Everyday Makeup Routine

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Happy Wednesday! It is so warm outside today! I actually have the door and windows open, can’t beat that random 60 degree warm front. But, starting tomorrow night we are getting an ice storm for almost 3 days straight (that’s St. Louis weather for ya). Time to stock up on food and movies! What are a few good movies you have watched lately? Let me know, so I know what to rent tomorrow before the storm hits ;).

Today I’m sharing my everyday makeup routine. Since my full time job is extremely laid back (we can wear sweatpants to work, no joke), I don’t tend to get too crazy with my makeup during the week. I usually go for a more natural look. Also before I start, most of these products are for oily skin. So what works for me, might not work for you. The brushes I use are from Sonia Kashuk. I have the holiday collection from last year, but you can find this years HERE. Let’s get started!

Face:

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Primer: I’m pretty sure I have tried every primer out there. I always end up coming back to the NYX Photo-Loving Primer. Not only does it keep my face from getting oily fast, it also holds my makeup in place so it doesn’t crease. Also, since I have oily skin, I don’t apply moisturizer in the morning, only at night before I go to bed, otherwise my face would look super greasy.

Foundation: Since I have oily skin, I try to go for a lighter foundation, but one that also offers coverage to cover my acne. Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream takes the cake! It is honestly better than any other liquid foundation I have ever used. I blend it in with my beauty blender.

Concealer: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye covers any imperfections you may have, especially those pesky dark circles under your eyes! I usually only apply this if I notice I have a pimple, otherwise I can go without. I got this in my Ipsy Glam Bag awhile back and fell in love. A little bit goes a long way with this stuff, the travel size has lasted me almost a year.

Contour: I love the ELF Bronzer Palette. It has every color you will ever need throughout the seasons. I usually apply a little to my forehead, nose, and under my cheekbones. I apply it with the ELF Contour Brush. If I’m in a rush before work, I usually skip this.

Powder: I tend to have very large pores, so I use the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pore Micro-powder. He helps keep my face matte throughout the day while also minimizing my large pores. I usually apply it with my ELF Kabuki Brush.

Blush: One of my favorite blushes is the Milani Rose Powder Blush. Not only does it have cute packaging, but the colors are perfect for my skin tone!

Eyes and Lips: 

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Mascara: I love the Too Faced Better Than Sex waterproof mascara. I have pretty long lashes, they just don’t have as much volume as I would like. This mascara really helps with that! If I have enough time in the morning, I apply the L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Primer before my mascara. Using this combination makes it look like you have either lash extensions or fake lashes! I will have a blog post dedicated to my favorite lash products in a couple weeks.

Eyeliner: Depending how I feel that day, I either add a little bit of black eyeliner along the my bottom lashes, or I will do a little cat eye. I love using the Eyeko Fat Liquid Eyeliner for both. It usually lasts awhile for me, and is fairly easy to apply!

Brows: I usually just fill in my eyebrows a little, and I love using the It Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil to do this. It fits any brow color, just push a little harder for a darker color.

Eyeshadow: For work I usually don’t wear eyeshadow. Since I wear contacts, I tend to rub my eyes (I stare at a computer screen all day) a lot and it just gets smeared. But when I go out on the weekends, I always do. I love this eyeshadow palette from ELF if you are on a budget. I also love all of the Urban Decay Palettes (see my Gwen Palette review here) and Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette (I will be having a review of this one very soon!). Before I apply my eyeshadow, I always use the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion to hold it in place and prevent creasing.

Lips: I love wearing nude pink colors. Right now one that I have been wearing constantly is the Too Faced Melted in Peony.

This routine usually takes me about 10 minutes each morning. If I have a little extra time, then it usually takes another 5 minutes to add the contour and eyeshadow. But keep in mind that I get up at 4:45am for work (I’ve been doing this for about 5 years now, and you never really get used to it!), so usually something like this might take someone way less time than me this early in the morning, haha!

What products are in your everyday makeup routine? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

Valerie

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Ultra Matte Lip

Happy Thursday, loves! Can you believe it’s almost the weekend? I have had the worst cold for the past 5 days, and am finally starting to feel better. I literally did nothing all weekend because I felt like my head was going to explode, which means I wasn’t able to shoot any outfit photos. So this week I am going to review a few of my favorite products, and show you guys some of my makeup staples! Including products that I use on a daily basis and you need to have in your makeup bag.

I have been searching for a lipstick that is “kiss proof” for a LONG time. I was beginning to lose hope, then I discovered ColourPop Cosmetics, and their new Ultra Matte Lip. This stuff is seriously amazing. I put it on yesterday at 11:00am, and after eating and drinking all day long, it was still on, vibrant as can be at 8:00pm!

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The Ultra Matte Lip comes in 33 different colors. The colors I bought are Lychee (top, violet color) and Sundae (bottom, pink color). The colors I would love to have eventually are Donut, Succulent, Buds, and Koala.

Application tips:
-Exfoliate your lips before you apply the product (it will look smoother)
-Apply with a lip brush (the applicator it comes with works great, but its hard to line the outside of your lips with it)
-Have makeup wipes handy to remove (like I said, this stuff stays on, which means it won’t come off with just water)

This is a lip color I am going to start using a daily basis. Have you tried the new Ultra Matte Lip? Let me know in the comments below!

XoXo Valerie

Ipsy June Glam Bag

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A month ago, one of my friends posted a photo of her monthly Ipsy bag. I asked her what exactly it was, and she explained that Ipsy is a monthly subscription service where they send you samples of makeup in an adorable makeup bag once a month for only $10. Of course I was all about this a decided to sign up.

When I came home from work one day, I noticed a hot pink package in my mailbox (see photo above) and to my surprise it was my Ipsy bag! This month in the June Glam Bag, the topic is all about “Swimming into Beauty”. So all month long, Ipsy has been posting on their Instagram about everything summer, from mermaids to beaches (which is really making me want to take a beach vacation right about now).

Here are the items I received in my bag:
1. Trestique mini shadow crayon
2. Aurora Gel Effect nail lacquer
3. Smashbox Photo Finish foundation primer
4. it Cosmetics Brow Power universal eyebrow pencil
5. Altchek MD DePuff Eye Pads

Since this month was all about summer, the makeup bag was inspired by wetsuits and swim wear, so the material is neoprene and has a water-resistant lining and will dry quickly if it gets wet. This bag is perfect to take to the beach with you!

So far, I have tried the eye shadow crayon and primer, and love them both! I’m excited to try the rest of the products, especially the nail polish, I love the hot pink color!

Have you received your Ipsy June Glam Bag yet? Tag me in your photos so I can see what you got!

XoXo Valerie

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