Mid-May Beauty Favorites

Hello Beautiful Ones!

It's been actually forever since I've done a monthly favorites post. So I might as well just throw the universe completely out of whack with a mid-monthly favorites post. Why not right?! Most of the products in this post are all things I've had for awhile, but I've found myself reaching for them often recently. I guess you could say these have been my spring staples!

Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Palette

I've been going heavier on the eyeliner and mascara lately, so I've found myself wanting to be a little calmer in the eyeshadow department (I have to have my eyeshadow though). So enter in the Naked2 Basics. This little palette is a collection of matte shadows in various greys and browns. The shades in this one are on the cool side compared to the original Naked Basics. It makes it easy to add just a little color and definition to my eyes so that I can let the liner and mascara do their thing.

Benefit Majorette Booster Blush

I became obsessed with this cream blush last summer when it was first released and then when the weather turned colder it got shoved in a drawer and forgotten. But something about the sunshine and warmer weather has made me dig this one out of the archives. It is a bright fun coral color that I promise is not as intense as it looks in the pan. The color is actually very natural looking on my fair skin. Because it's a cream blush it blends in easily with your finger. Bonus: it has an amazing citrus scent that is a nice pick-me-up in the morning. Oh and the band majorette motif on the packaging is adorable.

Ciaté Double Lines Eyeliner

Recently Ciaté, known for their nail polish, launched a whole line of beauty products. This is the first makeup product I've tried from Ciaté, but I'm already sold. This is a duo eyeliner pencil with a kajal liner on one end and a liquid liner on the other. I love kajal liners because the soft pencil makes it so easy to line your lower lashline, but I've never been able to find one that could last the whole day without eventually making me look like a raccoon. Until now! This is great, it passes the workday test (I can put it on in the morning and it's still in-tact when I get home from work). The liquid side is nice and long lasting too. It's great having the two liners in one handy product. Overall, this is just a home run for me. 

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Yet another Benefit product has made this favorites list. Roller Lash was one of those beauty products that sort of blew up the blogosphere before it was even released a few months ago. I couldn't help but try it for myself, and let me tell you it's worth the hype! I'm usually hopping from one mascara to the next, but I've been using this one exclusively since I bought it. The idea is that the lifting formula combined with the unique brush design will naturally curl your lashes eliminating the need for a lash curler (yay!). And in true benefit fashion the adorable packaging is meant to look like a hair roller. I don't see myself giving up this one anytime soon. 

e.l.f. Essentials Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal

I know I've talked about this one before, but it's still just the best. I use this little guy as a highlight. I can blend it in easily to my brow bone, cheek bone, whatever. Light makeup day? Use it on your lids and lips too! And the best part? You can get it for a $1!

Jergen's Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer

Again, I talk about this one all the time. But what can I say? I'm naturally pale skinned and need all the help I can get (we're talking approaching ghost levels here). I need to be able to gradually build up my summer color without looking like an orange. This totally does the trick and is also a great moisturizer. 

There's the beauty products I've been using religiously lately. Maybe I'll start doing monthly favorites posts again. Who knows?! Let me know if you are also loving any of these.

XO- Brittney

Read More

July Favorites!

Hello Beautiful Ones!

Another month and another post full of the things I'm loving lately. The summer months are very quickly flying by (we're already 6 days into August and I honestly don't even know how that happened). There will be leaves falling and football games being played before we know it (please don't leave me summer sun!). Fortunately for me, there's still a little summer left! Now let's get to the favorites:

Makeup & Beauty

Clinique Blush Brush- $29

This brush has been a long time favorite of mine. I love that it is so big and fluffy. I use it for both blush and powder foundation. Although, it is well used it has still held up well. I also just love the sleek love of the clear handle (even though that has nothing to do with the usefulness).

Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in London Posh- $10

Can I just start by saying that the packaging on this one is stunning. Seriously, can we all just take a minute to enjoy the chic-ness? I love the sleek square bottle that fits easily in my purse and the applicator that makes touch-ups easy even if you don't have a mirror handy. Now on to the actual product: I love a good gloss, but especially one that will stay on my lips for more than a few minutes. This one is longwearing and super moisturizing, just as advertised. Also, it's not too sticky. A definite must have! I picked up the shade London Posh, which is kind of a peachy nude. Here is a color swatch:

Maybelline Define-A-Brow in Medium Brown- $6

I am always looking for a good brow pencil, especially from the drugstore because I'm all about the bargain! Lately I've really been enjoying this one from Maybelline. I like that it's long wearing, I can put it on in the morning and then not worry about it all day. I also love that the pencil itself is very small and thin so you can get into those little fine places on your brow. My only complaint would be that I don't find the little plastic comb on the end of the wand all that helpful, but it's not a big deal I just use another brow brush. At the end of the day it's totally worth the price! 

Milani Baked Bronzer in 04 Glow- $9

I'm going to be honest with you, I feel like I'm still trying to get the hang of bronzer. But I've been using this one lately to add a little extra glow and some very simple contouring. As you can see in the picture it comes with a cute little brush that fits in the compact under the bronzer which is handy for traveling but when I'm at home I usually use a Kabuki brush to apply it. Here's a color swatch:

e.l.f. Essentials All Over Color Stick in Persimmon- $1

I know I've talked about this one before, but I just can't get enough of it. This is a small little stick of color that can be applied all over your face, eyes, and lips. I've used this on my eyelids for a pretty shimmer on light makeup days, but lately I've been using it on my face daily as a highlighter. It's just a really pretty light shimmer that can be used for basic contouring. Here's the color swatch:

ULTA Baked Eyeshadow in Natural Beauty- $8

I picked up this baked eyeshadow at ULTA a few months ago because it was on sale and since then I've gotten a lot of use out of it. I really love wearing this with a little liner and mascara on my lighter makeup days for a really natural and pretty look. I sweep the lighter color all over my lid and then use the darker side for the outer corner of my eye and the crease. It wears really well all day long. Here's a swatch of the colors:

Benefit They're Real Mascara Travel Size- $8

I've said this before, but I just love buying mascara in travel sizes because mascara goes bad so quickly all you really need is a small one and that way you can save yourself some cash. This one just goes on really easily with very few clumps and really opens up my eyes. As you can see I've used this one so much the writing has started to rub off the bottle (the ultimate sign of a beloved product). This is a must-have!

Clinique Superprimer Face Primer in Color Corrects for Redness- $27

Again, I know I've talked about this one before but it's still one of my all time favorite products. I use this all the time when I'm dealing with any kind of redness whether it's from breakouts, a sunburn, or just irritated skin. Smoothing this over your problem areas before you put on your foundation will make the redness easier to cover up. You can use it as an all over face primer or just on the red spots. Definite lifesaver! 

Music & T.V.

This month I thought I'd throw in a few bonus favorites for you guys! So here are the things I couldn't stop listening to and watching this month:

Music

My taste in music is a little all over the board. This month I'm all about boys with smart lyrics. There are two new albums that I haven't stopped playing this month. 

1. In the Lonely Hour by Sam Smith
2. X (Multiply) by Ed Sheeran

 Seriously, both of those albums just make me feel so many feelings.

There's also a single that I can't stop playing. It's a country song, but even if you don't like country I think you should seriously give it a try because the lyrics are brilliant. It's A Guy Walks Into a Bar by Tyler Farr. I was just hooked after hearing the first 30 seconds.

T.V.

This month I've been all about an old summer T.V. favorite and a brand new guilty pleasure. Actually these are both guilty pleasures (whoops)!

The first is my all time summer fave: Big Brother. I know it's ridiculous, but that's what I love about it. If you aren't familiar with Big Brother it's a reality show that drops strangers into a house for an entire summer to compete for a half million dollars, oh and every single thing they do is recorded by cameras. You can guarantee that they all lose their minds and brilliant drama ensues.

My new guilty pleasure is Reckless. This is a law drama set in North Carolina. And it's chock full of soapy goodness and relationship drama. I'm all over this one. In my opinion good summer time dramas are hard to come by, but this one is pretty darn good.

Sorry this post got so long! Lots of lovely July things to talk about. I hope you all had a fantastic July. I can't wait to see what August has in store for all of us. Let me know what you all have been loving this last month.

XO- Brittney

Read More

Current Makeup Favorites for Summer

Hello Beautiful Ones!

It is officially summer here in Nebraska! The heat has arrived (I'm happily sitting inside my air-conditioned house with a glass of iced green tea as I write this)! Even though I do occasionally complain about the heat, I have to say that I would definitely choose this over freezing cold and snow (controversial opinions... I know). I guess I'm just a summer-time kind of girl! If I could wear flip-flops all year round I would be one happy lady! Oh well... I guess I just have to enjoy it while I've got it!

In the spirit of embracing everything summer, I've pulled out three of the makeup products that have become my current summer staples:

Smashbox Limitless 15 Hour Wear Cream Shadow in Topaz- $20.00

I picked up this cream shadow in Macy's a few months ago and I have been loving it ever since! The formula is really smooth and creamy. I bought the color Topaz, which is a light and shimmery golden color. I put this over my trusty Urban Decay eyeshadow primer and it stays on really well. This is a summer staple for me because it's easy, all I have to do is swipe a little on my lids with my fingers and I'm good to go!

e.l.f Essentials Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal- $1.00 (Yes, you read that right!)

I picked this up on a whim at the grocery store the other day, and I've been pleasantly surprised with how much I actually love this! The color I grabbed is Lilac Petal which is a very light and shimmery nude/pink. This is beautiful on the apples of your cheeks when you just want a little extra glow. Again this is very easy, no brushes required!

Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm in Peppermint- $3.99

I'm sure you have all heard about Baby Lips by now, but I don't think I'll ever stop talking about these! I absolutely LIVE in this clear peppermint flavored one. This lip balm is extremely moisturizing and has a nice faint peppermint smell. It's also perfect for the summer because it has SPF 15. Even our lips need sun protection!

Thanks for taking a break from the heat with me. Let me know if there are any summertime makeup favorites that you absolutely can't live without. Hope you can all stay cool!

XO- Brittney

P.S. Let's have a Twitter Party! :)

Read More

Beauty on a Budget: e.l.f. Products Review

Hello Beautiful Ones!

I don't know about you, but I enjoy a good bargain! Of course when it comes to makeup the drugstore stuff can be completely hit or miss. So I thought I would start this Beauty on a Budget series to try and give you some tips on what I think is a great deal at the drugstore! Let me know what you think!

I mentioned in my last post that I recently took a trip to Target and went a little crazy in the e.l.f. section of the makeup department. My intention was to go to Target to buy food that would help me get through my week of finals... but do you ever just find yourself itching to buy new makeup?! I decided that the safest thing for me to do would be to try some new e.l.f. products since they are in general so crazy affordable (I could feel less guilty that way). Plus the universe must have been on my side because the Target I go to usually doesn't have their e.l.f. products very well stocked, but on the day I went the shelves were completely full! You can't argue with destiny right?! I've spent the week so far trying these four products out, so let's get on with the review!

Matte Lip Color

I sort of picked this product up on a whim. To be honest the packaging drew me in right away because it's so sleek! Don't get me wrong I love a good gloss, but matte is all the rage right now and I wanted to give it a try. I was also needing a nice nude lip color so I picked up the shade natural. I've been wearing this for a few days and I really love it! The color is a really light pink, but it looks pretty nude when it's on my lips. The texture is very smooth and creamy. Here is  a swatch of the color:

Bottom line: This is a winner and definitely worth the money ($2)! I want to try it in more shades!

All Over Color Stick

The next thing that caught my eye was the All Over Color Stick. The package says that this is a 3-in-1 color stick for eyes, lips, and face. I love products that can serve as more than one function. Who doesn't love to multi-task right?! I was trying to decide between the two shades: Pink Lemonade and Persimmon, but then I realized that they were only $1 each, so why not get both?! I'm really glad I decided to do that because they're both great! Pink Lemonade is a really pretty rose gold color. I've been using this mostly on my cheeks. The only slight negative about this shade is that the color is very saturated. A little bit of this product goes a long way. I would suggest putting the product on your fingers and then rubbing it in, so you have a little more control over where the color goes. The shade Persimmon is also lovely! This is a very light shimmery color that works as a perfect highlighter. I've also used this on my eyelids for the days when I just want a little bit of shimmer, but not too much color. You can see the colors swatched in the picture below (Pink Lemonade on the left, Persimmon on the right). 

Bottom line: Both of these shades are extremely pretty, and you could certainly find many different uses for both of them. Totally worth the $1 price tag!

Lip Exfoliator

I've been eying this baby on Pinterest (this link is a shameless plug for my Pinterest profile) for a while now, but it was always out of stock whenever I looked for it. I'm pretty sure that when I saw it on the shelf I snapped it up as quick as I could! The first thing I noticed when I opened the cap was the heavenly smell. I'm not joking you guys... this stuff smells amazing! It is very similar to the Bath & Body Work's Warm Vanilla Sugar scent. Aside from the great smell, this product is also practical. It's like a body buffer for your lips! I've been using this before bed and I really like it. I can already tell this is going to be a winter staple for me! 

Bottom line: Get one of these, the hype is real people! 

All in all I was really happy with the products I tried. I've owned a few e.l.f. products in the past, but I would definitely like to try more. I love that their products are affordable, but also good quality. Isn't that the dream?! I hope you enjoyed this product review... if there are any e.l.f. products that you think I should check out please let me know in the comments! 

XO- Brittney

P.S. I would love to see your beautiful faces (in a non-creepy way) on Twitter!

Read More