January 2015 Ipsy Glam Bag

Hello beauties! 

It's that time of the month again - another Glam bag is here! This month's theme is "Fresh Start". Very appropriate for the new year! Here are the things I received :

The bag itself has two colors - one side is blue, and the other side is white. It is textured, and seems to be quite durable!

Here's the breakdown of the products:

Probelle Nail Laquer in Into the Blue - This shade reminds me of the time I went through a blue nail polish phase when I was younger hahah! I love the color, and will definitely use it in the springtime.

Pacifica Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow in Ethreal -  This is a very pretty iridescent color, perfect to use on the brown bone, or on the inner corners of your eyes (and yes, Pacifical claims that there is real coconut infused in the eyeshadow).

Eco - Beauty by La Fresh Group Moisturizer - I love the fact that this isn't the typical sample packet, in which you tear open the corner and there is no way to seal it if there is more product left in there. This one conveniently has a lid in which you put back on when you are done.. excuse my excitement, I've just never come across this before LOL! This cream is made without all of the bad junk found in other products.

BellaPierre Cosmetics Shimmer Powder in Celebration - This is a beautiful golden copper loose pigment.

Elizabeth Mott All Over Shadow Brush - This brush is seriously soft, and dense! Can't wait to use it!

I have to say, I'm very please with this month's bag! Did you get the same items as I did? 

My 2014 Beauty Favorites

Hello beauties! Am I the only one baffled at how fast time is flying?! I can't believe that it is 2015! I figured I would do a post showing you all of my favorite products of 2014. Some of these items are actually holy grail status for me - but I'll eventually show you what all of my holy grail products are in a different post.

Favorite Primers/Tinted Moisturizer/Foundation:

Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer - I received this when I attended Generation Beauty in LA, and I'm so glad I got one! I use this primer for everyday use. Works great, and holds my makeup well throughout the day.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer - This primer is amazing! Foundation glides on effortlessly, and this stuff feels like silk when applied. I only use this primer when I'm applying makeup before a night out or for special occasions, because it's so expensive - which is the only downside of this product. I get the $18 travel sized bottle (regular sized bottle is $52).

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Annapurna - This is what I use on my face pretty much everyday. Quick and effortless!

MUFE HD Foundation - This foundation makes my skin look flawless and has been my tried and true for quite a while now. I tend to only use this when I am going out at night, or when I need good coverage when I have redness/breakouts.

Favorite Eye Products:

Too Faced Chocolate Bar - I found myself reaching out for this palette quite often. I use mostly neutral shades during the day due to my job, and this palette has the perfect combination of neutral colors. The fact that the eyeshadows smell like actual chocolate is a plus :)

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara -  Love this high end mascara. Doesn't make my lashes look clumpy and doesn't flake on me either.  This isn't waterproof though, so be careful if you're a cryer LOL.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara - As you can see, this mascara has been threw it! Used and abused. This mascara does wonders for my eyelashes, seriously. Lengthens, separates, makes them look naturally fabulous. Best drugstore mascara for me!

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion - I have purchased countless tubes of this stuff. Eyeshadow will not crease or move all day, and makes the eyeshadow color appear more vibrant.

Inglot Eyeliner Gel #77 - This eyeliner is pretty darn black, just the way I like it! Once it dries, this will not budge.

Favorite Concealers:

Maybelline FIT Concealer in Sand - I use this concealer to highlight under my eyes, forehead, bridge of my nose, cupid's bow, chin. This is a great dupe for the next concealer I'm going to mention next...

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard - Love this stuff! I use this just the same as I would with the Maybelline one. I find that this one is a bit thicker than the FIT concealer.

L.A. Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer in Medium Beige -  This concealer is more my skin color (although for some reason it looks a bit darker in this picture). Hides imperfections impressively well, and is comparable to MAC's Pro Longwear concealer (which I used to use all of the time before I ran out and purchased this).

Favorite Contour/Bronzer Products:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit -  As you can see, this kit is used daily. All the colors I need to create my contour is in there, as well as the powder shade I use to set the highlight I created with concealer.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - It was a close tie between my NARS bronzer in Laguna and this one. I chose this one at the end because it is a matte bronzer (although I love my NARS one a lot). It doesn't make you look muddy, nor orangey, and can also be used to contour.

Favorite Blushes:

MAC Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul (left) - I abuse this blush almost everyday, and it barely has a dent on it. The mineralized blushes last forever! It gives me a perfect bronzy/rosy color and I find that  this blush works with pretty much any look you are going for. Complements many, if not all, skin colors.

MAC Peaches (right)- This is a matte - and as the name of it states - a peach color. Love the way this color compliments my skin tone.

Favorite Highlighters:

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Opal - Obsessed. Love the glow it gives! It is very finely milled, and a little bit goes a long way.

Too Faced Candlelight Glow - This truly gives you a candlelight glow. Makes you look healthy and radiant all day long, without chunky bits of glitter.

Favorite Lip Products:

 

MAC Lipstick in Lovelorn (left) - The perfect, everyday soft pink lipstick. This is a lustre finish which is hydrating and gives off a subtle sheen without having to put gloss over it. 

MAC Lipstick in Shy Girl (middle) - One of my go to nude lipsticks. I wear this on it's own, or I pair it up with MAC lipliner in Spice. 

MAC Lipstick in Modesty (right) - This one is such a pretty color, and would work on SO many skin tones. Its a nude, but not quite brown, and not quite pink. It's perfectly in the middle - if you don't own this, please do yourself a favor! 

That concludes my favorites! What were some of your 2014 favorite beauty products?

Ulta Christmas Haul

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season :)

For one of my Christmas gifts, I received a gift card for Ulta since my boyfriend is pretty much clueless when it comes to makeup hahah! I gladly went online and did some shopping. It was hard for me to narrow down what I wanted, but here is what I ended up with!

Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium - I am running low on my L.A. Girl concealer- and I really do love it, but I have heard great things about this one and I'm curious to try it out. 

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlights - I have mentioned this before, but I love highlighters. I own the Becca Pressed Shimmer Powder in Opal and I'm obsessed! I've never tried the liquid ones before, and since these are the travel sized liquid version, I decided to give it a go. The three shades in order from left to right are Pearl, Champagne Gold, and Opal.

Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette - This is part of Tarte's spring collection. All of the shades are matte and seem pretty easy to dupe, but I don't have some shades in my collection.

Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection #301 Contour Brush - I own some of the regular Real Techniques brushes, and I find them to be of great quality. Sam and Nic have released a luxury line of Real Technique brushes, and since the regular version has never disappointed, I wanted to try out the high end version. These brushes are weighted, metallic, and sleek looking. I don't have a flat contouring brush so I went ahead and got this one.  That concludes this little Ulta haul. I was debating on making this a "What I got for Christmas" post, but decided on just focusing on what I got at Ulta, although I will mention the other goodies - I received a 5 drawer Alex storage from Ikea, since the one I currently own had no more space in it. I also got a Diva Ring Light (you can see the reflection of it on the RT brush!) I am so excited about that!  Is there anything from this haul that you would like to see me review in the next few weeks? Let me know!