LORAC Pro Matte Lip in Pink Taupe

So I'm sure by now everyone has come across the GORGEOUS picture of Kylie Jenner with that amazing matte mauve pout.. and if you haven't WTF go google it ASAP. I've been on a quest to find something similar and during my quest, I encountered a product I have not heard anyone really RAVE about.

I purchased a Lorac Pro Matte Lip in the color Pink Taupe since when I swatched it in the store it seemed similar (it's lighter than the Kylie lip look) and PLUS I had a 20% off coupon for Ulta that I had to make use out of. The product I believe was $16 without the discount and let me tell you it is worth every penny! The problem I usually have with matte lipsticks or matte lip products in general is how drying they are on my lips. My lips take a lot of maintenance (lip scrubs, etc) and a drying lip product is not the way to go. Don't get me wrong I love my MAC Ruby Woo, but my lips literally feel like they are gonna crack off and be in a pile of dust at my feet.  Anyways, I LOVE LOVE LOVE how this product felt on my lips and was so pleasantly surprised at how good it felt to wear.
The product was super creamy and felt hydrating. The rounded shape of the product makes it super easy to use as a liner as well.

I will definitely be heading back to Ulta to purchase another. specifically the Mauve color I was eyeing! Definitely check out this product ladies.

Laneige BB Cushion

I have been interested in buying a BB cream so that I can throw on something super quick for those lazy days when I’d rather sleep in a little bit longer.  I was so excited I received a sample of the Laneige BB cushion in my June Ipsy bag. I used the sample and fell in love with it. I immediately went out to Target and purchased it. The price tax was a little bit hefty ($34) for something from Target, but what can I say I really like it.

It comes in a little compact with the BB cushion you use to apply the product. It does have a bit of a scent that I don’t have any strong feelings either way about.  The product feels very lightweight on the face and does a great job of evening out my skin tone. The finish is pretty natural and comes off matte.

The product has an SPF of 50 so that’s an added bonus as well! I’d definitely recommend this product! 

Balm Voyage- Silver eye

I’ve always heard so many great things about the Balm from various Youtube Beauty Gurus so I was literally stalking the Hautelook site for the next time they would offer the Balm products. When it finally came up I decided to purchase my first palette… The Balm Voyage palette. I have been playing around with the palette for some time and am disappointed to say I wasn’t as blown away as I expected to be.  The colors are really nice and easy to work with, but I found that they creased even with a primer!  I’m not sure if it was maybe I just used too much primer that day so I’ve been trying to give the palette another chance. 

Anyways, here’s one of the looks I came up with using only shades from the Balm Voyage palette.

 

B1-base shade

C3-crease

B3-crease

A3-lid

A4-outer V

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation

So I love to try out new foundations and was super excited when I found the new CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation in my local Walgreens. I chose the color 210 in Medium Beige. I also purchased the powder foundation, however, I chose the powder for shades 105-110 since the corresponding powder for the 210 shade looked too dark in the pan.

It comes in a little squeezy tube, which I’m not crazy about since I like foundations with pumps more, but it’s not the end of the world. 

The back of the product claims the following:

·         Oil Free

·         Won’t clog pores

·         Suitable for sensitive skin

·         Lasts all day

I have been using this foundation for almost a month and I really really like it.  It doesn’t emphasize any of my dry spots (which is probably because I moisturize like there’s no tomorrow) and it provides pretty good medium coverage. The coverage is definitely buildable, but I don’t want to have cake face so I’m satisfied with medium coverage.  I’ve been using the powder version to set the foundation which helps to add a bit more coverage if you’re more of a full coverage type of girl.

The finish is not matte, but not dewy. It’s more like a satin.  It lasts pretty well throughout the day with a primer and does not feel heavy.  The only annoying thing about this foundation would be definitely how it easy it transfers.  I wore this one day with my glasses since I was lazy to put my contacts on and I had a patch missing on the bridge of my nose from where my glasses touched my face. I find this is usually the case with any foundation I wear when I do have my glasses on so it definitely won’t deter me from purchasing this product again. 

I would definitely recommend this foundation as a great drug store option for a nice foundation.

Nature Republic Aloe Gel- a gift from the skin gods

I swear I can die and go to heaven! My amazing coworker gave me this tub of Nature Republic’s Aloe Gel after hearing me complain about having dry skin and… IT is AMAZING! I love it after just one use. I was a little afraid at first because it has a bunch of writing on it, in I assume Korean, that I can’t understand.  Plus it’s a gel in a tub so I expected it to create a giant mess. 

After doing some research online I found there are sooo many uses for it. FYI- mixed in between all the characters that I have no idea what they meant- there are some instructions in English.  Whoops!Anyways, I’m glad that I looked it up online cuz there is like a million different ways to use this product! It can be used for dry scalp, sunburns, mixed in with your foundation for a dewy look,  hair treatment to help make your hair shiny , to relax swollen eyes, to moisturize lips and even on your nails! I decided to be boring and use it to moisturize my face which can at times get dry.  Before I went to bed last night after washing my face, I spread the aloe gel all over my face and let it sink in and went to sleep. It felt a little sticky at first, but it wasn’t unbearable and dried pretty quickly. I didn’t notice much of a difference  that night, but let me tell you…this morning I woke up and my skin is soft, smooth and hydrated! No dry spots at all! It worked like a dream and I’m so excited to have been introduced to this product.

So far I can only see a few things that may be little bummers about this product-

1.       It’s a Korean product so I assume my options other than Amazon (where my coworker purchased it) are limited

2.       #2 goes right along with having to order online from  Amazon - the shipping takes FOREVER and a day because it comes from Korea!

3.    A whole bunch of grossness can contaminate the tub if you use your fingers to apply the product- it’d be nice if there was some kind of spatula included with the product to make it more clean!

4.       It does have a bit of a weird scent- it’s not too overpowering, but nonetheless it’s still there

 

Even with the bummers taken into consideration, I would DEFINITELY recommend this product to anyone who needs help with moisturizing their skin. It’s amazing! I will definitely repurchase this online when I run out (which I hope shouldn’t be awhile since you get a really good sized 15.8oz tub)

first voxbox!

 

I received my very first box from box from Influenster yesterday and I’m SUPER excited about it.  If you don’t know what Influenster is, it’s basically a site that will send you items totally free to try out and test all you have to do is link your social media your Influenster account to help you qualify for samples! Head over to www.influenster.com to check it out and sign up.  You have nothing to lose! Who doesn’t love to try free stuff?!

I received a bunch of great stuff! Inside were a full size Retro Glam Mascara from Rimmel, a Soft Lips Cube, Nivea Skin Firming Moisturizer, Kiss Everlasting  French Nails, and an air freshener that smells like pie! Yum!

I’m always using two mascaras to accomplish my desired lashes so I was super excited to see the Rimmel Retro Glam Mascara in Extreme Black in the box. I really like my lashes to have a lot of volume and length and have yet to find my holy grail mascara that does both. Unfortunately, after trying this out I will still be layering mascaras.  This mascara is supposed to plump and fan out your lashes because of the hourglass brush shape, but I noticed a lot of fanning and not a lot of plumping! My lashes had a lot of length added to them, but they ended up looking long, scraggly and spider leggy. The volume I like was definitely missing. This isn’t a bad mascara, but it’s not one that I see myself using alone.  If you really like length and separated lashes, try this one out.

I had never heard of a soft lips cube before this sample was provided to me. The product is supposed to hydrate, replenish, smooth, protect and add shine to your lips. It also has SPF 15 which I really like after having a bad experience getting sunburned lips that ended up super swollen and crazy looking! Not Angelina Jolie plump pretty… it was like stung in the lips by a bee people look at you and laugh hysterically crazy lips.  LOL! Anyways, the cube I got has a light pomegranate blueberry scent.  When you put it on it tingles a bit, but it definitely does leave your lips looking and feeling hydrated. I thought that the shine would be a bad thing, but I actually really like it! It’s just a little bit of shine that leaves your lips look healthy and moisturized. I can definitely see myself repurchasing this product when I use up this sample.

The Nivea Skin Firming Moisturizer is apparently supposed to help you have firmer skin in just 2 weeks. It smells really good, but I’m not sure it’s as moisturizing as I’d like.  My skin can get dry so I’m always on the hunt for a good moisturizer.  Anyways, the product promises to firm and tighten the skins surface since it has Q10 in it.. What the heck is Q10?! Not sure if it delivers on those promises since it’s only day 2, but I can see myself continuing to use this product just because it smells so good!

The Kiss everlasting nails my mom actually used for my grandma before and they do end up looking nice, but they kept falling off so I don’t really see myself using them since I don’t wanna walk around with the glue in my purse to keep gluing em back on throughout the day.  These will most likely get tossed somewhere with my pile of samples I have, but don’t use.  

Anyways, I’m pretty excited and happy with what I got in my Spring Fling Voxbox.

My first blog ever

Soooo I have a major obsession with all things beauty and decided a blog would be a great outlet to talk about all the things I try both good and bad. Hopefully I can provide you guys with useful information!