January Favorites

I have not done a post about my monthly favorites in too many months... So without further ado, here goes January!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation: This is the only foundation I have been wearing the last couple months. It was surprisingly not that difficult to have it shipped to me from the UK. Thank you asos.com and your 60% off sales! The color matches me perfectly and the coverage is buildable. I can't imagine going back to other foundations I have tried in the past.

Stila 'In the Moment' Eyeshadow Palette: I must admit this was an impulse purchase when Sephora had this palette for half-off during their Black Friday sale. The only downside was that one of the eyeshadows was broken when I opened it up. The pigmentation is out of this world and the eyeshadows are buttery. I have been wearing the lavender color all over the lid with the darker purple in the crease.

Revlon Photo Ready Cream Blush in 'Flushed': I wasn't the biggest fan of this blush when I first bought it over a year ago but I have been reaching for it quite a bit this month. Beautiful pink that stays on for hours.

Borghese Fango Active Mud Mask: This mask was part of a skincare set by Borghese that I plan to write about in the near future. I have been using this mask twice a week around my nose, on my forehead, and chin. It cleans out my pores when it hardens and has not dried my skin out. First heard about this from Fleur and couldn't pass it by when I saw it at TJ Maxx.

Buxom Dolly's Opening Act Set: I had been wanting one of Buxom's lip polishes and lip creams and this holiday set came with six minis! I love all the colors and all of the creams and polishes have a plumping factor so my lips look big and sassy :*

What have you been loving this month?

The Beauty Battle // Lip Butters

L-R: Color Whispers: 'Orange Attitude' and 'Lust for Blush'; Lip Butters: 'Red Velvet' and 'Strawberry Shortcake'

I must warn you that this might be a bit of a biased and controversial 'battle' because I know that many of you have a strong love for the Revlon 'Lip Butters' but I prefer the Maybelline 'Color Whispers'. On paper they are actually quite similar but I believe that they are very different. I will try not to be too opinionated and let you decided which 'lip butter' is for you!

My Summer Essentials

Happy 4th of July everyone! I'm sure none of you guys know this but I'm not yet a U.S. citizen. However, my family is still celebrating with fireworks and a cookout so I do need the help of my summer essentials to look fabulous while I munch on watermelon.

Aussie Sydney Smooth Tizz No Frizz Gel: For all you curly haired gals out there, you know how difficult it is to tame your mane. Now add the heavy summer air and the situation gets ten times more problematic. My haircare is tedious all year round but during the summer I turn to Aussie's Tizz No Frizz Gel to ensure that my curls stay bouncy and shiny. I just separate my hair in half and rub a bit of the gel between my palms and apply it to my hair. That keeps the frizz and afro at bay.

China Glaze Polish in 'For Audrey': Any bright mint/baby blue nail polish is a must in my book. This is my favorite color of polish that China Glaze sells and I tend to wear it quite often during the summer.

Jergens Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer: Due the fact that I'm taking summer classes, I do not have much time to enjoy the sun. To add some color to my skin, I use Jergens' Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer in Medium to Tan. I use this about once a week on my arms and legs. As it goes with self-tanning products, you have to be careful. I wash my hands immediately after application but I still have had some complications [my feet were a bit orange and spotty]. That problem excluded, it does make my legs look fantastic.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer: I mentioned this bronzer in my May Favorites and I still haven't stopped using it. I have the mini version from Sephora's Sun Safety Kit and it is honestly the perfect bronzer for contouring. It is matte and smells like sugar. Yum!

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation: Revlon has really been impressing me with their foundations this past year. The Nearly Naked foundation is light and dewy, ideal for warm weather. They have a wide color selection and the foundation contains SPF 20. If the foundation had a pump, I would never use anything else.

Trader Johann's Lip Balm Virtuoso: You can't forget your lips when it comes to protecting yourself from the sun! This lip balm from Trader Joe's contains SPF 15 and moisturizes your lips. In addition, it is spearmint and is 50% organic.

NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray: In order to keep your makeup in place and to ensure you don't sweat off your patriotic, 4th of July makeup look, a setting spray is a must. I recently chose to take a break from my typical Urban Decay Setting Spray and started using the NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray. If you want to see a comparison of the two, I wrote a post on it here.

Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer: This is another beauty I received in Sephora's latest Sun Safety Kit. It smells absolutely divine of sunscreen but better. I use this everyday before applying my makeup. It contains SPF 40 and I know I'm going to be wanting to repurchase it when I run out.

What are your summer essentials?

Flower Power Nails

If you noticed on my Instagram this week, [if you didn't, follow me @mashasmumbles ;)] I've been dabbling with some nail art. So, here is a nail art design that is easy to do and even if you don't have a steady hand, it'll still look decent! I went with a nude base and neon flowers because I think it's perfect for the summer. You can of course choose whichever colors you like! I used 'Bare Bones' as the base, 'I'm Wired' as the stamen of the flowers, and 'Slime' as the petals. Don't forget to let your nails dry a bit between each step unless you want to end up with a bit of a mess. Let me know if you have any questions and if you like this style of post!

May Favorites

The first month of my summer break has come and gone and I have to admit I am relieved that June is starting and I will be once again have a routine. Since I spent a majority of the month in sunny California, most of my favorites coincide with warm weather. On my face, I have mostly been wearing the Aveeno Tinted Moisturizer which has SPF 30 and gives just enough coverage. I love it so much I did a whole post on it here. I also have gotten into conturing my face, which has become quite simple with my handy dandy Real Techniques 'Contour Brush' and Too Faced 'Chocolate Soleil' bronzer. This bronzer is matte and does the job perfectly. On my lips I have been wearing the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Honey' practically everyday. The color is very natural and it stays on for hours. Lastly, I have been very fond of a particular Mac eyeshadow that I bought because of this post by the lovely Amelia Jane. 'Sable' is a beautiful metallic bronze with a dash of pink. I have been wearing it both all over the lid and on the outer lid with another color. What have you been loving this month?

The Five Product Face

So this type of post has been making an appearance on multiple blogs that I follow so I decided to take on the challenge and attempt to do a full look with only five products. I have to admit that this was a difficult task because I tend to use twice the amount of make up products in a given day. The first thing I chose to use was my Nearly Naked Foundation because the coverage is buildable and it was the only face product I chose to include. I followed up with a bronzer because I have a round face and I need some contouring to survive. For my eyes I went with a simple duo of the Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'Bad to the Bronze', on the eyelids and as a liner in my outer lower waterline, and the Maybelline Great Lash mascara. The last product I used was the Mac lipstick in 'Chatterbox' which I used both as a blush and lipstick. I have to say I am quite proud of myself. Have you tried this challenge?

Revlon // Colorstay Gel-Shine Top Coat

I recently mentioned this top coat in my Nail Care post and I just couldn't leave it at that. Now I've been through my fair share of top coats: Sally Hanson, Seche Vite, NYC... For some reason I never stuck to one specific top coat. I know the Seche Vite top coat is practically a cult favorite but it just didn't do it for me. For the price, I did not expect that I would only be able to use half the bottle until it became gunky. So when I finally gave up on trying to get one last use of the Seche Vite, I drove to Target and found the Revlon Colorstay Top Coat. I am a big fan of the Colorstay nailpolish line in general. The brushes are thick and the formula is magnificent but I was still surprised that the top coat was this extraordinary. It goes on easy, you only need to dip the brush in twice to paint almost all ten nails, and it dries in moments! Faster than Seche Vite! I am happy to say that this is the top coat I will be sticking to from now on!  

Nail Care

My nails are always able to illustrate the type of day I'm having. If the nail polish is all chipped off, that probably means it's finals week or I have a deadline looming over my head. If my nails are freshly manicured and polished, it may be Friday night and I'm about to go out or it's Sunday and I am relaxing before another stressful week. Taking care of my nails has become a ritual and the products I use are some of the most used beauty products in my collection. I begin washing and moisturizing my hands. I follow up with the Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover and push back my cuticles with a cuticle pusher. After removing the remaining product with a cotton ball, the actual painting begins. In the past year, I have begun to use a base coat and I have to say it has served me well. If you're an avid nail painter like me, I suggest getting some because it helps the polish stay on longer and protects your nails from severe staining. So far, my favorite base coat is the Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat. It dries in seconds so you don't have to wait long to begin applying your selected nail polish. Today, I used OPI's 'Read My Palm' which is a deep mint green. I then added my most loved top coat, the Revlon Colorstay Top Coat. It is so amazing that I am going to have to write a whole separate post on it. Be on the look out for that! What do you use to take care of your nails? 

FOTD // 1

Today is a busy day for me because I have to run a thousand errands and pack for my first trip of the summer. I quickly wanted to share what I have on my face today!

Face:
♥ Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer

♥ Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Ivory 

♥ NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder

♥ Rimmel Powder Blush in "Pink Sorbet"

♥ Benefit High Beam 

Eyes:

♥ Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer

♥ Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Bad to the Bronze"

♥ Urbay Decay Naked 2 Palette "Busted"

♥ Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

♥ Elf Eyebrow Kit 

Lips:

♥ Mac "Chatterbox" Lipstick 

It seems like a lot when I write it out but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do to be and feel beautiful!

April Favorites

Left to right: NYX 'Tea Rose', Revlon 'Flushed', Revlon 'Pinched

Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

In the warmer months, I tend to wear less and less make up. I find myself gravitating towards creme blushes, lighter coverage foundations, and more shimmer! This month I have replaced my Revlon Color Stay foundation with it's dewy cousin, Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation. I am in the shade 'Shell' at the moment. I use my Real Techniques Buffing Brush with this product and the coverage is light but buildable at the same time. For the cheeks, I have been using the Revlon Photoready Cream blushes. Cream blushes are ideal for the summer because they give you a flushed look but are subtle. The two I have in my collection are Flushed, a bright rose pink that looks dangerous in the jar, and Pinched, a light shimmer filled coral. I am not a big lip gloss girl, I usually go for a moisturizing lip balm or a lipstick, but the NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Tea Rose has stolen my heart. It is not sticky, adds color to my lips, and the lip gloss smells like cherries! I'm tempted to lick my lips when I'm wearing it. My final favorite is something I have used for almost a year: Benefit Stay Don't Stray Primer. Benefit recently changed this product's packaging a bit; instead of having a pump to dispense the product, there is now a brush to put the primer on your eyelids. This eyeshadow primer is the only thing that will cover up my icky eyelid veins and keeps the eyeshadow in tact. What have you been loving this month?