April Favorites

Sigh.  Spring in the Portland Metro area is so, so much different from most of the rest of the country.  Of course, it has a reputation as being rainier than most year-round, but the spring months really seem to confirm that reputation more than others (well, except maybe November and December).  Basically, what I'm trying to say is that it's raining.  All the time, every day.  And I'm over it.

Good thing there's makeup to help me forget my rainy-day blues!

Still on a quest to find good lighting in my house...

This month's roundup includes several newer products (that post-shopping high, I guess), as well as a few rediscovered old favorites.

Is it monthly-favorites cheating if you really love a product but probably wouldn't spend the money on it again?  That's a little bit how I feel about the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara.  Packaging: adorable.  Formula: great.  Performance: fine.  This does give a good amount of volume and doesn't flake on me like I've heard other people complain about, but it clumps so easily that it's almost (almost!) more trouble than it's worth.  I think what I really ought to do is invest in some disposable spoolies and use them to comb through after I apply.  I do find that a second coat after the first is about 2/3 dry is helpful, however.

Never mind the curlers.  Saturday afternoon, you know.

I am absolutely a BeautyBlender convert.  When I picked one up at the Sephora VIB sale, it was purely an impulse buy (near the register!), but I think I still had a pretty good gut feeling that it would be worth the investment.  

Even more so than foundation application, I am crazy in love with my BeautyBlender for blending in my concealer.  I have slightly puffy under-eyes with one very, very annoying fine line running through each one, and I have never had a concealer not crease on me just a little bit, until I started using the pointed end of this little pink beauty.

I purchased the kabuki brush on a bit of a whim back in January.  I had just started my great bronzer experiment (that is, I had just purchased my first bronzer and had no idea what the hell I was doing) and I was hoping to find an affordable kabuki brush that would help me to blend things out (I was very, very concerned with blending.  No weird muddy face for me!).  I found this Eco-Tools retractable kabuki brush at Rite Aid one afternoon, and I've been steadily using it since.  Not only is it wonderful for blending out not only bronzer but also the occasional over-zealous blush application, but the fact that it's retractable makes it ideal for traveling.

Simply put, this blush is gorgeous.  It's got just a hint of pink to it, but for the most part is subtly nude and delightful.  It's great for those little-to-no-makeup days that I tend toward in the spring and summer.

Swatched!

I have a weird relationship with lip products; I rarely stray from the my-lips-but-better standard, and even then, I usually end up sticking just with lip balm because it's less maintenance.  This gloss, however, may have changed me.  I picked up Vanilla Cream Pie on a whim during a trip to Fred Meyer a few weeks ago and I couldn't believe how long it had taken me to jump on the butter gloss train.  I happened upon the NYX display at Target last weekend (when did that happen, by the way?) and couldn't resist getting a second shade in Apple Strudel.  This one is a bit more sheer than I had hoped for, but I'm still loving it as a natural lip option.

L: Vanilla Cream Pie; R: Apple Strudel

I ordered some skin-care items from Sephora a couple months back, and my Honey app found a coupon code for this little gem when I was finalizing my order.  The sample came in a good-sized bottle that was supposed to only last two weeks, but it was still kicking around 3 weeks in.  Even in such a short time, I feel like I can really see a difference in the tone of my skin.  It's not as though I was covered in wrinkles, but I feel like my face is smoother and a bit more toned since I started using this serum.  It might be time to cave and start investing in my skin care instead of just spending money on it.

What products did you love this month?

Sephora VIB Sale Haul

I tried to be good; really, I did.  The VIB sale is one of those times that I just can't resist heading into Sephora, since stuff never goes on sale there.  That said, all in all the damage was pretty reasonable (at least, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been had a lot of the products that I wanted were already picked over by the time I got there - had I had better timing, the NARS setting powder would be included here).

I spent a lot of time waffling in front of the Hourglass display (the Ambient Lighting blushes are gorgeous in person), and ultimately ended up walking away with a sample of the Immaculate foundation that I mentioned in my Spring Wish List.  Once I give it a good road-test I may end up biting the bullet and going back for it at full price (gulp).

1. Benefit The Big Easy Liquid to Powder Foundation, $38
I've been hearing a lot about this over the last few weeks and I had planned to pass it up entirely, but I realized that with the warmer weather coming, I'm going to want a more lightweight option with lighter coverage; it's also something I've been wanting for those good skin days that have magically been happening more often lately.

2. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Exposed, $26
The reason I initially made it over to the Tarte display was to check out a different blush shade entirely; I had read a review of the shade Natural Beauty on Buy Now, Blog Later, and the pop of strawberry red on the apples of the cheeks seemed like a great option for spring and summer.  While I would still love to get that shade at some point, something drew me to Exposed instead.  Maybe it was the slightest hint of a pink undertone, or maybe it was the wearability factor.  Either way, I wore it today and was super pleased with it.

3. BeautyBlender, $19.95
I held off on BeautyBlender for a long time.  It seemed like a lot of cash for a makeup sponge, and between Sigma and Real Techniques, I'd been very pleased with my foundation application tools.  For real, this was pretty much just an impulse buy.  Damn you, Sephora, for putting such colorful goodies near the register!  And damn you, Ulta, for always being sold out of the Real Techniques sponge!  All kidding aside, I was really pleased with how the BeautyBlender performed this morning.

4. Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream, $6 for 1.7 fl oz.
Ahh, an old friend.  My Curel hand cream that lives in my purse is just about gone, and since I was going to get something to replace it anyway...  This performs well and you can't beat the scent.

What should be on my list for the next time the VIB sale rolls around?
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Current Beauty Wish List

Admittedly, there's not much terribly spring-related about the beauty products I'm currently yearning for, but it's April now and I guess I'm starting to think about revamping my beauty routines?  Either way, I put together a quick list of the things I'll be saving my extra pennies for this month:







1. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation, $55 for 1 fl oz.
My skin runs toward the oily side of the spectrum, and I've heard nothing but glowing reviews of this foundation.  It's supposed to work wonders for us oily girls, setting to a nice powder finish and staying all day with medium to high coverage.  My only hangup is the price tag; I'm generally a drugstore foundation kind of girl, but is this one worth the splurge?
(Hourglass website, Sephora)

2. Kenra Platinum Working Spray 14, $22
In my seemingly never-ending journey to learn how to curl my hair (long story), I've tried a lot of different techniques and products to get and hold a good curl.  I recently came across a product that works pretty well for me, but I just can't seem to shake that feeling that there could be something better out there.  When I was getting my hair done for my wedding a few months ago, the woman making me bridal-ready used this Kenra spray on my hair before she curled it, and it worked wonders!  Now, to be fair, we were going for a seriously long-lasting look that was a bit much for everyday curls, but I think a lighter application would make for a good, natural, touchable style.
(Kenra website)

3. Sigma E59 Wide Shader Brush, $14

The Sigma Essentials kit was the first set of quality brushes that I invested in, and I've been increasing my collection little by little over the last year or so.  Next on my list is this wide, fluffy brush, which is supposed to be great for blending around the edges of your crease.

(Sigma website)

4. NARS Light Reflecting Loose Setting Powder, $35

Yet another product that I've seen reviewed on YouTube for months now.  Given that I have drugstore-priced powders that work perfectly well, is this one worth the price tag?

(NARS website, Sephora)

5. Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara, $19

My wedding-day hair and makeup helper used the Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara on me for the big day, and it looked gorgeous, but again, it was a bit much for everyday.  I'd love to try this natural, curling, volumizing mascara and see how it compares to my other stand-by favorites.

(Tarte website, Sephora)

Are there any other products I should be on the lookout for?