9 Tips to Banish Cake Face!

After a very rough month or so health wise and sleep wise, my face is in rough shape.  I did not wash and moisturize twice a day like I should have while I was sick and my skin shows it.  When your skin is dry, uneven, and full of dead skin layers, cake face is so hard to avoid!
Luckily I found a scrub and a face oil that really help! I can now actually salvage my poor skin and have my foundation apply smoothly without the dreaded cake face look.
Since I have been struggling with this and researching tips and tricks I thought I would make a post with all of the useful tips and tricks out there.  There are so many things you can do to help avoid cake face:
1. exfoliate (2-3 x's a week) 2. moisturize (2-3 x's a day) 3. add some oil to your foundation before applying (see demonstration here) bonus tip: if you have dry skin or lots of texture to your skin avoid watery, or very thin liquid foundations. You can even put your skin type into Sephora's website and see recommendations for foundation based on your skin type) 4. apply foundation with a beauty blender or soft foundation brush 5. try to stipple (push foundation straight into your skin) instead of rubbing the foundation around your face 6. use downward strokes when applying foundation (peach fuzz generally grows downwards on your face and you want it to lay smooth and flat not stand it up) 7. make sure your foundation is completely dry before adding any finishing powder 8. press instead of rubbing powder in 9. use a glycerin, moisturizing setting spray
Thanks for reading!!  Sorry there are no pictures in this post, my camera lens is not able to pick up cakey vs. smooth makeup difference :(

Gift Guide 2014 for the Beauty Obsessed

I love all of the beauty gift sets that come out around this time of year!  There are so many affordable options for sampling high cost brands.  I found a few that really intrigued me, and that had high reviews, to put together this post.

Two years ago I bought a benefit gift set at a great price and I was so excited about it.  I actually ended up hating all of the products, but I was so glad that I was able to try them at well below full price.  After that experience I have started looking at reviews closer and trying to find products that will work for me.

All of the products above had high reviews :)

1. Too Faced Bronzer Wardrobe Collection $22 Sephora

This set comes with four bronzer shades, including two of Too Faced's famous chocolate bronzers and a brush for applying.  It has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars on sephora.com the most common complaint is that the packaging is cardboard.  I don't really care what it's in as long as it is amazing :)

2.  Benefit The Real Steal $24 Ulta

The Real Steal features the cult favorites They're Real mascara and Push Up liner and They're Real remover, the liner has an amazing applicator for precise liner.  The set is rated 4 out of 5 stars on Ulta.com.

3.  Caviar Stone Bracelet $14 Vanity

I know this isn't technically a beauty item, but I wanted to include some pretty jewelry too.  This bracelet is from Vanity.com and I think it is stunning.

4.  EOS. A Ray of Holiday Sunshine Rachel Roy $6 Ulta

I can't get over this price for 3 EOS balms!  The trendy balm's moisturizing properties are up for debate in the review section, but they still earned a 4.5 out of 5 rating.  At this price it would be a great way to try them.

5.  Sephora Favorites Spray of Sunshine Fragrance Sampler For Her $24 Sephora

I read about what a great deal these samplers were over and over again last holiday season.  The set includes samples of multiple high end fragrances.  You use the samples and determine which is your favorite, you then turn in a card that is in the sampler for a rollerball of your chosen fragrance.  The reviews were favorable with the exception that you can only get the rollerball at a Sephora store that is not in JCP.

6.  Tarte Golden Days and Sultry Nights Amazonian Clay Collector's Shadow Palette $24 Sephora

The colors in this palette are so gorgeous!  They apply as more of a sheer shade and are not as dramatic as they appear in the palette.  The palette itself is gorgeous and contains full size shadows.

7.  Gem Stone Head Wrap $9 Vanity

This wrap has some nice chunky stones that would be gorgeous for any dressy look.

8.  Sexy Hair Voluptuous Volume $16 Ulta

Pump up the volume in your hair with Spray and Play hairspray and Root Pump Plus, this kit has a perfect 5 out of 5 stars rating with two rave reviews.

9.  Beaded Dream Catcher Earrings $7 Forever21

These are the most gorgeous earrings in my book!  They have beautiful details and are perfect mini dream catchers.  There are a lot of other pretty jewelry options on F21's site.

10.  Sephora Collection Bronzed and Blushing Face Palette $15

A large mirror and three decent sized powders come in this kit.  The blushes and bronzers are super pigmented and a little goes a long way.  This set has a 4.1 out of 5 star rating on Sephora.com.

11.  NYX Butter Lip Gloss Sugar Rush Set $10 Ulta

These lip glosses are very hydrating and non-sticky and come in three yummy flavors.  This set has a 5 out of 5 star rating on Ulta and the Butter Lip Glosses have a 4.5 rating.

12.  BareMinerals Beauty Obsessed $25 Ulta

This kit comes with trial sized eyeliner, mascara, bronzer and blush duo, and lipgloss.  The set has a 4.5 out of 5 star average rating on Ulta.com.

13.  Faux Crystal and Feather Pendant Necklace $5 Forever 21

I really like the look of these stacked single pendant necklaces that is trendy right now.  I also love the boho feel of the crystal and the feather on this one.

14.  Lorac Party Eyeshadow Palette $24 Ulta

This palette is so pretty!  The shades are super pigmented and shimmery.  Perfect for a party!  It is brand, spankin' new so there are no reviews on Ulta, but searching online I found a rave review and it was enough to convince me to keep it in this guide.

Do you have a beauty wish list this holiday season?  Let me know in the comments below.

Review: Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer

4 out of 5 stars

Best uses:  Highlighting, concealing under eye circles while highlighting, matte finish highlight with no shimmer, sheen, glitter, etc.

Why I like it:  The wand is easy to use, it lasts a long time, it provides good coverage and a natural looking highlight, blends easily.

What I don't like:  If my skin is dry at all, this makes it look worse.

How I use it:  I like to apply it right along the lowest part of my under eye, you know that line or indent that goes from the inner corner of your eye, at an angle out and down, I put it right in that low spot and blend gently with my finger.

If I have more time then I will apply along the skin right next to the bottom of my nose, a little right down the center of the bridge of my nose, a bit on the tip of my chin and a wedge/triangle under my eye.

How to get rid of makeup lines

I struggle to get the right shade of foundation on the first try.  If I am way off I will see if I can exchange it.  I feel bad taking it back when it was my fault, so if there's anyway I can make it work, I keep it.
When picking a foundation, I go for the lighter shades because I know I am very fair.  I have found a slight yellow undertone looks much better on me than a slight pink or orange or cool undertone.   I also have found that if I am having a hard time choosing between two shades, it is almost always better to pick the darker.  If the lighter shade looks like it might be lighter than your skin I wouldn't get it.  In the past when I have gotten a shade lighter than my skin, I look sickly.
If you get a shade that is close, but too dark, you won't look sickly.  You will have to do a little extra work to make the mismatch less noticeable though. Here's what I do:

• I apply foundation to my face
• I take a little more foundation (not very much) and rub it from my jawline to almost halfway down my neck
• You want this (on your neck) to be a very thin layer of foundation, so that you have a gradient between the bottom of your neck to your jawline.
• Take bronzer and slowly build it along the sides of your neck, next to the front of your neck, but not right on the front, sweep it all the way to your collar bones

You want to be very sparing with your foundation and bronzer application to your neck.  You want to slowly build it for a natural look.

Here's a video of how I do it.

Thanks for reading!! 

P.S.  If you do like high end makeup, Sephora actually has a color matching machine that scans your face.  I have heard mixed reviews about its accuracy, but it's worth a try :)

There's a Dupe for that!

Remember those commercials for the iPhone?  The one that told you if you had an iPhone there was an app to do anything that you might ever need to do?  I bet you can hear it in your head right now..."There's an app for that."
Did you know that almost every high end makeup product has a similar, cheaper counterpart?  They call them dupes.  There are tons of them!  Go ahead, pick a high end product, and I bet, "there's a dupe for that!"

For example, the other day I saw some MAC swatches on a girl's blog.  The shade "amber lights" caught my attention.  It was gorgeous!  But it was also about $15 for one eye shadow.  Eek!  Well guess what auto populates in my Google search as I type in "MAC amber lights."   "MAC amber lights dupe."  

I can look through the swatches and find a product within my budget.  I can then read reviews on that product to confirm it's worth a try.  Then I can own a similar product for a fraction of the cost.  Yes!

From looking at the pictures..the closest (it's almost identical) shadow is from wet 'n wild.  It's in a trio called "I'm getting sunburned" and it's only $2.99.

Have fun dupe finding!  Do you know of any great dupes?  Share your finds in the comments below :)  Thanks so much for reading!!

Linking up: Makeup Monday

Make your cheekbones POP!

I follow Benefit cosmetics on Instagram.  They have some pretty cool marketing and their products always have the funnest names.  Yesterday they posted a tip called "the jelly doughnut."  You use illuminator around your cheekbones/apple of your cheeks and then put blush in the center of your "doughnut" and blend.

I tried it yesterday...Wow!  I have never had my cheeks look so sculpted and gorgeous.  These pics really don't do it justice.

Before (sorry it's so blurry)

Can you see the ring of shiny color on my cheek?

Ring and blush in the middle, preblend

The finished look!  I think this is easier and maybe even better than highlighting and contouring. I used my e.l.f. all over color stick as my highlight because it is somewhat frosty.  I used my e.l.f. baked blush in rich rose to pack in the middle of my circle.  Then I blended the edges of the circle and the middle with the blush.

You've got to try it!  Thanks for reading :)

Linking up with: Fry Sauce & Grits, Makeup Monday

Summer Makeup Tutorial

    I'm trying my hand at video making again.  It was so much easier the first time!  I'm going to take the makeup kit from last week, and show you how to do my favorite summer makeup look.  It is super simple, looks very natural, but also adds some color and definition to show your natural beauty.       I did change out a few products.  My skin is extremely broken out right now, so I am using Revlon Colorstay foundation instead of my e.l.f. BB cream.  I swapped my NYC color mosaic blush out for my e.l.f. baked blush in rich rose.  I also am using my new CK one mascara that I got for my birthday and then adding just a bit of my define-a-lash to help curl my lashes.  The wand is amazing!
    So here it is!  How to get that summer glow with your makeup.  :)  No sunburn or tanning needed.

Summer Makeup Kit

Summer makeup is a bit of a different animal.  You don't particularly want to look made up, but you want to look radiantly gorgeous.  You want to look like your absolute best self.  Like, "Hey!  Look how good the sun and this gorgeous summer weather has been to me."  

These are some of my favorite products to help you get this kind of a look and to make it last through sweat and summertime adventures.

e.l.f. Studio BB Cream $6- This BB cream has the best coverage out of the BB creams I have tried so far.  It is still lighter and more moisturizing though than foundation, which makes it great for Summertime :)  Also it has SPF 20. e.l.f. Essential All Over Color Stick in Persimmon $1- This is great as a blush and you can use it as eyeshadow, I really like it best for blush though, and I tried it on my lips once and it wasn't cute at all.  Ha ha!  Pink Lemonade or Golden Peach would also be great shades for Summer. e.l.f. Complexion Brush $3- This brush works great for powder for setting your foundation, for blush, and for bronzer.  It is very soft and dense and has a great shape. NYC Mosaic Face Powder in Pink Cheeky Glow $3- This is an amazing matte (not sparkly) pink blush that is very flattering on all skin tones.  It has great color payoff and because it is a mosaic you can very your color slightly depending on where you sweep your brush.  Applying this over the apples of your cheeks over the color stick helps your makeup set and last even longer. e.l.f. Studio Baked Bronzer in St. Lucia $3- I love this bronzer for adding a touch of warmth, I used to contour my jaw line and everything with it but realized it's not quite the right shade for that.  Use the complexion brush with this and apply it just below and slightly on the bottom of where you applied your blush.  Then around the top of you forehead, a bit on the bottom of your chin and along the sides of your nose and a bit down the sides of your neck if your face is looking darker than your neck.  So use it kinda as a contour and kinda as a bronzer and it will be great :) e.l.f. Mineral Eye Shadow Primer $3- This is a great primer for eye makeup.  Apply it all over your eyelids and it will keep makeup from creasing and help it last longer.  For Summer proof makeup apply this then your eye  e.l.f. Essential Smudge Pot in Cruisin' Chic $3- You can use this for a one color eye look that is multidimensional and perfect for Summer.  Just use your fingertip to pat it onto your lower lid from inner corner to outer corner then smudge into your crease. Avon Kohl Eyeliner in Intense Brown or True Black $3.99 (on sale)- This eyeliner is so easy to apply.  It glides on smoothly and you can smudge it out a bit for a great almost smokey eye look.  It does not smudge or smear throughout the day though. Maybelline Define-A-Lash Waterproof Mascara $7- This is a great lengthening, defining mascara.  It gives more of a natural look that I love for Summer.  The waterproof formula is great for a pool day. e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit $3- Gorgeous defined brows will take your makeup to the next level.  This brow gel and powder will make perfecting your brows easy-peasy. I did not include it in the picture, but a great setting material for your makeup in summer is cornstarch.  So if you are not a fan of the dewy look that this BB cream may leave you with, use that same complexion brush and dip it in a bit of cornstarch and tap, tap, tap the excess off and then apply sparingly to your t-zone and wherever else.  Sparingly is the key here.  See more here.

Thanks so much for reading!! Comment below with your favorite Summer makeup products. Linking up with Makeup Monday here, and #MondayFunday here, and Peacoats and Plaid here.

Coupons and Deals

I want to do more posts that actually help you save money on good makeup products.  Today I decided I would give myself 30 minutes to look at coupons and drugstore ads to find some great deals.

Holy cow!  This is not an easy task.  Most drugstore deals aren't as good as they seem when you factor in that part of the savings has to be used on another transaction.  With stores like Rite aid you have to come back the next day or later to redeem your "reward."

So here's what I found...

If you live near CVS and need toothpaste (I know, not exactly beauty related) you can get some for free on the spot.  Follow this link to get a manufacturer's coupon ($1 off) and go to the store to print out a coupon from the red box ($2 off) and use both for free toothpaste. :)
Also they have Crest toothpaste for $2.99 and you get a $2 reward for buying it and there's a coupon for 50 cents off here.  So you would still pay $1.49 out of pocket, but then you'd have $2.00 to spend on something else.  (I might be super boring and domestic and use it to buy two of their dawn dish soaps that are on sale for $.99)

At Target if you buy three Secret deodorants you get a $5 gift card.  Use these two links link link for coupons off of the deodorant.  Buy it and then do the rest of your shopping and use your gift card.    If you don't want to buy three deodorants you can buy one or two and then round out your three required items with mouthwash, toothpaste, body wash, feminine hygiene items or shampoo/conditioner (here).  Coupons for these items: Crest here, same link Tampax, Always, Pantene, Olay, Head and Shoulders.  Almost everything in this promotion has a printable manufacturer's coupon.

At RiteAid they have L'oreal cosmetics 40% off and I have a $2 off coupon.  I'm planning on getting some of their True Match Mineral Makeup.  I've had this loose foundation in the past and loved it.  I am really not liking any liquid foundation at the moment :(
They also have Physician's Formula cosmetics BOGO free.  Which is awesome!  You don't see this deal that often.  Also if you spend $30 on select makeup you get a $10 reward.  If you are running low on a lot of stuff you could make this worth you while.  

At Walgreen's they have Sinful Colors nail polish for 99 cents.  If you have coupons preclipped they have other okay deals, but if you just rely on printables there really isn't any deals that are that great.


If you get the Ulta ad make sure you save the $3.50 off of $10.  Also the Victoria's Secret Semi Annual Sale starts today (see this post for tips on insane prices for bras) and there's a great sale going on at Rue 21 (text "june" to 78321 for the coupon).

Foundation Review: L'oreal true match Lumi

1 out of 5 stars

Best uses:  dry even skin with no blemishes or imperfections, dewy finish, minimal coverage

Why I took it back:

I purchased this with a coupon on sale and was so excited to try a new affordable foundation.  The name sounded good, it had nice packaging and a nice pump.  I never felt like it dried on my skin.  I would try to set it with powder but it felt like it was still sliding around.  

I always have blemishes and or dark spots from healing blemishes, and I will build another layer of foundation in these areas for more coverage.  This did not work with this foundation!  I fought with it for about a week.  The tipping point was when I went to the bathroom at work and saw my face in the mirror.  I was so embarrasssed!  The makeup had slid off of my blemishes and literally was in little "drifts" across my face.  It looked so bad!  I decided at this point that the trial period was over and that I could not ever wear it again.  I took it back to Rite aid and got a refund.

Other people have had similar experiences to mine, but a few have actually liked this foundation.  As I said under best uses, it may work out it you have no oil or shine to your skin and if your skin is flawless.  I still kind of doubt it would be good though :(

Thanks for reading!!

Birthday Spending Money

This year for my Birthday I had a really hard time deciding on specific things that I wanted.  I've been really, really good at not spending money on myself this year.  We set a budget for almost everything and anything we would want to or need to spend on and I have tried really hard to make sure we come in under or at budget on everything.

I feel like it is like a starvation diet.  Anytime I am in a store I see all of the pretty things and if I weren't naturally a very frugal person, I know I would have a crazy binge shopping spree.

I had some birthday coupons, a leftover gift card from my birthday last year, and some birthday money.  So I took myself on a much needed birthday shopping spree!  Jackson and I went to three stores and got a lot of fun stuff.

First we went to Ulta.  I wandered around the store, but couldn't really find anything that I really wanted that was less than $30.  I didn't want to spend all of my money in one place so I used my free birthday mascara code and moved on.  

They give you a free full sized CK one mascara for your birthday.  It usually retails for $18.  There was something wrong with my code, but they had amazing customer service and made it work for me.

Next we went to Rue 21.  They had a whole table full of $5 shirts.  I almost went crazy and bought a bunch of them.  There were so many cute ones!  It is Rue 21 though and I have had a bit of bad luck in the past with their stuff holding up, and my little closet is already bursting at the seams.  So I reigned myself in and got the most practical cute shirt.  This one with black and white stripes and the long back.

Then I wandered around the store in search of some cute colored or floral skinny jeans.  I didn't find any that fit me, but I did find this really dark simple denim pair for $10 that actually fit well.

I had to check out their jewlery.  They always have cute stuff that is within my budget.  I found a few things I kinda liked that were not on sale.  Then I found quite a few necklaces that I really liked and realized that they were all on sale for $2.  So I got these three.

When I rang up I used the remainder of a gift card that I got last year.  So I paid $4.96 for a pair of jeans, a shirt, and three necklaces.  Wahoo!

My last stop was Victoria's Secret.  They had a few bins already set out for the Semi-Annual Sale.  I found a gorgeous bra for $19.99 (I thought).  $10 for an awesome bra!  I was so excited, so I went to ring up and realized that I had been distracted with Jackson and in a hurry and the sign actually said $19.99 and up.  The bra was still thirty odd dollars with my $10 off coupon.

I had to awkwardly tell the lady that I had been confused and that I didn't want the bra at that price.  Jackson at this point decided that he had had it and started screaming.  The cashier tried to hand me the bra and I probably was kind of rude when I said, "No. I don't want it."  Props to her because she was really cool about it and not rude at all when I came back to the register a few minutes later.

I was able to get him calmed down, which was nice, because I thought we were just going to have to go home at that point.  I found a concealer that was regularly $15.  It was on a 30% off sale and with my $10 off coupon I bought it for 53 cents.

So I went on a crazy fun little shopping spree and spent...$5.49

Thanks for reading!! P.S. I'm linking up with Beauty and the Greek and Manic Monday.

Makeup Review: e.l.f. BB Cream

4.5 out of 5 stars

Best uses:  everyday natural look, medium coverage.

Why I love it:  

This has the best coverage of any BB cream I've tried.  If you have acne prone skin or other imperfections you want to cover, this is the BB cream for you.  I also love that this does not dry out my skin and lasts all day.  It has a natural, somewhat dewy finish.

How I use it:

I use about 1.5 pumps and use my fingers to apply all over my face.  If you want to you can set it with powder.

Favorite things Friday

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...These are a few of my favorite things!"

I hope you sang that in your head as you read it :)

So beauty wise my favorites lately are...

• Tangle Teezer- I really wasn't sold on this at first, but now I love it.  There must be a learning curve or something
• Nioxin Scalp Treatment for fine hair visibly thinning- I will be writing a full review on the full system next week.  This stuff helped me go from balding to back to normal hair.
• e.l.f. Studio Eyebrow Kit- Read my full review here.  This stuff is amazing!!  (and so easy to use)
• e.l.f. Luscuious Liquid Lipstick in Cherry Tart- I love the smell, formula, and color.  You do have to reapply about every two hours or so, but it's gorgeous and only a dollar.
• Rosebud stud earrings- I got these in a multipack from Rue 21.  Super affordable and I love wearing them with everything.

Okay now for my favorite thing in life.  My little, happy family.  Complete with the cutest little baby boy and the best daddy and husband I've ever seen.  My hubby works more hours then most anyone and still does basically all our laundry, watches baby boy while I work, and does basically all of the yard work, oh yeah and he cooks better than me and much more often lately.  (in my defense I do hold and play with the baby while he cooks, otherwise he wouldn't really be able to).

Sorry there's really bad shadows in this pic, but it is one of my favorites of us as a family so far.  This was on the Angel's Landing hike in Zion's National Park.

And because I am a proud mama and can't resist...here's some massive cuteness.

He is my little angel :) and my very favorite of all.

Thanks for reading!!

Eye Makeup Review: e.l.f. Smudge Pot Cruisin Chic

                                                                               4.5 our of 5 stars

Best uses: 

easy eye shadow, day or night, natural eye look.


Why I love it:

I am really not an eye shadow person.  I have hooded eyes so it is hard to even tell whether I have eye shadow on most of the time, so I feel it's a waste of my time.  This is so quick and easy to apply and it makes a noticeable difference.  It is smooth and creamy, I absolutely love the color, it is buildable and multidimensional.


How I use it:

I apply elf's mineral eye shadow primer first and let it dry.  Then I use my finger to apply the smudge pot.  I begin applying close to my lash line, in the middle of my eyelid, and then smudge to the inside and outside corner and also work it up to my crease.  I then move to my other eye and do the same.  I like to apply a second layer to my whole lid or just to my crease.  This intensifies the shadow.  Sometimes I also apply a little, with a small brush, to my outer lower lash line.

Thanks for reading!!





Link party at Agape Love Designs here