Holiday Red Lips For Every Gal

'Tis the season for red lips, my friends.  Be not afraid.  There is a red lip out there for you.  

Well, actually, they're right on your face but you know what I mean.  

As makeup obsessed as I am, even I tend to shy away from rep lipstick most of the time.  It's a bold look to pull off and can sometimes be fussy to maintain all day long.  However, there's a whole world of formulas fit for every for every gal and I've got a few that are listed amongst my faves.  

Milani Bella Gel Powder Eyeshadow

I'm generally not one for drugstore eyeshadows (Maybelline Color Tattoos aside).  I swear I'm not snooty, I've just never really been super impressed with the ones I've tried.  Of course, there are always exceptions and I've got my share of Wet N' Wild palettes and a few L'Oreal Infallible shadows but they're just not ones I reach for on a daily basis.  When it comes to eyeshadows, my (not so) secret pleasure is nice "high-end" palettes.  I love the packaging (<<< sucker) and I love the built-in color "guides."  I find creating eye looks easier when working from a palette because the palette does half the work for you.  And, yes, you're likely to plunk down some serious moolah but nice palettes last ffoorreevverrr.  Like, years.  I consider it money well spent.  

August Beauty Favorites

This will be the last batch of summer beauty faves!  I can't say I'm disappointed.  Fall will forever have my heart and I'm ready for dark lips and sweaters.  

Let's take a peaky-poo at what was on my mug this last month.  

Ok shower stuff first:

Juicy Summer Lips

Yaaassss girl.  Summer lips.  

Whenever summer rolls around, I always think that summer makeup, lips in particular,  are my favorite kind of makeup.  And then fall rolls around and I think fall is best.  And then winter and then spring.  

But today it's summer and boy have we got some juicy shades to discuss.  I did a sweep of my collection to grab my favorite coraly-pinkish-orangey shades in gloss and lipstick formulas.  The result is a real beaute.  

March Beauty Favorites

Pardon the bit of hiatus in the last week and a half.  I attempted to start a post a few times and I certainly thought about blogging a lot more than that but my brain was like nope.  No thanks.  In fact, my brain is still pretty nope but I'm just gonna power through.  Bear with me.  It will be an adventure for us all.  

Ok, let's get to it.  March beauty faves.  I had a pretty great month for discovering new products and perfecting old routines.  Here we go! 

Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm
I've heard about this lip balm so.many.times and always assumed it was super pricey based solely on the fact that it's French.  When I finally got around to investigating it a bit, I realized it's quite affordable for a quality lip balm that will practically last me a lifetime.  The texture is quite different from other balms.  It actually feels a bit dry and even slightly grainy going on but it absorbs instantly, dries matte and leaves my lips baby soft.  It's a morning and evening staple for me.  

Boots Facial Oil
My first go at facial oils! Being naturally oily, it always felt wrong to think of putting oil on my skin.  But I had been reading and hearing so many good things about facial oils lately, that I decided it might be worth trying.  I wasn't willing to commit to a pricey oil yet so I found this Boots version from Ulta online for $9, right in my budget!  It's so gentle and moisturizing without leaving me greasy at all.  In fact, it may be reducing my oil production during the day since I'm properly hydrated.  I'm a convert.  

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation in Light Ivory
After hearing a lot of great reviews for this foundation, I bought it back in February but couldn't quite figure out the best application.  I assumed it just didn't suit my skin and almost gave up! I gave it one last go (with the help of the next fave below) and now I get it.  A little goes a long way and blend blend blend to a beautiful matte finish.  

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
I've always wanted to try the Beauty Blender but I just can't drop $20 on a sponge.  Mama's gotta eat, afterall.  So when Real Techniques came out with a sponge for about $6, I scooped it up asap.  I don't strictly use the sponge for my foundation but I do use it as a final step to fully blend my foundation and concealer.  I dampen the sponge, squeeze it out, and bump it along my face to fully blend my base.  

The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in 02
This deserves another quick mention (in addition to last month) since I'm loving it so much.  We're baarreelly hitting spring here in Chicago and that means I'm pasty as ever.  This subtle bronzer warms up my skin without making me look like I've taken up fake-n-bake tanning.

Milani Illuminating Face Powder
I bought this entirely on a whim and almost exclusively because I liked the pretty rose pattern.  I think it's marketed as a highlighter for darker skin but it makes the most beautiful blush on my pale skin.  It's warm and bronzey with a slight dewy sheen.  It's been on my cheeks practically all month.  

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Nothing too exciting here guys.  My trusty Naked palette.  My go-to shade is Naked, it's been my transition shade allllllll month long.  I always add in a little Buck for extra depth too.  

Lorac Pro Palette

Keeping it real boring on the eyes this month with some ol' favorites.  The Lorac Pro Palette is the ultimate palette, in my humble opinion.  It's just got everything I need and I've really been reaching for Champagne and Nude all March long. 

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess
Why did I ever stop using this mascara?  What led me astray?  I don't know but I won't let it happen again.  This stuff is the absolute best for volume, length, pigment, and staying power.  

Benefit Gimme Brow
This stuff.  My brow routine has been taken to a whole new level, y'all.  (< Most boring sentence ever?).  I always used an inexpensive clear mascara to set my brows but Gimme Brow just spoke to me.  It's the best setting gel, pigmented and precise, that keeps my brows in place all day long.  Nary a hair out of place.  It's the little things.  

Milani Brilliant Shine in Bare Secret
I'm having a bit of a Milani love affair at the moment.  This gloss is super affordable, well pigmented and not too sticky.  It's the best pinky-brown shade for days when I have no clue what to wear on my lips.  Which is often.  

Buxom Lip Gloss in Sophia
This was a freebie from Sephora and I was soooooo pleased to see it.  Every time I go to Sephora I convince myself not to spend the money on them but they really are awesome.  Be warned, these lip glosses are super tingly (which I love) but they're beautifully pigmented, super long lasting, and not super sticky.  

So what have you been loving in March?

Attack of the Plums!

Plums!  Plums everywhere!  I'm ready to whole-heartedly embrace some plum colors for fall since I think they tend to flatter me best.  Corals and pinks are fun and all but fall and winter shades are really my jam.  Here are a few of my faves:

1.  Rimmel Show Off Lip Laquer in Galaxy
Have you heard of the phrase "your lips but better"?  It's that perfect shade of lip color that's just a smidge better than your own lips and looks perfect.  Well this isn't quite that.  It's certainly darker then my natural lips but it's still a perfect slliightly purple tone.  

2.  Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine
Despite the (in my opinion) somewhat silly name, the formula of these Dream Bouncy blushes is just great.  I'm a ride or die cream blush girl and this line has some gorgeous shades.  Plum Wine in particular is a wonderful rich plum that I love pairing with a simple cat eye and a light plum or natural lip.  

3.  Maybelline Great Lash in Vision in Violet  
Oooo what fun!  Colored mascara!  Now I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of the formulation of Great Lash mascaras.  I think they don't provide much volume and can sometimes be wet.  However, when it comes to fun shades like this, I like to layer it on top of my usual mascara for an extra pop of color.  For around $5, it's an easy way to make an eye look a bit more fun. 

4.  Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum
This shade reminds me a lot of the Rimmel Show Off shade but slightly less glossy.  It's certainly not matte and it has a lovely sheen.  Just like the Show Off, I reach for this a lot when I'm going for a mostly neutral look but I'm still looking for a slightly darker lip.  

5.  Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten
While it may read a bit red in the picture, this is actually a super pretty plum-y fuchsia and it really packs a punch.  I've found the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains to have a very long lasting formula that can occasionally be drying.  Just be sure to moisturize well before applying and you'll be set.  

6.  Maybelline Baby Lips in Grape Vine
I LOVE this stuff.  I think I've gone through two tubes already and I'm on my way to a third.  Not only are these wonderfully moisturizing, they actually have decent pigmentation.  This provides a great wash of plum to the lips and it's my go-to product for weekends.  Crazy easy.  

7.  Milani Lipstick in Sangria
I feel like Milani lipstick is really an undiscovered gem for most people.  I can't really speak to the rest of the Milani line but I'm crazy about their lipsticks.  The pigmentation is wonderful, they're not drying, and they have decent long-lasting wear.  This shade may look a little intimidating in the tube but it's a very wearable deep plum and it's pretty much THE perfect shade for fall and winter.  

What are your favorite plums this season? 

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?