How To Stay Matte All Day (On A Budget)

Hey everyone! I hope you’re all having a great weekend. I’ve been meaning to post some more outfit photos here on the blog lately, but between traveling back and forth to college and being sick, it’s been difficult to find time! Hopefully I can find time to shoot more of them soon. In the meantime, I apologize for the myriad of beauty posts! It’s really fun to write about products though, so I suppose I’m not too sorry haha.

So many of us, even those like me with dry skin, struggle with keeping our makeup matte all day. The problem I have is that I want my skin to look bright and healthy, without being shiny looking. Here are my three favorite drugstore products to keep your face fresh for hours, without breaking the bank!

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A good primer is a must whether you’re looking for a dewy or matte finish. This one is my current favorite! It’s from Maybelline’s Master Prime range, which also features great color-correcting options. This one blurs and smooths your pores, and does a great job of keeping your foundation in place. The best part is, it’s just $9.99!

A cult favorite, this Rimmel Stay Matte Powder is something I’ve raved about before! It’s probably my most repurchased product EVER! The packaging is a little annoying because the lid comes off easily, but it’s really amazing for reducing shine. Plus it comes in super pale colors, which is helpful for me haha. It instantly absorbs any oil that is on your face, and it’s only $4.99 from Ulta!

Last but not least, the NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray. I recently discovered this, and it’s been a must have ever since! A few sprays of this will keep your makeup in place for hours, and it doesn’t feel sticky or tacky on the skin. They also make a dewy version if that’s more your style too! It’s just $7.99.

So there you have it! My tips for keeping your skin totally matte all day, and you can get all of these for only $23! I just love finding great drugstore makeup.

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What do you think? Have you tried any of these products before? Do you prefer matte or dewy, and how do you get your skin to stay that way? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own;  this is not a sponsored post. 

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy What’s In My Makeup Bag or Tarte vs. Tarte: Mascara Showdown

January Favorites

As January comes to a close, I was looking around to see what I’d like to share with you this month. Surprisingly it’s all makeup products! Usually I have a bit of a mix for you, but I guess this month is an oddball. Read on to see which products I’ve been loving!

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First up is my personal alternative to foundation: the Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer. (Quite the mouthful!) I’ve definitely been reaching more and more for organic formulas lately, I just feel they’re so much better for you! This product provides lightweight coverage and evens out my skintone without me wearing a full face of makeup. Get it here!

Eyebrows are the most important part of the face to me, and I never leave the house without mine done. I always used pencil, but I discovered this sculpting brow mascara and haven’t looked back. It really holds my eyebrows in place all day, and the color it adds is great! The one complaint I have is that it can be a bit difficult to remove without makeup remover. Find it here.

Also, the Tarte Gifted Mascara!! I raved about this in my review the other day. Let’s just say that I’m in love! Pick it up here.

Last but not least, this face lotion that I received in my January Ipsy bag. It’s another organic product that I’m really liking lately! It’s incredibly moisturizing, with both argan and olive oils. You can find it here if you like! It’s been so awesome that I want to check out more from the brand, and I will probably repurchase when this sample runs out.

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This month’s favorites were short but sweet! Have you tried any of these products? What have you been enjoying this month? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy What’s In My Makeup Bag? or Obstacle Workout App Review

What’s In My Makeup Bag?

First of all, please excuse the awful iPhoneography! I forgot my camera at home, and then light was just not cooperating to get a good iPhone shot of these. I hate shadows and glares! But enough of my struggles haha.

I’ve always liked seeing these types of posts! As a busy college student, I have most of my makeup at home. This is what I carry around with me everyday, for touchups and for when I’m running late and have to do my makeup in the car again haha. Sometimes I’m running so late I don’t actually do my makeup until after my first couple classes…oops! Here are the products I use almost every day.

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The Face: Cala Travel Bamboo Brushes and Physician’s Formula Organic Wear Tinted Moisturizer, Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush, and Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer

One product that I love because it does double duty is this tinted moisturizer! It contains SPF 15, and is completely organic, even the bottle. It provides light coverage and evens out my skin tone. Definitely on of my favorites!

This pressed powder from Rimmel is probably my most repurchased item, and as you can see I need another one soon haha! I reviewed the blush and the bronzer previously here and here, if you’d like to check out what I thought of them! (Spoiler: They’re pretty great.)

The Eyes: Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze, Milani Gel Powder in Bella Caffe, and Tarte Gifted Mascara

I’m in love with this mascara, it’s my new top on of all time! Expect a review soon 😉 I can’t get enough of Tarte products lately it seems!

The Lips, Etc.: Milani Matte Beauty, Pacifica Power of Love, NYX Matte Finish Spray

A theme in this post would have to be the word matte! I have a bit of an obsession with mattifying products lately. This setting spray is seriously amazing! I’ll be posting a full review soon, but let’s just say that I will most definitely be repurchasing it, possibly forever haha. I also always have a couple nude lipsticks in my bag for touchups!

So there you have it! What are your must haves for your everyday makeup bag? Any tips on making iPhones work with you haha? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Better Than Sex Mascara Review or FOTD: Sample Edition

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream

I was thinking as I was taking these photos that maybe I should save this review for Valentine’s Day, since everything is so pink and red! But I’m way too excited about these matte lip creams to save them for later! I’d been seeing these all over the place, so I just had to pick them up and see if they lived up to the reviews. Read on to see!

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These are advertised as “velvety smooth shades that set to a matte finish…surprisingly durable, lightweight, and creamy.” They come in cute little compact tubes with doe-foot applicators, which I love with any kind of stain or other liquid lippie. They come in an extremely wide range of shades, with 12 new colors just added! I love that all the colors are named after cities, with I think is so cute.

I picked up the shades Monte Carlo and San Paulo, a deep, true red, and a pretty medium pink. Both are easy to apply, and the consistency is nice and smooth. Once applied, they dry evenly into a nice matte finish that lasts me at least 5 or 6 hours through eating and drinking before reapplying. I’m super impressed with the durability of these! For a $6 drugstore product, the pigmentation and lasting power are really impressive. (You can see me wearing Monte Carlo here!)

I would recommend that you exfoliate and make sure your lips are soft and moisturized before applying this, because as with any matte product it can settle if you have a lot of ridges or cracks in your lips before applying. They also have a light scent, which I enjoy, but may bother people who prefer unscented lip products.

Overall, I’m super impressed with these products, and I think they definitely live up to the hype! Would I repurchase? Absolutely, and I already have my eye on a ton more from the collection! You can get them here, or anywhere that carries NYX products for $6 each. I give these 4.5 out of 5 stars!

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 What do you think? Have you tried these before? Any favorite lip stains? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Christmas Skincare Haul or 3 Lipsticks for $3

Christmas Skincare Haul

I hope everyone’s holidays were amazing, regardless of what you celebrate! Today I want to share some skincare gifts I received this Christmas that I’m super excited to test out!

I had a really hard time taking these photos, since it was super overcast out and I couldn’t get any good natural light. These are the best I could get, after about 75 shots for a 6 picture blog post haha. Oh well! They’re not as clear as I would like, but that’s okay, because I couldn’t wait any longer to share them!

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First up, a giant tub of the St Ives Apricot Scrub, which I know is a cult favorite to many! This is one of my very favorite exfoliators. I previously reviewed the sample size here, and that small amount lasted me a few months, so I’m sure this huge on will last me forever! Grab it here.

My younger sister knew I wanted something to moisturize, so she got me this lovely body butter from Bath and Body Works. It’s warm vanilla sugar scented, and the scent is divine! I can’t wait to use it, I love a delicious scented lotion, and the packaging is adorable! Find it here 🙂

I really wanted a face moisturizer that had a) SPF in it b) wouldn’t clog my pores, and c) would make my skin less dull and dry. This product from Aveeno claims to do all three! If it actually makes my skin positively radiant, I will be super impressed! I know a lot of people love this product,so I hope it works for me too. Find it here. (And grr at that annoying reflective spot! I struggled so hard with these photos!)

Last but not least, an essential oil, which can apparently be used for your face, hair, and body. I’ve never tried one of these before, but I absolutely love the pretty packaging and the cute bottle with its dropper! I have super dry skin, so hopefully this will help me out. Any tips on using oils like these?

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I was super excited to receive these for Christmas, and to share them with you, even though my photos weren’t what I’d like haha. What do you think? Do you use any of these products? Would you like to see reviews of any of these? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy 10 Beauty Products For Under $10 or What’s In My November Ipsy Bag?

FOTD: Sample Edition

Hey guys! Normally I limit my beauty blogging to product reviews, but today I have something a little different to show you! I’ve been hanging around my house over break playing with makeup that I haven’t gotten to properly test out yet, and I decided to show you guys what I came up with. This is my face of the day, created using only sample sized products! All of these products were sent to me in Ipsy bags, but many of them can be sampled online or from stores like Sephora as well. This look was a fun challenge to create! I didn’t allow myself to use anything besides the products you see here 🙂

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The Face: Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, Pur-Lisse BB Cream, Tarte Amazonian Clay Bronzer.

I’ve already previously reviewed all 3 of these products (here, here, and here respectively) if you’d like to read a little more! I primed my T-zone with the Smashbox primer, then used the BB cream to even out my skin tone. Then I dusted the bronzer on the sides of my nose, at my temples, and a little to contour my cheekbones 🙂

The Eyes: NYX Eyeshadow Palette, Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara, Crown Brush Crease Brush, Absolute New York Nano Eyeliner.

The mascara, brush, and eyeliner all were in my November Ipsy Bag as well! I really love this brush, it’s so soft and fluffy and does a great job! I used the middle shade on my lid and the left shade on my browbone, then blended with the brush. I used the liner on my waterline and finished the eyes off with a swipe of the Smashbox mascara.

The Lips: Mongongo Lip Conditioner, Ofra Lip Liner, Hikari Lip Stain.

This lip stain is my new favorite lip product! It’s such a gorgeous berry shade, I can’t wait to wear it to a holiday party soon! I lined my lips with the pencil and went over them with the stain to finish it off.

I had a lot of fun playing around with these samples to create this look! It’s pretty simple, with a bronze eye and berry lip, with some bronzer dusted here and there. Ignore my messy hair please!

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What do you think? Ever tried to use your samples like this? Are there any products you’re just dying to sample? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Mustard x Navy or Splurge, Spend, or Save: Bronzers

10 Beauty Gifts Under $10

Hey guys! I was looking around at wishlists that other bloggers had posted, and I noticed that lots of other bloggers had posted awesome beauty gift ideas, but lots of them were wayyy above my price range (I’m a poor college student!). So I thought I would put together my own beauty gift idea list, with options for a tight budget! Hope this helps you think of those last second gifts or stocking stuffers! (or treat yourself 🙂 ) All of these affordable picks are on my own wishlist too!

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1. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

On sale now for just $10, this cult favorite eyeshadow primer would be perfect for any beauty junkie! (I grabbed myself one!)

2. Milani Foil Eyeshadow Palette

This gorgeously packaged eyeshadow quartet comes in 4 different color combinations! Milani says it’s not a shadow but more of a shine. While I’m not sure what that means, I do know that you can get it for just $9.99 and that I want them all!

3. ELF Lip Exfoliator

I just received this from a friend as a gift, and it is seriously amazing! Its lipstick shape makes it so easy to use, and it’s just $3!

4. Maybelline Face Studio Master Glaze Blush

This product is something I normally wouldn’t look at due to its somewhat odd packaging for a blush, but if you’re looking for a portable blush under $10 this is for you! At just $9.99, it looks like a chapstick, but does come in quite a few colors!

5. Eos Lip Balm in Lemon Drop

Lip balm is something we all need, and this flavor comes with SPF 15, which I love! Plus, it’s only $3.29, and they work amazingly well in addition to lasting forever.

6. Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme

I’m totally obsessed with Milani, if you’re reading this blog for the first time haha! I can’t wait to get my hands on one of these matte lip cremes…they’re just $8.99 and come in 8 colors, just begging to be swatched!

7. Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin’ Curves Mascara

I love the fun packaging, and Rimmel is one of my favorite drugstore brands. Try this mascara at Target for $5.49 (and let me know how it is if you do!)

8. Physician’s Formula All-In-1 Cheek and Lip Stain

This product actually won an award, and it’s definitely on my list of things to try (to be fair, that list is about a mile long!) Grab it for just $6.95, and it’s hypoallergenic, gluten free, and paraben free!

9. Revlon Brow Fantasy Pencil and Gel

This brow fixer ($8.99) has double the products in one! Definitely something that would help me out, it could even work as an eyeliner in a pinch. I’m on the lookout for new brow products, any suggestions?

10. Swissco Complete Precision Blending Kit

Last but not least, something to help you put it all on! This kit contains a beauty blender and a cute brush, and it’s just $9.99.

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What do you think? Have you tried any of these products, or are they on your list? Any brow recommendations? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post. All photos used in this post belong to the companies or websites they are from, I do not own them.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Ramblings and Retro Vibes or Ofra Eyeliner Review

Mustard x Navy

Before you ask- yes I am aware that it is December, and yes I know that I live in the state of New York haha. However, I do think that since it hasn’t snowed yet, crop tops are still appropriate attire! Maybe that’s my inner New Englander showing though haha. Us Vermonters wear shorts in 40 degree weather and trudge through feet of snow without blinking an eye! (Okay, we’ll probably complain about it a bit.) Can you tell I’m a bit homesick haha? I can’t wait for finals to be over so I can go home and see my family and friends.

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Anyway, today’s OOTD features a pair of pants I discussed in my November Favorites post! This comfy pair of printed cotton pants from Forever 21 are my favorite pair lately! They’re high-waisted and they have pockets! I paired them with a black racerback ribbed crop top that I knotted. (See it styled with a skirt here!) I topped off the look with a beanie. (that I definitely did NOT steal from my boyfriend…hehe)

As I continue to blog, I find myself coming up with ideas on how to improve my photography! I still have just a little point-and-shoot camera, but I’m saving up for a nicer one 🙂 I really like how these photos came out! I found a shipping crate on campus to use as my backdrop, and I love how the mustard and navy shades balance each other. I’ve been following lots of photography blogs on Pinterest lately, so hopefully some of their tips will end up paying off! 🙂

In other news, I’m realizing by looking at these pictures how awfully pasty and white I am! (Any good self tanners? 😉 )The sun practically reflects off me haha.

Pants: Forever21 (no longer available; Crop Top: Forever21; Beanie: Amazon; Booties: Forever21; Eyeshadow: Maybelline Color Tattoo

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These pants are so crazy comfy and I think they’re so great for this holiday season, when all we want to do is be comfy and eat food 😉 What do you guys think? Any photography tips? How would you style these pants? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Obstacle Workout App Review or My Fall Drugstore Makeup Picks

November Favorites

It’s finally Friday! And November is drawing to a close, which means it’s time for me to share with you what I’ve been loving this month. Take a peek!

First up are these amazing stickers! The great people at CaseApp and StickerApp offered to send me these fun stickers with the name of my blog! I was so excited when these came in the mail I nearly peed myself!! (just kidding haha!) But I’m seriously super pumped about these, they’re made of an awesome sturdy vinyl. I’m just not sure what to do with them, though…any suggestions?

My younger sister gave me these cute little candies that she found at a candy shop-they’re absinthe flavored, and I think the packaging is simply adorable! I’d never seen them before, but I think they’d make a great stocking stuffer! They come in tons of flavors. Find them here!

Next up: my new favorite pants! I’d show you them on, but I don’t want to ruin the #OOTD that is to come! I really love the Southwest inspired print, and they’re even high-waisted. They’re out of stock now sadly 😦

Last but not least, Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadow in Bad To The Bronze! I’m so obsessed. So. Obsessed. It lives up to its 24 hour lasting claim, it”s creamy, it’s super pigmented, and just overall amazing! I’m going to collect all the colors haha. It’s definitely worth the $8! One of my top ever drugstore buys, for sure.

So there you have it! What have you been loving this month? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; the stickers were provided free of charge, but this review is free of bias.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Ofra Eyeliner Review or Making Waves

What’s In My November Ipsy Bag?

This month’s Ipsy bag was a big improvement over the last one! If you happened to read last month’s review, you may remember that my bag was almost entirely skincare products. I’m much happier with this one! I received some products that I can’t wait to test out.

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Starting off is the product I’m least excited for, simply because I almost never use hairspray. My hair is too short for updos, and I hardly ever curl it. However, I’m sure it’ll come in handy eventually, since it’s a travel sized sample. Find it here!

When I saw this Absolute New York Nano Eyeliner I kinda of freaked out a little, because a) the packaging is super pretty, and b) because I’ve been wanting an eyeliner with an extra fine tip for a while, so thanks Ipsy for reading my mind! This super fine felt tip makes it really easy to get a great flick. I can’t wait to use it in a holiday makeup look! When I was swatching it, I realized that it dries almost instantly as well. Hopefully this will translate to being smudge-proof on the eyes.

I love eyeshadow crayons, so I can’t wait to test out this Beaute Basics Eye Crayon in Sahara Gold. I can definitely see this paired with the eyeliner for a Christmas party look! It’s also an easy product to just throw in your purse for touchups on those busy days, since it’s a light shimmery gold that would work just by itself as well.

I also received an eyeshadow brush this month, which I found exciting since I had never received any tools from Ipsy before. The Deluxe Pointed Crease brush from Crown Brushes seems to be very soft! As for its other qualities, I’ll be sure to let you know once I test it out.

Last but not least- Smashbox’s Full Exposure Mascara! I wish this wasn’t just a sample size, because I’m sure I’m going to use it up quickly! I received the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer in a previous box and absolutely loved it, so I hope that this product will be just as awesome! The brush seems rather large to apply mascara to lower lashes however. Find it here!

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Overall, I’m very happy with this month’s bag! I received a much better mix of products than last month, in my opinion. If you’d like to sign up for Ipsy, you can do so here.

What do you think? Do you subscribe to any monthly services? Have you tried any of these products out? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for stopping by 🙂

Love Kiki

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All opinions are my own; this is not a sponsored post. 

If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Empties-Skincare or 6 Study Tips For College Kids (And Other Busy People)