Beauty Haul

Hello, everybody!  Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate the holiday!

I'm currently spending the day with my loved ones, so for today's post I thought I'd show you the beauty products that I've picked up throughout the month.

Revlon Perfect Style paddle brush
I really needed a new paddle brush.  I've had my old one for years, and the little balls on top of the bristles were starting to fall off and it was missing a couple of bristles all together.  My hair gets a bit frizzy during this time of the year, so the "no frizz" claim caught my eye.

Blistex Medicated lip balm
Fred Meyer has a (mostly) weekly "Freebie Friday" coupon that you can download onto your rewards card through their website, and one week the freebie was this Blistex lip balm.  My lips get so chapped this time of year, so I'll take all the lip balm I can get.

ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Fluffy
I picked this up during the Sephora VIB sale.  I'm pretty excited to try this shadow out because this is my first ColourPop eyeshadow.  I was a little bummed to see that it arrived broken, but thankfully this formula is super easy to press back into the pan. 

Kat Von D Beauty Studded Kiss lipstick in Slayer
I also picked this up during the Sephora VIB sale because all of the KVD lipsticks are on sale for only $12.00.  I wanted a black lipstick since I don't already have one, and I wanted to have a black base for pigments and shadows for cool lip looks.
 

NYX Cosmetics Slide On, Glide On, Stay On, & Definitely A Turn On Waterproof Extreme Shine Eye Liner in Brown Perfection (holy moly that is a crazy long name!)
My sister received this in her Ipsy bag this month, but she doesn't wear brown liner so she gave it to me.  I definitely do not need any more liners, but I've never tried this specific kind before and I'm not one to turn down new makeup.

That's everything I got recently!  I hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends, and thank you so much for stopping by!

Fenty Beauty Galaxy Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

Hello, everyone!  How has your week been so far?  The kids that I watch have been out of school for winter break this week so it's been pretty busy around here!

Anyway, I placed an order through Sephora online for a few items during the VIB sale, and one of the items I ordered was the Fenty Beauty Galaxy palette.  The original price is $59.00 for 14 glitter shadows.  I think I scored when I grabbed it while it was on sale for $39.00.  The packaging is stunning (though hard to photograph T.T), but it does attract fingerprints like crazy!  I've heard/read a lot of people complain about this palette only having glitter shadows, but I think it's perfect for a limited edition holiday palette.  When I think of "holiday looks" I always imagine glittery/shimmery eyes or lips.  Besides, I have at least a dozen neutral eyeshadow palettes already so the last thing I need is another one.  Obviously, this palette will have to be paired with another to create a full look which I'm completely alright with.  It will also help to use a glitter primer underneath or wet your brush with MAC Fix+ to prevent a lot of fall out.  If you're looking for a low maintenance, cohesive palette then I recommend skipping this one.  However, if you're like me and want to add something fun and glittery to your arsenal, then this is a good palette to pick up.

*Swatches are done with my finger with no primer underneath.*

 

I hope this was helpful!  Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have an amazing weekend!

Influenster L'Oreal Paris Elvive Voxbox Product Review

Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?

For today's post, I have a hair product that I wanted to talk about.  I recently received this L'Oreal Paris Elvive Revive Extraordinary Oil from Influenster for review, and I've been using this product since it showed up in the mail about two weeks ago.

  This lightweight oil can be used before shampoo + conditioner, through the lengths and ends of dry hair after shampoo + conditioner, or before styling.  It's meant to treat dry hair instantly leaving it silky soft and hydrated.

 
The first time I applied this to my hair, I ran it to the lengths and ends of my wet hair before styling.  After blow drying, my hair looked smooth, but it didn't look shinier than usual.  Later, I smoothed this onto my dry hair in an attempt to add luster and shine.  I noticed a slight increase in shine, but nothing outstanding.  I've used this a few more times since, but I only ever notice smoothness and never an increase of shine to my hair.

I'm glad that I had the chance to try this out because I love testing out hair oils, but this is one that I won't repurchase.  I have other hair oils that I like that give my hair more shine and luster (coconut oil is my go to!) than this one offers.

I hope this was helpful!  Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you have a great week!

*I received this product complimentary from Influenster for reviewing purposes, but all opinions are my own.*

Boxycharm Unboxing - December 2017

Hello, everyone!  How has your week been so far?

For today's blog post I have this month's Boxycharm to show you.  Boxycharm is a beauty subscription service that offers 4-5 full size beauty products for only $21.00 per month.  This month's theme is Glitz & Glam and my box has a total value of $120.99!

Real Her "Be Fearless, Be Limitless" Blush Kit - $32.00
This is a decent blush kit.  The shades aren't bad though they are a bit dry and hard, but I would never pay $32.00 for this.  To be fair, I'm really not into blush.  I'm quite fair so blush can be a bit overpowering on me.

Bella Pierre Cosmetics "Pro Concealer Palette" - $29.99
I really did not want to receive this.  I'm not into color correcting these days as it's just another unnecessary step in my already too long routine. Not to mention, and I feel bad saying this, the quality of this is awful.  The formula is very greasy and it smells like its gone bad.  I'm honestly afraid to put this on my acne prone skin.

Pretty Vulgar "My Lips Are Sealed" Liquid Lipstick in Weeping Willow - $24.00
This is one of the items that I was hoping to receive.  Naturally, of the three shades available I received the one that I doubt I'll ever wear.  I really wanted this because I've never tried anything from the brand yet, but I don't like brown lip shades on me.

Tarte "Tarteist" Mascara - $23.00
This mascara has a rubber wand which I don't typically like, but hopefully it's good.

Crown Brush "Pro Blush Brush" - $12.00
I was hoping to receive this item as well, but the quality feels different from other Crown brushes that I own.  My other brushes feel so soft, but the bristles on this one feel a bit scratchy.  It feels like cheap quality, which surprised me because I really like my other Crown brushes.  Anyway, I read that a lot of people prefer this brush for foundation since it's smaller than an average blush brush.  I didn't like this for blush either, so I'll try it again for foundation.

What do you think of this month's box?  I have to be honest, I'm not that impressed.  So much so, that I actually unsubscribed from Boxycharm.  I just hate getting products that I'll never use and products that I would use but receive in a shade I won't wear.  For a "Glitz & Glam" theme, this box was very underwhelming.  I'm quite sad about unsubscribing, but I haven't been that excited about my boxes lately.  I used to look forward to getting my box in the mail every month and was always happy (more often than not) with the items I received.  I haven't felt that way in a while, and I'd rather use the $21.00 each month on products that I know I like/want/need.

What products did you receive?  Are you happy with your box this month?

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have a great weekend.

Collective Beauty/Makeup Haul

Hello, everyone!  How has your week been so far?

Today I have a collective haul to share with you.  Here's all of the beauty products I picked up over the last couple of months.

Kiss 100 count oval nail set
I purchased this set (back in October) for my Halloween costume.  I painted some of the nails gold and used lash glue to adhere them to my skin to look like scales for my dragon costume.  Now I have around 90 left to figure out what to do with.

Spa Life Pore Clarifying sheet mask
I've never tried this brand before, but I was intrigued by an activated charcoal mask so I decided to give it a try.

 

Urban Dollkiss My Panda Synergy-Up Collagen sheet mask
I've never tried anything out from this brand either, but the packaging was too cute to pass up!

 

Lip Smacker x Disney Tsum Tsum Mickey Mouse lip balm (holiday edition)
I'll be the first to admit that I have a Disney Lip Smacker addiction.  Obviously, I "had" to have these.

 

Lip Smacker x Disney Tsum Tsum Minnie Mouse lip balm (holiday edition)

 

Dr. Teals Relax and Relief Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution
This is a repurchase item.  Whenever I have a pamper day I like to soak my feet with warm water and epsom salt.

 

Wet N Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Gold Bar in Holly Gold-head
 I've been wanting this for a long time but I haven't seen it in store until recently, so of course I had to snatch one up!

Softlips x Hello Kitty holiday lip balm set
I saw this at Target and of course I had to get it.

That's everything!  What are some items that you picked up that you're excited to try out?

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a great weekend!

 

The Balm Cosmetics Nude 'Tude Eyeshadow Palette Review + Swatches

Hello, everyone!  How was your weekend?

I recently received $10.00 in Kohl's Cash from Influenster to use during the Love Your Look event and I decided to use it towards the purchase of the Nude 'Tude eyeshadow palette by The Balm Cosmetics.  Everything from The Balm Cosmetics was 10% off so I only paid $22.40 for this palette.  I've had my eyes on this palette for quite a while now, but never got around to purchasing it.  Actually, this is my first purchase from the brand in general.  I honestly don't know why I waited so long to buy from them.  These shadows are so smooth and pigmented!  The only shade in this palette that I'm not too excited about is the black shade.  It's not the darkest black in my collection, and it also feels a bit chalky.  Which is strange because the other shadows don't feel chalky at all.  This isn't a deal breaker for me though since I have at least a dozen other black eyeshadows.  In this palette, there are a total of 12 shadows; 8 shimmer/glitter shades and 4 matte shades.  If you're not a fan of shimmery shadows, then this palette probably isn't for you since it's 2/3 shimmers/glitters.  This has a good size mirror and also comes with a dual ended eye brush.  The quality of the brush isn't the best, but I rarely use the brushes that are included with palettes anyway.

 

~Swatches~

I was also given a free sample of the Mary-Lou Manizer highlight with purchase.

I hope you found this helpful.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have an amazing week!