Earlier in the week, I ordered two lipsticks from the MAC by Request collection. A few months ago, MAC allowed fans to vote for their favorite discontinued MAC shades and the top three from each category (lipstick, lipglass, & eye shadow) were put up for sale again. I'm a lipstick junkie, so I had to order my two favorite shades from the collection ($15 each). These two lipsticks are actually the only products currently sold out from the collection, but you can find them on eBay (just beware of scammers)!
Moxie is on the left in all pictures and Candy Yum-Yum is on the right. They're both matte finishes and look absolutely GORGEOUS on. Wearing a bold lipstick is definitely my signature makeup look and these lipsticks both fit the bill. My purchase of Candy Yum-Yum was actually inspired by Cassie Steele (she played Manny on Degrassi back in the day), who is apparently obsessed with this lipstick color!
Did you all manage to get what you wanted from the collection? I'm so thankful I was able to get my hands on these particular shades, especially Candy Yum-Yum!
Most of y'all have probably heard a thing or two about these NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils. These pencils are cult favorites, specifically the shade Milk. You can find these pencils in basically any color and they are a staple for beauty addicts on a budget. For only $4.50 (and cheaper some places), they're a super value. Plus, there's a ton of product in the stick and it lasts for ages! As far as drugstore eyeshadow primers/bases go, NYX is my reigning champion.
Since I'm more of a neutral gal, I have four neutral shades to show you (including the ever popular Milk). While these can be used as cream eyeshadows or eyeliners, I prefer to use them as an eyeshadow base. These pencils really help to eliminate creasing and keep your eyeshadow in place longer. The warmth from your fingers helps to blend them out. I find that the shimmery shades are slightly smoother than the matte shades.
Milk (far left) is an opaque, pure white shade. Because you can put any color over this shade, it's hugely popular. Slapping some bold shadows on top of Milk is an essential for me, because the bright colors look even brighter over it. If you want a similar effect, but with a little bit of shimmer, Cottage Cheese (second from left) is your best bet. It's slightly sheerer than Milk. Yogurt (second from right) is one of those gorgeous pinkish, champagne colors that I personally love. This one is my favorites to wear alone or with soft neutrals. French Fries (far right) is a muted bronze that looks great with blended into the crease.
Overall, I'm a big fan of the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils. Have you guys tried the jumbo pencils?
So far, I've had mixed feelings about Glossybox. It's kind of a hefty price for a box of beauty samples ($21), but they do tend to have significantly larger sample sizes. If you want to see more of my opinions on Glossybox, check out my May and June Glossybox reviews. This month's products were all centered around Summer Nights. Keep in mind that Glossybox sends out their boxes at the end of each month, rather than the middle (like Birchbox and Glossybox). With the box, also comes GlossyMag, a little Glossybox exclusive magazines with featured beauty products, tips, and tricks.
This month, my box had 5 core items and 2 little bonus packets. According to Glossybox, the products this month were chosen to "offer you the essentials you'll need to indulge in products that show off your sun kissed skin and hair and enhance sultry skin." I was immediately pleased with the size of the products, before even trying them out.
Alessandro International Pedix Heel Rescue Balm- I was pleased to find this product in my Glossybox. I have fairly dry heels and I've been trying to eliminate that lately! I haven't tried this yet, but I'm hoping this really works! Full size- $18.50, Sample size- 5.55 Ofra Cosmetics Universal Eyebrow Pencil- Surprisingly, the color looked perfect for my brows, and it went on smoothly. It's partly made with beeswax, making it really stay on your brow area and it's also water resistant. I loved that this was full size! Full size- $10
Sebastian Color Ignite Multi Tone Shampoo- This shampoo is specifically designed for color-treated hair. It's intended to add moisturize, which is really all I'm looking for in a shampoo! Full size- $14.95, Sample size- $3.03 Sebastian Color Ignite Multi Tone Conditioner- This conditioner is also targeted at color-treated hair. The conditioner is actually a foam, which is rather unique. Full size- $16.95, Sample size $4.24
Senna Cosmetics Double Dose Lip Lacquer- I was really excited to see a full size makeup product in my box! This features two thick glosses: a pink with small flecks of iridescent glitter and a bronze/brown color. Though I definitely won't be wearing the brown, the pink is nice. The glosses are semi-opaque. Full size- $22 Caswell-Massey Almond & Aloe Hand & Body Emulsion- These two packets weren't counted as part of the box, just little extras thrown in. I tried one of the packets and I really liked it. It's a really moisturizing lotion and has a super strong almond scent. Personally, I'm a huge fan of almond scents (it reminds me of these almond cookies my mom makes every Christmas), but I know not everyone loves the scent. Full size- $24, Sample size (both packets combined), $0.82 Price of box- $21, Worth of box- $45.64
The price of the products in size were worth more than double $21. However, how much the box is worth to each person will differ, because of the products. If you love all of the products and will use them all, it's totally worth the cash, but if you hate most of them, it's probably not your best bet. Overall, I was pretty pleased with this box and I'm totally obsessed with the little bonus almond lotion!
Have you tried Glossybox? How did you feel about your box this month?
I always feel a little guilty when I bash on products, but I find that posts like these can be really helpful for other people. Keep in mind, these products didn't work for me... which doesn't mean they won't work for you. Some of the products are simply the wrong color or consistency for my skin and then there are some I just all-around don't like. Be sure to check out my video at the end of this post for a better view of the products and for a more in-depth discussion about them.
Victoria's Secret Mysterious Eyeshadow Quad- Despite the gorgeous colors, when I actually try to use these shadows on my eyes, they come up faded and I always have to apply a ton of product to get a good end result. They aren't the worst shadows in the world, but for what Victoria's Secret Makeup costs, I definitely didn't think this was worth it. Milani HD Advanced Concealer (02)- This is supposedly a dupe for the YSL Touche Eclat Radiant Touch, which is why I picked it up. Honestly, I just don't think this brightened up my undereyes enough and it really didn't conceal much either. Tarte emphasEYES Inner Rim Eye Pencil- The texture of this was really tough against my skin. I prefer a smoother eye pencil, especially because the skin around the eye is so delicate. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (Cherish Devotion)- This product is actually okay. However, I don't think it did what it was supposed to. As a lip stick or a chubby lip crayon, it works fine. Not super pigmented, but if you pack it on enough, you'll get sufficient color coverage. However, it definitely doesn't stain, which is why I wanted it. Maybelline Baby Lips (Peach Kiss)- First off, I'm actually a big fan of the Maybelline Baby Lips products. However, this specific one had kind of a slight gritty texture and didn't moisturize well, like the other colors in the range did. I rarely use this, because the color isn't too spectacular and the texture isn't pleasing. MAC Wonder Woman Lipglass- It's a gorgeous red color with gold flecks, but I simply NEVER use this. I have seriously never used his product and as y'all know, MAC is on the pricier side, so I'm not too happy about spending so much on it. As gorgeous as it is, I rarely wear red lipstick and when I do, I never use a gloss.
Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse Foundation- As much as I love the texture of this, it's just way too drying for my skin. It leaves my skin looking flaky. I thought that it would work for the summer (because my skin is oilier in the summer than it is in the winter), but my skin is just way too dry for this. If you have oily skin, though, I'd give this a try!
ELF Studio Powder Brush- I heard so many gurus rave about this, but it just wasn't for me. I found that it shed a ton and even after washing it three times, it continued to shed huge brush hairs.
Motions Oil Moisturizer Hair Lotion- This was so weird! Instead of moisturizing my hair, it left my hair feeling very dry and brittle. I absolutely hated this.
Essie Matte About You- This is just a matte top coat. I don't think this is a bad product, I just NEVER wear matte nails.
OPI (Love Is A Racket)- For some reason, I just hate the way this color looks on my skin. It's a metallic, which isn't really my thing anyway and it looks almost like a red foil on my nails.
Essie (Haute As Hello)- Like the OPI color, this jut didn't suit my skin tone. I've seen the color on a few other people and I love how it looks, but something about the red undertones of my skin don't mesh well with this!
What products do you all regret purchasing? Have ayou had better luck with some of these products than I have?
Too Faced... A brand after my own heart. I picked up this Too Faced Smokey Eye palette awhile back and ever since, I've been obsessed with Too Faced. Because there's really nothing better than a smokey eye, I wanted to share my opinions with you all on the palette that spawned my Too Faced obsession.
The Smokey Eye kit retails for $36 and boasts 9 eye shadows and a trio of cards to help you create the perfect smokey eye. Each row of the palette features shadows to create a specific look: Day, Classic, & Fashion. Each eye shadow has a cute little name to go along with it, as well!
So that you can get a feel of what the eye shadows will look like, I've swatched them and put them into trios with their corresponding look. First up is the Day look (Firefly, Cloves, and Up in Smoke), next is Classic (White Lie, Nice Ash, and Smokin Hot) and finally Fashion (In a Flash, Smoking Jacket, and Smolder). Smokin Hot and Smolder are matte shadows, which are essential to any good palette, in my opinion. Smoking Jacket was actually in my Top Ten Favorite Eyeshadows video I did awhile back!
As you all can probably guess, I love this palette. Too Faced has actually become my favorite comany for eye shadows, especially when it comes to their shimmery shades. They are so buttery smooth and pigmented, which is really all a girl can ask for in an eye shadow. I've used each and every one of these color combinations for various events and daily outings and I always get compliments from my makeup-savvy friends when I wear these shadows. If you haven't already picked up this palette (or any of the other Too Faced palettes), I'd absolutely recommend giving them a try.
What are some of your favorite Too Faced products? Any recommendations as to what Too Faced product I should pick up next?
I'm a huge nail polish junkie. Though my collection is definitely not the largest (and certainly not the smallest), it's filled with colors I love. As far as minty hues go, I've got a t least a dozen. When it comes to oranges, reds, and yellows... there are about 5 in total. I'm very picky about my nail polishes, but when I see one I like, I have to have it. As far as consistency goes, OPI is at the top of the pack, but for some reason, I have nearly four times as many China Glaze polishes as I do OPI. Whatever the brand, I have my nails painted at all times (this can be a good and bad thing). Do you have any of the same polishes as me? What are some of your favorites from my collection?
I adore Hard Candy cosmetics. Seriously, every single time I go to Walmart (which isn't much, I admit), I pick up a few things from the Hard Candy section. They are sold exclusively at Walmart and they're pretty well-priced. These Blush Crush Baked Blushes (that's a mouthful) are some of my favorite products from the Hard Candy range of makeup and they retail for $7 each.
The blush on the left (in all pictures) is Living Doll and the blush on the right is Honeymoon. Living Doll is a nice blue-toned pink and Honeymoon is a lighter peach. Though I'm typically not a big fan of shimmer in my blush, I love the way the shimmer turns to a sheen with these blushes.. They're soft, blendable, and pigmented, but not as pigmented as a few other blushes I've seen. Actually, the only makeup product where I don't mind a little less pigmentation is with my blush, because blending out a super pigmented blush (which I often do, anyway) can be so time consuming. Both of these blushes just make your skin glow and are definitely worth the drugstore price tag.
Have you all tried any of the Hard Candy products? Are you as obsessed as I am?
