My Holy Grail Products .. In Other Words, I’d Die Without Them

Every girl has her HOLY GRAIL of products, a list of products she reaches for on a day-to-day basis, most likely products that give a well put together and polished but still natural look.  In this post that’s what I’m going to be talking about . I noticed while writing this list down that I actually use a lot of “drugstore” products. It’s not even that I think other products are too “expensive” but more so because if I found a more affordable product that works just as well as something $10-30 more than why spend the money? I will be mentioning the products in order that I would apply them to my face.  

Keep in mind, if I were going somewhere special I would reach for my more “high-end” products which I will get into in another post. All of the products mentioned DO NOT cause a “white cast” in photos and photograph beautifully. That is a HUGE deal breaker for me as this can make your face appear extremely flat and round. All that contour would have been for nothing, and we all know we need a new instagram post at the end of a fun night, right? If any of you guys have a problem with “ghost face” make sure you check your makeup items for sunscreen (titanium oxide) that’s usually the culprit :).

1. Smashbox Photofinishing Primer

2.  Loreal Magic Nude Foundation in 320 (I know I just mentioned to watch for products with sunscreen but this foundation doesn’t cause a flashback)

3. Mac Prolongwear Concealer NC25  If you don’t own this product,GET in your car right now and get it.

4. Ben Nye Banana Powder I set my undereye concealer with this (prolongwear mentioned above) make sure to not use a whole lot because that could go wrong quick.

5. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent I lightly brush this over my T zone.

6. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate * I will have an entire blogpost just for brows but this stuff has saved my life.

7. Mac Give me Sun

8. Mac Melba Blush

9. Mac Highlighter Soft & Gentle * no photo

10. Loreal Voluminous Mascara Original (Blue/Purple Bottle) In BLACK, I’ve been using this mascara since I started wearing makeup in the 6th grade. I have tried them all, from brands ranging from DIOR to Loreal, and this always wins me over. I will forever wear this brand. Make sure NOT to get *waterproof* , because that stuff is potent and you will wake up with no eyelashes, hehehe.

11. Mac Liner in Oak* picture coming soon

12. Mac Lipstick Velvet Teddy * picture coming soon.. we already know how I feel about this lipstick..

Cheeks and Lips - Orange Is My New Favorite Color!!!

Although I never in a million years would have thought I could say this….I LOVE ORANGE. It is the color this year and not just in clothes, it is actually less fool proof and more universal in makeup. I know you are thinking bright orange lips on the runway and telling yourself no way. Do it, it doesn’t have to be the shade of orange to match Bozo the Clown’s hair, opt for a coral or vibrant red with yellow/orange undertones to paint your pout. Play up the eyes and use a shimmery shade with orange/gold on your lids up to your crease of your shadow and don’t be scared to use it on your cheeks! However picking the right shade is crucial…. And I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes we don’t communicate with our mirrors so our vision alone isn’t always enough to keep us looking like we haven’t been accosted by crayola. Here are some tips……

Lips: Corals truly flatter every skin tone. Red Orange shades are best on fair skin tones or olive complexions. To lessen the intensity line lips with a true red and to intensify your coral or favorite shade line lips with orange. When you play up your lips with this powerful color, its usually best not to use it on your cheeks or eyes. When I use coral I like to pair it with a simple lined eye and a neutral blush.

Cheeks: Keep it on the apples, this is not a contouring color! Keep your lips simple and avoid vibrant colors on your eyes. I love to use tangerine shades of blush, paired with shimmer highlighter and shades of grey and brown on my lids. My personal favorite and universally flattering shade is Stila Convertible Color in Petunia. Its also great on your lips, just not together. It blends easily and leaves you with a dewy glow!

Eyes: When using orange around the eyes, remember that is your statement. Go natural on everything else!!! Brown mascara is less harsh and a MUST when using such a powerful color to frame the windows of your soul!

Just like we change our clothes with the season, we should enjoy new trends with our makeup!

My Top 3 Mac Lipsticks for A Neutral Lip

I’m back with another lipstick post. Yay! So as you all know I’m obsessed with lipsticks. Especially Mac ones. My collection just never stops growing. Even though I love a bright, bold crazy lip I also like to keep it more neutral at times. Actually I’ve developed a bit of a nude lip obsession recently, so I thought I’d share my top 3 Mac lipsticks for a more neutral lip: Pink Plaid, Velvet Teddy and Twig.

Pink Plaid is a very soft pink but I still consider it to be more of a nude pink than just a pink because it is so light. It’s a matte finish (my favorite) and therefore it lasts so long, you don’t have to worry about having to re-apply the lipstick. I absolutely love this shade because it’s relatively cool-toned and since I have more of a cool than a warm complexion, I find that this suits me really well. So if you have light hair and fair skin you might want to give this a go. For me this is the perfect lipstick for those days when I want to wear more of a neutral shade but not a totally nude one. With Pink Plaid I can still add a slight touch of color to my make up look while still keeping it causal.

This is probably one of the most hyped up Mac lipsticks at the moment and it’s sold out all the time but my mom did manage to get a hold of it for me and since beauty has been mine for about 2 months now. Ever since I got this lipstick I’ve been wearing it most the time and I’ve used almost half of it up already. I just love how much fuller it makes my lips look and it just goes with every single make up look and every occasion. I love how this balances out heavy eye make up but it still looks amazing with a more simple eye make up look because it draws attention to the lips then. Basically I’m wearing this most of the time because I’m obsessed with the shade. Since I’m quite fair many nude shades make me looked like I’m sick and really wash me out but this one doesn’t at all and I know I’m going to have to repurchase it once I run out.

Twig is actually the newest member of my Mac lipstick collection but I’m obsessed already. It comes in a Satin finish, which I’m quite happy with because it’s still relatively matte. I find this color fairly hard to describe but I would say it’s more of a dark pink brown kind of nude. Either way it’s just a stunning color and I think I will be wearing this a lot. It’s very pigmented and leaves a beautiful finish on the lips as it’s not entirely matte but not glossy either. Even though it doesn’t last as long as Pink Plaid and Velvet Teddy it still lasts up to 5 or 6 hours and maybe. Despite having purchased Twig quite recently I know I will be wearing it all the time because it’s just one of those shades that I love. It’s still very neutral but adds that little something to your look and it makes your lips look fuller. What more could we want?

So these are my top 3 Mac lipsticks for a more neutral lip. They are pretty much my every day kind of shades and the ones I put on when I want to wear a lipstick but I kinda don’t, if you know what I mean. Sorry for all the selfies but I thought it would be nice to see how they actually look on my lips. They’re not the best quality but I got them off of my Instagram. Nonetheless I still have some swatches for you guys.

As always I genuinely hope you enjoyed reading this post! What are your top 3 Mac lipsticks for a causal lip?