Drugstore makeup look.

Lets face it, makeup can be expensive. I was home today due to my lovely neck injury flaring up & sat down to play with some makeup. Since I've been absent from posting lately I figured I'd make this post into a drugstore/affordable makeup look everyone can do! (Minus my brow product, my apologies there.) This is my first written tutorial & I was medicated while doing all this so bare with me! 

Steps:

1) Prime lid using Nyx eyeshadow base in white. 

2) Apply a base color to lid using L'oreal infallible shadow in "899 endless pearl". 

3) Taking "the natural eyeshadow palette" by Nyx I used the 3rd shade from the left for my main crease color. 

4) Using the Wet n wild shadow palette in "sparkle till the morning" (my apologies if this was limited edition) I took the sparkly brown shade on the bottom right & applied that to my crease as well blending it into the shade before. 

5) Using that same palette I took the shimmery cream color on the top left and patted that onto my lid, tear duct & below the outer bottom area of my brow. 

6) Again with that same palette I took the gorgeous shimmery turquoise shade and applied that to my lower lash line with an angled brush. 

7) I took the Elf liquid liner and lined my upper lash line. 

8) Using Revlon's lash potion mascara in black I applied that to my upper lashes. 

9) For my brows I using my Anastasia tinted brow gel in "Carmel". 

10) For foundation I chose Covergirl's 3 in 1 foundation. 

11) Nyx HD photogenic concealer in "porcelain" was applied & blended out in a triangle shape under my eyes, bridge of my nose, Cupid's bow & between my brows as a highlight. 

12) Nyx matte bronzer in "medium" was placed under my cheekbones as a contour & then blended out. 

13) Lastly, using Nyx butter gloss in "crème brulee" I applied that to my lips. 

Lesson learned: Do not do makeup in a medicated state (or try to take pictures of it at least). 

These photos were not edited or retouched, only cropped. 

<3

Review: Tarte Braziliance Maracuja Self Tanner.

Tarte Brazilliance™ skin rejuvenating maracuja face and body self tanner Review

Tarte is an Eco friendly, cruelty free brand. I was eyeing up this self tanner for awhile, especially after seeing a demo on QVC. Once Sephora.com started carrying a mini trial tube (along with a mini bronzer) I was all over it because let's face it anything mini is too cute to pass up!

(Picture curtesy of sephora.com)

The Tarte website explains the self tanner as follows: 

"A revolutionary maracuja-infused face and body self tanner. Achieve a healthy faux-glow while drenching your skin in moisture. This revolutionary hybrid gel formula, infused with pure maracuja oil, delivers replenishing essential fatty acids along with skin-brightening and youth-preserving vitamin C. tarte’s proprietary PUREshield™ scent-control technology allows for a pleasant, spa-like application that smells unlike any self tanner you’ve tried before.  You'll be admiring your newly bronzed bod, your skin will feel and look firmer, brighter and smoother soaking in all of the benefits of maracuja oil. 

Product Performance: This perfectly-hued bronze gives skin a sunkissed warmth that never looks fake or orange and thanks to the included perfect application mitt you're guaranteed an easy, clean and streak-free, golden bronze tan every time! 

Replenish, rebuild and rejuvenate skin for a youthful and healthy appearance year-round. Unlike other tanners that leave an overpowering unpleasant scent afterwards, tarte’s signature PUREshield™ scent-control technology leaves skin feeling fresh and smelling amazing with a yummy, sweet passion fruit after scent.

Powered By: maracuja oil: rich in essential fatty acids (EFAs) known to replenish, rebuild, and enliven skin for a firmer, brighter, smoother appearance; high dose of pure Vitamin C gives the appearance of brighter skin; powerful anti-aging elixir promotes active skin recovery and rejuvenation; maximum hydration quenches dry skin." 

So now that you know a little more about the ingredients & company time for a little review! 

I've actually used this self tanner twice this week that's how much I'm liking it! The smell is probably the best part, like cinnamon buns (which makes me want to cheat my diet so bad!). The next best thing about this product (despite having used a face brush while cleansing my face) is it actually stayed put for a good 2 days which I haven't seen yet from a self tanner due to my facial cleansing habits."

 

The self tanner looks like this: 

Pretty dark looking but it doesn't show up this way. I woke up the first time after trying this with a natural, flawless facial tan! It has a sort of gel look but doesn't feel as messy. Also very quick drying!

Sounds to good to be true right? The only down side of this product I've encountered so far is the slight staining of my fingers (a mitt comes with the full size, just not the trial) which doesn't phase me much because the smell is so pleasant! 

(Fingers post wash)

All in all I would definitely recommend this product, my only suggestion is get the mitt! Lol

This can be purchased at Tarte.com & other retailers such as Sephora & QVC.

 

Questions? comment below :)

Everyday Brushes/Sponge.

Let me first start out by saying all these brushes/sponge were purchased by me with my money, I did not get any of these sent to me. I am also not getting any form of payment to do this, these are my honest preferences. Also all of these brushes are on the cheaper side (direct links posted to all of them), I will be doing a later post on how I clean/maintain them.

Real Techniques "Setting Brush":
I use this to set my under eye concealer. You can purchase these at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Ulta & The Real Techniques Website for around $8.00.

Sedona Lace "618":
Since I normally have on acrylic nails & can't get into concealer pots/jars I use this to get into them, apply the product to my face & pat out with my fingers. This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $12.95.

"The Original Beauty Blender":
Sorry for the array of makeup all over them, I wanted to depict the size before getting wet (left) & then the size once wet (right). I personally always use mine wet, so what I do is run it under the water while gentle squeezing it then once it's reached the expanded size I gently squeeze in a towel & I'm ready to go. I normally distribute the foundation onto the back of my hand, dab my beauty blender in it & use a pouncing motion all over my face until everything looks flawless. The Beauty Blender can be purchased at Sephora & The Beauty Blender Website & come in all different sets & prices. I personally own the 2 pack of pink Beauty Blenders for $28.95 but obviously they need replacing.

Sedona Lace "980":
I use this to set my foundation as well as to blend out my contour. This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $14.95.

Sedona Lace "FB 05":
This is what I use when I contour using powder bronzer (what I use most often). This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $12.95.

Sedona Lace "FB 01":
My obsession with this brush is unreal. 98% of the time this is how I apply my blush, sometimes I even apply my contour and highlighter with it. It can also be used to easily sweep away fall out from eyeshadow. I feel that it is probably one of Sedona Lace's top sellers because it is out of stock a decfent amount of the time, which is why I own 3 (lol). This brush can only be found at The Sedona Lace Website & is $12.95.

Real Techniques "Multi Task Brush":
This is what I use to blend out my blush. It only comes in a kit called "Travel Essentials" (with a great brush stand for drying your brushes ;) ) & can be found at Bed, Bath & beyond, Ulta & The Real Techniques Website & costs around $18.00.

Elf "Small Tapered Brush":
When I'm not too lazy & have the time to apply highlighter this is normally what I find myself reaching for. It is available at Target, Walmart & The Elf Website for $3.00 (a steal I know).

Stick around to see how I care for these brushes & keep them looking like new! <3

Results: Lorac Self TANtalizer.

I just wanted to post a quick update on my experience with the Lorac Self TANtalizer that I did a first impression on in the last post. Honestly, I woke up yesterday expecting the worst because of the streaky application but once I washed off the color guard (with just water in the morning) the self tan on my face was flawless, so I was very pleasantly surprised! I know a lot of self tanner scents tend to linger even after being washed once but this one didn't (thank god). The only thing I'm bummed about, but expected, is that the color is already gone. I wash my face everyday and last night when I washed it in the shower with a facial cleanser & a cheap Sephora face brush it disappeared (but again I expected that). I know from my tanning salon days that there are soaps better for self tanner that won't strip it so fast but I can't remember them off the top of my head. I was really hoping it could have lasted at least 2 days but that is expactly why I'm on this hunt, to hopefully find one that can!

If you have any questions on the self tanner I tried or even self tanning in general please leave them below & I will help you out to the best of my abilities! <3

First impression: Lorac Self TANtalizer.

I have been on a mission lately trying to find the 'perfect' face self tanner since I haven't tanned my face in at least a year. I figured I'd share my experiences on here to help everyone considering a good amount of my friends were acquired managing tanning salons. Yes I do still tan & no thanks on the lecture. I am simply here providing a glimpse into the world of (facial) self tanners & my experiences. 

So I literally just applied this to my face 15 mins ago & wanted to get this out of the way while everything is still fresh in my mind. I will be updating this tomorrow with the results of how this turned out. 

First Impression: Lorac Self TANtalizer. 

Smell: total thumbs down on this one. It smells worse than skin after a tanning bed, like something died. 

Application: I love the color guard (a pre color that shows up when applying to help aid in an even application) but it still applied streaky (crossing my fingers it's just the guard) & was way too quick to dry during application which I believe is the reason I have streaks. 

Price: 

I used a sample packet, the full tube (2.20 oz.) is $28 as per the Sephora website (can also be found other places like the Lorac site I'm sure). 

All in all I hope this self tanner surprises me (in a good way) & I wake up tomorrow loving the color (& not hating a Monday more than normal). 

If you have a facial self tanner that's worked for you leave it below & I'll most likely give it a try! :)

Illamasqua Powder Blushers.

Last year was the first time the brand Illamasqua caught my eye. It took me a while to start purchasing this brand not only because of the $26 price tag per blush ($3 more and i could have a coveted Nars blush for comparision purposes) but because it took me a while to find the brand here in the US. I come from what I would consider a small town & the Sephora near me does not carry anything but the nail varnish & of course I wanted to see this hyped up product before I spent the money on it. One day I adventured to the King of Prussia mall and to my surprise I was exposed to my new obsession.

Illamasqua powder blushers have a rep for being extremely pigmented & in my opinion that is 110% true. When I switch to them from my trusty Nars blushes I have to remind myself to use an extremely light hand because these guys pack a serious punch (of color). I'll also admit that some of these I own strictly because of their silly names. I currently own 5 pictured above in order are Thrust, Allure, Chased, Nymph & Hussy. Now on to some swatches!

Natural lighting - from top to bottom: Thrust, Allure, Chased, Nymph & Hussy.

Flash - top to bottom: Thrust, Allure, Chased, Nymph & Hussy.

Individuals:

Allure. "Dusky rose pink (shimmer)" This one is by far my favorite. The picture can't even do it justice. There is a gold shimmer (easily tapped off of a brush for you shimmer shy beauties) that just makes this color, it's beyond gorgeous. 

Thrust. "Deep magenta pink (matte)" I'll admit I have yet to actually be daring enough to wear this but it's one of those colors I had to have. One day I will rock it fearlessly! 

Chased. "Bright rose pink (matte)" This color was sold out both at KOP & Sephora.com for what felt like forever. When I finally got the email saying it was back in stock I ordered it right away. This shade is my favorite come winter as I'm a huge fan of bright pinks then. 

Hussy. "Bright candy pink (matte)" Honestly this is one of the 2 I bought because of the name. Lol it's a challenge because it is so bright & pigmented but still a gorgeous color. 

Nymph. "Warm candy pink (matte)" The other one I bought due to the name. The bonus was this gorgeous color. Sadly my nail took a dent out of it one day when I was in a hurry but with the small amount of product needed per application I still don't see it running out anytime soon. 

Hopefully I will add to my collect at some point, S.O.P.H.I.E., Morale & Lover are all on my watch list, but so far I'm loving my collect. Next with out a doubt I will be getting my hands on the brands "blush up brush" & can't wait to see the results vs my normal method of application, the Sedona lace fan brush (mentioned in my "5 products that make my code" post). 

If you've tried Illamasqua what is your favorite product by them? <3