Welcome back!

It's been a hot second but I'm coming to you, live (well not really), with an exciting new release!


Recently, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a post from TrendMood saying the new Physician's Formula Butter Collection box was live on Ulta's website. I was incredibly bummed when I couldn't get my hands on the Butter Palette... mainly because I wanted the fragrance. So when I saw this was available, I immediately ordered it! I mean the bronzer alone retails for about $14 (depending on where you purchase), which is a good price for a bronzer considering higher end bronzers can cost upwards of over $50. So I wasn't hesitant about the $30 price tag considering everything that comes with it.


One thing I immediately noticed on the Ulta website was that there's no shade selection. The description also did not tell you what shades you're getting. They have since updated the description. In this collection, you get the Butter Bronzer in Bronzer, the Butter Blush in Natural Glow, Butter Highlighter in Pearl, and the body butter and fragrance. So long story short, this is not a diversity friendly product. Which is unfortunately par for the course with Physician's Formula. For reference, my closest shade matches are Snow in Too Faced Peach Perfect Comfort Matte Foundation, 120 in Fenty Pro Filt'r Foundation, and R230 (115) in Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation. I have some trouble building up the blush enough to have any kind of appearance on my skin.


As for the formula, I LOVE it. I've always loved the Butter Bronzer and Blush formulas. I previously used Light Bronzer, but it pulls too orange on my skin tone. The Bronzer shade is perfection. Natural Glow is a good shade (if you're my skin tone or fairer) for a no makeup makeup kind of day. On this particular day, I also threw the bronzer and blush in my crease and topped it with another eye shadow. This was my first time trying the highlight. Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised. I was afraid it would be glittery. I don't know why I had that thought in my brain, but I did. This glow does not disappoint. Again, this would probably work best for someone my skin tone or lighter. It was borderline too light on me because it is essentially a white highlight. But it did give a blinding glow. I also used it for my inner corner highlight and loved how awake it made me look (no small feat since I'm always sleep deprived).


As for the body butter and highlight, I really wish they would sell these separately. My main incentive for purchasing this collection was for these products alone. They both smell pretty much identical to the bronzer and blush. The scent will not last you all day, unfortunately. But for a product from the drugstore, I can't really complain. The body butter is nice. It does the job. Is it the best moisturizer I've ever tried? No. But I would buy it as a stand alone product because it has a perfect summer scent.

Overall, do I think this is worth the $30 price tag? Yes. BUT... and this is a big BUT... it will not work for everyone. Physician's Formula is notorious for lacking diversity. Their foundation ranges are laughable.... most of their shade ranges for every product are laughable. They recently expanded their bronzer shade range (and by recently I mean within the past year? I think?). So, I'm not sure why they don't give the option to select the shade of bronzer. I'm not even sure how well the bronzer shade would work for someone much deeper than my skin tone. All in all, even if you purchase this for a couple of the products, you'll likely be saving some money. The bronzer, blush, and highlighter retail for $14.99, $12.99, and $10.99 respectively.

Are there any other new products you'd like to see me review? Let your girl know!

Makeup Details:
Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Foundation (R230 115)
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Chantilly)
Sephora Micro Smooth Powder (05 Porcelain)
Physician's Formula Butter Collection
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer and Brow Wiz (Medium Brown)
Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel
Milk Makeup Kush Mascara
ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Birthday Wish (this is limited edition and they're doing a 20% off $50 or more sale this weekend - there are some exclusions)
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray
Loreal Colour Riche Shine Lipstick (Glossy Fawn) 

Possibly the most anticipated highlight of the first few months of 2018, I knew I had to scoop up the Anastasia Beverly Hills X Amrezy Highlight!

Hello again! It's nice to talk to you all so soon!
This look ended up being a lot easier to execute than anticipated. I used all Colourpop pressed shadows and the glitter liner is NYX.

To start out, after priming my eyes and setting the primer with powder, I took Colourpop's Full Zip single shadow and dusted that all over my lid from my brow bone to my lash line. I then took Colourpop's Wake Up Call into my crease and a little higher as my base transition shade.

I then grabbed my I Think I Love You palette.


From here, I took Belair and used this to deepen up my crease just a hair. I then took Let's Do It and packed it all over my lid. I didn't pack it as heavy as I was going for a more grey blown out look rather than a jet black lid. I kept alternating applying the black shade and blending out the edges with a mixture of Wake Up Call and Belair. And Voila! Your shadow base is complete!


Now let me tell you, I don't know exactly why I was so gung ho on doing this look. I'm not great at winged liner. I always end up wiping it off and doing something without liner because I'm a perfectionist and it never turns out even close to perfect. But this... THIS WAS SO SIMPLE. I kid you not!

I spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out the best way to apply the glitter. Do I use a glitter primer? Do I use a mixing medium? Do I mix the glitter into the medium and/or primer? In the end I used NYX Multitasker Mixing Medium. I found the best way to get the desired look was to take a small angled brush and apply the mixing medium in sections and then applying the glitter to the product I had just laid down, prior to moving onto the next section. Again, I thought this would be more difficult as the medium is essentially clear. But it was a piece of cake! The specific glitter I used was the NYX Face and Body Glitter in Red.

I also recommend doing this before the rest of your makeup. I was able to take a cotton pad with my Bioderma and make the wing super sharp. It also helps when you can easily clean up any potential glitter fallout.


I wanted to keep the look with a rosy tone, so to finish off my face makeup I took the Benefit Dandelion Dew and blended that out on my cheeks. I never reach for this product and I don't know why. Whenever I do break it out again I always LOVE the look. For my highlight I used Jouer's Rose Gold powder highlight. Jouer powder highlights are some of my favorite.


To tie everything together, I applied Kylie Cosmetics Posie K lip kit. This was the perfect lip color for this look.

Did you prefer today's look or yesterdays? I don't think I can decide!

As always, if there's anything specific you'd like to see from me, let me know!

Hello friends! It's that time of year again... the countdown to one of the best days of the year begins! Half Priced Candy Day!

If you're someone who loves Valentine's Day, I've created this look to hopefully give you some inspiration for your date night with that special someone.

To start out, I took the first shade from the Morphe 39A Dare to Create palette as my first transition shade. To deepen up the transition shade just a hair, I took the second shade and applied it in almost the exact same spot, just a little bit lower. At this point, I started to add some color. I took the third shade and placed it over the second shade. I used this shade VERY lightly as it is a very bright bold berry shade. To start to deepen up the crease and outer v, I took the fourth shade and placed this a little lower than the third shade. I focused this mainly in my outer v and in the outer third of the crease. To finish the crease, I took the fifth shade and focused this entirely in the outer v and took the slightest amount of product that was left on my brush into the crease just to blend the shades together.


The shimmer shades in this palette wasn't exactly what I was looking for. So I reached for my Colourpop She Palette. I used the shade Gal all over my lid. This is a slightly duo chrome shade. It has a gold/rose gold shift to it that is so gorgeous. I threw the Urban Decay Alkaline 24/7 Eyeliner in my waterline and blended some shades from the 39A Dare to Create Palette on my lower lash line.


I finished off the look with MAC's Soar lip liner and Velvet Teddy lipstick. Is there a more classic go to pinky-mauve lip color? I think this matched the eye look perfectly. I was super happy with how this look turned out!


As always, if there's any looks or products you'd like to see me review, let me know! Keep your eye's peeled for a second Valentine's Day look going up tomorrow!

Other Makeup Details:
Foundation: Too Faced Peach Perfect Comfort Matte Foundation (Snow)
Contour/Bronzer: Tarte Park Ave Princess Chisel Palette
Highlight: Dose of Colors Desi X Katy Fuego/ Smashbox Spotlight Pearl Palette

Happy new month, cyber friends! Can you believe January is over already? Summer will be here and gone before you know it.

We all know it's award season. The night of the Grammy's I was scrolling through Instagram and saw a picture Hailee Steinfeld posted. Which of course led me to scrolling deep into her Instagram (we all know how that goes). And I came across this boomerang she had posted and instantly decided I needed to recreate the look.

I love how simple it is but it's so stunning and glam.

Hiya friends!

I've been seriously slacking with wearing makeup over the past month. I've been going to work sans makeup and pretty much only wearing it on special occasions.

Last week was my 25th birthday, so I had to figure something out for going out to dinner.

I pulled out just about all of my eye shadow palettes and laid them out on my bed trying to figure out what kind of look I wanted to do. Smoky? Glitter? Halo? So many endless possibilities. As soon as I picked up my Huda Beauty Desert Dusk palette though, I knew I had to use it.



I haven't reached for this palette very often. Which is sad, because every time I use it I love the look I create. It's just not my go to for going shopping or grabbing lunch or what have you.

When I initially looked at it, my brain immediately went to the shimmer shades. But then I had a thought. I'd never used the shade Cosmo. Mainly because it was a pressed glitter. I've never used any type of loose or pressed glitter. I've only dabbled in liquid glitters such as the Stila Glitter and Glow shadows or the Colourpop Super Nova shadows. But as soon as I swatched it, I knew I had to at least TRY to create a look with it.  I'd say I was fairly successful.


After priming and setting my eye primer with a translucent powder, I started by dusting Desert Sand all over my lid. I then took Eden and placed that in my crease and slightly above as a transition shade. Then I reached for Musk and threw that in my crease as well just to add a little definition. Then I went in with Amber as my true crease color. I put this slightly below Musk (just enough to still be able to see a hint of that cool brown tone. For my outer v and to deepen the crease, I took Oud and made sure to get it almost perfect before adding the glitter, just to avoid major fall out (even though I was doing my eyes before the rest of my face).

Next came the start of the show, Cosmo. I put down a thin layer of my Nyx Glitter Primer, being sure to do one eye at a time. Yes, I did get some fall out, but I just wiped it away with some makeup remover (huzzah for doing eyes first). But overall, I'd say this was almost too easy. I'm not sure why I didn't try using any kind of non liquid glitter before. Now I'm intrigued and want to try more!

Once the rest of my face was done, I took Oud on a definer brush right up against my lower lash line and blended it out with a mixture of Musk and Eden. I gave everything a final blend and VOILA! Glitter Bronze Eyes!

I'm very happy with the way this turned out. To round out the warm toned eyes, I used a neutral but slightly warm toned/bronze leaning blush, the Japonesque Velvet Touch Blush in 02. I'm always changing up my highlight. But for this look, I started with a base of the Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizer (under my powder products; this is a standard step for me now). On top I applied Fuego from the DesiXKaty collection with Dose of colors. Just to add a little extra dimension, I used the lightest shade from the Smashbox Pearl Spotlight palette.

To top everything off, I applied the new MAC X Patrick Starrr lipstick and lipglass in MamaStarrr which is quickly becoming my favorite combo. The color is PERFECTION!

I also used the MAC X Patrick Starrr powder. I'm still testing it out. I do really enjoy the finish it gives on my skin. Unfortunately, I'm not able to link the powder as it is sold out.

That's all for today! I hope you enjoy this look! The more I look at it, the more I LOVE the eye shadow! I need to recreate this again!

What's a makeup technique you're hesitant to try? What's one thing you desperately want to learn? As always let me know if there's anything specific you'd like to see me try, talk about, review, etc. I'll list the rest of my makeup details below.


FACE:
Becca Backlight Priming Filter mixed with Colourpop Amber Crystal Liquid Highlight (only part of the Amber Crystal Collection)
Too Faced Peach Perfect Comfort Matte Foundation (Snow)
Tarte Shape Tape Concealer (Fair Neutral)
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Chantilly)
MAC X Patrick Starrr Setting Powder
Tarte Park Ave Princess Chisel Palette
Japonesque Velvet Touch Blush (02)
Josie Maran Argan Illuminizer
Dose of Colors Desi X Katy Highlight (Fuego)
Smashbox Pearl Spotlight Palette
Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

EYES:
Ulta Collection Matte Eye Primer
Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Palette
NYX Glitter Primer
Tarte Maneater Mascara
Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer (Medium Brown)
Colourpop Brow Boss Gel

Hi friends,

I was hoping my first post of the new year would be happy-go-lucky and fun. However, recent events have decided otherwise. Let's just get down to the nitty gritty.

This post is dedicated to why I will NOT be purchasing (or hell, even swatching) the new Tarte Shape Tape foundation.

Happy New Year's Eve!

I don't know about you, but I am beyond thrilled that 2017 is over. This year has definitely been a struggle. I'm hopeful that 2018 will be better. I already have my New Year's resolutions decided too!

I knew I wanted to do a New Year's Eve look (even though there is a 99% chance that I will be tucked all snug in bed tonight). I struggled to decide what I wanted to create. For New Year's Eve, everything screams glitter, and sparkles, and my initial thought was to gravitate towards that type of look. But I wasn't feeling all glittery and sparkly. So, this is what ended up happening.


When I actually sat down to do my makeup, I opened my palette and immediately gravitated towards the black. Even writing this I'm still surprised. I think I've used black eye shadow maybe twice in my life. It scares me. I feel that I'll never do it right and that I can't pull it off. But I was feeling dark and grungy today so why not?

I created this using about 4 shadows from the Jaclyn Hill X Morphe Palette. I just threw in some transition shades, blended it out, and voila! Instant glam smoky eye! Out of all of the looks I've done for my blog or Instagram in the past, I'm pretty sure this was the quickest!

With having a black matte smoky eye, I knew I wanted to do something shimmery on my lips. I used Anastasia Beverly Hills' liquid lipstick in Allison as my base color. I then went over top with Jouer's Frost Bite Lip Topper. This still wasn't giving me enough oomph, so I topped it some more, but this time I used Make Up For Ever's Star Lit Powder in 13. Not gonna lie... it didn't photograph nearly is fantastic as it looked in person.  The rest of my makeup is listed below.


FACE:
Becca Backlight Priming Filter
Revlon PhotoReady Pore Reducing Primer
Covergirl Vitalist Healthy Elixer Foundation (Ivory - currently unavailable on Ulta's website)
LA Girl Pro Coverage Liquid Foundation (White - because I'm pale AF)
Colourpop No Filter Concealer (Fair Neutral)
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder (Ethereal Light)
RCMA No Color Powder (to bake)
Tarte Park Ave Princess Chisel Palette (bronze & contour)
Morphe 9N Blush Palette
Colourpop Super Shock Cheek (Lunch Money)
Jouer Citrine Highlight
Soap and Glory DIY Brow Bar
Colourpop Brow Boss Gel
NYX Tres Jolie Liner
Benefit They're Real Mascara

What kind of look are you doing for New Year's Eve? What are your New Year's resolutions?

Can you believe it's Christmas Eve?! AND the last day of 12 Days of Favorites!

I can't believe how fast the last 12 days have gone by! Blogging every day is NO JOKE! Props to anyone who does this regularly!

I may not be blogging every day for now, but I'm excited for what 2018 will bring! I'll be getting another post or two up before the new year so keep your eyes peeled!

Now, let's jump into Day 12 of 12 Days of Favorites: LIPS! Just like the pattern for this whole series, we're going to go in the order I apply products to my lips.


The first step I always do is moisturize my lips. I'm OBSESSED with the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. I've never used a lip treatment that has worked this well! Most of the time I apply this right before I go to bed. When I wake up my lips are incredibly soft and smooth. This is been a life saver during these colder months! I've gone through just about half the container already.

I also will apply this after I apply my foundation to make sure my lips are properly prepped for whatever lip color I apply that day. I only use this product when I'm home though. The one downside to this is that it's in a pot so you have to use your finger or the applicator that's included to use it. I'll use my regular lip balm tube whenever I'm at work or out and about because germs.

Are you surprised there's another Colourpop product in one of these posts yet again? I've never found a drugstore lip liner that's as creamy as the Colourpop Lippie Pencils. I have a couple liners from various higher end brands such as Urban Decay, but I always reach for these. Because they're just that awesome and I don't feel bad about using them up. It's a weird thing, but my brain won't let me use expensive products frequently sometimes solely because I paid a lot for them and don't want to use them up. These also come in a ton of shades. So if there's a particular color you need, chances are Colourpop will have it!

Last but certainly not least, the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb. Was it 2017 if Fenty Beauty isn't in a Best of Beauty round up? When Fenty Beauty launched, this was one of the products I was most drawn to. Which is odd for me because I'm definitely not regularly a gloss kinda person. I didn't purchase anything from the line right away. A lot of the people I followed said the gloss was nice but it wasn't a spectacular product. So when I walked in to my Sephora (which is one in JC Penny, so I was kind of shocked that it was in store), and I saw this, I knew I had to check it out!

First, it smells INCREDIBLE. I will admit there have been times I've opened it JUST to smell it, not gonna lie. Second, this gloss truly is the BEST shade! It goes with EVERYTHING! It looks AMAZING on my skin tone. Third, the formula is on point. It applies like a dream! It's not sticky or stringy. It makes my lips feel incredibly hydrated! And added bonus, THAT PACKAGING (insert heart eye emoji)!

My go to lip combo since I acquired the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb has been my Colourpop Aquarius Lippie Pencil topped with Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb! I've tried a few lip glosses in my day, one being the ever so popular Marc Jacobs gloss in Sugar Sugar. I never reach for that. It's nice, it's pretty, but this gloss is something really special. If I had to get rid of every gloss I owned and only keep one, this would be it. You really need to go out and try this gloss if you haven't already!

And there you have it! All the products I've been loving during 2017! What products are you more intrigued about? What are your favorite products in each category? What new products/releases do you hope to see in 2018? Are there any products that are on your list to try next year?

I hope you all have a Happy Holiday, whichever holiday you and your family celebrate! I hope you had an amazing 2017, and if you didn't, I hope you can find those moments in the year when you were truly happy! I can't wait for what 2018 will bring!

Where has the time gone?! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve; Monday is Christmas.

To start to wrap things up here for 12 Days of Favorites, I'm talking about one of the last steps in my makeup routine: Setting Spray!

I have tried out so many setting sprays this year! It's an unexpected weakness of mine. I'm not someone who likes to touch up or even blot during the day. I put on my makeup and expect it to perform until I take it off. So for me, making sure everything is set into place is imperative.

I'm going to be sharing two setting sprays today. The first is the Kat Von D Lock-It Setting Spray.

We're getting down to the wire... there's only 3 days of 12 Days of Favorites left!

Today we're going to be talking all about my favorite mascaras!

I swear I don't think I try out many mascaras, but going through my collection I seem to have accumulated my fair share.

I always have struggled with mascara. A lot that I have tried can make my lashes look short and stubby, even if they claim to be lengthening. Once I started using a lash serum, the mascara game was a bit easier to play. But I've run out and it's super expensive so I'm back on the struggle bus.


I've found that I need an entirely separate mascara for my bottom lashes. If I use my regular mascara, I find that it always transfers to my under eye. Even if i let it dry before removing it, it always leaves a gray cast.

I have finally found a bottom lash mascara that I LOVE! The Wet N Wild MegaLength Waterproof mascara is phenomenal! It never smudges. It never flakes. It never runs. The wand is incredibly small to it's very easy to be detailed and make sure all your bottom lashes are coated. Plus it's only $3 at the drugstore, so you really can't go wrong!

My favorite mascara in general from the drugstore has been the Loreal Voluminous Lash Paradise. I know, shocker. Every one and their brother has been raving about this mascara all year (well since it came out). The claim that it's a dupe for the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara is false. It's too wet. It's too clumpy. It makes my lashes look very blunt. I hate that mascara and I absolutely LOVE this. It give me volume but it doesn't make my lashes clump together.

This is yet another waterproof mascara. Unless there's no other option, I will always buy the waterproof version of a mascara. One time in college I went to class and as I was walking back to my dorm it was torrential downpour. I had mascara streaming down my face. And it was 100% noticeable. Since then I won't use a non waterproof mascara if I can help it.

Finally, my favorite higher end mascara is the Tarte Maneater mascara. This is everything I want in a mascara (aside from not being waterproof, but I make and exception because it is THAT GOOD!). My friend introduced me to this and I will never go back! It makes it look like I'm wearing false lashes! Not in a bad way though, because I know some people aren't fond of the false lash look. It's just that voluminous! The one I have has gotten very dried out, so I definitely need to replace it soon.

If you can make the splurge, I definitely recommend Tarte's Maneater mascara. But all of these get an A+, 5 star rating from me!

What are your favorite mascaras? I'm always down to find ones that could top my favorites!

If there's one thing that a vast majority of the beauty world is obsessed with and takes very seriously, it's brows.

When I think of brows, I think of two brands: Anastasia Beverly Hills and Benefit. Both are known for their brow products. Ask any makeup lover and most of them will have at least one brow product from one of these brands in their collection. I, myself, have never dabbled in the world of Benefit brows. But for a long time my go to brow product was the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow definer. I'm still debating whether or not to give the Dip Brow a go.

Now, it may surprise you to know that the Brow Definer is not one of my favorite brow products of 2017. I do love using this when I'm going out or want to take my time doing my makeup for a specific look.

For every day, my go to products are on the more affordable end of the spectrum.


I have surprisingly been gravitating towards my Soap and Glory Archery DIY Brow Bar.  Soap and Glory has been one of my favorite brands since I first used it when I was abroad in London for a semester. They have never let me down. I still use their Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in the shade Nudist to this day! It's one of my holy grails! Pretty much all of their Sexy Mother Pucker products are fabulous!

With this it's super easy for me to grab my brow powder and run it through my brows just to make them a bit more defined. I'm lucky in that I have fuller brows so I don't have to try as hard to make them look good on an every day basis. This product has a clear wax, a highlight, and two powder shades. I initially used a mix of both shades, but since going darker I exclusively use the dark shade.

In the past I have used Anastasia Beverly Hills' brow powder and was underwhelmed. It didn't do much for me and so it's been sitting in a drawer collecting dust ever since. It also didn't help that the shade was much too warm. I highly recommend giving this a try if you're looking for something that is super quick and easy for every day.

On to my favorite brow gel! Does it surprise you that I've chosen another Colourpop product? No? Yeah, me either.

Let me tell you I was skeptical about this at first. The product itself is somewhat creamy and white. Being that I have moderately dark hair I wasn't sure how this wouldn't leave a whitecast on my brows. But all I do is apply the amount that I need and then just go over it with the spoolie end of my brow brush and BAM good to go. This makes my brows look so full and fluffy, but THEY DON'T BUDGE. Seriously, I don't know how they do it.

This product retails for $6 and I'm going to stock up the next time I place and order on the Colourpop website! If you're interested in any of the Colourpop products I've mention just throw this one in your cart too. Might as well!

What products do you use on your brows? I'm always up for suggestions to something new!

Today is all about the eyes! Eyeshadow to be more precise.

Fun fact: when I first started using makeup, I avoided eyeshadow like the plague. I didn't know how to use it or blend it and putting colors on my eyes seemed weird. To be honest I wasn't all that into makeup in the first place but I attribute all of that to my lack of knowledge and skill.

Fast forward five years later and I'm getting there but I'm definitely still learning.

You may be able to guess what today has in store. I've mentioned enough of their products on my blog already....

Did you guess?

IT'S COLOURPOP!

All of their eye shadow formula's are spectacular! I've been using their super shock shadows for YEARS! I've been thoroughly impressed with their pressed powder formula that debuted this year!


The newest pressed powder eye shadow palette is Dream Street. I'm OBSESSED with these colors! I have yet to break into this bad boy, but this is definitely going to be my go to for New Years Eve and maybe even Christmas festivities this weekend!

I have most of the eyeshadow palettes that have been released (the only ones I don't have are the My Little Pony collaboration and the Double Entendre palette). Honestly, I have ZERO guilt or reluctance about purchasing these palettes and even individual shades! This is by far my favorite pressed powder formula! I have NEVER been able to blend out and eye look so easily! And they don't blend away into nothing either.

If you told me I could only purchase eye shadows from one brand ever again, I would pick Colourpop. Hands down. No contest. Their palettes do vary in price (some have more shades, one palette has a mirror), but they range between $16-$20. I will pay full price every time. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend trying these shadows out. They are beyond INCREDIBLE!


Not only do I love the pressed powder formula Colourpop has for eyeshadows, but I ADORE their Super Shock Shadows! I use these daily. I generally get to work around 6:30-6:45 in the morning. In the off chance I actually manage to crawl my way out of bed in time, I don't have a lot of time to fuss with a full eye look. My go to eye look is to grab a transition shade and throw it in my crease, grab a slightly darker shade and more precisely detail my crease, and then I just take a Super Shock Shadow with my finger, pop it on my lid, blend the edges quickly and BOOM eye look complete!

My most reached for Super Shock Shadows are Prickly Pear (bottom right) and Cricket (top left - it's not nearly this dark on the eye). I also was LOVING Arrow (top right) and Lightning Bug (bottom left) for fall this year!

I'm not kidding when I say you HAVE to give these shadows a shot! They also have recently released a new Super Nova liquid eye shadow formula and let me tell you holy smokes these are INCREDIBLE! They are very very similar to the Stila Glitter and Glow liquid shadows.

What have been your favorite palettes and shadow formulas this year?

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF 12 DAYS OF FAVORITES!

I'm not kidding when I say I've been writing and rewriting this post. This is probably the largest faction of my entire makeup collection... although eye shadow palettes are really getting up there.

Welcome to Day 3: HIGHLIGHT

Highlight is the one thing I CANNOT resist. Do I already have a pale champagne highlight? Yes! Do I need another one from another brand with another formula? HELL YES! And this is the thought process for just about every shade of highlight that suits my skin tone.

There are a lot of products here today (because it was breaking my heart to narrow it down), so buckle up, buttercup.


We're going to kick things off with the Jouer Powder Highlighters. I have three in my collection, but the two that I absolutely adore are Citrine and Skinny Dip. I also own Rose Gold but I haven't played around as much with that one.

I love these! Are you sick of hearing me say this about every product yet? But it's true; I do! I purchased Citrine a while back and absolutely adore it. It never looks powdery on my skin. It never emphasizes texture. I've never had a single problem with it, ever. So when Jouer launched their Skinny Dip collection this past summer, I jumped on the site to order the bundle.

I'm not going to lie, I was nervous Skinny Dip was going to be too deep for my skin tone. If I tried to wear it with my current complexion, it might be. But I had a little more color over the summer and loved to look even more sun kissed with bronzer, so this was my go to. For EVERYTHING. This will probably be exclusively my summer highlight until I run out and can no longer repurchase it (this, along with their tan lines highlight are labeled as limited edition). I have swatch comparisons of all three of the Jouer highlights I own towards the beginning of my Instagram (@beautybykristinrenee); these were some of the first products I posted about.

If you're looking for a higher end product, try these out! I've never been disappointed.


Onward and upward (even though I don't love one of these more than the other)! I first purchased the Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illuminizer in July. This is one of those products that I had in my Sephora cart for a long time and just never purchased. I don't hear very many people talking about this. When I swatched this in person I knew I had to buy it!

Most of the time I use this as a base for my powder highlight. If I use this on an every day, going to the office type of look, I'll pair it with the Argan Enlightenment Illuminizing Veil (this is a very very subtle highlight, but it is STUNNING). But this can definitely be used on its own. No matter if I wear this by itself or with another highlight or what highlight I pair with it, it creates a look that I've never been able to recreate with any other products. This creates almost an extra dimension to the highlight whether you keep it subtle or you like to glow for the gods. It's almost ethereal.

This kicked my Cover FX custom enhancer drops off of my top spot for liquid highlighters.


Now, I know the first few highlights were on the pricier side, so we're gonna round things out with my favorite affordable highlights. Let me tell you, finding a drugstore highlight that I love is a challenge. There are a few that I have my eye on that I definitely need to give a go. But for 2017, these have the top spot.

Similarly to the Josie Maran product, I use my Colourpop Super Shock Cheek (specifically in Lunch Money) as a base for my highlight. Ever since using this technique, I'm very underwhelmed with how just powder highlights sit on my skin and look. I have used this on its own and I love it, but it's just a habit now that I put something on top. Which I mostly do bc I put this on after foundation and concealer, but before powder. So the powder over top tones it down a bit. I have a few of the Super Shock Cheek highlights and I love all of them, Lunch Money is just my most well loved (I'm dying to try Flexitarian though). Honestly for $8 you 100% cannot go wrong. And Colourpop has been having a ton of sales lately!

I also love these Pixi Glow-y Powders that was a collaboration with Aspyn Ovard. These were my first highlights from the drugstore that really wowed me. Now I say 'drugstore', but they're only available at Target or online from the Pixi Beauty website. I have the shades London Lustre (a white champagne-y color) and Santorini Sunset (a light golden shade).

I absolutely love using these on my eyes as well. They make the perfect inner corner highlight and if you just want a simple but shiny lid, just swipe on of these shades all over and done!

In the end, if you asked me to recommend only ONE of these products, it would have to be the Josie Maran Argan Enlightenment Illumizer. I'm not kidding, get a sample, use it as a base for a powder highlight and you'll never go back to applying highlight the same!

Let me tell you something.... blogging for 6 days straight is no joke. I'm halfway through the goal. Kudos to people who blog every single day all the time. Anywho... let's just jump right in today.

Day 3 of my 12 Days of Favorites is BLUSH!

I do love me a good blush, so I'm super excited to share my absolute favorites with you!

Now, when I say I love me a good blush... I mean just that... I love good blushes, but I don't own a lot. It's definitely one of the smaller factions of my collection. I've found what works and I rarely stray from that. And I do have to confess... one of these does have a stronger hold on my heart than the other.

Which do you want to read about first? My FAVORITE favorite... or just my favorite? I guess we'll go out with a bang, so favorite it is.

A fairly new purchase to me, the Physicians Formula Butter Blush is no joke. I love the butter bronzer so I never had a doubt that I'd love the formula. What I did doubt however was the shades. Before I accepted my true pale-ness, I was curious as to how these would show up on my skin let alone skin tones deeper than mine. And at $12.99 a pop, I was skeptical to try without swatching... which you can't really do at the drugstore. There were two original shades, Natural Glow and Plum Rose. They still only sell these two shades in Ulta, but I have seen two more shades at Wal-Mart.

The shade I picked up is Plum Rose. Let me tell you this is GORGEOUS! It glides on flawlessly. It's very rare that I find a blush that applies such as this. I HIGHLY recommend this shade. I love that it's a muted color. I'm not a fan of bright blushes with a ton of pigment that make me look like I walked out of a circus. This is definitely one of the BEST every day blushes on the market... at least that I've tried.


Now... you guessed it... my FAVORITE favorite blush!

I've been using the Japonesque Velvet Touch Blush in Shade 02 for YEARS! It has never once failed me! It has never been patchy. It has never blended poorly. It has never made me look anything less than perfectly flushed.

Now I know what you're thinking... "Kristin, it looks so boring... it kind of looks like a regular powder..." WRONG. I don't know how they make this but this shade is literally PERFECTION! This is the ONLY blush that has always blended perfectly with my bronzer. And we've all had that moment when you look at the blend between our blush and bronzer and it looks muddy and is a weird color. THIS NEVER DOES THAT! NOT ONE TIME!

I will forever repurchase this product. This is slightly more expensive than the Physician's Formula Butter Blush, but it is worth every cent of the $22 price tag.

If you told me I could only pick one blush to use for the rest of my life, I would pick the Japonesque blush hands down.

I'm very excited for tomorrow.... it's my favorite!

Can you guess what it is?