Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

Separates so well, didn't help curl much

I have ridiculous straight eyelashes. They actually point downward a bit and I can NOT get them to stay curled. For the price I guess I was expecting miracles with this mascara, and I did not receive any. I curled my lashes with the curler, got them looking all lush and then applied the mascara. Almost immediately my lashes started to droop. I lightly curled my lashes again after the mascara dried (I know, it's a no no!) and the curl did stay better that way. I will say that the wand does a great job of separating my lashes, and the formula is light so my lashes don't feel weighed down.

March 22, 2017

E.L.F. Acne Fighting Spot Gel

Works pretty well

This actually worked really well to reduce the redness and size of a pimple I had coming it. However it seemed like it would only reduce it so far and then it stopped showing a difference. But I do think that using this helped to prevent the pimple from getting worse and did make it a bit smaller rather quickly.

March 22, 2017

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup

Fave foundation

Quite possibly my favorite foundation yet. It lasts me all day, even with tiny little fingers grabbing at my face. It never looks cakey or patchy, even when my skin is going through a dry spell. I love the way it makes my face look flawless. No harsh smell and it just glides onto my face. One bottle lasts me quite awhile. It's a hefty price, but it's #wortheverypenny .oh one of the best parts.... crueltyfree !!I do wish there were more shades, I'm somewhat in between a 4 and half and a 5.

March 22, 2017

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Hydrating Serum

Love this serum!

This is the most moisturizing serum I've ever used. For some reason I had initially thought this was a type of moisturizer, not a serum. So I was using it without following up with a moisturizer like I normally would, and I didn't notice a difference! My face felt soft and without a hint of dryness, it's great. Once I realized it was a serum, I used it prior to a moisturizer and my face feels even better. It's crazy. I've tried other skin care regimes where it was a Vit C serum and hydrating serum followed by a moisturizer in the morning, and this one serum seems to do the job of all three!

March 22, 2017

E.L.F. Kabuki Brushes

Love this brush

I primarily use this brush on larger areas to remove excess powder and/or to blend, it's so big that it's not good for smaller areas. But it does a great job in spreading powder on my cheeks. Plus it fits so comfortably in my hand, I love the small base it has. I feel it gives me more control. And the bristles are super soft.

March 22, 2017

E.L.F. Studio High Definition Powder

Ghost face in pictures

I bought the sheer and at first I hated, it was so messy! I tried the little pad it comes with and a brush and it just kept getting all over my clothes and just everywhere. I finally saw someone on youtube who suggested using a damp beauty blender and it works great. Powder goes exactly where I want it and I think it wastes less powder that way as well. I just use a brush to lightly remove the excess. Few things: Looks great walking around, but do NOT use flash photography. You will look like a ghost. Not cute. Only apply it in the areas where you need it, or it can start to look cakey. I did notice a few areas where the powder caused my foundation to ball up a little but I just brushed those away with a brush and it was fine. In short: decent for the price, but this will not be the first powder I reach for once I find one I really like

March 22, 2017

Pravana ChromaSilk Vivids

Fantastic hair dye

I jumped on that gray hair colored bandwagon, but was vastly disappointed when I couldn't find anything in my town to do the job. Luckily, I was able to order this online. Anyway, I read a bunch of different ways to use it online and here's how I did it. First off, I have really dark hair. The lower half of my hair was bleached, but the rest wasn't and I wanted all gray so I bleached my hair. A LOT. If you have dark brunette hair, be prepared to do a lot of damage to it if you want to go gray. I know my hair, so I bleached it way more often than I should have in just a couple of days. I don't recommend it, I'm just impatient and again I know my hair, I know what it can handle. Benefit of doing my own hair I guess. Besides bleaching, I also had to tone it to try to tame the orange and yellow hue. Before I used the Pravana Silver, I used Clairols Shimmer Lights Shampoo for about a week to further tame out the yellow and orange. I'm telling you this because if you don't tone those colors out, THIS SILVER WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. Your hair needs to be as light as possible with a little undertone colors as possible. No orange, and the yellow color needs to be as light as the inside of a banana. Once I was ready, I mixed the Pravana Silver with some Aussie conditioner (I love the smell!) so it was a light lavender color and applied it all over. I learned about mixing it with conditioner from reading a bunch of reviews from different web pages. Anyway, I applied it, threw on a shower cap, and left it on for hours. Benefit of mixing with the conditioner is that it helps alleviate the damage from all the bleaching, and when I washed it out my hair was super soft. And I love the color! I got so many compliments on it, by friends and even random customers while I was at work. So nice, this stuff is so easy to use. I plan on getting other colors, as soon as I can afford it. I tend to color my hair fairly often, so price is a major factor. On a side note, I'm allergic to your standard hair dyes. I'm talking hives and blisters if it just barely touches my skin. Until now, the only hair dye I've been able to use was Manic Panic. Now I can Pravana to the "list" of dyes that don't irritate or damage my sensitive skin.

March 21, 2017

Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box

My first UD palette!

This was my very first UD palette, and I lived in this thing! The colors are beautiful and super pigmented. It really doesn't take much shadow at all to get full coverage, and they last all day with or without primer! Plus there's a bunch of variety so you can create a ton of different looks. I'll be honest, this palette actually lasted me for a few years (I know, I know, I was supposed to toss it long ago). I only threw it away because my son decided to play in it and destroyed my favorite shades out of it.

March 21, 2017

NYX Cosmetics Matte Finish Makeup Setting Spray

Did not stay matte

So to preface, I did use this on a really hot day. I applied it right before I went out walking around a zoo in the Texas sun. I had on a tinted BB cream, some setting powder to help keep the oil down, and then the setting spray. After an hour outside, I went back to the car and my face wasn't super oily or anything, but you could definitely tell I had been sweating a bit. My makeup was definitely not matte anymore, but it was still in place and hadn't melted off so that's a bonus. Still, I'll be checking around to find a better matte setting spray.

March 21, 2017