My Ultimate Cross-Country American Road Trip

Hello my wonderful readers!

One week from today Brandon and I will be starting our cross-country road trip from New York to Portland, Oregon.  In an effort to enjoy this road trip and all the places we will be visiting, I have decided not to post to my blog during this journey.  I want to be able to soak in every second and really live in each and every moment while I have the opportunity to do so.

We will be headed first up to Indiana to visit family, then stopping in Nashville, New Orleans, Dallas, Albuquerque, Monument Valley National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Las Vegas, Death Valley National Park, Sequoia National Park, Sierra National Park, Yosemite National Park, and San Francisco.

My regular schedule of Monday, Wednesday Friday posts will continue on March 28th!  An added bonus: in our new apartment I will finally have the space to set up my lighting and camera equipment, and will finally start making You Tube tutorials!

Make sure you are following me on social media!

I will be posting all about my trip on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Snap Chat (AshEliz24).

See you all very soon (from Portland!)

 

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My Ultimate Top 4 Favorite Concealers

Concealer is one of those essential makeup products that my beauty routine just wouldn't be the same without.  I use it to hide under eye circles, make blemishes disappear, and highlight parts of my face.  Finding the perfect concealer for your skin tone and skin type makes a world of difference, and can brighten, lighten and enhance all the right parts of your face.  Below are my current top four Holy Grail concealers.

While three of the four are considered high-end brands, great concealers don't necessarily need to come with a high price tag.  There are concealers being sold in beauty stores twice the price of these, and they are not worth the money.  Research concealers, their specific uses and benefits to determine which one is best for your face.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

This concealer deserves to be mentioned first because it is quite simply my ultimate go-to Holy Grail concealer.  It is ultra creamy with a medium to full coverage that completely and easily conceals my under eye circles and blemishes with very little product.  A little goes a long way and it glides like butter onto the skin.  The application on the skin is smooth and lightweight while being comfortable and all day long-lasting.  When I use a damp Beauty Blender to apply this concealer it leaves a hydrated and slightly dewy finish to my skin, which I then set with powder for a completely creaseless finish.

This was the first high-end concealer I tried a few years ago that actually fully covered my dark under eye circles without leaving it cakey or flakey looking.  I will forever repurchase this product for as long as NARS continues to make it.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer

My next go-to concealer after the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer is Urban Decay's Naked Skin Concealer.  In fact, I find myself constantly pulled between the two, loving each one for both the same and different reasons.  This concealer is medium to full coverage but is extremely lightweight, very buildable, and leaves a very soft almost powdery matte finish on the skin.  Many people love this concealer because it conceals in a very natural way; in other words, it completely conceals without appearing like heavy concealer.

The formula of this product will not crease or cake when you set it with powder.  I love using the shade Light Warm on my medium skin tone to highlight my under eye area as part of my highlight and contour routine.  One of the best packaging aspects about this product is the application wand.  The makeup gods at Urban Decay created the perfect application wand that is the perfect size and perfect shape to provide smooth, even application.

Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer

I have heard several mixed reviews on this concealer in the beauty blogging world, but I have been in love with this concealer since I first purchased it a year ago.  It is a full coverage, transfer and water resistant concealer; in other words, this is a hardcore covers-everything-without-exception concealer.  The consistency of this product is very thick, ultra creamy, and highly pigmented.

I often pair this concealer with the Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation, which is also full coverage, for a completely blemish-free, non-oily and non-drying matte makeup look.  Both the foundation and concealer will crease if they are not set properly with powder.  I think the problem most people have had with this concealer is they are not necessarily looking for full coverage, or are not prepared for what true full coverage entails.  I wouldn't portray full coverage makeup as "natural" looking, because it will be fairly obvious that you are wearing makeup, however there are many people who want or need full coverage regardless.  I use this concealer with other color correcting or brightening products to create a smooth and completely dark-circle-free makeup look.

NYX HD Photo Concealer

NYX's Hi-Definition concealer was one of the first concealers I purchased when I first started becoming interested in makeup.  This product has a great range of shades and applies to a medium to full coverage consistency.  It is creamy and smooth without being too heavy, and will not cake or crease beneath your eyes as long as you set it with powder.

I use a mix of the shades Yellow and Light to correct my under eye darkness and highlight.  They also have shades in Lavender, to correct sallow skin, and green, to correct redness.  Overall, the product is easy to apply, very blendable, and covers well.  I would go as far as saying this is a great affordable drugstore dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Concealer.

My makeup routine would not be the same without concealers and knowing which ones are the best fit for my skin.  I have tried many, many concealers over the years and these four have consistently remained my ultimate favorites.
 

I Want To Know...

What are your Holy Grail concealers?

 

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DIY Beauty: Amazing and Affordable Eye Makeup Remover

Makeup removing oils and solutions from beauty stores or drugstores may work great, but it is unnecessary to spend money on a pre-made product that you can easily make at home.  This eye makeup remover solution is gentle on the sensitive skin around your eyes.  The skin around your eyes is so delicate that even normal rubbing or wiping can damage its elasticity and cause wrinkles.  Take care of your skin, and your wallet, and make your own eye makeup remover!

 DIY Eye Makeup Remover: Ingredients

Small Empty Container

1 1/2 Cups of Water

2 Tbsp. Baby Shampoo (Tear-Free)

1/4 Tsp. Baby Oil

Large Round Cotton Pads

DIY Eye Makeup Remover: Directions

1. Your small empty container should have a secure lid.

2. Mix water, baby shampoo and baby oil together in your container.

3. Replace the lid and shake well!  Remember to shake up ingredients before each use.  The oil and water will separate between uses.

4. When you are ready to use pour a small amount of the mixture onto a cotton pad and wipe off your eye makeup.

Tricks and Tips

• Re-use containers that you were planning on recycling anyway, such as a baby food container or old hot sauce bottle, to use as your small empty container.  Remember to wash thoroughly as you do not want these food products going into your eyes.

• To avoid causing wrinkles to your under eye area with wiping and pulling, soak part of a cotton pad with the makeup remover solution and place gently over your eye makeup.  Allow this to sit for a few minutes to break up your eye makeup.  Gently massage your eye starting at the top of your lid to the bottom of your lashes in order to remove the makeup.

I love creating my own DIY beauty products because it saves me money to purchase the makeup that I really want.  Life is filled with trade-offs and choices and, fortunately, this is a very easy one!

I Want To Know...

What are some alternative or DIY products you use to save money in your beauty regime?

 

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Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kit Swatches and Review

The infamous Kylie Jenner Lip Kits by Kyle Cosmetics.  The hype for the much anticipated second release of these lip kits (including three new shades) was high on social media.  I stalked the Kylie Cosmetics website from 6:00am to 12:00 pm, constantly refreshing and knowing I would only have minutes to purchase once the kits did become available.

This wasn't my first rodeo, after all.  I've been through the highly publicized releases of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit and Carli Bybel Palette by BH Cosmetics, just to name a couple.  I stalked, I saw, I purchased, and I conquered; becoming a new mama to the three beautiful shades of Koko K, Candy K, and Dolce K.

Every lip kit was sold out within less than twenty minutes.  Individuals are selling these kits online for up to $100, which I strongly urge you NOT to do.  Be patient, wait for the real thing on a legitimate website, and do not risk wasting your money on an unauthentic product.

Kylie Lip Kits: Packaging

The packaging of this product is amazing.  From the box the lip kits came in, to the design of the actual lip kits, you can tell that Kylie has put a lot of thought and work into the product.  I enjoy seeing this from a celebrity, because usually I find most celebrity products to be lacking in effort, uniqueness and creativity.  Everything about the Kyle Lip Kits I received feels personalized.

Kylie Lip Kits: Price

The high price tag of almost $30.00 per kit didn't stop it from selling out in 20 minutes (definitely didn't stop me!).  For a high-end makeup brand $15 for one liquid lipstick and $15 for one lip liner is actually very reasonable.  Anastasia Beverly Hills and Kat Von D both sell their liquid lipsticks for $20 a pop.  Urban Decay's lip pencils sell for $20.00, Laura Mercier's for $24.00, and NARS's for $26.00.

 

Kylie Lip Kits: Shades

It is going to be difficult to find exact dupes for many of the Kylie Lip Kits as I am overall impressed with the uniqueness of the shades.  Of course, you can certainly find shades that are close, and I would say there are several of ColourPop's Ulta Matte Liquid Lips that come very close.

Koko K is a soft pale pink nude, perfect for an "everyday" shade and the one that I see myself wearing the most.  This shade will work best for light to medium skin tones, but may look too pale on darker skin tones.

 Candy K is a true tan nude, which I see being very complimentary to a dark smoky eye look.  Candy K has slightly cool undertones.

 Dolce K is a medium brown nude that would look amazing with a warm toned eye look.  Dolce K itself has a very noticeable warm orange-amber undertone.  This will be a perfect nude for medium to dark skin tones.

Kylie Lip Kits: Texture and Formula

At first application of the liquid lipstick to my lips I notice that the texture is soft, creamy and smooth.  The formula is thick and I only need one "dip" with the applicator to completely coat my bottom lip, and an additional dip to coat my upper lip.  The formula stays wet or glossy looking for a few minutes before it begins to dry.  When it starts to dry you will notice cracking and creasing in the lipstick if you have not exfoliated and moisturized beforehand.  This lipstick will attach itself to ever crease, crevice and dry spot if there are any on your lips.

The very first time I applied the lipstick shades to my lips without exfoliating.  I noticed a huge difference when I tried it a second time after using a lip scrub and hydrating with a lip balm.  The result is much smoother and more even coverage, with only very fine creases.  I would not go as far so say this is an ultra matte liquid lipstick, nor would I say it is ultra creamy.  The formula is definitely dry but not unbearable.

The ultimate winner for ultra creamy consistency are the lip pencils.  These lip pencils are smooth and glide across your lips beautifully.  They will work well alone to fill in the entire lips even without any liquid lipstick.  The one con I did notice is when I opened the Koko K lip pencil the tip immediately broke off.  When I went to sharpen it was very difficult and just attempting to get a sharp point used up about 1/5 of my lip pencil product.  I was not happy, to say the least.  I researched this issue and found that others have had similar problems with their Kylie lip pencils.  They suggested ensuring that the sharperner you use is very sharp, because any dullness will cause the creamy texture to get stuck in the sharpener and take longer for it to sharpen. 

  
Kylie Lip Kits: Consistency

Very quickly I noticed that the lipstick on the inner rim of my pout worse off after about twenty minutes of wear.  This was during no eating or drinking, only talking.  However, the rest of the liquid lipstick remained perfect and in place for hours.  It is transfer resistant, so it will not transfer onto a cup I am drinking out of, but I did notice it was difficult to keep any lipstick whatsoever on the inner rim of my pout.

The liquid pencils by themselves remained perfect on my lips for hours, did not smudge, and were also not transfer resistent.  Eating or drinking anything oily, which I did not, will break down the formula of the lip pencils and liquid lipstick.  Be aware of this if you apply this to your lips before going out to each a salad with oil or a very buttery dish.

Overall, the Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kits get a gold star of approval from me.  While I feel that the formula could use some tweaks for improving, everything else is there.  I feel they are worth the hype, worth the price, and I am excited to see more of what she releases.


Interested in MORE Makeup Reviews?  Check out my YouTube!

    

SNAP ME! @AshleyEBeauty

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