I’m so thankful for you readers…you’re the reason I keep posting. I want to thank each and every one of you individually for taking the time to read my posts.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that I’ve been posting less and less. I started to realize that blogging was becoming a bit stressful because I didn’t have a very good system for uploading photos and content. I don’t want blogging to feel like a chore, and I want to make sure that the content I’m sharing is 100% true to who I am.
Having said that, I’d like to tell you that I have a new blog! It’s through Blogger, which is a little easier for me to use, and has allowed me to create a blog that feels more true to what I’ve realized I want.
I’m still proud of the posts on dollinupwithdeanna, so I won’t be taking them down. However, this will be my last post on here, and I invite you to PLEASE follow me on over to http://moodycoast.blogspot.com/.
I appreciate each and every one of you and would be forever thankful to still be able to count you as a follower. Thank you for following me either way, and I wish you all the best of luck with all your blogging endeavors!
Sorry for the lack of posts! I’ve been busy with work… stay tuned though because I’ll be posting again soon! In the meantime, please check out my other social media accounts and Follow my blog with Bloglovin !
Today I just want to do a quick little post on skincare because I’ve been quite obsessed with it lately (more than usual that is…) and I’m noticing a few trends popping up I thought you’d like to know about!
First, Korean skincare.
I have watched about a million YouTube videos in the past few days, and read about two million articles on how the general Korean population takes care of their skin. They have such beautiful skin, it’s unreal! They also use about 10 different products on their faces each night and I can’t help but wonder if that’s at least half of the reason they’re skin looks so hyper-real.
As for Korean makeup, which I’ve also been pouring over, I understand that a very dewy look is popular over there and it’s easy to see why – it’s gorgeous! I personally have never been too into matte makeup to begin with and have very few things that are truly matte, so this is great to me. Healthy, youthful skin is always in in my book.
In a (not so?) coincidental turn, “strobing” has been blowing up my Instagram. If you’re not sure yet, this supposed new trend (as I understand it) is when highlighter is applied to the high points of the face without contouring. It creates a very dewy glow that is being attributed to the French (though I think it’s very similar to the Korean look…!) and is predicted by many to be the Next Big Thing.
Whether or not “strobing” really is the new contouring, I think it’s lovely, trend or not! Now excuse me while I hunt for the perfect cushion BB cream…
Yesterday at the store, I (somehow!) wandered into the beauty department and noticed a new product I had to get my hands on: Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Gloss!
As an already huge fan of the Baby Lips lip balms (if you haven’t tried one, I highly recommend them), I had a good feeling about these new glosses and was really excited to try one out! There were about five or six colors available where I was, and this pretty peach was the one that caught my eye. If you read my blog at all, you know I’m an absolute sucker for anything peach/peachy pink, so this one was a no-brainer! This shade is called “Life’s a Peach” (cute!).
As for the color, it’s a bright, cotton-candy pink peach shade in the bottle and as swatched, but it doesn’t have too much color payoff on the lips – more of a pretty tint.
(This is how it looks on my bare lips – above)
As for the formula, this is not at all sticky and is so lightweight it feels much more like a rich balm than a gloss. When I first put it on, I was a little self-conscious because it seemed to emphasize any and all cracks and lines in my lips, but after probably only 3-5 minutes, the gloss had moisturized my lips so well they really did feel like baby lips 😉 and looked amazing!
To sum it up, this gloss is a new favorite. I’m so in love with the hydration it delivers, and the light tint it gives my lips as well as the soft peach scent. It doesn’t taste bad or feel sticky, and the packaging is really cute. I think this is great for summer especially because it’s so lightweight and hydrating and gives lips such a healthy look. For under $4, this is a great buy and a great example of how great drugstore makeup can be. I’m a wee-bit obsessed with this gloss right now, and may or may not already be thinking of whether or not I need another shade or two… 😛
Let me know what you think of these glosses (whether you’ve tried them or not), and/or Baby Lips! I’m a bit of a fan as you can tell… 🙂
P.S: I also picked up Burt’s Bees lip balm in Vanilla Bean, and holy Toledo…I love it.
Maybe I’m a sucker for too many things, but when it comes to peach and Vanilla Bean, I’m not sorry!
I recently received a request on Instagram to make a video sharing my favorite products. I tried and tried (and tried) to make a decent talk-through video answering this request, but I found them to be a bit too boring! So, I’ve made a video literally showing all my favorite products, kind of like a teaser, and this blog post goes with it to explain why each product made my favorites list. 🙂
First of all, narrowing all my goodies down was tough! There are a lot of products I love equally that didn’t make it in the video either because I don’t use them as regularly or they’re not as versatile.
Let’s go!
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation
I’ve talked about this product before, and I’m sure I will again because it really is that amazing. When I first tried this, it was the most expensive foundation I’d purchased so I had high expectations. The formula is so smooth and lightweight it almost feels more like a light serum or even water, which I love – I don’t like feeling my makeup on my face. The coverage this provides is light to medium, but it’s completely buildable. Another great thing is the range of shades. I have a hard time finding a foundation that matches because I’m so pale but with neutral/yellow undertones. This is available in either pink or yellow undertones and goes from very fair to dark. There really isn’t anything I don’t like about this foundation…it feels great, leaves a natural finish, covers well, and even smells great. This is spendy, but totally worth the money for me, not only because of the quality but also for how long it lasts (years). If you’re able to get a higher-end product, this is definitely my recommendation. (If you do, make sure to use your fingers to apply as this is too watery to be used with brushes or sponges.)
L’Oreal True Match Foundation
This comes in literally ever shade possible for every undertone imaginable. Mine is in “Soft Ivory N1” which is the lightest of the neutral undertones, and it matches me perfectly. This is a medium to full-coverage foundation so it definitely covers well, but it’s also very blendable and can be thinned out if desired. For the price, I’m not sure there’s a better foundation out there. This would be great for beginners because it’s easy to work with and the store display makes it easy to find your perfect shade. This is also great because it can be applied with whatever you like, be it brushes, sponges, or fingers. I like to use mine with my BeautyBlender (which probably should’ve been included on this list…) because it gives just enough coverage while still thinning out the product and blending it in really flawlessly. Another thing that’s great about this is the finish. A lot of foundations are too matte or too greasy for me, but this is right in between. It looks like real, healthy, hydrated skin – perfect.
Cover FX Cream Concealer (MAC Pro-Longwear Concealer; Laura Mercier Undercover Pot)
As far as concealers go, I’m only going to cover (ha!) what I use on blemishes, not undereyes. I showed the Cover FX Concealer in the video, but there are really three that are tied now that I think a bit more about it. I really love the Cover FX one because you only need a little, teeny, tiny bit to cover well, and it’s really easy to blend, but I also feel like I should talk about two others because they’re also just as good. The MAC concealer is really great and I’ve been using it for a long time now, and the Laura Mercier one is also great. What I love about all of them is that they’re full-coverage, which is key when covering things like pimples and dark marks (my top concerns), and they’re all available in a wide range of shades, particularly the MAC one. I alternate between the MAC one and the Cover FX one currently, depending on my mood. The Cover FX one is really easy to blend which makes it easier to work with, but it then has to be set with powder to make sure it doesn’t slide around. The MAC one on the other hand has an almost tacky texture and dries quickly so it’s hard to blend, but it stays put without the help of a powder. The Laura Mercier one has two chambers, one with a face concealer similar to her Secret Camouflage, the other has an undereye concealer. The face concealer is really dry, so you have to swipe the brush in there a few times to get enough product, but, once you do, it only takes a dab on blemishes to make them disappear and it stays put. I like to set it with a little powder anyway because it is a cream, but that’s just preference. (I won’t talk about the other side of the pot because this is about face concealers, but I will say that it’s great too!) The only reason I don’t use the Laura Mercier one as often is because I bought it as part of a kit and the shade is one shade too dark… 😦 But! I plan on buying one that matches as soon as I can. Anyway, as you can tell, this was a tough call for me… I love them all and recommend all of them to beginners and makeup-mavens alike. 🙂
Nars Blush – “Orgasm”
I don’t even know where to begin with this little baby…! I should probably just make the shade itself the favorite…haha. I’d wanted this for years before I was actually able to afford it a few years ago, and boy was it worth the wait. By some magic that only NARS knows, this really does look good on every skintone and gives the perfect just-did-something-naughty 😉 flush! It’s that perfect blend of pink and peach that I dream about because it flatters, looks natural, and complements just about any look. I’ve had this for about four years now, and this is still going strong because you truly only need a little. The shimmer also isn’t very noticible and comes across as more of a glow than shimmer. I will use this forever! (I also love the other “Orgasm” products – The Multiple, the lipgloss, the nail polish… can’t. get. enough.)
Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
Because I’m so fair, I usually have to use an incredibly light hand with bronzer because I can look like an Oompa Loompa real quick, but with this one, I’m good to go! This is a lighter version of their original Chocolate Soleil Bronzer that’s specifically made for fairer gals. It’s got warmer undertones, is completely matte, and smells amazing…like cocoa (with which it’s actually made)! If I want more of a warmth to my face, I’ll apply this lightly around the perimeter of my face just to toast things up, but for times like now, when I’m self-tanning and wanting that bronzed look, I can load this on without it ever looking unnatural.
Benefit Majorette
This is a true love of mine because there’s literally nothing I don’t love about it. Just the packaging is great because it’s a good size, sturdy, scalloped (!), and has that beloved magnetic closure. Then there’s the product, which is, again, that beautiful pink-peach shade that flatters everyone and looks so sweet and natural. It’s also completely fool-proof because all you need is a clean finger to dab in the product and seamlessly blend into cheeks. This really does the work for you…and it even smells like peaches too!
MAC “Omega” Eyeshadow
Before I talk about this, let me just start by saying I had a heck of a time finding a contour shade that worked for not only fair skin, but someone with neutral undertones. Everything I tried was either grey or orange or way too dark. Finally, I emailed a MAC makeup artist through their website asking for a suggestion, and she recommended this. “Omega” is a matte eyeshadow, so that’s a plus right there because no one wants to contour with anything shimmery. Then there’s the shade… this is a light shade of taupe, so it’s the perfect mix of brown and grey. Your contour color should be the shade a shadow actually leaves on your face, and this is spot on for me. I can carve out cheekbones for days with this little thing without it ever looking unnatural! It’s the only thing that works for me. 🙂
Benefit Girl Meets Pearl
Something you should know about me: I LOVE highlighters. I always have. I don’t think there’s anything prettier than a beautiful complexion when it comes to makeup, and highlighter is key in my opinion. Having said that, I have a lot of highlighters – powders, creams, gels, you name it! This one is a stand out. I love the formula of this because it’s a liquid, so it’s so easy to apply and blend and it’s very natural. The shimmer in this is also realtively low, which I also love because it’s subtle, yet still makes an impact. I add this on the high-points of my face and suddenly my skin looks dewy and hydrated and healthy. What more could you want? 🙂
Revlon Lash Curler
Pretty self-explanatory, right? 😉 I have really straight lashes so this is a necessity.
Benefit Stay Don’t Stray and Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer
This next one is a tie. I can’t use eyeshadow without a primer because it creases and disappears. Both of these are included because both work terrifically, are easy to work with, and add a little coverage to the lid which makes shadow stand out more and masks little imperfections like veins and discoloration. Love them both!
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
For mascara, I had a tough time. I have so many that I use all the time and that I love for different reasons. However, when it comes down to it, I have to go with this one by Too Faced! This truly does it all – lengthens, thickens, and lifts – without being heavy or hard to remove. I love the packaging as well because it’s really sturdy, and the brush is really big!
IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil
I don’t really like to shape my brows as much as fill them in, and this is great for that. It goes on lighter (more of a taupe color) with a light hand, but comes out more brunette if you press a little firmer, so it’s great for beginners because it takes the guess work out of finding the right shade. The effect is really natural, and this truly doesn’t come off until I take it off. I also love that it comes with the spoolie on the opposite end.
Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
I just love this because every single color is beautiful, fun, and flattering. This was great during the holidays because it’s got that glitzy vibe to it, but I’m surprisingly able to use it just as much now for beautiful bronze-y looks and neutral, everyday looks. One of my favorite shades in this palette is “Cherry Cordial” because it warms up and adds depth to any look and looks great with my eye color – I’ve never found anything like it. I also love the packaging on this because it’s adorable, and I even love the names of each shade (maybe I’m just a chocoholic?). Not to mention, this smells like the cocoa powder with which it’s made. Basically, I just want to eat the palette too!
Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette
This is my little baby…it’s the first big palette I’ve ever owned and I got it as a gift from someone I love on a special day. Next thing you should know about me: I have an obsession with rose-gold. I get my hands on as much of it as I can, and this palette is no exception. I think every color in this is so flattering and beautiful, and they all work together perfectly – there’s no bad combination. I would wear this every day if I could, and for every occasion. I love the brush it comes with too.
Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette
I love this because it’s great for everyday. I usually take this with me when I travel because it’s so small and the shades are neutral and can take you from breakfast to going out at night. I particularly love the highlight shade in this kit because it’s not too shimmery or too white.
What’s great about all of these palettes is that each one is highly pigmented so only a little goes a long way, and each one is completely unique. I love love love them!
Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Balm
For lips, I have about a million products I love, but, once again, I had to whittle it down! This is a favorite because it’s a tinted lip balm, which is my favorite and go-to, and it’s also a perfect shade of pink that just gives life to my lips but isn’t flashy or too bright. It’s also intensely hydrating and smells really pretty.
“Royal Ball” and “Happily Ever After” from the Cinderella Collection for MAC
I’ve done a whole post about just these two and I really do love them. They’re so pretty together, and on their own. For more information, check out my previous post, “Cinderella, Cinderella…“.
The associate in Macy’s put this on me, and I fell in love! It’s a really flattering pinky-melon shade and I can’t stop wearing it. It’s not sticky, more hydrating, and lasts forever. Definitely worth the money. 🙂
Lorac Alter Ego Lipgloss – “Southern Belle”
Last but not least! I’ve talked about this in previous posts, so all I’ll say is I still can’t get enough of this gloss because the shade is SO beautiful…!
And there you have it! My favorite favorites. 🙂 Please let me know what you think! I’d LOVE to hear from you. 🙂
As much as I would like to, I haven’t been filming many videos for my YouTube channel lately. I’m frustrated because I have the vision in my mind of what I want, then I’m unable to do it with the technology I have (a phone and natural lighting…). I’m glad I’m able to do at least something, but it’s still a wee bit annoying. However, I recently received a video request on Instagram and it’s inspired me to make not only that one, but another as well! I’m back in it! Haha
This one is a look I did last week that I thought turned out really pretty. I’ve been self-tanning lately, so my face and body aren’t matching up anymore and I used bronzer to compensate. This is also partly inspired by a look one of my favorite makeup artists, Lisa Eldridge, has on her YouTube channel. It’s a very natural, laid-back, summer look. Let’s get started!
As usual, I started with washed and moisturized skin and clean hands. I skipped primer and applied L’Oreal True Match Foundation in “Soft Ivory N1” all over my face with a BeautyBlender. Then I did some spot concealing with my Cover FX Cream Concealer in “N X-LIGHT”, using fingers to pat the product onto blemishes. Using a fluffy brush, I set that all with a pressed powder that matches my skintone (Maybelline Fit Me in “115 Ivory”) to prevent fading and add a bit of extra coverage. Going back in with a lighter concealer, Maybelline Dream Lumi in “Ivory”, and a flat Crown Concealer brush, I concealed dark circles, then set that with the same powder and a Lancome Blending Shadow Brush to prevent creasing.
With a BareEscentuals Flawless Face brush, I swept Too Faced’s Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer onto temples, my forehead, cheekbones, the bridge of the nose, jawline, and neck, making sure to blend fully. These are the areas that get touched by the sun naturally, so applying bronzer to them makes the look believable and flattering. This was the most important step for the look because it would help my face match my body and add that summer feel to my look! (Unfortunately…because of the lighting, I feel like you can’t really see the color too well on my face even though I added quite a bit. I’m definitely gonna have to find some different lighting for these videos…!) After bronzing and blending, I used an ELF Blush Brush to apply Covergirl Cheekers Blush in “Rose Silk” to the apples of my cheeks, blending it into the bronzer. This step isn’t necessary, just something I like to do to add a little more color to my face and make the bronzer a little less stark. Then, using a RealTechniques Setting Brush, I applied MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish highlighter in “Soft & Gentle” to the high points of my face to add a bit of a glow and enhance the slight contour of the bronzer.
For eyes, I first set my lids with Too Faced’s Shadow Insurance Primer. Using the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, I used the soft, shimmery peach shade “Marzipan” all over lids, applying with a MAC 217 Brush. Then, using the same brush, I went in with “Triple Fudge”, a matte dark brown, from the same palette and emphasized the crease and the Outer-V. With the same color, I used an ELF Smudge Brush to dot the lower lashline for subtle emphasis, then used a Tarte liner brush to smooth the color onto the upper lashlines. With everything blended well, I moved on to lashes by first curling them with my Revlon curler, then applying a light coat of L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara in “Black Brown”. I chose a lighter mascara than usual because I didn’t want anything to look too obvious, and a mascara with brown in it is more naturally enhancing than just straight black. I also only applied enough to create a little definition so the whole look would come across as more effortless than “done”.
For the finishing touches, I applied IT Cosmetics Brow Power to brows using short, feathery strokes to fill them in and subtly shape them. For this look, I think just about any lip color would look great from a bright red to a cool melon, however, for the surfer-girl-just-back-from-the-beach vibe I was going for, I didn’t want to stray too far from my natural lip color. I chose Tarte’s LipSurgence gloss in “Exposed” to just lightly add a little shine and hydration as well as enhance the color that was already in my lips. Feel free to alter this to your own color of course, or try something completely different!
And that’s the look!
I think this works well for just about any summer occasion, and can be easily dramatized by either changing the lip color, adding a cat eye, or even just adding more mascara!
My grandma was, and still is, one of the greatest blessings of my life. Spending time with her was always the best part of my day, and it was never enough. I’ll always love her so much and carry her around in my heart. A special way I get to still see her and feel close to her is by wearing her jewelry. She passed down so many amazing pieces to me, including pieces she’d been given by her beloved grandmother, which brings me to today’s outfit:
Create an outfit around your oldest piece of clothing
This outfit is centered around the necklace of course, which was given to me by my grandma and is one of the pieces that was given to her by her grandma. It’s a rose and yellow-gold cameo necklace made from conch with a Mother-of-Pearl teardrop. My great-great grandma lived during the 19th Century and into the 20th Century, making this, by far, the oldest piece of jewelry I own and perfect for this challenge!
This piece is very precious to me, and I plan to wear it only on very special occasions. However, today I’ve made a dressy-casual outfit that would work well for a romantic date. 🙂
Paired with skinny jeans and a delicate cami, the necklace is the focal point and the piece that elevates the outfit into date territory. The pink/nude heels play up the peach and pink tones in the necklace, drawing further attention to the piece and tying the whole look together.
For makeup, I’d pair this with a sweet look. Dewy skin, full lashes, and a soft pink pout would be perfect, as well as full, softly curled hair. 🙂
There you have it! That’s all for now – thanks for reading! 🙂
I finally found the little bracelet I love on Charming Charlie’s website! I think they just added it. You can find it here.
Here’s the outfit I wore it with the other day to church:
In a funny twist, the website describes the bracelet’s charms as acorns and Faberge-inspired eggs! Hit the nail on the head with that one, huh?
I also tried my Nars Luminous Weightless Foundation sample this same day:
While I love the coverage this foundation provides, I find it a bit too matte for me. My forehead was a bit cakey, and after a few hours my nose and cheeks were the same. The shade of this was a spot on match for me, so that’s another plus. Overall, I love the coverage, but I can’t get over how dry it was on my skin. 😦
That’s all for now!
XO
PS: Has anyone seen Reign on the CW? I found it on Netflix and it’s gotten a little out of hand…the clothes!
This month’s Ipsy bag was much better than last month’s in that everything was in one piece when it got here…!
This month’s theme is “jet-setter” and I think that means all the products are ideal for travel…? Either way, I’m liking everything I got.
Out of the several types of bags available this month (all with different phrases), I’m pretty happy with the one I received – pretty darn cute (and true!).
First product: this bronzer by Pixi by Petra in “Summertime”. This shade is pretty soft, which works best with fair skin like mine. This is also unlike most bronzers I own in that it has a slight gold shimmer to it. This goes on very light and is working well for me as a way to achieve more of a glow than for bronzing. This is pretty when applied over cheekbones for a hint of color.
This BellaPierre eyeliner is actually…a gel! Gel is my favorite formula for eyeliner because it’s easily applied, wears well, and has a very natural look to it. It’s a slight pain to have to use a brush every time though, so this pencil solves that dilemma! This color is a very true black and it wears very well. Because it’s waterproof, this stays put and is best removed with an oil based makeup remover.
This Caviar CC Cream is a product I actually already own, and Im happy to have a replacement! This really does everything it claims AND smells like roses…I love it!
This Detoxifying Citrus C Facial cleanser by Peter Lamas, is a product Im probably going to use on my body instead of my face. It smells nice and has a nice gel formula, but I find that products that claim to “detoxify” tend to do just that, and bring problems to the surface to be dealt with. For some this is great, but for me, I feel more confident just leaving those blemishes under the surface instead of inviting them up to everyone’s attention!
Lastly, this Ozone 24/7 Glide-On Lip Pencil to prime glosses (which I also received samples of in “Failbait”, a plumy rose, and “Bittersweet”, a bright purple that reminds me of “Pure Heroine” from MAC). This pencil is creamy and clear, and I plan to use it with all glosses. I have high hopes for all three!
On Monday, my boyfriend and I took a quick trip to Portland! I’ve been a few times, but never actually to enjoy things so it was a nice adventure! We stayed in a beautiful hotel, ate amazing food, and shopped in a five (!) story mall. So much fun!
The Sephora I went to was huge! I was in there for days checking every little thing out, and I could’ve gladly spent rent in there but I narrowed it down to just one product 🙂
I have quite a few foundations and BB creams and everything in between, so, as much as I wanted to, I decided I should hold off and instead buy something that will help me use the ones I have more often. I decided on this concealer by Cover FX because it’s really highly-pigmented and will give that full-coverage I want. I prefer to have a light base all over, then conceal well instead of just a full-coverage foundation all over – usually. This should help with that, and help me to use the bases I already have more often.
I did pick up some samples as well! I’m going to try out the Nars Luminous Weightless Foundation (a very full-coverage foundation that I think may be too heavy for me but we’ll see!), and the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation. The Nars one intrigues me though it’s so full-coverage, because it could be a one-step-wonder. The few times I’ve tried it on, it’s been a bit too matte for my liking though, so I’m going to try it for real and figure it out once and for all! The Bobbi Brown one is great…it’s hydrating and light with great coverage that still looks like skin. For me, that’s ideal. However, it’s a bit too spendy for me right now so I’m just going to sample it and make sure it’s as wonderful as I think! I also got a mini perfume with my VIB points there 😉
I was also pretty well behaved at the mall (no easy feat with a two-story Forever 21 and a three-story H&M!), and only picked up one thing for myself…
Now, don’t ask me why I got this bracelet…I have no idea why. It’s gaudy and big and not at all my usual style. But, for some inexplicable reason, I was drawn to this and kept going back to it! I just think there’s something so cute about it! I spent forever at Charming Charlie trying to make up my mind about this, but I decided I’d regret it if I didn’t get it, and I promised myself I’ll wear it often! Judge me if you must, but I just think it’s the cutest thing.
Dollin' Up With Deanna 