring Maybelline's The NUDES Palette

So I was going to wait till tomorrow to try out the new Maybelline palette, but I was too anxious I couldn't wait. 

First, let me apologize for the horrible quality of these pictures. Unfortunately, my phone finally had enough, and was forced to buy a cheap one until I can afford the one I really want. (No, I do not own a camera).

But anywho, this is the look I came up. And I have to say, I was really happy with this palette. Now I can't wait to find Maybelline's other new palettes, The SMOKES and The BRIGHTS. Have any of you seen or tried them yet?!

This is everything I used to create this look.

For the face:

⚫ Rimmel's Stay Matte Primer.

⚫ L'Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Healthy Makeup.

⚫ L'Oreal True Match Super-blendable Concealer.

(to conceal and highlight).

⚫ Covergirl Tru Blend Pressed Powder in Translucent Honey

(to contour).

⚫ Maybelline Fit Me Blush in Light Nude.

For the lips:

⚫ Nyx Butter gloss in Creme Brulee.

⚫ Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Violet Frenzy.

First I coated my lips with Revlon's Violet Frenzy. I let it sit fot a few minutes before wiping it off to leave a stain behind. Then I topped it off with the Creme Brulee Butter gloss.

For the eyes:

⚫ Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara.

⚫ E.l.f Eyelid Primer in Pearl.

⚫ E.l.f Eyebrow kit.

⚫ Curling wand.

⚫ Maybelline's The NUDES Palette.

Even though the Maybelline's NUDE Palette comes with pre-set looks with directions on the back on the packaging, I decided to be creative and do my own look. Well, this is what I came up with! 

Top Row:

⚫ The 1st X I used all over my lid, up to the brow bone as the transition color.

⚫ The 2nd X I used all over my lid.

⚫ The 3rd X I used in my crease and blended it out.

Bottom Row:

⚫ The 1st X I used in the inner corners of my eyes.

⚫ The 2nd X I used in my outer crease and blended it out. I also used this to line my bottom lashline.

⚫ The 3rd X I used also in my outer crease and blended out to add definition.

Like I had said before, I don't wear eyeshadow much, so I am an amateur in training! But I hope you all enjoyed this post and liked the overall look. Have a fun and safe holiday weekend everyone!

Have you tried The NUDES Palette yet?

What about the other two new palettes?

Drugstore Haul

The other day I went shopping with intentions of only getting one thing.. My beloved L'Oreal Paris True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup, because mine broke over the weekend :'( (foundations should not be in a glass bottle for people like me). But of course, being a girl, you know that never happens. You always come out with more than what you originally planned.

Clearly, I got way more than I was supposed to. My boyfriend wasn't too pleased either...woops.

So the first couple of items I decided to pick up was the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara. I couldn't decide between this one or the gold packaging. I'm really not sure what the difference was, but as you can tell, I went with the black one. I've heard so many great things about this, I had to give it a go. The wand on the other hand is nothing like what I'm used to use. I usually prefer big thick bristles but I'm trying not to judge before I try it.

The next thing I got was an NYC eyeliner in white. I wanted something to help make my eyes look more awake and felt like this would do the trick. I know I won't be using this often, so 97 cents sounded pretty good.

And with the fall here now, a nice berry lip is a must! I picked up one of Maybelline's Elixer lip glosses in Amethyst Potion. I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone as I don't usually wear a dark lip. I figured a lipgloss would be great for just that, rather than jumping right into a bold lipstick. This is a very pretty deep purple color, and my goodness do these smell amazing!

So, of course we have what I originally went in for, the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Makeup. After I grabbed that, I was thinking about bronzers for contouring for some reason. I haven't found anything that I really liked using when I stumbled upon the Covergirl Tru Blend Mineral Pressed Powder. I'm surprised I even saw this since it was floor level. I wanted a color dark enough to contour (obviously) but light enough so it looks natural. And since you can't test before buying, I went in blind. I ultimately decided on the color Translucent Honey. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope it's what I'm looking for!

Finally, I got the EcoTools Six Piece Essential Eye Set. I really needed some eye brushes and about $8 these looked pretty good and also had some good reviews. I have a couple EcoTools brushes that I really like, so I hope these are just as good.

And lastly, I finaaaally decided to grab the new Maybelline's The NUDES Palette. I never had much interest, until recently when I saw some people really loving this and decided to further check it out on Makeupalley. Well, all the reviews sold me and so I caved in! I plan on using this this weekend, so a review will be up soon. 

That's all for this haul, thank you for reading!

Have you tried any of these products?

How about the NUDES Palette?

Let me know what you think!(:

E.L.F Beauty Bundle September 2014

E.L.F has a subscription service for a bi-monthly (every 8weeks) beauty bundle box. You pay $20 a month for $40+ worth of full sized products, awesom right? This is my second box I had received, and each month has a theme. My first beauty bundle theme was e.l.f's 10th Birthday. This month is Back to School! And although e.l.f is known for it's wicked cheap makeup, there definitely some misses but even those holy grail hits that are often times dupe for heck of a lot less! If you want a box full of goodies every other month, you can subscribe here.

Each bundle comes in a cute little (big) box that greets you with "Hello Beautiful!", while your goodies are wrapped away withen pretty pink tissue paper. Immediately you see a card that describes the months theme as well as a list of everything that's inside and what each item retails for. 

Back to Beauty School! 

"Head back to school this fall - back to e.l.f. Beauty School that is! Here's your full set of supplies for Makeup 101 - including everything you need for a full eyes, lips, and face look! From shiny new tools, like our Essential Profession Complete Set of 12 Brushes, to our all-new Beauty School Face & Lip Palette, you'll be prepared with all the beauty basics!"

I will list all the products at the end with the price each one retails for!

And this baby is where all the true fun begins! Inside this cute little bag is all your goodies for the month, and I really like that they use this bag versus plastic so you can actually re-use it for something else.

Now, on to what's inside!

I actually already have this mascara from a haul I was going to post, but I accidentally deleted it. This is the E.l.f Volume Plumping Mascara. For me personally, I'm not very picky with mascaras, but I didn't really care for this. This was definitely a miss. I felt like the way it applied was that of those childrens play mascaras, with the matching wand. Also, the formula was way too wet for me, as I like mine on the dryer side.

I found the E.l.f Eye Primer & Liner really interesting. I've never seen anyrhing like it before, although I'm sure more exisits amongst other brands. The stick part is the primer to prime your lids (obviously) then the fine point is what you use to seal your eyeliners. I haven't used liners since my highschool days, but I'm pretty tempted now just to test this baby out!

First is the HD Undereye Setting Powder:

"This light-diffusing powder camouflages fine lines, dark circles and imperfections, perfect for on camera or everyday wear." 

Some of these items I plan on doing separate reviews on and this is definitely one of them. This is a setting powder, so I'm really curious to see how well this works for setting concealers.

Next is the Smudge pot. Again, I need to start wearing eyeshadow more. This beaut can be useed as a long-lasting eyeshadow or a liner!

I've been wanting to try some lipsticks from e.l.f so I was really happy to see one from their Mineral line. The shade is in Barely Bitten, which I thought was a clever name since Halloween is right around the corner. The color is beautiful too, a deep coppery red with brown undertones. Nothing like what my camera captured, dang lighting. 

I found the Professional Complete Set of 12 Brushes fom the Essentials line to be a nice touch. However, I have a few brushes from that line that I found to be too scratchy and uncomfortable on my skin. I don't see these getting much use, but I will give them a try!

First lets talk about the 3Pc Eyeliner set. This set incudes a liquid black and brown liner as well as a glitter liner with a built in sharpener withen the cap. Now to test out that liner sealer(; 

And lastly, my favorite piece of all.. The brand new 13pc Face and Lip Palette! I remember recieving an email about this and wanting to try it out. Well I certainly didn't expect to it to be in this months bundle! I love blushes if you haven't found out that earlier. They are my favorite piece of makeup. I have not opened this yet (or any other item in this box), but from the look of the packaging there seems to be two blushes, two bronzers, and ofcourse the rest lip products. I will be doing a separate review on this in the future, do keep a look out!

The very last item I did not show (but was in the first picture above) were the powder puffs. I honesly forgot to snap a picture on it's own. But then I thought oh well, they're not that exciting anyways lol

So that was everything I received in this months Beauty Bundle, below will be a list of everything and it's retail price, along with a total tally. I love E.l.f because if you're on a budget like myself, you can try multiple items without breaking the bank! Granted you have a select amount of hits or misses, but so does every brand. 

Beauty Bundle/Product Price 

⚫ Eye Primer & Liner Sealer $3

⚫ HD Undereye Setting Powder $3

⚫ 3 Piece Eyeliner Set $3

⚫ Smudge Pot $3

⚫ Volume Plumping Mascara $3

⚫ Mineral Lipstick $5

⚫ 13 Piece Face & Lip Palette $8

⚫ Powder Puffs Set of 4 $1

⚫ Professional Complete Set of 12 Brushes $12

Total= $41

I do have to say that I was more impressed with my first Beauty Bundle, but none the less am still pleased.

That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading!

Have you subscribed to E.l.f's Beauty Bundle?

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume™ Lifting Mascara Review

Today I'll be doing a review on the Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume™ Lifting Mascara sample. I had recieved this in a gift set with a purchase a few weeks ago, and finally got the chance to test it out.

Isn't it cute? Everything little is always adorable looking. The packaging is nice with a pretty touch of gold accent.

Estee Lauder's Product Details 

(From the Estee Lauder website)

$26 for .21 oz

Now lift your lashes all the way to big, bold, beautiful.

With weightless volume, Sumptuous creates daringly full, sensuously curved, all-out seductive lashes.

Unprecedented Bold Volume™ formula has ultra light, lash-thickening fibers. Lifts and plumps even sparse lashes into big, lush lashes that are all lightness and flirtatious curl.

Benefits

Bold, weightless volume. Exclusive BrushComber™.

Formula Facts

• Ophthalmologist-tested

• Fragrance-free

• Suitable for contact lens wearers

What really cought my eye was the wand. As soon as I took

it out of the tube I had good vibes about this. The bristles are nicely packed, yet spaced just enough. The formula is not too wet nor too dry. I typically prefer dryer formulas personally. However, I feel like this would be perfect for those who like their mascaras to be more in between wet or dry. And I loved how the wand starts out skinny and smoothly widens to the end.

So this is what my lashes look like with no mascara on. I basically have none. (the wonders of makeup right?) Please excuse my tired eyes, this was taken waay too early in the morning. 

The top picture shows what one coat of this mascara looks like (applied 6:30am). I have to say I was really impressed. After seeing one coat, I was curious what three would look like. As you can see with two and three coats on, this mascara builds really nicely. By the third coat, my lashes did start to clump together a bit. But once I wiped off the excess mascara from the wand I was able to fix it.

This picture was taken at 3pm, after an eight hour shift of work. By this time my mascara (along with most of my makeup) would be just about gone. I work in a mill, so you can imagine how hot it can get. I was shocked to see that my lashes were still very visible and hardly any of my mascara had faded.

My overall thoughts

⚫I seriously loved this mascara. I've never owned a fiber one before and I really believe I fell in love with them after this one.

⚫ Even though this is $26 a tube, I would absolutely buy the full sized one (first thing on my list now!).

⚫ Every claim Estee Lauder stated for this mascara was more than true. It made my barely there lashes big, bold, beautiful and sensuously curved, right down to the very T!

⚫ The wand made getting each and every lash a breeze.

⚫ I had no problems with any fibers getting in my eyes.

⚫ Lasts all day.

⚫ Even though I only wear glasses, I thought it was a great plus that this is suitable for those who wear contacts. (although I'm you can wear all mascaras!?)

⚫ And lastly, this is fragrance free which is always a plus.

So that is it for this review. Thank you for reading and I hope you all have a great weekend!

Have you ever tried this mascara before? 

How did you like it? 

Also, what your favorite mascaras?

I'd love to some new ones out!(:

Ready for fall: New hair color

Fall time is here and it is definitely my favorite time of the year. Everything is changing and starting fresh. The beautiful leaves, new face of pumpkins, crisp smell of fire, and my hair color!

I waited nearly five months to dye my hair again. I've been trying to keep it really healthy, I changed out all my hair products for sulfate, silicone, and paraben free ones. I don't wash my hair nearly as often as I used too (trust me, I know how that sounds), and I s&d just about every week. My biggest downfall though, is dying my hair.

The hair color I had previously was (an extremely faded) L'oreal Preference Lush Cherry. It's really a beautiful color, and if you've ever watched Casey Holmes on youtube from last fall that was the color she had.

So this is the color I had before. As you can see, there used to be some red which turned into a more brassy orange-y color (attractive right?). 

The color I used this time was from L'oreal Preference Mega Browns line I

in Mocha with a base of gold and red-vilot. I really did want just a pure brown color with a gold base, but the sample for the Mocha was so pretty. Unfortunately for me, because I had red in my hair from the last dye and others before that, the red in this dye pulled through more than I would have liked.

Along with the hair dye, I used One 'n Only Argan Oil Hair Color Cream Developer. Everytime I do my hair I always alwaays get this stuff. I love the fact it has argan oil, so even though I'm still damaging it, seeing that makes me feel a little bit better. I used 20 volume only because color doesn't lift color, so I wanted to see if this would help lock in the deep mocha color. (If I wasn't so ghostly I would have gone with soft black).

Lastly! For the washing process, I used L'oreal's Oleo Therapy deep conditioner (review coming soon). I don't usually use shampoo when I dye my hair, just for the fact I find them really drying. Some think using shampoo will strip some color, but in all honesty, it doen't.

And this is the final results! It's not as dark as I was hoping but I'm really happy about it. Next time I will probably go with a much darker brown, but we'll see. Till then, I'm ready for Fall!

That's all for todays post, I hope you enjoyed and thank you for reading!

Are you ready for fall?

Did you make any changes?

I'd love to hear about it!(: