Hey Everyone! So the rain, and my lack of money, has been making fashion blogging a bit difficult. I'll probably resume it at a regular level starting mid-May. (First, I have to dredge my way through my AP tests and get my ombre redone!)
Today I'm switching it up a bit and doing a top 5 favorite post. These are my top 5 favorite mascaras, face products, and Mac Eyeshadows. Enjoy!
Okay, so for face products I picked an array of items. I choose a bronzer, blush, foundation, tinted moisturizer, and an eye brightener (which I have conveniently forgotten to put in the picture... whoops!)
This is my all time favorite bronzer, Bronze Goddess from Estee Lauder. I've been using this for years and it's huge, so you never come close to hitting pan. This bronzer is definitely more on the matte side but it does have gold flecks in it to make it more youthful. My favorite thing about this bronzer it's not super dark or pigmented. I'm a pale chica so I like my bronzer a bit on the lighter side. If you're naturally darker than me, which I bet 95% reading this are, Laguna by Nars might suit you better.
Next up, my new favorite blush.
This is Hot Mama by the Balm. I would definitely compare this to a Nars Orgasm Dupe for half the price. It's a subtle pink with lots of gold highlights in it. I would definitely saw that this blush is suitable for any skin color. For a while I was into cream blushes but sometimes they feel sticky on my face in the summer, so this is a good option for a powdered blush. This blush is fairly pigmented as well, so I like to blend it with my foundation after I apply it.
My other 3 products are the Makeup Forever HD Foundation, Laura Mercier Tinted Mosturizer and my BareMinerals Face and Eye Brightener. I've talked about all three of these products I believe but just to recap: the Makeup Forever HD foundation is a medium coverage more matte foundation. The Laura Mercier Tinted Mosturizer gives a very dewy finish but is very light coverage. The BareMinerals Brightener comes as a pen with a twist top and is a sheer, glowy liquid (not sparkly at all) that I like to use under my eyes on days I opt out of concealer.
Okay on to mascaras!
This is definitely one of the most loved mascaras of all time. The Maybelline Falsies collection is a fantastic drugstore/high street mascara. I've been using this as a backup mascara for years. In my opinion it definitely gives your lashes more definition and volume than the general mascara. My only complaints about it are sometimes I find it a bit clumpy and it dries out so much faster than high end mascaras. It also burns my eyes a little. (I know, that's bad, but hey beauty is pain right?) This is for sure a great makeup if you're on a budget and want something that has more of a false eyelashes look.
The best part is, this one has a wand for your lower lashes too!
Another great drugstore/high street mascara is Covergirl LashBlast.
I used this mascara for years when I was younger. It gives your lashes a lot of separation and is much more natural looking than the Falsies. This is mostly due to the rubber wand and not the bristled wand. As a general rule of thumb bristle wands gives your lashes less separation but a lot of volume. In a lot of cases the way the wand looks is the way your eyelashes are going to look. This is a very exact brush so it goes on very natural looking and makes your lashes look very neat. I think it's great when your going for a no makeup - makeup look.
Getting more expensive now, but still reasonable, I love the Clinque High Impact Mascara.
The biggest difference between this mascara and all the others is it has a very glossy finish to it. It almost wet when you apply it and takes a bit more time to set than the average mascara. This mascara gives incredible length though. It's pretty good for volume as well, but my first impression of this mascara was definitely that my eyelashes looked longer and my eyes stood out more because of the glossy finish.
These next 2 Mascaras are by far my favorites I have ever used:
I'm gonna take a gamble and say a majority of you use this or know about it. The Benefit They're Real has such a cult following and understandably so. It's pretty freaking phenomenal. I adore this mascara, it gives major length and major volume and literally makes it look like you have false eyelashes on. It's probably the best mascara I have ever used. Except I have one major issue with this mascara which made me stop using it as my main mascara. It's a pain to take off. Like really. It's not marketed as a water proof mascara but I would argue it is. Water will not get this mascara off. I think the reason why is this mascara dries really fast and also dries really hard. It stays on for an incredibly long time, so it's great for long lasting power but it's so difficult to take off. Even with makeup remover it's a challenge. It also dries out your eye lashes, so if you use this I recommend putting a bit of vaseline on your lashes. This will not only moisturize them so they stay healthy, but it will take off the excess mascara. All in all, I would still recommend this product, but if you're not good about taking off your makeup this will eventually be really bad for your lashes.
My favorite mascara at the moment is the Smashbox Eye Brightening Mascara.
This is similar to the Clinque mascara but it's better. It gives amazing length and volume, but it dries faster than the Clinque one. I also really do think this mascara brightens your eyes. It has pieces of mica in it, which you can't really see on the wand, but there's a noticeable difference in how bright this makes me eyes look compared to more matte mascara formulas. I really love the definition this mascara gives without getting clumpy, and it makes my lashes look really long and healthy. I've gone through a few tubes of this in the last few months and will definitely keep using it. It's just a good all around mascara. I don't know if it beats the Benefit one in it's appearance on the lashes (it's close though), but in the long run I like this better because the Benefit one is just too hard to take off.
Lastly Mac Eye Shadows!
This is Sketch by Mac, it's a dark purple/brown color. (Almost the color of a bruise, which sounds bad but it's actually a beautiful color.) It has some sparkles in it to give it a softer look, and its a phenomenal outer corner eyeshadow.
On the opposite hand, Nylon is a great inner corner highlight. It's extremely pigmented and works fantastic as a highlight.
Woodwinked was the first Mac shadow I bought and it's for sure my most commonly used shadow. It's a gorgeous gold color. My favorite thing about this eyeshadow is as you blend out it actually becomes darker, so you can literally wear this and blend it out to give your crease more definition. It's also such a versatile color. It's beautiful on every skin type and it's a generally flattering eye shadow.
This is a Mac Pro Shadow called Make Your Mark. I love this as a basic neutral brown color. It looks great all over the lid with a lot of blending and a dark red lip. It's a great crease and outer corner color, and it's a Pro Shadow so it's a bit bigger than your average Mac pot.
Lastly, one of my most recent favorite color is this Pro shade called Tease With Ease. And yes, it's pink, very pink. It's definitely not a shade for everyone, but if you enjoy more creative inspired makeup I guarantee you'll love this.
Here's the Swatches in Order:
Alright, well that was a really long blog post! I'm considering doing a tutorial so if you'd like to see a specific recreation of a look please comment below and let me know what you would like to see!
