What's In My Bag

Ooooo, I'm gonna give you a little sneak peak into my bag!  I love reading/watching What's In My Bag posts because 1. I'm nosy and 2. I always find the best tips out of posts like that.  I love the idea of having the perfect little emergency kit in my bag at all times and I get the best ideas from other bloggers.

I use a small black zip bag to store all my beauty bits.  This one happens to be from Ipsy and it's the perfect size.  You can really find these anywhere and they're great to keep everything corralled in the same place.  

Ok here's what I have on hand:

Spend Your Pennies: Elf Daily Brush Cleaner

Time for another round of Save Your Pennies/Spend Your Pennies!!  Glad to report, I got another a "Spend Your Pennies" this week.  It's the Elf Daily Brush Cleaner! 

I bought this little nugget on a whim while at Target one day (as most things at Target are purchased, I suppose) because it was cheap and I'm soooooo (ooooooo) lazy when it comes to cleaning my makeup brushes.  I mean, I eventually get around to it but I wait FAR too long.  

The idea behind this product is that it's meant to be spritzed on makeup brushes daily to clean and disinfect them.  The weird thing is, Elf never includes ingredients on their packaging so I actually have no clue what's in it.  I will say, it smells squeaky clean (and the smell sticks around for awhile, FYI) so it makes me think it's getting the job done.  And, from what I can tell, it removes some leftover makeup residue on my foundation and cream blush brushes.  However, I would never let this fully replace a good brush cleaning.  But it does let me sneak a few extra days before the next cleaning.  

All in all, I'm really pleased with the Elf Daily Brush Cleaner and at $3, you should Spend Your Pennies! 

July Beauty Favorites

It's that time again laaaddiiees!  July Favorites!  Woo!  I should also note that I've still been loving the heck out of all my June favorites too.  Ok let's get started.  

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush and Shading Brush: These are my first Real Techniques brushes and I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!  Until now, I've mostly owned pretty cheap brushes.  I mean, they got the job done and they were decent but when I saw a Buy One Get One 50% Off sale at Ulta, I immediately scoped these up.  I kept hearing about them on all the blogs I follow and they definitely live up to the hype.  And now, of course, I want the whole collection.

NYX Matte Finish:  I mentioned this setting spray in my Ulta Haul and I've definitely used it every day since purchasing.  Like I mentioned, it's not a miracle spray and I still get a little shine by the end of the day but I can confidently say that this keeps my makeup in place all day without the drooping eyeshadow/blush look.  Totally affordable and effective.  

L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense: Ok so given my strong feelings about another L'Oreal product, you might think I'm an idiot for trying another one but this is the version that Makeup By Tiffany D actually recommends and I can see why.  I've actually heard mixed reviews on this but I've found that it doesn't smudge at all on me and it doesn't lose pigmentation through out the day.  Plus, it's easy to apply.  It's a win for me.

NYX Cream Blush in Tea Rose:  So I don't think I need to drone on and on about my NYX Cream Blush obsession anymore since I seem to mention it on a weekly basis.  But I wanna give a shout out to Tea Rose because I think it's the most wearable every-day shade.  It reads a little dark in the pan but on the cheeks it's a lovely warm rosey color and just subtle enough to go with most anything.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Brightening:  So I deffiintely bought the wrong version of this the first time I purchased it.  It worked alright though the color was a bit off.  As soon as I tried the brightening version though, welp I was sold.  At first it seems almost shockingly pink but once it's blended, it brightens up the under-eye like whoa.  Ah-mah-zing.

Milani Lipstick Chilled Brandy:  In reality, I could have listed all of the Milani lipsticks but I narrowed it down to a very un-summer color which is fabulous.  I just tried Milani lipsticks for the first time this month and I can't believe I've waited this long.  They are so well pigmented and they really don't dry my lips out at all (which I ALWAYS have problems with).  At about $5 a piece, they're an amazing steal.  I basically want the whole collection.

Elf Makeup Remover Pen:  I ordered this pen online, from Elf's website, months and months ago.  I actually didn't entirely know what it was but it was $3 and I figured I'd find a way to put it to use.  It's pretty much makeup remover in a spongey tip applicator pen and it's so perfect for clean up around the eye.  No matter how many times I use liquid eye liner, I still always have an unsteady hand so this pen has saved me many a time from just dunking my face in the sink and starting over again.   

theBalm Nude 'tude Eyeshadow Palette:  The second I saw this palette mentioned in a YouTube video, I was immediately on the hunt for it.  I managed to find it online for $20 and I think I've used it every.single.day since I got it.  Neutrals are my jam for life and this palette does not disappoint.  It's even got a great deep magenta shade that's really wearable.  I already know this will be a longtime fave for me.  

Welp, that's all I got ladies gents.  What have you been loving this month?