July Beauty Favorites

The theme of this month is “I’m tired and don’t want to do anything, but still want to look awake at work.” It’s full of super quick and easy to use products or tools that make my other products easier to slap on. And first up, a product that creates a self-care moment every time a shower – so needed right now.

My favorite recent find has to be the NĂ©cessaire The Body Wash. I love the eucalyptus for when I need a mood boost (like a morning shower or a “it’s too hot to function, and I need to cool down” shower), and sandalwood is great for creating a sense of calm before I head to bed. I love the packaging, and the formula perfect for my dry skin – clean, but not stripping, and my skin feels moisturized without even needing lotion. I very much understand all the hype and think it is well deserved!

My go to combination for my face has been the Glossier Skin Tint and By Terry CC Serum. I really just need something quick and easy to slap on that will make me look alive on video calls, and this is the perfect combo for that. They mix together so well and add just enough coverage to even out my skin and add some warmth. I’ve also worn the By Terry serum alone, mixed with moisturizer, and mixed with primer, and it adds the perfect glow and slight amount of color any way I use it. I’ve also used it as a liquid bronzer, and it works great for that too. I’ve definitely fallen in love with both of these products this summer!

I’ve gushed about Salt New York’s cream products before, but I’m so excited about my new blushes and their new mini palette. It’s so fun to play with these to create whatever color I want. I also have their rose blush in another palette, and I love using these brighter colors to make that shade warmer, cooler, or more vibrant. If anyone is interested, I do have a reward link you can use to get $5 off, but am 100% not affiliated with or sponsored by Salt New York (although, I totally would if they asked because this is one of my all time favorite brands).

From left to right: blackberry, raspberry, coral, peach

Anyone knows me knows I’m obsessed with Sonia G brushes, and when she restocked a couple of the ones I was missing, I had to get them. The Worker Two and Worker Three are the perfect brushes for blending out cream shadows and creating one-shadow looks, which is about all I have the energy for at the moment. I honestly didn’t realize how much I would love these until I got them, but I’m so glad I picked them up.

Allana Davison said that the Smith 157 was the perfect brush for blending out cream bronzer (which is pretty much I’m all using these days), and she was so right. This is also the perfect size and shape for blending out contour and highlighter. I am very tempted to get a second, but I think everyone else fell in love with it too because it’s sold out everywhere at the moment.

Along with all the other products this month that are for “need something quick to make me look alive”, the Em Cosmetics Lip Cushion in Magic Hour is so easy to swipe on and completely brightens up my face. It’s also super moisturizing and hands down the best tinted lip balm I’ve ever tried. I love keeping it on my desk to have it handy at all times, and if we had anywhere to go, this would 100% be my purse lip product.

What have you been loving this month? What do you want to see more of here on LiftBakeLove? Let me know down below!

March/April Beauty Favorites

I’ll be sharing some of my favorite “stay at home purchases” as I mentioned in my last post. Since it’s now May (already? how?), I wanted to share my favorites from March and April since I took a break last month.

I’ve tried lots of wash-off face masks, but I’ve finally discovered my holy grails, and I’m so excited to share these. The first is the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask. I’m only using it once or twice a week, so this jar will last forever, making the price much more reasonable for me. It is one of the only things I’ve found to really help my skin when it’s feeling congested or dull when an AHA toner won’t do quite enough. It smells strongly like pumpkin, so if you’re not into that, I would consider skipping this one. For me, it’s totally worth the smell for a few minutes to get clear, bright skin. Bonus – I haven’t had any acne issues since I start using it despite my not great diet and high stress levels lately.

What I use right after the pumpkin enzyme mask to deeply moisturize my skin is the Farmacy Honey Potion Renewing Antioxidant Hydration Mask. This mask warms up as you massage it into your skin, so not only does it work to deeply moisturize and calm my skin , it’s also a really great relaxing experience. It is the perfect mask to use after an exfoliating treatment or just when your skin is feeling extra dry. My only regret is that I bought the small size! I know there are a bunch of folks who use this a few times a week, which I definitely want to do now that I understand how great it is, so I’m hoping I can pick it up on sale when I run out!

If you know me or have read my past posts, you know I definitely don’t need any more blush. I got more anyway because it’s one of my favorite product categories. I think I’ve featured blush in my favorites every month so far, and that probably won’t stop any time soon. I’m usually more drawn to cream and liquid blushes, so I very excited to have found a really amazing powder blush formula – the Em Cosmetics Heaven’s Glow Blush in Magic Hour. It provides a soft, glowy look without being overly pigmented so it is such an easy way to brighten up a look. I also use this to set cream and liquid blushes if I know I’ll be on video calls for 12 hours, and the color is perfect for that for a wide range of shades. It’s been beating out my favorite Nars and Hourglass blushes for my most used powder blush, and I really hope they come out with more than just the two shades they current have!

I’ve written about my love for Natasha Denona shadows before when I talked about my favorite products of 2019, but I know it’s not possible or practical for everyone to get a $129 or more palette. I’m so excited she came out with these $25 mini palettes with the same high quality formula and much more curated shadows so you only get what you need. The Mini Retro Eyeshadow Palette is a really great addition to my collection because the colors are so unique. I’m not sure I was able to capture them in my swatches here, but I’m loving the shade selection here. These are great to use in conjunction with other palettes (especially the shimmer shades) to add some color to an otherwise neutral look or to make a really pretty springy pink/green look.

I have found my perfect gloss formula, and they are only $14! The Tower 28 ShineOn Jelly Lip Glosses are beautifully sheer, moisturizing, glossy without being sticky, fairly long lasting for a gloss, play nicely with lipsticks and lip liners underneath, come in a great color selection – I could go on and on about these. I have the shades Fire and Fearless. Fire is a great spring/summer bright orange shade and Fearless is a really pretty berry, but both are sheer enough that I can wear them for my work calls or to warm up or cool down lip products underneath. I was going to splurge for a expensive lip oil during the Sephora sale, but these definitely fulfill that need for me, and I’m so happy I got these instead.

I definitely didn’t need more brushes, but Sonia G. restocked her pro face brushes, and I was so excited to grab the Face Pro and the Designer Pro. The Face Pro is the best brush I have found for a diffused contour and bronzer application and is able to create that diffused look with all of my powder bronzers. It’s really great for me to have a brush I can use without having to think about if it’s the right one for the formula. The Designer Pro is perfect for blush or highlight or targeted powder application and similar to the Face Pro, it works great with every formula I’ve tried it with. As with all her brushes, they look great after washing, there is very little shedding, and they have the right weight distribution to make using them a great experience. Of all my Sonia G. brushes so far, I would recommend these as these shapes are more unique in her line versus others, and if you’re looking for a super high quality brush for blush, bronzer, and highlighter, you can’t go wrong with these two.

What are you loving this month? Anything you want to see from me next? Let me know!

February 2020 SKINCARE AND MAKEUP FAVORITES

I’m super excited to share my February 2020 favorites! These are 5 things that I either discovered or rediscovered in January that stood out as favorites.

I missed the original launch of the Sonia G. Sky Eye Brush Set and made sure to pre-order when they finally came back, and I’m so happy I did. These are the best eye brushes I’ve ever used, and I have some pretty amazing brushes already. Every eye look I’ve made with them has been perfect, regardless of which eyeshadow formula I’ve used. My eye look have never looked this blended, and I can finally do shadow liner with the mini booster or the flat definer. These are incredibly versatile and high quality, and I cannot recommend these enough.

I learned a great trick from Cate the Great Beauty on YouTube to make the most out of my hyaluronic acid serums. I felt like my The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid wasn’t really doing anything until I started putting it on while my skin was still wet in the shower – total game changer. My skin feels way less dry and the serum is a great base for all my other nighttime skincare. I feel like everything absorbs better on top. I’m going to try this tip with the Good Molecules one when I run out of the The Ordinary version, and I’ll report back if it works just as well!

I traveled in February, and the only color cosmetics I brought were my Salt New York Crème Tint Pros. This is my favorite cream formula, and I love how quickly I can do a natural “my face but better” look with them. They blend out super easily, are super lightweight, and are the perfect shades for me. The highlighter shade in the top right, warm tan, is also one of my favorite eye shadows to use if I want to do something super quick. They just had a presale that ended and will be opening the store back up soon.

As much as I love my Salt New York cream blushes, I discovered a new favorite blush this month. I got the new Mac Glow Play Blush in Grand, and it’s incredible. It brightens up my whole face and blends so easily. The texture is like a cross between a powder and a cream, so it looks super lifelike with a slight sheen like a cream and has great lasting power like a powder. I’m trying so hard to resist buying more colors because the formula is probably the best blush I’ve ever tried.

A skincare discovery this month, also inspired by Cate the Great Beauty, was the Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Brightening Serum. It’s one of the only Vitamin-C serums my skin can tolerate, and it really brightens my skin in the morning. I mix it with my moisturizer before sunscreen, and I think it has really helped keep my skin hydrated and smooth during the day under makeup.

I hauled quite a bit for my birthday so you’ll be seeing some new discoveries next month. There are already some things I can tell are going to earn a spot in my every day routine. I’m also always here to help you find your next favorite things, so let me know in the comments if there’s anything you want me to test out!