Maybelline VoxBox!!

Man, Influenster is the best. Go sign up.

But for real, they just sent me this awesome VoxBox from Maybelline that had two colors of their new SuperStay24 Longwear Lipcolor, so I got to try out a new lipstick for freeeeeeeee woohoooo! The box came with the shades 'Constant Toast,' a nice shimmery nude, and 'Keep Up the Flame,' a classic red.

swatches 30 hours later

i found a picture! god these were bad

Now, these components and whole system reminds me SO MUCH of the CoverGirl Outlast ones from like, 10 years ago, but with a clearly updated formula. Remember those? the commercials had like, women getting married and it was like, don't you want a color that'll last all day on your special day? I found a picture! I remember this being like a major deal cuz they were waterproof and supposed to last through food, and you just reapply the balm all day, but it was so flaky and dry, and the balm took off more than it helped, and it was just overall gross. Well, the Maybelline ones aren't really like that, but the texture and process was like the exact same.

Anyhow, I had different experiences with the two Maybelline colors provided, but they both smelled/tasted awesome and fruity, were decently opaque, and the balm was So soft and smooth, it just glided right on.

pretty nude shimmer at the end of the day

So, I definitely preferred the nude color to the red–it was really flattering, i loved the subtle shimmer, and following the two minute directions exactly I had amazing results. It really lasted like it was supposed to, I even wore it to bed, and woke up with the color still on my lips, and they still felt soft even after all night wear. Totally impressive. The balm also glided on with absolutely zero pressure, and didn't take any of my color off. It also stayed on through chips and guac, and no evidence on the glass i was drinking from that i even had color on. Pretty snazzy.

The red on the other had was a bit of a problem child.
I went the first round following the directions, applied then waited two mins, and the balm took off a TON of color, with flakes all over the balm. So i was like whatever, i'm sure it's fine, but by the time i finished my coffee, almost all of my color was gone, i just had some thick patchy liner looking red on. So i redid the thing, waited 5 mins this time, and the balm was nice and clean after application, so I figured it just needed a little more time to set. Also, the relayered pigment came out darker, so you could see where the reapplication happened. Again, nothing flaked off with a second application of balm, so i felt like i was on the right track. After lunch however, most of my color had flaked off, and i was left with super patchy redness. So the moral of the story, wait extra long to apply the balm the first time, and expect to reapply the color after eating and drinking.

first application | after coffee | after food

This was ultimately a case of hit and miss for me. I've heard people are having amazing results though, so you never know. The nude was pretty great, but I'm definitely less than impressed with the red. Also the packaging was a bit cheap, i'm never a fan of those clear plastic boxes that break sharply upon opening, and the component itself is decently boring. it's kind of tough, as the swatches on my arm are perfect 30 hours later, so it would be hard to tell without wearing which shades are best.

Regardless, I was so stoked I got to try these out and will probably include the nude in my routine, I'm always looking for the next greatest liquid lip, and these are pretty cool, especially that it's not just a matte finish, there's a nice shiny long wear option in the world now too. 

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MAKE UP FOR EVER VOXBOX OMG

Just got this rad Make Up For Ever voxbox from Influenster (free for testing and review purposes) which i could not be happier about (unless it came with the black and white or matte lipsticks but dgaf gimme all the lipsticksss) cuz i have been so interested in trying these! 😍😍😍

I'm so so stoked I got this one, I love lipstick, and Make Up For Ever just launched a huge line that feels similar to the UD Vice launch so there are So many new colors to try, and there are THREE in this box!! Omg excuse me while I lose my shit with excitement. Also, here's a pretty image on Sephora of all their shades:

Basically i need them all. When you have over 150 lipsticks, it's hard to find a good reason to need, NEED, more, but i really do absolutely need ALL of these shades. All of them. i am not exaggerating here, i require each one in my life.

I wish there was a matte shade included in the box, but these creams so so so dang creamy, I'm already impressed. There's a nude, a classic red, and a funky purple, so kind of something for everyone.

ok so ignoring that entire ramble above, let's get into the nitty gritty.

I'm staring with the nude color (C211), and Holy damn these colors are not messing around. I barely touched my lips and this color lays Down. No messing around here, no going over the same spot, these colors mean business. I was so surprised, it's like, the lipstick was hovering over my lips and still laid down color. So good. I can't even. It goes on a lot darker than the shade looks, but it's so bright and vibrant, i can't stop staring at it.

This red (C404) is GORGEOUS. It's a blue-red, totally flattering, the tip is nice and crispy, creates an intensely sharp line without liner, and i just cannot get over how smooth it goes on. So creamy, so lovely, hugs every curve, not a single spot to go over twice, it's flawless. My biggest problem with red lipsticks is the tendency to bleed, and i will say without liner this one held up amazingly, until i ate food. My breakfast burrito definitely bested my non-bleeding line and the lipstick feathered a touch, but not to an extreme. and with liner, this isn't even a thing, although the lipstick will still best my chin every time i eat, but ah well. #fatlipproblems
ALSO even after burrito time, i didn't really need to reapply. My lipstick wasn't as shiny and wet looking, but the color was 100% still solidly on my lips. holy shiz how does that even happen. I don't know, but the long wear is strong with this one.

and this purple (C502)....

helloooooooo awesome fun color! I am all about non-traditional lipstick colors (another reason i plan to own the entire bottom two rows of colors in the chart at the top) and this is kind of a 'taupe purple' according to Sephora, so it's not like your normal purple. I wasn't initially sure how it would look on my fair skin, but i was certainly excited to try it out. It has that same smooth, creamy, orgasmic formula (which i like even better than Bite's Amuse Bouche line jussayin) and same perfectly opaque color lay down, and similar to the nude color goes on much darker than expected.

I truly believe this is the best (nonliquid) lipstick i've ever worn. For real though. like I'm still going to wear others cuz i need that shade range, but seriously, this is amazing. and even with the very slight bleeding, the color is still on my lips, no reapplication necessary. there is NO sheerness to any aspect of this formula, the edges are just as solid as the center, and i am SO amazed. i could write a song about this. This is what lipstick lovers dream of.

Marc Jacobs #VoxBox

OMG. So it took me a while to get to posting this, but I got my first #VoxBox from Influenster and I'm so excited! I'm getting to try out the Marc Jacobs Glow Stick for free, a product I was already super interested in 😍😍😍 and I'm hella stoked. It's so cute!!! It came in this adorable little box and it's such a sweet little component for a nice subtle product.

How it looked at the end of the day

Look at my face!!!! It's so pretty and glowy, and the staying powder of a stick is definitely higher than a powder. The application is similar though, using a brush to dust it on for a super subtle look, or I personally like applying the stick directly to my face to have a more noticeable glimmer or using a finger to apply. I'm pale as death so I need a little more than just 'subtle' going on. 

It's just so glowy! I can't get over it. It's so easy to use, and in the pic above I set it with another powder highlighter to really make it last all day. It's not sparkly, so it's not really glittery or too makeupy, it catches the light just right at every angle and doesn't feel too overdone. Just the right look for summer. I also like how precise you can get with it, highlighting exactly where you want, as with just a powder it kind of needs to blend with the rest of your makeup, but this already blends in with your skin tone, and just adds a little something extra- it really is like a portable spotlight! And with a light dusting of powder over it, it's even more gorgeous. 

Hopefully I'll be able to do some more voxboxes in the future, it was fun to try something new and do some tasks for it. You can buy the highlight from Sephora HERE, and sign up for your own influenster account to do reviews and get voxboxes HERE!

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!