Beauty Blender Thoughts...

First off, let me begin by saying I want to cry because I let eleven days slip out from underneath me without blogging about anything. I'm at this point where I have so much to post about that I'm having a hard time narrowing down what to talk about first. On top of that, I'm working on getting a YouTube channel up (soon, like, soon soon) and everything is just all so crazy! Also, quick note, how is September almost over?! I literally just wrote a post about how hectic August is and now it is nearly November. Oh my goodness, time is just going too fast and pretty soon Sephora, Ulta, and the drugstores are going to start releasing Holiday collections and then the reviews and blog posts are REALLY going to be flowing.
But until then, let me tell you my thoughts on the extremely popular and well known Beauty Blender.

This little pink egg of squishy goodness is like nothing I've ever experienced. I've never been a fan of using a brush or a sponge to apply my foundation. I'm more of a blend-with-my-fingers kind of gal. I have never found a brush or sponge that I found to do an amazing job that was worth ditching my extremely convenient hands behind, until now!
What I really love about the Beauty Blender is that it is small and compact and really precious and pink...until you squeeze some water into it and it expands to nearly twice it's size. At that point, it has no more room to absorb any liquid, so when you dip it into your foundation, it doesn't all get sucked up and end up being a huge waste of money. It truly does blend foundation like a dream, and it doesn't end there! I then go in with my concealer and brightener (down my nose, under my eyes) and blend it in quite quickly with the pointed tip of my Beauty Blender. Within seconds my face is covered with a natural finish that I absolutely love. It's unreal.
I also love that after I use all my powder products like bronzer and blush and highlighter, I can take the large rounded side and just go around the outline of all my contouring/blushing/highlighting and make all my lines look totally seamless. I even take the extra time to contour my bridged nose because the Beauty Blender can quickly fix the extra product that I've applied to heavily or darkly.
Cons to the beloved Beauty Blender would definitely include cleaning. OH MY GOSH, it's like having a child or a pet, you cannot just ignore it and hope it gets cleaner or you'll get used to it because it does not happen. It just keeps getting grosser and dirtier and soon I'm sure the stains are probably irreversible and then you have to go out and buy a whole new $20 sponge. 
Also, truly think about it...you are putting a sponge all over your face, getting it wet, putting it all over your face, getting it wet, and repeating over and over again without cleaning. Um, talk about a breading ground for bacteria. No Thank You. So you really do have to clean your Beauty Blender every single day, which is quite the responsibility, especially if you are anything like me and absolutely dread the thought of even cleaning one cosmetic brush.
Also, another obvious con is the $20 price tag...yikes! I had a really difficult time coping with the price issue of the Beauty Blender because breaking it down you really are spending a whole Andrew Jackson on a sponge that is neon pink. I figured "it can't be worth it". For me, my Beauty Blender was worth it. It gives me something to look forward to each morning when I apply my make up and I use it every single day. I also did not let it be an impulse purchase. It sounds silly to say I saved my money to buy a $20 Beauty Blender, but I really kind of did. I actually returned something I had sitting in my collection for a few months that I never used and exchanged it at Sephora for my Beauty Blender.
Final Thoughts it you are looking for a refreshing change to your make up routine, I would highly recommend looking into the Beauty Blender. I could live without it, but at this point, I wouldn't want to. It blend out foundation so nicely and comes in handy all through out my make up application process. It really is unique and quite useful, but not an immediate necessity.


Quick Tip: I clean my Beauty Blender with the Mac Brush Cleanser (thats what I use and have laying around, when I run out I may look for a cheaper alternative). The greatest Beauty Blender tip that I can give is to clean it when it is dry. I clean mine in the morning before I apply my make up, not after. The reason this works better is because the sponge is not full of liquid, so all the foundation in it is pushed towards the surface thus making getting it out of the surface much easier than if the sponge was already filled with water. I pour some cleanser on it and massage the whole Beauty Blender in my hands and then run the water. I continue squeezing and drenching the BB in cleanser/water until the squeezed out liquid is not the color of my foundation and is clear water instead. I do this process every single morning before I take my shower. 

Favorite Nars products & MOTD (make-up of the day)

Today while getting ready and putting my face on, I realized that many of my everyday products are from my absolute favorite make-up brand, Nars.

Nars is a high end make-up line that has fantastically pigmented products that are very high quality. Anytime I walk into Sephora, the Nars counter is the first place I stop.

Many Nars products have cult followings. I'm sure most of you have heard of their blush "Orgasm" or their "Laguna Bronzer" or maybe ever their eyeshadow single in "Ashes to Ashes". An anyone who is a Kim Kardashian fan (which I'll admit, I most definitely am not), would know that she wears the Nars lipgloss in Turkish Delight when she wants to wear a nude lip look.

I obviously have not tried every product that Nars has to offer (but I hope to one day!), but I have tried many of their products and have definitely come up with a list of favorites. Through this process, I also have compiled a hand full of products that I do not think are that great, and some that are certainly not worth the hype. 

Favorites:

• Nars Sheer Glow Foundation (i'm shade Punjab). I especially love this foundation in the winter. I love to wear glowing skin all year round and the thicker consistency of this highly radiant foundation is perfect for winter time. 
• Nars Powder Eyeshadows. I have several of these in duos and trios, my favorite was from their Spring 2012 collection (I'm almost sure) called "Ramatuelle", which is a trio that includes a Silver, Icy Peach, and Apricot color. It looks stunning with black eyeliner, and the apricot shade is especially flattering in the crease. I also love the Trio in "Cap Ferrat" which is an assortment of bluish-green tones, which are fun to play with for a more colorful look. My favorite duo is "Cordura", which has a shimmering warm rich brown and a shimmering sooty dark brown. Anytime I go out and want to do a dark brown smokey eye, I always use this duo. 
• Nars "Laguna" Bronzer. Yes. Yes. Yes. this is DEFINITELY worth the hype. I have used this every single day since I bought it (as you can tell from the above picture, this product has gotten much love). I use it every day to warm up my face. It is not great for achieving a sharp contour, so if I am going to contour, I use a different product and dust "Laguna" over it. I am a bronzer freak, and I will continue to repurchase this one and will keep one in my collection forever. 
• Nars Cream Blush in "Penny Lane". I don't see nearly enough hype on the internet for this product. I use it if I want a neutral cheek look or if I am getting ready in a rush and don't have time to contour. This cream blush looks gorgeous placed in between the cheek bone and where one would usually apply blush. It also has a wonderful consistency, it is not sticky and it looks very radiant on the cheek. It's a very, very, soft peach color. 
• Nars Powder Blushes. I have many favorites of these, they just seem to be the best formula for blush on the Market. "Lovejoy" is my favorite winter shade, it is a shimmering bronzed rose shade and it looks amazing with a plum or deep red lip. I don't know how I survived the winter before I had this blush. "Gaiety" is another favorite, which is a bright candy pink color. I like this because it is very wearable and many people could get away with wearing this shade. Bright pinks like this look great in the summer with a tan and bronzed complexion. Also, this blush is perfect for a soft look, or to build up for a brighter pink. Plus, who doesn't love the sound of "bright candy pink"??
• Nars Pressed Powder (I wear the shade "Beach"). This is simply the best setting powder I have ever used. It makes my face look so flawless and keeps oil at bay. 

UnFavorites:

• (brace yourself) Nars Pressed Blush in "Orgasm". I know right? "Orgasm" is described as a peachy pink with golden shimmer. Everyone loves this blush and I don't like it. It's not even like "it isn't worth the hype" (which it isn't), I just simply do not like the color. The formula is fine, as with all Nars blushes, it's just the color is not great and I cannot get it to work on me, not with a tan, not pale. Just not at all. I would return this if I was able to and pick up a different blush in a second. I just simply do not like it. 
• Nars Eyeshadow Duo in "Kalahari". I like these shades and I use this palette often, I am just disappointed that the colors do not have more of a contrast with each other. Swatched, they look great, but on the lid they look like the same color. 
• Nars Multiple in "Maldives". This is a shimmering pink champagne multiple. A multiple implies that you can use it on your cheeks, as highlight, lip stick, eyeshadow, pretty much anything. I would only wear this as a highlight, and even as that I do not think it is very good, and certainly not for $40. I would say skip the multiples and buy yourself a nice Nars blush or bronzer instead. There are plenty of better highlight/multiple products out there. This just did not do it for me. 

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope this was helpful! It's always a hugh bummer picking up products that are expensive and high end and being less than enthused with the results you get from them. Also, just because a cosmetic brand is your favorite, does not mean that everything they make is great. And just because a bunch of people love a certain product and it basically has a cult following, doesn't mean that the product is the best. There are always other options that should be considered before making a purchase.