Life is Short. Buy the Makeup.

One of my biggest goals for last year was to go completely Cruelty-Free and promote only Cruelty-Free brands. On my journey, I realized there are different ways to classify Cruelty-Free and it is not black and white. As Ulta is one of the largest cosmetic retailers....and also where I happen to work....I thought I would show you guys how shop truly Cruelty-Free at Ulta. This list will not include Vegan or Non-Toxic only brands. Those shopping guides will be coming up soon! Let's get started!

June 2015 Beauty Favorites The Summer is already half over and with the weather being as cold as it's been, Summer still feels like months away! The makeup I have been loving this past month have really helped add that extra glow to my skin. I have also been in love with a bright pink lip, so I have a few favorite lip colors to show you! And as always, all of these products are paraben-free! So let's get in to my favorites for the month of June!

2014 Makeup & Beauty Favorites This year has flown by, and I for one am actually glad, because that means I can tell you all about the makeup and beauty favorites I have loved this year! Since starting to work at Ulta this past year, I've been able to try quite a few new things! Here we go!  Let's starting with the non-makeup! Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm I received this little beauty from work and have been absolutely in love with it this month! I never realized how dehydrated my eye area was until I started using this twice a day. The fine lines are less prominent and my concealer applies much easier and looks more natural under my eye. If you're in the market for a hydrating eye cream that helps with anti-aging, save up and get this one! This retails for  $65  at  Ulta  and  Sephora . Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm Neutrogena Naturals Fresh Cleansing + Makeup Remover I've been on...

The end of the month is here again, that means monthly favorites! So here are some things I have been loving in the month on November. Some are some newer products I may not have mentioned yet. Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm I received this little beauty from work and have been absolutely in love with it this month! I never realized how dehydrated my eye area was until I started using this twice a day. The fine lines are less prominent and my concealer applies much easier and looks more natural under my eye. If you're in the market for a hydrating eye cream that helps with anti-aging, save up and get this one! This retails for $65 at Ulta and Sephora . Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation My go to foundation for my long days at school and at work has been this one! The Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation is a full coverage foundation that leaves a natural finish to the skin and comes in a huge variety of shades. This is perfect for those of us with acn...

Essence is by far one of the least expensive makeup brands available in the U.S. Currently, the brand is only available in-stores at places such as Ulta and Fred Meyer. The products are currently unavailable for purchase on Essence's website. The  3D Duo Eyeshadows are a pressed eyeshadow with 2 shades. The larger shadow is a raised powder, not flat like most pressed eyeshadows. They are very similar to the MAC Extra Dimension eyeshadows. These eyeshadows retail for $3.49 each at  Ulta  and come in a sturdy plastic compact with a see through top. Most recently, I picked up one of their 3D Duo Eyeshadows in "Irresistible Vanilla Latte" . This shade features a glittery metallic pinky beige champagne color and a glittery off-white ivory shade with an iridescent glitter . When applied dry over primer the colors are very shimmery and are actually quite pigmented but leave a wet look to the eye, it's very beautiful! And when you apply them wet, the colors are...

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the month to show your support by adding a little pink to your wardrobe.  For those of us who don't have a lot of pink in our closet, here's some of my favorite pink beauty products to add some pink to our look! Essence Silky Touch Blush in "Sweetheart" The Essence Silky Touch Blushes are my absolute favorite drugstore blushes! They're very pigmented and do not break me out! Now, this shade is my go to shade when I don't know what blush to use, but if you have a medium skin tone, this won't show up on you, so it is best suited for those with fair and light skin tones. These blushes retail for only $2.99!  MAC Eyeshadow in "Naked Lunch" This eyeshadow by MAC is a very wearable beige pink with a frost finish that will look amazing on anyone! It blends like a dream and lasts all day without fall out or creasing. The pots retail for $15 or $10 for just the pan. I highly recomme...

I've taken a few trips to Ulta in the last couple weeks and bought a few things, some are backups but most are brand new products to me. Last week Ulta was having 40% off Physician's Formula, Almay, Revlon, and NYX, I only grabbed one NYX product. Here's what I picked up, expect reviews on some of these products soon! Shea Moisture Curl & Shine Shampoo This natural shampoo by Shea Moisture is infused with coconut and hibiscus to add moisture and shine to thick and frizzy hair, which I have. This was a re-purchase for me, I absolutely love this shampoo! It helps control my frizz and add definition to the natural curl in my hair, it smells amazing, and it's sulfate and paraben-free!  This retails for $10.49 in-stores and online at ulta.com . NYX Blotting Powder I picked up this mattifying powder as a replacement for my Rimmel Stay Matte powder, it contains parabens, so I'm no longer using it. I picked up the lightest shade ...

This summer has really flown by! This month was my birthday month so I got a few new goodies to try! Here's my beauty and makeup favorites for the month of August! Prestige Total Intensity Eyeshadow in "Hocus Pocus" I picked up this single shadow by Prestige at the end of July from Ulta for $8.49 . I am absolutely loving it! The pigmentation is insane and I love the duo chrome finish of this shade! I've received many compliments when I've worn this. I'm definitely going to pick up a couple more shades! These are quickly becoming my favorite shadows ever! Full review HERE .  Sinful Shine Nail Polish in "Alfresco" My newest nail polish addition and my favorite to wear this summer is this bright periwinkle blue from the Sinful Shine collection by Sinful Colors! These are found only at Walgreens and are only $1.99 ! The color is just so beautiful and I find it lasts just as long on my nails as some OPI polishes. Full review HER...