August 2012 Favorites

Here is a list of the things that I've been loving in the month of August and why I love them!

 

 

MAC Cut a Caper Lipstick ($14.50 now $15)

This lipstick came out with the Heavenly Creature collection, however it was a repromote. I've been loving this shade! When I first received it in the mail, I wasn't sure if I would like it since it looked ORANGE in the tube. I'm glad I kept this since I've been wearing it almost every day. Since it's a lustre, this is a nice everyday color for any occasion.


MAC Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation ($30)
This is the first 'liquid' foundation that I've ever liked. I've used liquid many years ago, however it never truely looked good or stayed all day. I switched to mineral foundation for a few years and was 90% happy with the look and staying power. This foundation is more of a gel like consistency compared to other liquid foundations. I find that this stays all day if I set it with my MAC blot powder. I haven't tried it without the blot powder though since I tried applying it with a brush rather than my hands. This did not stay very long on my face when I applied it with my hands.


MAC 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush ($42)
I bought this brush after trying and failing to apply my new foundation with my hands. I was planning to get either the 109 or 188, however the MUA recommended this one if I want full coverage (which I do). So far this brush sheds very minimally.


Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells ($2.99)
I bought this eyeshadow trio at CVS a few months back, used it once or twice, and then forgot about it. I rediscovered it this month and I have been using it almost everyday. It's a nice look for back to school in my opinion since it's very neutral and natural looking.


Harry Potter
I've decided that while I'm on my summer break from school, I would rewatch all of the Harry Potter movies. Some of them I've seen more than once and some of them I haven't seen since they came out in movie theaters.


Taylor Swift's 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together'
I absolutely love Taylor Swift and any song she writes. I've become obsessed with her new song after hearing a lip dub version on YouTube from NikkiPhillippi.



What have you been loving this month?
XOXO
 

September 2012 Shopping the Stash

I haven't done a shopping the stash blog post since my July 2012 one. Here are the makeup items that I plan to use during this month.
 

 

 

Eyes:

Wet n Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells

I've starting using this eyeshadow palette towards the end of August. This is a lovely neutral and natural looking eyeshadow look for back to school. I couldn't find this on the CVS or Target website, however it was on the Walgreens website. I bought this a few months back during a CVS sale.

 

 

Face:

MAC Powder Blush in Plum Foolery

This was the very first blush I bought from MAC. It's a lovely shade for fall and winter. It's a sheertone shimmer so it'll provide a new glow to the face.

 

N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny

I'm not a huge fan of bronzer however since my face is paler than my body I need to even it out. I cover my face up and use a lot of sunblock when I'm exposed to excessive sunlight.

 

 

Lips:

Revlon  Colorburst Lipstick in Mauve

This is a beautiful lipstick that I picked up at ULTA a few months back. I've used it on and off, however I think this would be a nice shade for the fall.

 

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Airy Fairy

I originally picked this up a year or two ago after hearing about it from The Style Diet on YouTube. This is a nice shade to use during the fall months.

 

Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in Rosepearl

I bought this (along with about seven more shades) during a CVS sale. This shade is lovely and will look great for fall.

 

 

If you haven't noticed, many of the products that I've listed are fall related and categorized under the plum family. I think that is a lovely color for fall (and into winter).

 

 

XOXO

 

Updated Foundation Routine of 2012

It's been awhile since I've done a foundation routine blog post. The last one I did was June of 2011. While getting the items together, I was surprised that all but one item (a brush) was from MAC. I didn't realize that my foundation routine consisted of only MAC products. This does not include blush and/or bronzer since I switch my blush up frequently and rarely wear bronzer.

 

 

Primer:

MAC Oil Control Lotion ($31 for 1.7 fl. oz.)

applied with clean hands

 

 

Foundation:

MAC Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation in NW 15 ($30 for 1.3 fl. oz.)

applied with MAC 130 Short Duo Fibre Brush ($42)

 

 

Powder:

MAC Blot Powder Pressed in Medium ($24 for 0.42 fl. oz.)

applied with  Eco Tools Bamboo Bronzer Brush ($12.59)

 

 

Reviews for individual products:

 coming soon

 

 

Updated skin care routine of 2012:
coming soon

 

 

Last foundation routine:
http://hopefulheart27.blogspot.com/2011/06/daily-routine-as-of-06282011.html 

 

What's your foundation routine of 2012?

XOXO

MAC Cleanse Off Oil Review

Product: MAC Cleanse Off Oil

Price: $38

Amount: 150 mL or 5 fl. oz.

Description from website:

An industry-strength oil-based makeup remover that's gentle on the skin. Botanically formulated with oils of olive fruit, evening primrose and jojoba seed and absolutely 100 percent mineral-oil free. Massages onto the skin to loosen all makeup, including waterproof mascara. Emulsifies into a lotion-type liquid with water: rinses off easily, no tissues required - and no residue! Protects with vitamin E. Skin softening and conditioning. Good for all skin types.

My thoughts:

This product removes face makeup and eye makeup very easily. This removed my blacktrack fluidline without me needing to tug at my eye.

While using this, it felt very weird on my skin. Since it's an oil, I expected that. However, I did not expect for it to mess with my eyesight since this is supposed to be eye friendly. While using this to remove my eye makeup, my vision would become blurry/fuzzy and stay like that for a few minutes. Even rinsing off my eye with more water did not help. My clear vision did return on its own though.

My verdict:

For the price, this is a good all purpose makeup remover. However, because of the fact that it made my vision blurry/fuzzy I would not recommend this. I returned this item after only using it for three days. I had high hopes for this product since I've been lusting after it for a few months.

Let me know your thoughts on this product if you've used it before or currently use it.

XOXO

Skincare Shopping List

Hi everyone. I'm planning to change my skincare routine soon and here are some items that are on my shopping list! I definitely won't be buying all of this at once since that would be CRAZY expensive.

Yes to Cucumbers:
Complete Care Facial Hydrating Lotion ($14.99 for 1.7 fl. oz.)
Eye Love Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel ($14.99 for 1.01 fl. oz.)

 Eye Makeup Removing Pads ($7.99 for 45 ct.)

Facial Towelettes ($6.99 for 30 ct.)

 Gentle Milk Cleanser ($8.99 for 6 fl. oz.)
 Calming Night Cream ($14.99 for 1.7 fl. oz.)
Calm Care Soothing Facial Mask ($14.99 for 1.7 fl. oz.)


Yes to Blueberries:
Intensive Skin Repair Serum ($19.99 for 1 fl. oz.)

Eye Firming Treatment ($19.99 for 0.5 fl. oz.)

I thought that I would color code the items based on the time of day I plan to use them. Orange is for in the morning. Blue is for at night. Green is for once a week at night. Purple is for in the morning and at night.

If you use this skincare line, please let me know how you like it!
XOXO

August 2012 Shopping List

Hi everyone.

Since deciding to start my "no nonsense makeup ban", I've changed my august shopping list.

Various Foundations:

Clinique Stay Matte Foundation ($23 for 1 fl. oz.)

MAC Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 Foundation ($27 for 1 fl. oz.)

MAC Matchmaster SPF 15 Foundation ($33 for 1.18 fl. oz.)
MAC Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation ($30 for 1.3 fl. oz.)


I've wanted to switch my foundation for awhile now, so I figured I would get some samples and buy a new one before I start school again in September.


Mascara:
MAC Plush Lash ($16)
MAC Opulash ($16)

I'm almost out of my bottle of False Lashes. I was going to repurchase it, however I think I'll try a different one. Plush Lash is $4 cheaper and contains 1 gram more than False Lashes. Opulash is $4 cheaper and contains 3 grams more than False Lashes.

I'm going to be posting a separate back to school shopping list soon. Keep your eyes open for that.



What is on your shopping list?
XOXO

July 2012 Haul

Here is my July Haul! Sorry this is later than it usually is. The explanation is down below. I've also included some of my opinions on the items since I've had some time to use them.

From MAC:

(left to right)

Fire Sign (lustre), Ruffian Red (matte), Ruffian Gold (frost), and Cut a Caper (lustre)

The reason this post is so late is because I was planning to do lip swatches for all of the lipsticks pictured above. However, I decided to return all but Cut a Caper.

Fire Sign is a mix between a red and a berry with a hint of pink in my opinion. It's pretty, but I just don't like it on me. Ruffian Red was too bright for a newbie red lipstick girl. Ruffian Gold wasn't as spectacular as I was expecting. You can get the same look with a glittery lip gloss.

I've heard mixed reviews on Cut a Caper. Some people love it, while others think its mediocre. At first, I was not a fan. I think it's mainly due to the fact that this was my first lustre finish lipstick to purchase. When I first applied it, my lips looked like there was no lipstick on. However, after reapplying some more a few hours later, I learned that you need to build it up! Once I figured out how to wear it, I have been loving it!! It's a very natural looking pinky-coral on me. The tube looks ORANGE, however not so much in the picture.

From Sallys Beauty Supply:

(left to right, top to bottom)

Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo, Ion Finishing Solutions Shaping Plus, Beyond the Zone Rock On Dry Shampoo, and Teaze by Phillips Brush


I've repurchased Beyond the Zone Rock on Dry Shampoo a few times throughout this year. I don't know what I did before I discovered dry shampoo. This doesn't leave you hair looking gray or white.

When you renew the Sallys card, you get to pick from 2-3 choices of things to get free (up to $7.00). I picked the Ion Finishing Solutions Shaping Plus. This is a hair spray / finishing spray. This cost around $6.00 with the Sally's discount. That's the most I've ever spend on a hair spray. So far, I like it. It doesn't leave your hair too hard.

I've used teasing combs in the past, but I've heard teasing brushes are better. After watching a few hair tutorials on YouTube, I decided to buy one of my own. I think it works pretty good. It teases my hair and gives me some lift. My tease stays for longer than it did with a teasing comb.



What did you buy in the month of July?
XOXO

No Nonsense Makeup Ban of 2012

I've been buying a lot more makeup lately than I usually do. I decided that I will be putting myself on what I call a "No Nonsense Makeup Ban".

Basically I won't be buying anything unless I absolutely NEED it. For example, I will restock up on mascara, foundation, and face powder when I need them. I won't be buying any new eye shadows, lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeliners, etc.

This means I won't be posting any new Shopping List blogs unless it's something I need to restock up on or something that is not makeup related.

This ban will remain in effect until December of this year.

XOXO