Another month has flown by and that means another month of me impulsively buying makeup I don't need! It works out for the better though because I have found so many products this month that I absolutely LOVED! One of these products I am definitely adding to the list of products that I can no longer live without! I hope y'all enjoy reading these posts as much as I love writing them! There are a couple of products that I didn't enjoy, but that doesn't mean that you don't love them and they don't work for you, so please keep that in mind! Just a reminder that my skin type is sensitive and very dry so a lot of the products that I love do tailor to that! Okay, let's get started with all of the positives for this month!
The first product that I want to RAVE about is the BECCA first light priming filter primer. This product is 1 oz and retails for $38 at ULTA. This is a high end primer but I honestly feel like for me, it is worth every penny I spent on this. I got this a couple of months ago in a sample size and fell in love with it the first couple of times I used it, so I went out and spent some of my birthday money on this. The product claims to "even, cool, soothe, smoothe, restore and energize skin." This primer did all of that and more for my skin. I always tend to go for more hydrating primers and this gave me the hydration I was looking for, it evened out my complexion and it made my foundation look seamless! It also has "Blue Flamenco" in the primer which is what gives it that beautiful purple color and gives your skin a luminous fresh look! (I don't know what blue flamenco is but I'm not mad at it.) Sometimes I'll take my porefessional primer, by benefit, and put that on the tip of my nose and chin to blur out my pores, but I'll still put this primer everywhere on my face, especially right underneath my eyes where my skin tends to be the most dry. As far as the longevity of the primer goes, and making your makeup last all night, I can't really account for that because I'm constantly spritzing my face with different facial sprays to stay hydrated. I can not say enough good things about this primer and I will DEFINETELY be repurchasing this when I run out! This has officially been added to my list of "ride or die" products!
Moving right along and continuing with another primer, we have the Smashbox photo finish foundation primer. This primer is also 1 oz and retails for $36 at ULTA. If you're a beauty guru, or know anything at all about high end makeup, then you're definitely aware of the Smashbox primers. I like this primer, and I can definitely see why everyone loves this primer, but I will most definitely reach for my BECCA primer over this one or any other primer that I currently own. This is not a bad review because this is a really good primer, I'm just saying that it's not one that I'm going to reach for unless I'm out of my BECCA primer. When I used this for the first time I definitely noticed that my foundation went on smooth and nice but it didn't give me any added benefits like hydration, luminosity, pore filling or anything else. This is a good primer if you have normal/oily skin and just want your foundation to look nice and last all day. And hey, that's not at all a bad thing to look for! If that's all you want out of a primer then this is definitely going to work for you, and I would highly recommend you purchase this. If you're looking for added benefits in a primer, there are so many different ones on the market that will do different things for your skin! This primer says that it's supposed to help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and have a blurring effect but I didn't really get any of that out of the primer. It's still great though to lock foundation in place and help it stay on through out the night without any touch ups!
Speaking of foundation, the next product we have here is the L'OREAL infallible pro-glow foundation. I adore this foundation and I have been wearing it non stop since I purchased this about a month ago. You can find this at ULTA, walmart, walgreens, pretty much any drug store you come across. I know a lot of people love the infallible pro-matte foundation, and if you have oily skin then I would definitely recommend that one, but this one is specifically for dry skin and it looks so beautiful. Now, if you're looking for full coverage, this is not going to be the one for you. I am not a full coverage queen. I like to have my freckles peek through, and I like something nice and light because I don't like to feel like I have makeup on my face. I used a beauty sponge to blend this out over my face and it blended out so smooth and even and I was extremely impressed with it. This foundation does have sunscreen in it, spf 15 I believe, so make sure to shake this up really well before use or you'll have little white dots on your face where the sunscreen separated from the foundation. Not only is this foundation easily accessible but it's around $12 and they have so many different shades to make sure that you are able to find the correct color for your skin tone! It holds up really well through the heat and sweat and lasts a very long time on my face. It does claim to have up to a 24HR wear, but I don't wear my makeup for that long, so I'm not sure if that claim holds true. Definitely give this foundation a go if you're in the market for a new one!
Oh hey there drug store eye shadow palette! This is part of the Wet N Wild Color Icon Eye shadow collection and mine is in the shade "Comfort Zone." I did not expect a drug store eye shadow palette to be that good but this one absolutely blew me away. This little thing is SO incredibly pigmented and they blend out so smoothly on the eye lid. I've used this with and without an eye shadow primer and I really can't tell a difference. The ONLY downside to this palette is that the shadows themselves have a lot of fall out, so I would highly recommend that you do your eye shadows first before applying your foundation and the rest of your face. One thing that's really neat about this is that all the colors are labeled and they tell you where to apply them on your lid to get a complete look. If you're new to makeup and want to start dabbling in eye shadows then this is a great starter palette. Another cool thing is that the "definer" shades, the two shades on either side at the bottom are light reflecting or duo chromatic. They are some of the prettiest shades and I can't believe that this was only $4.99! FIVE DOLLARS PEOPLE. I would pay $15-$20 for this, it's that good. Trust me when I say that you need this in your life. This brand isn't sold at ULTA but they have it at CVS, walgreens and Walmart. This brand is cruelty free!
Okay, I have three different mascaras to review this month, (don't worry about it), so I'll try to move through these quickly! This first mascara is the smashbox indecent exposure mascara. You can purchase this at ULTA for $23. Now, the first thing that I want to go ahead and get out of the way is that none of the mascaras I'm about to review beat out the UD perversion mascara; that one is still my absolute favorite. However, if UD randomly decided to discontinue that particular mascara, then I would more than likely reach for this one. It has a normal bristle wand, which is great because I don't care too much for the rubber wands, and the formula really seems to separate and lift my lashes giving me volume. The wand was super easy to work with and it was super black and coated my lashes perfectly. I really don't have anything bad to say about this at all!
The next mascara is by the brand LORAC and it's the lorac pro lash pomade mascara. You can purchase this at ULTA for $24. If you're looking for added benefits in a mascara other than volume, lash separate and length, then I would highly recommend this one! The curved bristle brush gives you the opportunity to get those pesky end lashes and curl them very nicely without having to use an eye lash curler! Also, the brand states that this mascara is "Clinically proven to thicken lashes by 250% and proven to add shine, curl, and length." I can't tell you if this claim is true or not because I have not been consistently wearing this every time I wear mascara. However, I did love the way my lashes looked when I wore this, but yet again, it just didn't give me the volume that perversion does.
This next mascara is one the coolest things I've ever seen. It's hard to explain this mascara just from a picture, but I'll try! This is the Pacifica Dream Big Volumizing Mascara. So if you look at the photo, this mascara has a pretty standard wand, but the special thing about this is that at the top of the cap there is a twisty knob and you can actually shorten the wand or make it larger which is awesome. One is for length and one is for volume. I tried this on both my top and lower lash and for me, I really enjoy this for a bottom lash mascara because it gives you a beautiful feathery look, but it doesn't give me the length and volume that I personally desire on my top lashes. This is a really good mascara for those of you that have very long eye lashes and want a more natural look and I also think it would be good for those of you that wear false lashes. The formula is very black and it does a wonderful job of separating each lash so that it's not clumpy. I really love this mascara and would definitely repurchase this to use on my "no makeup" makeup look and for my bottom lashes. If you want to see how the wand works, I would look up reviews on this on YouTube so you can see for yourself how neat this is! You can purchase this at ULTA for $16 and this brand is vegan and cruelty free!
Okay, let's talk about one of my absolute favorite lip products! This is the Bare Minerals Buttercream Lip gloss! I own two shades, Heart breaker and Sugar, but I've tried all the colors at work and they're beautiful. For those of you who don't know, I am 100% a lip gloss girl. I like my lips to look wet and shiny and most of the time if I'm putting makeup on to go out somewhere, I'm going to eat. A lot of people like to wear matte liquid lipsticks for this reason, but my lips are so small and even if I put on a super mattifying formula I still get a lipstick line on my chin when I eat and I hate rubbing it off and thus rubbing the makeup off on my chin. With lip gloss it just fades while I eat and then I can apply a shiny new coat. Obviously a lip gloss will not last as long as a liquid lipstick but it has it's pros and cons. So this isn't a normal lip gloss formula where it's sheer and has little pigment; these are creamy and ultra pigmented but it still has the wet look of a lip gloss. They aren't sticky and feel super comfortable on the lip. All of the shades in this collection are nude shades, fifteen total shades, and they have something flattering for every skin tone. I highly recommend these to anyone who doesn't like liquid lipsticks or just wants to try something new! Oh, and they smell SO GOOD. You can purchase these at ULTA, and Sephora I believe, for $18 a pop, it's so worth it, and this brand is cruelty free!
This next item is the basked blush from NYX cosmetics! I just want to say, there is not much that I've tried from NYX that I didn't love. This blush claims to give a natural glow while also highlighting the face and it does just that. These are somewhat shimmery blushes but they're not glittery. They're soft and reflecting but not chunky. Now, if you've ever used a baked blush or highlighter or eye shadow, you know that there is a weird film on the top of the product that you have to scrape off before you can really get any pigment, and these are the same. I was frustrated at first because I wasn't getting anything on my brush but after I scraped away a good bit, these ended up being very pigmented. I would definitely use a light hand with these because they can reach clown status very quickly. I love these though because I think they're perfect for summer and they're SO affordable! These retail for $6.99 a piece and they have 12 different shades. You can purchase these at ULTA, some CVS carry NYX, and their website! This brand is cruelty free!
Another NYX item! This is the access flawless finish sponge and I'm obsessed with this. My preferred method of putting on my foundation is with a beauty sponge, and normally I use the real techniques sponge, but this one has quickly become my favorite. Once you wet it, it doubles in size, and it's super soft and squishy, but what sets it apart is the shape of the sponge. I use the bottom rounded part to apply my foundation all over my face, and then the top pointed part is perfect to get right up under my eyes and those weird crevices on the sides of the nose. I'm able to use the pointed top to blend out my concealer and I also apply my under eye setting powder with it. This is hands down my absolute favorite sponge I've ever tried! Now, I've never actually tried the original beauty blender because I just can't bring myself to pay $20 for a sponge when I can spend that amount of money and get an amazing liquid lipstick or gloss, but with this, I feel like I would never need to try the beauty blender. I purchased this at ULTA for $7.99! They have pulled this product from the store though and they're only selling them online, which scares me because if they discontinue this I will be so so sad, but you can also purchase this on the NYX website.
I thought that I had already reviewed this on my blog but it turns out I only posted about it on my instagram. This is the Wet N Wild photo focus foundation and if you keep up with other makeup blogs or YouTube then you've seen everyone talking about this. I think I picked this foundation up in early march and it's spectacular. This foundation is more on the matte side so when my skin is extra dry or dehydrated I can't really wear this without looking a tad cakey. When I'm having a good skin day I'll wear this because the finish is beautiful! It's a medium to full coverage foundation and it's only $6! Wet N Wild has seriously been killing it. Normally I use a beauty sponge but I actually like the finish with this foundation more when I use one of the oval artiste brushes. This foundation has 20 different shades which is amazing for a drug store foundation. The only down side to this foundation is that it smells like paint. It's a little overwhelming at first but it doesn't settle into your face to where you smell it all day. Honestly, if I could smell that all day then I wouldn't wear this foundation. When you untwist the top it has a spatula applicator which I really enjoy so I'm not making a mess. I would recommend applying this in sections on the face and then go ahead and blending it out because it does dry very quickly and can be a little hard to blend in. I would highly recommend this if you have oily to normal skin! You can purchase this at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and on the wet n wild website! This brand is cruelty free!
Next up is another wet n wild product and it's part of the same line. It's the photo focus concealer! I was using the nyx concealer but I ran out and thought I would give this a go and it's my new favorite. It blends out so smoothly and effortlessly! I don't have huge dark circles but it does cover up with little discoloration I have and it gives me a little bit more coverage on the redness on the tops of my cheeks. I absolutely love this! The only downside is that the lightest shade they have is called "light ivory" and I would like it to be a shade or two lighter but it's fine. This comes in only 6 shades and retails at $3.99!
Okay, just going to go ahead and say it, this is my absolute favorite setting spray. This is once again, the wet n wild photo focus setting spray. It has a fine mist, it doesn't squirt dots of product all over your face and it dries very quickly. Another thing that I like about this is that it doesn't really have a scent. It really sets my makeup beautifully and I do notice a longevity with my makeup every time that I use this. I have tried lots of setting sprays like the hard candy and the Mario Badescu, and I absolutely love those, but this is my absolute favorite. The only thing I don't like is the size. It's 1.52 fl oz which is a great amount for the price that you pay for this product but I hate running out and having to go buy it. I'm on my fourth bottle now and I wish that I could buy a bit ole bottle of it and be done with it! I mean, first world problems, I know. But if you're listening wet n wild, PLEASE make this into a huge bottle or at least double it! You can purchase this for $4.99!!!!
Okay, we are at the last product that I liked and then we will move into the products that I didn't care for! This is the E.L.F. under eye setting powder. I use this to set the concealer underneath my eye area. I have gone through three jars of this already. You're probably like what? I purchased this in like feburary and forgot to talk about it, BUT, the jar size is very small. This is another product that I wish they would sell in a larger size. The little brush that it comes with is a joke and I recommend throwing it in the garbage as soon as you open it. I personally use the tip of my beauty sponge and squeeze it in the container and dab my under eyes like that. You could also use a concealer brush of any kind. I highly recommend this to everyone because it's $3. Can't get any better than that! I mean, unless it was cheaper or free. You can purchase this at CVS, Walmart, ULTA online only, or the elf website.
Okay, so this product is an in-between product for me. I really really liked this foundation but it broke me out so I had to return it. This is by the brand No7 and it's the lift and luminate foundation. The claims for this foundation is that it's supposed to lift, firm and brighten your skin- disguising lines and wrinkles as well as evening out the skin tone to give a flawless look and its best for normal/dry/very dry skin types. It has spf 15 and is supposed to be hypo-allergenic. I really loved the formula of this foundation. It sank into my skin making it give a beautiful finish, it was luminous and over all my skin looked great! I tried this about three times with my normal routine and I started getting really bad breakouts all over my face. After I stopped using it the breakouts went away. I was so upset because I thought that this was going to be my new ride or die foundation. If you don't have sensitive skin then I would highly recommend trying this out if you're looking for a medium coverage luminous foundation! One down fall though is that there is only eight shades. I am normally the lightest foundation and it was hard for me to get the right color. It didn't entirely match my skin tone, but once I did my entire face and lightened it with a powder you couldn't really tell. You can purchase this at ULTA for $16 for 1 fl oz.
I don't even want to write about this one because it absolutely breaks my heart that I had to return this. This is the LORAC Pirates of the Caribbean Cheek Palette. This brand did a limited release Pirates of the Caribbean line that includes this cheek palette, an eye shadow palette, and multiple liquid lip/gloss combos. These items are all SO BEAUTIFUL. So let me explain why I didn't quite like this palette. These shades are extremely pigmented. When I touched them for the first time I absolutely fell in love and knew I had to buy this. Here's the thing though, they're chunky. Not super chunky, but every shade I wore accentuated all of the texture that I had on my face and it drove me bonkers. The colors are so pretty and I feel like they did a really good job of including shades for all kinds of skin tones but I can't get past that one little thing. There are so many highlighters out there that soak into the skin giving you a pearlescent glow without showing the world your little bumps and pimples and scars. Now, this isn't going to be the case for everybody but this is what I experienced. I would definitely recommend trying this out because you may have better luck with it then I did, but just a fore warning, use a very light hand when playing with this because they are ultra pigmented. You can pick this up at ULTA for $30.
This next item that didn't work out for me is the Urban Decay all nighter makeup setting spray. For a lot of people, this is their go to setting spray, their ride or die, holy grail of all setting sprays. It's supposed to set your makeup and make it last for up to like 24 hours or some unholy amount of time. It's oil and paraben free which is awesome! I don't know what it is about my face but no matter what foundation or makeup I wear, this spray takes my dang makeup off. Like, my entire forehead area and around my eyes and eye brows. I'm not touching my face, I'm letting it dry. It cakes up and just peels off. It's seriously gross. The Chill setting spray does this on my face as well. Not every product out there is going to work for every single person but I haven't met a single person who doesn't love this. I'm just weird and I would still recommend it because everyone else loves it, but just watch out for that. Let me know if you've had this same thing happen to you when you've used this! You can purchase this at ULTA and Sephora for $15 for a travel size or $31 for a full size bottle.
I hate these. These are from E.L.F. and they're the aqua beauty molten liquid eye shadows. I purchased these because I thought they might be a little bit similar to the STILA glitter liquid eye shadows but they aren't at all. These come with a doe foot applicator which is nice but they just disappear on my eyelids. They're not vibrant, they don't blend well, and they crease very badly. I've tried these by themselves on my eye lid, with an eye shadow primer, over other eye shadows and I just can't get these babies to work. It's so sad because in the packaging and when I swatched them on my hand, they looked so gorgeous. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I can't get them to show up on my eyes. If you want to give these a go, you can purchase these for $4 a piece and they come in 4 different shades.
This next product is by physicians formula and it's a concealer stick. The only reason that I purchased this was because I was at CVS and I only needed to spend $2 in this particular brand to get like $10 in CVS dollars, so yeah. This did absolutely nothing for me. I applied this directly on my face, I tried applying with a beauty sponge, a brush and it has absolutely no coverage. I kind of figured it would be a dud being in a stick form but I wanted to give it a fair shot anyway. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because there are so many drug store and high end concealers out there that will give you ATLEAST a light coverage. I'm serious, this did nothing. It was like candle wax or something. This was like $4 at CVS.
Okay y'all! That's all I have for the month of April! I've already gotten so many new makeup products for next month and I hope to have the post up sooner than this one went up! I'm also going to do a separate post for the month of April including skin and hair care! Leave me a comment if you've had similar or different experiences with any of these products! Have a great day you guys!
BYE Y'ALL!
Just a quick disclaimer, I did not take any of the above photos that you see in this blog, they were all pulled from amazon or google images.
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