Three's a charm

Don't hate me, although I know you will. This will be my third attempt at bringing my blog back to life. Initially it was going to be this great blog about my hilarious newlywed life and then I thought I could try again with fashion advice, but I couldn't stick with either. Call me what you will but I'm okay to admit defeat. I follow a handful of blogs and I want to try my hardest to mesh them all into something I can call my own. One posts mainly makeup vlogs, another is more about hair/makeup/products, and another is about home renovation. Now I know I'm not the greatest or wittiest blogger in the world but I want to start here. I'm not going to post this publicly for a while anyway because I want to be able to link it with my Pinterest account. Well, I guess I will post it. I just won't link it. I like to talk aloud. Moving on. And who wants to watch/read one post and not be able to snoop around the site when they're done? Let's start 'er up!

I went to Sephora last Friday for the first time in years. If you knew me, you'd think that was crazy. And it is. I went a little overboard with my purchasing decision but I don't regret a single penny; or 170,000 pennies. Shh, don't tell the husband. Just kidding, he knows. These are some of the things that came home with me.

Nars blush in Orgasm. I have heard for years that this blush is DA BOMB and it really is. Most flattering shade I've seen in a long time. I didn't mind the increased price for the quality I was getting. It's a peachy-pink with bronze undertones. I'm telling you, it works for every skin color.

Sephora bronzer in Los Cabos. I love watching makeup tutorials. There I said it. I feel a little weird admitting that because I do get compliments on my makeup. But I have never gotten the hang of HACing (highlighting and contouring). Cara from maskcara.com had this video put up recently about the very art of HACing and she suggested using a bronzer that was gray-toned as opposed to orange/brown toned. Most all bronzers we could find at the store had either the orangey tint or had shimmer. And if we contouring our face, it's like we're making our own shadows. So who wants sparkles in a spot we want to look sunk in? Not this girl. That's when I found the Sephora brand bronzer called Los Cabos. It was matte AND gray based. Perfect! Easy peazy.

Sephora stipple blush brush. I was in dire need of a new blush brush. Mine came in the beginner's kit with makeup purchased at Bare Escentuals. The consultant at Sephora said this stipple brush was their most popular aside from the angled brush. I really wanted to get the angled brush but they were out of every single one so I just settled on the stipple brush. Fast forward about half an hour as I'm standing in front of this random endcap at Walmart in the beauty section. I found this set of four brushes from some no-name brand and they are Heaven sent. No joke.

Essential Tools hi-def ultimate face set. I use the angled brush for blush, the next brush for my liquid foundation, I haven't found a use for the third brush yet, and the last I use for concealer.

This is a picture of all the brushes I use.

Starting from left to right: liquid foundation brush, concealer brush, all-over powder brush to help my foundation set, blender brush that blends the bronzer I trace along the outer edges of my nose, brush to trace bronzer along nose, angled blush brush, bronzer brush, another foundation brush but I use it to apply my Mac Paint Pot in Painterly for an eye shadow base, eye shadow brush, smudging brush, and blending eye shadow brush.

Lorac Take a Brow kit in Brunette. I was a little nervous with this purchase decision. I've always admired the girls with the perfectly full eyebrows and have wanted to try it myself. I was just scurred. But it came with a small angled brush and was super easy to apply. And because it had the texture of eyeshadow, if you messed up, you could wipe it off and try again. Cara suggests making a line beneath the line of your natural brow and color in above that. Here is her post for brow science with Megan Fox as the lovely model.

Urban Decay eye shadow palette in Naked. This was a definite splurge and I went back and forth with the decision several times before I just threw my hands in the air and HAD to buy it. Sephora made a look alike palette but after rubbing a couple of colors on my hand and compared it to the Naked palette, there was no competition. Urban Decay had much higher quality in the color, texture, even the sparkles in the eye shadow! That's how I knew to just go for it. After wearing it, it was one of the best $50 purchases in my life. Here are some of the colors included with this palette. And I'll make it a little bigger so you can see the colors.

There have been many pictures of applied makeup using several different combinations and from my willingness to try anything, I completely agree! Virgin is the perfect highlighting color. Swipe a little on your brow bone or in the inner corner of your eyelids to make your eyes look bright and awake. Naked is a good base color for your eyelid. I have also used Sidecar on top of Naked and then applied Sin to the inner third of my eyelid. Smog, Darkhorse, and Toasted are all beautiful colors to use in the crease. That is a basic combo I've used. Here is an example of a smoky eye using this palette.

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Since I hadn't shopped at Sephora in years, I signed up for their Beauty Insider card. It's just like any other rewards card where points add up with every dollar spent. And because it is my birthday month, I got a sample of some mascara and highlighter. And holy cow. Let me tell you about this little secret.

Two products came in this tiny box from Benefit.

The first was "the world's #1 mascara" called They're Real! I have been stuck buying the same mascara for a while now but this has honestly changed my mind about what I'm going to buy once this sample runs out. I'm not sure what the full tube is priced but it blows all of the other brands out of the water. Before I used this mascara because I didn't think a silly sample would be worth anything, I bought Maybelline's Mega Plush Volum' Express mascara in blackest black. Whomp whomp whomp. I was disappointed. The wand was too wiggly and I had to put on at least three coats compared to the one I used with this sample. I've been disappointed in the past with Maybelline's products and I thought this might be my turning point but I'm just going to do a u-turn and never look back. They're Real for the win!!

The other product in this box from Benefit was a champagne highlighter called Watts up! Another makeup secret exposed!! The sample is only about two inches long and it twists up the more you use. I don't know how many actually use highlighters with their makeup but it makes a big difference with HACing your face. No, seriously. Dab several dots down the center of your nose, blend, dab more in a C-shape along the outside of your eyes, and blend again. It brightens your face and gives your complexion that youthful look that we all crave.

I have a few more makeup products to review from my shopping spree. I know, I sure can talk, huh? At least it's about something fun like makeup! Stay tuned and I'll review the foundation purchases.