mac – Fix Your Crown

August Beauty and Skincare Favorites.

This month was a month of new discoveries. I have been on a low buy for six months and I can assure you I have had no FOMO. (fear of missing out) I already have a sizable makeup collection and I am dedicated to using up what I have before I purchase any more. Unfortunately, being a makeup junkie as well as an influencer has overloaded my makeup storage. After a big declutter and donations I still have many products to get through.

First, let’s talk about skincare. I have really been enjoying the ELF holy hydration cleansing balm. This product is amazing at getting off all of the makeup and making my skin squeaky clean. I love to massage this product in for 60 seconds and then rinse. I find that it can really do it’s job when I massage it in for a little while

**Shea Butter + Peptide 24**NOURISHING FACIAL CLEANSER

I follow that with my Olay foaming cleanser. These two are a powerhouse cleansing team for me. I never understood double cleansing until I started to do it with these two products. The Olay cleanser is a foaming ceeam cleanser. Again, catering to my dry skin.

My favorite moisturizer is still the Charlotte Tilbury Magic cream. That cream is a life saver for my dry/ combo skin. It’s marketed as a one and done product for moisture and priming. I use it for both. I can use all the help I can get when it comes to prepping my skin before makeup. I love how thick it is and how my skin feels after using it.I was also skeptical about this product at first because of the hype around it.

Even Charlotte Tilbury said that it will give you “Supermodel” skin. Really? I think it plumps the skin and gives it a nice glow and I let it sink in for a few minutes before I do anything else. It’s an awesome moisturizer but, my skin needs a little bit more. I have very dry, mature, textured skin. This cream alone is great but for the longevity of my makeup I have to use a primer.

For primer I use the Wet n Wild moisturizing serum primer. This product was a surprise to me. At a time when everyone was coming out with serum primers, this one flew under the radar. I looked for reviews and Tik Toks about this primer and there was very little hype around it. It is amazing though. I have to give it to Wet n Wild for nailing it with this one.

It makes my skin so smooth and soft. It creates the perfect base for makeup. It gives a good glow and a little pore filling. It is a great product for the price.

My foundation of the Moment is the NARS radiant long wear foundation. This foundation gives me the perfect coverage and it wears incredibly well. I love to wear it to work because I know it will last and look good even at the end of a 12 hour shift.

The finish is very skinlike. It has medium buildable coverage which I like. I still love my full coverage foundations but this one has stolen my heart at the moment. My favorite concealer is the Maybelline instant age rewind. I have loved this concealer for a while now. I was so happy when they extended the shade range. Now it’s available to more skin tones in better shade ranges.

For bronzer I am still working Through Fenty sun stalker bronzer in Mocha Mami. I have had this bronzer for a year now and am only starting to hit pan. That goes to show how little you need to get a sun kissed glow. I go back and forth between this and the Charlotte Tilbury powder bronzer which I have no sign of hitting pan on any time soon. The Charlotte Tilbury bronzer I have is in the deep shade and is slightly cooler in tone but gives the same effect on the skin.

For my other face and eye makeup I am using the Natasha Denona glam face palette in the deeper color. This was a wise investment for me because a face palette makes my life so much easier. I already have a few Charlotte Tilbury face palettes which have made my life a lot easier as far as my makeup is concerned. For me, having everything in one place makes my makeup routine so much easier. I can get a full face done with less products. I love this palette because it contains my signature look with a few extras. I love a deep brown smoky eye and I can achieve it with a little flair using this palette.

I was skeptical at first because of the cream products in this palette. But, as it turns out, the formula of these are just perfect for my skin. I love how smooth and easy they are to work with.

For lips I have been enjoying a few matte lips. First is MAC velvet matte lip in devoted to chili. Second is Dose of colors Mood liquid lip, third is Charlotte Tilbury Pillow talk medium.

All three of these are different matte formulas, which is a favorite of mine at the moment. The Powder kiss by MAC has a mousse texture and is very moisturizing without being slippery or traveling into fine lines which is what you want for a vibrant red. I want my red lip to stay in place and not travel all over my face.

The Dose of Colors liquid lipstick in Mood is a deep burgundy almost burnt brown on my lips. It is a traditional matte liquid lip color. I love it because it really is a mood. It is gorgeous for fall, and I love it for days when I’m not wearing much makeup. It’s a comfortable formula and I love the way it wears.

The icing on the cake is the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Medium. This is my everyday go to nude lipstick. Depending on how I apply my liner I can make it deeper if I like. It has a very comfortable wear. It is a traditional bullet lipstick with a semi matte finish. I have seen this color on lots of different skin tones and it reads different on every single one. It’s almost like those mood lipsticks we used to wear in the 90’s. It adjusts to each person’s skin tone. I love the way it feels on the lips. It’s a silky-smooth formula that makes your lips look supple and feels soft when you press them together.

I hope you enjoyed my August faves and maybe some of my favorites are your favorites too. Let me know some of your favorites and why in the comments. Friends always share. May peace and love follow you through your life journey.

All About Foundation

Okay, so let’s start with foundation. Foundation is a very personal and sometimes emotional thing when it comes to makeup. Some will not part from a foundation that they have been using for years. I, on the other hand, will try new things and sometimes change according to what my skin is going through at that time.

Even though I have combination/dry skin I do like a matte to semi-matte finish. I rarely go for a luminous foundation unless it is winter and my skin needs it. I like to look made up. Even though all the trends are a no makeup look. I am a true diva and I go for the gold, beat for the Gods face when I am wearing makeup. I cannot seem to pull off that no makeup look. It always goes too far for me and then I go full glam. I am not ashamed to say that.

In my quest for the perfect foundation, which is on going, I have come across a few that have impressed me. Some high end and drugstore. The thing with me is not price. I will pay for quality over quantity any day as long as my hard earned money is spent well. I have no preference of high or low end products. I use what works for me and what I love.

Most of the brands and products I will speak about have been tried and tested over and over again in various ways. I give each product a rigorous testing to make sure that it does what it claims and that it doesn’t fail. My aim is to get it to fail. If in fact a product does fail or misses the mark, I will immediately let you know what my thoughts are on that product and the manner in which it failed.

So let’s get started.

Maybelline
This company has come out with two favorites of mine and they both are the Fit-Me foundations, Original and the Matte and pore-less, The original foundation was in fact the only luminous foundation that I would reach for even though it was released in late summer, which is common for most foundations. The Original Fit-Me required a lot. Priming and powdering and not touching it was important for its longevity. It was beautiful on the skin but without primer and setting powder it didn’t last long. It seemed to never dry or set which also made quite a mess as it transferred on my hands and clothes all day. I am a hugger so it also would embarrassingly transfer onto anyone I gave a great big hug to. This to me was ridiculous, but in essence, considering the price, I got what I paid for.On a higher note, this was a beautiful foundation and it made me glow and with a little experimentation I got it to do what I wanted it to do and not transfer. That is what made this one for me.

The Matte and Pore-less is a shocker. I was hoping for this foundation to come out in a matte formula and then, it did! I was amazed at the shade range but was still weary because I know how bad matte formulas tend to oxidize. I didn’t want to be a giant Um-pa-loo-pa face. I tried it in cocoa and coconut. Both were too dark so I got the next up which in the bottle looked way too light but ended up being my perfect shade. I haven’t been able to put it down since. Great job Maybelline. The powder and the blushes are great in this line too.

Estee’ Lauder
I have been wearing this brand since I started wearing makeup in my teens. I know that this is a well established company and their brand is international but up until recently their foundations weren’t. Double Wear is their “Golden Child”. This line has expanded so much over the last four years. The thing that got it all started, Double Wear foundation, Wow. This is the most long-wearing, bullet-proof, no smudge or budge foundation in the world. No one has even come close and if they have, they are a part of the Estee’ Lauder family of companies underneath their umbrella. Every skin tone is covered from alabaster to rich mahogany. The only flaw is the weight of the foundation on the skin which, since the first claims were made, prompted Estee’ Lauder to reformulate. My favorite from this line is Double Wear Light, That is my everyday foundation. Hands Down.

A newcomer to the Estee’ Lauder family is Perfectionist CPR foundation which is another luminous foundation that I love, It has the CPR serum inside so its like skincare in your foundation which is brilliant. I can cover and treat all at once. It is medium build-able coverage, which I like. It has a soft luminescence which I also like and my skin has visibly improved since I started using it. As with any other luminous foundation, it transfers and doesn’t exactly dry or set. It also takes a little work to make this foundation stay put and do what you want it to do. Unlike Double Wear, which sets fast and doesn’t move, this one will move around if you don’t set it properly.

Revlon
This company has been the leader in long-wear for a while now. The Color stay line is it’s “Golden Child”. The best thing about this line that drew me in was that it came in normal/dry and combination/oily formula which covered everyone across the board. The shade range is awesome and I have no complaints about the coverage, The only thing about this foundation is that your oil would come through at about the 5 hour mark or so. I don’t even have an oily T zone until I met this foundation.

One prize I keep going back to in this line is the HD foundation which I think is awesome. I’ve gone through four already. I can’t say enough. The shade range is a little limited and for some skin tones you have to mix two shades. Other than that, it’s a great alternative to more higher priced HD foundations.

L’Oreal
There is only one favorite for foundation and it is True Match. This foundation never fails and looks so natural. This is as close to a no makeup look as I can get. The matching powders and blush from this line are amazing also. They blend so well and they are soft and creamy to the touch, which I know is a hard to find thing with drugstore makeup.This company deserves their props for this one. Everyone I know uses or has used and loves this foundation. It’s light on the skin, very blend-able and build-able, great coverage, wide shade range, its just awesome. It’s only flaw is that it is not long wearing. You can get six good hours out of this foundation with touch ups. That’s it. Don’t go looking for more. You’ll only be disappointed.

True Match Lumi for me was an epic fail. It made me look greasy and it broke me out terribly. I just couldn’t take it.

MAC
Saving the best for last. MAC is iconic in the beauty industry. Their legacy is television and stage makeup. They have been a makeup artist company and brand for decades. They have graciously agreed, after Estee’ Lauder bought them, to let regular people have access to these professional grade products and excellent service.
Okay, enough brown nosing and BS. MAC is the worst shopping experience ever in life but, I will put up with their rude customer service and horrible manners for the products that I live by. I only have three staples from MAC but they are in my everyday routine,
Pro Long-wear foundation and concealer. Holy grail products. Cannot live without these two. They are my friends and lifesavers. Pro Long-wear foundation came along at the right time for me because Studio Fix Fluid was becoming too much for my skin. Pro Long-wear came in and swept me off my feet. I committed to him quicker than my wonderful husband but, I digress. I was so in love with this foundation that I use up every drop. Six bottles and counting. Four of the concealer.

With all the brands we have to choose from, it’s hard to pick just one favorite. I like having options and being able to cater my makeup to my mood or activity. I like what I like even though I sometimes like everything. I just wanted to share my thoughts and opinions of these products so that maybe I can help you pick a favorite or two. Always remember to do what makes you happy in your makeup and everyday life. Play, have fun and if it doesn’t work for you, its only makeup. Wash it off and try again.

September Beauty favorites 2015

May Beauty Favorites 2014

Princess Tag!!!

MAC Pro Longwear concealer review

I recently repurchased the MAC Pro Longwear concealer and I love this concealer. I have used up all the one that I bought a year ago. I can not get enough of this stuff. This concealer lasts for a long time and it does not crease under my eyes. I think this is awesome. MAC has come out with a host of longwear products and I love the line. For busy moms like me who can’t reapply makeup during the day because of time this line is awesome. I was very skeptical about trying this line. This seemed to be a waste of time and money for me since there are so many good drugstore longwear makeup. I just decided to splurge on myself one day and I was pleasantly surprised.
The shade match was the first thing that caught my attention. MAC shades are always a perfect match to my skin tone. I am an NC 50. My tone is hard to match in other brands because of the yellow and olive undertones in my skin. I love my Pro Long wear foundation and this is the perfect compliment to that. Sometimes I just use this and Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. This concealer does not budge. They should have called it Bullet Proof.

Anticipating my Mac haul.

Today I ordered some products for mac and I am so anticipating my package is in the mail. I haven’t ordered anything from experience Christmas and it was a mineralize skinfinish natural. Like I said before that powder last me a whole year. This time when I place my order I ordered some blushes and lipsticks which I desperately need. As I’ve said in the past I know that Mac products are expensive but, the are well worth the money. Mac has amazing foundations, blush, lipstick, and skin. I only own 6 products from Mac. And I tend to use them everyday. The new collections that they have are beautiful products I unfortunstely have not been able to get my hands on any. Take advantage of the free shipping and order now. If you love Mac the way I do you are going to be so upset when you cannot get any of the new collections. Now is the time. We have always taken care of our families ladies, now it is time to take care of our self. what better way to take care of us then to treat ourselves to something new.