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 💕
 

Boxycharm: March 2017

March was great, as far as my makeup subscriptions go. I received some amazing products, including five items from Boxycharm. The March box theme was "Creepy Cute," even though they probably should have used that in October for Halloween. The artwork on their Instagram and the card in the box included ghosts, skeletons, spider webs, you name it! It was cute. But it just didn't seem to make sense for the first month of Spring. 

See what I mean?? The colors and the theme itself are so adorable, but this just doesn't add up for a March box. But anyway, on to what really matters: the products.

Left to right: Naked Cosmetics eyeshadow trio, RealHer Makeup lip liner and liquid lipstick, Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer, Crown Brushes Kabuki Fan brush

 

 

I was overall impressed with the products in the box. The Urban Rustic eyeshadow trio from Naked Cosmetics is stunning. The shadows swatch and apply so easily with generous amounts of pigmentation. Again, I feel like this trio would have been perfect for a fall box, because these colors just scream "autumn" to me. However, I can't complain about quality, and I can always wait a few months before I use this. The lip liner and lipstick are also very beautiful. I'm all about those plum shades! The lipstick is nice, but I was most impressed with the liner, gliding on the lips as smoothly as one from Kylie Cosmetics or Urban Decay. My liner matched with the lipstick, but I read in some Instagram comments that this was not consistent with all of the boxes. I must have gotten lucky. 

Surprisingly, my favorite thing in the box was the item I was looking forward to the least! I LOVE the Jumbo Kabuki Fan brush from Crown Brushes so much! This is perfect for achieving an all-over glow with your favorite highlight. Sometimes those precision highlights look a little too fake for me, and the kabuki fan applies product to a larger area of the cheek bone. I think it's beautiful. I haven't tried this, but it would also be perfect for a softer contour around the cheekbones. And if you don't like to highlight or contour, it can also be used to sweep setting powder from the face.

I have one big no-no for the box. I have burned through a few bottles of the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, and I love it like just about everyone else. So of course, I was thrilled when Boxycharm announced it would be featuring the OG of Smashbox primers. I was quickly turned off when a watery fluid came out of the bottle upon removing the cap. Maybe Smashbox had a bunch of extra, nearing expiration samples of this primer that they needed to get rid of, because after reading some other comments, I was not the only one who witnessed the gross fluid. Whether to heat, age, or manufacturer error, some of the primers had denatured in the bottle. Luckily after the initial drippage (eww), the formula came out correctly. Still, three or four faces worth of primer went down my bathroom sink. 

So there you have it, my thoughts on the March Boxycharm. Despite the issue with the primer, I highly recommend this subscription to all of my readers and followers. It really is a goodie.

Thanks for reading 💕

Ipsy: March 2017

Happy Monday, everyone! Between vacation and sickness, I haven't had many chances to post here in a while. That just means I have a lot of beauty to share with all of you!

If you follow @beautycontinued on Instagram, you've seen snaps of this month's Ipsy glam bag! And guys, it's a goodie.

Left to right: So Susan Blush and Glow in "Rose Rust," Beau Gachis Tapered Blending Brush, Tarte Cosmetics Tartist Lip Paint in "Rosé," Chella Beauty Ivory lace Highlighter

This is the cutest bag we've had in a while. Normally, the bags are too small for me to use for travel, and they're too big to fit in my tiny Michael Khors purse. This one is actually big enough to fit several products, because it can unfold. The design you see at the top is actually the design from the other side of the bag, and it folds over for you to get a glimpse of both sides. When it unfolds, it's quite large compared to previous Ipsy bags.

My favorite item is the Beau Gachis Tapered Blending Brush. The bristles are as soft as a rabbit, and it blends shadows like a dream. The retail price is $12 here. And honey, you know I'm hooking you up with a coupon code! Use beautifulipsters25 for 25% off your entire purchase until April 30th.

Anytime Tarte is included, I get excited. Tarte is one of my favorite large makeup brands because many of their products are vegan, and they're all cruelty free. I received one of their new liquid lipsticks in this bag, and it's a beautiful pink nude. I also enjoy Chella Beauty's highlighter! It's a matte pencil, so it's ideal for cleaning up around the brows or lips. The formula is very creamy, making it easy to work with.

Bottom to top: Tarte Cosmetics Tartist Lip Paint in "Rosé", Chella Beauty Ivory Lace Highlighter, and Milli the Cat

But wait! You might be wondering why there are only four products in my first photo instead of the Ipsy standard five. I received a sample of First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer in this glam bag, but I've already moved it to my locker at the gym! It is now one of my gym essentials.

That's a wrap for this month's Ipsy bag. If you're a subscriber, what products did you receive?
Thanks for reading 💕

Boxycharm February 2017

If you love trying new beauty products but you’re on a budget, say hello to Boxycharm. For just $21 a month, you receive 4-5 full size products from brands like Makeup Geek, Ofra, Marula, etc. Boxes in the past included $50 eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, makeup brushes, nail polish, hair products, and just about every beauty product you can think of. This is my favorite subscription box, hands down. February’s theme was “Galentine” in honor of Valentine’s Day. Take a look at my new beauty steals.

 Is that not amazing??? Everyone received three of the five items pictured above: 2 Makeup Geek shadows, a small Z Palette, and the Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion age defying exfoliator. I also got three eye brushes from Sedona Lace and a full size Japonesque lipstick. I passed the lipstick on to my mom, because I prefer a bold lip. I kept everything else!

 

 The most hyped item for February was without a doubt the Dr. Brandt exfoliator. THIS RETAILS AT $79. How, Boxycharm??? How do you do it? This item by itself is worth almost four times as much as I paid for the entire box. This does exactly what it’s supposed to do, and it leaves my skin feeling so smooth. I do have one issue with this: the smell. I can’t decide if it smells like Pine-Sol or Lemon Pledge, and maybe it’s a mixture of the two scents.

Glamorous, Beaches and Cream

 The eyeshadows were the first sneak peek released on Instagram for this month’s box back in January, and everyone lost their minds. There were several different shades available, and each subscriber got two colors. I got one matte and one shimmer, and that seems to be consistent with other photos and videos I’ve seen. They swatch beautifully, but most importantly they apply to the lids nicely. If you received February’s box, which colors did you get?

I will discuss Z Palette and Sedona Lace in future posts, so don’t worry! My thoughts on these products are soon to be revealed.

Thanks for reading💕

REVIEW: Kylie Cosmetics Valentine's Collection

Anything that Kylie Cosmetics releases manages to blow the entire universe away. I wrote an initial reaction to the collection before it was released, and I decided to order the Valentine's minis, the lipkit in the shade Valentine, and Kylie's Dairy palette. Now that I've had a chance to play around with the products, I can tell you what you missed from these limited releases.

Look how beautiful these are! I practically fainted when I opened the box. Say whatever you want about Kylie Jenner, but the girl knows how to package some makeup! I ADORE the pink details in place of the usual black on the lipsticks. And that glitter on the lipkits and the palette? Girl. Now of course, packaging isn't everything, so let's get down to the nitty gritty. 

I have two things that are a miss for me: the mini Maliboo and the blushes. My issue with Maliboo has always been the color: I'm not a fan of brown nudes at all. The quality of the lipstick is the same as the others, so this is strictly over color preference. That being said, let's move along to the blushes, the most highly anticipated releases.

Left to right: First Date, Virginity

Girl what? I am not here for these at all. The colors are nice, don't get me wrong, but the formula... Honey, the formula. First, I had to really dig into these blushes to get any kind of swatch. These things are packed in the pan tighter than a wet swimsuit, making them extremely difficult to work with. Also, do they look a little patchy to you? They definitely appeared to be that way in person. Lastly, there were orange flecks packed into my pink blush, and I haven't decided if they're supposed to be there or not. Judging by pictures of other palettes, I don't think the orange spots are intentional. If you have this palette, did you notice anything like this on your Virginity shade?

Moving on to eye shadows! I was very impressed by selection of colors. I think this is a unique palette, and it makes a wonderful addition to my collection. Here are the swatches:

Left to right: Bae, Heart Breaker, Make Me Blush, Sweet Like Candy, Love Potion, Be Mine, Heart Eyes, Romance, Loves Me Not

My favorite colors are Sweet Like Candy and Romance, both shimmer shades. The top row kicks up a lot of product, but they're beautiful shadows. The mattes are ok: they're slightly patchy, but they're workable. Overall, this is a beautiful palette. I didn't have any shades that disappointed me. Do I think you missed out if you didn't buy it? No. You could assemble some better quality singles and build a similar palette for around the same price.

Last but not least, we have the stunning liquid lipsticks. The mini sizes are perfect for me, and I was upset when I couldn't get them on the initial release date. Thank goodness she restocked, because these little tubes are so cute and include three brand new shades.

Left to right: Apricot (new shade), Maliboo, High Maintenance, Posie K, Head Over Heels, Mary Jo K, Valentine liner and lipstick

!!!!!! I could just end today's post with that. We've already touched on why Maliboo is a no for me, but the rest of these colors are to die for. We probably won't see Valentine again, but Kylie has hinted that the other new shades may become regular releases. If they do, I highly recommend picking those up. As for Maliboo, Posie K, and Mary Jo K, those are already part of the regular color selection, so grab them if you like the shades! Just a reminder, the full size lipkits also come with a liner. 

What are your thoughts on Kylie's Valentine's Collection? Leave me a comment!

Thanks for reading 💕 

Irresistibles and Undesirables: January 2017

We're currently in mid-February, and I'm just now getting around to posting this blog. Sorry for the delay! 

Welcome to Irresistibles and Undesirables, the first of many in my series of monthly favorites and disappointments on my blog. Before we get into the meat of the content, I want to explain how I pick each of the products in these posts. Some of these products are new releases, some are just new to me, and some of them are things I reached for the most during the month. Without further ado, let's reveal my irresistible products in the month of January. 

Irresistibles

We've got some nice variety in here! The first item is the SugarBearHair Vitamins, which can be found in countless Instagram hair selfies, littered through gorgeous shining locks. I'm no Instamodel, so I don't have a hair selfie for you today; however, I believe all of the hype for this product is well deserved. These are vegetarian gummies fortified with biotin, folic acid, and Vitamin C, and their packaging claims to be gluten free, soy free, and cruelty free. One thing I learned from reading the supplement facts is that the serving size of 2 gummies a day contains 100% of my daily value of Vitamin B-12, which I've been concerned about since my transition to veganism. And guys, there is a notable difference in my hair now that I've been taking them for a while. It looks so much healthier, and the shine is almost blinding. I haven't had my hair cut since October, and there aren't many split ends. It feels stronger, almost thicker. In case you were wondering, these also taste pretty good.

My next irresistible product is the SS017 Deluxe Highlight Fan from Crown Brushes. I received this in my January Boxycharm, and I instantly fell in love. The bristles are dense enough to pick up product but soft enough to be gentle on the skin. This even picks up the highlighters in the Tarte Pro Glow palette, which are some seriously tightly packed products! I. Love. This. Brush. Thank you, Boxycharm!

The Unfiltered II cheek palette is one of two NARS products I adored in January. Upon first glance, I preferred the NARSissist Unfiltered II to the Unfiltered because of all the beautiful pink shades in this palette. There are two matte shades (Conquest, Power Play) and four shimmer shades (Hot Sand, Undefeated, Fame, Candid). Here are some swatches:

Left to right: Conquest, Hot Sand, Undefeated, Fame, Power Play, Candid

I'll be honest: the pigmentation is not the strongest, especially on the shimmer shades. But, sometimes I prefer a little less pigment. Because of my pale skin tone, I have to be really careful with blush. A little too much blush makes me look like I've just stepped off a treadmill, but too little or no blush causes a lack of dimension to my face. For anyone darker than me (everyone on the planet), I have good news: these shades are easy to build and blend. I've had so much fun playing around with this so far.

Our second NARS product is the Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade Light 1 Chantilly. I am obsessed with this concealer! This is the first concealer I've ever purchased that wasn't from the drugstore, and I'm so glad I made this investment. It's thick, almost buttery, full coverage, and it leaves the most beautiful finish on the skin. It can sink into fine lines and wrinkles, so SET IT, GIRL. It also makes for a great highlighting shade, even on my skin tone.

Ipsy sent me Indi Beauty's Buttercream Antioxidant Lip Scrub in the October 2016 glam bag, and y'all. I HATED this product for the longest time. It's so different from my favorite Lush Mint Julip lip scrub, and I don't know why I didn't toss this in the garbage. Well, I'm glad I didn't, because I found the perfect use for this product: removing liquid lipstick.

As you can see from the photo above, I've hit pan. Almost time to make an order! One of the reasons I hated this product was that it's so oily, and it would break down liquid lipsticks when I tried to put them on after exfoliating with this. In case you didn't know, liquid lipsticks are oil based, and that's why they have amazing staying power. If you're scrubbing your lips with cleanser and water trying to remove liquid lipstick, stop! You need an oil based product to remove those quickly. This Buttercream scrub is packed with shea butter, almond oil, avocado oil, and Vitamin E oil, so it's perfect.

My last irresistible products of the month were the Caudalíe Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet and Vinoperfect Radiance Serum. Used together, these high end products are amazing for anyone looking for a little moisture. This brand is from France, so you know it's good. I'm still working on my sample size of the serum that I received for my birthday at Sephora, but the sample sorbet is long gone. The pink squeeze bottle pictured is the full size.

Undesirables  

There were only two products I didn't like during January. This first is the IT Brushes for Ulta Airbrush Radiance Fan Brush #116. I don't have a picture of this because it's in my locker at the gym, along with the only highlighting product it can apply. The ONLY products this demon brush can pick up are loose powders. I'm not kidding. Nothing else can be applied with this because the bristles aren't dense enough to pick anything out of a pan. I have no idea how this has a 4.1 star rating on Ulta's website.

Last and definitely least, we have a couple of Nest fragrances. These REEK!!! It's not the scents themselves, it's how strong they are. I used 2 spritzes of Citrene--one on my wrist and one on my neck--and I could still smell it in my hair after two days and a hair wash. The intensity of these are sickening. These were on clearance for $8, so I'm not losing a lot of money.

These are all of the products I loved and didn't love in January 2017! I can't wait to see what I loved the most in February. Thanks for reading 💕