October Favorites

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Hello lovelies!

The month of October has flown by! I have a good mix of oldies I've been showing love to and some new products I adore to share with you. Let's get right to it.

First up is a new night time moisturizer from Boots. It's the No 7 Beautiful Skin Night Cream ($13.99). My skin was out of control for a few weeks. I couldn't decide if it was hormones, weather, or what. I was breaking out all over and extra oily. The major difference in my skin care routine was the absence my Olay night time moisturizer. I had run out and didn't repurchase. I came to the conclusion that my skin was actually dry and I needed to add the heavier moisturizer back in at night. The No 7 was on sale at Ulta so I grabbed it. What a difference! My skin is soft and supple and looks healthy and radiant. I will definitely be repurchasing this.

That same Ulta trip I also purchased a couple Revlon foundations to try. Even though I've only used the Nearly Naked ($9.99) three times it is probably my new favorite. It's incredibly lightweight on the skin but it has such full coverage it's amazing. I got shade 110 Ivory and it matches my skin perfectly. Despite the full coverage, this foundation actually looks like your skin with a nice satin finish. My t-zone does get slightly oily by the end of the day but it still looks natural. I haven't had to repowder yet. This is good stuff y'all!

Although the heavy highlighted and contoured look is not as trendy this season, it is still my favorite look for me. I've been using my Blank Canvas Cosmetics Contour palette ($15) like crazy this past month. I love using the white powder to set my under eye concealer to really brighten up the area. It does not cake and keeps my concealer from creasing. The deepest bronzer is my favorite to contour with. It's not too warm on my pale skin. The two peachy shades are beautiful natural blushes. This is such a versatile palette and one of the best purchases I ever made.

Allow me to continue my love affair with Jane for a few. I'm obsessed with the Multi-Colored Illuminating Powder ($12). I haven't touched my beloved Mary-Loumanizer since purchasing this. The powder is so finely milled it feels like silk on the skin. You can customize it for any look with the different shades. The rose gold color is divine, or you can go true gold and even champagne. It's shimmery but natural looking. I can't say enough good things.

I'm also digging the Jane Intense Color Lip Gloss in the color In Awe ($4). It's the perfect deep burgandy color for fall. You can build and intensify the color like crazy. It's not sticky and holy crap does it last. Lately I've been putting it over a merlot lipstick for that dark vixen look.

I've recently pulled out my Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel again in the color brunette ($22). My hair has faded considerably and this is the perfect color to match my brows to this weird blond/brown shade. It also looks very natural on the brows, holding them in place all day without making them look stiff.


















I use the Naked Basics palette ($27) for everything. I mean everything. The shade Venus is the prettiest hightlight I have ever seen for either the browbone or cheek bone. I use Naked 2 and Faint to fill in my brows. Crave is fantastic as an eyeliner. WOS and Foxy are great base shadows or blending colors. Naked Basics is a nice complement to the rest of the Naked line because it's cooler toned where the others are fairly warm. This is a great all around palette and totally worth the money.

Lastly is this Bodycology fragrance Enchanted Forest ($3.99). Every time I wear this I get so many compliments and even told I smell enchanting. It's a mix of jasmine, nutmeg, and musk. It's to die for. Great for day to day wear. Very refreshing.



That's it from me lovelies. Look for a couple reviews in the next few days. XoXo

First Impressions: Essence I Love Extreme Mascara

Hello lovelies!

One of the ladies I follow on Instagram had a post with her top 5 favorite drugstore mascaras. None of them were my usual suspects, so I thought I'd grab one and try it out. Essence is a European drugstore brand which can be found at Ulta, Walgreens, and a few other places. Their XXXL Shine lip glosses are some of my favorite on the market. I'm hoping to expand my love for Essence starting with the I Love Extreme Mascara. Oh, and did I mention Essence does not test on animals? Win!

The packaging is sleek and pretty with edgy baby pink lettering on a shiny black tube. The description says, "For all fans of the extreme this volume mascara will hit just the right spot! It contains ultra black pigments covering each lash color intensive and a large brush for stunning volume. This combination gives the perfect "i love-look"!" We shall see.

What makes this a volumizing mascara more so than the formula is the big fluffy brush for maximum coverage corner to corner. However, this brush is gigantic. It's like, bigger than my actual eye. I'm kind of afraid I'm going to poke myself. Not only is it large, it's also overly saturated with product. I can tell without cleaning this off it's going to turn into a clumpy mess.

I curled my lashes a couple times before putting on a thin coat of this mascara. Just one even swipe and the difference was considerably noticeable. This mascara is very dark black which helps in to create the illusion of volume on the ends my lashes where they are thinner. As I suspected, the mascara wand is difficult to work with. It's excessively large. You have to pay very close attention to where you're maneuvering it at all times or you'll wind up with mascara all over your nose and eyelid. Don't even attempt to use this on your lower lash line. I applied two more coats (as usual) and was very surprised with how much thicker and fuller my lashes looked. 

For a $4.99 mascara, this is good stuff. I don't think it's water proof but it does not smudge or budge without some makeup remover and a bit of elbow grease. It's a decent dupe for the Benefit Bad Gal. The wands and finished look are very similar. Give this a go and let me know what you think!

Review: Revlon Photo Ready Foundation

Hello lovelies!

I went to Ulta a couple weeks ago with the intent of trying new drugstore foundations. I bought two by Revlon: the Photo Ready and the Nearly Naked. Neither of these are new products, but they fall on the pricier end of drugstore so it's taken me awhile to get to them.

The Photo Ready in shade Ivory is a dead match for my skin. I hate admitting that I am so pale I'm ghostly, but it's true. Blending it in was a breeze with my flat top kabuki. I also tried a beauty blender but did not like the result as much. The first day I didn't use a primer or anything special. When my makeup was finished it looked beautiful and flawless. The coverage is a solid medium and build-able to full. I was happy.

Then around the four hour mark, I wasn't so happy. My t-zone was so unbelievably oily it was disgusting. The foundation had slipped around my nose and had caked in certain areas. Luckily, I had a buffing brush with me to even it all out. I was so disappointed because the foundation was gorgeous on my skin.

The next day I tried it with the Benefit Porefessional underneath to hopefully help with the oiliness. It didn't. I was still a shiny strobe light by the end of the day. I set with powder and a make up setting spray. No change.

On my first day off from work since trying this product, I decided to give it one more chance before throwing in the towel. Since I wasn't in a rush to make it to work on time, I spend extra time on my skin. I paid close attention to how the product was covering and settling into my face. Then I realized, I had been using way too much. A little bit goes a very very long way. One pump, ladies and gents. That's all it takes compared to my beloved Cover Girl Outlast which takes 2 1/2-3 to cover this mug.

I've worn it every day since. I still get a touch oily on the nose but this isn't a mattifying foundation by any means. Nothing a little powder can't fix. If you like a fuller coverage dewy finish then you'll like this product. The shade range is fantastic. I would say this is a pretty good dupe for the Makeup Forever HD Foundation.

What're your thoughts on this product? Let me know! Thanks for reading.

Remember Jane?

Hello lovelies!

I remember one of the very first cosmetics I ever owned was a dusty rose blush by the edgy and vibrant cosmetics company Jane. Jane was one of the first to market to the pre-teen crowd with bright colors and affordable prices. How many of you wore that shiny purple lip gloss every day?

Our friend Jane sadly disappeared for awhile. The blush ran out. The lip gloss was lost. Nothing could replace the void in my heart. So, imagine my surprise when I visited an Ulta store while in Texas last month and found a huge neon display in the drugstore section with Jane scrawled across it in the their trademark font.

At first I was confused. This couldn't possibly be the Jane of my youth. I started picking up products, examining them closely. She was different, for sure, but this was my beloved Jane.  The current collection is small but still electrifying and interesting. Owner and CEO Lynn Tilton pulled out all the stops with Jane's re-branding and this beauty blogger is so very happy she did. My "must trys" for y'all are the pH Adjusting Stain Gloss, Multi Colored Illuminating Powder, and the Water Resistant Liquid Liner in Golden Black.

Not only is Jane back with beautiful high quality products, she's also wielding some serious girl power with a new tag line ("Confidence comes in many colors.") and the Friends of Jane campaign. The new packaging features the faces of real women with incredible stories of giving back to their communities and making a difference in this world. Jane has made quite the comeback in just a short time. Look for big things from them in the future.

Foundation Holy Grail

Hello lovelies!

Do you know the saying "If it ain't broke don't fix it!"? It is so true. Why would you take something that works and experiment at the risk of ruining everything? It makes no sense.

Do you know what else makes no sense? I keep spending money on foundations hoping to find something new and amazing, but I keep going back to the same one. My selections range from Urban Decay Naked Skin to Revlon Photo Ready, but my most used and trusted foundation is the Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation.

This product has never ever let me down. It has a great shade range and is the truest to my skin tone. It's matte without looking flat. I don't have to use a primer or a powder and it controls the oils in my t-zone. The coverage is medium but buildable to full and it stays in place all day.There isn't any oxidation so I know I won't look like an oompa loompa by the end of the day. This foundation is just beautiful with minimal effort.

I don't know what it is about this stuff but it is my holy grail of foundation. Cover Girl hit it out of the park with this one.

Do you love the Cover Girl Outlast as much as I do? What's your favorite foundation?

September Favorites

Hello lovelies!

Many apologies for being away for so long. I spent a very long two weeks in Dallas for job training. It was exhausting. I was crabby most of the time and just couldn't find it in me to blog. I've been back home for just over a week now and am feeling like myself again. Going through my bag of goodies from September, it looks like NYX and NYC are the stars of the show for this month. Let's get started!


Nyx has completely stolen my heart in every way. From their eyeliners to foundations to lip gloss, their products are legit and affordable. Right now I am obsessed with these three blushes that came in their "Glow" set.

The colors are (left to right) Cocoa, Cinnamon, and Desert Rose. Cocoa is a beautiful teracotta brown. I've been loving this to contour with. I use Cinnamon to help blend it out and on the apples of the cheeks. It leaves me with this beautiful glow. They are ridiculously pigmented and silky. I just... Ugh.. Love!

I've been really in to lip products lately. I picked up a set of the Nyx XTREME Lip Cream. You guys. These are beautiful. They're liquid lip colors that aren't quite matte but they're not glossy either. I was surprised how comfortable they are to wear and they last for hours. My favorites from the set are Bonfire which is a mid toned plum and Spicy which is a coral red. They look so similar in the swatch but on the lips they aren't even close.

I'm also loving the Glam Gloss Aqua Luxe in High Society. These do have chunky glitter in them but I haven't found it to be irritating. It's a great topper for any lip color.

Top to bottom: Aqua Luxe in High Society.
 Xtreme Lip Cream in Bonfire
Xtreme Lip Cream in Spicy

Moving on to NYC, for only $4 these bronzers are amazing! I have them in Hampton's Radiance and Montauk Bronze. Hampton's Radiance is more golden and shimmery so it's great for warming up the skin. It also has a creamy color in the mix that I like to use for highlighting. Montauk Bronze is darker and great for contouring. These powders blend almost like a cream.

Top: Montauk Bronze
Bottom: Hampton's Radiance

Also by NYC is this Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder in Translucent. I've had this for awhile and it hasn't really gotten much love. When I first got it I was using it to set my whole face makeup. I found it to be too dry of a powder for that and my face was just uncomfortable. So, I tossed it in a drawer. I came across it the other day when I was looking for something different to set my under eye with. I fell in love with it. It's got a really pretty sheen without being too shiny. This is the first powder I've tried under the eye that actually kept my concealer in place and from settling in my fine lines.

To conclude my drugstore favorites I have a couple lip products to share. The trend for fall is deep berry, cabernet, and plum lip shades. I'm on a mission to find the perfect color at the drugstore. I'm not there yet but these lipsticks are still pretty.

I'll finish my rave on NYC by sharing with you the Liquid Lipshine in Fashion Avenue Fuchsia. This is hot pink, y'all. Hot Pink! But it doesn't have to be. It's one of those versatile products that can go from day (one coat of shine and tint) to night (bright and glossy). The shape of this applicator is pretty genius. The top is more pointed so not only can you fill your lips in but you can also line them. I used to wear this pretty much every day until I lost it. Why did it take me so long to repurchase? I don't know! Crazy. 

 These cuties are by Pixel. I adore the packaging. I was slightly disappointed when I got them home and tried them out. The colors weren't what I was expecting. They're a bit sheer but still beautiful. They have a very soft and smooth texture. For $4.99 they're great just wish they were darker.

Left: Fashion Avenue Fuchsia
Middle: Delightful
Right: Empowered

Last but not least, my last makeup product I have for you is the Kevyn Aucoin Ethereal Pressed Powder. I purchased this at a deep discount from Haute Look because I'd heard so many great things about this powder. I immediately fell in love. The package is so high end and stream lined and elegant. It is the most finely milled silky powder I have ever had the pleasure of using. It can be used as either a foundation or a setting powder. I've done both and it looks like my skin. How many powders can say that? It is a matte powder but it draws the light to your face blurring any imperfections and making you glow. It never gets cakey and controls my oily t-zone better than anything I've ever tried. This is another one of those products that is totally worth the full price of $52.

Fall is by far my favorite season. Pumpkin and spice. Cooler weather. Football! The Earth settling down for winter's long slumber. Bath and Body Works has done a great job of capturing the season this year with their new scents. I've been using these nonstop. Can't get enough!

That's it from me. What're you loving this fall? If you have any recommendations for a good berry or wine lipstick, let me know! Thanks for reading!