Review: Cover Girl Stay Fabulous 3-1 Foundation

Hey guys!

It was within the last month I finally became brave enough to not only try out a full coverage foundation, but to try a drugstore one at that.

I've heard great things about Cover Girl's 3-1 Foundation, especially for people with oily skin, so I decided this was the one I wanted to try.

Let's just say that I loved this stuff at first. It seriously gives the most natural full coverage face. It lasted at least 10 to 12 hours, and definitely had a powdery finish, perfect for my oily skin.

Everything about it is amazing, except for two things:

1.) The color selection is truly awful. In MAC I'm a C3. I'm definitely on the fair side, but I have a slight yellow undertone. Not orange. Not pink. Yellow. This foundation refuses to believe that anyone could be anything other than orange or pink. Everything was way too orange or pink. I went through four colors until finally deciding that 810 (Classic Ivory) was the best match I could get, but it still wasn't great.

2.) This broke me out like you wouldn't believe. At first it was all fine and dandy. And then four (4!!!!!) huge zits all popped out at once. One was the size of a nickel. I couldn't believe it. I've spent almost all of February and March trying to get my skin back to normal. But a couple of weeks ago I wanted to try it out again...thinking maybe it was a face wash or something else that caused it. And proceeded to get another 2 pimples.

Needless to say, I've given up with this foundation. It's not worth the breaking out and it bums me out that they don't offer a yellow toned version of fair.

That being said, if you have any recommendations for a medium-full coverage foundation that doesn't break you out and is great for oily skin, let me know. Drugstore or high-end would be great!

January Favorites

Hi again!

I hope that everyone’s January went great! Mine was pretty good! Extremely busy with the start of the spring semester, but good! Here are some of the products that I was loving this past month!

1.) My favorite mascara for 2013 so far is the Clump Crusher by Covergirl. I love the formula and the wand!

2.) Covergirl's Toasted Almond Nail polish is one of my new favorite neutral colors! It's a brownish taupe.

3.) For Christmas I recieved Philosophy's Christmas Cookie 3 in 1 body wash. It smells like a bakery! I've always loved how Philosophy's body wash makes my skin feel smooth and moisturized. Plus the scents are heavenly!

4.) I finally broke down and bought the Pink body mist that I'd been eyeing for the last month and I'm so glad I did! I've worn this more than all my other body sprays and perfumes (including my new Dot perfume!). It's a blend of artemisia, neroli flower, and peony. If you haven't tried this, go to Victoria's Secret and try it out. It's amazing! Plus the packaging is adorable.

5.) For the start of the new semester, my room has been smelling like Bath and Body Works' Frosted Cupcake. I absolutely love this scent so far! Can you tell that sweet scents are my favorite currently?

6.) Speaking of sweet scents, the Cinnamon Sugar Donut candle I picked up at the Semi-Annual is the best scent ever! I love this scent so much! It's so sweet and cozy! I hope that they bring it back next fall! I will definitely stock up!

7.) Earlier this month I broke down and decided to try out a new drugstore blush. I picked up Bourgeois Pig by NYX. It's a bright pink (much like Dollface by Tarte). It's so pigmented and been a breath of fresh air!

8.) The Covergirl Shimmering Sands eyeshadow trio is always a huge favorite of mine, and this past month I've enjoyed it just as much as ever. I'm constantly amazed by the quality for something that is less than $5. Seriously, there is no eyeshadow that I love more than these three.

9.) I'm still loving red nails, and this month I've gone back to Wet n Wild's I Red a Good Book. Once again, this is a drugstore product that I'm continusouly impressed with. It lasts for days, covers so well, drys quickly, has a good amount of shine, and is a pretty classic red color. If you haven't tried out this shade, you have to!

What things have you loved this January? Has anyone else noticed that drugstore brands seem to be really stepping it up these days?

The Rocket vs. Clump Crusher Mascara

Hey guys!

Mascara is without a doubt my favorite makeup to buy and use. It’s also one of the ones I’m the most picky about. I don’t know if it’s just me, but finding the perfect mascara is virtually impossible. If it’s not the formula that’s a little off, then it’s the wand. Or the packaging. Or the price. Or everything.

So in my search for the holy grail mascara from the drugstore, I decided to give the cult favorite, L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black a try. I’ve read from many blogs and magazines that this mascara is essentially magic in a tube.



From Ulta

On a trip to Target recently, my mom and I decided to try a couple and see what we think. She got the waterproof and I got the non-waterproof (I do not have the patience to take off waterproof mascara).

The results? Here's the before...

And the after!

 

I was pretty impressed honestly. I’ve been eyeing this mascara for a while now, but the reviews online always sorta scared me. People talked about raccoon eyes, smudging, goopies, and just pretty much stuff that makes nightmares when it comes to mascara. There’s nothing that I hate more than clumpy, messy mascaras, let me tell you.

This was nothing like that. It didn’t clump, went on easily, built up fast, and was pretty much great from the get go. It defines my lashes beautifully, makes them long, and like the title says, they are super black and definitely voluminous.

However, I do have a tiny complaint…

First, it does sorta smudge. More than the other mascaras I currently love (Clump Crusher, Cat Eyes, Telescopic Shocking Extensions). If you have itchy, allergy eyes that water, don’t wear non-waterproof, because your mascara will be a black runny mess. Let me tell you.

It comes off pretty easily, but the next morning I still find some smudges below my eyes.

So final thoughts? I like it a lot. What makes me the most happy about this mascara is how fast and easily it builds up. It seems like I could spend 10 minutes with Clump Crusher or Telescopic Shocking Extensions building them up. This mascara definitely doesn't take that long to build up to where I like it. I think I'll definitely repurchase!

(If you like mascara reviews, make sure to check out my comparison between The Rocket and Clump Crusher, as well as the Telescopic Shocking Extensions!) See this compared to the new L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess! Love drugstore mascaras that add volume? Also look at my review of the Jordana Best Lash Volume Extreme mascara!

January Lusts

Hey everyone!

With more time spent on Pinterest lately, and watching my favorite Youtubers and reading blogs, there are some things that I’ve definitely loving right now, all of which I wish I could get my hands on. With Christmas right behind us, and needing to buy books for the new semester here soon, it’s doubtful I’ll actually get my hands on anything of these. But a girl can dream? Right?

Anyway, here is the list of what I love right now:

NARS Deep Throat Blush

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This was featured in my November lusts post, and here I am, still lusting away. Part of it is that I haven’t been to Sephora in months. But most of it is because I just don’t want to spend the $28 on just a blush! Ugh! I keep telling myself that NARS Orgasm is working out for me, and it’s a color that many would die to try out too, so I should just be happy with that, but Deep Throat is still calling me. Maybe this month? (probably not) If you have a favorite natural MAC blush you love, please tell me! I'm always so tempted by MAC blushes, but when I swatched Pink Swoon and Fleur, they kinda scared me because they were so pigmented. So help me out here! 

Stila Kitten Eyeshadow

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So it wasn’t until recently that I started hearing about this eyeshadow, but now it seems to be absolutely everywhere. It looks like such a pretty shimmery color and I would love to add it to my collection! Only problem, it’s $18! That practically as much as the blush that I don’t want to spend so much on! We’ll see. Since Stila is sold at Ulta, they actually have coupons, so I might actually buy it with my $3.50 off coupon or something.

MAC Technakohl Liner in Graphblack

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This is another product that I talk about almost non-stop. This costs $15, which is a tad steep for eyeliner. But I am out of my Physcian’s Formula almost, so maybe that will be a good enough excuse to pick some of this up.

Tarte Clean Slate Poreless 12-Hr Perfecting Primer

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This is a new lust of mine. I’ve actually been using the Sephora Perfecting Primer for about the last 6 months, especially when I just use my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. And while it’s worked pretty well, I wanted to see if there is a difference between a high end primer and the Sephora one (which is pretty inexpensive when compared to other brands). I worry a little bit about if this will break me out or make me oily, but I do love Tarte and I would love to try a new primer.

Scarves

I can’t get enough of them! I would really love more infinity scarves (I’m so addicted to them right now). I would love to get a few knit ones, a gray, red, and black one, and this white one I spied at Pac Sun a few days after Christmas (which they probably don’t have any more).

Vera Bradley Double Zip Backpack in Island Blooms

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I recently checked out the Double Zip backpack in person and decided that after ranting about its smaller size, that it’s not too bad. However, if the Island Blooms Laptop Backpack ever is not sold out on line, I’d probably take that first.

Old Navy Rockstar Jeggings in Black
 

I’ve been wanting a skinny pair of black pants a lot recently, and I really want to check out these by Old Navy. I have a pair in the normal jean color and they are really good.

Chalkboard


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I’ve been seeing all these awesome huge chalkboards online, and I’ve decided that I need one. Well, need to build one. Only problem, how do I make my handwriting and drawing that good? This one from Littlebabygarvin makes me seriously want to have one! Plus, she is so artistic! I know my writing would never be that good!

MAC Studio Fix Powder

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So I'm pretty much obsessed with my MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural. But sometimes, I wonder if I should try out this out because it offers a medium to full coverage. Only thing I'm kinda concerned about is looking cakey and breaking out. I don't usually have very sensitive skin, but I don't want to learn that this bothers me after spending $27.

Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm

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I saw these at Target in this big display, and I was totally drawn to them! I'm not a huge lip product person, but I feel like this type of style would be perfect for me! And the colors looked really gorgeous!

Covergirl Nail Polish

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This was also in the giant display at Target and these too were calling my name! The colors looked so lovely! The color above is Toasted Almond and it looks so pretty!
 

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara Review

Hey everyone!

So if you checked out the post about what I got for Christmas, you probably remember that one of the stocking stuffers I received was the Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara. This is Covergirl’s newest mascara in the Lash Blast collection. It came out I think in early November, and honestly I wasn’t sold on buying it when it first came out.

See, I’m one of those super rare people that absolutely hate the Lash Blast Fusion and Lash Blast Volume (the purple and orange tubes). Maybe I’m a freak of nature, but I can’t stand the formula, I hate the brush, and the packaging doesn’t win me over in the least.

But after hearing a lot of good things about this mascara, I decided why not, and asked for it for Christmas. And my mom found it and got it for me after all!

I’ve now been using it for a while and honestly I have a lot of positive things to say about it.

The Positives:  

-The brush shape is fantastic. Like my Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes, the wand is a slight “C” shape. This makes reaching all of the lashes, particularly the outside corners, very easy.
 

-This is definitely a dry formula. I thought that Cat Eyes was dry, but after trying this,  

-True to its name, this mascara doesn't clump at all. It's great at separating and defining lashes.

-For me this mascara was also very lengthing.

-Great staying power, especially for a non-waterproof mascara. No smearing, flaking, or fading throughout the day.

The Negatives:

-As of now, it isn't available in waterproof, and I've noticed that when it comes to watery eyes, this eventually will run.

-But despite that, it is definitely more difficult to remove at the end of the night with my Up and Up brand makeup wipes than other mascaras.

-Because it's drier, if you attempt two applications, it can get spidery fast. So if you want to do multiple coats, do them quickly.

-It's buildable, but it takes more work than my Cat Eyes mascara.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this mascara, especially if you like my beloved Cat Eyes mascara (and even if you weren't a big fan of that one). It's completely different than the other Lash Blast mascaras by Covergirl, so if you were like me and hesitant about that, definitely give this a shot, because I was impressed.

Of course, I'm not a huge fan of the packaging, but that really doesn't matter. From where I'm from, it hasn't reached Target yet, but it is available at Walmart, Ulta, and Walgreens.

Have you tried it yet? What are your thoughts?