December Eve

Hello my beauty lovers!

I blinked once, blinked twice and here we are in the middle of spring of 2020. Say what? I have been posting and sharing Monthly Favorites and this time I thought to line up few products that I have tried from the begining of the year and share with you which ones were great, worth your
$$ and have the best visual outcome. I will be judging by price, quality and packaging, benefits and products effectiveness itself.

Keep in mind that some of these products are not new to the market, but they are new to me this year. I have been keeping my eyes on few items for some time and didn’t pick them up till this year. So, here we are.

Not in any particular order, let’s dive into my First Quarter 2020 Makeup Favorites.

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Milani Ludicrous Lip gloss in shade 120 She’s all that. Milani came out with their pluming glosses last year and let me tell you – they are fantastic! Now, this year the brand launched the Ludicrous lip gloss line and I need to say – this is my new favorite super gloss formula! Fenty who?

This gloss has a sheer formula with a light hint of color. I picked up few shades to try and this one is my new go-to lip gloss for any occasion. Let me explain. Let’s just start from the fact that this gloss is a super wet formula, the one that would give you wet and shiny lips one could see a block away. It is tiny bit sticky, otherwise it wouldn’t stay on.

You can wear it on its own, as a lipstick topper, or in a combination with a lip pencil. I primarily do the latest. I love the simple makeup look with the super high gloss neutral lip – easy day to night version of lips. This lip gloss already moved into my bag for good.

Another lip product that I wanted to mention is actually very affordable and is also this year’s new launch from NYX brand. I have tried many products from this brand over the years and also feel like it is hit or miss situation. I like the plumping effect (that tingling on the lips that some people stay away from or allergic to ingredients). When this launched I knew I needed to try it.

The packaging is nothing impressive- typical plastic, very light tube. I can see the cap cracking in the nearest future or getting lost somewhere in my bag and the gold cute lip print design rubbing off. But who cares when the lipstick itself works, the color is the most perfect nude for year round wear, the formula is hydrating and doesn’t dry out or clumps up on lips with wearing time, and for that price ?? I think this is enough introduction. Moving on to the next one.

Ulta Brow tint. I have been shopping at Ulta stores for all I remember. Over the years I have tried quite a few products from their own brand. I have to admit that it is either hit or miss. This product that I am talking about is definitely a hit. A big one too. I wish I tried this brow tint sooner. The packaging isn’t all that, pretty basic. The wand brush is a very small and tapered in shape which allows to apply and distribute product evenly and at the pace that you need. This brown product not only tints the brows very well, also has a nice strong hold that lasts all day. Should I even mention that it is $10? You may also know that Ulta runs a lot of promos, including their own brand. Keep your eyes on those opportunities to give this product a test drive. You won’t regret it.

I had a chance to test Anastasia Beverly Hills new volumizing mascara. The brand promise is for you to be able to go from one coat of subtle volume, to 2 layers of length and more volume, and with 3 layers – achieving dramatic volume without clumps and smudging for the whole day wear. The hourglass brush shape helps to distribute the product evenly, and helps creating and holding the curl.

This mascara does all that. Is it the best mascara I have ever tried? -Probably not, but it is one of my favorites at the moment. This product is available in deluxe size to give you an idea what it is before you go for the full size one.

I have quite thin lashes with a slight natural curl. I like my mascaras to give both length and volume and also add curl that stays on till removed. My main requirement to the mascara is to be smudge free. A lot of mascaras do the most things on the list but the last which is also a big deal breakers for me. Because no one wants to look like panda in the middle of the day. To sum things up – this mascara moved to my daily drawer for everyday use. I am happy with it.

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Next up is Mac Lip Pencil in the shade Spice. This pink cinnamon stick toned pencil color has been the OG of many beauty lovers for a long time. I got my hands on it just recently and this is the perfect color for that 90’s grunge that I have been recently feeling. If you are not familiar with Mac pencil formula- it is a bit on a drier side, it is not as creamy as say L.A Girl lip pencils, or waxy as Kylie Cosmetics lip pencils. It is very easy to apply, it slides on depositing full color and stays on very well throughout the day. I often use this pencil in combination with lip glosses. I also need to mention that this is an old fashion wooden pencil that you need to sharpen.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in shade Eden. This is not a completely new product to me. I have tried it several years ago then never repurchased while trying out other priming products. Now it is back in my daily drawer again. This product is another holy grail for many makeup users. I prefer this one to other Priming Potions due to its tinted nature. I have very pale skin and the area around eyes is very thin and see-through (also true for most people). The minor veins usually pick through in my natural unmakup-y state. I use this eye primer with makeup looks when I need my eyelids to be completely muted from the blueness and redness.

The formula is very light, easy to apply with a build-in applicator, and it is also smoothing. If you have minor lines or wrinkles, this product is gentle enough to help to make them appear smoother and less textured.

Lorac Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner. I have this eye liner in shade Brown to use for a day wear. I am not new to doing winged eyeliner looks, but to my biggest surprise, this was the easiest eyeliner application I have ever done in my life! It literaly took no time to create the perfect wings. The brush- like tip applicator is so precise that it allows the application with ultimate control and accuracy. Either you choose to go for a clean, thin line, or the thicker dramatic eye – either way, with the automatic color delivering system that this in this eyeliner, you will achieve the perfect line that you wish every time. I believe this eyeliner is available in 3 colors. This is definitely my favorite of all eyeliners that I have tried so far and it is here to stay.

This next one is the base product and it is the It Cosmetics Poweder Foundation. I personally use the shade Light that matches my skin neutral undertone when I am not tanned. Out of all the Makeup categories, I feel like powder products – being that powder foundations or setting / finishing powders – is very hard to find a good one and the one that also work personally for you. Some powders add hydration or the opposite – too drying , or look too powdery and caky on skin, or too fragranced, or to firmly pressed and the products doesn’t come out. In other words – so many reasons why so many powders don’t work.

The other day, doing the inventory of my makeup, I realized that most of my face powders are high end. My skin type being combination oily, face powder is always a must in my daily makeup bag and I go through them quick. I have tried most probably majority of drug store face powders over the years, and now a lot of high end ones. Like I mentioned higher, powder is a must for me, and I always need a product to be a very good quality and check all the marks on the list that was higher.

All products are typically marketed like it’s the best products you will ever have, but that’s marketing and not a surprise to anyone. The one thing for us consumers is – does it really do what it promises?? After having tried countless amount of powder products throughout my makeup years, I never have too many expectations till I get to try and test it in different settings.

To my surprise, this product is and does what it claims. The packing is well made, mirror included, nice sturdy closure. That is all nice but what’s inside and how it performs is what matters most.

The formula is matte, soft, applies on skin easily providing good buildable coverage. This powder does help with smoothing the appearance of pores. I would recommend using it either with no primer at all ( just you normal skin care), or with something silicone based (Aka smoothing and not sticky). I use a dense face powder brush to apply it on my face with pressing/ swiping motion to make sure the product blends and sits nicely without skipped areas.

This powder also has some skin friendly and anti-aging ingredients like peptides, Hyaluronic acid, Vitamins C, A, Hydrolized collagen, Aloe and Niacin.

I know it has been quite long post, but if you made it reading till this point, I am proud of you, and of course I am glad you liked it so far.

There are last few products that I wanted to mention, and one of them is the foundation that I recently picked up. It came out last year and have become a favorite of many. This is a luminous foundation with a medium coverage. You can definitely build it up without it looking caky on the skin due to its light formula. It does have blurring and smoothing effect on skin. The formula is very light and really feels like second skin. It is cruelty and fragrance free, if this matters to you. The packaging is glass and has a pump dispenser.

Regardless of this product being glowy, it is long lasting. I do set it with powder and after about 5-6 hours of wear need to do a quick touch up. This is also a product that I tend to reach for when I want that Glass skin effect.

As for the last product here in this post, I wanted to mention the perfume that I have been obsessed about this year. I understand all of us have different sense of smell and various preferences. That being said, I just want to leave it at that, except I will add that -it smells feminine, yet sexy, and wearable all day around if you wish. This smell gives me all sorts of feels. Try it for yourself sometime if you got curious.

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And this is IT my friends. Thank you for stoping by and taking 5 minutes of your time to read and get familiar with all these great finds of mine. I know it is quite a list, but this also makes me happy that I did all these amazing product discoveries that I can also share with you all. I am also greatful for the beauty community and be a part of it that way we can all help each other out not to buy crap.

I hope you like this post and found it helpful. Give it a thump up if you haven’t done so already and share with someone who you think may also like it. Feel free to stay for awhile to explore the pages and don’t forget to subscribe before you leave.

From Eve with Love

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