Dre Does a Maybelline Color Sensational Matte Lipstick Review

I have been hearing so much about the new Maybelline Color Sensational Matte lipsticks since they came out and have been patiently waiting for the ULTA I work at to get them in. However, after a few weeks and nothing showing up I decided to go on the hunt for them because they keep getting such rave reviews! I found them at my local Meijer and they were around $5.50 each. The line has ten shades but I picked up my favorite five and have swatched and applied them for you below! 

First let's talk about the formula. They are such creamy matte lipsticks! They are one of the most moisturizing feeling mattes I have ever tried, yet they give a completely matte look which I love. They also feel so smooth and soft on the lips. The pigmentation is awesome as you can see below and they wear really well. I love how moisturizing they feel especially after some time. When you put your lips together you can feel some smooth product on your lips instead of the dry roughness you normally get with typical matte lipstick formulas. They also don't dry your lips out as much as typical matte formulas. 

Now for some swatches! 

Daringly Nude (655)

Lust For Blush (665)

Mesmerizing Magenta (680)

Siren In Scarlet (690)

Divine Wine (695)

I highly suggest you go check these out if you like matte lip products, and even if you don't I think you'd be surprised how nice the formula is for the price!

Have a beautiful week friends,

Dre

Dre Does Fall Makeup Essentials

Here I am with part two of my Fall Essentials! Time for the good stuff, MAKEUP!

In the fall, I typically go for a few basic looks: 

-an intense and dark smokey eye with a nude lip

-winged liner, defined shadow, and dark, vampy lips, 

-and a strong brow, lots of lashes, and a bright lip, not necessarily dark and vampy.

Here are the types of products I use to achieve these looks!

1. Nude Lipstick: My first look I mentioned requires a nice nude lip. Therefore, a few different nudes are vital in my fall makeup collection. I have so many favorites and the nude best for you really depends on your skin's undertones and how nude you want to go. 

2. Warm Plum Eye Looks: I love warmer eyeshadow looks for fall and the combo of plums and purples with warm browns is really one of my favorites. I highly recommend the Amrezy Palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills to create looks like this but there are many other shadows that will get the job done!

3. Matte Eyeshadows: My other favorite eyelook for fall is a simple matte shadow with am intense winged liner. It pairs perfectly with dark and vampy lipstick. Having a palette with matte browns like either the Naked Basics or Naked Basics 2 palette, gives you the ability to define the lid while keeping it very neutral. If you want a tutorial on how I do this click here for a look I created with my Naked Basics palette.

4. Matte Gel Eyeliner: Like I just mentioned, I love winged liner in the fall to pair with dark lips. I love how classic yet edgy it can be depending on what shade of lipstick you choose. 

5. Matte Natural Blush: While I always do love a good amount of blush, I love a more natural and matte look for the winter. My favorite blushes of all time have to be Tarte's Amazonian Clay Blushes but I especially love all the shades they have and the longevity of wear. They come in shimmery shades as well, but I live in their matte shades for Fall. 

6. Defined Brows: Maybe it's because I'm an Arch Expert for Benefit Cosmetics but I love a good defined and strong brow in the colder months. I love them especially paired with winged liner and a dark lip, but let's be real. If you know me, you know that I always rock a strong brow year round.

7. They're Real Mascara: In order to pull off darker eye looks and thick winged liner, you need a great mascara to balance the look out. I live for Benefit's They're Real so it probably comes as no shock that I'm posting about it. The brush and formula both stand out among all of the other mascaras I've ever tried and if you haven't tried it out yet, WHAT are you waiting for?!

8. Dark and Vampy Lipstick: Didn't see this one coming did you? Haha I saved my favorite for last because I simply can't get enough dark lipstick in the fall. I am constantly purchasing it and finding new shades I love, both drugstore and higher end. If you missed my post about one of my favorite shades and formulas click here. I know that if you aren't used to dark shades they can be hard to get used to so start small with lip stains, glosses, or tinted balms, and slowly work your way up to the good stuff! Haha 

What makeup products/looks do you gravitate towards in the Fall? 

Have a beautiful Wednesday,

Dre

Dre Does Fall Fashion Essentials

I love fall. The food, the weather, and football are awesome, but I have to say that the makeup and the fashion are my favorite parts about it. So I've decided to share my favorites in both categories in two separate posts. First up is fashion! 

1. Cream Sweaters: I don't really know what it is about cream but I can't get enough slouchy and comfy sweaters in this shade for fall. I currently own at least five and I love them all. I think they help offset all the black and darker colors I love this time of year, while still staying neutral. It's hard to pull off creams and nudes like this as our skin says bye to the summer glow and lightens up, but I think my dark features help me out. I love layering these as the days get chillier and I certainly wear them into the winter months. 

2. Leather Jacket: It doesn't take reading my blog to realize that a leather jacket is a vital fall staple. I feel like fall fashion leans to the edgier side and a good leather jacket can add some instant edge to any girlier look. They're good for throwing over dresses, skinny jeans, etc, and helping us transition those summer outfits into fall weather appropriate looks! I got mine at Forever 21 a few years ago and it's still going strong, so don't think you have to spend hundreds on a genuine leather piece to pull off this look.

3. Simple Basic T's: I love basic T's for fall because they are great for layering. Weather it's under sweaters, jackets, scarves...whatever, t shirts help us in the layering department. If you live anywhere near the Midwest you know how it can be 40 degrees in the morning when you're getting dressed and then suddenly feel like 80 by the time afternoon hits. Bipolar weather is only survived by utilizing layers my friends so always stock up on good basic t shirts. 

4. Military Inspired Jakcet: My army green jacket is from last fall at The Gap and I'm obsessed with it. While mine doesn't have a hood like this one, it does cinch in the waist which I love. Sometimes with layers, things can get a little bulky and your shape can get lost beneath, so jackets with cinched waists are always your friend! I love how army green is relatively neutral, so I mix it with blacks, nudes, and grays for fall and love the outcome! I always love using a scarf with a pop of color with this jacket because it's a bit unexpected. 

5. Infinity Scarves: If you don't own at least one infinity scarf by now I'm not really sure how you managed it but I'm obsessed. I love how effortless and easy they are to throw on and not only keep you warm, but also keep you looking stylish. While dark fall colors like black and burgundy are fun, I like wearing ones with bright colors to accessorize my outfits since I already wear so much black. 

6. Ankle Boots: I was hesitant last year to pick up a pair of ankle boots because I feared they would make my legs look shorter but I've never gotten so much use out of a pair of shoes! Mine have buckles and a zipper, but they seriously look amazing with everything! Skinny jeans, dresses, skirts...you name it!

7. Crossbody bags: I don't know what it is about fall but I hate actually holding onto a purse, so crossbody bags save me. I love neutrals (shocker I know...haha) because once again they go with my favorite fall wardrobe colors. I have been liking the mid sized crossbody bags more as opposed to the really little ones, because I find as I'm getting older, I need more room for things.

8. Black Skinny Jeans: I love good old fashioned dark washed skinny jeans, but there's something about black that I love for fall and winter. They make my legs look the best and match everything I have in my wardrobe. 

What are your favorites for fall? Let me know below and look for my Fall Makeup Essentials coming later this week! 

Have a beautiful week,

Dre

Dre Does a Stila 'In the Know' and 'In the Moment' Review

So on Friday I mentioned that I bought two Stila Eyeshadow palettes for half price thanks to Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty event going on now until the 27th of September. All of these palettes retail for $39 but last Thursday they were only $20 each! The 'In the Light' palette is probably the most well known of this bunch, but since the shades reminded me a lot of the original Naked palette that I already own, I decided to be rational and only get the two palettes...(that's rational right? Haha). The 'In the Garden' palette is also a part of this little Stila palette family but the Ulta I work at was out of them before the beauty steal began.

I knew I wanted the 'In the Know' palette for sure because it has some really warm and really cool tones that are all matte. I love the texture of these shadows and that they blend really easily. While there is a little fallout with them, I don't find these shadows chalky at all which is great! You can see in the swatches below some of the unique shades that it offers. I knew it would be a good one to have in my kit. 

The swatches below are in the exact same order as they are in the palette and the smudge stick in Halfmoon is that swatch on the end!  I love the slate cool toned shade of the smudge stick. I think it really complements the palette and it's a unique color that I didn't already own.

While both palettes do come with an eight page look book for inspiration, I wanted to play with the colors before I looked at it. I created the look below for work last week the day after I bought these palettes and I love how it turned out. It's a warm and deep neutral look that I love for fall! I used Desert on my lid and Wind on my brow bone. Then I slowly worked at darkening my crease, inner corner and outer corner by first going in with a fluffy brush and Clay. Then I used Fire (the shade I'm most excited about in this palette) and Earth. I love how the extra warmth from Fire really changes the overall look. 

Next up we have the 'In the Moment' palette! As a woman with big brown eyes I'm always looking for beautiful purple shades because they make my eyes pop! I love the shades in this palette because when half the shades are neutral, it gives you the ability to make the look more wearable without having to use another palette! I have to be able to create a whole look with a palette in order for me to buy it so I love that I can with this one. 

This palette has a good mix of satin, matte, and shimmery finishes. The satin shades are my favorite because the texture is so buttery. While the shades are soft like the other palette and do create a little fallout, I don't think it's that bad and I like working with them. 

Once again the shades are swatched the same as in the palette and the smudge stick in Tetra is on the end! This smudge stick is so beautiful because it is pretty dark with some purple shimmer. It's not too colorful for everyday wear and adds a nice pop of color when the light hits it right. 

I have yet to create a look with this palette but I will make sure to do one soon and share in a Looks of the Week post for you all! I hope you enjoyed this review! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Drugstore Lipstick Must Have

Rimmel London does some amazing products. Everyone knows the cult favorite Stay Matte powder and if you know me, I've probably recommended the Rimmel Lash Accelerator mascara to you before, but I've never really mentioned any of their lip products. 

Since we are entering fall and the time for dark vampy lipstick, I figured I would share my favorite dark lipstick from the drugstore. It's my favorite because of not only the shade, but the formula as well. Rimmel teamed up with Kate Moss to create the Kate Moss line awhile ago, but the lipsticks haven't left stores yet and I'm hoping they don't anytime soon! 

They created both a Lasting Finish Matte line (in red tubes) and a Lasting Finish line (in black tubes) as well. My personal favorite is the Lasting Finish formula in the shade 01. It's a deep red shade that has a pretty neutral undertone and I just love it! 

The formula of these lipsticks is awesome because they are the perfect inbetween matte and glossy finish. You get great pigmentation, no drying, yet the look isn't too shiny. I own multiple shades in this formula and I highly recommend trying them out. At only $4.99 how can you not? Haha 

Let me know what your favorite shade and formula from the drugstore is below!

Have a beautiful week,

Dre

Dre Does a PSA!

Ok this isn't actual PSA but I wanted to make sure all of you knew what's going on now until the 27th of September at ULTA beauty! 

Incase you haven't heard, currently we are in the first week of 21 days of Beauty! Every day there are different products spotlighted! Every day there's a beauty steal which means you can get amazing deals on expensive items! Yesterday I picked up two Stila Eyeshadow palettes which retail for $39 for only $20 each (which I will obviously be reviewing and sharing some inspiration looks next week haha)! 

Be sure to visit ULTA.com for more details, like what the daily beauty steal is! You don't want to miss these amazing deals to try fantastic products! 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Dre

Dre Does a Fashion Haul

I had some time to kill the past two nights and somehow ended up in both Forever 21 and H&M on separate nights. While I didn't get much, I did find some good things so I figured I would share because I love both the items and the prices!  WARNING: I live in black clothing so that's 99% of what you're about to see. I just can't help it guuuuuuys! 

First up, H&M! I did get a lose v-neck black sweater with quilted leather paneling on the shoulders but I can't find a link online so sadly I can't show it to you! It's my favorite piece that I got though and I highly recommend browsing your local H&M to find it. It is long and covers everything to wear leggings so I'm excited to add it to my fall wardrobe! 

I saw this pencil skirt and immediately fell in love. At $17.95 and the perfect fit, I couldn't pass up a pencil skirt with the perfect leather detailing. I can't wait to style it! 

This was another basic that I couldn't pass up because a black circle skirt is a fashion must have. Once again at only $17.95 you can't beat H&M's stylish pieces at a fraction of the cost.

The following night I stopped in Forever 21 and like usual I tried a million things on but only ended up liking a few. 

This sweater was only $19.80 and super comfy and soft. I bought it in a large mainly because I couldn't find any smalls or mediums but I really liked how baggy and loose it was on me. It screamed fall and I love the lace trim on the bottom. It gave me an excuse to buy another comfy cream colored sweater so I can't be mad about that!

Next, I bought this simple black dress for 3 main reasons. First it was only $13.80, but it also fit really well. Since I am the definition of an hour glass figure, it's really hard to find dresses that are fitted enough in the waist without being too small everywhere else. I also loved that I could wear a regular bra with it because that's just 100% necessary when you are too well endowed! Also, it is not this short on me because I don't have 2 mile long legs like the model sadly...

So that's what I picked up this week! Let me know if you got any good finds recently for fall! 

Have a beautiful day,

Dre

Dre Does a Quick Tip

Happy Monday friends! I'm here with a quick tip that involves your lips as we transition into the fall. 

The summer is all about bright lipstick shades like pink and coral, but just because fall is almost here doesn't mean you have to store them away until next spring! Try applying them differently. I love using my finger to apply my bright summer shades to my lips and really pressing them in so that they look more like a stain. They won't be as bright and will give you a lighter wash of color. I especially love pairing this trick with darker and more intense eye looks because it's more fun than a nude lip! 

Have a beautiful week,

Dre

Dre Does an Ipsy Review

It's that time of the month already and I'm back again with another Ipsy Glambag review for August! Here is a photo of everything I got this month. 

The bag this month was school themed so I liked that they switched up the shape of the Ipsy bag and made it a round pencil case-like shape! 

But now for the good stuff that came inside! 

First up was this Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. I really loved this dry shampoo. The dispenser was awesome because it sprays out a very dense mist which is great at getting all of your roots. I also love how it doesn't leave my hair feeling really sticky and dirty like most dry shampoos. It also doesn't smell that bad so it works well in my book! I even found that while it was a white product, it wasn't that hard to work into my scalp to get rid of any sort of white cast that you traditionally get with dry shampoos.The full size is valued at $19.50 so this 1.06 oz size is worth $6.46!

The Jersey Shore Sub Mongongo Nutrient Dense Anti-Aging Lip Conditioner was the next item I found in my bag. It's in the flavor Mandarin Green Orange Ginger and it's a great moisurizer. I've been keeping it by my bed to apply at night before I sleep and I've been loving it! This is the full size chapstick and it's worth $5.50 bringing the total to $11.96!

Next, I received a Flying Solo Individual Eyeshadow from J.cat Cosmetics in the shade Half Naked. While I thought it was very cool that the packaging includes a mirror if you flip up the shadow, I wasn't very impressed with the shadow. The shade is awesome but the pigmentation isn't quite there. It took me a few swipes to get what you see above which is not what I like in a shadow. This is a full size shadow but since it retails for only $2.99 I'm not very surprised with the pigmentation and quality. This brings the bag value to $14.95.

 

Next up we have the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer. I really liked the texture of this primer as I applied it. However, I felt like it was very drying as I blended it into my skin. Almost as though it felt a little rougher as I blended it in which I can only imagine it feels worse on dryer skin since I am very oily. It's more expensive than my holy grail primer Benefit's Porefessional so I don't think I would ever repurchase it. I did like how my foundation blended over it though so I think it does a good job of filling in your pores. The full size will set you back a good $45, so this .25 oz deluxe sample is worth $11.25! Now we are at $26.20!

Lastly, we have a deluxe sample size of Urban Decay's new Perversion mascara. I have been curious about it so I was excited to be able to try it out. I was shocked at how much it didn't do for my lashes though! It felt as if the brush was too dense and my eye lashes couldn't properly get through the bristles to pick up any product. I had to do three coats of it to notice any difference on my lashes which honestly just looked like one coat of any other mascara. The worst part was that by the end of the day I couldn't even see any remaining mascara on my lashes. It wore away to the point of looking like I hadn't put any on. Let's just say that I'll be sticking with my favorite Benefit's They're Real Mascara! A full size Perversion mascara is worth $22 so this deluxe sample is worth $5.50 and brings the final value of August's Ipsy Glambag to $31.70!

While this bag was technically the lowest valued bag I've received so far, I wouldn't say I was disappointed with it. The products I liked made the value still way over $10 so as long as I'm getting my money's worth, I'm happy!

As usual, here are the previous months' reviews and values!

August Ipsy Review ($43.73)
May and June Mini Review ($37.67 & 37.36)

March Ipsy Review ($46.71)

February Ipsy Review ($45.02)

January Ipsy Review ($38.17)

December Ipsy Review ($57.17)

Click here to subscribe to Ipsy yourself!

Have a beautiful weekend,

Dre

Dre Does a Shaving Routine for Sensitive Legs

I probably should have shared this in the beginning of the summer but since we shave our legs all year round this is something I'm always dealing with and you may be too!

I have extremely sensitive legs. It's something I've experienced ever since I started shaving in middle school. If I try to use any kind of shave gel, soap, or lotion during or after I shave, I get terrible a razor burn that's probably on the verge of a mini allergic reaction. Bumps and burning that sometimes make me think I'd rather just not have shaved at all! As an esthetician, I tried going the waxing route which for a while was amazing. No razor burn, my legs stayed smooth for longer and the hair was coming back looking much finer because you're seeing the tip of the hair versus the blunt middle of the hair shaft that a razor cuts at. However, the hair started coming back so fine that I was getting a huge amount of ingrown hairs on my shins due to the hair not being strong enough to break through the surface. So I was back to having bumps on my legs that no amount of exfoliation could prevent. So after 6 months of trying it I picked my razor back up and shaved my legs. 

I'm happy to report though that I think I've got it down to a science now. The right products and what exactly causes the problems. I figured I can't be the only person with this annoying smooth leg issue, so I'm here, ready to report what I've found gives me silky smooth legs! 

 

The Exfoliation: Since I cannot use a shaving cream or lotion, I have figured out a way to moisturize and smooth my legs without using one. I take a good moisturizing exfoliator (the one I show above is a shea butter sugar scrub from Tree Hut) and give my legs a good rub. I find that this moisturizes them enough to give me a good shave after but doesn't irritate anything because most of the product gets washed off before I shave. The sugar helps get rid of dead skin cells which will help with over all smoothness.

The Razor:  I have used all sorts of razors. Expensive ones with 500 blades, ones with the moisturizer all around the edges, and I find that the ones that are the best for my sensitive legs are the good old cheap BIC Silky Touch Disposable ones you see in the picture above. Normally they're in at least a 10 pack for $3 or $4 and they are good for a few shaves. Since they are so cheap, I don't mind only using each one a few times, which I think is also a secret to getting a close shave; I'm always using newer blades. No shave cream, just water.

The After-care: Now this is where I typically see the most irritation. My legs hate all lotions after I get out of the shower, so what I'll typically do is skip the lotion for a few hours. I find that the shea butter exoliator gives me enough hydration to last this time until my legs heal a little from the shaving. Then I'll add my favorite body butter later on which is usually either the Satsuma or Coconut Body Butter from The Body Shop.

So there you have it. This is my perfected shaving routine to give me smooth legs when dealing with high sensitivity! Let me know if you have any tricks and if you try this out!

Have a beautiful week,

Dre