New Lorac! Brunch themed?

Lorac makes what just may be my all time favorite eye shadow formula. Their pro palettes are absolutely to die for. Also, I wear their contour palette on a daily basis. Check out their new releases for Spring of 2017. Most are already out in stores now! I'm in love.

I Love Brunch PRO Palette

The pretty pastel brunch themed palette is available at Ulta for $44. Best part is, all the shades have cute brunch themed names, and it also comes with a brush! And a sample size of Lorac's eyeshadow primer. For all that and 16 shadows I saw it's a hell of a deal.

 Shades:

• Lavender (matte lavender)
• Jelly Donut (matte pale pink)
• Bloody Mary (shimmer coral)
• Mimosa (matte pastel peach)
• Eggs Benny (shimmer sage)
• Pancakes (shimmer cream)
• Blueberry Scones (matte sky blue)
• Smoothie (shimmer lilac)
• Gluten Free (shimmer white)
• Sorbet (matte dusty mauve)
• Moonlight (shimmer pastel gold)
• French Toast (shimmer grey bronze)
• Hot Sauce (matte salmon)
• Valet (matte light grey)
• Avocado Toast (matte seafoam)
• Sunday Funday (shimmer peach rose)

I really really love how there is no other high end eye shadow palette with colors like these out now. It does have several brown/orange/peachy shades, which we are used to seeing. However, it's so nice to have some unique cool shades mixed in like the purples and blue. Aside from a dark smokey look, there are tons of looks that can be created with this palette. Just a note if you do pick this up, the colors are clearly soft pastels, but they can be intensified by using them wet.

Limelight

Also included in the I Love Brunch collection is Light Source Illuminating Highlighter in the shade Limelight. It is the only highlight in the collection, but there are also two blushes available. They are called Buildable Blushes and offer a sheer flush of color. In other words, not meant to be pigmented, but can be if you apply multiple layers. Both the highlighter and the two blushes are $23.

Luma

Panorama

Foodie

Barista

The final additions to the collection are lip products.

 There are four shades of Alter Ego Lipstick ($18) and four shades of Alter Ego Lip gloss($17). The four shades are the same in both products: Barista, Foodie, Pastry Chef, and Brunch Queen. Lorac makes great lip glosses in my opinion, but I don't think the colors here are super special, at least the first two shades (Barista and Foodie). Lorac already has similar shades to them in their Alter Ego Lip gloss range. I'm really loving the shade Brunch Queen though. Like I said, the four Lipsticks come in exactly the same colors.

Pastry Chef

Brunch Queen

There you have it. That's everything from Lorac's new I Love Brunch collection. I really do think the palette is gorgeous and may be picking it up soon. Quality matte pastels are pretty hard to find. Anything here you guys can't live without out?

Best Highlighters Under $10: New for 2017 and Old Favorites

2016 was all about getting that glow and blinding crowds with radiant cheekbones. 2017 looks to be no different with the strobing obsession only growing! 

Starting with my favorite new affordable for 2017, you will not want to miss these. They are the NYX Cosmetics Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powders. If you're looking for a natural highlight, this is probably not for you. If you're a highlighter junkie, or maybe you just don't want to pay a fortune for the Kat Von D alchemist palette, these are for you!  

They come in 5 shades and feature a shimmery duo chromatic finish. This essentially means that the color appears to change depending which angle it is viewed from. Very cool. They can also be worn as eyeshadows and retail for $8.00. If you do find that you like these, their Away We Glow liquid highlighters may also be worth checking out. I could see using them under this powder to glow even more!

 

My next pick is the Maybelline Master Strobing Stick. Now this gives a more natural to medium highlight. A light swipe gives a natural glow, but it can also be applied more heavily or used as a base for a powder highlighter. It comes in two shades, Light Iridescent and Medium Nude Glow for $8.99 each. A Master Strobing Liquid was also just released but in 3 shades.

Third is actually my favorite and may possibly even have a following by now. It's none other than the Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighters. It came in three shades for awhile, but two new shades were recently added, I believe in just the past month or two. They retail for $6.00. Their Ultra Strobe Balm is also worth mentioning. As a cream, it makes a great base for a powder highlight or can be worn on its own. It has almost a duo chrome look like the NYX powders.


Other affordable brands with highlighters worth mentioning: Elf & Essence

New Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Palette

 The more I look at this palette the more convinced I become that it needs to me in my collection. It comes with 18 colors and a dual ended tool with a brush on one end and a flat sort of spatula for scooping out small portions of product to mix together on the included mixing board to create custom lip colors.

The palette includes plenty of gorgeous colors that can easily be worn on their own. However, with the edition of primary colors red, yellow, blue, black, and white, the palette can easily be used to create any custom lip color imaginable! My only critique is that it would have been nice to include a sort of transparent shimmer shade instead of one of the neutrals. Nevertheless, it's still a genius concept.

The palette will be available for purchase on January 10 for $48. A bit pricy, but considering it's a high quality brand and allows you to make any lip color you want... I'd say it's worth the money.

Metallic Lippies!

While matte lips are definitely here to stay, those tired of the trend may be looking for a way to add some shimmer to their pucker, without dishing out their savings on the well-known metallic Kylie Lip Kits. Read on for gorgeous options for metallic lips!


Milani released a range of limited edition metallic liquid lipsticks in the summer of 2016 . Lucky for us, they're bringing back the line for 2017! Some of the shades are the same as the summer release, but the line also includes new shades as well for a total of 15 colors. 

This range of colors is so exciting to me as there is literally a color everyone can fall in love with, There are plenty of nudes, browns, pinks, and plums, and more, my favorite being a cool classic red called "Mattely In Love." The shade pictured below is called "Matterialistic." (Yes they all have funny names involving the word "matte.") They dry down completely to leave a metallic sheen on the lips and last for hours.

I was lucky enough to spot the full Milani Amore Matte Metallic Lip Creme line in a Walgreens, but they're also available on the Milani website here for $9 each.

Another option for metallic lips, if you're a bit on the more daring side, is NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Creams. I say daring because while the collection does feature a warm nude and cool pink, the rest of the line includes, blues, greens, and more. All the colors feature fun space-themed names like "Dark Nebula" and "Comets Tail."

 The product has a thick creamy almost mousse-like formula. The colors are all extremely pigmented, no need to worry about being able to see your lips underneath. It goes on with a doe foot applicator and does not dry down. The purple (Asteroid Aura) and bright electric pink (Fuchsia Fusion) shade is a favorite of mine. I ALWAYS get compliments and people asking what's on my lips whenever I wear it out.

The product can be found at Ulta or on the NYX website here for $7.50.