My Go-To Fall Makeup Look! (All Matte Everything)

When I go virtually anywhere in the fall, the makeup look I always turn to is this simple matte makeup.  It pairs a super neutral eye with a barely-there bronze and blush.  If I'm feeling bold I'll wear a dark and vampy lip.  But if I want to be more subtle, I'll just throw on a nude-y mauve and be good to go.

It works with any outfit, for any occasion, and doesn't have any shimmer or glitter or anything crazy. It's also SO simple to create, uses minimal products and tools, and works on ANYone -- trust me!

Tutorial after the jump! 

Halloween "Skeleton Mask" Makeup!

Halloween is my favorite holiday, hands down.  What other day(s) of the year do you get to dress up like a skeleton and get away with it?  (Answer: None.  Unless you are a special type of person..).  Unfortunately I didn't actually photograph a step-by-step tutorial of this painted skeleton mask, but here are a couple of pictures you can click on to see higher-quality details of the makeup!!

If there is a demand for a tutorial, I'll try to get one up!  This is just one of a few different halloween makeup looks I'll be creating this year.. so stay tuned for more :]

xojaybee

BRIDAL Makeup Looks!!

This isn't even going to be a full post, but I wanted to throw a little post up on my blog about the fun bridal makeup I did this past weekend!  If I have time I'll do a full step-by-step tutorial :]

Warm neutrals with a hint of gold and champagne shimmer gave off such a bridal feel.  And a smokey but not too harsh smokey eye was a perfect balance between sultry and sweet.  Barely-there black liner (with NO wing) and some dramatic-yet-natural lashes finished the look off perfectly.

Subtle contour and a bronzey-rose blush was all the face really needed.  The shadow-heavy eye looked beautiful with a simple pinky-nude lip and a coral gloss.  Topped off with a beautiful pearlescent highlight on the cheekbones, inner eye corner, and browbone, and the makeup was complete!  (Of course the bride got a little more drama, and I added extra sparkle to the center of her lid, and deepened up the outer-V for a more smoked out eye!)

I had a ton of fun doing the entire bridal party [myself included!] and would definitely consider doing more freelance makeup artistry in the future!!

xojaybee

Big NYX Cosmetics Haul!!

When a brand as cheap as NYX goes on sale for almost half off, I can't resist going a little crazy.  Ulta was having a huge sale on their website (not sure if it was in stores as well), and I noticed that all NYX products were practically half off!  I had been needing to pick up a few things, as well as wanting to try out some new products, so there was no better time than now.  Well.. not now, but.. then.  You know.

Unfortunately the sale seems to be over, but it's not like NYX products are terribly expensive to begin with.  So if you decide to pick up any of the products I mention below, the original price is also listed so you know their original prices.  On sale, I got this entire 10 product haul for only $37.70!  But Ulta is always having sales, so I'm sure it won't be long until their next one.  

I absolutely loved some of them, and I don't think I'll be using others.  Keep reading for my reviews!

1.  NYX Slim Lip Pencil in "Peek-a-Boo Natural" ($3.50, $2.09 on sale)

Swatch is below product review #3!

Okay, I'm just gonna say it right off the bat.  This is my new favorite lip liner.  Yep.  A $3.50 product has now trumped my MAC, MakeUp ForEver, Sephora.. you name it.  It glides on without tugging, and is so creamy and pigmented.  It's the exact shade match of my natural lip color, and I am obsessed with it.  It's a perfect every day color for any eyelook I want to create.  And I know that everyone has different pigment to their lips, so this won't look the same on you as it does on me.  But if your natural lip color is pretty naturally dark and rosy/mauve, this is the nude for you! Trust.  (Swatch on my lips below.)

2.  NYX Simply Nude Lip Cream in "Exposed" ($6.50, $3.89 on sale)

Swatch is below product #3!

This is another product that I immediately fell in love with, omg.  Just like the Peek-a-Boo liner, this shade is almost identical to the natural color of my lips.  "Cream" is the perfect description of this lip stick -- super creamy, and even though it's a pretty matte finish, it's definitely not drying.  This paired on top of Peek-a-Boo is the perfect shade for that lighter neutral "Kylie" lip that she has been wearing lately (as opposed to the darker mauve shade).. if you care about those types of thing.  If not, it's just a gorgeous fall-appropriate nude lip.

3.  NYX Retractable Lip Liner in "Pinky Beige" ($4.50, $2.69 on sale)

Hokey.  I'll just be honest and say that I am not a fan of this color or the formula of the product in general.  I like to try retractable products because they waste so much less of the actual liner, but this one ended up being too soft and creamy.  It didn't actually stay in place on the outline of my lips, and just moved and slid around before I even applied a lip stick on top of it.  It was also a strange shade for me, and pulled too cool toned and blue for my skin tone.  Because it was sort of ashy and baby pink, it made me look corpse-like (which a lot of nudes can do if you're using the wrong neutrals for your skin tone!).  So I probably won't be getting a lot of use from this product.

SWATCHES:

4.  NYX Matte Lipstick in "Eden" ($6, $3.59 on sale)

Swatch is below product #5!

I really do love a good red lip when done right.  And I have been wanting to pick up a deeper red shade for the fall season.  So when I saw this I thought it was a perfect opportunity to grab an inexpensive lipstick.  But I am ever so slightly disappointed at the color -- it isn't as deep as the swatch on Ulta's website made it out to be.  I love the formula and the opaqueness of it, and it feels super smooth for a matte lipstick, but it's a little too fire-engine red on my skin tone.  I'll definitely still wear it, but it's much more of a blue-toned true red than the cranberry color I was hoping for.

5.  NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in "Monte Carlo" ($6, $3.59 on sale)

I'm already a pretty big fan of the soft matte lip creams from NYX, so this was a no-brainer.  And again with this product I was going for a red that leaned more burgundy than fire engine.  It is closer to what I was hoping for, but still pulls slightly redder than a true cranberry.  The texture of the soft matte lip creams is a little on the stranger side, but I think it wears really well on the lip.   The only downside is the reapplication -- I feel like I have to reapply this lipstick all the time, especially if I'm eating or talking a lot throughout the day.

SWATCHES:

6.  NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in "Dark Brown" ($4.50, $2.69 on sale)

SWATCH:

The versatility of the jumbo eye pencils is amazing -- you can wear it as a liner, a shadow, or an all over base.  I'll probably be using this matte dark brown shade more as a base than anything else, to deepen up smokey and coppery looks.  It's also great as a smudgy liner for that just-woke-up intentionally messy eye.  For being only $4.50, the actual product itself is really high quality.  It just glides over the skin without any pulling or tugging.  It's extremely creamy and blendable, but sets perfectly and doesn't get all over the place throughout the day.

7.  NYX Doll Eye Waterproof Mascara in "Black" ($9.50, $5.69 on sale)

SWATCH:

Now this is a product I don't think I'll be using much.  I really like the L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara, and was thinking something with the name "Doll Eye" would give my lashes a similar effect.  I was pretty disappointed with this mascara.  It's not absolutely terrible, but it's not something I'll be grabbing for when I'm getting ready in the morning.  It did make my lashes look decently long, but that's not what my problem-area is -- I have naturally super-long lashes, but they really lack in volume and thickness.  (There are so few hairs that I can basically count how many eyelashes I have on each eye.)  I always look for a volumizing formula, but this didn't do much in that department.  It lengthened them, but sort of made my lashes look stringy and sparse.  It clumped all the hairs together and had virtually no separation.  If you have naturally full and thick lashes but are looking for some length, this might work for you!

8.  NYX Powder Blush in "Terra Cotta" ($6, $3.59 on sale)

SWATCH:

LOVE.  Love, love.  I normally like a matte blush, but I am in love with this terra cotta shade.  The shimmer is subtle enough to give a slight sheen to the skin, but not make it look sparkly or Twilight-esque.  I think wearing a coppery, brown, or bronzy shade for blush in the fall is definitely the way to go.  I'm a huge fan of peaches and corals for spring and summer, but the cooler months call for some darker blushes.  After all, you want to look autumnal and rosy, not flushed and sun-kissed, during the fall and winter seasons.  This is a great blush shade to pair with a dark, vampy lip and a swipe of mascara.

9.  NYX Illuminator in "Ritualistic" ($9, $5.39 on sale)

SWATCH: 

This is probably my favorite product of the bunch.  A good highlight can change your entire makeup look.  And I've been looking for a good, inexpensive champagne-colored highlighter.  I'm a tried-and-true user of Benefit's Watts Up, and have been hoarding my Dior shimmer brick (which was discontinued indefinitely) like it's water during the apocalypse.  But I definitely couldn't turn down the opportunity to buy a new highlight for under $6.  And I'm so glad I did -- this Illuminator is amaaaazing!  I'd compare this to the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone ($38), or the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light ($45).  Try this $9 dupe and be prepared to be amazed.  The powder is blendable and sheer, and definitely buildable.  There is no glitter or chunks of anything -- it's gorgeous and shimmery on the skin.  And.. only $9!  Seriously such a steal.

10.  NYX "The Natural" Eyeshadow Palette ($7.50, $4.49 on sale)

SWATCHES:

Womp.  Womp.  And more womp.  I honestly will probably just keep this palette around because I think some of the shadows will make pretty face highlighters.  As you can see from the swatches, the pigmentation of this palette is more than disappointing.  Even over my NARS eyeshadow primer (the bottom row of swatches), a dark brown color looks ashy and sheer!  And without a primer, barely any of the colors are visible on the skin.  Perhaps it would work a little better on someone with a paler complexion than my tanned-self, but overall I am super disappointed with these NYX eyeshadows.  Like I said, I think the champagne shadow could make a pretty highlight, and maybe the white shade for browbone highlight.  But the others are pretty useless, when I have some amazing shadows from other brands in the same shades.  For $4.50, though, it was worth a shot!  I wouldn't recommend picking it up for the full $7.50, though.

------------------------------------------------

I hope this NYX haul/review was informative and helpful!  I found some great steals in this bunch, so for these prices, I say go out and pick 'em up!  The ones I truly recommend are definitely worth buying even at their full prices, which, let's be real, are some of the best bargains in the makeup game at the moment.

xojaybee

Affordable 22-Piece Makeup Brush Set!! (Coastal Scents)

I always say that no matter how good of a quality your makeup is, if you don't have the right tools to apply them, you'll never see their full potential.  I say it because it's true (obviously that's just my opinion).  Investing in quality makeup brushes is essential.

I have my fair share of MAC, Sigma, Sephora, Bobbi Brown, etc. brushes in my arsenal.  But sometimes a girl (or guy) just doesn't wanna drop $15-$30+ on one single makeup brush.  (And let's be real -- does anyone need to spend $60 on a Tom Ford eyeshadow brush? They're gorgeous, but I mean...)  Sometimes all you really want and/or need is an affordable, good quality brush that gets the job done for every day use.  And if you're like me, sometimes you need some nice backup brushes to use when you're feeling lazy and don't want to clean your higher end ones.  Oops.

I've tried a fair number of affordable brushes -- think Sonia Kashuk, Forever 21 Beauty, E.L.F., Real Techniques -- but unfortunately, they all sort of pale in comparison to something like a Dior sculpting eyeshadow brush.  But insert: Coastal Scents.

I went on a mission to find a great backup set for when I don't feel like getting my higher end brushes dirty.  I, of course, did a ton of research before I committed (even if they're just my second-string ones!).  The Coastal Scents brushes seemed to be the winner to me -- a 22-piece set for only $35, with pretty rave reviews from other beauty bloggers.  I was tempted to pick up the Elite 24-piece bamboo set, but I thought spending $70 for backups was a little too steep.  This 22-piece set includes a brush for just about any function, from foundation to brows to liner to highlighting.

The set comes in a lovely little faux leather magnetic-close roll.  I probably won't be using this often, because I keep most of my go-to brushes on my vanity for easy access, but it's convenient for when I want to travel!  

The first thing I noticed about these brushes was the handle length.  I love when a brush has a long, sleek handle.  I find them much easier to use and they apply makeup much more precisely.  They also look like good quality brushes.  I think it's pretty easy to tell when a brush looks cheap and flimsy.  These aren't those!  They also aren't super light and look like they're about to fall apart (like some brushes like F21 and H&M can be).  They actually have some weight to them.  And for only $1.60 a brush, I'd say that ain't bad.

Here are some closer looks at a few select brushes:

The fibers are super soft and feel amazing on the skin.  To be sure there was no bristle fall-out, I rubbed them all around and doused them with brush cleaner to recreate a brush washing cycle.  No bristle shedding!  I'm not going to go into detail about every single brush, but I will say that probably 20 out of the 22 brushes will get a good amount of use.  (I probably won't use the fan brush because it's gigantic and I don't have that much surface area to cover on my face.  I also probably won't use the fiber hair flat foundation brush, simply because I prefer flat top brushes to buff in my foundation!)  

I pulled out a few of my often-used brushes and did a little side-by-side comparison of some of the Coastal Scents brushes, just so you can see the quality difference, if any:

Ugh. First off, sorry my Sigma brush is dirty!  I'm telling you, having a backup set of brushes is going to come in handy for me.  Anyway, this is my F80 Flat Kabuki brush from Sigma compared to the Coastal Scents Flat Buffer brush.  I'm not kidding, the Coastal Scents fibers are JUST as soft and luxurious feeling as the Sigma one!  It's substantial feeling and a great dupe.  The only noticeable difference is the density of the fibers.  My Sigma F80 is slightly more compact and dense than the Coastal Scents brush.  But for buffing out liquid foundation, it barely makes any difference.

Here is the Medium Shadow brush by Coastal Scents compared to the MAC 239 Eye Shader brush.  Right off the bat you can see that the Coastal Scents brush is slightly pointed at the tip, but that doesn't make too much of a difference when you're using a shader brush to densely pack on pigmented shadows.  The density and width of the brush heads are virtually identical.

Here is where the Coastal Scents brush isn't the best dupe.  I use my Sephora Collection #27 Pro Blending brush almost every single day, and love how fluffy and round the brush head is.  It's perfect for sweeping on an all-over lid color, and blending and diffusing harsh edges.  The closest thing the Coastal Scents set has to a "fluffy blending" type brush is the Blender brush.  You can definitely see the difference -- especially in the second photo -- between the two.  The Coastal Scents blender is much denser and wider, and not nearly as "fluffy" feeling as any blending brush already in my collection.

This is probably the best replication from the entire set.  I use my Sephora #11 Pro Smudge brush for blowing out my lower lash line color and smoking out any liners/shadows on my upper lash line.  This Coastal Scents "Brow" brush is virtually identical.  Your guess is as good as mine why anyone would think this brush would be used on an eyebrow.  As you can see, almost everything is the same between these two brushes.  Even the density of the fibers is spot-on.

I also wanted to spotlight these ADORABLE little brushes in this set!!  I've never seen such cute little brush heads before, but I am already in love.  So teensy tiny.

The mini angled brush will be perfect for applying gel liners, or for setting a waterline.  I can use the mini brushes for detailed shadow work or fine crease work -- even for highlighting the brow bone and cleaning up under my brows.  I just had to show how adorable they are!

All in all, I think the 22-piece set is definitely worth picking up.  Whether you're in need of an inexpensive every day brush set, are a beginner looking for your first major brush collection, or, like me, need a good quality yet affordable backup set, the Coastal Scents set is perfect!  I would never replace any of my higher-end brushes for these, because nothing is truly the same as a gorgeous luxury brush, but these are great alternatives that won't fall apart or shed and will apply your makeup with ease.  (The website also says the company is animal cruelty free and doesn't test their products on animals, so that's a big plus from an inexpensive brand!)

xojabee