February Favorites 2014

Hey Lovelies!!!

It's that time again... Time for monthly favorites!!! WOO YEAH!! Compared to January, I didn't try as many new products this month, however, I still found a lot of products that I loved! So here they are, I hope you enjoy!

Skincare

♥ Caress Endless Kiss Body Wash- I love this body wash. I actually intended for this to be in my January Favorites but I completely forgot it... But anyways, this body was is described as having the scent of "Creamy Vanilla & Sandalwood" and it smells wonderful. It's a very warm scent. If you don't like vanilla scented things, you probably won't like this, but I love it!

♥ Victoria's Secret Pink Warm and Cozy- So my friend had a mini bottle of this body mist and I remember trying it and falling absolutely in love with the scent. Around Christmas, I got the full-sized body mist and I've used it every day since. And just last week, I bought the mini lotion to keep in my handbag or backpack. The scent is just lovely... It's vanilla and peony  and I think that it goes well with the Caress body wash.

Makeup

♥ Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso- I'm pretty sure that every beauty guru, or just beauty obsessed person, has tried this blush and loved it. I've had this on my list to try for the longest time (I was waiting for my previous blush to run out which took absolutely forever). When I went to the store (CVS) to buy it, it looked super shimmery and I was unsure if it would look right on my oily skin. I bought it regardless, and I'm so happy I did. It's so pigmented and a gorgeous, natural color. And the shimmer isn't overdone, it simply adds a healthy, natural glow to your cheeks. An absolute staple for my makeup collection!

♥ Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in Watermelon Twist- I'm now on my second tube (is that the right word?) of this. I think this is one of my all time favorite lip products. The color is beautiful and I get compliments on it every time I wear it. I also think that it lasts quite a long time compared to most other lip products. It's kind of a mix between a lip liner and a lip stick but doesn't dry your lips out, which I love. And there's so many colors to choose from in this range.

Nails

♥ Essie Mint Candy Apple- A long time favorite and another favorite of beauty gurus. To me, Essie can be a hit-or-miss company; some colors are amazing quality while others are terrible quality, especially for almost $10 a bottle. Mint Candy Apple is one of the best colors. It has a smooth application, pigmentation, and color. Plus, for all my fellow pale people out there, this color makes you look tanner ;)

♥ Revlon Parfumerie in Beachy- As you could tell from my January Favorites and my review of the Revlon Parfumeries, I really like them. I recently got another addition (I had a 10% off coupon on my Target Cartwheel app) called Beachy. It's a beautiful bronze color, which I think could be worn at any time in the year, especially the fall. The smell in this one, unfortunately, isn't my favorite... It kind of smells like old lady perfume... Not the best. But other than that, it's really good.

♥ Nail buffing block- I recently got this Trim Buffing Block and it was an amazing purchase. Before applying a base coat, I use this to buff and smooth my nails. It really makes a huge difference. My nail polish applies much smoother and lasts longer. If you don't do this already, try it out and you'll see how nice your nails look afterwards.

Fashion

♥ H&M Circle Skirt- I've wanted a plain black circle skirt or skater skirt for the longest time. For Christmas, my grandmother gave me and my brothers $50 to spend at a store of our choice. I decided on H&M because they have nice stuff at a really affordable price. One of the things I got was a black circle skirt. It was the cheapest circle skirt I've ever found but you wouldn't know by looking at it. It's really high quality, looks amazing, and fits well.

♥ Alex and Ani Beaded Bangle- I got this bangle for Valentine's Day and I love it so much. Here in New England, Alex and Ani bangle bracelets are a huge deal! Most of them are just a metal band with a single charm on it, but some have beads, like this one. This is my first Alex and Ani with beads on it and it's perfect. If you want to check out some of the other bracelets, go visit their website: alexandani.com

Food/Drink

♥ Starbucks/Tazo Shaken Iced Green Tea- Mmmmm! I've had Starbucks a lot recently but I haven't exactly been in the mood for coffee, frappuccinos, or hot chocolate. I've been ordering a Venti Iced Green Tea and it is delicious. A lot of my friends don't like this drink, I guess it's an acquired taste... I love it, plus green tea is awesome for you.

♥ Chocolate Covered Strawberries- Perfect for Valentine's Day. My friends and I bought some chocolate covered strawberries at Godiva recently and realized how overpriced they were. So every weekend, we go to Target, and each of us buys a container of strawberries and a container of microwaveable Baker's chocolate. It costs under $5 to make about 15 strawberries. Then we have a "girls night" where we make choc. covered strawberries, paint our nails, watch movies, and gossip. It's so much fun and a highlight of our weekend.

♥ Cadbury Mini Eggs- Fun fact, I LOVE Cadbury chocolate. Here in the US, Cadbury isn't that commonly found; it's mostly Hershey's chocolate. But since Easter candy is out (already!) in stores, Cadbury is more popular and I'm loving every second. Mini Eggs are my favorite, they're so good! The UK has it good with stores stocked full with Cadbury chocolate...

Entertainment

♥ The Fault in Our Stars- Oh my god! This book is beautiful! I've heard great things about it and finally got around to reading it. I literally read it completely in just two days. All I have left to say is that I cannot wait for the movie to come out in June! Ahhhh

 ♥ Frozen- I think Frozen is now my top favorite Disney movie. It was incredible. The story is so much more unique than other Disney princess movies and I love that. Plus the music is so catchy and is stuck in my head all the time. Even though I don't have a sister, this movie had a really touching message.

♥ The Carrie Diaries- I've been watching The Carrie Diaries on Netflix all month and I just can't get enough. It's so entertaining to watch and I feel connected to the characters and story line for some reason. And just so you know, that happens extremely rarely; only in my absolute favorite shows, books, and movies. So I think it's a sign that it's already a favorite.

♥ The Vamps- I freaking love the Vamps. I've been a fan of theirs for a while now and they've just released their first single in the US recently, which is super exciting! Plus, they also just released a new song/music video called Last Night and I think everyone should check it out because it's flawless.

♥ MKTO- Such an awesome group. Their music is very unique compared to most other music on the market, but in the best way possible. I love Classic and Thank You! Go check them out if you haven't... I don't think you'll be disappointed.

♥ iTunes Radio- I think this is one of the best ideas from iTunes/Apple in a while. It's so much better than Pandora and connects to your iTunes account (obviously) so you can buy songs directly in iTunes Radio. And it really sticks to the radio you're listening to, unlike Pandora. The music it plays is exactly what I need. My two favorite radio stations are iTunes Top 50 Pop and iTunes Top 50 Alternative.

♥ BuzzFeed Quizzes- So addicting! I truly feel like these BuzzFeed Quizzes understand me... Me and my mom do these religiously and you'd be surprised at just how accurate they are. I have this website bookmarked in my phone and computer so I can do all the new quizzes each day. It's becoming an addiction...

I'd also like to give a quick shoutout to my favorite Blogger of the Month! Drumroll please.... Beauty Spiced Latte!!! I've been loving your blog and Instagram posts and I've also been loving our little convos on each other's posts! Plus, you tagged me for the Beauty Scenario Tag, which was amazing. And your super sweet and lovely! So, if you haven't visited her blog, please go check it out and also go follow her on Instagram (@beautyspicedlatte).

I hope you enjoyed this month's favorites. Let me know some of your favorites in the comments below or, better yet, do your own blog post! If you do, please leave a link in the comments... I'd be happy to check it out!!! Anyways, I'll be back again on Sunday for my regular Sunday post so stay tuned for that! And as always, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥

How I Clean My Brushes

Hey Lovelies!!!

So, I'm going to start off by saying that last week, after posting my blog post, I kind of redesigned my blog a bit. Let me know if you guys like it. I'm obviously planning to do more, but until I finish it and figure everything out, I'll have to make do with what I have to choose from.

Back to the post... Today, I'm going to share with you guys how I clean my makeup brushes. A couple weeks ago, I posted my makeup brush collection, so I figured this would be a good post to follow up with. Funny story, I was actually supposed to post this last week, but I was home and I left my baby shampoo back in my dorm room... GET WITH THE PROGRAM MEG!!! But it's all good because I did the amazing Beauty Scenario Tag and it got great results, so no complaints.

Anywho...

I've heard many different things that you can use, whether you make or buy it, to clean makeup brushes. And this is just my personal preference to use. My favorite is using Johnson's Baby Shampoo. It's gentle enough and makes your brushes stay nice and soft and still cleans them perfectly (plus I love the smell). Before I used baby shampoo, I actually mixed together anti-bacterial dish soap and extra virgin olive oil. The combination of the two got the brushes super clean (took the bacteria out) and also kept them super soft from the olive oil. I tend to prefer the baby shampoo, but either will work just fine!

Here's a little travel sized bottle of the baby shampoo. I always get some of these when I'm at Target because they're so cheap and they actually last a pretty long time for such a small bottle

To clean the brushes, here are the steps that I take:

♥ Get a little bit of water onto the brush (NOTE: make sure the brush is facing down so no water gets into the bristles and glue. That will cause the glue to dissolve and the brush will fall apart)

♥ Dip brush into cleaner

♥ Rub around in palm to get a good lather

♥ Rinse off (NOTE: make sure the brush is facing down so no water gets into the bristles and glue. That will cause the glue to dissolve and the brush will fall apart)

♥ Continue previous steps until there is no remaining soapiness or makeup residue. The water should run           clear when you rinse it

♥ Rub in a circle on a paper towel (lightly) to get out any excess water

♥ Lay brushes flat on a paper towel with bristles hanging over the edge of a counter/table

Here's what it will most likely look like at this stage

♥ Reshape brushes after they have dried for a while by lightly rubbing on the paper towel or in your palm

So, that's basically it. I try to clean my brushes once a week, although it usually ends up happening every other week.. I have found that it takes about 12 hours for my biggest, and densest brushes to dry completely; each brush takes a different amount of time to dry. And I typically stop clean my brushes after each use, which keeps them a little cleaner for longer. If you don't know what I mean by spot cleaning, I mean that I basically get out as much extra makeup product from the brush as I can after each use. You can even buy a spot cleaning spray to spray on a paper towel to get even more extra product out of the brush.

Here's a before and after:

The Real Techniques are awesome at showing the before and after because of the white tips. It's super easy, especially on the blush brush to see the makeup on the brush and then just the white tips.

I'd love to know how you guys clean your makeup brushes. What do you use and how often do you clean them? Let me know in the comments! It's almost the end of the month already! Crazy, right?! And you know what that means... I'll be posting my February Favorites right here, on my blog, on Friday (February 28). So keep an eye out. I'll also have my regular post next Sunday. And as always, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥

Beauty Scenario Tag

Hey Lovelies!!!

Today, I have a very exciting blog post that I was tagged to do by the lovely Beauty Spiced Latte to do the "Beauty Scenario Tag" which was created by Lily Pebbles. I've never done a tag post, but I really liked this one, so I figured it was a good one to start with! I hope you enjoy!

1. You have to get rid of all your foundation and you can only keep one high-end and one drugstore, which do you keep?

For my drugstore pick, I would choose Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation, hands down. It has great coverage, great staying power, and looks really natural. For my high-end pick, unfortunately, I don't have a pick because my budget doesn't allow me to splurge on expensive makeup... :( #brokecollegestudentprobs But I just got a job at Aeropostale, so hopefully that will change soon!

2. You go for and interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?

I would probably not say anything... I'm a really quiet and pretty shy person and would only ever tell my friends or family if they had lipstick on their teeth. Plus, I wouldn't want to jeopardize getting the job.

3. You're not feeling yourself and you need a pick-me-up. Which lipstick do you put on to make yourself feel beautiful?

I would choose a bright pink! I'm not a huge red lips fan on myself. I much prefer pinks. And the brighter, the better. Right now, I'm absolutely in love with Maybelline's Color Elixir in Fuschia Flourish. And just as the question says, just that lip product, can make me feel so much better.

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years, how would you do your hair and makeup differently?

Well, first off, I'd put a lot more effort and care into how I look. Starting out with actually doing something with my hair instead of just wearing it down and natural. For my makeup, I'd probably stick to mascara, maybe some tinted lip balm and blush. I used to wear eyeshadow, glitter eye liner, and shimmery/glittery lip gloss. It was actually horrendous and I would never want to go back to that. EVER.

5. You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott hair cut, but they hear wrong and give you a pixi cut. Do you a) Smile, say thank you, leave and call your mum hysterical b) Cry in the chair and things get awkward or c)Complain to the manager and demand a refund?

Definitely A. Like I said previously, I'm pretty quiet and shy and would never confront a person in a situation like that. And I would definitely call my mom hysterical. Plus I'm super particular about my hair and get really anxious when going to the hairdresser (I rarely cut my hair because of that).

6. Your friend surprises you with a 4-day city break and you have 1 hour to pack. Which "do it all" palette do you pack in your makeup bag?

To be honest, I wouldn't pack a palette. If I had only and hour to pack, I'd end up just dumping my everyday makeup products into a cosmetics bag and move onto clothes, shoes, accessories, and other things. I take packing really seriously so I don't forget anything, so I wouldn't get hung up on my makeup. (Sorry if I took this question way too seriously...)

7. Your house has been robbed, don't worry everyone is safe, but your beauty stash has been raided. What's the product you really hope is safe?

I would hope my concealer and mascara were safe. It sounds super random because they aren't all that special, but those are my absolute minimal makeup necessities. I could wear concealer and mascara to go out and restock my makeup without looking absolutely disgusting. But, if there's one product I couldn't live without it's my Sally Hanson Complete Salon Manicure Nail Polish in Gold Roses. It's not really a makeup product, but it's limited edition and one of my favorite nail polishes so I wouldn't be able to replace it.

8. Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs?

I would definitely ask them to replace it. I'm quite OCD and so if my makeup was returned in bad condition, I would definitely have them replace it for me and I'd probably never let them borrow something of mine again. It sounds mean, but I'm just very particular about how my stuff is maintained. You'd understand if you saw how everything of mine is kept and maintained.

Okay, so that's all the questions. I really liked this tag. Sorry if it seemed a bit ramble-y at some points... I would love to see this tag really do well because it is really good. So, I'm going to tag:

♥ Beauty By Nicholle

♥ Makeup Or Break-Up

♥ Plastic Bows

♥ Lottie Mayy Loves

I hope you girls try out this tag and let me know if/when you do! Again, huge thanks to Beauty Spiced Latte for tagging me! I loved doing this tag. And if any of you haven't checked out her blog, please do! She's so lovely and deserves all your love on her blog!!!

Let me know if you liked this post and your answers. If you do this tag, please let me know so I can check it out! I'll see you next Sunday. And as usual, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥

Review- Maybelline Baby Skin

Hey Lovelies!!!

I'm back one this wonderful Sunday with another review. And this is something I've seen many reviews on but I felt that I needed to get my opinion out there too! After weeks of searching for this product at Target, CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid, I finally got my hands on the very last one at my local Target. I was so excited to finally try this out. Although I heard very mixed reviews about it, I figured I'd still give it a try.

I posted this lovely picture on my Instagram (@megsmaquillage) as soon as I arrived home with it!

First thing... packaging: I adore this packaging. Mainly because it consists only of my two favorite colors: pink and Tiffany-ish blue. It sticks to the traditional writing that Maybelline features on Baby Lips, Dream Fresh BB Cream, and Dream Bouncy Blush. This actual display in stores, however, isn't anything special.

Next thing... first impression: like most pore erasers or primers, it feels very silicone-y. However, I do feel that Baby Skin is slightly more oily/greasy than most other similar products. On top of that, I didn't feel as if it truly erased my pores... maybe made them appear slightly smaller, but definitely not erased. I was impressed with how nicely my makeup, especially my foundation, went on after applying this. It was so smooth and looked flawless and even. However, after applying my foundation and concealer, it was clear that my pores were still visible from up close. After applying all of my other makeup, I left for classes and lunch.

Here's a picture of what Baby Skin looks like straight out of the tube. Notice that it's clear, unlike some other pore erasers, like Porefessional, that are a nude-ish color.

It doesn't look like much, but this is what it looks like after being blended in. Sorry about the hand as an example, my skin isn't in it's prime at the moment. :(

First impression continued: After wearing Baby Skin under my makeup for about 5 hours, I came back to my room to examine how it appeared to look and wear. Unfortunately, there was no real significant difference between what my makeup looked like with and without Baby Skin underneath. And, because I have oily skin, I have to reapply a mattifying powder half-way through the day. On this particular day, my skin was looking extra oily, especially in the areas that I applied the pore eraser. And even though this isn't a primer, and isn't meant to allow my makeup to wear longer, it seems as if it makes it wear for a shorter amount of time.

Final impression: I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this, even after trying it out for a week straight. It makes my skin look more oily but, at the same time, makes my makeup go on and look flawless. In my opinion, I think that Baby Skin is not made for people with oily skin (but maybe dry skin, possibly...?). Although it is considered to be a pore eraser, I don't think it did that at all (maybe the slightest bit). Now, compared to Benefit's The Porefessional, the price is much better, but that isn't saying much.

Overall, I don't think that I'll be repurchasing this after I run out. I'll continue to use it until I can completely determine how I feel about it. I think that after I'm done with Baby Skin, I'll try out some other pore erasers (hopefully drugstore ones... I just can't spend all that money on one product until I get a proper job). If any of you have tried this, please let me know your opinion. Maybe it worked for some of you... I just don't know. I was expecting much better considering it was so difficult to get my hands on.

This is my first proper negative review... :( As much as I hate saying bad things about products or companies, I felt my readers should know my honest opinion, in case they were thinking of buying this. However, some reviews have said very positive things about this, so maybe it's just me and my annoying oily skin... Anyways, I hope you liked this post. And I'll be back again next Sunday for my weekly post. As always, stay beautiful!!!

♥♥♥

What's In My Bag??

Hey Lovelies!!!

So, I've experienced a "Blogger's Block" or creative block today... :( I've spent my entire 3 hour trip back to school trying to come up with some ideas and was at a complete loss. But I couldn't break my resolution for weekly blog posts, so I found something. It's pretty generic, but almost every blogger does this post at some point. And if you guys are like me, you love to get an up-close look in people's bags, rooms, etc. (not trying to sound creepy, I promise). So, here it is... Here's what I have in my bag all the time:

First off, here's my bag. It's a medium Longchamp Le Pliage bag in Black. It's such a functional bag and last forever! It was about $125 (give or take) and I've had it for about a year and a half. And it still looks brand new!! And I always end up going back to this bag eventually.

So here's an picture of everything that was in my bag laid out. It's missing a few items that change by the day. All the items in the picture above are always in my bag. I typically have whatever lip products I'm wearing that day, even though that changes regularly, and a mirror in my bag too. And typically, I'm carrying my iPhone in my hand.

♥ Wallet- This is a Vera Bradley Turn and Lock Wallet in Mocha Rouge. I got this for Christmas in 2012 and I've used this ever since. It has tons of space and compartments so I never run out space. And it's still in really good condition!

♥ Glasses case- I always carry my glasses case with my glasses and contact holder inside, just in case I have to take my contacts out for some reason. Although it's a rare occurrence, it happened once and I didn't have this with me and I really regretted not bringing it.

♥ Sunglasses- These are my absolute favorite pair of sunglasses and I have these with me at all times. They are from Target. I got them a year or so back so I have no way of figuring out which type they are. All I know is they are perfect. Out of the five pairs of sunglasses I have, I always end up wearing these.

♥ Snack- I like to have a small, but filling snack in my bag just in case I get hungry. These granola bites were featured in my January Favorites because they are so delicious. They are the Sea Salt Caramel and Almond Granola Bites from Target and I'm absolutely obsessed. And they're perfect for keeping in your bag!

♥ Mini cosmetics bag- This pink, glittery bag is from Victoria's Secret. I got it for Christmas with a gift card in it and I've found a way to reuse it:

I use it as an "emergency kit". That's probably not the most appropriate name for it, but I figured it worked. It's not a big case at all but it easily fits a hand sanitizer, chapstick, cuticle cream (a miracle especially in the cold weather because it's so moisturizing and smells really good!), band-aids, hair bands, and bobby pins. And if it doesn't help me, sometimes my friends need one of these things and I have it!

♥ Tide-To-Go- Another really good thing to have with you. I've gone through many of these between myself, my friends, and my family. You never know when you'll need it and it works so well to get out marks from your clothes if you can't wash it right away.

♥ House keys and store reward cards- Pretty self-explanatory... These stay in my purse all the time or else I would forget to bring them with me when I go back home from college.

♥ ID Keychain- I always have this with me because, on the lanyard, I have my room key and campus ID which I need to get into my building and also get food and do laundry. So it's practically my lifeline here on campus. And having the Vera Bradley ID case and lanyard keeps it all together and I never forget it.

♥ iPhone charger and earbuds- I typically have these in a tangled mess in my bag because, that way, I'll always know where they are. And it's unpredictable when you'll need to charge your phone throughout the day.

So that's all that I keep in my bag. It's a pretty good collection for the moment. But it changes sometimes, so I'm sure there will be another What's In My Bag later on down the road. If you want to, leave a comment below letting me know what you have in your bag! I'd love to know and see if we have anything the same! :) But that's all for today... I'll be back next week with another review (let's see if anyone can guess what it will be for ;)). Until then, stay beautiful!!

♥♥♥