The Matte Nudes

September 03, 2016 in Makeup

All summer I've been digging lighter, shinier options on the lips, but now that it's September I'm starting to transition into fall mode. I'm still wearing all of my favorite nude shades, but I've started reaching for more matte finishes. I decided to round up some of my favorites that I've either been wearing a lot already or that I'm looking forward to wearing as the weather cools down. It does bother me that I ended up picking 9 instead of 10 though, so try to ignore that.

Glossier Generation G, 'Cake' | I just mentioned this in my August Favorites earlier this week. It's such a great peachy brown nude, and the formula is perfect to transition from summer to fall - it's sheer and yet matte so it produces a really natural stain on the lips. I love.

Milk Makeup Lip Pigment, 'Swear By' | I've been reaching for this one a lot lately. It's a mousse-y formula that feels really cool, and it gives the nicest matte stain on the lips when you pat it in with your finger. This one is a much more pink nude than Glossier Cake, so I pretty much go back and forth between those two depending on my mood when I want a lightweight option.

Milani Color Statement Lipstick, 'Matte Naked' | I've been after this lipstick for literally over two years now, and I finally found it in stock. It's a very similar color to my natural lips, so I've been wearing it to work almost every day without feeling too overdone. The formula is lovely and definitely feels like a high end lipstick - I'm going to have to check out more of the shades.

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick, 'Very Victoria' | If I had to choose an overall favorite of the nine featured here, this would be it. It's got that beautiful Matte Revolution formula, the rose gold packaging, and is such a pretty cooler pinky brown nude. I just feel so polished when I wear this shade.

Top to Bottom: Cake, Swear By, Matte Naked, Very Victoria, Lychee, Crush, Alyssa, Cashew, Touch of Spice

Jouer Liquid Lipstick, 'Lychee' (review) | I've gone on and on about how much I love the Jouer Liquid Lipsticks, so I'll keep it brief here. Lychee is such a stunning pink nude, and it's the one I reach for the most out of the shades I have.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick, 'Crush' | I didn't notice how similar this was to Jouer Lychee when swatched, but oh well, it's my favorite kind of shade. The ABH Liquid Lipsticks are also such a nice formula, although on me I find they do transfer occasionally. Like the Milani shade, this looks so similar to my natural lip color when applied, but it dries down just a smidge darker, making it a true MLBB.

Colourpop Ultra Satin Lip, 'Alyssa' | Ok, so this one technically isn't matte, but I much prefer Colourpop's Ultra Satins to their Ultra Mattes. I recently got this newer shade done in collaboration with KathleenLights, and it's such a pretty mauve-y nude. Despite not being a true matte, this lasts extremely well on the lips without too much transfer and is much more comfortable than their Ultra Mattes.

Bite Beauty Multistick, 'Cashew' (review) | I've been freaking out about these since they came out, and the shade Cashew has been my most-worn so far. It's the most brown of the bunch, but it doesn't look too dated. I love smudging it into the lips and letting some of my natural lip color show through to make it more of a nude.

Maybelline Creamy Matte Lip Color, 'Touch of Spice' | This was hyped up a while ago, but it recently came back into my life. It's said to be a dupe for MAC Twig, which I've always wanted, and it's in such a lovely formula. It's quite similar to the Milani one actually, so I'd definitely recommend checking out either of those lines in the drugstore.

Have you started transitioning into "fall mode" yet? What are your favorite matte nudes?

Armani Eyes

September 01, 2016 in Makeup

I've been in quite the eye makeup rut lately. If I've been wearing any eyeshadow, it's been the same single, and I've been wearing the same mascara day after day. Just as my boredom with my routine was getting the better of me, I got the best news that I'd been selected to receive some new shades of the Giorgio Armani Eye Tints* and the Eccentrico Mascara* from Influenster. I got straight to testing them to be able to share my thoughts quickly.

I've always wanted to try the Armani Eye Tints - I've had the Rose Ashes shade sitting in my "loves" section on Sephora's website for about a year and a half now, but I could never pull the trigger. After trying these three other shades though, I'll definitely be saving up for it. These are now officially my favorite liquid eyeshadows. They're thin yet creamy in consistency and glide effortlessly onto the eyelid. They blend out really easily as well, and they stay put all day. To test them, I used a primer (the Too Faced Shadow Insurance) on one eye, and no primer on the other. The eyeshadows were slightly easier to blend on the primer-ed eye, but the eyeshadow lasted all day long with no creasing on both of my eyes. It's a miracle! I rarely find products that don't crease without a primer on me.

The shades I was sent are Nude Smoke, a matte neutral, and Fur Smoke, a matte chocolate brown, which are the new shades, as well as Gold Ashes, a stunning champagne highlight shade. I've noticed the two matte shades set a lot more quickly than the shimmer shade, but the shimmer shade still stays put. My favorite way to use all three is by putting Nude Smoke all over the lid, adding Fur Smoke on the outer corner and blending into the crease (it blends out to a nowhere near as scary color), and adding a bit of Gold Ashes to the center of my lids and on the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them.

I've also been really impressed with the Eccentrico Mascara. This is one that if you're not careful, it'll clump your eyelashes together, seeing as it's quite dramatic and volumizing. I find that pulling the wand straight up through the lashes (rather than doing my usual wiggling the wand back and forth) is the best way to apply it. It instantly coats the lashes in an extremely black formula. It's a very creamy formula, but it doesn't weigh the lashes down - it holds a curl phenomenally. And another bonus, it hasn't been smudging on me. It takes a little work to remove at the end of the day, but it's nothing unreasonable. My go-to eye look on rushed mornings this week has been a quick smudge of Nude Smoke on my eyelids and finishing it off with a coat or two of the Eccentrico Mascara.

I'm so grateful to have gotten the chance to try these beautiful products, so I'll definitely be adding more Armani Beauty products to my wishlist. Have you tried anything from Armani?

*Products mentioned were sent to me courtesy of Influenster and Armani Beauty for review. All opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

August Favorites

August 30, 2016 in Makeup, Hair, Skincare

My August Favorites posts always hold a special place in my heart, seeing as it was my very first post on this blog two years ago - yes, Beauty by Kelsey is about to turn 2! I've been pretty consistent with the products I've been using this month, so picking favorites wasn't too difficult. This month was all about the glow - but really, when is it not?

My first two favorites of the month were featured in my Alien Babe Glow post from a few weeks ago. As soon as the Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild Glow Kit and the Milk Makeup Holographic Stick were released, I knew I needed them. I've been so into the colored highlighter trend lately - it's the perfect way to add something a little unexpected to your look without having to be super bold. The Milk Makeup Holographic Stick looks stunning on the skin, giving off a pale lavender sheen, and it has that same Milk Melt Technology that their other stick products have which makes it glide onto the skin so easliy. The Moonchild Glow Kit is equally stunning and has so many unique colors. They're so soft and blendable, and it's easy to get a subtle sheen or an intense glow depending on the brush and amount of product you use.

One more highlighter I've been using all month is the Glossier Haloscope in Topaz. I've talked about my love for the Quartz shade, but on extra rushed mornings I've been loving the darker shade as a bronzer/highlight combo. I just sweep it on my actual cheekbones rather than on top of them, and it adds the nicest bronze glow to my complexion.

Speaking of Glossier, I've also been using their Priming Moisturizer religiously this month. I've been through multiple bottles of this and it's just my all-time favorite moisturizer for daytime. It gives the nicest glow to the skin, is actually hydrating, and it tones down a lot of the redness in my skin. At this point, I can't live without it. A new addition from Glossier has been their Generation G in Cake - I don't know how I put off buying this shade for such a long time, but it's the most perfect peachy nude shade, and the formula makes it look like your own lips sans product.

Going back to Milk's new releases for a minute, I've also been obsessed with their new Sunshine Skin Tint this month. I've never used a tinted oil before, but I love it. It's so lightweight on the skin and extremely moisturizing, and it gives a nice amount of coverage and glow. I love the rollerball applicator too - it's so easy to apply. It also blends out so quickly with just fingers, so it's another one I always reach for on rushed mornings.

I've spoken about falling for new mascaras a lot lately, but my favorite so far has been the Max Factor Masterpiece Max Mascara.* It's really my most perfect mascara - it gives good length, volume, and curl, holds a curl all day, and doesn't smudge despite not being waterproof. I'm going to need to stock up before this collection is no longer available in the US.

My last favorite of the month has been the Ouai Hair Oil. I had wanted to get my hands on something from the Ouai line since it came out, and the Hair Oil seemed like the perfect place to start. Let me start by saying I'm absolutely in love with the smell - it's quite strong, so I'd suggest giving it a sniff before you buy it. I apply about one pump of oil to towel-dried hair every time I wash it, and it makes my hair so much softer, shinier, and smoother, and it cuts down on frizz and that poofiness I always get with freshly-washed hair. It doesn't weigh my hair down or make it greasy though, but instead gives me that tousled, "cool girl" hair I've always wanted.

What were your favorites this month?

*Some products mentioned may have been sent to me for review, but all opinions are my own. Please see my disclaimer for more information.

And remember you can go to glossier.com/reps/kelsey to get 20% off your first order!