Wednesday August 05, 2015   

I posted all the Revlon Colorburst lip sticks I owned on Instagram last week and I thought I’d blog some of the other drugstore products I’ve gotten recently. I mostly stopped buying drugstore for a long time. I just didn’t know what was good and was a bit snobby about it after finding HG items in other brands. But I started watching Kathleen Lights and she got me back into giving drugstore products a chance again.

Just to clarify none of these break me out or else I would have returned the product. :) You know I breakout easily…

I really really REALLY like these two Revlon True Match LUMI items. The one on the right is a primer that comes out as a liquid pearl serum. I sometimes just use these on my bare cheeks alone with no makeup or I actually use it as a primer before bb cream or even mix it in with my bb cream and it adds a subtle glow. The illuminator on the left is in shade “icy” and is a great pearl toned highlight for cheeks.

On the far left there are two Rimmel Exaggerate automatic lip liners. I hadn’t used lip liners since swearing off Mac a few years ago but these showed up on a couple of beauty reviews and are so affordable I went ahead and got some. A nude pink shade and a deep red. They’re pretty good. Not flawless but creamy and long-lasting. Revlon’s Visible Lift Blur cream blush is fantastic. It really does blur your pores and the shade is so build’able and natural. And then I’ve purchased Loreal Double Extend fiber mascara again and again. I always use it when I want dramatic lashes that are super easy to remove. And then the Loreal Manga Rock mascara. I tried the original manga mascara and it was OK but this one really does add more drama. I like spider lashes if I’m in the mood and this does it really well. Hard as hell to remove but still nice.

I got this Physician’s Formula Mineral Glow Pearls in beige for a golden powder highlight. It’s more of a shimmering bronzer on my skin. It’s pretty subtle. I probably wouldn’t buy it again but I’ve actually been using it a lot on minimal makeup days for an added bit of color and shine.

I got this Sonia Kashuk matte palette from Anupa a while ago and boy do I get into cycles where I only wear this palette! The color range is great and the shadows aren’t too chalky. They’re easier to blend than some of my other matte palettes. I also purchased this stipple brush a few months ago and, though it wasn’t super cheap, it’s really nice for applying liquid highlighters plus it’s so easy to hold not to mention sleek looking.

So no, I do not have a beautyblender. I wasn’t sure if I’d use it so I purchased this Real Techniques Miracle Complexion version for 1/4 of the price of a beautyblender. Just to see if I’d like the concept. I love it. I’ll probably upgrade to Beauty Blender when this is ready to be tossed but honestly if I only ever repurchase this version I’d be more than happy. It’s great for applying bb cream no matter how thick and the coverage I get when I use it is great. I don’t even remember the last time I applied my bb cream with my fingers or foundation brush. I thought using it would make application longer but it actually cuts my time in half.

So I saw this while grocery shopping last weekend and I got it because it claims to give you a tingling lip sensation much like a lot of lip plumpers out there. It’s Lip Bang’s Lip Freak Buzzing Cherry Atomic stick. This is more like a lip tint because it goes on with a fairly noticeable red tint. It smells like cinnamon and tastes a bit fruit like cinnamon cranberries. The tingling starts after a few minutes and just lasts and lasts and lasts. I know a lot of people don’t like that sensation but I love it. I’ve actually been using lip products like this to help distract me during high-anxiety situations. Such as office meetings, going to the doctors, or meeting with a large group of people. Sometimes my anxiety just feels overwhelming and is stressful but this tingling distraction helps keep me more focused and calm in those situations. Much like chewing gum does for some people.

It’s been really fun getting back into picking things up on a whim. There isn’t all this guilt if I don’t love it, returning items I don’t like is way easier, and that feeling of “am I buying the best version of xyz!?” is gone. Sometimes it feels like we have turned makeup into this constant competition of having to buy the best and only the best. Like 19 out of 20 beauty bloggers have to recommend it before you dare buy it. You know? Like I know there are way better lip colors out there than Revlon’s Colorburst. But I like them! I like the color payoff and the minty formula. I like that I can usually buy them at 2 for 1! Sometimes it feels like you’re not even allowed to buy, let alone like, a beauty product unless you’ve got a dissertation on why it’s the be all and end of of products. But maybe that’s just the bubble I got myself into over the years and am very much in favor of popping. :)

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Tags: makeup, review, shopping
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Thursday July 23, 2015   

I finally got around to try the 3 new Japanese makeup products I bought a few weeks ago as well as a random lip gloss.

Heroine Make eyebrow pen – natural brown
Pmel under-eye color pen – beige
Love Fille Nude Face Veil
Royal Apothic Lip Tintie – Kissed

First the Heroine Make eyebrow pen. I’ve used this brand’s eyeliner many times over and bought this on a whim. I haven’t use anything besides the Anastasia Brow Wiz in a long time. I’ve used Japanese brand eyebrow pencils and powders a lot in the past before there were more eyebrow product choices in the US. Those brands were ok but I was always looking for a holy grail product. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by this pen! It’s not too dark or too red. It’s a more grey-brown and goes on as more of a tint rather than heavy marker. Lasts a while too.

Heroine Make eyebrow pen

Pros
Good neutral color
Easy to use

Cons
Too subtle for adding shape
updated: Dries out incredibly fast

The Pmel under eye color was more of a “cute treat” when I got it. An easy cheat! I hadn’t done this trend for a while. Is aegyo sal still trendy, I don’t even know to be honest. But this color is nice under the eyes either way. It goes on so smoothly. The pen is really nifty as it sort of twists and springs open and gathering the powder from the cap.

Pmel under-eye color

Pros
Easy application
Buildable pigments

Cons
Color wears off too easily

You only need to know 1 thing about the Love Fille pore minimizing face veil… it smells like roses. Fresh cut roses! And the fragrance lasts a while after applying too. But does it work? So far I’m unimpressed. It feels a bit drying and my makeup doesn’t look all that fresh throughout the day. Though I’m happy it has yet to break me out unlike a lot of similar products.

Love Fille pore minimizing face veil

Pros
Fragrant rose scent
Smooths out deep pores
No breakouts from it

Cons
Doesn’t add much of a lasting matte effect
Couldn’t stand up to my oily t-zone (combination skin)

Lastly a little lip gloss pot from Royal Apothic Lip Tintie I picked up from the sale section of Anthropologie. I had seen it online and nearly ordered it because the pot was so attractive. I didn’t realize at the time it was actually a lip butter and not a gloss. It’s very creamy and the shade is very opaque. It’s a nice nude “your lips but better“shade. But it’s definitely more lipstick than a gloss. Glad I got it on sale. Wouldn’t pay full price as it’s a bit boring.

Royal Apothic Lip Tintie

Pros
Attractive packaging
Neutral color
Long-lasting
Moisturizing

Cons
Bulky to carry around
Not as expected
Bit boring

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Tags: makeup, review
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