Product Updates & Some Newbies

Updates: These are some products I've mentioned recently on this blog as new purchases, or things I found and started using again. I just wanted to give a little update as to how they're holding up.

Clinique High Impact Mascara: This is a weird one. I do love it, but I think it's a pretty finicky mascara. When I first opened the tube, I loved it, it gave me crazy fantastic lashes, but after a few weeks, I noticed that it was getting harder and harder to apply. I thought it was my actual eyelashes, like they were growing weird, or I wasn't getting the right angle with my lash curler, but I really think it's the mascara. Or maybe both. Now that I'm sitting here thinking about it, it seemed like my eyelashes "plateaued" with this one. Like, when you're using a new skin care routine and it's fabulous for a few months and then your skin stops getting better, but it doesn't necessarily get any worse, either. Or when your hair just gets all build up-y from using the same shampoo and conditioner. I think my eyelashes kind of "got used to it." However, I stopped using it for a couple weeks and just last week, I pulled it out to use because I didn't want to deal with another high maintenance mascara (which I will talk about later in this post) and it was the closest one to me, and I found myself loving it once again. So I almost feel like this is one that you buy, use it every day for a couple weeks, and then need to take a break from it for a couple weeks. Then, once you start using it again, it looks great. I don't know if it's just my tube, like maybe mine had been opened or something and put back in the box or it wasn't sealed right or something... but I love it, and I'll definitely be keeping it in my mascara rotation, it does (when it's in a good mood) give you an amazing "false lash" look.

Ole Henricksen Sheer Transformation creme: I like this, but it's certainly not my favorite. The first thing you notice about it is the smell. I'm all about fresh, herbal-y scents in my skin care; I love me some peppermint, tea tree oil, rosemary, etc etc. This one has an herbal scent, but it smells kind of odd. It's very distinctive, it's not quite rosemary or tea tree oil, maybe a combination of the two? There's something about it, it's not necessarily a bad scent, but it is kind of off-putting. I do like it, although I feel like it's kind of heavy now that it's getting warmer. I've noticed that it also leaves my skin feeling kind of tacky for a little while after I've used it. It doesn't sink in right away like my Moisture Surge. So I've really only been using it at night. I also haven't really noticed if any discoloration has been remedied, but I don't use it regularly, or I haven't used it straight for more than two or three days at a time, so I can't say that it wouldn't. Overall, not against it, don't hate it, but it isn't my favorite.

OPI Teenage Dream: My lovely friend Rosie called me a couple weeks ago and said "I found it! I found Teenage Dream! Do you want me to get you one?!" Um, duh. Thank you!! I love it. I got it from her and literally painted my nails with it as soon as I got home and wore it straight for over a week before it started to chip, then I re-did my nails with it again. I absolutely love it. It's so glittery, but I don't feel like it's too overwhelming or anything like that. I feel like it's a fun glitter, but also an "appropriate" fun. It's not so crazy that you couldn't wear it to work (depending on where you work, law firm? Probably wouldn't recommend that.) but it's still great for going out or parties. I'm so so happy I finally got my hands on it! Gorgeous!

Benefit's Garden of Good and Eva: I mentioned this one in a post about "signature scents" a while back and I wanted to re-visit. I do love this perfume but it has one huge drawback. If I am wearing it, and I get a migraine, I am absolutely miserable until I can shower it off, which sucks because all I want to do when I have a migraine is curl up in a ball and sleep. It doesn't give me migraines, it's not a trigger, but it is an aggravator if I get one and am wearing this or smell it on someone else or clothing or sheets. It's a beautiful, fresh, floral-y scent but when a migraine starts setting in, it becomes way too overbearing. I'm infinitely more sensitive to smells when I have a migraine, so having anything, even if it's a smell I love, that is really strongly scented is not fun for me. (This includes, food smells, cleaning product smells, shampoo & conditioner, body wash etc.) However, I absolutely love this perfume. And hey, to be totally honest, most of my perfumes bother me when I have a migraine. Perfumes on OTHER people drive me crazy when I have a migraine, so it's not saying much that this one bugs me.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave In Treatment: I use this every single time I wash my hair. I don't just spray it directly on it, I brush my hair out, flip it a couple times and then do about three pumps/sprays into the palm of my hand and work it through my hair, focusing mainly on the bottom half and my ends, with just a little light swipe through the crown. If I put too much onto the crown, with the other product I've been using, my hair will look greasy really quickly, it is a medium weight leave in treatment. However, 3-4 pumps is really the perfect amount, if you have longer or thicker hair than I do, you would probably need more than that. This is, in combination with another product I'm mentioning in this post, are probably hair product holy grails for me. I've noticed a huge change in my hair since I started using them both. And it doesn't hurt that neither of them smell bad, I love the scents.

Newbies:

Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara: Alright, this is the "high maintenance" mascara I mentioned earlier. It's really a love-hate relationship here, folks. Very nice, rich black color, adorable packaging, interesting brush... all the ingredients of a best seller. It's a Japanese mascara brand, with fibers in it to lengthen your lashes. The formula is kind of creamy and on the middle of the watery-thick scale. It's definitely not dry, but it's not watery. Here's the rub: it can be incredibly difficult to work with, OR it can be fabulous, but you don't know what you're going to get. I usually have to use a separate spoolie brush (like a mascara wand) after each coat of this mascara to get it not to clump my lashes together. (I HATE tarantula lashes!) That being said, when this mascara wants to cooperate, it looks utterly fabulous. The best false lash look I have found this year. Definitely in the top three with Diorshow ICONIC & Clinique High Impact. Just sayin', there's a high price to pay for those fantastic, lush, long eyelashes. This stuff takes patience and focus. Not necessarily what I'm looking for on a busy morning when I'm trying to get myself to school. I say 6/10 for ease of application, 8.7/10 for final product.

Origins Vita Zing Moisturizer with SPF 15: Okay, this has been jamming UP my youtube subscriptions recently. This is a crazy product. It's a tinted moisturizer, I know, yawn, but wait! It self adjusts to your skin. Normally, I think that crap is a gimmick, but this one is legit. It starts out as a white-ish cream, with little spots in it, like cinnamon sprinkles. When you blend it into your skin, it literally makes you look like you've just spent a couple days in the sun. It's a light to medium coverage, so if you want a more concealed, flawless look, you'd still need concealer etc and it's not matte, but it is kind of amazing. For me, the finished look is a little dewier than I prefer, so I just follow it up with my usual Benefit Porefessional and bronzer/blush/mineral finishing powder routine. I have been using this in place of my Clinique Moisture Surge moisturizer for the last few days and I've gotta say, I like it. It is kind of pricey- $35 for 1.7 ounces. However, it replaces at least two or three products, (moisturizer, spf, foundation) and a ton of time from your routine. I say at least 7.5/10 for this one, only because it is somewhat cost prohibitive and is dewier than I would prefer. However, the second issue, at least, is remediable enough.

DDF Benzoyl Peroxide 5% Acne Treatment: I swooped this on a whim in Sephora recently. I went in with one task and one task only: to find a new acne treatment that I could use with my pre-existing skin care regimen. I use the Ole Henricksen Acne Treatment Gel with salicylic acid daily in the mornings, and usually their benzoyl peroxide Roll On Acne treatment at night, so I figured either salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide would work. I saw this and grabbed it. It's a 5% concentration, whereas most over the counter acne treatments with benzoyl peroxide are 1-2.5%-ish. I know quite a few prescription benzoyl peroxide gels or treatments are 10%, so I figured this was a happy medium. Stronger than most, but not too harsh. So far, I'm actually really impressed. It's a white-ish (again!) gel with like semi-solid particles in it that sort of exfoliate the skin as you apply, but melt into your skin as you blend it. It doesn't burn, it doesn't tingle, it just kind of sinks in. I use it morning and night, and have seen an improvement in the overall clarity of my skin, (but an increase in blackhead type bumps? weird.) and really, I like it. It does not interfere with my other skin care products in the slightest. It's a good call.

Deborah Lippmann Nail Lacquer in Jam it Up: Love it. Blackened purple with a sort of reddish-plum shimmer. It is solid, I mean this stuff doesn't chip. Once it's on, it's on. And um, it doesn't come off with regular nail polish remover, but it does come off with 100% pure acetone from CVS. Weird? I have been hearing a lot of hype over Deborah Lippmann nail polishes, but they are pricey. $16 a pop from her website, and they're sold in Neiman Marcus, I believe, probably for $20-ish. They look gorgeous, and I'd love a few more, but these are definitely investment nail polishes. That seems kind of wrong.

Revlon Nail Polish in Hazy: Drug store nail polish for the win! Gorgeous, blue-y grey, just like dark rain clouds. Creme finish, gorgeous. I don't know what else to say. It's only, like, $6 at CVS. Bueno!

Argan Magic Argan Oil Hair Treatment: Hooooly crap! I am in love. As someone with oily hair, the idea of putting oil on my hair seems counterintuitive. However, I stand permanently corrected. Not only does this leave my hair feeling incredibly soft and not weighed down, yes even when used with the It's a 10, it smells vaguely reminiscent of a tween fruity lipgloss dream. I swear, I had something that smelled just like this when I was 12 or 13, but I can't remember what, and I could not tell you what it smells like if I tried. It's fruity and sweet and beyond that, I got nothin'. However, you need only a dime sized amount, more if you have longer, or thicker hair, and you run it through damp hair, root to tip. It cuts drying time, literally, in half, and leaves hair incredibly soft. It just makes my hair silky, soft and shiny. Healthier feeling and looking than it has been in a while. CVS for like $11 or $12. Great deal, since you use hardly any.

All in all, decent product month or so. I'm not unhappy with anything, but I've definitely had a change of opinion on some products. Always happy to be trying new things. Stay beautiful! More to come soon.

St. Patty's Day Make Up

Okay, so today is Irish Pride day (aka St. Patrick's Day), and as such, I felt the need to do a crazy green make up look. I love the way it turned out! So here are some pictures and the products I used to achieve it. There's a variety of products from different brands and the focus is definitely on the eyes, neutral cheeks and nude lips complete it. Keep reading!

So I started out with my usual skin care routine. Then I used my Benefit porefessional all over my whole face, followed by the Allison Raffaele true concealer in shade 1 under my eyes, around my nose and on a couple small blemishes. To start the eyes I used the Benefit F.Y...eye! primer on my lids. Then I took a Prestige Skin Loving Minerals eyeliner pencil in Jade and used that all over the lid, smudging lightly when I got near the crease. I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On eyeliner pencil in Covet over the top of that. The first eyeshadow I used was Urban Decay's Mildew from the Urban Ammo palette, all over the lid, but not into the crease. In the corners of my eyes, almost halfway onto the eyelid, I used Kat Von D's Long Distance from her new Truth palette, it's a lime, shimmery green that when used with a light hand, is semi-sheer over darker colors. On the outer half of the lid and under my lower lashes (lightly!), I used MAC's Humid, which I've never used before, although I've owned it for quite some time. Then, in the outer corner and crease I used NARS' Night Porter, a beautiful blackened green with shimmers. I've always been a little afraid of this color, it seems so dark and wasn't quite sure how to use it. Directly in the center of my lids I went in with Kat Von D's Snake Eyes, a slightly more blue-hued, lime green. I brought Long Distance into the inner corner and up slightly but used Bare Minerals Soul as a highlight on my brow bone. A little of MAC's Rosemary and Thyme eye kohl and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On eyeliner in Mildew on my waterline is the perfect dark, but not black, emphasis on the lower lashline. I used the Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black followed by the Benefit Prrrowl mascara top coat, which is sort of a turquoise-y shimmer. Gorg!

I used Benefit's Hoola Bronzer all over my face for a contour and slight glow, followed by Too Faced's Pink Leopard bronzer as a highlight/cheek color. (Don't normally like shimmer on my cheeks but this one is fantastic and not chunky at all.) I used a light dusting of MAC's Blushbaby on the apples of my cheeks and along my cheekbones for just a little rosiness. On my lips went some EOS Summer Fruit lip balm, Revlon's Soft Nude lip stick and a light layer of Benefit's Nudie-Tude lip gloss to add some sheen. No foundation, no powder. Just glowy, semi-matte skin and a little cheek. Loving it.

Body Lotions...Body Butters...Body Creams

I am currently on a body lotion/body butter/body cream kick. I guess this goes hand in hand with yummy smells and yummy smelling body lotion/body butter/body cream... and yummy scented candles.

Currently loving:

fresh Sugar Lychee Body Lotion: with sugar cane extract and mango seed oil; this smells so clean, and yet, so sweet. I'm obsessed with all things tropical, especially passionfruit, and pineapple, and the scents are great, so lychee, one of my favorite tropical fruits, totally grabbed my attention. It's not my favorite texture-wise, but it definitely leaves my skin feeling really soft and not greasy once its totally absorbed.

Victoria's Secret Love Spell Hand and Body Cream: Cherry blossom, peach and white jasmine; oh my dear, what is not to love? It's a little bit sweet, a little bit fruity, a little bit intense and there's something almost crisp about it. I love it. I love the texture, I love the way it absorbs, I love the way the scent lingers on my skin, and on my sheets if I use it before bed. Yummy.

The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter: this has been one of my all time favorite scents since ninth grade, when Charlotte, my roommate, introduced me to The Body Shop. I'm not a huge fan of citrus scents, I don't love them, I don't hate them, I'm just kind of neutral. Every once in a while, though, a citrus scent will grab me, like the St. Ives citrus scented body wash, or, my dearly beloved Satsuma. I am not a huge fan of body butters, I think they're a bit heavy, but that may also be because I am a bit heavy handed while applying them. I do or at one time have owned every single Satsuma scented product from The Body Shop. I love it all. I particularly love the essential oil, that I burn in a little burner with a candle and it makes the whole back half of the house smell fantastic. All that being said, the body butter, being heavy, lingers so beautifully. I can always smell it after I've used it. Heavy as it may be, the smell is fantastic.

The Body Shop Moringa Body Butter: I don't know what this smells like, I have absolutely no idea what a "moringa" flower(?) oil(?) is. I got nothing. It smells like jasmine, gardenia and plumeria all smushed into a lovely pot of moisturizing beauty. The flowers or whatever they are smell fabulous. I love the smell. It's definitely one of those, pick me up type scents that will be there all day and on my clothes when I change at night. It's soothing and mellow and very white flower-y.

Benefit Cosmetics Bathina Touch Me Then Try to Leave Cream: to me, and I don't know if this is really what it is "supposed" to smell like, but to me, this cream smells like roses and plumeria and gardenia all beautifully and delicately mixed. It's like cream silk, it feels amazing going onto the skin and absorbs perfectly. And it's lighter than air. And it's beautiful. And if they discontinue it, I might cry. It's like, clean cotton and gardenia and roses and plumeria. I'm in love with it.

Just a few of my favorites right now. These are all pretty easy to find: the body shop, Victoria's Secret, Benefit... I think they're lovely. I'm always on the hunt for some new, lovely scented body creams and lotions. Happiest when I smell yummy.

On the candle note, also searching for lovely smelling candles. Thoughts?

To: Those who steal make up....

I know who you are, and I have your number. This is NOT cool. You came into my house, we welcomed you in to a party, it was a celebration, and you went through my sh**? You stole from me while you were in my house and I was present?! Best part, there were only three females here, so trust me, this will come back to haunt you.

While we're on the subject, what is the freaking point of stealing make up? Seriously! First of all, it's totally unsanitary. Like, yes, please, let me put this eyeshadow on my eye that has had your fingers and your brushes and all of that crap in it. Or, hm, let me take this lipstick that you used when you had a cold sore. (Never had a cold sore, although, in this situation, it would have been awesome to have had oral herpes so whoever stole that sh** got it, too.)

You're shady, and don't be surprised if the next time you show up at my house I don't speak to you. Or if I kick you out. I am not a fan of being taken advantage of, you might think I'm sweet, but don't take my kindness or openness for weakness. Karma is a bigger bitch than I will ever be, but I come pretty damn close.

Love,

Emily

beauty ruts are no fun

So I find myself once again in a beauty rut. It's not that I'm unhappy with my make up at the moment, it's just that I feel like I should be happier. My Benefit Playsticks foundation is all of a sudden looking orange, clearly my tan from last summer is all but gone. My Bare Minerals makes my skin itch a bit when it gets warmer, although it makes my skin look great. The Clinique High Impact mascara is looking clumpy on my lashes. I'm not inspired by any of my eyeshadows. My blush is looking...weird. I think I'm just frustrated. I'm not really feeling like I enjoy my make up right now. It's making me feel strange. I don't know if I'm just not feeling inspired or if I'm just bored with what I have, or if I'm just sick of doing my make up every day...the only thing I still absolutely love is my Benefit Porefessional. That is some great stuff. Serious.

I am, however, happy with my hair lately. I'm using the Pantene Pro V Beautiful Lengths Anti Frizz shampoo and conditioner. But I think what's really making the difference is the It's a 10 Leave In treatment and, the newest addition to my hair arsenal, Argan Oil. I'm not sure of the brand, but it smells absolutely amazing, like something I used to have... a lotion or a perfume or a body wash. I can't put my finger on what it smells like, or where I know it from. It's great. My hair is soft, manageable and shiny. I can use it when my hair is wet or dry and it doesn't make my hair feel icky or look oily. I use it right after I put the It's a 10 in my hair and then again after I've blow dried and/or straightened my hair, when it's dry. It also, amazingly, seems to make my hair less oily, I'm able to wash my hair every other day. (That has never been a reality for me.)

I got the Argan Oil from CVS, so it's not hard to find. I need to find some way to get excited about make up again. Maybe it's time to go through all my make up again and trade out some products. I'm so frustrated. Bleugh. I'm open to any recommendations.

Nails...

I've been doing my nails a lot recently, trying out different colors, stuff I wouldn't normally wear, and definitely craving some new things. First, for the cravings: I. want. the. Katy. Perry. OPI. Teenage. Dream. nail polish. No joke. I'm not usually one for glitter, but this polish looks SO pretty. Holy cow.

So, I need to get my hands on that. I'm also loving two Revlon polishes, Storm and Jaded. Storm is a great steel grey cream and Jaded is a nice pastel mint green. Tonight I did my nails with Storm and used a newish OPI color called Brand New Skates over the top of it. Brand New Skates is a sheer gunmetal grey with really fine glitter in it. Looks great together. The other day I tried out essie's Haute as Hello. I first got it when it came out with Turquoise and Caicos, which is a beautiful color, but it comes out kind of streaky on my nails. I couldn't get Haute as Hello to work for me either, but this week I finally got it to. It looked really nice. It's a great summer color, and will look great when I get a tan... so, we'll wait for summer for that one.

On a different note, my skin is unhappy with me. I don't know if it's because I was sick or what, but I'm having trouble getting any foundation to sit right on my face. So frustrating. The Benefit Playsticks foundation was working so well for me, and now it just looks cakey and icky everywhere. I'm definitely not a fan. Hopefully it's just temporary, but it's not looking good. Bottom line, good week for nail polish, bad week for skin. Boo. Off to bed.

more raves...

I have definitely had more product raves recently than I have in a long time. Maybe I've just got the good make-up chi going on right now, but I'm definitely loving whatever is sending this stuff my way.

#1 Benefit Playsticks Foundation (my shade is Tea Party): I started using this junior year of high school, and it was my first foundation ever. I bought it because my boyfriend at the time invited me to his homecoming dance, and my mom took me out to "prettify" me or something. It was a treat, bought a new outfit, and she took me to Benefit in Mill Valley to deck my face out. I stopped using this before I left for college, I just basically stopped wearing make up that summer. I was in the pool all the time and it wasn't a priority. (Duh.) Anyway, my skin dried out quite a bit this winter so my usual Bare Minerals routine wasn't cutting it. (However, Bare Minerals OVER Playsticks gives flawless coverage!) I decided to bust this stuff out and I am blown away by it, once again. Seriously. And, of course, just when I am rediscovering it, I find out Benefit is discontinuing it!!! I need to have me a serious talk with Benefit, they have discontinued some of the greatest stuff!! (Show Offs anyone??)

#2 Clinique Super Moisturizing Balm Gloss in Black Honey: Everyone knows what the Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey looks like, and how phenomenal it looks on basically everyone, and this is the super glossy, super moisturizing gloss formula. This color is the perfect, just ate a whole bowl of raspberries or cherries and now my lips are this gorgeous color but glossed. Seriously. Fabulash. They also have this formula in a bunch of other colors. Worth checking out.

#3 NARS Lipgloss in Dolce Vita: This is like the "real" lipstick version of the NARS lipstick by the same name. The actual lipstick is a sheer, your lips but better color, the lipgloss is full color, glossy, opaque, pinky-rosy-nude gorgeousness. The lipgloss definitely has more color than the lipstick, but both are beautiful. The gloss is definitely on the stickier side, but it's worth it!

#4 Clinique High Impact Mascara: I wrote a whole post on this, so I do not feel the need to repeat myself. All I will say is: fake eyelashes for real. No lies.

#5 Milani Mineral Powder Blush (pressed) in Luminous: Perfect, peachy pink with teeny gold luminous flecks. Not even flecks. Just luminosity. And it's drugstore. Totally accessible. Perfect glowy, pink, healthy cheeks. Perfect with a light bronzer, like Dior's Matte Sunshine in Honey Matte. Love.

I'm in love with all these products, they will probably all be accompanying me to Milwaukee next weekend. I really feel like these are helping my face look....better. My skin looks glowy, healthy, my lips look full and gleamy...my eyes look ridiculous. Getting stopped on the street and asked if you're wearing false eyelashes is CRUCIAL. And amazing. So happy.