Current Beauty OBSESSIONS

A lot of products come my way - some are great, some are not. Below are a collection of things I have been using and loving!

The Zoya lipstick in Addie is my new everyday color. It's the most gorgeous pink/mauve/nude and it had great lasting power. If I want to pump up the color I line my lips and fill them in entirely with Chocolate glimmerstick by Avon. I also love this liner with another lip favorite, Clay Crush by Maybelline.

The L'Oreal mask was actually sent to me from Influenster (such a fun concept!! Sign up HERE if you haven't yet. Free products in exchange for honest reviews!) Anyways, I was sent the "Clear & Comfort" version of this mask, and I really enjoyed it! My skin felt super smooth and soft after I used it, and it helped to dry out a pimple I had, without drying out my skin. I will definitely buy a new tub of this when I run out! The Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask is something I should have told you guys about loooooong ago! I've been using it for over two years, and only recently bought a second jar. You put a tiny dab on your lips right before bed, and wake up with beautifully hydrated lips. We are coming to the time of year where it's getting colder and drier, so I tend to add a bit more at night during the chilly months.

Native deodorant. So, I did an Instagram story mentioning that I was going to make the switch over to natural deodorant, and I've never had so many direct messages in my life, lol! Anyways, I have successfully made the switch and am really loving Native brand! The scent I'm using and loving is Apricot & White Peach. If you've been thinking of making the switch to natural deodorants, I highly recommend it. I switched Tony over too, and he's been really happy as well.

Makeup Forever's nourishing primer was sent to me a while ago, and I finally picked it up recently, and have been thrilled. My skin is super sensitive and for most of my life has been oily. Since I've gotten older it's moved onto combination, and quite recently it's been feeling dry. I switched over to this hydrating primer and am in love! It makes my skin feel great, and holds my makeup on all day.

The Urban Decay Troublemaker is bomb dot com!!! It goes on so beautifully, doesn't flake off and is super black! My one criticism is that it's a bit harder to remove than other mascaras, but I can handle it, for the look it gives off. Also, the packaging is super pretty ;)

What are YOUR current beauty obsessions?! What should I try next??!

Avon X Project Runway: Wine-Stained Lips

I was so excited when my friends at Avon sent me a package of goodies, on how to create one of the looks they did on Project Runway for wine-stained lips. I'm not typically a dark lips girl, but it was really fun to try this look out for something new!

They sent two eyeshadow singles, in Beige and Black Brown, and a great felt-tipped liquid liner in black.

For the wine-stained lips they sent me a glimmersticks lip liner in chocolate, and two lipsticks - oxford wine and cherry jubilee. The name "glimmersticks" is a bit misleading - chocolate is a gorgeous matte lip liner, that is super flattering and goes with tons of lippies.

Like I said, wine-stained lips isn't my typical look, but I really liked it and got quite a few compliments when I was wearing it. In this look I'm wearing the beige eye shadow in my crease, with a shimmery pale white eye shadow, and the black liquid liner. These products all wore beautifully!

Would you go for a look like this?

Thanks, Avon!

Zoya Lippies

Zoya has long been one of my favorite nail polish brands, because they have never included any of the nasty chemicals prevalent in so many other brands, but lately they've become one of my favorite lipstick brands as well. The colors are highly pigmented, super creamy, and relatively long-lasting (for not being a longwear specific product.) Recently they sent me their new lipstick colors, that correspond with their Sophisticates collection. They are all just perfection!

My girls had a lot of fun helping me swatch these colors! In fact, their lip marks are what you will see in the following pictures, and here is a behind the scenes pic that Tony snapped:

My personal favorite from this collection is Layne - the most beautiful warm, rosy color. Perfect for everyday. For a more kicked up look I'm in love with Bristol - which is almost the color of cabernet wine. Coco's favorite was the bluish purple, Tommy. It looked really fun on her for dress up! And Leila's favorite is Lucky - a pretty hot pink!

Have you tried Zoya's lipsticks yet?! I can't recommend them enough!

Avon for Project Runway

I am a total Project Runway fanatic, AND a makeup junkie so you can only imagine how excited I was when Avon sent me some of the products being used on this season of Project Runway! Avon is the makeup being used this season, and I am loving seeing little snippets of what the makeup artists do for each model (I wish they would show more!) I checked out the Avon website, and found a great section with behind the scenes info from the makeup this season, with head makeup artist Hector Simancas - check that out HERE.

Anyways, the sweet people at Avon sent me a gorgeous eight-color palette called Smoky Nights, swatched below, which has a really great variety of colors, perfect for making all sorts of different looks! The pigment is awesome, and stays put all day!

They also sent a super gorgeous eye liner in the color Sugar Plum, which is a gorgeous deep purple (perfect for my hazel eyes) with just the tiniest bit of shimmer. It also has crazy good pigment!

They also sent a two-color palette, called Warm Cashmere with two really great neutrals. A beautiful lipstick called Tender Kiss, which is a great everyday color. The perfect nude, with just a touch of pink. And finally their lengthening mascara in black.

Here I am with eye shadows from the Smoky Nights palette, the Sugar Plum liner, lengthening mascara and Tender Kiss lipstick. 

Do you use Avon? My grandma sold it when I was little, so up until now my only experience with the company was mini-sized hand creams, and chapsticks with calendars on them :) This makeup wears beautifully all day, and after a quick look at the website I am SUPER impressed with the prices, and will definitely be checking out some more of their items.

Current Beauty Obsessions....and a FAIL!

The best beauty products I've tried in a loooooong while!

First up is the mascara that everyone keeps asking me about....literally, I've been asked if I'm wearing false lashes or have extensions when I'm wearing Maybelline's "The Falsies Push Up Angel" mascara. Seriously, what is up with these long names? One of my most popular blog posts is my MASCARA SMACKDOWN, so it's known that I love me some Maybelline mascara. I believe this is one of their newest formulas, and I can't recommend it enough!

Evan Healy Wild Carrot Eye Balm. This brand is brand new to me, but I've been using this EVERYTHING balm since I got it from Whole Foods a few weeks ago. It is super rich and super hydrating, and great for anywhere you're feeling dry. I use a small dab under each eye (remember to gently pat things on your under eye area, never rub as you could cause skin damage.) I put it on at night, and let it really soak in. I also love it on my cuticles.

Trade Joe's coffee body scrub. Oh my goodness, this stuff is heavenly! It has a great texture to really exfoliate and give you THE smoothest skin! It smells like freshly ground coffee, with the slightest hint of coconut. It is the bomb dot com! Only downside is it makes a bit of a mess in your shower, but that's not the product's fault, now is it? Try it - it's only five bucks and soooooooo good!

BECCA Soft Light Blurring Powder. This is a really beautiful, finely-milled setting powder that has the *tiniest* bit of shimmer. It sets your makeup all day, and that tiny bit of shimmer adds a really pretty radiance. The powder alone is $38, bt if you buy it HERE it's less than $35 for the powder, and the brush!

Infallible Foundations by L'Oreal. Holy crap, you guys. L'Oreal got it so, SO right with both their Glow-Pro and Pro Matte formulas. Both wear beautifully all day, without creasing. My suggestion to you is to look at these swatches (GLOW PRO SWATCHES // PRO MATTE SWATCHES) and then order two you think might work for you, and send the other back. For reference I'm a 204 (or 104 in the matte) I kept the 103 in the matte, because it works when I add just a touch of bronzer. They've got a pretty decent range of colors, and even my olive-skinned mom has found a great shade. I find them to be about $5 cheaper on Amazon than any drugstore, and if you send one back no one is going to hastle you ;)

L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in EVERBLOOM. Run to amazon to grab this right now, because there's a $1 coupon, making it under five bucks! I like this lipstick line because it is super hydrating, and has great staying power. This is the perfect corally-rose color, and is so flattering!

And for my beauty FAIL. Ugh. I don't know if I got a bad batch, or what but I absolutely hated the new eye primers by Physician's Formula. Someone on my Instagram was raving about how much she loved them, so naturally I had to try. They were so bad for me. I used them the way I use my normal primer, and I swear this stuff made my eye makeup crease and flake worse than it ever has, even without primer. Not worth it.

Beauty items I'd like to try: CC Cream by It, Confidence in an Eye Cream (also by IT) and BECCA First Light Primer. What are some things you are wanting to try?? And what are YOUR current beauty obsessions?!

Current Beauty Obsessions - July 2016

This month, in honor of America's birthday I'm featuring nothing but products made in the USA!

First up - Oribe Apres Beach Spray. With a name like Oribe, I was kind of expecting it to be made in Europe, but nope - made here! This is one of my favorite, favorite, favorite products EVER. It is expensive, but worth every penny and as soon as my can starts to feel a bit light I run out and grab another. My hair is super fine, and the bottom half is wavy and textured while the top half is stick straight. I like to spray a bit of this on my hair when it's damp (like two small sprays) and then work it in and let it air dry. I then go over my hair with my curling iron to give some texture and curl to the pieces up front and on top that dry straight, and then I set everything with the spray. It holds the texture and style for days and the smell is insanely delicious. I buy it at my salon, but you can get it on Amazon if you aren't local to me.

Honest Company Healing Balm. This stuff is pretty awesome. I've been using it on my cuticles and lips as just a deeply hydrating moisturizer, but Tony had a bad burn on his hand, and we put the balm on and it took care of it in no time. Even he was impressed, and he's a hard sell on everything! This is a really great product to have around for all sorts of things, and I am loving it!

Julep's new hydrating lip color in Primrose. It looks like it's not available on their site yet (I got it on my Maven box this month) but I'm assuming it will be out soon. The color is so gorgeous and it stays on for hours without drying out my lips. If you aren't a Julep Maven yet you can sign up here

Jergens Natural Glow lotion. I generally avoid anything that will show my legs like the plague. I'm also half Spanish, so I tan super easily. The result of having my legs constantly hidden + getting dark everywhere else (no matter how much sunscreen I use!) makes for an interesting look. Well, I had a shortish dress to wear to my cousin's wedding and my legs were ghostly white, but my feet were super dark. This lotion to the rescue! I put it on my legs first thing in the morning, and at night everyday for about three days and the result was naturally looking tan legs. I am now a fan for life!

not bad for a lotion, right?

These nail polishes are just awesome! Free of all the nasty chemicals that are unfortunately in so many brands, and they have great wearability. They last a long time without chips and I'm a huge fan. The blushing crystal I showed you here and will take pictures next time I'm wearing the others. the other colors are: Lagoon, Tahitian Pearl, Blue Nile and Confetti. I buy them at my local Whole Foods, but Amazon has a great selection online.

ColorScience mineral sunscreen. This is one of those products I wonder how I ever lived without. I am crazy about sunscreen, and am diligent in applying it to myself, my girls and Tony. I like to touch up throughout the day but when I've got a face full of makeup it's not ideal to swipe on more sunscreen. Enter this lifesaver - I just open up the cap and sweep the brush all over my face. It doesn't disrupt my makeup, and gives me the sun protection I need. SPF 50 for the win!! I keep it in my purse.

What are YOUR current must-have beauty products?? Let me know so I can check them out!

Current Beauty Obsessions - May 2016

Where my fellow beauty junkies at?? Here is what I can't stop reaching for this month:

First up, the Invisible Light Transparent Powder Duo by Bare Minerals. It's a mouthful to say, but this product is impressive! Both powders are completely translucent, and one is matte, which I like to dust over my forehead, nose and chin, while the other has a luminescence to it, which I like to sweep over my cheekbones, and sometimes on my brow bone. It completely sets my foundation, without looking like there's anything on, and lasts all day. I love the dual-sided brush that goes along with it too!

Speaking of foundations, I cannot stop using the Complexion Rescue foundation, also by Bare Minerals. I've been pretty devoted to BM's original foundation (their face products are my favorite!) but this one has taken the #1 spot at least for now. It's this really nice gel-cream hybrid that feels like nothing on my skin, gives really nice (but still light) coverage and lasts all day, especially when I use the previously mentioned powder. I like the brush that is specific to it, but if you're looking for a more budget-friendly option the Real Techniques Stippling Brush is quite similar.

Next up is the super gorgeous, long lasting and hydrating lipstick called "Piccadilly Pink" by Rimmel Londdon. It's about six bucks at the store, but I bought it in THIS set on Amazon for a total steal. Every color in the set is pretty awesome (especially for that price!) but this one is my favorite.

I am also reeeeeeeaaaally loving Jennifer Aniston's newest perfume, Near Dusk. (I have her first perfume, simply called Jennifer Aniston, and also really want her other perfume, J by Jennifer Aniston too). You guys, they really smell amazing! This one has notes of citrus and amber and always gets me compliments!

Mineral Fusion is a brand that's pretty new to me. I picked up this gorgeous nail polish, Blushing Crystal while I was at Whole Foods and I'm obsessed. It's the prettiest pale pink, and lasts a really long time without chipping. It's also one of the most natural nail polishes available right now. I can't wait to pick up some other colors from the line!

This hand cream I grabbed from Cost Plus - it smells SO incredible, and is the perfect texture (not greasy!) while still being super hydrating. It's only $5. Can't beat it!

What beauty products are you loving this month?? Don't hold out, let me know!

Current Beauty Obsessions - April 2016

I am a product junkie. Have been for as long as I can remember, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Here are the beauty products that have stood out for me this month:

Biore Baking Soda Pore Cleanser. This stuff is a winner! I have combination skin, and haven't had much luck finding a cleanser that didn't make my skin feel tight from over-cleaning, or one that didn't leave me feeling greasy. This cleanser is one of the very best I've ever tried, and for right around six bucks you can't beat it!

Strivectin Multi-Action Restorative Cream. It's a mouthful to say, and it's on the pricey side, but it is amazing!! It doesn't clog my pores, but it's heavy enough to keep me hydrated all night (I use it as my night cream.) I've been using it for several months now, and have noticed visible improvement in the overall texture of my skin, the little fine lines (especially on my forehead) and my skin is brighter overall! (I also use THIS at night with it, which I know helps as well.) This is the only product I can remember scraping the bottom of, and then instantly going out to buy another.

The Amy Nadine eye shadow palette. I love this one sooooo much!! It has the perfect nude, the perfect gold, the perfect coppery rose gold, and the perfect deep plum. You can create so many looks with this gorgeous palette. They're all highly pigmented, but have a gorgeously soft (but not flaky) texture. I can't recommend it enough!

Burt's Bees lipstick in Nile Nude. EEP!! It is so pretty and so moisturizing! I bought this on a whim at Target one day (story of my life....) and I now officially want all of the Burt's Bees lippies. It's a sheer formula, but still has a great color payoff, and is super moisturizing. I'm in love.

What are YOUR current beauty favorites?? Please let me know! My birthday is in a couple of weeks, and I need to add some fun things to my wishlist ;)