September Favorites

It's officially October and soon it will be Halloween! Looking forward to dramatic Halloween makeup, pumpkin picking/carving, and candy corn (which I find are best consumed in small amounts).

There aren't too many new things that I haven't already talked about this month but here
 are some things I've been loving during the month of September:

Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm

$2.99 at Ulta

I love the original Burt's Bees lip balm and can't tell you how many tubes I've gone through over the years. I decided to stray from my trusty original beeswax formula and picked up the Honey version. I am in love with this stuff. Sure it doesn't have the cool minty tingle the original formula has but it is much more moisturizing and has a sweet honey scent. 


Too Faced Insurance Primer
$18 at Ulta, Sephora
 I picked this up for half price ($9) during Ulta's 21 days of beauty because I've always wanted to compare it to my (holy grail?) Urban Decay primer potion. I've only had this primer for two weeks but I'm quite pleased with this primer so far. 


One of my upcoming posts is comparing primers (Urban Decay, Too Faced, and Benefit's Stay Don't Stray) so make sure to subscribe!

Anastasia Beauty Express Brow Kit
$39.50 Sephora, Ulta
Read full review/more pics here. 

I've been using this kit the last 2 weeks and I can honestly say using the stencil is not getting any easier. With that said, I still like this kit overall.

John Frieda Frizz-Ease Leave-In Conditioning Spray
$5.99 Ulta
This spray is not simply a leave-in conditioner but also detangles and has a built in heat  protectant. I love how soft it makes my hair and I totally see a difference in my hair when I use it vs. don't use it. This is probably my 8th bottle over the past few years, and they have changed the bottle (and perhaps the formula?) but it seems to keep getting better. Oh, and did I mention it's affordable too?


 Anastasia Eye Lights Matte
$21 Ulta
(mine was a free sample with purchase)
Benefit's Eye Bright is meant to "brighten the outer corners of the eye" but I also use it as a highlight underneath my brows. Anastasia's Eye Lights Matte is a soft matte highlight and much more natural than Eye Bright. Eye Bright is a pink vs. Anastasia which is a peach, slight pink color. Both are great brow highlighters, however, they each achieve different looks.


What were your favorites during the month of September?

There are only two weeks left to enter my ♥♥GIVEAWAY♥♥!
http://pinkglitterboutique.blogspot.com/2011/09/giveaway.html

August Favorites

I LOVE the summer, and wish it would never end. But right now it's at that weird period between summer and fall here in the North East. One day it's hot and humid and the next day you're wearing a sweatshirt. As much as I love Summer, I just wish it would leave and it were Fall already. I'm not looking forward to cold weather but I do enjoy Fall things like apple picking, football, & of course Halloween! 

Well, here are my makeup/beauty favorites for the month of August.

Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream

I picked up a Benefit skincare mini kit (it contains refined finish facial polish, total moisture facial cream, and facial emulsion) from Ulta for $12 to try out a few of their products. 

The facial cream is really moisturizing and not greasy. I was reading reviews and some say they use this as a night cream as it is a thick, rich cream. However, with my dry skin it works for me if I need to use this during the day (thinking this cream will be great for winter). The other mini in the kit, the refined facial emulsion, is a lighter, oil-free moisturizer and has an SPF 15. This is a moisturizer that Benefit recommends to apply in  the morning, so if the facial cream is too heavy for you during the day, this might be what you're looking for.

The packaging is so pretty, something I'd want to leave out on the bathroom counter. The three I've sampled from the line smell really fresh. The line is on the expensive side (full-sized facial cream is $38) but I'm thinking about purchasing the cream in the full size once Ulta sends out their 20% off coupon.

Where to Buy: Ulta, Sephora, BenefitCosmetics.com

Cost: $38 for 48.2g Net Wt. 1.7 oz

Benefit Sugarbomb

I love this peachy-pink blush for a soft, natural flush of color. It's a great everyday blush that I found myself reaching for a lot during the month. This blush is light which works with my light skintone and is perfect if I want my makeup to appear a little more "natural." Full review here.

Where to Buy: Ulta, Sephora, BenefitCosmetics.com

Cost: $28 for .42 oz

Urban Decay Primer Potion Professional Size

I picked up this primer potion during their Friends & Family sale back in June or July. This is probably my most re-purchased makeup product. Although I've been through a bunch of these tubes and have been a loyal fan of UDPP for quite some time, I'm adding this to my monthly favorites because I am so happy UD finally listened to their fans and put their primer potion in a squeeze tube. No more wasted primer potion at the bottom or sides of tube because the doe- footed wand couldn't reach it. I also love the value you are getting with the Professional size. The professional size is $1.16/mL ($29 for 25mL) vs. $1.73/mL ($19 for 11mL) of their regular-sized squeeze tube, a savings over $0.50 per mL. The only downside is the professional size only comes in the original (sheer nude) shade. 

Oh, and if you don't mind the original genie-style tubes and want to save some money, Urban Decay's website has 2 tubes of UDPP for $19 ($0.95/mL)! Click here.

Where to Buy: UrbanDecay.com and Sephora

Cost: UrbanDecay, $29 and Sephora, $30

Butter London & Zoya Nail Polish

If you're a follower of my blog you may have noticed I've recently become a fan of "3-free" nail polishes. Butter London is free from harmful ingredients like Formaldehyde, Toluene and DBP or Parabens. Butter London nail polishes have so many beautiful colors in their permanent range. I find myself staring at them for quite awhile trying to pick one color over another in Ulta. HRH is such a pretty purple that I think can easily transition from Summer to Fall. Definitely going to pick up more during Ulta's buy one, get one free sale (read about it in this post), especially because they are on the pricier side at $14/polish.

Zoya is also a 3-free brand.  The one thing I really love is how fast-drying their formula is (I hate waiting for my nails to dry!). This color is Jana and is part of their Smoke & Mirrors Collection. The perfect muddy purple-gray for Fall.

Where to Buy: Ulta. ButterLondon.com/Zoya.com

Cost: Butter London, $14 each. Zoya, $8 each.

Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette

This palette has it all- neutrals, brights, darker hues for smokey eyes. What is really amazing about this palette is all 15 shades are brand new shades from Urban Decay. Click here to see my full review and swatches.

Where to Buy: Ulta, Sephora, UrbanDecay.com

Cost: $55

What are your favorites for the month of August?
Oh, and I'm working on a "What's in My Bag" for my next post ♥