Saturday, January 19, 2019

Departures - December 2018

Ok folksickles, I had a thought to have a new "column" in here that I'll be calling Arrivals and Departures which is essentially a two-parter that will happen monthly (or as applies). 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. Huda Beauty Emerald Obsessions Palette: (Not pictured) Overall I just didn't love the texture of the shadows in this palette and the way they blended with one another. It was OK but not the quality I was hoping for given its price point.

2. Huda Beauty Sapphire Obsessions Palette: (Also not pictured) I would say essentially I have the same feelings about this as I did about the Emerald Obsessions palette.

3. NYX Code Breaker Ombre Blush: This is a beautiful blush shade, the quality of which is great. However, it's time to face the facts that it is NOT for a super fair skin-tone that's naturally rosy. Don't get me wrong if you're someone fair that loves the look of tons of blush do you but while I like a pop of color to look alive this, even with a light hand, gets to look like too much on me quite quickly.

4. Chaos Makeup Technicolor Highlighter: While this is a really pretty highlighter I just found that it didn't hold up too great throughout the day on my skin.

5. Chaos Makeup Striking Highlighter: Again, while a pretty highlighter I find that this one is too silvery for my complexion - I prefer more of a white gold or a white orange-pink situation. Overall this is just too cool-toned for my liking. I could use it as an eyeshadow but given the amount of silver in my collection and how often I wear it I felt it best to just pass this along.

6. Nature Republic 23 Apple Red Color & Nature Nail Color: While a really fun red I found this chipped off my nails quicker than I would've hoped.

7. Ms. Sparkle Sinbad: Initially when I received this I already wasn't a fan that it was sheer rather than opaque. However, I figured I could use it as topcoat. I found that it just deposited random glitter flakies on my nails that just didn't feel cohesive and because of that I decided to pass it along.

Disclaimer: I purchased all products mentioned myself with the exception of the Chaos Makeup Highlighters which were both provided as gifts-with-purchase.

Friday, January 18, 2019

Arrivals - December 2018

Ok folksickles! Arrivals feature items I bought this month that are joining my collection; a haul if you will. Without further ado.





1. Sheet Masks: This time the sheet masks were Christmas gifts from my beautiful wifey!
Innissfree my real squeeze ginseng
Innissfree my real squeeze tea tree oil

2. Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter: This is a beautiful dewy product that I find works as either a super glowing light coverage foundation or a primer for a more heavy-duty foundation. As someone who loves glowy dewy skin this was absolutely up my alley as I've been wanting to try something from Charlotte's line and had some products that I was returning to Sephora anyhow.

3. Melt Cosmetics Smoke Sessions Palette: I had to have this palette pretty much from the moment I saw it. First of all, the shades in here are GORGEOUS! As a fan of greens and warm-tones this was just utter perfection. I also have to say that as a stickler for detail I love all the attention that was put in this - the very carried-through weed theme from the box this came in, to the weed leaves on the palette, to naming each shade after a different strain of weed. I mean, whether or not you partake in the plant you have to appreciate how much thought went into it!

4. NEST Birchwood Pine: (Not pictured) I bought this because it smells like Christmas tree, although, spoiler, it doesn't really have much of a throw which disappoints me.

5. Otaku Scents Candles: Otaku Scents has a really cute concept of creating candles based off anime characters' likes and personalities. For this haul I decided to go with shows that I am familiar with and characters that I really like/scents that sounded good. I have to put in a spoiler and say that although I ABSOLUTELY ADORE the idea of these candles in practice they - at least the two I've burned so far - don't perform well. The scent throw is fairly mild and the candles burn EXTREMELY unevenly unless you give them a full 4 hour burn time which we don't all have time to do. Now, typically, when I burn a candle I give myself a minimum of 90 minutes to have it lit so the surface heats up and melts appropriately. Alas, these tend to want to canyon and they burn funny due to the wax being whipped (I think?) - they give off a lot of air bubbles as they burn and I believe these trapped air bubbles contribute to an uneven temperature and thus lackluster burning. Anyhow, these are the scents I picked up.
Hotaru (Sailor Moon)
Princess Serenity (Sailor Moon)
Haruka (Sailor Moon)
Moon Kingdom (Sailor Moon)
Ami (Sailor Moon)
Makoto (Sailor Moon)
Kana (Kobayashi-san Chi no Dragon Maid)
Levi (Attack on Titan)

6. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer: I needed a new concealer and my wife suggested I give this a try. I really like it. It gives good coverage and is very smooth, creamy, and easy to blend.

7. Eylure Lashes: I really ADORED the Vegas Nay ones I bought a while back at Ulta so I decided to give a few more pairs a try
Jasmine Brown in Jaybee (LOVE)
Thalia in Power Play (Meh)
Vegas Nay Platinum Princess (LOVE)

8. TonyMoly Changing U Magic Foot Peeling Shoes: My feet have felt very crusty so when I saw this at Ulta I decided to give it a go. Overall it works like most of the other foot peels I've tried but given the results I experienced I wouldn't get it again. It took maybe about a week or slightly over for my feet to start peeling and I have to say the peeling was not as much as I expected given the condition of my feet.

9. Flower Light Illusion Liquid Foundation: This is an absolutely beautiful glowing, medium to full coverage build-able foundation. Given that I only had a bottle of foundation left when I picked this up I felt like I can justify it.

10. Makeup Revolution Jewel Collection Deluxe Palette: I had to have this palette as soon as I touched the tester in-store. It's a beautiful, romantic color story with very smooth, pigmented, buttery textures. I'm very excited to play with it!

11. Maybelline Soda Pop Palette: The color scheme on this palette reminded me a lot of the Too Faced Peanut Butter and Jelly palette which I happened to have missed out on so I decided to give it a try.

12. Maybelline Lemonade Craze Palette: My wife said this is a good one and given the really pretty glittery shades in here I wanted to try it out.

13. Juvia's Place Palettes: I have been hearing so much about how pigmented, smooth, and easy to blend these palettes were and I had to give them a go. I mean yes, they took a while to ship to me but the hype is real! These are absolutely bomb. I love how some of these palettes have shades I can use as blushes and highlighters too! I got the:
The Warrior
The Douce
The Saharan II
The Festival
The Zulu
Afrique
The Masquerade Mini

14. LUSH Haul: I feel like the easiest way is just to list out everything I bought at LUSH although most of it came in gift sets that I purchased in the boxing day sale (12/26; literally the only day of the year they officially have a sale). That said though, all of these products were recommended by my friend Kevvie and hence I feel appropriate grouping them altogether. Without further ado:
Rudolph Mask
Golden Pear Soap x3
Dream Cream Body Lotion x2
Ectoplasm Shower Cream
Santa's Belly Shower Jelly
Baked Alaska Soap
Cranberry Fizz Lip Scrub
Rose Jam Shower Gel (OMFG I ADORE this stuff so much!!!!)
Sugar Plum Fairy Sugar Scrub
Buck's Fizz Body Conditioner
Fleur de Sel Bath Bomb x2
Floating Island Bath Oil
You've Been Mangoed Bath Oil
Double Vitality Bath Oil
Ro's Argan Body Conditioner (Sample) (They had asked me what I'd like to try out and I asked for anything in the Rose Jam scent because I just love it so much!)

15. Dr. Wellness Tea Tree & Argan Foot Mask: Another Christmas gift from my wife - this did a really good job of making the soles of my feet feel really soft.

16. The Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel: I know I married the right woman because I friggin LOVE the Satsuma scent and she got it for me with me never having brought it up to her how much I LOVE it. Now would be a really bad time to drop the news that we're work wives and like not in a magical lesbian relationship but alas the LOVE is there. :P

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above with the exception of the free Innisfree, Dr. Wellness, LUSH (sample) and The Body Shop products I've indicated above as well as of some of the Juvia's Place palettes, which were Christmas gifts from my wife. Each individual palette review states which were gifts and which I bought myself.

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

December 2018 Favorites

Hey folksickles,
Alright, all the goodies I've been enjoying in the month of December. :) 

1. Juvia's Place Palettes - There's no particular palette and the ones in the above photo are all the palettes I own. I just got into Juvia's Place during Black Friday in 2018 as I've been hearing so many good things about the quality and pigmentation of these palettes. Reviews will be up most likely in the spring as I'm very back-logged with all the reviews I've intended to do - all the looks I'll put up using these palettes were done in December. That said, these are absolutely AMAZING and I was so happy to play with them. I found that using them really brought back the creativity and overall fun I used to have with color when I first started wearing makeup and I'm happy to be back in that place of play and wonder. 

2. Eylure x Jasmine Brown Lashes in Jaybee - These are beautiful lashes that manage to be fluttery, flirty, a bit wispy, spiky, and voluminous all at once. I received a lot of compliments when I wore them and just absolutely adore them!

Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Disclaimer: I purchased everything discussed above myself with the exception of some of the Juvia's Place palettes, which were Christmas gifts from my wife. Each individual palette review states which were gifts and which I bought myself.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

December 2018 Empties

All my garbage of the month! :D
1. Sheet Masks Galore:
nu Pore Rosemary Collagen Essence Face Mask: This is a nice hydrating, refreshing sheet mask. it has a bit of an herbal spa-like scent but I wouldn't say it smells like rosemary the way I was expecting.
TONYMOLY I'm Red Wine Gel Eye Patch: I found this eye patch to be really hydrating and de-puffing for the under-eye area. I really like these eye patches because I find that my under-eye area looks more hydrated, brighter, and that the fine lines around my eyes seem less prominent when I use them.
TONYMOLY I'm Lemon Gel Eye Patch: Truth be told I found that all of these eye patches have a fairly similar result, just different scents. I was concerned that the lemon might be irritating to my under-eye area but that was not the case at all.
A'Pieu Coffee Milk Air Pocket Sheet Mask: This mask is EFFING INCREDIBLE! I cannot wait to buy more! Firstly, it smells exactly as its name implies. Like a café au lait! But on top of smelling wonderful it also left my skin feeling firmer, more hydrated, and refreshed.
A'Pieu Cicative Zinc Sheet Mask: I found this to be a fairly hydrating sheet mask.
the Creme Shop Last Christmas Forever Young Face Mask: I find this was a good refreshing, hydrating mask. 
nu Pore Aloe Collagen Essence Face Mask: A nice soothing, hydrating face mask.
I'm Sorry for my Skin Jelly Mask - Revitalizing: Frankly speaking these masks are not my favorite. They're over-saturated in this jelly serum and feel like a wet rag more than a refreshing sheet mask. I find overall that it worked ok but is nothing to write home about.
I'm Sorry for my Skin Jelly Mask - Hydrating: Although I know the point of this mask is to combat the skin dulling effects the dehydration that drinking too much coffee may cause I found myself disappointed that it didn't smell like coffee. As the one above this worked ok but I wouldn't pick it up again.
A'Pieu Cicative Calcium Sheet Mask: I found this to be a lovely sheet mask that made my skin feel hydrated and supple.
I'm Sorry for my Skin S.O.S. Jelly Mask - Calming: Frankly I'm not the biggest fan of these masks as I find the jelly serum too thick and gelatinous for my liking.
I'm Sorry for my Skin Jelly Mask - Pore Care: As with the other mask described above I found the serum too thick and gelatinous. I don't find that this made a difference for my pores.
TONYMOLY I'm Green Tea Gel Eye Patch: I found this eye patch to be really hydrating and de-puffing for the under-eye area. I really like these eye patches because I find that my under-eye area looks more hydrated, brighter, and that the fine lines around my eyes seem less prominent when I use these patches. It's described as refreshing and I have to agree with that.
the Creme Shop Clarifying Face Mask: A nice, refreshing sheet mask.
A'Pieu Icing Sweet Bar Sheet Mask: This is a really nice, refreshing sheet mask that smells like pineapple juice. I think it's fun but I don't find that it did very much for my skin.
Nu Pore Vitamin E Collagen Essence Sheet Mask: A nice, hydrating sheet mask.
Nu Pore Honeysuckle Grapefruit Moisturizing Eye Mask: I found this to be a refreshing under-eye mask but that being said, it's lighter-weight, and therefore not as hydrating, as the TONYMOLY masks are. 
Nu Pore Green Tea Collagen Essence Face Mask: A nice, soothing, hydrating face mask.
Nu Pore Cucumber Collagen Essence Face Mask: A nice, hydrating face mask.
patchology Soothe 5 Minute Flashmasque: Although this is meant to be a quickie 5 minute sheet mask I kept it on for 20 minutes the way I do with my other masks. Firstly, at $8, it's pricier than my other sheet masks so I wanted to get my money's worth... or rather THE money's worth as this happened to be a gift-with-purchase at work. Anyhow, I found that it did a nice job of feeling hydrating, soothing, and slightly reducing the redness in my skin.
Nu Pore Pomegranate Collagen Essence Face Mask: I think you can gather from my one-liners about these masks that I found them to be just ok. I like pomegranate masks but this one was also, just ok. It was refreshing and hydrating but I wasn't really moved by it.

2. Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Tropical Mango: As you folks know I absolutely adore these body scrubs - they're super scrubby and do a wonderful job of getting rid of hard, dead skin cells and waking me up. This smells sweet, tropical, and delicious!

3Bath & Body Works Butterfly Flower Fragrance Mist: This smells like the rest of the Butterfly Flower range - a beautiful lightweight summer floral.

4. Clinique Pep-Start Double Bubble Purifying Mask: Although this is supposed to be a purifying mask I found that it did an alright job of making my skin feel cleansed and mostly the bubbles just tickled. I wouldn't go out of my way to pick this up.

5. m-61 Vitablast C Serum Pad: Although I enjoy the idea of these pads and found them to be alright while I had them overall I found them a bit tacky feeling and not well-moistened enough (especially in comparison to the Hyaluronic Acid pads). I find that although convenient, these pads are extremely pricey for what they are and honestly it's much more cost-effective to purchase a bottle of serum.

6Tree Hut Shea Sugar Scrub in Pear & Chia Seed: I believe this is a newer scent and it smells absolutely delicious! A nice sweet, refreshing scent with the intense scrubby sugar that I'm used to.

7. CVS Pomegranate and Lime Brightening Gel Facial Mask: Although not marketed as such, this mask has somewhat of a self-warming function and feels really nice on the skin. I find that it refreshes my skin and leaves it looking and feeling hydrated. This also has a nice scent to it. I wish it were available in a large tube as I really do enjoy using it.

8. Clorox Disinfecting Wipes in Fresh Scent: This is the last of the batch I had and I am glad to b done with these. The scent is cloying chemical and although I love that they disinfect I don't love that they have such an intense chemical scent - I feel like there's all kind of awful harsh things in this which makes me wary of wiping things like my makeup down with them.

9. Bath & Body Works White Tea & Ginger Shower Gel: I love tea scents and this one doesn't disappoint. It smells incredible, produces a great foam, and leaves me feeling clean without being stripped.

10. m-61 Hydraboost HA Serum Pad: I really enjoyed these pads, I feel that they really hydrated my skin and felt REALLY well-moistened. One pad covered my face, neck, dĂ©colletage, back-of-the-neck, elbows, AND backs of my hands. That said, I still feel like you'd get more of a bang for your buck buying a bottled serum versus buying these pads.

11. TONYMOLY Changing U Magic Foot Peeling Shoes: While these work alright I find that it took FOREVER - I'm talking like a good 8 days for my feet to begin peeling. In these 8 days they felt intensely tight, dry, and itchy to the point where I was about to give up and moisturize them right around the time they started peeling (I don't moisturize my feet when I do peeling masks as I find that it negates the peeling effects). Now, I wouldn't say it was worth the wait as I know my feet were rather dry and crusty and the peeling that occurred was no more intense than other masks I've tried.

12. Now Essential Oils in 100% Pure Lemon: This is a really delicious-smelling lemon essential oil. I use it mainly in my fragrance diffuser but it works well to gargle (infuse about 10 drops into a cup of warm water) a sore throat with.

13. wet n wild photo focus Concealer: I have to say that this is probably, hands down, my favorite concealer - if not one of my favorites. It glides on beautifully, provides great coverage, and is seriously inexpensive. I am genuinely sad to be out.

14. Trish McEvoy Wild Blueberry Vanilla Scented Candle: I have to be honest in that these candles disappointed me. For high-end candles I expected for there to be a throw - even if I was burning a mere 3 votive candles. This smells delicious, like blueberries & cream oatmeal and Trix cereal had some sort of baby. I really love the scent but given their lack of throw and high price point I wouldn't consider picking this up again.

15. Tresseme Flawless Curls Mousse: This is a nice mousse that gives definition to my waves and a bit of hold. It can occasionally be crunchy if I use too much or don't do a good job of distributing it through my hair evenly but overall I find that it works great and smells nice too.

16. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Apoline: This is a really pretty pinkish nude shade and I received a lot of compliments when I wore it.

17.L'Oreal Smooth & Glow 3 Pure Sugars + Grapeseed Pure-Sugar Scrub: I found this scrub useable but overall more aggressive than I'd like for the facial skin. Although I used to like harsher scrubs in the past I find that my facial skin responds best to either chemical exfoliators or to softer, more gel-like physical scrubs. That said, this smells absolutely delicious.

18. Odacite Ba+S Baobab Sarsaparilla Eye Contour Serum Concentrate: This serum smells fantastic and I found that it did a beautiful job of hydrating the eye area without being thick or heavy. I felt like a little went a long way - I'd use a drop per eye but a drop for both eyes would've probably worked just as well. I found that I went through this kind of quickly but I enjoyed it while I had it.

19. Sally Hansen Big Kwik Dry Top Coat : I found that this topcoat worked just okay - it didn't dry quicker than most other top coats that I used and I didn't really feel like it prolonged the wear of my nail polish.

20. Darphin Hydraskin Light All-Day Hydrating Cream Gel: This moisturizer is just incredible. Although it's a cream gel I find that it moisturizes my skin really well without feeling heavy. It has an absolutely beautiful texture that my skin just LOVED.

21. Crown C511 Brush: I've had this brush for 2 years now and it's gotten rather frayed and a lot thinner than when I originally bought it. Given the inexpensive nature of Crown brushes I don't mind parting ways with this. It was good while it lasted but I have a backup which I'll be using.

22. NEST Fragrances Sparkling Cassis Scentstick: This was a singular mini liquid-less diffuser stick that SCENTED UP MY ENTIRE ROOM with the delicious scent that it has. I have to say I am quite impressed.

23. dermalogica Skin Resurfacing Cleanser: This is a very gently exfoliating cleanser. I found that it worked to cleanse my face but is overall more drying than I'd like. In addition, it doesn't smell that great - the scent is kind of chemically.

24. Bath & Body Works Frosted Cranberry Scented Candle: One of my favorite holiday scents - this has a nice sweet, refreshing cranberry scent.

25. Dr. Barbara Sturm Anti-Aging Body Cream: While this body cream has a really nice apricot scent I find that it's fairly lightweight - I wish it were thicker and richer, more luxurious-feeling for its price point. I also didn't notice any lightening, tightening, or brightening of the skin where I would've thought "oh wow this really has anti-aging" benefits. I don't wanna be the one but I'm gonna be the one - this is just very overpriced skin cream in  my personal opinion and I'd really have to be wowed a lot harder for me to want to go out and buy this.

26. Indiee Lee I-Awaken Eye Serum: This is a nice depuffing, hydrating serum for the under-eye area. I like that it feels hydrating and isn't heavy.

27. Dr. Barbara Sturm Face Cream: I will say that I really like this cream - it's not too heavy but feels hydrating. That said, I genuinely don't understand the sky-high price point for an everyday face cream. Like, I get that for the high-end luxe crowd $215 may not feel like a lot of money to drop on a cream but for an everyday person who maybe understands that their skin would benefit from a moisturizer that's insanely expensive! In addition to that, I didn't find that this did anything so mind-blowing for my skin that I feel that the price point is in any way justified. I'm just kind of annoyed with this being so pricey.

28.Dr. Barbara Sturm Enzyme Cleanser: This is a powder cleanser that you are meant to emulsify with water. I like that it foams and does a nice job of cleansing my skin whilst still feeling gentle. Like the face cream I think it's lowkey ridiculously expensive for what it is and while I think it's nice it is by no means $75 nice when my favorite cleanser is a mere $10 and frankly makes my skin feel just as good, if not better, than this does.

29. Dove Go Fresh Cucumber & Green Tea Scent Body Wash: A staple item - I really like these body washes to shave with because they're really moisturizing, smell good, and provide a good glide for my razor.

30. Ardell Double Up in 206 Black: I feel like I'm always trying the double up lashes hoping I'll find a pair I like and it always fails. These look kind of chunky and spidery - not a fan.

31. Eylure x Jasmine Brown Lashes in Jaybee: I absolutely LOVE these lashes - they're a nice full, spikey lash that give great definition to the eyes. This pair lasted me three weeks and really kept its integrity - in fact they still look fairly new, outside of the band itself being kind of crusty from glue.

32. Moroccanoil Volume Thickening Lotion: One of my friends got this for me as a gift and honestly I wanted to love it but I find that it works well as a styling cream - meaning it adds moisture to the hair and helps with flyaways and creating a smooth look but it doesn't make a noticeable difference with making my hair feel thicker.

33. Beauty 360 Advanced Nail Polish Remover: I will say that, although this isn't as good as my fave - the Sephora Instant Nail Polish Remover - it's a close second. This has little silicone nubs in it that help to buff nail polish off the nails. I find it works well.

34. Laura Mercier Body & Bath Fresh Fig SoufflĂ© Body Cream: This is a nice body cream with a sweet, soft powdery scent. To be honest the scent in the jar usually turned me off because it's so powdery but I decided to try it out and I really like the way it smells on me - sweet and feminine.

35. Klorane Nourishing Shampoo with Mango Butter: I really wanted to love this shampoo because it smells like a mango smoothie. IT SMELLS SO GOOD!!!! Unfortunately, however, I find that it doesn't really moisturize my hair all that well.

36. Maybelline New York Master Primer by Facestudio Hydrate + Smooth Primer: I found that this primer did a really nice job of keeping my makeup on in addition to feeling really hydrating and refreshing when I initially applied it.

37. Dr. G Callus & Cuticle Exfoliant Cream: I mainly used this as a cuticle softening cream and I found that it did a really fantastic job of softening the cuticles enough to allow me to push them back easily. It felt fairly gentle and moisturizing when I had it on - not like it was eating through skin or anything like that.

38. tokidoki Donutella EDT: I feel like this is fairly random but my parents had moved one of their dressers because the folks from the phone company needed to come and fix the landline and they found the remnants of this behind the dresser. It has this odd powdered sugar-meets-floral scent and while I don't mind it I also don't love it. I find that it's not a scent I'd go out of my way to pursue.

39. Moroccanoil Body SoufflĂ© Body Moisturizer: I found that this did an alright job of hydrating my legs (which is mainly where I used moisturizer) but given that I don't love the Moroccanoil scent I wouldn't go out of my way to get this again.

40. Crown Brushes Pro C510 Brush: This is a really nice run-of-the-mill basic paddle brush that's fantastic for work on the lid and packing color on. Unfortunately mine has gotten fairly frayed and it's time to move on to a new one.

41. YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat: I feel like I've had this bottle of foundation entirely too long and I've finally used it all up. This is the older formula for the Touche Eclat so I'm unsure how the new one differs. That said, it was a nice, medium coverage, glowing foundation but given that it didn't cover as much as I would have wanted it to and has a fairly high price point I wouldn't go out and get it again.

42. Bath & Body Works Hello I'm A Unicorn PocketBac in Berry Lemonade: This is a nice-smelling hand sanitizer. I like the scent a lot and I'd get it again if it were available.

43. Sally Hansen Violet Voltage Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color: Although it's a really pretty color this has started to separate really badly - I'm unsure why that's the case but I feel like it's safer to discard it then to try and mix it back together.

44. Odacite Moringa + Petitgrain Serum Concentrate Very Dry Skin: I found this to be truly deeply hydrating. However it smells awful, kind of like an oily black pepper concentrate. I'm not a fan.

45. Bite Beauty Agave Lip Scrub: This did an alright job but I felt like it wasn't well balanced in that there was a high goo-to-scrubby bits ratio. My lips felt soft after using this but I wish it were more consistently scrubby.

46. Moroccanoil Night Body Serum: This product is intended to add a moisture boost to your current body moisturizer and while I felt like it delivered on its promise I also found this to be sort of sticky and oily.

47. Clinique Black Honey Almost Lipstick: I think it's funny how years ago I reviewed this as a stand-alone product and didn't love it but now I used it as a lip balm and enjoyed it for that purpose. I think it moisturizes the lips in a nice, lightweight way but on its own it doesn't wear for long. However it does provide a nice moisturizing base for other lip products.

48. Julie G Frosted Gumdrops Collection Sugar Crush: I love this nail polish - it's such a gorgeous vermillion red with golden glitter. Unfortunately it's all goopy and won't go on my nails nicely. We have to part ways.

49. NARS Audacious Lipstick in Grace: This is a pretty deep bright pink lipstick. I feel like although it's a fairly bright shade it works nicely with a lot of different looks.

50. Lune + Aster Stratosphere Volumizing Mascara: I'm sad to see this mascara go as I found it to give me really nice volume, length, and separation. I feel like if I didn't feel like wearing falsies as often anymore, I'd gravitate toward this as I really love the effect it had on my lashes.

Disclaimer: I purchased all of the above with the exception of the M-61, Clinique, Trish McEvoy, NARS, Odacite, Darphin, NEST, Dr. Barbara Sturm, patchology, Indiee Lee, Moroccanoil , Clinique, Bite Beauty, Sally Hansen  and Lune + Aster products. 

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

November 2018 Favorites

Hey folksickles,
Alright, all the goodies I've been enjoying in the month of November. :) 

1. Trader Joe's Salted Caramel Flavored Hot Cocoa - Friends, this stuff is INCREDIBLE! It tastes so good - you can taste the salted caramel and hot chocolate notes individually, it's got a nice thickness to it - even if you just use water to make it. In fact, I personally prefer it with water because milk tends to lessen its chocolatiness. I drank a lot of this when I was feeling under the weather and it made me feel infinitely better. I love it so much, in fact, that I bought (and am on) a second tub of it. :)

2. Tarte Make Believe in Yourself Palette Highlight - This is an absolutely beautiful warm, champagne based highlight with a gorgeous pink duochrome. I've been wearing it daily and absolutely adore it! I've always said I really like pink-pearl having highlighters whose bases are warm and this is absolutely perfect!

3. Nature Republic 49 Wild Pink Color & Nature Nail Color: This is such a fun, festive rose gold polish that almost looks like one of those nail powders because it just makes the nails look so metallic and perfect. I think it's absolutely gorgeous and my only gripe with it is that it chips within about 3 days of wear so it either needs to be touched up or reapplied.

4. Adventure Time - So remember when I used to talk about shows on here? I got back into Adventure Time again (currently on season 5, I've started it over from the beginning) and just love the story-line and character development and... to be honest my guilty pleasure is watching shows AFTER they've come to an end so that I can binge through them and know what happens instead of being left on-edge.

Disclaimer: I purchased everything discussed above myself. 

Arrivals - November 2018

Ok folksickles, I had a thought to have a new "column" in here that I'll be calling Arrivals and Departures which is essentially a two-parter that will happen monthly (or as applies).  Arrivals will feature items I bought this month that are joining my collection. Without further ado.




1. Sheet Masks Galore: I was all out of sheet masks so I figured I'd replenish. I got the:
The Creme Shop Oh Deer! Detoxifying Lemon Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Last Christmas Forever Young Face Mask
The Creme Shop Clarifying Peppermint Cocoa Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Confection Perfection Infused Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Season's Glow Infused Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop All I Want for Christmas is Dew! Super Glow Face Mask
The Creme Shop Twinkle All the Way Infused Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Anti-Aging Eggnog Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Holiday Cheer and Clear! Stay In Control Face Mask
The Creme Shop All Is Bright Infused Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Last Christmas Energy Boost Face Mask
The Creme Shop All I Want for Christmas is Dew! Rehydration Face Mask
The Creme Shop Frost Bright Infused Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Let it Glow! Ultra-Moisturizing Jojoba Oil Sheet Mask
The Creme Shop Holiday Cheer and Clear! Clarifying Face Mask
and because that wasn't enough I went buck-wild on Black Friday and bought the following:
A'Pieu Coffee Milk Air Pocket Sheet
A'Pieu Cicative Calcium Sheet Mask
A'Pieu Icing Sweet Bar Sheet Mask (Pineapple)
A'Pieu Cicative Zinc Sheet Mask
I'm Sorry for My Skin Jelly Mask - Brightening
I'm Sorry for My Skin Jelly Mask - Pore Care
I'm Sorry for My Skin Jelly Mask - Revitalizing
I'm Sorry for My Skin S.O.S. Jelly Mask - Calming
Kina Cosmetics Ceramide Face Mask
Papa Recipe Bombee Fruitables White Squeeze Balancing Mask
Papa Recipe Bombee Fruitables Red Squeeze Intensive Mask
Papa Recipe Bombee Fruitables Orange Squeeze Energy Mask
Papa Recipe Bombee Fruitables Yellow Squeeze Brightening Mask
Papa Recipe Bombee Fruitables Green Squeeze Relaxing Mask
Papa Recipe Bombee Honey Mask x10 pack
the SAEM Snail Brightening Pure Natural Mask Sheet
the SAEM Snail Pure Natural Mask Sheet
Secret Key Nature Recipe Honey 
TONYMOLY Pureness 100 Propolis Mask Sheet 
Innisfree Skin Solution Mask in Collagen 
Innisfree Skin Solution Mask in Vita C
Innisfree Skin Solution Mask in Madecassoside
Innissfree Dew-Licious Mask Menu which features (I believe all of the real squeeze varieties are in here):
my real squeeze cucumber
my real squeeze bamboo
my real squeeze aloe
my real squeeze green tea
my real squeeze manuka honey
my real squeeze Shea butter
my real squeeze pomegranate
my real squeeze tea tree
my real squeeze lime
my real squeeze rose
my real squeeze acai berry
my real squeeze rice
my real squeeze broccoli
my real squeeze tomato
my real squeeze fig
my real squeeze ginseng
my real squeeze oatmeal
my real squeeze coconut
TonyMoly Ultimate Mask Collection which features:
I'm Coconut Mask Sheet
I'm Lemon Gel Face Mask 
I'm Rice Mask Sheet
I'm Avocado Mask Sheet
I'm Aloe Mask Sheet
I'm Red Wine Mask Sheet
I'm Rose Mask Sheet
I'm Lotus Mask Sheet
I'm Honey Mask Sheet
I'm Cactus Mask Sheet
I'm Lavender Mask Sheet
I'm Green Tea Gel Face Mask 
I'm Peach Layering Mask 
I'm Red Wine Gel Face Mask 
I'm Lemon Layering Mask 
I'm Red Wine Gel Eye Patch
I'm Green Tea Layering Mask
I'm Lemon Gel Eye Patch
I'm Green Tea Gel Eye Patch

2. esfolio Pumpkin Moisture Soothing Cleansing Foam: Because fall is pumpkin season I just couldn't resist this when I saw it, I think the packaging is also Cinderella-esque which is just adorable!

3. Trader Joe's Face Mask Trio: So I am running low on my masks so when I saw this I decided to try it out. Funny enough the day I bought it the cashier told me they had just gotten it in - talk about good timing! This set includes:
Refresh Clay Detox Mask
Renew Pineapple Papaya Enzyme Mask
Restore Rose Gel Mask

4. Laura Mercier Luxe Indulgences Ambre Vanille Luxe Body Collection: Now friends this wasn't even on my radar until I was sent to assist at another store location and saw this majestic set. I just couldn't resist getting it as a holiday treat for myself especially because you folks KNOW how much I adore the Ambre Vanille scent. This set includes:
3.4 oz. Crème Body Wash
6.7 oz. SoufflĂ© Body Crème
6.7 oz. Honey Bath
0.5 fl. oz. Eau Gourmande

5. Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off: So my wife put the fear in me by saying Skinfood might be going bankrupt, or is, so we may not see these beautiful cult classics anymore. So of course I had to get one of each when they were on sale. I got:
Black Sugar Mask Wash Off (the original)
Black Sugar Honey Mask Wash Off
Black Sugar Strawberry Mask Wash Off 

6. The Ordinary 100% Plant-Derived Squalane: Folks... you know how deeply I loved my Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil so I wanted to see how this compares. I mean this is only $9.

7. The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%: This is supposed to be really great for pores and is under $10, so because of the really welcoming price-point I wanted to see how it compares to the Odacite Ap + P Jojoba Lavender Clogged Pores Serum Concentrate.

8. Innisfree Eyebrow Razors: These were $4 for a two-pack and because I've always wanted to try brow razors I figured it was a good price and I might as well give them a try.

9. Innisfree Auto Eyebrow Pencil 4: Honestly with this being a mere $4 I had to say YOLO and try it out.

10. Innisfree Most Wanted Kit: This was a gift-with-purchase on Black Friday and includes:
Intensive Hydrating Serum with Green Tea Seed
Youth-Enriched Gel Cream with Orchid
Pore Clearing Clay Mask with Super Volcanic Clusters (I've been meaning to give this a try so what a win! I've just been concerned that it might dry my skin out)

11. Innisfree Nourishing Cream with Canola Honey: This was a sample-with-purchase and you folks know I love honey so I had to give it a try.

12. Innisfree Moisture-Volumizing Serum with Lave Seawater: This was another sample-with-purchase tat I took because my skin needs moisture with the cold weather now. I mean the last thing my face needs is volume but I assume the "plumping" action means that your face will look glow-y and youthful with a nice, hydrated, bounce-back versus swollen and chubby. We'll have to see.

13. Innisfree Moisturizing Cleansing Foam with Olive: My wife bought this for me, bless the woman! I kept going on and on about how the olive line is the best thing ever and I just have so many cleansers and she buys it like all "here you go" :') I love her!

14. Innisfree Nourishing Mist with Canola Honey: Ugh this smelled so good and felt so nice that I just threw into my shopping basket without a second thought. :)

15. Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Palette: My very first Anastasia eyeshadow palette. I swatched this a few months ago and just LOVED the glitters in it. So excited to own it and play with it.

Disclaimer: I purchased everything listed above with the exception of the free Innisfree products I've indicated above.

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Nail Polish Review: Femme Fatale Flamingo Feather

Nail polish: Femme Fatale Flamingo Feather



What the brush looks like:
My nails with 3 coats of polish, all nails have Sally Hansen Diamond Strength Diamond Flash Top Coat on.:
Availability: This has been discontinued.
Would I buy this again?: No.

Notes: In terms of color, Shiro describes this as rosy coral with orange glow and holographic micro-glitters.  I'd describe this as a muted orange (I find it photographs more pink than it actually is) with a golden pearl and scattered holographic micro-glitter . This has a metallic finish. This is semi-sheer with one coat, but gets to looking opaque and streak-free within two coats .Overall I love the holographic finish of the polish but I don't love the color. It's a rather odd orange-y shade of salmon. 
 
Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. 

Disclaimer: I paid for this myself.