NOTD - Blue and White Dots

Being the nail art newb I am, I've actually never successfully made "pretty" dots on my nails before. I've tried using a toothpick once and the mani ended up looking like swiss cheese. I don't own any dotting tools and didn't want to spend my money on buying one. The other day I was prowling the interweb and saw a nail blog. This girl (I assume) used the back end of her makeup brush as a dotting tool. "GENIUS!" was my first thought, followed by "Why didn't I think of that?" and "I'm going to try this NOW!" I used the dollar concealer brush from elf, though I really use it for my gel liner. The brush has outlived it's use, it's all shaggy from the constant washing. If you own an elf concealer brush, you'll see that the end is a bit fat. The dots ended up bigger than I expected. Not a problem since I was going to toss it anyways. It's living another life :).

Blue and White Dots

Favorite Brush EVER

My favorite brush ever is E.L.F.'s (eyes lips face) powder brush ($3). It is a flat top brush about 1.5-2 inches in diameter. It is super soft and I love pressing it against my face :). The bristles are average in density, not super packed but not sparse either.

It is very cheap and multi-purposeful.  Before I used this brush I hated foundation. My foundation always settled in fine lines. When using this brush, I get a flawless airbrush look. All I do is dab foundation around my face and buff it in. It saves product too because the brush spreads foundation better. Another reason why I love this brush is because it applies blush well (this sentence is a lil like a tongue twister haha). It gives my cheeks a very natural wash of color. I like how this brush can be used on different texture of products and gives even application. I use it for my liquid foundation, blush, bronzer and matte powder :). Let me know if you like this brush too or if there are any secrets to this brush that I haven't unlocked yet!

TJ Maxx Cheap High End Makeup Sighting (Pic Heavy)

Here's to my first beauty blog post!

If you haven't heard by now, Marshalls and TJ Maxx has been selling many high end stuff for the cheap, i.e. theBalm, OPI, Nicole by OPI, Shiseido etc. I'm talking 50% off man! If you haven't heard about TheBalm, they are a relatively new high end makeup brand situated in San Francisco, CA. You can buy their makeup from Sephora (not sure about Ulta). Their Shady Lady palettes has gotten an A from Tempatlia!

Shady Lady Palette info from Sephora:

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Fragrances
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

I'm not sure if they are cruelty-free though. The back of the palettes does say "wear faux fur" and the fact that they are in SF makes me think they are cruelty-free, but you never know! I'll email them directly later tonight and I'll update my post! BTW, some of theBalm makeup has parabens like their lipstains. So if you are trying to be paraben free look at the ingredient list!

I bought two Shady Lady palettes, vol. 2 and 3 so I'll swatch, review and all that jazz another day.

Without further ado, pictures! I'll list the prices I remember and name of the products.