Camping Trip!

So this weekend I am participating in a Girl Scout Camporee with my daughter and of course thought I would share with you what I am bringing in the makeup department.  It's not much but we are talking extreme essentials here.

Sorry for the blurry photo.  My electronics are currently crashing/malfunctioning at the moment.  Lovely times!

But for makeup, I obviously do not want to go overboard whilst relaxing in the great outdoors but I don't want to scare off the children when I stumble out of my tent in the morning either.  So I will go overboard anyway...  I packed Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Cream for coverage.  I also have a tiny sample size of the Supergoop! CC Cream if I run out of BB Cream.  I also brought my 2 favorite concealers du jour, Maybelline Fit Me in Light & Fair.  Oh and Bobbi Brown corrector in Light Bisque.  NYC blushable Crème Stick in 648 Mauvin' Uptown is unfortunately discontinued I believe but is perfect for just a subtle amount of color without looking over done.  I also have a small sample size of YoungBlood Hi-Def Translucent Powder to set everything.  Perfect tiny size.  And my eyelash curler.  I don't leave home without it.  Last but not least Supergoop! City Sunscreen Serum and a couple Real Techniques brushes because I apply my makeup with brushes on a camping trip apparently.  :)

For skincare, I am keeping it super basic.  I have a travel size bliss foaming face wash which I just received in the mail in a travel kit from sister for my birthday!  Thanks Liss!  I also have some chapstick moisture hydration lock, NIVEA lotion, Neutrogena Clear Face and Ultra Sheer Liquid Sunscreen (gotta have my sunscreen!), Nuance Smoothing Eye Cream, Clinique all about eyes serum (morning puffy eyes be gone!), witch hazel wipes, sample Bumble and bumble shampoo and conditioner packets, Kiehl's midnight recovery concentrate, some cotton buds and rounds and tissues.

And that's it!  I can keep it simple, sort of...

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Week 17: Weekly Skincare/Makeup Box-Weekend Holiday Travel Edition

We traveled over the weekend to visit family on Easter.  This is what I packed!  Since I am heading again this weekend, I just continued to use what I packed. 

Currently I am using the Thirty-One Deluxe Beauty Bag which is currently a Hostess Exclusive.  I think with a $200 party you can purchase this for $25.  When I purchased this bag it was only available in 2 prints.  It holds a lot of stuff and I like that it has a larger pocket to hold brushes and hair tools.

Only tried and true come with me on vacations.  I try to pack light...  ;)  The 3 pockets at the top are very small and snug but work well so that you only have space for a couple small items which are visible and easily accessible.  So I have some NIVEA lotion for hands, body and face if I need it.  I also packed my Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, Rose Salve, Kiehl's Midnight Recovery and Burt's Bees Lemon Cuticle Butter.

 The next longer and deeper horizontal has a little more wiggle room. Here I put some hand sanitizer wipes, witch hazel wipes for my face, cotton buds, exfoliating cotton rounds, Urban Decay de-Slick, wide tooth comb and some perfume samples. 

The larges pocket at the bottom of the bag has a clear zip pocket in the front perfect for makeup brushes, tweezers, nail file etc...

(My lovely camera or computer or both have decided not to cooperate and import photos at the moment so I will describe the rest of what I packed! Will update later.)

Inside this pocket also has expandable holders which are good for larger bottles of lotion, hair brushes etc.  I packed my Evian facial spray, Bath and Body Works aromatherapy sleep body cream in lavender and chamomile, ceramic round brush, and L'OREAL Miracle Blur.  I also packed the 2 mesh pockets on either side.  Left side contains deodorant (not my favorite, I ran out of Donna Karan Cashmere mist), hand sanitizer, Bumble and bumble Bb Straight Blow Dry, Guerlain L'OR, Clinique Skin Supplies for men face scrub (works for ladies too!) and hand sanitizer.  Right pocket has Supergoop! SPF 30 City Sunscreen Serum (which I am obsessed with), L'OREAL Magic LUMI Primer, Clinique all about eyes serum, Nuance Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream and Urban Decay b6 spray.

The outside pockets so far have a travel size L'OREAL EverCreme Cleansing Conditioner, Kiehl's Facial Fuel Energizing Face Wash and seventh generation boosts clearing with tea tree skin serum.  and I have room to add more if I see something last minute.

Now for makeup:

I really wanted to pack minimal and use one makeup bag.  This blue and white strips bag is from a Hautelook sample bag which they offer a couple times a year.  It's a really nice, lined bag and it has held up impressively.

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix.
BB Cream: Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox
Concealers: Bobbi Brown corrector, Maybelline Fit Me in 10 Light, 15 Fair and Magic Lumi Highlighter.
Powders: Laura Mercier Mineral Powder in Real Sand (might be too yellow, jury is out), tarte Smooth Operator for setting Concealer
Primer: Smashbox for face, Jesse's Girl and Stay Don't Stray for lids
Eyes: Maybelline Color Tattoos in 250 Nude Pink, 95 Sleek & Spice and 25 Bad to the Bronze, L'OREAL Infallibles in 405 Pink Sapphire and 888 Iced Latte (high lighter), LORAC Pro to go and Maybelline Sunbaked Neutrals
Mascara: L'OREAL Butterfly and Urban Decay supercurl curling mascara
Face: LORAC Pro To Go for the blush and bronzer.  Nice palette. MAC Taupe Shape for contour
Lips: WnW ColorIcon lipliner in Brandy Wine, Milani lipsticks in 27 Dulce, 21 Sangria, L'OREAL 183 Pink Resistance
Brows: Anastasia Clear Brow Gel and ybf automatic eyebrown pencil in universal taupe

It's a lot but that's how I roll!

So this is the makeup I used last week and currently in use this week.  And again I am packing for another weekend trip and will update you on that project!

Happy week 17 to you!

Week 8 Results!

Week 8's result box is packed...

Here is what I started with:

Foundation: I had a tough week in the foundation department.  One thing that I learned, I can no longer apply with my fingers.  My skin only likes a beauty blender or equivalent and this week it was the Real Techniques one and it works excellent.  It's just more forgiving, blurring, helps disquise flakiness...  Especially with CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous. What a perfect foundation for me.  I have 825 Buff Beige.  There is a slight pinkiness to it but overall it is the best match for my skin tone other than Dr Jartt and Garnier BB Cream.  Stay Fabulous just gives me that perfect finish and passes the car mirror check!  All week long I checked and my face was orange.  Mortifying!  And there was nothing I could do about it since I had already left the house. 
 

The ones that didn't work out, L'OREAL True Match LUMI and regular. W1-2 and W3 are just too pink. They look artificial on me.  I know that they work well for a lot of others though.  I just wish I could find the right shade.  And since I have CoverGirl Stay Fabulous that I know looks perfect, it's time to let this foundation baggage go.  I'm going to send LUMI to my sister.  Her complexion is more fair and more pink.

I also used my faithful Skin 79 BB cream and Lumene CC Cream in Light either alone or as bases.  I finished up the eclos HydraPriner this week.  I really like this product.  It controls oil and fills in pores without settling in them. 

Moisturizer: I'm still have congestion issues. I broke out the big guns...  My Olay Professional Pro-X Clear. Which I think is losing potency because my go to system did nothing for my skin this week. Usually 2-3 days is all I need.  Ahh and I just looked at the expiration on the tube 04/2013.  OOPS!!! Bye Bye Olay, you have been good to me.

I also had oily, dry and normal skin this week... yay...  So when trying to find that perfect moisturizer for everything I was dealing with, I grabbed Nuance AM/PM anti-Aging Super Lotion. It is very moisturizing for me so I learned to use this at night.  It smells nice, slight citrus/botanical.  I love that Nuance is a CVS exclusive product and it qualifies for the spend $30 get $5 ECB!

Primer: I started off with Revlon and ended with Rimmel Stay Matte which was thicker than I expected but worked really well.  The true test will be during a hot and humid day.  

Treatment:  Seventh Generation Clearing with Tea Tree oil.  Not sure if this is doing anything but things are not getting worse either.  Rapid Lash...  I used this a few times. Lashes are looking great!

Cleanser:  I finished up the eclos and used Biore and a new Neutrogena Facial Bar that I opened up at the end of the week.

Mask: I finished my 40 carrots, sadly.  I will be looking for another at Marshall's. But not this month, I will explain later!  I have one more use of my Julep Mask Noir. 

Eye Cream:  I tried and finished Benefit eye potent.  Nice eye cream. No major improvements in a week's time but my concealer looked better this week than last week. I was about to throw them all away.  What a difference an eye cream makes!  

Concealers:  Bobbi Brown Corrector Light Bisque, Maybelline Fit Me in Light and Fair, Physicians Formula Conceal RX.  And yes, some mornings this week, I used a combination of them all!  lol

Makeup:  This week I used my MAC Gold-Go-Lightly which I have used a ton and it still barely has a dip. My favorite mascara is still L'Oreal Lash Out Butterfly.  It makes your lashes look amazing.  Julep Kajal Eye Glider is one of my go to eyeliners.  This does run on me slightly, I just have to make sure I set it if I want to wear it long term.  But I like the tone of the brown is perfect for me.  Not to red, not to green...  Kind of addicted to the Baby Lips Dr. Rescue.  I'm not sure if it does anything for my lips as far as moisturizing, but I like the subtle color and it is quick and easy to apply.  I also used Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Standout and to tone it down a bit, I topped it off with AVON Glazewear Shine Lip Gloss in Iced Pink.  This is my second Iced Pink.  It's one of my favorites.

Urban Decay Naked 3 and Naked Basics was used this week on my eyes.  You know my love for Urban Decay and it continues...

Also pictured is my mark Blush Palette in a MAC palette.  I also have all my mark single eyeshadows in a MAC palette as well.  I like how they are all in one place. 

Oh and a Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze.  My favorite Tattoo!

Lots of empties this week so look out for that next!

Week 3 Beauty Box Results

Here is what I started with last week:

And what I accumulated:

Foundation/CC Cream:

For foundations I used Physicians Formula Youthwear Spotless Light, L'OREAL True Match LUMI W1-2, Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse Foundation.  I actually did a lot of mixing.  Rimmel Stay Matte Mousse is super matte and just needs a little more luminosity for my drier skin this week so I mixed it with the Physican's Formula and even the Lorac CC cream as these 2 are a bit too dark for my winter skin right now.  LUMI is the lightest foundation right now in my collection and actually I realized this week it is a perfect match for my skin as I am quite pale right now.  A couple of days in a row I looked at my face midday and it was a not so natural color.  Too pink/orange.  Probably because I used darker foundations but I think everything looked good initially.  Probably time to move my makeup application to natural light vs bathroom artificial lights. 

Primer

Smashbox for my t-zone and L'OREAL Revitalift Miracle Blur for my forehead and crow's feet which I reach for when I remember.  I will keep Revitalift in my weekly box to remember!  It works really well at smoothing everything out and makeup blends over it nicely.  I have used this over foundation as well.  It was difficult to evaluate Smashbox as my skin is quite normal right now.   But the color of my face was all over the place last week and I'm not sure if I just used too dark of foundations or something oxidized.  I didn't have any issues last week...

 

 

Moisturizer/SPF

Origins Plantscription SPF 25 is pretty heavy but used sparingly, it worked well for me.  I only used it a couple of days and I did notice slightly shiny skin later on in the day where the other days, I didn't feel the need to powder.  Not enough to blot though.  But my skin needs moisture and SPF.  I don't think I could use this in the summer though.  Better use it up in the next few weeks.  I just need a pea size.  Probably not enough to reap the SPF benefits however.  I used the Clarins as SPF backup.

I used the eclos Anti-Aging Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream this week at night.  I love the smell of this cream.  I love the entire line actually including the daily HydraPrimer...  I also used Kiehl's Midnight Recovery which I have been saving because I knew that I would love it and want to purchase.  Sure enough, I love it and want to purchase.  I need to finish up some things first!  Ahhh!!!

This is Lipsi Aphrodite Powder.  I used this to set my foundation on Saturday and Sunday.  I forgot where this came from.  Birchbox?  It is translucent and completely blends into the skin without a powdery look.  I will use it more next week.  It is supposed to absorb oils all day!  Huge claim for sure.

Eye cream

Finally finished the Arbonne Eye Cream sample!  A foil packet that lasted 3 weeks.  In fact, I still have a couple days use but I want to try something else.  I'm pretty sure I could go a month as I squeezed out a bit too much some days.

Serum and/or treatment

I finished up the Omojo fine line defense halbios serum this week.  I can't say I saw major results, but I like a serum that dries down nicely, doesn't irritate/break out my skin or clog my pores and doesn't add oil.  This one fits the bill.  I grabbed this on clearance at Walgreens.  But if I see it again, I might pick it up on a sale.

Cleanser 

For cleanser I used honey most of the week but also mixed in the Julep Cleansing oil and Eclos Facial Cleanser Skin Prep.  It's a good combo and my face feels thoroughly cleaned and soft, not tight. 

Mask

Boscia Bright White Mask.  I'll be honest here.  The product was a bit separated when I squeezed it out of the packet and it looked similar to what a bird flying overhead would create...  But I quickly moved past that when I read on the back of the packet that it was a peel off mask!  Love peel off masks!  This one is lovely too.  There were a few bits that had to be washed off.  My skin was radiant and hydrated, I even had my husband feel it. :)   I'm definitely purchasing a full size.

Clinique Acne Solutions Mask was nice.  It didn't have that gagging acne medicinal smell even though it is a medicated formula.  It didn't feel drying, didn't tingle or anything yet it left the skin soft.  I noticed a day later that my chin looked clearer.  I had a couple very small under the skin bumps/congestion and they were taken care of.  I feel like I would see a lot of benefits using this a couple times a week in the summer.  I will be purchasing a full size.

Some type of palette, eyeshadow, blush, etc.

I tried to explore most of the colors that I do not normally wear in the UD Box of Shadows IV this week.   I did add in the Basics Palette for crease/transition colors. 

You really can't beat Urban Decay.  They are a stellar company.  If I could have the entire line of one makeup company, hands down, I would choose Urban Decay.

So I found some really nice products this week.  It's all about discovery! 

Did you find any new loves recently?

September Empties!

Oh yeah, we continue to fly through 2012!  I'm not really excited about this but I do love me some Fall weather!  It feels quite rainy and tropical here in NC at the moment...

Hmm...  Where shall I start?  Maybe with my favorites this month!

  1.  LUSH Twilight Bath Bomb:  Oh em gee...  Yeah this bomb is the bomb.  I really sound lame here but I absolutely need to repurchase this but my practical side is really deterring me.  $5.95 for one use.  I tried to break it up (practical or cheap?) but it really ruins the experience.  Use it full on and just make sure you have some uninterrupted bath time.  Like put the kids (animals) and hubby (boyfriend) to bed and make sure they are asleep.  Plus I had no idea that it had glitter in it when I used just a piece of it!  I do wish the glitter was a shimmer that stayed on the body after soaking, but then again I am a bit old to be walking around all sparkly.  But it smells wonderful, like a sweet lavender, maybe some vanilla.  It leaves the skin smelling nice and feeling soft and smooth.  It really is relaxing.  I probably need to get the shower gel as well, but again the practical side of me...  Screw that side, I need some sanity in my life and this might be the one thing to restore it!  :)

  2.  Scent Sationals Wickless Fragrance Cubes Zen:  I picked these up at Walmart for $2.  I use them in the master bathroom so the smell permeates into the bedroom.  Kind of smells a bit like Old Spice...maybe... but definitely masculine borderline metro so I figured the smell would work for both myself and my husband. It is very soothing.  However with the $2 price tag, the scent lasts maybe 3 days tops and you have to add another cube or 2.  Going through 6 cubes in a week is not very cost effective.  I don't have a lot of experience with Scentsy except for "Leather coach" (gag me) and "Nursery" (choking on baby powder) but I know they last a lot longer and are re-usable.  But this brand is readily available and I can pick it up anytime.

  3. & 4.  Sebastian Color Ignite shampoo and conditioner:  I love this duo.  I like the way they both make my hair feel and I love that the conditioner comes out like a foamy mousse.  It adds moisture and shine without weighing the hair down.  Lovely stuff.  Need to purchase full sizes but definitely of the conditioner.

  5.  Benefit Erase Paste Medium:  :(  This really saddens me.  The other night my son came down the stairs with makeup smeared all over his face, arms, legs, everywhere.  Uh oh.  Recently I have been keeping the room where my vanity (old small kitchen table, lol) is locked but for some reason it wasn't.  Big mistake.  He took a makeup brush and went to town.  This is a tiny jar but he was able to cover his body and a 2'x2' area on the rug.    Such a mess.  But I need to repurchase.  I use this every day.  It is amazing.  For a while I thought I needed the lighter shade but medium works perfectly to neutralize that light purple I sometimes get just underneath the inner portion of my eye.   I have been curious about the Giorgio Armani Master Corrector but price-wise, it's way out of my league especially as my circles right now are quite minor.  Benefit works very nicely for my needs.

  6.  Alessandro Pedix Feet Heel Rescue Balm:  I wouldn't consider this a "balm" but it's a nice, thicker lotion, perfect for slathering on the hands and feet before bed.  I don't suffer from dry, cracked heels but I do get tough dry skin on the side of my big toe (annoying) and the tips of my 2nd and 3rd toes.  I mean complaining about something so minor seems so wrong but I do have to work a bit to keep my feet soft.  I didn't feel that this was a miracle cure, but it was a nice lotion to use.  This was my second one from my double August Glossybox.

  7.  B&BW Sensual Amber:  I feel like this was already an empty?  But it was in this month's box so I will review it again?  This is my all-time favorite scent from B&BW.  I went into BB&W recently, well about 3 weeks ago from not stepping foot in there for close a year and I noticed some changes.  One they don't have Sensual Amber in a small travel size anymore because I wanted to pick another up.  Secondly, the sales team doesn't annoyingly stalk you.  I actually had to ask for help not once but twice.  It was surreal.  But I picked up a couple travel sizes of Cashmere Glow, I got one for free and another one for a $1 because they were promoting it.  Cashmere Glow is very nice too but I will need another Sensual Amber.

  8.  Crest Pro-Health Clean Cinnamon:  I threw this in here because this is the very last tube that was underneath the sink.  13 tubes of toothpaste in 9 months.  My mom actually gave this to me because she didn't realize she picked up cinnamon.  I didn't mind it but I would rather brush my teeth with mint. It just feels...right.  :)

  9.  Julep Glycolic Hand Scrub:  This should have went right underneath the LUSH Twilight Bath Bomb.  I love this stuff!  This is a small tube but used sparingly, it lasts a few months.  I think I got this last December or in January's Julep Maven box.  This scrub is like none other.  It works, plan and simple.  I don't really want to spend $32 on a full size but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do.  And she must take care of her hands like she would her face and décolletage. :)

10.  LUSH Whoosh:  And whoosh is what it did down the drain when my son got a hold of it.  Let me explain...  It's a jello like body wash.  I couldn't really figure out the best way to use it.  I tried taking out the entire blob out but it expanded slightly and it was difficult to hold.  Then I tried to break it up into a piece but even a small piece was difficult to use.  And before I got a real chance to use it my son dumped it into the tub and down it went.  It had a nice citrus-y scent.  I don't feel the need to repurchase.  And there are parabens in it.  I didn't realize that until just now.  :(

11.  Dessert Essence 100% Pure Jojoba Oil:  This was the first bottle of jojoba oil I ever purchased last summer so I don't have anything to compare it to just yet.  Well yes I do because I just bought a replacement in a different organic brand.  I think the organic brand is a bit lighter.  But I bought this to use in my Castor Oil mixture to wash my face.  I really enjoy the oil cleansing method, when I have an extra few minutes at night.  However the water from the tap doesn't get a hot as I would like it so it takes longer to steam my face.

12.  ANEW Clinical Advanced Retexturing Peel:  I really liked these pads until I tried the ANEW Rejuvenate Glycolic Facial Treatment.  Serious results with the latter.  The retexturing peel pads felt like they were working (slight sting/burn) but there wasn't any real noticeable differences now that I think back. They just were a part of my routine.  However with the Glycolic Facial Treatment, you see results the next morning.  I need to do a review.  I think it's already discontinued or just repackaged and renamed.  Hate it when AVON does that.  I'm actually using 2 other products from AVON that I really like too.  I stopped using them for a week and my face went haywire.  However it does this when the weather changes and when I eat like crap.  2 things that have happened simultaneously this past week.  We had my son's 2 year birthday party on Saturday, can you say sugar overload?  Yeah, my skin is mad at me too.  The weather cooled down significantly and there was no humidity and now the past couple of days it has warmed up, rainy and tropically humid.  Why?!

I guess the next few items are not items that I have used up but ones that need to be discarded due to respecting expiration dates.  It's that time of year folks!  I really clean out in the Fall.  I've been feeling the urge to purge.  Selling things on Craigslist, a local yard sale site, eBay and my blog!  Oh yeah.  Feels good to  have less.  It really does.  I mean I still have a ton of "product" as my mom calls it.  But I'm a beauty blogger...  I have an excuse.  :)

13.  AVON Smooth Minerals Radiance:  I've had this, untouched for probably 4 years?  I thought I liked it but I tried it recently and I can't even see if on my skin.  Time to pitch.

13.  Physicians Formula Organic Wear black tube:  This got horrible reviews and it is just that horrible.  I was able to get it for free at CVS a very long time ago.  Finally opened it up and it is just crap, dry crap.  Total waste of plastic.  I love the green tube so much.  Weird they are so different and why did they even come out with this one at all.  Very strange coming from PF.

14.  Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Mascara Duo for Blue Eyes:  I never really used the blue side but the black side really made my eyes pop.  Nice mascara.  It has the same wand as the green tube organic mascara which I love.  I just had it for too long and it was time to pitch.  Ladies, we are only supposed to keep out mascaras for 3 months.  I had this over a year.  lol

15.  Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara:  I didn't like the wand on this.  It's the bigger fluffy one that deposits too much product.  I was hoping it would dry out a little and work better.  It's a nice mascara, but my lashes are very straight so I need a dryer formula with very good hold.  This just didn't do it for me.  It was a sample I think from Sephora.

16.  AVON Naturals grapefruit & mint shimmering body lotion:  I have had this forever and I just couldn't wait to use it up.  There is nothing wrong with it.  Smells nice, leaves a subtle shimmer on the body, not extremely moisturizing, didn't make my daughter's skin react... It has a nice light summer scent.  I mean it's been under the sink for years, I may have had it since VA so that is going back 5 years unopened.  Probably way past it's prime but waste not want not!  I'm using everything up baby!

17.  Garnier Nutrisse Nourishing Color Foam 41 M Ice Mahogany Dark Brown:  I bought this for a cheap root touch up, and sigh...  that's what I got.  I had John Frieda Precision Foam Color in Dark Chocolate Brown and this in my hands.  One was $12 the other $7.50 at Walmart.  I should have just gone to Sally's and grabbed another bottle of the L'OREAL Professionals Mega Browns ($8) but of course I am a glutton for punishment.  Garnier did not over my grays at all.  I will have to re-color my roots in a couple of weeks.  Total waste of $7.50.  The color is fine.  A bit darker than the picture as all dark browns are but just didn't do anything for my gray unfortunately.  But no regrets.  I've picked this color up a dozen times to try.  As well as the John Frieda and Chocolate Brown.  I will probably try that next.  lol

18.  Rite Aid Make-up Remover Towelettes:  Finally done with these hand wipes.  I won't use them on my face.  Way too rough and they don't really remove my makeup unless you scrub.  Not good for the lashes!

So there you have it!  September empties.  I just ran out and put them at the curb.  Today is garbage day!