Top 5 Favorite Dugstore Nude Lipsticks

These are my top 5 favorite nude lipsticks picks from the drugstore! They range in shades and finishes. I will be talking in-depth about each below! I'm going to be going from the lightest to darkest.

NYX LipSmacking Fun Lipstick 'Circe' $4

This color I find that I can't wear it alone on my skin-tone. This is a light beige color. I find can wash my face out if I wear it alone. But the reason I'm mentioning in a favorites is because I like to use this shade to lighten the center of my lips. To either lighten up a darker lipstick or to make them look more full. Either layered over a darker lip-liner or lipstick. I talk about this technique in my most recent YouTube video. You can use this technique with a shimmery shade or any lighter shade. You can watch it here:

Anyways the formula of these NYX LipSmacking Lipsticks are nice. Not my absolute favorite but worth the money. They have a lot of pigment and this particular shade has a glossy look to it.

 p.s. I found a shade since taking these pictures that I would recommended over this lipstick if you are looking for a shade that can be worn alone. It is Makeup Revolution Amazing Lipstick 'Nude Love'. This shade has more peach in it than the NYX one and more a sheer formula. But I find this shade very wearable. And it is only $3! Can't beat that! 

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick 'First Class Nude'  $5.50

This lipstick is a pretty dang light shade. It very similar to the NYX one above. But I find that I can wear this one all on its own if I want. It also is a light beige color but it has a tiny bit more pink and is ever so darker. These two things make it slightly more wearable. This is such a comfortable lip color it feels like I am wearing a lip balm. And it has a nice shiny finish. 

NYX High Voltage Lipstick 'Stone' $6

The fist two I talked about were light warm shades. This lipstick has a very cool under tone to it. It's a taupe color; it does have a slight gray look to it. Which is surprisingly flattering! This shade is an uncommon shade and but still wearable. It's a really fun color, I like it.  These lipstick are also so great, the pigmentation is outstanding! It has a satin finish.

This is a fairly old picture of me wearing this lipstick, if you were curious what this shade looks like on. 

Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Mattes Lipstick 'Nude Embrace'

All of the lipsticks I have talked about have had a satin or shiny finish. So the last two I'm going to be talking about are Matte but both super comfortable. These Maybelline lipsticks are sooo good, I have a post about them here:

Maybelline Lipsticks Blog Post

I would highly recommend the Maybelline lipsticks!! I love this shade, it is such a wearable color, it has a lot of warmth to it. So it doesn't wash me out because it has some color to it. It is just a very flattering shade and I love the formula. 

Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipstick 'Seduction'

*Warning the following is more a rant than about this actual lipstick* This is the only liquid lipstick that I am talking about today. And that is because I don't love a lot of liquid lipsticks from the drugstore, I prefer classic lipsticks from the drugstore. I feel like the drugstore could use some more improvement in the liquid lipstick department. A lot of times even when they come out with matte liquid lipsticks they don't even dry matte. Which isn't a bad thing, just don't label it as matte if it's not matte. (Side note: I bought some liquid lipstick from Walgreens that I am LOVING, blog post coming soon!) Personally no matter drugstore, highend, or in between I would probably still pick a typical lipstick. 

Anyways. I love this lipstick formula. It drys matte, is super duper comfortable on the lips, pigmented and lasts along time. What a perfect liquid lipstick should be! Also this shade has quite a bit of color to it. So is not a super nude color but its still on the neutral light side so I wanted to include it in this list. It has a warm tone and slightly mauve. This shade is ultra flattering and I would highly recommend if straight up nudes intimidate you, to give this a go! I love shades like this for day to day wear. And I am personally drawn to shade like this. I love it!

I feel that nude lipsticks are not a one size fits all type item. Shades can look different on different lips. Some shades flatter skin tones better than others. I do find a lot of this can be trial and error, I just wanted to share that shades that work for me and I love. If you have any questions or want some other recommendations leave them below. Or you could ask me on Instagram:seizethelook.by.c 

I would recommend checking me out on there if you haven't already! Have a great day! 

-C

Maybelline Lipsticks

I wanted to talk about these lipsticks real quick! I really enjoy Maybelline lipstick formula in all of their variations. I would have to say that their matte formula is probably my favorite though. All of their lipsticks have great pigmentation and go on smooth. Not to mention they are affordable! If you are ever interested in a color I would totally recommend picking one up from this line!

-C

Facial Primers; Matte, Smoothing, Pore-Filling, Extend Makeup Longevity

Today I'm going to be talking about 3 facial primers. (I end up talking about a lot more than 3.) All of these you apply to the skin after you moisturize but prior to any makeup. These do vary in price point and texture. These are each very different products. All three of these primers can be used all over the face to help your foundation apply more nicely. Also all of the primers can be worn on their own for either or more smooth/more matte face.

The First one I want to talk about is the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer. This primer is around the $6-$7 price range for 1 oz. Now let me just say that when this says matte it means MATTE. This product has a cream consistency but at the same time has a slightly dry powdery feel to it. I'm not really sure if that's even possible to be both creamy and powdery but I'm not sure how else I would describe it. This primer isn't the type of primer that is going to smooth out lines and fill in pores. This product is going to help your foundation wear longer and keep your face matte. If you have dry skin at all I do not recommend this product. It will cling to any dry patches and exaggerate your dry skin. It would just would feel very uncomfortable. I couldn't see anybody with normal skin enjoying this either (unless using it for foundation that are too dewy, I expound down below.) That being said this primer would be great for being who really struggle with oily skin. It will help you stay matte and oily free throughout the day. Especially when paired with Rimmel's matte foundation, and setting with powder; I think even the oiliest of girls will be able to stay matte all day. I have discover a super helpful way to use this product is when you have a foundation with a super dewy finish and you get super oily with this foundation. The foundation is too shiny. If you find that you get so oily with this dewy foundation that its starts to break down, I would recommend using this primer to counteract the dewiness in the foundation. I find that if you are pairing this super mattfying primer with a super dewy foundation it can leave you will a very natural finish to this skin. It also helps both of the product to be more wearable. All in all I think if you have a skin type that this product sounds appealing to you, I think it is a well priced item. Rimmel also makes primers that are not matte and they have been some of my favorite primers for a long time. Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer is $7 for 1 oz. and is super super creamy and smooth. Rimmel Lasting Finish Primer is the same price point and has a similar feel as the Fix & Perfect primer. They are definitely a primer that extends wear time and helps foundation go on smooth. I would recommend both of these primers for all skin types. I really do love these primers.

The next Primer I want to talk about is also a drugstore item it is the L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Priming Base. This item, as with a lot of L'Oreal items is a little up there in price. This primer is $12 and comes with .5 oz. This is a very pricey item if you are dividing out the money per oz. Of the primers I am talking about today visually this one wins in packaging; it comes in a nice little glass jar. The product itself has a pinky hue to it that goes away once applied. I'm just a sucker for anything in that color family. But when it comes down to practicality and hygiene a jar looses in packaging. This product has very thick consistency so I understand a squeeze tube would not work  for this product. But having to dig for the product is both a bother and unhygienic. And when it comes to my acne prone skin I try to avoid things that I feel could affect it. So I'm always sure to use a scrapper to get this this product out. Also glass is not ideal for traveling but I looks nice on a vanity. Okay, we get it I don't love the packing for functionally reasons, let's move on! As I said this product has a very thick texture, for reference it is a lot thicker than benefits professional. I do find that this primer does have some smoothing properties to it. And it feel very nice on the skin. This product is matte but not as matte as the Rimmel primer but still leaves the skin quite matte. Again if you have dry skin I would not recommend this product. But oily and combination skin I could see enjoying this product.

The Mary Kay Foundation Primer costs $18. This tube comes with 1 fl. oz. So if you divide out the money by oz. it is cheaper than the L'Oreal one. This is a silicone based primer. So this has almost a gel consistency and is very smoothing. Also I would say all skin types can use this product. I feel like this product kinda lengthens foundation wear time but not anything super noticeable or impressive. And I know I said this is more of smoothing primer but I don't find this overly pore filling if that what you are looking for. But if you just want a general smooth base to work with this will do it. I just don't find this product overly impressive for the price point. I think Baby Skin from Maybelline is a very similar product and would be a dupe.

 If you are interested in a pore filling primer I wouldn't recommend either of those primers for that. For drugstore I would recommend the Garnier 5 second blur. This is more expensive primer as far as drugstore, $15 dolllar price range for 1 oz. This really does fill in pores and smooth the face. I love this primer. As far as highend primers for the pores I have used Benefits porefessional and Smashbox pore minimizing. Both of these primers really fill in pores and smooth the face. These are primers I would only put on problem areas and not the full face. I would also only buy the travel size of both of these because it will last a really long time if you are only using it pore area. If I had to pick a favorite between Benefit and Smashbox, I would pick the Smashbox. I found that Benefits porefessional really clogged my pores, and made my face breakout. I haven't had this problem with any other primer I have ever used. All in all my top 2 porefilling primers are Smashbox Pore Minimizing and Garnier 5 Second Blur

I talked about matte primers and smoothing/pore filling primes, the last category that is important to me is a primer that really extends makeup longevity. I do really like the Rimmel primers for this use but my number one pick would have to be the Nivea post shave balm. It might sound crazy but I have a full blog post about it here: Link to Nivea Post Shave Balm Review. (Side note I really like how those photos turned out, I think the review is worth reading just to see the photos.)

You can always layer up primers. For example only put the matte primer where you are oily and smoothing on the pores ect.

This is all I can think about as far as primers go as of right now but I wouldn't be surprised if I think of more to come in the future. If you have any questions regarding primers or really any makeup related question leave a comment with your question and I will answer it to the best of my ability.
-C

Maybelline The Nudes Pallete Review; Original & Blushed

I really like the idea of affordable eye shadow palette. These are two palettes from Maybelline. The original The Nudes palette is $10. The Blushed Nudes palette is also $10 dollars. Maybelline also came out with The Rock Nudes palette, The Brights palettes, and The Smokes palette which are all also $10. I have not bought any of these palettes simply because I wasn't personally interested in the color selection in any of those palettes. The colors in both of these are super beautiful and versatile.  Also I really like the layout of these palettes. They are very beginner friendly it shows you how to break it down into duos, trios, and quads for easy application. 

Let's get down to whats most important, how the quality? Well as you can see in the swatches these aren't amazing or overly impressive. Some colors stand out more than others. The colors also can be built up and can be used over a primer for more impact. The shadows don't wear overly long either.

I think the pigment and overally quality is better in the palette. I prefer this palette over the original. I really like shadows with this pinky hue. The Urban Decay Naked 3, the pink one is my favorite naked palette. I really enjoy these shades.  I also think that palette wears better than the original.

Basically this is how I look at if if you are interested in the Naked 1 or 2, you want a neutral eye shadow palette or a pinky eye shadow palette. These aren't terrible, you can create looks that give you these looks. Would I reach for these over a naked palette or lorac pro palette? No! The difference in quality transfers to how well it looks on the eyes. But if you just want a simple wash of color in a certain color family, I think they are worth ten dollars. I would also like to add that I think there are also a lot of other drugstore eye shadow options that are better than this. That is just my opinion and review of these palettes! Everyone has their own preferences, I personally enjoy more pigment in my eyeshadow. Others might actually enjoy less for a more suble look. I hope you enjoyed!
-C

Too Faced Eye Shadow Dupes

Today I have some Too Faced eye shadow dupes for you! This is going to be shadows that are cheaper than the original and from the drugstore. All of these color matches for a higher end shadow. These dupes are also going to be formula dupes. I think they both look the same and wear the same on the eyes.

You can see in the swatches that colors are pretty dang close if not exact duplicates when swatched next to each other. These colors look the exact same on the eyes. (the too faced shadows are on the left.)

The dark brown in the quad I found a dupe for in the NXY natural eye shadow palette. They are both great shadow at deepening up any eye shadow look. It is a nice neutral shade, not too warm.  The matte white highlight shade is also a very similar shade. My favorite matte highlight shade is from Wet and Wild and it is sold as a single. The shade is in 'creme brulee' (it is shown in the bottom picture.) Best part is that its only $1 and its super creamy and pigmented. This palette also has some other nice shades. To be honest I'm not in love with every single shade in this NXY palette but over all I would say it is worth the money and is a nice eye shadow palette.

The wet and wild comfort zone palette has two great dupes for this quad. The pink shade is very similar to the eyelid pink rose golden shade. Now the shade that inspired me to do this whole post is the iridescent blue/brown shade. It is such a fun shade to play around with and looks so cool on the eyes. Now what even cooler is that I prefer the wet n wild shade over the high end shade. I think the drugstore shade wears better on the eyes than the Too Faced shade.

I love the wet and wild comfort zone palette! I would recommend this one over the NXY natural palette.

I have a full post about the wet and wild comfort zone palette HERE.

You could buy one eye shadow quad or all of these drugstore shadows that I think are just as comparable. I'm not trying to knock on this Too Faced quad, I really enjoy this and I think the colors work nicely together. I just wanted to show some dupiclcates in my collection! I hope you enjoyed! 

-C

My Spring Nail Polish Picks 2016

My top three spring nail polish picks. I picked these for both the formula and the color selections. 

Julie G nail polish is in color 'Santorini.' It's the perfect blue shade for spring its bright and light but not too colorful. I love this color and I love this formula so much. Also these polishes are only $4! Unfortunately, they are not super easy to come by. The only places I have ever seen them for sale at is RiteAid or online on their website. 

Revlon Colorstay nail polish in the shade 'Vintage Rose.' I bought this on sale at Target last year for around $3 dollars but normal it is closer to the $7 price range. I linked one that is for sale for $3.20 online. I love this shade it different from other pinks that I own. Also this formula is super creamy and goes on smoothly. 

The last polish is Formula X in the shade 'Delightful.' This is a great neutral shade but is still such a fun shade in my eyes. Formula X is sold at Sephora. This is the most expensive of the three nail polishes at $10.50. I'm not sure that all shades from this range would be worth the price point. But it is a very nice formula, definitely one of my favorite formulas I have ever tried. And I really do enjoy this shade very much.

I hope you all have a lovely spring!

-C  

Ulta Haul+Review: Makeup Revoultion, Loreal Brows, Revlon Liquid Lipstick

I recently bought some makeup from Ulta. I have been able to try out the products and these are my thoughts!

Makeup Revolution recently came to Ulta. The only thing I have ever tried from this brand is one lipstick in the shade 'love nude.' And I really love this lipstick. I wanted to pick up a few more items and check out the line a bit more. 

I bought Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lip Lacquer in the shade 'Attract.' I have only used it twice but I'll tell you my thoughts. In the description of this product on Ultas website it says it goes on as a liquid and dries matte. Touch proof and long wearing. Essentially it's a liquid lip stick. The first time I used this product on it never dried down and its stayed fairly glossy. The second time I had it on longer so it did dry more but I wouldn't say it became fully matte. It is a slippery formula and it didn't stay in my lip lines very well. So bottom line would I repurchase?  Only select colors. The formula isn't great but if there was a color you really like I would pick one up. It is $5 and I'm willing to work with a great shade for this price. I really enjoy this shade. Also, since it's a slippery formula it will be a lot more noticeable if it slips out of your lip line in a darker shade. In a lighter shade I feel like it's a little easier to get away with. 

The next thing I picked up is the Makeup Revolution Matte Blush on the shade 'nude.' This shade is such a nice natural everyday shade. It such a smooth formula. It just feels so finely milled and is creamy. It has good pigmentation to it. I have really been loving this blush so far. Also it is only 5 dollars!

Like I have said earlier the only product have previous tried from this brand was the lipstick in the shade 'love nude' and that's a everyday nude shade. These lipsticks are only $3 so I wanted to try another shade.  I wanted to pick up a pop of color going into the spring. This is in the shade 'vice.'  And I feel like this is a very sheer formal. Which the nude lipstick has good pigmentation to it. This orange shade is just lacking in pigmentation and a little choppy. I'm not too happy with it. 

Both of these products are from L'Oreal and I got these buy one get one 50% off.  I have owned the brow gel in the past but I needed a new one. It's called the brow stylist plumper this is in the shade 'blonde'. And I love this brow gel. I think it's the best eyebrow gel you can get from the drugstore at this point I time. It's great to use as a stand alone product or use over a eyebrow powder or pencil. Speaking of pencil I picked up the brow stylist definer in the shade 'blonde.' I love love love this brow pencil. This is my favorite brow pencil I have ever used. There is a spoolie on one side and the pencil on the other. The pencil is super slim. This helps your create almost hair like appearance.  The formula isn't too pigmented and this helps the brows not looked too drawn on. I just love this pencil it creates really defined brows yet natural. I highly recommend both of these but particularly the pencil. 

 Ulta also had a deal where all Revlon products were buy one get one 50% off. Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color. These are liquid lipstick. And I love these I would recommend these over the makeup revolution ones for sure! They are not super drying at all. They are so comfortable and smooth. I got these in the shade 'flirtation' and 'seduction.' Seduction is the more bottom more neutral shade. And I feel like this shade is a must have! It is the perfect everyday neutral shade! 

I have not tried a ton for Ulta products. And too be honest I have not been to impressed with most of the items I have tried. When I went to Ulta, they had a deal where if you spend $19.50 you got a free bag of Ulta brand makeup. So this gave me a good excuse to buy Ulta brand makeup. I love color correcting. So I wanted to try out this Color Correct Concealer Palette. This was $15 and at first I was thinking eh that seems a bit over priced. But I love the Pixi peach corrector and that is $12 for just a peach corrector. This comes with 5 shades and dividing it up it would be $3 a shade. Which sounds pretty affordable. So I like this but I'm not in love with it.

It is pigmented and it creamy. I feel like these might be a little too pigmented at times but they are workable because they are sound blendable. I would say if you are interested in color correcting this would be all you need.

The freebie bag of Ulta makeup. If you spend $19.50 just on Ulta makeup you get this bag for free! It comes in either lilac or this blue shade. I will have post all about this bag and it will be all about my thought and swatches of everything! 

-C

Best Selling High-End Mascara, Benefit They're Real vs. Drugstore Covergirl Super Sizer Mascara

This mascara is the top selling mascara at both Sephora and Ulta, This mascara costs $24. The claims for this mascara is that it; "lengthens, curls, volumizes, lifts, & separates." I would definitely say that this mascara does this. This a fine mascara and it does all that it claims to do. My biggest complaint is that it never fully dried. When I would touch my eyelashes the product transfers. Also it is a pain in the butt to remove! Being that mascaras only last 3 months, I'm not sure this is worth the money. I wasn't blown away by this mascara and won't be repurchasing.  If you want to splurge on a a mascara I would recommend Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. I would say this is my favorite high-end mascara. My only complaint this this mascara is that it flakes off throughout the day.

The Covergirl Super Sizer costs $5.94 at Walmart vs $24 at Ulta for the Benefit they're Real!

I prefer how my lashes look with the Covergirl not even taking the price into account. This mascara is my favorite mascara of all time, drugstore and high-end. I would recommend this to anyone.

It also came in limited-edition Star Wars packaging, which is a bonus in my eyes.

Though the wand doesn't look like much it separates your lashes so well while also building them up. It coats my lashes evenly & lasts all day. It doesn't smudge or flake off throughout the day. Everyone I know who has tried it has liked it. I really couldn't imagine anyone not liking this mascara. 

-C