Hello!!
It's been so long since I've blogged about beauty stuff. But I'm back with some new products I recently purchased with my Christmas gift cards for Ulta and Sephora... they were burning a hole in my pocket!
So here are some of the things I picked up that I'm most excited about. Let me know if you've tried any of them and what you think!
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First, I picked up this foundation. Several years ago, I tried the L'Oreal True Match Lumi foundation that everyone raves about on YouTube, but I just didn't like it. Part of the problem was the color didn't match at all. Also, it was just too dewy for my oily skin. I may try it again one day (in a different shade) now that my skin is more normal.
But I have read and heard a lot of good things about the original True Match, so I decided to give it a try. I've worn it for several days in a row and I do love it! It's right up there with my Maybelline Fit Me (and MAY actually inch past it). The coverage is great for a drugstore foundation and the staying power is really good too. Not quite like Revlon Colorstay, but I haven't had any issues with it and I've worn it for 8-10 hours with minimal touching up.
I bought the color C3, Creamy Natural. I do LOVE that it comes in so many shades and both warm and cool tones. Makes the color selection outstanding. This particular one is slightly dark on me for winter, but I think it'll be perfect as we go into spring, and I'm able to work with it now, just blending it well around the jawline.
Here are some photos where you can see the finish.
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Next up, the BEAUTY BLENDER. Not sure why it's taken me so long to jump on the bandwagon, but I'm so glad I finally did!!! I still love my Sigma F80 foundation brush and it works great for all foundations. But I am absolutely loving the finish I achieve when using the BB. It truly does give a flawless appearance to the skin and I've tried it with several different foundations. It also makes it much easier to build foundation for extra coverage, and it works GREAT for under eye concealers. I was going to order a Sigma tapered brush to use under my eyes, but the BB is working great and there is no need for anything else.
Also, I was out of dry shampoo and decided to try Batiste. I have tried most every one available at the drugstore, but haven't found one I'm just absolutely in love with (texture AND smell). As far as that goes, the Batiste one works great! It was quite powdery in appearance when I first sprayed it on, and a little went a long way, but it seemed to disappear as soon as I gave my scalp a good rub. My hair looked like it had been freshly washed, and that's hard to achieve with straight, blonde hair. I wouldn't necessarily suggest this particular one for folks with darker hair, as it was quite "white." But they do make a version for darker hair.
I'm not absolutely crazy about the scent of this Wild, Sassy & Daring, version. It reminds me of mens' cologne, one that I'm not too fond of, but I can live with it. I may try one of the other scents next time, as there are several to choose from. However, I do love the texture of it. Some I have tried in the past come out too liquidy; and with some, you have to add so much, it leaves way too much residue in your hair. I give this one 2 thumbs up for performance.
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This next product is one I am so excited about!!! I have seen so much about the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powders on YouTube and I have wanted one for so long! But they are so dang expensive. I wasn't sure it would be worth the money. But let me tell you, IT IS. And since my hubby gave me a gift card to Sephora, this purchase was justified. :)
so pretty!!!
I chose Luminous Light, which is a pinkish/gold tone, not too warm, and I would say it has medium-level shimmer. There were some that had hardly any shimmer at all, more satin, and then some were loaded with shimmer, borderline glitter. I found a happy medium and I adore it!!! It is such a beautiful highlight, I can't get enough!
You really have to see these in person to appreciate them. Gorgeous!
Another one of the products I am most excited about is this palette from Too Faced. I had actually never tried any of their eye shadows before. I was debating between the Too Faced Chocolate Bar or Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palettes, the Natural Eyes, and the Lorac Pro 2.
After swatching and comparing, I settled on this. Now, I think it used to be in a cardboard-type box, but now it is in a metal tin that has a magnetic snap. And I think the box said that the colors are different than the original, too, but I already threw it away. Not sure about that, but I love it!
I have used it everyday since I got it, and it has every color you would need for a natural (or even smoky and dramatic) look. If you are trying to find a palette for travel, this is a great choice! It has a great mix of matte and shimmer, highlighting and blending shades, as well as warm and cool tones, and they are SO pigmented. It's great! Also, something to note, I have very little fall out from these colors. That's always a plus!
I did a complete look using this palette on Monday. I even used the darkest shade for my liner and the "Nudie" shade for my brows. I loved it and it was so quick and easy!
Here is a better look at the colors.
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With Flash
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Without Flash
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And lastly, I got several new lip products. Some, I'm not sure I'm crazy about so I'm saving them for later. But here are some that I know I love:
I'll start with the top ones.
The one on the left is from Maybelline's ColorSensational line.
I picked this one up from a recommendation of TiffanyD on YouTube. It's #235 Warm Me Up. It is a beautiful pinky nude, but with enough color to not make you look washed out. It's almost like "my lip color, but better." So easy to throw on with any makeup look or outfit. I'm not crazy about the smell of these lipsticks, and I don't own many just simply for that reason. But once it's on my lips, I don't seem to notice it too much. The "feel" of the product is great, though.
Next are two of the NYX Butter Lip Balms. I love the Butter Glosses by NYX, and recently I received the reddish lip balm (Red Velvet) in my Ipsy Glam Bag. I loved the feel of it, but it is pretty pigmented for a lip balm and I wanted something more neutral. So I picked up Macaron at Ulta and it's just what I wanted. It's a peachy color, soft but enough to give a nice sheen to the lips. Easy to throw on and it feels great! Highly recommend these lip balms!
And lastly, when I was in Sephora buying my goodies, the man said, "Hey, it's your birthday month!" I had forgotten all about the birthday gifts they give out, and that made my day! I received two Nars lip pencils. I don't have any Nars products, but these are great to start my collection.
(Next on my wish list of Nars products is the Radiant Creamy Concealer.)
The one on the left is a Satin Lip Pencil in the color Rikugien (don't even ask me what the heck that says). When I was swatching them, I realized it's very similar to Maybelline's Warm Me Up. A neutral, pinky nude.
On the right is the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella. Even though I don't wear these colors, it's always great to have them for when you just need one. So I'll keep it for those vampy, red days. :)
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And that's the end of my haul. Like I said, I got a few other things that I'm on the fence about, but I'll update you soon as to how I like them!!!
And my wish list continues to grow... here are a few more things I want to pick up soon.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette
Lorac Pro 2 palette
Sonia Kashuk Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Pinky Nude
Milani Power Lash mascara
Gucci Guilty perfume
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What's on your wish list???
