March Favorites

In terms of makeup, I had a good March. I discovered some great new products and thoroughly enjoyed old favorites. Even better than that, I can't remember the last time I was tempted by a new release. That's the fun thing about getting to know your collection and really allowing yourself to enjoy it. Once you do, you realize you have little to no need for anything else new. 

Colourpop Lumiere lipliner and Estee Lauder Shock & Awe lipstick

When I ordered a few Colourpop pressed shadows a while ago, I also added two lip pencils since those are generally reviewed positively. I have never really been a lipliner girl, but that's because until the past nine months or so, I've never really been much of a lipstick wearer. And by that I mean that, historically, I haven't really liked to reapply lipstick throughout the day. I started a "project pan" of sorts in the summer, and one of the items I was trying to use up was a Burberry lipstick. (A project pan, for those of you who aren't familiar, is when you try to use up makeup items.) I did finish that lipstick (and loved it), and since then, I have been a lipstick wearer. 

I really love the color of Estee Lauder Shock & Awe lipstick:

But on me, it felt a little intense to wear to work. I decided to pair it with Lumiere lipliner (I apply the lipliner all over the lips first, not just around the edge of the lips), and the combination is so perfect. It's a beautiful berry color, but more specifically looks like a purple cherry. I love it, and somehow, it's slightly more neutral than Shock & Awe on its own. I have worn this combination almost every single day in the past month. The only days I haven't worn it are when either my eye makeup or shirt clashes with it. And the best part is that even through two cups of coffee, water, and lunch, I don't need to reapply throughout the day. I put it on before I leave in the morning, and the color stays for about nine hours. 

The only downside is that I am burning through Lumiere lipliner. I'm not a huge fan of Colourpop on the whole and don't really want to order more from them, so I hope I can find a suitable replacement soon. To show how much I've used, I've put it next to the lipstick:

Becca Moonstone

As you can see, this highlighter is certainly a favorite of mine, and this has been my primary highlighter for the past month. I've mentioned before that I have many highlighters, but if I was only allowed to have one, this would probably be it. I think the champagne tone is just so lovely, and I think it gives a solid highlight without it looking cartoonish like a lot of the highlighters right now. This is a classic to me, and I love it. 

Marc Jacobs Daisy

If I ever had to describe my "signature scent," it would be Daisy. And that's funny to me because the first time I ever smelled it, more than seven years ago, I really didn't like it. I was living in the UK at the time, and my friend drove us to Cardiff. (We lived in a small town, and I really wanted to go "for real" shopping, so we had to go to a bigger city.) We went into some department store (probably so I could look at makeup), and we stopped in the fragrance section. She tried Daisy and completely fell for it. I smelled it and thought it smelled a little too strong and didn't like it at all (I can't for the life of me remember why I thought that). We both ended up leaving the store empty-handed, but she never stopped talking about Daisy. Many months later, my visa was up and I needed to go back home. I was utterly devastated since I had made so many close friends there, and the day I left remains one of the hardest of my entire life. I was in Heathrow airport, numb from having cried for hours getting there, and I had time to kill before my flight back to the US. I went into one of the Duty Free shops and spotted Daisy. I sprayed it on myself, and immediately I was brought back to that lovely trip to Cardiff with my good friend. And more than that, I was reminded of her. So I bought the biggest bottle of it they had. And since then, it has become my favorite perfume, and as I mentioned, my signature scent. 

In the "project pan" I mentioned above, it was my goal to get through four perfumes this year. This bottle of Daisy was a couple years old, and I wanted to use it up and then use up some of my other perfumes before buying it again. Even though this bottle was a couple years old, it had barely been used. And that's because Daisy is such a precious scent to me that I never wanted to be without it. I decided to throw that out the window this month and use it as much as I wanted, and I ended up using the entire bottle. The scent didn't last too long on me, which isn't something I like about the product, but I did love every second of wearing this. I can't wait to get through some of my other perfumes and then only have the two or three perfumes I most love—one of which will be Daisy. (Also, I said I've never wanted to be without Daisy, so I still have a rollerball of this currently in my collection.)

Illamasqua Cascade

I'll just start with the obvious. This shadow came completely smashed. It wasn't even broken in large chunks; it was entirely power. I was so disappointed and contacted Illamasqua to send me another, but they issued a refund instead. I didn't want to buy another shadow and have to pay another $8 for shipping, so I decided to repress this and hope for the best. And, honestly, I have no idea how this shadow would have performed in its original state, but I absolutely love it. This has actually replaced my beloved Make Up For Ever Pearl as my go-to inner corner highlight. It's a bright white with a blue shift, and the texture is completely smooth. I really can't say enough good things about this shadow. It's the only one I've ever tried from Illamasqua, so, again, I can't really speak to their formula for the most part. 

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy

I had to mention Pixie Epoxy just because I have enjoyed wearing it under shadows since I got it. I absolutely love what it does to my shadows and how it makes them look so foiled and metallic. As a caveat, I don't like products that require a product like this in order to make them work. I think products should be able to perform on their own. That aside, I do love how this works. 

Fyrinnae eyeshadows

Again, no surprise here, and these were probably my favorite items of the month. I have completely fallen for indie shadows, and of the few different brands I've tried, Fyrinnae is my favorite. My two favorite shades have been Rapunzel Had Extensions (left) and Serendipity (right). I am so happy I decided to try these shadows because they have not only calmed any cravings for new mainstream releases, but they have flat out killed them. There is literally nothing out right now that even partially temps me, and I think that's because I know that nothing will be quite as special and lovely as my indie shadows. And I already have my neutrals covered ten times over, so what the hell do I need any more of that for?