March 2018 Empties

April is here, which means it's time to share all the products I used up in March. I've been doing really well so far this year, and I'm really excited to share my progress with you all!

For skincare, I used up a Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash. I used to really like this stuff, but I realized it doesn't do anything for my skin.

The Algenist Overnight Restorative Cream was really freaking amazing, and I want the full size at some point. This made my skin look and feel so nice!

I wasn't able to use up the Neocorium Derma Carrier and EGF & Stem Cell Concentrate before it expired. It's a shame because this duo was pretty nice, and it's super expensive. 

I really wasn't a fan of the Derma-Nu Blueberry Cranberry Oxygen Facial Scrub. It smelled nice, but felt way too harsh on my skin. 

Montagne Jeunesse is a brand I'm unsure of, but I did like their Creamy Coconut Hydrating single use mask. It made my skin feel really soft and supple. Four more packets of the Dickinson's Oil Controlling Towelettes done, and just a few more to go. 

I usually don't wear perfumes or body sprays, so this Victoria's Secret Pure Seduction Body Splash took years to get through. I have different scents hanging around, so I'll try to use them more. 

I have another Philosophy Cranberry Medley hand cream used up, which I do like. I think I mentioned before, but this doesn't work very well if my hands are extra dry and cracked, but for a little moisture, it works just fine. 

I really enjoy Serious lip balms, and I used up a Peppermint one. I loved this so much. It makes my lips feel soft, and the peppermint scent is really nice. 

I have little samples of the Exuviance Evening Restorative Complex and the Caudalie Eye and Lip Cream. The Exuviance was nice, but felt maybe too hydrating at times, and I really enjoyed the Caudalie eye cream as well. It felt like a balm, but wasn't too heavy so I used it during the day. 

I had a deluxe sample of the Tom's of Maine Rapid Relief Sensitive toothpaste, so I used this up quickly. I didn't care for it much as it didn't help the sensitivity I have. 

I finally have some makeup! The Miss Mona Lisa Eyebrow Pencil was all dried out, and it fell out of the packaging, so I had to throw it away. I've been a fan of The Body Shop's Lightening Touch pen in shade 01 for ages now. I honestly am not sure if they still make this, but I may have a backup to use. I LOVE the Rimmel Match Perfection concealer in shade Fair. It's such a nice color for my under eyes, and blends in like a dream. 

Products used up: 19
total for the year: 57

I truly am so proud of myself right now! I never thought I could use up this many products so early into the year. I'm not sure how April will go, but I may focus a bit more on using up deluxe and foil packet samples. I have a ton of those to go through and really need to start using them up. 

What have you used up recently?

My Top 10 Favorite Drugstore Products

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Hey guys! I don't think I've done a post like this on the blog before, but I wanted to share with you what my favorite products to buy at the drugstore are. The best of the best, in my opinion, and what I can't live without. I have a mix of hair and skincare, but the majority is makeup. 

1. Aquation Gentle Moisturizing Cleanser - I had done a review of this along with a couple other Aquation products, but this cleanser is my favorite out of the bunch. It's amazing at removing makeup at night, it hydrates the skin without making me feel greasy, and it just makes my skin feel so good. I always go in with toner and moisturizer after using this, but I can tell that my skin is absolutely loving this cleanser. 

2. L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation - I had purchased this a while ago after hearing some pretty amazing reviews, but put off trying it for the longest time. I picked up the shade 101 Classic Ivory, which was surprisingly hard for me to find at the time. It's like there wasn't a place in the display for it, but I eventually found it at Walmart. I am beyond impressed with how this foundation applies and how well it keeps my skin shine-free. It sort of reminds me of the Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ foundation, but much cheaper. 

3. Batiste Dry Shampoo - If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know how much I adore Batiste. I've tried quite a few of their scents, but the Tropical scent pictured is my ultimate favorite. It smells like coconut and the beach, and it's wonderful. It makes my hair feel so much cleaner when I haven't washed it in 3 days, and never builds up to feeling gross like other dry shampoos can. It's the best and there are usually sales going on, which is when I tend to stock up. 

4. Milani Baked Blush - This is probably no surprise, since everyone talks about Milani Baked Blushes, but these are just fantastic! The shade pictured is called Dolce Pink, and it's my favorite one. I wore it on my wedding day and it gives the prettiest shimmery, healthy pink glow to the skin that I can never get enough of. 

5. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - This is an old favorite that I will always go back to when I use up other powders. I have quite a few powders in my collection, but this is most definitely my all-time favorite. It keeps me shine-free and never looks cakey. I usually pick up the Transparent shade, but they do come in a range of colors. 

6. Colourpop Super Shock Shadows - Now you can only buy these on the Colourpop website, but at only $5 for each eyeshadow, they're such a steal! The shade pictured is called La La and it's a pretty coppery bronze shade that looks gorgeous over the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. If I could buy every shade of these shadows, I totally would. 

7. Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trios - My love for the WnW eyeshadows trios is massive. I don't own too many, but the ones I have are so gorgeous and the shadows are super pigmented. I have to say though, limited edition trios are not as good as the original ones, and I'm not sure why. Pictured is Silent Treatment, and it's my favorite that I own. They make for such a pretty, cool-toned look that I like to wear for date nights. 

8. NYX Butter Glosses - Again, these are old favorites that I typically use when I have no idea what I want to wear on my lips. There's a huge shade selection, but the one pictured is Cupcake, a bright pink shade that's perfect for Summer. These smell like vanilla and I have quite a collection of these in my lip stash. 

9. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer - You all had to have seen this one coming! This is my all-time favorite concealer ever. Seriously, I always want to kick myself for trying something new, and sometimes more expensive, only to find that this one is still way better. I usually get the Brightener shade, but I have used Fair. I think the Brightener shade works so much better at masking my dark circles, and the Fair shade is good for spot concealing around my face. 

10. Covergirl Mascara - I honestly have yet to open this Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara, but I had to picture something in place of my beloved Covergirl The Super Sizer Mascara. I used my one tube up ages ago and haven't repurchased yet, but I miss it terribly. The Super Sizer makes my lashes look fake and I always get complimented when wearing it. It's probably my favorite mascara out of the drugstore that I've ever tried, and I've loved quite a few. 

What are some of your drugstore picks?

Easy, Everyday Makeup Routine

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Hey guys! This post was meant to go up yesterday, but you know, life happens sometimes. Anyway, I'm getting into the habit of doing my makeup more often. Since becoming pregnant, I honestly didn't care one bit about makeup and didn't wear any for the longest time. I wanted to start wearing it again just to help feel more confident, even though I feel like a bloated whale. I have a pretty easy, go-to look when I don't want to really think about what I'm doing, and I wanted to share it with you. 

I usually start off with my eyes, so these are the products I used:

- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
- Urban Decay Naked2 Basics
- Lancome Color Design Sensational Effects Eye Shadow (these are usually in a gift with purchase set)
- Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion
- Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
- Urban Decay Supercurl Mascara

For the face, I went very light since it's so incredibly hot here lately:

- Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Fair
- Rimmel Match perfection Concealer in Fair

Lips:

- Sephora Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Pin Up Pink

I'm super happy with this look, and yes, there is no blush pictured, because I really didn't think I needed it! One of the perks of pregnancy is the supposed "glow" everyone says you get. I never really noticed a glow until very recently, but I'm not complaining! I also do switch out brands and whatnot, but usually keep the look about the same. I'm a neutral girl to a fault, and I really need to step out of my comfort zone more!

What do you use in your everyday makeup routine?

What I Got For Christmas/ My Birthday HAUL!

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Hey guys! I hope everyone who celebrates had an awesome Christmas, and has a very happy New Year! December is always an odd month for me because my birthday is on the 8th, so presents that are given to me nowadays are for both that and Christmas, which I'm honestly fine with! Since I'm now 27 (hooray for being in my late 20's now...not!), I never really ask for certain presents anymore. I prefer either gift cards or cash so I can get something I know I'll enjoy and use. I also do treat myself to some things because, why the heck not?! So today I'll be sharing with you what I ended up getting with my birthday/Christmas money!

I had gone to Walgreen's hoping to find new products that I've been hearing about, but had zero luck. They did however have a major clearance sale going on, so I took some time browsing. I picked up the Wet n Wild Fergie Take on the Day Mattifying Powder that was on clearance for just a couple dollars. I'm hoping this is decent, but with it being marked down, it's probably getting discontinued. 

I also picked up one of the Megalast Liquid Lip Colors in the shade Red My Mind. It's a beautiful shade in the package, but that's it. It's an awful formula and flakes off my lips almost immediately after applying it. Luckily, this was just over $1 on clearance, and now I understand why every shade in this line was marked down. 

I've never tried the popular Wet n Wild lipsticks that everyone talks about, so I picked up the shades Smokin' Hot Pink and Cherry Picking. I always thought these were $1.99, but at my Walgreen's they were $2.49. No big deal really, so if I end up liking these, I'll probably buy more!

Burt's Bees wasn't on sale at all, but if you bought 2 of their lip balms, you got 1,000 points so I got the scents Honey and Coconut & Pear. I love lip balms, and Burt's Bees makes some great ones. 

Next up is Sephora! I had gotten the VIB Rouge giftcard in the mail for $25 off of a $50 purchase, and my mom also gave me hers to use as well, so I placed 2 separate orders, but lumped everything together. On one of the orders I had to buy hair ties because I wasn't quite at $50, but somehow I lost them already.

Anyway, I ended up getting the Philosophy Holiday Handbook hand cream set, which has the scents Cranberry Medley, Fresh Cream and Raspberries & Cream. I purchased a set of these last year as well and love them, so when I saw they had another set this year, I knew I had to have it. Fresh Cream is such a light, but amazing scent and I'm very happy to have it in hand cream form!

I have no reason to be buying more eyeshadow palettes, but the Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons is one I just had to have! I had been hearing about it for months, thought the packaging was adorable, and the fact that it smells like chocolate always seals the deal. I have the other two chocolate bar palettes as well and color selection wise, I think I like this one the most. 

Kat Von D has been killing it with her makeup line within the past year, and everything I've tried so far, I've loved. I bought yet another Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in the shade Bauhau5 and a Metal Crush Eyeshadow in the shade Raw Power. You all know my love for her liquid lipsticks, but I've been dying to try out the Metal Crush Eyeshadows. I was torn between this and the shade Thunderstruck, but went with Raw Power because I love my burgundy's!

The birthday gift this year came from Nars and it included a Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade Cruella, a Satin Lip Pencil in the shade Rikugien, and since I'm VIB Rouge, it came with an extra little sample of their Larger Than Life Eyeliner in the shade Via Veneto. I hear that both of the lip pencils and the eyeliner are great, so I'm excited to try them out!

Last but not least, I made a trip to Ulta. My lovely mother-in-law gave me a giftcard, and my dad gave me some birthday money. I also had the coupon for 20% off, which was good on everything I purchased! I had seen a review on YouTube of the Stila Trust in Love Gift Set, which includes an eyeshadow palette, a deluxe sized lip glaze, and a deluxe sized sample of their HUGE Extreme Lash Mascara. The wand on the mascara reminds me so much of the Too Faced Better Than Sex, which is probably my favorite higher end mascara, so we'll see if the Stila one compares. 

Real Techniques was on sale, so I picked up two of their Shading Brushes. I don't have these yet in my Real Techniques brush collection, but I love the size of these and think they will be good for applying shadow to my hooded lids. 

I've decided I wanted to delve into the world of lip liners, so I went a little ham with what I bought. I ended up buying three Essence lip liners in the shades 15 Honey Berry, 07 Cute Pink and 08 Red Blush. These babies were only $1.49 and with the coupon I had, it made them super inexpensive. I always hear good things about these lip liners too, so I have high hopes. I also purchased two other lip liners, one from NYX in the shade Cabaret, and one from Rimmel in the shade Rapture. The Rimmel lip liner was marked down to clearance, which may mean it's being discontinued. 

Next up is a new Revlon eyeshadow palette called Not Just Nudes, and the one I purchased is Romantic Nudes. They had another one that seemed a bit more warm toned, so the purple-y mauve-y pink shades in this stood out to me more. I love how drugstore brands are coming out with eyeshadow palettes, so I hope this is decent quality. 

The last product was the birthday gift from bareMinerals, and it's a Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in the shade Birthday Babe. I don't think I've tried these glosses before, but I love the color of this, and it isn't very sticky either. 

That's everything from my birthday and what I got for Christmas! Did you get any makeup/beauty goodies that you're enjoying?

Drugstore Beauty HAUL! Walmart & Dollar Tree

Hey everyone! A few weeks ago after a doctor appointment, I was feeling a little blah, so my husband decided to take me out for lunch before we went about our errands for the day. We stopped at Walmart for some necessities, and the Dollar Tree was a few stores down from where we had lunch. Naturally, I looked at the beauty section in both places and came out with some goodies to share with you guys!

Starting off with Walmart, I decided to pick up the Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation in the shade 091 Light Ivory. I hear so many people talking about this and how awesome it is for a drugstore foundation. I haven't worn makeup like I normally do lately, so I have yet to try it, but I have a feeling I'll like it. It was so inexpensive too, only about $5 or $6. 

I've been wanting to try the Maybelline Master Conceal Camoflaging Concealer since it came out. I bought mine in the shade 10 Fair, and I think it was the only one that hadn't been tampered with. I don't know what it is about Walmart, but their beauty section always looks a hot mess and tons of products have been broken into. Anyways, sorry for the little rant there. I've heard mixed thoughts on this concealer, and it wasn't too pricey, so I figured I'd give it a try. 

I had also been wanting to try the Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara in the color Blackest Black. The other reviews I've heard have been mostly positive, and Maybelline mascaras are probably my favorite in the drugstore. 

Maybelline had my heart this day, and I picked up one of their newer matte lipstick shades in the color Blushing Pout. This is such a pretty nude-y rose color that I think will look really nice with my fair skin and a simple eye look. I LOVE Maybelline's matte lipstick formula as it's not too drying like other ones can be. 

Now for the Dollar Tree! I love that store so freaking much, it's stupid. Anything I think I need, I immediately go there and see if I can find it. Most times, I can, and I feel so proud to have only spent $1. I picked up one of the English Lavender soaps from Yardley. I honestly don't know how much these are normally, but I don't think they're that expensive. I bought this mainly to clean my makeup brushes with, and I can't wait because this soap smells incredible. 

I never really get excited about L.A. Colors, but I saw a bunch of their Color Balms, and I picked the shade Boom, which looks like a bright red in the tube. I don't expect full-on color from this since it is a balm, but I think it might give a light wash and a bit of hydration. 

I got really excited seeing Jelly Belly lip balms, and picked up the scent Bubblegum. The packaging says this is flavored, and I have yet to try this, but I can't wait to test that claim. No, I'm not going to eat this, but when you're wearing a balm or gloss and accidentally get some in your mouth, it's not very pleasant. I feel like a little kid with this balm.  

Lastly, I purchased two brushes. one is the Wet n' Wild Eyeshadow Brush and the other is an ELF Smudge Brush. I haven't used either of these yet, but the ELF brush is already shedding on me, and I have yet to wash it. ELF brushes aren't usually my favorite, but for $1, I don't care too much. The Wet n' Wild brush feels really nice and there is no shedding yet. I'm hoping to like both once they're washed and used a few times. 

Is there anything you've hauled at the drugstore lately?

October 2014 Empties

Hey everyone! I used up so many products in October, especially skincare, so I'm just gonna get right into it.

The first product I used up is the Colgate Optic White mouthwash. I thank everything that is holy this is used up. I hated this so much, it burned and didn't make my breath feel fresh at all. Hated this stuff!

The next product is a good one, and it's The Body Shop Satsuma Shower Gel. This product smells like heaven. I swear everytime I use this in the shower, it makes my whole house smell like oranges. I'm a huge fan of The Body Shop's shower gels and will always have one or two backups in my closet. 

Next up is a Hair, Skin & Nails supplement by Spring Valley. I like taking these supplements to help take care of my hair, but I notice a huge difference in the health of my nails the most. 

Then I have a small tube of L'Occitane Hand Cream. This hand cream contains 20% shea butter so it's ultra hydrating. I liked using this before bed so it could sink into my skin. My hands are really starting to dry out now, so I can already tell I'll be going through hand cream like crazy. 

I definitely used up quite a bit of skincare and the first product is the Hydroxatone AM/PM Anti-Wrinkle Complex moisturizer. This took me ages to use up because I used it at night and I did alternate between different moisturizers. This stuff is pretty heavy, but I didn't break out from it, which was nice. I did a review of it here and it was sent to me from iFabbo.

The next product I used up is the Boots Expert Sensitive Gentle Refreshing Toner. I think I may have put this in a monthly favorites, but don't quote me. I did like this toner alot. It was very inexpensive and did feel good on my skin. I don't know if I'll repurchase only because I'm so attached to the Aloe Toner from The Body Shop. 

Next I used up the Garnier Moisture Rescue Refreshing Gel-Cream Moisturizer. I don't like this stuff at all. It doesn't do anything for my skin and the scent is too overpowering for me. 

I've decided to throw away the Proactiv Mild Exfoliating Peel. I was going through my closet and saw this in there. I was actually going to use it then saw when it expired. In the trash it goes!

The last skincare product is the Own Firming Silk Concentrate. I did a review on this here, and now that it's all used up, I can say that I would not repurchase it. It was nice while it lasted. I mixed it into my night time moisturizer for extra hydration, but it did feel a little oily on my skin. 

I loved the Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara. It lasted for close to a month and made my lashes look nice. All other mascaras pictured were drier than the Sahara so in the trash they go. The mascaras are Pop Beauty Smoky Lash Kapow!!! (yes, it really has 3 exclamation points at the end of the name), theBalm What's Your Type? "The Body Builder", Make Up For Ever Smoky Lash, Korres Provitamin B5 & Rice Bran, and two of the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes. All of those were just so dry and un-useable.

Now finally some makeup products! The first product is the Pixi Flawless & Poreless Primer. I didn't find this particularly amazing. I think it did help foundation/concealer go on a bit nicer, but it didn't really do much for my pores or oily skin. I do have another one of these to use up though.

I finally used up my Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Treatment Concealer in the color Fair. I love this stuff so much and will always repurchase once I use up some other concealers. I think this is one of the best concealers for my dark circles. 

I also finally used up my Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in the Translucent shade. This took me so long to use up since I don't use alot and mostly used it under my eyes. I love how fine this powder is and how it keeps my skin looking nice and shine free for a while.

I'm sad to say it's time to get rid of the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge I've been using. It had started to get tears in it and little bits were coming off when I was using it. Even though this is way less expensive than the Beauty Blender, it doesn't hold up as well as the Beauty Blender. I've been using my Beauty Blender longer than I was using this Miracle Complexion Sponge and it's holding up so much better. 

I used up this tiny sample of the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel that I received in an Ipsy bag. I actually did really like this. I don't do much with my eyebrows, so some gel to tame them a little is fine with me. 

The last product is the La Fresh Travel Lite Makeup Remover Wipes. This little package came in either an Ipsy bag or an old Birchbox. I used these because I couldn't find a large package of wipes and they kinda sucked to be honest. They didn't remove makeup well, so I mainly used them to clean up swatches. Even then they didn't clean well. 

What did you use up in October?

Fall Face Feat. Lorac Mega Pro Palette

Hello everyone! Today I wanted to show you guys a nice Fall inspired look I did using the Lorac Mega Pro Palette. It hasn't really been feeling like Fall this week since it's been a bit warm, but it's cooling down by the weekend! I used the products shown above and I must say, I'm very happy with how the look turned out!

Since I knew I wanted to use liner and shadow on the bottom of my eyes, I did my eyes first, then went to foundation, and back to the lower eyes. The first color I used is called Sepia and I ran that all through my crease. I then took the color Apricot and patted that all over my lids. For some more definition, I took the beautiful shade called Merlot and used that on the outer corners and ran it a bit through my crease. For a highlight, I used a combination of Cream and Vanilla. For once in my life I used eyeliner, and the one I used is by Urban Decay and it's their 24/7 liner in the color Corrupt. I also used that on my lower lash line. I did also use Perversion to tightline and used a bit on my waterline. I just forgot to picture it! To blend out the eyeliner on my top lashline, I took a color called Maroon, and slightly blended it out. To blend out the lower lashline, I took a combination of Maroon and Merlot and smoked it out a bit. For mascara, I used my new found favorite, Lancome Grandiose, which I did a review on here if you want to check it out!

Onto the rest of the face. For foundation, I mixed some of the Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup in the color 02 Alabaster and mixed it with the Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in the color Fair. I had to mix those two together because the Clinique foundation is actually too dark for me, so the Sonia Kashuk tinted moisturizer helped out with that problem. To blend it all out, I used my trusty Beauty Blender. For concealer, I ended up using two different ones. I first applied the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in the color 125 Very Fair. It looked a bit yellow for me so I then applied the Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer & Highlighter in the color 125 Fair. Once I blended all that in with my Beauty Blender, everything was good! I topped off the foundation and concealer with the Mirabella Perfecting Loose Powder, which is just a translucent powder. For blush, I used a Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in the color Adventurous. This came in a holiday kit, so I honestly don't know if they sell it regularly. 

The lips are definitely what surprised me! I didn't think a full on dark, berry lip would go well with this look, so I took the Too Faced Melted Lipstick in the color Melted Nude, which did look a little dark on me. I decided to then use the Starlooks Lip Gloss in the color Guilty Pleasure, which added a bit more pink to the look and also made it look less matte. 

Here is the final look! I definitely love how this turned out but I'm so not used to seeing myself with liner on the bottom. Have to get used to that. Otherwise, I really like the color scheme of everything, and the nude/pink lip looks great to me!

Swatches of eyeliner & shadows used in order of application. Sepia, Apricot, Merlot, Cream, Vanilla, Maroon

Swatches of blush, lipstick & lip gloss

What do you guys think of this look? Do you switch up your makeup routine was the weather changes?

FOTD: Graduation Party Makeup Look!

Hey guys! This past weekend a couple of my husband's and my friends graduated college and had some parties to go with it! I was only able to make it to one on Sunday and had work the other day. I wanted to show you guys what makeup I wore since I was happy with how it came out!

I started out doing my eyes first, so I took a little bit of the bareMinerals Prime Time Eyelid Primer and blended that out all over my lids. A little side note, I'm not a huge fan of this stuff. My shadows crease on me within about 4 hours of applying. Just trying to use this up!

After priming, I decided I wanted to use this bareMinerals Ready Eyeshadow Palette called The Star Treatment. I purchased this quite a while ago when Sephora had it on sale, but I think I've only used it once before! 

The first color I took was the pretty gold shade called Extravagance (bottom row, last color) and placed that on the inner half of my lids. I then took the taupe color called Elitist (bottom row, third color) and blended that out really well on the outer half of my lids. After that, I went in with my Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette and took the color Naked2 through my crease. I wanted to add a little more definition, so I took the bronze shade from the bareMinerals Palette called Ritzy (top row, last color) and used that to define the outer corners of my eyes and took a little through my crease. The last color I used was Carte Blanche (top row, third color) as a brow highlight. 

After I was finished with the eyeshadow, I was debating whether or not to do a full face of makeup. We were going to be outside and while it wasn't too hot, it rained a little and rain always ruins my makeup. I just opted to conceal my dark under-eye circles first with the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in the Fair shade, then I took a little of the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in the 125 Very Fair shade just to brighten a little more. I set all the concealer with the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in the Transparent shade and then I finished off the eyes with the Clinque High Impact mascara in 01 Black. I've been living this mascara by the way!

I was looking through my blushes and realized I hadn't used this Milani Baked Blush in the color Dolce Pink in a really long time. If I'm remembering right, I hadn't used this since my wedding and honeymoon back in September of last year! I decided to bust it out and swipe it lightly over my cheeks. Ready for the final look?!

Excuse the picture taking skills, I'm definitely not a selfie queen! Also, I forgot to picture what lip gloss I used. I used the NYC Liquid Lipshine gloss in the color Nude York City. 

Oh, the chubbiness of my face! Geez, I'm so not used to taking pictures of myself. Anyways, I hope you all like this look, and to anyone who may have graduated recently or are graduating soon, I send lots of congrats! I'd never been to a graduation party before and I was pretty excited to be there with a bunch of our friends :)

February 2014 Empties!

Hello everyone! I know it's over half way through March and I have yet to post the products I used up in February. So sorry it took incredibly long! Life's been getting in the way again and I'm trying to figure a good balance between that and blogging. Anyways, February was a good month for empties, and I went through alot of stuff and got rid of really old products as well. 

The first product I used up is my Renu contact solution. This is the only contact solution I can use because everything else I have used has made my contacts feel like I'm sticking acid on my eyeballs! I don't know what it is, but I must be super sensitive to contact solution. This stuff isn't cheap, so I try to buy the double pack at Walmart when I have a coupon for it. 

Next up is the Bath & Body Works Signature Vanilla Shower Gel in the Coconut Vanilla scent. I purchased two of these when they were having a sale, and while I did like the scent, it didn't clean very well. I've been noticing that with a few of the B&BW shower gels I used before. I'll use up the shower gels I have, but I most likely won't repurchase. 

Another B&BW product I used up is the Vanilla Berry Sorbet Anti-Bacterial Deep Cleansing Hand Soap. This stuff smells amazeballs! My husband and I had a friend stay with us for a weekend, and even he said how awesome this stuff smelled. I really love these handsoaps that have the little scrubby particles in them. I feel like they clean better, and with my husband working in construction, these are great for him too! Definitely a repurchase many times over.

I also used up an E.L.F. Therapeutic Conditioning Balm in the scent Vanilla Cream. This stuff sucked! It left a major white cast on my lips so I only used it before bed. It also only lasted maybe three weeks, and it wasn't at all moisturizing. I think this was only a buck, but don't waste your money. I think I have two more of these to use up, but I will never repurchase!

My next empty is one of the best mascaras I've tried, and it's Maybelline's The Rocket Volum' Express in the Blackest Black shade. Love love love this mascara! The only thing is I feel like it dried up way too fast. While I think mascaras tend to get better as they dry out, this one just seems to get too dry too fast and it ended up getting all clumpy on my lashes, so I decided to toss it. I'll most likely repurchase once I go through the tons of mascaras I have to use up!

I also used up these Make-up Remover Facial Wipes that I got from the Dollar Tree. I got what I paid for, which was a horrible wipe that barely removed any makeup. These were so hard to use up so I mainly used them to remove product swatches, which also did a horrendous job! I'll never get these again, even though they were only $1.

I finally used up the Own Lifting Eye Cream, which I did a review on here. iFabbo sent this to me, but it was a pretty decent eye cream. I used it only at night because it was a tad bit heavy for me for daytime use. Now, I'm only 25 years old and I've been using eye creams since I was a teenager (thanks mom!) so I think I have semi-decent undereyes. I do have dark circles (thanks dad!) so I'm trying to find a product that helps mainly with that. I did like this eye cream though because it kept my undereyes hydrated and didn't irritate at all. Not sure if I'll repurchase since I am on a hunt for a good eye cream for dark circles. I'll keep looking!

I decided to throw away the Rimmel Moisture Renew lip gloss in the shade Pink Remedy. This was gifted to me I don't know how long ago and it started to smell funky, so in the trash it goes! 

I'm also throwing out a mini Anastasia Hydrafull Gloss in the color Sugar Pink because it burned the crap outta my lips! I got this in either one of those Sephora holiday lip kits or a monthly subscription box. Not sure how else to describe the burning, but it just felt like I was putting something really hot on my lips. I had to take it off right away, it was that bad.

I'm saving this container just in case I want to put something else in it, but the First Aid Beauty Dual Repair Face Cream got all goopy and smelled really weird, so I dumped it out and cleaned the container. Not sure what I'll use this for yet, but it may come in handy eventually!

I decided to go through my brushes one day and came across these Kat Von D brushes that I had gotten in a kit years and years ago. I don't know what happened to these brushes, but some of the bristles look like they were cut off or chewed up. I honestly don't know what it is, but I never used these, and they look all deformed so it's time to say goodbye. 

Last two products! I used up a Nature Made Multi for Her vitamin bottle. I know this probably isn't an exciting empty, but it can be tough for me to get through taking vitamins. I still don't know if they actually do anything, but I guess deep in my brain, it thinks they do something because I keep buying multis when I run out.

Now I actually didn't use up this whole bottle of Sephora 3 in 1 Perfecting Base Coat, it actually fell over when I didn't realize, and most of it leaked out onto my coffee table. I was kinda pissed because I did like this product and now I don't have another base coat as a backup, but I've decided just to use a top coat as a base coat for now until I decide to buy another one.

Well that's everything I used up/ threw away for being too old! Hopefully you all can forgive me for getting this up super late. I did get my Ipsy bag in the mail a couple days ago, so expect that post soon!

Also, don't forget I have a blog sale going! Take a look because there are alot of nice products!

Birthday/Christmas Money Haul! Sephora & Ulta

Hey guys! So today's post is going to be a haul! I know I said I was on a spending ban, but with my birthday and Christmas being in the same month, I had saved the money I was given to buy some makeup goodies! Lets see what I got.

Starting off with Sephora, they were having an online sale of their clearance items after Christmas of 20% off so I decided to purchase two items! The first is this Urban Decay Anarchy Face Case.

This is a pretty neat palette. When you open up the top portion, you get 5 different eyeshadows that are called Redemption, Fray, Vaporize, Provocateur, and Revolt. I love these colors like every other UD eyeshadow but my two favorites are Fray (second one in) and Vaporize (third one in). For my skintone, Fray is perfect for the crease and blending out any harsh edges. Vaporize is just such a stunning metallic gray-ish taupe color that I actually get alot of use out of. You also get a decent size of their 24/7 liner in Perversion, which is personally my favorite black eyeliner.

When you open up the second layer, you have two blushes called Fetish and Quickie. *Cough* Anyways, aside from their raunchy names, they're beautiful colors. Fetish is a mauve-pink and Quickie is obviously a bright pink. The highlighter, called Craze, isn't my favorite. I'm not the biggest fan of yellow-toned anything, so I'm not sure if I'll get much use out of it. 

I'm obsessed with the Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Scandal! I put this on and was amazed at how pigmented and beautiful it was. It's described as a bright metallic raspberry shimmer, and that's just spot on. I love how this looks with my fair skin, and with a very neutral eye, it's perfect! I'm thinking of doing a review on this sometime.

The last product I picked up from Sephora is the Lorac Mint Edition Palette. It also came with an exclusive Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick in the color Retro which is a nude-pink shade that's supposed to flatter all skintones. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks a bit light for me, but smells amazing, like cocoa powder!

Inside, you get 8 eyeshadows, 4 matte and 4 shimmer, along with a blush and highlighter. The highlighter in this palette is more my style because it's more of a pinky tone. The blush is a peachy-pink and I love blushes that color. 

I won't go into too much detail since I think I want to review this, but the matte eyeshadows didn't really impress me. I bought this for the mint shade, but that wasn't up to par with Lorac's other matte shadows, aka the Pro Palette. The shimmer shades are actually very nice! The taupe shade in the upper right hand corner is a beautiful lid or transition color depending on the look you're doing!

Now onto Ulta! I've been wanting to add to my Real Techniques brush collection because they're great quality but they're pretty affordable. When I was in the store, they were sold out of literally every Real Techniques brush except for two or three, so it was slim pickins. I did want to get the Setting Brush so I was glad they had it! I wanted this primarily for setting my under eye concealer. 

I then picked up the much talked about Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. My skin has been crazy lately. It's super oily and broken out one day, then the next day it dries out and I can't control that either. With all my breakouts, my usual zit gel I was using wasn't working as well, so I decided it was time to try this bad boy since I've heard amazing things. Again, I want to do a review on this, but I will say, this product is really nice!

I then picked up the newer Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balms. They did have a few of the matte balms, but they were all tampered with. My biggest gripe with these is that they're only sealed with a tiny little sticker. I think that's just nasty, but I did find two that I wanted to try (and didn't seem tampered with!). The first one is called Enticing, which is a beautiful red shade. I put this on right away after I bought it, and I actually got compliments! This is a rare red that somehow works for my pale skin. The second color I bought is called Coquette which is a bright pink shade. I know it looks bad in the picture, so I apologize!

Last few products! I decided it was time for me to buy some Prestige mascara. I picked up the popular My Blackest Lashes, but then I also wanted to try My Biggest Lashes. I have yet to open these but I'm pretty darn excited I own these now!

The last products I picked up are these Rimmel Scandaleyes Eye Shadow Paints in the colors Chestnut Taupe, Manganese Purple, and Rich Russet. I'm pretty sure these are new products because they were on a different display away from the other Rimmel products. These babies are flipping awesome! You gotta work fast with these because they dry quickly, but I put some on my lids with the applicator, then take a stiffer blending brush to buff away harsh lines. These literally dry down like paint, but they make an awesome shadow base! I haven't worn these by themselves yet, but I have a feeling they'll last throughout the day.

That's everything! I hope you enjoyed reading this post, and let me know if you've hauled any new products lately! :)

Wedding Day Pictures + What Makeup I Wore!

Hey everyone! Since I'm finally back from my honeymoon and settled in at home, I thought I'd take the time to show you all some pictures that were taken with my camera that day. I did have a photographer there taking professional pictures, but I won't have those in til at least next week. Anyways, here are a few pictures!

This is one of my favorite pictures of us!

I'm not too sure what was going on here, but I guess David was just being his usual nerd self

Supermodel status (not really). Also, notice the arch in the back? Yeah, it was a windy, but beautiful day

Now I look like a nerd!

I love this picture too. The VW bus is my dad's. It's his baby :)

Another one of my favorites. My dad actually got his picture taken! Miracle of miracles!

The best close-up I could find of my makeup. Looks a bit worn as this was taken a bit later in the day

Makeup I wore:
- Primer: Makeup For Ever HD Primer
- Foundation: Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation in shade 805 Ivory
- Concealer: Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser for Dark Circles in shade 60 Brightener. I just used this underneath my eyes, didn't use concealer elsewhere
- Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in shade 001 Transparent
- Eye Primer: Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion 
- Eyeshadows used: Lorac Champagne from the Pro Palette all over lid just up to the crease, Urban Decay Naked from the original Naked Palette blended into the crease, Lorac Sable from the Pro Palette blended slightly into the crease just to darken it up a bit, Lorac Garnet from the Pro Palette blended into the outer V and lower lashline, Lorac Cream from the Pro palette as highlight underneath the brows, Urban Decay Virgin from the original Naked Palette as inner corner highlight.  I completely forgot to fill in my brows and realized that halfway through the reception!
- Eyeliner: Lorac Espresso from the Pro palette blended into upper lashline, Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Eye Pencil in the color 001 black in the upper and lower waterline (This stuff is really waterproof too! I got a bit teary during the vows and this didn't smudge at all!)
- Mascara: First coat, I used the Wet N' Wild Megalength Waterproof Mascara in the blackest black color. Second coat, I used Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in the blackest black color. I wasn't happy with how those two coats looked so I ended up using Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara in the blackest black color last. After that coat, I got the thickness and length I wanted
- Bronzer and blush: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder blended in the hollows of my cheeks and a bit blended onto my forehead and jawline, Milani Baked Blush in the color 01 Dolce Pink
- Lips: I always put a lip balm on before I do anything, then on top of that I used L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in the color 218 Rose Elixer. I topped that off with Philosophy Raspberry Sorbet Flavored Lip Shine
- Setting Spray: Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Finish Makeup Setting Spray. Honestly, I used this after I used my face primer, but I totally forgot to use it after my makeup was finished. I think it still looked pretty nice though by the end of the day, surprisingly. 

Phew! That's alot of makeup for what I normally wear. It took me a good 45 minutes too. I didn't wanna mess up or anything. I'm very happy with how it came out though. Not too shabby for someone who picked the colors as I was going ;)

Potential Wedding Day Makeup!

Hi guys! I had a little bit of time between cleaning my house and getting wedding stuff together to write up a post of the makeup I'm thinking about wearing for my wedding day (in 2 days!!). I'm such an indecisive person so I feel like I'm bringing a bunch with me, but at least I have a few options! So let me show you what makeup I might be wearing!

I'm going to start off with primer, face makeup and my setting spray. I'm bringing a sample size of the Makeup For Ever HD Primer. The primer I'm currently using day to day isn't that great, so I wanted something a bit better. 

For foundation, I'm using the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in the color 805 Ivory. This foundation is pretty great. I'm going to be using this along with my Beauty Blender so that should help me create a flawless base to start things off. 

Now for concealer I'm bringing the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser in the Brightener shade and the fair shade. I'm undecided which one I'll use, which is why I'm bringing both with me. I may end up using both or just the brightener. I haven't opened up the Brightener, as you can tell, but that may help me look more awake.

For my setting spray after my makeup is finished, I'll be using the Skindinavia Bridal Makeup Finish Setting Spray. I have yet to use this as well, but I hear so many good things about these sprays, so I have faith it'll work for me. It does say it lasts for up to 16 hours, but our wedding is probably only going to go on for about 4 or 5 hours at the most.

Now for what I'm using on my eyes. I forgot to picture it, but I am bringing the Lorac Pro To Go Palette with me just in case I need it. I did a haul post here if you want to see pictures of it. For eye primer, I'm going with my trusty Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I've been using this particular tube for so long, I honestly don't even know. I may have to try and de-pot it soon because I've had it so long and it's getting a bit difficult to get product out. 

First, I'm bring the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette. The only reason I'm really bringing this is because I've been testing out what I should use for my eyebrows. To be honest, I never fill them in but since this is a big day for me, I'll be using the color Naked2 mixed with a color from the original Naked Palette (I'll say which one soon!).

I will also be bringing the Lorac Pro Palette. I've been loving this palette so much lately, and you can do so many different looks with all the shadows. I'm not sure if I'm doing a completely matte look, shimmery look, or a combo of both yet. Heck, I may even mix shades here with the Naked Palette.

Finally for palettes, I'm bringing the much talked about and loved Urban Decay Naked Palette. I also have the Naked2 Palette, but this shade has the color Naked, which is the other color I'm mixing with Naked2 from the Naked Basics Palette for my eyebrows. I don't have a picture of the colors from the Naked Palette, but there are a bazillion different reviews online, so definitely look it up if you want to know the colors.

The little tube in the middle of the Pro Palette and Naked Palette is the Chella Eyebrow Defining Gel. I'll be using this to set what I did with my eyebrows. I've actually enjoyed using this on its own too. It's helped keep my eyebrows in place when they feel a bit unruly.

These are the cheek products and face powder I'm bringing with me. First off, for bronzer I'm bringing my little size of the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder. I'll be using this to contour with. I compared this to the bronzer in the Lorac Pro To Go Palette, and they look very similar in color, but when I swatched them, the Lorac one is a bit darker. Since I'm still a newbie with bronzers, I'll be sticking with this one.

For my face powder, I'll be using the Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. I should've included this in my face products, but oh well. I tend to forget things sometimes. I love this stuff and have I think two backups. I just hit pan, if you can tell, so this has lasted me quite a while. Definitely my favorite setting powder for my oily skin.

I'm bringing two different blushes because of course I can't decide which one I like better. The first one I'm bringing is the infamous NARS Orgasm blush and the second one is the Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink. I've only used this a small handful of times, but everytime I use it, It looks so beautiful on my skin! For me, it could also be a highlighter so I wouldn't need a separate one. 

For mascaras, I'm bringing a few different options. I'm bringing an eyelash curler with me (sorry it's not pictured!) because my eyelashes can be pretty straight naturally. The first mascara I'm bringing is the Wet N' Wild Megalength Waterproof Mascara in Very Black. I'll be using this first on my lashes to help with keeping my lashes curled.

Then I'll be using either the Maybelline Illegal Length Mascara in Blackest Black or The Rocket also in the darkest black shade. I can't tell what it says on the bottom since the print is so small, but I always get the darkest color in any mascara. 

Lips were a challenge for me. I have so many different lip glosses, balms, stains and whatnot. I tried on so many different combinations and didn't want anything that looked too bright or anything that made me look like a ghost. I finally went with the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in the color 218 Rose Elixer and I'm topping it off with Philosophy Raspberry Sorbet Flavored Lip Shine. I have to admit, I went with this Philosophy product because it tastes good, and when our officiant says, "You may now kiss the bride," he won't have to kiss anything nasty. 

Well that is everything! I honestly can't believe how indecisive I am with these products. I thought it would be easy, but when you're a beauty blogger with a massive amount of products, it can be difficult to choose. Anyways, if you guys have some insight on what to use, let me know in the comments! 

Talk to everyone again soon!