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...

Cream Blushes

I remember trying my first cream blush ages ago. It was such an awful experience. I can't even remember what brand it was, but I just remember it feeling sticky and yucky. It didn't blend well and it rubbed off all the makeup I had on underneath it. Terrible! I thought to myself, 'Never Again!'.

It's now been a few years since that sticky situation and about six months ago, I decided to give them another go. How brave am I?! So, I picked up the Illamasqua one and then a YSL and so on and so on. Each of them impressing me more and more. Changing my perspective and making me fall in love and prefer cream blushes (not to say I don't still use powder because I do). You're probably wondering now "what's the big deal of cream instead of powder?". When using a cream product, you can make your blush look more natural. Cream products can be buffed into your skin making it look as though it is part of your skin, not sitting on top of it. They also tend to have more natural looking finishes of satin/velvety or dewy. Much more 'skin-like' than a powdery product. And they're actually quite easy to apply. I love love love using the Real Techniques Buffing Brush for this. I dab it into the product lightly (you generally won't need much at all) and tap it onto my cheeks. Then just blend it out. It makes it so easy by doing all the work for you. I also find that using my fingers is quite a simple and quick option.

What's in my Make up Bag - Current Favorites

One of my favorite things is seeing what people keep in their makeup bags (so nosey!). But, if it's in your makeup bag, it more than likely means you're truly enjoying the product. Mine is constantly changing, but this is a snapshot of what I'm loving at the moment. I'm always in a rush to get to work on time so for everyday I need products that work great and are super fast/easy to apply. With the exception of bronzer, I can pretty much get everything on without having to ever pull out a makeup brush (yay for fingers). Here's everything I've been using lately to create a simple, pretty, everyday summer look.

M.A.C Mineralize Skinfinish Natural - Medium: I'm not the biggest fan of M.A.C face products, but I have to say they really got it right here. I've been using this powder off and on for about 8 years. It's the most natural looking powder. Doesn't look cakey and is great for touch ups.

Garnier BB Cream - Light/Medium: This BB Cream honestly rivals higher end ones. It has a light coverage and blends into the skin effortlessly. Also helps you look radiant and the hyaluronic acid in it is great for keeping you hydrated all day long. 

Diorskin Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder - Sunlight: This is my favorite bronzing powder ever and it has gorgeous packaging! I held off buying this because I kept telling myself "you don't need another bronzer". I'm so glad I didn't listen because this one is different. It does as the name says, it gives a 'Healthy Glow'. I use it in the shade 'Sunlight', but they also have a darker option in 'Sunset'.

YSL Volupte Sheer Candy - 09 Cool Guava: This is a sheer tinted lip balm. I've been using the Cool Guava shade which is a light baby pink with a slight hint of shimmer running through it. To be honest, my favorite thing about this is the packaging. The silver and gold casing with the YSL logo around the center band. Beautiful. I love whipping this out of my bag for touch ups. I feel so fancy! (If you don't want to splurge, the L'Oreal Colour Riche Lip Balms or Maybelline Color Sensational Color Whispers are similar in concept and feel.)