Palette Obsession: Mally Beauty & Urban Decay

So I had good intentions to get this up earlier in the month. So this is going to be another combo post of sorts. I had decided that the palettes I have from Mally Beaity and the Urban Decay Naked palettes were next on my list.

In going through my stash I said let's get real about the Urban Decay Naked palettes. Now if you've been following me along I have mentioned these palettes off and on. They have been favorites. I've traveled with them. I've recommended them. But when I thought about it, I hadn't really used  them in a while with the exception of the Naked Heat palette since it's the latest palette. Then I started going though what I have an comparing it to the Naked palettes. I had the Naked 3 palette sitting in my basket to use and I did not reach for it. I would look at it everyday, say nope and grab something else. I'm not saying that they are bad palette or that you shouldn't buy one. They're just not my thing anymore and that's OK. I currently have them set aside with some other makeup I'm going to give away.

I had the same initial feeling about the Mally palettes I have and was ready to get rid of them too. When I took a look at them, I liked what I saw and said ok I can do a look with this or use this shade with an eyeshadow stick. Once I started using them I was reminded how much I enjoy Mally's eyeshadows. They're pigmented, easy to blend and have good staying power on my oily lids. One may turn up in my next favorites post. I'm just saying. Since I have five palettes, I'll keep messing around with them in March.

I nicked a couple of shadows trying to take this pic grrrr lol! I didn't show the Naked palettes because I'm sure you've seen then a bunch of times.

On to the next post!

January/February 2018 Out of My Face

Hey. Hey there. How ya doing?

Here is my first set of empties for 2018. Not too bad huh for two months!

• Bath & Body Works  Exfoliating Hand Soap in Toasted Vanilla Chai 
• Serious Skincare Pure Marine Infusion Serum
• Serious Skincare Reverse Lift Firming Facial Serum with Argifirm
• Lancome Bienfait Pure Focus Matifying Moisturizing Lotion 
• Korres Ginger Lime Body Butter 1.69oz
• Vaseline Deep Moisture Vitamin E  Petroleum Jelly Cream 4.5oz
• Clark's Botanicals Deep Moisture Mask
• Wen Replenishing Treatment Mist in Tea Tree
• Andrew Lessman Friendly Flora
• Nene's Secret Gorgeous Gro
• Beauty Secrets Acetone Nail Polish Remover 16oz 
• Serious Skincare C Power Beauty Treatment 1oz
• Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid
• philosophy Whipped Body Cream in Falling in Love 16oz
• Serious Skincare Creamerum Body
• NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Chocolate
• Votary Super Seed Cleansing Oil
• Ashea Shea Butter Pomade
• One n' Only Argan Oil Treatment 

I think I've mentioned most of the items listed before. A newbie to the list is the Votary Super Seed Cleansing Oil. This is a pricey cleansing oil. A friend passed it on to me to try which was really nice because again this joker is pricey! It's around $60 or maybe even a little more. I found it on Anthropologie's website but it's no longer available. It did not feel like your typical cleansing oil. It's was a lot thicker and harder to rinse off. For the most part it did remove my makeup. I liked using it more so mixing with an exfoliating powder I have and using it on bare skin. You can use it like a regular cleanser. It was nice to try but I don't plan on purchasing a bottle.

There are a couple of other items that I could talk about but you will see them in my next favorites post. So I'll gush about them there.

See you in the next post!

2017 Top 5 + Top 3 Brands

When this post came to mind I said ok No waffling or trying something new. I'm sticking to top 10 items and top 3 brands! But then I said ok what's the top 10? I did like a lot of stuff in 2017 but I didn't want to list something for the sake of having 10 items. Then I said ok could I narrow down to 5 items since that's what I did all year. So I really put my thinking cap on and thought I about the 5 items that I felt that I reached for most during the year or something I really had to "force" myself to put away. So here goes nothing!

NYX Lip Liners

NYX lip liner in Espresso was the only lip liner I used fo a long time. Then I jumped on the Colour Pop bandwagon and I did venture out and explored other lip colors. Then I fell out of love with Colour Pop and went back to NYX and I'm staying with NYX. They are easy to sharpen and hold up nicely. NYX has a TON of lip liner colors. I tried several in the Suede Matte line. Club Hopper (deep purple mauve) is probably my number favorite and I wear it with reds, purples, pink and some nudes. I found Downtown Beauty (true brown), a lighter brown lip liner that works better with the nude shades I like to wear. Espresso (deep warm brown) will always will be in my stash. It's the best brown lip liner. And you can't beat the price of NYX lip liners and they are available at a lot of retailers.

IT Cosmetics Vitality Cheek Flush Powder Blush Stain

I mentioned these blushes in my June 2017 Top 5 post. There are only 4 shades in this blush line and it's the perfect mix of shades for any occasion/look. As I've gone through my stash purging items, these blushes I do not touch. They are staying in my collection. The pigmentation and staying power of these blushes are fantastic.

Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Sucre Eau de Parfum 

I mentioned this fragrance in my February 2017 Top 5 post. This fragrance has stayed on my dresser and I have used on and off all year. I have a sample I got from Sephora just to keep in my makeup bag in my purse. If I had to pick one favorite of the year, this would be it. It a fragrance that's easy to wear and it's not overpowering. It's a fun and flirty scent that can be worn year round. If I ever did a purge of my frgrance stash, this one would be a keeper.

Urban Decay All Nighter Spray

This only got mentioned once in 2017 in a post and it was an empties post. I kept meaning to mention it in a favorites but just forgot. This was the makeup spray I used last year and it was GOOD! De-Slick used to my go to. I got a duo of All Nighter from Ulta (this is the old packaging) when I had a coupon. Every time I used it I was surprised how it set my makeup once I was done applying everything and how my makeup held up through out the day. Once I use up the bottle I have I'm tempted to try the Mattifying Setting Spray from Cover FX since a friend of mine raved about it. But we shall see about that.

Tarte Tartlette Palette

I didn't think I would have a palette favorite for 2017. I can't remember when I picked this up last year but it has stayed within easy reach. I've used it on it's own and paired it with other palettes. I think this is a great all matte palette. I also love the packaging. It's easy to travel with and store. Which has become a big factor in purging eyeshadow palettes from my stash.

Now for the brands!

NYX

This year was the year that NYX make a reappearance of sorts my makeup purchases and routine this year. I purchased palettes, blushes and various lippies. Early on in my makeup days, NYX was brand I checked out a lot and fell off from them. They have a nice variety of products at a decent price point. Their lip liners will STAY in my stash.

Tarte

This brand gets a lot of flack and I get it. I've been disappointed with them in their lack of color range in foundations, concealers and powders. They've added stuff here and there but for now they are still one of my favorite brands. Their Shape Tape concealer is still my holy grail concealer. A lot of their eyeshadow palettes are ones I constantly reach for be it daily makeup looks or travel.

Serious Skincare

This should not be a surprise since a bunch of their items are holy grail in my skincare routine. If you paid attention to my empties and top 5 posts then you saw a lot from Serious Skincare. It's a good no frills band and you can catch awesome deals. My hands down favorite item is the A Force serum.

And there you have it! Tried to keep this short and sweet since it is February and a little late to be talking about 2017 favorites lol!

Let's see what 2018 brings.