Haul: Walgreens + ULTA

Hey-oh! A while back I hit up ULTA (if you’ve never been, go!) and bought a few things then a few days ago I spent my graduation money on some things in Walgreens! So here’s what I got along with my thoughts on some of them.

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-Wet N Wild eyeshadow trios in Knock On Wood and Silent Treatment ($3)
The pigmentation on these is amazing. I started getting hooked on Wet N Wild after Emily of Beauty Broadcast raved about them over and over. The texture is so velvety and soft and not at all flaky and cheap!
Here are some swatches:
Left is Knock On Wood and on the right is Silent Treatment.

eyeshadowNext up!
-Jordana eyeliners in Blue Devine and Mint ($2)
I own some of Jordana’s lip liners and they are excellent. Creamy and super pigments and long wearing. I have them in Sedona Red and Tawny, a nude color. These liners seem to be very similar and I can’t wait to try them more!
-NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk ($6)
I bought this after my younger sister bought it and I used it a little. 🙂 It’s a great base for eyeshadow. Be sure to pat off the excess though to prevent creasing.

eyeliner

Mascaras!
-Revlon Lash Potion ($5-8 depending where you buy)
I haven’t used either of these mascaras yet, but if I’m honest I bought this one solely on the packaging and name. 🙂
-Maybelline The Colossal Volum Express ($5-8 depending where you buy)
My younger sister has used this and likes it and I liked the brush so I’ll give it a go!

Revlon brush on the right and Maybelline’s on the left.

mascara

Lips!
-Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquers in Stellar, Nude Eclipse, and Apocaliptic
I.LOVE.THESE. It is literally like a melted lipstick. They are not sticky at all and even though they are very rich and opaque they are easy to apply without a mirror. Please try them if you get the chance! At $5 a piece you can’t go wrong!

L to R: Stellar, Apocaliptic, Nude Eclipse

lips

-Jordana lip liner in Baby Berry ($2)
Like I said about the eye liners, the creamy texture is easy to put on and the colors look good on all skin tones.
-Maybelline Baby Lips in Strike a Rose ($3)
These are basically a tinted lip balm. They are very moisturizing and come in a variety of colors. This color is from their new line with a neon yellow, neon green, and a very purple purple! Yikes! I’ll be trying them. 🙂
-Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake ($7)
These are a more sheer and moisturizing lipstick. They have a little shine to them and are super easy to apply. I also have one in Raspberry Pie!

L to R: Jordana lip liner, Revlon Lip Butter, Maybelline Baby Lips

lipss

Face!
-Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Foundation in Buff Beige ($5)
I stole this powder from my sister when she came home from college and loved it so much I bought my own! It’s great for topping off a foundation and keeping my skin matte most of the day.
-Burt’s Bees Cuticle Balm ($6)
I love the smell of this and can’t wait to use it!
-Burt’s Bees Sensitive Facial Wipes ($5)
I’ve tried a couple other facial wipes and they really messed my skin up. These have not! They won’t take off all of my makeup though, so keep that in mind. I like to use them for wiping off excess makeup or hand swatches or after a day at the beach.
-Yes To Cucumbers Sensitive Moisturizer ($15)
I LOVED this in the beginning. It doesn’t smell like cucumbers unless you push your nose right against it, hah. I don’t have the best luck with moisturizers, but this one worked pretty well!
-Studio 35 Beauty Blending Sponge ($5)
BUY THIS. I kept hearing about the Beauty Blender and how amazing it was but didn’t think it was anything better than a regular sponge. My sister bought this one and I’ve used it the past few days and can’t live without it. It blends the foundation in so much better than my fingers and the finish is so much more natural.
-Wigo Teasing Comb ($4)
This is great. It’s easy to use and I don’t feel like I’m raking hard on my hair when I use it.

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So that’s it! There’s my haul! I hope you found some good things to try! I can’t wait to use these things more and let you know more information then.

Have a good day!

xx

Beauty Tuesday: Nighttime Skincare

Happy Tuesday! I thought for today’s Beauty Tuesday I’d give you guys a little insight into my nightly skincare routine. It’s short, boring, and mundane. Let’s take a look!

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To take off all of my makeup I either use Philosophy Purity Facial Cleanser or Neutrogena Naturals Facial Cleanser. I recently discovered the Neutrogena when I ran out of my 32 oz. of Philosophy. It’s about $7 and it takes literally every stitch of makeup off of my face. The smell is so good, like a Jolly Rancher, and so far it doesn’t dry my face out, which most scented products tend to do for me.
I started using Philosophy Purity about six years ago and never really looked back. My mom saw it on QVC one night and we just decided to order it. The power of advertising, amiright?! It’s the only thing that doesn’t mess with my skin and still takes off all my makeup. (The only reason I bought the Neutrogena was to save a little $$!) Bonus, it lasts me quite a while! I normally buy the biggest bottle which is 32 ounces and that lasts me several months. However, the biggest sold in stores is 16 ounces!

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For breakouts I’ve found that Murad Exfoliating Acne Treatment Gel is the only thing that won’t make my skin worse! It’s just so darn expensive and I’m literally on my last drop of this stuff. Sucks to suck it up and buy some more, but it’s so worth it! For spot treatment Murad Spot Treatment can’t be beat. I love it so much!

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For a moisturizer, which I’m finding I need more lately, my mom gave me Philosophy Hope In A Jar when she was over it. Haha! It smells like sunscreen, which I like but some don’t, and has a unique texture. It’s almost like it has shimmer in it because it makes my skin sparkle when I put it on. The texture is airy and light and it takes it a second to rub into my skin but once it’s there it’s moisturized, baby!
Once I run out of this I’m hoping to try Boots Expert Moisturizing Lotion. It’s cheaper and I’ve heard good things!

So that’s it! A pretty basic nightly routine. What are your favorite products to use? Favorite moisturizers? Spot treatments? Cheap things you’ve found that work well for you? Let me know in the comments! I wanna know! 🙂

Happy Tuesday!

Beauty Tuesday: Cruelty Free

Happy Tuesday! You know what that means: Beauty Tuesday! Today I want to talk about some of my favorite brands that happen to be cruelty free. This means these brands do not use animal testing on any of their products. To find out more, go here! Now I’m not saying if you don’t solely buy products from companies that are cruelty free you’re a bad person. I just thought it interesting that I saw a cruelty free symbol on my NYX eyeliner this afternoon. 🙂

 

  1. NYX-$-$$

I’ve loved NYX for a while now. They have a wide variety of colors in their slide-on liners and lip pencils and have multiple MAC shadow dupes! You can find them in ULTA and on Cherry Culture’s website. Also keep a lookout on HauteLook! Here are some of my favorite products:

NYX

  1. E.L.F.-$

I’m a big ol’ fan of E.L.F.! Their products are cheap and perform really well. You can find them in most Targets or on their website eyeslipsface.com. Here are some faves!

ELF

  1. Eco Tools-$$

My sisters both use this brand and the quality of their brushes is amazing. They are affordable, soft, and well made. You can find them in ULTA, Walmart, and most drugstores like CVS and Walgreens. Here are some great examples. I’m dying for that travel kabuki brush!

ECOTOOLS

  1. Organix Hair-$

I LOVE the way these products smell. They are pretty affordable and come in a variety of flavors. 🙂 You can find them in Target, Walmart, ULTA, and drugstores! Here are the ones I really like:

ORGANIX

  1. Urban Decay-$$$

I love, love, love Urban Decay! I own the Naked pallet and the Dangerous pallet. Both of them are absolutely fantastic. I also own their Primer Potion and their 24/7 liner in Zero (black). I love everything I own from them! They are pricey, though, but to me they’re totally worth it. You can find them at ULTA, Sephora, and online. Here are my favorites!

URBANDECAY

  1. Wet N Wild-$

I’ve recently discovered Wet N Wild and love them! They’re shadows are very pigmented, soft, and super affordable. We’re talking $5 for ten full size shadows! Here are my recent favorites:

WETNWILD

So there you have it! My favorite cruelty free brands and products. If you’d like to learn about more companies that are cruelty free, here’s a list!

Have a great day! 🙂

Beauty Tuesday: Favorites

Starting last fall I started getting really into YouTube videos about makeup. Specifically Beauty Broadcast! (You will get lost in her videos. Watch at your own risk.) I first found her after discovering that my favorite cheap makeup brand, E.L.F., had a website. I Googled their best products and one of her videos popped right up. I’ve learned loads from her videos and really trust her opinion. I follow more beauty vloggers now and after using some of the products they recommend I’ve compiled a list of my favorites!

beauty faves

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Foundation for Combo/Oily Skin: $10-13 I’ve tried one other liquid foundation in my life before this one and I hated it. I didn’t know what I was doing or how to put it on. Emily from Beauty Broadcast raves about this foundation. I tried it and I love it. It wears so well and stays all day! They have a great color selection and formulas for different skin types.

E.L.F. Kabuki Brush: $6 This little guy is so soft! I use it to blend together my blush and highlight so I don’t look like a clown. 🙂

Wet N Wild Color Icon Shadow Trios: $3 Another Emily favorite I recently am trying. So far I really like these. They are very pigmented and last a decent amount of time. And, hey, they’re only $3!

Maybelline Baby Lips: $3 This has taken my Chapstick’s place. They are tinted lip balms and they smell so good! The darker ones give a little stain to the lips which I like. They are super moisturizing and make my lips softer when I wear them more days than not.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen: $8 I was never a fan of liquid eyeliner, but I never knew why. I finally figured out it was the type of applicator I was buying. This is a pen! It’s extremely easy to use. Instead of holding a tiny stick with a glop of eyeliner on the end I just pop the cap off this guy and literally draw on my eyes. Love it.

 

What are some of your favorite beauty thaaangs? I’m all about some beauty. Let me know in the comments!

 

 

Lipstick Diaries

I’ve found a new hobby: lipstick. Growing up I always thought lipstick was for moms and, well, grown-ups. But with all these awesome new colors (besides mauve and dark red) from affordable brands like Revlon I can add color to my badself. 😛

L to R: 013 Smoked Peach, 004 Pink About It, 616 Wink for Pink, 011 Stormy Pink, 435 Love That Pink, 720 Fire & Ice, 677 Siren, 010 Wine Not

Up until a week ago I only had Pink About It, Fire & Ice, and Siren (which had an unfortunate melting accident in the car so that’s why this is the only picture of it.) We “found” some leftover money in our budget so I bought 5 new lippysticks! Wee.

The one of the far end, Stormy Pink, disappointed me a tiny bit. I thought it was going to be a lot more pigmented than it actually was. But, I still like it. And Smoked Peach is a very neutral every day color while Fire & Ice, Siren, and the other brighter ones are for days ending in ‘y’.
As you can see in the second picture, I wear Pink About It the most (the second from the left in second photo). Though I think that’s going to change to Smoked Peach and Wink for Pink.

Any favorite lipsticks? I keep a running tab of the colors I want to try. There are only three more on my list!

PS. Lipstick for a great cause.