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.

December 2024 Arrivals

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

1. Shiseido Prepare Razor L-Type: I really like to use these razors to dermaplane and to fix up any precise areas of facial hair growth (for instance right under the nose) that's in sensitive areas and would hurt to pluck.

2. CVS Health Intense Dry Skin Therapy Severe Dry Skin Lotion: I picked up this lotion because I feel like lately the lotions I've used don't hydrate enough for my liking so I just went in with something labeled to be intensely hydrating to see how I like it. 

3. dossier Floral Berries: This is allegedly a dupe for Jo Malone's Peony and Blush Suede, which I've coveted for a long time, but it's pricey and not necessarily the longest-lasting perfume, so I've always hesitated to purchase a bottle for myself. That said, since this is a fraction of the price I decided to try it out. Although I don't have the Jo Malone to compare them side by side accurately, in my recollection the Jo Malone smells a bit different. Perhaps slightly sweeter. But I like the way this smells so I'll be holding onto it. 

4. COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence: I love this essence for the winter season because it's extremely hydrating and keeps my skin from getting prune-y and crusty. 

5. The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane: This is an absolute holy grail product for my skin so I refuse to be without it! This oil really helps take away any redness, irratation, and inflammation in my skin. This also helps smooth out my skin's texture so my skin is left feeling very soft and supple. 

6. wet n wild photofocus Loose Setting Powder in Translucent x3: I love this powder because it's not overly matte or powdery, it is friendly to use with my dry skin because it doesn't emphasize or cling to dry patches, it helps with the longevity of my makeup, and ultimately my skin looks like skin with this on. Hence, I stocked up on this while it was on sale. 

7. Brow Brush/Lash Comb: I purchased this because my current one has lost many patches of hair from the brow brush section so it was time for a new one. But that said, I like lash combs with metal teeth because the plastic ones tend to not hold up very well. I find this to be an indispensable tool to comb through my lashes after I apply mascara to help comb out any clumps. Additionally, if there's lash glue stuck in my lashes, this is a great tool to gently dislodge it!

8. Ivon Cuticle Trimmer x3: I'm on my last cuticle trimmer and I like to replace these about every 3 months when they start to dull and for hygiene reasons. Given these were on sale, I decided to restock. 

9. Sally Hansen color therapy Strengthening Base Coat: I'm running low on my base coat and since I have some nails that are prone to peeling, I figured I'd try a base coat that's meant to condition and strengthen the nails and see if that doesn't help with the issue. 

10. miss spa Quick Dry Nail Color Ultra Shiny Top Coat: I ran out of my topcoat completely, it got so gloppy that it wasn't useable so while waiting for the shipment of my trusty standby, I went and purchased this as an emergency solution. I'm finding that it works alright but it doesn't have the same smoothing effect that the one below does. 

11. inm Out the Door Topcoat for Nails x3: This is my absolute favorite topcoat for nails. It smooths out any issues with the nail polish, it looks and feels smooth, and it actually does help speed up drying time. Granted, I still like to give my finished nails a good 30 minutes to fully set. But regardless, they often feel dry to the touch well before the 30 minutes pass.

12. be natural by ProLinc cuticle eliminator: The name of this product sounds very dramatic. Anyways, I bought this because frankly it's less expensive to buy cuticle remover in bulk so I went for a larger bottle. In fact I bought the super jumbo bottle of this because I like the way this product works and I have the smaller bottle to use for refills. 

13. fino Premium Touch Hair Mask: Since I'm running low on my current hair mask and my wife recommended this one highly, I decided to pick it up because it was also on sale. 

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

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above. 

December 2024 Empties

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

1. inm Out the Door Topcoat for Nails: This has gotten to its tail end and I can't reach into the bottle properly in order to be able to use this. 

2. Deborah Lippmann Gel Lab Pro Nail Polish in Rule Breaker: This is a pretty purple nail polish but I have a similar issue as the one above - this is at its end and it's nearly impossible to coat the brush properly in order to get this to apply nicely.

3. Equate Tropical Mango Shea Sugar Scrub: I really like that these scrubs are gritty without being overly abrasive and are at an affordable price point. This has a really yummy sweet, fruity, tropical scent that I really enjoy.

4. Clean Beauty Smoke & Mirrors 6 Pairs of Reusable Lashes with Lash Glue (bottom pair): These are made out of the material that bends easily so they were easier to work with versus some of the other pairs in this set. That being said, I wasn't a fan of this lash shape on myself so they were just ok. 

5. Vaseline Intensive Care cocoa radiant Lotion: I like the texture of this moisturizer and it smells pretty nice but unfortunately I feel like it just isn't hydrating enough for the wintertime. 

6. wet n wild photofocus Loose Setting Powder in Translucent: This is a great setting powder that has a satiny finish, stops the under-eye area from creasing, but still has the skin looking like healthy skin which I adore. 

7. The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane: As we all know I absolutely adore squalane oil and don't want to be without it. This oil takes away much of the redness and inflammation, helps to soothe, and smooths out my skin's texture - making it baby soft, supple, and almost buttery. 

8. Chaos Makeup Watermelon Highlighter: I'm sad to have used this all up. It's a beautiful pink highlight with a greenish gold shift and looks really pretty.

9. Bath & Body Works PocketBac Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Turquoise Waters: I like these hand sanitizers in general because, for the most part, they smell nice and don't irritate or dry out my skin. But that said, I feel like the scent on this was just so intense and lingering.

10. Christophe Robin Curls Care x Style Luscious Curl Cream with Flaxseed Oil: While my hair is arguably more wavy than it is curly, I really loved this styling cream. This added a nice boost of hydration to my hair, helped define my waves but left them soft and touchable, and it smells nice as well.

11. Sephora Collection Pro Brow Comb 21: I loved this brush so much because these lash combs with the metal teeth work great for removing mascara clumps or lash glue from lashes and them being metallic meant they stayed intact and didn't fall apart the way their plastic counterparts did. That said, a few clusters of hair have come out of the brow brush end of this and it was time to replace it. 

12. miscellaneous lashes: One of my friends offered these lashes to me and I figured why not, I won't say no to free lashes. These are pretty and fluttery but they had a stubborn lash band so I had issues with them wanting to pop off at the inner corners.

13. Equate Juicy Citrus Shea Sugar Scrub: I genuinely think this is my favorite of the Equate scrub scents, it's so sweet-sour and yummy! Just like the rest of these scrubs, it's gritty and gives me an invigorating exfoliation.

14. berkley jensen Scented Baby Wipes in Green Tea & Cucumber: As I mentioned in previous posts, I like to use these wipes to wipe down surfaces and to remove swatches if I take blog photos. They smell really nice and these large packs last quite a while. 

15. Secret Powder Fresh 24 Hr Invisible Solid: I really like these deodorants because they keep me dry, smelling fresh, and don't irritate my armpit skin. 

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the lashes which were a gift from a friend. All opinions are my own.

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. 

November 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. Kat Von D Spellbinding Eyeshadow Book: There is nothing wrong with this eyeshadow palette in the sense of the shadows includes are pigmented, they blend well, they're easy to work with and are beautiful. That said, I feel like I have dupes for all of them in my collection and don't reach for these particular shadows so I'd rather pass them along. Additionally, the palette is large and has an insert with the names printed onto it (rather than printing them directly onto the palette, ugh) and I find that makes it cumbersome to use. I also don't love how there's literally no mattes in it either, I can use it as a standalone but I prefer to have more texture to the looks I create. 

Disclaimer: The Kat Von D palette was a gift, all opinions are my own.

November 2024 Arrivals

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

1. Kose softymo Deep Cleansing Oil : I'm running low on my cleansing oil so I decided to pick this one up to replenish since I prefer it to the Kose softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil version.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above. 

November 2024 Empties

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

1. Clean Beauty Smoke & Mirrors 6 Pairs of Reusable Lashes with Lash Glue (fourth pair from top): So, what I liked about this pair of lashes is that they had the gelatinous band that molded to my eyes better than the second and third pairs did. I also like their chunky yet wispy shape. However, these lashes still had the tendency to want to pop up at the inner corners and I found that rather frustrating.

2. Dove refreshing cucumber & green tea body wash: As I mentioned, I like using these in place of shaving gel. The reason being I find that the body washes last me two months versus a week with shave gel because I am a hairy beast with sensory issues that hates the feeling of hair on their body. I also find that most of the body washes in this line are hydrating and gentle on my skin. Anyway, this one has, as its name implies, a refreshing scent of cucumber and green tea.

3. Lancome Energie de Vie Dullness Relief & Energy Recharge Daily Cream: I used to absolutely love this moisturizer and was excited when its turn came up to finally use it. That said, I find that for my skin as it is, this is hydrating and smoothing but it's not quite as hydrating as I would personally like. With the seasons changing now, I have dry spots that this was barely enough for. I do love its lightweight gel cream texture, how it feels cooling when applied, and how it has a bit of a smoothing effect on the skin. 

4. EVELINE COSMETICS Goat Milk and Collagen Eye Contour Serum: This is a nice, lightweight basic eye cream but personally I like something a bit more hydrating and brightening. 

5. wet n wild photo focus Dewy Foundation in Rose Ivory: I love this foundation. I think that its price point is great and accessible. It's lightweight, has buildable coverage, a beautiful healthy glowy finish, and it stands up to humidity really well. I'm actually shocked how well this wears in all weather conditions and highly recommend it. 

6. berkley jensen Scented baby wipes Green Tea & Cucumber x2: As I always mention, I like to use these to wipe down surfaces - especially when it comes to wiping down my makeup collection. I also like to remove swatches of makeup with these. We have started keeping a package of these in the restroom as well which my mom takes to the laundry with her to wipe down the tables there or we'll wipe things up in the restroom with these, hence why I have two of them in empties this time. 

7. Kose softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil: This makeup remover worked just fine and the bottle lasted me nearly a whole year so that's a plus. That said, I personally prefer the Deep Cleansing Oil version of this because it actually does a more speedy job of removing stubborn makeup as it's meant to be more deep cleansing, and I get to use less of it as well. Also I feel like this bottle had some sort of leak because it always felt greasy and I didn't like that. 

8. Equate Coconut Hibiscus Shea Sugar Scrub: I really like that these scrubs are gritty without being overly abrasive and are at an affordable price point. This has a really yummy sweet and sour scent that I really enjoy, it smells refreshing yet floral.

9.  LAZY JUNGLE Rice Foam Cleanser: I like how foamy, soft, and hydrating this cleanser is. I think it's a great basic cleanser for anyone with dry skin, as it left my skin feeling refreshed yet hydrated.  

10. Clean Beauty Smoke & Mirrors 6 Pairs of Reusable Lashes with Lash Glue (fourth pair from top): These are some kind of papery plastic material that just is flimsy in the sense that it did not want to mold to the eye and loved to pop off at the inner corners especially, but on the outer ones occasionally as well. I think their shape is so pretty but they're a pain in the butt to work with.

11. Isehan Kiss Me Sunkiller Perfect Water Essence Alcohol Free SPF 50+ PA++++: This is a nice, lightweight SPF. My main complaint is that I dislike the scent of this and find it a bit strong. I prefer the Biore UV Aqua Rich Water Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ which I feel is similar, but I like better due to both its texture being a bit lighter and it not having such an intense scent.

12. Ivon Cuticle Pusher: I purchased a three pack of these because my cuticles were starting to look raggedy and they do a really nice job of getting rid of the dead skin but I feel like they're not as invasive as literal cuticle nippers and are easier to use.

13. Givenchy Powder Puff: These are great at apply powder to the face and are very soft. It's time to replace this one. 

14. Shiseido Prepare Dermaplaning Razor: It's about that time to replace this razor as it's getting a bit dull.

15. matrix Food For Soft hydrating shampoo: This shampoo left my hair soft, hydrated, silky, and shiny. This also has a really delicious gourmand vanilla scent. 

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the products mentioned above with the exception of the matrix shampoo which was a gift from a friend.  All opinions are my own.