Beauty: My Current Favorite Makeup Products

It's no secret, I love to try out new makeup products. Once I find some that I love, I keep them in my daily makeup rotation. These are products that I currently use everyday during the week. You'll see that it's a mix of drugstore finds and more expensive brands. Not every makeup product has to be expensive to work great! I like to play up my eyes a little more on the weekend but I typically stick to these products below. 

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Rose Petal 

I figured I'd try this out since it was on sale and I'm SO happy I did. I love the pop of color it gives my cheeks and the texture is smooth and creamy. I love how it blends in my skin and it lasts all day. One of my favorite drug store finds! 

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream Broad Spectrum SPF 35

I love BB creams ever since Adrianne introduced me to how amazing they are. Super light, moisturizing and I don't feel like I have anything on my face. I love it. Perfect for the spring, summer, fall and whenever you don't need as much coverage. 

Smashbox High Definition Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15 

I love this foundation when I need more coverage. In the winter I tend to wear more foundation and this is still light but has the perfect amount of coverage. It matches my skin tone perfectly too! 

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real

Adrianne got me this mascara for Christmas and I completely understand the hype now. I never have clumpy lashes anymore and they transform my straight sad lashes into curled beautiful ones. I love this stuff!

Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer

I got this with a Tarte blush in a travel pack and fell in love. It's not orange at all and gives me a perfect sun kissed glow. I'm running low and am not happy about that! Time for a Sephora or Ulta run! 

Lancome Le Crayon Khol in Black Coffee 

My mom bought me this after we saw a woman who worked at the Lancome counter wearing it. Her makeup looked phenomenal and she raved about the product. It's pricey, but lasts FOREVER. I haven't had to sharpen it yet! 

Urban Decay Cosmetics Naked Palette w/ Brush

My future mother in law got me this for Christmas and I've been obsessed with it. It's so fun to play around with all of the different colors and I love how neutral they all are. You can use this for day and night. Worth every penny! 

e.l.f. Studio Duo Concealer/Highlighter

I've recently blogged about my obsession for this cheap drugstore find. It's an amazing product that I can't rave enough about.

Have you used any of my favorite beauty products I listed above? What are some of your favorites?

Beauty Review: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils

I was so spoiled this Christmas. Some of my favorite gifts were ones I didn't even think of -- thank you again friends and family, I truly am so lucky. My future mother-in-law reads this blog and knows how much I love testing new makeup products and reviewing them for you. She totally spoiled me again this year and got me a ton of makeup, face and body products for me to try. Today I'm reviewing the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils. 

I was so excited to see that there were five colors in the package and that they were all so different than what I currently own. Perversion (very black), Ransom (bright purple), Woodstock (hot pink), Radium (bright blue), Junkie (green). I've been wanting to try out some bolder looks and these eyeliners are perfect! 

I love that they are long wear and waterproof. They really stay put -- even with my watery eyes from my contacts. After putting swatches of the colors on my arm it look some serious scrubbing to get them off (especially Perversion) a good sign for how long lasting these colors are!

They all went on so smooth and glided over my eyelids. Some other brands of pencil eyeliners tend to break up or skip over the eyelid leaving breaks in the color. This was not an issue at all with this product and it went on so smooth without tugging on my eyelids at all. 

I am a big fan of these eyeliners and am so excited to continue to try out new looks with them. 

Have you tried these eyeliners before? Are there any other waterproof liners you love? 

Review: Physicians Formula: Shimmer Strips in Nude

My mom picked up the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips nude palette for part of my birthday present and I was so excited to try it out. She had seen reviews comparing it to the Urban Decay Naked Palette (read Adrianne’s review here) and thought I would want to give it a try. I was intrigued because the Urban Decay palette looks awesome and I’ve been debating if I should drop the money and invest in it myself. This was a much more affordable version for a fifth of the price!

The biggest difference was the size. The Physicians Formula version was way smaller and instead of 12 shadows it included 9. The dark shades are also smaller than the other shadows and it was hard to use my normal brush to apply it. This wasn't a deal breaker though.

I haven’t tried out all of the shadows on the palette yet but so far I really like the product. It was really natural looking and when I wore it with primer it really enhanced the colors. There are three different sets of colors with a light, medium and dark shade to enhance the look. I have used the first two sets of colors so far and am waiting for a date night to wear the deeper color shades ;)

I’m excited that there is such variety and plan on mixing and matching different shades in the palette to experiment with different looks. They are all very bendable and easy to apply.

When I compare this palette to some other pricey eye shadows that I own -- it doesn’t disappoint. I thought for sure that I would be able to tell a difference in the product and that it wouldn’t last that long. I was proven wrong. More expensive does not always equal a better deal. 

 Have you tried any of the Shimmer Strips from Physicians Formula? Are there any other affordable cosmetics you swear by?

Makeup Haul

Recently I got my hands on a few beauty products I'm really excited to test and review for you guys.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

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This follow-up to the original Naked Palette (which I absolutely love) is AWESOME. The palette contains 12 shades, and they're quite different from the original palette. The Naked 2 contains a few more matte shades, but maintains the combination of both sparkly and matte shades. It also comes with a mini lip gloss and a double-ended eyeshadow brush. There really are a lot of possibilities with this palette.

Jouer Lip Enhancer

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Jouer is a brand I had heard of, but only really discovered via my monthly Birchbox. I'd never tried the lip enhancer before, but I decided to give it a shot when I read the description. The product is creamy and has a subtle hint of pink. The lip enhancer claims to make your lips look fuller and reduce fine lines. It's supposed to hydrate and protect lips. The directions say to apply several times a day for one month to see results.

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint

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Thank you to Birchbox for introducing me to this product! It's like a tinted moisturizer on steroids. The product is lightweight and provides a nice-looking summer glow to the skin. It has SPF 20 and comes in seven different shades to match all skin tones. The color I purchased was pearl -- made for fair complexions. As you can tell, I already love this product.

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

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This product is one of the more recent additions to the Benefit line. The mascara claims to lengthen, curl and volumize lashes. That's quite a tall order. Having tested this product before, I was pretty happy with the results. One of the first things I noticed about the product is the brush. It's fairly standard, but the tip comes with tiny little bristles to help you coat the harder to reach lashes. I'm looking forward to adding this one to my daily makeup routine.

I'm really excited to use all of these new products. I'll post full reviews and pictures for everything soon. Have you tried out any of these products? Let us know in the comments!

Five Summer Makeup Must-Haves

Summer is in full swing – is your makeup bag stocked and ready? Here are a few things I consider must-haves for summer:

Eye and face primers

Don’t let all the work you put into perfecting your makeup look go to waste when you step outside. Make sure you’re wearing eye and face primers, and be sure to pick up separate primers formulated for each area.

A few favorites:

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original

This is my year-round go-to for eye primer. It’s lightweight, easy-to-apply and it speaks for itself – my eye makeup always lasts the whole day.

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Kat Von D High Voltage Eye Primer in Skin

This eye primer comes in a close second. The product is a little thick, but once blended it will help your eye makeup stay put. As an added bonus, using a beige-toned eye primer helps cover any redness or discoloration on your eyelids making the colors you apply more bright and vibrant.

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Laura Geller Spackle Under Makeup Primer in Original

If you have any oiliness whatsoever on your skin, this primer will suck it all up. Enough said.

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Bright eyeliner

Summer is the time of year where you can wear fun and bright makeup colors and it looks totally normal. I’m a huge fan of bright eye makeup, especially eyeliner. My absolute favorite is wearing bright green. Come on – you can’t really get away with that during the winter.

A few to try:

Sephora Collection Nano Liner in Chlorophyll

This bright green is adorable. And surprisingly, it works with a lot of different eyeshadow colors.

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Inglot Matte Collection AMC Eyeliner Gel in 72

Pink eyeliner? If you’re brave enough to try it, I promise it will give your whole face a summer-y look!

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BB cream or tinted moisturizer

Don’t apply a thick foundation – let your skin breathe this summer! A BB cream or tinted moisturizer is perfect to wear “it’s hot outside” is an understatement.

Here are a few favorites:

Garnier BB Cream in Fair/Light

This is the BB cream I am currently using, and I couldn’t be happier. I bought this on a whim from Target and have been really satisfied with how lightweight it feels and covers up any imperfections on my skin.

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Smashbox BB Cream

This is the BB cream Amanda is currently using, and she loves it. You can check out her review here.

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Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

I don’t think I’m the only one who loves this tinted moisturizer. It’s light and looks really lovely on the skin.

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Bright lip gloss

Second only to bright eyeliner, bright lip gloss is another summer makeup must-have. I prefer it over lipstick, because it doesn’t feel or look so heavy on the lips.

Try these:

MAC Tinted Lipglass (try Pink Poodle, Saint Germain or Angel)

I can’t get enough of MAC lipglasses. These lightweight glosses give a big color payoff without feeling too sticky or heavy.

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Stila Lip Glaze (try Kitten or Watermelon)

Stila’s lip glazes are a little bit thicker than a normal lip gloss, but they have so many color choices that are perfect for summer. The lip glazes don’t wear off easily and no matter which one you choose, you can be sure your lips will have a really pretty sheen or shimmer.

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Bronzing powder

I religiously wear sunscreen, so I can’t say I’m sporting any kind of a tan – even in the midst of summer. In order to fake it, bronzing powder is a staple in my summer makeup routine.

Tarte Bronzer in Park Avenue Princess

This is a perfect color for lighter skin tones – it doesn’t look too orange or ruddy. It’s best applied lightly in layers.

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Smashbox Bronze Lights

Another great bronzing powder choice. Super blendable and gives a lovely glow to the skin.

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What else do you carry in your makeup bag during summer?

The Urban Decay Naked Palette – A Makeup Lover’s Dream

Just looking at this picture makes me happy.

If you’re a makeup junkie like me, you have most likely heard of the Urban Decay Naked Palette. It’s a collection of 12 neutral UD eyeshadows. The palette comes with a brush and trial size of the UD Primer Potion.

Here are the colors you get:

*Virgin: soft pinky-beige with a hint of shimmer

Sin: champagne with shimmer

*Naked: matte nude

Sidecar: pinky-nude with shimmer and tiny pieces of glitter

Buck: medium matte brown

Half Baked: bronzy gold with shimmer

Smog: bronzy copper with shimmer

Darkhorse: rich mocha with a hint of shimmer

*Toasted: shimmery pink-copper

Hustle: shimmery plum-chocolate brown

*Creep: darkest gray with shimmer

*Gunmetal: dark bluish-gray with shimmer and tiny pieces of glitter

I added a star to my favorites – these are the colors I use the most.

I can’t say enough good things about this palette. The colors are beautiful, the number of looks you can create is endless and the eyeshadows last all day. And if you do any amount of traveling, this palette is perfect to throw in your suitcase. Since I got the palette in January, I’ve used at least one shadow from it almost every single day. It’s that versatile. The brush that come with the palette is pretty handy, and if you haven’t checked out UD Primer Potion, it’s a must if you regularly wear eyeshadow.

The palette has been out for quite a while, and honestly, the thing that held me back from purchasing it the day it hit stores is the price. Fifty bucks – yikes. But, you really do get a lot with this palette. Even after six months of regularly using the palette, it looks like I've yet to make a dent in any one of the shadows.

Someone who doesn’t like a lot of shimmer in their eye makeup might not want to spend the money, since you are essentially only getting two truly matte colors. But even with all the shimmery and glittery colors, I find the palette great for everyday wear. The colors that contain shimmer are quite subtle and those with glitter probably aren’t what you think of when you think glitter. The glitter in these eyeshadows is so fine that it doesn’t end up looking too dramatic. Even with the shimmery colors, you can create so many different looks depending on which colors you choose to combine. It's perfect for day, evening and work.

Here are three different looks I created with the Naked Palette:

I am pining for the Naked 2 Palette (which does contain more matte colors), and I’m sure I’m going to cave and buy it soon. Do you own the Naked (or Naked 2) Palette? Do you love it as much as I do?