Top 3 Week. Day 4: Drug Store Mascaras

Hey beauty,

As I hope you know by now, this week I am doing my Top 3's. Feel free to follow my blog so you can see when the next one goes live! These are my own unbiased opinions based on my personal preference and experience. As always leave me know your top 3 down in the comments! Todays top 3 is my 

Top 3 Drug Store Mascaras

This has been by far my hardest top 3 this week trying to decide the order. Mascara is one of those things that can be either amazing or a total bust. Its can be very hard to find your perfect mascara, so not everyone is willing to fork out big bucks to try all of the prestige brands. And believe me, I almost prefer using drug store brands sometimes. (And even drug store prices are getting up there!) Ive tried a LOT of different drug store mascaras, and I think Ive finally pinned my top 3 picks.

3. My number three spot is going to have to go to Revlon Lash Fantasy Total Definition. (Which Im just finding out they no longer make) This was the one with the primer/base on one end and mascara on the other. I loved this one because the base was amazing! I first saw this mascara in a Kandee Johnson video and knew I had to try it..I had never used a mascara primer before and was so into the idea! I will never understand why companies discontinue products that their customers love..I know this had to be one of their top mascaras, so it doesnt make sense to me that theyd stop making it. I contemplated choosing a different product that is still available, but this really was my top 3 :(

2. Second choice is Covergirl Lashblast Clump Crusher. I absolutely love the brush/wand on this mascara. It is curved with the both sides being different. The curved shape, I feel, makes it easier to get in there and coat your lashes without making a mess of your eyelid or misshaping your lashes. The one side loads the mascara onto your lashes, while the other "combs the clumps" so you get voluminous lashes without the clumps and blobs. (Im not one of those girls who likes spidery lashes..I like the full, separated look.) 

1. Finally, my top pick is Revlon Grow Luscious. Again, Revlon has discontinued all of their best mascaras and have come out with a whole new line of products.. This has been on my favorites list for years now. This mascara gave the most beautiful voluminous, long, full lashes. The formula was also supposed to help them to grow! I just loved the way it coated and separated my lashes. They always looked so long and full, and I got compliments on my lashes ALL the time! I am beyond mad that they no longer sell this product, and I dont know what Im going to do about the fact that Ill never be able to purchase it again! :'(

So really, with 2 of my products being discontinued, I guess this post doesnt make a whole lot of sense, but these were my top three, Im so disappointed that Revlon has gotten rid of two of my favorite products! Let me know your favorite drug store mascaras! I guess now I need to find some new favorites!

Nonetheless, I hope you are still enjoying this Top 3 series and please leave me suggestions for other Top 3's you would like to see in the future!

XOXO
Always stay humble & kind.

Top 3 week. Day 2: Brow Products

Hey gorgeous,

This week, as you know, I am doing my Top 3's. Be sure to follow my blog so you can see when the next one goes live! Again, these are my own unbiased opinions based on my personal preference and experience. As always feel free to let me know your top 3 down in the comments! Todays top 3 is my 

Top 3 Brow Products

Im a firm believer in defining your brows. Even when I dont do a full face of makeup, I like to at least put a little product on my brows and some mascara to wake up my eyes. I definitely think doing your brows can change your whole look, and kind of complete it. If I leave my brows undone, my face just looks..off. Lol. Now dont get me wrong, some people just dont need it, but for me its a must.

3. My third choice might be a little "cheat-y" because I chose just an appropriate shade of eyeshadow and an angled brush. This is what I used when I very first started defining my brows. and what I tend to use quite often. You really cant go wrong, and most of the time..you already have this in your collection. And if you dont, its probably the cheapest of my top 3 for you to purchase. Just find a neutral (matte) shade that matches your hair color, (unless youve got pink hair, then just go with a nice brown :P) take your angled brush and do work. Its very simple, and easy to correct if you happen to mess up. I love using this method when traveling or on vacation, etc. because eyeshadow is something Im bringing anyway, so it allows me to pack a little lighter, because thats one less excessive product I have to bring. 

2. My pick for number two is Benefit Brow Zings. This is basically the step in between just a shadow/powder and my number one choice. It does allow you to define your brows a bit more. It comes with a cream and a powder as well as a little brush for each product. (and a little pair of tweezers right in the kit, which is always handy.) So you take your angled brush and define with the cream then fill in and set it with the powder. Ive been using this product for years now and it is still one of my favorite products to use! If youve never really done your brows before this is definitely an easy product to use for your first time, but definitely make sure youre using the right shade! I actually have dark brown hair but use the light or medium one because I found that dark was too harsh on me in my opinion. You can find this at Ulta and online on Benefits site. This is the most expensive product on this top 3 and, honestly, the price is a little off-putting, especially since there are products that are just as good for less money..Youre looking at about $32 for this product. But I must add that it does last me quite a while, but Id still like to see that price drop a tad.

1. And finally.. My pick for number one is Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz. This product is a bit more intimidating, and probably not for a first timer. It took me a try or two to get it just right. This is definitely a product youll want to purchase in person the first time so you can get the correct shade. On the website the color Caramel looks like it would be a lighter shade not suitable for my dark brown hair, but in person it was actually a near perfect match. So I suggest checking them out and swatching before buying. Once you find your shade you can obviously repurchase online if you want/need. I chose this as number 1 because it allows me to define my brows so much more than just using a brush. And the super fine tip makes it easy to fill in sparse or over-tweezed spots and its so thin that it mimics natural brow hairs. This product does take a little bit longer for me to use than my second and third choices, I do have to be a bit more precise, but that is also one of the reasons I love it, because it does give me the perfect brow! The only downside I can really say, is the price point. (yet still more affordable than number 2!) This product is around $21, available at Sephora, and Ulta in store or online, or at Anastasia Beverly Hills website. 

I hope you all are still enjoying this Top 3 series and please be sure to leave me suggestions for other Top 3's you like to see in the future!

XOXO
Always stay humble & kind.

Top 3 week. Day 1: Makeup Removing Wipes

Hello beautiful,

This week I decided to give you a run down of my top 3's. I have 5 different categories Im going to cover, from skin care products to hair and makeup. Ill tell you why I love these products and give a sort of mini review. If you want a full in depth review on anything please let me know! Remember, these are my own unbiased opinions based on my personal preference and experience. As always feel free to let me know your top 3 down in the comments! And please follow this blog to stay on top of all of my posts! Todays top 3 is my 

Top 3 Makeup Removing Wipes

Ive actually taken a break from doing my makeup daily to kind of improve my skin and let it breathe, so this isnt something I use every single day. But when I do wear makeup, by the end of the day it feels so good to take it all off and relax. Ive always found that if I dont remove my makeup before washing my face, just washing alone doesnt get my skin as clean as Id like. Theres always something left behind. So I like to use a wipe (creams and oils dont work well for me, so my go-to is always going to be the wipes!) to remove my makeup before continuing with washing with a cleanser.

3. My third choice in wipes is the Dickinson's Witch Hazel Cleansing Cloths. These are relatively new, Ive only been using them for a few months. Theyre technically not "makeup removing wipes," but a lot of the time they are just called cleansing cloths anyway..on the package it does say it removes makeup. I love these wipes because they are super soft and gentle on my skin. They do smell a bit strong, but thats witch hazel for you. They come in at number 3 because they dont remove makeup as well as the others. But they are in my top because they are really nice on my skin! They are affordable but might be a little more difficult to find for some of you, but I do know they are available at Walgreens nationwide!

2. My pick for number two is the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipe. These wipes are really nice and it was realllly hard for me to decide between 1 and 2..so I ended up choosing these ones as my second.  These are also gentle on my skin, theyre made with no harsh chemicals, perfumes, or dyes. Which is really important to me! No one needs that stuff on their skin. Simple is a brand that focuses on using skin loving ingredients that are kind to your skin and great for those with sensitive skin! These remove makeup better than the Dickinson's and on par with my number 1. Their products are affordable and available everywhere! Pretty much every grocery store, drug store, or Walmart/Target. They have some really great products that are great on your skin, so I definitely suggest checking them out!

1. And finally.. My number one favorite wipe is Pacifica Natural Skincare Essential Makeup Removing Wipe. These wipes are realllly great, theyre made with jasmine and coconut water, theyre gentle on the skin and are 100% vegan and cruelty free! They are made without the nasty stuff like sulfates, sls, parabens, etc. They smell fantastic and remove my makeup very well. Pacifica is another brand that focuses on using all of the good stuff and none of the bad. They also support Clean Water, which is so important to me!! It also doesnt hurt that they have some of the cutest packaging I have ever seen! These made my number one spot because: they are natural, vegan, cruelty free. Portion of proceeds go to support clean water. The products work really well on my skin, and the packaging sets them apart from the rest. These wipes are also pretty affordable, although maybe a dollar or so more than the other brands, I think. And theyre not as easy to find as the Simple brand, but they are available at Target and Ulta and can be purchased online too! They also have lots of other skin care and beauty products you should all check out! 

I hope you all are enjoying this little Top 3 series and be sure to leave me suggestions of other Top 3's you want me to do in the future!

XOXO
Always stay humble & kind.

#SunshineVoxBox

I have been an Influenster member for a few years now, and every once in a while I'll get a VoxBox that I absolutely love! And my current campaign, the Sunshine Vox Box, is one of those boxes!

The sunshine box came packed with great products, including:

Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Refreshingly Clean Cleansing Cloths - $6.99 - I had pretty good expectations for these cleaning cloths. Witch hazel is super beneficial to your skin in many ways. And the description of this product sounded great for sensitive skin. So I gave them a try right away! If youre at all familiar with witch hazel, you know it doesnt have a very pleasant smell..but that is easy enough to get past. I always wash my face after using a wipe to remove my makeup anyway.. The cloths are super soft, but I dont think theyre much bigger than any standard wipe Ive used in the past. The nice thing, though, was they are very gentle on the skin. They didnt sting or irritate my skin at all.. However, they didnt remove the makeup as well as I would have liked. Especially mascara. But all in all I liked these wipes and will be trying them, as well as some other Dickinsons Witch Hazel products, again in the future.

Blue Diamond Siracha Almonds - $1.59 - I'm really not a fan of spicy, at all! So I cant give an honest opinion on these, so I'll be giving them to my sister or her bf to try out!

barkTHINS - $4.99 - The box came with a coupon to get a free bag of these, and I have yet to use it..but Im super excited to, because these things look delicious!

Infusium 23 Moisture Replenisher Leave-In Smoothing Creme Enhanced with Avocado and Olive Oil - $6.99 - I'd heard a lot of things about Infusium 23 but havent tried any of their products until I got this in the box. And I absolutely love it! Right now my hair is super dry and dead and in desperate need of a cut. And this stuff makes it manageable and soft! This will probably be a new must have of mine!

SinfulColors Nail Polish - $1.99 - Ive tried this polish before in the past, and I wasnt impressed. I think I found it at the dollar store..and it took ages to dry. So when I saw this in the box I was like ehh its a pretty color but Ill never use it if its anything like the other ones Ive used.. But I gave it a try anyway, and Im glad I did. It went on beautifully and dried really fast. The shade is called Beverly Hills and its a beautiful light lilac color that would be perfect for spring. 3 coats covered great, but you could probably even get away with 2.

Vaseline Intensive Care Aloe Soothe Spray Moisturizer - $6.49 - This is my favorite product in this box. Im not a fan of putting lotion on my body. I usually just put some moisturizer on my face and leave the rest of my body alone. But since its summer and my legs are exposed more often than not, its really nice to be able to keep them moisturized and looking nice. So this product has been a life saver for me. Most lotions and moisturizers are thick and gloopy and feel like they take decades to fully absorb into my skin. But this spray absorbs instantly and doesnt leave my hands or skin feeling greasy and gross. So I am absolutely sold on this product!

To find out more about Influenster and their VoxBoxes click here! 

* All products mentioned were provided complimentary from Influenster. 

#SOHOBeautySquad

A few months ago I got to become part of the SOHO Beauty Squad. As a welcome gift they sent me a couple little goodies!
I'm the kind of person who loves bags. I literally have bags inside bags inside bags. I love using different size bags to help keep my stuff better organized. In my purse I always have at least 2 smaller bags, and that way I always know exactly where what I'm looking for is and I just have to pull out whichever bag I need. So, when they sent me 2 of their cute little makeup bags, I was super excited!

They sent me the Bloom Service Round Top bag, which you can find at Harmon and Bed Bath & Beyond. This bag is super cute and little. But its shape makes it much more spacious than you'd expect. I put it to the test by taking one of my similar sized bags and seeing if I could fit all of its contents into the SOHO bag.

In this bag I keep some of my quick grab, on-the-go makeup, including:

• a mirror
• primer
• liquid foundation
• cream foundation
• powder foundation
• eyeshadow trio
• single Mac eyeshadow
• small eyeshadow palette
• travel eyeliner
• mascara
• 4 full size/travel brushes
• 5 broken brushes
• eyeliner sharpener

This bag did fit all items shown in the photo except for the 2 taller brushes. I probably could have shoved them in, but I didn't want to damage my brushes! It was a snug fit but technically did work. The only problem was it would most likely be a little annoying trying to dig through this bag to find what I need because of its size and how full I had it. So, when I use this I'll be sure to put less items in it! Other than that I really like this bag. It's cute, small and compact..but it holds a lot for its size. Also, the deep zipper and fabric flaps inside allow you to open it nice and wide without (hopefully) anything falling out. The zipper is thick and plastic which makes it easier to zip and much less likely to break!
I will probably use this as my new "female emergency kit" which I keep in my purse at all times and fill it with anything a girl might need in case of an emergency. Pads and tampons, stain remover pens, hand sanitizer, hair ties and bobby pins, makeup remover wipes, blotting papers, moisturizer samples, nail clippers and files, etc. The bag I currently have in my purse is about half the size and is packed full, so this might have to replace it!

I was also sent the Angle Management Organizer with Detachable Brush Holder, which you can find at Target. This bag is a little bit bigger, but it is pretty slim compared to most makeup bags I tend to use. I also put this one to the test, comparing it to a similar sized bags and seeing if I could fit all of its contents into the SOHO bag.

The bag I was using for comparison was only about half full, but the bag looked to be almost twice the size, so I thought it would be an alright comparison.

In this bag I had some of my every day products I put into a bag for a weekend stay at my besties, including:

• primer
• liquid/foam foundation
• concealer
• 2 powder foundations
• bronzer/blush combo
• Naked Basics palette
• lipgloss
• mascara
• beauty sponge
• 3 full size brushes

I didn't realize how little I had in here. I think it was actually less products than I had in the smaller bag, but I kept going with the comparison. The great thing about this bag is its tall enough to stand up my liquid products like the primer and foundation. Then I could stack sideways the round compacts, and squeeze in the rest of the products wherever they fit. This bag also has a pocket on the inside and a detachable brush holder on the front. I'm not really a fan of the detachable brush holder, I think it makes the bag less cute, and it is too small for 98% of my brushes. I only had a couple brushes that weren't too tall.. But I managed to fit the brushes I had into the pocket inside the bag for safe keeping. I was really surprised with how much room was left in the bag after I filled it with the products I had out.. I probably could have put almost twice as much in there. This bag also has deep, thick plastic zippers, so it too opens nice and wide. I did notice, though, if it's too full some products slip out when its open because the little side fabric things (what are they even called?!) only go up about half way, so be careful with how you load it up!

Altogether I love the new additions to my bag collection, and I will get so much use out of them! Huge thanks to SOHO for inviting me to join their Beauty Squad!

Are you a bag lady like me? What are your favorite ways to use makeup/storage bags?

Have a beautiful day.
Believe. Dream. Explore. & Be nice to people.

Laura Geller Review Pt. 4: GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara.

I am a huge mascara fan. I love trying all kinds of new mascaras. It was kind of surprising to me that I had never tried any mascaras from Laura Geller. So of course, I was super excited to try the GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara.

Usually volumizing mascaras tend to have big fluffy brushes, so I was surprised to see this one used shorter bristles. But the cool thing about this brush is it has longer and shorter bristles. (but still not big and fluffy like Im used to seeing) The different lengths of the bristles are supposed to help separate, thicken and lengthen you lashes for "Starlet-worthy lashes."

This mascara is only available in black. Which I think is interesting, but kind of cool. Nothing is worse than going to the store to pick up a new mascara and getting home to find you grabbed blackened brown or just plain black rather than blackest black or jet black or whatever silly name they come up with for their black mascaras. I like the simple, no fuss black.

A lot of the time thickening or volumizing mascaras can kind of clump up and make you look like you have 5 thick Spongebob lashes rather than beautiful thick, full lashes. But this one really did separate and give me beautiful lashes. I did start to see more clumping once I got to 3 coats, however.

 1 Coat.

 2 Coats.

3 Coats plus eyeliner.

I never really put more than 2 coats of mascara on, but I know a lot of people do, so I wanted to show how it looks with 3. Personally, I think it looks amazing with even just one coat. Very natural but really beautiful. I was blessed with naturally pretty long lashes, so this mascara might look a little different on you, but I still think it will look great!

This mascara goes for around $24.00 for 0.28 fl oz/8 g (theres no ml on this tube)
Ive compared that to two of my favorite mascaras. Revlon Grow Luscious, which is $8.49 for 0.38 fl oz/8 ml and Too Faced Lash Gasm which is $21 for 0.4 fl oz/12 ml. The Revlon mascara has a very different brush, its much bigger and fluffier, but gives kind of similar results. It is a touch softer, but if you apply another layer or two you get much closer results. It is almost the same amount of product for over twice the price. The Too Faced mascara is just a little cheaper, and gives you a little more product. And again, the brush is different. This time the brush is smaller and stiffer. This mascara gives you long, beautiful, separated lashes. But it lacks in a little when it comes to volumizing.

The Laura Geller mascara to me is a really great product, but I hate to spend a lot of money on mascaras, especially because I tend to go through them so quickly. If it was a little cheaper I would definitely buy it..probably all the time, but because it is kind of pricey and I can achieve a similar look for much less I will probably only repurchase this product when I want to splurge and spoil myself a little.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and any other Laura Geller products you may have tried. So feel free to share in the comments below!

See also: Part 1: Blush-n-Brighten Baked Blush, Part 2: Color Enriched Anti-Aging Lipstick, Part. 3: Color Drenched Lip Gloss

Laura Geller Review Pt. 3: Color Drenched Lip Gloss

The third new product I recently tried from Laura Geller is the Color Drenched Lip Gloss. If you read my previous post, you should be aware that I am much more a fan of glosses than lip sticks. So I was pretty excited to try this one out. I tend to spend more money on higher end lip glosses over other products. I can buy drug store mascara, eyeliner, even foundations and powders. But lip gloss (as well as eye shadow and brushes) is one thing I usually buy high end.

They definitely named this product well. When I first swatched this gloss I was surprised at how rich and pigmented it was. They claim it is a non-sticky formula, and I agree. I cant stand the feeling of sticky gloopy or stringy lip glosses, and this was none of those things. It feels really nice on your lips. I got the color Guava Delight. Which matches the lipstick in my previous post, Tiger Lily, almost perfectly. So if youre someone who likes to layer lip sticks and glosses, that is a great pair! But, neither color look too good on my lips. Like I said in the previous post, I prefer lighter colors such as nudes or pinks and nudey pinks.

One thing I loved about this gloss was the scent! Oh my lord, it has a delicious subtle coffee scent. I am a huge fan of good smelling things, so I personally think makeup products that smell like food or candy are a gift from god! Also, this gloss has emollient oils and Vitamin E, which help protect your lips from environmental damage. Which, to me, is a major plus!

This gloss goes for around $19.00 for 0.3 fl oz/9 ml
Ive compared that to my two favorite lip glosses. NYX Butter Gloss, which is $5 for 0.27 fl oz/8 ml and Lorac Couture Shine which is $22 for 0.17 fl oz/5 ml. NYX is just a tiny bit less product for close to 1/4 of the price. I think the NYX Butter Glosses are amazing and super creamy and pretty well pigmented. The one thing though is they tend to wear off somewhat quickly. But theyre in a small enough tube (although they have almost the same amount of product) that theyre easy to carry with you for touch ups. The Lorac gloss is almost half as much product (in a slightly larger tube, which is really deceiving if you ask me!) for a few dollars more. I think it is probably just as rich and creamy, but not quite as pigmented as the Laura Geller one.
The Laura Geller gloss seems to be a pretty fair price for the product, and I really want to go check out some other colors!

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and any other Laura Geller products you may have tried. So feel free to share in the comments below!

See also: Part 1: Blush-n-Brighten Baked Blush, Part 2: Color Enriched Anti-Aging Lipstick, Part 4: GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara.

Laura Geller Review Pt. 2: Color Enriched Anti-Aging Lipstick

The next new Laura Geller product I tried was the Color Enriched Anti-Aging Lipstick. Now, Im not a big lipstick person, I prefer to use lip tints or lip stains with a gloss on top. I also tend to use nudes or nudey pinks. But I like to try new things, so I gave this lipstick a fair shot. I got the shade Tiger Lily, a creamy coral flame, which is currently sold out on their site so it must be a popular shade.

At first I thought, what the hell is an anti-aging lipstick? What makes it anti-aging and why would I need this? Then I read a little about it..it is "fortified with Resveratrol and Hyaluronic Filling Spheres that smooth the appearance of fine lines, making lips appear more voluptuous and youthful-looking." Now, thats not necessarily something I need just yet, but I still thought it was a pretty cool thing. You often hear about "lip plumping" glosses, but I havent ever seen a lipstick with those properties. (at least that I know of) So if youre someone who is starting to see those signs of aging and feel you need a little Resveratrol and Hyaluronic Filling Spheres, this is probably a great product for you!

The shade Tiger Lily isnt really a color I would typically use, I dont think anything other than nude tones and nudey pinks look right on me. But, like I said, I like give everything equal opportunity. I first swatched it on my hand, and I think the color is gorgeous, but I still wasnt sure it would look too good on me. So I went ahead and tried it on my lips, and the color is still gorgeous, but its still a little too much for me.

(yes I know I have weird things through my lip, if you have any rude comments about them please keep them to yourself!)

The lipstick had a pretty creamy formula, and it felt really nice going on. They claim that this product has a wine scent, but I didnt really smell anything at all. The one thing I noticed that I didnt like though was that it wasnt super pigmented like others Ive seen from competitor brands. Ive even seen some drug store lipsticks with similar color payoff.

This lipstick goes for around $21.00 for 0.14 oz/4 g
Ive compared that to another lipstick I own from Rimmel which is $5.49 for 0.14 oz/4 g and a Make lipstick which is $25 for 0.12 oz/3.4 g. Rimmel is the exact same amount of product for less than 1/3 of the price, but Rimmel is of course a drug store brand, and isnt as high quality of a product as Laura Geller. But, I must add, this lipstick has a pleasant sweet scent, that I could actually smell. I also compared it to another high end brand lipstick. The Make lipstick is a little bit less product for just a few dollars more. I find that the Laura Geller lipstick feels the most creamy, but is the least pigmented. I actually think the Rimmel was the most pigmented out of the 3 I compared, which was surprising to me.

(It is really hard to take a picture of lipstick swatches that show off the color without glaring, sorry!)

So, in my opinion, if you are looking for a lipstick that will fill out fine lines and plump your lips up a little, this is probably a good product for you. I know I will definitely be going to Ulta to check out a couple of the other shades it comes in. Also, none of the other lipsticks are "anti-aging."

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and any other Laura Geller products you may have tried. So feel free to share in the comments below!

See also: Part 1: Blush-n-Brighten Baked Blush, Part 3: Color Drenched Lip Gloss, Part 4: GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara.

Laura Geller Review Pt. 1: Blush-n-Brighten Baked Blush

I recently got a few Laura Geller products I was pretty excited to try.. Ive tried a couple products in the past that I wasnt blown away by, but Im a big believer in second chances. (which isnt always a good thing!)

So this first product I actually have tried before in the past. That products is the Blush-n-Brighten Baked Blush. I looove baked products. Everything from foundation and bronzer to blush and eyeshadow. I think baked products are amazing and super versatile. I love the fact that they can be used both wet or dry!

I really liked the product itself, but the shade that I used in the past was too plummy and shimmery for my skintone, which is why I think I didnt like it. I believe the shade was called Apricot Berry, and I dont think they sell it anymore. But this time I got the shade "Boysenberry" Which, to be honest, I thought it sounded like a shade I wouldnt like. However, it actually happens to be a beautiful matte peachy-pink shade that looks wonderful on my skin! The formula is really soft and silky, it blends beautifully and adds a great, natural color to your face.

A few things I love about this blush in particular..first of all, its hand made in Italy. How cool is that?! It starts out as a cream and is baked for 24 hours on a terracotta tile, then it is hand finished. I find that fascinating, this product is a craft, and I really admire that! I also really love that it is Paraben-free and has "skin loving antioxidants Centella Asiatica and White Tea Extracts." That is definitely something I love to see in a product I am putting on my skin.

This blush goes for around $27.50 for 0.176 oz/5 g
Ive compared that to another baked blush I own from Palladio which is $7 for 0.009 oz/2.5 g and a Benefit box blush which is $28 for 0.28 oz/8 g. Palladio is half as much product for less than 1/3 of the price, but Palladio is more of a drug store brand, and isnt as high quality of a product as Laura Geller. Which is why I also compared it to my Benefit blush. (I dont own any other baked blushes to compare it to.) The Benefit blush is a little bit more product for just $.50 more.
That being said, I dont think its too pricey for the amount of product you get when you look at the quality of the product and the fact that its hand made. You are always going to pay more money for better products.

Also, I almost forgot to add, how cute is that box packaging?! I love the kind of sophisticated look of the box, but the fun little pop of pink around the sides. It also has fuyn colorful lips all over the inside. Adorable. Another thing to note is the product packaging itself. I love when products have clear plastic tops so you can see youre grabbing the right shade and you dont have to search for a name or open five different things until you find the one youre looking for. This has half clear half black, and on the inside it has a little mirror on the black half which is so helpful if you like to carry makeup with you for touch-ups throughout the day.

So, final thoughts: I think this is a beautiful blush and this particular shade looks great on my skin. I can easily see this becoming one of those products I grab every day and go out and buy again as soon as I run out of it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and any other Laura Geller products you may have tried. So feel free to share in the comments below!

See also: Part 2: Color Enriched Anti-Aging Lipstick, Part 3: Color Drenched Lip Gloss, Part 4: GlamLASH Dramatic Volumizing Mascara.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara Review

As most of you probably know, every year Ulta has their 21 Days of Beauty sale event. This year there were only a few deals that I even thought twice about checking out. (One of which was buy 1 get 1 free Clarisonic brush heads.) The other deal I went to check out was the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara for half price.

I have been a fan of Smashbox Cosmetics for years now. Ever since I got their Eye Wish palette back in 2009. I had also been running low on my current mascaras. So I figured, hey, for only $10 why not check it out? I'd been wanting to try out some new mascaras anyway; and if Im going to spend $10 on a drug store mascara, why not spend $10 on a better brand?!
So, I had all intentions of keeping it unopened in its box in my "overflow makeup drawer" and only opening it once I had completely run out of older mascaras. Well, I have as much willpower when it comes to new makeup as a 6 year old has with a big bowl of candy in front of them and no adults to tell them no! So after a few short days..I caved.

My initial thoughts on it were "oh wait, is this a fiber mascara?" I had done absolutely no research on this product before buying it..so I was going in completely blind. So after applying it, Ill admit, I wasnt blown away. To me it reminded me a lot of one of my favorite mascaras, Revlon Grow Lucious, mixed with a ..less awesome version of my all time favorite mascara, (which I think is discontinued?! whyyyyyy?!) Lorac Lotsa Lash. And while it reminded me of a mixture of 2 of my favorite mascaras, it just seemed to lack something. I was honestly really surprised I didnt love this mascara..and that kind of disappointed me. I really wanted to love it.

I will obviously continue to use it until its all used up. But I will just have to layer it a few extra times to achieve a look that Im happy with. If I didnt have a few other products that I love so much, I probably would really like this mascara. But for now, I will continue to buy the products I love!

What I liked about this mascara:

• Great brush.
• Separates and lifts pretty well.
• Fibers. I LOVE fiber mascaras!
• Goes on smoothly. No clumps or strings.
• Nice texture. Not watery or too thick.
• Buying it on sale for half price makes me feel much less guilty about buying "better" brands.
• Removes easily with water and cleanser.

What I didnt like about this mascara:

• Multiple coats to achieve desired look.
• Runs easily if your eyes tear up in the slightest.
• Bit pricier if not on sale.

Have you ever tried this mascara? What are your thoughts?
Im always on the hunt for great new mascaras. Let me know in the comments your favorite drug store and high end mascaras!

Wantable Makeup Subscription Box Review

There are a LOT of monthly subscription boxes around anymore. With all those options its hard to choose which is the best offer. I have tried the beauty box five, which is around $12 for 4-5 samples of beauty, hair care or skin care products.

One of the newer boxes Ive recently heard of is from Wantable.com.
Wantable.com offers 3 different boxes; makeup, accessories or intimates. I chose the makeup one, of course. You an get the subscription for $36 a month or a one time purchase for $40. Inside the box you get 4-5 full size premium makeup products hand picked to perfectly match your preference.

Before you order your box, the first step is to take a little quiz. In this quiz you choose your skin tone, category preference (you rate love, like or dislike different categories such as brows, blush, lash products, tools, etc.) then you go into preferences for each category; such as colors, textures and tones.
This allows the people who pack your boxes to choose exactly what products match your personal preference, and each box is personalized to you.

Once I placed my order for my box, I received a confirmation email. The very next day I got a shipment notification. The day after that I got my box in the mail! It literally only took 2 days.

I opened my box and first found a few cool little things. A sweet little note card that shared a great quote! A card telling you about their app. (you know its a great company when they have their own app!) And a paper with info about each product, as well as retail prices.

I was honestly so surprised by the products theyve included in my box! 5 full size products and one little sample. Right away I was like "this is a subscription box I would definitely buy every month!" Most of the companies I had never really heard of before. I think the only company I had heard of was Color Club, the nail polish.

This is the one product I was somewhat familiar with. Ive never actually used any products by Color Club though, so I was excited to try. This color is a really pretty soft greyish brown. Not a color I would normally choose for myself, but once I swatched it on my nail I really fell in love! Its such a soft beautiful color. Great for Autumn. This product retails for around $8.

Next was a sample from a company called Skiin. I had honestly never heard of this company. So the sample is a 'Instant Skin Tightener and Line Filler.' I thought, "well, I dont relaly need this, I dont have wrinkles. But Ill try it anyway." So I put it under and around my eyes. I literally did immediately feel it working. It almost felt like my skin went slightly numb, and I could tell it had tightened up. Im going to be giving this sample to my mom to see how she likes it, since she has more "aging" skin than I do.

So the next products is a lip treatment by another brand Im not familiar with, DEX New York. The box said lipstick, but technically its not really a lipstick, it has no color. Its just a moisturizing treatment with a bunch of vitamins and stuff. I did try it out, and it applies very smoothly and feels soft on my lips. You can wear it alone or under your favorite lipstick. I personally wore it alone and it has a slightly glossy finish, so you can totally get away with wearing it alone. This product retails for $25.

I think I may have heard of this brand, but it apparently didnt leave an impression because I cant really remember. But this is the product I was most excited about trying. I am a big fan of blush and bronzer, so this little duo from Somre was a great product for me to try! The colors are honestly perfect. The bronzer isnt to dark, and theyre not shimmery or glittery. Im not a big fan of having disco ball face..my skin is naturally pretty oily so I like to stay away from shimmery face products. The blush is also a really nice color. Its a great pinky shade and looks nice on my skin tone. This retails for $28.

Next was a felt-tip liquid liner in the color Espresso, a nice dark brown, from the company Be a Bombshell. (who once again, I havent heard of) I usually stick to blacks on my eyes, but its always nice to have a brown liner. So I was pleased with this product as well. I swatched it on my hand and it applies easily and is well pigmented. I could definitely see myself buying this in black as well. (and hello little Darla peeking in in the background :D) This retails for $14.

And the last product in the box was a blue mascara from Golden Rose. I honestly thought to myself, I will never use this. I have never owned a blue mascara, I probably will, and I cant see any situation where I would use a blue mascara. But I will keep it around for a little while and see if it will ever be of use. The one thing I can say though is that I like how the tube is clear so you can see the product inside. I feel like a lot of the time mascaras are like half empty in there, so its nice to be able to see a full tube of mascara. This product retails for around $11.





So the total price of the products if you were to purchase them would be around $86. Making this box a great deal at only $36! I will definitely be subscribing to this box!

What happened to H.Wood.Beauty?!

A while back I got to try out a free month of Beauty Box Five. You can check out my review here! In the box that month, there was a sample of lipstick from a new brand, H.Wood.Beauty. At the time I hadnt really tried the lipstick much, so I didnt give much detail about the product in my initial review. But, lately, Ive been wearing it more and more often. It has become one of my favorite lip products I currently own!

Photo: Amazon.

Ive tried doing some research, and I cant seem to find a working website for this company. All I could find was a facebook page and twitter account, both havent posted since September of 2012. :( So, I couldnt find out more about the product, and Im not sure where you can find them. Which is a suuuper bummer. Im really hoping the company didnt go under!

This lipstick isnt like any Ive ever tried before, its not super pigmented, it just gives a very light color, and a glossy finish. When I first tried it, Ill admit, I wasnt impressed. But in the past few weeks, Ive been using it more and more, and have honestly fallen in love with it!

The lipstick goes on super smooth, and looks like a gloss. Its a beautiful light pink shade called "rose." Its not sticky at all, and it doesnt feel dry or anything like some lipsticks tend to feel. I think H.Wood.Beauty products are all-natural, but since there is no site, Im not 100% sure.

(Im sorry if anyone is offended by my lip piercings, I know a lot of people dont like them. but I do, so any rude comments I kindly ask you keep to yourself!)

If anyone knows what happened to the company or where I can find their products, I would love if you could let me know! Im very interested in trying out more of their products!

Full Face Foundation Routine

1. Primer

I always start my face with a primer. I think it helps the makeup go on better and look better. I feel like I use less product when using a primer, and it helps the makeup stay on all day! Ive tried so many different primers.. from Smashbox, Too Faced, Laura Geller, Bare Minerals, to drug store brands, there have been some hits, and some misses..
My current favorite is the Global Goddess Upgrade Complexion Face Primer. - $22.95 @ efficientliving.comI used to use the Too Faced Primed and Poreless primer, but I started working with the owner of GGB and he sent me their primer, which is comparable to the Too Faced one, but it's cheaper, and you get almost twice as much! Iits definitely my go-to primer now!
Im not a fan of brushes for applying primer or foundation, so I just use my clean fingers and apply a little bit all over my face!

2. Foundation

A lot of people conceal, then apply foundation, but I prefer to apply foundation, then conceal. I never really have to conceal blemishes or spots or anything, I really just do under my eyes, so I dont have to worry about perfectly matching my concealer to my foundation.
Ive never really tried any high-end foundations, Ive been sitting here for 10 minutes trying to think of one Ive tried and I literally can not think of any! I always buy drug store brand foundations! Until I tried this..
My favorite foundation right now is the Ahava Rich Foundation. - $23.95 @ Amazon.com.
(mine was sent to me from Ahava, but I cant find on their site where to buy the foundation!)
They also have a light foundation, but I cant use that because I need fuller coverage! But I absolutely love this stuff! Its made from active deadsea minerals, like all of their products, and it is free of oils and dyes, so its super good for your skin! And its great for me because I have oily skin, so anything oil-free is a must!
Again, I just use my fingers to apply this, I feel like brushes make it look streaky.

3. Concealer

Like I said earlier, all I only really conceal under my eyes, and I use a slightly lighter concealer just to brighten up under my eyes!
My favorite concealer is the Laura Geller The Real Deal Concealer. - $22 @ LauraGeller.com.
Ive never been a big fan of concealers, I felt like they always made my makeup look worse. Ive tried many high end, as well as drug store concealers, and just never really liked any. But this one I do really like for under my eyes.
I just use my beauty blender and lightly apply a little bit under my eyes and blend it out.

4. Powder

I go back and forth between using a translucent setting powder and a color powder.

So for my translucent powder I have been loving the Urban Decay Razor Sharp Ultra Definition Finishing Powder. - $31 @ UrbanDecay.com.

This has a weird spongey thing on the end that youre supposed to use to apply, but I think they give a weird application, so I just tap it around a few spots on my face then take a brush and kind of buff it out.

And for a color powder Ive been using the Ahava Compact Powder - $27.21 @ Amazon.com.

To apply, I just take a kabuki brush and press it into my foundation. Since I like a slightly lighter under eye, Ill just take a translucent powder and apply it there, and color powder everywhere else.

5. Bronzer

I can not go a day without using bronzer on my face, I feel like it adds so much more dimension to my face, and just pulls the whole look together. 

Lately Ive been using the Bare Minerals Ready Bronzer. - $24 @ BareMinerals.com.

I used to use an angled brush and do a more intense contouring, but lately Ive been using a bigger brush, like a fluffy foundation or blush brush, and just give a soft contouring effect under my cheek bones and around my temples, and slightly down my neck.

6. Blush

Im very picky with my blush, it cant have shimmer and it has to be the perfect color. I have oily skin, so anything shimmery will just make me look like a disco ball!

My every day blush lately has been the Revlon Matte Powder Blush in Perfectly Peach. - $8.48 @ Walmart or Target.

I just use another fluffy blush brush and apply that to my cheekbones and blend out soflty.

So, thats basically it for my every day full face routine. I try to use only matte products, and no highlight, like I said I have oily skin, dont want to look like a disco ball! Ive included links to all products I mentioned, so go ahead and check them out and let me know what you think of these products! 

Disclaimer: The ggb primer, ahava foundation, and ahava compact powder were sent to me for review, all other products were purchased by me! This is just the products I have currently been using and loving. No one is paying me to write this post!