10.10.2013

Favorites - September

Can you tell I'm excited for Fall/Autumn season? I've been talking about Fall since way before Fall. The anticipation has been killing me, but it finally rained here in LA yesterday so it's starting to feel official. I can actually wear my boots out now without looking ridiculous. Yes! I love Fall and Winter seasons for playing with makeup. Summer is fun for brights and colors, but I always like to keep my makeup minimal as going out in the heat with a face full of makeup is such a drag. By the end of it you're half melted, feeling gross and just want to wash your face! The colder months on the other hand seem to lend themselves more to being adventurous. You can layer on the clothes and amp up your makeup. Out come the dark sultry colors and you're feeling all bad@$$ n sh!t. hah. So, I had initially planned on doing a few posts talking about things individually and then figured... wait... why not do a 'Favorites' post?! I love those sort of posts and youtube videos. It's a quick snapshot of all the things you're loving lately. So, here it is... my many obsessions as of late...


Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation
I've already talked about this twice and here it is again. I'm over the moon, head over heels, in love with this foundation. I did a full review here, but in short, it goes on like a liquid and dries quickly to a matte powder finish. It looks natural as it really just disappears into the skin. It has a medium to full coverage and stays matte all day long. Great for normal to oily skin.

I've had this since it launched (a year ago?) and I still get so much use out of it. I know a lot of people want to compare it to the Naked Palettes from Urban Decay, but it's really it's own thing. You can get a neutral look, but you can also amp it up with the deep plum, garnet, gold and slate blue shades. The genius of this is that the top row of shadows are completely matte and the bottom row are all shimmery. The pigmentation is so good and they glide on like a creamy powder shadow. You do get a small amount of fallout, but nothing a simple tapping of your brush can't fix. I also like that although the palette is long, it's really thin and always fits in my makeup bag. It's great all year round, but I feel like that garnet and the bronzes and golds really lend this palette to the Fall/Autumn season. Swatches below.

I've always hated liquid liner. To be honest, I rarely even wear any eyeliner, but when I do, I go for pencil and sort of smudge it out. I just have never been good with precision eyeliner application. People are always like "but you're an artist... what's the difference?!". I don't know, but it's one thing that I suck at... until now. I've tried so many liquid liners and the Lancome Artliner has definitely changed the game on me. It's so easy to use and it never skips. It glides on easily and the applicator has just the right about of flexibility and isn't too thick. I'm crazy about this one. I've been using the black a lot, but I recently picked up the brown and Ice Black which are both beautiful! I love that Ice Black is like this pewter taupe shimmery color that is great for a little definition, but nothing too strong.

I have used the original Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in the liquid form and love it. I saw that they released pressed powder versions and wanted to try one out. I ended up going for this limited edition one in Rose Gold. It's so beautiful for the Fall season. It's a light rosey champagne color. It definitely is different than the liquid formula. It does have an obvious shimmer running through it. It is great when strategically placed. I've actually used it a lot as an eyeshadow. Oh, and did I almost forget to mention that it has this beautiful diamond cut design pressed into the powder??? Gorgeous! Swatch Below.

I had been eyeing this blush for a while and finally picked it up two weeks ago. I've been using it nonstop. It looks a bit scary in the pan as it's a really deep magenta color. It is really highly pigmented and applies smoothly. What's pretty is when you use a duofibre (the ones with the natural black hairs at the bottom and the synthetic white hairs at the top) brush so that you get a small amount on and can lightly apply it to the apples of your cheeks. It's the perfect berry magenta flush that I'm obsessed with for fall/autumn. I think any skin tone would look great in this color. Just remember, a little goes a long way. Swatches below of the blush with full pigmentation and a second when you sheer it out.

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter - Berry Smoothie
More berry/magenta colors! See a pattern here? yeah... in love. I used Berry Smoothie all last Fall and I couldn't wait to get it out again and start using it. The Revlon Lip Butters are the perfect moisturizing sheer lipstick formula. Sheer is relative though because it is really pigmented and will definitely show the color on your lips, but it isn't completely opaque. Swatch below.

This is the other lip product that I can't get enough of. I actually hadn't tried Revlon lip glosses until a couple of months ago and I can't believe I waited so long. They are brilliant! The formula is creamy and opaque. It isn't at all sticky and it lasts quite well on my lips. I have noticed from one color to another, some are more opaque than others, but they will definitely show color on your lips. Crystal Lilac is just this perfect dusty cool pink color with a pretty bluish shimmer. It's great on it's own or to top off a nude lipstick. Swatch below.

L'Oreal Nailpolish - She's So Matte/Matte-r of Fact
I'm loving the matte nail trend at the moment. It just feels so chic. These L'Oreal polishes are matte all on their own. You don't need a top coat or anything to have the effect. They are really opaque and they dry pretty quickly. I do find using a base coat helps with longevity, but they're not bad on their own either. She's So Matte is a beautiful matte black and Matte-r of Fact is a matte teal color. I haven't seen them online anywhere, but I have found them in Ulta's and Targets around my area. I have a swatch of She's So Matte on my Instagram if you want to see what it looks like :)

I have swatches below of most of what I spoke about. All using flash on the camera so you can really see the shimmers v. mattes properly. I'm absolutely loving everything here. What are your current faves?
Talk soon. Kisses, J

2 comments :

  1. Hey! Loved this post :) I really want to try the LORAC Pro pallette

    Michelle - http://satchelsandshoes.blogspot.co.uk/

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    Replies
    1. Hi Michelle,
      Thanks so much! I really love the palette and get so much use out of it. You should definitely check it out when in stores and get creative with it!
      xoxo,
      J

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