Midyear Makeup Wrap Up!

Even though you haven't heard from me in 3 months, doesn't mean I haven't been shopping.  I actually didn't in May and most of June.  End of the school activities and book fairs increased my volunteer hours big time.  It was like I had a full time job!  I did give myself a free pass while on vacation.

So I was thinking that since I waited until the end of 2013 to evaluate my beauty spending habits, I thought I would start a little earlier this year to hopefully steer myself in the right direction if I have been off track.

Let's see how I am doing, shall we?

1.  Concealers:

I still have the 9 that I started out with at the beginning of the year.  I have a quarter left in both Fit Me concealers in Light and Fair.  I would like to finish those by the end of the year as well as the Rimmel and Bobbi Brown Corrector.  Oh and actually open the Revlon DNA.  It's still in the package.  (Face palm.)

2.  Eyeliners:

I have pitched 2 or 3 and bought a new brown liner from AVON.  I also bought a new brow liner.  The thing with these eyeliners that most are 2-3 years old, except for the 4 liquid liners, 3 eyeshadow pencils and the 4 eyeliners I bought last year.  That being said, at the end of this year, most of these have to go unfortunately.  So I will just try to use them up as best as I can.

3.  Lipsticks:

No new purchases! Victory!  Oh wait.  Minor slip up, I wanted to try out a new AVON lip stain.  I really like them.  I purchased in the shade

4.  L'OREAL Infalliables and 5.  Maybelline Color Tattoos:

No new purchases!  In this category, since I have so many, I can't say I would be able to finish any one but Bad to the Bronze looks like a good contender to hit pan on by the end of the year.

6.  Palettes: 

Hmm, slipped a little here...  I picked up the Too Faced Chocolate Bar.  Amazing HSN sale will justify any purchase in the moment.  I grabbed Lorac Pro To go, the new 12 pan Maybelline The Nudes palette, and the limited edition WnW 8 pan in Walking the Red Carpet.  Oops, oops and oops.

7.  Powders:

No new purchases!  I need to finish up 2-3 by the end of the year.  I'm looking at NARS Reflecting Setting Powder, a sample of Makeup Forever Hi-def Powder, Physicians Formula Powder Palette in Creamy Natural and Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Finishing Powder in Nude.  More details on that later though!

8.  Mascara: 

I've used up a few of my samples.  I bought a waterproof L'OREAL Lash Out Butterfly over vacation and I'm loving it!  I also couponed for an Almay that I just found in my eyeliner drawer so I will bust that one out.  So far so good!

9.  Blush:

No new purchases.  Yes!  I still want more Milani...  Just waiting for that super sale.

10.  Bronzers/11.  Highlighters

No new purchases!  And I just hit slight pan on my Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in Warm Tan.  I will move that to the "Finish by the end of 2014 Pile."

12.  Foundations/ 13. BB creams

I've finished a couple in the category and discarded a few old ones.  My foundation drawer is still bursting.  (Hangs head in shame.) Newly acquired as of July 2014:

Foundations:

Discarded 1 (3 more as well soon for various reasons), finished 1, acquired 6. (if you are doing the math it's only +1!)

1. CoverGirl Ready, Set, Gorgeous in 115 Buff Beige.  Absolutely love it and wore it everyday on vacation.  Super easy slap on and go product.
2. L'OREAL True Match Lumi in W3, Nude Beige.  40% off Rite Aid sale and a coupon, so I caved.  I want to love this foundation for some reason.  This is the 3rd shade I have tried (N1-2, W1-2 were the 2 others).  The color looks off when I initially put it on but when I look at my face an hour later it looks amazing, 2 hours later, shine bomb.  I mix it with Covergirl Outlast and it is a perfect combination.
3.&4. Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid-Touch Foundation in (of course I need 2 shades) 20 Classic Ivory and 40 Nude.  I haven't tried them yet.  I had to grab these quick during a shopping trip to Wegmans over vacation along with The Nudes palette.  Total vacation/new display purchase.

This is getting ugly... but the next two were, gulp, gifts?

5.&6.  Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52 Vanilla (winter shade) 53 Beige Clair (hopefully my summer shade).  I just received these in the mail from a friend who was visiting the UK.  Since I actually finished up a Healthy Mix earlier this year, I needed a replacement for pretty much my all time favorite foundation

BB/CC Cream:

Discarded 2 due to separate skin reactions, returned 1, finished 1, acquired 1.

1. Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in light/medium.

Eek!  I know, it's a bad, bad foundation hoarding situation.  I will forever be looking for that perfect base but stick a folk in me, I'm done for the year.

Technically speaking I have a mix of winter and summer shades as well as a transition/fall shade.

Summer:
L'OREAL Lumi in W-3
Bourjois Healthy Mix in 53
Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid-Touch in 40

Winter:
Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52
Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid-Touch in 20

Transition/Fall:
CoverGirl Ready, Set, Gorgeous in 115 Buff Beige

Breakout/treatment:
Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in light/medium since it contains Salicylic Acid.  Totally necessary. 

So it doesn't look that bad now that I broke it down for specific use, right?  :)

14. Primers:

I've finished up a couple samples but still have a few more to go.  Primers are something I use infrequently now that it is summer and all I'm doing is chasing kids around and running.  But I've purchased Rimmel Stay Matte Primer which I absolutely love and NYX Angel Veil which I haven't officially tried yet but feels a lot like Hourglass.  I still have half a bottle or so of L'OREAL Revitalift Miracle Blur which I use around my eyes which I think that they have a specific Miracle Blur for that now and I have a sample of Clarins Instant Smooth that is thick and heavy but good at smoothing over pores. 

 So here is everything, 6 months into 2014.  Not too bad right?  The foundation situation is a little cray cray.   But if you re-read my explanation above, it makes total sense.  Oh and I just remembered that my mom bought me the L'OREAL Lashout Butterfly mascara in waterproof and the NYX Angel Primer when I took her to Ulta for the first time over vacation.  Thank you mom!

Palettes wise, I'm good, forever.

I'm still pulling together a few (it is going to be a lot) products that I want to realistically finish by the end of 2014 to keep my makeup and skincare collection in a healthy rotation so that old products/products on the way to expiration are being used.

I'm glad I did this midyear check in.  Hopefully it will help me stay focused!!!  I have a wish list a mile long but waste not, want not!

What have been your makeup splurges this year?

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 15 Results

What I started out with was what I ended up with this week!  First time ever!  :)

 

My favorites this week:

Definitely Dr. Jart+.  I love this BB Cream.  Still loving Guerlain L'or and Urban Decay b6 facial spray. And sadly, all 3 are quickly nearing the end!

You can see what blush I concentrated on this week.  mark Just Blushing in Kitten.  I dip my brush in Kitten and the blush below it in the shade Lovespell and mix them.  Kitten has some glitter/shimmer and gives a nice highlight.

Left: mark. Just Blushing Lovespell Right: mark. Just Blushing Kitten

 

 

I don't need a lot of color on my cheeks as they are naturally flushed and as my foundation breaks down during the day, which inevitable, I do not need the extra color!

Week 16: Weekly Skincare/Makeup Box

Week 16 is Spring Break Makeup Edition...

but not the Spring Break that you may be envisioning in your head...  those days are over!

But still, minimal makeup.  This week it's all about BB cream, bronzer and sweep of Maybelline color tattoo across the lid whilst I tackle my to do list and finish up some Spring Cleaning projects around the house!

Foundation:  Sticking with Bourjois Healthy mix in 52 this week lightly on the cheeks for more coverage.

BB Cream:  Pond's Luminous Finish BB cream.  I really like this product.   It doesn't hold up in humidity but since this week the temps have dropped, it is working out very well!

Powder: Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder in Naturally Neutral 07-11.  The perfect setting powder.

Bronzer: Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in 41 Warm Tan.

Eye:  Maybelline Color Tattoos.  Any shade will do this week but I'm sure I will stick to neutral colors!

Lips: CO Bigelow Rose Salve.  My lips love this stuff.

Skincare:  Same as last week and the previous week.  To recap:

My Garnier cleansing oil has one more use as of last night.  But I cleanse with that first to remove makeup, dirt, oil.  I follow up by cleansing with Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser.  I may do a honey mask at this point.  I break open a vitamin E capsule and smear that under my eyes to tackle some fine lines.  Leave on 10-15 minutes. Then, with a witch hazel soaked cotton round, I go over my face and neck, maybe my chest.  I let the witch hazel dry.  I spritz my face, neck and chest with Evian facial spray to moisten the skin.  In my hand I start off with a squeeze of avocado oil, maybe a dime size?  To it, I add 2-3 drops Tea Tree Oil and 2 drops Sibu buckthorn seed oil and I press the mix on my face, neck and chest and the remaining on my shoulders.

I'm almost out of Avocado oil but I do have some Jose Maran Argan Oil Light, Rose Hip Oil and Tarte Maracuja Oil in the wait.  Oh I use Maracuja oil around my eyes as well!


Pretty boring week!  :)

But I am also packing for a weekend Easter road trip so I will take you along during that process!

Week 15: Weekly Skincare/Makeup Box

Week 15 is upon us!  April is in full swing (birthday is in 17 days!!!).

This week I wanted to focus on products that have been kicking around for a while, products I want to use up, favorite products, products that I know work well and that I can depend on.  I've shared (extensively) about what my skincare items will be here.  I'm not going to mess around with my skin this week!

So this is what I came up with!

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix.  The old faithful.  This is in shade 52 Vanilla.  I have more than a few uses but I want to use this up before summer is in full swing.  I've had it for a couple of years (exp 12 months!).

BB Cream: Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB, SPF 25.  This feels quite empty but product keeps appearing.  Since I am nearing the end, I will concentrate on using this one up in the next couple of weeks.

SPF: Still trying to figure that out.

Primer: I like to use L'OREAL Revitalift to smooth out fine lines on the outside of my eyes.  I also have the L'OREAL Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer to give my skin a little glow (as needed).  My skin has still been quite dry lately.  And then I included my complexion perfection duo, Urban Decay b6 spray and Guerlain L'or.  One more...  Clarins Instant Smooth for my t-zone.

Eyes:  For eye cream I have Olay Regenerist regenerating eye lifting serum.  Covergirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Corrector in 230 and 2 shades of Physician Formula Conceal Rx, natural light and fair light.  And what the heck, L'OREAL MagicLumi Highlighter in 860 fair.  I have Tarte Smooth Operator to set all these concealers.

I've been skipping LashEM, I really need to remember that.  AVON lash conditioner and primer and L'OREAL Lash Out Butterfly mascara.  It's almost time to replace Lash Out.  Great Lash clear mascara for my brows which I am trying to focus more...

Primer is Benefit Stay Don't Stray.  I will be using my mark eyeshadows this week which are housed in MAC palettes.  The look so neat and pretty in these palettes.

 

 

 

Cheeks: mark blushes this week!  Also in a MAC palette.  :) and AVON ideal luminous blush in E04 Earthen Rose for a bronzer/contour. Which looks orange in the above photo, but I can assure you, it's not!

 

Face Powder: Tarte provocateur pressed mineral powder in Light 04.  This was a sample from ages ago.  It might be a little dark (not as dark pictured) but we will see how it works out this week for me.

 

So that's everything and it's a lot but I like to have options.  :)

My Foundations...

One thing I find one part fun, 20 parts agonizing is foundation.  I want a foundation to cover, look skin-like and natural, add some healthy glow, not shine, not oxidize or settle in pores and last without going greasy.  I will forgive the foundation of all these faults only if it is a true color match.  It's a tall order and I've never found that true color match that perfectly blends, matching face, neck and chest.  Partly because my face is pink/peach, my neck is white/yellow, and my chest is the darkest part of my body year round.  So...  I've tried many and I've come close.  My combo/oily skin complicates the matter...  But I've learned to "Keep Calm, Just Blot" several times a day.

These are the keepers, or the ones that I have in my drawer currently.  I will explain.

From left to right in order of being most used...

Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52 Vanilla, CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 in 825 Buff Beige, L'OREAL Magic Nude Liquid Powder in 316 Nude Beige, Revlon Colorstay Whipped in 150 Buff, 200, Sand Beige, 240 Natural Beige, Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup in 20 Nude (Bzz Agent Campaign), Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Spotless in Light, and Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in 100 Ivory.

Here are some swatches in the same order left to right.  I think I am a NC 20-25 in MAC, the inside of my arm is probably NC 15 right now (yellow undertones).

Currently, my favorite and best color match is the CoverGirl Outlast in 825 Buff Beige.  The last time I wore Revlon Colorstay Whipped in 200 Sand Beige matched really well as well.  Revlon Sand Beige is similar in color to Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52 Vanilla.  All 3 of these I can wear right now and are good choices for me.  They last, look natural, cover nicely.  Revlon ColorStay Whipped takes some extra finesse to apply so I don't reach for it as often.

I'm nearing the end of Bourjois and I would feel comfortable repurchasing. I know that the packaging has changed and possibly the formula?  I'm also determined to finish it!  It has a natural finish, not too matte, not too shiny.  CoverGirl Outlast in Buff Beige is just a slightly better color match, wears better throughout the day and looks more natural, lighter coverage.  It keeps my skin oils in check too which is a huge bonus. Also a natural finish, just a touch more matte than Bourjois, but still on the natural semi-matte side.

L'OREAL Magic Nude Liquid Powder in Nude Beige is slightly warmer (more pink) and matches me better in the summer months.  I could wear this right now but would have to take it down the neck to blend it.  I love this foundation for touch ups.  If I don't have time to wash my face and start over, I can slap this foundation on quickly and it blends out to a nice powder finish.  Awesome for the humid summers down here in NC.   And I prefer this in the summer over Bourjois as it is much lighter and more comfortable to wear.

The Revlon Colorstay Whipped tower...  I first purchased this foundation from Ulta, full price when it first came out in 220 Nude.  I loved it.  But the color was just too pink.  I sat there with 220 Nude and 150 Buff for like 20 minutes trying to decide which one to purchase.  I used to wear Buff in the regular Colorstay line.  But ultimately, I went with 220 Nude mostly because I usually fall in the "Beige" or "Nude" color now that I live in the South and a little darker than my white Northern days.

Well 220 Nude was too pink.  I went back for 240 Natural Beige.  Also a bit pink/dark but workable.  Then I purchased 150 Buff to mix with 240 Natural Beige and got along with the 2 for a little while.  And finally, 200 Sand Beige came into my life during for free during a CVS haul.  I don't remember 200 Sand Beige as a choice during that first encounter at Ulta but I found it last summer at CVS.  It matches the best out of all the colors and I use 150 Buff in certain areas of my face to brighten.

Colorstay is a bit heavier in the coverage department so I usually save it for special occasions and events like Marine Corps Balls and weddings namely.  :)

These last 3 are relatively new and I'm unsure about them at the moment.  As you can see from the swatches again below, Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear in 40 Nude and Physicians Formula Youthful Wear Spotless in Light are stand out dark on my arm (far right).  These 2 will hopefully be perfect in the summer for me.  I have Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in 100 Ivory pictured last because I have only tried it 1-2 times on a very dry skin week.  I just rescued it from the Rite Aid return bag just before taking the photo above.  I will give it another shot.  It's thicker than Revlon Colorstay whipped and much drier.  It is a true matte finish.

I have a lot of foundations to get through before I will pick up another that is for sure.

However, lately I have been wanting to pick up a higher end foundation. As soon as I finish Bourjois and another of course... :)

Here's my list!

1. Urban Decay Naked (Tried a sample and loved it!)
2. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (Color Matched and loved it!)
3. Marc Jacobs Beauty Genius Gel Super-Charged
4. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder (Tried the Immaculate TM and loved it!)
5. Make Up Forever Mat Velvet +

So I will be good, use up my drugstore foundations and pounce on the next Sephora VIB sale.  :)

Next up I will be sharing my BB and CC Cream "Collection."

Week 10 Results!

The products that I started out with:

The products that I ended out the week with:

Foundation:  I love the finish on the Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Makeup.  It's very smoothing, flawless looking but very natural.  The coverage is nice too.  It is a very thick foundation but does not feel heavy on the skin.  The formula is better suited for a pump as it is a bit difficult to shake out of the bottle.  A q-tip is definitely a necessity when dispensing this product.  The color is just a bit too dark right now.  I picked it out when I started the Bzz Agent Campaign because I need to find a color with some yellow in it.  But I'm positive that this will be perfect in the summer.  As far as long wearing, right now while I have my normal skin going on, this does last.  Time will tell in the summer humidity!

I also mixed Revlon PhotoReady SkinLights with Bourjois Healthy mix a couple of days this week. Loved the combo!  Because my eyes looked just a smidge more tired than usual, Skin79 BB cream under the eyes was a necessity this week.  It just brightens everything up for me. 

Moisturizer:  I tried to get my glow on this week with Jergens Natural Glow Face in Fair to Medium.  I use this mostly on my neck to even the color difference between my face and chest.  I also used Beaute Holistique Equitance on my face and chest.  I think that this is doing a good job evening out my complexion.  I used the Sonoma Naturals Rose Hip Seed Oil Serum at night.  I also used some Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate.  I have been savoring this one.  It's light, smells lux and I want a full size as soon as I use up everything else!

Primer:  When I remembered, I slapped on some Rimmel Stay Matte Primer but I don't think I used it very often.  This step will be more important when the humidity kicks in.  I made a conscience effort to use Guerlain L'Or.  One day.

Eye Cream: I'm really liking Nuance by Salma Hayek Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream.  It absorbs nicely and feels great. 

Makeup:  I can't tell if I like Revlon PhotoReady Bronzed and Chic.  NYC Smooth Skin in Sunny is effortless for me.  I can't really see the Bronzed and Chic on the cheeks. I wonder if I have to scrape off the top layer and really dig into it.  Hmm... Wet n Wild Walking the Red Carpet is not the best WnW palette I have tried.  I mostly used the left side and used the right side definer as a crease color and sometimes a liner.  It was a bit chalky.  Not the same formula as the usual WnW palettes unfortunately.  I thought it needed a Maybelline Color Tattoo for layering so I grabbed Nude Pink.  It did help somewhat.

I ordered some samples of Sobe Botanicals Mineral Foundation a while ago and finally got around to trying out.  I grabbed Fairly Light in warm and neutral and Light in Warm.  Fairly Light in Warm is really nice.  This might be my go to summer powder... Still loving Tarte Smooth Operator under the eyes to set my concealer which I had to use a ton of this week.  Tarte EmphasEYES Inner rim brightener was needed this week as well.  It's almost too bright but it helps significantly.

Okay, finally caught up.  My husband was giving me the side eye with all the pink Glossyboxes over flowing with products on my dresser.  Neatly lined up of course.  ;)  I can finally put everything away and pull products for week 12!    As you can see with my recent sample post here, I really don't have much left (for me).  The next few weeks I will be concentrating on using up some full-size products that have been neglected. 

Wow this week is going by extremely fast!  How did your week go?

Week 7 Beauty Box Results!

 Week 7 Results!  This is what I used last week.  I didn't try all the samples that I had originally put in the box so off they went into week 8.  I don't know about you, but these weeks are really flying by!

Original line up:

 Results:

Foundation/CC cream:  I used Bourjois Healthy Mix, AVON's new Ideal Flawless CC Cream and
Lumene CC cream this past week.  I used the CC cream under Bourjois.  Not sure why, Bourjois has pretty good coverage on its own.  The CC cream provides enough moisture for me lately and since I haven't had any oiliness issues, I'm going to stick to the CC cream.  Lumene has a bit more coverage than AVON's CC cream. But they all worked really nice and was happy with the results.


Primer:  CC creams!

Eye Cream:  Still scraping out product out of Estee Lauder Serum bottle and I tried the Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel this week.  Sinks in nicely and has a fun cooling effect.  I usually keep an eye gel (when I have one) in the fridge for some serious morning cooling action.  This one is going in!

Serum/Moisturizer:  The L'OREAL Age Perfect Glow Renewal has a very strong perfumey scent.  I don't mind it but noticed that I could still smell on my face it the next morning.  I used Seventh Generation Boosts Clearing with tea tree this week to battle out my congestion issues.  I saw some improvement so I will continue to use on my t-zone.  I bought this at Walgreens on a super sale last summer (store sale and high dollar coupon).  I haven't seen the line since.  I also used Korres Greek Yoghurt Adavanced Nourishing Sleeping Facial to help combat some dryness a couple nights this week.  Works nicely.  

Treatment: Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution:  No noticeable results after week 1!

Cleanser:  I used a combination of eclos and Biore charcoal cleanser and even mixed the two a couple of times.  The Biore has a tiny bit of grit in the formulation.  Subtle exfoliator.  I hadn't noticed it before.  

Mask: 40 Carrots Carrot + Papaya Facial Mask.  I used this twice and I think I have one more use. This is a great product.  I will be on the look out for it at Marshall's.  Fingers crossed!

Makeup:  the Balm and the Beautiful is a wonderful palette but I needed some matte neutrals for blending and grabbed the ever so trusty Naked Basics. Physicians Formula Powder Palette in Creamy Natural is a nice powder that leaves the skin very silky.  Nice formula.  The Buxom took a turn this week and it is already drying out.  boo hiss!  This was really nice straight from the tube.  I wonder if a full size lasts longer?  NYC Sunny is always a nice bronzer to warm up the face.  Very inexpensive too! I finally found my larger eye pencil sharpener and was able to use my UD 24/7 glide-on shadow pencils. I have JuJu in the box.  Love this color.  I've been trying out the green end of the Physicians Formula Concealer twins around my nose that can get quite red.  Works pretty good under concealer.  On its own it blends out a grayish color on my skin so I need to cover it up.

Kind of a boring week...  It was a busy week so I was autopilot trying to get out the door in a timely fashion!  It's always a battle. 

And I kind of have a new full blown obsession that has been consuming my spare time as well.  I should have something coming in the mail today...  Hopefully I will be able to share soon!

Next up is what I have been using this week!  Week 8!

Week 7: Weekly Skincare/Makeup Box

This is what I have been using so far this week and its already flying by!

Foundation/CC cream:  A little more than half-way through the Bourjois Healthy Mix.  It's going on more than 2 years old I believe.  This is in 52, Vanilla. Love this foundation. I also picked up AVON's new Ideal Flawless CC Cream. I must say that I am already impressed.  As far as coverage, not much, but I am hard pressed to believe it actually has an SPF of 50.  It is light, absolutely no greasiness.  It has a matte finish and dries pretty quickly, no tackiness at all.  And there is absolutely, positively no smell at all.  No hint of perfumes, sunscreen, nothing.  So far so good!

Primer:  Even though I put one in my box every week, I use them once of twice.  So I will just use the CC cream as my primer, as is its intended purpose anyway! I did throw in Too Faced Primed and Poreless just in case.  :)  I will continue using UD Eyeshadow Potion this week as well as the last 2 weeks!  The  Boost-it Complexion Enhancer kind of acts as a primer, so I will throw it in the mix as well.

Eye Cream:  I thought my Estee Lauder Serum was dunzo but I actually can get a little more out so I will continue to finish up that and also I have Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel to try out.

Serum/Moisturizer:  I had some success with facial oils last week when my skin took a turn so I will continue that this week.  My face just responds better to facial oils.  Creams and lotions can be clogging for me. I have had L'OREAL Age Perfect Glow Renewal sample kicking around.  I also have one more foil packet of Lancôme DreamTone left over.  I'm not sure if I am supposed to be using 3 as it says "Dark" but the last 2 didn't really seem to have any color so I will just slap it on and see!  I also included fresh Umbrian Clay Mattifying Serum this week.  It's supposed to be in the 70's this weekend.  I've had no issues with oil at all this winter.  I have been wondering if my skin has changed, but there has also been zero humidity. 

Body Moisturizer:  I have a few body lotions hanging around including these foil packets.  Time to use them up this week.  I'm getting low on my last tub of Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter.  I need to finish up everything before I repurchase!  Discipline.

Treatment: Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution:  I have a spot that keeps popping up on my forehead which I first noticed 2 days after my 30th birthday.  I would like to call it a freckle...  I will see if this can finally wipe it out!

Cleanser:  I'm nearly at the end of eclos am + pm skin prep Cleanser.  Its a nice cleanser.  I think it will last another week and a half.  I also have a sample Murad Cleansing wipe to try out this week too.

Exfoliant:  One more packet of Wei Pomegranate buffing beads, which is more like a gritty powder and a packet can be used twice!  Good stuff but I have rice powder that works just as well that I can mix in with my cleansers.  But these are in a very convenient packet. 

Mask: 40 Carrots Carrot + Papaya Facial Mask.  This is one of those items that I wish I had the foresight to grab two of when I picked it up at Marshall's.  I really like this mask. 

Makeup:  the Balm and the Beautiful!  I have never used the cream blushes with this palette but I will try this week.  This palette has it all, blues, greens, pinks, neutrals.  Good stuff.  I also temporarily lost my L'OREAL Voluminous Lash Out Butterfly Mascara so I had to open up a Boxum sample last week.  Wow.  I will use it again this week.  On the fence about which I like better, but I would probably go with the one that is least expensive...  However, using the Boxum on my lower lashes is EFFORTLESS.  That might be the deciding factor.  Physicians Formula Powder Palette in Creamy Natural is the powder I will try to reach for this week as well.

So that is what I have going on this week!

What are you trying out this week?

Week 2 Beauty Box Results

Like last week, a few extra products made an appearance into this week's box.

Let's check it out!


Here's what I started with:

And here's what I ended up with:

Cleanser, Mask, Exfoliant: I really liked the Eslor Introductory Collection sampler packet.  They were generously sized and lasted 3 days!  The Soothing Cream was thicker but absorbed quickly and was non-greasy which is everything that I look for in a winter moisturizer.  The scrub was a bit chunky to my liking, I much prefer smaller granules but it smelled of almond and smoothed my skin nicely.  As well as the mask.  It wasn't overly drying and smoothed everything out.  Like I've said in the last post, I really like using skincare from the same line.  Mixing and matching, which unfortunately I do often, can be detrimental to sensitive skin type so do so cautiously!

Another skincare line that made it into the box was Olay Professional PROx Clear.  I bought this set over the summer on vacation at Walgreens on clearance for $11.  There were 2.  Hindsight, I should have bought both but I had never tried the system before and it's still going strong.  But I usually break this out a couple times a week just to clear out my skin and to make sure its staying clear.  The line boasts Salicylic acid which my skin prefers and responds favorably to.  I do not get the same results from benzoyl peroxide.  This set comes with a cleanser, treatment and a light weight lotion which has a slight silicone feel to it. 

Treatment: In the past few weeks I have been using my ANEW Rejuvenate Glycolic Facial Treatment.  They have reformulated and repackaged this product as of late so this is the old version in blue.  This product works really well.  I use it as a treatment but I wash it off after a couple of hours.  On mornings where I don't have to leave the house immediately, I will wipe my face with a cleansing wipe and then smooth on this treatment.  I then wash it off 1-2 hours later. It has lost it's strong perfumey scent which is a good thing but that also tells me that the product is probably starting to lose its vitality and it might be time to pitch.  I've had it for a very long time.  I've been following this out of the shower or after cleansing with Omojo fine line defense halobios serum.  I also picked this up at Walgreens on clearance during the same trip I picked up the Olay PROx clear set.  I really like light weight serums as they absorb quickly and I cannot feel them on my skin.

Since I've been out of my beloved Caudalie Beauty Elixir and not sure I am going to repurchase because of the alcohol content to be honest...  I had picked up Heritage Store Rosewater a while back and have been testing this out as a finishing spray.  I usually use Urban Decay De Slick but lately I haven't needed anything oil controlling just something to take the powdery look away.  The directions on the bottle do not indicate that this is to be used on the face, but it feels and smells really nice.  Also combined with the following products, it has become this week's complexion dream team.

Foundation, CC cream: Bourjois Healthy mix in 52 is just slightly too dark right now.  So I decided to mix it with L'OREAL True Match Lumi in W1-2, top this off with a setting powder which I had a sample of Meow Cosmetics Purrrfect 1-Sleek in Sphynx and a spritz of the Rosewater and BAM!  This is complexion heaven.  I was left with a gorgeous, poreless, healthy sheen.  I used Kate Somerville IllumiKate CC cream as a moisturizer underneath so I will try to replicate this again and do a separate blog post if I still feel strongly about this combination of products!

Another foundation that made it into the mix this week is Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation.  Not sure why they put "liquid" into the description mix because this is seriously thick stuff.  But if you want a super matte face, I would consider trying this one out.  I only used it once but I see this being in heavy rotation as soon as the humidity returns.  It's been in the 30's and 40's here!  Yowsers!

Primer: I used both the Too Faced Primed and Poreless and Clarins Instant Smooth when I remembered!  I've been trying to use up my Mally Beauty Poreless Face Defender which I have hit serious pan on. I use this over foundation or as a touch up after blotting.  I recently picked up the new CoverGirl truMAGIC Skin Perfector and I will be comparing the two soon for you!

Eye Cream: I'm still using the Arbonne Corrective eye cream sample.  I think I will be finishing it up this week. And I think I have one more use of the MAD Skincare from Week 1.

Eyeshadow & blush: In addition to WnW Comfort palette, I used my favorite L'OREAL Infalliable in Bronzed Taupe.  Its just so easy to sweep it across the lid, blend it out into the crease and wing out some liquid liner and call it a day.  I love the "definer" shade on the left side of the Comfort palette as a liner.  In addition to my mark by AVON blush palette which is not pictured, I used MAC Crew a lot this week.

Like last week, I will just dump the products I didn't use into this week's box.

I didn't get to the Benefit eye cream, Lancôme Dream tone, Guerlain L'Or, Nip + Fab Viper Venom,  and Weleda Iris Hydrating Day Cream.

I have a weekly empties post coming up shortly!

What did you use up this week?  Have you tried the new Rimmel Stay Matte Foundation yet?

Week 2 Box: Weekly Skincare/Makeup Box

Round 2!

Here is my Week 2 skincare/makeup box:

 

Foundation:  Bourjois Healthy Mix in 52.  This might be too dark.  We'll see!  I'm hopeful that I can finish this foundation by the end of the year.  I'm not sure if I have ever finished a foundation before it went bad/expired/separated.  I finished my Rachel K CC cream at the end of last year which was pretty exciting.  They have a new formulation that I want to try but I want to finish up my Dr. Jart BB cream first oh and then my Skin79, and then Pond's Luminous and then Garnier...  It's endless!  :)

Primer: For eyes, Jesse's Girl and for face, Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch
Moisturizer: Weleda Iris Hydrating Day Cream and Josie Maran Argan Oil
Exfoliant: Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel

Eye Cream, SPF: Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream and Clarins UV Plus Multi-perfection SPF40

BB/CC/DD Cream: I'm not sure what this is...  It comes in multiple shades, called a tone corrector so I'm going with a CC cream. 

Another treatment: Nip+Fab  Viper Venom Wrinkle Fix with wrinkle blur technology.  Sounds promising!

 

Cleanser, Mask, Moisturizer:  I'm excited about trying this Eslor packet.  I really like using a skincare regimen from the same brand.  I feel like their ingredients coincide with each other/work together and there is no competition among the ingredients.  I worry that some of the products I use in conjunction cancel each other out when you are layering serum, moisturizer, SPF, primer.  So complicated...

This week I will have a cleanser, scrub, mask and cream from the same range.  Nice and tidy.

 

Makeup Category: Wet N Wild Comfort Zone.  Cult Classic.  It has seen better days and side note, this palette is not suitable in a Alex drawer that is opened frequently.  It jostles about and the soft shadows just crumble unfortunately.  No tears here though, I have a back up.  ;)  I haven't used this in forever.

 

I had a couple things from last week that are worthy of using up so I will add them to this week's box as well!

Any new products that you are trying out this week?  Do share!

What's in my makeup bag- work travel edition

Here's a look into the makeup bag I packed for a recent overnight travel work trip.  I occasionally travel for work, maybe once a month.  When I do travel for work, I work 36 hours straight.   I do sleep (more like a brief rest) but for the 6 hours I am not "sleeping," there is no time for touch ups.  I need to pack reliable and fool-proof products.

I got this makeup bag late last year from the Hautelook Beauty Bag that they offered on Black Friday.  For $20, the samples that were included were meh, but this is a good size makeup bag, with a liner and I use it all the time.  It's big enough to store everything you need. 

 

I will start off my everyday deodorant, Donna Karan Cashmere Mist.  This is the best deodorant I have every encountered.  I do not sweat really unless I am at the gym so I do not need an anti-perspirant on the regular but this deodorant works really well with my chemistry and I don't have to worry about a thing (smelling) using this product.  It's a bit pricey at $15 for 1.7 oz but I bought this back in July I believe and it's just about running out.  I don't live anywhere close to Nordstrom, but they offer free shipping on-line so that's a bonus.

Lips:

I just grabbed a Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain just so I could throw something on that looked natural and would last.  It doesn't last all day but my lips tend to start off pale in the morning and brighten up during the day or it's just my makeup wearing off.  Probably the latter!  :)  This is in Honey.

 

 



Hair:

I packed EverCreme Intense Nourishing Shampoo that I actually didn't even use.  But I love the EverCreme line by L'OREAL and this is a nice sized sample.  The line is very gentle and moisturizing. 

The hotel I was staying at provided Crabtree and Evelyn Avocado, Olive Oil and Basil line and I must say that I had a very good hair day.  I will be picking up a set in the future for sure.  $18 a bottle is a bit steep, but the results were really good.  I also like the LaSource line of shampoo and conditioner which I also discovered at another hotel at which I stayed.  Good stuff!

I also brought a dry shampoo just in case I didn't have time to wash my hair.  It is quite oily so in order to look presentable, I need to wash my hair almost every day.  I had a sample of Oscar Blandi volumizing dry shampoo from a Birchbox a while ago.  It works really well and that sticky, filminess of dry shampoo sprays is very minimal with this one.  And it smells nice!

Skincare:

Frequently, I will squeeze out a foil sample packet into a plastic jar with a lid.  A small sample packet can last you 1-2 weeks.  Seriously try it!  I forgot what is in this jar, it might be something from Kiehl's.  :)

Garnier Ultra-Lift Anti-Wrinkle Eye Roller just has really convenient packaging for travel.  I roll this on all the time and it's pretty effective at hydrating your undereye area in a light weight form.  As far as wrinkles is concerned, I'm not really sure.  I am starting to get a few fine lines here and there as part of the natural aging process of collagen breakdown.  Does this eliminate them?  No, but it's very soothing and the extra light moisture doesn't seem to hurt.

I also packed RAWskincare Ambiant Eye Treatment for my night time routine.  Again, I feel like I need some extra moisture under my eyes but I haven't seen a huge improvement after using this product.

epielle cucumber cleansing tissues can be found at Big Lots and yes they are only $1 for 30 wipes.  They aren't the thickest wipes nor the most wet that I have ever tried but for $1, you cannot go wrong with these.  They remove makeup for the most part. I still need a separate eye makeup remover and I do not use these exclusively for cleansing so they work well for my purposes.  Also did I mention that they are only a dollar?

Oil-Free Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit foaming scrub has a nice scent and is pretty effective at thoroughly cleaning the skin without over-stripping and drying.  I have combo/oily skin, more oily t-zone, mostly normal cheeks.  I enjoyed using this and the packaging is conveniently tiny.

I had the empty box of mdskincare Dr. Dennis Gross 4-in-1 Facial Treatment wipes in my last empties post but I found 3 more in my makeup bag.  Yes!  But this is the absolute last one.  No! I might have to breakdown and buy these. Cleansing, balancing, treating and toning in one step.  Do I just do the one step, no, but I use these as a balancer, treatement and tonor.  So it's a 3-n-1 for me!

Primers:

This Too Faced Primed and Poreless is in the perfect travel size.  This sample has lasted me a really long time as well.  I just use this in my t-zone.  Believe it or not, less is more for me in terms of skincare.  It may seem like I fly through products but I do use them sparingly so for this like a pea size amount is plenty for my t-zone.

Urban Decay Primer Potion works really well for my eye lids to prevent creasing.  I use either Urban Decay or Too Faced Shadow Insurance.  Both work really well on my oily lids.  I think that this my last sample in the "vintage" packaging thankfully.  Blending-wise, I think Too Faced provides a better surface though. 

I also packed this sample of Atzen Balance Protective Day Cream just in case my skin was a little dry.  I did use it that morning and I can say it did not make my skin overly oily during the day I was working.  The directions say 1/4 to 1/8 teaspoon for the entire face and neck and is a perfect base for makeup. I definitely used less than that to cover my entire face and neck.  I focus more on my cheeks and neck and avoid my t-zone.  I might look into a full size of this.  I don't see any SPF information on the sample bottle.

I will include L'Occitane Moisturizing Lip Balm in the primer category because I used this to moisturize my lips before any lip products that I apply and at night.  Good stuff.  I like that it is Natural and Organic certified and is made with shea butter.

Makeup:

After priming I go in with Rachel K CC Cream and press it into my skin concentrating in my t-zone and working out towards my cheeks.  I really didn't need to use a separate primer but since I wasn't going to have time for touchups in 12 hours, I just wanted some extra priming on board.   I love Rachel K CC Cream.  It's moisturizing enough just to use alone in warm weather but since it has been very cold and dry down here in NC, I have been using a separate moisturizer most days.   It conceals the redness in my cheeks very well and gives me a smooth and even surface for my foundation.  When days I am running out the door, this is usually all I need and a little blush or bronzer.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 52 Vanilla.  This is just a touch too dark right now.  But this foundation works well with Rachel K, has a semi-matte finish and is a medium to full coverage for me.  I just need a tiny bit.  I can also mix it with a moisturizer to make a tinted moisturizer with it which I have done in the past.

Mineralogie U2 Ultimate Cream Concealer is just that.  Great coverage, minimal under eye creasing.  I concentrate it just in the bluish smudge just under my eye (not the entire under eye area) and press it gently in, altogether avoiding any under eye creases that I have.  I also grabbed my L'OREAL true match crayon concealer in fair/light, n1-2-3 to layer over it just in case I needed something extra.  I also use this to conceal around my nose.  The Mineralogie is just a little too moisturizing in that area as I tend to get oily around my nose.

theBalm Sexy Mama finishing powder and Hot Mama! blush are perfect travel packaging.  They are small and compact and come in paper sleeves to prevent them from flying open in your makeup bag.  Sexy Mama is just a touch too dark but I made it work.  Hot Mama! is one of those peachy Nars Orgasm dupes.  I didn't feel the need to pack a bronzer with this one.

Love L'Oreal Infallibles...  I just need these two for a full, no fuss eye.  Bronzed Taupe all over the lid and blended up into the crease, Iced Latte in the inner corner.  I used 2 liners as well.  AVON Glimmersticks in Brown Glow blended out on the upper and lower lash line gives a bronzey glow and Physicians Formula brown liner from the trio for brown eyes is a cool, toned dark chocolate brown for tight lining the upper and lower lash line.  The combination of the two liners really make my blue eyes pop.  Love the way that they look together.  I probably should get backups.  They also do no budge, smudge or run.  I tend to get watery eyes throughout the day, these do not move.

I packed two mascaras.  Smachbox Full Exposure and blinc.  I use Smashbox first to lengthen and build volume and blinc just locks everything in place and holds my curl all day.  blinc is kind of annoying to remove as it forms these little tubes over your eyelashes but I can deal with it if it means my curl will last.

 Oil Control:

Rachel K CC Cream works like a charm but shine is inevitable so blotting papers are a must for me.  I really like this sample pack of Shiseido that I have been using.  They work amazingly well.  I only have to blot once or twice a day with these.  Other sheets 3-4 times.  It may seem that all blotting papers do the same thing which they do, soak up that oil but there is something about this particular brand and their lasting power that works with my skin.    Shiseido was the first brand of blotting powders that I tried back in college.  They may have been the first actually.

So that's what I brought on my most recent overnight work trip.  Thanks for peeking into my makeup bag!!!  :)