And for a full face, here are my thoughts on the rest.  (Note: If I want to include eye makeup as well, I’ll use this Tarte palette for both my eyeshadow and eyeliner.)

1.  The Treatment Glycolic Gel Pads – After cleansing in the morning, these are my favorite next step to remove the rest of the gunk.  Called a “10-minute at-home peel”, I usually swipe one of these pads all over my face and neck and then spend a few minutes taming my mane.  These feel tingly on my skin and have seriously helped with acne breakouts, enlarged pores, and dead skin cells.  I’ve almost made it through my first jar and will definitely be snagging these again.

2. Dermalogica Age Bright Clearing Serum – If I’m being honest, serum is usually the first skincare step I skip when I’m feeling lazy, but this one with salicylic acid was super appealing when I was dealing with hormonal breakout after breakout recently.  I’m now using it twice a day and am about halfway through the bottle.  I swear my skin is smoother and brighter, and I feel like I’ve finally gotten a handle on the breakouts, knock on wood.

3. The Treatment On the Daily SPF 45 – I spend a lot of time outside in the summertime, whether I’m walking the dogs, getting in a workout, or heading to the beach on the weekend, so I don’t mess around with SPF.  I wear it every single day, and this one is super protective.  It’s also really lightweight, doesn’t leave me greasy, and won’t flake off under my makeup.

4. Tarte Amazonian Clay BB Tinted Moisturizer – I heard a couple of girls recommend this and figured I’d give it a try a few months ago, and now, it’s my everyday, go-to foundation.  Since it’s technically a BB cream, it’s lighter than most foundations, but it’s still plenty enough coverage for me in the summertime.  It feels lightweight in the heat and not cake-y like other foundations can be in the summer.  I also absolutely love this brush for applying it.

5. Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer – Hands-down, my favorite concealer I’ve ever tried or used, period.  There’s a reason it’s America’s number one concealer brand – one is sold every 12 seconds.  It’s a super blend-able formula that gives the best illuminating glow under my eyes that won’t crease, smudge, or run throughout the day.  It’s also great for covering blemishes.  I apply in an upside-down triangle shape under my eyes and use this brush to blend it in.

6. Urban Decay Pressed Powder – I always like to set my foundation with a little powder, and this one is simple, to-the-point, just makes sense.  I love the easy, lightweight coverage.

7. Glowy Palette from Pixi – When it comes to a glowy, bronze-y highlight, I can’t get enough of this palette from Pixi (that I sadly dropped on the bathroom floor immediately after taking the photo above).  Unfortunately, my exact palette is sold out, but I love this Summer Glow Palette and would totally use these allover face kits.

8. Ashley Sievert Mineral Guilded Bronzing Powder in Trophy Wife – I’ve been using this bronzer for about a year now.  It’s not shimmery or shiny but just a nice bronze-y peach for my skin tone, and since getting pretty tan this summer, I can go a bit heavier with it.  I use this brush and focus on my cheeks, nose, and forehead.

9. MAC Veluxe Brow Liner – Can we all take a minute for the over-plucked eyebrow situation of the 2000s?  Yikes!  I pretty much never leave home without filling in my brows these days,  and while I’m not typically a MAC girl, I needed a new liner in Palm Springs and was closest to a MAC store.  I find this one pretty idiot-proof, and it stays put throughout the day.

10. Mascara – Don’t be confused by the photo above – I’m not layering three mascaras everyday, but I am grabbing one of these three:

Too Faced Better Than Sex – While I hate the cheesy name of this one, I do love the formula.  One coat is great for a simple, running around town look, but for something a little more dramatic, it’s totally buildable without becoming clumpy.  There’s a reason why this one is so popular.

IT Cosmetics Superhero – This one is a tried and true favorite that I’ve had in my makeup bag for years.  It gives a pretty dramatic look with one or two coats, so I grab for this one when I want to look a bit more pulled-together.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes – This is also just a really great, everyday formula that gives me my best lashes without feeling heavy or clumpy – because I don’t need that kind of negativity in my life.

xoxo

Holiday shopping time’s winding down, y’all, and who’s left on your list?  I’ll tell you who’s left on mine – almost everyone.  How do I let this happen every year?  Get it together, Nikki.  BUT, if there’s a gal left on your list who loves beauty, I’ve got a little present for you today.  I’m rounding up some of my very favorite beauty finds that I’ve tried and tested and loved myself.

And I know what you’re thinking – a jar of bath salt for $30?  Here me out though.  Don’t you think it’s something she’ll love that she probably won’t buy for herself?  Trust, I’ve had this for baths, and it was such a treat.  And I certainly wouldn’t have bought it for myself.

Something else I never knew I needed?  Holy moly, treat the gal in your life to the PMD Personal MicroDerm Pro because I thought, mehh, I don’t think I need it.  But now I have it and need it, and, girl, you do too.  (And now I’m assuming you’re buying it for yourself, because you know, you might be.)  I’ve used it for a few weeks now, and I swear, my face looks different.  Different in such a good way.  I wake up in the morning and feel like maybe I don’t need makeup that day.

For the beauty-loving gal that has everything, get her this.  She’ll love you for it.  Or, get her anything above because I swear, it’s all good.  The mascara is my favorite of all time, the dry shampoo smells crazy good (and check out this candle, wow), and this eye cream is the greatest.  Get her something she’ll use over and over again.  Or get it for yourself – no judgement here, girl.

xoxo

1.  IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Lines Foundation – This one and the number three go back and forth as my favorite lately, and of the two, this one is definitely a bit more coverage.  It goes on super smooth and blends in quick.  It’s a winner in my book.

2.  100% Pure 2nd Skin Foundation – 100% Pure is a super healthy and pure line of skincare, makeup, hair care and other goodies that’s definitely worth checking out.  (Side note, their bath products are my FAVORITE – try the Seaweed Detox Bath!)  Anywho, I tried this foundation a couple of years ago and still love it.  It’s a super lightweight formula that’s thin and blends in quick.  Super great option if you’re trying to detox your makeup bag which is always a good idea, right?

3.  Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done – I think I’m on about my fourth or fifth tube of this stuff, and I love it.  I’ve also converted a few family members and friends to this one, and if you want to take the plunge with one foundation on this list, I think this one is it.  It’s just a super easy formula that goes on smooth, and once you apply it, you’ll look in the mirror and feel like a better version of yourself.  Plus, it has SPF 20.

4.  IT Cosmetics Confidence in a Compact with SPF 50+ – This one is definitely the heaviest of the bunch, but it’s perfect for those days when you want to step it up a notch.  I mostly use it on shoot days and apply it with a bristle brush instead of the included sponge pad, but if you like a little more coverage, this one’s for you.

5.  IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Airbrush Perfecting Powder with SPF 50+ – Clearly there’s a theme here: IT Cosmetics makes really great products.  (Also, definitely try their Superhero Mascara – it’s hands-down my favorite mascara.)  I actually apply a thin layer of this over whatever foundation I’m wearing, and I LOVE that it has SPF 50+.  This is also a great one to throw in your bag and reapply on the go.

And one more, bareMinerals barePro Performance Wear Liquid Foundation – I got this one after these photos were taken and have only tried it for three days now, but I decided to include it because so far, so good.  It’s a pretty lightweight formula that I apply with a brush, after a full day of wearing it, my skin still looks pretty good.  If you’re into bareMinerals (and why wouldn’t you be), this is a good one to add to your bareMinerals arsenal.

xoxo

Photos thanks to Vincent Elejorde

1. Tula Revitalizing Eye Cream – use code mystylediaries25 for 25% off – I really can’t even tell you how much I love Tula’s skincare line.  It’s probiotic-based and feels amazing on my skin.  How much do I love it?  I relied on it for my wedding day.  We stayed out really late the night before our wedding in New Orleans (How could I leave a dance floor packed with all of our family and friends and a live band?), and when I woke up on the morning of our wedding, my skin was definitely a little puffy.  I showered, applied this eye cream, the Hydrating Day & Night Cream, and the Advanced Neck Cream, and went back to bed for about an hour.  When I woke up, my skin felt refreshed, hydrated, and de-puffed.

2. 100 Percent Pure Fruit Pigmented Water Foundation – This one is a watery formula that you can apply as thin or thick as you want.  It dries quickly and leaves skin with a beautiful matte finish.  100 Percent Pure products are all natural, organic, and fruit-dyed so you can feel good about what you’re putting on your skin.

3. IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes 5-in-1 Mascara – This one’s easy: big, fat, noticeable lashes. For anyone (like me) who’s constantly on the hunt for the next big thing in mascaras, do yourself a favor and give this one a whirl.

4. IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Eyebrow Pencil – I love a good brow product, and this one is my current favorite.  It’s a universal shade that works just as well on me as it did on a couple of my brunette girlfriends.  The brush side of the pencil is super soft and comfortable – because what’s up with all of those painful, scratchy versions out there?

5. Supergoop SPF 30 Lip Balm – Because is there anything more annoying than sunburned lips?  I mean, maybe a couple of things, but I’d rank dry, burned lips up there with having someone tap dance around while I have a migraine.  Super fun.

6. Urban Decay Naked Skin One and Done – This stuff is SO good!  It’s a slightly thicker formula but feels weightless on my skin.  It creates such a smooth, flawless finish that is still noticeable at the end of the day.  It’s oil-free with SPF 20, and it’s supposed to improve the look of skin over time.  (I can’t really swear to that yet, but we shall see!)

7. Tula Volume Defense Deep Wrinkle Serum – use code mystylediaries25 for 25% off – See #1 above – I really, really love these products.

8. Pur Cosmetics Glow Together Bronzer – A big, fat compact of luminating, highlighting bronzer shades for your face, neck, shoulders, whatever.  Perfect for that “fresh off of a beach vacation” look that we all want, right?

9. Urban Decay Beached Bronzer – This one is great for the gal who loves a little bronzer faux tan without the shimmer.  It’s a matte finish, so you get a little sun-kissed color with no sheen.

10. Urban Decay Ultimate Ozone Primer Pencil – Spring and summer are the best times to play with fun lip colors, but nothing says “summer beauty fail” like a smudged, melted lip.  A quick swipe with this baby prevents feathering, hydrates lips, and helps keep lip color in place.

11. bareMinerals Invisible Light Powder Duo – This is like the ultimate setting powder duo.  One side is matte and the other is luminizing, infused with rose gold pearls.  It’ll leave skin glowing and oil-free, with that little bit of something that’ll have them wondering, “how does she do it?”

xoxo