Current Stash – Concealers Fall 2017

The other day I was reorganizing my makeup and I realized “holy cow, I have way too many concealers!” But, as I sifted though them, I realized that each one is very different from the others and I use them all for different reasons. I will admit, that there are a few I wouldn’t repurchase, but that’s mostly because I have some replacements on my wishlist!

Tarte Shape Tape in Light – I enjoy everything about this concealer except the fact that it is so, so drying. I am pretty dehydrated and it really takes a toll on my eye area if I wear this concealer more than a few days in a row without properly prepping my eyes (Pur Cosmetics HydraGel Lift). I love this because nt only is this a true, full coverage concealer, it doesn’t need to be set with powder, it lasts all day, it is a great primer for eye shadow, and it comes in a giant tube (0.33 oz to the average 0.11 oz).

L’Oreal Visible Lift CC Eye Concealer in Fair – I love this concealer for days when I am wearing no other base products. It is thin and watery consistency and has light coverage with a natural finish and a short wear time. Because the coverage is so light, I don’t like wearing this concealer with foundation. But, if all I want is a minimal look with mascara and cream blush, I will put this concealer under the eyes just to brighten them a little bit. This is one of the concealers I will not repurchase – I’d like to try the Glossier Stretch Concealer instead.

BareMinerals Complete Coverage Serum Concealer in Light  –  I was so blown away by this concealer, it is hydrating, brightening, and just healthy looking. It’s not full coverage and doesn’t completely take care of my dark circles – it falls into the category of “your-face-but-better” products. In order to get this concealer to last all day, I do need to set this with a powder, but then I find that you loose a little of the healthy, natural radiance.

NYX HD Studio Photogenic Concealer in Porcelain  –  I bought this concealer in a shade or two lighter than my natural skin tone for highlighting. On the average day, I don’t put on my concealer in the “triangle of light” under the eyes, but I wanted to have that option so I decided to buy a great, full coverage inexpensive concealer just for those full face special occasions. Honestly, I like this concealer better than Shape Tape and I probably will repurchase this one in a shade that matches my skin after my Shape Tape runs out… 3 years from now.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla –  This NARS concealer is honestly the one of the makeup products I have repurchased the most because it is my one-stop-shop on an average day. I works well under the eye, it works well to spot conceal, and it works well for days when I use concealer as foundation. Its not a super long wearing concealer, but it does fade nicely throughout the day. I;m not sure if I will buy a replacement when this runs out – I’m getting a little bored and I’d like to try the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer instead.

Best Of: Brow Mascara

Benefit Cosmestics’ Gimme Brow and Glossier Boy Brow are the darlings of the makeup community on the interwebs. I have used and loved the both, but I have found something that is better and half the price!

I have pretty substantial brows but I look for a brow product that offers a strong hold, a darker tint, and the ability to fill in a few sparse holes. NYX Tinted Brow Mascara delivers on all fronts! On top of all those functional benefits, it is dirt cheap and lasts forever! Not only do you get more product (NYX – 0.22oz, Glossier-0.11oz, and Benefit-0.1oz), but by some stroke of magic, it doesn’t dry out until the 6-7 month mark. I am on to my third tube of this brow mascara, I keep trying other products and yet still come back to NYX. I’ll be honest, it’s not an exact dupe for Gimme Brow or Boy Brow because it doesn’t have fibers in it, but it is more pigmented than those two. Because it is so highly pigmented,  I use the very tip of the wand to draw on the brow and lay down a little extra product to sparse areas. For my brow needs, the NYX Tinted Brow Mascara is a one-and-done product! I do think that if you have very sparse brows, you might want to use a pencil in conjunction with this brow mascara.

10.23.17 Makeup Diary – Pur Cosmetics – Soiree Diaries

Pur Cosmetics – Soiree Diaries

Set the lid with – Private Party
Brow bone – Mogul
Transition – Socialite
Crease – Gala
Outer 1/3 of lid – Snazzy
Inner 2/3 of lid – Dazzle
Buffed crease and outer edges – Stunner
Lower lash line – Snazzy and Stunner

I think this palette would be great for beginners – it has a great range of colors, it’s easy to blend, it has both mattes and metallics, and you can get a variety of looks out of it. I wish the darkest shades were more pigmented – it takes a lot of layering to build them up and even then they never do look as deep and rich as they are in the pan. But the lack of pigmentation does make it easier for beginners because it’s almost impossible to go overboard building up pigment in sheerest layers.

Pur Cosmetics – 3D Silk Lashes in Dive

Charlotte Tilbury – Full Fat Lashes 5 Star Mascara

NYX Cosmetics – Tinted Brow Mascara in Black

Tarte – Shape Tape Concealer in Light

Pur Cosmetics – HydraGel Lift 

Pixi Beauty – Lower Lash Mascara

Hourglass – Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light

Pur Cosmetics – No Filter Burring Photography Primer

Too Face – Peach Perfect Comfort Matte Foundation in Snow

Charlotte Tilbury – Filmstar Bronze and Glow

Makeup Revolution – Blushing Hearts Highlighter in Goddess of Love

Charlotte Tilbury – Swish and Pop Blush in Love is the Drug

L’Oreal – Infallible Lip Paint Metallics in Moon Lust

Rimmel – Exaggerate Lip Line in East End Snob

Indie Cosmetics Spotlight #2 – Breaking Beauty – Review

For this series, I am spending about $25.00 – 30.00 on an indie cosmetics brand and exploring their products! I found Breaking Beauty on Etsy and ordered a matte quad in Natural Beauty ($18.00) and a single pressed mineral eye shadow in Ballerina ($6.50). I ordered from the shop on 9/17/2017, my order shipped 9/20/2017, and received the package 9/23/17 via USPS. I paid a flat shipping fee of $4.10. I have been trying out the shadows for the past week and have really liked the looks I’ve been able to create!

Breaking Beauty – Natural Beauty

The matte quad is a good selection of colors, you could get anything from a natural, soft look to a deep and mauve smokey eye. The shadows are dry, difficult to blend, and don’t have great pigmentation, but they are buildable. I found that it took quite a bit of work to get them completely blended in with each other. The first shade that I apply blend out really easily, but when I apply the second shade, it takes quite a bit of time to to blend the two colors together. Even though the shadows take a little extra effort, I really like the looks that I am able to get with the quad.

I love the single shadow Ballerina – it’s a metallic pink/gold like Makeup Geek’s Cosmopolitan  or MAC’s Expensive Pink. It is a beautiful, smooth, pigmented golden pink. It didn’t have any fall out, and lasted all day without fading.

Breaking Beauty – Natural Beauty, Ballerina

I don’t know that I would buy matte shades again from Breaking Beauty (just because there are other matte shadows that are easier to work with), but I will keep using the quad I have. I would definitely recommend their pressed mineral eyeshadows! The shop also has lip products and really unique pressed mineral highlighters – I’m thinking that I might have to try these because I liked Ballerina so much!

e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Natural Glow Face Palette – Review

🍃The highlight is very pretty, smooth, and subtle cool pink.

🍃The blushes are satin matte, easy to blend, not very pigmented, but buildable.

🍃The bronzer is very cool toned and satin matte

🍃The palette come in one shade that is best suited for fair/light skins

The E.L.F – Beautifully Bare Natural Glow Face Palette palette is good enough that I am going to keep using it because I can create a nice, effortless look – it even works well for quick eye makeup. I will probably stick to just the blushes and highlight because I don’t like the bronzer. The blushes aren’t really my cup of tea either – they are too matte for me – but I have found that mixing in a touch of the highlight solves that problem. The best part of the palette is the highlight, it is absolutely beautiful if you are into a subtle, lit-from-with look. I don’t like the bronzer because it’s very cool and definitely is more of a contour shade, plus it just seems a little ruddy/dirty on my face.

I think that given the price (I bought mine for $8.00 at Ulta) and the convenience and the highlight, I think it’s worth buying if you are interested in it, but you definitely won’t be missing out on anything if you pass.