March Favorites! + Un-Favorite?

Alright so I think this month's favorites kind of makes up for last month's lack of favorites. I'm actually having trouble narrowing things down this month! Also, at this end of this post, I've decided to add on one un-favorite, since I did discover something I wasn't the biggest fan of this month as well. All of my favorites for this month are available in a collection on Luvocracy, so you can view and purchase them all in one place!

Rimmel London BB Cream Matte -- Light. I honestly expected to hate this product when I first got it. It's an interesting consistency, for one. It starts out incredibly thin. So thin that you have to be careful when opening the tube, because it can get pretty messy. However, as you begin to apply it to your skin, it gets very thick and sticky, and you almost wonder if it will blend in at all. But then, it starts to warm up, and it melts into your skin. It definitely gives a very light coverage, but on no-makeup makeup days, I like to mix this in with my moisturizer to even out my skintone just a bit, while also adding SPF. I wouldn't say it's completely matte, but I can confidently walk out the door without powdering and not feel like an oily mess.

Maybelline Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Liner -- Blackest Black. It's not secret that I love my L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Liner, which was featured in one of my earliest favorites posts. I often feel like I run out of this liner so quickly, though, that I almost couldn't justify the $8 price tag -- not when I'm repurchasing once a month. Okay, so I could totally justify it. I can justify anything when it comes to beauty products. But I do like to get a great deal on products as well. This Maybelline Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Liner uses the same type of applicator (which is the #1 reason I loved my Lineur Intense for so long), applies just as smoothly, wears the same, and the best part? It's a few dollars cheaper. Which makes Maybelline Line Stiletto Ultimate Precision Liquid Liner my new go-to black liquid liner!

Milani Baked Blush -- Luminoso. I purchased this blush earlier this month, and talked about it a bit in a haul post. I have totally fallen in love with this blush. Not only is it incredibly pigmented, but it is a beautiful, natural-looking color. It's great for those days where you don't want to fuss with contouring and highlighting because it adds a natural highlight just from the shimmering appearance of the product. It's definitely going to be a favorite all through spring and probably summer!

Real Techniques Silicone Liner Brush. This brush was so hard to find that I eventually ended up purchasing it on the Ulta website, along with my Too Faced A La Mode palette. After using it a few times, I realized why it was so hard to find. This "brush" features a silicone nib as opposed to bristles, which means that it's super easy to clean and glides smoothly on the sensitive eye area. The silicone tip doesn't pick up a ton of product, which means that you'll never get an excessive amount of product on your brush. Not only does that make application cleaner, but it means you'll never waste product!

Hello Kitty Cosmetic Spa Headband. This seems like such a silly thing to add to my favorites, doesn't it? However, this thing has made my daily skin care routine immensely easier. I'm a total sucker for anything Sanrio, so when I saw this in Bed Bath & Beyond, I had to have it! It's a simple, super plush elastic headband that pulls all your hair back without tugging. I also noticed that it's great for use in the shower to keep your hair out of your face on days you aren't planning to wash your hair!

Bath and Body Works 3-Wick Candle -- Coconut Leaves. Earlier this month, I commented about how I hate spring. I have the most horrible allergies that cause these terrible sinus headaches, and the springtime brings out the worst in my allergies. However, this candle reminds me of summer and relaxes me, even when the sinus pressure is getting unbearable. The description says "Transport your senses to the tropics with this fusion of juicy tangerine and papaya that gives way to soothing coconut and vanilla notes." Coconut and vanilla are two of my favorite scents (despite the fact that I hate eating coconut), and the fruity scents in this candle liven it up to really make you feel like you're on a beach! It reminds me a lot of my high school summer vacations, back when I lived on the beach and loved using tanning oils!

Blender Bottle Classic. This seems like such a random and silly thing to have on my favorites this month. But while I was at Bed Bath & Beyond with +Andrew earlier this month, I saw this on sale and decided it was time to finally cave and purchase one. I am a sucker for a fresh smoothie in the morning. Most days, smoothies are my breakfast. However, sometimes I simply don't have time in the morning to make myself one. And smoothies settle so quickly, how could I ever pre-make smoothies for myself!? Well, the Blender Bottle is my perfect solution. For example, this morning I was up bright and early. But I got to get a few minutes of extra sleep because I made my smoothie last night. When I woke up this morning, my smoothie had settled, but with a few good shakes of my Blender Bottle, it was smooth and tasted (almost) fresh! This bottle is such a great way to keep yourself eating healthy, even on the go.

Now moving on to my one un-favorite of the month...

Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara. I really wanted to like this mascara. I heard so many good things about it, so much hype, and sadly, I was very let down. It is such a sticky and wet mascara that I couldn't apply it without it getting everywhere. And it was so hard to apply more than a single coat without it clumping together and become a smeary black mess. I also found that it flakes and smudges under my eyes really badly, a problem I've never had with a mascara before. As much as everyone raves about this mascara, I just can't get on board! Then again, I'm so funny with mascara, as I didn't like Benefit's They're Real either.

That's it for this month's favorites! Don't forget that I have all of these products listed in a collection on my Luvocracy page for easy access.

Anything you want to see me talk about? Let me know in the comments below!

- d.

Corals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.

I must say, I hate spring. I mean don't get me wrong, it's beautiful -- the sun is shining, the snow is melting, the birds are coming out to sing. But the best/worst part about spring? The flowers. I love the look of flowers, but I have had pretty bad pollen allergies since I was a kid, and I've never grown out of them. I get these really awful sinus headaches because of the pollen, to the point where it sometimes is hard for me to get out of bed. So dried flowers and fake flowers tend to be my go-to decorative choice.

But all my pollen hatred aside, I do love the colors that come with spring. I love walking into Target and seeing all the spring and summer clothing, all the vivid-colored bags, and all the cute shoes that are coming into season! Today I decided to do a look based on my two favorite spring colors, that just so happen to look fantastic together: coral and turquoise.

So for this look, I actually spent a lot of the time on my skin. I wanted to look glowing and radiant -- like I've just returned from spring break! Since I'm super pale right now, I actually mixed together my new Rimmel BB Cream Matte in "Light" and my L'Oreal True Match Foundation in "C2." The Rimmel BB cream is a couple shades too dark for me, but I think it'll be the perfect shade once I've been out in the sun a bit more. I do tend to pick up a tan once the warmer months come around. After that, I took my trusty Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer and covered up any blemishes or discoloration. 

From here, I moved onto the brows. I wanted to give my brows a naturally full effect, so I decided to use a powder. I used Inglot 358 Matte through the entirety of my brows, as well as "Triple Fudge" from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette through the arch of my brow to add extra definition. I then ran my concealer under my brows to clean up the edges.

As an eyeshadow base, I used the Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in "Inked in Pink," staying under the crease. You may notice as you read that for this look, I decided to double up a couple of products. I used the Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso" on the entire lid, staying below the crease. After this, I went in with my Coastal Scent 252 Ultimate Palette. 

I used the matte coral shade to deepen the crease a bit. It is very similar to "Luminoso" but slightly darker and matte, so it is a great way to blend out any harsh edges. I also took the warm plummy brown shade and, with a very light hand, rocked this in the crease, just to add the slightest addition of dimension. I took both of these shades and ran them under the lower lash line as well. From here, I used the lightest heart in the Physicians Formula Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in "Translucent" to highlight my inner corner as well as the browbone. 

Now for the fun turquoise liner! I used the Wet n Wild Mega Liner Liquid Liner in "Turquoise" and did a subtle winged liner. For my tutorial on how to do winged liner, click here! This Wet n Wild liner is great for anyone who is just starting to get comfortable with colored liner, because it's really inexpensive! To help make the color of the liner pop even more, I took a push liner brush and my Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner and made a very thin line, as close to my lashes as I could get. Then, I topped it off with Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara. 

Moving on to the glowing skin! First thing's first, I took the Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter along the tops of my cheekbones, as well as down the bridge of my nose and on my Cupid's bow. To avoid looking shiny as opposed to glowing, I took my Revlon Photo Ready Translucent Finisher and set everything into place. I took a smaller face brush and the Physicians Formula Glow & Mood Boosting Powder in "Translucent" and hit all the spots that I applied the Watt's Up highlighter. Then, I again took "Luminoso" and lightly applied this to my cheeks. For my sun-kissed appearance, I used The Balm Bahama Mama bronzer on a big fluffy brush, and very lightly applied this to the points of my face that the sun would naturally hit -- the top of my forehead, my temples, the tip of my nose, etc. I also used this to very subtly contour. Of course, be sure to blend well! 

For my lips, I decided to keep it very light and simple, and just used the Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm in "Cherry Me," for a subtle hint of color.

And that's it! Super fun with a bright pop of color. Tell me, what's your favorite thing about spring? 

- d.