beauty review: hourglass immaculate liquid powder, mineral veil primer, & no. 28 primer serum

I know I've reviewed a handful of foundations in the past, claiming that "this" is the best.. no, now "this" is the best...no, for real y'all, "this" is the best. But I would love for you to all start on a clean slate with me, and let you know I have found the (ahem) best foundation for my oily skin. It's almost a little sad to find such an amazing product during the close of summer (ha, who am I kidding? It's still 95 degrees here in the south, but none the less, I would have rather found it now than to have never found it at all (poetically dramatic, I know). 

Let me introduce you to Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder. The title of "immaculate" is very fitting, but on the off chance you don't believe me, I plan to go in a little more in depth with y'all. The foundation is light to medium coverage, has the ability to blend seamlessly onto the skin with a careful hand, and dries into a beautifully light, powder coverage. And the best part of all? I don't have to touch up with powder after a few hours. Heck, I don't even set the stuff with a powder. I've never had a foundation do that for me, so imagine my shocked expression after looking in the mirror six hours later and seeing normal, balanced skin. Cue the heavenly angel voices as I craft my shrine to Hourglass. 

a few hours after application 
Outside of the liquid to powder formulation, the bottle is sleek in design, constructed of sturdy metal, and I adore the fact that it comes with both a pump and cap closure. This makes it perfectly ideal for traveling or just for those gals who hate their makeup being exposed to any and all potential surfaces in their makeup drawer.

Given this was my first Hourglass purchase, the way I came across two other new products in my foundation routine were entire flukes and quite honestly, a genius PR move on their part. It wasn't rocket science. They just put a sample of the mineral veil in my foundation's box. Oh my, oh my. Like velvet. Set out to purchase a larger sample to try, I saw that Sephora had a small duo deluxe sampling of both the veil and the No. 28 serum, so I thought why not. 
It's through my experience that I would recommend using all three products together. The serum in of itself is very nice, and using it before the veil helps my face become a little more prepped for the foundation. The key is to apply this product on moisturized skin, otherwise it can appear to cake up easily and break up on you. I know I said this stuff blends seamlessly, but lets be real, you can't just slap this stuff on in the am. And I would certainly not recommend this to someone with dry skin. I layer the mineral veil on top of the serum for a satin matte finish. 
I'm not sure if I will ever be able to quit my search for the perfect foundation for oily skin, however, this combination seems to be doing the trick for me. And I don't know how, but my skin seems to look and feel even better outside of wearing the foundation in the month or so I've been using it.
Has anyone else tried the Hourglass Immaculate? I'd love to hear about any of your experiences or any other must have products. In the meantime, I'm going to be working on a little top ten of my favorite matte products that I've come to love in the recent years and especially those that have helped me this summer.    *It should go without saying, but these products were purchased with my own money, and I was in no way compensated for the review. :) 

five things this week

one // a new DIY? As cheesy as it sounds, I'm obsessed with getting wedding invites now that I'm married woman. Along with the happiness for the engaged couple, I simply love seeing my new last name. I began growing a collection of the inner envelopes addressed to Mr & Mrs, and I'm entertaining the idea of using a few of my vintage stamps on them and framing the envelopes. We'll see how it goes. :)  ^and that lovely calligraphy is by my dear sorority sister, Amy, who is getting married this month! I already know she is going to make one gorgeous bride.

two // hitting Sephora's Rouge status Have you heard of Rouge? Ever since I saw the email blast that Sephora came out with a higher tier than VIB, I knew I had to have it. Outside of free shipping and free one-on-one appointments in store, I'm really curious to see if these future "surprise gifts" live up to all the hype. The card itself came with a mini Bite lipstick sample in a vampy red. 

three // currently reading A Friend of the Family by Lauren Grodstein I heard a buzz among twitter that this was a good, weird/freaky read, and I'm all about those types of books. 

four // Urban Decay's Revolution Lipstick in Anarchy Never in my life did I think I would own a lipstick in such a bright fuchsia shade. But after seeing this lady wearing it on her instagram, I took the plunge. The color is highly pigmented & creamy and I apply it with a lip brush just to prevent feathering. My favorite part is the product's formulation that allows it to lightly fade away during the day, and doesn't just flake off my lips. 

five // a new owl to add to my collection  In all honesty, I don't own that many owls. I've been fascinated with them since I was a little girl, and it's a trait that I share with my dad. But I love that my mother-in-law saw this matryoshka owl while vacationing in Europe last week and thought of me. 
^nails are OPI's Russian Navy

bright eyes, brighter lips

In a last attempt to squeeze every last ounce of summer up before it's gone, I've been relying heavily on my brighter shades while doing my makeup.
It's not a shock that my makeup's focus is normally for my eyes, but I've noticed for August I switched it up and focused more on the lips than the lids. 

traveling through Florida in 95+ degree heat = braided hair 
For the eyes I stayed with soft shades of taupe and gold, and Lord knows, I can't go a day without my winged eyeliner. For the lips I used a shade of pink that is normally out of my comfort zone, but it's easily becoming one of my new favorites. I tied it all together with a soft, natural blush, which gave my cheeks just enough color. 

August favorites: NARS eyeshadow duo in Kalahari | Marc Jacobs Shameless Bold blush in Obsessed | Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine Lipstick in No. 13 Pink in Paris 
Hope y'all are having a wonderful Labor Day! 

home.

via Pinterest
It seems to me that I'm not the only one shocked that August has almost left us, and before you know it, these 90+ degree temps will be a thing of the past. It's a little crazy, but time flies no matter what you are doing. And all the while I find myself feeling excruciatingly blessed after the series of wild events that led us back to my home in Mississippi, somehow, being "home" has not really felt like "being home" to me. My belongings may be in Mississippi, my husband may be in Mississippi, but I'm not 100% in Mississippi. Simply put, it gets lonely when it's just you and the open road.
I understood life traveling Monday through Friday would be just a wee bit difficult, and as I'm writing this I am trying with all my ability to not come across in any way ungrateful or having a pity party for one. In all honesty, I've gained more experience, grown as a person, and it doesn't hurt that my territory takes me on almost bimonthly visits to my nieces' house. Not to mention the fact that I have a job at all. So yes, I'm also counting my blessings.
When I get in a funky mood, I remember that God granted me with a wonderful man who shares in my struggles with traveling for a job. I'm honestly blessed with having Cory understanding why I'm doing what I'm doing, and better yet, with no questions asked. Having just his support helps me a lot. God also gave me amazing family and friends who entertain me on the road, keep me informed, and never let my weekends home go by without a plan or two up their sleeves. 
In reality, I wanted to write this post to remind myself, even in the loneliest of times out there on the road, you're not alone and you have it pretty darn good. With it, I'm simply putting it out there for your thoughts and your prayers (should you be so inclined to do so).
Thank you for letting me get this off my chest, y'all. I have faith that even better things are on the horizon. :)

favorite agendas

Kate Spade polka dot | MyAgenda leopard   Lilly Pulitzer large | Whitney English Day Designer
A planner to me has never been just a planner. I like it for keeping my appointments, yes, but I also have found to jot down notes, ideas, even little musings of my day to day. In a way, my planner has become my journal, and the nostalgic part of me still has them all saved on a bookshelf along with all my other favorite reads. This year's model has a soft, gold leather cover with gold lined pages that I found on a whim at Target, and when first noticed, people will think it's my bible. I sometimes tell them it is ;)
It was a few weeks ago when a couple sorority sisters of mine came to me to ask a few suggestions on a new planner. (They already know I'm a list making, paper nut.) And these four are what I came up with. Right now, I'm leaning on ringing in 2014 with a Whitney English Day Designer. 
Do you have any favorite planners? 

rowdy gentleman

Outside of plaid button downs and a good pair of loafers, Cory has a great admiration for wearing a nice, ole tee. He has an assortment spanning from Southern Tide to Southern Proper, but I have to think these from Rowdy Gentleman are slowly becoming some of my favorites. If nothing else, they are just too adorable and downright clever not to share. 

via here | here | here
There's nothing better than squeezing Cory in a soft cotton shirt. Love. 

sweet & simple saturday

print found via Pinterest

This week had been an especially difficult one. Sinus headaches, humidity overload, and there seems to never be enough coffee to get me out of bed in the mornings. In short, I was off my groove. Not to mention, while I was away in Alabama, Aspen decided to go on a little roaming adventure in my mother-in-law's neighborhood, and was missing for about an hour on Thursday night. I could barely contain myself in my hotel until she was home, and Lord knows Cory and I would have gone completely nuts if she had not been found. 

Thankfully, as I write this, I'm snuggling next to my sweet girl as well as Sidney (my MIL's Australian Shepherd), and I couldn't think of anywhere else I rather be. As an added bonus, I've not only had Friday night dinner with Cory, but ALSO all day today to gallivant around Memphis together. It's truly the little things when you rarely get to see your husband on the weekends (he's been swamped at work fixing planes for hours on end). Ladies, give an extra hug to your loved ones during the week, if only for my sake! :)

Oh Lord, thank you for blessing me with such a loving husband. The days away just affirm how much I love this man more than ever. 

And just because I thought it would be funny to have a record of this: I was leaning over to Cory while still eating dinner to tell him how much I adore him, and he lovingly replies, "You have something in your teeth, babe." Oh, wedded bliss... ;) 

Happy Saturday, friends. 

beauty review: sigma foundation brushes

A few months ago I found myself in the market for some new makeup brushes. Now while I'm all about purchasing my eyeshadow and powder brushes from the likes of e.l.f. and Sonya K. at Target, I need something a little more dense for my foundation. After hearing the majority of the beauty community praise this company, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the ever popular Sigma brushes. 

My favorite part of this kabuki style is that it's synthetic. This essentially means that unlike natural hairs that want to soak up half the product when applied, it instead sits on the tips of the bristles and waits to be transferred on the skin. Best part is that they are dense enough to buff into the skin using just a minimal amount of foundation. The flat head F80 brush is my favorite, but I like the angled F84 to get on the sides of the nose and under eye area with concealer. 

y'all know I'm a sucker for nice packaging

As a little surprise, I was also given a E05 eyeliner brush. I've purchased a couple of flat head eyeliner brushes in the past, but could never master the look I wanted. This brush is great for swooping the perfect cat eye, and took the place of my current eyeliner brush (which just happened to be a Hobby Lobby $3 paint brush that was in need of replacement anyways..yep, true story).

Something tells me I'll be purchasing more Sigma products in the future. And I saw for the month of July you can use code RNL2013 for 10% off your order!

this week's favorite links

this and other pretty things via here

adoring my new cork and gold iPhone case  a few photo editing tips for your blog (the photo widths tip is my favorite!) wore this super soft maxi dress for the Fourth thanks to a rec from Megan  every gal needs a good pair of studs she can wear with anything..mine are in seaglass and if I had a spare $50, this would soooo be in my makeup drawer 

beauty review: tarte amazonian clay blush

If you caught my Fourth of July photo from this earlier post, you probably noticed I've toned down my pink blush addiction (see also: lets be honest, I can have moments of clown cheeks). 

Because I've been such an avid MAC obsessed gal for so long, I'm shocked to be giving you so many non-MAC related beauty reviews, but y'all..this is such a great blush. It's a beautiful nude, peach color with a tinyyy bit of glitter, but not so much that you would really notice. It's very pitmented, so a little will go a long way. 

All in all, I'm really impressed with these amazonian clay products, and will more than likely try other colors once this little gal is used up. Do y'all have any tried and true blushes that you love?