My Everyday Makeup Must-Haves

I am no makeup artist, that is for sure, but I do wear it everyday. Yep, I'm one of those people who even goes to the gym with makeup. I feel totally naked and vulnerable without it. That being said, I prefer a super natural look, and I actually don't wear a ton, but I'm mortified if I leave the house without at least concealer and brow pencil. Below I've shared with you some of my go-to products. These are the ones that I currently use daily, and they are all available at your local drug store, so they are very affordable.

MAKEUP MUST-HAVES

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1. NYX Dark Circle Concealer / 2. L'Oreal Lumi Cushion Foundation / 3. L'Oreal True Match Powder / 4. L'Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter / 5. E.L.F. Bronzing Palette / 6. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Cheek Flush / 7. NYX Brow Push-Up Bra / 8. Maybelline Brow Drama Eyebrow Mascara / 9. NYX The Natural Eyeshadow Palette / 10. E.L.F. Studio Cream Eyeliner / 11. Covergirl Clump Crusher Extensions Mascara

All of these products are great. They are the ones I use in my everyday routine, minus the eyeliner, which I very often go without. The L'Oreal Lumi Cushion Makeup is life changing. I'm completely obsessed with it. I've never been a foundation girl. Tinted moisturizers and BB creams have been more my style. But the older I get the more I feel like I want a little more coverage. I've tried other foundations, and they do not work for me. I can't get the color right, or they're super cakey. I just haven't had any success. But the L'Oreal cushion is AMAZING y'all. It's super easy to apply, I was able to find a perfect color match on my second try, and I love that I can control the amount of coverage. If I'm running to Pilates, just a quick once over will do, but it's totally buildable if I want more. I highly recommend every single one of these products, and like I said above, all are super affordable!

What are your favorite beauty products that you use daily?


xoxo, Summer

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My Favorite Drugstore Concealers

When it comes to my makeup routine, I'm a quick and easy girl. I don't like to spend a ton of time layering and blending, and if I'm being honest, I'm really not good at it.....That being said, my favorite product is concealer. I have way too many on hand. Certain kinds for certain circumstances, depending on how made up I'm getting that day. And sometimes I just choose one based on my mood. Of course if you read this blog you know I'm a budget girl, so just about everything on this list is from the drugstore. There are a couple of concealers that are a little more high end that I absolutely LOVE, however I didn't include them in this post. We're sticking with drugstore brands today! I'm apparently quite the NYX and Maybelline loyalist. I didn't realize it until I actually started linking to all these products, but these seem to be go-to brands for me. 

My newest discoveries on this list are the NYX pots. I've got 2 different ones included, and they are both equally effective. The full coverage concealer is a little thicker, and doesn't apply QUITE as well as the other one, which is made with Aztec clay and coconut oil. It goes on like a dream and blends really well. I use Fair in both of these. 

The Maybelline Dream Lumi concealer is a great one for highlighting, and goes on really easily. I keep this one in my purse for touch-ups throughout the day. From what I hear it is a great affordable alternative to the YSL Touche Eclat. My absolute favorite out of all of these concealers, the one I use practically every day, is the Maybelline Age Rewind. I actually have it in 2 different colors, Light, and the Brightener, and I use them both as part of my routine. The squishy applicator makes it so easy to apply, and as I said, I'm all about speed and ease of use. I HIGHLY recommend this one. You definitely don't have to be makeup skilled to use it. 

So, I'm wondering if I'm the only concealer junkie, or are there others like me out there? What's your favorite? And if it's not concealer, what product are you hoarding?

xo, Summer

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Wet n Wild MegaLast Lip Colors

My New Favorite Lipsticks!

I am in love. I have found the most amazing affordable lipsticks. And I have to thank the Bachelor for my new love. 

Everyone's been curious about what lipcolors the ladies have been wearing this season on the Bachelor, in particular Britt and Kaitlyn, but I was particularly inspired by Britt's lips. Does that sound weird? Let me make sure to state that I am not obsessed with Britt, just her lipstick. And her hair. And those turquoise stick earrings. But really, I'm team Carly all the way. Sorry! Anyway, I read somewhere on Twitter last week that Britt's brand of choice was Wet n Wild. To be honest, I didn't even know that brand still existed! But guess what? It does, and it's still super cheap, and they sell it at Walgreen's! 

The specific product is Wet n Wild MegaLast Lip Color, and it's amazing, and comes in a bunch of awesome colors. I kind of love drugstore makeup, because you can legitimize buying more of it than the expensive brands. Case in point: I bought 7 of these lipcolors. Seven. Slightly excessive I know, BUT! They are only like, $1.99 or something? PLUS! At Walgreen's they were buy on get one 50% off! What??!! So why wouldn't I buy 7 of them? You would too.....

These are just a few of my purchases.

Top Row: Cherry Picking, Sugarplum Fairy, Smokin'Hot Pink
Bottom Row: Don't Blink Pink, Mauve Outta Here

The top three colors are my favorites. They're all actually really similar on. 

Cherry Picking

Sugarplum Fairy.

Smokin' Hot Pink

Could not love this line more. I made a video review, because sometimes it's just easier to explain vocally, ya know? So check it out, but don't judge! It's my first ever video, and I felt super awkward and ridiculous, and hate the way I look and sound on screen, but whatever. In the video 'm wearing Smokin' Hot Pink, just so ya know! Here it is...

So, there you have it! In case you missed it above, the link to purchase them is here. Since this post is Bachelor inspired, I have to mention that I am beyond excited for the finale tonight! And just as excited, if not more, to find out on ATFR who the next Bachelorette will be (team Kaitlyn!). I can't wait to go back tomorrow and reread my first post of the season to see if any of my predictions were accurate!

xo, Summer

UPDATE:  I was WRONG y'all! I took a stab at it, but alas, my colors were not correct. Leave it to Possessionista to find out what we all want to know! She's the best-we all owe her a thank you! For Britt's exact lipcolors, check out her post here. It links to the three colors she wears. Apparently she mixes them. Also, she did another post on several other lipcolors from the season, which is super helpful. You can check that out here. What would we do without Possessionista?

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At Home Gelous Manicure

 

I have been seeing this Gelous top coat product all over the internet lately, so of course I had to try it out for myself! Some people are claiming it will make your manicure last up to 2 weeks! Two weeks you say? I can't even fathom! In 2 weeks I have probably painted my nails 3 times. I prefer my nails polished over bare, but I can't keep a manicure looking decent for more than a day or two. So frustrating, right? And chipped nails are SUCH a pet peeve of mine. So gross. I don't have the time or money to get my nails done on a regular basis, plus the process of gel nails in a salon is not for me. Especially the removal process. So when I read about Gelous and that it comes off just like regular polish I decided this may just be my saving grace. The price doesn't hurt either. It's just $5.99 in store at Sally Beauty Supply, cheaper than a bottle of Essie! :)

 

I read several reviews and tutorials, and almost every one used a different process for their manicure. They ranged from like 10 coats (yikes!) total, to just a couple, so I settled on something in the middle for my first attempt. Her are all the products I used for my mani:

 

1. Gelous Advanced Nail Gel Coat / 2. Essie Bordeaux / 3. Out the Door Fast Drying Top Coat / 4. Sally Hansen No More Mistakes Manicure Clean Up Pen

 

The color is Essie Bordeaux, which has been one of my go to colors for years, and I can't live without a fast drying top coat. This one is called Out the Door, and it's one of my favs at only $5.49! Another great deal! If you're like me and you're totally sloppy at painting your own nails, a clean up pen is an absolute MUST have! Without it I would literally look like a 4 year old did my manicure. No thanks! This product is a life saver! You can get it pretty much anywhere.

I started with a base coat of the Gelous and only let it dried very quickly. Then I did 2 coats of Bordeaux, with a coat of Gel in between. I followed with 2 coats of Gelous, and finished with one coat of Out the Door. I normally do my right hand first, and wait for it to dry before I do the left hand. When they're both dry, I clean up the edges with my trusty Sally Hansen pen.

 

Above is the finished product. Not the best polish job I admit. Here's how it looked after 1 full day:

 

 

Still pretty great! Just disregard how messy they still are from my paint job :).

 Day 4: Just a little bit of wear at the tips. Still looking totally presentable though.

Day 5:

After Day 6 I decided it was time to take it off.

You can see where the sides were starting to chip. But I have to say, for almost an entire week this was awesome! I probably could have made it stretch another day or two. One of the things I was apprehensive about was how easily this stuff would come off, but to my relief it wasn't any harder to remove than regular polish. It came right off! So my verdict on Gelous : SOLD! I'm a fan! I will definitely be using this on a regular basis.

Have any of you tried Gelous? What have your experiences been? Are there any nail products out there that you can't live without? I'd love to hear!

 

 

 

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