<p>What’s your favorite makeup brand and/or all time favorite beauty products? =P~ </p>
<p>I’ve been really getting into makeup and beauty lately, and think it’s just so much fun to experiment and figure out what looks best on my face. My favorite brands are Benefit Cosmetics, Urban Decay, and Bare Minerals for the “high end” stuff. As for drugstore brands, Maybelline can do no wrong. Some of their $5 products work better than $30 ones that I end up returning at Ulta! My everyday must haves are Maybelline’s Fit Me Concealer, Benefit POREfessional primer, Bare Minerals Foundation, Urban Decay 24 hour Stay Eyeliner, Benefit They’re Real Mascara and/or Maybelline Mascara, and Maybelline Color Whisper Lip butters for a nice tint on my lips. I also have so much fun playing around with the Naked 2 Eyeshadow Palette…it sounds like a lot of product, but I also go for the “no makeup” makeup look, if that makes any sense LOL! Dermalogica also happens to be my absolute favorite skincare line. Their cleansers, exfoliants and moisturizers have made my skin clear and reduced redness. IMO, their ridiculous prices are actually worth it. </p>
<p>Thought it would be fun to hear what you all like to do in your daily makeup routine!</p>
<p>Speaking of NYX, I like some of their GLAM shadows. I have a couple and two that I use frequently. I also use of one their eyeshadows from the Matte Eyeshadows line for my brows. I forget the color, but I have never had a problem with the formula or its ability to stay on.</p>
<p>I’ve downsized my make up collection. I have a lot of versatile shadows and a good mix if things I use frequently and things I bust out once or twice. I now just buy new things to replace items. I am able to fit all my makeup other than my lipsticks in a makeup bag that is smaller than 0.5’ cubic feet. </p>
<p>I enjoy MAC for their blushes. Blushes are the only make up items that I will splurge on. A good blush that compliments my skin tone makes a difference. </p>
<p>As for face care, I just use a Clean&Clear daily exfoliation wash and a mix between their day and night moisturizer. That’s all my face needs. No acne or discoloration. </p>
<p>For makeup I’m pretty much Clinique exclusive. Their stuff works the best for me and I love going there during free gift time–you get more bang for the buck that way. One tube of the foundation generally lasts me over a year (and I use it almost every day.)</p>
<p>For skin care, Maybelline makeup remover. It’s a lotion so you don’t have to rinse, just wipe off the excess, and it doubles as a moisturizer.</p>
<p>I received a NYX lip butter in my Ipsy bag (it’s a $10 subscription box that sends you 5 makeup items per month in an adorable makeup bag. The bag is different every month! If anyone has questions about it, PM me because I’d highly recommend it)…anyway, I wasn’t in love with the NYX lip butter. I was disappointed because I heard great things but it seemed like any old lip product to me. I’ll have to look into their shadows now </p>
<p>does anybody have any good brush recommendations because the makeup enthusiast that I am has only 2 or 3 random ones but what are some good ones like preferably in sets? I love my naked 2 pallete to </p>
<p>I like some of Chanel makeup - it is pricey, but since I use so little of it, I do not to pay for it once in a blue moon. Chanel makes a dark purple mascara that works much better on my eyelashes than plain black, and their waterline eyeliner is just like mascara without the heaviness. Their foundations are also very nice and blend with my skin perfectly.</p>
<p>For makeup removal, I highly recommend the stuff that Tish Jett ( the author of “Forever Chic”) uses:</p>
<p>I like to check reviews on the website Makeupalley if I’m considering purchasing a higher end product. Of course, there are products that someone might love that I might hate and vs versa, but I do the same when checking out recipes online.</p>
<p>I also go for the “natural” look and have had the original Naked eye palette from Urban Decay for quite a long time. I finally had to replace one of the colors in it with a single (the color Naked) because it ran out. It is a very nice neutral matte color.</p>
<p>I had a Sephora make-up consultation ($50, which goes toward the purchase of products) as a way to try out new products. I ended up purchasing some Bobbi Brown pot rouge which I also use on my lips, and some Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer. It’s way more than I typically spend on products, but I use both every day and have been happy with them.</p>
<p>I spend a lot more on skin care than on makeup. I use vitamins C&E first. The brand I am using now is Dr. Copeland. I get it on Gilt. I use almost exclusively Shiseido for face cream. I love their eye cream (‘Benefiance WrinkleResist24’ Intensive Eye Contour Cream). For makeup, I only use eyeshadow, blush and lipstick, no foundation. I prefer Bobbi Brown because of their shades and how they go on. Their lip colors tend to be thicker, so my girls don’t like them, but they keep my lips very moist.</p>
<p>I am guilty of loving Chanel products as well. I wear very little makeup so spending the $$ is worth it to me. I love the eye shadow quads and lipsticks. And the nail polishes and the foundations. Heck, I just love it all. </p>
<p>For general skin care, I use CeraVe. D also bought me a Bobbi Brown BB cream that I really like for everyday use. </p>
<p>I’ve never worn foundation or blush or concealer, and the last time I wore lipstick was at my wedding in 1980, but I do wear a little eye makeup. I like the Bare Minerals shadow liners:</p>
<p>They have nice neutrals. I’m using Nurture right now. I use it dry, push it into the base of my lashes with an angled brush. It gives some definition but is soft and natural. Mascara always runs on me, giving me the raccoon-eye look, but I use one from Maybelline that never runs (Full & Soft, not waterproof, brownish-black).</p>
<p>As far as skincare goes, the best product I’ve used is C E Ferulic, a very expensive serum that makes skin look better within a week.</p>
<p>It is light and sinks right in, doesn’t irritate my skin, doesn’t make me break out, doesn’t make my eyes sting (even though I apply it right up to the edges of my eyelids), doesn’t have that sunscreen smell, isn’t greasy. I use it every day, year round.</p>
<p>I like Smashbox primer, foundation and powder when I want a very polished but natural look. (Not every day). I also like Smashbox matte bronzer when I need a little color. I’m pretty fair and I use the lightest shade. Their eyeshadow palettes are also pretty good. </p>
<p>Nars blush. Lancome mascara. Yves Saint Laurent makes a nice highlighter that is expensive but lasts forever. I use it on special occasions (evening).</p>
<p>Shu Uemura (sp?) eyelash curler works wonders. </p>
<p>Most days I just wear a bit of concealer and mascara. I haven’t found a concealer that I really like so I buy different ones. Same with lip gloss/ sheer lipstick. </p>
<p>My sister has started using Latisse (the eyelash-growing stuff) with dramatic results. I’ve considered it but have been too lazy to follow through.</p>
<p>Origins makes a gel blush…Pinch Your Cheeks. It looks completely natural, like auntie Bertha just pinched your cheeks ;). </p>
<p>Read a makeup tip I just tried…and love it…wear regular washable mascara as the first layer and then apply a layer of waterproof on top. You get the benefits of being able to wash the stuff off very easily, yet no smudges during the day. </p>
Just did my makeup and turns out it is Confession from their Nude Matte Eyeshadow line. No problems whatsoever with its longevity. </p>
<p>Does anyone have recommendations for face sunscreens for me to use with my dusky moisturizer? I’m looking for something that does not leave a greasy film and does not leave a white residue. </p>
<p>Also, Palmer’s Skin Therapy Face Oil works wonders. I strongly recommend it. When some medication I was on made me breakout like crazy, it completely removed all the acne scars and cleared up my skin within weeks. </p>
<p>After trying and using TONS of different make ups, I now buy mine at Target. I look for an SPF 15 base in the right color…usually I get a tinted moisturizer. I use Maybeline mascara. </p>
<p>My only splurge is Bare Essentials powdered blush…because I’ve never found another I like as well.</p>
<p>I thought that I might try to Maybelline brow powder recommended by dietz199. My brows are sparser than they used to be. I checked on Amazon, and the Maybelline product is available, but it’s $12. I saw that there is a NYX brow produce that has over 500 extremely positive reviews:</p>
<p>There are no reviews of this individual brush, but there are glowing reviews for the set of these brushes. They’re much less expensive than the Mac brushes (I have one for the power liner) and they come in individual, black hand-stitched cases (just checked on this with Amazon). The MAC brushes come in plastic sleeves, which I continue to use to keep the brush clean in my makeup bag. I used the Amazon chat to make sure the brush comes with a sleeve, and I learned that it comes with a case. Hard to believe, I hope it’s true. If it isn’t, I’ll be fine with a plastic sleeve.</p>
</p>
</p>