Hello! This particular post is for all the other beauty bloggers out there, who I know bust their butts everyday on their blog, so I thought I'd make things a little easier by sharing the product review sheet I created when I started doing this blog. And as you can see up above, I've added a "Downloads" tab that will eventually house lots of different things. But for right now there is only the "Product Review Sheet", which I'm going to talk about for a bit. The download is completely free, so please use it and enjoy it.
When I product test, I typically use something several times ( a full week for skin care items) and take notes on my thoughts throughout the process. I was using a small notepad for that, but it wasn't super organized and it just wasn't working for me. I had one sheet of thoughts, another with product info and where/who I got it from, and another page of social media checklists. It was seriously a pain to keep track of. So I sat down one day and created the PDF you can download, as a way to keep myself organized and on task. I tried to include everything I could think of, but if you see something that can be improved please let me know below in the comments.
And if you have ideas for downloads you'd like to see available in the future, please let me know. I love getting suggestions from readers. Currently all of the downloads are free, I may add a donate button at some point down the road but I intend to keep 99% of the downloads I have planned free. Please enjoy them, I only ask that you give me credit for them, I worked very hard on them and would be bummed to see someone taking credit for them.
Friday, November 7, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Thursday Thoughts
Another week down, 2014 is quickly coming to an end. Like most Thursdays, I'm participating in Ramblings of a Suburban Mom's Thursday thoughts Link Up. I'm trying out pictures with my post, let me know what you think below in the comments.
Wow, Thanksgiving is coming up super fast! Please tell me I'm not the only one panicking and scrambling to get everything figured out. I want to branch out away from my usual fare, what food item are you most looking forward to?
I recently won a giveaway from See The World in Pink and my goodies arrived today! I love getting packages in the mail, especially when they contain makeup goodies. See anything you'd like a review of? I may do the nail polish (Square Hue brand) just because it is such a gorgeous color and I've already applied it to my toes and promised someone else they could borrow it.
Speaking of goodies, I found some great deals in the clearance bin at my local Marshalls. Did you know you can score some great stuff there? I know people who have found Glamglow masks there, which is like the holy grail of face products but is sooooooooo out on my budget I will probably never use it. But maybe I'll get lucky at Marshalls. I think I'll go back today and buy the other Essie colors they had on sale, the one I already bought was $2!!! Good deals make me happy.
So I know I've very late to the party, but my Gillian Flynn book trio just arrived so I'm trying to find free time to read it. I'll do a full review of all 3 books later, but I can see why they're so popular. Just not my usual reading choice, I like sci-fi/fantasy typically so this is quite a change for me. I'll take Isaac Asimov any day over the top twenty list.
If you follow me on Instagram you probably know how excited I am to finally have the Revealed 2 palette by Coastal Scents in my hands. My post about it goes live on Sunday, but I love this palette to pieces and I think everybody should run out and buy one. Also thank god for Instagram filters, right?
Wow, Thanksgiving is coming up super fast! Please tell me I'm not the only one panicking and scrambling to get everything figured out. I want to branch out away from my usual fare, what food item are you most looking forward to?
I recently won a giveaway from See The World in Pink and my goodies arrived today! I love getting packages in the mail, especially when they contain makeup goodies. See anything you'd like a review of? I may do the nail polish (Square Hue brand) just because it is such a gorgeous color and I've already applied it to my toes and promised someone else they could borrow it.
Speaking of goodies, I found some great deals in the clearance bin at my local Marshalls. Did you know you can score some great stuff there? I know people who have found Glamglow masks there, which is like the holy grail of face products but is sooooooooo out on my budget I will probably never use it. But maybe I'll get lucky at Marshalls. I think I'll go back today and buy the other Essie colors they had on sale, the one I already bought was $2!!! Good deals make me happy.
So I know I've very late to the party, but my Gillian Flynn book trio just arrived so I'm trying to find free time to read it. I'll do a full review of all 3 books later, but I can see why they're so popular. Just not my usual reading choice, I like sci-fi/fantasy typically so this is quite a change for me. I'll take Isaac Asimov any day over the top twenty list.
If you follow me on Instagram you probably know how excited I am to finally have the Revealed 2 palette by Coastal Scents in my hands. My post about it goes live on Sunday, but I love this palette to pieces and I think everybody should run out and buy one. Also thank god for Instagram filters, right?
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
InstaNatural Stretch Mark Cream and Rosewater Review
*I received these items free for the purpose of reviewing. All opinions expressed are my own honest opinion*
I was recently given the opportunity to review several products for a company called InstaNatural, which sells most of it's products through Amazon (which is awesome for people with a Prime account). Today I'll be doing 2 of the products, and I'll do the last 2 on Friday. The ones I'll review today are the Stretch Mark and Scar Cream and the 100% Pure Moroccan Rose Water (which I used in my homemade facial toner recipe).
Let's start with the Stretch Mark and Scar Cream. If you've read my About Me page you know I have a spawn, which means I have lots of stretch marks on my stomach. I also have stars from 3 major abdominal/pelvic surgeries so my stomach/pelvic area is a mess (which is why I'm not posting pictures). I've tried stretch mark creams before and have never seen any improvement so I went into this skeptical. The instructions say use twice a day, which I did, but I only did half of my stomach so I could see the difference. I used the cream for about two weeks and I did see some softening of the edges of the scars and stretch marks, as well as less shine to the stretch marks, which probably only makes sense to people with massive stretch marks like mine. My skin actually ripped open during pregnancy so my scaring is much more severe than your average person. I was pretty impressed to see any sort of change at all, I'm guessing that with a month of use you'd really start to see some change.
I really like the packaging of this product too. The pump is almost identical to what you'd find on a can of shaving cream, which I though was an unusual choice but I ended up loving it. Because it has an actual cap that fits on there's no real worry of it exploding in my bag if I were to take it traveling with me. The rose hip and evening primrose oil helps to give it a floral scent, and the cocoa butter and vitamin C make it really nourishing for your skin. I really liked this and I will continue to use it and hopefully see some major improvements in the look and quality of my stomach skin.
The second item is pure rose water, which is traditionally used as a facial toner or in your bathwater. I used it straight as a toner for a few days, which was suppose to help balance the pH level of your skin. I didn't notice any "pH level" difference but it did a great job making my skin feel refreshed at the end of the day. I actually used it in my homemade facial toner, as I mentioned above, and that is working wonders on my skin. The bottle also recommends using it in your hair as a sort of hair mask, so I may add it to my next batch of special shampoo.
Rosewater smells amazing, I could sniff this stuff all day. I seem to think it is used in perfumes as well, and I know a lot of high end bath products use it as well. The nice thing about a bottle of pure rosewater like this is you can add it to whatever you want. I really like products that are open ended like that, being creative and crafty is my thing. I will for sure buy another bottle once I've used this one up.
Overall I like InstaNatural and the items I reviewed today. They are both things I probably would have bought had I seen them in a physical store. I look forward to seeing what else they come up with in the future.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I was recently given the opportunity to review several products for a company called InstaNatural, which sells most of it's products through Amazon (which is awesome for people with a Prime account). Today I'll be doing 2 of the products, and I'll do the last 2 on Friday. The ones I'll review today are the Stretch Mark and Scar Cream and the 100% Pure Moroccan Rose Water (which I used in my homemade facial toner recipe).
Let's start with the Stretch Mark and Scar Cream. If you've read my About Me page you know I have a spawn, which means I have lots of stretch marks on my stomach. I also have stars from 3 major abdominal/pelvic surgeries so my stomach/pelvic area is a mess (which is why I'm not posting pictures). I've tried stretch mark creams before and have never seen any improvement so I went into this skeptical. The instructions say use twice a day, which I did, but I only did half of my stomach so I could see the difference. I used the cream for about two weeks and I did see some softening of the edges of the scars and stretch marks, as well as less shine to the stretch marks, which probably only makes sense to people with massive stretch marks like mine. My skin actually ripped open during pregnancy so my scaring is much more severe than your average person. I was pretty impressed to see any sort of change at all, I'm guessing that with a month of use you'd really start to see some change.
I really like the packaging of this product too. The pump is almost identical to what you'd find on a can of shaving cream, which I though was an unusual choice but I ended up loving it. Because it has an actual cap that fits on there's no real worry of it exploding in my bag if I were to take it traveling with me. The rose hip and evening primrose oil helps to give it a floral scent, and the cocoa butter and vitamin C make it really nourishing for your skin. I really liked this and I will continue to use it and hopefully see some major improvements in the look and quality of my stomach skin.
The second item is pure rose water, which is traditionally used as a facial toner or in your bathwater. I used it straight as a toner for a few days, which was suppose to help balance the pH level of your skin. I didn't notice any "pH level" difference but it did a great job making my skin feel refreshed at the end of the day. I actually used it in my homemade facial toner, as I mentioned above, and that is working wonders on my skin. The bottle also recommends using it in your hair as a sort of hair mask, so I may add it to my next batch of special shampoo.
Rosewater smells amazing, I could sniff this stuff all day. I seem to think it is used in perfumes as well, and I know a lot of high end bath products use it as well. The nice thing about a bottle of pure rosewater like this is you can add it to whatever you want. I really like products that are open ended like that, being creative and crafty is my thing. I will for sure buy another bottle once I've used this one up.
Overall I like InstaNatural and the items I reviewed today. They are both things I probably would have bought had I seen them in a physical store. I look forward to seeing what else they come up with in the future.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Fixing Shattered Makeup
There is nothing worst than dropping your favorite powder based makeup and watching it shatter into a million pigmented pieces. We've all been there, it seriously sucks. But there is a way to fix it, and it just takes a few items and about five minutes of work. You'll never have to throw away that brand new eye shadow again.
I actually bought this blush specifically to smash up for this tutorial, my only single blush is over halfway used an I thought a full one would show the steps better. These are surprisingly hard to shatter when you want them to, but I swear if I were to drop my favorite palette on my bed the whole thing would break. My husband got a kick out of watching me throw this blush across the room trying to break it.
For this tutorial, you will need:
I actually bought this blush specifically to smash up for this tutorial, my only single blush is over halfway used an I thought a full one would show the steps better. These are surprisingly hard to shatter when you want them to, but I swear if I were to drop my favorite palette on my bed the whole thing would break. My husband got a kick out of watching me throw this blush across the room trying to break it.
For this tutorial, you will need:
- Broken powder makeup, like an eye shadow, blush, or bronzer. This will not work on palettes unfortunately.
- Isopropyl Alcohol
- Plastic Wrap
- A butter knife or very small spatula like what comes with fancy face creams
- A toothpick
First, you want to try and put as much of the powder back into the pan as possible. The tightly wrap it with the plastic wrap. While this step is actually optional, it will save you a messy headache so I really recommend using the plastic wrap.
Take the butt end of your butter knife and smash all the chunks of makeup up into a loose powder. Without the plastic wrap this would be seriously messy but doable. The smaller the chunks the easier the next step will be.
There, nice and crushed. Try and keep the powder in the pan, use your knife to shift it back over if you need to.
Now add the isopropyl alcohol a few drops at a time until everything is wet. I used maybe a teaspoon total once I was all done. Don't worry if you add too much, the alcohol will evaporate after we're done, it may just take longer.
Once you have enough of the alcohol in it, mix it all up till it's a blush clay. I found a toothpick was the easiest to mix everything up. It should look like a gross mess when you are done.
Now take the blade end of your butter knife and smooth/press everything into place. Think of this like icing a cake, fill in any gaps first then focus on getting it smooth. This part took the longest, but I was done in like 2 minutes max.
Once all smoothed out, set aside to dry. This can take anywhere from a few hours to all night depending on the size of the makeup and how much alcohol you used. Mine was an all nighter, I imagine a pan of eyeshadow would take just a few hours.
Once dry and set you can clean up the edges and it is good to go. A word of advice, sometimes they can dry a little harder than they were before so make sure you don't press the clay so hard into place that you make a brick. This technique can also be used to even out makeup you've hit pan on, I will probably be doing this with my favorite blush sometime this month. Good luck fixing your makeup and let me know down in the comments the busted makeup disaster that brought you to tears.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Mani Monday: Cupcake Cuties!
This month, here in the USA at least, is Thanksgiving which as a big foodie means experimenting with new recipes. Getting everybody together and enjoying lots of food is how we celebrate the holidays here, so I've picked the theme "Food" for this month's link up. I'm very well known for my cupcakes so I'll be doing cupcake nails.
For this manicure you'll need:
To try and show how it would look on a nail I actually painted a nail on my paper with some nude polish. I tried to make it about the size my fingernails normally are as well.
For this manicure you'll need:
- Two colors for the cupcake liner. I picked a robin's egg blue and a violet purple for mine
- A white nail polish for the frosting. I actually own no white polish so I used a pearl color
- A red polish
- nail art dotter, tooth picks, or a very small brush. I used a toothpick this time.
- Clear top coat to protect your work of art
To try and show how it would look on a nail I actually painted a nail on my paper with some nude polish. I tried to make it about the size my fingernails normally are as well.
First step is to paint the bottom third of your nail one of your two colors. Try and keep the top edge straight, this is the base of the cupcake liner. Let it dry completely before you move onto the next step.
Now using your tool, paint three stripes on the liner, try and keep them as even as possible. Let this dry completely as well.
Again using your (clean) tool, paint a fluffy mountain on top of the liner for the frosting. Because I used a pearl color I did two coats of this. Let dry completely.
Now do a small dot of the red on top of the frosting, let dry, then top coat it. And you have a cutie pie cupcake manicure. Repeat on all fingers or just do an accent nail.
And now onto the extra fun stuff! Once a month, on the first Monday, I'm going to host a themed link up. Rules are simple, do a manicure based off the theme, add your link, link back to me, and check out some of the other blogs that participate. I'll eventually have a lovely little banner/button for it, but for right now just say you're participating in Best Beauty for my Buck's Monthly Themed Mani Monday and place a link. Hopefully the widget I'm using is clear on how to add your link, I'm pretty sure there's a little button on the bottom left of it for linking up. So good luck and I can't wait to see what everybody comes up with!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
October 2014 Empties
These post have oddly enough become one of my favorites to do. I love looking back at what I've used up and seeing my empties bag fill up makes me feel super proud. Is that weird? I feel like its weird. Any ways, last month I set a goal of finishing at least 20 items and I hit it! I actually had 29 empties for the month of October, so I'm pretty pleased with myself. Since I had so many items I'll try to keep it quick.
Wow, that is an impressive pile, right? I'll divide this post up by foilies, hair, skin, and makeup to make things easier and quicker. If you want more details than what I give let me know down in the comments.
DHC Velvet Skin Primer x4: Not Purchasing I got about 3 uses out of each pack so 12 uses total and it just make me love it. And for the price I need to love it.
EVE LOM Cleanser: Not Purchasing According to Vogue this is the world's best cleaner and all I can say is what the hell is Vogue smoking. This stuff REEKED and took like 10 minutes to use. Sure, it got my face clean, but so does the non-stinky cleaner I already own that takes me a minute to use. I do like the muslin cloth that came with it so I'll be using that as my shower face scrubbing cloth till it gets gross. Did I mention this stuff smelled awful? Because it did.
Curel and Jergins Lotions: Not Purchasing Some lotion samples I wanted to use up, didn't wow me enough to actually buy.
Garnier Cleansing Oil: Not Purchasing I actually requested this sample because I was looking for a cheaper dupe of the DHC Cleansing Oil, which is amazing. This stuff sucked. Left makeup on my face, doesn't emulsify at all, and left my face feeling oily. I got about 3 uses out of the packet so I tested it out pretty well.
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil: Purchasing Eventually This stuff is amazing, as I've mentioned before. I have one more foil pack and a travel sized bottle left so when those are done I'll actually buy a full sized bottle of this expensive but totally worth it cleansing oil.
Alba Botanica Acne Gel: Undecided I haven't decided it I liked it enough to actually buy one. Didn't like the other things in this line and I *think* it only comes as a set at the store I got the sample from.
Briogeo Hair Mask: Not Purchasing I got this is my last Ipsy bag and while it did make my hair soft it smelled super bad. Which meant my hair smelt super bad for the day every time I used it. Gross
Marc Anthony Sea Salt Spray: Purchase Eventually I already have an second bottle of this, this bottle is the one that got damaged in an exploding Ipsy bag. I really liked it, smelled great, and was cheap.
Feria Hair Dye and ect: Undecided I'll write more about this later probably. Like the color but I think it's fading faster than it should.
OGX Moroccan Deep Conditioner: Purchase I actually have one more tub left but I love this stuff as I've mentioned and buy several whenever it's on sale at Ulta, which seems to be every few months.
Marakesh Split Endz Mendz: Not Repurchasing Another Ipsy bag item, worked ok but made my hair smell like moldy earth. Not exaggerating at all.
Klorane Dry Shampoo: Not Repurchasing I was going to do a full post on this but long story short works really well but is SUUUUPER expensive, $20 for a regular can. And I go through a can every other month, so that would add up fast. I'll stick with my $6 Psssst! Dry shampoo.
Kirkland Facial Wipes: Purchasing I've talked about these often enough you know I like them, but I'm finally down to my last pack so I need to actually buy more. Wish they would go on sale for even better savings.
ULTA Heart Throb Body Was: ???? So I *think* this was a seasonal Valentines Day scent and isn't usually available. I got it on clearance for under a buck and actually really loved the scent. If it ever comes back I'll buy more, but it may never come back. Curse you seasonal items!
Whish Saving Cream: Not Purchasing A Birchbox item, I liked it enough to use it but not enough to spend $20 on a full sized tube. The scent was weird too.
Cotton Swabs: Purchasing I buy a pack every other month from the dollar store.
Save Tan Lotion: Not Repurchasing I'm not even going to tell you how old this was. Don't even ask. So embarrassing, but I go through lotion really slowly I noticed. This was actually bought in Hawaii to help my severely burned Husband, this stuff is like an IV for the skin. So even if I wanted more I doubt I could get more.
Up&Up Face Toner: Not Repurchasing I was actually going to buy more of this until I made my own toner and decided I liked that better. But if you are looking for this one I recommend it. It is a dupe for the Proactiv+ toner for a fraction of the price.
Mary Kay Foundation: Not Repurchasing I have a friend who sells Mary Kay so every once in a while I buy stuff from her. This foundation matched my skin tone perfectly when I bought it, but it's old enough the color is getting orangish and it smells off so I'm chucking it. Though in retrospect it is pretty old. Like older than my son...by a lot. Kind of grossed out I was still using it. These aren't bad foundations, but they are on the more expensive side and can only be purchased from a rep which can be a pain if you don't know someone who sells it.
Dr Jart+ BB Cream: Not Purchasing Another Birchbox item, this is apparently a really popular brand and this specific BB cream is really popular, but it just didn't do it for me. Color and texture were great, wasn't heavy at all. It just felt greasy on my face, like it never really dried. And it had to be applied with either a stippling brush and then buffed in or applied with my fingers for a smooth finish, which meant it took a while to do. I'm a brush fan, keeps things cleaner too.
Makeup Forever Mascara: Not Repurchasing This was part of my free birthday gift from Sephora and is apparently a nice brand but I'm not seeing it. The mascara was pretty standard, though the brush was gigantic! Just not m cup of tea.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: Purchasing Ok, I know I typically don't buy expensive things that won't last for a while, but this mascara is AMAZING! I got this tube in an Ipsy bag and I fell it love after the first time I used it. Not the most waterproof out there, but it make my lashed look long, thick, and as black as can be. I'll treat myself to a full sized tube if I can make it through the holidays withoutmurdering anyone any trouble.
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner: Not Repurchasing Another Ipsy item, just wasn't worth the $20 price tag. Is it better than most pencil liners? Yes. But for $20 I expect a heck of a lot more. Like not having to sharpen it every friggin time I used it. I seriously hate sharpening my eyeliners, I prefer liquid, cream, or those mechanical pencil ones. Sharpening just takes to long and I always end up breaking the tip off.
That's it for my empties, I think I did really well. For November I'm predicting a lower number, maybe around ten if I'm lucky. I've got some makeup almost finished so fingers crossed that they are in next month's post. If you keep track of your empties, how did you do?
Wow, that is an impressive pile, right? I'll divide this post up by foilies, hair, skin, and makeup to make things easier and quicker. If you want more details than what I give let me know down in the comments.
DHC Velvet Skin Primer x4: Not Purchasing I got about 3 uses out of each pack so 12 uses total and it just make me love it. And for the price I need to love it.
EVE LOM Cleanser: Not Purchasing According to Vogue this is the world's best cleaner and all I can say is what the hell is Vogue smoking. This stuff REEKED and took like 10 minutes to use. Sure, it got my face clean, but so does the non-stinky cleaner I already own that takes me a minute to use. I do like the muslin cloth that came with it so I'll be using that as my shower face scrubbing cloth till it gets gross. Did I mention this stuff smelled awful? Because it did.
Curel and Jergins Lotions: Not Purchasing Some lotion samples I wanted to use up, didn't wow me enough to actually buy.
Garnier Cleansing Oil: Not Purchasing I actually requested this sample because I was looking for a cheaper dupe of the DHC Cleansing Oil, which is amazing. This stuff sucked. Left makeup on my face, doesn't emulsify at all, and left my face feeling oily. I got about 3 uses out of the packet so I tested it out pretty well.
DHC Deep Cleansing Oil: Purchasing Eventually This stuff is amazing, as I've mentioned before. I have one more foil pack and a travel sized bottle left so when those are done I'll actually buy a full sized bottle of this expensive but totally worth it cleansing oil.
Alba Botanica Acne Gel: Undecided I haven't decided it I liked it enough to actually buy one. Didn't like the other things in this line and I *think* it only comes as a set at the store I got the sample from.
Briogeo Hair Mask: Not Purchasing I got this is my last Ipsy bag and while it did make my hair soft it smelled super bad. Which meant my hair smelt super bad for the day every time I used it. Gross
Marc Anthony Sea Salt Spray: Purchase Eventually I already have an second bottle of this, this bottle is the one that got damaged in an exploding Ipsy bag. I really liked it, smelled great, and was cheap.
Feria Hair Dye and ect: Undecided I'll write more about this later probably. Like the color but I think it's fading faster than it should.
OGX Moroccan Deep Conditioner: Purchase I actually have one more tub left but I love this stuff as I've mentioned and buy several whenever it's on sale at Ulta, which seems to be every few months.
Marakesh Split Endz Mendz: Not Repurchasing Another Ipsy bag item, worked ok but made my hair smell like moldy earth. Not exaggerating at all.
Klorane Dry Shampoo: Not Repurchasing I was going to do a full post on this but long story short works really well but is SUUUUPER expensive, $20 for a regular can. And I go through a can every other month, so that would add up fast. I'll stick with my $6 Psssst! Dry shampoo.
Kirkland Facial Wipes: Purchasing I've talked about these often enough you know I like them, but I'm finally down to my last pack so I need to actually buy more. Wish they would go on sale for even better savings.
ULTA Heart Throb Body Was: ???? So I *think* this was a seasonal Valentines Day scent and isn't usually available. I got it on clearance for under a buck and actually really loved the scent. If it ever comes back I'll buy more, but it may never come back. Curse you seasonal items!
Whish Saving Cream: Not Purchasing A Birchbox item, I liked it enough to use it but not enough to spend $20 on a full sized tube. The scent was weird too.
Cotton Swabs: Purchasing I buy a pack every other month from the dollar store.
Save Tan Lotion: Not Repurchasing I'm not even going to tell you how old this was. Don't even ask. So embarrassing, but I go through lotion really slowly I noticed. This was actually bought in Hawaii to help my severely burned Husband, this stuff is like an IV for the skin. So even if I wanted more I doubt I could get more.
Up&Up Face Toner: Not Repurchasing I was actually going to buy more of this until I made my own toner and decided I liked that better. But if you are looking for this one I recommend it. It is a dupe for the Proactiv+ toner for a fraction of the price.
Mary Kay Foundation: Not Repurchasing I have a friend who sells Mary Kay so every once in a while I buy stuff from her. This foundation matched my skin tone perfectly when I bought it, but it's old enough the color is getting orangish and it smells off so I'm chucking it. Though in retrospect it is pretty old. Like older than my son...by a lot. Kind of grossed out I was still using it. These aren't bad foundations, but they are on the more expensive side and can only be purchased from a rep which can be a pain if you don't know someone who sells it.
Dr Jart+ BB Cream: Not Purchasing Another Birchbox item, this is apparently a really popular brand and this specific BB cream is really popular, but it just didn't do it for me. Color and texture were great, wasn't heavy at all. It just felt greasy on my face, like it never really dried. And it had to be applied with either a stippling brush and then buffed in or applied with my fingers for a smooth finish, which meant it took a while to do. I'm a brush fan, keeps things cleaner too.
Makeup Forever Mascara: Not Repurchasing This was part of my free birthday gift from Sephora and is apparently a nice brand but I'm not seeing it. The mascara was pretty standard, though the brush was gigantic! Just not m cup of tea.
Urban Decay Perversion Mascara: Purchasing Ok, I know I typically don't buy expensive things that won't last for a while, but this mascara is AMAZING! I got this tube in an Ipsy bag and I fell it love after the first time I used it. Not the most waterproof out there, but it make my lashed look long, thick, and as black as can be. I'll treat myself to a full sized tube if I can make it through the holidays without
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner: Not Repurchasing Another Ipsy item, just wasn't worth the $20 price tag. Is it better than most pencil liners? Yes. But for $20 I expect a heck of a lot more. Like not having to sharpen it every friggin time I used it. I seriously hate sharpening my eyeliners, I prefer liquid, cream, or those mechanical pencil ones. Sharpening just takes to long and I always end up breaking the tip off.
That's it for my empties, I think I did really well. For November I'm predicting a lower number, maybe around ten if I'm lucky. I've got some makeup almost finished so fingers crossed that they are in next month's post. If you keep track of your empties, how did you do?
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Weekend Tips and Tricks
With the holidays coming up I know time management will be a huge struggle for me, so I need every extra second I can get. Here are some of my tricks to helping your days run a little less chaotic and unruly.
Tip #1: Mascara getting a little clump but you aren't ready to open a new tube? Place the tube (closed) in a mug of hot water for a little bit to help melt away some of the clumps.
Tip #2: Another mascara related tip. Save that fancy mascara wand you loved so much and use it with the cheaper formula you also like. Most of the time the wand is what makes the biggest difference, so this let you treat a $5 mascara like a $25 one.
Tip #3: Need new things but have zero money for them (story of my life)? There are lots of websites out there that give you points for doing surveys that you can redeem for gift cards. Swagbucks is the one I like the best and think is the easiest to earn gift cards from. I paid for my son's birthday gifts last year that way.
Tip #4: Put some deep conditioner in your hair before bed, you'll wake up to super soft hair (once you wash it out obviously) and you won't be stuck sitting around in the shower for 10-30 minutes.
Tip #5: Fold you shirts flat and then place them in your drawer up and down instead of flat. This will not only create more space but will let you see each shirt you own and cut down on how much time you spend looking for that specific shirt. if you have drawers big enough (I do not) do this with pants as well.
Tip #1: Mascara getting a little clump but you aren't ready to open a new tube? Place the tube (closed) in a mug of hot water for a little bit to help melt away some of the clumps.
Tip #2: Another mascara related tip. Save that fancy mascara wand you loved so much and use it with the cheaper formula you also like. Most of the time the wand is what makes the biggest difference, so this let you treat a $5 mascara like a $25 one.
Tip #3: Need new things but have zero money for them (story of my life)? There are lots of websites out there that give you points for doing surveys that you can redeem for gift cards. Swagbucks is the one I like the best and think is the easiest to earn gift cards from. I paid for my son's birthday gifts last year that way.
Tip #4: Put some deep conditioner in your hair before bed, you'll wake up to super soft hair (once you wash it out obviously) and you won't be stuck sitting around in the shower for 10-30 minutes.
Tip #5: Fold you shirts flat and then place them in your drawer up and down instead of flat. This will not only create more space but will let you see each shirt you own and cut down on how much time you spend looking for that specific shirt. if you have drawers big enough (I do not) do this with pants as well.
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