April 4, 2020
Today’s blog post is all about a simple spring makeup up look with a few of my favorite products.
I LOVE a simple makeup look that looks like it took forever but in reality takes 5 minutes.
I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite products that are either worth the splurge or savings and why I love them!
1. Smashbox Cali Contour Palette
This palette is one of my ALL TIME favorites because it is so versatile. You can use it for exactly as it is intended as a bronzing and contour palette or you can also get crafty and use it for a whole makeup look; consisting of contour, bronzing, blush and eyeshadow. Another reason why I love this palette so much is I think it has a lot of versatility for all skin tones. I’ve used it for a ton of Brides and it has never failed me. I do think this palette is worth the splurge because you can do so much with it.
https://www.ulta.com/cali-contour-palette?productId=xlsImpprod17921058
2. Colour Pop Ultra Matte Lip and KKW Beauty Creme Lipstick
I think lipstick could go either way with a splurge or save route. There are some great and not so great lipsticks at any price range. However through my many years of buying lipsticks and loving lots and hating lots as well, I have to say I am very impressed with both the Colour Pop Ultra Matte Lip and the KKW Beauty Creme Lipstick.
The Colour Pop Ultra Matte Lip has really surprised me for the $7 price point. The colors I have are really vivid and it glides on smoothly for a matte lip. What I love most about it though is it does not feel dry once it dries NOR DOES IT FLAKE OFF when you eat, drink or smile.
While I love the Colour Pop Ultra Matte Lip… I LOVE LOVE LOVE the KKW Beauty Creme Lipstick. I will admit I waited so long before buying it because I didn’t want to buy into the hype. WELL… long story short I bought and INSTANTLY fell in love. It is probably the best quality creme lipstick I have come across. The colors are goregous my favorites are Nude 3 and Nude 5, the texture is soft and smooth and the wearibility lasts forever. You can eat, drink, talk, smile, give a few light kisses and this lipstick is still kickin. If you are sleeping on this lipstick like I was, I would run not walk to go get it. It is higher priced than Colourpop at $18 but I think it is a great quality lipstick for the middle grade pricing offered.
https://colourpop.com/products/trap
https://www.ulta.com/nude-creme-lipstick?productId=pimprod2010845
3. Loreal Brow Stylist Definer Pencil
A big category you can definitely save in is brow pencils. Brow pencils of any brand usually come in similar colors and amount of product, so if I can spend $8 instead of $24 sign me up! I don’t have a particular favorite drug store brand of brow pencil but this Loreal Brow Stylist Definer is what I have been using lately and I really like it. The color is decently pigmented and stays relatively put during my day to day activities.
https://www.ulta.com/brow-stylist-definer?productId=xlsImpprod13501025
4. Lancome Monsieur Big and Loreal Voluminous Mascara
Another area I think you can splurge or save is Mascara. While I will admit I have found my lashes look longer and more pigmented with a higher priced mascara I do think the drug store brands give almost the same look for less. That is why I have 2 mascaras listed so you can decide for yourself.
The Lancome Monsieur Big is not an exaggeration. Your lashes are BIG even with just one coat, and the color is very pigmented. I’ll admit I was a save girl when it came to mascara. However one day when my co-worker came in looking like she had the most gorgeous false eyelashes on and told me she bought this mascara, I immediately bought some to try it. I was hooked instantly. If it is in your budget I would definitely give it a try
https://www.ulta.com/monsieur-big-mascara?productId=xlsImpprod15891587
I am still, like I’m sure most of you are trying to “ball on a budget” which brings me to my next mascara recommendation. Loreal Voluminous Volume Building Mascara in Carbon Black. I switched to this mascara after seeing Mario use it on Kim Kardashian way back when KUWTK was still in its early seasons. He was and still is the holy meca of makeup and if this mascara was/is good enough for him to use it was good enough for me. While I use the Lancome one more often than not I always come back to this mascara if I need to. The texture is still very velvety and the carbon black color is very pigmented. If you are looking for a great budget mascara you won’t go wrong with this one.
https://www.ulta.com/voluminous-carbon-black-volume-building-mascara?productId=xlsImpprod560090
5. Too Faced Born This Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer and Born This Way Foundation
YOU GUYS! This concealer and foundation are AMAZING individually on there own, combine them together and your face is as perfect as a china doll.
I switched to the Too Faced Concealer after I ran out of my tarte shape tape. While I still love Tarte Shape Tape Concealer, I got a little tired of the chalky matte texture and wanted to try something new. Being that I am a makeup artist I figured I should also explore different products to know how they wear. I am impressed with the Too faced Concealer. It is medium to full build-able coverage and has a more creamy consistency on the skin than Tarte’s Shape Tape. While the consistency is creamy it is not runny. Which explains the term multi-use in the title. It stays put and with the shade range offered you can use it as a highlight, bronze and contour as well. If you are in the market for a new concealer I would check this one out!
I, like I’m sure a lot of you guys do bounce around from foundation to foundation without finishing a single one you have. While I love all my foundations equally this one has been slowly creeping up as a favorite. The texture is a creamy soft matte consistency along with being medium to full coverage that blends out flawlessly. It lasts all day and into the night if I need it to and even though it is soft matte it doesn’t leave my skin feeling dry or tight as the day goes on.
6. KKW Beauty and NYX Lip Pencil
Lip pencils are a makeup product I use about half the time on myself (all the time on brides/clients). That is why I think they are mostly a save item but I did include the KKW Beauty lip pencil as a splurge because it is just as good as her lipstick. The one I use the most is the NYX Lip Pencil. I have both the matte and slide on pencils. Out of the 2 I like the slide on better, it is softer and a more blend-able texture. I tend to grab the slide on for myself and brides for that reason. No one wants chalky edges! The colors they offer are any you can imagine and at a $4 price point you can’t beat it. For KKW beauty lipliner you can definitely get away with using a NYX to compliment her lipstick. It is an amazing lip liner but you could do without it if needed. Another note is that if you do decide to purchase; her lip liner numbers do not match to her lip stick numbers. 1 lip liner does not match 1 lipstick so you need to swatch them if you want a perfect match.
https://www.ulta.com/slide-on-lip-pencil?productId=xlsImpprod13051017
https://www.ulta.com/nude-lip-liner?productId=pimprod2011542
Thanks for reading all about my favorite products for a simple spring time look! I hope you enjoyed it, if there is anything specific you would like to know about please feel free to email me or message me on social media. I would be happy to help.
