Makeup Prep and Finishing Roundup

August 12, 2020.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 12 Beauty Products of 2018

January 24, 2019.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

October Beauty Haul

November 7, 2018.Reading time 13 minutes.

How is it already November, but really also how has 2018 lasted for six and a half years? I swear it feels like this year flew by but also has been going in reverse. October was pretty good for makeup even though I didn’t get all that much. Still one of my favorite posts to write each month because I am apparently a makeup hoarder and I need help.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Blush Trio in Pink Passion

Okay so I put this in my Blush, Bronzer, Contour, and Highlighter Round Up so I have already talked about it. I do not have enough blush in general but when I saw this, at TJ Maxx, maybe I should change this to “MJ walked into a discount store and went a little crazy” or “MJ blacked out in Marshall’s and walked out with six things he didn’t need: a series.”

With that tangent laid down in front of me I must say, I love the colors in the trio and I am looking forward to actually using them as winter sets in and everyone is just pale. Spoilers, I am usually really pale so this might help or it will make me look like I am in stage makeup, one of the two and no in between.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in Pure Hollywood

I have also discovered that I am a lipstick hoarder along with eyeshadow palettes, those are clearly my weaknesses when it comes to what my makeup collection is made up of. I need more lipstick storage, that is the conclusion I have come to in the last several weeks as I do not have enough slots in the storage area to hold all of the lipsticks that I own. Someone send help.

This color is really nice I love a good nude lip and this nude liquid lip shade has an almost pinky but also slightly rosy undertone (I am writing this sentence while half asleep so if it doesn’t make sense, I’m sorry.) For the most part most of my lipsticks are nude shades but I will say I also love a good pop of color.

Colourpop It’s a Princess Thing eyeshadow palette

I have been waiting for this palette since someone shared it on Facebook and I went on Colourpop’s website and entered my email to be notified when it was available. I have swatched this palette and I am in love with it. I am so pleased with the first Colourpop product that I have ever bought even though I have been a fan of them for a long time but finally took the plunge to purchase something from them and I will say this with absolute certainty, I will be purchasing from them again. The colors are highly pigmented and very pretty. I am a sucker for packaging as well as color names and I must say this one has some great ones. I love the breakdown of the palette with the number of shades that are matte, metallic, and glittery. There are some palettes at are too metallic heavy for me but this has a really nice balance that can be used to create a number of stunning looks.

The one drawback of this palette is that it doesn’t have a mirror, now I have other palettes that don’t have mirrors and it’s not a big deal but this palette is nice and compact so having a mirror with it for traveling purposes would have been nice.

I think that you can still snag this palette on Colourpop’s website and it really is worth the price point that it is at.

Colourpop All Star Setting Spray

Okay this was a purchase to get my order over the threshold for free shipping because I am a terrible person like that but to be honest I have been seeing so many beauty gurus talking about “setting spray” for months now. Full disclosure, I have only used setting spray once and that was at an outdoor wedding in June of 2017 in the very south of Louisiana and I didn’t want my face to melt off. I don’t even remember what brand it was because I borrowed it. I like the idea of setting my face so everything stays in place because in the last few months I have learned a lot from beauty guru’s and sharing some of their wisdom when it comes to my makeup routine makes me feel at least a little useful.

Love the packaging, nice and summery even though we are facing toward the bleakness of winter, it’s simple and I am looking forward to actually having a reason to use it to actually test it out.

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

Look! More setting spray! This was a sample and I have been seeing so many people using this setting spray but to be honest I didn’t want to drop that much money on a spray bottle full of…I don’t actually know what’s in setting spray, if it’s like hairspray I still think it is just mostly aerosolized glue and there is a part of me that doesn’t like that.

I am again really excited to see if this product works for me like it works for so many others. If I like it who knows maybe I will buy a full sized bottle in the future, we’ll see.

Too Faced Beauty Daydreamer Holiday Gift Set

Holiday packaging! Too Faced is one of those brands that I get every year around the holidays and I have been for something like four years now. This is where I get my travel sized Better Than Sex mascara every year because it is still one of my favorites and something that I always reach for and take with me in my makeup bag. Their holiday packaging seems to get better and better every year and this year with the Beauty Daydreamer set it was a palette with 16 eyeshadow shades and four cheek shades as well as a travel Better than Sex mascara and a Bunny Kisses lip gloss. I am normally not a fan of lip gloss but this one isn’t too bad I have tried it I have swatched it and granted it is a little sticky is it nothing like some of the glosses of my past. It is a nice nude shade that I feel like would look good on a wide range of skin tones and I can’t wait to actually get a chance to wear it for a longer length of time than just seeing what it looks like on.

Let’s talk about all of the things you get in this separately. Again I am a palette hoarder, no I am not throwing the word hoarder around loosely I have a lot of palettes and I continue to buy more even though I really don’t need them. Palette first though, the first color that caught my attention was “Resting Grinch Face” I laughed out loud in the Ulta, people looked at me funny. I love the shades, for me I have never had a problem with Too Faced products and I continue to love them with every new item that I add to my collection.

The bag has bunnies on it and I absolutely love it, I am a sucker for makeup bags as well if you check out any of my ipsy posts you will know that. It is nice and I think that Too Faced is stepping up their holiday packaging more and more every year. Kepeign it fresh and all of that.

Coty Airspun Transparent Loose Face Powder

Okay so I started watching a beauty guru on YouTube and when I get interested in someone’s channel I tend to binge their videos and I found myself two days later with a list of makeup I needed to buy, though your girl cannot afford some of the really high end stuff no matter how much she dreams about it. I can still window shop even though I can’t afford $100 foundation or really expensive makeup products. My mom remembers using this powder so I feel like is a good barometer of their quality. Now I walked through Walgreen’s for five-eight minutes looking for this and not asking for help because I wanted to prove to people that I don’t need help…I needed help because it was in a place in the makeup aisle that didn’t make any sense to me, it was by the lashes. Now on first impressions, I actually really like the smell of it, I don’t know why there is just something really nice about it. I like the smell and for some reason it’s kind of nostalgic. I don’t know where I have smelled it before but I am a huge fan of it.

Again beauty guru’s told me that I need to set my concealer, I have never done that before and I am still trying to figure out why, I get it; it’s to make sure nothing moves and nothing creases. When I first heard someone use the term “baking” I was so confused because you don’t “bake” anything in the traditional sense with or on your face. It took me months to figure out why people were “baking” and what it actually was as well as its benefits.

Two more months in 2018 you guys, we got this!

Is there anything that y’all got in October that you are loving? Is there anything that you are super excited for as the holiday season rolls around? Let me know in the comments!

-MJ

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Tag: coty

Makeup Prep and Finishing Roundup