Disappointing Beauty Tools

We all hate to find that one thing that just doesn't work for us, but sadly it's bound to happen once in a while. Here's a couple of tools I wasn't impressed with.

The first tool is my Travalo travel fragrance sprayer. I got this at TJ Maxx about 6 months ago, right before I went on my summer vacation, and I filled it up a little bit of the way with my favorite big bottle of perfume so I could travel lighter and not worry about a broken bottle of discontinued fragrance that I couldn't replace.

I liked how easy it was to fill, and that I could see how full it was. It was important to me that I bought one that could be filled without the perfume touching the air and changing scents, which was why I specifically went for this brand, but alas months later I am disappointed. After a while I started noticing that my purse smelled like my fragrance, and the sprayer nozzle was always wet, even when I kept it standing up at all times. I'm not sure how, but my sprayer leaks from what appears to be the sprayer top separation no matter how it is positioned in my bag. and I know this because for the last 2 months it has been sitting standing up, undisturbed and not sprayed, and it has now somehow ended up empty. As convenient and awesome as this product seems it feels like I wasted my money since this bottle wastes my perfume instead of making it easy to have it with me on the go and not have to worry about it spilling or spraying where it doesn't belong.

The second tool that disappointed me was the beauty 360 travel eyelash curler. This seemed like a good idea at the time to save space in my makeup bag and not worry about bent curlers in my checked baggage on a plane. Sadly, it doesn't work that great... It doesn't give me a visible curl, let alone one that lasts all day. It doesn't fit all my lashes and I have to curl in three sections, which creates an unevenly curled lash line. It's bulky and almost hard to put close to my eye because of instincts that make you uncomfortable with thing near your eyes, and I use a regular eyelash curler every day. Finally, when you try to curl your lashes at the root it pulls on your lashes instead of curling them. I was hopeful this would become a travel necessity for me, but instead it has become a huge disappointment.

Remember that not every tool or product is made for everyone, and know you will be disappointed here and there. Accept it, and make the best of it.

Stay Beautiful Ladies,
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Pan that Product: Update #1

After the first week of this first project pan I've been doing I can tell you all one thing. It's hard using up products you aren't in love with.

There are a few products that are leaving the lineup and will be being replaced by others. First, the Lab Series for Men moisturizer has already left, despite how wonderful it feels on the skin, because my man was looking for a moisturizer now that it's getting colder as he spends his days on delivery trucks for his job and the elements take a toll on his sensitive and dry skin just like they do on mine. so I decided rather than buying him anything full sized I would get him some samples to see what he likes best so I passed that deluxe sample on to him so he could have something to start with. I replaced this with a perfume sample from Michael Kors in White Luminous Gold. Next, is the MUA gloss in baby pink which, as I stated in my original post for this project, is not a color I liked for my skin tone after having purchased it and brought it home. I will be passing this on to my best friend for use on her wedding day coming up and replacing it with a Bath and Body Works gloss I received as part of a holiday gift a few years ago. There is no shade name, but it is a Liplicious tasty lip color in the flavor Fresh Mulberry. It does taste kind of berry-ish, but I couldn't tell you if it was mulberry or not. It's a beautiful purple-berry perfect for winter. It's sheer, but pigmented enough to add color to the lips. It's thick without being tacky. If I could find another of this formula I would love it. Anyway, it's about a third of the way finished, but given how much I love it I can't help but worry it will go off if I don't finish it soon and I might as well get some use out of it before then.

I'll also be adding in an extra product as well. I'm throwing in my travel size of the It Cosmetics Hello Lashes Mascara, which I will talk about in an upcoming post and tell you all why I've decided to pan it.

I've been having trouble using a lot of the other products, but I've been trying really hard to get them all going. My hardest to use product has been the green eyeliner from Avon, because although it is a dark and somewhat muted color I have been hesitant to use it for some reason. I've made minor progress on the liquid liner from Hard Candy, but not much. It's hard to want to use something I dislike the applicator on so much, but I'll get there. The dual ended Milani eyeliner has had a decent amount of progress on the gunmetal side, but I'm unsure how to use up the glitter side as of yet. This isn't too bad, I've been wearing it on the water line as well as smudged on the upper lash line for a quick and easy look for work. It transfers a lot, and neither side of the pencil really sets, so there's little staying power with it but it's easy enough to get through that I will continue working.

The lash primer, the face primer, the perfume, and the taffy lip balm have made no progress at all, mostly because I have been bad about pushing myself to use them. The other lip balm, the colored lip balm, the hand lotion and the new perfume sample live in my car at the moment to help me use them up, and it's working quite well. The colored lip balm and the perfume sample are my go to products when I'm going to work and after the gym on my way to school.

I use the face lotion any time I happen to be near the vanity and happen to not be wearing makeup, since my skin is dry and it has been quite chilly and windy here lately it's always good to hydrate and moisturize the skin as much as I can. It's about halfway gone at this point and I look forward to using it up and moving back to my beloved hyaluronic acid moisturizer that I've fallen in love with.

I need to make more progress on the foundation and potted eyeliner. I've used them once or twice, mostly because I haven't had much reason to get dolled up, but I'm hoping with the holidays coming up I can get more use out of them in the coming months.

I'm happy to report though that I did completely use up the Burt's Bees watermelon lip balm that was almost gone. I went to twist it up this week and found it wouldn't roll up any further, and I'm in no need to scrape it out of the base so I'm just going to go ahead and throw it away. I am undecided if I'm going to add another item to the project to replace this one, or if I will just continue working on what is already in it.

Stay Beautiful Ladies
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Easy Everyday Eyes

I'm all about a look that makes me look put together without taking hours to put together. These two shadows together create the perfect eye shadow look with minimal effort. My go to look this month has been a light grey cut crease using Loreal Paris Infallible shadow in 998 Sultry Smoke, and MAC Vex as the lid color after cleaning up the cut crease with some concealer or nude eye primer. Sometimes I add a little smokey black color in the outer corner at night or a pop of highlighter in my inner corner to add some brightness. I Just recently discovered Vex while on a window shopping trip to MAC and Sephora and I knew I had to have it. It's the perfect nude with a hint of grey and a duochrome of purple in it. It's the perfect addition to my grey cut crease eye that I have been looking for all month long. To finish it off I throw on some Maybelline Lash Discovery mascara to add some definition to my lashes without going overboard. The mini-brush formula is great for defining the lashes without adding too much volume or drama for daytime. Line your eyes if you want to, or smudge some liner or shadow on the upper lashes, whatever suits your mood or your style. I'm big on smudging eyeliner on myself, but I have been known to do a big sharp wing on some days.

Nothing like an easy eye look for a busy woman.

Work smart not hard, and as always Stay Beautiful!

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Influenster VIP Mailer

I received an envelope this month from Influenster for my reviewing purposes with two foil packet samples of Tresemme's new hair care line Beauty-Full volume. This is the product where you use the conditioner first and the shampoo last to avoid weighing down your hair. I saw a commercial for this the other week and was really excited to try it so to be getting a few samples of it to test out first is pretty awesome. Especially free through Influenster because I am one of their very active reviewers.

                                           

Remember, although these products are sent to me for free I am giving my honest review and opinion of the products. Just because a company sends me a product for free does not mean it will necessarily get a positive review or become a holy grail product. Complimentary samples and Vox Boxes sent by Influenster or any other company will not be given any special treatment in my reviews simply because they were sent free of purchase.

I was really excited to hear I had been sent this product mailer, as it was something I was dying to try. I have somewhat oily hair and it is often hard for me to find products that are able to combat that without leaving my hair flat and dull. I have in the past used my conditioner before my shampoo in order to still have soft hair without any extra weight pulling on my hair, but I was curious to try something that was formulated to work this way on purpose. I received two sample packet sets containing one conditioner and one shampoo.

I used both sets on a weekend trip (one of my travel hacks for minimizing what's in my bags) and I fell in love with it. I will need to try the bottles to see how it affects my hair over a longer period of time, but the instant effects of it were amazing. It left my hair feeling clean and oil-free without making it crunchy or dry. It also didn't weigh my hair down and left it with more volume at the roots than I am used to having after air-drying my hair.

What really amazed me was that I could go a few days without washing my hair without it feeling greasy or falling extremely flat. I find it hard to get hair products that help prevent my hair from feeling greasy and oily when I'm on second day hair. I washed my hair again on the third day, but it still felt wonderful and didn't seem to need to be washed because it hadn't collected any oil or greasy feeling.

Also, for my super-sensitive skin ladies (like me!) this didn't irritate my skin, which is something I rarely come across with shampoo and conditioner, but it has happened in my past experiences and I'm sure it will again at some point.

This is definitely my next shampoo and conditioner purchase after I get through the few open ones I have.

Happy Autumn Everyone.
Keep warm, Be nice, and Stay Beautiful!
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The Great Acquisition

I promised myself that until I started painting my nails on a weekly basis again that I was not allowed to purchase more nail polish, however, these were given to my by my boyfriend when he discovered them in the extra bathroom from when his ex-wife and him originally separated and she moved out. So I graciously took them and decided to give them a home with me. Some of the colors aren't something I'll wear, after having tested them out, so I will pass them on to other friends. However, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get my hands on some of the limited edition polishes that were found, so I snatched them up before they made their way to the garbage can.

There were 5 polishes I decided to let go of now that I have had them around for a few weeks. They are almost all purples, which doesn't completely surprise me because it's my least worn color and the one I am most picky about. The first color was a lilac iridescent color from Bon Bons, which I decided to pass on simply because it was not all that pigmented, and i figured my niece would enjoy it. Next up was a Wet N Wild Crystalic polish in Purple Puddle (9100-490) which was a deep purple with  a lot of silver and gold glitter in it. It just wasn't something I thought I would ever reach for over my other polishes. Next was another Wet N Wild in 417E Aubergine Givré. Again, it was a purple I just didn't see myself reaching for. Finally, there was a nail art bottle in a cobalt blue, which I didn't see myself using, since I use my nail art bottle specifically for doing french tips and I don't typically do blue tips. If I decide to do blue tips I can always use other polishes and a brush to get the same look.

I kept two clear coats, simply because they tend to go fast and I might as well have some extras lying around, one from Petites by Scherer and the other from NYC, especially if I didn't have to pay for them. I also kept a holographic top coat from Avon called Snow Globe.

I snagged the ever elusive Iced Orchid (954) from Pure Ice, which though half empty and very dried out, was revived and is now back in the working order. I kept 3 from Sinful Colors Let Me Go (322) Aqua (104) and Mercury Rising (860) a sheer purple and blue iridescent, a teal, and a deep oxblood red. Next were two Sally Hansen polishes in Pronto Purple (20) from the Insta-Dry line and Blue It (16) from the Xtreme Wear line a warm purple shimmer and a cobalt blue shimmer, respectively.I snagged Black Creme (424) from Wet N Wild as a back up for my own black polish, which I will be using as a base coat in the coming months for my darker polishes. Bleacher Blue (9100-491) from the Wet N Wild Crystalic line is a more pigmented blue based purple iridescent shade which looks fun for wintertime. I also kept NYC 115A a deeper cobalt shimmer with a bit more of a purple base.

The last few are extremely cool for me because I have never owned any polish from these brands, and most of them I haven;t heard of before now either. I have Irresistable Angel from Paper Doll which is a metallic silvery blue. Next, from a company called Liquid Euphoria I have a green based rainbow sheer polish in a shade called Dreamy. Then, from a brand called Artmatic I have 051 Burgundy, a beautiful deep, warm red. And finally from L.A. Girl a deep navy blue cream polish in 347 Vamp.

Hopefully having some new colors that interest me will help push me to paint my nails more often and get use out of what I already have.

Until Next Time... Stay Beautiful!
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BONUS POST: Let's Talk About My Trash!

About monthly I clean out my makeup and skincare to make sure nothing is getting lost in the shuffle, getting old and expiring, or just hanging around because I haven't liked it. This series is going to be a look into what gets the bin every month, if there is anything. There's three types of products in this series that get the bin for different reasons. 1 they're horrible and I can't think of giving them to someone else, 2 they're old and/or have gone off, 3 I finished them.

Category one

H&m mini nail polish in Go lemon- This applies streaky and uneven and is impossible to even out even with multiple coats.... And even better is the fact that it never dries fully. The brush is so small and the formula is so thin that it can't build the color up to be even or opaque. It might have been a dud and been old since it was on clearance, but I will be thinking twice before purchasing something like that again.

Blistex Spa Effects Renewing Lip Balm- I don't know what happened to this one, but it seems like it may have melted or something. I opened it to use it the other day and it had shrunk off the sides of the tube. It still smells fine, but it oozes liquid that I assume is the product out the bottom where the dial to roll more product up is. I don't feel comfortable using it, and I definitely don't want to give it to someone. I may buy a new one, but I don't know if it will happen again.

Half item: I used the Sensationail false nails from Walmart because I found them and they were these really cute matte black nails with gold designs. They had self stick tabs on them, which should have been my first warning sign, they never work well for me. But I went ahead anyway, and they lasted about an hour before they started to pop up. So I glued them down with nail glue, and they lasted about another 18 hours... When they claimed to last one to two weeks. I wouldn't pass these on to someone if I could, despite how cute they are.

Category two:

Neutrogena On the Spot Acne Treatment- I've been slim on the breakouts lately now that I know what makes my skin irritated and pay closer attention to what I buy, so I hadn't had a need for this in a while anyway. The tube at one point cracked so I depotted it into a screw top jar for safe keeping. But it seems to have turned bad because it has dried up and shrunk in the canister, so it gets the bin but I might repurchase if I start breaking out again since I loved this product so much before.

Maybelline Wet Shine Liquid Vinyl in Shiny Strawberry- This is one of the first makeup items I ever bought myself, and I don't honestly know if I ever wore it out of the house. It doesn't particularly smell as if it's gone off, but I'm assuming based on the sheer number of years I've had it that it likely has. I'll also never wear it ever again, but feel uncomfortable giving it away to anyone based on how old it is and the fact it could potentially be expired.

Little mad about this one: Wet n Wild Mega Slicks lip gloss in In a Tutu- This isn't even a year old, but it smells completely disgusting and different than all my other Wet n Wild glosses, I probably never would have worn it anyway, but there's no reason it should have gone off this soon considering I've never worn it and I've only opened it one time before today, but at least it was a cheap, drugstore brand and not something expensive.

Category 3/ basically used up but gone off:

Cetaphil Gentle Skin cleansing cloths- I had a travel size of these for vacation and they were alright. They were very moist, but couldn't remove all of my makeup or really even as much as my usual baby wipes. They felt nice on my skin and didn't cause any irritation which was wonderful and was the reason I picked them for the trip since I was going to be in photos and not have a whole face of makeup to cover up any issues. They wouldn't be my first choice again, but if I can't find my travel size baby wipes I might consider getting them again in a pinch.

Maybelline Express Finish base and top coat for nails- I've basically it used up, the brush barely touches the product. This was my ride or die top coat for a long time, but it's finally gotten to a point where it doesn't dry completely anymore, so it's time to crack open a new bottle and give this one the bin.

Bath and body works pocket bac in warm vanilla sugar- This scent is my life, and I almost emptied this bottle, but it got lost in my rotation and now is far more liquid-y than it used to be, and I hesitate to use it in case that means it's gone off or changed and will irritate my skin. I will definitely get another one if I can find it.

Enjoy shampoo and conditioner sample- I love the way this smells, and it was a pretty good duo, but I don't know where to buy it or how much it costs, and as much as I enjoyed it, I love my current full sized products so much I wouldn't replace them anyway. This was good for travel, but it's hard to get more out of the bottles and the shampoo also separated, which has turned me completely off to using it even if I can get more out. Surrendered to the bin.

Gilchrist and Soames White tea body lotion- This was just a hotel bottle size, but it lasted so long and smelled so light and refreshing. I loved it for so long, and I'm actually sad to see it go. It was so lightweight and fast absorbing, leaving my skin moist but not gooey or sticky. The fragrance didn't irritate my skin and my pores didn't end up clogged. If I can find it I will repurchase for sure.

              update: this brand is only sold to hotels and I can't find the scent anywhere. 

Avon Cucumber Melon Hand Sanitizer: This tube is huge and I finally finished one of them. I have one more left, and I think I'll probably put it in my car for use to get the most use out of it and get it moving on before it goes bad since it's my oldest hand sanitizer. I loved it for a long time, but having discovered the small bottles from Bath and Body Works which are more purse friendly and come in many more scents these big bottles go unused in my collection.

Stay Beautiful Ladies!
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Pan That Product!

I've done some soul searching, and it's just time to start making some products move out of my collection. Not necessarily by giving them away, but by actually using them. This winter, I plan to use up, or at least use daily all of the products below in order to determine how I feel about them, and to get the use I should out of them before they go bad.

Hard candy liquid liner: not all that good, but not horrible, want to finish so I can go back to my favorite.

Color trend peach lip gloss: getting old, love the color and formula but it may go bad at any moment. Have a very similar color as a backup ready to open.

Imari seduction perfume: small travel bottle, good scent but not a favorite. Bought a long time ago when trying to find a scent I liked.

Vitabath Spring green hand lotion: been around for a while, half gone or more, trying to use up before it goes bad and open a newer product.

Josie maran pure argan milk sample: trying to use up and maybe purchase a full size to use after my hyaluronic moisturizer.

Dr Brandt pores no more sample: unsure how I feel it works but want to use it more to form opinion and determine if I should repurchase.

MUA lipgloss in baby pink: not the kind of color I expected it to be, looking forward to it being gone. Love the formula, just too pale and Barbie pink for me.

Essence gel liner in 01 midnight in Paris: love it, getting old though.

Loreal Magic lumi primer: not my favorite but I can't bring myself to give it away or bin it.

Milani black magic liner duo: can't even tell you how old this is, love the colors so much I can't bring myself to bin it so I have to use it up. Black side, silver glitter side. Want to use up the black side at 

least.

Hard candy 1,000 lashes fiber primer: it's pretty good, I don't use it a lot, but the expiration is quickly approaching so I want more use out of it before it goes bad. Also have a Dior sample I'm eager to try but I don't want two of the same thing open at a time.

Avon moisture therapy intensive healing and repair balm: I have two new ones, and it's about halfway done. With winter coming it's important to remember to Chapstick in order to avoid chapped rough lips so I'm starting the habit now.

Burt's bees lip shimmer in watermelon: it's millimeters from being gone, and I have a full one on deck that a friend gave me when they found out they couldn't wear it. Time to use it up!

Avon taffy lip balm: it's my favorite scent ever, I haven't found it anywhere else. I'm almost sad to see it go, but if I don't use it up it could turn at any moment because I've had it for so long I can't even remember when I got it. The scent reminds me of lemon lime candies and was given to me by my grandmother so it's hard to let it go but it's time to get it going. Might save the container and depot other balms into it because it's cute and has sentimental value.

Paul Mitchell super skinny serum: love this and it's lasted YEARS, it's almost gone and I have a few new products I'm ready to try so I have to finish it off.

Garnier deep conditioner: love how soft it makes my hair, never saw much anti-frizz action from it though. Have a new deep conditioner to try out next and I'm on my last bottle of this one.

Revlon PhotoReady Airbrush mousse foundation in 030 nude: I don't think they even sell this anymore, but I think it's still safe for use because it's in a pressurized spray can so it has no contact with air until it comes out the nozzle. I gave this foundation a lot of flack in the past for the "photo reactive pigments" it contained because it was essentially micro glitter. But now with dewy primers and backlighting primers being all the rage I gave this foundation another try, because I used to use it in my modeling kit for its gorgeous finish in flash photos but hated how it looked up close because you can see the glitter. It's a half shade too dark and slightly too golden, but my dry skin appreciates the use of less products on top of each other and also how much life this foundation gives me. Wish I had a few more cans!

Garnier gel moisturizer: I liked it for a long time, but ever since the beauty 360 hyaluronic moisturizer came along I have been using nothing but that, and this just doesn't make my skin feel as amazing and hydrated as I once thought it did. The beauty 360 one is a store brand version of the neutrogena hydraboost moisturizer, though it's only a few dollars cheaper.

Lab Series for Men Age-less skin cream deluxe sample: Ulta sent me this a long time ago as a sample in an online order. Originally I was averse to trying it because it's for men, but I opened it a while back because I was in a pinch and had it in an emergency beauty kit in my car, and it's really nothing to be mad at. It was a little hard to get the product started but now it's completely fine. I just want to use it up because it's a small sample jar and I have other things I prefer and readily purchase for my skin.

Bonus product: I'm not actually trying to fully pan this item, just get a lot of use out of it because I have never worn it and have had it for as long as I can remember. Avon glimmersticks eyeliner in g71 emerald glow from the diamonds line.

This will likely become a rolling project until I have made my way through all of the products I need to get rid of.

Most of my lip gloss: starting to get old if they aren't already, so need to be used up before they go bad. Not a big lip gloss wearer now that liquid lipsticks have come out so I need to move through them in order to make room for things I enjoy more. (I have a few lip glosses I enjoy and will repurchase, but not many)
Colored eyeliners: I don't use them, but I have a ton I bought thinking they'd look cool, I don't reach for a colored liner ever just straight black or white. I won't b buying any more, but I will be trying to work my way through the ones I have.

Stay warm and beautiful,
BNB

Shoe Declutter!

As I said in my first declutter post, clothes, shoes, and accessories are the hardest thing for me to get rid of, and the easiest thing for me to buy or get from friends. I have a real soft spot for cute and unique shoes though. So I started out with 52 pairs of shoes, because I've been collecting them up for years. Some have been used and abused, others are still like new, some are even almost brand new.

Now I didn't have high hopes for this one because I am obsessed with shoes, but I went ahead and started pulling. I have 4 drawer sets in my closet with 3 drawers a piece. Each drawer has a specific type of shoe in it so I just dove in. One side of the closet is dressy shoes and the other side is my more practical work shoes and sneakers. The first drawer I opened was my flats, and I have so many now that they didn't fit in the drawer anymore, so I knew something had to go. I immediately grabbed a pair I knew were too small. Despite them being the cutest red leopard printed flats I had ever seen and knowing that I love them and would squeeze my feet into them until I died if I could, I let them go. I can find something else in the right size that I love just as much. Next, I grabbed for a pair of pink pointed toe flats that I had never worn. When I put them on they didn't fit comfortably and the toe area felt very tight despite the fact that I have skinny feet already, so I put them in a pile for donation. Finally from that drawer I grabbed a white snakeskin pair of flats I hadn't worn in years, because they completely destroy my feet. They have this weird curve to them that bends them into a U shape so when you put them on you have to force them flat with your foot, and it gives me foot pain and blisters every time I wear them. I have another pair of white flats that I love so I don't need these ones anymore.
I moved to the next drawer and though I picked out a pair of purple ankle boots, I was unable to let go of any items in that drawer. the next two drawers are full of my favorite heels that I reach for on a weekly basis, so I looked through them, but left them all alone. Next up was a drawer full of super high heels that I actually loved, but can't wear anymore because of a problem with my knees, so I pulled all three pairs for donation. The bottom drawer had my knee high boots with heels in it, and though I opened the drawer I wear them a lot during the fall and winter and was unwilling to part with any of the three pairs.

On the other side things were a lot harder to part with. I didn't part with anything in my sneaker drawers. I am keeping both pairs of my knee high boots that are flat, except the one pair is getting a little tight in the calves so once I find a suitable replacement I will be donating those as well. I tried to get rid of a pair of ankle boots, but after trying them on I fell back in love with them and they are so unique I know I will never find something like them ever again. I had a pair of sneakers a friend of mine gave me that I was wearing to work, and I decided to pull them out of my car and donate them because they are slightly too small and they make a loud screeching noise when I walk on the concrete floors at my work.

Not so successful this time since I only got rid of 7 almost 8 items, but as I refine what I want my style to be I will surely give up more shoes to make room for new things.

Stay tuned to see what's next!