JULY FAVORITES & FAILS

FAVORITES:

1. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Foundation: I wrote about this in my Favorite Foundations post. It makes your skin look flawless, gives it a dewy finish and allows for a medium to full coverage. I don't know what else to say about this other than I'm totally obsessed. (Ulta is currently having a Buy 2, Get 1 Free sale on Neutrogena products... I'm tempted to go just to buy 3 of these foundations. I'm psychotic.)

2. Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Foundation: This feels like a skin serum and not a foundation. It's flawless, but in a different way than the Neutrogena one: it's semi-matte and gives light to medium coverage. You honestly can't even feel this on your skin. (If you're contemplating buying the Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation, I've heard this is an almost exact dupe.)

3. Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma Eyeshadow: This is the perfect highlight shade. 

4. Makeup Geek Creme Brûlée Eyeshadow: This is the perfect blending shade. That's all. End of story. Nothing else to see here.

5. Rimmel Airy Fairy Lipstick: If you like makeup as much as me, you've probably spent your whole life looking for the perfect "My Lips But Better (MLBB)" shade. Well, ladies and gents, I found mine. I love this so much that when I first got it, it fell out of my purse in my car and melted into smithereens. I went out that very day and bought a second one. I refuse to live my life without this lipstick, and if that means I need to go to Ulta and buy every single one in the display, well then, so be it.

6. Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black: The notes are violet, sandalwood, vanilla, and Sephora describes it as "Sensual. Mysterious. Warm." I agree on all counts. The best way I can describe this perfume is to say that it's intoxicating. I'm obsessed with it, and have been for the entire month. It's pretty much taken the place of my Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb perfume (which, by the way, smells like marshmallows and angels).

7. Minoux Tiny Bar Necklace: I bought this bar necklace way back in May, and it was backordered to June. Cut to a delay in production, and I got this necklace the week of July 7. I've worn it almost every single day since. The Anomie site describes it as "the perfect everyday necklace," and I couldn't agree more. 

8. Kendra Scott Morgan Studs in Navy Cat's Eye: These were an impulse buy. But, navy is my lifeblood (so is champagne. If you cut open my body, my veins would be full of navy accessories and champagne). I live and breathe navy, and when I saw these I bought them without a single second of hesitation. 

9. "Snowpiercer": The best way I can think of to describe this movie is haunting. I have never, ever in my life seen a movie like this. It has made such an impact on me, that I have woken up in the middle of four separate nights since I've seen this and the idea of this movie has kept me awake for almost two hours each night just replaying it in my head. Here's IMDB's description of the film: "Set in a future where a failed climate-change experiment kills all life on the planet except for a lucky few who boarded the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe, where a class system emerges." Yes, it's that, but it's so, so, so much more than that. 

10. The SacconeJoly's YouTube Channel: If you enjoy watching daily vlogs, you'll love their channel. They're Irish YouTubers who just moved to London with their two babies and six Maltese dogs. And they're the most adorable people on the planet. 

FAILS:

1. Jane Eyeshadow in Lotus: This crumbled to pieces in my bag on my way out of Ulta, and then once I spent a good 5 minutes trying to stuff it back in the casing, I realized that the pigmentation is total crap. I've heard that the Jane eyeshadows are brilliant, so let me know which ones you have and love so I can give the line another shot.

2. Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector: I got a sample of this at Sephora in the beginning of the month, and had read reviews where people were saying that this has changed their life. Look, I don't even have oily skin, and I wore this on Tuesday this week with the Lancome Tient Idol Ultra foundation and by noon my foundation had slid off my nose completely. This is not a joke: it slid off my nose and pooled up around the tops of my lips. I am not kidding. And the rest of my face was grease ball central. I've never had an issue with the Lancome foundation, so I'm looking at you, Becca primer, because you totally screwed me!

3. Pixel Party Proof Eyeliner in Down to Earth Brown: Party Proof? My ass. This got up in my eyebrows and slid down to the tops of my cheekbones. And it has no pigment, whatsoever. 

I'M...

...wishing I could hear the Counting Crows play "Rain King" live again. 

...getting pumped up for Houston Restaurant Weeks.

...contemplating making August a No-Buy Makeup month. But, but, but, guys, I just love shopping so much. #typicalfemale

...eating Banana Cream Greek yogurt. Somewhere out there, my roommate is gagging at the thought of this food item.

...counting down the days until I get to go to Aspen with one of my high school best friends.

...playing around with my new Erin Condren life planner. I love it so much, but it's so overwhelming. Do I just write down every single detail of my life? "Wednesday July 30: Eat chicken fingers. Thursday July 31: Spend too much money at Target."

...over shorts. Buh-bye, see you never. 

...dying over Kendi's outfit today. Except the Tibi top she's wearing is $265. (!)

...preparing my July Favorites post. It should go up tomorrow!

...already ready for 7 p.m. I need some wine with my girlfriends like yesterday.

...laughing at Olive. Doesn't she just look... dumb?

What's going on for you today? Any Life Planner tips/tricks? Any HRW recommendations?

MY SKINCARE STORY/ROUTINE

Ready to hear something super embarrassing? (I even had a dream last night that I wrote about this on the blog and all of you started emailing and calling me and saying mean things.) I don't think I ever washed my face, this is not a joke, from my freshman year in college to my senior year. I wore Bare Minerals, and you can sleep in that stuff forever and never break out. In law school, I started using makeup wipes to "wash" my face every night, and finally on January 1 of this year, I decided to make it a New Year's resolution to take care of my skin and wash it every night. Y'all, I was so gross! I was straight up NAS-TY.

I'm happy to report that other than the occasional lazy night or the occasional raucous party, I wash my face every morning and night, and I take very, very good care of it. I had awful acne in high school (one of the popular girls even commented on it at a school assembly one day. I cried.), but once I started using Bare Minerals, it totally cleared up. I wasn't focused on making my skin look glowing or flawless, I just was glad I don't have zits from my forehead to my shoulders. Now that I'm taking care of my skin for the first time in my life, I can finally say that my skin looks good. It looks damn good. (I feel like I get a pass for saying something like that because I had to deal with acne, glasses and braces all at the same time. Whooooooo man.)

My Skincare Routine: Now that I'm no longer treating my face it's the inside of a dumpster, let's talk about my current routine. 

To remove my makeup, I use both the Neutrogena face wipes and the Simple eye makeup remover wipes. I had been using the Neutrogena wipes for both my face and eyes, but my eyes constantly hurt. Cut to my watching Sam Schuerman's recent favorites video, and now I own the Simple wipes and my eyes don't hurt like a bitch anymore.

In the mornings, I wash with the Fresh Soy cleanser and an EcoTools sponge, use the Fresh Rose Gel Cream as a moisturizer and apply the Kiehls Avocado eye cream [not pictured]. 

In the evenings, I still use the Fresh cleanser & the Kiehls eye cream, but I also use my Clarisonic, moisturize with the Korres Greek Yoghurt sleeping facial and apply the Bite Beauty Agave lip mask (it tastes like straight up candy). Tip of the Day: If you have a Clarisonic, but it's breaking you out, try buying the Sensitive or Cashmere heads and using it once, instead of twice, per day. Also make sure you're not putting too much pressure on it.

If my skin is breaking out (I usually get 1-2 spots a month on my chin area), I'll use the Boots Botanics clay mask. You can apply this all over and remove it once it dries, or spot treat your problem areas. This is a good dupe for the Glamglow Supermud mask (which I also have, and is totally amazing... even if it does cost $75).

If my skin is looking dry or flakey, I'll use the Boots Botanicals microdermabrasion scrub and then apply the Tarte Maracuja oil after I use the Korres sleeping facial. Tip of the Day: Applying a facial oil at night after your moisturizer will help lock in moisture.

And if my nose is looking especially blackhead-filled (uhhhh nice choice of words, Court), I use both the clay mask and good ol' fashioned Biore pore strips. Yeah, yeah, I know pore strips are kind of gimmicky, but they're so addicting!

Tell me: What's the worst thing you've done to your skin? Any products revolutionize the way your skin looks and feels? Anything I should steer clear of?

A FULL FACE OF FIRST IMPRESSIONS

On Wednesday this week, I went out for drinks with one of my best friends from law school. I had gone to Ulta the day before, so I figured I would test out all of my new purchases at the same time, keep track of my thoughts, and let you know all the details all at once. 

1. Tarte Rainforest After Dark palette ($38): I went into Ulta with an idea in my head: check out the new Lorac Pro 2 palette, and if I didn't like it, randomly pick a palette I had never seen talked about before. Well, I realized that the Lorac Pro 2 palette would end up sitting lonely in my makeup collection forever because I usually gravitate towards warm colors, so I went with this palette. It has six great quality eyeshadows, a beautiful blush & highlighter, and their classic Park Avenue Princess bronzer. The highlighter makes it look like your skin is glowing from the inside out. Ob-sessed. Obsessed! I'm super glad I made this purchase. It will be great for traveling, because everything you need is all in one palette!

2. Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Taupe ($18) + Anastasia #12 Brush ($18): I had been using the Pomade in Blonde with a MAC 266 brush. However, the Blonde color was a bit too light, and my 266 had seen better days (it was fraying at the front and had lost a lot of it's stiffness). The Taupe color is the perfect shade for me, and the brush is amazing. I'm glad I made the switch, even if it did cost me $36!

3. Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara ($8): So far, so good with this one. In my last post, I mentioned that I love layering mascaras, so I wanted to add one to my routine that would help lengthen. This does a pretty damn good job at lengthening (which, duh, it's called Illegal Length).

4. Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Foundation ($10): Okay, I guess this is a "Second Impression." I bought this a few weeks back, applied it once with my fingers, and hated it. HATED it. Once I watched some YouTube reviews on the product, I tried it again: this time, with (a) a Sigma F80 flat top kabuki brush, (b) the Napoleon Perdis Autopilot Primer (all over) & Benefit Porefessional primer (around/on my nose), and (c) the matching Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder. Holy crap, y'all. When you use this with a good primer and the corresponding powder, it is flawless. As in, "I woke up like dis" Beyonce-style flawless. I've worn it every day since Wednesday, so I'd say my feelings are pretty clear.

5. NYX Matte Finish Makeup Setting Spray ($8): This is good, not great. The Urban Decay De-Slick setting spray is the bomb-dot-com, but for $8, this ain't bad. It ain't bad at all. If you're making your first foray into setting sprays, maybe try this one first to see if it's your cup o' tea before spending $40 on a high end one. 

If you'd like to see a haul of all the goodies I bought at Ulta last week, or a tutorial on how to get the look, just leave a comment down below!

FRIDAY FAVORITES: MASCARA

So, this is going up on a Sunday. But! It was meant to go up on a Friday (the boyfriend and I stayed in and watched "Snowpiercer" and drank wine instead, though. Oops.)! Oh well, I'm keeping the title.

I've tried a lot of mascaras in my day, from drugstore to high end (YSL Babydoll mascara, give me my $40 back), American brands to Japanese brands. These are the ones I'm in love with now. FYI: I live for layering mascaras, and the way I've been wearing mine lately is this: One coat of Maybelline Illegal Length (I just bought this last week, so I haven't had enough time to decide if it's a favorite yet or not), one coat of Mally Volumizing Mascara or Jordana Best Lash Extreme, and one coat of Maybelline The Rocket in Waterproof.

1. Benefit They're Real! Mascara ($23): This is my all-time favorite mascara. (But because I'm a mascara junkie, I don't currently have a full-size in my collection.) It lengthens, volumizes, curls and lasts forever. It's not a waterproof formula, but this stuff stays on forever. They even had to develop a specific makeup remover for this mascara, that's how well it stays on. When I do have this rotating through my stash, i don't even have to layer products if I don't want to. It does everything you need in two coats.

2. Mally Volumizing Mascara ($20) & Jordana Best Lash Extreme ($3): I'm lumping these two together because they're the exact.same.mascara. I know they're not by the same brand, but they both do the exact same thing: give you a ridiculous amount of volume in the very first swipe. Now that I've had a chance to try the Mally mascara, I will probably pass it up for the Jordana one simply because it's $17 cheaper. 

3. Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara ($23) & L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga ($8): Again, I'm lumping these two together because they also deliver the same results. Your eyelashes look phenomenal when you use these mascaras. They're ridiculously long and amazingly volumized. The difference I find between these mascaras and Benefit's They're Real! is that the Benefit mascara doesn't deliver results that are as "whispy." Something about these two mascaras is softer than the Benefit mascara, and they don't require 40 minutes of scrubbing to remove them. One cautionary tale: If you're a sloppy mascara-applier, do not buy either of these. The brushes are large and have tons of bristles, and you'll have these mascaras from your elbows to your eyebrows if you're not careful.

4. Maybelline The Rocket Waterproof ($7): No matter what mascaras I have in my current rotation, I always have The Rocket in waterproof. This is the only waterproof mascara I use, and I use it for a very specific purpose, which brings me to the Tip of the Day... 

Tip of the Day: If your eyelids are oily, and you notice your mascara transferring up to your brow bone partway through the day, there's a simple solution: apply your non-waterproof mascaras as usual, and then lock everything in with a light coat of a waterproof mascara at the very end. This will prevent your mascara from transferring, but it won't be impossible to remove.

Tell me, what are your favorite mascaras? Do you layer a million formulas like me or are you a purist? What's the worst mascara you've ever used? I'd love to know, so leave a comment below!

WHAT'S IN MY PURSE + REVIEW OF THE TORY BURCH ROBINSON MIDDY SATCHEL

Are you nosey...? If you're reading this post, you either (a) love me and feel bad for how few people are reading my sad pathetic little blog, or (b) you're nosey (or (c) you're both?). 

Let's talk about the bag itself first, and then I'll tell you every gory detail of its current contents.

Because my MacBook Pro is my personal and work computer, I carry a Michael Kors computer bag on most week days. But in the evenings and on weekends, especially during the summer, I've been loving this Robinson Middy Satchel. 

Pros: It's the perfect size, it has a cross-body strap and handles, the design is to-DIE-for, and since it's Tory Burch, it's obviously very good quality. 

Cons: The design is itchy. That sounds weird, but it is. When I wear it as a cross-body, and I have shorts on, it gives me a rash on my leg. Um, not great. And one other negative about this bag: I didn't even think about the fact that I'm a sloppy idiot before I bought a bag that's 75% cream-colored. I drew on it at work one day (I cried. It was like the third day I had it.), got it soaked in a New Orleans rainstorm, and spilled a drink near the bottom. 

If you're looking into buying a Tory Burch Robinson Middy Satchel, I say go for it, but wait until there's a sale. This goes for all Tory products. They go on sale almost monthly, and a lot of the times the discounts are around 30%. I bought this on sale and ended up saving more than $200.

Now do you want to know what I keep in it? Tory Burch Panama sunglasses in cream/black, Tiffany & Co business card holder (also holds my Texas State Bar License), Kate Spade wallet, Forever 21 pouch, koozie from my best friend's wedding (I always have a koozie in my purse.), and keys with a slate/navy tassel keychain from Etsy.

In the little pouch, I keep 50 billion lipsticks (none of which are shown here because, guys, I'm a lipstick hoarder, and it's embarrassing), Ban Deodorant wipes, Lavanilla Healthy Deodorant, Pacifica Blood Orange rollerball (Obviously, I'm afraid that I stink.), Mally Beauty Face Defender (y'all, this stuff is cool. It's a clear gel/wax type substance and you press it into your oily face at the end of a day and it makes it look like you just applied your makeup. Yes, please.), pens & Post-Its, nail polish, and sample-sized mascara.

Also not pictured: 100 receipts, a Reese's egg from Easter, 15 other pens, a straw from Chick-fil-A, and like 6 pairs of Kendra Scott earrings.

Are any of y'all in the market for a Tory Burch bag? Is there something you carry around with you at all times that's a total must-have? Let me know!

LINKS I LOVE

1. If you want to cry at your desk today, just read this story about Sonny the Dog, a stroke survivor, and his best friend.

2. Joanna Goddard of A Cup of Jo is sharing a recipe for rigatoni with caramelized onions and gorgonzola up on her blog today. I want to eat this so bad that I just drooled on my keyboard. 

3. 25 things Target will make you feel better about. My favorites? Number 18 (winged eyeliner is an art, y'all), and Number 24 ("Babies can be intimidating. However, mosey over to the baby section. Now dwell on the fact that they have to sh*t their own pants and wait for someone to change them.") DY-ING.

4. This extreme food planning method would probably save me from wasting hundreds of dollars in leftovers, but do I have the time? (Who am I kidding, I definitely have the time. The patience, not so much.)

5. If anyone hates that "Wiggle" song as much as I do, just watch this 7-second clip and prepare to have your world changed forever. FOR-EV-ERRRR.

6. Is anyone else obsessed with The Rock? 

7. The original website for the movie "Space Jam" is still floating around there. The best part? They haven't updated it since 2003 when the DVD edition came out. (P.S. the "Space Jam" soundtrack was the first CD I ever bought with my own money. It got stolen at a sleepover; my mom bought me another one because she's the best.)

8. YOU MEAN I CAN COME ONE STEP CLOSER TO BEING BRITNEY SPEARS?

9. Kanye West said that Kim Kardashian is cooler than a fighter jet or a dinosaur. In a weird way, I'm pretty sad my boyfriend has never told me I'm as cool as a dinosaur. I freaking love dinosaurs.

10. Speaking of dinosaurs, I love the Jurassic Park movies. I bet I've seen the first one more than 100 times (even though my dad wouldn't take me to see it in the theater when I was little, but he took my little brother... twice). Well, the first poster for Jurassic World has been revealed at San Diego Comic-Con. SQUEEEE. 

GET READY WITH ME: DATE NIGHT

On Friday, the boyfriend and I went out to a new restaurant for tapas & red wine. This is the look I created. It's mainly focused on L'Oreal's Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush. This is the most beautiful drugstore eyeshadow I've ever come across. If you'd like to see the products I used to get this look, a close up of the Amber Rush shadow & an detailed explanation of how I created the eye look, then just keep reading!

The Face: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye & Bye Bye Redness, Make Up Geek Smitten blush, Sonia Kashuk cream bronzer, UD Naked Palette in Virgin & Dark Horse, Neutrogena Healthy Skin foundation in Buff, L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Amber Rush, Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara, Kat Von D Tattoo liner in Trooper, Make Up Geek eyeshadow in Creme Brûlée & Maybelline Color Elixir in Mandarin Rapture.

The Eyes: (a) I primed my eyes and filled in my eyebrows as usual, (b) I used a fluffy blending brush and took MUG Creme Brûlée and put that in my crease, (c) I used my finger to apply the Amber Rush Shadow from inner to outer corner, (d) I used Darkhorse from the Naked palette to fill in the outer V of my eye, (e) I re-used the fluffy blending brush below to blend out the crease for a nice diffused look, (f) I took Virgin from the Naked Palette and highlighted my brow bone and inner corner. Then I applied a winged eyeliner and three coats of mascara. 

The Eyeshadow: This look was ridiculously easy because of how beautiful this eyeshadow is. Once you plop it on your lids, you're pretty much good to go. It's best applied with your fingertips, and the swatch on the right is actually what the shadow looks like without a primer. Crazy, right?

Let me know what your favorite go-to shadows are in the comments down below! I am obsessed with these Infallible shadows; I have them in tons of colors. Oh, and by the way: if you're recreating this at home, you could use any dark shimmery brown and any highlight color in order to achieve a similar result.

WEEKEND RECAP (7/18-7/20): LIFE THROUGH MY IPHONE LENS

This weekend was was a weekend for Friday night dates, backyard birthday parties, time with Kirby & Olive, and a celebratory Sunday brunch with one of my very best friends.

It was also a weekend for sleeping in, Friday breakfast with my little brother and printed maxis.

How was your weekend? Up on the blog this week will be a Get Ready With Me ("GRWM") from my Friday night date with the boyfriend, a list of links I love, my all-time favorite mascaras and a "What's in my purse?" post. If you have any post requests or suggestions (requestions, maybe?) leave a comment down below!

FOUR FOUNDATIONS I COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT: FRIDAY FAVORITES

I used to be a Bare Minerals addict. In fact, I hadn't ever worn a liquid foundation in my life until last summer. Now that I've crossed over from the dark side, I thought I'd share with you my all-time favorites in case you're in a makeup rut, or have never ventured into liquids. An FYI: my skin is normal in the summer; dry in the winter, I don't have sensitive or acne prone skin, but I do have significant redness around my nose and cheeks that I generally like to conceal with a more medium to full coverage foundation. Now that I've talked your ear off about nothing at all, let's get into the reviews, shall we?

1. Hourglass Immaculate Powder Foundation ($55 for 1 oz): This liquid-to-powder foundation is phenomenal. It's matte, gives a medium to full coverage and turns into a powder while you're blending it in. I recommend this for either (a) my oily girls out there, or (b) any girl in the winter that wants that flawless porcelain doll look. I get a full 8-10 hour day out of this, except around my nose area (which I expect from all foundations). This is the only foundation on this list that I've ever gotten compliments about. Every time I wear this, I'm not kidding, strangers (in line at my grocery store or local food truck, for example) will comment about how beautiful my skin is. If your bank account is screaming for you to splurge on something you totally, absolutely, do not whatsoever need (but obviously really want), go buy this. Now.

Cons: (a) you can't build it up; once it's on, it turns to powder, so if you try to add more layers, it simply wipes away your first layer (I accidentally wrote "lawyer" there, no joke), and (b) it's ridiculously expensive. I have a foundation collection of about 20 different types, and this is the most expensive (even more than the Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Foundation--and come on, it's Marc Jacobs!)

2. Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation ($8-12 for 1 oz): I use the oily to combo formula in the summer, and the dry to combo formula in the winter. It's a very full coverage, 24+ hour wear (I wore it to a beach day in Mexico, then a beach wedding, then all through the night, then on a ferry ride and then on a plane back to the US, for a total of 30 hours, and it still looked great), and natural finish. This is my go-to when I'll be at an event or taking photos. 

Cons: (a) it doesn't have a pump, and (b) you feel like you're wearing it/it looks like you have makeup on. That doesn't scare me because, gurl, I love wearing a full cat eye to the auto shop, but if you're someone used to a more natural look, the next foundation will make your life.

3. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup ($12 for 1 oz): HOLY MACKEREL. This is my all time favorite foundation, and I just discovered it about a month ago. I don't know why, but I usually shy away from the Neutrogena products in the drugstore. Honey, was I wrong about this foundation, though. It goes on like a dream, delivers medium to full coverage, can be built up forever, and leaves a natural to dewy finish. You guys, this foundation changed my life. I personally have never liked the way my skin looks more than when I wear this. I don't even have a con for this. Okay, one: I wish it had a pump.

4. Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation ($5(!) for 1 oz): This reminds me of the Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation, only a lighter version. It will give you a full coverage, semi-matte look that can be built up. It's very beautiful on the skin. Y'all, it's five bucks. I can't even remember the last time I bought something for $5. Oh wait, an Oreo Sonic Blizzard is $4.80... 

Cons: If you have sensitive skin, stay far, far away from this. I haven't had a single issue, but I watched a whole slew of YouTube reviews, and many, many women that wore this had their face break out in teeny tiny spots. The other negative about this foundation is that it's not very long wearing. You can probably wear this for about six, maybe seven hours, and then it'll disappear from your nose and chin and start breaking up around your cheeks. If you're going out with the girls or work at home alone, this would be a great option. Using a primer and a setting spray will also help prolong your wear.

Three runners up: For summer, I like the Marc Jacobs Genius Gel, and for the winter, I like the Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Foundation & Lancome Teint Idol Ultra. 

If you'd like to see a review of any other foundation, let me know! I'll go out and get any new foundation, test it out, take pictures, and post reviews--just comment down below!

NATURAL CONTOUR & HIGHLIGHT: A HOW TO

Let's just jump right in, shall we? 

Products I used: It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness, Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in 30, It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye Concealer in Light, Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in 42, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Sandstorm (for the face), Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (for the under eye area), Tarte Exposed blush, Mary Lou-Manizer by the Balm highlighter.

"Oh gurl, yo face looks niiiiice today! 
You should put a picture of it on the Internet." -No one ever.

1. First I apply my It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness to the spots I'm naturally red. This is around my nose, the inner portions of my cheeks, and my chin.

2. Then I apply a layer of my favorite foundation and let it set for a bit before I get started contouring.

3. I take my concealer and draw a triangle under my eyes as I've marked for you above. Your concealer should be 1-2 shades lighter than your skin, at least, in order to get that highlighted appearance. I don't blend anything yet; I just place the concealer in a messy triangle.

4. Then I apply cream bronzer with a relatively stiff brush. I like the Makeup Geek Contour Brush and the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush for this. You want to apply a line of the cream bronzer: 

(a) Under your cheekbones. If you can't see it naturally, make a fishy face, and where your face naturally sucks in is where the color should go. If that doesn't work, feel your face. Where the bottom of your cheekbone ends, you should feel a small indent and that's where the color should go. And if that doesn't work, you may be an alien. Just kidding... it's safe to say that your contour should go about halfway through your ear. When applying the bronzer here, only go about from your ear to the outer edge of your eye and no closer towards your mouth. Otherwise you'll end up looking like a dude with a five o'clock shadow. You should aim towards the corner of your mouth without actually going all the way there.

(b) On the outer portions of your forehead. When doing this, just be sure to leave the very middle part of your forehead free of bronzer for a highlighted effect.

(c) On the edges of your nose. This is optional, but if you have a gigantic honker like me, any little bit of slimming and shadowing helps take the attention away from your shnoz. 

5. Once you look like an insane person (see: above for an example), you need to start blending. I blend my undereye area out with the Real Techniques sponge (a Beauty Blender works, too, but it's five times the price), then I take a stippling brush and blend, blend, blend the bronzer until it looks like you're naturally bronzy. The number one thing to remember with blending is when you blend the cheek bronzer, blend UP not down, out or over. Basically you want to blend it up towards where you would put your blush.

It should end up looking like this:

Blended out with no powder, blush or highlighter added.

Then I'll go in and powder my face, add blush, and then add highlighter to the high points of my cheeks, the bridge of my nose and my cupid's bow. And voila!

Finished Product

If you like this eye look, stay tuned because I'll post the tutorial next week using the Kat Von D Monarch Palette! And be sure to let me know if you have any suggestions/questions/comments for this tutorial!

I'M...

...missing Jaimie's bridesmaids.

...watching "They Came Together," a movie where Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd mock romantic comedies and make you feel uncomfortable for one hour and twenty-three minutes straight. It's a solid C, no matter how much you like Poehler & Rudd.

...reading Mortal Instruments: City of Heavenly Fire. I'm only about eight chapters in to the last book in the Cassandra Clare series, but so far, it's good. I had nightmares the last two nights in a row after reading it so, take that for what you will... (P.S. This is YA.)

...eating nectarines. Trader Joes had some bomb-ass California nectarines in the store over the past few days, and I tried my best to eat them all. 

...meaning to watch the last season of "True Blood" but forgetting every damn day to turn it on. I heard Eric and Jason had an... encounter? 

...hating the fact that all my fresh flowers are already dead after three days. #firstwordproblems

...planning tomorrow's blog post. Should I do a "How To Contour" post (thanks for the suggestion, Ash) or an iPhone photo dump or a baking post? 

...craving chicken nuggets (but not letting myself have any) as per ushe. 

...forgetting to wear this amazing anthropologie cardigan I bought a few weeks back.

What are YOU doing on this sticky summer Wednesday?

WEDDING/EVENT MAKE UP: TUTORIAL TUESDAY

After watching hundreds (thousands?) of YouTube makeup tutorials (hey, I really, REALLY didn't want to study for the Bar Exam last summer), I thought I had gotten pretty good at doing makeup. That is, until my best friend asked me to do her bridal makeup and our first test run was basically a disaster (to me anyways). So, I thought I'd pass on some products I ended up loving for her big day, and some tips that are absolute musts.

 

My all-time favorite big day products:

L to R: Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, 
Revlon Colorstay Foundation, 
Essence Gel Eyeliner in Midnight in Paris & 
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness Neutralizing Correcting Cream

Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. Not only will your makeup last longer, but if you accidentally end up with cake face, it will get rid of that nasty, powdery look in an instant.

Revlon Colorstay Foundation. If you use this foundation with a Beauty Blender, your makeup will look absolutely flawless--even better than airbrushed makeup--and it will last, seriously, for 36-48 hours. Not that I'm suggesting you wear your makeup that long, but we all know what it's like to drink too much champagne and have to get on an airplane first thing the next morning.

Essence Gel Eyeliner. This product claims it's waterproof, and trust me, after all seven bridesmaids in my friend's wedding started sobbing, we've put it to the test.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Redness. If you're a person who gets red when you dance, get nervous, or get emotional, this stuff will change your life. This is in my top ten makeup products of all time, and for good reason. It's lightweight but it completely cancels out all unwanted redness before you even put on your foundation.

Counterclockwise from L: Kiss Ever EZ Lash Trios in Medium, 
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Shimma Shimma,  
Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade &
Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in 42-Rich Bronze

Kiss Ever EZ Lash Trios. A 5-year-old could apply these false lashes. And not only that, but they look FAN-tastic, to boot. Go for the Short Combos if you want to enhance your natural lashes, and the Medium Combos if you want your eyes to pop a la Betty Boop.

Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma Eyeshadow. First of all, this eyeshadow is only $6. Second of all, it will give you the most beautiful, glowing, ethereal inner corner eye highlight. SWOON.

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade. Please see below re: filling in those brows, girl.

Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer. The way this bronzer works is you put it on in the contour and bronzing sections of your face, blend it in and then go in with your powder/blush/highlight. It blends seamlessly into your skin and seriously looks like you're just naturally that sculpted.

Click the jump to read my wedding day tips!

CURRENTLY COVETING, CRAVING & CARING ABOUT: MONDAY MINUTE

sunset on isla mujeres taken by the boyfriend

...this emotional elephant,

...this gold, white, ivory and and french vanilla tassel garland,

...these DIY canvases,

...this mexican beach wedding,

...these reese's oreos (yes, you definitely need some),

...this interior designer's picture perfect studio apartment,

...this perfectly curated store founded by youtube's chelseawears, &

...these stemless champagne flutes.

tell me, what are you coveting, craving or caring about this monday evening?