The Lightweight Base Round-Up

There are days when my skin is freaking out and needs some heavier coverage, but there are also times when it's feeling alright and just needs a little something extra. As I've mentioned many times, covering redness is a main concern of mine. I love tinted moisturizers/BB creams because they're providing skincare benefits while still helping out your problem spots. It still looks like your skin though and looking cakey is never an issue. Here are the five I love and have in constant rotation for days I don't want to fuss around.

1. Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 53 (I got mine on ASOS originally but it seems to have sold out so do some digging on Amazon or Ebay). I love the Bourjois brand and long when it is readily accessible in the USA. CC Creams kind of confuse me but I like this because it offers a decent amount of coverage and fulfills its promise of color correcting redness. It's very hydrating and also offers SPF.
2. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer in Nude. If you're looking for a tinted moisturizer, this cult classic should be first on your list. It has a great color range, and adds moisture with just a hint of color. This is incredibly lightweight and is perfect for slapping on with your fingers when you don't want to spend a ton of time on your look. I like pairing this with the brand's radiance primer--check out my post on that here.
3. Estee Lauder BB Glow in Shade 2. This is probably the "heaviest" coverage of the bunch and feels slightly more like a foundation than BB creme, but it's still in no way heavy at all. It gives a glow as promised and helps perk up tired or dull looking skin. Sometimes BB creams that offer a glow can make you look oily but I never feel shiny with this-- add some powder if you are concerned though.
4. Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer in Nude. To be perfectly honest, this is not worth the high price tag but I had a #feelingspendy moment in San Francisco. It is a great tinted moisturizer, maybe slightly higher coverage than the Laura Mercier one, but it's also a thicker texture. I don't regret buying it and it blends like a dream, but it opened my eyes to the extremely expensive Chantecaille brand (I tried a foundation that was $80 and would never spend that much, though it was nice).
5. Diorskin Nude BB Cream in Fair. Of the bunch, this is the most BB cream like in texture and coverage. It "smooths, protects, and corrects" while making me glow, plus I love the pump packaging. I was able to make this shade work for me, though it leans a tad too yellow (although that's great for covering redness), but those with pink undertones may have trouble finding a shade that works for them (there are only 4).

L-R: Bourjois, Laura Mercier, Estee Lauder, Chantecaille, Dior

For some reason, the Estee Lauder and Chantecaille ones are swatching really pink but that's just the lighting, they're more neutral toned, sorry!

It took me a week to finish Bob's Burgers and now I just want all my other shows to return! Mindy Project is the only one coming back this week (Tuesday) and then things kick into full gear next week, right in time for my two exams! I'm just waiting for two more Charlotte Tilbury items to come before I do my big review/round-up, so look for that Wed. or Thurs. Let me tell you I am already obsessed with the line and it may just be my overall new favorite brand.

September Beauty Wish List

So many products, such little cash flow. I love playing with new things, so I'm constantly looking to try new products. Here are a few things that have caught my eye that I haven't closed the deal on yet, but hope to at some point soon.

1. Ren Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial. Pretty much anything with the word facial automatically sells me, but every beauty blogger has been raving about this new product. You literally rinse it in for a minute to rejuvenate skin. I have a couple of these exfoliating treatments but have never tried anything from this brand, so I'm intrigued.
2. Dior Addict Lipstick in Model. This lipstick is not new, but ViviannaDoesMakeup raves about it and I always trust her. I have other Dior products I love but I've never tried a lipstick, and this pinky nude shade seems exactly up my ally.
3. Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation. I can't stop raving about Charlotte Tilbury and I am so excited she has launched her line in the USA. I ordered a few things from Nordstrom that should be coming any day (and a review will follow), but I'm a sucker for a dewy, lightweight foundation that gives medium coverage. I don't need any of the youth-boosting qualities yet but canceling redness and evening out large pores are always plusses.
4. Charlotte Tilbury Color Coded Eyeshadow Palette in The Glamour Muse. Everyone also raves about the eyeshadows, so I want to see what the hype is all about. This one features two nude colors and two purple colors, which I own slightly less of than nude/brown shades. The bottom left purple shade is just begging to be blended into my crease.
5. Clinique A Black Honey Affair Eyeshadow Palette . This one is similar to the Charlotte Tilbury one, but has more colors for a cheaper price (but let's be real I'll probably get the Charlotte Tilbury one over this). This combines my purple and nude eyeshadow loves, and can create day or night looks. I've never tried Clinique eyeshadows but love their new Chubby Sticks for cheeks.

My beauty wish list is always growing, so I'll probably make this a monthly thing and update you if I purchased any of these. What do you have your eye on? Let me know!

Since most shows still don't come back for a week or two, I've taken to watching Bob's Burgers. It has a much more sarcastic and lovable humor than Family Guy or The Simpsons, which I liked but could never really get into. I'm already on season 3 of Bob's Burgers and it's great to watch at the end of a busy day or watch when I'm getting ready as I don't have to devote my full attention to following the plot. 

A Fresh Faced Primer/Foundation Duo

I'm kind of a foundation junkie. I love all the ones I have but they work well for different things. I have dry/combination skin and my main concern with foundation is covering up redness. Laura Mercier recently introduced the Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide Foundation and I'm a huge fan of the tinted moisturizer, so I wanted to try something with a bit more coverage. I also picked up the Radiance Foundation Primer which I had a sample of a while back and felt very c'est-la-vieish if that's a thing cause it is now.

As you can see the primer is really dewy and gives a nice glow (it does sheer out and becomes colorless on the skin). It's not the absolute best for making foundation last but it does prolong wear more than most. Since I have drier skin, I always love to make my foundations appear dewy and fresh faced so this is a winner in my book.

I also love the foundation more than I thought I would. It's light to medium coverage, and has a really thin runny texture that applies better than you think it does. I'm the shade Cashew, which is for light skin with slightly warm/neutral undertones. This isn't too dewy or matte, so I do like adding the primer to give a bit more dewiness but it sets down well. You have to shake it every time so that the mixture of water and foundation serum thingy can blend together, and sometimes it seeps out, so the packing is slightly annoying but I got over it.

I caved and bought a few Charlotte Tilbury items from Nordstrom today, so expect to see a review of those as soon as they come. I'm also expecting a package from Asos any day now with a few Bourjois and UK-exclusive Rimmel items. Those will be reviewed too! Lots of excitement and new things to come wooooo.

Bobbi Brown Smoky Nudes Eye Palette

Okay so this eyeshadow palette is ridiculously expensive. I didn't need it but it was too gorgeous to say no to. The Bobbi Brown Smoky Nudes Eye Palette contains eight shades with a variety of cream, matte, and shimmer finishes. Kate Upton is this fall's model for the collection, and I find her absolutely gorgeous. First of all, I'm a huge fan of the design. It's about the size of a shimmer brick, and the two tier level works well.

Most of these colors are different from what I have in my collection-- I tend to go for nude colors but these are smokier with purple and pink hues which are my favorite. The shimmers are incredible because they are so gorgeous and buttery without too much fallout, and all of them blend well together. It's expensive but worth it, so I recommend it if you have the cash to spare. 

Teaser Trailers for American Horror Story: Freak Show were released and they are everything I want and more. I'm going through serious withdrawal but it comes back a month from today! Also, an alternate ending for How I Met Your Mother was just released--I don't think I really liked it and am glad they stayed the way things did. What do you think?

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes Review

These babies have been out for quite some time, and I actually picked up my first one in March, but now that I own four maybe it's time to rave about them. Hourglass itself is such a fabulous brand--besides these, I own the Ambient Lighting Palette (easily one of my best purchases to date), the Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipstick in Rose, and the Hidden Corrective Concealer (another much raved about purchase). However, if you couldn't tell from the title, this post focuses on reviewing the Ambient Lighting Blushes.

Luminous Flush and Diffused Heat

Dim Infusion and Mood Exposure

As you can see, the blushes themselves are gorgeous because they combine a pop of color with one of the brand's famous highlighting powders. All of these blushes are finely milled with sturdy packaging, which are always plusses in my book. They aren't completely matte nor shimmery but deliver a fine, healthy glow to your cheeks. It doesn't emphasize pores, which is always a problem I have.

Luminous Flush is a "champagne rose" and doesn't apply nearly as pink as it seems. Diffused Heat is a "vibrant poppy" and the most pigmented of the bunch, so use a lighter hand with this one. My two favorites and the more natural of the bunch are Dim Infusion, a "subdued coral" and Mood Exposure, a "soft plum". 

Although these are infused with Ambient Lighting powders, color is the stronger focus so they're especially gorgeous when you add a highlight to them. Each blush has a unique pattern as they are baked in Italy, so no two are alike! Which one is your favorite?

L-R: Dim Infusion, Mood Exposure, Luminous Flush, Diffused Heat

I survived my second week of school woo! It was incredibly hot this week so I am wholeheartedly ready to say goodbye to summer and hello to fall. I also read the book Virgins by Radika Sanghai and I loved it. It's about a 21 year old girl at university, ashamed she's still a virgin, but it's more just an adorable coming of age story. Ellie, the main character, was relatable, sarcastic, and even starts a blog! Go check it out.

A Self Tanner I Actually Like?

I do not have a good record with self-tanning products. I tried the Jergen's cream, which left my hands all streaky and didn't look natural on me. I tried the L'Oreal towelettes which were just a disaster. I've never actually been tanning or gotten a spray tan because it's really not worth it to me. I don't spend a lot of time outside so I've just learned to accept my usually-the-second-lightest-foundation-shade skin tone. All that changed when my friend Joanna, who's already naturally tan, introduced me to this product.

I've never heard of the brand Mina Organics but she picked this up at Bed Bath & Beyond (if yours has a Harmon section) and it was only $10 so I figured why not. I found it on Amazon here. It's a few dollars more but if you can't find it anywhere else, it's still an affordable price. This is more of a lotion texture, and what I love is that it's half bronzing serum and half moisturizer. This insures that you don't get too unnaturally orange and makes it more of a tinted moisturizer for the body.

I've found that the best way to apply it is on a foam puff (again, picked this up from Bed Bath & Beyond for a couple of bucks). This helps make for less streaky application and prevents the dreaded self-tan hands. I've used this three times since I've bought it and I'm in love. It create such a natural glow that I look like I actually have a slight tan!  I'm not streaky or orange and it seems to last pretty long. Applying it right after the shower seems to be the best as it will absorb better into wet skin and give that added moisturizing benefit.

I've never tried any St. Tropez products but this feels like it might be a dupe for something! Any other self tanning products I should be on the look out for? Let me know!

August Favorites

I know everyone's saying it, but how is August already over? This was my first summer on my own and it went by so so quickly. Fall is my favorite season so I'm excited that time is soon upon us. School is already back in session and although I have a million things I'm doing, I don't want to let this blog die! And I'm always trying new things so here's what I've been loving this month.

1. Clinique Chubby Stick in Amped Up Apple and Robust Rhubarb. I saw these when they first launched and wasn't too impressed. Once all my favorite bloggers started raving about them, I figured I should see what they hype was about. I'm glad I decided to reconsider because I love these. They're incredible easy to apply, and give a creamy glow without looking too clownish. I was concerned about the colors being really pigmented but they sheer out once you put them on.

2. MAC Electric Cool Eyeshadow in Love Power. I don't really own any individual MAC eyeshadows, because I think they're kind of expensive for single shadows. I love these limited edition shadows though. They're a cool cream to powder texture, and I really like the spongy texture. This light pink shade is right up my alley but I also just ordered the taupe shade.

3. Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Black Noir, Black Tulip, and Glittery Black. You all know about my love for the Marc Jacobs Eyelieners but I have discovered ones that are just as good. These are even more creamy, though they don't last as long. I really like them for lining the upper lid when I don't feel like using liquid eyeliner. I wish they were self sharpening though.

4. Daniel Sandler Watercolour Fluid Blusher in Cherub. Essiebutton is a huge fan of these, so I figured I would check them out. It's kind of an interesting concept--it's a liquid blush that you shake up and it dries down to a creamy finish that settles like powder. It's a tiny bottle but you really only need a couple of drops as they are pigmented. I picked up Cherub because the pinky rose glow seemed the most up my ally. 

5. Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum. This serum claims to fix all of your skin care problems and deliver targeted repair. I was a bit skeptical, which is why I first got a deluxe sample at Sephora. I love this stuff. I've noticed that my skin is less dry and has less bumps, so I shelled out for a full size bottle because it's worth it. I've had this little guy for about a month and am still finishing that one first.

6. The Body Shop Wild Argan Oil Body Lotion. Normally I don't really care about lotion as long as it smells good but I've recently been loving this one from The Body Shop. Besides smelling good from the argan oil, it's incredibly moisturizing and super cheap for this big bottle! I also love the body butter version of this scent.

Music: Golden Touch by Razorlight, The Girl by City and Colour, Victoria by The Kooks

Books: I read a couple of great mysteries this month-- check out The Good Girl by Mary Kubica and Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. For a fun read, I recommend Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steineke.

What did you love this month? Let me know!