October Favorites

Hello again readers!

Well I'm way late to post this up. I'd feel worse about it, but... I don't. I spent the last bit of October basically living, breathing, and screaming work. It doesn't seem like it'd be so exhausting, but it is. I don't know how most of my coworkers managed to handle it, and their other jobs, their schooling, and sleeping. I barely remembered to eat most of the time...

Anyway, since I was working through October I really didn't wear a lot of makeup the rest of the time. I think through the entire month I only wore a full-face about a handful of times. Oh well!

Garnier Clean Nourishing Cleansing Oil for Dry Skin:

I want to try other oil cleansers, but this is the one I have right now. I love this for super easy makeup removal. Just pump some into the palm, slap that on your face, rub it in, and your makeup practically melts off. It helps with even the most waterproof product, and even fake blood and loosens liquid latex! This product was the MVP for making quick work of getting my face clean.

Isopropyl Myristate:

This is a super strange product to feature, but I love it. This gets under the latex, and lifts it off the skin without irritation. I was really skeptical, because body oil does the same thing, but this is thinner, and doesn't leave such a gross residue as body oil. Do you need it? No, of course not, but this is my favorites list, and I loved it!

Colourpop Ultra Matte - Clueless:

I definitely thought like, Kapow or even Beeper would have been a favorite this month, but it was Clueless that took hold of my affections. It's easy to apply, and looks a little more natural than having a grey-toned lipstick on. If I was going on errands (mostly to the bank for depositing my paychecks) I would just pop this onto my lips, and I wouldn't have to worry about it at all until I went to take it off later in the day.

ELF Hydrating Undereye Primer:

With this job, the fog machines were NOT my friends. I don't want to say it dried out my skin, but well, it did. Dried out my lungs too and just made me super thirsty and irritated my throat. Regardless, for being as oily as I am I needed a little extra boost, so since I forget to use eye moisturizer most of the time, this was a really easy fix since I could put it on before applying my prosthetic pieces onto my face, and it'd have time to soak in before I put on the rest of my makeup. It worked well, and kept the makeup I had under my eyes stay on too, which was a plus!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Transylvania:

Like I've said before, this product sucks! The silver lining, is that it's perfect for a "corpse" effect on the lips. Which, was perfect for creepy dolls too, who would have thought it? It lasted quite a long time on my lips, since I only put them right in the middle, and even after multiple hours of screaming (and I should admit a bit of drooling...) it was still there, even if it was balled up. It still counts, and it was my go-to lip product for work, aside for lip balm.

Tarte Tarteist Clay Paint Liner - Black:

I hate that I love this product, since it's about 25 dollars, but sacrifices must be made. I thought this was such a fantastic liner. It went on like a dream, it was pigmented, it lasted through the abuse of a Haunt, and it is such a good matte liner. Made my work of drawing on my eye shape for my makeup easier, and cut my time of drawing on eyeliner in half! If this keeps up, it's going to be a staple in my collection.

Softlips Lip Balm - Vanilla:

I don't like the menthol in this product, but this is such a good lip balm. It's sweet, helps keep my lips hydrated, and has a pleasant tingling feeling. I used this when I was trying out all of my new liquid lipsticks, and it kept my lips from getting irritated. Really a great product, and so cheap!

ELF Acne Fighting Foundation - Porcelain:

This is definitely not my shade whatsoever, but with the different atmosphere, the stress, as well as my hormones raising hell (how fitting), I had a large amount of face demons that came to a head as of late. It's unfortunate, but it happens! This helps keeps new arrivals from getting worse, and helps clear up existing acne too. It has good coverage, and feels so nice on the skin. I'm waiting on a (hopefully) better color match to arrive in the mail, but for now I'll be using this shade.

Manic Panic Dream Tone Foundation:

I used to use Stargazer's white foundation, but I like this so much better. I don't need as much to mix into my foundation, and it mixes better too. Plus, it has a pump! What's not to love?

BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfecter - Opal:

I bought the duo set, and couldn't put it down. Whenever I would put on a face of makeup, I'd reach for this. It didn't matter if it was a "no makeup" makeup look, I'd make it dewy look just because I could. Really I found excused to wear this because of how much I really enjoy it.

Maybelline Color Tattoo - Tough as Taupe:

Not even a surprise to see this pop up again. It was the eyebrow product I reached for the most, used for both my regular makeup, and my costume makeup too. It was great because I could put this on first, and cover it with a layer of my white foundation to sort of make them a little less intense and it worked for how I wanted to look. I was really pleased with how versatile I could make this work for me.

NYX Nude Matte Eyeshadow - Skinny Dip:

Haven't featured this since last December, but this has been my most-used shadow this month! I used it for my eye makeup, as well as to darken up my gashes on the sides of my mouth for my costume. I was really pleased with how it added a darkness to my makeup that really punched up the contrast when it came time to be placed in my scene. Who would have thought that it'd be so great for special effects?

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Thanks for reading!

Regrets #3: Lips

Hello again readers!

Almost to the end of the line with these. Today is a walk down memory lane, but they weren't good memories. Not by a long shot. These lipsticks were just appalling, in all of the worst kind of ways.

Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss - Nude Candy:

I bought this lipgloss (because YouTube made me buy it) and really had high hopes for it. That quickly came crashing down on top of me. This lipgloss SUCKED. I tried it on it's own, and at first really liked the color, the texture, and the taste. Very sweet like good candy, and not sticky! I discovered within FIVE minutes that it would settle into every line on my lips. Tried exfoliating, moisturizing, and then adding a lipstick to try it again: same effect. No matter what I did it would just settle into the lines of my lips and look awful.

Wet n Wild Balm Stain - Lady and the Vamp:

I had ... well, not high hopes, but descent hopes. I thought it'd be nice to have a sheer berry color, since I'm not a fan of opaque berry shades. I was instantly let down. The balm aspect of this product is almost non-existent. It's slick, but not moisturizing. As for the stain, it's almost laughable. The pigmentation of this product is so streaky, and just leaves my lips looking more like I took a bite out of a berry, than applied a lip product. The stain therefore comes out looking streaky, and it's just not something I wanted to keep around because of how much I disliked it.

Jordana Twist and Shine Balm Stain - Rock n Rouge:
Another balm stain that just didn't do it for me. I really enjoy the Twist and Shine Balm Stain in Honey Love, that one was a really good corpse color for me, but this one was just not as good. The color was a very warm red shade, which never work out for me. The texture was the biggest issue; there was glitter in the formula, and within a half hour of wear, it would dry down enough that that glitter would feel gritty and would irritate my lips. Applying more product made it worse. Taking it off, would leave small particles of glitter behind. I like Honey Love, I might just like some of the others, but I hated this one.

Elf Essential Lipstick - Pink:

I wasn't sure what to think about this. I've tried a couple of the ELF Essential Lipsticks, and got along with them just fine. They're creamy, they have pigment, and for a dollar they're pretty great, aside from how fragile and soft they are that they easily snap inside the tube. I picked this one after Halloween last year, and it just disappointed me instantly. It applied patchy, and would settle into my lines. The pink was not very flattering either, so it just looked unattractive. The only way to make it wearable was to layer a lot of product on my lips, but it was uncomfortable. For the record, I hated the red as well, since they both had the nonsense about them to feather out and move like crazy with how creamy they were.

Forever 21 Love and Beauty Velvet Lip Gloss Sets (missing a warm neutral):
This set isn't even offered anymore, but I was really looking forward to it when I saw them online. A nice little variety of different cream lipsticks that dried to a matte finish? Sign me up! The downside, is they are NOTHING like the full-sized Velvet Lip Glosses, at all.

The pigment on these were poor, patchy, and just awful. The smell was just as bad, smelling like baby powder and chemicals. They tried to be sweet, but they weren't. They did dry down matte, but the application went so bad I never wanted them on my lips for that long. I was really disappointed.

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Thanks for reading!

Too Faced Beauty Experts Darlings

Hello again readers!

I'm very excited when makeup companies make cute little sampler kits to try out a variety of products, without having to buy a full-size with hopes that it'll work for you. I picked up the Too Faced Beauty Experts Darlings set from Ulta for $20, and immediately cracked it open to see how well these products worked for me.

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Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

The Chocolate Soleil bronzer is a cult classic. It's been shown by a large variety of beauty gurus and their collections. It's something that smells so delicious and heavenly, since the bronzer has cocoa powder in the formula.

The bronzer is pigmented, and incredibly smooth. Just a tap, and product is picked up. It seems like a good plan, but for someone like me who is very pale, it can be very bad. Just a tap on the brush, and a bunch of pigment is picked up. I have to be very careful with this bronzer, because just a dab will do me.

The bronzer is too dark and warm for me, but it blends out beautifully. It'd be better suited for those with a medium skin tone.

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La Creme Lipstick – Dolly

The Too Faced La Creme lipstick in Naked Dolly is a nice, light nude. Sometimes it can wash me out, but when I pair it with a lip liner it's much more wearable. The formula is very creamy, moisturizing, and easy to wear on the lips, but it does fade very quickly with how creamy it is.

The biggest thing that I hate about this lipstick, is that it smells like soap to me. It's really off putting and very odd, and then I can taste it. I'm not a fan, and it stops me from wearing it as much as I would otherwise.

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Better Than Sex Mascara

The Better Than Sex mascara was something I really was looking forward to try. So many people raved about how beautiful their lashes looked  after using it, and I had to agree – at first.

When I first applied this to my lashes, it was a little hard to handle. The formula is very wet, and if I wasn't VERY careful, it'd get all over my lower lash line and my eyelid and on my cheek without me moving too much. It was frustrating, and ended up with me scratching at my face with a spooly brush to get the dried mascara off.

The other thing that I did not like about the mascara, is that it's a fiber mascara. While it left my lashes looking long, full, and beautiful, it also made them flake throughout the day, so i'd have little flakes of fiber and mascara sprinkled all over my cheeks and face. Very unflattering. It also smeared throughout the day so I was also left with those flakes and smudged mascara under my eyes. It made me look tired, and messy.

It works for so many people, and I was bummed when it didn't work for me.

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Shadow Insurance Primer

 I have a couple of reviews of this product, here and here. Like I've said, not my favorite, but I won't toss it away either.

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Overall, I really enjoy kits like these. I like the little deluxe sizes of products (not only are they cute, but they're enough to get a good feel for the product without committing to the price of a full-size just yet). Unfortunately I wasn't wild about any of these, so I won't be buying larger sizes. Too Faced just isn't my brand, I suppose.

Thanks for reading!

Makeup Geek Pigment - Insomnia

Hello again readers!

I wanted to throw out a quick review of the one (and only) Makeup Geek pigment: Insomnia.  I've been wanting to try out Insomnia for a long time, since it's raved about so much on the internet for being a MAC Blue Brown pigment dupe. Now, I love my MAC Blue Brown pigment, and I don't mind the healthy competition that goes up against it. Anyway to cut corners and save some of those pennies, right?

I have the Insomia in the smaller jars (the jars that hold 2g of product), that retailed for $6 a piece. They now have Insomnia in the new jars, which they say holds 6g of product, for $12 a piece. Cheaper than MAC, that's for sure.

The inside of the jar, has a sifter, in the form of a small hole. I already fell into issues with small openings with my Sized-to-Go pigments, because the openings are SO SMALL. It helps control spilling, but it's really hard to just dip your brush into the pigment. It's a little frustrating, because it's harder to control how much comes out, even if I'm just taping some into the cap.

Now the pigment itself is definitely lower quality than MAC. The color isn't as vibrant, and the texture feels different. MAC's pigment feels very smooth, while MUG's pigment feels more powdery. 

On the eye it needed a tackier base to really build up the color on the lid, but it did blend out well just like the MAC pigment.

Now it really comes down to price. You can get more in the MUG pigment, compared to the MAC pigment, so if you're looking to save money MUG is the way to go. If you're looking for quality, MAC is definitely what I'd recommend.

Thanks for reading!

L'Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner

Hello again readers!

I have a little review of a new eyeliner that I have recently added to my collection, the L'Oreal Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner. The liner isn't too new, but it's definitely new to me, and I can never trust reviews that say 'oh this will stay on forever!' because of how oily/wet my eyes are. It's tragic. I do however really enjoy trying new liners, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.

The Infallible Gel Lacquer Liner comes in five shades: Navy, Espresso, Slate, Bronze, and Blackest Black. Naturally, when I try a new liner, I almost always go for the black, so I picked up Blackets Black to try out.

The liners retail for $7-10 depending on where you purchase them, and I picked mine up for $6 during one of Ulta's 40% off sales for select drugstore cosmetics (L'Oreal was included at the time). It's always a good idea if you're money conscious to wait for deals to pop up, since there's always something going on!

In each liner purchased, you get the liner, which is contained in a glass jar with a silver lid, and an eyeliner brush. The brush included isn't bad by a long shot, and I remember fondly when I first started wearing gel/cream eyeliners (the Maybelline Eye Studio was my first love) and a similar brush was included. It gets the job done, the handle is long enough for good control, and the bristles are soft and don't tug on the eye. It's a nice companion to the liner, although I do use other brushes when I apply it.

It applies really easily, since the formula is so soft, but it also goes on a bit streaky too. I have to go over it twice to get full, opaque coverage. It dries down to a vinyl finish, which isn't too noticeable until hit with direct lighting.

It's definitely not waterproof. I have oily lids, and my eyes (especially my right eye for reasons unknown) water like crazy during the day. If it's sunny, or windy, or even just cold, my eyes start dripping like a leaky faucet. If this liner comes into contact with my tears, it disolves.

It also is not smudgeproof. I don't touch my eyes as much anymore, but when I do it's VERY easy to wipe away this liner.

I was really hoping this would work out for me, but it didn't. I'm not broken hearted about it, I'm just a bigger fan of matte finish eyeliner. I have used better liners and now I can cross this off my 'liners I have tried', list.

Thanks for reading!

September Favorites

Hello again readers!

Another month passed us by, and onto my favorite month: October! It's very fitting for fall here in the Midwest, and it gets colder (and creepier!). I'm really excited for Halloween, and  I'm even working in a Haunted House! It's really exciting, exhausting, and rewarding. Of course, I'm always very sore now.

Maybelline Insta-Age Rewind Concealer - Fair:

Yet another product that I used up, and then I ended up missing very much. I really love how this looks on my under eyes, and makes me look wide awake and healthy. Easy to apply (even if you take the sponge off, which I do after a while) and blends into the skin with ease. A no-nonsense product that I don't see myself going without again anytime soon.

MAC Paint Pot - Quite Natural:
I picked this up at a makeup outlet shop in Branson, and I was really happy that I did. This is one of those shades that when I was going through the MAC site, I just wasn't interested in, but being able to use and swatch it myself, I loved it! It's really creamy, and blends out well, but sets quickly. It's a shade that's great to wear on it's own with some mascara, maybe even some liner for a softer sultry look, or as a base for a more dramatic eye look.

Olay Fresh Effects Soak Up The Sun Protection Sun Screen:

I've been outside more often in September, for the Haunted House auditions, practice, and orientation so I wanted to make sure my skin was prepared. I'm definitely not used to being outside for long periods of time, but this product ensures that I don't end up burning to a crisp from the sun. It has a perfume scent to it, which isn't ideal, but it blends in really well and has a formulation with a moisturizer, so I don't worry about my skin having itself a revolution and drying out while I'm trying to protect it.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Primer:

So cheap, and SO effective. This has been my favorite primer I have ever tried! It goes on with a thick texture, and it's a bit of effort to get it to blend in, because it works immediately. I have really been relying on this to keep me looking matte while Summer had it's last ditch efforts to hold onto the control of the weather, and it keep the oils on my face at bay, and left my makeup looking amazing. 

Disney Pocahontas Spinning Arrow Bronzer:

Not a surprise to see this again so soon. Easy to use, makes me look healthy, and such a good product. You'll have to pull this out of my cold dead hands.

Wet n Wild Color Icon Reserve Your Cabana "Bronzer":

I don't use this as a highlighter, but rather as an all-over face powder. It sets my foundation, and leaves me with a gentle glow. It's really wonderful to use, and looks really healthy without being too shiny.

Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner - Black:

I have used a variety of different liners, from drugstore to high-end, and so far nothing really worked for me... until I tried this. Even with how great this liner is, it does wear off through the day, but it also stays in the waterline FAR better than even my Urban Decay liner! I'm really pleased with it. Soft, pigmented, and long-lasting. A great addition to anyone's collection.

NYX Eyeshadow Single - Nude:

I never reached for this as an eyeshadow, but I really love this as a highlighter! It adds a really nice subtle glow, and really catches the light. It adds a bit of color, but over blusher it's barely noticeable, leaving only the glow.

Essence Gel Eyeliner - Midnight in Paris:

This is the best gel liner that I've ever used. It's black, so creamy, and it doesn't budge. I put this on for orientation even for the haunted house, ran around, sweat, and by the end of the night the wings were still in place and looked almost as good as when I first applied it, just a little faded by the end of the night. A phenomenal product.

Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Single - Panther:

I'm a huge fan of the Wet n Wild single eyeshadows, so many of them are on my holy grail makeup list, and this is no exception. Panther is such a pigmented, matte black. It's perfect for setting liner, for deepening an eye look, or creating a smokey eye. For a dollar? Hell, it's almost impossible to resist!

Thanks for reading!

Regrets #2: Face

Hello again readers!

Another round of regrets for you today. It's always a bummer when things don't work out, isn't it?

Wet n Wild Fergie BB Cream - Light:

During my brief interactions with BB Creams, I thought to give it a try. A cheap, drugstore choice from one of my favorite drugstore brands? Why not? The product comes out with a very liquid consistency, that smells like... maple syrup. Strange, right? It's a little dark for me, but since majority of drugstore BB creams are nothing more than tinted moisturizers, it blends out into only slightly darker, but it's easy to cover up if I blend down my neck and set it right.

Of course, that's all it's good for. It doesn't blend well, it doesn't set, it doesn't dry down, and since I have oily skin, it's a mess. It remains tacky, and no matter how much I put on powder it doesn't change, just makes my skin look oily and cakey at the same time.

On top of that, it just doesn't last. Perhaps it's because, as I've said, I have oily skin.  Perhaps it's because this product is just an unfortunate disaster. Regardless, within a couple of hours, the product is completely gone off the high points of my face; cheeks, nose, forehead, and chin. It breaks up SO easily. What a terrible product.

Wet n Wild Fergie Concealer - Light:

This had an almost opposite effect. The product is thick - just like the Hard Candy Glamoflauge concealer. I tried on my face, but even with a damp beauty sponge, it doesn't really blend out very well, at least if I just used it on spots. I've read that this is ideal for under the eyes, so I tried that too. I felt it was far too thick. It lasts a while, that's for certain, but it looks terrible on me no matter where I place it. What a shame.

ELF Concealer - Fair
I wanted to have high hopes for this concealer too. It's my shade, it matches, and it's a lightweight concealer. First off, it has a fruity smell that many of the essential products have - a gross, fake sweet fruit plastic scent. Not ideal. On top of that, the scent doesn't just go away, it sticks around for far too long, making me feel nauseous. Also, it doesn't cover much. It looks like it will, but once I go to blend it, it just blends away with minimal effort, it's too thin. It's better if I didn't bother at all, instead of using this product.

ELF Studio Blush - Pink:

I was never super into bright pink blushers, it makes me look too much like a doll and that's just not something I really want to look like at all. Of course, these blushes are great because they are easy to build up, which is ideal in most blushes. Although this one has almost NO payoff at all. I thought it was strange, the first time I used it with how light it was, and didn't think anything of it. Then I noticed that after not using it for a bit, it just didn't give any pigment payoff. It was disappointing.  None of my other ELF blushes do this, only this one, so I'm wondering if it was just a bad batch, or if this particular one just... sucked. I won't be buying this color again, so I guess I'll never know for sure.

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Bronzer- Light:

Last product in this category, this bronzer! I bought it at Big Lots for about 3 dollars, and was really excited about it. I LOVE the Physicians Formula Healthy Wear Foundation, and thought this would be just as good. This bronzer had SPF 50, and was soft and pigmented. Downside? It was almost straight up orange. Not an attractive look. I wanted it to work, I've tried it under another contour powder, under blush, as an eyeshadow crease color. It just didn't work out for me, so I had to let it go.

Thanks for reading!