Hey y’all! Welcome back! Today we will be discussing primers. So what is a primer? A primer is used on your skin before applying any product on your face. It serves as a barrier to protect your skin from the makeup being applied. There are so many types of primers so you should find one that works with your skin type. I would recommend a hydrating primer for dry skin and a mattifying primer for oily skin.

Some primers even make your makeup last longer. Some fill in your pores for a smooth and flawless look. Others have glitter and will give you a dewy look. Honestly, the number of different primers are endless. But those are the basics. Primers also come in a liquid, cream, or stick formula.

Everyone always thinks that high-end products work better but I’ve found some drugstore favs that are even better than those! I wanted to share all of my favs with y’all!

The first primer I have for y’all is the e.l.f Putty Primer. It retails for $8 and can be found at any drugstore or Ulta store. It’s suitable for all skin types and the claims are that it’s “Mattifying, Moisturizing, Oil-absorbing, Pore-minimizing”. It’s also cruelty-free! This primer comes in putty or cream-like formula and is applied with your hands. It makes your foundation look super smooth and looks incredible in photos. This is a dupe for the Tatcha The Silk Canvas primer. It retails for $52 and can be found at Sephora and tatcha.com. The price difference is huge and the results are the same! So please try this out and let me know how you like it!

The next primer is the e.l.f Jelly Pop Dew Primer. It retails for $10 and can be found at any Ulta near you. As you can tell I like e.l.f products. This foundation smells like watermelon and it feels so refreshing on your face. It comes in a sticky, gel formula that can be applied with your fingers. It makes your makeup last longer and apply smoother. It’s more moisturizing than the putty primer so if you have dry skin try this out!

Please try any of these two primers because they are lifechanging! Your makeup game will forever be changed. Let me know your final thoughts and favorite foundations to pair them with. I’ll talk to y’all in my next post!

Hit or Miss: Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Powder

Today I’m back with another product review! I will be reviewing the Laura Mercier Loose Translucent powder. It’s really popular in the beauty world at the moment and I want to see if it lives up to its hype. I know that this product is used for setting makeup as well as baking. I see it being used by Instagrammers, YouTubers, and beauty bloggers so I decided to try it!

Product Claims

This is what Sephora.com claims about this powder:
“Translucent Loose Setting Powder locks in makeup for long-lasting wear, without adding weight or texture. This bestseller creates a modern, matte finish with a touch of sheer coverage, while it absorbs oil and reduces shine all day. The pros know why it’s their favorite: the powder is a little denser than an average powder, providing super smooth, even application and blending. This no-flashback formula means you’ll look great in photos, and it creates a soft-focus effect to subtly blur the look of fine lines and imperfections. It will not settle into fine lines or pores and never looks cakey. These truly translucent shades work on all skin tones—from the fairest to the deepest. The just-released, Translucent Medium Deep shade was designed to be completely translucent on medium-deep to the deepest skin tones, ensuring that every skin tone gets a perfectly flawless, translucent finish.”

Long-Wearing?

One of the claims of this translucent powder is that it’s long-wearing. To put this product to the test I used it for a night out. I applied my makeup at 7 pm and wore it until 1 am. I used this product to bake under my eyes, smile lines, and forehead. I also used it to set the rest of my face. I checked on my makeup throughout the night and was surprised every time I looked. My makeup looked the same at 1 am as it did at 7 pm. There was no creasing or caking AT ALL. After a long night of sweating and dancing, my makeup looked flawless!

Matte?

Another claim of this product is that it’s matte. Since it is a powder, it sets your makeup matte. Even though it’s matte it does not dry your skin out. It’s the perfect formula.

No flashback?

The last claim for this product is the one I’m the most excited about. This powder claims that it doesn’t have flashback. Flashback happens when you take a picture with flash and the area you applied a product on comes out bright white. Since I used this product for a night out, I of course took some pictures and there was NO flashback! This is something many other powders I’ve used in the past have lacked. So I’m super excited to have found a product with no flashback!

PRODUCT HIT!

Product Review: Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation

Hey y’all! Thanks for coming back! Today I’m doing my first ever product review! I really enjoy reading other people’s reviews because they’re super helpful and give lots of good information about products I’ve never tried. The product I’m reviewing today is the Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. This foundation retails for $49.00 and can be found at Sephora, Ulta, and Nordstrom. This foundation claims to be lightweight with full coverage and has a natural-looking finish. It also claims to be extremely long-wearing. This is the exact description of the foundation on the Sephora website, “ Get full-coverage, lightweight foundation coverage with All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. This foundation is highly pigmented and leaves a natural-looking finish. Perfectly balanced, this breakthrough, full-coverage formula builds and blends effortlessly. Sweat- and humidity-proof, it instantly neutralizes redness and dullness, while it works to reduce discoloration for more even, uniform skin. Perfect for all skin types, it features Weightless Long-wear Technology, an exclusive blend from NARS with flexible polymers and treated pigments that move with the skin while providing 16 hours of staying power.”

Lightweight?

The consistency of this foundation is very runny and more on the liquid to watery side. As soon as you put it on the back of your hand or face it immediately starts running. You would think that a full coverage foundation would be super thick but this one is not. Once you apply the foundation on your face, it goes on super smoothly and effortlessly. It literally feels like you’re not wearing any foundation on your face. This foundation is considered lightweight in my book!

Full Coverage?

While I don’t have the worst skin in the world, I have a lot of small acne scars and discoloration. So my foundations need to be medium to full coverage. The first time I wore this foundation I was shocked at the coverage. It gives you a super full coverage application that covers just about everything with just one layer. I even applied another layer to see if it would get thick and gross but it didn’t!

Long-Wearing?

One of this foundation’s claims is that it’s long-wearing. I’m here to tell you it is. I wore this on a night out and let me tell you that my face looked the same when I got back home as it did when I walked out of the door. I wore the foundation from 9 pm to 3 am. With other foundations, I always have to touch up or add some powder to my t zone because I have oily skin. While using this foundation, I did not need to touch up or add extra powder. It truly lives up to its name “All Day”. 

Overall I love this foundation. It’s my favorite all-time foundation and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a foundation that is full coverage and lightweight. I give this product 5/5 stars!

Today’s blog post is going to be on an extremely under-appreciated topic. I feel like not a lot of makeup bloggers talk about what setting sprays are, how to use them, or any of their favorites. So today that is exactly what I will be doing. I promise that by the time you’re done reading this post your makeup will never sweat off ever again!

What are they?

Think of a makeup setting spray like hairspray but for your face. Except it won’t stick your eyelashes together and smells much better. I’m always on the hunt for the longest-lasting foundation, eyeliner, mascara, etc. to use on a night out. I’m sure a lot of you ladies like long-wearing formulas too! So a setting spray is used at the end of your makeup routine (yes, after mascara, eyeliner, and lashes) that sets your makeup and makes it last all day and all night long.

Who are they for?

Setting sprays can be used on all skin types. Of course like any other product that you apply on your face please look at the ingredients before using it. Be extra mindful of settings sprays that have alcohol in them if you have sensitive or dry skin.

Should you be using one?

If having your makeup last for hours is something that you are looking for then the answer is YES, you need to try a setting spray. It will allow your makeup to stay put through sweat, rain, and tears. It’s the most refreshing way to end your makeup routine and is essential for any night out.

How to apply?

Like I mentioned before, setting sprays are applied at the end of your makeup routine. So begin by doing your whole face like you normally would. Then give the setting spray a couple of shakes and spray at an arms-length. Give your face as many sprays as you please to. Don’t rub the spray in, instead let it dry by itself. That’s’ it!

My Favorites:

I will be mentioning both high-end and drugstore favorites so everyone can try some of these amazing products no matter your budget! My favorite high-end setting sprays are the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray that retails for $31 and the MAC Prep and Prime Fix+ that retails for $24. Both of these can be found at Sephora and Ulta. My drugstore favorites are the NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray that retails for $7.99 and the e.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set retails for $3. Both of these can be found at Ulta, Target, and Walmart.

Please try some of these out and let me know if you love them as much as I do!

What’s bouncy, round, and found everywhere? If you answered the Beauty Blender you’re right!

This current trend is seen in basically every Instagram makeup video, YouTube makeup tutorial, and used by almost every beauty blogger. Okay, so everyone’s using it but what is it? The Beauty Blender is a reusable makeup sponge that claims to apply and blend your makeup flawlessly. It retails for $20 and can be found in your local Sephora and Ulta.

So now that you know what it is, how do you use it? I know the typical makeup applicator is usually a brush so this sponge can seem intimidating. But I promise you it’s really easy to use! It’s used to apply liquid, cream, and powder makeup products. So instead of having a brush for every step in your makeup routine, you can now just use one tool! It has a pointed end that is perfect for blending product into hard to reach places like under your eyes and the side of your nose. There’s also a bigger, round end that works better for covering large areas of your face.

For liquids: The Beauty Blender can be used to apply and blend any type of liquid product including foundation, concealer, liquid highlighter, and so much more. First, you need to wet the sponge until it expands. Next, wring out the extra water and it’s ready to use! You can apply the product directly to the sponge or apply the product to your face and then blend it out with the sponge. I prefer applying the product onto my face rather than on the sponge because it absorbs less product. To blend the product into the skin you just bounce it until it’s blended to your liking. It blends the product seamlessly and much faster than a brush.

For Creams: The Beauty Blender can also be used to apply and blend any cream product like cream contour, blush, and highlight. Just like for liquid products, you need to wet the sponge and wring out the extra water to begin. If you want a more natural look you can apply the product directly to the sponge. If you want a more pigmented look apply the product to your face and then blend it out with the Beauty Blender. To blend the product out just bounce the sponge!

For Powders: Beauty blenders can also be used to apply powders! The most popular way to use it is to “bake”. Baking is letting a loose powder sit on your face for a couple of minutes, making the heat from your face set your concealer or foundation. Then you dust the powder off. To apply I dip the sponge into the powder and press it onto the skin. You can let the powder bake or blend it out with the sponge.

Next time you see one of these weird looking sponges don’t be intimidated. Instead, be excited about all the things you can use it for!

Hey everyone! I decided to discuss my top 3 makeup products as my first blog post. This is something that I thought would be beneficial for many people because it could lead them to try new products. While the idea for this post came easily, narrowing down my favorite products to just 3 was the hard part. Being a makeup lover I have quite the collection. So after going through my makeup collection and deeming what I considered “essential” for what seemed like hours I narrowed my list to my top 15 products. After some more thought and internal debate, I finally narrowed my list down to 3!

My number one essential was the easiest to find because I consider it a necessity. Ok maybe not a necessity but it’s definitely my most used product. It’s the Maybelline Brow Precise Fiber Volume Filling Brow Mascara. While its name might be a mouthful, it retails for only $9.99 and is one of the best drugstore products out in the market. I am extremely blessed with many things in my life but thick eyebrows are not one of them. My eyebrows are sparse and very light in color contrasting greatly with my dark hair. I used to always fil in my eyebrows with a pomade, set with eyeshadow, and then clean them up with concealer. This product eliminates the number of steps and is super easy to use. It is basically a mascara but for eyebrows. It comes in 5 shades so you should be able to find a color that suits you. The formula is composed of a fiber infused gel that delivers color, shapes the brow, and adds volume. There’s no need to clean them up afterward so this product will make filling in your eyebrows SO much easier. Thank me later.

Product number two on my “top 3 essentials” is concealer. The Two Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Concealer retails for $29 and while the price might be steep it is worth every penny because it will last you forever. This product can be used for so many things in your makeup routine. I use it to carve out my eyebrows, conceal pimples, cover under eye dark circles, and even as a foundation. It comes in 35 shades so you should find a color that matches you perfectly! The formula is super lightweight and easy to blend so it won’t crease under your eyes or feel heavy on your skin. You’ll definitely want to try this!

My last essential is lip balm. I use lip balm every single day and I have tried just about every product out in the market. My life was changed when I discovered the Laneige Lip Glowy Balm. It retails for $17 and comes in four different shades. The formula is super lightweight and hydrating while also tinting your lips the perfect amount. It’s super long-wearing and it smells amazing. I know this product won’t disappoint.