Favorites and Flops: September 2014

I had a few pictures for this post, but they turned out horrible and I don't feel like re-taking them. I'll edit them in later. Although it's not like anyone but Reggie reads this blog anyway, so she probably won't even care that I was too lazy to re-take them. ANYWHOO.

Favorites:

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Hair Mask
I got this in my first Ipsy bag (which I haven't reviewed yet; I will, I swear, I've just been so far behind!), and I was really really impressed with it! It has a very very slight coconut smell to it, and it goes a long way for such a small jar. I've already used it three times and I have maybe two more uses in my original jar. I traded for a backup on eDivv because I loved it so much!

Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream (Acai Grapefruit)
Okay, so it's kind of weird that I love this shaving cream so much. I got it in my Birchbox and I have been so obsessed, I traded for a backup on eDivv for this one, too. First, it's really moisturizing. Compared to my standard Skintimate, it's ridiculously moisturizing. It smells incredible, and it really gets my legs smooth. I found that I didn't get cuts as often, either. I will say that it's tough to figure out if you've missed spots, but paired with a really nice razor? I'll take it. Any day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Just Release Me Eye Makeup Remover by Philosophy
So I had some Sephora points I needed to use (from like, years ago. Years, you guys), and I was looking for something to spend a little bit of money on so I could also redeem some points. I didn't have an eye makeup remover, and decided to try this one out. I love Philosophy products, and this was no exception. It works incredibly well. I can fill up 5-6 cotton balls of eye makeup, on both sides, and still be getting eye makeup. When the cotton ball shows up clean, it's a pretty safe bet that my eyes don't have any makeup anymore. It's oil free, which is great, and it's huge for the price. I got mine on sale for $12, but Ulta sells it for $18. Not bad, not bad. I will recommend that if you use it, you should wash your face or take a shower right afterward because it can be a little... oily isn't the right word, but it leaves a residue. A makeup remover wipe would be better for touching up.

Benefit Gimme Brow
I've been getting my brows done at Ulta lately, through the Benefit brow bar. This introduced me to Benefit products, and Benefit gimme brow. I'm strawberry blonde with way, way light eyebrows. I've never done anything with them before other than shaping/waxing, but this is an awesome product. It's teeny tiny, but it will probably last me ages. I only need one dip to swipe both of my eyebrows (it's a mascara like wand for application) and I'm good to go. It's nothing dramatic or fancy, but it fills in my brows at a light spot and I really enjoy it.

Noir Cosmetics Long-Wear Eyeliner
The best eyeliner ever. Hands down. It legitimately stays on all day. It goes on smoothly. I don't feel like I'm poking myself in the eye when I put it on. It's a nice jet black. I don't know what else to say about it besides um, best eyeliner ever.


Flops:

Lush Honey Vanilla Lip Balm
Everything about this is kind of disappointing. My boyfriend hates the smell (that's half of my opinion, if he likes the smell), the texture is strange, and it tastes odd. I'll finish it, because it mildly helps my lips, but I'm disappointed with this purchase.

LAQA & Co Lip Lube
I got this in my Birchbox. The coral color was beautiful and I liked the texture of it! However, it left the worst colored patches on my lips in the dry areas. Maybe I need a lip primer underneath. I did try using a light lip balm underneath and the color wouldn't stick. I guess I just need to find the right combination of products to use with this lip color.

Wet n' Wild H20 Proof Liquid Eyeliner
I will give them this: It was H20 Proof. For sure. It was very hard to manipulate, however, You can read more about my frustrations in the Rosie the Riveter #TBT post, but I won't repurchase this. I will use it up, no doubt, but I won't repurchase it. Ugh.

Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer
So, I have a confession. No, not the Usher style confession. But, I used to be really lax about moisturizing my face. I had dry skin to the extreme, and nothing seemed to make it better, so I just kind of gave up until I found something that worked for my face, which is the Benefit total moisture face cream. The whole Benefit line is much more gentle on my face than this crap was. I'd been using it for a long time, trying not to waste it even though I had something better. So, I took it to my boyfriend's place and used it there. Um, wow. The breakouts. I had a breakout after one day of using this. To be fair, it is on the older side, but for an acne-prevention moisturizer? Sucktastic.


I'm hoping October will bring more enjoyable favorites and less flops. But September was my first full month of makeup addiction, so I'm sure I'll have many more to post come November!

#TBT/OOTD/First Impression Extravaganza: We Can Do It!

This week is homecoming week at the high school where I work. Today was Throwback Thursday, a day where you can dress according to a decade. It was supposed to be from the '50s-'90s, but I cheated a little. This look is the Rosie The Riveter inspired look, and let me tell you, it was an absolute PITA to accomplish.

I have to say up front that I work at a low income school where gang activity is the norm. So bandannas or other possible gang symbols are out. I had some red tulle from a Robin Sparkles costume a few years back, and attempted the hair with that on Monday night.

The hair was a complete disaster, obviously. It wouldn't poof, and the tulle was definitely way too thick for my hair. So, I hopped over to Michael's and found some polka dotted red ribbon to put in my hair. I also knew that my deepest, brightest red lipstick wasn't sufficient:

I went to CVS and I bought some Wet n' Wild lip gloss in Red My Mind and some black liquid eyeliner. Why I decided to do that, when I have my precious Noir eyeliner, I'll never know. I guess I figured I would be able to get a more precise cat eye with it? But I was sorely mistaken.

I woke up at 6:00 AM, and things started off fabulously. My hair poof was poofing in all the right places. The ribbon was working wonders. The borrowed denim shirt fit perfectly. 

I tried to apply the liquid eyeliner first, and it was a total nightmare. I will never, ever try liquid eyeliner again. Thankfully, I only spent like $3 on it, but ugh. It was so tough to get a precise wing. It didn't blend well, being a waterproof liquid eyeliner, and the result was crappy. But by the time I realized I should have gone with the Noir, I would have been late to work. So I made do.

And let me tell you, that BRIGHT RED lipstick was a shock for me. I'm so neutral in my colors, especially on my lips, that it was almost like I was putting on clown makeup.

And it was a complete PITA to get off, too. I had to wash my face twice, use a makeup remover wipe, and then eventually resort to a shower to get it all. When I tried to wash it off, I looked like I was Fruit Punch Mouth from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had red ALL OVER my face/cheeks.

I will say this, though: both of the Wet n' Wild products I used today had awesome staying power. The red lipstick lasted through lunch and four blocks of absolute chaos with ninth graders. The eyeliner did come off with my Just Release Me eye makeup remover by Philosophy, though. It clung at first, as it should, being waterproof, but it did its job.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with my outfit for #TBT. The kids didn't know who I was (again, very low income school, you can do the math), but I was able to explain it to a few of them. My poof stayed poofy until about 1:10. I don't think I've had that much hairspray with those bold shades of makeup since ballet class in the '90s when bright blue eyeshadow, multiple bottles of extra hold hairspray, and red lipstick were part of the everyday routine. It does make me enjoy the performance art sort of thing, if you know what I mean. It's not often as an adult that I can be bold with the colors and go wild with a costume. It was worth getting up an hour before I had to leave, for sure.