Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty – March/April 2018

I’m a bit behind in posting about one of the best sales of the year, but I know all y’all are on top of it!

Ulta is having Beauty’s Biggest Event from March 18 through to April 7th! There are different deals each day with Hot Buys available every day of event. I wasn’t all that impressed with the offerings this go round.
I did end up ordering a couple Benefit Roller Lash mascaras (my holy grail mascara!) for $12.00 each (normally $24.00 each). In order to get my free shipping, I also purchased filler items, such as as my beloved Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter body butter. It is currently buy 1 get 1 at 50% off. ❤

On April 7th, I’ll order the Mac Prep + Prime Fix+ Setting spray. 🙂 I LOVE this setting spray!

I order my products online to ensure that I get them. I dislike going to the store to find they are out of the products I want. 😦

What are you getting in the 21 Days of Beauty sale?

Thank you for reading!

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My Beauty Space ‘n Stuff

I thought I’d show y’all where I keep my daily beauty products, as well as show you my stash. It’s always interesting to see how organized people are, as well as seeing all the cool products they have that I don’t have that I might want to have, too. 😉

Here is my little 4 drawer dresser right outside my master bathroom. I keep my brushes, beauty sponges, currently used lipglosses up top, and my moisturizers, cleansers/toners and cotton balls/pads in that wicker basket.

The top left of the drawer has my foundations, primers and concealers. The right has my setting sprays and powders.

The left side of the second drawer has my highlighters.  My mascaras and brow gels are in the middle, and my bronzers and blushes on the right. The third drawer houses all my eye shadow palettes, liquid shadows and singles.

 

I keep my dry brushes on hooks located on the side closest to my master bath.

I love my little space. I love that it’s right outside my bathroom keeping everything I use within reach.

Now we move to my overflow area. 🙂 This is a closet in my hallway where I keep new product, backup product, my masks, moisturizers/exfoliators and shaving stuff.

I adore sheet masks and have an abundance of them. There are about 10 e.l.f. Cosmetics Water Sheet masks in there. 🙂 Also, my love for Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter is real and it’s deep. I stock up when Ulta has their buy 1 get 1 at 50% off. I go through a tub every month and the smaller ones I keep in my handbag. I go through the smaller ones every 2-3 weeks.

The below photo shows where I store my backup products, lip balms, etc. The larger drawers hold my backups of mascaras, brow products, falsies, powders, setting sprays, and my perfumes. I don’t wear perfume much anymore so I just buy the minis.  The smaller storage drawers hold all my lip glosses, liquid lips, lip balms, lip exfoliators and lip pencils.

I try to keep my beauty products as organized as possible so I can easily see what I need to restock up on, as well as not drive my husband bonkers with makeup everywhere!

Your turn! Show me your beauty space ‘n stuff!

❤ Cherilyn 

tarte Limited-Edition Blush Bazaar Amazonian Clay Blush Palette

I have wanted this palette for so long; it was on my Christmas Wish List post, but at the time I just could not justify spending $44.00 on a palette I’d only have half a use for. But as it turns out, each shade is gorgeous on my fair skin; I just have to be light-handed with the darker shades.

Well, my wait paid off because just after Christmas, tarte had their 70% off sale and I was able to pick up this blush palette for $20.00!

The tarte Limited Edition Blush Bazaar palette is packed with eight deluxe Amazonian Clay blushes and two highlight shades in both warm and cool tones for every skin tone. The outside packaging is Moroccan inspired and is exquisite. The palette’s look and feel is high-end quality.

The shades are LIFE…

The blushes blend well, the highlight shades are beautiful, and incredibly long-lasting. I am not someone who likes to fuss with my makeup throughout the day. I adore makeup that even without the use of a setting spray, has longevity. I apply and re-apply lip gloss and lip balm more than enough throughout the day to keep me busy!

I am wearing highlight shade Worthy mixed with Whimsical underneath the blush shade Dainty. Please excuse the massive dry skin patch on my nose. Also, I am 45 and have mature skin freekin’ wrinkles.  I wanted so badly to edit them out, but I didn’t. Much. 😉 On a side note, my mascara is Benefit Roller Lash and my lip gloss is Rimmel London Stay Glossy in Dorchester Rose with a bit of Beauty Pageant Lip Ammo from Jeffree Star.

Overall, the tarte Limited Edition Blush Bazaar Amazonian Clay blush palette is incredible and well worth the $44.00. If you can find it, BUY it.  I am in love with this palette, and have used it every day. It has definitely made me a new fan of the Amazonian Clay blushes, that should I ever need another blush in the future, tarte, you got me FOR LIFE. ❤

I give this palette 5 out of 5 Pretty Blushed Faces. 🙂 ❤

Do you have any of the tarte Amazonian Clay blushes? What is your go to blush?

❤ Cherilyn

Top 10!

Not long ago I did a review of e.l.f. Cosmetics as a brand. e.l.f. Cosmetics are affordable products that are also vegan and cruelty free. You can read my review of e.l.f. Cosmetics as a brand here.

For this post, I decided to share my Ride or Die e.l.f. Cosmetics products ranging from makeup to skin care.

Let’s get on with the goodies! (All links will open in a separate window):

• Flawless Finish Foundation (Natural) – $6.00 This foundation is my ride or die. I’ve been using this foundation for maybe eight years, if not longer. I’ve tried other foundations but I always go back to this one. The foundation is oil-free with a semi-matte finish, has SPF 15, and feels light on my skin. I don’t like to wear a lot of makeup and I love the no makeup makeup finish this provides while keeping my look light and balancing out my redness.
• Hydrating Gel Melt Cleanser – $10.00 I recently discovered this product and it is amazing! I use this every evening to remove my makeup. It is awesome at removing my makeup and cleansing my face. With daily use, one jar lasted me just over a month.
• Baked Highlighter (Moonlight Pearls) – $4.00 First, to my Nicole Guerriero Glow Kit, this is my affordable makeup ride or die highlighter. I use this more than any other highlighter in my collection. Depending on my mood, I sometimes mix this with the Shimmer Highlighting Powders mentioned below.
• Shimmer Highlighting Powder (Rose Glow/Starlight Glow/Pearl Glow) – $6.00 I LOVE these highlighting powders. Each shade look gorgeous on my skin. They can be a bit messy, but I love the wet shine I get, and I am often complimented on my glowing skin when I wear this in any shade. I have a difficult time choosing between the baked highlighter and these so to be fair to them, I rotate. 🙂 ❤
• Hydrating Water Sheet Mask – $3.00 I LOVE LOVE LOVE this mask. Best sheet mask I’ve ever used. I mention it here, here, here and here.  Either read all those posts or just take my word for it; if you haven’t yet tried this sheet mask, what the sheet mask are you waiting for? Either go buy a few now or wait until the next 50% off sale and pick up a few for $1.50.

• Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (Fiji) – $4.00 This has been my ride or die blush for many years. I don’t use the bronzing side as much as I use the blush, but you can see both are soon to hit pan. The color is similar to Too Faced’s Love Flush blush in Love Hangover, which is my #2 blush. Over the years, I’ve gone through at least six of these. The formula is long lasting and the shade gives me a beautiful natural flushed look.
• Eye Makeup Remover Balm – $4.00 During one of e.l.f.’s 50% off sales over Thanksgiving, I came across this Eye Makeup Remover Balm and decided to give it a try. It was 50% off so no biggie if it was a dud at $2.00. It’s basically a waxy balm that you apply over your eyes to break down your eye makeup and remove it with gentle ease. I was so impressed with how well this balm works. I wish it came in different packaging, and had more product. With daily use, I went through one balm in less than 2 weeks. $4.00 is a bit pricey for the amount of product you get, but I don’t mind paying $2.00 when it’s on sale.
• Angled Blush Brush – $4.00 This is my favorite affordable blush brush. It’s the perfect size and the angle allows precision application of my blush. It’s also great for bronzing, though I don’t bronze on a regular basis. The bristles are a soft synthetic, and are vegan and cruelty free.
• Lip Exfoliator – $3.00 I use this lip exfoliator about once a week before application of lip balm or lip gloss. It really helps to keep my lips a lovely pink shade and looking healthy and soft. My favorite is Sweet Cherry.
• Flawless Concealer Blush – $3.00  I use this brush for precise powder application around my nose and mouth. I also have one to remove excess mascara from under my eyes. The bristles are a soft synthetic, and are vegan and cruelty free.

There ya have it. Ten awesome products that have been my ride or die, some new and some for years!

What are your e.l.f. Cosmetics ride or die products?

❤ Cherilyn 

Favorite Brushes

Morphe. Now, there’s a brand that triggers a bunch of people on Youtube.

I use Morphe products.  I LOVE the setting spray. I love my brushes and I enjoy my Jaclyn Hill palette.  I don’t have any other Morphe makeup products other than the JH palette so I cannot attest to their quality.  I do have more Morphe brushes than any other, and I like them.

Before I joined the MorpheMe brush club in February of 2017, I purchased several brushes from Morphe online. The brushes had great reviews and were inexpensive. I wanted to do this post to share how my brushes have held up since purchasing almost a year ago.

I’ll post about my favorite 5 Morphe brushes below. All links will open in a separate window:

M510 Pro Round Blender – ($8.00) I purchased this brush and use daily in rotation with the R40 for highlight application.  I love the way this brush distributes the product onto my skin. This brush has goat hair bristles and has a long slender handle. There is some fraying and a bristle sheds from time to time, but I have had this brush for almost a year, I wash it quite often and it still works just as good as it did from day one.

 

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R40 Deluxe Pointed Blender – ($6.00) I received this brush in a MorpheMe box in April 2017. I use it daily in rotation with the M510 for highlight application.  Another goat hair bristle brush with a  long slender handle, I like the way the product is distributed onto my skin.  This brush also has light fraying with minimal shedding, is washed often and looks and performs well with daily use for six months.

 

E34 Tapered Blush – ($17.00) – I purchased this brush almost one year ago and use it daily for blush application.  It is washed frequently, and has no fraying, but had minimal shedding just after purchasing. I no longer experience shedding with this brush.  It has a thicker handle and feels comfortable in my hand.  The bristles are synthetic, are not rough, and feel soft against my skin. It picks up ample product and applies beautifully on my skin.

 

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E41 Round Deluxe Powder ($23.00) – I purchased this brush almost one year ago and I use it daily for powder application.  I wash it frequently, has no fraying and I haven’t experienced any shedding. I LOVE big fluffy powder brushes.  This has synthetic bristles and is so darned soft!

 

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M439 Deluxe Buffer ($14.00) –  I purchased this brush almost one year ago.  It is washed frequently, has no fraying and no shedding. I love this brush and use it in rotation with the G36 for foundation application.  It is a dense brush with a medium in length but stocky handle. It buffs out my foundation to a flawless finish.

 

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G36 Round Powder ($14.00) – I received this brush in my first MorpheMe subscription box in February of 2017. I started using it about 2-3 months ago for foundation application and it is tied with my M439 as a favorite for foundation.  This brush has synthetic bristles, is washed frequently and has no fraying or shedding.  It is soft and buffs out my foundation perfectly.

 

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The goat hair bristled brushes don’t hold up as well as the synthetic brushes, but even with their fraying and light shedding, are still just as soft and their performance still outstanding.

Morphe brushes are inexpensive, however, if you only want to purchase a few brushes, the shipping cost is a bit much unless you spend $75.00 (for those in the U.S.). Select Ulta’s will carry Morphe products in store and online, which will hopefully curve that shipping cost.

Overall, my Morphe brushes have held up for almost a year, with daily use and frequent cleanings with brush shampoo and isopropyl alcohol. For the price, I cannot complain at their fraying and shedding.   I will continue to use, purchase and recommend Morphe brushes for their low price point, quality and durability.

Do you use Morphe brushes? Share your Morphe brushes experience! 

 

 

Makeup Collection Part 5 – Concealer

If you have mature skin, concealers can make or break you.

I sometimes use concealer to cover age spots, pimples, and redness. I do not put concealer under my eyes because no matter the product, my wrinkled under eyes are magnified and I look older than I am.  The reason I have so many concealers is because I wanted to try different products to see if I could use under my eyes.  All were a fail, so now I keep all products away from my under eye area.

Holy poo, I have a lot of concealers!

The plastic container is from my local Dollar Tree.

• NYX Color correcting palette (I only use the green)
• Bye Bye Under Eye (light/medium)
• Maybelline Master Conceal (light/medium)
• Hard Candy Glamoflauge (I bought this to cover a tattoo. It worked OK)
• e.l.f. Concealer palette
• e.l.f. Maximum Coverage concealer (Porcelain)
• NYX CC cream (Peach) I have NO idea why I purchased this.
• NYX HD studio concealer (Fair)
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind (Fair)
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind (Brightening  )
• e.l.f. HD concealer (light/green/purple) I think I bought these before I knew what they were for. Now that I know, they’re probably expired.
• Measurable Difference Concealer collection (from a beauty box)

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealers dry out my skin, so I use them sparingly, if at all anymore. The Maybelline Master Conceal is a pretty good dupe for the Bye Bye Under Eye, and half the cost.  I don’t think e.l.f. makes the green and purple HD concealers anymore.

After seeing how many concealers I have and don’t use, I think it’s time for a more brutal decluttering!

What concealers do you love?

❤️

Makeup Collection Part 4 – Primer

Primers.  They’re kind of a boring product, right?  I don’t have a large collection because I decluttered a crap load not long ago, and to be honest, I always forget about ’em because I don’t always use a primer.  I find when my skin is free of texture and red spots, I go without.

The plastic container is from my local Dollar Tree.

My current tiny collection of primers:

• e.l.f. Aqua Primer mist
• Maybelline Master Prime (My current favorite)
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind
• Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser
• e.l.f. hydrating under eye primer
• Smashbox Photo Finish
• benefit The POREfessional (Maybelline Master Prime is probably a good dupe for this product at half the price)

All of these primers are OK, though my preferred primer is the Maybelline Master Prime. It has a nice moisturizer feel, and I prefer that to the slippery silicone feel that I get with the Age Rewind, POREfessional, Baby Skin, and Smashbox primers.

Before I realized I’m allergic to coconut oil/water, my favorite primer was Too Faced Hangover RX.  I didn’t use it daily, which is why it took a while to realize I was allergic to the ingredients.  😦

I haven’t tried any of the illuminating/highlighting primers, though I’d love to!  I have heard great things about the Catrice brand, as well as the Maybelline Blur + Illuminate primer.

Do you always use a primer? What is your ride or die primer?  Let’s see your collection!

❤ 

 

Makeup Collection Part 3 – Foundation

I have a love/hate relationship with foundations.  Color matching is probably the hardest thing for me. I know I’m not alone in that department. Uggh, it’s such a pain!

I have fair skin, sometimes dry skin, and wrinkly mature skin, which makes setting my foundation a pain because powder accentuates fine lines. I love a good matte foundation, but I’ve yet to find one I like.  Recommendations are always welcome!

The plastic container is from my local Dollar Tree.

Here is my current foundation collection:

• e.l.f. flawless foundation (Porcelain)
• e.l.f. acne fighting foundation (Porcelain)
• e.l.f. HD Mattifying cream foundation (Porcelain)
• L’Oreal Infallible Total Cover (302 Creamy Natural)
• Rimmel London Stay Matte (103 True Ivory)
• Smashbox Camera Ready BB cream deluxe sample (Light/Medium)
• Too Faced Born This Way sample (Porcelain)

My go-to foundation is the e.l.f. Flawless Finish. I’ve used this foundation for years and I’ve yet to find another that provides the same coverage, that looks as amazing on my skin, is the perfect shade, and is affordable.  High end foundations are harsh on my sensitive skin.  I haven’t had any issues with the e.l.f. foundation so I gladly stick with it. I highly recommend this foundation for $6 USD.

I really like the Too Faced Born This Way, but $39 is out of my budget.  I may just continue to run to Sephora for samples from time to time.  Shhh….  🙂  I did not like the Rimmel Stay Matte, and I’m not sure why I still have it.  I find it difficult to declutter my makeup collection.  I always think I may need a certain product in the future, though it never works out that way!  🙂  Does anyone else have that same problem?

The e.l.f. Mattifying cream foundation isn’t really mattifying that I remember, though it’s been a while since I’ve used it last.  I liked the L’Oreal Infallible, but I think I picked it up in a shade that is too dark.  It has a grey tone, and it just looks muddy on my skin.  I use the e.l.f. Acne Fighting foundation when I have breakouts.  It’s a great foundation with lovely buildable coverage.  The Smashbox BB cream sample came in a beauty box.  I really like it, but it is $39 for a full size, and it isn’t a product I’d use every day.  I’m sure I can find a BB cream that is more affordable.  Recommendations?

I tried the Wet ‘n Wild Photo Focus, but it was the wrong shade, and OMG the smell!  It smelled so strongly of paint.  Only because so many swear by this stuff, I may try this foundation again.  I also tried, and decluttered, the L’Oreal Pro-Matte because I picked it up in a shade that was too light. I wore it anyway, but didn’t like the way it looked on my skin.

I’m curious about the brand The Ordinary!  However, as difficult as I find it to color match in store, I can’t even think about ordering foundation online! I may just bite the bullet and order a few shades and hope I hit the bullseye!  It’s an affordable product at $6.90 USD.  We’ll see!

What foundations/BB/CC creams do you have in your collection?  What are your recommendations for drugstore and high end?

Thank you for reading! ❤

 

Makeup Collection Part 2 – Blush/Bronzer/Contour

Happy Saturday!

Y’all ready for part 2 of my makeup collection? Today’s post is showing you my collection of blushes and bronzers, with a few contour palettes thrown in.  These are the boring products, right along with primers.

Again, you’ll see a lot of e.l.f. products because affordable makeup is key when buying products that I do not use on a regular basis.  I can play around and find what works for me without spending a lot of money. My skin has a negative reaction with some higher end products, which is why I turned to e.l.f. cosmetics about 5-6 years ago.  Only recently have I started reintroducing high end products back into my makeup collection.

I don’t contour or bronze often and I was completely surprised at the amount of blushes I have!  I thought I only had MAYBE 3 or 4.  I have TWELVE, including two blush palettes! To be fair, a few are from beauty boxes.  🙂

The plastic container used to store my collection is from my local Dollar Tree.

Blushes:

• Too Faced Love Flush blush (Love Hangover)
• Wet ‘n Wild Coloricon ombre blush (In a Purple Haze)
• Wet ‘n Wild Coloricon ombre blush (The Princess Daiquiries)
• Wet ‘n Wild Coloricon (Apri-Cot in the Middle)
• e.l.f. Contouring blush/bronzer duo (Fiji)
• e.l.f. Contouring blush/bronzer duo (St. Lucia)
• e.l.f. baked blush (Peachy cheeky)
• e.l.f. powder blush palette (Light)
• e.l.f. cream blush palette (Soft)
• IBY Beauty (Peach sheen)
• pür cheek stain (Rosé)
• NYX bright idea illuminating stick (Rose Petal Pop)
• The two e.l.f. blushes in the back are extra Fiji and St. Lucia blush/bronzer duos

Bronzers/Contour:

• Wet ‘n Wild ColorIcon bronzer (Ticket to Brazil)
• e.l.f. cream contour palette
• e.l.f. warm bronzer
• e.l.f. bronzer palette (Light/Medium)
• e.l.f. bronzer palette (Deep/Dark)
• e.l.f. foundation stick (Coffee) Discontinued

What blushes, bronzers and contour products do you have?  Do you regularly bronze and contour? Show me what you got!

Thank you for reading! ❤

 

Makeup Collection Part 1 – EyeShadow

Makeup collections.  I thought I’d show mine in hopes that y’all will show me yours! 🙂  In order to keep it interesting, I broke it down into parts. I decided to start with my most favorite beauty product that I don’t use enough: eyeshadow.

I do not often wear eyeshadow but when I see a beautiful palette, or even a lovely single shadow, I have to buy it. A couple of the palettes below are from beauty boxes.  Also, you will see that I have a lot of e.l.f. products.  Because I do not wear eyeshadow regularly, I tend to purchase affordable palettes that allow me to play around and work on my application technique.  Occasionally, I will allow myself to splurge on a higher end palette. 🙂

The plastic containers I store my shadows in are from my local Dollar Tree.

• Jeffree Star Beauty Killer
• Jeffree Star Androgyny
• Cargo Cosmetics Around the World
• Pure Cosmetics Buff Collection
• Makeup Revolution (Ultra 32/Flawless 3 Resurrection/Affirmation 32)
• z palette with random shadows from beauty boxes
• e.l.f. baked eyeshadow palettes (California/Seattle)
• e.l.f. Prism (Naked)
• e.l.f Prism (Smoke)
• e.l.f. Everyday Smokey
• e.lf. Mad for Matte
• e.l.f. Mad for Matte 2
• e.l.f. Rose Gold
• e.l.f. Need it Nude
• Naked Cosmetics (Desert Sunset)
• e.lf. Clay eyeshadow palettes (Necessary Nude/Saturday Sunsets/Seaside Sweetie/ Smoked to Perfection)
• e.l.f. Holiday (Smokey)
• e.l.f. Holiday (Natural)

Single eyeshadows:

• Naked Cosmetics (Desert Sunset)
• Peek Cosmetics (250K8)
• e.l.f. Aqua Beauty Molten Liquid (Brushed Copper)
• Artist Couture (Diamond Glow Powder)
• Wet n’ Wild (Sugar & Creme Brulee
• e.l.f. smudge pot (Ain’t That Sweet/Gotta Glow/Wine Not/Cruisin’ Chic/Brownie Points/Poppin’ Party)
• e.l.f. Long Lasting shadow (Gala &Toast)
• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil/theBalm Bahama Mama/Elizabeth Mott Whatup Beaches bronzers

I love the Jeffree Star palettes, and though I do not use them nearly enough to justify their purchase, they are amazing shadows and worth every penny, so I don’t feel guilty buying them.  🙂  The Cargo Cosmetics and Buff Collection palettes are from beauty boxes, as is the tiny z pallet, which is filled with single eyeshadows received from beauty boxes. I purchased the Makeup Revolution palettes from Ulta during a sale.  A few of my single shadows aren’t shadows, but bronzers, and I thought the Artist Couture was a single eye shadow but it’s a loose powder highlighter, so I have since removed it from my eyeshadow collection and put it with my highlighters!

Show me your eyeshadow collection!

Thank you for reading! ❤