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Thursday, November 6, 2014

Haul: LORAC, Too Faced, NYX, Maybelline, Rimmel, L'Oreal, elf, Real Techniques, ColourPop

This is the haul that ensued while my sisters were up visiting me. Sorry this took so long so to post, but I've been waiting for my online order to get here so I could go ahead and show you everything.

All of my items are from either Target, Ulta, or the ColourPop website.

Here is the pile of my purchases. (Minus the online purchase)


I'll talk about the one lone wolf skincare product first. This is the Clean & Clear Deep Cleaning Toner. I purchased this item because my current toner is almost gone, and I wanted to try something new. I use a Clean & Clear moisturizer, which I love, so I thought I'd try the toner from the same line.


The next two items (shown above) are the makeup brushes I purchased. The white brush is the elf Essesntial Blending Eye Brush. The other brush is the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. The elf brush I picked up at target, the Real Techniques brush I purchased at Ulta.

I purchased the elf brush because it is one of my favorites for applying color in the crease, plus for $1 nothing can beat it. The Real Techniques brush is no my official favorite brush for applying foundation. It creates such a beautiful flawless finish in a short amount of time. I keep debating getting a backup of this brush to replace some of my flat foundation brushes that I no longer reach for.

Next lets go to my favorite category: lip products. An area I could have done without purchasing in, but my addiction none-the-less.


Shown above (from left to right) are Maybelline Color Sensational Creamy Matte Lip Color in Touch of Spice, and in "Lust for Blush". The other two are NYX Round Case Lipsticks in "LaLa", and in "Tea Rose". The last product shown is the NYX Cosmetics Slim Lip Pencil in the shade "Prune".


I'm really enjoying all of these products. I do find that I have to re-apply the NYX lipsticks fairly often, but that is because they have a very creamy, glossy consistency. My favorite out of all of these is actually the product I picked up on a whim - the lip pencil in prune. I've been all about berry lips now that its getting colder, and this purpley shade helps transform some of my more red-toned berry lipsticks into a deeper purple toned berry color. LOVE IT!

These are the ColourPop Items I received.


The lippie stix are Colorpops version of a lipstick. The lippie pencils are lip pencils. All the products have a Corresponding color on the base of the pencil/stix; the stix have the name and finish printed on the bottom.


I purchased the "Bichette" lippie stix (a matte red), "Frida" lippie stix (a stain peachy-pink nude), the "Heart On" lippie stix & pencil (a matte bright purple-toned fuschia), and the "Easy" lippie stick & pencil (a glossy light pink). I LOVE these. And I'm tempted to go and purchase more like now. 



The lasting power on these are fantastic! I only have to reapply a little after eating, but during my 7 hour shift the color only fades slightly. Obviously, the glossy one doesn't last quite as long, it wears about 4-5 hours with the pencil with fading. But the satin and the matte both last a long time. The formula on these feel amazing, too. They don't feel dry and go on smoothly.


I also thought I'd do some lip swatches for you!

Bichette                                                                    Heart On                                                    Frida
Easy Combo                                                   Easy Lippie Stix                                          Easy Lippie Pencil





The rest of my products are all eye products, something I've been getting into since this past summer when I purchased my Naked 3 palette.

I'll do the smaller items first.


I saw this L'Oreal Colour Riche eyeliner in "Violet" on clearance at target for like 2 bucks, so I went ahead picked it up. I'm really liking the look of a pop of color in my lower lash line, so I thought this might work for that. I haven't had a chance to try it out yet though. This is a really vibrant blue-toned purple with a smudger on the other end.

The other eyeliner I picked up was the Rimmel ScandalEyes eyeliner pencil in the color "Nude". I love this eyeliner line and the nude pencil I had was drying up and breaking, so I thought I'd get this one instead.

Lastly I have a NYX Nude Matte Shadow in the color "I Have A Headache", which is this very light cream color. I purchased this as an all over lid color or highlight color to go with my MAC single shadows in "Omega" and "Mystery".


Lastly, I have the eye shadow palettes I picked up. Both of these are Ulta Exclusives.

First I got the Too Faced Country Nashville Nudes Eye Shadow Collection. I think part of me had to pick this up because I grew up in Nashville, TN so it struck home. But I do absolutely adore these shades, and the shade names. Everytime I open this palette I start singing various country songs lol.


Some of these shades are very powdery, and I do have fallout with these so I save my concealer for last with these shadows. I do have to use an eye shadow primer with these as they will crease on me (but so do 99% of eye shadows on my crazy oily eye lids).
Here are the swatches:





I think my favorite shades are Nashville (maybe I'm slightly biased) - which is this purpley-blue toned grey, and Paper Roses - which is a peachy pink with golden shimmer. I just don't have any other shadows even close to those colors.

The other Palette I picked up was the Ulta exclusive LORAC Royal Eye Shadow Collection. This collection is from LORAC's holiday sets, and contains four eye shadow palettes with four shades each - a total of 16 shades. The four palettes are Queen, Countess, Princess, and Duchess. The packaging on all of these is a velvet-like material with gold lettering and a magnetic closure.


The queen palette is in burgundy red colored packaging and contains pinkish-toned colors. There are one matte shade, one satin shade, and two shimmer shades.


The lightest shade is a light peachy-toned cream which appears to have a satin finish. The second color is a shimmery light pink with silver micro-glitter. The third shade is burgundy wine color with some subtle gold glitter. The last shade is a matte black (while this one didn't swatch very pigmented, I found it worked much better on the eye itself).



The Countess palette is in green packaging and contains mostly natural colors.


The lightest shade is a shimmery light cream, almost white color with silver microglitter. The next shade is a shimmery dusty rose color. The third shade  is a cool-toned dark brown in a satin finish with subtle gold glitter. the last shade is a matte dark teal-toned blue.



The Princess palette is in yellow packaging and is a natural/gold toned palette.


The first shade is a matte cream color. The second shade is a vibrant shimmery, glittery gold.  The third shade a medium warm-brown with gold glitter. The last shade is a satin dark cool brown with no glitter.



The last palette int his collection is the Duchess palette, and it is in blue packaging. This palette has a very icy cool blue/grey theme.


The first shade is a shimmery white. The second shade is a light blue-toned silver with silver glitter. The third shade is a medium cool grey in a satin finish. The last color is a matte dark navy blue color.



Upon first glance I thought that the matte blue from both the Countess and the Duchess palettes were about the same. But they are slightly different in tonality. The matte dark blue from the Countess palette has much more of a greenish teal tint to it, while the matte dark blue form the Duchess pallet is much more of a true navy.



All of these shades were smooth and butter and a dream to blend. I did find that a few gave me some fall out (the gold one from Princess stands out). However, I can wear this shadow without primer and have it stay decently well throughout the day. I think it's a really nice set, and may be good for eye shadow newbies like me to find colors that collectively make a look.

That all from my haul (as if there it was a small amount...). Sorry if I bored you to death with my purchases, but I thought I'd share my new goodies that I picked up :)

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

~Rachel

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Project 10 Pan: Update 8

So it's been about 2 months since I started my project pan. I almost didn't get this up today! I've been fighting off a cold so I ended up taken a 3 hour nap this afternoon after work (thankfully I dont have my second job today!!) Here's to hoping the extra sleep makes me feel up to par again soon! :)

If you havn't seen my previous Project 10 Pan updates, Click here. Make sure to read the very first post if haven;t heard of this before :) Now onto my progress for this week!

#1. The Love & Beauty (by Forever 21) Sheer Lip Color (No shade listed)

10-29-14                      11-5-14

Amount: Not much more to go. I think I have half of what I had last week. So this might be done by next update! (My prediction)
Opinion: I do really enjoy using this. However, it's starting to get hard to be hard to apply. The remaining stick left isn't attached to plastic holder so I can't twist it up all the way. I'm going to continue using it until it gets impossible to apply via tube.


#2:  L'Oreal True Match Blush in Baby Blossom

10-29-14                      11-5-14

Amount: I can see progress!!! More pan is showing this week! I've still got a ways to go, but you have to enjoy the little victories sometimes. I think I'll be hitting the very edge of that one side here soon. (I guess I swirl my brush in slightly off balance xD
Opinion: I'm using this blush about 5 days a week. The other two days are my "cheat days" to use my other tarte blushes that I love. This blush is okay. It's my favorite drugstore formula. However, I just love my tarte blushes so much more.


#3: Therapy Systems Perfect Concealer in the shade 2


10-29-14                      11-5-14

Amount: I started to get product off the top instead of going by the side. This section was as high aas the pan so there was a ways to go to hit the bottom. I'm hoping If I take some off the top, I'll be able to see more visible progress again soon.
Opinion: I just can't wait for this to be completely gone so I can move on to using my L'Oreal visible lift blur concealer and the Coastal Scents Eclipse pallet I received in my boxycharm this past month. This concealer just doesn't do it to me. It makes my skin look greasy and creases horribly. 


#4:  Benefit's "It's Potent!" Eye Cream


10-29-14                      11-5-14

Amount: Almost on of the side sections is completely gone. This should only be about 2 more weeks tops.
Opinion: Its a nice eye cream. I enjoy using it, but since I'm getting more into skincare I may try another product this next time.


#5. Lorac's Breakthrough Performance Foundation in Shade "SMS 1" 
FINISHED 09-16-14



#6. Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in "Born With It"
                                                                  FINISHED 10-12-14


#7. MAC's Zoom Fast Black Lash
                                                                   TOSSED 10-19-14


#8. L'Oreal Lineur Intense in Carbon Black
                                                                   TOSSED 10-19-14


#9. Bath & Body Works' Honey Sweetheart Lip Gloss

10-29-14                      11-5-14

Amount: I once again have not been all that great at using the lip gloss. It's not that I don't like this product, but I've been leaning more towards a matte-look for my lips this past week. I went ahead and marked both last week and this week on the tube.
Opinion: I really love this gloss. I've just mostly been about a matte lip since we've hit deeper into fall so I'm not picking it up as often as I was before. It's one of my favorite lipstick toppers when I want a beautiful gloss on top of a lipstick. It makes my lips look really full, it has a nice sheer light pink color, and it lovely scent to it.


#10. Bath & Body Works' Travel-sized Body Lotion in Beautiful Day 
FINISHED 9-20-14

Once again, I'm just making further progress as nothing else has been used up. But I'm getting really close on several different products!! Hopefully I'll finish another one soon.

Thanks for reading!

~Rachel

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Subscription items Review

As promised, I have been meaning to review the items I get in my subscription boxes, so you can know if the things subscribers receive are actually good.

While watching several unboxings I kept wondering to myself, "Well, how does that product work or preform? Do they send good products?" So that was how the idea for this post came about.

I will try to do these on a monthly basis and it will include items from all of the subscription boxes I receive.

---------------------------

1)  Nourish Organic Moisturizing Cream Face Cleanser - (Ipsy - September)This is a fragrance free face wash. I am able to smell a natural smell when I use it as I'm washing my face. It's not off-putting for me, but probably not a product I will purchase in the future. However, the product does cleanse my face really well without over drying, and I'm enjoying using what I have. 


2)  Mitchell and Peach Luxury Hand Cream - (Ipsy - September) After using this once or twice more after my unboxing, I grew sick of the scent. the formula felt nice, but the smell became so off-putting I wouldn't reach for it. It is a scent that my grandmother loves, however, so I will be gifting it to her.



3) Pacifica 7 Free Nail Polish in the color "Red Red Wine" - (Ipsy - September)The color on this is really nice. One I have used several times this fall, and one I will continue to use this winter. I love that it both applys and lasts really well. With a few touch ups, I can make this last 5-6 days.




4) Hikari Lipstick in the color "Cabernet" -  (Ipsy - September) While I've only used this lipstick a handful of times, I do really enjoy ir. It's a good red wine colored lip. I find that I can wear it full on, or sheered out with some chapstick. When just wearing the lipstick I do find it slightly drying, but nothing uncomfortable. I have considered getting more shades from this line!

5) Be A Bombshell Smooth Criminal Powder - (Ipsy - September) Since I put this product in my Finish 6 by Christmas post I have been using it pretty much everyday since late September. I have quickly fallen in love with this product. I was considering purchasing this item as a full size, but I got the e.l.f studio HD setting powder to try first (as that one costs less). I can't stress how much I really love this product. It sets my makeup flawlessly and keeps both my foundation and concealer in place all day (and I have long days). 

6) Coastal Scents Go Palette - (Boxycharm - September) I have enjoyed this palette. I did take it with me traveling and I enjoyed creating a smokey purple/grey look and a neutral-like pink look. I do have to use my eye shadow primer for these eye shadows to stay on my lids (but that is true of 99% of eye shadows on my oil slick lids). As long as I used primer, I found that the eye shadow lasted all day. (Plus the shades were more vibrant and noticeable. The pink shade that was shattered, I re-pressed; and it works just fine. :)





7)  tarte LipSurgence lip gloss "exposed" - (Boxycharm - September) I haven't used this lip gloss a whole lot since I'm panning my other one, but I do like the look of this lip gloss. It has a nice sheer dark nude-pink color. This is a sticky gloss, so if you don't like that keep that in mind. That honestly doesn't bother me, so I haven't minded that. I've really enjoyed this lip gloss, both the formula and the look. I think my favorite part of this product is the applicator. It has a doe-foot wand, but the wand has a little indention so that you get enough product, and it applied evenly. The lip swatch below is the lip gloss on my bare lips.




8) Harvey Prince "Hello" perfume - (Boxycharm - September) I've used this quite a bit recently to spice things up among my perfume sample frenzy. I really like this scent. It's initially a fresh citrusy scent, then as it dries down, it's get a nice light floral to it. This is definitely more of a summer scent, but I've been enjoying it (Maybe now that it's freezing I can pretend it's still summer and warm haha). I also really adore the packaging. The small tube makes it convenient to carry around with me, but I love that it's still a spray, not a rollerball. The spray tube also looks like it should be able to get the very last spray of this perfume since it reaches all the way to the bottom. ((Also: side note the packaging is decently durable. I've knocked this over and dropped this a few times and it hasn't broken. YAY!))



9) Nicole by OPI's "Feeling Very Cherry" - (Ipsy - October) This polish is very dark! It's a beautiful vampy shade, but I one I don't wear often. I'll probably wear it more in the heart of winter and during weekends/breaks when I'm not working. The formula is nice, it has great pigmentation with an even application in 2 coats. The brush is a nice size.


10)  figs & rouge hand cream in the scent rose berry - (Ipsy - October) I like this handcream alright. It has a great scent to it, one that I enjoy. The formula is very light which is nice. One thing to mention is, when you go to rub it in, it starts to feel like water until the skin soaks it up (it doesn't take a long amount of time to sink in, but I notice the texture change as I rubbing it onto both hands). This doesn't bother me a whole lot, and I plan on continuing to use the product until it's gone. I just thought I would mention :)


11)  epice purifying exfoliant - (Ipsy - October) I have started using this on a weekly basis. It feels really nice on my skin (even the fiance likes this one). I do find  that it helps with making my skin soft and smooth (and dry patch free lol). I really enjoy this one. I will probably buy this in the full size (once I'm out of the current exfoliants I have) since both me and the fiance really enjoy it.


12)  Elnett Extra Strong Hold Hairspray - (Target Box)  I absolutely LOVE this hairspray. It has a more pleasant smell than my other hairspray (but still hairspray-esque). The holding power is fantastic without making my hair crunchy. I am forcing myself to finish the giant hairspray bottle I currently have, but afterwards I'm getting this one!!


13) Fekkai Blowout Dry Shampoo - (Target Box)  Unfortunately, this hair product wasn't as nice as the other one was. I found that it really didn't absorb the oil in my hair and added no volume. It was like spraying sticky aerosol air at my hair.

14)  NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil "Milk" - (Target Box) I do really like this product. It applies supper easy and blends out really well. This means I can either have it be a sheer wash of white color to brighten as a base, or have it be a stark white of I want it to be. I normally use this in my inner corner and inner tear-duct area to brighten and lift my eyes.

16) Palmetto Derma Collegen Booster and Restoration Serum - (Boxycharm - October) I started using this product the day after I received it in my boxycharm box. I have noticed an amazing difference in my skin since I've started using it. It has a healthy glow and the texture of it looks softer and smoother. Plus it feels nice :) I'm really loving this product. I'm not sure if I can repurchase it in the future though (it's $48.00!!) but I really love it so.. maybe. (I'll see how much I like it as it's closer to being gone).



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If you didn't see a review for one of the products I received that means I haven't had a chance to use it enough to give it a fair shot (and fair review). I'll post one of these every month with the remaining products that I've gotten to try. 

Thanks so much for reading :)

~Rachel

Saturday, November 1, 2014

October Empties

I thought I'd post the items that I finished up this month. I meant to post this earlier, but with working two jobs, I'm good to just get posts up lol.

On a random note, I woke up to crazy snow and at least an inch of accumulation on the ground! I think it's going to be a cold November.

Now, Back to the Empties!

First I'm going to do my makeup empties for this month.

tarte lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara (deluxe sample size) - Full size is $20.00


I did really enjoy this mascara. It defined my lashes and had a great dark black color. I also found that it defined my lashes without making them look clumpy at all. Who knows, I might get it again. It's only $3.00 more than my MAC one that I'm going to purchase again soon.


MAC Zoom Fast Black Lash - $17.00


This is one of (if not my top) favorite mascara. It hold curl in my lashes and gives them spectacular volume and length. I would get people asking me what fake lashes I had on while wearing this mascara. It will be one I purchase again after I'm through with the ones that are currently in my collection.


L'Oreal liquid Liner - ??


I'm pretty sure this is a discontinued item as I can no longer find it. But, if I could I would repurchase it. It has a great thin brush applicator that creates a beautiful smooth line and a wonderful thin point for a wing. I'm now on a new hunt for a liquid liner.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipcolor in "Born With It" - $7.49


I could not have been more excited to finish a product than I was when this was finally gone. It was a pretty color, but did not sit on my lips very nicely. In order to get through it I had to apply a lip gloss on top. The silver glitter in it was also a little chunky which I think contributed to it looking weird on my lips.


Now on to the perfumes that I worked through this month:

Tocca "Margaux" - Full size $68.00


I could not use this more than once (so it's not exactly an empty, but I'm finshed with it none the less). It was WAY too stong and smells of the oldest old lady perfume you can think of. And I swear that scent will smack you and everyone around you in the face for a solid 8-10 hours.... Not for me.


Victoria Secret "Fearless" - 1.7oz bottle $55.00


I didn't mind this fragrance. It's not one I would purchase, but I did like the little sample just fine. It just didn't leave a big impression as some others did. This had about a 4-5 hour wear time.


Dolce & Gabbana "Desire" - 1.6oz bottle $93.00


This is the one I that I really loved. I wore it so long ago, I can't remember the specific notes in it, but I loved it so much and enjoyed wearing it. I was really sad when I had to toss this in my empties bucket. I want so bad to get this perfume - I just wish it weren't so expensive.


Clean "Skin" - 2.14oz bottle $69.00


I enjoyed this scent. It was a very nice light subtle scent. Perfect for daytime wear at work. I'm debating purchasing this one as well. (Plus the price per amount is much better on this one - I just love the Desire one more)


DKNY "my NY" - 1.7oz bottle $68.00


I couldn't finish this perfume either. The pepper scent in it (it does have a listed note of pink pepper) started making me feel ill when trying to wear it.


Calvin Klein "Down Town" - 1.7oz bottle $65.00


This is another scent I enjoyed. Like "skin" I found it to be nice and light/subtle. It also had a nice woodsy scent to it which I really enjoyed.


Hanae Mori "Butterfly" Eau de Toilette - 1.7oz bottle $72.00


This one I have absolutely no recollection of. So, I assuming it not bad, but it wasn't all that great either.


                                           Now onto hair empties!

Pantene Pro-V Root Reboot Dry Shampoo - $7.99


This dry shampoo worked just fine. It did make my hair look cleaner and provided a little volume without much residue. ((Side note this does initially leave a white cast, but it easily brushes out)) I just think that the Tresseme one that was in last month's empties gave my hair much more volume.


OGX "thick & full, biotin & collagen" Shampoo - $6.00 - $8.00


I really loved this shampoo. It added a little volume to my hair and has helped keep my hair healthy. I also really loved the smell! I did use the conditioner with it, but I use more shampooo than conditioner so I still have some left. I did not purchase this same shampoo, but I am using another one from this brand. (I like to mix it up a little when it comes to shampoos)


My skin care empties!



I really enjoyed this scent. I used this both as a shower gel and as a bubble bath every so often. I love the bath and body works shower gels as they keep my skin clean without over drying. ((Note: this bottle is the old packaging)) I am now using white citrus, but I may go back to this one once I have finished some of my other half used body washes.




This is also in the older packaging. I did enjoy this scent at the start of fall. It was a nice transition scent that was warmer, but also fresh and sweet. ((This scent is no longer being sold, no idea if it will return later. )) I like the Deep Cleansing Hand Soap much more than the foaming hand soap. I'm just not a fan of foaming hand soap.




I actually went through two of these sweet pea PocketBacs this month. I love the scent of sweet pea, and have the hand lotion too. I jump around scents with my PocketBacs, so I may end up with scent again.




I use this face wash every night as my makeup removing face wash. I find it's really effective at getting my foundation, blush, eye-shadow, etc. off. I wash my face using this product and a rubber scrubby (you can get them at Sephora - mine is from the face wash in my last empties). I did repurchase this already - it's a staple for me.




This was the second face wash I was using. (First I remove my makeup with the Neutrogena one. Then I wash my face to get any dirt and grime form the day off.) I liked this one because it was gentle and didn't dry out my face. I am currently trying out a new product, but I would contemplate purchasing this again (for the third time).


Lastly, my candle empty.




I actually used two of these candles this month. I adore this scent once it starts to get cold. Not only does it spread this scent all over the room, but it reminds me of bonfires with my family during the fall. I think it's my favorite candle scent of all time (both for the memory reminder and the wonderful scent). 


So those are all my empties. I hope you enjoyed reading about what I used up in the month of October! Can you believe it's already November? I can't haha. It seems that the year has just flown by.

~Rachel
 

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