My First Tag!

Yayy! My first tag post:).

Okay, so this is a tag I just saw julieg713 do and I loved the idea. And I wanted to share my own so here goes.

My go to primer is Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP). I use this whenever I'm going somewhere special, when I especially dont want my makeup to crease. I have also found that cream based concealers work really well as bases too but they dont compare to this. I do use those if I'm only going to be out for a few hours.

My go to foundation is MAC's Studio Fix Liquid Foundation in NC25. I have three words for you; best, foundation, ever! I love the coverage this baby gives me! I have lots of acne scarring on my cheeks and let's face it, some acne as well. With this product, I dont even need concealer.

Which answers the next go to question, I dont use concealer.

For setting powder, my go to powder is Studio Fix by MAC (in NC4). While this is my go to because it's amazing as a foundation and setting powder, as a setting powder alone I also love Bare Escentials Bare Minerals Matte Powder. The great thing about this setting powder is that (as well as also having great coverup) it lets your skin breathe since it's mineral-based and best of all it has the most natural finish I've ever seen. While MAC's Studio Fix makes you look flawless, flawless doesnt look real, Bare Minerals Matte makes it look like its YOUR skin.

For blush, I use Dainty Mineralized Blush by MAC on a daily basis. However, I'm waiting on my Trace Gold which is a bronze-goldy colour and looks super natural on the skin. I think once I have that colour it's going to be my go to blush. Plus it'll also help contour and bronze my face a little (which I dont do otherwise, answering the next tag go to question).

I dont use a cream highlight that often although I did get a sample of Benefit's High Beam. I tried it once but it looked too white on my skin (I have a warmer skintone so I think if I got Moon Beam, it would look better). Overall though, I have very oily skin so I dont think that highlighters are a good idea for me anyway. I dont use a highlight in powder form either.

My favorite mascara these days is still the Sephora one. While I'm using the hourglass one, I'm finding that it's clumping a lot sooner than my Sephora one did, it's not as volumizing, nor as lengthening.

My favourite eyeshadow is Sin by Urban Decay. It is my all over the lid, highlight under the brow, inner corner colour and anything else I want with most looks. I've used others but I feel like this colour brightens up my eye the best, blends the best with other colours, and is the perfect nude/cream shade for my skin (and in my opinion, anyone).

My favourite eye liner is Loreal's Linear Intense in Black. I've been using this eyeliner since I was 16 (I'm 23 now) and I've never felt the need as of yet to try anything else. It's very black, very easy to apply. I love it! All I want to try is the dark brown version for more natural looks.

My favourite lip liner is MAC's lip pencil in Soar. It's the most beautiful colour, a dark pink with a touch of brown. It suits my lip colour and works well with most of my lipsticks. I do need something different for more nude or light pink looks but it's still my go to.

My favourite lipstick these days is Precious Brown by Rimmel London. It's from the Moisture Renew line and I love the formulation! It's a pinkish brown and it's soo moisturizing and feels amazing. It's a great wash of colour with one application or a great opaque colour with a few more. Love, love, love.

My favourite lipgloss is by Bonnebell in cappuccino. It's the most beautiful nude lipgloss. It smells like a cappuccino and it blends amazingly with any colour. I have some brighter lipsticks that I find harder to pull off on their own but with this lipgloss, I can wear anything. It mutes out the lipstick in a way that's perfect for me. It's also great to wear on its own.

I dont do anything to my eyebrows. They're naturally fine and it doesnt suit me to do anything.

My favourite makeup brushes are by Sigma (they would probably be MAC if I owned the MAC ones lol). My favorite from theirs is the SS 187 for foundation, SS 150 for powder and blush, SS 239 for eyeshadow on the lid and the SS 224 for crease eyeshadow.

I dont really have a favourite nail polish although I love all the new shades that AVON came out with this year.

Yay, that was so much fun.:)

ail Polish

Resisting Temptations, Investing in the Right Makeup & Products I'm Considering

Since I've developed this obsession with makeup, I've started to habitually check the Sephora and MAC websites everyday. Yes, everyday. I am aware that they dont change that often, but that's how often I like to look at them. The problem with this is that I'm always discovering these amazing deals at Sephora that I really want to try. Unfortunately, my budget (as well as my conscience) dont allow for that. So I'm often left feeling, "Aw, man!"-ish.

To feel better, I'm going to list below some of the new gift packs at Sephora or sets or weekly picks as they call them, hoping someone else will enjoy them for me.

Best in Bronze Deluxe Sampler ($39)

This set is a "Sephora's Favourites" box which means that its not from a single brand. Sephora has also released a mascara set like this which I own and adore, and I believe this is the second Sephora Favourites to hit the shelves. I personally think this is a GREAT idea. It allows you to really try out (in a fair sample size) all of the best bronzers (or at least many of the great ones) and get a feel for what you like, what you dont, and why. And then, once you know, you can purchase the full size of what you like! I am enjoying the mascara set for many of the same reasons; with the addition that I find I like using these products for as long as they last in the sample size anyway. There's so many products out there that I want to move on and try what else there is! Having a full-size bottle means it either gets wasted or you drag yourself to use it longer than you want to. With sample sizes, that's not a problem. And honestly, 40 bucks is a fair price. Yay Sephora!

Sephora Beauty in a Box - Aqua Essentials Kit ($69)

I believe this set is a bit more recent than the last one but still fairly old. I REALLY BADLY want to get this set. Makeup Forever is such an amazing company and these are amazing products that they've put together. It gives you the chance to try out their new Aqua Creams in very wearable colours (warm beige & taupe) as well as their famous mascara, and some lip products. It's still quite pricey, although fairly so considering the actual prices of these products, but I just cant dish out that much on things I really dont need. I already have great neutral eyeshadows (although not in creams), so many mascaras and I dont know if those lip products would suit me. But if I could, I could easily justify getting this gem.

Despite the fact that this post is about resisting temptations, the truth is I am able to get over them. I am very proud of the fact that I've bought the makeup that I use. There have been very few products that I've bought on a whim and I dont like to waste my money so I'm glad that I've really researched into what I've gotten. I just dont feel like investing in these sets, I dont think they are worth it for me, but if these investments can work out for someone the way others have worked for me than thats whats most important.

Speaking of investments, I am definitely going to be picking up the new Urban Decay Book of Shadows Volume III set to release this fall. I know that there will be repeat eyeshadows (not officially, just by past experience) but I'm willing to live with extra Midnight Cowboy and Twice Baked eyeshadow since, in reality, they are very pretty shades. I'm excited to see what they come up with for this.

I also want to invest in some skin products. I want to get the tinted moisturizer by Laura Mercier but I've been hearing mixed reviews about it. Well actually, I've heard great reviews, I'm just concerned that it's not going to give me the coverage I want. Anddd, it's extremely expensive so I wouldnt want to get it unless I really think it's worth it. I do need a good eye cream though, I'm really looking into Clinique's products since their tested for allergies and are thought to be good for acne-prone skin.

I also need a new foundation. I'm currently using MAC's Studio Sculpt and it's very good coverage but can easily be made to look cakey. It's quite thick and it's not the look I need every single day. I need something that feels lighter on my skin because this foundation is like a mask. While it makes my skin look amazing, I feel like I'm putting my face on everyday with this foundation. I would suggest it for oily skin (since creams are less likely to look oily than liquids) and for those who have scarring or marks because no one can see them with some of this. Great product, but I need something that suits my changing needs and this no longer meets the requirements!

So this ended up being about several things but they are what's on my mind and I feel lighter having said them. Yay blog!