Makeup I've Used Up & What I'm Using Now

Recently I've been trying to use up my existing makeup before buying new stuff.

I was using the Jessies Girl eyeliner.

Which worked great! I loved it. It was rich black, easy to apply, and stayed on all day. Unfortunately I don't live near a rite aid and I refuse to order one thing from a random (jessiesgirlcosmetics.com) site and pay shipping. Just isn't going to happen.

So I got the Physicians Formula Eye Booster one that's like it.

It's pretty much the exact same thing. But I feel the brush is a little softer (less control) and the formula is a bit thiner (watery). I liked it well enough but I prefer the Jessies Girl one.

So after that I decided to try the new CoverGirl Bombshell Intensity one.

This one, unlike the other two, has a felt tip instead of a brush. I've used felt tip liners before (like the loreal Lineur Intense one which I like but it doesn't last n my eyes)

This eyeliner and I didn't get along. The first one I bought I couldn't get open. Seriously. I tried my hardest and even had my husband try. So I took it back to walgreens the next day and exchanged it for another one. I got that one open just fine. But I hate the product.

The formula was patchy and if you don't shake it every few seconds you get nothing on the tip. I can go maybe halfway across my eye, then shake a bunch, then the rest of the way across, then shake a bunch, and I can do the wing. It wasn't super precise with winged liner either. I usually ended up with a much thicker line than I wanted because of trying to fix the patchy formula. I ended up just stopping using it because it was just terrible.

So I decided to go to an old friend. Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner.

I learned to use liner with this stuff way back when it first came out. I used to use the brush that comes with it and it worked well. But these days I prefer to use an angled liner brush. This is what I'm using now for eyeliner and I love it.

Moving on from eyeliner I've also used up a couple foundations.

First being the CoverGirl Outlast 3-in-1 foundation (810).

I actually used up 2 bottles of this stuff. I love it for work because it really holds up! (I'm a hotel housekeeper).

I love the coverage and how long it lasts, and I love that it doesn't look cakey on me. The only thing I don't like is that since it's a thicker formula with a pump it's hard to get it all out. So I ended up running out really quick so I moved on to other things.

I decided before I buy any new foundation I should use up some that I have had for a while. Starting with Loreal True Match (N2).

I got along just fine with this stuff. I wouldn't say it's my favorite but it's really good. I'd say it's perfect for people with normal skin to slightly dry or slightly oily, but not so much for either extreme. It did seem to make my dryer spots ashy and break down quite a bit when I'd get sweaty or oily at work.

I would probably repurchase it but not anytime soon.

So when that one ran dry I moved on to the next half finished bottle I had which was Neutrogena Healthy Skin (10).

I like this one but a little less than the loreal one. This one is a bit dewy and more fitting for dry skin. If I set it well with a matte powder it was fine but like the loreal one it didn't hold up as well at work.

I would probably repurchase but not before loreal true match.

So now I'm using Revlon Colorstay for normal to dry skin (150)

Which I really like so far. I decided on the normal to dry version (even for work) because I've just heard so much about how cakey the oily skin one looks and feels. I've also heard good things about this version even for oily skin people. So far as I've heard this one is just a little thinner formula which makes it lighter on the skin, but it still holds up well to long days and hard work.

So far I would repurchase this one as soon as it runs out.

I've also used up some powder.

First being the Rimmel Stay Matte (transparent).

I liked it just fine to set my foundation. It did stay matte for quite a while. Touch ups are not happening because of the packaging so plan to use something else.

I would repurchase, but I'd like to see what else is out there.

Right now I'm using and have seriously hit pan on NYX Stay matte but not flat (01)

Yes it is a powder foundation in name but it really doesn't pack that much of a punch. Even so I only tap my brush in very lightly and pretty much stick to my T zone.

I probably would repurchase it but not until I've tried a bunch of other things. Also It seems like it's gone rather quickly. I'm pretty close to abandoning the little bit around the edge.

I also have the Neutrogena shine control powder.

It only comes in translucent which is fine with me. It works well for keeping my matte. I've been using it off and on for a while now. I like it fine but I also like having a powder with a bit of color. I mostly used this with my Covergirl 3-in-1 foundation because it had such great coverage. Now that I'm using another good coverage foundation (revlon colorstay) I'll probably go back to using this once I finish off the NYX one.

In other random makeup I finally used up a full sized tube of Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which is quite a feat. I had another full sized tube from a holiday set I bought so That's what I'm using now. I haven't tried other primers but I love this one so I don't have a desire to try other brands.

Almay Eyeshadow Singles

Now that I've gotten to play with them more and apply them to my eyes I can pass along a proper review.

For the look that I did I used lilac on the lid, vintage grape in the outer corner and crease, and creme brulee on the inner corner and as a highlight. I found the look extremely difficult! The eyeshadows just refuse to give off much color. I just had to keep rubbing at it to get anything on my brush. And maybe it's because I tried the hardest and longest with lilac but it reviled it's true nature. It's a cream shadow disguised as a powder. after a bit of messing with lilac it started to smear and move with my brush strokes. Then it started to pull away from the sides of the pan. So I used my finger and it felt slightly damp and sticky. When I gently pulled my finger up it stuck to the finger a bit and left a little 'peak' in the product where it had tried to go with my finger. The other ones don't do this, but as I said I didn't try so hard with the others. It must just be a cream to powder product, but something happened wrong in the creation because color payoff unless your using a finger just doesn't happen.

The one golden star that I have is creme brulee. I used a smaller stiffer brush with it and it got the product rather easily. But I also noticed something on this one that none of the others do. It had powder on the top after I swiped it with my brush. Usually when you dip/swipe/rub/ect. an eyeshadow theres a little powder left on the top, or sitting on the brush noticeably. But with the rest of the almay eyeshadow singles theres just nothing, it really looks like a cream. But with creme brulee theres just a slight bit of noticeable powder.

Bottom line: Would I recommend them? I would say if you like using your fingers for makeup then yes. These would work well for you. But if, like me, you don't like sticking your fingers in your products then stay far away from these! Creme brulee being the one exception.

Walgreens & Target Mini Haul

Total Haul

I went to Target first because I seen yesterday that they have the new Almay eyeshadow singles in a 2 pack for $5.99 (in my target). I waited because I seen that Almay had a $5.00 off when you buy 2 coupon on coupons.com so I printed it and went back. They had them paired with like colors or what they felt went with it well. I got the nude pair and the purple pair. There was also a green w/ brown and a blue w/ I forget. Sorry. But I wanted these two.

Almay Shadow Softies by Intense I-Color (Creme Brulee & Cashmere, Vintage Grape & Lilac)

The feeling of the shadows is weird. It says on the packaging that it's whipped, whatever that means for a powder... Its soft and almost creamy feeling and theres a little give if you press your finger in a bit.

Creme Brulee

Cashmere

Lilac

Vintage Grape

Swatches

They all have an amount of shimmer; Creme Brulee is satin finish, Cashmere is full on shimmer, Lilac and Vintage Grape are more metallic/pearl finish. There isn't flecks of glitter, but it is shiny.

Next I went to Walgreens because I had a coupon for $4.00 off any revlon or Almay product that printed last time I was in there.

Obviously I didn't just get the coupon item.

First I knew I looked over the new stuff in the front of the beauty section and picked up the last one on the stand-y of the new Rimmel Stay Matte Primer. Its 1 fl oz (standard) and has pretty much the same texture as the regular Rimmel primer. It might be just a tad thicker.

Next I found the Revlon stand-y for the new lacquer and matte jumbo pencils. I was at odds over which to get but I kind of fell in love with the one I got.

Revlon Lacquer Balm in Vivacious Exuberante (120)

Then I went to check the regular Rimmel section for an eyeliner they've been out of forever (>.<) and I picked up a lip gloss.

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Apocaliptic (303)

As I was leaving I seen a hidden stand-y for the new Wet N Wild spring stuff. It was pretty much full but I wasn't impressed too much from what emilynoel83 (beauty broadcast) had said about the quality so I only got 2 things.

Wet N Wild Megaslicks Balm Stain in Red-dy or Not (125)

(Left to right) Rimmel, Revlon, Wet N Wild

My initial thoughts are; The Rimmel gloss is amazing! It's so pigmented. It is seriously full on color! It's rich and creamy and smooth. I applied it to my lips after swatching and it is so good. It does have a chemically smell, but it's pretty faint after it's on the lips.

The Revlon lacquer balm in smooth and shiny, but I haven't worn it on yet. And the Wet N Wild balm stain went on smooth. I didn't have to go over either one with extra color. I pretty much drew a few lines next to eachother to get my swatches.

I also got:

Wt N Wild Coloricon in Floral Values (393A)

My thoughts on this are mixed. Some shades are good, some are not Wet N Wild standard. 

(Left to right) Base, browbone, definer, eyelid, crease.

Base was just like what we expect from Wet N Wild, however it did take a few times of going back in to get more for the swatch to show strong for the camera. But it IS just a base, something you'd put all over the lid to help other colors blend.

Browbone is the last color I'd place on my browbone, other then that the quality wasn't on par. It was a little rough and not very pigmented. I had to go into that one more then base to get a see-able swatch. Even to it's pretty much just light purple shimmer.

Definer is not defining. It's a week color for this palette because it's not nearly as pigmented as it looks in the pan. I had to go back in and build it up a bit and it was also not very rich or smooth.

Eyelid is Wet N Wild quality. I was a it surprised after being so disappointed in the others and trying so hard to get a swatch.

Crease looks purple with pinkish shimmer in the pan but it pretty much just came off as a purplish navy color. It was a strong color though. Thats just one swipe.

All in all it's not a bad drugstore palette. But compared to other Wet N Wild eyeshadow it's nowhere near the same consistently good quality. Two out of five were great, one was good, and 2 were subpar.

However, if you take the colors at swatch value (aka expecting to see that color and not the one in the pan) it is a beautiful palette. I would buy it based on those swatches.

Expect to see a fallow up review on the Rimmel primer at a later date.

Mascara Reviews

In the past year or so I've tried several mascaras and I'm going to give you my opinions on them.

There was CoverGirl LashBlast Volume which I did not like at all. I heard so many good things about it but I just wasn't impressed by it. the wand was too big and it didn't really build or separate like I expected.

So I started layering on CoverGirl Nature Luxe which on it's own did nothing more then make my lashes black, but combined it made them voluminous and full.

After that I got the CoverGirl LashPerfection which separated  the lashes wonderfully but stopped at that. 

At which point I picked up Loreal Million Lashes, just the regular one I think. With the gold packaging. Again a huge brush but it was better then the lashblast. It added thickness and volume and what it slightly lacked in separation the lashperfection took care of.

Once those were old and ready to be replaced I picked up an old favorite of mine. Maybelline One By One. I used it once before and I loved it so much! I was a bit disappointed this time around. I guess My tastes have just evolved with trying a new mascara everytime I run out. It's still a great mascara, better then lashblast but not quite the volume of million lashes. However it has the separation that million lashes lacked.

Then I bought Maybelline Colossal, the regular one. Just after buying it I seen they had the smokey eye one and I wished I had bought that one. But I LOVE this mascara! The brush is quite big but it adds SO MUCH VOLUME! and it separates nicely too! However all good things must come to an end...

Enter Jordana Best Lash Extreme. It's cheap and works great! I've heard it could be a dupe for Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes but I've never tried it so I can't say weather or not that's true, but what I can say is that it is a great mascara. Its brush isn't overly huge so it's not eating my eyeball every time I try to apply it. It does add a great amount of volume, not as much as my colossal but a great amount.

There was also another mascara but I bought it for very different reasons. I got Loreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions WATERPROOF mascara. Now I put the caps on for that because it's the whole reason I got this mascara. I don't use waterproof daily because I just don't need it and it's just harder to take off. Also I prefer volume to length. For the holidays I had a lot of LONG days with people since I worked over the holidays (I'm a hotel housekeeper. We don't get holidays off) then spent time with my family and went to holiday parties I needed my makeup to really last so I got this to layer on top of whatever mascara I would be wearing in hopes to seal it so it would last longer. It worked as planned and helped to separate my lashes.

Now you know my general impressions I'll break it down. Nature Luxe and LashPerfection are completely useless for volume or length but do give great separation and make your lashes black. This could be good for layering, as I did, or if you wear false lashes a lot and you just need your natural lashes to be black then these two are good for that.

LashBlast Volume, Million Lashes, One By One, and Colossal all gave volume, however the first two have rubber bristles and the colossal has natural bristles. The lashblast has a large wand with tiny bristles. I found it to smudge, flake, and clump BADLY! The million lashes had a large wand but the bristles were long and easily built volume while not smudging or flaking. One By One has a slightly bigger then regular brush thats basically the shape of a football. Which works nicely for the inner corner lashes but isn't so good for the outer lashes. I find a bigger brush (or longer bristles more like) work better on my outer corner lashes. And the colossal was a curveball for me. I haven't used a natural bristle brush in a long time because I never liked them. I bought this one on a whim. It builds volume really quick and it's super buildable so you can just keep building up the volume. I have no clumps up to like 3-4 coats! The brush is a bit big but it's got the long bristles so it glides through my lashes easily.

The Best Lash Extreme is kind of a happy middle. It has a medium sized brush, medium length bristles, doesn't smudge, budge, flake, or clump. Like the colossal I can go 3-4 coats before It starts to clump on me. The one thing I will say is that it's a wetter formula than the other volume mascaras. Not as wet as Maybelline Falsies (aweful IMO).

Next on my list? Maybelline The Rocket. It has almost identical brush as the lashblast but lets hope the formula isn't as bad.

About Hair Oil Blends

Hair oils and hair oil blends are really popular recently (and probably have been for a while) so I made a video talking a bit about the different hair oil blends I've tried and the differences in ingredients.

You can watch the video, but I'll also mention some of the highlights below the video.


So the first one is the 'Dove Hair Therapy, Nourishing Oil Care, Detangler'. This one is a spray so it has filler ingredients such as water, it has sweet almond oil and argan oil, and two colors (yelow 5 and red 33). I love how easy it is to apply, it feels great on my hair, it's cheap, and easy to find. Find more info here.

Next is the 'Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment' (1oz). This one comes in a screw top glass bottle, it has argan oil and macadamia oil, it has four colors (green 6, red 17, violet 2, and yellow 11. The website does not list all ingredients as on bottle), it didn't work well with my hair, it's expensive, and I would have to order online to get it. Find more info here.

Next is the 'Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Soy Renewal Argan Oil Treatment'(0.85oz). This one comes in a plastic bottle with a pop top cap. It has argan oil and sunflower seed oil, two colors (red 17 and yellow 11), it works great on my hair, it's fairly expensive, and I can find it in any salon. Find more info here.

Last is the 'Suave Professionals Moroccan Infusion Moroccan Argan Styling Oil'. This one comes in a plastic bottle with a pump. I have not tried it but the ingredient list is what I'm comparing. It has argan oil, sweet almond oil, and coconut oil. It does not contain colors, and it only has 9 ingredients total. It's cheap, and easy to find. I can't tell you how well it works in my hair but I 'swatched' it on my hand and it absorbed quickly, was not greasy, and left my hand feeling soft. Find more info here.

You can purchase all of these from amazon. Below are the sizes I have, however the macadamia oil and the healthy sexy hair are also available in larger sizes.

March 2013 Beauty Favorites

Products shown:

Suave Professionals 100% Naturals Rosemary & Mint Invigorating Shampoo

Suave Professionals Touchable Finish Ultra Fine Mist Hairspray

Burberry Brit Eau De Toilette

Equate Beauty Reviving Anti Winkle Firming Moisturizer

Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Primer

Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Under Eye Concealer

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box

Silta In The Know

ELF Eyebrow Kit in Medium

Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Light

Bundle Monster Beauty Blender

LINKS:

Urban Decay

Stila

Beginner Gel Nail Polish (Using Sensationail and Sally Hansen)

It was high time I repainted my nails so I decided to film it this time. I just did a simple one color application for this tutorial using Pink Champagne from Sensationail.




Products used in order of use:

Sensationail Gel Primer
Sally Hansen Gel Polish Base Coat (Step 1)
Sally Beauty Supply generic cuticle pusher
Sensationail Color Gel Polish in Pink Champagne
Sally Hansen Gel Polish Top Coat (Step 3)
Sensationail Gel Clenser (empty, just shown)
Equate Non-Acetone Nail Polish Remover

It is essential that you clean around the nail after every application of the gel polish because it any is on the skin it will harden and cause the polish to lift

You DO have to cure in the lamp because it will not set otherwise. The gel is activated by the UV from the lamp.

You don't have to use the cleanser that comes with the set, and you don't have to use any fancy wipes. Just NON-ACETONE polish remover and a paper towel will work just fine.

For removal you MUST use acetone.

If you have any questions please ask, I'm happy to answer.