January Favorites

January Favorites 2016

January has seemed to really fly by, and I wore makeup more than I did in December, but I think I have fewer favorites because I just wasn't absolutely loving very much. One thing I didn't get a picture of because it was downstairs and I'm too lazy to get up is my new MAC lipstick in Brave. I wore it more than any other lipstick this month even though I didn't get it until about halfway through, since I think it looks really nice on me. One thing I'm not a fan of is the vanilla scent, since I'm not a big vanilla fan. I can see how other people would love it, though.

My first pictured favorite is this candle. It makes the whole room smell absolutely lovely and it claims to last 50-60 hours, so it'll last me a long time. The smell isn't overpowering, but it isn't too light either. It smells just like cranberries and some people might consider that a Christmas scent but I never really care if a scent is a seasonal one or not - if I like it, I'm going to like it year round.

I got a set of Body Shop body butter minis for Christmas, and I've finished one and I'm nearly done this one. I probably only have one or two more uses left of this one because I've been loving using it all month. It's just a shea butter body butter, so it doesn't have much of a scent, but it's super moisturizing and the light scent it does have is very pleasant. I mostly use this on my arms after I shower so they get super moisturized.

Another thing I've been loving is this deluxe size sample of the Origins GinZing eye cream. I got it as a 100-point perk from Sephora because I wanted an eye cream for my dry undereyes but I didn't want to invest in one without trying it out first. So far, I love this one! Not only does it makes my undereyes less dry and puffy, it also seems to be lightening my dark circles, which I never thought an eye cream could actually do. I've always had pretty dark circles under my eyes and nothing seemed to fix them, but this really does. It has to be this eye cream doing it because I haven't changed my skincare routine otherwise and I haven't been getting any more sleep than usual.

This month I've been using this LA Colors Color Craze polish in Ballet Slipper a ton. I have to paint my nails two or three times a week on average, and this is the color I've been gravitating towards most of the time. I did a whole review on this line of polishes here if you want to know more about them.

This is the Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush in Natural. It's my go-to blush because it's just pigmented enough that it's easy to see, but not so pigmented that you can go overboard easily. It's lasted me over a year and I'm still nowhere near hitting pan. I use this pretty much every single day.

This Beauty Treats Almond Creme lip scrub was only a dollar on ShopMissA, and oh my gosh, it's fantastic. The thing that does the actual exfoliating is finely ground up walnut shells, which are really effective. I use this daily, which is necessary for me because I wear a lot of lip balm.

My last favorite of the month is the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough As Taupe. I use this as a base under eyeshadow and it helps it last all day with no creasing. I've found that this actually looks really cool underneath gold shadows.

Eyeshadow Review

Wet' n' Wild 5-Pan Eyeshadow Palette Review

I recently got the Wet' n' Wild 5-pan eyeshadow palette in Tunnel Vision because I wanted to test out Wet' n' Wild eyeshadows a bit better. It comes with a sponge tip applicator and a little brush, neither of which are very good. The brush is usable but I don't plan on using it since I have better brushes. I find that the shadows are kind of blendable, but not super great. They're very pigmented (other than the white shade), but I prefer blendability over pigmentation since you can always build a color up if it isn't pigmented but it's hard to work with hard to blend shadows. They last pretty well and don't crease too much as long as you use an eye primer. I find it odd that the crease shade has sparkles in it, but they don't really show up much on your eye. These shadows also seem to have quite a bit of fallout.

I created this look using the shadows the way the pans say to - I put the shade that has "crease" engraved in it in my crease, the shade that says "eyelid" on my lid, and so on. As you can see, it looks kind of muddy and the crease color isn't blended very well. I tried for a long time to blend it out better but it doesn't seem to get any better than this. Overall, these eyeshadows are okay, but I'm not a big fan.

My Favorite Nail Polish

My Favorite Nail Polish (Review)

My absolute favorite nail polishes are the LA Colors Color Craze nail polishes. They last about two or three days on my nails without noticeable chipping, which is actually really good for me because I'm lucky if nail polish lasts one day on my nails. My favorite colors are (from left to right) So Famous, Ballet Slipper, and Desert Dune. So Famous takes two or three coats to be opaque, Ballet Slipper takes four, and Desert Dune takes one or two. I'm currently trying to use up Ballet Slipper in attempt to slim down my nail polish collection, but I think I'll probably repurchase it when I run out because I absolutely love it. I always use a base coat and a top coat with every polish I use to protect my nails from getting stained and to make them last longer, and I've found that without either of those, these polishes don't last very well. With a top and base coat, however, they last longer than most polishes do on me. They take a while to dry since they aren't fast drying, but they don't take any longer than the majority of other normal polishes. I have found that the lighter colors take a ton of coats to show up opaque and without streaks (four or more coats) but darker colors only take three maximum, which isn't too bad, especially since I tend to paint on very thin coats. They have a thicker consistency, so if you prefer thinner formulas then these probably aren't for you. The best part about these polishes is that they only cost a dollar! They may not be as good as an Essie nail polish, but you can buy eight of these for the price of one of the Essie ones, so I think it's totally worth it.

Products I Want To Use Up Update

Products I Want To Use Up In 2016 Update One

About a month ago I posted a list of products I wanted to use up in 2016, and I think I've been making really good progress! I wanted to bring an update at the end of every month, so here it is!

Lip Balm

I wanted to finish five lip balms this year, but I may end up shooting for ten or fifteen - I've already used up two, and I'm near the end of the third! I've found that Lip Smackers go pretty fast because they're really soft and you can pile a lot on at once, but they wear off pretty fast so you end up reapplying more often. This has led to me finishing one and nearly finishing another within two or three weeks. The Blamtastic Skins one went pretty fast as well, since it was really thin. I really enjoyed that one so I bought another one from that brand in a different flavor to try out.

Lipstick

I want to use up one full size lipstick this year, and I think it's doable, except I have yet to choose one. I've been using Brave by MAC a lot, so I may choose that one, but I love it a lot and don't want to see it go. But because I love it so much, I want to wear it a lot, so I have a bit of a dilemma. I think I'll end up choosing it, though, so that it gets good use.

Foundation

I technically finished one foundation, but there was only one or two uses left in it in the first place, so I'm not counting it. I'm thinking of going for one of my Fit Me foundations, since I have two of them right now and I'm not crazy about them anymore.

Body Spray

I've been using one of Bath and Body Works' holiday scents a ton, even though it's no longer the holidays - Twisted Peppermint. I absolutely love it and I use it nearly every day, so it shouldn't be a challenge to finish, but I may get sick of it so we'll see. It smells like peppermint with a hint of vanilla and I absolutely love that.

Powder

For my first powder, I'm going for this translucent one from NYX. I want to try the RCMA no color powder, but I want to finish two other powders first since I don't want to accumulate too many. This one was pretty much full when I started so I want to get through it. There's not a huge amount of product so it should be pretty easy.

Eyeliner

I haven't targeted any eyeliners yet, which probably isn't good since I wanted to finish six. I'm including any form of eyeliner, though, and I think I'll include brow pencils in this category if I start having difficulty finishing eyeliners.

Body Butter

I'm almost done with the first of three body butters! I've decided to include lotions in this category as well, since I need to use some of those up but I usually use body butter or body lotion, not both at once. I've loved this shea butter one because it's thick enough that it's really moisturizing but not so thick that it's unpleasant.

Nail Polish

I held the nail polish I want to use up this year up to a light so that it was easier to see how much was left. I've made a pretty good dent and I think it's safe to say I can use this up entirely this year. I actually really like this color, but it's only a dollar so it's easy enough to buy a new one if I miss it when it's gone - which is unlikely, since I have a ton of pink polishes.

Shower Gel

This category is a bit slow, since I don't feel the need to shower any more than I already do, and I don't use a ton of shower gel in each shower, but I've been finding ways to use my shower gels other than as shower gels. I can use them as shampoo, too, which helps me use up more, and as bubble bath if I take a bath (although that doesn't happen too often. Baths freak me out).

Lip Butter

I wanted to use up one lip butter this year, and I think that's definitely doable. I had already used this quite a bit before starting, but I think I can use this up pretty easily once I've used up all the lip balms I want to since I can use it in place of regular lip balm. This lip butter is nice but the scent is getting less fun and more annoying at this point.

Lip Scrub

This is the lip scrub I want to use up this year. I've used maybe a quarter of it up total, but some of that happened before I started this project. Still, I think using this up in a year is manageable. I use it almost every day, and I would consider repurchasing it when I'm done with this one because not only is it good, it uses ground up walnut shells as an exfoliant rather than plastic microbeads, which are bad for the environment, so I avoid those. I now make my own suger lip scrub (also environmentally friendly!), so I doubt I will end up repurchasing it, but I would think about it.

Eyeshadow

I want to hit pan on ten eyeshadow pans this year, but that looks like it might not happen since I still have to hit pan on one. I've been using this one - Salted Caramel in the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette - every day and this is my dent so far. I like it as a warm crease shade.

Lip Gloss

I may abandon this category altogether unless I start regularly using lip gloss all of the sudden. I just never end up using gloss.

Coconut Oil Uses

Three Ways I Use Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is super great for you, inside and out. In addition to using it for cooking, I wanted to tell you about three ways I use it on the outside - for my hair, skin, and lips!

#1 - Sugar Scrub Cubes

One way to use coconut oil for your skin is these sugar scrub cubes. I found the recipe here. One of the bigger ones can do my arms and legs, although I would recommend using two if your cubes are smaller. I just used some ice cube molds I got from the dollar store and put the mixture in them and then put them in the fridge for a few hours and bam! Sugar scrub cubes made from coconut oil and regular household ingredients. They exfoliate, moisturize, and clean at the same time.

#2 - Lip Balm

I was obsessed with lip balm for a while, and during that time I mashed together a few DIY lip balm recipes and made my own. All you need is a crayon, a teaspoon of coconut oil, and a quarter of a teaspoon of vaseline. Melt those together, adding any optional ingredients like vitamin e or flavoring, and pour the mixture into a container or mold. It will most likely go on the lips the same color as the crayon, so it's kind of like a lipstick in that way, except it's super moisturizing.

#3 - In Your Hair

Once a week, usually on a Sunday, I like to put a ton of coconut oil all through my hair a few hours before I plan to shower. This makes my hair super soft and shiny, as well as making it so that I don't feel the need to use any conditioner. I've never tried using it in a DIY hair mask, but I want to try it some time and will post the recipe here if I do.

Makeup Eraser Review

Makeup Eraser Makeup Remover Towel Review

I got The Original Makeup Eraser for Christmas, and I was super excited about it. I had asked for it because I wanted to try it out but couldn't justify spending $20.00 USD on what could easily be a glorified washcloth. It is not that. It's freaking amazing! If anybody wants a comparison of this to a normal washcloth, please leave a comment letting me know.

My Makeup Eraser is a bit stained since it's been a while since I've machine washed it, but I do hand wash it when the whole thing gets dirty. I find I can get two or three uses out of each side before I have to wash it, so that's 4-6 uses between washes. On me, it's better at removing eye makeup than just a makeup wipe, and I find it doesn't take as long. Like a makeup wipe, you do still have to wash your face after using it, but it really does get the majority of the makeup off your face. It's super gentle compared to a normal washcloth (or at least the ones I own), and it has a normal side and an exfoliating side. I just use both sides normally since it's hard to tell the difference, though. Unlike a normal washcloth, all you need is warm water and it removes makeup super well. It claims to remove waterproof makeup, and I have found that to be true. I have found that the warmer the water you use, the easier the makeup comes off. Again, you still absolutely need to wash your face using a face wash after you use this - it doesn't get deep into your pores the way a face wash does, so it can't get every bit of makeup off. But it does get off all visible traces of makeup, including waterproof, so I think that it's a good investment to make, especially if you use makeup wipes to take off your makeup every day. A pack of thirty makeup wipes is usually between five and eight dollars and lasts you maybe thirty days, whereas this cost $20.00 but can last you years.

These are the instructions on how to wash the Makeup Eraser. I have found that washing it just as you would normal clothes and then letting it air dry works perfectly fine, but if you want to be extra careful with it, then follow the directions. Overall, I think that this product is a great investment that would work on any skin type.

Walmart Haul

A Walmart Makeup Haul

I went to Walmart for a candle and decided to check out the makeup. I had a few makeup coupons, including of for $2.00 off any Maybelline face product, but all of the things I wanted were sold out and they were out of my shade in all of their foundations. I did get a dollar off my face wash and fifty cents off of a "premium" chapstick - I'll show the one I got near the end of the haul.

The first thing I got was a backup of my face wash, since I'm running out and I had a coupon. It was $6.97 USD without the coupon. It works super well on me and really does start to get rid of acne within 12 hours of use. I use this (and moisturizer!) regularly and I almost never get noticeable acne.

I got this E.L.F. Studio Powder brush for $3.00 USD because the one I was using recently fell apart and sheds all over my face now. It's a great brush for applying liquid foundation.

I've heard mixed reviews on this eyeliner and I wanted to try it out, so after I saw that it's only $2.00 USD, I decided to get it. I usually use gel eyeliner but I want to master liquid as well.

I have wanted to try out the Maybelline Color Tattoos for a really long time now, and at Walmart they're only $5.94 USD, so I got the one in Tough As Taupe. I wanted a color that would work under lots of different eye looks since I plan to use it as an eyeshadow base.

Next I got the Wet' n' Wild Color Icon 5 Eyeshadow palette in Tunnel Vision. It seemed like I would use this one more than any of the other ones and I've been wanting to try out more Wet' n' Wild shadows. This was $3.93 USD.

I've never tried out the Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks, and I wanted to, so I got the shade 33 to test out. It was $4.97, which isn't a bad price. I think this is a color that I will wear often.

I have been dying to try the Revlon Lip Butters for so long, so when I saw that they were only $5.97, I got one in the color 027 Juicy Papaya. It seems like a color that when sheered out would be a subtle pop of color.

These two Lip Smackers sets were on sale for about $2.00 USD each, so I picked them up. I've been loving my Starburst Lip Smackers lately and I wanted to have more flavors.

I got my first regular Baby Lips! I have five of the Electro ones, but I've never even tried a normal one and I really wanted to. They're $2.98 at my Walmart, which is about a dollar cheaper than everywhere else I've seen them, so I got the one in Quenched since it's colorless so I can wear it whenever.

I was gifted two Blamtastic Skins lip balms for Christmas and I love them so much that I've already used one up, so I got another one in a flavor I hadn't tried. There was a grape one somewhere but the price wasn't listed, although I assume it would be the same. I can't find the price on my receipt since a few things just say "lip balm" so I don't know which one it is.

Lastly, I got this lip balm because I've wanted to try it and I  had a coupon for fifty cents off, which is actually a lot for a ChapStick. I love normal ChapSticks so I assume this will be even better.

Makeup Collection: Lips 3

Makeup Collection 2016: Lipstick

I have far too much lipstick for one pair of lips, and yet I keep buying it. Lipstick is my absolute favorite makeup product of all time. This is an excessive amount of lipstick to have at once, but I love all of it and wear many of them often. Since lipsticks are more pigmented than glosses or balms, I included swatches.

This is the Tarte Lipsurgence Power Pigment in Flush, and it is my absolute favorite lipstick of all time. I even have a backup of it. It's a great product, plus the packaging is super cute. I think this color would look good on anyone.

I only have one of the Ulta Matte Lip Creams, the one in the shade Artistic, but I need to get more. They're relatively comfortable for a liquid lipstick, and they dry totally matte. This is a very pretty color as well.

This is a deluxe size of the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Outlaw. It can be difficult to apply, but it dries down completely matte and looks stunning. I would consider getting a full size one, but in a color I would wear every day.

I love the packaging on this lipstick! I haven't worn it much yet, so I don't know how good the actual lipstick is, but it's so cute that I have to keep it around.

These are my Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks in In Love With Ginger and Nude And The City. These are great lipsticks and they come in tons of different shades.

I have yet to really try out my Bite lipstick duo in Cafe (top) and Pepper (bottom), but they don't seem very pigmented until you layer them. That surprised me because I've heard people rave about how pigmented they are. You can layer them, though, so it's not that big of a deal.

This is my NYC Expert Last lipstick in Forever Fuchsia. It's not really a color I would wear often, but it's always good to have a couple of shades like that for occasions that you want a more out-there lip color. I don't think this is super flattering for my skin color, but it's not too bad.

I rarely use my Maybelline Color Sensational Vivid lipstick in Brazen Berry, but when I want a purple lip, this is what I reach for. It's really creamy, so it doesn't last very well, but it's not drying either.

These are all of my deluxe sized lipsticks. From top to bottom, I have a Too Faced La Creme in Naked Dolly, a Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie in Speak Your Mind, a Bite Beauty Luminous Creme in Palomino, and a Buxom Full Bodied in Menace. They're all great lipsticks, but I especially like the one from Bare Minerals.

These are my Essence Long Lasting lipsticks in Coral Calling and Nude Love. These are just a few dollars, and in my opinion they are comparable to some high-end lipsticks. They're not too drying and they last a long time too.

This is my NYX Extra Creamy lipstick in Castle. I love the color so much, and I can't wait to wear it as much as I can.

Next up I have a NYX Butter lipstick in the shade Pops. I love both the formula and the color. I'm thinking of using this as the lipstick I want to use up this year because I enjoy wearing it so much.

This is a Forever 21 Velvet lipstick in Natural. The formula is incredibly dry and it tugs at your lips as you apply it, so I assume it's drying, but I have yet to wear it for a full day.

This is my E.L.F. lipstick in Flirtatious. I don't wear it enough considering how pretty it is. It's a very nice pinky coral that I think would look good on me.

Last, but definitely not least, we have one of my all time favorite lipsticks - the Wet' n' Wild Mega Last lipsticks. They're a bit drying, but they're so pigmented and long lasting that it's worth it to be. From top to bottom, I have the shades Bare It All, Just Peachy, 24 Carrot Gold, Don't Blink Pink, Stoplight Red, Red Velvet, and Mauve Outta Here. I love every single one of them and I wear them all the time.

Makeup Collection: Lips 2

Makeup Collection 2016: Lip Gloss

I have so much lip gloss that it's not even funny. I don't really even wear lip gloss that much. This is far too much for one person to use in a two year time period, and yet I still have it all. I do plan to declutter soon, so it should be more manageable then.

These are the majority of my squeezy tube glosses. I don't tend to use gloss in this form, but I do have a few I've been gifted, as well as some I bought at the dollar store because I thought they would smell good.

These are the glosses from the dollar store, along with an unopened glow in the dark gloss.

These are two Milani glosses I got at the dollar store. They're really pretty, but they've smelled a bit off since I got them, so I'm probably just going to get rid of them next time I declutter.

These are the E.L.F. lip stains I got a while back. I'll probably declutter these too since I rarely use them. They're great quality and super pretty, but I just never reach for stains.

Out of all the glosses I own, the Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Margaret is by far my favorite. It tingles in a way I enjoy and it looks gorgeous. The other two glosses here are really good, especially the Laura Mercier one.

A while ago I got these Profusion Feline Lip Lusters in a set. I haven't gotten the chance to play around with them as much as I would like to yet, but I'll put up a review when I have.

These are just three random gloss-like products I never really give enough love to. I just got the Provocalips, but I still haven't used it nearly as much as I should.

The three lip glosses here are also from the dollar store. They smelled off when I got them as well, so I'll have to get rid of them.

Revlon doesn't appear to sell the glosses shown here anymore, which means it's probably time to throw them away. The Stila gloss, however, I just opened recently so it's still good.

I can't find the brand of the two red glosses anywhere on the tube, but I know the orange one is from Wet' n' Wild. They're all okay glosses, just not the absolute best.

These two Urban Decay glosses are brand new, and I featured them in a haul a little while back. They're incredibly pigmented, but I'm not sure about how longwearing they are yet.

Lastly, I have three Fusion Beauty glosses, two of which have amazing pigmentation. The other one has decent pigmentation. I go into more detail about them in my recent review.