October 2016 Favorites

October went by so quickly! It is one of my favorite months because by now the sun is pretty much totally gone from Portland and I get to bundle back up.  The only negative is how dark it gets, but I’ll take it! I have quite a few favorites this month.

Clinique Superbalanced Silk Foundation // I raved on and on about this in my last post.  This foundation is stunning.

Naked Skin One and Done Foundation // This is my ultimate no- fuss, no makeup- makeup foundation. It is perfect for casual day to day wear.

EcoTools Angled Kabuki Brush // This is the PERFECT huge fluff brush if you want to bronze all over, blend out blush/bronzer/highlight a bit, or just powder your face.  I love finding holy grail drugstore price brushes like this one.  It is huge and only $10. I have not experienced any shedding with it.

Garnier Micellar Water //  This is the only micellar water I have ever tested out, and I really love it.  My favorite way to use it is to add it to a cotton round and glide it over my face to remove any extra remnants of makeup after I have used my face wash.  Sometimes it is hard to get all the makeup off the outer edges of my face- under my jaw, around my hairline. To avoid clogged pores, it really helps to make sure everything is off with micellar water!

Glossier The Supers //  If you want a vitamin- packed and affordable serum for your skin, I highly recommend these. This is a product I will definitely be repurchasing in the future.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Master Palette by Mario // I have been so excited about this palette since it was announced. Mario does flawless celeb makeup and I was excited to try out colors curated by him in the beautiful ABH formula.  This palette appealed to me because it looked like it would be a collection of earthy shimmers and a couple mattes. I equated it to a better, earthier colored version of a Naked palette.  My expectations for this palette were possibly almost too high, so I can’t decide if I LOVE it.  Usually my go to shimmery eyeshadow looks require something light and diamond- sparkly to finish them off, and this palette doesn’t have that. It takes me out of my comfort zone with the darker colors.  I feel like this palette would be absolutely perfect on someone with a deeper skin tone or that really likes dark smokey looks.  I am keeping it because the quality of the shadows are great and some of the colors are unique to my collection, but I am learning how to make it work for me.

Gold Z palette //  I upgraded from two mini 9- pan z palettes for my matte eyeshadows to this big one.  Having all my favorite colors in one place is so visually pleasing, plus more practical. I have been loving pairing new color combos together and gazing fondly at it.  All the colors I keep in this palette are listed here.

Makeup Geek Fall 2016 Signature bundle / Makeup Geek comes out with new matte colors every once in awhile, and as usual the neutral colors appealed to me.  While trying to pick and choose some to add to my cart, I noticed this nine pan bundle pretty much had everything I needed, plus two beautiful shimmers.  The mattes have been added to My Life Palette, and I have been getting a ton of use out of Pocket Change and Lucky Penny.  They are different from the typical metallic bronzes that I usually go for, and are SO easy to blend.  

MAC Lipsticks Yash & Viva Glam III // MAC lipsticks aren’t mentioned in Youtube tutorials very often anymore, and I have had a tendency to be on a liquid lipstick kick for the past two years or so. I have been playing with my MAC lipstick collection a TON lately, and I really love the formula of them. Comfortable formula, beautiful colors, and nothing beats the classic black packaging for me. Yash is a pretty nude that doesn’t wash me out if I pair it with a slightly darker liner, and Viva Glam III is a major must have color.  It is bold yet wearable.

Bite Beauty Honeycomb Amuse Bouche Lipstick // This is a pretty nude cool toned lip color. The Amuse Bouche line has such a nice creamy formula.

NYC Matte Suede lip liner // I just love the color range of these. I picked up two from Ulta: Alabama and Whipped Caviar.  I needed a deep red that isn’t too purple or too bright to pair with some of my deeper lipsticks, and Alabama is perfect.  I really like that some of the colors match up with the NYX Suede liquid lipsticks.  The formula rocks too.

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer // The creamy formula and pinky peach color of this is perfect for brightening up my under eyes.  I use the shade “Brighten” and love pairing it with MAC Accentuate Shaping Powder because the colors match up.

Bumble & Bumble Surf Infusion // After having this for a few months, I finally have perfected how to use it!! Beach hair sprays have been on the market for a long time now, but I didn’t get the hang of using it until this month.  After washing my hair and running a comb through it in the evening, I put my hair up in a high pony on top of my head and go to bed.  In the morning when I take down my hair, not only is my hair NOT a scary crimped mess like it usually would be from sleeping on my wet head, but it has a ton of volume from being up high.  I have a natural wave that is loosened from sleeping with it up. I mist the B&B Surf Infusion spray in my hair and it keeps it soft, smooth, wavy, and not flat. Using a hair spray would have made it crunchy, but this spray keeps it from going too dry and sometimes hair sprays and dry shampoo leave flakes on me. This keeps the bounce in my hair.

100% Pure French Lavender Hand Buttercream // I had never tried out the 100% Pure line, but won a body lotion, hand lotion, and wash at a bridal party last month.  The lavender scent is so relaxing, and I use the hand cream all day at work to keep my cuticles and nails moisturized.

Urban Decay Midnight Cowboy eyeshadow // This is Ulta’s free birthday gift this year and I have gotten so much use out of it! It looks so nice paired with a simple matte crease and I love the pinky- white shimmer it gives to my makeup.

Laura Gellar Baked Blush – Pink Grapefruit // I wanted to try out more products from Laura Geller, so I picked up this blush.  This is more shimmery than the Benefit Rockateur blush or the Milani Baked luminous blushes.  The color is described as “rich beige, mauve and shimmering pink” and swirled together, it gives such a healthy peachy tan look to the cheeks that blends so nicely with bronzer.  

Hourglass Iridescent Strobe Light Highlighter // This highlighter is more of a lit from within luminosity compared to other metallic beaming highlighters.  This has a white- pink glow that looks so nice when I’m a bit paler, which I unfortunately have been lately!

Kat Von D Shade + Light Refill shade Lyric // After so many years of avoiding the KVD Contour palette hype, I finally get to try the formula because of this release! The KVD has three shades that didn’t appeal to me, and I always thought it was silly to pick it up when I could only use half of it.  I was so pleasantly surprised with Lyric- the light yellow top row center shade of her contour palette.  It is extremely pigmented and brightening.

Free People Choker // I saw this choker on Andrea Russett and picked it up.  I have been looking for a necklace with stars, and this one had velvet as an added bonus!  You may have seen it in a few of my instagram or makeup posts. I have been wearing it nonstop when I get dressed up.

IPAs from Deschutes: Mosaic, Citra, Sage Fright // This is pretty off topic for my beauty blog, but if you are an IPA fanatic like me, try these from Deschutes Brewery and thank me later.

Captain Morgan Jack-O-Blast Pumpkin Spiced Rum // Imagine a pumpkin version of fireball, without any cinnamon.  This rum is GOOD and I suck at taking shots. I shouldn’t be so surprised since it is my favorite flavor!  

Fiber One Pumpkin Bars // I keep Fiber One 90 Calorie bars in my desk for when I need a quick snack at work, and this seasonal option is SO DELICIOUS.  I went a little crazy and stocked up on a few boxes at Target because once the pumpkin season is over these will sadly be gone from store shelves.  

Blank NYC suede jacket // I have wide shoulders and so many jackets are TIGHT across my back so that I can barely move my arms. If you have that issue, this jacket is for you.  It doesn’t make me look massive, either!  Suede is so pretty for this time of year and the color mushroom is a dark brown that looks nice with black or blue jeans.

Teen Mom 2 Chelsea Houska // I did a look inspired by Chelsea Houska this month and have not been able to stop watching Teen Mom 2. Some fans of the show may not like her bold makeup looks, teased hair, and spray tans, but I’m all about it. Her style isn’t high fashion or anything, but I like how she isn’t afraid to wear bold pieces like plaid beanies, big glasses, or camo utility jackets. She really doesn’t shy away from wearing what she loves, and that inspires me to get more use out of the clothes that I love in my closet that are a little bold or statement- making.   

Say Yes to the Dress // Another show I have been loving!  I binge watch episodes of this almost every week night and it has made me go wedding- crazy on planning my imaginary future wedding on Pinterest.

Poshmark // I have been doing some cleaning out of my makeup collection and closet, and I love selling on Poshmark. They pay shipping which makes it affordable for me as a seller. If you feel like clearing out clothes/ shoes/ jewelry, my code is NEPOT that gives you $5 for signing up.  Anyone can have a code so if you have a friend that already uses it, use theirs!

Hope you enjoyed these favorites! I’m a bit sad that October is over since it means pumpkin season starts to come closer to an end. Have a great November!

-Kim