March 2021 Favorites

This month went by so fast – I feel like I was just writing about my February 2021 Favorites yesterday! Spring is finally here, and I’ve been loving leaning into brighter colors as it gets warmer outside. I didn’t include any skincare products this month because I’ve talked about so many of them recently, but let me know if the comments if there’s anything you’re interested in learning about!

I now own over 20 cream blushes – it’s by far my favorite makeup product. And I think my new favorite formula out of all of them is the Kjaer Weis Cream Blush. I love that I can just buy a refill and put it in my Salt New York empty palette, and that it’s still around $30 even for a luxury, “clean” product. This formula has the perfect balance between blendable and long-wearing. It’s so easy to work with, create impact, and stays all day. I was shocked to find that it was still on my cheeks after wearing makeup for over 15 hours. Because I own so many cream blushes, I tried to get a shade I didn’t have already and chose Sun Touched, and it’s the perfect shade as we transition into spring. I also love mixing it with Spice and Rose , my favorite shades from Salt New York, for that “sun touched even though I never go outside” look.

Swatches of the Salt New York Blushes in Rose and Spice and KW Blush in Sun Touched

I’m shocked I haven’t written about the mini base brush from Sonia G. yet. I got it as part of the Keyaki holiday 2020 set, and while I love all the brushes in that set (so much so that I am still considering buying a backup set), this brush is truly one of a kind. It blends cream blush and highlight with no effort and is the perfect size for my face. For something that applies so seamlessly, I usually expect to have trouble picking up product. This brush is dense enough to pick up enough product and flexible enough to create a diffused look. If anyone connected to the company is reading this, please bring this brush back into your permanent line!

I was having trouble with some of my glitter eyeshadow toppers not staying put all day and moving around, so I decided to pick up the NYX Glitter Primer, and it’s a total game changer. It goes on super smooth, helps glitter adhere all day, and doesn’t cause any irritation. I really appreciate how lightweight it is on the eyes while still creating a great base for glitter to stick to. I definitely have had way more success with my glitter toppers with it, and I’m so glad to have found something under $10 that works as well as this does!

I’ve been loving all three of the Roen eyeshadow quads, but my favorite is absolutely the 11:11. Each shade is a perfect one-and-done on it’s own, and they are so easy and quick to use. The shade swatched farthest to the right below is my go to for adding a high impact sparkle to any eye look, whether it’s on top of the other shades in the 11:11 palette or any other eyeshadow I’ve used. It just seems to finish off any look, particularly in a world where I want people to see my eyes through a screen. I also really love the Roen formula because it’s so versatile With a finger, the shades go on incredibly pigmented and intense, but with a brush, you can create a very sophisticated wash of color.

Swatches of the Roen 11:11 Quad

My lips have been super dry lately, and I’ve been leaning on the Glow Recipe Glow Lip Pop Balms a ton. I have both scents/colors, but I like the watermelon better. They are hydrating, leave a nice stain, and smell great. They also gently exfoliate while you’re using it, which I really love. I’m always forgetting to take the time to scrub my lips, so this is a really easy way to buff away anything on my lips during the day when I apply this. My favorite way to use it is actually underneath my more matte lipsticks, especially darker brown ones like Velvet Affair from Lisa Eldrige. It mixes with the color to make it feel more springy while also making sure my lips don’t dry out from the matte formula.

The Replica Coffee Break perfume reminds me of a coffee shop on a Sunday morning early in the day before it gets busy. I used to love going to get coffee every Sunday with our friends (who I miss so much!), and this reminds me of when that was a thing. Even with the vanilla notes, it’s not too sweet. It’s perfectly balanced with pepper, citrus, and tonka bean notes, and it’s my favorite perfume that I own in the vanilla/veviter/patchouli category. One important note – this doesn’t smell anything like coffee. If anyone has a recommendation for something that leans closer to actual coffee, let me know in the comments!

I got this Ouai Scalp & Body Scrub as a gift with purchase, and I didn’t expect to get a lot of use out of it. It turns out that it’s the best scalp scrub I’ve ever used (and I’ve tried a lot of products like this). It works really well as a scalp scrub in that it gets out any residue or product build up that I have in my hair. What I really love about it though is that it actually hydrates as it works so I don’t have to worry about irritating my already super dry scalp. It makes my hair feel so much cleaner but without drying anything out, and it also smells amazing! I’ll definitely be buying the full size when I run out.

What was your favorite product this month? What would you like to see next on LiftBakeLove? Let me know in the comments below!

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!