New Product Reviews

Hi Beauty World!

I have found some more products that I cannot wait to tell you about! Some have even become replacements for things I previously used all the time and others are new things that I love and use on a regular basis. Hopefully these products find their way into your makeup bags as well!

I recently visited Sephora and I can never resist browsing the aisles to see what’s new even if I have a list of things I need that I do not want to veer from, but lets face it, that RARELY happens.

The first few things on this list were actually on my list prior to walking into Sephora. The first thing I needed was liquid eyeliner. I love the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eyeliner, but I have found that the felt tip does not last very long and can actually make applying an even line difficult once it gets broken in. I decided to try a new eyeliner that was located in Sephora’s oh-so-helpful “favorites” sections that usually bookend the aisles. I saw this and decided to give it a try:

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner

I decided to try this eyeliner mainly because of the tip – it has small bristles instead of a felt tip which I thought would be longer lasting. Plus it was less expensive than the Stila alternative! The first time I used this eyeliner I fell in love with it. It has just as much pigmentation as the Stila liner and is just as easy to use. The packaging even says that this liner can be used to create temporary tattoos so you know it is going to be long-lasting. From my experience with this liner so far I give it a thumbs up! I will definitely be purchasing this again.

The second item that was on my list was concealer (the concealer I use to highlight, not conceal blemishes). I really liked the Nars concealer I was using to highlight but I felt that the color was too light and I was running out so I decided to try something new. After checking out basically all of the concealers that Sephora has to offer, which I do not recommend doing because it takes forever and after a while everything starts to look the same, I chose this one:

Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer

This is Sephora’s newest concealer so I decided to give it a try! I make my best effort to buy Sephora Brand products when I can because they are usually the least expensive, but most of my most-loved products are unfortunately made by more expensive brands. I bought this concealer in the color “Meringue” after testing it on my hand. This color is not much darker than the Nars concealer I previously had but it was enough to make a difference. The first time I highlighted my face with this concealer I fell in LOVE. It is so creamy and smooth, and the applicator is super soft. It brightened up my face just enough to give me a healthy glow. There are so many perks to this concealer, and I think I may have to swap this one out with the Nars concealer and add it to my every day staples. Who knew I would like a Sephora brand product better than a designer brand?!

The next product I bought was not on my list, but I had to buy it once I saw it. It was in the same section as the concealer mentioned above, and I had to have it.

Sephora Cream Lip Stain

These lip stains are great! I bought the color “05-Infinite Rose” which is pictured above. This product is a lip stain which means it is long lasting but the great thing about this lip stain is that it has the texture of a creamier liquid lipstick. There is a very wide selection of colors and it was so hard for me to choose! I finally settled on Infinite Rose because it is a perfect blend between nude and pink. There are many more colors I want to try so I will most definitely be going back for more.

I have actually owned this next product for quite some time however now that “Strobing” has become more popular I use this product all the time:

Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder

I am obsessed with this luminizer. I bought it in the color “Highlight 01.” It shimmers so beautifully and brightens up my entire face! I usually apply it on my forehead, down the bridge of my nose, my cupids bow, my chin and on my cheekbones. These are the points on the face that attract the most light so the shimmer bounces right off and gives a healthy glow. I LOVE strobing and will definitely be doing more research on how to improve my technique. I recommend trying it as well – you will love it. Once I run out of this luminizer, I absolutely have to try “Champagne Pop” made by BECCA Cosmetics in collaboration with Jaclyn Hill. It has gotten phenomenal reviews so far and I can’t wait to experience it for myself.

Another product that I bought recently was an impulse buy but I had to have it. I am always looking for ways to change up my makeup look so I figured buying this product was the perfect way to do so:

Morphe Brushes – Jaclyn Hill Favorites Palette

As I have mentioned previously, I love watching Jaclyn Hill’s YouTube tutorials. I watched one of her videos promoting a new eyeshadow palette she was working on with Morphe Brushes and I knew I had to try it – especially since it was only going to be offered for a limited time. I couldn’t even find a link to give you because it isn’t for sale on Morphe’s website anymore. However if you are looking for new eyeshadow I recommend checking out all of Morphe’s other palettes! I love the Jaclyn Hill Favorites palette because Jaclyn got to hand-pick all of her favorite Morphe eyeshadow colors and put them all into one amazing palette. I use most of these colors quite often as well and I love the fact that there are some darker and bolder colors in it that I can use when I want to create a more dramatic eyeshadow look. The colors have fabulous pigmentation and I do not notice any fading from the time I put it on. The mix of matte and shimmer colors is great as well. The possibilities are endless with this palette. I love when Jaclyn posts tutorials using this palette so that I can see the amazing work she does with it and try my best to replicate it.

Last but certainly not least, my favorite new product of all:

Make Up Forever Ultra HD Foundation

I bought this product because I ran out of my Make Up Forever HD Foundation that I use every day so I went in to Sephora expecting to simply replace it, but I found out that they completely replaced the regular HD Foundation with the Ultra HD Foundation! I was a little apprehensive because I wasn’t sure how different this foundation would be from the original but let me tell you this foundation is amazing! It is a little bit lighter than the original which makes the foundation feel virtually weightless on my face. I thought the original foundation was weightless, but this one takes it to a whole new level! When I put this foundation on I can barely see it on my face. I love it even more than the original and I am so glad Make Up Forever improved their formula and made an even more amazing foundation. I am so impressed by this foundation and will never be nervous about Make Up Forever’s new products again.

That’s all for now!

With love,

Marguerite

Detox Water – My New Obsession

Wow — didn’t realize it had been so long since my last post!

Recently, I have been trying to think of methods to better my health and overall wellness. Detox/fruit infused waters are the latest craze, so I decided to give them a try. I am a big fan of fruit and I am constantly drinking water, so what could be better than combining them?!

I did some searching with help of the ever trusty Google and found two awesome articles with recipes for detox waters. The first article I found gave me 20 options to work with, and the second article I found gave me 50 options! Combined I instantly had 70 amazing recipes to choose from. So far I have tried four different recipes mainly of the same variation, and here is what I thought of them.

The first detox water I made was a bit of an experiment since I combined a few recipes from the articles. After reading through the articles and seeing the different recipes I realized that I didn’t have to follow one specific recipe or another. You can really use any type of fruit to make these detox waters as long as you think they will taste good. I just decided to combine fruits that I thought would go well together. I also did not want to go too crazy with my first attempt so I kept it simple with ingredients I knew I would like.

Instructions will be the same for all recipes:

• Fill up your water bottle half way with your fruit/herb ingredients and ice. Fill the remainder with water and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• The longer you let the ingredients infuse, the stronger the flavor will be.

Recipe #1

• 1/2 Lemon (sliced)
• 5 Strawberries (sliced)
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil (I used dried basil because it was the only kind I had, but I am sure fresh basil would be better)

I let this particular detox drink sit in the fridge for only an hour because I couldn’t wait to try it. When the hour was up, I tried it and it tasted SO amazing. All of the individual flavors came out and complimented each other perfectly. I will definitely be making this recipe again.

Recipe #2

• 1/2 Lemon (sliced)
• 1/2 Lime (sliced)
• 5 Strawberries (sliced)
• 3 Mint Leaves

I used the same method (1/2 bottle ice and fruit, 1/2 water) but this time I let it sit overnight so I could take it to work with me the next day. I did not like this combination as much as I liked the first one. The taste of the lime overpowered the rest of the flavors and it was a bit overwhelming for me. I usually love drinks with lime flavors in them but this was a little bit too potent. Maybe if I used less lime it would have tasted more balanced.

Recipe #3

• 1/2 Lemon (sliced)
• 5 Strawberries (sliced)
• 5 Mint Leaves

I basically made the same recipe as above but I left out the limes. I also let this recipe sit overnight for work the following day. This one tasted much better than the previous one because it lacked the strong lime taste. I loved the combination of the mint with the lemons and strawberries. So delicious. Definitely a recipe I will repeat.

Recipe #4

• 1/2 Lemon (sliced)
• 1/2 Cucumber (sliced)
• 5-6 Mint Leaves

This recipe was also an over-nighter and was soo delicious. The combination of the cucumber, lemon and mint was super refreshing. I feel like this is the type of water you would get at a spa. It was the perfect solution to a hot summer day.

My overall opinion of detox waters is that they are healthy, refreshing, and they taste amazing! It is a perfect addition to any daily food regimen. You can replace this with the water you drink every day and receive added nutrients from the fruit you decide to infuse. There are barely any calories in these waters which is awesome since they taste so great! Drinking something so healthy has never tasted so good.

Another thing I noticed was that drinking these detox waters gave me an incentive to keep hydrated all day. Plain water can sometimes be boring, but knowing I had something delicious to sip on all day made staying hydrated so much more enjoyable.

I wasn’t sure about the whole “detox” aspect of these waters because I have never done an intense detox before. It definitely flushed out my system, but it is nothing to be wary of. A gentle detox at MOST.

I hope to hear about your opinions on detox waters and what recipes you all have tried!

Until next time,

Marguerite

Summer Makeup Tips!

Hey All!

Since summer is in full swing, I have been thinking about different ways to do my makeup to ensure that it stays on all day. I have come up with three important tips that I believe will help you get the most out of your makeup this summer; they have definitely helped me!

1. Moisturize

As I said before, it is so important to moisturize your face. No amount of makeup will look good if your skin is dry underneath. With that being said, it is also important not to use anything too heavy for the summer that will cause you to be more oily than normal. Even though I love my Renewed Hope In a Jar by Philosophy, it is a little thicker than other moisturizers and is probably better for the winter or when I am going to be inside for most of the day. I discovered this moisturizer last summer:

Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel Cream

This moisturizer can be found at any local CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc. It is very affordable and it is one of the best drug store moisturizers I have tried. It is a gel moisturizer so it is much lighter than any cream which is perfect for warm weather. Also, it immediately makes my skin super soft with no oily residue. There is another formula for dry skin which works wonders as well. I definitely recommend trying this moisturizer during these hot summer months! You won’t believe how light and fresh your skin feels. Plus, it is made by Garnier, so you know it is going to smell amazing.

2. Prime

It is also very important to make sure your face is primed to no end if you want your makeup to stay all day! I use this trick to make sure that my makeup stays on as long as possible:

Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray

This setting spray is one of my favorite makeup items. I spray this all over my face right after I apply my moisturizer and let it dry completely. This setting spray mattifies my whole face and helps my makeup stay on much longer. After it is completely dry, I apply my foundation primer and get to work with my actual makeup. This setting spray has been a huge help for me this summer especially when I have been outside for a good portion of the day. I also spray this all over my face again after I am done with my makeup to seal it all in.

3. BB/CC Cream

During the summer, I sometimes use a BB or a CC cream in place of foundation. If you do not know what BB and CC creams are, they are essentially tinted moisturizers. BB cream has ingredients to help fight acne whereas CC creams are more traditional tinted moisturizers. They give about the same amount of coverage as a lightweight foundation which is perfect for warmer climates. Powder foundations such as Bare Minerals Matte Foundation are great alternatives as well. When I know I am going to be spending a whole day in the sun and want a little more coverage than just powder, I use this CC Cream:

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+

I got this CC Cream in my May 2015 Ipsy Glam Bag and it was by far my FAVORITE product of the month. A few weeks after I received all of my Ipsy products, I still had not tried this one and was considering whether or not I even wanted to. Then, one morning I accidentally overslept and lost about ten minutes of my morning routine. I saw this CC cream in my makeup box and since I was in a pinch, I decided to use it in place of my foundation. Let me just tell you, this stuff is absolutely incredible. Not only is it pigmented like a foundation, it gave my face an amazing glow and blended in perfectly with my skin. I didn’t have to take the extra few minutes applying my foundation with a brush; I just squeezed a small amount into my hands and evenly blended the CC cream onto my face. Now I know that whenever I am in a pinch or really do not feel like using foundation, this CC cream is the next best thing. It also has a high SPF in it, which is perfect for spending the day outside. I will most definitely be purchasing more of this when my sample runs out!

After trying almost everything to help my makeup stay on in hot weather, these three tips were the ones that I felt worked the best. I hope you all find them useful as well!!

“Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself” – Coco Chanel