Makeup Monday

Happy Monday, Ladies! (and gents if there are any reading) 

I'm a zombie kind of tired today. My roommate & I had the opportunity to sit on the court for the Butler vs. IU game last night & you know I wasn't passing that up. But, leaving the game late & still having homework to do afterwards made for a very late night and a zombie girl today. 

Luckily, my momma picked up an adorable little Christmas tree for our room and that has added a little sunshine when there literally is none today & also, I'm talking about makeup ... one of my favorite things in zeee world.

I love makeup because I can change it up, add something new & get a little crazy and if I don't like it? It washes right off.

The thing is though, makeup can get really, really expensive. Especially if you're a bit of a label whore like me. I got it from my momma. 

However, in times of desperation, when I haven't had the money for apples let alone Diorshow mascara, I've found that sometimes generic brands work just as well. 

Here's where I skimp and where I splurge (& some of my new favs):

1. Maybelline Turbo Mascara: I already hinted at it, but I love Diorshow mascara. I don't however, love the $30 price tag. So, I switched to this & if offers all the volume at a fraction of the price.

2. Rimmel London bronzer: I had been using some Smashbox bronzer that looked identical to this one. It ran out & I was short on funds so I turned to CVS. So glad I did because this works just as well & is a fraction of the price.

3. I only use concealer sometimes so I may not be the best critique of it, but this Loreal seems to work well for me and is super inexpensive.

4. The most inexpensive of all! This lip liner was one I found at a beauty supply store & I love it.

1. When my mom spent eight million dollars on Lancome lotions, she got a big gift with her purchase. This eye liner came with it & while I had been using liquid liner for quite some time, I love this pencil and it stays on forever.

2. I've blogged about this Benefit tinted moisturizer before, but really? if I had to wear only one product it would be this one. It gives me a little color, a little cover and a lot of moisture. 

3. An eyebrow pencil is something I only use in the winter when I need a little extra color, but the Benefit eyebrow pencil works great.

1. I was having trouble keeping my eyeshadow on for long periods of time and I also like a little brightener under my brow. An under-eye brightener is great for the in between wax/pluck/thread times too. This Laura Mercier product is both an under-brow brightener and an eyeshadow primer. I love one product that works 2 ways!

2. I love my tinted moisturizer but it was leaving my skin so moisturized that I couldn't put mascara on my bottom lashes because it would wipe off & sometimes I would even have black mascara residue under my eyes from the top lashes. It's not a good look. This Laura Mercier secret brightening powder has been a godsend. My makeup hasn't been under my eyes one time & it brightens too! 

3. I know a hair product isn't really makeup but I got it at Sephora so I thought I'd add it in here. I have a lot of hair but it's thin, so when I saw this Bumble & Bumble thickening spray, I thought it could be a great answer. Since my hair is so thin though, I was worried this might gunk up my hair so I bought a small travel size to try. I haven't been using it long enough to say if it really works yet, but it doesn't make my hair gross & I'm happy about that. I'll have to update you on its effectiveness later.

Whew! So there you go, all of the things I save money on & the ones I spend it on. Do you use all name brand products or do you have some short cuts too? I'd love to know what you use! 

Pretty little things

It shouldn't be any secret that I love pretty things & I love makeup & makeup in pretty packaging is the sprinkles to my cupcake, the lemon to my aide, ok ... I think you get the picture.

So with my love for makeup, you can imagine my delight when I was one of 3 winners that won the eyeshadow pallet from Amanda's Josie Maran giveaway.

I was so excited! 

There's nothing I'd rather win. 

I mean, I could think of a few things but I haven't seen anyone giving away DSLR's or Louis Vuitton's yet so really, there's nothing I'd rather win.

But it gets even better. 

I went home yesterday & my mom said the package had come so of course I immediately went in my room, found it & started taring into it. 

Not only did I find the beautifully packaged eye shadow pallet with eight squares of pretty different colors, but I also found a cute little cheek stain, a bottle of the Argan Daily Moisturizer (& you know I love moisturizer) and a travel-size package of the Bear Naked face wipes! 

My day instantly got a million times better.

I guess I probably should have used this stuff so I could give a bit of a product review but I'm just so excited about how cute everything is & that I got extra products too! 

I judge a book by the cover & by the looks of this cover, the book is gonna be fabulous.

Ps. I'll be sure to tell you how in love I am with all of this stuff after I use it.

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

As I was putting my makeup on this morning,  I thought, I love all of this so much, I should share it & it's not the first time I've thought it either.

I do pretty much the same makeup routine every day. I might add in some eye-brow tint or darker eye shadow if I'm doing something fancy, but for the most part I stick to this little routine & I love it for every day.

I'll be honest. I don't wash my face. I mean I might like once a month, but that doesn't really count. It might catch up to me someday, but for now birth control does the job of keeping my face clear.

I do however, moisturize like crazy. I can't stand when my face feels dry. So the first thing I use out of the shower is Olay Regenerist Deep Hydration Lotion.

Found at Target for around $12

It smells absolutely lovely & it makes my skin feel like a baby's bottom. Is that weird? Whatever. It makes my face super soft. 

This next product is the reason for this post. It's my favorite thing of the whole makeup routine, it's Benefit You Rebel Lite Tinted Moisturizer. 

Found at Sephora for around $30

I really don't even need to use the Olay lotion with this stuff, I'm just a moisturizing freak. Tinted Moisturizer is good for anyone who doesn't have a ton of time to spend every day on makeup, but I think this is better than the rest. It covers nicely but is very light so I never have to wipe it off my lips or eye brows like some others I've tried. It also has SPF 15 good for everyday & like the Olay lotion, smells divine. I'm telling you, you need it.

After the tinted moisturizer, I use this Smashbox Bronze Lights bronzer.

Found at Sephora for around $30

When I was younger, I used some pretty dark bronzer, but thank God I've grown out of that. This bronzer is very light but still gives my cheeks the hint of color I want. It's also mat so it doesn't make me look too orangey

While I don't use dark eye makeup unless I'm going out, I still like to play my eyes up with a more natural look for every day.

I use this Bobby Brown Cream Eye Shadow in Beach Honey right under my eye brows.

Found at Nordstrom for around $22

A light eye shadow under my eye brows helps to lighten up my face and eyes & I like this one because the cream is so soft & easy to work with.

I use Maybeline Sparkling Wine eyeshadow on my lids. 

Found at Target for around $4

This eye shadow is so inexpensive & it looks great. It's purpley but not dark with a hint of gold & really makes my eyes pop & even sparkle a little. I love it.

I use a good eye lash curler every day, something I think every girl should use & then I use Diorshow Mascara. 

Found at Sephora for around $30

It 's a little pricey, but I promise it's worth your while. You can use as many coats as you like to build your lashes in length & volume. 

Last but not least, I use this Estee Lauder Gel Eye Liner in Brown. I'm sure there is a more technical name than Brown, but I don't know it.

 Found at Dillard's for around $16

I've used both Bobby Brown & Estee Lauder cream eye shadows & I like them both just as much. The Estee Lauder is a little creamier while the Bobby Brown goes on a little more dry, so you just have to decide which application type you like better. Personally, it doesn't matter to me because I think they both stay on just as long & that's what I'm going for. I do however, like the Bobby Brown gel liner brush better than the Estee Lauder one. The Bobby Brown brush is full size & much easier to work with. The Estee Lauder brush comes with the liner though, while the Bobby Brown one is sold separately for about $16.

Like I said, sometimes I may throw in some darker shadow, brow tint or illuminizer but this is my everyday makeup routine.