I wanted to give the Ambient Lighting powders a try since I have dry skin, and I'm trying to embrace the more dewy and glowy look with my makeup to give myself some life. I'm fully in love with the way the Reserve Your Cabana bronzer makes my skin look when dusted all over as the Ambient powders should be, so will it be replaced or will it hold it's own against the higher end product?
And the answers is! It holds its own. I'm excited to be using the Ambient powder (I have dim light, by the way), but I don't feel like it's a necessity in my collection. It gives a nice radiance, but the Wet and Wild one does a little more and has a slightly yellow tone that I prefer to the pinker tone of the Dim Light. Maybe next I will try the more yellow toned Ambient powder.
The Ambient powder is very finely milled which sits much less noticeably on the skin, but I don't so much find that the Wet and Wild powder sits all that noticeably either, they're very smooth and buttery and blend well into the skin. It doesn't affect the color of foundation applied under it when put on, but gives a slight luminous look to the skin when the light hits it right.
I do like this powder, but with such an affordable product at the drug store that is so close to it, I'm not sure it's worth the price for a full size powder. Maybe if I get the palette it will be more worth it to me with a range of shades to play with. It's definitely made it to the top shelf with the Wet and Wild bronzer, and I use them both interchangeably.
Stay Flawless and Beautiful Girls!
BNB
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Liquid Metal Eyes
For my birthday I stopped at Ulta and bought myself two of the Catrice Liquid Metal eyeshadows because I absolutely love having super shimmery colors for the lid and the swatches were to die for. I bought 80 Making Mauves and 100 What Do You Sea?.
They're very a very soft and buttery texture. They have great pigmentation. The price doesn't break the bank. And they have a super shimmery finish as well. Or at least one of them does. Number 80 is a beautiful muted purple that has a truly stunning metallic quality to it, however the other one seems to have more of a slight glitter to it moreso than the shimmer. I'm not a huge fan of the quilting and ridges that are in the powder, but the product itself is very good. I hope to pick up the other neutral shades soon, but I think I may end up passing on the green-blue shade (What Do You Sea?) because I don't know how much use it will get from me, but I will keep it for a while and see.
I wore these for an entire work day and they stayed put despite the conditions I work under. I had no trouble applying them with either a brush or my fingers, though I prefer a dense eye brush when I use them. These are some of the smoothest eyeshadows I have seen at the drugstore, and I love the metallic finish. I often use the Mauve one to highlight my inner corner and give it a pop of color (when I'm not using Pink Champagne from ABH, that is). For the price, these shadows can't be beaten, and their similarity to the Bella Eyes line from Milani is spot on in my opinion. I love both lines, however Milani has far more colors.
Stay beautiful Ladies!
BNB
They're very a very soft and buttery texture. They have great pigmentation. The price doesn't break the bank. And they have a super shimmery finish as well. Or at least one of them does. Number 80 is a beautiful muted purple that has a truly stunning metallic quality to it, however the other one seems to have more of a slight glitter to it moreso than the shimmer. I'm not a huge fan of the quilting and ridges that are in the powder, but the product itself is very good. I hope to pick up the other neutral shades soon, but I think I may end up passing on the green-blue shade (What Do You Sea?) because I don't know how much use it will get from me, but I will keep it for a while and see.
I wore these for an entire work day and they stayed put despite the conditions I work under. I had no trouble applying them with either a brush or my fingers, though I prefer a dense eye brush when I use them. These are some of the smoothest eyeshadows I have seen at the drugstore, and I love the metallic finish. I often use the Mauve one to highlight my inner corner and give it a pop of color (when I'm not using Pink Champagne from ABH, that is). For the price, these shadows can't be beaten, and their similarity to the Bella Eyes line from Milani is spot on in my opinion. I love both lines, however Milani has far more colors.
Stay beautiful Ladies!
BNB
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Frugal Flop: Beauty Treats Lip Scrub
I snatched this up at Five Below during the end of winter to help cope with dry lips when my Elf Lip Exfoliator was too harsh for me. Its in a squeeze tube, so it's nice for sanitary application and travel. The formula was much softer and gentler than the Elf one, but still worked well enough to get the job done.
It was claimed to be mango scented, but it has a rather soapy smell and taste to it which is unfortunate and somewhat disgusting. On the tube it also proclaims that it is all natural and no animal testing was done, but for the price of the product as well as the fact it was manufactured in Taiwan I am not so sure I believe these claims. Also, the mango label is a sticker, so it could be very easily mixed up with another scent on accident, which isn't all together terrible, but could explain the smell of the product. Finally, it states in the directions that the product should be removed with a washcloth or washed off the lips, which doesn't speak to the product being all natural in my mind, but it still may be.
I'm about a third of the way done the tube, and will be finishing it up, but I think I will find another scrub to use once this one is done. I still stand by my Elf exfoliator, but it's often to harsh for my always dry and peeling lips. Because of the smell and taste of this product alone it was a complete flop. I'll finish it because it's not horrible, but I don't see myself rushing out to buy it a second time.
Stay Healthy, And Beautiful!
BNB
It was claimed to be mango scented, but it has a rather soapy smell and taste to it which is unfortunate and somewhat disgusting. On the tube it also proclaims that it is all natural and no animal testing was done, but for the price of the product as well as the fact it was manufactured in Taiwan I am not so sure I believe these claims. Also, the mango label is a sticker, so it could be very easily mixed up with another scent on accident, which isn't all together terrible, but could explain the smell of the product. Finally, it states in the directions that the product should be removed with a washcloth or washed off the lips, which doesn't speak to the product being all natural in my mind, but it still may be.
I'm about a third of the way done the tube, and will be finishing it up, but I think I will find another scrub to use once this one is done. I still stand by my Elf exfoliator, but it's often to harsh for my always dry and peeling lips. Because of the smell and taste of this product alone it was a complete flop. I'll finish it because it's not horrible, but I don't see myself rushing out to buy it a second time.
Stay Healthy, And Beautiful!
BNB
Monday, July 11, 2016
Better Than Sex or Mega Effects?
The review you've all been waiting for is here. The verdict is in!
I can't say I hate the Better Than Sex mascara, but I have a lot of problems with it when I look at it and its packaging in comparison to my ride or die drugstore mascara.
My Mega Effects mascara from Avon completely blows my mind. It gives me the best volume, length and curl I have ever seen for a drugstore mascara that's only 10 bucks. The wand was terrifying looking at first, but after a few cautious applications I am completely in love, and it is absolutely effortless. The handle bends so that you can apply it from whatever angle makes it easiest for you, and the wand it three dimensional with longer rows of bristles faded to shorter ones towards the ends. The formula is very liquid-y which I think helps it to apply smoothly and avoid clumping. The black part of the tube where all the product is is pliable so the product gets low you can get the most of the it out by squeezing it. I have a little bit of trouble with transfer while the product is wet, but once it sets it is almost impossible to remove without an oil based remover which is awesome. When waiting for the product to dry I usually just hold something under my eye to help keep transfer from getting on my face, but it's easily removable.
The amount of times I have stabbed myself in the eye with the wacky bristles on this wand is far too high. It's not a day with this mascara until I've poked my eye out at least once while using it. I've got a lot of problems with this mascara, but the formula is not one of them. It's the perfect consistency, and lasts all day, but I did have some issues with transfer over the course of the day where it smudged on my lower lashline. The bristles on the brush aren't nearly as straight as they are in the picture, and the curve is so minute in the wand that it's hardly noticeable and does little good to help with application. I know people rave about this mascara, so please don't hate me, but this is not one of my favorite formulas, and for the price of a full size I can't see myself being willing to shell out the dough to get another tube.
I can't say I hate the Better Than Sex mascara, but I have a lot of problems with it when I look at it and its packaging in comparison to my ride or die drugstore mascara.
My Mega Effects mascara from Avon completely blows my mind. It gives me the best volume, length and curl I have ever seen for a drugstore mascara that's only 10 bucks. The wand was terrifying looking at first, but after a few cautious applications I am completely in love, and it is absolutely effortless. The handle bends so that you can apply it from whatever angle makes it easiest for you, and the wand it three dimensional with longer rows of bristles faded to shorter ones towards the ends. The formula is very liquid-y which I think helps it to apply smoothly and avoid clumping. The black part of the tube where all the product is is pliable so the product gets low you can get the most of the it out by squeezing it. I have a little bit of trouble with transfer while the product is wet, but once it sets it is almost impossible to remove without an oil based remover which is awesome. When waiting for the product to dry I usually just hold something under my eye to help keep transfer from getting on my face, but it's easily removable.
Stay Beautiful and enjoy the summer heat!
BNB
Saturday, July 9, 2016
CoverGirl Lash Blast
Over the years of wearing makeup I've tried both the Lash Blast Fusion, and now the Lash Blast Volume in the new waterproof formula. Now, I used to absolutely swear by the Fusion formula, and I haven't tried it very recently, but the last tube I used up was my favorite mascara for a long time. However, after trying to love the volumizing formula that is waterproof I am not at all impressed.
I have had more trouble with my top and bottom lashes sticking together than I can even explain. And it is just at random throughout the day too. For instance, I will be at work on my computer and one time I blink my lashes will get stuck and I will have to blink a billion times and brush my lashes with my finger in order to get them unstuck. And the formula doesn't lay smoothly no matter how hard I try and how careful I am. It creates good volume but it is clumpy no matter how new it is. The brush in my opinion is far too big and the bristles are far too small for it to distribute the product in an effective manner.
I have mascaras that I love both the formula and applicator of, and this is not one of them. This is a total pass, and I will not be buying it again. This tacky formula is a total No Go for me.
Keep them lashes fabulous, and Stay Beautiful Ladies!
BNB
I have had more trouble with my top and bottom lashes sticking together than I can even explain. And it is just at random throughout the day too. For instance, I will be at work on my computer and one time I blink my lashes will get stuck and I will have to blink a billion times and brush my lashes with my finger in order to get them unstuck. And the formula doesn't lay smoothly no matter how hard I try and how careful I am. It creates good volume but it is clumpy no matter how new it is. The brush in my opinion is far too big and the bristles are far too small for it to distribute the product in an effective manner.
I have mascaras that I love both the formula and applicator of, and this is not one of them. This is a total pass, and I will not be buying it again. This tacky formula is a total No Go for me.
Keep them lashes fabulous, and Stay Beautiful Ladies!
BNB
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Bonus: Behind the Times
So I know I'm behind the curve on this one, but I picked up a few of the Star War/ Covergirl collab lipsticks on clearance the other day at Walmart. I picked up 10, 20 and 40; the silver, lilac, and orange shades. I'm by far the most in love with the orange, but they're all great and unique shades.
I have a few qualms with this product, and I know almost everyone has mentioned them... the packaging is nothing special, and the whole collaboration was completely unimaginative. But all in all the colors that weren't part of the regular line were great. My biggest issue with the lipsticks themselves aside from packaging was definitely pigmentation... it takes a lot of work to get color out of all of these shades, and even when you get color they're not particularly opaque. This is especially true for the silver color (10), which I had high hopes for a shimmery grey lipstick and I ended up not loving it in the least.
I absolutely love the metallic nature of the shades though, and the the gold-toned orange was a total must have for me. Honestly, I was shocked to even find these in a store, because every time I went looking for them they were all sold out except for the red and the dark purple, which are boring and probably comparable to shades in their permanent line. They're super creamy and comfortable and the weartime is comparable to other lipsticks in the drugstore. The glitter isn't chunky or gritty when you rub your lips together like some shimmery drugstore products can be.
While I remain unimpressed by the packaging and creativity with such a landmark collaboration, I enjoy two of three shades I purchased enough to call these products a fave. Though I think only the orange has earned its place on the top shelf of the lipstick cabinet, because I just can't get enough of it.
May the force be with you!
Grab them while you can, Beautifuls!
BNB
I have a few qualms with this product, and I know almost everyone has mentioned them... the packaging is nothing special, and the whole collaboration was completely unimaginative. But all in all the colors that weren't part of the regular line were great. My biggest issue with the lipsticks themselves aside from packaging was definitely pigmentation... it takes a lot of work to get color out of all of these shades, and even when you get color they're not particularly opaque. This is especially true for the silver color (10), which I had high hopes for a shimmery grey lipstick and I ended up not loving it in the least.
I absolutely love the metallic nature of the shades though, and the the gold-toned orange was a total must have for me. Honestly, I was shocked to even find these in a store, because every time I went looking for them they were all sold out except for the red and the dark purple, which are boring and probably comparable to shades in their permanent line. They're super creamy and comfortable and the weartime is comparable to other lipsticks in the drugstore. The glitter isn't chunky or gritty when you rub your lips together like some shimmery drugstore products can be.
While I remain unimpressed by the packaging and creativity with such a landmark collaboration, I enjoy two of three shades I purchased enough to call these products a fave. Though I think only the orange has earned its place on the top shelf of the lipstick cabinet, because I just can't get enough of it.
May the force be with you!
Grab them while you can, Beautifuls!
BNB
Why I'm Over The Fit Me Foundation
If you've been reading for a while, you know that I used to be in love with this foundation. At one point I even owned a shade in each line. But, I'm totally over it. I ended up starting out with a warm toned shade from the matte line, which was 120, and it was far too warm for me. I wore it for a while, but I ended up either getting drier skin or finding out I had dry skin. The color laid very heavy on my skin and creased and made my skin look flat and ashy. I decided to try the dewy finish line in a cool toned shade, which I picked a shade lighter (115) thinking maybe 120 was too dark for me. However my problems continued, but in a different way... this one was too cool for my skin and gave me far too much of a pink coloring to my face. I used this one for a while too, because the finish of it is perfectly dewy and adds life to my skin. I'm a neutral tone, and after much trial and error I have figured that out. I will be purchasing a new foundation, and possibly hanging on to only the pink toned one for when I dye my hair back to red so I can have that rosy glow if I want it.
And I feel a little horrible about wasting 15 bucks by not using up both the foundations, but I'm perfectly willing to eat the cost of the yellow one and pass it along because I hate they way it looks on my skin. It almost made me look like I was sick, and I can't have that!
Stay Beautiful Loves, and always remember to be yourself.
BNB
Friday, July 1, 2016
Happy Birthday To Me! - From Sephora
I picked up my birthday gift not too long ago and I am overly excited about it. It's quickly become a favorite. I had a choice between a Marc Jacobs mini makeup set (lipstick and eyeliner) or a deluxe sample set of Fresh skincare product. Even though I'm in the market for some new skincare, I'm always a little hesitant to try things without doing thorough research on what's in the products because my skin is so sensitive to so many ingredients in skincare products. With that being said I went for the Marc Jacobs set which came with a mini Le Marc Lip Creme in 216 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and a mini Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer.
Let me tell you... This is a wonderful birthday gift to get when you're someone who has trouble splurging on yourself. This lipstick is so long wearing, creamy, and opaque. It's a fun pink that's a few shades brighter than my natural lip color. It's easy to apply, and let's be honest, the mini size of it is absolutely adorable. Even for a deluxe sample size it will still last a long time!
The eyeliner stayed in place all day on the waterline without smudging or ending up in my eyelash roots giving me raccoon eyes, but it's just a mini matte black eyeliner. While I can't justify spending money on this expensive of an eyeliner, you can bet that I will be using this one up without complaining. It's opaque and creamy, and probably well worth the price for it's quality, but I can't do it.
Thanks Sephora for a lovely birthday gift on my first month back in Sephora stores!
Stay Beautiful!
BNB
Let me tell you... This is a wonderful birthday gift to get when you're someone who has trouble splurging on yourself. This lipstick is so long wearing, creamy, and opaque. It's a fun pink that's a few shades brighter than my natural lip color. It's easy to apply, and let's be honest, the mini size of it is absolutely adorable. Even for a deluxe sample size it will still last a long time!
The eyeliner stayed in place all day on the waterline without smudging or ending up in my eyelash roots giving me raccoon eyes, but it's just a mini matte black eyeliner. While I can't justify spending money on this expensive of an eyeliner, you can bet that I will be using this one up without complaining. It's opaque and creamy, and probably well worth the price for it's quality, but I can't do it.
Thanks Sephora for a lovely birthday gift on my first month back in Sephora stores!
Stay Beautiful!
BNB
Loreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer: Love it or Lose it?
I purchased this when it first came out, in hopes to make my Fit Me Matte and Poreless look less matte since I found out the matte line of that foundation was not for me. On the bottle, they list multiple ways to use the product including mixing it with foundation or wearing it under the foundation as a primer, but they also suggested using it as a liquid highlight. I went ahead and tried it all three ways over the past few months to get a definitive opinion on each method with it, and I've got to say... It's more of a flop than a fave.
I still have a ton of product left despite using it over 20 times, which would be great if I actually wanted to continue using it. It's a little expensive too, which makes me feel like I have to use it up so I'm not wasting my money. I had high hopes for this product being similar to things like the Backlight Primer and Becca's Pearl, but sadly it was not so.
I tried it first as a primer underneath my foundation, and while it gives a luminosity to the skin it's roughly equivalent to wearing a white frosty highlight all over and it completely washes out my skintone. It attracts far too much light to my whole face, and it feels a lot like I appear greasy. It has alright weartime, but I don't feel like it works great as a primer because it doesn't seem to make my foundation last any longer than it does without a primer. The micro-shimmmer is just too much, it feels like a spotlight on my face rather than a healthy glow, and I'm not about looking like the tin man...
I then went for the next suggestion on the bottle, which was to mix it in with the foundation before application for a "soft light illusion". After one pump, it completely disappeared into the foundation and left behind no glow. I added another pump and it still disappeared, and then another disappeared... It successfully lightened the color and coverage of the foundation, which it doesn't claim to do, but I saw no results with adding a glow to my skin.
The texture is very watery, almost too much so for me to want to use it as a highlight, but I went ahead and tried it anyway. I hoped I had found my preferred way of using this product, but unfortunately it was rather underwhelming. Despite applying several layers on top of one another, there was hardly any payoff, even now looking at the swatch on my hand it looks almost invisible despite two applications. It starts out looking wonderful and then seemingly melts into the skin and disappears.
I'm not at all happy with this product, but I will probably continue mixing it with my foundation or using it to help highlight in hopes of using it up one pump at a time. Not at all worth a repurchase or the money I spent on it in the first place.
Stay safe in the sun and enjoy the summer air!
As always, Stay Beautiful!
BNB
I still have a ton of product left despite using it over 20 times, which would be great if I actually wanted to continue using it. It's a little expensive too, which makes me feel like I have to use it up so I'm not wasting my money. I had high hopes for this product being similar to things like the Backlight Primer and Becca's Pearl, but sadly it was not so.
I tried it first as a primer underneath my foundation, and while it gives a luminosity to the skin it's roughly equivalent to wearing a white frosty highlight all over and it completely washes out my skintone. It attracts far too much light to my whole face, and it feels a lot like I appear greasy. It has alright weartime, but I don't feel like it works great as a primer because it doesn't seem to make my foundation last any longer than it does without a primer. The micro-shimmmer is just too much, it feels like a spotlight on my face rather than a healthy glow, and I'm not about looking like the tin man...
I then went for the next suggestion on the bottle, which was to mix it in with the foundation before application for a "soft light illusion". After one pump, it completely disappeared into the foundation and left behind no glow. I added another pump and it still disappeared, and then another disappeared... It successfully lightened the color and coverage of the foundation, which it doesn't claim to do, but I saw no results with adding a glow to my skin.
The texture is very watery, almost too much so for me to want to use it as a highlight, but I went ahead and tried it anyway. I hoped I had found my preferred way of using this product, but unfortunately it was rather underwhelming. Despite applying several layers on top of one another, there was hardly any payoff, even now looking at the swatch on my hand it looks almost invisible despite two applications. It starts out looking wonderful and then seemingly melts into the skin and disappears.
I'm not at all happy with this product, but I will probably continue mixing it with my foundation or using it to help highlight in hopes of using it up one pump at a time. Not at all worth a repurchase or the money I spent on it in the first place.
Stay safe in the sun and enjoy the summer air!
As always, Stay Beautiful!
BNB
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