Morphe: Here's What to Expect

 Morphe: the land of affordable brushes, tools, eyeshadows, lipsticks, setting sprays, etc. This brand's prices are a budget buyer's best friend. You can buy palettes with as many as 35 shadows for as low as $19.99.

Oh my goodness. Everyone in the beauty community has something to say about Morphe right now, especially with their upcoming 35 shadow palette collaboration with influencer Jaclyn Hill. They've also taken a lot of heat over their coupon codes distributed to their brand affiliates. There are lots of complaints about product quality, too!

First, let's talk about business. Morphe is what we call a profit maximizer. Every action taken is to *you guessed it* maximize company profits. Until a few weeks ago, they were entirely an internet brand that relied on word of mouth (big YouTubers) to stay afloat. Instead of relying on traditional advertising methods, Morphe depends on social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Their brand affiliates are given a 10% off discount code to give to their followers, and those followers use the codes for $$$ off their Morphe purchase. A fraction of the sale goes to the affiliate whose code was used at checkout. A lot of people are upset about their favorite beauty gurus being involved with Morphe, because they believe products reviews are not as honest if the guru is being paid. Despite all of this, Morphe opened its first ever store in Burbank, CA a couple of weeks ago.

What about quality? Every product I've tried from Morphe has been ok. Honestly, why would you think a cheap makeup brand would have prestige brand quality? I know there are exceptions, but Morphe isn't one of them. I think you get a really great product for the money that you pay, but if their prices were any higher, I wouldn't buy anything. I don't think anyone has a right to be upset if their $20 35 shadow palette is lacking in pigmentation. Do you know why the prices are so low? The production cost is extremely low. I would guess that Morphe probably takes more cuts on quality than other brands because they can afford to do so.

Moving on! I have a few products that I'd like to review for you guys.

First, I have the M501 Pro Pointed Blender. Let me address all of the shedding gossip about Morphe brushes: I haven't noticed any yet. Of course, I just received this yesterday, and I haven't yet washed it. I will update this post if I do notice shedding. I recommend brushes like this for precise highlighting. As far as quality goes, it's alright. It's no Sigma brush, but it gets the job done. If you have sensitive skin, you may not like Morphe brushes, because they're not the softest on the market. If you're looking for an affordable makeup tool brand, I recommend Royal and Langnickle.

Moving on to lashes! These are really pretty, and they're only $2.99 a set. One thing I will say is that they don't look like the pictures online, especially the Rodeo set. Melrose Ave and Sunset Blvd look a little too similar in person, as well. The lash band on Rodeo is longer than the other two, so you may need to trim it. I haven't seen  any shedding on these either, and they seem to hold up pretty well.

Last but not least, I have the 35b. At first glance, this is an absolutely gorgeous palette. This purchase is a few months old, and after working with it several times, I have to be honest. It's not great. Some of the shadows perform great. In fact, I'm impressed with the pigmentation and the consistency of the shimmer shades. But yall, these matte shades need help!! Some of them are pitiful! I swatched all of these on my arm, so hopefully you can see what I'm talking about. You would have to own this palette to know how rough some of these shadow textures are, too. Even the good mattes aren't very creamy.

Row 3

Row 5

Row 6

I only included pictures that had the best and worst swatches from the palette. Row 6 is miserable. The orange matte from row 3 is very nice, and there's another pink from the palette similar in formula. The metallic green and pink shadows are gorgeous. 

There's a lesson here: don't be mad if your affordable makeup isn't perfect! There's a reason Morphe isn't more expensive.

What are your thoughts on Morphe? Leave me a comment!

Thanks for reading 💕

Introduction to Mikasa Beauty

Hello, readers! I have something very exciting to share with you... I am a brand affiliate with Mikasa Beauty! I received an email from the marketing coordinator offering me a free Lemon Drop makeup sponge and a personalized discount code for me to order and try some of their products. I received my Techni L2 Brush and S100 Lemon Drop in the mail, and I've used them enough to give you a helpful review on these items.

I only ordered one makeup brush to see if the quality was any good before I spent a lot of money on this company that I had never heard of prior to the original email. The L2 caught my eye immediately on their website, because I had been looking for this style of brush already. These linear shaped tools work wonders with cream contouring and highlighting. And I have to say, this L2 is no joke! The handle is very sturdy, unlike the flimsy plastic of some other paddle style brushes I've tried, and the bristles are incredibly soft yet dense. This performed beautifully with the cream contour shade in my Tarteist Pro Glow palette, and I used it to apply the product to the hollows of my cheeks, jawline, forehead, and nose. I've only used it a few times, so I'll have to update you on the sturdiness of the brush in a future post. The retail price for this brush alone is $20, or you can order the bundle below for $90 (close to the price of a single Artis brush.... 🐸🍵).

I understand, $90 is still a lot of money to spend on four makeup brushes, even though they are amazing. But fear not! I have a 25% discount code for all of you! Use BEAUTYCON25 for $$$ off your purchase.

Sadly, I cannot recommend their S100 Lemon Drop sponge, despite the company's "revolutionary" claim. It's not special at all: I've seen several sponges with the same design. The sponge's awkward shape along with its rock-like feel make it unreasonably difficult to blend your makeup. I threw it away after two uses. Stick to your Real Techniques and your BeautyBlenders, honey!

Mikasa has many different styles of brushes to choose from, and they also have makeup on their site! Check out their selection here. Remember to use BEAUTYCON25 for 25% off your purchase!

Let me know if there are other products you'd like me to try from Mikasa Beauty!

Thanks for reading 💕

Foundation: Are You Using the Right Tools?

Welcome to the second blog in my series addressing commonly asked questions about foundation. If you haven't read my first blog from last week about finding your perfect foundation, I recommend you read it before reading this one. I talked about four common foundation types (liquid, cream, powder, stick) and which skin types generally work best with each formula. Today we will be focusing on the ideal tools for blending each of the same four foundations that I covered last time.

Makeup Sponge
The transformation of the makeup sponge has taken the beauty industry by storm. No longer are we using the flimsy little white triangle sponges from the drugstore, with as many as 32 in a $3 bag. The beautyblender is the most popular sponge on the market, and although it's AMAZING, it retails for an astonishing $20. For one sponge. However, if you feel like splurging on one of the world's best and diverse beauty tools, I highly recommend it.

 

Don't panic, my budget buyers! There is a close second to the beautyblender, and you find these at Ulta, Walgreens, Walmart, etc. for around $5. I've gone through several of the wonderful Real Techniques sponges, and they are *almost* as amazing as the beautyblender. They are definitely better than any other drug store makeup sponge you can get.

I ONLY recommend the orange Real Techniques sponge. The diamond shaped sponge and the tiny purple ones marketed for under eyes are gimmicky. The one that's half orange and half pink is hard as a rock and barely absorbs any water.

Makeup sponges perform best with a liquid foundation. They can blend out cream and stick formulas, but because of the thickness in those formulas, it takes a long time to achieve even coverage. Use a rounded side of your sponge to blend the foundation around your face. Make sure it's wet! This is a mistake that many people make. Before use, run the sponge under water until it absorbs as much as possible. Squeeze the water out and pat with a towel so the sponge is damp. Blend away! Both of the sponges mentioned are reusable, so wash every week with warm water and dish soap or makeup remover (nothing oil based).

Buffing Brush
For cream foundations, I recommend either rounded or flat buffing brushes. A kabuki brush will also suffice. A buffing brush will blend this type of foundation faster than a sponge, and the density of the bristles will move the product around easily. If your cream foundation is on the thicker or drier side, you can use a little facial spray to add some moisture to the formula before blending it out. Use circular motions until the product is evenly applied.

This is Tarte's buffing brush, but really any brush with dense bristles will work perfectly. Real Techniques makes some affordable foundation brushes that you can try, but if you're a prestige brand lover, check out Sigma's line.

Oval Brushes
The best method for blending stick foundations is using an oval brush with thick bristles. Stick foundations are notoriously more difficult to blend than other mediums, so you really need to be using a flat surfaced oval brush to smooth the products correctly. Again, if you need to add moisture to the foundation, use your favorite facial spray before blending.

The Artís Oval 7 and Oval 8 are perfect for the job. I must warn you, these are ridiculously expensive, but I wanted to show you what they look like since they are the best of their kind. A cheaper alternative to the $62 Oval 7 is the Royal and Langnickel MODA Prismatic Face Perfecting Kit for $16.84 at Walmart. That kit comes with 4 different brushes, including their oval foundation brush.

Powder Brush
You can probably guess what foundation the powder brush is perfect for. There are a lot of great tools for powder foundations, but large fluffy brushes are my favorite. Usually, I like to use the flat powder applicator that comes with the foundation to press powder into the skin, and then I take my Sigma F30 Powder Brush to blend everything out and add more foundation if needed.

Any large powder brushes will do the job, but Sigma brushes are my favorite. I have sensitive skin, so I can't cut costs with cheap brushes. Sigma may be pricey, but the bristles in the brushes cause no irritation when I apply my makeup.

I hope you found this helpful! If you have any questions about foundation, leave me a comment! Let me know what you want me to cover next.

Thanks for reading 💕

2017 Spring Favorites

Happy May Day, everyone! Back in January, I posted my favorite products for the month and said I'd be doing that every month. Just kidding! Even though I purchase a lot of makeup, I use many of the same products for a few months before I swap them out for something else. When February rolled around, I was still using many of my favorites from January, so it didn't make much sense to do another post for the month. Instead, as you've inferred from the title, I've picked a few products that I'm loving this Spring!

Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic palette, Tarte Maneater mascara, Mario Badescu Facial Spray, Tarte Clean Slate primer, Anastasia Beverly Hills brow gel, Ofra Rodeo Drive highlighter

You probably recognize most (if not all) of these if you're a fellow prestige brand buyer. Let's get into the details!

Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette
The only way you wouldn't know that holographic products and duo chrome colors are in again is if you have zero internet access. I have a few different products, but this palette from Kat Von D is my favorite. My boyfriend bought this for me in March, and I've been using it nonstop. Not only are these fun highlighters, but they double as eyeshadows. Here are some swatches of the shades:

Top to bottom: Emerald, Amethyst, Saphyre, Opal

See!!! Beautiful 😍 Opal is my favorite of all. The pink shift compliments the pink undertones in my skin perfectly.

Tarte Maneater Mascara
You guys, this mascara is wonderful!! I've been using Too Faced Better than Sex mascara exclusively for months, but Tarte's Maneater and the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascaras have changed me forever. Maneater is perfect for enhancing each of your natural lashes, because its wand shape grabs each individual hair. It's perfect, and you'll adore it.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray
Mario Badescu is a skincare line found at Ulta that produces high quality products for low prices. Their Rosewater facial spray (above) is a best selling item, and they've just added a Green Tea and Cucumber spray if rosewater isn't your style. After Urban Decay sabotaged their setting sprays with what I believe to be cosmetic stink bombs, I was desperate to find a new spray that could set my makeup. This products does so much more. It's great for priming the face, moisturizing throughout the day, and melting your makeup into the skin for long term wear. It's 1000 times better than any makeup spray ever created by a makeup brand, because Mario Badescu is a skincare brand. This huge 8oz bottle is only $12, and the 4oz bottle is $7.

Tarte Clean Slate Timeless Smoothing Primer
I have never used a primer that felt so great on my skin. I'm used to the Smashbox Photo Finish primers which have a slippery, almost oily feel (despite their oil free label). Clean Slate is thick, almost like clay, and I've noticed that it actually smooths out my textured skin. When I pair it with my Amazonian Clay foundation, my face stays flawless all day!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Gel
This particular brow gel is clear, but ABH also makes tinted gels for those of you who are looking for an easier way to fill in your brows. The brow gel is the finishing touch to my brow routine, and I use it to achieve the airbrushed, almost fluffy look that's trending right now. It's great for enhancing your natural brows, or you can pair it with a brow pomade/pencil for that glam Instagram look. 

Ofra Cosmetics Rodeo Drive
Last but not least, we have Rodeo Drive!! I actually wrote about this last night, so read this. I do have a swatch for you, though!

  
And that's it for my favorite products this Spring! What have you been using lately?

Thanks for reading 💕

Ofra Cosmetics: Rodeo Drive

I would have posted about my Boxycharm of the month to tell everyone about all the great products I received, but I was only impressed by one thing in the April box. You can find me sporting this item frequently on my cheekbones and forearms (Instagram swatching), and I've gotten so many compliments on this. If you paid attention to the title, you know I'm talking about the "Rodeo Drive" highlighter from Ofra Cosmetics.

It's so beautiful. That's really all I can say. It's up there with Anastasia Beverly Hills glow. This buttery formula is easy to apply and blend with a fan brush or whichever brush you prefer for highlights. I will say, this one is blinding! This is not for anyone with a timid heart. Look what happens when we put it in direct sunlight:

BAM! Now it's gold! I was worried this would be too dark for my skin tone when Boxycharm posted its sneak peak back in March, but it's perfect. Peep the glow 👀

Those blinding spots on my cheek and nose? Rodeo Drive. Thank you Ofra Cosmetics!!

Since this is the only product I liked from the Boxycharm this month, and it may be featured in a Spring favorites blog, I'll keep this short and sweet. Ofra never fails to impress me! (BTW, they're coming to Ulta! This will be the brand's first in-store launch.)

Thanks for reading 💕

Are You Using the Right Foundation?

There are a lot of foundations out on the market now, and picking the correct one for your skin type can be a headache. I've spent a lot of money on foundations that I've barely used because they don't work for me, and I wish I had known what I know now. I'd like to clear some things up for anyone who just wants to find the perfect foundation for a flawless finish.

Today we'll be covering the four most common types of foundations: liquid, cream, powder, and stick. Another popular type right now is cushion, but cushion foundation is literally just liquid in a sponge compact. Everything we talk about in the liquid portion will apply to cushion foundation.

Liquid Foundation 
Not all liquid foundations are made alike, and packaging can be very misleading when it comes to formulations. To clarify, when I talk about liquid foundations, I'm talking about watery or runny formulas. Anything too thick to run, although it may be labeled "liquid," will behave like a cream foundation. Always test a foundation (duh) before you buy it to see what kind of formula you're working with.

Liquid foundations work best for people with dry or combination dry skin. A standard liquid formula won't cling to dry patches, and they can give full coverage without looking cakey when applied correctly. If you have oily skin, most liquid foundations will look too shiny, and you'll find yourself constantly reaching for blotting powder throughout the day.

My favorite liquid foundation is Born This Way from Too Faced. This was the first foundation I ever purchased from a prestige brand, and it's absolutely wonderful. I've been using this for about two years, and it was my favorite foundation for a long time. It's a tad thick, but it still runs a little when it's pumped out of the bottle. It contains coconut water, so it's perfectly hydrating for the days my skin is on the drier side. It's medium coverage, but it can build to full coverage. This retails for $39, and you can find it at Ulta, Sephora, or on the Too Faced website.

Cream Foundation
Many "cream" formulas are marked as "liquid," but a thick, creamy foundation like Tarte's 12 hour Amazonian Clay will not behave at all like Makeup Forever's watery Ultra HD formula. Like I said before, not all liquids are the same, so you need to distinguish between a runny formula and a whipped, creamy one.

These thicker foundations work beautifully on almost all skin types. If you have normal to combination skin, these formulas are your skin's best friend. If you have dry skin, be sure to moisturize and prime your face, or they may cling to dry patches. If you have severe oily skin, this will suit your skin better than a liquid foundation, but be sure to carry a little bit of setting powder for problem areas.

I highly recommend Tarte's 12 hour Amazonian Clay foundation, because it's full coverage that can really last all day. It's the only foundation I've ever tried that can withstand hours of Alabama heat and humidity, and as a bonus, it has SPF 15! You still need to set it, though! That goes for any foundation, but especially when you live in a hot, humid place. Buy it online or at your local Ulta or Sephora for $39.

Powder Foundation
Many in the beauty community rave about the convenience of powder foundation, because it takes significantly less time to apply than any other type of foundation. Sadly, it can look disastrous on certain skin types. If you suffer from extreme dry skin, STAY AWAY. It WILL cling to every dry patch, flake of skin, texture, you name it. Take the extra 5-7 minutes and go with a liquid formula. If you have severe oily skin, this can clump up and look cakey around your problem areas.

The Confidence Creamy Powder Foundation from Tarte's Double Duty Beauty line is wonderful. It's medium to full coverage, and it's enriched with moisturizing and anti-aging ingredients. You can buy it here for $35, but it's only available for sample at Ulta.

Stick Foundation
Last but not least, we have the Holy Grail of oily and combination-oily skin types: stick foundations. I don't care how "creamy" a stick foundation claims to be, they are drier than bottled cream foundations. To someone with dry skin, these would be nearly impossible to blend smoothly because there's not enough moisture in the actual foundations. I do not recommend beauty oils, but you can use a skin mist to help move around these drier formulas. However, if your skin produces a lot of natural oils, these will be so easy for you to use, and they will look fantastic. Many of these are full coverage, too.

Although pricey at $46, the Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick from Hourglass is the best of its kind. It's the most full coverage foundation I've ever tried in my life, and you don't have to use a lot of product for a rich color payoff. It's very concentrated, so one stick goes a long way. Sephora carries Hourglass, but the JC Penny Sephoras do not. If you only have a JC Penny Sephora, Makeup Forever and Anastasia Beverly Hills also have popular stick foundations.

I'd like this to be the start of a series where I answer frequent questions about foundation. Let me know if you'd like me to tackle a certain topic!

Thanks for reading 💕

Sol Theory: My First and Last Box

I was recently approached on Instagram by a Sunglasses subscription box called Sol Theory to be a brand ambassador. This was the first time a brand reached out to me to test their products, so I was pretty excited to get their message. I was given an ambassador code for 20% off all boxes I purchase, and then I was set up with a coupon code for my followers for 20% off their first box. I wasn't offered payment: instead, I would receive a free box for every three sales made with my code. 

There were a couple of red flags. At the time, I didn't even have 100 people following me. They didn't offer payment, commission, or PR to be sent to me. Three people had to use my code for me to even get a box from this company. An account with under 100 people following isn't likely to make any sales, and they know this.  After I did some snooping around, I found that almost all of their ambassadors were like me: small accounts with little to no influence in the beauty community. Sol Theory is trying to get smaller accounts to subscribe by promising free stuff. I was asked in my DMs to provide my email during sign up so I could be alerted when someone used my code, but there was no place on the website to enter my affiliate code so they knew I was an ambassador. Most of their pictures on Instagram are of random models wearing sunglasses that didn't come from this subscription box. Nevertheless, I ordered a box to see if it was anything worth talking about. 

J. Cat Beauty Blinkle Shimmer Eyeshadow in "Honey Amber," K.T.B Cosmetics Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in "Black," Beauty Creations "Exposed" Blush Collection, Sol Theory Sunglasses

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's ok. It's not worth $20. I unsubscribed after I opened this. The sunglasses were the only thing I liked at first glance. I don't buy anything from the makeup brands included because they're cheap, but I will be holding on to the eyeshadow from J.Cat Beauty. 

Swatch of J. Cat Beauty's shadow in "Honey Amber"

 

Girl! That's pigmented! This is just an arm swatch, so I'll need to try this on my eye before I can say that it's a good shadow. But so far, I am impressed! The cheek palette is being donated or given to a friend, because the shades are entirely too dark for me. The eyeliner will also be given away, because I don't ever use liquid liner anymore. 

I would not recommend the beauty version of the box to anyone, but Sol Theory has some other box options that you might want to try. They have a box with sunglasses and jewelry, boxes with men and women's sunglasses, and more. If you like sunglasses, you will like the boxes that just come with the shades. However, you could buy better sunglasses at Versona for the same price (or less) than the price of the Sol Theory boxes.

If you're interested, you can use code BEAUTYCON to save 20% off your first box. 

Have you tried this brand? Leave a comment about your experience.

Thanks for reading 💕