Rachel's Favorite and Not-So Favorite Concealers!!

Cover Girl Queen Natural Hue Liquid concealer - Light

ELF Tone Correcting concealer - Spice

Mac Select cover-up concealer - NC 45

Graftobian HD Glamour Creme Palette - Warm #2

Sleek Cosmetics Luminaire concealer - L03

*Swatches at the end*

The Favorites:

ELF Tone Correcting concealer - Spice: This is one of my favorite concealers for concealing and highlighting a the same time. It works perfectly under my eyes to highlight in a 'V' and is even amazing under my eyebrows down my nose and any other area I want to add brightness to! ELF has definitely changed the formula from when I bought this a while ago. The formula is much more long wearing and thicker which makes for better coverage. That said, this is still a very light coverage concealer, not something you could fully cover a blemish. This is a good product for a concealer and highlighter look where you still want dimension in your face. It also works well with other liquid face products.

Updated review coming soon. Older review Here!

MAC Select cover-up concealer - NC 45: My favorite concealer during the summer for covering blemishes must be this MAC concealer. The reason I say summer is because this concealer only matches me in the summer. When I travel, this is the concealer of choice because it works well on blemishes but also is not too heavy for under the eyes. Come winter, I'm going to try NC 42 for a match but I have the feeling it might be too light. The only thing I might say about this concealer is that it can lean orange.
Full review Here!

Graftobian HD Glamour Creme Palette - Warm #2: I found this concealer while looking for an alternative for the Makeup Forever concealer palate and I am very glad I decided to buy it! I love that it has multiple shades that i can go between and mix and match to find my perfect shade. I use the third color for under my eyes and to cover blemishes and I use the second color to highlight around my brows. The last 2 darkest shades I use as a cream contour and the lightest shade I use as an eye shadow base. Basically, i have a use for every shade! I will make a full review for this soon because there is really so much to say!

The Not-So Favorites:

Cover Girl Queen Natural Hue Liquid concealer - Light: This concealer has been in my collection for a long time and I haven't thrown it away because I honestly have been trying to like it. When you first put this concealer on it goes on very liquidy and patchy. It actually evens out and turns matte as it dries but it also gets darker as it dries. As you go throughout your day it seems to convert directly into oil and wherever you put the concealer you have a shiny spot. The brings me to the other thing about this concealer, that it has no staying power whatsoever! Thumbs down for me.

Sleek Cosmetics Luminaire concealer - L03: My mom bought me this concealer on a trip to London! Thanks Mom! Too bad it doesn't work for me :(. This concealer is the type of concealer that you would think would be good for under your eyes as it is a highlighting concealer, but that is not the case! This concealer is too thick and unblendable to be anything useful to your eyes. The consistency needs to be thinner. I haven't tried this on blemishes but its too light for the rest of my face and why would I want to highlight a blemish??
UPDATE: I really like the peach undertone this concealer has as it helps a lot with my dark circles however, the thick nature of the products causes me to pull on my eyes and I  still have a problem with that.

Swatches and Shade Description:

1. Sleek Cosmetics Luminaire concealer - L03 - medium yellowy salmon

2. Cover Girl Queen Natural Hue Liquid concealer - Light - neutral tan leaning yellow

3. ELF Tone Correcting concealer - Spice: brightening yellowy salmon

4. MAC Select cover-up concealer - NC 45: tan yellow
5. Graftobian Buttermilk(lightest shade in palate): light yellow tone 
6. Graftobian Desert Sand: medium yellow tone
7. Graftobian Golden Sunset: Almost identical to MAC NC 45
8. Graftobian Deep Xanthe: Rich yellowy brown
9. Graftobian Mid. Marygold: Dark yellow tone

Hope this was helpful and hope this gave you some ideas of concealers that might work for you!

Love,

Old NOTD: Lana Del Rey Inspired Red Tips

So, if you have seen the music video for Born To Die by Lana Del Rey, then maybe you noticed her red and silver tipped nails! I love Lana Del Ray and her music so this manicure was inspired by her... except I skipped the silver.

Reactions to this manicure were, needless to say, all over the map. My mom was like, "Whaaaa?" and I think my dad may have gagged. I got compliments from a girl at school who was wearing hot pink tipped nails and from some of my friends (who could have been lying). Some people I caught taking a double take at my hands...whatever that means, lol.

I used a Sephora polish that I got in a set and the Revlon Base Coat.

Overall, I'm not sure that I'd do this style manicure again, mostly because of my dads reaction. Dad has never lead me wrong. I personally think Lana Del Ray pulled off WAY better than I did.

NOTD: Rimmel Satin Black

I've been loving Rimmel's Satin Black nail polish! Two coats gives good results as you can see in the picture. Inexpensive and it lasted a good amount of time on my nails.

What polish are you wearing?

NOTD: Butter London Polish - Rosie Lee

My Two Cents: At $13.99 i'm not too sure that these polishes are anything special. At least not anymore than an OPI polish or a Sally Hansen polish. The glitter in this polish however, is beautiful and vibrant and I quite like the color. My only gripe is that after about two months of owning this polish, it dried up on me and I was not even halfway done with the polish!

Bought at Plum Market

Would I repurchase? Not at 13.99.

Have you ever tried the Butter London Polishes? 

L.A. Colors Mineral Powder - Sand

^Sand, Soft Honey (recently repurchased)

I've been using this powder since I started makeup and am just getting around to reviewing it! I've tried other powders but I always find myself coming back to this one! Its just so smooth, silky and gives me the results I want.

Since I've more than hit pan on this the pictures may not give you the most accurate picture of the product but I just wanted to at least mention it on my blog before I finished it. I don't know when I'll be able to buy it again since its a product I can only find online now :(

The L.A. Mineral Pressed Powder is a must try powder for those who like a concealer and powder look or who need something to set their foundation. The collection has a range of colors from that I think could match many skin tones. I am an NC 45 in Mac and the shade Sand fits me perfectly. As you can tell, I am in desperate need of another powder!

My favorite part about this powder is that it has some type of illuminating property that is not shimmer. Most powders I use give me a "powdery" look that this one does not give me at all! 

Update: Now in my winter shade, Soft Honey is a perfect match and I still love love love this powder. 

Pros:

Inexpensive

SoftTexture

Large color selection

Illuminating Finnish

Cons:

Availability

Plastic Packaging

Where can you buy this? Its available at Cherry Culture but I've also seen it in some beauty supply stores here in the US.

Would I repurchase? Yes, if I can find it in a store :)

WHAT POWDER SHOULD I TRY NEXT??

Hitting Pan - Products i love !!

When you've used a product to the point where you've hit pan, you must really enjoy it. Or it could be that you don't know what else to use, but in my case these are products that I've really enjoyed using and that I would repurchase over and over and over :)

Cover Girl Powder in Tawny - I don't use this so much as a powder because its about 2 shades darker than my skin but its perfect as a matte bronzer for contouring. In small amounts it looks very natural and doesn't look dirty.  The undertones are neutral which can make it have a very 'brown' look but its perfect for creating that shadow. Perfect color for contouring my nose. This was my first matte bronzer and I haven't been able to break away from it!

E.L.F. Contouring and Blush Duo (the original one) - I hate the blush. Too glittery and doesn't show up otherwise on my skin. The bronzer however... :D I love it. Its dark enough to contour with and I can use a big powder brush and put this all over my face. I use this every season of the year. It not matte but its not shimmery. There are sparse sparkles in it which I quite like.

L.A. Colors Mineral Powder in Sand - Smooth, silky powder that i loveeee! Too bad I can only find where to buy it online :( I love how this makes my skin look. Some powders make my skin look so dryy, but THIS makes my skin glow without needing bronzer! I used this most of the summer over a primer and it was perfect. Coverage is light to medium and perfectly build-able without looking cakey. It has some kind of illuminating property but its not shimmer or glitter, it just... glows! Full review coming soon :)

Hope this was helpful,

My Inexpensive, Efficient Brush Cleaner

How do I keep my brushes fresh, clean and soft without shelling out any more than 99 cents? Girl, lemme tell you... 

:D

Pros:

*Soap free

*Dye Free

*Hypoallergenic

*Cheap

*Does the Job

Cons:

*Fragrance some may not like

If you gave this a try or you already use baby wash as a brush cleaner let me know!

UPDATE: I now use and unscented version by Johnson's!