What I've been loving: Becca Mineral Blush in 'Flowerchild'

I am utterly drawn to BECCA's line of powder products. From their highlighters to their blushes, I think they KILL it with their powder game. During these warm summer months I've been wearing nothing but my blushes in Snapdragon and Tigerlily, and though those are both beautiful, they are both decently bright colors. I decided to snatch up an additional blush from BECCA in a slightly more muted tone.

BECCA's mineral blush in 'Flowerchild' is a pale pink color that is described as a 'peachy pink with golden highlights.' Peaches are my kryptonite so it is no wonder this bad boy made its way into my collection.

One of my favorite thing about BECCA is their packaging. The packaging is sturdy and looks like a petite UFO. Brown rubber makes up most of the compact with a sturdy metallic top. A tiny mirror is inside for application on the go.

The blush is soft to the touch almost to a fault- a simple tap of your brush will give you the perfect amount of color to sweep on your cheeks. These blushes blend beautifully as well with a powder blush or beauty blender.

bottom L: Flowerchild, Center top: Tigerlily, Bottom Right: Snapdragon

 Here is this Mineral Blush compared to my luminous flush mineral blushes from Becca.

L to R: Flowerchild, Tigerlily, Snapdragon

This blush is actually quite similar to Snapdragon--a tad less bright with a bit more peach to it rather than coral. I don't think owning both is necessary and I think I will be reaching toward Flowerchild more than I will reach for Snapdragon. Tigerlily reigns supreme as my favorite of the bunch, though.

You can purchase this product from Sephora HERE!
$32 for 5.6g of product.

xxSJ

Check out my reviews of other Becca products:
BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Luminous Blush in Tigerlily and Snapdragon
BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in 'Rose Gold'

My Picks: MAC Buy 2 Get 1 Free Lipsticks- Barbeque, Coral Bliss, and Mehr

L to R: Barbeque, Coral Bliss, Mehr

 MAC giving away product for free?? Must be dreamin' amiright? No need to pinch yourself, ladies and gents. MAC recently ran a superb special where you could buy any 2 lip products and get a third lippie free. I took advantage of this deal and got three lipsticks I have had my eye on for a bit.

 I chose 'Coral Bliss,' a pinkier leaning cremesheen formula, 'Barbecue,' a matte red with bright orange undertones, and 'Mehr,' a matte mauve a la Kylie Jenner lip craze.

All of these colors have quickly moved into my summertime rotation with Coral Bliss being my go to for an easy and bright lip look that goes with any outfit or makeup. Thanks to my friend from PT school Virginia for drawing my attention to this shade! Mehr will transition with ease into the cooler months and Barbeque will be reserved for when I want that stand out pout.

xxSJ

Urban Decay Naked Skin Color Correcting Fluid: Peach and Green Review

I got this great little sample of Urban Decay's Color Correcting Fluid and I was so excited to try these! Using color theory, these correctors aim to cancel out common skin imperfections.

I got the peach corrector meant for masking circles and spots and the green corrector for reducing redness. I have a lot of pink and red in my skin (and unfortunately quite a few blemishes currently) so I was especially excited about the green.

L: no makeup; Center: green applied to blemishes on chin, tip of nose, cheeks and forehead, Peach applied to undereyes; R: blended and foundation applied.

I think these color correctors did an amazing job at covering up my redness and my undereyes. I especially love the green for disguising my blemishes!

Full face of makeup applied

I would really like to try some of the other correctors in this line, but I really like the green one. With my foundation applied on top, there is no trace of the green and my redness is pretty well covered up. I'd definitely be interested in purchasing these correctors in the future when I have some more disposable income (so probably never...). I'd also be interested in the pink color for my under eyes for extra brightening. These correcting concealers sell for $28 for 0.05 oz. 

Check out the color correcting fluids on Sephora's web site HERE!

xxSJ

bareMinerals Goodies: a blush, shadow, liner, and lipgloss, oh my!

My mom gave me a little kit full of bareMinerals goodies and I was so excited to try some stuff out from this brand! I love their pressed eyeshadows so was eager to try out some different products. This kit came with a blush, an eyeshadow, an eyeliner, and a lipgloss.

The eyeliner is called the 'Round the Clock 7PM Intense Cream-Glide Eyeliner waterproof.' This liner is a warm chocolate brown and has a very creamy consistency. I find it does have some nice staying power and is easy to apply, though I still find myself reaching for my brown Smashbox always sharp liner when I'm in the mood for brown...more on that later!  The lipgloss is called the 'Marvelous Moxie' lipgloss in 'Smarty Pants.' It is a nude peach color with gold shimmer through out. I LOVE this lipgloss. It smells minty and gives a plumping, tingling sensation to the lips. I feel like it makes your lips look luscious and supple! 

Here are the eyeliner and lipgloss swatched next to other popular brands. The eyeliner is much warmer and redder compared to the Smashbox always sharp brown eyeliner and Urban Decay's 'Demolition.' It has a similar consistency but I definitely prefer the deeper toned browns.  The lipgloss is actually really unique compared to other lipglosses I thought would be similar. It is peachier and more nude than NARS Orgasm and MAC Nymphette and more peachy and less sparkly than Stila's Apricot. 

The two loose products included were a blush and an eyeshadow and are the first loose powder products I have ever tried!

The products come housed in little plastic pots with screw on caps. 

The eyeshadow is in the color 'Sex Kitten' and the blush is in the color 'Sunkissed.' The instructions for the eyeshadow are to just pick up some product that has come through the sifter and tap off excess then begin applying to the eye. The blush instructions are to open the sifter, pour some product into the cap and swirl your blush brush into the product until it is all deposited into the brush. Then buff it onto your cheeks. 

Kitten is a medium brown color with golden sparkle. Sunkissed is a nude, warm peach shade.  Here's how I wore 'Sex Kitten' eyeshadow on my eyes:

I have Urban Decay's 'Combust' eyeshadow in my crease and then 'Sex Kitten' blended all over my lid and into the crease. I thought this shadow created a warm, toned-down, brown smokey eye.

You can see how nice the blush looks in the photo above! I found it easy to blend and very natural looking. It reminded me a lot of MAC Melba blush.

Overall I really enjoy these bareMinerals products! The blush was definitely my favorite from the bunch.

What are your favorite bareMinerals products?
My review of bareMinerals quad in 'The Truth' HERE!
My review of bareMinerals quad in 'The Happy Place'

xxSJ

bareMinerals 'The Happy Place' Eyeshadow Quad

I fell in love with bareMinerals eyeshadow formula after trying out the gray toned quad in 'The Truth.' I recently came to own and love another quad of theirs, 'The Happy Place.'

'The Happy Place' eyeshadow quad has 4 shades inside: Peace: a muted apricot, Imagine: a rose gold, Exhale: a smoky taupe, and Euphoria: eggplant.  The shadows are housed in a rubberized plastic container with a full size mirror on the inside of the compact.  A small dual ended sponge tip applicator is also included. The palette is $30 for 0.21oz of product. 

The colors are honestly a dream to play with.  Peace is a lovely transition color to swipe all over the eye area to begin your makeup look or to buff into the crease to make blending easier. Imagine is an INSANELY beautiful Rose Gold/copper color that leans super warm. It warms up my whole face when I put this on! Exhale is a wonderful color to blend into the crease or outer v, as is Euphoria. I was initially worried that this color combination might not go so well together but I had no reason to fret. 

These shadows are easy to blend, easy to apply, and the combo provided to you is full-proof to create an entire eye look with. I can't find a fault in this product! 

Check out this quad if you're looking for a full eye look in one easy to reach for compact. You won't be disappointed in the quality, price, ease of use, or the look you end up creating with these gorgeous colors! 

Check out this palette HERE!

Take a look at my post on 'The Truth' eyeshadow quad here!

xxSJ

NOTD: Formula X for Sephora 'Alive'

    Formula X for Sephora has done it... they've given me the color I've been searching for for years. I've always loved peachy coral colored things and have been searching for the perfect peach for my nails. I've thought I'd come close before with Butter London's Trout Pout, or Essie's A Crewed Interest. Both of those colors were a little too orange for my taste and in certain indoor looking just looked... not cute.
   When I saw Formula X's 'Alive' in Sephora, I knew I'd found the one, and when I applied it to my nails, my thoughts were further confirmed. First of all, the formula of these polishes is PERFECT. Completely opaque with a creamy finish in two thin coats with a perfectly sized brush for easy application.  The color lasts a couple days chip free. I notice this polish tends to lift up on the corners and come off in large chips, not staining the nail underneath.
    I love this color so much and I think it will be a staple for Spring and Summer. I've been wearing it non-stop since I bought it and am so happy that I found my perfect Peach!

Formula X polishes are exclusive to Sephora and cost $10.50 a bottle. I think the acryclic and white plastic packaging is modern and beautiful and the formula is well worth the cost.

xxSJ

Milani 'Luminoso' Blush: A review and possible dupe for NARS Orgasm?

Milani Baked Blush in the color 'Luminoso' is  a gorgeous pure peach that I've been wanting for a couple years. My reason for lusting for so long but never taking the plunge is that whenever I saw it in CVS I always thought that $9.99 seemed steep for a drugstore blush. I waited until I had some extrabucks (CVS's drugstore reward system where you can treat their extrabucks like cash!) to make the splurge on this item and **spoiler alert** I'm SO happy I did! 

The blush comes packaged in a gold reflective plastic container. The blush flips up to reveal a small brush underneath. I definitely prefer my own brushes for application but the mini brush can be helpful in a pinch if you stick this in your purse or forget a blush brush while traveling! 

The color is a pure peach with some reflective gold shimmer in it. It is so beautiful and I think would work on all skin types from cool to warm and light to dark! The powder itself is really soft and has the perfect amount of pigmentation--just enough to show up with a tap of a brush but still sheer enough that it is buildable with out being clowny. A lot of people claim that this is a drug store dupe for NARS' famous Orgasm blush... let me just lay to rest all those claims right now:

No. Just, no.

I'm sorry to upset everyone out there who thought they might get an Orgasm dupe for a third of the cost but here's the thing: Luminoso has SO much more to offer than just being a dupe for NARS Orgasm! I think there's reason to buy it with out that tantalizing claim and, in fact, since I've purchased this blush I've worn it every single day to achieve a perfect glow as we enter into Spring.

This blush is a no-brainer: it has perfect pigmentation, is a gorgeous color, and will surely look great on you.  At $9.99 this blush also shouldn't be too hard on your pocketbook and Milani often has buy one get one half off sales!

xxSJ

My Blush Picks for Valentine's Day!

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, I thought I'd share my blush picks for this romantic holiday! Whether you're spending the day with your significant other, some girlfriends, or with Netflix, I know I always have a good time getting dressed up for the occasion! Here are my recommendations for romantic, feminine colors to rock on Valentine's Day:

MAC Star Wonder is the prettiest blush I own. It is a mineralized skin finish and has the trademark marbling in the powder. It is a mix of light pink, plum, and gold which shows up on the skin as a dewy, gorgeous plummy pink. GAHHHHH so beautiful

NYX Peach is for my drugstore gals. This blush is super easy to work with as it is packed with color and ultra bright! All it takes is some blending out at the edges to give you a just pinched look.

MAC Dame is a muted pink that reminds me a lot of Star Wonder except with out the sparkle and shimmer. It is an effortless color that compliments a lot of different eye looks.

Tarte Dollface is the perfect pink color. With warmer undertones and a super sheer formula, this blush will be perfect to add just a touch of color to your cheeks. Wear this blush if you're going to go for a dark eye or dramatic lip!

Hope you enjoyed my Valentine's Day blush picks!  I love this holiday because whether or not you have a romantic interest in your life, surely you have some loved ones to celebrate because that's what this day is really about--LOVE!

xxSJ

Youtube Favorite: NYX Powder Blush in 'Peach'

Another blush in another YouTube made me buy it post! Today's blush is NYX's 'Peach' blush and I purchased this at the same time I bought 'Bourgeois Pig' during a BOGO sale. Seriously, don't buy NYX when it's not BOGO!
I purchased 'Peach' because Amarixe on YouTube frequently uses this blush in tutorials and blog posts so I thought I'd give it a shot:

I love NYX's quilted design on their blushes. I think it looks lovely!

Whoah there, son.... is it just me or does this blush look super bright pink and dark? This blush is advertised as a soft baby pink and that's not exactly what I'm seeing when this is swatched. Just like with Bourgeois Pig, it is super important to be light handed with this stuff. It is meant to be worn sheered out on the cheeks, otherwise: clown face.

I decided to compare with Bourgeois Pig and thank goodness these blushes ended up being quite different! Sheered out on the left in the above picture is Bourgeois Pig and on the right is 'Peach.' It all depends on what look you're going for but I think I will be reaching for 'Peach' more often. The subtle look is the look for me :)

I think this YouTube favorite trumps Bourgeois Pig as far as which one I'll be grabbing for more often! Both are good blushes to have in a collection, but I think I prefer this one as far as wearability is concerned.
What are you NYX blush recommendations?

xxSJ