Soft Neutral Face of the Day

Hey doll hey! How’s your day/night going? Great I hope. I’m starting to feel much better. The RFI treatments took a lot out of me this past week so I rested instead of trying to push through the pain. Because I only used my shop my stash basket once in this week I have decided to just take out the things I used and replace those things instead of creating a full new basket.

The items I removed were:

NYX Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer ($16 at Ulta), VDL Lumilayer Primer ($32 at Ulta), ELF Flawless Finish Foundation ($6 at Ulta) in the shade Sand, Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer ($32 at Sephora) in the shade Teddy, L’Oreal Infallible Pro Glow Concealer ($9.99 at Ulta) in the shade Classic Ivory, Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Beauty Light Wand ($38 at Sephora) in the shade Spotlight (rose gold with silver light), ColourPop Double Entendre Palette (no longer in stock on their website), Alter Ego Artemis Palette ($22 on their website), Tarte Lights, Camera Lashes mascara ($22 at Ulta), ColourPop Super Shock Blush ($8 on their website) in the shade Quarters (mid tone peachy coral), MAC Powder Blush ($25 at MAC) in the shade Pinch O’ Peach (peachy pink), and Jouer Powder Highlighter ($25 at Sephora) in the shade Citrine (shimmering gold).

I replaced those items with:

Pixi by Petra Flawless Beauty Primer ($22 on their website), I Heart Revolution Coconut Dream Hydrating Primer ($8 at Ulta), AOA Paw Paw Liquid Concealer ($1.55 on the Shop Miss A website) in the shade fair ivory, HourGlass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick ($46 at Sephora) in the shade Shell, Tarte SEA Breezy Cream Bronzer ($29 at Sephora) in the shade Grace Bay, Flower Beauty Heatwave Luminous Bronzer ($9 on their website) in the shade Sunswept, ELF Jelly Highlighter ($6 on their website) in the shade Dew (gold), Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder ($44 at Sephora) in the shade Highlight 01 (golden nude), Tarte Sugar Rush Beach Cheeks Cream Blush ($15 at Ulta) in the shade Beaches & Cream (peachy pink), Juvia’s Place The Warrior III Eyeshadow Palette ($20 at Ulta), and Flower Beauty Lash Warrior Mascara ($9.99 at Ulta).

I also swapped out my bonus palette (Alter Ego Artemis Palette) for the Natasha Denona Mini Nude Palette. I also included the mini items from my 4th Haul of August to test out.

For today’s perfume I am wear Davidoff Cool Water… It has the scent notes of: At the Top: Ozonic Notes (sea scents), Citrus, Pineapple, Black Currant, Honeydew Melon, Lotus Blossom, and Water Lily. In the Middle: May Rose, Jasmine, and Muguet. Rounded Out With: Orris, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Peach, and Mulberry.

For today’s look I used the Natasha Denona Mini Nude Platte ($25 at Sephora) and a few shades from the Believe Beauty Eyeshadow Palette in the color story Nearly Nude ($5 only at Dollar General Stores). Well…. let’s dive into the walk-though of today’s Face of the Day…..

Base:

I primed my face using Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer ($15 for the mini – .33 fluid ounces of product and $30 for the full size – 1.52 fluid ounces of product at Sephora). I primed my pores using ELF Poreless Putty Primer ($8 at Ulta). I contoured my face using NYX Micro-Contour Duo ($10 but currently on sale for $5 on their website) in the shade Deep. My foundation today is NYX Born to Glow Naturally Radiant Foundation ($10 at Ulta) in the shade Nude. I bronzed my face using Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer ($15 mini – .21 ounces of product and $28 for the full size – 1 ounce of product at Sephora). I color corrected my under eyes using Pixi by Petra Correction Concentrate ($12 at Target) in Brightening Peach. For concealer today I am using AOA Paw Paw Liquid Concealer ($1.55 on the Shop Miss A website) in the shade fair ivory. I highlighted the high points of my face using the ELF Jelly Highlighter ($6 on their website) in the shade Dew (gold). I set my under eyes using the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder ($28 at Ulta and Sephora). I set the rest of my face using ELF Halo Glow Setting Powder ($8 on their website) in the color Light. I touched up the bronzer on my face using Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer ($26 mini – .04 ounces of product and $52 for the full sized – .39 ounces of product at Sephora) in the shade Radiant Bronze Light (a warm bronze ideal for medium/deep complexions).For touch ups I am using Pixi by Petra Color Correcting Powder ($20 at Target) in the shade #2 Nude.

Eyes:

I set my brows using Believe Beauty Eyebrow Styling Gel ($4 only at Dollar General Stores) in clear and then filled in my bows using Believe Beauty Brow Defining Pencil ($4 only at Dollar General Stores) in the shade Dark Brown. I carved out my brows using BH Studio Pro Brow Highlighter ($5 on their website) on the matte side and then primed my lids using the P Louise Base ($13.07 on their website or at Morphe’s website ) in the shade Rumour. For today’s eye look I used 2 palettes: Natasha Denona Mini Nude Platte ($25 at Sephora) and a few shades from the Believe Beauty Eyeshadow Palette in the color story Nearly Nude ($5 only at Dollar General Stores). I started with the Mini Nude Palette. For my transition shade I used Quoin (golden tan – matte). For the Outer V and the outer 1/3 of the mobile lid I used the shade Soil (medium chocolate brown – matte). For the remaining 2/3 of the mobile lid I first used the shade Bronzage (light copper – chroma crystal … it’s I guess her take on metallics) over the inner 1/3 of the mobile lid. I then went in with the shade Sienna (terracotta – they describe it as a matte but it’s actually a shimmer) for the middle 1/3 of the mobile lid. I then switched to the Nearly Nude Palette and went in with a combo of the 2nd (chocolate – metallic) and 3rd (taupe – metallic) shades of the top row and tapped that over the line of demarcation between the middle and outer 1/3 of the mobile lid. I then went back into the shade Bronzage (light copper – chroma crystal … it’s I guess her take on metallics) and fluffed it over the line of demarcation between the inner and middle 1/3 of the mobile lid. I then set my brow line using the 1st shade (light beige – matte) of the top row of the Nearly Nude Palette. For the lower lash line I created a drop shadow using more of the shade Quoin (golden tan – matte) from the Mini Nude Palette and then lightly lined the lash line with more of the shade Soil (medium chocolate brown – matte). I highlighted the inner corners of the eyes using the shade Lumino (pearl – metallic) from the Mini Nude Palette. I lined my lower waterlines using Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner ($26 at Sephora) in the shade Sunset #74 (golden bronze – shimmer). I coated my lashes using Flower Beauty Lash Warrior Mascara ($9.99 at Ulta) and popped on a pair of Alter Ego False Lashes ($5 on their website) in the style Flare.

Cheeks and Lips:

For blush today I am wearing Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek ($15 for the mini – .21 ounces of product and $28 for the full size – 1 ounce of product at Sephora) in the shade Perk (coral). I lightly set that using Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush ($24 for the mini – .04 ounces of product and $40 for the full sized .15 ounces of product at Sephora) in the shade Defused Heat (vibrant poppy). I touched up my highlighter using Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder ($44 at Sephora) in the shade Highlight 01 (golden nude). I lined my lips using ColourPop Lippie Pencil (this shade is only in the Big Box of Lippie Pencils Vault…. currently out of stock) in the shade Oh Sis (smoked paprika). I then used 5 dots for both my upper and lower lip of Alter Ego Matte Liquid Lipstick ($6 on their website) in the shade Crush (terracotta pink) and topped that with Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss ($16 at Ulta and Sephora) in the shade Girly (sparkling pink with a coral reflect).

Final Thoughts:

I grade this primer a solid A+++ !!! : Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer $15 at Sephora for the mini (.33 fluid ounces of product) and $30 at Sephora for the full size (1.52 fluid ounces of product). This primer is billed as an award-winning, hydrating, makeup-gripping gel primer that’s formulated with extracts of hemp-derived cannabis seed and blue agave that provided up to 12 hours of wear.

This is a fantastic primer! It’s super tacky, gripped my foundation perfectly, and somehow left my face feeling super hydrated. The only down side I’ve found with this primer is that I can not do my reverse foundation technique (where I contour under my foundation) with this primer. It causes the cream contour to pill up and was a bit difficult to blend out … I was able to do it with a bit of work but this primer best works directly before foundation. Other than that one little snafu this primer is amazing. I will most definitely be purchasing the full sized once I’ve used up the mini.

I grade this cream bronzer as solid A+++ !!! : Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer $15 at Sephora for the mini (.21 ounces of product) and $28 for the full size (1 ounce of product). This cream bronzer stick is billed as a matte cream bronzer formulated with hydrating ingredients for a buildable, blendable bronze or contour for the face and body. It comes in 2 shades and I purchased it in the shade Baked.

I can understand the hype behind Milk Makeup products after testing out the primer and this bronzer. This bronzer is the perfect … and I do mean PERFECT shade (and under tone). It’s got just the right amount of slip to it to buff into the skin seamlessly and it just melts into the skin so perfectly. The only hiccup was that my tube is broken which means I can’t twirl the product up at all… I will have to dig it out once I get too far down. Other than that it’s a 10 out of 10 home run for me. I will purchase the full sized once I’ve used up the mini.

I grade this cream blush a solid A+ : Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek $15 at Sephora for the mini (.21 ounces of product) and $28 at Sephora for the full size (1 ounce of product). This cream blush stick is billed as a two-in-one cream blush and lip color formulated with hydrating ingredients for a buildable, blendable tint. It comes in 5 shades and I purchased it in the shade Perk (coral).

When I first swatched this blush I didn’t think it would make a very good blush because it seamed super sheer, however on the face it actually worked pretty well. I did have to build it a bit but it melted into the skin seamlessly, didn’t go patchy, and didn’t lift the products underneath. It even applied well when I touched it up after powdering my under eyes. It’s not the perfect cream blush for me (that honor still remains with the Fenty cream blush formula) but it’s a pretty good blush. I am not sure if I will repurchase this one in the full size or not because I think that would go to waste, but I might just repurchase the mini again.

I grade this bronzer a solid A+++ !!! : Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer $26 at Sephora for the mini (.04 ounces of product) and $52 at Sephora for the full sized (.39 ounces of product). This bronzer is billed as an illuminating bronzer with Photo luminescent Technology, featuring bronze pigments that deliver a natural-looking, sun-kissed glow while flaunting depth and dimension. In the shade Radiant Bronze Light (a warm bronze ideal for medium/deep complexions).

This bronzer is EVERYTHING!!! It’s so natural looking that at first I didn’t even realize I had applied bronzer. It truly looked as if I was just tanned from the sun. It’s got just the right amount of sheen to it to make the bronze look natural. It’s not powdery, or patchy and is the perfect under tone. I most definitely will purchase the full sided with I’ve used up the mini.

I grade this blush a solid A++ : Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush (Mini) $24 at Sephora for the mini (.04 ounces of product) and $40 at Sephora for the full sized (.15 ounces of product). This blush is billed as a groundbreaking hybrid that combines the customized lighting effects of Ambient Lighting Powder or Strobe Powder with a spectrum of breathtakingly modern hues. In the shade Defused Heat (vibrant poppy shade).

This is a pretty blush, it’s more subtle than I would like it to be and it’s just a tad powdery looking but once I used my setting spray it looked super pretty. I don’t think I will purchase the full sized once I’ve used up the mini. It’s a bit lighter than I would like for a poppy shade … I may have to try another mini to see if I can get a more vibrant blush since no 2 Ambient Lighting Blushes are the same.

I grade this palette a solid A+++ !!! : Natasha Denona Mini Nude Palette $25 for a 5 pan at .3 ounces of product on the Beautylish website. It’s billed as an eyeshadow palette that is very user-friendly and the color scheme allows you to create a whole day or night eye makeup look. It comes with 2 metallics, 2 mattes & 1 duo chrome shadows.

I now understand all the hype behind the Natasha Denona eyeshadow formula! Holly sweet baby unicorns! This formula is so buttery and blends/ buffs out so fast and seamlessly that I just can’t wait to come off my no buy so that I can purchase some of the big palettes! Oh ya, I said it … I am buying the $125 palettes just as soon as I am off my no buy!

Each shade was perfectly pigmented, buffed into the other shades (including the shades I used from another brand) softly and without going muddy or patchy. There was very little kick back in the pans and zero fallout on the face. Out of everything I purchased this month, I would have to say these Natasha Denona palettes might just be my favorite find!

I grade this lip gloss a solid A: Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Gloss $16 for .16 fluid ounces of product on the Beautylish website: I picked it up in the shade Girly (sparkling pink with a coral reflect). This lip gloss is billed as an opaque, high-shine lip color that has a flat sponge-tip applicator to deliver intense pigment with precision for an expert finish in a single swipe.

I would grade this lip gloss a solid A+++ !!! if it were not for the glitters in this color! I hate how gritty it feels on the lips. Once the lip gloss has gone I’m left with a sparkly mess all over the lips. The formula is nice, not sticky but thick enough to stay around for a while. It is super pigmented as well.

I would maybe like to try other shades … just will steer clear of the glittery ones.

I finally received an email that states that my last 3 orders for the month of August (from ColourPop) are FINALLY in the mail! I should receive them in the mail around Thursday 27th so I will be doing a haul very soon.