Summer Empties/ My Thoughts!

Summer Empties!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind in Neutralizer shade - This was ok for color correcting my dark circles. I liked using it as a concealer/face highlight when I was really tan. The packaging is kind of annoying, and  as you can see, a bunch of mine is stuck on the sides. I might repurchase this in one of the normal shades. 

Maybelline Volum' express cat eyes mascara - This was ok. I like the brush shape for getting the lashes on the outer edges. It's good for lengthening but not so much for thickening. Won't repurchase.

Jordana best lash extreme volumizing mascara - A very good mascara. Thickens better than it lengthens, but really great for the super low price ($3). I MAY repurchase because I like it BUT it isn't waterproof.

Maybelline Fit Me concealer in 115 - I like this mascara a lot and have already repurchased it. It is similar to my HG NARS radiant creamy concealer; a bit wetter formula and less opaque than the nars. But it is really nice for undereyes and face concealing. 

It's a 10 miracle leave in product - I got this in my ipsy bag and I LOVE IT. It works as a heat protectant, de-frizz serum, and hair softener. It makes my wet hair easier to brush, faster to blow dry, and it smells SO GOOD. I just repurchased a larger bottle to use every time I blow dry my hair.

LUSH American Cream conditioner - I use this in conjunction with my Blousey (lush) shampoo. Together they are very kind to my hair and don't strip it with harsh chemicals. It doesn't make my hair super smooth when wet like most traditional conditioners, but it does add in moisture and my hair has felt a lot healthier since switching to more natural products. I just repurchased this in the largest size (the small was all they had in stock when I first purchased it).

LUSH mask of magnaminty sample - I love this for a deep cleanse once a week. It doesn't irritate my dry skin, it just sucks out impurities while still leaving my skin soft. It smells amazing. I just purchased the small sized pot to use once a week.

These empties are from the last couple of months... it takes me FOREVER to use up products! I suspect I'll have more in the next few months because I have a lot of products that are like 2/3 used up.

Must Have Waterproof Makeup for Summer!

Must-Have Waterproof Makeup for Summer!

Summertime is here! You know what that means - beach trips, pool parties, and barbecues! However, it also means humidity and heat, which are sometimes a recipe for disaster when it comes to makeup. Pictured below are my current must haves for waterproof makeup to use this summer.

• MAKE UP FOR EVER Full Cover Waterproof Concealer
• MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Brow
• Urban Decay Cannonball Mascara
• Stila Stay-All-Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner

• The MUFE concealer truly is full coverage and is completely opaque. It is perfect for blemishes and I'm even able to pull it off under my eyes, as long as I don't put too thick of a layer on. And all you really need is the thinnest layer because it really is opaque!

• The MUFE Aqua Brow is kind of like a brow cream that you'll need to apply with a brush. Brow powders and pencils just don't cut it when you want to have perfect brows all day long on a summer day/night.

• The UD Cannonball Mascara is basically just a really great waterproof mascara. I've owned several waterproof mascaras, and some of them still smudge or give me panda eyes. I don't have that problem with this mascara.

• The Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner has been my holy grail eye liner for a year now. The felt-tip pen is so easy to use, it applies smoothly with no tugging or streakiness. 

Personally, I think the price of all of these products is more than worth it. It's so hard sometimes to just find products that do what they claim to do, and these four products all deliver. I wore all of these products to a music festival last weekend, and they all survived beautifully for 16+ hours including heat and some rain! Totally worth it. I hope this was helpful to you all thanks for reading!

Ipsy Glam Bag April 2014 Review!

Ipsy Glam Bag April 2014!

I just got my Ipsy April 2014 Glam Bag in the mail on Friday. It came with five products, as pictured above, from top to bottom:

• Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil In Black Velvet
• Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Eyeshadow in Champagne
• Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion
• Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Pencil in Naked
• Not Pictured: Coastal Scents Eyeshadow Brush (Gave that one to my mom, I have enough brushes!)

I loved this bag! I'm obsessed with Urban Decay's liners, the eyeshadow is BEAUTIFUL, and the lip liner is a very flattering color on me and is very on-trend for spring and summer.

On top is the Black Velvet pencil and on the bottom is the well-known Perversion pencil.

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide On Pencil in Black Velvet

Review: This is a great, SUPER matte, black eyeliner. It is longwearing and very pigmented. This formula is drier than the normal 24/7 liners by UD, so it is a teeny tiny bit harder to apply (the word "hard" being used relative to the original glide on pencils, of course). But I actually like this about it, because I feel like the original 24/7 liners glide on so fast that you have to be really careful when applying. I'd say this liner is a bit more user friendly. The color is beautiful. It is a sort of "soft" black, with a reddish undertone - not RED as in sparkles or anything noticeable, but a soft, warm black. It is extremely matte compared to the perversion pencil, which is more of a true, neutral black. 10/10.

Elizabeth Mott Pop! Goes the Eyeshadow in Champagne

Review: This is a very beautiful shadow for a highlight or all-over-lid color. I LOVE champagne colors, and this one is no exception. It has a golden undertone and wears beautifully on my yellow-undertoned skin. But It could probably also do well with cool shadows. The formula is very creamy, not powdery at all, and is long wearing. The pigmentation is great. It's not on the level with, say, LORAC, but it definitely surpasses most of my MAC shadows and a few of my UD shadows. The pan is huge and will probably last a very long time. 10/10.

Starlooks Luscious Longwear Lip Penci lin Naked

Review: I LOVE the color of this lip liner. It is a neutral pink, but with a bit of orange/coral in it (almost a salmon color) that really warms up my face and offers a very fresh look. The formula is good, nothing super special. It wears for several hours and probably for 6-8 is you're not eating or drinking. I personally use lip liner all over my lips and I did get a bit of it sinking into lines since it's on the creamier side, but this is not drying in any way! The color is opaque and easy to apply. 8/10.

Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion

Review: Coming soon! Haven't tried this exfoliant yet.

Ipsy Glam Bag March 2014 Review & Swatches!

Ipsy Glam Bag March 2014!

I just got my Ipsy March 2014 Glam Bag in the mail on Friday. It came with four products, as pictured above, from left to right:

• bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in "Get Ready"
• Nicole by O.P.I. "Rougles" Nail Polish in "On What Grounds?"
• pixi Flawless Beauty Primer
• Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow quad in "Bora Bora"

Overall, I was very happy with this bag. I got two full sized products and two deluxe sample sized products for the $10 subscription price.

bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in "Get Ready:"

Review: This lipstick is one of those "My-lips-but-better" shades. It is a beautiful rosy pink that I think anyone could wear. The formula is very creamy, not drying at all, and has a slightly shiny finish. The formula reminds me of MAC's cremesheen lipstick formula, but more moisturizing. The color stays on for a few hours, or until you start eating/drinking.

Nicole by OPI "Rougles" Nail Polish in "On What Grounds?"

Review: This is certainly a unique nail polish. The base is a light teal color with darker blue flecks. The formula is very thick so that the dark blue flecks stay in suspension and don't sink to the bottom. The picture above is with two coats and no topcoat. The top label says "No top coat," but personally I thought it looked like I was wearing blue sandpaper on my nails and I prefer it with a thin topcoat. Regardless, this is still a cool look and the color(s) are perfect for spring and summer.

Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow Quad in "Bora Bora"

Review: This eyeshadow quad comes with 4 beautiful shades that coordinate well with each other and that are on trend for spring and summer. It comes with a corally-red, a yellowy-gold, a bright teal, and a shimmery, slightly taupey-brown. These shadows have a sheen to them, but they do not have chunky glitter or sparkles. Nor are they "frosty," the sheen in the color matches the pigment color, so it leaves a nice finish. I wore the brown and gold yesterday in a look for St. Patty's day partying, and the colors went on beautifully and were easy to blend. The formula isn't as creamy as Urban Decay, but it is not dry or powdery. On top of a primer, these shadows lasted for 12 hours. 

pixi Flawless Beauty Primer:

Review: This primer is supposed to "Even the skintone, add a youthful glow, and hydrate the skin." It applied like a tinted moisturizer but with less coverage. I thought it was only slightly hydrating. As for the luminous glow, boy this baby sure does have a glow to it. The shimmer is intense, and left my face looking straight up shiny. However, obviously wearing a foundation on top of this primer dulled down the shimmer to a beautifully subtle luminous finish. If you're oily, you probably won't like this primer, but if you're dry like me, it's probably going to be something you'll enjoy.