February Favorites!

My Favorite Book: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater: I read this book very, very slowly, during my breaks at work. It is a sweet love story about a girl and a boy that turns into a wolf when it is cold. They are star crossed lovers. It is the first book in a trilogy.

Beauty Favorites

1. Neutrogena Shine Control Primer

After using Benefit Porefessional, I had this primer. I didn't like it in the Summertime because it didn't help with my oil. Now that it is Winter my skin is drier, and it works a lot better. So I recommend this.

2. Lush The Kiss Lip Balm

I got this for Valentine's Day from Lush. It is a nice smelling, nice feeling lip balm. I wore it when my lips felt chapped. It was limited edition just for the holiday.

3. Lush Prince Charming Shower Gel

Oh, I just love this stuff! It smells so good. It smells the most like grapefruit. It is a citrusy smell. It helps to wake you up and energize you. It leaves the skin so soft, I didn't need to put lotion on afterwards. It was also limited edition for Valentine's Day.

4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pango Peach

This is a beautiful, pigmented, peach lip gloss from the drugstore. It feels so good on the lips. I think it looks good with my coloring.

5. Stila In the Moment Palette

This is one of my favorite palettes. It has purples and neutrals, which I love. I did a blog post about it this month, so I was using it a lot. I really recommend these Stila palettes. They are great quality.

6. Urban Decay De-Slick Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray

I got this off of Hautelook.com. I got the All Nighter Setting Spray too. I can't tell the difference between the two. They both help make my makeup last. I heard of a trick by LolaMarie on Youtube. You spray your face first, then dot on foundation, then you spray your brush and blend in the foundation. This makes your face look really natural and the makeup lasts. That is what I did with this.

7. Crown Brush Palette 36 Color Leopard Print Neutral

This month I was obsessed with duping the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. I got the Crown Brush Palette off of Ebay. The third row, 5th color in is a dupe for Limit, which I used a lot this month. I found out about it from Diva Makeup Queen on Youtube. I did a blog post on the dupes for the Naked 3 palette this month. It is a light dusty rose, matte shadow.

8. Lorac Pro Palette

This is a very beautiful palette. The top row is matte and the bottom row is shimmery. I have heard so many talk about this palette on Youtube. Everyone is in love with it. I just wanted it to dupe one of the shadows for the Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette. It is Mauve. It is the top row, 5th color in. It is a duper for Nooner, which is a medium pinky-brown mauve that is matte. It has great pigmentation. I need to use this palette more because there are so many looks I could create with it. I may do a blog post devoted to this palette alone.

9. Thayers Alcohol-Free Toner in Rose Petal Witch Hazel

I think I heard about this from pinksofoxy on Youtube. I just started using it this month. It is a good toner. It smells like roses. I think it does a good job of getting off any residue or makeup left over from cleansing. It is gentle on the face too.

10. Bonnebell Lip Lites in Strawberry Parfait

I heard this was a dupe for NARS Turkish Delight Lip Gloss. It took me forever to find it. Finally, I found a kit of four different Bonnebell Lip Glosses, with this inside. It smells like strawberries. It is the perfect pink lip gloss. I love it!

Favorite Songs

Where the Blacktop Ends by Keith Urban
Highway Don't Care feat. Taylor Swift & Keith Urban by Tim McGraw
Sweet Annie by Zac Brown Band
Come Back Song by Darius Rucker
Holy Grail feat. Justin Timberlake by Jay Z
Talk Dirty feat. 2 Chainz by Jason Derulo
Neon Lights by Demi Lovato
Break Your Heart feat. Ludacris by Taio Cruz
Lots of Shania Twain songs: I used to listen to her in high school. I knew all her songs by heart. One of my friends just heard her for the first time! And I had to go get out my old CD's and listen to them. I still know the words!

I hoped you enjoyed my favorites of the month! What were your favorites this month?

May Empties!

I finished up some more products to show you. One of them I just hit pan on, but I wanted to show you what it looked like before I used it all up.

1. Walgreens Cotton Swabs: These were just ordinary q-tips. I use them to wipe off eye makeup under my eye or to fix my eye liner mistakes. I dip them in the Maybelline Expert Eyes Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover because it gets off waterproof eye makeup. I would purchase these again. I'm not picky when it comes to q-tips. I will get the cheapest I can find.

2. MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Medium Deep: I use this whenever a look calls for contouring. I didn't know what to use for my skin color because I'm so light and I wanted a contour to look natural on me. I decided to go to a MAC counter to have a makeup artist match me. I think this is the right color for me. I would repurchase this when I run out. Even though it isn't drugstore, I like knowing that it is the right match for me. It has lasted a long time too. I just use a little bit of it. It is a matte powder that is a few shades darker than my skin color, so it technically isn't a bronzer, but you can use it like it is.

3. Freeman Facial Enzyme Mask in Pineapple: This is supposed to restore radiant skin. I used this once a week. There is a lot of product in the sample. I stored it in a zip lock bag and it stayed fresh. It smells so good! You leave it on your face for 10 minutes and when you rinse it off your face feels smoother. I didn't notice it looking more radiant. I would purchase the full size. I don't think I've ever seen the full size version of this at the store. If I do see it, I would get it. I recommend it.

4. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash: This was recommended to me by my dermatologist. It has salicylic acid in it which helps get rid of acne. She said for me to use a benzoid peroxide wash in the morning and a salicylic acid wash at night. It is good to have both I guess to get rid of acne. Your skin won't get used to one. This method works for me because I rarely get pimples. I repurchase this in bulk!

5. Juicy Couture in Couture La La Perfume: This smells so good! I'm sorry it is all used up. I love the Juicy Couture perfumes. I haven't smelled one that I didn't like. It smells like a combination of fruit and flowers. Sephora says the notes are sparkling mandarin, water hyacinth, green apple, red currant, lily of the valley, blushing peony, violet leaves, orange flower, smooth woods, and liquid musk. This is a nice perfume for any time of the year. I got this sample from my February Birchbox. Even though I like this perfume, I don't think I would purchase it because I already have a big size bottle of Viva La Juicy.

6. MAKE Dual-Phase Eye Makeup Remover: It was good, but I like Neutrogena better. And it is more affordable and easier to get. I got this sample from a Birchbox.

7. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir Eau de Parfum: I got a sample from a Birchbox. This scent has notes of green sap, gardenia petals, samba jasmine absolute, satiny almond, precious wood, licorice, and tonk a bean absolute. Sephora says the style is seductive, sophisticated, and refined. I agree with that. I like the smell, but it is a little too spicy for me, if that makes any sense. I like lighter, fruitier, sweeter scents. I'm still figuring out what kinds of perfumes I like. I have so many samples it has helped me figure out my tastes. I wouldn't purchase this.

8. COACH Poppy Flower: This is in the purple packaging. The notes are sweet freesia, violet leaves, wet ivy, juicy grapefruit, mandarin, lychee, cassis, jasmine petals, water lily, rose, amber, and apricot skin. Sephora says the style is chic, vibrant, and whimsical. It definitely is vibrant. Even though I just said I like the fruit and floral scents, this perfume is just ok to me. I wouldn't purchase it. It's not a bad smell. I'm not sure what it is that I don't like. I still wore it, so I like it just ok.

9. Tresemme Frizz Shield Finishing Spray: It worked good as a hair spray, but it didn't help with my frizziness. But my hair has a mind of it's own, and it can be very stubborn against hair products. I didn't repurchase this.

10. Up & Up Women's Shave Gel in Strawberry Tangerine: It says this is compared to Skintimate Strawberry Tangerine Twist. It is extra moisturizing with Vitamin E and olive butter. I loved this! This smells so good, it made me want to run out of the shower and make myself a fruit smoothie! I had heard about this in someone else's favorites, so I went to Target to get it. I would recommend this and I would repurchase this. The only problem is it is at Target. It is more convenient for me to go to Rite AId or Walgreens. Target is further away and the Target where I live is always really busy, so I would rather not go to it. The parking lot is horrible. I feel like I'm going to get in an accident whenever I go there. I think this shaving gel is as good as Skintimate. It was even better because it smelled so amazing.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my empties! Feel free to leave a comment!

November Empties

I have seen blogs and Youtube videos about products people have used up. I like them because I know they have used the product enough times that they can give a good review of them. It has taken me awhile to accumulate enough empties for a blog. I seem to use a little of this and a little of that, so it takes me awhile to use up a whole product. I waited until I had 10 products to show, and these are the products I used up.

1. Rite Aid Renewal Cotton Balls Regular Size: These are my favorite cotton balls to remove eye makeup with. I have repurchased this. Sometimes they mash into each other, but I just pull them apart when that happens. I usually only need one to remove all my eye makeup. It is inexpensive.

2. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen SPF 100+: I liked this because it was the highest SPF I could find in the store. It is also really easy to use. You just spray it on your body. You don't need to experience that gross greasy feeling on your hands. I would repurchase this, after I'm done using the sunscreen I still have.

3. Skintimate Moisturizing Shave Gel in Flirty Mango: This has a really nice smell and has a good foam to it. The last time I bought a shaving gel I just got the Rite Aid brand and I'm dissapointed with it. It doesn't get the nice foam consistency that I like. I will repurchase this. I might try a different scent.

4. Lady Speed Stick Invisible Dry in Shower Fresh: I think I got this at a store when I had a deodorant emergency. This was the only available deodorant in the little store that I went to. It worked good. I would repurchase it. I normally like Secret deodorants, but I like Lady Speed Stick too. Really when it comes to deciding what to get, I end up basing it on the scent. I like to try different scents sometimes, but sometimes I'm in the mood for no scent. I always get the solid stick kind, and not the clear ones because they don't work well on me.

5. Monistat Chafing Relief Powder Gel: I got this because I heard it was good for a face primer. It has been compared to Smashbox's Face Primer, but it is a cheaper alternative. It took me awhile to find this, but I think I finally found it in the Feminine section of Walmart. It was cheap, but it was hard to find. I think it worked good as a primer. I would repurchase it. I am currently using up the primer I already have. Right now I'm using a L'Oreal BB Cream, but I like the Monistat Chafing Relief better than the BB Cream. And I'm pretty sure it was cheaper.

6. Clean and Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser: This is my all-time favorite face cleanser. My dermatologist recommended I get a face wash with benzoyl peroxide in it. The only cleanser I have been able to find with that in it, is this by Clean and Clear. When I ran out of it and I went to the store to get it again, I was horrified to not be able to find it. I went to several different stores and still couldn't find it. I thought they might have stopped making it. And I still couldn't find a cleanser with benzoyl peroxide in it, so I was going to call my doctor about it. Someone suggested that I ask an employee if they could order it for me. I normally don't do that, so I felt shy about it for some reason. I got up the nerve and asked the lady at Walgreens if they could order it, and she was very friendly and helpful about ordering it. It didn't take long for it to be available. So when I found it again, I got several of them just in case I ran out. I love this stuff. And it helps get rid of acne. It works for my skin, anyway.

7. Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover: I'm starting to notice a pattern with these products. Has anyone else notice the packaging is all purple?! Hmmm...I wonder why that is so. Anyway, this is my favorite product to use to remove my eye makeup. It never stings, and doesn't leave an oil residue. It is more expensive than other eye makeup removers you can find in the drugstore, but I like the way this one works the best. I have repurchased this.

8. Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer Ultra Light Formula: I found this at Walmart. I liked this face primer. There is also a purple version that gives a luminescent glow. I'm thinking about getting that the next time I need a face primer. I liked this just as much as the Smashbox Primer, the Benefit primer, and the Monistat Chafing Relief Gel. It isn't expensive either. The L'Oreal BB Cream that I'm using as a primer right now, isn't as good as the Hard Candy one. I definitely recommend the Hard Candy Primer.

9. Too Faced Shadow Insurance: This is hands down my favorite eye primer I have tried. I have really oily eye lids, and this does a good job priming my eyes and keeping the eyeshadow on for a long time and keeping it pigmented. I have tried lots of different eye primers. I like the Urban Decay primer too, but the Too Faced one seemed to work better. I tried the Palladio one, you can get at Sally's Beauty Supply Stores. That didn't work as well. I have also tried the Elf one. It's not as good. I have recently purchased the NYX eye primer, so I still have to try that out. I have eye primers I still have to use before I will repurchase the Too Faced one again. But I still find it my favorite of them all. You need to make sure you put this on first, when putting on your makeup, so you can let it dry on your lids before putting on your eye makeup. I will put this on my lids and then do my face makeup, so it has a chance to dry on my lids. Then I put my eye makeup on. I don't remember where I heard this tip, but the primer works better when you allow it to dry.

10. Rembrandt Whitening Toothpaste for Canker Sores: This is my favorite toothpaste and the only one that I get. When I use a different toothpaste, I get canker sores! Maybe my mouth is addicted to it. I'm not sure. I have to repurchase this, so I don't get canker sores. If you have a problem with it, I would recommend this toothpaste.

Let me know, if you thought this post was helpful. Comment below if you have an empties blog post. I liked doing this. I will save my empties, and probably do another empties post. It may take a long time though.

Beach Makeup

I just came back from Cannon Beach, Oregon. It was so beautiful. Here are some pictures:

This is Haystack Rock. There are tons of little rocks around it and tide pools. This is my favorite beach to go to.

I love going to the beach. The sound of the waves is so relaxing.

Here is one of the tide pools. There were so many starfish! I haven't seen so many before. They were lying on the sand too! Tons of them and lots of different colors too.

I had a list of beach makeup tutorials from youtube that I brought with me to try out. I only had three that I ended up really liking. I wanted to share them with you. I put the name and a link to the video, who did it, what makeup they used, and what makeup I used. Sometimes I used the same thing. These are also good looks to wear in hot weather in general. It is really hot in Oregon right now, so I've been still wearing my beach makeup looks.

1. Beach/Pool Makeup by xteeener http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk3lmGy7jsw
a. Eye Primer: I used Too Faced Shadow Insurance.
b. Eye Liner only upper lashes: I used Prestige Waterproof Automatic Eyeliner in Sepia.
c. Covergirl Eye Enhancers in Shimmering Sands, middle shade on eyelid
d. Mascara only to top lashes: Maybelline One By One Volume' Express Waterproof
e. Soft Lips has SPF
My Thoughts: It is natural, but it brings out my eyes.

2. Beach Make-Up - Brights by lisaeldridgedotcom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGRVgTcSBaU
a. Sunblock: I used Neutrogena Ultimate Sport Sunblock Lotion SPF 70+.
b. Concealer: I used Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Roller in the lightest shade. You can use whatever concealer works best for you.
c. Blotting Paper instead of Powder: I used powder because it works best for me. Bare Minerals Mineral Veil
d. Waterproof Eyeliner on top lashes: Again I used Prestige Waterproof Automatic Eyeliner in Sepia.
e. Waterproof Mascara: Same as above tutorial.
f. Cheek Tint on Cheeks and Lips Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Poppy Red: I couldn't find this in the store. I got Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Coral Camelia which is very pretty.
My Thoughts: This is like the last look except better because it adds natural color to my cheeks and lips.

Beach Day Look (from start to finish) Get Ready With Me TAG from ThatsHeart http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoJIGKdWIR8
a. Sunblock
b. Lip Balm with SPF
c. BB Cream: L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream in Fair
d. Powder
e. Mascara
f. Benefit Posie Tint for Lips and Cheeks: I don't have this so I used what I had that was a soft, peony pink. PixiGlow Magic Think Tint in Happy Thoughts Pink for my lips and NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural for my cheeks.
g. Bronzer lightly dust on face: Mac Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Medium Deep
h. Finishing Spray: Elf Makeup Mist & Set
My Thoughts: It's natural and pretty.

Overall, I like the looks that have sunblock on face and lips. The Covergirl Shimmering Sands is a great way to wear eyeshadow without looking silly, like you have too much makeup on. I also really like the Prestige liner. It is good to wear waterproof liner and mascara. Also, wearing a stain on the lips and cheeks is good so it will last. With these looks I never looked like I had on too much makeup. I just looked nice and fit for the beach.

July Favorites

1. Revlon Scented Parfume Nail Enamel in Strawberry Cream: I love the color and when you put these on your nails and it dries it smells like strawberries! I read somewhere not to put a top coat on it or it will lose the smell. I loved this polish so much, I kept reapplying it as it wore off.

2. Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy in Strong Lengths Shampoo and Conditioner: I kept seeing the commercials for this and I finally caved in and bought them. I got them at Walmart and it was inexpensive. They clear your hair at the roots. My hair has been getting longer, so I feel like it works. It is good for someone with fine hair and their roots can get clogged from hair products.

3. Living Proof Nourishing Styling Cream: I got this as a sample from my June Glam Bag. It was a big sample sized product. I only use a small amount in my hair. It says, "stops frizz, period. weightlessly blocks humidity, smooths and conditions, no heavy silicones or oils." It works really well. This is my go to anti-frizz product of the moment.

4. Got2b Guardian Angel Flat Iron Balm: I use this on my hair before I straighten it. I heard about it through people on Youtube who had it in their favorite products of the months video. It has a 425 degrees Fahrenheit heat protection on it.

5. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunblock SPF 100+: This is the highest sunblock I have found in the stores. I wanted to be extra sure I wasn't going to get a sunburn when I go to the beach. Don't spray this on your face. I did, and my lips I think had an allergic reaction. They got very numb, and the only thing on my face was this sunblock.

6. Jordana Fabuliner Liquid Eye Liner in Brown: This is my all-time favorite liquid liner. It is so easy to use. It has such a fine point. It is also inexpensive. I found it in Walgreens.

7. Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in Brown: This is a very pigmented eye liner. I like to use this on the waterline and tight line. I don't like it so much to line my eyes because it is a very thick texture, it's ok if you want to smudge it out, but if you want a precise line it is hard to do with this.

8. Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze: This is talked about a lot on Youtube videos, I've noticed. People use this a lot in their tutorials. I brought this with me when I went camping this month, and I just used this on my eyes. My eyes are oily, but this product stays well on me. It has a pretty color too. My swatch doesn't do it justice.

9. NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Glow: I love this color for blush. It is a corally-pink color. I used this camping. It looks pretty.

This is where you get the cheek tint.

This is where you get the lip gloss.

10. Pixi Succulent Lip Twin in Coral Camelia: This is another pretty pink, coral color. You can wear this on your cheeks or lips. I took this camping with me too. I heard about through Lisa Elridge, one of my favorite makeup artists on Youtube.

11. Wet 'n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection In Comfort Zone: I really love Wet 'n Wild eyeshadows. I think they wear well, they are inexpensive, and they make great dupes. This is a great palette.