Trash Talk! Empties + mini reviews! (September 2014)

So, let's talk about some trash :)

To start off with, skincare & hygiene:

Bodycology Exfoliating Body Scrub (XOXO):

I've been using the Tree Hut Shea Body Scrubs for a few years now and I love them so much, they help scrub my skin and make it soft, make it easier to shave and my skin feels so wonderful for days afterward. I've seen Bodycology at Walmart, Target, and ULTA and was always curious and picked a scrub up! I definitely like this brand of scrub. It gives my skin a smooth feeling just like my Tree Hut scrubs do. Now I'm wanting to try the other scents! 

LUSH Lip Scrub (Bubblegum):

I've used this scrub for years! I use it several times a week during my night routine before bed and it makes my lips so smooth and ready for lip application the next day!

Dove Dry Shampoo:

I try not to wash my hair every single day, so I ended up getting into using dry shampoos. I've tried a lot of brands and so far, Dove Dry Shampoo is the best on my hair. It makes the oil disappear, makes my hair smell really good, doesn't give that white cast, and it adds a lot of volume to my hair!

Maybelline Clean Express Gentle Eye Makeup Remover:

Let's be real here, my eyes litterly hate every eye makeup remover out there. I've tried tons from Clinique, MAC, Estee Lauder to Neutrogena and they've all stung my eyes terribly. This remover is very gentle on my eyes and removes everything! Even my Kat Von D liquid liner which is so hard to get off! As a plus, it does not leaves my eyes feeling greasy!

Secret Clinical Strength Deoderant (Oh-la-la):

Over the years and growing up, I have found most deodorants to work for me. I do sweat a lot from taking medications so I discovered the clinic strength deodorants and they work wonders for me. I no longer get sweat stains in my clothes, especially my white shirts (ugh, I hate that) and it keeps my underarms dry all day long!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel:

I have oily skin, very oily skin in my T-zone and somewhat normal on my cheeks and neck. I've been using this moisturizer for years since I was a teenager and I've never switched to any brand. This is my night time moisturizer (I use a different moisturizer for the day by Clinique) and absorbs quickly, isn't greasy, doesn't have a scent to irritate my skin, doesn't break me out and leaves my skin feeling so soft.

Victoria's Secret Body Splash (Such A Flirt):

I love the smell of this! It's very girly and feminine and great for spring time. I wore it a lot during spring going into summer. I'm always buying this scent whenever I visit Victoria's Secret to snag their 6 for $35 deal on their beauty line!

Makeup:

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer (Sunny):

I love this bronzer! I always repurchase it and buy backups of it all the time. It's great on my skin tone, doesn't leave me orange or dirty looking and lasts all day.

Maybelline Great Lash Real Impact! Mascara (Blackest Black):

I hated using this mascara. I thought it would be a nice dupe for Clinique Lash Impact Mascara at first but then, as I applied it to my lashes, it was horrible. Basically, the formula in the tube is so dried out and I got no product on my lashes from the brush. Bad buy.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer (002):

I normally prime my T-zone with a mattifying, pore refining and oil controlling type of primer and the rest of my face with a normal type of primer. Well, this primer does the job for my cheeks and neck for making my foundation last throughout the day. 

Misc:

Bath & Body Works Candle (Mahogany Teakwood):

I love this candle. It smells so wonderful when it's lit and in my wallflower in my bedroom. I'm constantly repurchasing it everytime they have their 2 for $22 3-Wick Candle sale. It litterly reminds me of a well dressed, good smelling man, haha. It's a strong smelling scented candle so it's not for the faint hearted but, if you love those types of scented candles, such as myself, then this one is for you.

Read More

My Top Foundations for Oily Skin (Summer Edition)

I live in the hot, sunny and humid climate of Florida. Yes, the beaches, the parks, the sunlight, the theme parks, and ... the dreaded humidity. If it wasn't for the humidity here in Florida, I would be happy all the time, even with the hot temperatures everyday, but, the humidity is known for making my oily skin an oil slick, my nose get shiny, and my makeup breaking apart!

Over the past few years, I've found a set few foundations that really, and I mean REALLY stay put in the weather here after wearing it for hours. I go to college, work a job, take care of the dogs in my house, have fun outside in the heat with my boyfriend and family.

Clinique Stay-Matte Oil-Free Makeup, $23

For a lightweight, medium coverage foundation, this is awesome stuff. This year alone, summer has been extremely hot and humid, especially with all the rain we've been getting and this foundation has earned it's place at the very top. It rarely needs touching up through out the day. When applying it, it does dry on the quick side so working with it can not be a slow pace. It wears beautifully on my skin. 

Revlon ColorStay Whipped Foundation, $12

I love this stuff so much. I just wish that hadn't packaged it they way they did. I hate putting my fingers in the jar, that is unsanitary no matter how clean your hands are! I wouldn't say it lasts 24 hours, more like maximum of 12 hours of me until it begins to break down from my oil. I've worn it one day for a total of 12 hours because I was out all day and was amazed how it held up to all my oil and sweating that day. It really does hold up against sweating and humidity here in Florida. I like to call this my "cement in a bottle" because sometimes I feel like it dries like that and stays that way until you remove it. Definitely a summer foundation and a all time favorite!

Makeup Forever Mat Velvet+ Matifying Foundation, $36

I would say this is is a medium to full coverage foundation for me. It's water resistant and has proven so many times when I've gotten caught in the rain! This foundation wears beautifully matte on my skin, but with a natural matte look to it. It doesn't dry as fast as the Clinique Stay-Matte Oil-Free Makeup does so I can work a little slower with this. Against humidity, it doesn't hold up as well and I feel that it does begin to break down a bit around the nose when I've had it on for over 8 hours. Other than that, it holds up against my oily skin and the hot weather here in Florida.

Revlon ColorStay, $10

I wear this during the summer days when I know there isn't going to be much rain going on and humidity is on the lower end, because it does not stand up against humidity very well for me. Staying power against my oily skin and getting caught it rain, yes, but too many hours (about 8 to 9) in the summer humidity here in Florida and it starts to separate around my nose. It dries fast, so I have to work with it quickly but, through out the day it wears beautifully on my skin.

Read More

Makeup & Eye of the Day #2 (Urban Decay Vice 3)

Finally got to break into the new Urban Decay Vice 3 palette I purchased the other night from Impulse Beauty inside Macy's! I decided to go with a sunset or fall colors look today! Hope you all enjoy and can take some inspiration from this look. All colors and products used are mentioned below!

Eyes:

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)

MAC Paint Pot (Painterly)

Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette [Undone (transition crease color), Truth (inner corner & brow highlight), Lucky (entire lid), Sonic & Alchemy (crease), Bondage (outer eye)]

Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner (01 Blackest Black)

Ardell Lashes (Natural - 120 Demi)

Waterline - Milani Liquid Eye Liquid-like eye liner pencil (01 Black)

Face:

Becca Ever-Matte Pore Perfecting Primer

Clinique Stay-Matte Oil-Free Makeup (04 Creamwhip)

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NW20)

ELF HD Undereye Setting Powder

Clinique Stay-Matte Pressed Powder (01 Stay Buff)

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer (Sunny)

MAC Pro Longwear Blush (Stay Pretty)

Too Faced Candlelight Glow Duo

Brows:

Milani EasyBrow (Natural Taupe)

NYX Single Shadow (Tryst)

Milani Brow Shaping Clear Gel

Setting Sprays:

Urban Decay All Nighter

Lips:

ELF Moisturizing Lipstick (Party in the Buff) + NYX Black Label Lipstick (Nude)

Accessories:

Earrings - Betsey Johnson

Scarf - CitiTrends

Read More

Haul: Urban Decay Vice 3 Palette

I was excited when I saw tweets, blog posts and photos on instagram about the new Vice 3 palette from Urban Decay launching! I never got my hands on the second palette and still to this day, never touched the original, even though now I should go pick it up!

I decided to get my hands on this beauty. I got mine at Impulse Beauty inside Macy's for around $65 after taxes.

It comes in a lovely makeup bag that matches the palette which I thought was pretty cool since I'm basically addicted to makeup bags... no really, I am, I have waaaay too many now! And of course, a double ended brush!

I'm excited to break into this palette and start testing it out, see how the colors wear, the pigmentation, all the good stuff I usually hear about Urban Decay eye shadows. I will definitely be doing a review on this palette once I've had time to fully play with the colors!

Read More

Sephora VIB 500 Points Haul!

So, I've been saving up my Sephora points for the past year or so since I really haven't found anything that I liked in the 100 point range. I was at Sephora recently and saw that their 500 point selection was a little Dior set!

It was all wrapped in Dior printed tissue paper in this lovely little box, which makes a great box for storing things in my IKEA Alex 9 Drawer or just storing little things! 

J'adore Eau De Parfum

Diorshow Mascara

Instant Gentle Cleansing Oil

Addict Gloss (not sure of the color name)

I'm excited mostly about the perfume, gloss and mascara samples.

Read More

Makeup & Eye of the Day #1 (LoracPRO Palette)

 As you can see from my scarf (which by the way, is a new obsession since I bought it!) that I'm ready for Fall to finally get here in Florida (if it does!) so I created a neutral transitioning into fall look that I'm in love with! Hope you all enjoy! I've listed what I've used before!

Eyes: 

Urban Decay Primer Potion (Original)

MAC Paintpot (Painterly)

LoracPRO Palette [Champage (innter corner and eyebrow), Gold (lid), Taupe (crease/transition shade), Pewter (lower crease), Garnet (upper crease), Espresso (outer eye)]

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner (Trooper)

Kiss Lashes (01)

Face:

Becca Ever-Matte Pore Perfecting Primer

Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup (04 Creamwhip)

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NW20)

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Power (Translucent)

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer (Sunny)

MAC Pro Longwear Blush (Stay Pretty)

Too Faced Candlelight Glow Duo

Eyebrows:

Milani Easybrow? (Natural Taupe)

NYX Single Shadow (Thryst)

Lips:

ELF Moisturizing Lipstick (Party in the Buff)

Read More

Sephora Haul! Lorac, Too Faced, Kat Von D, Makeup Forever

I recently made a trip to Sephora and came out with some new goodies! I was excited to get some new products, especially a new liquid liner!

LoracPRO Palette: This palette is amazing! It's a must have if you don't have it. I'm amazed how long it took me to finally get this palette after drooling over it for so long. The pigmentation is amazing and staying power is an all day! It has a variety of shimmer and matte shadows to make numerous eye looks. I've been using a mixture of the shimmer and mattes ever since I got it.

Too Faced Candlelight Glow: I've been using the Fergie Wet n Wild highlighters for a year or so and I love them so much. I've been eyeing this highlighter for so long. It's amazing on my skin tone. The packaging is adorable as well.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner: After using L'oreal's Linear Liquid Liner for years I finally decided it was time for the search for a new liquid liner. The L'oreal one was constantly fading through out the day and smearing in the inner corner of my eye. This Kat Von D liner is amazing. It's a super fine tip which makes it easy to create a winged eye and it stays all day for me

Makeup Forever Artist Shadows: These are brand new to Sephora and I was swatching a whole bunch of them. I'm drawn to purple eye shadows and I couldn't resist buying these three. Sephora had a three shadows for $44. I bought I918 Lavender, I922 Eletric Purple, and ME930 Black Purple. The pigmentation on these shadows is ridiculous!

Read More

Review: Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipsticks

I'm a huge lip product junkie! I'm always lured into buying nude, soft peach, soft and dark pink colored lip products, especially nudes and light pinks (they are my weakness). I've recently discovered Covergirl Lip Perfection Lipsticks!

I picked up Creme, Honeyed, Yummy, Darling, and Heavenly

From left to right: Creme, Honeyed, Yummy, Darling, Heavenly

I've swatched the lipsticks on my wrist and with one stroke they have great pigmentation! Covergirl claims "Beautiful rich lip color infused with silk. Protein to help sustain moisture levels so there more you wear it, the more gorgeous your lips become." and "transforms lips to noticeably more smooth and gorgeous lips in just 7 days"

I paid around $7.55 each for mine, which is not a bad deal! Thankfully, Covergirl sealed these lipsticks so I didn't have to worry about others testing it out and the lipstick color on the bottom matches closely to the color of the lipstick. Now, I don't know about the transforming lips into smoother lips in 7 days, since I didn't really notice that while wearing them and I wasn't wearing these two colors for 7 days straight, but my lips felt very moisturized while wearing them.

Pros:

- Good pigmentation

- Seems good

- Lips feel moisturized

- Inexpensive

- Good packaging

- Lipstick is sealed in store

Cons:

- Color doesn't last long, have to reapply throughout the day

I would say these are definitely worth picking up and trying out. I'm going to end up getting more colors for myself!

Disclaimer: All lipsticks were purchased on my own. All opinions are my own. Nothing was sent to me nor am I affiliated with Covergirl.

Read More

August 2014 Favorites

I'm a little late on my favorites for the month of August, seeming as I just started blogging but, I have been using quite a few products that I in fell love with so much that I ended up grabbing for them every time I was getting ready to put on makeup....

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette - This palette was bought with a Sephora gift card for my birthday, which was August 25th. I was playing with the colors and swatching them and instantly fell in love with them! And the smell of chocolate? How could I resist! This palette is a MUST HAVE!

Urban Decay Subversion Lash Primer - A few years back I used the lash primer from Urban Decay (purple and white packaging) and loved how it made my lashed longer, thicker, fuller and made my mascara lasts throughout the day! Then they stopped making it, which was so sad! I saw this at Ulta and had to pick it up and try it. It makes my lashes look longer, thicker, fuller and gives them the appearance of false lashes. I let the primer dty on my lashes while I do my blush and bronzer before applying mascara! I'm so glad they brought this lash primer back. Holy grail product!

Milani Eye & Brow Highligher - I've been using this to carve out the bottom portion of my brows after filling and shaping them in! It has two sides, Matte Beige & High Glow and I've mostly using the Matte Beige side of it!

Milani Easybrow - I recently ran out of my MAC "Lingering" brow pencil and was on the hunt for a temporary replacement. I found this brow pencil at my local Walmart. This pencil is amazing! It has a smooth finish, glides on nicely, water resistant and perfect for my taupe colored eyebrows. I use it for shaping my eyebrows before filling them in. It's a must try!

Clinique Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup - This has been my go-to foundation for the summer time. I live in Florida and it has been pretty hot and humid this year (for the record, by the way!) and other foundations have really been struggling with the humidity and my oil. I would say this is a medium to build able full coverage foundation, lightweight and easy to apply. It hasn't broken me out at all since using it and it really holds my oil and shine throughout the day of wearing it. It reminds me of the MAC Studio Sculpt which sadly, breaks me out and burns my skin. 

Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Perfecting Primer - I have very oily skin, especially in my T-Zone and 90% of the time, my makeup will start to "fall apart" in my nose area, even with setting powders, setting sprays, blotting papers, etc. I found this baby at Sephora. My makeup stays fresh and matte all throughout the day, no shine and no touching up. It's a bit pricey for a primer but it is totally worth it! It does feel dry on my skin when I apply it but after it dries my pores and oil are minimized. I have not had any reactions or breakouts from this so that is a plus!

Milani Gel-to-Powder Eyeshadows (Bella Ivory & Bella Champagne) - I found out about these new shadows from a few makeup blogs I read regularly and started seeing them at my local Walgreens and Walmart. I ended up picking up a bunch of shades and have really loved these two shades for the month of August. These two particular colors have been great base colors for my eyelid colors in multiple neutral and gold-toned palettes. They are pigmented, easy to apply and create no fallout. I've been applying with my ring finger.

Smashbox Master Class Palette III - I can't say enough about this. IT'S A MUST HAVE. It was limited edition and I ended up buying it at Sephora as an early birthday present to myself because of the limited availability of it and because I loved the Master Class Palette II so much. I've been the purple section of the eye shadows mostly but, the bronzer and blushes have been used every day since I bought this palette. Great pigmentation all over the palette.

Read More

My vanity setup

I thought of a first post and why not share my vanity! :) This is my current vanity and the setup of the vanity! It's the vanity from the Hayworth Collection through Pier 1 Imports. 

My wonderful parents got me this vanity in pieces at different times for two of my birthdays and a Christmas present. I got the vanity for my 23rd birthday, the mirror for Christmas 2012 and the bench for my 24th birthday. I used to have ALL my makeup in my bathroom, until it started falling all over the place. Ugh! I eventually moved onto a train case and that only went as far as the makeup could fit in the case... which wasn't long! Sooooo, I asked for this for my birthday! I've had this vanity for almost three two years now and I absolutely love it. I'm in the process of redoing my bedroom (the unmatching furniture in the vanity mirror) and I kept eyeing this beauty for the longest time over YouTube, Instagram and the store itself. It truely is a beauty! 

Items on the vanity:

Small Mirror - I took this from my mother's bathroom, haha.

Acrylic 12 Lipstick Holder - Container Store [Here]

Large Acrylic Divider - Target

Makeup Brush Holders - Sonia Kashuk (Target) [Here] & [Here] 

Acrylic Drawers - Container Store [Here]

Read More

Hello there beauty world...

Hi there! My name is Dawn. I'm glad you stumbled upon my blog. I decided to finally jump into the online beauty world. I've been into beauty and makeup probably since late high school years and only in the past few years have I gotten more experienced at applying makeup. The purpose of this blog is express my beauty side with product reviews, hauls, beauty organization tips, beauty tips, and non-beauty related posts.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12953695/?claim=ku8q8b6far3">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Read More