Universally Flattering Lip Colors

Ever buy a lippie that looked gorgeous on someone and you buy it and it just looks out of place? I've pulled a few lip products that I think would look good on everyone! Disclaimer: These are all neutrals but there's a pink option. :)

LtoR: L'Oreal Color Richer Le Balm in "Nourishing Nude", NYX Round Lipstick in "B52", Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural in "N9", BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in "Get Ready", Maybelline Color Elixir in "Caramel Infused", Tarte Glamazon Pure Performance 12-hour Lipstick in "Inspired". 

 Swatches correspond with the line up above but with the Le Balm I did a sheer wash swatch (L) and then another swatch of it built up to the right of that one.

I think all of these would look good on anyone! 

The Le Balm may be harder to have it show up on darker lips, but it is amazing in the way it's a "YLBB" (your lips but better) type product in the way that it just evens out the lips and provides shine and a nice wash of color; this formula is also very smooth. 

The NYX lipstick is so pretty! I see this being gorgeous on everyone. Even on my pale skin, I think it's a pretty deep sort of neutral.

The MUFE lipstick is actually the one form the Beauty Insider birthday gift this year and almost reminds me of the Le Balm but in a lipstick form!

The BareMinerals lipstick is my favorite lipstick formula!! This is a very flattering rosey color. 

The Color Elixir is a pretty neutral that feels smooth and adds depth.

The Tarte was the more pinker of the options. It is a medium pink and I think it's fabulous; nothing too babydoll or bright.

These are all-star products by the way! I love all of these formulas. 

NUDE LIP DUPE EM COSMETICS VS. MAYBELLINE

I consider a dupe to be exact in color and finish and I was pretty critical when finding one for this Em lippie. 

This was the first dupe I've ever found! The cool part about it is that they are also very similar in formula, too! I really enjoy these formulas.

Quick overview:

-Glossy finishes

-Moisturizing feel

-Buildable formula

Em Cosmetics Lip Gallery Creamy Color Sheer Lipstick in "Nude" - 3.5g for $15

Maybelline Color Whisper in "Mocha Muse" - 3.11g for $5-$7 (Walmart is always cheapest for makeup.. drugstores are so overpriced!! With coupons at Walmart it's even better!!!) 

Swatches!!!

 LtoR: Em, Maybelline

The ONE difference between these is that the Em one does build a little faster, meaning that it is a little more pigmented. I did the same number of passes when swatching these so the pigmentation is a littttle better in the Em one. But the Color Whisper is very buildable that when swatching it a little more after this picture they were the same color and exact dupes. These colors are the exact same in person!! Love the feeling of finding a dupe. :)

Ways to switch up your makeup routine!!

While getting in a makeup routine/groove is nice, sometimes I don't feel like I use my huge collection to its ability so I like to switch out products a lot and try new techniques. I've compiled 4 things to do or use to get out of a makeup rut. :)

1. Using a powder blush over your cream blush. 

I really enjoy this Stila Convertible Color formula for a cream blush (Shade: "Lillium")

 The Balm's Hot Mama! Blush

Swatch of just the Stila cream:

 Stila cream topped with Hot Mama!:

Setting a cream blush with a powder makes it stay longer (it's like setting your liquid foundation with a powder) and makes it very versatile. What I mean by this is that you can take a cream blush and really play around with its finish (they usually are a little luminous because of their consistencies). Maybe you want to make it matte, just top it with a matte blush! Here in the pictures I wanted to give it a nice highlight/glowy effect and you can really see how the powder blush made it more golden.. I really like these two blushes alone and together!! 

2. Using a colored eye base

TtoB: Essence shadow stick in "Cute Copper" and "Whipped White Frosting", Revlon ColorStay Smoky Shadow Sticks in "Torch" and "Smolder"

What I think is so fun about this is that it's sort of like the cream blush technique where you're mixing colors. Also, it can really anchor a look; using a gold base under a gold shadow really intensifies the color. While I use my Primer Potion in "Original" a lot, I find colored bases to really make a difference with vibrant and even neutral shadows. 

3. Cream contouring

Covergirl TruMagic in "The Sunkisser"

I love using creams to contour! It's a new experience for blending out and it looks so seamless on the skin. Exploring new mediums was sort of a theme of this post I noticed while typing this post up. :)

4. Using a skin corrector

LtoR: Covergirl+Olay eye corrector, Benefit's Erase Paste

Wearing a light toned concealer right over dark circles only LIGHTENS them and does not CONCEAL them. I highly recommend trying a salmon/yellow corrector if you have darkness under your eyes if you find regular skin-toned ones are not covering those stubborn circles!! Trying correctors is fun just seeing how different colors really do camoflauge (only a makeup junkie would think that's fun haha). 

There's a few things to help switch up and regenerate some ideas for your beauty routine!!

:)

Tarte Lip Surgence Lip Pencils Review

Hey guys! Today I'll be review my Tarte Lip Surgence lip tints. I have both the matte lip tints and the regular ones that offer more shine. I do not own all of them but I have a nice range of colors. These are all deluxe-sized because I got them in a set during Christmas time so I figured since I have so many I would review them! The one with the silver cap was from a lip set I got from QVC a while ago. I separated them by color groups, the first are the brights:

LtoR: "Cheerful" *matte* (bright peachy coral; brighter on my skin and is super pretty), "Glee" *matte* (watermelon red),  "Enamored" (glossy, fresh red). 

 LtoR: "Cheerful", "Glee", "Enamored"

Next are the more wearable shades I own from the line. :)

LtoR: "Lovely" *not matte* (nice deep mauve-y neutral), "Believe" *not matte* (glossy coral-red), "Glitzy" *not matte* (rosey nude with shimmer)

LtoR: "Lovely", "Believe", "Glitzy"

Here's my deepest shade of the bunch and it's a beautiful berry :)

Tarte's *matte* lip tint in "Destined"

 Swatch:

All of the tints are very nicely pigmented.

Overall, the matte lip tints more longwearing, but after about 2 hours and 20 minutes I checked on it and I noticed the product gathering in the center of my lips. Because it looked a little unattractive in my opinion, I would say around that time marker I would need to touch up. Though the matte tints don't really transfer when eating or drinking it still does wear down afterwards. 

The regular lip tints with the glossier finish last me about an hour or two MAX, but with the regular lip tints they wear off evenly; there is no rim of color on your lips leaving you with the inevitable: unintentional ombre lip NOO (does anyone else HATE that?? Especially with a bold color!!) These transfer onto glasses, etc. and do wear off after eating or drinking which can be annoying.. :/

I don't mind re applying these! They're super easy to use and you just glide it on your lips in a flash! I would use a mirror for the matte ones just because I could see those being a little harder to wipe off if you were to go outside of your lips.

I do really enjoy the formula of the matte ones as well it feels moisturizing enough and gives you the matte finish you'd anticipate. A comfortable matte which can be hard to find. 

I would definitely recommend these lip pencils because they're fool proof; you can always wipe the outside of your lip if you go out, they're moisturizing, and in my fave form *chubby pencils*. The only thing I would be concerned about during application is getting a deeper shade outside my lip line and having to fix that on-the-go if I were touching up with these. The only downside is that they are a little pricey but I have seen these on sale on Tarte's website. 

Give these a try and comment down below for what you'd like to see posted!

Favorite Taupe Shadows!

TAUPE LOVERS REJOICE.

 I think taupe is the most beautiful color; especially for a shadow. It's the type of color that has a huge range! I'm a pretty neutral shadow girl (although I do experiment with color a lot!) and I've had my fair share of neutrals but taupe is by far my favorite and I wanted to pull out my favorites from my collection. :) WetNWild's "Silent Treatment" trio, WetNWild's single in "Nutty", NYX's "Over the Taupe Taupe", Essence's "Party All Night".

LtoR with NO primer: WetnWild trio, NYX single, WetnWild single, Essence single

 Swatches WITH primer, same order as above:

All of these are favorites and I would definitely recommend. The WetNWild trio makes it SO easy for anyone to do a smokey eye and I just love it! The WetNWild and Essence singles are the shadows I use for a "one shadow look" and they have a beautiful metallic finish. I use them on the lid and then blend a little in the crease and my shadow is all set!! 

The NYX single is my favorite crease shade ever. It is so natural and actually mimics a real shadow in your crease. LOVE all of these!! 

NYX Matte Bronzer Review (In shade "Light")

There's nothing worse than buying a bronzer and you think it's matte but there's all this shimmer once you open it up and swatch it! And that's what had drawn me to this product; its simplicity, it tells you what it is in the name (none of the "Perfecting Sunkissed Bronzer Gives You a Unicorn Finish and You Will Win the Lottery" okay so I took that too far but you know what I mean:) ).

I'm sure you saw the title of the post, and where I'm going so I'll just start the review on the NYX Matte Bronzer in the shade "Light". :)

Packaging:

 Swatch:

Natural Light

 Natural light (.. I was right next to a window)

The powder itself has a nice feel to it and it doesn't kick up a ton of powder when I put my brush into it (always a plus).

This bronzer is perfectly pigmented. It is not too overbearing.

I find that with other bronzers I can easily blend it with a bare brush or with some face powder to soften it but with this bronzer I found that when I over applied it, it becomes hard to blend out. And because of its warm undertone it can become more apparent on the skin.  

I bought this to contour with but it is just too warm-toned, so I use this to warm up my complexion.

This bronzer blends okay (it looked a little streaky on me today) but not like a dream, I definitely prefer my Revlon Photoready Bronzer because I feel like it gives more depth and dimension (I think it is being discontinued; grab it at Big Lots *sighted there* while you can). I feel like I'm quite on the light side as far as complexions go and the warm tones just seem a little too apparent on my skin.

It wears throughout the entire day, perfectly fine.

I have no major complaints about this product but it did not wow me by any means. I would skip this if you were thinking of using this to contour I personally wouldn't because it is so warm toned and would not create the shadow you'd want for a contour (go for: NYX Powder Blush in "Taupe"). If it works with your skin and its undertones than I think this could definitely be a nice addition to your collection! 

Thanks for reading!! :)



Use This Not That: lip balms!

Nothing is worse than having chapped lips and having even higher expectations and hopes from a balm only to be let down by a greasy or drying balm. I compiled a few of my faves and some that just did not cut it. I always am going to include a few tinted balms for those who like tints. :)

Let's start with the worst:

- Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula balm (the "Original" one):

I remember liking this when I first bought it, but now when I try to use it just feels slick and greasy on the lips and just is not even penetrating my lips or moisturizing them really at all. I got this at Walmart, but I have heard of people getting this at Walgreens.

- Bliss Fabulips Softening Lip Balm:

This did not moisturize my lips AT ALL. It felt super greasy and slick. It is one of those consistencies that does not do well in heat and kind of morphs and gets all melted. This stuff is $16!!! DO NOT WATSE YOUR MONEY!! (I was lucky to find this at Marshall's though for $5 :) ).

The ones I enjoy:

- Burt's Bees (red label: "Replenishing" with pomegranate oil, pink label: "Refreshing" with pink grapefruit): I remember never having luck with Burt's Bees balms in the past but I love these ones!! They feel very moisturizing and comfortable. Just love. :)

- eos Smooth Sphere balm in "Sweetmint":

I feel like this is a cult favorite type product but this is by far my favorite of the eos balms I have. This one I feel really moisturizes the best and feels so fresh! I use this before my makeup every day as a "lip primer" type of product. It really helps prep me for lipstick. :)

Tinted balms I love:

- Baby Lips in "Cherry Me":

This is my favorite Baby Lips because it gives off the prettiest sheer wash of color, and it is very smoothing.

- Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in "Berry":

WHOAA TALK ABOUT TINTED. This is literally the pigment of a lipstick, but is SOOOOOOOOOO NOURISHING. I first tried these because I got the birthday set from Sephora that had 2 of their balms and I've loved them ever since!! A little pricey but if you find nothing working turn to these!!

- e.l.f Lip Balm Tint in "Nude":

This is a newer product to me and I wasn't expecting much of it but it's so nice!

It can really be your nude lip look because it has just the right amount of pigmentation and glossy quality. It moisturizes super good and has a wonderful vanilla scent!! :) My only complaint is that is in a pot but I can deal if the product is so amazing! :)

 I hear the Bite Beauty Agave lip mask works absolute wonders but I haven't tried that yet. :)

These were just a few balms I wanted to mention, do you want another type of these "hot or not" type blog posts on another type of product (i.e foundation, shadows, glosses)??? Please comment!



Review: The Balm's blush in "Hot Mama"

Hi dolls! :)

Today's review will be on The Balm's blush in "Hot Mama". I feel like when it comes to this brand, their blushes are one of the fan favorite type of product as it should be because they do it so well!

 

The packaging:

Super cute as usual because it's The Balm. :)

 

When I'm formulating my opinion on a blush I look for

- Pigmentation:
EXCELLENT. Though very pigmented and the left swatches are VERY  intense this blush is very easy to control for desired intensity.

- Does it blend easily?:
It blends very easily for such a pigmented blush, it goes where I want it to!

- Does it stay on the whole day with the intensity it was applied?:
I wore this for about 9 hours and it was not faded at all!

- Does it look pretty/appearance?:
IT'S SO PRETTY. It's a very unique shade. My swatches don't do it a justice. You should really find a store that sells The Balm (Kohl's does now!!) and swatch this for yourself for maximum shock. :)

 

 Swatches:

I wanted to give you guys multiple looks at the swatch. The left swatch is very built up while the right is a very sheered application. I wanted to show how intense it can be. I usually wear it more on the sheer side but it just gives THE prettiest flush!! A beautiful rose-gold blush.



e.l.f Matte Lip Color Review! ("Tea Rose")

Hey dolls! Hope everyone is having a good day. :) Today I will be reviewing the e.l.f Matte Lip Color in "Tea Rose". Whenever I see these posted on Instagram I see people comment on how they love them so when I was in Walmart I got one! This is such a pretty color! This is an exact "my lips but better" shade for me!! Confession; This is the ONE product that broke my no-buy streak but shhh (I was doing so good but lippies ARE my weakness). These are only $3, too!

Anyways here's the packaging:

This product is retractable and the packaging is sleek, no extra knick knacks.

 

The application of this product is very easy to control because of its precision as a result of the shape of the product:

The application was nice and not streaky. This lip color is pigmented and comfortable for a matte look. It is not drying but not especially moisturizing but I was not expecting it to be either because of the finish so I prepped as I always do, with my EOS in "Sweetmint".

 Swatch:

The wear:

My wear with the balm underneath was approximately 4 hours (9:45 AM to now, 1:37 PM). It has not completely worn off my lips but it definitely does need a touch-up. The best part about this shade for me is that since it is so close to my lip color it does not look bad as it wears off because it is so natural. A quick touch-up would not be a problem for me; especially on-the-go because of its easy application.

Without a prepping my lips I get approximately 3 hours of ATTRACTIVE wear. What I mean is that I put this on my lips at the end of all my makeup Monday morning around 5:45 AM. I checked on this around 9AM when I went to the bathroom during class and my lips just looked so cakey and dry that I had to wipe it off. :/ My lips did not feel dry though.

I do recommend this product as long as there is a barrier between it and your lips (like a balm, or a lip primer) because that was the only problem I experienced with this product. I also really enjoyed this mauve shade. I topped it off with a gloss and it looked fresh too.

Do you guys want to see a post on anything specific? Requests? Comment! :)



Foundation Routine (featuring Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation)

Hi beauties!! I wanted to share my foundation routine and because I am too scared and unequipped to make a video, I have a very long blog post with a TON of pictures of the products and my face after each product. :)

I do this routine for school, it may seem like a lot but I am including my contouring and highlighting so this post is a double whammy. :) Anyways, warning my bare face is coming up.. here it is:

(These pictures are not necessarily showing all my redness because I use a basic digital camera but I tried my best):

 Okay so first I applied my Rimmel Stay Matte primer.

Then I apply my Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation with my Real Techniques Buffing Brush

After buffing a sheer layer in I usually build up coverage in some areas and buff it all in again.

Next is concealer/highlighting. I use the NYX HD Concealer:

 (I thought I would take a funny picture of where I highlighted hehe)

 Blended with my ring finger :)

Now I will conceal my face with my Sonia Kashuk concealer palette (ehh not too impressed with this stuff but I use this or my Covergirl+Olay concealer balm). I also decided to use my Real Techniques Detailer Brush today but I use my fingers too, just whatever I'm feeling at that moment.

That red blemish just won't quit.. yikes! But let's powder my face with my NYX STAY MATTE BUT NOT FLAT (my fave) with my Real Techniques Powder Brush. To set my undereyes I like to use my Real Techniques Contour Brush because it obviously would fit into that area better than a huge powder brush.

Whoop whoop the exciting part.. CONTOURING. I am honestly fascinated by how makeup can make anything possible.. well not ANYTHING but cheekbones are nice haha.

First I warm up my entire temple are and my cheeks with my CoverGirl Tru Magic The Sunkisser (like a cream bronzer) and I use my e.l.f Small Stipple Brush.

I then take my NYX Stay Matte powder but in  a darker shade than the one I set my whole face with (I used "Ivory" before and Now I'm using "Nude") and my e.l.f Blush Brush to set the areas where the cream bronzer was applied.

 I take my NYX Blush in "Taupe" and put in the most hollow parts of my cheeks right under my cheekbones and in the deepest part of my temples for a true shadow. I use my Real techniques Contour Brush.

 (Tried my best not to take a cheesy picture of me looking off into the distance haha)

Brows and blush next to complete my face! :)

For brows I used a small angled sized brush from a Sonia Kashuk travel-sized eye brush set and my Milani Brow Fix kit. Since it is the weekend I did not bother using my colored wax from my e.l.f Brow kit but I do that everyday for school because it is amazing!! Then to set my brows I use Anastasia Brow Gel.

Blush, blush, baby!! I use my e.l.f blush brush and today I used a BareMinerals Ready Blush in "The One". I don't use this blush everyday as blush is a day-to-day thing for me to go with whatever look I'm going for. :)

Finished look!! Whoop whoop. I understand this is a lot of makeup but it's what I like to do so I hope this is a judgement-free zone. :)

 

There was so many pictures that I was a little lazy with rotating them.. but you get the idea. ;)

I have a review of the e.l.f Matte Lip Color coming up soon!