Showing posts with label Banana Boat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Banana Boat. Show all posts

Friday, July 6, 2012

{Favorites} June 2012!

Hey there! It's time for June Favorites! I know, I know a few days late, but better late than never. This month has been a pretty fuss free month. I've been focusing a lot on skin care because I had a pretty big breakout in the beginning of June and kinda freaked out haha. I don't really have a big problem with acne, so a breakout that big caught me off guard, hence all the skin care stuff in this post. Let me know if you want reviews of anything shown!


Banana Boat Protective Tanning Oil SPF 15: Before you say it, yes I do know that tanning is bad for you. That being said, I just got really tired of using self tanners nearly every other day. I don't tan often, and until the past couple of years I've been obsessive with the sunscreeen, but on me a real tan just looks so much better so I decided to go for it this summer. This stuff is great. It comes in varying SPF levels (5, 8, 15 and 25 I believe). The highest my Target had was the SPF 15 one, so that's what I went with. I'm very fair and this stuff works to give me a nice golden tan without that irritated red look to begin with. For me, this tanning oil worked fairly gradually, but if you're darker you may want to go with one of the lower SPF's for a quicker tan. And this stuff smells really really good, like sweet bananas!


L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self Tanning Lotion in Medium Natural Tan: This is the self tanner I've been using for the past few months. It gives a pretty natural color. On me the tan is a little more yellow than a real tan, which looks more of a cool brown on me, but I don't really mind. It works quickly, doesn't smell too bad, and for the most part fades naturally. The only thing I don't like about this is that it has shimmer in it, so I don't use it daily. I like to use it during the day so that I don't mess up my sheets, which means if I'm going out I won't use it or I'll look like a disco ball. Like any other self tanner, you really have to be careful with application or you will get patchiness/streaking, but except for on my fingers I haven't had too much difficulty getting it to look even. Overall, it's a pretty good drugstore self tanner.


Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid Daily Sunscreen in SPF 70: I use this stuff on my face, neck and decollete area daily. This is my second bottle of this stuff and I love it. It's a thin consistency that goes on very easy, blends out well and layers easily under makeup. It does smell like sunscreen, but I don't mind, as long as it keeps me from burning. I think when I run out of it next time I'll try the Pure & Free Liquid one from Neutrogena to see how it's different from the reqular Ultra Sheer Liquid. {Full Review Here!}


The Face Shop Oil Specialist Fresh Cleansing Oil with Cherry Blossom: I got this last summer when was on vaca in NYC. I bought a cleansing oil (I think it was either $12 or $15) and I kinda forgot about it while I focused on finishing other cleansers. I rediscovered it when I broke out and really needed to deep clean, and now I'm in love. I've been using it morning and night and my skin feels soooo good! It took me a little while to really get the method down, but now that I know how to use it properly I'm hooked.

Murad Clarifying Toner: This is another product I started using again when I broke out. It is a witch hazel toner meant to really clean pores and kill any germs on the skin. I like it because while it acts like an astringent, it doesn't burn my skin or dry it out too much. The only place I'm careful with this stuff is my chin because I tend to get dry patches there. Other than that it works well. As nice as it is, for $22 I think I can mix up some of my own witch hazel toner and save some money, so I don't think I'll be repurchasing it in the future. I think I'll get a big jug of pure witch hazel (it's super cheap) and see how that works for me. Just fyi for all you people with sensitive skin: although this stuff is alcohol free, witch hazel can burn just as much if you have super dry or sensitive skin. It doesn't really irritate me (except for the chin), but I wouldn't risk it if you have sensitive skin.

Proactive Repairing Treatment: I don't use Proactive, but a friend of mine does. She says that she can never get through a full bottle of the Repairing Treatment before she gets another shipment, so she gave me the new one that came in the mail while she was still not even half way through her current bottle. This stuff is a 2.5% benzoyl peroxide acne treatment lotion. I use it as a spot treatment and I've had this stuff for months because you really just need the smallest amount. It works well. Is it worth what Proactive charges for it? Not really because it works about as well as any other acne treatment I've used. I can't really do a full review because it's meant to be used in combination with the rest of the Proactive line. I've been mainly using this on pimples and to clear up any stray pimples that pop up on my shoulders here and there from using self tanners and tanning oils. I heard that Walmart makes cheaper versions of this stuff that you can buy separately, so I may try that after I run out.


Biore Skin Brightening Night Serum: I love this stuff. It gives me the perfect amount of moisture in the mornings and really brightens up my skin. I did an indepth review not too long ago which I will link--feel free to check it out! {Full Review Here!}





















Nars Lip Gloss in Gina: Gina is on the left side of the gloss duo (the other side is Boogie Nights). It's a matte, sheer nude. I've been loving anything that is orangy/coral and this is a perfect shade for my skin tone. Not too orange, not to pink, not too opaque. It's super glossy and just gives my lips a really nice finished look. I've been pairing this a lot with like a smokey eye look lately and it's perfect, never too nude/concealer like.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Sunrise Nude: I don't think you can get this shade anymore, but I'm sure that Revlon has something similar in their current line. This one is a super pale, sheer peach with a lot of pretty silver shimmer. I love this gloss because although you can't really see the peachy color it does even out my lips a little.Of all my glosses, the Super Lustrous ones have the best drugstore formula I've come across. They are thick, but not sticky, last a very long time, and have a great color selection. They are also feel moisturizing on the lips, which I love. You can't go wrong with any shade in this range. {Full Review Here!}

Calvin Klein Delicious Light Glistening Lip Gloss in Radar: I don't know where you can get Calvin Klein makeup anymore--they brought it back to Sephora, then discontinued it again. I know that Marshall's and TJMaxx had sets of CK stuff last year, but I haven't seen any in a long time. If you can find these glosses definately get at least one to try because they are great. Very shiny, fragrance free, a little on the thicker side, but not too bad. This shade is so pretty and brings out my blue eyes. I've finished close to 1/2 of this color, which says a lot for me. {Full Review Here!}

Lip Fusion Micro Collagen Lip Plump in Fresh: This is my first Lip Fusion plumper, and I've been loving it. The shade is a sheer, slightly shimmery orange that looks great with a tan. The formula is thin, and it doesn't tingle as bad as some of the other plumpers I've tried. It makes my lips look really full and juicy, a look I've been loving lately. Overall, I'm looking forward to trying out more shades from this line!



















L-->R: Lip Fusion Fresh, CK Radar, Revlon Sunrise Nude, Nars Gina. 

Of these shades, I think Radar and Sunrise Nude have been worn most. I've really got a lot of these orangy lip colors and really am trying to not forget about them in my stash, which is so easy when you've got as many glosses like I do. 




















Top row: Stila Starlight, Cloud, Grace, and Lemon.
Bottom Row: MAC MSF in Petticoat (some chipped of and I pressed it), Stila Barefoot Contessa, Mystic, and Sajama.  

Stila Eyeshadows: When it comes to shadow, I've been keeping it pretty simple. I've rediscovered Mystic and Sajama in my collection and stuck them in the 8 pan palette to keep them close. I've been mainly using those two along with Starlight and Grace. Grace looks really nice layered over top Mystic. It's a strange combo, but it looks really pretty--not too blue but not exactly brown either. Almost like one of those duochrome shadows from MAC--it looks different depending on the lighting.




















L-->R: Stila Starlight, Grace, Mystic and Sajama. 

Of these shades, Sajama is a matte formula and Stila's matte shades can be difficult to work with. I really had to dig in the pan to get this swatch. I like to use it along my upper lash line, over a dark liner or by itself wet. It gives this hazy smokly lash look that's very easy to do.


 

















Funky Fingers Nail Polish in Kingston:This last item is one I've been obsessed with for the past six months or so. It's a nail polish from a relatively unknown brand called Funky Fingers, and the shade is Kingston. I found this gem for $2.50 at a Five Below store and have been wearing it pretty much non stop since. It's a pretty neon orange that looks amazing in the sunlight. It's so bright and fun that I always wear it poolside or to the beach. The formula isn't the best and it starts to chip after about three days of wear, but honestly, I couldn't care less because the color is absolutely stunning. Also on the plus side, it dries to a matte finish (I use a topcoat over) and matte shades tend to dry really quickly. I've been on the hunt for a back up of this color because I'm more than half way through with it, but I haven't been able to find anything yet :(

That's it for my June Favorites! Tried any of these products? Loved them? Hated them? Want a review of one of the products featured? Let me know in comments!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

{Haul} Dollar Store, MAC, Sephora & Target

Hey there everyone! I've got a haul for you today! Rare, I know, because I've been so focused on finishing up a lot of my makeup lately that I haven't bought anything in a long while. Let me know if you want reviews on any of the stuff below! Enjoy!

1. Dollar Tree
I was at the mall and the dollar store (don't remember the exact name of it -- sorry) carried the full line of Jordana cosmetics. I wanted to pick up a few shadows because I've heard some pretty good things online. That and I was planning on buying a MAC 15 pan palette and figured I could fill some of the empty spaces with a few good basic colors

Clockwise: White Lie, Pink of Me, Bronzeville, Total Blackout, Ms. Brown
Clockwise: White Lie, Pink of Me, Bronzeville, Total Blackout, Ms. Brown





























I wanted to try out Bronzeville because I heard that it is a dupe for MAC's Amber Lights, which I've actually finished in the past. Bronzeville is very very close. The texture and finish is a bit off, but on the eye it looks identical. I wanted to try Pink of Me because it looked similar to MAC's Yogurt, but they're not really all that close. Yogurt is matte while Pink of Me has an opalescent sheen to it.

Overall, these shadows are very nice, especially White Lie, Bronzeville, and Ms. Brown. They are a little more powdery than most shadows, so you need to be careful when applying them, but for the most part they are nice. The only shade I didn't like was Total Blackout. I hit pan on my Laura Mercier Deep Night eyeshadow (see here) and I wanted to try out another black. I hate this one by Jordana. I read online that people compared this to a matte black from MAC, that it's supposedly that good, but I don't agree at all. It's very powdery, I'm used to a more firmly pressed Laura Mercier black. It made a mess when I went to apply it. And it's not very black. Compared to my all time favorite black, LM Deep Night, this one looks almost grey and washed out.  Other than this shadow, though, the other ones are great.

2. MAC
MAC Pro Colour Palette, Eyeshadows in All that Glitters (L) and Twinks (R)















I didn't get much from MAC. I finally picked up their 15 pan palette, which I'm in love with. Between all my MAC shadows, the Jordana ones I picked up, and the Lancome ones I've depotted, I've got more than enough colors to fill up 15 slots. I want to get another one already and I've only had this one for a couple of weeks!
MAC Eyeshadows in All That Glitters (L) and Twinks (R)















I also got the eyeshadows in All That Glitters and Twinks. For me these past few weeks, these have become my go to day colors. I love how warm and pretty they look on my lids and how they bring out my blue eyes. They make my eyes glow!

Now that I've bought a few shades in pans, I've gotta say that I will never again buy a potted shadow from MAC. Depotting them is just such a pain and hassle. And putting them in a palette just saves so much space. I live in a dorm for most of the year, so anything that saves me some room is great in my book. Let me know if you guys wanna see what I filled my 15 pan palette with. Most of the shades are everyday shades.


3. Sephora
So I went into Sephora a few times, not really intending to buy anything, just wanting to see what they had and they had this whole section of clearanced stuff out. Now, if you shop at Sephora, you know they rarely have sale stuff out in the store. Usually it's only listed online, and that annoys me because I'll want to buy something but I refuse to pay more shipping than the item is work. Anyway, all the stuff I picked up is Sephora Brand, but they did have a few other brands there. All but one of the items I bought was on sale for just $5!

Clockwise: Sephora White Blasted, Glamour, Star, Anti-Shine Primer















I got the Sephora by OPI White Blasted nail polish, their version of the OPI crackle polishes. It's ok. Application is a bit tricky because on some finishes (like matte nail polishes) it won't crackle, which is annoying. I got two lipsticks. I've never tried Sephroa Brand lipstick before, and I've been craving lip stuff recently. The first is Lip Attitude in Glamour, the second is the Lip Attitude in Star. They also had the Anti-Shine Primer, which I'm going to use after I finish my Rimmel one and what little is left of my Laura Mercier primer.

L-->R: Lip Attitude in Glamour and Star















I'm loving Glamour at the moment. It's a light, glossy pink color that looks really nice with my tan right now. It smells a little weird, but I can tolerate it. Star on the other hand I actually returned, it was that bad. It smelled soooo bad! I put it on and instant headache. It's a shame because the color is really pretty. Kind of a lipstick version of Nars Belize gloss, only with more gold glitter. Super pretty! Too bad it smells and tastes like burning plastic.

L-->R: Sephroa Balm in Coral Twist, Hot Hues Neon Balm in Funky Fuchsia
























These last two items I got on another trip to Sephora. The first is the new Sephora Be You Lip Balm in Coral Twist. I got this because I thought it was on sale for $5 on the sale rack, so I couldn't swatch it or anything. I found out later when I got home and looked at my receipt that it was actually $12 and when I swatched it I was even more disappointed because it applies pretty much clear. I'm going to keep it anyway because I like how it feels on my lips and it doesn't have a weird taste or smell. Would I buy it again? Nope.

Sephora Balm in Coral Twist, Hot Hues Neon Balm in Funky Fuchsia

























The other item I got was one of the limited edition balms. Its called the Hot Hues Neon Lip Balm in Funky Fuchsia. It's soo pretty! It's got this jelly clear look to it. I know Clarins made some a while back and so did Maybelline, but I just wasn't willing to spend the money on them, given that I knew they were probably going to apply clear. I was so surprised when this balm applied very very pigmented on my lips. It made them look almost stained! I the formula of the Be You Lip Balm better, but the pigmentation of the Neon Lip Balm is stunning. It is a more waxy balm though. I'll review both.

4. Target
I'm in love with Target. I swear, you can get anything and everything there, it's amazing.

Almay Eye Makeup Removing Liquid, Banana Boat SPF 15 Tanning Oil
























I didn't get much this time. I ran out of my all time favorite makeup remover, the Almay Moisturizing Eye Makeup Removing Liquid (full review and test pictures here!) and picked up a replacement. I've gone through three bottles of this stuff, and this is my fourth, which says a lot. I tend to always try different things, but I've gone back to this stuff time and time again, which says a lot.

I also picked up the Banana Boat Protective Tanning Oil with SPF 15. I know, I know tanning is bad, but I just can't stand the fake stuff anymore. I've been using the L'Oreal Sublime stuff and I'm starting to really hate it cuz it's such a pain and it fades really weird, all patchy and gross. I finally got to the beach this past Thursday, and this oil worked like a charm! It smells delicious, like bananas, gave me a light golden brown tan after one use without any redness or irritation anywhere. And my skin felt so soft after too! I'll do a full review, but so far I'm absolutely loving it!

So that's my haul! I'll be putting up reviews later this coming week! If there's anything you specifically want a review on or swatches let me know in comments!