July Sephora Play! Box

I'm starting to really look forward to this each month! July's theme is "effortless" - Sephora's choice of "warm weather essentials." This month had two separate boxes, one for dry/normal skin and one for oily/combination skin. I received the oily/combo skin box. The dry/normal box has a Benefit Hoola liquid, a regular First Aid Beauty cleanser, and the regular Smashbox Photo Finish primer. All of the other products are the same between the two boxes.

(mini) Sephora Haul!

I have a whole bunch of excuses ready as to why I placed this Sephora order. It was my birthday (month...), I got my tax return, I really wanted one of the new Bite lipsticks. All of them are 100% valid because I'm trying not to guilt myself for shopping! I kept the bill in check, at least.

First up is Cinema Secrets Makeup Brush Cleaner. A repurchase! I love this stuff. It isn't a replacement for a good brush washing, but it's perfect for spot cleaning when there's a brush you really need and it's already been used. This is my favorite spot cleaner by far - I've tried a couple and none measure up to Cinema Secrets. 

Bite Beauty recently pulled their Luminous Creme lipsticks to much disappointment. However, they then dropped an entirely new line! I picked up the new Amuse Bouche lipstick in Pickled Ginger. As soon as I saw swatches on their instagram I knew I needed it, since I live for bright, pink leaning corals. When swatched, the formula felt smooth and creamy, and had great pigmentation. I can't wait to wear it!

After receiving Burberry Light Glow blush in Cameo for Christmas (which I haven't reviewed because I'm actually the laziest AND the worst), I knew I wanted another blush in the Burberry Light Glow formula. After poring over the shades, I wound up with Earthy. I was lucky it was in stock, as it has been out of stock ever since I started lusting after it (...on December 26th.) It's a beautiful light pinky brown. Since I'm on the lighter side, the pink shows up a bit more when applied, but just barely. It blends out like a dream, and is not powdery in the slightest.

A new beautyblender was in order as well, since it had been well over six months since I replaced mine. With daily use, it gets pretty grungy. It may seem like a boring item, but I'm super excited to have a newly squishy sponge to bounce on my face each morning. 

I also used a promo code for a 3 pack of Dr. Dennis Gross Extra Strength Alpha Beta Peel Pads. These things are so expensive to actually buy, with a box of just five being $16. I think I've used this code like four times now, since I really like the product but don't want to drop the cash on actually buying it. Maybe during the next sale. Maybe.

I'm sure I'll come up with more excuses to pick up some more goodies soon. (Easter?) Have you picked up anything cool lately?

beautyblender - Old vs. New

I recently purchased a new beautyblender! Mine was over six months old and looking pretty sad. Because I had both the old and new at my disposal, I decided to see how a used and abused sponge vs. a shiny a new sponge looks.

Here's the two sponges while dry. You can see that the old one is much bigger dry than the new one, which is compact and...clean.

I went ahead and wet the two sponges, since that's how they're supposed to be used. The new one is still a bit smaller. The old one has more visible cracks in it from use. The newer one definitely had more bounce in it as well.

When I wet my beautyblender before use, I also clean it using a bar of Dr. Bronner's soap. (It's cheap, lasts forever, and works like a charm! Save money!) As you saw in the other photos, the used beautyblender had some stains on it near the top and bottom, since I did not wash it this time when I wet it. I cut the old one open, and you can see how much product was leftover from my foundation that morning. However, the rest of the sponge was pretty clean, meaning washing as often as it is used is a pretty good way to keep the sponge clean. There's no product at the top, since I had used the tip to blend in my concealer only. The bottom of the sponge seems to have soaked up a decent amount of product, though.

There you have it! The quick and dirty differences between a new and an old beautyblender. Can't wait to break this new one in!

October 2014 Favorites

I can't believe it's already November! Sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks, I do a lot of traveling in October, and haven't had a chance to build up my queue. With the oncoming sales of November, plus secret Santa season, I should have plenty of stuff to review and post about! But for now, let's talk about things that I really loved this past month!

1. Beautyblender PRO - I've tried both the regular pink beautyblender and the black PRO beautyblender, and for me, the PRO takes the cake. I'm not sure why, but I just happen to like the little black egg more. I find that it rinses cleaner, and doesn't suck up as much product as its pink counterpart. Also, my pink one shredded almost immediately, whilst the black one was far more durable. I always buy my PRO blenders in double packs from amazon - the price can't be beat!

2. L'occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream - This stuff saves my hands when I am stuck in the land of public restrooms, such as New York Comic Con, or Disney. After having to use harsh soap to wash my hands, this can fix dry skin in an instant. It's a staple in my purse, and the best part is, a little goes a long way. It absorbs quickly, and does not leave a residue on your hands. There's a variety of scents, but the original shea butter is a great way to go.

3. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid in Moonstone - I only have a sample of this from Sephora, but boy am I lusting after the full size (or rather, the travel size, the full size is HUGE!!) This gives just the right amount of glow to the skin, without delivering a load of glitter. I also have this in Pearl, which is white, while this is more of a golden tone.

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Mushroom - When I'm in a hurry, I reach for this liner. It's the perfect shade to add a bit of dimension to the lash line, but not to look overdone. I'm a sucker for taupe shades, and this certainly delivers. I'm about halfway through this liner, and I will most definitely be rebuying. There is a bit of shimmer to this, but there are no visible chunks of glitter that you can sometimes encounter with a UD product.

5. Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment  - There are tales of people finishing Chapsticks. I've never done that, but I've finished about three of these to date, and I keep going back for more. The price tag is a bit steep for something as silly as a lip balm, but I find them worthwhile. These don't further dry out my lips, and I apply nightly before bed to have my lips ready for more drying products the next morning. I've tried the other, more 'intense' version of this product, and did not like it as much. This is a definite 'HG' product for me.