An Everyday Face

I'm one if those girls that "puts their face on" every morning.  I mean EVERY MORNING.  When I have to go to work, church, shopping, and even when I plan on staying in my house alone all day.  I've done this for as long as I've worn make-up, which is since my first year of high school...  That's 15 years.

It's honestly not as burdensome as it may sound; I admit it does sound a bit labor intensive, but putting on makeup is a security blanket of sorts and I enjoy taking the time.  Hair?  Well that's a different story... for another time.

Here's what my face consists of these days:

Clinique All About Eyes- Got a sample awhile ago, and think it makes applying concealer a smoother process.

Maybeline Instant Age Rewind Concealer- Must get rid of the under-eye circles!

Loreal Magic Lumi Concealer/Highlighter- Another weapon in my never-ending battle against those circles...

Everyday Minerals mineral powder foundation- It's cheap and effective!  I never mastered the liquid foundation application, and my first failure is ever etched in my mind... 

Wet 'N Wild MegaGlo highlighter- This is my blush!  Must use a light hand.

Everyday Minerals finishing dust- I'm not too sure if this is actually doing anything, but I think I've detected a bit of difference...possibly...  The jury's still out.

Maybeline Color Tatoo eyeshadow base in Bad to the Bronze- I've been using this everyday for the past 2 months!

Urban Decay's Bootycall eyeshadow- The perfect highlighter color for me.

Urban Decay's Busted eyeshadow- No more eyeliner pencils for me!  I've been using the eyeshadow liner method with this Naked II Palette color.

Urban Decay's Lush Lash mascara- A birthday gift from my sister, it does a great job of lengthening with no yucky clumpage.

Extras in my bag...

Covergirl Eye CC cream- I want to like this...I really want to like this.

Pixi Bronzer- I'm not so confident about my bronzer application skills, but I like to have the option handy.

Avon Lash Super Curlacious Mascara- I don't know why I still have this after using the Urban Decay mascara, but I do.

February Favs

February is finally over!  It may technically be the shortest month of the year, but I think that we can all agree that it's really the longest... Blah...

However, good things can and do happen in the very longest of months, so here is a collection of some of the small things that made my favorites list:

Beauty & Skincare...

1. Arbonne Makeup Primer- I've long been suspicious of make-up primers.  I knew that the really dedicated make-up ladies in my life swore by them, but when I tried a couple, I wasn't impressed.  Just another step, and I couldn't tell the difference!  That all changed after trying this primer at an Arbonne party.  This primer isn't white, like the ones I'd tried before.  It looked like a pinky toned gel (terrible description, I know), and made my skin feel amazing.  When I first started using it, I tended to forget about it now and then, and I could tell the difference!  Maybe not right away, but it definitely was noticeable throughout the day. 

2. Wet N' Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Powder- True to it's name, this highlighter/blush definitely makes my skin glow.  Almost to a fault, I must admit...  You can't be too heavy handed with this very shimmery little disc, but so far, I love this blush and have been using every day.  I just sweep my brush against the 2 middle colors when I use it.

3. Urban Decay Bootycall eyeshadow- Scandalous I know...  I'm embarrassed to even post this on my blog, but my love for this eyeshadow compels me!  It's only available in the Naked 2 palette, and is lovely.  It's a highlighting color with a pinkish hue that I use as an all-over eyelid color, usually with just a crease color.  Again, everyday, and contrary to it's name, the color is heavenly... couldn't resist!

4. Everyday Minerals mineral powder jojoba foundation in Bare- I received this as a sample when I ordered a pot of regular mineral foundation from Everyday Minerals, and honestly, like it so much better than what I bought!  Everyday Minerals allows you to choose 5 samples of foundation/blush/face powders with every order, or you can even just get the samples if you pay the shipping.

5. Philosophy's Loveswept- I found this in a perfume sample bag from Sephora at the beginning of the month, and have been using it exclusively since!  I bought a bottle at Ulta a couple weeks ago to seal the deal.  It's described as having a "soft floral scent," and I totally agree.  Soft and subtle.

Miscellaneous...

My iPad- Still loving my unnecessary Apple product!  In fact, I'm writing this blog post on it :)

Mystery Science Theater 3000- I'd been briefly introduced to this show in college, but hadn't watched an episode until this month, thanks to YouTube.  It's essentially a show that mocks bad B-movies, and ranges from hilarious to mildly entertaining depending on the movie.  It's amazing how many terrible movies are produced in this country!

Kashi GoLean Crisp Toasted Berry Crumble- Last month I opened a new box of Kashi GoLean Crunch granola, only to find GoLean crisp instead.  They'd mispackaged it, but I loved it!  I now have added that to my list of on hand cereals.

That's all folks!

The Perks of being a Beauty Insider

After almost a year of being a Sephora Beauty Insider, I have made my first purchase!  I signed up in August of last year to take advantage of the free Benefit birthday gift, and didn't intend to take so long to respond to the countless promotional emails I have received (one of the perks of being a beauty insider...and I mean that!)  But it's been difficult to shell out the $$$ that most of Sephora products require.  I love looking, and even bought a couple things...only to take them back both times.  Very sad...

But enough history, here's what I bought!

Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Fairly Light

That's it.  No really, that's all I bought!  Thanks to my Beauty Insider status, I was able to choose 3 free samples:

- Balenciaga Florabotanica Eau de Parfum Spray
- Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface
- Sunday Riley Good Genes Treatment

AND...  I could choose between 3 perfume sampler bags!

I chose the Day Date:

Fresh Fresh Life Eau de Parfum
Juicy Couture Malibu Eau de Toilette 
Philosopy Loveswept Eau de Toilette 
Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau de Parfum 
Narciso Rodriguez for her Eau de Toilette 
Hanae Mori Butterfly Eau de Toilette 
Prada Luna Rossa Eau de Toilette

If it wasn't already apparent...  I really just wanted all the samples :)  Let the perfume sampling begin!

p.s. Not sure if the Bare Minerals Foundation is quite the right shade...  Might have to make an exchange, but definitely not another return!  Enough of that.

My Skincare Secrets

1. Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser/Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub  2. Michael Todd Blue Green Algae Toner  3. Yes to Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel  4. Yes to Cucumbers Daily Calming Moisturizer  5. St. Ives Timeless Skin Moisturizer

My skin has been so unusually clear for the past month, that I've decided to share what I'd like to term "My Skincare Secrets."  Excitement!  Obviously, everyone's skin is unique, and what I'm presenting will not work for everyone, but at the moment, it's working for me!

To give a little background:

     I had fairly clear skin all the way through high school and college.  Yes, I was that girl that would admit that she only used make-up wipes to clean her skin...when she thought about it...  Yuck.

     Anyway...  

     However, as a college graduate, high school (or the stress of post-college reality) caught up with me, and I started breaking out on a regular basis.  Although not as severe as many people have, it seemed as if I was either in the middle of a breakout, or covering up what one left behind.  It wasn't until I started using a bit of benzoyl peroxide every night that things seemed to be in control.  I still had issues on a regular basis, but much smaller in scale.  That is, until about 2 months ago!  I went to an Arbonne make-over party, and haven't had an "issue" since!  I'm not sure exactly why, but about that time I started using the Say Yes to Cucumber line, so that's possibly the game changer.  That's the theory!  Huzzah!