Hello lovelies!
I saw that Tayler from welltaylered.com did a blog post on this tag a while ago and I enjoyed reading her answers so it seemed like a fun way to get to know me a little bit better.
Lets do this...
1. Do you remember your first makeup item?
I think it was an N.Y.C. roll-on lip gloss...oh yeah! It totally was strawberry scented and awful. Scout's honor I've moved past that phase in my makeup life, but in middle school my lips were looking glossy as fuck.
2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one that fits your specifications?
I need a mascara that is super black because I have the blondest lashes on the planet and it has to be volumizing because while my lashes have lots of length I feel like they're lacking in the volume department. After trying a plethora of brands, styles and formulas of mascaras...I think I've finally found "the one." It's the Makeup Forever Smoky Lash mascara, babes! I like the standard black non-waterproof version, but I also like to use the purple shade on my bottom lashes to add subtle definition and a little pop of color that people aren't usually expecting. Looooooove it!
3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?
I like a super matte, medium to full coverage because I have extremely acne prone skin and an oil slick for a face. My ideal foundation is one that is medium coverage with a single layer for days when I just want my skin tone evened out and can be built up to damn near full coverage for days when I need my blemishes covered and a flawless canvas i.e. heavier eye makeup looks like dramatic winged liner/dark or bold lips. The foundation I've found so far that does all of this for me is the Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation in the shade Pearl. It's the best foundation I've used, maybe ever. Sidenote, I also really like the Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation because I'm trying to embrace lighter coverage bases and higher coverage concealers. Yay!
4. Favorite high-end brand?
Nars. I love almost everything in the range and their packaging gorgeous as hell.
5. What cosmetic brand have you always wanted to try, but still haven't?
I've always wanted to try Chantecaille, but it is so damn expensive and I don't have any retailers close to me that carry it to look at it in person so I'm working on it. Hopefully I'll be moving to a town that has a Nordstrom/any larger department store soon.
6. Favorite drugstore brand?
I don't really like drugstore makeup to be honest, but I'm going with L'Oreal because I really fucking the Infallible shadows. They are beautiful and totally worth the $7.00 price tag, but it's even better if you can find coupons and sales. I think with some drugstore items they are priced almost at the high-end level and that is just so crazy to me. If I'm going to pay that much for a product I'm going to go to Sephora or a counter to get a sample first.
7. Do you wear fake eyelashes?
Not usually, but I do like to wear them on special occasions and Halloween, stuff like that. If I ever get super fast at applying them I would totally wear natural looking lashes everyday that I wear makeup because I do think they just add a little something.
8. Is there any kind of make up you can't leave the house without?
I always bring a blotting powder or sheets with me because again, I have an oil slick for a face and sometimes it needs a bit of taming. I also always have a lip balm with me to keep my lips in tip top condition.
9. What is your most cherished beauty product?
That would have to be my NARS Guy Bourdin One Night Stand cheek palette. If I ever decide to drop like $150.00 on the NARS Danmari cheek palette from a couple years ago on eBay or something, then it would be that because I really want that and I have since it came out, but for some stupid reason I decided not to pick it up when it was available. I really regret that.
10. How often do you shop for makeup? Do you like to pick up one item at a time here and there or get lots of goodies at once?
I definitely do a mix of the two. It depends on what products are being released and which ones I'm feeling drawn to. Sometimes I'll purchase something a couple times a month, sometimes it's a couple times a week and then I can go for a few months without purchasing anything and I'll make up for it by placing a huge order when there are products I really am drawn to.
11. Do you have "beauty budget" or spend freely?
I am not in a financial situation that allows me to purchase whatever I want whenever, but if there are products I really want, I will make it happen because I believe that life is short, so purchase the damn makeup.
12. Do you utilize coupons, rewards cards and sales when you shop for cosmetics?
Yes...a hard, resounding yes. I usually wait to purchase something until it's on sale unless it is limited edition and I'm worried it'll sell out before a sale can happen. I'm a big believer in using ebates.com because who doesn't like getting any amount of cash back for purchasing things that make you happy? And when I shop at online stores that offer cash back through the Ebates program, its like there is a permanent sale and then any promotion code or coupon I can find is just the icing on the cake. I have rewards cards for everywhere you can think of and I use retailmenot.com and coupon sites like that.
13. What type of products do you purchase the most?
I purchase eyeshadow the most often hands down. Its usually in palette form and mostly around the holidays when Urban Decay and every brand and their mama releases their awesome holiday sets. I've already purchased the Vice 3 palette from Urban Decay because I passed on both of the previous editions and couldn't hold out anymore. I have more eyeshadow than I'll be able to use in a lifetime and I'm not mad about it.
14. Is there any brand you absolutely can't stand?
I don't like to bring that kind of negativity in my life, but can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed any of I've received from Be A Bombshell in my Ipsy bags over the past year. I just think they should decide to go in a different direction with their company because cosmetics don't seem to be a strong point. At one point I received a mascara that I had never opened before and when I did decide to open it the smell was horrific and super overpowering. I was completely put off and will never spend money on any of their products.
15. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics like parabens or sulfates?
I try my best, but there are some products I know I love that do still have some of these not so nice ingredients and I continue to repurchase them because I'm either too in love with them or I'm scared to try and find something else that's equivalent. I'm working on being more picky and knowledgeable of the products I put on my face.
16. Do you have a favorite place to shop for makeup?
I try to purchase all my makeup from Sephora because of their points system and the perks they give VIB Rouge members such as myself. I'm pretty much addicted to purchasing products from Sephora because I do believe that when it comes to quality, you get what you pay for. Of course I do still fall for some of the marketing ploys that happen in the drugstore, but I shop for makeup predominately from Sephora or department stores.
17. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you keep a certain routine?
I'm a skincare junkie and it's probably because I haven't found my perfect mixture of products to clear up my skin yet, so I'm forever trying new things until I do and then I'll probably stick with a certain routine to keep my skin clear, healthy and happy.
18. Favorite bath and body brand?
I'm not snobby about my bath and body products I'll use drugstore products and be perfectly happy. I also use a scrub and body butter from Clinique and I like the occasional product from Bath & Body Works, mostly just the triple body creams and the golden sugar scrubs.
19. If you could only buy from one brand, which brand would you choose?
This is such a hard question so I'm going to list a couple options: Urban Decay or NARS.
20. What brand do you think has the best packaging?
I really love NARS packaging. Yes it gets dirty super fast and sure you can see every finger print, but I love the beauty of the rubberized matte black packaging and how chic the font of that white "NARS" is written looks on the front.
21. Which celebrity always has great makeup?
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| Blake Lively |
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| Beyonce Knowles |
22. Do you belong to any makeup communities?
Nope.
23. Favorite beauty gurus?
I am subscribed to beautybaby44, batalashbeauty, allthatglitters21, essiebutton and nguerriero19. I'm obviously subscribed to more people in the beauty community than this, but these are my favorite.
24. Do you like multifunctional products like lip and cheek stains?
Yes. They are perfect for when I hit the snooze button a few too many times and don't have very long to get ready in the morning.
25. Are you clumsy putting on makeup?
Sometimes, it depends on the amount of time I have and how much coffee I've consumed that day.
26. Do you use makeup base/primer for the eyes?
Yes, always. I have super oily lids so I use Urban Decay Primer Potion and MAC Paint Pot, usually in Painterly, and with that combo my eyeshadow stays all day. Yay.
27. How many hair products do you use on a typical day?
To be completely honest, I don't do a damn thing to my hair. I'm more of a wash and air dry kind of girl unless there is a special occasion. I do use the It's a 10 Leave-In Spray to keep my hair hydrated, but I don't use it everyday.
28. What do you apply first, concealer or foundation?
Concealer first!! It just makes sense to me to do it that way because one of the main characteristics of a foundation is the finish and if you use concealer that doesn't have the same finish over top then it takes away from the finish of the foundation. I also think that if you conceal first, you can use a lighter coverage foundation which allows your skin to breathe!
29. Do you ever consider taking makeup classes?
Yes. I live in a small town right now, so I don't have a lot of options to to expand my makeup education, but obviously I watch a lot of beauty videos that feature techniques I've never done before on YouTube and I go into my local Sephora Inside JC Penny (that we just got in May) so I can try out new products and ask the color artists about techniques I want to try. I do my best with what I have available.
30. What do you love about makeup?
I love that you can do whatever you want with makeup. Everyone makes their own rules, you can do anything, be anyone and present the best/truest version of yourself to the world.
