My Top 15 Favorite Beauty Products of 2015

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Hey everyone! I know this post is probably a bit late for most of you, but I still wanted to share with you all my 15 favorite beauty products of 2015. They're in no kind of order and I loved everything pretty much equally. 

First, I have to talk about eyeshadows. My favorite palette of 2015 has got to be the Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Palette. Every color is amazing, and you get warm, cool and neutral toned matte shadows in one palette. It's a hooded eyed person's dream, and even though I'm more of a neutral/cool lover, I do appreciate the warm shades as well. I did a review of this here if you wanted to check it out! I had to also give some love to Make Up Geek Eyeshadow singles. For just $6 each, these shadows are such amazing quality, and they may be all you really need if you're just getting started in makeup. All of the ones I have are shown in the picture, but I definitely need to add more to my collection. They're pigmented, buttery smooth, and blend onto the eyes nicely. 

Next up is the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay. I did a review here, and I have to say, this mask is probably my favorite mask that makes my pores look invisible. You can mix it with either water or apple cider vinegar (it works better with ACV for me personally), and you leave it on for up to 20 minutes depending on how sensitive your skin is. I do get redness from this mask, but since I use it at night, it doesn't bother me. This is a miracle worker if I feel like my pores are super clogged and nothing else is helping them. You need this if you have pores that clog easily, and it's super cheap as well. 

Oh Batiste Dry Shampoo, how I love thee! Honestly guys, I will never buy another brand of dry shampoo as long as I live. I've gotten others in the past that don't work nearly as well as Batiste does, and everytime I've strayed, I've been disappointed. Batiste is my one true love in keeping my hair feeling and looking clean, even if I've gone about 4 days without washing it. I also did a review of this here quite a long time ago.  

Who can live without a Beauty Blender? I can't! I honestly don't know where I was or what I did before this little pink egg-shaped sponge came into my life. This has changed my foundation/concealer routine in so many positive ways that when I I try to use a brush or even my fingers, it just doesn't work! There is something truly special about this sponge, and completely worth the $20 price tag. Any dupes out there are not the same, including the Real Techniques sponge. I used to like that, but they've changed the texture of it and it's awful. 

If I ever have issues with removing my makeup, Bioderma always comes to my rescue. Yes, this seems like just regular water in a fancy bottle, but there is magic in this water! It removes every last bit of makeup from my eyes and face without irritation. I've said this before, but no makeup remover has ever done what Bioderma does for me. It's incredible and it's surprisingly not that expensive. I purchased mine off of the Beautylish website, but you can also find it on Amazon. I did a review of this here! 

You all are probably so tired of me talking about The Body Shop Aloe Calming Toner, but this is still my all-time favorite toner, and I have yet to find something better. There are under 10 ingredients in this, feels great on my skin, and preps it well for serums and moisturizers. I always have backups of backups in my stash. 

The Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder was something I had been wanting to try for well over a year. Every beauty YouTuber raves about it, so I gave in and splurged. They must've been on to something because this is an amazing setting powder! I have oily skin and for some reason it helps keep me more matte, and it's a wonderful setting powder for under the eyes. I feel like this is just such a versatile powder that anyone can use, whether you have oily, dry or combo skin. You get a ton of product as well, so I feel it's worth the price. 

The Tangle Teezer was another product that I had heard about for quite a few years. I felt it was completely overpriced for a hair brush, but fell into the hype anyway. The first time I used it after I had washed my hair is when I knew what the hype was about. I have very fine hair that gets knotty and tangled very easily, that sometimes even combs would snag my hair. The Tangle Teezer just glides right through and gets all the tangles out without hurting. My husband was even interested after I kept telling him how amazing it was and he started using mine to brush out his beard. I ended up buying his own, and he absolutely loves it. Even though I have fine hair, I do feel like people with thick hair can use it was well.

You all know how much of a lip balm freak I am, and my all-time favorite has to be the Lip Butters from The Body Shop. You only need the tiniest amount to make your lips feel soft and moisturized, and one little jar lasts for ages. I love this Sweet Lemon scent that I'm currently using, but my favorites have to be the Shea and Coconut scents.They do leave a little bit of a white cast on your lips, but I only use these at night as my lips dry and crack the worst at that time. 

Every product I try from Bite Beauty, I fall more in love with the brand. The product pictured is the Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo in the shades Date and Fig. These duos are only around during the holiday's I believe, but they do have many single shades available. If I could've, I probably would've put every Bite Beauty product I own in this post, and I know you have things to do rather than sitting on my blog all day. The Luminous Creme formula is just incredible. It feels nice on the lips, and it's just a good quality lipstick. These duos don't cost much either, just $12 or $14. 

I have two mascaras that practically blew my mind this year. A little while ago, I was given the chance to try out the Covergirl Super Sizer Mascara. I used to really like the mascara in the orange tube, but hadn't used much from the brand in many years. Trying this mascara has changed my opinion on the Covergirl brand, and now I'm tempted to go out and buy a ton of their makeup. This mascara gives me amazing volume and length, and it looks good all day long. It's probably my current favorite drugstore mascara. I do have a review on this here. I also had to put the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara in my favorites. If you want volumized lashes that look fake, this is your mascara. I get a bit of length from this, but the volume I get is like nothing I've ever gotten from a mascara before. I used up a full sized tube around the end of 2015, so this is a deluxe size that came with the Stardust palette. For a high end mascara, this is definitely my favorite, and there is a review here!

Another lip product that was a surprising favorite is the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks. I have a few of these now and the shade pictured above is Outlaw. I was so on the fence with wanting to try liquid lipsticks because my lips are already dry, and I always heard that liquid lipsticks were very drying. While I don't feel like this is hydrating by any means, it's not as drying as I thought it was going to be. The colors available are so gorgeous, highly pigmented, and they stay on and don't budge once they're set. I definitely see myself picking up a few more colors in this line. 

The last product I have pictured is an Airbrush Blending Crease Brush by it Cosmetics. Again, I'd put the whole entire brush line in this post if I could, because they're that good. I don't think I've ever felt softer brushes before. I have quite a few different it Cosmetics brushes, but this crease brush is my favorite. It applies and blends out shadows like a dream, and I find myself playing with these brushes because of how soft they are. Seriously, go to an Ulta and have a feel for yourself. I promise you won't be disappointed! 

Those were my favorites from 2015! Let me know in a comment what some of your favorites were in the last year. I'll need some inspiration when my spending ban is over ;)

August 2015 Favorites

Hi everyone! I say this pretty much every month, but the year is just flying by. The past couple months have been not so great personally, but they're going by fast, which I'm happy about. It's September now, which means I get to celebrate my 2 year wedding anniversary soon, and there are only 3 more months until my birthday! I didn't wear too much makeup in August, but I do have a few favorites to share with you all.

My first favorite is the Olay Sensitive Body Wash. This stuff is fantastic! Even though the bottle says it's unscented, it still has a very light, clean scent. It's lovely and makes my skin feel soft and clean. I originally bought this for my husband, but I've stolen it from him (not really though, I'm not that mean). 

Next up is the Zamian Super Gold Cacao Pack or mask here in the states. I had gotten this in a Memebox, and only used it a small handful of times in the past. I pulled this out again, and instantly fell in love. First off, it smells like hot chocolate with maybe some rum mixed in. It's delicious smelling, but it makes my skin glow and feel like a baby's bum. Apparently, it's got gold powders in it as well, which makes it seem pretty fancy. 

The Body Shop Sweet Lemon Lip Butter is a product I started using literally a week before the end of August, so I might be cheating. I've talked about these lip butters before and it's no surprise I like them. This particular one is so incredibly hydrating, and it smells like lemon meringue pie! This is also one of the rare lip butters that don't leave a white cast on my lips, so that's a big plus. 

If you click the picture to make it bigger, you can see that I have a pan of Makeup Geek Starry Eyed Eyeshadow. This is one of the foiled shadows, and boy is this beautiful! It's so shiny and pigmented and makes for a great lid color, and if you have fair skin like I do, you can maybe get away with using this as a cheek highlight, but very lightly of course. 

The last product is the Kat Von D Everlasting Face Shaper Blush in the shade Bellisima. This is a pretty pink-y coral shade that has a tiny bit of a sheen and looks so pretty on my fair skin. This little sample size was most likely a point perk from Sephora, but now it makes me want to get more of these blushes. 

What were some of your favorites in August?

Makeup & Beauty HAUL! Ulta, Sephora & Makeup Geek

Hey everyone! Today I'm going to be showing you some makeup goodies I had purchased over the last few weeks or so. Alot of sales were going on, and there were a few things that I just wanted to try. I know I say this in every haul post I do, but I think it's going to be a little while until I do another haul. If you saw my last post, you know my husband and I are expecting our first baby! Since finding out we're expecting, I was in the mindset of changing some of my habits like eating differently, and I want to change around my skincare. Being pregnant and having oily, acne-prone skin is proving difficult to take care of properly. Anyways, forgive this long intro, and lets see what I picked up!

I'll start off with the products I picked up from Ulta. The day I went, Ulta was having a 40% off sale on certain brands and I also wanted to get some advice on skincare I can use during pregnancy. Salicylic Acid, moisturizers/serums/toners with Tea Tree Oil, Glycolic Acid, and possibly Benzoyl Peroxide are ruled out. In turn, that rules out almost all of my skincare because Salicylic Acid and Tea Tree Oil are the only ingredients that help with any acne I get. Instead of buying a totally new regimen, I decided to try out the Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash. My mom has used this in the past, but I had never tried it. The ingredients look safe, so I'm excited to see how this does with my skin. 

I had been so curious about the it Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream for ages. During pregnancy, I have read that you can only use a physical sunscreen like Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, and not chemical sunscreens. I found a regular sunscreen I can use at Walmart, and I was very pleased to see this it Cosmetics CC Cream having both physical sunscreens. I have already used this, and I absolutely love it! I bought the shade Fair, and it's almost perfect, but it leans a little yellow on my skin. I can work with it though and it blends in incredibly well. 

I'm in love with Too Faced products and was standing at their section for close to 15 minutes, while my poor husband waited patiently. Their Melted Lipsticks are fantastic so I decided to get the shade Melted Jelly Donut, which is a bright fuchsia color. I have yet to try it, but I think I'm going to love it with my fair skin. 

L'Oreal and Physician's Formula were two of the brands that were 40% off. I picked up the L'Oreal Infallible Makeup Extender Setting Spray due to all the great reviews I hear and read. I love setting sprays, especially during this time of year, and I typically like what I try. For Physician's Formula, I picked up the Matte Collection Quad Eye Shadow in Quartz Quartet. I don't hear alot about these shadows, but what I do hear is typically good. I have yet to try this, but I have pretty high hopes. 

I also had a coupon at Ulta for 20% off one item (excluding high-end brands), so the nice girl ringing me up split up my purchase and rung the L'Oreal spray and Physician's Formula quad separate. Also during that time, there was 5X points for Platinum Members and there was also something else going on, so I have a ton of points to use sometime!

Oh Sephora, how I love thee! I don't know what it is, but everytime I see or hear the words "Limited Edition", I tend to freak out inside a little. Kat Von D had come out with a LE version of her Tattoo Liner in Trooper. The packaging is all fancy, and a portion of the proceeds from every sale of this LE liner go to charity, which I found really sweet. This is one of my favorite liners as it makes it super easy to do wings. 

Another LE product I decided to buy is the Becca and Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop. Good Lord, is this stunning in person! Honestly, I didn't want this at first. I'm not typically a highlighter kind of girl because of my oily skin, but looking at swatches and seeing how much people have been raving about it, I had to have it. I don't know what my problem is, it just had to be mine! I haven't even tried it yet because I haven't really worn much makeup lately and it's so pretty, I don't want to touch it. I'm weird, I know. 

I also wanted to try out the Bite Beauty Neutral Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo. One end is called Fig, the other Date. I'm not the biggest fan of Date, but Fig is beautiful. I can probably mix the two and come up with something pretty! I'm a huge fan of the Bite products I've tried so I'm sure I will love this one too. 

I got a few deluxe sized samples as well, the first one being the Dr. Jart Premium Beauty Balm. It's got an SPF of 45 and Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide, so I can use it! The Clinique Acne Solutions BB Cream has Titanium Dioxide in it, but it also has two chemical sunscreens, which is a bummer. I also have no idea what color they sent me, because it's so dark, I may not be able to use it at all!

Last, but not least, we have Makeup Geek! It had been almost a year since my last MG purchase, and recently there was a coupon code for 10% off Make Up Geek products. 10% doesn't seem like alot, but hey, it's something! I chose to purchase 3 of their Foiled Eyeshadows, and the shades I got were Caitlin Rose, Starry Eyed and Grandstand. These look so gorgeous, but I have yet to play with them. From what I hear, I won't be disappointed. I also picked up 3 of her regular eyeshadows in the shades Bitten, Barcelona Beach and Baby Face. I have 13 of here regular eyeshadows, so I'm already a huge fan. I really want to do a post on either my Makeup Geek shadow collection, or my favorites out of the ones I have. Once I test out these new ones, I'll do some kind of review. 

Well, that's my haul! If there is anything here you want a review on, let me know! It might be a while since I still don't feel too good alot of the time, but I promise I will get to it!

Is there anything you've purchased recently that you've been loving?

Also, remember I'm still doing my Summer blog sale!

Anniversary & Makeup Geek Haul!

Hey everyone! This past Sunday was my husband's and my 1 year wedding anniversary and he surprised me by taking me shopping for the day! I bought a few things but didn't go too crazy. I also placed an order from Makeup Geek last week after watching one of Marlena's videos on newer eyeshadows. I hadn't bought anything from her in about 6 months, so I thought it was time again. Here's everything I got!

First stop was Sephora. We went to a mall where there is an actual Sephora store, not one inside JC Penny, so I was pretty happy and really wanted to look around. The first thing I got is the Sephora Favorites Beauty Unmasked set. It comes with the Origins Clear Improvement Charcoal Mask, which I already love and will be great if I travel anywhere. It also comes with a Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel Mask, which I have not tried yet but I think this will be nice if I have irritated skin. It comes with a Glamglow Thirstymud Hydrating Treatment Masque, which I've actually been dying to try but I'm not willing to spend the $69 for the full size jar. The last mask is the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask, which I've also been very interested in trying. This whole kit was only $29 and it was at the checkout line where they have travel sized and smaller products. I'm incredibly happy I saw this!

I've been really wanting to try the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder because I've seen so many good reviews on it. I have used it once and so far it's alright, but I'll have to play with it more to give a real opinion. 

The last product I purchased is the Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. I have super oily eyelids and everyone I've seen that has oily eyelids says this is amazing, so I was definitely intrigued. I have yet to try it out, but I do have high hopes!

Then we headed over to Bath & Body Works to pick up some 3-wick candles, and it was also that last day of the 2 for $22 sale. After a fairly extensive sniff test, we settled on these four. 

The first one is Peach Cilantro Twist. The scent description on the back says, "Capture all the fun of a backyard bash with this fresh and fruity blend of early summer peach, fresh garden cilantro and a hint of juicy mango." When I smelled this, I wasn't wowed. When my husband smelled it however, it was a totally different story. His eyes got big and all he said was I like that, like 4 times. In the shopping bag it went!

The next one is Autumn Sky, another one the hubby picked. The description of this one says, "Experience fall's bright, crisp sky with notes of still green leaves, cedar and lemon wood." We were talking to a sales girl there and she asked if he liked the Mahogany Teakwood scent, which he does love, but I find it too overpowering. She showed us this and said it smelled similar just not as overpowering. I actually find this to smell very nice and it doesn't give me a headache like Mahogany Teakwood did. Of course the other half liked it too!

The last two are ones I picked! First up is Bourbon Butterscotch. "This creamy blend includes rich notes of butterscotch, sweet vanilla and a hint of that singularly American spirit - bourbon whiskey - perfectly aged in oak barrels." I smelled this one and almost died with how awesome the scent was. I love the sweet smelling candles and this is pretty perfect for me. 

The last one I picked up is Pumpkin Pecan Waffles. "Delight in the scrumptious scent of pumpkin pecan waffles, pure maple syrup and a touch of brown sugar." This is probably my favorite out of all of them. I love pumpkin, and I love waffles. Combine the two and you get this wonderful smelling jar of wax. I don't know what it is about this that I love so much, but I'd buy this in bulk if I could. 

Now for some Makeup Geek! I wanted to get some brushes but of course when I went to make my order, most of them were sold out, so I went with the Soft Dome Brush, which I think is going to make a nice crease brush. It's really soft and I did already wash it, which to my dismay caused some shedding. I'm curious to see if there will be shedding while applying shadows. I also bought seven different eyeshadows, which I'll show one at a time.

First up is Purely Naked which is described as a shimmery tan. You can hardly see the shimmer in the pan, so I am curious to see how it comes off as a crease color.

Next is Twilight, which is described as a pale shimmery muted purple. I honestly don't see purple in person. It's more of a taupe, but it may come off different on the eye. 

Next we have Sensuous, which is a shimmery purple with flecks of silver. I can't wait to use this on the outer corners of my eyes, or in the crease if I want a smokey look.

Next we have Unexpected, which is a matte pale pink brown. I think this shade will look awesome with Sensuous or Twilight.

Next is Latte, a matte medium brown. This doesn't look too warm for my fair skin, so I'm hoping it's going to be a nice crease color when I want something a little darker. 

Then we have Cupcake, a matte medium pink. This actually looks alot darker in person than on the Makeup Geek website, so I'm hoping it's still going to look alright.

Last color is Prom Night, a pale purple with hints of grey and a shimmery finish. Now I know it looks funky in the picture, but it came like that. Must've gotten scratched in the packaging or something. This is such a pretty shadow and I think it will look nice with some of the other colors I bought and already have.

That's everything! Have you purchased anything recently?

March 2014 Favorites!

Hey everyone! This past weekend and most of last week was nuts. Our power went out and when it was restored, I discovered that the internet modem was basically destroyed and we had to get another one shipped out. It was a bigger ordeal than it should've been because it was sent to the wrong house, but now we are back online and all is well in the world! Today's post is going to be my favorites for March. Lets see what I've been loving!

My first favorite is basically a 2-in-1, and that's the Z Palette and Makeup Geek eyeshadows! I decided it was time for me to get a Z Palette since pretty much everyone and their dog owns one. I love this thing! I actually did purchase this on the Makeup Geek website, and I'm very pleased with it. It's very sturdy and keeps everything in place well. Can't wait to fill this baby up!

Why did it take me so long to try Makeup Geek eyeshadows?! I'm super impressed with the quality of these and they were only $6 for the pan! If you want the whole compact, I believe they're around $8. Seriously, these eyeshadows are amazing! 

My next favorite is the Too Faced Chocolate Box eyeshadow palette. First off, this thing makes me want to eat it because it smells like chocolate, and everyone knows I love me some chocolate! It also doesn't hurt that the shadows are amazing too with how they blend and the variety of neutral colors along with a few extras. Overall great palette!

Next up we have the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream. This is a little baby sample I had because I can't find my full size one anywhere. I've been meaning to try this for ages now and finally decided to pull this out. This is a great eye cream if you have dark circles, but it by no means covers them up completely. It does have a tint to it that helps brighten slightly, but I do need concealer for more coverage. This hydrates nicely and sinks right into the skin. If I can't find the full size one that I know I have somewhere, I may have to bite the bullet and purchase another. 

Last favorite is the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. This is a Godsend! I love my Beauty Blender, and when this came out I was reading some awesome reviews, but I was on the fence about getting it because I do have two Beauty Blenders and didn't need this. Personally, I find this to be the best dupe for the Beauty Blender that I've tried. I purchased this at my local Wegmans grocery store, and they sell it for $5.49 but I had a $1 off coupon. I just love everything about this little beauty and I'm definitely considering switching to just this when my Beauty Blenders fall apart!

That's what I was loving in March! What were some of your favorites from last month?

Also, remember to check out the blog sale I have! There are still alot of things I'm selling!

Beauty Haul! Feat. Makeup Geek, Sephora, Walgreen's and More!

Hey everyone! I hate to admit, but I've done a bit of beauty shopping. I should really be saving my money for more important things (like rent and bills) but I see so many lovely products, I just can't help myself. I think after this haul I post, I'm putting myself on a bit of a spending ban. I'm going to try and do it until August 1st. That'll be 4 whole months of no beauty shopping! I picked August 1st because my husband's birthday is August 6th, and I'm hoping to get him something nice. Lets hope I can go that long without buying anything, unless it's absolutely necessary! Anyways, lets get on with the haul!

I finally decided it was time for me to buy a Z Palette along with some Makeup Geek eyeshadows! I love this hot pink Z Palette so much, although I'm not sure if I want to de-pot eyeshadow singles I already have. I don't feel brave enough I guess! 

I decided to play it safe and buy six neutral colors. The colors I ended up getting from left to right are Shimma Shimma, Beaches & Cream, Creme Brulee, Moondust, Hipster and Taupe Notch. I've already given a few of these colors a try and I must say, I'm definitely impressed. They're great quality for only $5.99. If you want the pan in the little containers they normally come in, they're $7.99. 

Oh, Sephora. How I love thee! I was so excited when this Too Faced Chocolate Bar eyeshadow palette came out, yet I held out on buying it for a while. I needed another eyeshadow palette like I need a hole in my head. 

This palette is wonderful! It's got the perfect amount of shimmer and matte colors, and there are great neutrals with just a bit of color. I left the plastic sheet that came with it in the palette so I can remember the names of the shades. This also has that chocolate scent that their Chocolate Soliel Bronzer has, which is amazeballs! This has quickly become a favorite of mine and I reach for it often.

Then I went to Walgreen's. I had some coupons and points to use, and I found a couple other goodies in the makeup section! I was browsing through their clearance bins when I found one of the Maybelline Eyestudio quads in the limited edition shade, Fall Temptation. This was only on clearance for $5.50 so I snagged it up! There was another quad that had purples in it, but it was opened and messed with. 

Then I decided to pick up the new Milani Lip Intense Liquid Color in the shade Fiery Coral. I tried this on already and holy Nicki Minaj, is it pink! Seriously, the first thing that came to mind was Nicki Minaj because she loves her Barbie pink lips. I'm still on the fence of whether or not I like this, but it was on sale, so I wanted to try it.

Next up is the Dollar Tree. I tend to like looking in dollar stores for some reason and I came across these Physician's Formula Baked Collection Wet/Dry Eye Shadow trios. Honestly, I never remember seeing these in store, but only because Physician's Formula tends to be a little more expensive than other brands, so they're not normally a brand I seek out. As you can tell above, I already opened one to try, and I like it, but don't love it. These are good if you're just starting out with makeup because they seem really neutral, but they're not incredibly pigmented so you won't mess anything up. 

I also bought a quick dry top coat that apparently is by Seche Vite, and three Sinful Colors nail polishes in the colors Beautiful Girl, Cream Pink and Ciao Bella. Not bad for a dollar a piece! 

 Last but not least, we have a purchase from Big Lots! They have so many darn nail polishes on sale, it's ridiculous. I found three of the Revlon Colorstay polishes in the colors Spanish Moss, Indigo Night, which I did a NOTD post here and Rain Forest. All of those polishes were only $1.50 

They also had a bunch of the Sephora by OPI polishes strewn all about on the shelves but only one caught my eye, and its in the shade Shiny Dancer, which cost me a whopping $1.80. 

That's everything I purchased within the past month or two! I know I went a little nail polish crazy, but I've been in the mood to do my nails more, so now I have a few more options to choose from. If anyone wants to see reviews of any products I've shown today, please let me know! 

Have you hauled anything lately?

Also, please be sure to check out my blog sale!