Favorite Every Day Eye Makeup Brushes

When it comes to my every day eye makeup, I can usually get away with only using a few brushes. There are 5 brushes that I reach for most often and I thought I would share them with you as well as how I use them. Like my face brushes, the majority of these are Real Techniques brushes. The 3 Real Techniques brushes I'm talking about today can be found in the Starter Set which I highly recommend!

ELF Professional Blending Eye Brush


This is one of the best inexpensive blending brushes I've used. It's super soft and has a slight angle to it. I use this to blend out the shadow in my crease and also to blend out any shadow I apply in the outer corners. I use this brush along with the contour brush (below). If you are looking for a good eye brush combo, I definitely recommend trying both of them. Oh and did I mention this brush is only $1.00?!

ELF Contour Brush


I bought this ELF brush to make it easier to apply more concentrated eyeshadow colors. When I do a smokey eye, I like to use this brush to add a tiny bit of a black shadow into the outer corners of my eyes. Since the brush is so small it makes it easy for me to only apply the shadow exactly where I want it. This also works well in the crease but you would need to use a separate brush to blend out the shadow after. This brush is a total steal at $3.00.

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush


This brush is a lot larger than the two ELF brushes mentioned above. I use this brush most when keeping my eyeshadow simple. After applying a base shadow, I'll use an edge of this brush to apply a darker shade into my crease. Since the brush is so large, it makes it really easy to blend out the crease color so the look isn't so intense.

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush


I use this shadow brush to apply my base layer of eyeshadow on my eyelids and even to pat some eyeshadow under my brow bone. I love that it's flat and really soft. In my experience, it picks up the perfect amount of shadow. Brushes I've used before have dropped a lot of the eyeshadow off before it even gets to your eyelids and I don't have that problem with this one.

Real Techniques Brow Brush


I use this brush almost every day. Even when I don't put on any other makeup, I have to make my brows look nice. I dip this brush into my brow powder and use it to lightly fill in the parts of my brows where the hair is sparse. It makes me feel like I put effort into my appearance without really putting much effort into it at all!

Have you tried any of these brushes? What are your favorite brushes to use for eye makeup?

February Favorites

February was almost a makeup free month for me. I came down with a Sinus Infection/Pneumonia combo and spent most of the month coughing, congested, and sleeping. Since I was feeling slightly better by the end of the month, I did end up applying makeup a few times but I really stuck to the same products I've been using since December and January. Most of my favorites for the month were items I used despite being ill and also the things I entertained myself with while laying in bed.


Makeup:

Real Techniques Stippling Brush- I picked up this brush last month during an Ulta haul. I had been using a sponge to apply my foundation but decided to try this stippling brush as I have read good things about it. I used it the few times I applied makeup during February and really loved it! It doesn't get my makeup quite as flawless as the sponge applicator does but it makes my makeup look more natural. It was great for quickly applying and blending my foundation.

Skin Care:

Formula 10.0.6 Best Face Forward Daily Foaming Cleanser- This has been one of my favorite face wash finds. I had never heard of the brand before when I saw the products at Ulta but they were on sale at the time so I decided to try one out. I am so glad I picked it up because I absolutely love it! The scent is amazing (Passionfruit and Green Tea) and it makes my face feel so clean and smooth. It's a gel consistency and does not have any microbeads in it so I was really surprised by how soft it made my face feel. I used this a bunch this month since my face was so dry and I was feeling so gross.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover- Here is another item I picked up during my last Ulta haul. I already use the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Wipes but still seem to have trouble removing my waterproof mascara. This stuff is a miracle solution for waterproof makeup! I've tried quite a few different makeup removers that claim to remove waterproof mascara and this is the only one I've found that actually does! I will definitely continue purchasing this remover!

Hair Care:

Lush No Drought Dry Shampoo- I've been using this dry shampoo for a few years now and it's definitely my favorite. I had some greasy sick person hair this month so dry shampoo was my best friend! I'm not really a fan of the spray dry shampoos as they always seem to run out quickly and I don't feel like they do a whole lot for me. This dry shampoo comes in a large container (it seriously takes forever to use it all) and it smells like lemons.

Olivia Garden Turbo Vent Pro Shaper Brush- This brush right here is a miracle worker! It really deserves a review post of its own so I will probably put one together in the next month or so. Basically, this brush dries my hair in about 6 minutes (I have really thin hair) and makes my hair smooth and almost entirely frizz free. I couldn't live without this brush now. I can't seem to find the exact one I have online but here is a link to a similar one.

Random:

Book: I've been keeping track of all the books I read each month and this month my favorite was The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started reading it but it was definitely a page turner for me. I think I read it in 2 days! The story follows a middle age couple whose marriage is slowly falling apart. It starts out telling you that the wife kills her husband (not a spoiler, it tells you in the description of the book!) and then explains what happened to get them to that point in their marriage. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot.

Movie: Since my boyfriend and I had a super low key Valentine's Day and stayed home, we decided to go see a movie the Sunday after. We chose to see The Wolf of Wall Street as we both wanted to see it and both love Leonardo DiCaprio as an actor. The movie was phenomenal and we absolutely loved it. It is 3 hours long but we made sure not to drink anything so we didn't have to leave the theater the whole time. I will say that since it was a Sunday afternoon the theater was filled with people old enough to be my grandparents. The theater actually ended up filling up and I had an older gentleman sit in the seat right next to me. I hate when theaters get that full! Anyways, being surrounded by old people during this movie was super awkward as I don't think they realized how raunchy the movie was going to be. Within the first ten minutes my boyfriend and I looked at each other and both starting cracking up because you could tell that these people were blown away by the language and graphic scenes. Regardless, this movie is fantastic and we both really want to see it again. Except maybe this time when it comes out on Blu Ray and we can watch it in our own home. :)

What were your February favorites? Have you seen The Wolf of Wall Street?

A Little Ulta Haul

I stopped by Ulta to pick up a few essential items: makeup remover and a nail file. Of course you can't stop at just the essentials when visiting Ulta. Plus, who's to say what is essential and what isn't?
I browsed around for a bit and noticed they were having a buy one get one 50% off on most of the drugstore brands in the store. SCORE! They also had their usual $3.50 off coupon that the ladies at the counter scan for me when they see my Ulta member card. This made me feel a little better about picking up a few items for fun.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover- I usually purchase the Neutrogena Makeup Remover Towelettes to remove my makeup but I decided to buy the liquid version for removing my mascara. I always wear waterproof mascara and I've tried so many different removers claiming that they take off waterproof mascara and they almost never work. Neutrogena is the only brand I've found that easily removes my waterproof mascara.

Sally Hansen Ahead of the Curve Sapphire Nail File- I misplaced all of my nail files and instead of buying a pack of regular files, I chose to buy this file with super fine grit. I almost never file my nails (so bad!) but it's something I need to start working on if my nails are ever going to be shaped nicely.

Essie Nail Poish in Lots of Lux- I spotted this nail color while Christmas shopping with my best friend and thought it was SO gorgeous. Since I was shopping for others, I didn't buy it but told myself I'd go back for it someday. Well, while walking up and down the aisles, I thought I'd check to see if they had it in stock. I found a shelf full of the newer Essie colors and after searching through the heaping pile, I was able to snag the last Lots of Lux they had! Whew! Talk about lucky!

Physician's Formula Touch of Glow Nude Wear Concealer/Highlighter- Ulta had an end display featuring the new Physician's Formula Nude Wear products and I couldn't help but snatch up this concealer/highlighter. Not only is it adorable with that little bow on it (love bows!) but I've been looking for a more brightening product to use for under my eyes. I'm excited to try this out and see how it works!

Real Techniques Stippling Brush- I picked up this stippling brush after reading reviews online that it makes your skin look flawless. I've used a brush and a sponge to apply my foundation and currently I'm liking the sponge a lot more. I'm curious to see how my foundation will look when I use this brush to apply it. I'm always looking for products that make my skin look flawless but also natural.

Maybelline Colorsensational The Buffs Lipstick in Nude Lust (920)- Last time I bought a nude lipstick, I made the mistake of getting a color that was way to light for me. I didn't want that to happen again so I made sure to research this collection before making a purchase. I actually ended up going for a color that I wasn't planning on but it turned out to be the perfect shade!

Rimmel London Lash Accelerator Serum- Who doesn't want longer, thicker lashes? I was searching online to find an inexpensive lash growth serum that really worked and after reading the reviews on Ulta.com for this serum, I was hoping they had it in stock. I was super excited to see it in store and grabbed it up. I'm going to test this out for a month or so and I'll share my results with you all!

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious (245)- As I mentioned in my post about the Colorburst Matte and Lacquer Balms, I've been meaning to try a color other than a red. Since Revlon had the buy one get one sale going on, I decided to pick one up. I saw this bright orange pink shade and figured it would be an amazing color for Spring and Summer. It goes on super bright so I'll have to play around with it a bit.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey (001)- After wearing my Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten on Saturday night, I remembered just how much I loved them. I wanted another but wasn't sure which color to go with next. Leighannsays on Youtube (love her!) has recommended the color Honey multiple times in her videos so I decided to give it a try!

I'll obviously be trying out the products I've listed above and I'll share my opinions on them after I've put them to use. I'm really excited about that lash accelerator and also that beautiful nail color!