It is so hard to believe that the month of March is already over which means its beauty favorites time! This month seemed to have flown by! Of course, when you’re bed-bound 80% of the time as I have been the last several months, its easy to lose track of time. Lately, doctors appointments are what have helped me keep track of days. So, so sad. Hopefully that is changing soon. Fingers crossed. Power of positive thinking. Game on!
That being said, I don’t have a HUGE amount of products to share with you this month and there are ZERO loathes but I just hauled a bunch of new products so the April installment may be completely different! I did want to share with you a few amazing beauty favorites that have totally rocked my socks off this month.
1. Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer
I have heard tons about this product on YouTube and finally bit the bullet and gave it a try. I was a little leery as I’m not too great with cream bronzer/contour products but this one was so easy to use! I got it in the shade Rich Bronze which is the darker of the two shades which may seem surprising considering I’m an uber pale princess but the Rick Bronze shade was more cool toned so it made for a more natural contour and went along better with my skin tone. I picked it up at Target for $10.99 and supposedly it is a dupe for the Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronzing Makeup with a whopping $50 price tag. I think I’ll stick with Sonia Kashuk!
2. L’Oreal Infallible Makeup Extending Setting Spray
When you deal with hot flashes, makeup setting spray is a must. Not only are setting sprays supposed to help keep your makeup in place, they often help bring a nice, finished look to the face by mattifying the skin or giving it a dewy or radiant finish. I have tried many different setting sprays and this is most definitely one of my favorites. It is $16.99 which seems pricey for the drugstore but you can catch it on sale (especially at Ulta where they often run BOGO 50% Off sales plus a store coupon for $3.50 off a $10 purchase and if you shop online, you can also earn cash back through Ebates*). Definitely recommend checking it out as warm weather starts to move in (yay!)
3. NYX Color Correcting Liquid Primer (Blue)
I have tried a lot of primers (A LOT) of all varieties and this one definitely tops my list. This line of primers has different shades to do different color correcting tasks. The blue shade helps to add radiance to fair/light skin. Because I have been so sick and lost so much weight, my skin has been looking extra pasty and dull and this primer helps to even out my skin tone and give a beautiful, healthy glow to my skin. It makes my skin feel so smooth and helps my foundation go on like a dream. Definitely worth the $13.99 but again, be sure to shop the sales!
4. Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Stick (115)
This is the only non-drugstore item (plus the matching powder) that you will find on this list. I am a drugstore girl through and through but I had heard so many amazing things about this foundation that I saved up and gave it a whirl. They were not lying. It is the best foundation I have ever tried. It goes on so easy and evens out my skin like a dream. The coverage is perfect and it feels like you are wearing nothing. I apply this with my oval face brush (#11) and I can have my face done in less than a minute. Plus it is actually light enough and pink enough to match my skin tone perfectly which is so easy feat. At $43, it is definitely an investment but worth it in my opinion. My best advice is to shop Sephora through Ebates* so you can earn cash back (and its even better when its a double cash back day!)
5. Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder (110 Pink Porclain)
This is my perfect finishing powder. It sets my foundation and adds a touch of coverage without becoming too cakey or powdery. I also love that it is so cool toned and pink. I have a problem with a lot of foundations and powders oxidizing on my skin so I end up orange looking by the end of the day but this powder is perfect and the perfect match to the MUFE Cover Stick. Definitely a match made in heaven!
6. Z Palettes (Large)
I have absolutely fallen in love with Z Palettes. They make storing your makeup so much easier! You de-pot your product from its original packaging and using magnets, store your products in a palette. You can use these for eyeshadows, blushes, bronzers, highlights, etc. It makes everything much more streamline. You can store like items in each palette or you can create a custom palette for when you travel of specific blushes, shadows, etc that you want to take. I happened to pick up two of the limited edition lipstick prints before they went out of stock but they have a lot of different color and size options. If you hate having to dig to find specific products, you may want to check these out!
7. Wet N Wild Color Icon Ombre Blushes
When it comes to looking for affordable (and quality) makeup, Wet N Wild is a great place to start. You would think because of the prices that the products would be terrible but while I’ll be honest, there are a few duds here and there, there are tons of hidden gems. These blushes are gems. They are beautifully pigmented, especially if you are fair skinned. If you have a deep skin tone, these may or may not show up well on your skin. They bring a radiance to your skin without being glittery. I have all three shades – top row: In A Purple Haze, Mai Tai Buy You A Drink; bottom row: The Princess Daiquiris. These blushes are well worth $4.99!
8. Makeup Revolution Beyond Radiance Palette
Makeup Revolution is a UK brand that has recently made its way into the US at Ulta and they have some amazing face products. Their highlights are to die for so when I found out that they had them in palette form, I jumped on it quick. These three highlight shades are gorgeous, the packaging is nice and sturdy, and it comes with a large mirror which is perfect for travel. This is definitely a prized piece in my makeup collection! The palette is $15 but like the rest of the drugstore beauty brands, sales at Ulta are frequent and you can always use the coupon!
9. ELF Total Face Palette
This is such a handy (and beautiful!) palette to have in your collection, especially for travel. It contains two blushes, a bronzer, and a highlight shade in a beautiful, silver compact. For only $8, its a no brainer. If you see it, grab it!
10. BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Beauty Sponge
I love using makeup sponges to apply foundation and concealer. Up to now, I have been faithful to my Real Techniques Miracle Sponge (which is still absolutely amazing) but I recently discovered the BH Cosmetics Sponge and oh my goodness, it is amazing. It works flawlessly to blend in concealer underneath my eyes with no creasing or getting cakey. It becomes so super soft when damp that it can make the heaviness foundation buff in like a dream. I still have my RT sponge but I’m not sure I’ll be going back. Shhhh! Don’t tell!
11. Oval Face Foundation Brush
If you watch any YouTube beauty videos, you may have seen a new brush start to make an appearance. Its a large oval face brush and the original brush is by the brand Artis and comes with a $65 price tag. OUCH. I feel faint just thinking about paying that much for ONE brush. I will admit that I was intrigued by the look of the brush but a certain hot place would have to freeze over before I would ever, EVER consider spending that kind of money on a makeup brush so when I came across a similar style brush on Aliexpress for $10, I jumped on it and I am so glad I did. It makes blending in foundation easy and quick. This brush + my MUFE Cover Stick = my foundation dream team.
Those are all of my favorite beauty products for the month! Like I mentioned earlier, I have recently hauled a lot of new products from some brands I’m just discovering so hopefully I will have a lot more products to share in April! Some may be loves and some may not turn out so well! I also hope that along with April showers, comes a more consistent posting schedule and a lot more fun! As far as the Chronic Style series goes, I will start sharing more product review, highlight affordable makeup brands that you may not know about, and hopefully add in some tutorials as well! I am beyond ready to get myself put back together and regain some sense of structure so I am excited for a new month which means lots of new opportunities! Yay!
What are some of your beauty favorites or style favorites lately? What should I be checking out?
**Disclaimer: All of these products were purchased with my own money and all opinions are 100% my own. Links marked with an * indicate a referral link**
The post Beauty Favorites: Loved & Loathed Beauty Products March 2016 appeared first on A New Kind of Normal.