Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow | "Blue My Mind"

In the summertime, simple and easy makeup looks is the way to go. Cream Shadows come in handy during this time because of that reason. You can sweep them across your lid and bam, you're done. 

Benefit's Creaseless Cream Shadow in "Blue My Mind" is one I picked a few weeks ago. I thought it would be a baby blue color, but it tends to look more grey when I put it on my eye lid. I tried wearing this shadow alone and I don't much like it, so I've ended up wearing another color over top of it every time. This line from Benefit claims to be creaseless.. However, I found after about 8 or 9 hours, it did crease. At $20, I wouldn't recommend buying this exact color. I would might go for a more neutral color such as Flatter Me. The Maybeline Color Tattoos are far better in my opinion, especially considering the price. 

Have you tried any of these Benefit Shadows? If so, what colors and what do you think about them? 

Love always, 

Isabella 

Stila Eyeshadow Review | "Kitten"

           

Stila's single eye shadow in the shade "Kitten" is a classic! It's been raved about over and over again, on beauty blog after youtube channel after beauty blog.. I'm giving in and joining this oh so popular review topic. I actually just recently picked this eyeshadow up. Since then, I've fallen absolutely in love with it and have been contemplating getting a few other colors. 

  

So, the packaging is super nice quality and quite convenient. The eyeshadow is in a pan that is not glued, but held in place with a magnet. Because of this, stila's eyeshadows would be so easy to transfer into a Z palette, or a custom palette of that nature. 

In the pan, "Kitten" looks like a peachy pink nude color with sheen of shimmer. Swatching it, you can see that it would make the perfect highlight color as it comes off a more champagne-nude color.  

The consistency is smooth as butter! Literally! I love the formulation.. It's easy to blend, creamy, and the pigmentation is out of this world.  It's very wearable and could more than likely look on any skin tone. 

For 2.6 g, or 0.09 oz, it retails for $18 which is a great value. Comparing it to other high end brands, Stila is pretty generous when it comes to the amount of product they have in their single eyeshadows.

 I would recommend this product! Most definitely! This is must have in anyone's collection. 

xoxo 

Isabella  

Review & Swatches: Rihanna Hearts MAC Summer Collection

At first, I didn't plan on buying anything from this collection. I really did try to resist temptation, but I ended up giving in and buying what I knew I would wear the most. So I bought all 3 lipsticks Riri Woo, Heaux, and Riri Boy. All three have a retro matte finish. The matte finish can be very drying and tends to tug on my lips. I don't mind that, it's when the lipstick clings any dry patches I might have on my lips that I don't like. Either way these lipsticks are extremely pigmented! One swipe and your done. It's so great. Each lipstick was $15 for 0.10 ounces. 

Riri Woo is a true red lipstick with cool blue undertones. I would recommend purchasing MAC's cherry lip liner and using that along with Riri Woo. 

Heaux is pink berry color. Even though it's still a retro matte finish it's not near as drying as Riri Woo. I don't know why, but it's just a little more creamy. When I put this color on my lips, it looked so similar to MAC's Rebel lipstick.

Riri Boy is my favorite! I can't even stand how much I love this lipstick. It's a light lavender, pink color.    The swatch looks comes off as a true purple, but I find that it looks more pink than purple on my lips. 

This is a picture of me wearing Riri Boy. I applied it around 2:00 pm and took this picture around 7:00 pm. After touching up one time with a little gloss I didn't have to mess with it at all. It wore very nicely for a cool 5 hours.

What did you think about Rihanna MAC Collection? And who's excited about the next launch in August?! :)

xoxo 

Isabella 

Top Five Friday | Summer Lips!

If you know me personally, you know I LOVE pink lipsticks! When I was picking out what I have been wearing all summer, it was nothing but pink lips as you'll see from this post. I have a cool toned complexion so blue toned pinks look great on me and just happen to be my favorite. Also, I have picked out my favorite nude and coral lip for summer. 

Vivid Lipstick in Shocking Coral 

This entire Vivd line from Maybelline is fantastic. Even though I love them all, I chose shocking coral to feature. I find that more than likely I grab this one above the rest. 

Milani Lipstick in Hot Pink Rage 

Although I do love my nude lipsticks, pinks are my weakness. This Milani lipstick in Hot Pink Rage is amazing for summer! It's that bright pink that would go great with a simple eye, maybe just mascara. Not to mention, the formulation is great. 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sweet Tart 

These colorburst lipsticks by Revlon are quite sheer, but I love the moisture they give to my lips. I love the red, pinkish tint this gives my lips. 

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Be Free

I can't say enough good things about these Moxie lippies. Pigmented, long lasting, creamy, moisturizing.. The list goes on. I chose my favorite color, Be Free. It's a straight up nude. There might be a slight pink tone to it, but all in all.. It's a true nude. Either way, this lipstick is perfect for those days you want to spice up your eye makeup and down play the lips. 

MAC Satin Lipstick in Snob 

The picture doesn't even do this lipstick justice. It's a blue toned pink lipstick, that is by far one of my all time favorites! I've only had it for a few months and I probably have worn it 50% of the time. It's just amazing. 

Swatches: 

I'm going to try and stick with this "Top 5 Friday" post for the next month. Sort of like a series.. I hope you liked it. As always, let me know know your thoughts, questions, whatever down below in a comment..

Have a slammin weekend!


xoxo

PART 1 | Makeup Brush 101

In today's post I'm going to tell you what I've learned about brushes over the years. Pretty much everything you need to know is going to be explained down below! So let's get started..

What brush does what? 

Back in the gap, I used the little sponge applicators that come in a pack of like 20 or something and the little wand thing that came with all of my eyeshadows palettes.. It wasn't until I discovered the world of makeup brushes, that I realized what a piece of crap all that junk was. They made my life so much easier. I can apply my makeup more flawlessly and a lot faster. 

Each brush has a purpose! A huge mistake is using one brush for all of your face products or one brush for all of your eye shadows. The bristles on a brush are designated for a certain purpose, to create a certain look. Synthetic brushes are usually less expensive and are great for packing on color. Natural fibers are the most expensive, usually made from animal hair, and create a light weight application. Duo fiber, such as a stippling brush, is a mixture of both, synthetic and natural. 

-Foundation Brushes-

In my opinion, foundation should be applied with a synthetic brush. Tightly compacted and short bristles for a more concentrated application are great for pretty much any foundation. You don't want your foundation to sit on top of the skin, rather have it blended into the skin. A flat top kabuki is excellent for liquid, cream, and mousse foundations. My favorite is the sigma F88.

-Concealer Brushes-

Now concealer can be applied how ever you're comfortable. I like to apply my concealer with my index finder, but if you're not all into touching your face then something like a beauty blender sponge is great for concealer.

-Powder Brushes-

Big, puffy brushes are used to apply powder. You want the application to cover a large area and disperse it evenly so hence the larger, puffier brush needed. I really enjoy using my E.L.F. kabuki brush for powder. I actually have 2 of these, one that I keep in my purse and one for when I'm getting ready. Also, I use this brush for blending out my cheek products. 

-Blush, Bronzer, and Highlighter Brushes-

I love trying out new cheek brushes! They are my absolute favorite. I feel like they are the easiest brushes to use and probably the most diverse, seeing as how you can use them many different ways. I always apply my bronzer first and right now I'm loving the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. This brush applies just the right amount of product without causing any harsh lines. Next I apply my blush with a Sonia Kashuk blush brush I got from target. Blush brushes tend to be a little fluffy as well, but not as many bristles as a powder blush since the area of application isn't that large. Finally, highlighter.. I use a fan brush mostly. I have this weird obsession with fan brushes, I don't know why. They are so great for sweeping highlighter anywhere you need it. You can always your fingers or a smaller blush as well. 

  

-Eye Brushes-

There are 4 basic eye brushes every girl (or guy, haha) needs to have in their collection! For an over lid color, I suggest a brush with compact brush with more bristles, such as the Sigma E55. This is one of my favorite brushes for all over the lid.  

A crease brush is a brush that creates depth in your eye. With that being said, I feel like depending on how much lid space a person has is what kind of crease brush they should get. For example, my eye lid isn't that big.. I've found that a lot of eye brushes are too big for me to use. For that reason I use the E47 brush for my crease. Definitely a must have for me!

For blending, I use the Sedona Lace Universal Blending, or EB 09, brush. My love for this brush exceeds the combination that I have for my entire brush collection. It a fantastic brush to have! For the days when I'm in a rush, it's perfect for the crease and it blending everything out perfectly. You can also use this brush to highlight your brow bone if you wanted to. 

My next brush I use for my eyebrows and for those days I want to smoke out my bottom lash line. It's the Sigma E15. This is a flat definer brush, great for when you're filling in your eye brows and you mess up! You just pop a little eye makeup remover on this baby and define your eyebrow to perfection. It's a great brush for the bottom lash line as well!  

-Lip Brushes-

I'm sure most everyone applies lipstick straight from tube. I know I do. In all actuality, this is alright. There is really no problem with doing this. Lip brushes can keep your lip stick long wearing and can create a smooth appearance, which is really nice. I just find it a little to time consuming for the outcome. 

   

How much should you pay on makeup brushes?

Really, you can pay as much as you want. I've seen individual brushes range from $1 to $100. It all depends on what YOU can afford. The Sigma brush line I mentioned above is a really affordable, amazing quality brush line. Sigma brushes can be comparable to MAC brushes, but without the incredibly high price. That's not the only line though, Sonia Kashuk makes amazing brushes! As well as Real Techniques, Sedona Lace, Sephora and Ulta.. E.LF. even carries a few nice brushes for an inexpensive amount. 

I hope you found this post informing and interesting in all! Next Thursday I'm going to talk about how I clean my brushes so watch out for that. If anyone has any blog post request make sure to leave a comment down below! 

Thanks for reading guys!

xoxo 

NYX Butter Glosses | Review & Swatches

I have to say, these glosses by NYX have the perfect name because they go on just like butter. They retail around $5 and come in 12 different colors. $5 in my opinion is a steal for these! The doe foot applicator leaves a shiny, yet pigmented layer of beautiful color on the lips. They are so creamy, not sticky at all, and for a gloss, they stay on for quite a while. I can usually get a couple of hours out of these before I have to touch up. Normally I'll wear them alone or over a sheer lipstick, like the Revlon Lip Butters. 

From the Left: Peaches and Cream, Apple Strudel, Creme Brûlée, Merengue 

When I picked these up, I really wanted to grab all of them. But I had to resist. I decided to go with a bright coral, a true coral, a nude, and a pink color. I picked up these colors because I know I will wear them most. 

If you haven't tried these I definitely suggest them for anyone who's looking for a non-sticky, moisturizing lip gloss. :)

xoxo
isabella

PERFUME COLLECTION

I remember when I was younger, going to the perfume section was a nightmare all due to the fact that I couldn't handle all of the different smells at once. I'd get sick with a headache and be nauseas as I don't know what. So perfume is a really tricky area for me. Anytime I go to purchase a perfume, I always, always have to wear it for a little bit first. I feel like my body is just so sensitive to smell. And anytime I smell a perfume and my body doesn't like, I'll know within 30 minutes.

In my collection, I have nine perfumes. Some I regret buying and some I couldn't live without. Most of the perfumes I more than likely got at Ulta with the rewards program. I'm a level up there so..

Oh Lola by Marc Jacobs 

This perfume is so random for me. I really have no idea why I bought it, maybe it was the flower. I don't know. But it's a really nice scent for spring. The main scent is peony I think. It's a really girly, fruity smell. I haven't worn it much though. 

Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel

Ahh, this is my favorite. I feel fancy as hell wearing this perfume. It smells like sexiness all over the place. The other Chanel perfumes smell really old to me for some reason. This perfume smells modern and fresh. I just love it. 

Bright Crystal by Versace 

This is another favorite for me! It might top Coco.. I can wear this perfume everyday. Literally. Very fresh and floral smelling. 

Miss Dior Cherie by Dior 

I really wish I liked this perfume. Like look how pretty that bottle is. As I was trying to figure out how to explain the scent, I looked it up. No wonder I don't like it. The main scent is jasmine. Ew. This is just a heavy, strong fruity perfume. 

Parisienne by VSL 

I love the brand Yves Saint Laurent. Their makeup is incredible, but this perfume is just no good. At one point, I was obsessed with anything paris and I read this is what paris smells like. If that's true, then EW. It has a light scent of roses and berries and I used to love it, but now it just makes me really sick. 

Be Delicious by DKNY 

LOVE this perfume! The packaging is beyond adorable. I love the scent of anything apple, even the hint of apple makes my heart flutter. I think this also has a hint of floral in it. I can't tell, but I do love it so very much! 

Golden Delicious by DKNY 

Again, DKNY did not fail me. I love this one just as much as the original Delicious. This smells of fresh flowers in the morning after it's raining all night. That's the best way to describe it. 

Body by Victoria Secret  

I have a friend who every time she comes over, sprays this mess all over the place. Don't get me wrong it smells nice, but I just can't take it everything smelling like it. It's a really mediocre smell. I could live without it, but it's also nice to have in my collection.

Italian Mandarin Body Mist by Victoria Secret 

The scent of this is like mixing baby powder with oranges and some flowers. I really like spraying it on my puppy after she's had a bath. 

In addition to these, I also have the Bright Crystal and Daisy by Marc Jacobs in the roller balls. I love roller balls! They are great for traveling. And just when you get your feel of the perfume, there is nothing left so you can just move on to next scent. It's really convenient. 

What's your favorite perfume? Fruity or floral? Let me know! 

xoxo 

Empty Products!

So, I'm thinking about dedicating a post each month to all of the products I've used up over that months time. It'll be kind of like a review and to see what I'll be repurchasing and what I won't. Tell me what y'all think in the comments. 

Anyways, it takes me a while to use up products regardless of how often I use them or how little there is of a product.

UNO: Biolage Shampoo & Conditioner - 

$16-$20 USD

The shampoo is a scalp nourishing shampoo that smells of mint and is cooling on the scalp. I love this shampoo! This is actually a repurchase for me. The reason I love this shampoo so much is because it does what it says it's going to do. Even after 1 day, my hair is really oily at the roots and dry at the ends.  It's so frustrating because at times I get these dry patches on my scalp as well. I can never decide if I should wash my hair or just wait a day you know. Regardless of how often I wash my hair, the scalp gets oily even with the dry patches. I know I know, it sounds gross. I seriously don't know why it happens, but this shampoo balances out all of that. 

The conditioner on the other hand, sucks! It weighs my hair down which I should have known.. Hints the name: smoothing therapy. Not going to repurchase this. 

DOS: Batiste Dry Shampoo -

$7-$9 USD

Ugh, I have a serious problem with dry shampoo. I never go more than two days without washing my hair, so it's not like I'm trying to cover up the dirt or anything. It's just to help dry up the oiliness near my roots. I love the batiste brand. I think I've pretty much tried every scent besides the one for blondes. Would I repurchase this? Of course. 

TRES: MAC Brush Cleanser - 

$14 USD

Okay, I tried baby shampoo the other day and I'm thinking it works a lot better than the MAC Brush Cleanser I'm so used to using. Baby shampoo is cheaper and it just didn't take me as long to wash them. Even though I have already repurchased this, I might not again because baby shampoo seems to do the same job.  

CUATRO: MUF HD Foundation -

$42 USD

I purchased this foundation on a complete whim.. At the time, I had a little extra money and was like what the heck, why not, like I need anymore makeup. As it turns out, I love love loveeee this foundation so much! It doesn't break me out at all, and honestly I don't I've ever heard of this foundation breaking anyone out. I'm in the shade 115 and yes I would def repurchase this! 

CINCO: Still Stay All Day & Benefit They're Real Mascaras - 

$22 USD & $23 USD

I have a love/hate relationship with the Still mascara. I love everything about this mascara except that it cost $22 and dries out within, not even a month after opening it. :( Not going to repurchase.

Benefit They're Real... LOVE! This is a repurchase of several times for me. I actually need to go get a new one soon. I can't tell you enough good things about this mascara. It last to about the 3 month mark with no dryness. It's just an awesome mascara. If you haven't tried it.. You need it in your life! 

SIES: Anastasia Brow Wiz -

$21 USD

You guys just don't even know. This is THE perfect brow pencil. Like the Benefit mascara, I can't say enough good things about it. I'm the color Ash Brown and it's a perfect for me. YES to repurchase.

What products do have you used lately? Did you like the product, not like it? What are your thoughts? If you want to share, tell me in the comments! 

Hope you a good weekend! It was mine and my fiancé's 2 year anniversary. I made him dinner, his favorite.. Steak with potatoes and broccoli. (: 

xoxo 

Isabella 

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