Makeup Monday: 5 Items Worth the Splurge

Last week I talked about some of my favorite drugstore cosmetics and my favorite items if you're wanting basics or to save money.  Today I'm going to swing the opposite direction and discuss my favorite high-end products and what I think is worth the extra money.

Worth the splurge... 

Naked Palettes - I have 3 of the 4 UD Naked palettes (the only one I don't have is the original).  I didn't pay full price for any of mine, but waited until I had points to redeem at Ulta, a coupon, or a gift card (or some combination).  If I weren't such a makeup junkie (or had better self control) I could probably function with one of these as my sole eye shadow collection.  These give great variety, work for any season, and you can create tons of looks.  There are a lot of neutral palettes out there right now that I know are also good quality that will give you the same versatility.  (Honorable Mention:  Too Faced Natural Eye palette ~  I haven't had mine that long, but it's pretty amazing and less pricey than the 3 big Naked palettes.)

Nars Blush - After several years I finally gave in and bought the Nars "Orgasm" blush and it was totally worth it.  I've never really been one for high-end blushes, but this one has such a great reputation that I figured it was worth it.  It's very versatile and I have a feeling it's going to last me a LONG time!

Clarisonic - I purchased a Clarisonic Mia 2 about a year and a half ago and love it!  I did my research on other face brushes and while there are some other good and less expensive ones out there, Clarisonics came very highly recommended.  Once again, I waited until Sephora had a coupon out (it happens about twice a year), so I didn't quite pay full price for mine.  

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners - I'd never tried a high-end eyeliner until I picked up an UD trio at Sephora.  I'm typically content with my $3 and under eyeliners from Walgreens, but had noticed with spring and allergy season that they weren't holding up so well.  I don't wear my UD liners everyday, but when I know I need my liner to stay looking good for a longer period of time, these are the ones I reach for!

Primers - I've become a pretty big believer in primers over the past few years.  I've noticed I'm a lot happier with my makeup when I prime and it makes my look last a lot longer.  I think investing in a good primer is worth it because it really can affect how the rest of your makeup performs.  I love Benefit's Porefessional and Smashbox's Photo Finish Light for my face.  I seem to have endless samples of eyeshadow primers and really like the ones from Urban Decay, Too Faced, and The Balm.

If you're going to drop extra money on a makeup or skincare item, do your research and make sure it's something that you know you'll like.  None of these things were items that I just tossed into the basket on bought on a whim...  I looked at reviews, tutorials, and swatches online as well as looked at them in store (multiple times) before committing to the purchase.  All of my splurges are also pretty basic items that I knew would give me versatility.

What items do you think are worth the splurge? 

Makeup Monday: Basics Under $10

Makeup Basics featuring Wet n Wild

I have been asked a couple times recently about what inexpensive makeup items would be good for someone new to makeup / someone who doesn't wear it often / someone who lost theirs and needs quick replacements. I wear a mix of high-end and drugstore brands, but this got me thinking about my favorite drugstore items and that I consider to be good basics.

Top to Bottom:

Maybelline Color Whispers - I'm not really a lipstick girl, but these are a total essential for me.  They give good color without being too heavy.  I have so many of these and always have at least 1 or 2 in my purse!

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer - This is one that all of the You Tubers rave about and it lives up to the hype.  It's a really nice matte bronzer that's just enough to help you blend and add a little color without turning yourself into a complete bronzed goddess.

Dark Brown Eyeliner - I have a few brands that I enjoy for good, inexpensive eyeliner.  I like dark browns for a less harsh look (especially when I'm going with a lighter or more neutral look.  Prestige, Ulta, and Jordana are probably my favorite brands!

Cover Girl Clear Complexion Concealer - This is a really good does everything concealer.  It's one of my favorites to keep in my purse for on-the-go touch ups throughout the day.

Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation - This is my current favorite foundation.  The coverage is amazing and I really can go without concealer at all most of the time when I wear this foundation.  

NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray - I find this to be very comparable with Urban Decay's All Nighter and De-Slick sprays for a lot less money!

Wet 'N Wild Eye Shadow Trios - This is another item that I was introduced to thanks to You Tube.  I've kind of  become an eye shadow snob since discovering  Urban Decay and Too Faced, but these babies hold their own in my makeup collection. They have a great variety of colors, the pigmentation is awesome, and I think most of the time they run about $1.99 for a trio!

ELF Studio Blush - The blushes cost only $3 each, but they've earned a top spot in my makeup collection.  I think these might be the only blushes I've completely finished and repurchased!

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara - This mascara is perfect if you're wanting full, pretty, natural looking lashes.  It isn't going to give you tons of drama, but that's actually why I like have having this one in my collection!

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser - I'll admit that this is the only drugstore primer I've ever tried, so I really didn't have any other suggestions for primers.  This one is a great bargain and really does a pretty good job without the cost of the high-end primers that you find elsewhere.  

What are your favorite drugstore makeup brands / items?  

Makeup Monday: Ulta and Sephora Haul!

Recent Makeup Buys

A couple months back I wrapped up my 100 day ban on buying makeup and nail polish.  It just so happened that this ended right at the same time both Ulta and Sephora had coupons out.  

(In case you're not aware, Sephora has a Beauty Insider / VIB sale twice a year...  Once in April and again in November.  Otherwise, their brands are pretty much always full price unless you happen to catch a rare clearance find.  Ulta has coupons all the time, but only 2 or 3 times a year do they include the "prestige brands" into those deals.)

I like a mix of high-end and drugstore brands of makeup, so I like to take advantage of these deals when I want to add some fancier brand products to my collection.  I must admit, I went a little crazy, but I'm super happy with everything I purchased.  All of these products are good everyday essentials that I felt were worthy additions to my makeup collection.

Naked Basics Palette - I love my Naked 2 and 3 palettes and have found myself more drawn to the matte shades than I would have thought.  While I wasn't super excited about this one when it came out a year or so ago, I'm so happy I bought it!  It's a definite winner!

Too Faced "Mascara & Bronzing Holy Grail" Set - I've heard a TON of good reviews of the "Better Than Sex" mascara from Too Faced.  This set came with a full sized mascara and good sized mini of their bronzer for the same size as the lone mascara.  So far I really like both of these!

Urban Decay "Triple Threat" Eyeliner Trio - Other than a couple samples, I've never had a high end eyeliners before.  I usually get super cheap ones, but I've noticed more lately that some of those don't last that well throughout the day.  I spotted this little trio at the checkout at Sephora and decided to give it a try.  I like that it's 2 blacks (regular and matte) and a navy, so I got some good, but basic variety.  I've used these the past few days and see why people rave about their quality!  These definitely stay put throughout the day!

Nars "Orgasm" Blush - This one gets rave reviews all the time and I've wanted it for several years now.  I finally went for it and I'm so happy I did!  It's a beautiful color and I now understand how some people say this is most versatile blush out there.

Nars "Orgasm" Lip Gloss -  I've never purchased anything from Nars until now, but this may become a new brand I'll come to love.  I spotted this one when I was picking out my blush and thought it was a gorgeous shimmery nude.  This stuff stays on amazingly well throughout the day, even through sipping drinks and eating lunch.

Smashbox "Quartz" Limitless 15 Hour Cream Shadow -  I have 2 of these already and use them everyday as a base for my powder eye shadows.  I wanted this color for it's pink tone to work with the colors in my Naked 3 palette.  This one has a little more of a shimmery glittery tone than the others, so I've actually been wearing it alone a fair amount!

Real Techniques Blush Brush - I wanted to try another Real Techniques brush since I love my foundation brush so much.  These are really good brushes for the price!

...And one more that I forgot to add to the picture.

Image via Sephora

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette - I bought this one a little bit later as part of my "I Survived the Worst School Year Ever" budget.  One of my friends bought this one last year when were were shopping and she raves about how much she loves this palette.  I love this thing!  I admit, it looks very similar to my Naked palettes, but it really is quite different.  I'm really loving Too Faced right now!

***

Has anyone noticed how the names of a lot of popular makeup products are very sexual?  I personally think it's just a funny and slightly clever way to market things, but I had a friend on Facebook post about how offended she was by all of these names and she wouldn't buy certain brands anymore because of the names.  I joked with my mom about how I was going to have a skanky face now with all of these products.

Anyway...

I picked up a couple drugstore items on sale at Walgreens and a couple NYX Butter Glosses at Target as well, so I'm taking it easy on the makeup purchases again for a while.  I'm not doing an official ban at the current time, but I am going to try to go until school starts again before I get anything new.  I have wayyyyyy too much, so I'm working on using up some of what's in my collection and experimenting with new combinations.  Pinterest is sooooo good for ideas!  :)

  Have your purchased any new makeup goodies recently?!?

Makeup Monday: Favorite Lip Products

Happy Monday!  

 I thought I'd kick off the summer by doing a Makeup Monday post about something that we all love...

LIP PRODUCTS!

I wanted to share a few of my current favorites as we move into summer!  I usually go a little lighter on the rest of my makeup this time of year, so it's a fun time to let my lips stand out a bit more.

The majority of my lip products are drugstore brands, but I do have a few high-end items (most of which were freebies or in sampler sets).  My one high-end lip gloss that I have purchased is the Nars Orgasm lip gloss, which is a new one for me.  I love it!  The color is a gorgeous pinky golden nude that is glamorous, but not over the top.  If you're going to drop the big bucks on a lip gloss, this is definitely one to consider.

The other two are samples from Sephora, but ones that I find myself reaching for fairly often.  Benefit's Coralista is such a pretty coral that is bright, but still one that you can rock everyday.  Buxom's glosses have great staying power and from what I recall they have a nice color selection.

I still love my Revlon Lip Butters, but I must admit that I like Maybelline's Color Whispers a bit better.  They're very comparable, but I like the Maybelline formula better for its smoothness and texture.  

I've not tried any other ELF lip products, but I really like this jumbo lip crayon.  For the $2 or $3 it costs, it's a total steal! 

These lip glosses were my first NYX purchases last year.  They have a HUGE color selection in these!  These are probably my most used glosses these days.  The staying power is okay...  Not amazing like the Nars gloss, but still good.  These are really great for layering over other lip colors (like the ELF crayon) when you want that extra shine.

This NYX Butter Gloss is my most recent Target find.  It was a total impulse buy, but I seriously love these.  I'm definitely tempted to snag more colors.  These are so incredibly smooth and add the perfect amount of color.  I think I prefer this formula over the NYX Mega Shine Gloss (above) and would probably choose to purchase more of these over those at this point.

What are your favorite lip products for summer?

Do you have a brand you love?

Makeup Monday: Makeup Faves

Current Everyday Makeup Faves

I'm a huge makeup fan and I'm always looking for great products and good bargains.  I haven't done a post about makeup in months and some of my favorite and most used products have changed.  I had someone suggest that I do more posts about makeup, so here you go!

1. Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream for Eyes - This is a new favorite that I was introduced to at Spehora a couple months ago.  The coverage is great without being too thick or thin and I love that it has some skincare benefits in it as well.  
2. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - This has become one of my favorite powders ever.  It does a really nice job of setting my makeup and also has pretty good lasting power throughout the day.  
3. NYC "Sunny" Bronzer - I'd seen a lot of great reviews of this inexpensive gem and decided to drop the $3 on it when my other bronzer ran out.  I love that it's a matte bronzer and it's great for adding a little color and blending out my makeup for a more natural sun-kissed look.
4. NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss - I'd neglected my NYX lip glosses for a while and recently went back to them.  I've been into neutral makeup looks lately and these have been just perfect!
5. Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer - I've sampled this one a few times, but always went back to my Benefite POREfessional.  I gave this one another try recently and came to really like it so I used some Birchbox points to purchase a full size.  The "light" version is prefect if you're worried about your skin being sensitive or breaking out.
6. NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray - If you're a fan of the Urban Decay setting sprays, you definitely need to give this one a try.  It works just as well, but is a fraction of the cost.  The only complaint I have is that the bottles are smaller, so I have to repurchase more often.  Despite that, though, it is much better deal for an almost identical product.
7. Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation - I recently picked this up during a 50% off sale at Walgreens after hearing a few reviews.  I figured for $2.50 it was worth a try, so I grabbed it instead of my Revlon Colorstay.  I really like it!  The coverage is a perfect not-too-thick but not-too-thin and I haven't even been using concealer expect for under my eyes!
8. Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette - I snatched this one up as soon as it hit Sephora's website.  I love having the rosy and pinky color options.  I wear this palette or my Naked 2 pretty much everyday!  
9. Smashbox 24 Hour Limitless Cream Shadow (in Topaz) - I've been using this as a base for my powder shadows and it works really well.  It gives a little color, but does the same job as a primer.  On days when I'm running behind, I can get away with wearing only this and I don't have to rock the completely naked lid look.
10. ELF Blush - If you haven't tried ELF blushes, you need to!  For $3 each, they're a steal and although they do have some fall out, they last a long time!  

I get asked a lot about the brands that I use and if I go for high-end or drugstore products.  I honestly use a good mix of both.  My Naked palettes are my most expensive purchases, but I bought both of those when I had coupons to Ulta or Sephora.  For me, some items are worth the extra cost, but there are also so many great drugstore products out there!

What are your makeup must haves?  
I'd love to hear your faves and get suggestions for new items to try!