Basic Essentials Haul

You may have noticed that I haven't been hauling a lot lately. While I am certainly not on a no-buy, I have somehow managed to rein in my impulse to spontaneously splurge. Now, I thoroughly research cosmetics before I open my pocket book and focus on using and appreciating what is currently in my collection. However, this lack of hauling means that I am using up products, makeup and otherswise, like a mad woman. The other day I discovered that my stock of everyday skincare and cosmetics essentials was depleted! Here is what I broght home from a quick trip to Target- no unessesary buys jumped into my basket either!

Up & Up Eye Makeup Remover

This stuff is cheap but it gets the job done. After I finished up my last bottle of this I started using coconut oil to remove my eye makeup, but I ran out of that, too!

St. Ives Skin Renew Collagen Elastin Lotion

I started buying this product way back when it was sold in tubs as a face cream. It appears that the formula is still the same, though it is now marketed as a body lotion. This body lotion is not fragranced, sinks into the skin lightening fast, is incredibly hydrating, and is slightly firming. I feel like my skin is in good condition when I use this stuff, and I use it on both face and body. Bonus: it is very affordable, and my partner loves it, too!

Yes to Tomatoes Perfect Balance Facial Set

 This is my second time buying this set, though I have also bought sever of the items included individually. My main love from this kit is the Yes to Tomatoes facial lotion- oily and combo skinned babes, you need this in your life. The whole kit, which also includes a facial wash, mask, and headband, was on clearance for $13 (each product is usually around $10) so in the cart it went.

Goody Ouchless Hairties

Basic necessity for long haired ladies.

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

I have been reading rave reviews about this product for ages, so once I used up all of my setting powders I made sure to pick one up. A full review is coming soon, but as of now it is living up to reputation! 

Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara

This past month I also finished up a tube of clear mascara, which I use to set my brows. My rationale in picking Great Lash was simply that it was the cheapest clear mascara I could find at Target. However, I am really glad I got this one because the wand is very small- perfect for sorting out my wild brows. 

Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush

My previous eyeliner brush was legit crap- but what can we expect for a no name $2 cheapo from the grocery store? I have now repurposed it as a nail art brush to make way for this Sonia Kashuk Bent Liner Brush. This has been working beautifully with cream liners for me, and makes winged liner effortless.

Despite this essentials haul, I am still on the market for a few basics! I am on the market for a good primer, tinted moisturizer, and foundation as well.

High end or low end, what are your suggestions?

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Posted in Bath/Shower , Goody , Hair Care , Haul , Maybelline , Skin Care , Sonia Kaschuk , St. Ives , Yes to Tomatoes

September Favorites (No Flunkies Allowed!)

Forgive me for being a few days late on this month's favorites and flunkies post. Due to my busy schedule my makeup routine has simplified, and I have started to opt for more neutral, foolproof shades. As I look at my most used products, I can see that I have been slowly transitioning from summer to fall. Because I have been really limiting my spending, I thankfully don't have any flunkies to share with you this month either. Here is what I have been loving this month!

Slatkin & CO Marshmallow Fireside Candle

I picked this up at Bath & Body Works during their recent 2 for $20 candle sale. This may actually be the most delicious scent I have ever smelled in my life. Just like roasted marshmallows and campfires, the scent is part creamy, sweet marshmallow, and part smokey and woodsy. You need this in your life, trust me!

Goody Spin Pins

I never spend much time on my hair, and this has especially been so now that I have been so busy with school. Even if I am stressed and under slept I still want to be polished and professional, so a messy ponytail simply won't do. Spin pins have been my hair savior this month. You can create a ton of different looks with these, but I typically use them to quickly transform my messy long locks into a cute, secure bun.

NYX Cream Blush in Boho Chic

For a full review and swatches, click here. I adore everything about this product. The cream to powder formula is easy to blend and lasts on my oily prone skin. The shade is a cool toned milky pink with subtle shimmer that adds a natural glow to my face. 

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed

Read my full review and see swatches here. This blush was something I really had to step out of my comfort zone to try, but I am literally obsessed with it now. It is a pigmented, long wearing nude pinky brown that it is going to be perfect in the fall to create a natural, warm flush. This is also the ideal shade, in my opinion, to pair with a deep, berry or red lipstick.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha

After a long lover affair with Milk, I have recently been reaching for the shade Iced Mocha religiously. This medium brown with silver shimmer acts as a phenomenal sticky base for all of my brown eye looks.

 E.L.F. Studio Single Eyeshadow in Coffee Bean

I received this as an extra in a recent MUA swap and honestly didn't have high expectations. Coffee Bean is a pretty dark brown with silvery shimmer but on its own the pigmentation isn't stellar. However, this shade layered over NYX JEP in Ice Mocha has been my go to eye look these past few days. I have been really loving this combo. Since both shades have silver shimmer (which I think is pretty unique, as most shimmery browns are laced with gold), they create a gorgeous icy brown smokey eye that has just the slightest touch of taupe.

Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner in Everlast

Expect a full review on this phenomenal liner soon! I don't know why more people aren't obsessing over this product.  This liner lasts forever, is super dark, and easy to apply.

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Nude

Read my full review here. This has been my most used lipstick recently. It is the best nude I have found to date, and is a great budget find! 

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Sandy

When it comes to lip gloss, I am typically not willing to buy high end but this one is worth every penny. The formula is wonderfully cooling and tingly on the lips, and I do feel like it makes my pout look plumper. The shade is a pinky nude that is lovely on its own or layered over most any lipstick. Pairing this with Revlon's Soft Nude has been my go to lip combo this month.

What have you been loving this past month? 

Any flunkies to report?

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Posted in Bath and Body Works , Buxom , E.L.F. , Favorites and Flunkies , Goody , Hair Care , Milani , NYX , Revlon , Tarte

August Favorites & Flunkies

 August came and went more quickly than I would have liked, and we are now officially into September. Nonetheless, I am getting excited for autumn, but the summer heat is still blasting in my neck of the woods. August was a relatively uninspired month for me, in terms of makeup. I could be seen sporting either dark, dramatic lids with a nude or even bare lips, or a bold lip with a minimalist, mascara-only eye. I didn't haul much either. I spent most of my summer incredibly tight on money, and when I did finally get some extra cash to play with I found that nothing really peaked my interest.  I do have a Cherry Culture order on its way though!

Here are the goodies I have been reaching for this month, as well as two flunkies. Also, please forgive me for the photos. I have been fighting with Blogger to rotate them, but I gave up after the third round of editing and resizing the pictures. Sorry!

Urban Decay Naked Palette 

Once again, this much adored palette makes it onto my monthly favorites list. However, this month I gave some love to the four shadows that I usually neglect the most. Toasted and Hustle, with their purple undertones, paired together made for a gorgeous, updated brown lid, and Creep and Gunmetal helped me create some gorgeous smokey eyes. Creep is also my go-to shade for setting liner now.

wet N wild Color Icon Palette in Comfort Zone

When I have opted for more neutral eyes this month, I have been reaching for the first two shades in this awesome, budget friendly palette. The first shade is a shimmer yellow beige and the second is a shimmery orange peach.

The palette also includes this amazing shadow, a brown/red/green multichrome, that makes for a simple and multidimensional dramatic lid or an interesting liner setting shade. I suspect this is very similar to MAC's Club, but since I don't own it I can't officially say how dupe-worthy it is. Regardless, it is a unique, high quality shadow.

Revlon Color Burst Lipstick in Soft Nude

Nude lipstick perfection. After seeing this on multiple blogs, I picked this gem up and couldn't be happier. It is my perfect pinky nude- my lips looks muted, but not dead. And it is budget-friendly. Holla!

MAC Musky Amethyst

I fall in love with this lipstick every time I use it- it balances red and plum in a wearable way. It has been a really versatile shade for me as well: a few dabs and it serves as a subtle lip stain, or a proper application makes for a gorgeous statement lip.

MAC Viva Glam Gaga 2 Lipglass

When I am at work I do not have time to touch up my lipstick, so this opaque nude gloss has been a savior. I can tuck it into my pocket and reapply whenever I feel the need, allowing my look to remain polished and fresh looking. I don't like this on its own so much, but it is great to layer over or revitalize nude lipstick.

LORAC Multiplex 3D Lip Gloss in 3D

I received this deluxe sample in a Sephora kit, and I really adore it. 3D is a rose bronze shade with multicolored shimmer. The look of this on the lips is almost metallic.  I love to layer this on top of MAC Musky Amethyst.

NYX Lip Liner in Rose

In August I rediscovered lip liner, and I can't believe I have been wearing lipstick without it. I have a few of these NYX liners and am impressed with the quality of all of them, but I have been reaching for Rose, a light pink, most often. The formula is a bit dry, but the pencil doesn't drag on my lips and it makes my lipstick last a lot longer.

Benefit Erase Paste in No. 2

 This concealer was a rediscovery for me. After sitting unloved in my makeup drawer, I dragged it back out and have been using it almost daily. I realized that I didn't love it before this summer because it was too dark for my skin, thus emphasizing dark circles. Now that I have a bit of a tan, it works like a dream.

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Shampoo & Conditioner

I broke my vow to use only natural shampoo and conditioner this month. Although the overall condition of my hair is good, my blonde locks were looking dull. This duo has really revitalized the appearance of my hair: after just two week I notice my hair is shinier and less brassy.

My homemade sea spray

Water, a bit of salt, and a few drops of coconut oil in a little spray bottle make for a great sea spray. A few mists on my dry hair emphasizes my natural waves and adds some texture. Try it out!

Flunkies....

blinc Mascara

I received this in my most recent (and last...but more on that in a future post) Birchbox. Initially I was really intrigued by this mascara, which creates tubes around your lashes. Although removing it is super easy and mess-free (the tubes just slide off with warm water), this is a really natural looking mascara. I need more volume and length, so the novelty of the "tubing" isn't enough to sell me.

Estée Lauder Double Matte Foundation

My hunt for my HG foundation brought me to the Estee Lauder counter, where the sales associate offered me a sample of Double Wear and Double Matte. Double Matte, contrary to what the name suggests, doesn't provide a long wearing matte finish. Even with primer and powder, my oily skin was in its full glory halfway through the day. Read my full review of Double Matte and Double Wear here.

What have you been loving this month? Any regretful purchases?

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Posted in Benefit , blinc , Estee Lauder , Favorites and Flunkies , Hair Care , John Frieda , Lorac , MAC , NYX , Revlon , Urban Decay , Wet n Wild

Touch of Ginger- Hair Dye Results!

Perhaps I have been watching too much True Blood, which is full of gorgeous redheaded ladies (I am still finishing up season 3 so no spoilers please!). Today on a whim I decided to take the plunge and go ginger. Well, it is still more of a strawberry blonde as opposed to a fire red. I am not sure how I feel about it yet, but thought I would share the results with you!

I used Clairol Nice n' Easy in 108 Natural Reddish Blonde.

What do you think? Was I meant to be a ginger?

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Posted in Hair Care

Review: Yes to Tomatoes Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner

My first blog post ever was a Walgreens Haul jam packed with Yes to goodies found in the clearance section. I was able to snag half-priced backups of some of my favorite products, and the lowered price tag allowed me to take a chance on new products such as the Yes to Tomatoes Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner. Let me first say that I do not have a good track record with natural hair care products. I have tried quite a few different brands, including Burt's Bees and others from the Yes to line, and abhorred each and every single one. The shampoos were hard to work into my hair, felt drying and caused dandruff, and didn't do the basic job of getting my hair clean. And the conditioners never detangled my long locks or repaired my damaged ends. I have been really eager to get away from shampoos and conditioners loaded up with detergents and parabens, but I was hesitant to give these a try based on my history with crappy natural hair products. Did this YTT duo stand up to the test, or did I add their names to the list of natural hair product flunkies?

Prouct
While I would not say this is the best shampoo and conditioner I have ever used, they are certainly the best natural shampoo and conditioner I have tried. Unlike the duds I mentioned above, these products actually do their job. The shampoo actually lathers (Thank the goddess! A natural shampoo that lathers!) and gets my hair clean (that is the point, ain't it?). Likewise, the conditioner gets the knots out and does a decent job repairing damage. My hair craves a little more moisture than this can give me, but it isn't anything that a weekly deep conditioning hair treatment can't take care of.  I don't feel like my hair is any more voluminous than before I started using these products, so if you are specifically looking for a great volumizing shampoo and conditioner then these probably aren't your best bet. However, I have naturally wavy hair so the fact that these don't add extra volume doesn't bother me; perhaps these volumize better for people with different hair types. I have heard that some people hate the smell of the Yes to Tomatoes line, but I loooove it- it doesn't immediately strike me as tomato-ish, but is simultaneously fruity and earthly like vine tomatoes. For those who try this on a whim and compare this to their non-natural products, this shampoo and conditioner probably won't seem like anything special. But for those who have a rocky history with natural hair care products, these might pleasantly surprise you!

Packaging
Nothing especially negative or positive to report. Just your standard shampoo and conditioner bottles!


Price
I caught these on a sale at my local Walgreens, but the two products retail as a set on the Yes to website for $15.99. They are more expensive than some other drug-store brand hair care lines, but not unreasonably priced for natural products.


Have you tried the Yes to Tomatoes Shampoo & Conditioner? Have you tried natural hair care products? What is your favorite natural shampoo and conditioner?

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Posted in Hair Care , Natural Products , Yes to Tomatoes