Morphe Basics!

   Here are some Morphe brushes we think are essential for a basic makeup kit!

  These few brushes can help your achieve perfectly blended eyeshadow,

eyebrows, highlight, and foundation. Morphe has quality brushes at a great

price, so it's definitely worth it to give them a try!

From left to right:

(Click on brush number to see the brush!)

M310

E22

M441

M432

E18

M439

M433

E29

                           If you need some extra help figuring out what brushes you want to try from Morphe,                 check out Jaclyn Hill's Morphe Brush Favorites video below. She gives great, detailed advice on a lot of Morphe brushes and expains what each brush is used for!

                                      Follow us on Instagram: @Simply.tria

XO, RLS

The Ultimate Guide of Where to Buy Discounted Makeup

Lets be real, every makeup lover knows the struggle of wanting to buy every new product that comes out in the market. New products are released constantly and it can be really difficult to not splurge on every product your makeup addicted heart desires! So knowing when to splurge and when to save can really help you save a buck or two. As our makeup obsession has grown over the past few years, we’ve tried to find ways to save money on higher end makeup or just to get a good deal in general. We put together a list of our favorite ways to save some money on amazing beauty products!

1. Costco

Who knew that this wholesale warehouse (that sells every possible thing you can think of) also sold makeup! Costco doesn’t only carry drugstore brands, but it also carries higher end ones that you can find at Sephora, Ulta, etc. They carry some amazing brands like Glamglow, Beauty Blender, Estee Lauder, Stila, Smashbox, and Kevyn Aucoin! So the trick with Costco is that it is a members only warehouse club, so you need to have a membership to purchase the products that they sell. They sell some really popular makeup items at a discounted rate. For example, the Beauty Blender retails for $20 per sponge but is sold in a pack of two for $30 at Costco. We’ve also noticed that the products that they offer are for a limited time and are not available year round, so if you see something you want definitely grab it!

  Check out this link to view Costco's beauty products!

2. Online Flash Sale Sites

Online only retailers have been all the buzz lately. Hautelook and Gilt are two websites that have flash sales online with discounted beauty products. If you’ve never been on one of these websites before then you’re definitely missing out! These websites basically have sales on specific beauty products that last for just a few days. Often times they carry really popular makeup products like The Balm, Morphe, and other well known brands, and the products are usually heavily discounted. For example, a few weeks ago Hautelook was selling The Balm’s Mary-Lou Manizer that retails for $24 on sale for $12 (which is a pretty good deal!).

  Check out this link to view Hautelook's beauty flash sale of the week!

3. Discounted Chain Retailers 

Other discount chain retailers such as Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Loehmann's also carry many high-end beauty products year round. These retailers often carry a lot of popular higher end makeup products at a discounted rate, but they tend to either sell out or just have low stock for most of the products. Loehmann’s is particularly impressive because they carry brands such as Dior, YSL, LA MER, and LA PRAIRIE! Pretty impressive right? The others are equally as impressive because they carry other amazing brands like Kat Von D, Urban Decay etc.

 
4. Makeup Conventions

Makeup conventions are a beauty addicts dream! There are international makeup conventions throughout the world such as IMATS, PhamExpo, and GenBeauty which sell makeup at discounted prices. These annual beauty conventions often have an entrance fee, but provide most of the makeup at a discounted price. So do some searching and see when the next makeup convention is near you!

5. ULTA and Sephora SALE

You don’t really hear the word SALE at Ulta and Sephora much, but if you go searching you'll notice that they always have products on sale year round. The catch is that they’re probably not going to be the specific products that you want so you might have to settle for the not so new or popular products. Sephora’s website has a lot of sale items online but it seems like ULTA has more options in store. You can check out the links below to see if anything you’ve been wanting is on sale!

Sephora's Sale 

Ulta's Sale

6. QVC

Last but not least we have the lovely QVC on our list! We all know how convenient QVC makes home shopping. You just sit back, relax, and splurge every time you see a product you love on TV without having to leave the house! QVC sells such a wide range of beauty products including Tarte, bareMinerals, Bobbi Brown, Josie Maran, Tatcha, etc. The beauty products that they sell usually have a discount of a few dollars, and/or they provide bundles at a discounted price (which are usually not available anywhere else). While they do have great deals sometimes, we’ve also noticed that a lot of the time the product that they are selling is not discounted at all. So why would you buy that product from QVC? Because of the convenience factor and the fact that they provide a monthly payment system so you wouldn’t have to make a full payment all at once. So next time QVC is on tune in to see if they might be selling a beauty product you want!

                                          XO, RLS

All About Brow Pencils

The year of 2015 was all about the brows and there is no doubt that it will transition into the year of 2016. Whether it was defined brows, arched brows, or full brows, eyebrows became one of the biggest phenomenons in the beauty world. Eyebrows are crucial for any person's makeup routine because they frame the face and define your features.

With eyebrows being all the rage, beauty companies were releasing multiple brow products. Of all the products, mechanical pencils were a must-have for achieving polished, yet natural eyebrows. Here are two that deliver similar results with different price points.

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz has quickly become a staple in every makeup lovers kit. It is also one of the most popular items at Sephora. It was one of the first mechanical pencils released in the beauty industry that featured a spoolie brush. The Brow Wiz comes in 9 colors ranging from light to dark with cool and warm undertones. The ultra-slim pencil has a waxy feel and allows you to fill in sparse areas, outline your brows, and mimic natural hairlike strokes. It's easy to apply and the formula lasts all day.

NYX Cosmetics recently came out with their Micro Brow Pencil and we can't help but notice the similarities it has with the ABH Brow Wiz. The NYX Micro Brow Pencil is also a mechanical brow product featuring very similar packaging. It comes in 8 different colors and also features cool and warm undertones. The creator of MakeupGeek, Marlena, filmed a video on her YouTube channel and made a very interesting point about the two brow products. She noticed that both products were made in the same country and that it is likely that both are manufactured in the same exact factory due to the similar formula and packaging.

So what's our conclusion after using both pencils? The NYX Micro Brow Pencil seems to have the same exact formula and packaging as Anastasia's. Same formula, same waxy feel, and the same exact consistency! We haven't noticed any difference between the two after months of using it which is mind blowing! So if you'd like to save a few dollars on your brows we would definitely recommend NYX's brow pencil over ABH Brow Wiz. Anastasia's Brow Wiz is $21 while NYX's Micros Brow Pencil is half the price at $10. Also ULTA usually has buy one get one 50% off for the NYX Brow Pencil, so you would be getting 2 for about $15. Next time you're at ULTA give both a try at the same time and see if you agree with us!

 

 Stay updated with all things beauty with our Instagram: @simply.tria

XO,

RLS

Our Must-Have Eyeshadows

Who doesn’t love a good, neutral palette? Even though Winter is in full swing, we can’t help but grab onto these warm, brown colors year round. Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of great palettes out on the market, for example Tarte’s “Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette.” It has a perfect blend of pre-picked colors for a warm, eye-look. But if you’re a bit more selective with the colors you like, customizing a palette might be a better idea. Also, keep in mind that you can slowly build a custom palette overtime and don't have to buy all of the eyeshadows at once. You can purchase a palette for as little as 2, to as many as 15 eyeshadows.

Here's one palette we customized using MAC Cosmetics and Makeup Geek shadows. The color selections, pigments, and texture of both brand's eyeshadows are like no other. MAC eyeshadows are a cult-favorite. You can purchase them individually with packaging for $16 or the magnetic pans for only $10. Makeup Geek shadows can only be purchased in pan forms and retails for only $6 a pan.  They are nearly half the price of high end shadows without sacrificing quality. Bonus: MUG shadows are talc, paraben, and cruelty-free. Despite the price difference between the brands, they're very similar in quality and color range.

The palette in the picture is one of MAC's pro palettes that can only be purchased at pro stores. We also like using Z palettes for storing eyeshadows, but MAC's palettes are a bit more sturdy.

Here are the links you need to customize a MAC palette:
1. Choose a palette and eyeshadow insert
2. Choose your favorite shadows!

PS. If you'd like to put any non-MAC eyeshadows in a MAC palette, you have to add magnets to the bottom of the eyeshadows so they stay secure in the palette.

From Left to Right:

Top Row:
 Makeup Geek “Corrupt"

Makeup Geek “Cocoa Bear"
Makeup Geek “Latte"
Makeup Geek “Crème Brulee”
Makeup Geek “Shimma Shimma”

Middle Row:
 MAC “Carbon"
MAC “Brown Down"
MAC “Espresso”
MAC “Swiss Chocolate”
MAC “Saddle”

Bottom Row:
 MAC “Brown Script"
MAC “Texture”
MAC “Cork"
MAC “Soft Brown"
MAC ”Bamboo”



Follow us on Instagram: @simply.tria

XO,
RLS

     

Battle of the Lolitas

It's possibly the best selling liquid lipstick at Sephora and the most infamous one with a story, Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita. Almost everyone and their mothers either have this shade of lipstick in their makeup collection or it is on their most wanted list. Not only is this shade & formula the most desired, but there is a whole story behind it:

When the original Lolita came out a couple of years ago, it was all the rage (no surprise). Everyone had subscribed to Sephora's "email me when in stock" to quickly get their hands on when it came back in stock. When it finally did, people were surprised. The color was entirely different and reformulated. It was a lot browner than the beloved warm, rosy original Lolita. It was a love or hate relationship with the new Lolita. When the third time came around, they got the color back.

Since Lolita is a cult-favorite, it was no surprise for Kat Von D to release a sister shade called Lolita II. Lolita II officially made its debut when Kat Von D Beauty came out with a Lolita Lip Duo at Sephora. Lolita II is a warm, terracotta nude that would suit any skin tone. The formula and longevity of the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick remains bulletproof & not too drying. The Lip Duo contains a 0.1 fluid oz of the 2nd formulation of Lolita (chestnut rose) & the new Lolita II. This limited edition, holiday package costs $19.50 and is currently only available at Sephora stores in limited quantity. See swatches below:

 

If the three reformulations & release of Lolita II wasn't confusing enough, Kat Von D recently announced she will be releasing a shade called OG Lolita.

If you're ever on the market for a great dupe of the chestnut rose Lolita since it's always sold out, you have to check out NYX Cosmetics Liquid Suede Creme Lipstick in Soft Spoken. Soft Spoken is almost the same exact color as Lolita but has a slightly different formula. It's definitely equally as creamy as Lolita but has a lighter formula that give the lips almost a "suede" soft feel. So the decision is up to you, would you like to save or splurge!

Stay tuned for images on our Instagram: simply.tria

XO,

RLS

Pick a Polish!

As we head deeper into the fall and winter months we like to switch up our nail polish a bit. Fall calls for more neutral, warm, and dark colors as opposed to the bright colors we love to wear during Summer. Here are some of our Essie polish picks we think can be worn year round!

From left to right:
 Angel Food
Minimalistic
Fiji
Sand Tropez
Miss Fancy Pants
Wicked

Make sure you check out our Instagram for your weekly beauty & lifestyle dose!

XO, 
RLS

MUFE HD Foundation vs Ultra HD Foundation

The Make Up For Ever HD Foundation was the first foundation to introduce makeup in High Definition form. It revolutionized the power of makeup for film & TV industry use. It was a holy grail foundation for years to come. Just a few months ago, Make Up For Ever reformulated and replaced the beloved original HD Foundation. The new & improved foundation is now called the Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation, but what's the difference? Is it better than the original? Find out more by reading below where we compare the different properties of each foundation.

Let's start off with the original HD Foundation. It was an oil-free foundation that evened the skin with it's medium buildable coverage while remaining invisible, even under the most magnifying HD lens. If you have problematic skin, this foundation would not be able cover your imperfections entirely (so we suggest spot concealing any troubled areas after application). The High Definition property lived up to it's name. This foundation photographed beautifully with absolutely no flashback. The color range was another reason why everyone loved this foundation. With nearly 25 different colors & tones, you were sure to find your right match.

Now onto the new Make Up For Ever “Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation.” There have been mixed reviews on this foundation ever since it was released just a few months ago. It seems as if most people either love or hate the foundation but we're kind of stuck in the middle! Most people were obsessed with the previous formulation of the foundation and don't love the new formulation as much. In our opinion, even though the new formula is different than the previous one, it's still a good, solid foundation. The new formula goes on quite sheer but can be packed on to provide full coverage. One thing we've noticed is that it doesn't cover blemishes (similar to the previous formula) and when you add more foundation to get additional coverage it can get pretty heavy/thick on the skin. Similar to the previous formula, there are several shades to choose from which is great because you can get a color that's almost a perfect match for your skin. Overall, we think this is a great foundation for everyday use and we would recommend it to those who have dry to combination skin. Girls with oily skin will most probably find that the foundation melts off and doesn't last all day, even if it's set with powder.

If you'd like to purchase the new MUFE Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation click here!

XO, 
RLS