FOTD: the Balm

Yesterday I got ready at 2pm...Don't judge me haha! Because of that I went for a quick, simple look. I used Urban Decay's Primer Potion all over my eyelids, then the Balm's Blink 1982 on my lids and up into my crease slightly. I then used Presto in my crease and then Adagio as a highlight. I finished my eye look by using Ulta's Automatic Eyeliner in Black/Brown and only used a coat of Sephora's Full Action mascara. For my face I used a sample of bareMinerals Ready SPF 20 Foundation in Medium Beige over my Olay CC cream. I used the sample instead of my loose bareMinerals foundation. I then used my be a bombshell The One Stick in Sunset on my cheeks. I used it like I would my Maybelline Bouncy Blush. I dabbed it directly onto my cheeks and then used an e.l.f. small stipple brush to smooth it out. I would usually apply a blush on top of the cream blush to make it last longer, but I wanted to see how I liked the color on its own. Lastly, I lightly dusted my face with Tarte's bronzer in Park Avenue Princess.

Here's the result:

I catch myself quite frequently using the same face products. Two days ago I went through my basket of samples and new products. I set out some things that I wanted to use and weed out, so yesterday once I finally got ready for the day I got a chance to use them. I actually really liked The One Stick in Sunset. It was a different enough color without being too outrageous. I will definitely be using it more. I am not sold on the packed bareMinerals foundation powder though. I feel that I used far more than I would have normally, and it left my skin dry. The loose foundation is easier to manipulate on my face, so I won't be making the switch on that. However, I could see how it would be nice to have a compact in my purse for touch-ups whereas now I just leave my foundation powder at home. The Balm shadows are super light and a little goes a long way. I had difficulty blending them, and you can see I wasn't completely effective in doing so. I think I will have to try them with different primers to obtain a more optimal look with them.

LOTD: Sequins

It's kind of gloomy here today, so I decided to brighten things up with sequins. These shoes are from Target.

And this shirt is from the Loft.

Have a good day!

Review: be a bombshell Lip Crayon

I received this lip crayon in the shade Shameless in November in my Ipsy bag. It is so shimmery that it looks as though it has a demi-matte finish, which is quite unique. This product somehow looks darker towards the borders of my lips and lighter towards the center, which is pretty perfect. However, it does go into every crease and line, so I wouldn't want to wear it if my lips were super dry/uneven due to peeling. The pigmentation is wonderful and it only took one go around to get saturated color like I did. The shade Shameless is a deep pinky-mauve and is great for this time of year. I was impressed with how little it transferred shortly after application. It wore well, too.

I had never heard of the be a bombshell brand, so I was grateful for the chance to try one of their products. I checked out their website and their lip crayons are retailed at $14 (another reason why Ipsy is so great!) This product wore very well and left my lips pigmented even after I ate. I liked that it hardly transferred and did not dry my lips out. Unfortunately, this product can only be found on their website, and although I feel that it would last me a long time, I don't know that I would be willing to make an online purchase just for one lip product from them, especially at that price + tax + shipping and handling, but I do consider this product worth purchasing again, in different shades. Hot Damn would be great because I'm always looking for a bright red lip product that has good staying power, doesn't dry out my lips, and wears well. With all that said, I would compare this product to Neutrogena's MoistureSmooth Color Stick, which retails for $8.49. They can be found at most, if not all, drugstores and can be purchased with coupons and other discounts. So, if the price of the be a bombshell lip crayon frightens you, know that this product is high quality and will last a long time, but that Neutrogena's version can be purchased for a fraction of the price, has a couple more color options, and is of comparable quality.

I also received "The One Stick" in Sunset from this brand in my December Ipsy bag, so I'll have to give that a try soon. If you have used any of be a bombshell's other products, let me know which ones and if they were game-changers or no bueno! Maybe if I fall in love with more than one of their items I can justify making an online purchase from their website. As always, thank you so much for reading! Have a beautiful day! :)

No Bueno: Not-So-Empties

As you can see, these are not empty, but they are what I'm throwing out this month. With the exception of the mascara just being old, the eye shadows are products I don't care to use again. I am all about drugstore products, but these just don't cut muster. They lack quality and are products that crease, despite using a top-of-the-line primer.

What are some products you're chucking this month?

What's in my Makeup Bag: Travel Edition

With the understanding that we were driving to my grandparents' house for Christmas in a small car, and having over-packed countless times, I made a conscious effort to scale down this trip. This is all the makeup I brought! I decided on the Too Faced palette because it had lots of different colors I needed and it also had bronzer, blushes, and Shadow Insurance in the bottom. The sturdy tin container was great for traveling as well. I wasn't worried about it at all!

In addition, I packed my NAKED and NAKED 3 palettes with a few individual shadows from the NAKED 2 palette so I didn't have to bring the whole thing. I had to bring my go-to original NAKED palette and the new palettes were needed so I could get better acquainted. (I also brought my Balm Jovi palette, but it's under my NAKED palettes.)

In the smaller pouches I put products in one:

And tools in the other one:

I got this Urban Decay bag as a bonus one time and I like using it for my jewelry. I best way I have come up with for packing jewelry is to go through each outfit and put the jewelry in this bag for that outfit and then move on to the next. I thankfully had room in the bag for the necklaces and earrings I received and purchased while on my trip.

This is an Ipsy bag I got right before I left and I put all my lip products in it and left it in my purse. It worked great! I think I'll keep it in there because it kept everything so much more organized.

As you can see, I brought lots of red lip products! 'Tis the Season! Hope you all had a lovely holiday season! Thanks for reading!

LOTD

It's a boots, pearls, and sweater kind o' day!

I got this Lauren Conrad sweater from Kohl's taking advantage of the after-Christmas sales. I got it for $26 when it was retailed at $54. I love the color! It's name is "Harbor Grey" but it's a pale robin's egg blue. They also had a blush colored one I debated about getting. I may decide to go back! :) I got my boots from Macy's. Love them!

LOTD: Balm Jovi Palette

Caitlyn's Corner gave me these for a Christmas gift:

Today I finally got a chance to use them! The concealer worked great. I'll definitely do a review about it once I've used it more. I used UD Primer Potion and then pat Third Eye Blinded on my lids as a base. Next, I used Alice Copper in the outer half of my lid and brought the color into my crease. I then used Too Faced's Silk Teddy as a highlight and Too Faced's Cherry Cola over the Alice Copper to make it more bold. Here's the look:

I finished the look using the Balm's blush in Pop Pop Don't You Want Me? over my Maybelline Bouncy Blush. For lip gloss I used Neutrogena MoistureShine gloss in Wine.

I'm looking forward to creating more looks soon! Merry Christmas!!