Marissa's favorite makeup products

Chelsea wrote such an awesome blog post about her favorite (most used) makeup products yesterday, that I decided to write my own post with MY favorite beauty products as well! 

To start off with, I shall talk about the makeup items that I use on my face:

It's a cult classic! Gotta love the good ole Smashbox photo finish primer. I have the travel size because I recently went to the San Marcos Premium outlets and they had a set called "Try It Kit" which I purchased. I wanted to re-familiarize myself with this product because it had been a while since I've used it. I LOVE IT. It's so smooth and makes your foundation apply so evenly. I only use it over fine lines and rough patches, so it gives my skin a wonderful even texture. 

Go to foundation. Love, love. I agree with everything Chelsea said about this foundation. But.... she and I are a shade apart in skin tone so I can go to the counter and buy another bottle whenever I want, so it helps being a shade darker! 

For blemishes, this is my favorite concealer. It's so pigmented and it sets so well. AND YOU GET SO MUCH IN THE BOTTLE, score! 

Under eye concealer can be hard to find because you don't want something chalky, drying, or thin. This is the perfect coverage and consistency, so yeah. It's awesome. 

Hahaha! I need a new one soon, but it's an awesome finishing powder. Rimmel knows how to make their powders!

   

To set all of the makeup in place, I use my Urban Decay de-slick setting spray. Lord, I just love this stuff! I use it before and after my foundation when I know I'll be out all day. I use it on brides, I use it on about anybody's face because it is just so darn humid in the south! The last thing you want is your makeup breaking down...

 

EYES

In that same Smashbox try it kit, I got this primer in it, and I have to say, it's pretty thick! I really like it thought. It has a slight correcting tint to it, so if I ever decide to go without eyeshadow (whaaaa??) it covers up any fine veins on the eyelid. No creasing, so it's great!

My most used eye palettes for everyday are definitely my Urban Decay Naked basics palette, Wet n wild's walking on eggshells, and silent treatment. So I have pretty much everything I need. Mattes, shimmers, base colors, contours, and liner shadows. I adore all three of these! Plus, their all compact so they're travel friendly. 

Most used cream eyeshadow goes the Maybelline's 24hr Color Tatoo in Barely Beige. I'm wearing this right now, because I'm having a lazy makeup day. ;-) 

If you haven't tried the Scandeleyes liners from Rimmel yet, finish reading this blog post and go out and buy one right now! They're so creamy, waterproof, and long lasting. Rimmel was truly smart web they decided to release a cream color, because its perfect for the waterline. If you're tired, and need to look like you got  a full 8 hours of sleep, use this and BAM you're awake! 

Love it. I use this whenever I'm wearing a flick or a cat eye at my outer corners.  But I'm interested in trying a new black liquid liner. What's your favorite liquid liner? Suggest one to me! 

Volume, separation, and length in a pretty colored tube! What more can I say? 

Okay, here it is everyone! The Milani brow tint pen in Dark Brown is so good,  I can't live without this! Well... Maybe I can. I love my Anastasia brow wiz in brunette, but this is so much quicker to work with and very long lasting. I actually used it on the hottest day at the Van's Warped Tour and it didn't fade one bit! Over the top I use my clear brow gel from Anastasia, which is like glue. So awesome.

The two lip products I reach for the most is my Rimmel lipstick in Pink Chic and my Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya. Both have a glossy finish with no shimmer, which makes very happy. They fade nicely, pink chic more so than juicy papaya, but I like them because I don't have to wear a lip gloss over the top. 

Last thing! My lip butter from Korres in guava is what I use every night before bed. If I don't use this, my lips will crack in the night. :-(

I hope this was enjoyable to read! If you can suggest any products that would make me goo goo gaga over, please comment about them!

Until next time,

Marissa 

Chelsea's "Go to" Products of the Moment

I've been itching to blog about a haul really bad lately but I just haven't had the opportunity to purchase any new products lately, aside from the boring necessities. So I was brainstorming all day thinking of what I could share with everyone that would be helpful if your looking to update your makeup collection. So I thought I'd share with you my favorite products I've reaching reaching for a lot lately. After all, what better way to get someone interested in something than by telling them how much you like it? So whether you're in the market for just a new mascara or you want to update your whole makeup drawer (or drawers if you're like me :P), I genuinely hope you find this post helpful in your hunt for new makeup! 

In no particular order I'm just going to list each product, it's picture, and a description of what I use it for and what I think of it. 

DISCLAIMER: This post may be a bit long but I prefer to hear proper descriptions so I like to give proper descriptions :)

The first product is my LORAC Pro Palette. Words can't even express my love for this palette! Oh my goodness it's the bombdiggity. I got mine at Ulta back in March I do believe and I've never looked back! The moment I opened it I fell in love with the soft, buttery textures. Each shadow is so unbelievably pigmented, it's crazy! It has sixteen shadows, half of them are matte and half are shimmer/metallic. I've used this palette in conjunction with other products every time I've done my makeup ever since I bought it, no exaggeration. Enough said, moving on!

My next favorite is the much talked about original Naked palette by Urban Decay. This is just an all around pretty palette! It comes with twelve shadows, all aside from two are either shimmer or metallic in texture. I use this a ton on clients along with my LORAC palette. The two matte shades in the palette are "Naked" and "Buck"

I actually use both of these colors to define my eyebrows! I use Buck at the bottom of my brows to add extra dimension and I use Naked everywhere else. They also make wonderful transition colors. 

While we're on the subject of eyebrows, this is the tinted brow gel from Anastasia in the color Brunette I also have the colors Caramel and Granite. This is awesome for adding extra depth to your brows and it works to keep unruly brow hairs in place all day! I usually use the gels on top of powder to set my brows in place but I also find them a lifesaver when I'm in a mad rush but I just need something to make my eyebrows existent on my face! Just comb through and go!

I alternate between a ton of different primers but I always come back to this one by Laura Geller. I'm not really sure why. I tend to go for more of the silicone based ones but this one is more of a gel-like consistency and I actually really like that. I find my makeup separates less on my face throughout the day with this primer unlike with the more silicone ones. Don't be fooled by the name! It feels really lightweight on the skin, not thick at all like the name would lead you to believe.  

THIS FOUNDATION. Seriously. I've been repurchasing this guy off and on for at least four years! One of my dear friends got me hooked on this foundation. For a while I wasn't using it because Estée Lauder makeup counters stopped selling my shade! Can you imagine how sad I was? So it was exactly a year ago this month I decided to check out the Cosmetic Company Outlet at the Premium Outlets to see if they had my color. And low and behold they did! Needless to say, I stocked up on those bad boys! I bought two that day, two more when I went back in December and one more just last week. It's that awesome. It's a medium to full coverage foundation that stays put all day. What I really love about it is that when I put it on I can trust it's going to stay on my face and look great throughout the day with little to no touch ups. And also, even though you can get a full coverage look, it still looks like skin. My freckles still show through and everything. It's crazy how it works. The only negative thing is that it does tend to cling to dry patches, so I would avoid using this foundation if you have really dry skin. 

I have Emily Eddington from YouTube to thank for getting me into this little guy. This is such an interesting product. I'm not quite sure how to explain it really. It's a twist up tube with this stick of formula that turns emollient when it makes contact with the skin. 

This is what it looks like. This is not a moisturizer, I repeat, not a moisturizer! On days when I feel particularly dry I use this AFTER I've moisturized, on any areas that need extra moisture, before I apply my primer or foundation. I find that it gives my skin a smoother texture. It also works great on pesky dry patches! But once again, I would only use this for the daytime before makeup application. If you have severe dryness I would use a much heavier duty product. 

My favorite under eye concealer is the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. I broke down and bought this a while back after hearing everyone from the beauty community say how amazing this product was and boy, am I glad I listened to everyone! I only wish I had gotten it sooner! It blends effortlessly and covers up my dark circles like no ones business!

This is Collection's Lasting Perfection concealer. I was really trying my hardest not to include this in my favorites because it's not available in the US :((( I couldn't resist though! As you can tell by the packaging this is extremely well loved by me. I use this to cover up an spots or blemishes on my face and they practically disappear and it stays all day! I'm going to be terribly sad when I finish this tube. Nothing compares to this little beauty. 

My favorite setting powder is hands down Rimmel's Stay Matte powder. This is just the translucent one but they do have actual shades from the line. As you can see from the wear and tear, I use this every time I apply makeup. I just love it! It sets my makeup, improves foundation wear time, and it's under five bucks!

Highlighters are another thing I alternate with a lot. But I've been using Lightscapade by MAC a lot lately and I've been enjoying it a lot. I use it just at the tops of my cheekbones and I find that it adds such a gorgeous but natural glow to my face. It's not an obnoxious highlight at all. 

I have two blush favorites because there's no way I could pick just one. Blush is one of favorite beauty products! This first one is Coralista from Benefit. Mine is a little baby one from one of their value sets. This is such a gorgeous color! A peachy color with a hint of pink. It has a satin finish to it so it leaves the skin with a healthy glow. This is a great spring and summer shade but I'll probably use it a little in the cooler months too ;)

The second blush is Frankly Scarlet by MAC. It looks utterly frightening, I know, but if applied correctly, it is the prettiest blush! This is so extremely pigmented it looks almost unused. The way I apply it is I just barely tap my brush in the product and buff the brush on the back of my hand and whatever is left on the brush is enough for both my cheeks! The result, your cheeks have a perfect flushed look, no one would suspect it's actually makeup. 

MAC's Harmony blush has been my favorite contouring product for over a year now. I use other products occasionally but nothing compares to this long time favorite! My favorite thing about it is that it has zero traces of any orange which doesn't compliment my skin tone very well. 

My favorite eyelid primer has been this LORAC Behind the Scenes eye primer that actually came with my Pro Palette. I've found that it keeps my shadow in place longer than the UD Primer Potion! I may have to buy I full size when I run out!

I also have two mascara favorites because I'm a mascara junkie! I hopped on the Cover Girl Clump Crusher bandwagon a couple months back because once again, EVERYONE was raving about it. I bought the original formula first and loved it, then I bought the water resistant formula (shown in the photo) for the summer/long days when I want my mascara to hold up. As much as I like this one, I would suggest getting the regular formula because this one isn't water resistant at all. I've found it actually comes off easier than the regular formula. However, both formulas stand really well against smudging and annoying mascara transfer. 

My second mascara fave is the Clinique Lash Power mascara. I use this mainly for my bottom lashes or on top of a mascara that smudges easily. This is a tubing mascara so it stays in place like  nothing else until it's removed with warm water. This is the same formula as the Bottom Lash Mascara by Clinique the only difference, other than price, is that the brush is longer with this one. 

Lastly, my two favorite lip colors! The fact that they're from the same brand and line is purely coincidental but I do really like Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains. The first color, Honey, is a very flattering mauve that looks like my lips but better. The second color, Lovesick, is a bright pink with a tad of glitter in it but not too much. I like to wear this one to bring attention to my face when I'm not wearing much on my eyes besides mascara. It's flattering to my skin tone, makes my eyes pop, and makes my teeth look white! 

Here's a swatch of each color. Honey looks brown next to the bright pink Lovesick but I assure you, it's not. 

Well that wraps up my go to makeup products of the moment! If you made it this far down, I immensely appreciate that you took the time to read this. If you have any questions about any of the products I talked about or any products in general just leave a comment below or tweet me @chelseabmckay :) What's your "go to" product right now? Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you think of them! 

-Chelsea