FOTD #1 - Natural, everyday look

Hello lovelies!

I thought I'd do a quick FOTD for you :) Enjoy!

Products

Base: 

-L'oreal True Match Foundation in N2

-Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light to Medium Bisque

-Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in #15

-Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent 001

Eyes:

-Kat Von D Saint Pallete in shades Heaven & Caravaggio

-NYC HD Color Trio in #785 Central Park Plums

-Maybelline Master Precise liquid eyeliner in Black

-Mally volumizing mascara

Cheeks:

-L'oreal Quad in #821 Neutrals, shade 3 (contour)

-Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Milk Chocolate

-NARS blush in Desire 

Lips:

-Dr. Lipp original nipple balm for lips (weird, I know)

Brushes:

-Real Techniques Expert Face brush

-Real Techniques Blush brush

-Sigma Tapered Blending-E35 

-e.l.f. Eyeshadow "C" brush

-e.l.f. professional Eye Blending brush

-e.l.f. contour brush

-Revlon double ended angle brush

-rachel j

Empty Products #1

Hello everyone!

I hope you're all having a great day so far. I've been trying to relax as much as possible before its time to get back into my normal routine. Until then, here's all of the products I've used up recently!

#1. Maybelline's Fit Me Concealer in shade 15

This is a great drugstore concealer. It lightens and brightens my extremely dark under eyes & blends seamlessly. I've even heard that it's a dupe for the NARS creamy concealer. While I've never tried the NARS concealer, I can say without a doubt that this is the best drugstore concealer for under eye bags that I've tried so far.  I've bought at least 5 tubes of the Maybelline concealer in the past, and I don't intend on trying anything else! For now, at least. 

#2. L'oreal True Match Lumi Foundation

Even after using the whole bottle of this product, I still can't decide how I feel about the foundation. It's light to medium coverage and leaves a dewy finish on the skin, which I like in the colder months when my skin gets dry. The thing I don't like about this foundation is that it doesn't set on my skin well. If you want it to last a decent amount of time, you definitely need to set it with a powder. Even with powder, the staying power of this product isn't the best. If you have very oily skin, I don't know if this is for you. There are some days that it literally slides around on my face. It transfers easily as well.

Another downside is that there aren't many color choices for pale skin. This was the lightest shade I could find, and it's still a little too dark/yellow for me.

All in all, I'm not sure if I would repurchase it, but it's not bad enough for me to stop using it. 

#3. Nexxus Pro-Mend Heat Protection Styling Spray

Months ago I was in the market for a new heat protectant. I wanted one that didn't have alcohol in it, since alcohol is notorious for drying out your hair. As someone with naturally curly, frizzy hair, that did not sound appealing. Especially since a heat protectant is supposed to protect your hair, not dry it out. 

This one by Nexxus was the only one I could find that didn't have any kind of alcohol in the ingredients. 

I don't have anything bad to say about it- it didn't dry out my hair & it kept it in pretty good condition. If you're in need for a new heat protectant, give this one a try!

#4. E.l.f. Eyelash curler

Now I know what you're probably thinking- "Rachel, why is an eyelash curler on your empties list? There's nothing to use up." Well, I figured as I can no longer use it anymore that it deserved to be on the list.

It broke.

The handle literally snapped in half (as you can see in the picture below).

I guess I can't be too disappointed since it was only about $2 (maybe $3 max), but I still can't believe the handle of all things broke. It did do the job, though, and lasted at least 6 months. 

But still, I think I'll be investing a little more in the next one I buy.

#5. Maybelline's Baby Lips

A lot of people love these things, and a lot of people hate them.

This is the only one I've tried, but I don't have a problem with it. I quite like it. 

They come in various flavors/colors, but I decided to be boring and just get a clear one.

It has SPF 20, which is pretty good for a lip balm. Plus it smells like candy, which I can't complain about.

But the thing I like the most about this lip balm is that it's so shiny that it looks like I'm wearing clear lip gloss without actually wearing lip gloss. It isn't sticky and it doesn't feel like it's smothering my lips when I wear it. Now I have to admit, it doesn't last very long- you'll definitely have to reapply it every couple of hours. But I find that's the case for most lip products, so I don't mind.

#6. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

This powder is wonderful. I just love it. It really does what it says & it's super affordable. I use the transparent shade for two reasons: 1. Because it's the closest match to my skin tone (sad, I know), and 2. Because I don't want more coverage from it, I just don't want the shine that I get from some foundations. 

Definitely a drugstore favorite.

There it is! I hope you guys found this post helpful, and I'll talk you in my next post!

x

-rachel j

Coach Poppy Perfume & Lotion

I got this matching set for Christmas, and I LOVE it. My cat Nickels loves it too. ;) The perfume bottle that I have holds 1.7 fluid ounces, and according to their website it's the only size available. The scent is amazing. Not to mention the super cute packaging! According to Coach's website, the Poppy fragrance is described as:

Sweetly scented jasmine and gardenia blend with fresh cucumber and candied rose petals in a pretty, lighthearted fragrance. 

It's super light, sweet, and elegant but still youthful. It's not musky or too strong but it still lasts quite a long time. Even the lotion surprised me with it's staying power (until I washed my hands a few times, then it faded). The quality of the lotion is nice- it's light, not super greasy and of course smells heavenly. I wouldn't say that it's the most moisturizing hand/body cream I've ever tried but it does the job and I would definitely repurchase both the lotion & the perfume. The tube holds 5 fluid ounces of product, and it's the perfect size to throw into your purse and take with you.

I couldn't find the lotion on Coach's website, but I'm sure you could find it in the fragrance section of your local department store :) The link to the perfume is listed below.

I hope you are having an amazing start to the new year!

Find it here!
 http://www.coach.com/online/handbags/Product-poppy_perfume_spray-10551-10051-B213-en?cs=gdcy&catId=5000000000000318807&navCatId=5000000000000298805

-rachel j 

How to get full, natural looking eyebrows in just four steps

Happy New Year!!!!

I hope you all had an amazing New Years Eve!
To start off the new year, I thought I'd show you how I get beautifully filled in brows in just four steps!

What you'll need:

-A small, angled brush. I got mine from the drugstore!

-A matte eyeshadow slightly lighter than your natural brow color. I use the matte dark brown shade called Caravaggio (furthest to the right) from Kat Von D's Saint palette. 

Before:

Step One:

Pick up some product on your brush and begin in the center of your brow. That way if there's too much eye shadow on your brush, it's not going to look super dark and unnatural like it might if you started near the front. Start brushing it in in the direction of your hair. This also ensures a more natural look. Remember, use a light hand! Especially if you're new to filling in your brows.

Step Two:

Without picking up more product, brush the front part of the brow in short, upwards strokes (once again, following the direction of hair growth). If it's not dark enough for your liking, feel free to add more shadow and repeat. It's easier to add more than to take away.

Step Three:

If you're like me and don't have much of a natural arch, go ahead and add one! Follow the shape of your brow, but just exaggerate it a tad on the top.

Step Four:

Fill in the tail of your brows & you're done!

After:

Go rock your natural looking, full eyebrows!

-rachel j