Recent Beauty Finds and Favs

As you all know, a beauty blogger I am not.  However, this does not mean I don’t try my fair share of products.  In fact, Vishnu claims Sephora is my favorite store.  He may be on to something!

I don’t know what it is, but as of late, I’ve tried and loved quite a few new-to-me products.  These aren’t things I was necessarily looking for now, but now that they’re in my possession, I can’t let go!  With the exception of one item, the rest are samples (the majority from Sephora ironically).  Two of the samples even resulted in full size purchases!

With that, here are a few of my recent beauty finds and favs…

First up we have the one and only Beauty Blender.  I can’t tell you why I jumped on the BB train so late, but all I can say is I’m glad I’m here now.  This little sponge is a time saver AND applies makeup as flawlessly as I’ve ever seen (on my face at least).  If you’re a brush only girl like I was, I highly recommend trying the BB.  The hype is real, people!  This thing is pretty magical.

Next on the list is the Eva NYC Mane Magic 10-in-1 Primer spray.  I first received a sample of this hair spray in a recent Influenster box.  From the very first use, I saw a huge difference in how my hair felt and looked – less tangles, smoother, and silkier.  Experience told me I should give it a few more tries before hyping this stuff up too much.  And guess what…after many more uses, I still LOVE it.  My crazy post-partum hair looks and feels pretty good, and I attribute much of that to this spray.  This is one of those samples turned to full size purchase.  While you can buy this at a lot of places, the best deal I found was on Costco.com.  So if you or someone you know is a member, I definitely purchasing from there.  A must have in any hair care arsenal if you ask me!

My next recent find is the belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb.  I’m still using the sample I received with one of my Sephora orders.  I love how hydrated and smooth it leaves my under eye area.  I know it’s doing what it needs to because when I use it regularly, I see a difference in how my concealer applies and stays put.  Now I just need belief (or any other brand for that matter) to create something to erase dark under eye circles!

Rounding out my list are a few lip products.  First up, the Nars Velvet Lip Glide.  My coworker and good friend Thea gifted me a mini of this gloss for Christmas, and I immediately fell in love with the color (Bound) and feel/texture.  The color is a great nude/neutral for brown skin tones and the feel/texture is very light compared to other glosses I’ve tried.  It’s perfect for work and/or daytime errands.  I plan on swatching other colors during my next Sephora visit and hopefully making a fun purchase.

And last but certainly not least, on the lip front, I’ve been loving a lip brand called BITE Beauty.  Thea introduced me to BITE (duh!) when I was pregnant and looking for more natural makeup.  I love them and the products for a few reasons – the color payoff is amazing, many of their shades complement brown skin tones, and the products are made with food-grade ingredients.  To that last point, I don’t feel too guilty when I get a little bit of lip balm/lipstick on Kaiden’s cheeks!

So that’s a little BITE background, and now, here are a few of the products I’ve tried and loved…

Agave Lip Balm – this stuff is magical.  I kid you not.  I’m notorious for having super chapped lips in the wintertime and not doing anything about them.  Vishnu gets on my case all the time.  This balm not only feels good and gives my lips some well-deserved plumpness, but it’s one of the most moisturizing lip products I’ve ever used.  I apply it throughout the day when I remember and always use it at night before bed so I can wake up to the smoothest lips ever.  Happy lips, happy husband!

Amuse Bouche lipstick in Chai – Creamy, moisturizing, and nicely pigmented.  This lipstick is a dream, especially for someone who prefers glosses to other lip products.  And the color Chai is the perfect bolder nude for brown girls as it truly complements darker skin tones.  Love!

Matte Lip Crayon in Glace – I’m not a matte lip product kind of girl.  I prefer something creamy and moisturizing.  Up until I tried this lip crayon, I never knew I could have both.  This product has a beautiful natural finish and really leaves my lips feeling hydrated and not dry.  And again, the color Glace is perfect for brown skin tones, as delivers the right amount of color in a very pretty shade.  Love!

*Pro (ha!) tip – Both the Amuse Bouche lipstick and the Matte Lip Crayon pair perfectly with the Agave Lip Balm.

And that’s all she wrote!  Like I said, I’m no beauty blogger.  I am, however, a mom who now prefers to use products that will give me the biggest bang for my buck.  And these beauty favs and finds really do deliver!

Your turn – any new/fun products I should know about???

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