Tag Archives: moisturizer

Oct13

Buying Stuff: Episode 20

Posted on October 13, 2014 by Dianna

I absolutely cannot wait to share my Las Vegas haul with you guys. The products I bought are what dreams are made of. Well, my dreams, that is. However, because I’ve been meaning to post some other products for several weeks now, I suppose I’ll do it first. So, presenting, THAT OTHER HAUL THAT ISN’T AS EXCITING. (But still awesome.)

I do love me some eyeshadow. I want to own every palette that’s ever been made. I’m addicted, I’m fully aware, but you should see it all. They are like my little eyeshadow children, and I love each and every one of them. These right here are no exception.

I would never guess I would love an $11 drugstore eyeshadow palette. But this Maybelline The Nudes one is awesome. Every color is wearable, blendable, colorful. It is, quite literally, one of my favorite palette purchases. Isn’t that strange that something so inexpensive – it was even on sale for $7 when I picked it up – could turn out to be more precious than my $50 palettes. Just goes to show you, luxury makeup doesn’t mean squat. Although you can forget I said that as soon as my Vegas haul is posted. Cuz money doesn’t seem like actual money when you’re in Vegas. I don’t make the rules, guys. It is what it is.

Aside from that, I recommend you pick up this palette. The concept is pretty cool because it’s strategically placed in pre-designed quads, trios and duos. So if you count in fours (two top, two bottom) that is considered your quad; if you count in threes (all top, then bottom), those are your trios; then count in twos (all top, then bottom), those are your duos. They make it super easy to put looks together. Of course, I rebel and mix all over the place, but that is what professionals do. I am a professional, just so we’re clear.

Another batch of really nice drugstore eyeshadows are the new Milani Bella Eyes. Even looking at them is pretty exciting – they look like little cookies that someone stuck their thumb in. Or maybe that’s just how I see them. In any case, I bought some neutral colors (shown above) because that’s all my local Walgreens carried. However, we got a brand new CVS, and you’d swear it was a Bloomingdale’s or something the way I was carrying on. I made a special trip clear across town to see what kind of makeup they carried. And wouldn’t you know it – the best Milani display I’ve ever seen. Hoards of different things in all the colors. So I picked up a couple more shadows because I really do like the texture. They call them gel powders, and I’m not even gonna pretend to know what that means, but the result is lovely. They blend into each other so naturally. If you haven’t given these a try, I recommend you grab a few.

And then I bought this thing:

It’s a Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick highlighter in Beige. In case you’re wondering: YouTube made me do it.

Well, you know how it is. Someone goes on and on and on about something, you start to feel like you’re missing out on the secret to life. I caved and bought one to see for myself. And yes, it does have a very lovely sheen. It’s not over the top sparkly by any means. Sometimes when I use it, I almost feel like I didn’t put on enough, that’s how subtle it looks on me. It comes in several colors, like a bronze, a pink and something else (besides the beige), so perhaps if I had gotten a different one, it would show up more pronounced. Or more likely than not, I just don’t know how to apply highlighter properly. Because when I swipe my finger through it, the color is just stunning. On my cheeks, however – just barely. It’s not my most favorite highlighter I’ve ever used, lemme just say that. Until I figure out how to use it the right way, that is.

Here’s my very first MAC lipstick purchase:

I think I picked a pretty good one for scrolling through a bunch of thumbnail color swatches on the Internet. I chose the MAC frost lipstick in the color Fluid, and it’s a plum brown. Perfect for fall. And the frost finish of it reminds of my first lipstick purchase in 7th grade. I don’t know if that’s a compliment to the lipstick or not, but I like it regardless.

Aside from all that, Ebates had like an 8% cash back or something at Macy’s, and that’s the only reason I bought this lipstick. I make absolutely no sense, I’m quite aware.

Last part of the haul came about from a Birchbox email that enticed me with a 25% off coupon. They know what they’re doing. Oh yes they do.

Sometimes when you’re forced to shop, it can takes days to figure out what you want to buy. There was no way I was letting a good coupon go to waste. I mean, there are starving people in China, for chrissakes.

So after about 3 days, and realizing that I clearly need more responsibilities in life, I finally decided on the Coastal Scents Revealed 2 palette and brushes kit. Oh man! This was such a big surprise to me. Normally I don’t go for palettes that have almost all similar eyeshadow colors (in this case, pink), but I took a chance on this one and I absolutely love it. Every look I’ve done with it has been so pretty. Shadows are blendable and pigmented. Well worth wasting 3 days if you ask me.

As for the brushes, these are pretty decent quality. I got a large shadow brush, a crease brush and some kind of angled blender brush. I can’t think of a feasible use for that last one, but I did like the other two. The crease brush deposits a nice amount of color in the outer v, then blends it out real good. I’ll continue to use them. However, probably not that angled one.

And while I was getting 25% off, might as well buy something else to make it even more worth my while. Decided to go with the Origins GinZing moisturizer, a product I was really curious about. This is an energizing moisturizer, meant to be applied in the morning when you’re halfway asleep, brushing your teeth with your eyes closed. It has caffeine in it to wake up your skin, and it has a nice, refreshing citrus scent. It is very light, and leaves my skin feeling very soft. Not sure if it really peps me up or not, but I can brainwash myself into thinking so.

That’s it for today. October boxes are rolling in so I’ll have those coming up this week. Plus of course the most fabulous haul of all time. Stay tuned, y’all. You won’t wanna miss it.

Sep23

Birthday Haul: Part 2

Posted on September 23, 2014 by Dianna

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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.

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.

Jul2

Beauty DNA | June 2014

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Dianna

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I love not being disappointed, don’t you? In fact, it’s like one of my favorite states of being. If I could be not disappointed for the rest of my life, I think that would cover all the bases. Happiness, money, health = all checked. World peace would probably just take care of itself. And then I would be Ambassador of the World!

Well, you never know.

Below is an example of not being disappointed. My Beauty DNA box:

This is the Ahava Time to Smooth Age Control Even Tone Moisturizer, and it’s perfect for me. Despite the fact it reminds you by its mere title that YOU. ARE. OLD. The last Ahava product I had was the Dead Sea Osmoter Concentrate serum and it was fantastic, so I have high hopes for this moisturizer.

I was looking up the description online, and if this product does what it’s supposed to, I will have a completely new face in 14 days. Cannot wait for that. I’d love a new face. One with an even tone, brighter complexion and no wrinkles. Hooray! I love ALL those things. I would like one of each please.

Beauty DNA is probably my favorite subscription box. I know they only send you one full-size product, but the product you get is guaranteed to be something you want because their matching system is var var high tech. I spent about half an hour on my profile answering a zillion questions about my likes, dislikes, wants, don’t wants, and because of my perseverence, I am rewarded with everything I’ve ever wanted. I just love it. You should join because you will love it too. And also I am the boss of you.

I mean, Ambassador of the World.

Jun12

Buying Stuff: Episode 15

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Dianna

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Beauty boxes are rolling in as we speak. I’m going to use more of the products before I do any reviews. Because I am a professional, and that is how I run this bloggin business.

To tide you over, I have a teeny haul to share. I went to Sephora under the guise of needing a free mask sample. And while I did get one (GlamGlow Supermud, to be exact), a few other products mysteriously, miraculously found their way into my basket. They are these:

I’ve been rather impressed with my tiny sample of the Urban Decay All-Nighter setting spray. And then I discovered they have an oily skin version called De-Slick. I’m been having some issues in the t-zone area, which I am not liking one bit. Using my setting powder, then spritzing the spray has been helping somewhat. Just imagine what a specified oily skin spray could do! I mean, I don’t know because I haven’t used it yet, but just IMAGINE.

I’m not saying I have a shopping problem or anything, I’m simply telling you I bought the Cover|FX Mattifying Primer on the Sephora website, then after work that day I went into the Sephora store and bought the Cover|FX Mattifying Primer. Somehow, in the short span between leaving work and arriving at the mall, I had forgotten what I’d purchased. No judging allowed. This is a friendly, safe environment.

But in my defense, I really wanted to try this primer. I’m desperate to rid my skin of an oily t-zone. I used it once last weekend and it did pretty good. I did not have to blot, where usually I will at least once if not twice during a workday. So that’s rather successful if you ask me. As soon as I finish the Napoleon Perdis primer I’m currently using, I will get back to the Cover|FX. And then of course, I will return my extra tube and apply that $16 towards something else. Because a refund is out of the question.

Shopping problem? No. Not at all.

Someone on YouTube said the Bite Beauty Lush Lip Tints were amazing. Hearing the word ‘amazing’ immediately makes my cat ears stand up straight. I love amazing things. I live for amazing. So naturally I had to have this, and rightnownotlater. Decided to go for the darkest shade they have, Blackcurrant, because tints are very sheer and I prefer color. And man, was that the best decision ever. It’s a purple-y plum, but very natural looking. It shows up on your lips, so it’s obvious you’re wearing a dark color, but it’s not dark. Do you get what I’m saying? It’s like going goth, but not making a full commitment.

Oh but wait, there’s more! The formula on these is TO. DIE. FOR. I can’t even explain it properly. It just feels good to wear them. Like a hug, but lips only. Comforting, soft, gentle, hydrating and lovely. And if that doesn’t get your attention, there is Resveratrol in the center, and that’s an antioxidant found in red wine. Red wine! I don’t even know what that means, but they said red wine and now nothing else matters.

Last item in the haul is a sample jar of the Perricone MD Photo Plasma day cream. I took a peek of the insides, and I’m not gonna lie when I say the primary reason for purchasing this was because it looked like a delicious strawberry mousse. Second primary reason is because it was in those Beauty-To-Go bins right by the register and I was in line for a minute too long. However, that’s all beside the point.

I used this on Sunday, and while it looks very light and airy in the jar, it doesn’t apply that way. It smooths out just fine, but it dries kind of sticky, and then it takes forever for it to absorb completely. Other reviews are back and forth on this product’s greatness. Some feel exactly like me (the RIGHT answer), and some feel this is the most brilliant thing they’ve ever used (clearly wrong). I dunno. Kind of wish I could take it back, but I threw out the box because I never expected not to like it. I mean, STRAWBERRY MOUSSE! It should have been just like strawberry mousse.

On a positive note, when my skin gets drier in the winter time, this product might actually work better. So since I’m forced to hold onto it, that’s the new plan. Then I will report back in an Empties post to keep you all informed. Again, I am a professional and this is how I do things.

As for that sample of the GlamGlow mask – you know, the reason for going into Sephora in the first place – let me tell you a story. I had one of those horrible under the skin pimples right on my chin, red, sore and angry. I was looking for something that would draw out the gunk, to try to heal the zit faster. Sephora lady directs me to the GlamGlow display and points out the SuperMud Clearing Treatment. Full size is $69, which I knew already, but she offered up a sample and I gratefully accepted. Fast forward two days, and my pimple is gone. As in, magically disappeared off my face. Normally this kind of pimple sticks around for at least a week, where I proceed to press around on it, play with it, squeeze and pick at it. But not this time. This time I got it, and I got it good. Needless to say, there’s a GlamGlow in my shopping cart in the very near future.

One more teeny haul:

More Makeup Geek eyeshadows! I have a 27-slot Z-Palette that only has 5 slots filled, so naturally I can’t go around looking like that. Adding these 5 makes my total 10, and that is math and now you’re officially prepared to live life.

Shades I got (from top to bottom) are Cosmopolitan (rose gold), Beaches and Cream (matte browbone shade), Pop Culture (iridescent lavender), Mermaid (teal with gold shimmer), and Rockstar (silver with purple iridescence). I really like the eyeshadows. They’re blendable, which is my #1 important eyeshadow factor. If you can’t blend out, then I don’t want you. Even if you are the perfect shade of Heaven. Unless that is sacrilegious, and in that case I’ll take a hundred.

Enough talky. More later.

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!

Apr16

Buying Stuff: Episode 11

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Dianna

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I’m starting to think I’m in need of an intervention. I buy a lot of stuff. It’s getting ridiculous. Well, not for me, but for my husband. His stink eye is getting tired.

I, on the other hand, am having the time of my life. It’s fun to own all the things. But I can’t rule out the possibility of an intervention. I got my eyes peeled for a large gathering of my family appearing out of nowhere. In fact, I’m getting very suspicious about Easter.

Anyway. Look what I got!

It’s a Hautelook haul, y’all. That site is so evil. Tempting me with half off prices and stuff. If you gonna flaunt all that in my face I can’t be blamed for what ensues. I think it’s written in the intervention guidelines somewhere.

I picked up these four lovely little things from the TheBalm event last month. I love TheBalm so much. First off, the packaging is super adorable. But then the products are pretty nice too. So it’s a winning situation whatever way you look at it.

First thing I got is the Balms Away eye makeup remover. I just wanted to try something other than a liquid remover. And to be honest, I prefer liquid. Despite that though, this balm works pretty good. It’s just yucky having black mascara smeared Dalmatian-style all over your eye while you’re trying to remove it. But it does remove it, which I suppose is the point.

Next, I picked up the Schwing liquid eyeliner. I used to use liquid eyeliner in brush form like this, but switched to the pen form as I felt it was easier. But I figured I’d try Schwing to see if I could still master the brush. Annnnnnnd … I can’t. It’s not like riding a bike; I forgot utterly and disastrously. I remember the good ole days when it took like 5 seconds to swipe this stuff on. Not anymore, friends. Good thing I have 1.5 hours set aside in the morning. Otherwise: tragedy ensues.

I love TheBalm’s eyeshadow palettes. They are cute as pie. I own four of them now. I think the shadows are nice quality, pigmented and easy to blend. This palette is the Balm Jovi one, and the colors are very wearable. I’ve been using it all week and it’s safe to say we’s best friends. Yes, I said we’s. It’s that serious.

Plus, not only does it have lovely eyeshadows, but it includes a very pretty blush, a champagne highlighter and two lip glosses. It’s practically all you need in life.

Just kidding. You need wayyyyyy more than that. At least I do, hence the intervention.

Last item I got was the Dandelion Brightening Moisturizer. I haven’t used this yet as you know I keep buying moisturizers that may never see the light of day. But I’m trying very hard to make a dent. I do have an entire line of TheBalm skincare so if there’s ever an excuse to move this one to the front of the line, this be it.

Ok, I’m done for tonight. I have more hauls and boxes coming up so GET. EXCITED. Why, you ask? Is this your first day here? Cuz I am the boss of you, that’s why.

Good night!

Snacks On Rotation

surprisingly, not a food blog

Tag Archives: moisturizer

Buying Stuff: Episode 20

Birthday Haul: Part 2

Empties | July 2014

Beauty DNA | June 2014

Buying Stuff: Episode 15

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

Buying Stuff: Episode 11

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