Top 5 Life Changing Products

I got into the makeup game pretty late because I always felt like makeup didn’t work for me. I had a hard time finding the right products that gave me the “WOW!” factor and it was pretty disappointing buying a product only to end up being very let down by it. However, these five products made me believe that there was hope for a girl like me struggling to learn about makeup and how to make it work for her.

I’ll show you how each of these products have helped me to create a great go-to makeup look. Any other products that I have used, I will mention at the end but the main focus is these life-changing five products.

Bare faced and ready to go!

bareMineral’s Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15

I got this product in the sampler back in 2009. I successfully made it last for a while because a little bit goes a long way with this baby and contrary to popular belief, I don’t wear makeup every day. I loved how it made my skin look so effortless, airbrushed, and FLAWLESS. I always got compliments on my skin because it evened everything out and just added such a lift to my dull skin. I solely use bareMinerals’ foundations because they do such a wonder for my skin. It’s so lightweight that it literally looks and feels like you’re wearing nothing on your skin and it just looks like your skin but better.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Do I need to explain? Never have I had nice looking brows until I tried this. I tried pomades, but they made my brows look too fake and dark. This pencil adds the perfect amount of color to make my eyes look bold but natural. I have also never had my eyebrows done (waxed, threaded, plucked, etc.) so it is easy for me to fake a tamed looking brow now.

Foundation and Brows

e.l.f. Essential Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer in Sheer

Never did I know that eyeshadow could look glorious on my skintone before using this primer. I always had the problem of shadows never looking pigmented enough, but when I swipe this baby across my lid it really changed my confidence in wearing eyeshadow. Eyeshadow primer is a must, especially because I recently discovered that I have oily eyelids. You should have seen that creasing! I’m never going without my primer again.

e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner in Black

This product taught me how to do my winged eyeliner to the highest of fleek. Did I use that right? I don’t really care if I did or not because that’s how I feel about how my eyeliner looked. This liner has great staying power and I miss using it every day like I used to. I was never a liquid liner person so I tried this gel liner and it really helped me learn to do a feline flick. Also this liner is three dollars so how can you not try this liner to learn to do a feline flick?

Eyes primed and my gel liner on

MAC Lip Liner in Chestnut

I finally got my first MAC lipstick last year maybe and I absolutely loved it. It was in the shade Touch, but the thing that made me love it the most was the lip liner I used. I was solely using my Chestnut liner with the Touch lipstick, but then I had a brilliant idea; why not pair this liner with other lipsticks that are a little too light that you wasted money on Keyerra? Low and behold my favorite lipstick pairings were born. This lip liner has changed how I feel about nude lipsticks. It had helped me to create great lipstick looks without looking like my lips are made of ash. I always get compliments when I pair Chestnut with my Laura Mercier lipstick mentioned in this post. It is the perfect nude.

Lined the outer rim of my lips and it looks a little weird.

And this is the finished look. These products have really shaped the way I do my makeup and give me a really fresh looking face. My love for beauty has really grown because I found products that have helped me make makeup work for me and my style and that is a very important thing I feel.

Other products used:

The Body ShopAll-In-One InstaBlur Primer

bareMinerals Complexion Rescue in Chestnut

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer in Dark

L’Oreal Paris Brow Stylist Plumper in Medium to Dark

Clinique All About Shadow Single Shadow in Black Honey (as a bronzer)

the Balm Instain Blush in Swiss Dot

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette  (Limit, Nooner, and Blackheart)

Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in Spiced Rose

I'm a Terrible Person

I have neglected my blog for far too long, but I am back and am taking my blog in a slightly new direction.  I felt so uninspired, but I realized that you have to make your own inspiration. I love makeup and talking about it makes me happy, so I will continue to just talk about the things that I love.

This means more posts. I am going to post every Monday and Wednesday because once a week was not enough. I got too lazy posting once a week, so I will be more motivated to post more than once. I want to grow with this blog and build my skills, not just with beauty, but with blogging, communicating, and being open. I want to share this love of mine with so many others who share the same love that I do. I'm excited to be back to this after that long month off.

Weekend Travel Makeup Bag

This weekend, I attended the SweetLife Music and Food Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Now, I know that I am very local, but I ended up staying with a relative so that my friend and I could be lazy and not have to travel as far. I decided that I needed to pack a small makeup bag so that I could quickly put my face on for this hot, sticky, sweaty day in the sun.

Packing a travel makeup bag is very difficult for me, but I took one of my favorite blogger/Youtuber’s advice and packed my bag while I did my makeup to ensure that I only packed what I needed and did not forget anything in the process.

BASE & FACE (IN ORDER OF APPLICATION):

The Body Shop InstaBlur Primer

BareMineral’s Complexion Rescue in Chestnut

BareMineral’s Stroke of Light Eye Brightener in Luminous 4

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Ebony

L’Oréal Brow Stylist Plumper in Medium/Dark

Bare Mineral’s Tinted Mineral Veil

The Balm Instain Long Wearing Blush in Swiss Dot

Elf Eyelid Primer in Sheer

NYX Glam Shadow Stick in Elegant Marble

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Stag

Tarte Gifted Amazonia Clay Smart Mascara

TOOLS:

ELF Cosmetics Complexion Brush for Mineral Veil

Real Techniques Blush Brush for Blusher

Tarte Eyelash Curlers for these lashes

Makeup Bag from Old Navy

As a backup, I brought my Naked Palette in case the gold NYX shadow did not live up to expectations, but it did so I did not need to resort to my go-to gold Half Baked. For my base and shadow, I blended it out with my fingers so that I could cut down on the number of brushes needed. I decided on something simple for the festival because it was very hot and there was a possibility of rain. My look held up for the entire day and I was very excited about that. 

My Obsession with American Eagle Outfitters

Growing up, I wanted to be like all of the other popular girls in school who wore American Eagle, Hollister, and Abercrombie & Fitch. I went to far as to have an American Eagle credit card that I used to spend on my desire to fit in. As I got older, I started developing my own sense of style and shunned all of those brands because how can you be original wearing that? Abercrombie was just too expensive for not that great of clothing and once I saw a nine year old wearing the same Hollister hoodie that I was wearing at 20, I decided to throw in the towel. However, AEO has always held a special place in my heart.

AEO is very great for building your wardrobe from the ground up. They offer such a great selection of sturdy basics. Their "Soft and Sexy" range is amazingly comfortable. I often find myself stocking up on so many tees because they are indeed very soft and I feel sexy wearing them. How can you feel sexy in a striped v-neck you may ask? Because the shirt says that it is sexy and I believe it.

I feel like AEO has changed dramatically with how it presents itself. The clothing is very well made and worth the money. I have had many of my layering tanks since high school and they are still holding up. My favorite shoes are my brown leather AEO flip flops that I have had for years, comfortably broken in and effortlessly stylish without even trying.

If you are looking for a store that can provide great building blocks for developing your own sense of style, I would definitely look into AEO. There is so much that you can do with what they provide.

And don't get me started on their underwear line Aerie. I solely wear Aerie underwear and bras because they are that great.

New Me, Nume Hair Set

Sorry for that terrible pun, but I just could not help myself.

Although I am not a mother, I treated myself to this glorious Nume Hair deal that they were running on their website for Mother’s Day. This deal included the Titan 3 Hair Wand that comes with 3 barrels (19mm, 25mm, and 32mm), the Megastar Hair Straightener, the Signature Dryer, AND their White Truffle Shampoo and Conditioner. All of this was values at $605, but with the coupon code, I was able to receive all of these goodies for $199. That’s absolutely amazing considering that the Titan 3 is $199 on its own!

I got my lovely new hair styling tools in turquoise because I wanted to try something bold. My go to would have been black, but the turquoise is so lovely. I am very excited to use these products on my new sew-in weave and cannot wait to do a full review. I can say that the curling wand gets very hot and tells the temperature in Celsius. I may or may not have burned my shoulder at 180 degrees Celsius (around 350 degrees Fahrenheit). I have used the White Truffle Shampoo and Conditioner on my hair after I took my sew-in out and it left my hair feeling very clean and nourished. The smell isn’t too bad either. I am very happy with those two products.

The deal is still running for the next few days so definitely take advantage of this great deal!

The Boyfriend Jean

I'm a small girl, at least that's what I am told, so for awhile I never thought that I could partake in the boyfriend jean trend. I had seen so many wear this baggy jean with such confidence, but whenever I would try it, I ended up looking like I was drowning in denim. Then came the American Eagle Tomgirl Jean.

These jeans fit amazing for someone of my size. I don't feel like they are too baggy or overwhelming. I'm 5'3" and pretty slim by nature, always have been. These just look great on! I have gotten so many compliments as of late and I feel so great in them. They are very comfortable and just give a casual vibe to my outfit that I love to go for, especially with the distressed element to them.

I would definitely recommend these boyfriend jeans for anyone looking to get into the boyfriend jean trend. Now that the weather is nice, I will be donning these babies as often as I can from running errands to a night out. I cannot wait to make these a staple in my wardrobe.

The Nude, the Vamp, and the Red Lip

Sorry for the lack of a post last week. Things have been pretty crazy with my doctor’s appointments, family engagements, and work. But I am back this week with a post for all of those who fancy a chat about a pop of color on the lips.

Lip color is such a fun thing to do! Sometimes, I’ll pop on some lipstick just for the fun of running into Target when I know that I shouldn’t. For me, I have three go-to style of lip color that I will wear: the nude, the vampy, and the red. My favorite would have to be the vampy even though I only break it out on a special occasion. I’ll show you my two go to colors for each of these looks in order of the swatches above.

THE NUDE

MAC Touch paired with MAC Chestnut Liner

This nude the definition of nude in that it matches my skin tone to a T. I had been on the hunt for the “perfect nude” for a while with no success. I wanted a color that looked natural, but did not make me look washed out. When the kind lady at the MAC counter suggested I try this on, I was blown away by how much I loved the color on. I was so obsessed; I wore it every day for a good two weeks. Now, although this does not look very natural, it is my favorite go-to “nude” lip. I love this lip paired with a neutral eye look. It is such a bold nude lip that is so different, yet so gorgeous. I have gotten many compliments on this color and I just love it.

Laura Mercier Crème Smooth Lip Colour in Spiced Rose paired with MAC Chestnut Liner

When I first got this lipstick, I think I was enamored by the fact that it was Laura Mercier and did not pay attention to how much it actually washed me out. I felt bad for not liking it when I got home because it was a gift from my best friend and I had claimed that I loved it on so much. This lipstick had been sitting in my makeup bag for months before I thought, why don’t I try this with a brown liner? Low and behold my life changed. I absolutely adored this lip color once I applied a brown liner to help blend the color. It looks absolutely marvelous on.

THE VAMPY

MAC Smoked Purple

OH. MY. LORD. This is my all-time favorite lip color ever. End of discussion. My best friend mentioned above had purchased this and I was so in love with the color on her, I had to buy it for myself. Whenever I am in the mood for a dark lip, I immediately grab this. It looks great with a purple smokey eye look or with no eye makeup at all. It steals the show and makes me feel like a vampy goddess the Spice Girls would be glad to sing about in “The Lady Is A Vamp.” Yes, I referenced the Spice Girls when talking about my most beloved lipstick.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Shameless

First of all, Revlon, how is this a balm? This is so pigmented, it should be a lipstick. I love this balm so much because it has such a high color payoff and is still so hydrating, yet matte. I don’t understand how it works, but it does the job. This was my go-to vampy shade before I discovered MAC’s Smoked Purple and I still will sometimes choose it over Smoked Purple when I want something a less dark, but still just as bold.

THE RED

Nars Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

I received this lip pencil as a sample size as my birthday gift from Sephora and, wow, this blew me away. I had always seen Anna of Vivianna Does Makeup rave about the Nars matte lip pencils and had been dying to try them, so when I saw that that was my birthday gift, I ran to my nearest Sephora and picked it up. It is so lovely and rich in color that it has instantly become a favorite of mine in the short month that I have had it. I definitely plan on purchasing the full size. It is not as bright as my Stila liquid lipstick but it gives that brilliant red that instantly reminds you of the infamous Cruella de Vil. What a beauty it is on!

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso

I had always been looking for the perfect red lipstick to put on on days where I felt I needed an extra boost. One day, I received my BirchBox and there it was staring back at me. This liquid lipstick is amazing. It’s so pigmented and gorgeous and makes me feel like I can light up the whole room. It’s a very bright red that steals the show and really makes your lips pop. It is a matte lipstick, which is how I prefer my lip colors, but it doesn’t feel drying. I rarely need to touch it up because it really does stay all day. This is my all-time favorite red.

When I’m not throwing on a little balm and running out of the house, you can bet that I will have one of those six shades on. What are your favorite lip colors to rave about? I’m always looking for a new shade to purchase.

I hope everyone has a lovely week and I will be back next week with a new post!