March Birchbox

I really liked this month's box. Was not disappointed in one thing! Here's a glimpse at what was inside my "March Madness" Birchbox... 

Marcelle BB Cream

I've just added this to my "try it" list of BB creams, along with Dr. Jart, Boscia, and Revlon (which I've already tried and will post about soon). I'll let you know how this one turns out! 

LA Fresh Nail Polish Remover Pads

Going to be traveling these next two weekends so these will go straight into my luggage. Now I don't have to worry about packing my usual polish remover. I've only ever heard good things about these so I'm excited to give these a try. 

Vasanti Brighten Up Face Rejuvenator

Never heard of this brand, but it contains Papaya and Aloe with micro-crystals, and I like all of those things. Sounds like a great exfoliator. So we'll give it a shot and see how I like it. 

Whish Shave Cream

Never heard of this brand either, and was a little hesitant, but I did try it and this made my legs SO smooth. 

Nail File (by Madewell)

I only own one nail file, and it's seen better days. So I think this came at a perfect time. Plus, it was created by Madewell, so that's nice. 

If you're interested in trying Birchbox for yourself, click here!

What did you get this month? 

xo, Mal

happy friday, y'all!

Happy Friday, Y'all! Another long week coming to an end. This week the wood floors in my condo were finally repaired thanks to my amazing dad who seems to know how to do anything and saved me major $$$$.  Now I'm looking forward to a good weekend and making memories at the St. Patrick's Day parade tomorrow... :)

1. Captured this pic of Mike the Tiger taking a nap after the Men's Basketball game. Sometimes I wish I could just pet him, but think I think "eh, better not." [pitch perfect, anyone?]

2. Sushi for two. Had a great dinner date with my bff and long lost sister Danielle at Ichiban's. I love being able to catch up over good food. I wouldn't mind if this became a weekly event. 

3. I had a realization this week that my brush "collection" is out of control. Washing them is such a chore, mainly because I'm just lazy. But once their clean it makes me feel so much better. If you want to see how I clean this mountain of brushes, click here. 

4. I scored two House of Harlow look-a-like necklaces at Wet Seal for a total of $15 thanks to a bogo 50% off sale. I can finally check that off of my "find a less expensive version" wishlist. 

5. I really really enjoyed this month's Birchbox. I'll share what I got next week! 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend! Check out more H54F posts on Lauren's blog! 

xo, Mal

makeup in minutes

Anybody else feeling the effects of Daylight Saving Time? Now that it's completely dark outside when I wake up, my body's instant reaction is snooze... snooze.. snooze. Maybe I'll become a morning person one of these days. But that day is not today. Because of my limited time, I'm depending a lot on fast makeup application. If I'm running crazy late, I reach for products I can apply very quickly or take with me if absolutely necessary. I'd say I don't spend more than 5 minutes when I use just these products...

Smashbox BB Cream
This is a matte finish BB cream that I can trust to keep my skin oil-free all day. More on it here. I apply this with a disposable makeup sponge for quick application. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Concealer
Since BB cream doesn't completely cover the issues my skin is having as of this week, this concealer does the trick to conceal any blemishes. I love that all I have to do is twist the cap, dab a little on each spot, and blend it in with my sponge. I am blessed to not have dark circles, but if I did, I would easily double up and use this as my under eye concealer as well. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder
This takes me just a few seconds to set my BB cream and concealer to lock it in place all day long. 

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Medium Dark
I'm quite pale right now and this gives my face some color. If I was a little more tan, I would most likely skip this step. 

ELF Blush in Pink Passion
The bright pink blush looks intimidating in the package, but a light application of this is a perfect flush of pink to perk up my face. 

Maybelline MasterDrama Eyeliner
I usually only apply eyeliner if I skip eye shadow. Lasts all day and it's a retractable eyeliner that doesn't require sharpening. 

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
I've raved about this product before. Just swipe a little of this using my ring finger on to my eye lids and it looks likes I actually spent time to do my makeup. 

Maybelline The Falsies Flared Mascara
I like using this mascara on days when I'm in a rush because it dries so fast. It's also the one that I can use on both my top and bottom lashes without the fear of it ever smudging throughout the day. 

If I had to shorten it down even more, I would just use BB Cream, concealer, blush, and mascara. Sometimes I like the challenge of seeing how fast I can apply my makeup. If only I was more into challenging myself to see how fast I could run... 

What makeup products do you depend on for quick makeup? 

xo, Mal

Ulta Sale Starts Today!

The Ulta Beauty Steals sale is back... starting today! These are one-day-only deals for 21 days in March offered in-store and online, however, items do sell out quickly. If you plan to shop in-store, get there early because once the items are gone, they're gone. Most sales will start at midnight online. If you haven't seen the full sale ad yet, click here to see each daily deal. 

Here are my top picks from the sale that I will either be picking up or I already own and recommend to you!... 

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara

This is one of my favorite high-end mascaras that's completely worth the $19, but I much prefer to only spend $10. You're getting a high-end product for a drugstore price. This mascara does everything you'd need it to do: volumize, lengthen, and separate your lashes beautifully. I highly recommend it! 

Butter London Nail Lacquers

I always seem to forget about the butter london polish day. This time, I'm determined to remember and pick up the two colors I've had on my wishlist for a while and check out the new Spring colors. 

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Greed

We all know I love this primer. I own it in the color Eden. The Greed shade is similar to Eden, except it has shimmer in it. You can't go wrong with primer potion! 

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil
I had never heard of maracuja oil until I bought a Tarte kit from QVC a year ago and this was in it. I figured having oily skin meant I would not be using this product. But, I'm glad I did some research and learned this would be great for my skin, no matter how oily it is! I like using this as a replacement some nights to my moisturizer. Just dab a little bit on my face and you wake up with super soft, moisturized skin. You can use it anywhere on your body, but I only recommend using it at night so it can really soak in all the benefits while you sleep. 

What do you plan to get from the Ulta sale? Let me know! 
xo, Mal

happy friday y'all!

T...G... I... F. It's been a busy one. Here's a look back... 

1. Sunday was spent at the bookstore getting inspiration for decorating my condo. I'm on a decorating kick. I feel like my bedroom is done, and now it's time to focus on the main living areas. I wish I could just snap my fingers and have an HGTV designer come in and do it for me! (Sabrina Soto, can you hear me?) 

2. Who doesn't love a surprise cupcake from Cupcake Couture? 

3. I've started the deocrating process by replacing my old side table and re-styling it. It's not much, but it's a start y'all... 

4. Essie Mint Candy Apple for ya. I foresee this color on my nails many times this Spring and Summer. 

5. This week a friend passed his exam to officially become an RN! St. Patty's glasses for everyone thanks to The Bulldog! 

How was your week?! See more H54F posts on Lauren's blog! 

xo, Mal

if i only had one eye brush

If all of my makeup brushes were gone and I needed to start over, the one brush I would have to pick up ASAP would be the ELF $1.00 Essential Eye Shadow Brush. This brush is made for packing eye shadow onto the eye lid. However, I believe you could do a whole eye look with just this brush if you had to. I have smaller eyes/lids than most, and the average shadow brush is just too big for me.

 There are many mornings when I grab just this brush and use it many different ways.  If you're not using black or super dark browns, all you need to do is wipe off the excess shadow after each shade you apply to get it clean. So, now that I've explained all of that, let's get into all the things I like using this brush for.

I usually start off using it for it's intended purpose by applying my base color all over my lid. The tapered tip of the brush also makes it easy to use to apply color to the crease. Next, I'll just wipe it clean, flip the brush over, and use the clean side to blend the crease shadow to reduce any harsh lines. And lastly, I think this brush is just fine to use to apply a light highlight shade to the brow bone.

Aside from eye looks, I think you could also use this for other areas if you're in a bind and forgot your other face brushes at home, such as contouring the sides of your nose, applying a cheek highlighter, and blending under eye concealer. 

Almost all of your brushes could be used for more than their intended use. I just find this one so great because of the quality for just $1.00. You can find elf at Target, some Walmart stores, and eyeslipsface.com. And hey, if you end  up not liking it as much as me, you only spent a dollar! 

What's your go-to eye brush? 

xo, Mal

february favorites

LORAC PRO Palette 

I'm just in love with this palette. The matte eye shadow options seem endless to me and that's what I love about it. I've reached for it almost every day. See my full review and swatches here! 

L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara

Holy mascara. L'oreal seems to have done it again for me. Since January I've been on a "try new mascaras kick" and this is the only that really stands out to me. It lengthens, volumizes and separates my lashes like none other. Even better, the formula is completely clump free. This mascara means business and I'm loving it. 

Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush
I talked about these here, but didn't have this color yet. This color takes the cake for "your lips but better." It's my go-to lipstick for everyday. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer + Dark Spot Corrector

Since I love the Instant Age Rewind concealer for dark circles, I knew I had to try the dark spot corrector. It claims to treat the discoloration while you wear it. I have dark spots pretty much all over my cheeks thanks to acne scarring. I think this does at concealing my dark spots and evening everything out. 

NYX Blush in Pinched

I'm a big fan of NYX powder blushes. This one reminds me of NARS Orgasm. Peachy pink with some golden shimmer. It's so pretty an inexpensive. 

Elf Powder Brush

I don't know why I've never bought an ELF face brush before. One of my all-time favorite eye brushes is from ELF (more on that soon).  I guess because it's only $3.00, I would always think "hmmm, 3 dollars probably means hard bristles that could be rough my face." I couldn't have been more wrong. This brush is super soft. It applies and blends my powder, blush, bronzer, whatever I'm in the mood for, perfectly. Really glad I finally spent the whopping $3.00. 

What did you love in February?
xo, Mal