September Favorites

I know this post is really late, but I figured I would make it regardless as I've wanted to talk about some of these products for a while. September was both a terrible and fantastic month for me, but more than anything, it was pivotal. 

September is usually a hard month for me because it is the beginning of fall. I see so many fall tags going around this time of year, and it seems like fall is everyone's favorite season. And it used to be mine too, until I moved to New York. I am from the Southwest originally, and am used to an incredibly hot climate. When you are facing triple-digit temperatures more than half the year, even the slightest indication that things are cooling off can be very appealing. October was once my favorite month. That was the first sign of cooler weather, which usually meant temperatures in the 80s, or 70s if you were lucky. I loved carving pumpkins and watching Halloween movies, and I was so excited to move into the cooler months and holidays. 

But when I moved to New York City, I discovered true seasons for the first time in my life. And I discovered that I am someone who suffers from seasonal affective disorder, and the season of suffering for me is winter. I lived my entire life never knowing this about myself because I had always lived in an arid climate. I do not feel like myself whatsoever when winter sets in and the little bit of sun that New York City gets disappears for almost eight months. And things that I used to really enjoy, like the holidays, now bring a sense of dread in me. And fall, this time of year I used to love, is now essentially the Jaws theme of impending doom. 

But then I had this thought: What if I don't spend fall and winter in New York City this year?

And my heart filled with peace and happiness. So that realization is my first favorite for the month. 

Now, onto the makeup. 

Duped Just Peachy Matte palette

If you haven't read my blog post on this product, you can do so here. I have to give credit (and thanks) to Lauren Mae Beauty for the inspiration behind this palette. I have been subscribed to Lauren for a few years now and really love her content, and have been really inspired by her "Let's Dupe It!" series. Essentially, in that series, she takes a popular palette and sees if she can dupe it with colors already in her collection. Even more specifically, she uses all single shadows so that people can easily purchase a color or two if that's what they're drawn to. I've always enjoyed watching Lauren's videos, but when I actually put this activity into practice with this palette, I realized how valuable of a tool it really is. 

I talk more about this in the original post, but I was feeling really tempted by the Too Faced Just Peachy Matte palette. It seemed like the perfect color scheme for a companion palette, and I was really considering purchasing it. But when I swatched the colors in store, I was so happy to see that I had duplicate colors already in my collection. Using Temptalia's dupe list for the palette, I put together my own duped palette. 

Since that original blog post, I have swapped out a few colors that work better for me. In the top row, second shade, I swapped Costal Scents Petal Peach for Colourpop The News. In the same row, but fourth shade, I swapped ABH Fudge for Colourpop Slim Fit. And in the middle row, fourth shade, I swapped Coloured Raine Moments for Colourpop 143. And, I have to say, I absolutely love this palette. 

I have used this palette almost every single day since I first made it, and you can even see that I have hit pan in one of the shades since I first put together that blog post. I traveled recently to several cities and countries in Europe, and this was the main palette that I used. I received so many compliments whenever I wore a look with this palette, and I even had several requests to do other women's makeup (more about that in a moment). I don't think I have ever used a palette this consistently, and I am constantly finding it a source of inspiration to look at color in a new way. I have come up with so may different eye looks because of this palette, and I find the play aspect of it very fulfilling. This palette reminds me of how fun makeup can be. 

And, as a side note, this is not endorsing the Too Faced palette whatsoever. I firmly believe that my duped palette is of higher quality than the Too Faced one, and I actually like the color scheme better and feel like the colors in it are less repetitive. 

Wet N Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powder in Botanic Dream

When I was packing for the aforementioned international trip, something kept telling me to take this highlighter. This is somewhat new to my collection, and it is a light pink highlighter. I've enjoyed using this since I first got it, and it is easily the least expensive highlighter in my collection. When I travel, I usually always take Becca Moonstone. But for some reason, I kept having this nagging feeling that this was the highlighter I needed to take, so I did. 

One of the reasons we made this international trip was to go to some friends' wedding. On the day of the ceremony, four women asked me to do their makeup, including the bride. I was not at all prepared for this and was really shocked by the proposition. But, it was what the bride and her bridal party wanted, so I jumped in and did their makeup. I only had the products I brought for myself (which were very limiting), and this was the only highlighter I had. 

(As a fun side note, I only brought two palettes on my trip—the above peachy palette and Colourpop Yes, Please! Obviously, those are not exactly wedding-friendly palettes. I kept thinking that I wished I just had a neutral palette, and the bride mentioned that she had the Urban Decay Naked palette with her... which I had given to her when I decluttered it from my collection a couple years ago. It was perfect!)

This highlighter looked amazing on all of the women, and skin tones varied from incredibly pale and cool-toned to medium and olive. It was such a champ of a product! I also noticed that it lasted for hours on each of the women, even through crying and dancing/sweating. Considering how inexpensive it is, I highly recommend it for people looking for a pink highlighter. 

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Moonlight

I got this as a 100-point perk at Sephora. I'm not really a fan of liquid or cream face products (apart from base products), so I fully expected to not really care for it. Boy, was I wrong. This thing is killer. I don't need to use much product at all to get a crazy intense shine. And if you're not a fan of intense highlighters, it can be diffused for a subtle glow. The only annoying thing about this product was that I needed to apply it after I put on foundation and before I powered. That may seen incredibly high maintenance, but there were several days where I wanted to wear this product, but mindlessly applied powder first. 

The one downside about this product (and it's a big one) is that I would absolutely consider repurchasing this when I run out, but I don't want a giant bottle of it. Unless you wanted to mix this product into your foundation (which I personally do not want to do), I don't see how anyone could finish it. I know they have small bottles out in a holiday set, but I am not going to buy those. Just because I want one small bottle doesn't mean that I want (or need) four small bottles. 

Marc Jacobs Highliner in Whirl(pool)

This is the first colored pencil eyeliner that I have purchased in about seven years. I once had a dark blue and dark shimmery teal eyeliner, but I never used them. After that, I went through a phase of "I only wear black eyeliner in my waterline," and then I went through a phase of "I only wear cream eyeliner in my waterline." Eyeliner has always been a category in my collection that is completely under control, and I have made a conscious decision to keep it that way. 

But it is a category that I feel can get out of control very quickly, either in trying new colors or trying new formulas. I have my absolute favorite black liquid liner, which is the Physician's Formula Eye Booster; my favorite cream liner, which is Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude; a few NYX Vivid Brights eyeliners ; and a black liner for the waterline. 

But when I saw Whirl(pool) in one of Temptalia's photos, I was completely struck by it. I bought it and have used it consistently since. This is one of the best eyeliners that I have ever used, and it stays put in my waterline all day. It really is a fantastic liner, and I'm glad I purchased it. I now have an itch to check out the other Marc Jacobs colored liners, but that is a slippery slope that I don't want to go down, especially considering how long it takes to use up an eyeliner. 

Rimmel Colourburst Balm Stain in Honey

I'll be honest—I didn't even know they still made this product. This is a long-time favorite for me and was once the only lip color I would consistently wear. The above photo makes it seem like this current product is several years old, but I have only had this particular tube for a few months. That is just how much I have been using it, and it has lived in my purse for a while. 

This is just the perfect color on me. It's a light mauve and looks like the color of my lips, but with just a bit more intensity. If I don't know what lipstick to wear, this is the one I grab. I feel like it can go with anything, from a super neutral look to something bold and colorful. It's also one of those products where I feel confident applying without a mirror because it blends so seamlessly into the lips. 

Something else that I love about this product is that it is just as great as I remember it. There are so many times where I revisit a product that I used to love and find that I don't even like it anymore. So I was happy to see that this is still a perfect lip color.