2015 Favorites | Base: Foundations, Powders, Concealers | Blogmas Day 7

It's that time of year again! 2015 is almost over and 2016 will be here before we know it. Christmas is so close!! Last year, everyone seemed to enjoy my yearly favorite so I'm going to take a few posts to celebrate my 2015 favorites, breaking them up into separate categories. So many awesome products have been released this year that I've come to love, as well as a few old favorites and I can't wait to share them with you. 

First with base products. A flawless base makes the perfect canvas for your makeup, and these products have been my ride or dies this past year.

Primers

Too Faced HangoveRx

This stuff is a godsend for my skin when it's dry or irritated. It's a lotion consistency and just melts into my skin making it supple and super hydrated. It creates a perfect base for my foundation and really makes my makeup last throughout the day without fading or getting patchy. 

Maybelline Master Prime Blur and Smooth

This is basically the same as the Too Faced primer only more budget friendly. Again, it leaves my skin smooth and hydrated and the lasting power of my makeup is decent throughout the day. 

Smashbox Primer Water

This was a game changer for me. It's a spray that leaves my skin a bit tacky helping my foundation really stay in place. It's so refreshing and lightweight and so worth the money. 

Foundations

NARS Sheer glow

With my face really clearing up this year I was really enjoying more sheer dewy foundations and this one was a must. It has medium buildable coverage with a healthy luminous glow without being too shiny. 

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation

This one is hands down one of my top 5 foundations ever. It's so lightweight yet delivers awesome coverage. It has a satin finish so it doesn't leave me looking dry or oily, just that perfect dewy look. 

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous

I've mentioned this foundation in a few posts and its still one of my everyday favorites. It's a lightweight foundation that builds to a full coverage without looking cakey or too "made up." I love how it sets on my skin without using powder, making it even more lightweight.

Concealers

Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer

I've only been using this for a month or so now but I am HOOKED. It's said to be a dupe for the NARS creamy concealer, but I actually like this better. its full coverage without being too thick and it blends out seamlessly without creasing under my eyes.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Concealer

this baby paired with the UD foundation is a match made in heaven. under the eyes it gives a bright glow without looking too cakey or over highlighted. for a lightweight concealer the coverage is amazing as well.

NYX HD Concealer

This was in my 2014 favorites and its been a staple this year as well. I am still blown away by the coverage, the consistency, no creasing, just everything about this concealer is amazing.

Powders

L'oreal Infallible Matte powder

this is just a basic pressed powder but for some reason I've really been loving it. its very light and doesn't add any coverage and just like it states, it keeps any shine at bay.

ELF HD Undereye Setting Powder

Another repeat favorite, this baby will always be a staple in my daily makeup routine. a little of this stuff left to "bake" my concealer and my under eyes remain crease-free all day.

BareMinerals Well Rested Concealer

although this is a concealer, I typically use a tiny bit to set my cream concealers and it works like a charm. it also gives off a nice highlighted under eye without looking heavy or cakey.

Setting Sprays

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

This stuff does exactly what the name suggests. A few spritzes of this and your makeup is good to go literally all day. It's one of the few setting sprays that doesn't make my skin feel tight and dry and it was my go-to this summer when I didn't want my makeup melting off of my face.

Smashbox Primer Water

I know this says primer, but this is also great for a setting spray. It's very lightweight and just gives that extra assurance that my makeup won't budge throughout the day.

MAC Prep and Prime Fix+

Even though this isn't advertised as a setting spray, it's been a favorite of mine for years. It's just so refreshing and I love how a few sprays of this really rejuvenates my makeup, or settles the powders. its also bomb for really making your highlight pop.

That's a wrap for this post! It's so crazy to think that we are almost done with 2015, but I can't wait to see what the new year brings. stay tuned for my next 2015 favorites post, all about  highlighters, bronzers and contour powders!

Thanks so much for reading and have an amazing day!

xoxo

LivforLashes

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

Find me on Instagram @livforlashes

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com

What's In My Bag? | Girl's Getaway

Hey everyone! I know I've been a little MIA lately, but honestly, I just needed a break from everything. My husband is coming home from deployment soon so I wanted to get the house ready, and I had some time off of work and the only think I wanted to do was relax and not stress about anything at all. Part of my R&R was a fun weekend a couple of weeks ago when I went out of town for a girls getaway and I thought that since its been a minute since I've done a What's In My Bag post, I'd do one for you today. We went to Palm Springs for a little getaway just to get out of San Diego and relax for a bit without any kids or husbands for a couple of days. It was so much fun and so needed! So without anymore rambling, enjoy!

The bag I decided to use was this cute Too Faced bag. It came as a gift when I bought my Vegas Nay Star Dust Palette and it's the perfect size for a weekend makeup bag. It's a pink canvas bag with cute kiss marks on it and the shape and size of it was perfect for squeezing into my travel case. 

First up for makeup is primer. I recently bought this NYX Honey Dew Me Up primer and I've been testing it out the last few weeks or so. It's a little tacky after application so it worked really well at keeping my foundation right where I wanted it in the Palm Springs heat. The honey is also a natural analgesic so its supposed to help any skin irritation which is pretty cool.

For foundation I brought my trusty Covergirl Ready Set Flawless foundation. It's a light to medium coverage and it literally lasts all day without fading or getting patchy and it sets quickly. It had a nice dewy finish on me too so I barely needed powder to set it. 

I paired the foundation up with a lightweight concealer, my Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer. It's good for hiding under eye circles and brightening up the face a little. And again, it's so lightweight so it didn't feel too heavy on my face and I didn't have to worry about it melting off. 

To set everything I brought along my Maybelline Fit Me! Matte and Poreless pressed powder. Palm Springs was still pretty hot, even in October, so this powder helped me keep any shine at bay and kept my skin matte throughout the day. 

I knew we would probably go out for one of the evenings we were there so I brought my Buxom customizable palette with me. I picked the shades myself (check out my review here) so I knew it would be perfect for both daytime looks and night looks. It was the perfect little palette to take along. 

For mascara, I wanted a long wearing formula that could withstand the heat so I brought a mini They're Real mascara by Benefit. It isn't a waterproof formula but anyone who has tried it knows how hard it is to wash off so this was my go-to. Plus it separates and lengthens my lashes without getting clumpy and I don't even need falsies when I use it. 

I didn't intend to wear eyeliner, but I brought along my Benefit They're Real Push Up liner in Beyond Brown with me. I ended up using it anyway just to define my lash line a little. It was the perfect liner for the weekend festivities since everyone was laid back and we weren't getting too glammed up. 

Going with the more natural theme, I brought along two blushes, Urban Decay Afterglow 8-Hr blush in Score and Becca Mineralize Blush in Wild Honey. Both are a warm neutral blush and they just give a natural sun kissed flush without being too shimmery or too pink or anything. 

For bronzer and highlight I kept it simple with the Makeup Forever Pro a Sculpting Duo #2. Two products in one saved a little room in my bag and both shades look amazing for that Glowy bronze skin look- perfect for laying by the pool on a warm day. 

There were lots of drinks to be had so I knew I needed a long wearing lip color or two so I decided to bring along a more neutral pink shade with  Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick and a brighter more fun shade with Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Persimmon. These both lasted for hours on my lips even with drinking cocktails and snacking and I didn't have to touch up either for most of the day. 

I also brought along a deeper lipstick for the night we went out and even though it didn't feel much like fall, I brought one of my favorite fall lipsticks, Maybelline Touch of spice. This is from the original collection of creamy mattes and it's always in my purse anyway so I thought why not? It ended up going beautifully with the pinky neutral eye look I did with the Buxom palette. 

For glosses, I stuck to neutrals and brought ️NARS Turkish Delight (a milky baby pink) and Guyane (a soft seashell pink). NARS has some of my favorite glosses and I really wanted to try out the one they sent me, Guyane. So far I'm loving it! 

For brows, I brought along my NYX Brow Gel. It's such a long wearing formula that I knew it'd be perfect for hot days laying out by the pool without worrying about my eyebrows smearing off haha. This definitely did the trick!

Last up is a few brushes. I tried to stick to just basics so I brought my Beauty Blender, a basic little blush brush, two fluffy blending brushes, and angled brush for brows, and a flat shader brush. I tried to bring as little as possible when it came to brushes and luckily these guys were enough to get me through the weekend. 

Okay that does it for this What's in My Bag post! What are some of your beauty must-haves for traveling? Let me know and don't forget to check out my other social media sites :)

xoxo

LivforLashes

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

Find me on Instagram @livforlashes

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com

Too Faced Melted French Kisses | Holiday 2015

The holiday makeup season is upon us everyone! Ulta and Sephora will be full of different eyeshadow and blush palettes, travel sets and limited edition sets and I'm always super excited for it. There isn't a whole lot of things this year that really interests me but I found a few that I wanted to buy. One little set I bought was the Too Faced Melted French Kisses liquid lipstick set from the Christmas in Paris holiday 2015 collection.  

The packaging is a cute little black box with a pink Eiffel Tower with gold detailing. The set comes with four mini Melted Long Wearing Liquid Lipsticks.

Two of the shades are the original formula and two are from the metallic range, which happen to be new shades exclusive to this collection. This set would be perfect for someone who hasn't bought these lipsticks before and wants to try them out. I already love the Too Faced liquid lipsticks so I know what to expect from this set. The minis are a pretty decent size and I mean who really goes through an entire tube of lipstick? Especially makeup lovers like me who have a decent lipstick collection to chose from.

The tubes are a little less than half of a full sized one, but you get four shades for only $25, where as one full sized will run you about $21. They're so cute and prefect for throwing in your purse or clutch without taking up too much room. 

Like I mentioned, this set comes with four shades. Chihuahua and Berry are both original shades and then the two exclusive shades are Metallic Peony and Metallic Macaron. Metallic Peony is a soft baby pink, Chihuahua is more of a dusty pink based brown, Metallic Macaron is a brighter cool toned pink and finally Berry is a deep raspberry shade. 

The wear on these isn't that impressive as they really don't set so they don't last terribly long. But the formula is super comfortable on the lips and its thin enough that it doesn't slip around.

The minis come with the same velvet tip applicator which can make application a little messy, but personally, I find the applicator perfect for this kind of formula. 

So overall, for $25 I have to say that I really like this little set. The tubes are cute and compact and it comes with a nice color selection, if you're into pink lip colors. The Too Faced Melted French Kisses set is available at Sephora while supplies last. 

What holiday items are on your list? 

xoxo

LivforLashes 

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

Find me on Instagram @livforlashes

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com

August Favorites | Anastasia Beverly Hills, NYX, Urban Decay + More!

What happened to summer? Summer flew by and we're fast approaching fall. I can't believe its already mid-September, but better late than never i have today my August favorites! I had a few new things last month that I was using pretty much daily so please keep reading and enjoy! 

It was hotter than heck last month here in San Diego, so for foundation I've been using the Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous foundation. It's a natural medium coverage and it sets really nice without feeling greasy. It lasts on me all day without getting patchy or streaky, even in the heat so this has been a must have. 

For brows I've set aside the NYX Brow Gel and went back to my Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow in Taupe. It lasts in the heat and I find it's a little easier to work with to get more natural looking brows, which I've really been digging again lately. 

Another ABH product I've been loving is the Shadow Couture World Traveler palette. I wrote a review on it here, but in short, it's amazing. It has a nice blend of neutrals and pops of colors, and Morocco and Soft Peach are the perfect matte transition shades for everyday wear. I haven't set this down since I got it and I'm still not tired of it.

 

For my lips, I've been wearing traditional lipsticks instead of liquid lipsticks lately and two that I've been obsessed with is MAC Tropic Tonic and Urban Decay Native. Tropic Tonic is a fun orange while native is a nude, but I've really been liking them these last few weeks. Native is just a good everyday nude so I've had it in my purse when I need something throw on. 

I've also fallen back in love with my Smashbox Be Legendary lip lacquers. I wrote a post on a few of the shades ages ago, and I'd just kind of forgotten about them in my drawer. The two I've been wearing are Keepsake and Coral. They're super long wearing and leave a pretty "Popsicle lips" stain as they fade off and I can't get enough on days that I've been doing lighter makeup. 

Last month I needed a new mascara so I picked up the Rimmel Lift Me Up Wonder Lash mascara and it just might be my new HG drugstore mascara. It has a nice full wand and gives me long fluffy lashes. Plus it has vitamins and Moroccan Argan oil in so it conditions your lashes while you wear it. My lashes don't feel dry and clumpy with it on and it washes off pretty easily too.

 

For my highlight, I've been going more toned down and MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Lightscapade has been my go-to. It's so subtle and leaves a soft glow without being too much. I picked this up on a recent trip to my local Cosmetic Company Outlet and it's been well-loved since I purchased it. 

I also picked up the NYX HD blush in the shade Intuition last month and it's literally been the only blush I've worn all month. It's a pretty Dusty Rose shade with subtle shimmer and though it's a little more fall appropriate, a light dusting gives my cheeks a nice natural flush. It lasted all day without wearing off so I'm definitely impressed since many drugstore blushes tend to fall flat after a few hours.  

Recently while digging around in my drawers I came across my NARS Kuala Lampur eyeshadow duo and fell back in love with this baby. This has been a favorite of mine for years and this is actually my second one. The two shades go so well together with the plum blended with the more gold shade, and it's been perfect for days when I just want a little eyeshadow in without putting a whole lot of time or effort into my makeup.

 

Last up is a perfume. I bought this Giorgio Armani Sí perfume about a month or so ago and omg you guys... It smells sooo good. It's deeper and more sultry than I would normally prefer but it's the perfect scent for going out or when I want to feel a little more chic and sophisticated. It's such a good fall scent and I know I'll be wearing this a ton in the coming months. 

Well that does it for my August favorites! Not a whole lot of new products but definitely some good ones in the bunch. What were some of your favorite or most used beauty products last month? 

xoxo

LivforLashes

Products:

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation

ABH Dipbrow Pomade

ABH Shadow Couture palette

MAC Tropic Tonic lipstick

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick

Smashbox Be Lengendary Lip Lacquers

Rimmel Wonderful Wonderlash Lift Me Up mascara

MAC Lightscapade Mineralize Skin Finish

NYX HD Powder Blush

NARS Eyeshadow Duo

Giorgio Armani Si Perfume

Follow me on Twitter! @LivforLashes

Find me on Instagram @livforlashes

Email: liv_2008@icloud.com