Thursday, January 22, 2015

A - Z Beauty Challenge

Hi y'all,

As you know I tend to follow quite a few beauty vloggers on Youtube as well as their blogs! One of the newer discoveries is Fleurdeforce who you can check out on Youtube HERE or her blog HERE. While watching some of her older videos I came across one that was a tag on Youtube and I thought it would be fun to give it a try here on my blog and see if I could do it.

The challenge is basically list the letters A through Z, name a beauty brand starting with that letter and a product of theirs that you have tried and either liked or disliked. I don't think its an easy challenge but I think its a great idea!

So here goes nothing...

A - AMIKA. Without a doubt I absolutely LOVE all of their products! You can read my review HERE for the Bombshell Blowout Spray, and Tanya recently gave me a hair mask and I couldn't love it anymore. All of their products are absolutely amazing!

B - BARE MINERALS. I have tried a ton of Bare Mineral products but still my favorite by far is the Marvelous Moxie lipglosses! They have a great color selection, wonderful staying power and are super pigmented.

C - CAUDALIE. I love Caudalie products but so far my favorite has been the Vinosource S.O.S morning eye rescue cream. I got a sample in my Birchbox and its absolutely fantastic. I generally think Caudalie is overpriced but this is a product I would actually consider purchasing.

D - DR. BRANDT. Pores no more pore refiner. This was another fantastic Birchbox find! If you have never used a pore refiner this is the one to try, although expensive let me tell you it makes a huge difference in your makeup application and the way it settles and wears on your face all day. Beauty is expensive people, believe it or not we don't wake up this way!

E - E.L.F (eyes.lips.face). I love E.L.F products and they truly are the cheapest priced cosmetics ever and it is by no means crap! You can purchase these products directly from them online as well as at Target and recently a variety of other places. I would say my favorite thing of theirs that I use is their studio brushes! I believe the most expensive one is $8 for a large kabuki and so far I have yet to have to throw one out! If you are looking to try new brushes I would check them out!

F - FOREVER 21. They actually have a ton of makeup products and I cant say that I have tried a ton but I have used their facial towelettes and I probably wouldn't buy them again. I have really sensitive skin and I felt like they dried me out but I know that Tanya uses them and there are some that work for her and some that don't. I suppose it could depend on the scent you use as well.

G - GIVENCHY. Very Irresistible perfume. I love this perfume, I wore it the last time I lived in New York and couldn't get enough of it. Truthfully it makes me nostalgic for my teenage years as a really good friend of mine wore it all the time! This perfume is timeless and when I'm looking for a new perfume this one is always a contender!

H - HOT TOOLS. This is technically a beauty product as you couldn't get beautiful curls with out a good curling iron. Jason bought me one of their curling iron two years ago and I absolutely love it. Sadly I had asked for a smaller size than I should have and with all my hair it takes a super long time to curl my hair where as it wouldn't with a bigger barrel, but none the less its an absolutely amazing product and you will often find them in salons.

I - INGLOT. I have not used this brand but I have been struggling with I for awhile and decided that I would use a brand that I have heard of and wanted to try but haven't gotten around to it. Its not really cheating I suppose in that I am still giving a brand and a product! I is hard guys! I have heard their eye shadows are what you should try!

J - JUICY COUTURE. The only thing I have ever tried from Juicy Couture is their perfumes and I really like the scent Viva La Juicy. I really love fresh floral scents, especially in the summer and this one is definitely that. I recommend checking it out next time you are in a Sephora or Ulta.

K - KIKO MILANO. You can read my post HERE about the products I have tried from Kiko recently and how I rave about them. Let me tell you guys, if you haven't checked it out.. I don't know what you are waiting for.

L - L'OREAL. Of course I have to say their True Match Foundation! I have used their regular one for years and recently purchased and love the new Lumi version. Its has the widest variety of shades to color match, its a fantastic foundation and reasonably priced. This is a holy grail product for me.

M - MAYBELLINE. This is a tough one for me, I can't decide which product I love more from Maybelline. It would either have to be their Instant Age Rewind Concealer or their new line of Matte Lipsticks to which I own most of. Maybelline is a great brand all round.

N - NYX COSMETICS. Definitely their Hot Single Eye Shadows! They are reasonably priced, super pigmented and therefore last a super long time. They have a great color range, they blend beautifully and are great to travel with. Not to mention their little pots are super cute!

O - OLAY FRESH EFFECTS. I really do love their whole line as you can see HERE but if I had to choose one thing to recommend it would definitely be the Out of This Swirl, Deep Pore Clean Exfoliating Scrub which I talked about in my Nighttime skin care routine HERE. I use it everyday on my very sensitive skin and honestly I feel like my skin has never looked better, its gentle but definitely does the job and smells fantastic. Its a reasonably priced everyday facial scrub!

P - PHILOSOPHY. I love everything about this brand, all of their products, you name it. A holy grail product for me has been their Purity Facewash, its the best thing ever. Last summer I purchased their Loveswept Perfume and I am still very much in love with it! Not to mention Jason bought me their Coconut frosting shampoo, bodywash, bubble bath combo for Christmas and I am smitten!

Q - ... I got nothin'... sorry!!

R - RIMMEL LONDON. Natural Bronzer. I am sure I have Rimmel lipsticks but I have used their natural bronzer for years. They have a variety of colors, some with shimmer and some without.. I find they suit my skin tone perfectly. I will say I recently tried one of their blushes and really didn't like it, no color pay off at all, complete waste of money.

S - SEPHORA. As I'm sure you know Sephora carries their own line of products and I have used their pressed powders for years. In fact I had always believed that there was no difference between drugstore makeup and higher end but that converted me. I still believe drugstore makeup is fantastic for the most part but I think there is a reason they can charge so much for higher end products. Sephora carries their own line in everything from powders, lip products, eye products, etc.

T - THE BALM. I have tried a few products from this brand and there are quite a few products that I would really like to try but of my favorite right now I would have to say it is the Cindy-Lou Manizer. I believe this is meant to be a highlighter but I think personally its more of a blush with shimmer. On days when I am not overly interested in going all out with my makeup I will skip bronzer and highlight and just use this stuff and I love it. I have to say that packaging for The Balm products are absolutely fantastic as well.

U - URBAN DECAY. Naked Basics 2 palette y'all! I got that palette just after Christmas and I couldn't love it anymore, it is all I have been using since I got it. I feel for what you get it is a really great price, the packaging is super sleek and seems pretty indestructible, I believe if you dropped it the eye shadows wouldn't shatter. The line of Urban Decay Products is HUGE and after using this palette I would absolutely try more.

V - VASELINE. Believe it or not I had a few options for the letter V but Vaseline is timeless. Not only do they have a variety of scents/tints for lip care but they have the fabulous body sprays that I am obsessed with! Their lotion line is vast and affordable, there is definitely a product for everyone! If you would like to check out some of the options please click HERE!

W - WET N' WILD. If you watch the Youtuber KathleenLights you will know that she RAVES about Wet n' Wild products all the time and often uses them as dupes for high end brands. When I was first looking to try out a red lipstick I wanted to make sure I would be comfortable in it before I spent the money on a really good one. I purchased a wet n wild red lipstick and although I have higher end ones now I still find myself reaching for that one. This brand is extremely affordable and offers greta products, I am sure I used more of it when I was younger.

X - XEN-TAN. This is not a product I have used or care to but X is just as hard as Q and when I went looking around for something this is what I kept coming up with. I am not a self tanner that is why this wouldn't be something that I would reach for but I made sure that I wasn't recommending something that was crap so I read a ton of reviews and apparently this is fantastic. So if you aren't already obsessed with the St. Tropez self tanner you might want to give this a whirl!

Y - YSL (Yves Saint Laurent). This is actually a wishlist item as the brand is pretty pricey. I would love to try their Shocking Mascara as a ton of the British beauty vloggers recommend it. I would also love to try to Touche Eclat radiant touch highlighter, and any of their lipsticks. I'm not sure I will ever spend over $30.00 on a lipstick but if I ever to it will be a YSL one.

Z - ZOYA. Believe it or not I have tried a Zoya nail polish! They have a great selection, I would say they are average price for a nail polish because lets be honest they are mostly all extremely over priced! They do carry this brand in a lot of salons as well, maybe next time you are out for a mani pedi give it a try.

So there you have it, I challenge Tanya to make the same list while trying to use completely different brands than I have selected and anyone else who is interested! I think its a great way to be introduced to new brands and products that may be of interest to you!!

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3 comments:

  1. Although it looks like I may have to copy a couple lol

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    Replies
    1. Good luck!!! I'm excited to read yours, I will link to it when you're finished!

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