Best In Beauty 2014

Hey There !

Yep, I'm doing it. I'm telling you all about my 2014 loves. I have spent the last week thinking about some of the products that I have used almost every day this year and those are the items that won Best in Beauty in my book.

Maybelline Baby Lips lip balms have been slathered on my lips ALL year! I love them! I keep then all over the place. My favorite for night is the Dr Rescue and all day is the Quenched flavor -- it smells like Fruity Pebbles! How can you pass that up?! These are so moisturizing and the price is just right. I have about 6 or 7 of these all around the house (in my purse, in my desk, by the bed...you know).

I've only owned my NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Biscuit for 2 months now but I am in LOVE with this concealer! I used my Bare Minerals Correcting Concealer in Tan 2 for years and then this NARS concealer came into my life. It's the perfect consistency, the perfect color and lasts maybe an hour longer than Bare Minerals. If I'm wearing full foundation, 2 hours.

One would think that I'd slow down on my makeup brush purchases but, I haven't. Some of my favorite brushes have been my e.l.f. Brushes from the studio line. The regular $1 line is fine but the $3 line is A...Maze....Ing! My favorite and most used brush is the Angled Blush Brush. I use it every day for my contouring. I also love the regular Studio Blush Brush. I use it to pop highlighter on the tops of my cheeks. I also use the Small Tapered Brush for under eye setting powder.

Mentioning under eye, I have fallen in love with the e.l.f. High Definition Undereye Setting Powder. I was afraid of the sparkle at first but the sparkle in the container doesn't come off under your eye. I go between the e.l.f. under eye concealing powder and the Bare Minerals concealing powder. This works beautifully with both.

I have many, many face powders. I don't like foundation as much as powder so I have to have one that delivers great coverage, matches my complexion with a hint of color and lasts for a good bit of the day. My favorite this year has been my Lancôme Dual Finish Powder in Bisque. It is just perfect in every way. If I'm not testing anything or just want to grab and go, this is the one I grab for.

My blush of the year was my e.l.f. Blush Palette in dark. Man! you can really do so many things with it. I think the only time I didn't use this was when I was testing others. I really enjoyed the versatility of it. The colors last a long time and you only need a touch on my cheeks. Now that I have the light palette, we are going to fall in love with that one.

I discovered my eyebrows this year. I had tried brow taming before and just didn't do it correctly. Then I tried it again with my Anastasia Brow Wiz in soft brown. Late to the party but dancin' like a fool when I got there! I like the color and the fact that it stays put like a champ. This is the only colored brow product that I use now.

Lips, lips, lips. I have waaaay too many lipsticks and lip glosses to pick my faves of the year. I was testing so many lippies that I can't pick a favorite but what I can tell you is that NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Nude Pink has been my go to lip liner all year.  I thought I had lost it for about a week and so I picked up another one (and then, of course, found the original one). It's a beautiful dusty pink that goes with almost every lippie I own. It complements pinks, browns and even a few reds! And, it's cheap as all get out. If you don't own that one, you really have to get it.

My very lush, very decadent product of the year has been my Caudalíe Beauty Elixir.  It's a spray of freshness and peppermint that I put on most nights. It prepares my face for sleep and I enjoy it so much. I've heard folks say that it's over priced for something that doesn't have a purpose other than to refresh the face. It's a bit expensive but it really is worth it. I mean if you found something that instantly changes your mood and makes you feel renewed and refreshed, isn't it worth it? I think so.

And last, but not least, I have to talk about my favorite nail accoutrement. I know that everyone has their favorite nail top coat but when I tell you that Sally Hansen Insta-Dri is my forever love...you'd better believe it! I always paint my nails about 20 minutes before bed time and this top coat dries my nails in about 5 minutes. I very, very rarely get sheet marks or mistakes. This stuff is great. 

So what did you show the most love to in 2014? Are you ready for 2015? Do you already have something that you are sure will be a winner?

Semi-Annual e.l.f. Website Purchasing Frenzy Part One

Hey There!

I'd like to start by talking about this crazy weather we've been having here in Atlanta. I know, you probably have been having crazy weather too. I just can't deal. Sunday I went to the grocery store and I had to wrap a scarf around my neck (I'm so delicate folks). It was 45˚. Today the high will be 81˚. Sighhhhh.

Back to the broadcast folks. I loaded up during my semi-annual e.l.f. website purchasing frenzy. I only buy from their site about twice a year because I can get most of the things I love from my local Target and Wal-Mart. But, when I got an email saying there was a lunch special for $20, I had to log in and see what they were talking about!

The lunch time special kit came with 9 items and I added a blush quad to my order. The whole kit and caboodle came up to $26 and I was very pleased with my little bad self. 10 e.l.f. items, shipped to my door, for twenty six bucks is pretty darn good in my book.

My main reason for ordering was the Blush Palette. I am a YouTube junkie and I saw so many good people reviewing the new blush palettes. There are two, a light one and a dark one. I got the dark one because Fall is here and I need a bit more color on my face during the Fall.

Just an FYI, I am sending out the wedding invitations later today because I want to marry this blush quad!! It is amazing! I do not remember the last time I spent a better $6. Seriously folks. This quad is highly pigmented (so a little goes a looong way) and it is perfect for dark skin. As a matter of fact, one of the blushes is almost TOO dark for me (I'm a MAC NC42 for reference). They are smooth and 3 of them are matte. The fourth one has a bit of shimmer but not much at all. They are so pretty, people -- not what you expect from a $6 blush quad. I really like these bad boys and I see this staying in rotation a lot!

Now, the lunch time special was a mineral kit. I wasn't jumping for joy when I read that, I really got excited when I saw that the e.l.f. Mineral Glow in Bronzed ($8) was in the kit. I have been waiting for Tar-jay and Wally World to get this in. I had heard that this was a great bronzer for women of color...

And it is. Oh my gosh! It is very pigmented and you only need the slightest amount to give you a "hell yeah, it's still Summer" glow. It's very finely milled with no scent. The container is what you are use to getting when you purchase Bare Minerals loose powders, plastic container with a sifter top. I learned my lesson from BM and kept my plastic top on half of the holes. I wouldn't travel with this bronzer. This one should stay home. But, when you use it at home -- KA-POW! You are going to be ready for the world. Use a light hand though. This color may not work for folks with a lighter complexion.

My kit also came with a mineral lipstick in Nicely Nude ($5). It's a beautiful rosy, nude color. It's almost too nude for me but with a lip liner, it works. The packaging looks rather fancy and has a good feel. The only problem was that it was not very hydrating and I felt like I needed to keep adding lip balm. I put it on at 6:30 am and by 8:30 am I was adding more lip balm. Other than that, I liked it.

I also got a Mineral EyeLiner in black ($3). I don't use eyeliner much. I've mentioned my Blepharitis a few times, so instead of eyeliner (the twice a week I do line my eyes), I will go for wet eyeshadow. It allows my lash line breathe a bit better. But, I did want to try this eyeliner because it says it's mineral based. The eyeslipsface website says that it "provides gentle coverage for even the most sensitive eyes". That may be the case but it's hard as hell. It is certainly not the smoothest eyeliner I've used. It's not the hardest but it is probably third or fourth in line for the award. It's a shame thought because the black is a good black. I mean it's a really dark black that would stand out on my lids really well. But, it wouldn't stand out long. The other issue with this eyeliner was that it rubs off almost immediately. If you blink too hard, it's gone.

So that's the first half of my e.l.f. review. Had I paid full price for the items, I would have already spent $22. I still have 6 items to review. Pretty good huh? A few of the other items I already own or have tried and have an opinion. But there are still some things I am ready to try.

Doesn't a little retail therapy help in any weather? I agree.