Review: NYX Box of Smokey Look Collection

Hello Lovelies! You know how there are some products that as soon as you buy it you just KNOW you're going to love it?? Then there's other products you're not totally sure about when you buy, but you grow to love them? This product is kinda somewhere in between... when I saw it sitting in Ulta in all its glory, I honestly thought it was going to be my new favorite product! But after nearly a month of use, I'm almost ready to store it away (or re-gift it? lol)

The product I'm talking about is NYX Box of Smokey Look Collection. Let's be honest, who *doesn't* love a smokey eye?? And this palette gives you options!

Classic? Purple? Bronze? Natural? The options are limitless with this grouping of shadows! Mix and match! Create your own looks! Who wouldn't love that?? But wait! There's more!

Don't stop your look with JUST THE EYES! Complete it! Use the bronzer, blush, and highlighter to contour your face! And there's a hidden eye liner and sponge applicator! This can all be found by sliding the shadows to the side. But wait! THERE'S MORE!!

Pull out the bottom drawer and you get lipsticks, lip glosses, concealers, and OMG GLITTER!

It should be obvious to anyone now why I thought this was such a genius product, right? Your whole face is in this one handy container! Multiple looks! Change day to night! Oh! The possibilities!! And NYX is really amazing company. Great products, great prices ($24.99 when I bought it.) Who wouldn't want all those products for such a cheap price??

*sigh* I am not in love. I realllllly wanted to be. And there are parts of this collection I really do enjoy. Here are my thoughts:

The shadows are okay. I do love all the colors and the combination, but I don't feel like they are very blendable. Wherever my brush lands on my lid is kinda where that shadow is going. They're just not as soft/velvety as I would have liked. But the color combinations are great! And I do like the versatility of doing purple, classic, bronze, natural, etc.

The light bronzer I actually kind of like! I think the formula is pretty good and it's not too dark for my Snow White-like skin! The darker bronzer will probably never work for me. lol. I like the bottom light pink blush--it proves a nice flush, healthy glow that compliments my cool skin tone. The highlighter is eh, ok. It's almost just like putting baby powder on my face it's sooo white. (it doesn't look white when applied). But I also can't really tell when it's applied...

I haven't used the lip products or concealers yet. I [tried to] use some of the glitter shadows (and we ALL know how much I heart glitter!) but they were more trouble than they were worth:(  Kinda flaked off and just made a mess. Maybe I'm not applying it correctly...

So bottom line? It's an okay palette, and I probably will use parts of it in the future, but given the opportunity, I would not buy it again. And I don't really recommend it to anyone else. I would've rather spent the $25 on something else that I would use more frequently.

Have you tried this box of makeup? What did you think? What's your favorite makeup product right now?

Guest Post: Abbie of Hair vs Makeup

Hello, Lovelies! I have a special treat for you today! A guest post from Abbie the new and up and coming blogger of Hair vs Makeup! You should totally check it out! Also, we're doing a complete blog swap and you can go see my post on her blog!

And now, introducing Abbie!!

Hey there readers of this fantabulous blog! Today Kristen has kindly let me do a blog swap with her, so, without further ado, here it goes!

Product: Olay Gentle Cleansers Refreshing Face Wash

Where is it sold: Most drugstores

Price: £1.59- £2 ($4.39 on Amazon.com)

Packaging: Typical squeezing tube. Nothing jumped out at me about this.

The claims: A formulation of of caring, cleansing ingredients leaving you with simply clean, refreshed, beautiful skin.

The Lowdown: So, I tried this product and it was AMAZING!  It completely nourished and cleansed my skin, also, it didn't give me a breakout! I was so shocked with this product, I thought it would just be an eh moment. But, no! I am not joking when I say this is the best face product I have ever used! Also, you only need a pea sized drop- if that! This product has lasted me for a couple of months, I use it everyday, and I've only used about a quarter of the bottle!

The Pros:

Left my skin feeling nice & fresh.

My skin felt lighter than air.

Good amount of product.

Great price!

The cons: 

Packaging not my favourite.

The rating:

💋💋💋💋💋

So, I hope this helps you guys! Happy beautifying!

Review: Prestige Cosmetics Wonderfull Lip Plumping Gloss

Hey Lovelies! You may remember last week I mentioned how I had all these goodies from Prestige Cosmetics to review! I'm going to start with the Wonderfull Lip Plumping Gloss because I am absolutely in love with it right now!

You may recall I've reviewed some lip glosses like this before (such as Hard Candy's last winter). I was quite a fan of it at the time and am always looking for a good lip gloss to make my lips look fuller than they really are!

I got this in the color "Deluxe" which is a very soft, almost nude pink-ish color full of sparkles.

It has a regular sponge tip applicator that is the perfect size for my lips--not too thick, not too skinny.

So what do I love about this so much? I LOVE the feeling of it! You know how plumping glosses usually give a little tingly feeling? This one does and it feels a little more than others I've tried! Especially if the air conditioning or fan blows on it (or for you in the colder regions right now, I'm sure the same thing would happen if you step outside in the chilly weather;) I'm not sure if it's true or not, but I feel like when my lips are tingling they must be looking bigger!;)

no flash

It is a very sticky gloss which I know many people will not like. I actually think it's pretty great because it helps the lip gloss stay on even longer. This gloss has made it through breakfast, lunch, and part of the afternoon before needing a re-application! (some of it does come off, but the overall glitter/shine still lasts!) For only $5.95, I will definitely be picking up more of these in a variety of colors.

with flash

My one warning is this! The tingle is good on my lips, but if I put too much on or accidentally get some on my inner lips or tongue, it burns a bit... and just doesn't taste very good. So be careful with that!

Don't forget! Prestige Cosmetics and a non-animal testing company so you can rest assured no animals were harmed in the making of this and other products they sell.

Have you tried any of Prestige's products yet? Do you have a favorite plumping gloss??

*Disclaimer: I was sent this product by the PR Company to review. All opinions remain my own.

Battle of the BB Creams: Garnier

Hi Lovelies! Time for another rousing adventure of the Battle of the BB Creams!!! [insert ominous or gladiator type music here.] I've gotta tell you that I had really been putting off trying the Garnier one. While normally, I'm a *huge* fan or Garnier products (honestly, I have so much hair stuff by them it's a little overwhelming!) but I had heard a lot of negative reviews on this specific BB Cream. It's too greasy; it smells funny; it doesn't work... on and on. But, for you, my loyal friends and readers, I marched on and bought it anyway. (Though for nearly $14 at Walgreens, I definitely  had to really push myself to do it!)

I've been using it for a little more than two weeks now, so I've figured out how it works with my skin and all that jazz and I'm ready to review! To start with, Garnier claims that their product offers "instant perfection" and an "all-in-one-miracle, that's a pretty big claim! They go on to say that
"1 Application Provides 5 Instant Results:

• evens tone
• hydrates
• renews
• protects
• brightens

So, before I work through all of these claims, let me share some pix and first impressions with you!

 Here it is first just dabbed onto my inner arm. (I know it's not a perfect comparison to my face, but it's a helpful way to show my natural skin tone and how products interact with it)

From there, I took a picture of just after I started rubbing it in. You can see that even though I got the "Light/Medium" shade (the lightest one they have) it still is dark and looks kinda yellow on my delicately fair skin (that's a  nicer way than saying "my pathetically pale skin" lol;)

The final picture shows it completely blended in. As you can see in the corners where my natural skin shows, it's still a bit darker than I'd like.

I was so upset after buying it! I thought, great, I'm not even going to be able to review it since it'll just make my skin look totally jaundiced! Au contraire, my lovelies! Not true at all!

As I stated previously, my arm is not a perfect match to my face. When I put it on my face and blended it was nearly a perfect match! It honestly made my skin look "flawless!" It definitely evened out my tone--not completely my under eye circles, but definitely my rosy cheeks. It's super moistuizing and hydrated my face completely. I know this is the issue a lot of girls have because it "hydrates" too much leaving them with a greasy feeling. For my combination skin, it was just the right amount! No greasiness at all during the day. I'm not sure I can totally say it renews... my skin feels softer, but I'm not sure it's actually "renewed." It protects definitely! It has a 15 SPF which while not the highest for you, it's definitely a good protection to start! I love that it has the sunscreen already included! Lastly, does it brighten? As opposed to does it dull? lol yes, it does brighten! I'm not saying my face glows or anything with it, but it definitely gives me a fresh, dewy face which I actually really enjoy!

Final verdict? While a little more expensive than the previous contenders in the Battle (L'oreal and Maybelline), it also offers more product so I think the unit price is actually less. The smell does bother me a bit, but it wears off shortly application so that's not a huge downside to me anymore. At this point, I'd honestly say it's in the lead! But! I have another BB Cream I'm going to start testing shortly so we'll have to see if Garnier can hold the top spot!!

I still haven't tried any of the Asian BB Creams, which I *know* everyone says is better. What's your favorite BB Cream??

Prestige Cosmetics--First Impressions

Hi Lovelies! Are you familar with Prestige Cosmetics? I wasn't either, thought surprised since they're such an affordable makeup company! They offer a number of fabulous eye, lip, and face product among others. I'd say they rank around Hard Candy and Wet 'n Wild when it comes to cost.

The lovely Carly at Tilson PR was sweet enough to send me a number of samples to try and review! So today I want to go over very quickly what I got and some first impressions I have on the products and the company as a whole. Then in the next couple weeks, I'll share with you my full review on each of the products. So! Let's get started!

Starting from the top left and going around clockwise:
Eyeshadow Duo in Passionfruit ($4.50): Wet or dry formula, no creasing, long wear. I used this a couple time this past week after receiving and I must say it has some of the smoothest application I've ever seen! Not only is it smooth, it's also super blendable. The two shades just compliment each other and since it's purple, it helps my brown eyes pop!;) I've only been wearing it dry so far, but I plan to try a wet application too and see how that works:)

Wonderful Lip Plumping Gloss in Deluxe ($5.95): Bee-stung pout, shiny, refreshing tingle. This is actually one of the products I requested specifically from Carly. First off, I am addicted to lip gloss (this is no secret;) Secondly, I have somewhat thin lips so I am always ready to try a plumping gloss! I've used it for a few days as well, and it's actually pretty powerful stuff! It's a very sticky lip gloss (which I know some people don't like) but because of that, it lasts for a longer time than what I was expecting. Even the "refreshing tingle" lasts! But more on this after I use it more.

Vinylwear Extreme Lipgloss in Intense Blossom ($5.95): Maximum shine, color intense, long lasting. I was honestly a little nervous by this one because the color in the tube is so bright I was afraid it was going to look too bright on my face. I used it for the first time yesterday and it actually blended in really well to my natural lip color! It comes out as a lot softer pink than it looks in the tube and gives a definitely shiny look to my lips. I was studying the packaging, and I don't understand why the applicator part is so long and the product part is so short, lol.

My Biggest Lashes Mascara in Brown-Black ($6.50): Full plush brush, intense color, one coat application. This is another one of the products I requested since we all know what a mascara whore I am and that I'm always looking for a new volumizing type mascara. This definitely has a plush brush which makes application super easy. It also doesn't make my eyelashes crunchy or clumpy, so so far I'm a fan. We'll have to see how I feel after using it a little longer.

Liquid Glitter Eyeliner in Starlit Black and Super Nova ($5.50): Shimmering "micro-glitter," fine line precision, effortless stroke. I had requested the Starlit Black and was surprised when I received Super Nova as well as I've never ever in my whole entire life used a green eyeliner! lol. I've used Starlit Black several times and am very pleased with the quality. Liquid eyeliner is not something I use a lot (because I'm not very good at it haha, I often smear it all over my lid or blink before it's dry.. drama-rama haha). Anyway, I tried Super Nova for the first time yesterday and oh! I absolutely adored it! It's a soft, sparkly lighter green that just puts a little pop on my eye! I can't wait to use both of these more!

So overall, I'm very excited with everything I received and can't wait to continue testing them all! I'm very impressed with Prestige Cosmetics as a whole. The prices are so affordable and the quality doesn't feel "cheap" at all. They don't do animal testing! Which I know is a huge selling point to many of you! They also have a line of mineral makeup, which I am excited to try as well.

Supposedly they are sold at Walmart, Walgreens, Ulta, Rite Aid, etc. Sadly, I haven't been able to find their products at my local Walgreens or Walmart, but I am going to keep looking at other stores too! If not, their website is super easy to navigate and easy to order through there. And right now they are offering free shipping on orders of $50 or more!!:)

Has anyone else tried Prestige Cosmetics? What are your thoughts?? Where do you buy them?

Review: Twistbands Skinny Headband

Hi Lovelies! I only vaguely wrote Twistbands a few months ago back or not. I received one in my May Birchbox and fell in  love almost as soon as I saw it. Before I tell you what it is (and how simply amazing it is!) let me give you a little background!

I love headbands! I have always loved headbands! It's one of the few hair accessories that doesn't care how long or how short your hair is--it works all the time! It can fix hair mistakes (growing out bangs, anyone?); it can add dazzle to an up-do (put a little bling in;); it can do almost anything!

But there's downsides to headbands too. Some will start to hurt behind my hears. Some slide around too much. Some are so tight that I think my brain starts to ache. Is there no such thing as a PERFECT HEADBAND???

Then, Birchbox sent me a Twistband. It was yellow, and I don't have a lot of yellow clothes (ah, cool skin tones); but I wanted to try it out so bad, I wore it anyway. I wore it and fell in love! The Twistband is basically a stretchy elastic (kinda like what regular hair bands/pony tail holders are made of) but their bigger and more head sized. There's no teeth, no sharp parts, nothing to cause any pain. Looking at them, you may think "Oh, that couldn't possibly stay in my hair!" BUT IT DOES!!! For long periods of time! (at least in my hair).

So, when Birchbox offered free shipping on a bunch of different stuff, and I had some points to use, I decided to invest in the whole collection of Twistbands.  There are six of them all in different colors and they come put together on a little clasping ring thing. I love them all!

Have you tried any Twistband products? What did you think? What are your favorite headbands?

Review: Revlon Photo Ready 3D Volume Mascara

OH EM GEE, Lovelies! I absolutely adore this mascara! Like, I feel I don't even need to write a whole review on it--just believe me when I tell you it's simply awesome!

Okay, okay, I'll still write the whole review.

I actually bought this several months ago, but still had a few other mascara's to try before I got to this one (what can I say? I'm a mascara whore). When I finally got to this one, I was pretty excited about trying it. I've always had pretty long eyelashes, but they just aren't as thick as I'd like. Therefore, I'm always looking for mascaras that are "volumizing" and promise to "thicken" my lashes. This mascara was right up my alley.

From Revlon's website: "Get glamorous, big volume lashes from every angle
Lashes look 100% more magnified, multiplied, amplified*
*with two coats " and continued, "Lash finding brush with rounded tip easily reaches every single lash for maximum dimension."

So true! Let me show you this brush!

I know the picture is kinda fuzzy, but it's hard to get a perfect shot just to show you how amazing the brush is!! There are all these tiny little bristles reaching out to lift up and coat your lashes! It is alike a miracle brush! The shape is perfect. Not too long, not too short. Not to thick, not to thin. LOVE IT.

I've even used this mascara without eyeliner a few times and my eyes still totally pop. It is by far my favorite mascara used lately and probably one of my favorites of all time! It's about $6.74 at Target and I would definitely purchase it again! (multiple times, probably!:)

Great formula! Well done, Revlon!

Have you tried this mascara yet? What are some of your favorites right now??

Battle of the BB Creams: Maybelline

Hi Lovelies! So as promised, here is the 2nd post in my Battle of the BB Creams series! (you can read my first one here!) For the past three or so weeks, I have now been using Maybelline's Dream Fresh BB 8-in-1 Beauty Balm Skin Protector.

First, what does it promise?

BB creams combine skincare + makeup in 1 simple step
8-in-1 Skin Perfector:
• Blurs imperfections
• Brightens
• Evens skin tone
• Smoothes
• Hydrates
• Enhances
• Protects with SPF 30
• 0% oils and heavy ingredients

blobbed on

Blended in (can't even see it!)

 And how did it work for me?
I really do think it did much of what it said! It blurred imperfections (light ones; like the dark circles were still under my eyes, but not nearly as obvious). My skin did look brighter (but that could be the "pregnancy glow"?? lol). Like the L'oreal one, it did even my skin tone to begin with but as the day went on, my rosy (sometimes blotchy) cheeks did start to come through. It definitely smoothed and hydrated! My skin felt fresh even without a moisturizer on prior to it! I can't say that it really enhanced anything? But I do love that it has SPF in it!

So what I liked the most was just how light it felt--it moisturized without being heavy. Since it's still a million (or 90) degrees here, it was good to have light coverage without the fear of it all melting off every time I walked outside. I used the light shade of it and feel like it totally matched my skin and blended in perfectly!

However, having said all that, I still just can't understand all the hype of these things. Like, the convenience is awesome, I just put it on and do some eye makeup and lips and I'm good for the day (so it's perfect for mornings where I choose sleep over doing a lot of makeup;) But it doesn't seem like some miracle product to me! I guess I just felt kind of let down.

It's $7.44 (at Target) so cheaper (and in my mind, all around better) than the BB Cream by L'oreal. But I still don't think it's worth that price. You get 1.0 fluid ounce. ONE! Like honestly, how long is that supposed to last you? I've been using mine for three weeks now, and I think it's starting to get low.

Will I buy it again? Possibly. I do think it's a fab product to have in the summer when you just want light, protective coverage and not a lot of fuss to do your makeup; but don't buy it just because it's a "BB Cream." As I'm learning (and have heard from others) American BB Creams are kind of a bust compared to the Asian ones.

So! What do you think? Have you used this BB Cream?? What's your favorite??

Review: Tigi Bed Head Totally Baked

Happy Columbus Day (observed) Lovelies!! I've never understood why (here in America) Columbus Day is seen as a federal holiday and not Flag Day? Like, okay, that's great Columbus discovered us (though.. really, he didn't. I believe Amerigo Vespucci actually discovered America (well, the US); and Columbus with his Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria ended up somewhere in the islands... of course since I'm typing right now, I can't remember.. San... oh screw it, let's see what Google says...Salvador! That's right, San Salvador. Anyway, so not the point of this blog. The point is! I hope you are at a school or job where you get this day off as well to celebrate Columbus and his men making it to the New World!

So today, I have a haircare review for you! (Yay!) Which I really haven't done in a long while. A couple months ago, I got my rewards from Ulta and I had 10 points to use! LOL They're "reward" stuff only goes up to level 6 so I got to pick several things in different categories that added up to ten. (This also means that I probably spent close to or more than $1,000 in the quarter. *sigh* We all know blogging is not the cheapest of hobbies;) So one of the free things I got was Tigi Bed Head Candy Fixation Totally Baked Volumizing and Prepping Hair Meringue.

I don't think I'd ever used any Bed Head products prior to this, so I'm really glad I got to pick it up (for FREE!) to try! It has a pump dispenser that is super easy to use and has it come out in a very light almost fluffy foam:

And p.s. it smells absolutely divine! Kinda like a lemon meringue pie!

So here's what Bed Head has to say about it:

Start your style with this sweet treat! Bed Head Candy Fixations Totally Baked is a super light, creamy formula that provides shape retention to add to the life of a hairstyle. This humidity resistant meringue provides a light hold, giving you weightless motion. Bed Head Candy Fixations Totally Baked gives you a long lasting boost, style and texture.

Bed Head Candy Fixations Totally Baked Assets

• Formulated to enhance the performance of other style products.
• Adds volume, providing you no limits!
• For every hair type and texture.
• Provides a light hold.

How to use Bed Head Candy Fixations Totally Baked?

Apply to wet hair for long-lasting weightless movement and enhanced performance of other styling products. 

I swear, it lives up to everything it promises! It is so light-weight but provides a strong hold! I have naturally wavy hair, and when I use this through my damp hair, it brings out all the wave and sometimes even adds a little extra curl. There is no crunchiness!! This is probably my favorite part because I feel like sometimes the best strong-hold products make my hair crunchy which I just don't like at all. My hair still feels soft and natural when I use this (and did I mention it smells DELICIOUS!?!:)

After using this product for a couple months now, I would definitely try some of the other Bed Head products. How about your? Have you tried this? Do you prefer gels or mousses for your hair styles?

Review: Revlon Colorstay Whipped Cream Foundation

Hi Lovelies! This summer, I didn't use a lot of foundation because it is hotttttt and I hate having my makeup melt off (hint though, USE PRIMER!!;) and I honestly wasn't in the mood to try a whole lot of new foundations because I have still been loving Maybelline's Dream Nude Airfoam foundation! But when I see *everyone* talking about how much they love a new product, I have a hard time not trying it. So I picked up Revlon's Colorstay Whipped Cream Foundation!

I got it at Walgreens for $13.99... which I thought seemed like a lot for .8 oz, but whatever, everyone loves it, so it's worth it right? ;)

This is what Revlon promises: "The mousse-like texture feels like silk on your skin. And, the time release formula balances skin for a flawless look. All day flexible wear without flaking, caking or feeling heavy. "

I will say that everything they claim was very true for me! This stuff is so creamy AND light at the same time. I hardly felt like I was wearing anything at all. Which was actually surprising to me, because when I first put it on, I thought it was going to be a little thicker/heavier than I would've liked.

Even though it's a light feel, the coverage is very full; but like they say it definitely wasn't cakey at all. It blended so well, you could hardly even tell I was wearing any foundation (I LOVE that!)

first blobbed on

fully blended, you can see the skin with and without foundation

The biggest downside for me is that it's in a jar. While it looks super cool, when my nails are longer, I hate having to dip my fingers in and get foundation all under my nails ya know? But that is really the only complaint I have.

While I really did enjoy it, I probably won't purchase again. Not because of anything of the quality, but for the price. Yes, this .8 ounces does last a long time, but I think I can get more foundation for my money from another brand:)

Did you buy into the buzz of the whipped foundation? What did you think?? What if your *favorite* foundation right now?

Battle of the BB Creams: L'oreal Paris

Hi Lovelies! Wow, it feels weird (but good) to finally be blogging again! So without further ado, let us jump right back in! I've decided to do a quick mini-series I'm titling, "Battle of the BB Creams." I know, I know, BB Creams have been here in America forever now, but let's be honest, I have like three months of blogging to catch up on, so bear with me;)

The first one I tried was L'oreal Magic Skin Beautifier which promises: "This multi-tasking beautifying cream delivers multiple beautifying actions: hydrates, corrects, evens, and protects. It's ultra-lightweight and blends in seamlessly for a perfect natural finish. Available in 4 skin-transforming shades."

So a few notes on that description before I share my review, some people have complained that it's only in four shades (fair, light, medium, deep). I'm not sure why L'oreal chose to do only four, but I'm definitely fair skinned so it wasn't an issue to me. This is also one of the few (only?) BB Creams that goes on white and blends in to your skin. Supposedly the little beads in it help make it match your skin color! It did feel kinda weird going on with the tiny beads--almost like how St. Ives Apricot Scrub feels lol. But not AS rough.

first squeezed onto skin

starting to rub in

fully blended!

Now, let's go step by step in what they promise.
1.) Hydrates--sadly, my face actually felt a little dry when I was using it. Not sooo dry that my skin was peeling or anything, but it just wasn't as creamy as my face usually is when I use my normal moisturizer. Kind of a bust:(
2.) Corrects--this is true, to a point. My skin is mostly clear (thought pregnancy hormones have caused a breakout here and there), but I do have a  little red blotchiness on my cheeks. This BB cream did cover up those areas with little trouble. However, it only lasted 'til about mid-day and then my skin was looking like it did before. Eh, not a huge deal, this is just a BB cream and not an actual foundation:)
3.) Evens--I'd say the same comments as I did for correct. It did even out my skintone, but I just didn't feel like it lasted as long as I would've liked.
4.) Protects--I'm not sure exactly what they're saying this protects from or against because  this is one of the few BB creams that does not have any sunscreen in it...

Bottom line? The more I used it, the more I started to like it (I've been using it for about a month); but for nearly $10, I really do not plan on buying it again.

Have you tried L'oreal's Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream yet?? What did you think??

Review: Ulta's Lash Blow Out

Hi Lovelies! I believe I've mentioned once or twice before that I'm somewhat of a mascara whore... I like to try a lot of different kinds.. different brands.. different types... etc. So maybe you're wondering what I've been using lately?

For about the past month (is that too long? I think it's time to throw it away.. lol), I've been using Ulta's Lash Blow Out! I was super excited to try this since I loved the L'oreal Telescopic Explosion Mascara! The Lash Blow out was about the same concept with the little round applicator vice the traditional straighter applicator.

I used the color Jet Black and it's a very good formula black. People actually noticed/commented on my eyelashes saying how long they looked. So that was nice:) It works well to separate the lashes and to provide a little definition... but there were some days I felt like it clumped a few of my lashes together so that I looked like there were just 8 spider legs coming out of my eyes:( Not cool.

At $10 for a tube, I think it's safe to say I will not be purchasing this again (p.s. it's $.51 more than the L'oreal one! And as much as I love Ulta, I still think of it being kind of a "generic" or "store brand" type brand compared to something as big as L'oreal!) I felt like it started to dry out/get clumpy after just a day or two of use. I was constantly having to wipe the excess off so I didn't get huge globs on my eyeball! Not a fan.

Have you tried Ulta's Lash Blow Out? Did you like it? What is your favorite mascara right now?

geoGiRL Review: What Girls Are Saying

Hi Lovelies! You'll remember last week that I brought up a somewhat controversial topic about how young is too young for girls to start wearing makeup! I was excited to see so many of you have such strong opinions and be willing to share them!

Personally (keep in mind, I don't have any children of my own), I think that 10-12 is probably a good time to start introducing some makeup that is more than a little bit of lip gloss. I'm not saying have your little one go all Toddlers and Tiaras on you, but I think if she wants to use some for church or a dance or a night out with friends or something a little bit can be fun. When it comes to what kind of makeup, I'd definitely she rather have her own that I know is safe enough for her sensitive young skin than to use any of my "grown up makeup" that may have chemicals or something that might harm her face. (and p.s. I'd hate to have a younger girl "playing" with my makeup and then ruin some of my good stuff.)

I also think it's important to explain to girls WHY they are going to wear makeup. It's not to change who you are or to make you into someone else, but it is used to enhance your natural beauty and really accentuate the pretty features that you have. Do you have pretty eyes? Play them up! Do you have pouty lips? Put the focus on them! Sometimes makeup can be used to cover flaws (zits, scars, etc.) but it is sooo important to not cover up who you truly are! I think this may be easier to teach younger girls before they hit the stage where they hate everything about themselves.

Sooo having said all that, I think I'm pretty pleased with what geoGiRL has to offer. However, since it's aimed at girls from the ages of 8-12, I decided I'd need the thoughts of a real girl between those ages;) Enter Miss Abigail! I bought her a few of the products and she was kind enough to share her thoughts on the lipstick ($4.59), the eyeshadow ($4.29), and the blush ($5.39). Take it away, Abigail!

geoGiRL is a makeup for girls ages 8-12. The products look very natural, but have a tint of gloss! 

The lipstick "fruit punch" is a pinkish red color but looks really good on small lips.

Blush, my absolute favorite, is called "eco pink" but the cool thing is that it is a creme and not a powder

The eyeshadow "barely berry" was also a creme, but it dries a powder but I have to warn you it comes out very fast.

So every geoGiRL product I've tried was amazing and is an A+ in my books!

Just to give you an idea of how natural the makeup looks (so that you can see little girls won't look like trailer trash;) I took a picture of Miss Abigail before and after she put the makeup on!

So what do you think? Have you tried any of the geoGiRL products? Would you consider using them yourself of for some younger girl in your life?

P.S. A special thanks to Miss Abigail for helping me out with this post and for letting me use her pictures on my blog (with her mom's permission!:)