Budget Beauty: Naked Palette Dupes!

Unless you've been living under a makeup-free rock for the last couple of years, you've probably been hearing about (and wanting!) the Urban Decay Naked Palette as much as I have. The reason it's so popular? The Naked Palette has an amazing selection of neutral tones that not only look gorgeous, but have awesome pigmentation on the eyes as well. The only downside to this perfect palette? The $50 price tag.

That's why I've decided to put together a list of all of the best Naked Palette dupes that I have tried out!  Some of the palettes I will be mentioning are also a dupe for the Naked 2 Palette or the latest in the Naked series, Naked Basics. I know everyone has a preference between them, so I figured I might as well include all three in the mix!

What's In My Makeup Bag!

In the hours upon hours I have spent watching YouTube beauty vloggers and reading other blogs, I've noticed that "What's In My Makeup Bag" seems to be a pretty common (and fun!) topic. So I've decided to go ahead and jump on the bandwagon and give you guys a look inside my day-to-day cosmetics bag!

Since I generally use a small crossbody bag, I have to really pick and choose what products are essential in my little makeup case. There are a few key pieces I always need to throw in, and then a couple items that kind of rotate in and out depending on my mood, my look, and my favorites at the moment.

My Favorite DIY Spa Recipes!

I have been absolutely overwhelmed and amazed by the popularity of my first DIY Beauty post. I just love that you guys love natural, chemical-free beauty recipes as much as I do! Sure, it may take a little extra effort to track down all the ingredients and mix them together. However, the results make them more than worth it! Plus, most of these ideas can be made for a fraction of the cost compared to their drugstore counterparts!

I just want to make a quick disclaimer that none of the recipes you'll find below are my original ideas. I've just discovered them throughout the past few months and tried them out to make sure they work as well as they claim to! In order to give proper credit to the incredible beauty gurus that originally came up with these recipes, I will simply be showing off a picture and linking you over to the proper website or blog. Everything listed here is the best of the best in my opinion, and I hope you guys will have just as positive of an experience with each and every one of these ideas!

My Favorite Things ♥ March 2013

Happy April 1st, everyone! Is it just me, or did March seriously just fly by? It's been such a fun month and I have discovered so many awesome new things that I decided to start a brand new series of posts all about my favorite things each month. I'll be talking about everything from my favorite cosmetics and clothes to other random favorites like TV shows and food. So let's get started!

Sock Bun 101

If you guys follow me on Twitter, you probably already know that I am absolutely loving the sock bun right now. It's quick, easy, and creates a completely flawless bun with almost no effort. Trust me, once you try it you will just fall in love like I did.

The problem is, most of the information out there about sock buns is super complicated and confusing, so they can seem a bit intimidating at first. So I've decided to throw together a simple tutorial to cover all the basics of the sock bun. I'll be going over where to buy a sock bun, the easiest way I've found to put it in, and different ways to style it once you've gotten the hang of everything. Plus, a few other random tricks I've picked up along the way!

Budget Beauty: (More!) Drugstore Dupes

So I have been getting comments, tweets, messages, emails, and everything else imaginable all with the same request: you guys want more drugstore dupes!

In case you missed it the first time around, drugstore dupes are basically just a cheaper and more easily accessible (hello Walmart!) version of high-end cosmetics. I have tested out all of these products and found that they are nearly identical in every way but the price tag!

How-To: Cover Up Blemishes Like a Pro!

Is it just me, or do pimples seem to pop up in the worst possible place at the worst possible time for you guys too? Just a few weeks ago, I was sporting a lovely Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer-esque pimple right on the tip of my nose. I know, super cute. And although we can't control when and where a pesky breakout will develop, we can definitely keep them covered up and out of sight with the right tools and techniques!

How-To: Look Flawless In Photos!

Okay girlies, time for us to fess up. We all have that one (or more!) truly awful picture of us floating around out there that we wish we could burn or delete off of social media forever. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do about those pictures that have already been taken (besides Photoshop), but there is hope! Throughout the years I've learned some really useful tips for looking your best in photos. From what to buy to how you should apply, I've got it all covered for you!

Review: Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balms

When I first heard about the Clinique Chubby Sticks I was soooo beyond excited. I ran out and bought one right when they came out and it was just love at first use for me. However, the Chubby Sticks are definitely not cheap, and that is the one major issue I had with them. I certainly don't mind shelling out a little bit of extra money for a really great quality product that does something extraordinarily better or different than anything else out there, but to me $16 for a tinted lip balm seems a little much.

So when I happened to be browsing through the drugstore cosmetics section and saw that Covergirl had their very own version of the Chubby Sticks for less than half the price, that made me pretty happy! I went ahead and bought three different colors: Coral Twist, Ballet Twist, and Blush Twist. Coral Twist is obviously a bright shade of coral and it turns out to be a really pretty color on my lips. Ballet Twist is a super pale pink, and although it looks pretty in the stick there is almost no color payoff when you put it on your lips. Blush Twist is a classic shade of pink, and it's a great everyday color that I'm sure I'll be getting a ton of use out of.

The consistency of the jumbo gloss balms is basically the same as the Clinique formula. I love that they give just a hint of color like a gloss without being sticky or goopy. If the texture of a lipstick, the moisture of a lip balm, and the color payoff of a lip gloss had a baby, this would be it. And for that, I absolutely love it. My biggest issue with all of the jumbo gloss balms/chubby sticks I've tried is that they just do not have any lasting power. The second you eat, drink, or breathe the color will be almost completely gone. It's not a huge deal to reapply, but it would be nice not to have to worry about constantly reapplying.

Overall, I really do like the Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balms. They are super moisturizing which I love, especially in the winter when my lips get chapped so easily. I will definitely be repurchasing Coral and Blush Twist and most likely trying some other colors. I don't love the staying power of these guys, but the affordable price makes them more than worth it!

Have you tried out any of the jumbo gloss balms? Let me know what you think in the comments below! ♥

How-To: Sleep In and Still Look Pretty!

I just have a quick announcement to share with you guys- sparkle & mine has joined the twitterverse! I'll be using Twitter to share blog updates and other randomness so be sure to follow s&m and say hi!

Aaand moving on, I don't know about you guys, but I love my sleep. And as much as I always plan to get up early the next morning to curl my hair or do a full make-up routine, I end up hitting the snooze button about 10 times. After doing that for years, I've finally mastered a routine that allows me to get a little extra rest on those early mornings and still look put together for the day. So here they are, my morning time-savers for hair and makeup!

Budget Beauty: 10 Products Under $10

Ever since the oh so popular post on Drugstore Dupes, I have been getting a ton of requests to do more posts about beauty products for people (like me!) who would rather get an awesome deal than splurge on high-end cosmetics. I'm so glad that you guys love these budget beauty posts, because I love sharing all of these amazing deals with you! Read on to score some more bargains on my favorite beauty products that are under $10!

Makeup Primer 101

Makeup primer is one of those products that is either something you cannot live without, or something you cannot understand to save your life. While I definitely fall under the first category, I can understand how primer could be a little intimidating with so many options out there and very limited explanations as to what it truly does and how to properly use it. But I'm here to help!

Without further adieu, here is everything you need to know to get started with the magic that is primer!

5 Nail Polish Trends to Try!

Matte (via Vampy Varnish)

Almost every nail polish line is clamoring to come out with their own version of this chic matte look. All you have to do is apply it over normal polish like a topcoat!  

Sparkle Ombre (via A Polish Addict)

This look is a little more tricky to get just right, but definitely do-able with a little practice. Let the base color dry completely, then grab a tiny dab of clear glitter polish and apply it in small amounts at a time from top to bottom. The amount of polish on your brush should naturally dwindle as you reach the bottom of the nail, leaving you with just a hint of sparkle. 

Dual Colors (via Pinkbeauty)

This one is super simple, just use tape to diagonally cover half of your nail!

The Modern French (via Popcosmo)

Just like the picture shows, all you need for this one is a fun polish color and some hole punch reinforcement stickers that you can get at any office supply store!

Color Gradient (via Gotham Polish)

If you're a nail polish junkie like me this will be the easiest idea yet! Just pick out 5 shades in the same color family (one for each finger) and paint them on from lightest to darkest. 

Have any other nail polish ideas for spring that I forgot to mention? Feel free to add them in the comments! ♥

Budget Beauty: Drugstore Dupes!

Is it weird that I would rather slum it up with some Ramen Noodles for dinner and save my money for that new makeup I've been coveting? I mean, who needs real nourishment when you have cute lip gloss, right?

Okay, that may be a little extreme. But I have a way you can have your awesome makeup and still have money in your pocket too- drugstore dupes! A drugstore dupe is basically a cheaper and drugstore-brand duplicate of a more expensive product. In fact, I have found that some of these dupes are actually better than their expensive cosmetic counter counterpart. Of course, these are all items that have been tested by me so I can tell you from personal experience that they are truly amazing!

My Favorite DIY Beauty Ideas!

Am I the only one who gets way more excited than I should over products I can make with stuff I already have in my house? I mean, how awesome is it that you can just grab some olive oil or brown sugar out of your cabinet, mix a few things together, and then- BAM! A super useful (and cheap) beauty find!

I've just put together a little collection of my favorite DIY beauty stuff. I have tried them all so I definitely speak from experience when I make these recommendations. Keep in mind, none of these lovelies are my idea (I wish!), so I will just be showing off a picture of the idea and a link to the blogger or website that the idea is from.

How-To: Taylor Swift's Red Lip

I've only just recently gotten super into lip products. I used to focus a lot more on my eyes and maybe just throw on some gloss or balm before I headed out the door, but lately I've been really experimenting with new products and colors. So naturally, when a friend/fellow beauty junkie told me she knew the exact lip color Taylor Swift uses to get her signature red lips, I was pretty excited!

How-To: Flawless Face

So I have a confession- I used to be a total makeup disaster. I had pretty awful acne and I thought the best way to deal with it was to slather on as much full-coverage foundation as possible. Oh yeah, and I used a shade or two darker than I should have because I thought it would make me look "tan". Yeah, I was a hot mess. Minus the hot. But over the years I have really taken the time to educate myself on what works for me and what doesn't. I've read beauty books, flipped through magazine after magazine, watched hours of beauty videos, and sampled out basically every product imaginable. I am definitely not claiming to be an expert, but I get asked quite often what my face makeup routine is so I thought I might as well share it with all of you!