1/6/17 1/6/17

Product Review #002: Hourglass Vanish Foundation

Let me just start off by saying that I don't wear foundation very often, I wear tinted moisturizers much more often than foundation. Since I don't wear it very often, when I do wear it I really want it to make my face look flawless, otherwise what's the point of foundation? I will admit that I am pretty picky when it comes to high end foundation because I think that the drugstore has stepped their game up in the foundation department... so believe me when I tell you that if a foundation has compelled me to write a blog post... it MUST be good.

I have very dry skin and prefer a satin finish but since I live in miami the foundation has to hold up on a humid night out.

The first and only time I wore this foundation was on New Years Eve and it only took me one wear to know that I absolutely loved it. I know what works and what does not work on my skin so it doesn't take very long for me to determine if I love or hate a product.

This foundation did everything I want a foundation to do:

It held up pretty well in high humidity.
Did well in flash photography.
Held up well even after sweating from dancing all night.
Made my pores look nonexistent.
Did not break me out the next day or irritate my skin in any way.
DID NOT crease on me.

One thing I CANNOT stand from foundation is when it creases on my smile lines, I want the foundation to look flawless but not to the point where you can tell from a mile away I'm wearing it.

I exfoliated prior to applying, I used my Makeup Forever smoothing primer underneath and a very good moisturizer (Embryolisse lait-Creme)

I've tried the MUFE foundation stick & I'm not sure if I was applying it incorrectly but I did not like it, which is why I was hesitant to try this one but I'm SO glad I did.

I'm currently shade Bisque

Definitely recommend.

11/13/16 11/13/16

5 Fall Beauty Trends I'm Loving

Eyeshadow Faux Wings

Here are five of my current favorite Fall makeup trends.

To be honest I wear most of these throughout the entire year but for the most part they are very fall appropriate.

The first Trend that I'm loving is a more unique twist to the traditional wing. While I do still love a good ol' liquid liner wing, I've found myself doing nothing but smokey wings lately. It's so much easier and forgiving than liquid liner... not to mention less stressful.

Using different colored cream eyeliners or eyeshadows to make a wing also gives the most beautiful effect.

Camel or Warm-Toned Very Blown-out Smokey Eye

My favorite kind of smokey looks are the extremely blow-out ones. I think there is something so beautiful in an effortless look.. the kind where you don't look like you spent 2 hours on your makeup... when you probably did.

I think camel is my favorite color eyeshadow so of course I had to pick a camel colored look but any warm toned look looks so beautiful during the fall season.

Mauve or Berry-Toned blush

I think my favorite part of fall is digging into my makeup drawers and pulling out all of my mauve or berry-toned blushes.

My current favorite is mood exposure by Hourglass and pink chocolate by amazing cosmetics.

Extremely highlighted Inner-corners.

I never use to highlight my inner corners & I always wondered why my eye makeup never popped. Now I know! This is a must in order to make your eyeshadow look more put together.

Aside from a subtle highlight however, Ive been enjoying going slightly overboard and making more of a statement with my inner corner highlight. This is perfect for when you put on minimal eyeshadow but really want your eyes to pop.

Simple/Minimal Eye + Bold Lip

Fall is not Fall until you pull out all of your bold lipsticks!

I've really been loving bold lips with minimal eye makeup, specially stain-like bold lips.

+++ All photos were found on pinterest.

1/1/16 1/1/16

Beauty favorites of 2015

I tried REALLY hard to make it only 15 products, I failed. So here are some of my faves for the year 2015.

1. Bobbi brown bronzing powder (shade golden light)- I despise bronzers that you have to be careful with, I obviously look for good payoff but something that goes on smoothly and doesn't leave blotches. THIS ONE does just that & it does so beautifully. I also want to give an honorable mention to the makeup forever pro bronzer ( I didn't include it because I got it recently but it's amazing)
2. Laura Mercier matte radiance powder (shade 01)- If you want to look like you've been kissed by an angel you should get this stuff. It is perfect for day to day but you can also really pack it on to make it more dramatic. I use the heck out of it and it barely has a dent so you do get your money's worth.
3. Origins VitaZing moisturizer- I don't wear foundation everyday and I really enjoy products that cut your get-ready time. I've been using this since I was about 17 and it remains a favorite. It is a moisturizer with spf and a slight tint, it gives you a little glow and makes you slightly bronzed. Great for everyday.
4. Laura Mercier secret brightening powder- Concealer and under-eye powder are kind of my thing. My favorite makeup to buy is anything that has to do with the under-eye because I seriously think that if you do not look like you're well rested nothing else will look good on your face... plus I've got some pretty gnarly hereditary dark circles -.- this powder is one of the, if not THE BEST, under-eye setting powder that I have ever tried and trust me when I tell you I have tried a lot.
5. MAC mineralized skin finish natural- I'm pretty sure I mention this every time I post a makeup favorites blog post or instagram picture but it's because this stuff is amazing, end of story.
6. Rimmel scandaleyes waterproof khol kajal- I've been more into nude eyeliners as opposed to black lately and I've really been enjoying this one by Rimmel I also have the one by Tarte and they are both awesome.
7. Eve by Eve's liquid liner- For some reason, my eyelids get oily... nothing else on my face is oily besides my freaking eyelids and it drives me crazy. The fact that my eyelids are slightly hooded doesn't help either. Everything transfers to my lid. When I rave about a mascara or an eyeliner it is because they will not budge and if they do not budge on me I guarantee they will not budge on you because my eyelids are most likely oilier that yours. With that said, I recently discovered this eyeliner and the description mentioned that it was waterproof, smudge-proof, EVERYTHING-proof, a little more and they would've said bullet proof, so of course I had to try it. They weren't kidding. This eyeliner along with the Kat von D tattoo liner, nyx matte liner and Loreal lineur intense ARE THE ONLY liquid eyeliners that work for me and don't transfer to my upper lid, the reason I chose to include this one was because it is a matte finish and this tip is much easier to work with than the nyx liner.
8. Elf studio tapered brush- This brush is like 8 bucks and it is the only thing I use to set my under-eye & I don't think I can ever live without it. Another brush that I discovered this year is this morphe brush which I didn't include in the picture because it was extremely dirty since I use it every day. But it is the best concealer brush ever, it blends everything out like a beauty blender except you don't have to wet it so if you're lazy when it comes to damping that little glorious sponge I recommend you try the morphe brush.
9. Stila soul pallete- Really used the heck out of this palette, every single color is beautiful and super pigmented.
10. Nyx lip pencil in nude truffle- I love and own almost all of the nyx lip pencils, they are the best for the price in my opinion but I'm not sure what it is about this particular color that is so flattering. I can put this underneath any lip color and it makes it look amazing. I REALLY love how it looks under nudes.
11. Nars audacious lipstick (shade raquel)- Best formula I have ever tried in a lipstick. I use this color ontop of Nyx nude truffle.
12. Nars blush (shade madly)- My first blush ever and it will probably remain a favorite till my skin is too wrinkled for blush.
13.Lancome Hypnose star mascara- Really love this mascara, doesn't flake or transfer to my lid and gives a ton of volume. I also want to mention my Clinque lash power and Giogio Armani eyes to kill mascaras because those will forever be faves as well.
14. Tarte maracuja creaseless concealer (shade light sand)- Love. this. concealer. It works the best when blended out with your finger and then set with a matte finish powder like the Laura mercer one. AMAZING and super moisturizing.
15.Nars Radiant creamy concealer (shade vanilla)- I only use this concealer for outings because it is super high coverage so it looks best with a full face of makeup in my opinion but it is beautiful and it replaced my old time favorite mac pro longwear concealer.
16. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (shade 20 beige)- Long time favorite for a good reason. Best natural looking foundation, it seriously gives the most beautiful dewy finish.
17. Buxom lipgloss (shade White Russian)- Whenever I don't wear lipstick I wear this and it gives such a pretty color to the lips and plumps them as well.

8/11/15 8/11/15

Higher End Products Worth the Hype

Here are some of the products that I own that are on the pricier side that I believe are worth the hype/money.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow HERE: It took me a while to purchase this because I was trying really hard to justify the price until finally I gave in. Sure its expensive but you're getting two decently sized, top of the line products both of which have beautiful color payoff, after using it for a little over a month now I can honestly say it is worth the hype.
Kevin Aucoin Sculpting power HERE : Contouring has never really been my thing but recently I was playing around with some of my bronzers and found that instead of applying one color all over or the same color to contour/bronze I get more dimension and more of a natural look when two different colors are used. So I decided to try this powder out and it works beautifully. Since this power (shade medium) is cooler in tone it gives the effect of a shadow while warmer bronzers are better for other parts of the face.
Cover FX custom cover drops HERE: I absolutely hate having to buy different shades of foundation to match my skin throughout the year so I am so glad these drops exist. Aside from working wonderfully to either darken or lighten your foundations these drops will make just about anything ( moisturizer, primer, illuminator etc... ) into a tinted moisturizer/foundation. WORTH IT.
Becca shimmering skin perfector pressed ( Jaclyn Hill's Champagne Pop pictured) HERE: If you had to pick one high-end highlighter to use for the rest of your life pick any of the Becca highlighters & I promise you, you will not be disappointed. I also own the shade Opal and both of these are beautiful. The pigment is incredible, it's truly worth every penny.
It Cosmetics Your Skin but better CC Cream HERE: Lets preach shall we... stop what you're doing right now, go to your nearest ULTA and pick this up! If you're in the market for something to use for daytime I highly recommend this stuff. It has a high SPF, moisturizes and color corrects all in one. It's light weight but full coverage and won't make you look like a cake.
Laura Mercier Silk Creme foundation HERE: This is the old formula, I have yet to try the new one but I'm sure it will not disappoint. This is one of the first foundations I ever bought and till this day nothing really beats it. I only really use foundations at night for outtings, so I like for the foundations to photograph nicely, not look cakey or settle into any lines and stay on really well and this one does the job like no other.
Makeup forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer HERE: I own the smoothing, mattifying and the moisturizing equalizers from MUFE and they are all amazing. Best primers I've used, they actually do their job.
Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizer HERE: I love this for either mixing in with my moisturizer for an all over glow or highlighting certain areas of the face, it is my favorite multi-purpose liquid highlight.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow gel HERE: This stuff is cement for your eyebrows, yes cement, not hair-spray because I've actually tried hair spray on my eyebrows and this does a much better job. I will never be without it.
Cover Fx Illuminating primer HERE: As you can probably tell I appreciate a little glow, mostly because my skin is kind of dry but also because it is very flattering and healthy-looking to have glowy skin. This primer is great for that effect and actually primes.
Nars Audatious lipstick HERE: This is one of the most expensive lipsticks that I own but I promise you it is the best lipstick that I have ever purchased (excluding liquid lipsticks). It doesn't settle into your lips or leave a weird line inside your lips, it lasts a very long time and the formula is just top notch, I can't say enough good things. (Shade Vanessa pictured)
Mac Mineralized skin finish Natural HERE : BEST POWDER IN THE HISTORY OF POWDERS, period. If you're tired of hearing about them it's for a very good reason, you can literally dip your brush and apply it to your face 57 times in one sitting and you will not look like a cake (don't try it though, cause I'm just being dramatic... 57 times is a lot of times..) I use this almost every day ontop of my moisturizer, it's my go to.
Soleil Tan De Chanel HERE: When applied properly (with a big fluffy synthetic bristled brush), nothing makes my face look as naturally bronzed as this stuff. Personally, I think it is worth the splurge.