Dre Does August Favorites

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As August comes to a close, it's time to get ready for fall. Throughout the month I was trying to get my last bit of summery looks in ; bronzed skin and eyes, dewy glows, and pink shades. I love the freshness of summer makeup, but I'd be lying if I said that fall makeup isn't my favorite. I'm really excited for what is to come on Dre Does this fall seeing as it's my first here on the blog! But let's get back to what I was loving this month.

1. Amber Lights Eyeshadow by MAC: Every summer I love to use this color as much as possible. It looks so amazing with brown eyes and a darker complexion to begin with but it's even more amazing with bronzed skin. I've been using it as a lid color but also as an inner corner highlight if the rest of my look is a bit darker. I love using it to transition into the fall because it goes great with burgundy and purple.

2. tarte Amazonian Clay 12-HR Foundation: I love this foundation so much for oily skin. The clay helps control my oil throughout the day and I don't have to set it with powder so I love how easy it is. I've talked about this plenty though so I'm going to leave it at that!

3. Cargo Swimmables Blush in Bali: I have been wearing this blush almost every day in August because it's a step up from a pale pink shade. It's a beautiful cool toned baby pink but it has this purple iridescence to it that is just gorgeous when the light hits it. Also because it is from the 'Swimmables' line from Cargo, it is extremely long wearing. 

4. It's Potent Eye Cream from Benefit Cosmetics: Since I represent Benefit now, I have been trying out various products and I love this eye cream. I am really picky when it comes to eye creams because I am oily and a lot of times eye creams can be heavy and thick. I like one that will moisturize and get the job done without leaving my eye area too greasy for makeup so this one is perfect. I also love the refreshing scent that all the Benefit Skincare products have.

5. Loreal Infallible 24-Hr Eyeshadow in Amber Rush: I love these eyeshadows! They are so metallic and easy to use. This color is to die for and one of the shades I've been using a lot this month because it brightens the whole eye area and looks amazing with bronzed skin.

6. Marrakesh Endz Hair Oil: I received this hair oil in my Ipsy Glambag last month and I am obsessed. I will be buying a full size asap because I don't want to go without it. I apply a small amount after my shower to damp ends and it makes my hair so soft and shiny. I don't go a day without it. To see that Ipsy review click here.

7. Lorac Pro Matte Lip Color in Mauve: If you haven't figured out that I'm obsessed with these lip products yet then you might be living under a rock. My last few posts have included them so look back to see that if you'd like! I'm not going to go to in depth with them because I wrote a review on them but they are nothing short of amazing.

8. Benefit's Porefessional Primer: I have never been so in love with a primer. I wear this every day under my foundation because it does such an amazing job of smoothing my large pores and making everything blend out perfectly. I love how light it feels compared to some of the other primers that target pores. I always go around at work and test of the other primers and I find that I love the texture and softness of Porefessional the best!

What were you loving during the month of August? Leave me a comment below and let me know!

Have a beautiful September,

Dre

Dre Does an Ipsy Review


I hope you didn't mind my quick posts of my previous two Ipsy Glambags! I'm back with my review of my July bag and I couldn't be more excited to share this month's bag because it is my favorite so far. Let's start off with this bag. It's a hot pink faux leather material with gorgeous scalloped edges! I would seriously use this as a clutch on a night out because it's so adorable. I used it recently to hold makeup items on a day trip to Chicago and the bright color makes it super easy to find in a massive black purse and I even got a compliment on it from a stranger!

Now you'll notice that my bag has an extra 6th item in it because I chose to redeem some points! Each month when you receive your bag, you get the opportunity to share your bag on Facebook, take some surveys, etc. in order to not only keep Ipsy updated on what your liking and disliking, but also you can earn points! You can also earn points if someone signs up for Ipsy with your link. Once you reach 1,000 points, you can choose between a few different options and redeem them for another item in your upcoming Ipsy Glambag. I saw this bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick as an option and after receiving a baby sized one in a previous Glambag, I knew I had to snag this lipstick! I love the formula and the shade that was offered 'Light It Up', is a beautiful coral for summer! I was expecting to get another baby sized lipstick so you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was to find that this redemption got me a full sized lipstick valued at $18! This month was already off to a great start with the beautiful bag and free full sized lipstick, but let's get onto the actual July bag!

First up, we have another bareMinerals product, that I was dying to try. I work for Benefit at an Ulta Beauty so I am surrounded by new makeup products and I had been eying these BB Cream Eyeshadows.  They are 5-in-1 and claim to do these five things; provide 12-hr long wear, prime the eyelids, have powerful brightening effects, smooth fine lines, and protect with an SPF 15. I received the shade Divine Wine which is a pretty taupe brown shade that I really love. I have only worn it once, but I was really happy with the application and wear of it. I like how thin the product is so I think if you want to create a very specific shape for your eye look, this would be an amazing product to start with. It was very easy to apply shadows after and blend so I can't wait to wear it more. A full size 5-in-1 BB Cream Shadow is 0.10 fl oz and valued at $18. So the adorable 0.03 fl oz size included in the Glambag is valued at $5.40!

Next, we have the Marrakesh Endz Argan & Hemp Oil Therapy Split End Mender & Preventer. This product smells absolutely amazing and I can already say I will be buying a full size of this product once my current hair oil is gone. I have been putting it on my damp hair after I get out of the shower and I can see a huge difference in how soft and moisturized my hair feels once dry. I love that the product contains NO: animal testing, animal ingredients, drying alcohols, parabens, THC, Dyes, propylene glycol, petroleum, or phthalates. The full size is 4 oz. and valued at $17.99, so this 1 oz. deluxe sample is worth $4.50, bringing the Glambag total so far to $9.90.

I received another product from the brand Hang Ten this month, this time it was a Dark Tanning Oil with SPF 8. While I haven't had the chance to spend much time in the sun recently, I can say that I'm happy to have received this tanning oil because it is organic and does still have an SPF in it. I will update you in an Instagram post probably once I use this and the Hang Ten SPF that I received in a previous bag, so if you aren't already following me on there go do it! CLICK HERE for the link! This tanning oil uses a natural sunscreen and is water resistant so I know I will like it! The full size is worth $11.99 at 8 oz, so this deluxe sample of 1 oz. is valued at $1.50. Current total of the Glambag? $11.40!


Next we have a deluxe sample sized nail polish from the brand Whet in the shade Facetious. I love that the definition of whet was on the packing and said "[hwet, wet] to stimulate curiosity, appetite and desire". I had never heard of the brand before but was super intrigued by the color. The polish is three free and vegan, made in the US and claims to be 7 day chip resistant. I wore it when I went on that Chicago day trip and it was such a beautiful color. The best way I can describe it is as a neon cobalt blue, which seems silly because cobalt is dark, but in the sun it was so vibrant and beautiful. I have to say it didn't last the whole 7 days without chipping, but I rarely find a nail polish that actually stands up to claims like that so I'm not too disappointed. A full size Whet nail polish is 5 fl oz. and is valued at $15, so this 0.3 fl oz. sample is worth $9, bringing our current total to $20.40!

The last item to come in my July Glambag was the cutest little baby pencil eyeliner I've ever seen! Haha! It is a Black SILK mini kajal kohl-liner by Lord & Berry. I have yet to use it but it seems like your average black pencil eye kohl liner pencil. It has a semi-matte finish and is very dark and creamy. I will do a similar Instagram update when I have used it and seen it wear throughout the day!
While I can't seem to find how much product is in a full size pencil, I know it's worth $16 and if I had to guess I would say the sample is about a third of the size of a normal pencil, so we're going to estimate and say this sample was worth $5.33! This brings our grand total to $25.73.

To be honest I'm shocked that this bag is only valued at around $26! I think it goes to show that you don't have to spend ridiculous amounts of money on really high end products, when there are cheaper alternatives that do a great job as well. Even though this bag is worth the least amount of all the Ipsy Glambags I've received, I would still say it was my favorite! With the bonus bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipstick that I redeemed too, this bag is worth $43.73, which is even better when I technically only paid the normal $10!

As usual, here are my previous Ipsy reviews:

May and June Mini Review ($37.67 & 37.36)
 
Have a beautiful week my friends!

Dre