Monday, December 30, 2013

Maybelline Fit Me Stick Foundation Review

I had to make a trip to Walmart and naturally stopped at the makeup! I had a coupon for $2.00 off a Maybelline product and decided to try out the Fit Me Foundation Stick. I opted for shade 120 Classic Ivory.
 


 
 
 
 

 Details

This is directly from the Maybelline site. Click here for the product page.
 
Our first gel stick foundation with an anti-shine core
Fresh gel foundation blends to a natural matte finish
Lightweight powders in the anti-shine core instantly dissolve excess oil 

Why You'll Love It

It’s one-step perfection.
The first of its kind – lightweight gel stick foundation with an anti-shine powder core:
  • Powder core instantly dissolves excess oil.
  • For flawless, shine-free skin and tailor-made natural matte coverage.
  • Easy to apply and great on-the go.
  • Available in 12 oil-free shades.

For Best Results

Apply to your face and blend evenly with your fingertips
 

My Experience

I applied the foundation directly from the stick to my face as suggested in the application directions. The shade did closely match my skin. It went on very smoothly and blended very easily. I didn't use my fingers to blend. I opted for my beauty blender.
 
The foundation didn't feel greasy or sticky. It had a nice smoothness. Since I was using this as a trial I decided to skip primers and concealers today. It does seem to dry decently fast once applied and blended. It "mattifies" your skin once it sets. After wearing it throughout the day I did notice it seemed to keep extra oils at bay.
 
The coverage is more natural but it seems to be buildable. My initial thought was that it was going to be more of a fuller coverage product but seems to be light to medium. Again this is without any primers, etc. I am sure you would probably get a more full coverage look if primers were used and you added more foundation or "built" it.
 

Opinion and Final Thoughts

I do like the Maybelline Fit Me Stick Foundation. I think that the foundation did closely match my skin and was very bendable. It had a nice application and good finished results. I prefer more of a fuller coverage foundation, again I believe this is buildable.
 
I also think this would work well as a concealer with other foundation products and trouble areas. It did seem to keep the oil down and I didn't notice much shine. I plan to try this out several more ways that will include using a primer and building in addition to concealing using this product as a base.
 
My overall opinion is that I would definitely use this product again and would recommend it to my friends and family. It was a good product and very affordable! So if you haven't already tried this out I say go for it!!
 
Here is a quick snapshot after several hours of wear. Unfortunately the lighting was bad but I definitely think the makeup held up pretty well!
 
 
Love and Hugs!!!
 
 
 

Friday, December 27, 2013

5 Beauty and Hair Products I'm Loving and Not Loving Right Now

I usually try to share things with you that I'm really loving or wanting. Today I decided that in addition to five things I'm loving right now I would share with you five things I'm not really loving and why! Lets start with the five I love!

loving


1) I really love this amazing pink M.A.C. matte lipstick in "Flat out Fabulous". I know I've talked about it before, but I can't help it! It is this super amazing shade of pink and it is definitely a favorite!

2) I mentioned this and the next item in my post about my VIP bag from Bath & Body works. This Forever Midnight lotion smells so yummy! I've been using it like crazy lately!

3) Next up is this Eucalyptus Spearmint body wash from Bath  & Body. I am telling you they weren't kidding when they said "Stress Relief". There is just something about it that makes you feel so relaxed! You definitely need to try this!!

4) This has been a steady favorite for a while now. I still adore my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. I use this almost every day!

5) I picked up this Palmers Cocoa Butter Lip Balm a few weeks ago on a trip to the drugstore. I have been using it almost every day too! Its such a great lip moisturizer! Did I mention it's super cheap? Love it!

Ok here are my not so favorites...

...


1) I normally love Bath & Body works lotions and creams. Two of their products are in my favorites, but this is definitely not! The Winter Candy Apple lotion smells terrible to me. I grabbed several for stocking stuffers and for some reason it just smells funny. Not happy with that one at all.

2) Elf duo concealer was another disappointment. They normally have great products too, but this was not so great. The highlighter was watery and the concealer didn't conceal! Not happy with this either.

3) I have been using this Tresemme shampoo for "anti-breakage" and haven't gotten great results with this either. This wont be a repurchase.

4) I'm pretty sure I already mentioned this Pure Ice polish too. This was the "irreplaceable" black glitter polish. It didn't apply well at all. It just blobbed and gooped and definitely didn't leave good results.

5) I tried this "fall fight" strand saver spray from Garnier. I used it for several weeks and also didn't really see results. It also tends to leave your hair feeling oily. I already have semi-oily hair so I definitely don't want to walk around feeling greasy. It didn't give the results I hoped for either.

Hope you are all having a great weekend! Love and hugs!!

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas To All!!

merry christmas



 
WOW! I can't believe Christmas is here again! This is my favorite time of year! There is just something about the entire month of December! I love it! I hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas!! Love and Hugs!!!


christmas


XO,
Brandi

Monday, December 23, 2013

Christmas Eve Party Outfit Ideas

Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve? December has really flown by this year!! I know several people have already had their Christmas parties, but for those of you planning a Christmas Eve bash here are a few fun outfit inspirations. You can check below for details on where to pick up these different pieces!

Christmas Party

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Christmas Decor

It seems like just yesterday we were carving our Turkey for Thanksgiving! Christmas is now less than a week away! Who else is super excited? Here are a few fun and festive Christmas Décor Scenes I really love! Which one is your favorite?

christmas decor

 
Love and Hugs!!

Craving Makeup : What's on my Shopping List at Ulta

There is no secret that I love makeup and beauty products! That is absolutely my favorite thing to shop for and receive! I have been working on my shopping list for Ulta and thought I would share a few things with you that are on my list! Check below the image for details!

Makeup shopping

 

1) Urban Decay Ammo Palette - $34
2) Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Powder $34
3) Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette $30
4) it Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol 1 Matte Shadow Palette $ 42
5) Tarte Gel Liner
6) Too Faced Pretty Rebel Eye Collection $45
7) Too Faced Brow Envy kit in blonde $35
8) Misc. Flat foundation brush
8) NYX Matte Finishing Spray
9) NYX concealers
10) Misc. new concealer brush

Are any of these on your shopping list or do you already own them? Let me know! Love and hugs!!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Give the Gift of Makeup : Gifts for Her Ideas

It's December and Christmas is right around the corner!! Are you as excited as I am? I love Christmas and I will fully admit this is my favorite time of year! I have been busy shopping all month (even last month haha) and things are almost ready! I have to say that I've been mostly shopping for boys and men since I have two sons and a husband. I thought this post would be a fun gifting idea for ladies!!

What girl doesn't like makeup? I love it and it is definitely one of my favorite things to shop for! Here are a few things that would be great gift ideas or stocking stuffers!! No ladies or girls to shop for? Grab them for yourself! Check below for details on where you can pick these up! Happy Shopping!

makup gift ideas

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Organizing my makeup...or at least making an attempt!

I have literally spent several hours throwing away old makeup and trying to get everything somewhat organized. Let me just say that is no easy task! I have tossed everything I no longer use and tried to organize what I do use in a way that suits me best! When you organize your makeup and cosmetics products it is all about what you need and how you prefer things to be! Its about making life (or at least makeup application) easier!

Here is what I did...

This is a storage drawer set that I put beside my makeup vanity for extra storage space. I put cotton balls, q-tips, makeup remover, baby wipes, etc. in the top drawer. This keeps all of these ready to go and easy to get to!  The second drawer has extra shadows, shadow quads, singles, and lashes. These are products I use, but not as frequently as I do other items.

I grabbed this cute little mirrored organizer a few weeks ago and decided to put some of my favorites or daily products in this. I also threw in some sample sizes, etc. I keep my favorite brushes in two little vases on top. (The other brushes are stored somewhere else!) The first drawer I put my daily foundation and favorite primers.. Some of these are sample or trial sizes and I'm trying to decide which is my favorite and what I plan to repurchase! That will be another post! The second drawer has my favorite eye shadow primers, liners, mascara, etc. These are only my favorites right now! Lastly the bottom drawer has my favorite blush, contour powder, and pressed powder. Again these are daily favorites.


 
To me this picture looks like a giant mess, but actually looking at it in person really isn't bad. I totally don't know why that is, but just to make things less complicated I sectioned this off in three pictures to show you what is what!
 

                                                                              
  Ok so this little area I keep my MAC pigments and  a few other misc items I use on a regular basis.
 


The next section I have my regular use eye pencils, liners, etc. I also have blushes, highlighters, etc. These I do use on a regular basis. I just happened to put my favorites in the mirrored storage on top!

 
The section to the side has a couple of my palettes that I use regularly if not daily! I really love these!
 
 
                                                                                  
I totally think this looks like a hot mess too in the picture but again it definitely isn't bad in person! I did the same thing and broke it down for you!


First I have my favorite lip pencils, balms, stains, and gloss in these two little containers.


Next I have my favorite lipsticks that I use on a regular basis and an extra powder.


Last I have extra foundations, BB creams, etc.


I am still working on the extra brushes, pencils, liners, lipsticks, gloss, etc! Those will have to wait! I'm planning a trip to Ulta and Sephora soon, so I'm going to be updating this post! That is one of the reasons I threw so much away! I needed to make room! Out with the old and in with the new right? Haha! So here is my little makeup area. The lighting isn't so great because it is dark outside and that happens to be a window behind my vanity. This was the vintage vanity I redid in a previous post! It does have a huge mirror that opens out from the middle, but I prefer the mirror sitting on top! I also have a huge mirror to the side of this area by my dresser!
 
 
 
I hope you are all having a fabulous week! I will definitely update you once I reorganize with my new products! That will be sometime next month because I'm not sure how much organizing time I'm going to have with Christmas around the corner! Love and Hugs!!
 
 

Monday, December 16, 2013

Week in photos via Instagram

I feel like I'm so behind on all my posts due to the busy holiday season! I won't complain because this is definitely my favorite time of the year! Here are a few quick shots via instagram of the past week!

Bath & Body shopping finds and pink with glitter nails.


green sparkle makeup and Ty and I at a Christmas show.


Decanter filled with beads, elephant, and candle and my vintage looking phone etc.


Hope you all have a fabulous week! Love and Hugs!!

Bath & Body Works 2013 VIP Bag and Product Review!!

I'm a little late in getting this post up, but it did take me a little while to actually have the time to test and review these products! While Black Friday shopping I stopped in my local Bath and Body works and was able to purchase the 2013 VIP bag for only $20!! This bag is full of great goodies and is valued at over $100!!  It definitely seemed like a great deal, so I jumped on it!

 
Here is what the bag includes :
 
 
Black vinyl tote with studded and bow detail
Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Lotion (8 fl oz.)
Forever Midnight Body Cream (8 oz.)
Eucalyptus Spearmint Body Wash & Foam Bath (10 fl oz.)
Forever Red Limited Edition Preview Eau de Parfum (.25 fl oz.)
Fresh Sparkling Snow Gentle Foaming Hand Soap (8.75 fl oz.)
Champagne Toast Mini Candle (1.3 oz.)
Ultra-Lathering Shower Sponge
$10 off  $30 purchase coupon

2013 bath and body vip

 

Here is a breakdown of each product and my thoughts on each!


1 ) Tote Bag - Size and quality wise it is a decent bag. The studding is really cute and it feels fairly durable. I think the bow is cute for holiday reasons, but wish it wasn't made on the bag the way it was. I think without the bow you could use this bag as a quick tote to store items for a quick trip out. It would be more versatile. I'm sure the bow can easily be removed, so really its no biggie!

2) Japanese Cherry Blossom Body Lotion - This is a full sized bottle of lotion. I can't say that I am a fan of this scent. It smells good directly from the bottle, but I really don't like the scent it leaves after it is applied. This one is not for me! Otherwise the full sized bottle is great and you could definitely give this as a stocking stuffer if you don't like it for yourself!

3) Forever Midnight Body Cream  - Mmmmmmhh! This body cream literally smells so yummy! I really didn't think I was going to like it. I tend to lean more towards "fruity" smells or something similar, but this is just amazing! It does have citrus tones in it and a hint of floral. It is just such a mixture that I cant even really describe it other than really yummy! Love love love!!

4) Eucalyptus Spearmint Body Wash & Foam Bath- Ok this is something else I totally didn't expect to like. I have never been a huge fan of eucalyptus but WOW! I waited a while before I tried this one, but I wish I would have tried it sooner. The eucalyptus isn't overpowering and the hint of spearmint is great. It is so refreshing and soothing to use. I literally feel relaxed and at ease when I use it! That sounds totally crazy, but I'm telling you its so great! I will definitely keep this on hand! It is going on my favorites list!

5) Forever Red Limited Edition Preview Eau de Parfum - I am definitely going to head back to Bath & Body for the full size Forever Red! This smells so amazing! I definitely didn't expect it to be such a great scent. I have worn it several times and get tons and tons of compliments! Another thing that is going on my favorites!

6) Fresh Sparkling Snow Gentle Foaming Hand Soap - I have always been a fan of Bath and Body foaming soap. This is the first time I've tried this scent and I love it! It definitely smells wintery! If you haven't tried these soaps you definitely should!

7) Champagne Toast Mini Candle - Another Bath & Body favorite are their candles. They have such great scents. The Champagne Toast came with this VIP bag and it smells so yummy! It has a hint of a warm citrus like smell. Love it! You should definitely go grab some of these candles! They make your house or room smell delish!!

8) Ultra-Lathering Shower Sponge - I can't really go all out on this one. Its definitely a good loofa/sponge and has a good quality. I'm happy with it!

9) Coupon - In addition to all the goodies in the VIP bag they also included a $10 off $30 or more purchase. I am totally heading back to pick up that Forever Red perfume and a few other goodies!

Final Thought

Was it worth the $20? Absolutely!! I really love everything that was included minus the one lotion. Again it is a full sized bottle so I can definitely give it to someone I know who likes that scent. It just isn't for me!

These products are great and I know I will be repurchasing several. I'm also really glad I was introduced to the Eucalyptus and Spearmint Body Wash! I am telling you that you totally need to try this out! AAA-mazing!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Christmas is just around the corner! Love and Hugs!!



Friday, December 6, 2013

Suave Voxbox from Influencter and Reviews. Plus check out other Suave products on the shelves...

Whew! I have been trying to post this for days, but I've been one busy girl woman! I was super excited to get my third voxbox from influencter!! This box of goodies was the Suave Family voxbox! I was sent three different Suave products to test out for me and the family!

 
I got Suave Keratin dry shampoo, men's styling paste, and kids styling gel!
 
suave dry shampoo
For a strong and healthy look grab #Suave Men #Styling Paste #hair #hold #professional #beauty
Suave Suave Kids Ocean Blast Gel, 7 Ounce
Suave has been around for quite some time and they have such a large variety of products! I've used several Suave products and have always had good results. I have previously been using Suave's dry shampoo and love this Keratin Infused dry shampoo they sent me!
 
My oldest son decided he was going to use the styling paste and has had great results with that. He likes the "messy" look and this is perfect for that! My youngest son really loves the kids styling gel and likes to semi spike the front of his hair!
 
I had to make a trip to Walmart a few days ago and decided to check the shelves to see what Suave products were in stock! Here are a few pictures of what I found!
 
 
 Styling Products
 
 
 Mens on the top shelf
 
Great kids choices!!
 

 
 
 Suave definitely has a large variety of products and they are very reasonably priced even for the "professional" line. Thanks again to Influenster and Suave for the great products you sent us to try!!
 
Hope you all have a great weekend!!
 
* This post is my opinion only. I was not paid to promote or write about these products. These were sent to me for free to try.*