Beauty Breakdown: Primers

Is it just me or are primers the new "cool kid" on the block when it comes to beauty products?

I feel like they're everywhere with everyone talking about them lately. It seems like every brand has their own must-have primer (or 2, Rimmel) and they all do different stuff for your face.

To be perfectly honest I got really tired of all the hype. I mean, it seems like everyone's praising primers but what difference do they really make?

Well, that's the question this post is meant to answer!

I dove right in and picked up some primers that caught my eye while at the drugstore...and a sample from Ulta because that little sucker's expensive just to try it.

I've been using the Rimmel Fix & Perfect for a while now but recently gave it up because like I said, what difference does it really make? So I put it up against some real contenders pictured above: Maybelline Baby Skin (aka the techy nerd turned cool kid), Rimmel Stay Matte Primer (every shiny forehead's worst enemy), and Benefit's the POREfessional (the primer Prom Queen)

Let's start out with the odd ball of the bunch

Maybelline Baby Skin: I have heard so much about this product even before it was available in the states so I was dying to get my hands on it when it landed at my local CVS. I seriously had no preconceptions about this product so I was honestly shocked when I squeezed the tube and found clear gel come out. What?! It was so cool. However, it got kinda weird when I went to put it on my face. 

Because it's clear you really can't tell where you're putting it on and the slick texture doesn't help that either as you get the product on your fingers and lose track of how much product is going where. 

While it took a minute to get over the strange texture the results I found around my t-zone helped speed up my decision making process a little more. This product claimed to have Blur Technology when it comes to hiding pores and I must say the word blur perfectly describes what occurs. It doesn't hide your pores but it does blur their appearance making large pores (like mine) practically disappear once foundation is applied! 

I'm giving this product a thumbs up simply because it blew my mind. While I probably won't use it all over my face it is definitely a product that comes in handy on those days that your pores look more like craters.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro: Like I said before, I've been using this primer for a while now and really just use it as a base for my foundation as it does a pretty good job of smoothing things out. While this particularly product doesn't do much for my pores really I have been wanting to see how it would do combined with the Baby Skin product. Definitely something to try very soon!

Rimmel Stay Matte Primer: Rimmel just recently came out with a new range of Stay Matte foundations (which I also picked up) and I love their Stay Matte powders so much that I decided to give the primer in the range a shot too! Looking back on it now, I may have been swayed by the purple packaging because I have yet to see a real different between this and the Fix & Perfect. I will say that the Stay Matte is a thicker formula and does a better job at actually staying matte which is definitely a good thing but during these past few snow days I've found that it actually leaves my skin too matte so I'm definitely holding out to try this one out during the warmer spring and summer days. 

Also, I found that when I combined the primer and the foundation from this range it was way too drying, but definitely a match to try once those shiny spots caused my warmer days start appearing.

Benefit the POREfessional: This product was another bit of a surprise when I opened it as it was a nude color that really set it apart from the others. I think the color had a lot to do with how well this particular primer was able to hide imperfections as it hides pores insanely well and creates an unbelievably smooth canvas for my foundation. I really enjoyed my sample of this product but I honestly don't think I could ever convince myself to pay the $31 price tag for something that's not really essential to my routine.

I realize this looks kind of weird but I just wanted to show y'all the differences in appearance and texture between the primers: (l-r) Fix & Perfect, POREfessional, Baby Skin, and Stay Matte.
(sorry the POREfessional looks a little grotesque but that's all I could squeeze out of the sample.)
You can really tell a difference between the two Rimmel products here as the Stay Matte is clearly thicker than the Fix & Perfect and how weird is it seeing the clear Baby Skin gel? haha

I hope you all have enjoyed this little break down of the primers I've used recently. I'd love it if you left comments below letting me know your favorite primers!

until next time, darlings
xo
Merisa

What's in My Makeup Bag?

This week has been, as Danielle would say, absolute crazy bread! Ugh! I'm tired of doing papers one right after the other. So, to step away from that a bit I decided to do something fun with a look at
What's in My Everyday Makeup Bag! Woo!
I say Everyday Makeup Bag because if you're a product junkie like me you'll understand that this is where I keep makeup that I use on a regular basis when getting ready for class and just a usual day while I have other makeup bags that have the more fun stuff in it, which I would be super glad to show y'all if you like this post!

I'm kind of obsessed with my makeup bag, for a lot of reasons too! I got it back in the summer from RueLaLa (which is amazing! Click this link for your own invite!) when they gave me a $25 credit in an email, which is proof that you really can find treasures when cleaning out your inbox.
To be perfectly honest, my credit was about to expire and I didn't really know what to get so I picked up the make up bag for like 20 bucks and thought it might make a pretty good gift. Well, I obviously nixed the gift idea and ended up keeping the bag. I mean, really though, who could pass up a Vera Bradley makeup bag?!

I love how versitiale the bag is and how easy it is for me to fit my favorite products inside.

I'm not too big on the pattern, I'm just not that into florals really, I love that the bag has 3 different see-through compartments and can roll up. Very handy for travel or just toting the bag around my dorm. I also love just how much can fit in the bag, it doesn't look like much in the picture but that really is a ton of products!
In the first compartment I have my Real Techniques brushes, which are seriously the best makeup brushes I have ever used! I have the Travel Essentials Kit (which I talked about in my June 2013 Favorites!) and I'm actually planning on getting a few more kits before the holidays because Ulta actually has several of the brushes on their Buy One Get One 50% Off Sale! Also in that compartment I have a few of my most used eye liners.
The middle compartment is the biggest and keeps all of my face products and mascaras. I started an obsession with Rimmel products this summer and as you can see it has continued. I use Rimmel's Fix & Perfect Pro Primer on my face everyday and it's a perfectly smooth, perfecting primer. Rimmel's BB Cream is my go to foundation but I'll explain more about that later on. I top everything off with Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, which is the best powder I have ever used and I highly doubt I will ever use any other drugstore powder, like ever. I also have my mini mascara collection in the middle which you can read more about in this Mascara Monday post. The last compartment has a few eye shadow trios, blush, highlighters, and bronzers, but now I want to take a look at 4 of my absolute favorite products because they deserve some serious attention!

I picked up the Rimmel BB Cream this summer when I was looking for a lightweight foundation that wouldn't sweat off before I even made it to work and fell in love with the amazing ability of the cream to provide lightweight yet full coverage. This stuff seriously keeps it's 9-in-1 promise and even has an SPF of 25! That's just ridiculous. I've probably only went through 3 tubes of this stuff since earlier may so it's long lasting too and only takes a little bit to cover my whole face. I love this foundation!
Next up is the Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara which I have been raving about for what seems like forever! I got this deluxe sample as a part of a Sephora Beauty Insiders promotion and went absolutely gaga for it! So much so that I just recently picked up the full size version of the product on my last trip to Sephora. The brush's unique "S" shaped design leads to insane coverage and gets every little lash, I just love love love this mascara!
My next two products represent two ends of the spectrum with a serious drugstore bargain in the Wet 'n' Wild Eyeshadow Trio and the high-end splurge of NARS Blush and Bronzer duo.

The eyeshadow trio is called Walking on Eggshells and according to this pin from my Beauty Box: Makeup board on Pinterest, these shades are actually dupes for MAC's Shroom, Mulch, and Naked Lunch! These shades are very versatile, easy to blend, easy to apply, and just all around great everyday shades. The NARS duo includes two of their most popular shades and came in my Sephora Superstars Kit (which I promise I will do a review on ASAP), the blush is the beauty blogger fave Orgasm and the bronzer is Laguna. Orgasm is a very corally pink with light gold sparkle while Laguna is a matte medium bronzer that works well for a lot of skin tones. I love both shades but I think Orgasm might be too warm for my skin, or I might just need to use a smaller brush, we'll see.
I hope you liked that look into my everyday makeup bag! Comment below and let me know if you would like to sneak a peek at my fun special occasion products! 
til next time, lovelies
xo
aFm

Birchbox vs. Ipsy

Ahh! The beauty girl version of The Great Debate is finally upon us!

I have been ranting and raving about Ipsy ever since I heard about it, and to be perfectly honest I don't remember how that happened, but anyway I checked out the site and fell in love. I just had to subscribe that instance but some yet to be explained reason I was wait-listed! Ugh! 

So in the meantime, and by the recommendation of the lovely Danielle, I tried out Birchbox. Which I had heard about, of course, but was never really too apt to try. However, Danielle seemed to really like it so I gave it a try. 

I managed to get on board the Birchbox bandwagon right before the October Box came out and while it was totally exciting to find the pretty pink box sitting on my doorstep, that excitement wore off quick.

I will say, however, that out of the Birchbox shipments I have received this has been my favorite.I loved the Ruffian Nail Polish (Danielle did too, she even did a review!) and adored the Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion (it's killer, but at $78 I'll stick to my sample and pray it lasts!) but the rest of the box was a bit of a bummer.Don't get me started on the crappy lip/cheek stain or the crazy, ridiculous half up sock bun thingy. Overall it was bland experience. 

As November rolled around a brighter future laid ahead as I received the email that my Ipsy Glam Bag was on it's merry way! Yay! 

However, that high came crashing down when I received the next installment of my Birchbox subscription.

An even bigger fail than last time, literally the only thing usable was the mascara (which Danielle liked so much she wrote about it twice! Check out her Mascara Monday and What We Love Wednesday posts!) the rest was complete crap...even the chocolate bar was horrible. By this time my hopes for the Ipsy bag were dwindling simply by association. That idea was nixed within a week as I found this lovely little item in my mailbox.

After opening this gem, I came to the realization that Ipsy Glam Bags are the holy grail of beauty subscriptions! I had an "Ahhhh!" moment and everything! Seriously AMAZING!

That's right, those are full size products you are seeing there people! That's more than Birchbox could promise in their wildest dreams. I'm am seriously obsessed with these products.
The eyeliner is a really fun inner eye highlighter, there's a perfect creamy nude lipstick, a full size bottle of rose gold nail polish (that's bigger than a nail polish I bought the other day!), a super shimmery brick colored eyeshadow, the perfect winter bronzer, and my favorite, a lip crayon in the shade Hot Damn!
Let's not forget the fun bonus of a gold and hot pink catch-all makeup bag! Also, as an added bonus, nearly all of the products come with a coupon code for their brands. Absolutely perfect to the point that I cannot wait until December's bag!
Oh, by the way, both Danielle and I cancelled our Birchbox subscriptions in time for the holiday sparkle of Ipsy! Out with the old in with the new!
If you want to check out the debate for yourself click the links below for your very own invites!
Birchbox Invite
Ipsy Glam Bag Invite

xo
aFm

Manicure Monday: Fall Favorites

Happy Monday, lovelies!

This past week has been beyond hectic (only one blog post! That's just crazy!) and I am bound and determined to make this one better. What could make the start of this week better than making it a Manicure Monday? Nothing!

I love FALL! I love fall colors! I love fall weather! I just love, love, love fall!

So, nothing makes me happier than incorporating fall into every aspect of my wardrobe including my nail color. Here are a few of my absolute favorite nail colors for fall.

Fingrs Heart 2 Art

From Taupe to Bottom, Stop Metalling in My Business, Red You Loud and Clear

I found this brand at Walmart for like $1-something a piece, a price a nail polish addict such as myself just couldn't resist! Plus the skinny bottles make polish storage a breeze and I think the colors are really unique. I love the beige-nude shade and think it's perfect for fall while the oil slick holographic and shimmery red are right on trend this year. 

Sinful Colors: Super Nova

Essie: Eternal Optimist

Nicole by OPI: Khloė had a little Lam-Lam

Sinful Colors: Rich in Heart

• Sadly, these photos don't do the colors justice but this shimmery rose-gold shade is out of this world amazing! It's definitely right on trend this year with the rose-gold, definitely a very hot color this fall, plus it adds the perfect amount of sparkle to your look (I have this color on my toes at the moment!).
• Could there ever be a more perfect name than 'Eternal Optimist'? I think not.I picked up this neutral pink shade last year from Essie and still love it, especially for the colder months.
• Now for the darker colors, while I love super bright colors in the summer there's just something about going dark for the fall that just brings the whole look together. I love this dark, almost navy bluish-green shade from the Kardashian's collection with Nicole by OPI. How cute is that name, though? Precious!
• This is by far my favorite color this season, Sinful Colors has really hit the mark this year. Rich in Heart is the perfect color for fall! It is the perfect combo of black and red with a slight shimmery gold throughout. Blending in perfectly with the whole oxblood color that's everywhere this season (I'm throwing all the blame for that one on American Horror Story: Coven, how could you not!)

I hope you've enjoyed this week's Manicure Monday with the perfect shades for fall. All of the polishes above can be found at any drugstore or Walmart.

until next time

xo

aFm

I 

What We Love Wednesday!

We've decided to turn this dreary, cold day around and deem it,

What We Love Wednesday!

On Wednesdays we'll take turns showcasing things we've absolutely fallen in love with this week, from beauty and hair care to tv shows and new music we've got products across the board. 

Here is what I'm loving this week:

Beauty Products

My beauty favorites this week both just so happen to be sample sized products that pack a huge punch. 

I scored the Benefit Cosmetics Watt's Up! in my Sephora Beauty Insider's birthday gift! Which is just the greatest thing ever because it included this amazing highlighter! I've used this for everything, a highlighter on my cheeks and brow bone as well as an eyeshadow and under my lipstick. This is an amazing product and I can't wait to find even more uses for it!

I'm a girl that just can't find the right moisturizer for my face...that is until now. I found this Pond's Crema S Nourishing Moisturizing Cream in the travel size products at Walmart for like $1 something. It's 1.75 oz. of amazing moisturizing power! It leaves my skin hydrated but not oily and I can put it on at any point during the day and be good to go. 

Hair Products 

I've just been obsessed with my hair lately so that can definitely be added to the list of things I love. This is going to sound like a shameless brag but here we go: it's been so soft, easy to style, and has reached a really good length as of lately but I'm betting the products I'm using are probably why I love it so much so we'll get to those instead. 

I am obsessed with the DryBar VIP Pack and when I say obsessed I mean it. Every product in this pack from the Southern Belle Volumizing Mousse (how perfect!!!), Detox Dry Shampoo, and Money Maker Flexible Hairspray is to die for and gives instant, big hair results! My hair has never looked better and I will most definitely be picking up these products in a larger size very, very soon!

Remember that shameless brag? Well, I thoroughly believe it was possible because of the L'Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare Total Repair-5 Damage Erasing Balm. That's a mouthful but it's also insanely worth it because this product seriously does what is says it will. I've only used this hair mask/balm twice and I've already seen a dramatic difference in my hair. That's right, results after just two uses! My hair is silky smooth, shiny, and practically damage free seriously. This product is at the very top of my list of recommendations.

The Randoms

Paramore: Grow Up

As weird as it sounds, this song just says so much about my life lately. I definitely suggest listening to it simply for the fact that the lead singer, Hayley Williams is the epitome of girl power!

Lupe Fiasco featuring Ed Sheeran: Old School Love

I just recently discovered this song and I am already obsessed with it! It's fantastic and you should go listen to it right now! 

Ed Sheeran has the voice of an angel...and I would know because I saw him live with Taylor Swift on the Red Tour last year! He's amazing and so is this song so be prepared to fall in love.

Scandal

As I am a History/Political Science major it should come as no shock to you that I am a political junkie. This show revolves around a public relations/communications expert who works in Washington, D.C. (she may have slept with the President too) and helps to solve and spin serious issues for some seriously high profile clients. I started this show on Netflix and finished the season in record time so now I'm watching it on ABC Thursday at 10pm so you should check it out!

Magnum Gold Ice Cream

I am an ice cream addict and have fallen in love with this particular brand. 

Aside from the ice cream literally being gold even the packaging makes it sound absolutely delicious. I mean who could resist "vanilla bean ice cream with a sea salt caramel swirl dipped in a golden chocolatey coating."

No one, that's who! This stuff is amazing and you need it in your life now!

Happy Wednesday, lovelies, you've made it halfway to the weekend!

xo

aFm

Mascara Monday: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly!

Happy Monday, lovelies!

It most definitely is a very happy Monday, mostly because it is almost over but also because it's time for a new beauty review from your favorite duo! 

While going through our makeup bags, Danielle and I decided that we were both dying to do a review on the many mascaras we had acquired over the past few weeks so we wanted to turn today into Mascara Monday for the time being! What a better way to celebrate this day than with a review on not one, not two, but a whopping 7 mascaras! 

Danielle's picks!

Merisa's picks!

I'm doing this totally out of whack but I'm the type of person to take my bad news first so let's just get right to it, shall we?

The Ugly

About a month ago I ran out of my L'Oreal Telescopic Original Mascara and instead of going with the same brand, like I really should have, I went for a brand I had never tried but had heard amazing things about. Well, I let my adventurous side get the best of me because I went against the reviews I had heard and tried something within the same line but not the same thing, it's complicated. Anyway, I picked up Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Waterproof Mascara and have regretted it ever since!

This mascara is probably the worst mascara I've ever tried! 

First of all, I hate the brush! I liked the idea of having a wand with two brushes in one, for both upper and lower lashes, but I ended up using the lower lash wand for my upper lashes and just not even worrying about the lower lashline. I found that the big brush actually hurt my eyes when using it and the formula drys hard and chunky. I didn't even like the color of this product, I felt like it dried a grayish color even though it was suppose to be Very Black. Definitely not picking up this product again but I still want to try out the original The Falsies so there is still hope to redeem yourself, Maybelline. 

-aFm-

Maybelline The Falsies Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara

I really thought that this mascara would be great because of the pretty leopard print bottle, needless to say since it is in the ugly category it wasn't too pretty. 

It didn't volumize my eyelashes at all like the bottle and the commercial advertised. I have tried the regular colossal mascara and loved it but the volume express was not worth my money. I like the curved wands the best but it seems that the actual mascara in the bottle wasn't very good quality. It had a funny smell and tended to be a bit runny. It also clumped my eyelashes up, which is a BIG no no!

-dSl-

The Bad

I have tried nearly all of the bareMinerals mascaras and the Flawless Definition Mascara is definitely my least favorite. It was okay, but it wasn't worth what I paid for it. It didn't separate my lashes as well as I wanted it to nor did it lengthen my lashes like mascaras I've tried in the past. It is comparable to a cheaper mascara but didn't do the job I had excepted from one of my favorite brands. Definitely a disappointment.

-dSl-

While I was shopping in Sephora for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly remembered that they have this great program for Beauty Insiders where you get a free gift on your birthday! Score! 

I was so excited when I learned the gift package was from Benefit Cosmetics and even more excited when I saw that it featured two of their most talked about products, Watt's Up! and They're Real! Mascara!

I have heard so much about this mascara online and couldn't wait to try it out. Well, now that I have tried it, I just don't get it. I didn't really see a dramatic difference in my lashes and found that the "custom-domed tip" that was suppose to separate this mascara from all the rest actually hurt my eyes. I found that I would end up stabbing myself with the bristles on the end, definitely not worth it. So while I was comparing this mascara to other brands I had tried I got to thinking, 'What if I'm dissatisfied with these mascaras because my other mascaras are just really good?!' Hmm, that brings us to our next category...

-aFm-

The Good

I actually have two mascaras that I'm incredibly happy with at the moment. I am absolutely in love with the Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara and even more in love with the fact that I got it for free by using my Sephora Beauty Insider Rewards Points from my birthday shopping spree! This product is amazing and features an 'S' shaped brush that really does what the product description says. I definitely recommend this product if you are looking for great higher-end mascara that really creates that false eyelash look. I didn't see a clump in sight when using this mascara and loved how easy it was to put on, the special brush really did grab onto my lashes. 

My next favorite is a more affordable drugstore brand that brought close to the same results, which is always a good thing! Like I mentioned before, I really like the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara and after the failed attempt with Big Eyes, I decided to stick with old faithful but with a twist. The L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara has quickly become one of my favorite drugstore mascara simply because I can see instant results from this mascara. I'm not a big fan of multiple coats of mascara and this products works with just one! I love that I can just glide this formula on my lashes and have bold, voluminous lashes. 

-aFm-

This has to be my all time favorite mascara. the Eyeko London Black Magic Mascara has it all, it helps lengthen your lashes and curls them up with it's slightly curved wand! It's also excellent for an all day wear because it holds up until you wash it off. This is an item I was able to try in my Birchbox and I am definitely going to be buying a full size version very soon. 

-dSl-

till next time, lovelies

xo

Merisa & Danielle

Manicure Monday: Ruffian Nail Lacquer - Delirium

There is no doubt about it that this Ruffian nail polish is anything but runway ready, but why not let the people off the runway experience this wonderful polish too?

That is exactly what Birchbox and Ruffian, a New York-based fashion label, did with this fabulous nail lacquer. 

I was extremely excited to find this polish in my September Birchbox. I am a nail polish fanatic anyway so it was kind of like a mini bonus when I received the polish in MY box! 

Here is a picture of the polish they call Delirium, excuse the glare.

If you're not familiar with Birchbox, it's a subscription based company that sends a different set of 4-5 high-end products to your doorstep for a low price of $10 a month. 

When watching a surprise video on YouTube about the September box, the first thing I had my eye on was the nail polish. I am one of those girls that every time I go to Walmart to pick up something like school supplies or groceries for my dorm room, I come back with beauty "must-haves" and usually one of those "must-haves" is a bottle of nail polish I've just gotta try. 

It's a fun surprise every time I open a new bottle just to see how the quality of the polish is, how the color looks on my nails, and how long it last! 

Well, after trying the Ruffian nail polish from my box, I immediately saw a difference in the way that the polish went on my nails compared to the Essie or OPI products I have tried (don't get me wrong, I love those brands though). The bold purple color was from the fashion label's first lacquer collection. I thought this was kind of cool because I am all about originality! After I opened my box and tried the polish for the first time I was in love! 

This is one of the first nail polishes I've tried that didn't chip in the first 24 hours of applying the polish! I was extremely impressed by that in itself. The color was perfect because I really think purple is going to be a big hit this fall. I definitely recommend their polishes and will be purchasing some more from them very soon!

-dSl-

PS: Head over to Birchbox brands to purchase your own Ruffian nail lacquer or check out any of the brands offered in Birchbox's monthly subscriptions.

 Oh, and this is Danielle's first post to the blog as our new contributor so snaps to her! :)

Our New Edition

There are a lot of changes in the works for Monogrammed Magnolias.

 One of them being our lovely new contributor, Danielle! 

Not only is she one of my absolute best friends but she is the epitome of a monogrammed magnolia. Southern-born and bred this Kentucky cutie is going to bring all kinds of fabulous to our blog with beauty reviews and tips like you've never seen before.

If you couldn't tell by now, I'm super excited about this and can't wait for her to start working her magic! 

Be on the lookout for plenty of reviews and recommendations for tons of products in the very near future. We're also working on some great theme days so you guys can keep coming back week by week to find your favorite posts and new surprises too!

xo

AMF

PS: here's a little inspiration for the week...