Sunday, March 31, 2013

March 2013 Favorites


Welp, I'm going to start trying to do a monthly favorites since it'll force me to post more often. Plus, favorites posts and videos are by far my favorite things to watch and look at. I've found loads of new stuff I've incorporated into my daily routine simply from watching favorites videos. Hopefully this won't be boring as hell for you to read though.


SKINCARE
 
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left to right: Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask // GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Clearing Mask // Chloe Mini // Melvita Rose Floral Water


Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

I bought this after hearing a lot about tea tree oil being good for drying up blemishes. I've never used this all over my face since it's BRIGHT green and it just doesn't seem necessary I guess. I normally just use it as spot treatment. I'll clean my face, spray my toner and apply little bits of this mask to my blemishes making sure to rub it in so it dries a bit, and then I go to sleep with it on. The directions say to just wear it for 15-20 minutes and wash it off but I'm a rebel and I tried that and it did diddly squat for my blemishes so I pretty much just do what I want.


GLAMGLOW Super-Mud Clearing Mask

I have a full review of this coming up soon on my blog so definitely keep an eye out if you've been thinking about purchasing.trying this mud mask. I love it and while it's expensive, it's possible to find it for less if you look hard!


ChloƩ Eau de Parfum (Deluxe Mini)

I bought this on a whim during Christmas since it was on sale and in the section by the checkout line at Sephora. I have such a love/hate relationship with that section because I always find something I really like and the price doesn't seem unreasonable. It's JUST ten more dollars!! Sigh, I guess I'm just a fool. A fool with a debit card. Anyways, I really like it and it'll be perfect for spring and summer since it's such a light and floral scent. It's just really classy and feminine smelling without having that whole overwhelming "grandma" floral perfume smell.


Melvita Floral Water in Rose (sample size)
 
I received this in a birchbox nearly a year ago and I tried it a few times as something to cool me off during the summer and then it sat unused in my "samples to try" box until this month. I pulled it out again after reading a few reviews mention using it as a toner & setting spray. I wish I had known that a year ago! I/ve started using it as a daily toner for after I wash my face in the morning and after I take off my makeup at night. It's made my face stop over-producing oil at night and I've had fewer breakouts because of it. I'm almost out of my sample and then I'm definitely going to purchase the full size.

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MAKEUP
 
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left to right: NARS 'Albatross'  // CR Beauty Blender // Essie 'Secret Story' // Seche Vite Top-Coat // MAC Veluxe Brow Liner "Strawberry Blonde"


NARS Blush/Highlighter 'Albatross'

I've been favoring this highlighter lately even over my beloved NARS 'Copacabana' which is really saying stuff. It's mostly because it's easier to blend out in a hurry with a brush since it's a powder rather than a liquid. Either way I love it. I'm really glad I bought it.


Cynthia Rowley Beauty Blender

I avoided beauty blenders for the longest time because I figured they were just fancy sponges and nothing could replace my beloved Real Techniques buffing brush. But alas, I was wrong. I picked this up at TJMaxx while out shopping with my mom over Spring Break and I've been using it ever since. I feel like it gives such a nice and natural finish to my Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation. It was only 5.99 so I wonder if the more expensive beauty blenders work any better, but I'm happy with what I have so meh.


Essie 'Secret Story' Nail Lacquer

This is SUCH a pretty, spring-y color. I've been watching A LOT of Mindy Project lately and I've been getting more into bright fuchsia and orange and kelly green. Her wardrobe & apartment are so inspirational and beautiful. Also incredibly expensive, but definitely imitatable. This is my way of having the color without having to buy a completely new wardrobe.


Seche Vite Top Coat

So I know this is something most people have used forever but I hesitated buying it for the longest time because I doubted how well it could work. I'm pretty rough on my nails so I just sort of assumed nothing could make my nail polish last more than a few days. I was, once again, so wrong. It makes my naisl so shiny and glossy and my polish (even the cheap one) last close to a week. Often times I change my nail polish BEFORE it chips because I just get bored of the color. Plus, it's only like 7 bucks.


MAC Veluxe Brow Liner in 'Strawberry Blonde'

For the longest time I used exclusively powder to fill in my brows and it worked really well. But the powder I used just didn't match my hair color very well. It looked great when my hair wasn't dyed, but now that my hair is red (and has been for about a year, I was looking to find something a little more closer to my shade. I tried a different brow pencil from MAC before this one and it was too dark and too red and I can only use it the first week or so (with a light hand) after I dye my hair. So when I tried this and it was the perfect lightness and amount of red, I was hooked! It leaves a really natural finish and after I apply a bit of clear brow gel it lasts all day. Plus, it has a spooly brush on the other side. The only thing that could make it better is if it didn't need to be sharpened and was something I could use for the 'back to MAC' program. Oh well.

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MISC
 
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Kate Spade Enamel Locket


Kate Spade Enamel Locket

My dad bought this for me at the Kate Spade outlet in Houston since it was 50% off and matches the pink Kate Spade earrings Taylor bought me for Christmas. It's so pretty and looks so cute with any sort of black/white outfit. It's perfect for adding a pop of color to an outfit.

Let me know if this was even sort of interesting. I always like seeing what people are using and trying on a month to month basis so hopefully I can keep up with this!

-Becca

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Essie's 'in the cab-ana' Nail Lacquer Review


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So while perusing the makeup aisles at my local Walgreens I fell in love with this little beauty. I've basically banned myself from buying anymore nail polish as of lately since I honestly have enough and I don't wear half of the colors I have. But Ryan could see the sadness in my eyes at the checkout counter and told me he would buy it for me. What a nice man.

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The color is like the bottom of a pool in the summer or vintage turquoise/aqua kitchen gadgets & two coats is enough to make your nails look like beautiful little robins eggs. The formula isn't streaky and I've been wearing it for about four days with a topcoat of Seche Vite and I haven't had any chips so far. I love it and already know I'll be wearing it a butt-load (yes, that is a technical term) this spring and summer.

The only drawback is that like most blue & green nail polishes, it is a pain in the you-know-what to get all of the color removed from your cuticles and corners of your nails. But I just use it as an opportunity to let my nails rest a day before I slather them with a new color.

It's part of Essie's new 'resorts' line of spring/summer polishes, so look for it at your local drugstore!

-Becca

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Ladybugs & Coral

So I went to Houston for Spring Break last week to visit my family and overall it was a really nice trip. There was a serious family emergency followed by a hospital trip, but things are fine now and we all still managed to have a nice spring break together.

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1. Gap Shrunken Boyfriend Ladybug Printed Shirt - $54.95
2. Sleek Blush by 3 in 'Lace' - $12.49
3. MAC Powder Blush in 'Lovecloud' - $14 at a Cosmetics Company Store Outlet (I think this was a limited edition color from the Tres Cheek collection)
4. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Finish in 'Rose Ivory' - $43


These are a few of the things my parents bought me while I was home + some things I ordered before going out of town. I thought it was sort of funny how most of the things I got were either shades of coral or hot pink. I have another post centered around hot pink coming up.

I guess I know what colors I'll be wearing a lot of this spring and summer!

&&&&&
here's a few photos of me wearing my new top & coral-y makeup

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on my face:
laura mercier silk creme foundation in 'rose ivory' // Sleek Blush By 3 in "Lace" palette (mixture of 'Guipure'/'Rose Gold' & 'Chantilly') // NARS Highlighter in 'Albatross' // Tony Moly bunny lip tint in 'Orange'


Are any colors you find yourself drawn to as warmer weather approaches? Let me know!!

-Becca

Monday, March 11, 2013

Too Faced 'Perfect Flush' Blush Review

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Ryan bought this for me for Valentine's Day this year and....I love it!

The pink part reminds me a bit of my NARS Gaeity blush but it's got a nice shimmer and it's more blue toned and the other two peachy colors when blended with the pink make SUCH a flattering color. I've never been one for "custom" blushes because most of the time I just don't find it very enticing and often times the strips or bits of color are too small to use the colors individually.. Thankfully that's not an issue with this blush. Each section of color is large enough that you can use a brush to zero in on each color. I personally like to run my brush over all three to make a really beautiful and natural looking flush. I think this blush would best suit mostly people with fair-medium toned skin since it's buildable, but if you have darker skin you could definitely use this as an awesome highlighter since it has so much sheen.

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Plus it's shaped like a heart so really, I don't know how you could say no. This blush lasted a fairly long time on my skin and I didn't have to re-apply. I would maybe need to if I had a REALLY long day ahead of me but most of the time I only need to wear makeup for 8 hours or less. This review is a bit scatter-brained. Sorry, I'm packing up to go visit my family in Houston for Spring Break so my writing is a bit bleh. First draft I wrote "really beautiful" proooobably 4 times.

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At $29USD I can see why you wouldn't run out to buy this but I'm not sure if it's limited edition or if Too Faced is adding it to their regular line-up so definitely keep an eye out if you want to wait and see if it goes on sale.

But if you've got a bit of extra money to burn or you've been looking for a subtle but buildable blush that's heart-themed, I recommend at LEAST trying it out at your local Sephora or Ulta.

-Becca

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Products I Regret Buying


Before I begin I would like to say that I don't own most of these items anymore because if I don't like something I normally chalk it up to it just not being for me and either give it away or throw it out. That being said, if any of these products work great for you or are something you can't live without, that is awesome and I am so happy for you. I bought these with high hopes that I would love them too.

So lets get to it!
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1. Boots No. 7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream // Normal/Oily SPF 15 - $13.99

This face cream. UGH. So I went into Target hoping to buy my regular Aveeno face moisturizer that works just fine for my oily-combination and slightly acne prone skin but they were out of the regular one and only had the SPF one. Nope. SPF is guaranteed to make my face break out in a thousand cystic zits and make my skin super oily. No thank you. So I ended up getting suckered into talking to the Boots rep while she told me about all of their "hypo-allergenic" and oil free face creams that wouldn't cause acne and would make my face so soft and blah blah blah and she told me my foundation was too pink for my skintone and was just overall sort of rude. Anyways, so I ended up taking home a pot of SPF "hypo-allergenic" face moisturizer that I hoped wouldn't make my skin breakout. HAH. I used it for maybe a week and woke up with three huge cystic pimples boiling and painful under my skin. I STILL have a dark spot from the worst one on my cheek. It took me three months for it to flatten back down to normal and now I'm looking for something to help get rid of the discoloration it caused. Basically what I'm saying is if your skin is sensitive to SPF products or acne prone or just fickle, don't use this. Please don't. It's been almost 6 months and I am still paying the price.

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2. Philosophy 'Animal Cracker' Shower Gel - $16.50

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I'd used my sister's 'Red Velvet' Shower Gel when I was visiting my parents house once and remembered really liking it so when I saw the bottle of pink 'Animal Cracker' Shower Gel, I didn't think twice about buying it once I'd smelled it. I LOVE the smell and would still consider buying the lip gloss but I've had the shower gel close to a year and it just sits in the shower and I use it occasionally because I can't bring myself to throw away a $16.50 bath product especially since it smells so good. The thing that bothers me the most about it is that any time I use it, I find my skin feels really dry and it makes me break out if I use it for an extended period of time (like more than four days in a row). Needless to say, I won't be re-purchasing it.

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3. Juicy Couture 'Couture Couture' Perfume Rollerball - $19

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This was honestly just an impulse buy that didn't go my way. I sniffed it in Sephora and really liked it (which is strange because it's not a smell I would normally like) and wore it for a couple weeks and forgot about it completely. I picked it up last week and smelled it and realized that it must be the perfume of someone I know that I just can't stand. Basically I just regret purchasing it but I don't think the perfume is crappy or anything. Just not for me.

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4. TOCCA 'Stella' Hand Cream - $8

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Ok, so I love my 'Stella' perfume and so when I saw the hand cream in Anthropologie, I thought it would be perfect as a hand lotion for my purse. I smelled it in the store and it smelled like a lighter version of the perfume but didn't think to actually try using it because I figured it would smell stronger on my hands than in the bottle. Not so. I got home and put it on my hand and it smelled like....nothing. I'll keep it and use it since it works fine as a hand lotion but it's not what I was wanting. I don't know if maybe I just got a defective batch since other people seem to like it but I won't be re-purchasing this.

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5. bareMinerals READY Touch Up Veil Broad Spectrum SPF 15 - $22
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I had been looking for a more high end face powder that would provide a little bit of SPF with very light feeling coverage. Taylor had just bought this bareMinerals powder and really liked it so I thought I would give it a go. I tried it a few times and just didn't like the way it felt on. It felt like it was drying my face out but also making it look greasy after an hour or so and the light lemon smell just didn't agree with me at all. Normally I love lemon scents but this smelled off to me. I'm also wary of anything with SPF in it because often times it will make my face break out really bad. So after giving it a couple more tries, I gave it to Taylor since she likes it so much. Back to my drugstore face powder.



So there ya go, I don't mind being a negative nancy. I watch a LOT of youtube reviews and I always love "regret" themed beauty videos because it's nice to see that I'm not the only person who occasionally buys something they just don't like. And it always bothers me when they're like "normally I try to be really positive and only review things I like because I don't want to be negative"--sigh, You're not being negative. You paid money for something and you didn't like it. I think negative reviews are just as important and beneficial as positive reviews. Anyways, I'll get off of my soapbox. Let me know if there's something on here you also just didn't like or if you really loved it. Maybe I was just using them wrong or something.

-Becca