products i do not recommend

after work one night, a few of my co-workers and i decided to go out. my hair was a little flat and i couldn't have that; so i went to pick up a small can of hairspray in order to tease the bejesus out of my hair. i purchaed l'oreal's elnett and figured that it would perform well due to it's infinite positive reviews.

i can understand the hype that comes from elnett. it gives a firm hold that lasts without leaving your hair feeling heavy, sticky, or too crisp. after spraying this product, it's easy to brush through hair for re-styling. sounds great, right? except that when i got back into my car to style my hair, i felt like i was trapped inside of big foot's dutch oven from hell within the first spritz. okay, even if it may not have been that bad, the smell was pretty horrendous.

i'm not normally sensitive to smells and can appreciate a product that works regardless of scent. elnett just smells like a potent chemical bomb that cannot be healthy for the lungs even from a mile away. because of this, i would not repurchase. would not recommend. no, thank you.

neutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup interested me because many had compared it to nars sheer glow.

i think they were joking because this foundation does not even begin to compare to the texture, coverage, or quality of sheer glow. i get that it is a drugstore foundation, but this healthy skin liquid makeup has horrible pigmentation. aside from the lack of coverage, it's finish left my skin a bit dull.

if you're looking to get a quality foundation for a small amount of cash, i would recommend revlon photoready over anything else.

you can click here to read my review on photoready.

july loves

naked palette; naked, sidecar


revlon photoready; 001 ivory


nars; dolce vita. mac; bare study paint pot


elf; complexion brush


mac; hot gossip


tresemme; thermal creations volumizing mousse


h&m knit sweater

hot gossip

i had a return at mac which of course turned into an exchange. i decided that creme cup was a little too pink for my liking. while i can appreciate a nude-ish pink like pretty please, pinks like creme cup and angel just don't suit me. anyway, after swatching just about every nude lipstick on display, i've come to the conclusion that i'm a little bit over the nude lip. although i adore creme d'nude, even when i've melted about 5 of them, i guess my preference has changed for now. so, i ended up taking home hot gossip, a semi-deep cranberry type of color.





i also picked up an oversized knit sweater from h&m. i usually get a size up in this kind of piece, so i purchased a medium. i love the gold thread running through the fabric.



love ♥

fabulash

there seems to have become a trend on my blog regarding revlon cosmetics. revlon is my favorite drugstore brand because they have proven with each purchase to be of supreme quality. fabulash mascara is no exception.



i've unfortunately spent wasted money on highend mascaras that perform no superior to drugstore brands. i constantly end up repurchasing fabulash in blackest black. it's formulation is on the dryer spectrum of mascaras. i've not had a problem with fallout or under-eye smudging while using this product.



the wand, along with the formulation, provide a non-fussy and clump-free application. i'm pleased with the volume it gives my lashes.

super lustrous lips

i'm a lip product junkie. i don't go anywhere without a lipgloss or lipstick in hand. revlon has a wide range of gorgeous lip products for an affordable price. their colorburst and super lustrous lines are comparable to highend cosmetic quality and have great pigmentation.



crystal lilac and strawberry are from revlon's colorburst line. they both obtain some shimmer and not only are they gorgeous colors, but i love their packaging as well. the flat doe foot applicator of these glosses make for an easier application.



lilac pastelle and coral reef are from the super lustrous line. these were from last year's summer collection and contain spf 15. along with the colorburst glosses, their payoff is great and they wear just as long as any good quality lipgloss.




top; crystal lilac, lilac pastelle.
bottom; strawberry, coral reef.

lovely liquid makeup!

i find that the most significant similarity between the above foundations are their quality, which both deserve a thumbs up. i am the lightest shade in each, 110 in makeup forever hd and 001 ivory in revlon photoready.

i bought photoready after running out of the makeup forever hd. although i love hd, i didn't necessarily want to leave sephora 40 short again. i can say that i am pleased with this decision.

revlon's photoready foundation is a meduim, yet buildable coverage. it leaves a slightly dewy finish and i find it's results to be pretty flawless. this foundation contains spf 20, which is always a bonus. i wont go into how it photographs, because i don't really care about the quarrel of photos and sunscreen. the product makes my face look healthy. pretty simple. and at $11, that's not to shabby.

i still recommend makeup forever hd if you don't mind investing in higher end makeup. it is lightweight, coverage is medium, and the finish is natural. this foundation is beautiful and relatively undetectable.


top; makeup forever hd
bottom; revlon photoready

the formulation of revlon photoready has a slightly thicker consistency, but both are easily blendable and last decently on the skin. by far my favorite high end and drugstore foundations.

coral lips

illamasqua's obey is a matte, orangy/coral color. this lipstick is opaque and high maintenance, definitely requiring some blending work. applied lightly, it can be very wearable. i often pair it with revlon's superlusterous lipgloss in coral reef for a gorgeous, coral shine.


obey. coral reef.



both colors are beautiful on their own, but they're flattering combined as well.

minihaul

toms are so lightweight and comfortable. these shoes are nice for casual days when you don't necessarily want to wear sandals. i think they'll look super cute with shorts or skinny jeans. i got mine in classic black to match everything. the fact that the company gives shoes to children in need with every purchase is amazing!



sephora by opi's traffic is much more rose gold than in the photo, which is why i bought it. this chunky glitter polish would look great ontop of orly's rage. here, i'm wearing it alone. with just a couple of coats it covers the nails, giving a nice dimension and shine. it doesn't take long to dry, either.



mac's paint pot in bare study is a gorgeous, shimmery shade and the perfect neutral base for any shadow. this is the first paint pot i've purchased and i actually prefer it's formulation to benefit's creaseless cream shadows.

every day face

most used makeup products



after i apply revlon's photoready foundation, i'll cover any blemishes with a concealer. then, i'll apply both deep throat by nars and mac's well dressed for a flush of color. benefit's high beam gives a natural sheen to the skin, which i'll blend onto my cheekbones. i've cut out face powder from my routine because i prefer a glowy rather than matte look. for eyes, i'll use benefit's creaseless cream shadow in birthday suit as a base for my naked palette. i often skip on liner, but sometimes i'll apply sapphire by stila when i feel like taking the time. it's a nice navy shade. lips vary, but one of my most used lipsticks is naked by urban decay. aside from it's hideous packaging, it's a gorgeous, natural shade with an appealing creamy formula.



top row are my favorite/most used shadows from the naked palette; toasted. buck. virgin. sin. naked. sidecar. top left; sapphire
bottom row; high beam. deep throat. well dressed. naked (lipstick).

oh, the blending shadow brush above is a sonia kashuk brush from target. along with my measly blush brush, they are the only brushes i use.

benefit creaseless cream shadow

i have a slight obsession with cream eyeshadows. the two i have from benefit are birthday suit, left, and strut, right. they're easy to sweep across the lid when in a hurry or to use them as a base for other shadows. although these products have a great staying power, i can't say that they don't crease after longwear. however, it doesn't take much effort to blend them back out with your finger.

birthday suit is a nice neutral, shimmery shade that is perfect for every day use. the darker shade, strut, can be applied with a light hand for day use as well, or you could use more of the product and smoke it up for a sexy evening look.


birthday suit. strut.

haulin'!

i ran out of my boi-ing concealer by benefit. i've heard many positive reviews for the mac studio finish concealer, so i purchased it in nw20. i picked up creme cup lipstick and coppering eyeshadow, too. i also decided to try a nars blush in dolce vita.


dolce vita. coppering. creme cup.