BEAUTY:March 2012 Favorites

I've decided to jump on the "Monthly Favorites" bandwagon! I love learning about new products through others' posts, so I hope that you guys enjoy learning about some of my top picks, too!

If I haven't mentioned this in past posts, I am new to the makeup scene. I just started my collection about two months ago. Because my collection is so new, I have had the opportunity to test out so many products. What better way to showcase them than in a MF?! (:

So let's just jump right in!

March 2012:

ELF Eyelid Primer

  
I absolutely love the eyelid primer from eyeslipsface! It acts as a base and helps my eyeshadow go on smoothly. And it's a steal, for only $1, to boot! You can find the ELF eyelid primer at Target or here.

NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette in "Caviar & Bubbles"

 






I find myself reaching for this palette by NYX almost every day. It is filled with beautiful neutral tones. Another great thing about this particular palette is that it has both matte & shimmer eyeshadows, making it incredibly easy to create multiple looks--all with one palette! I paid $10.99 for the NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette at Ulta. You can also purchase this palette here. 

Wet n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio in "Walking On Eggshells"

If I'm not using my NYX palette, mentioned above, I am typically using this trio from Wet n' Wild. This is my first Wet n' Wild product and I didn't expect much because everything from the line is priced so reasonably. I was pleasantly surprised when I tried this product for the first time. The shadows have fairly good pigmentation and good staying power. I paid $2.99 for this trio at CVS. You can also find it at Walgreens and here.

Ulta Cheek Color in "Sweet Cheeks"

If you guys saw my 1st Ulta Haul, you know I picked up 3 Ulta blushes. My favorite of the lot was "Sweet Cheeks." I'm very fair complected and this shade looks great with my skin tone. It's a lightweight formula with great pigmentation that lasts all day. I cannot say enough good things about this blush! I will definitely purchase this again when I run out. It's quickly becoming one of my "Holy Grail" products. You can pick up this blush at Ulta or here.

Almay One Coat Dial Up Mascara in "Blackest Black"

My sister got me this mascara for Christmas and it has proven to be the only dependable mascara that I own. It has 3 settings, giving you the choice of just how full you want your lashes to be. I keep my dial at 3 and it gives my lashes incredible length and color.  I love knowing that when I put this on in the morning, it's going to last me throughout the entire day. Seeing as how I got this mascara for Christmas, I'm not sure how much it costs. However, I do know that you can buy it anywhere Almay is sold; such as WalMart, CVS, Walgreens, etc.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in "14"

I find that I am consistently drawn to neutral shades of lipstick. For whatever reason, I find both bright and dark shades to be intimidating. When I saw this lipstick by Rimmel London, I thought it was absolutely gorgeous but opted not to buy it. For days I thought about how beautiful it was, and how badly I wished I would have picked it up...so I ended up going back for it! I am so glad that I did. This is my all time favorite lipstick. It is a gorgeous nude color. It goes on very smoothly and is great for an every day look. I paid about $5 for this lipstick at WalMart. You can also find it here.

That concludes my March 2012 Monthly Favorites! I hope that you guys enjoyed learning about my makeup preferences. If you have any questions about the items listed in this post, feel free to comment. 

  

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Swatch:

Top: "14" by Rimmel London

Bottom: "Sweet Cheeks" by ULTA

RANDOM: Blog Hop

I came across something really fun tonight that I wanted to share with you guys. It's called a blog hop and it, essentially, is to help you discover new blogs! I think it's such a great idea and it's an awesome way to get everyone interacting with one another. This blog hop is being hosted by BlogLoveTherapy. You can find their blog here.

If you'd like more information, click the picture below and don't forget to share this link on your own blog!

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BEAUTY: Small Ulta Haul

             Current Score:

                   Ulta: 2

                   Lauren: 0

Was I seriously naive enough to believe that I could go into Ulta just to "kill time"...?! Uhm, no. Clearly not a possibility. Hahaha, but seriously. Never. Going. To. Happen. 

So, here's what I gotttt:

1.Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman "Starter Set" [Purple]

2.Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman "Core Collection" [Gold]

3.NYX 10 Color Eye Shadow Palette "Versus"-Runway Collection

4.NYX 10 Color Eye Shadow Palette "Caviar & Bubbles"-Runway Collection 

5.NYX HD Photogenic Concealer "Fair" 

6.NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss "French Kiss"

7.NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss "Sugar Pie"

8.EOS Lip Balm "Summer Fruit"

1 & 2. Every girl needs a good quality set of brushes, no? I HIGHLY recommend the Real Techniques line. They are fairly priced and they're great quality. I have been eyeing a set of Sigma brushes, but I haven't been able to convince myself to splurge on them. These are a great alternative. Each set was $15.99. [These sets, as well as other RT brushes, can be purchased at Ulta or Here.]

3&4. These NYX palettes were the reason I wandered into Ulta in the first place. I have heard such great things about the NYX line and everything they sell is insanely affordable. I had seen both of these palettes on a previous trip to Ulta but decided not to pick them up. I went home that night and got on the NYX website, drooled over them for about an hour, but again decided not to order them. WHY?! Finally, I ended up BACK at Ulta and bought them both. Each palette was $10.99. [These NYX palettes, and MANY others, can be purchased at Ulta or Here.]

5. The only concealer that I owned before I bought the NYX HD Photogenic Concealer was a Cover Stick by NYC in "Light"...I'm seriously considering doing an NYC products review, for multiple reasons--but that's a blog for another day. Anyways, I wanted to find a better quality concealer that wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg. This concealer will be swatched below. This concealer was $5.50. [This NYX concealer can be purchased at Ulta or Here.]

6&7. I'm just going to be honest. My lipgloss collection is seriously lame. I have a Bare Minerals gloss and a Plump Your Pucker by The Balm...that's about it, with the exception of two CoverGirl glosses that were given to me by my sister and a Beauty Rush gloss from Victoria's Secret. So when I came across the NYX lipglosses, I just had to pick a couple up. NYX has an awesome color selection but I'm really into nude lips or occasionally a soft pink, so these two colors were perfect for me. They will be swatched below. Each gloss was $5.50. [These NYX glosses, and many others, can be purchased at Ulta or Here.]

8. I bought my first EOS product with my last haul. I had originally wanted the "Summer Fruit" scent because I had heard so many good things about it on YouTube, but they were sold out when I went so I got "Honeysuckle Honeydew." I ended up really loving the one that I bought and I was elated when I saw that they had the scent I had originally wanted this time around. I have to say...EWE. I'm sorry guys, I just don't understand the hype. I don't really care for the scent. I seem to be the only one on the planet, because my sister, best friend and husband all love it! I love the conditioning feeling of these lip balms, but I'll stick to my Honeysuckle Honeydew from now on! This EOS lip balm was $3.59. [This EOS lip balm, and many others, can be purchased at Ulta or Here.]

I really hope that you guys enjoyed this haul! I am going to the outlet mall with my mother in law on Thursday, so look for a big haul from that soon! If you have any questions or comments about any of the products I got, feel free to comment below!

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Here are pictures of the eyeshadow palettes, as well as some swatches of the lipglosses and concealer. If you would be interested in seeing swatches of the eyeshadows, comment below!

Caviar & Bubbles

Versus

Top: Sugar Pie//Middle: French Kiss

TIP TUESDAY: Vaseline

 Drumroll, please!

I'm starting a series called Tip Tuesday! I wish I could say that this idea was my own, but I'm surprisingly devoid of ideas lately. I can't promise that I'll blog a Tip Tuesday every Tuesday, but I will definitely try.

This segment will be beauty related, as I'm sure at least 80% of them will be. (:

TIP: For cracked and/or damaged lips, apply a small amount of Vaseline 3-4x daily. 

I have the horrible habit of biting my bottom lip. I'm pretty sure it began as a nervous habit and has just progressed. Anyhow, my bottom lip always looked like it was peeling and that made it almost impossible to wear lipstick. Oh, the travesty! I had to try something and when I came across Vaseline at the store, I figured it was worth a shot.

I opted for a smaller container because I wasn't sure if I would like using it. I put it on immediately after I left the store and continued to apply it every couple of hours until I went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, my lips were entirely healed. I am absolutely in love! The travel size tub (1.75oz) is only $1.49 at WalMart in the travel section. It's the perfect size to keep on your vanity or makeup table, in your purse, etc.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment below. Until next time...

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RANDOM:Coming Up...

I don't blog nearly as much as I'd like to! There are so many things that I would love to share but I have a hard time finding the time to do so. I've been kicking around the idea of doing a weight loss blog, or a beauty blog, maybe even a cooking/baking blog. But, as fun as all three of those would be, I don't want to limit myself to just one topic. So it looks like I'm heading in more of a collective direction. Here are some things you can expect from this blog.

My day to day life: Posts about my family, my hobbies, and probably some ranting. (:

My weight loss journey: I have been really inspired by other bloggers and their willingness to share such an intimate and hard part of their lives. If my weight loss journey can help inspire or motivate even one person, it's worth the struggle and embarrassment of sharing. I have struggled with my weight for pretty much my entire life, and even more so in the 3-4 years since I graduated high school.

Beauty: I have recently become obsessed with makeup! My older sister, Lindsay, turned me on to some beauty gurus on YouTube and it's been all downhill since then! I love watching tutorials and hauls so definitely expect both of those. I probably won't do any tutorials myself because I'm so new at this and I don't know enough to teach but I'll pass along the links to some of my favorites.

Crafting/DIY: I absolutely love crafting. I am not the craftiest person in the world but I love to try new things. I like to scrapbook and crochet, so I'll post pics and whatnot of those projects.

Cooking/Baking: Being newly married, I'm learning all sorts of new recipes. Turns out, some foods don't come out of a box. Who knew? Just kidding, just kidding. Lindsay and I have been cooking since late elementary school and I love to experiment. I'll be posting pictures of meals I've made, as well as recipes I've tried.

I'm really excited to get started so check back soon!

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