Elf Long Lasting Lustrous Shadow: Love it or Lose it?

I bought the shade toast, which is a warm yellow-gold color. I had hoped to use it on my lids as a center of the lid highlight to bring some shimmer and life to my eyes. But trying to use a brush with this product is impossible to get any color out of the pot, and even with your fingers the product is much more likely to stick to your fingers than it is to stick to anything else. I had absolutely no luck getting this color to give me any pay off on the lids. It reminds me of a poorly formulated version of the Loreal Infallible shadows, which I will likely replace this color with down the road. I will keep trying to see if I can get it to work because the color is beautiful, especially over my favorite eyeshadow Laura Mercier African Violet, which a review is coming soon on so stay tuned for that!

Back to Elf's Toast, its super soft and appears pigmented in the pot as well as on your finger when you go to swatch it, but it doesn't transfer to the lids over other shadow or on bare skin. I had a bit more luck smudging it onto the inner corner of the eye, but it has a ton of fallout and turned me into the glitter fairy for the entire day. I kept seeing little light reflections on my face when the glitter would fall out and it was all over my under eyes by the end of work. I feel like I have a more workable version of this shade in the elf 144 palette with all the rainbow colors in it. And, if I don't I can always pick up an Anistasia Beverly Hills single to match when I pick up Pink Champagne soon.

As creamy and gorgeous as this shadow appears at first, it seems very picky about how it applies and what it is applied over top of. I'll keep trying, but this has been a total flop so far.

Have fun in the sun, and Stay Beautiful!

BNB

Future me here! This is still something I'm struggling to use, but I have since had some luck in the past few months in figuring out how this product works and applies best. You have to pack it on your fingers by pressing kind of hard into the product because it is essentially a powder shadow with a creamy texture. I actually like it more now than I did, but it still turns me into a glitter fallout fairy mess by the end of the day. Probably not going to buy it again, but it's a fun little product when I use it here and there.

Loreal Magic Perfecting Base: Love it or Lose it?

I grabbed up a sample of this at the dollar store and it just sat for a few months waiting for me to try it. It looked a little scary both because it's in a pot and because of the baby pink color. After having finally pushed myself to try it though I can honestly say I am going to love it. It made my foundation stay on all night at work, despite working in a warehouse with no climate control and it being summer. And to me that's a huge feat!

This primer stood up to sweat and heat, and I came out looking the same as I walked in. I got a ton of compliments on how wonderful my makeup looked, and how natural my foundation appeared. The primer melted into the skin beautifully, had no color, and was a nice silicone texture to grab onto and hold makeup in place. Though the tub looks small it claimed to have 3 weeks of use inside, and with how little I have to use in order to cover my entire face I certainly believe it.

The sample size is .17 ounces of product and is approximately the size of a Maybelline color tattoo. The full size is .5 ounces and is still in pot form. It has a beautiful silky texture and a whipped feeling. It glides onto the skin easily and blends out beautifully. I love that it has no color so that it doesn't change the tone of my skin before my foundation application. It claims to keep the skin matte and minimize pores with lightweight coverage and keep skin looking great all day. I don't particularly care about whether it keeps my skin matte since I have dry skin, but I did like that it minimized the occasionally shiny and oily spots I can get when I am hot or in the sun. It didn't feel like I was wearing makeup like some silicone based products can make it feel heavy on the skin. I struggle with a lot of texture particularly on the tops of my cheeks where my highlighter goes and on my nose where I have larger pores and lots of blackheads, but I did notice that my nose pores were camouflaged much better than usual, and I didn't notice much texture on my cheeks until I applied highlighter.

I'm extremely impressed with the weartime this primer gave me, especially in the heat of my workplace. I will definitely be using this more and maybe even purchasing a full size after I get through my elf hydrating primer.

My only problem with the product is the packaging because it's not all that sanitary when you have to stick your fingers in the entire pot of product, however I will either depot it into a pump canister, or I will use a disposable spatula to get the product out and onto my mixing palette before application.

Stay Flawless and Beautiful!

BNB

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

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

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.

Stay Beautiful and enjoy the summer heat!

BNB

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

I'm Not On The Bandwagon

Lately everyone on YouTube has been all over the Better Than Sex bandwagon. And I agree that it's a good mascara, I can't knock it for anything except the price compared to the mascara I prefer over it. I can't jump on the bandwagon when my ten dollar mascara from Avon gives me falsie quality lashes from one coat where I have to apply multiple coats of Too Faced's and it still doesn't give me the same volume and length I get from my Avon Mega Effects. I wear mascara every day, and I hardly reach for Better than Sex because of my Avon mascara. I have to make an effort to use all of my mascaras instead of the Avon one. I've never had a mascara do this great, and it's hardly ever talked about (if at all) how amazing this product is compared to some of its more expensive competitors. And the best part about Avon is that often time their mascaras are on sale for Buy One, Get One for $1, so just like me you can stock up during the sales and have back ups waiting for the first one to wear out. I'll be posting a full review on both of these mascaras in the next few days to give you a better idea of what I find to be the best and worst about the products separately.

Stay beautiful

BNB

Go-To Greige

This is my absolute go-to this season, and I'm planning on buying a few extra of this lipstick while it's on sale in order to have it for a long time to come. I've been looking for the perfect grey-beige lip color in the drugstore ever since Jeffree Starr launched his liquid liptick line and I saw swatches of Posh Spice, and I've finally found a combination that is absolutely gorgeous.

I've fallen in love with Loreal Colour Riche Lipstick in Silverstone (760) paired with a nude lip liner. Currently I'm using a very beige lip liner from Avon in the shade Nude, from their Glimmerslicks Lip Liner collection, but I plan to purchase several others to see what I like best.

Silverstone is a very metallic, slighty purple-grey color. Though I'm not completely fond of the metallic finish of it, I am in love with the way it looks when paired with the nude liner. It gives off the perfect grey-nude color, without looking like I'm dead, the purple hint adds just a touch of life to the traditional "greige" that most people are loving these days. The color is semi-sheer, lending it to all sorts of play with colorful lip liners underneath. However, since it's a regular lipstick, be ready to reapply as it will wear off after eating, drinking, or hours of wear.

Lately I've been in a lip color rut, and this new color has brought some life into my routine. I'm interested to see what else comes out in the near future that may fall into the "greige" category.

Stay Warm, Cozy and Beautiful

Until Next Time,

BNB

The Creative Contour

Walking through the drugstore recently I saw a few things I thought would be useful additions to my makeup routine. But among these was a brush labeled "Contour Brush"on the ELF display, and I was curious. It is a small domed brush, stiff but not overly so. I snatched it up and brought it home. After reading the package I discovered that it was for your eyes, though I had bought it thinking it would be the perfect size for contouring and highlighting my nose.

While it works great for it's intended use of contouring your eyes for a natural look, it is also wonderful for contour and highlight on the nose area and applies the color and blends it beautifully into the skin. I ended up also using it to apply my highlight under my eyebrows as well as on my Cupid's bow because of it's small size and ease of blending. It may also work in place of using the edge of my flat contour brush to get the sharp cheek contour I like.

I'm absolutely in love with this brush after playing with it a few times, I love every ELF I have ever purchased and strongly recommend them to anyone who needs affordable and reliable brushes for makeup. I now own two Small Stipple Brushes, the Eyeliner Brush, the Contour Brush, and their Pointed Foundation Brush (which I'll be posting about another day, but am totally in love with as well) and I plan to buy many more of their brushes to add to my collection because of the affordability and the quality of their brushes.

Oldie But A Goodie

I found out today that I'm almost out of my favorite nail polish by Revlon. I can't even tell you how old it is, but it's a gorgeous duo chrome silvery purple that in some lights comes across almost green. It's a long time favorite of mine for my toes when I just need a little shine. Unfortunately, they no longer make the shade "030 Silver Switch". It must have been a seasonal shade because the whole "color illusions" line is gone. It makes me sad to know that once it is gone I can't get any more of it, but it will give me a reason to hold on to it a little tighter and use it less. They have a color out now called "Wild" that seems similar but it's darker and shows mostly green based on pictures. I will be picking it up and comparing them soon. I would love to see Silver Switch make a return to shelves so I can stockpile it.