Friday Favorites

The Short Version

1.  OMG! Foundation Brush by It Cosmetics' for Ulta
2.  Angled Blush Brush by ELF
3.  Lip Liner Stain in Romantic Rose by It Cosmetics
4.  Coral Lip Glow by Dior
5.  Honey Bronzer #3 by The Body Shop

The Long Version

Before now, I've always used my fingers, the Real Techniques Buffing Brush (can only be found in a set), and makeup sponges. (Disclaimer: I have yet to try the REAL beauty blender. I just ordered my 1st one that should be coming any day now.)  I've always found other foundation brushes' apply liquid foundation in a very streaky and thick fashion, until I took Tati's recommendation and tried the OMG! Foundation Brush from It Cosmetic's new brush line for Ulta. The synthetic bristles are very densely packed. Although I do find that it's not as soft as I'd like, perhaps after I wash/condition it a few more times, it'll soften up - but the end result is so gorgeous that I still love it. I can't wait to try more brushes from this line! 

At a fraction of the price of the It brush, I'm glad to have discovered ELF's Angled Blush Brush. Its smaller brush size allows me to apply product precisely where I want it. After I swirl the brush in the product (one of my fav's is Tarte's Tipsy), I touch the brush to the apple of my cheek and then swirl it in a circular motion back towards my hairline. I then go back and do the same thing without adding more product to soften the look. I also find ELF's Studio Line brushes hold up really well to washing. I bought my brush in-store at Target but I can't find it online - here's a similar one. If you are able to fill your shopping basket with $20 or $30 worth of product on EyesLipsFace.com (which I find really challenging given the number of product takes to spend even that much), use promo codes SAVE20 or SAVE30 for a discount.

It's official, my It Cosmetics addiction is real! Their Lip Liner Stains are so perfect for those of us that apply a full lip in the morning, but don't take the time to reapply throughout the day - they really stay put even through smooching, drinking, and eating! I am loving the Romantic Rose shade for a pinky-mauve lip. The formula of these are so creamy and non-drying. I have the Buff Nude shade too which I use a lot as well.

I have both shades of Dior's Lip Glow, the magic self-adjusting lip balms. I reach for the Pink shade when I want a brighter bubblegum pink, but I reach for the Coral one much more. On me, it's not coral at all, it's more of a rosey, your-lips-but-better color that looks very natural.  These are perfect for when you want some color both don't want to go through the steps of buffing your lips, applying balm, lining your lips, and then applying lipstick and still look pulled together. These are definitely worth every single penny. 

I love watching Beauty Vloggers' product reviews to discover new products and EssieButton has got to be one of my favorites (basically she's YouTube's version of Jennifer Lawrence - she's so likable, funny, and relate-able that makes you want to be friends with her). She is constantly raving about The Body Shop's Honey Bronzer and I can now understand why. The girl in the store matched me with shade #3. It gives me such a natural and build-able warmth to my skin. I find Benefit's Hula bronzer to be less wearable; you have to have a VERY light hand as it's easy to overdue it and can end up looking muddy. I'm surprised there are only 4 shades, so this would not work well for those with medium-darker skin tones. Come Summer next year, I'll probably pick up shade #4 to give some more depth and contour. 

Well that was excessively long... I just had so much to say about this week's 5 favorites. I'll be heading off later today off to spend the weekend with my girlfriends for my Bachelorette Party! YAY!  

Until next time, Be More Beautiful.

Products mentioned in this post

OMG! Foundation Brush by It Cosmetics' for Ulta - $24
Angled Blush Brush by ELF - $3
Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush - tipsy - $26
Lip Liner Stain by It Cosmetics - romantic rose - $20
Lip Glow by Dior - coral - $33
Honey Bronzer by The Body Shop - #3 - $20
Hula Bronzer by Benefit - $28