Spotlight Sunday: Volume 1

Hey sugars, and happy Sunday! More importantly, happy Father's day! Now, I know I should probably have a Daddy Day post coming out, but that's not what I've got today. Besides, things were too crazy here to have a mother's day post, so let that be my excuse ;)

No, y'all, what I have for you today is part of a new installment that I'm hoping to have up on the blog on a weekly basis called Spotlight Sunday, where I'll be reviewing my favorite product(s) from the week. I've recently been really focusing on the beauty part of blogging (though I will still be blogging on parenting, recipes, and lifestyle matters) lately, and I've found that I LOVE when I can find a product I love and tell other people about it. I'm the type of person who always searches for reviews of EVERYTHING before I buy, so I'm hoping to offer help to those who want it and of course give credit where it's due!

The first product I'm spotlighting this weekend is the IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil in Universal Taupe. This is what the IT Cosmetics website has to say about this product:

Brow Power® matches all hair colors and covers gray perfectly. The oval shaped tip is perfect for both thin and thick brows. The spooley end brush gives a natural polished look! Developed with leading plastic surgeons, our proprietary anti-aging technology infuses a blend of brow-conditioning ingredients including Saw Palmetto, Nettle Extract, Green Tea, Biotin, Lecithin, Vitamins A, C, E, Grape Seed and Panthenol. Our exclusive, transforming shade adjusts to every hair color based on how hard you press to give you a beautiful, natural-looking brow. Paraben-free, Fragrance-free, Phthalate-free and Sulfate-free. Full brow lift guide included with each pencil.

I received this product from IT Cosmetics to review just yesterday, and I'm so happy I was able to do that! Some people received Brow Power in their ipsy bags this month, however I was not one of them. I contacted IT Cosmetics and simply asked if they had any additional samples that I could review on TVP and within moments a super friendly representative said she would send me a Brow Power Pencil! Within 2 days of speaking to her, I found the pencil in the mail. Right off the bat I'm SO impressed with this company already because I loved their customer service.

Now, for the pencil itself. I am really picky about my brow products because I have such thick eyebrows naturally, but also because I've not been able to find many products that match my brows. The color of this Brow Pencil is called Universal Taupe, so it has a cool tone to it. What I love about this is that the color you get is based on the pressure you use when applying it, so you can have a light OR a dark brow with this one pencil! It went on so easily, and the oval shape did make it simpler to line underneath and above my brow to shape it, but then go back and draw a few "hairs" in to give my brows that "messy chic" look. I'm also really impressed with the spooley that it has on the end, as I have usually experienced eyebrow spooleys on the ends of pencils to be quite flimsy. However, the Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil spooley is actually pretty sturdy! All in all this pencil is going to leave my other brow products out of a job for the time being because I'm so into it! Bravo, IT Cosmetics!

The next product I'm going to be showcasing is honestly one of the best purchases I've made in a while: The Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe.

Oh my lanta.

This stuff is a game changer. After hearing about it from one of my favorite youtubers Arna Alayne, and looking up reviews, I finally found it at WalMart and decided it was worth a shot. Great decision. So far I've used this product as eyeshadow, as an eyebrow product (it goes amazingly with Brow Power!), as the perfect contour for my pale skin, and even as a lipstick! But guys, let me say this real quick: If you buy a product and you're using it for more than one use, especially interchangeably between eyes and mouth, sanitize the product and your brushes between uses. This is very important for the sake of your health, please keep that in mind! Anyway, Tough as Taupe has blown my mind. It is the first contour product I've found that hasn't turned me orange and actually creates the illusion of a shadow, and it is amazing as a base for both your eyeshadow and lips because it lasts so freakin' long. Seriously, for example, I put Tough as Taupe on my lips as a base yesterday before using my NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm, and it stayed on for over 6 hours. Perfectly. Honestly, I could write a book on this stuff, but instead I'm just going to tell you to go get it and see for yourself. At around $7.00 USD, this is a steal.

The last thing I want to highlight is of course the aforementioned NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm. After purchasing this lippie in the shade Transylvania last fall, and receiving the ever famous Copenhagen as a gift for my birthday in February, I already loved and had faith in the formula. I purchased Stockholm for myself on a whim while looking for other mauve lip colors to try as well. This is the perfect "my lips but better" color on its own, but I like to put a thin coat over my other lipsticks to give it a softer effect. As I mentioned before, I used this over Tough as Taupe yesterday, and it created the most perfect dusty rose color. I keep this one in my travel makeup bag, because I do love it so much! Once again NYX has exceeded my expectations!

For this photo, I used the IT Cosmetics Brow Power Universal Brow Pencil in Universal Taupe on my brows. I used Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe to fill in my brows as well. I also used it as a contour and a base for my lip. I used NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm over the Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow on my lips to create a matte Dusty Rose effect.

Well sugars, that's it for this week's Spotlight Sunday! Check back next week to see what makes the cut! Have a wonderful week, and keep smiling!

Have something you want me to try/showcase/review? Leave me a comment below and I'll do my best!