GRWM: My New Year's Day Makeup

This post contains press samples and items I purchased myself

Ok, I'm declaring right now that I'm going to make a bigger effort when it comes to doing my makeup on camera. I tend to focus mostly on reviews because I know that there are a lot of people out there doing tutorials. But the thing is, I have all this makeup, I work at home (I live in my yoga pants), and I want a reason to use the stuff I purchase. I'm not a collector. I buy my makeup because I want to play with it.

Plus, I've learned a few great tips along the way while I've been running this blog and my Youtube channel (I can't thank The Makeup Show enough for a lot of the things I've learned). Many of the useful tips I've tried to share in posts, but sometimes, it just clicks when you see someone doing it, rather than just being told. And sometimes, I forget about a useful tip because I use it so often it's become second nature to me -- I forget it might be new to someone else. 

I like the idea of doing Get Ready With Me (GRWM) videos because it let's you just see what I do on a regular basis and how I do it. I feel like it takes the pressure off of coming up with a whole new fresh and innovative look. And let's be honest, it's getting harder and harder to do that these days. I'm not a professional makeup artist. I'm a makeup enthusiast. I want an approach to doing makeup videos that's more personal. Kind of like when you get ready with your friends before going somewhere. It's less formal, but you still learn things here and there along the way. 

That being said, here's my first GRWM video of 2015. 

Note: I filmed this video on January 1, before the whole Revlon lawsuit story was released. I use a Revlon product in this video, but have decided that I will not be using or reviewing Revlon products on this blog or on my channel going forward. I find the allegations very offensive. I am even more disappointed with how the company has chosen to react and respond to this incident. I will revisit my decision over time, depending on how this all plays out. You may or may not agree with me, but I simply don't feel right endorsing the brand at this time. 

Video Music: "Saturday" and "The Bottom" by Josh Woodward (Creative Commons Attribution License)

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Cara Cosmetics items featured in this video are press samples. The rest of the products I purchased myself. This is not a sponsored video. For more information regarding the difference between a press sample and a sponsored video please visit my disclosures page. 

Drugstore Beauty Products I love vol.1

As a professed product junkie, you can imagine I've endured my fair share of trial and error with beauty products. Thank goodness for the internet and everyone giving their opinions because it's really helped me discover some gems, and even avoid some pitfalls. 

The way I see it, why not pay it forward? From time to time, I'll be sharing a post that will highlight some of my favorite drugstore beauty items. They'll range from makeup to nails to skin care and anything else under the beauty umbrella.

To kick this off, I'd like to share some affordable items that are usually on a pretty heavy rotation in my extensive arsenal. 

1. Yes to Grapefruit lip balm ($2.99) / 2. Revlon Color Burst Lip Butter - Peach Parfait ($6.50) / 3. Jordana Easyliner for Lips Retractable Pencil - Tawny ($1.99) / 4. L'Oreal Paris Infallible Eyeshadow - Iced Latte ($8.50) / 5. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer ($6.50) / 6. L Oréal Paris Colour Riche lipstick - True Red ($5.99) /  7. Sinful Colors nail polish ($1.99)

Yes to... lip balms

I stumbled upon these recently at Target and I got one in every flavor. My favorites are the Yes to Grapefruit because I love the scent and Yes to Pomegranate because it has SPF (and smells good too). They also come in Yes to Blueberries. All three lip balms are buttery smooth and moisturizing and I love the new flattened packaging, as it fits comfortably in your pocket with minimal bulging (go ahead and laugh you dirty thinkers). Best of all, when I picked mine up they had a $2 off instant coupon attached so each one only cost me 99¢. 

Revlon Colorburst lip butter in Peach Parfait

Revlon's lip butters have enjoyed quite the rapid rise to cult status. Everyone who's tried them loves them. There's no shortage of YouTube gurus out there who've reviewed and raved about them when they first came out. I'll spare you the repetition. You can find these in a wide range of colors, depending on what inspires you. I'm here to tell you that Peach Parfait is the perfect every day color that will suit just about anyone. It's a pretty peach shimmer that deposits just the right amount of color. Swipe it on before work or school and keep it in your purse for reapplication later.

Jordana Easyliner retractable lip liners - Tawny

I have a hard time spending a lot of money on lip liners because I don't use them as often as I should. That's not to say I haven't splurged, it's just not as common. Jordana's retractable lip liners are awesome because they're creamy and soft (similar to a MAC retractable liner) and they're super cheap. They have a fair color selection that will work with most lip color shades. My favorite is Tawny. It's a great nude-pink that I use under just about anything. 

L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow - Iced Latte

The entire line of these cream shadows is fantastic. They can be built up or worn sheer. I love Iced Latte as an everyday color. It's a shimmery champagne beige. You can wear it alone or over primer. Either way, you'll experience impressive lasting power. I reach for this color almost every time I do my makeup. 

Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting concealer

Anyone who asks me about my favorite drugstore concealer always get the same answer. I've gone through about four or five of these by now and I keep coming back for more. I love how this blends easily, comes in a good range of colors, is affordable, and conceals and brightens. It's not for concealing blemishes though. As the name implies, it will highlight them. I've heard people online compare this to the YSL Touche Eclat. I have not tried that concealer for myself because I like this Maybelline version so much, I haven't felt the need to be led astray.

L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick - True Red

As a beauty blogger, I'm often asked about red lipstick. People are usually wary of this look and always want to test out a drugstore version before they invest. Getting the right color red can be tricky, especially when you're first starting. My suggestion, start with a neutral red (not too yellow, not too blue). It will be less likely to clash with your skin tone and you can practice until you get it right and get used to wearing a statement lip. My favorite is L'Oreal Colour Riche in True Red. It's got great color pay off, it's creamy, and it's affordable. 

Sinful Colors nail polishes

It's no secret I love these polishes. I've yet to buy one I don't like. I always get great color pay off and smooth application. And they have a pretty decent color selection. I love that they're less than $2 and often go on sale at Walgreens for 99¢. Great quality doesn't always have to cost an arm and a leg. 

What do you think of this first installment of my favorite drugstore beauty products? Are there any items you think should make the list? Do you want to keep seeing posts like this? 

Nail Experiment Fail

Well, darlings, it was worth a shot. If you read Monday's post, you know I was trying to see if a new tip I'd read about would help make my manicure last longer. But as I was leaving the house to head to a doctor's appointment this morning, I noticed the first chink in my nail polish armor. Wah! By the way, I did my nails on Sunday night, and this happened this morning. So, what is that, three days?

It was one nail, but isn't that always how it starts? The rest of my nails were fine, and I was holding out hope they would last.

Alas, a particularly busy and stressful day at work did its damage. Remember how I said my bad nail habit was to chip away at my nail polish when I'm nervous or stressed? Yeah, it happened. I'll spare you the gory aftermath picture

Oh well. I'm not giving up hope. I'm going to keep trying for a longer lasting manicure. It's not because I don't lilike changing my polish often, but I'd rather it be my polish ADD and not because my nails are all chipped and trashy.

I've read up on some other tricks. I'll see what works and report back.

Super Simple Makeup

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