It's favorites tiiiime! I've been putting together these goodies for two months now and I can't wait to share them with you!
First on the list is a mega fave (clearly lol). The Elf Cosmetics Contour Palette is an amazing find at only $6 dollars! The shade selection is beautiful and works so well with my skin tone. Can you tell which is my favorite shade? I'm addicted to that yellow toned matte highlight to really bring out the planes of my face. Huge recommend from the drugstore.
Kathleen Lights has been killin' it with all her collabs lately and her first liquid lipstick with Ofra Cosmetics is no exception. I'm talking about non other than beautiful Miami Fever. This shade is like nothing else on the market, completely unique and so flattering. Though I must admit…. I wasn't too keen of it on myself at the start. I'm not exactly sure what changed my mind, if I'm honest, but man oh man am I glad I gave it another chance. She's a beauty!
The formula is not drying at all and my lips don't get all crusty and gross after wearing it, so I really appreciate that. However, I do have to note that if you layer this product, it will take a while to dry down and still have a very slight tackiness to it. I know some of us are really particular about lip products and how they feel, so I thought I'd throw that out there.
Also, the smell of this product is kinda interesting. It's not bad, but it legit smells exactly like Vanilla Chobani yogurt lol….so random, I know.
Be sure to use Kathleen's discount code 'KATHLEEN40' for 40% off of your entire purchase.
Game changer alert! I had been eyeing up this Art Naturals Jojoba Oil for quite some time on Amazon, and for Christmas my hubs gifted it :)
This stuff is nothing short of AMAZING. I recommend this to any and all skin types. If I'm feeling dry, this fixes it. If I'm feeling oily, this fixes it. If my skin is irritated….this fixes it. Definitely a nice little beauty potion to have up your sleeve, especially for skin that craves nutrition.
I like to use this product on no makeup days, but mostly love to use it as a night time facial oil since it can be a little much under makeup for an oily girl like me. The next morning, no matter my skin's issue, I wake up looking healthier and more even toned.
After my last encounter with the KVD contour palette, my skin has since been detoxing and healing and I swear that this has helped heal my acne hyper pigmentation twice as fast. I'm in love!
I had heard so many great things about the Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder and was so excited to receive it in last month's Ipsy Glam Bag. In a nutshell, this stuff is pure pixie dust magic. It somehow eliminates any sign of enlarged pores or fine lines with even the smallest amount. I highly recommend this for any of you that also take makeup photos or film, especially. I'm definitely buying the full size, it's that good.
Just a tip: if you're oily like me, use this after setting your makeup over top of your powder. It isn't great at setting your makeup and locking it in place on us oily chicks, but it may work fine for someone with a normal skin type. My favorite way to apply is with a smaller fluffy brush to target and buff in product in targeted areas.
(picture below)
Another Ipsy sent product is the Skinn Sugar Lips Polishing Scrub. Wooooooey this is some good stuff! Straight out of the jar, it looks like any old sugar scrub, but oh no no…this one not only exfoliates and conditions, but it also plumps your pout with a fiery tingle. I thought I was going crazy the first time I used it and I couldn't figure out why my lips felt like they were on fire lol but after using it a few more times, I definitely grew to love the effect it gave. My lips looked so soft and juicy. Perfect for applying your favorite liquid lipstick since they can be quite unforgiving with any lines or dry patches.
Garnier came out with their version of micellar water and their newest addition is this duo phased waterproof option. I popped into Walgreens a couple of weeks ago and ran into this guy. As soon as I saw that it removed waterproof makeup, I was sold! You all know how much I love my ABH Lash Genius, but my goodness is it a pain to remove. I'm happy to report that this takes care of that stubborn waterproof mascara without the need to rub around the delicate eye area.
I still like to cleanse my face properly afterwards, but this really helps get stubborn makeup off effortlessly. I first take a face wipe and add a bit of this to remove the bulk of my cake face, then a couple of cotton rounds for my eyes. It works best when you hold the rounds over your eyes for about 20 seconds before gently swiping away.
P.S. I recommend this one over the Simple Skincare one. That one is really nice to refresh your face, but if removing makeup is your aim, this one is much better.
The Tarte Showstopper Palette was a total impulse purchase when I saw it on offer at Ulta. the world 'love' is not strong enough to describe my feelings toward the shadow formula. They're so extremely pigmented, blend effortlessly, and really last throughout the day.
The fact that this palette also includes a cool toned bronzer, blush and highlight just makes my heart happy. It's what I'd consider on the bulky side, but totally doable for travel since it has such a decent sized mirror and sturdy packaging.
If you have any other Tarte recommendations, let me know! I'm on a total brand kick at the moment!
Ahhhh where to begin? Flesh Tone is a highly shimmery cream shade that is beautifully flattering with just about any eye look that I put together. I think I've heard around the community that it's a good dupe for MAC's Nylon eyeshadow, but I find Flesh Tone to lean a bit more gold. Definitely interchangeable, though.
Fools Gold is one of those pukey baby poop colors that are absolutely stunning in the crease as a transition shade. I pop this in there any time I need to add a bit more warmth to a look without going orange or red. If I had to recommend a shadow shade, this one would be it. It's a shade that really steps up your game in the most subtly elegant way.
I'm still working through the humungo stash of single shadows I ordered from them, but keep an eye out for a fully dressed review.
I've also really been enjoying this Milani Bella Eye shadow in Bella Cappuccino. It has a satin matte finish that is perfection for a light crease shade. Any time I know I'll be adding darker shades in my crease, I pop this baby in there and it just makes everything else glide and blend effortlessly.
The satin matte finish with "gel to powder" technology creates a beautiful base for other shadows to build on--even choppy mattes that are difficult to blend.
Lastly is this oh so fun Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask from Elizavecca. I first saw this product being used on Facebook in a Meme Box video. It looked like such a fun product because of all the bubble action, but I was super intrigued once the model said her skin felt deeply cleansed yet soft.
If you follow me on Snapchat (betablinx85), you may have seen the vids I uploaded during my first impression.
I've since tried it another time and can safely say that this product is awesome! I really felt and saw a difference in my skin's texture both visually and to the touch. As previously stated, I was having skin issues from the KVD palette and I felt like no matter what I did, it just couldn't get the last bit of trapped product out. After using this, my skin really calmed down by the morning after and has been healing great ever since.
If you have deep pores, enlarged pores, or simply just wear makeup on a regular basis, this is a product I strongly suggest you get your paws on too. I think I picked it up for under $10 on Amazon, and it's currently only $8.80 with free shipping.
Here are some fun Snaps about my experience:
What were some of your faves this month? I always love to know :) If you have any product recommendations for your girl, be sure to let me know!
