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Empties: July 2014

Sunday, July 13, 2014




So I actually don't go through things very quickly because of the fact that I usually alternate my products. Don't expect to see these posts on a regular basis but I like to see what people like (or don't like) based on their use of the product. I will go through what I have used up and give my honest opinions on them and whether I would repurchase and why.
So, off we go!

usa.loccitane.com
Oh L'Occitane, how I do love you. My first empty is the L'Occitane Shea Butter travel size hand cream. I got this in a Sephora sample bag a few months ago and I got absolutely hooked. So hooked that I actually bought three more in different scents so that I wouldn't have to go without. Once you put it on it feels a bit greasy for about a minute but after that it is so comfortable and my hands are so much softer and moisturized. I'm pretty obsessive when it comes to washing my hands so they tend to get dry due to soap much quicker than normal. This really helps and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good hand cream.




go fresh® Rebalance Body Wash With NutriumMoisture®
Dove.us
The second product is Dove Go Fresh Rebalance Body Wash with NutriumMoisture with a plum and sakura blossom scent. I am big into body washes and I really love the scent. It's not too sweet or fragrant, just enough to smell fresh but not offensive to the people who have to spend time around me. The formula was good and I did notice my skin was softer when using it. I probably would purchase this body wash again but I would like to try out other things from Dove. I find that this brand is one of the few that actually makes me notice a difference in my skin. 




Kind To Skin Vital Vitamin Foaming Cleanser
simple.co.uk
Simple Kind to Skin Vital Vitamin Foaming Cleanser is actually not too shabby. Would I purchase it again? No. But do I regret purchasing it in the first place? No again. Some facial cleansers smell disgusting but this one really was very kind to my skin and to my nose. The foam is really wonderful but I feel that maybe it was a bit too gentle. I find that when using it to remove makeup it doesn't completely get the job done. If I just use it as a cleanser, however, it's really good. It doesn't leave my face too dry or rubbery feeling (I hate cleansers like that) but it does leave me feeling extremely clean.
Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover
neutrogena.com




Next is the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. When it comes to removing my eye makeup it really is the saddest part of my day. I love to wear the blackest eyeliner and the blackest mascara that I can get my hands on. I guess in a way I'm just asking for it. This product does get the job done but it's not necessarily the best product I have but it definitely is the best cheapest eye makeup remover so for that reason I will most likely end up repurchasing once I am finished with my much loved Lancome BI-FACIL.




Bottom Lash Mascara
clinique.com

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in black (of course). Oh where do I even begin? To quickly answer the question this is surely going to be repurchased very soon. For the price of $10 this is an amazing mascara. The itty bitty tube and the itty bitty brush actually goes a long way and it is the only thing stopping me from looking like a panda. I have gotten my friends hooked on this and for the price it simply cannot be beat. The only thing that is a negative is that it really is a pain to get off but it's a small price to pay for such a fantastic product. I'm sad to see it empty but excited to be purchasing another.






undefined - Eyes - L'Oreal Paris
lorealparisusa.com
Here we are at the last item. Have you had fun? I hope you have. If not then I'm sorry, I have nothing to offer you for wasting your time but since you've made it this far stick around will you? So Loreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara in blackest black, though mine says "last out butterfly" on the packaging, has a crazy brush but is actually amazing. I use it only for my top lashes and the brush is a bit tricky to get used to (I'm not a contortionist though you wouldn't be able to tell the way that I have to move my arm to apply this mascara). The effect though is actually very nice. It's not clumpy and does a nice job of fanning out the lashes. I think overall L'Oreal has some of the best mascaras in the drugstore. That being said I would only maybe repurchase this because of the fact there are too many mascaras and too little time. I don't feel that it is a holy grail mascara for me and while I have enjoyed using it daily it's time to move on. There are too many fish in the sea, it's not you it's me, and other cliched break-up lines. I hope we can still be friends.


Would You Rather Tag: Beauty Edition

Thursday, July 10, 2014

So while I patiently (ha!) await my haul items to be delivered this week I have decided to let everyone in on the inner workings of my mind. If you are a bit scared, there's no need to be, it's juts a little cluttered in there. If you would like please leave your answers below or do the following tag on your own blog. I am interested to see what people will say. So, let's get to it!

1. Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eyeshadows?
This one should be more difficult than I am making it but I would rather lose all of my mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses. Mainly for the fact that repurchasing them would end up being more inexpensive in the long run since I have way more eyeshadows and palettes than any other makeup item.
2. Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?
Wait, will my hair grow back? And what qualifies as chopping it all off? I would say I'd rather chop it off than never cut it again. I used to have long hair and it is a pain, the amount of shampoo and product that I have to use also makes me never want to grow it that long ever again.
3. Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?
I like the look of a coral cheek. I think it works well with my skintone and hair color.
4. If you had $1,000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?
Makeup. This is the easiest question. My wishlist is more than $1,000 so I wouldn't even have to think about what I would purchase.
5. Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner or eyeliner as lipstick?
I would rather apply eyeliner as lipstick. I feel that the consistency wouldn't be too far off from a lip pencil anyway. Plus I have all sorts of eyeliner colors that I really wouldn't mind going on my lips.
6. Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
Sephora. I love MAC but as a whole I could do some major damage at Sephora. I enjoy trying different products out and the variety at Sephora would make it much more worth it to only shop there. I would miss MAC limited collections though.
7. Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?
Lip color. I like experimenting with eyeshadow much more than with lip colors. I always end up buying a variety of a dusty rose/nude color lipstick or gloss anyway.
8. Would you rather wear winter clothes in the summer or summer clothes in the winter?
Summer clothes in the winter because in Hawaii there really is no such thing as winter, only rainy season. I couldn't imagine in the summer heat having to wear a sweater, I immensely dislike the discomfort that I feel when I get all sweaty. Gross.
9. Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?
Bright nails are so much more fun. I feel that I could make them work even in the fall. Bright orange or yellow would be so much fun.
10. Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?
Give up my favorite lip product. I don't really have one that is my holy grail so maybe I could find it if I were forced to give my current favorite up.
11. Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?
Ponytails are so much easier and is what I more go for when I'm tying my hair back.
12. Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip gloss?
Never paint my nails again. They can look beautiful au naturale.
13. Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all or Sharpie them in everyday?
I feel that if I were forced to Sharpie them in everyday that eventually I would get pretty good at it. But then again I could just always get bangs. Hmm. I think I'd say Sharpie AND get bangs. That way if I'm having a good brow day my bangs will get pinned back but if I'm not then down they go.
14. Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?
Bye bye nail polish. I love you but there's no way I could live without makeup.

Shalalalalala my oh my: e.l.f. Ariel Bronzed Beauty

e.l.f. Disney Ariel Bronzer & Mini Kabuki Brush Gift Set
walgreens.com

The year was 1989, I was a wee lass at the ripe old age of two. The movie The Little Mermaid had come out and carved itself a permanent space in my heart. I don't know what made this movie resonate so much with me but it sure did, and still does. Maybe it was Ariel, the feisty redhead who was out to get what she wanted (I see how it is crazy now but two year old me had no idea what was going on), or the handsome Prince Eric, maybe sidekicks Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle were what drew me to it. My poor parents had to sit through it only stopping to rewind the VHS (yes, this was way before the era of DVD and Blu Ray) so that I could watch it over and over again. Maybe it was because I am a water sign (what up my fellow cancers?) but The Little Mermaid is still my all-time favorite film.
So when I saw that Walgreens had partnered up with e.l.f. for a limited edition range of Ariel-inspired products I was right on board. The Little Mermaid, makeup, check and check I am on board. I headed down to my local Walgreens today and was sad to see that it was slim pickings to say the least. I was going there anyway so I wasn't making a special trip and didn't check for availability online. The one item that I really wanted, the Treasure Within Beauty Box Gift Set is not available at any Hawaii Walgreens locations according to the website. So, I am bummed about that but I did pick up the Bronzed Beauty bronzer and mini kabuki brush. I honestly don't intend on using this product at all. I have a lot of bronzers and the packaging is just too adorable to tear into. Question: Do any of you purchase limited edition beauty items and never open them either for the purpose of reselling or collecting? I don't see myself reselling LE items on ebay to make a few bucks, I collect makeup because I love it, not to profit from it.

MAC & The Simpsons Team up for LE Collection

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

So in this crazy digital age I am all but certain that by now everyone has heard this incredibly exciting news. I have never been a huge fan of The Simpsons but I have watched it enough to not want to miss this LE collection. The news that this will be available for one day only (July 26) in San Diego during Comic-Con makes it sting that much more that I can never seem to get tickets. I guess I'll just have to wait until August 28th for the collection to be released online or on September 4th when it will hit stores.

Drugstore Makeup Tag

So I have been watching these videos and seeing these blog posts for a couple of years now and decided that it was about time to dive right into what my favorite drugstore makeup products are. Obviously I can't speak to things I have not personally tried but these are my favorites out of what I do own.

1. What is your favorite drugstore makeup brand overall?

Overall I would have to say that my favorite drugstore makeup brand is Maybelline with Revlon coming in at a close second. Overall I have had wonderful success with Maybelline products and feel that the quality of them are actually very good. 

2. What are your favorite face, cheek and lip products? 
I have two favorite face products. The first is Revlon Colorstay foundation for Combination/Oily Skin in shade 150 Buff. I had originally started out with the normal skin version but found that the formulation for combo/oily was much better suited for my face. My second favorite face product is Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 foundation in the color 810. Overall the Colorstay foundation has fantastic coverage however I feel sometimes it does sit a bit heavy on my face. However, the Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation is a bit more sheer but feels more comfortable on. A mixture of Revlon's coverage and Cover Girl's lightness could be a holy grail product for me.
 

I feel that again I am cheating a bit here by choosing two blushes but my favorite cream cheek product came as an absolute surprise to me as I picked it up on a complete whim at Walgreens one day. Loreal's Magic Smooth Souflee Blush in Celestial has quickly become one of my favorites and is currently in my makeup bag. I absolutely love how light it is and the texture is perfect. I really wish that I had picked up more of them. I also have to mention for power blushes that Sleek makes amazing ones. Rose Gold is similar to NARS Orgasm and in my opinion is way nicer. I find Orgasm to be a bit patchy and chalky when swatched but Rose Gold is so buttery and gorgeous. There is a lot of shimmer so people who like matte shades may want to look towards other Sleek blushes but I do recommend them for their texture and color payoff.

To be honest my most used and most loved lip products are high end but there are a few things from the drugstore that I do like. L'Oreal Color Riche in the shade Fairest Nude is a go-to classic.


 3. Least favorite product?
Revlon blushes have been a complete fail for me. I find them to be a chalky mess with terrible color pay off. I really wish I could say anything positive here but really I can't.

4. What is the best makeup bargain?
 

This one is easy. The best makeup bargain is the Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio, most specifically Walking on Eggshells. At $2.99 it is a steal, the colors are beautiful, the payoff is amazing, and the formula is buttery. 

5. What is your favorite underdog product? (Something you love that often gets overlooked?) 
I feel that the Jordana Fabu Liner often gets overlooked. The struggle for the perfect cat eye is real, and while I feel I still have not achieved it Jordana has gotten me farther than others. I have used many other liquid eyeliners in the past with varying levels of success but the felt tip gives me the most precision so I'm sticking with it. 

6. A drugstore product that is overpriced?
The price of drugstore makeup is too damn high! The L'Oreal HiP line is crazy expensive. I can't justify purchasing anything from it. 

7. Show your best drugstore dupe(s)!!
As I mentioned before the best drugstore dupe is Sleek's Rose Gold blush as a dupe for NARS Orgasm. They are not an exact match when they are applied but in the pan the colors are almost indistinguishable. Orgasm is a brighter pink than rose gold but the gold shimmer in both of them make the effect very similar.

8. Drugstore product that isn't worth the hype?
One drugstore product that I feel is not worth the hype is the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent. I know a lot of bloggers talk about how much they like it but I find that it's just okay. The price point is fantastic but as a product I don't feel that it does much for me. I have combination skin so maybe it will work better for people with oily skin, I just find it doesn't do much for me.