August 2025 Departures

Ok folksickles. Departure blogs will contain items that aren't empties but that are going to be given away for one reason or another. I'm working hard to curate my makeup collection and want it to include only the products that I think truly work well, that I reach for often and do what they're supposed to do.

1. Green Pharmacy Damask Rose Revitalization Washing Face Emulsion: Unfortunately, because this cleanser doesn't foam up, it just doesn't agree with my skin. I feel like the ingredient list makes it seem like it would be hydrating and help soothe my skin but in practice this kind of lotion texture that doesn't foam ends up irritating my skin. 

2. Milani Gilded Noir Palette: Honestly there's nothing inherently wrong with this palette - the shades in here have good color payoff and they all blend together well. That said, the color story in the palette itself is a bit too dark for my liking and I feel like I have these shades in other palettes. So for that reason I have passed it along.

Disclaimer: I purchased the cleanser myself. The Milani palette was a gift from my wifey. All opinions are my own. 

August 2025 Arrivals

Ok folksickles! I'm back to replenishing on things that I'm running out of and buying mostly just necessities.

1. wet n wild photo focus Dewy Foundation in Rose Ivory: I'm running low on my current bottle and decided to just restock on a tried and true. I find this foundation makes my skin look nice, provides buildable coverage, and stays put on my skin all day even in hot and humid weather. 

2. Kose softymo Deep Cleansing Oil: I'm running low on my bottle and since I love this for taking my makeup off with, I went ahead and got another bottle.

3. Green Pharmacy Damask Rose Revitalization Washing Face Emulsion: It seems as though my local pharmacy expanded the range they carry from this brand and since I'm running low on face wash and like the toner from this line, I decided to get this and try it out. 

4. Green Pharmacy Cactus Squalane Ultramoisturizing Face Serum: So, we all know I absolutely stan the COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence for a face serum that keeps my skin plump and hydrated. That said, this looked promising so I decided I'd give it a try and see how I like it. 

5. Green Pharmacy Pomegranate & Argan Oil Mask for Dry, Damaged Hair: Alright so honestly, my hair is currently not dry or damaged but I do like to use a hair mask weekly and the scent of this one seemed more promising than the chamomile one they had. I'm running low on my current hair mask so I decided I'd give this a try.

6. Lebelage Snail Cleansing Foam: Unfortunately the rose cleanser I mentioned above didn't work out for me so I decided to go ahead and pick this up in hopes it would be more agreeable with my skin. 

Disclaimer: I purchased all the items listed above myself. All opinions are my own.

Cleanser Review: Green Pharmacy Damask Rose Revitalization Washing Face Emulsion

'Ello folks. Today's review will be for the Green Pharmacy Damask Rose Revitalization Washing Face Emulsion.

Availability: This  retails at $6 at my local pharmacy, I'm not able to find a site that ships this to the states.

Would I buy this again?: No.

What is this product designed to address?

According to the packaging:

It combines the properties of water and oil to create an effective skincare product. 

Does it contain any special/beneficial ingredients?

Glycerin: Attracts moisture to the skin.

Cocos  Nucifera (Coconut) Oil: Has hydrating properties and helps prevent water loss in the skin.

Rosa Damascena Flower Extract: Has anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties. 

Ceramide NP, AP, EOP: Help strengthen the skin barrier and prevent moisture loss in the skin. 

Behenic Acid: Has hydrating properties.

Citric Acid: Is an AHA that has exfoliating properties - smooths the skin's surface and helps to brighten the skin.

What is the texture like?

I would describe the texture of this as a soft lotion-like cream.

Is it scented?

This has a "soapy", sweet rose fragrance to it. 

 

My overall experience/comments on the product:

Despite this having ingredients that you'd think my skin (prone to dryness and redness) would agree with, and it leaving my skin soft if I use it intermittently, unfortunately its texture doesn't agree with my skin. These emulsion cleansers that don't foam up at all simply don't agree with my skin and with the fact that, due to PCOS, I have to shave my face. Unfortunately the act of shaving with these cleansers, even ones that are marketed that they'd double as shave cream, irritate my skin and end up aggravating, rather than healing, my skin barrier. I feel like if I didn't have to shave, I might actually like it, but even so, I find that I have to use a lot more of this cleanser in comparison to the foaming ones I like in order to have the same clean feeling. With all that said, I'll be passing this along to a friend of mine. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself. 

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: Milani Gilded Noir Palette

Hello folksickles. As a makeup junkie and blogger you may have realized that I review a LOAD of eyeshadow palettes and I like to think of myself as being largely an eyeshadow junkie. In order to declutter a bit  I've decided to pick out a palette or series of eyeshadows for the month and have that be my monthly selection for those instances where I'm not doing a tutorial for the blog. Every month I'll do a recap on the eyeshadows - how I feel about them and whether I'll be keeping them or giving them away (and why :P) as well as if I think it's worth its price tag. 

Milani Gilded Noir Palette

You can find a look I did with the palette here. These are the looks I created this month:

So as you can see I created all sorts of colorful smoky looks with these shadows. Generally speaking, the quality of this palette is fantastic - the shades have great color payoff and blend together easily. That said, I will be passing this palette along.   The reason for that is that overall, the shades in this palette are darker than what I gravitate toward and I prefer brighter looks. Additionally, I do feel that I have dupes for nearly all of the shades here in other palettes that I'm more likely to reach for. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: My wifey gifted me this palette, all opinions are my own. 

July 2025 Departures

Ok folksickles. Departure blogs will contain items that aren't empties but that are going to be given away for one reason or another. I'm working hard to curate my makeup collection and want it to include only the products that I think truly work well, that I reach for often and do what they're supposed to do.

1. Hourglass Strobe Blush in Iridescent Rose: This blush is a bit too red for my very fair skin so I'll be passing it along.

2. Melt Cosmetics Smoke Sessions Palette: This is one of those situations that feels bittersweet because I really thought this palette would be a keeper. But in practice, I really don't like how the shadows were pressed for this palette - the mattes are stubborn and a bit difficult to blend and the metallic ones are crumbly and break easily. Frankly I have dupes or close enough shades in other palettes that I don't feel a need to hold onto this.

Disclaimer: The Hourglass palette was provided for testing purposes. I purchased the Melt Cosmetics palette myself.  All opinions are my own. 

July 2025 Arrivals

Ok folksickles! I'm back to replenishing on things that I'm running out of and buying mostly just necessities.

1. DUO Quick-Set Striplash Adhesive: Given that my last lash glue seemed to take forever to get tacky, I decided to go ahead and replace it with this tried and true that I know will set and become tacky quickly.

2. COVERGIRL Lash Blast SuperCloud Mascara: It was time to replace my mascara and the brush on this looked promising so I decided to give it a try.

3. Green Pharmacy Rose Water and Almond Oil Facial Toner: I'm running low on my current toner and decided to just replenish because I like this one.

4. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: It was time to replace my current one and since this is my favorite liquid eyeliner I just went ahead and purchased another one.

5. e.l.f. 16HR Hydrating Camo Concealer in Fair Beige: I completely ran out of my concealer so I got another one. 

Disclaimer: I purchased all the items listed above myself. All opinions are my own.

July 2025 Favorites

Hey folksickles,

Alright, all the goodies I've been enjoying in July :) 

1. Hourglass Blush in Sublime Flush: I'm coming to the end of this blush and I'm just reminded of how pretty it is! This goes on super smooth like butter and is a gorgeous, brightening pink shade that just makes my complexion look bright and healthy. I'm going to miss it!

2. Holika Holika Aloe Soothing Gel: I feel like this is a perfect moisturizer for this time of year especially. It feels soothing and cooling going on, I feel like it gives a good amount of hydration without being heavy, and it takes away inflammation. It's good as just as basic moisturizer but if you have a sunburn or your skin is just overheated from how hot it is outside, this is the perfect thing to cool you down. 

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer:  The Hourglass palette was provided for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. 

July 2025 Empties

All my monthly trash on display for you to see. :P

1. saie Glowy Super Gel: This is a really pretty, glowy, lightweight product that I personally liked applying as a primer to give my skin a bit more radiance. It also has a lovely lilac scent that I enjoy. That said I'm unsure if I'd buy it because there are similar items at a lower price point that work just as well.

2. The Creme Shop Flexible Fit 3D Faux Mink Lashes in Bossy x2: I really like how long, voluminous, and spiky these lashes are. 

3. WOW Skin Science Organic virgin coconut oil + avocado oil conditioner: Despite being fairly lightweight, I found this to be a nourishing conditioner that gave my hair a lot of shine and bounce without weighing it down. As someone who likes coconut scents, I appreciated the fresh coconut scent that this has. 

4. The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane: As anyone who's been following this blog for a while might know, this facial oil is an absolute holy grail for me so of course I purchased more as soon as I started running out of this. It takes the redness out of my skin and leaves my skin with a beautiful glow and soft texture.

5. Hourglass Blush in Sublime Flush: I am so sad to have run out of this blush - it's a really pretty, brightening yet natural-looking pink shade that gave my skin a nice glow. 

6. berkley jensen Scented baby wipes in Green Tea & Cucumber: As I mentioned in previous posts, I like using these to wipe down my makeup when it gets dusty or messy and for removing swatches from my hands and arms.

7. KISS Lash Couture Super Strong Strip Lash Adhesive in Clear: I don't see why they called this lash glue "super strong" as I found it to have the same level of hold that literally every other brush-on glue I've tried in the past has had. That said, this also took quite a while to get tacky and stick to my lashes so I probably won't be getting it again.

8. deal worthy Fresh Scent Body Lotion: At the price point that this lotion is, I really can't complain. I do wish that it were slightly thicker and more hydrating because while it does an alright job on the soles of my feet - where I need the most hydration, it gets absorbed rather quickly and then my feet are dry again. It does do a great job of hydrating my legs post-shave though.

9. L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Panorama Mascara: I'm honestly sad to be letting this mascara go because it made my lashes look so fantastic! This gave me the length and volume I've been seeking from mascara for ages!

10. equate Tahitian Vanilla Shea Sugar Scrub: I love how gritty this scrub is and how delicious and sweet it smells. I like that its vanilla scent feels sweet in a sophisticated way and isn't cloyingly sweet. This leaves my skin feeling very soft and smooth and is great for shave prep. 

11. Cococare 100% Natural Peppermint Oil: This time of year I use this oil as a deterrent for critters getting into my room and scaring me in the middle of the night. Unfortunately it doesn't do anything for centipedes but it seems fairly effective otherwise. 

12. COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream: I find that this is a good eye cream if what you're looking for is mainly hydration. It depuffs slightly, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily the most depuffing and it doesn't really do much to brighten the under-eye area.

13. miss spa Quick Dry Nail Color Top Coat Ultra Shiny Nail Polish: Unfortunately this top coat has gotten really goopy and difficult to work with which I feel happened quickly but alas. 

14. Dove refreshing cucumber & green tea body wash: As you know I like to use these Dove body washes in place of shave gel and like how they leave my skin soft and silky. This one has a nice refreshing yet sweet scent.

15. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner:  It was time to replace this and given it's my favorite, I just went out and picked up another one.

16. e.l.f. 16HR Hydrating Camo Concealer in Fair Rose: I honestly think this color is the best match for my skin-tone over Fair Beige, which is a hair too dark, but this is a hair too light and I wish there was a pinky shade in between those two.

17. pixi skintreats Rose Remedy Mask Nourishing Toning Jelly: This is a really great mask if you need an extra boost of hydration. It's gelatinous in texture which makes it feel cooling and soothing while it's on your face. I also personally think you don't need a thick layer of it to achieve results so the jar actually lasts quite a while if the mask is used in thin layers.

18. Green Pharmacy Rose Water and Almond Oil Facial Toner: I like this toner because it's gentle, hydrating, and feels refreshing to apply. I feel like the newer bottle doesn't smell as nice as this one did, but it still makes my skin feel nice.

19. Erbario Toscano Lavender & Lemon Purifying Soap: I really enjoyed this bar soap because it's very big, so it lasted quite a long time - about 4 months as a hand soap. Additionally, it smells really refreshing without being heavy and leaves my hands feeling soft. It's not harsh or drying like I feared it might be, so I really loved it. 

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the saie product which I received as a sample with purchase. All opinions are my own.

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: Melt Cosmetics Smoke Sessions Palette

Hello folksickles. As a makeup junkie and blogger you may have realized that I review a LOAD of eyeshadow palettes and I like to think of myself as being largely an eyeshadow junkie. In order to declutter a bit  I've decided to pick out a palette or series of eyeshadows for the month and have that be my monthly selection for those instances where I'm not doing a tutorial for the blog. Every month I'll do a recap on the eyeshadows - how I feel about them and whether I'll be keeping them or giving them away (and why :P) as well as if I think it's worth its price tag. 

Melt Cosmetics Smoke Sessions Palette

You can find a look I did with the palette here. These are the looks I created this month:

So as you can see I created all sorts of green looks with these shadows. I personally have found that these shadows are a bit of a pain to work with if I'm honest. The mattes were pressed such that initially it was difficult to get good color payoff with them and generally I find that they're not the easiest to blend although I can make them work. Additionally, the metallic shades were pressed in a way that made them crumbly and easily breakable which I also wasn't a fan of. The color payoff is nice and the metallic shades are gorgeous when applied wet. But that said, I'll be passing this palette along especially because I feel like I have similar shades in other palettes that are easier to work with.  

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I purchased this palette myself.