Nivea Men Post Shave Balm

Hello there, fellow makeup addicts! I'm back and I want to tell you about one of my new Holy Grail makeup items. Many people I talk to seem to not know that priming your face before makeup actually helps the longevity of it. Surprisingly, I didn't know this either until I entered the world of /r/mua, about 3 or 4 years ago. Unfortunately, there are so many primers out there, I feel you have to just keep trying different ones until you find the right one. (yay! for sephora samples!!)

Primers range from all sorts of prices and brands. It all comes down to if it fits your skin type, the rest of your makeup routine and most importantly, your budget. My first primer was Lorac's POREfection Mattifying Face Primer which runs at $32 for 1.7oz. I was completely in love with this primer, enough to buy it multiple times, even though at the end of the day I would still end up oily. I used this up until last month when I finally ran out and it was time for a new bottle.

After testing out the MUFE and Becca matte primer with no luck, I finally decided on taking the plunge and getting the Nivea Men's Sensitive Post Shave Balm. I was extremely skeptical of this, one because I thought, would it work with my oily skin? And is it actually as good as people say? but, the answer is, Yes! There will be a more detailed post coming up in my updated makeup routine, but to put it very simple, about $6 depending on where you buy it, for a whole 3.3 fl oz.

This product does have a slight "mens" scent, however, it does go away after applying foundation. I do recommend trying this how, but I will say that using this as a primer is not for everyone, as I mention before, you'll just have to give it a try to know.

Lipstick Swatches and Mini Review Pt. 2

Part two, because I didn't realize just how many lip products I had. Sadly, this still isn't all of them. Most of these I don't wear nearly as often as I do the others in part one. On to the swatches!!!

KAT VON D BACKSTAGE BAMI is a matte pink. If you ever want a "Hey look at my face" lip color, this is it. Backstage Bambi can look very different depending on who is wearing it. This is a liquid lipstick, meaning you apply it like lipgloss and it dries matte. The KVD line is one of the easiest to work with in my opinion. Also, it will stay all day. The downside? it will stay tomorrow and the next as well. Well, not unless you scrub your lips until they fall off... just kidding... not really... 

HOURGLASS ICON is a matte red. Another liquid lipstick, this one is a little harder to apply, if you don't get it right the first time then you're gonna have some nice uneven lips! This one definitely looks more like a stain than a lipstick. 

STILA DOLCE is a matte pale nude. I know a lot of people love Stila's liquid lipsticks but I just can't get over how bad the formula is, its like it never completely dries and its very sticky. This color gave me a nice "I'm dead and have no lips" look, even though it looks quite normal in this picture.

STILA SONYA is a dusty wine. I really love the formula of this lipstick, its creamy without being too much. Even though this color looks like a normal lipstick, when I wear it I feel like I'm wearing a neon green. Just too normal for me.

BUXOM MENACE is a "rich wine". Wearing it for this picture is most likely the last time I wear this lipstick. Not because its a bad lipstick, but because it decided to live no more and broke. Even when it wasn't broken I didn't wear it though, only because I have so many like this color. Nothing about it really made want to wear it more than the others.

REVLON SIREN is a coral with light shimmer. I've worn this for a total of two times. Once, because I was feeling brave and the second time was for this picture. There is something about orange that I feel doesn't look good on my lips against my skin tone. I wish I could wear oranges though, they're so pretty. Formula wise, this isn't something that I prefer, it feels like it just slides all over the place.

REVLON BLACK CHERRY is basically a darkened cherry. There are so many things I hate about this lipstick. One, its way too creamy, like you feel like you have ten layers of lipstick with one swipe. Two, its so patchy despite being really creamy. Three, I dont remember the other reasons.

COVERGIRL DIVINE is a semi matte orchid. Before getting into lipsticks, or makeup at all really, I used to wear red only. Then I got this color, I thought it was way to bright pink for me. I don't know if its supposed to be matte, but it is, and it has really good staying power. This lipstick definitely holds a place near and dear to my heart. Without it, I'd still be wearing red.

MILANI CANDIED TOFFEES is a frosty copper. Milani lipsticks smell like baby wipes, which is my main concern about this lipstick. When purchasing, I had no idea that it was going to be a frost. Its okay, not something that I like to wear. I feel like it makes me look 10 years older than I am.

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE COSMETICS (OCC) BLACK DAHLIA is a deep wine. I should have made these lip tars a post all together, but, what the heck. Personally, I apply these with a doe foot applicator if I'm wearing it straight from the tube. Some people feel doe foot applicators wastes a lot of product and would rather use a brush, its all about preference.  These can be a little drying, which is why I rarely wear them straight from the tube. This color was my first experience with dark colors and lip tars, I fell in love instantly. Black Dahlia is one color I know can look completely different on different people.

OCC STALKER is a classic red. My lip tar obsession grew, so I kept getting more. Then I realized, wearing these straight from the tube is pretty high maintenance. You have to be very careful of what you do, and bring it along to reapply if needed. 

OCC VINTAGE is a brick red. Despite the picture, it has a touch more brown to it. Again, these can be very drying straight from the tube.

OCC MELANGE is a coral-y nude. I love this color because its coral enough to make me feel like I'm wearing an orange but nude enough to not be scared of it. This color is a little harder to use, for me, since my lips are somewhat dark. 

OCC STRUMPET is a very purple pink... so magenta? This was so hard to take a picture of and get its true color, it kept coming out red. This was the only picture that showed its true color. I feel like this color is a color everyone should have. Especially if you don't wear too many different colors. It's in between normal and taking you down that road to bright pink.

OCC FEATHERED is white. What I love about lip tars is that, there is almost every color you can think of. If theres not, then you can mix them up and make it! I didn't buy this white to wear on its own. Its purpose was to make my own colors. I really wanted a certain blue and purple at that moment and creating it myself what the only way to get it.

OCC TARRED is black. So, if you leave your lip tars laying in your lipstick drawer with out touching them for months, they kind of start separating. Some mix well than others, Tarred and Feathered are worst, in my experience. I spent a good twenty minutes mixing and shaking this tube and when applying it still separated on my lips. Although, if you get a good tube to start off with this black is the blackest black to ever black.

OCC ANIME is a bright blue pink. I love this color so much, but I always tell myself no when I think about purchasing a full size. Only because I have a few others that look just like it and are 100x easier to apply. 

OCC RX is blue. This is another one that I have that separates constantly. It can look so much better than this, just make sure if you do buy a lip tar that the color isn't already separating. 

OCC TECHNOPAGAN is a dark purple with blue shimmer. This happens to be my new love. Its just so amazing. It doesn't quite show the true color in picture, but, if you haven't tried this then head to sephora right now! When would I possibly wear this? I dont know, but it needs to be in my life forever and ever.

OCC VAIN is a dark teal. I completely forgot to take a close up picture of this, so here is my face. This is almost the blue I've been wanting, but just as beautiful.

The way I wear my lip tars is mixing them with lip balm, I think its a perfect alternative. Now that I'm finished writing about all the lipsticks I swatched, I keep thinking of all the other lipsticks I forgot. Like, how do i forget those! Thank you for taking the time to read this. This is all how I feel, personally, about these lip products. I know there are some people that have different experiences with them. Plus, stay tuned for a surprise I have coming soon!

Lipstick Swatches and Mini Review Pt. 1

Hello again! I was recently looking for some lipstick swatches and I realized that there aren't too many for people with dark skin. So, I pulled out my lipstick drawer and got started. I wasn't able to do all of them because after a few it felt like my lips were going to fall off.  Also, I want to add that the sun kept hiding behind the clouds, changing how a few pictures looked. So, sorry about that.

MAC HAUTECORE is a matte black. This was part of the LE Punk Couture line. I wear it when I'm home bored because I don't have the guts to wear it out yet. It is a little patchy and doesn't have the same drying feeling as normal matte lipsticks.

MAC STUDDED KISS is a matte brick red. Also part of the Punk Couture line. I only wear this with a liner because it is very patchy. Also doesn't feel like other mattes.

MAC PUNK COUTURE is a matte a dark plum. I rarely wear this because its it patchier than the others. Even with a liner I cannot get it to look normal.

MAC RUSSIAN RED is a matte classic blue red. If I wear this lipstick I feel so fancy. I dont know what it is. I love it. Also, it lasts a very long time.

MAC FILM NOIR is a matte reddish brown. Although you can see a lot of red in this picture, its mainly due to watching Russian Red before. This is mentioned in one of my top favorite lipsticks, and it still is. I am definitely ready to wear this 24/7.

MAC FLAT OUT FABULOUS is a matte blue-ish pink. One of my go to lipsticks. I can't help it, I don't know how I lived without it. Its just so amazing, you need it.

MAC TAUPE is a matte ... nude? I'm not sure. Peachy brown? This easily became my favorite nude. I had been looking for a matte nude for such a long time and finally came across this. I am SOO glad I did. 

MAC TOUCH is a "Lustre" reddish creamy brown. I love lustres because they give me that "barely there" look that I do too often. This was my go to nude, until I longed for a matte. I do, however, prefer this finish in the spring/summer. It usually looks a little less red, but my lips were super stained by this point. 

MAC CREME IN YOUR COFFEE is a "Creamsheen" mauve-like lipstick. Depending on what time of the year it is, this lipstick can be a MLBB. I don't reach for this as often as I used to, unless I really want that "I want you to think I'm hardly wearing makeup" look.

MAC GODDESS OF THE SEA is a "creamsheen" creamy berry. The only reason I bought this is because it was limited edition and my MAC counter still had a handful in stock. It is a great color though. 

MAC VIVA GLAM RIHANNA is a frost blue red. I think I liked the packaging more than the lipstick itself. I just read that its a frost... not what I imagined a frost lipstick would be like. It does have gold shimmer, but its not too noticeable unless your two inches away from my face looking for it. 

BITE BEAUTY POMEGRANATE is another classic red. I think the Bite pencils are hydrating. They are neither matte nor glossy. I don't really reach for this one because it looks so similar to my other red lipsticks and I'm scared of finishing it.

BITE BEATY RHUBARB is another mauve like color. Also a MLBB. Again, I dont tend to reach for this because I'm scared of finishing it. This has a very matte look to it and a very creamy feel. I want 100 of these to sit in a drawer so I can never use them from being too scared. This is one of the few colors that I carry around with me in my purse for "just in case".

MAKEUP FOREVER (MUFE) ROUGE ARTIST INTENSE 15 is a metallic purple. I want to love this color so bad. Its SOO beautiful but equally patchy. I always put this on but get frustrated with the patchiness and take it off, but when I sit home alone, I wear it all day. Another thing that keeps me from wearing this brand is the smell... they unfortunately have that smell of foundation when foundation smells.

MUFE ROUGE ARTIST N9 another mauve-y color. Less opaque than the others though. Not patchy like the 15. I don't use this one at all really, because I cannot handle the smell.

MUFE ROUGE ARTIST N45 is a sheer red. This looks more like a tinted balm. A little patchy, not unbearable. Again, it smells too much to wear.

WET N WILD CHERRY PICKING is a matte dark magenta. These WnW lipsticks are probably my favorite drugstore lipstick ever. Like, I feel like everyone should try these out, because not only are they affordable but, they are really amazing lipsticks.

WNW STOPLIGHT RED semi-matte blue red. For not wearing red that often I have a lot of reds. I think that lately its between Russian Red and this one though.

WNW MOCHALICIOUS is a matte reddish light brown. If Film Noir and Taupe had a baby, it would be this. This is was made me want Taupe. I love the darkness of this but wanted a nude a little lighter.

WNW MOCHALICIOUS + JUST PEACHY. Just peachy is a very light peach color that is extremely pastel looking on me. So I wear it over mochalicious, just lightly dabbed in the middle.

URBAN DECAY TURN ON is a creamy light pink. I bought this because I wanted something that I didn't have. I don't think I hate a lipstick more than this one, only because the way it looks on me. Its such a pretty color but, it is also too pastel and it makes me feel clownish.

UD VENOM is a deep plum with fuchsia shimmer. I don't know what happened to application in this picture but apparently I threw it out the window. This was my first mid range lipstick. It feels so nice and creamy but not too creamy.. like just enough cream... hahah.

UD ANARCHY is a bright blue pink. When I first got this lipstick I could not get enough. Like, when I die, this is the lipstick I want to be wearing. As much as I love it, it does take a little more effort to wear. Without liner it starts to seep out of your lip line. Also, wearing this, you'll have nicely stained lips for a day or two after.

Recent 2014 Purchases!

WOW! It's barely the middle of the first month of the year and I feel like I've been shopping every day! I've gotten some pretty awesome stuff, some of which I have been using every day and others I have yet to try. Most of this stuff is beauty products, others are just some things I picked up while shopping. Let's get started!!


Sephora:

• Make Up For Ever Lip Line Perfector 
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Cuff
• Rosebud Perfume Co. Minted Rose Lip Balm
• Deborah Lippmann Glitter Polish in "Glitter And Be Gay" and "Shake Your Money Maker"
• Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Turn On
• Tarte Amazonian Clay 24-hour Blush in Blushing Bride

Out of these 6 products, my favorites are UD Cuff, DL Glitter And Be Gay, Blushing Bride, and the Minted Rose Lip Balm. I've only had the chance to wear the blush once, but it took me weeks to find it in stock, I ended up going to a town an hour away to find it. The Minted Rose Lip Balm is my absolute favorite product, best lip balm I've ever used. I love it so much I had to buy one for my best friend so she can experience the greatness of the product.

CVS:

• CVS Deep Action Makeup Remover Towelettes 
• Essie Hors D'oeuvres
• Sally Hansen Salon Perfect Polish in Twinkle Toes-ty

My favorite would have to be the Essie polish. I haven't had the chance to try the Sally Hansen Polish, which I bought because it looked similar to Julep's Paris. The towelettes, however, are my least favorite, only because of their scent.

MAC:

• Mac Matte Lipstick in Studded Kiss
• Mac Matte Lipstick in Punk Couture
• Mac Matte Lipstick in Hautcore 
• Mac Satin Lipstick in Cyber

The first three lipsticks are from the Punk Couture line, which I dragged my sister and boyfriend to the store very early in the morning. From the picture, Studded Kiss looks like a normal red, yet while wearing it, it's a dark red. Punk Couture is such a beautiful dark purple, but it's so patchy and Cyber is an almost black purple on me, but also looks like Film Noir.

Ulta:

•  Zoya PixieDust in Arabella
•  Zoya PixieDust in Carter
•  Zoya PixieDust in Dhara
•  Zoya Nail Polish in Josie
•  OPI Gwen Stefani Nail Polish Collection in Hey Baby
•  Ulta Cosmetic Wedges
•  Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Toast
•  Maybelline One By One Volume Express Mascara in Blackest Black

I've used CoverGirl's Clump Crusher for almost a year now and using a new mascara feels like a huge difference, but its not. The brush basically does the same thing and the formula is only a tad bit different. Even though I haven't tried anything else, I know my favorites will be the PixieDusts and the OPI. I went from hating PixieDusts last summer to absolutely in love with them, so I now want to collect them all and I fell in love with the OPI from the first swatch of it I saw, it reminds me a lot of Julep's Raegan. I had originally gone to Ulta, which is an hour away, for Nyx's new butter lipsticks but when I got there they were all sold out, so I dried my tears with my Zoya's since they were in the sale isle for $4.99 each. I use the makeup wedges just as you would use the beauty blender, I have seen so many reviews and videos saying that the beauty blender is just a normal makeup sponge and there are lot of dupes, so I decided to go the more affordable route and use the wedges instead. However, there are, from what I've seen/felt, two different types of wedges, soft and firm. I use soft ones for nail art and the firm ones for makeup.

Bath & Body Works:

• B&BW Bali Mango Body wash
• True Blue Spa Shea Cashmere Hand Scrub
• C.O. Bigelow Mentha Body Lotion
• B&BW Island Margarita Hand Sanitizer 

I love the hand scrub, I use it after i'm done painting my nails and they are dry, but the smell it leaves it horrible. I've been eye the body lotion for months and I finally decided it was time to buy it. I love the mint smell so much and with the little bit of peppermint oil it has, there is a very light cooling sensation. I actually bought five hand sanitizers, all the same sent because they only had 3 to choose from, because I'm noticing more and more how people use the bathroom in public place and don't wash their hand, so I decided to stock up.

Not Pictured:

• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Set
• Wet N Wild Fergie Take On The Day Mattifying Powder

I totally forgot about the both of these products until I started writing this. I will admit I bought the eye pencil set when Sephora sent out the $15/$20 off coupon cards, but I haven't used them until a couple days ago. The Mattifying Powder has found its way into my everyday makeup routine. I was going to buy the Make Up For Ever HD Pressed Powder for $36, but my best friend reminded me about this Wet N Wild one coming out soon, so I waited for it and I am so glad I did. It is SO AMAZING! My face gets super oily even when I use UD's Deslick spray, or when I used the Deslick spray and powder, but with the desick spray and this Wet N Wild powder, I stay shine-free all day and its so much more affordable.

Thank you for reading! I hope this post inspires you to buy some of these products, mainly the mattifying powder and the lip balm! I will be posting swatches of everything some this week or next week!