Bath and Body Works Christmas Haul!!

Ah, it's finally here! The most wonderful, joyful time of the year! CHRISTMAS TIME! This is my favorite time of year, full of rushing around trying to get all of your loved ones the perfect gift, decorating, and baking! And everyone always seems to be in a happy mood! One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season is shop for other's presents (and maybe get myself a little something too!). And my favorite place to buy gifts is Bath and Body Works! So the other day, they were having an amazing sale and I couldn't resist!

While most of these lovely things are gifts, one or two will be saved for me!

Winter Candy Apple is my new favorite scent this season, and apparently I'm not the only one! The sales associated told me that so far this was their most sold scent of the season. "A cheerful, yuletide blend of candied apples and spiced orange zest, with a touch of winter musk." is how it's described, and that's exactly how it smells! It's such an uplifting scent that you will immediately fall in love with!

Snowday (left) and Evergreen (right) are both the perfect Christmas tree scents! I know you're probably asking yourself, Taylor, why do you have two candles that smell almost identical? Well, the answer to that is that I cannot get enough of the smell of a perfect Christmas tree, especially this time of year. If you feel like you need to get into the Christmas spirit ASAP, then this candle will do it for you. It will instantly bring back memories of tree decorating and Christmas loving!

The Merry Cookie scent somewhat reminded me of the Vanilla Snow Flake candle at Bath and Body Works, but with a bit more of a sweet sugar cookie twist! "A bowl of cookie dough made from the very finest ingredients was the inspiration for this simply magical holiday scent – pure vanilla, butter and sugar". Couldn't have described it better! Pure vanilla, butter, and sugar! This will get you in that Christmas cookie baking spirit. I know that if I was doing my Christmas baking, this is the candle I would be burning!

This is one product that I am just dying to try. Vanilla Bean Noel Whipped Shimmer Body Cream, is basically like whipped cream for your body. Who wouldn't want that?! "A merry blend of snow white vanilla, warm caramel and whipped cream, sprinkled with holiday sugar cookies and kissed with soft musk". Um, yes please!! What a perfect Christmas treat for yourself.

Sweet Pea body lotion and shower gel gift set is a perfect present for any girl! Personally, Sweet Pea is one of my favorite classic scents from Bath and Body Works. It brings me back to my early high school days and always makes me smile. I think this is a scent that everyone enjoys.

Warm Vanilla Sugar is yet another classic Bath and Body Works scent. This time of year is always the perfect time to wear anything Warm Vanilla Sugar related. And who wouldn't want to get a body lotion, shower gel duo of this welcoming scent?! It is also one scent that everyone seems to love!

Well, that's all for my haul, but something else that has been getting me in the Christmas spirit is watching Ingrid Nilsen's (missglamorazzi) DIYDecember videos on YouTube! Now, we all know I'm a YouTube lover and I especially love Vlogmas, but Ingrid does a different twist on Vlogmas which I love! Her video's are sure to get you in the Christmas spirit! Here's a link to her channel! Missglamorazzi : https://www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi

And if you are in need of somewhere to get all of your Christmas shopping done, I have the place for you!! My personal favorite site, and the place where I got all of my Christmas shopping done, LUVOCRACY!! I love this site so much and recommend it to everyone! Go to http://www.luvocracy.com/ for all of your shopping needs! They won't let you down! Also, while you're there, check out my personal Luvocracy and share the LUV with me and join the Luvocracy community http://www.luvocracy.com/taylormondello

Sorry for the long time no post, but I'm back! Hope everyone is having a lovely December! More Christmas fun to come later this week! 

xoxo

Going Fully Raw & Holiday Vlogging?!?!

Hello there! So sorry for the lack of posting, it's been quite a busy week with work and I was in need of some sleep and free time to basically do nothing. And, not gonna lie, I've been having some bloggers block!

So, I have recently decided to become a fully raw vegan. Now, I know this may sound weird to some people, but I don't see why eating all natural, raw fruits and veggies could be weird! Last month, I went to a Nikki Phillippi meet up while she was in Houston, (you can see all about that HERE!) and the meet up was held at a co-op of Fully Raw Kristina's organization called Rawfully Organic. Ever since the meet up, I became pretty interested in the vegan lifestyle. Now, I have had my experience in being vegetarian, but that was only for a month and it was actually painfully hard. But, I figured I'd give a new lifestyle a go yet again!

Around 3 days ago, I decided that I wanted to really commit to becoming a fully raw vegan. This means that I only eat raw fruits, veggies, and some seeds and nuts. Two weeks ago, I tried to be just a plain vegan, and failed. This time though, I think I have a better shot. Four days ago, before I decided to go raw, I remembered Kristina from the Nikki Phillippi meet up and decided to look into her vegan lifestyle. I started watching all of her videos on YouTube and reading her blog. I completely became a fan of hers and immediately wanted to try being a fully raw vegan!

So far, it has been hard with various cravings and having my family eat all of the foods that I am trying not to eat. But, I find that if I eat what I should be eating and talk myself through the cravings, I can get through it! Also, watching Kristina's videos helps me so much! I will continue to update you all on my journey of becoming a fully raw vegan and will link all of Kristina's info below! She is absolutely amazing.

Okay, so .. I have decided to vlog my week home in New York for Thanksgiving and Christmas!! I figured, instead of writing an entire long, dragging post on my week, I would just make daily vlogs of my stay. I cannot wait to go home and spend time with my amazing family and awesome friends, while bringing you all with me!

Also, one more thing! Check out my lovely cousin, Kacie's, blog! She's going to be studying abroad in Morocco in January and is blogging her time there. I cannot wait to see all of the adventures she is going to have there. I am so Jealous!! But, there's no doubt her posts are going to be amazing! 
Kacie's blog - http://horstmankacie.blogspot.com/

Xoxo

Kristina's info
YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/FullyRawKristina?feature=watch
Fully Raw Blog - http://www.fullyraw.com/

Delicious Fall Treats!

Hello there! Well as we all know, once it officially becomes Fall, everything becomes pumpkin flavored. Now, I'm not complaining, I love all of the yummy pumpkin treats that come out in the Fall! And since I love them so much, I decided to make some delicious pumpkin goodies! 

While I was watching my daily YouTube videos, I ran into a video by the marvelous missglamorazzi (Ingrid Nilsen). In the video, Ingrid and Fleur (FleurDeForce), made pumpkin spice mini cakes and pumpkin spice chai lattes. As soon as I saw this, I knew that I absolutely had to make them and let you all know how it went!

Let me just say, these two are perfect Fall treats! They are super easy and quick to make and include healthier choices of ingredients. Also, you make them in the microwave! How easy is that?! If you are a pumpkin spice lover like myself, than you will find pure happiness in making these two treats. A big thanks to Ingrid for these two awesome recipes! If you are interested in making these for a lovely Fall night or a get together with some friends, I'll link Ingrid's video at the bottom! 

Now, I also took some time tonight to make some other Fall treats! These are more of a healthy Halloween candy! They are homemade peanut butter cups and almond butter cups! These are also so super easy to make and take only about 10 minutes to freeze! Here are the ingredients that you'll need:

-1/2 cup of peanut butter or almond butter (whichever you prefer)

-2 tbs of honey

-1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

-a pinch of salt

-2 bags of dark chocolate morsels (preferable some that have a decent % of cacao in them)

These are so simple to do. First, melt your chocolate morsels in a bowl. Next, mix your peanut butter (or almond butter), honey, vanilla extract, and salt together in a separate bowl. Then, take some baking cups (they can be full sized or minis, depending how big you want your peanut butter cups) and put them in a cupcake baking pan and spoon a small amount of your melted chocolate into the cups. You want just enough to cover the bottom of the cups. Then take your mixture of ingredients and scoop a small spoonful of that and place it on top of the layer of chocolate. Next, just take another scoop of your chocolate and cover the peanut butter mix scoop.

(I had to use a regular baking pan instead of a cupcake pan .. thanks for not answering my call ma!) 

Then, you just put your trays into the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes and then they are ready to go! After they are set in the freezer for 10 minutes, you can then place them in the refrigerator until they are ready to be eaten! 

And this is the finished peanut butter and almond butter cups! If you decide to make these, I hope you enjoy the delicious healthiness that it is! This is a great healthy alternative to buying peanut butter cups, especially if you are having a Halloween party of some sort. Try serving this homemade version instead and see how it goes!

Happy Halloween! xoxo

Ingrid's video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlCtjxNThS8

Long Lasting Makeup and MEETING NIKKI PHILLIPPI!!

Hello there! Well today I was going to make some yummy Halloween treats, but I decided to save that for a weekend and then make a post out of it when I have more time! So instead, here are some very helpful tips in making your makeup last all day without smudging or budging! 

Tip #1 - use a primer. Yes, this is an extra step in your makeup routine, but it does not take very long at all! Priming your face before putting your makeup on can really help give your makeup that extra stay that you need to make it last all day! Some of my favorites are Benefit's "that gal" radiant primer and Smashbox photo finish primer. 

Tip #2 - setting spray. Now I have only recently started using a setting spray, but I definitely see a difference in the longwear of my makeup. It truly makes my makeup stay all day. But there's a trick to making it last extra long. Use the setting spray after you use a primer but BEFORE you use foundation. Then use the setting spray once again after you have completely finished your look. Then you will be good to go for the day! The setting spray that I have been loving is the Urban Decay de-slick spray. They also have setting sprays for dry skin.

Tip #3 - use an eye primer. No one likes for their eye shadow to fade or wear off throughout the day! And to prevent that, we have an eye primer! Use your eye primer right before you put your shadow on and it is she to stay in place and vibrantly colorful throughout your day! The eye primer that I use and love is the Rimmel Exaggerate primer.

Tip #4 - waterproof eyel liner and mascara. This one is pretty obvious, but it is very important! If you want a longwear makeup look, waterproof products are a must. Using a waterproof eye liner and mascara prevents from all that black smudging and the dreadful raccoon eyes. I use a waterproof eye liner everyday on my top and bottom lash lines. All of my eye liners just happen to be waterproof! Now using a waterproof mascara on your upper lashes everyday tends to actually dry out your lashes, so instead, I like to use a mascara that is not waterproof on my upper lashes and use a waterproof mascara on my lower lashes! This still prevents you from walking around with black all over your eyes!

Tip #5 - using a shadow to set your liner. I absolutely LOVE this tip. I used to have trouble with keeping my upper liner from smudging throughout the day until I started to take a matching color shadow and pack it on top of the eye liner! It works like a setting powder and let's you keep the same look as you had with just the liner.

Tip #6 - conceal your lips. This tip does sound a bit weird, but I promise, it does work! Before you put your lip product on, take a bit of concealer and put it on your lips, focusing on the middle/inner part of your lips. This keeps your lip product staying in place all day! Although, I do not recommend using this tip for a lip gloss. With lip glosses being sheer, you would be able to see through to the concealer, which no one wants to see!

Tip #7 - fill your lips with a lip liner. Instead of just lining your lips with a lip liner, fill in your entire lip with the liner. Make sure to start in the center of the lips, and the move out towards the edges. Once you've fille the entire lip in, then you can apply your lip product! This makes the color last a whole lot longer than normal. And once the color of your lipstick/gloss does start to wear off, you are left with a stain that will then take you through the rest of your day!

OMG so just about a half hour ago, I got to spend 15 minutes talking to one of my absolute favorite YouTubers ever, Nikki Phillippi!! I went to her Houston meet up and it was just perfect! She is such an inspiration and a great role model for so many girls! I am so happy I finally got to meet her! She was so sweet and so interested in my life and what I had to say. She truly is a beautiful person! Thank you Nikki!! If you are interested in watching her amazing YouTube channel, here it is! http://www.youtube.com/user/NikkiPhillippi

I hope that these tips were helpful in making your makeup last you all day! The next post is sure to be something to do with some Halloween treats, so keep a watch for that! Xoxo

Yummy Fall Favorites!

Ahh Fall! One of my favorite seasons for yummy food and delicious candles! So far this Fall, I have been trying many new scents and foods than I usually wouldn't have tried and I've completely fallen in love with some. I have also been trying to really keep a healthy diet and have discovered some amazing foods that I never thought I would like because they were too healthy! Well, might as well get right to it .. 

 Oh my, these two lovelies have just made my life so much better! Justin's Maple Almond Butter (on the left) and Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Blend (right) are the best nut butters that I have ever tried! The ingredients in the Maple Almond Butter (which is halfway empty because my family has found a liking for it) are dry roasted almonds, maple sugar, palm fruit oil, and sea salt! That's all! It has such an amazing taste and texture. If you like cookie butter, this would be a much better and healthier alternative! Both of these are all natural and taste amazing on toast in the morning or even just on their own actually! I also like to put pecans on top of the spreads when I have them with toast. Now, the Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Blend! If you like Nutella, this is the spread for you! It is basically a healthier, and in my opinion, better tasting version of Nutella! It contains 66% less sugar than Nutella does. The ingredients are dry roasted hazelnuts, dry roasted almonds, organic cane sugar, organic cocoa, organic cocoa butter, palm fruit oil, vanilla, and sea salt. I could basically live on these two butters. I am in love with them!

So recently, I have been loving putting baby kale in my morning/afternoon smoothies! Normally, anything that had kale in it would just completely ruin it for me, but now I have grown to actually like it! It will give your smoothies a nice serving of greens for the day!

I have found a new love for a milk substitute! I am not a fan of milk whatsoever. But I actually love almond milk! This is lactose, gluten, and soy free. It also has 50% more calcium than dairy! This is also an ingredient in my smoothies with the baby kale, strawberries, blueberries, a banana, and Greek yogurt!

Tea time! Okay, so I have never really been a fan of tea, but recently I have been loving so many kinds! My favorites at the moment are Tazo sweet cinnamon spice, Tazo refresh mint, and Be Well Red Teas get gorgeous. I am a sucker for anything cinnamon so the sweet cinnamon spice tea is so perfect fro me. I actually like using this tea with my almond milk to make a nice cinnamon almond milk latte (thanks to Broke But Bougie on YouTube!!). The refresh mint is one that I like to drink in the morning after I've had my coffee or just before I go to bed. It leaves me feeling fresh and helps with a stuffy nose!

The Get Gorgeous tea by Be Well Red Teas is my favorite bedtime tea. I put just a bit of honey in it and then I am able to fall right to sleep .. most nights. But this tea's purpose is actually for helping with clear healthy skin. I drink this tea about twice a day or so and I have actually seen a nice improvement in my skin since I have started drinking this.

 Oh and the Bath and Body Works purchases begin! Fall is the perfect time to start buying all of your favorite scents for the Fall and Winter seasons. A Bath and Body Works haul post will surely be coming your way in the future! Now, I know that Winter is a few months away and that there really is no Winter here in Texas, but the Fresh Sparkling Snow moisturizing hand cream was just an absolute must when I saw it. It smells like winter and a cold snowy day and is very moisturizing! 

And I've saved the yummiest for last!! These two candles are the BEST smelling Fall candles at Bath and Body Works. If you are looking for candles for this season, these are the ones to get!! They both just smell of sweet pumpkin and Fall just overwhelming all of your senses! There aren't even enough words to describe these amazing scents! Just perfection!

Also one thing that I have been loving, that is not a yummy or delicious Fall favorite, is the YouTube channel, Blogilates! It is great for healthy recipes and fun, effective workouts! I'll put the link below! 

Well, I hope you enjoyed my yummy Fall favorites! More Fall/Halloween related things to come this week!

xoxo

Blogilates - http://www.youtube.com/user/blogilates

Sephora Superstars

Oh Sephora, you are one of the main reasons that I am considered a shopaholic. As soon as I heard that the Sephora Favorites Superstars collection was out again, I just knew I had to have it in my hands that day! And I am quite glad that I went out and got it as soon as I did, because it just so happens that I picked up the last one that they had! They sold out super quickly.

As it says on the beautifully packaged box, these items are beauty must haves! A lot of theses items are things that I have had my eye on for quite sometime now, so I was so thrilled to see that they were in this collection. Now, first things first, this collection was an absolute steal. There are 12 items all together in the collection and 9 of them are full sized items. In my opinion, that is amazing. A lot of times when there are collections like this, all of the products are travel sized, so having 9 be full sized is pretty amazing. Also, if you were to purchase all of these items without purchasing them in the collection, they would collectively end up totaling to around $280. This was most fabulously priced at just $75. It probably cannot get better than that!

Now onto products! Okay well to start off, the Soap and Glory A Great Kisser lip balm was not included in the collection, its just something I happened to pick up whilst at Sephora, but it is still an amazing product that smells of peach rings and is super moisturizing. 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray - if you are looking to get a beachy, windswept hairstyle, this is the product for you! That is exactly what it does. It leaves your hair looking as if you just came back from a swim in the ocean! It has a same affect as the Not your Mother's Sea Salt Spray.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil - this is a great product for many things! Two if the best things to use this for are to hydrate and soften the tips of your hair, or to use to hydrate and soften the skin. I personally like to just use it for the tips of my hair, It leaves it looking and feeling super soft and smooth. 

Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream - this eye cream has been on my "must get" list for quite a while now, so I am thrilled to officially have it in my collection! And let me just say, it does its job VERY well. It is meant for brightening and depuffing around the eye area. My eyes tend to get very puffy especially when I first wake up and right after I take off my makeup, but this guy right here completely cures that!

Deborah Lippmann Treatment-infused Nail Color, Cleopatra in New York - I am so in love with this color, especially fir the Fall/Winter seasons. It is black with lovely gold specs in it. The good thing about this polish is that the gold specs do not clump together or become bulky on the nail. They simple glide on like normal nail polish.

Viktor &Rolf, Flowerbomb Rollerball - this is such a great scent for the cooler seasons. Also it is not too strong, but not too sutle. It basically just smells like sweaters and winter. That is the best way to explain its scent! 

And now to the more makeup products!

Nars Lipstick, Dolce Vita - this color is so great for Fall wear. It is a slightly tinted nude that is just beautiful for an everyday look.

Nars Blush & Bronzing Powder Duo, Orgasm (blush) and Laguna (bronzer) - these two products on their own have been calling my name for some time now, so seeing them in a duo just makes everything better. Both are beautifully pigmented and are long lasting. First off, the blush, Orgasm, is one of the most gorgeous blushes ever. It is a pinky, rose color with small gold shimmers in it that make your face look beautifully highlighted. The bronzer, Laguna, is my favorite Nars bronzer. It is not only perfect for contouring the face and bronzing, but also for contouring the crease of the eyes and using it as a shadow color.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream - oh and my love for Smashbox continues. This is a great product to wear on its own if you only want a light coverage, but can also work great to wear under a foundation. With SPF 35, your skin will be happily thanking you when you wear this BB cream.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel - I was actually pleasantly surprised when I tried this brow gel. I wasn't expecting much of it, but I was proved wrong. This gel has such a strong hold and will undoubtedly last you all day long.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Duo, Sin and Mushroom - Sin and Mushroom are too colors of Urban Decay's collection that can work with so many looks and other shadow colors. Sin is like a taupe, gold color, while sin is more of a silvery, gray color. Both are incredibly easy to blend and wear!

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner - this is now officially my new favorite liquid liner. Usually, I am terrible at lining my top lash line with liquid eyeliner, but with the Stila one, it took me just one easy sweep across my lash line and it was perfect! I highly recommend this liner! Also, it is waterproof, which is a plus.

Too Faced Better Than False Lashes Mascara Base and Top Coat - sadly, this mascara duo pack was the only product that I am not raving about. While it did have a Flexistretch Nylon Fiber brush base and also made my lashes look long and pretty awesome, the downside was that it makes your top lashes stick to your bottom lashes when you blink. And lets face it, no one would want to wear a mascara that does that! Even if you are only wearing it on top, it still makes them stick. It also is an absolute pain to take off. I would not recommend this to anyone.

So, basically I am in love with almost everything in the Superstars collection! I could not be more happy that I made the spontaneous purchase as soon as I could. I cannot wait to see what other collections Sephora will bring this year! And of course I will review them as soon as I get my hands on them! 

Xoxo

Drugstore Lipstick and Lip gloss Favorites!

Hello there! Well as of right now, I am still in the process of changing my makeup over from my Summer look to my Fall/Winter look. And I find that one of the most essential changes while switching your look for the seasons, is your lipstick color! For the Summer, I was loving bright pinks and even some popping orange! Now since it's Fall, its time for nude, deep reds and gorgeous plums. So since I'm transitioning my makeup, I've decided to share my all time favorite lipsticks and glosses from the drugstore! Next week, I will do more of a high end makeup and lipstick favorites, but for now, here are my favorites from the drugstore ..

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter, 040 Red Velvet - This is my favorite go to Fall lipstick! I don't just love this because of the deep red velvety color, but because the entire Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter is just absolutely amazing! It is like a perfect mixture of a lip balm, a lipstick, and a stain. A super Fall must have!

Rimmel London Kate Moss - The Kate Moss lipstick line is definitely one of the best drugstore lipstick brands. They have such an amazing variety of colors that can be used all year long. 109 and 09 are better for Fall, while 05 and 06 are better for the Summer/Spring seasons!

This line is very trusty and will last you all day!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, 025 Sweetheart Valentine (left) - This bright pink balm stain was my go to color of the summer. Since it is a balm stain, it has the perfect texture and lasts you all day! The other awesome thing about this stain is the minty scent that it leaves on your lips.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss, 225 Berry Allure (right) - Okay, so clearly I am a Revlon lover, but this gloss is my favorite Revlon gloss! It is a gorgeous purple plum color, but on your lips it has more of a sheer look to it. This gloss looks perfect over a light plum lip pencil, but also on its own! Its a great color for an everyday on the go Fall look.

Maybelinne Baby Lips Dr. Rescue, 60 Berry Soft (left), 50 Soothing Sorbet (right) - Dr. Rescue lip balm is my life saver. These two balms go perfect with just about every outfit for every season. They are slightly tinted, but are also very sheer and most importantly, hydrating and moisturizing! The best part of all is that they have Menthol in them which just completely soothes your lips and makes them feel perfect! These are a must have for every girl!

Well, I hope you enjoyed my favorite drugstore lip products! I have some awesome Fall themed post coming your way soon, so keep an eye out for them! Xoxo

Luvocracy, a product junkies dream

It's official. I have a new obsession. Luvocracy.com is probably one of the best websites ever created! If you are a Pinterest fan, than you will love Luvocracy. It is basically a Pinterest, except better. Instead of just looking at the items or products that you love and pinning them to your board, you can actually buy the items off the internet right then and there! Or you can "Luv" the item and save it on your page to purchase at a later time if you would like. 

Like Pinterest, this trusty site has many different categories that you can search through to find what you're looking for. There is a category for virtually anything! Even if the item that you want isn't available for you to purchase at a store or on a different website, Luvocracy will most likely have it! I have to admit, as a product junkie, I have been on Luvocracy and just completely addicted to it since I saw it recommended in a September favorites video by one of my favorite beauty gurus,  British YouTuber, FleurDeForce. 

Also, the prices on the items on Luvocracy I must say are pretty good! The price on the items is the lowest price that the item was most recently sold for.  When you check out with an item, Luvocracy searches the web for any other sellers that may have the price lower. If they find one, they will charge you the lower price that they find! Personally, I don't think it can get better than that! And if you don't like your item? Well Luvocracy has a 30-day return policy!

Basically, this website is what all product lovers and shopaholics have been waiting for! Its the perfect way to get whatever you need! I highly suggest that everyone makes a Luvocracy account and join the fun!

Here is a link to my Luvocracy and my favorite accounts!
http://www.luvocracy.com/taylormondello
http://www.luvocracy.com/FleurDeForce
http://www.luvocracy.com/missglamorazzi
http://www.luvocracy.com/GlamLifeGuru

Daily Makeup Routine!

Now, I am no beauty expert, but I have been finding my way around in the beauty/makeup world pretty well. My daily makeup routine most definitely changes at least monthly because I have to admit, I am a complete product junkie! But, for right now these products are what I have been using everyday in my makeup routine. I have found these products to be working best with my skin. Some I have been using for years, while  others are very new to me. Firstly, before I start my makeup every morning, I use Clean & Clear  Morning Glow Moisturizer. I love this morning moisturizer because it has SPF 15 and is oil-free. It always leaves my skin brightened and ready for makeup! I also use the Burt's Bees Eye Cream which has been a huge help with  keep under my eyes hydrated without leaving a heavy, oil-like feel on my skin. After I moisturize, I am ready to start my makeup!

Benefit's "That Gal" Primer - now this primer is actually a new addition to my makeup collection and the first step in my makeup routine. Usually, I will stick with my trusty Smashbox Photo Finish Blemish Control Primer, but I decided to change it up a bit when I finished my Smahbox primer. "That Gal" is a lovely primer that leaves your skin feeling radiant and bright. It is a very different primer than Smashbox, but it is still great and very good for leaving your skin radiant all day even with all of your makeup on. Although, if you want more of a coverage primer, I would go for the Smashbox one over Benefit's. 

Maybelline Cover Stick Corrector Concealer - this is my next step and it has been in my makeup collection for YEARS. I have gone through about 3 of these little lifesavers. Luckily, they do last me a pretty long time. This concealer stick helps with everything from dark under eye circles to little annoying red spots. It contradicts the red spots with its green color. Yes, it does turn your face a bit green, but foundation easily solves that problem. This is most definitely one of my all time beauty favorites! 

L'Oreal Infallible Advanced Never Fail Makeup - when it comes to foundation, I like to change it up quite a bit. This one has been in my makeup routine for about 2 or 3 weeks now and I am loving it. At first, I was a little unsure of it because by the end of the day it was starting to look a little cakey, but then I realized I may have been using just a bit too much. Once I started only using about a dime size for my entire face, I fell in love with this product! If you use the smallest amount, it leaves you skin looking flawless. I use the shade Nude Beige 605. To apply, I simply use a foundation brush from my Shany Cosmetics brush collection.

Urban Decay De-slick Mattifying Powder - this product is about a month old and has been such a life changer when it comes to makeup. This matted powder keeps my foundation in place all day and leaves my face oil free. It also does not leave a cakey look to your face. This product is great too because unlike the Maybelline Matted Powder, you do not have to match your shade, it is just a white powder. No worries, it does not come out white and make you look like a ghost.

Sephora Bronzing Powder - This bronzer is also another one of my products that I have been using for years. It has been brilliant to me and last for quite a long time! This one has been with me for over a year and a half. It is only the second one I have been through and I hit pan almost 9 months ago. This bronzer is perfect for contouring cheek bones. I have shade 3, Los Cabos and use a bronzing brush from my Shany collection.

Benefit's Rockateur Blush - okay, this blush is the perfect rose gold color. If you are a rose gold fan, like me, this is a blush for you. It is a new blush in the Benefit's collection and looks so natural. There are little gold glimmers in the blush as well. It's not like a shimmer, the little gold specs make your skin look amazing when the light hits it. This is one of my all time favorite blushes!

Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal 24 hour Eye Shadow, Inked in Pink - This cream eye shadow is a great base for an everyday makeup look. It can work by itself or you can pair it with another color to make it go from a day look to a night look. All of the Maybelline Color Tattoo colors are awesome, but this is by far my favorite! It's quick and easy to put on and blends with anything.

Stila In the Light Eye Shadow Palette - this palette is one of my all time favorite eye shadow palettes. It has such a great variety of colors to work with and all the colors blend easily, not only together, but also with other brands of shadows. Normal, I will use the Maybelline Color Tattoo to cover my whole lid, and then use gilded gold from the Stila palette (second color on the bottom row) one the outter corner of my eyes and my crease. I love this look for an easy daytime routine!

Too Faced, Smokey Eye Palette - I used to use this palette a lot before I found Stila, but now-a-days I just use one of the colors to fill in my eyebrows! I use the color Up in Smoke (top row on the right). To fill my brows, I just use an angled brush from the Shany collection.

Stila smudge stick waterproof eye liner - I use this eye liner to line my tight line and my upper lash line. This is one of my favorite eye liners because it stays on throughout the day without even fading the slightest bit. I also have oily eye lids, and this eye liner does not smudge (despite its name) or leave excess liner on my lids. When I line my tight line with this, I shut my eyes super tight for a few seconds and then the eye line actually creates a perfect thin line on my water line as well! It is perfect for lining everything.

Covergirl Flamed Out Waterproof Mascara - this mascara is definitely up there with some of my favorite mascaras. It make my lashes much longer and adds lots of volume to them. I use this mascara only for my top lashes, because I like to use my usual mascara (Benefit's They're Real!) for my lower lashes. I have had this mascara for about a month and it has been working wonders for me. Although, if you do have trouble curling your lashes, this may not be the mascara for you because it can weigh down your lashes just a tad.

Benefit's They're Real! - this mascara is my favorite mascara that I have ever found so far. Although I am not using it on my top lashes right now because I wanted to change things up, this mascara makes your lashes look perfect! It truly does look like you have falsies on! I now use this for my lower lashes because it gets every lash and makes them look just perfect. I highly recommend this mascara!!

Benefit Erase Paste Concealer - this concealer has been my best friend since I got it a month ago. It is my favorite concealer that I have ever tried. Clearly, I am a lover of Benefit! This helps with dark under eye circles and any little red spot or blemishes that you may have. And you only need a dab to cover anything up. I like to use my concealer after I finish my eye makeup because it can then cover any eye makeup that may have accidentally gotten under my eyes.

Benefit's Watt's Up Highlighter - This highlighter is the perfect highlighter! It gives just enough lightness to the inner corner of your eyes, your brow bone, and your cheek bones!

Maybelline Baby Lips, Dr. Rescue, Berry Soft 60 - this baby lips is a life changer! It is different than the regular Baby Lips because it has menthol in it which makes your lips feel cool and tingly when you put it on. Also this brand of Baby Lips is better tinted with better colors than the original Baby Lips. The color I like to use for a daily look is the Berry Soft (60). It is a sheer pink/purple shade that looks great with many outfits.


Okay, well that was my daily makeup routine! I hope you liked it and maybe found some of my opinions on the products useful! I am loving being able to state my opinion on products through my blog and I can't wait for what's to come on it!! Thanks for reading!

xoxo