Favorites and Disappointments October 2014 – Beauty and More

It's hard to believe it's already the end of October! Here's a summary of some of my favorite products, and also a few I didn't like this month.

Favorites first...

Lips: Matte Lips - NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream (particularly in the shade Cannes), Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Always Red

I love the fact that matte lips are so popular right now! Thanks to other beauty bloggers and YouTube, I've discovered NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream and Sephora Cream Lip Stain. The NYX product has a nice texture and smells divine, but can be rather drying so I make sure to put a balm on under them. I found this is actually a great use for the Benefit Benebalm/Posiebalm because they do tend to be somewhat thinner than others that I own. Some colors go on more streaky than others, while some go on almost perfectly in one swipe. Cannes is a great color that is muted enough to wear at anytime, to work or on weekends. They wear well, but do need to be reapplied after eating.

The Sephora Cream Lip Stain, on the other hand, truly is the classic red like everyone says. This also goes on smoothly and for such a bright color, really easily. I get no feathering with this one, irregardless of whether I wear a clear lip liner. After a few short minutes, this dries to feel like there is nothing on your lips, but the color stays a very long time. It stays fairly well through eating, but I did wind up reapplying. This one didn't dry out my lips at all, and I didn't need to use a balm under it.

Eyes: Ulta Color Coat Cream EyeShadow in Shimmering Topaz

A lot of times, if I want to try something new that I don't know how I'll like the format, I'll try the Ulta version when they are having one of their major sales. That's what I did here, and I'm really glad I did. From what I can tell, this color is a dupe for Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Branded. Now, I don't know if it is just my pots, but my Ulta one is incredibly creamy whereas the Barely Branded is kind of thick and much drier to the point where I definitely prefer the Ulta one. I've already made a significant dent in my pot, and wear it almost every day as a base for most shadow looks.

Face: Benefit Majorette

Please read my review on this product to see just how much I love it!

Fragrance: Killer Queen Eau de Parfum by Katy Perry

The kiddo found this one, and I have to force myself not to wear it every day. It almost smells a little like an “old lady” perfume because it has a bit of a powdery undertone to it, even though that's not in the description at all. Check out the description of the scent breakdown here, then go check it out in the stores.

Skincare: Freeman Beautiful Cucumber Peel-off Face Mask

I needed a new mask, and always enjoyed peel-off ones. This one is cooling and relaxing, and I've been enjoying it at least twice a week.

Hair: Hard Candy Brows Now in Light/Medium

You may be asking, why is this here? Well, eyebrows are hair, right? This is a fiber gel that comes on a spoolie wand that looks like a mascara wand on one end. On the other side there is a retractable highlighter stick. I picked this up because the gel seems to be similar to Benefit's Gimme Brow but at a much lower cost. Considering this would be my first brow product EVER, I didn't want to shell out $30 for Benefit's product right away when I didn't know how I would like it. After using this, I can see why people like this type of product. I now notice when I don't do my eyebrows, even though there isn't a huge difference. I'll keep at it for a while, but most likely stay with the lower cost products.

Book: Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The kiddo and I have read all of the Percy Jackson books, and now the Heroes of Olympic series as well. This is the fifth and last in that series, and it was a good one. It was a good way to finish off the series while still leaving room to continue the story in the future.

Movie: N/A

For the first time I a long time, I didn't see any new movies this month. I'll make sure to change that for November!

TV: Red Band Society; TGIT

This TV season has been off to a great start, and there are a few shows I absolutely will not miss. Red Band Society, while getting beat up in the ratings and reviews and not likely to get renewed, completely sucked me in. Three generations gather to watch it on Wednesdays, and it's a sure way to make the kiddo hurry after swim practice.

TGIT consists of the Shonda Rhimes shows on ABC on Thursday nights: Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder. I've watched all of them now from the beginning, and, do I dare say, each one is better than the last.

On to the disappointments... Yes to Blueberries Brightening Facial Towlettes (caused an allergic reaction), Philosophy products (face cream smelled odd, exfoliator my be causing breakouts), Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Nail Enamel in Mrs. Mia Wallace (hard to apply, chips quickly)

Shelfari

Shelfari is a site run by Amazon that, from what I can tell, is similar to Goodreads. The kiddo had to sign up on Shelfari for school in 6^th grade, so the hubby and I joined also. This social media site lets you log in books you have read, books you are reading, or those you want to read. You can also write reviews, update information about the books, and keep track of your copies. There are various social groups you can join, and you can follow people. The site provides lists of books and can also provide recommendations based on your reading history.

Now, over the years (25 years to be exact), I kept track of every book I have read in a journal. At one point, I also started tracking the dates when I finished the books. In my “Book of Books”, I also had everything color coded as to whether the book was a graphic novel, if I had re-read it, or listened to it as an audiobook. Can you tell I'm a little neurotic about my books?!?

This was actually really great when I finally joined Shelfari. After inputting my most recent books with mini reviews of 10 words or less, I went back and put in my entire reading history. For those of us who are interested, it gives all kinds of stats like how many books you've read in which categories and how many pages that is. At this point, I have a little over 900 books on my list totaling almost 300,000 pages. :) I do also have a partial “to read” list on the site, but haven't yet imported my full list.

Interested? Check out my bookshelf on the side of the page. You can link to my full Shelfari profile from there. Feel free to follow me!

My complaints? My biggest gripe is that they don't have a mobile app. I also found that you can't sort your bookshelf by completed date, just by entered date, which for me isn't the same. Other than that, it's a nice little site for the general user.

Review - Benefit Majorette

If you read my Sephora Haul October 2014 post, you know a bit about how I came to have this blush.  

As a recap:

• This cream-to-powder pink/peach blush is a new product from Benefit. Benefit had beauty associates in-store to assist and push product, which was actually very helpful. I am not a fan of powder blushes and currently only use a gel blush, The Balm's Stainiac, so I was very skeptical. But since this is a cream, this is very easy to apply and blend without brushes, which I prefer. The person helping me was also kind of floored when I told her that I had never used bronzer before, so she applied their Hoola bronzer and actually instructed me on how to use it. She also showed me how to apply highlighter since I would be receiving a sample if I pursued the special deal they were running.

Here's what Benefit Cosmetic's website says about Majorette:

Why we love it!

Pep, poise & popularity! Majorette is your cream-to-powder booster blush. Wear this peppy pink-peach shade alone or under your favorite blush for an instant “pep-up.”

How to apply

To amplify your natural flush, twirl with fingertips and blend onto the apples of your cheeks to look pom-pom pretty! For extra pep and staying power, wear majorette under your favorite Benefit Box o’ Powder.

I've been using this blush almost constantly since I bought it, and for someone who rarely wears blush, that's saying something. I have to purposely stop myself from using it so that I can try out other products. This adds just the perfect touch of color to my face so that I don't look overdone regardless of how much I add. I can wear it no matter what else I am using on my face, be it a medium coverage foundation or a sheer tinted moisturizer which allows some of my natural redness to show through.

This is one of the easiest makeup products I apply. I personally use my fingers to take some product from the package and apply to the apples of my cheeks, although I know some people use a brush. I am sad, though, because that may have caused the beautiful sun imprinted on the cream to wear off faster. I haven't tried it under any powder blushes since I don't currently wear any.

And the scent! I've seen other bloggers and YouTubers say that it is supposed to have hints of, I believe, pomegranate and peach. I personally don't get that, but rather orange, maybe tangerine. No matter what it actually is, it is delightful! I have made everyone willing, and some who are unwilling, smell this because it is just that good.

I guess my only real complaint about this product is the price. At $28, it is more than I am usually comfortable paying for makeup. But there is just something about this that I haven't been able to find anywhere else.

Will I repurchase? Maybe. I definitely want to, but I hesitate because of the cost. If I find a good dupe, then maybe not.

Have you tried Majorette?  What did you think?

*Photo from the Sephora website*

Sephora Haul October 2014

While I was spending money on beauty products, I thought I should try to get some foundation that was actually appropriate for me. Every time I try to pick out foundation on my own, it winds up being either too orange, too pink, or makes me look sallow.

I discovered that Sephora has a ColorIQ system that will tell you exactly what foundations are best for you so never wear the wrong foundation again. So the kiddo and I went off to Sephora to have our ColorIQ tested and to scope out some foundation.

We did get our readings and I got some samples as noted below. There was also a Benefit Cosmetics special going on, so there were brand sales associates on site particularly knowledgeable on their products. I had been scoping out some Benefit products anyway, so after making my way through the store I wound up at their display.

Benefit Majorette

• This cream-to-powder pink/peach blush is a new product from Benefit. Benefit had beauty associates in-store to assist and push product, which was actually very helpful. I am not a fan of powder blushes and currently only use a gel blush, The Balm's Stainiac, so I was very skeptical. But since this is a cream, this is very easy to apply and blend without brushes, which I prefer. The person helping me was also kind of floored when I told her that I had never used bronzer before, so she applied their Hoola bronzer and actually instructed me on how to use it. She also showed me how to apply highlighter since I would be receiving a sample if I pursued the special deal they were running.

Benefit Fake Up

• I have been looking at Fake Up for a while now but read and heard mixed opinions about it. So while I had the help of the beauty associate specializing in Benefit products, I asked her for her opinion on concealers. She showed me Boi-ing, Erase Paste, and Fake Up, and we tried out the latter two since they were the least likely to settle into creases. Erase Paste was on one eye and Fake Up was on the other. Between her, me, and the kiddo, we all agreed that Fake Up was the way to go. And I must say, my under eye area stayed moisturized the rest of the night.

Benefit Bonus Sample Pack

• They're Real Mascara
• Posie Balm
• Watts's Up!
• Cyndibands
  • Sephora was running a special deal on Benefit products, which was fantastic since I LOVE Benefit. Almost everything I've tried from this brand has been great. The deal was that if you purchased 2 or more Benefit products you received several Benefit samples and a hair tie. The star of these samples is the Watt's Up!, a facial highlighter. This sample is huge! I expected it to be a quarter of the size at most. The woman who helped me with the products mentioned that other peoples frequently asked for the sample size of this product to be sold, and now I understand why. The Posie Balm and mascara were both products I tried before with mixed results.

Samples from ColorIQ

• Benefit Big Easy in Light/Medium
• Hourglass Hydrating Base Serum Primer test
  • The kiddo and I went to Sephora to have our ColorIQ checked. I had a very good feeling that I have been using the wrong color foundation. Turns out that I have. Anyway, this was one of the matches Sephora found using their technology. The beauty consultant there used these products on me, then gave me samples so I can try them at home.

Sephora 10HR Wear Perfection Foundation in Color 12 Light Ecru

• The kiddo and I went back to a different Sephora the following day because once I went home and entered my ColorIQ number given to me at the store on Saturday, I thought it was incorrect. So we went back and I got tested again, and was also able to get colormatched to this foundation. Color 14 was also a very close shade, and going into summer it may be better. I was advised to go with the lighter shade for now because we are heading into winter.

The Original Beautyblender

• The Beautyblender was used on me when the Benefit Big Easy was tried on me on Saturday. I did some research into alternatives and found that most people found that they did not compare favorably to the original, so I decided to shell out the money.  So far, I understand why this is so well loved in the beauty community.  It is very easy to use, even for relative novices.  I may pick up some knock-offs to compare.

Samples

• Versace Bright Crystal fragrance
• Bare Minerals 5-in-1 BB Advanced Performance Cream Eyeshadow Broad Spectrum SPF 15 in Barely Nude
• Sephora Instant Depuffing Gel
• These were all free samples provided by Sephora with my purchase. So far I've tried out the eye shadow and Depuffing Gel. I've liked the eye shadow but was a little surprised how matte it was. The Depuffing Gel really doesn't do anything for me. I don't see any depuffing, nor do I feel it doing anything.

Stay tuned for Part 3, Ulta.

Are there any Benefit products that you love?  Any I should try out?

*All photos are from the Sephora website.*

Bath and Body Works Haul October 2014

In the past few weeks, I have spent a significant amount of time and (don't worry babe, my own:)) money looking for, sampling, and purchasing beauty products. The majority of that has been at Ulta, with some at Sephora and Bath and Body Works. So much so that the original “haul” post I had planned on was WAY too big and I had to split it up. So here's the first part. 

Let's start with Bath and Body Works:

Pocket Bac Hand Sanitizers

• Frakenkitty Candy Apple
• Vampire Blood Wicked Plum (x2)
• Night Fright Electric Raspberry
• Ghoul Friend Berry Scary
  • There was a special on hand sanitizers, and even though we still have some at home, we'll soon be in a situation where we will be needing them all the time. After smelling all of the samples, the best were actually the ones in the Halloween line. We picked up all in that line except the pumpkin one, and couldn't pass up picking up an extra Vampire Blood.

Pocket Bac Hand Sanitizer Holder

• Clear Jelly with Multicolored Glitter
• Pink Owl
  • Of course, the hand sanitizers are now in new packaging that no longer fits into the classic holders, so we needed to purchase new holders as well. The kiddo's owl has eyes that light up and blink by pressing its stomach.

True Blue Spa

• Fragrance Free Shea Butter Super Rich Hand Cream Lay it on Thick (x2)
• Glycolic Acid Cracked Heel Treatment Heel of Approval
  • This is the first time I have seen a spa line at Bath and Body Works. Then again, I also haven't shopped there in a while. I had been thinking about getting a foot cream, and decided that the Cracked Heel Treatment would actually the most appropriate in the line for my needs. There was a deal (of course!), so I decided to pick up some unscented hand creams. These will be very useful in the near future since the hubby is overly sensitive to scents at the moment and will likely be for the foreseeable future.

Fragrances

• Amber Blush
• French Lavender and Honey
• Cashmere Glow
  • The whole reason we originally went to Bath and Body Works was because the kiddo wanted to “go smell things”. Once again, they had a deal going on for the smaller sizes of lotion, shower gel, and fragrance sprays. The kiddo has become interested in trying perfumes recently, and in the past week started experimenting more with it. We found three new scents that we both agreed on, and the kiddo is currently keeping them in her room. Since picking them up, she has regularly worn them to school. So far, her favorite is Cashmere Glow.

Look for Part 2 of the hauls, Sephora, coming soon!

*I have no product affiliations with Bath and Body Works.  All of these products were purchased with my own money and opinions are not influenced in any way.*

*Pictures courtesy of Bath and Body Works website.  Hand sanitizer pictures found via google because I couldn't find them on the main website.*

Ipsy October 2014

This month I received my first Ipsy bag! I decided to try out this monthly beauty subscription based on the internet reviews I saw and read. So after being on the waitlist for about 2 months, the first shipment finally came. There was supposedly a way to skip the waitlist by sharing the Ipsy information on various forms of social media, but since I don't currently have Twitter or Instagram accounts, that option wasn't available to me.

For any of those who don't know, Ipsy is a monthly subscription service that sends 5 samples and/or full-size beauty products to their subscribers each month for $10 USD. What makes Ipsy different than, say, Birchbox, is that the products come in a makeup bag each month.

This month's theme is Beauty Candy. When I opened the pretty pink bubble-wrap shipping envelope, I found the bag and a card. However, unlike Birchbox, the card does not describe the products, but rather is just a generic postcard going along with the theme advising you to advertise on social media.

The bag itself was very cute, and the kiddo has already laid claim to it. It is made of teal vinyl embossed with a quilted pattern. The zipper closure is located a small way down the front surface. 

Inside were 5 products, which by initial glance looked like 1 full size with the rest samples. After looking into it a little more, I learned that 2 of the products were actually full size.  (The bag looks like it's a different color because of a lighting change.)

The products I received were:

Albertini’s Warm Love Pumpkin Exfoliating Mask → sample

This smells like pumpkin pie, with cinnamon and nutmeg coming through. The tube seems to be fairly full, so we should be able to get several uses out of it.

Figs & Rouge Shea Butter Enriched Limited Edition Hand Creams in Rose Berry → full size of this scent

I was somewhat surprised to find out that this product was the full size. Then again, it is a limited edition product. It smells lovely, nice and fruity but not overwhelmingly.

Indie Lee’s Brightening Cleanser → sample

This sample comes in a clear tube, which is nice because you can tell just how much product you have left. The scent is hard to describe yet delightful. It smells sweet, a little fruity but I can't identify the specifics.

Skone Cosmetics TATTOOED Waterproof Eyeliner → full size

I didn't actually open this one because I plan on giving it away. Black eyeliner just doesn't work on me, so hopefully my sister will enjoy this.

Starlooks Lip Gloss in Guilty Pleasure → sample

This is a light pink color and smells like marshmallow. It is a very small sample. Because it is square, the kiddo thought it was a Smashbox gloss before we opened our bag.

I have not yet had a chance to try any of these yet. I'm sure I will be doing either reviews on these or commenting on them in an upcoming empties post.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my first bag and look forward to seeing what will come next month.

*Note: All pictures except the bag and collection were taken from the Ipsy website.

Birchbox October 2012 - Unboxing

I received my Birchbox on 10/11/14, delayed by 1 day due to construction on my street. The theme for this month is Obsessions / Fandom, where the Birchbox staffers and editors share their passions and want the subscribers to share theirs in any number of ways online. These products are supposed to be some of their favorites.

L to R: Shower Gel, Eye Liner, Lip Cream, Eye Cream, Fragrance

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream – I am always interested in trying out new eye creams, so I'm looking forward to this one.

Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips – After the kiddo finished giggling about the name, I did put the tiniest amount of this on my lips. It spread very easily and evenly and kept my lips moisturized for quite a while. I'm just not quite sure yet what makes this different than, say, Aquaphor.

Essential Elements Wake Up Rosemary

Shower Gel – The kiddo and I both enjoyed the smell of this very much. Even though it says it is rosemary shower gel, you can really smell the mint in it more. I can see this really waking you up in the morning, but also calming you down at night before bed.

Harvey Prince Petaly Noir – Whenever I get a perfume sample on a card, I always spray it on the card to sample it. I did that this time and was totally overwhelmed with just a single spritz. This is a very heavy, very floral fragrance. It did seem to mellow out a little as time went on, so I will give it a chance at least one day this week, but it is not the type of fragrance I usually go for.

Lord & Berry Paillettes Glitter Eye Pencil in Black – This is a small sample of a black glittery eye liner. It's very cute, but that also makes it hard to work with. Also, black is pretty much the only color eye liner I don''t use, so I don't know how much use this will be to me. I may give it a shot, though, since the sparkle in it, with a light hand, might be able to come off as more of a gray, a color I do wear.

After I test these samples, I'll post some reviews, or at least include my thoughts in a future empties post.

*Note: My camera is not the best, so aside from the box picture, all others are taken from the company websites.

Blogging about Beauty

Recently, I've become very interested in beauty products.  Or, I should say, more than I have been, since I have been subscribing to Birchbox for several years now.  It all started because I saw a Lip Product Addict Tag video. The first question in the tag is “What is your most eye-catching red?” I realized that I didn't have any true red lipsticks, so I started searching the web for the best red lipsticks. The one that came up most was MAC Cosmetics' Ruby Woo.

A MAC Cosmetics store moved into The Gallery, which is the mall attached to my train station. I would walk past it every day after it opened and it was mobbed! I had never been exposed to MAC before, so I really didn't know anything about them or why everyone loved it so much. So I did what I always do, educate myself. I searched for MAC, and up popped hundreds of videos just about their lipstick alone.

At my next opportunity, I stopped in and looked around. I was able to try on Ruby Woo, then had to run to catch my train. That night, I looked it up online to get the price, and found that there were drugstore dupes out there that many people thought were almost as good for just a fraction of the cost. Since I wasn't hugely comfortable in lipstick that bright yet, I thought it might be a good idea to try out one of the less expensive options. When I found a well-liked one for only $2, I knew I had found my red lipstick.

But this got me thinking about other MAC lipsticks. There were so many videos and blogs with lists of MAC lipsticks, but also many, many lists of drugstore dupes for MAC lipsticks. Since there were others in the $2 line, I decided to pick up some others that were routinely considered favorites.

At this point, I have a pretty strong collection of dupes going, and even started branching out to dupes for brands other than MAC. See below for my current list.

MAC Brave – NYX Round Lipstick in Thalia

MAC Diva – Wet N Wild Cherry Bomb

MAC Plumful – Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Sassy Mauve, Maybelline Colorsensational in Bit of Berry

MAC Rebel – Wet N Wild Sugar Plum Fairy

MAC Ruby Woo – Wet N Wild Stoplight Red (can also be used for Riri Woo and Russian Red)

MAC See Sheer – Rimmel Colour Rush in Not an Illusion, Flower Cosmetics Lip Service in Sheer Snapdragon

MAC Syrup – Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain in Honey, Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Vintage Pink
MAC Viva Glam V - Maybelline Colorsensational Nearly There

DIOR Dior Addict Lip Glow – Pixi Beauty Tinted Brilliance Balm in Unique Pink

This interest in drugstore dupes expanded my interest in makeup in general. I've been able to share this with the kiddo, which is fun. I've been exploring different techniques and makeup based on internet recommendations and instructional videos.

I will be blogging more about beauty products with the help of the kiddo.  A lot of topics, at least initially, will be influenced by what I have already seen online.  But who knows?  Maybe I'll be able to throw out something new.