Per-fekt Brow Perfection Gel in Caramel

Using Per-Fekt Brow Perfection Gel ~ MORE PHOTOS BELOW

Per-Fekt Brow Perfection Gel in Caramel

 

This is my go to (almost everyday) eyebrow product!

How did I find it: I got this as one of my 3 free samples with an online Sephora purchase. I honestly probably wouldn’t have known about this brand if I didn’t get this sample!!

A little about my brows: I do get my brows waxed every now and then. I try to keep up with them after a wax so they stay in shape longer. I do have a scar in my right eyebrow that looks like I have a bald patch (aka Vanilla Ice style) It’s been a pain trying to find something to fill this in! I have tried many different types of brow products from pencils, eyeshadows and other brow markers. This Per-Fekt Brow Perfection Gel is the best so far!!

How does it work: This product is so easy to use (once of the many reasons why I like it). It looks just like a mascara wand and you brush it through your brows. As you can see in the photo below I have a scar in my right eyebrow from when I was a kid. I have always had a tough time trying to find something to not only fill in this “bald spot” but also something that stays in place. I usually will use my NYX Brow Marker Wax and go over the “bald spot” and then use the Per-Fekt Brow Perfection gel. I will use the tip of the wand so I can add in more product in that area. For the rest of brows I just lightly go over the entire brow.

I never really thought brows made a huge difference until I starting fill them in. I feel like I look more polished when I have filled in brows. I was using a brow pencil for awhile and it just took too long and I felt they looked really drawn on. This per-fekt brow gel makes it so easy and they look natural!

Gripes: I personally don’t have any but there are only 4 color choices so some people with lighter brows may have trouble finding their color. The color one shade lighter than caramel is champagne. This is really really fair! I would say most people would probably be able to use caramel and there is a shade darker (almost black) for people with dark hair.

How much/Where to buy: They sell this product at Sephora and also on their website. I ended up purchasing from their website because they had a nice little special going on. I bought the “Brow Perfection Gel Duo” for $32.50 AND then had a 25% off coupon code (if you enter your email you get a coupon code sent to you!). The regular price for one is $22. I also got free shipping and 3 samples with my purchase! One was a mascara (lash perfection gel) and I only used it once but I love it!! It gives me length and doesn’t clump at all. I will maybe write a more detailed review after using it longer! I also got a sample of their lip perfection gel in Melrose. It's a lovely shade that is "my lips but better". The form is smooth and non sticky. It is also minty and easy to wear.

So all in all I would order online!! Here are the links to the above mentioned products/website: CLICK HERE

Would I recommend: If brows are important to you then yes! This is a great product that is easy to use, makes my brows look polished and looks natural! This is fantastic product that I want to spread the word about!

Thanks for reading,
Carly

BEFORE

AFTER

Heading to sephora soon!

Hey everyone!

Thank you to all that commented on my "battle of the bronzers" post. Looks like Nars Laguna is the winner. I'm heading to sephora soon (it's on the way to my boyfriend's house so there is my justification)

I'm probably going to scoop that up and also check out Nars Sheer Matte for a sample. I honestly haven't been loving the Lancôme teint idole 24H, it's just too heavy for my liking. I plan to exchange that out.

Anything else I should peek at and swatch while I'm there??

Post will be up tomorrow about my favorite eyebrow product!

Thanks for reading,
Carly

UPDATE: Guess who came home with me?? Nars Laguna! I also got samples of Nars Sheer Matte in Stromboli & Barcelona

CARGO Blu Ray Pressed Powder in #20 & #30 ~ Review, Photos & UPDATED Swatches

I LOVE this powder! Seriously…I cannot rave enough about this product and how it makes my skin look.

How did I hear about it: I think I was just doing a search for oil free pressed powders on Ulta's website and I stumbled across this. I did some research for ingredients and also looked at what some blogger girls thought of it. Cheryl H raved about it and her makeup always looks nice. CLICK HERE to read her review on it. She also used this for her wedding photos and they look flawless. I decided to head over to Ulta and check it out in person (like I said before…this is the usual pattern haha)

I found that they had a kit available so I went to Ulta to swatch the colors to see which one I would buy. I currently own both #20 & #30. #20 is a tad light for me, but I would rather go a little lighter than a little darker when it comes to face powder. This is because my natural skintone is very light and I am at most probably a NC35-37 (if I'm really dark) when I am tan. #30 is perfect when I am very tan. I’m probably a mix of both of the colors since my skintone changes everyday because of the fake bake. I also really like that these powders run yellow. I always go for yellow-based face products as I have a lot of redness in my face.

(left photo is #20 & right photo is #30)

What do I think: I am literally wow'ed by this product. Not only does it make my face look good in every type of light. It photographs extremely well and looks great in person too!! I also feel that when I wear this powder my skin doesn't look shiny. My face looked shine free after being in high 80's for 4 hours. This is also one of those products for me that “completes” my look. No matter how rushed I am or how little time I have to do my makeup, this always does it for me. If I had to pick one thing makeup wise to do (when I have zero time) I would just do mascara, foundation and this powder. My skin looks better and more even, and also gives it that “my skin but better look”. I can truly say I feel like my skin looks flawless (and it’s not!) when I wear this product.

Gripes: The only gripe I have is that the packaging is hard to open. I was literally sitting in my car for a few minutes trying to pry this guy open. I have noticied that it becomes easier to open after using it a lot. However, I thought to myself that a hard to open case VS great product is something I can learn to live with. As far as other gripes, I personally don’t have any. The shades fit my skintone (and preference) extremely well. I should mentioned there are only 4 shades total so very pale/very dark skintones may have trouble matching their color. I would say that #20 would fit NC20-NC30 and #30 would fit NC30-NC40. These are my color recommendations…I would suggest going to Ulta to play around with the colors on your skin. Also, this product does not have SPF (since it’s blu-ray HD) and I like that factor. I hate when my face looks white in photos and this product does not do that! If I am going to be outside I will put on sunscreen underneath this.

Would I recommend: YES! I have found my holy grail face powder…..the search has ended. Check it out!!!

Below are some swatches

(LEFT TO RIGHT) #20 & #20 (taken in natural daylight)

(left to right) #20 & #30 (taken in home lighting)

Have you tried this powder? What is your favorite face powder?

Thanks for reading,

Carly

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Battle of the bronzers (I need your help!)

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a nice weekend. I will be doing a post later this afternoon after work, but I just had a thought. I wanted to see what everyone's favorite bronzer is.

I got back together with Benefit Hoola but I am still on the hunt for better & best. I know a lot of people love Nars Laguna. It's surprising but I have never tried it on. I have swatched it a few times at Sephora but that's the extent of our relationship. Should I try this again? I also curious about Cargo Blu Ray HD bronzer (swatched it at Ulta but it seemed a little orange).

What is your favorite bronzer? I'm on the market to check out some new ones. Thanks all :)

The other post will be up this afternoon! This was just a random thought at work.

Thanks for reading,
Carly

Sephora Haul

Soooo I did a little online shopping at Sephora. Did I need anything? Of course not. BUT, I was offered 10% off because of my VIB status there. (AKA I spend too much money there) I figured why not take advance of this because high end makeup is hardly ever able to be discounted. Here is what I picked up:

Taken using natural daylight (see pictures are getting better)

Samples: Sephora always gives you 3 samples anytime you shop online with them. I love this! This is actually how I found my favorite eyebrow gel (more on that later). Anyway, there wasn't really anything I was super interested to try so I picked up two fragrance samples by Paco Rabanne. I always like to get the little tiny fragrance samples because I can keep them in my purse to take with me! 1 Million smells like a man's cologne to me. I like the woodsy scents but I just wouldn't wear this. Lady Million is better. It's a mix of woodsy and floral. I wouldn't quite describe it as a fresh scent, but I think it would be subtle enough to wear to work. 

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H: I don't remember where I first saw this, but I was interested. It is an oil free full coverage foundation yet still lightweight. I got a little sample of it at Ulta to color match myself. There are a ton of colors and it can be confusing because the shades do not go in order. I ended up being matched to 360N which I was surprised. I usually wear warmer/yellow toned foundations and this is more a neutral/kinda yellowish tone. I like the wear of this foundation and the ease of working with it. The sample is almost gone so I decided to get the bigger bottle. Not sure yet if it could ever replace my beloved Laura Mercier silk creme or L'oreal True Match. I wanted to pick up this foundation because it is a matte full coverage, where as the other two mentioned are more satin finish I would say. The texture in the foundation was a big factor in allowing myself to get it. I will keep you updated on my thoughts.

Benefit Watt's Up!: I kind of bought this product on the fly. I only have one highlighter and I am not a huge fan of it. The one I own is the MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in soft & gentle. GASP I know...some of you are probably like what!! But that highlighter is just too shimmery for me. I was looking for something more subtle that I could wear everyday. I read a rave review of it on Temptalia and decided to check it out at Ulta (a usual pattern for me). It was a nice champagne color and it made my face "glow". I decided to add it to my Sephora shopping cart and here it is now. Here is Temptalia's review on it.http://www.temptalia.com/benefit-watts-up-highlighter-review-photos-swatches

Thanks for reading,

Carly

Favorite Products: Everyday face makeup

Hi everyone! Here are my favorite face products that I use on an everyday basis. I will also be adding these products under my "Favorite Products" tab at the top. There will also be a list of other products in these categories that I like to use too. Right now I just have the name listed, but I plan to do individual reviews on each of these products to explain why I love and use them so much! 

**Also sorry the picture quality isn't great. I am working on it.

Favorite foundations: (In MAC references I am typically a NC30

Laura Mercier Silk Creme in Bamboo Beige

L'oreal True Match in W4

Favorite concealer:

L'oreal True Match in W4-5

Favorite primer:

Lorac Aqua Prime

Favorite setting spray:

Urban Decay All Nighter

Favorite powders:

Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder

Cargo Blu-Ray High Definition Powder in #20 (I want to get #30 too)

Favorite Blush:

MAC Mineralized Blush in Pressed Amber (Limited Edition)

Bronzers:

Cargo Bronzer in Medium

Benefit Hoola

Like nail polish? Check out Revlon Colorstay

Hi all! Hope you had a great weekend!

I am still playing around with the new self tanners I bought from Xen Tan so I will post my thoughts after trying them a few more times. Once I finish that, I will do a really detailed post about self tanners.

Anyway, this post is all about Revlon Colorstay nail polishes. I first read about this line from Amarixe blog. Here is her link to the post: Click here to read it

Revlon Colorstay nail polish: Bare Bones, Buttercup, Top Coat (left to right)

Why I like them: Honestly, the main reason I tried this line was because of the post above. Like I have mentioned before I try a lot of products out by reading blogs/watching youtube. Amarixe wears a lot of nail polish so I figured that if she was raving about this line then it was probably pretty good. I ending up buying some colors and I am so impressed. The wear on this nail polish is insane. I got my nails done almost a week ago and I haven't had any issue with chipping (and I am on a computer all of the time). The colors are almost gel like and dry down pretty quickly.

Bare Bones: I have read many people say that bare bones is similar to Essie's St. Tropez, and after looking at photos they are pretty close. I really like this color and would describe it as a sandy light beige. It is a very natural and neutral shade and is certainly work appropriate.

Wearing Revlon Colorstay nail polish in Bare Bones & Top Coat

Buttercup: This is a really pretty pastel canary yellow. It's a beautiful soft color and I think it would be a great everyday kind of color. I don't own any colors like it and I can't wait to wear it.

Top Coat: Um I love this top coat! Literally the best top coat I have used. This topcoat drys quickly and leaves my nails uber shiny. My nails look so glossy and polished. I highly recommend checking out this top coat...especially if you are a die hard seche viche user. Seriously!

Bottom line: Would I recommend this line? Definitely! I plan on going back and grabbing a few more shades next time there is a Revlon sale at Ulta. I got the above colors on BOGO1/2off. I will probably pick up pink cashmere (soft pale pink) and stormy night (dark taupe-purplish)

Thanks for reading!
Carly

**EDIT: Still going strong on 8 days of wear. There is minimal chipping only at the tip of the nail (probably because of typing all the dang time)

Why am I doing this blog?

I thought I would explain a little more why I decided to start this blog...

I first got into makeup in early high school. I literally wore only clear mascara and lipgloss and I thought I was looking hot to trot (looking back...yikes not so much). Anywho, a few years later I got a job working at Ulta. Side note, I seriously can't believe they hired me because at that time I was 16 and was orange and wore white eyeshadow with thick liquid eyeliner. Thankfully, I learned the skillful art of makeup. It really started at Ulta that my love for cosmetics and pretty much all things beauty related took off. I loved trying out new things and giving my suggestions to customers. Throughout the years I also worked at a skincare store and did some freelance makeup. Hey, come to think of it my business card kind of looks like this lace background on this blog. Well...fast forward to now and I do not work in cosmetics anymore, yet my love for makeup continues to grow. I love when friends and family ask me for advice, as well as giving advice to random strangers at Target aka "don't buy that mascara...buy this one". Most people are receptive but some are not (stranger danger). 

Welcome!

Hello everyone! So I finally did it....I created a "beauty blog"!


Curious about the name of the blog? Thought you might be...I'll explain soon.


So let's get down to the gritty. Basically I'm going to be writing this blog for a few reasons. 1) I have an obsession with makeup and need a healthy outlet, 2) I have tried a bunch of different products and can give everyone pros/cons about all of the good & the bad, and 3) I need something productive to do with my down time. Thus, here I am!

The first couple of entries will most likely be about my favorite products and stuff like that. I will always do detailed reviews and make sure to address pros/cons.I'll make sure to also do a "don't waste your money" entry as well. I'm not a hater, but I have tried some yuck products. 


From there on I will be doing some reviews and maybe tutorials if goes that far. Feel free to suggest looks or ask anything you want. I know a lot of useless information about hair, makeup and skin and would love to share it with someone! Thanks everyone!


I made it so you can comment directly on posts, as well as subscribe via email!


Thanks again for your support!
Carly


**First post will be all about self tanners/fake bake! This will be up in a couple of days.