No Makeup Buy May

I have decided not to buy any makeup for the rest of the month of May. I am going to try to save some money and use a lot of the products I have. I did just purchase some Inglot shadows last week,  but that will be all until June. I hopefully will be able to do a post of products I have used up at the end of this no buy.

May Birchbox!

I was so excited to get back from vacation and have my very first Birchbox waiting for me. It is the Gossip Girl box and I am in love with it!

L to R: Ojon volume advance Volumizing Shampoo, Color Club in Disco Nap, Algenist Complete eye renewal Balm, Dr. Jart + Waterfuse BB Cream

I am super excited to try all of these, especially the Dr. Jart + BB Cream. I have wanted to try it for the longest time. Hopefully I will have some reviews on these soon.

April Favorites 2012

I know there aren't a lot, but I have been trying to be good about buying makeup products since I am going on vacation in 2 days :)

• Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in Rose Ivory- I have been wanting to try this forever so when I ran out of my MUFE HD foundation I figured I would give this a try and it is amazing. It covers so well and lasts forever on my skin.
• MAC Blush in Pink Tea- This is a wonderful pale pink blush. It gives such a nice natural flush to the cheeks
• MAC Lipstick in Watch me Simmer- In love. It is the perfect shade for spring and summer and I plan on wearing it a lot in Vegas. I just wish I could have gotten a backup.
• Stila Smudgestick in Stingray- I went to Ulta to find a new black liner for my waterline since lately mine had been smudging a lot and ending up on my cheeks pretty much. I fell in love with this the first time I tried it. It is creamy and lasts a long time and is super black.

Review: MakeUp Forever HD Foundation

So I was totally loving my Benefit Play Stick, but my skin was just getting super dry with the winter being so cold, so I went in search of another full coverage foundation to get me through the drier months.

My first thoughts of this foundation was how amazing the coverage really is. It covers most of the redness in my face effortlessly and blends in to my natural skin tone very well. There is not a lot needed to cover my face, only a pump and a half (the pump is my favorite packaging feature).

Throughout the day I noticed that my face stays well hydrated and is soft to the touch, when I happen to touch my face. The coverage also lasts throughout my work day even without a primer. I do use a setting spray over it though.

One downside I have noticed is that since this is an HD foundation it is meant to be great with pictures. I went on vacation recently and in the photos I looked very washed out and white. I was wearing blush and bronzer on top and it was still washing me out. I think maybe a darker shade might help with this.

All in all I love this foundation and it is my favorite for the winter time so far. I do want to keep trying other foundations in search of my holy grail foundation that is perfect for both seasons.

 I give this 4.5 out of 5 stars

Going on a Trip: My long weekend getaway makeup necesseties

I am going away next week for a long weekend to Vermont and I figured this would be the perfect time to do a travel makeup guide. This will be a compilation of the products I feel are necessary for my makeup needs.

• Makeup Forever HD Foundation (I am in shade 117)- Since it is so cold and windy in the area of Vermont I will be in I need a hydrating foundation that has a lot of coverage. My face is red enough as it is, so anything I can use to cover that so only redness from the cold and wind show through is perfect
• Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent Powder- Best powder to set my makeup. I use it mostly for my concealer though.  
• Urban Decay All Nighter- This is a must have no matter where I am going or what I am doing. I love this setting spray and I don't really need a primer when I use it with the MUFE foundation. 
• Benefit Erase Paste- My favorite concealer. It covers my dark circles so well, which is good for the long nights out I will be enjoying. 
• Urban Decay Primer Potion- No brainer. 
• Urban Decay Naked2 Pallet- I love this pallet so much. It is perfect for every day looks and since I will need a look to go from day to night this will be the perfect pallet to bring with me. I love the combination of Bootycall all over the lid with Tease in the crease. To amp this up for night all I do is add Busted to the outer corner. 
• Lush Lip Scrub in Sweet Lips & EOS lip balm- This is what I need to keep my lips from getting chapped and cracked. The combination of the scrub and the balm are perfect for amazingly soft lips.
• Maybelline Baby Lips in Grape Vine- This provides SPF, moisture and a little bit of color. I don't have to worry about reapplying lip color and I don't need a mirror for it. The Baby Lips are effortless and since I will be spending a lot of time outdoors it is perfect for my trip. 
• L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara- The best mascara ever. It lasts all day and doesn't flake. It makes my lashes look full and long and I just love it. 
• Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero- Best eyeliner ever. Period.

I am super excited for my trip and I can't wait to see how all of this works out for me. I also get to try the Naked2 pallet and see if it is the one I want to bring with my when I go to Vegas in May. I am pretty much having an all out battle between Naked and Naked2.

Product Face Off--Tarte Lights Camera Lashes & L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

This is my first product face off because I recently realized that L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black is a fantastic dupe for Tarte Lights Camera Lashes.

Lights Camera Lashes has been my holy grail mascara for years, but the price of it was getting kind of out of control for my budget. I started wearing it back in college because it made my lashes look so full and long. I stopped wearing it because of the price tag, but I went back to it when I saw it in a set of Tarte products.

L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black is a new discovery for me. I never really gravitated towards L'Oreal products, but then I saw a bunch of YouTube videos about it and decided to give it a try. I instantly fell in love. It is an amazing mascara that does everything I want; lengthens, makes my lashes look super full and doesn't wear off or flake throughout the day.

Left: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Right: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

As you can see the packaging is very similar. Here the Tarte mascara is without the usual snake skin wrapping around it. Either way they look so similar with the packaging. 

Top: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Bottom: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

The wand is slightly longer on the Tarte mascara, but I like the shorter wand because I feel like there is more control over the wand and how the mascara applies to my lashes. It helps to maneuver the wand to separate the lashes if they begin to clump. 

Top: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Bottom: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

The brush on the mascaras is also very close in size. The L'Oreal brush is a little longer and thicker than the Tarte. I have smaller eyes so the brush on the Lights Camera Lashes is great, but there isn't much difference between it and the Voluminous Carbon Black. They both provide excellent coverage to your lashes as you apply and quickly because of the size of the brush.

All in all I love both of these mascaras but if you are looking for a less expensive alternative to Lights Camera Lashes I think the Voluminous Carbon Black is the perfect mascara for you. It lasts forever, has great pigmentation, has little to no clumping and is definitely my new holy grail mascara.

<3 Greens