Beauty Favorites

while shopping with my sister recently, i told her that i wanted to pop into Sephora quick to look for a new lip color. you’d think i’d told her i just won the mega millions lottery and was planning to give her half. immediately, the, ‘oooooh! what are you looking for?’ and ‘oh my gosh, you have to try this!’ exclamations started rollin’ in. lucky for me, she’s tried basically every product in the store (maybe not quite, but close), so i can say one or two words and she’ll know exactly what i want and where to find it. 

like i said, i was looking for a new lip color when i stumbled on the Naked2 Basics palette. i’d heard it was beautiful, but hadn’t seen it for myself yet. i opened up the sample and knew that i had to have it. it’s made up of gorgeous neutral tones that are great on their own or pretty mixed with the Naked2 palette (or other eyeshadows!). so, i’ve used it everyday since. i like it to create a ‘barely there’ eyeshadow look. 

i’ve mentioned my love for Revlon’s Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains before, and that love still prevails. i’ve been using Honey, which is a pretty mauve-y pink. i love the lightness of the stain and it adds just enough color, while also moisturizing my lips. 

for the most part, i use Julep’s Ink Gel Eyeliner (which seems to no longer be on their website), but i received the Gel Eye Glider in a box and it works just as beautifully. it goes on super smooth and creates a bolder line for me than when i use the ink gel eyeliner. 

i’ve also been using Urban Decay’s 24/7 Velvet Glide on Eye Pencil in Plushie on days when i’m feeling particularly adventurous. the deep purple shade is rich and adds enough color without making me feel costume-y or overdone.

you’ll rarely catch me with bare finger or toe nails, so it makes sense that nail polish would be included. i tend to go back and forth between brands. i’ll get on an OPI kick for awhile, and then switch to Julep or Essie for a bit. OPI has been my go-to as of late (their color selection is great!) so i picked up a few new colors. i was looking for rich tones and a good neutral. the neutral is Don’t Bossa Nova Me Around (currently on my fingers) and the blue is I Saw…U Saw…We Saw…Warsaw (currently on my toes).

i was complaining to Kate that my nail polish chips so easily and she reminded me of a little trick using CND’s Vinylux polish for a longer-laster manicure. the most neutral shade of Vinylux i currently have is Cake Pop, so i used that as my base coat, followed by one coat of the neutral OPI shade. the color lasted twice as long as it normally does, and it made the neutral color pop with the slightest tint of pink, which turned out beautiful. 

what are some of your favorite products lately?