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Wednesday, August 29, 2018

My Top Makeup Faves + VIB Rouge Sephora Sale

Happy Wednesday, friends! Can y'all believe it's almost September? It feels like this year has just FLOWN by! Anyways, for those of you who are obsessed with Sephora as much as I am, I'm sure you know there's an exciting 20% off sale going on for VIB Rouge members. Sephora has always been a store where I literally lose all sense of self-control as I shop. I honestly don't even know how to use half of the products effectively, nor do I really know how to successfully do makeup either. But, all their products are beyond tempting. Especially when they're on sale.
Obviously, everyone is different and has their specific preferences on what kind of look they want to achieve with their makeup. Since I typically get ready for work each morning, I prefer a more natural, everyday look. If I'm going someplace special or have an occasion to dress up for, I'll make my makeup a little more dramatic. (Not too dramatic though, because I can't pull that off like some gals can).
It actually took me awhile (literally my 25 years of life) to finally find the products that work best for ME. It took some experimenting with different products and brands, and I recently have found the right ones that I'm confident with - and I'm here to share my top 10! I know everyone is different and has different skin types, etc - but, these work for me and I hope they can work for you too! Especially with the VIB sale going on... now is the time to snag these awesome products!

Before I go into detail with my makeup routine, I know that any professional, makeup artist would probably tell me I'm doing half of these things wrong - but, it's okay. I leave my house every morning and my foundation is blended into my neckline (that is actually my worst fear in my life), so that's potentially all I care about! 

#1: Hour Glass "Veil Mineral Primer" : First and foremost, make sure you start with fresh, clean skin in the morning. Any cleanser will do, but I love Drunk Elephant "Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser" the best. It's currently out of stock on Sephora, but I'm sure they'll restock soon. I then recommend using a little bit of your favorite moisturizer and then you can prime away! I love this Hourglass Primer because not only does it help set my makeup for the whole day, but it also has SPF 15 in it, which is a major bonus. The bigger bottle is a tad pricey, so I normally buy the mini bottle for $19 and it will last me for months!

#2:  Cover FX "Power Play Foundation" in N50: After testing out what feels like MILLIONS of different foundations (I feel like I have tried every single one possible) - this one worked for me. Foundations are tricky and also risky, because the odds of the color actually matching your skin tone are sometimes slim to none. I recommend going into your local Sephora, and having a beauty consultant color match you with the right one. I use shade N50 for medium/tan skin with neutral undertones.  This foundation goes on super smooth and it stays on ALL DAY. I used to have issues with other foundations not staying on well throughout my work day, looking too thick, or not having enough coverage. But this one is awesome, and I feel like a lot of people forget about this brand. It's free of parabens, has an all-day shine, and gives an airbrushed effect + many other benefits! 

#3: Too Faced "Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer" in "Natural Beige:  Yes, that's a long name for a concealer. But, it lasts A LONG time. I'm not just talking coverage, I'm talking time-span. It's literally the biggest concealer I have ever seen. It's the size of your average foundation bottle, super hydrating, and gives great coverage. I just use the applicator brush to conceal my under-eyes or conceal any blemishes. It's seriously the best concealer and it's worth the money since you're getting a lot of product per bottle. Don't get me wrong though, the fan-favorite Tarte "Shape Tape Concealer" is also my go-to. But, it's an Ulta Exclusive and you can't buy it at Sephora! 



#4: Laura Mercier "Translucent Loose Setting Powder" - I'm sure most of you have heard about how awesome this product is, and that's because it's truly awesome. It's easy to apply with a fluffy powder brush, doesn't add any weight or matte-feel, and it keeps your makeup set all day. I will probably use this setting powder for the rest of my life because it's just THAT good. 

#5: NARS "Blush/Bronzer Duo"  in "Laguna & Orgasm": This is one of my favorite products. I've been using these theses two products for almost four years now. Yes, I know the names are a little out there, but all of Nars' products have questionable names like that. I love them so much that I bought the bronzer & blush seperately, but if you want to try out the two to see if they work for you, definitely purchase the duo! I have naturally medium-tan skin, so the bronzer blends really well. The blush isn't too pigmented or rosy, and it gives off a peachy/sun-kissed look with the bronzer. 

#6: NARS "Duo Eyeshadow" in "Kalahari": Can you tell NARS is my favorite brand? I have tried so many eyeshadow palettes before. Don't get me wrong I love my Naked palettes as much as the next girl, but I just recently purchased this one and I love it. The "Kalahari" duo, which is a shimmer bronze pearl & milk chocolate color. You can wear them alone or together. It's a great choice if you have brown hair and brown eyes! The colors can be applied more natural, or you can build them up to be more dramatic if you'd like. I also saw Kristen Cavallari wears this particular eyeshadow combo, and I love her. So that makes me love this item that much more tbh.



#7: Sephora "Wink-It" Felt Liner  in "Little Black Dress" & Sephora "Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner"  in "Black 01": So, I'm weird and use both liquid and pencil eyeliners together. I have no clue if that's normal or not, but I like to use liquid eyeliner on my top lid, and then pencil eyeliner on the bottom. I think liquid liner on the bottom of your eyes can look too harsh. In my opinion, super heavy eyeliner takes away from the natural beauty of your eyes and face. These Sephora liners won't break your bank, and they're super easy to apply. The liquid is awesome too if you like to wing your liner and struggle with getting it right!

#8: Too Faced "Better Than Sex Mascara": I used to use this mascara every single day in college for like four years. It's AWESOME and I have nothing bad to say about it. It gives your lashes so much dimension and volume. But, I won't lie: I've found two other mascaras I love that much more, but you can't purchase them at Sephora. 

My newfound favorite is Trish McEvoy "High Volume Mascara": It's water-resistant and forms a coating around your lashes. I literally got pushed into a pool this summer and it never once smeared or smudged. It's perfect if you like a thinner brush to separate your lashes.
My absolute ALL-TIME favorite is Chanel "Le Volume De Chanel Mascara:
To those of y'all getting fake eyelash extensions (not throwing any shade, I'm just saying) you should try this mascara instead! It plumps your lashes like crazy and gives SUPER high volume. It definitely gives a little bit of a more dramatic look, but it's my hands-down favorite. Both of these mascaras are available at Nordstrom for $32.00. All three of these mascara's are amazing and definitely worth the money! Especially if you're not into the whole eyelash extension trend, these are awesome.



#9: Urban Decay "All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray": After I am done applying all of my makeup, I lightly spritz my face with this setting spray. You don't have to spray a lot, because a little goes a long way. The mini bottle is only $15 at Sephora and it also lasts me awhile! I've tried a lot of different setting sprays, but this one is like the holy grail of all setting sprays. You can literally run a 10K and your makeup will still look flawless. I've never ran a 10K to be able to verify if that's a true statement or not, but y'all get the point.

#10: Bobbi Brown Lipstick in "Sandwash Pink": This is my all-time favorite lipstick. It's a super pretty pink/nude and it's perfect for fall! I love it because it's just semi-matte and it has a little hydration in it. I can't stand wearing lipsticks that feel dry and gritty, so this one is the best. If you're not a lipstick person, another favorite of mine is Anastasia Beverly Hills Lipgloss in the shade "Vintage". It's a similar shade to the Bobbi Brown one. Both of these can be bought at Sephora for $29 and $16.

On a side note, I found the best drugstore nude lipstick. It's called "Jennifer's Nude" by L'Oreal Paris. You can snag it at your local Walgreens for like $8.99. Maybe even $5.99 with your Walgreens card, just saying.

I use all of these lipsticks & glosses with Laura Geller "Pout Perfection Waterproof Lipliner" in the color "Spice". It compliments any pink nude or medium-pink shades of lipsticks and glosses!



I could probably go on for days about these products and how many others I love, but these are my absolute favorites. These are all my daily essentials and they're all the specific ones that work for me. Like I said, I'm no beauty or make up expert, but hopefully these will help you all find some exciting new purchases from Sephora. Even if you're not a VIB member, go check these products out. I promise they are well worth it! Don't forget, the sale only lasts until September 3rd!

If you have any questions about any of these products or anything makeup related, comment below and I will be more than happy to chat. Thanks for reading!

Xoxo,
Holly J

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