The Good, The Bad & The Empties: 2015 Makeup in Review

Yours Truly used to be that girl who didn't wear makeup, or if she did, it was barely-there-can't-tell-mascara and maybe some concealer. I was afraid of smoky eyes, any kind of lipstick and wary of blush. I didn't know how to apply anything and was basically an all-round makeup dummy. 

 Now I'm an avid beauty addict who's experimenting with go-to looks and constantly discovering new amazing products. Here's Yours Truly's makeup picks on the (mostly) affordable end!

If you're still looking for the best cosmetics out there for the best price, keep reading. Here's what Yours Truly's learned about makeup in 2015. 

Behold the A-list trio of this makeup round-up!  Yours Truly's holy trinity for my go-to makeup routine includes Rimmel London's Stay Matte foundation, Rimmel London's Scandal Eyes mascara in Black, and Benefit Cosmetic's Rockateur blush. 

I'm as pale as they come thanks to those Irish genes so it's the lightest color they've got, Light Ivory, for Yours Truly. This foundation is smooth, rich, moisturizing, with medium coverage. It's perfect for evening your complexion and covering a few blemishes. And it's so affordable, under $5 in fact, found at Walmart, Target and other similar stores. All links are down below.

This delectable peach blush is just the most reliable, loved beauty product I've ever spent money on. Benefit Cosmetic's Rockateur is just that: a vivacious, flirtatious color that still bespeaks of 1950s flair. 

As you can see, I've reached the pan and continue to use it every day. I love a bit of glow and glimmer on the cheeks. It comes with its own brush which I've found to be effective!

London Rimmel's Scandal Eyes mascara is a long-term drugstore favorite of mine. I've used it for years: it's non-clumpy, waterproof, and definitely lengthens your lashes at least 50% as promised in advertising. I will admit that after a few hours in especially warm or damp conditions it often smudges the bottom of your eyes rather dramatically. But for less than $6 it's a steal. 

I bought this Sephora blush to supply a non-glitter counterpart to my favorite Rockateur, but to be honest it was a waste of money. This color is lovely but I just didn't need it after all since I used the Benefit blush so much. 

Drew Barrymore's line of cosmetics called Flower is both affordable and full of vivid, gorgeous hues. I picked up this nail polish and totally love it. It's a bright, metallic scarlet called Budding Romance. My first encounter with the famous actresses' beauty products was favorable so I'll be going back to try more! Stay tuned for more reviews. ;) 

This L'Oreal True Match illuminator is, in theory, something I'm in love with. I bought the warm-toned "rose" one. It's a lovely light, shimmery liquid which feels breathable on the skin. However the rose didn't work well with my skin tone so I haven't used it much. It'll probably have to go since it's just cluttering up my makeup bag. I might try it in the cool-toned "ice" but I didn't like how it went on (sorta streaky and un-blend-able) so I might just look for another product by a different brand. 

Naked2 by Urban Decay is a really amazing starter package for those discovering the joys and frustrations of the day-to-night smokey eye -- or just eyeshadow in general. It is by far the most expensive beauty item I've bought but it was so worth it. Over 2015 I used it at least four times a week; I still haven't reached the pan on any of them, but I just chalk that up to generous portions Urban Decay puts into their palettes. 

I love the mix of cool- and warm-toned eyeshadows here. It really makes it possible to create a variety of looks: nude, smokey, glittery, golden, etc. I love products that allow experimentation and this is definitely a winner!

Burt's Bees glittery lip balm in Rhubarb is, well, the bomb! I love this color because it gives the effect of a bright, dark-red-that's-almost-pink lip but it moisturizes as well. LOVE.

Where Yours Truly found these products
// London Rimmel's Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation {$4.97 at Walmart, here} // Benefit Cosmetic's Rockateur Box o' Powder {$28 at Ulta, here; $29 at Sephora, here} // London Rimmel's Scandal Eyes Waterproof Mascara {$5.47 at Walmart, here} // Flower "Budding Romance" Nail Lacquer {$4.98 at Walmart, here} // Urban Decay's Naked2 Eyeshadow Palette {$54 at Sephora, here} // Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Rhubarb {$4.74 at Walmart, here}

Coming up next are my new additions to the makeup bag for 2016! May it be a beautiful new year.
What are your favorite beauty products? I'd love to hear in the comments! If you still want more of Yours Truly's makeup reviews, read up on CoverGirl nail polish (a lacquer you can really call faithful even through the worst that a girl's life can throw at it) or L'Oreal's deluxe Smell the Roses, a great neutral-tone pink nail polish. Thank you as always for reading, re-sharing, recommending on Google+ and commenting.

Yours Truly,
Monica :)

CoverGirl's Outlast Nail Polish: Star Wars Edition

 I promised you all I would write about CoverGirl's nail polish but then life stepped in the way: Mostly in the form of a proposing boyfriend and a pearl ring! Yes, Yours Truly is engaged! I'll be writing about that later, so stayed tuned. But today we talk about one of the most fun and self-expressive parts of self-care and beauty: nail polish. At least, nail polish should be fun but sometimes it's the devil frustrating. I, for one, could not get nail lacquer to stay immaculate to save my life, until I met CoverGirl's Outlast. You know if a nail polish can outlast Yours Truly it must be good. Or maybe it just uses The Force. Anyway, the color on the left is part of CoverGirl's Star Wars collection. Major nerd alert. 

These two are absolutely gorgeous. The deep red on the left is from Star Wars collection and is aptly entitled Nemesis. I literally bought it for the name. It's a deep, rich, purple-crimson which almost looks black in a certain light. Definitely a great stocking stuffer for the femme fatale in your life. 

On the right is a rose-gold-bronze, also from CoverGirl Outlast (not from Star Wars though.) It's a metallic, unlike the glossy but solid-toned Nemesis. The rose gold needs more coats than the Nemesis (3 versus 2) but nonetheless is plenty pigmented. It's not a wimpy metallic which needs 5 coats just to be visible on your nail--you know what I'm talking about. 

Yours Truly's verdict on CoverGirl's Outlast nail polish collection is 8 out of 10. The Nemesis lasted over a week with minor chipping which was easily enough touched up. The rose gold lasted less long, as metallics tend to do, but still survived a whopping 4 days. The colors are strong and tasteful. I recommend this product highly. The best part? The bottles are $5 or less at Walmart. Check it out here. The Star Wars nail polishes are sold out online at Walmart but maybe you can snag some remaining ones in-store. (EDIT: CoverGirl still has some in stock.) 

Any of you have an affordable (as in, found-in-walmart-affordable) beauty product you'd like me to review? Let me know in the comments!

Merry Christmas,

Yours Truly,

Monica :) 

Smell the Roses

Dear reader, sit back and behold, for I have found the perfect pink nail for autumn.

This shade is aptly named Smell the Roses by L'Oreal Paris in their Colour Riche line. It's a dusty rose with a hint of lavender, which is something the picture doesn't quite pick up on, along with being gorgeous and neutral without being boring.  This shade matches with fall tones such as red and orange, along with all cools.

First of all, this clumsy woman is the first to admit she's TERRIBLE at applying nail lacquer but this polish goes on so smooth that even Yours Truly could get this one right. I'm very proud of this DIY manicure to the left. It's not like anything amazing you'd see on pinterest, but still. I'm getting there.

Smell the Roses is a neutral tone, so it would look good on all you ladies, cool and warm alike. (Not sure what your skin tone is? Identify yourself here.)

So not only is it a sweet, basic nail color for fall--but it's affordable! No more than $5.00 at Walmart. I'm looking forward to trying other L'Oreal nail lacquers in the future.

Love,
Yours truly

P.S. Check out Yours Truly's post about CoverGirl Star Wars nail polish here!

Sweetheart Lips

Guess what this redhead found on sale the other day!

I found the lipstick of my dreams. This lipstick is for the girls who hate lipstick, which includes me. I find that lipstick makes my mouth look like cracked and fossilized earth. That is to say, dry.

Yours truly, modeling Revlon's balm stain in Sweetheart. 

Problem solved! This balm stain is just as the name suggests: it plumps, moisturizes and has a vivid, beautiful color. It does not last more than three hours in my personal experience, but I don't mind reapplying every now and then. It goes on like a dream.

Redheads do not have to be afraid of wearing bright pink lipstick -- or bright pink in general. It's one of the harder colors for gingers to pull off, but it's possible! My suggestion is to wear a color that makes your eyes pop in combo with a bright pink lip.

I stubbornly hold the "if you like it, find a way to pull it off" rule. In fact, that's the one rule I think applies to personal style: If you like it, wear it. 'Nuff said.

I'm severely tempted to buy this balm stain in other colors. They have this scrumptious looking tangerine tone that I've got my eyes on…

Yours truly,
Monica :)

What's Your Season?

A season is an even more specific classification of your skin tone, taking into account not only your undertone but your hair and eye color as well. Knowledge of your individual coloring is vital to building a beautiful, useful wardrobe.

First, discover your undertone.  Second, find your season.  Third, construct your wardrobe around your best colors!

Before we start, I'd like to make one note: If you like it, wear it. There is always a way to make a color work on you, even if it is a tone that is not in your ideal color palette. For example: if you love a certain color but it washes you out wear it on the bottom paired with a top in a color that complements you.

Cool undertones

Winter 

In this category can be found the ladies with porcelain skin with black hair, along with those natural white blondes paired with dark eyes, and those with dark skin and eyes. Basically in one line: those girls whose hair and eyes contrast intensely with their skin.

The color palette that a winter girl rocks includes bold tones, like true black and pure white, intense neon colors, crimson or cobalt, and fuchsia and purple. The contrast of these bright hues complements the already dramatic contrast of color in a winter's complexion and hair! 

Summer

Like winter ladies, summers have a cool undertone; but their hair and eyes contrast less with each other. Most summers are natural blondes with light eyes, but included are brown-haired beauties with blue or gray eyes.

The best colors for summers are icy, cool tones -- think pastels, delicate tones, pearly shades (ivory, silvery gray, rose, mint) and stark blue and white. These colors will make your face glow and eyes and hair pop. Many vivid colors wash a summer out. If you're a summer and you like bold colors, try keeping to the blues and the greens. A strong, bright red will make you look like a bombshell. Metallics are also a great way to go!

Warm undertones

Autumn 

This is the most diverse group, including brunette, light brown, blonde and redheaded girls with any color eyes. The warm undertone has a dark-gold quality to it.

For your autumn color palette, choose warm, rich, luxurious earth tones. Caramel, sage, salmon, all shades of brown, tomato red, pumpkin are a few ideas. These colors will complement the yellow in your skin and will help you avoid sallowness. 

Spring 

Spring girls have strawberry-blonde, neutral blonde, red, or light brunette hair in combination with blue, green or gray eyes. They have a lighter undertone than autumn women.

Color palette for springs is intense, colorful, joyful with bright gold undertones like a spring's skin. Lime green, peach, true red, gold, cobalt blue, turquoise, all browns, most greens all look lovely. Ivory will probably be more flattering than white.


I'll finish up with one last word: this is supposed to be a guideline, not a strict law of physics. Wear what you love, because then you will feel happy in your own clothes and skin. Confidence is the best tone for any outfit.

Go color crazy!
Yours truly,
Redhead :) 

Unlock Your Colors

If I had my own way, I would absolutely paint my (future) house like a rainbow. I'd also dress like a field of wildflowers. But before I OD on colors, I need to pick out what actually complements my skin, hair and eyes. The first step in identifying what colors to wear is figuring out your undertone.

Undertone: the shade beneath your skintone that dictates what kinds of colors look good on you. The three options are cool, warm and neutral. There are three simple easy steps to identifying what undertone you have, seen below.

The key to unlocking your perfect color palette is your undertone. Part of drawing out your own natural beauty is working with what you've been given. Find out what your undertone is and dress accordingly.

How To Identify Your Undertone In Three Simple Steps: 

#1: Consider what colors you naturally gravitate towards: if your soul desires cools, such as cobalt or white, you may have a cool undertone; if you gravitate towards fuchsia and pumpkin, then you are more likely to have a warm undertone. If both look good on you (with some exceptions, obviously) then you may be neutral. Whether you prefer silver or gold jewelry also helps, because warm undertones girls usually prefer gold while cool-toned like -- you guessed it! -- silver.

#2: Check your veins. If your veins appear blue, then you have cool undertones; if they appear green, you have warm. And if your veins appear to be both blue and green (like yours truly), then you have a neutral undertone.

#3: The white paper test. In natural light, hold a piece of blank paper to your face; if your face appears to have a tinge of yellow/gold, then you have a warm undertone. If you face appears pink, then you have a cool undertone.

I'm going to post later on how to identify your skin tone "season." It's a way of honing down on what colors you should wear, including complementing your hair and eyes as well as your undertone.

I'm off to get free spirited with color!
Yours truly,
Redhead :)