*My Beauty Staples: Cosmetics Edition*

Cosmetics

• MARK Speedway- This is a foundation/concealer stick.  It's little .14oz and perfect to throw in even the smallest clutch or your pocket!  Even though it's small, a little goes such a long way.  I've had this for about 6-6 1/2 months, and I still have at least half of the product left.  I prefer to use this a concealer.  It works great for concealing blemishes or red areas and works well for undereye circles too! If you set it with a pressed powder, it can do some heavy duty concealing.  It's affordable too! $8! I've tried a ton of concealers.  My all time favorite was the Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer, but that is now discontinued.  This is runner up in my book and definitely the only concealer that I use.  I will definitely repurchase when I run out. (Get Yours Here!)  
• Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick-  These are amazing.  My favorite is the limited edition White Gold Version (2011 Holiday Exclusive) in Red Karat.  It lasted through Thanksgiving dinner (eating & drinking!), and it was so moisturizing.  It has a glossy sheen to it.  I also have a peach shade and Ruby Red, which is the perfect red for my skintone.  The color pay off is great, and these aren't drying.  I never have run out of a lipstick, but if I did, it's repurchase!  (I'm sure I'll be trying more colors!)
• Clinique High Impact Mascara (Black)- Best mascara I've tried so far! I've tried several drugstore brands, as well as the extremely pricy Diorshow (not worth the hype in my opinion).  I didn't think this would perform as well as it did, but I was pleasantly surprised.  My aunt gave me two of these in a sample size that she had gotten free with her Clinique purchase.  I finally tried it recently, and I was AMAZED!  This made my lashes so long! I can get a natural look with this mascara, as well as build it up with 2-3 coats for a doll-like, almost false lash effect.  My favorite thing about this is that it's so easy to use on my bottom lashes and lengthens them like no other! I'll be purchasing the full size for sure!
• Benefit You Rebel Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15- Now, I'm NC40 in MAC, and this is the PERFECT shade for me.  So, if you're lighter than me, you're going to need to go with the Lite version of this.  I LOVE this for in the Wintertime! Now, in the Summer, this doesn't work for me (Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer is my go to tinted moisturizer for Summer!).  My skin is more oily in the Summer, and since this is so moisturizing, it can look greasy almost.  Since my skin is dry right now, this works really well.  This is really moisturizing, but doesn't look or feel greasy on my dry skin.  This smells really good too.  This has aloe, Vitamin A & Vitamin E, and its smells really good.  The aloe is soothing on dry skin. This also has SPF15.  I usually wear this to work (on most days when i want natural coverage) either by itself, or I'll set it with the MAC Magically Cool Liquid Powder (when I want to add a bronzy glow) or Studio Careblend (when I want more coverage).  
• MAC Mineralize Satinfinish Foundation SPF 15-  A lot of people don't like this because of the light coverage, but I LOVE this.  This is my favorite MAC foundation.  I've tried the Face & Body (I prefer the MUFE version.  The MAC feels sticky.), Pro Longwear (okay when my skin wasn't so dry), Studio Fix Fluid (broke me out immediately), and the new Matchmaster (This did conform to my skintone, but the coverage is too much. I prefer a lighter coverage, natural look. This actually looked quite heavy and didn't seem worth the price.  I got it in a swap luckily.)  Back to the Mineralize Satin, there are sparkles in it when swatched on my hand, but I didn't notice any on my face.  This looks really natural.  My gram didn't think I had any foundation on at all (which is a good thing).  She commented how my MAC Matchmaster looked too heavy and unnatural, so I went and took it off and applied this.  She said "MUCH BETTER!  See you don't need foundation!"  (*Little did she know I had this on!  It's that good!*)  :)  This does a nice job of evening out my skintone and doesn't look like I have "foundation" on.  It just gives me a nice "glow", and this is the best foundation I've tried when it comes to being photographed!  This stuff looks the best on camera than any other foundation (Benefit You Rebel & Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancers look nice in photos, no white cast, but this stuff looks so radiant in photos!).  In this, I wear NC42 (in Studio Fix Fluid I'm NC40 & I'm NW35 in Pro Longwear), and it's the perfect shade.  (NC42 in Pro Longwear and SFF are too dark.  This runs light, so I suggest going up a shade).  
• Make Up Forever Face & Body- (#34 Honey Beige)  I lucked out and got this (along with Shade #32) in a swap on MUA.  (#32 works too.  This stuff is so sheer, that both of the shades work for me, but I prefer the undertone of the #34, which is beige, while the #32 is a bit too yellow.  I don't have yellow undertones).  This trumps the MAC version in my opinion.  This isn't sticky at all like the MAC. I could feel the MAC on my face, but with this, I can't feel that I have anything on my face at all.  This looks and feels like real skin, only better.  Believe the hype! This is great for natural coverage.  I like to set it with MAC Magically Cool Powder in Cajun, but it works well on it's on.  Really nice for dry skin, and I feel it can work on all skintypes!  I have this with the pump, which is great. A little goes a long way.  This is very sheer coverage, and can be built up in layers.  Photographs really well too, and it's waterproof (for those of you who wear makeup to the gym/pool, it won't budge!).  If you want medium-full coverage, you won't be a fan of this.  However, if you like lighter coverage and tinted moisturizers (but don't like the greasy feel that some of them have or don't want the added moisture), you'll fall in LOVE with this.  I will repurchase if I ever run out, but I'm pretty stocked up for the time being. 
• NARS Sheer Glow- My Go-To Winter foundation- 'nuff said!  Last Winter, I was in love with this.  During the Summer, it didn't work so well with my skin being more oily.  This is recommended for normal to dry/very dry skintypes.  The Sheer Matte is for normal/oily skin.  Now that my skin is normal/dry right now, and a lot of the foundations that I've been using cake up on my dry areas, I decided to pull this back out again.  My shade is Barcelona, but Syracuse works too.  Syracuse would perfect for my skin coloring in the Summer, when it's more tan.  This is light to medium coverage.  Don't let the name "Sheer" fool you.  It can be built up, but it's definitely not full coverage.  It's not light, like a tinted moisturizer either.  It does feel light on the skin, but it's definitely not "sheer".  This photographs really well too.  I have been using this a lot and will continue to use it throughout Winter.  A little goes a long way!
• Tarte Park Ave Princess Mineral Bronzer-  (This is the Mineral Bronzer, not the Waterproof Matte Bronzer.)  I received this as a free deluxe sample with a Tarte order last Fall.  I've recently been using this a lot.  I LOVE using this along with MAC's Full Fuchsia Blush (PRO).  I love the effect the give together.  This version does have shimmer to it.  This is more brown toned than Laguna, which leans more golden compared to this.  I love how this is natural too, and a "green" product, free of Parabens and harsh chemicals.  This deluxe sample is a decent size.  If I ever run out, I'll definitely purchase this.  I'm not big on bronzers or a bronzer pro, but I love this and how easy it is to apply.  Hotel Heiress is the darker shade and would be great for darker skintones.  This one is good for light-medium/tan skintones and those like me who have a heavy hand with bronzers/blushers, because it's so easy to use.  
• NARS Penny Lane Cream Blush-  The beauty consultant tried this on me at Sephora, along with Laguna bronzer, which I fell in love with (& put on my wishlist!).  She loved how both products looked together, as did I.  I ended up purchasing this from Beauty.com during their Friends & Family Sale with 20% off, along with a backup of Super Orgasm blush for my gram (Christmas Present.  She LOVE it and was almost out & needed a back up).  I LOVE this.  I never looked twice at it before, because I didn't think it would show up.  (I tried Enchanted, and it didn't show up at all on me, besides Glitter!).  This gives a nice, light pink, natural-looking flush to my cheeks!  I apply it with my Sonia Kashuk Flat Top Brush, and it applies so nicely with that brush!  This is really buildable when you use a flat top brush.  I love how this is a cream-to-powder finish, and it isn't sticky like some cream blushes.  The Sephora store when I went to had this in stock, but it's no longer sold online at Sephora.com. The NARS Cream Blushes are available @ Beauty.com and narscomsetics.com.  (I've also tried this in Cactus Flower, in a swap on MUA, but I swapped it back out because it was just too bright for me.  Cactus flower would look amazing on deeper skintones.)  
• Lorac Baked Matte Blush Hollywood- Received this in my first MUA swap last Fall, and I never really tried it until a few months ago (this Fall!).  I had too many cheek products, so I had just this sitting in a makeup case.  I decided to try this and fell in love with the texture.  Hollywood is a rosey/nude shade.  This gives a really pretty bronzy flush to the cheeks.  It's like the effect of a blush and bronzer in one.  This definitely isn't "matte" though.  There's a shimmery sheen to it, but it's not glittery or obnoxious.  It's glowy and pretty.  I'm in LOVE with how smooth the texture is and how easy it is to apply.  This just glides right on the cheeks! Honestly, I like the texture better than my MAC blushes (original and mineralize) and my NARS!  The quality is outstanding.  I never really heard much about this brand before, but I'm impressed.  I'd like to try more from this line!  The Flaunt blush (a bright pink) has had amazing reviews, and I'd like to try it next.  Also,Hollywood is very pigmented, so use a light hand!