Favorites: November

I can't believe November is already over! But that means Christmas is coming soon!! Here are my favorite makeup items from the past month that I have worn every day I've put on makeup.

My first favorite is something I have been stealing from my sister since I have been home from college-- Laura Mercier Loose Setting Powder in Translucent. Amazing. It keeps me matte all day long and isn't heavy or cake-y. Obsessed.






 Another thing I have been swiping from the little sis is her Smashbox Photo Finish Blemish Control Primer. I think I may have to go buy this. I was always skeptical of the Photo Finishes because I've heard that they break people out, but not this one! It really does help to keep your foundation and makeup on all day and now I know it won't cause any breakouts! 

I've had two different blushes that I have been switching back and forth between. If I'm not wearing one I'm wearing the other. The one on the left is Benefit's Hervana which is really nice if you have pale skin like me. When you swirl the 4 colors together it creates a really pretty dusty pink. The one on the right is also another boxed powder from Benefit called Dandelion. This one is really similar except it's slightly less pigmented. But (weird) it smells really good. It's got a floral scent, possibly smells like a dandelion? Not sure.. I am definitely buying this full size once I run out of my sample.

Next is a tried and true product that I just got back into the swing of using when I ran out of my previous eyeliner. Maybelline's Line Stiletto! Such a good one for winged eyeliner. This is from the drugstore so it's cheap and it works really well. Win-win! It glides on nicely, doesn't get sticky or clumpy, and it's got a quality consistency (not too watery or dry). Lasts all day, too!




Another drugstore favorite is the CoverGirl Flamedout Mascara. I previously reviewed this and I wasn't thrilled. But after using it for over a month, I can now say that I love it! It makes my eyelashes look amazing and I have no complaints. Here is my full review -- click me.

Something new I've been trying lately is filling in my brows. I have really light blonde hair so naturally my eyebrows are really light as well. Sometimes I want them to be a bit more bold but I cant go too harsh or they noticeably look fake. Using a pencil to fill them in is not the move for me, but I finally found something that works -- Benefit Gimme Brow! I'm in the shade light/medium and it gives me just enough color that my brows don't look so... clear... It's becoming a must have pretty much every day.


To take all of that off I've been using the ever-so-amazing, Simple Makeup remover wipes. I'll link my review here . These things are the bommmmb. They're oil balancing yet not drying! They don't break me out and they make my skin feel really soft. Couldn't be better.





Finally, I have two non-beauty favs.

1. Beanie hats. OBSESSED. My sister makes fun of me for wearing them but I don't even care. I think they're so cute and can look fashion forward. Since it's cold now I can wear them everyday, too! I got this one off of amazon for like $2, but you can find these pretty much anywhere these days.

2. LuluLemon leggings. I got my first pair for my birthday in September and before that I never understood why someone would spend upwards of $80 on leggings. Now I know. They are more comfortable than any other leggings I have and they can look decent (not like ew she's wearing leggings...) What I love most about them is that they're extra form fitting all the way down the leg so they look great with boots. The ones I have are the Wonder Under style.



What have been your favorite products from the month of November?

--Ms. Makeup

Review: Kardashain Beauty "Whip Lash Eyelash Health Mascara"

Whether you love them or hate them, the Kardashians are everywhere. And lets be real- when an episode of the Kardashians are on you can't not watch them (admit it!) Being a beauty junkie, I've always wanted to try their makeup line. I mean, they have professional makeup artists do their faces every day so they've got to know something! Well, I took the plunge and got two of their mascaras. And I'm happy to say I am really pleased! The one I'll be talking about in today's review is called Whip Lash Eyelash Health Mascara.

$9.99, Ulta

I decided to try this one because it has a really interesting brush. On one side is like a smaller version of the Maybelline Great Lash and on the other side it's got longer bristles that taper out towards the end.

I must say this mascara is pretty good... Its more lengthening than volumizing. I curled my lashes with my Sephora eyelash curler. I used the flat side first and coated all my lashes and then I went in with the longer side of the wand and it really lengthens your lashes. It's got the idea of Maybelline the Falsies, except better. Someone actually asked me if I was wearing false eyelashes! And for that I say, way to go Kardashians! It held up really well throughout the day, too. It came off a little bit on the bottom, but I touch my eyes a lot so this isn't surprising. This mascara would look even better if you first used one coat of a volumizing mascara and then did the flat side of the Whip Lash and then the longer side. My one complaint is that the formula is very dry and the tube is really small (extremely skinny, probably on purpose...) so I can see this running out quickly. Anyways, still a good product!

Test it out, it's worth the money!

--Ms. Makeup

Curled lashes

One coat Whip Lash

2 coats Whip Lash

After 6 hours

 

Favorites: October

I am going to start doing monthly favorites posts, so let's start it off with October!

My first favorite comes from Benefit Cosmetics, my favorite makeup brand. It's the Sizzlin' Six set ($27, Ulta.) I love everything in this. I was originally going to buy the Porefessional primer and Benetint, but then I found this! The kit comes with all the classic Benefit items: Bad Gal Lash, Dandelion Blush & Gloss, Porefessional, Benetint, and Girl Meets Pearl Highlight. All of these products are great and worth the money! If you've never tried anything from Benefit then I would suggest this set. I've been using Dandelion everyday- soo pretty!

My next fav is the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness foundation. This stuff is greaaaattt. I've been using it every day I have worn makeup for the past 2 weeks or so and it always looks really good. It's super natural but covers incredibly! Here is a link to the post I made solely to this product: IT

Maybelline DreamLumi Concealer has saved my life this month. My skin has been really bad recently and this stuff covers every blemish right up. It's really really creamy and smooth, the perfect consistency! Also really inexpensive. This is a must have from the drugstore!

I bought my first product from NuMe in September. I got the Classic curling wand and flat iron for $69!!! Together they retail for almost $400, soo I scored hard core. The straightener is good, but the wand is GREAT. It's clip-less so it makes it really easy to curl your hair and I'm just obsessed with it! YouTubers always have amazing coupon codes for all NuMe products, especially itsbl0ndie (Casey Homes). Here is her channel.

My final makeup favorite is doing a simple eye. I have been really into curling my lashes, doing a winged liner and adding some mascara. It's quick and easy and always a go to. I've also been liking pencil liner, surprisingly. I'm usually just a pen liner girl, but not this month! Free tip: it helps to put black shadow over the line with a really thin pencil brush.

Music favorite! JOHN LEGEND. My roommate and I are going to his concert this Sunday and I cannot wait. His voice is smooth as silk, one of the most beautiful voices I have heard in a long time. My two favorite songs by him are currently All Of Me and Made To Love. Another music favorite is Spotify. I've had it for about a month now and I am completely addicted. I will rarely buy a song from iTunes now because Spotify allows you to listen to whatever you want as long as you are connected to the internet- genius!

That's it for my favorites! What have you been loving this past month?

-- Ms. Makeup

Top 10

For my very first post on Ms. Makeup I wanted to do my Top 10 all time favorites. If I were stranded on a deserted island and I could only take 10 beauty products, these are the lucky ones that would get to come along (excluding makeup brushes.)This includes makeup, hair, skin, etc. I will continue to purchase these things until I find that I have found something of better quality. 

Here we go!

1. Cetaphil Dermacontrol Oil Control Foam Wash. ($12.99, CVS)

This is my favorite face wash of all time. I've been using it for about a year and a half and I have never used something on my skin that I love so much. It doesn't break me out. It doesn't make my skin dry, but it doesn't make me oily either. It doesn't give that horrible tight feeling once you've dried your face.It smells nice. It's just the best. It was developed by dermatologists, so I trust it for my combo/oily skin.

2. Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque ($33, Ulta)

Okay, first off this product smells unbelievable. It needs to be made into a perfume asap. But besides that, this conditions my coarse hair like nothing else. It is very expensive but it can last me a little over 6 months if I use it sparingly. I have never met anyone that didn't love this stuff. It makes your hair beyond soft. I don't know what they put in this stuff, but it is seriously a miracle. I have bought 4 tubs of this stuff, but am currently out. I need it back in my life. You can always find it on amazon.com for much cheaper (around $17 if you look hard enough!)

3. Blow Pro Faux Dry Shampoo ($20, Ulta)

I have used almost every canned dry shampoo from the drug store and I have yet to find one that I love. So, instead of buying a bunch of cans that don't last long, make my scalp itchy, and really don't work, I would rather buy a more expensive one that works wonders. I prefer the powder kind because since I am blonde, it blends into my hair very easily. I wouldn't recommend this if you have dark hair. I can almost always find this at TJMaxx for about half the price and it's usually in the old packaging, which I prefer. No matter what I do, my hair is dirty the next night after showering. But with Blow, I am able to go 2, sometimes 3 days without washing my hair, which is amazing! It adds volume and literally makes it look like I just took a shower. It doesn't have a scent but that doesn't bother me. (Old packaging is on the left, current packaging on the right. Old is better.)

4. Urban Decay NAKED Palette ($52, Sephora)

This product is very over hyped, but for good reason. It is so wearable with a wide variety of shades. Sin, Naked, Sidecar, and Darkhorse are my personal favorites. I have had it for almost 2 years and I have only hit pan on Sin, and I use this thing all the time. Its long lasting and the shadows are great. Urban Decay has amazing color payoff and they last all day (with a primer, of course!) I feel like every skin tone could use this and that is why I like it better than the Naked 2. I don't gravitate towards that one as much.

5. Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Lip Moisture Balm ($10, Sephora)

AMAZING. Hands down the best thing I have ever used for my lips. First off, it smells and kind of tastes like peaches. Sold. I put it on before bed and it makes my lips so smooth and never chapped! I don't know what's in this to make it so smooth! And it's not sticky at all, in my opinion, though I've heard people complain about that. Feels like butter. Must have. 

6. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder ($8.99, CVS)

I have pretty oily skin, so this powder is a must have. It works better than any high end powder I have tried. I am in the shade medium beige. The best thing about it is that it doesn't clog my pores and it lasts a really long time on the skin. Also, this is the most finely milled powder, so you cant even see it on your face, it just makes it look great!

7. Buxom Mascara ($19, Sephora)

I don't think I will ever find a mascara that I love more than this one. I have bought 4 or 5 tubes and I will never stop buying this product. It has a really big plastic wand that makes my lashes so long, dark, full, and beautiful. The consistency is right in between being wet and dry. The only complaint I have is that it sometimes gets on my upper lash line, I think because the brush is so thick, but a quick swipe with a q-tip takes it right off. It has a nice stopper, too. Drug store mascaras don't compare at all to Buxom, so if you're willing to spend the money, this is a must have. I've heard people say it compares to Maybelline the Rocket, but I do not see the similarity. 

8. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner ($18, Sephora)

This felt tip liner is super long lasting and a very dark black. It creates an extremely precise line that is very buildable. I was horrible at winged liner until I found this baby. The stick is very thin, so that makes it easy for me to hold and the liner lasts all day long. 

9. Maybelline DreamLumi Touch Highlighting Concealer ($7.99, CVS)

I love love love this product because it can act as two things- a highlight and a concealer. I use it for under my eyes/ down the sides of my nose and it makes me look up & at em'! I am in the shade Ivory 320, so it's pretty light, but I have fair skin. It has a nice consistency and it's very blendable.

10. Revlon Just Bitten LipStain ($9.29, CVS)
I hate the feeling of lip stick, so I always gravitate towards a stain. I have the colors Passion and Gothic. I love these things. They come with a marker and a balm to give a little shine. When I use these, I can't even feel them on my lips, and they last hours without reapplying! They don't taste bad and they have amazing color payoff! Gothic is a very true, deep red and Passion is a hot pink.

What are your Top 10 beauty essentials?

-- Ms. Makeup