My 2014 Makeup Must-Haves|San Jose Bay Area Boudoir Photopraphy

**After reading about some of my favorite products, Danea was inspired to share some of hers too. Lucky for you, she’s going to do a giveaway, which you can read more about at the end of my post. Good luck!**

I’ve always worn makeup, but over the last year or so I’ve really expanded my horizons and have improved my skills, or at least I’d like to think so (check out my previous post on why all women should have their makeup done professionally at least once).

I’ve also realized that wearing just face powder, mascara and eye shadow no longer cuts it (hello 30s!), which has opened up a whole new world of products to me.

While holiday shopping this year, I kept finding myself in Ulta and Sephora, which was pretty dangerous. As a result, I’ve got some cool new products (and a little less cash) to show for it. Most of these are quite versatile and have made it into my daily line up.

Without further ado, here are some of my new favorites:

1. Sephora’s Vacationer: Over the last year or so I’ve been really stepping up my makeup game, and have recently found that my makeup bag is too small. My previous bag is also from Sephora, and it’s still in great shape, so I decided to add this one to my Christmas list this year. They are a bit pricey, but they’re super durable and have helpful pockets and sections to keep everything in order.

2. Benefit’s Erase Paste: I had a milestone birthday this year and was suddenly gifted with what seem to be permanent dark circles under my eyes. Under-eye concealer is something I’ve never dabbled in, so at first site I picked up a random one at CVS, but it didn’t really do the trick. After doing some research I decided to give Benefit’s Erase Paste a try, and I was not let down. This stuff is serious. Not only does it cover dark circles, but it’s also brightening, which I think is a great added benefit. It can be a little cakey if not applied properly, but I’ve been using it with Sephora’s Pro Airbrush Concealer Brush and it works like magic.

3. L’Oreal Colour Riche Balm: I’ve never been much of a lipstick girl, which is something I might just need to work on changing in 2014. Quite frankly, I find it intimidating. As such, I always gravitate towards glosses and balms, and I picked up this one in Plush Plum randomly one night at the supermarket. For a random whim purchase, I’m pretty impressed. It’s as moisturizing as it claims and is a perfect sheer color for every day. I’ve also found it layers pretty well, so you can just add an extra layer for a bit of a deeper look.

4. Urban Decay Naked 3: The smart folks at Urban Decay released this new edition to their Naked line shortly before Christmas, and it quickly found it’s way to my list for Santa (aka my husband). I have the original Naked palette, and while it helped me discover some every-day favorites, there are only about four or five colors I use regularly. The Naked 3 colors have more of a rosey hue, which works really well with my skin and eye coloring. I’m still perfecting my skills when it comes to eyeshadow, and I find these colors to be really forgiving too!

5. Benefit’s Gimme Brow: It wasn’t until about a year or so ago that I realized the benefits of filling in my brows, and it took me about another six months to start filling them myself. Unfortunately, eyebrows don’t come with a user’s manual, and filling those things incorrectly ain’t no joke. I’ve been experimenting a lot with different products and was just recently introduced to Benefit’s Gimme Brow. This stuff is amazing! It’s made for folks like me who are still clueless after months of practice. It’s basically like mascara for your brows. It comes with a little brush and you just apply it to your existing eyebrows to give them a little oomph. Mine are pretty sparse in areas, so I’m just extra heavy handed in those areas and that seems to do the trick. It looks totally natural too!

Nicole

Yup, I was inspired by Nicole’s post and decided to add three of my favorite things AND give them all away to one lucky person. It’s a $75 gift pack, so without further adieu…

1. Laura Geller Eye & Lip Spackle. This stuff is amazing! I will admit that I used to think that eye shadow primer was just a gimmick to get you to purchase another product. But I was very wrong. This stuff is amazing and now I can’t wear eye shadow without it. Not only does it produce the rich pigments on your eye lid that was intended of your shadow, but it also creates a very long wearing look. I have yet to have any caking or creasing and I just apply a small layer with my ring finger. I will also admit, that I have only used the Lip Spackle a few times because I usually forget to do my lips until I’m in the car and I keep this bad boy with all my other makeup, but the few times I have used it it was perfect. P.S. I have used both on my lids, but do prefer the light. 😉

2. Laura Geller Double Ended Shadow/Liner Brush. If you are like me, you can’t draw a straight line with eyeliner to save your life. So I do the best I can and then use black/matching shadow with this slanted brush over top. Not only does it smooth and even the line, it helps set the liner for longer wear. Win, win!

3. 88 Mirage Color Palette. These colors, with the eye primer and you are set! Earth tones with a few grey brights and a nice mix of matte and shimmer. There is definitely colors for all skin tones in here! This is my daily palette and I can honestly say I have only one complaint– for the first two weeks using it I would choose the color, put it on my eye and then look at the palette and go “Crap, what color did I jut use!?” LOL. I’m totally not kidding, haha, but I got to know all the colors well and that’s no longer an issue. I will warn you that with the Eye Spackle these colors come on dark and very vibrant however they blend so amazingly well, hence the fact that this made my must have list!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Contest open to Canadian and USA Residents only.

Winner will be announced next Sat and will need to contact me to claim the prize.

CONGRATULATION TO OUR WINNER, DES!

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