Rant: Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Lemonade

Sometimes, I don't think things through. I get overly excited and all logic goes out the window. This is especially true when it comes to beauty products. I see it and oops! Suddenly, I have 12 of something that I don't even like.

This happened with the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains - I bought 5 and only kept 1 (I gave the rest to my bf K).

This summer, it happened when the new Revlon Lip Butters came out. I got really excited and bought Pink Lemonade, thinking it would be a gorgeous semi-sheer pink that would look great and hydrate my lips. Oh boy.

So I have quite pigmented lips, but I look like a zombie when I put this on. The color choice is my own fault: I should have tried it on at the drugstore, worn it a bit, and seen that the color didn't suit me. That much I'll admit.

But the finish? Chalky. And matte. What? And hydration? Non existent. Before I realized I looked horrible wearing this (no one at work said anything EVER and I wore this all the time at first), I used up half the tube. It was quite easy: I felt my lips were abnormally dry whenever I wore this, so I would reapply, thinking it wasn't this product that was drying them out. I don't often get cracked lips, but I got a bad case of them when using this, to the point that not even my favorite lip balms could salvage them enough by the next day to make them look normal.

Although I didn't try layering this with anything else, I'm kind of afraid too, because of how it dried out my lips so badly. And I don't like the finish, so wasting gloss or another lipstick to make this look good is kind of...not worth it, for me.

Have you had better luck with this product?

S
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Wish List: Skincare

I am constantly checking reviews to see what's on my "to-buy" list for when I run out of something. Here's what I'm currently lusting after and saving my money to buy!

Origins Night-A-Mins: During the winter, I get the strangest dry patches, and can't seem to find a moisturizer that doesn't feel too thick, moisturizes enough, and has a nice scent. Hopefully this will fix things!

Korres Greek Yogurt Advanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial: I'm currently using a sleeping mask I got in Seoul, and though I love it, it's quite hard to come by. Also, it might not be enough for winter, as it's a gel. I received a sample of this and quite liked it, so once mine is done, a tub of this will be replacing it!

Origins Make a Difference + Rejuvenating Treatment: Though my skin is oily, it is constantly craving moisture. When I use hydrating treatments, I notice my skin looks much better and my break outs are less frequent (my black heads as well). Hopefully this will hydrate and feel amazing.

Aesop Parsley Seed Mask: I use masks in the shower and bath while I shave and let my conditioner soak in. I haven't heard one bad thing about this product, so I'm definitely curious. In fact, some things seem too good to be true.

Alpha H Liquid Gold: No only is this one of the most raved about products by UK bloggers, it's considerably affordable for what it does. And with updated packaging, it's definitely worth looking into.

What's on your skincare wishlist?

S
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Rant: Sigma F20 Large Powder Brush

Confession: I use the word 'hate' as little as possible. I feel like it's too strong a word to use most of the time to express how I feel about something. Usually, it's annoying, or exasperating, or disappointing. Keep that in mind when I review products: for me to say that I really hate something, it takes a lot!

Enter the F20 Large Powder Brush from Sigma. One year ago, I made a huge order with my then roommate J and couldn't decide between the F20 and F30 brush. We looked for reviews online and most people had bought the F30. She convinced me that the shape of this brush would be ideal for powder application, especially for setting powder, which is a must for me. So I ordered it.

Today, I can say that this brush is super annoying and disappointing. It sheds while I use it and when I wash it, and it bleeds its ink every time I wash it and all of this to this day (meaning, one year later). It isn't very soft and I feel like it scratches my face, even after countless washings. It also doesn't distribute powder very well (in my opinion), nor does it blend evenly either. I don't really know what to do with this brush! So I kept it in my drawer and now it's time to say goodbye. I usually try to pass on the makeup stuff I don't enjoy to someone else, but this is just going bye bye.

To put this into context, I do very much enjoy my other Sigma brushes, but this one...a real MISS.

Have you had better luck with this makeup brush? Are there makeup brushes that you've had bad luck with?

S
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What's in my Travel Makeup Bag? #1

I don't often travel with makeup, as I usually apply it before I leave to go anywhere. However, when you have the honor of working the early bird shift at the pool, getting a few extra minutes of sleep always trumps whatever it's up against.

I try to bring travel size things as much as possible, so it fits into my makeup bag (without filling it to the brim), as well as my favorite products. I also like to bring things that I can use up, so that I have less clutter in my stash of stuff.

I'm on a real roll with Rimmel products of late, especially with eye products. I decided to only bring their Exaggerate Undercover Shadow Primer this time around, and wear NARS Charade duo over that, which is lovely and was bought because MissGlamorazzi praised it so highly. Curl with the shu uemura eyelash curler and top off with two offerings from L'Oreal: Voluminous Carbon Black and Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof. I'm curious to top these together and see what happens!

For my eyebrows I'm sticking with my usual MAC Charcoal Brown, which I've been favoring more over Omega of late, as I am liking the intense brow look. Finish with Maybelline's Great Lash Clear Mascara and the brows are set.

Having blemish prone skin means my skins is always pink tinged and has noticeable pores. I was lucky enough to get quite a hefty sample of Too Faced Primed & Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer, so we'll see how that works out! The foundation and concealer of choice will be from the Wake Me Up line from Rimmel. The foundation in Classic Beige is a perfect match for me right now, as I am losing my tan slightly. The concealer in Light has a hint of salmon, so it's perfect under my eyes and covers the evidence of my lack of sleep quite well.

As for setting powder, I'll be busting out the Rimmel Stay Matte in Translucent: I have never used it before, but have heard great things, so it'll mentioned in a Test Drive post soon enough. Two more sample sized offerings are the NARS Laguna bronzer and Benefit's Watt's Up highlighter - I've used both and quite like them paired together. And who could forget Hourglass's Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light - I swear this stuff is photoshop in a pan. I love wearing it and I really can tell a difference when I forgot to put it on - I just don't look as awesome.

Finally, my current lip combo: Covergirl's Lip Perfection in Mauve Twist and NARS Lip gloss in Chihuahua. Though I'm not a big fan of lip gloss in general, I do really like the color I get from this.

What do you have in your travel makeup bag?

S

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What's in my Shower? #1

Being a lifeguard (and soon to be avid gym/hot yoga go-er hopefully), I go through a lot of shower/bath products. I always have two sets of everything going, but usually the good stuff stays at home, and the stuff I'm testing out is used elsewhere.

Hair Care

After listening to essiebutton rave about it, I decided to purchase the L'Oreal EverCreme Intense Nourishing Shampoo and Conditioner. Though it's formulated for dry to very dry hair (and I have oily roots and dry ends), it works really well. My hair doesn't feel greasy after washing, and since I only use conditioner on my ends, this helps. Also, this stuff smells amazing!

 Body Care

I used to always see Soap & Glory stuff in pharmacies, but never really tried anything from them until about 6 months ago. Since, I've gone a bit bananas with the stuff.

I'm currently using the Clean, Girls body wash. It had a very grown up scent (unlike my usual ubber sweet vanilla scent), that makes me feel very sophisticated. It's also very moisturizing (which is a quality I look for in a body wash).

I try to exfoliate at least once a week, and my current go-to is Scrub, Actually from Soap & Glory. The fruity scent is great and a nice change. It scrubs really well, and I always get the impression that on initial application, it heats up slightly (which feels quite nice, actually).

Skincare

It's when I take a shower that the big skincare guns come out.

I use St. Ives Green Tea Facial Scrub immediately upon entering the shower. The granules are very fine and so the exfoliation is very gentle. Since I do use this every shower, I don't feel it strips my face at all. I know that in the winter, I'll want something a little rougher, but this works really well for now.

Apart from that, masks are my favorite thing to do in the shower. I scrub my face, slap on a mask, and go about my business. The one I'm currently using is Formula 10.0.6's No Time to Shine Oil Absorbing Mud Mask. As it dries, I feel like it sucks all the gunk out of my face, without drying it.

Have you tried any of these products?
What's currently in your shower?

S
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Rave: Option+ Facial Wipes

If I could live in a store, it would be a tie between a dollar store and a drugstore (an office supply store and bookstore would be close behind however). So finding a quality product at the drugstore (which is sometimes a miracle in and of itself) that has a dollar store price tag really makes my day! These are definitely a holy grail item!

These wipes are fantastic. They remove makeup really well, stay very moist, and don't feel harsh against my skin. Though I try to avoid using these to take my makeup off (having skin that is prone to breaking out when makeup isn't taken off well enough isn't fun), they work wonderfully if I'm in need of a quick fix.

I also use these a lot for spot cleaning eye brushes, as well as cleaning makeup packaging (I'm looking at you NARS), and cream makeup products, that often get dust, random pigments from other products and hair bristles in them (like my Chanel bronzer and MAC highlight).

These can be found at Uniprix drug stores (I haven't found them available anywhere else) and usually retail for $1-$2. I always stock up when they're on special!

Do you use makeup wipes? Do you have a favorite kind?

S
xxx

FOTD #2

I went out the other night with a few friends. We were going to a university "start of the session and school year" party (which basically means we were crashing it, as none of us are in university anymore), and then we headed off to a club to dance the rest of the night away. Since I had to work the next day, I didn't want to wear anything too hard to take off, as I knew I would be lazy once home, but I wanted it to last through the night.

I went for something subtle, but eye catching (in my opinion at least!).

Eyes: NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, L'Oreal La Couleur Infallible Eyeshadow in Tender Caramel, MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom, Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl in Nude and Taupe, L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof, Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Face: Benefit POREfessional Face Primer, Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation (N145), Bobbi Brown Corrector, Revlon Photoready Concealer in Light, Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer, MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation in NW25, Benefit Watts Up!, Nars Bronzer in Languna, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light

Brows: MAC Omega and Charcoal Brown eyeshadows, Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara

Lips: NARS Lipstick in Dolce Vita

What do you wear on a night out?

S

xxx