Drugstore Green Beauty Eyeshadow palettes

Hey all! In the green beauty world there are so many products, yet so many of them are hard to find in big box stores like Walmart and Target. That being said, I was able to round up four brands that were easily accessible and under $20! Some of these are going to be more "green" than others but they all contain better for you ingredients than their typical drugstore counterparts.

It is incredibly exciting to see more and more big name brands embrace going cruelty free and some even vegan. Which is all just one more step closer to clean ingredients that are not going to disrupt hormones or other nasty junk.

Walmart

1. Burt's Bees 100% Natural Eyeshadow Palette in Shimmering Nudes - $9.43

I've only tried the Shimmering Nudes trio and I think it is perfect for everyday use if you don't like to go overboard with your eyeshadow and want a super natural look. These powders are a bit stiff and have minimal color payoff, which I don't always mind because then I can build it up and I don't have to worry about it being too much right away. The best shade, in terms of pigmentation, is the middle taupe-y purple shade. The taupe shade is a perfect one shadow look shade. It stands out beautifully on its own. Unfortunately, the bottom brown shade gets hard pan so quickly, like if you even look at it wrong BOOM hard pan. Which annoys me to no end, it makes the shadows so hard to work with and I know it is an easy enough fix, but is it worth it? The answer depends on the day haha! The top shimmery cream shade is beautiful, its not so overly pigmented that it looks stark on the eyes but it highlights the brow bone nicely. I do think the Blooming Desert palette looks gorgeous though!

2. Found Eyeshadow Palette in Nude - $14.88

This palette reminds me a lot of the Sonia Kashuk palettes, remember when she had makeup? A lot of it was really good (but not very clean - haha.) I personally enjoy that these shades all have names! These powders are a lot softer and have more pigmentation across the board than the Burt's Bees powders. I will say the shimmers are a lot easier to use than the matte shades. The matte shades are a bit patchy and uneven in application, but will blend out okay. The shimmers I think look best when applied with your finger, a sponge tip applicator, or wet; it gives them a lot more shimmering intensity than if applied with a regular brush. This would be a good neutral palette for someone who is just starting with makeup or just transitioning to green beauty. I wish I would have gotten the Blush palette, as it would have been a little more unique in my collection. Though, this palette has some gems, if you mix together Sandstone and Seashell you get a color really similar to Kitten by stila, which is an iconic shade. For an everyday look I like to take Wheat in the crease and Sable or Carat all over the lid with Alabaster on my brow bone and inner corner.

Target

1. Pacifica Mineral Eyeshadows in Pink Nudes - $17.99

The Target palettes do climb up in price a little more than the ones available at Walmart but I think overall for good reason. This is, in my humble opinion, the palette everyone needs because it can be used in addition to so many other shadows but it also looks nice on its own. Pink Nudes has five brown shades that vary in tone ranging from a light beige to a deep cocoa and all but the light beige (which has a slight sheen) are matte! it is perfect for transition shades and shades to deepen the crease. For the last five shades they range from a light pink to a mid toned salmon-y pink (all but the deepest shade on this side are matte). The powders in this palette are very soft and buttery but also sheerly pigmented. Which works very well for the type of palette this is, because I personally prefer my transition shades to be on the sheer side and easy to blend out. None of the powders are patchy and so far none of mine have hard pan ;). This palette is available at Ulta as well and frankly, I would get it there when they run a sale on Pacifica (which they do a lot) or when they have the 20% off coupon or even when they have the $3.50 off of $10/15. I think this is a great staple palette, overall.  Also the Beachy Punk palette is really nice if you like more colorful looks, the Crystal Matrix one isn't worth it in my opinion - not good color payoff and it's supposed to be this shimmery metallic palette, it just falls flat.

2. Honest Beauty Get it Together Eyeshadow Palette - $19.99

I bought this palette at Target, however, while I am writing this it is not showing up on the full version of their website....but I can find it on the app.... I don't know! I linked it to the Honest Beauty website, which is the same price as Target. The Get it Together palette really reminds me of a regular old eyeshadow palette, it is very on trend, without being too in your face. This palette has a mauve-y gold color story which I think works very well for the holiday season (I love a red lip with a gorgeous gold eyeshadow). The gold shade - Strobed Champagne - does take a little work, as it is a rather chunky shadow with some fallout, but sprayed with some water (or setting spray) it applies like a dream! I think this palette really stands above the rest in terms of pigmentation and how buttery the powders feel. So far I have had no issues with any of the matte shades being patchy or clumpy, which I really appreciate. I do think these colors are a little dark for my personal everyday makeup liking but on the everyday I basically want to look like I'm wearing no makeup so.... yeah haha. I am hoping Honest Beauty releases more palettes like this. It has all of the shades you need: a matte cream, a matte black, a matte dark brown, and a matte mid toned brown that works well in the crease! I will say, unlike the others these are not sheer so you do need to be a bit more careful and not just pack it all on right away or it can be a little hard to blend them seamlessly. 

I'm really hoping to get back into blogging in the new year, I've been trying a lot of green beauty products and I have found some that I love and some that I really don't love and I can't wait to share it all with you guys! If you have tried any other green beauty eyeshadows that fall into the "drugstore" category please, please, PLEASE let me know as I would love to try them! Also be on the look out for the high end version of this post as I hope to get it up before the new year!

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Pacifica Concealers

I have a love/hate relationship with Pacifica, some of their products I absolutely LOVE but others..... not so much. So far out of their 4 concealer products I have tried all of them and they are all meh, some of that is my own fault though. I have a hard time using correctly color correcting concealers, like how much blending is too much? Do I cover them with skin toned concealer (I'm pretty sure you do)?

Dreamlit Under Eye Brightener

This is probably my favorite of the concealers, but I don't use it as an under eye concealer or brightener, I use it as a cream highlighter. I think this under my eyes makes me look older and emphasizes all the little lines I have on my under eyes. One this both of the tube concealers have in common is that they are both rather thin, watery formulas. This one has no real pigment to it, other than the shimmers. It doesn't appear glittery though (like the coconut shimmer trio). While it is nice as a cream highlighter it still isn't leaps and bounds better than any other cream highlighter. Like, I wouldn't buy this again just to use as a cream highlighter.

L: Transcendent Concealer R: Dreamlit Concealer

Transcendent Concentrated Concealer

The Transcendent concealer is strange, it is really light and liquidy, but it looks super cakey on the skin. This concealer line only have two shade options: light and natural..... like who do these even work for? The light shade, which is the one I have, is very orange and too dark for my fair/light skin tone. I've tried mixing it with a moisturizer to make a tinted moisturizer but it still looks cakey, which is really odd because I use way less product doing that than if I were using it as a concealer. I think this would probably work better on someone with a darker skin tone than me and someone who is more oily than dry. This again is another product I wouldn't buy again!

Blemish Banish Concentrated Mineral Correcting Creams

Like I said above I don't fully understand how to use color correctors? Do I blend them out all the way or just a little bit? I don't know, I don't know why I bought these! However, I can tell when a cream is good or not and these are a little gritty if you don't warm them up enough with your fingers. They definitely work better with fingers and a beauty blender than a brush. I do think these can get a bit cakey especially because you have to put another concealer over them. I don't know if I would repurchase these....

Dark Circle Rehab Concentrated Correcting Creams

Again, these are products I don't get, but I really want to especially because I have the worst dark circles under my eyes all of the time. These are also a bit gritty if you don't warm them up enough and they can look a little cakey under they eyes, especially. I am interested in trying the purple shade mixed with a primer to brighten my complexion. I'll update how this goes in the big Pacifica post I'm planning.


Have you tried any of these concealers, and if you have what do you think of them?

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Summer Capsule Collection

I meant to post this months and months ago, you know at the beginning of summer. But somehow here it is, the beginning of September and I still haven't posted it. Isn't it funny how fast summer flies?

Way back in May or the beginning of June I did a massive overhaul of my collection, like I went from 13 highend eyeshadow palettes to four! So my initial Summer Capsule Collection was a whole lot different from what it was supposed to be! I got rid of all of my single bronzers except for one, but I kept my Too Faced Little Black Book of Bronzers, which I depotted and got rid of the ones that were too red toned or too shimmery or too dark for my preference. As I wrote about in I think January, I am in the process of converting all of my makeup to nontoxic makeup, or at least all vegan and cruelty free. Anyway enough rambling here is what I have been using this summer!

Blush/Bronzers/Highlighters
- Canmake Cream Cheek blush in Coral
- Pacifica Blushious Blush in Wild Rose
- Japonesque Blush in 03
- Pacifica Sunkissed bronzer
- Becca Moonstone

Eyeshadow Singles
- Colourpop Cornelious
- ELF Aqua Glow Shadow in Rosegold

Lip Products 
- Colourpop Blotted lip in Exotic
- Colourpop Blotted lip in Ice Cube
- Tarte Birthday Suit
- ELF Touch of Pink
- Pacifica Enlightened Gloss in Nudist
- Colourpop Button Lip liner

Eyeshadow Palettes
- Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette
- Tartelette In Bloom
- Pacifica Enchanted quad

Monthly Face Palette
June - Colourpop Topaz (I decluttered this, it was just too warm for my skin tone and the highlighter was too dark, even right now in the middle of August when I am as tan as I am going to get)
July - Too Faced Little Black Book of Bronzers (As mentioned I depotted and decluttered some shades from this palette)
August - Becca Afterglow

Total at the start: 19 Products

 Total at the end: 17 Products

I think this season probably has the most lip products, although................I "accidentally" made a mostly lip product purchase from ELF.........but they are cruelty free, vegan, and gluten free!!!! So the fall capsule might end up with a lot of lip products as well. I really need to go through all of my lip products again, it's getting a little overwhelming with the amount I have.

I will be keeping everything in this capsule unless otherwise marked, which is a little unfortunate but also good because that means I love everything (or I've hardly used it, which I guess I should get rid of it then but.........I'll update if I get rid of anything else from this capsule!)

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Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Oil Review

Hi all! Now this isn't the first time I've said it, and it won't be the last time, but I hate wearing lip gloss. I actually got rid of all of my lip glosses because I came to the realization that I would never wear them. Didn't matter how much I loved the color if the formula was just even a little bit sticky I wouldn't wear it. So when the Burt's Bees tinted lip oil's came out I was intrigued but also I didn't think I was going to pick any up because I hate lip gloss, however, the other day I was on Ulta's website (I wanted to try the Becca backlight priming filter or whatever it is called and it was 50% that day) and I noticed that Burt's Bees products were on sale. Now I am trying to stop impulse buying so I went and I researched and looked at like 10 million swatches of the lip oils and read a bunch of reviews. No one mentioned them being sticky or heavy or uncomfortable so I was like yes okay I will try one. Then I went and looked at even more swatch pictures because I wanted to get a color that I would actually wear and not like Barbie pink (which looks awful on me by the way). In the end I chose the color Rustling Rose, because I wanted a color that would actually show up and that would still be neutral.

This has a super short wear time, like maybe an hour if you aren't eating or drinking. But the applicator makes it super easy to reapply and because of how sheer it is you don't need a mirror. So while the wear time is annoying Burt's Bees made up for that by making it easy to use. I really like this product, which means a lot because I hate glosses. It has no real scent or at least one that lingers. I hate when lip products have a scent that lingers because then I get a headache. I am very sensitive to constant smells. Like just smelling it out of the tube is fine but I'll never wear it again if the scent lingers.

Overall I really like this, it is easy to throw in my purse and reapply as needed. Plus it isn't sticky (unless you put like 12 layers on) or uncomfortable and my hair doesn't get stuck in it. Which those are my main gripes with lip glosses. So if you hate lip glosses try this out, you might be pleasantly surprised.

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Spring Capsule Collection pt. 4 + Summer Capsule Printable!

Hi all! I am so excited for the Summer Capsule to be starting! Tomorrow I will be swapping out the products (or maybe today, I don't know I'm really excited!) in exchange for the fresh bold colors of summer! However, I am going to keep this post short, so you can get back to swapping your own capsules! Hopefully by next week I will have everything sorted and be able to show you everything that is going to be in my summer capsule

I am really enjoying doing this capsule collection, spending three months uninterrupted with a selection of products has been both wonderful and calming. I no longer feel like all of my products are just sitting there; unused and unloved. They are each getting a chance to shine and I get to figure out whether they deserve a spot in my collection, and as you read in my last post, some did not make the cut. On the bright side, I've learned how much I loved products I'd only thought were meh like the Tarte Tartelette palette. That palette was always so blah and kinda boring that I never wanted to pull it out, but after spending a little less than three months with it, I couldn't see my collection (at this time) without it.

For the Summer Capsule printable, as you can see, I kept the look very similar and kept with the marble theme, just this time without the pink. I really hope you enjoy these!

 Here are the links for the Summer Capsule Collection Printable:








Smaller size:
https://drive.google./open?id=0BxqW10kh66aIMXcxTUtMSlhGT00

Larger size:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxqW10kh66aIOXFqbUo1NVRaa0k

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Spring Capsule Collection pt. 3 - Things I have decluttered

Hi all! The first quarter of my capsule collection has been so eye opening! I have learned so much about the products I had chosen to use for the season. Which means, I've come to realize I don't like some of them, while I love some of them.

This has helped me learn some things about myself as well, like I'm kind of over liquid lipsticks. The super liquid-y ones that dry super matte and are super drying on the lips, those ones, I'm over. As you know I had three in my spring capsule and I wore the two that did not dry completely down, because they are way more comfortable (Tarte Birthday Suit and NYX Stockholm). While I never touched the Jordana liquid lipstick in Creme Brulee. I don't think I am going to declutter it, but I think I might move it into either the fall or winter capsule, because that is when I gravitate more towards. I will do more on what I am changing in one of my next few posts. You know what, I tried it on and I realized I just don't love this one, it is very similar to Kat Von D's Lovesick but less mauve. Truthfully Creme Brulee is just not a color I will probably ever reach for.

I have separated the products I am getting rid of into two categories: ones that I simply don't like as much and ones that are duped in my collection.

For the first category I am getting rid of the Wet 'n' Wild 6 pan palette in the shade Greed for two reasons - I only loved one color and that color was not that unique in my collection. I am also getting rid of the Wet 'n' Wild Ombre blush in The Princess Daiquiries because it didn't show up on me, which is super weird because my skin is basically translucent. The Pixi apricot duo I am getting rid of because the lightest shade looked super weird on my eyes and the dark shade didn't build up how I wanted it to in the crease and outer corner. Urban Decay Scratch I am getting rid of because, for the most part I am over pink eyeshadows, I still like the mauve-y dusty pinks in the Naked 3 palette though. Finally for this category I am getting rid of the Pacifica bronzer in Sunkissed, it was way to shimmery for me. It just made me look kinda dirty and kinda sweaty.  

For the second category I am only getting rid of two things: Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Liquid lip color in Creme Brulee and the NYX Butter lipstick in Pops (Rootbeer Float). The Jordana one, as I mentioned is way too similar to Kat Von D's Lovesick and I prefer that one of the Jordana one. The NYX lipstick is way too similar to the Colourpop Blotted lip in Deja Vu.

This makes my Spring capsule even smaller, which is my end goal to get all of them down enough that I can merge them into one year round capsule. This declutter takes my spring numbers down Eyeshadow palettes from 6 to 4
Single eyeshadows from 2 to 1
Blushes from 3 to 2
Bronzers 2 to 1
Lip products from 6 to 4

*Edit*
I have since decided to declutter my Tarte Poppy Picnic Palette and maybe my Urban Decay Naked 3 palette. They just were not wowing me and I found the Naked 3 palette to be kind of hard to work with, especially to find a lip color that works well with it. 

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Spring Capsule Collection pt. 2 - What I have Included

Hi all! I realized I never actually specified what was going to be in my spring capsule! I'm pretty sure I said I would in the first post, because that is when I went over what my floaters were. As I was typing up next week's post I was trying to figure out what I would do for this post! Then like a brick I was hit with the idea to post what I have included in my spring capsule! I had to of course look at my two previous installments in this series and make sure I hadn't done it yet, because I literally forget everything.

This has been a super fun experience and I feel like because I only have limited access to my products I am forced to be more creative when I get bored of them and honestly my impulse buying has gone way down since I started this (although I did buy three lippies from colourpop but 1. they were on sale and 2. I had the colors on my wish list since they were released, so only a semi impulse buy). If you've read my other blog (surprise! I have two blogs! www.jennyslifestyle.com) you'll know I have been working towards being more minimalistic with my material possessions and well my whole life in general. I'll stop rambling and we can get to the good stuff!

Eyeshadow Palettes
1. Colourpop Powder Eyeshadow custom palette
2. Tarte Tartelette palette
3. Urban Decay Naked 3 palette
4. Tarte Poppy Picnic palette
5. Wet 'n' Wild Greed palette
6. Pixi Beauty Apricot duo

Single Eyeshadows
1. Urban Decay Scratch
2. Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in Strength

Face Palettes 
1. Too Faced Love Flush Blush palette
2. Colourpop Topaz Palette

Blush
1. Wet 'n' Wild The Princess Daiquiri's
2. Clinique Melon Pop
3. Bella Pierre Desert Rose
4. Becca  Beach Tint in Guava

Highlight
1. Essence Pure Nude Highlighter
2. Laura Geller Golden Rose Baked Highlight 

Bronzer
1. Pacifica Sunkissed Bronzer
2. Colourpop Super Shock Bronzer in Bon Voyage

Lipstick
1. Colourpop Blotted Lip in Deja Vu
2. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche in Fig
3. NYX Butter Lipstick in Pops (or rootbeer float)

Liquid Lipstick
1. Tarte Liquid Lipstick in Birthday Suit
2. Jordana Liquid Lipstick in Creme Brulee
3. NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in Stockholm

*Some links are affiliate*

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Spring Capsule Collection pt. 1 + Printable

Hi all! As you all (hopefully) know, I created a capsule makeup collection. I don't really like to use the word collection because, I no longer collect makeup to have - I purchase makeup to use. I thought, though, that I would stick with Capsule Collection as the name of this series because it is an alliteration and that makes me happy :). I mentioned in my last post that I did not separate all of my makeup into each season because, I don't have the room to do that, which I am sure many of you do not either. Initially I just kept a list in a notebook, which you can see in my last post (go check it out if you haven't I go into way more detail about how I started my capsule collection), but as I kept looking at it and using it I decided it was not very practical.

For both of my blogs (this one and www.jennyslifestyle.com) I keep a binder, with all material relevant to each one. So it would only make sense, to me of course, to make a printable of sorts that I could keep in my binder and have access to not only my entire makeup collection, but how it was split up into each season. Which, let me tell you, it has made my life so much easier. You should be excited because I am  releasing my first printable on this blog! Free for all of you!

Each season (aka capsule) has three pages and includes just about everything. The only section I condensed was base products - primer, foundation, concealer, and powder. For now I am going to be releasing each season at the end of the prior season, so for the summer one I will be releasing that one in a few weeks, probably around the 7th of June. But if you all think I should release them all at once, I am totally willing to do that. I can see the pro's and con's of both.

Because I know each of our makeup collections are unique, I made two different versions - one with more lines for bigger collections and one with less lines for smaller collections (just for reference, total I have around 150 items in my makeup stash and I used the one with less lines). Both will be available for download, so you can pick and choose which one will work the best for you and your needs. You could even mix and match the different pages, like if you had more face and eyeshadow palettes than you do blushes, bronzers, and highlighters. That is the beauty of this printables.

Now I am going to take a moment and be obnoxiously proud of what I made.

Smaller Capsule Collection                                         Larger Capsule Collection

Okay, if you would like to see more printables please please please let me know (I mean, I'll probably make them anyway...), I would love to make more! I think they are so fun to make! Also please let me know if you have any issues downloading either of the zip files. Blogger doesn't let you directly upload zip or pdf files, so I had to use a backwards way to get them up.

*Edit* If the links in the post don't work, because for some reason they keep unlinking themselves check the comments I have left the whole link for both down there!

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Capsule Makeup Collection

Hi all! Last night I was feeling so overwhelmed when I looked at all of the makeup I still had. Unfortunately, I still can't bear to part with any of my biggest offenders. Eyeshadow Palettes, I have maybe 18 total and that is still really stressing me out so I thought "okay right now at 11:52 pm, I am going to finally create a capsule collection". It took me close to an hour to sort everything out and I decided not to separate products like: foundations, concealers, face powders, eyebrow stuff, mascara, and primers. Everything else got separated, except I still need to separate my single eyeshadows, but I was too tired last night and I don't have that many so I didn't feel an urgent need to do it yet. As soon as I do though, I will update!

I don't have the space to physically separate every single season's worth of products, so I took a notebook and wrote down all of the categories I had included (eyeshadow palettes, blush, bronzer, highlighter, and both regular and liquid lipsticks) and gave each category its own page. On the page I wrote down each season and under that the 2-4 products I would be using.

Since I don't have very many face palettes and I have been meaning to go through them thoroughly, I have decided to do a one month one palette sort of deal because I only have 9 and honestly it just seemed like a good idea last night haha. Another thing I am doing differently, I have a few products that just didn't seem to fit into any season (i.e. the colors I think should go with each season that are totally arbitrary) so they are what I call my "floater" products because they will stay at my main little vanity box all year unless I declutter them or finally pick a season for them. My floater products also include some that I just want to use up, like my Ofra liquid lipstick in Pasadena, actually I think that is the only one.... yes....

Anyway....

I think for the rest of this post I will focus solely on my floater products. So three categories there is at least one floater product, the categories are blush, eyeshadow palettes, and lip products.

BLUSH
My floater product in my blush category is the Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Paaarty. It is a beautiful neutral mauve blush, it's just a shade that would look good with any look in just about any season. Now that I think about it, I'll probably use it the least in the summer, but I'm still going to keep it as a floater because I can do what I want, so ha!

EYESHADOW PALETTES
Oh my goodness, my fingers do not want to type letters in the right order, I get typing so fast and then I realize that letters are totally switched around! I apologize I am so rambly today! This category has two floaters! I kept out two very very very neutral palettes, so that way if I needed a shade for like transition I would have it. Some palettes are really lacking on good transition shades (looking at you Sweet Peach palette). The two floaters in this category are the Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 palette, which if you follow me on instagram you know I had been struggling with whether or not I should keep this because, I have the Gwen palette and like half the shades are in there. But since I decided to keep it, I thought this would be the best place for it since it is like all transition shades (woo hoo!).

The other palette I kept as a floater was the Lorac Nude Necessities palette, in part because I would like to finish it up. (Never mind the fact that there's like no use on it.) But I would like to finish it up because over the last year or so Lorac's cruelty free status has gotten more and more ambiguous and frankly, I am just going to stay away from them for now. I wish, though that if they were cruelty free they would have done versions of this for like every skin tone (in the broader sense, of course); so a palette for fair, one for light, one for medium, and one for dark. I think that would have been really cool and they totally missed that opportunity

LIP PRODUCTS
I have FOUR floaters in this category, but like I mentioned above, one of them I am trying to use up (also as previously mentioned the Ofra Liquid Lipstick in Pasadena). Pasadena is one of my oldest liquid lipsticks and it is a very dupable shade, I am just ready to finish it and have it out of my life! But, don't get me wrong, Ofra has a great liquid lipstick formula!

The second floater is the Colourpop Ultra Blotted Lip in Zuma. HAVE YOU TRIED THIS FORMULA YET?!?! IT IS THE BEST, HANDS DOWN!!! I think that is really all I need to say, aside from this is my perfect my lips but better shade and sometimes I wear it all alone with no mascara, which I admit, is kinda weird.

My third floater is the Nars Lipstick in Dolce Vita. It is a very sheer neutral lipstick that I wear consistently (because hello, if you haven't noticed, I love "no makeup" makeup looks). I don't want to not have "access" to it, granted if I really wanted to wear it I would because, while I love rules, I'm going to break them. Especially if I make the rules for myself #selfcontrol.

The final floater is my Burt's Bees tinted lip oil in Radiant Rose. This is only a floater because it is the only lip gloss type product I own. Granted it is more of a spring/summer product to me, but with the amount I use it, it will probably be gone by the end of the summer!

Have you ever done a capsule collection? Have you ever wanted to? So far I am really loving it, let me know your thoughts down below!

*Some links are affiliate*

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"No Makeup" Makeup Faves: Spring

Hi all! Today I thought I would share with you my spring essentials for a fresh "no makeup" makeup look. I think the focus of this is to keep the skin dewy and healthy looking. As someone with dry skin, I need a little help in the dew department! I opted to go for a cream highlighter for this look because on dry skin it melds into the skin in a more natural way than a powder would. However, if you have oily skin feel free to use powder or to skip it all together.

Laura Geller Supercharged Spackle
I know, I know, you are probably sick of hearing about this as it has been in so many makeup bags recently. What can I say? It's a good product! This primer blurs out imperfections and makes my skin feel so much more supple. Ew I hate the word supple. I think this primer offers a good base that isn't sticky but will hydrate your skin.

Colourpop Super Shock Highlighter in Double Dip
Now this color was limited edition, so you can no longer purchase it, but honestly any of their highlighters would work, depending on your skin tone. Double dip is a peachy champagne color that blends seamlessly into sun kissed skin. Like I mentioned above I chose this particular formula because of how it melds into the skin without looking fake or harsh.

Pacifica Power of Love Powerful Color Natural Lipstick in Nudie Red
I've also talked this lipstick to death recently on the blog, but I think it is such a beautiful neutral coral that is perfect for spring and will take your look to the next level without going into full Diva mode makeup. Plus it has a really good wear time.

Anastastia Brow Wiz in Soft Brown
I am doing this all out of order, I gotta keep you on your toes haha. I really like this brow pencil, it is worth the hype, though I still wouldn't buy it at full price. Wait for a sale or a coupon and then pick it up. I've also heard really good things about the ELF brow pencil and the Colourpop one. For the brows I just lightly fill in the sparse areas, comb it out, and done. 

Colourpop Cornelious eyeshadow
This medium warm brown makes the perfect one and done shadow look, I have been wearing it to death recently and I haven't hated it once. It is subtle but still gives the eyes plenty of definition and it covers up veins. Bonus it doesn't need a primer, unless you have super oily eyelids.

W3ll People Expressionist Mascara
This has just been my go to mascara recently. It provides a nice amount of length and volume and I can't complain. However, use your favorite, because mascara is so individualized that I think it would be silly to do an actual review of them. Like the Maybelline mascara in the light pink tube that is supposed to be a dupe of the Benefit Roller lash, so many people love (both even) but I don't like either of them.

Let me know what your spring favorites have been down below!



*Some links are affiliate*

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My Cruelty Free Five Product Face

Hi all! Today I am going to share with you the products I use to create an easy, out the door, 5 minutes max, 5 product face. This is going to include everything from brows to lips, and also using some products to multitask. Let me know down below what your 5 product face is! 

FACE
For the face I keep it super simple. I start off with the Laura Geller Supercharged Spackle and use that as both my base and to blur out imperfections. Now if I have a problem area (i.e. a zit) I will use the BareMinerals Correcting Concealer in Light 2, to cover up any zit. Since I have dry skin I can skip powder and move on to blush. For a simple and natural look, I like to use a cream blush because then it blends into the skin effortlessly and I can use it as a lip stain as well. For this I like to use the Josie Maran Cheek Gelee in Pink Island, it provides a beautiful red flush to the cheeks.

EYES AND BROWS
 For the eyes I simply use a little concealer to cover any veins and then I apply the W3ll People Expressionist Mascara to my lashes and the eyes are done.
The eyebrows are even simpler. For them I use the Milk Gel Brow Crayon in a taupe-y brown shade, I draw a line on the bottom edge of my brows and then take a spoolie and comb the product up and out. This method provides very natural, yet polished brows.


LIPS
Finally, the lips, as I hinted at earlier I typically use the Josie Maran Cheek Gelee in Pink Island on my lips as well. I find that it creates a Popsicle like stain on the lips, which is super in right now. And with that my 5 product face is complete!


 *go.magik.ly links are affiliate links, where I could make a small commission, click them or not, it's your choice*

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Natural/Green Beauty Chat

Hi all! So today I wanted to talk about something that has been on my mind for awhile, switching to natural/green makeup products. I recently downloaded the Think Dirty app and it was kind of shocking how bad most makeup products are for you!

The app breaks down the ingredients of each product and rates them on a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being good for you and 10 being bad for you. Ideally I would like to get rid of or use up all products that have a rating higher than 5, but for now I am going to start at 7 and work my way down to eventually all products being 0-3.

Health is very important to me, especially since I don't have the best health because of my awful genetics. So I want to do everything I can to minimize future health risks, and with skin being the largest organ, it is very important for me to start there (well actually I technically started on my digestive tract but that was mandatory).

Just for reference here are some brands with mostly only low (0-3) ratings: W3ll People, Tata Harper, Physicians Formula (a lot of their face products are not low, unfortunately), RMS Beauty, Pacifica, Burt's Bees lip products, EOS, BareMinerals, Glossier, Alima Pure, 100% Pure, Juice Beauty, and Honest Beauty.

Here are some brands that fall mostly in the middle (4-7): Urban Decay, Too Faced, ELF, It Cosmetics, Tarte, Smashbox, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Wet 'n' Wild, Kat Von D, and Stila.

Here are some brands that have mostly high (8-10) ratings: L'Oreal, Maybelline, Covergirl, Benefit, Neutrogena, Aveeno, Estee Lauder, Milani, and Becca Cosmetics.

Did any of these brands surprise you? I know some like Aveeno and Becca did, I wouldn't have thought them to have such nasty ingredients, but I am excited to try out more from the first two categories and keep you all updated along the way! Do you have any favorite natrual/green/organic beauty brands? Please let me know I am eager to try any and all!

Also in case you were wondering, this was not sponsored, Think Dirty has never heard of me and probably never will haha.

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Makeup Bag Friday 6

Hi all! Thankfully, this week I picked some products I haven't talked about before on my blog, so it won't be as repetitive as last week's makeup bag post was! Hallelujah! I hope you all have had a wonderful week and I am excited to hear what products you were loving and not loving this week! Just to inform you all, I have decided to do these every two weeks. Partly because I feel like these are becoming redundant and partly because I want to get more use out of my products.

Wet 'n' Wild Megalast Lipstick in 902c Bare it All
I am pretty certain this lipstick is going bad. The top of it was all gritty and I scraped it off and it was fine, but I am still really weirded out, so I am going to declutter this and by declutter I mean toss. I really do love this shade, it is supposedly a dupe for Mac Teddy or Brave, I can't remember which one. It is a beautiful warm mid toned nude shade, that works in any season. This is one of the more comfortable colors in the megalast formula range. Once I get my lipstick stash down a little more I would totally consider repurchasing this shade!

Becca Afterglow Palette
This is one purchase I am glad I made (also I got it on sale so even better). This is such a versatile all in one face palette, that could be used for the eyes as well. It has 3 highlighter shades and 2 blush shades. Now 2 of the highlighter shades (Rose Gold and Topaz) are too dark for me so I use them as blush toppers over Flowerchild and Wild Honey, respectively. This palette also includes my favorite Becca highlighter in Moonstone. It is really too bad this palette was limited edition because I think it would make a nice addition to anyone's makeup stash!

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard
I am still going strong on this and it is still not done! I hope by the next makeup bag it is completed! I am getting sick of it! My initial "review" of it is here.

It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Bronzer in Warm Radiance
I don't know if you can see it in the picture but I am able to see the outline of the pan grid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've never used that much of a bronzer that I could see the indent of the pan grid! I'm very excited, if you cannot tell haha! Anyway I still enjoy this bronzer, but I don't think I would repurchase it when I finish it, because it's ~$34 and I am going through it this quickly, I don't think it is worth the money, BUT it is still a good bronzer and I don't regret purchasing it! Also I talked about it here!

It Cosmetics Brow Power in Universal Taupe
I am tired of this. Here is my original makeup bag where I talked about it.

Laura Geller Spackle Supercharged Fortified Under Makeup Primer
I really do like this and I am enjoying using it when I am not using the Covergirl primer I am trying to use up. I talked about this first, here.

Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Illuminating Moisturizer
This is a strange product, it is oily, but kind of thick, but also really sparkly, and has like no coverage. Granted I am not one of those people who likes full coverage foundations, but this was just really odd and I don't think I like it. Also I got it off of Hautelook and it is not available on Tarte's website anymore and that kind of weirds me out, like who knows how old it is? I actually have to use a powder with this otherwise I look like a shiny greasy disco ball, which isn't cute. I don't know what to do about this product, I may use it for 1 or 2 more makeup bags and then just call it done.  

*go.magik.ly links are affiliate links, where I could make a small commission, click them or not, it's your choice*

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Simple Interview Makeup

Hi all! Today (when I am writing this) I have an interview and I realized that I am not the only person who is going on a ton of interviews. While not everyone is a recent college grad I think this look would work for anyone regardless of age. I kept everything very simple and only used makeup to enhance my features, rather than hide them. Also I hope you like the new layout, if you have any issues with it please let me know!

The beauty of this look is that it can be customized to meet your needs, while I opted not to go for blush (simply because my cheeks have been sure red lately) you might. I also don't use very high coverage products simply because I think it looks weird on me, I also chose my eyeshadow based on what looks good with blue eyes. This isn't a follow exactly kind of deal, it's more of a here is what I do.

SKIN
 For skin I started off with a clean face that I had moisturized and of course used spf. I personally mix basically all of my face products together and slap it on my face (to save time and effort haha). So I started by swiping 2 dips (I pulled out the wand, wiped it on my hand, stuck it back in and repeated one more time) of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight in Pearl onto the palm of my hand and then I added about a dime size of primer (I used the Covergirl Outlast All Day Primer, not my favorite but it works). After that I added three drops of the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Water (fair/light) and mixed it together in my hands and then applied it to my face.

After applying my base I skipped the powder (my skin has been supa dry) and applied the Colourpop Super Shock Cheek highlighter in the shade Double Dip (unfortunately limited edition) to the tops of my cheeks very lightly and also on my forehead. Done.

EYES
The eyes are the focal point of this look, while the skin looks fresh and natural I used a bit of color (lol like 2 colors) to play up the eyes a bit and make them stand out. I first primed my eyes with the Too Faced Shadow Insurance primer (I honestly can't tell whether an eye primer is good or not...) and to set the primer I used Colourpop Pressed Powder Shadow in the shade Issues (I forgot to include it in the picture). After that I took a rather fluffy synthetic eyeshadow brush and took Cornelious from Colourpop all over my lid and blended it into the crease.

Once the eyeshadow was done I curled my lashes and applied two coats of the MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara. I chose this mascara because I know it doesn't flake or smudge on me (that is very important, you don't want to look like a racoon at a job interview) and it doesn't irritate my eyes. Also important to note, I didn't apply any to my lower lashes because my eyes water a lot and see aforementioned racoon parentheses.

BROWS
I wasn't sure whether to just include this with eyes or give it it's own category, so as you can see I gave it it's own category. For this I simply lightly filled in my brows with the It Cosmetics Brow Power in Universal taupe, which is a little warm for my skin and hair color but I made it work. I just followed the shape of my natural brow and added a little to my right eyebrow tail because it is sparse there.

LIPS
Last but certainly not least, for lips I chose a color that was neutral and one that I wouldn't have to worry about it going outside of my lip line. For this I chose the Burt's Bees Lip Crayon in Sedona Sands. It is my perfect nude shade, but doesn't look like concealer lips. Plus it is hydrating!


 *go.magik.ly links are affiliate links, where I could make a small commission, click them or not, it's your choice*

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Makeup Bag Friday 5

Hi all! Hope you had a wonderful week! I am going to apologize right now, because most of these products I have already talked about there is only like 1 or 2 new products everything else has either already been in a makeup bag post or been reviewed. Nonetheless I hope you enjoy anyway!

Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder
I talked about it here, and none of my thoughts have changed. I am making a serious dent in this powder, which is a little weird since I have dry skin. So if you are interested in this just know it goes pretty fast!

Urban Decay B6 Priming Spray
I FINISHED IT FINALLY! (here)

Laura Geller Spackle Supercharged Fortified Under Makeup Primer
I talked about it here!  
I really like this even on its own, I might repurchase this after I go through primers. I probably won't because I like to try new things but I totally would repurchase this if it was on sale haha! 

Lancome Teint Idole Ultrawear Makeup Stick
First impression/review here.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultrawear Camouflage
First impression/review here.

It Cosmetics CC+ Radiance Ombre Bronzer in Warm Radiance
I talked about it here! I still really am enjoying this! However, it is easy to go a little too heavy handed! Haha!

It Cosmetics Brow Power
I talked about it here! I am so sick of this thing, the product seems to never end! Also my spoolie fell off which makes me want to use it even less! I don't know what to do about this, who knew a brow product would be the death of me?!

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard
I talked about this here. I tried to use this as a spot concealer and that my friend did not end well. It looked super orange soooo I guess I will keep mixing it with my primer to make a tinted moisturizer. On the bright side I've noticed there is quite a bit less product in the tube now! 

Lancome Click & Glow in Lumieres Rosees
First impression/review here.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Blushed Copper
For lighter skin tones this highlighter makes a beautiful bronzey blush. Unfortunately it was limited edition. :( I personally love to use this in the summer, but I also hate to use it because the design on it is so beautiful! However, if you have Laura Geller's Baked Blush in Pink Grapefruit, you don't need this. The two are very similar! Also use a light hand, this can go overboard very quickly!

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Cafe
This was mentioned in this post! I somehow managed to finish this! Which is super exciting! I was so tired of this and I had only been using it for like 3 months! :)

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Fig
This is my favorite medium pink lipstick for spring! I love to blot it so that it creates a stain and then the color lasts longer! I love this formula, but the smell isn't my favorite, to me it smells like liquid amoxicillin, like what you got as a child.... Thankfully the smell isn't strong and it does fade quickly! I would like to get some more of these, especially like Honeycomb that colors looks super pretty to me!


 *go.magik.ly links are affiliate links, where I could make a small commission, click them or not, it's your choice* 

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Top Five: Drugstore Nude Lipsticks

Hello ducklings! About a week ago on instagram I snapped a pic of my favorite natural/neutral/nude/everyday lip colors and thought that I would give you some more information as to why I love them! I'll incllude the instagram post below!

These lipsticks are all super comfortable on the lips and are not drying! Isn't it the absolute worst when lipsticks dry out your lips? It is so nasty and unflattering! These lipsticks range in price from $2.94-$7.99 (USD). Although, if you wait for a sale you can get them super cheap! 

The Milani color statement lipstick in Nude Creme is an absolute dream (haha see what I did there?). This lipstick looks like my lips but better. Nude creme is described as a pinky nude, but I would say there is some peach in there as well. Though it is not as peachy as say Frida. This is a cream finish lipstick, so it's not overly shiny nor is it matte. Since it is not matte is does fade faster but it still has decent wear time. One of the only potential down sides to this lipstick is the smell. It smells like watermelon candy, which does fade after a while, but you can kind of taste it. Which is weird. 

Daringly Nude by Maybelline is a matte peachy brown nude lipstick. This was the most expensive lipstick, in part because I purchased it at Ulta, but I'm pretty sure I used a coupon or it was on sale? I don't remember haha. This lipstick is perfect for when you want to look put together without feeling heavy and cakey. Since it is matte is does stick around longer on the lips than a shiny lipstick would. However what is nice about this lipstick is that when it dries down and fades it doesn't leave your lips looking flaky and dry! 

Nude and the City from Rimmel makes me want to watch Sex and the City, is that weird? No? Moving on.... This is one of the darker lipsticks that I chose. This is a more brown pink that has a more glossy finish than the rest. This is also, though, probably the most comfortable on the lips. Which I would hope given the name of the line of lipsticks is moisture renew haha. 

Natural by ELF is kind of a cheater product if you ask me. I use it to line my lips sometimes, I use it alone, I use it with a gloss, I use it to solve world hunger... hahaha. This is the more pink version of the Maybelline lipstick, except maybe not as comfortable on the lips. However, what saved this product is the packaging! The little end that has the color of the lipstick on it pops off and has a sharpener on it! How neat is that! I love it! (Which as you can see below I need to sharpen it haha)

Last but most certainly not least! Frida by Colourpop! This color was designed by Dani from Coffeebreakwithdani! Phew long name! It is incredibly flattering on so many skin types and tones. It is neat to see how it pulls on certain people, whether it goes more peach or pink. On my it leans more peachy. This color is, according to colourpops website, "a warm mid tone nude pink with a satin finish". With Colourpop lippie stix I am a little more picky, I am not a fan of the glossy ones, I can tolerate the creme and satins, and I really like the matte ones. The matte ones are definitely my faves out of their line. 

I hope you enjoyed getting a closer look at five of my favorite drugstore lipsticks! Also if you want more makeupy stuff follow me on instagram! @makeup_books_love

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Colourpop Phase 1 Nectar Review

Hi all! Have you picked up anything from Colourpop's monochromatic lines? I got two items from the Nectar Collection, but I will be skipping the Pink collection because I am not a fan of pink blushes (if you couldn't tell). This was my first time trying Colourpop's powder eyeshadows which I was really excited to try out, and obviously this was the first time trying their powder blush formula (obviously). Let me know down below what you picked up and what you loved or didn't love!

Blow Me Away Eyeshadow Quad - $18
This quad includes the shades: Take a Break (metallic), Issues (matte), Centerfold (matte), and Slim Fit (matte). These are very pigmented albeit a little powdering eyeshadows. My personal favorites from this quad are Take a Break and Issues, they are the best for everyday wear (for me). I feel like I am failing at reviewing eyeshadows? Like what even should I talk about? The wear time is pretty good without a primer and I have no issues with creasing, granted I don't have oily eyelids, in fact my skin has been insanely dry for the last week or so (plz help). I have been using this palette every day for the last week or so and I have really been enjoying it. Had I been the creator of it I would have included one more midtoned neutral peach shade because Issues is a little light for me to use as a crease shade but Centerfold is a little dark for me to use as a crease shade, just for reference I am pretty fair.

                               Top L-R: Take a Break, Issues, Centerfold, and Slim Fit.                              Bottom L-R: Excuse my French and Like to Watch

The Knockout Palette - $16
This is $1 more than the Topaz palette (here), which kind of threw me off at first because like, why? Anyway, these remind me a lot of the Topaz palette in terms of formula, but the highlighter (Like to Watch (this name though?)) is way way way way better than the highlighter in the Topaz Palette for my skin tone and it is much more sheeny and less glittery. Like to Watch is a beautiful peachy highlighter shade with a golden shift and I really like it. The blush (Excuse my French) is a beautiful mid tone peachy pink matte blush. I really like this shade for everyday wear, it looks natural and effortless (which fits my aesthetic (lol wut) of no makeup makeup).

I personally would recommend the blush palette over the eyeshadow palette, I would say just make your own eyeshadow palette with Colourpop for $2 more, which is what I am going to do next time I need eyeshadows (which will be like never, I have way too many). But the blush palette I love.


 *go.magik.ly links are affiliate links, where I could make a small commission, click them or not, it's your choice*

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