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 ♥

(REVIEW) Tea Tree Oil Makeup Cleansing Wipes

I love Burlington Coat Factory and find so many great deals there, however I never really looked through the bath & body section until this weekend. And let me tell you I walked out of there with more products then I needed and a bank account that was mad at me.

The first product I'll be talking about from that shopping trip is a make-up cleansing tissue. For the most part on days where I'm home just hanging around I don't wear heavy makeup and feel like my face wash does a good job at getting it off, but now that summer is here and we sweat like crazy (especially if you're like me and live in a state that does not believe in central AC since you only need it for what two months, I mean heck we just had snow two days ago) I feel as if I need something to help get makeup and dirt off, also the days where I have more makeup or a heavier foundation on I want to be able to get it all off and not feel it still after I was my face. So while at Burlington I picked these up for about four dollars.

So here is where I put them to the test on my hand I have Better Then Sex Mascara, ELF Kohl Eyeliner, Maybellieve FitMe Blush in medium coral, and L'Oreal True Match bronzer in cocoa c8.

So I first wiped off the blush and bronzer which came off easily with two swipes.

Next came the true test the mascara and eyeliner, the mascara came off pretty well, but not so much the kohl liner which did not surprise me at all. 

So let me break it down for you on the pros and cons of this product

Pros:

• Gets almost all your makeup off (for me it has at least)
• Comes with 60 wipes
• Tea tree oil is beneficial for skin especially those with acne prone skin
• Those with dry skin will benefit from the Vitamin E in this
• Has an expiration date on it mine are good until 12/07/2018 (love when products put the expiration date on them)
• The lid is resealable so won't dry out
• I personally have sensitive skin and haven't been irritated by the product yet
• Hypo-allergenic
• Cruelty free

Cons:

• Has a strong smell of tea tree oil, which I know some people hate
• The first few wipes felt drenched and very soapy and for a wipe I hate that feeling
• Literally having a hard time finding them anywhere online
• Hard time getting eyeliner off 
• When taking eye makeup off it does smear your eyeliner and mascara around even more, you'll get raccoon looking eyes, I ended up having a nose full of eyeliner the other night but it does come off takes just more effort then the rest of your face

I would recommend these for an affordable wipe, might not purchase again to see what else is out there, do you have any suggestions?

Xoxo Liz ♥

Five Red Lipsticks You Need (High End & Drugstore)

Five more days until Valentines Day, say what? Wasn't yesterday New Years Eve? I feel as if Valentines Day is the perfect excuse to pull out that red lipstick, heck you really don't need an excuse for red lipstick but for others who aren't as comfortable wearing it in their every day routine. Since there are five days left I will let you in on five great lipsticks, actually ten, higher end and drugstore ones that are great for your date or night with your friends.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick  

Shade: Poison Apple

 Price: 20.00

Definitely a home run, long lasting as said in the product details and that is not a lie. I have never really been a fan of liquid lipsticks until this product. It's one of those lip products that you don't have to keep checking to make sure it is still on, I can keep going on about how long it last, seriously. Don't believe me go see for yourself! The only thing I would personally recommend is if you have dry lips or flaky stay away from this product. 

Tarte's Tartiest Lip Paint

Shade: Bae-Red

Price: 20.00

As weird as it sounds this product by Tarte has a velvet matte finish, and the product itself feels light weight. As I have heard others complain the one thing that is not so great is the wand/applicator which you can easily buy a cheap lip brush from somewhere like ELF Cosmetics and problem fixed, or if you have any other applicators from old lip products is another option.

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick

Shade: Pomegranate

Price: 24.00

I swear I have seen Bite Beauty on Hautelook which means you can get it for even cheaper then twenty four dollars. If you aren't a fan of liquid lipsticks this is a dupe for the Tartiest Lip Paint, it is a creme type lipstick as the name hints, I feel as if this is a hydrating formula, and lightweight. Great for summer who likes wearing heavier lip products in the heat, not me. It's not as long lasting but it's one of those you don't mind reapplying in a few hours.

Dolce Matte Red Lipstick

Shade: Lover 624

Price: 37.00

If you want matte and great pigmentation this one is for you. it applies smoothly. They have eight different shades of red so you can have your choice of which red would suite you the best. I love this one because it really is matte and like a classic lipstick. I'm just a huge fan of classic lipsticks and would choose them over lip tints, stains, and liquids every single time, but seeing how most matte products are a liquid lipstick now.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine

Shade: Rouge In Danger

Price: 36.00

Summer red color again, Rouge In Danger is described as a deep strawberry red. Can you see I am just daydreaming about summer. If you want smoother nourished lips and hydration this one is for you. This line has 18 shades, most of them red based there is one that I can think of that is more of a purple than red. Plus YSL has always had some of my favorite packaging especially lipsticks. 

Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter

Shade: Candy Apple

Price: 5.99-7.49

You can find some great lipsticks for half the price at the drugstore, and yes even some of the best red shades are found there. Candy Apple is more of an opaque red but and bright just like a candy apple. Is anyone else thinking about Dance Moms right now? Back to lipsticks if you aren't really a lipstick person I suggest trying this line from Revlon, they are lightweight and buttery feeling so it's not very lipsticky at all.

ELF Moisturizing Lipstick

Shade: Velvet Rope

Price: 3.00

I love ELF, seriously love this makeup brand. You can't really beat their prices and if you are signed up for their emails you will always get deals, right now you can get a free matte lipstick when you checkout. I have a fair number of the moisturizing lipsticks, someone who has dry lips in the winter and living in Maine very dry finger biting cold temperatures. Some of the shades are great not all though. I give the Velvet Rope and the darker colors a thumbs up but the lighter shades I find aren't as well pigmented and don't apply evenly, the red ones are beyond worth it. I would pair this one with a lip liner, at least with this shade if I don't have a liner it bleeds a little bit.

Milani Color Statement Lipstick

Shade: Ruby Valentine

Price: 5.49-5.99

See the color name? Perfect for a Valentine date. Long lasting color that stays in place and highly pigmented. This one is not heavy feeling at all, I feel like very drugstore one I picked isn't very heavy. This line is definitely not a matte finish at all, doesn't say it is, but for a lipstick I find this one shinier then usual. 

L'Oreal Pairs Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Reds

Shade: Zoe's Red

Price:8.09-8.99

I chose Zoe's Red for this list just to add in a darker red for those of you who wanted a darker option. The application goes on evenly and smoothly, its lasting ability depends I woulds say it could go for 4 hours without drinking or eating. 

Wet N Wild MegaLast Lip Color

Shade: Spotlight Red 911D

Price: 2.99

Saved the best for last, I love the Wet N Wild MegaLast lip line. I have so many shades, my go to lipsticks. They last literally for hours, some days I have trouble getting them off when it comes to bed time. I would honestly choose this lipstick over any high end one that got offered to me for free, I am beyond serious. You can not go wrong with this price either, won't break the bank got to love that. These are more of a matte finish but if you have a clear lip gloss or chap stick that can change. I would go to your local drugstore and pick some of these up right now, you will not be disappointed.

What are your favorite red lipsticks?

Xoxo Liz ♥ 

Top Fitness Apps For IPhone

2016.. New year, new me? Okay maybe not but for many people New Years resolutions is to get in better shape, and lets admit getting in shape can be difficult on your own without a personal trainer, and of course I'm not in the best shape. I am in all honesty the person who loves pizza and coffee and can go to the gym for a week straight and forget for three months to go again. I find working out at home enjoyable and better with my time management, oh and a lot cheaper especially if you are in a difficult financial situation. So here are my top five apps that I actually use on my phone for fitness.

Nike+ Running

First on my list, which is honestly in no particular order of favorites, is the Nike+ Running app. This one is great for tracking all your progress, gives you the total miles you've ran (with the app) so let's say you just start running now you can look back in a year and see the total miles, gives you your average pace so you can work on that. Also this allows you to set a time goal, a distance goal or a speed goal if you need goals to help complete your run. At the end of the run you have the choice to put how you felt during your run, maybe you felt tired, great, got injured. Bonus if you have an Apple Watch you can add this to it.

Daily Yoga

Daily Yoga is well yoga. One of my resolutions is too do more yoga attempt at least one a week, hopefully as time goes on it will be more than once a week. Once you create a account you have the choice of picking two things you want to work on, I chose learning as a newbie and relieve stress, then they will give you a library of different programs, and is very easy to follow along with.

Charity Miles

This app is by far my favorite in all honesty. Charity Miles tracks the distance you ran, walked, or biked and for every mile biked you earn 10 cents and for every ran or walked 25 cents, which might not sound like a lot but a little can make a difference it can be motivating to keep you running. The money earned gets donated to the charity of your choice from the list they have. A few of the charities include Team Red, White, and Blue, The Wounded Warrior Project, ASPCA, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Every Mother Counts, and so many more.

Seconds

Seconds is a interval workout timer, you can choose from HIIT timer, circuits, tabata or create your own. I personally create my own with the amount of time and name of exercise I'm doing. It's simple to use and you don't have to keep resetting your timer or stopwatch on your phone.

C25K

C25K is an app I have been using for the past week, I'm not a runner no doubt about that, I hate running. I don't get how people can just wake up and go for a run, this app is for people who are like me. This gets you prepared for running a 5k or just getting in better shape. They have different weeks you complete, the first day you start off walking for 90 seconds and jogging for 60 seconds on and off for a total of 30 minutes, they tell you when to run and walk. You can use your music with this app. This is one helpful app for building stamina, highly recommend it.

The last one I have is FitStar Yoga which I have not used yet but will update this list once I do!

What are some of your favorite fitness apps?
Xoxo Liz 

Cadillac Mountain Sunrise

This November for my birthday instead of any presents I decided I wanted to take a trip about two to three hours south of where I live in Maine. One of my bucket list items was to watch the sunrise on Cadillac Mountain, so what better way to kick off turning 19 then to go catch the sunrise on top of a mountain.

Cadillac Mountain is the first place to see the sunrise from October to May, it sit in Mount Desert Island as a part of Acadia National Park, a must go if you are ever in Maine, trust me. 

Zach and I woke up around 4 am probably before then since I was excited, drove for about two hours we weren't worried about traffic because in Maine there is honestly never any, even in our bigger cities Bangor and Portland the traffic is never bad compared to growing up in the DC area, once we got to the mountain all we had to do was drive up to the top where they have a parking area and you are right there when  you get out of your car.

Now we went at the end of November and it was freezing cold and windy, I mean I had wool socks, a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt, LL Bean jacket and a blanket and still was freezing. It wasn't that crowded but there where more people then I expected to see for this time of the year, in the summer it's packed so if you plan on going be prepared for that. 

There is something so magical about being with the person you love getting to see the sun before anyone else in the United States it was as if the world had stopped for a minute, one of those times you could relive every day. 

We where too cold to stay after the sun came up, plus we went to bed at midnight from surprising my dad at the airport. If you are ever in Maine add this to one of the things you have to do. Even if it's the summer and it's technically not the first place to see the sunrise it still will be breath taking.