Wednesday, August 15, 2012

{Favorites} July 2012!

Hey there! Today's post is a belated favorites post. I know, I know, late as usual but I've been really busy packing to go back to uni and working and I haven't had much free time--just now finally got around to posting. Sorry! Anyhow, since my skin care/tanning stuff hasn't changed from last month's favorites post (click here to see June Favorites!) this post is mostly makeup, and a lot of the stuff is newer (to me at least!).



















Top-->Bottom: RoC Retinol Coreexion Eye Cream, Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Serum + Eyeliner in Black, MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in Unflappable.
 


















Top-->Bottom: MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in Unflappable, Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Serum + Eyeliner in Black, RoC Retinol Coreexion Eye Cream.

RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream: I've been loving using this at night. I was a bit iffy about the metal tube at first, but honestly it is so much more sanitary and less wasteful than regular tubes. This cream leaves my eyes feeling so moisturized, but it sinks in very quickly. A lot of the other night creams I've tried like that tend to have a heavier texture. No such problem with this one! I'll be doing a full review as soon as I get the chance.

Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Serum + Eyeliner: I've been wearing this almost every day. It looks, feels, and applies like a more expensive liner, but for a lot less. I got this on sale for only $4. This one is in the shade Black, but apparently there is also a Very Black shade as well. I think the display was just out. I haven't yet noticed thicker or longer lashes, but either way this is a superb liner. I'm especially loving the fine tip. It' s a real brush tip, not a felt tip like some of the other pen liners. The felt ones tend to fray after a while, while this one has kept its shape for almost a month now. Full review will be coming!

MAC Mega Metal Eyeshadow in Unflappable: This may seem like a very dark, fall shade, but I've been loving it this summer. It's a deep purply blue shade that has just enough of the purple and blue tones that they show up on skin, but not enough to make it look like you're wearing a lot of color, which is perfect. I've been applying the Physicians formula liner and then smudging this over top to get a nice sexy smudgy almost slept in look. I also love how easily this shade can be sheered out. I sometimes put this in the crease with a tan shade all over the lid. Very easy and very pretty. I've had this in my purse with an old Revlon shadow (Sparkle Eyeshadow in Chestnut--matte tan shade). It's all I've used for several weeks.



















L-->R: Carmex Original Lip Balm, Sephora Collection Be You Lip Balm in Coral Twist, Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Lip Tint SPF 15 in Peach, Sephora Collection Lip Attitude Lipstick in Glamour.



















Top-->Bottom: Carmex Original Lip Balm, Sephora Collection Be You Lip Balm in Coral Twist, Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Lip Tint SPF 15 in Peach, Sephora Collection Lip Attitude Lipstick in Glamour.

Carmex Original Lip Balm: I've heard people rave about this stuff everywhere so when I was in CVS a little while back checking out, I saw a whole display of them by the register and decided to give it a try. This is one of the most moisturizing lip balms I've ever used. I'm also using the lip version of the Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream--that stuff works well but smells bad. This stuff has kind of a menthol type smell--not the best, but not the worst either. I meant to buy the cherry version, but I only saw the original in pot form (I didn't want the tube). I've been using this before bed and my lips feel great. It feels cooling when you first apply and really does sooth lips. What I love the most is the longevity (still on my lips in the morning!!) as well as the texture--this is what a balm should feel like. It's the perfect in between--not too waxy, not too oily. Just smooth, creamy, balmy. Definitely seeing my self purchasing another pot of this when I'm done, especially at the price.

Sephora Collection Be You Lip Balm in Coral Twist: At first I was disappointed by the lack of pigmentation in this balm (the swatch you see above is like 20 swipes back and forth), but the balm itself isn't bad. Certainly not Carmex good, but it works well for layering under lipsticks and glosses. It has a thin texture and glides on very smoothly, leaving a sheen on the lips. The color doesn't really show up much at all, just slightly deepens my lips (just barely). It does smell good, kinda fruity, and it doesn't really have a taste. Would I ever spend $12 on this again? Hell no. But I have been reaching for it a lot lately to wear under the Revlon Lip Tint in Peach.

Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Lip Tint SPF 15 in Peach: I've been really annoyed at Revlon. I feel like every time they come out with a great product, three months later it's nowhere to be found. I bought this balm last summer (I think? Not sure). A couple months later went back to get some more shades cuz I was really loving Peach and what do you know: they were nowhere to be found!! So frustrating! This is what a tinted lip balm should be (Sephora: take note!). The shade is sheer, but buildable, the texture is hard in the stick, but applies very shiny/moisturizing, gives a sheen to the lips, no smell/taste, lasts two to three hours. I love this one and sadly am almost out of it. I've used it almost every single day, mainly because I've been loving the combination of anything peach/orangy/coraly with navy blue. It looks very fresh and modern, never too heavy. I hope they bring these back sometime because I would literally buy every single shade!!

Sephora Collection Lip Attitude Lipstick in Glamour: This is another recent addition to my lipstick collection. A couple months back I woke up one morning and just had to buy more lipstick. I own a lot of glosses, but I've never been into wearing lipstick on a daily basis--mainly because to me it makes my face look overdone. No such problem with this lipstick. It applies like a very sheer pink, a few shades lighter than my natural lip tone, but it still looks really nice with my tan right now. I love how like the other three lip products in my faves this month--it's got a very shiny finish, so it's very effortless for me to just put it on and not have to do any gloss or anything over top. I don't think I'll be purchasing more of these because this one smells bad--doesn't taste too bad, but man the small is just overpowering.

So there you have it! My July favorites! I'll try to do the August ones on time lol! Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

{Haul} BeautyBar.com: Cosmetic Executive Women Insiders' Choice Box 2012!



















Hey there! Yet another haul today! I know, I really gotta stop buying things lol. This haul is again to blame on the lovely Nouveau Cheap blog--the best place to find out about great deals and steals. And this haul is definitely a steal!!! And this is also my first ever purchase from Beauty Bar, so another reason to be excited!


I technically only bought one item off Beauty Bar: the Cosmetic Executive Women Insiders' Choice Box 2012 (click to see it on Beauty Bar). Supposedly some of the top people in the beauty industry got together, voted, and chose these 11 products as winners for some of their best product of 2012. I don't know how much of that is true or if this is just a marketing ploy, but either way, I am really glad I made the purchase.

This box is worth over $109 and I got it for $25. I also got free two day shipping from Beauty Bar because this was my first purchase. AND if you're interested, they have a special offer: buy 2 of these boxes and get 1 free with the code BBCEW. Click here to check it out! These wold make great gifts!



















Look at all the goodies inside!!! Lol I couldn't resist cracking a few of these babies open and trying them out the second it came in the mail! Keep scrolling to see everything included!




















Supergoop! SPF 30 Everyday Face & Body Moisturizer with Parsol 1789 PLUS:  A UVA and UVB protection sunscreen for sensitive skin that is supposed to be water resistant and packed with antioxidants A, C, and E. I've never tried this brand but I've seen them on Hautelook before. Looking forward to testing them out cuz I'm always on the look out for a good sunblock.


StriVectin-TL Tichtening Neck Cream: This one is a baby sample size (.25 fl oz). I don't have the need for this so I'll be giving it to mom most likely.

L'Oreal Youth Code Serum Intense: I'm more excited about this item than any other in the box. I've been obsessed with serums lately because they provide such good moisture, but don't leave my oily skin feeling slick or greasy. Really looking forward to using this after I finish up my Biore one. I've seen the Youth Code line at Target all the time, but just couldn't get myself to cough up the money. This product retails for $24.99, so there's the value of the box right there!



















Burt's Bees Richly Replenishing Cocoa & Cupuacu Butters Body Lotion for Dry Skin: I love lotion. Never tried any of the ones from Burt's Bees, but I've heard great things. And this stuff smells really good too! Kinda like Palmers cocoa butter stuff.

L'Occitane En Provence Lavender Hand Cream: Another item I'm psyched about! I'm not really a lavender person, but I've heard a lot of people raving about their hand creams and am really excited to be able to try this out! I've used The Body Shops versions of these--it'll be great to finally try out the real thing without having to shell out $10.


Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in 440 Animal Instinct: These look fun! I've used them before and always had a great experience, so looking forward to using these! And if you really like these check out Ocean State Job Lot or Big Lots cuz I've seen them there for about $3!



















L'Oreal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara in Black: I saw this at the drugstore and considered buying it when it first came out then thought of all the mascaras I've got to finish up at home and walked away lol. I've never tried a fiber mascara, so we'll see how well it works. Burt's

Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahlia: Can never have enough lip balm.The color looks intimidating in the tube, but is very sheer.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles in 150 Neutralizer: I reviewed the foundation in this line (see review here) and remember that it didn't work too well for my very oily skin. I really hope the case is different with this concealer. I'll test it and do a full review soon.

It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Full Coverage Anti-Aging Waterproof Concealer in Neutral Medium: Another concealer--actually happy about that because I don't own many. This one is a travel size (3.12 ml/0.11 fl oz) but honestly it will take me forever to go through even a quarter of this because I honestly do not need much at all. Never tried anything from It Cosmetics before, so happy to finally get my hands on something!




















 Heidi Klum Shine: Don't think this is my kinda scent. Gonna give it to mom.

I also got two samples with my Beauty Bar order (the promise three with every order, I only got two? Not sure what happened there.). I'm excited to try out the Sisley one because I've heard good things about their (very very expensive) products.

So that's everything that came in the box! It's all packaged in a nice sturdy box the size of a show box with some tissue paper. Even with the couple of items I'm gonna pass on to my mom, this box is a great value for me and I'm super excited about trying all of this stuff out. There is a good mix of low and high end products, more than enough to justify the $25 price tag. The shipping from Beauty Bar was very very fast (I've waited almost a month for an order of Hautelook before--not cool). I ordered it on Sunday, it got to me around 1 pm Tuesday, which is amazing. As close to instant gratification as one can get when online shopping. Highly recommend this box and will have reviews posted soon!