Hello, hello! October was the busiest month I’ve had in a while, yet I still got to play with a lot of makeup. I’ll chalk that up as a major win. Hopefully this trend continues through November. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. Keep on reading to find out what I’ve been loving lately!

Elf Poreless Putty Primer: $8

I’ve been using this product for a few months now, but hesitated to put it on my favorites list because I was still figuring it out. Part of the problem was that I got so comfortable using the Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer right before. Although this Elf one might be a dupe, it’s not an exact dupe. The Tatcha one is much thicker, hydrating, and feels like you can build it up without it ever looking like too much on the skin. The Elf version is a bit more finicky. The formula is much thinner, it’s definitely not as hydrating, and will look awful on the skin if you over apply. However, now that I finally figured out how to work this product, I’m living for it. My face, (especially my pores, duh that’s the point) look airbrushed. I will continue to keep using, especially since it’s a whopping $44 cheaper than the Tatcha one. 

Acure Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Night Oil: $12.99

This product actually comes with a little bit of a backstory. Bear with me. Two years ago, I had the tiniest sample of the Herbivore Lapis Facial Oil and fell in love with it. Even though I only had enough to last me a little over a week, I felt like my acne scars were being dramatically reduced. Ready to purchase, I looked up the price for the full size and was stopped in my tracks when I saw $72 pop up on my screen. Ouch. As you can imagine, I decided to hold off and wait to see if I could find a dupe that was significantly cheaper. Up until about last month, I had been using Bio Oil on my face morning and night in hopes to see a difference in my acne scars. (In the beginning I felt like it was working, but after nine whole months I didn’t see the end results I was hoping for.) Then, I randomly searched blue tansy oil into the Ulta app (that’s the main ingredient in the Lapis Oil) and this product magically popped up. Seeing that it was only $12.99, I ordered almost immediately and haven’t stopped using it since.

However, the story has a bit of a let down. It does nothing for my acne scars. At this point, I’ve probably lost half of my audience, but I promise this product is still worth it for different reasons! First, nowhere on the packaging does this product even claim to reduce acne scars. That was my own assumption and clearly blue tansy is not the ingredient that was helping that issue. Besides my own self-created mishap, I love this oil to hydrate and smooth my skin. This product is marketed as a night oil, but at one point I was using this in the morning and night. I simply pump two squirts into my hand and use my fingers to rub into the skin after applying toner. Then, I wait for the product to sink in for a few minutes (trust me, this makes such a difference) and go in with my Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizer. Almost immediately my skin feels so much smoother. And don’t even get me started with how my skin feels in the morning. Glad, I accidentally found this product!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer: $30 (full size)

It was a sad day when I noticed my summer tan had officially disappeared. Due to this unfortunate event, I’ve had to kick my Fenty Beauty Sun Stalk’r Instant Warmth Bronzer in Shady Biz out of my routine and find a new, more cool toned shade. Enter the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. A mini pan of this product came in a Too Faced holiday set a few years back and I honestly forgot about it until I did my Full Face of the Oldest Makeup I Own blog post. Despite the neglect, I feel like this will become a staple for me in the cooler months. It’s the perfect shade to contour with if you have fair skin and are worried about looking like Snooki. And of course my trusty Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer in Light will be used on top to add a little bit of warmth back onto my skin. 

Benefit Hoola Lite Bronzer: $30 (full size)

Another bronzer Elyse? Yes, but for different reasons. Recently, I’ve done a few eyeshadow looks where I thought to myself, “this would look good with a nude blush.” But not like a light pinky nude, I’m talking like beige-y nude. I will eventually find one to add to my collection, but for the time being I wanted to see if I could fudge one with something I already owned. I don’t use this bronzer as intended because it’s too light for my personal preference, so I really only throw it in my crease from time to time. However, as a blush this is just, (chef’s kiss*) beautiful.  It’s warm, but not Gold Rush level warmth and sometimes that’s the kind of compromise I need. Now that we’re deeper into fall, I can totally see myself using this bronzer as a blush for the rest of the season and even into winter. 

Colourpop x Kathleenlights Dream St. Palette: $16

This palette is so good and there are times where I question why I don’t use it more often. I’ve been playing with the warm shades this month to create a plethora of orange toned eye looks. I’m also obsessed with the shade Elfish (a deep, but warm toned brown) that’s perfect as an outer corner shade. I paired this shade with the next item on this list to create a gorgeous party look and I was salivating at the end result. Ever since Kathleenlights released this palette she’s been talking about how Moony is the perfect brow bone highlight and while I wouldn’t agree it’s “perfect” for a full glam look, I really enjoy it for a more simple eye look. 

Stila Glitter and Glow Shadow in Smoky Storm: $24

I’m convinced that every Stila Glitter and Glow Shadow is infused with magic. How else could they be so beautiful? Although Kitten Karma is my all time favorite shade, Smoky Storm is a close runner up. The base is a beautiful brown color and that silver glitter just adds so much beauty in a small little tube. If I want a full on, dramatic eye look, this will always be one of the first products I gravitate towards. I don’t know if there will ever be another product good enough to replace these. Needless to say, if you know of any dupes let me know!

Elf Baked Highlighter in Moonlight Pearls: $4

Just like the lack of nude blushes in my collection, I’ve also realized that I lack non-colored highlighters. Ah youth, when I was content with a pink highlighter stripe on my face. And by youth, I mean like last year. I still do like the colored look on occasions, but lately I find myself wanting a plain and simple highlighter more often than not. This is one of the few powder highlights I own that can give me that. I really enjoy this one too because you can control the intensity of it. Dip your brush just a little and you’ll get a natural, glow from within look. Really load your brush up and you can have an extremely intense shine. The white champagne shade goes with everything, so I never need to worry about if my highlighter shade matches the rest of my makeup. 

Stash Ginger Peach Tea: $3.95

This isn’t a beauty item, but I figured I’d share anyway! I’m a tea lover (can’t drink coffee because I have somewhat of a caffeine intolerance) and I love trying new teas as often as possible. I had a sample of this tea stowed away in one of my cabinet drawers and finally decided to try it when my stomach felt unsettled earlier this month. Fun fact: ginger is supposed to ease stomach aches and I used to basically chug homemade ginger tea whenever I felt nauseous. The tea actually did calm my stomach down and tasted delicious at the same time. That little kick from the ginger almost gives the tea a cinnamon flavor and whenever I drink it, it reminds me of Christmas. However, the peach definitely balances it out, so it’s not overwhelming the way ginger can sometimes be. I already know this will be my go to tea, at least in December. 

How do you feel about me including some non-beauty favorites in these posts? Let me know in the comments!

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