Lips of the Month | January

I have a love/hate relationship with these lipstick posts. I should probably stop waiting until the end of the month to do swatches because then I would remember which ones I liked the most. This time around, I decided to not take pictures of the actual lipstick tubes because I've been using more liquid style lipsticks and those are a pain for photograph.

Monte Carlo: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This is probably my least favorite of the lip creams because it takes so much application to build up the color. I'm not sure if it's drying out really quickly or what because I don't remember needing to build it up so much when I originally swatched it. The lasting powder was good, but it definitely doesn't build up to as dark as I hoped.

Yield to Love: MAC Cremesheen formula. Limited edition from the Novel Romance Collection. This is one of my favorite more neutral mauve colors. I believe this was an online exclusive color that I managed to snatch up on the MAC site on the day it was released. I was going back and forth on this lipstick and I'm glad I bought it.

Electro: MAC Lustre formula. Limited edition from the Neo Sci-Fi Collection. I don't usually like the lustre formula, but I actually really like this color. I'm a huge fan of orange lipstick. I don't know why I decided I needed orange lipstick in January, but I guess it worked.

Relentlessly Red: MAC Matte formula. This has always been one of my favorite lipsticks by MAC. I've talked about this color before I think I've had this in multiple posts. It's a little dry, but because of that it dries down completely. I like having a lipstick that is transfer proof.

Ibiza: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This is one of the colors I prefer. I really like the formula on this one and the color lasts for a decent amount of time.

San Paulo: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. I originally thought this was going to be a brighter pink, but I like the shade that it ended up being. 

Stockholm: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This color is generally my go-to for a shade of lipstick or long wear lip color when I need something more neutral. I wore this to a holiday party and I didn't feel like having high maintenance lips, especially when drinking.

Flawless: ColourPop Satin formula. My first foray into ColourPop. I'll definitely do a swatch post at some point, but these are a new to me brand of lipsticks that I heard about on YouTube. They only cost $5, so of course I had to buy a bunch. This is the only Satin formula color that I liked, and I have to say that it's more of a satin-matte, which I like. The color is also pretty awesome.

Ellarie: ColourPop Matte formula. Most of the ColourPop lipsticks that I own are the matte formula, which is nice because those are my favorite lipsticks. This is a really nice berry color and I think it might be one of my favorites of the ten I purchased.

I <3 This: ColourPop Matte Formula. This is a nice bright pink that I'm sure I could find at least five dupes for in my collection. Either way, it wore really nicely and I like the stick packaging it comes in. The matte formulas are really nice.

Lumiere: ColourPop Matte formula. I bought this one because KathleenLights designed the color and it looked nice every time she wore it. I don't know if everyone was using a lip liner underneath, but it looks nothing like on the site. My lips made it appear like I wasn't even wearing anything. Not even like my lips but better, but more my lips but wearing absolutely nothing. This one was just okay because it wasn't what I was expecting.

Merlot: NYX Matte formula. I've talked about this color before. I really like it, although I wish it were just a bit darker. The picture makes it look washed out because it is a little deeper of a wine color in real life.

My favorite arm of lipsticks ahead! I was really feeling purples and I'm probably going to use these ones more often.

Salon Rouge: MAC Matte formula. Limited edition with the Heirloom Mix collection. I actually think this is my favorite MAC lipstick that I've purchased recently. It's definitely in my top 5 MAC lipsticks if I were to think about it off the top of my head. This is just the most perfect berry color and I need to use it more before the warm weather hits.

Russian Red: MAC Matte formula. I love Russian Red. This is my tube from the Wonder Woman collection and I think it was my first red MAC lipstick. The only downside to this color is that it never really dries down to a true matte. It's more of a demi matte that transfers, but at least it's moisturizing.

Spitfire: MAC Satin formula. Limited edition from the Wonder Woman collection. Likewise, I think this was my first purple lipstick. I really love the satin formula and I'm so glad I managed to snatch up this lipstick since it is such a sought after color.

Bauhau5: Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick. This is such an intense pink/purple color. I've been enjoying liquid lipsticks and I'm pretty sure the KVD ones are some of my favorites. I do like the NYX lip creams, but they aren't transfer proof like these ones are. The KVD colors last me an entire 12 hour shift at work and manage to look fresh all day.

Prague: NYX Matte Lip Cream. This is probably another one of my favorite colors from the lip cream line. It is a bit more bold on the lips than on my arm, yet not as deep as the tube would lead you to believe.

LBB: ColourPop Matte Formula. This is another really nice color. It does remind me of Flawless, but with a matte finish. I find that I don't need to touch up the matte colors at all, which is something that I can really get behind.

High Bred Red: MAC Amplified Formula. This is one of those red lipsticks that I use just to make sure I don't forget about it. I don't love it, but I don't hate it. The picture is making the shade pull pink, but it is definitely a true red.

Alabama: NYX Matte formula. When I first got this color, I thought it would be too brown for me to pull off. It is the only brown-red that I own and I really like the way it looks. All the NYX lipsticks go on so effortlessly for me.

Matte 408: Inglot Matte Formula. This color is redder in real life, but the picture makes it seem like it pulls more pink. The lighting started getting bad and these reds all look a bit pink. The Inglot mattes all look like crap when I swatch on my arm, but all I need is a bit of lip balm and they glide on my lips and last all day.

Bichette: ColourPop Matte Formula. This is another one of my favorites from the ten I bought. This reminds me a bit of Salon Rouge, which is why I like the color so much. I've been really into berry colors and this one hit it out of the park.

Damn Glamorous: MAC Matte Formula. This is yet another favorite MAC lipstick of mine. I think I just bought this a few months ago and this is only the second time I've worn it, but I really like the color and the finish.


Roundup!

MAC Lipsticks: 8
Matte: 4
Amplified: 1
Lustre: 1
Cremesheen: 1
Satin: 1

NYX: 7
Matte Lip Cream: 5
Matte Lipstick: 2

ColourPop: 6
Matte: 5
Satin: 1

Kat Von D: 1

Ingot: 1

January Monthly Favorites

I feel like most of these items aren't new at all, but I think some of them have actually not been featured yet. There's actually a few staples that are missing from the month's list. I don't have a favorite concealer, toner, or mascara. I'm almost out of a couple of these things and I think I might be able to do another empties post even though I just posted one!

Missha Flower Bouquet Skin Fresh Cleansing Oil in Cherry Blossom: I talked this up last month and I haven't been using anything else to take off my makeup. I think this will only last me about another month, so it's a good thing I decided to buy a couple different cleansing oils from Missha.

Missha Creamy Latte Chocolate Cleansing Foam:  Another item from last month's post. I've been using only this cleanser for the most part and I'm starting to get to the point where I'm worried about running out.

Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief: It's been awhile since this showed up in any posts, which is strange since I haven't stopped using it. This is my last step of my morning skincare because my primer and makeup just apply better after this. It's definitely one of my favorite gel type moisturizers.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule: I can't say enough good things about this ampoule. It's my favorite and my holy grail ampoule. I will forever continue to purchase this as long as Missha makes it.

It's Skin Power 10 VC Effector: I just about killed this bottle, which is why I'm glad I ordered another one when it was half gone. I'm thinking of trying a different type in the line, but for now this is my go to in the morning.

Mizon All In One Snail Repair Cream: This is an oldie but a goodie. When I ran out of my Benton Steam Cream, this was sitting in my cabinet and I decided that I needed to use it again. This is a nice light cream, so it's different than the Benton. I think I may end up using both now.

Tony Moly Intense Care Snail Cream: I've been using this to combat my dry winter skin. This jar is almost empty and I have something different to replace it with. I did enjoy this cream quite a bit, but it was pricey and it is now time to move on. I hope I won't miss it too much because I really did love it.

MAC Skin Base Visage: I needed a moisturizing primer to deal with my dry skin. Ever since I ditched the Smashbox primer, my skin has stopped peeling under my makeup in my dry problem spots. I definitely can't use this in the summer because it makes me a little oily and my makeup slides around, but this has been perfect for winter skin. 

Skin79 Super Plus BB Creams in Green and VIP Gold: These used to be two of my favorite BB creams and also my first two Skin79 ones. VIP Gold gives a little more coverage but tends to pull a little grey on me. I usually mix these two together because the Green one is moisturizing and is closer to my skin tone, so it tones down the grey from VIP Gold. I've used this pair for over a year off and on and the canisters are much lighter than my other two Skin79 BBs, so I'm wondering how long before I run out.

ElishaCoy Time Capsule BB Cream: This BB cream gives me more coverage than the Skin79 and it doesn't pull grey on me. That said, it gives my skin more of a makeup feel because it does cover more. I like my face to look more natural, but if I have something to cover than this is what I've been using.

Covergirl NatureLuxe Gloss Balm in Marble: I had to look this up online to see what it was because there's only a color label on the bottom. I was going through some drawers of makeup and found this balm and figured I would use it. Turns out, I really like it and it's discontinued of course.

NYX Butter Lip Gloss in Tiramisu: I wanted to try these glosses but I'm not a huge fan of lip gloss. I always end up buying them and then they get stashed away, like my MAC lip glasses and Revlon lip glosses. I actually like this just for moisture because it isn't sticky. This color barely shows up and I wear it around the house and sometimes to bed because it's just a film on my lips. The fact that it smells like cake doesn't hurt either. I had to restrain myself from buying 5 more when Ulta had them on sale.

MAC Fluidline Brow Gel Creme in Dirty Blonde: I've been more into natural brows and not my usual red ones. I generally coat my brows with red powder and then top it with this because the color looks nice. I've always loved the formula of this gel and I feel like I can get a much better, sharper shape with this than a powder.

(MALIN+GOETZ) Mojito Lip Balm: I got this in my Ipsy bag earlier this month and immediately loved it. I've been wondering if I should get a full size, but that tube won't have the slant tip applicator and some of the ingredients are a little sketchy looking. For now, I just really like this gel based balm.

MAC Blackline: I don't remember where I was digging when I found this liner, but I forgot how much I love it! It's black, but it's also gold. And magic. It doesn't wear as well on my waterline as the Noir liner does, but I do prefer this when I'm looking for a bit of flair.

Clockwise from top: Sea Me Hear Me, Mighty Aphrodite, Copper Diamond, Mary Lou, Aphrodite's Shell

MAC Sea Me, Hear Me: I bought this back in I think June or July when the Alluring Aquatic collection had been out for a month or two. I ended up having non-buyers remorse and got this from a seller in a facebook group. I'm so glad I bought it, because I loved this shade this past summer and I recently decided that it was a good color now. I might rotate my blushes because I noticed that I don't use some of them, but this was great this month and I really love the color and packaging.

MAC Mighty Aphrodite: This blush has been with me for years. I think it was one of the first MAC blushes and I bought because it was from the Wonder Woman collection. I just remember that I was living in Salem at the time and didn't own a lot of makeup, never mind a lot of MAC. That was one of my favorite MAC collections of all time and this is one of my favorite blushes. I tried rotating through my shades this month and kept going back to this one.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Copper Diamond: This was included in last month's favorites, and for good reason. I really love this highlighter. I try to wear something less intense with a darker blush or bronzer combo, but I've also started with my excuse to not wear this every day because I don't want to ever hit pan on it. You only need a tiny amount though, so I don't think I'll plow through this highlight.

theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer: Another intense highlight that I loved last month and into this month. I think this one is a bit more opaque than Copper Diamond, but it also blends out a little better. I think I like Copper Diamond more than this one, which I guess I should considering that it cost three times more than Mary Lou here. A little goes a long way and it doesn't take much to look like the 90's disco ball glitter trend threw up on your face.

MAC Aphrodite's Shell: I think I have to dig through my favorites posts and see when I haven't included this bronzer. This shade is just effortless. It's the perfect pale skin bronzer and I never feel like it gets too heavy, no matter how many times I swirl my brush in the pan. I have a few bronzers, but I always go back to this one. I don't know why I bothered to buy other shades. Probably come summer I'll use the others because most of them are too dark for the winter. No one looks sun kissed with three feet of snow outside.

NARS Devotee: I had to include this hot mama again because I used the crap out of this highlighter this month. I really do wear a full face of makeup five days a week, so I need a little variety. I feel like three highlighters isn't overkill in a post when you think of how often I wear makeup. I may need to update my picture of this pan because the hetchmarks have started fading more. I think this may be my favorite NARS highlighter of the four I own.

NARS Goulue: This month I left my Guy Bourdin palette on top of the stack and used this blush and Devotee quite a bit. I did think this was too dark for my liking at first, even though I was sure this would be my favorite blush in the palette. After learning to go lightly with this shade, I think it really is my favorite in this palette.

Tarte Breathless: I wanted to continue getting use out of my holiday cheek palette, so I picked this color to try out and I kept going back to it for a more natural cheek. This is generally a blush I would wear with a dark lip so that my face wouldn't compete with my lips. It does look kind of like face powder in the pan, but it totally transforms on the cheeks.

Versace Bright Crystal Absolu: I found it. This is my perfume. I've been trying out different scents because I really want to wear perfume and not just lotions that smell like candy. I found a sample of this that had been tucked away from a Nordstrom order and I just kept going back to that little spray. Well, I realized that I had been spritzing it on every night to go to work and that my sample was almost gone. I almost died when I realized that the 3.2oz bottle was $110 online, so I did some digging and found it for $60 on Overstock.com. I used a 10% off coupon and with my SwagBucks points that I collected over the holidays, I managed to score a $25 gift card. This sounded like a great deal to me, so I scooped up this bottle and one other perfume that isn't quite a favorite yet that I'll talk about in a haul. This is my first "grown-up" perfume purchase and I seriously can't tell you the last scent I bought. I used to really like the Britney Spears perfumes. I think I have a small bottle of a Hilary Duff perfume from high school and also a teeny tiny bottle of Vera Wang Princess that is so small it doesn't even have a sprayer. I think this will be a favorite for a while and it has definitely been a gateway drug into finding more perfumes that I like.

Lips of the Month | December

I feel like I have a lot of variety in my lipstick post this month. I had a few new things to try out and I'm still digging more matte and satin finishes for the most part. I also went away for a bit and didn't bring any bold colors with me. In a couple pictures, my hands are all in the way because I had to hold my liquid lipstick applicators so they didn't get everywhere.

Matte 424, Matte 421, Matte 426, Eden, Pink Poinsettia, Girl About Town

From top: Matte 424, Matte 421, Matte 426, Eden, Pink Poinsettia, Girl About Town

Matte 424: Inglot Matte Formula. I really like this color, but I think I'll like it even more in the summer. I've been trying to wear corals and oranges lately, but it just isn't the season. I should probably stick with my reds and dark berry colors before winter ends.

Matte 421: Inglot Matte Formula. This swatches like crap because it's so dry, but it just glides on if you have a touch of balm over your lips. Inglot makes really great matte colors and I'm glad I decided to try some.

Matte 426: Inglot Matte Formula. I think this was the driest of the three Inglot colors I wore this month. It was a little dry on my lips because I didn't expect it, but I added a little lip balm and it was fine. This color also drags a little, but I can get over it because I like it so much.

Eden: NYX Matte Lipstick. I really like the color of this red. It's very pigmented, but I can't remember if it was long wearing. I feel like I need to touch up most of the NYX lipsticks, but I love the formula of them so much that I don't mind.

Pink Poinsettia: Tarte Amazonian Butter Formula. I've been pleasantly surprised with this line of lipsticks, but I do find that I need to reapply fairly often. My favorite part about wearing one of these lipsticks is the really nice minty smell that lingers.

Girl About Town: Amplified formula. Limited edition packaging from the Manish Arora collection. This is one of my favorite darker pink lipsticks. I really like the way it applies and I don't mind having to touch up a bit because the amplified formula is really great.

Candy Red, Adore It, Adora, Viva Glam Cyndi, Berry, All of Me

From top: Candy Red, Adore It, Adora, Viva Glam Cyndi, Berry, All of Me

Candy Red: Tarte Amazonian Butter formula. This didn't really pull red on my lips as much as it did a pinkish red. I still liked the color, but it probably isn't a lipstick I'll wear all the time. For this formula, I plan ahead and try not to wear it on days when I won't get a chance to touch up or reapply.

Adore It: Glaze Formula. Limited edition from the Adoring Carmine holiday set. This color and formula are just okay in my book. I do regret buying this lipstick, but I got it pretty cheap on eBay so I guess that's fine. Glaze formulas used to be my favorite a few years ago, but now I'm not a huge fan.

Adora: Kat Von D Foiled Love Liquid Lipstick. This is a discontinued product that I found in TJ Maxx while holiday shopping, so naturally I had to buy it. I already liked the stick version of Adora, but this is better because the lasting power is so much stronger. This liquid lipstick stays all day and because of that, I bought a few more. Love it.

Viva Glam Cyndi: Lustre formula. Limited edition from one of the yearly MAC Viva Glam collaborations. This lipstick came out with Viva Glam Lady Gaga. I used to really love this lipstick. It was very hard to find because I started out with my makeup obsession and using MAC right about when this lipstick was being discontinued. Someone ended up sending it to me from an old Livejournal group and we lived happily ever after. Just kidding. I kind of hate this lipstick now. It might be because it's getting old, but I'll compare the code on the bottom and see if I have older ones. It's half used up because I loved it so much, so at least I don't feel bad. It's also a lustre, which I'm not a huge fan of anymore.

Berry: Love & Beauty by Forever 21 Creme formula. I got this in an Ipsy bag and immediately wrote it off because it was from Forever 21. I ended up wearing it to work one night because it's actually a really nice holiday red. For a Forever 21 lipstick, I'm really impressed. I think I'll actually wear this again and I might look into Forever 21's makeup line.

All of Me: Manna Kadar Lip Locked. I got this in my Birchbox in December and it was really the only thing that I tried. This is a cross between and stain and a gloss. The color is pretty decent, but I don't know how I feel about the formula. I definitely won't purchase a full size.

Addis Ababa, Bachelorette, Red Balloon, Beranice, Euro Trash, N9

From top: Addis Ababa, Bachelorette, Red Balloon, Beranice, Euro Trash, N9

Addis Ababa: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This is just a really nice pink in the usual matte lip cream formula. I know I've said it before, but I'm head over heels for the Soft Matte Lip Creams. I own I think about 10 or so of them and I haven't come across any that I don't like.

Bachelorette: Kat Von D Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick. This is the most recent formula that Sephora currently sells. If I didn't have a Beauty Insider voucher and a gift card, I wouldn't pay $19 for a liquid lipstick. Well, I don't know. This is pretty good. This is the first of three colors that I own, but I would consider getting at least one other color that was sold out when I shopped online at Sephora. It's worth noting that this liquid lipstick lasts ridiculously long and I'm going to insert a picture of the staying power.

Boom. I used my cleansing oil that takes off even waterproof eyeliner and mascara, so I was surprised that the lipstick stained my skin so bad. You can kind of see how my arm is a little stained from the other colors I just tried to take off, but I really needed to scrub with another pump of cleansing oil.

Red Balloon: Amplified formula. This has been one of my favorite MAC lipsticks since I bought it almost a year ago. I really like this color and I don't think it's something I would only wear during warmer weather because it isn't too summery. I also have been really loving the Amplified formula lately.

Beranice: Kat Von D Foiled Love formula. This is another lipstick formula from Kat Von D that has been discontinued that I found at TJ Maxx. The color reminds me of Adora, so I'm glad I don't have a full size of that one. I really wish I could have found more of these lipsticks, but judging by eBay, it's because people are buying them up and reselling them at really high prices.

Euro Trash: NYX Matte Lipstick. I wasn't sure about this lipstick at first. It's a little brown. I did try it on at one point and then I tossed it in the back of my lip drawer. I pulled it back out because I needed a handful of neutral colors to bring on vacation with me and this fit the bill. It's still a little brown, but I don't hate it.

N9: Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Natural Lipstick. Sephora lists this color as being copper pink. It's nice. It's a neutral color. It's also really small because I got it for free in the Sephora birthday kit. I took it with me on vacation because I didn't know when else I was going to wear it. I wish I could have picked a different color, but this one wasn't bad.

Sweet Peach, Angelic Nude, Whipped Caviar, Show Orchid, Toying Around, Hellbent

From Top: Sweet Peach, Angelic Nude, Whipped Caviar, Show Orchid, Toying Around, Hellbent

Sweet Peach: Tarte Amazonian Butter formula. I was just hanging around with family and such so it didn't matter that the lasting power wasn't fantastic. I still love these lipsticks. The smell is fantastic and the colors are really nice. I think this might be my least favorite color of the five shades I have, but it was still nice.

Angelic Nude: Tarte Amazonian Butter formula. This is my favorite nude lipstick. I don't think I've ever had a nice creamy nude lipstick. There are a few NYX lip creams that are nude, but those are matte. This is just really nice. I'm surprised to find myself saying that this might be my favorite of the five shades that I own.

Whipped Caviar: NYX Matte Lipstick. I bought this on a whim because I needed another color to get a buy one, get one 50% off deal when I was first buying NYX lip products. I like this color more than Euro Trash, which is what I chose to buy instead of this one in my first order. I'm glad I got this one too because it's different and I actually prefer this color.

Show Orchid: Amplified formula. This is one of my favorite MAC lipsticks and I know it took me too long to buy it. It has a bit of an iridescence to it, which I really love. I will continue to wear this color all year long.

Toying Around: Amplified formula. This is unfortunately a lipstick that I don't want to wear until Spring rolls around. I just felt like my face looked funny when I was wearing this color. I think I'm going to file this color away for a couple months. It's one of my favorite colors and formulas, but it's just not for winter.

Hellbent: Kat Von D Foiled Love Liquid Lipstick. I hate that these were discontinued! I really loved this color. It's completely matte and transfer proof, but it has glitter in it! So I wore it on New Year's Eve for the worst restaurant shift of my life and it lasted through the entire night. I even slept in all my makeup and this lipstick was still on the next day when I woke up! It had barely faded at all. I seriously never sleep in my makeup, but it was just so late and I didn't even mean to do it. I just closed my eyes for a minute and seven hours.


Round up!

MAC Lipsticks: 6
Amplified: 4
Lustre: 1
Glaze: 1

NYX: 4
Matte Lipstick: 3
Matte Lip Cream: 1

Kat Von D: 4
Foiled Love: 1
Foiled Love Liquid: 2
Everlasting Love Liquid: 1

Tarte: 3

Inglot: 3

Other Brands: 3

December Monthly Favorites

I feel like I didn't really have a lot of favorites this month. Part of that is because I didn't really pay attention to which blush colors I was using due to the fact that I was trying to rotate my NARS colors. I have a good idea of the colors I ended up reaching for even during rotation, but nothing truly stood out to me this month. Because of that, I just added a ton of cropped blush pictures from all the ones I loved this month.

Missha Flower Bouquet Skin Fresh Cleansing Oil in Cherry Blossom: This cleansing oil has seriously changed my life. I'm not even exaggerating a little bit. My makeup comes off so much faster with this than a makeup wipe or even makeup remover. This takes off everything. I just rub two to three pumps of oil all over my face and eyes and use a cotton round to take it off. The best part? My eyelashes. I seriously think this has made them a little longer and thicker because I have less issues with them now.

Missha Super Aqua Pore Correcting Toner and Super Aqua Hydrating Toner: I've used this interchangeably for most of the month. Generally I use the pore one at night and hydrating one in the morning. I like both of them. They're not my holy grail toner, which I will at some point repurchase when I use more toners up, but I do like them and my face feels clean and not stripped when I use them.

Missha Creamy Latte Chocolate Cleansing Foam: This is so good. So good. It smells great and my skin never feels tight after washing my face. I hope Missha isn't discontinuing this because it's no longer on the website. I think that could be because of the large and long sale they just had because many things aren't on the site right now.

Tony Moly Intense Care Snail Cream: I have a decent skin type. When the weather is normal, so is my skin. I don't feel like I'm oily or dry in any spots. Until December and winter roll around and all of a sudden it's like, fuck you! You're dry! Dry, dry, dry. Patches of dry skin. All the dry skin. Mostly around my mouth area and mostly a couple hours after I've applied makeup. The dryness is still happening, but this cream has definitely toned it down.

Cocoa Pink Junkett Cream Conditioner in Caramel Popcorn Balls: Holy crap this stuff is amazing. My shower smells great while I'm deep conditioning my hair, which is never a bad thing. I usually leave this on for at least 10-15 minutes while I shower and shave. Next time Cocoa Pink has a sale, I'm skipping the other conditioner I used to buy and just getting this. Way worth the money.

Mentholatum Acnes Cleanser: This cleanser is from a SaSa order I placed maybe a month or two back. I really like this cleanser, although I started using it less when I got the Missha cleanser. I use this when I feel like I might need a little extra from my skincare and this don't smell like some cleansers can.

Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule: This is my holy grail night serum, which I think I've mentioned before. This just works for me, I don't know how else to really explain. It's great. I'll continue to buy multiples when Missha has sales and I'll pretty much cry if they discontinue this.

It's Skin Power 10 VC Effector: I've been using this daily as my morning serum. It has vitamin C for brightening, which is definitely something I need in the winter. It also makes my skin feel moisturized without feeling sticky, which is also something I need in the winter. It doesn't hurt that this smells really nice and citrusy.

Benton Snail Bee High Content Steam Cream: This is definitely one of my yearly favorites and the wear and tear on the tub shows. Along with my Tony Moly cream, this is one of my most moisturising products. I'm almost out and I need another, but the packaging changed to a tube. I get that it's more hygienic, but I feel better knowing that I can scrape every last bit out of a tub and get my money's worth.

beautyblender Sponge: I feel like this isn't a surprise any more. I've replaced my Real Techniques sponge with the real deal and I'm not going back. I've been rotating these two blenders, even though I managed to tear the bottom of one of them. I still have another two pack from a sale, but I feel like these will probably last at least a couple more months. I've been using only a beauty blender to apply my foundation, concealer, and under eye powder.

Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer: I've really used only this primer since I bought it a few months back. Every so often, I'll use the drugstore equivalent one that I have but it just isn't the same. 

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara: This isn't actually as expensive as I thought. I considered buying it when I last shopped Sephora online, but I have so many other mascara sample sizes that I need to get through first. The travel size is $12 and is more than half the size of the full one, so I'd consider it.

NYX Butter Lip Balm in Parfait: I got this in my Ipsy from December and I've used this since I got it. I don't really wear this out as a color, but more as just a balm. I like using this at night because it's thicker and more moisturizing. The color is nice, but I usually just wear lipstick if I'm going somewhere and this is too colored if I don't have makeup on.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser: I think I may be out of things to say about this concealer. I almost want to switch this out, but I just love it so much.

MAC Face and Body Foundation in N1: This is the first foundation I've ever had to repurchase. That's saying a lot. Look. There's nothing left. I can't even believe it. Sadly, even though I just bought another bottle, I think I may need to shift this to the backburner because my skin is getting too dry to wear this.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer: I finally got this highlighter and it was one of the three I didn't put down this month. It's so pigmented that I actually needed to sheer it out a bit and apply with a nice fluffy brush. This golden color is what I've been loving lately.

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick in Copper Diamond: Another highlighter I've been using all month. I've been lusting after this forever and I finally bought it in early December. I'm beyond pleased with my first Shimmer Brick and I'm sure I'll end up getting another if the color looks right to me. This is even more pigmented than Mary-Lou, so I had to use a light hand with it.

Tarina Tarantino Neopolitan Lane Blush: I bought this a few months ago and loved it. Then I forgot about it until I used it one day and I kept using it this month. It's one of those colors that looks blah in the pan but really looks nice on your face.

MAC Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell: Yep. Back to this little babe. I can't help it. This is my perfect bronzer shade, especially when I don't have time to blend out NARS Laguna. I hope I never run out or that MAC releases this again.

NARS Laguna Bronzer: When I wasn't using Aphrodite's Shell, I was using this. I use Laguna when I want to contour or when I want a more bronzed look. This is my larger pan of Laguna from the Virtual Domination palette, but I also have two smaller pans in my Joie De Vivre and Guy Bourdin palettes.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Bashful: This Tarte blush got a lot of use this month because I really wanted to use my holiday palette. I didn't neglect the palette on purpose, but I did have a ton of NARS blushes to use last month.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Embraced: This is a little darker than I remembered it being, so this blush ended up being more high maintence. I really like the way it ends up looking, though, so I keep reaching for it.

NARS Gaiety/Mistinguette: Two different blushes in two different palettes, but they look the same. This is actually Mistinguette from Guy Bourdin, but I've been using Gaiety from the Joie De Vivre palette also and it looks the same.

NARS Angelika: This one again. I really like this blush more than I thought I would. I initially thought this was going to be my least favorite in the blush palettes because of the glitter, but it doesn't come off really strong on the cheeks. Perfect.

NARS Devotee: And the last highlighter I've been using all month. Love it. I brought the Guy Bourdin palette with me on vacation and I really only used this highlighter that week. I'm loving the NARS highlighters.

What's In My Bag | Christmas Vacation | Makeup

Here's the makeup portion of my bag from my Christmas trip. Obviously this is more exciting than skincare, so I will go into slightly more detail even though I'm sure I've talked about most of these things at least once.

I've talked about everything in this picture. The Smashbox primer is the only thing I use under my makeup. Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer is in my favorites post every month, along with my MAC Face and Body Foundation. I haven't needed to use my Innisfree concealer stick lately, but I took it with me just in case. My Beauty Blenders are the only way I apply my foundation and concealer. Both these MAC powders are pretty much my holy grail powders - the studio sculpt and mineralize skinfinish natural. 

I rarely talk about the brushes that I use on a day to day basis. I use a mix of Sigma, MAC, and Real Techniques brushes for daily makeup. I use a bronzer/contour brush, a blush brush, a highlighting brush, and brush to blend my blush and contour out, and a powder brush to set my makeup.

 
I brought my favorite mascara and eyeliner at the moment, the Make Up For Ever Smokey Extravagant mascara and the Noir black eyeliner. I've been loving my Shiseido lash curler and Inglot Pearl 450 for my brows. I also have my MAC brow brush that I use with that color.

I took along mainly nude lipsticks because I didn't want to have pink and red while in a casual family setting. I wore all five of them, two of them are Tarte, two are NYX, and the last is the Make Up For Ever lipstick from the birthday set from Sephora.

I didn't want to have to think about my blush colors, so I just brought along two NARS cheek palettes. I figured there was plenty of color choices between the two of these so that I could have some variety without going nuts over 25 different blushes. I also forgot to add my Innisfree powder in my last picture, so here it is.

And then I also forgot about these because they were hanging out in my purse. I've been loving this NYX Butter Lip Balm, so I had to pack that. I've been back and forth with my Supergoop! CC Cream. I really like it for light days, but I think I'll really start wearing the hell out of it once warmer weather hits.

Lips of the Month | November

Another month has come and gone, so here are my monthly lipstick swatches. It has taken so long to get this post up because I lost a couple lipsticks and then after not finding just one, I gave up and just swatched what I had.

I wore a lot of red and pink this month and I was really feeling purple for some reason as well. I've finally worn all my Kat Von D minis (except for that dreadful nude) and broke into my Tarte lipsticks.

I also thought my lighting was really good while I was doing these swatches, but nothing looks vibrant and I definitely don't feel like swatching more than 20 lipsticks for the second time.

Copenhagen, Prague, Heartless, All Fired Up, Adora, Angel

From top: Copenhagen, Prague, Heartless, All Fired Up, Adora, Angel

Copenhagen: NYX Matte Lip Cream. This thing would not quit. In such a good way. I wore this for a 12 hour shift at work and didn't touch it up once. I love the color and the staying power was beyond fantastic. I think this might just be my favorite NYX Matte Lip Cream, which is saying a lot because I have so many of them now.

Prague: NYX Matte Lip Cream. I also really liked this color, but it didn't stay quite as long on my lips as Copenhagen did. I really like the formula on these though and all the colors stick around for the most part.

Heartless: Amplified formula. Limited edition from the MAC Venomous Villains collection. I like this color mainly for the packaging and not because it's a unique color. At this point, I have so many reds that none of them are really unique.

All Fired Up: Matte formula. I love matte lipsticks, and this is probably one of my favorite colors. It's a pink red, which I really like right now.

Adora: Kat Von D Iridescent formula. I liked this less than I thought I would, but I think that's only because it screams Christmas and I wish I had waited to wear it. I like the liquid version of this better because it stays put longer.

Angel: NYX Matte lipstick. I honestly didn't like this color at all. It clung to my lips even though they weren't dry and the color doesn't look as nice on my lips as it does on my arm. It just isn't my color.

Good Kisser, San Paulo, Cannes, Prepare For Pleasure, Morocco, Damn Glamorous

From top: Good Kisser, San Paulo, Cannes, Prepare For Pleasure, Morocco, Damn Glamorous

Good Kisser: Matte formula. Limited edition from the Novel Romance collection. This is just your basic matte pink, but I really like the color and the matte formula is my favorite right now.

San Paulo: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. I like this color of the lip cream just as much as the others. Most of the lip creams are longer lasting than some lipsticks, so I really like wearing these for longer days so I don't have to apply so often.

Cannes: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This is a pink brown neutral color and I really like the way this makes my lips look. I wouldn't wear this all the time, but I did like this for a low maintenance lip color.

Prepare for Pleasure: Cremesheen formula. Limited edition from the Divine Night collection. This is a nice red because it is a little different than the other ones that I have. It's a nice shimmery red, but it doesn't transfer badly.

Morocco: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. This is a really nice orange that leans more on the red side. I love this color and I am such a fan of the soft matte lip cream formula. Probably one of my favorites from NYX.

Damn Glamorous: Matte formula. From the Matte Lip collection that may or may not be limited edition any more. I really like the color and the formula, even though it isn't as matte as the other MAC ones that I own. This transfers off a bit more than some of my other colors.

Ibiza, Wonderchilde, Full Fuchsia, Up The Amp, Kanga Rouge, Vegas Volt

From top: Ibiza, Wonderchilde, Full Fuchsia, Up the Amp, Kanga Rouge, Vegas Volt

Ibiza: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream. I really love this color and of course, I love the formula. I don't know how many times I can say that NYX now makes some of my favorite lip products.

Wonderchilde: Kat Von D Iridescent formula. Unlike Adora, I actually liked this lipstick more than I anticipated. The purple looks way better on my lips because it blends into my natural lip color better than my arm.

Full Fuchsia: Amplified formula. I guess I'm just not into pinks this month because I liked this, but it didn't really get me excited. This is just a color that I'll probably wear when I feel brighter.

Up The Amp: Amplified formula. I guess this color is okay. I thought I would like this better than I really do and I'm reminded of it every time I wear this color. I just wish it was a little deeper of a shade.

Kanga Rouge: Amplified formula. Limited edition from the Dame Edna collection. Another red that I own mostly because it was limited edition. I actually really like this color red though. The formula is nice and soft and I think it's one of my favorite MAC reds that isn't actually matte.

Vegas Volt: Amplified formula. I was actually kind of disappointed in this lipstick when I wore it. Maybe it's because of the weather and I wasn't feeling something quite so bright? I don't know. But the lipstick felt thicker than I thought it usually does.

Merry Berry, Naked Paris, Violetta, Salon Rouge, Amsterdam

From top: Merry Berry, Naked Paris, Violetta, Salon Rouge, Amsterdam

Merry Berry: Tarte Amazonian Butter formula. I actually loved this lipstick. It was a sheerer, glittery color, but it was great. I really like the scent of these Tarte lipsticks and I'm glad I finally started wearing them. I did have to apply over the original color, but that's because they aren't as long lasting.

Naked Paris: Lustre formula. Ugh. I hate this color so much. It migrated all over the place. I hardly ever have issues with lipstick on my teeth, but this wouldn't leave me alone. Plus I feel like the color was gone from my lips instantly. I liked the Tarte color the day before much better, and this was glittery too.

Violetta: Amplified formula. Limited edition from the Venomous Villains collection. This is one of my favorite purple lipsticks, but it can get out of control quickly. It's one of those colors that you can definitely go heavy handed on and it doesn't look that great with too many layers.

Salon Rouge: Matte formula. Limited edition from the Heirloom Mix collection. I'm not kidding when I say this was my favorite lipstick that I wore all month. I waited way too long to wear this color and I'm so happy with it. I have to say that this is my perfect darker red shade and I wish I had more colors like it, but for now I'm glad I bought this lipstick.

Amsterdam: NYX Matte Lip Cream. I thought this color was going to be darker, but I did really like it. This is definitely not the first red I will be reaching for, but it was nice to wear and the matte lip creams are pretty comfortable to have on for a long time.


Roundup!

MAC lipsticks: 12
Amplified: 6
Matte: 4
Cremesheen: 1
Lustre: 1

NYX: 8
Matte Lipstick: 1
Matte Lip Cream: 7

Kat Von D: 2

Tarte: 1

Recent Collective Haul - October/November

I have some things that I've purchased over the last month or so that have collected enough to do a haul post. I just want to preface this post by saying that I definitely went overboard with the NARS blush palettes. I set out to purchase one of the past three, the one pictured here, and the brand new one, also pictured here. But I did end up buying the other two past palettes because I got them for a good deal on facebook. Those aren't pictured because I think I'll do just a post comparing all my NARS blush palettes and I had already taken the pictures for this post.

I'm also probably not going to go into great detail because a few things are going to be included in my favorites post and I'm planning on doing a hauled it but how was it? type post.

I've been blush crazy lately, so that's why all the blush. These are also the last two bronzers that I plan on buying, because unlike blush, they're all pretty much the same. I found that the Estée Lauder one is a bit too dark and orange toned for the winter, so that is getting pushed aside. The Vincent Longo bronzer is perfect for the winter because it isn't too dark and bronze, which is what I'm looking for.

This is the NARS blush palette from Nordstrom, the Joie De Vivre limited edition from a couple years back. I originally wanted the Guy Bourdin one more, last year's release, but found this one first. I will seriously never need to buy a full size NARS blush or bronzer with all these palettes.

These are my Tarte blushes in Fearless, the purple one, and Achiote, the top one. I haven't really worn Fearless because it's so dark. Maybe soon!

I got these two Sigma brushes for a fantastic deal on facebook. I rotate my F50 blush brushes now and I really like this F30 powder brush to blend out my blush and bronzer.

I picked up two more NYX matte lipsticks in Pure Red and Whipped Caviar and got free shipping on Ulta by finally buying this Urban Decay sharpener everyone raves about.

I also bought one lipstick from MAC's holiday collection in Salon Rouge. I haven't worn it or the NYX lipsticks yet.

Everyone keeps comparing the Mario Badescu Rose Water spray to MAC Fix+, so I decided to give it a go. I haven't used a spray since the summer though, so this might sit for a while longer.

I stopped into Bath and Body Works for the first time in ages and bought these two lotions, which I've been using all month. I would consider purchasing other scents, but I have a Cocoa Pink haul to do and I bought six or seven body butters so I definitely don't need any more of those.

I bought two heads for my Clarisonic because I needed to change those out. One is for normal skin and the other is acne prone skin and I've been rotating them.

I also bought another Alpha Hydrox AHA Souffle because it was half off on Ulta and I knew I'd need another one at some point.

Little Clinique haul included here. Nordstrom was doing 10% off a ton off high end brands either early November or late October and I thought that was the perfect time to buy a full size of the Moisture Surge. I should have bought that Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick I was lusting over, but that was $40 and I decided to spend wisely and get some Clinique Acne Solutions instead because my skin had been freaking out.

I still want that Shimmer Brick.

The Repairwear Laser minis were a gift with purchase and I have yet to use those.

These goodies are my latest. I talked about the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask in my favorites last month and I recently bought the scrub because I liked the mask so much.

I bought another Smashbox Photofinish Primer because I'm almost out of my mini. It was on sale for 20% during Beauty.com's friends and family sale.

I also picked up that NARS Virtual Domination Cheek Palette because I found it new for almost $20 off the original price on Facebook. I was going back and forth about getting it, but who was I kidding? I was going to kick myself for not getting it at $50 and wanting to pay like $80 in a few months.

Then also from Beauty.com, I finally bought the NARS Ita brush! I've wanted this for the longest time, but didn't want to pay the $50 for it. So I waited for a 20% off sale and nabbed it.

Then probably one of the most exciting things I've hauled this month: beautyblender! I've always wanted to try a Beauty Blender, but I had bought a few Real Techniques sponges that I enjoyed for a while. My last order had some really weird sponges in there though and it jacked up my makeup to the point where I spent more time fixing it then actually applying it. So I decided to spend the money on the real deal. I do prefer beautyblender to Real Techniques, but I wouldn't pay the full price! I liked getting 20% off so that they were only $23 for the pair.


Whew. That's it for now! I have a couple separate hauls I wanted to do because it's a bunch of things from one brand. I'm sure the random couple things I buy until next month will collect enough to do another post eventually. After all, cyber Monday is soon and I'd rather buy things at 20% off, especially when I'm going to buy them anyway.