Tag: colourpop

Updated Highlighter Collection

.Reading time 14 minutes.

Hey hey, it’s MJ,

            I didn’t really mean to miss Wednesday this week but it was a rough week all around for me. Like really rough at work so I just kind of let Wednesday’s post pass by me. It was actually going to be this one but let’s be real it’s Saturday and again I am writing my blog post of tomorrow. Whoops, my bad. I have Spring Break starting after school next Friday (3/19) so I plan on getting a lot done over break because I need to. I am a mess of a human being this week and I’m trying to pull myself out of a funk that has been brewing for a while, my whole world fell apart on this day last year (3/13) as did a lot of people’s when the pandemic became a thing. It’s been a year, I cannot believe that. 

Beyond that though, that’s not what this post is about, not even a little bit because I have been meaning to write this post for at least a few months now because my highlighter collection has grown a lot since I did my blush, bronzer, and highlighter round up like two years ago. I also feel like I haven’t had a makeup post in a while and it’s time. Buckle in, this might be a long one. 

I am omitting any that were in the original post and sets that are more than just highlighter because some are in sets with blush and bronzer and for the purposed of this post I just want highlighter. Go and read the original post if you want what else I have in my collection. I have for sure gotten rid of some makeup in the last few months so even since I decided that this post was going to be a thing I have gotten rid of things. 

Also with this post just a warning or an FYI throughout, I will be linking to other blog posts that mention these products because most of them have come in ISPY boxes or fabfitfun boxes. Also the photos are mostly reused because I don’t feel like taking a bunch of new photos for products that I have already written about. I rarely have to purchase makeup because I get subscriptions that provide them to me. I have one in this month’s Glam Bag Plus and that post will go up next week at some point so look forward to that. 

Aight, let’s get started:

Liquid and crème highlighters:

            This list is a little shorter than the powder section so roll with me.

Ciaté London Dewy Stix in Glow:

            I wasn’t really sure if I should include this one because it’s not really a true highlighter but it’s a really subtle highlight if you want something like that. It spreads and diffuses really easily without leaving your skin feeling greasy because it is a crème texture. It just makes things a little shiny without adding a lot of pigment to it. I got this at some point but I cannot find the blog post that mentions it. I’m losing my mind y’all my entire mind. 

Jolii Cosmetics Spektra stick in Stella:

            This packaging on this product is for sure still one of my favorites I got it in my October Glam Bag Plus in 2019, I hoard makeup no one should be surprised by that anymore. It’s just really cool and I love the shade, it’s really pigmented and for a highlighter that is important. I haven’t gotten another Jolii product since about that time and I would love to get more with my GB+ but I don’t know if I will. 

Cover FX Shimmer Veil in Celestial: 

            This is pretty new to my collection, I got it in my January GB+ this year so I haven’t really gotten a chance to really try it out but I love the shade. I chose this one so I always kind of hope that I like what I chose because if I don’t that’s kind of disappointing with something that you pay for sight unseen (except a picture) until you actually get the products in the mail. 

Flesh Cosmetics Touch Flesh Highlighting Balm in Pinky:

            I love a good rosy gold highlighter and this is for sure one of those, it also diffuses out really nicely. We all saw this for the first time in my November GB+ from last year. I need to use it more (just like everything else on this list) because I do really like the shade. It’s also small enough that it could fit into pretty much any makeup bag and still give you a great pay off. 

The Beauty Crop Glow Milk in Blind Date:

            A little of this one goes a long way that’s for sure but it’s a good color for my skin tone. It came in a milk carton and again the packaging on this one was for sure one of my favorites that I have ever gotten. I got this in my fabfitfun box last fall and it was part of a really great box to be honest. I should be getting my Spring 2021 box in the mail here shortly so we will see how that goes. 

Powder Highlighters:

Colourpop Super Shock Highlighter Duo in Lunch Money and Might Be: 

            These were some of the first highlighters I bought when I moved and I love Colourpop. (even though they got rid of the concealer and setting spray that I like from my Ulta) It is one of those brands that are priced really well and has really great pay off in the long run. Lunch Money is a champagne color and Might Be is more of a copper because I cannot get away from the rose golds and coppers to save my life. 

Jeffree Star Cosmetics Supreme Frost in Hypothermia:

            I got this one in the summer mystery box two years ago and I still want to buy more cosmetics from him but that’s not in my cards at this moment. This shade gives me like mermaid vibes and I can’t explain why. The packaging is hot metallic pink and I can’t be mad at that, not even a little bit. 

OFRA Highlighter in Star Island:

            I have mentioned this one twice actually, when I got it in my May 2019 IPSY GB and a second time when it hit my Best in Beauty for 2020. It’s a real light champagne gold. It’s not super blinding but I am a huge fan of a subtle highlight for just normal days. I can’t really say much about it that I haven’t already said so if you want to read more about it click on the other posts. 

OFRA X Talia Mar Highlighter in Covent Garden:

            Between the two OFRA highlighters I have, I like this one better and guess what shade it is, it’s rosy and of course it is. This one also made two appearances, when I got it in my June GB+ last year and again in my Best in Beauty for 2020. I feel like I am running out of words to day about highlighter but here we are, pressing on.

The Palettes:

Huda Beauty 3D Highlighter Palette Pink Sands Edition:

            I like this palette, I have had it for a while it’s one of the oldest highlighter palettes I have, I got it in my July GB+ in 2019, that was when I was just moving into the apartment I live in now so it’s been in my collection for a while. I like the shades and the pans are huge compared to some of the other highlighters I have so I can’t be mad about it. I need to use it more but again with wearing a mask everywhere and every day why wear a highlighter when it will all come off anyway. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills Moon Child Glow Kit:

            I got this as a Christmas present from my cousin this last Christmas and I have the other Glow Kit so it’s nice to have the set. The colors are a lot different than the other shades that I have and I cannot complain about that. I actually like having some out there not traditional shades to play with when it comes to highlighters. 

Nomad Cosmetics Sydney Bathers Highlighter Palette:

            This is the last one and I really like that Nomad uses different countries as inspiration, I have an eye shadow palette that’s inspired by Germany. This one does have one bronzer pan but I really enjoy the palette as a whole, I got this one in my GB+ last May so because of quarantine I haven’t gotten to try it much so here’s hoping that eventually that changes.

            Overall I have so many highlighters and I love all of them. This post has been on my mind for months now and it’s nice to finally get it out. I will see everyone later in the week with another post which I plan on writing at some point this weekend so I will be back on Wednesday with another post. Until then I hope everyone has a great start the week. Stay safe and stay healthy.

            -MJ

Makeup Prep and Finishing Roundup

.Reading time 9 minutes.

Hey hey, it’s MJ, 

            Trying to get two posts in a week and that means that I actually have to write blog posts, that’s a good start, right? So here we are in August truth be told I have not worn makeup since about April because time isn’t real anymore and I don’t leave my house so here I am talking about makeup when I haven’t worn any in quite some time but here we are anyway. 

            This is for sure a more of a what I have kind of post as opposed to a what are my favorites kind of post but I will still tell you my favorites as I go.

Primers:

            I don’t use primer very often, I did use a color correcting primer from NYX for a really long time, I don’t so much anymore but when I do put on a full face I will put a primer on to help everything stay where it’s supposed to be. I also normally wear primer in the fall, winter, and spring but during the summer, it’s just too much when it feels like 100 degrees outside and you just don’t wanna. 

            I have a bunch of tiny primers because of my IPSY Glam Bags so while I took a picture of them I am not really going to talk about them because there are so many (10 to be exact). 

Ciaté London Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer:

            Got it last month in my IPSY Glam Bag plus and I am excited to have a go at it. I like watermelon so we will see how I feel about it. 

Touch in Sol No Pore Blem: 

            I have used this one several times and love it, it’s just a really light primer with rose water and I really like Touch in Sol as a brand because that is also my current moisturizer and I love it so much. 

Dr. Brandt Pores No More Luminizer Primer:

            I like Dr. Brandt’s products and having this in the wings is a great thing. I don’t really have much to say about it because I haven’t gotten the chance to try it but I am excited to. 

Concealers: 

            I use concealer every time I put on makeup because I just look tired at all times so having concealer is really important to me. 

            There is a reason that I am not a huge fan of every shade being the same name and then they are vastly different colors, like both of mine are fair and they are vastly different shades. 

Tarte Shape Tape in shade Fair:

            This is the one that I am currently using and I really like it, it is worth the hype that surrounds it. This is one of the lightest shades and I really need to get their shade porcelain but I think when I was at Ulta they were out of it and so that was unfortunate, when I am tan this shade is great but in the dead of winter it’s too yellow.  

Colourpop No Filter Concealer in Fair 02:

            This one is my absolute makeup bag staple, it’s like a seven dollar concealer and I love it so much. It’s a lighter shade than the Tarte one so it does match my skin tone better with my foundation on.

Setting Powders:

Coty Air Spun in Translucent:

            I love this one, it just smells good and this is the one I use the most frequently of the two that I have. It is also a huge size for under ten dollars 2.3 OZ at Walgreens for like eight dollars so you know you cannot go wrong with it. 

Ciaté London Extraordinary Translucent:

            Much smaller but I got in an IPSY box so I cannot complain. I feel like most setting powders are roughly the same so I can’t really say that there is much difference in my opinion but it’s honestly not something I would buy on my own.

            Setting Sprays: 

Colourpop All Star Setting Spray:

            I am almost out of this one because it is the one I use every day when I wear makeup. I love it a lot but I do have to have a towel up on me because it does spray out all over the place. Yea, it’s a spray so of course it’s going to do that, but I would buy it again.

Urban Decay All Nighter Settign Spray:

            Other favorite, smells like cinnamon. I got a sample o this a while back and I bought a travel sized because I liked it so much and I am again running out of my other setting spray. I use the little size of this at my parent’s house so I guess I have two favorite setting sprays. 

            So I have a lot of random things in my makeup bag for prep and finishing for my face and I felt like I just needed to dump all of them into one place and here was the most logical place to do it. 

            Do you guys have any favorites when it comes to prep and finishing with your makeup? Any that you love that I should give a try? 

            I will see y’all with another blog at the end of the week! 

                        -MJ

MJ’s Top Beauty Products of 2019

.Reading time 9 minutes.

Hey hey it’s MJ, 

            Welcome to 2020 all, I can’t believe that the 2010’s are over I did so much growing up during that decade, graduated high school at the beginning, two Bachelor’s degrees by the middle and a Masters closer to the end. It’s been a crazy decade of ups and downs and moments that I can’t forget while some I would like to. One thing that I really got into in the 2010’s was beauty, skin care, makeup, and the lot. I did a top beauty of 2018 so I figured I would continue the trend again this year. 

            I made a promise to myself to be more accountable with content this year but some days it is harder than others to come up with content when your brain is pulled into 37 different directions but I’m trying, I really am.

            Disclaimer: If the photos look familiar, I took them from my other posts if they have been in posts previously! 

            So what were my favorite beauty products of the last year. 

            Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions mascara: This has been my go-to mascara for the last several months, I love it so much! I can’t speak more highly of it, it sticks to the lashes and it doesn’t flake off. It has been my holy grail mascara in the latter half of this year. It’s a little on the pricy side but it is so worth it! 

            Colourpop No Filter Concealer in shade Fair 02: I have gone through so many concealers in the last few years since concealer came into my life, this one is both cost effective and absolutely amazing, I really enjoyed it throughout the year because it has pretty great coverage and lays down really well over foundation. I have already bought a new one and I just finished my other tube so I am looking forward to cracking open the new one when I am finished with my Shape Tape

            Korres Wild Rose Vitamin C Brightening Sleeping Facial: I got this in a FabfitFun box this year and I use it all the time, it smells amazing and keeps my face feeling moisturized and hydrated. I am a huge fan of it, this is for sure something I would buy again because it seems to get along really well with my skin.

            Ahava Hydration Cream Mask: I got one of these in a FabfitFun box and an ipsy box, one I sent to my best friend because I loved mine so much that I wanted to share the love. I really like Ahava and I have for years. This is one of those masks that you can either wash off after a few minutes or leave on all night, I prefer to leave it on all night for some intense overnight hydration.

No joke as I was about to take this picture I spilled my entire essential oil diffuser all over a bookcase so that was fun.

            Love Beauty and Planet Sea Salt and Bergamot Shampoo and Conditioner: I found this really late in the year and not only does it make my hair smell amazing but it also has left me feeling like my hair stays cleaner longer and I have been through so many different kinds of shampoo over the last few years. 

            Tarte Shape Tape in Fair: So this was the other concealer that I tried this year, I really like this one as well though it is of course more expensive than others I have tried in the past. It has great coverage and staying power so it is something that I use most days now that I have run out of my Colourpop concealer.

            Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lip in ‘?’: Summer mystery box exclusive and I love the color and the formula is so great. I feel like I didn’t have a lot of cosmetics products this year but this is for sure one of those products that I love. I don’t know what else to say about it that I haven’t said in a few posts this year including its unboxing and my late summer makeup look. 

            Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream: I got this in my summer Fabfitfun box but it was a late year favorite as well, I have been using this and my hair feels so much better, like so much better over the last several weeks. It also smells absolutely amazing and doesn’t leave my hair feeling greasy or dirty. 

            Aveda Damage Remedy Daily Hair Repair: Again another hair product that I loved this year and received in a Fabfitfun box as well. I kind of gave my hair the year off from everything, I didn’t dye it much and I didn’t get it cut either in all of 2019. (yes I know that’s not great for my hair to not have it cut or trimmed but life got in the way.) But this is a really good product for damaged hair and I find myself reaching for it after every time I wash my hair.

            I am looking forward to new beauty products in 2020, I actually already have my list started for next year because I know there were other products I loved but I didn’t write those down so I don’t make the same mistake moving forward through 2020.

            Did you guys have any favorites of 2019? 

            I’ll see everyone next week (hopefully) with another post or two! Have a good weekend!

            Bye!

                        -MJ

A Late Summer Makeup Look

.Reading time 8 minutes.

I have been holding onto this post for a few weeks now and I don’t know why I just haven’t posted it. I have been in one of those moods where nothing creative is coming out of my body and while I want to post, I just don’t know some days what to post.  

            It’s hard to write a makeup look in a blog post, it really and truly is, this is one of those things that would be on YouTube but I haven’t posted on my YouTube Channel in over a year. I want to get back into that as well but I still have some things to work out before I do. 

            Now why did I decide to do a makeup look today in blog form? I don’t know I took over half an hour on a look so I figured why not now. It was a look that I was actually really proud of so I am going to share it. Is it going to have pictures? Maybe, one I am not good at makeup photography, not even a little bit and I didn’t take any pictures with really good lighting. 

            This is literally a post made to companion my Makeup Bag Refresh in a way because I used a lot of those products in my look. 

            Okay so what did I do, color correcting primer (NYX Photo Loving Primer in Green) as well as my usual basic foundation, (Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid in shade 0.5) I have found that more high end foundation doesn’t break me out, I also used concealer (Tarte’s Shape Tape in Fair) I did use a setting powder (Coty Air Spun in Translucent) 

            I did my eyebrows with Rimmel Born This Way in Medium, put on highlighter from Morphe in shade Extra if this was more of an evening look I would have used more highlighter but this was a day look so I played the highlighter down. I also used Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in ‘?’ which was an exclusive in the summer mystery box. I don’t actually remember which mascara I used but I think it was Thrive Cosmetics Liquid Lash Extensions mascara. As well as a setting spray which is one of my favorites at a really great price point Colourpop All-Star. 

            I feel like this eyeshadow look was what I was most proud of, I have gotten a lot better at eyeshadow over the last few years and this is one of those things that I have really tried to get batter at while I have gone on my makeup journey. Like it doesn’t look as good as it did in real life, the lighting is not great. I did use the Morphe Nature Glow palette (which I love). The one thing that I really love about this palette is that there is an insert with all of the shade names which makes it so much easier to use! 

It is a lot more saturated in real life but the lighting in my bathroom is awful, I need to get a better light but I didn’t have time after putting the look on to get the ring light out. Also I have no mascara on in the picture but it did go on afterward, I promise.

            I used six different shades, I used the shade Popular all over the lid and up toward the brow bone, it is a nice shade with a little bit of shimmer that is a good base. (I would use an eyeshadow primer for a more long wear application).

            Next I used shade Step Up on the outer two thirds of my eye and into the crease, I build up like that I know other people do their eyes different but this is how I do it. I followed that with shade Seriously on the outer third of the lid and also into the crease and under the lower lash line as well. I used the shade Power to darken up the outer corner and dragged it up into the crease on the outer side of my eyeball just a little bit.  

            I did a few glittery shades as well; I would wear this look anywhere because it is a great late summer early fall natural eye look. First glittery shade I used was Pop in the center of the lid, again I would use a little bit of concealer there and do a really nice cut lid next time I did it. I also popped shade Clear into the inner corner of both eyes and I called it a day. 

            I loved this look, I really like doing my makeup so I love the opportunity to be able to play with my makeup a little bit more than usual. When I wrote this post it was 105 with the heat index so I must say the makeup held up to the heat and I was really excited about it. 

            I’ll see everyone next week with another post, have a good rest of the weekend and great start to your week!

            -MJ 

Makeup Bag Update/Refresh

.Reading time 11 minutes.

So I posted a blog post a little over a year ago with my makeup bag essentials or my wedding makeup go-to’s and I have since updated what I carry around. Now I have also done a travel or To-Go beauty post and that can be subbed in as well if you don’t want to check a bag if you are flying to an event. Some of the things have remained the same, I am not that versatile but I have found new things over the last year or so that I have swapped older products out for and I think that a refresh on your makeup bag is necessary every so often. As seasons and styles change you need to move with them also it depends on what you are wearing to the event, I am going to say that usually I go for a neutral/natural look when it comes to eyeshadow when I am going to events that are more professional or even personal, I am not going to a club I do not need neon eyeshadow no matter how much I want to wear some acid green eyeshadow like the Tokidoki one I had back in the day, legit it was their shade called I think Soya and I remember loving that brand so much back in the mid to late-2000’s. I saved up for it so I could buy it at Sephora and I don’t know why I picked that shade because I didn’t wear it very often. 

            Seriously for events that don’t involve a lot of glitter avoid a lot of glitter!

            So let’s dive right into the bag then, I am not going to talk about tools because those haven’t really changed and let’s be honest everyone uses their makeup brushes for what they want and they have their favorites so if you want to know about my tools, they are in my makeup bag essentials post. 

            I am going to start with base makeup, my foundation hasn’t changed it is still the Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation in shade 0.5, I really want to try their new Stay Naked foundation and eventually I will because I feel like Urban Decay is my go to for foundation and it has been since I started wearing makeup. (I like Makeup Forever as well but I haven’t used it since I was in college and I dropped it on the floor in my apartment. It went everywhere luckily the bottle was mostly empty.) 

            My primer also hasn’t changed I still use NYX’s photo loving primer in green to balance out the red in my face, though the All Nighter does cover the red really well. 

            The things that I have switched out are concealer and I have added setting powder, the setting powder I have is Coty Air Spun but for a makeup bag I use Tarte’s setting powder that I got in my May Glam Bag last year. I have used it in the past when I had no idea how to use makeup so it was a natural choice to include here. 

            My concealer game has changed, I still love my Naked Skin concealer but that is up in my makeup bag at my parent’s place, I have moved on to Tarte Shape Tape, like the rest of the internet. I will say this it does make my face a little tight in the application areas but it makes your skin look great. I also have been using Colourpop’s No Filter concealer and I have been absolutely obsessed because it is under $10 and it works so well.

            On to face so blush bronzer and highlighter, my bronzer still hasn’t changed, I am still working with Hoola from Benefit because I don’t wear a lot of bronzer but when I do I put it on in all the wrong places and then look stupid. 

            Blush has changed though, I got an Anastasia blush trio last year and I have found that I like having multiple choices for blush or the option to mix two different shades and get a great look out of it. 

            Highlighter has also changed, I still would probably bring my Urban Decay highlighter quad but I also like the single pan options as well and I have Morphe’s highlighter in the shade Extra and Colourpop’s highlighter in the shade Might Be because I like them both and again like having options when it comes to my look.

            Eyes is probably the area that has changed the most and that’s understandable because eye trends change so quickly and there are always new eyeshadow palettes and mascaras coming out.

Eyeshadow is one of those things that you can love one day and hate the next but I found that having a larger palette with a lot of neutral shades has done me really great so I switched to the Morphe Nature Glow palette because it’s 35 shades and you can add in pops of color from other palettes if you want or bring a few single pan shades from your favorite brands to add some variation to your look. I also usually include the Tartelette Toasted Palette as well because it is a smaller version of a neutral palette and I have been loving it for years.

            Mascara, I still like to carry two around with me but this year it is too travel sized items, Doucce’s Maxlash and Benefit’s Bad Gal Bang which I found myself using a lot this year. Bad Gal Bang though takes longer to dry that I have noticed so be careful. Still wear glasses so I don’t wear eyeliner and also I don’t want to look like a death metal raccoon by the time I’m done trying to get the wings even.

            Eyebrow products are still the same, I found Rimmel’s Born This Way years ago and I haven’t been brave enough to really try anything else. 

            Lips are easier for me in a way because I just pick a few nude shades and run with it, one of them I just got but it has already found its way into my makeup bag and that is the Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour liquid lipstick in shade ‘?’ it came exclusively in the summer mystery box and I am obsessed with it. The other shade is Eddie Funkhouser Twisted Kisses in the shade Kiss Me Twice and I got this one in my November Glam Bag last year. I also carry around a lip scrub and I have one from Tree Hut Beauty that I have been loving for the last year so it was the natural choice. 

            Last is setting spray, I have two or three that I use but this is a travel size of the All Nighter setting spray from Urban Decay and it so good. Believe the hype, it’s great if you want a matte look all day. Colourpop’s All-Star is also great if you are looking for a more budget friendly option! 

            So that’s my update, my refresh, and my current makeup bag collection. 

            Do you have any holy grail products that never leave your makeup bag? I would loe to know about them!

            I will see everyone about mid-week with another post!

            -MJ 

Five Eyeshadow Palettes I’m Digging

.Reading time 9 minutes.

This series is part three of my five favorite eyeshadow palettes and five more eyeshadow palettes. Really this series should be called “MJ is an eyeshadow palette hoarder and needs help” Like I love most eyeshadow palettes and I follow so many makeup accounts on Instagram so I get to drool over all of the new releases all the time and that is such a problem for an MJ who is on a budget but can’t walk into an Ulta without spending less than $50 and that’s like one palette. It’s so expensive but it’s so nice, I have like 35 shades of a very similar brown and I see more neutral palettes and want all of them, even if all the shades are similar to those I already have.

            Also I promised a post last weekend but I moved last week and I have been unpacking since then so I haven’t really had the inspiration to write a blog post because everything seems to be going wrong, but that is not for this space. That’s for Twitter, if you want to see my complaining tweets you can follow me on Twitter, if you want to see cute pictures of my parent’s dogs and my life, you can follow me on Instagram.

            I am going to be completely honest, I don’t know if you can still purchase all of these palettes and I am sorry if there is one or two on this list that you can no longer get, these opinions are per usual all my own. 

Lorac Tale as Old as Time 

            This has been one of my favorites for a while now and I didn’t want to post this in any of my other posts with eyeshadow palettes because I know that this was a promotional for the Beauty and The Beastreboot a few years ago. Lorac does some really great collaborations for films, I think they did one for Pirates of the Caribbeanand Alice in Wonderlandas well as others that I cannot remember now. I love the pigmentation of this palette, I have used it on several occasions and one of my favorite shades is Beast Mode which is a deep royal blue and I have for sure used it to do a deep blue smokey eye in the past. The packaging is a little extra but really cool, I feel like their movie tie palettes are always a little extra.

Too Faced Beauty Daydreamer

            This was the Christmas palette this past year, you can read about it initially from my November Beauty Haul. Too Faced is one of those brands that I really enjoy for their holiday launches. This one was not only eyeshadow but also blush, bronzer, and highlighter so it’s a multi item palette and I was a fan of it. I for sure get one every year and I should stop because they have some pretty similar shades every year. I like the shades they are more geared toward the “holiday party” vibe but there are enough neutrals that you can pair it with another palette and do a nice look for any time. 

Urban Decay Naked Heat

            So I just bought this one last weekend, it was half off and I have wanted this palette since before it came out, Naked palettes are one of those things that I collect like Pokémon, gotta collect them all. Currently I am only missing the Naked Cherry and the Naked 2 palettes. I love the shades in this and I cannot wait to actually dive into it, I accidently dug into the shade He Devil, oops. Also I have to glue the mirror back in because it fell out as I was writing this paragraph. The packaging on this palette is phenomenal and I am so in love with it. 

Colourpop It’s a Princess Thing

            This was one of my Top Beauty Products of 2018, it was my first foray into Colourpop even though I have been a fan of the brand for a few years now. Now that some of the brand is in Ulta I have been able to be exposed to more of it. Colourpop is one of those brands that brings out so much product and so many launches and they are all so unique and their quality (over everything I have) has been great. They also have a really great price point, their concealer is like $8 and I love it just as much as I love my Urban Decay concealer. They came out with a Disney Villains palette earlier in the year and I also want that one but I never did purchase it, clearly I don’t need any more palettes, seriously I don’t, but will I get more, yes I will because when it comes to makeup I have no control over myself, like a crow with shiny things. 

Urban Decay Born to Run

            This one came out last year and I immediately went in and bought it, I love the shade range within the palette and I was in love with the packaging, it brought out my inner wanderlust and I just needed it. The palette is 24 pans which is actually pretty large for an eyeshadow palette and there is a shade for everyone in this palette, seriously 24 eyeshadows could create so many looks. 

            Well that’s it, I could write so many more of these posts and maybe once a year I will but for now these are the five that I have been digging this year.

            Do you have a favorite palette? What is your favorite eyeshadow shade name?

            I’ll see everyone later in the weekend with another post, the package hopefully is now in my mailbox so I will be writing that post for Sunday, I am really excited for that post as well and I will see you all then!

            -MJ 

To Go Beauty

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I wasn’t actually sure what to call this post, I was going between Travel Beauty, Weekend Getaway Beauty, Go Bag Beauty, and a host of others.

            Now I am going to preface this with, this makeup idea is not for a long extended trip, for that I suggest just buying an inexpensive concealer, foundation, and makeup wipes on the go unless you are checking a bag and then you can carry anything that you want. However, if you are only carrying a carryon bag, in the US for air travel you are only allowed a quart sized clear bag and nothing over 3 Ounces in the cabin of the plane. If you wear makeup that can get a little complicated. 

            So this is my version of on the go beauty, quick items or small items to carry with you for a weekend getaway or a short trip, maybe this isn’t a great idea but I am going with it. 

            Now I don’t travel as much as I would like to but that is not here nor there but normally when you travel at all unless you are traveling for a specific event you are not going to want to carry a lot of makeup with you. Travel and sample sized items are your best friends and usually where ever you go there is a drug store, a Sephora, or an Ulta so you can get anything that you forgot or didn’t think of. I know I went to Vegas while I was in college and I forgot both makeup wipes and mascara so I had to go and get some otherwise I would look exhausted and not able to take my makeup off very well. 

            Now I for sure wrote a post about this time last year where I talked about my makeup bag essentials and for sure when I take my full makeup bag those are my staples but if I am just going somewhere for the weekend with no concrete plans to have to look nice I only pack the bare minimum and by bare minimum I mean very few things. (As I typed that I looked over to my small pile of items that I will be talking about in this post and I realize my bare minimum is still like 14 or so items without any tools.) 

            My color choices may be completely different than yours and that is totally cool, you may not get ipsy or a lot of travel/trial sized items and that is totally cool too. Work things in that you have or smaller items that you can get when travelling. I picked some drug store items that could be found pretty much anywhere so you aren’t looking for a Sephora in the middle of nowhere. Everything you need can be found at a drug store (Rite-Aid, CVS, Walgreen, etc.) or a super store of some sort (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.) so use my tips with a grain of salt because they are just general ideas and things that have worked for me in the past that may not work for you in the present or in the future. 

Okay so base makeup is going to be up first:

            Primer, some people say you don’t need primer and that is completely up to you, I got this primer in my April Glam Bag and I love Tarte so this would be a good sample sized product for me to take with me on a short trip. It would be either this one or just forgoing primer. 

Foundation, now this is one of the only sample sizes I have and I don’t know if it matches my skin tone exactly so honestly I would want to make sure that I had the right shade and maybe get a container similar to this one and make my own DIY sample size. Like I said if it is for longer travel periods and you aren’t checking a bag, buy it where you are traveling to. 

Concealer, I just got this Colourpop concealer a few months ago and I have used it several times, it is an inexpensive concealer (it’s under $8) and it comes in a bunch of shades (30) and it’s just as good as some of the more expensive concealers I have used in the past, there is for sure a concealer I want to get my hands on right now but that isn’t in the cars at the moment because I love all the hype around the Magic Star concealer and I would love to see if the hype is actually true. Eventually I will get my hands on it but that day is not today. 

Cheeks: 

Bronzer, I normally don’t wear bronzer but when I do I go for Hoola from Benefit because it is the smallest bronzer that I own and it is my tried and true favorite because I hadn’t used all that many bronzers in my life.

Highlighter, this one depends on the season and what you are really going for with a look, I chose a Super Shock Cheek from Colourpop in the shade Might Be but any of their single pot highlighters would be amazing for an on the go makeup bag. 

Setting Powder, I don’t even know if they would let setting powder on a plane to be honest but I am not a person to usually use setting powder, though I do have Coty Air Spun in my collection and I chose to pull the Tarte setting powder I got from ipsy out of my ipsy samples box and add it into this mix because it is just a sample size. 

Lips: 

Lips, I usually carry two of these as well and this item is one of the easiest to replace on a trip if you don’t have a shade that is perfect for your look. I chose two traditional crème lipsticks because they are available everywhere. One was Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in shade 42 and the other was Rimmel shade 70 Airy Fairy, they are both more pinkie neutrals and those may not be the colors for you but those would be two that I would grab and go. 

Eyes: 

            Eyebrows, okay so I was caught between two different options, a brow shaping pencil or a more brow sculpting kit and I lean more toward the kit because it allows me to do multiple things with my eyebrows when I fill them in. Rimmel is the brand that I have reached for since I started filling my eyebrows in during 2015. I did go out and grab a Tattoo Studio brow product in deep brown from Maybelline and while it is different I actually really like it as well. 

            Eyelashes, I always carry more than one mascara, it is just the way that I roll and even with travel makeup that doesn’t change. I have been using Benefit’s Bad Gal Bang mascara for the last few weeks and I like it but it takes a while to dry. I also will carry around my Doucce mascara until I find something that I like better that comes in a travel size. Travel/trial size for me is usually the way to go for mascara so actually traveling with it is great. 

            Eye shadow, okay I have like three palettes sitting next to me while I decided which one I would take to the deserted island with me. None of the palettes that I have are actually made any more (I think) so you would have to find alternatives to the ones that I am mentioning. Now any small palette will work, I would go more neutral because a neutral eye goes with pretty much anything. If you really like glitter or shimmer you can repurpose your highlighter or you can buy a single pot shadow of your favorite pop color or tone. Now I have the Revolution #Selfie palette, it reminds me of the Urban Decay Smokey palette and it’s real cute. I also have a palette from The Balm (which I really should get rid of because I don’t remember when I bought it) and a NYX palette (which I should also probably get rid of because I got it in like 2015) I am such a hoarder of palettes and then I don’t get rid of them because they cost so much money. 

Tools: 

            Beauty Blender or a beauty sponge or whatever you use to put on your foundation and a brush set, I have a set from Crown Brush that I got in my fall FitFabFun box and it has all of the brushes I need for a quick and easy look. A set is a better bet though than buying the brushes individually if you don’t have a large selection of brushes because some of them come with their own case and because they are not liquid you can just put them in the suitcase without worrying that they are going to be strewn everywhere in your bag. 

            If you are not traveling by plane, I would suggest a small bottle of Micellar Water in a plastic bag all its own and some cotton pads or a travel sized bag of pre-moistened makeup removing toilettes to make your life just a little easier.

            Like I said up top, these are my tips and you can take them or leave them, that is completely up to you, that is the beauty of reading things on the internet. 

            Do you have any travel tips? 

            I’ll see everyone on more than likely Wednesday with a new post!

            -MJ 

February Beauty Haul

.Reading time 5 minutes.

So it’s been awhile again, I am at my parents babysitting the dogs while they are on vacation, and I still will be when I post my next post, (which I have already written.) so my opening paragraph may be similar. 

            I didn’t buy anything in January and I only bought a few things in February, I wasn’t planning on buying anything but then my mascara went bad and almost gave me an eye infection, it was red for like two days so I threw it away and bought a new one. Well while I was there I got a few things. This is not going to be a long post because it was only three new things and a tried and true favorite. 

            I am just going to briefly mention the tried and true favorite, it is also the thing that expired and made me look like I had pink eye for a day and a half. My NYX Worth the Hype mascara, I still love it because normally I am not a person who will purchase a full sized mascara anymore, if it is a prestige brand I tend to lean toward the travel sized products just because once you open a mascara they have such a short shelf life before they go bad and when you spend so much money on a product you can only use for a few months. 

            Next, onto the new things, so Colourpop is now in my Ulta and I am excited to be able to see the products in person instead of looking online and hoping that I get colors right. So I got Colourpop’s No Filter Concealer in I think the shade Fair 02. I have heard mixed reviews on their concealer but I like the shade range because the shade that I got is lighter than most of the concealers that I have seen on the market. 

            A few months ago I got a sample size of the All-Nighter Setting Spray from Urban Decay and they have a display of them on the counter in my Ulta so as am impulse buy I purchased the travel size because I really enjoy the setting spray. I don’t wear setting spray every day but when I do I reach either for that one or for my Colourpop All-Star Setting Spray.

            Last but not least I have been experimenting with facial oils and I decided to pick up another one to try out. I have very sensitive combination skin and I always have to be really careful with the combination of products that I put on my face but I like Pacificia, I used their makeup wipes for quite some time while I was in college so when I saw their Flower Power Rapid Response facial oil. It has rose and blue tansy and I know that my face doesn’t react to rose and I was excited to see that. I can only use it about once a day or sometimes even once every other day because of my skin but it has been a really great addition to my skin care routine.

            Did anyone else get anything new in beauty in February? Is there anything you are currently coveting when it comes to skin care and beauty? 

            I’ll be around with another post Saturday, so I’ll see everyone then!

            MJ 

MJ’s Top 12 Beauty Products of 2018

.Reading time 9 minutes.

2018 was a crazy and intense year for beauty for me. I amassed so many beauty products in 2018 and it’s a lot you guys, a lot. I got introduced to a lot of new brands because of ipsy as well as FabfitFun and I found a lot of things that I really liked because of those subscription boxes. 

All of these opinions are my own per usual.

NYX Worth the Hype mascara

Why I love it: This one of my early purchases this year and it is a pretty good mascara at the price point. (it retails for $8.00 on the NYX Cosmetics website) You get pretty good volume that doesn’t look super fake even with a few coats. This was my go-to mascara for the first half of the year, it came out really early in 2018 and it was my absolute favorite for such a long time this last year. It lasts all day, it doesn’t irritate my eyes unlike some mascara’s because I have super sensitive everything and I was a huge fan of it.  

Artic Fox Hair Color in Wrath

Why I love it: So I got my hair colored professionally for a long time, I am not naturally a red head but I love the color that I have had since probably 2013. It became for feasible for me to dye my own hair and Artic Fox was one of those brands that I had seen online before so I knew what it was. It is a beautiful color and everyone loves it, I am still trying to get better at dying my own hair because it’s hard you guys I always miss spots. It was something like $16 at Sally Beauty and that is a lot cheaper than having it done at a salon. The dye is also vegan and cruelty free which I am always really excited about when it comes to beauty products. 

Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation in shade 0.5

Why I love it: Urban Decay was the first prestige foundation I ever got when I was younger when everyone was still using powder foundation, I talked about that in one of my haul posts when I bought the product. It doesn’t break my skin out, it isn’t super heavy, and it looks amazing. (It retails for $40 at Ulta) It is more on the pricy side so I find myself subbing it out with less expensive foundations for my everyday just going to work wear. It doesn’t clog my pores though and every time I wear it I fall in love with it over and over again.

Foreo Luna Fofo

Why I love it: I got this in my summer fabfitfun box and I use it all the time. It makes my skin feel great. (It retails for $89 on the Foreo website) I would for sure buy from their skincare range in the future. It is on the pricy side but I was lucky enough to get it in a subscription box, seriously one reason that I am always so hyped about getting the fabfitfun box four times a year. 

Colourpop All-Star Setting Spray

Why I love it: I am not a person who usually uses a setting spray but I got this one on a whim (honestly it was to qualify for free shipping because I am one of those people) but I actually really like the product. 

Murad Skin-Perfecting Lotion

Why I love it: Again another gem from one of my fabfitfun boxes from last year, I use it every morning and it makes my skin feel so good. I am already planning on buying another tube when I run out of this one. (It retails for $40 on their website as well as other beauty retailers.) 

Soo’AE Rose Mist

Why I love it: I used this for the first time over the summer when I burnt the crap out of myself and it was just a little extra hydration for my skin and it really helped out. Now I use it whenever my skin feels dry or tight because even just that little bit helps out so much. Now that we are in the winter months it is so dry outside and a mist is so useful. (It retails for $14 on their website, I got it at Wal-Mart for about the same price.) 

Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water (for waterproof makeup)

Why I love it: MJ has really sensitive skin and therefore I have to take extra care when I choose the products that go on my face and that includes what I use to take my makeup off. I used the micellar wipes for a long time but this seems a little better because it is used with cotton pads instead of the pre-moistened sheets. (it retails for $6.59 through Target.)

Coty Airspun Face Powder

Why I love it: This last year has been the year where I discovered a lot about beauty and makeup and setting powder is a thing apparently. I have used it a few times and I really like how it works and it just smells good. So I really like it. (It retails for $7.99 at Walgreens) 

Tree Hut Sugar Lips sugar scrub

Why I love it: It’s so great. It leaves my lips feeling moisturized and not rough. This was another product mentioned in one of my monthly hauls and I use it a few times a week when my lips feel dry and gross. It smells good and it is easily transportable because it is in such a small container. (it retails for $5.99 at Ulta which is where I purchased it.) 

Colourpop It’s a Princess Thing eyeshadow palette

Why I love it: I didn’t really include much makeup on this list and I just kind of realized that, I have been a fan of Colourpop for a few years but never bought anything from them. One of my friends shared the Disney Princess collection with me when it was announced and I had to have this palette. I love it, the pigments are great, and the color names are amazing. (It retails for $20 on the Colourpop website.)

Cactus brush cleaner

Why I love it: It’s really nice to be able to clean brushes on this, it was an impulse buy at the time but I am such a huge fan of it. It cleans my brushes really well and it is rubber so it is really easy to clean after each brush cleaning session. I got it so long ago at Marshall’s so I don’t remember what the price was, nor do I know the exact brand. 

            Did you have any favorite beauty items in 2018?

            See you all on Saturday!

            -MJ

November Beauty Haul

.Reading time 10 minutes.

What do you mean it’s already the end of November, are you sure? You are, right so the first 9 months of the year went by at a snail’s pace and now it’s suddenly December, that can’t be possible. I saw on Facebook someone saying that the Olympics were this year and I had to stop and think about it. “Was that this year?” Yes, it was and I cannot believe that. This year has been so weird you guys, so weird. Craziness, though I am going to move straight into the products because otherwise this is going to turn into a long winded discussion of how time is a weird construct and I do not have the energy right now to even start that discussion with myself let alone anyone who is reading this post hoping for makeup and beauty, sorry. Welcome to my brain, it’s a madhouse in here. 

Too Faced Life’s a Festival palette

            Okay so when this palette came out I liked it well enough but not to purchase it at the full price price tag. There are only two matte shades in the palette and a lot of shimmers so to me this will be more of a palette that I dip into for not a fell eye look. It’s a cool palette I love the packaging and the shades are really pretty. Too Faced never disappoints in their packaging and their quality. Y’all can have a different opinion but I tend to like the product a lot more than I follow the drama around the brand. 

             Like mermaids and unicorns were so in this year, I do genuinely wonder what the trend will be next year, can it be Dragons? Like seriously, dragons. That would be a great theme if companies were still going to go down the path of mythical creatures. Needless to say but I will say it anyway, I am excited to see the beauty trends next year and next year isn’t even here yet. 

Too Faced Peach Kiss Matte lipstick in Doll Face

            So I didn’t know there was some controversy over the packaging that I got until I was trying to find a picture of it online to make sure that I had it right. Wow, okay. I mean I like the product its’ a nice color and the packaging is really nice. I am a huge fan of nude shades, if you have read my Go-To Lipsticks post you will know that, I also don’t have a lot of nude crème lipsticks. I have several liquid lips that are a nude shade but very few crème long wear lipsticks and I like the idea of not having to take a liquid lipstick with me places. This lipstick is heavy, it has peaches embossed on the lipstick itself and I still that is so cool. I remember getting the Sweet Peach palette which is one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes and it smelled like peaches and I lost it. My mom did not understand my fascination with the fact that the product smelled like something recognizable. 

I don’t understand the need to lawsuits between brands, I understand that if you have some sort of packaging that you really like and your brand is the only one on the market that has it, that’s cool. Isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery or whatever they say? I also know that the beauty industry is really cut throat and I am concerned that my normally light hearted haul post is turning into my realizing that I have found the seedy underbelly of the beauty world. Can I just rewind and not know anything besides, “wow that packaging it cute/the product is really nice/wow this brand is so cool!” On everything because I don’t want to focus on the controversies and the drama within the community of beauty brands.

Kylie Lip Kit in Koko K

            Let me preface this, I do not “Keep up with the Kardashian’s” beyond what I see online. I, like the rest of the country knows who the Kardashian’s are, of course, if you don’t know who they are I applaud you for that. I do however like the Kardashian’s when it comes to beauty products and of course when Kylie Jenner came out with Kylie Cosmetics a few years ago I coveted the lip kits but I never got one. Then a few months back Ulta announced that they would be carrying Kylie’s lip kits and I was excited. I own one lip liner and that is a NYX liner that I got in a set. I did end up going for a lip kit though instead of just the liquid lipstick because I want to try lip liner. I was on the phone with a friend and she said “do you need more than one lip liner?”  Yes, because normally it only corresponds to a few shades at most, my deep red lip liner would not go with the more pinky shade of Koko K. The packaging is simple and I love it, it’s one of those things that has permeated our society so much that if you say “lip kit” if the person you are talking to knows anything about makeup they will probably associate the name Kylie with it. 

Colourpop Deux of a Kind Highlighter Duo

            Colourpop is a pretty new brand in my world and I love it so much. (Wow MJ you love a lot of things. Yes, I do; if I did not love it why would I be buying more? A conversation with myself as if I am someone reading this while I babble about everything but the makeup that I want to talk about.) Back to Colourpop, well my Ulta just started carrying it in the store it used to be that the closest one was about half an hour away and I was not making that drive to a mall that I have never been to and would spend an hour wandering around and getting myself and my credit card into trouble. I really like Colourpop though, they come out with so much product that if I could afford it I would buy a lot more than I have so far. 

            These are pretty soft highlighters to the touch and one is a lot more drastic than the other, the shade Might Be has a more copper tone to it and it is beautiful but it is a lot more out there and in your face than the shade Lunch Money which is a more champagne gold tone. Lunch Money for sure is a much more natural highlight than Might Be so if you are going for a more natural look that is the shade to go for. So far I am a fan of the Super Shock highlighters from Colourpop and I would like to try a few more shades as my Colourpop collection grows. 

            Did you get any new products this month? 

-MJ