Being that I am so into makeup now, I am not afraid to try a lot of products. Sometimes I buy off impulse and other times I’ve heard great things about a product. One of the things that I can’t seem to stop buying is foundation.

I have extremely oily skin. I tend to blot a lot through the day and I HAVE to wear a powder or else I will shine. So today I’m going to share some of my favorite foundations! Below you will find a mix of high end and low end foundations that I love. I will stick my disclaimer here and say everything isn’t for everybody. Just because something works for me does not mean it will work for you. You have to be willing to try different products to find the right fit. Pro Tip!: Sephora offers samples of products for free so be sure to check them out if you want to save coins.

These are my top 5 foundations for oily/acne prone skin (in order):

1. Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation ($25)
   Since this came out it has been my go to foundation. It goes on smooth, it’s fairly inexpensive compared to other high-end foundations, and there is a shade that matches me perfectly! The only downside is that my shade is very popular. It’s always sold out in stores and online shipping is always delayed *cues dramatics*.
   My shade: Cool Golden
   
   
2. Maybelliene Fit Me Matte & Poreless ($6-$8)
   If you’re like me and prefer buildable or full coverage, drugstore foundations can be a hit or miss. The Fit Me collection is awesome because it has a good range of colors for a low price. It’s also easy to find because you can get it anywhere including Ulta, Target, Walmart and Walgreens. So if you run out of foundation you can quickly grab a bottle.
   My shade: Classic Tan 335 (fall/winter) Spicy Brown 338 (Summer)
   
   
3. Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Foundation ($34)
   I know you’re probably thinking I’m going to hype Fenty Beauty up and you are absolutely……correct sis! Rihanna blew me away with her makeup line. The foundation is lightweight and has a wide range so it’s possible for more than 1 color to work for you. It also has nice coverage but it oxidizes so you have to be careful when choosing your shade. The deeper shades have been sold out since launch, however, I did notice that some of them are available on Sephora’s website.
   My shade: 380
   
   
4. MAC Studio Fix Foundation ($29)
   Holy grail! When I first started wearing makeup MAC was all I knew. I was scared to try other brands because MAC is such a universal name in the makeup world so how could you go wrong with it? The Studio Fix is still one of my favorite foundations to use, in liquid and in powder form.
   My shade: NC47
   
   
5. Milani Cream to Powder ($7-$9)
   It’s so funny how I came across this one on a whim and it ended up being a fave. As the name suggests, its a cream to powder foundation which I had never heard of. It goes on quite smooth and gives off a matte finish. The downside is that the only place I have been able to find my shade is Walgreen’s but it is also available online.
   My shade: Spiced Almond
   
   

Let’s chat! Have you tried any of these foundations? Let me know your favorite in the comments below.

The post My Favorite Foundations for Oily Skin appeared first on Running Erins.

If you have a schedule like mine, long get aways may not always be convenient. This is where staycations come in! I’ve lived in the DMV all of my life, except those years in Baltimore for college, and I feel like there is still so much that I haven’t done in the area. Staycations give me the opportunity to do things outside of my ordinary activities.

Staycations can be just as fun as any other vacation if you plan out some things to do and remember to take time to relax. All though mine might not have been fully planned out, I did 3 staycations this year. Each one has given me time to rest, unwind, and experience new things. But I still feel like I could use more vacations Here is a bit more information on my 3 staycations:

1. D.C.
   I live about 20 minutes outside of the city but I hate driving in D.C. and parking is always a nightmare so I almost never spend a day out there. My friend decided that she wanted to come down from Baltimore to spend her birthday in D.C. She got a room at The W (fancy) and we just decided to wing it. I knew I would love the hotel when we walked in because they had a pictures of Beyoncé and Rihanna on the walls. They also poured us a glass of champagne upon checking in and gave us drink coupons for the bar upstairs since our room wasn’t ready. We decided to eat at The Hamilton for lunch which I had never been to so I was excited to try the food. Once night rolled around, we headed out to a hookah bar for drinks. We met some dope people who bought us shots, went out for pizza at the end of the night, and overall had a good time not too far from home.
   
2. Virginia
   I originally wanted to go out of town for my birthday but for some reason things just weren’t working out. And I was lucky they didn’t because all of the places I wanted to go ended up being hit by the hurricanes right around my birthday. When I decided to stay home, my boyfriend put together a quick staycation for us. I had no idea where we were going or what we were going to do which was exciting and nerve wrecking at the same time. We ended up staying in a part of Virginia that I had never been to before. We went to a nice dinner one night and spent the next day at the mall trying out a sushi restaurant. We both spend a lot of time at work so doing a staycation baecation gave us time to enjoy each other’s company, connect, and get some rest that was well needed.
3. Baltimore
   I know what you’re thinking….”Baltimore isn’t in the DMV.” I completely agree but it is accessible from the DMV so it fits! My birthday wouldn’t have been complete without some time spent with my girls. I decided that I wanted to get some of my friends together and do a wine tasting and tour. I found a lot of different places all throughout D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. Even in cities I’ve never heard of (like where the hell is Boonsboro?) And eventually decided on Boordy Vineyards right outside of Baltimore. The tour was pretty boring because I expected to actually see the wine being made (I guess I watch too much tv). Instead you just listen to a guy talking about the process and he wasn’t the most interesting person in the world so of course the wine tasting was my favorite part. We got to sample 8 different wines, a mix of reds and whites, and decided to buy 2 bottles to drink there because why not?! I got a hotel room near BWI so we could keep the party going (even though they said no parties shhh). We went out to dinner at a small Mexican bar called Toro Bravo before heading to the room. The food/drinks were delicious and they sang happy birthday to me with fried ice cream and a sombrero. When we got back, we drank and played card games; nothing too fancy just a little fun.
   

As you can see, my staycations definitely weren’t over the top or very expensive but I still had fun! This year was about creating experiences for me and that’s just what I did. Sometimes you don’t need to be very fancy; you just need to getaway. That’s why staycations are perfect to clear your mind, let loose, and just have fun!

The post Staycations in the DMV appeared first on Running Erins.

I was sitting down with my blogger sister, Bri, a few months ago when she asked me who is my current style inspo. Without hesitation I answered, “Cardi B.” She had the most confused look on her face which was hilarious because if you know me, you know my style is definitely more of a comfy/cute. But I also love fashion (Rihanna is also an all time fave). I love seeing the way celebrities, or even other bloggers, put together an outfit. She continued by asking me “Well how would you describe your style?” And of course I said “Comfy/cute” at first but I followed it by saying “I also like to be a little Sophisti-Ratchet which is why I like Cardi B.”

Whether she is wearing Fashion Nova or Alexander Wang, you have to admit that Cardi B has been KILLING the fashion scene all 2017! From award shows to New York Fashion Week to her performance outfits. She displays her style in a way that is completely unique to her. She knows what works for her figure and she is not embarrassed by wearing inexpensive clothing. She can dress up in a ball gown or dress all the way down to something with little material. And I think it’s so dope!

Check out a few of my favorite looks from Cardi B in the gallery above!

*all pictures have been pulled from Cardi B’s Instagram*

The post Style Inspo featuring Cardi B appeared first on Running Erins.

The days leading up to her launch had me on edge! I mean her line was set to drop at is 3am EST and I was contemplating all week if I should stay up for it. You know most celebrities will put out something and it is so limited that you have to be one of the first 5 people online. I was even willing to be late for work the next morning because I just couldn’t miss out. Clearly I was not thinking straight because of course it was also going to be in Sephora stores which is where I eventually bought it. And you know I didn’t wait until I got off work; I went right to the Sephora in JCPenney’s across from my job.

I was literally in awe of the entire line. I said forget lunch and spent my entire break admiring the collection. I got matched for the Pro Filt’r Foundation (my shade is 380) and ended up walking out with the “Killawat” highlight duo in “Moscow Mule/Ginger Binge” too. I also really wanted the “Trophy Wife” Killawat but I could not give RiRi all of my coins y’all!

Seeing the commercials and pictures showed how truly diverse Rihanna’s line would be. Black women spend the most money in the beauty industry (80% more than non-black women) BUT we are also the most underrepresented. So seeing a line that was specifically catered to make sure every woman found a match was truly amazing. I tried out the whole line but found that the foundation and highlighters were my favorite items. The foundation has a great consistency with buildable coverage and a nice smell. The highlighters are great but just like anything else you have to find which ones work for you (you will see in my swatches that some of them did not appear too well on my skin). I have oily skin so the primer was too soft for me; I like a very matte coverage. And the lipgloss was nice (with an amazing smell) but it was slightly small for the price in my opinion.

All in all I will stan for Rihanna and any other black woman who wants to represent black women! Her first launch went amazing by selling out all of the dark shades in the foundation. I cannot wait to see what she will do next.

The post Fenty Beauty appeared first on Running Erins.