NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in San Paulo

I was looking high and low for Paul Mitchell’s Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shampoo and Conditioner, and one of my unsuccessful stops was Ulta, but I had a coupon, so I picked up this Soft Matte Lip Cream.

Guys… Guys I love it. Sorry for the PDA in the first photo but I can’t help it. I feel so amazing in it. It’s a great color, kind of a muted red with a little splash of pink in there. I did have to reapply a few times during the day (Mac Prep + Prime, we are going to do a post on your fickleness later), but I didn’t care. It didn’t bleed and the pigment payoff was awesome. Totally opaque with a very chic matte finish.

Since it’s matte it did dry my lips out a tiny bit, but considering how dry my lips usually are, this is a big improvement on other matte lip colors I’ve worn.

When I got home from work today it was really cloudy out so I didn’t have ideal light, but the color is surprisingly accurate. The third picture is closer, but I figured I should show a smile every now and then (cause I love my beauty juice and blogging about it).

Now I’m going to watch the most recent Mad Men and peruse the internet using my kitty cat as an elbow rest. She loves it.

What’s in My Bag : Quick Trip!

Yes, it all fits in my little Burt’s Bees bag.

Just a quick little photo post! I’m visiting my family in Houston, and it is humid! I always try to travel light, and as sweaty as it’s been, make-up seems like it’ll just melt off my face.

Some of this stuff is always in my make-up bag (Smashbox Photo Op Under Eye Brightener, Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow Quad in Blushed Wines, some MAC eyeshadow brushes, and my Too Faced Katbuki Brush), but when I travel, there are some products that help me keep my load small and compact:

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Fair // This is my first bb cream and I’m in love. It’s like a tinted moisturizer with a higher coverage payoff. I don’t have to use primer (although with my dry skin I still have to moisturize beforehand), so I just bring this little bottle instead of my primer and my foundation. Plus it has SPF 35, so even if it smells a little like sunscreen, I don’t care because I love knowing it has the added protection in it.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment mini & Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Lollipop //The Fresh lip balm always makes my lips feel awesome, so I always have it with me, but especially on vacation because even without color it improves the appearance of my raggedy ole kisser. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I’m addicted to Revlon Lip Butters, and Lollipop is a great summer color. It’s a bright pink fuscia, but since it’s a lip balm hybrid, I don’t have to pay for the color with dry lips.

Pink Grapefruit Body Butter Mini from The Body Shop // I have Becca from Ribbons in Curls to thank for this. The other night I was complaining about dry hands and she produced a magic, tiny body butter from her purse. I immediately when out and bought two. I got a strawberry (the one she had) and the grapefruit because the Body Shop had a BOGO special. It’s so cute and tiny and moisturizing! Normally scented things don’t cut it with my skin, but this stuff has blown me away. Plus my mom and sister really like it.

Soap and Paper Factory Midnight Solid Perfume //Jasmine is a really nostalgic scent for me. My grandma’s backyard has tons of jasmine in it, and since she has a pool we spent a lot of time back there when I was a kid. This solid perfume is portable, won’t spill in my bag, and it smells exactly like my Gammy’s backyard. It’s straight up jasmine.

And that’s that! I’m off to hang with my fim fam. See you later!

P.S. Ribbon shapes for Photoshop are from Pugly Pixel (who else?).

P.P.S. I didn’t cover everything in my bag, so if you have any questions about a product I didn’t list, ask away in the comments!

April Birchbox

This month’s theme was natural wonders, hence all the green paper. I love any box with nail polish to be frank, but I like the cuticle salve and the convenience of the face cleansers, so you win this month Birchbox. You get my ten bucks another month.

1. Willa Gentle Cleansing Lavender Facial Towelettes – Pretty good, but it’s more lavender! I wish I’d gotten the Yes! To Blueberries face towelettes instead, but it’s not a total loss. They dry my skin out a little bit, but I usually moisturize after washing my face anyways. I can’t lie though, they don’t get everything. I still have to use eye makeup remover. A little pack like this would be great to take on vacation, way more compact than my bottle of Cetaphil facial cleanser. If only I were going on a trip soon…

2. J.R. Watkins Hand and Cuticle Salve – I like the way this turns from a solid to oil so easily. I have a cuticle salve from Burt’s Bees that was always too waxy to really make my nail beds feel moisturized. As I’ve mentioned before, lavender is not my favorite scent, but it isn’t overpowering in this product.

3. Wonderstruck Fragrance by Taylor Swift – It’s very fruity and floral, and as much as I’m not a fan of Taylor Swift the musician, I can’t help but like it. The only reason I wouldn’t buy a full size is because it doesn’t have a distinctive scent. It smells a lot like a more concentrated version of some fruity body spray from Bath & Body Works. I can’t identify a specific fruit or flower scent either, BUT the sample is great for my purse because I haven’t been crazy about the last couple of fragrance samples I’ve received. Even if it’s nondescript, it is lovely and sweet and seems fitting for the summer months.

4. Zoya Nail Color in Bevin – So happy I got this! I was really taken by the new spring colors from Zoya, and this one hits the nail (haha) on the head. It’s a soft green-blue with just enough grey to make it feel less pastel or Eastery. Like most Zoya polishes I own, it has great staying power even without a top coat. I do a lot of typing at work, so I usually start to lose polish on the tip of my nail pretty evenly, but Zoya does the best job at sticking it out with me. I’m wearing it in this post, and that’s after a few days on my nails.

(Not Pictured) dropps Laundry Detergent – To be perfectly honest, this was not impressive. It used it to wash a load of clothes, and they didn’t come out any cleaner or softer. I know it’s supposed to be more eco-friendly, but it’d be nice if it cleaned as well or better than the detergent I regularly use.

That’s it for this box! Becca also gave me the Zoya nail color she got in her box (Lotus), and I’m thrilled because I love all the swatches I’ve seen from the TRUE Spring Collection. It’s a muted purple with sparkly red-violet throughout. I think I see a nail swatch in my future y’all.

Revlon Reds

Revlon obviously has more reds than these three, but these are the three I own (through great sales at Big Lots and Ulta!), and I really love Revlon lipsticks overall so I figured I’d swatch these suckers. I also own a Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple which I’m currently blowing through super fast. I’m wearing it in this post.

Revlon’s Violet Frenzy

OKAY, disclaimer I just realized this is obviously not a red. It’s a violet. My bad. I’m hopped up on cake and Gatorade right now. I got this shade around the same time as the other two.

In the tube it looks very purple, but I was curious. It goes on sheer but buildable, and it has a lot more pink in it than the lipstick tube itself would have you believe. I’m happy with that little surprise because otherwise it might not have been as easy to wear out and about without worrying that I had a Kefka mouth (that last bit was from Mark, not me! He’s the funny one.).

Revlon True Red

I have to disagree with the name, because it looks more like a coral red to me. Orange-reds don’t suit my skin tone, but this one is on the line. I am still deciding if I can pull it off without looking silly. The Candy Apple Lip Butter is identical in color in the tube but is more sheer, so I’ve been wearing that more when I want a coral red instead.

Revlon Crimson

I’m saving this one for a night out because it’s a little dark even for me. I’m a big fan of dark lipsticks but I still have to work my way up to them. A lip primer or liner would be better because it does bleed/feather a bit, and if you go out of the lines, it’s really hard to clean up edges without looking like a two year old trying on mom’s makeup. Luckily I can still swipe this one on, blot my lips and put on a clear balm for a nice stain.

Check back tomorrow for April’s Birchbox review!

Cheapies! Revlon Swatches

Revlon Colorburst in Peach & Icy Nude

Earlier this week Becca and I went to Big Lots I and discovered the beauty of heavily discounted cosmetics. These lipsticks were $2 each, and I’m kicking myself because as you’ll see, I picked up some very safe shades. They had a deeper, cherry red that I think would’ve matched my skin tone pretty good, but no use sulking now.

Revlon Colorburst Icy Nude

This one is so close to my natural lip color that there’s almost no point. It has a little bit of shimmer to it that I don’t like. It makes my lips look grainy. I’ll try it again when my lips recover from their wintery chapped-ness.

Revlon Colorburst Peach

Peach turned out much better. It gives a natural flush of color but still had a little shimmer that I wasn’t crazy about. This one at least made it into my make-up bag to take to work. Neither shade lasts very long either. Overall, I think I got what I paid for, but I still am excited about future trips to Big Lots so I can test new colors for cheap.

Pangea Organics Facial Mask

Pangea Organics Facial Mask, $40 at Birchbox.com

About once a week, I use this facial mask. It has tons of Matcha green tea in it, as well as acai and goji berry. I know that ingredients like that are on the rise, and I’m usually skeptical of trendy, “all-natural” products because most of the time they contain only a small amount of effective ingredients.

I got a sample in my second Birchbox, and most facial masks I’ve used don’t do much for my skin (although they always make me feel fancy), but this one really makes my face feel soft and tingly clean. Even though my skin is really dry, I don’t have to put moisturizer on right after I wash the mask off, so I can enjoy the fresh feeling longer. And I look so pretty when I wear it.

Excuse my beauty.

AND of course this mask felt extra good because I got it using Birchbox points and a 20% off coupon. I got this and a 6-pack of black twistband hair ties for $10 including shipping.

You leave it on for 10-20 minutes, rinse it off, and then…

Tah-dah! This is my completely make-upless face afterwards. It evens out my skin tone and just makes me feel like a million Matcha bucks overall. I know $40 is a lot to drop on a face mask, but every time I wash this off, it feels worth it, especially if you have a coupon.

March Teen Vogue Birchbox

I opted for the TeenVogue themed box this month because I just wanted to feel special. A themed box! This was my haul for March.

1. twistband hair tie // I’ve already got one of these in dark green, and now I apparently have one in bright green. I’m not really that into green. I’ll go for a nice hearty avocado green, but that’s about it. On the bright side, I had something to stick in my hair on St. Patrick’s Day to avoid pinches. I finally took matters into my own hands and ordered a pack of these in black because they don’t crimp my hair if it’s in a ponytail all day, and the little tie detail makes them just a tad classier than your garden variety hair tie.

2. Annick Goutal Petite Chérie // Don’t get me wrong. This smells nice, but it’s a weird mix. You’d think that grass and roses would go together, but I wasn’t overly impressed. It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten a fragrance sample from BB that made me swoon. Give me another sample vial of Twirl and we’ll talk Birchbox.

3. essie luxeffects in Set in Stones // I love this polish but I was bummed out because Becca bought this exact one for me on Valentine’s Day last month. The glitter is intense, and after 2 coats my nails look dazzling and fancy.  I would’ve loved to get one of the gold ones instead, but now I have two I guess. At least it’s a color I like, and I bet it will look amazing on top of a lot of colors.

4. tarte Lipsurgence lip tint in Amused // This stuff is awesome! I’ve had my eye on all of the chubby stick makeups coming out lately, and this one is a winner. I thought it was a lip gloss, but it’s actually a stain. Usually stains settle in the creases of my lips and fade really unevenly, but this one is different. It feels hydrating and goes on glossy, so there’s no tight, dry sensation. The color is lovely too. It’s a sheer fuchsia and when the gloss fades, there’s still a nice even wash of pink. Plus it’s a full size and that always makes my day.

5. Shiseido Pureness Oil-Control Blotting Papers // I’m not a fan because I have super dry skin, so shininess isn’t really a concern for me. They’re different from most blotting sheets I’ve seen because they’re very thick. I’ll keep them in my make-up bag to blot lipstick, but this isn’t something I would buy.

Here’s what the lip tint and nail polish look like. The shiny silver accent nail is Set in Stones. Sorry for the gloomy face. I’m a little under the weather today so it was all I could do to put on some tinted moisturizer and under-eye concealer for pictures. Also, holla Boots No7 Soft and Sheer in Fair! It’s the first one to match my skin and not make me break out!

Back to the box – I can’t complain about two full-sized products in one box, but I can’t lie that I’ve been keeping my eye on the new Sample Society from BeautyBar.com and Allure. I’m on the wait list to receive an invite. I didn’t realize how new it was, so my search for reviews has turned up nil. Has anyone gotten a Sample Society subscription?

P.S. Another thank you to Pugly Pixel for the tutorial I used to make the bunny brush in my inventory picture!

e.l.f. Cosmetics Review

I got my first request for a blog entry! Albeit from my younger sister and her friends, but I’m more than happy to oblige.

They wanted me to review some products from e.l.f. (eyes lips face y’all), and at first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to help them out because I thought I didn’t have that many. After digging around my make-up drawer, I realized that I was so wrong. I have more than enough to do a review.

First off, if you asked me what I thought of e.l.f. cosmetics, my response would be, “meh,” because I’ve had some that really let me down, but after thinking about it, I am forgetting how many have gotten the job done, and for only a couple of bucks at that! So I’m gonna review them by love, like, and blegh. Very technical I know.

Tone Correcting Powder, $3 // Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Porcelain, $3

Tone Correcting Powder – I know it looks like a weird Easter egg palette, but this powder combo is supposed to help even out skin tone, and since I’ve always had issues with having red blotches, I gave it a shot. It just made my skin look cakey and old. The powder was really obvious on my face, so it got the boot. Part of the problem is that my skin is really dry, so powders and I don’t always get along. This was no exception.

Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Porcelain - To be fair, to date I have not found a tinted moisturizer that I like.  This made my skin look streaky, and even though this is the lightest shade they have, it was too dark for me. To top it off, it made my skin break out a little bit after using it for a few days.

Essential Liquid Eyeliner in Black, $1 // Essential Zit Zapper, $1 // Essential Shimmering Facial Whip in Toasted, $1 // Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Fair, $3

Essential Liquid Eyeliner in Black – I’m a cat eye enthusiast, so I shouldn’t be as scared of liquid eye liner as I am. This has a nice, precise tip, so if you have a semi-steady hand (like moi) it’s pretty easy to get that nice, crisp line you want. It fades a little bit after a while though, but as long as I’m not crying or sweating heavily (both of which, let’s face it, I probably do more than I’d like to admit) it holds its own pretty well.

Essential Zit Zapper – The only reason this little guy doesn’t make it to the Love List is because I don’t use it that much. One of the few positives about having dry skin is that I don’t break out very often, but if I see a zit starting, this helps shrink it down and keep it from getting really funky.

Essential Shimmering Facial Whip in Toasted – Before I bought my Mac Cream Colour Base (in Pearl), this was my go-to highlighter. It’s great to add some dewy, shimmery goodness to your brow arch, cheek bone, or even cupid’s bow. Unfortunately, after awhile it started to separate really bad, so when I squeezed the little bottle, a bunch of clear liquid would come out before the actual product. Nastay. It’s so cheap that I didn’t mind buying a fresh one, but now I am smitten with my new highlighter.

Studio Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter in Fair – I love my Dad like crazy, but he passed some frustrating Italian genes my way. Enter my freakish under eye circles. I’ll admit to staying up late, but all the sleep in the world can’t get rid of these suckers. This concealer has a nice yellow tint to it that helped neutralize my purple death-bags, and the highlighter was a nice touch to brighten up my brow bone or the inner corner of my eye. There was minimal creasing, and that’s one of my biggest qualifiers for a good under eye product. Unfortunately, like the facial whip, the formula started to go kind of sour after awhile. It had a weird smell to it that made me wary of continuing to use it.

Studio Brush Shampoo, $3 // Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium, $3 // Studio Eyeshadow “C” Brush, $3 // Essential Foundation Brush, $1

Studio Brush Shampoo – Don’t forget how important it is to wash your brushes! You use them over and over again, and those bristles love to harbor dead skin and bacteria and it’s GROSS. Just work some of this stuff through the bristles from the base outward and rinse until the water runs clear. The shampoo is gentle and doesn’t make bristles fall out. I’m sure there are higher-end brands, but this is one product that has always done right by me.

Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium – Another thing I inherited from my cool Italian dad were crazy thick eyebrows. Over the years I’ve learned to shape them and love them for the beasts they are, and this kit is a lifesaver when it comes to filling in a random sparse spot. The applicator is thin and precise, so it’s like drawing on however many hairs you need to make your eyebrows not look patchy and scary. The store only had medium when I went in, but it’s plenty dark enough for my brows.

Studio Eyeshadow “C” Brush – It looks like an ordinary eye shadow brush, but it’s so good at blending! Only in the past two years or so have I realized the importance of having the right brush for the job, and in my books, this one can hang with the best of them.

Essential Foundation Brush – No more smoothing on foundation with my bare, gross fingers. This puts it on smooth and even. That’s the long and short of it. Does its job and does it good.

And those are all of the e.l.f. products I’ve ever owned. It’s a great line to look into if you are looking for good value. Sure there are some misses, but considering most of the products are $1 a pop, you can afford to experiment a little. I hope this was helpful! I know I didn’t cover many make-up type items like eyeshadow or lipstick, but if I pick any up in the future I’ll let you guys know what I think.

I’m off to mope about it snowing. Little known fact: I’m not a big fan of snow.

No Longer a Lush Virgin

Becca and I made a trek to a Lush store a few weeks ago. Neither of us had ever been in one or used any of their products, so we just wanted to browse and see what the fuss was about. I’ve heard from some that Lush is overrated and other swear by it, so I wanted to approach it with a neutral mind. After being slathered in lotion and balms by the very attentive employees, we both picked up some bath products and skedaddled.

I purchased some bath bombs, a bubble bar, and one massage bar. I never used to take baths because I have a wimpy standard tub and my caulking it always splitting, so usually I just hop in the shower, scrub good and get out of there, but I finally bit the bath bullet, lit some candles, put on Law and Order, and got to it.

Phoenix Rising Bath Bomb, $6.95

The first one I tried was the Phoenix Rising bath bomb (based on a recommendation from Hannah on xojane.com), which itself was lovely. The only thing that hampered the experience was the fact that my tub ran out of hot water before filling up and I had to hold the stopper down with my foot to keep it from draining. Very swanky.

Despite looking very awkward trying to lay flat under the water, I enjoyed the actually bath bomb a lot! It smelled like cinnamon and apples (probably because there is a cinnamon stick in the bomb) and turned the water purple with a little bit of shimmer. I didn’t know about the second part but I love purple and it made the whole ordeal feel even more luxurious.

I have very dry skin, so I was worried that sitting in a bath would leave me itchy and sad, BUT it has cocoa butter and a few different oils in it so my skin actually felt soft and moisturized when I got out of the tub.

Sunny Side Bubble Bar, $6.95

Today I tried the Sunny Side Bubble Bar and it was amazing! It smelled citrusy and nice, and the water was full of golden shimmers. I thought that more of the shimmer would show up on me afterwards, but they stayed in the water. The bubbles were great and lasted a good 30 minutes.

Strawberry Feels Forever Massage Bar, $9.95

Strawberry Feels Forever is a solid lotion massage bar, and when I use it I smell like a big strawberry candy. It’s almost too much, but I usually rub some on between shower and bed so I don’t assault the public. The solid lotion is an interesting formula, but I’m not crazy about it. It starts to melt in my hand when I rub it on, and eventually it’s kind of hard to hold onto. Storing it is kind of a pain too because I have to hide it where no heat can get to it so it won’t melt.

Space Girl, $4.95 / Sex Bomb, $6.45

These two are sitting under my vanity sink, and I’ll probably try them in the next couple of weeks. Money-wise, these will probably be the last ones I get for awhile even if I love love love them. It’s hard to tell when this Texas winter is going to come to a screeching halt, and I don’t imagine it’s very fun to take a hot bath in the summer, so this might be a cool weather past time that I can save up for during the summer.

I think when it comes to Lush I’m gonna stick to the bath products like bubble bars and bath bombs. Now that I’ve discovered the power of a full on candle-lit bubble bath, I might look into fizzes and bubble products from other places. I’ve heard there are a lot of great vendors on Etsy, so if anyone has recommendations, I’d love to hear them!

Korres Loot

Awhile ago I bought a $50 for $30 voucher on Gilt Groupe for Korres. I had just bought their lip butter a few weeks previous and I wanted to see what else they had to offer, so I browsed their site over the next couple of weeks to see what caught my eye. And boy did I buy a lot of stuff. All in all I got their Pomegranate Prescription Kit, their Zea Mays blush in Natural, and some nice samples featuring quercetin and oak.

I’ve tried everything but the samples, and so far I really like everything. The blush is a little browner than I thought it would be though. From the swatch on the website I thought it would be more of a light apricot color. I’m gonna have to give the mattifying treatment and primer another shot. I used them together and the primer pilled kind of bad around my lips and chin. I’ll report back to see if that was just a one time thing.

The ones I’m reviewing today are the blush, lip butter, and lip butter glaze.

The blush’s formula is velvety and has the lightest sheen to it. It’s not shimmery or glittery. I tried to apply it with a light hand because I was worried it would come out looking like bronzer. Not the case. I’m used to using pinker tones so this one’s different than anything in my blush arsenal. Some of the reviews I looked up on Natural say that it’s impossible to overdo on fair-medium skin, so next time I might be a little braver with it.I would definitely be open to picking up another Korres blush in another color, because this one feels so light and nice on my cheeks.

The lip butter/ glaze combo is a no brainer. I already had the pot one in Quince, but the Pomegranate has more orange in it. It’s a nice pop of color, and the glaze just helps to intensify it while keeping my lips soft. Despite my oath to try and stave off the urge to buy more lip products, I might have to pick up the glaze in Quince as well.

Korres is making its way up the ranks in my book of beauty brands and I hope to try more of their products in the future!