Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Current Beauty Favorites

Current Beauty Favorites

Can you believe it is already September?  Where has the time gone?!  As usual, I have been stippling, swirling and swiping on the latest beauty products.  With so many new product launches, knowing what is worth buying can be a challenge. Lately, I have been holding off on heavy spending, and just occasionally working a new product into my existing makeup routine. I do tend to stick with brands that I know have worked well for me in the past, and will be worth the money. For me Hourglass is one of those brands. While it is without a doubt a luxury brand, I have yet to try one product from their line that hasn't been worth the splurge.  Since I have been limiting the shopping sprees, instead, I have been challenging myself to show a bit more love to existing items in my stash.

* All products in this post were purchased by me

Sometimes, there are ways to make your older products feel new again, by using them in different, creative ways. Having recently moved, I went on an organizing spree, and finally cleaned out my collection.  I purchased a tower of drawers, which I labeled by makeup type, so now everything has a proper home. Recently, my makeup look has changed, and I'm starting to have a lot more fun experimenting with different colors and textures.  Rather than share only new items, I decided to share a combination of some new and some old that are currently my favorite beauty items. In no particular order, here is what I have been wearing on my face these days:

#1 Bee Friendly Skincare Spot Treatment ($17.99):  Unfortunately, the sweaty days of summer have not been kind to my skin. At my age, I would think that blemishes would be a thing of the past.  However, I have had more than my fair share of bad skin days this season. A few weeks ago, I purchased this new roll on treatment, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. To my surprise, this little roller on stick works wonders for me! When I have breakouts, it really hurts my self confidence and I feel like everyone I meet is just staring at the zit on my face. The reason I purchased this one, is that it is free of any harsh chemicals, that might further irritate my skin.  With only natural and organic ingredients, the clear liquid absorbs into my skin without ever over drying it, or causing further redness.  The roller-ball applicator is neat and convenient, and I have found that not only is this treatment working for me, but I get results rather quickly. This will absolutely be something I repurchase. 


#2 Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick ($46): With my skin acting up the way it was, I knew I needed a foundation with a bit more coverage than normal. In the heat, no one wants to deal with a thick heavy foundation.  This product really works for me, because although it provides full coverage, it really does feel super light on the skin. This foundation comes in a triangular shaped stick format, that twists up like a lipstick to reveal more product. It can be applied directly to the face, or you can run a brush over the stick and then apply it to the face that way. I usually draw a few dots around the center of my face, and then blend it out with a brush and/or makeup sponge. For blemishes, I take a tiny brush (I usually use a pointed lip brush), pick up a bit more product from the stick, and apply as I would concealer. Since the coverage is so outstanding, this doubles as a foundation & concealer in one for me. I also like the fact that it comes in a variety of shades.  In my opinion this product was truly worth the splurge, because I have yet to try any other foundation that provides this much coverage, while still feeling so light on the skin. I admit, the price point is high for the amount of product you get, but I have to use very little product to get the result I want. In my experience, Hourglass consistently puts out quality products, in beautiful packaging, and I have yet to regret one purchase from the brand. 



Hourglass Foundation in the color Alabaster

#3 Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Loose Colour Concentrates ($15): Lately, I love rocking intensely metallic lids. I own some wonderful metallic eyeshadows in my collection, but my current favorite is these light-reflecting lovelies from OCC. I am a big fan of pigments in general because they are so immensely versatile.  I have use them with a mixing medium to create unique nail polish colors, lip glosses, eyeshadow, blush and more. The possibilities are truly limitless. Nothing makes me feel more unique, than blending a few different colors of pigment together to create my own custom shade. I know when I am walking down the street, that no one else has this eyes color on her lids, because I custom mixed it with a few different pigment colors. I feel that these super sparkly pots allow my creativity to shine through. In particular, the Loose Colour Concentrate pigments from OCC are, really long-wearing.Yesterday, I took a little bit of the color Glisten (golden coral shimmer), mixed it with the color Dope (warm metallic beige), added just a tiny bit of Too Faced Glitter Glue, and applied it to my lids with a stiff flat brush.  I was outside roaming around Chicago, and it was super hot outside. I was sweaty, and although I had a great day, I was thankful once I got back into air conditioning.  Even with all the walking around, and hot sun, my eyeshadow did not budge. The metallic masterpiece that I brushed on my lids when I left the house, maintained the gilded goodness right up until I took it off before bed.  These pigments are made out of 100% vegan minerals, and do not have any skin irritating binders or fillers. They come in a myriad of colors, and are just so much fun to play with! Some of my other favorite colors include: Twirl (peach/pink shimmer), Flicker (beige/gold shimmer), and Platonic (pale creme shimmer). 



Two different metallic eye looks, both using OCC Loose Colour Concentrate mixed with Too Faced Glitter Glue. I am wearing the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation in both photos. 


I hope you enjoyed this look at some of my current favorite beauty items. If you are not already subscribed, please don't forget to do so.  Share your current favorites below.  I always love to hear what beauty products are making you happy at the moment! 

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*All products in this post were purchased by me. I do not get paid to write product reviews.