Current Favorites: Fall 2016 – Spring 2017

Hello, hello!

Now that I’m officially back, let’s talk beauty — shall we? Since it’s been a hot minute, here’s what I’ve been loving since I took my hiatus… Can you believe it’s been a YEAR since I’ve done a favorites?! For now though, I’m just going to focus on makeup since I’m going to have an updated skincare post coming soon (so stayed tuned)!

Foundation

1. Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation – This lightweight formula is perfect for summer! It has a thin, serum-like texture that blends into the skin to feel like well, water. It’s hydrating and the ingredients do not break my skin out. The coverage is medium and buildable, plus it has SPF 15 using a non-chemical sunscreen. I find that I like this WAY better than their Amazonian Clay formula — the Rainforest of the Sea has better texture and coverage! Also, the packaging is gorgeous, and the dropper dispenser makes it easy to control the amount of product. There’s a good amount of Light-Medium shades with various undertones, but they could work on their amount of dark shades. It’s great for everyday makeup, or I like to use it on the center of my face, when I’m doing a full on look. I can wear it for 4-6 hours, easily.
2. Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation Stick – This has been my go-to when I want FULL coverage— it will seriously cover ANYTHING. You only need a little product to get big results. It’s super creamy and blendable without being cakey. It’s also great for photos! My only complaint is that it isn’t great for oily skin, so on my super oily days I reach for something else. I’d put wear time from 4-10 hours, depending on how oily my skin is.

Concealer

1. Tarte Shape Tape – EVERYONE and their mother has been raving about this concealer, but I don’t see why. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a reason it’s in my favorites. It is an amazing concealer with good coverage and texture, but I just didn’t understand why it got that much hype. The applicator is a large doe-foot and the packaging is also gorgeous but beyond that I wasn’t blown away, just impressed a normal amount. To be fair, though, I’m not one to be super into concealers.
2. Sephora Bright Future Serum Concealer – I was interested in this mostly due to the fact that I could treat and cover dark circles at the same time. I don’t wear it consistently enough to know if it’s improved any dark circles I have, but it does give  a nice brightening effect. It is a very lightweight gel consistency, but it doesn’t offer as much coverage as Shape Tape. My ideal formula is these two concealers mixed.

Setting Spray

1. Boscia White Charcoal Mattifying Makeup Spray– This is a summer MUST HAVE if you have oily-combo skin! I find that this spray works to keep me shine and oil free throughout the day and truly make my makeup last much longer. I don’t understand why more people aren’t talking about this?!
2. Tarte Marine Boosting Mist – As you can see, this is now the third Tarte product I’ve mentioned and I’ve been all about that Tarte life recently. However, I am not sponsored by Tarte (sadly). I’ve just been loving all of their new(ish) releases, plus their ingredients not only don’t break me out, but also help improve the look of my skin. That said, this mist is heaven. It has this decadent citrus scent that is to die for, it hydrates my face, and gives me a nice dewy finish. I like to use this both before and after applying makeup and find that it can even be used as a light primer for light makeup days. If I find my face is too matte, this will add back a little glow.

Cheeks

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in Sun Dipped – I finally got the warm version of the Glow Kit after already owning the cool version. I love the golden shades for the summer season! They give a beautiful glow that is very customizable. You can apply a little for a subtle glow or be a little more heavy handed to get that poppin’ highlight. The texture of these powders are smooth and silky and the pigment is nice and refined, not chunky. Although the packaging doesn’t have much of an aesthetic, it is really functional however. I like that the slots are magnetic and allow you to refill and remove the pans. It’s perfect for traveling!
2. Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Paaarty – I got this mini blush as my birthday reward from Sephora and I ADORE it! The nude adds a nice flush to the cheeks without being too obvious or detracting from the eyes or lips. I find it to be my ideal neutral blush and I love the size for travel, although you can pick up a full size if it’s not your birthday. If your birthday is still coming up, however, I highly suggest picking this up from Sephora!

Eyeshadow Palettes

1. Lorac Pro Unzipped & Unzipped Gold – I got these palettes for Christmas and never got a chance to talk about them. Both have a beautiful set of neutrals that are half mattes and half shimmers. They have a silky texture and a decent amount of pigment. There is a lot of product in each pan, the mirror is a nice size, and the slim packaging is great for travel. However, there is some fall out with these shadows and also a lot of medium values, not a lot of darks or lights. I prefer the original Unzipped colors and find that these have a slightly smoother formula, but the Unzipped Gold has a wider range of darks to lights.
2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance – This palette is another beauty blogger favorite since the striking red and orange tone neutrals are trendy. I love the variety of colors available in this palette; but I wish these was maybe one or two more darks. There is also more matte than shimmer shades in here. The textures are velvety with little fallout, but aren’t the easiest to blend. The mirror is a nice size and the brush it comes with is good quality, however the velvet packaging outside while pretty, easily collects dirt and fallout. Although I love the color range in this palette, I find it hard to work with and just a bit out of my comfort zone, but I think the challenge is what makes me want to keep using it!
3. Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette – The scent of this palette really is as good as everyone says! It smells exactly like a juicy peach. Out of all of the palettes, I found this one to the most variety; while mostly focused on peach and pink tones, there are still some neutral browns, purples, and even an olive green. However, it is the least cohesive of the four, I find. There’s a wide range of finishes from glitters, to shimmers, to mattes and a nice amount of lights, mediums, and darks. Out of all the palettes, I think this one has the best blending colors as well. The metal packaging is also quite sturdy but still compact.

 

Alrighty, well that’s a wrap! It feels great to be chit-chatting about makeup again…What makeup have you been loving for June/summer? Share with me in the comments!

 

All my love,

Megan

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