It's about that time again! ;)
I've been thinking about sharing my most loved products of 2015 in a post. Let me know if you'd like to see that before the year slips through our fingers. I always find top lists so telling of people's personalities, don't you? Anyhow, I digress. Let's get to the faves.
Can't stop, won't stop with this palette! It so took me buy surprise and I can't seem to put the thing down. The Anastasia Beverly Hills World Traveler Couture Palette was something I picked up because of all the hype around it. I had kicked myself for not getting the Amrezy Palette specifically for the shades Morocco and I think the other shade was called Camel. As soon as I saw that this palette included Morocco and other yummy warm shades, I knew I had to try it out. SO GOOD. All of these shadows are so much more special than they appear in the pan. The formula is really buttery and pigmented, two words that make us beauty lovers drool, right?
The double sided brush it comes with is another surprisingly good feature to this affordable palette. On one side it has a fluffy crease brush, and on the other is a short, dense shader that can be used to define the crease, as a smudger, or to pack on shadows using its flat side. Let's not forget that these also come with a mirror. Talk about value!
Unfortunately, as mentioned before, the palette is limited edition and is no longer being sold unless you want to sell your left kidney on the black market to pay for Ebay/Amazon prices. The silver lining here is that they now have a new palette which I'm sure is equally as impressive depending on your personal taste in color choices.
Below this wonderful palette is the Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer in the shade Light Golden. I'd heard 'amazing' things about this concealer and thought I'd pick it up while it was on offer at Ulta. If my memory serves me right, it was 50% off which is pretty dang good considering it's regularly $42. Crazy money for a concealer if you ask me, but listenβ¦I took one for the team (at least that's what I'm telling myself) and decided to try it out for us haha ;)
Great coverage, easy to blend, hydrating, and crazy ( I mean 'insane' crazy) pigmented. The tiniest amount gives out of this world coverage and I highly recommend this for anyone struggling with discoloration, hyper pigmentation, or skin issues of that nature. I do advise that you not pack it on and use too much as it will crease in the under eye area since it is a thicker consistency. Honestly, you won't need but a thin layer to cover just about anything. Once it's set, you're good to go.
Ulta also carries a smaller version called A Little Amazing Concealer for $28 which I'd suggest to try out first if you're interested in trying the product. Honestly, the small tube will last you forever.
I had a question over on IG about the finish of the concealer. Alone, it does have a tacky feel that really adheres to your skin also providing a great base for powders overtop to grab on to.
Ipsy killed it by sending this Absolute New York Nano Liner. I'm sure it has answered a lot of girls' prayers with its incredibly pigmented and ultra fine tip. It is virtually fool proof perfect liner every time.
If you have hooded eyes like me, you know how difficult it can be to work with eyeliner so that it frames the eye, but not take over your entire lid space. Super frustrating especially when you've just spent all that blending time only to accidentally cover it up with black (Nailed it!). Because the tip is so fine, you literally can press its side over your lash line, creating the perfect frame for those pretty peepers and a wing that'll slice your ex's heart 4 ways.
The formula dries to a satin matte, is intensely black, and surprisingly long lasting. I'd say it's a bit thinner in viscosity compared to something like my holy grail NYC Liquid Eyeliner, but just as pigmented and easy to remove at the end of the day.
They also offer the same formula but with different nibs! Such a great idea.
Oh, Jordanaβ¦such an affordable brand with mind blowing quality. Their Easyliner lip liners are amazing. If you haven't jumped on that boat, do yourself a favor and pick some up next time you're at your local Walgreens. The shade shown is in Cabernet which is a wine burgundy red that has been transforming my red lips into a sexy, vampy pout. So appropriate for this time of year and I've been wearing it non stop.
The formula is creamy, rich, blendable, and very comfortable to wear. It consistently applies like buttah without skipping or pilling because of it's plastic packaging.
Fun fact: Liners in wooden pencil form tend to be dryer because the wood casing absorbs moisture out of the product.
(lip liner shown in image above)
Next up is Maybelline's Define-A-Brow pencil. It's one of the very few drugstore options available that has that super slim pencil reminiscent to the ABH Brow Wiz in size (I hear the NYX one is really good too). I had fallen hard for another brow product that was beginning to leave my brows a bit too cool in tone, so I picked this one back up and ughβ¦why did I ever stop using it? The precision and control you get with using such a slim product allows you to shape your arches exactly how you want them. I purchased mine in Medium Brown and the color match is perfect.
The Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara is really great at building up length and definition without getting clumpy. Its spiky, rubberized wand works very similarly to mascaras like Benefit They're Real or Maybelline's The Rocket, just easier to remove, thank goodness.
If you liked those formats, you might want to look into this one too. The tapered wand allows you to do detail work with the tip, grabbing those hard to get lashes in the corners, and build volume & definition with the longer toothed side.
This is the second Bare Minerals mascara I've tried and both are really great. I can even skip the waterproof mascara before hand if I'm feeling brave and we all know that's saying something :)
Back up top is The Balm's Cindy-Lou Manizer highlight. I've gotta be honest and say that I wasn't fully feelin' it back when I first got it. I would very seldomly use it as a blush topper, but that's about it. I felt like the pink shade didn't suit me, but for whatever reason I've been SO into pink toned highlights lately. I think it's because of the Makeup Revolution one in Peach Lights that I told you about in last month's favorites. I've been obsessing over it. I can't seem to get enough, they're so beautiful!
Aside from using it as a blush topper, I'll sometimes use this as a highlight and other times alone as a blush. All I can say is that I was crazy to not love it before. So glad I gave her another shot.
A while back, I was watching one of VivianaDoesMakeup's videos showing how she does her nails. She whipped out the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover gel and the difference it made was crazy good. Until I went out and purchased it, I only had a vague idea of how to use it or what it did exactly.
For those of you who aren't familiar with cuticle removing gels, you simply squeeze a bit around your nail beds, leave it for about a minute, then wash it off with warm water to remove any dead skin. I like to use a nail scrubber to really make sure I get it all off as it can eat away a little too far under your nails, if you're not careful, leaving them tender to touch. The results leave your cuticles really clean looking, your manicure going from a 7 to a 10 in literally a couple of minutes.
Next, I have another Bare Minerals product. The Complexion Rescue tinted gel foundation has gotten a lot of use on days that I need minimal coverage or a nice base product for powder foundations to hold on to. My skin plays well with Gel formulas such as the Bourjuois Healthy Mix foundation, so I thought I'd give this a whirl when I came across their trial kit.
This isn't for the person who is looking for full, flawless coverage, but rather for someone who needs just a little something to help them feel more confident walking out the door. I like to apply the product with my fingertips as I would a moisturizer, then add concealer around areas that need more help covering up. The finish it gives is almost a pearlescent glow that looks so healthy and fresh for day to day wear. I have no problems with longevity, even with my oily skin, so long as I set it with a powder.
I highly recommend this product for anyone looking for something that'll give them a good dose of sun protection. It contains a broad spectrum SPF 30 in the form of Titanium Dioxide at 6.2% .
If you'd like to try the kit I purchased that comes with a matching concealer and powder, Ulta is currently the only carrier.
For my last fave, I have the Pore-fecting Papaya Enzyme Face Mask by Alba Botanical. Enzymes found in fruits (this case, papaya) are known for naturally helping dissolve dead skin and removing impurities from skin. In 5 minutes, this gel mask leaves your skin so much brighter, lively, and I find my moisturizing skincare is able to really penetrate my skin and do its job.
The consistency of the product is almost exactly like natural aloe vera without the icky slime effect. It's very cooling at first, and I do have to warn you that it does sting around any dry patches you may have. I'm not sure I'd recommend this to those of you with dry or overly sensitive skin for that reason. The sting does go away pretty quickly and I don't find it to be unbearable by any means. Just thought I'd put that out there in case anyone has dry skin or a low pain tolerance.
I like to use it at most once a week between physical exfoliating/clarisonic days to really get in my pores and dissolve any debris I may have missed. The packaging suggests to rinse your face after use, but I suggest giving yourself a gentle cleanse afterwards to make sure the product hasn't accidentally been left behind.
This product is made with 100% natural vegetarian ingredients, is pH balanced, hypo-allergenic and not tested on animals. If you suffer with acne, I highly recommend their Pineapple Enzyme face wash. It really helped out and you can find it at most drugstores. Really great brand :)
That's all, folks! Keep scrolling to view related IG posts.
Share the love, I wan't to know what you've been into! Tag me in your monthly favorites over on Instagram <3 Are you ready for the holidays? Eeep! How is it that the year is just about over?
β₯ xoxo
