Kat Von D Lock-It VoxBox

August 15, 2016August 12, 2016Leave a comment

Hey makeup nerds!

I am back with you for one heckuva Vox Box. Like, the Simone Biles of Vox Boxes.

(and no, I am still obsessed with Simone. or any of the other gymnasts for that matter. including the 41-year Uzbeki old one.)

As I have mentioned countless times, I am signed up for Influenster, and so can you. I have no affiliation with them other than the fact that I am a member. Check out their site to learn more because I am not an expert. What I do know, is that they send me cool sh*t. This time it was a box of goodies from Kat Von D! A brand I have never tried before (SHOCKING I KNOW) but always wanted to. Here is what I received as well as my initial, very early thoughts!

The box included:

• Lock-it Concealer Crème in Light 11 Neutral
• Lock-it Concealer Crème in Light 5 Neutral
• Lock-it Setting Powder
• Lock-it Edge Concealer Brush
• Lock-it Setting Powder Brush

Lock-It Concealer Cremes

As of right now, I really love these concealers. Both shades are nice and fair (perfect for my Scandinavian-princess skin) and the packaging is really cute. The wand is a nice angled doe-foot and deposits a good amount of product.

I swatched these both on my hand and then blended them out slightly (pictured below). They blended really nicely and both looked like they had great coverage.

Here are a couple shots of me with the lighter concealer on under my eyes with the setting powder (sans mascara in the first one #alienface). Overall, I like this concealer. It may not be as crazy of coverage as say the Mac Pro-long Wear, but I def need to play with it more!

Lock-It Setting Powder

10 points for packaging on this one, Miss Von D! I also LUURVE that the product is dispensed out of a star! I only used this one time but so far it is an excellent, finely-milled translucent powder!

Lock-It Concealer Brush

Both brushes are very nice. Super soft too! I usually use my finger to press concealer onto my undereyes but this brush might convert me. I love the slight angle to it and the fact that it is a duo-fiber.

Lock-It Powder Brush

Can I also get an AMEN for these stiletto-like handles!? This brush is stupid soft and I love the fact that it is tapered at the top. Getting the perfect amount of under-eye setting powder on this brush is so easy and it deposits the product perfectly in that area.

SK-II Skincare Review

July 14, 2016July 13, 2016Leave a comment

Hello beauties!

A while back, Influenster (gotta love these folks!) sent me the SK-II Vox Box, containing two items from the line. The box contained both the Facial Treatment Essence, as well as the Facial Treatment Mask.

SO. This brand’s whole shtick is this stuff called Pitera, which according to Sephora is known as “holy water” or “miracle water” in the “East” because of it’s skin-renewing properties. What I know is this:

Any expensive skin-care line has to have a shtick. Some kind of story to tell. Whether it is a mud they scrape from the bottom of the dead sea, an elixir derived from sea kelp, or even creams made from baby foreskins (YES, this is really a thing) – brands have to attach a (generally bogus) story to illicit the outrageous price tags.

This brand is no different. I have no doubt that like so many other high-end brands, the ingredients in SK-II are great. All we can really ask for in good skin care these days are ingredients that have been proven to be good for our skin, to be nourishing, moisturizing and feel good. Good skin care is usually free of fillers, heavy perfumes and has fancy packaging – and pretty much, that’s it.

Facial Treatment Essence

This product came in a smaller size, but is definitely enough to try numerous times. I put it on after cleansing, but before any serums or moisturizers. The immediate effects are minimal. I saw zero instant results and after using it for a solid week, I still don’t see any change. That is NOT to say that this will not end up making a visible difference on my skin, it just hasn’t yet.

Facial Treatment Mask

I was SO excited to try this. I hadn’t ever done a sheet mask before and this one is super bougie, retailing for $17 a pop on the Sephora website. I decided to give it a shot on a Sunday while watching Game of Thrones with David. The mask was VERY saturated in product and is very thick. After reading about it, it is 100% cotton, which I guess is kinda cool. It felt great on my skin and was fun to use. But again like the essence, no immediate results came from it. My skin looked moisturized but it didn’t feel or look that much different than any other day.

Overall, this brand is SO expensive I will not purchase anything from them. It didn’t leave me super excited and hasn’t wowed me with any results . If the essence kicks in and starts making me look like Gigi Hadid, I’ll let ya know.

Marc Jacobs Glowstick Review

June 24, 20161 Comment

Shoutout to Influenster for sending me this product to review! (ANYONE can sign up for Influenster, btw I’m not that cool)

When I found out I was receiving this box, I was of course, overjoyed and promptly watched the application video on the Sephora website. What I really liked about the video, was how the guy was putting it basically ALL over the face. I mean YAASSS QUEEN. It truly looked so natural, dewy and gorgeous on the model.

PACKAGING

The packaging is very true-to-form MJ. Black and white, very sleek and modern. I really like the little rounded square shape and the fact that it twists up.

FORMULA

The formula is pretty much your run-of-the-mill cream product. It’s not too thick, but not too thin. It is not sticky, nor does it have a smell.

PERFORMANCE

One swipe

I realllllly love the glow this product gives! It is striking without being overpowering and the fact that it’s a cream gives it even more of a natural look. The staying power was good, I did not notice it disappeared on me, but I also didn’t think it was particularly long-lasting either. The way I applied this was with my fingertips and then used a duo-fiber brush to buff it in a bit.

OVERALL

I love it! I am so excited to use this all summer on not only m’mug, but my decollete and shoulders. This is truly the first cream highlight I have seen that really packs a punch in terms of pigmentation and blends out smoothly.

Sephora Gradual Self Tanning Face Water Review

June 3, 20161 Comment

Good morning friends!

There is no other way for me to kick off this post than by saying “GOOD MORNING FRIENDS!” I have been binge watching the Saccone-Jolys on YouTube and now it’s just my thing.

Today, I bring you my thoughts on the Sephora Gradual Self Tanning Face Waterephora Gradual Self Tanning Face WaI hauled back in March.

When I first started using this stuff, I thought I would quickly go through the 4.22 oz bottle in no time. And considering it costs $18, I was slightly disappointed because obviously I wouldn’t be spending almost $20 per month just to have a tanned face… or would I?

However, I have been using this around 4-5 times per week since March and I still have TONS left. So that’s peh geh.

FORMULA

What I love most about this product is the formula. It is literally exactly what it says it is – a water. It feels exactly like applying my Bioderma micellar water. There is zero stickiness, which I was very pleasantly surprised by as most tanning products tend to be tacky especially when freshly applied.

SMELL

In many of the reviews on Sephora and on Youtube, people either love or hate the “beachy” smell of this product, but I gotta be honest with you guys: I smell NOTHING. Maybe I got a got a random scentless bottle, or maybe all the fragrance is sitting on the bottom but yeah, I don’t smell anything. At all.

APPLICATION

I just use a little cotton round and apply this in the “3” motion, starting at my temple, sweeping below my cheekbone and then right under my jawline. I then take whatever is left on the pad and go over my whole face and neck. I find that I start seeing results from about 2-3 nights and mornings of application.

RESULTS

I looooooove the color I get from this product! It is perfection. No weird break outs, or little bumps either. I love how gradual it is and how you can keep putting it on night and morning until you get the color you want. There is something kinda gross to me about wearing tanning lotions on my face, so the fact that this stuff is a WATER is groundbreaking.

OVERALL

This product is easily worth the $18 and I will probs be a lifetime purchaser. It is SO easy to use, not messy, and gives the perfect amount of controllable color – what’s not to love!?

Wet’n’Wild Lost in the Wildflowers 2016 Collection

May 11, 20161 Comment

Goooooood morning my loves!

This post will involve a bit of a story time on how I procured the items mentioned, as well as my initial thoughts. So let’s get this party started.

Over the past month, I had seen the odd post here or there with these new Wet’n’Wild highlighters and I really thought nothing of it. I thought I would see them pop up at Fred Meyer or Walgreens, much like the new contour palettes and eyeliners they added to the collection. Then I started reading comments and realized that people were going NUTS over these highlighters and that there was a whole limited edition collection accompanying them. And then I got voracious.

Sister Megan was also on the hunt for this collection and had already been every Walgreens and Fred Meyer store in her area, so I figured I should do the same. I called a few of the Walgreens stores and was not surprisingly answered with much confusion — “You’re looking for what? Well we got Maybelline here.” YEAH. NO.

I decided it prudent to just drive around to all the Walgreens stores and berate the employees until they literally just let me into the stock room myself. The first one proved unfruitful after a helpful young woman assured me there were no Wet’n’Wild boxes in the back and their trucks usually came on Fridays. Next, I hit another Walgreens and Fred Meyer and left empty-handed and discouraged. I decided to try one more Walgreens on my way home (one that I had already called) just to see if maybe they missed it.

I went in and the hot pink haired gal told me she did see a Wet’n’Wild box in the back and that she would go get it for me. I was elated and totally surprised that my relentlessness had paid off! I shot a quick text to Megan and waited patiently for my goodies. But then, something caught my eye. A small glimmer from the bottom of a lowly shelf…Like a tractor beam, I was drawn in and delighted to discover the very collection I was looking so hard for COMPLETELY UNTOUCHED.

I dove in and immediately starting picking up the products and audibly squealing. I called Megan and she joined in. I scooped the ENTIRE display (well not quite, but almost) into a basket and headed to the register where I had to remind the gal that Wet’n’Wild was in fact, BOGO 50% off. I ended up waltzing outta there $30 poorer but rich in loveliness. I had also taken care of Meg’s mothers day present so WIN-WIN!

Here was the final haul:

I kept the following products:

Megaglo Multi-Stick in Carnational Anthem

I also got the color Light Up My High-Biscus, but I allllready can’t find it. But here is a picture of it I pilfered from ebay:

s-l300

Megaglo Highlighting Powders in Crown of my Canopy and Precious Petals

Here I am waiting for the train wearing Precious Petals: #thathighlighttho

Coloricon Metallic Liquid Lipstick in My Tulips are Sealed

Overall I am VERY happy with this collection. All the colors I got are SO ME – peachy and shimmery. They did bring out some deeper, bolder liquid lipsticks but those shades just aren’t m’thang. I am loving the highlighters and can’t wait to slap on the deeper color (Crown of my Canopy) when I have more of a tan.

If you can get yer paws on these babies – DO IT.

Benefit Cheekathon Palette Review

April 27, 20162 Comments

Hello lemonheads!

When something is too good of a deal, I have a hard time passing it up. I once almost bought dog food because it was on such a big clearance and I DON’T EVEN HAVE A DOG. The struggle is so very real, my friends. So when this palette came out, I knew she had to be mine. I first happened upon it at the Benefit Counter as Macy’s where the salesperson assured me it would exclusively only be sold. LIES. Not a week later, I saw it pop up at my lunchtime Sephora and so I grabbed myself one. (i say lunchtime Sephora because I go there on my lunch break about 3x per week. the sales people know not to talk to me anymore. i blast Drake in my headphones, shimmy around and leave a veritable swatch monster).

FEAST YOUR EYES KITTENS…

5. Count them – 5 full-sized blushes for $58. Not a bad deal when you consider that each of these pups are $29 each. I have wanted Rockateur and Coralista for a long time, but after wearing this a couple of times I am LIVING for Dandelion. Go fig.

I really tried to make these swatches look like the beauty gurus do but alas, my transparent hands with bulbous veins would not allow it. Thus, we are left with sub-par, weak swatches and for that, dear readers, I apologize. I guess we all have to take what we can get.

L’Oreal Volume Filler Skincare Review

April 25, 20163 Comments

Hey lovelies!

Once again, Influenster sent me another voxbox! This time, it was for the L’Oreal Revitalift Volume Filler Skincare line.

Inside this box, were four products:

(Can you tell I take really great product images ON MY COUCH?)

I was beyond thrilled to receive full sizes of these products! So often with skincare samples, a tiny packet containing a few measly drops of product is hardly enough to warrant a thorough review, much less a firm opinion. And while have only been using these products for a couple weeks now, I feel like like I can give a pretty good review because I have been generously smothering them all over my face and neck!

Here we have the:

Night Cream

This comes in a squeeze tube, which I very much appreciate. It does have a smell to it, if that bothers you, although it is a pleasant one. The consistency is on the thicker side, but it is not anywhere near as rich as my beloved First Aid Beauty Hydra-Firm Sleeping Cream. It provides a pretty instant smooth feeling on the skin, which I do tend to question (silicone?) but overall it is very nice.

Volume Moisturizer

I love the packaging of this cute little tub. It has the same smell as the night cream, but is a thicker consistency. I have been wearing this stuff during the day and so far, it has the same smoothing effect and is great under makeup.

Serum

Being a serum fan in general, I knew it would take something pretty awful to make me garner any ill feelings toward this stuff. It is pretty much a straightforward serum. I like to rub it between the tips of my fingers to warm it up and then press it into the skin. It seems to sink in pretty well and does have a nice volumizing effect.

Eye Treatment

I need to give this stuff a bit more time to provide an in-depth review, but so far I do like it. I have been using up some eye cream I bought at Sephora a while back so I’ll start working this one more into my routine in the near future.

OVERALL:

I realllllllllly like Hyaluronic acid. Like, alot. I have known about it for years and did purchase a Korean Hyalurnonic treatment a few months ago which I also really liked. From what I have read, it is a natural acid that the body produces, but as we age, it produces less. I do feel like it contributes to the “voluminous” effect these products claim to provide. I like to think that it makes ‘me skin a bit more plumpy (yes, plumpy) and hydrated looking. I would recommend this line to anyone with more mature skin, especially if you have those fine wrinkles that would benefit from a bit of plump!

If you have tried any of these products, leave a comment and let me know what you think!