August Favorites

Hello lovelies!

I'm back with my favorites from the month of August. It's been ridiculously hot and humid here in Minnesota, so the theme has been long wearing and natural looking products. There's a mix of new products, trusty go to's, and old loves I've rediscovered. Let's get to it!

Benefit the POREfessional PRO Balm $30

This was recommended to me by the girls at Ulta when I was looking for a mattifier. It has a slight pigment that evens out skin tone and Aloe to help soothe redness. I've tried a lot of primers over the years and this is the only one I will pay this kind of money for. It does exactly what it says it will: minimizes pores, keeps me matte, and helps lock makeup in to place. I just repurchased yesterday after 4 months with daily use.

e.l.f. Flawless Finish Foundation $6

I just did a full review on this so I'm not going to spend time gushing over it again. You can read all about it here: http://havemascarawt.blogspot.com/2013/08/falling-in-love-all-over-again.html

Nyx Stay Matte but Not Flat powder foundation  $9.99

This powder is so finely milled it feels like silk on the skin. Most often I use it to set my oily t-zone. It never cakes and keeps me matte all day. I wore this on its own one day when I went to Ulta and all the girls raved about how beautiful my skin looked. They couldn't believe it was a drugstore powder foundation. I've hit pan and will need to repurchase soon.

My pup Reagan also adores this product. She says the compact is sleek and shiny and the powder smells good!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer $15.00 (full size $30)

This is a mini size of the highly popular Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer I picked up from the sample containers at Ulta. It comes with a cute little kabuki brush which I promptly lost. I love this bronzer for contouring. It's not too orange or warm on my pale skin and there is absolutely no shimmer. Plus, the smell, mmmm yum! Just like chocolate. It's very likely I'll purchase a full size when I run out of the little one. 

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer $24

You may be thinking, "$24 for a highlighter?! You're crazy!" Um, duh! While there are plenty of amazing drugstore lumanizers out there, there isn't one exactly like this one from the Balm. It is so pigmented you barely have to tap your brush in it. The texture on the skin is smooth and silky. The color is just gorgeous. It's a gold toned highlighter perfect for summer.

Swatches of the Mary-Lou Manizer (left) and Chocolate bronzer (right) on my baby hands.

e.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set $3

Makeup setting sprays seem to be really popular in the beauty community right now. A lot of the Youtube gurus are using the Urban Decay b6 spray, but I haven't been able to talk myself into spending the money on it. I ordered this in my last elf haul to give the whole concept a go and I am in love. This keeps my makeup in place all day and controls the oil on my face. If I find myself looking a bit cakey from the powders, just a few spritzes of this helps everything settle and look natural. It's very refreshing and soothing. I definitely recommend this.

Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Babydoll $10 (full size $30)

This mascara is in-freaking-credible. I've always been anti-high end mascaras but this one talks the talk and walks the walk. I got the travel size just in case I hated it but unfortunately for my pocket book I love it. My lashes look so full and long and doll like. It holds a curl all day, doesn't flake or smudge and is so dark. One of the few things worth the price.

Physician's Formula 2 in 1 Eye Booster Liquid Liner $10.99

I also have a full blog post touting the awesomeness of this product you can read here: http://havemascarawt.blogspot.com/2013/08/review-physicians-formula-eye-booster-2.html

After a few more weeks of continuous useage, I do think my lashes are longer, fully and healthier.

Mark Whipped Up Lemon Sugar Body Butter $10

I've been using this stuff for years. It smells so delicious. The scent lasts all day so no need to use an additional perfume. My skin is so soft and smooth after use. They have other scents now as well, but this is till my favorite. It feels so luxurious.

That's it for my August favorites! What have you been loving this month?

Falling in love all over again

Hello lovelies!

My friends can attest to you all that I have drawers and drawers full of every kind of makeup you could ever dream of: three in the bathroom and several shelves of the linen closet to be exact. Let's not forget the lip gloss collection that resides in my purse.

I'll admit it. I'm an impulse buyer. Every time I see that big red star with the word "NEW" in big bold letters, it goes in my shopping cart. This is a lot of fun for me because I rarely get bored with my products. However, with this constant influx of stuff, some of my beloved things get pushed to the back and forgotten about.

In this case I'm talking about my E.L.F. Flawless Finish foundation. I wore this almost exclusively for two years. When I started branching out in an attempt to try new things, I didn't repurchase after using up my last bottle. I had a 50% of studio coupon so I ordered another one. You know how they say you don't know what you have until it's gone?

A few days ago, I was running late for work as usual and couldn't be bothered with brushes or sponges to put on my foundation. I saw this sitting on the corner of my vanity and a wave of calm washed over me. Grabbing it, I squirted one pump on the back of my hand before dotting it on my face and blending it in with my fingers. Yes! Fingers! The light creamy formula melted right away into my skin covering my rosy red cheeks with ease.

The E.L.F. Flawless Finish Foundation is $6 and available online, Target, and now Walmart. It's a medium buildable coverage yellow-toned foundation. If you're very pink, you may not find this suitable. No matter your favorite way to apply foundation, this will come out looking flawless and even with minimal effort. I always set my tzone with a powder and never have to worry about this product sliding around or getting oily on me throughout the day. Plus, it has SPF 15! My shade is Porcelain.
I've worn this every day since.

Moral of the story: revisit your makeup collection often. You never know what treasures you'll find on the bottom.


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Mega Effects? Mega no!

Hello lovelies!

Per your requests, I ordered the new Mega Effects Mascara from Avon. I've always been a fan of Avon products so I had high hopes for this mascara. The design of the brush was most intriguing and terrifying. I can't even decide how to describe it to you that makes sense so let me show you.

The flexible handle and "panoramic" brush is innovative, but let's face it, I poke myself in the eye enough with a regular mascara wand. This was worse.

This packaging makes the mascara very messy. The applicator slides into the black pod where the product is held. There are two tabs, one on each side, that you have to squeeze while rocking the wand back and forth. Sounds easy but oh no. I pulled and pulled then all of a sudden whatever jaws that were clinging to it released and it nearly went flying across the room. I managed to hang on but in the process smeared it all over the hand holding the black pod. Ugh.

The applicator holds a ridiculous amount of product. It's wet and thick. I knew if I didn't clean it off my lashes would end up a big clumpy mess. But, in the spirit of giving a true review, I resisted, not that there was anywhere to wipe it off anyway. Well, just my hand.

Cautiously, I approached my eye, nervous for impact. I'm pretty sure I held my breath until the wand rested securely against the base of my lashes. So far, so good. The massive amount of product deposited itself on my lashes, then promptly ran in to my eye. Ow! It took a minute to blink it all out. At this point, I cleaned the wand. Again, I slowly brought the brush towards my now watery eye. At the last minute, I panicked and blinked, poking myself in the eye. I nearly gave up.

Because of the angle at which you approach your face, it's difficult to see where you're actually placing this wand. Avon claims the shape of the wand allows you to get into the corners of your lashes but I didn't find that to be true. Perhaps if you have a larger eye shape it would, but I still struggled. My lashes ended up in 3 clumps no matter how I manipulated the brush to separate them. With the multiple lengths of teeth, you'd think it would do a good job catching and separating, but no. I did clear the excess product off before doing the other eye and still had clumping. I think this formula is just too wet.

The only redeeming thing about this product is that it's great to use on other people. I tried it on my friend, Julie, and it made getting her lower lashes very easy. She didn't mind the mascara and thought it was light weight which is important to her. Just goes to show you, what doesn't work for me may work for you!

I think this is going in my "products I regret purchasing" bag. I'm pretty sure I won't even use this. A rare miss from Avon. Have you tried this? Let me know what you think!

Crease No More! My Favorite Eyeshadow Bases

Hello lovelies!

I don't know about you, but I spend a decent amount of time on my eye makeup in the morning and I expect it to stay looking flawless throughout the day. When I'm working, that may mean running from one end of the terminal to the other, being out in the harsh sun or freezing cold or lifting and throwing bags for 8 or more hours. I don't have time to touch up and reblend any shadows that have decided to fade or crease because I'm a sweaty oily mess.

These eyeshadow primers and bases have been put to the test and I know I can count on them to keep my shadow in place and the colors true for hours. Most of these products can be found in the drug store.

First is the Urban Decay Primer Potion $20

I love this stuff. I use it every day even if I'm going to be using another base. It helps to even out my skin tone and control the oils all day long. My favorite is the Original formula. The others are tinted or have shimmer which can sometimes overpower your eyeshadows.

Next is the Benefit Stay Don't Stray $26

This comes in shades Light/Medium and Medium/Deep. It does double duty as a primer and a concealer. I use this on the lid and under the eye to bright the area before using concealer.

And from the drugstore I have the ELF Eyelid Primer $1

This was the first primer I ever used, and although it's not as good as the Urban Decay primer, it still does a very good job of preventing creasing. The formula is a bit too thin for my liking. I haven't tried their new mineral eye primer. If you have, tell me what you think!

You can use a lot of different products for an eyeshadow base, not just primers. Anything that is sticky in consistency works. The trick is to layer. 

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil $4.49

These little guys rock my world. Milk is by far one of the best purchases you will ever make in your life. It is a stark white color that makes any eyeshadow layered over it vibrant and true. Cashmere and Yogurt are more faves. Seriously. These are amazing. They are kind of a pain to sharpen however and I wish they had a twist up mechanism. The formula is incredibly soft, so place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes before you try to sharpen to prevent breakage.

Maybelline Color Tattoo $6.99

I love Maybelline. I do I do I do. I can't think of a product of theirs I haven't loved, and these cream gel shadows are no exception. The colors are vibrant and smooth and they really will last 24 hours even if you don't set them with a powder shadow. Vegas tested, Brooke approved. They're beautiful on their own or with other shadows.

That's all from me. Do you love these products? Are there any you think I should try? Share with me!

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram (babs09) and Like me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/havemascarawilltravel) for makeup looks and giveaways!

Review: Diorshow Mascara

Hello lovelies!

I'm back with a mascara review. I asked you all on Facebook a few weeks ago what your favorite mascara was and quite a few of you said the Dior Diorshow mascara. Being new to high end mascaras, I took your recommendation and found a travel size on Amazon to test. 

I hate to say it, but I'm not getting the hype. A full sized tube retails for $26. My travel size was $10 and I think that was too much. I'm siting here searching for something positive to say about this product, but I can't come up with anything.

The formula is very dry and irritated my eyes. It felt very heavy which drug my curl down. I spent the day constantly wiping flakes of mascara off my face. It honestly did not do anything for my lashes that my $6 Maybelline One by One doesn't do. 

I guess I could say the packaging is sparkly and eye catching? I don't know. I'll use the tube I have but this is not something I will be repurchasing. 

I'm curious though, what about it do you ladies love so much? I've been asked to find a dupe, but it's proving challenging with no positive qualities (in my opinion) to go on. Let me know your thoughts!

Also, a big congratulations to Sarah K who is the winner of my Facebook Likes giveaway. I'll be doing a give away every 100 likes for awhile so make sure you've liked my page (http://www.facebook.com/havemascarawilltravel) and keep sharing the love with your friends. Muah!

Review: Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2 in 1 Lash Boosting Eyelinerand Serum

Hello lovelies!

What a title on this one! Since I gave you a negative product review last time, I figured I'd balance it out with a positive. The Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2 in 1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner and Serum in ultra black is quickly becoming my favorite liquid eyeliner.

It retails for $10.99 at my Ulta which is slightly more expensive than other drugstore pen type liquid liners. The packaging is super shiny and eye catching. I love that the cap snaps on hard so I am confident the liner is closed. The tip of the pen is incredibly fine making it easy to draw a simple line at the lashes or create a dramatic thick winged eye.

This liner is so dark, probably the blackest liquid liner I've used. It sets off my baby blues nicely. The formula is water resistant, smudge proof and long wearing. I can apply it at 500 and it'll look fresh at 1700 without setting or touching up.

Now, Physician's Formula makes some additional claims with this liner. Per their website this "lash boosting complex targets the root of lashes where it is most effective in providing nutrients associated with growing long tick lashes." The box also says that 94% of women saw lash growth. I quickly glanced through the ingredients list and nothing jumped out at me as a nutrient, but I'm not an expert by any means. Mostly it looked like gibberish :)

At this time I'm not ready to confirm or deny that claim. I haven't used this liner daily since I purchased it. It'll be my goal for the next two weeks to wear it daily and see if I notice a difference. I can guarantee this will appear in my August favorites post.

Have you tried this? Likes? Dislikes? I want to know!

Also, make sure you're following me on Instagram (babs09), Twitter (Brooke_Ashley86), and Facebook (Have Mascara, Will Travel) for additional photos, tutorials, and other fun stuff!


Side note: This beauty stopped by the airport for the first time. I love airplanes.

The First of Several Fails

Hello, lovelies!

I've been on a new product binge lately and I'm sorry to say most of them have been complete duds! How disappointing to be so excited to try this new supposedly amazing product only to have your hopes and dreams dashed when it fails to live up to its claims.

In my last Ulta haul I showed you the new Stay Flawless 15 Hour Primer from Benefit. Emily the eyebrow lady demo'd this for me and I fell in love. I should have had her use it on my face instead of my wrist because oh boy did this disappoint on so many levels. For reference, I have combination skin with a super oily t-zone and dry everywhere else.

The best thing about this primer is the packaging, all adorable with its black polka dots and trendy font. Its revolutionary stick design makes storage and application simple. However, it is water based, so if you lose the mini cap inside of the big cap, this will dry out and become useless. I repeat, the little cap is necessary, do not discard!

The idea behind this primer is that it melds with your foundation to lock it in to place for a full 15 hours. Yeah, I don't think so. I used it daily over the course of a week with four different types of foundation. It did not change the staying power but oddly enough it did change the shade of my foundation, making it lighter.

 I feel like my foundation never truly set. There was very little help in the oil control department. My t-zone was very shiny within three hours of application. The formula is incredibly sticky making use of a brush or sponge for foundation application pretty impossible.

Actually, it's not completely fair to say this product didn't meld anything together. If anything, it locked it all in my pores. I broke out so badly on my cheeks where I have never had acne. This was the only change to my routine and once I discontinued use, the acne cleared up. 

The only use I found for this product was actually on the eyebrows. Strange? Maybe. Using my finger I applied a small amount before filling them in with a brown eye shadow and an angle brush. I think it made a difference in how well my brow product stayed on and kept my brows in position. However, for $32 this is not a good enough reason for me to keep it. I really wanted to love this primer, but back to Ulta it goes.

Have you given the Benefit Stay Flawless primer a try? Let me know your thoughts!

Mascara is life...

Hello, lovelies!

So maybe you've guessed by my namesake, but I am a total mascara addict. I'm constantly on the hunt for new and exciting formulas. Over the years I've tested a few amazing products, while most others have fallen flat. Admittedly, I ask for a lot out of my mascara. I want it all: curl, length, volume, definition. That's hard to find in just one product! No, my friends, mascaras are not created equal; and like most beauty products, what works for some will not work for all. Let's break it down.

For starters, there are two basic options to choose from: regular or waterproof. This may be a no-brainer but the difference is simple. Regular mascara will come off with water. This also means it will smudge and run if you sweat or cry. Not an attractive look. Waterproof mascara, in theory, will not budge until you forcibly remove it with a makeup remover. In my experience, waterproof mascara may not run or smudge, but some brands sure do flake which is just as annoying.

Now, as previously stated, I am crazy about mascara and lashes. Normal people will use one or the other. I use both. Daily. No, I'm not joking. My lashes are long but not particularly curly. If I only use a regular mascara, all that work I did with my eyelash curler wilts away within an hour. However, if I use a waterproof mascara right after curling, that curl will stay all day. I don't know if there's a different type of wax in the waterproof that allows it to lock the shape in place, but it's magic. Don't believe me? Try it! After using a thin coat of waterproof, I'll use my normal regular formulas. Three layers is a must. Like I said. Crazy.

Once you've chosen regular or waterproof, you have to decide what you want your mascara to do. There's a lot of trial and error here. If you're trying to keep a curl then you want to find a formula that's on the dry side so the weight of the product does drag those flirty lashes down. If you want volume, find a brand with a big fluffier brush. Some formulas have microfiber type extensions or tubes that add length. Walk throw the makeup aisle at your preferred dealer and take a peak around. It's a big mascara world out there. The choice is yours! What will it be?

And now I present to you, my mascara favorites.

Maybelline One by One in waterproof- this is the best drugstore mascara I have ever used. This little red tube does just about everything. If I could make one improvement, I would have it be a little more lengthening. The brush has around 300 bristles or something ridiculous that coats and separates each individual lash. I never have to worry about losing my curl either. One by One is the first layer that goes on every morning.

Maybelline The Rocket- This is another fantastic drugstore mascara. I was afraid they were replacing the One by One with this when it was first introduced because it is so similar! The major difference I can tell is this one is a wetter consistency so it's a little heavy.

Benefit "They're Real"- Two coats of this stuff and you honestly cannot tell if they're your own lashes or falsies. This applicator has a nifty little brush on the tip to really help you separate and push those lashes sky high.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes- I'm sure you can tell how much I adore this mascara by reading my Instagram tags. This is probably the most volumizing of the mascaras I own. It also has conditioning properties. Since I've started using this my lashes are so soft and shiny on their own.

Quick tip: If you're going to go mascara crazy like me, make sure you let each coat dry thoroughly before going on to the next. This will prevent unsightly clumping.

Do you have suggestions or recommendations for me? I know the Dior Show mascara is a popular one and on my list to dupe. Anything else you'd like to see? Let me know!

Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon!