October Favorites

I don't know about you but I'm having a hard time believing it's already November eeeek! I actually kinda look forward to the ends of months because that's when I blog about my favorites and read/watch other people's - these are some of my favorite types of posts/videos :) Without further ado, here are my October faves!

Sizi bilmiyorum ama Kasim ayinda oldugumuza inanmakta zorluk cekiyorum ben! Aslinda ay sonlarini abirsizlikla bekliyorum (biraz) cunku ay sonu demek favoriler postu demek, hem yazmayi hemde diger bloggerlarinkilerini okumayi cok seviyorum :) Lafi daha fazla uzatmadan, iste Ekim ayi favorilerim!

  The Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Adore and Lip Butter in Red Velvet are new to my collection. Though it looks a little scary, Adore is an extremely wearable brick red. Red Velvet is a very rich, blue based, deep red which I find to be buildable. Onto some old faithfuls...First I have (yes, another Revlon product!) Carnation which is an opaque, medium, blue-based pink. Sure, it's not a typical lipstick shade for fall but I love it for fall anyway. MAC's pinky-beige Blankety also came out to play in October. It's been my most-reached-for nude lipstick all month. Lastly, I have MAC's Lovelorn which is a medium blue/pink. Due to its lustre finish it's semi-sheer thus making it more wearable.

Yeni oyuncaklarim Revlon Adore ve Red Velvet'a merhaba diyin. Adore paketinde koyu bir renk gibi gorunsede aslinda bildigimiz kiremit rengi. Red Velvet ise mavi alt tonlu koyu kirmizi. Eski favorilerimden ise yine bir Revlon ruju olan mavi alt tonlu pembe olan Carnation'a yeniden kavustum. Aslinda rengine bakilinca akla gelen mevsim yaz olan Carnation'i ben nedense sonbahar mevsimine cok yakistiriyorum. Son iki favorimde MAC'ten, Blankety ve Lovelorn. Lovelorn'un Lustre bitisinde olusunu ve dolayisiyla opak olmayisini seviyorum, gunluk kullanim icin super.

Revlon Adore, MAC Lovelorn, MAC Blankety, Revlon Carnation, Revlon Red Velvet

Fall was definitely on my cheeks in October with NARS Taj Mahal and NARS Lovejoy and theBalm Cabana Boy.

Sonbahar renkleri yanaklarimdan eksik olmadi Ekim ayinda. En cok NARS'in Taj Mahal ve Lovejoy'unu birde theBalm'in Cabana Boy isimli alligini surundum.

I have dug up two of my limited edition Wet n Wild palettes, Golden Goddess and Sugar Plum Fairy. Both palettes are perfect for fall! Of course, I couldn't conclude the eyeshadows part without a Burberry eyeshadow. Good news, I finally got over Pale Barley. I still do love it. I have, since, been obsessing over Midnight Brown. It's one of those rare colors you can wear on its own and it still looks beautiful.

Farlara goz atalim hemen. Wet n Wild'in gecen kis cikardigi ve limited edition olan Golden Goddess ve Sugar Plum Fairy altili paletleri epey kullandim. Tabii ki favorilerimde bir Burberry fari olmadan olmaz! Sonunda Pale Barley etkisinden kurtuldum. Simdide Midnight Brown'suz bir hayat dusunemez oldum. Isiltili koyu kahverengi ve icinde kucucuk rengarenk simleri olan, kendi basina bile sahane bir goz makyaji yaratabilen nadir farlardan biri bence.

Sephora by O.P.I. Traffic Stopper Copper, Nails Inc. Sloane Square, Essie Leading Lady, Orly Rage, Sephora by O.P.I On Stage, Zoya Mata Hari

I have reached for these pretties the most in October, it's pretty self-explanatory although I have to add that Nails Inc. Sloane Square is the easiest to remove nail polish I have ever experienced. I am not sure if this applies to all Nails Inc. glitter polishes as this was my first one.

Ekim ayi favori ojelerimde boyle, fazla soylenecek birsey yok. Ama sunu eklemeliyim ki, Nails Inc. in yukarida gordugunuz Sloane Square neredeyse tamamen simden olusan bu ojesi hayatimda gordugum cikarilmasi en kolay simli oje! Nails Inc.'in butun simli ojelerimi boyle acaba?!

Lastly, I have developed an enormous love for Bath and Body Works' new scent, Cashmere Glow. It has fall written all over it. The notes in this scent are vanilla, peach and musk. I personally don't pick up peach but vanilla and musk are definitely in it. I picked up the travel-sized trio in the cute packaging with gold bow 1. because I couldn't resist the bow and 2. because we're going on vacation next month, perfect! The individual one was free with a Bath and Body Works coupon.

Son favorim ise Bath and Body Works'un yeni kokusu Cashmere Glow. Bath and Body Works notalari: vanilya, seftali ve misk olarak belirtmis. Ben sahsen seftaliyi pek alamadim, daha cok vanilya ve misk gibi geldi. Seyahat boyu ucluyu almamin nedeni ise 1. Kutusu cok tatli, altin fiyonka bayildim, almazsam aklim kalirdi. 2. Onumuzdeki ay tatile gidiyoruz, cok isime yarayacak bu uclu! Ondeki tekli ise Bath and Body Works kuponuyla bedavaya geldi.

Top 5 Bronzers

Back in the day my answer to "what is one makeup item you'd like to have with you if you were stranded on a deserted island" was always mascara. It's funny that in a matter of couple years that answer has changed to...bronzer! I feel like bronzer is the magic product that can make almost anyone healthier and younger. I don't sport a full face of makeup everyday but bronzer is just a must-have in my book!

Eskiden "issiz bir adaya dusseniz yaniniza alacaginiz tek makyaj urunu ne olurdu" sorusuna cevabim hep maskara olmustur. Ama bu cevap birkac sene icinde bronzlastiriciya donustu. Bronzlastirici bana gore hemen hemen herkesin daha saglikli ve dinc gorunmesini saglayabilen mucizevi bir urun. Hergun ful makyaj yapmasam bile, bronzlastirici olmazsa olmazim.

My very first bronzer, which isn't photographed here, was NARS Casino. I bought it when I was in high school and took care of it as if it was my child. Considering my age, it was anything but affordable. I used it like crazy over its lifespan of 2 years. Then I hit pan on it and it naturally shattered into pieces. Since then I have experimented with bronzers from many different brands (even though I reminisce about Casino from time to time, I think I will just have to repurchase it after all these years) but here are the 5 I have been the happiest with.

Ilk bronzlastircim NARS Casino idi. Lisedeyken aldigim ve cocugum gibi baktigim Casino yasimi ve o zamanlari dusunursek bana epey pahaliya patlamisti. 2 senelik hayatinda bu bronzlastiriciyi deli gibi kullandim diyebilirim. Sonra malesef dibi gorundu ve haliyle paramparca oldu. Bu hikayede boyle bitti. O zamandan bircok markanin bronzlastiricisini kullandim ama asagidaki 5liden sasmam!

Benefit Hoola (11.0g/0.40oz - $28)

Matte, blends very easily, buildable, no mirror, cardboard packaging isn't my favorite

Mat, dagitimi kolay, kat kat surulebilir, ayna yok, karton kutuda olusu pek etkileyeci degil

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel (30g/1oz - $48)

Creamy, mousse-like texture, long-lasting, bulky, pricey, very luxurious packaging

Kopuksu/kremsi yapida, kaliciligi uzun, iri, fiyati tuzlu, kutusu oldukca luks

elf Blush and Bronzing Duo Blushed/Bronzed (8g/.028oz - $3)

Slightly shimmery, very affordable, compact/mirror, can easily double up as a blush (I love using it as a blush)

Hafif pariltili, fiyati uygun, kompakt ve aynali, ayni zamanda allik olarak kullanilabilir (ben sahsen allik olarak cok seviyorum)

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (10g/.35oz - $29)

Matte, smells like chocolate (!!!), long-lasting, buildable

Mat, cikolata kokulu, kaliciligi uzun, istenilen yogunluk icin rahatlikla kat kat surulebilir

theBalm Bahama Mama (7.08g/.25oz - $19)
Matte, smooth, has a mirror, light enough to take along, easily blends

Mat, yumusak, aynali, yaninizda tasimak icin ideal hafiflikte, dagitimi kolay

L-R: Soleil Tan de Chanel, Benefit Hoola, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, theBalm Bahama Mama, elf Duo

What are your favorite bronzers?

Sizin favori bronzlastiricilariniz neler?

theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer

You may remember that I was one of the oh-so-lucky people who spotted a huge stock of theBalm goodies at my local TjMaxx last year, at insanely discounted prices. The gorgeous Betty-Lou Manizer was only one of the many theBalm products I hauled at that time but haven't had the chance to write a proper review on it especially since I was idle for nearly 7 months. I recently developed an unhealthy obsession over it and decided that it deserves it's own little post :)

Gecen sene TjMaxx'te (bilmeyenleriniz icin hemen aciklayayim, istediginiz/istemediginiz bircok markanin ucuzluga ugramis urunlerini bulabileceginiz, icinde cogunlukla kiyamet kopan, savas alani vari bir magaza) tesadufen gezinirken kocaman bir raf dolusu theBalm urunu gorup nasil bir cilginlik yaptigimi hatirliyor olabilirsiniz. Betty-Lou Manizer o cilginligin sadece kucuk bir parcasiydi tabii ki. O zaman hemen review yazmaya vakit bulamamistim ama son zamanlarda sagliksiz bir ask yasadigim Betty-Lou Manizer icin artik bir review gerekliydi!

theBalm markets Betty-Lou Manizer as an all-in-one bronzer, shimmer and eyeshadow. I would describe the color as a subtly shimmery bronze with a golden sheen. Shimmer in this bronzer isn't clearly visible to the eye as it's very finely milled. In other words, you can generously use it all over the face and not look like a disco ball. Just like all the other theBalm powder products, the texture is velvety soft and the color pay-off is a-maz-ing! 

theBalm Betty-Lou Manizer icin 3u 1 arada, bronzlastirici, aydinlatici ve far demis. Rengi bana gore hafif altin isiltili bronz. Oldukca ince ogutulmus oldugu icin yuze uygulandiktan sonra bu isilti cok dikkatli bakmadiginiz surece gozle kolayca gorulemeyecek kadar az. Yani disko topuna donmek zorunda kalmadan, gonul rahatligiyla bronzlastirici gibi uygulayabilirsiniz. Onceden theBalm pudra urunlerini denediyseniz, yapi ayni yumusaklikta ve pigmentasyon her zamanki gibi yine cok basarili.

As always it's a huge plus that the medium-sized compact comes with its own mirror. I am a firm believer in mirrors, all compacts should come with one! In this compact, there is 8.5g/0.3oz of Betty- Lou Manizer and it retails for $24 at thebalm.com. Because I bought mine from TjMaxx, I paid only $12.99 for it. *cha-ching* It's available on both Sephora.com and thebalm.com.

Her zaman oldugu gibi kompaktin icinde aynasi olmasi benim icin buyuk bir arti. Agirligi 8.5 g olan Betty-Lou Manizer thebalm.com'da $24, Turkiye'de iseniz Gratis'ten 40TL'ye temin edebilirsiniz. (Oh be sonunda Turkiye'de de satilan bir urun hakkinda yazdim!!!)

Applied on cheekbones right above bronzer/contouring / Bronzer/kontorun hemen ust kismina uygulanmis hali...

When it comes to the way I utilize this gem of a product, I love using it as an highlighter or bronzer. "Shimmer" can throw people off but I don't find it over powering at all especially considering you don't normally pack highlight/bronzer as you would an eyeshadow. If used as an eyeshadow, you can adjust the intensity as it is a buildable product. I think those with warmer/olive complexions will love this product the most. It may show up a little too orange on lighter skin tones.

Ben Betty-Lou'yu aydinlatici ya da bronzlastirici olarak kullanmayi tercih ediyorum. Isilti kelimesi sizi yaniltmasin, kesinlikle abartili bir isiltisi yok. Zaten bronzer ya da aydinlaticiyi far uygulamasinda oldugu gibi kat kat surmedigimiz icin abartili olmasi pek soz konusu degil. Far olarak kullanimida gayet kolay, yogunluk rahatca ayarlanabiliyor. Sahsen Betty-Lou'nun bugday/sicak tenle daha uyumlu olacagini dusunuyorum. Acik tende hafif turuncuya kacabilecegini dolayisiyla dogal durmayacagini dusunuyorum.


Have your tried theBalm? What are your favorite products?
theBalm'i denediniz mi? Favori urunleriniz neler?

theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzer

Next up in my theBalm series is the Bahama Mama bronzer. I didn't need another bronzer but again the $9.99 price tag was too good of a deal to walk away from. I would literally have nightmares about it had I left TjMaxx without this product that day.

I usually end up loving my impulse purchases so much afterwards. Bahama Mama is yet another one of those products. I didn't need a bronzer because I thought I was satisfied with the other 3 I already own. Right when you think you found the bronzer, you find another one. It's a vicious cycle. I used to be in love with Too Faced Chocolate Soleil (which I still do like) until Bahama Mama came along.

The matte and rich brown color of Bahama Mama makes it the perfect contour shade for my skin tone. It's not one of those deceiving bronzers that look brown in the pan and orange when applied. I find Bahama Mama to be quite pigmented and easily buildable to desired intensity. The texture is soft, kind of comparable to Benefit Hoola. Color transfers beautifully on the skin and it's a breeze to blend. It gives my face a nice warmth and does a wonderful job defining cheekbones. I find it to last all day without the need of touch  ups.

I just couldn't conclude my post without comparison swatches of Bahama Mama and 3 other popular bronzers.

L-R: Bahama Mama, Benefit Hoola, elf Bronzer, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil

Bahama Mama is the darkest of the 4 and closest to elf's bronzer and blush duo's bronzer side. It's much darker than Benefit Hoola and Too Faced Chocolate Soleil, which I was head over heels in love with previously. And Hoola even more previously. (Read my Chocolate Soleil review here if interested) Since discovering Bahama Mama, Chocolate Soleil got placed on the back burner. In other words, Bahama Mama > Chocolate Soleil > Hoola. I feel like Bahama Mama makes a great contour color for me which is the main reason I use bronzers anyway. Don't get me wrong, these are all great bronzers and I was insanely attached to each at one point. I just happen to love my newest bronzer a little more at the moment.

Bahama Mama retails for $19 at Sephora and theBalm's website. As I've been suggesting, make sure to check your TjMaxx if you're interested in trying theBalm products. You may find them there for much cheaper prices.

Wishing you all a wonderful week! ♥

theBalm Frat Boy

I'm sure many of you have seen that I've gone a little theBalm crazy at TjMaxx couple weeks ago. If you've missed my haulage post click here. There were a few ladies that wanted me to review Frat Boy first so here it is! ;)

Color

According to theBalm it's peachy/apricot - according to me it's pinky/peach.

Packaging 

Cute, and reminds me of high school! The blush is embedded in cardboard packaging and is a compact with a mirror. I always love to find a mirror in there! I normally do not take blushes with me but it's nice to know that I can if I want to. The compact is pretty thin and light in weight.

Texture/Finish

Velvety smooth and applies like a breeze. It's very easy to blend and I find it to be buildable if you like more color. It is a matte blush thus making it great for those who don't like shimmer or glitter overload products.

 Lasting Power

Lasts between 6 to 7 hours, then starts to slowly fade.

Who is it good for?

People who don't like shimmer and just want a flush of color that's easy to wear during the day. It's a great everyday blush!
People who prefer paraben/sulfate/synthetic-free products. Yes, theBalm makes many of their products without many chemicals. Check each product ingredient list, some of them have chemicals that others don't.

As you can see from my photos above, it looks more pink than anything on me and on my swatches. Okay maybe I see a little hint of peach if I focus well!

Frat Boy retails for $21 (.03oz) at Sephora but I scored it for $9.99 at TjMaxx, yeah that was a good day! I do like this blush and have been reaching for it quite a bit these days, I haven't really been wearing a variety of colors for makeup lately. Frat Boy is perfect when I want a little bit of color on my face without the effort. It gives me that healthy look :)

What do you think of theBalm? Any favorites?

Discovering - TheBalm

I have heard of TheBalm many times before, thanks to all the blog posts I have seen featuring their gorgeous products. I just didn't know which part of the brand I should tackle first. So I made a small list of few products and forgot about them once I stepped a foot in Sephora. It's just really difficult to follow a list and is very easy to lose track in that store! :D

While shopping at TjMaxx the other day, I decided to check out the bath/body/beauty area....and what do I see? A huge shelf of TheBalm goods! Score!

First Impressions of the brand...

 - TheBalm has great sense of humor, product/shade names clearly show that!
- Cute and fun packaging
- All products (at least the ones I have shown in this post) are compacts, in other words come with mirrors
- Even more importantly majority of TheBalm products are formulated without Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic Fragrances/Dyes, Petrochemicals, Phthalates, GMOs and Triclosan

I didn't include any swatches in this as this post is just a haul/first impressions post. I think it'd be more appropriate to include swatches with reviews which I will do for each as I try them.
 
Bahama Mama

Bronzer

Frat Boy
Peach/Apricot Blush

Shady Lady Vol. 3
9 Shimmery Eye Shadows/Eyeliners

Meet Matt(e)
9 Matt Shades

Betty-Lou Manizer
All-in-one Gold Highlighting/Bronzing Powder, Eyeshadow

If you have been wanting to try TheBalm (at more affordable prices) definitely check out your local T.J.Maxx or Marshalls stores. I know these stores can be totally unpredictable but in my opinion it's worth a try! I got all of these products for at least half off their retail prices if not more.

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend! ♥

Have you tried any of these products?