June Favorites!

Everyone always says that the month flew by for them. I swear, every time I see a favorites post, someone will be saying "the month just rushed by for me!" For me, most of of the month rushed by. I had final exams and such up until June 6th. After that, although I know I'm being cliché, the summer days seemed to start sprinting by. I'm so happy to be out on summer break! Having free time again is awesome, I've been working on a whole bunch of posts for you guys, I'm so excited! Anyway, this month I've been really loving a couple products. So I thought I'd do a favorites post. I have pictures of the products and swatches of all of them. Here goes!

Clockwise from top: Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer in 7, Inglot Gel Liner in 74, MAC Fleet Fast,  Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Carnation, Inglot Cream Concealer in G

Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer in 7: This concealer is absolutely fantastic. I can only use it in the summer, since otherwise I'm too pale for it. However, it matches me really well at the moment! The coverage is fantastic - I use it to cover blemishes. It can be used for undereye circles, although it can turn out looking a bit cakey if you apply too much. It's super pigmented, so the one tube will last forever!

Inglot Gel Liner in 74: Inglot liners are my HG gel liners - they go on smoothly, they're pigmented, they're waterproof, and they last all day! 74 is a plum color that I feel makes my brown eyes pop a bit more (which isn't easy to do).

MAC Fleet Fast: This blush is a gorgeous color that lasts a long time, and is super pigmented! A review on this is coming up shortly.

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Carnation: A gorgeous blue based pink. Lovely creamy formula, and doesn't highlight imperfections. It has a slightly shiny finish, but not glossy. A perfect summer lipstick!

Inglot Cream Concealer in G: A basic green concealer to hide redness. Doesn't appear cakey, and applies smoothly and creamily. It blends out really well.

Here's swatches!

From left to right: MAC Fleet Fast, Inglot Gel Liner in 74, MUFE Full Cover Concealer in 7, Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Carnation, Inglot Cream Concealer in G

And that's this month's favorites! What have you guys been reaching for a lot lately? Let me know in the comments! Also, don't forget to enter my Apothica/SkinCareRX giveaway!

Perfection in an Oddly Shaped Blue Rectangle: Review of Rain Cosmetics Undercover Concealer

So, Rain Cosmetics was on Hautelook the other day. And Hautelook is my favorite beauty bargain shopping website. So I couldn't help but check out the sale on Rain Cosmetics. Rain Cosmetics sponsored the Miss America pageant this year, I believe. That was the first I had heard of the brand. So when I saw them on Hautelook, the name rang a bell. I'd also seen a couple good reviews for some of their products, though I couldn't recall which. Hence, I decided to check out their sale. The only two items that immediately piqued my interest were their primer and their concealer.

Since as a general rule, I'm too lazy to use primer in the morning, I decided to save myself the money and just get the concealer. My only complaint about Hautelook is that shipping is $4.95, so I generally try to place a big order, to justify the shipping costs. However, I decided to just get the concealer and pretend the shipping was justified. Anyway, I received it after a couple weeks (Hautelook also has slow shipping), and here's some pictures of the outer packaging.

I really like the packaging! It's blue plastic, with sort of a retro feel to it. It's very shiny, and it doesn't hold fingerprints. It stays new looking! It seems to have some sort of female assassin theme or something going on (I'm pretty sure the theme isn't actually female assassins). It has some sort of theme, I just can't quite identify it. Woman with a hat and a gun. It's not a police hat, so I'm forced to assume a female assassin theme. Please let me know if you figure out the real theme, I'd love to know what it is. :P
Some people might find the blue shiny packaging a bit tacky, but personally I quite like it.

When you open it, there are two pans of concealer. There's a lighter one on the right, and a darker, more orange-tinged one on the right. The one on the left feels a lot creamier and easier to blend, whereas the darker shade feels a bit waxier, and it's harder to blend out. I'm also pretty pale right now, since it's winter. So at the moment, the shade on the left matches me a lot better (although it's still a tinge dark) than the shade on the right, which would look atrocious on me. I think the right shade is a similar shade to my Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer in #7, which is currently too dark on me. I'll do a swatch comparison eventually, I'm hoping to do a concealer comparison post eventually. Here's some swatches on the inside of my arm (which is a lot paler than my face, just for the record):

Right shade in pan on top, left shade in pan on bottom.

Blended out a bit. Same order.

Both shades have definite yellow undertones, which is great for me since I have yellow undertones (although you can't tell in this picture). During the summer, it's easier to tell. When I was buying my first concealer, I had no mirror with me so I was having trouble guessing at a concealer shade. I was debating between one with yellow undertones and one with pink undertones. I was a total makeup newbie at the time, so I asked the woman next to me for her opinion. "You have yellow undertones, honey. Never forget that," she told me, as she instructed me to get the concealer with the yellow undertones. I followed her advice. The concealer matched perfectly. And to this day I have never forgotten that I have yellow undertones, thanks to the friendly lady next to me in the cosmetics aisle (thank you!).

Right now, I've only used the shade on the left, but I assume the shade on the right is the same quality (it is in the same palette, after all). It wears all day without melting or disappearing, although the weather has been cold so it's gotten no chances to melt as of yet. It's very pigmented, so you don't need a lot of it to cover a blemish, which is what I use it for. It's very buildable in layers without ending up looking cakey. And although I wasn't expecting this, it's waterproof. When I tried to wash the concealer swatches off my arm, they stayed on stubbornly until I wiped them off with a Garnier face wipe (my favorite brand of makeup wipes). This concealer makes me look fuh-law-less. Which is a whole new level of flawless. I apply this by taking a concealer brush (I use the EcoTools one) and picking some of it up and placing it on the blemish, then I use my ring finger to blend it out. I then apply my powder foundation on top and do the rest of my face routine, the order of which I detail here.

Rating: 5/5!

Overall, I love this concealer! I love my Inglot concealer, but this one matches my skin better, with its' lovely yellow undertones, and has more pigment and better coverage. This is my new HG (Holy Grail) concealer. I keep finding new ones, somehow. I might try some other items from Rain Cosmetics, the line seems really intriguing and if their other products are this good, they would definitely be worth a shot!

Have you tried any products from Rain Cosmetics?

Mid-February Favorites

Just thought I'd do a mid month favorites post, since I missed the end of the month and I'm really excited about these couple items right now. From now on, I will do mid month posts when I remember, and maybe even end/beginning months posts (again, only if I remember). I was hoping to do some FOTD posts last weekend, but unfortunately I was at a debate tournament and had pretty much no time. I also have a debate tournament this weekend, so there goes more opportunities to put on makeup (I wear extremely minimal makeup at debates, just very natural/subtle looks). Anyway, I've been really loving each of these items recently.

They are: Inglot Cream Concealer in #21, Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow #397, Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow #434, Lipstick Queen Lip Stain in Medieval, Inglot Gel liner in #90, AMC Lip Pencil in #24

From top to bottom: Lipstick Queen Lipstain in Medieval, Inglot AMC Lip Pencil in #24, Inglot Gel Liner in #90

Lipstick Queen Lipstain in Medieval

It's a sheer red lipstain (it appears pink in the picture, but it is red). This stays on throughout a meal and about 6 hours. It's just really easy to put on and head out the door, and it's not a super in your face color, and it easily makes you look put together. The color is buildable, and it's just really easy and fairly natural, depending on how much you apply. I wore this during my debate tournament, because it required about three seconds to apply it - so easy, and if you accidentally get some outside your lips, you can just wipe it off, no makeup remover required.

Inglot AMC Lip Pencil in #24

Awesome natural and totally matte color, great for every day. I did a full review on it here.

Inglot Gel Liner in #90

This liner is just amazing. I know I rave about pretty much all Inglot products, but I can't help it - I just love everything they make. Only one of my favorites is non-Inglot this month. And this liner is no exception to the rest of Inglot's high quality products. It's totally waterproof, applies smoothly, and packs some serious pigment. It stays on and doesn't transfer.

From top to bottom: Inglot Cream Concealer in #21, Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow #397, Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow #434

Inglot Cream Concealer in #21

Okay, when I visited the Inglot counter looking for a concealer I had serious doubts that I was going to find one that matched my skin, since I have yellow undertones. This one has yellow-ish undertones and is lighter than my Make Up Forever Full Cover Concealer in #7, which is too dark for my cheeks (it doesn't blend out and leaves a sort of dark spot). There were other concealer choices with neutral or pink undertones, but the neutral one looked ashy on my skin and the pink undertones one simply didn't work. This one covers any blemishes I might have (I don't use it for undereye circles), and blends in perfectly with my skintone.

Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow #397

This is the perfect allover lid shade to wake your eyes up or to use as an inner corner highlight - its shimmery but not glittery, and I use it in the inner corner extremely often. It's a light pinkish white color, and it's just gorgeous. Super easy to swipe on and go.

Inglot Pearl Eyeshadow #434

This shade is actually remarkably similar to NARS Lhasa, now that I think about it. I got it after I returned Lhasa, so I can't compare them side by side. But Lhasa was a shimmery lavender grey, and #434 is also a purpleish gunmetal grey color. Here's a picture of Lhasa on the right and #434 on the bottom. 

The lighting is different in both pictures, but in all honesty the shades are at least decently similar. I'll try to take a picture of #434 in daylight next time we have any, so the comparison will be clearer. Anyway, this can be used for your average grey eyeshadow purposes (crease, outer corner, etc.), but better. It's slightly purple, so it adds a hint of intriguing color. People will stare at your eyes for hours, trying to figure out if you're wearing purple or grey eyeshadow. Well, maybe not quite that dramatic, but it is definitely a fascinating and unique color. I'm thinking I might do a post on different ways to use a grey eyeshadow. Valentine's day is coming up tomorrow, I might try to do a look with pink eyeshadow (which I normally avoid since it often makes me look tired).

What are you currently loving mid-month? Are you planning any special makeup for Valentine's day?

Doing my Face: Application Order

In the morning, if you do a full face, there's a couple things you will most likely use. Among these items could be moisturizer, concealer, powder, foundation, primer, blush, highlighter, and bronzer. I thought it might be helpful to do a blog post on the order of application,  or at least how I do it. I don't do a full face every day, but I think it's good to know how for special occasions or when you're going to be photographed. I'm just going to list out the steps. If there's one of these you don't do, just skip it and move on to the next step. I'm going to do two lists - one for if you use liquid foundation, the other for if you use powder foundation.

Powder Foundation

1. Moisturizer (preferably w/ SPF)

2. Foundation primer

3. Concealer

4. Powder Foundation

5. Bronzer

6. Blush

7. Highlighter

8. Powder

Liquid Foundation

1. Moisturizer (preferably w/ SPF)

2. Foundation primer

3. Liquid foundation

4. Concealer

5. Bronzer

6. Blush

7. Highlighter

8. Powder

My Top 11 Makeup Products of 2011

Now, this post is pretty much old by now. It's where you take your top 11 favorite makeup products of 2011 and name them. I should probably have done this about two weeks ago. But instead of that, being the procrastinator I am, I'm doing it now. Since I love my eyeshadows extraordinarily much, I don't feel I can put them into one post along with other makeup products. I am warning you, by reading this post you are beginning the journey through what has turned out to be quite a long post, although I didn't intend for it to end up this way. I did kind of a mini-review on each of the products. So here's my top 11 favorites of 2011 excluding eyeshadow, with pictures, in no particular order.

1. Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Foundation

This foundation is the third foundation I've tried. Admittedly, I haven't tried many. I actually received a mini size of this in my Birchbox, and decided to give it a go (although at the time I didn't wear foundation on a regular basis). However, it surpassed all my expectations. It gives me absolutely gorgeous skin with a completely natural finish - you pretty much can't tell I'm wearing it once I set it with my powder. I think it actually helps keep my skin clear - I've never broken out due to using this. It's lasted me a pretty long time - I got this in October, and I'm only about halfway through! It's my HG foundation, and the only time I use another one is for photos where I need a bit more coverage. It's meant to be used as a concealer as well, but  personally I find it doesn't work as that at all, since it doesn't hide red blemishes. However, as a foundation it's absolutely lovely. It matches my skintone perfectly (I think I'm NC25) and I use the shade Blush Medium - oddly enough, it has yellow undertones,  not pink ones. I have yellow undertones myself, and it's a color match made in heaven (at least during the fall/winter). I have 2 backups of this just in case they ever discontinue it - I love it that much. 

2. theBalm Sexy Mama Pressed Powder

This is the powder that keeps my skin matte and my foundation finish flawless. It gives me an absolutely natural looking face, and I love it very much. For more detail, see my review.

3. Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer in 7

This is my HG concealer (and the second one I've purchased). Sorry for the reflection on the tube, I'm still a learning photographer. I use the shade 7, and it is absolutely wonderful. It covers redness, dark spots, blemishes - everything that a concealer should cover. You only need a tiny bit, and the tube has plenty of product in it. I think the one tube will last me at least a year or two, if not longer. I don't use a lot of it every day, I usually only have one or two blemishes that I need to conceal. My only complaint is that when I use it on my cheeks, the area I use it on sometimes is a sort of darker patch because my skintone lightened during the winter. However, it's rarely an issue, and in the summer I'm sure my skin will be tan once again, and it won't bother me anymore.

4. MAC 224 brush

This is the ultimate blending brush, in my opinion. I've tried EcoTools and Sephora blending brushes - neither of them cut it. I tried some obscure brand from 20 years ago's blending brush - it didn't cut it. And then, for my birthday, I received the one and only MAC 224. Any harsh lines on my eyeshadow? No problem for this brush. It whisks them all away and replaces them with smooth transitions. If I could only say one thing about this brush, it would be that it would get taken very good care of.

5. ELF Flat Top Powder Brush

This brush is just so soft. And so skilled. And so dear to my hear that I bought two backups of it (yes, of a brush!) before the first one broke for good. The ferrule had come detached from the handle for the 2nd time, and once again I had to superglue it back together. So when ELF had a $5 off, I jumped on it and ordered two more of these fluffy, soft, beautiful brushes. This brush applies my powder and powder foundation flawlessly. I haven't used it for anything else, because my powder and foundation are much too selfish to share this amazing brush with any other products. For only $3, this brush is absolutely incredible. It's my HG powder brush - twice I've bought a high end powder brush, only to return it before even using it, because I knew that they could not possibly surpass this brush, and they would only be a waste of money.

6. Sephora Collection Classic Double Ended Every Day Brush

Whoo, that's a mouthful of a name. Anyway, I use the flat shader end of this brush to shade. It does its job, it's very soft, and I do, true to the name, use it pretty much every day. The other end of the brush, the smudger, I use to apply darker powder eyeshadow colors on the lashline sometimes. It's kind of poky, and anyway I don't do dark eyeshadow every day. So I guess you could say I use it every half day, since I use half the brush every day? Anyway, it's a competent shader brush that makes me feel no compulsion to buy a newer, more expensive one. This, along with two Stila eyeshadows, was the only makeup related item(s) my mom ever gave to me (she thinks I'm absolutely crazy with my makeup obsession/makeup purchasing habits).

7. Inglot Sleeks Lip Gloss in 40

Sorry for my dry/veiny hands in this picture - I was just snowboarding a week ago, and my hands still haven't recovered from the cold/dry weather trauma (it's all about skiing on the fake snow, guys). Anyway, this is pretty much my HG lip gloss. The formula, not the color (although I do love the color). And unlike my experience with foundation, the sheer (pun not intended...okay maybe a little intended) amount of lip glosses that I have tried boggles minds of scholars everywhere. From high end to low end, I've tried them. And for their own reasons, each of my new lip glosses has slowly earned less and less use until it gets buried in the pile of lipglosses that I own. It is not the case with this one. This has earned its place on the top of my stack of lipglosses. The color I have is a pink with mauve undertones and silver/multicolored tiny glitter flecks. It smells kind of like, well, lipgloss. Which I actually really like the smell of. It's like plasticy grapefruit? It sounds unappealing, but I personally like it. Not as much as the fragrance of MAC's lipsticks (those smell like heaven in a stick), but it's pretty decent. It stays glossy for about an hour or so. It's completely non sticky, but still packs a pretty nice pigmented punch. If I need to go somewhere and lipgloss is on my packing list, this is the lipgloss that I will bring without thinking twice about it.

8. L'oreal Voluminous False Lashes

So this mascara has the most enticing ads. They show models with long, defined, gorgeous lashes. And I should know by now that when real people wear this mascara, ones who don't have lash extensions, it doesn't look quite as good. So after taking this mascara home, I wasn't expecting much, although I still had a sliver of hope that it would deliver decent results. As a matter of fact, it did. When I use this mascara and put on multiple coats, it doesn't lengthen a ridiculous amount. It volumizes (it is in the name, after all!). Without giving me clumpy lashes, it gets me fairly close to a false lash look. I absolutely love this mascara - if only I didn't need waterproof, which is an absolute pain to take off.

9. MAC Bombshell Lipstick

Sorry again about the dry nasty hands. Anyway, this lipstick is the only one I own by MAC. It smells like the rest of MAC's lipsticks. Like a fountain of vanilla, happiness, and smiles in a beautifully colored creamy stick. I could come up with all sorts of creative ways to describe this, but I should probably get to talking about the actual product now. This is the ultimate pink for me - it goes with pretty much any look, winter or summer. It has some gold shimmer, and pulls a tiny bit purple. It's a frost finish, and it's really quite lovely. Not drying on the lips, and it lasts a good 3-4 hours if I don't eat or drink.

10. theBalm Mary Lou-manizer

For the last time in this post, apologies for the veiny and dry hands. I've been using a Jurlique hand cream that I quite like, which is helping to repair the damage. This highlighter is like, the 3rd highlighter I've bought. The other two I returned, because neither could measure up to the mindblowing amazingness of this highlighter. It gives this amazing candlelit glow to your cheeks without the disco-ball glitter festival-ness of many other highlighters. I'm not opposed to glitter altogether, just not for every day. It's a golden toned highlighter - it doesn't lean white. It's super pigmented, so you only need to touch the brush to the pan to get enough. And since they give you a ridiculous amount of product in the pan, I will probably actually never use all of this up. Sad, I know. I got this on sale from Hautelook for $12 instead of $24, and the value of this is just mindblowingly good.

11. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

Okay, there really isn't much else to say about this last item that hasn't been said a million times already. It keeps my eyeshadow from creasing, doesn't irritate my eyes, makes eyeshadow apply evenly, yada yada yada. In the end, all you really need to know is that I love it very much.

That wraps up my (extremely long post on) my top 11 makeup products of 2011. I hope you enjoyed, feel free to leave me a comment below!