August and September Favorites

First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for sticking around during my hiatus. As a lot of you know, my boyfriend and I very recently moved in to our own apartment. And as many of you also know, moving into an entirely new space all at once isn't easy either. It broke my heart every time someone asked when my next post would be up, and although I have a dedicated notebook with quite a few outlines for future posts, I was not in my usual headspace. My stress levels definitely broke some of my personal records. Nothing I could have hoped to churn out would have come out up to par. But, here I am, writing to you from the half-empty apartment I'm already calling home.

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Some of my favorite posts are my monthly favorites because I get to play with my makeup and take pictures of my makeup and write about my makeup... you get the picture. So I thought it would be fitting that I come back with the August (and September) Favorites post that never was. August was especially stressful and I couldn't be bothered to put any extra effort into my look as what was necessary. My everyday makeup consisted of my foundation, a little something on my cheeks, mascara and brows. Sometimes-- if I had the time or energy or willingness to-- I'd throw some eyeshadow into the mix. Swipe some quick color on my lips (or not) and I was done. No frills, none of those "full face" looks I have so much fun with. 

L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise

First up is probably the saving grace to my face this month. While I'm loyal to my go-to mascara, I was running low and I'd heard such great things about this one, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I know it's been compared to Too Faced's Better than Sex mascara, and I admittedly haven't tried it, but after my run with this one, I'm definitely going after it. I'm probably one of the few people on the planet who like mascara that clumps. I'm not saying I build my lashes into one mega-lash, but I like to build up a little volume. And technically, clump=volume. Just don't go overboard *insert sassy girl emoji*

MAC Eyebrow Pencil in Spiked

Next is my MAC eyebrow pencil in the color Spiked, which is a rich burgundy. This is a self-propelling, self-sharpening pencil with the greatest formula I've ever used. I'm typically not a fan of eyebrow pencils because they're either so creamy I immediately ruin my face, or so stubbornly difficult to apply, I end up just irritating the area in trying to fill in my brows. My favorite thing about this one, though, is the shape of the applicator. It's perfectly flat and I propel it through ever so slightly so I can't really go overboard. Also, the flat tip helps in keeping the the application more consistent and hair-like, as opposed to having a pencil go from sharp to dull while still on the same eyebrow. 

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume II 

Like I said, sometimes I had an extra few minutes to work on my makeup and other times I carved out the time. When I was in somewhat of an in-between, I gravitated toward this palette. The beautiful (and obvious) thing about palettes is the colors correspond in such a way that you can pick one up and have a variety of complete looks. As you can tell from the photo, the colors Sunset, Marina, and Seaside got the most use this month. My favorite look made use of the entire palette. I'd extend my blending and smoking into the shades Siren, Breezy, and Riptide for a more dark and sophisticated look. Pearl makes a great highlight while Conch is my base. I don't think I own another palette I'm able to use entirely. 

L.A. Colors Eyeshadow Singles

Finally, we have my drugstore find of the month. I actually found these singles at our neighborhood Dollar General at two for $1. I initially had fallen in love with that deep brick red, but soon found three others I knew would make a great addition. To say I was blown away with their performance is an understatement. The colors are so creamy and pigmented, I was sure there was going to be some caveat, like they crease like mad or start coming off in an hour. I initially tested them (wore them to work and sweat and ran around the restaurant like crazy all night) without a primer to really see what they could do on their own. To my honest surprise, they outperformed most of what I own. Even the aforementioned Tarte palette will crease over the course of the night without a primer, but these .50 cent singles stayed put. The blend stayed blended and shimmer stayed shimmery. 

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This is not a sponsored post. All products depicted were purchased by me. All opinions expressed are my own.