July Beauty Favorites!

Here are all of my favorite products from the month of July! I have used all of these almost everyday and I don’t know what I was doing without them!

• Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water (non-waterproof)- I love using this on a cotton round to wipe away my eye makeup or just refresh/cleanse my skin throughout the day.
• Ponds Cold Cream Cleanser- this stuff is an ancient drugstore skincare product but it is amazing! I love using this to break down my face makeup at the end of the day and then use the micellar water to wipe everything away. My face is left 100% makeup free after using this stuff!
• The Carli Bybel & BH Cosmetics palette- I have been using this palette everyday since I got it so you could say I am completely obsessed! The quality of the shadows and highlighters is ridiculously amazing and if you do not have this palette, you need it in your life.
• Makeup Revolution matte blush in Nude- The Makeup Revolution matte blushes are amazing! The pigmentation is great and they blend really easily on the skin. I have been loving this shade because it is a neutral blush and will go with any eye look or skin tone.
• Too Faced Born This Way foundation- I have already raved about this foundation and it has definitely become my #1 favorite. Every time I have this stuff on, my skin never looks better. I am obsessed with this product and will always repurchase!
• DIY Primer Water- I have a whole post/ recipe about this primer water and I have been using this to prime my face every time I do my makeup. This is my homemade dupe for the Smashbox Primer Water and I have definitely noticed a difference in the wear of my makeup throughout the day.
• Makeup Forever Step 1 Mattifying Primer- If you have oily skin and are looking for the perfect mattifying primer, this is the one. Even for my oily skin, a little bit of this stuff goes a long way. This is hands down the best mattifying, long-wearing primer that I have ever used!
• Revlon Lipgloss in Sandstorm- This has been my go-to lipgloss for the entire month! It is a very sheer pink shade with a touch of shimmer that will give your lips the perfect-looking glossy finish. I love using this on its own on lighter makeup days or overtop of any of my other lipsticks for a glossier finish.
• Essence Make Me Brow- This is a near perfect dupe for the Benefit Gimme Brow. In fact, I almost think anyone should scrap the idea of even purchasing the one from Benefit because they are literally the exact same product. I love using this just to comb through my brows and give them that “undone yet done” brow look. It also holds them in place all day.
• Elf Powder Brush- I also have a post dedicated to this brush because it is just so awesome! It is called a powder brush but it is actually the perfect brush for contouring and even highlighting. It can be used for so many different things and I do not know where it has been all my life. And it was only $2!
• Lastly, the Elf Crease Brush- I have been using this brush everyday whether it be to quickly add some bronzer in my crease or pack a shimmery shadow onto the lid, I cannot go through my everyday makeup without using this brush!

That’s all for my favorites this month! Hope y’all found something you will want to try out!

Rusted Smokey Eye Look

Once again, I used my Morphe 35O palette to create this look! I was feeling really inspired by the maroon/rusty shades in the palette because these colors make my eye color, and any eye color, really pop! As per usual, I did not use fake lashes (I typically do not like to use fake lashes for my everyday makeup because they add a little too much drama for what I am going for). The eyes are all matte except for a little pop of shimmer on the inner corner.

I hope y’all enjoy this makeup look and feel inspired as well! A full list of the products I used will be down below.

Products Used:

Eyes

• Elf eyeshadow primer
• Morphe 35O palette
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Rust Rouille
• Almay brown eyeliner for my waterline
• Covergirl SuperSizer mascara for the top and bottom lashes (I chose not to do any eyeliner for this look!)

Face

• Aloe Vera gel as a primer (this is a great primer, especially if you have sensitive skin)
• Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin foundation (OBSESSED with this foundation!)
• NYC loose powder is Naturally Beige
• RCMA No Color powder to set the undereye area
• L’Oreal True Match pressed powder in Nut Brown as a bronzer
• Maybelline Master Highlight in Mauve as a blush
• Wet N Wild Reserve Your Cabana highlighter

Brows & Lips

• Essence Make Me Brow and L’Oreal Brow Stylist in Dark Brunette
• For lips, I lined and filled them in with the Elf Matte Lip Color in Praline.
• I topped that with the NYX Butter Gloss in Raspberry Pavlova (this is a maroon shade gloss, but it shows up more pink toned in the pictures).

First Impression: Maybelline SuperStay Better Skin Foundation

I am a HUGE fan of the Better Skin concealers from Maybelline, so I wanted to try out the foundation from the line to see how I like it as well. It is priced at $11.99 on the website but  I got mine for $10- it just depends on where you purchase it from, but it will be in the $10 range. Before I get my review of this product, here are what the foundation claims to do:

• Contains SPF 15 and ACTYL C (basically this is Vitamin C- the bottle says it is known for its antioxidant benefits)
• Oil-Free formula
• All-day color wear
• Improves the look of your skin in 3 weeks by reducing the appearance of spots, bumps, dullness and redness. I have not had this foundation for three weeks but I will put updates on my Twitter and Periscope (@marinaleebeauty).

My Review:

As a first impression, I am really loving this foundation! I have the shade 30 Warm Nude and it is a perfect match for my medium/olive skin. This foundation comes in 15 shades (they recently added 4 deeper shades) from very light to very deep so I think that you would be able to find the right shade for any skin tone. Also there is a good mix of cool, neutral, and warm tones. The bottle or Maybelline website does not say what the coverage or finish of the foundation is supposed to be, but in my opinion 1 layer gives a good medium coverage but it can easily be built up to provide full coverage without looking cakey. The finish is on the natural-matte side, so it seems like it would be great for all skin types. Also, no matter how close up I get to the mirror, I cannot even tell that there is a layer of foundation on my face, it just looks like a better version of my own skin (hence the name lol) and I do not need to set it with a powder.

I have heard that this foundation could be a dupe for the Too Faced Born This Way foundation (my all time favorite!). I can see why these could be dupes because both give the appearance of better-looking skin but everything else about them is different in my opinion. The Too Faced foundation has a thicker consistency and has a more natural/ demi-matte finish. I also need to set the Too Faced one with a powder and with the Better Skin, it dries down matte enough to where I do not feel like I need to set it. Either way, I still am loving the Better Skin foundation and it is giving my Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless a run for its money!

Everyday Glam Makeup (feat. the Carli Bybel Palette)

I finally did a look using the BH Cosmetics & Carli Bybel eyeshadow and highlight palette! I know this palette has been out for a while, but it recently became available on Ulta.com (I am not sure if it is available in-stores) and I have been using it almost everyday since! The palette is only $14.50 but the quality of the shadows and highlighter shades are AMAZING! The packaging is also thin, lightweight, and has a good sized mirror so it is great for traveling.

This has been my go-to makeup look recently and I definitely recommend picking up this palette if you do not have it already!

The Struggle Is Real: Acne Scars

EVERY TIME I break out it ALWAYS results in a nasty scar (whether I pick at the blemish or not) that seems nearly impossible to get rid of. BUT, after testing out a bunch of skincare products, I have finally found my holy grail skincare solution to fade acne scars. This is not an over-night solution, but in less than a week, I noticed that my acne scarring had significantly faded and my skin tone in general had evened out beautifully.

I wish I had taken some before and after pictures, but since I was experimenting to see what worked the best, I just did not think about it. Anyways, keep reading to see the steps and products I used in my skincare routine for the past week to fade my acne scars!

Night-Time Skincare Routine

1. I mentioned this product in my last skincare routine but this stuff is AMAZING for fading acne scars! It is the Zero Oil Deep Pore Cleanser from Origins. It is a little pricey, but you only need a pea-sized amount for your whole face, so it does last a long time. I was using a different cleanser to see if it worked and when I went back to this one my scars started to faded so much in just a couple of days. I highly recommend this stuff for acne scaring and it is also great for controlling acne-prone skin in general to decrease the likeliness of breaking out in the future.
2. Next, I like to take a cotton pad with some witch hazel and run this over my face gently to pick up any excess dirt. Witch hazel is also great for scarring and for skincare in general.
3. Every other day, I like to use my Aztec Indian Secret Healing clay mask mixed with equal parts white distilled vinegar. I have a post specifically about this mask and it works wonders for your skin! This mask specifically is key to fading acne scars and it is also a fantastic product for firming and evening out your skin. You do have to be careful because if you use this stuff too often without moisturizing after, it can really dry out your skin. As an added tip, you could mix up a small amount of this and use it as a spot treatment!
4. Next, apply your favorite daily moisturizer. I just use the Dual Action Clean & Clear moisturizer.
5. Next, take a pea-sized amount of 100% Aloe Vera gel with NO COLOR ADDED and massage this all over your face, focusing on the areas where you have scarring.
6. And the last step is to massage a few drops of Rose Hip Seed oil all over your face, also focusing on the areas where you have scarring. This product is probably the most essential part of this whole skincare routine because it will put moisture back into your skin AND rose hip seed oil is known for fading scars and dark spots.

Day-Time Skincare Routine

1. I cleanse my skin with the same Origins cleanser.
2. Take a cotton pad with witch hazel and run that all over my face.
3. Apply my daily moisturizer, the same one from Clean & Clear.
4. Apply aloe vera gel and I typically apply this a few times throughout the day as well.

 

This might seem like a lot of product and that it will take up a bunch of time, but it only takes about 20 minutes every night (less when you do not have to apply the mask) and about 10 in the morning. Almost all of these products are 100% natural, inexpensive ingredients that will work for any skin type. This skincare routine has saved my skin, so hopefully this was helpful and it works for you as well!

Colorful Summer Makeup Look (Drugstore)+ Mini Haul Updates

I was feeling inspired from the Wet N Wild “Poster Child” eyeshadow palette and wanted to do something really colorful and bright. This is definitely not an everyday look, but experimenting with bright shadows that I typically would not wear allows me to be a little more creative!

Keep reading to see a full list of products I used to create this look AND a quick first impression review on the products from my mini drugstore haul (previous post).

 

 

Products Used:

Eyes

• For the eyes I used the “Poster Child” palette from Wet N Wild only. I applied the lighter pink shade as a transition shade, the deeper pink in the crease (soft cut crease) and the yellow all over the lid. For the bottom lashline I used a mixture of all the blue shades. 
• I used the NYC liquid liner to create a wing.
• I applied a couple of coats of the L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara to my top and bottom lashes.
• I applied MAC Nylon eyeshadow to the inner corner of my eye and to my browbone.

Face

• I primed my face with just a few sprays of my Mario Badescu Rosewater spray.
• For foundation I used the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation.
• I used the Wet N Wild Come Correct concealer on my undereye area.
• I set my undereye area with the NYC translucent loose powder.
• I set the rest of my face with the L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation powder.
• I contoured/ bronzed my face with the NYC bronzer in  shade Sunny.
• For blush, I used the Makeup Revolution matte blush in shade Nude (this is a great shade for ANY makeup look!).
• For my highlight, I applied the Elf Whipped highlighter in shade Lilac Petal to my cheekbones, tip of the nose, and Cupid’s bow.
• Lastly, I set my face with my DIY Mac Fix + spray.

Brows & Lips

• For my brows, I just filled them in with the L’Oreal Brow Stylist pencil in shade Dark Brunette.
• For my lips, I used the Wet N Wild MegaLast lipstick in shade Don’t Blink Pink.

And that’s it for my makeup! Keep reading to see what I thought of the products from my mini drugstore makeup haul!

Wet N Wild Come Correct concealer- This stuff is FULL COVERAGE but it is great! I have heard that it is a perfect dupe for the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye concealer (but I cannot say because I have never tried the It one). I have the shade Medium (the only shades I saw were Fair and Medium) and it was the perfect shade for my skin tone. The only thing I did not like about this concealer is that it creases really fast so I have to set it right away with powder. A little bit goes a long way for sure- you only need a little dot for both undereyes! Other than that, this product was a hit for me!

NYC Liquid Eyeliner (black)- I knew I was going to like this before I tried it out and I was happy that I was not disappointed! This is the best liquid liner I have tried (drugstore and high end!). This one dries completely matte and it is less than $3! If you do not have this already, you need it.

Wet N Wild “Poster Child” palette- I did not get to trying the other palette but I will get to it! For both the palettes, the shadows are really buttery, soft, and surprisingly pigmented. Plus, these palettes were less than $5 each! For the “Poster Child” palette specifically, the shadows were not patchy and blended beautifully. The only downside is that they are very powdery and have a lot of kick-off, but they blend like a dream so the powdery-ness does not really bother me at all. This is a great palette! I will do another look with the other neutral palette soon!

Wet N Wild MegaLast lipstick in Don’t Blink Pink- I already love these lipsticks and this one was no exception. The color is a bright Barbie pink and very pigmented. The formula is on the dry side, but the formula applies evenly and is not patchy at all. Love these lipsticks and they last forever on the lips!

Elf Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal- I thought this was going to be really chunky, glittery, and hard to blend but it was actually not hard to work with at all. A little bit of this goes a LONG way. I just dabbed it onto my cheekbones with my finger and kind of blended it out. Then I went in with a small stipple brush to further blend it out and it was a beautiful highlight. I applied this overtop of my powder and did not have a problem blending it. This was only a $1, so I definitely think this is a great highlight!

So overall everything I bought was a hit for me and I would definitely recommend any of these products! Hopefully this post was helpful and y’all enjoyed it!

Mini Drugstore Makeup Haul!

I picked up a few goodies from Walmart and am going to be testing them all out in my next makeup look, so I will be able to tell you whether or not these are a hit or miss! Also, check out my Periscope (@marinaleebeauty) to see some live swatching and such.

What I got:

• Wet N Wild Come Correct full coverage concealer (supposed to be a dupe for the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye concealer)
• NYC black liquid eyeliner
• Wet N Wild ColorIcon eyeshadow palettes in “Poster Child” and “Comfort Zone”
• Elf Shinmering Facial Whip in shade Lilac Petal
• Wet N Wild lipstick in shade Don’t Blink Pink

I have never tried Wet N Wild eye shadows before and from the swatches they seem to be really smooth and pigmented!

Here are the swatches of both palettes. They are a little powdery but the pigmentation and texture is really nice PLUS these palettes were less than $5 each!

Hidden Gem At the Drugstore: NYC Loose Powders

I am a sucker for a good translucent powder and I had seen some really good reviews on the NYC Smooth Skin loose face powders ($4) so I decided to give them a try and review them for you guys!

I have the shades Translucent and Naturally Beige and let me just say, these powders are AWESOME!!

Naturally Beige has a hint of color, so it is great for setting the entire face. It is light enough though that you could use it to set the under eye area, but I think the Translucent works even better for that. This powder is so lightweight and soft that it is almost undetectable on the skin. I might even like this powder better than my Coty Air-Spun powder just because that one is quite heavy. The NYC powder has no scent and is great if you are into baking your makeup. I have not noticed a flashback or any white cast with these powders, but just like with any translucent powder, you want to really make sure you blend it in and brush it away really really well.

Since I bought these, I have not even touched my other translucent powders or setting powders. These are beautiful powders that give the skin a flawless finish so I definitely recommend giving these a try!

Emerald Smokey Eye-Makeup Look

I have been wanting to do an emerald smokey eye for a while because I think it looks gorgeous on ANY eye color!

Keep reading to see a full list of the products I used!

Products Used:

Eyes

• I primed my eyes with the Maybelline Color Tattoo in shade Creamy Beige.
• I used MAC Soft Brown in my crease as a transition shade and gradually deepened it with MAC Swiss Chocolate.
• I applied the Milani Bella Eyes Gel Powder eyeshadow in shade Bella Emerald all over my lid (I sprayed my brush with a little bit of my DIY MAC Fix + to intensify the shadow).
• I applied the NYX eyeshadow in Raven (matte black shade) to the outter-V of my eye and smoked this out softly, blending it into the green shadow.
• I created a slight winged liner with the Maybelline Line Stiletto in Blackest Black.
• For the bottom lashline, I brought down that same Bella Emerald shadow and smoked it out with a little bit of Soft Brown.
• I lined my top and bottom waterline with the NYC Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in black.
• I applied a couple of coats of the Essence Lash Princess (in the black and blue tube) to my top and bottom lashes.
• Lastly, I highlighted my inner corner and brow bone with MAC Nylon eyeshadow.

Face

• Applied the Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation.
• Used the Maybelline Better Skin concealer for my under eyes and other high points of my face.
• I set my under eye area with the NYC Translucent Loose powder and set the rest of my face with the NYC Loose powder in Naturally Beige.
• Bronzed and contoured my face with the Kat Von D Shade + Light palette.
• Applied the Milani Rose Powder Blush in shade Tea Rose to the apples of my cheeks and a little bit over my contour.
• For my highlight, I used the same MAC Nylon eyeshadow on my cheekbones.
• Lastly, I set my face with my DIY MAC Fix + spray.

Brows & Lips

• I filled in my brows slightly with the L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer pencil in shade Dark Brunette.
• For my lips, I over-lined them slightly with the Essence lip liner in shade In The Nude.
• Then I applied the NYX Liquid Suede lipstick in shade Soft Spoken.

That’s all for this makeup look, hope y’all enjoyed this post!

Festival Makeup Look + Outfit Details

 

Today I decided to a do a festival-inspired makeup look because I wanted to jump outside my makeup comfort zone and experiment with white eyeliner! I did a soft orange cut-crease, white winged eyeliner, and a smoked out plum lower lash line. Since this a summery and bright look, I also wanted to make my skin really bronzed and glowy. Because I wanted the focus to be on the eye makeup, I paired this look with a nude and glossy lip.

Keep reading to see a list of all the products I used and where I got my choker and top!

My choker is from Wet Seal and my dashiki top is from dimepiecela.com. I bought this over a year ago so it is no longer available on the site, but you can get a dashiki like this and in a ton of other colors on Amazon! This is the same tunic I wore in my previous post about sweat-proof concert makeup. It is so fun, colorful, and perfect for festivals!

Products Used:

Eyes

• I primed my eyes with the Elf eyeshadow primer and set it with the shade Stark from the Naked 2 Basics palette (but any shade that is a little lighter than your skin tone will work).
• For the soft orange cut-crease, I used the three orange shades from the Morphe 35O palette (top three shadows on the far right column). Since the shadows have no names it is hard to describe, but they are the light, medium, and deeper toned orange shades from the palette. I started with the lighter orange as a transition shade, then went in with the medium shade, and then the deeper shade. Adding different shades, slowly building up the color and intensity, adds more dimension to the look. Also, I focused on softly winging out the orange shadow.

• I applied more of that Stark shade to the lid to clean up the crease a little bit.
• Next, I used the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. This is just a true white shade and the formula is very creamy, so I found it was really easy to apply. I used the pencil and a separate liner brush to create a wing liner effect. I did not want this liner to be too thick.
• Then, I applied a purple eyeshadow from a Sephora palette (sorry I do not know the name of this shade because I depotted it from the palette!) but any purple shade will be fine. I also used a little bit of the NYX eyeshadow in Flirt (it is just a matte light purple shade) to smoke it out a little and wing it up to meet the white liner and orange shadow.
• Last for the eyes, I applied two coats of the Covergirl SuperSizer lengthening mascara and lined my lower water line with a nude eyeliner from Rimmel.

Face

• I primed my skin with my DIY Primer Water (I have a post all about this- go check it out if you’re interested, I love this stuff!).
• For foundation I used the Milani Conceal + Perfect full coverage foundation (I also have a post reviewing this product!)
• For concealer, I used the L.A. Girl Pro Conceal in shade Creamy Beige to highlight my under eyes and other high points of my face.
• I set my under eye area with the NYC loose translucent powder and the rest of my face with the NYC loose powder in shade Naturally Beige.
• I contoured using the Wet N Wild Mega Glo contouring palette in shade Caramel Toffee.
• Instead of using a blush, I used the Milani Baked Bronzer on the apples of my cheeks and kind of on top of my contour for an extra bronzed glow.
• I applied the gold highlighter shade from the Carli Bybel palette to the tops of my cheekbones and everywhere else you would typically highlight.
• Lastly, I set my makeup with my DIY MAC Fix + spray (I made a post about this yesterday and I love it!)

Lips & Brows

• For my brows I used the Make Me Brow from Essence.
• I did not want to add any intense color to the lips so I just applied the L’Oreal Nude Balm in shade Nourishing Nude (this is a moisturizing sheer formula and just gives the lips a pretty hint of color).
• I topped this with the Mega Shine Lip Gloss from NYX in the shade Frosted Beige.

 

That is all for this makeup look! I am going to be trying my best to post a makeup look every day or every other day, but I hope y’all enjoyed this look!

Instagram: @marinaleebeauty