Hoola Matte Benefit Bronzer Dupe

Hoola Matte Bronzer by Benefit Cosmetics is well known in the beauty world. Many YouTube beauty gurus say this is one of their holy grail products. As a college student I'd rather not spend 29 dollars just on a bronzer when I have a few cheap ones that do just fine already.

Recently it has been brought to my attention the the New York Color Smooth Skin Bronzer is a dupe for the Hoola Bronzer. Best part it's only $3.62! At first I'd shy away from the color sunny, with such pale skin I didn't think it would do well. I was wrong. It really does smoothly. Not cake at all. Some people agree that it is warmer then the Hoola Bronzer I find even with my pale skin as stated above it still looks nice. It can be found at your local drugstore, Walmart, Target, or even Amazon. 

Xoxo Liz

Do you have any products you want to find out if any dupes exist for it? If so leave a comment below!

e.l.f Flawless Eyeshadow Matte For Plum Review

Who doesn't love deeper fall colors this time of year, especially when they are 2 dollars? Recently I bought Matte For Plum set from the Flawless eyeshadows in the e.l.f collection. I was skeptical at first, one of my coworkers made me do it, she said the plum color is so much fun to play with. 

Photo From E.L.F website

I always stayed away from these sets, I figured that they where cheaper so they probably aren't good quality and I was wrong.

Here are the swatches, which came out chalkier then I thought the colors would be, I wasn't impressed. The colors didn't show up well at all and took a few times of swatching to build up, at that point I kind of wanted to throw it away but I didn't give up.

Here is a photo of the colors on my eyes, and they came up a lot better when using a brush. This set does make green eyes pop.
I recommend when using this use a primer or concealer set with powder if you don't the colors won't be long lasting and will crease.

If you have young nieces, family, or friends this is a good gift idea to throw in like a stocking stuffer.

Sunrise On Moosehead Lake

If you remember around November I posted about watching the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, now I'm posting about watching the sunrise from Moosehead Lake in Maine. If you couldn't tell I have a thing for sunrises.

Zach and I woke up around 3 in the morning, and as he said waking up ugh why can't you like sunsets better, I do love a good sunset but something about the sunrise, waking up early, the birds chirping and the feeling of being awake before anyone else, it just feels relaxing and calming. We live about an hour  from Moosehead Lake and another half an hour around the lake to where we keep our boat in Rockwood Maine. We ended up at a place called the Kineo Dock, which has a view of Mount Kineo, and access to the public. No one was around and we probably only passed two cars and one logging truck on our way there. Moosehead Lake is the largest lake in Maine, and the largest mountain lake in the eastern part of the United States, and let me tell you it's absolutely breath taking, if you are in Maine you have to go to Greenville and Moosehead Lake.

PS this early in the morning you are bound to see a moose, we saw one on the side of the road on our way back about a mile away from the Kineo dock, it ran back into the woods before we could get a picture. Just be cautious of them in the roadway. A great place to see them is called Shirley Flats.

Xoxo Liz

Cleaning Your Beauty Sponges

   

I don't know about you but I personally dread cleaning my makeup brushes, but they are an investment so better take care of them the way I see it. Some people neglect to clean they're beauty sponges but you don't realize how much bacteria these can hold in between washes. I mean I'll be honest it's been like three weeks before today since I had washed my brushes and sponges. So with that being said here is how I get my sponges clean and sanitized. 

Step One: Take you sponge and place in a microwavable safe container or bowl. 

Step Two: Fill your container with water and anti bacterial dish soap and let sponge soak. 

Step Three: Squeeze sponge, I repeat this a few times letting the sponge soak and squeezing it.

Step Four: Rinse out all of the soap.

Step Five: Fill up the container with about an inch or two of water, then place in the microwave for 1:40 on high, this part sanitizes the sponge.

Step Six: CAUTION HOT!!!! After the microwave let sit on the counter for a few minutes to cool off before continuing, once cooled down squeeze the excess water out.

Step Eight: Lay on a flat surface to dry and done!!! As you might be able to see my sponge isn't as stained, but since I hadn't cleaned it in forever it's stained for good but that doesn't matter too much to me.

I don't do this every week, more like every few weeks, but weekly I try to clean it by doing every step up until step 5, I skip those and let the sponge dry. 

I got this specific beauty sponge off of Amazon, I find the egg shape my favorite since you have a flat side which is amazing for foundation and the pointy rounded edge amazing for under the eye, and best part it was only $1.99 plus free shipping so won't break the bank!

Xoxo Liz 

Products With SPF In It To Keep Your Skin Glowing

Growing up as a kid we have all heard the you need to put sunscreen on,  running around on the beach and our parents would call us over to apply more after a certain time.. Let's be honest most of us would be annoyed and not see the point of sunscreen, but now we are older we know the dangers of the sun.

Here are some products with SPF to protect your skin year round, even in the winter your skin is at risk.

After washing your face in the morning I recommend adding sunscreen of at least SPF 15 under your makeup. There are so many to choose from but the Ulta brand is great and only $9.99.

Tartes Amazonian Clay Foundation is  a great choice, with an SPF 15 it also contains Vitamins A & E, keeping it healthy and nourished for up to 12 hours, priced at $39.00.

It Cosmetics CC+ Cream Illumination is a beyond amazing product. First off has SPF 50 you can't beat that for protecting your face, second is has an anti-aging plus hydration serum to keep your skin looking young and nourished, lighter weight which is perfect for summer, priced at $38.00.

  

bareSKIN Pure Brighting Serum Foundation has SPF 20, it also tone corrects while including brighting serum, priced at $29.50 and shipping is free!

L'Oréal True Match Foundation is lightweight yet build able for those hot summer days, will a range of shades to match the undertones in your skin with SPF 17, priced at $9.99 this a must have for the summer.

If you don't have a foundation with SPF in it another good choice is a primer, which will help your makeup stay on longer. Nars Pro-Prime Optimizing Primer is amazing having SPF 15 and is known for evening out skin tone while absorbing into your skin fast. Priced at $35.00.

 

MAC Prep + Prime has all you need to keep those harmful sun rays away. SPF 50 and priced at $31.00.

Naked Skin Beauty Balm is great for when you want some coverage but not too much, as I have said about half these products it feels like. It has SPF 20, comes in one universal shade, but for people with fair skin I wouldn't recommend as someone with very fair skin products that come in one shade usually leave an orange cast on skin. This product in specific helps combat wrinkles, redness, and reduces the size of pores. Priced at $14.00. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer is a HOLY GRAIL. Let me tell you it comes in 15 different shades so you are more than likely going to find one that matches pretty close to your skin tone. Contains SPF 20, it's going to keep your skin moisturized with Vitamin C and E, and does well with sensitive skin. Bonus two shades come in travel size perfect for throwing in your purse for the beach this summer. Priced at $44.00.

We all use moisturizer in the morning, why not get the most out of it by using one with SPF. Lancôme Bienfait Multi-Vital Moisturizing Cream will you keep you hydrated and protected with SPF 30. Priced at $49.00.

In the summer try to protect your skin as much as you can, and remember just like makeup you want to reapply your sunscreen after getting out of the water even if it says waterproof. I hope you're enjoying your summer!

Xoxo Liz 

The Little Moments (Quote of the week)

Some of us get to caught up in our goals, our future, many of us think there are not enough hours in the day to get what we need done. We're so caught up in life that we forget to take a moment and enjoy those little things around us. We forget to appreciate those moments in our life, those moments that make up your life. Do you want to look back and realize you where so caught up in the future you didn't appreciate those hours, minutes, seconds that made up your life?

I've realized that these little moments, dancing around in the kitchen, waking up to the person you love and just taking the morning light across there face, somebody complementing you, are what make you well you. 

I get to spend a lot of time with my niece while my sister and brother in law are at work, she loves to dance and even though she won't remember these days I take them to heart, knowing she won't be this little forever, she has taught me to take in these things that happen realizing they won't stay like this forever and that they make up my life. Even on your crappiest days, when you feel like you aren't getting enough done there are still the little things that happened that day to make the world a better place, to make your day a little better, maybe it was someone who took the time to hold the door open for you, maybe it's just the sun shining brightly, there are endless possibilities, just for a moment forget the future and live in the present, because you will look back one day and realize you didn't just rush through life and took time to appreciate life. I personally believe that you'll be happier doing this.

Xoxo Liz ♥

3 Quick Tips On Painless Eyebrow Tweezing

Some days you look in the mirror and dread tweezing your eyebrows, let's be honest it can be painful plucking out those stubborn hairs. I used to wax my eyebrows..at home..by myself... Not the greatest idea especially for a 13 year old at the time who thought it was okay to put the entire wax strip on her eyebrow and rip it off.... We all make mistakes and most of us went through a bad eyebrow time. So for me I prefer using tweezers and these are the ways I make it a painless experience.

Revlon Love Collection Tweezers

• Ice: Trust me it might be cold but this is one life savor especially if you hate any kind of pain. I just take an ice cube and rub it over the area that you will be tweezing to numb it.
• Heat: Using a washcloth preferably run it under hot water or heat up water in a mug and put the washcloth in it, not too hot though you do not want to burn yourself, just like the ice you want to put the washcloth on your eyebrows and I recommend letting it sit there for a minute or two, the heat will help open up the pores/hair follicles and will make tweezing a lot easier.
• After showering: Same affects as the washcloth in hot water, the steam from your shower will open up the pores making it easier to pluck. 

I also recommend using a pair of tweezers that are sharper not worn down it will make grabbing onto the hair easier.

Do you have any other recommendations or have these tips worked for you let me know below!

Xoxo Liz ♥