Review: Make Up For Ever HD Complexion Starter Kit

For my first review, I thought I would start with the Make Up For Ever HD Complexion Starter Kit which I bought during my recent Sephora Haul.

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Let me start off by saying although this kit was pretty expensive, it comes with a lot!  The kit includes the HD Microperfecting Primer (0.5 oz), one bottle of HD Invisible Cover Foundation (1.01 oz), the HD Microfinish Powder (0.17 oz), and the HD Kabuki Brush.  I thought I would give you a break down review of each product in the order in which I use them.

The first product I apply is the HD Microperfecting Primer in #0 Neutral.  At first, I was a little disappointed by how small it was.  However, I quickly realized that a little goes a long way.  The primer has a very light and pleasant scent which I only smell during the application.  It makes my face feel soft and I can definitely feel it creating the perfect base for applying my foundation.  Be sure to let the primer dry before applying your foundation.

Next comes the HD Invisible Cover Foundation.  One thing that is great about this kit is that it lets you choose your own shade of foundation.  At the Sephora store, you just pick your bottle of foundation and place it in the box.  When purchasing online, you choose the kit with your shade in it.  My foundation is #117 in Marble (for light skin with yellow undertones), but I will definitely have to move up a few shades during the summer (although I am very pale in the winter, I tan very easily in the summer).  I noticed a difference between the HD Invisible Cover Foundation and my previous foundation.  This foundation gives great coverage, something that I am always looking for.  I wouldn't say that I have horrible skin, but I wouldn't say that I have great skin either.  I guess I am somewhere in between.  Surprisingly, I found that the foundation feels much lighter and natural on my face than others with extra coverage.  I usually feel that I have to either sacrifice coverage or feel with foundations, but this one has it all!  The HD Invisible Cover Foundation comes in a ton of different shades, so I was able to find one that matched my skin perfectly, rather than having to choose one that was a little too light or a little too dark.  I also have combination skin.  I found that this foundation works well with combo skin because it has enough moisture to not be drying, but it doesn't add extra oil either.  To apply to my skin, I use my Sephora Professional #45 mineral powder brush.  I dab the foundation onto my skin, and then blend it in with the brush in a circular motion.

The last two products, the HD Microfinish Powder and the HD Kabuki Brush, I use together.  The Kabuki is super soft and it feels amazing on my face.  The base is about 1 inch wide, and the brush stands a little under 3 inches tall.  The brush is very thick and despite it's small size, it gives full coverage.

The HD Microfinish Powder pleasantly surprised me.  In fact, it amazed me!  I honestly didn't think it would make that big of a difference, but wow. Wow, wow, wow.  This little pot of powder makes all the difference.  It is ultra fine powder and is made from 100% silica.  It is uber soft and feels like I'm rubbing pixie dust on my face.  Or crushed pearls.  Or you know, something else magical.  Not only does it feel magical, but it really creates the perfect finish to my makeup.  It really makes my skin flawless looking.  The powder slightly mattifies your skin, it's translucent, and it works with any skin tone.  This is also an Allure Best of Beauty Award Winner, so you know it has to be good!

All in all, this is one amazing kit.  My skin feels great, and it looks great too.  It is long lasting, so I don't have to worry about it melting off of my face or having to reapply throughout the day.  I am tempted to carry my powder and kabuki in my purse with me, just because they feel so amazing.  Although this set is a little pricey, it is a great deal.  The kit costs $79, but it is a $109 value.  When I first bought this kit, I thought that it probably wouldn't be too much better than my usual foundation (which I could pick up at any drugstore or my local Walmart), but I was dead wrong.  I know now that I will never be able to go back to my old makeup.

At Sephora, you can test these products before you buy them, so I would definitely recommend trying trying out the foundation before purchasing it so that you are able to match your shade.

Now it's your turn.  What do you think of this kit?  Would you like to try it?  Have you tried any of the products before?  Which products do you use and love?

On a final note, I am not affiliated with Sephora or Make Up For Ever in any way.  This review is purely my opinion and was not affected by anyone else and was completely honest.  I am not trying to persuade you to purchase the Make Up For Ever HD Complexion Starter Kit or any of the products listed.  I try to research my beauty products thoroughly before I purchase them so that I know what to expect before I buy it.  I want to write my own reviews so that I can help others who like to research their purchases too.  I hope that you found this review entertaining and informative.

Sephora Haul!

For Christmas, I received a few gift cards for my local mall.  What happens when I have money to spend at the mall?  I go crazy in Sephora!

If you haven't heard of Sephora, I urge you to find one near you or check out their website as soon as you finish reading this post.  You can check out their website here.  One of the things that I love most about Sephora is that they carry a number of different brands in addition to their own.  This makes it easy to pick out the best product for you without having to remain with the same brand.  I also love that you can try almost every product before you buy it.  Also the salespeople at my Sephora are so friendly and helpful.

I had my eye on the Make Up Forever HD Complexion Starter Kit for a few weeks, so naturally that is where I headed first.  The kit includes HD Microperfecting Primer in #0 Neutral, HD Invisible Cover Foundation in your shade (mine is #117), HD Microfinish Powder, and HD Kabuki Brush.  (You can read my review of the HD Complexion Starter Kit here).

I also purchased the Sephora professional #45 mineral powder brush.  With the multitude of brushes placed before me, I asked a Sephora salesperson for help.  She recommended the mineral brush because it would take less time to use than a regular foundation brush and that it gave your makeup an airbrushed look.

I also looked for a concealer to help hide my dark under-eye circles (more on that in a post coming soon).  Once again, I was overwhelmed, but my salesperson helped me narrow down my choices.  After trying on a few concealers, I chose the Amazing Concealer in Light Golden.  I chose the smallest tube, but a larger one is also available.

In addition to concealer, I looked for a bronzer to add a little color to my light skin.  I was a little nervous about choosing a bronzer because I did not want to look like a pumpkin.  I tried on Too Faced bronzer in Snow Bunny and fell in love!  The color is great to add some warmth to my often too pale skin. (You can read my review of the Too Faced Bronzer in Snow Bunny here.)

As I hunted for a good bronzer brush, I picked the Too Faced Sun on the Run kit.  The kit includes a mini bronzer in Sun Bunny and the Too Faced flatbuki brush.  So small.  So cute.  (You can read my review of the Too Faced Sun on the Run kit here.)

Last, I picked up some Sephora brush cleaner to help me clean off my pretty new brushes.  I chose the small bottle so that I can see how much I like it, but a larger bottle is also available.

As usual, Sephora also hooked me up with lots of awesome free samples!  Really, who doesn't love free stuff?


Through the poll I posted last week, I found out that you all would like to read some reviews and recommendations.  As a result, I decided that I will be posting reviews of all of these products in the near future.  Once I do, I will add the links to this post so that if you ever decide to re-read it, you will have access to all of the product reviews.  Don't worry, I will be sure to spread them out so that you don't get too tired of make up (if that could ever happen).  Look for my first review on the MUFE HD kit soon.  It is definitely my favorite out of these purchases and I am dying to write about it.

Have you tried any of these products?  If so, which one?  If not, which one would you most likely want to try?

Oh and before I forget, for those of you wanting to know a little more about me, check out my new "About Me" tab located at the top of the page.  If you have any questions about me that are not answered there, feel free to ask.  There is another new tab up there as well with a list of a few of my favorite blogs.  Let me know what you think! :)

The ABC's of me

First of all, I have now made it possible for you to subscribe to my blog via email.  All you have to do is enter your email address in the box under the section that says "subscribe via email" on the left side of my page.  Once you subscribe, you will be sent an email confirming that you wish to subscribe.  From then on, if I write a new post, it will be emailed to you.  No post, no email.  It's that simple. :)  You can also follow me through Google Friend Connect.  All you need is a Google account (or gmail email address).  Click the blue "Join this Site" button under the "Followers" section on the right, and you're all set.

Now on to the post...

Want to know a little more about me?  Well, here you go!  If you fill out this survey too, please leave me the link in the comments below.  I would love to read it and learn about you too! :)


ABC'S of ME SURVEY

A - Age: 22

B - Bed size: California King

C - Chore you hate: Folding laundry

D - Dog's name: Sadly, I don't have a dog.  Well, I kind of do, but he was a family pet when I lived at home, and he lives at my mom's house.  His name is Max though and he is a cutie.

E - Essential start your day item: My alarm clock.  Otherwise I would probably sleep till 11:00 every day without meaning to.

F - Favorite color: Blue, Pink, and Orange.  Depends on my mood.

G - Gold or Silver: White gold.

H - Height: 5'4"

I - I am: a dork.

J - Job: Right now I have a seasonal position at a textbook store.

K - Kids: None.  I do however have a pet fish.  His name is Mushu.  He was named after the adorable dragon in the Disney movie, Mulan.

L - Living arrangements: I live in a tiny apartment with my husband (and Mushu, of course).

M - Mom's name: Kimberly

N - Nicknames: Riss, Rissy, Rissa

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I had surgery on my finger once.  But I was a 1-year-old baby, so I don't really remembered if I stayed over night or not.

P - Pet Peeve: I have several!  Probably the weirdest one is that I hate it when people touch me with their feet.  For some reason I have always had this weird foot phobia.  I guess because feet are just so weird.  My sister has harassed me with this for most of her life.

Q - Quote from a movie: Once again, I have many.  A few of my favorites:
- "I love you Binky... but I don't have to like you right now." - Andie from "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"
- "I caught you a delicious bass." Napoleon Dynamite
- "Alllllllllrightly then." Ace Ventura

R - Right or left handed: I'm a righty

S - Siblings: I have 1 fabulous younger sister, Darby

T - Time you wake up: 7:30 AM

U- Underwear: I'm not sure how to answer this.  Yes, I wear them.

V - Vegetable you dislike: Brussels sprouts.  But then again, does anyone like them?  I also don't like okra, which my husband (and all of his family) loves.

W - Ways you run late: Usually I just lose track of time.  For example, this afternoon I was almost late for work because I was doing my makeup and watching a fashion video on YouTube and forgot to pay attention to the clock.

X - X-rays you've had: I have had several.  The most interesting one occurred in elementary school.  I was playing this dreadful game in PE where my entire class had to grab hold of a parachute and shake it up and down.  We were each assigned a number.  When the coach called our number we would run under the tent and find another spot.  I'm not really sure how that sounded like a good idea.  When my number was called and I started running, a boy's large head collided my poor little nose.  Once I finally escaped the parachute, I was covered in blood, rushed to the nurse's office, and my mom was told that I had possibly broken my nose.  Thus, the x-ray.  By the way, my nose was thankfully not broken, but my shirt was ruined.

Y - Yummy food you make: I have a casserole that I make called "chicken and cracker casserole" that everyone (including my super picky sister) loves.  I also have a few recipes that I got from my Abuela (that means grandmother in Spanish) that are absolutely amazing including Spanish bean soup and spaghetti.

Z - Zoo favorite: I have always loved giraffes.  When I was younger I had an awesome stuffed giraffe named Giraffey, which we all know is a super creative name for a 3-year-old.  I also had a stuffed dog named Doggly Woggly.  I know that wasn't the question, but that tidbit was so interesting that I had to throw it out there for you.

If you made it this far, congrats!  Thank you for taking the time to read about me.  When I get tired (like I am right now) I get a little weird.  You probably understand what I mean from reading this survey.  I apologize.

Don't forget, if you take this survey yourself, leave me the link so I can learn about you too!

Out with the old, in with the new

"We will open the book.  Its pages are blank.  We are going to put words on them ourselves.  The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." 

-Edith Lovejoy Pierce

 Happy New Year!

I can't believe that it is already 2012.  Last year brought many events and changes in my life.  Because I did not get the chance to do it yesterday, I thought I would write a brief look-back post on 2011.

Looking back on 2011

January was an exciting month for me.  My husband (then fiancé), Travis came home from deployment shortly before Christmas 2010.  It is a little difficult to explain, but when you have been apart from someone for a year, you have to take some time getting reacquainted.

The fact is, you both change, even if you don't realize it.  Although it is a little odd, it is still a wonderful feeling.  Every time you are together you remember what it has been like for the last year.  Sadly, we still lived in different cities at the time, so we visited each other as often as possible, but because I was just beginning a new semester at my university, we were not able to spend as much time together as we would have liked.  The next few months did not pass by as quickly as I would have liked.  I was incredibly busy with school, packing, and finishing my wedding plans.  Finally the spring semester ended and I became even more overwhelmed with the preparations for our wedding.  After what seemed like forever, our wedding day finally approached.  It was definitely the happiest day of my life.  It was such an amazing day, and I couldn't stop thinking, "Oh my gosh.  It is finally happening," (after all, we had been engaged for a year and a half).

We spent the two weeks following our wedding on the beautiful island of St. Lucia.  It was such a beautiful place.  It is difficult to describe how wonderful those two weeks were.  I was finally married to my prince charming and relaxing away the stress of the previous year and a half on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen (and coming from a Floridian, that's saying something).

Once we came home, we lived in Travis' hometown for about a month until we found a place to live in my city.  We finally found an apartment and moved to the city.  Since then, we have had a lot of fun getting used to the married life.  In August, I started this blog.  I have had a lot of fun so far, and I am excited about working on my writing, and hopefully gaining some new followers along the way.  Although I don't have many followers so far, I have had people read my blog from countries all over the world, including Russia, the Philipines, Germany, Zimbabwe, Australia and several more.  It is such a wonderful feeling to know that my words are being read.  So a special shout out to my international readers... THANK YOU!  (P.S. I would love to hear from you!)

This December, Travis and I spent our first Christmas together bouncing around from house to house and visiting family.

My fabulous sister and me baking

Max and me on Christmas Eve

On December 31, we celebrated at my mother's house with family and friends.

I have big hopes for 2012.  2011 was such an incredible year that I am excited to see what the future holds for Travis and me.  I begin my second internship in a few weeks.  I can't wait to put what I have learned in school to use.  This fall I will be graduating.  Between those events, who knows. :)

How did you ring in the new year?  What was your favorite event of 2011?  I would love to hear your thoughts!

Well, that is all for now.  I hope you all have a very happy first week of 2012!

'Tis the season... for resolutions

Calvin and Hobbes

As 2011 nears its end, the phrase "New Years resolutions" pops into my mind.  Each year, people all over the United States make New Years resolutions with good intentions, but then find that they are abandoned by Valentine's Day.  This year, rather than make resolutions that I may not keep, I decided that I would come up with a few things that I would like to improve this year.  I know what you're thinking, "that sounds a lot like resolutions to me!"  But they aren't.  This way, I acknowledge that I need to make some adjustments in my life (contrary to the popular believe, I am not perfect... haha), however I also acknowledge that lifestyle changes take time and dedication to make.  Not to mention if I start to fail I won't have the excuse... "well... maybe next year."

With that being said, I give you the following list of things that I wish to change or accomplish during 2012.

1. Cut back on procrastination.  Procrastinating is something that I hate to do, but I do it anyways.  Obviously I am not going to kid myself into thinking that I can completely stop procrastinating.  I can however try to stop procrastinating on large projects and try to start them earlier.
2. Incorporate more organization into my home.  I am that person who has the good intention to organize and yet finds myself unorganized.  I hope to become a little more organized this year (for both my and my husband's sake).  I have recently come across a fabulous blog, iHeart Organizing, which gives tons of wonderful organizing tips and ideas.  If you are like me and have no idea where to begin (or maybe you are just looking for more ideas) be sure to check it out!
3. Exercise more often.  As you may remember from one of my previous posts, I struggle with exercising.  It is something that I know is good for me, and yet it is still difficult to do.  My husband is determined to help me with this.  He has already created a work out plan for me.  One of the benefits of marrying a soldier: a permanent workout buddy!
4. Eat healthier.  I absolutely love Chick-fil-a, Cuban sandwiches, spaghetti, biscuits, mashed potatoes, and candy (no, not all together, sicko!).  Obviously I am not going to be able to eat healthy all of the time. I can however choose healthier meals, and reduce the amount of junk food that I eat.
5. Learn how to sew.  This is not an option.  I got a sewing machine, case, and an adorable custom sewing basket (made by my awesome and incredibly talented sister) for Christmas.  Hopefully by next Christmas I can make some fabulous homemade gifts.
6. Blog more frequently.  I have found that I really enjoy blogging.  As you can probably tell though, I often forget or do not make time for it.  I would definitely like to blog more often (and hopefully you would like to read my posts more often). :)
7. Think more about others, and less about myself.  There are a lot of changes within this category that I would like to make, but I think that this covers them all.  It doesn't always have to be something big, but just taking the time to remember that I am not more important than anyone else.  I think that in our society we focus more on ourselves and less on others.
8. Take a chance.  I am someone who likes to play it safe.  I am often afraid of change.  I am often afraid of the unknown.  I would love to take a chance and do something that no one would ever expect me to.

I suppose that is all for now.  Since these aren't "resolutions" I can change or add to them at any time.  In fact, I just might.  So now it is your turn, dear Reader.  Do you make New Years resolutions?  Do you prefer my idea of "changes-that-are-kind-of-like-resolutions-but-aren't"?  Or do you prefer to skip resolutions all together?  If you said yes to one of the first two questions and wish to share one (or all) of your resolutions, please tell me in the comments below!  If you skip resolutions and wish to share why, feel free to leave a comment about that as well.  I would love to hear from you! :)

Last, I am going to create my first ever poll!  Since I wish to blog more often, I thought I would find out what you would like to read more about.  If there is something that you wish for me to blog about that isn't listed, leave me a comment and I will try my best to make it happen.

I hope that you all enjoy the rest of 2011!

P.S. For those of you wondering, the scarf I mentioned in my last post was for my mother-in-law.  She loved it! :)

Knitting: It's for young people too!

As you might have noticed, I haven't updated my blog in awhile.  As the Fall semester begins to draw to a close, my professors pile on the homework, projects, and of course, exams.  Sadly, this leaves me less time for blogging.  Especially since I still have tons of things to do around the house in addition to all of the homework.  Lately when I do have some free time I have been working on improving my kitting skills.  Yes, you read that right, knitting skills.  Contrary to the popular belief, knitting isn't only for grandmas!  I started knitting last year.  My husband (then fiancé) was deployed and I was looking for a new hobby to keep me busy.  I am not entirely sure why I chose knitting.  I think it was just that I happened to be in my local craft store one day and noticed how inexpensive the supplies were.  But then again, it could have also been because I found a pattern online.  A lot of that year is a blur to me.  Anyways, my first project was a scarf.  I felt that it turned out well considering that it was my first time knitting.  It took forever.  Thankfully I have improved since then.  You may be wondering, where does a person learn how to knit?  The answer: YouTube.  It sounds silly, but I am completely serious.  At that time, I did not know anyone who knew how to knit, so I spent lots of time looking at various YouTube videos on how to knit.  I haven't knitted too much, mainly because I haven't had as much time as I would have liked.

One of my most recent projects that I knitted was another scarf.  This one came out much better than my first one.  It was also quite a bit longer.  When finished, this scarf measured just over 5 and a half feet long.  It is very thick, but it would definitely keep you warm in the winter.  I actually knitted this scarf as a Christmas gift.  The person I knitted it for doesn't have a blog, and probably doesn't read any, but because I love keeping gifts a surprise, I wont mention it.  If you are really dying to know (which I am sure you aren't) you can ask.

If you would like the pattern to this scarf, check it out here.

(P.S. Sorry for the horribly obnoxious yellow lighting.  For some reason the light in my dining room, one of the few places in my apartment with a decent background for photos, mixed with my laptop's camera turn all of my photos yellow.)

My most recent project was a pair of wrist warmers because, as I am sure you all know, my wrists are always cold here in the frigid state of Florida.  Kidding aside, I chose wrist warmers because I wanted to knit something that I could wear this fall or winter and I thought that wrist warmers would be cute.  Speaking of knitting something for fall, I do believe that is one of the items on my fall challenge (7. Knit something for fall).  I feel that they came out okay for my first attempt, but of course there are several things that I will improve for next time.

Here are some photos of my finished wrist warmers:

If you would like the pattern for this project, check it out on my Ravelry profile.  Side note, Ravelry is an amazing website with lots of free knitting and crocheting projects and patterns.

If you need further proof that knitting isn't just for grandmas, check out my friend Rachel's post about knitting on her fabulous fashion blog, Amapola Style.

How do you feel about knitting?  Is it something you would like to try?  Or do you still feel it is too much of an old lady hobby?  Please tell me what you think by leaving a comment!

Happy knitting!

I (heart) free stuff!

As most of you know, the holidays are quickly approaching.  As a newly married, full time college student, it goes without saying that a little extra money for Christmas presents wouldn't be a bad thing.  I thought I would share two of my favorite websites with you in the hopes that you would be able to earn a few free gifts for your loved ones this holiday season.  I know what you're probably thinking, "Aren't those sites just scams?"  I would never recommend anything that I don't believe in.  The two following websites are ones that I personally use and have redeemed free stuff from.

Site #1: Swagbucks.com

What it is: Swagbucks is a website that is free and easy to use.  You preform searches and do other activities on the website to earn "swagbucks" which can then be redeemed for prizes or used to enter raffles.  The easiest way to win swagbucks is by using the search engine.  You use it like you would use Google.  Type in your search and you may win swagbucks!  Another way to win is to view videos on SBTV (Swagbucks TV).  Watch videos until your meter fills up and then you get swagbucks.  There are also ways to win swagbucks like voting on the daily poll, completing surveys, viewing the no obligation special offers, using coupons, and more!

My experience: I have been using swagbucks for just under a year and a half.  During that time I have redeemed 7 prizes.  In the past two weeks I have been using the site more often that I used to and have redeemed 3 prizes in that period alone!  My favorite prize is the $5 Amazon.com gift card.  I am currently saving up to use them to buy Christmas presents.

If you would like to join swagbucks.com, please consider using my referral info.  That way when you win, I win too! All you have to do is click the banner below and sign up.  :)

Site #2: MyCokeRewards.com

What it is: This site will only be useful if you drink Coke products.  If you didn't know it by now, I LOVE Diet Coke.  So I find this site extremely rewarding.  Have you ever noticed the code on the bottom of your twist off Coke caps?  Simply set up an account on the My Coke Rewards website and start entering your codes.  They can be found on all Coke products.  Once you set up an account online you can even set it up so that you can text your codes and they will add the points to your account.  It's so easy!

My experience: I have been using this website a little longer than the swagbucks.com website.  During the time that I have been a My Coke Rewards I have redeemed prizes such as various magazine subscriptions, gift cards, and even a backpack!  But there are so many other awesome prizes to choose from.  I currently have my eye on some very cool products from Snapfish.com.

Want more info?  Check out mycokerewards.com!

Hopefully you have found this information interesting.  Do you use either swagbucks.com or mycokerewards.com?  Do you have another website that you would like to share?  Let me know, I would love to check it out!

Happy saving!