Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation Review!

Today I want to share with you my favorite drugstore foundation! I don't typically use drugstore foundations, however, a few months back I went to Walmart during a makeup emergency and made the best decision ever!! To top it all off, I received another one courtesy of Influenster in my Uni Vox Box!

Sorry my bottles are dirty. :D I've been using both of them religiously since bought/received. On the left is True Ivory (103) and on the right is True Beige (203). I prefer the one on the right for summer and the left for winter. 

Who's ready for a swatch?!!?!

Left is True Ivory and Right is True Beige. When you first apply them, they aren't matte right away. These are FULL coverage foundations. I generally apply them with my beauty blender, otherwise they are a BIT too much and have the potential to be a little too much on your face. However, with careful application they can cover up basically any flaw and match my skintone perfectly.

Here's another where I rubbed them in to show you their matte quality. I HATE having shine on my face and these are an excellent solution when you don't have time for a matte powder or finishing powder or whatever you like to use. They are absolutely positvely NON-GREASY which is what I look for most in a foundation. I can't STAND having an oily, dewey, nasty looking face. It is like my number 1 pet peeve. Another thing I really love about Rimmel Stay Matte Foundations is that they provide a great base for your bronzer or blush. In my opinion they make them really POP since the foundation kind of acts as a primer as well. 

Here's a full makeup look using Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Foundation!

I have acne prone skin, and generally full coverage foundations break me out, but Rimmel Stay Matte does NOT! This is awesome and I will definitely be repurchasing when I run out.

Ready for the best part!?! You can get them for only $5-$10 at most drugstores and online!!! For a product that works as well as high end, this is a STEAL!!

Who's used these foundations?? Anyone love them as much as I do??? I really want to try the powder one as well. It's next on my list!

Until next time,

Xx Ashley C.

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Review!!

I totally have a love/hate relationship with face primers. I love them so so much, but there are some brands that I absolutely despise. And some brand that are men. And some brands that break me out like a teenager. I've been looking for a decent, cheaper substitute for Benefit's The Porefessional for awhile now, and have been unsuccessful in my search.

Until two days ago.

Meet Maybelline's "Baby Skin". As many of you already know I'm a BIG FAN of Baby Lips (See Top Ten Lippies Post HERE), so when I heard about this I knew I must have it. I spent a good ten minutes searching through the Maybelline section at Walmart trying to find this, and FINALLY snagged one for just $5.94. (Much cheaper than the $30 price tag of most higher end primers.) 

This primer, like most of the others, claims to minimize your pores with it's "blur technology". I've been using it for two days, and while it doesn't completely erase my pores like The Porefessional does, for the price, you honestly can't really beat it. They definitely look smaller, which is a HUGE improvement from the Julep primer that I've been desperately trying to use up (least favorite primer ever, sorry Julep!), which doesn't make my pores look any different at all.

Baby Skin makes my normal skin very very smooth, and makes foundation application a breeze!! I wouldn't be able to use it all by itself, but underneath my foundation it looks perfect! It significantly decreases any shininess that I have which is awesome because I like to add my own shine in the right places on my face with highlighter. ;) I also use a matte foundation (gotta review it later, Rimmel Stay Matte) with the baby skin so its double matte face time! 

As for makeup longevity, I've noticed that it makes my makeup last all day long, which is definitely a nice bonus for any primer to do. Actually, that's what I EXPECT them to do, and if it didn't (JULEP) I probably wouldn't use it or buy it again. 

There are some ingredient differences here between the higher end primers and Maybelline Baby Skin. While The Porefessional and Baby Skin are both silicone based, Baby Skin's main ingredient is water, while The Porefessional's is something called Cyclopentasiloxane. Another important difference is that Baby Skin is clear, while the Porefessional is a nice nude, tinted color which I really like. Hopefully in the future they will come out with a tinted version, as I think that is one of the main reasons The Porefessional works for me so well!

The Verdict: I love this primer ALOT. On a budget it is definitely a MUST HAVE beauty item. I'm probably going to be using this all year long and just buy a tiny Benefit or Too Faced primer for nights out.

Maybelline Baby Skin keeps your pores at a minimum, smooths out your skin for flawless foundation application, mattifies your face, and keeps your makeup in place all day!

I don't have a photo of before and after.. But trust me, this stuff is awesome.

Does anyone out there have a favorite primer? Drug Store or High End?

This is my very first drugstore primer. I want to try the Nyx primer next!

Xx Ashley C.

Top Ten Lip Items! What in my bag?

Hello my lovelies! I am very excited to announce that I have added my good friend Chynel as a contributor to the blog! She loves makeup almost as much, if not MORE than myself, and I'm very excited to see what she has to bring to us at 2 Girls 1 Blog!! She should be reviewing her Julep Gem Collection (that I am totally jealous of) she recently received today or tomorrow. I guess that technically makes us 3 girls 1 blog, but since Nicole is more of a guest poster, I think it's going to work out just fine. I'm a firm believer that more content = a better blog, and it will take a lot of stress away from me.

Side comment: Nicole, you will probably be mad at me, but I want to be successful and provide as much wonderful content to our blog as possible. I think you will ultimately be pleased with my decision.

Onward to the fabulous lip goodies!!! I always carry around a minimum of one of my Ipsy bags filled to the brim with lipstick and gloss where ever I go. I love being glossy almost as much as I love eyeliner.

Love them!

I'm going to start with Maybelline's Baby Lips in Pink Punch. This is hands down my favorite lip balm of all time for a few reasons. First, it really is awesome at moisturizing your lips. Baby lips gets rid of my chapped lips in just a few days. Second, the color is gorgeous! It's the perfect baby pink color, not too bright and bold for those that are scared of intense colored lips. It's a color that is probably better suited for spring or summer, but I'm not going to lie I use it year round. You can purchase it here!

Next, is my all time two favorites to use together. I like to use them alone as well, but together they make the perfect combination. First is Sephora's Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Pin Up Pink. I love Sephora's lip gloss, and it comes in tons of  great colors. I've owned a couple of colors in the past, and I think the shimmery ones are really great too. They have just the right amount of shimmer, and they aren't overly sticky. This color has no shimmer, it's just the perfect, baby pink gloss that isn't too bright and isn't too sticky. The other product in the photo is Sexy Mother Pucker by Soap & Glory in Candy Gloss. This product is a plumping gloss, and I love love love it. I've been using it for years to give my lips more of a full look and it works wonders. Plus it leaves you with a great tingle feeling and it's pretty much addicting. You can buy Sephora's lip gloss here, Sexy Mother Pucker here.

These next two lipsticks are part of Julep's Paris Jazz trio. They're described as "silky little lip colors inspired by the roaring 20's". When these came out Julep was boasting about how they were the most moisturizing lip colors ever, I don't really see that. What I do see, however is how lovely these colors are. The top photo is "Lady in Red", which I often use for date nights with my husband. It is a completely Matte bright red color and is great. The bottom is "Sweet Lorraine", which I like to wear to work with my Starlook's Tipsy lip pencil. It's a bubblegum pink very sheer lipstick. I wish they came in full size and individually! Get them here!

These next two are my go to lipsticks for fall this year. The one on the top is Mirabella's Posy, which in the swatch is on the left. It's part of their color sheers collection, and I can't find it on their website, but you can buy it here. It looks quite a bit darker on my lips than this swatch and is a really nice reddish, pinkish sheer color. Perfect for work or a night out. It is also SUPER moisturizing because it's made with a mango butter base. I did notice I had to reapply it more than usual. The other color is Kat Von D's Painted Love Lipstick in Lolita, which has been my favorite for years. I got this sample from Sephora, but I also have it in her lip gloss. It's a dark rose color and goes on completely opaque in just one coat. Not super moisturizing but it lasts for hours without coming off. You can buy it here. 

The first one in the next picture is Urban Decay's Revolution lipstick in "Anarchy". I received this product in an Ipsy bag awhile back and I'm pretty much in love with it. It is the hottest pink lipstick I've ever seen in my life and one coat lasts the entire day. In fact, if you don't scrub the crap out of your lips before you go to bed, it is still there the next day. Found that out this morning. It goes on so smooth and is kind of shiny like a gloss. There's nothing bad to say about it and I always get tons of compliments when I wear it! I want to own every single color of the brand. Buy it here.

The middle is Sephora's Glossy Gloss in "Marquisette". I love it because it looks great over every color I have and I use it constantly. It makes any matte color look amazing and looks pretty cool by its self. Marquisette is a clear gloss with tons of gold glitter in it. You can buy it here.

Last but certainly not least is Julep's strawberry mint lip balm. I'm pretty sure every Julep Maven own's at least one of these, and if they don't, they want to. It's the perfect lip balm and it tastes amazing. It doesn't really have a color, but its got a little bit of shimmer and makes your lips super duper soft and silky. You can try to buy it here, but it's usually sold out.

So yeah, that is my arsenal of lip faves. I love each and every one of them, and you should too! :) What are your favorite lippies?? Any suggestions for plumping glosses?? Hot pink lip gloss is my favorite, so if anyone knows a hot hot pink plumper, I'm sold!

Xx Ashley C.

P.S. All of these products were purchased by me and picked by me to review based on my own opinion.

Nutra Nail Speed Dry Top Coat Review

Recently, I ran out of Seche Vite. Sad day. Apparently, Walgreens doesn't carry it, so I picked up a bottle of Nutra Nail's Speed Dry 30 Second Top Coat. I'd used their Nail hardener before and really liked it. Plus, I did some quick searching for topcoat reviews and for the price, it seemed like a good buy. It cost a mere $3.99!!!

Overall, I really like this topcoat. I find it comparable to Seche Vite with significantly less shrinkage. It takes a little bit longer to dry your nails and is not quite as high gloss. That being said, if you follow the instructions and wait 1 minutes after painting your nails to apply it, it dries them to the touch in about another minute! This works for me! I don't know about you, but I always find that I have something important to do right after I finish my nails and end up screwing them up, so fast dry time is my number one priority!!!

Here are some pictures of my current mani with the Nutra Nail Top Coat! I took these pictures on day two so you will see there is minimal shrinkage, no chipping, and they still look FABULOUS!
For this mani I used:
Julep - Evangeline (LE Holo from 2013 Cupid's Mystery Box)
Sally Hansen- Black Out
Nutra Nail Speed Dry Top Coat

Here is a picture with flash!

And a grainy one without!

EDIT: I should probably mention that I have an office job and type constantly all day. My nails usually chip an hour after coming to work, so this is extra impressive for day 2!

Isn't it great!? 

Xx Ashley C.

Blue Shadow for Brown Eyes!

So I don't really know how I didn't realize until now how much blue eye makeup makes my normally boring brown eyes POP! Since I received the Bella Terra mineral shimmer in Navy in my Ipsy bag last month I decided to play with a little blue, and WOW did I end up loving it!

To start off, I want to kind of review the Bella Terra. I'd never heard of this brand before Ipsy, but it's pretty neat! They are made of 100% mica and do not contain any weird chemicals or anything harsh that would make it uncomfortable/impossible for people with sensitive skin to wear. Their shimmers are multi-use according to their website and can be used 9 different ways! It's basically a mineral pigment and you can use it as wet or dry eyeshadow, depending on how intense, matte, or creamy you want it to look. You can also use it as an eyeliner, which I don't think would work all that great, as the navy is really shimmer and not all that bold. I like either black or BRIGHT and bold liners. Other uses include nail polish, hair streaks, body glitter, lip color, and mascara. Basically you can use it any way you can think of. I would really like to try out some of their other colors. You can buy them in singles or in an epic 9 stack, which is like a giant tube of shimmer greatness!!! I counted 53 colors total on the single color page!! So many to choose from!! I hope they go on sale for Christmas because I need the Hot Pink in my life.
Anyways, so I originally wasn't all that impressed with it as an eye shadow because I wore just the Navy on my lids, no other colors or special blending or tricks. I didn't use a primer because I was in a rush, and I think that was my big mistake. :/ It had creased horribly by the end of the day and on one eye it was basically gone altogether. But, for the sake of trusting my Ipsy makeup picks, I decided to try it again for the makeup look I'm about to show you, and this time I did, in fact, use a primer. I used it on the outer portion of my eye and in the crease and it lasted all day long and blended beautifully with my urban decay and Kat Von D!!! :)

So for this EOTD, I used:

• Elf Essesntials Eyelid Primer
• Kat Von D-  "Heavens" and "Carvaggio" out of the True Romance "Saint" Palette
• Urban Decay - "Kiddie Pool" (Sadly discontinued, it's my favorite)
• Bella Terra Mineral Shimmer - Navy
• Julep Kajal Eye Glider - Black 
• Elf Cream Eyeliner - Black
• Sephora Collection Glitter Eyeliner - 05 Blue
• Elizabeth Mott - It's So Big Mascara

I started by priming my lids with the Elf primer. I really like it because it's super cheap ($1.00 at Target) and does it's job beautifully. Then I used Heavens all over my lids as a base shimmer. I really like shimmer.

Next I applied Kiddie Pool all over my lids and blended it really nicely with the Heaven. I then took the Bella Terry Navy color and applied it to the outsides of my lids and in the crease. Then I added the brown color and added it to the crease and outer V for a smoky effect.

Next I added the Kajal Eyeliner on to my waterline on both the top and bottom because it is really dark black. Then I went over it in the Elf Cream Eyeliner because it helps the Kajal stay on and not bleed off like it does on it's own. Plus, I can't do winged eyes with a pencil :) 

Once the cream liner was nice and dry, I applied the blue glitter over it and made sure that it was nice and thick so the blue really pops out. Then I added like four coats of mascara!

 This next one is kind of not as neat as the other side, but HEY It happens :) I'm no pro.

And last but not least Here is my completed makeup for the day!

 See how it makes my brown eyes really pop!? I think it's great! :) I don't even really like the color blue all that much but I will definitely be doing this much more often.

If you have any questions about any of the other products I used on my makeup, feel free to ask!! :)

Have a great night and don't forget to like us on Facebook and Subscribe using the buttons on the side!

Xx Ashley C.

Mini Drugstore Haul!

Walgreens is pretty much my favorite drugstore ever. They always have the best stuff on sale!!! I told you guys I was going to get another Wet N Wild palette and lucky me they were still on sale for $2.00!!!!

I picked up Walkin' on Eggshells which is one the of neutral trios. Can't wait to test it out tomorrow!! You can buy it here!! 

I also have been dying for some gel liner.... mine from Sephora is sadly all dried up and I was on a super budget so I decided to pick up some Elf cream liner for $3.00!! I've never tried it before but I like the Elf products that I have tried so far so I figured why not. Pretty excited! Even more excited now that I just realized it comes with a brush too! 

I know I said yesterday I was going to review the Julep liner today.... BUT I woke up way later than anticipated this morning and did a bad job on my makeup. I'm probably going to actually review both Julep and Elf liners tomorrow or this next day so watch out!!

I also grabbed two really great looking nail polishes by Sinful Colors because they were 2/$3 and the matte color display totally sold me. I bought a reddish orange matte color called "Laced Up" and a Hot Pink/Fuschia color called "Forget Now". I tried out Laced Up earlier and it goes on really really nice. It only took two coats and went on perfectly smooth. I can't really decide if it is more orange or more red.... I vote orange and my husband votes red... So you can decide... Please ignore my horrible black tips I was going to Halloween colors. lol I also haven't even bothered to clean up. :)

  

So great and matte. 

AND last but certainly not least my husband had two wonderful gifts waiting on me when I arrived home... in the form of mustaches. 

Have a great night!!! 

Xx Ashley C.