Benefit's They're Real Mascara | Review

Yet another review! Sorry about that, I just really felt the need to put up some thoughts about this particular mascara.

So, I got this in a little mascara gift set from Sephora for Christmas, along with several other brands. I've been trying them off and on, but for the past few weeks I decided to stick to this one and see how I liked it.

I must say, I love it. I love it more than the They're Real eyeliner, which though initially amazing, I find that it dried up a little on me and is a lot harder to work with now. This stuff makes my lashes look amazing. I will say I don't particularly like the way my lashes feel with it on - they feel very slick and like they have a little casing over them. It can also be a little difficult to get off for this reason - this stuff sticks.

But, with that being said...this stuff sticks. I received some particularly upsetting news one day while wearing this, which caused me to cry often all day long. This stuff didn't budge. It didn't leave black streaks under my eyes or little black marks anywhere. In fact, it didn't move at all. It remained perfectly on my lashes. If my eyes hadn't been horribly red from crying, you wouldn't have been able to tell I'd ever been crying at all. This stuff is wonderful if you ever need some legit waterproof mascara. 

I love it! Whenever I need something heavy duty or even just for a nice look where I won't have to worry about the black rub-off under my eyes, I'll definitely be reaching for this little guy. I might even by the full size when I'm done with the sample.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stain | Review

I posted about this product in a haul a little white back. It's the second YSL beauty product I've ever bought, and the beauty range from this brand continues to impress me with each new purchase I make.

I own a Volupte Shine already, but I was attracted to the formula of this particular product. The packaging is very sleek and lovely, and the cap clicks into place so it is never askew or comes loose (a personal peeve of mine). The formula itself is creamy and silky right out of the tube, and applies like a dream. The angled, wide applicator makes it very easy to apply to the lips, at least for me. Once applied, the formula quickly begins to dry into a semi-matte finish, and pretty much becomes the "stain" part of its name. Once dried, this stuff sticks to the lips and takes quite a bit to come off. Re-applying is a breeze, and doesn't over-dry the lips.

I'm so in love with this product, and I'm dying to buy more, as well as more products from YSL in general. It isn't cheap, but the quality and feel of the formula feels worth the $35 in my opinion. I'm not at all disappointed with this product. Even the color is so flattering and smooth, and I'm dying to try out a few other colors (looking at you #2).

For reference, I own the #9 Rouge Laque.

Snow Day

I woke up today to find mounds of snow all over the ground and covering people's cars in the street. It was a very quiet and empty moment, and suddenly I felt very ghost-like, looking out the window in thin clothing and studying the shapes of feet in the snow. It was what they call a profound moment. 

More than anything, I decided to actually relax today. I am used to a sort of pseudo-relaxation, where I am only hanging onto the surface and unable to feel any sort of comfort. I am used to lingering. Surfaces are all I am afforded, and rarely full immersion into something as lovely as a relaxing, nice day.

 I try to take a bath, get my mind off of things, but I only starkly feel the thin trails of sweat from the hot water on the back of my neck, and an acute awareness of my body. I cannot relax. I try to afford myself the nice things - a moisturizing face mask, some lotion, a really smooth cleanser that soaks into my skin. None of these feel good enough, because I expect too much of myself.

That is one of my many problems. I expect too much of myself. I try to play it off as a gentle horoscope excuse: Virgos are supposed to expect too much of ourselves, aren't we? But I know that's not all it is. I don't terribly like to talk about it.

And times like these, I remember why I wanted to become a writer. I cannot keep these things swept up inside of me to collect dust, to be found at a later date when I have collapsed from the weight. 

So, I write them out on a snow day, like this one.

(by the way, I got a haircut a few days ago - here it is!)

Too Faced Lips

Yet another little Too Faced feature (told you I loved them)! I recently ordered two lipsticks from their website, and I also got two free samples along with it. I ordered colors Cinnamon Kiss and Loganberry, and got a little tube of their Shadow Insurance as well as their Lip Injection lip gloss. I decided to wear the Cinnamon Kiss along with the lip gloss to see how they both looked and worked.

Cinnamon Kiss is a gorgeous brown-red color (the color of the year is also Marsala, which I think this fits under - barely, but it fits) that glides on very smoothly. The color is a little buildable, as a creamy formula, and it smells rather good. I love the color and the formula, which I usually do with their lipsticks.

The lip gloss is clear and is supposed to plump up your lips. You'll feel a slight tingling and burning when you apply it (I didn't apply a lot so it wasn't overbearing). I personally don't think lip plumpers really work, but it's nice to have a clear gloss to use for any of my lip colors, should I want to. I also secretly kind of like the tingling sensation of lip plumpers. 

Overall, quite a pretty lipstick color! And the lip gloss is quite fun. If I hadn't gotten the Lip Injection for free I would probably never buy it on my own, but it's a neat little addition to have in my collection.

Thanks for reading!

NYX Cream Blush | Review

I had only ever owned powder blushes, which of course are great. I then recieved a Nyx cream blush in an Ipsy bag when I was still subscribed to it, and having tried it out several times since then I can safely say I very much love cream blushes. This one is in the shade Boho Chic, and is a lovely peachy-pink color that suits my skin tone perfectly.

What I like best about a good cream blush is that when you're going for a dewy or glowy look, like I often do, a cream blush will suit that look best. Powder blushes tend to mattify the cheeks, which isn't what you always want when going for that dewy look. A cream blush will keep the glow in place, along with adding its subtle pop of color. 

I tend to apply with my fingers, though you can dot it on your cheeks and blend out with a beauty blender or other preferred tool of choice. And, just like with all blushes, a little can go a long way. 

I really love cream blushes, especially Nyx ones, as they're affordable yet amazing. I recommend trying one of theirs if you've never tried a cream blush before. 

(as you can see, the logo has worn off on the cover quite a bit - it's been thrown around a lot!)

What I've Been Enjoying

I gathered up a few little things I've been enjoying this past week, and decided to share them with you guys! This isn't an extensive list or anything, and doesn't quite qualify as a monthly favorites either I don't think.

This is the Etude House 'Missing U' Hand Cream from their Bee Happy edition, which had four different little bee hand lotions. I bought this from Amazon, as I don't think Etude House carries the bees anymore. I wanted this little guy because he's so cute, and I think bees are very precious and important to our world. This guy is supposed to have an 'acacia tea' scent, though I'm not sure what that smells like. He smells very floral-y and nice, with a touch of honey. The lotion isn't anything to write home about, but to be honest I didn't buy him for the lotion. He's just stupidly cute.

This Milani polish in 'Mauve Medley' was an impulse buy, but I'm quite happy I did. It's a lovely deep red/purple/brown color (mauve?) that complements my pale skin very nicely. My nails desperately need to be repainted, as you can see, but I've had the polish on for about two weeks without a top coat and they've stayed remarkably well. I'm impressed!

I've had this Harajuku Girls perfume for a while now. I got it for Christmas one year, and I've only worn it sparingly because the scent is incredibly strong! It's quite a nice scent, though, a bit tropical and floral-y. I really like it, and have started wearing it a little more recently. I only use a little bit, but a little bit goes a long way.

This mug was made for me by my sister-in-law, and it's honestly so perfect. The quote is from movie Dumbledore, and it has a little deathly hallows symbol drawn in the corner. I absolutely love it, being a huge Harry Potter fan, and I've been enjoying drinking my tea out of it. 

"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." - Steven Kloves (screenplay), as said by Albus Dumbledore.

Two Little Lipsticks

My two most recent lipstick purchases were beyond deserving of their own little blog post. I haven't been able to buy much new makeup during my move, and I'm still adjusting. I bought these just before moving, and I've worn them a couple of times since and I'm already in love with both of them.

All you MAC lovers can probably recognize the little orange one there. I had been eyeing Saigon Summer for a while, as I was intrigued by its color and wondered if it would even work on me. I bit the bullet and bought it the other day, and I must say I'm not disappointed. It actually flatters me quite nicely, and as a cremesheen it's a little sheer but buildable and very easy on my dry lips. I adore it!

The second lipstick I didn't actually buy, per say. I had enough Sephora points saved up to pick out a little something from the counter for free, and as nothing else looked particularly appealing I got the Bite Pigment Pencil in Pomegranate (that's a lot of p's). It's absolutely gorgeous, and a dream to apply. It's very creamy and opaque, and I love lip pencils for their ease of use. The red is a gorgeous deep red, and doesn't dry your lips out or even rub off all that easily. It's one of my new absolute favorites. I'm so pleased with it. I feel like if it weren't for those Sephora points, I would have overlooked the Bite pencils completely! I usually do. It all worked out in the end, didn't it?

Bloglovin'

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13480835/?claim=bdamtj9gndy">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Apologies for the double posts today, but I finally decided to sign up to Bloglovin' and see what it was all about! I also registered my blog there. I'm still figuring out how to work it, but hopefully this will open some new windows for me. 

NARS Sheer Glow | Review

Hello everybody! Today I decided to review a very popular item in the beauty world. The Nars Sheer Glow foundation has been passed through many beauty-hardened hands, and has a rather half-and-half reputation from what I've seen. Some people seem to swear by this foundation, some people say it absolutely didn't work for them and they don't get the hype.

So, why not offer my contribution to the multitude of opinions? For reference, I have the color Mont Blanc or Light 2, which is one of their palest colors and has somewhat warm tones to it. I'm not entirely sure if they have formulas based on warm or cool skin tones. In any case, the color suits me quite well and I have no problems with mismatching of color. 

I got the Sheer Glow instead of Matte because I have fairly dry skin, and I love a glowy look to my skin. This foundation is supposed to help those with dry skin as well as give a dewy finish. I have to say that the promised dewy finish is a little lacking, at least for my tastes. It goes on quite sheer, as the name implies, but is also buildable, and doesn't look streaky or cake-y on my face. I'm always a bit disappointed with the lack of a glowy finish, but I don't mind terribly. 

I will say this foundation doesn't offer anything outstanding, but it is a pretty decent foundation and I enjoy using it. I may not purchase it again, as it runs for a pretty penny, but it was a fun product to try out and use. I definitely wish it came with a pump, as I find pumps to be much more useful and less wasteful. For this one, you have to shake the bottle then open it up and apply. You have to be careful with pouring it out, as you can end up pouring too much (it's slightly runny, so watch for that). I love the packaging, it's gorgeous and feels like the high-end product that it is. 

I will also note that when my skin is particularly dry, it tends to cling to those dry patches and draw attention to them. That is also a bit of a skincare problem, and I'm still working out a flawless routine for those stubborn dry patches.

So, all in all, this foundation is pretty cool, but not THAT cool. You know what I mean? It does nothing beyond amazing for me, but it is a decent foundation that I like. I likely won't buy it again, and will move on to different foundations to try out and hope for the best.

Hope this review was helpful or insightful in some way! Thank you for reading. xx

The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost | Review

I purchased this last year with a few other items from TBS. I've nearly used it all by this point, and I would have used it all a lot sooner if I had been able to figure out how it worked best with me sooner! This product is a gel-like product with a somewhat oily feeling, and is meant to give radiance to dull skin (which is why I bought it).

First, I'd like to say this product smells awesome! It smells like oranges, which is quite lovely. The somewhat oily consistency throws me off every time, as it's not an oil at all. It glides on the skin pretty smoothly, but can leave your skin feeling oily and strange. 

I've tried using it just on its own, which leaves the aforementioned oily texture. I wasn't impressed with that, and it also didn't seem to do anything for me. I also tried using it as a primer, but that didn't do so great either.

Finally, I tried using it right before my moisturizer, hoping the moisturizer could cancel out some of the oily feeling. It does feel a lot better when used this way (as opposed to after, which feels oily and just stays on the outer layer of my skin). I like it much better like this, and use it every time, though I have to admit I don't notice much of a difference in my skin's radiance.

Out of all the products I bought, this was the most disappointing but not terrible. I feel like it would work better with someone who didn't have dry skin? Possibly. I absolutely adore their hydrating skin care, which makes my skin feel like heaven, but this just didn't seem to do it for me.

At least it smells great! xx

OCC Lip Tar

I own two of the OCC lip tars. I recently bought Lydia, the color pictured below, right before my move. I also own a metallic red color. You've likely heard many great things about the lip tars, and let me just say they're probably all true. From my experience with this product, they're gorgeous and long-lasting, as the name implies. As a plus, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics is also vegan and cruelty-free. Though they are pricey, I would definitely say they are worth the price. They also sell nail varnishes and a few other products, though they are most well known for the lip tars.

Lydia is a gorgeous dusky purple color. I really just wanted to share this little beauty, as I'm going to be wearing it today and I can't wait to step out in it. I personally find applying these to be a little soothing, as it takes a certain amount of concentration.

Let me know if you've ever tried these! They're wonderful, and I felt they deserved a little rave today.

Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette | Review

I've got another Too Faced review today - like I said, I really like this brand! I bought this palette quite a few months ago (I'd say about October?) and I felt I had finally used it sufficiently enough to post a review about it.

I was attracted to the colors in this palette, which is why I bought it. There is a mix of mattes and shimmers, and you can mix and match the shades or go across the rows for an easy-made look. I'm a sucker for neutral and rosy or honey shades, I think they're so flattering and pretty. Beyond that, I love how small and travel-friendly the palette is, and I also love the design!

The shadows themselves are quite lovely. I definitely love them, and this palette is very workable and would suit any skin tone. I especially love the shimmer shades, but the mattes are great and blendable as well. For a smaller everyday palette, this one is absolutely great. I know they also have other styles in this type of palette (I think one is Cat Eyes, or something?) but I haven't tried those personally. It's a very user-friendly palette, and I'd even say a great beginner palette. I really enjoy it. The shadows are rather smooth, though I find the shades in my Naked 3 palette to be more pigmented. You can also find many of these colors in the Naked palettes, so it may not be worth investing in. It's entirely up to the you!

I quite like this palette, and enjoy using it and mixing up the colors. It's also useful for getting better at blending matte colors, which is something I'm not too great at yet. I hope you enjoyed!

p.s. I am also in the process of moving, so much of my stuff is moved to my new apartment or packed away. I'll get back on track soon, hopefully!

Disappointing Product: Nyx Matte Nude Lipstick

I absolutely love Nyx, it's one of my favorite (if not favorite) drugstore brands. I especially love their lip products. However, every brand has to have it's failed items, for some if not others. I imagine this lipstick may work on some people - especially those with medium to dark skin tones. This may look beautiful on you, but it sure doesn't on me!

This is from their Matte line, in the shade simply titled 'Nude.' It's kind of a peachy nude, but on me it looks chalky and dry. It makes my lips dry out like crazy, and shows every crack in them. It washes my skin out as well (I'm very pale) and just generally doesn't flatter me at all. I've worn it once, and regretted that decision immediately. I have to be careful with mattes because my lips can get dry pretty quickly, but some work pretty well for me, especially with a little extra help from a balm. This one is beyond helping, unfortunately.

This lipstick didn't work for me, but it may work very well for others. I'd say if you're a very pale person, don't try it. The shade isn't too flattering for pale skin tones, but if you like the way it looks on you, then by all means rock it! I was personally quite disappointed with this lip product, though I'd like to try another Matte from Nyx and see if the formula itself is too drying for me or if it's just this particular color.