Makeup Madness Part 2! Bronzer and Highlighters

It's time for part two! Part One was on Blush and now we're onto Bronzers and Highlighters.  I didn't really think I had this many, but there were a few in my collection that I had totally forgotten about. So what I'm sharing are things that can be used to highlight, bronze and contour.  I really only started highlighting and contouring last year but I've been bronzing since High School.  Bronzer was very big when I was in high school to make you look tanned without actually tanning...that was all I knew about it back then.  So lets take a look at what I have.

Again sorry for the poor pictures...

We have some repeat offenders from last Makeup Madness my Tarte Palette and Duo from the Too Faced le Belle Carousel.  So lets start with bronzers and go from oldest to newest again too.

1. Cargo Bronzer in Medium- My first bronzer ever! It amazingly still has pigment and doesn't smell! This bronzer I used the heck out of and while you can see I've hit pan (it's in the upper left corner in the bottom right picture)  There is a ton of product left in this thing.  It started with 8.9 Grams.  I remember using this thing all over my neck, decolletage and arms. It's very orange in the pan but comes off really pretty and somewhat sparkly.  This was about $30 15 years ago so I have no idea if they still carry it or what, but I got it at Sephora when one first opened in San Antonio.  I'm gonna hold on to this one and see if I can't put it to use this summer when I bronze up.
2. bare Minerals warmth.  This is from my very first bare Minerals kit I got a 10ish years ago and there is just a little less than half left.  I remember using this as instructed, but it never really looked right. It's very warm brown...not really what I'm looking for. I thing it served it's purpose in my life during my mineral makeup phase, but I can't imagine every reaching for this thing again. I know too much about makeup now.  I'm going to toss it and not give any more thought to the subject. Although I do know it's still out there and you can buy more at Ulta...I shall not.
3. Wet n Wild Ticket to Brazil Bronzer- This was my first YouTube recommended purchase. I saw StilaKiss33 (my first youtuber) talk about it being perfect to give an allover warmth to your face and this was right after I went blonde and felt super washed out so I snatched this up.  At $3.99 and you can usually find Wet n Wild half off, I bought it and was so pleasantly surprised by the wonder it did.  There is so much product in this thing too I never thought I'd hit pan but this thing is great. It's a beautiful bronzey orange that matches my tanned skin perfectly, but with a light hand adds just enough color to make me not look dead.  I use this also like I used to use my Cargo bronzer, on my neck and decolletage area.  It's perfect and so affordable.  I will repurchase this and I'm keeping it. 
4. NYC in Sunny- another YouTube purchase recommended by EmilyNoel from Beauty Broadcast. This is a matte bronzer in a medium light brown that is perfect for contouring.  It's amazing the variety of skintones this color works on.  I use this thing almost everyday to contour and carve out my non-existent cheekbones.  I've hit some serious pan on this one and am hopping to kill this compact by early spring so I can buy a new bronzer.  Another ridiculously cheap bronzer at $2.99 I've recommended it to everyone and will repurchase it. I do want to try some other bronzers out there but this is a really great standby.
5. Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette, bronzer in Park Ave Princess-  This is Tarte's Standard matte Bronzer and it's beautiful.  I feel like it's the grown up version of NYC's Sunny. I've made a pretty good dent in it but have used it sparingly because it's in my limited edition palette. I really use it mostly when I take that palette traveling because it's easier than hauling other bronzers around.  I can't repurchase this set, but I imagine I'll pick up another set with it in it in the future.  Or Tarte sells it in it's own kit with a blush and highlighter.
6. Too Faced Le Belle Carousel, chocolate soleil bronzer.  One of the mini palette's in my Christmas purchase! I had been wanting to try this bronzer forever.  Another standard matte bronzer, this is Too Faced's probably most popular bronzer because again it is universally flattering.  It is also the bronzer I've used the least of. I have been trying to use up my Sunny before I dip into this one so I'll probably get to this one later in the spring.  We'll see if I want to purchase it later, again I can't get it in this kit or format but if I like it Too Faced is always adding it to things.

Bronzer wish list- I really want to try Benefit's Hoola bronzer and maybe the Tarte Park Avenue Princess palette that has bronzer, blush and highlighter...we'll see. 

So up next Highlighters. I only have one highlighter from before I went blonde and I totally forgot I had it and I don't think it was sold to me as a highlighter but that's what it is. So let's look!

1. Glo Mineral Makeup- gloShimmer Brick in luster. Glo mineral makeup is one of my favorites from years ago when I got monthly facials, I love this brand to death and totally forgot I had this.  It's a quad of shimmery neutral colors that I probably used as eyeshadows.  One color the bronzey one has hit pan and there are serious dips in the pink and champagne colors as well.  This makeup brand wasn't cheap so I'd bet I paid about $30-45 for this.  There's a lot of product in it.  All the colors still give pigment and it doesn't smell so I may keep it around to see if I can incorporate it into my routine.
2. ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal. I bought this thinking it'd be a good eyelid base color. I love pale pinks on my eye, but it ended up being too shimmery.  I didn't realize I could use it as a highlighter till much later.  I've used it a couple of times as a blush topper and it's beautiful.  You have to use a really light hand because it is shiny, but for $1 what's not to like.  I'll keep it around till it starts smelling bad.
3. Wet n Wild Reserve Your Cabana- this is the same format as my Ticket to Brazil, but I got it because a YouTuber said it was a good under eye concealer setting powder.  It doesn't have much shimmer as it's sister, but it does have a little.  When I'm tan I can't set my concealer with it but when it's the winter and I'm paler I totally can.  It's a nice highlighter the rest of the year though.  I don't use very much of it and have a bunch of other setting powders so I can't imagine going through this thing in the next year so I doubt I'll repurchase it. There's nothing wrong with it but I don't need it. But I'll keep it around till then.
4. ELF Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls- this is my favorite highlighter, my go to everyday highlighter.  It's the perfect subtle shimmer for my cheeks and inner corner of my eyes. I love it.  It's a light champagney color but doesn't transfer much pigment. It lasts all day and a little bit goes a long way.  This one was $3, I use it every day and it looks like I've only had it for a week.  I don't really need anything else from a highlighter so if I ever get through this one I'll definitely repurchase it.
5. ELF Blush in Gotta Glow. I unfortunately bought this in the same haul as the baked highlighter so this one didn't get any love. I bought it because I heard it was a dupe for one of the NARS highlighters, but I just wasn't impressed. I've used it a couple of times but it has too much pigment and just kinda can brush off.  I think this was one of the $2 elf blushes, but I will not repurchase. I may keep it around and see if I can use it for something but this one I'm very blah on.
6. Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette, highlighter in Champagne.  Another gorgeous Tarte product.  This is a very simple and light highlighter. Great for everyday.  It has a really weird texture in the pan but one the skin it goes on evenly and gives you a very lit from within kinda look.  I don't think Tarte does highlights as well as they do blush or bronzer or eyeshadows, but I wouldn't turn down a future kit because it had this highlight in it.  When I don't use my ELF Baked Highlighter this is usually the one I go for instead.  And it's great for traveling because it's a complete kit.  
7. Clinique Glow Blush. This I got from my sister when I was home for Christmas. I thought it'd be good for a blush topper it's a creamy stick blush with lots of shimmer.  But unfortunately it's gone bad and smells like cheap lipstick. I bet it was pretty once upon a time, but unfortunately it's past it's prime. 
8. Temptu Highlighter in Pink Pearl (not pictured). I got a tiny sample of this liquid highlighter in an Ipsy bag in the fall and it is gorgeous. I never use it but should because it's separating but I think I can shake it up and it'll work again.  It's the perfect lit from within glow and you just apply it with your fingers and it's gorgeous.  It's supposed to go with an airbrush makeup kit so I wouldn't purchase it on it's own and also it's not the easiest to work with but it's super pretty, I'm going to keep it till I use it up or it goes bad. 

So I only got rid of two items this time around, In the next few I should be able to get rid of a lot more. I know I have some super old liners and lip products so those should be productive.  But slowly we'll get through this.  Next up will be liners, eye and lip! 

Makeup Madness! Part 1: Blush.

So I'm going to start a new blog series here to get through my makeup collection. Now I know my makeup collection isn't as ridiculous as some of my favorite YouTube Beauty Gurus but for someone who only has one face and only plays with makeup for fun, it's kinda out of control.  Partially because I'm a hoarder and partially because of the last year.  So here's a picture I added to Instagram tonight to show my collection and over the next few weeks I'll take us through all these things...

New blog series coming about my ridiculous makeup collection. I do not need this much makeup. #makeupmadness #makeupmonday #makeupcollection

A photo posted by Tyler Archer (@tyleralyse) on Feb 2, 2015 at 5:58pm PST

 So blush...first we need to talk about my face. I am fairly fair...but I have a lot of pigment in my face- make sense? Great. Now I am not pale, but I am fair- however in makeup I am usually Beige or Medium if those colors are lighter and more yellow/red in pigment instead of pink/bronzey undertones.  Now here's where it's complicated and I confuse the makeup artists at Sephora and Ulta.  I have yellow undertones and red cheeks and nose.  So I can do cool tones or warm tones...which is so annoying! So that explains why my blush game has suffered for years and I've spent years looking like a clown because I don't even have to put on blush and I can look like I'm wearing too much of it.

So here's the collection...

Well they're pink...yes.  And those pictures suck...well yes too. There are maybe three blushes in these pictures that I've had since before I went blonde (almost a year ago).  And those blushes are either terracotta, rose or hot pink.  Now the blushes I've bought in the last year range in pale pink, hot orange pink, mauve, tea rose, terracotta, neutral pink, peony and what the hell were you thinking pink.  I'll go through them one by one with my thoughts- let's go oldest to newest...

1. NYC New York Color Cheek Glow Powder Blush in Riverside Rose 651- this blush shows up with no pigment on me. I can swatch it on my arm and you can't even see it.  This is a lighter clay rose color and I don't know when or why I bought this. I also don't know why I've kept it, it's clearly the wrong color, I never use it and the logo is still completely visible in the product. Goodbye blush.
2. Ben Nye Dry Cheek Rouge Victorian Rose DR-61- oh my goodness why do I still have this. This is a dark deep rose color and I've had this since high school.  This was a part of my Ben Nye makeup kit I bought for my musical theatre program in high school.  At some point my sister stole it from me because she liked the color and in the last year or so I stole it back from her...I never used it after I stole it back- it was just the principle of the thing.  This blush is so old I can't even swatch it- I rub my finger in it and nothing comes off.  Luckily it doesn't smell, but it's a sad sad blush so it's going to be friends with the NYC blush and my trashcan. One thing I can remember about this blush though is it stays on like a trooper, this stuff wont budge till you tell it to.
3. Very Sexy Mosaic Blush in In Lust by Victoria's Secret.  I've been wanting to do a post on all my Victoria's Secret makeup because I have a lot. There was a time in my life during college and post college where I bought all my makeup from Victoria's Secret. Who could refuse a line called "Very Sexy".  I loved their makeup and this blush is no different.  But it is HOT, like hot hot pink.  I've hit major pan on it but it's still going strong. In the last few years I've mostly used it for theatre and Halloween, but I love this stuff.  A few of the colors in it make great eye shadows too.  There's some shimmer and some matte and all together it's fabulous.  It also stayed on my cheeks all day which I didn't know yet, but would become a problem with future blushes. I'm keeping this...forever- or till it runs out...
4. bareMinerals blush in Poppy. This blush is beautiful! I light rosey pink I wore the hell out of this blush in my early post-college days. There's barely any of this stuff left.  My first boss got me hooked on bareMinerals for a little while.  I used all their products but their blush is the only one I've made this much of a dent in. I think this color is a perfect light flushed color and looks great on many skin tones.  Now like all bareMinerals products about half way through the day I noticed they were gone, very little pigment remained on my cheeks.  I wouldn't repurchase it because the loose powder format is annoying but I'll definitely keep it till it's gone too and if they have a pressed version I'd be open to getting it some day.
5. Lancome Blush Subtil Powder Blush in Cedar Rose- a very neutral almost mauvey rose color. I bought this blush my first Thanksgiving in College Station, so 2ish + years ago.  I bought this because my Glo Mineral Makeup Terra Cotta duo blush had run out- I had gone through 3 of those things inbetween my bareMinerals Days and my Lancome days.  I was sooooo upset. So I went to Ulta and told the lady I was looking for a new blush and of course she took me to the high end section and I just went with it.  She put this on my cheeks and it looked amazing. So natural and pretty I spent the $30 for it and was a super happy camper for the next year and 2 months.  Now this blush was beautiful but once I went blonde it just didn't work with my coloring anymore.  I've hit serious pan on this product too, because you can not overuse this product if you try, but keep it around because I may go back to it eventually- also it smells really nice like all Lancome products.  As far as staying power went it didn't stay all day, but got me through a good 5ish hours- this was before I learned about primer.
6. Wet n Wild Color Icon Blusher in Mellow Wine.  Bring on the pink! This blush is pink. Not hot pink, not cool pink, just pink.  I bought this blush shortly after becoming blonde when I realized I needed some more color in my cheeks. Now my blonde was not a nice subtle dark blonde, but a bleached blonde platinum blonde thing- so to say I was washed out would be an understatement.  This cheap like $2 blush did the trick. It was bright, made me look awake, and sometimes like a clown.  It's really easy to put too much of this stuff on. I frequently looked perfect in my bathroom mirror, got into my car to look in the mirror and realized I had clown face.  Now this stuff still didn't have great staying power, so luckily if I did make it to work clown faced normally by lunch or early afternoon I'd look normal or like I didn't have any blush on at all.  I've since moved on from this blush but will keep it around for shows, Halloween and the likes.  This is basically the drugstore equivalent of my favorite Victoria's Secret Blush.
7. NYX Blush Dusty Rose- A few months after going blonde, I started trying to dye my hair a little more natural of a color, I ended up with a strawberryish orangey blonde color and needed another new blush.  Something less loud than my Wet nWild.  So I went with a a pretty dusty rosey pink closer to my Lancome color but still with a little more pigment.  My cheeks soaked up this blush like I'd never worn blush before.  This stuff would not stay on. I could put on piles of it and my face just kept it all for itself. So this was a short lived blush relationship. Still before I'd discovered primer so I'll keep it around to see if I ever reach for it and use a primer.  It's only $5-6 I probably wouldn't repurchase it because I eventually learned a blush secret, but I'm not going to toss it out just yet either.
8. elf Pressed Mineral Blush in Jet Setter- this is a gorgeous mauvey pink. I love this color and it was only $3.  I just wish it translated on my cheeks stronger! It's very natural looking and had about average for me staying power.  I didn't use it very frequently at all but will give it another try someday. It's such a pretty color and very natural looking, I just had too many new blushes come in right after it and steal it's thunder.
9. Tarte Rainforest After Dark Palette- blush in Unleashed- this is a beautiful pale pale pink. Oh my gosh this is gorgeous.  This was my first experience with Tarte and with high end blushes since Lancome. And I'm afraid I can't go back! This blush makes your cheeks look like the perfect pink flush. I have red undertones on my cheeks and it never pulls red, but always stays a beautiful light pink. I wish this blush was in the permanent line because I would use it for always but alas it's limited and so I use it sparingly.  Also this blush lasts all day...all day long. I was amazed and swore it was because it was a high end product.  Love. 
10. Coastal Scents Forever Blush sample duo in weird purple pink and nude.  This was a sample I got in my first Ipsy bag in August.  I didn't care for them.  One the sample was too small to try and two the colors were just wrong. I can't speak to really anything on the quality of these blushes but they're going to go make friends with Ben Nye and NYC- sorry.
11. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in savored.  Another limited edition blush from Tarte darn it!  This blush came in my QVC Today's Special Sweet Indulgences Holiday collection. It came with two blushes the other one wasn't right for me so I passed it on to my sister, but this one is dark mauvey pink with light shimmer. And it's gorgeous.  This was a perfect fall shade and I love it. I feel like the 12-hour is super true because like my other Tarte blush, that I didn't stop using till I got this one, it lasted all day.  I love it! I really started to believe that the high end blushes were bringing something special to the table- or maybe it was just Tarte. All my favorite YouTubers talk about Tarte blushes strongly and I can see why. 
12. Too Faced Blush in Who's Your Poppy? This blush was a part of the Le Belle Carousel holiday set I bought to divide up between friends. This was the section I kept it also has a Chocolate Bronzer in it too, but the blush is gorgeous and very similar to the blush I'm going to talk about next.  It's a shimmery orangey pink with very high shine on the cheeks.  It's lasting power is great if you use a primer under it.  In late fall I discovered using primer on just my cheeks. I'd never liked primer's before because they dried out my face but I learned you could use primer on just your cheeks to make you blush stick around longer- good to know.  I haven't used this blush very much at all, because it's in a duo with a bronzer I'm not letting myself use until I finish up another one. So it's sticking around and will have its time.
13. Nars blush in Orgasm.  If there was every a more hyped up, cult favorite blush of the beauty blogosphere then I don't know what it is.  This blush is talked about by everyone in that it's a color that looks good on everyone.  I got this blush in a holiday set from Sephora and probably never would have just bought it flat out on it's own. However I was thrilled to have it in the set and bought the set in part because this was a full sized product in it.  This blush is an orangey pink with gold shimmer.  The Who's Your Poppy looks very similar but comes off shinier than this one.  Orgasm is a beautiful color and I do imagine it looks good on most people. Whenever I do a really neutral eye look I just throw this on and it adds something special.  This blush has great lasting power and it amazing.  At $30 I'm not sure if I'd buy this blush again though. I wont right away when it's gone since I have a pretty convincing dupe in my Too Faced blush but if I see it for a great deal in a kit again I'd definitely jump on that opportunity.  If you've been eyeing this blush and thinking you want to buy it I recommend it- it's great.
14. Stila Convertible Color in Camellia.  This was a hand me down from my sister- she couldn't make it work for he.  I was a little nervous and apprehensive about my first cream blush product. The color is a very neutral nude with more orange than pink in it.  I thought it'd be good for no-makeup makeup days.  I apply this with my elf small stipple brush and it goes on smooth.  When I first started to use it though my cheeks broke out just a little bit.  I think it's a very thick and heavy formula.  Also since it's a cream it stays kinda dewey and I found I needed to set it with another blush or a translucent powder.  I usually just wear this on the weekends, it doesn't last all day at all and it doesn't pack a high enough color punch for me, but I like having it in my collection and will continue to use it.  I don't think I'd purchase this again but maybe another color in the Convertible Color line.

And that's my blush!  If I had to pick two blushes out of the bunch it'd be my Tarte Unleashed and Nars Orgasm.  Two very different colors but between the two you could get both day and night covered. I really enjoy the higher end blushes.  I use some of my drugstore blushes on the weekends but am really too big a fan of my others now.  

I apply my blush with the Real Techniques Blush Brush.  Don't be intimidated by the size of this brush, it's large but it's perfect. I feel like it prevents me from getting too bag clown face because it helps diffuse the color so much.  

Like a lot of things in my makeup collection right now, I don't need anymore blush.  I do not have a simply blush palette yet and that is on my list for eventually, but right now I have plenty of blushes I enjoy and don't feel like I'm missing anything in my range of pinks.  

Next up bronzers and highlighters...a much smaller collection for me. 

3 Quick Reviews! BB Cream, Micellar Water and They're Real!

I just wanted to a quick review of three products I've been using a lot of recently and how I'm using them.  The Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in light, the Benefit They're Real! Mascara in black, and the Simple Cleansing Micellar Water.  The BB Cream and Mascara I got in my Sephora Must Haves of little bag I bought in November and hadn't used too much until now and the Micellar water I've had all month and got at Target.

So lets start with the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in light. I was really excited to get this in my little Sephora bag but when I first tried to use it I didn't like it. I felt like by itself over my regular moisturizer is just sat on my face and never melted in. I looked extremely made up and it just wasn't what I wanted.  At this time the only BB cream I was liking was my Olay Fresh Effects BB Cream that had been discontinued. This was also before my IT Cosmetics CC cream that changed my life.  So I was being kinda picky.  Then a few weeks ago I saw a YouTuber talk about combining products because different parts of your face need different things and I thought hey maybe I can make this BB cream better. I used to mix my Olay BB cream with a NYX Tinted Moisturizer and loved it, so why not.  So I have started using this BB cream in two different ways. Sometimes I'll just mix a little bit in my with my Olay and it works great, I feel like the Olay gives it that extra umph to actually sink into my skin and it helps give my Olay a little more pigment.  The second way I've been using this is after my moisturizer and after my Olay BB cream I'll place this just on my cheeks and around my nose where I have excess redness, this seems to work great too.  I still don't love this BB cream but I've found a way to make it work for me so I can use it.  I wouldn't ever purchase it outright, but I wouldn't not buy another fun kit with it in it just because of it.  On it's own it's $39 and this is a full size I have.

Next the Simple Micellar Water.  I've been hearing about Micellar water for a while now. EssieButton talks about it a lot, you hear about Bioderma and such. But I always got the feeling it was something that was more prominent over seas and not so much in the US.  So just looking at the bottle someone with dry skin would probably be afraid it was something like a Toner but fear not this is not toner.  This is a cleansing water. It feels like water going on the skin, but has super magical powers that cleans and gets off tough mascara.  Afterwards your skin feels lightly hydrated but most importantly clean! Now I'll be the first to admit that I don't take care of my skin as well as someone who wears as much makeup as I do should.  I am a face wipe kinda gal and then I put on moisturizer, I don't like going to the trouble of using my Clarisonic everyday and I probably only exfoliate my face twice a week.  I'm lazy is what it is.  So this adds another step to my routine but it's a step I'm happy to do.  So I use this after my favorite exfoliating face wipes also from Target and most stuff still comes off! It's awesome. I just put a little bit of this water on a face round and go to town. If I'm wearing super strong mascara I may use a second round but usually one round both sides does the trick.  I don't even feel like I have to put my moisturizer on immediately after I use this, I can wait a few minutes which is so nice.  I will definitely be buying this again but probably not for a while, I've been using this all month and I have barely made a dent. It's only $6.99 at Target and Cartwheel usually has a coupon for Simple products once a month so no need to pay full price! If we start to get some other Micellar waters I may try them too but this stuff right now if great.

Last but certainly not least a sample of Benefit's They're Real! Black Mascara. Y'all this stuff is no joke.  Seriously.  I've seen Vloggers talk about this stuff a lot of the last year, it's a very polarizing product. People either love it or hate it. I've heard it doesn't thicken enough, that it lengthens too much and that it's impossible to get off.  I'm going to saw all these things are mostly true.  This is a lengthening mascara and it's a tougher one to get off.  But it's called "They're Real" so it's supposed to be natural looking.  Who in nature has super thick lashes that are also super long...I'll wait...no one. So this gives natural looking length with little volume.  But it's great.  It's also super black and long lasting.  This is where my new Micellar Water comes in handy, if I can't get this stuff off just put a little more water on a cotton round and hold on your lashes for a few seconds and off it comes.  I haven't found my lashes have fallen out or been too dry because of this stuff, so win-win.  I really like this stuff. I also find I don't have to curl my lashes separately because this wand helps lift them up so much. Also put on as many coats as you like because the formula is pretty thin and the wand is very ruberized it's very hard to get too much on your lashes. I've put on 3 coats before without any spider-ing.  Really great stuff.  Now the full size is $23 and as I mentioned before I'm not convinced I need expensive mascara in my life, but since it was a sample I'm happy with it.  But probably wont purchase it again in the future.

So those are my quick 3 reviews.  I'm going to try to do more quick reviews like this in the future, but I did cancel my Ipsy subscription because- I have enough stuff- so it'll probably be stuff I already have, things I'm trying to use up or new drugstore stuff.  Happy Friday! 

Tarte Tartelette Matte Eye Palette

So I've broken my New Year's makeup resolution.  Didn't take long. Two weekends ago I went on an unscheduled shopping spree/retail therapy trip and when I got home did the usual YouTube Vlog Watching. I also started following a lot of my favorites on Instagram where they usually post if there are any really great sales or deals out there.  Usually QVC and HauteLook have the best.  So this particular Saturday I believe it was @jenluvsreviews that posted QVC was having a special on the Tartelette palette! One of the main palette's I was trying to avoid purchasing till I worked through some products... This palette is usually $44 but QVC had it on sale for $36 plus a dual ended brush...so I justified it...with shipping it ended up being $45 but I still got the brush so that's fine.

It arrived in the mail last Friday so I didn't get to play with it till Saturday.

Beautiful neutrally brown and pinky rose colors. I love it.  Now Matte shadows are tricky for me. I feel like as we get older we're supposed to wear less shimmery colors and more Mattes, but I'm only 29 for goodness sakes (for 61 more days at least) and so I should enjoy my shimmer while I can! Buuuttt...there's just something really appealing about Matte colors for me right now. In my Too Faced Chocolate Palette I've been reaching for a lot more of the Matte shades and then as soon as I heard about this palette I just really was drawn to it.  So let's Matte!

Now this isn't a full review because I've only worn this thing for four days so these are really just first impressions. Saturday I used it a nude Color Tattoo and it was really just there to transition color and high light and worked great. The colors felt smooth and light.  I found no trouble blending them out and they didn't drag at all on my eyes. No primer except the color tat.  Sunday I work just these in "free spirit" all over the lid and "force of nature" on the moving part of my lid up to the crease.  I didn't do eyeliner or mascara and just went pretty natural. Again it felt fine on the lids without primer.

Then Monday... this happened.

Free spirit, caregiver, force of nature, dreamer and multi-tasker @tartecosmetics #tartlette #makeupmonday #matte

A photo posted by Tyler Archer (@tyleralyse) on Jan 26, 2015 at 5:14am PST

I decided to go all matte on everything.  I used my usual Wet 'n Wild Fergie Eye Primer.  I let it set for a second then added free spirit on the brow bone and  caregiver on the moving part of my eyelid up to my crease.  Again fine.  Then I took force of nature in my crease. I felt a little dragging.  I added dreamer to just under my crease and it took a lot of blending to smooth it out.  Then last was multi-tasker as eyeliner, but it felt a little grippy so I couldn't get a smooth line.  Interesting...at the end of the day my makeup was still on, it looked just as good as it had when I first applied it.  I was worried it would look patchy in some areas and I definitely don't think it'll go down in history as one of my best eye shadow looks, but that's okay we'll try again.

So today I tried again. I used about half the eye shadow primer than I normally do and stuck to just the top row of colors. Free spirit all over, force of nature in the crease, dreamer in the outer v and I left multi-tasker alone. I feel muddy. I just don't feel like I was able to get a smooth blend.  But it looks exactly like it did 5 hours ago when I applied it so the staying power seems excellent.  I just maybe need to find the right primer.

So I'm a little disappointed in this palette. I think it's a great neutral palette and tomorrow I'm going to play with it in conjunction with another palette and see if they play well together.  I'll also research online if there's a certain type of primer I should use them with. Or maybe my brushes are the problem. I am about a week past when I'd normally clean then, but I was busy binge watching The Fall this weekend.  So well see.  I'll give an update in a few weeks after I've played with it more to see what I think.  So for now it's not terrible it's just not perfect...

What's on my face in the pic?
Primer- Benefit Porefessional
Face-I have IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Medium
Eyebrows- NYX Eyebrow Powder in Blonde
Shadow Primer- Wet 'n Wild Fergie Take on the Day
Bronzer- NYC Sunny
Blush- Tarte Unleashed (from the Rainforest after dark palette)
Highlighter- Tarte Champagne (Rainforest after dark)
Mascara- Benefit They're Real (sample size- not sure how I feel about it...)
Brushes used- all real techniques and the dual ended brush the palette came with

Conceal don't feel...like you look like death.

Conceal don't feel #faveconcealers #pixi #itcosmetics #benefit #maybelline #makeupmonday

A photo posted by Tyler Archer (@tyleralyse) on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:58am PDT

I have deep dark under eye circles. I've been a fully functioning insomniac since moving to College Station in 2012.  I average about 4 hours of sleep a night. I feel really great after 5 and when I hit 7 woh buddy watch out.  So concealer has been my friend for a while now.  Also as I've gotten older my under eye skin has gotten drier- I know shocking after my last post.  But it's true. The skin under your eye is like no other skin on the rest of your body, it's thinner, more sensitive and more delicate and in my world drier too.  So in the last year these have been my new go to concealers that I've used and abused and I love them each for individual reasons.

Prior to my makeup obsession I used really cheap basic concealers that were drying and in stick form.  They weren't bad concealers but they weren't made for your under eye and the certainly weren't hydrating.  Let me clarify in case it wasn't obvious but this post is about concealing bags, under eye bags, bags as deep and dark as your soul.  So while dry stick concealers are great for hiding blemishes they're no bueno for under the eye.

So last February during my makeup awakening the first concealer I decided to try was the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Light. Well that was too light.  It covered great but made my under eyes look like I'd used white stage makeup or like I was one of those tragic concealing accidents where people use way too much highlighter under their eyes.  It was not a good look for me.  So I abandoned the Instant Age Rewind in Light and moved on to something else.

Try #2 Benefit Boi-ing duo thing.  It's Silver Dollar sized compact that's half concealer and half brightener.  The concealer is in #02 and it's the perfect shade! Oh my gosh this matches my skin beautifully and perfectly and man does it conceal and not budge...but...there is no hydration, it's drying like no other, within 5 minutes my under eyes look dry and cracky and it's just sad.  But this one had awesome potential so I keep it around and every once in a while layer it over another product.

So since I had so much success with the color at least for Benefit I decided to stay in the Benefit family and try Fake-Up.  This product is very interesting.  It's a stick concealer but it's wrapped in a hydrating gel thing, so the outside is clear and the inside is concealer.  It feels amazing going on the skin, you can feel the hydration. And the concealer is great but I think the hydration part dilutes the color a little bit so it's not as full coverage as I'd like. However this concealer paired up with the Boi-ing is great. I get some hydration and excellent coverage and it's fabulous.  This concealer on it's own is also something I use on the weekends when I want to be extra nice to my under eyes, have a little coverage but not go over board.

So by this point it's late March or early April and I was still hearing so many great things about the Maybelline Age Rewind, I did have the wrong shade and so I thought I'd give it a try again just in case I really was missing out.  So I got the Medium shade and it was a pretty good match.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with the Age Rewind Dark Circle Corrector Concealer but it's just not my favorite. I like the little spongy applicator, I like that it feels super light.  I just don't think it's as hydrating as people say it is.  I'll use it around my nose sometimes if I'm really red, or use it to hide a blemish if I'm so inclined.  And I've used quit a bit of this concealer now, but I usually use it with something else if I'm going to put it under my eyes.  I either use it on top of my Fake-Up or on top of the next product I've going to talk about.

I was pretty satisfied most of last Spring and early Summer just using a combination of the above products and with good results. In the summer and spring it's a little more humid here so the dryness started to subside a little and I had started wearing a little more face makeup anyways so that helped and I was pretty okay with my concealer choices, but still wanted to find that product that would change everything and make life better/easier.  So my beauty bloggers/vloggers were my guides and I decided I'd try something in a pot this time instead of a stick or roll up or whatever.  Pixi Correction Concentrate was the recommendation.  Pixi is a brand you can buy at Target and it's higher quality that drugstore products but less expensive than Sephora or the high end products at Ulta.  So for around $12 I got this little pot of peach creamy concealer.  This stuff is awesome.  Very hydrating and it's peach so it's supposed to be color correcting.  You don't rub this stuff on but dab it and focus mostly on where your blue tinted skin is.  This stuff is great I really enjoy it, but rarely on it's own.  I usually have to top it with my Age Rewind or Boi-ing if I want to actually conceal, not just color correct.  This is really a great product to use on the weekends as well when I want something hydrating but still look pretty natural.  Some days I can use just this and it's fine, but somedays it needs something on top.

So this brings me to my last product.  My last favorite concealer that I got this past fall as an impulse purchase or last ditch effort to find the perfect concealer.  It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Anti-Aging Concealer one has a ridiculously long name but two was the concealer I've been waiting for. I love this stuff.  This is pretty much my every workday concealer.  This stuff can hide some bags like nobody's business while still being incredibly hydrating.  This stuff is so hydrating it has to be set with a light powder before I'm done! I love it.  It lasts all day and is just fabulous.  I have the shade Neutral Medium which the lady at Ulta told me worked for most people.  I love this stuff. It needs to be applied with your fingers because it's kinda thick and the warmth of your hand helps melt it a little, but also you need the smallest amount, a little can go a long way.  So this is it! My favorite concealer of the bunch, the most expensive and probably the one that will last the longest.

So quick recap and my favorite uses for each-

1. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind- good topper for more hydrating concealer, but not hydrating enough- can be used on more than just under eyes
2. Benefit Fake Up- LOVE! Great weekend concealer when I don't want to be too fussy but not enough coverage on it's own
3. Pixi Correction Concentrate- Fabulous for color correcting, hydrating, can be used on it's own but usually needs a topper
4. Bye Bye Under Eye- Fabulous! My fave.  Great under eye concealer, must be set with a powder, not really good anywhere else on face. 

That's it! These are most frequently used concealers.  Unless I find something better I doubt I'll stray from my Bye Bye Under Eye concealer, I probably wont repurchase the Age Rewind but the other two Fake Up and Pixi I can see myself buying again. 

Moisture is important.

I've tried to write this post two other times and it's seriously gotten away from me. There is so much I could say about lotion, hydration and dry skin. Seriously I could talk your ear off- or write your eyes..off..okay nevermind. So I narrowed it down.  I'll just say this, I have dry skin, skin as dry as the desert, it's seriously dry and has been a constant struggle my whole life to find a moisturizer that I like- I've found some that work, but NONE of them are perfect.  So here's what I'm satisfied with/using right now. 

This was my favorite lotion of the summer/warmer/more humid months. I've used lots of different Vaseline products and this one and the Rescue are my favorites but I think I like this one better because it has a slight shea butter smell that I love.  It goes on very wet so you may worry that it wont get absorbed it'll just dry, but I find that it really soaks into the skin fast and works wonderfully.  I can put my clothes on within 3 minutes of application which is great and don't worry about it getting on my clothes or leaving grease stains.  I used this past year between April and October.  Some days I would need to reapply more than others, but usually a morning and evening application was all that was needed and it was great. This larger size bottle with pump lasts me about a month sometimes a little less. Vaseline Intensive Care you can get it anywhere for between $6 - $9

If I had to pick a Holy Grail lotion it would be this tub of white hydration.  I love this stuff.  And I hate this stuff.  This was the first over the counter cream my dermatologist recommended I use back in the 7th grade when we learned I had Ichthyosis.  This cream has no smell, is really thick and can be a little greasy. BUT I love it.  And still kinda hate it. As soon as I put this on my skin you can almost hear my skin sigh, it's so glad when I start using this again.  This is my cold month lotion I use it all winter long and anytime it's really dry out. This takes some time to really soak into your skin but it stays with you, the moisture lasts all day.  Now I still will apply it twice a day, but when I'm lazy I can usually get away with just a morning application.  This stuff is amazing and works fabulously and if it wasn't for the price tag I would love it.  But this tub which is slightly bigger than the normal size tub barely lasts me a month.  Usually I finish one of these after 3 weeks- 3 weeks! And the price tag makes that really upsetting.  Because you find this Cetaphil moisturizing cream for $10 - $15 depending where you buy it! So thank goodness I only have to use it a few months out of the year, but it stresses me out to spend that amount on a product I have to use multiple times a day.  But again it's what I always come back. I try other things and nothing compares.  I'm currently purchasing it from Amazon and it's a little cheaper but still...

Now I don't use either of these lotions on my face.  My face is kinda weird- sometimes it'll be super duper dry like the rest of my body and other times it's pretty normal and I don't have to worry too much about using a super heaving cream on it.  But because it's winter and because I'm wearing a lot more makeup than I used to do, I've noticed I need to be better about lotion-ing my face. 

I will always remember my 25th birthday when my facialist told me I needed to start thinking about wrinkle prevention and one of the things she stressed was night cream.  I basically said whatever woman I'm 25 leave me alone.  Well over the last year I started searching for a nigh cream I liked.  Around March I found this Neutrogena deep moisture night cream.  Done! This stuff works great and lasted me basically a year. I probably have enough to last me till the end of this month.  Now I didn't use it daily, I probably used it 2 - 3 times a week and just a teeny tiny amount.  But it's great, I love the way it makes my face feel and in the morning I feel hydrated and ready to put on my day cream.  This stuff costs $12.99 usually and I didn't really mind spending that amount on a product I was using on only a small part of my body.  Not sure if I'll repurchase this one or go with an Olay night cream, but if I don't like whatever I try next I'll come back to this one. 

Olay! Oh I love Olay.  This is just your most basic day cream that Olay offers in the Age Defying category.  My facialist's voice is still in my head.  It's light, absorbs instantly and I'm pretty sure it does not offer extra hydration but just kinda a base level.  I used to live by the original Beauty Fluid but decided I  needed something specialized for day and then night.  So the reason I can get away from a thinner day cream is because I only use tinted moisturizers, BB or CC creams on my face, so those have a lot of hydration in them. So I use this first let the first layer soak in, reapply and then add my BB cream on top.  That's perfect for me. I find my daily BB cream works just fine on top of this and I don't feel dry.  Now I'm probably going to try the Classic Renewal cream next to see if it's the Instant Hydration that makes it less cream like but for again $12.99 I'm totally fine with the price of the Olay Instant Hydration Age Defying Day Cream 

Now for something a little extra.  GlamGlow! This is the GlamGlow Thirsty Mud Hydrating Treatment for the low price of $69 it can be yours!  Well the full sized one, I bought a sample for $19.  This stuff is a treat. I use this when my face is tight and dry and I have active flaking.  You use the smallest amount of this stuff and in minutes your dryness is gone.  Now this is sold as a mask or treatment because you're meant to wipe it off afterwards or rub it in to leave on.  Well my skin doesn't really give me that option, I put this on and my skin absorbs all of it! It loves this stuff.  I use it mostly around my eyes, nose and eyebrows where I'm the driest and it's fabulous. It smells delicious too.  Now will I buy the full size? Probably not $69 is crazy.  But it was fun to try the smaller version to see what all the hype was about from the YouTubers pushing it.  

So as is hopefully evident I'm a little more picky about my body lotions  than my face lotions.  I feel like my face is less picky so it's fine.  My body however will instantly tell me when it doesn't like a lotion, it will start to itch, it will flake off, my Ichthyosis will get terribly painful and make me cry.  So while I love trying out new lotions and soaps (another story) I know that they could have disastrous results.  I know Cetaphil works so why do I keep trying other things, I know in the summer I can usually get away with using a lotion over a cream and something lighter and less expensive.  We will see if I ever find something to trump my Cetaphil. Or if I ever find something I can use year round.  Cetaphil is way too thick to use in the summer.  But for now this is my arsenal for my skin- if you have dry skin give it a try or if you have recommendations I'm always willing to mess my skin up and try something new. 

2015 Makeup Resolutions/Projects

Happy New Year! 2015, I am so looking forward to this year. I hope many amazing things happen. One thing I'm really looking forward to is turning 30 in March- 86 days actually.  I'm excited to move on to a new decade of my life and make some changes.  However besides the personal goals I've set for myself this year- there are really only two- I have some makeup goals.  My family is horrified with my new makeup obsession and while my sister is pretty much on board because she likes makeup too- she has given herself the limit of only 1 makeup drawer, so all her makeup must fit in 1 small narrow drawer.  My apartment is not set up that way so I have a little more freedom, but I do think some limits and ground rules are important for both sanity and my budget.

I have a very healthy makeup collection right now and I promise to myself to write that blog post soon to go over my collection.  It takes up a small 3 drawer counter top storage thing, a countertop storage box (about the size of a shoebox), and an under the since organizer with lots of compartments- I'd say right now my makeup collection is only a little obsessively more than I need. And I have no desire to expand it too much more.  There are some things I have my eyes on but not a lot of things I just want because they're cool makeup items, if I want something makeup wise there's a point to it, it's not just going to be on my shelves.

So I propose to tackle my makeup habit the way my sister tackles her clothing problem (she has a lot of clothes omg). I plan to not buy anymore large, non-essential makeup items without first finishing one or donating to someone else.  This will exclude eyeliner and mascara because those have to be replaced more frequently.  My problem areas are Eyeshadow and Blush. I love both.  I have a slight BB cream excess right now, but after these three are complete I'm going to try to keep those to just one at a time.  I feel like it's important to actually use the products I have, and while life is too short to use makeup I don't like, I do feel like what I have I can make work perfectly well for me.

What I'm planning to finish up before spring-

1. NYC Bronzer in Sunny - I love this bronzer, there is nothing wrong with it, but I've been wanting to try a higher end bronzer to see what I think. I have a Too Faced Chocolate Soleil sample I'm going to use first but I want to try Benefit's the Hoola, but have to finish this first. 
2. Maybelline instant age rewind concealer- This just wasn't the concealer I was expecting it to be. It's fine on the weekends or when I'm just going to the store, but it's not for workday use.  I'm not going to replace this with another concealer because I currently love my IT Cosmetics Bye-Bye Under eye and Pixi Correction Concentrate. So this vacancy I may hold onto for a while till something really good comes along.
3. NYX Dewey Setting Spray- This setting spray is fine, I just don't think it's any better than my $3 ELF setting spray that I love. I like the container though and the mist that comes out so I'll probably repurpose it.  I don't need a very high end setting spray either, there's a new L'Oreal one I want to try when this is out.

Things I'm craving-

1. Always new eyeshadows. I know I have plenty and I really can't justify that I need anymore, but watch my justify why I need more.  Eyeshadows don't expire like mascara, BB creams, Lipsticks and cream products.  They last a long long long time.  And as long as you don't get any weird eye infection you really don't have to throw them out for any reason.  Now I can pretty much get any look I want from the 3 palettes I have.  My Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette is the love of my life and I could probably get on with just it for a while. But I notice HUGE dips in 3 very neutral matte colors that I use daily with that palette.  If I had another neutral matte palette I could substitute and therefore extend the life of those colors.  My Rainforest After Dark palette will get a little more action in the spring, but it too is an amazing palette.  And my Tarte Sweet Indulgences Eye Shadows are beautiful.  So it only makes sense that the next eyeshadow palette I have my eye on is another Tarte Palette.  It's the Tartlette Matte palette and it's gorgeous.  Now this is not a purchase I'm allowing myself to get anytime soon. I have to first finish the above three products and downsize my single/trio eyeshadows and then I can get this. So it may be a month or two.
2. A good blush palette.  I love blush! I've always been a one blush girl. I've always used one till it was up then got a new one.  Even when they were crappy blushes.  But life is too short to have only one blush option.  I like very natural, neutral, pinky type blushes and have about 4 right now.  Only two that I'm in love with (surprise they're Tarte) and so I want to invest in a good Tarte Blush Palette.  They usually come out with one or two a year and I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for one.  I just want one and it'll probably be till summer because one comes out, so this is not an immediate need, but a long term goal/plan.  In order to allow myself to buy this I need to finish two of my other blushes.  I have a Lancome I've hit pan on and a Wet 'N Wild that's great in spring.  So I have some time to work through those first.

And that's it.  I do think after this last year there are some things I've learned and discovered about my makeup "needs".  I don't need expensive mascara.  I like them and given the ability to have more I'll take it, but I don't need to spend $20 on a mascara when there are perfectly good drugstore mascaras for under $10 that do the exact same job.  I do want to try more mascaras so when I finish the 3 I have now. I will search for my perfect drugstore mascara, but one at a time.  Another thing I've learned is that I just prefer high end eyeshadows and blushes.  They last longer on my skin, they're non-irritating and they're an investment. In March I'll have had my chocolate bar palette for a year and hopefully I'll only have hit pan on 2 colors, but this is a palette I should easily be able to get use out of for 2 years or more and that makes it a good investment.  My blushes have tons of product in them. My Lancome blush lasted over a year, my Tarte ones barely have a dent and they seem to have never ending product.  

The last thing is a tough one and maybe I haven't actually learned anything from it yet, but high end face products. BB Cream and concealer.  I love my It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under eye.  This is an amazing concealer that has a ton of product it in and that I use very little of that I hope to have around for a while.  But this is the only concealer I've ever used that I felt was hydrating enough under my eyes not to look cakey.  Now it's not cheap.  It's $24 for a very small part of my face.  I don't even use it on other parts of my face that need concealing- Just my under eye.  So the price can only be justified for how long it lasts.  This was a late fall purchase so we'll see how long it lasts.  But if it lasts at leave 6 months then I can justify that price.  Then there's BB Creams.  I've drive 4 drugstore BB creams and 2 high end BB/CC Creams.  And I'm still dissatisfied with my options.  I love a drugstore BB that's been discontinued and I love my high end CC Cream that smells terrible.  I don't think either are perfect. I want my BB Cream a little more full coverage and I want my CC Cream a little more hydrating.  I will not be repurchasing either again and will just start going back in forth between drugstore and high end till I find my perfect BB. I have not exhausted my options yet, but again I need to finish the three I have before trying any others. 

Happy New Year! I hope I can stick to my guns on these things. I love makeup and don't want to stop loving it but I also don't want it to make me broke or crazy.  I do not need to own all the makeup, I just want stuff that works for me and my skin.