A Beauty & Travel Blog
A blog for beauty, travel destinations, travel tips and personal adventures, lifestyle and all roads in between.
In my last post about brands like Glossier and Milk, I mentioned that there were more affordable skin tint options out there that were also vegan and/or cruelty-free, and one such tint is the Pixi H20 Skin Tint. Luckily, this one is easily found at Target if you're feeling the need for instant gratification and not waiting for online shipping.
Read MoreAre you a busy girl on the go ready to get out there and DO ALL THE THINGS! and can't be bothered sitting around putting on makeup? Well good news for you; NYC-based artsy powerhouse Milk is here to save the day...with their range of high-end makeup that, in their own words, is "for the girl on the go who spends less time getting done up, more time getting stuff done."
Read MoreThere's a popular NY-based beauty blogger who, while I don't always agree with her opinions, generally doesn't miss the mark much on reviewing products. So when she raved about the newer member of the Infallible eyeliner family, L'Oreal Infallible Matte-Matic Mechanical Eyeliner as being creamy and fitting in well with the new generation of drugstore eyeliners that aren't waxiness awfulness on a stick, I decided to give it a try.
$8, 5 minutes per eye, and sore lids later, I got to ask....what the actual hell do people see in this liner???
Read MoreWhen I was younger, I loved colorful eyeshadow. A bright, satiny red from Urban Decay was my jam, borderline neon pinks, greens, it would be fair to say I was all about painting with the colors of the wind. But lately, I find I've grown drawn more to neutrals that technicolor.
So when I saw on Instagram that Makeup Geek had not one but two fall-themed eyeshadow bundles coming out, it was basically like dangling beauty catnip in my face. How fast could I toss my wallet at my computer to make these mine?
Real fast, my friends, real damn fast.
Read MoreSeptember is coming to close, and boy is this year going fast! While doing some tidying up and throwing out a decent amount of makeup, I gathered up my empties for the month for my first Empties post.
Who doesn't love digging through someone else's trash? :D
Read MoreYou know how everyone loves and raves about It Cosmetics CC Cream? I tried it, didn't like it, don't understand the hype. The Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream, however, did exactly what I wanted a CC Cream to do and did so beautifully.
Read MoreWhile shopping in Boots on my London trip earlier this month, I came cross this Sleek blush trio palette and fell instantly in love with the colors. And for only £9.99? Yes, please!
Read MoreI make it no secret how much I love Bourjois. How much it saddens me they have not yet made their way into the US drugstores. I saw through a couple of blogs that they had introduced a sheer matte lip color version of the Rouge Velvets, Souffle de Velvet, and I was intrigued.
Read MoreI went in for an umbrella. That's all I truly need; a pocket umbrella for our upcoming trip back to London in three weeks. But it's Target, and one cannot simply walk into Target and buy only one thing. If you're me, anyways.
Read MoreIt suckers you in, that attractive and vibrantly pink Benefit airport kiosk full of promise and face powder. It has actually saved me on some occasions when I've forgotten something and know Hello Flawless works well for me, or that Fake Up concealer is one of the few concealers that works for me.
Did I honestly need this travel set? No, I didn't, but at 10:55pm at night after the great Delta Computer Crisis my will power was weak. Also I wanted to try the Dandelion Glow because I hadn't seen it before and wasn't quite sure what it was.
Read MoreAfter lamenting the sadly discontinued Nuance by Salma Hayek Cleansing Oil, I've been hoping the drugstore could fill the hole it's left in my heart, and oh, it has!
Palmer's Cocoa Butter has thrown its hat into the cleansing oil game with their Skin Therapy Cleansing Oil, devoid of mineral oil and instead full of nicer ones like soybean, grapeseed, rosehip, etc. It is so so good.
Read MoreAs summer starts fading into autumn, so comes that brief transition period where you might start pairing shorts with a jacket, trading sandals for boots, and taking a lighter hand with your bronzer. How can you incorporate this shift in your makeup?
With Milani's Earthly Elements palette, it's so simple to have the best of both seasons until it's time to vamp it up more.
Read MoreConfession time: I am somewhat lazy when it comes to my hair and haven't always been keen to blowdry it even though I tend to have better hair on second and third days than if I just let it air dry. I have a lot of hair that doesn't like to dry quickly, so it tends to be such a chore.
But now, no longer.
Read MoreIn one of those "I heard it on Tumblr" sort of situations, I came across Meow Meow Tweet, a newer indie skincare brand, and originally was interested in the deodorants but decided to just go on a sample ordering spree.
I got a small size of the facial care kit, face mask, and deodorants.
How does this brand size up?
Read MoreI told myself, "Self, don't buy any more makeup for a while. You have enough." But then I saw pictures of the newest Pixi Beauty 2016 Collection on Instagram, specifically their new MultiBalm sticks for lip and cheek and the Glow Tonic To Go pads, and I folded like a lawn chair. So it goes.
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via Lush Cosmetics
In an effort to bring as little liquids as possible when backpacking in Italy to ease going through airport security and avoid any messes, I've been testing out the Lush Shampoo Bar in Montalbano. It's the one that is quite unmistakably lemony, promising to "make hair shine bright like a diamond from root to tip." The Lush counter girls were also telling that these bars tend to last a long time, sometimes longer than a bottle of shampoo.
So does it work well?
First thing to consider, if you're not a fan sulfates this won't be for you. It's the first ingredient on the list, right before fragrance. I personally don't mind since I haven't been coloring my hair and don't wash my hair every day, but it's important to keep in mind for those looking to avoid SLS.
That being said, this thing suds well, very very well. I don't think you'd even need to run the bar over your hair, you could easily build up lather in your hands and go town. It also smells divine thanks to the lemon oils and fragrance. It's very citrusy without being cloying or overpowering. I find a little goes a long way and it gets the job done cleaning. My hair is squeaky clean after use, and as far as I'm concerned it does what it says on the tin. You will want to use a conditioner after this, whether it be the Lush one or another kind. I'm more middle ground and kinda eh on the one conditioner bar I have, but it's not awful either. If you want that feeling of slipping, creamy conditioning though, I suggest you stick with a regular cream one.
Speaking of tins, you can buy one from Lush to carry your shampoo bar in which really does make this ideal for travel. Aside from this one, there's twelve types of shampoo bars in total to choose from, making it easy to find the perfect one for your hair. Fans of Honey I Wash The Kids soap will be delighted to know there is a corresponding shampoo bar with that same oh-so-lovely honey toffee scent.
You can find the Lush Shampoo Bars online or in-stores ranging from $10.95-$11.95, and considering how much use you can get out of them that's a pretty great price.
Sometimes the best products don't need to cost an obscene amount, they can be as cheap as $5 or under. There's a wealth of great makeup out there that won't break the bank, do the job, and sometimes even better than the high end stuff. So if you're looking for some cheap and cheerful products that just might be your new favorites, read on.
Read MoreI'm a bit of a cleansing balm addict. When you find a great one, it really feels like it can do anything: take makeup off, cleanse, treat, double duty as a mask, maybe pay off my taxes? Okay, that last one is reaching just a wee bit but hey, a girl can dream!
The Trilogy brand from New Zealand is slightly newer to the US skincare market, but every product I've tried so far I've ended up loving and gave the brand a nod in my winter skincare favorites. The Cream Cleanser, Hydrating Mist Toner, and Certified Organic Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ are all incredibly lovely and constantly rotate their way into my routine. So when I saw they had released a cleansing balm when I was at Whole Foods recently, I had to try it.
Read MoreFrom the BB craze to multi-step skincare layering, it's safe to say Asian beauty is one of, if not, the leading trendsetter in the commercial beauty industry right now. Products and concepts that become big there eventually wind up on our shores and in our stores a couple years later.
Read MoreI'm pretty sure by now it's no secret I love MUJI, especially for travel accessories. They have some of the best travel-sized bottles and containers, toiletries essentials, packing cubes and more. One of my favorite things they also carry are their Nylon Hanging Travel Case.
Read MoreA beauty, travel and lifestyle blog featuring beauty reviews, travel tips & featured places, destination guides, lifestyle posts and more. Let's explore together!
