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.

Morphe Brushes Store Haul

June 17, 20163 Comments

Am I on a role with these hauls, or AM I ON A ROLE WITH THESE HAULS!?

As you all know by now, or maybe not, I went to Disneyland with my BF Dah-vide! And Universal! And I got to stay with THEE world’s most amazing and cutest family everrr.

And on our way back from Disneyland on Sunday, he did me a solid and drove to Morphe Brushes in Burbank, California.

I fell asleep with my frowned mouth open on the way there and about hyperventilated when we pulled up to Morphe. David waited 25 patient minutes in the car for me, as I sleepily shuffled around the store in a daze with like 30 other beauty-obsessed gals as techno music pumped. I was sweaty, nervous, completely overwhelmed and STUPIDLY left my shopping list for which brushes I wanted at home. DOH!

I ended up googling Jaclyn Hill and Manny MUA’s favorites and then just going off feel. Here are the brushes I ended up getting:

M441

M433

M497

E56

I also nabbed some individual lashes

and these bottom lashes for when I feel like lookin’ like a baby doll.

I then picked up a couple of things from L.A Girl on a TOTAL whim:

L.A Girl Velvut Blush Contour Stick in Cuddle and the Glazed Lip Paint in Peony

Lip Paint on top, Blush Stick on bottom

Lip Glaze on me

Annnnnd lastly (drumroll please!) I got the iconic Morphe 350 palette!!!

Like I said, I was totally overwhelmed. If I had an entire afternoon, I would have probably gotten a few more brushes, contemplated the Model in a Bottle setting spray and tried on more of the Jeffree Star liquid lipsticks (I alllmost bought Rose Matter). They DID have the Jeffree Star mint-green skin frost but were sadly sold out of all the other colors, including the shade Ice Cold, which I DESPERATELY want.

GIANT ULTA HAUL

June 10, 20163 Comments

I felt like making the title of this blog post as much like the title of a YouTube video as possible.

And SPEAKING of YouTube…I was burying myself in some more weird-ass videos the other day. You guys know how I do. One day it’s people obsessed with those claw machines at Wal-Mart and the next it’s people who pay large sums of money for eerily realistic, anatomically correct silicon baby dolls. These people make videos as if the baby is alive…feeding them, changing their diaper, waking them up from a nap. I was enamored. I still am.

So right – yes – an Ulta haul! I had a $50 gift card from my birthday burning a hole in pocket and I knew I wanted to wait to use it until summer time. No easy feat my friends. Here is what I selected:

L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Serum in Medium

I decided to give the serum a shot after reading good reviews. I have been a long-time fan of the Sublime Bronze Tinted Self-Tanning Lotion for it’s good color and easy application but I literally cannot STAND the glitter. This doesn’t seem to have any glitter and I love that it is a quick-dry formula. I will keep you all posted on how I like it!

L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Mist

Ulta had a BOGO on these L’oreal self tanners so i decided to pick this one up as well, as I have never tried it before. I find that most aerosol self-tanners yield far less uses than a lotion, gel or mousse, but they are SO easy to use. I plan to try this one out ASAP because I am going on a special trip this weekend ;).

Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk

Thank the LORD Ulta started carrying Soap & Glory!!!! I am addicted to so many of their products and when I noticed this product was available online (not sure about in-store) I knew I needed it. I am basically out of the Shiseido Cleansing Fluide that I got several months ago so the timing was perf. I am SO excited about this and I LOVE that it has a pump.

Soap & Glory Body Sprays in Original Pink and Smoothie Star

YOU GUYS. I literally peed my pants when I saw these on the Ulta website. Ever since S&G left Sephora and they discontinued their perfume, I have been devastated. NO JOKE I have considered ordering the scent on ebay. So when I saw they were selling body sprays in their addictive, wonderful, unique scents I knew I needed both of them. PLUS they were only $6 a pop and they actually last decently long so I am just OVERJOYED I have these!

Ulta Brand Makeup Blending Sponge Duo

I bought these pups on a recommendation from Casey Holmes but then I talked to my sister last week and she said they are NOT good. So they are probs going back because I trust Meggy’s opinion on makeup application tools implicitly.

Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer in Bronzer

Ever since Jaclyn Hill RAVED about this bronzer, I knew I had to have it. It went on sale for $8.99 on Ulta.com and I debated whether or not to get the light color, or the bronze color. I am glad I went with the bronze color because it is perfect! It also smells how I think Adriana Lima smells. OMG I am so excited to cover my face with this stuff!

Makeup Revolution Cream Contour Palette

SO. I have been wanting a cream contour palette for awhile now. I knew I wasn’t going to shell out the money for the Anastasia or Kevin Aucoin one, and after watching TONS of reviews on the NYX, Elf and Makeup Revolution ones respectively, I decided to go with this one. I swatched a few of the colors right away and they are a thinner consistency which is good. I must do more testing to figure out if this is any good and of course, I will let you know!

NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow in Dance the Tides

I have been on the hunt for some richer, warm shades as I find they really compliment blue eyes. When I read somewhere that this color was a dupe for Mac’s saddle, I HAD to get it and after one swatch I already know it’s going to be MONEY buffed into the crease.

Free Gift: Redken Beach Envy Samples

Dont you just love free things!? I am really pumped to try all these guys, especially the leave-in treatment and beach volume spray.

I also got a Cargo Cosmetics bag filled with deluxe sized samples that I forgot to photograph:(. However, here are some of the products I got:

I haven’t heard the best things about the new Honest skin care line but like, how bad can a hydration mist be?

I am SO pumped to try this setting spray with SPF from Coola! I really like this brand and think it’s genius that someone finally came out with a setting spray with SPF.

The whole “fat girl slim” thing to me is a bit of a hoax. I mean, you can’t get skinnier by spraying a product on your thighs or else the whole world would look like Gigi Hadid. However, I am a big fan of tinted body mists (like Airbrush Legs from Sally Hanson) because I am very, very white.

Lastly, I got a sample of this self tanner from Tarte, which I have previously purchased the full size of. I am not a huge fan of this stuff. It has an olive base which doesn’t jive with m’undertones as much a red-based tanner. Nonetheless, I will be using it.

And that’s all ~~she~~ I wrote! Let me know new products YOU have purchased lately!

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!?

Sephora and Drugstore Haul

March 25, 2016Leave a comment

Greetings dumpling-faces!

You guys are familiar with how I do things on here by now. I buy some crap from the drugstore or Sephora, or Ulta and I talk to y’all about it. Sometimes, (I’d say about 30% of the time) I end up returning things. I have begun to realize that lots of people have anxiety over returning things and I am here to tell you – IT’S OKAY! If you are spending over $1 on a meekup item and don’t like it, TAKE IT THE F BACK. Why keep a $9, $20, $38 lipstick that makes your teeth look yellow? Most drugstores, like Walgreens and Rite Aid have a money-back guarantee. Keep your receipt, take it back, tell them it made your teeth look yellow and you’re done. They don’t care about the reason if you have your receipt. Same thing at Ulta and Sephora. ALSO, the lovely thing about Sephora is YOU KEEP YOUR POINTS. Yes. I have racked up over 500 points in just 6 months because I buy things, try them out and return them if they aren’t exactly what I want. Nobody should pay over $20 for a sub-par makeup item that they’ll never use. It is a sacrilege, if you ask me.

Sorry for the rant and on to the haul!

Drugstore Items:

Covergirl Supersizer Mascara

Like, duh. You guys new this was coming after my not-so-good experience with the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir. So happy to have the magic potion back on m’lashes.

Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Vacation Time

Sinful Colors NP is $1.99 and sticks around longer than OPI, Essie, Butter or Deborah Lippman. It stays chip-free for about 4 days which is NUTS. I have pretty much every color that suits me and I was delighted to discover this color, which is basically Kylie Jenner lips as a nail polish.

Eco Tools Deluxe Fan Brush and Custom Coverage Buffing Brush

These pups were buy one get one 50% off at Ulta and I have been DYING for a fan brush lately. I see everyone applying highlighter with a fan brush and while I would love to order one from Morphe, this one was $8 and right it front of me. So far, I really love the fan brush – it is super soft and applies highlight exactly how I want. The buffing brush is just aight tho – the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is much better if you ask me.

Elf Blending Brush

download

I watched Kathleen Lights do a video where she used this brush and I immediately knew I wanted it. I looked at the Elf website and it was out of stock, so I tweeted the company as I usually do. NO REPLY. Then, I went to Target over the weekend and noticed a huge display of the new Elf skincare products and figured I would mozy over for a looksie. Elf did bring out a whole new range of things, all at $6 mark but sadly, I didn’t see the blending brush. I walked over to the Elf section and was just perusing the usual things when I spotted the brush in a weird, low location! I literally squealed in the makeup aisle.

Maybelline Better Skin Concealer

download (1)

If you read my recent post on my favorite concealers, you know this one takes top honors. This is my second tube and I am obsessed.

Sephora Items:

Sephora Gradual Self-Tanning Face Water

I found out about this stuff via the internets and am REALLY glad I found it, because it is awesome. During the winter months especially, I like to sport as much of a face-tan as I can get away with. Due to my ghastly complexion, this means most self tanners are totally out of the question because they are MUCH too dark. Also, applying a thicker self tanning lotion to the face always leaves me feeling gross. I LOVE this stuff because it is just like using a toner. I use a cotton round to dispense a tiny bit of product and apply it directly to the areas of my face that I would using bronzer (sides of the forehead, hollows of the cheeks, etc.). I use it in the morning and at night until the desired color is achieved, and for me, that took about 5-6 applications.

Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder

I have been wanting to try this stuff FOREVER but Sephora has been sold out FOREVER. Initially, I wanted to try the baking technique with it, but I really don’t think baking is for me…I am dry and have fine lines. I feel like we should leave the baking to the youngins. However, so far I reallllly like setting my under eye concealer with this, using a flat foundation brush. It really is brightening!

Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Mascara Review

March 11, 2016March 11, 20162 Comments

What up baes.

I was sent the Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara as part of the Influenster program, which I have mentioned a few times here. I was overjoyed to receive such a bougie mascara, as y’all know I am a ride-or-die drugstore mascara girl. I wear about 10 coats of the stuff (no joke) on a daily basis which means I basically fly it. I’d say dry shampoo, mascara and Milk Duds have the shortest shelf-life in my midst. Plus, there are SO many awesome drugstore mascaras, spending $30 on one tube at Nordstrom is just silly.

But this was free. And luckily, I don’t love it and therefore, will not be tempted to re-purchase. Here’s the run-down.

Packaging and Wand

I lurrrv Marc Jacobs packaging! The black and white, sleek, shiny boxes – I die. The packaging of this particular mascara is also quite fun and edgy and I actually really like the wand. It is a nice size and the bristles grab alot of product, which I am a fan of.

Formula

It is a fairly wet formula, and I tend to like drier mascaras. It does pack some volume right off the bat, but the more I built it up, the worse the unevenness became. It started to clump on me and just didn’t go on super smoothly. I really do not understand where the velvet noir comes into play…I guess it was decently black but nothing shocking.

Staying-Power

This mascara flaked on me, which is why I really didn’t like it that much. By the late afternoon, I felt I needed to top it off with something else to remedy the patchiness.

OVERALL

I am a HUGE advocate of waiting to judge a mascara until it has been open for a couple of months and has had a chance to breathe (much like a fine wine). So really, I should wait for another week or so to really judge this baby. And perhaps I’ll follow up with a rave review a week from now. But guys. The Covergirl Supersizer is my holy grail, all-time favorite mascara and it costs $7.49 at Freddies. BOOM.

Christmas + B-Day Haul!

February 11, 2016Leave a comment

Yo yo yo!

If you guys have been around for awhile, you know these two dates are one and the FREAKING same. WEll, my birthday falls on Christmas Eve but like BFD, it’s the same day.

This year, people really ponied up and gave me some great things and welp – here they are!

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani Eyeshadow Palette

YES. I own the Gwen Stefani palette from Urban Decay and lemmejustsay – this palette is amaaaazing. My initial reaction to this palette was that it had WAY too many beigy colors. But upon closer inspection, each one offers something totally different. I have used basically every color in this palette, and so far there is not a dud in the bunch. I LOVE the blue and the pink as well, because both colors make my baby blues POP majorlly. I now understand that Urban Decay has released the Gwen blush palette….and oh law, it looks GORGEOUS. Must. Resist.

The Balm In the Balm of Your Hand Palette

Sister Megan got me this palette for Christmas and I am SO glad she did. I wanted this palette because I realized I (horror of horrors) own NOTHING from The Balm. I have wanted to try their blushes, eyeshadows, bronzer and OF COURSE the Mary Lou-minizer for a while now. This palette contains ALL of those items, plus a lip color and a lip and cheek color. I have had a chance to use several of these colors and so far my favorites are ALLLLLL of the shadows, the Hot Mama blush, Mary Louminizer and the cream cheek color. Plus, how cute is this packaging!?

Lush Rosy Christmas Gift Set

I purchased two of these little suckers during the day after Christmas sale on the Lush website. This box contains a small bottle of Rose Jam shower gel and a small tub of my beloved Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner. Each box was $16.95 and it was buy one get one free, so I got both of these boxes for a helluva deal!

Lush Butterbear Bath Bomb

These little guys were also buy one get one free, and at $4.95 apiece I couldn’t resist. I reallllly like this bath bomb because it releases a vanilla-infused cocoa butter formula into the water and it leaves my skin feeling baby soft.

Lush Rosie Wrapped Gift Box

Big thanks to Nan for realizing how much I need Lush in my life! This gift box contains more of my favorite things, Rose Jam Shower Gel and Ro’s Argan Body Conditioner. It also contains a miniature size of the Ultrabalm, which is pretty great. It also contains my beloved Rose Jam Bubbleroon AND Amandopondo Bubble Bar. I am vurrry excited to use this all up and smell like roses!

That pretty much sums it up! What did you all get for Christmas?