December 2024 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. ColourPop Gimme Sugar Pressed Powder Palette: This palette is beautiful but I feel that I have similar shades in my other purple ColourPop palettes so I'd rather pass this along.

2. L.A. Girl Eye Lux Dramatize Mesmerizing Eyeshadow Palette: I feel like this palette suffers both from somewhat chalky payoff and just the fact that its color selection feels a bit dull and uninspired to me.

3. L.A. Girl fabulous & fearless Inspiring Eyeshadow Palette: I actually LOVE the color selection in this palette, and I mean no one is surprised because I love blues and teals. But that said, these are just a tiny bit chalky and I have similar shades in my collection that I gravitate toward.

4. Ducato nail mine Beginning Smile Nail Polish: While this nail polish is pretty, it is honestly too sheer for my liking. I can get it to show up better over a pastel base, but even so, I wish it were more opaque. Due to that, I will be passing it along.

Disclaimer: All these palettes were received as gifts, all opinions are my own. I purchased the nail polish myself.

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: ColourPop Gimme Sugar Pressed Powder Palette, L.A. Girl Eye Lux Dramatize Mesmerizing Eyeshadow Palette, and L.A. Girl fabulous & fearless Inspiring Eyeshadow 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. 

 ColourPop Gimme Sugar Pressed Powder Palette, L.A. Girl Eye Lux Dramatize Mesmerizing Eyeshadow Palette, and L.A. Girl fabulous & fearless Inspiring Eyeshadow Palette

You can find a look I did with the palettes here, here, and here; respectively. These are the looks I created this month:

So as you can see I created all sorts of colorful looks with these shadows ranging from soft to more intense. I personally have found that these shadows are easy to blend and work with. That being said, the L.A. Girl Eyeshadows specifically are a little bit chalky for my liking and because overall I have similar colors in my collection, I'll be passing all the palettes along.

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

Disclaimer: All of these palettes were gifted to me by friends. 

April 2022 Empties

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

1. Korres Renewing Body Cleanser in Cashmere Rose: This body cleanser smells absolutely delicious and left my skin feeling super soft and silky. 

2.  beauty 360 Original Nail Polish Remover Pad: I purchased these to use on my feet since my local CVS, unfortunately, was closing and out of the liquid remover. These work fairly decent and do a good job of removing my nail polish. I'm able to get both feet done before it dries. That being said the pad is a bit thick which, overall, is not bad but it's difficult to get it around the cuticle area to remove nail polish there. 

3. ProBeauty Essentials Faux Mink Wispies x2: These lashes are a bit hard to get the hang of because they seem to want to just jump off the lash-line or not glue quite to where the lash-line begins. It took two pairs for me to finally got the hang of them. That being said they're a very pretty lash that gives great length and volume.  

4. thisworks deep sleep pillow spray: I personally used this fairly sporadically because it smells too herbaceous for my liking but I find that it does work to make me feel sleepier and to fall asleep faster versus when I wasn't using it.

5. Tocca Gia Eau de Parfum: I am very sad that I ran out of this perfume, because, as I'm sure many of you know I just absolutely adore it. That being said, I was starting to get sick of it at times, which is odd because as spring is approaching I'm loving it more and more again. With that being said, I appreciate running out of it because now I can play with my other perfumes. The rollerball lasted me a little over a year which, in my experience, is both shocking and a pleasant surprise.

6. Tree Hut Vitamin C Shea Sugar Scrub: I really loved this scrub, as I do most Tree Hut scrubs because they feel scrubby and invigorating to use. This has a sweet yet tangy, slightly citrusy (although more like a candy than an actual fruit) scent.

7. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: I really love this eyeliner so much. It stays put very nicely, goes on easily, and is easy to work with. I'm sad to be done with it but I have a backup so I'm technically good.

8. Duo Brush-On Adhesive with Vitamins: This is, unfortunately, getting goopy so I have replaced it with a new one.

9. L.A. Girl Flash Big & Bold Mascara: When it comes to this mascara I am so glad to be done with it. It felt dry and like it wasn't really doing very much for my lashes at all since I started using it and I am just genuinely happy it has come to an end.

10. Maybelline New York Fit Me Concealer: While I did say that I liked this in my original review of it, I personally find that I have to use a lot of product to achieve the kind of coverage that I'm after. I think when I first used this product, I was using it in conjunction with a full coverage foundation, which worked. That being said, I'm now using a tinted moisturizer and I find the combo to be one where I have to use lots of product. In addition to that, it is impossible to get to the last of this product that is gathered at the bottom of the tube. For these reasons I will probably not be repurchasing this product.

11. ColourPop Pretty Fresh hyaluronic tinted moisturizer: Although this tinted moisturizer is comfortable to wear I found that this shade is a little bit too light for me and, because it's too sheer for my personal preference, I will not be replenishing on it.

12. Nature Republic Hand & Nature sanitizer gel in Apple: Honestly, this smells like apple Jolly Ranchers which is neither here nor there for me. I wish it had more of a granny smith scent to it but it doesn't bother me much. I really like that these hand sanitizers are really lightweight and hydrating; they don't leave your skin feeling dry at all.

13. Trader Joe's Kombucha Black Tea Cleansing Oil: This cleansing oil smells delicious and overall worked well to take my makeup off (I realized I needed to use a little bit more of it than I was initially) but while I liked it I just find my other makeup removers work better and, as this isn't available in a full size I will not be getting it again.

14. beauty360 Pro Strength Nail Polish Remover: Unfortunately this is getting really bad at removing my nail polish so it's time I replaced it.

15.Dr Teal's Shea Sugar Scrub in Rose Essential Oil: I may have found a series of new favorite scrubs y'all. This smells so yummy and scrubs just as well as my beloved Tree Hut scrubs. That being said, I feel like lately the scents of Tree Hut have started going in the direction of appealing to teenagers (as in, they're extremely sweet compared to the scents that were available a few years ago) whereas these smell delicious but aren't painfully sweet. I just started on the citrus one and it's also fantastic! 

16. Lilly Lashes 3D Faux Mink in Miami: Although I found that I got good wear out of these lashes I unfortunately had a bad day and ended up crying them off. As you can imagine they were not useable after that. Frankly I think these lashes are pretty on other people and while they were OK on me I found them a bit too big, full, and having a lash band that's thicker than I like - I always ended up with a load of glue on my eyelashes that was difficult to remove and I'm convinced it's because of the lash band on these.

17. berkley jensen unscented wipes: As I mentioned in the past I really like to use these to wipe down my makeup collection or to remove swatches when I take blog photos. I like them for wiping down dust off surfaces as well and I will occasionally add rubbing alcohol to them to make them antibacterial (for instance, when I go to the laundromat I like to wipe the folding table down before I fold my clothes on it).

18. Laneige Berry Lip Sleeping Mask: Honestly so many people love this mask and I just can't relate. I wish it were thicker and more hydrating as it just doesn't do enough for me. I like its candy scent though.

19. m-61 Hydraboost Oil-Free Sunscreen SPF40: This is a really nice, lightweight, hydrating SPF that I liked to use as both an SPF and a daytime moisturizer. I am sad to have run out of it because I really liked its texture but will probably replenish with something at a lower price point.

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

 

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the thisworks, Laneige, m-61, and L.A. Girl products. 

January 2022 Empties

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

1. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Moroccan Rose: As you all know I really love these scrubs. They have a nice, intense scrubby feeling that wakes me up and helps to smooth my skin. This one has a nice rose scent that's a bit of a combination between being sweet and green. 

2. Trader Joe's Watermelon Facial Mist: Ah I am so sad that this has come to an end as I really do love using it as a toner and overall boost-of-hydration refreshing spray. Alas, toward its end it began to smell a bit musky so I think it was really time to part ways (although my bottle is empty). Hopefully this makes a comeback this year. 

3.  BYBI Super Greens Purifying Face Mask: I'm really sad to have fully used up this mask. It did a nice job of leaving my skin feeling deeply cleansed without being harsh or drying. I can't say that it did anything to significantly change the appearance of the sebaceous filaments on my nose, which is truly what bothers me most outside of my redness but alas, I still really enjoyed using this mask.

4. wet n wild Breakup Proof Waterproof Eyeliner in Ultra Black: Overall I found this to be a pretty decent brush-pen style eyeliner at the drugstore. That being said, it doesn't give me the precision that I like right off the bat and had a bit of a learning curve when I first began using it. It's fine and I'd get it in a pinch but it wouldn't be my first choice.

5. Eminence Organics Mangosteen Revitalizing Mist: This mist smells absolutely delicious, feels refreshing, and leaves my skin feeling soft. That being said I bought this because it allegedly is made to be pore-refining and I was hoping it would make some sort of difference with the sebaceous filaments on my nose but alas, no such luck. 

6. Duo Brush-On Adhesive with Vitamins: It was that time for me to replace my lash glue, I like to do it every three months because my eyes get dry and crusty, especially with all the weather changes of hot inside, cold outside so I figure changing products I use around the eye area frequently is a good idea. The brush on this is fraying also. 

7. L.A. Girl lash building Mascara in Brown: This is a good basic mascara that gave my lashes really nice length and volume. That being said, if my eyes got even a little watery this transferred and smudged all over my under-eye area. I mean the mess was easy enough to remove with a little water but overall this was just ok.

8. beauty 360 Original Nail Polish Remover Pad x2: I purchased these to use on my feet since my local CVS, unfortunately, was closing and out of the liquid remover. These work fairly decent and do a good job of removing my nail polish. I'm able to get both feet done before it dries. That being said the pad is a bit thick which, overall, is not bad but it's difficult to get it around the cuticle area to remove nail polish there. 

9. OVERTONE Purple for Brown Hair Coloring Conditioner: Overall, out of the "for brown hair" coloring conditioner, I found this to be the most ineffective. The only time I saw that this made my hair purple was under direct sunlight and only a few strands. I genuinely think you need to be medium to dark blonde at the darkest for this to show up purple. If anything, I found that this left my hair cool-toned. I wish that my hair really would have been the purple that the formulation is because I really wanted purple in my hair again. Alas. 

10. now essential oils in peppermint: There are multiple reasons I really like this oil. Firstly it helps keep my sinuses open. I got really sick toward the middle of January and using this in my diffuser was really helpful. In addition, rodents really dislike the scent of mint so if that's an issue for anyone out there, periodically sprinkling your living space with peppermint cannot hurt. 

11. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Tropical Mango: As you all know I really love these scrubs. They have a nice, intense scrubby feeling that wakes up me and helps to smooth my skin. I'm not really sure if this one was a little bit off but its scent was really intense to the point of making me a little bit sick. I'm unsure if the scent the use was merely undiluted or what. 

12. Fourth Ray beauty body milk in Avocado: Honestly I am glad to have used it up. While I really enjoyed the fact that this smells like an avocado shake, I really feel like it doesn't provide enough hydration. Especially for the wintertime. 

13. dermalogica Nightly Lip Treatment: I found this to be just alright, especially when used as a lip balm. It feels more like a cream vs something meant to hydrate the lips themselves, which makes sense because it's meant to treat lines around the lip area as well, but its texture isn't hydrating enough for the lips themselves in my opinion.

14. KORRES Renewing Body Cleanser in Cashmere Rose: I am so sad to have used this up and so glad that I have another bottle because this just smells absolutely incredible! It's such a warm, cozy, comforting sweet rose scent. One I highly recommend rose scent enthusiasts try. It does a great job of leaving my skin feeling cleansed without feeling stripped, tight, or dry.

15. Eylure London x Jasmine Brown in Jaybee: I really love how these lashes strike a balance of being intense yet enhancing both my eye shape and the eyeshadow looks that I do.

16. it Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores: I only had a sample of this and honestly it wasn't enough for me to tell you if it does anything to minimize pores or sebaceous filaments. That being said, this is a 10% glycolic solution and I haven't used glycolic acid in a while so it stung quite intensely. I would say the sensation of it stinging dissipated within a few minutes but it wasn't fun putting it on my face. Overall my skin did feel softer after I used this but I wouldn't go out and get it.

17. KORRES Santorini Grape Velvet Skin Drink: I like that this gave my skin a hit of hydration but it left my skin with quite a strange texture that other products wouldn't go nicely on top of.

The following products all developed and off-scent and hence don't have further explanations as to why I'm discarding them. 

18. Colourpop Hallucinogenius Jelly Much Shadow: 

19. Colourpop Just Your Voice Jelly Much Shadow: 

20. Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in Coconut: 

21. Colourpop Strawberry Jam Jelly Much Shadow: 

22. Lorac The Royal 3D Liquid Lustre Set : 

23. Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in Sunset Cove: I'm so sad about this, it's such a pretty color!

24. Fenty Beauty Stunna Lip Paint in Uncensored: This is another one I'm very sad about because it's BEAUTIFUL but it smells like urine now so... that's not right.

25. Colourpop Just A Tint Lip Crayon in A Go Go: I'm sad that I finished this because I love these lip tints but alas, it is fully finished.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the  L.A. Girl, it Cosmetics, Korres, and dermalogica  products. 

Mascara Review: L.A. Girl Flash Big & Bold Mascara

Alright folksickles...

Today I will be reviewing the L.A. Girl Flash Big & Bold Mascara

Sans Mascara:

With Mascara:

Availability: This retails for $7 on lagirlusa.com but in theory you can find it for varying prices at drugstores that carry L.A. Girl. 

Would I buy this?: No

Notes: This mascara comes in just the black.

Let's go over what the mascara's supposed to do and what it actually does. According to lagirlusa.com: An all-in-one formula to help lift, volumize, & lengthen lashes. Dual-sided brush adds volume & length for big, bold & beautiful looking lashes. Contains vitamin E, jojoba seed oil & panthenol to help condition lashes.
Alright so I'm sure you can see from the photographs that this mascara certainly does give my lashes a boost in length and a bit of volume as well. I mean you know I'm all about the falsies but I actually really like the idea of this mascara if I was going for a more natural look as it makes my natural lashes look really nice. I didn't have any issues with this mascara flaking or smudging. 

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

Disclaimer: My coworker gave me this as a birthday gift.

L.A. Girl Eye Lux Mesmerizing Dramatize Eyeshadow Palette Look

 Hey folks, today I bring you a fun, soft smoky look.

Enough blabbering, tutorial time!

I  applied the blush from the Lune+Aster Desert Moon Palette as a base for Hourglass Nude Glow  with my Sephora Collection Pro Mini Airbrush 55.5. I also applied illuminator from the Lune+Aster Desert Moon Palette as a base for Hourglass Metallic Strobe Powder in Champagne Strobe Light  using my Sephora Collection #74 PRO Small Blush and Contour brush.

As a base for my eyeshadow I applied MAC Bare Study Pro Longwear Paint Pot and blended it out with my Crown Pro C511 brush.

For the crease I applied the charcoal gray along with the matte black with the brush from the Urban Decay Naked Violette Palette and Crown Pro C511 Brush, respectively.

For the lid  I applied the soft metallic yellow gold wet using my  Crown Pro C510 brush and Physicians Formula Rose All Stay Setting Spray. 

To highlight the brow-bone and the inner corner of the eye I applied Inglot 353M and metallic white using my no-name gigantic paddle brush from Crown and the brush that came with the Urban Decay Naked Violette Palette, respectively.

For eyeliner, I went with the Rare Beauty Perfect Strokes Matte Liquid Eyeliner. For the waterline I applied  lune+aster Dawn to Dusk Kajal Eyeliner in Black.

For the lower lash line, I applied the metallic charcoal gray and blended it out with the soft metallic yellow gold using my Bubbi Detail brush.

The look sans lashes. 

For lashes I used  Anastasia Beverly Hills False Lashes in So Hollywood along with the Lash Star Beauty Visionary Eyelash Adhesive.

For lips, I applied the Colourpop Just A Tint Lip Crayon in Maui Wowie and topped it off with NARS Audacious Lipstick in Bette.

Hope that you liked this! :D It was super fun for me to put together! 

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

Disclaimer: The Sephora 55.5 brush, Hourglass, NARS and Lune+Aster products were provided for testing purposes.  I paid for everything else you see here myself.