Preface: I’m by no means a beauty blogger.
These are the current items that have become part of my beauty routine.
The Naked palette was my first eye shadow palette and really can create just about any look — which it should at it’s price. I don’t use the silvery blue shade (Gunmetal) at the end, but pretty much every other shade has been touched. I like to use the glittery black (Creep) with a wet, angled brush to line my eyes.
I’ve used Neutrogena’s makeup remover wipes for awhile now — I usually purchase a super pack from Sam’s Club or Costco to save a bit of money and ensure I don’t run out. Influenster sent me the Neutrogena Naturals wipes for free to try as part of their Earth Month campaign.
We had a LUSH store open as a standalone here in Louisville last April and it has been life (read: skin) changing. I love so many of their products and Cupcake is high on the list. It’s a Fresh Face Mask which means it’s not available to purchase online, but is available in LUSH stores and counters within Macy’s. Now, let me start by saying that LUSH advertises this mask for teenage girls – um, no I use it too. I had horrible, horrible acne as a teen. Like, caused major self confidence issues, I always felt ugly, I cried about it regularly. My skin’s calmed down in the past few years with the help of a regular skin care regime and hormone regulation, but I still get eye twitchingly anxious anytime I start to have a breakout. Since my skin is an oily combination, this mask is great for me — but LUSH does carry a ton of different masks with different fresh ingredients so that everyone has an option. Cupcake has chocolate, mint, mud, vanilla and other fun goodies that smell delicious while going on to your face and always leave my skin feeling super fresh. When my skin’s being difficult, I’ll mask twice a week but typically once is fine.
Because of my aforementioned bad teen acne situation, my mom got me matched with a BareMinerals foundation when I became insistent about slathering makeup on my face an covering every, single imperfection. I used the loose original formula for years, but switched to the READY about a year and a half ago. It’s buildable, it doesn’t clog up my pores, feels light and comes in a wide variety of shades. The variety of shades is so key since my skin tone tends to flutter around a lot. I try to go into a BM boutique and get matched when I start noticing a change in color — usually December and June/July.
I purchased Lorac’s Unzipped Palette because I was enjoying my Naked Palette so much and wanted to expand my horizons. At $42, it’s a little less expensive than the Urban Decay palettes and the colors are gorgeous.
I’ve tried other primers and not liked the smell or feel, so I stick to Smashbox Photo Finish Light — it’s oil free.
I’m a firm ‘any mascara will work’ believer – I buy cheap drugstore mascara typically, but bought a travel size of the Perversion mascara and really do love it. All I want from my mascara is thick, longer black lashes.
Contrary to popular belief, ball is not life. Brows = life. There’s a million different ways to fill yours, but I’m currently loving Benefit’s Gimme Brow.
I bought my NARS Foreplay palette at Nordstrom Rack because I wanted to try the infamous Orgasm blush. The blush is just as gorgeous as most people will tell you, but the other sections of my palette are mostly untouched. I’ve used the two small pinks with vaseline to get a little lip color and occasionally use them on my cheeks.
What beauty items are you loving on?
xo,
Nicole
