August 2013 Beauty Favorites

Hello! I hope the start of your long day weekend is going well for all of you who celebrate labor  day! I am sharing my monthly favorites for the official last month of summer. I have so many mixed feelings about this time of year because while I love summer and it makes me sad to see it go, I absolutely love fall! I love the weather, the makeup, the fashion, and of course all the pumpkin flavored goodies! Oh well time will go on and I will proceed with my monthly favs!

I have a few lip products to share so I will begin with those. 

I never got in the habit of using a lip liner but I purchased NYX's lip liner in Nude Pink to help even out my lips and provide a base for my lipsticks. It goes well under any lipstick and helps in making my lipstick last longer than it normally would. Nude pink it just slightly lighter than my natural lip color which is great because it helps which ever lipstick i apply go on more true to color.

When I was planning on a night out in August, I would reach for Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable LipBalm Stain. I have the shade Sweetheart Valentine which is a vibrant pink. I love this because it's a very light weight product but it still provides your lips with a little bit of moisture. The Just Bitten Kissable LipBalm's have a slight sheen to them. As far as the staying power of the color - I would say I get about 3 hours out of it.

NYX Lip Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream is a really pretty bright pink shade. I have been doing really simple eyes this month any playing up either my cheeks or lips. I like wearing Peaches and 

Cream for a pop of pink.

I have been experimenting with a couple of concealers recently but Tarte's Maracuja Creaseless  Concealer has been a favorite of mine this month. It is the most cream and moisturizing concealer that provides my under eye with a dewey finish. It stays put all day without creasing - full review here!

My blush of choice this month was Chanel's JC Blush in In Love - this I purcased off e bay. It was an authentic sample but I did not really care. I actually did not care for it the first few times I used it but it has really grown on me. There are photos and swatches here 

For mascara I have really enjoyed Maybelline's The Rocket. It provides nice volume and applies so easily! I have a full review of this mascara here

I included my MAC MSFN in this months favorites becuase I recently ran out and thought I would try something new. I ended up returning what I purchased because it just did not provide the flawless finish the MAC MSFN does for me. I wear the shade Medium plus for NC20. MAC's MSFN is really light weight and lasts all day. I find myself touching up about after 7 hours. 

Those are my August favorites! Thanks for stopping by and feel free to share some of your monthly favs in the comments below :)

Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express

Out of all of the drugstore brands, I think Maybelline produces the best mascara's ! I have been a huge, longtime fan of Maybelline's Full and Soft but I wanted to try something different. 

Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara is a volumizing mascara with a 'fast glide formula.' The formula is meant to evenly and smoothly apply mascara to the lashes. One of the reasons I enjoy this mascara is because it's not fussy. By no fuss,  I mean that I don't find myself running the brush through my lashes over and over to get the fanned out look I wish to accomplish. 

The Rocket does provide a fuller, thicker appearance on my lash line and separates my lashes nicely. The wand is a rubber wand with flexible bristles. This is a very long wearing mascara - I experience absolutely no flaking with The Rocket.

Overall I really like this mascara - I can get away with a coats or two during the day to make my lashes look darker and fanned out or I can use three coats to get a more dramatic appearance. 

Have you tried Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara? 

Tarte's Maracuja Creaseless Concealer

Today I am going to review Tarte’s new Maracuja Creaseless Concealer ($24). I have dark circles (heredity :( ) that I am always trying to cover up! I purchased this a few weeks ago and have been trying it out ever since. 

Tarte claims that this concealer is a long lasting, creaseless concealer that covers imperfections while providing hydration and promotes healthy skin. The Maracuja Creaseless Concealer is made with maracuja oil which gives the skin a dewey, luminous finish. Tarte offers 8 different shades of this concealer. Right now I am around NC25 and wear light medium.

I have not come across a concealer quite like this one. Not once have I used a concealer so creamy! It glides on the skin quiet nicely. I would definitely recommend this product if you have dryness under the eye area. The Maracuja Creaseless Concealer is incredibly creamy and really easy to blend. It's quite thick but once it's blended out, the product really covers dark circles nicely, while providing your under eye area with a bright luminous effect. This provides medium to full coverage, depending on how much you use. I will say that a little goes a long way.

This concealer lasts about 8 - 10 hours. Throughout the day my dark circles are still covered leaving no need for a touch up! I have not experienced much creasing with this product. Normally, after a few minutes of application with other concealers - I find I need to continue to blend because the product creases almost instantly. With the Maracuja concealer this only happens when I have had my make up on ALL day, leaving your under eye area nice and smooth for a majority of the day

The Maracuja Creaseless Concealer comes in a squeeze tube, which is okay. My one complaint with the packaging is that it doesn't come completely filled to the top of the tube. I actually fear that I am going to run out pretty soon, which would be really disappointing. After doing some research, I found that the lack of product was a common complaint.

Have you tried Tarte's Marajuca Creaseless Concealer?

July 2013 Beauty Favorites

Hello lovlies. I am finally getting around to posting a monthly favorites!

 Lets start with the roots! The BigSexyHair dry shampoo is the only dry shampoo (other than when I used baby powder way back when) that I have tried but I find it to be good stuff! I usually put this in my hair either the day after I wash my hair or on the third day. It gives your hair a thick, almost dry texture but even on the third day it gives you a second day look. BigSexyHair Dry Shampoo also provides great volume with no teasing necessary. Tousling your hair will provide it enough lift for nice volume. The one trait of this product that could make or break it for some people is the scent. It smells like coco coffee. I don't mind it at all, but if you are scent sensitive this may not be the dry shampoo for you.

Filling in my brows has been an overall favorite of mine during the months of June and July. I always thought my brows were dark enough but after using mac espresso to filly my brows in - I feel like my whole look changes! 

Along with Mac's Espresso eyeshadow, another favorite for the month of july is this angled brush from Crown Brush. The bristles are stiff so it works well for precision. 

Mac's Coral Bliss Lipstick is a practically perfect coral lipstick for summer. It's a creamsheen so it's nice and moisturzing on the lips and it provides a slight sheen. It's not too pink, peach, or orange - it's a perfect blend of all three! Normally creasheen's don't last very long but I find they last a couple of hours with a good lipliner.

Maybelline's Fit Me Blush in Medium Neutral is just a blush I've been wearing to give my face a very subtle flush. I have had this for a while but was not so enthused with it until now. It just provides a very pale rosy color to my cheeks and it does have a nice sheen to it. These are VERY sheer. Even the swatch below took a lot of building up before it came through in a photo. I was very into minimal makeup this July, and even throughout the summer so this was an easy choice for a daily blush - and it was only $5 :)

I know a lot of beauty bloggers are over the BB cream craze but the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream is very appealing to me! I wear this a couple of different ways. Sometimes I will use this as both my moisturizer and foundation, add some concealer and set it all with a little powder and head out the door. Sometimes I apply 2 layers to even out my skin tone and add a touch of either Nars Sheer Glow or the Revlon Colorstay Whipped foundation over top. It's a very hydrating BB cream so it does give a dewey look until you set it. My skin appears brighter and very even toned when I wear this as just my base. It comes out of the tube almost looking like a mix between a mousse and a cream. One negative to this is the scent. It has a strong smell like alcohol that's not pleasant, but it does dissipate after it's bended in.

I am so upset to have hit pan on my Mac's Prolongwear Sun Dipped Bronzer. Sun Dipped really warms up my face without looking muddy or orange. It lasts all day and the packaging is so perfect. I have a full review of this bronzer here. 

I started using the Sally Hansen Airbrushed Legs  at end of June when my tan really started to become apparent. I have the shade medium for  a little extra color on my legs, but what I really love this stuff for is how flawless it makes your legs look. This covers up any bruises or other imperfections you have on your legs. The spray makes your legs to appear to be wearing nude stockings. I don't know how you should apply it but I spray the product from the aerosol can into my hands and rub it all over my legs. This might sound like my legs would look really uneven with this method but this is a streak free product! Great for summer months when you are looking to show off a little leg!

Welp, those are my monthly favorites! I have already begun making notes of my August favorites - maybe I will post in time for September :)

Peachy Keen Polka Dots

Hello! I have a July favrites post, I promise. My camera chip broke and I need to purchase a new one so I can take pics of my July favs!

I  have a dotticure to hold you over, though!

For the base I used China Glaze's Peachy Keen. The dots were

done with Color CLub's Alabaster and L'Oreal's Orange You Jealous.

I hope to have my Favorites up by the end of the week!

Maybelline Polka Dot Nail Polish: Pretty in Polka

Guess whos nubs are back!? Thats right - My nails are re-gaining their strength and are in much better condition! 

For my nail re-introduction I am showing you one of Maybelline's new polishes from the Polka Dot collection. The Polka Dot collection contains 5 Jelly based polishes with black and white hex glitters. 

The one I am showing you today is Pretty in Polka. Pretty in Polka is a bright jelly rose shade with large and small hex and circular glitters.

All 5 polishes are very reminiscent of Indie polishes such as Connect the Dots by Lynnderella, minus the bar and square pieces. So if you are looking for indie dupes - these provide you with some variety and are really great for layering. They retail for around $4, so the price is right too.

In this photo I am wearing Pretty in Polka over America Apparel's Dynasty - a dusty purple shade. 

Have you tried the Maybelline Polka Dots Show Colors?

MACs Temperature Rising Bronzer Sun Dipped

Even though MACs Temperature Rising Collection is somewhat old news, I still feel the need to rave about the MACs Prolongwear Bronzer in Sun Dipped. By the time I hit up my local MAC store - this was the only product left of the entire collection! Of course, I had to buy it.

First, lets talk packaging. The bronzer comes in a deep matte brown packaging with a rubbery consistency. It's a nice compact that looks sleek and when you open the product, it contains a mirror. 

Onto the bronzer itself. Compared to Nude on Board, Sun Dipped is a bit more neutral. Nude on Board has more yellow tones. This works perfectly on my skintone. I was a little worried it may look a little muddy but once it is blended onto my skin, it gives my face the most beautiful bronzed appearance. The texture is so velvety smooth. The powder is finely milled and soft to the touch. It contains minor shimmer which essentially disappears once applied to the skin - it has just enough to let your skin not appear completely matte. 

Have you tried the Temperature Rising Prolongwear bronzers?