Latest Loves | feat. Hourglass, Burberry, Marc Jacobs, Nudestix & Tarte

I am now back to normal but with four less wisdom teeth in my mouth! I'm behind on so many posts but am working to catch up. Before I went all MIA and stopped wearing makeup as I was bedridden for 10 days, below are some products I was reaching for on a nearly daily basis; some are new loves and some are products I have owned for awhile and simply got reacquainted with <3

Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick in "Gold Flash"
This has become one of my favorite highlighters and I will definitely be picking up another during the Sephora Spring Sale taking place this month. I have seen some lackluster reviews of these sticks and I think it's because users are applying the product by placing the stick directly on the skin, (ie. on top of their makeup), which causes the stick to get dirty and might even rub off the product a bit. I use my finger. I rub my finger lightly on the stick and then pad it onto the skin where I want the highlight to be. I don't really rub it, it's more of just a series of light taps.

This product settles into the skin so nicely and gives such a nice "glow from within". It's not a subtle glow, but it's not over-the-top either, it really looks natural and yet, a little beyond natural; just enough so it's noticeable but could almost be misconstrued as natural luminosity. I also love the packaging.

Swatches Left - Right

Hourglass Vanish Flash Highlighting Stick in "Gold Flash"

Burberry Fresh Glow - Highlighting Luminous  Pen

Nudestix Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm in "Posh"

Nudestix Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm in "Pulse"

Marc Jacobs Brow Wow Defining Longwear Eyebrow Pencil in "Ashbrown"

Marc Jacobs Brow Wow Defining Longwear Eyebrow Pencil in "Medium Brown"

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in "Captivating"

Indoor Lighting

Burberry Fresh Glow - Highlighting Luminous  Pen
I had an enlightening moment when I suddenly realized that highlighter under my brow bone is my new favorite thing. I had been using powder highlighters for awhile but lately I've been exploring and enjoying the many stick highlighters that every company is coming out with. I decided I desperately needed a highlighter pen to use for my inner eye corner and below the brow bone. So after a game of "out of stock/in stock/out of stock" on the Sephora website, I finally got it and I was not disappointed.

The highlight this thing gives is stunning. Next to the Hourglass Vanish Highlighting Stick, which is my new favorite face highlighter for my cheekbones, this is my new fav for my brow bone, cupids bow, and inner corner of my eyes. I am seriously quite obsessed with it. My only gripes are that it seems to only come in this one shade, which is quite similar to Hourglass's "Gold Flash" but a bit less yellow. I want more shades! Especially a silver or golden pink. My other gripe is that the cap doesn't "click" on and comes off a bit easily. I hope Burberry fixes this (attempts to send telepathic Morse-code messages to Burberry HQ).

Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara in "Noir" (Black)
I ran out of my last tube of this and picked up the same product but in the Limited Edition packaging. I had forgotten how much I love this mascara. It gives me full lashes and goes on smoothly; no chunkiness and no spider-lash separation. It doesn't dry as I'm putting it on so there's no issues with clumping. It also doesn't flake off as the day goes on. I need to buy another tube of this because I've been using mine up all throughout February.

Natural Lighting

Marc Jacobs Brow Wow Defining Longwear Eyebrow Pencil in "Ashbrown" & "Medium Brown"
Before I became obsessed with needing a highlighter pen I was determined to find a new eyebrow product other than DipBrow. I wanted a pencil; something I could easily grab-and-go and travel with. I tried a handful, many of which I did like but the shade wasn't quite right. I have difficult brows to match given I'm a redhead with golden-taupe brows. This one was the best match and it applies easily. The formula is a little harder than other pencils I've tried, but I like that as it makes it difficult to overdo your brows.

Nudestix Gel Color Lip + Cheek Balm in "Pulse" & "Posh"
I went on a Nudestix shopping spree a couple months ago and have yet to write an overview of all the products I purchased (yet another post I am behind on writing). I'll start with these two gems from the line: "Pulse" and "Posh" are two neutral lip shades from the line and feel like a balm on the lips; very creamy and slick. Pulse is more of a plummy-nude shade whereas Posh is more of a pinky-nude. Both are fantastic "my lips but better" shades.

I have not tried these on my cheeks as I prefer powder products to use on my face. Most people seem to use these as lip products anyway.

The only thing I don't love about the Nudestix pencil products is that they need to be sharpened manually. Each product comes with a sharpener so you may eventually accumulate a small army of the sharpeners. The pencils don't require sharpening often but in case you're like me and avoid having to sharpen your pencils, it's just something to keep in mind. I make an exception for some extremely stellar and loved products, like these Nudestix pencils and Nars Satin and Matte lip pencils, but other than that, I avoid being a heathen and sharpening my own pencils.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in "Captivating"
This blush does not get enough love. If there was one Tarte blush I get the most compliments on, it's this one. A warm peach-toned mildly sparkly blush that compliments my skin so well nearly year-round.

Marc Jacobs Beauty, Hourglass, Nudestix and Tarte are Cruelty Free brands <3