NYX The Skinny Mascara Review

I had recently purchased a bunch of NYX products during one of their Ulta 40% off sales. I have found some good items that I will add to my professional makeup artist kit! I will try not to make every single upcoming post about NYX products so you aren't bored but there are a lot of products to review so I will try to combine some of them. 

Since I've been on a mascara hunt as of late, I will talk about NYX the skinny mascara. 

First, what the f$ck is this?????

Is this even a brush? Now you all know that I love a small brush because it gets in every nook and cranny of your eye but this is hands down the smallest brush I have ever seen. 

Although I do appreciate the very black formulation, this adds absolutely no length or fullness to my lashes. This wand does not grab any lashes, it's like painting the formula on with a stick. I have been using this with the Roller Lash, which I like a lot more since using this mascara but I will not purchase the skinny again. 

On to the next mascara!

Review: August BirchBox

 

I know you all missed my monthly love/hate ramblings about Birchbox! Believe me, you didn't miss anything in my absence. Not one box was impressive to me. So it must be fate that my first review in months is a box I actually like! Let me go over what qualifies a good box for me. 

1. Must have a makeup item (duh)
2. Must have a skin care item
3. Must have items I am excited to try

Now I may not love all the items after I've tried them but I really need to feel excited about them when I first open the box, otherwise what is the point? 

So this month's box contained the following items:

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen in 3 different shades (smart)
• Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Tone Perfecting Eye Gel Creme
• Model Co Shimmer Bronzing Powder
• Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo
• Supergoop! Hand Cream with Sea Buckthorne
• Hello Seriously Friendly Breath Spray in Pink Grapefruit Mint

First up: 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20 Sunscreen in Nude, Sand and Tan. I have not tried these yet so I cannot speak on how well this product performs, however I will say that I think it is very smart of Ms. Mercier to make her sample include 3 shades because it sucks when you get a sample of something that is not in your shade. Sometimes the frustration of not being able to try it may make you toss it. With this, I can pick my shade and hand off the others to friends, family, or neighbors! Plus this was an added on bonus so Yay!

Laura Mercier Flawless Skin Tone Perfecting Eye Gel Creme. I liked the texture of this product and I loved the size of the sample-it was huge! It did hydrate a bit, nothing life changing and it most certainly did not provide a flawless skin tone. I am not a big believer of using a separate eye creme, you can just use your face moisturizer around your eyes, no? Also, this is packaged in a jar which means it is not stable and ingredients will start to break down quickly. The full size version is $60 and for that amount of money, it should be packaged in an airtight, light-tight pump that I can't stick my grubby little fingers in. 

Next up, Model Co Shimmer Bronzing Powder. I have to say, every sample I have received from this company I have liked a lot. I have a lipstick from them that I love and that has not run out yet. They are very generous with their full sized samples and I would definitely purchase from them as their products are nice. I like this bronzer because it is not orange and it is not severe. You get a lovely shade of golden brown when you apply it. It is subtle but you can build it up but be careful, it does have some shimmer. My critique would be that I feel it does not stay on long. It might be my application, I find myself reaching for this on days when I am not wearing anything else on my face so it may not have anything to grab onto. 

 Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo-I was not too excited by this product but who can get excited about a dry shampoo? I very rarely use one but not all is lost, I just added this to my kit because you never know what you may need. In case you don't know what a dry shampoo is, it is a spray product you would apply to your roots to absorb oil on days you do not shampoo your hair. 

 Supergoop! Hand creme. I love this hand cream. I love the way it feels, I love the familiar way it smells. I flat out love it. There is a smell to it that is almost like catnip to me. I would only use this on my hands.

Moving on, Hello Breath Spray. This does not taste like mint, nor does it taste like grapefruit. It taste like chemical. Despite touting a 99% natural label, which most likely means nothing, it taste like I would develop some horrible disease if I continued using this. 

 

So that's it for this month's Birchbox-I give it a solid 8.

My one negative critique for this box and every box Birchbox puts out is the packaging. They use so much unnecessary packaging it's sinful. Here is a picture of the packaging: the box it is delivered in, the box it is packaged in, the postcard that has all the products listed on it, plus another little box/envelope they use to package products. Birchbox! You need to get this under control. Please figure something else out. As pretty as it is when it arrives, 5 minutes after opening most of it is in the trash/recycling. Get it together.

 

OBVIOUSLY THEY KNOW ME!

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Benefit They're Real Mascara Review

Long, luscious eyelashes are a sign of youth. Have you ever looked at the long, gorgeous eyelashes of a baby or a toddler. Don't ya wish you can just bottle that up like fairy dust to sprinkle on your own sparse lashes? I do, it would be much easier than fake lashes, glue and olive oil (does not work). 

Benefit has tried to bottle up the magic of long, thick lashes with their They're Real! mascara. According to the packaging, this is beyond mascara.

According to their consumer panel:

• 94% saw dramatic length & volume~I would not call it dramatic
• 90% saw base to tip curl~I did not
• 94% saw visible lift~I did not
• 100% saw long wearing results~This is very true, it did last a long time. 

I do like this mascara but I would not say you will look like you're wearing false eyelashes. It is definitely long lasting and there was no flaking at all, however if I am reviewing based on the name, it did not have the same dramatic effect a pair of false lashes do. I think it is a very good, solid mascara although I do think it should be a little darker but that's just me. I think you can find a comparable mascara for a 1/4 of the price at the drug store.

The draw of this mascara is the unusual mascara wand. Instead of bristles, they are little plastic spikes that go all the way around the tip of the wand so you can grab every eyelash. The tip is like a little ball and allows you to get into all of the corners. 

Now I don't think this is the best mascara ever and even if I did, I  probably won't repurchase the full size due to cost($23). Mascara is a hard product for me to splurge on because most of the formulas, high end or drugstore are similar so you can probably find it for much less. The difference I feel are mostly the wands but is this wand worth $23 every few months? 

Now ya know what I do believe it is the best for? Lower lashes. This is the best mascara ever for lower lashes. That little spiky ball tipped wand, very gently grabs and coats every single lower lash without smearing, smudging or causing any kind of mess. All you are left with is a little sexy caterpillar sitting on your lower lash line. For that reason, I will purchase the travel sized version ($10) and always have perfect lower lashes.

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Yves Saint Laurent ROUGE PUR COUTURE Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain – Rebel Nudes Review

So I need to revisit my Sephora gift card that I wrote about last week. My honeybun felt that I downplayed his gift, as if it were from some rando. So to set the record straight, the gift card was from my very generous honey and he can give me a Sephora gift card anytime he wants to. I am mostly impressed with the fact that he actually reads my blog!

Now on to my review, I was very excited about these lip gloss stains when I heard about them. YSL created an extension to their Rouge Pur Couture Vernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain called Rebel Nudes.

 According to the website:

What it is:
A revolutionary nude glossy stain with all-day 3D luminous effect.
What it does:
This glossy Stain captures the shine of a gloss, color of a lipstick, and the long wear of a stain. Rebel Nudes is the first to premiere Euphoric Pearl technology for an all-day 3D luminous effect.

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Parabens
- Sulfates
- Phthalates
The colors are absolutely drop dead gorgeous. They are mostly pink and purple "nudes" with a gold sheen going through them. You guys, pink and gold! I could not wait to try them so I purchased Violine Out Of Control which is a vibrant violet and Fuchsia Fugitive, a soft golden fuchsia. 

I know I always scream about how pink and gold is my favorite color combo on the planet and everyone should own something pink and gold but I think Violet is my new favorite color! Also, purple's are very on trend right now thanks to Pantone's Color of the Year, Radiant Orchid. Let's just discuss that for a moment, I never knew there was a color of the year and now all I've heard about this year is Radiant Orchid, it's on everything-lips, nails, clothes, etc. It is a beautiful color and I want it to always be the color of the year.

These glosses have a texture that I was not expecting and am not sure I love. It went on very wet and felt almost cooling on my lips. As shiny as it is, it didn't feel glossy if that makes any sense. These also are not as opaque as I had imagined although Fuchsia Fugitive is more opaque than the Violine. This is not only a gloss but a stain and the color stays on forever! Well I'm not sure about forever but a really long time and I really liked the flat paddle applicator.

A lot of the reviews I read online said these glosses caused the reviewer's lips to be really dry. I did not get to wear these long enough to find out, like I said they don't feel very glossy. I would not describe these as hydrating.  

These do have an overpowering God awful odor to them. I think it is supposed to be rose scented, however my nose was offended. I am smelling vinegar or something pungent. Not pleasant at all. Also, I had read online but did not research the claim that YSL does animal testing (Boo!). Like I said, I did not research but if this is important to any of you looking to try any YSL products, I suggest you research their animal testing policies.

So something unfortunate happened with these glosses that probably will not affect you but I have to share my full experience. My lips do not agree with certain ingredients in some lip glosses which causes me to have an allergic reaction. Sadly this happened with these glosses. My lips get very itchy and irritated, swollen and red. The swollen and red part is awesome because my lips blow up like I had lip injections, the irritated part is not so awesome. I have not been able to pin point the ingredient but it only happens with glosses and only with glosses that have shimmer in them but not all glosses with shimmer in them. Follow? I will be returning these but 
this should not affect your decision to purchase if you want to try them because this allergic situation is my own weirdness and will most likely not happen to you. Unless of course you have the same allergy as I have. 

These glosses will cost you $34 for .20 oz at Sephora. 

You can read more about YSL Rouge Pur CoutureVernis À Lèvres Glossy Stain – Rebel Nudes HERE

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Makeup Forever HD High Definition Foundation Review

Photo Source

I don't know why it has taken me so long to write about Makeup Forever HD Foundation.

 MUFE HD Foundation is the foundation I compare every other foundation I use to. MUFE HD is for me, that boyfriend that you always go back to in between the other boyfriends that you think are going to be better for you, but almost always end up disappointing you. That is my relationship with MUFE HD. 

This foundation was formulated for use in filming with high definition television and film, so it is as invisible as a foundation can possibly be. It is for the everyday woman, as well as the professional makeup artist. You can keep 5-6 of these shades in your kit and make pretty much any color you would need. This is oil and paraban free. It is medium coverage but can be built up to a full coverage. It has a really nice, natural finish- not too dewy, not too matte. So what is my problem? Why haven't I put a ring on it?
Maybe it's boredom or the grass is greener somewhere else but there is just too much variety to settle down with one. 

This is the foundation I entrust when I absolutely need my skin to look it's best. Where other foundations fail me, this one does not. I do not know what prevents me from awarding it Holy Grail status. I can be a fickle one with my foundations. I do recall feeling this was too sheer and simultaneously too heavy. Obviously, I have issues but I return to it time and time again. Between this foundation and my growing romance with my Beauty Blender, I am for the moment content. 

I will probably never be a loyal, one foundation kinda gal. I used to be, I would loyally use 1 foundation for years. However, there are way too may formulations, colors and brands to not want to try them all. I already have my eye on two new one's that I would like to take a crack at. Also, if I stuck with one where would you guys get your foundation information from? 

Straight out of the pump

Semi blended in

Blended in

This foundation comes in 26 shades. I am shade 120. I don't think the colors on this chart are very true to the real shades but you can read the descriptions to get an idea of what would be for you.

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Makeup Forever 

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Urban Decay Naked Palette 1 and 3 Review

                        

 I have never been on the Urban Decay Naked Palette bandwagon. I know every makeup addict on the planet has lost their minds over all of the UD palettes but they were never my thing. I don't like when products get too hyped up. I become suspicious if it's hype or if they really are the most amazing products ever. To me they always looked like a bunch of neutral tones that I already had. 

Then this past November, Urban Decay released their Naked Palette 3 and it was like cupid shot an arrow through my heart when I saw these soft, romantic colors. I think Pink and Gold is a marriage made in makeup heaven and everyone should have a pink and gold something in their collection, whether it is blush or a lipstick. Whatever it is, it will be incredibly flattering on pretty much any skin tone. All I could see is these precious pinks and glorious golds and I was sold. I had to have it. 

I know I am kinda late to the game with this review but there are no cosmetic companies sending me samples to blog about so it can coincide with their release, although if anyone out there wants to send me products, feel free-I'm down! So I have to purchase my own and I like to use the products for a bit so I can give an honest review. 

I asked Santa for Naked 3 for Christmas. It is the only thing I asked for. I even sent Santa 2 links so he would know where to purchase it in case the elves were too busy, plus I sent him a reminder email (also with a link for purchase included) just so Santa was aware of how badly I wanted this palette. Then a funny thing happened on the way from the North Pole. Santa managed to f*%k it up and delivered Naked Palette numero uno. WTF Santa! Anyhoodles, Santa being as generous and magical as he is had the NP3 delivered ASAP and now I have 2 palettes to review! Thanks Santa!

I really like the colors in the NP3 palette. They are very soft and exactly as I had expected. First, the palette is packaged in a wavy, metal gold toned palette that is pretty sturdy. It comes with a double ended brush that I will probably use for something other than applying eyeshadow. You get 12 shadows for $52. The shadows range from light to dark, with pink being the prominent color. There are some golds and bronze colors as well and a mix of matte and shimmer textures. I find myself reaching more for the matte colors, maybe because I've been mostly going to business appointments and matte just seems more practical for business. My favorites from this palette are: Strange, Limit, Trick, Nooner and Blackheart (a black shadow with hints of red in it-I cannot wait to do a dramatic smokey eye, it has an almost dark purpley, plumy effect). The only color I am on the fence about is Dust. The texture of Dust is exactly that, quite dusty and it seems to be more glitter than shimmer. It seems as if when you apply it, that nice baby pink color disappears and you are left with little glittery specks. It's pretty, just not what I expected and it was one of the shadows that caught my eye so it is a little disappointing. Along with the eyeshadows, Urban Decay has sent samples of all of their eye primer potions and a setting spray. So far nothing has blown me away but I will let you know if they do. 

Wavy metal packaging.

Urban Decay Naked 3

Swatches and photo courtesy of frmheadtotoe.com

 

On to Naked Palette 1. I like this palette as well and am happy for the mix up. Again, you receive 12 shadows with a mix of textures. This palette is more neutral with bronzy browns and golds. It comes packaged in a velvet brown palette, with a brush I have yet to use for applying eyeshadow.  My favorite colors in this palette are: Virgin, Sin (in love with this color) and Half Baked (another winner-love it).

All of these shadows are very soft feeling and blend-able and they last all day. 

 

Urban Decay Naked Palette 1-the original naked palette.

Naked Palette 1 on top and 3 on the bottom for a side by side comparison.

I like these palettes a lot and I was not disappointed. I do feel N3 has different colors and tones than what you usually find in neutral palettes and for that reason I would recommend Naked 3 over the original palette. They are both really pretty and it just depends on what you are looking for. Although I am happy I accidentally received the original Naked palette, I still feel it's not something I haven't seen before. 

Palette 3 in different lighting-it looks more goldy here~

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Coastal Scents Camouflage Palette Review

As someone who has not been doing makeup for a very long time, I am always looking for reasonably priced, quality products to add to my makeup kit. One of the things about becoming a makeup artist is that it can be quite expensive to purchase the products you will need to have a well rounded kit. Remember, you are not buying for 1 skin type/color, you are buying for all skin types and tones because you never know whose skin you are going to be working on and you always want to be prepared. Bobbi Brown's BBU concealer and foundation palette cost $250. That is a wonderful product that not everyone can invest in right away, so I am always on the lookout for inexpensive palettes. 

I purchased Coastal Scents Camouflage Palette after reading some really good reviews about it online. The palette comes with 10 creamy concealer shades, ranging from light to dark with cool and warm undertones. The packaging is a bit flimsy and does not come with a mirror. These concealers are a bit on the drier side of creamy and could benefit from some warming up prior to applying on the skin. I'm sure these will be great in the summer when it's not 9 degrees out. Someone had said online, that they hit the palette with their hairdryer while they are getting ready to warm them up a bit. 

They provide good coverage so I have been using these mostly to cover blemishes or skin discolorations and have not had to set with powder too much as the product seems to stay put. I have shied away from applying them under the eye because they aren't very creamy but I'm still playing around with them. This palette cost less than $10 so it would be a great option for someone to add to their kit or if they just want to try something new. Coastal Scents also has a 15 piece set for $15.

To learn more about Coastal Scents Camouflage Palette, click HERE.

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~Jessica~ 

Anyone with Eyebrows Needs to Purchase Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (Review)

I love when a product lives up to the expectations I have of it! 

I've always liked my eyebrows to look a bit "glossy". Not necessarily shiny but that groomed, slick look like Megan Fox or Kim Kardashian and I definitely do not want to look like I have a ton of product on my brows. They should look naturally slick, groomed, filled in and arched. 

I have never been a big fan of pencils so I opt for wax based products but sometimes they are a little too waxy and not pigmented enough. I have also used powders and set with a wax, sometimes I just use Chap Stick when I want a more natural, no makeup look. So imagine my brow delight when the queen of eyebrows herself rolled out her Dipbrow Pomade? 

 
This is like a souffle for your eyebrows. It is not a wax and it is not a gel. It's more of a dense cream. It is highly pigmented and waterproof. It goes on very smooth and adheres well to skin and hair. This is not budging once you apply it and a little goes a long way. You will need the tiniest amount to fill in your whole brow.

I have to admit, this is my first time using an Anastasia product and I am very happy with my purchase. I will warn you that these are very pigmented, almost like paint for your eyebrows. I made the mistake of purchasing a shade that was too dark for me (Chocolate) and I looked like Charlie Chaplin the first few times that I wore this (although honeybuns said I didn't but I think he lied). They do have a great color selection and I have already purchased Auburn as I think that will be a better match. I'll probably get Blonde as well. These are a must have for a makeup artist's kit, these would be easy to mix and match. According to the website, these can also be used as eyeliner!

This is a tiny amount that I swatched. You do not need a lot.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade is available in 5 shades and cost $18 for .14 oz. 

To read more about Dipbrow Pomade or to purchase, click here.

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L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner Review

Sorry for the poor quality photo. :-(

I am on a drugstore tear lately. 

I am not usually a fan of drugstore makeup, however I find myself drawn to the makeup section of Rite Aid like an addict. I'm not sure if the cosmetics companies are upping their drugstore game or maybe I'm just a girl on a budget but either way, I've been getting some inexpensive, quality products during my recent trips. 

So today, I am all about the eyeliner. I am always about the eyeliner. I know most ladies say their can't live without makeup product would be mascara but I think mine would be eyeliner. 

L'Oreal Voluminous Smoldering Eyeliner is a very black, blend-able, chubby eyeliner that goes on smooth and does not smudge. 

Have I mentioned that this pencil is very black?

Black

 That is usually a problem for me with black eyeliners. The color looks very black on the pencil but on the skin they sometimes fade to a light black or even a greyish, blue color. Not this pencil, it goes on black and stays that way. Even when you blend it, it will soften up while still retaining its blackness. 

This will pretty much stay put until you take it off, however if you apply this to your lower lash line, I would set it with a powder because if its gonna move, this is where it will decide to move. 

Also, if you are a contact lens wearer and line your waterline with this, it might (I'm not 100% sure) transfer to your contacts. The first time I wore it, midway through my night I started to see blurry out of both eyes. Now it could've been the drinkin, however I am almost certain it was the eyeliner. I have worn this since then on my waterline and have not had this issue, so who knows. Also, there are plenty of reviews online about how it doesn't budge on the waterline. This just might be a problem for contact lens wearers.

Oh and the other thing that I love about this is, this eyeliner comes sharpened to the pointiest point possible which enables you to get ultra close to the lashline. It comes with a sharpener so you can keep it sharp and pointy. I have had this for over a month and I have yet to sharpen it. It's not as sharp as when I received it but I'm still getting a a nice, close application. 

So this was money well spent! Around $9 for .087 oz.

What is your favorite eyeliner?

Until next time!

~Jessica~

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December BirchBox

With apologies, I am so behind on my postings!

This is usually a spoiler alert, however I am sure whoever receives Birchbox has already received it. 

I'm just posting it for whoever likes seeing these.

This box was about a 6-7. 

I received a non aerosol hair spray from N4, an Honest Co Healing Balm, Supergoop CC cream, a chocolate covered pretzel and a skincare system from Eslor. I pretty much liked everything, didn't love anything enough to purchase. I good box, I'm sure I'll use everything up. 

I'll let you know if I fall in love with anything. 

Until next time!

~Jessica~