Current Wishlist: April 2013

AKA: I seriously don't need any of this but I'm having a ton of fun window shopping. I really need to be on a spending ban. I'll apologize ahead of time that there is more sarcasm than I'm usually comfortable with in this post.

1. Brushes
I have a ton of brushes but I'm always looking for that one new brush that will preform miracles. I've been wanting two of the Sigma Sigmax brushes, the P82 and the F86. I also want some new blush brushes so I'm thinking of Sigma's F15 and/or MAC's 168 and the Real Techniques stippling brush, which I hear is good for cream blush. For eye brushes, I'm lusting after a MAC 217 and I just need to replace my spoolie.

2. Blushes
I have WAY too many blushes as it is. Regardless I've been wanting to try NYX's cream blushes and their regular powder blushes. I do have one Tarte blush but I'd love to get my hands on Exposed. I've never tried theBalm but blushes are a great place to start right?

3. Candles By Victoria
Yes, I just did a haul and I have another one to show you this week. But that's not keeping me off her site. I currently have 26 (!!!) of her pretty decorative candles and 50 scents on my wishlist. That doesn't even include the scents I've got and want giant candles of.

4. Foundations
I need new base products like I need a hole in my head. I have more than enough. But I want to try all of these. I've tried Matchmaster before and it's a fantastic full coverage, matte foundation. But I haven't tried any of the other four. Maybe when I use up one that I've got, I'll pick up one of these. (Because that's a fantastic policy)

5. Vera Bradley

The only thing on this list that I really need is a new baby bag. Specifically, a smaller cross body bag. And I've had my eye on the VB Mom's Day Out. MonkeyToes isn't really a baby any more and I carry around less stuff for him so I really need a bag that better serves our needs. The others are just because. I mean really, VB turtle gear? I have to get my hands on that!

So that's it! I enjoy making these lists even if I know I'm not going to run right out and buy everything on it. What's currently on your wishlist?

Four or More

I saw this just a couple times on youtube but I really liked the concept so I figured I'd blog it! The idea is simple, show all the products you own four or more of.

If I haven't said it enough before, I love the NYX Mega Shine Lip Glosses. They are a perfect gloss formula and really inexpensive. The shades I have are La La, Beige, Crystal Soda and Tea Rose.

I also have four NYX Lipliner Pencils. The formula is ok. I got four because they were on sale and I didn't have any other lip liners. If you want some, this range is a great place to start because there are a lot of colors, they are pretty good quality and inexpensive. The shades I have are Rose, Peekaboo Neutral, Bloom and Hot Red

I have six of the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters! I've heard them described as the lipstick girl's alternative to lipstick and I think that's pretty accurate. They feel buttery and smooth on the lips and are not high maintenance like lipsticks tend to be. I have six shades, Pink Truffle, Candy Apple, Brown Sugar, Berry Smoothie, Raspberry Pie, and Sweet Tart.

Four ELF Essential Lipsticks! This is a great pick for those who don't know what works for them yet. The selection of colors isn't the biggest out there but at $1 it's a great jumping off point. I have Classy, Sociable, Flirtatious and Fearless.

Seven MAC shadows! MAC's eyeshadows definitely deserve at least most of the hype. The line is HUGE and while they are on the more expensive side, they are generally very good quality. I have Shroom, All That Glitters, Mulch, Motif, Jest, Woodwinked, and Copperplate.

Finally, I have the entire line or Rimmel Glam'Eyes HD eyeshadow palettes. I did win the full set in a giveaway. They are nice shadows but in poorly thought out packaging. Still, I would highly recommend them!

And that's it! I did leave out my ELF Hypershine lipglosses because I figured I bought them in a set so they don't really count. It was surprising how many products I had three of. If this had been called Three or More, this post would have been twice as long. Overall, I find that I do like to experiment with different formulas and brands so if I do collect four or more of a product, I have to really like it. If you are interested, go ahead and do this tag and post a link in the comments so I can read it!

My Favorite Things 2012: Makeup Edition

It's not quite the end of 2012 just yet but I figured now would be a good time to talk about my favorite products of the year! There were definitely some standout products for me this year. Even with my project pan, there were products I just kept using frequently. I didn't just pick things I purchased this year but things I really really used and loved. It just so happens that most of these were purchased within the last year. I didn't include skincare even though there were a couple of things I got this year that I don't want to live without now. Skincare is something that really doesn't change very often so that kind of deserves it's own post. Without further ado, here's my favorite products from 2012!

 Loreal True Match Lumi foundation - Seriously love this stuff! It was easy to find a good match for me from this range because they have a ton of colors and I even saw testers at a couple of stores. It doesn't set too quickly and it doesn't cling to dry patches. It's not too luminous so it looks really natural.
MAC Fix+ - The makeup artist at the MAC store Sam and I went to managed to sell me on this as I was paying for the other things I bought and I kind of regretted it at first. I mean, did I really need another makeup spray? Probably not but I'd been hearing a ton of people say either that it's a holy grail product or just a big waste of money and I wanted to judge for myself. And it's awesome! I don't usually use it as a setting spray, although it is really nice for that. I mix it with foundation or spray my brush with it (or both) to help foundation go on a little more smoothly. I plan on buying a full size bottle before this baby one runs out because I can't imagine life without it.

Benefit Hoola - I'm sure I've mentioned before that I'm a Benefit fangirl. That's partly due to the adorable packaging and fantastic sets they put out. I got this deluxe size sample from a little set at Sephora. And while the packaging isn't the best ever, it works for me. I had been looking for a bronzer that wouldn't turn orange on me and wouldn't be too dark. Hoola is perfect. It's matte so I can use it to contour or I can layer it over blush to make me look a little more sunkissed. I don't think I'll ever run out of this little sample but if I do I'll definitely buy the full size.
Benefit Benetint - I got this in the Sugarlicious set from Benefit and I know I'll be buying a full size eventually. I love it as a lip tint because it stays all day, looks very natural and goes with any look. I usually put a gloss over it and it's perfect.
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Redhead - I got this because of the name and it turns out the colors are perfect for my skin tone. It just makes me look so glowy without looking like a disco ball. Redhead also plays nice with almost any blush!

 MAC Painterly Paint Pot - Everyone raves about paint pots being good bases for eyeshadows and I wholeheartedly agree. It just holds every color in place and lasts all day long. I like painterly because it's my skin tone so I can put it on without anything else and still feel very polished.
Maybelline the Colossal Volum' Express mascara - This was one of the first mascaras I've ever tried and I continue to repurchase it over and over. It's lengthening and volumizing. It just make my lashes look amazing. Seriously, if you haven't tried this before, you really need to give it a shot.
NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss is Crystal Soda - Like benetint, this is one of those super versatile lip products that goes with every look. I can wear just about anything underneath this and Crystal Soda looks pretty with it. It can look nice and nude but over a bold color it looks fun and youthful. The mega shine formula is a great gloss, non sticky and really long lasting.

 Urban Decay 15th Anniversary palette - This palette was limited edition so you can't get it any more but it's probably my favorite palette that I own. It's got the perfect neutrals, brights and smoky colors for me. The packaging is beautiful but a little annoying (the lid just lifts off, the shiny surface holds fingerprints like a crime scene). I've gotten a ton of use out of this and I always get a little giddy over how pretty it is.
Wet N Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking On Eggshells - This is my perfect every day look. The shadows rival Urban Decay and MAC in quality but it was only like $3. They are buttery smooth and blend beautifully. I use this a ton, especially when I'm running out of time. It's practically foolproof.

So those were my favorites this year. I know it's a little early but share your favorites with me! On Thursday I'll be showing you my nail polish favorites so stay tuned for that!

I ♥ Drugstore!

I've been loving these videos on youtube lately so I'd give it a shot!

1. What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand?
I guess it's ELF because I own more ELF than any other brand. I've tried a pretty wide range of their products and there are so many things I love from them. Favorites are the studio blushes, essential lipsticks, studio high definition powder and makeup mist and set.

2. What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products?

Face- L'Oreal Lumi Foundation and ELF HD Powder
Cheek- ELF Studio Blushes
Lip- NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss

3. Least favorite product?
Rimmel pro primer. It just felt heavy on my face and broke me out (probably because my face was sweating from how heavy it feels). To add insult to injury, it didn't really do anything to improve how my makeup went on or it's staying power.

4. What is the best makeup bargain?
Probably the Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadows. So inexpensive but the quality and pigmentation is on par with MAC and Urban Decay!

5. What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?)
The ELF essentials lipsticks. They're only $1, really creamy and pretty basic colors. For a beginner, it would be great to pick these up, even if all you want is some lippies to play with and experiment with what colors look best on you. Just a heads up, the packaging is definitely $1 and they are so soft they can be prone to breaking. This doesn't bother me as I don't carry lipsticks with me and I don't mind repairing a lippie.

 

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?
Physician's Formula. I only own one Physician's Formula product, I won it from their FB page and I'm meh on it. My roommate at college only used PF products and she looked like a hot mess at the end of the day. I'm sure they have some quality products but at that price, I'm going to upgrade to higher end brands with prettier packaging and fewer added fragrances.

7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!
I'm not sure if these are exact dupes because I've never bothered to check. I've heard WnW Walking on Eggshells is similar to MAC Shroom, Mulch, and All That Glitters. I'm not big on makeup dupes, I really only care about nail polish dupes.

8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?
EOS lipbalms. I've spoken about these before. They are so waxy. Everyone loves the cute packaging but it is pretty impractical, at least for me.

It was very fun to try to come up with these answers! I tag Sam to try it! I'm definitely going to look for other tags that might be fun to try blogging!

August 2012 Favorites

Little late but let's talk about my August favorites! It was actually hard for me to pick favorite things this month. I feel like I love a lot of the same products month to month.
NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Tea Rose I got this gloss in a gift exchange for the one year anniversary for a makeup group I belong to on Facebook. Tea Rose is a bright berry color and would definitely work year round. Seriously, NYX is one of my favorite drugstore brands. The quality and wide range is awesome!
ELF Essentials Blending Eye Brush I pulled this out of my extra brush storage at the beginning of the month. Sometimes I struggle with blending and my eyeshadow ends up looking so muddy. This brush has made it a million times easier. It's a little smaller and a little stiffer than my other blending brushes. It's also round instead of tapered. At $1 each, ELF essentials brushes can be hit or miss but this is completely a hit for me.
Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden I got this baby primer potion with my Feminine palette (the old school Feminine palette, not the disgusting new one). It's the love child of my two favorite primers, Original Primer Potion and MAC Paint Pot in Painterly. It feels light on the lid and blends really well but it also has the light skin tone color that I like. I will be buying the full size when the mini runs out.
Urban Decay Naked Palette I have so many freaking eyeshadow palettes. Like more than I should since eyeshadow isn't even my favorite products. I used Naked by far the most this month. I'm interested in Naked2 but the original is perfect for me. It's mostly bronzy and gold toned shadows but that's what I use the most anyways.
Redken Real Control Slim Supreme Slimming Serum Redken is one of my favorite brands for hair products and this stuff does not disappoint. It makes my hair feel hydrated and soft and it looks so shiny. Plus it keeps my hair from getting frizzy or sensitized. I use one or two pumps through towel dried hair and occasionally just a drop or two after blow drying. This cost me $17 but I've had it for over a year and I'm only 1/4 of the way through the bottle.
So that's it for this month! I'm so excited for fall. It's my favorite season. We have so much good stuff in store for the rest of the year, I can't wait!