Top 10 Drugstore Makeup Products

Hi Friends!

I posted a video on YouTube on my current favorites from the drugstore! Please click on the link below to check it out :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgNbbP3pDTo

xo Kayla

2014 Beauty Favorites: Eyes

Hey Pretties! Hope your week is going well! Only one week until CHRISTMAS!!!!!! Can you tell I have been excited all month long? :)

This next post is my favorite eye products from 2014. The majority of these products I have been using for the whole year and have consistently stayed my favorite all year long. I have loved them for a while now and I wouldn't be surprised if they made my favorites next year as well! We will have to see :)

PALETTES:

Every palette that I own, I adore. I love eyeshadow palettes and prefer them over single shadows. I just like how I have everything in one spot and knowing I have several shades that will go well together. Even though I could list all of my palettes as my favorites, these would have to be my top three. And if you are looking for any last minute Christmas gifts for a sister, friend, cousin etc... these palettes would be great for anyone!

• Chocolate Bar Palette by Too Faced - This is my all time, number one, nothing can beat it palette! I absolutely LOVE this palette! It is the perfect palette as it has shadows that are matte, shimmery, sparkly, neutral, bold... it just has everything you need! The shadows blend amazingly and are so easy to work with. The colors are gorgeous and the palette smells like a cup of hot chocolate. YUMMM! And I am like a little kid in a candy store this past week since the new Semi-Sweet palette came out! Girl, you already know I ordered it and I can't wait to get it!!!

Chocolate Bar Palette by Too Faced

• Naked 3 by Urban Decay - I love this palette because it is so feminine and girly. It is gorgeous! I love all the pinky, rosy colors! You can do something light and flirty or you can do something more sultry and sexy. I just think this is the ultimate palette for a girly-girl! Urban Decay's shadows are amazing quality. The shadows are so blendable and have so much pigmentation. If you love makeup, this is a must-have!

Naked 3 by Urban Decay

• Pro Palette by Lorac - I love the Pro Palette because it has as many matte shadows as it does shimmery/sparkly shadows. In most palettes, there are only usually 2 or 3 matte shadows. This palette has 8! I usually always use a matte shadow for my crease/transition color so I like that with this palette, I have more matte shadows to choose from. The Pro Palette has an amazing range of shadow choices and the shadows feel so silky and smooth. This is a great staple palette to have in your collection!

Pro Palette by Lorac

PRIMERS:

I think that there are a lot primers out there that work great. A lot of them do their typical job of what they are supposed to do - prevent creasing, help the longevity of the shadow and make the pigment pop. But these are the two that I constantly use and think that they are the best!

• Shadow Insurance in Candlelight by Too Faced - I have used this primer for several years now and it has become a staple for me. I do own the regular Shadow Insurance version but I prefer the Candlelight one. I like that it creates a really soft shimmer (the original version has no shimmer). It is so subtle and pretty and I think it really helps the shadows stand out a little bit more - almost in a glow-like way! This is the primer that sold me on eyeshadow primers. I never knew how amazing your eyeshadow could look with a primer - no creasing, lasts so much longer and the colors look so much more pigmented! This is definitely my go-to for higher end primers and I absolutely love it! 

• Eyelid Primer by e.l.f. - I discovered this primer a few months ago. Not only is it a great primer but the most amazing part about it is that it is only $1! Yes, only ONE DOLLAR!!! Go ahead and splurge on something you have been wanting and pick this up for next to nothing! And don't let the cheap price fool you! It works great and I am constantly going back and forth between this one and my Too Faced one. I notice it works just as good as my higher end primer and I am still amazed how cheap it is for such a great product!

Eyelid Primer by e.l.f.
Shadow Insurance in Candlelight by Too Faced

MASCARA:

If you have been following me for a while, you know it is hard for me to find a mascara that I truly love. Over the past several months of blogging, I have sampled some mascaras that have started to impress me. I have narrowed down my "likes" into the top two that I am truly loving and I think these are the best out there!

• Le Volume de Chanel by CHANEL - This has been my most favorite mascara I have tried all year. It makes my lashes look truly amazing! I have really short, stubby, fine lashes and this mascara makes me look like I have long, voluminous lashes! The formula isn't messy and it is super black! It only takes a few swipes and my lashes are looking so long and voluminous! It really is amazing! For a luxury brand, I feel like the $30 price tag for this mascara is definitely worth it! This sample has lasted me quite a while and I am most definitely going to purchase a full size when I run out! 

• Hypnose Drama by Lancome - Although Le Volume De Chanel has been my favorite mascara this year, Hypnose Drama is my second favorite. I just got this sample probably about a month ago but I have been really loving it. Like the CHANEL mascara, this is not messy at all. I absolutely hate thick, clumpy mascaras! I feel like it doesn't give me as much volume as Le Volume de Chanel but it definitely is comparable on the length I get with this mascara. I just like how clean this formula is and I like using this to apply a good base coat when wearing false lashes. It helps them blend easily into to the false lashes as they won't be clumpy. I am happy to have finally found some great mascaras that are working for me :)

Le Volume De Chanel by CHANEL
Hypnose Drama by Lancome

EYELINER:

90% of the time, I am wearing gel liner. I only use this same gel liner and rarely ever wear any other type of liner. I do not care for liquid eyeliner whatsoever. And if I by chance happen to wear anything other than my beloved gel liner, it will be the pencil eyeliner I mention below. And the best part is: they are both drugstore items!!

• Eye Studio Gel Liner in Blackest Black by Maybelline - When I started to experiment with gel liners, I was a little intimidated. But I quickly learned that applying gel liner is actually much easier than I thought! Once you practice a few times, you will get the hang of it easily! After trying out gel liners, I said goodbye to liquid! What I love about this gel liner from Maybelline is that it is so creamy and so pigmented. It just glides right on and makes your shadows POP! This liner stays put and I never have to worry about it smudging or feeling like it needs to be touched up. I love this gel liner and will forever continue to repurchase it!

• Silkissime Eyeliner in Black by L'Oreal - If I don't feel like taking the time do to gel liner, I will just quickly pop this liner on. It glides on so easily and effortlessly and that is what I love about it! But it is also so pigmented as well... and I love that even more! It will be just as bold as my gel liner and it will never smudge or wear away. I know that it is going to stay put and won't fade away throughout long day. This is the best pencil liner I have tried from the drugstore and if you use pencil liners, you should check this one out!

Silkissime Eyeliner by L'Oreal
Eye Studio Gel Liner by Maybelline

LASHES:

These are the two lash products I swear by. I haven't found anything better than these two, nor do I want to! They are awesome products and both so affordable!

• Sweet Romance by House of Lashes - If I ever could dream up a pair of perfect lashes, these would be it. I love these lashes and they are the only ones that I wear! I don't like wearing lashes that are too over the top. I don't want people to look at me and think "Those are the most obvious fake lashes I have ever seen in my life!" These lashes are perfect because they are SO natural looking but add just like right amount of length and volume. I get asked "What do you use to make your lashes look like that?" and girls are amazed when I tell them they are false lashes. They tell me they look so natural and that is exactly what I am going for! If you love false, natural-looking lashes you must try these out. And if you are a girl who is just getting into false lashes, I HIGHLY recommend these! It is amazing what a little bit of extra OOMPH to your lashes can do to make your eyes look even more amazing!

• Lash Grip Eyelash Adhesive by Ardell - I mentioned a while back that I have a love-hate relationship with this eyelash glue. It works AMAZING but it smells AWFUL! I never have to worry about my false lashes coming undone with this lash glue. They will make the lashes stay in place all day long with no worries about the corners coming off. But the smell of the glue is atrocious! It legit smells like manure mixed in chemicals. I know, I'm sorry that's disgusting. But it is so bad! I tried finding another glue but it did not work whatsoever. I have decided to just bear the smell when it comes out of the tube and once it dries you can't even smell it. If you can handle a couple of minutes of a very unpleasant smell, the result of not having to worry about lashes falling off is well worth it :o) 

Lash Grip by Ardell
Sweet Romance lashes by House of Lashes

BROWS:

• Brow Wiz by Anastasia Beverly Hills - I LOVE BROWS! This is the one and only brow product I use. And in my humble opinion, nothing out there is better than the Brow Wiz! There are so many color/shade choices offered for the Brow Wiz (I use "Taupe/formerly Ash Blonde") and the extra fine tip is perfect for filling in every sparse spot in your brows. Having shaped, filled in brows is SO important! It really defines your face and brings everything together when doing your makeup. If you don't fill in your brows, I suggest just giving it a try! What is awesome about the Brow Wiz is that it gives you perfect brows, yet it is so natural looking! I never filled in my brows before using this product and once I tried it out, I was hooked! It is amazing what having great brows can do for you!

Brow Wiz by Anastasia Beverly Hills

OK... That was a long post! :o)  Hope you got some good ideas and recommendations if you are in the market for some new eye products!

Have a wonderful weekend, loves!

xoxo Kayla

Friday Five: 11/28/14

Happy Friday, babes! Hope you all had a fantastic Turkey Day! How many of you burned off those extra calories by Black Friday Shopping?? I have to give it to you if you did. Even if I were home in the States, you wouldn't see me anywhere near any stores today! I tried going one year for about 30 minutes and I couldn't handle the intense craziness of some people! So if you can handle being around all those crazy shoppers, you are more woman than me ;)

Let's get on to my favorites of the week!:

1. In the Light palette by Stila
     You might have seen me post on Instagram that we received a care package from Tyler's mom this past week. It was so exciting! Having a box full of little goodies from home seriously makes my heart so happy! We receieved food items that we can't get over here, Christmas items and little, fun presents. When Sephora was having their friends and family sale in the States, I placed a small order and knew I would be receiving it in this package. This palette was one of the items I purchased and couldn't wait to get my hands on it! I have been wanting to get it for months and so happy to finally have it! It is such a pretty palette and I have been using it every day since receiving it! The infamous "Kitten" shadow is the most gorgeous shimmery silvery-pink. The shadows blend so easily and effortlessly. And I typically prefer gel eyeliners, but I am really liking this blackish-brown eyeliner pencil that came with it! 

In the Light palette by Stila

In the Light palette by Stila

2. Audacious Lipstick in Anita by NARS
     This is the other item I purchased from the F&F sale. I had to see what all the hype was about! Everyone has been raving about the Audacious Lipsticks from NARS so I had to get one. And with the steep price tag of $32, I felt a little bit better about purchasing it at a 20% discount. I chose "Anita" because it looked like that perfect "Kylie Jenner" lip color. I really hate to refer to it as that because I am a little sick of hearing about it! But it is that perfect dusty rose color that everyone is crazy about! And the pigmentation in this lipstick is out of this world! The swatch below is only one quick swipe! It lasts so long and looks like I just applied it even after wearing it for hours! It is super creamy and the formula in general is just incredible. I knew I was going to love this lipstick even before receiving it so I then ordered two more during the VIB sale - I'm not even ashamed to admit it ;) So I have "Raquel" (a nude) and "Olivia" (a red) waiting for me to be sent from my mom in our next care package! (The makeup addiction is real, girls!)

Audacious Lipstick in Anita by NARS

Swatch of Anita by NARS

3. Hypnose Drama mascara by Lancome
     I have some points built up on my Sephora account so I decided to trade in 100 of them for this sample of mascara. I have never tried out a Lancome mascara but have been wanting to because I have heard great things. I really have been loving this mascara because the formula is perfect! It is not thick and clumpy and messy, it just coats your lashes perfectly! I have rather short, fine lashes and this mascara makes them look so long! I am so impressed! I can't wait to keep using this!

Hypnose Drama by Lancome

4. Scandaleyes waterproof eyeliner in Nude by Rimmel
     I think nude eyeliner is great for the waterline to really open up your eyes. But I honestly rarely ever do it. I have extremely watery eyes and can never find anything that will stay put, even if it is waterproof. I purchased this eyeliner this summer and used it a few times but haven't used it in several months. I decided to use it a few days ago thinking that even if it only lasted an hour, it would be no big deal. I went about my day and didn't even really pay attention to see how it was holding up and when I went to wash my face at night, I could still see it there! It was a little worn away but definitely still noticeable! I was amazed. Clearly I wasn't paying any type of attention to it the other times I wore it this past summer! If you have watery eyes, you need to check this out! I am telling you, my eyes water like a fountain! I rarely even ever wear winged eyeliner because my watery eyes will just wash it away! It's a little sad, but I have some positive hope with this little guy - if it works for me, I think it would work for anyone!

Scandaleyes eyeliner by Rimmel

5. Pro Longwear concealer by MAC (in NC15)
     If I want to go the whole nine yards with my makeup, I am, without a doubt, using this concealer. This concealer doesn't crease, doesn't wear away and just blends and melts into your skin perfectly. I chose NC15 because it is much lighter than my skin so it really creates an amazing highlighting effect. I have had this bottle since around March and I still have a good amount left! Now I am not using it every day, but I am using it frequently! A little bit of product goes a long way so it is definitely worth the $20! If you haven't checked out this concealer, you really need to!!

Pro Longwear concealer by MAC

On a side note: For December, I will only be doing one post a week. December is always a busy month with the holidays and even though I only blog twice a week, I want to have a little extra time to do some Christmas shopping, skype with family and friends, and spend more time with my husband when he has a little time off. But my weekly posts are probably going to be a little bit longer as I am going to share my 2014 Favorites! Each week I will do a different category - eyes, lips, etc - so stay tuned to find out what my absolute, holy grail items are from this year! I can't believe a new year is just around the corner! Time goes way too fast!

Have a lovely weekend!

xoxo Kayla


Find the products I mentioned here:

In the Light palette

Anita Audacious Lipstick

Hypnose Drama mascara

Scandaleyes eyeliner

Pro Longwear concealer

Friday Five: 9/12/14

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend, pretties!! :)

I have been trying to get this post up all day but my computer is not letting me access my photos :( I am sorry! I don't know what the deal is. So for this post, instead of having pictures of everything, I am just going to link each product to their corresponding websites after my thoughts. Hopefully I can figure out what the deal is before my next post!!

Anyways....I am so excited once again to share the products I have been loving this week! These past couple of weeks I have been loving some amazing products and I can't wait to share five more awesome items with you!

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe/Ash Blonde
     To be honest, this is something that is a favorite every week. I use it every single day and it is, without a doubt, a holy grail product. I am OBSESSED with brows. The bolder and thicker, the better in my eyes! I wish I had Sofia Vergara's brows (as I posted on Insta recently) but unfortunately, my brows are not as amazing. I still do love my brows and the Anastasia Brow Wiz is the perfect tool to help me enhance them to make them look natural, perfectly shaped and filled. The Brow Wiz is just pure amazingness and might just be one of the best makeup products ever invented. FOR REAL. I love how fine the pencil is and lets you get in between all of your brow hairs to fill it in so your brows look perfect and uniform throughout. It doesn't wear away and I never have to worry about re-filling them in throughout the day. This product has definitely changed my brow game and I could not live without it! If you haven't checked it out, you need to ASAP!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

2. Sweet Romance lashes by House of Lashes
     These are also something I use weekly and a holy grail product. (I just felt like including a couple HG products this week, because hey.. they really are "Friday Five's"!) I am again, OBSESSED, with these lashes and they are the loves of my life. One of my first blog posts was on these lashes and I stated that I loved them so much because they are so natural looking. I am not one to wear big, bold lashes and love that no one can tell that these are false. They really do look real and I feel like my makeup is "naked" without them. Even though they are completely natural looking, they give you that extra little "oomph" and makes your eyes look so pretty! They are also so affordable ($9!) and such great quality that I can use them several times before needing to toss them. I just can't say enough great things about these lashes!

Sweet Romance lashes by House of Lashes


3. Lorac Pro To Go Eye/Cheek palette
     I picked this up not too long after I had gotten The Nudes eyeshadow palette by Maybelline. I loved how convenient it was to travel with The Nudes palette because it is smaller and makes it easy to toss in a small makeup bag. What's awesome about the Lorac Pro To Go is that it not only has eyeshadows, but blushes and a bronzer as well! This palette has 6 eyeshadows, 2 blushes, and 1 bronzer. It is so great how they made this palette so compact and made it the ultimate travel palette by including all of the shadows, blushes and bronzer in one! This palette includes so many things that I need to travel with creating less clutter in my bag because I don't need a separate bronzer, a separate blush, and a separate eyeshadow palatte. And I don't only just use it for something easy to travel with! Everything is so beautiful and pigmented and I reach for it at home over my larger palettes! Which is exactly what I have been doing this week :)

Lorac Pro To Go Eye/Cheek palette

4. Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black
     I have heard really good things about this eyeliner and decided I needed to check it out for myself. I prefer gel eyeliners over pencil or liquid and this gel liner definitely did not disappoint me. The formula of this eyeliner is awesome. It is super creamy and just glides right on. It stays in place all day and doesn't smudge or smear. And it really is a "blackest black". It is super pigmented and I never feel the need to add more to make it look darker. I know that I will keep re-purchasing this. I love when I find drugstore items that I will use on a regular basis. Just because something is drugstore and not high end doesn't mean it isn't an amazing product!

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner


5. Chance Eau Tendre Sheer Moisture Mist by CHANEL
     O! M! G!!!!!! I discovered CHANEL's Chance Eau Tendre a couple of months ago and fell absolute, head over heels, in love with it! It is definitely competing with my favorite scent Daisy by Marc Jacobs as my number one perfume. I was just randomly smelling different perfumes at Macy's one day and came across this one and I was blown away by it. (And I am definitely not a perfume junkie!) It is a fruity, feminine, absolutely gorgeous scent. I was so tempted to purchase it but wasn't ready to spend the $90 on it. Then last week, I was doing some online shopping and I don't even know how, but I ended up on CHANEL's website... Funny how that happens :) I saw that they offered more of like a body spray in this moisture mist that I did not see in the store. As soon as I saw it was half the price of the perfume, I felt that gave me reason to finally buy it :) After I purchased it, I already knew this would be in my Friday Five this week! I anxiously awaited for its arrival and have been using it every day since I received it. I just can't get enough! If you're looking for a new perfume, I would HIGHLY recommend checking this one out!!!

Chance Eau Tendre Sheer Moisture Mist by CHANEL

HAVE A FABULOUS WEEKEND!


xoxo Kayla

Friday Five: 8/15/14

Happy Friday <3

You know the drill..... Here are my faves this week :)

(ps.. they are all eye products this week!)

1. Better Than Sex Mascara by Too Faced
     I have been using this mascara every day! I love how my lashes have been looking when using this. It gives my lashes length and volume and I don't notice any clumping or flaking away throughout the day. I also love the packaging. It feels so glamorous! It is so sleek and the tube is heavier than most mascara tubes and it makes me feel like I have a luxurious treasure :) I am super picky about mascaras... I can never find any that I think look good so I find it to be a personal victory for myself that I have a mascara in my top five :) 

2. Smoky Cream Liner in Must Have (Waterproof) by Sephora
     I got this gel liner a while back in an eyeliner set from Sephora. This was actually the first gel liner I ever tried and I still love it! At first I was a little intimidated applying a gel liner but it glides on sooo easily! It is super creamy and it doesn't get hard and break up during the day at all. "Must Have" is a black color and it is SUPER black.. very pigmented! I have been using it all week because I have been wanting a bolder liner every day and this literally only takes a few seconds to apply and I am good to go! This is a great product from the Sephora line and I am very impressed with it!

3. The Nudes Palette by Maybelline
     I just posted a review on this palette in my last post. Check it out to find out my thoughts on it! And those are all of the reasons why I have been loving this palette this week! :)

4. Behind the Scenes Eye Primer by Lorac
     This is a great eye primer in my opinion! It works so well for me as it helps keep my eye makeup just as fresh looking as when I applied it. It helps keep the color vibrant and helps the shadows to be long wearing. With some eye primers, I have noticed that some of it will settle in certain areas and be almost a cakey-like consistency which then makes the shadows look cakey. I have never experienced that with this eye primer and know that I can always count on it giving a great base for my eyeshadow.

5. Infallible Eye Shadow in Iced Latte by L'Oreal
     I had to get this pigment because in one day I saw two reviews on it and I was sold! I watched Jaclyn Hill use it in one of her videos and then I was reading one of my favorite blogs "Make Me Up Mia" and Mia had done a review on a few of these Infallible Eye Shadows. "Iced Latte" was one of them and I was able to see the color up close and see how pretty it was! I was obsessed and needed it immediately after reading her review! I went out that day and got it and I have been absolutely loving it! I have been using this color mostly on the lid and I need to go out and get more! It is so easy to work with and I apply it with either a brush or my finger. You barely need any product and you are set for the day! 

And there you have it! You could get a whole eye look out of these products :)

Have a fabulous weekend, dolls!

xoxo Kayla

Friday Five! 7/25/14

Happy Friday!!

Do you all have any big plans for the weekend? I made a spur of the moment trip back to my hometown in Iowa yesterday for the weekend, so I am going to try to get this posted before I get busy doing things with my family! 

My faves this week are:

Snapped a quick pic on my iPhone.... Forgot my camera at home :(

1. Purity Made Simple Mask by Philosophy
     I ordered this mask a couple of weeks ago because I have been wanting to try a new mask. It had good reviews on Sephora and it wasn't terribly expensive ($25) like the majority of masks are so I thought I would give it a try! I must say I do like this product, but it is not the typical mask that you think of. It is a gel consistency that turns into a white foam and you only leave it on your skin for 60 seconds. I am so used to masks like GlamGlow that dry and get hard and you leave on your face for 20 minutes. I have to admit though that this is a nice change. I like that it isn't so harsh feeling. I feel like I am just putting this really deep cleanser on my skin and it leaves my skin feeling so soft and looking radiant. If you are looking for a mask that is more gentle but still just as effective as any other mask, I think you would like this one!

2. Chocolate Solieil Bronzer by Too Faced
     YEP! Another Too Faced Product! Sorry, I am obsessed :) A couple months ago, I ordered the little packaged set of the Better Than Sex Mascara that came with a small Chocolate Soliel bronzer. I have used it here and there, but this week I have been using this bronzer every day! I love that it is matte because I am not really into anything too shimmery when it comes to bronzers. I think that it also has the perfect pigmentation because on days where I just want a little bit of bronzer, I can do a light application and on other days when I want to do a more defined contour, it can be easily built up. And maybe the best part about this bronzer.... it smells like CHOCOLATE!

3. L'Oreal Infallible Eyeliner in Black
     I posted on my Instagram(@beautyandbasketball) a couple of weeks ago that I picked up this eyeliner because I had been hearing great things on it. And all of the things I have been hearing are true! This is a great eyeliner. This black is SO black! The pigmentation in this product is amazing. I apply one swipe and that is all I need. I don't need to keep going over it to make it stand out. The formula is super creamy. It just glides right on! You don't need a heavy hand at all! I absolutely can't stand when eyeliners run throughout the day and this stays right in place! I don't have to worry about any eyeliner running in the corners of my eyes. If you're looking for a good drugstore eyeliner, check this one out!

Numbers 4. and 5. are both blushes so I am combining them!
Melba by MAC and Luminoso by Milani
     If you watch any beauty guru on YouTube, these are staple blushes in their collection. But up until last week, I didn't have either of these blushes! I can't find Milani products in my city in Minnesota (which is weird because it is one of the larger cities) so I had to order it and I just never had picked up Melba until now. I have been loving both of these this week and have just been switching back and forth between the two of them. I love Melba because it is matte (even though I love all types of finishes on blushes, mattes are my favorite!). Melba is this beautiful corally-peach color. I can see why so many people have it in their collection because I think it really would look so great on so many different skin tones. The color lasts through the entire day and doesn't fade away.  In my opinion, you just can't go wrong with a MAC blush and Melba really is essential to any collection! .... Luminoso is similar in color - it is a corally-peach color - but it has a shimmer to it and it is more luminating (hence it's name!). It is not as deep in color as Melba - it is just a soft, pretty coral/peach. I think this blush is absolutely perfect for summer. Luminoso just has the prettiest glow that wearing a highlighter is not even necessary! Like Melba, I think this blush would look absolutely amazing on anyone and the color stays throughout the day! So get this one too :)

Have a great weekend, Beauties!!
xoxo Kayla