October 2012 Empties!

Hey everyone! This past month I actually think I went through a decent amount of stuff. Makeup is always hard for me to go through because I don't wear it everyday but I managed to use up one makeup product. So here is all the stuff I was able to go through in October!

So the first product I used up is something that isn't even made anymore and it's the Philosophy It's All In Your Head Extra Gentle Daily Shampoo. It sucks that this isn't made anymore because I actually liked this. I'm not picky with hair stuff so I'm always trying new things but this made my hair really soft and cleaned it very well. It also had a nice light, fresh scent to it. 

The next product I used up is the Olay Body Wash plus Creme Ribbons. I'm not gonna add a link to this because I didn't like this stuff at all. The smell of it was too overwhelming. It smelled too much like perfume and it actually irritated my skin and dried it out more. It's just a crap product to me.

Next, I used up the Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel for sensitive skin. This product was okay. It didn't really do much for my skin and I didn't notice it make my skin softer or prevent ingrown hairs and all that. I have a backup of this to use up now but I don't think I'll be repurchasing this again.

The next product I used up is another one that's not available anymore (sorry guys!). It's the Dylan's Candy Bar Ice Cream Sugar Scrub in Coconut Bon Bon. I got this and some other things from this brand at Sephora a really long time ago, it's probably been a few years. Anyways, I really loved this scrub. The scrubby granules weren't big so they didn't irritate my skin but left me with really soft baby skin. The smell of this was just amazing too! A little of this went a long way too, so it took me a long while to go through this. 

The next product is The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Blemish Fade Night Lotion. I know I've mentioned this in posts before and I like this stuff. Because of the tea tree oil, it does have a pretty strong scent but it doesn't linger and the lotion sinks right into your skin. It sometimes irritated my skin a little bit, but I usually mixed this with the aloe serum from The Body Shop to help with that. 

The next product I used up (thank god!) is the E.L.F. Tone Correcting Concealer in the color ivory. This stuff sucks to be honest. I'm so glad this is gone but unfortunately I do have another one to use up. I don't know what it is about this product. I just did not like it. It smells like an orange creamsicle which is nice, but it gives absolutely no coverage whatsoever and it doesn't blend very well either. I should just throw out the other one I have but I hate wasting product like that. Plus, I'm pretty sure this was only $1 so it's not a big burn in my pocket, but it still sucks!

The last product I used up is The Body Shop Seaweed Pore-Cleansing Facial Exfoliator. I really, really like this stuff. The scrubby particles in it are a good size so they don't irritate my skin but it still gets the job done. I'm always left with super soft skin afterwards. The base of this scrub also gets very foamy so it can also act as a cleanser. A word of caution if you try this: be very careful not to get it in your eyes! Trust me, my hand slipped one time and I got some of the soap, not the scrubby particles, in my eyes and it burned like hell. I had to keep flushing my eye with water and it was fine but man that wasn't fun!

That's everything! I hope in November I can go through more makeup products but I'm happy with what I used up this month.

What did everyone else use up in October?

TAG! 10 Products I Would Repurchase

Hey everyone! First off, if you've been following me for a little while now, you may notice that I've changed up my background a little! This little blog is still a work in progress and will continue to grow. Just wanted to let everyone know of the new things going on! Anyways, this seems like such a fun tag so I wanted in on the action. If you don't know what this tag is, basically if all your makeup disappeared somehow, what are the first ten products you'd repurchase. I'll admit, this was kinda tough and I took into consideration if brushes disappeared too because I always need brushes to do my makeup. So lets get started!

I'll start with brushes first since I'd be lost without them. The first brush I'd want to repurchase is the Smashbox Shadow Brush. I hate to say this, but I don't think they sell this separately. I got this brush in an eyeshadow set from Sephora a couple years ago, but this is my absolute favorite brush for putting on eyeshadow. The bristles are super soft and it distributes color evenly across my lid.

The next brush is the BH Cosmetics Blending Brush. I've said in a post before how much I love this brush and I'll say it again. This is the best blending brush I've ever used! Seriously, the bristles are very soft on this as well, and it blends any shadow very well. I actually have another one of these as a back-up and if all my makeup did disappear, I'd be really sad about losing this brush! It's also very inexpensive.

The last brush I'd repurchase is The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Foundation Brush. This is actually an older brush before they reformulated the mineral line and renamed some things. The name that's actually on the brush I have says Nature's Minerals Foundation, but it's the exact same brush as the Extra Virgin Minerals. Anyways, this brush is just fantastic. I don't like liquid foundation at all so I primarily wear powder foundation. Once in a while I'll use a tinted moisturizer or B.B. cream, but powder is what I wear 95% of the time. This brush makes powder foundation look very flawless against my skin and it helps blend everything in nicely.

The next thing I'd repurchase is my Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette. Now I know I've talked about this palette many times. I absolutely love both Naked Palettes but this one goes better with my pale skin. The colors are cooler than the first palette and I feel like I get more use out of this one than the first. For me, the first Naked Palette is better for use in the summer and this one I can use all year round but especially in the cooler months.

Next, I'd repurchase my bareMinerals Matte Foundation in the color Fair. This foundation is a godsend for me. I had tried the original foundation but it got so cakey on my skin and made it look like I was wearing a mask. This stuff is just amazing! It's a tad bit pricey but a little bit goes a very long way and it's lasted me so long. I don't wear foundation everyday though either.

Then I'd repurchase my NARS Blush in the color orgasm. Everyone's talked and raved about this so I won't go on and on about it, but it's a nice shimmery, peachy pink color that's flattering on a variety of skin tones.

The next thing I'd repurchase is the bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara. I love this mascara so much and if this disappeared, I'd probably cry. I really love my mascara. I'm always willing to try a bunch of new ones and see how they are, and I have a ton of mascara to go through once this runs out, but I know I'll definitely be repurchasing this in the future. I've talked about this before too but it makes my lashes look defined and natural looking without looking like spider lashes. This stuff doesn't clump on me either. The only gripe I have with this (and any mascara really) is that it flakes on me by the end of the day. It doesn't bother me too much because obviously I'll have some flaking if I have makeup on for more than 8 hours, but I'm still on the hunt for one that doesn't flake on me at all. 

The next repurchase is probably an obvious one and it's the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. With my oily skin and eyelids, this is a miracle product. I can't imagine my life without this and I don't know how I managed to wear eyeshadow before I had heard of this little wonder product. This one is the old packaging, now it comes in a tube and I have a backup of the professional sized tube, which will probably last me a really, really long time.

The next product I'd repurchase is a new favorite of mine and it's the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer in the color Fair. Again, this stuff is incredible! It really helps lessen the look of my dark circles and the color is perfect for me, for once. I can never get colors right and even the lightest shades are sometimes too dark, that's how pale I am! But I'm in love with this and I'm adding it to my favorites.

The last product I'd repurchase is any Philosophy Lip Shine. The Gingerbread Man is the one that's pictured because it's the one I'm currently using. I know I've said before that the Philosophy lip shines are my absolute favorite. They always smell and taste just like the name says and they last you a very long time. 

Well that's everything I'd repurchase! I just hope none of my makeup ever disappears!

Who else would cry if all their makeup disappeared?

Review: Lauren Conrad Beauty

Hey everyone! Today I'd like to share something really special to me that my mom got for me and I absolutely love! Plus, Frankenstorm is coming and I wanna make sure I get this posted before it gets here! I'm going to be talking about Lauren Conrad's new book called Beauty. I really love Lauren Conrad. I think she is super down to earth, sweet and her clothing line that's at Kohl's is amazing! I have a few pieces from her line that I'm in love with. And this book is no exception.

I was so excited when my mom got this for me sometime last week. The cover picture of Lauren is so stunning and you can just see her natural beauty shine through. This is basically what the book is about, working with your natural beauty in hair, makeup and skincare. I absolutely love how she talks about really working with what you have instead of covering everything up. There are twelve chapters which include advice on skincare, makeup application for everyday and nighttime makeup, haircare, how fitness and food affect you and even advice on how to handle stress. Personally, chapter 1 is my favorite because it's about finding your beauty. Everyday, girls struggle with feeling pretty and all that stuff. I know I sure did when I was a teenager and still do sometimes. In this chapter, Lauren shows us pictures of how her look has evolved over the years and the "mistakes" she says she made with her makeup and hair. Learning how to do your hair and makeup takes time and patience and I know I'm still learning about makeup to this day. Trust me, I've never worn bronzer and I'm actually terrified to try it only because I'm so pale and I think even a very light bronzer will still make me look orange.

Anyways, this book is such an amazing read, whether you're a makeup newbie or a pro. There are so many amazing tips in here and I think everyone should go out and get a copy. If you want to check it out, click here for more info. 

Any beauty books you're loving lately? Or has anyone else read this book?

HAUL! Walgreens & Bath & Body Works

I hate to say it, but I broke my promise about not buying any makeup until Black Friday.... but the good news is, I've finally found Wet N' Wild products at my local Walgreens! You guys have no idea how excited I am. I've been looking for the brand for quite a while now and couldn't find it anywhere until today when I was doing some errands. I also went to Bath & Body Works too, so here's my little haul for everyone! 

Everything I bought

Bath & Body Works hand sanitizers

I'm going to go over the B&BW stuff first since I wanna save the best for last. Now I've probably said before, I work in retail. With the cold weather and the holiday's coming up, I'm going to be around a lot more people and really don't want to get sick. I already got my flu shot so the next important thing to me is using hand sanitizer while I'm working. It's often hard to get off the selling floor to go wash your hands so I always have to have hand sanitizer with me at all times, and the ones from Bath & Body Works are so cute, fun and the scents they have are amazing! Anyways, they're having the 5 for $5 sale for these and I'm running low so I wanted to stock up a little. The scents I got are Sparkling Pink Champagne, Island Margarita, Vanilla Buttercream, Candy Cane Bliss, and Strawberry Cupcake. I don't really have to go into detail about each scent because I know everybody knows about these and loves them, but I will say, Sparkling Pink Champagne smells soooooooo good! I might have to go back and get more while they're on sale.

After B&BW I was still on my mission to find Wet N' Wild products, and I was successful, but I also found this little guy. This eyeshadow palette is from a brand called Profusion and this is the Sultry & Neutrals 10 Eyeshadow Palette. They had another one that had cooler colors for more smokey looks. I thought about getting both but I just got this one to try and see how I like it. This baby only cost me $4.99! I couldn't believe that price! When I got home I googled the brand because I had never heard of it before and I read mixed reviews of the palettes so we'll see how this compares to my Urban Decay Naked Palette, which is what I automatically thought of when I saw this. This also comes with a black eyeliner pencil and a sponge applicator, which I don't use so I'll probably throw it away. This palette looks like half shimmer, half matte which is a change for me because I love my shimmer. Anyways, I'm very excited to try this, especially because of the price, so once I try it enough, I'll do a review on it!

Here's what I was most excited about! I was so happy when I saw the Wet N' Wild display, I actually squealed a little. Now because I had never found any of these products anywhere else, I was surprised that they didn't have a big selection, but hey, with how good people say the products are, probably no one cares about that. I almost missed it though because they were squeezed between rimmel and Almay products. But this palette in Comfort Zone was what I wanted to try the most. And for $4.99 again, you just can't beat the price. And the color payoff is really amazing. I lightly swatched some colors and wow, just wow. To me, this is like Urban Decay quality. If I end up really liking this one, I may go back and get the palette with the purples in it called Petal Pusher. I'll probably end up buying some of their trios too.

Well there you go! That's my little haul that I'm quite proud of! I only spent a little over $15 total including tax so all this was definitely worth the money in my opinion. We'll just have to see how I like the Profusion palette!

Talk to everyone later!

TAG! How Much Does Your Face Cost?

I've seen this tag going around and basically what it is, is you total up everything you use on your face in the morning. I'll be going over my typical makeup routine and my current skincare routine. I'll have to look up prices of these because I can never remember what I pay for things. This seems really fun, so here is my how much does your face cost tag! :)

Starting off with skincare:

-Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser- $6.47
-The Body Shop Aloe Calming toner- $12
-The Body Shop Aloe Protective Serum- $21
-The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion- $13
-The Body Shop Vitamin C Eye Reviver- $22 (they no longer have this exact product, so I priced it by the replacement they have now)
-Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch Sunblock SPF 55- $7 (couldn't find the price for the SPF 55, so this price is based on SPF 45

TOTAL: $81.47

Now onto the makeup. I couldn't fit everything in one picture so I'll total each picture then do a final total:

-Sephora Anti Shine Primer- $17 (Sephora no longer has this product, however they do have another anti shine primer that's in a different package and it's the same size as this one, which I used the price of)
-Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion- $20 (old packaging, pricing from the new squeeze tube)
-The Body Shop Black Velvet Apricot Lip Balm- $6 (I honestly don't remember if this was $6. It was a holiday flavor from like two years ago but the rest of their lip balms are $6)

TOTAL: $43

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette- $50
Philosophy Melting Marshmallow Lip Shine- $10
bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara- $18
Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze- $5.84 
NYX Eyeshadow in Aloha- $4.99

TOTAL: $88.83

bareMinerals Matte Foundation in the color Fair- $27
The body Shop Blush in the color 04- $16 (they must've repackaged these blushes because different ones are on the website)
The Body Shop Lightening Touch in shade 01- $14.50
e.l.f. Tone Correcting Concealer in the color Ivory- $1

TOTAL: $58.50


GRAND TOTAL: $271.80!

Good grief! I never thought about how much all this stuff actually costs! But there you have it folks. That's pretty much everything I use on a day to day basis. There are days like today, when I'm not wearing makeup and then there are days where I add a few more things to my routine, but this is really it on a typical day for me!

My 5 Favorite Eyeshadow Palettes

Today, I'm going to be talking about my favorite kind of makeup. Eyeshadows! Seriously, I'm pretty much obsessed with eyeshadows. I have enough to probably last the rest of my life, but of course I'm always gonna need more! These are my five favorite eyeshadow palettes. They're in no particular order either.

Now I know everyone's going to think, oh geez, another person talking about an Urban Decay Naked Palette. But in all honesty, I absolutely love this Naked 2 Palette. I also have the first Naked Palette but this one compliments my skin tone way better because I'm so fair-skinned. The color Snakebite, which is the sixth color in from the left is so flipping beautiful, it has to be my favorite color here. Bootycall, the third color in, is the perfect highlight color too.

This next palette is a newer one that I completely fell in love with when I saw the colors in person. This is the Lorac Pro Palette. I was eyeing this for a while, then I took a trip to Sephora, took a look at it and was pretty much in love at first sight. This palette is pretty cool because the top row of shadows are matte while the bottom row is shimmery. I love shimmer shadows the best so for me, buying a palette with matte shadows was a step out of my comfort zone, but I absolutely love this palette and every color is really beautiful.

This next palette is kind of an older one but I love it so much! It's the Kat Von D True Romance Eyeshadow Palette in Ludwig. You're probably noticing a pattern now with these palettes being primarily neutral, but I promise some color is coming soon! Anyways, this is the first Kat Von D makeup product I ever bought and it didn't disappoint at all. You can probably notice in the picture that the black color, Lucifer, is all broken but it's because I've had it for I don't know how long and it breaks more everytime I use it. I'm so in love with the two green colors that are next to the black color and the last four neutral colors are beautiful as well.

This next palette is the Too Faced Naked Eye Palette. Again, these are pretty neutral colors but you can do a smokey look with the Fashion look that's on the bottom row. I love the color Satin Sheets, which is the light pink color in the second row, second color in. This palette is just really good for an everyday eye look.

Here's the palette with color! This is the BH Cosmetics 88 Color Shimmer Palette. I love BH Cosmetics palettes. You get so much variety and the color payoff is incredible. They're so pigmented and the price of these palettes are pretty good too. Anyways, You still have your neutrals here but then you have your purples and greens and everything in between basically. I use this and other BH palettes if I wanna do something a bit different with my look.

So there you have it! These are my favorite eyeshadow palettes. Like I said, I'm obsessed with eyeshadows and eyeshadow palettes especially, so this list was a bit hard to make. I hope everyone likes this and please leave a comment below telling me your favorite eyeshadow palettes! :)

TAG! 40 Beauty Questions

Hey guys! Today is kind of a blah day so I figured I'd do a tag post to help lift my spirits! I love tags like this and this looks like a fun one so here is the 40 Beauty Questions Tag :)


SKINCARE

How many times do you wash your face daily?
Twice, once in the morning, then at night


What skin type do you have? (dry,oily,combo)
Usually it's very oily, but now it's turning into combination because it's getting colder

What is your current facial wash?
Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser at night, Aveeno Ultra-Calming Foaming Cleanser in the morning

Do you exfoliate?
Yes, about twice a week
 
What brand do you use?
Just finished one from The Body Shop, now using an Olay product


What moisturizer do you use?
The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion in the morning, Super Hyper Hydrator at night

Do you have freckles?
A few around my eyes and on my cheeks


Do you use eye cream?
Yes I do! I use two different ones for morning and night


Do you or did you have acne prone skin?
More so when I was younger, now I just get breakouts occasionaly


Did you ever have to use Pro-activ?
Yes, when I was about 12 or 13


MAKE-UP

What foundation do you use?
Depends on the day. I'll use a B.B. cream occasionally but I primarily use the bareMinerals Matte mineral foundation. I can't stand liquid foundations

How about concealer?
A crappy e.l.f. one. It's almost empty so I can use something else very soon


Do you know your undertone color?
I'm gonna guess blue because I have very cool skin


What do you think of fake eyelashes?
Never tried them, never want to


Did you know that you are supposed to change your mascara every 3 months?
Yeah, but I don't really listen to that because I'm the only one using my makeup, plus I probably go through a tube in that time frame anyways


What brand of mascara do you use?
I'll try anything really. Currently I'm using a bareMinerals mascara


Sephora or MAC?
I'll say Sephora only because I've never tried MAC before
 
Do you have a MAC Pro-card?
I wish! Then I'd get an awesome discount


What makeup tools do you use in make up applications?
Brushes


Do you use make-up base/primer for the eyes?
Yep, Urban Decay Primer Potion is my favorite

For the face?
Yes, currently a Sephora brand primer, but I'll try anything


What is your favorite eyeshadow (color or shade)?
That's really hard because eyeshadow is my favorite makeup, but I'll have to say purples, greens, and certain browns/bronzey colors


Do you use pencil or liquid eyeliner?
I don't usually wear eyeliner, but if I do I use a pencil


How often do you poke your eyes with an eyeliner pencil?
Not so much anymore, but when I was a makeup newbie, I used to poke my eyes all the time no matter how careful I was

What do you think of pigment eyeshadows?
Never tried any before
 

Do you use mineral makeup?
Yes

What is your favorite lipstick?
I don't use lipsticks, only glosses


How about lipgloss?
Anything from Philosophy. They smell so good!

What is your favorite blush to use?
Typically Nars Orgasm. It's very flattering for my skin and looks good with any eye look

Do you buy your makeup on ebay?
No

Do you like drugstore makeup?
Yes, I do! I'm expanding my drugstore makeup collection because there are some really good products out there


Do you go to CCO’s? (cosmetic company outlets)
I have like once or twice before, but I don't remember buying anything


Did you ever consider taking make-up classes?
I went to cosmetology school for esthetics and makeup, but I hated the makeup portion of the class because everyone who did my makeup did it horribly, plus the makeup was so cheap and broke me out real bad


Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?
I try not to be, but sometimes if I'm rushing to get ready for work, I'll skip a bunch of steps and try to do something quick


Name a makeup crime that you hate?
Too many to name, but eyeshadow that isn't blended in properly and foundation lines


Do you like colorful shades of makeup (lipstick,eyeshadow) or neutral ones?
I like both, but usually I go for more neutrals


Which celebrity always has great make up?
I honestly don't pay that much attention, but I love Emma Stone's classic look with her makeup


If you could leave the house using just ONE make up item,what would you use?
Lip gloss because I can't have dry lips


Could you ever leave the house without any makeup on?
Yes, I usually don't wear makeup on my days off work and I'll go to work without makeup too if I don't have time to put any on


Do you think you look good even without any makeup on?
I guess so. I probably look more awake when I do something but my fiance even says I look more beautiful when I don't wear makeup. He's such a sweetheart :)


In your opinion, what is the BEST makeup line?
I love all different lines of makeup. I guess I'll have to say Urban Decay, bareMinerals and I've been getting into NYX and Maybelline more too


What do you think of Makeup?
I love it a lot more now than I used to. When I first started experimenting with it, I thought I looked like a clown because I wasn't used to it, but now that I'm older and use it more frequently, I've gotten used to applying it and it's a nice way to express yourself artistically too because I pretty much suck at drawing on paper, but I love drawing on my face :) LOL 

I'll get back to posting my usual stuff soon. Like I said, today isn't that great of a day so I wanted to do something fairly quick and fun :)

Bath & Body Works Haul!

Happy Monday everyone!

So I know this is another haul, but there isn't anything makeup or skincare related (well, maybe a little bit skincare). Anyways, this is a Bath & Body Works haul. I've never really been into buying anything from Bath & Body Works but I got a couple good deals I thought I'd share. I also did buy everything in the same weekend, but different days. Here's what I got:

They were having the sale where the 3-wick candles were 2 for $20 and I gotta admit, I've never tried any of their candles until I bought these! Shocking, I know. I'm honestly not much of a candle person because I can be quite sensitive to smells, but I saw the sale and figured I'd get the ones with the least offending smells and try them out. Plus I hear amazing things about these candles too. Now the Hot Buttered Rum scent is so amazing! Good grief, I don't think I've ever smelled anything more amazing. I'm obsessed with anything sweet and this just smells like the best caramel latte ever. Here's the description from the bottom of the jar: "Cozy up with this richly indulgent treat on a frosty, winter's night- buttered rum, smooth caramel and just a hint of bourbon." Yum-o is all I have to say!

Then I got French Baguette. I swear when I burn this, it really does smell like freshly baked bread, and I know everyone loves that smell! (at least you should) Here's the description, "The scent of a crispy, golden baguette fresh from the bakery celebrates one of the greatest culinary treats of Paris." I get hungry just reading that.

I also bought one of the candle holders to go with them. I just like the design of it and it was only $5. I probably will be getting more of these candles when I see the 2 for $20 sale again.

Now these were what I was referring to about skincare. Everyone has to wash their hands, and everyone needs to use hand soap while doing so, so this purchase was totally justified. Anyways, their hand soaps were either 4 for $15 or 6 for $20, so I went with 6 because I thought it was a better deal. So the first scent I got is Creamy Pumpkin. This soap I got with the little exfoliating beads in it. I figured this will be good whenever my hands feel really dry and need a little extra exfoliation before I moisturize.

Next I got Fresh Picked Strawberries in the moisturizing version. Strawberries are definitely my favorite fruit of all time and they smell so amazing. This particular soap smells a tad perfume-y for my liking but I still smell the strawberries so that's okay.

The next soap I got is Candy Cane Bliss also in the moisturizing version. This smells so yummy! I love minty things too and this will be perfect for the upcoming holiday season!

Then I got Vanilla Bean Noel. This one has the exfoliating beads in it. First of all, the picture of the reindeer on the front is so darn cute and the vanilla smell is really nice. Again, this is perfect for the holidays and really cold weather when my hands get dry.

This next one I got mainly for my fiance and it's Fresh Picked Tangerines. He loves anything that smells like oranges and definitely loves his orange juice! For me, this smells perfume-y like the strawberry one but it's not too overpowering. This is fiance approved, so it's good in my book!

Finally I got Black Cherry Merlot in the foaming version. This doesn't screw open so I can't smell it, but if smells anything like how the picture looks, I'm sure I'll love it!

So that's my little Bath & Body Works haul! I think I'll definitely be shopping here more when I run out of soap and when I want more candles ;)

Let me know in the comments what you like from Bath & Body Works!

October 2012 Ipsy/MyGlam Bag

Today I'm going to be sharing what I got in my Ipsy/Glam bag. First of all, this company used to be called MyGlam, now they're called Ipsy so I guess when I post future bags I'll just called it an Ipsy bag. I was pretty darn excited to get this bag because I always look up the hints they give out on Facebook and figure out what I'm getting, so here it is!

The bag the products came in

The wonderful products!

So the first product I received is by Mirenesse and it is a Lip Bomb that says it's a glossy lacquer stain. I'm pretty excited by this because I'm obsessed with lip glosses and this is a nice neutral nude pink-y color that seems like it will go nicely with my fair skintone. I don't see a name for the color, it just has the number 9 on the bottom.

Next I received the Be a Bombshell Eye Liner in the color Onyx. I'm not a big fan of liquid eye liners only because I don't have much experience with them. I've tried a different one before and my hand was so shaky putting it on, it looked like a 5 year old drew on my face. But I guess this product gives me more reason to try and experiment again.

This next product I was most excited to receive! It's from Coastal Scents and it's just four dime sized eyeshadows in the colors Rosy Pink, Gunmetal, Elven Silver and Light Pink. Now you can't see in the picture, but I was a little disappointed because the silver color was a little broken. It's like a piece of the top was scraped off somehow, but I'm okay with it now because it's only a tiny amount that was broken. These colors look sooooo pretty though! I love the rosy pink and gunmetal colors the most.

The next thing I got is a Pequi Oil Treatment that's for your hair to restore softness and shine. Now I've never tried a hair oil before so I'm not sure if I'll like this or not. My hair right now isn't dry or damaged and it's actually pretty fine so I always think oils will just weigh my hair down more. I'll still try this though just to see how it works. I might wait til it gets a lot colder because that's when my hair gets the driest.

The last thing I received is from theBalm Cosmetics and it's the What's Your Type? "the body builder" Mascara in just a regular black color. I'm pretty excited for this too because I love trying new mascaras and I've actually heard a lot of good things about this. 

I also got a little card with all the products names on it and extra discounts if I place an order with any of the brands from this bag.

Well that's my bag! Overall, I'm happy with it. Again, not the biggest fan of hair oils but I will definitely try it. I'm still so excited over the eyeshadows and mascara! I can't wait to try them! This is also by far my favorite beauty subscription service. I used to be subscribed to Birchbox but didn't like over half of the boxes I got, and I was with them for a little over a year. Oh well, Ipsy is really amazing in my opinion :)

What beauty subscription services do you like or recommend?

How To Take Care of and Treat: Mature & Aging Skin

I know you're all probably wondering, "Katy, you're 23! What could you possibly know about mature skin?!" Well, I don't know everything about mature skin, but I do know a few things. I have a mother after all! (Love you momma!) Anyways, here are a few tips and tricks to try if you or someone you know is older and has drier skin.

Okay, so when looking for a cleanser for mature skin, look for something really creamy that doesn't foam. I've seemed to notice that not many older women have oily skin, so stay away from anything foamy because it'll dry out your skin even more. You definitely don't need anything fancy in a cleanser because all you're doing is massaging it on your face for a minute then rinsing it down the drain. I never understand why people want fancy, expensive cleansers when all the beneficial ingredients don't stay in contact with your skin, but I digress. A really good cleanser to try is the Korres Milk Proteins 3 in 1 Cleansing, Toning and Eye Makeup Removing Emulsion. The milk proteins in this cleanser helps with hydrating and moisturizing the skin. You get 6.7 ounces for only $21, which is actually not too bad in my opinion. But if you really just want to stick with drugstore cleansers, I find that either Olay or Neutrogena have the best cleansers. Olay has the Total Effects Nourishing Cream Cleanser that also helps fight the 7 signs of aging, which according to the website are fine lines and wrinkles, rough texture, uneven skin tone, dullness, prominent pores, age spots and dryness. (everyone wants to fight all that stuff!). Neutrogena has the Ageless Essentials Continuous Hydration Cream Cleanser. For some reason I cant find it in a location near me, but it's on their website and you can also find it on Amazon. 

Now for toners, I actually recommend NOT using one, only because there's a chance they'll just dry out your skin even more. If you absolutely can't live without a toner, look for one that's very hydrating and is alcohol free. Preferably, look for something geared more towards sensitive, dry skin, just stay away from the alcohol!

Onto Moisturizers. This should be fairly easy because obviously you want to look for something super hydrating that helps to diminish the look of wrinkles and helps prevent future wrinkles. A moisturizer I absolutely love and can totally vouch for is the Clinque Moisture Surge Intense for Very Dry to Dry Combination Skin. Now I don't use this particular one because this moisturizer is made for different skin types, but it will totally leave your skin feeling super hydrated and feeling good. Even though it doesn't have too many fancy schmancy ingredients in it, as long as your skin's moisture barrier is hydrated, the happier your skin will be regardless. For drugstore moisturizers, again Olay and Neutrogena provide the best options. The Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream Fragrance Free is a wonderful option. Apparently this is America's #1 selling anti-aging moisturizer and this fragrance free version is newer. I definitely recommend using the fragrance free version to prevent any kind of sensitivity or reactions to the skin. The Neutrogena Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Moisturizer is another good option. It's got a ton of vitamins and antioxidants to help prevent dullness and roughness so skin stays looking younger and fresher.

Time for sunblock! Don't start thinking that because you're older and have drier, more mature skin you don't need sunblock. YES YOU DO! I don't care how old you are, you always need to wear sunblock no matter what, and as long as you have it next to your other skincare regimen, you won't forget to use it. Now I recommend using a sunblock that's not particularly fancy with ingredients and that's also good for sensitive skin. Look for maybe some vitamins and antioxidants, but you don't need a super expensive sunblock to get the job done. Neutrogena's Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 is a great option. You can maybe even use this moisturizer in the morning and another moisturizer I recommended at night. Although, if you do want extra hydration, it's perfectly fine to layer them. Just don't goop it on your face, then it can get greasy.

Well that's it folks! There are so many products to choose from for drier, more mature, aging skin. There are even products if you still suffer from acne that can be added to your routine that's actually made for mature skin, so definitely look around and try a bunch to see what helps your skin the most!

Talk to everyone later! :)

Review: Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser

Today I'm going to review the cleanser that I've been using for almost a month now, and that's the Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser. I think a month is a good time to review something because I tend to know if I like it or not by then.

I know this bottle looks empty, but it's laying on its side and I really have about half of the bottle left. I purchased this at Sephora a while ago and I just looked on the website to find it, but the whole Juice Beauty brand is no where to be found, so I guess they discontinued carrying it. I went on the Juice Beauty website and I looked up where I could find the brand, and it looks like it's mainly in Ulta now. Anyways, it says this cleanser is $22, but on Amazon it's $26.99, so not sure what that's about. Again, it's been a while since I purchased this so I probably did spend around $20 or so. There are a bunch of really nice ingredients like organic lemon juice which helps improve skin tone and texture, organic aloe leaf juice which is a very healing, anti-inflammatory ingredient and lemon balm leaf which has antiseptic and antiviral properties. So basically, this cleanser is geared to help heal any acne blemishes and to prevent more acne from happening.

This isn't the greatest cleanser in my opinion. Even though it foams nicely, you have to really work it in your hands to get it to foam, and it's so runny and thin that a lot of it can run off your hands if you're not careful (trust me, I know). I don't get too many blemishes anymore, but if I do get some, I don't particularly notice that this cleanser helps them in any way. I've said before, I don't know why so many companies put nice, beneficial ingredients into a cleanser when it just gets rinsed down the drain. They should really put them into a serum or moisturizer instead. Don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing this cleanser at all. It actually does a decent job of cleaning my skin, it does feel soft after I wash it too and it smells pretty good as well. I just haven't noticed a huge difference in my skin's texture and I definitely haven't noticed a difference in any blemishes I get.

Overall, this isn't a terrible cleanser, but it's not great either. If I could give it a grade, I'd probably give it a C+ only because I don't notice a vast difference with my skin.

Collective Fall Haul! Walmart & Ulta

So once again, I have another haul for you guys. I'm so bad for buying stuff that I promised my fiance that I'm not going to buy anything beauty related until Black Friday (womp womp :(). But you know what? I really am gonna try to keep my promise, so wish me luck! Anyways, lets get started with this haul!

Everything I bought combined

Suave, Rimmel and Maybelline products from Walmart. Real Techniques brush from Ulta

The first thing I bought is the Suave Dry Shampoo. I got this at Walmart I'm pretty excited to try this because I've heard a ton of good things about it, plus when I was in line to check out, the girl in front of me noticed I was buying it and she said it's the best thing she's ever tried. Plus, I only paid $2.50 for it, so even if I don't like it, it doesn't break the bank. Next, I bought the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. This is probably the most exciting thing I bought at Ulta. I've been looking for this brush for a really long time because every time I would go to Ulta, they didn't have it in stock so when I noticed they did, I snatched it up right away. The next thing I got is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for dark circles Treatment Concealer in the color fair. Obviously, I bought this because I get horrendous dark circles, especially this time of year with the weather getting colder. Plus, I work in retail, so the crazy holiday hours are fast approaching and I'll need all the help I can get! I've also heard a ton of good things about this too so I'm pretty sure I'll like it. Then I got the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in the transparent color because the next color they had was too dark for me (I really am paler than Casper). Again, I've heard a lot of nice things about this too and I think it'll be good for my oily skin.

Maybelline eyeshadows and OPI polishes from Ulta. Revlon and Pure Ice from Walmart

I'm going to talk about the nail polishes I bought at Walmart and the first one is by a brand called Pure Ice and the color is called Iced Merlot. It's a bit hard to tell in the picture, but it's a pretty wine red color with tiny hint of plum and it has silver shimmer to it. This polish was only literally under $2 so I don't have the highest hopes for it being the best, but I might do a review on it when I try it out. The last polish I got at Walmart is from Revlon Colorstay and it's in the color Cafe Pink. This is such a pretty light pink color and I know it's probably not the best Fall color, but I love light pinks like this and I think it'll look nice with my skin tone. Then at Ulta I bought two nail polishes and a top coat. They were having this sale where you bought 2 OPI polishes and received a top or base coat free, so I thought that was a pretty nice sale. I absolutely love the two colors I got! Probably my favorite one is from the new Germany Collection and the color is called Suzi & The 7 Dusseldorf's. I just love that name and it's this really pretty metallic purple color that's not too dark. the last polish I got is called Vampsterdam and this color is so stunning! It's so dark it almost looks black but it's a very dark plum color. I can't wait to put this on my nails! Lastly, I got two Maybelline Eyestudio quads. The one on the top in the picture is called Mad For Mauve and these colors look like they're going to compliment my hazel eyes nicely. The one on the bottom is a bit bold for me because I do love my neutral shadows but I really want to step out of my comfort zone a little. This quad is called Smokey Night and I love, love love the first two purple shades! I'm excited to really try these shadows though and see what looks I can come up with!

Well that's everything guys! I'm a little sad that I can't buy anything for nearly two months but hey, I think I can do it! (hopefully...)

Fall Bronzey Eye Look & Tutorial

So today I'm going to share a look I did when I was experimenting with some eyeshadows before work one day. I ended up with a very beautiful bronzey look that I actually received a few compliments on. I'll also say what products I used for the rest of my face as well. So lets get into it! (I have to say sorry now about my camera. I wanted to at least show a picture of how it came out, but I'm still trying to figure out the flash and how to make things look a little better so please bear with me!)

After I wash, moisturize and put on sunblock, I always use a face and eye primer. Eye primers help keep my eye makeup looking nice all day and helps prevent creasing and fading. The eye primer I like to use is the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion because it just seems to work the best for my oily eyelids. The face primer I've been using is from Sephora's own line and it's the Anti-Shine Primer. This is an okay product. It goes on a little weird at first and I really have to rub it in my skin but it seems to keep my skin less oily.

I always do my eye makeup before I do anything else unless I'm using a B.B. cream or tinted moisturizer, so the first eyeshadow I used is the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze as a base on my lids for the other shadows. Then I used a bareMinerals eyecolor called Starlet Casey on my entire lid and blending lightly into my crease. The color shows up lighter on camera but in person it's this pretty burnt orange with a light brown tone to it. Then I took another bareMinerals eyecolor called Starlet Leigh Ann just on the outer half of my lids and blended that a little into my crease as well. This is an absolutely beautiful dark plum color with a slight dark brown mixed in. It's an amazing eyeshadow but you really have to have a light hand applying it because it can get pretty dark. I also just realized I forgot to include the eyeliner I used in a picture, but I used the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in the color Corrupt. That's just a nice dark brown color with some shimmer too it. I didn't want to use black liner because I felt it would be a little to harsh on my skin with this look.

After all the eyeshadow is finished I curled my lashes and applied one of my all-time favorite mascaras, and that's the bareMinerals Flawless Definition Mascara. Seriously, this mascara is fantastic! It separates my lashes nicely and like the name says, makes them very defined. They just look like natural lashes, but better. Then once mascara is done, I put the e.l.f. Tone Correcting Concealer underneath my eyes to help hide dark circles. This isn't really that great of a concealer, but hey, I think it was only $1 (it's more expensive on Amazon so buy it directly from the e.l.f. site or at Target) and I have gotten use out of it so I'll keep using it til it runs out (which is pretty soon!). Then I always finish off under my eyes with The Body Shop Lightening Touch, which is basically a highlighting concealer type of product. I know I've mentioned this in a post before and I just absolutely love it! I will never go without this product for the rest of my life. 

After everything with my eyes is finished, I usually put on some kind of mineral foundation and that day I used the bareMinerals Matte version foundation in the color Fair (Yes, I know I'm super pale and I'm still that color in the summer). I really like this. It's much better than the original in my opinion, but only because I felt the original version was too cakey on my skin so I was thrilled when they came out with a matte version. Once the foundation is buffed into my skin, I used the NYX Blush in the color Rose Garden. This shows up very shimmery on camera, but on my skin I only notice a tiny bit of shimmer. And It's the perfect light rosy pink shade for my skin. After all face makeup is complete I use the Urban Decay Oil-Control Makeup Setting Spray. I included this in my September Favorites post here if you wanted to check out the mini review I included.

And now for the completed look....

Ta-da! The look on both eyes

And a close-up on one eye

Well that's my Fall Bronzey look I came up with. I'm sure everyone has their own version of a bronzed eye, but this just came out so well for me I had to share it with everyone! Leave a comment below if you like it or want to see other eye looks!

Thanks for reading everyone!