Happy summer everyone! Yesterday was the first official day of summer, and so I thought it was the perfect time to share a few recent beauty finds that I’ve been loving lately! I always seem to change up my beauty routine a little bit with the seasons and I definitely have some new products that are in my current rotation that I’m really enjoying! (This post is a tad long and excessively detailed, so if you’re not a makeup person, it might not be your cup of tea – just FYI!)
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick Foundation
This stuff is seriously SO awesome! It was actually recommended to me by a girl who works at my local Sephora, which was kind of a surprise because normally I’m kind of skeptical about taking their recommendations. I’m not a makeup expert but I do watch lots of beauty videos on YouTube and I consider myself to pretty knowledgeable about the range of different makeup brands/products that are out there. Plus, not to be mean, but there are a lot of people that work at my Sephora who clearly have very different tastes in makeup than I do (as evidenced by the way they do their own makeup for work) so it makes it a little hard for me to take their recommendations seriously? Anyway…there is one girl who works at my Sephora who has great makeup and I was chatting with her because I was trying to the right shade for me in this Clinique foundation I had been wanting to try. As luck would have it, none of the colors of that foundation matched my skin (they were all way too pink and I have a lot of yellow undertones in my skin) and she asked why I wanted that particular one in the first place. I told her I wanted something that was really quick and easy to apply, as well as something I could use both to spot conceal or do a full face foundation look. She highly recommended this Makeup Forever stick foundation, and while I’m a fan of MUFE, I was somewhat hesitant because Jaclyn Hill (who is still my favorite YouTuber!) also raves about it but she has really dry skin, and my skin tends to be more oily. However, my skin has been less oily/a little more dry during this pregnancy, plus the girl at Sephora said that while this foundation is not a matte finish, it can totally work for oily skin, so I decided to give it a try. After using it for the past month or so, I’m totally in love! It is so easy to apply, it blends out really well, and since Make Up For Ever has such an awesome color selection, you can find a shade that’s a perfect match for your skin. And as a mom who doesn’t always have a lot of time to apply makeup, this product is a game changer! Since it’s a stick, it’s so easy to just throw in your bag, making it great for travel…or tossing in your diaper bag and applying in the car when you’re running 15 minutes late. Not that I ever do that…ha. But it’s just nice that it can’t spill or leak, and it really looks like skin on your face, but provides really good coverage too. I typically apply a few swipes straight from the tube to my face and then blend it out using a foundation brush, but your blending with your fingers work well too! (I wear shade 117 just in case anyone was wondering!)
This stuff is seriously SO awesome! It was actually recommended to me by a girl who works at my local Sephora, which was kind of a surprise because normally I’m kind of skeptical about taking their recommendations. I’m not a makeup expert but I do watch lots of beauty videos on YouTube and I consider myself to pretty knowledgeable about the range of different makeup brands/products that are out there. Plus, not to be mean, but there are a lot of people that work at my Sephora who clearly have very different tastes in makeup than I do (as evidenced by the way they do their own makeup for work) so it makes it a little hard for me to take their recommendations seriously? Anyway…there is one girl who works at my Sephora who has great makeup and I was chatting with her because I was trying to the right shade for me in this Clinique foundation I had been wanting to try. As luck would have it, none of the colors of that foundation matched my skin (they were all way too pink and I have a lot of yellow undertones in my skin) and she asked why I wanted that particular one in the first place. I told her I wanted something that was really quick and easy to apply, as well as something I could use both to spot conceal or do a full face foundation look. She highly recommended this Makeup Forever stick foundation, and while I’m a fan of MUFE, I was somewhat hesitant because Jaclyn Hill (who is still my favorite YouTuber!) also raves about it but she has really dry skin, and my skin tends to be more oily. However, my skin has been less oily/a little more dry during this pregnancy, plus the girl at Sephora said that while this foundation is not a matte finish, it can totally work for oily skin, so I decided to give it a try. After using it for the past month or so, I’m totally in love! It is so easy to apply, it blends out really well, and since Make Up For Ever has such an awesome color selection, you can find a shade that’s a perfect match for your skin. And as a mom who doesn’t always have a lot of time to apply makeup, this product is a game changer! Since it’s a stick, it’s so easy to just throw in your bag, making it great for travel…or tossing in your diaper bag and applying in the car when you’re running 15 minutes late. Not that I ever do that…ha. But it’s just nice that it can’t spill or leak, and it really looks like skin on your face, but provides really good coverage too. I typically apply a few swipes straight from the tube to my face and then blend it out using a foundation brush, but your blending with your fingers work well too! (I wear shade 117 just in case anyone was wondering!)
L’Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation
After having such good luck with the Make Up For Ever foundation, I decided to take a chance on a drugstore foundation that is 1. another Jaclyn Hill favorite and 2. geared towards more dry skin. Seriously, pregnancy is drying out my normally super oily skin, plus I’m dealing with a lot more hyper-pigmentation than I experienced with Henry’s pregnancy, hence why I am on kind of a foundation kick as of late! Anyway, I’ve heard awesome things about this L’Oreal Lumi Cushion foundation and after trying it, I can see what all the fuss is about! I love the cushion application because it’s so easy and just less messy than a normal liquid foundation. I just tap my stippling brush right on to the cushion to pick up some product and then apply it right to my face. This foundation provides more of a medium coverage and it’s a little more dewy, but I think it’s very natural looking making it great for summer! I also like that L’Oreal has a pretty good range of shades/undertones for a drugstore brand, and I wear shade W3 (Nude Beige) which is the same color I wear in the original True Match, another drugstore foundation I love (and have blogged about before).
After having such good luck with the Make Up For Ever foundation, I decided to take a chance on a drugstore foundation that is 1. another Jaclyn Hill favorite and 2. geared towards more dry skin. Seriously, pregnancy is drying out my normally super oily skin, plus I’m dealing with a lot more hyper-pigmentation than I experienced with Henry’s pregnancy, hence why I am on kind of a foundation kick as of late! Anyway, I’ve heard awesome things about this L’Oreal Lumi Cushion foundation and after trying it, I can see what all the fuss is about! I love the cushion application because it’s so easy and just less messy than a normal liquid foundation. I just tap my stippling brush right on to the cushion to pick up some product and then apply it right to my face. This foundation provides more of a medium coverage and it’s a little more dewy, but I think it’s very natural looking making it great for summer! I also like that L’Oreal has a pretty good range of shades/undertones for a drugstore brand, and I wear shade W3 (Nude Beige) which is the same color I wear in the original True Match, another drugstore foundation I love (and have blogged about before).
Nars Laguna Liquid Bronzer
This was kind of an impulse buy last time I was at Sephora, and to be honest, I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about it. But I still wanted to share my thoughts in case anyone is curious about it! Basically this is a liquid version of the popular Nars bronzer ‘Laguna’ but it’s not super shimmery or anything. It comes in a very chic looking glass bottle with a pump, which I love, but I like all Nars packaging, it ends up getting super dirty due to the rubbery texture. That aside, when you pump some out it looks pretty dark, but it actually blends out quite sheer. To the point that I’d said it’s really geared towards fair to medium skin tones and wouldn’t even really show up much as a bronzer if you’re darker. To apply it, you can use your fingers or a brush or a sponge and just put it on where you’d apply a normal powder bronzer. It definitely gives a very natural sun-kissed look and is perfect for those summer days where you’re maybe doing more minimal makeup and just want a little something to warm up your skin. However, I feel like I’m just such much more used to powders that I find myself not using it as much just because it’s out of my comfort zone. BUT, something that I think it’s super useful for is mixing with your foundation in the summer! I always have the issue that I buy foundations in the winter and then come summer they’re too light and I feel like I can’t use them. With this stuff, you can just mix a pump into your liquid foundation before applying it and it helps to adjust foundations you have to your summer skin tone 🙂 I’ve actually been doing that a lot and mixing the liquid bronzer with this Nars tinted moisturizer that I bought in the winter and bought a shade too light to begin with anyway. So the liquid bronzer is a good versatile product to have in your makeup bag, but I wouldn’t say it’s life changing and it is on the pricier side so it may not be worth it depending on your needs.
This was kind of an impulse buy last time I was at Sephora, and to be honest, I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about it. But I still wanted to share my thoughts in case anyone is curious about it! Basically this is a liquid version of the popular Nars bronzer ‘Laguna’ but it’s not super shimmery or anything. It comes in a very chic looking glass bottle with a pump, which I love, but I like all Nars packaging, it ends up getting super dirty due to the rubbery texture. That aside, when you pump some out it looks pretty dark, but it actually blends out quite sheer. To the point that I’d said it’s really geared towards fair to medium skin tones and wouldn’t even really show up much as a bronzer if you’re darker. To apply it, you can use your fingers or a brush or a sponge and just put it on where you’d apply a normal powder bronzer. It definitely gives a very natural sun-kissed look and is perfect for those summer days where you’re maybe doing more minimal makeup and just want a little something to warm up your skin. However, I feel like I’m just such much more used to powders that I find myself not using it as much just because it’s out of my comfort zone. BUT, something that I think it’s super useful for is mixing with your foundation in the summer! I always have the issue that I buy foundations in the winter and then come summer they’re too light and I feel like I can’t use them. With this stuff, you can just mix a pump into your liquid foundation before applying it and it helps to adjust foundations you have to your summer skin tone 🙂 I’ve actually been doing that a lot and mixing the liquid bronzer with this Nars tinted moisturizer that I bought in the winter and bought a shade too light to begin with anyway. So the liquid bronzer is a good versatile product to have in your makeup bag, but I wouldn’t say it’s life changing and it is on the pricier side so it may not be worth it depending on your needs.
Clearly I was on a Nars kick last time I went to Sephora, and they’re definitely one of my favorite more high-end beauty brands! I’ve always heard that their lipgloss shade Chelsea Girls was a cult favorite so I decided to give it a try and I am OBSESSED. It’s such a great warm pinky nude for summer, and it’s really the perfect shade to put on whether you’re wearing no other makeup or a more dramatic look. In the summer I find I often wear more bright colors in terms of clothes and so I feel like wearing a bold lip can be too much, so this is great to give you some color, while still being more subdued. Plus, Nars lip glosses have a great formulation – very smooth and not at all sticky!
Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer
Even though I have the Nars liquid bronzer, I was in the market for a new powder bronzer. I’ve always seen that Physicians Formula is a drugstore brand that makes a ton of different ones, so I decided to try out their Butter Bronzer after hearing good things. This stuff smells like straight up summer! Kind of like a mix of coconut and sunscreen (in a good way), it’s just a very beachy scent! So if you’re not into scented face products then I’d steer clear, but if you’re looking for a bronzer that screams summer, this is it! I was a little concerned that because it is so scented that it might break me out, but so far so good! And the color is great, not too orange or muddy, just a good neutral bronze shade that doesn’t have much shimmer in it, which I like. It’s perfect to buff on and warm up the face, and it’s definitely the type of product that you can build up to get the intensity you want (which I prefer to bronzers that are so pigmented that they’re tough to apply). Overall, a solid drugstore purchase!
Wet & Wild Balm Stain
Wet & Wild is a brand that I used to buy back in middle school and then kind of ignored because it’s so inexpensive that you sort of assume everything is crap…ha. But after having good luck with their nail polishes and hearing good things about some of their new products, I’ve been giving them a second look lately! I recently picked up this Balm Stain in the color Coral of the Story and I really really like it! It’s super smooth and moisturizing and the color does seem to leave a nice stain on the lips, so even when the product wears off you have some color left behind. But it does seem to be super super soft in consistency, so you have to apply with caution. And you have to make sure that the lid is on really tight, otherwise, it will come off in your purse and get all over your stuff…as I found out the hard way. But despite that, I still love the color and the price can’t be beat!
Wet & Wild is a brand that I used to buy back in middle school and then kind of ignored because it’s so inexpensive that you sort of assume everything is crap…ha. But after having good luck with their nail polishes and hearing good things about some of their new products, I’ve been giving them a second look lately! I recently picked up this Balm Stain in the color Coral of the Story and I really really like it! It’s super smooth and moisturizing and the color does seem to leave a nice stain on the lips, so even when the product wears off you have some color left behind. But it does seem to be super super soft in consistency, so you have to apply with caution. And you have to make sure that the lid is on really tight, otherwise, it will come off in your purse and get all over your stuff…as I found out the hard way. But despite that, I still love the color and the price can’t be beat!
So there you have it, some of the things currently in my makeup bag! I still need to do a post about my favorite mascaras, but since this post is already getting kind of long, I’ll save that for another day 🙂 And as always, if you have any beauty products you’re loving right now, definitely let me know because I’m always looking for suggestions! Happy Summer! 🙂
