November Favorites

So it's been awhile since I've last blogged. It's hard to believe that I'm in the last two weeks of me being on my college campus. Because of that, making time to blog has been kind of hard.

Anyway, here are my November favorites. I've tried a bunch of new products this month and there's quite a few new favorites of mine.

Winter Candy Apple Shower Gel, Snow Day Candle, Cat Eyes Mascara, Garnier BB Cream Oily-Combination Skin, Aquaphor Lip Repair, CoverGirl Ink It eyeliner, Orly Rage, Clean & Clear Facial Cleaning Wipes

 

Winter Candy Apple Shower Gel

 

Bath and Body Works is in full Christmas mode, and earlier this month I went a little crazy buying all of their Christmas scents. Now, usually I'm a Twisted Peppermint and Vanilla Bean Noel person. I love those two scents so much, and don't worry, I bought those too, but this year when I'm taking a shower and have to choose out of the three, I've found myself choosing this one more often! Winter Candle Apple is a super sweet scent, which is why in years past I haven't really loved it. It's described as "a cheerful blend of ruby red apple, winter rose petals, and candied orange, drizzled with crisp maple and cinnamon." Now I don't smell the cinnamon or the maple, but it's incredibly sweet and fruity. My boyfriend claims he only smells the rose petals, but that's a guy for you.

 

Snow Day Candle

 

This was the first Bath and Body Works holiday candle I used and I've really enjoyed it. I have just a little bit left to burn, just in time for me to either start using Tis the Season or Spiced Apple Toddy for December. This candle is described as "a bright and joyful blend of spruce branches, peppermint, and sweet vanilla that captures the fun adventures of a snow-filled day." This is definitely a scent that reminds me of a cold day! The spruce part really stands out, which I typically don't like green scents, but mixed with the peppermint smells great!

 

Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara

 

This is a long-time favorite on my blog and once again in the month of November I've rediscovered it. It seems like lately I'm incapable of just using one type of mascara. I've used this in a rotation with Benefit's They're Real, L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess, L'Oreal Lash Out Butterfly, and Covergirl Flame Out. But at the end of the month, it's this one that I went back to. I love the wand, the packaging, and the formula. It's lengthening and adds volume and seems to never clump on me.

 

Garnier BB Cream for Combination-Oily Skin (Shade Light-Medium)

 

On impulse in November I decided to buy this BB Cream. The original version of this I loved for how it evened out my skin tone and reduced my redness, but I hated how heavy and oily it felt. Since the redness in my skin has been bothering me more lately, I decided to try this out. I'm so glad I did, because I love this stuff. I'm matte and pretty much oil free with this, which is amazing because my skin loves to be oily with BB Creams, it evens out the redness, and depending on the layering of product, is solid medium coverage. All of this from a product that is $11.99 at Target. I use this with my Urban Decay DeSlick spray and my MAC Studio Fix Powder. Plus I'd say the staying power is really good too, I'd give it a solid 6-8 hours depending on how oily your skin is.

 

Aquaphor Lip Repair

 

I've tried a lot of lip balm, and I can tell you that out of all of them, this is the only one that truly gets rid of chapped lips and makes them hurt less. I swear by this stuff. Yeah, it doesn't taste or smell magnificent, but it gets the job done...fast. I love it and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have it during the winter.

 

Covergirl Ink It Eyeliner

 

Earlier this month, a tragedy happened: my MAC Technakohl liner broke, while I was in my college town. Which is like an hour away from the nearest MAC counter. Likewise for a Sephora and Ulta. For a few days, I tried making do with Urban Decay's 24/7 Liner, but I found myself getting frustrated with it's messiness, lack of staying power, and sharpening. So while I was at Walmart, I picked up this because I remember hearing some pretty good reviews of this when it came out awhile back. All I can say is, that I love this stuff. It's very black, self-sharpening, has better staying power than Urban Decay, and goes on super easily. Plus, it's only $4.97 at Walmart. I love this so much. It stays on my oily eyelids really well, especially for a drugstore product.

 

Orly Rage

 

This fall I've developed a new nail polish obsession: rose gold. And in particular during November, I've loved Orly's Rage. First off, I usually hate all things shimmer and glitter, but this polish is beautiful. It had tremendous staying power, and the color is gorgeous. I'm not a repeat nail painter, but I've worn this three times this month. That's saying a lot. Go to Ulta or Sally's Beauty Supply and pick this up, because I think it's so pretty!

 

Clean and Clear Makeup Dissolving Facial Cleansing Wipes

 

The last couple of months I've been loving Walmart Equate Makeup Removing Wipes, so I was skeptical picking these up. But I heard really good reviews and I was growing tired of having to scrub my nonwaterproof mascara off with the Equate ones. Guys, I can't believe I had never tried these before. They are the best drugstore makeup wipe. The. Best. These take off every single speck of makeup on your face in seconds, with no scrubbing and little irritation. I've never used a makeup wipe as good as these. Yes, they are a little more pricey than Simple's, but these are totally worth it because they get off every little bit of makeup in no time at all.

 

 

Sunday Haul!

First of all, I love haul videos on Youtube. They are probably my favorite thing ever. I just hate the word "haul." And I'm semi-nauseated that I titled this post with the word “haul” in it. But whatever. The point is I picked up some fun and exciting things and I want to share their amazingness!

There is my pile of stuff. I just love looking at it. First, I'll share the things I picked up at Target (which I had a birthday gift card to go crazy with, and I think I did).

 
So the main thing I was after on this little shopping trip was a cheetah/leopard (does anyone know the difference?) scarf. Mostly, because I’ve seen the cutest outfits lately on Pinterest, and I want to partake in the animal print cuteness. And before going to Target, I was trying to decide which color I wanted. I’ve eyed their colors before, and while I liked the more…snow leopard color, I decided I was going to go for it, with the normal, standard gold cheetah scarf. Well, my college town’s Target didn’t have it. And they say, when you can’t make up your mind, to flip a coin, and if you have a pulling sensation to the option that lost, you should go with that one. Well, I had a moment like that. So I knew when they didn’t have it, that I needed it. But I also wanted the white one. And this was the last one. So I bought it, and decided to drive (after the rest of my Target shopping and a little yummy lunch as a local Mexican restaurant), thirty minutes to another neighboring town’s Target. And thankfully, they had plenty. So yes, in case you are wondering, I did go to two Targets and another town just to purchase a scarf.

While there, I also saw that their leggings were on sale for just $5. I'm not sure if I'm a legging person, but I decided $5 was cheap enough that if I'm not, I won't feel guilty.

And of course, a trip to Target is not complete without buying random things you had no intention of buying, but once there, you NEEDED it. And these were those things. October's Glamour. Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB Cream (why is the light/medium shade NEVER in stock? Ugh. I got medium, so hopefully it's not too dark). And $1 Halloween window clings.

 

Next up was Payless, which I never planned on going to. But, it was calling me, and I love cheap shoes, and well. There you go. And while I was there, I saw the cutest pair of riding boots ever. On sale. And so cute. They are about a half size (at least) too big, but I figure with socks, it won't be too bad. And honestly, they are exactly what I was looking for, at not a bad price ($49).

On the way back from my second Target I went to, I stopped by this huge outdoor shopping mall, and of course, Bath and Body Works was calling me. I was kind of thankful, because the workers at the one in my college town, definitely recognize me now, which is just embarassing. I was shocked when I got there, that they are starting to get in their Christmas (!!!!!) home fragrances!!! The packaging is adorable by the way, but I'm just not ready. I'm loving fall waaaaay to much right now.



The first thing I decided I needed was the Sweet On Paris body wash. I sprayed a little on my hand, and seriously, was in heaven the rest of the afternoon smelling it. Amazing. Apparently, it's composed of blackberry, lemon meringue, and creamy vanilla. SO GOOD!! How did I not know how good this smelled until now? And of course, because I'm a hoarder, I bought more wallflower bulbs (two Pumpkin Cupcakes, Cider Lane, and Creamy Pumpkin). I never want the fall scents to leave, but I think I'm in the final weeks of buying them sadly. That just means I need to hoard more!!

That was my Sunday haul. I've been having some super stressful days because of school and sorority stuff, so taking this day just for me, was so nice! 
 

College Make Up Must-Haves

Wondering what make up to wear to college classes? Well, it's all personal preference really. If you like makeup and being all prettied up, then you'll probably wear it on a daily basis. If you only really wear it on special days, well, you'll probably not wear it as often. However, I decided to list some of the make up that I think is essential to every college girl, not just ones that love makeup.

BB Cream: I think this is the perfect daily, go-to face product for the college girl! Why? First, it has SPF (depending on brand, it can be as high as 35!), moisturizer, priming capabilities, the ability to reduce redness, and even skintone. Pretty good for just one product. Plus, there are BB Creams in every budget!

Pressed Powder: Not only is it great to set your BB Cream, it's also a great touch-up for when you feel your skin is looking dull. It sops up any oilness, and can add an airbrushed look. My favorite is MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish Natural.

Favorite Eyeshadow Palette: Even if you don't wear eyeshadow everyday, I think it's really important to have a good eyeshadow palette that can work for class or night. If you can, look for a palette that offers you the most looks. My favorite is the original Naked palette by Urban Decay. First, it comes with a brush, Primer Potion, and 12 pigmented colors that work for a ton of different looks. I love that you can go from a very natural look, to a very dramatic one with just a few different colors and techniques. Plus, if you are needing inspiration, there are a ton of great tutorials on Youtube using it! Other favorites come from Wet N' Wild's "Walking on Eggshells" and Covergirl's "Shimmering Sands."

Natural Pink/Peachy Blush: I think this is a great touch for those early morning where you look paler snow. Either providing a sheer wash of color, or a bold blending, blush can make any college girl go from dragging to alert and pretty in seconds! Of course my go-to is NARS Orgasm, but I also love NARS Deep Throat, and Tarte's Dollface. A great budget friendly alternative is ELF too!

Versatile Masara: My favorite must is mascara. Whether you have short or long lashes, just a couple swipes of a good mascara can really open up your eyes and make you looks instantly put together. My favorite go-to for definition, length, and volume is Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes! Some great drugstore alternatives is L'Oreal Voluminous Millions, Maybelline's Colossal Volum' Express mascara, and Maybelline's Falsies.

Tinted Lip Balm: I'm definitely not a lipstick sorta girl, and lipgloss is usually much too sticky for an everyday look, so I tend to stick to good old tinted lip balm. Why? It has SPF, shine, color, and of course because it makes your lips soft! I love Burt's Bees, but there are tons of others!



Product Battles: Mascara and BB Cream

So if you've read my daily makeup post, I promised a couple of reviews on BB Cream and a couple of mascaras. After using and comparing them, I can finally tell you my thoughts.

First up, BB Creams!

The two BB creams that I tried out were:

                 -Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream ($39 at Sephora

                 -Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Protector ($11.99 at Target)

So I'm pretty late on the whole BB cream scene. And I also know that people all say that the western BB creams have absolutely nothing on the Asian ones. But I'm not a huge fan of ordering things online, especially when it involves trying to match it to my face.

Anyway, the idea of a BB cream is perfect for me. I don't want to cake on foundation and I definitely just want a natural look. Plus, I love the fact that BB creams usually contain SPF, since I don't wear sunscreen (I know...), and I love all the benefits they claim to have. Plus the hype on Youtube and other blogs was just hard to ignore. So I decided to go with the high and low of the most popular western versions (I don't count Dior's $50+ kind, because that's just ridiculous to me).

So here we go into a little breakdown...

Picture from imabeautygeek.com

 The first I used was the Garnier version because it was so inexpensive and I've heard almost all positive things about it.

I liked:

-Fresh Clean Smell

-Great Coverage

-Cheap

-Blended Well

-Fantastic Staying Power

I Disliked:

-Only 2 colors available

-Dewy

-Sticky/Oily

-Heavy Feeling

So the first three or so days I absolutely loved it. It worked fantastic under my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural and covered most of my redness and made my skin look great. I don't consider myself to have super oily skin, but after the first couple uses, it just became awful. I felt like I seriously took fried chicken and just rubbed it all over my face. Yes, our humidity was high (generally we live in a pretty dry climate), but when I went without, it wasn't pawing at my face. Overall, I would give it (for me) 3 stars (out of 5). The moisture was just way overboard for me.

I decided after the Garnier version, to try one that was also just as hyped up, but had even more promise to it, since it claims to "maintain moisture" on the face.

I like:

-Not Oily

-Matte finish

-SPF 35

-Coverage (honestly not as good as Garnier though)

-Lasting Power ok (Garnier was better too)

I Dislike:

-Price

-Smell (not a big deal though)

-I feel like I need more product with this than the Garnier to cover my face well

-Doesn't last more than 8 hours

This was definitely an improvement for me just because it didn't make my face so darn oily. Instantly I noticed that this is harder to blend, and that I needed a little bit more product. But overall I do like it, and I think it improves the look of my skin. I would give it probably a 4 or 4.5 stars. I know I plan to keep using it, definitely.

By the way, if anyone has used the Too Faced BB Cream, please tell me your thoughts! I just played around in Sephora with it, but I was afraid it wouldn't provide as much coverage and would be pretty oily.

PART 2

Battle of Mascara

Finding the perfect mascara ranks among the difficulty of finding the perfect wedding dress and even the perfect man. It takes a lot of frogs, to find just the right now. And while others claim that they love this mascara or that one, and then you try them out, and they are awful. It's because you won't get the same sparks from kissing their boyfriend that they do, I guess.

So a few months a go I came across a blog (I Pink I Love You), that talked all about her love for L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes. I went to Target, bought some for like $8 I think.

I Like:

-The Flashy Gold Tube

-Shape of the brush is really comfortable

-No weird smell

-Dries well and fast

-Doesn't smudge or smear

-Comes off relatively easy with my MAC makeup remover

-Classy look, no spider leg-look

-Doesn't Clump

-Lengthens

-Defines

-Good Volume

I Dislike:

-A tad expensive for drugstore

-For a more dramatic night look, several layers may be needed

Okay, so the two dislikes were definitely hard to find. I consider myself to have better than most eyelashes, so if you have short ones, you may have a slightly different opinion. There's pretty much nothing I dislike about this mascara. This is my first mascara I've tried that hasn't been Covergirl or Maybelline, mostly because I was under the false impression that no other drugstore mascaras are any good. But I was SO wrong! Heaven. That's what this is.

But like finding the perfect wedding dress or husband, sometimes you just can't help but make sure you checked out every option, even after you are pretty sure you found the one. And that was me with Maybelline's The Falsies. I saw so many gurus on Youtube using it and I loved the dramatic look of their lashes. And I bought it. (I got the non-flared, regular version)

I Liked:
-The curved wand
-Went on easily
-Definitely added a ton of length
-Dramatic

I Disliked:
-Smudging and smearing (ridiculous, I felt like it never dried. Even 10 hours after applying)
-Spider look (yuck)
-Not a good everyday look
-Didn't want to come off with my remover (it just sat underneath my eye)
-Sticky
-Clumpy
-Flakes

Ugh. I was so disappointed. Honestly, it's not even in bottom three of my least favorite mascaras (No, that's left for Great Lash and Lash Blast), but it's not a favorite at all. After three days, I just couldn't take it anymore.

 I went back to my L'Oreal. And I'm in love. I promise to never doubt it again (although trying out high end mascaras might be calling...). Like Randy from Say Yes to the Dress once said, "Once you find the right man, you need to just to stop looking. Same with a wedding gown."

And definitely the same for mascara.

So there you have it! Any favorites you wanna add? Have you tried these products and had similar results or completely different?

Thanks for reading!



Daily Makeup Products

Wanna look inside my makeup bag? And at the products that I use daily that don't fit in it? Well then hopefully you like today's post!

First, this is my makeup bag. It's from Vera Bradley in the print Island Blooms, and I think it's so adorable. When I bought a lot of my MAC makeup I decided that I needed a really adorable makeup bag to hold it, one that doesn't ugly up whatever surface it sits on or drawer it lives in. Plus it kind of keeps me from blowing all my money on makeup, because I plan to make everything fit in there. It makes travel much easier, storage simpler, and finding an everyday look a lot faster.

So here is sorta of an overview of my makeup. I didn't put all my individual MAC eyeshadows because that will come here in a little bit. Here you see:

-My Naked Palette

-My Smashbox BB Cream (review to come soon)

-Garnier BB Cream (review also coming soon!)

-NARS blush in Orgasm

-MAC Skinfinish Natural

-Maybelline Falsies mascara

-L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara

-MAC Technakohl Liner

-Wet N' Wild eyeshadow

-MAC paint pot in Painterly

-Urban Decay Primer Potion

-Revlon tweezers

-Sonia Kashuk "Perfectly Neutral" eyeshadow palette

First we'll start with my face products. I don't like heavy foundations or a huge long drawn-out routine. So I recently I've started using a BB cream (I've used the Garnier for a week or two and I've only used the Smashbox one day once so far), then I set it with my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (I was matched to medium plus and it's perfect). I love this powder and can definitely reccommend it to everyone. It's fantastic. Then I just use my NARS Orgasm blush (which I have found to look really natural and pretty on me. A lot of people complain that it's too bright or shimmery, but I honestly don't think it's that way on me).

Soon I'll post a review of these two BB creams (I don't want to jinx it just yet, but I'm a fan so far of the Smashbox one).

For my eyeshadow primer I go back and forth between MAC's paint pot (I use Painterly) and Urban Decay's Primer Potion. I guess for some odd reason when I use MAC eyeshadow I use MAC and when I use my Naked palette I use my Primer Potion. But I actually have my eye on the NARS one so hopefully soon I can try that out soon.

These are other products that I use out on my eyes. The lash curler is from MAC and I love it so far! Then there is my MAC Technakohl liner in Graphblack. Seriously, I have no desire ever to try another liner. It glides on smoothly, doesn't budge at all, and creates such a pretty look. Plus, no sharpeners are involved! I've read and heard great things about Urban Decay's 24/7 liner, but I believe it's $5 more and I'm perfectly happy with this MAC liner.

Then I'm sure you see my two different kinds of mascara. I love to try out new mascara and these two are the newsest ones! I've been loving the L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes. I think it's my new number one. But I was super curious about the Maybelline Falsies so I'm enjoying that a lot right now. A girl can never have too many favorite mascaras, since they always seem to discontinue them. Both are in very black and waterproof.

I love eyeshadow and I have a pretty large selection (I'm sure it's actually tiny compared to a lot of people haha).

-Naked Palette: I thought I wouldn't like it as much as I do, honestly. My favorite colors are Sin, Buck, and Naked. However, there is still tons of exploring and playing around I need to do.

-My Wet N' Wild palette (or whatever you call the trio of colors haha) in "Walking on Eggshells." I love it. After using my MAC and UD shadows I thought that I could never stand the thought of using a drugstore (super cheap) brand, but this is amazing. Worth way more than $2.99. Check it out.

-Sonia Kashuk's "Perfectly Neutral": I love love love it. Absolutely beautiful and a great value. (pictured up close below). I learned about it from Kate from The Small Things Blog. Check out her tutorial because that's the look I use :)

-MAC eyeshadows: I'm personally not a fan of their palettes, I like the individual little pots instead.

Colors that I have include : Knight Divine (it's like a dark blue/black, I honestly haven't used it yet), Vex, Copperplate, Blanc Type, Satin Toupe, Ploof, and Expresso. I absolutely love using Vex, Copperplate, and Satin Toupe. They are so pretty! And they can be mix and matched together too!

These two prodcts don't fit in my makeup bag, but they are both things that I use every day (usually).

Left: MAC's Gently Off Eye and Lip Makeup Remover. A must in my book. I love it. Even gets waterproof makeup off.

Right: MAC's Brush Cleanser

My little brush collection. From left to right:

-Good Karma eyeshadow (came with my Naked Palette and I honestly have used it once)

-Sonia Kashuk small eye shader

-Bare Escentuals angled eyeshadow brush

-MAC 217

-Sonia Kashuk crease brush

-MAC 239

-ELF large eye shader

-ELF blush brush

-ELF complexion brush

Everyday, I always use my MAC 217 and 239, and all three ELF brushes. So the very low end of my brushes and the higher end. I have yet to find a better brush than my ELF large shader to do my brow highlight.

So that's my collection. Hopefully I'll have some reviews coming soon, some new products to talk about, and if anyone has any questions, just ask!