Today we’re wrapping up the best of beauty posts!   I’ll probably share hair and skin favorites down the line because I love sharing what I love and what works with you guys! I started this blog as a fashion blog and I’ve always shared beauty too because I love beauty about just as much as clothes and style but lately I feel like this has just been a beauty blog.  That doesn’t make me upset necessarily but I just really love the fashion and outfit part of blogging and I don’t get to do it a lot anymore.  I have a hard time doing outfits at school if I’m being completely honest.  Shooting beauty products is much more manageable for me and I love having this creative outlet to share what I love and get excited about which is why I keep it going.  I’m sad I haven’t done outfits or something fashion / style in a while so I need to find ways that will allow me to incorporate that in a way that is still creative and attainable. My blog is still has fashion blog 100%.  It’s the reason why I started this blog!  Just still trying to find my way with it.

Mac Blush in Warm soul. If you don’t like blush this is a great choice! It has that pink, nude color that just warms up the face.

Mac Lipstick.  I love Mac lipsticks!  My favorites are Fresh Brew and Velvet teddy.  Both nudes as thats what I stick too about 99% of the time.  I like the cream sheen finishes and when I wear matte I blot it with tissue to give it that blotted look.

Mac Strobe Cream.  This primer/ moisturizer gives your face a dewy sheen before makeup and I love it.

Mac Skinfinish in Oh Darling.   This is a high quality highlighter and lasts all day on the skin.  I love the shade range for these guys, theres lots of golds and duo chromes.  They’re a great highlighter staple and a great purchase overall!

NARS Orgasm blush and gloss. Orgasm is the only color blush I’ll wear.  The color is just so good and it works for everyone!  Same goes for the gloss.  It looks good alone or layered with other lips.

NARS creamy concealer. I LOVE this concealer.  I probably have about 6 other tubes sitting in my makeup bag.  It works so well for me and I always go back to it.  It’s very creamy and it has a medium coverage so I use it under eyes or for blemishes. I use the shade Custard and I have Vanilla for highlighting / paler times.

NARS Bord de Plage highlighting palette. This feels like a luxury palette and it’s one of my favorite makeup purchases. It has the prettiest highlighters and they’re buttery smooth. They’re water activated so using water / setting spray will really make them more intense.  The bronzer is a little harder to work with at first. You really have to build it up but once I got past the first layer it was much easier to work with. I love this palette and it’s great for traveling since it has everything.  I love NARS quality and it shows in this palette!

In lieu of keeping my best of beauty series going, here’s my favorites from Laura Mercier!

Eyeshadow stick in copper.  This is so gorgeous for brown eyes.  I’ll usually line my eyes with it and then smudge some on to the lid.  It’s super easy and it lasts all day!  I need a darker one for a smokier look!

Radiance Primer.  I used mac strobe cream as my primer for a while and I tried this to see if an actual primer would make a difference.  I think it has and this has peach colored shimmer to it that adds to the dewy, bronzed look.

Translucent setting powder. I LOVE this!!! It’s so good for setting makeup and it doesn’t flash back.  I use this under my eyes and for big blemishes. I love it!

And that’s our mini post for mini Friday!

So Allure magazine just came out with their Best of Beauty.  I didn’t know till yesterday but it sounds about right since it’s always around this time that it comes out. They award the best beauty product for each category and I love seeing what they pick each year! This week I’m showing my favorite products from each brand… so sort of similar but def different. Still the best of beauty but my own version! I don’t even wear a ton of makeup but I love love love beauty products! Makeup, skin and hair products are my jam and I looooveeeeeee talking about them. I’m the girl at parties bonding with other girls in a crowded kitchen about highlighter. Hahaha. Not sure where I’m even going with this but you can love beauty products without being a foundation, highlighting, contour and baking queen.  I don’t do any of those.

I think Benefit boxed powders were some of my first makeup I ever got in like the 6th grade.  Ever since then I’ve always loved them…they are the only thing I’ve owned that I have consistently hit pan on!  My first ever bronzer was Benefit One hot minute….they don’t even make it anymore but it was a loose-powder, shimmery bronzer and it gave you J-Lo looking skin so I’d put it all over my face without anything else. Hahaha.

I’ve come a long way since then but now I use Hoola all over my face!  I LOVE Benefit Hoola – it’s the best bronzer for contour or all over. It’s such a great shade and it’s very universal.

Dallas blush.  I don’t like blush and this is a nude- pink, bronze color so it’s really just like subtle bronzer on your cheek.  I love it and it’s almost gone!

Benefit Gimme brow. Its so easy to use and really fills in your brows. Next I want to try the pencil version.

Benefit They’re Real is an awesome mascara!  I oddly didn’t have a big one with me but I have a bunch of minis. Either way they’re very good and I don’t give them enough love.  It’s all I used in high school and I need to start using it again!

Rockateur Blush. This is a rose-gold, pink blush and while it’s pink its subtle and has a gorgeous shimmer. I don’t like blush but I really like this!

Dandelion Twinkle. This is the smoothest highlighter and gives the prettiest sheen to the face.  It’s shimmer but it doesn’t wear like shimmer…like a Becca highlighter…this won’t have that shimmer intense look.  It’s a pinky-champagne color and I love the sort of (almost) natural glow it gives to skin.  It can be intense but theres no glitter so it’s much more natural looking!

Too Faced! I was honestly surprised this was all I had. note to self buy more too faced?!

Sweetie Pie Bronzer. This is new from the Peaches and Cream Sephora exclusive collection!  It can be a bronzer or a blush since it has brown and pink in it. I use it for both and I love it! It adds a subtle warmth to the skin and it works well for my skin tone. It also smells like a peach!

Too Faced Better then Sex mascara.  The volume and length this mascara gives is insane.  It’s so good!  That being said my lashes don’t stay curled and this mascara does not do anything to help them stay curled.  If your lashes hold a curl this will make them look amazing!  This mascara is honestly becoming a classic in the beauty world and I see why!

Natural Love Palette.  This palette is a dream for natural looks.  You can create a matte look, a day look, a smokey look, a fiery look… it’s endless.   It’s so versatile and I didn’t realize how nicely these blended out until I used a different palette for a smokey eye and had patchiness everywhere.  Some people may think it’s boring but I love it!

Tarte!

I got this Rainforest of the Sea II palette in a BoxyCharm last month. It’s great for neutral, smokey looks and I’ve been so in to smokey eyes lately so I reach for this a lot. I use the two brown colors as eye liner with an angled brush if you couldn’t tell. Hahah.  This is an easy, compact palette with a lot of versatility! The texture of the shadows are different… maybe even a little weird but this works for me and I really have been reaching for it!

Tarte Glisten Blush. This is a peachy-pink, cream blush.  If I want color I’ll use this which isn’t often if I’m being honest.  But I love the application and how easy it is to blend with your fingers! Just a touch on each cheek and you’re done.  I want them to come out with more nude colors!

Tate Shape tape. This is a powerful concealer!  I like it for my under eyes or big blemishes since I really stray from anything too heavy.  I really like this though and the applicator is huge and so easy to use.

Tarte 24 hour clay blush.  I just love the nude color of this blush. It’s in the shade Partayyyy and it comes in the birthday gift set from Sephora!  Its a matte nude blush and it lasts all day.

I also LOVED the Tarte Rain forest of the Sea water foundation when I did wear foundation.  It had coverage but didn’t feel like anything was on your skin.  I have dry skin and it was really good for me.  I love not wearing foundation but I miss that foundation because it was so good! lol.

I’ve had this idea for a while so this week I’m going to share a series of posts featuring my favorite products from different drugstore and high end brands! It’s overwhelming because everyone does mascara or lipstick but which ones are the mascaras and lipsticks?!  Drugstore is cheaper obvi and it’s hit or miss most of the time but trust me the hits are worth it!

Part 1 today will be my Maybelline and Pixi beauty favorites!  I also just did this post on the best drugstore makeup, here.

Starting off with the Master Chrome highlighter.  I love this stuff, it rivals my high end highlighters and its one of best drug store highlights on the market!

Maybelline age rewind concealer.  I’m already on my 2nd one! Love this stuff and you can control the coverage of the concealer based on how much you turn the dial on the sponge.  I keep mine pretty low coverage and just use whats on the sponge!

Rocket volume waterproof mascara.  I literally just got this and have used it once. In that one time I’ve discovered I love its so good and deserves to be talked about.  This adds really nice volume and length!  Its also waterproof but it comes off pretty easily.  I die for my Loreal Lash Paradise but the waterproof version is indestructible and you have to sacrifice some lashes to remove it all. Not the case here but it still does the job and stays in place! So far I’m really into it.

Maybelline Hot Vivid Laquer. This is the most pigmented glossy lip!  It’s super easy to wear on its own or layered with other lippies.

Maybelline color tattoo eyeshadow.  I love eyeshadow pots that you can swipe on with your fingers.  This will last all day and I have extremely oily eyelids so that says a lot. This is the color ‘bad to the bronze’ and one swipe is the easiest, lazy smokey eye. I love it.

Maybelline lipstick. I love the shades of nudes they offer! The lipsticks are creamy, comfy mattes and I reach for them often because they’re so easy and good.

Pixi duo blush. I use this as a highlighter more so than a blush. I love how smooth it is! You can apply it with a brush or your fingers. I wouldn’t say its a cream but it sort of reminds me of the Colourpop super shock highlighters because it’s that pigmented when applied with fingers. I got this in my September Ipsy and I’m obsessed!

Pixi glow tonic. I love this toner and my skin is definitely smoother and brighter after using it. I got the cutest baby version to try and will be getting the full sized when it’s done!

No’s? I tried the Pixi sunscreen setting spray and I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not a setting spray but rather liquid sunscreen that comes out in little white squirts everywhere.

As for the rest of drugstore beauty I swear by the Loreal Lash Paradise. The Milani baked bronzer in 05 and the Rimmel Stay matte translucent powder.

Check back later in the week for my brand favorites! Hint hint lots of Mac, Nars, tarte and skincare!