November 2012 Favorites & No Forgets

Hey everyone! Whoa, can you guys believe it that this is the last month of 2012? Thats crazy because this year has flown by so fast. Plus if you guys haven't seen my previous blog post, on December 16, 2012 was the one year birthday of my blog! My makeup obsession was just starting and now its on the verge of being overboard. LOL Oh well, I don't really care because as long as it makes me happy, thats all that counts. This month is the month where I have been trying out some new products as well as using some products that I bought a while back but never got around to trying.

I am going to start first with the makeup brushes that I have been using constantly in November. Two of these brushes are brushes that I recently bought and am so glad that I did. If you didn't know, I have been buying Real Techniques lately because I have heard so many great things about their brushes and have always wanted to try them. Since ULTA was having them on sale last month and I had a coupon, I decided to take the plunge and buy them. I bought two sets and I have really been loving two of the brushes. The first brush is the Real Techniques Multi Task Brush, which I love using as my powder foundation brush or to apply powder onto my powder to set my liquid foundation. Plus it doesn't hurt that the handle is pink too! Haha! The second brush came in the same set and its the Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush. To me, this is one of my favorite shadow brushes in my collection. This is just the perfect size for my lid and I can use just this one brush to do a whole eye look. One more brush that I have really been loving as well is my Coastal Scents Blending Brush, its just so soft and perfect for blending and applying a highlight onto the browbone.

Okay, now onto my current favorite face products! The first product is one that I bought a while back but never used it until November. My intention was to wait until I finished up a few other bronzers first but I guess since I hit pan on one of them, my mind decided that that was good enough. LOL Isn't that funny how the mind works? This bronzer is definitely one of the most talked about drugstore bronzer and it is the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder "Sunny". Its just the perfect matte bronzer to contour with. I have heard that on some skintones, it can look a bit orangey but on my fair skin, its great to contour with. I love using this on my temples and on the sides of my face to contour. I just wish that the packaging was a bit better and not so cheap looking but them again, this is a fairly inexpensive bronzer. For my concealer, I have really been loving the MAC Studio Finish Concealer SPF35 "NW20". I bought this to cover up blemishes and acne but this actually makes my skin drier. Maybe it will work better in the summer when its less cold but I have really been liking this for my under eye area. Its a cream so it warms up by touch and blends easily onto the skin. For November, I have been switching back and forth between two foundations. If you have been keeping up with me, then you would already know that one of my favorite drugstore foundation is the Almay Clear Complexion Foundation "600 Sand". It doesn't irritate my face but I wish that the coverage was a bit better. The other foundation that I have really been liking is the CoverGirl NatureLuxe Foundation "340". I only use this on the days where I don't feel like wearing a lot of makeup and don't want to wear sunscreen (either that or I couldn't find it LOL) because this already has SPF30.

For my eyes, I have been liking a couple of products. The first one is of course obvious, which is the Lorac Pro Palette. I have been using this everyday since I bought it and have been neglecting my NAKED palette. I just love how this palette has everything for a whole eye look. I just wish that there was less to no fallout but I just need to remember to tap my brush before applying shadow onto my eye, especially when using Nude and Champagne since those two shades tend to have the most fallout. Another product for my eyes that I have really been loving is the Physicians Formula Eye Boosting Lash Enhancing Felt-Tip Eyeliner + Serum "Brown". I actually wanted the black one but my store was sold out and I really wanted to try this so I went with the only color. I bought this because my ELF eye lash curler cut some of my lashes in half and I wanted to find the miracle product to help my lashes grow back faster. Never buying that eye lash curler again! I don't really know if it works but my lashes seem longer since using them. They look like they were never cut in half but of course, it took me a while to grow them back since I was using this for about three months. My lashes could have grown on their own or with the help of this but I will never know. Either way it makes it super easy to apply eyeliner onto my top line. One primer that I have been using everyday is the ELF Eyelid Primer. Its only a dollar and my lids don't get oily so I just use this to make my shadows more vibrant. This month I have been trying out different mascaras or combining them to find the perfect way to make them look longer. The mascara that I have been loving is the Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara "Black". The first couple times that I have tried this, I didn't really like this mascara. It didn't do anything for my lashes but since then, its been getting better. I think its because it was too wet and I had to wait for the formula to dry up a bit. It just makes my lashes look longer and it doesn't smudge on me.

If you have read some of my other posts, then you know that my lips have been acting weird these past few months since trying the L'Oreal Infallible lipsticks. I have been trying to find the perfect lip balm to heal my lips back to normal but so far, nothing has really healed them. Plus since its been getting cold lately, my lips have drier than usual and makes it harder for me to wear lipsticks. I had remembered that I had bought the ELF Studio Conditioning Lip Balm SPF15 "Peaceful Pink". I really like the shade but actually wish that this was more moisturizing. On my lips, it goes on somewhat on the matte side, which is weird because its a lip balm. I just like using it because of the color that it gives my lips but its not very moisturizing as I would have hoped.I wonder if its because I might have gotten a bad batch but I did recently buy some in other shades so I will try them.

If you saw my previous monthly favortes post, then you would already know about this product. Plus I already have a review on it so I am not going to go into too much detail on it but it is the Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream. My skin has really been getting dry lately so this cream just gives my face and neck the moisture that it needs.Plus it never makes my face feel heavy or oily in the morning. Sorry that I forgot to include a picture of it in this post, but if you would like to see more and check out my review, you can CLICK HERE.

The last thing that I have really been loving is my VS Noir Tease Perfume! I love this scent for all year around. Plus I love the pump that it comes with because its so cute. I just wish that it sprayed a bit better. Either way, I love this so much and have already used up two mini ones of this scent.

So those are all my favorite products! This month, I didn't have any products that I wish I could forget about or regret buying. If you would like to see any reviews on products that I haven't reviewed yet, definitely let me know! I will probably be posting up a review with swatches on the ELF Studio Conditioning Lip Balms that I bought recently as well as the one featured in this post. If you have any questions regarding any of these products, let me know as well!

QUESTIONS:
Have you tried any of these products before?
What products have you been loving in November 2012?
Are there any products that you regret buying or wish that you could forget about?

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**All written content and pictures belong to me. Please do not use or steal for any reason.**

SPOTTED: ELF LE Disney Villainous Villains Makeup Books

Hey everyone! I don't know if this might be old or new news to you but ELF came out with limited edition makeup books dedicated to Disney villains. These makeup books are only sold at select Walgreen stores so you can always call your nearest store to see if they carry this collection. I definitely reccommend getting these while you can because I can definitely see these books going fast. These are sold for $10 plus tax a book, which isn't that bad of a price, especially since its associated with Disney. Plus if you are a huge fan of Disney, I would suggest that you get your hnds on these before they run out.

Description taken from the ELF website:
"Do you dare to be villainous? Each Limited Edition Disney Villainous Villains Makeup Book is a collectible makeup set that is sure to reflect your gorgeously evil inner diva, featuring the infamous Disney Villains: Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians, Evil Queen from Snow White and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty. Each all-in-one book includes the must-have makeup essentials and a step-by-step guide to create your favorite Disney villain look for both day and night, so you can be beautifully wicked for any occasion."

Each book is so cute and I wish I could have gotten all three. I would love to get these to have as decoration in my room once they have hit pan. Each book is dedicated to its own villain with their own look. I love how each book shows us how to get that certain villain look for both day and night looks. Plus I love how it has a decent size mirror with a quote from the villain underneath!

Each book comes with:
8 Eyeshadows: 4 shadows for a daytime look & 4 for a nighttime look
2 Lip & Cheek Color Pencils
1 Eyeshadow Primer
1 Liquid Eyeliner
1 Pair of False Eyelashes
1 Lash Adhesive
1 Mirror

QUESTIONS:
Have you seen this collection at your Walgreens?
Would you be interested in these?

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INSTAGRAM: LisaLovesMakeup87
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**All written content and pictures belong to me. Please do not use or steal for any reason.**

NATM: Matte Metal Madness

Hey everyone! I feel like I haven't painted my nails in a while. Its been about two to three weeks since I painted my nails. Before I was painting my nails constantly and I got worried that they were going to turn yellow so I gave them a break from nail polish so they could breathe. I would have given them longer time but I feel like every time I look at my polish collection, all my polishes are whispering for me to use them up. LOL

I have really been into matte nail looks so I decided to use my Hard Candy Matte-Ly In Love Top Coat. Its a great top coat to use whenever you want a matte finish. It mattifies your polishes within seconds and dries pretty quick. I bought mines at WalMart for around $6USD-$7USD plus tax. I wasn't sure which polish I wanted to use but I do remember a polish from the China Glaze Capitol Colours Collection that I have been wanting but so hard to get a hold of. If you don't know which polish I am talking about, it is the China Glaze Stone Cold. I just love how that polish looks that I had to do something similar to it. Sorry about the pictures. I know that they are not the best but for some reason, my camera couldn't focus right.

What I used:
ORLY Top2Bottom
ELF Nail Polish in Metal Madness
Hard Candy Matte-Ly In Love Top Coat

So that is all for my NATM. Its not much but its good enough for me. LOL What do you guys think? Do you think its somewhat similar to Stone Cold? Do you own any polishes from the Capitol Colours collection? Let me know, I would love to hear your opinions!

**All written content and pictures belong to me. Please do not use or steal for any reason.**

Swatches: ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Petal

Hey everyone! I have really been into highlighters lately. I have been trying to expand my highlighter collection. I don't really have many highlighters besides this product and the Stila Rose Gold (that I got from a friend as a gift). I have been trying to find both the MAC Extra Dimensions in Superb & Whisper of Gilt but they are so hard to find in stores and are sold out online. I wish I had bought them when they first came out because they are sold out at the MAC stores in my area.

Since I couldn't find both the MAC highlighters that I wanted, I decided to pick up a ELF Shimmering Facial Whip in Petal to lessen the blow. LOL Its not a dupe or anything. It was something that I was always curious about and it was inexpensive. ELF Shimmering Facial Whips are only $1USD plus tax at selected Target stores (where ELF products are sold) and online at EyesLipsFace.

EyesLipsFace describes their Shimmering Facial Whips:
"Naturally illuminates for a dewy finish. Soothes and conditions skin. No sticky, greasy feel. Hypoallergenic. Won't clog pores."

How EyesLipsFace suggests as their directions:
"Squeeze a pearl size amount on finger and blend into cheeks, eyes, or lips."

These Shimmering Facial Whips are packaged in clear, plastic squeezable tubes with a white twist off cap. The tube has the name of the product with ingredients on the back but over time, the writing will come off. The shade name is on a silver sticker on the cap. Each tube has a small and tapered tip, which makes it easy for a precise and mess-free application.

What I recommend you do before you use these is to shake them a couple of times. If you don't, these will get watery and/or runny as you can see in my pictures. These have water in them so you have to shake it to get everything evenly distributed and mixed. Once you do shake them a couple of time, the consistency of product will be become thicker and creamier.

I haven't used these that much to review them throughly but once I do, I might post a review up. ELF says that you can use these on your cheeks, eyes, and lips. You can use these on your cheeks as either cream blushes or as a cream highlighter for the cheeks. You can use these as a base for your eyeshadows on your lids. Plus you can dab a little onto the middle part of your lower lips to give them a fuller look. I have mostly been using this as a highlighter for the tops of my cheek bones. I have heard some people mixing a little amount into their foundations to give their face a dewy glow but I haven't tried that yet.

QUESTIONS:
Have you tried these ELF Shimmering Facial Whips?
Do you use highlighters and if you do, which products do you use and recommend?
What do you think about this shade?

**All written content and pictures belong to me unless otherwise stated. Please do not use or steal for any reason.**

Swatches: ELF Essential Beauty School Beauty Book in Natural

Hey everyone! I have been using the same palette for a while now and thought that it was finally time to post swatches. I bought this sometime last year from EyesLipsFace.com when it was 50% off. When I had bought it, it was before ELF redid their beauty books and replaced their cream shadows with a mirror. It also came with an eyeliner pencil and an eyeshadow sponge applicator. I don't like the eyeshadow pencil because it takes forever to apply onto the waterline. I actually depotted the shadows because I had them in a MAC palette. I didn't how they looked in the MAC palette so I made another case for them. I am now using a CD case to hold these shadows. It makes it easier for me to store my palettes on my vanity.

The ELF Essential Beauty School Beauty Book comes with 2 cream shadows and 12 powder shadows. This palette is a great everyday palette, hence the name of the palette being Natural. I love the shades of the shadows that come with this palette because they are all natural and great for everyday looks. All of these shadows are pigmented and in my opinion, soft to the touch. They aren't as soft as WnW shadows but these are pretty good in comparison. I did all of the swatches with one swipe and without primer. If you had used primer, the shadows would definitely be more pigmented but I didn’t feel the need of a primer, because the shadows are already pigmented. Some of the shadows do tend to be powdery but I don't really have a problem with that.

The cream shadows aren't my favorite. I don't think these have the same formula as their Duo Cream Shadows because I prefer those over the ones provided in the Beauty Book. The champagne cream shadow was sort of chunky. I am not sure if you can tell in the swatches. Whenever I would use this cream shadow, I would sometimes get little chunks and would have to smooth everything out. I don’t get the same problem with the bronze cream shadow for some reason.

ELF Beauty Books are $5USD plus tax and can be bought either online on EyesLipsFace.com and/or select Target stores. They also have a variety of other colors besides Natural. I heard that their Brights one is somewhat of an affordable dupe to UD Shadow Book palettes but I don't own either so I can't really say. All in all, I think this is a great palette for those are have just started getting into makeup and/or for those who love wearing neutral shades.

Have you ever tried ELF products before? What about their Beauty Books? What do you think about the Beauty Book in Natural?

**All written content and pictures belong to me. Please do not use or steal for any reason.**