Current Favorites

Hello! I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far. We are headed for a little weekend get away to the lake, so I wanted to get a post up before we left. Today I wanted to share some of my current favorites. I haven't done a monthly favorite in a few months, so instead of doing July favorites, I will just share a few of the products and things I have been loving currently. 

Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette- If I had to choose only one palette to use for the rest of my life, it would be this one. I absolutely love gold and bronze eyeshadow and use them on almost a daily basis.  This palette has a nice range of shimmery gold and bronze eye shadows, and 3 matte browns too. If you would like to see a full review of this palette click here.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer- This concealer does a nice job of covering any dark circles under my eyes and any blemishes. It is a little bit on the thick and tacky side, but I think that is why it works so well. I have fair skin and had to go with the neutral medium color, so keep that in mind if you order online. 

MAC Lipstick in Velvet Teddy- If you had read my blog for any amount of time you probably know that I stick with the neutral/ mauve lipsticks. MAC describes Velvet Teddy as a deep-tone beige. Don't let the beige scare you though, it has a pink undertone and in no way makes me look like a corpse. I hate to admit it, but this was the first MAC product I have tried. I am so impressed and can't wait to pick up different colors. 

Living Proof Nourishing Styling Cream- This product is great for frizz. I have very wavy hair and the Michigan humidity is not my friend. My hair is  constantly a frizzy hot mess. While this product doesn't fix all of the frizz, it is by far the best hair product for frizz I have tried. I always apply a small amount right after I get out of the shower. If it is an exceptionally humid day, I will apply just a little bit more after my hair is dry and styled. 

It Cosmetics Airbrush Blending Brush- I didn't know what I was missing out on before I got this brush. I was using a more dense crease brush to blend out eyeshadow, but this brush makes blending eyeshadow so much easier. The brush is of good quality and is nice and fluffy. 

It Cosmetics Airbrush Blurring Foundation Brush- I was convinced that the Beauty Blender was the best way to apply foundation. This brush proved me wrong though. This brush is so soft and makes it easy to blend foundation flawlessly. I still like my Beauty Blender and still use it for concealer, but I have been loving to use this foundation brush. 

TV Show: We just finished up a series on Netflix called Jericho. This series started in 2006 and only was 2 seasons, but we really liked it. It is about a nuclear attack on major cities in the United States. 
Jericho is a small town that struggles with attacks from neighboring cities and a new government that tries to rebuild.


What are your current favorites?

My HG Concealer

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great weekend so far. I did not mean to take so much time off of blogging, but today I am back with a concealer review. I was using the Studio Gear Hidden Agenda Concealer but the no longer sell it at Ulta. I ran out before having a chance to order it online, so I purchased the It Cosmetic Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer. I heard a couple of good things about it online, and figured it was worth a shot. This concealer is "full coverage, waterproof concealer with hydro-collagen, vitamins C&K."

Color: I have fair skin and the light color was way to light. I went with the neutral medium color and it is almost perfect for my skin. I know a lot of people like to use a lighter color under their eyes, but I prefer a color that is close to my shade.
Application: I always start by using an under eye cream just to provide the concealer with a nice base, The concealer is on the tacky side, but I don't mind it. I feel like it helps it stay put and not slide all over the place. And with this concealer, a little goes a long way! I dot the smallest amount on my finger and warm it up between my ring fingers. I apply the concealer to my under eye area, around my nose and on any blemishes. I have tried to use a beauty blender and a brush to blend it, but the heat from my finger helps it blend much better. Than I go over it with my beauty blender to blend it just a bit more. I let it sit for about 5 minutes before applying a setting powder. A setting powder is a must because the concealer has a shine to it without it. The setting powder will help the concealer last longer and will take away that shine. I don't have any issues with it creasing throughout the day, and it stays put all day without a problem.
Consistency: This concealer is thick and creamy. Because it is so thick, a small amount goes a long way.
Price: $24 dollars for .28 fl oz

I don't have terrible dark under eye circles, but they are worse than the picture shows. In the bottom picture, I applied the concealer and foundation. You can see that the concealer covers any imperfections well. This is before setting powder, so it is a little bit shiny in the picture.
Have you tried this product before? What is your favorite concealer?
Thanks for reading!

Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette Unleashed Tutorial

Hello! I hope everyone had a great 4th. My last post I wrote a review and swatched the Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette. If you missed it, you can check it out here. Today I wanted to share the look I have been wearing the most with this palette. All of the colors are so pigmented and beautiful. I don't think I have used another palette since I purchased this one.

Step 1: Apply an eyeshadow primer and sweep the lightest color, Undressed on the eyelid and in the crease. This will create a nice base for the rest of the colors and will make them easier to blend.
Step 2: Take Undeniable on an angled blending brush and lightly begin to apply it to the crease. Use a light hand to apply this color and build it up slowly. It is on the darker side and it is easy to make it too dark. I then used a fluffy blending brush to blend on the color even more.
Step 3: Apply Unleashed to the lid. This color is shimmery and has some fallout, so I use a patting motion to apply it. I used the same fluffy blending brush as before to blend Unleashed to the crease color.
Step 4: To darken the crease a bit, I used Unwind on a small crease brush and focus it on the outer 'v' and use the remaining product on the brush to blend into the crease.
Step 5. Apply Undressed to the inner corner of the eye and use an eyeliner on the upper lash line. The eyeliner I used looks black in the picture, but it is a dark brown. I like it because it is noticeable, but not as intense as a black.
Step 6: Blend Undeniable on the lower lash line and apply mascara. I have been loving Covergirls Super Size by Lashblast Mascara.

Thanks for reading! I hope you like this look.

Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette Review and Swatches

Hi There! I am so excited for today's post and to share this palette with you. I picked up the Lorac Unzipped Gold Palette from Ulta a few days ago and already love it. I had been eying the original Unzipped Palette for quite a while, but the gold shades in this one got me. Gold is my absolute favorite color to wear on my eyes. I know this palette has been out for a little while, but I haven't seen too much about it on Youtube or on many blogs. I wanted to do a quick review and swatches. I will create a couple of looks with this palette later on.

This palette has 4 matte shades {Undressed, Undeniable, Unedited, Unwind} and 6 shimmery shades {Uninhibited, Unpredictable, Unlimited, Unleashed, Unafraid}All of these shades are beautiful and highly pigmented. I was honestly surprised by how well the colors blended together. I have the Lorac Pro 2 Palette and find it hard to blend the colors, especially the matte shades. These eyeshadows must be formulated differently, because I didn't have an issue with them.  This palette also comes with a mini Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer.

 This palette has a nice blend of gold tone. Unpredictable {top, middle} is more of a rose gold and Unleashed has a more bronze undertone {bottom, middle} The only thing I wish this palette had was a lighter brown/tan shade. Its not a big deal because I can use a color from a different palette I have, but all of the brown shades are on the darker side. Unafraid {bottom, right} looks like it is matte, but there is a slight shimmer to it.

These shadows can be worn dry or wet. I did a side by side of the dry colors {left} and when they were wet {right} The picture doesn't really do them justice. When wet, these shadows were quite a bit more intense. When using them wet I never stick my wet brush directly into the palette, but I would spray a bit of water or Mac Fix Plus on my brush after putting the shadow on it.
I have been applying these shadows on top of my Urban Decay Primer Potion and they last for a good part of the day. I only retouch it a little bit if I am going out at night.

If you have tried this palette or the original, what are your thoughts?
I hope you enjoyed this post. Thanks for reading!
{Don't forget to follow me on Twitter or Instagram to see looks using this palette}

How to Prevent Frizzy Hair

Hello and Happy Saturday! I wanted to get a quick post up before we head to a wedding. We have a lot going on with family in town. It has been so hot and humid here the past couple weeks that I finally had to break down a do something about it. I wrote a post on some tips and trick to preventing frizzy hair here. This post I wanted to focus on a specific product that I like to use.
A while ago I got a decent sized sample of Living Proof Nourishing Styling Cream from an Ipsy bag. I used it daily and remember liking how it made my hair look and feel.  I never got around to purchasing a full sized bottle though. I finally purchased it because I couldn't handle spending time to curl my hair to have it frizz as soon as I step outside anymore.

Pros:

• It helps fight frizz for the whole day
•  Smooths and softens hair
• It is lightweight and doesn't make hair greasy
• Only a small amount is needed.

Cons:

• It is pricey for a small bottle.
• If too much is used it can weigh hair down. 

I use this product right when I get out of the shower and scrunch about 2 pea-sized amount in my hair from my ears down then let it air dry. On most days I curl my hair and will add a very small amount more once my hair is dried and styled. I will gently rub it in my hair from my ears down, and will apply any extra on the top of my head to help with fly-aways.

 Over the years I have tried countless products to help prevent frizz and to lock in styles. This is by far the best product I have used. There are times when it is so humid out that it doesn't work as well, but my hair still looks better than before. I haven't used it long enough to decide for sure, but it may be a HG product.
Thanks for reading!