Beauty Favs

I was on such a roll with this whole, "blogging every Monday" thing until I fell off the bandwagon. See, I was having Mondays off of work for a while there so it was convenient for me to post each week...now, not so easy. My day off is now the one day that I cram everything that I need to do for the whole week into one day and get to the gym so by the time I can sit down; I am exhausted. And ya know what, these are ALL excuses and I hate myself for even saying it.

We all have to make time for things that are important.

So Carrie, DO IT! 

Weather it is time to study, workout, blog, read a new book... it is your responsibility and determination that gets the job done. 

So lets get into why you are all here. I mean, besides my encouraging words of wisdom and all.. I have been testing out a number of products recently and I have stumbled upon a few new beauty favs. I love nothing more than fresh new products from the packages and new trends that start at the beginning of the season. I am so into the dewy highlighted look right now so a lot of the products I am sharing will reflect that. So, if I were you I'd grab a glass of wine and some popcorn (my favorite snack) and lets do this!

This first gem is the Real Techniques Contour Brush. I bought this brush in a set from ULTA and I have used it every single day since. The bristles on this brush are so soft and they blend out product perfectly. I will apply my foundation, set my foundation and under eye (with next product) and then use this to contour lightly my cheekbones and forehead. The set that I bought I believe was called "Core Collection" and it comes with 4 brushes and a travel case which is such a great deal! I own every one of their sets and I will continue to rave about the quality and drug store price tag! 

This is the brush that comes from the Real Techniques Contour Kit. I bought this kit from Kohls and also received 20% off with a coupon. (BOOYAH) I use this product to set my under eyes with powder after applying concealer. It may be hard to see from the picture above but this brush is much smaller than the Contour brush and it has a tapered end which fits perfectly under the eyes. I also use this same brush to apply highlight to the top of the cheek bones, center of my nose and forehead. Again, worth the buy; completely comparable to high-end brushes. 

To achieve a perfect dewy look, you need an amazing foundation. THIS is my current drugstore favorite. I am still occasionally reaching for my Makeup Forever foundation but the matte finish is not the looking I am going for right now. I apply this foundation with a damp beauty blender all over my face. It blends so beautifully into the skin and is a build-able coverage if you're looking for a full-coverage finish. It is a lightweight foundation that leaves your skin with a gorgeous glowy finish. It almost looks like your glowing from within; it is exactly what I have been looking for. I do set this in my T-zone with a powder since I can get oily throughout the day, but I find if I set it, it won't breakup on me throughout the day. And just as an FYI I use the shade n1-2 if you think your skin tone is similar to mine!

Where has this product been, and why didn't I listen to other bloggers when they said to buy this? I picked this up after a number of people raved about it and I had to see what the hype was all about. I bought mine at CVS, and this is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Brightening. It comes a number of shades but this is mainly used for highlighting the face. I use this under the eyes, center of my nose, chin and forehead. It really makes such a huge difference and with the sponge tip applicator it makes it so easy to apply and blend. The amount of product in this little container is crazy and you only need a bit to make a huge difference on the skin because it is so brightening. You can use the sponge tip to blend it right into the skin or what I do is use the pointed end of a damp beauty blender. I apply this after my foundation and then set with powder. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use a powder between steps; set your face once all your liquid products are done! If not you will cause build up on your face and it will appear cakey and overdone.

Side note about CVS- all of their beauty products are 100% money back guarantee! So buy it, test it out and if it's not for you... Return it with no hassles! 

This is a toughy for me. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this mascara when it is fresh from the tube. I have had it in my makeup collection for about 3 weeks now and it is now starting to get clumpy when applied to my lashes. This is the Loreal Butterfly Sculpt mascara in Blackest Black. I was super apprehensive to buy this since the brush is so bizarre. There are only bristles on one side of the wand and the side that does has bristles is sort of tapered to reach each lash. I love this fresh from the package, it makes me lashes so long and voluminous and I received so many compliments when wearing it. The packaging on this product claims that it creates the "tight-lining" effect to your eyes without liner. Tight lining is lining your upper, inner, waterline. Does that make sense? This brush really does get so close to your lash line that it makes them appear lined and I think this is why my lashes look so full. It gets right to the root and lifts and curls. AGAIN, use a lash curler and you will notice such a huge difference. I know that it isn't applying the same since I purchased it but... I may pick up one or two more just because I love the way this applies at first so much. It is just gorgeous, I have not used any other mascara since picking this up at Target. 

I have been so dedicated to the gym lately that even I have shocked myself. I had a goal in mind of what I wanted when I set out on this journey but It has surpassed that. It has really changed my day to day routine, for the better. I feel so much better and I have been working so hard to get better each and every day. I have also found myself living in workout clothes when I am not at work.... and I am okay with that. 

In additional side notes, my birthday is this weekend. On Sunday I will be twenty-four years old. UGH. I am not dreading it as much as I was last year, but I will get into that in an upcoming blog post. My family and I will be celebrating by drinking up all the beer that Harpoon Brewery has to offer as well as their pretzels. I get emotional thinking about days with family... especially for my birthday. It means so much to me that people would take time out of their lives to spend their relaxing Sunday with me in Boston. It means more to me than I think they realize. I know that I have the most amazing family, but it is days like Sunday that make me realize how blessed I am to have a powerful family behind me, loving and celebrating me on my birthday. 

Friday will be a night out with my friends, and I may be using the tea bag trick on Saturday morning that I mentioned in my last blog.

You only turn 24 once, right? 

Cheers to another year of living my beautiful life; 

filled with all the love, family, laughter & babies I could ever imagine.