March Beauty Favorites!!

Welcome back, beauties!

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a few days. What a slacker! That's why I wanted today's post to be a collection of products that I can talk about. This is my first time doing a monthly favorites blog, and we'll see how it goes. If it does well, I will certainly do one at the end of every month!

I cannot believe March is already over, I feel like it was just March first! Needless to say, there have been so many products that I've purchased and tested throughout this month. Here are my favorites that I have been obsessed with, and using consistently throughout this entire month!

• It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol. 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eye Shadow Palette
• Mally Beauty Perfect Prep Poreless Primer
• It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in Medium Neutral
• Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation in Fair Neutral
• Josie Maran Argan Creamy Concealer Crayon in Medium 2
• Philosophy Loveswept
• Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat 

This is the first time I've also provided you all with direct links to purchase these products. I used links from Ulta Beauty and Sephora, but you can shop around and find them in other places as well! 

First, I'll start with the most used product: The It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Vol. 1 Matte Luxe Transforming Eye Shadow Palette! 

I just love this palette. I've owned it for about a year now. It's always been a go-to palette, and especially within the last month, I've pretty much used this every day. I love the colors. They're very fresh and spring-like to me. It's a beautiful mix of pinks, brows, mauves, taupes, and your little pops of color like the Violet and the Noir. The palette itself is SO versatile. I cannot even begin to tell you how many looks you can create using these 14 shades+ Transforming Pearl. 

The shadows themselves are anti-aging silk-infused matte shadows, but the fun thing is, you can mix the Transforming Pearl shadow with any of the mattes, and it turns the shadow into a soft pearl! The shadows are Talc-free, Paraben-free, fragrance-free, Sulfate-free, and cruelty-free! 

They hold Hydrating Age Reverse and Prevent Complex. They're infused with Peptides, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Silk, Anti-Oxidents, and Drops of Light Technology. They do not crease, they do not crack, and they do not settle into fine lines! That's quite a bit of goodness, right?! :) 

I just truly love it! The colors are beautiful. The photo does not do them justice. It's a bright, fresh look for any eye color. Perfect for Spring and Summer time! 

The palette runs for $48.00 at Ulta Beauty. A little pricey, but I definitely stand by this product. I've used some of these colors daily for a year now, and I'm not close to hitting pan on any shade!

Next up, I'll talk about the Mally Beauty Perfect Prep Poreless Primer, from my fav makeup guru, Mally Roncal! 

I just love this primer! My aunt had gifted this to me in September for my birthday, so I've obviously owned it prior to shooting the Rachael Ray show with Mally in December. I use this product daily. I own a few different primers from different brands, but I'd say this primer is definitely my every day go-to buddy. 

It's so weightless, so smooth, and I love that it doesn't turn me into a greased chicken! I have a strong dislike for greasy, slimy, slippery face primers. Yuck! That's why I was so happy when I discovered Mally's! 

It minimizes fine lines, wrinkles, and pores. It has the slightest, slightest shimmer to it that gives you a brightened glow-from-within look. Another aspect of it that I love: it doesn't dry you out! I hate primers that suck the life and moisture out of your skin. this primer is actually hydrating. It definitely keeps my makeup in place all day. 

Bonus secret: You can apply this primer after you perform your nightly skin routine to lock all of the moisture and products in! This is definitely a great primer to use as your beginning step in your makeup routine, and as the final step after your skincare routine. I love it! 

It runs for $35.00 for 1 oz. at Ulta Beauty! 

Next up, we have the It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye!

(For whatever reason, my tube flattens on the side. In order to allow you see see the tube, I had to hold it for you! Ignore my un-manicured nails)

I was also gifted this product from my aunt about three weeks ago and I've been loving it ever since! 

I had always seen this product being sold on QVC, and it's always received rave-reviews. I wanted to give it a try! I couldn't be happier. I use the shade Neutral Medium, definitely a forgiving shade. 

This concealer is heavenly. I have struggled for SO long with concealers that crease and crack. I'd set them, I'd apply less, I'd apply more, I'd blend like crazy, and they always creased! Until I found the Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer, that is! This product does not crease on me. At. All.

It's completely full coverage, with a beautifully hydrating and creamy consistency. Not only is it great at concealing dark under-eyes, but it's also great for concealing any blemishes, dark spots, and imperfections. You could even use it as an all over foundation if you want! It's award-winning, anti-aging, infused with Hydrolyzed Collagen, vitamins C and K, and diffuses the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

I also just HAVE to rave about the lifespan of the product. For $24.00 at Ulta Beauty, you get a .28 fl.oz. tube. The tube is huge! You only need such a small amount, it blows my mind every time. I only squeeze a teeny tiny, freckle-size amount on the back of my hand, and I can conceal my under eyes, and blemishes with just that little squeeze. This... I cannot rave about it enough. It amazes me. It gives a whole new meaning to "a little goes a long way." It's well worth $24.00 to me! I think I'll own this forever! 

Next up, the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Powder Foundation! 

I only purchased this product about a week ago after seeing a beauty vlogger talk about it, but I've been loving it so much, I decided to throw it into my favorites post! 

This foundation is so lightweight and feathery, yet it gives such great/beautiful coverage. It doesn't even feel like you have foundation on, but I can definitely see a major difference in my skin! It comes with a little sponge (I personally never use those sponges that come with powder foundations, I use a Kabuki brush to buff it into the skin.) I feel buffing it in gives you a more natural/even/your-skin-but-better look. There are a tone of shades to choose from! I am in Fair Neutral because we remember that I am Casper's sister. 

It's a demi-matte full coverage foundation. And it definitely, definitely lasts all day! The long wear is amazing with this product! It has a velvety formula that allows it to be build able. This foundation can be applied wet or dry using the sponge, though I'm satisfied with applying it dry, I don't believe I'll ever try applying it wet. It doesn't leave your skin looking dusty or cakey, it just lays beautifully on the skin. I'm so pleased! 

It is formulated with coated micro-milled powders, and it diffuses light to blur the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. And also, it's Paraben-free!

This product runs for $36.00 at Sephora. It also comes with a full-size mirror as well as a protective pouch! (Shown in photo above.)

We're almost done here, haha! Three more products to rave about. Annnnnnd GO!

The Josie Maran Argan Creamy Concealer Crayon! 

In my latest haul , I talked about how I had purchased two different shades of these concealer crayons as a part of Josie Maran's new contouring campaign. I admit that I haven't really been using the lighter shade for any concealing or highlighting duties (I promise I will start), but I have been LOVING the darker shade for some quick contouring on the cheek bones! 

I purchased Medium 2 as my contour shade, and it works beautifully. All I do is draw one line right on the cheek bone, and simply blend out with my fingers! It's so quick and easy. Be on the lookout for a contour and highlighting post using the Argan Creamy Concealers. Once I start using the lighter crayon again, I'm going to make a post about that within the next few weeks! 

The Argan Creamy Concealer Crayons are $20.00 at Sephora. It's a great price for the product. Since the crayon is infused with %100 pure Argan Oil, you're receiving essential amino acids, fatty acids, hydration, and benefits galore! Plus, the product itself will last you a very long time.

Next up, I wanted to mention a perfume that I've just been loving. Philosophy Loveswept!

I mean, let's just talk about the bottle itself. Is that not gorgeous? I love it! 

I just love this scent. It's very fresh and light, and very romantic. I guess that's why it was named Loveswept, haha! I think it's just a beautiful scent, and I've really been loving it. I received two compliments while wearing it just yesterday! 

I own the 2fl.oz. bottle that runs for $48.00 at Sephora. They have several different sizes, smaller and larger, and you can definitely find this perfume in a gift set at QVC! 

It is described as "sparkling lightness meets a beautiful spring bouquet." It has warm, sensual notes of Bergamot, Blue Violet, Lotus Blossom, Pink Jasmine, Purple Passion Fruit, Skin Musk, Creamy Amber, and White Cedarwood. 

It's just a sparkling, dazzling, and romantic scent! I really love this scent, as well as many other Philosophy scents, so I wanted to share with my fellow fragrance lovers looking for a new scent for Spring!

Finally, I wanted to share a little nail care product that I've been loving this past month. The Perfect Formula Pink Gel Coat!

This is a nail strengthener and brightener with tint of pink that gives your nails a beautiful natural glow, shine, and pink tint, while strengthening them and providing them with essential vitamins and nutrients that help your nails to grow healthy and happy! This is a Protein- rich and Keratin-rich formula, infused with an optical brightener that filters out the dull-yellow appearance of nails. It brings out the natural color of your nail beds (hence, the pink tint) and it makes the whites of your nails appear whiter. 

I love this product! It's really helped my nails grow tremendously, and I know that they will not break when I have this product on keeping them strong and beautiful! It's worked wonders for my nails, and I highly recommend this for anyone with weak, dull, short nails!

It's Paraben-free, Sulfate-free, Synthetic Fragrance-free, Phthalates-free, GMO-free, and Triclosan-free! Not only is it amazingly beneficial for your nails, it's also free of all of those icky chemicals that are present in most nail polishes. 

This product runs for $30.00 at Sephora for a 0.6fl. oz. bottle, but can be found in gift sets at QVC!

So there you have it, my March Favorites! I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you'll give one of two products a try. Let me know if you will! And share with me YOUR March favorites! :)

Until next time, stay beautiful!

Christina Bracco

xoxoxoxo

For PR inquiries, comments, questions, suggestions, please email: Christina.f.b@aol.com or fill out a Contact Form in the sidebar!

This post was not sponsored.

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IT Cosmetics Perfect Lip Gloss Stain and Liner Stain Duo: Review!!

Welcome back, beauties!!

I feel like it has been so long since I last posted. It's been almost a week. I'll do my best to crank out these posts for the rest of the week!

Today's post is about products (and brand) that I have just been LOVING for a while. This is the first time I'm going to be talking about one of my favorite cosmetics brands on my blog, which I am so surprised by, but today is the day!

The brand? IT Cosmetics!

The "IT" of IT Cosmetics stands for "Innovative Technology." This brand works with plastic surgeons to take essential cosmetics products such as foundations, CC Creams, lip products, blushes, eye products, etc., and infuses skincare benefits such as anti aging properties, and essential vitamins within them to ensure we are taking care of our precious faces while looking beautiful.

I first found IT Cosmetics through QVC (of course!) and the founder, former television anchor Jamie Kern-Lima, won me over with her glowing personality and amazing products. With innovative high-performance color cosmetics being infused with cutting-edge anti aging technology, there's no wonder why this brand has taken off to be such a successful top-selling brand that has won countless  awards.

I own a few IT Cosmetics products, (not nearly enough if you ask me!), such as the Celebration Foundation, Naturally Beautiful Eyeshadow Palettes, my ultimate holy grail Universal Brow Pencil (post to come), and the products this post is about: The Your Lips But Better Waterproof Liner Stain and the Vitality Lip Blush Hydrating Gloss Stain! 

I was incredibly excited to get these products home when I saw them featured on QVC as a DUO a while back. You just couldn't beat the offer!
Let's break it down...

IT Cosmetics Your Lips But Better Waterproof Liner Stain: $20.00
IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Blush Hydrating Gloss Stain: $24.00

Total Retail Value: $44.00 (plus S&H if purchased online)

QVC featured price for the IT Cosmetics Perfect Lip Gloss Stain and Liner Stain DUO: $26.72 (Plus $3.00 S&H)

You're getting both lip products for a few dollars over the price of one. 

I cannot say enough great things about this duo. The best thing is, not only are these products gorgeous when used together, they're still beautiful when used separately, or even with other products.

Lip Stains can be such a tricky thing. Oftentimes they're drying, causing your lips to crack, dry out, chap, etc. With the beauty of IT Cosmetics, none of these things happen with the IT Cosmetics Lip Stain! The Lip Stain is so hydrating, and is long lasting coverage! I've put this Lip Stain on at 8am, ate, drank, talked, and by 3pm it's still on my lips! Epic.

Here's a description of the Lip Stain that IT Cosmetics provides:

    "IT Cosmetics Your Lips But Better Waterproof Lip Liner Stain Is An Ultra Luxe, Ultra Creamy Clinically Proven     
    Waterproof Automatic Lip Liner Pencil Infused With A Stain!"

I have the same love for the Gloss Stain. I'm not one that is particularly a fan of glosses due to their usual sticky, clumpy, messy feeling at times. There's never been a gloss that I've truly loved that stayed on the lips, and doesn't clump or dry out my lips. The IT Cosmetics Gloss Stain is that gloss! It's such a beautiful shine, without being over the top, and it feels so hydrating and smooth on the lips. The Gloss Stain also lasts a long while! You don't need to reapply, but I personally do just because I love the way it feels when I apply it.

Another bonus: The wand of the Gloss Stain is so perfect. It has a dip in it that makes it easy to apply evenly to the curves of your lips without having a slip up!

Here's a description of the Gloss Stain that IT Cosmetics provides:

       "Vitality Lip Flush Butter Gloss By IT Cosmetics Are Infused With Oils And Butters For The   
       Most Luxurious Pillowing Feeling On Lips, Without Any Of The Stickiness Or Thickness Of 
       Traditional Lip Glosses."

Let's talk color options!!

Here's a swap of the Pretty in Nude that I own. 

They have such beautiful shades to choose from. The Pretty in Nude that I own is a go-to choice if you cannot pick. It's such a perfect nude with a hint of pink when the stain sets in. (It looks a bit peach in the photo above, but I get more pinky-vibes when it's on my lips.

They have plenty of options if you look at Ulta or ITCosmetics.com, but if you're specifically going to get the QVC IT Cosmetics Perfect Lip Gloss Stain and Liner Stain Duo, they have three options.

• Pretty in Nude
• Pretty in Berry
• Pretty in Pink

All three are so beautiful, I had such a difficult time deciding which duo I wanted to purchase, but I settled on the Pretty in Nude- a classic. I hope to own the others soon!

So there you have it! I really recommend this duo, and the IT Cosmetics brand as a whole! Give them a try. You won't be disappointed. This Gloss/Liner Stain duo is so perfect. Hydrating, creamy, long-lasting, filled with anti aging properties, vitamin, and oil goodness! 

If you're going to give this lip duo a try, let me know! If you've tried other IT Cosmetics products you'd like to recommend, let me know about those as well! 

I hope you all have an amazing week. Thank you so much for the support! I'll keep cranking out the posts this week with all my favorites! Maybe it will be a total IT Cosmetics week, haha!

For PR Inquiries, comments, questions, suggestions, please email: Christina.f.b@aol.com or fill out a Contact Form in the sidebar! 

Have a beautiful week, stay gorgeous!
Christina Bracco
xoxoxoxo

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Favorite: Lori Greiner Luxury Deluxe Wood Cosmetic Box with Mirror!!!

Hello beauties!!

I hope all of my east coasters survived that "blizzard." I for one, certainly enjoyed that snow day.

So, by now, I think it's pretty clear to see that I love makeup. Most of the time, when you love makeup, you buy way too much of it. I am a victim of this mentality, haha. So what do I do with all of this makeup after I buy it?

I had been searching for something to neatly organize and store my makeup for a while. I was originally using one of those tabletop plastic three-tier drawer sets, but it was completely unorganized, and couldn't store many things easily. Then, I had thought about getting a train case, and I think I still may at some point, but wanted to find something for the top of my dresser that was a bit more presentable.

And then, one day I was watching QVC, and I saw that Lori Grenier was on. Lori Grenier, for those who do not know, is a businesses woman and entrepreneur who stars on the show Shark Tank. She has a line of organizational/helpful items that range from purse organizers to jewelry holders. As I was watching, because I am a sucker for all things organizational, I watched them present this Lori Greiner Luxury Deluxe Wood Cosmetic Box with Mirror.

I was so amazed, I had to have it. It was perfect! Lori herself said that the piece can store anywhere from 100 to 120 pieces of makeup. So much storage, so many possibilities. The only bummer was the price. The price made me much less quick to jump on ordering it. Now, we know that QVC and QVC.com brings their customers products at a discounted price in comparison to other retailers.

For example, this piece can be found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $99.99, but can be found at QVC.com for $89.96 (plus S&H). So QVC does give you a bit of a break! I think I would have eventually jumped on the $89.96 offer, but that's a little much.

Then, one night, I was scrolling around the Lori Geiner section of QVC.com and noticed that they were selling an "As is" version of this cosmetics box for $56.50. Uhmmm, what?! Yes, please.
"As is" means that they used those pieces during On-Air demos, or they were vendor samples, and not in their original manufactured condition.

As long as the piece doesn't look totally busted when it arrives at my home, I'm totally okay with that for a discounted price. So, I purchased the piece in the shade white, and when it arrived home, I was SO happy!! It had a few marks on it that were buffed away within seconds. Score!! I immediately fell in love. Who knew my one true love was a cosmetics organizer? It was so much fun to put all of my makeup in this piece.

The "As is" piece can still be found on QVC.com for the discounted price, but it is only available in the white wood at this time (subject to change when presented on-air again). But if you can spend the $89.96  on the regular box on QVC.com or even the $99.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond- then I would totally tell you to go do it right now! Stop reading this and go buy this product!

The box is available in a few different shades of wood, so you can totally match whatever furniture piece or room you need to!

• Cherry 
• Walnut
• White
• Oak

So let's have a peak into this piece, shall we? 

Do you hear that? That's the sound of the heavens playing their harps.

As you can see, the box has tons and tons of space. There's a great mirror at the very top, though I honestly never use the mirror. Then there's 8 different shelves that you can do what you please with. What's so great about it is that you can see all of your products so easily. You don't have to go rummaging through a drawer or a box to find what you're looking for. Everything is so easily visible right in front of you. You know where everything is. Everything has a place.

Let's take a closer look…

I really love the storage along the back wall for the brushes. I clearly keep brushers there, but I also keep some of my favorite eyeliners and eyebrow pencils for easy access. 

Another favorite feature is the different slots for individual eyeshadows also along the back wall (above the brushes, as you can see). There are also a few more slots along the top left shelf, as you can see in the first photo. 

I really appreciate the slots in this bottom shelf. It's great for storing individual bronzers, blushes, and smaller eyeshadow palettes. 

This is probably my favorite feature of the whole piece. There are 30 slots here. You can store lipsticks up the wazoo. Or like me, you can store lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, concealer, etc.. It's so perfect. You can see everything. The best part? These 30 slots are a removable piece. You can use it, not use it at all, and it easily fits into all of the shelves in the box, so you can put this piece wherever you want within the box. 

The inside is vinyl lining, so it wipes clean. It's a magnetic close. You can open one shelf if you want, for each shelf has its own handle, or open the whole piece at once. 

It takes up so little space on your dresser top, and it's not too heavy in case you want to put it away after using it instead of displaying it. It's really a beautiful piece. I promise, you will have so much fun playing around with it.

My only "complaint" is that there is not place to put eyeshadow larger palettes. You wouldn't be able to fit your Urban Decay Naked palettes in this piece. But I understand, the piece would have to be larger to fit those. No big deal, I have another place for my larger palettes. 

So I say, if you can do it, get this piece! Especially if you've been looking for a great way to organize your cosmetics, skincare, beauty products, etc. 

If you're interested in the white wood, I'd jump on that "As is" version on QVC.com.

Let me know if you're going to try this piece, or if you already own it! I'd love to hear :)

Until next time, have a great week. Stay warm! 

Christina Bracco

xoxoxoxo

For PR inquiries, questions, comments, concerns, please email: Christina.f.b@aol.com or fill out the Contact Form in the sidebar. 

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