100th Post!! My Dream Makeup Kit

It's my 100th post here on Lovely Dalliances. YAY!

I thought it would be fitting to do a fun post. I love a lot of things, but if I had to pick only one kind of each item, these are the ones I would absolutely HAVE to have. Holy Grail, money is no obstacle kind of "Dream Makeup Kit".

1. Foundation- Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet +

 

 

 

2. Concealer for blemishes- MAC Studio Finish Concealer

 

 

 

3. Concealer for under eyes- Maybelline Dream Lumi

 

 

4. Powder- MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural

 

 

 

5. Bronzer- NARS Laguna

 

 

 

6. Blush- Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Glisten

7. Highlighter- Too Faced Candlelight 

 

 

 

8. Eye Primer- MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study

 

 

9. Eyeshadow- Urban Decay Naked Palette

10. Eyeliner- Lancome Art Liner

 

 

 

11. Mascara- Lancome Hypnose (original version)

 

 

 

12. Lipgloss- BareMinerals in Cupcake

 

 

 

13. Lipstick- Tarte Glamazon in Inspired

 

 

 

14. Brow- Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Ash

 

 

 

15. Brush Kit- Real Techniques (every single brush!)

 

 What's in your dream makeup kit?

Mineral Eyeshadows

I have a real Love/Hate relationship with mineral eyeshadows. Particularly of the loose variation. On one hand I think the color payoff is immense and the ranges of colors are amazing, but they are not travel convenient and can get quite messy. Loose mineral eyeshadows are really a product for a stay at home makeup collection and need to stay flat when not in use, not ideal for a makeup bag. If you are patient and take good care of them, I think mineral eyeshadows can produce beautiful eye looks.

Here's a quick peek at a few of my favorites. I have several from e.l.f. and a few from BareMinerals. In the photo's of the swatches, I applied one swipe over the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer (which is an amazing primer for any eyeshadow).

Wet N Wild MegaShimmer in "White Lotus":

(not mineral, but same effect)
A very shimmery pale ivory. Great over whites, silvers or greys for an icy shimmery effect.

BareMinerals in "Queen Phyllis":
All time favorite golden shade, have repurchased many times. Great for browbone or inner corner highlighting.

e.l.f. in "Elegant":
The champagne cousin to Queen Phyllis.

e.l.f. in "Sweet":
Because every girl should have a pretty pink in her collection.

e.l.f. in "Wild":
A deep, cool coffee brown with gold flecks. A lot of the gold flecks are lost upon application.

e.l.f in "Confident":
A rich shimmery mocha with high shine.

BareMinerals in "Queen Tiffany":
A plummy satin taupe, another shade I adore and have repurchased several times.

Overall I think that the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadows are every bit as nice as the BareMineral ones. However, I do think the BareMinerals are only slightly more finely milled. I find that some of the e.l.f. ones can have a bit more fall-out, but for $3 each it is hardly worth fussing over. BareMinerals eyeshadow pots retail for about $12 and are still a very affordable, high quality product.

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0

How COOL is this??

If you are like me, you love the colors and the payoff of bareMinerals loose eyeshadows but hate how completely inconvenient they are. They are messy, definitely not for use on-the-go. But the colors are SOOO PRETTY.

What's a girl to do?

Enter the bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0 quads. All the beauty of their loose eyeshadows, in a silky pressed form, 4 complimentary shadows in one handy on-the-go quad. These retail for $30.

Seriously...amazeballs.

I got this in "The Truth" quad which features the following colors:

Serendipitous- Soft pinky/peach highlight shade
Magnetism- Shimmering taupe
Fate- Mocha with some sheen
Apropos- Dark matte brown with some sparkle (I see the sparkle in the pan but it doesn't transfer to the lid)




photo courtesy of Sephora.com



These are SUPER pigmented, very blendable, long wearing and feel SO nice on. They never crease or fade. I've found that using the Magnetism shade over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze makes an eye look that will literally last you ALL DAY LONG.

I'm not going to post a picture of my palette because I use it every single day and it looks like it. If you are interested in seeing all 5 of these quads visit: http://www.bareescentuals.com/.

Favorite Lip Products

Next to foundation, I am almost as obsessed with lip products. I am also very picky about lip products. I do not like them too sticky, too scented, too "slippery", or gritty. I also prefer that the color payoff on my lips somewhat resembles the color in the tube. There are few things more annoying than finding a gorgeous color, putting it on and having it only make your lips look shiny, NO COLOR. What's the point?? So here are a few of my favorite, tried and true lippies:

Rimmel Lipstick in Airy Fairy: I am not a big fan of nude lipsticks. They make me look like death warmed over. However, this is a warmed up, pinky nude that never looks too pale or fake. It's flattering on and lasts so long. This one is always in my purse.

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine: There is not really any color associated with this product, but that's ok. It's a sheer neutral pink in the tube. Which, I love the tube. You used to only be able to get these in the pots and I always felt like that was gross and messy. The tube is nice. It feels luscious on. Paraben and sulfate free, it just melts into your lips. Great on it's own or under your favorite lip color. Deeply moisturizing without being greasy. A classic!

NARS Lip Gloss in Orgasm: You know I love this color. It's golden, peachy and super saturated. The only thing about NARS is that I don't love the "flavor" of their lip glosses. They smell slightly more plasticky than I prefer, but the payoff is pretty impressive.

Clinique Lipstick in Fizy: I honestly don't even think they make this color anymore, but it's been a favorite for YEARS. I ratholed a whole bunch of them and am down to my last tube, so I'm making it last forever. This is of those colors that just makes your whole face pop and look alive. It's like a warmer, bronzey neutral that just works. The formula is great, long wearing and creamy.

BareMinerals Lip Gloss in Cupcake: I really like this color, but in general...I love this whole line of lip glosses. I have several. This one is so loved it's almost gone, but the others are just as awesome. They smell so good, feel awesome on and have a great payoff. Never sticky, also paraben and sulfate free. Like a lipgloss and a lip treatment all in one.

Not pictured (Because it's in my purse...ALWAYS):

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Peach Parfait: The greatest thing ever. This is one of the only ones of the lip butters with shimmer, it's the prettiest shade. These feel like chapstick but have color like lipsticks, they are amazing. Easy to apply, awesome color payoff, great selection. These lip butters are a must-have product.

What are some of your favorite lip products?