Tag Archives: Benefit

Nov6

Buying Stuff: Episode 21

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Dianna

Finally the sun has come out after being non-existent for the past several days. I was starting to wonder if we’d ever see it again. I mean, by all means be 48-degrees if you have to, but at least give me sunlight. Without the sun, I am moody and sad and var var pale. Sunshine sustains me. It’s the only thing that can get me through the disaster that is Winter. I love sun, sunlight, sunshine, and any and all things sun-related. Sunglasses.

Therefore I sit in my car during lunch hour where it proceeded to blaze hot right onto my face and into my eyes. Urgh. Go away, Sun.

Clearly something is wrong with me.

Look, I bought stuff:

This is the Benefit Majorette Booster Blush, and I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. This is one of those circumstances where I bought something cute simply because it was new and would make a good Instagram picture. Does that make me shallow? Probably.

Okay, yes, it’s a cream-to-powder blush so obviously you can use it that way. But I’m not a huge cream blush fan even though this one is pretty idiot-proof. Like the most easiest application and blendability I’ve ever come across. The color is a sweet girly peach. It’s matte and has a great smell. You can also layer it underneath another blush to give that other blush more vibrancy. But those are two things I’m not really interested in. First of all, who has time to be applying TWO blushes? (Superhumans.) And second of all, I didn’t think it looked all that pretty on my face. However, everyone else in the universe seems to love it, so apparently I lose at makeup.

But then I bought this:

Who else has been petrified of the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade? I mean, this stuff is a gel-like cream you apply to your eyebrows with a liner brush – freehanded – and hope to God you don’t ef it up. I am not a natural when it comes to drawing on brows. Sure I could just follow the lines like a normal person would, but I do have pictures of myself where I did just that and ended up creating BROWS! with jazz-hands and everything. So I was scared that something as pigmented as this would be messy and worse.

Long story short: I faced my fear. Me and Sephora had a little chat and I decided to go for it. But which color? They’re all variations of brown. Which one would create the most natural look? I wish I could tell you my selection process was more scientific, but it all boiled down to seeing the word “universal taupe” on other brow products from other brands, so I chose the Taupe one and walked away before the anxiety kicked in.

Believe it or not, this isn’t as scary as I expected. If you tap your brush in lightly and very gently sweep over your brows, you can make some natural looking arches. Granted I can’t come close to the pictures I see on Instagram, but it’ll do for me. As for the color, there may have been a better brown shade to suit me, but the Taupe works just fine. Which is good cuz I’m pretty sure this little jar will outlast everything in my makeup collection.

Guess who came to America?

It’s Charlotte Tilbury! This is some exciting news cuz the last (and only) time I bought one of her products, international shipping about made me change my mind. Since I had my pick this time, I chose the Feline Flick eyeliner pen. As my preferred method of eyeliner, I feel as if owning all of them is completely justified. But then again, I write a beauty blog, so EVERYTHING is justified as far as I’m concerned. And nobody can argue with that kind of logic.

But back to the eyeliner. I liked it alright. The nib is pretty sturdy, so it lends a great amount of control in the application along the lash line and drawing the angle in the start of the wing. However, when I tried to connect the wing portion to the base of my lashes, the sturdiness of the nib didn’t make that part as easy. Like I literally had to go over it several times in order to get a good, crisp looking line. However, my own OCD may have played a part in that. And also, I am not very good at winged liner. But aside from those two things, I can’t say this eyeliner is my favorite. I’ve went back to my Kat Von D pen for the time being.

Look how beautiful:

I bought this Laura Geller Baked Gelato blush because it looked like food. Like something I could stick my finger in then lick off. A cupcake top. A vat of frosting. I literally couldn’t NOT buy it after laying my eyes on it. Whoever was in charge of the design of this product is a genius. I own chocolate masks, strawberry moisturizers, and all things coconut BECAUSE of geniuses like this. All other companies should take note. You want me to buy your product? Make it resemble food.

This is a really beautiful blush. The shade I picked out was Guava, and it’s a bright but wearable pink. It’s sheers out really well and creates this lovely flush of color. I’m not sure if it’s a cream that’s been baked or what exactly, but it’s applied like a normal powder blush and that’s all I really need to know. I feel like I need more colors, but I’m trying very hard to be good.

Hahaha, just kidding. I bought this too:

This Smashbox Cherry Smoke eyeshadow set is the perfect fall palette. Instead of your typical grey or black smokey eye, this is a taupe and burgundy version and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Each shadow applied well and blended nicely. I could create a daytime, natural look with it as well so it’s pretty versatile. Although I don’t necessarily stick to daytime/nighttime makeup rules. I want what I want when I want it. Smokey eye at 10 a.m.? Done. But for those who like to stick to rules (and are probably not wearing white after Labor Day), you can still utilize this palette at your 9-5. And back to that whole food thing – the word “cherry”? Sucked me in right away.

One of the best makeup decisions ever made is below:

It’s the Sedona Lace Round Top #480 brush and I’m in deep, passionate love. Ugh. I can’t even express properly how beautifully this applies foundation. It hugs every curve of my face and makes blending practically effort-free. I thought I loved my Real Techniques Expert Face brush, but this (while similar) is so much better. Even the price is good at $18.95 (although I had a 20% coupon as well as an additional $4 off). The bristles are dense, and the round top gets rid of harsh lines that blush or bronzer might create. I don’t think I’ll ever want to use anything different. It’s also pink and adorable and looks pretty on my counter. How many more reasons do you need? Approved! Put it in your basket.

We done for today. I’m now going to get back to fighting with Sephora’s broken website. They are having their 20% off sale and the entire world is on the internet. Boo.

Sep23

Birthday Haul: Part 2

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Dianna

Standard

Someone take this dadgum packet of chipotle Gardetto’s away from me. The more I eat, the more I want, and the more the bag seems to replicate itself. It’s like a neverending supply. Sounds like a dream, but honestly, I’d rather spend my money on new makeup not new clothes. And at the rate I’m going, mama’s gonna need a different pair of pants. Of the stretchy variety.

In the meantime, here is more birthday goodies:

First of all, can we appreciate the quality and sheer artistry that is my photos? If you told me it looks like I sat these products on top of a Little Tikes plastic picnic table that’s missing its umbrella, I’d tell you you were WRONG. Clearly, that’s not what I did.

Anyway.

Cashed in an Ulta gift card and finally got my hot little hands on the Carol’s Daughter shampoo and conditioner. And then to make it an even better day, I got a 4oz size of the shampoo and conditioner for FREE. So I’m all set for the next 6 months probably and that makes me var var happy. The smell of this stuff is exactly like the hair mask that I’ve loved and adored for months, and I’ll be honest and say it’s the smell that sucked me in. I don’t know what Monoi is, but it’s a magic potion as far as I’m concerned.

Also at Ulta, I picked up the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. Not for any eye makeup related reason, mind you, but because I might be the only person in the universe not owning this. And we CANNOT. HAVE. THAT. However, my curiosity got the best of me so I tried it on my eyeball anyway. It’s surprisingly creamy and blendable. Like it blended out so well it looked less like white eye makeup and more like a matte sheer wash. I figure I will use it when I want my paler eyeshadows to show up better. Because anytime I go for a light pink, I might as well not put anything on at all. Obviously, the struggle is real.

Not to leave Sephora out or anything, so I spread the love a bit and picked up the new YSL Fusion Ink foundation. I got color matched to B20 Ivory which is also an exact color match to Make Up Forever HD in 130, NARS Sheer Glow in Vallauris, and Estee Lauder Double Wear in Dusk 3C1 – for those curious. The applicator on this very liquidy foundation is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a hard plastic wand that has a tip like a calligraphy pen. You dip the “pen” in the product and then rub it all over your face. Well that’s fine and all, but the pen goes back into the product where it lives all day long and hopefully doesn’t contaminate anything with vile face germs.

Now, aside from all that, I liked this foundation. It provided sheer coverage but was easy to build. I found it looked best on me when I used my fingers to blend it into my skin. It dried down to a nice powdery finish in a matter of probably less than a minute. Maybe even less than 30 seconds. Either way, it was very quick. So we have texture (check), setting time (check), and buildability (check). It’s YSL (check). Other than that, it’s just an average, decent foundation. I wasn’t speechless over it. I didn’t stare in mirrors incessantly. I didn’t get overly excited about the application process (trust me, I’ve been overly excited before). But I don’t wanna give it back. Mostly because it’s YSL and looks fancy on my bathroom counter. Is that shallow? Probably.

Got a tiny sample bottle of the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation for free. I love free things. Granted you have to buy something in order to get the free something, and if you weren’t planning on buying something then I suppose technically the free something isn’t free. But I’m always planning to buy something, so this doesn’t apply to me. So, free then. Anyway, I chose the shade Honey (I’m So Money), and it was a big fat guess as I’ve never tried to match myself. Turns out, I’m pretty good at this guessing game cuz I picked out a pretty good match. Skills. Also, PROFESSIONAL.

This little bottle is going to last light years. I’ve used it at least four times already, and still looks almost full. The coverage is probably about a medium coverage, so that fact alone makes me like it. You know it’s hard to cover up splotches, freckles and scary bits with a sheer foundation. It says it’s a brightening formula, and that may be true although I found it hard to tell. I wasn’t glowing or anything. But I certainly wasn’t matte. Just natural looking and nice. I’d buy a full size bottle for sure.

One of my favorite things about Sephora is their rewards program. I cashed in 500 points and got this:

Ahhhhh, I’m in love. I’ve never felt the desire to spend my points on a kit until now. So here is the Caudalie Vinosource set that includes the moisurizing sorbet, S.O.S. serum and S.O.S. eye rescue cream plus a little travel size bottle of cleansing water. I’ve used the moisturizing sorbet before and really liked it. Partially cuz it has the word sorbet in it, but also cuz it’s a nice moisturizer. It goes without saying I expect the other items to be just as fab. I’m taking the cleansing water to Vegas next month, and then who knows when I’ll use the others. I have a few other kits stashed under my sink I need to use first. Like maybe six, seven. Possibly eight. You know, a few, like I said.

And then I got these two Korres products:

I got a free sample of the Korres Pomegranate Mattifying Face Primer because I was told it was one of the best in this genre. Always on the search for that perfect matte face that hides my pores and makes me flawless. May be on the journey for awhile, or at least until my old face gets replaced with a new face (via surgery, magic or any other kind of means). So the texture of this primer is kind of like a wet lotion. It’s a nude color, but blends out transparent. I used this maybe a handful of days and I didn’t notice any difference whatsoever in my face. No mattifying, no pore hiding. But what I did get was this horrendous smell that made me feel as if I had buried my face in wet dog fur. Not sure if this was a spoiled tube (which is why it was free), or if all of them smell that way. I read reviews on it and no one complained about the smell. Although no one raved about it either, and certainly no one mentioned pomegranate. So I don’t know. I gave this to my mom to try. Don’t worry, I already told her it stinks and could possibly be poison. She took it anyway.

Last product in the haul is the Korres Volcanic Mineral mascara. I got it from the sale page on Sephora’s website for $10. I was curious about it because volcanic minerals sound exotic, and I love anything that sounds exotic (or French, or Italian, or made out of snow from the Swiss Alps). However, this mascara didn’t do anything more special that a lot of my other mascaras. It fanned them out, lengthened somewhat, volumized a little. Other than that, it was pretty average. Sneaky trick though, that whole volcano thing. According to the Paula’s Choice website, it pretty much tells you you’re an idiot if you fall for the whole volcanic minerals spiel. Apparently, they are no more magical than regular minerals. Well, poo.

Birthday haul is not done. I have one more part to do so hopefully I’ll get to it by the end of the month. I also have like 4 boxes to review as well. And surprise, surprise – there’s only a week left in the month. I’m really good at blogging. I swear I am.

Aug14

Buying Stuff: Episode 19

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Dianna

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Well I’m about ready for the weekend, aren’t you? I know if I didn’t work I couldn’t afford to buy stuff, so I should appreciate my Monday through Friday. But you guys … I just really love pajamas. What can I say?

Lookie, I bought stuff:

I fell in love with the mint green color of the Smashbox Always Sharp 3D liner. It’s just so springy, summery, warm weathery. I couldn’t walk away from this liner even if I wanted to. Plus, it sharpens itself every time you remove the cap. Genius! I have since bought the black liner as well, and while the color isn’t ultra black – I mean it is but it isn’t, kind of blurry black – okay, that’s not a color and makes no sense – but I’m not disappointed cuz it cuts down my eyeliner time by at least 10 minutes per eye. That’s not a typo. Me and eyeliner: we are not best friends.

Then I bought this Make Up For Ever Lab Shine lipgloss in the shade M10 Morello Cherry. I’ll just be honest – I did not really need this. I saw the color and was temporarily blinded by its brilliance. So I buy it and spend the next several hours in the throes of Buyer’s Remorse cuz I don’t know how to walk away from shiny things. I could’ve taken it back but that requires effort of which I have none to give. However, it is a really lovely color, it sparkles prettily, and I will use it probably more this fall when I wear darker clothing. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

One thing I did need – okay, want – is the Bite Beauty lipstick in the shade Cava. I was looking for a nude, but everything I’ve ever tried makes my lips disappear right into my face. So I spent about half an hour in Sephora trying on several shades and finally settled on Cava, which is a lilac beige. Just saying the word lilac beige is enough to make you wanna go out and buy it, amiright? Sounds so pretty. And while I wasn’t 100% sure in the store, now that I brought it home and have been wearing it, you might say I’m a wee bit in love. Plus the Bite formula is unbeatable. Serious, if you haven’t tried on a Bite lipstick yet, you may wanna consult your physician cuz there may be something wrong with your brain.

Got my hands on a tiny, free sample of the new Benefit They’re Real Push-Up liner. After all the hype swirling about this product, I had to try it out for myself. All its fancy claims of making it easier to apply liner and whatnot. Tempting me with miracles and such.

I followed the directions by only clicking twice so the product that is dispensed isn’t too much. Okay, so far so good. I applied it to my lash line just like normal and it seemed to do alright. I had to keep clicking up product to finish the entire eye, but it did work and it was easier. I think the trick is to not keep clicking because once the tip is gooped up, it does not apply well. Unless you are into a patchy mess, then by all means click away. However, a week or so later I went to use it again and it did not apply well. It skipped all over my lid and portions of it dried and crumbled right off. So I don’t know now. We might break up. I’m don’t think I’m feeling it anymore. Maybe one more date, and if there’s any misbehaving going on, I’m gonna have to see other people.

Here’s yet another successful shopping trip:

I decided I was going to make my morning routine even longer and start washing my face with a cleansing cloth every day. My mentality has always been I wash my face at night, why would it be dirty the next morning? I’m sure there’s some science in that statement somewhere, but who’s to know.

But my OCD gets to me every time, and I start obsessing over the fact there may be bacteria growing on my face while I sleep, so this is how the story of the Ole Henriksen pore refining cleansing cloths was born.

These cloths are great. They have a rough, exfoliating side and a smooth side and the scent is a cooling eucalyptus. If you aren’t awake when you’re using these, you will be shortly. They feel very nice on the face, fresh, cool, tingly. I like them a lot. Only problem is the price – $15 for 30. Soooo … not sure if I’ll repurchase. I would like to but if it comes down to expensive wipes or expensive makeup, makeup wins every time.

Cashed in 100 Sephora points and got a little sample of the Make Up For Ever HD foundation primer. I’ve been using this for a few days and it has a very light texture that absorbs very fast into the skin. I love it for that fact alone. But it is just a lotion, not a silky velvety finish that some may prefer. And don’t even ask me if it makes your makeup last longer cuz I have no idea.

I am nothing if not professional.

The other day I went into Sephora where they were celebrating Benefit Day and I got to spin the prize wheel. It was definitely exciting on that day. A prize wheel?! Oooohkay! Well I landed on the middle between a free sample or a free winged liner application. And because my husband was with me I chose the free sample cuz it was “quicker” and we had “errands to run”. Hmmmphf.

Well turns out, I wanted the free sample anyway. Because I already owned the push up liner, I grabbed the Stay Flawless foundation primer. It comes in stick form, and the Sephora lady said to not overdo it and to trust the product is doing its job. I immediately got scared, cuz what if I do overdo it? What happens to my face? Will there be a falling off scenario impending?

Please tell me others have used this successfully. I applied it on my face, but it’s very dry so I wasn’t even sure I had it on at all. The instructions say to immediately apply foundation and blend the two together right on your face. I did all that. Nothing bad happened, but nothing at all happened either. So, did I err too far on the side of caution and not apply enough? I dunno. I’m gonna have to fiddle with it I guess.

Bought two of the best eyeliners I’ve ever used. If you like black black black and super duper creamy deliciousness, then go ahead and put these L’oreal Silkissime liners in your basket. Go on. I’ll wait.

These simply glliiiiiide across your eyeball. No skipping. No tugging. They hold up pretty well in the waterline too. They don’t remain solid there, but perform better than the majority of my eyeliners do. In fact, I only have one other one (Sumita brand) that works as good. If there’s one drawback, I’d say it gets nubby awfully fast. Probably due to its creaminess. I’m not even gonna pretend that’s a big deal though, cuz honestly I love these liners.

Next product – well, you can just blame YouTube. Someone was washing their makeup brushes with the Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap and said it worked great. Luckily this is one of the cheaper products I’ve been influenced to buy. Got the lavender scent, and man is it smelly. I mean, like lavender, but very strong lavender. It does get the brushes squeaky clean; however, on my more denser brushes I had to rinse them three separate times in order to get all the soap out. So perhaps I need to tweak my method a little bit since it literally took 48 hours for my Sigma F86 brush to fully dry cuz I had to keep rinsing it over and over. Who got time for that? Nobody.

While shopping for the Dr. Bronner’s soap, there was a little Pacifica lip butter display provoking me with its jewel toned packaging, and well, as established earlier in this post, I can’t walk away from pretty packaging. Picked out the darkest shade they had, a deep burgundy called Blissed Out. Don’t be frightened though – it goes on very sheer. The smell is heavenly, the texture is very creamy and moisturizing, and the color has a nice subtlety to it for those days when you don’t want lipstick but still want color. I liked it a lot. Probably one of my better lip butter decisions.

Last item is a complete random afterthought. I went into Bath & Body Works to pick up one hand sanitizer and I walked out with 5 of them, plus two candles, a bath pouf, and this coconut smelling Cooling Gel Lotion. Did I need this? Is the sky blue? Don’t ask stupid questions.

The texture of this lotion is ultra light, cool, and creamy. The smell is not hardcore coconut, but a blend of citrus and coconut that is very refreshing. It’s nice to put on right before bed because you don’t get that heavy lotion feeling and the scent is not overpowering by any means. I know summer is (sadly) just about over, but I’m alright using this all year round. It’s good stuff.

I finally got off the Birchbox waitlist for this thing:

This Zoya nail polish remover purchase makes no sense for the girl who hates nail polish. I know. I am my own oxymoron. But haven’t you ever wanted to own something just cuz it seemed like it might be fun to play with? Like a barcode scanner or a shrink wrapper? Or in this case, a pump-top dispenser. You flip open the lid, take your cotton ball and press it up and down over the top of it and that’s it. You can do it one-handed even. How’s that for barely making an effort? Also, it doesn’t smell as bad as other removers AND it’s the best at tackling glitter polish. Plus, it’s award-winning. If you’re not convinced yet, you can’t read this blog.

Just kidding. But you’re wrong, that’s all I’m saying.

Then I got this other thing from Birchbox cuz I had credits and wanted to apply it towards something fancy:

It’s the Skin & Co Truffle Therapy serum. I bought this off of one person’s recommendation so hoping it’s wonderful. I love serums and want to try them all, and for whatever reason this one appealed to me. The truffle in here is mushroom not chocolate (just an FYI), but it doesn’t stink like that other mushroom cream I used last month (see previous Empties post). The scent is reminiscent of coconut, but I know it’s not coconut. The texture is also lotiony but very very light and absorbs almost immediately. This is a very good thing cuz I feel the benefits of this serum would best be appreciated in the a.m. than p.m. (antioxidants, etc), and I have about zero minutes to waste in the morning. The only issue so far is the $75 price tag. If I didn’t have Birchbox credits, I doubt I would’ve bought this.

Last bits below:

Gotta love the Beauty To Go bin at Sephora. They recently added a travel size of the Dr. Brandt Pores No More primer, and lawd knows how much I needed it. My pores are huge you guys. It was practically a medical necessity.

This stuff feels amazing going on. Powdery and silky soft. If you are a texture person, you need to go ahead and put it in your basket. It will bring you joy. But most importantly, does is mask your pores? Wellllll … if your pores are pinpricks, then probably. The echo-y caverns that I have, however, get blurred out but by no means disappear. It helps though, so at this point in my pore erasing journey, I’ll accept.

If you’re in the market for a new matte lip cream but don’t know what to buy, here’s where you need to start paying attention. The Sephora Luster Mattes are AH. MA. ZING. Ohmygod, I’m not even joking. They are luscious, creamy, pigmented and beautiful. They are matte, yes, but not a harsh, dry looking matte like you may have experienced before. And as you wear them, they stay pretty creamy for awhile before they start to dry, and even at that dry point, the color still looks pretty good. I bought the color Fig which is a very pretty mauve and I’m in complete and utter love. I want more of these, and I’m not even gonna feel guilty about it. Plus it’s my month long birthday celebration. Have I mentioned that? Wellll, it is.

Last item is the Benefit High Brow brow lifting pencil. Bought this on a whim cuz that’s how I buy most of the stuff I get from Sephora. But it seemed like it might be useful. The pencil is a pearly white color, and you draw it all along your brow (underneath) and blend in. This will highlight that area and make your eyes appear more vibrant, alert and lifted. Well what’s not to love there? I’ve used this several times and I think it gives a really pretty cleaned up look. I’ve incorporated it into my morning routine because the 17 other steps I’ve got going on isn’t quite long enough.

This was the longest haul post that ever lived. I’m so sorry to make you read all this, because certainly you’re still reading? Good night, friends. More tomorrow!

Aug8

Empties | July 2014

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Dianna

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Every month I keep thinking I’m not going through that many products, that my little trash stash under the sink doesn’t look very full. But when I get around to finally dumping it out on the floor so I can organize and photograph it, it looks like some crazy person’s been hoarding their garbage for about 30 days or so.

Huh.

Well, anyway. Here’s my empties. Let’s do hair first:

The EVOLVh shampoo and conditioner set was just alright. It arrived when I had about one day left in my other shampoo and conditioner, so it served it’s purpose of not making me run errands on a Wednesday after work. For that reason alone, I was appreciative. However, there was nothing special about this stuff. It smelled pretty good. That’s about it. I did not get supermodel riding on the back of a horse along the coastline of a beach kind of hair. And that’s a darn shame. Have you seen me on a horse? Stunning.

The Davine’s Love Shampoo fared better. I actually almost bought the full size until I realized it cost $24 and I reconsidered my true feelings. Do I like it? Yes. But do I love it? Mmmmmm … not $24 worth of love. Plus when you don’t have the matching conditioner, the shampoo on its own is pretty much no frills. My hair was ultra smoothie when I used both, but only quasi smoothie when it was shampoo solo. And normally I don’t do shampoo solo but someone (Birchbox) gave me a one-time-use conditioner packet so I was forced into it. I do not recommend this method. The two together are a dream. So next them you have $50 handy, put these in your basket.

Speaking of DO NOT RECOMMEND I got this little sample of Dove Oxygen Moisture shampoo. I’m not sure if the moisture aspect of this was a mistake or just pure arrogance, but this stuff dried out my ends and did quite literally the opposite of moisture. Not even sure how that’s possible. I’d contemplate this further, but I am so very bored now.

Face things:

I really wanted to love the Caudalie Polyphenol C15 serum. I tried hard y’all. But unfortunately, it wasn’t in me. It was a texture issue. It did not feel good on my face. Was not soft, was not special, was not worth my time. Thankfully it was free.

However, everyone else in the world loves this stuff so don’t listen to me. Apparently I am an idiot.

But then I got this Flash Facial from Sonya Dakar, and I was rendered literally speechless. I have never used a product quite like this one. I wasn’t sure what to expect other than what I was supposed to do – apply to face, leave on for a minute, then wipe off using circular motions. I knew my dead skin was supposed to ball up and flake off and that I would be left with a brand new face. But I’m not even kidding you when I say my jaw dropped to my chest. This stuff WORKS. I had the most radiant, softest skin afterwards, and I knew immediately I had to own the full size.

$95?! Dangit. So I’m currently searching for a dupe. If anyone has any suggestions, please comment and save me some money. Or else you may gift me the full size. I have told you it’s my month-long 40th birthday celebration, haven’t I? Welllll, it is.

Last product is the Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream. I liked the texture of this eye cream very much. It was thick enough to really set in, but not so thick where it left behind a sticky residue. I feel like it moisturized the area pretty well. However, I used this for roughly a month and couldn’t figure out what was causing my eyes to burn. Was it the new serum I was using? The moisturizer? After doing some investigating (in the form of a very scientific process of elimination), it’s been determined that it was the eye cream culprit. Well, that’s a bummer isn’t it? Except it costs almost $100 so I wouldn’t have bought more of it anyway. Sometimes things just work out.

Now for makeup:

If you want to feel like a fancy lady, grab a pack of these Tatcha blotting papers. They are exquisite. Then be sad when they are gone and try to placate yourself with a pack of NYX papers which will not even come close to the same. So I’m at that crossroads where I turn right and buy 30 Tatcha papers for $12 or turn left and buy 50 NYX papers for $3.99. Or maybe go straight and buy 100 Boscia papers for $10. Aaaack! I can’t decide. If the Tatcha wasn’t so good, this would not be much of a dilemma.

On another note, there’s a math problem in there if you are so inclined.

Look at my sad little Pixi bronzer. I actually hit pan on this and used it for another few weeks afterwards. Then I had a wee makeup avalanche, and it ended up in a billion pieces. Kind of sad because I hate throwing away things that aren’t empty, but there’s no way in hell I was gonna spend 15 hours trying to press this back together with rubbing alcohol. Do I have that kind of time? For other things, yes (pajamas, couch, bed, lazing), but for tedious arts and craft projects, NO.

Aside from all that, I liked the bronzer. It had some shimmer in it, but it didn’t bother me. And it was my favorite up until I started using the Too Faced Chocolate Soliel. I probably won’t repurchase because of that.

Look at that cute, itty bitty Benefit Fake Up concealer. It’s pretty precious if you ask me. I haven’t heard much about this concealer, but it was a Sephora freebie so figured why not. It’s a clear moisturizer stick with a concealer core. And I absolutely loved it. Went on very smooth, blended like a dream, and moisturized my under eye like nobody’s business. I’m trying desperately to finish up my other concealers before I buy the full size, but my fingers are starting to get clicky. And once that clicky feeling hits me, sometimes I end up buying things from Korea at 3 a.m. So pray for me, k?

The Laura Mercier Foundation Primer is not empty. It’s probably about 1/2 full or so. However, I didn’t realize there was only a 6 month expiration date on it, and I wasn’t sure what would happen to my face if I used it past its freshness date. So to be safe (and avoid any face-falling-off sort of scenarios), I’ve decided to pitch it. However, it wasn’t my most favorite primer anyway. Not bad by any means, but it felt like just plain moisturizer not anything special like the Laura Geller Spackle or the Benefit That Gal. And even though it hurt my heart a little to not finish the tube, I consoled myself with the 15 other primers in my stash. Don’t worry – I’ll be okay.

If you suffer from enormously large pores like me, then the L’Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Pore Vanisher will be your BFF. It’s similar to the Benefit POREfessional, but it’s also different. Instead of the silicone feel you get with Benefit, this one has more of a gel texture, although looking at the ingredients you can clearly see it’s made of silicone. Regardless, it just feels nice, for lack of a better word. Also, I’ve been typing for several hours (seems like), so fancy words are hard to come by at this point.

Now I seriously have large pores – that’s not me being a typical overly dramatic woman. They are colossal, bottomless holes. Okay, that might be dramatic. But still. Large pores, nonetheless. This stuff truly does blur them out. Now, don’t get all excited thinking you’re going to walk away from your makeup mirror looking like a 13-year-old girl, but it does help somewhat. And if you have minimal pores, but you’d still like to blur them, I bet this would work even better. I’m definitely repurchasing. It may be 100% psychological brain trickery, but I liked it.

One product I wasn’t too keen on was this Sonia Kashuk lip liner. I can only speak for the nude pink shade I got because it’s the color payoff I had trouble with. It barely showed up on my lips, almost as if I didn’t put any liner on at all. I’m not really sure how much of a complaint that is depending on what you would want out of a lip liner, but I personally prefer some color. I ended up tossing this because I got another nude pink liner (from Starlooks) that works way better and I needed to free up some storage space.

Lord, are we done?!

No. Here’s some moisturizer:

That dadgum Pur-Lisse Pur Moist moisturizer haunts me forever. If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you will know this is only like my 6th or 7th tube. Not by choice, let me make that clear. Virtually every beauty box I’ve subscribed to has sent me this moisturizer. It’d be alright if it was the world’s best moisturizer, then I would have lots of it that I could hug and kiss and hoard like a crazy person. But instead it’s just a basic moisturizer that I couldn’t give two spits about. I mean, it’s fine. It does the job. It smells decent. There’s not really anything to hate. I’m just tired of looking at it. I did use the entire tube – well, within maybe an inch or so – and by doing so I feel as if I’ve accomplished the impossible. Yes, I’m comparing finishing this moisturizer to climbing Mt Everest because to me, it’s pretty much the same dang thing.

One moisturizer that I did love and would be perfectly fine in receiving duplicate tubes of is the H2O+ Oxygenating Rejuvenator. This stuff just felt so good going on the skin. It’s a gel consistency, it wasn’t thick, it wasn’t sticky, it was the perfect moisturizer for me. One of these days I’m going to settle on a skincare routine, and this quite possibly might be the one. Strictly on a texture basis, mind you. Cuz honestly, if it works actual skincare wonders I have no idea. I mean, a week’s worth of product isn’t enough to perform miracles. However, if texture is your main thing anyway, then you should go ahead and put this in your basket. (Cuz I am the boss of you, that’s why.)

Got another H2O+ moisturizer, this time the Micro Collagen one. I didn’t like this one as much as the other one, but it was still decent. It had a silicone look to it and it applied nicely. Absorbed well. I wouldn’t hesitate a bit about using this again because it was better than a lot of the moisturizers I’ve used before.

I’m boring myself. Sorry. Let’s talk about mushrooms.

Got this Amore Pacific Future Response cream as a free sample from Sephora. It has a delightful earthy mushroom smell – or what I like to refer to as, not delightful. Apparently mushrooms have wicked anti aging benefits, but to put them on my face? Eh. Granted, it’s more of a weird smell than a gross smell and I was able to put up with it for the roughly three weeks this sample lasted me. But let me reiterate that it WAS NOT DELIGHTFUL. They could’ve tossed a handful of flowers in the batter at least.

Finished off another tub of Josie Maran body butter. This time it’s the Vanilla Apricot scent, and it smells much better than the Sweet Citrus. Sweet Citrus has a slight hint of skunk and grass, and you have to convince yourself it’s grapefruit before it actually begins to smell like grapefruit. But the Vanilla Apricot is delicious right away, and no effort is to be made other than applying it to your body. That’s a successful body butter just so you know.

Last batch of goodies. It’s cleansers:

If you’re in the market for some decent, but no frills, cleansing cloths, then give the Michael Todd Skin Loving wipes a try. These smell like cucumber, aren’t overly moist (good thing or bad – you decide) and will refresh your face first thing in the morning. I probably won’t repurchase (I got them free to begin with) simply because I’d like to continue trying different kinds.

I’ve been slowly working my way through my hoard of cleanser samples. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Evologie Stay Clear. It’s made for acne prone skin, which I don’t have, so maybe that is why I didn’t love it. My skin felt kind of tight after using it, and there wasn’t anything that special about it. Thankfully there was only about a week’s worth of product in it, so I checked it off my to-do list rather quickly.

Another cleanser that almost put me right to sleep was the Iluminage Skin Prep. I can’t even tell you anything worth remembering about this cleanser other than it had a pearly sheen to it. Is that enough to make you wanna buy it? Perhaps if you are easily distracted by sheen-y things; otherwise, NO. Especially not for it’s $25 price tag.

Tried a new style of eye makeup remover, a gel one to be exact. The Mario Badescu eye makeup remover gel is rather decent stuff. Plus I got pretty good at applying goop straight on my eyelids, and only got it in my eye just 20 or 30 times. But most importantly, this removed my mascara very gently without too many eyelash losing situations like I tend to get with my liquid removers. Could be user error there, I don’t know. Regardless, I lost less eyelashes and that made me var var happy. I will repurchase for sure.

Last thing – yes, we’ve made it at last – is the REN makeup remover. I used this like a cleansing milk, even though it doesn’t say it’s milk anywhere on the packaging. But the texture is similar, maybe even better, than a cleansing milk so perhaps I’ve reinvented the cleansing milk? Yes, probably.

That’s it. We are finally done. Like kaput, finito. If you are reading this, you’re amazing. Thank you for sticking around even during the boring parts. Later, lovies.

Jun3

Buying Stuff: Episode 14

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Dianna

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So while I’ve been posting one box review after another, it may appear I have not been out shopping for new goodies. Hahahahahaha. Do you even read this blog? Lemme just put your mind at rest.

Birchbox had a little shipping delay and they were unable to get my box out on time with the rest of the world. They felt horribly guilty (as they should), so I was given $10 worth of Birchbox points to help make up for it. I will accept your apology, and buy myself this Cynthia Rowley eyeshadow with it:

These shadows were very powdery, but kind of in a good way. I thought they blended well and looked very nice on my eyelids. Perfect spring shades, even though we are now coming up on summer. But who follows tradition? Not me! I will wear my white pants in December if I feel like it. Even though they are a size too small now so probably shouldn’t do that. White pants are very unforgiving in a lumpy-thigh-skin sort of way. And if they cling to you like they are holding on for dear life – well, that’s not a look anyone should embrace. I mean, maybe supermodels, but then after that, NOBODY.

What am I going on about? I dunno.

Look at this little piece of artwork I made:

I have too much time on my hands.

I saw this beautiful purple and olive green NARS combo at Sephora and knew instantly I had to have it. If there are two colors more suited for each other than purple and green, please let me know. But also I have brown eyes, and if I’m not mistaken, purple and green are great complimentary colors for brown or hazel eyes.

Aside from all that, these are nice eyeshadows. Not extremely pigmented on me, but really, what do I know? Everyone else in the world disagrees, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I am very hard to please. We’ve established this already.

Speaking of pigmentation, or lack thereof, I present to you:

It’s Marc Jacobs blush. Should be amazing. Color in the pan looks to die for. Color on the cheek … not so much. I swear, I about got carpal tunnel swirling my blush brush over this thing, trying – desperately – to get it to release it’s beautiful lilac pinkness. I don’t even have dark skin. In fact, I’m on the lighter side of medium, and this barely showed up on me. No, I wasn’t expecting straight up purple cheeks, but come on! You are $30; now dadgum act like it.

If you’re curious, this color is called Outspoken. And I will say, once I sort of swirled enough of the ribbed impression off the top of the blush, the pigmentation increased a bit. Not gonna go out of my way to sing any praises or anything, but it did get better. Thank goodness, because y’all know I can’t be bothered to return anything back to the store.

Next up is this thing:

Now that I am a Sephora VIB Rouge, I get included on the secret emails that promote exclusive freebies with purchase. Never one to disregard an exclusive freebie, I got a sample of the Dior Dioraddict It-Lash mascara. I had it for about two seconds before I decided I needed a full tube. This stuff is awesome. It fans my lashes out like butterfly wings. I just love it. You can get your own tube now; it’s not just for VIB anymore. And I highly recommend that you should. Just do what I say. I am the boss of you.

Along with the Dior mascara, they had another VIB Rouge sample promo going on where I could pick three free deluxe trial sizes of an array of products. The next three photos is what I chose.

Why would I buy Urban Decay makeup setting spray? Cuz I don’t own any and I was curious if it actually worked. So I used it and honestly I can’t tell much because I don’t ever feel as if my makeup has fallen off. I don’t even know what that would look like. My face always has makeup on, and it always looks the same all day long. Do people actually have issues with their makeup just melting away as if nothing ever happened? Am I being naive? Am I being a butthole? Probably both.

I will say, however, that if I use a matte setting powder (currently It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores) then spray this on, my t-zone oil is less apparent. Like right now I just came in from outside where it is 90 degrees and hideous, and my forehead, nose and chin feel very dry. The good kind of dry. So perhaps there is something to this setting spray thing. I am going to do a scientific experiment tomorrow and use my setting powder and NO spray and see what happens. Because before I spent $30 on a full size bottle of this stuff, I need to know if it actually works and it’s not just the psychological brain trickery that seems to haunt me at every turn.

Another sample is this cutie pie:

It’s Benefit Fake Up Concealer. I got the shade medium and it seems to be a good choice for me. I have been using it for the past few days, and I may consider buying the full size. I like the way it blends out with my concealer brush. I probably already have a concealer that does this, but you don’t end up with hoards of makeup with that kind of logic. So we’re just gonna push that thought out of our heads immediately. And also, please disregard the fleshy hand. Who knew you could gain weight there?

You can never have too many cleansers. Here’s proof:

At one point, I owned the Boscia black illuminating mask, which was a super fun peel-off kind. Thought I’d give the matching cleanser a whirl. I haven’t used it yet as it’s in line behind 3 other cleansers, but hopefully I will use it before the end of the month. One thing to note about this cleanser, and perhaps its most endearing quality, is that it warms up as soon as you put it on your skin. I used to have a mask like that a long time ago, and I loooooved it. The warming sensation feels way better than a cooling sensation, so I’m really excited to give this a try.

Big nerd alert. Sorry.

Okay, this next item is the must luxury of all the items I’ve ever purchased:

Ummmmm, Tom Ford. That’s almost all I need to say about this, and you’d be nodding your head saying, Yes, girl, I know. Cuz that’s why you’re reading this blog: you understand. But for those that need explicit instruction, I will oblige.

Glossybox had $25 gift cards to Bergdorf Goodman in their May boxes, which I told you about (if you’ve been reading this blog like a proper human being). Well, I could have gone on their site and found something for $25 and end up getting it for free, but like a true makeup addict, I lose all sensibility and decide to buy something horrendously expensive so I could get a $25 discount instead. I mean, honestly, when would there be another chance to get a Tom Ford eyeshadow quad for $25 off? Never. These things don’t end up in the reject bin. It was my only chance.

So now I’m feeling pretty good about myself. I used it once (Silvered Topaz is the name) and it was very pretty as expected. It now rests inside it’s little brown velvet pouch inside my makeup drawer next to the Dolce & Gabbana and Dior eyeshadow compacts. Will I use it again? Probably. But more importantly, I own it. And that’s all that matters.

Below is a little Sephora haul:

Do not even ask why I bought that super dark burgundy metallic OCC Lip Tar. You already know the answer. In an effort to own all the things I had to get it as I didn’t have any OCC in the stash. But this color is gorgeous. I tried it on in the store, and wowza! If it was October and I had a big ol sweater on, this dark lip would’ve put the entire world in its place. It’s stunning. Plus, you only have to use a pin drop in order to get a full application. That’s not even an exaggeration. I will own this tube for at least 15 years. Talk about value for your money.

And if you’re of the curious kind, the color is Black Metal Dahlia.

Next item is the Buxom lip polish in the color Gabby. I love these things. I own three now. They have an addictive cool tingle that feels awesome on your lips in the summer. It literally makes you stop sweating. They don’t advertise that, but they should.

Ran out of makeup remover, so thought I’d give the Sephora brand a try. I always get the waterproof version because I feel it gets my mascara off way better than the regular kind. I’ve been using this for a couple weeks now, and I really like it. Does a great job. I think I will most likely repurchase this if I’m already in Sephora and I need some. However, for about $4 less, Ulta carries the Lumene brand and it works just as good. Never mind that Ulta and Sephora are in the same mall and I could easily go to either one to pick up eye makeup remover. I make up my own rules and exceptions to those rules, so just let it go. It’s a puzzle only I can figure out.

Last item in the Sephora haul is the new Bare Minerals Bareskin serum foundation with brush. I got a little sample of this and no sooner did I get it on my face was I out the door and standing in front of Sephora about 15 minutes before they actually opened. This is the most beautiful foundation I own, better than the Chanel (I’m sorry!) or the Shiseido (am I actually saying this?). I don’t even know if I can explain it properly, but here is my best effort:

If you have normal or dry skin, cancel all your plans today and get to Sephora or Ulta immediately. If you have slightly oily skin, get a sample first to see how it wears for you. The formula of this foundation is very liquidy and has a slight slick texture that may seem oily although it’s oil free. I have an oily t-zone, and I still love it, but I do set it pretty good with my transluscent powder. If you have oily skin all over, you may not like this. Again, try a sample and give it a shot.

The finish is just unreal. My skintone has never looked so even, and I have a very splotchy naked face. It’s not matte, and it’s not dewy, just somewhere in between. It’s lovely. Just lovely. I don’t even know why you are still reading this and not in your car on the way to the store. What are you waiting for?!

It does have an accompanying brush that I bought because it is quite unique. Looks like a flat top kabuki, but instead of it being completely flat top there is a little divot in the center, or a “well”, to drop the liquid into. I’m not sure of it’s purpose, honestly, so I think you could probably use any brush and get a great application. I will say that every time I’ve used this brush, it’s shed on me. Boo.

See below:

It’s a Z-Palette. At the time I bought this, I had nothing to put in it. I was just preparing to put stuff in it. I wanted some Makeup Geek eyeshadows, and all the beauty gurus put them in a Z-Palette. What’s good enough for them is guaranteed good enough for me. I’m easily influenced.

So I got my first batch of Makeup Geek shadows:

Picked out these colors cuz I felt they were very summery and fun. The green is called Appletini, then there is Yellow Brick Road, Last Dance is the purple-y shade, Frappe is a matte brown, and Mango Tango is the coral. These babies blend like a dream and I heart them sooo much! And now I’ve addicted myself. I have 5 more shadows on their way to me as we speak. In my defense, my Z-Palette holds 27 shadows and hell if I’m having a half empty Z-Palette. How tacky and gauche that would be. Pffft.

Last thing in the haul is more eyeshadow palettes because I can’t control my shoppin’ hand:

These are both from Sleek Makeup and they come straight from jolly ole England via the Royal Mail. Next up: lunch with the Queen. I know; so fancy! Anyway.

These i-Divine palettes are very inexpensive, about $12. There are several to choose from, and I feel I got the most varied of them all. The first one is called Snapshot and the second one is apparently limited edition (did not know!) called Lagoon. I used a few of the colors today, and they seems to be alright. I did feel like I was blending longer than necessary, but perhaps I was off my game this morning. But also I was trying to mix a yellow with a teal and a black, so maybe those need extra TLC anyway. Can’t wait to play around more and try out some very fun looks. If I go to work looking like a clown, it’s all in the name of research.

That’s it guys. Ginormous haul. But I got paid today so don’t worry, more is already on its way. I waste no time. In fact, if I’d treat every aspect of my life in the same way I treat my makeup addiction, I’d probably be President by now.

Toodles!

May14

Tales From the Mothership: A very special episode of Buying Stuff

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Dianna

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About a month or so ago, I swear I was just minding my own business. Walking through the mall, glancing in store windows, sipping an Orange Julius, getting my wedding ring cleaned. Then I spotted it. Across the foyer inside the JCPenney, the sign shone like a beacon in the night. Brilliant and dazzling. Magnetic. Calling me home.

It was a Sephora under construction. Right there amid the Petite clothing section. My heart stopped. I’m sorry, whaaaaa?!?! When did this happen and why has no one told me about it? I felt as if I’d stumbled across an oasis in the desert. I seriously had to control my legs from sprinting across the tiled floor. Cuz an out of shape, almost 40-year-old woman running without any supportive girdle-like garments is not a scene for public viewing. It hurts everyone’s eyes, trust me.

The doors were covered in a Visqueen plastic sheet, but they didn’t install it very well cuz I could totally see inside. All I had to do was peel back the sheet where it was attached with screws, bolts and super glue, and voila! Instant peepshow. All my favorites were in there. NARS, Makeup Forever, Becca, Bite … I was dying. Literally dying.

Opening day was a month away. Do you know how long a month is? Like 15 years or something. It’s ridiculous. I tried to exercise patience, but we’re talking about the opening of a Sephora not a dentist’s office. You can imagine how hard it was. In fact, I peeked behind the Visqueen at least 12 more times. Also got on the escalator a once, twice or 18 separate occasions so I could glance over the top. Since it’s a roofless store, that makes perfect sense. Otherwise, I’d look like a crazy person.

Finally the day arrived. Walking through those doors felt like taking your first breath or feeling the sun on your face after a thousand years of winter. I spent an extraordinary two hours just browsing the front of the store. That’s not an exaggeration. Sales ladies kept checking on me because I was there so long, reminding me there was a whole other half I hadn’t even looked at yet. Oh, I was quite aware, trust me. I just didn’t want to miss out on anything so I was taking extra special mental notes.

And when I tell you I was fawned over, I was freaking fawned over. I got a full foundation application, free samples made for me, they told me they loved me. Everybody was just so happy and excited in there. For a second I’m thinking, Willy Wonka’s in here somewhere isn’t he? I’m going to turn around and Willy Wonka will just be standing there handing out golden tickets. He runs the chocolate factory AND Sephora. And why wouldn’t he? That place is magical.

So here is my loot in all it’s beautiful, radiant glory. A couple of pieces were mailed, but it all came from Sephora:

The Caudalie Polyphenol serum is one of those free gifts with purchase. It’s a month supply of anti-wrinkle and vitamin C goodness. And it comes with a dropper to make it super scientific and fancy. I haven’t used it yet because I am working on another serum sample right now, but it’s coming up next. I’ve loved every Caudalie product I’ve used so far, so I’m sure this will be no exception.

Picked up a Bite Beauty lipstick in the shade Shiraz which is like a brownish-plum color. Not very springy but I didn’t want red, hot pink, coral or nude … so what is left? This one. And I like it. The color suits me, but the texture of the lipstick is probably the best I’ve ever felt. Doesn’t dry on your lips, which is my lipstick pet peeve. I recommend var var mucho.

While I was getting my foundation did, the sales lady asked me what my favorite moisturizer was, and I looked at her like she was cray. Obviously she has no idea how many different moisturizers I use, so much that I couldn’t even answer this question properly. I stammered, mostly. Then she gave up on me and picked out her favorite to apply on my face – Ole Henriksen’s Nurture Me. And of course it felt amazing, smelled amazing, was amazing. So I own it now. But you knew that’s how this story would end. I’m nothing if not predictable.

The foundation she applied was the Kat Von D Lock-It Tattoo. I had been curious about this for months. It’s a full coverage matte foundation and I really wanted to see how I’d look without pores, freckles or splotches of any kind. Lemme just say I looked okay. I wasn’t in love or anything. But didn’t hate it either. So naturally I bought it cuz that’s just how bad my mental illness is.

One lipgloss I knew I had to have the moment I saw it was the Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in the shade Trixie. It’s this beautiful golden pink and it reminds me of summer. Looks very fresh and youthful on the lips, and if there’s anything I wanna pretend to be, it’s almost always fresh and youthful.

Got another lipstick, and kind of stepped out of my comfort zone with the Too Faced Melted in Melted Peony. This is a pink, not hot pink but verging on Barbie pink. It’s surprisingly pretty. It’s very opaque and bold, which I love, although the longer it wears on your lips, the chalkier it becomes. That part is a bummer, but if you just keep reapplying and everything will be okay. You might not get anything else done on your to-do list, but at least your lips will look lovely.

I bought the most ridiculous mascara on the planet. I read on some site that Dior Diorshow Blackout was the best mascara for short, sparse lashes. Well, I perked up immediately. Anything to help my hopeless eyelash situation, I instantly need. Lemme tell you, this mascara is thick. Like pudding. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But it is thick. And you gotta be super careful when applying or you’re gonna get some crazy spider leg lashes. However, this mascara gives me the best length and volume of any other mascara I own regardless of anything else. So you take the bad with the good and deal with it. Cuz it’s mostly good. It’ll be my special occasion mascara.

I wanted to play around with some pretty spring eyeliner colors so I picked up the Stila smudge stick in the Periwinkle shade. I wore this over the weekend and it’s so pretty. I paired it with some champagne eyeshadow so it really stood out. I feel like I wanna get some other colors now. They have a turquoise and an emerald that are doing their very best at tempting me.

Last item in the picture is a lip balm by Tokyomilk in the Coco Noir scent. Has a blend of rum, cocoa and cherry and it smells very exotic and masculine. It’s hard to describe the scent, but even harder to describe the texture because I’ve never felt anything else quite like it. Don’t know if I love it cuz it’s just so different. I don’t hate it though, in fact I like it a lot. But is it love? I’m not thinking so. In other words, we can make out but we’re not soul mates. Moving on.

The below item is one I ordered online and it’s var var beautiful:

See! Oh my gawd. It’s the Dolce & Gabbana eyeshadow quad in the shade Elegance. If this doesn’t scream Spring! to you, then you need your eyes checked. It’s glorious. And even better in person. I can’t even believe I own this because it’s just so lovely. I wanna walk around with my eyelids shut all day so others can enjoy it as well. If anyone wants to help me make that happen (i.e., as human seeing-eye dog), let me know. Thanks.

Oh, wait. There’s more! I did make a second trip to Sephora only a mere few days later. And picked up these little goodies:

I am a little slow on the bandwagon, but in my defense I’ve only been buying makeup since September. But I finally decided to get the Benefit Coralista blush. This color is so pretty! Looks very natural on the cheeks. I would wear it everyday if I didn’t have 23 other blushes giving me the stink eye. So gotta be fair and spread the love. But next time I’m wearing brown clothes, this blush is MINE.

Picked up the Bite Beauty Whipped Cherry Lip Scrub. Let me preface this by saying this is not a very good lip scrub. But if you like the smell of cherries and big into soft, gentle textures, this is a great product. Sephora gave me a sample of this during my first trip. Had I not used a sample first, I would’ve bought this thinking it was going to get rid of all my peeling, dry lip problems – and I would’ve been disappointed. But this feels very nice going on the lips, even though the exfoliating beads are few and far between. I’m not even sure what is the point in calling it a scrub because it wouldn’t blow eraser crumbs off a sheet of paper much less remove dead skin off your lips. However, I like the way it feels and the smell is heavenly so naturally I’m spending $18 on a product that does not do what it claims but still like anyway. Again, mental illness.

Last in the batch is the Kat Von D Autograph eyeliner. I wanted this because I’m in search of an eyeliner that won’t disappear from my inner rim. I’ve tried lots, and the Sumita brand is the closest I’ve gotten so far. But I was told the Kat Von D would be a good one, and it was only $10 so I felt as if either way, I’ve saved money. Well, I must have super wet eyeballs or just bad juju because this thing does not work for me at all. Within an hour, the eyeliner had already started to wear off even though it is waterproof. Sad face. Still on my mission, I guess.

I’ve saved the best for last, y’all! I just want everyone to know I’ve made a success of my life. Mom, you can rest now; your job is done. Whatever else happens, no one can take this away from me:

Highest level at Sephora now. I’ve made it! This is like an Academy Award or something. I haven’t been this excited since I got my gold card at Starbucks – which I flash at every given opportunity. Royalty at the cash register people; step aside! So I imagine this card will be pulled out of my wallet frequently, and maybe not even just at Sephora. I might “accidentally” drop it while in line at Walmart, or maybe try to pay with it at Home Depot – oops, sorry, wrong card, I’m so silly. I mean, I did a lot to earn this thing so I would like a little time to blatantly enjoy it. Thanks.

So that’s it. Hope everyone is still awake and excited to go out and buy some stuff! I will be back tomorrow for some box reviews. But for now I’m going to go put my wrists in ice water cuz I feel carpal tunnel setting in. Have a great day!

Apr10

Buying Stuff: Episode 10

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Dianna

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I would say I need to quit buying stuff, but we all know that will never, ever happen. Buying stuff is the gas that keeps me going. If I can’t look forward to opening my mailbox in the evening, then what is the point of life? I ask you: what is the point?

So here’s a few things that came in my Sephora box:

In yet another attempt to own all the things, I have added a couple new ones to the pile. First item is the resurfacing mask by Tata Harper. I hadn’t really heard much about the Tata Harper brand. But this mask comes in a pretty green jar, and that was enough persuasion for me. And then upon further research I discovered it won an Elle beauty award. So at this point, nothing else mattered. I bought the Tata Harper and it’s simply lovely.

The jar, that is. I haven’t used the insides. I have no idea when that will actually take place. Owning all the things doesn’t necessarily mean using all the things. Do you need to take a minute to write all this down in your notebook? I’ll wait.

…

Okay, next new brand is the Shiseido foundation in a stick. Who doesn’t love things on sticks? Corn dogs, lollipops, deep fried chocolate dipped twinkies. Those may not come on sticks, but they are delicious! Anyway. The foundation. Back in October, I got color matched at Sephora using their Pantone camera device. They gave me my color number (1R07) and now I can input this number on Sephora’s website and up pops a myriad of foundations that will match my skin tone perfectly. No more guessing! This is ingenious, in my opinion. If you haven’t done it, GO.

So I ordered this foundation knowing with a 100% certainly it would be my color. And you know what: it is. It almost disappears into my skin after swiping it on without even blending. It’s perfect. I was nervous because I am a medium skin tone, but the color match was a natural fair ivory. But I decided to trust the Color IQ system and so glad I did. Obviously the colors run dark, so FYI for those that need to know.

Let’s talk mascara. You know how I have about 27 tubes or something like that? And how I’m always in search of that one mascara to beat all mascaras? Well, I think I’m getting pretty close with this one. YSL‘s Babydoll mascara is so amazing y’all. The brush is small so you can really get down to business. My lashes get fanned out and lengthened nicely, which is what is always missing with so many of the mascaras I try. I’m so happy to have this, it’s worth every penny of the $30 I spent on it. And if my husband’s reading this, I meant $3 not $30. Silly auto-correct.

And because I don’t ever have enough masks in my life, I picked up the First Aid Beauty red clay peel-off one. For those with twitching fingers, a peel-off mask is the perfect thing to soothe you. Nothing is more fun than peeling something off your skin. Dried glue doesn’t happen as much anymore, and now that I’m older, sunburns – while still 100% satisfying to peel – are not the ideal way to go. You know, skin cancer and whatnot. So what is left but a peel-off mask? And if they happen to rip off my tiny mustache while we’re at it, that’s just bonus points. In other words, so excited to use this. One day. After all my other masks get their turn first.

Sigh. My life is so hard.

Last item in the picture is something I got off Amazon. After sampling the tube of Coola sunscreen in my Birchbox and discovering how much I loved it, well what is the natural next step? This stuff is not cheap, but I did find a tube on Amazon for about $8 cheaper and free shipping so I don’t feel too bad. Actually, I don’t feel bad at all. It is sunscreen – a vital and crucial part of life – and therefore a medical necessity. That = JUSTIFIED. Any questions?

Next batch of goodies came from Ulta after they sent me a 20% coupon that I did not need. However, that is irrelevant at all times. Here’s what I picked up:

I went in primarily for the Stila liquid eyeliner pen. I wanted to get a green one. Why for? Just cuz. You know how we girls do. Actually, I was thinking how I really liked the look of my blue Chella liquid eyeliner, even though its pen tip is the biggest fail known to man. Someone on Instagram had said Stila had a great pen and in lots of pretty colors. Well, that’s all you have to say. I’m on it immediately. I really impress myself with how quickly I can get things done. Not housework, but the other stuff. Well, just makeup stuff. Everything else is a crapshoot.

Back to the eyeliner. I picked up the Moss color, which is like a hunter green. I applied it and it went on so smoothly, was so pigmented, and I didn’t have to do the toilet paper swipe thingy in order to keep the color flowing in the nib. It was heaven. My holy grail probably. No, definitely. And then, as an added bonus because I wasn’t even checking for this, it didn’t feather out on my inner eye like every single other liquid eyeliner does that I’ve tried. A miracle! God wasn’t resting on the 7th day – he was creating the Stila eyeliner and making my life very very happy indeed.

And as if I needed another cream blush in my stash (I did), I picked up a lovely peachy color by Butter London called Honey Pie. I picked this up on a whim because they had it out on display and I passed by it on accident. They really shouldn’t put things on end-caps. Dangerous territory, those end-caps are. Also, shelves of things near the check-out registers. Bad, horrible. Just like window displays, the little set-ups in the front of the store that highlight the specials, all the rows of products lining the walls and filling up the insides, the stuff in the middle and the left and right sides. All that is bad, horrible, dangerous territory. If you can somehow float near the ceiling without seeing or touching anything, that might be the only safe thing.

Last thing I got was the Benefit The Big Easy BB Cream. A spontaneous purchase, as I never intended to buy this as I have plenty other BB creams to tend to. But the packaging was irresistable, they had them on display (right in the front – see, I told you), and if I ever walk out of Ulta with just two things, something is seriously seriously wrong. One thing to note is the color range runs a little light. I would normally get the light-medium shade, but the medium actually worked best. However, the shades are self-adjusting, so even if I had chosen wrong I still think it would’ve turned out okay. The finish looked very nice on my skin, like a powder but not flat. Coverage was light, but probably buildable. I say probably because I never build my foundations. If I gotta put two coats of foundation on, I’d never get out of the house in the morning. It’s best to just get it right the first time. So, I liked this product a lot. Dry skin people may not because of the powder finish, but for my oily skin peeps – this one’s got your name on it.

That’s enough for now. I actually have more haul pics but I feel as if some of you may already be asleep. We will continue our discussion tomorrow. Hoorah!

Feb7

Benefit POREfessional

Posted on February 7, 2014 by Dianna

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I know y’all know what this is. It’s only been talked about ten billion times by beauty gurus, magazines, experts and nobodies like me. It’s a product that’s destined for cult classic status, if it’s not officially already there. It’s a must have, a bestseller, probably an award-winner (or should be).

But for those who hang out under rocks, this is what I’m talking about:

Benefit’s POREfessional. Otherwise known as Miracle in a Tube. First of all, I’ve never bought a full size of this; I’m working on my second sample tube as we speak. But once that’s gone, I am no doubt, 100% certain I am repurchasing. How can I not? It creates a magic-like situation upon my face, and without it I would be a facsimile of a sham of a person with a face.

Let me explain.

I have pores. Massive, crater-y, sinkhole-y pores. It is hideous. I never really noticed them before, back when I hardly used makeup, and could barely manage a half-hearted swipe of powder that was probably 2 shades too light for me anyway. But now that I stare at my face for at least an hour and 20 minutes every morning (don’t judge; it takes 30 minutes just to do eyeshadow), I’ve been noticing some unseemly incidents and I no likee. Face skin like the texture of an orange rind. That’s not even an exaggeration. Sound lovely? It is not.

So what does one do to rectify this situation? Buy all the pore-shrinking, minimizing, blurring, filling, and/or scraping off products in existence. Then have at it. Turns out, not much helps. Not in an instant gratification kind of way, which is the only way I like to do things. Serious, if you can’t make me beautiful and perfect RIGHT THIS SECOND then I have no use for you.

Received a small tube of the POREfessional in one of the many sample kits I purchased at Ulta. I’ve been told people apply it as a primer, so that was honestly my intention first time I used it. The color was nude and quickly disappeared into my skin. The texture was very silicone-y, like powder or velvet or something equally luxurious and soft. But the pore-filling power was … eh. I didn’t think it did much other than maybe some psychological brain trickery. Sometimes I feel I want a product to work so badly that I almost convince myself it does. The POREfessional was one of those products.

I stopped using it briefly and kept up my search for that Holy Grail. Nothing seemed to help. I was greeted every morning by my gaping pores, who I swear were laughing all the way to the bank. My face, in return, looked like this:

-_-

Are you feeling sorry for me yet?

About a month ago, I was watching a You Tube video (as I am wont to do), and one of my gurus told me the secret to the POREfessional is to tap the product on your skin instead of smoothing it on like lotion. Tapping it on will fill in the holes, as smoothing it on merely smears it around haphazardly. And I do not have time for haphazard when I have a pore emergency, trust me. So I thought I’d give the POREfessional one more try.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap … and lo and behold. The clouds parted, the sun came out, and angels began to sing. It worked. I present to you, before and after:

Photo taken no more than 15 seconds apart, no filter, same lighting. See? Flat-out miracle. That’s all I can say about that.

The whole point of my post is to teach you what I’ve learned. If you’ve been having not so much success with the efficacy of the POREfessional, try the tapping thing. It made a world of difference. Granted, my pores do not disappear completely, but they are much less pronounced and manageable. I can handle that.

Who’s laughing now?

Jan4

Evil with a Bow – (A Benefit Cosmetics Review)

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Dianna

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Well, Merry Christmas to me.

First, let’s back up. This isn’t your queen snack bee, but her twenty-something, makeup enthused, sister. A snackette if you will? Poking my head in to deliver a “guest post”, or in layman’s terms, offer up a few thoughts, but that doesn’t sound near as cool. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s dive in… Just be sure to keep your purse nearby and your best shoppin’ boots because these products are a NEED. Immediately.

Di and I exchanged belated Christmas gifts last weekend. Much to no ones surprise, Ulta gift cards and beauty goodies were received. Now, I have a few “high-end”, uber trendy, makeup items that can be found on the “good” side of Ulta. Ya know what I’m talkin’ about? Not your Revlon Lip Butter side (which is awesome, by the way), but the side that holds palettes of $50 eye colors in all the “best” shades and foundation primers we didn’t even know we needed. So, when my sister unveiled this little gem I was excited to try, but nothing really screamed out. I mean, how exciting could face primer be and a bronzer that had no luster? Thanks, but no thanks.

There it sat on my kitchen table for a couple days. Too busy to really play around with the new products. I work in the casino biz and my mornings are usually tight thanks to needing my running fix and scrambled egg whites. Finally, I peeked into said box and decided to try the That Gal face primer and Hoola bronzer.

Never having used a primer before, I didn’t know what to expect. My face tends to hold a lot of oil, so I digress from extra goop on the ol’ epidermis. The cream is a pale pink color, similar to calamine lotion, and glides on your face like a dream. After applying my tried and true, Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation, and applying its matching powder and bronzer (I’m Estee loyal), my skin revealed a beautiful matte look. Smooth, soft, creamy and distinctly different from my pre-primer days. Never again. Take my word, Benefit knows what they’re doing.

Now, I’ve always been a bronzer gal. The more shimmery the better, or so I thought. I’ve been fairly loyal to Estee Lauder’s bronzer, Bronze Goddess, it’s full of shine, and that fresh June-beach look. So when I took a look at Hoola, only a dark, dewy brown, looked back at me. Um, what? Looks like I’m going to dust clay on my face. How is this supposed to work?

However, I put my trust in this “Hoola” and gave it a go. Umm, glitter is not the answer people. And don’t judge a bronzer by it’s cover. It gave the most natural look. Never orange-y, and the lack of shimmer gave the appearance of true sun-kissed skin that was flawless and tan. I feel like I’ve lost years of quality-bronzing time. Shit. How could I have been so naive? This is a MUST try. Promise. I’ll even bet you my jogging time and egg whites on it.

Now, in full disclosure, I’ve only tried these two products in the kit so far. And we are 2 for 2 on purchasing their full size versions. My purse can’t take too much too fast, but that’s what the plastic is for, right? That is so wrong and so right in the beauty world. I’ll be sure to report back as I try more.

For now – get yourself some primer, throw away those shimmering bronzers and stock your snack drawer. Di and I have lots coming your way…

Keep it simple.

Snacks On Rotation

surprisingly, not a food blog

Tag Archives: Benefit

Buying Stuff: Episode 21

Birthday Haul: Part 2

Buying Stuff: Episode 19

Empties | July 2014

Buying Stuff: Episode 14

Tales From the Mothership: A very special episode of Buying Stuff

Buying Stuff: Episode 10

Benefit POREfessional

Evil with a Bow – (A Benefit Cosmetics Review)

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