Friday, August 30, 2013

August 2013 Favorites!

Hi everyone! It's the end of another month, which means it's favorites time! It also means that I'll be getting married in three weeks. Three weeks?! Where did that time go?! It's seriously going by fast, but anyways, lets get on to what I've been loving this past month. It's not a whole bunch since I haven't experimented too much lately, but these products are really great!

First up, we have the limited edition Wet N' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection in Going in the Wild. Now I only used this one time, and I used the purples on the left hand side, but boy oh boy, are they beautiful! I followed the look exactly how the colors are to be used and it looked so nice, I even got some compliments when I went to work. Great little palette if you can get your hands on it!


My next favorite is the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder. This is a mini size I bought that also came with a little brush for $15. The brush that came with it is alright, but I use a Real Techniques Contour Brush with this. I'm surprised with how much I like this! I wanted to just get the small size because this is my very first use of a bronzer ever, so I wasn't sure if I'd like it. I've been using this just to contour my cheekbones with, and it's surprisingly easy to work with and blends well. It also helps that it smells like cocoa! I'll probably buy a full size of this when I run out of this little one.

Then we have the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo Foundation in the color Light 42. I wanted to try this for potentially wearing it for my wedding. I bought the lightest shade online figuring it would be fine since I'm usually paler than whatever the lightest shade is in any brand. Imagine my surprise when I used this and it's actually lighter than my skin! Miracle of miracles, I'm not as pale as I thought! Anyways, I used it by itself at first and it matches my neck as long I blend well. Next time I tried this I mixed it with a different foundation that matches my skin alright but is a bit dark by itself. It was perfect. I think this is a great foundation. It lasts for a very long time on my oily skin, but I do notice it gets a bit spotty by the end of my work day. I'm used to that though. This covers imperfections very well also. If you want to try this, I recommend testing it in store. I blindly bought it online without testing it first but I'm okay with it honestly. I can wear it by itself, but it looks better when I mix it with a darker foundation or if I use the Too Faced bronzer above.

This last product is my star favorite of the month. This is that little beauty sponge that every beauty blogger/vlogger and their mother and dog talk about, and that is the Beauty Blender. Sorry this is so dirty, but it's been very loved, plus that Kat Von D foundation stains like a mother. Anyways, I always heard great reviews of it but I didn't want to give into the hype. Since I'm using my wedding as an excuse to buy new things, I gave in to see what it was all about. I kid you not, the first time I used this, it was love. The heavens opened up and angels were singing. I finally believe the hype and can confirm that this is truly amazing! This little baby makes my foundation look completely flawless and it covers up imperfections beautifully. The pointed tip makes it easy to get into the corners of the eyes and around the nose. Before I use this, I wet it first and squeeze it out in a towel and let it dry for about 15 minutes. I should also mention, I bought the double pack of these because it was a better deal. I'm glad I did because I will keep buying these for probably the rest of my life. 

That's everything! I know I didn't have many products this month, but these are all very loved products and I couldn't be happier. I think I may be done buying makeup for quite a while. I've purchased alot lately and I think I can make a decision on what to wear for my wedding!

Remember I still have my giveaway going if you haven't checked it out! There is still one more week left to enter, so good luck if you do enter or if you already have :)

What were some of your favorites this past month?

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway Reminder!

Hey guys! Just a quick post today reminding you about my giveaway for my 1 year anniversary since starting this blog! There are still 10 days left to enter and it is only for US residents.

Click here to enter!!

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Sunday Social

Sunday Social


It's been quite a while since I've done Sunday Social, and I'm feeling lazy today with it being a day off work, so I figured it's a good day for this! Here are this week's questions.

1. What do you miss most about being a kid?
I miss just being able to do what I want, when I wanted. I had no responsibility and I could just play with my Barbies whenever

2. Did you have a nickname growing up?
Well, with my name being Katy, I had an aunt who would call me katydid all the time. Some people would call me Kate, but I never really liked that. People would also assume my name was Kaitlin or Kathleen or some longer name that was shortened to Katy. My name is just Katy people. I can show you my birth certificate!

3. What was your favorite thing to do at recess?
Probably swings or the monkey bars

4. What did you want to be when you grew up?
For some odd reason, I wanted to be a waitress but only because my mom said she was a waitress when she was younger. Then when I got a little older, I wanted to be an actress. Now, I don't know what the hell I wanna do with my life. I'm 24, I should know by now

5. Did you participate in any school activities?
Nope, I was an antisocial outcast who hated school and anything to do with it :)

6. What is the funniest thing you did as a kid that your parents still remind you about?
 Probably the fact that I was a streaker when I was really little. Before we moved to the house my parents live in now, I would always run outside with no clothes on. I was a weird kid

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

HAUL! Sephora & Lorac

Hey everyone! Today I'm bringing you another haul post. I should probably not be spending my money, but I do have my wedding coming up and I'm on the hunt for some really good makeup for the big day! The products I bought from Sephora were actually bought back in June for my fiance's and my 3 year anniversary. He treated me! The Lorac products were also bought a little while ago as well, but I just haven't gotten around to taking pictures and writing about it. Anyways, here is everything I got!


The first item I picked up was this Sephora Collection Natural Instincts Eyeshadow Palette. Now you may be asking, "Do you really need another eyeshadow palette, Katy?!" Well, not really, but it's so pretty and I love the colors and it was only $28 so I couldn't pass it up! They also have a Primal Instincts palette as well, but that has darker colors. 

Then I picked up the Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray. I'm still looking for a good setting spray for my oily skin, and this one so far is the best. I have to say though, I don't like this new packaging. The older packaging was better because it had bright colors and it looked fun. Now, not so much. Oh well, as long as they didn't mess with the formula, I'll be good.

The last item I purchased was a Sephora Collection Eyelash Curler in the Rose Quartz color. Ya'll know I'm obsessed with pink and I really needed a new eyelash curler. The one I had was so many years old, so I needed an updated one.

Then I got some nifty little samples. The black and white case came with a bunch of skincare and cosmetic goodies when you used up 250 points. Then I used 100 points to get the Kat Von D Everlasting Blush in the color Bellisima, which is a peachy pink color. 


Onto Lorac. I can't remember where I heard about Lorac's V.I.P. Sale on their website, but they're single eyeshadows were down to $6 each from $19. I thought that was an insane deal! I picked up five colors and the first one is called After Party, which is a plum color with deep purple shimmer.


The next color I got is called Moonstone, and it's a champagne color with shimmer. This color is stunning as an all over lid color.


Next I got the color Green Room, which is described as a blue/green with sheen. It comes off more teal in the picture but in person it looks like a dark emerald green.


Next up is Nude, which is obviously a matte cream color. I love using this when I don't really feel like doing much makeup-wise. I use this all over my lid, up to my brows. Then I'll just use a pretty eyeliner color. Simple, but still looks put together.


The last color I got is called Serenity. It's a light bronze color with shimmer. Serenity and Moonstone look very similar, but in person you can tell Serenity is a bit darker and a little more shimmery. 

That's everything! I think the Lorac shadows were a total steal and since I love their Pro Palette, I figured I'd like these. Their V.I.P. sale is still going on too, so check it out!

Remember the giveaway I have going! There are still 17 days left to enter! 

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Review: Hard Candy CC Correction Creme in Fair

Hey everyone! I posted a haul a little over a week ago, and this Hard Candy CC Correction Creme in Fair is one of the products I had bought. Someone asked if I could do a review so since I've had the chance to try this out a handful of times, I figured it was time for my reivew! 

Anyways, this product claims to have 5 Flawless Results in 1:
- Color corrects skin tone by blurring blemishes, discolorations and dark spots
- Neutralizes undertone with unique light reflecting optical pearls
- Brightens complexion with glowing airbrushed finish
- Evens skin texture for a smooth natural appearance
- Oil free creme moisturizes skin all day without clogging pores

 
You get 1.5 ounces in this bottle, which is pretty generous considering this only costs $8 at Walmart. I have to say that I think the packaging is pretty cute. I love the pink heart on the box and tube, but pink is my favorite color so I may be biased. 

Now these next few pictures are the stages of me putting on this CC cream, so I apologize if there are too many!




These pictures are of my skin freshly cleansed and moisturized with no makeup on at all. I had also put on sunblock as well. Pardon my tired looking face, I was doing this in the morning before work! Also, the bottom side picture is just to show that I had a blemish near my chin, so we'll see if this CC cream covers it up!




These three pictures are after I put on one layer with my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. You can probably notice that my skin looks a bit more even, but I feel it's a tad too orange. I had to really blend it in my skin to make it not look like too much of an oompa loompa. Also, it didn't cover the blemish I had either.



These pictures are of my completed makeup look. I did use the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder on top of this CC cream, which you can tell in the bottom picture has helped with the blemish I have. I also look alot less orange here than I do in the above pictures.



I wanted to take pictures after I had gotten home from my workday, so I'm sorry I look so bad! Anyways, you can probably tell that I'm really shiny, but that's normal for me. I didn't use any blotting papers either since I was testing this out. My skin color looks normal, not orange and it doesn't look faded. However, in person I did look a bit different. Close up in a mirror there were a few splotches of product on my forehead and chin. Also, the blemish near my chin looks alot better in the bottom photo. I must get lucky, my zits seem to dry up and go away rather quickly.

Overall, this isn't terrible. I will say if you have oily skin like me, use a setting powder and blot during the day, or just stay away from this if that's too much hassle. If you have normal/combination to dry skin, this should work fine. It doesn't have very good coverage, so if you have alot of redness, blemishes or pigmentation, this won't cover a thing. All I noticed was it evened out my skintone a bit, but it was slightly orange so you do have to blend it well. It hasn't broken me out either which is great. I don't think this works miracles by any means, but it may work for you if you have nice skin and want it a bit more even.

Have any of you tried this CC cream? 

Also, remember I have my giveaway going for US residents only! Check it out if you haven't yet! There is still about three weeks left to enter! :)

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

August 2013 Ipsy Bag

Hey guys! I was so happy when I went to my parent's house yesterday and saw my Ipsy bag there! I hadn't even gotten a tracking code or anything until today and I saw that it was actually delivered on the 10th! I don't think I've ever gotten an Ipsy bag so early in the month before. Anyways, this month's theme is Glamour Academy. I'm guessing they named it that because it's almost back to school time. I'm incredibly happy with this month's bag, so lets see what I got!



The bag everything came in is cute, but I'm not the biggest fan of the crest. I love the purple with gold together though. It's a decent size too for traveling purposes.

Now for the actual products! When I found out we were getting a Michael Todd product, I was over the moon! I've been wanting to try Michael Todd products for a while now, and I received the Pumpkin Nutrient-Rich Facial Mask. We could've also received the Jojoba Charcoal Gentle Exfoliating Facial Scrub. I would've been happy with either one, but I love masks a little more personally. 

The next product I received is a Noya Lip Balm in a Cherry flavor. The other product I could've received is an Urban Decay Lipstick. Honestly, I much prefer lip balms over lipsticks anyway, so I'm very happy.

The next product is the Pixi Beauty Lash Booster Mascara in Blackest Black. I'm a bit tired of mascara samples now, but I'm still going to try this and see how I like it.



Next up is the MicaBeauty Eyeshadow in Bronze. I think this is such a beautiful color and it's super pigmented. I can't wait to try this over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. I think that's gonna look gorgeous!

The last product I received is the Pacifica Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream. I was excited about this until I read some reviews. I read that it was shimmery, looks orange and doesn't blend well. Now I'm on the fence about this product. I'm not sure if this product was an either/or product, but looking at what else I could've received, I wish I got the NYX blush instead. 

Overall, I'm very pleased with this bag. Ipsy continues to be my favorite subscription service (and only subscription service I get!) and I don't see myself cancelling anytime soon! If you would like to sign up for Ipsy, feel free to use my referral link here. I don't get paid through this link, just an extra product in next month's bag if I get two people to sign up! :)

Also, please check out my giveaway for my one year blogiversary! It's running for 23 more days, so there's plenty of time to enter! It is for US residents only, so I apologize to my readers overseas :(

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

(CLOSED) 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway! (US Residents Only)

Hey everyone! This is an exciting post for me, as my one year anniversary for my blog has just passed (the 6th was my official blog birthday!) so I wanted to do a little giveaway for my wonderful readers. Now, I'm still a bit of a broke girl, so I'm sorry if the prizes aren't amazing. I just wanted to do something nice because I feel like I've come so far with this little blog and I'm really proud of it. I'm truly grateful for all my readers! I am sorry though that it's only available to US residents though. Shipping outside the country is too expensive :(

Here are the prizes!!


 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, August 9, 2013

HAUL! Walmart & Rite Aid

Hey guys! Again, I want to apologize for not being around too much. I'm still pretty sick, had to call out of work the past few days and all I've wanted to do was sit on the couch and do nothing. Sad, I know. Anyways, I did get out of the house a little the past few days so I don't get cabin fever, and of course I always have to look at the beauty section no matter where we go. We went to Walmart to buy a few things needed for the house, and Rite Aid because I was looking for something specific, and I found them! So here's what I got.

I had read that Garnier had brought out a dry shampoo and I was pretty excited about that. As you may or may not know, I'm on the quest to finding a good drugstore dry shampoo that's comparible to Batiste. I really hope this is good, as I really like Garnier products. Plus, this was just under $5, so I didn't think that was too bad.

The next product I picked up is the Hard Candy CC Correction Creme. This product is my first Hard Candy product, but I do have another one coming up soon! I'm typically not a foundation girl, but I do like BB creams and tinted moisturizers. I had yet to try a CC cream, and at $8, I figured this would be nice to try but not break the bank.

Then I picked up the Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in the color Always Lovely. I honestly don't know if this is a new product or not, but this caught my eye and it was just under $4.

Time for eyeshadows! Everyone knows eyeshadow is my downfall. I can never have enough. The item pictured on top is the Hard Candy Top Ten Eyeshadow Collection in Naturally Gorgeous. I don't know if this is new either, but it was on an end display and they had other palettes with other color ranges. I'm a neutral girl typically, so this is the one I picked. There was another one with some gorgeous purples in it though, and I was going back and forth between this one and that one. These palettes are only $6 so I may go back and get the purple one...

This next little palette is the Revlon Colorstay 16 Hour Eyeshadow in Sea Mist. My mom had seen this quad in a magazine and wanted to get it for me, but it wasn't out yet. These are some gorgeous colors as well and only cost just under $5, which I thought was great. I notice that makeup at Walmart is significantly cheaper than at drugstores. I saw other quads like this in other colors at Walgreen's for $7.99 so I tend to gravitate more towards Walmart. 

The last product I picked up at Walmart is the L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in the color Liquid Diamond. This is my first ever Infallible eyeshadow, so I'm pretty excited to try this out! This cost me just under $7 but I can't remember how much more they are at the drugstore. I wanna say they're around $10 where I live. Anyways, this is just such a beautiful shimmery gray color, and if I like this, I'll probably get more.

I had been looking for the limited edition palettes from Wet n' Wild for ages now, and the Walgreen's near me does not have them. Rite Aid is a little more out of my way, but I was determined to find them so off I went. I was so flipping excited when I saw the LE eight color palettes I just had to have both. I kept hearing that Nude Awakening has shades similar to the Naked palette, and in person, there are definitely similarities. Going in the Wild is a beautiful palette as well and reminds me of Spring time. I'm ecstatic I have these now!

Right next to the eight color palettes was a little stand for the Pop Art Craze trios. It was mostly picked over, but I was able to snag To Muse and Carouse, which I was most excited to try as it's the most neutral, and Hard Being the It Girl. I wasn't sure about the yellow at the bottom, but it's a very soft yellow, so I'm sure I can make it work. I just can't believe I was able to finally find these limited edition palettes! I can't wait to start playing around with everything.

What do you guys think of these products?

Sunday, August 4, 2013

July 2013 Empties!

Hey guys! I wanted to get my empties post up sooner, but I've been sick the past few days and haven't been motivated to do much of anything. I'm feeling better now and have the day off from work, so I figured I'd get it done today! I don't have many exciting things that I used up to be honest. Since I haven't been feeling well and with work getting in the way, I haven't been using many products, or even washing my face at night! (So bad, I know). Anyways, Lets see what I was able to use up in July.


The first product I used up is the Gillette Satin Care Sensitive Skin Shave Gel. Now honestly, I can't tell if this is truly empty because the bottle still feels like there's product in it, yet when I push the tab down, nothing comes out. Oh well though. I don't particularly like this stuff anyways. It was very inexpensive at Walmart, but I think I'll pay a little extra for something a bit better.

I'm very sad about using up my Batiste Dry Shampoo in the Tropical scent! I made a whole post on it here, as it was sent to me for review. It's just such an amazing dry shampoo and I'm still so happy and grateful I was able to try it out. It is quite pricey though, so I'm not rushing out to buy more, even though I really, really want to. I'm currently using a dry shampoo that I hate and can't wait to finish up, but I'm still on the quest for a good dry shampoo that I can get at the drugstore. If I can't find one I like, then I may bite the bullet and buy Batiste.

I was so excited to finally use up The Body Shop Coconut Body Scrub. This container is made from the old packaging, so I've had it for a while. It took me ages to use this up! Granted, I didn't use this often, only when I felt like I had dry skin to deal with. I'm obsessed with how this smells. It's like you're on the beach with a nice cold pina colada, soaking up the sun. It's lovely. It's also not the most abrasive scrub, which I think is nice for Summer. I like the more abrasive ones for Winter use, as I have much drier skin then. 


I used up another one of my beloved Aloe Protective Serums from The Body Shop. I go through these like crazy, but I love mixing this in with my morning moisturizer in Winter to help moisturize a bit better, so I'm trying to save what bottles I have left for then. I've talked about this numerous times, so I won't go on and on about it.

The next product I used up is the Korres Evening Primrose Eye Cream. I purchased this in a Korres skincare kit from Sephora, but I believe this isn't sold separately anymore, if it ever was. I kinda liked this, but not too much. I find it funny though that I had this in two favorites post a while ago, but here I am, hating on it now. Just shows you have to use things up completely to get a good view of it! This felt like it didn't hydrate very well and just sat on my skin. It also made my eyes burn a little bit at times. I'm pretty sure I have plenty of eye creams to use up that are better than this one.

I also used up another one of The Body Shop Coconut Lip Butter. I only use these lip butters at night now as they leave your lips looking white. I used to use it during the day as long as I put lip gloss on top, but I figured I'd use it only at night instead. This stuff is pretty hydrating and makes my lips feel nice and smooth. I have tons of these to use up in different scents, so I'm set for a while.


 I'm not sure if people care which contact solution I use, but I used up the Renu Fresh contact solution. This is the only stuff that doesn't burn my eyes like a mother, so I stick to this. I can usually find a coupon online and I always buy the double pack of these at Walmart since they're a bit cheaper there. 

Now this brush here technically isn't an "empty" per se, but it just sucks and I'm throwing it out. I had to use this one day because my other blush brushes were dirty, but no matter how much product I swirled on the brush, nothing would go on it! And any product that made it on the brush just looked blotchy on my face. This brush came in a kit from when I was in cosmetology school, so I can understand why the quality is so bad, but I still have brushes from that kit that actually work pretty well. I went to cosmetology school almost 7 years ago, so that's saying something. 

Well that's everything that I used up! I know it's nothing amazing, and I still have no makeup products used up, but maybe soon!

What did you use up in July?