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A blog for beauty, travel destinations, travel tips and personal adventures, lifestyle and all roads in between.
The SPF 50 Skin Shielding Primer intrigued me on one my last pilgrimages to Target, so I picked it up. At $12, it's a bit steep for the usual e.l.f. pricing. Does it give the bang for its buck?
Read MoreI love me some ColourPop, with their super affordable range and quality cosmetics. I've loved their Super Shock shadow formula that's like squishy meets powder, but sometimes you just want a standard pressed shadow. And ColourPop delivered with a range of pressed shadows that I can only assume will keep growing.
I picked up 7 of them, 3 singles in a custom kit (Secrets, Take a Break, Labyrinth) and 1 curated palette called Blow Me Away. How do these eye shadows stack up? Keep on reading!
Read MoreWhat's the skinny on the L'Oreal Infallible Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner?
In the ongoing quest for perfect liquid eyeliner pen I move along to L'Oreal, who previous let me down with the awful Matte-matic eyeliner pencil. While that one sucked, I do love the Silkissime eyeliners and the Infallible gel eyeliner pencil that's super super pitch dark deep as pitch black. I was originally looking for their dupe of Lancome's Art Liner (since L'Oreal owns Lancome and YSL it's easy to find L'Oreal versions of a few things from each brand) but couldn't find it, and this one ended up catching my eye instead.
Read MoreSo far, I really like Pixi as a brand and wish I hadn't overlooked them all these years. Pixi H20 Skin Tint is amazing, their Endless Silky Eyeliners are awesome, a lot of their Skin Treats lines are faves so I was coasting on high hopes for the Lash Line Ink Liquid Eyeliner pen to be the stuff of liquid liner pen dreams.
Alas, you can't always get what you want.
Read MoreIn 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 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 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 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.
Read MoreSometimes 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 MoreLast weekend in my last bit of makeup shopping for a good while, I stopped by Nordstrom's because finally, blessedly, there was a Charlotte Tilbury counter. I could finally swatch this highly coveted brand in person, pick up a few things, and see if it's really worth all the hype it's getting by everyone from pro makeup artist to the online beauty community.
Read MoreI picked this up on a whim at CVS, hearing some good about it. Alas, I think this is more suited for those who already have really good skin and don't need much coverage because it's pretty sheer. I make it work right now by using a lot of concealer where I need to color correct and even things out, but I wish it were just a little more packing in the pigments department.
Read MoreIt was halfway through flipping through Porter magazine the other day that I noticed a common thread in all the editorial makeup, even in the fashion ads- the makeup was neutral and minimal. Features were subtly enhanced in a low key, chic way.
Minimal makeup is back for Spring 2016. Think a fresh, skin-like palette, neutral eyes with slight definition, natural looking brows, soft barely there blush and sun-kissed bronzing, and the my-lips-but-better look or soft colored lip colors.
Using few old and new products in my stash, I've created a pretty easy minimal makeup look perfect for everyday wear, school, work, or casually hanging out.
Read MoreAs someone with dark brunette hair, finding the perfect eyebrow pencil can be Sisyphean to say the least. So many pencils, even listed as dark brown, lean reddish brown and end up looking a bit rubbish on my brows. I've had luck with Tarte Emphas-Eyes and Anastasia Brow Whiz pencils, but they aren't cheap at $19 and $18 respectively.
And then L'Oreal said, "hey, let's dupe that!" Probably.
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Want a great mascara for about the cost of a latte? Obviously yes, because who doesn't love a makeup product that's cheap and cheerful and does a good job. I was at Ulta last month actually look for this mascara's neon pink sister that I Love Extreme Crazy Volume mascara, but since that one has been raved about so much on Youtube, they were out of it. So I picked this one up instead for $3.99 and let me tell you, it's pretty good.
It's called triple black because it's supposed to 1- give maximum volume, 2- add density to lashes and 3- is carbon black for intense darkness.
Well, two of three ain't bad. I do notice there's definitely an uptick in volume, and it is quite black on my lashes, but I'm not convinced on the density part.
Still, it's a great workhorse mascara that's under $4 and is the one I decided to pack for my upcoming vacation. I really like brushes like this one, and honestly, this is pretty up there for me with Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes, which is one I reallllllly love, especially layered. Which, layering these two? Really, really nice.
This is my first essence product, and as I hear quite good things about the brand's affordability intersected with quality, it likely won't be my last.
You can find essence products at Ulta and some other drugstores and grocery stores depending on your area.
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