STYLE: Makeup Brushes 101 (The Basics)

In my opinion, makeup brushes are possibly the most boring makeup purchase there is. I was always hesitant to invest money on tools- where's the fun in that? 

But guys, an investment is exactly what it is. Now I'm not saying you need to go out and spend  $50 on a single brush (have you seen some of the prices out there?) but there are some brushes where it does pay off to not cheap out. 

Generally speaking, anything used on your whole face I prefer to splurge on price. Think about it- it's your whole face. To contrast, smaller tools, like for your eyes, there's no need to spend a lot of money.

Here are my picks for the basics- tools everyone needs in their arsenal:
Kabuki  (powder foundation, setting powder)
Beauty Blender  (liquid foundation, luminizer)
Contour
Fan brush  (highlighter)
Fluffy eyeshadow (all over base color blending)
Smudge (eyeliner, smoky eye)
Angled eyeshadow (crease, smoky eye)
Blush, concealer, liner, lashes

And don't forget...Q-tips and your fingertips work great too!

LIFE: February Happenings

I feel like normally we're the most boring family so I don't normally do these posts but I was going through my camera roll and just had to share some pics!

Jason had his first "official" drill weekend! I use the quotation marks because he went last month but they sent him home after a couple of hours because they didn't have gear for him yet. It's a bit of an adjustment for him, being used to the Marine Corps- he was surprised they didn't ask him to wash the parking lot! It sure is nice seeing him in uniform again though! 

Tino and I did alright by ourselves but he sure was glad to see daddy! We made sure to buy a Keurig before he left  (Jason is the barista in this marriage) so I survived!

My Valentine's gift! Rose gold per my current obsession! 

With Valentine's Day falling on a Saturday this year, I told the hubs not to worry about getting me flowers- half the fun is showing them off to your coworkers! He wrote me a letter instead which is way more romantic! 

The weather has been SO nice here this past week so we've made the most of it with walks and trips to the dog park! This is the view from the park.

Aaand this is the view from work. I may be counting down the days until I can quit but the location is pretty great! 

The hubs randomly brought these home the other day. Just because flowers are the best! 

A friend of ours told us about Tolmie State Park awhile back and we finally got around to visiting! It is literally less than 15 minutes from our house and is GORGEOUS! 

I honestly didn't even know we lived this close to water. It was so peaceful, I told the hubs I found my happy place. He'll definitely have his work cut out for him trying to get me to move away from here!

Who can spot The Mountain?

To the left of the beach are hiking trails. Is there such a thing as cute hiking boots? Even without the proper shoes, this workout was way more enjoyable than the gym! 

These boys have my heart. 

There was a huge log on the beach Tino hopped up on. I was trying to get him to pose...

Speaking of Tino, with Valentine's Day, it was also his "Gotcha Day"! I can't believe how tiny he used to be and look at all that brown hair! We sure love our little furbaby.

BEAUTY: The Hot List (February Edition)

This is the first of these I've done this year! 2015 is going to be the year of change for us- the husband is officially back in the military- he's living his dream. Now it's my turn!

In order to do that...we have to get our debt in check! So I've tamed my Sephora habbit a bit, meaning I likely won't be doing one of these every month but I will do them periodically when I have enough products to talk about!

With dry Washington winters combined with my naturally dry skin, I've been wearing tinted moisturizer in place of foundation a few days a week and Nars is a favorite- while the color payoff isn't that of a liquid foundation its coverage is the best I've found for a moisturizer. 

Also for the face: Josie Maran's liquid foundation. I've been a loyal MUFE user since I discovered it and I still am! But it is slightly dry on my skin- meaning I have to touch it up periodically because I "glow". This one doesn't have quite the coverage but it's nurturing enough to my skin I still look fresh at the end of the day even without touching it up. I'll likely use this for my everyday makeup and use MUFE for special occasions. 

I've been intrigued by Kat Von D's makeup line since it came out. This is my first buy which, in all honesty, I only grabbed because of it's Spanish name. But it's great! Unlike Tarte's blush (which I have to practically scrape out of the pot), I just need one swipe of my brush and I have enough product. The color is brighter than I normally use on my cheeks but it looks pretty on my olive skin. 

Oh E.L.F. This line is famous for its dupes of high end products that often run around  $3. I grabbed their small stipple brush to help blend my under eye concealer. A couple weeks later, I grabbed another version from Sephora thinking it would blow E.L.F.'s out of the water. You guys, IT WAS THE SAME BRUSH. With about a $15 price difference. 

Also by E.L.F. - exfoliating lip treatment. This is all over Pinterest and for good reason. Just apply like lipstick and wipe off and voila!-lipstick ready puckers.

I've been hearing about Anastasia's dip brow for months. For some reason I couldn't fathom how using one product could replace both brow liner and gel. And then I used a tester. It's INCREDIBLE. You can build the coverage from making it look natural (me) to making it almost mask-like (er...dancers?). I do recommend also purchasing Anastasia's accompanying brush- I use the flat end to apply it and the spoolie to then comb through, distributing the color and making it look more natural. 

The last two items are both from Tarte celebrating their 15th birthday. I've been coveting both for their gorgeous colors for awhile and finally broke down and bought both. Love! The lipstick is not only beautiful and works for so many skin tones, it's really moisturizing too! I FINALLY broke down and ordered the palette the other day and can't wait for it to get here!