Must Try Beauty Products

Girl Time

After hearing so many good things about these products – from both YouTube beauty gurus and online reviews – I compiled a list of beauty products that I must try. I’ve decided that once I purchase these items, I’ll do first impressions and reviews as well! Keep a lookout for those soon! My budget-friendly self is just waiting for Ulta’s next sale.

1. L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation I’ve been looking for a new liquid foundation that would live up to my Revlon ColorStay foundation, but always find myself going back to it. This Pro-Matte foundation is described as a Lightweight and creamy, foundation that goes on smooth with a demi-matte finish that lasts up to 24 hours (not that I’d ever wear foundation for 24 hours)—hiding imperfections for a smooth, clear complexion. The fact that it’s matte is what initially drew me in, since my face can get as oily as fried chicken.

2. L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray I used to use the Urban Decay De-Slick setting spray, but found it to be a little too costly. When I heard that this is comparable to the UD one, I knew I had to try it, especially with it costing half the price. This setting spray is described as a Lightweight, oil free setting spray that locks in your total makeup look, Face, Eyes, and Lips, preventing color from smudging or settling into fine lines for all-day staying power.

3. L’Oreal RevitaLift Triple Power Eye Treatment I’ve been on the hunt for an eye cream for a while now and this one seems to be one of the best drugstore ones. I’ve always heard that you should start treating your skin while you’re young before anything even happens. I wear eye makeup almost every day, so with the process of taking off my makeup, I feel that it would be best to start using an eye cream to prevent any signs of skin tugging! This claims to Repair Wrinkles. Reduce Bags. Lift Eye Area.

4. L’Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Serum Concentrate As with the eye cream, I want to prevent before anything happens to keep my skin looking healthy. I’ve also been looking for a serum that would minimize my pores and even out my skin tone. My pores are pretty huge, which is a big contributor to my super oily skin. This serum is described as a Luxurious serum that visibly improves skin quality working on uneven skin with visible pores and fine lines. It visibly corrects skin by tightening pores and revealing petal-soft skin texture.

5. NYX Highlight & Contour Pro Palette I first heard of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit and was lusting over it, but didn’t want to spend $40 on it. Then this baby popped up for a fraction of the price and I fell in love. One of my favorite parts of doing my makeup is contouring and I feel that this palette would be a great addition to my collection. I’m not one of those crazy face sculptors by any means, but I feel that this would help take it to another level. Plus, it’s refillable!

6. L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Powder Can you tell that I’m really eager to try out this Infallible face line? I always set my liquid foundation with a light powder to really lock in my foundation, control oil, and give my face a smooth finish. This powder claims to Absorb excess oil and reduce shine on the skin’s surface for up to 16 hours. It creates the perfect matte finish. The pro look of longwear.

The Guide to Makeup Expiration Dates

Girl Time

You may not think about the expiration of your makeup as much as you do about your food, but keeping track of your makeup expiration dates are just as important. As much as you don’t want to part with your favorite lipstick or eyeliner, there comes a time where you have to toss them out to prevent infections and breakouts.

Mascara – 3 to 4 months

This is probably the makeup product you should pay the most attention to. As your brush is taken in and out of the tube, it brings in any bacteria collected along the way. Any lingering bacteria can cause serious itchiness, redness, and infections. When the mascara starts smelling something like gasoline, it’s time to toss it!

Liquid Eyeliner – 6 months

As with mascara, eyeliner is applied near a sensitive area and is extra prone to bacteria because of it’s liquid form. Pencil eyeliner can last a little longer (up to 1 year) than liquid especially if it is sharpened on the regular.

Liquid Foundation – 6 to 12 months

Since liquid foundation is water based, it collects bacteria easily. When it starts smelling off or changes color, that’s when the formula has turned bad. Keep foundations away from moist environments (like the bathroom) and away from heat (vents or windows), which can speed up spoiling.

Concealer – 1 year

As with liquid foundation, when the color starts to shift and the formula starts to separate, it’s time to get rid of it. Powder/stick concealers can last a little longer (up to 2 years).

Powder, Eye shadow, & Blush – 2 years

You can start telling when these products are going bad when they become more dry and flakey. To prolong their life, clean your makeup brushes on the regular (at least twice a month) to prevent bacteria growth and prevent the oil from your face from transferring to these items. Although these products are dry and don’t contain water, the moisture from your foundation or moisturizer can cling to your brushes and transfer to your makeup as well.

Lipstick – 2 years

Although lipstick doesn’t contain any water, it’s best to get rid of your lipstick after 2 years because they’re repeatedly exposed to your mouth area. When your lipstick changes texture by drying out and becomes hard to spread, you know it’s time to say goodbye. If you’re a lip gloss user, they don’t last as long as lipstick and you should toss them out after 1 year. You can tell when it starts to separate or become extra sticky and goopy.

Added bonus: Nail Polish – 1 to 2 years

You know it’s time to part with it if the polish becomes extra thick or has separated in to layers and doesn’t blend easily after a quick shake. To increase the longevity of the polish, purchase a nail polish thinner from your local drugstore in the beauty aisle!

10 Makeup Tips & Tricks

Girl Time

As I’ve said before, I’ve been wearing makeup for long time now, so I know what works for me and what doesn’t. Through trials and tribulations (hello, super metallic blue eye shadow for prom!), I’ve learned what colors flatter me, how much to apply, how to apply it, and what works with my face shape, so that I don’t end up looking like a clown and scaring off kids.

Once you get the hang of things, it’ll become second nature to you and you’ll see just how makeup can accentuate your best features (and hide your not so favorite features). Here are some of my favorite makeup tips and tricks that I wish I would’ve known a long time ago…no seriously, what was I thinking with that blue eye shadow and why didn’t anybody warn me?

1. Heat your eyelash curler with a blow dryer, so that your lashes curl easier and hold the curl longer.

2. Mascara is supposed to last for 3 or 4 months, but sometimes mine dries out way too soon. When your mascara is drying out and becoming flakey, add a couple drops of saline solution (like eye drops) to the tube and rub the wand around the inside. This softens the mascara liquid, making it apply like brand new again! Added tip: Don’t pump your mascara wand trying to get more out of the tube! This just adds more air in to the tube, making it dry faster.

3. When applying eye shadow, start with a base shadow that doesn’t have shimmer and matches the lightest skin tone on your face. By applying it all over your lid, it creates a clean canvas to easily and properly blend your darker shadows. Added tip: Using an eye primer makes a big difference in how your shadows look and improves staying power!

4. When applying eyeliner on your upper lash line, don’t look straight at the mirror. Instead, get as close as possible to the mirror, tilt your head up slightly, and bring your chin towards the mirror. Looking down as you apply eyeliner makes the process 100 times easier.

5. While you apply your mascara, dig the wand in to the root of your lashes and wiggle your brush using zig zag motions as you go up. This will separate your lashes and coat them evenly with a nice layer of mascara.

6. Speaking of mascara, waterproof mascara is my favorite because of how it holds my curl and the fact that it doesn’t smudge, giving me raccoon eyes. The downside of waterproof mascara is that taking it off can be a hassle. To make it easier to take off, use your favorite regular mascara as the first coat and apply the waterproof mascara over that. This way, the waterproof mascara locks on to the first coat instead of your lashes. Added tip: To make it even easier, use cold cream to take off your eye makeup. Rubbing a little on your eyes will take that stubborn stuff right off!

7. Set your under eye area (all the way up to the lower lashline) with a light/translucent powder for a smoother finish that’ll prevent creasing and accentuation of fine lines. It’ll also up the staying power of your concealer/foundation.

8. When applying blush, smile and start at the apple of your cheeks, blend the blush back towards the top of the ear using swirling motions instead of sweeping motions. Added tip: Always tap off excess powder from your brush to avoid applying too much. You can always build up the color if need be.

9. To exfoliate your lips, use a wet toothbrush or washcloth to scrub off the dead skin. This will allow your lipstick to glide on smoothly without any caking.

10. For longer lasting lipstick, tissues and powder are your best friends. Start with applying your lipstick, blot with a tissue, and then hold a sheet of 1-ply tissue over your lips and apply translucent powder over that.

Hopefully these tips and tricks help you out! I’d love to hear some of your favorite tricks as well!