January 2025 Arrivals

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

1. one+other Pro-Strength nail Polish Remover Dip: My current dip is getting super gross, isn't working too well, and is falling apart inside (meaning the plastic) so I went ahead and got a new one.

2. Duo Quick-Set Striplash Adhesive: My lash glue is getting all thick and goopy so it's time to replace it.

3.  CALA Eye Adore Lashes in Wispy: I ran out of lashes as well so I decided to pick these up. 

4. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: We all know this eyeliner is my holy grail and because the one I'm currently using is drying up, I have purchased a replenishment.

5. Compliment Lychee and Peach Clay Face Mask: I'm running low on the masks I'm currently using and since I like the lavender and blueberry variant of these masks I decided to try this out.

6. Compliment Banana and Guava Clay Face Mask: I purchased this for the same reasons I purchased the mask in the lines above. 

7. Isehan KISSME Heroine Make Long UP Mascara Super WP #01 in Black: I saw something online wherein the person using this mascara said it was great at holding a curl, was separating/defining, lengthening, and gives volume so I decided to give it a try.  

8. e.l.f. Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer in Sheer: I was running out of my primer and since Alexandra Anele said she really liked this one, and it was on sale at CVS anyway, I decided to just go ahead and give it a try.

9. SENKA Perfect Whip Beauty Foam x2: I wasn't exactly running low on my cleanser but since SENKA Perfect Whip Collagen in Perfect Face Cleansing Foam is one of my absolute favorite cleansers of all time, I decided to pick these up since they were on sale. There's only one in the photograph because I forgot to photograph them both, but I bought two since it was 2 for $12. 

10. COSRX Advanced Snail Peptide Eye Cream: I was running low on my current eye cream and since I love the COSRX Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence so much and found that my current eye cream wasn't as hydrating as I'd have wanted it to be, I picked this up and am loving it so far. 

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

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above. 

January 2025 Favorites

Hey folksickles,

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

1. essie mint candy apple nail lacquer: It's been quite a while since I used this nail polish and now that I finally did, I remember how much I love it! This is such a perfect shade of pastel mint and literally sparks joy when I look at my nails with it on!

2. Colourpop Shadow Stix in Honey BB: This eyeshadow stick was honestly a great buy! It is a shimmery fair neutral tone so on me it's pretty on its own and it also makes a fantastic base to use underneath neutral eyeshadows. I find myself reaching for this fairly often and I'm sure I'll buy another one eventually. 

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

Disclaimer: The nail polish was a gift from a friend, I purchased the rest of the products mentioned above myself.

January 2025 Empties

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

1. L.A. Colors Dramatilash winged Volume Cat Eye: I really liked the tapered shape of these lashes and how they have these wispy clusters. I find that they're flattering on my eye shape and make my eyes look larger. 

2. one+other Pro-Strength Nail Polish Remover Dip: My current dip is getting super gross, isn't working too well, and is falling apart inside (meaning the plastic) so it's time to replace it.

3. Grandma Agatha's (Agafia's) Recipe Hair Mask with Brewer's Yeast for Hair Growth: This mask literally smells like baking bread which is strange. That said, I did find that my hair grew well when I was using this, as it's usually slow to grow. Additionally, this mask left my hair feeling really soft, looking shiny, and overall easy to manage. 

4. Love Beauty And Planet Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower volume and bounty shampoo: I don't have a photo of the bottle to show you because my mom poured this into a different bottle. That said, this shampoo smells nice but it leaves my hair feeling too squeaky clean to the point of it feeling dehydrated. This also made my hair prone to tangling. I wouldn't get it again. 

5. Equate Sour Blue Raspberry Shea Sugar Scrub: I was so excited to try this scrub out because I generally like "blue raspberry" flavored things and thought oh, this could be fun in a body product and just like the rest of these scrubs, it's gritty and gives me an invigorating exfoliation. However, I just find that it smells too much like actual candy where it's too sweet for my liking and it has a tendency to leave a blue cast on my skin which I  also don't appreciate. 

6. Duo Brush-On Adhesive with Vitamins: My tube was getting all goopy and gunky so it was time to replace it.

7. COVERGIRL Lash Blast Fusion Mascara: I did get to liking this mascara more as the formula dried out a bit but overall the look it gave my lashes was still fairly soft and natural. Not quite the level of oomph I was looking for. 

8. Physicians Formula Eye Booster Waterproof Ultra-Fine Liquid Eyeliner: We all know this is, hands down, my holy grail eyeliner. This particular one dried out almost entirely so it was time to get a new one.

9. CALA Lash Adhesive: As much as I tried to make this work, I am just not a black lash glue girly. It makes such a mess during application, because if I don't glue my lashes perfectly from the get-go or have a thick line of black eyeliner, it's obvious where I tried to glue the lashes on or where they lifted and didn't attach quite properly. Additionally, when I'd go to wash my makeup off at night, this would linger around my eyes into the next day. The pigment specifically, even if it appeared that I had washed it all off, stuck around and created the appearance of racoon eyes which I wasn't a fan of. I would pass it along because I only used it twice, but since it was used on used lashes I'd rather not risk anyone getting an eye infection and will just toss it out. 

10. CALA Eye Adore Lashes in Wispy x2: These lashes are pretty and have a "natural" look wherein they give the eye oomph without being too dramatic or over-the-top. That said, they take quite a few wears to mold to the eye and have the tendency to want to pop off which can make them a pain to work with.

11. Joico Defy Damage Sleepover Overnight Nourishing Treatment: This is essentially an overnight leave-in conditioner. It smells absolutely delicious and left my hair feeling soft and silky while helping with shine and manageability. 

12. primera Alpine Berry Water Cream: This moisturizer is really hydrating - it left my skin feeling very soft and supple. Especially with the very cold weather we've been having lately, having a nourishing face cream was particularly beneficial because this kept my skin sufficiently hydrated where it was comfortable, not dry or tight. 

13. Dr Teal's Vitamin C Shea Sugar Scrub: This scrub just smells so good! It being a sugar scrub, it's very abrasive which I prefer, this feels invigorating and helps me wake up in the morning.

14. : 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 Joico (received as a gift from a friend) and primera (received from Influenster for testing) products . All opinions are my own.

Love It Or Leave It; Review 2.0: Lorac SummerGLO 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. 

 Lorac SummerGLO Eyeshadow Palette

These are the looks I created this month:

So as you can see I created all sorts of colorful looks with these shadows. I personally have found that these shadows are fairly easy to blend. As someone who adores color, this is such a fun palette to play with! That said, the colors in here are a bit too chalky and sheer for my liking, they're not as buttery as those I have in palettes with similar colors. For those reasons, I'll be passing this palette along.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this palette myself. 

Nail Product Review: Sally Hansen color therapy Strengthening Base Coat

Hello folksickles. Today's review will be for the Sally Hansen color therapy Strengthening Base Coat.

Availability: You can purchase this at any drugstore that sells Sally Hansen nail products - the pricing varies but on average this goes for $7.50 -$11. 

Would I buy this again?: Yes!

Notes: I've had a lot of issues with some of my nails peeling so I decided to give this a try since it claims to "strengthen" nails. Frankly I was concerned that, because this has oil in it, that it would impair the wear time of my nail polish or sheer it out but those concerns were unfounded. I've used this about three times so far and the peeling I had on my nails is nearly entirely gone which came as a pleasant surprise and my nail polish wears nicely over this as well! I'll definitely be getting it again!

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.

Fragrance Review: dossier Floral Berries

 Today I will be reviewing dossier Floral Berries.

Availability: This can be purchased at dossier.co or at walmart.com. This retails at $29 for 1.7 fl. oz. (50 mL).
Would I buy this again?: Probably not. 

Notes: According to the bottle, the scent notes in this perfume are: 

Top: Peony, Red Apple, Berries

Middle: Rose, Carnation, Jasmine

Base: Suede Accord, Musks

Initially applied, it smells like white florals to me, I get the impression of being at a perfume counter because it smells like various florals mixed together. As the scent dries down, the musk notes in here begin to show up. This is also quite an intense fragrance directly out of the bottle so if you're used to being generous with your fragrances, as I can be with certain ones that I own, I would suggest starting out with a minimal amount and building from there. Being that this smells so strong out of the bottle with only a few spritzes, I wouldn't repurchase it because it's just too much for me. In comparison to my memories of Peony & Blush Suede from Jo Malone, the Jo Malone fragrance is overall sweeter on me and is a softer scent. I don't dislike this or think it's awful by any means, but I also don't think it's a great dupe. I also wish that there were stores where dossier was carried, because I think the actual quality of the perfume is fine, so I'm sure they might have a scent I'd really love and I like that they're at an approachable price point, especially when they have sales. 

In terms of wear, I had this on for just around 13 hours and can still faintly smell a floral, sweet muskiness.

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

Disclaimer: I purchased this myself.

Best of 2024 Favorites

Hey folksickles. I feel like this list will be shorter than years past as I stuck to mainly the same products and things in 2024 especially, so there's that. But alas here are the products and things I very much enjoyed and would repurchase. I will say that I don't have photos of the products here because I've used up many of them and thrown them away but... there's always Google and in the instance that I've reviewed a product, the product name will be clickable and you can take a gander at the review.

1. ORLY Nail Polish in Beautifully Bizarre: I have been really loving this nail polish. I would describe this as ORLY Kiss The Bride Nail Lacquer's (a favorite of mine, as you might know) younger sister because it still has that pastel pink vibe but the teal pearl shift to it and slight tinge of lavender give it a bit of a kick while the color is still super wearable and, in my opinion, appropriate for any occasion because it's not particularly loud in any way. 

2.  e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter: Although this is marketed as a liquid highlighter, I personally use this as a glow-giving primer all over the face. I find that it gives my skin a healthy glow when used this way, it doesn't make me look oily or shiny in a bad way when used under foundation. What I enjoy about this too, is that it gives me a little extra boost of coverage as well so I can use less foundation.

And now, some shows I really loved. I feel like I watched so much trash anime last year that I can't say anything other than these moved me enough to recommend that others watch it:

16. Endo and Kobayashi Live!: I know that it's not as often that I talk about shows on here and that's because I haven't really enjoyed much of what I've been watching lately or I didn't love it enough to mention it here. That being said, not since I watched Hozuki's Coolheadedness in 2023 did I genuinely enjoy an anime. Now, especially anime in the romance genre are ones that leave me frustrated after watching them because most of them leave the viewer hanging. There's a lot of build up in terms of romantic tension that never gets resolved or comes to a conclusion - there usually is no confession of feelings for one another and the anime ends with no resolution and no further seasons in sight. Now, I understand that a lot of anime don't have the budget for multiple seasons and release the first as essentially a teaser for the manga, but I personally don't want to be switching mediums when consuming content. I love how Endo and Kobayashi Live! delivered not only a conclusive romance plot, but one which felt believable and convincing, where the characters were well-developed. I sat there literally clapping at the end of it - and - it's only one season long, so romance anime writers really could've made things work if they wanted to... I think others should be taking notes. :P

17. Cherry Magic!: Another anime, this time a boy love, that really exemplified "if they wanted to, they would" when it comes to releasing romance anime with a romance plot that actually goes somewhere. Similarly to the anime above, I found myself rooting for and clapping for the characters so it was really satisfying to watch!

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

Disclaimer: I paid for all these items mentioned above.