Just for fun - the fall favorites tag

I thought the fall favorites tag videos by Jaclyn Hill and KathleenLights were fun to watch, so I wanted to do my own blog version! I have been having a great autumn so far - last year it got freakishly cold early and the leaves all froze and turned brown before they could turn colors and fall. This year we are on track for a for real actual fall.

Favorite Candle:  Yankee Candle Balsam Fir. I can't stand the overly sweet 3 wick Bath & Body Works classics, but a fresh woodsy pine is right up my alley.

Favorite Lip Color: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose. My lips have been so dry lately and the Fresh tinted balm in rose feels nourishing and protective while giving my lips a pretty flush.

Favorite Drink: Mulled apple cider. My husband mulls apple cider with cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, orange peels, and a bunch more spices I can never remember. I adore living with a good cook :)

Favorite Blush: NARS Douceur. NARS, whyyyy did you discontinue this? Pinky, plummy, and nude all in one - so perfect.

Favorite Clothing Item: Scarves. I own enough scarves to wear a different one every day of the month, but I'm sure I still need more.

Favorite Fall Movie: Sleepless in Seattle. So happy and cuddly!

Favorite Fall TV Show: The Voice. I'm still waiting for a magical blind audition this season, but I have faith. Also, I wish they would do a season where they invite back contestants who were robbed in their respective season. I would love to see Toia Jones, Tony Vincent, Patrick Dodd, Dawn & Hawkes, and (of course) Rebekah Samarin back at it.

Laura Mercier cashmere matte eyeshadow review & swatches

Laura Mercier's matte eyeshadow in Cashmere is the perfect mauve brown defining shade for fall. Laura Mercier singles retail for $24 for .09 oz and I purchased mine from Sephora. Laura Mercier frequently includes Cashmere in palettes (I noticed it in the 2015 Sleek& Chic Eye holiday palette), so you have a good chance of getting your hands on this shade without shelling out for the single.

Matte beige eyeshadow mega comparison - Urban Decay Walk of Shame dupes

I have been looking for a dupe of my beloved Urban Decay Walk of Shame eyeshadow for a long, long time. Today I have for you a mega comparison of all of the similar eyeshadow shades in my collection. This post compares Too Faced Fresh Linen, Too Faced All I Want for Christmas (LE), Urban Decay Foxy, Urban Decay Walk of Shame, Wet N Wild Brulee, Stila Wind, Inglot 353 M, Smashbox Vanilla, and Bare Minerals Ahhh.

What I like about WOS

Walk of Shame (WOS) is my perfect all over base lid shade. WOS is a pink toned light vanilla beige that is the perfect match for my skintone. The texture is smooth and silky, forgiving on dry eyelids, and is pigmented. If you want to see more a more detailed description of the formula of WOS, check out my comparison to Wet N Wild Brulee and my review of Urban Decay Naked Basics.

Koyudo BP 035 pine squirrel shader eye brush review

I bought the Koyudo BP 035 eyeshadow shader brush a little more than two months ago and wanted to share my thoughts. I purchased this brush from CD Japan for 2730 yen, approximately $22 USD. Many pine squirrel eye brushes on the market retail for more than the Koyudos, making this line a contender when looking for relatively affordable brush upgrades and versatile brush shapes. The Koyodo BP 035 is from the oddly named High Class Series, which features black ferrules, white handles, and magenta printing on the handle.

My skincare routine for dry, sensitive skin

Today I wanted to share my skincare routine for my very dry, sensitive skin. The main focus of my blog is makeup, but quality skincare leads to your makeup looking its best. A little bit about my skin: I am in my mid 20's, have very dry, sensitive skin and I struggle with both intermittent eczema and acne. I avoid products that are heavily fragranced, contain lots of alcohols, and contain mint and similar herbs, all of which irritate my skin.  Through trial and error over years, I have figured out a routine that works for me - I hope this is helpful if you have similar skin to mine!

My personal skincare philosophy is very simple: (1) maximize moisture, (2) use gentle formulas, and (3) be consistent. Let's get started!

Morning routine

1. Burt's Bees Radiance Facial Cleanser - this is a light lotion like cleanser that contains hydrating ingredients like safflower oil, jojoba butter, jojoba oil, and glycerin. It is lightly scented but smells fresh. I massage cleanser into my skin gently and remove with lukewarm water to make sure my skin isn't inflamed or red after cleansing. I have used this consistently since 2009 and it always leaves my skin feeling clean but not stripped. 
2. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion + - this thin lotion is hydrating but not so emollient that it disturbs makeup. DDML+ has ingredients that help with retaining moisture like mineral oil, glycerin, petroleum, and lanolin. I haven't found anything that works as well under foundation and I have used it for years.
3. Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint SPF 30 - is a tinted broad spectrum sunscreen with a natural satin finish that works well with makeup. I am a big advocate of using SPF every day (even if my foundation has SPF) to make sure my skin is protected. I have purchased this twice. 
4. Blistex Deep Renewal Lip Balm - I'm not tied to this particular lip balm, but I use a lip balm every morning as a lip conditioner and primer. I prefer the Fresh Sugar Advanced Lip Therapy, but the Blistex is way way cheaper.

Empties & mini reviews - Skin79, Bite, NARS, Clinique, Essence & more

I love seeing other people's empties, so today I have a bunch of makeup & beauty products that I have used up. I'm not always good about keeping my empties, but I remembered to take a few pictures of these before I tossed them. Let's get started!

Face Products

• Skin79 Diamond BB cream - this one actually went bad on me after I powered through about a quarter of it and gave up. The Diamond version is very accurately named and made me look reflective in a greasy way instead of glowy in a healthy way. Would not repurchase.
• Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream - one of my favorite BB creams of all time - natural medium coverage that looks invisible on the skin and lasts all day. This is my 2nd empty VIP Gold, I will definitely repurchase. 
• Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint - this tinted sunscreen is a great option for wearing under makeup. I have a full review here if you want to see more, but I will repurchase. 
• Essence All About Matt powder - awesome affordable translucent pressed powder. The packaging broke on me but the powder looks invisible on the skin. I didn't feel like using up the outer rim of powder because it is a pain to get even coverage with a brush, but I already repurchased so I felt comfortable saying goodbye to the last remnants.  

Liquid lipstick mega price per ounce cost comparison

With all the new liquid lipsticks coming out on the market, I thought it would be helpful to put together a mega price per ounce comparison. It can be hard to figure out which product is a good deal or more expensive than other formulas, so I made a cheat sheet to help you shop.

In this post, I have 27 liquid lipsticks available on the market today with data from Sephora, Ulta, and brands' websites. For each lipstick, I have the full name, retail price in USD, ounces of product in the tube, and the price per ounce, sorted alphabetically by brand. Using price per ounce (PPO) lets us compare apples to apples and find out which liquid lipsticks are a good deal and which ones are more expensive.