This is almost an impossible category for me to do because lip products are my other favorite category and I am always switching it up. I am going to share formulas that I love instead of specific shades, otherwise you would be reading this post for the next week.
MAC Lipsticks-MAC still as my favorite lipstick formula. In particular, I love their Amplified, Matte and Satin formulas. They are so richly pigmented and glide onto the lips. They are long wearing and they do not dry my lips out. Especially for $17 for a tube of lipstick.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss-I have like 10 of these lip glosses. Peony is by far my favorite shade. But the formula of these feels so good on the lips. They have the right amount of stickiness so that they are long wearing on the lips but your lips are not sticking together. The shades are also super pigmented.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks-I am still not down with the while liquid lipstick trend, but I have found that this is my favorite liquid lipstick formula. They go on smoothly and pigmented and they do not crack and dry my lips out.
Colourpop Lippie Stix-I finally tried Colourpop out this year and I loved almost all of the lippie stix that I purchased. The shades are so unique and I had really good luck with the formulas. They are only $5, which makes it easy to experiment and get shades that you normally would be afraid of trying.
Continuing on, today I am going to share my favorite “shaping” products from the past year. This is a category that really has grown for me in the past year. While I am not a huge contouring fan, highlighting is my favorite makeup category.
Kat Von D Shade Light Palette-I feel like this is going to be the contouring item of the year for most people this year. It is very well loved and for good reason. The powders are pigmented but also super blendable. The shades also work well for a wide array of skin tones.
Becca Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfectors-Moonstone, Opal, and Champagne Pop-Moonstone and Opal are repeat favorites for me. These are absolute go-to’s for me. Champagne Pop came out over the summer and was the Jaclyn Hill collaboration. The textures of these powders is so finally milled that they blend effortlessly into the skin. They are also so pigmented that you barely need to tap your brush into them. If you have not tried these highlighters before, you need to.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators in Starlight and So Hollywood-These came out at the end of summer as well and I fell in love instantly. The baked, geléeformula gives maximum shine while not emphasizing pores. It is more of a metallic finish than the Becca highlighters. Starlight has more of a white, pink glow whereas So Hollywood is more of a gold highlight.
Another highlighter….I told you this was my favorite makeup category. Bobbi Brown Pink Glow Illuminating Powder totally snuck up on me. I am not a huge Bobbi Brown fan, but this highlighter is so unique. It has really finely milled glitter in it that actually adheres to the skin and does not make you look like a disco ball. The shade is a light pink, almost lavender shade that works well on my skin tone.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer-This continues to be my favorite bronzer. I have used it for probably 3/4 of the year and I just now hit pan on it. It is super pigmented and blendable. I tend to go a little heavy handed with bronzer and this powder is so blendable that it is easy to hide it. The shade of it is not too warm, so it works very well on my skin tone.
For the next week or so, I am planning on doing a Best of 2015 list. I always like looking back over the year and going through my collection and seeing what products I really loved. For me, I am going to include products that I have used in the past, as long as they were still go-to’s for me. I thought I would kick it off with the eyeshadow palettes that I have loved this year.
Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette-I think this comes as no surprise to anyone. I loved this palette the second I used it. The shadow selection gives a great range of shades for different types of smoky eyes and the textures they chose for each shadow were perfect. I still use this one on a regular basis and find that I can get more than just “smoky” looks. I definitely recommend picking this one up if you don’t have it yet.
Hey, more Urban Decay! I loved the Vice 4 palette. The Vice palettes are always a favorite of mine because they tend to contain a lot of color and give you more than just your basic neutral options. I loved the shadow selection and the quality is everything that you expect from Urban Decay.
Last Urban Decay palette….how could I not include the Naked 2 palette?! You guys know that this is my ultimate go-to and nothing came close to beating it this year. This is the only palette that I took to Las Vegas with me. If you are only going to buy one palette, make it the Naked 2 palette.
Anastasia Self-Made Palette-This palette totally took me by surprise. I had never been sucked in by the Anastasia palettes, but something about this one totally sucked me in. I love the mix of neutrals and colors and how the palette is laid out to be used in quads. It makes it super user friendly and can be a palette that you can throw on and go. Pink Champagne is one of my all time favorite eyeshadows now.
Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Palette-This palette came at the end of the year and is basically impossible to get now, but it has to be included in a best of the year list. I love love love having a rainbow of colors and the quality of these shadows is phenomenal. Sometimes these brighter shades can be patchy and not pigmented, but that is so not the case with this palette. They are richly pigmented and blend beautifully.
During the Sephora VIB sale, the only thing I picked up was the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix palette. I had been eyeing this palette since it came out but kept telling myself that I didn’t need it. Then I got the 20% off coupon and couldn’t say no anymore. Green smoky eyes are a favorite look of mine and the shade Lemmy was just calling my name.
I started my eyes the way I always do and primed with the Urban Decay Original Primer Potion. I then dusted Foxy from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette from lash line to brow bone and threw some Tease in the crease for a blending shade. I keep using these shades because I am trying to use them up. I then used a MAC 239 and packed Lemmy all over the lid. Be forewarned, I did have a bit of fall out but these shades are so soft and pigmented that you can’t really complain. I then used Lyric to highlight my brow bone and brought it into my inner corner. I then went into Noble and blended that around the top edge of Tease. I used my MAC 221 and the shade Hyperballad to deepen up the crease and outer corner. To deepen the outer corner even more, I threw in a little bit of Black Metal. I then ran more of Noble around the top edge of Hyperballad to ease the transition. I lined my upper lash line, tight line, and water line with the Mally Ever Color black eyeliner. I used the Laura Gellar Fortifying Lash Primer on my upper lashes and topped that with the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. For my lower lashes I used Maybelline Lash Discovery.
I primed my face with the Becca Backlight Priming Filter and used the MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NW20. I used the Maybelline Fit Me concealer in Light for my under eyes and set everything with the Maybelline Fit Me Powder in 125. I bronzed using the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. For blush I used Benefit Rockateur and I highlighted using Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in So Hollywood. On my lips I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills gloss in Vintage.
I am really pleased with the palette so far and really like the way this look turned out. You really can’t go wrong with a green smoky eye. Do you guys have this palette too? Which of the shades have you been loving?
I recently did posts on the Anastasia Beverly Hills Self-Made palette and the Bobbi Brown Pink Glow Highlighting Powder and mentioned how obsessed I have been with both of the items. Pink Champagne might be one of the most gorgeous eyeshadows ever created.
I started with priming my eyes with the Urban Decay Original Primer Potion. I then used Foxy from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette from the lid all the way up to the brow bone and I used some Tease in the crease to help with blending later. From the Self-Made palette, I started with Pink Champagne on a MAC 239. I then put Treasure on the brow bone to highlight and I brought that into the inner corner. I then went along the upper edge of Tease with Sherbert to add some warmth to the look and help to transition. I then put Metallic Plum on a MAC 221 and blended it into the outer edge and crease. For a fun pop of color, I ran Deep Purple along my lower lash line. To help the purple stand out, I lined my water line and tight line with the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Voodoo from a holiday set last year. Along my upper lash line, I used the LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid eyeliner in black. I primed my eyelashes using the Dior lash primer and used the Stila Huge Extreme Lash mascara. I have been testing out the Dior primer with all of my mascaras to see if I like it and I will say, I was not a fan of this combination at all, but alas, I was stuck with it. For my lower lashes I used my trusty Maybelline Lash Discovery mascara.
For my face, I primed with the Becca Backlight Priming Filter an the ELF Hydrating Under Eye Primer.I used the MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in shade NW20. For my under eye concealer, I used the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Light and I set it all with the Maybelline Fit Me Powder in shade 125. I bronzed with the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. For blush, I used Benefit Bella Bamba and my highlight is the Bobbi Brown Pink Glow Highlighting Powder. I filled my brows in the with the darker powder in the Smashbox Shape Matters palette. I have always loved my brows being large and in charge, but filling them in with this powder has taken them to another level. To finish off the look, I used MAC Stone lipstick.
I really love the way this look turned out. As I mentioned in my post on the Self-Made palette, it was designed in a way for the eyeshadows to be used in quads and that is what I did here. Pink Champagne and Treasure are quickly becoming two of my favorite eye shadows and this Bobbi Brown highlighter is so pretty that I just cannot stop using it.
This little palette right here has become my newest obsession. In the past, I have not been tempted by any of the other Anastasia Beverly Hills palettes. They tend to be on the warmer side and I just don’t go for that. But as soon as I saw this palette, I knew I had to have it. I also don’t think it ever occurred to me how “cheap” the Anastasia palettes are compared to other high end eye shadow palettes. This palette is only $35!!! Granted the packaging is not the most luxurious, but it is nice and sturdy and I am considering taking this palette traveling with me.
The formula of these eye shadows is phenomenal. I am so surprised by how good the formula is actually. They are super soft and pigmented. I have had minor fall out with some of the shades, but it was nothing to make me not want to use the palette. It was minimal and wiped away easily. After I bought the palette, I found out the palette was designed in quads, which was totally mind blowing to me. The palette makes so much more sense and when you break it up into the quads, the looks that you would get from it would be absolutely stunning. The shades also work well for mixing and matching but I love how easy they made it with the whole quad thing. If you are a matte lover, this is not the palette for you. The palette only contains two true matte shades, they rest contain shimmer or glitter. The palette is also a good mix of warm and cool tones as well, which makes me very happy. The palette also comes with a brush, that I actually find to be quite nice. There is a side that is good for packing color on the lid and the other side is a nice shade for blending and the crease. I am totally obsessed with the shade Treasure. It is the most gorgeous champagne shade for highlighting the brow bone and inner corner. Pink Champagne is also a shade that is to die for. Blush is actually a super unique shade-it looks gray in the pan, but has a stunning pink-purple shift to it. I could go on and on about how stunning all of these shadows are.
^Top row
^Bottom row
I absolutely recommend that you pick this palette up while you still can. The Anastasia palettes are always limited edition and sell out quickly, so if you are interested, don’t wait around too long or it will be gone. I am actually tempted to try out more of the Anastasia eye shadows because of how high the quality of these shadows are and will be definitely be keeping my eye out for the palettes that come out in the future.
Since I talk about my beloved Urban Decay Naked 2 palette all the time, I thought I would share another one of my go-to looks from the palette. For me, this look is such a no brainer and I can just throw it on and go.
As always, I started with priming my eyes with the Urban Decay Original Primer Potion. I dusted Foxy all over the lid and up to the brow bone and threw some Tease in the crease as a transition/blending color. I then packed Verve on the lid using a MAC 239. I also dragged this around the tear duct as well. I highlighted my brow bone with Bootycall. To deepen up my crease, I used a MAC 221 and placed Pistol in the outer corner and through the crease. I dragged a little bit of Pistol along my lower lash line with the 221 as well. I have no eyeliner on, so I packed the mascara on. I used the Laura Gellar Fortifying Lash Primer on my upper lashes and topped that with the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara and used the Maybelline Lash Discovery on the lower lash line.
For my face, I primed with the Becca Backlight Priming Filter and used the MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NW20. I used the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Light and set everything with the Fit Powder in shade 125. I bronzed my face using the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. For blush I used Urban Decay Rapture and I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in Starlight. On my lips, I used MAC Faux with the Anastasia Beverly Hills lip gloss in Peony.
Super simple look but I think it works really well with my eyes and skin tone. Verve is one of my favorite shadows in the palette and I am getting very close to hitting pan on this shadow as well. This is actually very similar to the look that I chose to wear on the day that I graduated from Ohio State 🙂
Another month has passed and that means it is time for another monthly favorites. As per usual, I have some beauty and non-beauty favorites, so let’s just jump right into it.
Beauty
My first favorite of the month has to be the Urban Decay Vice 4 Palette. I have loved every look that I have created with the palette so far. The quality of the palette is everything that you would expect from Urban Decay. If you are interested, I would definitely pick it up while you can because the Vice palettes are limited edition and will go away.
I have been trying to use up my MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in the shade NW20 for the past month and I had forgotten how much I loved this foundation. It is definitely more on the full coverage end of foundations and is on the thicker side. But the thickness is a huge benefit to my dry skin because it feels more like a moisturizer on my skin. Once i blend it in, it doesn’t look or feel thick at all and I love the way it makes my skin looks. I have gotten so many compliments this month on the way my makeup looks and it has all been this foundation.
The Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators have been my ride or die highlighters since I got them. I have hardly been using my Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors because I have been so pleased with the Anastasia Illuminators. Between So Hollywood and Starlight, Starlight has been my favorite. It is such a unique shade, that is a silvery, white pink, and looks great on my more fair skin. The texture of these is so light due to the baked, gel like formula and they give such a gorgeous highlight on the skin. If you do not prefer an intense highlight, these will not be for you though.
As far as body products go, I have been loving the Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter. Now that my skin is starting to do its seasonal freak out and get super dry, I have been using this every day and loving it. I am addicted to the scent and it really hydrates my skin and makes it feel wonderful.
Non-Beauty
Fall TV Shows are officially back and I could not be happier. I love TV and I am so addicted to my fall TV shows. How To Get Away With Murder is a serious addiction for me. If you are not watching this show, you need to stop whatever you are doing and start it. I can never guess what is going to happen on this show and it is so crazy that you have to keep watching to find out what is going to happen next. The acting in the show is phenomenal and all of the characters totally draw you in. The season just started so you totally have time to binge watch the first season and get caught up on this season. Chicago Fire is also a favorite of mine. I have watched this show since it started and I don’t feel like this show gets as much love as it should. I love the acting on the show and let’s be real, the men on the show are wonderful to look at. They just added Steven R. McQueen this season and he used to play Jeremy on The Vampire Diaries. This season started off with some great story lines that I cannot wait to see how they play out for the rest of the season. Supernatural is also back. I have not been a fan at all of seasons 9 and 10, but like always, I can’t quite quit the show just yet. I have high hopes for season 11 and hope that they can get the show back to what it used to be.
As far as music goes, I have been going through a bit of the Florence+The Machine phase. Mainly listening to the Lungs album. Some of my favorites are Cosmic Love, Howl, and My Boy Builds Coffins.
Tags are finally starting to circulate and there couldn’t be a more perfect tag for me to do than the lip addict tag. Lip products are by far my favorite makeup category and I can never seem to have enough.
Favorite Balm/Treatment-I really enjoy the Jack Black lip balms but if my lips are in some seriously bad shape, you cannot go wrong with good ol’ Aquaphor.
Best Eye Catching Red-Urban Decay Mrs. Mia Wallace is a favorite of mine. It is bold and eye catching. It isn’t matte, which I really like about it. It’s also not an orangey red either, which works well for me. Sadly this was limited edition but Urban Decay F-Bomb is very similar.
Best Luxury and Drugstore-MAC lipsticks are by far my favorite, but they’re not quite high end. NYX and Maybelline do my favorite drugstore lip products. The NYX butter glosses are some of the best and Maybelline does great lipsticks. As far as true luxury goes, I love the YSL Glossy Stains.
Best MAC Lipstick-Sorry my friends, but this is another limited edition product. Viva Glam Gaga is my all time favorite lipstick.
The Most Disappointing-This has to be the Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipsticks. Boy did I end up really hating them. They were dry and cracking off on my lips within an hour.
Liner, yes or no? How about yes and no? Dark shades work best with a liner and so do nudes. But there are so many shades and products that you don’t need to use a liner with.
Best Gloss-The Anastasia Beverly Hills glosses have become my favorite. Peony is the shade that I use the most. I love wearing it on its own but it pairs well with other pink lip products.
Something Extra-My favorite liquid lipsticks are the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks.
I have been in Cleveland since last Friday and I thought I would share what makeup I chose to bring with me. I’m trying to get better about my makeup packing because I know I have an upcoming trip where I will be flying and I know I won’t be able to be indecisive and bring everything with me.
Up first is my complexion products. Of course my MAX Fix+ had to make the trip. This one is almost empty, but no worries, I have a brand new one at home. The next 4 products have been my absolute go-to’s lately and I’ve been loving the combo. My primer is the Becca Backlight Priming Filter and foundation is the MAC Studio Sculpt in NW20. This foundation is in my products I am using up, but I very well could end up repurchasing. My concealer is my ride or die Maybelline Fit Me in the shade Light and I have been setting everything with the Maybelline Fit Me Powder in 125.
For bronzing and highlighting, I decided to go with these guys. My Becca highlighters did not make the trip because a) they’re so soft and breakable and b) the Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminators are phenomenal. From left to right is the Too Faced Chocoate Soleil bronzer and Starlight and So Hollywood from Anastasia.
The blushes that got to make the trip have also been my recent go-to’s. NARS Outlaw is such a gorgeous fall blush. I use it constantly but it is so pigmented that I use it sparingly and it hardly looks used. In the middle is NARS Orgasm. I don’t go anywhere without this blush. It is my all time favorite. Lastly I brought Urban Decay Rapture. I wore this blush every day last week I think. Highly recommend you check this blush out.
I brought a few palettes with me to test out and see if I would want to bring these in the future. Without a doubt, the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette will always make every trip with me. When it comes down to it, if I can only bring one palette with me, this is it. I brought the Smashbox Shape Matters palette because I have very shockingly been filling my brows in with the powder on here. It also has contouring and highlighting shades I enjoy along with 9 eyeshadows. If I choose not to bring separate bronzers and highlighters, I could just bring this palette. The last palette here is the LORAC Mega Pro 2. As I predicted, it’s a love hate relationship with this palette. Love the shades but I am not a fan of the LORAC Pro formula but I wanted an option with colors and not just neutrals.
The last products here are essential to completing a look. The Urban Decay Original Primer Potion is my all time favorite. The eyeliners I chose were the Mally Evercolor Liner in Midnight (Black) and the LORAC Front of the Line Pro Liquid eyiner. I brought the Laura Gellar Fortifying Lashes primer because I have been testing it out and love it with Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara. I brought Benefit Rollerlash because my Too Faced is almost gone and I do enjoy Rollerlash quite a bit. I also brought my Maybelline Lash Discovery mascara for my bottom lashes.
For me, this is seriously edited down from what I usually bring. I love having options and I am not someone who generally wears the same makeup and looks every day so it is hard for me to limit that. Everything seen here is something that I truly love and recommend. What must haves do you travel with?
Corissa's Corner 