Sephora Luster Matte Long Wearing Lip Colors | Review & Swatches

Ever wanted a gloss that turns matte, doesn't come off on your drinking glass and stays on perfectly for 5+ hours? So have I, and for $16 a piece you can find them at Sephora!

Ever since discovering these Glosses I try to buy one every time I go to Sephora (which isn't often) because these are the true definition of what staples in your collection should be.

The pigmentation is out of this world, and surprisingly these do not dry out my lips whatsoever. Of course, because they dry to be matte I would recommend using a lip liner to really get a precise line but if you use lighter colors like "Fig" then you could really get away without it.

These are perfect for the girls who leave the house with so much to do that the last thing they want to do is worry about how their color looks.

As much as I love Ruby Woo, and although it will always be my favorite it's really nice to know that I can apply a similar color like "Scarlet" and not have it patch up on my lips a few hours later.

The colors I've purchased so far are:
1) Deep Plum
2) Scarlet
3)Fig

Next time you go into Sephora make sure you swatch one of these! The reason I fell in love with them was because the color payoff was remarkable and it took a few hand washes to get it completely off!
I hope this review was helpful xxx

Elma & Sana | My Skin Care Power Couple

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lately I've been trying to pay a closer look at all of the products that I am applying on to my face, making sure that the amount of ingredients on the label isn't more than the amount of items on my families grocery list.
I had a small .03 oz sample of the Josie Maran Argan Oil and absolutely fell in love with it! The formula, the results, everything- was just amazing. BUT, the price was NOT for me. So, I did a little searching on Amazon and came across the Elma & Sana 100% Argan Oil for just $10! Now, I know that the price is near dirt cheap which is making you believe that the product isn't any good but I promise it is better than what I am describing, Part of the reason why the Josie Maran Argan Oil is in the $40 range is because 1) It's a well known brand whose prices inflate as its fame spreads and 2) Although it was luxurious, the smell is artificial which makes me believe that it is not as pure as they make us believe. This Elma & Sana Argan Oil has the exact same texture and effects with the exception of the smell which is 100% odorless.

While looking at the Argan Oil I saw that the Rose Water was among my suggestions at the bottom of the page. Elma & Sana claims that it:

Soothes skin tones and leaves skin feeling soft like silky rose petals

Ant-wrinkle and anti-aging

100% pure Moroccan rose water

It is suitable for all skin types including dry skin, oily skin and aging skin

No artificial ingredients and is renowned as the most traditional of all facial cleansers

Although I don't think it is strong enough to cleanse my skin from a long day out I do think it is a great toner, keeps my skin feeling fresh, and brightens my skin tone.

I do have a set daily skincare routine that these two are not a part of because I don't think my skin is that sensitive at the moment to the point where I need to use these extremely gentle products but I do however use these 1-2 times a week when I have actual facials. After I've steamed, exfoliated, and masked my face, I will take a cotton round and gently dab the rose water all over my face and neck when I know my pores are still slightly open and the skin is fresh. I feel immediately rejuvenated; maybe it's the smell or the actual formulation but I feel so relaxed and luxurious after using this that I consider it to be liquid gold. Not much is needed, and there's no need to rub on the skin.

After Applying the rose water I like to just cool off my face with my hands for a minute or two just to make sure that the rose water is sticking to my skin and then I'll apply about a nickel sized amount of Argan oil to my fingertips, warm it up in my hands, and pat it on my face and neck. This is an amazing moisturizer for after masks and exfoliation because your skin is left pretty raw without natural oils therefore it is in need of some momentary substitutes.
- Aside from using the Argan Oil on my face I also enjoy using it on the ends of my hair, on my legs, and when I do manicures. It is truly a multipurpose product and that is what I love most about it.

If any of you all are interested in some organic products I would Highly recommend Elma & Sana who can be found on Amazon. I'm actually looking into purchasing one of their clay masks next :)

One Brand Haul | Rimmel

The other day I was out running errands and felt like spontaneously buying makeup but for once I decided not to venture out through the various isles and just focused on one brand. I'd never done this before so I chose to go with the brand that I knew least about which in this case was Rimmel. The way I went about it was buying enough products from the brand that could potentially create a makeup look and therefore give me somewhat of an idea as to what the overall potential of the brand is. I didn't buy eye shadow because that is the only product from Rimmel that I did previously own and I find it to be pigmented and long lasting although the shimmer in the eye shadows comes off to be too chunky therefore needs to be applied with a light hand.

 I stepped out today for a few hours in the morning and decided to apply all of these products and really test them out in the dry Florida heat and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

I applied the primer all over my face concentrating particularly on my T-zone, cheeks, and chin - placed the concealer under my eyes and on the places where I wanted to highlight - then patted the Stay Matte powder all over. This is something that I wouldn't do if I were going to work or out somewhere for several hours but I would use these steps if I were just running errands like I did today or going off to my college classes.

Afterwards, I applied the Kohl eye liner that came along with the mascara on the outer part of my water line not reaching my inner corner and applied two coats of the mascara. I find that the Lash Accelerator reminds me A LOT of Benefit's "They're real" which is awesome considering that there's a large price difference.

I lined my lips with the "070 Enchantment" lip liner and filled it in with the Kate Moss lip stick in "107". I can tell you right now that I am OBSESSED with this lip combo; I've worn it two days in a row (Last night, and this morning) and it is just so beautiful it makes my lips look juicy and plump and totally ties the whole look together making up for the lack of foundation and blush- which by the way I think Rimmel is the only brand I've seen at the drugstore that does not have blushers. How weird is that?

Top Swatch is the Kate Moss lipstick in '107'
Bottom Swatch is the lip liner in '070 Enchantment'

I'm enjoying testing out this mascara, the formulation is a bit wet but it's something I can get used to considering the volume and length that it adds to my lashes.

I was really impressed with this eye liner when I first swatched it because as you can tell it is very black and the formulation was smooth- I didn't feel it tug my water line.
But when I wore it today I realized about three hours after applying it that it had completely disappeared. It didn't smear anywhere or form those little black spots on the corners on my eyes but it literally just vanished, all that was left was my mascara! I'm upset hat it didn't last but I'm impressed that it didn't smear. Make sense?

Overall I think that this brand is affordable and reliable, the Stay Matte powder along with the primer prevented my face from looking oily, The concealer did not crease, the lipstick did not budge until I ate in the afternoon, and the mascara looked flawless up until a few hours ago that I washed it off with ease.

I plan on doing more hauls like this one both drugstore and high end because it persuades me to try different products from the same brands! It was a lot of fun trying to figure out which products I should buy and I look forward to doing it again really soon :)

Mascara Duo of the Moment

Maybellines's Colossal Mascara & Lorac's Pro Mascara are pretty amazing on their own but together they make up a beautiful combination.
The Colossal Mascara is extremely volumizing but has a very wet formula which I hate and the Pro Mascara is ridiculously lengthening but has no other function.
The way I work with these two is by adding one coast of each starting with the Pro Mascara. I tried it the other way around but the wet formulation from the Colossal mascara was still smudging on my eye shadow.

I love the wand on the Pro Mascara because the smaller tip allows me to get into the inner corners of my lashes and my bottom lashes which is perfect!

Even though I loathe the wet formulation, I have to give it to Maybelline for fiving true black mascaras, the pigmentation is thick and long lasting.

And this is the final outcome!

Empties | #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I decided to start saving my trash to show the general public- I was actually really excited to do it; most of the time people say that they enjoy doing 'Empties' posts because they get to give good & Honest reviews which is true but that's not necessarily the motivational factor behind mine.

Being a blogger, or being someone that is generally interested in trying products for the hell of it is probably the most fun part of my day. But, I sometimes forget how much money actually goes into my hobby so I decided to do empties posts in order to encourage myself to actually get through the products I was excited about for a solid week and a half and then just tossed into my pile.

 

A lot of face-palming also goes into these posts as I recall every interesting or not so interesting product that I have used up and did not include for example my gazillion candles, eye makeup removers, etc.

Just know that I'm mentally prepared for the next one.

 

Recently I've used quite a bit of stuff (for me anyway).

I used to be in love with the Aveeno Night cream because of its delicious smell and I honestly noticed a difference in my skin but I feel like with all good things they must sadly come to an end and towards the end of this products life I just didn't notice that it was doing anything for me anymore; I just used it up because I didn't want to toss it without completely using it. Especially since it is one of the pricier products in the drugstore- I believe that this cost me around $17-21.



Bath and Body Works candles are my life line; I depend on them for serenity and a fresh smelling home which is why when I took a sniff out of Paris Daydream I completely fell in love and bought two. Every time I smell this candle it makes me wish I was a princess. So fresh and feminine.

Simple Cleansing Wipes. Need I say more? I have tried the Neutrogena ones and I enjoyed them but the simple ones take the cake in my opinion. They are so smooth and refreshing I sometimes just wipe my face with them in the middle of the day even if I'm not wearing any make up- simply for the cooling effect.

The Ion Inspired by Nature Intense Hydrating Masque was just like any regular conditioner to me as opposed to actual masques that I own. It was a bit thicker but when applied to the hair it felt just the same. I don't feel like it improved or worsened my hair. This product isn't anything that I can't live without.

Same goes for the Dove Shampoo although I will say that it made my hair smell really good and clean! My boyfriends mom actually left it in my shower and I decided to use it up instead of letting it go to waste.

On the other hand, she also left the White Musk Body Wash from The Body Shop and I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS STUFF. I will always and forever buy this. It's a sophisticated, sexy, and empowering scent. Honestly this should be considered as aromatherapy.

And lastly, Victoria's Secret body wash in Sky Bright; I enjoyed using the product because it lathered well but I used it up fairly quickly and I'm not sure why. Usually it takes me a while to get through them but this literally lasted like 3 weeks. I think I will repurchase it if it's on sale one day but I'm not going to haul ass to the store and pick one up immediately.

Hope you enjoyed, my garbage!

Review + Swatches of the Divergent Multi-Piece Collectors Kit

So, granted this palette is no longer available on the Sephora website because it sold out within days, I actually bought mine in-store so if you are highly interested like I was, I would suggest calling all of the local Sephora's around you!
or you can try and get one on eBay or Amazon!

This palette was extremely raved about and being a die hard Divergent fan I justified buying this huge case for the love of Tris and Make-up.

With that all being said, If I remember correctly the Palette was around $60 and it contains 3 eye shadow palettes, 1 cheek palette, 4 glosses, and a duo sided blush brush and crease brush.
The neat thing about the entire kit is that it literally screams Divergent the moment you see it and once you see the colors within the palettes you realize that a lot of time and thought was put into them.

The eye shadow palettes are named after the factions: Dauntless, Erudite, and Abnegation and it is insane how each palette resembles the colors that they are portrayed to have in the books.
The Dauntless Palette is more on the darker side, with stormy blues, and greys.
The Erudite Palette is more of the earthy tones with greens, and satin beige.
The Abnegation Palette is completely neutral.
These palettes also include a transformer shade, which looks like compressed glitter and can be used wet or dry. I personally think that the most pigmented transformer shade was part of the Dauntless Palette and the other two are best to be used wet.
These palettes are amazing quality with brilliant color pay off. They are also so easy to blend and don't crease on my eye lids even without a primer!

The Cheek Palette includes two blusher shades (one satin, and one shimmer), a highlight, and a bronzer. I have really been enjoying this, I took it on my cruise last month and it was so perfect for every look, and the bronzer did not look muddy at all. I think that the only down side would be that the highlighter shade is not as pigmented as I would like it to be.

The glosses are all on the neutrals side, and I would say that they are not very opaque and long wearing but they do have a minty feel on the lips that makes them nice to just throw on if you're going to be out of the house for a little while.

The packaging of the kit and the palettes overall is very unique and captivating to the eye, the way they incorporated the Ferris wheel was brilliant considering it was such a huge part of the books/movie!

Here are the pictures+ swatches: