Beauty Buys Review

As a little girl growing up all I ever wanted to do was be outside. The greatest punishment my parents could give me was to make me stay inside. I loved playing and rough housing with my neighborhood pals. I didnt care to much about girly things.

As a teenager I started to warm up to shopping and trying to find cute clothes on a fixed budget. My parents told us how much we could spend and I loved finding the deals. It took me getting into my 30s to start really paying attention to hair and makeup. I have always prided myself on a fifteen minute morning routine and that never really included hair and makeup and if I’m honest Monday-Friday during the school year that is still the case. If it means I get 15 more minutes to sleep in instead of makeup, I value the sleep. However on the weekends I love doing it all!

Thus I have been looking and getting into different types of makeup. So what follows is a no thrills take on some of the latest products I've been using. {if it isn’t simple with a big impact, I’m probably not going to use it}.

So in my 20s I always used Clinques Acne foundation. I loved it beause my skin was very prone to acne and I felt this did a good job of helping to keep it under control. But as I have moved into my 30s that isn’t really my issue any more. Still, I was reluctant to try something new because I really did love what I was using.

Now my issue is occassional redness so I wanted something that provides better coverage for me since this is now my biggest issue. So I found this foundation from Mac, Studio Fix Fluid. It provides great coverage, isn’t heavy or thick and I find that a little goes a long way! It does a good job of covering my redness when I have it.

The next product that I have been trying out this year our some of Belk Beauty's new palettes. They are named after southern cities and includes blush and eyeshadow. I really enjoy the Nashville and Savannah palettes and have found that they can also be used together which is a nice bonus.

I also have been using this other eye shadow palette from Tarte called Tartelette Toasted eye palette. It has really pretty neutral tones. It is combo of mattes and microshimmers. I love a more neutral eye and having some shimmer and this palette helps with that.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Silk Anti-Aging Micropowder is amazing. My friend Court told me that I would love this and she was so right. It is translucent so you don’t feel like it is there. It helps eliminate pores and gives you a very smooth look.

Finally my before and after makeup routine. I love Smashbox’s primer. It is light and is a great foundation to build your face upon. Mac’s Mini Mac is great to help set your makeup once you have how you like it. I got the set of three and they are also lightly scented which is bonus for me. Humidity is starting to creep back in to North Carolina and this definitely helps fight against that for me.

My last two are are things I like to do during the week to help my face. I love my normal facial care system, but I also love to add to it. I have fallen for the paper masks and there is this new brand Tonymoly that I have been using that I feel like I see instant results the next morning. There are so many to choose from and range from pore cleanser to replenishing and illuminating your skin. I try to do one a week and have loved how my skin has looked.

The last product is the Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels by Skyn Iceland. When your job requires you to be up no later than 5:30 in the morning and you have two very active little girls you can get very tired and have nasty bags under your eyes. These have been a life saver and have helped to reduce the puffiness under eyes. They are so simple to apply and are cool to the touch, which in my opinion is wonderful.

So this wraps up my new beauty favs. Ken and I are planning a trip to Europe this summer and I would love to here some tips on how to keep your makeup on point when traveling in the middle of summer in Italy. Also would love to hear some of your favorite beauty products to try!