The Monday Post #4

**Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, I write The Monday Post, aiming to bring a little bit of beauty inspiration during almost everybody's least favorite day of the week.**

Favorite Read: I've been in a motivational reading kick the past month or so. I've come across great productivity and inspirational articles lately which I'll gather and share on the blog soon but I started reading the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and I'm loving it! I've heard about the book for years and years and I finally got around to getting it. I'm reading on a slower pace as I've been reading one chapter a night and going back to ALL my highlighted parts from the beginning before I begin a new chapter. It's such a healthy read that promotes a beautiful, and positive outlook. I highly recommend it to anybody!

Goal: I'm pretty bummed to have taken a break from blogging for a little bit. I had to prioritize a couple of other things that took up most my time but I'm happy to be back! I still have my list of plans and ideas for this blog and I'm looking forward to getting back to the swing of things!

Product Love: I'm currently loving my Wet N' Wild trio palette in 'Walking On Eggshells". The brow bone color is becoming my favorite brow bone/ inner corner highlight shade. 

Beauty Lust: I want the whole Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection! Does anybody have anything from that RT line? Which ones should I get first?

Most Looking Forward to: Reading more of my book. Seriously. It's THAT good! 

How about you? How have you been, my friend? Would love to hear from you!

Are we insta-buddies yet? @hippiegypsy00

5 Marsala Drugstore Blushes

So, you want to wear Marsala?

Marsala, the Pantone color for the year of 2015 is described as "a tasteful hue that embodies the satisfying richness of a fulfilling meal while its grounding red-brown roots emanate a sophisticated, natural earthiness". To me, what that picture looks like is a burnt red color, a strong brown undertone and variably, something of a deep berry with an earthy flavor. 

Being a big fan of deeper berry shades, I'm really excited about this color pick. I have always gravitated towards this range and so I know that I already have a few in my collection. 

The Monday Post #3

**Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, I write The Monday Post, aiming to bring a little bit of beauty inspiration during almost everybody's least favorite day of the week.** 

Favorite Beauty Read: I literally found this article today (from one of my all time favorite blogs) about different tools to use to track your blog performance. Over the past few weeks, I've been working really hard to reshape my blog. I've seen increase in traffic little by little and I'm so excited to get more things running. If you're in the same journey, I think this will be very useful for you too! PS. If you have any more helpful articles about blogging that you want to share, please let me know! 

Goal: I'm having so much skin issues lately. My face has been especially dry and my breakouts are driving me crazy. I can't tell what's causing them. I don't wear makeup most of the time and lately, when I do, I've been switching base products to figure out what has been causing the flare ups. It doesn't seem to be coming from my makeup so now I'm thinking, skincare. I've been using a really, really old clarisonic brush and I have an inkling that might be it. I've stopped using that and want to send my skin into 'reset' mode so my goal for this week is to keep my skincare routine as basic as possible. I'm only washing my face with 1 gentle cleanser and only a moisturizer. Does anybody have any recommendations on a gentle moisturizer for super dry skin?

Product Discovery: I totally forgot that I purchased the ELF Poreless Face Primer in Clear. This one is white, looks and feels like a moisturizer as opposed to the Mineral Infused Face Primer which I also love, that is actually clear in appearance and heavily silicone based. Both items though, are great at smoothing my skin and filling in my pores.

Beauty Lust: My lust list has been very much driven by Instagram lately. My recent find has been this Purple Bambu Set by Bdellium. Ugh. How pretty are those? I've been looking into investing in a nice brush set and these might be what I've been looking for. Has anybody tried any of their brushes? Thoughts?

Most Looking Forward to:  Grey's Anatomy and Scandal are coming back this week. *insert high pitched scream here*

Are we insta-buddies yet?

The Remix: My Travel Makeup Bag

The Remix: Shaking Up Routines and the Usuals.

Hey Guys!

So today, I wanted to share with you what goes in my travel makeup bag. This is what I'll take this weekend when I go up to Massanutten. This is also the bag that I leave in my boyfriend's house. I used to pack a bag with me every time I know we'll be staying there for a couple of days. I could never just leave things there cos I have attachment issues and I didn't want to find myself needing a certain product when I'm at home and realize that I decided to leave it at the boy's house. Recently though, I finally had the time to really choose and pick things that are great enough to be trusted to be all I have for a weekend but also basic enough that I would have something comparable at home that I wouldn't miss them.

Here are the picks!

ELF Mineral Infused Primer in Clear: This is a pretty basic silicone based primer that I like to use to fill in my pores to make my skin texture smoother.

Missha BB Cream: I don't have a lot of base type products so I was glad I had a few samples to choose from. I got this Missha BB Cream from an Ipsy bag. You can read more about my thoughts on this BB cream here. 

Lorac Pro To Go Palette: This has all the basic shadows, highlighter, a peach blush, a pink blush and a bronzer. I can do a simple day look with those gorgeous browns and that matte black shadow would also be great to smoke out a look to make it night time appropriate.

Laura Geller Balance and Brighten Foundation in Medium: I threw this in to use to set the BB cream if needed and also to use if I wanted more coverage. I really like this cos it also brightens my face without being too heavy and feeling like I have too much product on my face.

Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette in Hidden Agenda - 07: This concealer palette has a lighter shade to brighten my under eye area, a shade for blemishes and to neutralize slight discolorations and also a green toned shade to cover up any redness. It also has a setting powder that can go on top of any of the concealers.

Benefit They're Real Mascara: I have a few deluxe sizes of this so it was perfect for the bag. This mascara has so much hype around it so I think I expected too much. It didn't blow me away but I still really like it to lengthen my lashes. It looks very natural and it doesn't weigh down my eyes.

Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: I decided to also throw this in for a more volumizing option. I really liked this the first time I used it but the more air that got in the tube, the clumpier it gets. I have to be really careful when I use this mascara so I don't get super spidery lashes.

Anastasia Brow Wiz in Soft Brown: Hands down, my favorite brow product. You can read more about it in my Best of 2014 post.

ELF Wet Gel Lash and Brow Clear Mascara: I have super fluffy brow hair, it's ridiculous. I always need to apply brow gel and this is a great one! It's thick enough to hold down all my brow hair but also dries fairly quickly and lasts all day. It's also very light weight. At a dollar a piece, I have back ups of my back ups of this product.

Elizabeth Mott Pencil in Pearl: This is a champagne shade that I use to line my eyes to brighten and to give a more awake appearance.

Elizabeth Arden Lip Pencil in Crimson: This is just a basic, my-lips-but-better shade. I've been really liking lining my lips lately cos I don't really retouch makeup during the day and this just makes my lip color last longer.

ELF Moisturizing Lipstick in Ravishing Rose: Also another basic, my-lips-but-better (and a little deeper) shade.

NYX Matte Finish Setting Spray: I really like using setting sprays for days when I need my makeup to stay put longer. My favorite is the Urban Decay All Nighter that I also wrote about here. This one from Nyx is also a good one but I find that it's too mattifying for my combination-dry skin. If you have oily skin, I think you'll really like this one.

As for tools, I have...

It Brushes for Ulta Your Face and Eyes Essentials Travel Set: This set contains a complexion brush, crease brush, shadow brush, smudge brush and a liner/ brow brush.

Bundle Monster Face Brush: This is from a set I got and it's just a basic face brush. I don't like using the same brush for my blush and bronzer so I wanted to throw another brush in.

Everyday Minerals Flat Top Brush: For applying the BB cream on days when I don't feel like using my hands. I would probably get a Real Techniques sponge because that's my favorite way to apply my base but this one's great if you'd rather use a brush.

Eyebrow Razor Blade: Got this one from the Asian Market and I just keep it for brow shaving emergencies. Ha.

There you go. How about you, what products do you trust to take on travel? I would love to hear your recommendations!

Happy Saturday!

The Monday Post #2

**Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, I write The Monday Post, aiming to bring a little bit of beauty inspiration during almost everybody's least favorite day of the week.** 

Favorite Beauty Read: I've been super inspired about my blog plans and this post from Autumn Leaves totally pumped me up even more. All these blog tips articles are super helpful and motivating so I thought I'd share it with you in case you and I are in the same boat.

Goal: I'm proud of myself for accomplishing my goal last week which was to put up my 'Best of 2014' post so I'm going in to this week with that under my belt. I need to do a major brush cleaning and get my blog plans in action. I have so many ideas and I'm hoping to get started on the posts I have lined up.

Product Discovery: I'm on a self-imposed spending ban and so I've been 'shopping my stash' more. I've rediscovered my love for my It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette. I've forgotten how gorgeous this palette is! 

Beauty Lust: Holy Moly! Have you seen the new Hourglass palettes? Monochrome, Infinity, Exposure, and Atmosphere are totally going on my wishlist!

Most Looking Forward to: I think my Ipsy bag is coming this week so I'm looking forward to that. And also, like I've mentioned, I'm working really hard on planning upcoming posts and I can't wait to share those with you! I'm also on Instagram A LOT! So if you haven't yet, come check it out. I post tons and tons of makeup pictures! 

Hippiegypsy00 on Instagram

Happy Monday!

Best of 2014 - Make Up & Tools

Hey beauty junkies! How's 2015 treatin' you so far? We had our first 'real' snow fall for the season here in the DMV area. It was more than what most people expected. Work wasn't cancelled so, I had to trek out to the school and it was the most horrendous commute of my entire life. It was REALLY bad. My usual 30 minute drive turned into 2 hours of slipping and sliding on the streets. I'm just really grateful to be able to make it back home. If you're experiencing snow right now, too, or are expecting it the coming days, please stay safe! 

Anyhoo, as promised, I wanted to talk about my picks for favorite beauty products of the past year. I listed down categories and thought about which products I really used and would recommend to others. I ended up not having a pick for every category as I wanted to only pick products that I absolutely love. For each one, I asked myself, "If this was the only one [for each category] I'm allowed to use for the entire year, would I still like it?". If I even had to take a minute to second guess, out of the list it went. I wanted to make sure that I'm only recommending the best of the best that had worked for me in 2014. I also didn't want this post to be forever long so I'm keeping my descriptions as short as possible. I'm sure you already know about most of these but please don't hesitate to ask me if there's anything else you want to know about a specific product. 

Let's get started!

The Monday Post #1

**Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, I write The Monday Post, aiming to bring a little bit of beauty inspiration during almost everybody's least favorite day of the week.** 

September Favorites

A favorites post that makes it up on the blog in the actual month? Why, yes, yes, thanks for noticing. Anyhoo, this is the part where I tell you about my favorite products of the month. 5 of my must-haves, if you will.

Let's start with the skin care things, shall we?

I was on a mission this month to finish all my sample/ trial size moisturizers that I got from subscription boxes and that's how I came across this heaven sent! The Pur-lisse Hydra-balance Mosturizer's hydrating powers is very reminiscent of my holy grail moisturizer for the past couple of years, the Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. This Pur-lisse Moisturizer leaves my skin very, very hydrated but does not feel heavy at all. My favorite thing about it is how it absorbs very quickly on the skin but still leaves me feeling like I just put it on. I had random dry patches on my face earlier this month and it's all disappeared or at least been kept to a minimum since using this product consistently. It is on the pricier side but it's honestly worth it in my opinion. I've placed an order for a full sized one as we speak and can't wait til I see how this baby works for me during the winter months. I'm also dying to try out their brightening serum! Has anybody tried it before?

Another skin care favorite is the Soap and Glory Fab Pore Hot Cloth Cleanser. I got this from a swap I did and it has been a complete game changer! I've heard Essie (Essiebutton) talk about Soap and Glory a lot and I've been wanting to try out the brand. This particular cleanser is made with panthenol, sweet almond, orange and lavender oils. I only use it every time I have a full face of makeup (because I don't want to use it all up to quickly!) and it's so, so, so good at breaking down makeup, even the waterproof ones. I just gently massage it on my face, leave it on for a minute and then wipe it off with a warm, wet Muslin Cloth that it came with. The process feels so luxurious and just so purifying! I went on the S&G website and apparently, this has been redesigned into Ultimelt and is sold for about $16. I don't know if it works the same as the Fab Pore one. Does anyone know? Either way, if you can pick this up in the old packaging, I highly, highly recommend it!

As for Makeup favorites, I've really been enjoying the Milani Bella Eyeshadow in 03 Bella Cappuccino. It's been my go-to crease color for simple, everyday looks and it's also great for using on the crease as a transitional shade for more colorful eye makeup. It's a warm brown with a satin finish. I would say it has a little bit of sheen to it but it's very muted when you put it on. 

I've also found my favorite mascara in the Lorac Pro Thickening and Lengthening Mascara The pointy tip on the wand grabs on the tiny eyelashes on the inner and outer corner. I also must say that I didn't think much of this mascara when I first use it but as I keep using it and the more dry it gets, it works better and better. It doesn't give crazy, long eyelashes but it definitely helps with volume. The formula is very black and it does not smudge.

Last on my favorites list is this humongous sunglasses that I got here. Every other person in my life thinks it's clownish and ridiculous but I love it. I have a round face and really puffy cheeks which I sometimes get self conscious about. I find that most sunglasses, even oversized ones hit me right on the cheek and just doesn't fit right. I love this pair and just purchased another one in black! It's so inexpensive but looks so chic and stylish!

hooray for car selfies!

How about you? What products have you been loving recently?

My ELF Must Haves Giveaway!

Hi Beauties! 

In case you missed it, I wrote about my favorite ELF products last week! Read about my must haves here (Eyes & Lips), here (Face), and here (Tools).

In line with this, I've decided to giveaway some of my favorite ELF products to one lucky winner!

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY and will be open from September 6, 2014 until September 20, 2014.

Winners will be announced on September 22, 2014 on my Instagram.

Winner will receive the following ELF products:

some product photos c/o of ELF website

• Studio Blush Palette in Light
• Studio Blush Palette in Dark
• Essential Custom Eyeshadow Compact
• 3 Essential Custom Eyes Refill Pans (Peach Fizz, Wheat, Taupe)
• Baked Blush in Passion Pink
• 3 Smudge Pots (Ain't that Sweet, Cruisin' Chic, Back to Basics)
• Essential Long Wear Lip Liner in Bitter
• Essential Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Coco Loco
• HD Blush in Gotta Glow
• 2 HD Blushes (Encore, Showstopper)
• Essential Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal
• Studio Matte Lip Color in Praline
• Studio Powder Brush
• 2 Essential Eyeshadow Brushes

Good Luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Best ELF Products (And What to Skip) - Tools

Welcome to the last part of my Best of Elf series. If you would like to check out my top picks for Eyes and Lips products, then click here. If you're interested in Face products, then check this out.

Let me start of with the only non-brush pick, for this category, the Lip Exfoliator ($3). I don't think there's any other good lip exfoliator at this price. My favorite part about it is that it comes in lipstick form which makes it so convenient to use. I absolutely hate the taste of it when I inevitably get it in my mouth but I think that's a small price to pay for the wonders this thing does. It leaves my lips feeling smooth and plump. I try to use this twice a week to buff out dryness, chapping or product build up I may have.

Best ELF Products (And What to Skip) - Face

Hey there!

This is part two of my ELF collection roundup where I tell you about the best ELF products and a couple of things to skip. If you're looking for eyes and lips products, then check out my previous post here and click here for my favorite ELF tools.

FACE

If ELF has got one thing right, it would be their blushes. Different ones, from different lines. 

Let's start with the newest ones, the Studio Blush Palettes ($6). These come in two sets, dark and light. Both are equally beautiful! Even the packaging is so slick and well-made that this palette is definitely more than a bargain. All the shades are so pigmented and I love the variety of colors!

Best ELF Products (And What To Skip) - Eyes and Lips

If ELF had an award for somebody who has the most items from its whole line, I feel like I will be a top contender. I've been using ELF ever since I first gotten into makeup (which wasn't too long ago. 2 years to be exact. But I've made up for lost time, trust me). I genuinely feel like it's one of the best lines to go to if you're a beginner at makeup or even a seasoned one who would like to play with colors without breaking the bank. With products ranging from $1-$8, ELF is definitely under every makeup lover's radar.

What I love most about the brand is how great the quality is for most of their products. I can even name a few things from the ELF line which, I swear, is as good as, if not better than some of the higher end pieces from my collection. If you're new to ELF, choosing which products to get can be pretty overwhelming, especially now that they're coming out with more and more products.

Being the proud Elfette that I am, I have gone through my entire ELF collection and did the work for you! Here are my top products from ELF by category. It was really, really hard picking only a few favorites but I did it! I also included one product per category that did not work for me and I wouldn't recommend. In this post, let me share my picks for EYES and LIPS. (Also check out my picks for face and tools)

This is gonna be a long one so let's get started!

A Closer Look At The Sonia Kashuk 15 Year Anniversary Limited Edition Brush Set

If you are at all interested in beauty stuff, then you have probably seen these brushes floating around instagram or the blogosphere. 

Sonia Kashuk, brand exclusive in-store to Target, celebrates 15 years of award winning brushes by coming out with a collection, including this beautiful 15 piece brush set. I have debated writing about them since they're pretty much gone. They've been so hard to track down for a lot of people but if you're lucky, I know some Targets still carry them. Rumor has it though, that they will be restocked and released, at least in the Sonia Kashuk website.

I figured that I would still write about them in case you were in the fence and they're still available in your area or, if you missed it, then you can still have a closer look at them!

-------more after the break---------

Destination Beauty: My Glam (Ipsy) March 2014 Bag

This may come a little late but I still wanted to share. I've been seeing different hauls and I feel like there were a lot of product combinations. I'm really happy with what I got and I'm excited to use them!

[MORE AFTER THE JUMP]

The Monday Post

**Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, I write The Monday Post, aiming to bring a little bit of beauty inspiration during almost everybody's least favorite day of the week, Monday.** 

[more after the jump]

Friday Favorites # 1

Spotlight on the 5 Best Products of the Week

DETAILS: [From bottom left to right, then up]

Subscription Haul: New Beauty Test Tube January 2013

Today I bring you another haul! I got my Test Tube last week and thought I'd share what I got. I feel like this subscription is the least talked about and it deserves so much more hype. It's my favorite subscription by far and although this month's box wasn't as good as last one (because I received an It Cosmetics powder brush from that and that was a game changer for me!), it's still pretty impressive. 

Here's what you'll see when you open the pretty pink box it comes in (without the booklet - I forgot to include!)

They usually send an extra bag of "Beauty To Go" in a clear bag. Let's dive in that first, shall we?

Subscription Haul: My January 2014 Ipsy (My Glam) Bag

Hey guys!

Today I wanted to show you what I received in my Ipsy Bag this month. Here are all of the products together:

[MORE AFTER THE BREAK]

Vampy Diaries [Lipstick Talk]

Hey friends!

The other day, I was browsing through an old magazine and I saw an article on dark vampy lips. This got me excited because I've been into bold, dark lips lately. I got inspired to look through my things and pick out the ones that I've been gravitating towards lately. I decided I'm gonna do a post on my most reached for statement lipsticks. All of my picks are from the drugstore with the exception of one from Elizabeth Arden and one that you can only get online from BH Cosmetics.

Here are my picks! (Swatched together at the end of the post)

The [First] Monday Post of 2014

**Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, I write The Monday Post, aiming to bring a little bit of beauty inspiration during almost everybody's least favorite day of the week, Monday.**