Too Faced Better Than Sex

If there's one thing I don't leave the house without, it's mascara. It just makes such a difference! I didn't get the hype at first.. but I guess it's called Better Than Sex for a reason! To be honest, I was a little intimidated by this brush at first (just look at it!). My first thought was, 'clumpy lashes.' I finally gave into the hype and gave it a try. It doesn't clump at ALL and results in better volume than any other mascara I've tried! I recently have been trying Clinique's High Impact Volume Mascara, but it disappointing. If you're looking for a new mascara, go pick this up! You won't be disappointed.

What's your favorite mascara?

Favorite Natural Foundation

Hello hello! I haven't had any negative comments to say about any Clinique product that I've tried so far. I have extremely sensitive skin and I love that none of their products are too harmful to my skin. While having a 10 hour layover at the airport.. I decided to pop into Clinique and I came out with this- Clinique's superbalanced makeup. I've been using this for about two weeks now and it's definitely better than anything else I've tried! The foundation matches my skin tone perfectly and once blended in, it almost looks completely natural. For how thin and light it seems, it has amazing coverage that I barely use any concealer at all. It's oil-free (which is great!), stays throughout the day, and isn't too dewey at all. If that isn't enough, it was only $23! I highly highly recommend this to anyone!

What is your favorite foundation?

Essie Favorites

It's probably no surprise which Essie polishes I fancy, but I'm going to share anyway! If you're not an Essie fan, it's time to jump on the bandwagon. The polish sets so well once is dries and can last for weeks. I own so many shades of nail polish, but my favorites have to be Sand Tropez and Mint Candy Apple by Essie.. also known as the two most popular colors. I love the mellow tan color of Sand Tropez. I feel that it can be so elegant and also casual. Mint Candy Apple is worn by me most often. I have fallen in love with pastels! It's so cheerful and goes with everything!

What's your favorite Essie polish? I'd love to try it!

Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Happy Sunday! And say hello to the best bronzer I've every owned. I've never really been much of a bronzer girl because I didn't find the need to use it. However, I came across this one. Believe me, it took a LOT of self debate on whether or not I should break the bank on this... it wasn't cheap. After I purchased it, I honestly thought about getting my money back before using it as it was $30. I tried it, I loved it.

I love Too Faced and have heard great things about their products. I decided to get the matte bronzer because I didn't want my face to shimmer in the sun this summer haha. The color is so subtle but makes the biggest difference. It doesn't make your face look orange, but just adds some color to a yet to be tan face. And did I mention it smells like chocolate?! Not the overpowering sweet scent that makes you sick, it's actually really nice. I was always skeptical about chocolates scented things, but this is a real nice scent to enjoy while applying your makeup.

What other Too Faced products do you like? Have you tried the Chocolate Soleil bronzer?

Budget Face Makeup

Ahh how I've missed the world of blogging! It sucks not having internet at the house.. it's a real struggle. But I finally get to put up a post and promise to be better about it! Anyways, since I've been here in Alaska my skin has really changed. Before, it was difficult to find a foundation that looked natural and not dry on my face. I ran out of my BB cream so I turned to an alternative that I already had.. and it's worked great! I bought all of these products for around $8 (give or take $1), so it's not killing the wallet if it's not loved.

L'oreal True Match Foundation (Creamy Natural)
I don't find this to be a popular foundation, and before it didn't work well for my dry skin. It's been a little more on the oily side and this foundation goes on incredibly well. It really does match my skin tone and looks natural. It doesn't stick to dry patches and has great coverage. I have somewhat acne prone skin and trust me, I know what it's like to feel self conscious about your skin. This has totally made me feel confident when I look in the mirror because it looks like I have natural clear skin, without looking like I have makeup caked on my face.

Revlon ColorStay Concealer (03 Light Medium)
For a budget concealer, this has done wonders for me. It covers up the worst blemishes that appear out of nowhere. It also blends really well with my foundation, even though it's slightly lighter.

Maybelline Fit Me Powder (220 Natural Beige)
I don't use powder everyday, but this works well for me when I want to set my makeup for a long day. I have to say that it's not the best powder that I've ever used, but it's not bad. I powder it very lightly and it's not noticeable at all.

These are my budget, natural look face products that I actually like to use very often. I've been feeling very confident using these products and I love a natural face!

What's your favorite budget product?

Sephora Makeup Academy Palette

 Hey ho! It's been quite a few days since my last blog post! I don't have internet where I'm staying so it's kind of been drag.. quite frustrating actually. Well anyway, I'm currently in Alaska and if you didn't know, I've lived here for a majority of my life. I can honestly say that I didn't miss it at all and it's not too exciting to be back. I couldn't bring my academy palette when I took off for Norway but now that I'm back I'm so excited to use it again! My cousin got her hands on it so I'm a little upset with the maintenance of it.. but it's still great!

It really is a great palette, and for a great price. I'm not sure what some people think of Sephora products but I actually seem to like some of them. I see so many different types of palettes but I feel like I don't really need them. This palette has everything from primers, to eyeliner, concealer, lip glosses and 72 shades of eyeshadow! 72! It's practically got the whole sha-bang. Do I use them all? No. But seeing all that it had to offer, and for the price it was, I had to get it. Can you guess the price? Only $35! Definitely a steal.

 These are all of the eyeshadow shades in the palette, and they are soooo great. The quality is actually pretty great, and I have every shade that I want. It has natural shades that I use from a day to day basis and crazy bright colors for special occasions or just for fun! I don't use the brushes that come with it. Though it's not something that I can travel with, it's great to have at home.

These are the lip glosses and liners. I was actually pretty skeptical about trying these out, but I gave it a go.. and I actually like them! I really like the light, nude colors. And they stay on pretty well! (even comes with a lip primer)

Here's a view of the primers, concealers, blushes, and eyeliners. To be completely honest, I haven't tried any of these. I don't feel like switching from the concealers and such that I use right now. But I think that having a variety of liners will be real fun in the future!

This has to be one of my top purchases because look how much you get for your money! I'm not sure what other people think of it, but I actually do like some Sephora products. Have you tried this palette before? Did you like it? 

MaXFactor Facefinity 3 in 1 Foundation | Review

Lately, I've been on the hunt for a good coverage foundation that wasn't over the top pricey. Going into Kicks, I probably spend 20 minutes looking around for one that has received great reviews that wasn't going to be beyond my budget. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any. I recently purchased this foundation and I think I've used it enough to give it a proper review. I had mentioned it in my recent haul but it was too early to give feedback.

I got the foundation in the color 'Sand 60,' and I have to say that it matched the color of my skin perfectly. My skin does  get relatively dry, but recently it hasn't been. The product looked dry on my face and didn't look very natural at all, even after moisturizing. It didn't feel cakey, but it did look it. It's supposed to be a 3 in 1 (primer, foundation & concealer), but I'm very disappointed. However, I have put it to great use! I've been using it as a concealer on top of my BB cream and it actually blend extremely well. It doesn't look so dry, and it has great coverage. My BB cream is a little darker but it blends to look very natural, even without powdering. So I got a new concealer! My hunt for a new foundation isn't over but I guess that's what I get for buying something I'm not completely familiar with, ha!

Do you have any foundation recommendations? Please let me know!

CLINIQUE // Facial Products

Oh how I love Clinique! I don't think I've tried a Clinique product that has disappointed me yet. Out of all honesty, I have nothing bad to say about these products.

Liquid Facial Soap

I recently started using this and it's been doing a great job! I've had minimal breakouts lately, and that's all that I could ask for right now. The soap is really gentle and doesn't cause any redness or irritation like some other products do. 

Moisture Surge

This has been recommended to me by a few relatives when I told them I was having troubles with my dry skin. Now I can see why! I actually don't use this after washing my face, I use L'oreal Ideal Moisture which I mentioned in one of my previous posts. I use the Moisture Surge before I apply makeup and it makes foundation go on with ease! It's not like other lotions, it's a gel. And I love that. This product would be great if you have dry spots or dry skin in general.

Superbalm Lip Treatment

This is a great lip balm that's easy to apply and has a lot of moisture. It's a great balm to put on a few minutes prior to applying lipstick.

Take the day off makeup remover 'lids, lashes & lips'

This is a great makeup remover and I highly recommend purchasing this. I don't know if it's just me, but sometimes I have a tough time taking my mascara and eyeliner off. I use a Q-tip to take of my eye makeup and mascara and it gets everything off. If you need a makeup remover go get this one you won't be disappointed!

All About Eyes

I've been using this twice a day and my eyes haven't been dry whatsoever. You only need a little dap under your eyes and on your lids. The cream is really light and doesn't irritate at all. 

I would recommend any of these products; not because they're Clinique, but because they really work! Comments are appreciated, share any thoughts or questions you may have!

Haul // Clothes & Beauty

I recently went to Sweden over the Easter weekend, NOT intending to do much shopping at all.. But I'm a girl what could you expect. I picked up a birthday present for my boyfriend and a gifts for myself as well! I think it was a trip well spent and I picked up some great purchases. 

 Cardigan: H&M

 Body con dress: H&M

Necklace: H&M

I thought this was the perfect dress because it could be dressed up for a night out or a nice dinner and it could also be layered to be a casual day dress. I can't wait to wear it!

 Knit Sweater: Bik Bok

Black Top: Bik Bok

 Floral Crop Top: Bik Bok

 Nude Heels: dinsko

Ankle Boots: dinsko

So I wouldn't call dinsko and high end brand of shoes and I've never owned any shoes form there before. But they had what I wanted for a reasonable price! They weren't cheap but they also weren't too bad either. They're comfortable and I'm very happy with the purchase.

Nail Polish: Kicks (Sand Pebbles)

So I intended on picking up Essie's Master Plan, but did you know Essie nail polish costs a FORTUNE in Norway and Sweden?! It's 129- NOK (almost $30) for one Essie nail polish and I didn't think it was worth it. But anyways, I picked up this color. I've never tried the brand, but I like the peachy pink color and I thought I'd give it a go. It's in the color Sand Pebbles. I've been wearing this for about four days and it hasn't chipped yet!

BB Cream Brush: Kicks

Foundation: MaXFactor 'sand 60'

Mascara: Clinique High Impact Mascara 'black'

My skin has been really dry recently and I needed to look for a new foundation that didn't dry up my face. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the foundation that I wanted and I wasn't familiar with many brands and types that they had. Some of the foundations that were there were extremely high priced. I wasn't familiar with how well this worked either, but the heck I got it anyways. I haven't had the opportunity to try it out long enough to recommend it yet, but I'll update you on how it works! It's supposed to be a primer, foundation and concealer all in one. If you have any recommendations on foundations for dry skin that would be great! I've had this mascara in the past and I don't know what happened, I just forgot about it? But I highly recommend it. It gives the perfect amount of volume and length and separates your lashes. 

Please leave a comment with any recommendations or questions! Thanks (:

My Beauty Essentials

Do you have that certain eyeliner or foundation that you couldn't live without? Well I know I have my beauty products I absolutely love! These are my go to beauty essentials that I pretty much use on a day to day basis. My essentials include: L'oreal moisturizer, Origins GinZing eye cream, Maybelline cover stick concealer, Maybelline Age Rewind dark circle eraser, Sephora pencil eyeliner, Maybelline liquid eyeliner, Maybelline BB cream, and my favorite Dior mascara. 

I have sensitive, dry skin, and it was difficult for me to find a moisturizer that actually worked. L'oreal's day face lotion is very light and works well for sensitive skin. It doesn't feel heavy at all and has SPF in it. I apply it all over my face and on my neck after washing my face and now my face is never dry. It also makes applying makeup easy on smooth skin. 

I always follow up with some eye cream. I recently tested out several eye creams and the Origins cream worked the best. You only need the smallest little dab around your eyes and keeps them super smooth. It's very important to take care of your eyes. It is very smooth and doesn't irritate the skin. Even if your eyes are already dry, it moisturizes so well without the irritation. I highly recommend both moisturizing products!

I use Maybelline's cover stick and dark circle eraser as concealers and they both have great coverage. They blend very well and last throughout the day. I use the cover stick to cover up any blemishes or spots. After applying foundation, I use the dark circle eraser (which isn't really a concealer but work great!) under my eyes and to touch up on any spots that are visible. 

I don't necessarily find Maybelline's BB cream to be a preference, but any BB cream works well for me. Garnier's BB cream also works well. For me, this is the magic. It's light to put on and blends to my skin tone. It covers up any blemishes that you might feel self conscious about and it is just perfect! 

 This has been my favorite pencil liner for a while now, and it's Urban Decay's pencil liner in the color 'demolition.' As you can see, I use it quite a bit. It goes well with a natural look and can blend well if desired. The color isn't too dark but it enhances the eyes. I also use this on my brows and it looks very natural.  

I don't use black liner everyday, but when I do, I always use this one. It's a liquid liner, but it has a fine tip that makes it easier to apply and doesn't run. With the type of eyes that I have, liquid liner doesn't work well for me. Every time I've used liquid liner it usually smears onto my upper lid. But this liner dries immediately and stays.  

To my favorite part of makeup, mascara! Dior's Black Out Waterproof mascara has been in my makeup bag for about 3 years now and I haven't used anything else. I just feel that mascara completes any look. I already feel better with mascara on without anything else! I haven't gone a day without using this product and I'll tell you why. My eyelashes are already pretty long, and most mascara's make them (believe it or not) too long. I have semi asian eyes and it just doesn't look right. I was looking for a mascara that made my lashes voluminous, without making them clumpy. After I tried this, I was in love! They never leave any clumpy residue and add volume to my lashes. They do make them longer but it's not over the top. My mom has short lashes and she also used this and it worked great. So you don't need long lashes for this mascara! If you're looking for the perfect mascara, I highly recommend you to try this one!

If you have any recommendations or tips let me know (: