March Beauty Favorites

Are there some products that you just LOVE... that your heart sings a beat each time you use them... that you would literally have a panic attack if you ran out and couldn't repurchase?

Yes, my March favorites consist of these holy grails.  Let's begin.

Naked2 palette - I LOVE this (I think I'm going to be saying that a lot this post),  I love this more than the original Naked palette.  I lean more toward taupes rather than bronzey eyeshadows and the cool tones in this palette draw me in every morning.  My favorite eyelook of the moment consists of TDK (lid color), Bootycall (inner highlight), Busted (crease) and Pistol (lower lid). 


Clinique Lower lash mascara - This was made for your lower lashes.  I don't even wear mascara on my lower lashes but this stuff has made me into a convert.  The perfectly shaped small brush gets down there with no smudging and keeps every stray hair in place (my eyelashes are pretty unruly and grow in every direction).  Good stuff.

Lash card - I got this on brichbox.com and I couldn't help myself.  I know, it's a piece of paper with a semi circle cut into it and you could probably make one yourself in 20 seconds.  However, I like that each one comes in a plastic wrap and although they are recommended for one use each, I will probably reuse it 5 or 6 times before breaking open a new one.  This allows you to flip your lashes upward and coat every single strand.  Love it!  I've also been using it in conjunction with the blinc heated lash curler (also from birchbox.com) and it's been working well.

***Side note:  I have mixed feelings about using a heated lash curler.  First, you are putting something really hot near your eye and for someone who managed to burn herself on the arm with a curling iron the other day, this is not good.  Second, I want my curl to last all day and I'm not sure if this does that.  I recently had a very traumatic experience that lead me to purchase this.  I was using an eyelash curler when my arm pivoted and I proceeded to yank all the inner half of my top lashes out.  Ouch, big time.  So I'm giving this whirl and will hopefully update you.  The techinique is a little hard to master.  It requires you to place the heated part under your lashes and then push them upward toward your lid.  But me having the monolids of an asian woman, my lids then to push my lashes right back down.  Ugh.

Anatasia Brunette Dark Brown Brow Powder duo - Speaking of traumatic events, I have another I'd like to share with you.  I am a big fan of threading.  I've done it several times and have no problem lying down in a chair in the middle of the mall while someone plucks your eyebrows with a piece of string.  The trick is, make sure you go to someone you trust.  I had gone the week before and the lady gave me great results.  Nice and thick eyebrows.  I went back and although it was a different girl, I assumed they all were trained and knew what they were doing.  I told her that I like them thick and all I wanted was to have them cleaned up at the edges.  She nodded and then proceeded to thread off half my eyebrows.  Literally, I couldn't believe what happened and left in utter shock.   Normally, I just use a MAC eyeshadow to fill in my brows but that wasn't going to cut it now.  I bought this powder duo because it was going to be an art to redraw my eyebrows while they grew back in and this does a great job of it and lasts all day.  I've been pairing this with Anatasia's Brow Fix Clear Wax Pencil and also using the Anatasia Brow Enhancing Serum Advanced (not sure if this is making a difference).

Bobbi Brown blush in Peony and bronzer in Medium 2 - I love the combination of these two products.  They are holy grail status for me.  I get so many compliments with Peony (using a MAC 168 brush) and the bronzer is so natural.  The Bobbi Brown bronzer brush make application effortless and I love how this is a matte product with absolutely no shimmer.  The color isn't too red, orange, or muddy.  I can't say enough good things.

Sorry for the lateness of this post but hopefully you'll try some of this stuff out.  If you do, I'd love to hear your thoughts.  What has been some of your favorites lately?

Haul: Makeup, Lorac, Prestige, Naked2, Z palettes!

Went to Ulta and hauled a bunch of new makeup based on some reviews I've seen.

 

Naked 2 Palette - Have not tried it yet, need to crack open that packaging!

Prestige Lipliner in Silk - Lovely pale pink nude lipliner for those lighter lipsticks.  I find that some "nude" or "natural" shades still pull either brown or red, distorting a pale shade.  This I definitely recommend!

Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Frosting - I am a big fan of lip butters.  This is a good alternative to Creme Brulee, my go to everyday color.

Lorac Baked Matte Satin Blush in Exposed - This is not matte.  But the shimmers aren't too detectable on the face.  It gives a nice glow to the cheeks, but I'm not wowed by it.  Also, I don't like the fall out that tends to come off baked blushes.

Lorac Coutoure Shine Lipgloss in Haute - This was such a pretty color and highly recommended by Veronika's Blushing.  However, it was very thick and made my lips peel.  Return.

Z palettes!  I found that drugstore.com carries Z palettes, so I immediately put in an order.  I currently use MAC eyeshadow (15) and blush (6) palettes to store my depotted makeup.  However, I find that I don't use what I can't see.  So I made the switch and ... TADA!  

The after shot =)

Lovely, isn't it?  Organization (of anything) gives me such a high...

Immediate impressions -

Pros:
1) can fit about 21 MAC eyeshadows compared to 15
2) can fit irregular sized eyeshadows
3) reduces space
Cons:
1) blush palettes hold the same amount (if you take out the divider on the MAC palettes)
2) blushes are prone to shifting (same with MAC palette)
3) the pans have to be very, very shallow or else the lid won't shut.  Which might be the reason why they provided the yellow magnets (in first photo above).  But initially, when I transferred my eyeshadows over, the magnets that I used wouldn't let it close.

Let me know if you want to see any specific reviews of the products mentioned above.

Note:  All the products in this review were purchased by me.