What's in my makeup bag - January 2015

Photography: Natalie Probst

Hello readers!!! Happy 2015! First off, I apologize for being gone most of 2014. My life has gone through what feels like every change possible in the last 12 months. From getting engaged to moving out of our apartment into our very first home- to rehabbing and wedding planning, you can say I've had a hell of a year. And it's been WONDERFUL! I'm hoping in the new year to have at least one of two blog posts a month just because I can genuinely say I missed it and writing about some of my favorite products that I'd recommend to anyone!

I thought I'd start off the year with what I currently have in my makeup bag which simply includes the basics of what I put on every day. If you don't already follow me on Instagram, you should because I like to post my nail art, new products I'm buying and trying to include tips and tricks related to beauty products. Follow me now @deesbeautyblog! (It's also on the right hand side of the screen if you'd like to check out some of my pictures)

My 2015 Beauty Bag

Okay, let's get started. My daily staple items have been the same for a little more than a year and I've added and subtracted a few things here in there to find exactly what works for my skin and my skin imperfections. I'm noticing now that I'm in my late 20's I'm beginning to have a more uneven complexion. Meaning I wake up everyday with the following problems, so if you relate then perhaps some of my suggestions can help you.

My morning skin problems consists of…

1. Some redness under my nose and on my nose.
2. My circles under my eyes are darker.
3. My eyelids are puffy.
4. The insides of my eyelids are red.

First things first, SKINCARE

I had originally used Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer for about a year or two and it originally worked great. Moisturizers at department stores are so pricey and I was happy to have found a cheaper alternative. Like all things, after awhile some products don't work well anymore because your skin gets immune to it somewhat. I noticed I started having a lot more breakouts and talked to my mom about it. She worked for a really amazing dermatologist in a nearby suburb and he had said, sometimes the cheaper the make-up products are the more likely they are to plug up and clog your pores because some of the ingredients in them are like fillers per se. This made perfect sense for me and I realized it was time for a switch up as far as my skin care was concerned. 

I worked at a make-up counter as a manager for Lord and Taylor for awhile right after college and one of the lines I was in charge of was Shiseido. I always loved this skincare line because it's predominantly plant and flower based ingredients so when I decided to make the switch that was my first choice. They recently came out with their Ibuki line of skincare which is for my age group. If you go on there website there are lots of easy pages on there that will help you figure out which skincare line would work best for you which is an awesome plus. Ibuki carries a Refining Moisturizer and a Protective Moisterizer. I have actually used both and they are both fantastic. One pump of either is enough lotion to cover your face and some of your neck. The only reason I would choose one over the other is because of the SPF. The Refining lotion doesn't have any SPF in it but is a clearer gel moisturizer which has done great things for my skin in our Chicago Winter. My skin is typically pretty dry in my T-Zone during the winter so I was really impressed that even though this is more gel-based that it's kept my skin well tamed. The Protective lotion is milkier and a little watery and absorbs super fast. All in all, they are both fantastic and when you apply the Softening Concentrate (which I don't use every day) this is just another step before you moisturizer that does exactly what it says, it softens your skin to prepare it to absorb all the ingredients in the moisturizer. I find that it's not needed daily because it runs out quick but I enjoy using it at least once a week to help my skin out. 

I've been using the same eye-cream for at least 4 or 5 years now and I'll just cut to the chase. If you haven't heard about all the awesomeness Clinique All About Eyes offers at a fair price, you gotta pick up it up to try! This eye cream is such a hit with people that it's won a bunch of awards consecutively.  It's won best of Beauty 2014: and Readers Choise 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009,n 1999 & 1998. I can vouch for it by saying it's not as much for wrinkles as it is for moisturizing. If you have a problem with crows feet you might want to try something else. 

ON TO MAKE-UP 

For eyes my daily staple items are a black liner and a good mascara. Because I get so red on the inside of my eyes I usually line my lower water line in the morning so I don't look as tired. My favorite black pencil line that is working just as good as the more expensive brands is Maybelline New York's Colossal Kajal liner in Black. Unfortuneatly, it only looks like you can buy it on Amazon currently as I think it is mostly sold in the Middle East and India. My sister picked me up one as a gift last Christmas (check out her traveling blog at the tab below my picture labeled "My Sister in Switzerland") and she got me hooked. I mostly use this liner for my water lines as I prefer my Stila "Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner in Black"

Over the last year I've also finally found a bronzer I'll stick with for awhile. Sun Bunny by TooFaced has a pink undertone that keeps it looking natural and gives just enough of a subtle tan look without looking fake which is perfect for our cold Chicago winter and this new highlighter I'm trying called Candlelight Glow by TooFaced is just as awesome. What I like BEST about this highlighter is it's really natural looking. If you apply it right it doesn't leave you looking sheen like some high lighters do and is a great for adding to highlight your cheek bones, under your eyebrows and even your cupid's bow.  I highly recommend TooFaced in general for face powders because I've never had a problem with any of their products. 

My favorite mascara was introduced to me by one of my best friends, Joanna. She is a Chicago Makeup-Artist and recommended   this MAC Mascara called In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara. Joanna and I have had many a conversation about mascara and both of us have collectively tried to find an alternative mascara that's AS great as this one and neither of us can. The brush head make's the application very build able and not only does it build volume but it builds thickness of the lashes without clumping. That's nearly impossible to find in any other mascara whether it's department store brand or drug store brand. BUY IT! Enough said.

My final staple that I use daily consists of concealer. You wouldn't believe how different every concealer is. It's almost not fair. Some days I feel like liquid concealer works better while other days I feel like cream concealer works better. My current, every day concealers consisted of Mary Kay's Concealer in Yellow. If you have a serious case of dark circles every morning (no matter HOW MUCH SLEEP you get) You have to buy this. It's only $12 and less than a pea size amount goes a long way. I've had mine for well over 6 months and it's only a quarter empty. 

Finally, I like to finish with either of these awesome concealers (like I said, it depends on the day) Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer which is a thick, full coverage cream concealer that again, a little goes a long way and Make Up For Ever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette which provides 5 different shades of colors. If you don't already know, our skin color changes at least 2-4 shades a year throughout the seasons. I imagine it's more so in the Midwest since the seasons change so much but this has a been a great go to between Winter and Summer seasons. 

Thanks for reading loves! I'm so excited to be back in the game of blogging. Hope you enjoy! Feel free to comment with any questions below! xoxo!

My New Product Makeup Review

Hi everyone! I haven't posted on here all year because my life has been insanely busy. The good news is in January I got ENGAGED to my sweetheart so the business is due to some exciting things in my life. We're so thrilled to start our lives together.

I've bought a couple new makeup products recently and thought I'd share my reviews of them with you. I really love when I get the chance to try new products because I find it really fun to figure out what works best for me and find things that not only I'd love but products my friends and family would love. Hence the reason I blog at all! :)

Let's get it started...

1.) Benefit "They're Real! Push Up Liner" $24.00

 

I was really disappointed in this product. I really love Benefit's "They're Real!" Mascara so I was hopeful about this eyeliner. It's a gel liner that comes out in a pen like form and this product was super hyped up on their Facebook page and online to the point where you could win a chance to get it before it was in stores. Well, I was one of those people who couldn't wait. Their marketing team did a fabulous job getting everyone excited about it but this product just doesn't deliver. It's supposed to be waterproof yet it smudges SUPER easy, forms a black line in your crease even after it dries and makes a mess when you take it off. A lot of product comes out if you twist it even slightly too much which makes it a waste and I'm just disappointed. The pen is really hard to get an even line on your eyelid without pulling at it and that bugs me. You should be able to use your liner without having to touch your eyelids much or at all. I've been using Lorac "Front of the Line Pro" for a few years which is an awesome liquid liner in an easy to use pen but I was hopeful this new liner would replace that. The Lorac liner is pretty sheen and this liner was more matte which is what I was going for. Unfortunately, this one didn't meet up to it's expectations.

2.) Mary Kay CC Cream Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 15 $20.00

My Aunt had a Mary Kay party this summer and I was introduced to some new products. I thought I'd buy a few things since they weren't really overpriced compared to some of the makeup lines I used to spend way too much money on.  Mary Kay's CC Cream was one of the products I got to try and ended up purchasing. I loved it! I've needed a little bit more coverage here and there in the summer but have wanted to avoid wearing foundation so my skin gets a little color. This had just enough coverage though to keep my skin looking like I didn't have anything on it while covering up discoloration or breakout spots and I love that it has SPF in it. It wears through a full days work and I feel as though my skin can really breath with it on. I also really liked that while we were at the party, there were 6 of us there and all of us used the "Light-Medium" color and it all matched our skin tones even though we all have a slightly different color to our tones.


3.) Mary Kay Concealer in Yellow $10.00

I'm currently trying to find products to replace some of my other beauty staples to save a little bit more money and this product is one of them! I purchased this concealer in "Yellow". I don't really get bags under my eyes but I do get purple under-eye circles that only get worse if I'm stressed or sleepy. If you have any art background you'll get it when I say that yellow cancels out purple. This concealer does just that. What I like about this product is it's $10 (a great deal for a good concealer) and a really tiny bit does go a long way. You seriously can use less than half a pea size amount on your ring finger to tap it into your skin and the pigment seems to blend it really nice. It starts out looking like a pale yellow but begins to blend in as it sets. I definitely recommend this product to anyone who needs a good concealer on a budget.

4.) Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay $24.00

About once a month my skin tends to break-out a little or just get congested looking. I typically use Noxema because it's always worked well on my skin to get rid of oil but I feel like this cleanser takes it one step further when I get a little extra oily in the summer. A little bit goes a long way on this one; you really only need a dime size amount and the soap comes out red and silky. I like that it lathers up really well on the face. It's great to use this with a Clarisonic Mia to really get it into the pores. This cleanser helps unclog pores and gets rid of oil. It's made out of red clay and rosemary leaf oil and smells awesome to the point of being almost therapeutic. This cleanser also helps dissolve makeup which is a nice plus. I love that another benefit of using this product is that it's more natural as far as it's ingrediants go because there are no parabens, chemicals or color additives. I got this as a sample in my IPSY bag that I get monthly and from the looks of their website it looks like they have some pretty cool skincare products. Check them out http://www.firstaidbeauty.com/

Hope you enjoyed my first blog of 2014!!!