In My Makeup Bag | March

Another month, another slight product shake-up. I'm really starting to find a core set of products I love and don't really want to stray from, so I may start doing these posts on an every-other-month basis instead of every month. Anyway, last month I was going a little "extra" with my look, and this month I'm toning it back down. Isn't that how it always goes with me? 

I'm still loving the Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer to start. I can't believe it took me so long to try this - it really plumps up and smooths out my skin. I've gone back to my beloved Cover FX Natural Finish Foundation (review) lately. I just think this is the everyday base for me. I love the finish, how moisturizing it feels on the skin, how it doesn't cling to dry patches, and how it's easy to adjust the coverage based on my needs for the day. Luckily, my skin is finally seeming to clear up, so I've been sheering the foundation out a little bit with the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint. The combination is beautiful, too - the perfect amount of glowiness and coverage. Concealer hasn't changed - I'm still reaching for the Milk Makeup Flex Concealer over anything else. It's just so good and I haven't found anything else that tops it. An extra step I've been doing is actually setting my face with powder - the foundation can tend to get a little too dewy on my nose without powder, so I've been lightly applying some Glossier Wowder* down the center of my face and under my eyes. I've been using my Beautyblender for this rather than a brush, and it meshes it into the skin so nicely.

Brows are the same as last month - I'm still absolutely loving the Nudestix Brow Stylus* and have even been choosing it over Boy Brow! I've really gotten the hang of using the triangle-tip pencil, and it makes my brows look naturally full and fluffy. And the gel is amazing - still crunchier than Boy Brow, but this stuff really hold the hairs in place until you wash it off.

Eyes are really where I'm simplifying things. I've mentioned here and there that on days I have kickboxing, I don't like to wear mascara. That's just because I only put my contacts in right before class, and if I have mascara on already, it flakes into my eyes and gets stuck under my contacts. So, no mascara on those days. But actually, I've really been liking the look of wearing some really simple eyeshadow (the lighter shades of Glossier Lidstar* have been my go-tos lately) and just curling my lashes with the Surratt Relevee Eyelash Curler. This curler is seriously worth the hype and price - nothing has ever given me a better curl, and it lasts all day, even without mascara to lock it into place. Although I have just gotten the Chanel Le Volume Mascara that I'm absolutely obsessed with, so I'll be wearing mascara more often again I'm sure.

For blush, I've actually been using something other than Cloud Paint! The Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks* (review) have been my favorites lately. I use Nightingale striped onto my cheekbones and blended all over as bronzer, and then a few teeny dots of Cruz on the apples of my cheeks for blush. They're so pretty and dewy, and they blend out so quickly and easily. Continuing with the stick-cheek-product theme, I'm still using Glossier Haloscope in Quartz, forever and always. Pictured here is the tiniest sliver of my second tube that I had left - I've sinced moved on to my third one. It's that good.

Lastly for lips, I've been (surprise) also keeping things simple. A few swipes of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy* in Dream is all I need - it gives the prettiest wash of pink to the lips, and it's super moisturizing. If I'm feeling a little fancy I'll add some of the Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Blush. This is a lovely gloss formula that feels creamy rather than sticky, and it lasts well, too.

What products have you been wearing lately?

*Products mentioned have been sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks

Wearing Nightingale and Tamar on the cheeks, Cruz on the lips

What if I told you I've found a product that has made me put my Glossier Cloud Paints aside? I've been trying out the Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks* for the past few weeks now, and they've become everyday staples for sure.

You may remember I reviewed Onomie's other products a while ago, and I'm so excited for their newest launch. I'm all about cream/stick products as they're just so easy to use, especially on the go. They're incredibly hydrating and smoothing, so much so that they do seem to have a slight plumping effect on the lips and the cheeks. They're packed with nourishing oils and shea butter to hydrate, smooth, and firm the skin as well as give it a glow. They're quite a bit more pigmented than I was expecting, so they give a lovely natural-looking flush to both the lips and cheeks. They feel so nice and balmy on the skin - I would guess these may not be the best for oily skin, but my dry winter skin has been loving them. They give the skin a beautiful dewy glow that feels nourishing throughout the day, but not tacky. On the lips, they literally feel like lip balm.

The Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks come in three shades: Nightingale, a nude shade that's a perfect natural bronzer shade for me; Tamar, a beautiful wine color that's quite natural and wearable; and Cruz, a bright berry shade that adds a pop of color. My favorite of the three is Tamar, because it's right between the other two shades, so it gives me a little bit of bronze and a little bit of color. On days I have more time to apply my makeup, I'll use Nightingale as a bronzer and Cruz as a blush, but on rushed mornings I'll just use Tamar and be done.

These wear quite well throughout the day, too - I find they last all day on my cheeks and continue to feel nourishing up until I remove my makeup at the end of the day, and the color doesn't get patchy or really wear away at all. On the lips, it does wear off of course and behaves as most tinted lip balms. It's not slippy, though, so there's no need to worry about it ending up anywhere but your lips. This is one of the few multi-use products where I don't really have a preference of where I apply it - it works equally well on lips and cheeks for me.

T-B | Nightingale, Tamar, Cruz

Blended out

The Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks are $30 each, and if you get the Smart Trio you get the Cheeky Blending Brush for free. I’ve been loving the brush to blend the products out on my cheeks - it does such a great job and is so quick! I also love that it’s retractable, so it’s easy to take on the go for touch ups. 

Have you tried the Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Sticks? 

Onomie Boosting Lip + Cheek Smart Trio was sent to me for consideration, but all opinions are my own.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette | Review & Swatches

When the Anastasia Soft Glam Palette was released, I was interested, but not quite enough to jump up and buy it. The colors really spoke to me, but did I really need another neutral palette? Long story short, my sister ended up with an extra and gave it to me, so I have one now! And I'm a lot more excited about it now that it's in my hands and I've had a chance to play with it.

I know everyone is coming out with warm neutral palettes lately, but there's actually something quite unique about this one. Rather than being all about the orange shades, this one focuses more on mustard yellows and pinks. Normally I have to be really careful with warm eyeshadows because with my skintone, they can just turn bright orange and make me look ill, but these are actually flattering. They're true subtle warm tones that are still quite natural and wearable for everyday.

It's quite a versatile palette - if you caught the Instagram Live I did with my sister last weekend, we both used this palette and ended up with quite different looks (despite using some of the same shades). It's easy for me to create the minimal looks I'm used to, and she goes for more intricate looks and loves this palette, too. It contains 14 shades in matte and shimmer finishes, and like the Modern Renaissance Palette (review), it has more mattes than shimmers. If you're a neutral look-lover then I think this is pretty much made for you. I love the inclusion of so many mid-tone matte browns - obviously a nod to the Instagram makeup trend of adding slightly deeper and deeper shades in the crease for a seamless blend. 

I was happy to hear the Soft Glam Palette would have the same formula as Modern Renaissance Palette - I didn't try the Subculture Palette, but Modern Renaissance is one of my favorite palettes ever. The shades do perform similarly and feel the same when swatched. The shimmers are nice and buttery and are incredibly pigmented - the shade Fairy is quite soft and almost crumbles out of the pan a bit when you put a brush in, but it's still beautiful on the eyes and I haven't experienced fallout with it. The mattes are easy to apply and blend as well. I do find them to feel slightly powdery, but again, I don't have any issues with them on the eyes.

I've found that for powder eyeshadows, Anastasia's tend to be the longest-lasting on me without creasing or fading, and that's still true for this palette. I always use a primer underneath and get a full day's wear out of them. Actually, in the Instagram Live I did with my sister, I applied shadows from Soft Glam on top of one of the Glossier Lidstars, and that worked to keep them in place as well.

I think if you have tons of warm-leaning neutral palettes already, you don't necessarily need this one. But if you're a fan of Anastasia eyeshadows or want to build up your palette collection, then I'd say this is a must-have. I wasn't originally planning on buying it, but I'm so happy I have it now and would definitely repurchase (if I were to ever come close to finishing it!).

Have you tried the Soft Glam Palette? What did you think about it?