Monthly Favorites: May 2011

There are a lot of products, but since I didn't have a monthly favorites post last month, I guess it's alright. I'm really excited to talk about these things, so lets get right down to it!

• Nars Orgasm/Laguna Duo - I've had this for almost a year, and have used it almost everyday ever since. I usually alternate between MAC Pinch O' Peach blush and Orgasm. I've been using Orgasm a lot this month, and I use Laguna for an all over bronzed glow.
• Nars Copacabana Illuminator - I'm in LOVE with this highlighter! It's a gorgeous pale pink shimmer color, and you only need the teensy tiniest bit to highlight your entire face. I use it on my cheekbones, down my nose, on the browbone, on the eyes, on the cupid's bow and on my decollate. It's amazing, and I definitely enocurage you all to try it.
• MAC Harmony Blush - This is a really great contour color for me. It's about 3-4 shades darker than my skin tone and a nice neutral color. 
• Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer in Fair - I really liked the Instant Age Rewind Concealer, so I was encouraged to try out more of Maybelline's concealers. It's the perfect consistency for the summer. It's a liquid formula so it's nice and light and perfect for the under eye area, while still being opaque enough to cover any blemishes (which I have had plenty of this month. LAME!).

• Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden - This is a really really great eyeshadow primer. My eyelids are naturally really oily, so a good primer is a necessity. I do have to set it with a powder, and my eyeshadow last for 12+ hours.
• MAC Reflects Antique Gold Glitter - This glitter is BEAUTIFUL! I either use this as an all over lid color, or just lightly over told of a shadow to liven up any look. It's just beautiful and I will definitely repurchase it.
• MAC Eyeshadow Quad - I know I got my 15 pan palette this month, since I depotted all my shadows into it, I was able to pick my favorite fun colors (Burmese Beauty, Twinks, which is another monthly favorite, Skintone 2, and Satin Taupe) and bring it along to Florida. I took this and my Physicians Formula Matte Quad, and I had all the shadows I needed for the entire week.

• Real Techniques Brushes by Samantha Chapman - I've been really impressed with these brushes!! I brought these with my to Florida and I only needed 2-3 extra ones to be set for the week. I like them all, but I feel like these in particular stand out from the rest. I use the Stippling brush for my foundation (since the weather is getting warmer, I want to get in the habit of using less foundation). The Deluxe Crease Brush is perfect for blending, and the Accent Brush is great for smudging as well as lining the eyes. I want to try more of these brushes sometime soon.
• ELF Angled Contour Brush - I've had this brush for a long time and have usually just been using it for blending on the brow bone. But I have found that it is perfect for my Maybelline Mineral Powder Concealer. It's nice and fluffy and blends the concealer effortlessly.
• Aerie Superfruit Vitamin Gloss in Coy - This is a really nice color that just adds a little interest to my lips without being too much. It's a sheer peachy beige color, with multicolored micro-glitter. If you have a chance to find these at an Aerie store, pick up a few. I got mine for $2.50.
• Johnson's Melt Away Stress Lavender and Chamomile Lotion - Lavender and Chamomile is probably my favorite scent combonation ever. I use the body wash, the body oil, the spray and now the lotion. I bought this because I wanted to bring a small tube of something on my trip, and this is a really lovely moisturizer. I'll probably end up getting the full size soon. 

What have been your favorites this month?

Haul / First Impression: Real Techniques brushes

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I didn't wear a lot of makeup in April, didn't really go shopping, and couldn't think of anything in particular to include in a favorites post, so I haven't had much to talk about. I do have some exciting news, however! My sister and I will be taking a trip to Florida in less than two weeks! We're going to Disney World, because a.) it's our favorite vacation spot, and b.) since I do work their seasonally, I want to work and play a bit. In fact, this upcoming trip inspired my most recent purchase!

I'll be honest: I am only a recent fan of the Pixiwoo girls on Youtube, which is odd because I think they are an absolute delight to watch. I've been watching their videos for a couple weeks now, and when I stumbled across a video in which Sam announced that she was releasing her own line of affordable brushes, I was immediately interested. Her line, called Real Techniques, is a collection of face, eyes, and finishing brushes made of "ultra plush taklon bristles" which can be used with powder, liquid, and cream products. The brushes are color-coded according to their purpose (face brushes are gold, eye brushes are purple, and the finishing brushes are pink). Most of the face and finishing brushes have a flat bottom so they may stand upright on your table top. I purchased the dual-fiber Stippling Brush ($9.99), as well as the eye enhancing Starter Kit ($15.99).

On the back of the stippling brush packaging, it reads:

My dual-fiber stippling brush is the trade secret for creating airbrushed, high definition resultswith all types of makeup. Look pixel perfect even in harsh light.

What immediately drew me to this brush was the fact that the bristles are a lot shorter than you would find on most dual-fiber brushes, so it is dense enough to buff in the product you are using, while still giving a nice, soft airbrush finish. I plan on using this brush for foundation, since it provides a lighter application which will be nice as the weather gets warmer.

The eye enhancing starter kit comes with five brushes:

• Deluxe Crease brush: "soft, oversized design for effortless blending"; this brush is a rounded dome shape
• Base Shadow brush: "applies a smooth, flawless foundation of color"; it is wide and tapered on one side, and flat on the other.
• Accent brush: "designed for precision detailing, spotlighting, highlighting, and smudging"
• Pixel-Point Eyeliner brush: "tapered cut is ideal for dense or fine eyeliner application"
• Brow brush: "distinctive shape easily defines eyebrows"

The Starter kit is cleverly packaged in a "panoramic case", which basically means it can be closed and secured by a velcro tab, or the back can be folded backwards to serve as a stand for easy use. The case also contains extra slots to store additional brushes. I was able to fit the Stippling brush, as well as 2 other face brush, and 2 eye brushes comfortably in the case.

This set of brushes could not have been released at a better time! Since I am going on travel, and I'm flying, I'm limited by how much storage and makeup I'm going to take with me. I found that I was trying to cram all of my most used brushes in my tiny makeup bag, so it's great to have a compact case and set that carries all the brushes I need.

I definitely want to check out more of these brushes. At the moment, they are being exclusively sold at Ulta stores and online. Online they are buy one, get one half off, so I actually only paid $4.99 for the Stippling brush. Be sure to check out Real Techniques to see video tutorials from Samantha using these brushes!