Beauty Reviews: Lashes, Liner, Cream Lipstick, Oh My!

Is anyone else in a makeup funk? Lately I've been sticking to my "old faithful" products....b-o-r-i-n-g. I rarely step out of the smokey-eye-nude-lip look. And now that I'm a mom, I don't have a ton of time to try new things or even put makeup on at all most days. But I've found myself feeling kind of inspired by some of the beauty accounts I follow on social media. That inspiration led me on a little makeup therapy adventure last week...

I hit up Ulta because I knew they had most, if not all, of the goodies I wanted to get my hands on. At the top of my list was Anastasia's Brow Definer. If you're a makeup junkie, I'm sure you've heard of this brand. I'm a little late to the game because I did not really get the whole brow craze until now. I started following Anastasia on Instagram and I was blown away by videos showing how easily their pencils achieved perfect-looking, full brows. So, of course, I had to try it for myself.

So what makes this one so much better than the rest? The triangular shape! It's genius. And I found it to be not nearly as unforgiving as others I've tried. It gave me the ability to add natural, faint lines, then go back in and build up the color in the right areas. They have a nice color selection, too. I went with "Ebony" since "Dark Brown" was sold out. These are priced at $23, which is a little more than I would normally pay, but after using it, I don't know if I can go back to cheaper brow pencils. I give it a huge thumbs UP!

Above Left: natural brow vs. the Brow Definer

Next up on my list was new liquid liner. This particular one by NYX came highly recommended to me by a friend who always has the perfect winged look. Aren't we all so envious?! I don't know if I'll ever master liquid liner. I've been dying to find one that actually stays on all day long. I've tried nearly every liquid liner out there and they've always faded halfway through the day. I was a little apprehensive about trying this one, because I normally have better luck with felt tips, but I decided to give it a whirl.

This Vinyl liner did not let me down. It definitely has staying power! It didn't look even the slightest bit dull by the end of the day. I'm not a huge fan of the brush and still prefer a felt tip, but it wasn't terrible. And you can't beat the price at only $6.99!

If I'm going to have killer brows and liner, I figured I might as well add lashes to the mix. I'm a huge lover of false lashes. Normally I go for the longest, thickest ones I can find, like these from Ardell.

Every time I visit Ulta, I scan the Kardashian line but never buy anything. So I decided to give their lashes a shot. Afterall, Kim K. always has incredible lashes so I trust her there.

 Instead of my usual caterpillar-like style, this time I went with a long, more "wispy" pair called "Glimmer".

I didn't see a huge difference between these and others I've used. They were easy to apply and I liked them, but I'll probably go back to Ardell because they're a little cheaper and, well, I found out I do prefer the caterpillar look over these ;)

This next product isn't one that I purchased at Ulta; it's from Younique. If you haven't heard, Younique is most known for their pretty awesome fiber mascara, but they also offer lots of other beauty products. I was never a fan of cream shadow until I used Younique's. They always creased, faded, and just looked kind of messy on me. But Younique's are on a whole other level. I have several of their more neutral shades, but I decided to step out of my comfort zone with this one called "Defiant".

I thought it was more of a rose shade when I purchased it, but it turned out to be more of a copper color. I'm still not sure if it's the perfect shade for me, but I do like it! It's kind of shimmery and a little bit goes a really long way. Someday I hope to own ALL of the shades because they're so fabulous.

And now, I've saved the best for last. This cream lipstick from NYX has me HOOKED! Admittedly, I've been drooling over pictures I've seen of the Kylie Jenner Lip Kits. I'm obsessed with matte lips! Since Kylie's are sold out (and probably overpriced), I opted for NYX Liquid Suede in the color "Soft Spoken". They were sold out of that shade at Ulta, but I ended up finding it at Target, and for a dollar less at $5.99.

There is nothing terribly fancy about the tube or the applicator, but the formula is insanely perfect. It gives a complete matte finish, yet my lips still feel soft and moisturized to touch. The "suede" name totally fits. I used two coats and it barely budged throughout the day, even after eating and drinking. It's safe to say I've found a new favorite lip product and I just know I'll be back at Target next week with more shades in my cart. "Vintage" and "Sandstorm" both caught my eye.

This is probably the first beauty review I've done without any complaints!  I hope you'll try some of these products out and I really think you'll love them as much as I do!