Skin Care Empties

       Hey guys! Hope you all are well! Today's post is all about some of my skin care empties. Do you all ever have one of those times where all of your products run out all at the same time? Well that was me here recently, haha. It can be fun, because that means you get an impromptu shopping trip. Then again, it can get expensive to go out and spend a big chunk of money all at once. But hey, you only have one skin your whole life... may as well treat it nicely! So without further ado, let's get into these empties!

First up is my main face-wash, the Clinique Liquid Facial Soap Mild. There is some left in this bottle. I did have an empty bottle of it, but I couldn't find it when I went to take pictures. I may have accidentally thrown it out - whoops! Anyway, I absolutely love this stuff. I use this mainly at night with my Clarisonic. It comes out in a kind of clear gel-like soap. I lather it up between my fingers and then apply it to my face. If you lather it enough, it does get pretty soapy/bubbly. It's super gentle on my skin, but it's effective. It makes my skin feel nice and soft, but most of all clean. It doesn't get all of my makeup off though - that's one thing I wish it did. But my skin loves it so much I keep re-purchasing!

Next up is the second step of the Clinique 3-step skin care system - The Clarifying Lotion in type 2. Clinique has three different types of this product. Type 1 is for dry skin. Type 2 is for combination. And Type 3 is for oily skin. I am currently using Type 3, because I'm super oily since it's summer. But once winter comes, I'll go back to Type 2, as it works better when my skin is a bit more dry. They call this a "lotion," but it's really just a toner. I looooove this part of my skin care routine. If I don't use it, I regret it. It's the product that makes my face feel super clean before I go in with moisturizer. After washing my face, I put a bit of this on a cotton pad and apply it all over my face. Love it!

After mentioning my face wash and toner, it's only appropriate that my moisturizer run out as well, right? Haha. This is the Moisture Surge Intense. Now, I know what you might be thinking, and yes, you're right. This moisturizer says that it's meant for very dry to dry combination skin. Why would I use this when I have oily skin? Well, I've tried several different moisturizers from Clinique. Out of all of them, this one seems to work the best for my skin. Their Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion makes my skin SUPER oily after only a couple hours. And the Dramatically Different Gel-Moisturizer almost feels like it drys my skin out. It's weird. This one is the perfect medium between the two for my skin. It IS a very rich moisturizer, but it doesn't feel heavy or thick when applied. It sinks right into my skin, and leaves it feeling nice and hydrated. I actually use this as my morning moisturizer. It sits very well under makeup! Definitely recommend this, and I will definitely re-purchase.

Moving on to a product that isn't Clinique, haha... This is the L'Oreal Youth Code Serum Intense. I love this stuff! This is an anti-aging serum I use after my toner, but before my moisturizer. I have a few fine lines around my eyes, but I don't have major wrinkles, so this is mainly for preventative purposes for now. That being said, I can't really speak of how well it helps with wrinkles. What I CAN say about this product is that I genuinely think this is a huge help in preventing breakouts. I kid you not. I don't have terrible acne, but this has really helped with those little spots I used to get. I ran out of this a while back and didn't re-purchase until recently. During that down-time of not using it, I felt like I had more little spots pop up. Now that I'm using it again, I see a big difference in my skin again. I love this stuff! I use one pump each morning, and it sinks right into the skin with no heavy feeling at all. It's awesome!

Last up is the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. This product...omg. This stuff packs a punch. I know I've talked about this here on my blog before, so I'll keep it short and sweet. This is the # 1 anti-aging serum. This stuff is to be used at night before bed. It has a technology in it that works with your skin's natural cell renewal process to improve the look and feel of your skin. It's oil-free, fragrance free and won't clog pores. It's light-weight and my skin seriously just drinks this stuff in. There is good news and bad news about this product though. The bad news: it's SUPER expensive. The good news: you only use a few drops of it for your whole face, so it lasts you a reaallllyyyy long time. I love this stuff. If you're in the market for a super serum, look no further. It's awesome!

July Favorites

        Hey everyone! I hope you all have been well! Sorry for the long hiatus. I've had a crazy couple of weeks and honestly just haven't felt like posting. I've filmed a ton of different blog posts, I just haven't felt like sitting down to edit each of them. My work schedule has changed from being very structured to going in early each day, and not knowing when I'm going to get off each evening. So, when I get home, I don't want to sit in front of a computer all night because I do that all day. What I have done is filmed several posts - enough to post twice a week for the whole month of August. I'm going to have these posts set to publish every Tuesday and Thursday evening so that I don't have to worry about getting home late and forgetting to post. I've got more blog post ideas I want to film, and hopefully I can get enough done to where I am ahead of the game for the next few months. Probably through October. August is the month where wedding stuff starts happening full-force. So crazy! Only two and a half months left! I want to be able to do everything with work, wedding stuff and the blog and not get super behind and feel stressed. With that being said - here's to a crazy next few months! Now on to my July favorites! Enjoy :)

First up is the Lorac Pro 2 palette. I'm sure you all could've guessed this one would show up here. I have used this palette non-stop since I got it back in June. It's perfect for creating so many different looks. I've enjoyed it thoroughly this summer, but the colors will be perfect into fall and winter as well. Such an awesome palette! If you've been on the fence about this one, I definitely recommend it!

You can tell I've gotten some use out of this palette, haha. Sorry for it being so dirty! Aren't the colors beautiful?

Next up is the It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream. I did a full review of this several months back - you can find that here. I used this a few times after I got it, and then just went back to using my Covergirl foundation out of habit. Well, I've picked it back up the past month and I use it ALLLLLL the time now. I wear this to work more than I do regular foundation, haha. It can be full coverage, or it can be pretty sheer depending on how much product you use. If I want sheer to medium coverage, I use one pump for my entire face. If I want full coverage, I use two pumps.

I tested out different ways to apply this product to see how I could get the best results. I've tried applying it with different brushes, a beauty sponge and my fingertips. The absolute best application, in my opinion, comes from applying it with my fingers. For some reason, brushes and the beauty sponge soak up too much of this product and it doesn't blend out very well. It's the oddest thing, but that's what works for me! I've seen/heard mixed reviews about this product. You either love it or hate it. But I love it!

This one is a surprise for me. The MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in the color "Medium +." When I first got this product, I hated it. I didn't feel like it did anything for me. I wasn't impressed at all. But wayyyy back in January, I bought the Real Techniques Powder Brush. It's huge and dense, but super soft. I should've taken a picture of it as well, but I didn't. You can find it here. (Side note: I recommend all of the Real Techniques brushes! They're amazing!!) Anyway, I happened to think "I should try applying it with that big powder brush I have..." Well, I tried it, and I love it! I pat the brush into the powder, I don't swirl it. Then I pat it onto my face, I don't swirl it. It. Is. Awesome! It leaves an amazing finish. It gives me a bit of coverage, and it keeps me matte for hours. It is pricey. Especially for how fast I go through powders. But I love it, and I'll definitely re-purchase!

You can't really tell it here, but it is actually a baked powder. It gives a really natural finish - hence the name, haha.

Next I have a new mascara I've been trying. Sorry for the AWFUL pictures. I didn't realize that every picture makes these products look dirty. I've definitely used them like crazy, but they're not dirt-dirty, I promise! Now, back to the mascara. This is L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara. I'd heard a lot about this product when it first came out, it peaked my interest, and now it's in my favorites!

You can see the brush is tapered. This is so that it will flare your lashes out and give them lots of length - especially on the outer corners. Then the more coats you apply, the more volume you'll have. It doesn't clump at all. It's awesome. The only thing I wish was different is I wish I had it in black. When I got it, I accidentally picked up the Brown/Black color, haha. But it's an awesome brown mascara, if you are in the market for one!

Speaking of lashes, I have some false lashes here that I have been loving! These are the Trio lashes by Kiss. You can find these in your local drugstore, or at Walmart. These are what you would get if individual lashes and strip lashes had a baby. I absolutely love individual lashes. I think they look way more natural, and can give amazing volume. But I love the dramatic look of strip lashes and the easy application. I get the best of both worlds with these!

You can buy them in short, medium and long styles. Although this one came with both short and medium. These are soooooo easy to put on and give such a natural look. You can use the medium ones on the outer corners, and the short ones on the inner corners. I've worn these multiple times, and they are SO comfortable. In fact, I wore them in the engagement pictures Alex and I recently had done. With regular strip lashes, I can always feel them and they irritate my eyes and get heavy after a while. But I wore these for 12 hours straight and totally forgot I had them on. They're awesome! If you want to try individual lashes, but want the dramatic look, definitely try these! They're a breeze to apply too :)

Jade Smokey Eye

       Hey guys! Hope you've had a great week so far! Today's look is another tutorial using the Lorac Pro 2. I am in LOVE with this palette, and wanted to give you all another look using it. I'm planning on doing another look using the navy color in the palette. So, stay tuned for that. But let's get back to today's tutorial! This look would be good for daytime and nighttime. It's really versatile, in that you can wear multiple lip colors with it too. So, if you like this look and you want to learn how to create it, keep reading. As always, all tips will be listed in the captions beneath each picture. Enjoy!

Bare-faced!

I started by priming my face with The POREfessional by Benefit.

For foundation, I'm using L'Oreal True Match in color "W4."

Foundation done. I've worn this foundation quite a few times since I've had it and I feel like EVERY time I use it, it looks cakey. Especially around my nose. I've tried applying less product, applying it with different brushes/sponges... but nothing seems to work. If you all have any tips on how to best apply this foundation let me know!

Moving from the skin to the eyes, I started out by priming my oily lids with the Lorac Behind the Scenes.

To begin, I used "Buff" all over the lid as a base.

Next, I took "Lt. Brown" and applied it right into the crease.

Like so. Just keep building the shadow until you get the desired color pay-off.

Next, I took "Nectar" and applied that to the upper crease.

Like so.

This is what you should have so far.

For the lid color, I applied "Jade."

This is where your look should be now.

To add some depth, I used "Cool Gray" in the outer corners.

Then I went back and blended everything out with a big fluffy brush.

All blended.

For liner, I used the L'Oreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense liquid liner.

I created a wing, like so.

Lets conceal, shall we? For that I used MAC Pro Longwear in the color "NC25."

I applied it like so, and blended it all out with a large stippling brush.

Ahhhh, concealer makes everything better.

For powder, I used the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in "Medium +."

Now we're matte!

For contour and bronzer, I used "Hoola" by Benefit.

And for blush I used Milani Baked Blush in "Luminoso."

Color!

#thatcontourtho

For brows, I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in "Medium Ash."

Brows are done!

I didn't get a picture of the color, but I used "Cool Gray" to smoke out the lower lash line.

To blend all of that out, I used a big fluffy brush with a little "Nectar" on it.

We're almost there!

For a highlight, I used "Beige."

I applied it to the inner corners... Woooo, I look orange in this picture!!

As well as the brow bone.

For mascara, I used L'Oreal Miss Manga. I really like this mascara! I accidentally grabbed the "Brown/Black" instead of just the "Black." But, I still love it!

I wanted to apply lashes, but I wanted something a little less full-on. So, I went with these trio lashes by the brand "Kiss."

I only added them on the outer corners of the eyes, but it really adds the perfect touch. And they're realllllyyyy comfortable!

For lips I used the Jordana Twist & Shine Moisturizing Balm Stain in "Honey Love." This is definitely a my-lips-but-better shade!

And here's the final look!

       And there you have it! A jade-colored smokey eye. Do you like it? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on my Facebook page "Beautymark." Thank you all SOOOOOOO much for reading! I have some really fun posts coming up, so keep watch. Have a great week everyone! I'll see you soon!!



                                       XOXO - Tabitha