Fun In the Summer Sun

June 30, 2016July 1, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

I LOVE summer!

Summer is by far my favorite season of the year! The best part about the summer is all the beautiful sunny days, the worst part about summer is sunburn!

Unfortunately for me, most sunscreens usually make my skin break out. It is a catch 22, do I chose to get breakouts or sunburn. Since I have fair skin and work as an oncology nurse, I usually opt to suffer through the breakout while saving my skin from the sun. Thankfully there are all different kinds of makeup that can make you look good while also keeping you safe and healthy while you are in the sun. Fortunately with these products I don’t have to choose between the two. It is so nice to not have to look like a greasey mess with breakouts while protecting myself from the sun’s rays.

Here are a few that I recommend:

ChapStick Ultra, Moisturizing Lip Balm, SPF 30- Trust me from personal experience, you want to prevent your lips from getting sun burned! This lip balm has SPF 30. Reapply often and be glad that you have spared yourself the pain of burnt lips.

Lorac Breakthrough Performance Lipstick- If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you already know that I am a HUGE fan of Lorac Cosmetics. Here is another awesome reason to love them. This lipstick is not only moisturizing, long wearing, paraben-free, and has Vitamin E and olive fruit oil for anti aging, but it also has SPF of 15. It comes in 5 beautiful shades and right now is on sale for only $10 on the Lorac site.

bareMinerals Pure Brightening Serum Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20 This paraben free foundation was the winner of the Allure magazine Best of Beauty. It comes in 20 different shades and is available at Sephora, Ulta and Nordstrom for around $18.

IT COSMETICS Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+ “Why did IT Cosmetics create this product: To finally give women an all-in-one multi-tasking beauty miracle that truly gives full, flawless, perfect coverage, protects your skin with SPF 50+ from the harmful rays of the sun and is clinically proven to improve skin texture and hydration. IT Cosmetics worked with plastic surgeons to develop a multi-tasking correcting cream that is true scientific breakthrough. It’s packed with anti-aging ingredients that is clinically proven to improve skin and works on all ages, that doesn’t crease or crack!” Available at Ulta and Itcomsmetics.com for $38.00.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Compact Makeup with SPF 55. SPF 55 is no joke! Overall I really like the Neutrogena brand. They have a lot of great products to offer. This compact provides buildable coverage without it feeling greasy and heavy. It blends easily, is oil free and dermatologist tested. You can find it at Target, Walmart and most drug stores or at Ulta for around $14.

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Make up

Lorac Pro 3

May 12, 2016May 16, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood5 Comments

I am a huge fan of the cosmetic brand Lorac. Every thing I have tried has been awesome. Here is sneak peak of the new @loraccosmetics Lorac Pro 3 palette!!! I can’t wait to get my hands on this! Should be available sometime at the beginning of the summer. (Photo credit goes to a screenshot of Tati Westbrook @glamlifeguru video today)

Lorac Pro 3 palette | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — I cannot wait to get my hands on this gorgeous palette!

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Make up · Review

YouTube Made Me Buy It

May 4, 2016October 29, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood14 Comments

Have you ever been watching a Beauty YouTube video and thought to yourself, “Wow, that sounds so great, I NEED to go get that!”? Yup, me too, I definitely have!

Sometimes these YouTube recommended items are “Winners”, and sometimes…”Not So Much”.

Here are a few things that YouTube Made Me Buy…

**Of course, just because some of these products didn’t work out for me doesn’t mean that they aren’t great products. Makeup is such a personal thing, and I still take recommendations from Beauty YouTubers.**

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle

I LOVE this! It really is a 3 minute miracle, it is awesome. I can’t quite place my finger on the scent to describe it, I don’t know, maybe a sweet citrus vanilla/orange creamsicle scent. I don’t know if that really describes it, but I really like it. It leaves my hair feeling super soft and healthy. I have already repurchased this three times since I originally tried this one back in September.

In my opinion, Aussie 3 Minute Miracle gets a rating of Winner!

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

Beauty YouTubers rave about this mascara! I am a big fan of Maybelline mascaras so I thought that with all the hype surrounding this one I was bound to love it. NOPE! I don’t like this mascara at all, not even one little bit. I hate the brush, I hate the formula and I hate that it smudged all over my upper lids. The few times that I wore it I looked like a hot mess!

For me, this mascara gets a rating of “Not so much”

Coty Airspun powder

If you can get over the overly excessive perfume scent of this powder then you are in for a great product! I love the way this powder applies and how it lasts. I am very sensitive to the way things smell, and despite the scent, I love it. Now that I have been using it for a while, I don’t even notice the way that it smells.

Rating of Winner!

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

This is going way way back in my YouTube watching. The first beauty YouTuber that I ever consistently watched was Huda Katan of Huda Beauty. (I wrote a whole post about her, she’s awesome!) She has beautiful skin and she highly recommended this CeraVe Moisturizing Cream. I purchased it on her recommendation and have been a believer ever since!

Rating of Winner!

Wet n Wild Silk Finish Lipstick, Will You Be With Me? 503C

Look at that color! It is beautiful! I think that this shade will work beautifully on so many different skin tones and shades. So many Beauty YouTubers have talked about this shade of WnW lipstick, and for only $0.99 USD it is a real steal. On the down side this lipstick does tend to dry out the lips, but nothing a bit of balm can’t cure.

Rating of Winner!

Lorac Pro Palette

I could go on and on and on about this palette. I actually don’t think that YouTubers give enough love to the LORAC brand. Everything from Lorac that I have ever tried has been amazing. I LOVE my Lorac Pro Palette! If you are planning on splurging on something special I highly recommend this absolutely wonderfully beautiful palette. Read more about what I love about this palette by clicking HERE.

Rating of Double Extra Winner!

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

NOPE! I have given this concealer so many chances! I don’t know if I just got a bad one, but it has never worked for me! It is thin and watery yet it creases and just makes my under eye area look crepey. I definitely don’t want to bring more attention to the wrinkles under my eyes! I have heard so many YouTubers talk about how awesome this concealer is, so I am sad that it didn’t work out for me.

Rating of Not So Much.

On the other hand, that brings me to the next item that YouTube made me buy…

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer + Treatment in brightener-

I may not like the Fit Me concealer, but this Age Rewind concealer has never let me down! I love the smooth consistency and the easy application. I really love the way it just melts into my skin making my under eye area look smooth and fresh. I wrote a whole post about it that you can read by clicking HERE.

Rating of Winner!

Loreal Voluminous Volume Building Mascara Blackest Black

I hate this mascara! Possibly due to the fact that I got it in waterproof, I’m not sure. I don’t know if the regular formula is better, but considering how highly recommended this mascara is, I am guessing that must be the case. The waterproof one is terrible! It is clumpy and thick, it made my eyelashes look terrible!

Rating of Not So Much

eos Lip Balm in Vanilla Mint

I REALLY wanted to like this lip balm! The packaging is so cute and I love the idea of it. But it is just not good. Instead of moisturizing, it actually makes my lips feel dryer and also gives my daughter a rash around her mouth. I didn’t even finish this one, it was that bad.

Definitely a rating of Not So Much

What about you? Have you purchased things solely based on recommendations from YouTubers? I’d love to hear what you have bought and whether or not it worked out for you!

*I bought all of these with my own money. As always, all the opinions are all my own.

Make up

Makeup of the Day

February 6, 2016February 6, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Just in case you are wondering what I am wearing on my face today. Here is a list of my Makeup of the day…

makeup of the day by laurajoli featuring an urban decay eyeshadow

Sephora Collection make up bag
sephora.com

Urban decay eyeshadow
sephora.com

Benefit makeup primer
belk.com

BBrowBar eyelash curler
$26 – liberty.co.uk

Benefit mascara
$25 – harveynichols.com

LORAC lip gloss
beauty.com

L Oréal Paris foundation
$13 – very.co.uk

Milani blush
target.com

Maybelline concealer
target.com

Rimmel face powder
target.com

E l f cheek bronzer
target.com

Make up · Review

LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Lip Gloss Collection Gift Set

January 10, 2016January 10, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

You may remember that I have been on a quest to find some much needed new jeans, yup still haven’t found any yet…why is it so hard to find a great pair of jeans?! So, still no jeans, but I did find some amazing lip glosses!

Yesterday, while shopping around at Kohls, I stopped by the beauty section (obviously, of course, I did.) I wasn’t really planning on buying anything, but found myself looking at all the beautiful Lorac lip glosses. I fell in love!

I couldn’t decide on just which one I wanted. It was a toss up between Goddess and CEO. Then I saw this LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Lip Gloss Collection Gift Set. It doesn’t have Goddess, but it does include CEO.

Let me tell you, I am so glad that I decided to get this gift set! These 6 beautiful glosses were only $25 total! Are you kidding me?! $25?! I thought I probably wouldn’t use all of the colors in the set, but since it was such a great deal I just couldn’t pass this up. It ends up that love all of them! I am enjoying these glosses so much that I am going to go pick up Goddess too.

I don’t know how long this gift set is going to be available, but I highly recommend you go get these or any of the other beautiful Lorac Alter Ego Lip Glosses.

These glosses are highly-pigmented and have a long lasting glossy color without feeling sticky or uncomfortable. I think that they are supposed to have a vanilla scent, but I don’t necessarily think that it is vanilla like. Either way, the scent is definitely a pleasant one. The tip of the applicator works great for the cupids bow as well as getting color in the corners of your lips. Also the angle of the doe foot applicator gives a very smooth application. For me, it was love at first swipe!

I am so happy that I decided to buy this set. Each of these colors is absolutely beautiful in a very different way. I can’t decide which one is my favorite. So far I have really been enjoying wearing Dominatrix and Coquette. (Added bonus, Dominatrix is the type of color that makes your teeth look whiter!) I thought for sure that Sex Symbol and Debutante were not going to work with my skin tone, but when I put them on I was pleasantly surprised at how beautiful both are. I have also worn Debutante over one of my other lipsticks and it looked amazing!

What does the Lorac Website say about these lip glosses:

Instantly transform into a daring debutante with the LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Alter Ego Lip Gloss Set. These sexy and playful lip glosses coat your lips in highly-pigmented, glossy color and are loaded with antioxidants of Acai Berry, Pomegranate, Grape Seed and Vitamins C & E to help protect and soothe your luscious, kissable pout. This captivating set of Alter Ego Lip Glosses comes complete with 6 seductive shades to create any look you covet. Fall head over heels with the Love, Lust & Lace Alter Ego Lip Gloss Set!

Here is a list of the shades included in the LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Lip Gloss Collection Gift Set

Sex Symbol (Exclusive Pink Nude)
Debutante (Exclusive Apricot)
Coquette ( Exclusive Hot Pink)
CEO (Dusty Rose)
Dominatrix (Deep Burgundy)
Vamp (Exclusive Deep Red)

I have really been impressed with the products that I have from Lorac. It is really a great brand! Do you have any of the other Lorac Alter Ego Lip Glosses? I’d love to hear what you think of them!

Make up · Review · Weekly Product Highlight

Lorac Pro Palette Review

January 9, 2016December 27, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood8 Comments

Weekly Product Highlight

I received this palette for Christmas and have been LOVING using it ever since. I am not kidding, I am in LOVE! Look at these beautiful colors! Every time I open this palette I get a happy little feeling! I cannot decide which of these amazing shades is my favorite. I adore Champagne and Nude, but then I look over and see Deep Purple, but look at that Mauve, oh my that… Pewter! I just can’t pick one!


This palette has 8 mattes and 8 shimmery shades. Each matte shades has a similar corresponding shimmer shade. It includes warm, cool and neutral shades. These shadows can be used wet or dry, and work perfectly either way. The palette comes with a Mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer. I have used these both with and without the eyeshadow primer. I actually prefer it without a primer, but that is mostly because I don’t usually use a primer, so I am not used to putting one and and working with it.


I highly recommend this palette! If you are an eyeshadow lover, you NEED this in your life! The shadows are so soft, so smooth and so silky. I every day that I have used these shadows I have loved my eye look. The shadows are highly pigmented and blend like a dream. I am not going to be able to go back to using my other eyeshadows now that I have been spoiled with these.

Top Row is all Matte Shades:White, Cream, Taupe, Light Pink, Mauve, Sable, Espresso, Black.

Bottom Row is all Shimmer Shades:Nude, Champagne (sparkle shade), Gold, Light Bronze, Pewter, Garnet, Deep Purple, Slate

What does the Lorac Website have to say about the Pro Palette…

LORAC PRO PALETTE

Go PRO with the LORAC PRO Palette! Created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw, this PRO artistry palette is packed with 8 Shimmer and 8 Matte Eye Shadows in all the shades you need to create the hottest looks straight from the Red Carpet. LORAC’S velvety-smooth shadows are infused with soothing botanicals and are ultra-pigmented to perform wet or dry so you can shade, shadow, line and define your eyes, just like a PRO.

PRO Palette Contains 16 Eye Shadows and a Mini Behind The Scenes Eye Primer for stay-true color that lasts, a PRO must-have!

Carol’s insider Pro tip…With the PRO Palette, create an everyday matte eye using CREAM Eye Shadow from lash to brow bone, TAUPE in the crease and SABLE or ESPRESSO along top and bottom lash lines. Get a sexy, shimmering eye using NUDE Eye Shadow from lash to brow bone, GOLD or LT. BRONZE on the lid and GARNET or DEEP PURPLE in the outer corner, crease and along top and bottom lash lines.

Make up · Review

New From Maybelline

January 3, 2016January 3, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood11 Comments

Maybe she’s born with it?… In my case, nope, it is most likely Maybelline!

So many of my favorite products are from Maybelline. The brand as a whol is one of my favorites. When it comes to foundations and mascaras, they know what they are doing!

They have recently come out with several new products! I’ll list them in the order that I would apply them if I were to be putting my makeup on.

First up face…

Dream Matte Mousse Foundation.
Maybelline claims that this foundation is ideal for normal to oily skin and provides medium to high coverage. It comes is 12 shades. They suggest that this foundation be applied with their new Dream Blender. This Dream Blender looks like a beauty blender with a handle. Not too sure about that, but maybe it is worth giving a try.

Maybelline | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Dream Velvet™ Foundation
This is their first “hydrating matte foundation.” It is supposed to be for normal to combination skin,with medium coverage giving a soft-matte finish. They claim that the “unique gel-whipped formula” will keep skin hydrated for 12 hours. Once again Maybelline suggests using the Dream Blender to apply this foundation.

Face Studio Master Contour
3-step face contouring kit. This contour palette is available in 2 shade combinations, light to medium 10 and medium to deep 20. Each palette includes three color shades a contour/bronzer, blush and highlight. Maybelline claims that this palette will make contouring the face easy. In my opinion the “contour” shade in the light to medium palette looks like more of an orange like bronzer shade than a true gray toned contour shade. Ok, seriously, does anyone ever use the brush that is included with these things?! Why do they even waste the supplies that it takes to make these little pointless brushes?

Moving along to the eyes…

The Rock Nudes Palette
This 12 shade palette is supposed to be easily broken down into quads, trios and duos. It is supposed to “deliver the ultimate smoky rock nude look and bring out your inner rockstar.” Hmmmm, I personally don’t think that I have an inner rock star…
Did any of you get any of the other “Nudes” Palettes that Maybelline released this past year? Although many of the previous palette shades looked beautiful, due to all the poor reviews that I read and watched, I personally didn’t purchase any. Not sure if I would venture to buy this one either.

Maybelline | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Eyestudio Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencil
This is Maybelline’s first gel eyeliner in a pencil form. This eyeliner comes in 10 different shades. They claim that it is and ultra smooth waterproof formula that is long-lasting with up to 16 hours of wear.

Maybelline | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Lash Sensational Luscious Waterproof Mascara
Maybelline’s original Lash Sensational Mascara quickly became a cult favorite. I have purchased it, but it is still in the package and I haven’t tried it out yet. Now available in a “luscious waterproof” formula, I am excited to see if it lives up to the hype of the original. The brush is supposed to “envelop lashes with a precious oil-infused formula from root-to-tip” while causing the lashes to fan out.
I don’t know how a waterproof mascara can also have oils infused in it, but I guess I will find out if I use it. Although, I may just wait until I hear some reliable reviews before I rush out and buy it for myself…

Maybelline Eye Studio Brow Drama Pomade Crayon
This is their first ever brow pomade crayon available in 4 shades. According to Maybelline you can get the perfect brow in just one easy sweep that both sculpts and tames! If only everything in life were that simple… Maybelline | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Last but not least…Lips…

Color Sensational Vivids Lipcolor
Available in 10 different matte, “bold, vivid shades, that glide easily onto the lips”. The formula is supposed to give full color coverage and be comfortable and creamy with a smooth application that dries to a “velvety” matte finish. Clearly Maybelline is loving the word “velvety” this season. I have seen a few reviews that say that these vivid matte lipcolors are not actually a true matte liquid lipstick, but actually more of a liquid cream. It seems as if they never actually fully dry down and become matte.
I personally don’t usually like matte liquid lipsticks. I want my lips to always be shiny, slick, and glossy. That being said the chances of me trying these out is pretty much next to none. I have to say though, the color selection is really pretty.

Do you love Maybelline like I do? Are you planning to try out any of these new products? Let me know in the comments what you have tried and if it is worth picking up.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Make up · Review

Lorac Love Lust Lace Eyeshadow Palettes

January 2, 2016March 3, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood4 Comments

LORAC Love, Lust & Lace Matte & Shimmer Eye Shadow Palettes for the 2015 holiday season are unfortunately a limited edition! They were an Ulta Black Friday exclusives, and I received them as a gift for Christmas. These little beauties were a sweet deal!

Just like the rest of the Lorac Love, Lust & Lace collection, each of these palettes is decorated with a pretty blue and silver lace pattern. Each one contains five eye shadows and a mirror. I liked both of these palettes but think the shimmer one is just a little bit nicer. The shimmery ones are soft, pigmented and even. Matte shades seem to be a bit tougher for companies to get completely right. While I absolutely love all the matte shades in the Lorac Pro Palette, these mattes are a tiny bit more powdery than the those Lorac shadows and not quite as silky smooth to blend. To be honest, though, I would be perfectly content with these had I not been previously spoiled by the awesomeness of the Pro Palette and the wonderfulness of the Naked2 Palette (reviews of both to come soon).

The matte palette includes five shades: light white cream, pale vanilla, medium taupe, medium gray, deep charcoal.

Both the taupe and the gray make perfect transition shades for the crease. I have been using the white as a base all over my lid

Lorac Love Lust Lace Eyeshadow Palettes | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

The shimmer palette also includes five shades: creamy white, pale pink, light taupe, medium/deep brown with golden shimmer, deep brown with a red/plum shimmer.

These shimmery shades are pretty impressive. Great color payoff with not a lot of fall out.

Lorac Love Lust Lace Matte Eyeshadows | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Overall, I love both of these palettes. I think that they made the perfect little stocking stuffer gift for a makeup lover like me. I can’t wait to continue to use these shadows. Overall, I really love the products that I have tried from the Lorac Brand.

(Are these shadows as high quality as the Lorac Pro shadows, no, but they are definitely workable and blendable.)

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Make up · Review

What I Got For Christmas!!!

December 27, 2015December 26, 2015 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Hello everyone! I hope that you all had an absolutely wonderful Christmas day! Praying you all spent your day with those you hold dearest, making memories that you will cherish for a lifetime! I greatly enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my family. We had a wonderful day together. My most favorite gifts of all were not found under the tree.

I was so very excited to receive… not one…not two… not even three… but FOUR new eye shadow palettes. I got the Lorac Pro Palette!!! The Naked 2 Palette and both the matte and the shimmer Lorac Love Lust and Lace palettes. I cannot wait to create all kinda of different types of eye looks with these new palettes!

1, 2, 3, 4! New Eye Shadow Palettes! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I used shadows from the Lorac Pro palette on Christmas day, and I am not going to lie, my eye look was fierce 😉 These shadows are amazing! I am planning to use the Naked 2 palette today. I feel like a little kid, I am so excited about these!

I got my sweet BT Tessie a set of new tiny tennis balls. She is obsessed with playing ball, so she was in Heaven. She kept bringing me the ball and placing it right in front of my camera while I was trying to take pictures of the kids opening their gifts.

What did you get for Christmas? Are you so excited too? Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend!

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