A Return to Blogging Featuring My Favorite Lazy Day Makeup Products

Can you believe it, I am actually back to the world of blogging! The extreme blogging hiatus was caused by a few things. First of all, I just couldn't keep up to posting as much as I would have liked so I just stopped all together. Secondly, there was a huge period of time where I really was just a little jaded by the beauty industry as a whole and wanted to take a step back. And then of course, we had a big move and our engagement which I could not be more thrilled about. Planning a wedding is stressful enough but I thought I might as well add blogging to that mix ;)

As I sat down to my vanity this morning to do what I like to call "the lazy day makeup" I thought some of you may be interested in seeing what products I use on days when I don't really have anywhere to go but I want to feel human. I happened to be working today (for those of you who don't know, I work from home) but I will be meeting a friend in a little while for my lunch break to take a little hike on some trails near my house. I don't need my makeup to last 12 hours, just a little something on my face to even out my complexion and make me feel halfway presentable. Below is a list of the products!

Complexion:
-The IT Cosmetics CC Cream in fair is my go to on days where I may need some sun protection or I just don't want to wear a heavy foundation. It has great coverage plus a physical sunscreen of 50SPF! Wearing this CC cream also allows me to skip moisturizer for the day which saves a little time too!

-Maybelline makes some of the best drugstore concealers on the market. I am a HUGE fan of their Age Rewind Concealer collection and slap the color fair on under my eyes all the time. It is a no brainer product for me that is opaque, blends well, and doesn't make my under eyes look like the Sahara desert.

-The Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder is also one of my staple under eye products. I take a sponge and just lightly give a good coat of powder over the concealer to really help it set and continue to brighten up under my eyes a little.

-My girlfriend Trisha over at aglitterylife.com (she also has an awesome youtube channel under the AGlitteryLife name), RAVED about the RCMA No Color Powder until I couldn't take it anymore and had to try it. You get a huge container for around $10 and it really is an amazing setting powder. I love it, and have used it everyday for about a month now.

-On days where I want just a tad bit more coverage I will also use the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Light over the RCMA powder but lately my skin has been cooperating so I haven't needed that extra boost.

Color Products:
-For you fair girls that love a good contour powder you MUST check out the Pumpkin & Poppy Oak Bark powder that can be found on etsy. It is the perfect cool toned powder that can be subtly applied for lazy days or really built up for a strong contour on days where you want that chiseled look. Even round faces like mine can be perfected with a little of this magical powder.

-I can sometimes skip the bronzer on lazy days but on days where I do want a little color I typically reach for the Hourglass Luminous Light Bronzer. This stuff is potent on fair skin so be careful when you first dip your brush in it! It is not included in the picture because I skipped it today.

-It is no secret that I am a total blush junkie. It is probably my favorite makeup product ever and I tend to go a little overboard most days. Thanks to a sweet friend that gifted the Catrice Illuminating Blush in "I Am Nuts About You" I can go blush crazy even on lazy days without looking like a clown. If you haven't tried this blush out I highly suggest it and for the $5.99 you just can't beat it!

I skip highlighter on my lazy days but you could certainly add it in if you wanted to!

Eyes:
-The Giorgio Armani Eye Tints stole my heart last year and I still haven't been able to put them down. They are pricey but if you can manage to grab them at the Sephora 20% off sale it takes a little of the sting out of it. My go to shade is Cold Copper but Rose Ashes is really beautiful too! Just an easy all over wash of color on the lid that is blendable and almost makes your lids appear smoother. Who doesn't want that?!

-Lorac recently launched a new limited edition palette at Ulta called the Nude Necessities palette. It is a fair/light girls dream for an everyday neutral eye and a palette that I just keep reaching for. It has 6 matte shadows and 6 shimmer colors and truly everything you need for an everyday eye is included.

-In some previous blog posts you can read about my love for the IT Cosmetics YBBB Skinny pencil and the Tightline mascara. Both of which are absolute staples in my lazy day (actually my ANY day) makeup routine.

Writing all of those things out makes me realize how many items that actually is but I can do a complete face with all of those products in about 5 minutes.

What are you favorite lazy day makeup products? Do you have any blog posts that you would like to see in the future or any products that you would like me to review? Leave a comment letting me know, I look forward to hearing from you!

My Top 10 makeup items of ALL TIME!

One of my friends recently asked me if I only had 10 makeup items left in my collection that would last me forever but would be the only items I was able to use what 10 items would I choose. I thought that was a great question but a REALLY hard one to answer! I thought about it for a little while and here is what I came up with: (Keep in mind I assuming this does not include skincare and brushes which I can do a top 5 for each category in a separate post later)

1. Foundation: Estee Lauder DoubleWear
This was probably the hardest item to choose because I haven't been using liquid foundation lately. I really love my bareMinerals ready foundation but it has SPF 20 in it and I would not want to have only 1 foundation that has SPF in it to choose from in case I was going out or doing my makeup for a special occasion where my picture would be taken and have horrible flashback. Doublewear can be sheered out with a little moisturizer and a beauty blender but can certainly be full coverage with your fingers or building it up with a brush. It looks amazing on

2. Concealer: M-A-C Prolongwear concealer in NW15
This concealer is perfect if I could only keep one. I can use it under my eyes or on blemishes and just like DoubleWear it does not contain SPF which is perfect for an event where your picture will be taken. Plus, like DoubleWear it stays put ALL DAY! Can't beat that!

3. Powder: NYX Stay Matte but Not Flat powder foundation in Creamy Natural
I love this powder over DoubleWear! It brings just enough dimension back into your face that sometimes DoubleWear can matte out. Just a really light dusting over your whole face and your face will look like you have perfect skin, even if you don't ;)

4. Bronzer: NYX Blush in Taupe
Yup, that's right I am picking a blush for my bronzer :) Taupe is the perfect contour color for us fair girls but in a pinch I could obviously use it as a blush too so it works double duty for me (Hey if I only had 10 things left I would need some double duty items!)

5. Blush: Mally 24/7 duo in Pink Nectar
This one was SO hard! Everyone knows if I had to pick my favorite category of makeup it would be blush hands down. I am known for going a little overboard at time but that doesn't bother me at all because I just love it. I have almost all of the Mally 24/7 blush duos but Pink Nectar is my favorite. It is the perfect pink for my skin tone and I could always use the NYX taupe in the fall/winter to layer with it to create more of a berry shade if I wanted. I HIGHLY recommend trying one of these blush duos if you haven't already tried them. One side has a little shimmer so I wouldn't even need an additional highlighter which is an additional bonus when thinking of how panicked I would be with only 10 items :)

6. Finishing Powder: IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores
This stuff is just amazing and like any other powder that I have tried. It really does help hide your pores and mattify the parts of your face you want to keep matte but still allows any shimmer from products you used underneath to show through. It is everything that a really good setting powder should be. If you haven't tried this you should order it from QVC and give it a try. If you have read my blog at all you know I am a HUGE It Cosmetics fan and this is one of their standout products in the line for sure.

7. Mascara: Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes
I love that this mascara does a great job of getting all the way to the roots of my lashes plus it volumizes and lengthens without smudging at all. Certainly a holy grail in my collection and a mascara I keep repurchasing over and over

8. Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Palette
I think any makeup junkie would pick this one to keep. I have the original style that came with the double ended liner (which is a plus in this case since it is included!) and I can't think of another palette with strictly eyeshadows that has the variety of amazing neutrals that this one has. The Mally In th Buff 2 palette certainly gives this a run for its money but it lacks the liner and a matte black shadow which is what pushed me over to pick this one. Plus I just love Virgin, Sin, Buck, Naked and Toasted eyeshadows. I could very easily live out of this palette forever and achieve a variety of looks. Not that I would ever want to of course :)

9. Eye Primer: Nars pro prime smudge proof eye shadow primer
I use a lot of different primers but if I only had to pick one it would be this one. It isn't shimmery and just leaves a really great base for your shadow helping ir go on more vibrantly and prevent creasing.

10. Brows: Tarte Brow Architect
This actually isn't my favorite brow pencil but the benefit to this product is that it has a spoolie on one end and the color portion on the other. In the middle it actually screws apart and has a concealer that you can use right under your brows to add a matte highlight to your brow bone or in the inner corner of your eye to brighten things up. The concealer portion is what really made me think to choose this because again I would need all the help in terms of choosing products that are multipurpose.

I think that about wraps it up! The only 2 products that I didn't feel like were truly makeup products but I would have wanted to include would be Urban Decay deslick and the Korres vitamin E silicone free face primer. I use those 2 things literally every single day. What 10 products would be in your makeup bag if you had to only pick 10? Here are links to check out all the products mentioned above in case you want to pick any of them up to try!

June Empties!

I have been trying REALLY hard to use up as many things that I currently have as possible. Here are a few things that I have emptied this month along with whether or not I would repurchase it.

1. Suave Moroccan Oil Shampoo
Yes, if I was in the market for a cheap hydrating shampoo I would certainly repurchase it. I have a whole shelf of shampoo and conditioner that I have accumulated through couponing so for now I will be sticking with using those other items up first.

2. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deep Conditioning Treatment
I have repurchased this over and over again! I have been using this product off and on for probably almost 10 years and I will continue to use it. It is easy to use, smells great and doesn't leave my hair feeling weighed down! I highly recommend this one!!

3. IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes mascara
I have already repurchased this because I knew I didn't want to be without a backup of this mascara. It is awesome! The formula itself is pretty wet so if you like a drier mascara this one may not be for you but within a week or 2 it does thicken up a little and allows you to control it a little more during application. The way the separates, lengthens, and adds volume certainly makes me add this mascara into my top 5 of all time. (Let me know if you want to see a post on what my all time top 5 are!)

4. Lea Journo conditioner
This conditioner smells heavenly! On top of that is does make my hair feel pretty soft but it is priced a little too high for my liking. I received this in a swap with a friend so I never bought the original pouch. (yes I said pouch! It doesn't come in a bottle like traditional conditioner which I think it is a fault since it is kind of a pain to keep it standing up on the rack I have in my shower) I would certainly like to use this product again but I probably won't purchase it since it is pretty pricey. There are lots of good drugstore and lower end conditioners that work just as well in my opinion.

5. Dove VisibleCare Body Wash
I use this product at night before I go to bed and I love crawling into my bed having my skin feel hydrated, soft and smelling nice a fresh. I have already repurchased another bottle of this (and got a really deal on it at CVS with coupons!! SCORE!) I would certainly recommend checking this body was h out if you love the smell of original Dove but don't want to use a bar of soap, this is an awesome alternative.

That wraps up my empties for this month. What have you been able to empty out this month?