Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Opal Has Arrived!

That's right ladies! My opal travel sizes have arrived.

I've already cracked them open and given them a test, and I have to say, I'm as impresses as I expected to be and maybe more. With a neutral skintone I can get away with going either warm or cool without any problem.

For summer I was excited to try out Opal because it gives a nice golden shine to the face which is very nice to give the suntanned effect to the face without having the skin damage of tanning. I'm absolutely in love with the powdered opal, the soft and almost creamy consistancy, the beautiful finely milled shimmer, the perfect pigmentation, and the gorgeous golden color. I loved the swatches of the liquid opal, but unfortunately I think the doe foot applicator takes away from the full intensity that you get with the pump bottle of the full size because I have to really pack it on to get any pigmentation out of it, but it's definitely enough to get me hooked and require the purchase of the full size. I look forward to trying some of the other shades as well, though I haven't decided which ones exactly yet. I've looked at Moonstone and was very tempted to purchase that one as well, and I think that may be the next one I try. I thought about Champagne Pop, and as much as I want to get the Jacklyn Hill and Becca collaboration palette it's just not an option for me, so I won't be able to try the limited edition shade from that unfortunately, but that's okay I guess...

What should I try next?

Stay Beautiful Ladies!
BNB

Be Gone! - The Lip Pampering Color Removing Savior

I love wearing liquid lipsticks, but I hate having to take them off. It's often a hassle and requires a lot of scrubbing, even when using an oil based makeup remover, which is said to be the best way to do it. That often ends in a lot of irritation to the lips and makes even wearing the products a hassle.
Well, HASSLE NO MORE!

Nyx came out with a lip color removing gel named with gusto. It claims to condition and pamper while removing long-lasting lip color.

I find that this product stick true to it's name, It removes even my toughest colors with minimal staining from the liquid lip color. the product itself is quite thick and you have to squeeze it hard to get the product out, but it's well worth it for the actual effectiveness of it. It comes in a lipgloss squeeze tube with mattefied white and black packaging. There's none of that fuzzy stuff on the nib, which I think is great for cleanliness and sanitation since the fuzz tends to lock in color as well as germs. I personally apply this product to my lips with a cotton bud or my finger and the spread it out some before rubbing my lips together. I tend to leave it sitting for a few minutes while I remove the rest of my makeup to allow it to penetrate through the color and my lips. To remove both the color and the remover, I fold a tissue in fourths and rub it between my lips and then use a cotton pad covered in makeup remover to help remove the remnants of the product.

The name of this product speaks true to its purpose: Be Gone!
And it definitely does just that.

I will definitely always have this product on hand when liquid lipstick is at play!

Stay Beautiful Ladies!
BNB

Monday, June 27, 2016

Recent Beauty Purchases

Recently, there hasn't been a lot of things tickling my interests in the beauty world.
I'm not a collector so I don't just pick up all the new products just to test them out. I do my research, I swatch things for months, I buy travel sizes or get sample perks before buying. If it doesn't peak my interest or have something to offer me that what I already have doesn't, it's not going in my vanity. But that being said, I have picked up a few things I've been in need of for a bit.

First, at my local hobby store I picked up a 4 inch square mirror to use as a mixing palette for my foundation so that I can stop having to use the backs of my hands to hold product. Before this I was using a Ball jar lid for a week or so, but it just isn't quite big enough

I also picked up some baby wipes and face cloths for removing my face makeup before showering, and to refresh my face after sweating when I don't have makeup on. I prefer baby wipes because they're cheap, multipurpose, and work very well on my fragrance and alcohol sensitive skin. I got a travel size pack of face cloths simply to avoid carrying liquid makeup remover, or a 40 pack of baby wipes around with me for vacation.

Next, I also picked up some travel sized brush cleaning wipes for my vacation as well so that I don't have to carry my brush spray on vacation either. I'm all about finding things that are convenient for travel, especially when it involves an airplane.

On a walk through Walmart, I came across a display of the new Garnier Whole Blends shampoos and conditioners, and remembered one of my favorite YouTubers raving about the Honey Treasures repairing shampoo and conditioner. For less than 4 dollars a bottle I just couldn't pass it up. Since growing out my hair and going back to dying and straightening it I know I will need something to help keep the damage at bay, though I will never stop using my Head and Shoulders shampoo.

At DollarTree, months ago, I grabbed a bottle of nail strengthener from LA Colors, but sadly I was unimpressed because it does little to nothing to stop my nails from peeling apart and breaking off at my finger tips. But more recently I found a few more similar products at a different DollarTree from a brand called Dr. Marvey which I will be testing out to see if they work better. For a dollar a piece if either of them work I will be quick to pick up a bunch, and if they're horrible then at least I didn't break the bank.

Reviews of these products and more are to come! I'll also be doing a post talking about what I pack and how I pack my beauty items for a vacation, and how I get everything prepared for airport security.

Stay Beautiful!
BNB

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Drugstore Haul and Mini Reviews

I picked up a bunch of products in the last few months from Milani than I had been eyeing and gave them all a try.
I picked up 3 blushes, 3 single eye shadows, 2 liquid lipsticks, 2 lip oils, a lipstick and an eye shadow palette. The gold packaging feels very elegant and expensive and I love to have these products around on display. Some of the packaging I find to be bulky (like the blushes) but regardless they are wonderful.

The first blush is from the rose blushes line and is in Romantic Rose (01) and although it has a slightly weird and chemical scent it is a gorgeous color and very difficult to over apply as it had a lighter pigmentation and a buildable formula. The cool toned mauve color is perfect and very unique at the drug store.The next two blushes are from the baked blush line in the shades Red Vino (09) and Bella Rosa (11). Red Vino is a red blush with gold shimmer and Bella Rosa is a vivid bright pink matte. This formula is by far my favorite baked blush formula. Unlike most baked products these are still soft and extremely pigmented. Red Vino does require an extremely light hand on fair skin, but the color is gorgeous even when applied lightly, just be careful of overdoing it. Bella Rosa also requires a bit of a light hand, though less so than the other color. but both colors last a long time on the skin and apply evenly and easily.
The single eye shadows I haven't played with too much, but they're from the Bella Eyes collection of gel powder shadows. I picked up specifically shimmers and metallics because they seemed like things I would use the most. First up is Bella Rouge, a metallic red; then Bella Gold, a metallic yellow gold; and finally Bella Chiffon, a metallic creamy white. The formula is very interesting and is said to be simlar to the colour pop shadows, so before springing for those I decided I would test the Milani formula first in case I didn't like it. It's definitely applied best with the fingertips in my opinion, but a brush may work well for some colors. All of the colors are very pigmented and blendable with each other and other shadows. I find I like them best as an accent on the center of the lid or in the inner corner of the eyes to bring dimension. I plan to pick up Dolci the 31st shade in the line which is a beautiful rose with a gold metallic shimmer in an order online in which I will hopefully pick up some of the new metallic liquid lipsticks.
The Amore Matte Liquid Lipsticks I have a love-hate relationship with. I own Loved (12) and Obsession (18). Loved is a medium nude brown color, which I love, and obsession is a red-toned purple. Both colors definitely dry completely matte, however they may dry too matte. After a drink of water I can feel the lipstick suck the leftover moisture out of my lips. The formula is quite patchy when I apply it, but I find it to be less noticeable in the nude color than in the deeper purple shade. Before it dries it looks fine and then when it dries it becomes streaky and patchy. the mousse-y formula is wonderful and soft to apply without dragging, but stains outside the lipline if it finds its way there so be warned. The scent is to die for; it smells like vanilla cake icing.
The lip oils are definitely one of my favorite products. I use them before applying lip products to help moisturize, and then again after I take off my makeup to replenish moisture and repair any damage or irritation from longwear products. I have moisturizing coconut (01) and repairing rose (05). Each oil is supposed to do different things, and while I haven't seen these do different things from each other I still think they are a great product to help hydrate and care for your lips.
I also picked up the Milani Color Statement Lipstick in 38 Double Espresso. This deep brown with gold shimmer is the perfect 90's lip color in my opinion. It is glossy and moisturizing but does not find its way outside the lipline or fade quickly after application. It is not long wearing, but doesn't require constant touchups either.The scent of this product is also delicious, but is more of a fruit candy scent.
Finally, the palette I chose was the Everyday Eyes palette in Earthy Elements (05) which consists of 6 shades of warm tones. 2 shades are matte (a burnt orange and a warm fawn brown) and 4 are shimmers (a deep reddish brown, a peach champagne, a warm dark brown, and a cream). All the colors are pigmented and soft. They kick up a little bit of powder when used with a brush, but not extremely much. I wish one of the darker shades was matte instead of shimmer because the palette feels slightly off balance without it. This palette is one of my go to's for when I need warm colors, but I do have to pull other colors in due to the lack of mattes. The brush in this palette is not cheap and useless like most palettes in the drugstore. It's one of the few brushes I have actually have kept and frequently use during makeup application.

Quite the pile pf products!
Always enjoy your beauty and whatever products you choose to use.

BNB

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Super- Bright Summer Lips

I figured I would post a second time today, being that my first post was supposed to go up yesterday afternoon, but I was feeling quite under the weather and did not get a chance to post it. Feeling somewhat better today, but still not so great so I apologize if it's a short one.

A couple months ago in a Walmart, I came across a brand called RK by Kiss and was excited to see some lipsticks that are packaged in a tube similar to a lip gloss. But don't let that fool you, these are in no way lip gloss. They are the most opaque and long wearing lipstick formula I've ever seen. And they're perfect for carrying around during the summer because you don't have to worry about your lipstick bullet melting in the heat. The colors range from wearable to more bright and crazy colors. I personally own three shades currently, but will be purchasing the rest when I get a chance to pick them up. I own 06 Crush, which is a bright orange with a red undertone; 12 Glace, a bright yellow; and 13 Pool Party, a sky blue.

These colors are great for long wear with no retouching, as the color stains and the application is thick. But be careful when applying as the formula instantly stains so if you make a mistake you may find you can't get it off. Also, the formula doesn't dry so be aware that when you eat or drink it will come off and may end up outside the lip line. They are truly matte as they claim to be on the tube, and are labeled as a lip lacquer, but they're definitely much more like a liquefied lipstick.

They have colors from red and pink to purple to grey and white. Perfect for mixing to create the perfect color and perfect for taking on the go without the worry of a mess. No more melted lipstick bullets and messy purses!

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Nail Polish Mega Haul

I cleaned out the vanity and reorganized, and along the way I found a lot of nail polish that was really old or I don't use anymore. Afterwards, I noted that I lacked cool tones and more neutral colors. Neutrals are my favorite lately and I only had about two, so I decided to make a few purchases.

Below I will list the colors I purchased and a description of the color and the finish. I will also let you know the place of purchase, though some were on clearance so they may be gone by now.

Creme colors:
Whim Nail Lacquer in 405 Faux Real - teal (Ulta)
Whim Nail Lacquerin 490 Thyme to Celebrate - blue-toned grey (Ulta - Clearance)
Ginger + Liz Color Collection in Grounded - slate grey (Ulta - Clearance)
Sally Hansen Insta-dri in 310 Slick Slate - grey-toned mauve (CVS)
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in 430 Royal Hue - purple blue (CVS)
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in 230 Pep-plum - warm-toned purple (CVS)
Avon Speed Dry Nail Enamel in Red Red - true red (Avon)
Maybelline Color Show in 115 Pretty in Peach - pastel orange (Ulta)
H&M Nail Polish in Go Lemon - pastel yellow (H&M)

Sheer colors:
Revlon Nail Lacquer in 215 Daydreamer - shimmery pink with a green shift (CVS)
Revlon Nail Lacquer in 565 Wild - shimmery green with a silver fleck (CVS)
Revlon Nail Lacquer in 933 Chameleon - shimmery dark green with an orange and yellow shift (CVS)

Metallic colors:
Wet n Wild Wild Shine in 446C Caribbean Frost - metallic teal green (Dollar Store)
Arissa Nail Lacquer in ABN374 Beaming Bronze - metallic warm brown (Dollar Store)

Shimmer colors:
Sally Hansen Insta Dri in 155 Making Mauves - soft beige with silver micro shimmer (CVS)
H&M Nail Polish in Precious - orange and yellow duochrome (H&M)
H&M Nail Polish in Amaranthine - red and orange duochrome (H&M)
H&M Nail Polish in Skylight - pastel blue-white and purple duochrome (H&M)

Clear Glitter colors:
Whim Nail Lacquer in 260 Midnight Wink - sheer blue with blue green and purple glitter (Ulta - Clearance)

Opaque Glitter colors:
Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Rave - pink toned mauve with silver glitter (Avon)
Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Absinthe - chartreuse green with silver glitter (Avon)
Avon Nailwear Pro+ in Ruby Slipper - true red with silver glitter (Avon)
Sinful Colors in 1383 Gilded - light pink with pink and gold glitter (Big Lots)
Pure Ice in Purple Reign - lavender purple with gold glitter (Big Lots)
Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant in 80 Violet Flicker - deep purple with purple and blue glitter (Big Lots)
Maybelline Color Show in 240 Twilight Rays - black with gold glitter (Big Lots)
Whim Nail Lacquer in 425 Cable Knit - white with white glitter (Ulta - Clearance)
OPI Nail Lacquer in Cosmo with a Twist - navy with purple and blue glitter (Big Lots)

I've pretty much loved all of the colors. There have been a few I was slightly disappointed in. Starting from the top, Slick Slate from Sally Hansen was very hard to apply cleanly because of the wide flat shape of the brush, it applied way too much product despite being wiped off prior to application. I was not so pleasantly surprised that the Revlon colors were all sheer and had little color payoff despite looking very opaque in the bottles. They require multiple coats to get them to be opaque, but still do not have the best color payoff. Making Mauves by Sally Hansen has the same brush as Slick Slate and also applies way too thick despite my efforts to fix it. Whim's Midnight Wink was surprisingly sheer compared to how it looked in the bottle, and while it's pretty over Whim's Faux Real I was much more hopeful to wear it on its own, but the glitter is very sparsely dispersed during application and is not easy to create a sufficiently opaque coverage to wear it on its own. Still very pretty. Finally, Rave from Avon was far more pink than I expected, from the color swatch online it seemed like more of a purple than a pink so I was surprised to apply it and have it dry into more of a pink color. Other than these few things the formulas and colors of them all are true to color and easy to apply, requiring only one coat, maybe two to even out any areas of thinness.

Argan Oil Primer: Love or Hate?

I've been using the Physicians Formula Arganwear Argan oil primer with coconut water. It comes in the gold and white ombre glass bottle with the sprayer.
I enjoy the product formula itself, but the way the bottle sprays I often find that the products is badly distributed and I end up having to rub it into my skin to get it to actually melt in. My dry skin loves the coconut water and it does make my skin feel hydrated and prepared for makeup application. It's very easy to overdo this if you're not careful and end up oily. I'm not crazy about the smell, but it goes away shortly after spraying once the product settles.
It gives me a smoother application by removing the dryness from my skin, however I use this more as a skincare product than as a primer since I need a primer that really holds onto my makeup much harder. I definitely more prefer a silicone primer, but this may work as a primer on its own for someone else.
All in all not a fail, but I'm not completely in love with the application for this product. I'm also a bit annoyed with the biphase product because it seems to be hard to get it evenly mixed for long enough to apply it without having to shake it almost every spray. I've purchased the regular argan oil from them as well to see if I prefer that to the spray bottle version. We will see!

As always, Stay Beautiful
BNB

Friday, June 3, 2016

Sun Safety

Now, we all know it's important to wear sunscreen when we're outside in order to prevent cancer and early aging skin. But it's almost impossible to find one that's good for your skin and goes well under makeup. I think I finally solved this problem for myself, but it took all kinds of trial and error. No one sunscreen is right for everyone, and I needed one that had high SPF, no greasy feeling, and wouldn't leave my skin shiny and oily over time. With my sensitive, dry skin, it's important that my sunscreen isn't harsh while still working effectively to protect me from sun damage and sun burn.

On a whim I tried IPKN NewYork's Pore Apple Sun Cream sunscreen makeup primer. It has SPF 40+, is gentle on the skin, and  helps to control oily t-zones. It has a slight silicone feel, which is good for holding makeup on the skin. It claims to be moisturizing, which from my experience is true. It didn't leave my skin feeling tight, dry or tired after wearing it for the day at a festival. It's very lightweight and doesn't break down over time or become greasy out in the heat. It didn't melt and it doesn't have the horrible chemical smell that most sunscreens have.

I would recommend anyone try this product. I picked it up off of Amazon, and it cost only about $26. It's a little expensive for a sunscreen I'll admit, but for how little product you use at a time I find it to be worth it.

of course I haven't tried reapplication over top of makeup, but it worked well with my normal stick sunscreen that I carry for reapplication on the go.

Always remember to care for your skin, and Stay Beautiful.

BNB

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Exciting Products to Come!

I have a lot of great stuff in the works for the next few months. I've got some things in the mail, as well as a few things I want to try out in hopes of working with my seemingly picky skin.

In the mail I have the mini size of the Hourglass dim light ambient lighting powder so I can try it out, by looks it appears my wet n wild bronzer in reserve your Cabana might be a dupe. We will see!

Also in the mail is the Becca travel set of the Opal powder and liquid formulas. I thought it might be worth a try since I seen to have a lot drier skin than I used to. I went into Sephora and got color matched because I couldn't decide between opal and moonstone. The opal set is going out of stock and the moonstone liquid travel size is new, so I wanted to be sure I was getting something I would like. With my skin I could have chosen either so I started with Opal.

In the works otherwise is purchasing the milani liquid metallics lipsticks before they go out of stock permanently. My goal is to pick up the nude and the brown shades. I'm in love with the liquid lipstick formula because I work in a hot warehouse and I need something that stands up to drinking and sweating.

And also soon I will be getting matched for a foundation because unfortunately for me my skin isn't very agreeable with drugstore foundations because they are generally either yellow or pink based and both of those tend to be off on my skin. So I am looking for a more neutral toned color or a way of making my foundation a better match instead of just going with what I can find that's close enough.

Take care in the sun and heat, and Stay Beautiful!
BNB