August Wishes 2013

I assume you guys have just been sitting around waiting for me to make another post about stuff that I want from ASOS, right? Well half of this stuff is from there, though I did go a bit outside the box this time. Here are the top six things that I want to get this month. I'm finally stocking up on fall clothes, because I just can't control myself anymore. Seriously.

1. Maternity Body-Con Dress in Blue $17.82: I want this dress so, so bad. The bad news? It doesn't come in my size in the color that I want. I'll hopefully be getting it in black, but I want it in blue so badly. I will literally buy it off of someone! I love it that much. I could do so much with it, it's not too plain, but it's still a safe dress that I could pretty much pair with anything that I want. Not to mention I adore that shade of blue... on other people.

2. Monki Lightweight Parka Jacket $76.37: Yeah, I know I put a parka on my last wishlist. But I didn't buy it and I actually like this one a lot more. It seems a lot more versatile because of the fit and the style of it. It's not too grungy and it can still be styled with more classic pieces. I'll never be able to get it though. Or any of them for that matter.

3. Pink Lips iPhone 4/4S Case $12.95: Okay, you caught me. I'm currently obsessed with cute phone cases like that. I guess that's why my iPhone is cracked really badly on both the front and the back. I just love when my phone case is just as cute and stylish as my wardrobe is, you know? Sometimes I convince myself to put on a protective phone case, though. I've actually had one on my phone for a week or so now.

4. Lennon Slipper Shoes $33.94: I am obsessed with the ASOS color "oxblood" right now! Also, these shoes just so happen to have Lennon in the name and I've loved John Lennon ever since I was a little girl. And my boyfriend is obsessed with the Beatles. But the real reason I should get these shoes is because they're versatile. They could be casual, dressy, grungy, classic, or basically whatever I want them to be. I could wear them with so many different things. Basically I'm in.

5. Over-the-knee Socks $12.95: I'm obviously not dying to have this specific pair of socks. They're just knit socks, there's nothing special about them. But I do want socks like these that I can pull up over my knee or bunch up at the top of boots for the fall. Preferably in gray because that's what would go with most of my clothes and shoes best. I do really like these though and if I had money to just toss around I would definitely get them. I bet they're really warm and comfy for those chilly days that you want to wear a skirt or shorts.

6. Velvetines in Red Velvet $16.99: I have wanted this shade of this exact Lime Crime lipstick for a very, very long time now. I've had it saved in my phone with a reminder, but I still haven't gotten around to buying it. Maybe it's because of my thing about buying lipsticks in unfamiliar brands that are expensive. If it's disappointing I would be so pissed off, seriously. I want this so bad though so I'm definitely making it a goal for August. Keep your fingers crossed for me ladies! I have a lot to be buying this month!

So what are some of the things that you're looking forward to buying this month? What's on your shopping and to-do lists? Are any of these things something you'd be interested in buying? Are there any products you'd like for me to add to my shopping list for review? Any brands or stores you have for me to check out? Any tips? Let me know! I'm always curious about what my readers are thinking, using, and doing. You can also talk to me on twitter @debbieshapes.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

I've been using this foundation for a couple of weeks now, so I feel comfortable sharing my opinion on it now. It claims to have the "lasting power of primer, coverage of concealer, and blendability of a foundation in one." As well as claiming to be "shine free." I started using this stuff after watching quite a few reviews on Youtube, but I only managed to find one for dry skin. After careful consideration I decided to give it a try myself and I was mostly pleased with the results. The color that I got was the lightest one that they have, 805 which is called Ivory. Is it sad that I wish they had something one shade lighter?

Did this stuff live up to all of it's claims? I'm going to have to say it did, for the most part at least. I generally put my makeup on around 11:00 AM and take it off around 9:00 PM, but of course that depends on the day. Even on long days though, this stuff seemed to hold up. Of course I don't expect to look as good as when I first put my makeup on with any kind of makeup at the end of the day. It did look pretty good still though. As for the claim that it has the coverage of a concealer, I wouldn't really say that so much unless you really layer it on the places you need concealed. I try to put it on my trouble spots and under my eyes before I do a full coverage so that it'll dry and get an extra layer. It does, of course, have the blendability of a foundation because it is a foundation. And lastly, since it dries to a powder finish it is indeed shine free! However, keep in mind that I do have dry skin these days.

The formula of this stuff is very light and dries really nicely. I can't really tell that I'm wearing makeup when I have it on, but it makes my skin look really good. And for those of you with dry skin this is totally good to use and I've heard it's really good for oily and combination skin, too. If you do have dry skin, like I do, I recommend that you exfoliate before you use it so that it doesn't cling to any dry patches and make them more noticeable. They have a pretty wide range of colors, but be careful when buying because it does oxidize just a bit throughout the day. If you don't know what oxidize means basically it makes the color of the makeup a bit darker. Make sure that you blend into your neck! Also, it goes on a bit lighter than it dries. I thought that the color I got may be too light, but it ended up drying just a smidge too dark. I can work it in right though.

So what score would I give this stuff? I would give it 4.5/5 stars, I would recommend it to you guys, and I plan on using it until I find something better. Why didn't I give it the full 5 stars? Basically I'm frustrated that they didn't have a color light enough for me, it was difficult for me to make sure I didn't have a makeup line, and I had to pile it on. Thankfully it isn't heavy and it feels great, so I still like it a lot.

Sephora Daily Makeup Brush Cleaner

I have been looking about for some makeup brush cleaner all over the place for every day, or at least every other day, use that wasn't going to be more than $10, because let's be honest it's just makeup brush cleaner. It's meant to get the germs and makeup residue off of your brushes and that's it. If it does that then why would I spend $10 on the product and then $8 on shipping when apparently I can just go to Sephora and get this amazing $6 bottle? And it definitely does the trick!

I know a lot of girls don't bother to ever clean their makeup brushes, literally ever. They just wait until their brushes are making them breakout or until they're starting to make their makeup look crappy, then they just throw away perfectly good brushes and buy new ones. As you can see at the top up there my brushes look brand new right now and I use them every single day, other than makeup free Monday, of course. Other than that though my makeup brushes get used a lot and I know the leftover makeup, oils, dead skin, and (worst of all) bacteria can be really bad for your skin especially if it's sensitive, acne prone, or both like mine is right now. And even if your skin isn't sensitive or acne prone, acne is definitely something that can get caused by dirty makeup brushes. We all know that I've been a huge germaphobe lately because of the pregnancy and ridding the germs from this area of my life has greatly improved my skin even over the last few days.

How do you use it?
1. Spray your brush's bristles 2-5 times depending on the size
2. Gently rub it in circles on a paper towel to get all of the makeup off until there isn't anymore.
3. Let the bristles air dry before you use them and make sure they don't dry out of shape.
* You can do this as often as you like to either keep your brushes clean or keep them cleaner than they would be for a deep clean with baby shampoo later on. I suggest doing it every day or every few days at least. Eyeliner brushes must be cleaned more often than the rest.

How often do you guys clean your brushes? Do you use a spray like this or do you do a deep clean with baby shampoo like I do sometimes? Which do you prefer if you do both? Do you use a different method than I do? Are you guilty of throwing your brushes away instead of cleaning them? Because I know I have been in the past.

My New Favorite Lip Shade: On Fire Red

Every girl needs her favorite "true red" lipstick that isn't too berry colored and isn't too orange. That perfect red that goes with basically any outfit and that you don't have to refresh every hour on the hour to make sure that your lips are just as beautiful as before. I think I found my new favorite and that would be Maybelline's Color Sensational Vivids in On Fire Red. The color of the container is what caught my attention at the store and the name is what kept me interested, then since my hands were full with other products I asked my boyfriend to lift the lid and show me the color and I knew I had to have it without even reading anyone else's review, which is something I do on a regular basis to make sure that I'm not wasting my money on a product that I won't love. I guess it's lucky that I really loved this lip color.

As you can see the color is a nice "true" red. What this means, if you don't already know, is that it's not too orange and not too pink/purple. It's just red. It looks like this when you put it on which really makes certain eye colors (like my icy blue) pop and you can wear it any time of the year that you want to. You may have to put it on once then wait a few seconds and put on another layer to get the right color which isn't too much of a hassle. Especially considering this lipstick stays on a pretty long time. I wore it all day and only had to reapply after I ate something (which is something I personally would have done anyways just because I'm especially anal about my makeup lately when I'm out). It's always safest to bring your tube of lipstick with you just in case you need to reapply, even if you're positive you won't have to.

As far as the texture of the lipstick goes it isn't too slippery and it also isn't too dry on. You can rub your lips together comfortably the whole time you have it on, although I wouldn't recommend doing this because it can increase the number of times that you have to reapply. It's a habit of mine, and probably a habit that a lot of you are stuck with also, but it's something that we all need to break. The only complaint that I have is that it is kind of drying. I had to pile on some lip balm before I went to bed the day that I wore this stuff. But it's definitely still worth the money that I spent on it which was only about $8.00 and I would also highly recommend it to a friend and my readers.

What's your favorite lip shade right now? Do you have any true reds that you'd recommend? Are you more of a red or a pink lipstick kind of girl? How do you like the sneak peak of my new carpets? (; Let me know what you guys think!

Makeup Free Monday and Insecurities

This post is difficult for me as I am pretty self conscious about the state of my skin right now. And though it doesn't bother me to not wear makeup out in public it bothers me when there are pictures floating around of me without makeup, but why should I be bothered by that?

Today is my first makeup-free Monday! The whole idea is from TheBeautyBean.com and I think it's a beautiful, positive concept. I'm going the whole day without makeup, including the shopping trip I'm going on with my best friend. The point of this is to promote positivity and learn to love ourselves for who we are. We shouldn't be so ashamed of our flaws that we're ashamed of ourselves. We shouldn't have to apologize for not wearing makeup in public, because these are our bodies. We should be happy in our own skin, even if it isn't perfectly clear.

Yes, I did try to hide this picture farther down in the post, don't judge me. I have been very insecure about a lot of different things since I've gotten pregnant whereas before I just didn't give a crap, but now that I'm gaining weight I want to look better in other ways. My skin is covered in spots, the tone is uneven, I have horrible lines under my eyes. Not only do I have acne on my face, but I have acne scars from pimples of the past. My teeth are also not as white as I want them to be, so I hate smiling for pictures, but that isn't something that I can fix with makeup. I have short eyelashes, too. I look like a twelve year old, especially when I don't wear makeup and being pregnant that isn't exactly fun because people give you dirty looks. And lastly I hate my natural hair and eyebrow color which is showing at the roots right now. But I like my lips, I like the color of my eyes because it's very distinctly me and I like my cheeks. Find things you like about yourself. No one should be so bothered by their flaws that they can't do what they want.

The point is that you are beautiful no matter what you're insecure about and you should believe that! I'm working on it. How can you do something? Get liberated and take part in Makeup Free Mondays with me. You can tweet me your pictures @debbieshapes or you can post about this on your blog to spread the word. Just remember that you are beautiful, everyone has insecurities, don't apologize for not wearing makeup, and go makeup free this Monday.