Today is a potluck dinner type of post! We’ve got a little bit of everything in the beauty realm. From drugstore dupes to a brand haul to self-tanning face drops, hopefully, you find something you’re looking for in your makeup bag. These are my favorite types of posts because they feel as if you’re shopping at Sephora or Ulta with a girlfriend. As you wander the aisles, “Oh have you tried this? Well, use this if you like that.” And if you’re shopping with me, you know we’ll have to stop for a non-fat mocha with ONE pump of raspberry after. Try it, thank me later!

DRUGSTORE

By the end of the year, I hope to do a best of drugstore beauty post! I have a running list in my phone of a few things that I think beat designer buys. But for now, I wanted to share a few more that I’m really loving! You can also check out my drugstore lipstick post here.

• Contour: My makeup tends to catch where I naturally place my contour. It could be a lack of absorption or where my skin tends to hydrate more, but each and every makeup artist to ever apply makeup on me says the same thing. “Girl, it’s hard to blend on you. Your makeup catches there!” It makes finding a contour even more tricky. If it’s too cool-toned, it looks muddy. If it’s warm, it looks like I didn’t blend my foundation properly. For designer buys, I typically can stick with Charlotte Tilbury Contour Kit and am safe from the catching. But for drugstore, NYX Contour Palette is one of the absolute bests I’ve ever tried. I’ve actually repurchased this palette 3 times. It can be a little tricky to find in store, so be mindful that it may take a few drugstores to track down. If you aren’t one to carry a palette around, Wet n Wild Contouring Kit in Dulce de Leche does the job as well!
• Powder: I’m also a powder snob. I can’t help it! I promise. I find Laura Mercier Translucent Powder or Bobbi Brown Nude Illuminating Powder to be the best for my skin. But I can go through the Bobbi Brown SO quickly- even though it is amazing for coverage. I’ve tried many other brands {both drugstore and department} and it never creates an even or smooth veil on my face. I STILL get that catching issue with others. However, e.l.f. HD Powder is one of the BEST dupes for Laura Mercier Translucent Powder I’ve ever tried and causes my contour to NOT catch. And for $3 a jar, you can’t beat the price. But get the LOOSE HD powder, not the palette
• Brows: I can have eyeshadow palettes not hit pan before they expire and the same goes for lipsticks, but one beauty product I’m always repurchasing is a brow pencil. The Maybelline Temptation Brow Pencil in Blonde is a great dupe for Anastasia’s brow pencil.

Elemis Haul

I blogged the Elemis Superfood Oil as an oil I love with my jade roller back here. They gave me a gift card to try some products and I got: their cleansing balm {leaves NO reside on your face!}, Pro-Collagen Marine Cream {a MORNING anti-wrinkle cream}, and their eye patches. I have so much to say on these products. First up, their cleansing balm is a very light cleansing balm. It gets makeup off, but doesn’t leave a wax-like residue that coats your lashes or waterline as some can. I’m going to keep testing their Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, but it’s known as an anti-wrinkle cream that you use in the morning and helps your makeup not settle into fine lines. I really think it lives up to that hype. Their eye patches were my favorite thing in the haul. They are so cooling and de-puff quickly. I can put them on for just 5-10 minutes and see a huge change before makeup application. I do have a discount code if you want to try a haul, it is KATEY20 and just excudes holiday/kits and travel size.

TANNING YOUR FACE

Let’s talk self-tanning your face. This can come across as very daunting to some because of the “what ifs?!” What IF you break out? What IF you go the wrong shade to not match your body? What IF it smells all day? While I think you can definitely put St. Tropez on your face {read my self-tanning post here}, I have my daily serums that I like to use about every other day or so. These are made for the face and to work in conjunction with your skincare routine, so you can layer your serums unlike with a self-tanner. If I self-tan at night, I’ll put on self-tanner on my face before bed and wash off in the morning. However, I only self-tan about once a week, so here is what I do other days.

• Organic Serum: If you want to simplify your skincare routine, try these drops by COOLA! The COOLA Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum is an eco-certified “clean at Sephora” approved product. It has hyaluronic acid that hydrates your skin, so you don’t have to layer tons of serums and a self-tanner. You can just apply this after you tan, then put your moisturizer on and apply your sunscreen and makeup. This gives the most natural look to the products I use, so it’s nice for everyday use even if you aren’t using self-tanner. It gives your face a nice touch of warmth!
• Clarins Drops: This is the self-tanning product for face I have used the longest. I’ve been repurchasing this for years and still go back to it. This is a product you mix with your face lotion, so you can make the tan as natural or as intense as you prefer. I traditionally do about 2 drops with my moisturizer. I mix this in with TULA Sensitive Moisturizer. You’ll like this one if you’re scared of streaks because in the years I’ve used this I have NEVER had a mishap!
• Isle of Paradise: These self-tanning drops are ALWAYS sold out and for good reason. They are “clean at Sephora”, don’t leave a harsh smell, and give you a just spray tanned glow. I use shade medium and just mix one drop in with my TULA moisturizer. If you just want to use self-tanner once a week, you’ll want these. With Clarins, I apply that about every other day. But if you’re a “one and done” type of girl, you can use these once a week and have a lasting tan. Now I will note the medium is more of a glow than the Clarins drops, but they last so long.

And that’s a wrap for beauty buys I’ve been meaning to share. Do you have any that you are loving as of late?!