January 2016 Favorites

New year, new favorites! I know I've been slacking a bit, but I wanted to get my favorites out as close to on time as possible.

1. Haus of Gloi perfume oil in First Blush - I'm not really one to stick to seasonal scents (I've been wearing pumpkin scents through the holiday season...) but I was so happy to revisit First Blush as Valentine's Day approaches. It may be because Haus of Gloi launched the collection again a couple of weeks ago, and I loaded up on First Blush scented everything. For me, this scent is a perfect springy blend - light peach and soft florals. I'm still working through my first (now wonderfully aged!) bottle, but I will definitely be ordering another when this one is through. (I also have a full review here.)
2. Stila eyeshadow in Kitten - As much as I love bold looks, my go to look is still based around neutrals. Kitten is perfect on the lid - a soft bit of shimmer really brings a "boring" neutral look to life. Stila's single shadow formula is smooth and blendable, it can be foiled for a more intense effect, or blended out for an all over shadow look. Whenever I don't feel like thinking, I reach for this.
3. Chikuhodo P-3 Highlight brush - I picked up this brush in my last Beautylish order, and I absolutely love it. I use it every single day to apply my highlight. The brush is angled so it can be used to apply precise highlight, and then flip the brush to blend it out. The bristles are soft - I had heard about the Passion series being scratchy but I haven't experienced any scratchiness. I've also washed the brush and there's been no dye or bristle loss. I'm really, really happy with this brush!
4. Too Faced Candlelight Glow - Speaking of highlight...I've been reaching for this one a lot. It's more of a soft, glowy highlight than an intense highlight (think Becca pressed powders.) The two sides combined is what I usually use for my highlight. Unfortunately, I got this right before they reformulated, so I can only speak for the old formulation. This blends out nicely, and I find it perfect for an everyday highlight. Not to mention it's a huge amount of product and will probably last forever.
5. Kat von D Metal Crush eyeshadow in Thunderstruck - It took me a while to track down this shadow, as it was sold out online. I got the very last one in my local Sephora, and it had to be dug out a drawer. It's hard to find and for good reason - it's an amazing eyeshadow! Thunderstruck can be used on the lid, on the inner corner, as a highlight - it's amazingly versatile. The shade is neutral enough to be integrated into a work safe neutral look, but can be built up for a bolder effect. The formula applies beautifully and blends out like a dream. The pan is huge, too. A little goes a long way with this, and I'll be reaching for it for quite a while!

I'm happy to have started off the new year with amazing products in my collection. What have you been using and loving lately?

Sixteen92 Merry and Bright Perfume Oil - Review

This scent was a Black Friday exclusive from Sixteen92. Of course, I'm reviewing it late, but the hope is that it will pop up in destashes from time to time.

Merry and Bright has a description of "a plate of freshly-baked frosted sugar cookies set out on Christmas Eve night, dusted with snowy powdered sugar; roasted chestnuts drizzled with caramel; mini marshmallows toasted by the fire; twinkling lights and stuffed stockings." From the vial, the first notes are of caramel and vanilla. The scent is very, very sweet, bordering on sickly. Wet on the skin, the caramel is most prominent. As it dries down, the chestnut note is more noticeable. The scent of cookies and sugar is present in the background after the oil dries. This scent definitely evokes the holiday spirit for me, and I've been wearing it for weeks after Christmas has ended. (I like Christmas...)

Unfortunately, this scent fades on me after three to four hours. On a more positive note, the throw is great - I feel like I'm walking into a house with freshly made cookies every time I wear it. Overall I'm happy with this one. I wish it lasted a bit longer, but sometimes having something this heavy and sweet can be too much after a period of time.

Pros:

• Very sweet
• Christmas cookie-esque
• High sillage

Cons:

• Lasts for only about four hours
• Limited edition :(

Sixteen92 Merry and Bright Perfume Oil (Limited Edition) - $14.00 for 6mL

Review - 3/5

December 2015 Favorites

Now that the whirlwind holiday season is over - it's time to get back to business! Here are my favorites from the month of December.

1. Sixteen92 Detangling Hair Mist in Maple Pecan Shortbread - This is my second bottle of detangling spray from Sixteen92. I haven't finished the first, I just wanted a fall/winter scent. This spray is light, and is able to ease the job of combing out my very fine hair. I have to use more spray than I'd like to get the job done, but the product does not weigh my hair down. The scent isn't overly strong, and fades pretty quickly (especially as I blow dry my hair.) I really like this spray, and seeing as I already have two, I'll probably purchase more!
2. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone - I have a ton of highlighters, I won't deny it. However, I've been reaching for this one most often. It's a mini size, which is perfect, as I have too many highlighters to begin with. Also, a little bit of this product goes a long way! It's very shimmery, but can be blended out easily. I also have Moonstone in the liquid formula (also in the smaller size!) and I feel it's a perfect highlight shade for my skin tone.
3. Burberry Light Glow Natural Blush in Cameo Blush No. 2 - I received this for Christmas, and have been using it almost daily since! In the pan, it seems like a bright almost baby pink, but sheered out on the skin it's a much more natural, flushed shade. It's buildable, but I haven't built it up to the pan shade yet, which is not exactly what I'm looking for. It applies and blends like a dream, and I love the heavy, luxe packaging. I don't really need more blush in my collection, but I have my eye on the Earthy shade in this collection next.
4. Stila eyeshadow in Kitten - I'm a big fan of champagne eyeshadow shades...almost as much as I love rose gold. Kitten is great built up on the lid for a shimmery pop, or for an all over wash of color. It also looks wonderful when foiled with a spritz of water and then applied to the lid. A little goes a long way, so if you have this in a palette, even better!
5. Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Sugar Frost - This is my go to inner corner highlight shade. You can just swipe it on and go. Unfortunately, I have had some issues with this formula creasing when applied all over the lid, which is why my new default shadow sticks are the By Terry Ombre Blackstars. I'm intent on finishing this one though, since it's so perfect for the inner corner!

Mini Beautylish Haul!

Now that the holidays are over, I'm free to shop again! ...except I've decided to "low buy" for the foreseeable future. Since I saw some items I had been wanting were back in stock on Beautylish, I placed a small order right after Christmas to make sure I got my hands on them. 

Earlier in the year, I purchased the beautiful Chikuhodo x Beautylish brush set and fell in love with it. I've been in the market for a new highlight brush, and the Chikuhodo Passion Series PS-3 brush. This brush has a flatter, tapered shape which I think will be great for precise highlighting. I've already washed it once and had no shedding or dye issues, so I'm excited to try it out.

I also picked up Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Celebrity Skin. This shade has been out of stock constantly, and went out of stock again a couple of days after I ordered mine. I keep hearing more and more hype about this formula, so I decided it was time to try it for myself. There's a few other shades I want to try if the formula works out for me, but I'll have to wait til they're back in stock!

I've had a cold for the past week, and it has wrecked havoc on my lips. I had added the Jeffree Star Velour Lip Scrub in Mojito to my order before I fell ill, but I'm really glad I did. The container size is much more generous than I assumed (1 oz) and smells delightful. I fully plan to exfoliate my lips this week before trying my new liquid lipstick!

I'm happy with my purchase, even knowing it's probably my last "haul" for a while. Have you tried Jeffree Star products? What do you think?

Memebox Fiddy Snails Set!

I'm a big fan of Fifty Shades of Snail, so when I heard about the Memebox that would be put out, I simply had to pick it up! The box contains two full size(!) COSRX snail products, a Ciracle snail hydrogel mask, and stickers! 

The set is $34, and the value of the products in total is $50.50 (with Memebox's pricing.) On RoseRoseShop I was able to get the products at $35.81, but the mask comes in a pack of four, so that would be a little more expensive buying the four pack of masks. I liked the idea of the box set, because I enjoy Fiddy's blog and have no issues supporting her, plus it has a cute theme and was shipped super quickly! (Unlike ordering from Korea, just saying.)

The cream and essence I did a spot test of first, to make sure there would be no adverse reaction. After that, I went ahead and started using the products full time to help flesh out my (already complex) skincare routine. 

COSRX Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence - Personally, I'm a fan of snail slime for my face. I didn't have to get past the fact that it was snail slime, I just slap products on my face. However, if you're iffy about the whole snail thing, this product may not be the best for you, strictly because the consistency is, well...thick and mucus-y. The pump is able to dispense product with no issue, but it does feel somewhat slimy in my hand. I found about two pumps to be enough for my whole face. Although the essence seems super thick, once spread onto the skin it absorbs very quickly. I found my skin feeling instantly hydrated after applying. Another bonus - it has no scent! I've been using this for about a week and I'm liking how my skin is looking.

COSRX Advanced Snail 92 All In One Cream - I have oily skin, so somewhat heavy moisturizers aren't something I'm too well versed in. To me, this moisturizer is heavy. A tiny bit goes a loooooong way for me, but you may be different. Because this is heavy for me, I use it at night as an occlusive to hold all other moisture in. The container has a screw top and comes with a tiny spatula on a seal within the jar. I've kept the seal in there just to keep track of the spatula. I don't even need an entire spatula's worth for my whole face when I use this. I feel that this cream takes longer than I'd like to sink in - I can't put it on then hop right into bed, otherwise my pillow will end up very well moisturized. But it does sink in eventually, and my skin feels wonderfully hydrated in the morning. The cream also has no scent, which is nice. 

Ciracle Snail Hydrogel Mask - This is my first Ciracle product. I don't know if I'm totally in love with hydrogel masks yet, but I'm always happy to try a new mask! The fit of the mask wasn't great for me, the sides were too wide and it didn't come down on my jaw enough. I wore this mask for an hour, and I found it lightly hydrating. My skin was noticeably brighter after wearing, and any redness I had was gone. I wish it was a bit more moisturizing, since I love that plump skin feeling after a mask, but I was super happy with the reduced redness!

I'm really happy with my first Memebox purchase! So far, COSRX has yet to let me down with a product. My skin seems to like snail slime and it's been looking very good as of late, I'm so happy! How do you feel about snail in skincare - would you put it on your face?

Kat von D Lolita Lip Duo - Review

Kat von D Beauty has been teasing this duo for ages. I immediately ordered it the day it came out, mostly because my Lolita had gone missing a while back, and I didn't want to buy another full size. I don't even remember which iteration I had - but now I have these two!

Lolita is listed as "chestnut rose." The shade is definitely on the browner side of a brown/pink combo. It's a mostly neutral shade, leaning slightly warm. On me, it pulls more brown than pink, but it doesn't look like a 90s super brown lip. Application was smooth, needing one swipe for full coverage. Drydown took about a minute, going from tacky to fully dry. While still tacky, applying more product is easy and it doesn't cause what is already applied to ball up or anything like that. I found that this shade transferred a little bit, but nothing horrible like a full lip print. The product did not flake off, and I did not find it too drying - but I wore a lip primer underneath. Around 3-4 hours I noticed cracks where lines in my lips are, but I was able to press my lips back together and "smoosh" it back into place. I had to reapply after eating lunch, but reapplication over what was left over looked good. 

Lolita II is a "terracotta nude." Much lighter and warmer than Lolita, the shade has much more orange to it. Like every Kat von D liquid shade I've tried, application is smooth, and the product is pigmented. I needed one swipe for full coverage, although the swatch shows that it might be a little bit patchy. I didn't experience patchy application on the lips, however. I was able to get a nice crisp line using the included doe foot, and the formula took about a minute to go from wet, to tacky, to matte and set. I was able to apply two coats with no issues. The lipstick has an inoffensive non-scent, just smells like a lipstick. Whatever scent is there fades quickly. After about three hours (and a cup of coffee) the lipstick was still around, but was cracking at my lip lines a bit. I was able to press my lips together to redistribute the product. There was no transfer onto my cup, though! 

Pros:

• Minis! Because who uses a full size?
• Smooth application
• Little to no transfer
• Dries fully matte
• No bleeding, feathering, or flaking

Cons:

• Can be somewhat drying. Pair with a lip primer for more damage control
• Cracks on lip lines, but can be redistriuted to look good again
• Needs to be reapplied after eating

Each of these is 0.10 oz, when a full size is 0.22 oz - so they're just shy of half of a full size each. 

Kata von D Lolita Lip Duo - $19.50 for 2 x 0.10 oz

Review - 4/5

November 2015 Favorites

As promised, my favorites for November are on time! I'm excited to share the products I was most fond of over the month. I have some new items, and some tried and true staples from my arsenal of products. I don't like using new items every month for my favorites, because I find a lot of times an item will be mentioned as a "favorite" and then will never be mentioned again...was it really your favorite? But I digress. Here are my choices!

1. Lorac Unzipped palette - I am way late to the game on this palette. Tons of people rave about it, and I just didn't feel I needed it. To be fair, I just didn't want to spend money on another palette. I picked this up with Ulta points to circumvent feeling guilty. I am so, so glad I got my hands on this palette. The formula for these shadows is the same as the Lorac Pro palettes. The shadows are a little soft, but blend beautifully. If you're a fan of neutrals, rose golds, and rusts, this is the palette for you. It's a really great autumn palette, and I can see myself using it year round.
2. Givenchy Mister Mat primer - I picked this up in my modest VIB Rouge sale haul in the beginning of November. This is hands down the best mattifying primer I've used, and I have tried many. This tops the list mainly due to how smooth the application is. A lot of others I've used need a bit of work to get them smooth on the face, and too much touching or product causes it to ball up or be patchy. This one glides on beautifully. It is pricy, however, so I'm not sure how often I'll be replacing it.
3. YSL Black Opium perfume - I have been hoarding samples of this scent(I have three now, I think?) and using it nonstop. I've even added a mini spray vial to my Christmas list as well. (If you follow this blog at all, you'll realize more perfume is the last thing I really need...) This scent is light, slightly floral, slightly sweet, and feminine. I was shocked checking out the notes, as one is patchouli, but it doesn't smell like patchouli at all...and that's one of the notes I actively try to avoid. It's a sweet, strong scent, but doesn't lean towards that sickly sweet like Aquolina Pink Sugar. It's quite sophisticated, and I know a lot of people have started wearing it lately. Definitely check it out if you come across it!
4. Benton Snail Bee High Content Mask Pack  - I picked up even more of these masks in my recent skincare haul. I turn to these masks when I have something brewing under the skin, or redness I can't handle any more. This mask helps take care of those right away, while leaving my skin lightly moisturized. The mask has a fresh scent, and even has little eye flaps in case you want to get you eyelids in on the sheet mask action. The best part is these are alcohol free, so if your skin is sensitive, you don't have to miss out. I also have the Snail Bee High Content Essence, which I apply right after! (After I drain the packet of serum and smear that all on my face, as well!)
5. Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence - This is my HG sunscreen. I was recently on a trip to the Caribbean and I came back the same shade that I left thanks to this. I even used it on the rest of my body after a breakout from another sunscreen. I still want to try other sunscreens, but I am glad I can fall back on this one should I need to. It's light, absorbs quickly, does not leave a white cast, and leaves a slightly matte finish to boot. If you're in the market for a chemical sunscreen, I highly recommend checking this one out!

Let me know what you were loving in November! Maybe I'll end up loving it, too.