Morphe Brushes

Up until 6 or 7 months ago, the only tools I used for applying 

makeup were a blush brush that I have owned for over 10 years, a 

compact sponge, and the  Urban Decay Naked palette

eyeshadow brush.

If someone told me I needed more than that I laughed at them.

I had never had a problem putting on  makeup just using those tools.

Let's just say, I didn't know what I was missing.

Earlier this year, I discovered Jaclyn Hill

on Youtube.

She is awesome and has really turned my makeup game around

 - aannnd she has ruined me.

Now I am constantly spending money on makeup - which is so much fun, and I

love the results I am getting, but damnnnn I am spending quite a bit of money.

Anyways, makeup is not the point of this post. "Makeup Tools" is the name of this game.

I have never heard someone rant and rave about makeup tools like JHill does on her channel.

So I decided maybe I should try using a few more tools, plus the brands (Morphe) she used weren't too expensive. I  headed over to the Morphe site and bought a few

of her favorite brushes. I didn't think it would make much of a difference but I wanted to give it the "ole college try"!

My first purchase from Morphe:

5 brushes

Brunch Look

I'm back with another video!

Today you will be seeing a tutorial

on my go to brunch look!

Enjoy :D

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation Review

Recently I have been hearing a lot

of good things about 

Charlotte Tilbury.

I was in the market for some new

foundation (not that my HD Foundation

stick has run out - but every once in a while

a girl has to change up her coverage).

I bought this little number:

Charlotte Tilbury

Magic Foundation 

Broad Spectrum SPF 15

This is a medium to full coverage 

(depending on application)

liquid foundation that is said

to work for all skin types,

tones, and ages.

When applying, it starts off pretty thick and creamy, but it glides on

like a moisturizer and is 

very blend-able.

 A little bit goes a long way!

One of the first things I noticed after

wearing it for a few hours was that it really did feel

weightless in comparison to my other

foundations. 

It feels like I only have on some moisturizer.

(So obviously it is very moisturizing)

There is a LOT of product and because

it is a full coverage foundation, a little

goes a long way.

I love that this contains SPF, I almost won't buy

a foundation that doesn't have SPF in it. 

The sun is brutal here in Florida. No wrinkles for 

me please!

I have very oily skin, so I am also curious to see

how the foundation lasts throughout the day.

A lot of foundations seem to sink into my face or sweat

off. This foundation didn't do either!

Thankfully it was able to brave the muggy weather

and stay on my face all day long. 

I wouldn't say it kept my face looking

totally matte, by the end of the day I had 

a healthy glow going on, but that isn't 

horrible.

The point is that it stayed on all day!

My only complaint is that I wanted to buy

Color 06, but they did not have it, so I

opted for buying 07. 

Which works for me

but I definitely will not be able to wear it

in the winter months.

After a few weeks of trying this

product out I give it a 4.5 out of 5 starts!

Only points off are because they didn't have the 

color I wanted!

Does anyone have any foundation recommendations for
oily skin?
I am always looking to try new things.

Jaclyn Hill BECCA Palette

I was so psyched to hear

that Jaclyn Hill (JH) was collaborating

with BECCA again.

When she announced her new palette,

I put it on my makeup shopping list as a MUST.

I waited in anticipation (for about a month)

for the drop date. It was set to drop

5/25/16 at noon.

Thank GOODNESS I was on

the Sephora site much earlier than

noon. THANK GOODNESS

I happened to refresh the page

around 11:30 because that

palette dropped early!

The palette was sold out
two hours later.

I waited through the long weekend for
my package to arrive.
When it did I screamed with joy -
and did a little snapchatting :D

I can not explain to you how beautiful this palette is.
So, I will just have to settle for a photo shoot!

Here are a few looks I created using this palette.

I will be doing a video on this palette soon!
Keep an eye out on my Youtube channel:
My Youtube Channel

If you missed out on the first drop date, no worries
it hits Sephora stores June 16th, but I'd imagine
it will sell out fast, and Jaclyn Hill has already stated
that this is not a permanent item. SO STOCK UP!

Festival Look

Summer is coming...

With summer, comes a lot of 

outdoor concerts and festivals!

Check out my video to see

my rendition of the festival look.

Also, if you are wanting to see

more makeup tutorials, make sure

to subscribe to my Youtube page!

Click here to visit my Youtube page :)

By subscribing you will be able to 

see my videos before I blog about them :)

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter Primer Review

I finally bought it - the 

BECCA Backlight Priming Filter

Primer.

Do I love it?

At first I did!

And I still do really like it.

I love that it makes my face look

extremely luminous.

As you can see here - So luminous!

I love the smell.

I love that it feels moisturizing.

I love that there is a lottttt of it, and one pump goes

a long way.

The thing I don't love about it is that it doesn't seem

to keep my blush and bronzer on while at work for 8 hours like

the Smashbox primer did.

Or did it?

Now that I think about it, I can't remember if my 

bronzer and blush stayed on throughout the full work

day a week ago (before I bought the BECCA primer).

Am I being overly picky?

I MUST PUT IT TO THE TEST.

Channeling my inner science class 5th grader:

I devise up a question, hypothesis, a list of products used, a detailed summary

of the experiement, and the results.

Question:

Does the Smashbox Primer help hold the makeup on my face longer than

the BECCA Primer?

Hypothesis:

After putting Primer 1 on the right side of my face, and Primer 2 on the left side

of my face, I will work a full day. I believe the bronzer and blush will stay

better on the side of my face that Primer 2 was used on.

Products used:

BECCA Primer: Primer 1
Smashbox Primer: Primer 2

Bronzer

Blush

Experiment

Yes... The video quality is shitty but
to upload it to blogger without uploading it
to Youtube first - it had to be a much smaller
file. Quality was the sacrifice I had to make.

BUT - primer goes on somewhat clear,
so you aren't missing much.

Conclusion

After 8 hours of wear, I found
that the Makeup on the left side of my face
(Primer 2: SMASHBOX) seemed to stay on better.
They both seemed to be about the same with
oil control.

End of the day pics with Daisy!

She often tries to steal the show.
JUST LIKE MAMMA TAUGHT HER!

You can tell more in this pic that the makeup on the left side is slightly more
intact. 

5 Spring Beauty Essentials for Florida Living

Being a girl living in Orlando Florida

is very difficult.

75-80% of the year I live

in a tropical paradise.

I know, I know... Everyone who does not

live in Florida is hating me right now.

But you don't understand!!!

Having perfect hair and makeup in a 

tropical paradise is next to impossible!

Think Monica Geller in Barbados...

The humidity RUINS everything!

Whether the humidity makes your hair blow up like a balloon (like Monica) or fall

flat like a noodle (like me) - whether it melts your makeup off you face one hour 

into the day....

Fear not!

I have a few Spring/Summer beauty essentials

for the humidified lifestyle!

1. Primer (face and eye)

Because Florida has such a humid climate,
no matter what type of skin you have, you
face will normally have an oil sheen by the end of the day and
your makeup will normally melt off a few hours into
the work day. Primer really helps the makeup stick to
your face throughout the day.

A few of my favorites are:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance - To keep the eye makeup intact
BECCA Priming Filter - Luminous face primer
Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer 

2. Setting Powder

Another way to keep your makeup lasting longer is to
brush a little setting powder over it. Setting powder is good
for use all over the face or only in specific areas. Many will
even use setting powder for "baking".
I often find that setting powder, not only contributes to
my makeup longevity, but it also gives me a little extra
oil control.

My favorite setting powder is the
Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder.

3. Push powder

Living in a humid climate not only effects makeup,
it also effects hair!

Most people have the problem of humidity making
their hair bigger - I have the opposite problem.
For a southern girl, there is nothing worse than flat
hair.

If you have issues with flat hair - fear not...
Push Powder will become your new best friend.
Push Powder is a powder that adds texture
and lift to your hair when applied at the
root.
My favorite push powder is
Redken Powder Grip.

4. Redkin Windblown

I don't care who you are, we all want Beyonce's
wind blown hair!

Windblown is an extremely light hairspray that not only holds
but it really does give you an airy windblown look - and it lasts
forever!
I've had 1 bottle last for a full year.
Redken Windblown.
If you are afraid to take the plunge and buy the full version,
they have travel sizes!
Travel Windblown.

5. Setting Spray

If you aren't using a setting spray - you should be.
Putting your makeup on should be like building a sandwich.
The primer should be the bottom piece of bread, the
foundation, bronzer, eye makeup, blush, etc. should be the
ham - cheese - lettuce - tomato
and the setting spray should be the top piece of bread.
It is the finishing touch to you look.
It keeps your makeup on longer and depending on the
type of spray you get, it can oil control or add moisture to your
face.

I bet we can all guess which one I use!
I love Urban Decay's De-Slick.
If you have tried De-Slick and aren't
crazy about it, my second choice would be
Kat Von D Setting Mist.

If you are curious about how to use these products,
hop over to my youtube channel to see
me in action!

Mother's Day Hair and Makeup Tutorial

I am vlogging once again!

I had fun the first time and so I thought 

I would try it again.

Check out my Mother's Day

hair and makeup tutorial!

Still getting used to recording my voice without
reading a script - soooo forgive my ums and my
stuttering.

Let me know what you think about my second youtube video!
if you want to subscribe to my youtube channel - subscribe hizzle:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqUYbXxogmo

Setting Sprays Hooray!

What do I look for in a setting spray?

Honestly the main thing I want from a setting
spray is longevity - see? I'm not high maintenance!

The second biggest thing I am looking for
is a matte finish - because I have super oily skin.

I don't need fancy smells or dewy finishes.

Like I did with primers, I also feel like I've come into the
setting spray game a little late.

I've only tried two different setting sprays so
far:

Kat Von D Lock 'N Load Makeup Setting Mist

and

Urban Decay Deslick Makeup Setting Spray.

Travel Size

Though Kat Von D smells like
a cucumber dream spa -
I'm not as impressed with it as
I am with Urban Decay's De-slick.

The De-slick spray keeps my makeup
in place all day and keeps my
oily face matte and in check.

The Kat Von D setting spray
keeps my makeup in place, but
does not help with oil control.

So I would suggest, if you have
oily skin + you live in a hot
and humid climate - go with
Urban Decay De-Slick.

If you like fantastic smelling setting sprays
that do the job of keeping  your makeup in place
but nothing else - go for Kat Von D!

Said the Queen. #longliveJaclynHill

My First Makeup Video

Vlogging...

Not something I normally do,

but one of my final projects

this semester for school

was to create an instructional video.

This was something I had always wanted to

try doing, but was wayyyy too lazy to actually

do.

I had to pretend I was an instructor and

create a 2-3 minute long instructional

video on anything I wanted.

So, of course, I chose makeup :D

I decided to teach how to 

do a very simple every day

make up look (I mean it had to be

2-3 minutes long).

So I didn't even put eyeliner on!

I recorded and edited this video with

Imovie on my macbook pro.

It's not amazing, but I am pretty impressed

with how it turned out.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I received full credit for this post 

and the instructor loved it :D

Let me know what you think!

Should I be doing more of this 

"vlogging"?

Or should I just stick to blogging?

(I know, that is just a wonderful pic...)

Primed for Primer

Where have I been?

A little late to the primer game apparently.

I could not figure out why my 

makeup and eye makeup 

were not staying all day long

while I was in the comfort

of my air conditioned cube!

Girllll you need some primer!

LACK OF PRIMER!

Who would have thought that one product could

make such a difference?

Well, really two products for me...

I have fallen for, and use every day:

- Eye primer

- Face primer

Face primer? Is that what its called?

Anyways...

These are my RIDE OR DIE.

I have gulped down the kool-aide and

I will NOT be looking back.

What is a primer you ask?

I asked google.

If you want your eye makeup to stay all day 

Buy this:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Money Shot

I bought it hoping it would make my

eye shadow last more then a mere

two hours in the Florida heat,

and it did me one better...

My eye makeup and eyeliner

last through work, through workout,

and even sometimes through my shower.

I have to actually use makeup remover to get

it off.
(Note* I do not have to scrub to get it off,

it comes off quite easily once I use some makeup remover)

#lovenit

The other primer I use is a base
for my foundation.

At the moment I am using
Smashbox Photo Finish
Foundation Primer Light.

This is the travel size.

It really has helped my foundation
stay on longer, but I think I want
to play the field a little.

I've heard great things about Make Up For Ever
Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer
Color Mattifying Primer - For Oily Skin

I've also been DYING to try the
BECCA Backlight Priming Filter.

This is supposed to give a more dewy finish - and my
face is already pretty dewy, but I love
everything BECCA and have
heard great things about this primer too.

Those will be the next ones I try, so I'll be sure
to give updates :D

In case you didn't know...

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick

Stila has never been a "go to" brand for me 

when I hit up the makeup store, but

I think one single liquid lipstick 

has changed my view.

Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick

in the color Patina.

Shortly after I changed my hair color

I was all about trying new lip colors.

A friend gave me her Stila Stay

All Day Liquid Lipstick in

Patina and I fell in love!

Here is a decent, no filtered pic of Patina on my lips!

Too much fun with Snapchat...

Anyways - This is the most long lasting

liquid lipstick that I have ever tried.

Stila says: 

"6 hours of budge-proof, feather-proof 

and transfer-proof wear with volatile 

polymers that promote long-wear"

and after using this product

for about a month, I say it holds up to

that statement. 

I like that I can drink my morning coffee, and not

have a lipstick mark on my cup.

I like that I don't have to reapply this color

every hour.

I can get through an entire work day with this liquid

lipstick without reapplying. Its amazing!

Another amazing thing about this is the color.

I feel like it looks different on everyone, but

ends up being the perfect shade. 

As you can see, my lips do not match

the swatch that Ulta put up, but that is

definitely Patina on my lips!

My coworker and mom ended up buying

this product because they loved it so much on

me and I kept going on and on about it. 

The color looks different on them as well.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick - Shade Double Dare

In the last few months, I went from being bleach blonde 

(which I have been for most of my life) to having darker hair. 

I’m not sure if I would call it brown, but it is definitely much darker for me – and I love it! 

One of the things I love most about my new hair color

 is the new makeup colors that I can try out!

One of the new shades I tried out was Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick 

in the shade of Double Dare.

I have to admit, 

I did not buy this because I was feeling wild and adventurous. 

My friend bought it and let me try hers on. I loved it! 

The moment I looked in the mirror 

I felt like Priyanka Chopra from Quantico. 

Her lips are AMAZEBALLS!

I had to have that color!

The moment the clock hit 4:30pm, I was out the door

and on my way to Sephora to get that color!

Too bad - so sad... Sephora was sold out. But

the lady at the counter told me they they

get in weekly shipments and 

they would DEF have some in

later on that week! So I left sad and empty handed,

but my heart was filled with hope that soon I would get that lip

color.

I go into work the next day and tell Paula the story. She told me to just

buy it online, but No! I had faith in my Sephora. They would never lie to me.

I found out just how wrong that statement was when I returned to Sephora

that Friday. They still didn't have it. They ended up being sold out of that

color for a month!

I should have bought it online...

Anyways - I eventually, after a few months, finally found it. And I must say

I love it.

As you can see, I basically look like I have
Priyanka's lips :D

Here are the positives and negatives.

Makeup For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation

I recently bought the Makeup For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover

Stick Foundation in the color 125 = Y315 - Sand. 

Spoiler Alert!

I LOVE IT.

I heard about this product on Snapchat and was in desperate

need of some new foundation and thought "What the hell? Sure

I'll pay $43 for a stick of foundation!". I honestly would have NEVER

even given this product a second thought -  because of its price - if I

had not watched the Snapchat of Buynow/Bloglater going on and on about it.

Here are some positives and negatives with this product.

This product is amazing! It is super long lasting, has great coverage, and is relatively

easy to apply. It is well worth the $43 I spent on it, and I think

it will end up lasting a long time because I am using less of it

than I do normal foundation.

Foundation still looks good almost
all the way through the work day.
This is normally never the case!

The only negative that I could find was my Ultra HD Stick has a really weird smell.

 I don’t know if they all smell like this but mine definitely has a bad smell when I open it. But thankfully it does not continue to smell after I have applied it to my face!

My friend just ordered her own Ultra HD stick, so I will have to go smell

hers and see if it was just mine.

Makeup For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover

Stick Foundation I rate you 5 Stars!!