LORAC Skinny Palette in Navy

I was so excited when I originally found the palette, (you can check out that post here)as I felt gypped not being able to get the nude version from Nordstrom's. I wish I would have waited for the Nude rather than jumping the gun with the Navy. While the Shadows swatch great, but once on the eye they aren't as pigmented.

above in natural light, below flash

The grey color (#3) is by far the creamiest of the 7 shadows, doesn't blend as well as I would have thought. None of the shadows are great when it comes to blending, they are ok. The dark blue color (#6) has bigger sparkle than I was expecting, and wish it was a little more finely milled. And the Gold color swatches much more brown than I was expecting. I know this palette was only $15; but I really expected more from LORAC, especially since the Pro Palette is so popular. Overall it is a meh product, not amazing but not terrible, and I wouldn't repurchase. But I have heard good things about the Nude palette and if considering one, I would suggest going for that. I am pretty disappointed in my first LORAC palette.

NARS Portobello Duo

$34 for 4g

I finally got my first NARS eyeshadow duo, and the only person I have to blame bedsides myself, is the youtuber Essiebutton. If you haven't watched some of her videos you should definitely go check them out. In one of her vlogs a month back or so she mentioned that she was wearing NARS Portobello eyeshadow duo and it looked gorgeous. The huge mirror in the top of the compact is great, especially for travel or touchups on the go. While in the pan the colors look almost identical, both being a matte light/medium brown, and almost kind of boring.

But these colors are anything but once you put them on. I would have posted a picture of them on, but unfortunately my face is still really swollen from getting my wisdom teeth out, and nobody wants to see that. I will post a FOTD with the duo once the swelling is down. These colors are perfect for school or work, creating a great neutral eye. The colors are neutral almost verging on cool toned browns that would look great on almost everyone. Unlike some matte shades these are incredibly creamy and blend out beautifully. I would warn you though, these are incredibly pigmented and you should use a light hand to start out with.

Lorac Skinny Palette is Back!

If you were like me this year at the Nordstrom's Anniversary sale you immediately checked out the beauty section. While I was there I saw a beautiful LORAC palette for $15! Ok; calm down Ali, you have wanted the LORAC Pro palette for a while now, and while it isn't the pro it is a very pretty palette for only $15, and LORAC is supposed to have amazing quality eyeshadows. So I decided once I could, that I would snatch up that palette.

Taken from Nordstrom's

Unfortunately it was not meant to be, as when I looked online about 2 days after the sale was open to everyone, it was gone. I even called a couple stores near me to check and see if it was really gone everywhere, and unfortunately it was. I was honestly really disappointed in Nordstrom that they wouldn't anticipate the amount of customers for this product and had it sell out so quickly. But yesterday I got my wisdom teeth out and have spent most of the day sleeping and online shopping, and guess what I stumbled upon.

Navy Skinny Palette available at Zappos.com

While it in't the original one I had my eye on, it looks gorgeous, and is still just $15! This is the Navy version, and the Nordstrom's was the Nude. With the LORAC Pro Palette you get .32 oz of product for $42, but with the skinny you get .45 oz for $15, it is a great beauty steal. You can buy it here for $15 and free shipping! Once it arrives I will due a review on the shadows and tell you what I think.

Sephora 2x, 3x, and 4x Points!

Sephora is offering 2x for Beauty Insiders, 3x for VIBs, and 4x for VIB Rouge, which is tempting me to splurge and buy something on my wish list. If you haven't, you should definitely check it out.

Some of the items I have had my eye on for a while are

Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick Duo in Vivid

I love that all of Bite's products are made from food grade ingredients, and these colors look really fun. And to get 2 lipsticks for $12 at Sephora, I don't think it's half bad. You get .1 oz total, and considering their full size lipsticks are .13oz and $24, it's a pretty good deal. I haven't tried their products yet and think this would be a great intro product.

Bite Agave Lip Mask

My lips have been very dried out recently and this looks like heaven. The Agave Lip Mask is supposed to be amazingly hydrating and great to put on right before bed, but at $26 for a glorified chap stick I am not %100 convinced it is worth it. Although all the reviews I have read are glowing.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar in Prissy in Pink

Obsessive Compulsive Lips Tars, these are supposed to have amazing staying power and the variety of colors is just awesome. They seem to have everything from light pink to dark blue/black. You can mix them together to get your custom color or just use the color from the tube. This pack of two is $14, and .14oz total, while their normal size is .33oz and $18, you are paying much more for this smaller size per ounce. (although I have heard that Impulse cosmetics makes an awesome dupe of these for $7, which is much better than the normal $18) These are also cruelty free and Vegan, which is something I wish more brands would do.

Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pressed Powder (also available in loose)

I have really big pores around my nose, even the POREfessional doesn't completely erase them (I know that is improbable but my quest is to get those pores as small as possible). This powder is supposed to, just as its name says minimize the appearance of fine lines and pores. $30

Just a reminder I don't own these products and haven't in the past so these aren't full review, just my hopeful ideals on new makeup.

All pictures taken from Sephora.com

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow

Ok, I caved. It seems that every beauty blog I read has some mention of Stila's Kitten eyeshadow. Now I know why, it is gorgeous. I love the pinky champagne color and the amazing shimmer/sparkle, it seems like it would suit a variety of skin tones.

 My only complaint is that if used without a primer you get some fallout, and you might have to clean up your under eyes after. But you can really use this everywhere, inner corner highlight, all over the lid, or  brow highlighter.

Stila Kitten swatch

While it is on the expensive side at $18, you get 2.6 grams which is much more than MAC's 1.5 grams, I now understand why it is considered a 'cult classic' of the makeup world.

Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain

This product is great, it is like a weird hybrid between a lipstick and a gloss. It goes on thick and with shine when you initially put it on. Although it is thick their is no stickiness that you get with a gloss, although it still looks like one. You will get about 2 hours of the lipstick/lipgloss look till you are just left with the stain. I am not a huge fan of the stain that is left behind, it fades strange. After a couple hours I end up looking like I lined my lips and forgot to do anything else.

Cannes Crush

Barcelona Nights

Barcelona Nights has more of a berry undertone than Cannes Crush which is very pink.

Parisian Passion

Parisian Passion was a little hard to put on; it got a little patchy, and it took a little working with but once it was on it looked great!

Foundation That is Better for Your Skin

When looking for a foundation, something we take for granted is the long term affect on our skin. Foundation with oil in it can end up clogging your pores and causing acne and other problems. A foundation without oil is non comedogenic, or not tending to clog pores. As someone with sensitive skin it is really important for me to make sure the foundation and concealer that I use is non comedogenic, otherwise, well... bad things happen. I noticed a vast improvement in my skin when switching to Tarte's Amazonian clay foundation from a drugstore one with oil in it. So if you feel like no matter how you change up your skin care routine, you are still having skin problems, check your makeup.

Here are some of my suggestions for an oil free foundation

Left to right; Tarte Amazonian Clay, Rimmel Clean Fresh, Jouer Matte Moisture Tint,
Neutrogena Skin Clearing
Images taken from Sephora/walgreens

Stila Natural Finish, Nars Sheer Glow
Images taken from Sephora

Topshop's Glow Highlighter in Polish

While browsing Topshops website, I finally caved in and bought some of their makeup. I have heard such good things about it; and I really couldn't resist the packaging anymore, it's too cute. I bought the Glow highlighter in Polish, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I am really pleased with it!

The glow highlighter is a yellow/golden-based cream highlighter with an iridescent sheen. I take my ring finger and just lightly dab it on my cheekbones and cupids bow, a little goes a long way with this product. And it does give me this dewy gleam without going overboard. This is a perfect no fuss highlighter for summer.

DiorShow Black Out Mascara

Initially I was very disappointed in this product. While very black like the name says it is has a lot of extra product on the wand.

Unless I want really clumped together lashes I have to scrape off the excess on the side of the tube. I don’t feel like I have the time to make sure I have taken enough product off of the wand to avoid lash clumping. If I do take the time, I really like how the mascara looks. Once I had the mascara for a couple weeks it dried out a bit and the clumping problem was gone! I didn't have to scrape off excess product and it worked great. I won't be buying this product again, I feel like for the money, I shouldn't have to wait weeks for the product to dry out to get what I want. ($25 for .33oz)

Bare lashes                     DiorShow Blackout

Soap and Glory's Sexy Mother Pucker in Fuchsia-Ristic

Almost the name alone convinced me to buy it. This vibrant pink is perfect for summer and I love the glossy finish. The product isn’t sticky unlike other glosses; it has an opaque pink color that is just great for this time of year; and also gives the illusion of fuller lips. I wish the wear on this product was a little longer, but after an hour or two once the glossy finish fades and it leaves a nice pink stain behind.  

Even thought this product is more expensive than a drug store lip gloss I think it pays off with color and consistency. 

Bare Lips

Fuchsia-Ristic

     

I really wish we had more Soap and Glory products in the US; because the British beauty bloggers seem to rave about their One Heck of a Blotter powder or their concealer, which I would love to get my hands on. (glossy stain $18 for .09oz 3 colors available)

Dior Addict Lip Glow

I love a good tinted lip balm and this is one of the best! This product is supposed to create your perfect pink by reacting with the chemistry of your lips. And it truly does. Not only will you have the perfect pink pout; your lips will be nourished by mango butter and protected by SPF 15. This is my go to lip product, and wish they would bring back the coral shade so I can get one more! The pictures just don't do it justice, it is slightly brighter in person. ($32 for .12oz)

With the Lip Glow                                 Natural lips

Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper

Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner in Trooper kinda kicks some ass. Seriously though, it is super black and doesn’t budge, and this is coming from a girl with oily eyelids. This is what I expect from a company when they call their liner; a tattoo liner. It doesn’t set completely matte, but it doesn’t have that sheen that some other black liners will give you.

This isn't your momma's liner, because this allows for a seriously bad ass flick. The brush tip is really awesome allowing for a thin line, and holds up. This means that with use my eyeliner hasn’t gotten squished at the top or is now ridiculously bendy, and over all, just crap. It doesn’t have the wear and tear that a felt tip eyeliner can get after just a couple of uses. ($18 for .02oz)