Beauty Wishlist

Hey everyone, for today’s post I decided to share with you all the top 5 items I have on my current beauty related wish list. There is no specific order of these items but they are my top 5, and I have not purchased any of these items before. Let’s get started.

First on the list is, Josie Maran Vibrancy Argan Oil Foundation. So I absolutely need to get my hands on this foundation. Beauty youtuber, Jaclyn Hill, raves about this foundation and swears it is amazing. I have pretty dry skin so any type of foundation that is suppose to make my skin dewy and vibrant, I want to try it. I also love Josie Maran’s other products, especially her argan oil. I typically mix a drop or two into my foundations I use now, so for this foundation to already have it, it is perfect. You can get this at Sephora for $45.

Number 2 on the list goes to, the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water. I have never tried a primer that is like this primer before. I love the fact that it is just a nice light water that you mist onto your face and you don’t have to rub it in. To me, it doesn’t seem like it would be cakey or heavy on your skin. Like I said previously, I have dry skin so the fact that this is suppose to hydrate and revitalize your skin really attracts me. This goes for $32, full size.

The number 3 spot on the list is the Wave Spray by Ouai. Now I really want to try not only this product, but the Ouai brand in general. Jen Atkins is the creator of the Oaui hair care brand and she is a really respected hair stylist in the beauty world. I have been seeing a lot of good reviews about this spray and I know Khloe Kardashian uses it quite a bit too. This spray is suppose to give you cute, beach style waves without the crunchy dryness that other sprays can give you. It goes for $26.00.

 

The next product on my list is by Nails Inc. It is their Paint Can Spray On Nail Polish. You can buy this unique product at Sephora for only $12. Now I have a huge obsession with packaging. If a product has cute, interesting, and eye-catching packaging then I am going to buy it. So not only do I love this packaging and think it is super cool that it looks like a spray paint can, but I also love the idea of just spraying on my nail polish. I hate painting my nails, so if using this product is as easy and mess free as it is advertised to be, I would love to try it.

Finally, the #5 spot goes to the Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops. These drops go for $42 and are an amazing highlighting product. From the swatches I have seen these drops look like liquid metal. I also love the fact that they are drops, so you can customize your highlight however you want. You can mix shades, mix it with your foundation, and use as much or as little as you want. I have also seen people just use it right on top of their foundations. They have six different shades, 4 highlights and 2 bronzers. To me this product definitely looks like a must try product.

Elf Cosmetics Review

Hey everyone! I know it has been a while since my last post, thanks for sticking with me, I plan on having a lot more content coming this Fall. Today I am going to do a brand review on Elf Cosmetics. I have a lot of products from them so let’s jump on it.

So for when it comes to eyes, I own 7 different eyeshadow duos from Elf. I got these during the holiday season, at Target. For the eyeshadows, I think they are very pigmented especially for the price. You can buy eyeshadow palettes from Elf for $6-$10, as well as eyeshadow trios for only $4. The eyeshadows can be a little patchy, and also a little difficult to blend, but for the price I really don’t think they are too bad. You can definitely make them work if you are makeup shopping on a budget.

When it comes to Elf face products, I will first discuss what products I dislike, and then which products I do like.

I have tried the Elf daily hydration moisturizer ($8), as well as the hydrating primer ($6) and I dislike both of those products. I felt like they weren’t hydrating, they just made my face slightly oily and then it went back to being dry. The primer is extremely oily and did not help my makeup last longer at all. I also dislike Elf concealers. I have tried the Elf perfect blend concealer ($2), and it is extremely liquidy. It has barely any coverage and I feel like you really have to cake it on for just the smallest amount of coverage. It does nothing for me and it was really just a waste of money. I also have the under eye conceal & highlighter which is a duo liquid stick. It also has no consistency and has basically no coverage. The highlighter is white with glitter in it, which I dislike. The concealer is better than the other concealer but still little to no coverage at all. I also have the flawless face powder which I liked the color and how creamy it was, but it was not long lasting and also you had to really put it on to get the right amount of coverage.

For face products I do like, I really like their cream products. I really enjoy the Contouring blush & bronzing cream ($4). I own it in the shade St. Lucia, and it is a really pretty color. The creams are very blendable and a little bit goes a long way. I also have the HD blush in the shade Headliner ($3). It is a very pretty pink color, and it also blends amazing. The only thing I dislike about the blush is that it is difficult to pump out, and can get a bit messy, but for the price I think it is an amazing product.

So for Elf lip products, I will review the ones I have in order from top to bottom of the swatches. The first lip swatch is of the “Nude Pink” lip liner ($3), which also has a lip brush on the other end. I do think this liner is very creamy, and a very pretty color. I like that it has a brush, even though the brush is a little bit on the bigger side for a lip brush. I do have to say though that I prefer NYX lip liners over this one. This liner is easy to smudge and is not transfer proof at all. The next two swatches are of the Matte lip colors ($3), in the shades Natural, and Cranberry. I do love these lip pencils, they are very creamy and pigmented. The color is beautiful. I just recommend keeping the pencils on you because you will need to reapply, but they are a very pretty and not drying on the lips at all. The next swatch is of a jumbo lip gloss stick ($2) in the shade Pink Umbrella. I don’t really like this product, I think it is a little heavy on the lips formula wise, and it wasn’t very much like a gloss either. Lastly is the lip balm tint ($2), which is a very light pretty color. This is a good product to use for a light soft color on your lips, and a light formula that is good for dry lips. I sometimes just apply this over chapstick for a soft hint of color.

Lastly are just some random Elf products that I own. My hands down favorite Elf product ever is their angled blush brush. I use this brush every single day for my blush, and I love it. It is so soft and blends my blush just perfectly. The brush is only $4, it is amazing. I also own the daily brush cleaner ($3) and I use it occasionally if my brushes are getting really dirty, but I don’t think this is a must have product. It doesn’t do an amazing job cleaning brushes, but it is alright if you are switching shades and using the same brush. I also have the makeup remover pen ($3) and I think I will just stick to q-tips or makeup wipes. This product dries out easily and also isn’t great at removing makeup. I was really disappointed. One product I own that is not pictured is the lip exfoliator stick ($3) and I love using that product when washing my face. I use it to get the dry skin off of my lips when they are chapped, and it works great. For $3, I think it is totally worth the money.

Alright guys, that is it for my post today. Let me know if you have any must-have Elf products that I should try. Overall I think Elf Cosmetics can definitely be hit or miss, but for the price it is always worth a try. Thanks for reading!

New Beauty Products Review

Hey everyone! For Today’s post I am going to review some new products I have been testing out and using. Some makeup, skincare, and even tanning lotion, so let’s just jump on in to the reviews.

The first new product I have been using is the Ka-Brow brow gel by Benefit. I love this product. It makes my brows look better than any other product I have used. I use the shade “4” and it matches my brows perfectly. It reminds me a lot of the Anastasia Beverly Hills dip brow but the packaging is cuter and easier to use. It also comes with a little brush, which I love. Benefit has released a lot of new brow products lately and this product really makes me want to go try them all. I got this at Sephora and it retails for $24.

The next product I purchased are the new Tarte 911 under eye rescue patches. It is basically a gel under eye mask that decreases puffiness and dark circles. I have been seeing these constantly used on the Tarte snapchat and have been dying to try them. The first time I tried them was after a night out in Las Vegas and the next morning they made my eyes look so much better. I will definitely be using these the morning after long nights. I also put them in the fridge so they are even cooler, and more refreshing. You are suppose to keep them on for 10-15 minutes, so I just use them before I am going to do my makeup. They sell them at Sephora for $22.

The next product isn’t a new product to the market but it is new to me. After seeing so many good reviews I finally ordered the Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter by The Balm. I am not really in love with this product. I was expecting to receive this product and absolutely fall in love with it, but no. I think the reason I don’t like it is because I just set my expectations too high. I do like the formula, it isn’t very creamy but it is blendable and long lasting. My main issue is I was expecting a beautiful highlight and to me, this highlighter is very subtle and almost just blends in to well with my skin tone. I do think it would be a good highlighter for a no makeup, natural look. You can purchase this on The Balm’s website for $24.

Next is a product that was actually given to me by my step-sister, the Loving Tan 2 hour express deluxe bronzing mousse. I am very fair and used the Dark shade and it turned out beautiful. I used this for the first time the day I left for Las Vegas. I love how convenient it is, because you only have to wait at least 2 hours to wash it off. Although you could leave it on longer for more color. I was nervous because before I washed it off it did look extremely blotchy, but it turned out even and beautiful. I used a Morphe M439 to apply and blend it. I recommend watching Jaclyn Hill’s self tanning tutorial, which is what I followed. This retails for $39.95 on the Loving Tan website and it is an Australian based company so the shipping does take a while and can be pricey, but to me it is worth it.

Last but certainly not least I want to talk about the new Urban Decay one & done hybrid complexion perfector. This is basically a light coverage foundation/ sunscreen/ BB cream, I would say. It does have SPF 20 so that to me is always a plus. I love just throwing some of this on and heading out the door. It is very long lasting and is a very lightweight feel on my face. It blends really well and doesn’t look to cakey. I used the shade Light. The only issue I had with this is I feel like the bottle that I received wasn’t very full. The first time I used it I noticed how light the bottle felt. It retails at Sephora for $34.

That is it for my reviews today! Thank you all so much for reading and being a part of my blogging journey. Until next time.

MCM: Makeup Crush Monday

Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to another Makeup Crush Monday! Today I will be talking about a product that I recently bought and fell absolutely in love with, the Loreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator. Oh Lord, if you ladies want to glow then this is what you need to know…about this product!

This product retails for $12.99 and it is available at Ulta, or most drugstores. The shade I own is c301 Ice Glace, but there are two other shades as well, Rose and Golden. I will eventually be buying those shades as well because I love this product so much. This is a multi use liquid illuminator and can be worn many different ways. You can wear this under your foundation all over your face for a nice glow to your skin, you can also wear this mixed with your foundation or over your foundation. You can wear this as just a highlighter, or all over for an overall dewy look.

My favorite way to wear this product is to just mix it right in with my foundation, it really does give me a nice glow all throughout my face. I also love how a little bit goes a long way with this product. I have fair skin, so if you have a tan skin tone you may want to get a different shade to ensure that it does actually highlight your skin.

I am very happy with this product and I will definitely be repurchasing this. I think this will definitely become a go-to product for me, especially during these warmer summer months. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your week!

Pat McGrath Skin Fetish 003 Review

Hey guys! Today I want to review some of my new go to products. The Pat McGrath Skin Fetish 003 Highlight Kit in the shade “Golden”. This kit retails at Sephora for $72. It is currently sold out online, but it is still available in stores.

First let’s break down the basics. The kit comes with a duo ended highlight stick. One side has a clear balm (my favorite out of the whole kit) and the other side is a nice golden highlight shade. Then it also comes with a highlighting powder pigment and also a buffer brush. The packaging is very simple and almost comparable to ELF cosmetics packaging, but I think that this packaging is a little bit more sturdy then ELF. I admit for $72 I was expecting a little more from the packaging but I’m not too upset. Also Pat McGrath is a well known makeup artist, and I feel like this packaging is very lightweight and simple which is good in the MUA world. It comes in a bag full of sequins. I honestly thought the packaging was so cute and creative but once I realized the bag wasn’t resealable I was a little bummed, I mean it came with a lotttt of sequins. So I put all my sequins in a ziploc bag, because let’s be real I paid $72 so I WILL find something to do with those sequins.

Now for the actual product review. Let’s start with my lows… I have two complaints about the actual products themselves. The first being, the brush. The brush itself is nothing too special, I would not purchase it alone if it wasn’t in the kit. It’s a very soft brush but I don’t think it has amazing quality. For spending so much on this kit I was assuming I would be blown away by the brush. It is a good brush but it’s not a must have. If it’s sitting there when I’m doing my makeup, sure, I’ll use it. If not, I am totally fine just using my Sigma brushes. My only other issue with this kit is that the Balm end of the duo stick (which is actually my favorite product) can get oily if you apply to much. The only reason this is an issue for me is because I love the balm so much that I literally want to cover my face in it. A little goes a long way though and if you use to much it will move your foundation and basically turn you into a greaseball. 

Now for my highs…. This balm literally GIVES ME LIFE. It gives you such an incredibly dewy natural looking glow, but like I said, a little goes a long way. It’s easy to apply, I just apply right from the stick and you can basically blend it out however you want. I will blend it out with a buffer brush or just my fingers. I wear it with or without makeup. I love the way it gives my face such a nice highlight without makeup. I love it most as a cheekbone highlight and also a highlight for my Cupid’s bow. The pigment powder this kit comes with is also absolutely amazing. I am pretty sure that you could see the highlight from this powder from outer space, it is so pigmented and pretty. I absolutely love it as a brow bone and inner corner highlight. It’s a very blendable creamy powder and looks great over the balm as well. It is also very long lasting, I fell asleep with my makeup on and when I woke up the next day my highlight was still on fleek.

The highlight end of the duo stick for me is alright. I don’t hate it and I don’t love it. It’s a little patchy to me, and it is too dark for my fair skin tone. I haven’t really used it much because of that reason. I tried to use it when I had a spray tan and it was alright, but definitely not the same amount of highlight I got from the balm and powder. I do think though that it would be a veryyyy pretty highlight on those with a dark skin tone.

Here are some swatches. On top I have just the clear balm by itself. Second, just the highlighter stick by itself. Third is the highlighter stick with the balm on top, and lastly is the pigment powder.

So do I think the Pat McGrath Skin Fetish 003 is worth it? Yes, I do. If you break it down, each product is technically $18. I think $18 is a very affordable amount for each of these products. I also think that for makeup artists this is a really simple on the go highlighting kit that could end up being a staple in your kit. If you’re obsessed with highlighters like me, I think this is a must have.

Thanks for reading everyone! If you have tried this kit let me know how you feel about it in the comments below. Don’t have it? Let me know what your go to highlighter is! 

Xoxo, Corinna.