January 2013 Favorites and Fails

Hello everyone! It's a bit belated, but I thought I'd do my January favorites anyway. 

My January Favs!

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

I was crazy about face products this month, as you can probably tell.

Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup SPF 15. Hittin' major pan!

• Pur Minerals 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup SPF 15: I'm not sure if I've mentioned this already, but I'm a huge fan of mineral foundations. While Pur Minerals is not my all time favorite, it's the only one I've been able to find that is light enough for my winter skin. I can still wear my other ones, but I have to take it down my neck more. If you know of a mineral foundation that's as light as Porcelain from Pur, let me know! My only issue with this product is that it doesn't wear as long throughout the day and starts to cake up a bit. As a result, I just wear it on days when I won't be wearing my make-up for longer than 7 hours. 

Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush

Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush- Close ups!

• Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush: This is a somewhat recent acquisition of mine, with the intention of using it with liquid foundation. I thought since it has been years since I've used liquid/cream foundations, I should take a stab at it. My idea was to get a few samples of foundation, try them out, and then purchase the one I liked best. I already had a large sample of Urban Decay's Naked Skin Foundation, but I also picked up a mini sample of Kat Von D's Lock-It Tattoo Foundation. Urban Decay's was just okay, but Kat Von D's was a huge fail (see below). So I decided to repurpose the brush and use it with my powder foundations (like Pur's). Success! I actually really like the way it applies both liquid and powder foundation as a whole. It's a very dense brush, so it's great at really packing on the product. I don't know about its claim of "optical blurring" out imperfections, but I definitely loved the way different products looked on my skin.

Note: My criticism of liquid foundations has nothing to do with the brush itself. It's more like the foundations just didn't work for me.

Note #2: My apologies for not cleaning the brush prior to the photos!

The Balm Frat Boy Shadow/Blush

Swatches of The Balm Frat Boy 

• The Balm Frat Boy Shadow/Blush: I am seriously in love with this blush! As a frequent  user of cool-toned light pink blushes, this peachy-pink wonder is a serious refresher! It's a mostly-matte peachy pink blush that simple looks amazing on the skin. I think it would work for people of a variety of skin tones, since the blush is very pigmented! I apply it rather lightly with the ELF Studio Blush Brush. Frat Boy has a whopping 8.5g of product; that is seriously going to last a long time! My only complaint is that the blush tends to kick up some dust in the pan, so be sure to gently put your brush in the pan and tap off the excess before applying to the face.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter/Shadow

• The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighter/Shadow: Another love from the balm! This is a highlighter that gives a golden sheen to the skin with no glitter. I wouldn't say it's a subtle highlighter, but you can apply it lightly for just a hint of sheen or apply it more heavily for a "JLo" glow. Either way, I love it on my upper cheekbones! It also looks great as an all-over lid color, brow bone highlight, inner corner highlight, or cupid's bow highlight. I love that it's pigmented enough to be such a multi-use product!

Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Inked in Pink

Using Inked in Pink all over the lid. No primer underneath. I have Urban Decay Naked 2 in the crease and Faint in the outer corner/eyeliner.

• Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Inked in Pink: I know you've heard enough about these Color Tattoos from me, but I can't help it! They wear all day, they don't crease, I don't have to wear eye primer underneath, and the colors are amazing. For my original review, click here. The shade Inked in Pink is from Maybelline's new metallic line of color tattoos, which are permanent to the collection! Inked in Pink is a pink-mauve with a shimmery, metallic finish (no glitter). This shade is particularly smooth and pigmented! Above is what it looks like on the lid; that pic is a preview of my next post!

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

• Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie: Oh, how I love the lip butters! These are smooth, moisturizing lip products with sheer to medium opacity (though the darker lip butters are plenty opaque!). This one is a sheer, natural, medium pink with shimmer. It's very natural-looking and wearable. I found myself reaching for this a lot when I wanted my lips to be slightly darker than normal, but still natural. 

Now for the FAIL of the month...

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Shade #42

Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Shade #42, swatches on my arm

• Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in Shade #42: I picked this sample up from Sephora with my intention of purchasing the full size if it was a success. I got the lightest shade in the range (note: my face is much paler than my arm). The reason why I wanted to try this foundation was that it is full coverage, a matte finish, good for oily skin, and had great reviews online. I did like the coverage that it gave me, my only issue is that it would look a bit cakey at the end of the day. So I sheered it out a bit, and it looked fine. The problem? After three days straight of wearing this foundation with no other changes to my daily routine, it broke me out like no other! I'm talking about 7 pimples, with 3 of them being cystic! The biggest one left an awful mark after it subsided (and I did not pick!). As a result, this foundation is a no go. More like Kat Von D's complexion erupter! Such a bummer, since this seems to work for so many people. At this point I'm thinking liquid foundations are just not my friend.

Now I have one more favorite...

Lucky, the fat wonder

My boyfriend's cat, Lucky: She's fat, she's fluffy, and her fur is the softest thing on the planet. No joke, I'd pet her all day long if she didn't eventually get bored and bite my hand off first. You must approach this cat with some caution because she's feisty! But it's just a part of her charm! Lucky is getting pretty sweet in her old age, though. Meowing for attention (or food). In these pics, we had just denied her food from the table (we kept denying her, hence the light shifting from day to night! lol), so she laid down to sulk.

And that's it folks! Look out for a make-up look next!

Disclosure: These products were purchased by me for review purposes. I was not paid or compensated in any way. All opinions are my own.