Best of Beauty 2013

My favorite beauty products from the year of 2013. Sorry for the late upload, I was without internet for a week!

☺LETS BE FRIENDS!☺
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★PRODUCTS MENTIONED★
Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (Travel Size)
http://bit.ly/1ekNA9T

Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation (Natural)
http://bit.ly/1bnmJcA

La Mer The SPF Fluid Tint Broad Spectrum
http://bit.ly/KSanC3

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer (Light)
http://bit.ly/1awiXmz

Make Up For Ever Full Cover Concealer (Shade 6)
http://bit.ly/1mEgTZq

bareMinerals READY Touch Up Veil SPF 15 (Translucent)
http://bit.ly/1mSSLVU

N.Y.C. Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder (Sunny)
http://bit.ly/M69BTC

MAC Mineralize Blush (Warm Soul)
http://bit.ly/1d1l3VP

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo (Dark Brown)
http://bit.ly/18I8LUn

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original)
http://bit.ly/1a7GB3V

Urban Decay Naked Palette
http://bit.ly/1eZf72c

L'Oreal Paris Infallible Super Slim Liner (Black)
http://bit.ly/1ganLA8

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Zero)
http://bit.ly/1d1pvE3

Benefit They're Real! Mascara
http://bit.ly/15Rsznu

Revlon Lip Butter (Raspberry Pie)
http://bit.ly/1ivleRv

Lancôme Rouge in Love Lipcolor (Roses in Love)
http://bit.ly/1mT5Xu9

Maybelline Baby Lips (Cherry Me)
http://bit.ly/1dVZ3BY

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick (Sassy Mauve)
http://bit.ly/1htBG12

♥WHAT I'M WEARING♥
Brandy Melville Mariana Knit
http://bit.ly/1htC7Is

DISCLAIMER: This video is not sponsored. Some of the links above are affiliate links.
♥
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August Favorites 2013 + ANNOUNCEMENT!

It's that time of the month again. Check out my favorites and see what big announcement I have in store for you guys after the jump!

August Beauty Empties 2013 (Michael Todd, Maybelline, Philosophy + More!)

I have a real treat for all my followers today! I decided to make up for not posting a video in two weeks by posting up two videos in one week. I know it's not the same as a video every week but this is my way of saying sorry and also embracing the fact that I am done with my internship and school. So here is my first ever beauty empties/products I've used up video!

Review: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles

For real though...what is up with the drugstore these days?! I went from being a total drugstore hater to a drugstore junkie. I think I've said this in my past like 5 posts but the drugstore has really been killing it lately! I swear that almost everything I've tried from the drugstore in the past few months has been a hit and this Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles ($7.99) is no exception.

July Favorites 2013!

It's that time of the month again! Time for me to share with you all what I've been loving for the entire month of July. Check out my video after the jump and be sure to support and subscribe. Thanks~

Review: Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach

The drugstore's been killing it lately! I recently raved about the Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon and the Maybelline Masterprecise Liquid Eyeliner, and now I'm going to rave about the Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin-up Peach ($5.94). Maybelline Color Whispers, along with Revlon Lip Butters have been the biggest hit at the drugstore in terms of lip products. I was skeptical at first of the Color Whispers, I figured they'd be just like the Revlon Lip Butters since they were marketed as sheer color with hydration. However, after testing it out and comparing the two they're definitely not the same product.

Review: Maybelline Masterprecise Liquid Eyeliner

I love myself a good liquid liner. They give the boldest and longest lasting lines but a truly good one is hard to find. I've tried my fair share of liquid liners, everything from high end to drugstore and trust me, not all liquid liners are made equal. There's the bad: the ones that have dried out in a couple of weeks, the ones that were difficult to handle and the ones that were just all around bad. Then there's the good: the ones that were extremely precise, the ones that stayed on without smudging and the ones that were mind-blowingly amazing.

Now this Maybelline Masterprecise Liquid Eyeliner ($5.70) in Black wasn't totally mind-blowing but it was pretty darn amazing for a drugstore liner in my opinion. I hadn't done much research on this product but I recalled hearing a few YT beauty gurus saying good things about it. I was in the market for a new liquid liner anyways and decided to pick it up and give it a try. For $5.70 how could I really go wrong?

And the Winner is...

I am very pleased to announce that the winner of my 100+ Followers Giveaway is...
Tsering Yangzom!
She will receive one Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me, one Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait and one Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Sassy Mauve. Congratulations Tsering and I hope you enjoy your prize~
Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway and even if you didn't win this time, don't worry because I am sure to have more contests coming up soon!
♥
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100+ Followers Giveaway! [CLOSED]

I hit over 100 followers not too long ago and I promised that I'd do a celebratory giveaway so here it is. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to give away but I've finally decided to give away three of my favorite drugstore lippies. I'll be giving away one Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me, one Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait and one Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Sassy Mauve to one lucky winner!
3 Prizes | 1 Winner | International

The products featured in the above pictures are my own lippies and the winner will be getting brand new ones in their original packaging. This is my first ever giveaway and my first time using Rafflecopter so be sure to read their Terms & Conditions before entering to win!

This giveaway will be open for one month (3/30/13-4/30/13) and is open internationally. Feel free to contact me by email if you have any questions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good luck! ♥
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January Favorites

I didn't even realize it was already February until I looked at my calendar today, and you know what the beginning of a new month means: monthly favorites! All my favorites from the month of January were products that I brought with me on vacation. They've certainly been pushed to their limits since while I was on vacation I was running around, out for over 12 hours a day and I didn't have much time to stop and reapply makeup.

January Favorites 2013 by lipstickndlace

1. Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic ($40) - I got a sample size of this product from the In The Glow set I bought from Sephora and decided to bring it with me since one half of it has contour shades and the other half has highlight shades. I used this product the entire time I was on vacation to highlight and contour and it worked perfectly. However, if you don't like any kind of shimmer in your highlighting and contouring products then I would skip this since it does have a hint of shimmer in it.

2. Too Faced Lashgasm Mascara ($21) - I got this full sized product as part of my Too Faced Shadow  Bon Bons ($42) set and reviewed it along with the shadows and Shadow Insurance here. I mentioned how it impressed me in my review and it impressed me once again while I was on vacation. It's perfect for lengthening and defining your lashes. It also stayed put all day and didn't smudge.

3. Urban Decay Naked Palette ($50) - Do I even need to explain why this made it onto my favorites this month? It's my go to palette for traveling since it has all the warm neutral colors I love and could possibly need while I'm away. It's an oldie but a definite goodie, and if you don't have it, I highly suggest getting it!

4. Sigma Mrs. Bunny Essential Kit ($120) - Okay, I know the picture is not of the Mrs. Bunny Essential Kit but rather the Mr. Bunny Essential Kit, but you'll have to excuse that since for some reason I couldn't find the Mrs. Bunny set when I was creating this favorites set. Anyways, I finally purchased Sigma's synthetic Sigmax brush set and I brought it with me on vacation and loved it! The brushes are so smooth and soft, and they apply makeup wonderfully.

5. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder with Real Cocoa ($29) - I also got this as part of the In The Glow set from Sephora and I brought it with me on vacation since it was a smaller travel sized version and I had heard great things about it. I used it the entire time I was on vacation and I absolutely loved it. It really does smell like chocolate and it gives your skin this nice hint of color.

6. Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm in Cherry Me ($2.97) - I believe this has showed up on my favorites list before and it's back on because this was the only lip product I used while I was on vacation. It's so easy to apply and it gives a nice hint of gloss and color. It's also very moisturizing so I was able to get a good color on my lips and hydrate them at the same time! The product also conveniently fits in my boyfriend's pockets so that was a plus as well. If you want to know more, I wrote a review here.

Review: Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me

Three midterms down, two to go. I've already gotten back my Physics midterm and I did not do well, over half the class got below a 65 and I'm included (a few people got zeroes and single digits). I'm debating whether to drop the class and retake it in the summer, I'm just afraid the medical schools won't like that I withdrew from a course! But at this rate, I don't expect anything higher than a C from this professor since he actually encouraged us to drop after giving the midterms back and refused to curve or give us extra credit. *Sigh* Such is life. No point in dwelling on the past so let's get on to today's product review!

I'm pretty sure you've all heard of the Maybelline Baby Lips ($2.99) line by now, people have been talking about it everywhere. I refused to believe the hype for the longest time, having a bad experience with tinted lip balms in the past, so I held off on purchasing one. I finally caved in not too long ago and bought one in the shade Pink Punch, and one thing led to another, and I ended up purchasing this featured shade, Cherry Me.

I've also decided to go with a new review format in this post in an attempt to make my reviews more organized.

Packaging: The packaging of the product is pretty cheap but since it's a tinted lip balm what can you expect? The product comes in a plastic twist up tube with a snap-on plastic cap. All of them come in different bright colored tubes so they're fun and convenient to carry around in your purse.

Product Quality: I was actually very surprised by the quality of the product. From past experience, tinted lip balms tended to accentuate dryness on my lips and the colors were very chalky looking. This product however, actually softens and hydrates my lips while giving it a nice sheer pop of color. As you can see from the picture below, there's a significant amount of color from just one coat of the product. It also makes my lips look glossy and hydrated.

Scent: All the lip balms in the Baby Lips line have a certain scent to them, and you can usually tell what it is by the name. For example, Pink Punch smells like fruit punch whereas this Cherry Me smells like a Cherry flavored Jolly Rancher!

Overall: I would highly recommend this to anybody interested in an affordable, low-maintenance, multi-functional lip color. How amazing does that sound!? I would definitely suggest this specific color to people who are interested in a red lip but are afraid to go full red. The color is sheer but still there, I like to say it's a "your lips but better" shade. While the packaging is cheap, the product itself makes up for that in every way. For $2.99 how could you go wrong?

September Favorites!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a week since I last posted but I've been extremely busy with school and performing so I just haven't had the time. I spent this whole weekend performing for the Travel & Leisure Global Bazaar at the Lexington Armory. I got to sample food and drinks from various countries, famous chefs and even got to go zip lining. The highlight of my weekend was meeting Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto!

Pretty cool right? Well anyways, I warn you all that my posts will be rather sparse this month since I have all my midterms these next three weeks. I also have to plan and book my vacation with my boyfriend in January, we're planning to go to Disney World, Universal Orlando and Sea World Orlando. So I'm going to try my best to post as much as I can but I probably won't be posting as much as I usually do.

Now on to the real topic of this post, my September Favorites. September flew by and I believe it, between school and performances I haven't had much time for anything else. My favorite products this month are all mainly skincare products because as I mentioned in previous posts, my skin has been misbehaving lately so I've been on the hunt for a new skincare routine. A majority of these products are from my Lush haul at the beginning of this month, so check that out if you want to know more.

1. Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me ($2.99) - This has been my go-to lip product this entire month. It's one of those your lip color but better shades of red and I love how it smells like a jolly rancher. It's a very low-maintenance product, which is great for me now because I've been so busy, and it does double duty by also being a lip balm. I'll probably be doing a review on this product soon so keep your eyes out.

2. LUSH Tea Tree Water Toner ($8.95) - I've never used a toner before now but this product has got me hooked. It feels really refreshing when sprayed all over the face and I have noticed that I've had significantly less breakouts since I've started using it. Tea tree water helps to draw out any impurities such as blackhead and excess oil. I'll also be doing a review on this product soon, so keep your eyes out once again!

3. LUSH Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter ($14.95) - Wow, do I love this stuff. I use it on my heels every time I get out of the shower and I've noticed my heels have become a million times softer. I used to have extremely dry and cracked heels but ever since I've started using this my heels have become very smooth. If you want to know more I have a review on this product here.

4. EOS Organic Lip Balm Sphere in Strawberry Sorbet ($2.99) - I was extremely late on the EOS lip balm train but it's better later than never. I had my doubts about this product because the idea of carrying around a giant egg shaped lip balm was not appealing to me, but I'm glad I gave it a try. The product feels great on the lips, it moisturizes without feeling sticky or greasy and I love the way it smells. I really wanted to get the limited edition Alice in Wonderland pack but I can't find it anywhere!

5. LUSH Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub Sample (Free) - I got this sample with the rest of the Lush products and I'm so glad I did. I use it once a week and it really scrubs deep down into my pores getting out all the blackheads and getting rid of any dead skin. It's pretty harsh, I'm not going to lie, but using it once a week is good enough. I love this product so much that the next time I'm at a Lush, I'm definitely picking a full size up.

I hope you enjoyed this post and once again my apologies for not posting as much. I'm going to try to post as much as I can these following weeks but I can't guarantee anything since my midterms are looking to be really tough this semester. Wish me luck!

July Beauty Favorites!

Well July sure flew by quickly for me. The first half of the month I spent in Florida at Disney World and Universal Orlando and the second half I spent in summer classes. Clearly, the first half of my July was the better half. But, at last the month is coming to a close and that means July beauty favs!

I'm still using a lot of my faves from June, like the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish and the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil, but there are a few new additions to my summer beauty routine.

First up we have probably the most expensive beauty item I've ever purchased in my life, the Cle De Peau Beaute Concealer ($70). Now I'm not in the habit of buying extremely expensive products but I decided to make an exception for this one. My entire life I've been searching for a concealer for my under eye circles and I could never find one that had the right coverage and consistency. I had all but given up until I heard about all these rave reviews regarding this concealer. I feel it was totally worth the $70 because it covers my dark circles like magic, and since I've been waking up at 6:45AM every Monday through Thursday for summer courses I have some serious circles to conceal.

My second favorite is this Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara ($19). I bought this a while ago from Sephora and I never paid much mind to it until recently. I don't know what came over me to go on and grab this mascara out of the bunch I have but I'm glad I did. It really lengthens my lashes and holds my curl.

I actually just purchased this Herbal Essences Hydralicious Shampoo ($8.67) & Conditioner ($8.67) about a week ago and I'm already completely in love with it. I couldn't quite put my finger on the scent for a while but in its description on Amazon it says that it has the scent of water lily nectar and passion fruit, all I can say is that it smells amazing. Most shampoos and conditioner weigh my straight and thin hair down but this duo leaves my hair soft and bouncy. I actually wake up in the morning with perfect looking hair, something that used to never happen to me with any other shampoo or conditioner I've used before.

Another drugstore and monthly beauty favorite is a longtime favorite of many beauty gurus, the Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm ($2.97) in Pink Punch. I'm pretty late to the game because when they first came out I figured it was just a glorified lip balm but now I see why everybody loves it. It definitely gives your lips a good amount of moisture and on top of that it gives your lips a nice hint of color. This shade in Pink Punch gives a hot pink sheen to your lips and I love how it feels lightweight, which is perfect for these hot summer days. It's a great product to take with you to the beach.

And finally, I've been really into my MAC Hey, Sailor! Blush ($21) in Fleet Fast! Like the Eyeko mascara, this was just lying around in my makeup arsenal for a while until I felt the urge to take it out again. It gives a nice peachy coral tint to the cheeks, giving me a nice and healthy glow for the summer.

So what are your July beauty favorites? I'd love to know! If you have a blog post please link it below, and if not then feel free to comment.

XOXO,
Elle