Sheer Makeup Favorites

I do love a good full face of makeup, don't get me wrong - it's always nice to go all out and have your makeup looking flawless, but more often than not I like to go for the quick, sheer makeup look that's fresh, fast and easy. With Spring right around the corner, a sheer and fresh face is right up my alley, so today I'm sharing some of my favorite products to achieve the look.

The Body Shop All in One BB Cream - This gives me the perfect amount of coverage, goes on smoothly, gives great hydration to the skin and lasts all day - perfect for those light-medium coverage lovers.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer - Not only is this my new favorite under eye concealer for covering my dark circles, but I've found it also works great for a light touch of coverage on any blemish you may have. It doesn't crease and blends seamlessly with any foundation I choose to use it with. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - This light weight powder is excellent for adding a touch of coverage and keep skin matte all day. I love it for both setting my foundation and concealer - the perfect all in one! 

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural - This powder is just dark enough that it adds a nice bit of warmth to my face without being too heavy on the skin. During the Summer months this is the perfect all over face powder, but for this time of year it makes for a lovely light bronzed glow.

Elf Blush (Peachy Keen) - This blush adds a nice soft wash of color that perks up my complexion and also adds a nice glow with the golden subtle shimmer it has. 

MAC Paintpot (Bare Study ) - This cream product has been a long time favorite for its stay all day capabilities, and the lovely wash of color it adds to my eyes. It can be easily paired with a little winged liner and some mascara for a simple eye look. 

Revlon Lip Butter (Pink Lemonade) - The formula of these is perfect for when you want just a subtle sheer wash of color and moisture to your lips, this one in particular adds a hint of pink which gives your lips a little extra something. This makes it easy to apply on the go and keeps your lips feeling hydrated. 

What are some of your sheer makeup favorites?

Valentines Lips | Three Ways

Whether you're going on a date with that special someone, choosing to stay and have a good pamper session, or doing a night out with friends, Valentines is a day for love. It's always nice to look nice, regardless of what you're doing on the 14th, so I've rounded up three combos - lip-spiration as it were -  that work perfectly with a variety of different makeup looks for whatever kind of V-day you're choosing to have.

Nude

For the nude lip I chose my favorite lip liner in Natural by Rimmel, and filled in my entire lips. Then I applied Revlon Soft Nude and topped it off with the Maybelline Color Elixir gloss in Nude Illusion.

Pink

I had a bit of a harder time deciding on a pink lip, but narrowed it down the Elf lip liner in ... , which I lined and filled in my lips with. Next I took one of my all time favorite pink lipsticks - Mac Creme Cup. I chose not to go with a gloss and keep it more on the creamy/natural looking end of things and I'm happy with the decision.

Red

Finally, and most boldly of all - I had to do a red of course (Valentines and red go hand in hand) - so I grabbed my only go to red of the past couple months. The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo is simply stunning.



I hope this little post gave you some inspiration! Let me know what your plans for Valentines are in the comments! 

Beauty Tip Thursday - How I Wash My Makeup Brushes!

While looking back at my many posts I came to the realization I have somehow never blogged about how I go about washing my makeup brushes. This is a pretty important chore any makeup lover should have in their weekly regime so today is the day I tell you all how I get my brushes fresh and clean!

I try to do this process about once a week/week and a half (depending on how much I used my brushes), usually on the weekend I find the time to do this. 

Here you have the dreaded before shot, pretty gross. These are the brushes I use all the time which I keep in my bathroom where I do my makeup. They're a mix of Real Techniques, Urban Decay, Elf, Ecotools, Coastal Scents and Quo. 

I use olive oil and baby shampoo for my two step cleaning process. The only other thing you need is a small bowl to put the oil in and some luke warm water from your tap! 

I begin by dipping my brushes lightly into the oil and swishing them around slightly - you'll instantly see the color beginning to come out of the dirty brush. I then give it a light rinse under some running water, and gently squeeze the bristles to get the majority of the oil out. The oil is amazing in particular for brushes with white tips, and eyeliner brushes, especially those you use with a gel liner. 

Next, I take the baby shampoo (you can use any brand you like, this is just what I use on my daughters), place some in the palm of my hand and swish the brush around to remove any oil residue and left over makeup. If it's an especially dirt brush or I feel it still has oil remaining in it I will do a second round of shampoo before squeezing out the excess water. 

Finally I take the freshly washed brushes and place them on a folded hand towel, allowing the bristles to hang off the end so they can properly air dry. 

And there you have it, fresh and clean makeup brushes!

I hope this post was helpful to some of you!

Five Things - Drugstore Face Powders

Today I decided to write about something I use pretty well everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, both with and without foundation, and all year round - powders!

They're essential for many reasons - setting your foundation, brightening up your complexion, stopping those pesky oils from appearing, and giving you a quick and simple way to get a little touch of coverage on days when your not looking to use anything too heavy. 

I've gathered up my five drugstore (low end) favorites to show you all. They're great if you don't have a big budget, or you just want something cheap to throw in your travel makeup bag so you don't have to worry about your $50 powder shattering while you're on the go. 

1. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - I have actually heard through the grape vine they are discontinuing this (say it ain't so!), but if you can still find it try to get your hands on it. Its finely milled and provides a great matte finish without looking chalky. This one specifically I love using on its own with a little concealer for a light makeup day. 

2. Covergirl Clean Pressed Powder - This powder range comes in several different varieties, based on your skin type, I have the 'normal skin' variety even though I'm much more on the combo/oily side. I love this because it feels light and breathable, while still doing what it's supposed to be doing. The only complaint I have about this is the scent, which reminds me somewhat of a face wash I once used in my younger days (oxy clean maybe?). It's not enough to really bother me all that much, and doesn't last long once applied, but I could see how this could possibly bother others who are more sensitive to scented products, especially ones that are going directly on your face. 

3. Rimmel Stay Matte - This is, like for many out there, a holy grail product that I must always have a back up of. It is cheap (about $5 CAD), but does what most high end powders only wish they could do. It claims up to 5 hours natural shine control, and in my experience it does the job! I can't say enough good things about this product. If you haven't tried it, do it! You wont regret it, especially if you have combo/oily skin like me. 

4. Maybelline Fit Me - Yes, two Maybelline powders in the same post! But let me say, they know how to make good products, and this powder is certainly up there with their dream matte as well. It doesn't have as much of a mattefying result as the dream matte, but it provides a lovely, soft, barely there look to your skin once applied both alone or over foundation. 

5. Elf Studio Pressed Powder - This is most affordable of the 5 powders I'm mentioning ($3 CAD) so it can be expected that it is a little more loosely packed, which only means you just need to use a little more caution not to over do it so that you don't look chalky or caky. It maintains a matte finish for several hours before touch up is required, so for being so affordable it is well worth the purchase to have on hand in your beach bag or where ever else your nice products don't really belong. 

Loving Lately: Golden Eyes & My Top Eyeshadow Picks to Get the Look!

My makeup routine lately has been pretty simple and basic, after having twins you really can't expect much else after all! One thing I have been really enjoying however is a simple wash of a gold shadow over the lid, plus some black liner and a mascara. If I'm feeling extra daring, or have the time to spare, I will go in with darker brown shadows in the outer V to create a more 'complex' look, but for every day wear simple is best! 

Urban Decay e/s - Half Baked (Naked 1 palette) 

One of my all time favorite golds, and I'm certain others can agree, is Half Baked by UD. It is literally the perfect gold and applies so easily to the lid - you can do a light wash, or use a dense brush to pack on the color for a more intense look. If you don't want to put your money into the Naked Palette, you can always pick up this shadow in a single pot form. 

Loreal e/s Quad in Kerri's Bronzes

This is a fantastic palette for the price, I am a real lover of all Loreal palettes in fact. This one in particular has been meeting my needs nicely lately - it has the perfect four shades for a lovely fall eye look. Of course you can use these shadows separately or all together, both options are fantastic! 

Elf mineral e/s in Natural

Out of all the shadows I am showing you, this one is by far the furthest from your standard 'gold' shadow. This is much more of a cross between a champagne and gold - although it appears to have peachy tones in the pot it does not come out that way when applied to the eye. These mineral shadows are fabulous actually, and for a mere $3 you really can't go wrong - much more affordable than Mac pigments that's for sure! 

Mac e/s in Honey Lust

This comes off as more of a peachy gold, at least on my skin tone, but because of that it makes it a great shadow for every day wear, being not as intense a golden look as Half Baked would be. I do find there is some fall out with this shadow, but it's nothing a light sweep of a fluffy brush over your cheeks wont fix! 

I hope you all enjoyed this look into my favorite golden shadows! Let me know if you have a favorite golden shadow as I'm always looking for new products to try! 

xo, Hannah

Top 10 Summer Nail Polish Picks

Revlon 'Minted'

Elf 'Fire Coral'

Sally Hansen 'Raspberry Race'

OPI 'The IT Color'

Essie 'Bikini So Teeny'

Essie 'Cute as a Button'

Essie 'Watermelon'

China Glaze 'Sexy in the City'

China Glaze 'Pink Voltage'

China Glaze 'Flip Flop Fantasy' 

What's In My Hospital Makeup/Toiletries Bag?

Given my upcoming hospital stay for the birth of my daughters I have my second of two posts for you guys, as promised. In my first post (found here!) I covered the general contents of my hospital bags, one for me, and one for the girls. This second post, as you can see by the title, is a little bit more of an in depth look at what I am packing 'beauty' wise (this is a beauty based blog after all, so I couldn't resist!). 

(My toiletries bag - I'm using a makeup bag I received from e.l.f) 

Tresemme Dry Shampoo 

I decided it best to include this incase I do not feel up to washing my hair completely, for whatever reason, when I first get a chance to shower.

St. Ives Appricott Scrub

One of my favorite facial cleansers - so happy I found it in a travel size! 

Dove Deoderant (Cucumber Green Tea Scent)

So fresh and so clean! 

Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo/Conditioner

Josie Maran Argan Oil 

This might seem a little much, but I decided to include this for a couple of reasons. The bottle is so small first off that it really makes no difference in packing, it also functions as a moisturiser for my face, and for the bottom few inches of my hair (using this on my hair helps to tame and maintain my naturally straight style). 

Crest Mouthwash, Tooth Paste and Tooth Brush

Sephora wide tooth comb & hair ties/band 

(My makeup bag contents) 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Foundation

Mac MSF Natural 

Garnier Anti Dark Circle Roller 

Mac Pro Long Wear Concealer

Elf Blush (Peachy Keen)

Mac Paint Pot (Painterly) 

Elf Eyebrow Lifter/Filler

NYC Waterproof Liner (Brown)

Almay Liquid Liner (Black)

Covergirl Lash Blast Original (waterproof) 

Korres Wild Rose 24hr Moisturising & Brightening Cream 

Body Shop Born Lippy Watermelon Lip Balm 

Quo Duo Fiber Stippling Brush

Elf Blush/Bronzer Brush 

And there you have it! All the beauty related products I am bringing with me to my labour and delivery! Of course every one of these items is being treated as a luxury, and I am certainly not planning on straining myself, or taking time away from my family to utilize all these products if time does not allow. Having a little bit of makeup though is a nice reassurance, and I do want to look somewhat decent for all the pictures that will be taken afterwards (yes I am that vain, but I'm okay with that). 

I will keep you all posted on my progress as much as possible, and there will certainly be a birth announcement posted on here once I get the chance! 

Until next time! 

xo, Hannah

Drugstore Makeup Starter Kit

Products Mentioned;

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer 

Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation 

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder - Sunny

Hard Candy Tiki Bronzer (Used for highlighting!) 

Wet n Wild Powder Blush - Mellow Wine

NYX Rouge Cream Blush - Rose Petal

Loreal e/s Quad - Canyon Stone

Elf Single e/s - Saddle 

NYC Waterproof Eye Pencil

Maybelline Eyestudio Gel Liner

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

NYX l/s - Orange Soda

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss - Fashion Icon

Elf Lip Stain - Birthday Suit 

Any questions on specific products or review requests? Let me know down below! 

xo, Hannah