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Sunday, June 26, 2016

Play! By Sephora: June

Woo! Just got my second box from my Sephora subscription with the theme of 'The Minimalists' and I have to say it's not as exciting as last month, but it's still fun!


I did this one a little out of order as a few of these things didn't really work using together or I had to wait, but I still got through all of them. 




I've actually had this mascara since it came out and it's one of my favorites. It separates and gives lashes definition while lasting all day without flaking. It's a great mascara and works even better with the matching tinted lash primer from Benefit or Subversion from UD. 1/1 (but I already had this so does that cancel out? 🤔)

Also pictured above,
This is really light and nice, though it won't be replacing my go-to primer from La Roche-Posay. The subtle glow underneath my foundation have a dewy appearance, but I feel this is best for an evening time makeup look than daytime, as it looks more sweaty and oily than dewy with the sun hitting it, and it doesn't have any SPF which I prefer in a primer. So evening is great, daytime not so much. It didn't ball though went on super smooth, even lighter than usual primer. Overall a win cuz it's something fun and different. 2/2



This definitely isn't really my thing. I'm super fair, and this product definitely works better mixed with foundation than placed overtop. I don't need my whole face looking even darker than my already lighter neck, and it doesn't blend into my contouring spots as well as a nice powder bronzer, so not a win. 2/3

Also pictured above:
This cream is supposed to be used in lieu of blow drying your hair to have it air dry in a stylish way, but all it accomplished for me was a huge amount of frizz and craziness. I'm thinking this isn't the best product for people with curly hair. 2/4

The intent behind this product is nice, but I feel like there are just better ones out there. I mean, if you're short on time you should still always put a least a form of sunscreen on, but I prefer something a little less greasy. And I like having the option to put more makeup on later in the day, so I personally prefer using a primer with SPF 50, significantly more than this, and the finish is more powdery than a usual sunscreen, so I feel like this isn't the best fit for me. Even for a day at the beach, I need something higher. 2/5

I've never really been a fan of fragrance samples as I'm super picky about perfumes. I get migraines super way from scents, so I always prefer something gentle and light, and this particular perfume is very strong, and particularly floral- a scent I'm not fond of too. So this isn't for me but that doesn't mean anything about quality. 2/6

So overall this box really didn't do it for me, but that's ok! There's always next month and the quality overall is so strong, much better than anything Ipsy ever had to offer. Plus I think I just have so much makeup and skincare at this point, shit needs to be special and super effective to do something for me. 


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Thursday, June 9, 2016

GetItGetIt

When you finally admit to yourself that maybe you have a problem, it's time to get some help hooking yourself up with product.

Enter Ebates.
I'm like crazy not up on the trends, and was far from the first to hear about this, but i've been telling basically everyone i know about the gospel that is Ebates. For those of you who don't know, it's a totally awesome site where you go first, then shop from there to other sites (like Sephora and Ulta *cough cough*) and you get a certain amount of cash back per purchase plus exclusive extras and freebies. This is especially worth it if you do the $10 free shipping for the year at Sephora, as this is an online service only. It even works for Amazon. And if you have Amazon Prime?? OMG. At the end of 4 months you get your accumulated cash back direct to your PayPal, OR you can put it into a giftcard to one of your fave stores. Obviously i did this cuz you get a certain percentage more and then it's like free makeup! You can also install a widget on your desktop browser which automatically tells you if you're on a site Ebates supports and you don't even have to put any work in. To date I've made like $40 back, and that's like 2 lipsticks, so I have zero complaints. Get it Here. Naow. 

The other site I'm hella late to the party on but is rad so far, Influenster
It's pretty fun to do surveys, reviews, and answer questions on products I use, and everything you do earns you points in different categories which can enter you into various drawings and competitions. Apart from that it also forces me to make comparisons between products I've used, do reviews on real sites (not just here) and find answers to questions I already have about things I have yet to try. You can also collect badges, and I play games on my damn phone where all I collect is cats, so clearly I like to collect mostly useless things. Idk, Pokemon taught me a thing or two about GOTTA CATCH EM ALL. And all of my reviews are on one page, if you click the little influenster button here on my home page in the side bar. 
Get yoself some influence Here

So short post today, I just feel like I don't talk about some of the ways I finagle all the crap I have when I am a broke 20-something with college debt. And I also totally take advantage of every freebie and sample I can every time I purchase something, so that helps. 

Anyway, here's some pretty nails to look at!


Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Gwennie Gwen Gwen pt. 2

So I know I already gave the Gwen collection some love with the eyeshadow palette, but that's just cuz I give each palette its own post, and now that I have THE WHOLE GWEN COLLECTION (pretty much) here's some more awesome Gwen stuff! Woo!
I really can't get over how lovely this whole collection looks. So glam yet not over the top. 


Gorgeous packaging. 😍
I even love the liners alone. Gahhh so nice. (Gwen Brow box not pictured, cuz know what I'm not? Blonde)

And holy shiz, I am a lipstick whore by nature, so obviously I had to gobble up all of these beauties. I love them so much I even assigned them personalities. Cuz that's totally normal, right? Sure. 

Since there are 6 pencils and 8 lipsticks, I took pix of the liners alone and then the lipstick of the same name, and the 2 outliers I left on their own. So enjoy some pretty lipsticks. 


There's Firebird, the firecracker- the girl who's full of personality, high highs and low lows, spunk and spice, you're not sure how a night with her will go but you know it'll be interesting


Spiderweb is definitely the classic beauty- she's a classy lady who just might turn out to be a black widow, but you'd never see it coming with how easy her elegant smile comes


Phone Call is your school girl- all ready for plaid skirts, knee high socks, sucking up to professors and kisses under the bleachers with a sheer shade that flies just below the radar so she keeps that 'good girl' rep strong no matter how bad she is


714 is the dancer- you'll find her at a salsa club captivating an audience, she has an extra swish to her hips cuz she knows just where to put them, and a matte shade stays put all night no matter the occasion- she's always got a song in her head


Ex-Girlfriend is your bonafide bad girl- RiRi is her spirit animal; whether it's rocking that leather with lace and a bad attitude, or flashing a smile and batting eyelashes stemming from a heavy smoky eye to get past security, she's the one you can't handle, but leaves you wishing you could. Who knows, she might even key your car if you're not careful


Rock Steady is your boss lady- she's in control and knows how to take charge of a room, in a board meeting or cocktail party- she knows what she wants and she takes it



Plaid is your All-American girl- she seems wide-eyed, full of sunshine, loves her blue jeans, and would never leave the house without a smudge-free coat of mascara


Wonderland is something special, an enigma really, you just can't quite figure out what's going through her mind, like she's always somewhere else, and you're not sure if you want to follow

Alright, yes. I am definitely crazy. But it's mostly lipstick-related levels of crazy so it's probably fine. Ok, onto the Blush Palette.


This is glorious. Don't get me wrong, I am totally obsessed with Afterglow Blushes, but this is such a solid go-to for everyday wear. Like do not even have to think about it, it goes with everything always. I like to use four shades together pretty consistently, but just look at that beaut. Ugghhh. I love it. 

So much Gwennnnnn

So the moral of the story is, yes, all of the Gwen shit is totally worth it. I love the neutral colors of the eyeshadow palette (and yes, they're different than the Naked palettes), the blush palette is the handiest go-to Ever, and Ex-Girlfriend is my FAVORITE nude lip hands down. Plus how can you resist the fuschia/lilac Firebird and bomb-ass red of Rock Steady?? Plus Rock Steady liner goes perfect with like Every other red I have. Definitely stocked up on those. So yeah, could I have lived without this collection? Mostly yes, but do I want to? Hell no.