Top 3 Must-Have Fall Lip Products

I know I just did a Fall Favorites post, but I decided to do a series of my Top 3 of various products! I chose to not include my holy grail fall products, since I already discussed them in my last post, but if you're looking for some more variety in products, these will be the rest of my favorites in each category! Let's start with lips.

The first product is one of the Revlon Lip Butters, which is perfect for the chilly fall days. It is in the shade "Red Velvet," and is great for adding some color to your lips while hydrating them! The shade "Red Velvet" is a cool-toned, chocolatey red shade, that is pigmented, but not so opaque that it is at all high maintenance.

Next is a Lime Crime Unicorn Lipstick, which is their classic, best selling lipstick formula! The color I chose is "Poisonberry," which is a super vibrant, violety red color. I would almost say it's a very dark magenta color, but in reality it isn't all that dark. However, on dark skin tones, this lipstick is absolutely amazing! I personally love it, though, because I quite like the effect it gives on my pale skin.

Finally, who says that bright lips are only for the springtime? The Urban Decay Super-Saturated Lip Color in "Punch Drunk" is a vibrant, true red-orange color. It definitely leans more orange than red, though, so if you are self-conscious about any yellowing in your teeth, be careful with this color. However, if you love a statement lipstick that will really catch anybody's eye, try this lip color out!

What lip products are you loving this fall?

- D. 

Favorite Fall Things Tag!

For the month of October, I didn't feel like I had much in the way of favorites. So instead, I decided I would just do a tag of my favorite fall things! I saw that +leighannsays did a video on this, so I thought I would go for it as well.

Fall Beauty Faves

1. Face Product 

• My favorite face product for fall is definitely the color "Fawn" from the Anastasia Contour Kit. It is the perfect shade to really sculpt out your face, and a little goes a long way! "Fawn," which is the lower, middle color in the palette, is just the right neutral tone to contour with, without making you look dirty or orange.

2. Cheek Product

• Wet n Wild's Color Icon Blusher in "Mellow Wine" is one of my favorite blushes year round, but in the fall, it's especially beautiful. It is a gorgeous mauvey pink color that is perfect for brightening up a dull complexion.

3. Eye Product

• I absolutely love my Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner in "Blackest Black" during the cooler months of fall. A classic black winged liner is something you can never go wrong with, and this liner stays put! I also love this same formula in "Eggplant" as a subtle pop of color without going too bright.

4. Lip Product

• Currently, the lip product I am in love with is Kit Cosmetic's Lipstick in "Nightwalker." I received this lipstick as a gift from my lovely friend Sarah, and I absolutely love the color and formula! It reminds me quite a bit of Revlon's "Black Cherry," but I much prefer the formula of the Kit lipstick. Unfortunately, this lipstick can only be purchased in Australia. 

5. Hair Product

• To be completely honest, I can't think of any hair products I have been loving recently! Since I've been so busy with school, I've just kind of let my hair do it's thing.

6. Fragrance/Candle

• As always, I adore the Bath & Body Works "Leaves" candle. Although I do have a new favorite this year! The "Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin" candle by Bath & Body Works is absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, I'm not supposed to burn candles in my apartment, so I usually just break up the wax and melt it in my wax burner!

7. Nail Polish

• Like last year, I am still loving my Essie "Vested Interest" nail polish. This was a favorite of mine last October, and I am still absolutely loving it. I also have fallen in love with OCC's "Black Dahlia" nail lacquer, which is this incredible, deep oxblood color!

Fall Fashion Faves

1. Trendy Clothing Item 

• I'm honestly not too big on "trendy" pieces, so I'm struggling to find an answer to this question. I typically stick to more classic clothing pieces so that I can wear them for years to come. I suppose I would have to go with flannels, since they can make such a simple outfit look put together!

2. Comfy Clothing Item

• Basically every hoodie I own! Hoodies are my favorite for the cooler months, since I can just throw it on and run out the door. However, I also adore my black fleece-lined tights. They make literally every outfit so much comfier, since they're almost like wearing fleece pajamas, and go great under skirts, dresses, and even shorts!

3. Shoes

• As gaudy as this may seem, I recently bought a pair of classic Timberlands at my local thrift store, and I am obsessed with them! For one, they're super comfy. Plus, it rains all the time here in North Carolina (not to mention the snow we'll be getting soon), so these are awesome because they are waterproof, non-slip, and pretty warm! And on top of all that, I only paid $10 for these bad boys. 

4. Accessory

• My favorite fall accessory is definitely my classic black Neff beanie. My ears tend to get really cold, really fast, and I find myself wearing this beanie nearly every single day. It goes with any outfit, and keeps my head warm! Not to mention it keeps my hair tame on dry, windy days.

Fun Favorites

1. Halloween or Thanksgiving?

• Halloweeeeeen! Come on, I'm a costume design major. Of course I love Halloween! Plus, I'm not too big on Thanksgiving food. I love coming together with my family, but I don't eat meat, so the whole turkey thing isn't all that great for me. This year for Halloween, I was Alice in Hysteria mode from the video game Alice: Madness Returns! 

2. Favorite festive food and/or drink

• My dad's fudge. Oh, it is absolutely to die for. Technically, it's a Christmas treat, not a fall treat, but I'm gonna make it count anyway! My dad makes the most amazing chocolate fudge (and peanut butter fudge, but I like the chocolate better) and it's just so rich and melt-in-your-mouth amazing! I don't really have a favorite festive drink, since I almost always hate warm drinks.

3. What's the happiest part about fall for you?

• Currently, the leaves! I grew up in a part of the country where the leaves don't really change. We mostly have evergreens in San Diego. Out here, in North Carolina, we have the most beautiful red oak trees, and they turn so many beautiful fall colors that I can hardly stop myself from taking pictures every time I leave the house.

4. Who do you tag?

• I tag anyone who reads this post! Link back to my blog if you decide to do it! :)

And that's it for my fall favorite things! What did you dress up as for Halloween? 

- D.

Halloween -- The True Galactic Mermaid

A while back, I posted a "Galactic Mermaid" look using the Lorac Pro Palette 2. Honestly, the only thing about that post that was really mermaidy were the nail strips I just so happened to be wearing. However, today I did a look that could truly go either way! This look would be great for either a mermaid or alien costume. So without any further ado, let's get started!

Initially when I did this look, I was definitely aiming for the mermaid idea, hence the starfish hair clip!

Before applying any foundation, I began with the eyes. I laid down a thin layer of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Milk," using my finger to blend the product out, Then, I took the Makeup Geek shadow in "Sea Mist," and patted this all along the mobile lid. I continued patting the shadow to really help build up the intensity. Then, I took the Makeup Geek shadow in "Envy" and used this color to really deepen the crease. After I was happy with the intensity, I took a clean blending brush to help blend the colors seamlessly, reapplying "Sea Mist" as necessary to keep the color vibrant. Finally, I applied the Makeup Geek shadow in "Rockstar" on the inner third of the lid, as well as the inner corner and the brow highlight.

To add some more variety to the look, I applied the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Shadow Pencil (which is discontinued, but essentially just a chubby stick version of the original Glide-on Liner Pencil) in "Delinquent." I also lined the inner water line with the NYX Slide On Pencil in "Pure White" to give me an innocent, doll-like appearance. 

Since I wasn't exactly going for the "natural" look, I used the Makeup Geek shadow in "Envy" to fill in my brows. This is a very subtle touch, but in the right light, it is noticeable! From here, I just applied a few coats of mascara to both my upper and lower lashes.

For the skin, I applied my foundation as usual. Since I used a blue-green shadow on the lid, I really made sure to brighten up under my eyes with concealer to assure that I didn't give myself a blue-ish tone to my undereyes. From here, I moved on to the rest of the face, which was actually pretty simple. 

For the gems, I used these rhinestones that I bought from Joann Fabrics and Crafts, and applied them where I would normally apply my cheek highlight, using Duo Clear-White Lash Adhesive. Then, I applied these amazing lashes that I found at Walmart (which I seriously wish I could find online), that had these beautiful pearl accents. For my cheeks, instead of applying a traditional blush, I used the Makeup Geek shadow in "Sea Mist" and applied this the way I would a normal blush. Another great thing you could do is use a piece of lace as a stencil to create a scale-like effect on the cheeks, but unfortunately I couldn't find a piece of lace that I was happy with.

Finally, on the lips I applied MAC "Shy Girl," for that natural, nude look. However, if you decide to turn this into an alien look, I would recommend going with something like Kat Von D "Poe" or even something like the Urban Decay liner that you used earlier!

- D.