Influenster YSL Vox Box Review

August 18, 2015August 14, 2015Leave a comment

Bonjour bon bons!

Can you imagine how overjoyed I was when I found out I was being sent the YSL Vox Box via Influenster? I literally peed and couldn’t sleep for a week. Then, a couple weeks later I received this little box of majesty containing the YSL Touche Éclat’ Blur Perfector and the Touche Éclat Blur Primer. I DIED.

First, let’s discuss the Perfector.

The packaging. OH LAWWwww the packaging. Perfect in everyway. Here’s to you, Yves! If you’ve ever felt the consistency of the Mally Face Defender, than you are familiar with this kindof product. The idea is that you can use this before OR after you’ve applied your makeup. And I have tried both methods. The box recommends using a sweeping motion (from the interior to the exterior of the face) when applying it before makeup, and then using a blotting motion for touch-ups.

My thoughts on this product should first be prefaced by the fact that I have fairly decent skin. I do not have large pores, oily skin or any issues with my foundation breaking-up on me. That being said, I do like using this product as a touch-up OR as a primer, but I think I prefer to use it as a touch-up. When I need a quick face refresh I will ALWAYS reach for an oil-blotting sheet, a makeup mist or a product like this before I’ll ever reach for a powder. I find that I tend to look more cakey (read:OLD) with the more powdery products I apply (which is why I love the It Cosmetics Celebration Illumination Powder!).

The product itself is kindof like a balm and has that silicony feel to it, which I do not hate. It does provide a nice, smooth, even base on which you can apply foundation. However, I really love using it as a touch-up product after work when I want my skin to look a bit more fresh. I find that the claims to “blur”imperfections aren’t totally false, as it does tend to smooth out the skin quite nicely.

The second product I received is the primer and YES, it has tiny gold sparkles in it and crazy enough, they don’t transfer too much on the skin. At first I thought I was in for a glitter bomb, but they pretty much dissipate once you smooth it over your skin.

Again, I am not the best at reviewing primers simply because I do not need one necessarily. However, if I want my makeup to last long and still look awesome, I will use one to ensure it is as locked-down as possible. This primer definitely does the trick but I am not sure if it’s worth the price. Whereas the perfector is more of a niche product (with GORG packaging), this primer is something I would pass on. It works nicely as a base for foundation, but so do many other primers which cost much less.

So there you have it – my review on the new goodies from YSL! Have you tried these products?

Macaron Cafe Review

July 1, 20152 Comments

Bonjour bébés!

YES. I took this pic myself!!

Today I bring you a post all about one of my most favorite confections – the macaron!

Macarons are my favorite for a multitude of reasons:

They are French
They are undeniably sweet
They come in pastel colors
Blair Waldof eats them

So when the kind folks at Macaron Cafe offered to send me a box, I felt I would be doing human-kind (aka my blog readers) a disservice by NOT accepting their generous offer. And so I did. And man, am I glad!

The macarons were sent 2-day delivery, so they arrived very fresh and aromatic. The packaging is beyond adorable and is also very sleek.

I was sent the Small Luxury Gift Box which includes 6 macarons for $18. When you order on the website you can choose from about 24 flavors. I do not know the exact flavors I was sent, but I enjoyed each one immensely.

They were the kind of macarons my Parisian dreams are made of. A crisp exterior, pillowy soft on the inside and filled with a sweet, delectable cream. Ohhhh I could srsly eat these puppies morning noon and night you guys.

Also, there is something about a macaron that is just SO lady-like and delicate. I feel like these would make the perfect gift for a girly-girl, a Gossip Girl fan or anyone you want to feel special. Chocolates are like soooooooo been-there-done-that but macarons??! Macarons my friends, are the new chocolate.

These make me want to light my candles, throw on “French Kiss” and wear a beret while taking a bubble bath and sipping champagne.

I would recommend Macaron Cafe to absolutely anyone. Be it your GF, wife, husband, gunkle or Canadian pen pal (yes, they ship to Canada!).

Assorted Haul

May 29, 2015Leave a comment

Hello kittens!

Today I bring you another haul of a few things I have picked up whilst out and about.

The beauty section at T.J Maxx can be quite treacherous. It’s like everytime I go in there, I feel like I’m swimming in a sea of unknown brands, well-known brands and wondering “why is this Clarins face serum only $19.99?!”. It can be a scary, deep, dark place and navigating around isn’t easy. I find that I can usually tread water fairly well, picking up a random Joico K-Pak conditioner for $7.99 or a bangin’ Essie polish for $3. But other times, I drown. I just do.

My friends, this time I may have plummeted to the ocean floor, with all the muck and bottom-feeders.

Sugar Baby Golden Glamour Instant Self Tan Spray

When I saw this product, I was immediately attracted to the packaging because yes – I am a basic white girl. Throw a pin-up girl on just about anything and us basics go weak in the knees. It was only $8, so I quickly googled the brand and saw decent reviews and high price tags – SCORE! I brought ‘er home to realize two depressing facts:

1.) It was NOT a sunless tanner, instead a spray-on temporary tan (like Airbrush Legs) which wasn’t the end of the world, I just thought I was buying a self tan.

2.) It doesn’t work. The directions recommend laying a towel down under you to protect your floors and surfaces so I just went outside on our ~~dirty~~ balcony and went to town. It literally came out basically SHEER with a subtle brownish-gray tint.

DO NOT BUY THIS.

Shiseido Pureness Foaming Cleansing Fluid

So. I was very hesitant to buy this because there HAS to be a reason a department store brand like Shiseido is at T.J Maxx for $12.99, versus the $30+ this would cost at Nordys. But, I rolled the dice and thought, “Meh, if it’s a little expired I’m sure it’s fine.” And at first I thought it was making me break out. Not like gross cystic whiteheads but those little skin-colored bumps around my hairline. But I persevered and kept using it only to discover that you have to rinse it SUPER well or else it will leave a little film on your skin which is probably what gave me a weird texture.

All in all, it’s fairly good for $12.99 and it also removes makeup.

Justin Bieber Someday Perfume

Y’all are laughing I KNOW, but I could give two sh*ts because I LOVE this perfume. I get compliments on it allll the time and I never tell people what it is. Muaahahahaaa. “Oh this? It’s just m’Biebs.” Can you imagine?

New Tanning Mitts

I recently purchased both the Ulta brand tanning mitt and the St. Tropez one for $1.50 more and guess what?! I like the Ulta brand better. I think normally these are around the same price ($6.50), which is ludicrous that a cheap piece of foam is more than 75 cents AMIRIGHT!?

Bodycology Runaway Heart Sugar Scrub

Self tanning also denotes the official commencement exfoliation season. I really should exfoliate all year, but dead skin + self tanner mixes together about as well as orange juice and toothpaste. I bought this scrub at Target because it was the cheapest one and guess what? I am in loooove with it! Srsly go to Target right now and get yerself a whiff of this because your might change. I need the body spray NOW.

THIS Makeup Bag

OF COURSE I BOUGHT THIS, WHAT DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?

My Thoughts on Jamberry

May 14, 20152 Comments

Hello my little toast points!

Me rn

I was introduced to Jamberry a couple of weeks ago. Of course I had heard the name before, but I never really paid any attention to it. I knew they were nail stickers that supposedly lasted much longer than nail polish. Yada yada yada.

You see, I luurve painting my nails but for whatever reason most polishes chip within ONE GD day on me. So when a couple’a gals from my work told me they were placing an order for these little pups, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I selected the following pattern, appropriately named “Memory Lane” (they look like a grandma’s couch, afterall) and I absolutely love the floral design.

It took me a solid two weeks to muster up the strength to actually commit the two hours I knew it would take to figure these out. But I did. And after a few YouTube videos, hooking up my hair dryer and maaaybe a couple of curse words, they’re on.

The process – I watched the official Jamberry application vid and was got the basic jest. Btw, totally NOT FAIR that these rando women are probs like rolling in the dough from making nail stickers. Makes me want to invent sh*t, HARD.

So. You peel em off, heat em up, stick em on. I happened upon a couple Jamberry superfan-produced vids and learned a couple insider tips and tricks. One lady instructed you to wrap your nail in a plastic baggie immediately after application and hold it in front of the blow dryer for a few seconds. Okee.

What I found to be the most challenging part of these little suckers is the placement and the edging. To be fair, I did NOT do this super meticulously and easily could have spent another hour being super precise, but that just aint me. Once they were on, I trimmed the top and then filed it down to end perfectly aligned with my natural nail. I found this to be difficult and very time consuming.

Other than that, there really isn’t much to it.

The result – They look pretty dec. However, the tops are not completely perfect and I have little flaps (haha) on a few of my nails. So. We will see how long these last. For a first-timer, I am not expecting to get the full 3-week wear out of ’em but hopefully I can last a week?

My opinion – these are fun to do every once in a while OR if you want a fun accent (or party nail, as I call it). I think it would ROCK on my ring fingers. It is pretty time consuming but perhaps I will get faster the more I do it. I still like painting my nails for therapeutic reasons, but I think these Jamberry nails are also kinda fun.

Have YOU tried Jamberry?