Becca AfterGlow & Carli Bybel Palette Reviews

Here is the look I created using both the Carli Bybel eyeshadow palette and the Becca AfterGlow palette.  I wanted to glow while I was putting up the holiday decor!!

I wanted to get all the photos up first since the beauty of them each speak for themselves.  I can pretty much leave :)  The Becca afterglow palette comes with three highlighters and two mineral blushes.

From left to right, Moonstone, Rose Gold, Topaz, Wild Honey and Flowerchild.  I mean even those names are gorgeous!!  They are long lasting and of great quality, smooth as butter and the brush picks up so much so a little goes a long way.  My only complaint is I wish the pans of product were bigger. But for the price of $39.50, you get to try a bunch of best sellers.

The Carli Bybel palette is an amazing value at ONLY $12.50.  $12.50!!  Now I have only used a few BH Cosmetics brushes but have been pleased.  The eye shadow palettes also get rave reviews.  So this collaboration is a great match.  I love the matte shadows for the crease and outer v and the shimmer shades for my lid and inner tear duct.

Don't mind my hair, it's the weekend!! :) 

Both of these are great value for your money and would make great gifts for the holidays!!

Do you already have these or are they on your wishlist??  Let us know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo

Mary-Lou Manizer VS Hard Candy Tiki Dupe Review

Sorry it's been awhile guys!!I started a new job and have been crazy busy with so much stuff but I wanted to drop in because lately I have been doing a lot of research on dupes....you know, trying out the drugstore/cheaper alternatives to our name brand/pricey favs.  I myself often search the internet for these so I wanted you guys to be able to come to me.  At the end of this post or on my Facebook page, let me know if there are any specific dupes that you would like me to feature for you!!!

So here we go......

On the left, is Mary-Lou Manizer by the Balm and on the right is Tiki by Hard Candy.

Mary-Lou retails for $24.00 US and Tiki retails for $9.00 US.  Mary-Lou can be found at Kohls or online at the Balm (link is above) and Tiki can be found at Wal-Mart or online at Hard Candy.

I love highlighters, I love gold, shimmery ones that make me look dewy and like I just stepped off the beaches of Aruba.....at all times.  So when I did my research and was told that Tiki was the cheaper alternative to Mary-Lou, I was allllll over that.

Mary-Lou on right, Tiki on left (sorry its backwards)

Mary-Lou on left, Tiki on right

As you can see from the above swatches, there is a definite difference.  Both of them offer basically the perfect amount of shimmer.....I mean THAT is what a highlighter should be.  Shimmer not glitter. Glitter is rave appropriate not office appropriate.  Unless it's on your eyelids, that's a different story.

Mary-Lou is so smooth and buttery and when I use my Sonia Kashuk fan brush, it applies it perfectly in one swoop.  Tiki, however, requires either several, several applications or more like a buffing brush for application, plus it is essentially a matte finish.  Also, Mary-Lou will stay on all day, and Tiki gives up by my 3rd cup of coffee.

I might be inclined to think Tiki would look better on tan skin, what doesn't look better on tan skin for that matter, since you would be able to see it easier.

But all in all, Mary-Lou Manizer won this dupe test by a long shot.  I actually used my Birchbox points and got this for free.  I love it,  use it every single day and don't think I will ever be without it.

If golden highlighter is not your cup of tea, the Balm also has Cindy-Lou Manizer and Betty-Lou Manizer.  Cindy-Lou is a pink version and Betty-Lou is the bronzer version, the latter being the one I want when I am tan this summer :)

So there ya have it!! Have you used either one of these products before??  What are your thoughts?

Let us know in the comments below!!

Have a great day!! xo

Contouring Done Easy

The last time I did a poll on what my followers wanted to know about, contouring was the number one request.  Truth be told, this was one of the first things I researched when I got into makeup.   Makeup should be fun and if you know what you are doing, can transform you!  When you put foundation on, yes you are evening your skin and masking imperfections, but you are also making your face one dimensional.

There are SO many how-to's and tutorials online.  So many that it can be overwhelming.  Plus, some are quite hard to follow and offer too much information (yes, there is such a thing).

So here are my tips and techniques.  First, do you know what your face shape is? Pull your hair back in a ponytail and look in the mirror and use the below as a guide.

This can help you determine how to enhance your best features and essentially hide, the ones you are not so fond of.  For me, I wish my cheekbones were more pronounced and my nose was more defined.  This is where contouring comes in hand.

Now let's get to supplies.  I did go ahead and order IT Cosmetics Contour palette so that I could do the leg work for you and show you the difference in using what you have and using a palette geared for contouring.  I was not too pleased with the kit.

It comes with six shades (two are highlights) that are supposed to be flattering to everyone.

I tried them all and only the darkest one really showed up on me.  With the highlighters, one is shimmer and one is matte.  The matte one did not show up on me at all and I am medium toned.  While the shimmer one is beautiful, it is so hard to blend and make look natural, it really is more a pain to use then anything.  I love the IT brand but this kit really wasn't worth the hefty price tag.  If it came with a brush, we might be able to make it work.  So overall, the best part was the contour pull out guide.  This is very helpful if you are a beginner to contouring.

Highlight-You want a shade that is one to two shades darker than your foundation.  This is used for areas on your face that the sun would hit naturally and helps create brightness and illuminate those areas.

Here is what I have at home.

Benefit's High Beam
Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl
Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat (used in pictures)
Laura Mercier Highlighter (used in pictures)

Contour-You want a shade that is one to two shades darker than your foundation.  This is used for areas that you want to create shadows and dimension on and essentially soften these features.  I recommend matte products.  They can be powder or cream, that is your preference.

The KEY to contouring is BLENDING.  NOTHING is worse than "makeup mask".  Ya know, when your face is a different color than your neck?  And if you find yourself questioning at all if it is noticeable, IT IS!  Friends don't let friends be clowns.

Here is what I have at home.

Benefit's Hoola Bronzer (used in pictures)
Jouer Moisturizing Tint in Dark Bronze
e.l.f.'s Contour Palette
CoverGirl Bronzer

Blush-Blush is used to simulate the natural glow of your face by adding a flushed, just pinched look. Don't get crazy or it will look like you are sun burned.

Here is what I have at home.

Benefit's Rose colored tint-Benetint
CoverGirl's Cheekers in Coral (used in pictures)
e.l.f.'s Contour Palette
La Bella Donna Highlighting Cream

Brushes-I use a beauty blender for my foundation and blending anywhere else that needs it after I have used my brushes.  I use a fan brush for highlighting powders and an angled brush for blush.  I use a flat rectangular brush for my contour and then a small stippling brush for blending.

Remember the C's and E's for your face.

This means when you contour you want to create an "E" shape on the sides of your face, starting at your hair line.  Then to the cheekbones and then to the jawline.

For highlighting, you want to create a "C" shape, starting under your "E" near your hairline and then circling your eyes to above the "E" on your cheekbones to your nose.

I also highlight between my eyebrows, down my nose, my cupids bow and the center of my chin. Remember, this is where the sun kisses you.

Here is the contour guide again so ya don't have to scroll up :)

So here is my face before anything.  Clearly, we have all gotten quite close here ;)

Here is after foundation and where I highlight.

Here is where I contour and my blush goes on directly above my contour but not quite all the way to the apples of my cheeks.

Again, blending is key.  You never want to see the harsh lines of any products.  Experiment with both powders and creams until you know what works best for you.

I hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions that I can help with.

Are you already a contouring pro? Let me know what your go to products are and what tips you have in the comments below!

Have a great day!