DIY: Fabric Chokers

Chokers have made a huge comeback and because of this, they can be a little expensive, especially the eclectic- looking fabric and lace ones.

This is probably the easiest and cheapest DIY I have ever done and I can’t believe I did not think of this sooner! It only takes one simple step to create your very own fabric chokers.

I had a bunch of these circular elastic headbands that I just never wore and the idea popped into my head! If you do not already own headbands like these, you can get them really cheap at Forever 21, which is where I got all of these from (and it is still cheaper to buy a headband than an actual choker). The best part about this DIY is that you do not need to worry about going out and buying anything else because the only thing you will need is a headband and a pair of scissors!

All you do is cut the band that goes under your hairline in half- that’s it! When you go to wear it around your neck, just tie the lose ends in a double knot (it is still easy to untie). You could take this to the next step and actually purchase jewelry- making supplies to make your DIY choker look more professional, but it was good enough for me just to cut and tie it.

Hopefully this was helpful and gave y’all some ideas!

DIY: Smashbox Primer Water

 

The Photo Finish Primer Water from Smashbox Cosmetics has become a huge hit in the beauty world. The only downside is that it retails for $32! For something this basic and easy to recreate, I could not justify spending that much money when I could easily recreate it myself at home!

 

Ingredients you will need and their purpose:

• An empty spray bottle (this recipe yields about 4 oz.). I just used an empty Mario Badescu Rosewater spray bottle, but you could find these really cheap anywhere.
• 4 TB-Witch Hazel- can be found online or at any grocery store. Mine contains alcohol, but if you have dryer skin, witch hazel containing zero alcohol is preferred. Witch hazel is nature’s astringent and is great for anti- inflammatory skincare purposes.
• 2 TB-Glycerin- I got mine off of Amazon for around $6. Glycerin is the key ingredient in any priming product it is known for making makeup stick to it (this is why the Nivea Men’s Post Shave Balm is a great primer). It has a syrup-y consistency, but it will stir into the rest of the ingredients just fine.
• 1 TB-Rosewater- you can get this cheap online or in a health foods store. Rosewater is great to add not only because it will make your primer water smell great, but it helps with controlling excess oils, maintaining the skin’s pH balance, and has anti- inflammatory properties as well.
• 1 TB-Coconut water- also available in any grocery store. Drinking coconut water is key to achieving radiant and hydrated skin, so I like to just add a little bit for extra hydration.
• 5 TB Distilled water
• Optional- add a few drops of an essential oil of your choice like tea tree, lavender, etc.

Once you have collected all of your ingredients, mix them all together until it just looks like regular water, then pour the mixture into your spray bottle. One of the great things about this recipe is that if you run out, you can always make more without having to buy more ingredients (or another $32 bottle of the Smashbox one) because there will be a lot of extras.

And that’s it! Now you have your own primer water that will work just as well as the Smashbox one! You can spray this all over your face and let it air dry before applying your makeup, after you have applied your makeup, and throughout the day to freshen things up. You can even use this without any makeup at all to put some life and hydration back into your skin.

Definitely give this recipe a try and save yourself some $$$!

5 Different Ways To Use Vaseline In Your Beauty Routine

 

Vaseline 100% petroleum jelly is a very common inexpensive household product that can be used in a variety of different ways. In this post, I am going to list 5 unique ways to incorporate this miracle product in your daily beauty routine that you may, or may not, have heard of before! 

1. Lip mask- Vaseline is extremely moisturizing and thick enough to be used as a lip mask. Apply a generous amount to your lips before you go to sleep and leave it on overnight. You will wake up with lips that are extremely soft, smooth, and moisturized! You could also mix a little bit of granulated sugar in with some Vaseline and use this as a simple and effective lip scrub.
2. Clear brow gel- Sometimes when I just want to tame my brow hairs before running out the door, I will just scoop up a little bit of Vaseline with my fingers and swipe it through my brows to keep them in place. Vaseline is also said to help grow out your brow hairs, so this is like a two-in-one.
3. Clear mascara- Again, when I am in a hurry and do not feel like putting on mascara, I will run some Vaseline through my lashes with my finger. The Vaseline gives your lashes a wet look, so it will make them look darker and thicker. Vaseline is also really hydrating for your lashes and over time, will make them appear thicker and longer naturally.
4. Under eye moisturizer- Before you go to sleep, after you have gone through your normal night time skincare routine, you can apply just a little bit of Vaseline to the under eye area for extra hydration. Over time, the moisturizing properties of petroleum jelly will really help with fine lines and aging. This will also not cause breakouts.
5. Base for powder highlighter- I love this trick! Before you go in with your favorite powder highlight, dab a very small amount of Vaseline on your cheekbones and then go overtop with the highlighter. This acts as a clear balm and will really intensify the highlight.

 

Hopefully y’all learned something new! Vaseline is something that everyone already has and the number of ways it can be used it never ending!

Product Review: The Best Foundation EVER!

I am a big fan of drugstore foundations because I have found a few great ones that I reach for over my more high end options. However, I have found nothing that matches up to the Too Faced “Born This Way” liquid foundation ($39).

This foundation is by far the best foundation I have ever used! I even like it better than the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk liquid foundation that I raved about, and even though this Too Faced one is still a higher end foundation, it is way less expensive than the Armani one.

This foundation can work for ANY skin type- dry, combo, oily, etc. If you are a makeup artist, this is a great foundation to have because it is so universal and looks great on everyone!

Product Description (from Too Faced website):

• Comes in 18 shades (they recently added six new shades!)
• Oil-free formula
• Medium to full coverage
• Demi- matte finish
• Infused with coconut water to give the skin a hydrated look without appearing greasy
• Infused with Alpine Rose to give the skin a naturally brighter look and promote elasticity
• Contains Hyaluronic Acid to give the skin a more balanced and youthful appearance

 

This foundation is medium to full coverage, but it does not feel heavy whatsoever (so it is still a great everyday foundation) and even when I look up close in the mirror, it does not even look like I am wearing foundation! It just looks like a better version of my own skin! When I am wearing this foundation, my skin and makeup has never looked more flawless. Even though this foundation is not specifically geared towards oily skin types, I still do not get extremely greasy or oily throughout the day. The longest I have ever worn this foundation is about 6 hours, but I think I could still get a good 8 hour wear out of this (I don’t like to wear makeup for longer than 8 hours anyway).

Hopefully this post was helpful for anyone wanting to try this foundation specifically or if anyone is on the hunt for their perfect foundation. This is the best foundation I have ever tried so far, drugstore or high end.

What’s In My MAC Palette?

I LOVE the empty MAC Pro palettes! For the empty palette alone (inserts not included), they are only $8 and FREE SHIPPING on the MAC website! I love these palettes because they are sturdy and great for traveling. I definitely recommend using a little extra magnetic tape on the bottom of the pans (for non- MAC shadows) for a better and more secure hold.

I have a double sided pro palette which holds my ABH contour kit shades and some Wet N Wild blushes that I depotted, but I am just going to show my single one today because I personally think the colors are more exciting. Also, both the double and single sided palettes are $8. Purchasing these empty palettes will save you a ton of money because on the MAC website, the eyeshadow pans are only $6 rather than purchasing the pan in the compact. The individual pans from MAC come with a magnet already on the bottom so you can just pop it in the palette! This will also save you space and help declutter your makeup stash.

** If you depot 6 MAC eyeshadows, you can bring back the empty compacts to a MAC store and trade them in for a free eyeshadow or lipstick!**

I like how the cover is clear so I can see my shadows. The plastic cover is very thick and not as flimsy as the Z-Palette covers.

From Left to Right:

Prestige Cosmetics eyeshadow in “Hocus Pocus” (great dupe for MAC Blue Brown pigment)

Makeup Geek eyeshadow in “Stealth”

MAC eyeshadow in “Greensmoke”

MAC eyeshadow in “Sketch”

NYX eyeshadow in “Flirt”

MAC eyeshadow in “Star Violet”

Makeup Geek eyeshadow in “Bitten”

MAC eyeshadow in “Copperring”

MAC eyeshadow in “Antiqued”

MAC eyeshadow in “Bronze”

MAC eyeshadow in “Swiss Chocolate”

MAC eyeshadow in “Corduroy”

Urban Decay eyeshadow in “Lost”

MAC eyeshadow in “Soft Brown”- THE BEST TRANSITION SHADE EVER

MAC eyeshadow in “Satin Taupe”

MAC eyeshadow in “Nylon”

MAC eyeshadow in “Tempting”

The four square pans at the bottom are from a Sephora Desert Sunset eyeshadow palette from a while ago (I think it was limited edition)

The two rectangular pans are “Blackout” from the UD Naked 2 palette and “Blackheart” from the UD Naked 3 palette (I also depotted all the shadows from my Naked 2 and 3 palettes and put them in another pro palette, that way I could toss the bulky packaging and have them all in one spot).

I hope y’all enjoyed this post and go out and buy your own Pro Palette or saw some shadows that you really liked. It is so satisfying to depot eyeshadows and reduce some of that clutter!

June Beauty Favorites!

I have a bunch of beauty products that I have been loving this month! Some of these I have had for a while that I have re-discovered and have been using the heck out of!

Wet N Wild Color Icon Bronzer in “Bikini Contest” 

This bronzer is GORGEOUS! It is the perfect bronze shade. The texture is very smooth and the pigmentation is great. This is not a matte bronzer, but it is also not glittery at all. It just gives the perfect bronzed and glowy look, perfect for summer. I would not recommend using this as a contour shade or if you are very fair because it is very warm- toned.

Covergirl Tru Blend Bronzer in “Bronze”

This is another drugstore bronzer that I have been obsessed with. This one is more subtle than the Wet N Wild one and is not as warm. This bronzer will work better with a wider variety of skin tones. Again, this is not a matte bronzer, but is not super glittery and gives a gorgeous summer glow.

Lancome Blush Subtil in “Blushing Tresor”

This is a beautiful blush that I have been using almost everyday. It is a peachy toned blush with golden reflects in it, so it gives a natural flushed and highlighted look.

MAC Eyeshadow in “Nylon”

This is one of MAC’s most popular eyeshadows and in my opinion, it is the perfect brow bone and inner corner highlight. It is a frosty highlight shade with a slight yellow undertone and it absolutely gorgeous. After using it for the first time, I understood why everyone always talks about this shade!

Wet N Wild MegaGlo Illuminating Palette 

This highlighting palette is so pretty! The colors are gorgeous and can be used individually or you can mix them all together. I love how the strips are big enough to dip your brush into each one if you just want a specific shade. There is a lot of kick off when you go to pick up the product with a brush, but the pigmentation is great and it looks beautiful on the cheekbones.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Air-Dry Waves foam 

I am not a big fan of putting styling products in my hair, but I love this stuff! It does not leave my hair feeling “crunchy” and gives a beachy wave look. My hair is already naturally wavy/ curly so this just enhances in a way that looks natural and effortless. All I do is I apply 2-3 pumps into the palm of my hands and massage/ squeeze it into my hair from root to tip. It gives great volume and reduces some of the frizz.

Murad Oil- Control Mattifier  

This product has been a life saver for me all month! You apply it as a moisturizer (I only like to use it on the days I am going to be doing my makeup) and it does a great job of keeping oily skin at bay. I also do not have any issues applying makeup over top of this, but you can still use your everyday makeup primer overtop of this between the Murad and your makeup. It is a pretty thick consistency (feels like my normal facial sunscreen) but it does not feel heavy and sinks into the skin quickly.

Johnson’s Baby Shampoo 

This might seem like an odd product, but this has been my favorite way to clean my brushes. It leaves them feeling extremely soft, rinses out really easily, and of course gets every bit of makeup out of the brush hairs.

Elf Stipple Brush

This has been my favorite brush to apply bronzer and even blush. The brush hairs are really soft and not too dense so they apply product very softly and evenly. Love it!

Real Techniques Small Setting Brush & Retractible Bronzing Brush 

 

The small setting brush is the only brush I have been using to set my under eye area and other places I have applied concealer. I have also been using this brush to clean up my contour underneath the cheekbone because it is just the perfect size!

The retractible bronzing brush has been my go-to brush not for bronzer, but for foundation. It is a stipple brush, but the brush hairs are more densely packed than the Elf stipple brush, so I find that it applied foundation beautifully without leaving patches and soaking up too much product.

Lip Combo: Wet N Wild MegaLast lipstick in “Just Peachy” and NYX Butter Gloss in “Fortune Cookie” 

I have been using this lip combo basically every time I have done my makeup the past few weeks. Y’all already know how much I love the NYX Butter Glosses, but this shade just looks so good just applied in the center of the lips overtop of the Wet N Wild lipstick. This combo looks so pretty with bronzed makeup!

ColourPop Ultra Satin Liquid Lipsticks

ColourPop is constantly putting out great products that are extremely affordable. The products they are probably most known for are their liquid lipsticks. They have your typical matte liquid lipsticks, but I find that these can be a little too drying (however, they are still really good) so I bought a couple of the Ultra Satin liquid lipsticks and the two that I bought I LOVE!

I purchased the shades Mess Around (also a near perfect dupe for Anastasia Beverly Hills liquid lipstick in Sepia) and Toolips. The liquid lipsticks are all $6, a pretty damn good price for a great quality product.

 

Left to right: Mess Around, Toolips.

Mess Around is a grey- toned dusty mauve shade and Toolips is a deep maroon with more brown tones.

Yes, these are darker, more Fall colors BUT I still will sometimes wear a dark lip in the summer. There are no rules to makeup! I know I should get some brighter ones, but I just always sway towards these deeper fall shades. There is such a wide variety of shades though and I definitely need to get some more!

The consistency of these satin lipsticks is on the mousse-y side (which I do not mind at all) and they apply and feel like velvet. These lipsticks are extremely pigmented and completely opaque with just one swipe!

If you like liquid lipsticks, but do not like how drying they can be, I definitely recommend these. They are not shiny or glossy looking at all, but give the appearance of a liquid lipstick without the drying factor which is great. The only downside is that since these are not 100% matte and do not have a dry formula, they will transfer a little if you drink or eat anything. They definitely have a great staying power, just not as long as the matte ones (but that is kind of the trade off with not wearing a matte liquid lipstick). Personally, I would rather have a little color transfer than completely dry out my lips. Also, these Ultra Satin lipsticks will not “age” the appearance of your lips and exaggerate all the lines and wrinkles.

Smoked-Out Wing: Eye Look

This picture of Kylie inspired me to put my own twist on this smokey winged liner eye look.

Products used for the eyes:

• I used scotch tape to get a sharp wing effect (peel of tape from the back of your hand a few times before applying to face to remove some of the stickiness)
• Morphe 35O palette
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Black Bean
• Black eyeshadow from the UD Naked 2 palette
• Jordana Best Lash mascara
• MAC Nylon eyeshadow for inner corner and brow bone highlight

How To: Tighten Pores & Improve Your Complexion

This is a very easy and inexpensive way that I like to do once every two weeks or so to really shrink my pores and give my skin a little extra TLC. This works extremely well and you will definitely notice a difference in your skin after just one use!

 

Products you will need:

• Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay ($6-8, you can find this online or at a health food store).
• Distilled white vinegar
• A manual complexion brush/ Clarisonic (or something like this). I use just a typical complexion brush, but anything like this will work just fine.

 

Here are the steps:

• Mix equal parts of the clay and white vinegar in a small bowl (a teaspoon full of each is plenty) until the consistency is a liquidy paste.
• Immediately apply the mixture to your face and neck evenly (if you let it sit in the bowl for too long, it will dry out).
• Let this mask sit on your face for about 10 minutes (it will get stiff quickly and if you experience a slight stinging sensation, that is just the vinegar in action!).
• After letting the mask sit for about 10 minutes, run your complexion brush under warm water and gently massage away the mask. This does get kind of messy, but the clay cleans up easily and is totally worth it!
• After all the mask residue is gone, pat your face dry with a clean wash cloth or paper towel.

That’s it!

This is extremely easy and does not take too long to see great results! You can do this in the morning before you do your makeup and go about your day, or at night before you go to sleep.

Makeup Guide: Must Have Brushes (Drugstore)

My two favorite makeup brush brands from the drugstore are from Elf and Real Techniques. In my opinion, these are some of the best brushes on the market in general, not just at the drugstore. While I love all the brushes from both brands, these are the staples that I think every makeup lover should have in their collection!

Elf 

I love Elf brushes! They are extremely good quality yet very affordable. I personally use their face brushes more often than the eye brushes but they are all amazing!

Ultimate Blending Brush ($6)

I use this brush to apply foundation every time I do my makeup. It has replaced my Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki as my go- to foundation brush.

 

Stipple Brush ($4) and the Small Stipple Brush ($3)

I love to use the larger stipple brush to apply my blush. This might sound odd but it gives a beautiful and even application every time! It is also great for bronzer. The small stipple brush is hands down the best brush to blend out cream products (contour and blush). Using this brush makes it so easy and quick. The small stipple is also a dupe for the MAC 130.

 

 

Small Tapered Brush ($3)

I love using this brush to set my under eye area or dust off any baking. To be honest I am not sure what the actual purpose is of this brush, but I use it everyday and it is awesome to set areas of the face with powder.

Blending Brush ($6)

I love using this brush for contouring. It is fluffy enough to blend out the product and make the contour look “natural”, but flat enough to really fit into the hallow under the cheekbone.

Eyelash and Brow Spoolie ($1)

This is just your typical spoolie brush, but for a buck it is perfect for combing out the brow hairs before and after applying product. I use this everyday and even though it just seems so simple and unnecessary, I cannot go a day without using this one!

Real Techniques 

Real Techniques is my absolute favorite brand of drugstore brushes (Tip: Ulta usually has them on sale for buy one get one half off!). The quality of these brushes is just out of this world and they are so inexpensive! I use their face and eye brushes over some of my more expensive brushes every day! It is really hard for me to narrow down my absolute favorites but here are the ones I use on a daily basis!

Miracle Complexion Sponge ($6)

This is my favorite makeup sponge on the market! All I can say is that using this sponge has made me regret spending the $20 on the original Beauty Blender. 

Blush Brush ($9)

This is the best brush (for any price range) for applying blush. It just allows for an easy and even application. It is also great for bronzing up the face.

Powder Brush ($10)

I love this brush for setting my makeup with powder or for applying bronzer as well. If I am in a hurry, I just use this to brush on some translucent powder and bronzer and I am good to go! I just love how big and luxurious this brush feels as well.

Retractible Stipple Brush ($10)

I love this brush so much I can’t stand it! It is travel friendly which is always a plus and the brush hairs are the perfect density. That sounds strange, but when you use this brush you will understand what I am talking about. I love using this to apply bronzer and even foundation. It does not leave a streaky finish (due to the perfect density of the bristles) and I am just obsessed with it. If I had to pick one brush from Real Techniques, it would be this one.

Setting Brush ( $8)

I love using this brush for setting the under eye area and dusting off any baking. It is also great for getting a really precise contour and really carve out those cheekbones. If I am in a hurry, I also like using this brush to use whatever bronzer I have out to pop in my crease if I am in a rush and going for a more natural look.

Starter Set ($11-18)

The price on this set has a larger range because on the actual Real Techniques site is is $18, but I got mine on drugstore.com for $12. I love this brush set so much and there is not one brush from the set that I do not use. The first brush is great for applying a cream base and blending that out, the second brush is a awesome crease brush, the third is the perfect size for smoking out the bottom lash line, the fourth I like to use if I want to apply a dark eyeshadow as a liner, and the last brush I use to fill in my brows or on the bottom lash line as well.

I really hope this was helpful to some of y’all looking for great drugstore brush options! I know Elf and Real Techniques are already extremely well known brands but I just wanted to share my favorites!