Tuesday, February 26, 2013

January Favorites

January Favorites

If you follow me on Pinterest you've probably seen my board of January favorites. I decided to write this post to go into a little more detail about why some of these things are my favorites.  To narrow it down, I only included makeup items in this post, but if you are interested in seeing brushes that made the cut too, you can view my Pinterest boards under MakeupMatters1

These were my top 5 favorite makeup items during the month of January:

#1. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders: These setting powders really take your makeup look up a notch, making your face look as though it is always in the perfect lighting. I've worn one of these nearly every day since I purchased them. When I first got these, I thought they were highlighting powders. However, they truly work as an allover setting powder when used with a flat brush. I have never really seen a product like this before. It's unique and does exactly what it claims. Plus, these work on every skin tone, as they come in multiple shades. 


 Pictured Above: Diffused Light is a soft, warm pale yellow. This is great for neutralizing any redness

Pictured Above: Ethereal Light is a sheer opalescent, cool white powder.  This mimics a moonlit glow.
Pictured Above: Luminous Light is a champagne pearl powder that creates a candlelit glow


#2. Stila All You Need Is Love Cheek Palette: This blush palette contains four universally flattering shades that can be used individually or swirled together to create the perfect flush. I picked this up on my first trip to Ulta Beauty, and I'm really glad I did. This is the perfect blush for Spring, and even though there is still snow on the ground, I've been using this as my transition into the next season. I think it's just perfect in every way. It's compact, portable and very pretty both in the palette and on the cheek bones. 


#3. Too Faced The Secret To No Makeup Makeup Fresh & Flawless Face Palette: The "no makeup look" is a must for Spring. Mastering it is really easy with this palette. However, if you can't figure out how to use it, Too Faced cleverly inserted a How-To Glamour Guide which shows you three different looks you can achieve with the palette. I found myself using the Luminize portion of this palette quite a bit last month. 


While this may not work for all skin tones, it worked perfectly for mine.  You get a bronzing veil, concealer, cream & powder blush, luminizer and brightener.

#4. The Balm Shady Lady Vol. 2: This is not a new palette, but for some reason, it's new to me. I must have been living under a rock to not have discovered these awesome eyeshadows sooner!  The Balm really wins in the eyeshadow department in terms of texture and pigmentation. This palette gives you 9 buttery shades ranging from light to dark plus a full sized mirror. Favorites in the palette include Bossy Bobby and Insane Jane






#5. Balm Jovi Rockstar Face Palette: Another winner from The Balm, this creatively named palette includes a nice variety of matte, shimmer and glitter eyeshadows, a blush, luminizer and two cream colors that can be used on lips and cheeks. The bottom of the palette opens up to reveal suggestions for what colors to wear together to create a specific look. If the adorable packaging doesn't win you over, the smooth texture of the shadows and blush inside will.







All of the products in this post were purchased by me. I hope you enjoyed this look at my January favorites. If you would like to see me post my favorites every month, let me know in the comments below. I am also happy to do a more detailed review of any of the products seen here, or a tutorial if you'd like to see one.

What products did you reach for most in January?


7 comments:

  1. Bah, my iPad never lets me comment on blogs >_< I've been wanting to try Hourglass cosmetics for a long time, but for myself they are a bit too expensive. D: Those face powders look fabulous though!

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  2. Hi Liza,

    I have a question. My have semi-sensistive skin. I normally use drug store brands of mascara, liner, lip gloss and occassionally eye shadow. I tend to stick with Queen Layteffa's Cover Girl Line and Maybaline. Sometimes I'll get Imani or Posner, but find them to be heavy with an after taste. I've used Bobby Brown Lip Gloss and thought it was great. Do you have any suggestions on really good brands that I could use on my complexion? I know you use only non-animal tested products. Thanks

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  3. Autumn, yes Hourglass is a bit pricey. It might be worth saving up for if you are interested in this type of product though. I will keep an eye out for dupes. The Physicians Formula Happy Booster can have a similar effect though not exactly the same.

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  4. Rolande for mascara try Physicians Formula Lash Boosting formula (black tube) or their pink tube called FakeOut. For eyeliner I recommend Nuance by Salma Hayek. I think she only makes a couple shades but the quality is good. For eyeshadow Milani is my favorite drugstore brand hands down and their brand is designed with deeper skin tones in mind. Another brand you might want to explore as far as drugstore options is the new Flower line available at Walmart. I haven't tried their powder eyeshadow yet but have heard they are very pigmented. I use their cream blush and it is a higher quality than I've seen from most drugstore brands

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  5. ahh I want the hourglass highlighters so bad!

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  6. I really enjoy your blog. Would you consider featuring models and products that are geared towards women of color? I am african american and Beyonce skin tone and would LOVE to learn from a professional makeup artists blog. Thanks.

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  7. kindone67: yes of course I would. are you in the CT area by any chance? I always love having guests stop by to get their makeup done for the blog. I always try to mention alternative colors for different skin tones & types and am a big advocate of equality in makeup. it bothers me that so many brands exclude shade ranges for women of color. I will see if I can convince one of my friends to make a guest apperance :) thank you for the suggestion

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