I finally found the one

I had been having the worst time trying to find a good primer that would stand up to the Florida heat and humidity, and tried several different primers that all promised to keep me matte and minimize the appearance of my pores with little to no follow through. The only primer that worked was Becca Ever Matte Poreless Primer, but it caused me to break out pretty bad. So, finally when Katie kept recommending this primer, I decided to take the plunge and I was not disappointed!

I finally found "the one" primer that'll keep me matte for most of the day and it doesn't break me out so it's a total win-win! 

Make Up For Ever Step 1 Mattifying Primer 

None of these except for Make Up For Ever's primer helped keep me matte without breaking me out. I also tried Benefit's POREfessional, Smashbox Photofinish, and E.L.F.'s primer with no luck.

What's your one and only makeup product that stands above all others?

Make Up Forever primer

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Sephora Birthday Love

One of my favorite birthday month goodies each year is the free gift from Sephora from their Beauty Insider Program. This year's gift was a set of two mini lip pencils, and I'm already having fun playing around with both shades.

I also ordered the Make Up Forever primer that Katie has raved about and recommended while I've been on the hunt for a primer that'll not only keep my face from becoming an oil slick in the Florida heat, but also not cause me to break out even more. The struggle has been real folks, and I think I've finally found "the one". So far it has been working better than any other primer I've tried, and I'm not noticing an increase in breakouts. I'll definitely come back in a few weeks with a full review.

I also restocked by blush, as I hit the pan on my NARS Deep Throat, and wanted to go back to my favorite baked blush from the Sephora Collection. To top off my order, I added an offer code for the VIB Appreciation Sample Bag (Offer code is VIBTHANKS) which was packed full of deluxe samples

Make Up Forever Primer | Baked Blush in Mangobeam | VIB Appreciation Sample Bag

NARS Birthday Gift | 3 Samples with order

Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

*One Year Bolder Indeed*

Make Up Forever NARS primer Sephora

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Battle of the New Primers

I have been on the hunt for a good primer especially with the hottest and most humid months of the year fastly approaching. I've used Benefit's POREfessional and Stay Flawless in the past, and while both worked nicely, neither gave me the all day coverage I was looking for. I would say the Stay Flawless worked better than the POREfessional, but no where near the 15 hours they claim for it to work. I'd say more like 4-5 hours before I'm reaching for the oil blotting papers.

After a recommendation from the fabulous Deborah, I purchased the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer during Sephora's Spring VIB Sale. I must say this primer is fabulous for illuminating my skin and hydration, however I still find myself reaching for oil blotting papers by lunchtime. It definitely works better than other primers I've tried in the past few years, but I still haven't found "the one". 

I've also tried Maybelline's Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser recently when I picked it up from Target *of course*. I will say it's definitely not a primer, and unfortunately I didn't see a difference in it minimizing my pores at all. I was hoping that it would compare to Benefit's POREfessional, and it definitely fell short. So much for wishing for a cheaper dupe.

I will say that it was great in smoothing out my skin before applying primer and then my regular makeup. But it just felt like an unnecessary extra step in my skin care routine, and I was disappointed that it did nothing to minimize my pores or control oil. 

What primers have you tried out lately? Any fails or total wins?

beauty Maybelline primer Too Faced

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Favorite Mail Week

Fridays seriously are the best days! 

My favorite mail days are when my new Rocksbox arrives with pretty new baubles.

If you've never heard of the amazingness that is Rocksbox, it's like Netflix for jewelry. They send you 3 beautiful pieces at a time, and you wear them for as long as you want. When you're done, ship them back, and they'll ship you a new set. You can also choose to keep pieces at a discount if you fall in love with a certain beautiful necklace like I did. It's only $19 a month, but your first month is free if you sign up using this code - katebff27

My other favorite mail days, are when my black and white striped box arrives from Sephora. My goodies came in from the Spring VIB Sale, and I'm super excited to try out Bumble & Bumble's Sunday Shampoo and the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Primer recommended by Deborah. I also picked up a replacement brush for my Clarisonic Mia, as it had been embarrassingly too long since the last time I changed it out. 

Thursday was my 1 year anniversary at work, and my boss surprised me with tropical themed cupcakes which was too sweet of her. They were of course delish!

I'm super excited to head down to West Palm Beach for SunFest, some of my favorite bands and DJ's will be performing and I've heard nothing but great things about this music festival. I may have to steal Pamela's festival fringe look for the occasion. 

My favorite boys in pinstripes started making their much needed come back this week, by beating the Tigers 3 games in a row. CC still can't seem to pull out a win, but we are starting to pull it together finally.

*Brrrr it still looks super cold up there*

Loving some of my favorite finds on Pinterest:

Linking up today with Rebecca for That Friday Blog Hop, Christina for 5 on Friday, Tif for High Five for Friday, and Amanda for Friday Favorites. Hop on over and join us! Happy Friday!

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Don't forget to enter the $200 Lululemon Giveaway!

Bumble & Bumble Clarisonic primer Rocksbox Sephora

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Spring Cleaning Weekend

**First things first - if you have my URL saved in your browser as peridotkutie.blogspot.com please note it has changed to greenfashionistablog.com. Yes, I have finally purchased a domain, and it gets redirected to my old URL. Still trying to figure out how to not just be re-directed, but for my domain to be the main URL**

Oh Monday we meet again, but I'm not complaining as much as usual because I actually feel refreshed and ready to take on the week. It was unseasonably cool this weekend which meant relaxing outdoors with good friends and some good ol' fashioned spring cleaning with all the windows open.

I started off my Friday with 25% off my iced skinny vanilla latte with a reward on my app, while sifting through some of the business cards I picked up at last week's blogger meet and sweet.

Lunch time called for a stop at Trader Joe's to restock on cookie butter and cheap wine. I also picked up a bundle of daffodils for only $1.49... TJ's you win again! 

Later, I met up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while for some happy hour outside. Good fattening food, drinks, and laughs are always good for the soul. Afterwards, we made our way over to World of Beer for one last drink where I tried their beer mimosa which was delish!

Saturday made way for a beautiful bike ride before a Target run and heading over to a friend's to continue our Harry Potter marathon in their home theater.

After Sarah mentioned the limited edition birthday frappuccino, I knew I had to pick it up when I was at the Target Starbucks, and it was delish! Today, is the last day so if you haven't tried one yet go get one! And don't be afraid to ask for them to make it with skim milk to help lessen the calorie bomb!

The girls enjoyed lots of some wine while the guys drank their manly beers, and we munched on dips and grilled out before saying goodbye to the beautiful sunshine and hello to the dark theater for some HP time.

Sunday called for some spring cleaning and a few new beauty items.

*My daffodils from TJ's started blooming*

I feel like none of the primers I've been using work. They either leave my face in a total oil slick still or cause me to break out even worse than I already am... really not cool. So, I decided to try out a cheaper primer when I saw e.l.f.'s poreless primer at Target for only $6. If it doesn't work, at least it's not as much as the $30-$40 primers I've tried that haven't worked. 

I also picked up Essie's new Flowerista from their spring 2015 collection, and it's just as beautiful in person as it is online. Definitely a must buy!

Joining Biana for Weekending

and

Lisa and Bella for Weekend Recap

beauty e.l.f. Essie primer Starbucks

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