Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Perfect Black

I wear eyeliner a lot.  I also have eyes that tear because of allergies.  So I was excited when I found out that waterproof eyeliner existed.  I've tried two: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil and Too Faced Perfect Eyes Eyeliner.  I really like the Too Faced eyeliner, especially in the color Perfect Black.  It's very pigmented and creamy.  It applies like a dream on my lash line, no skipping or pulling, although I tend to use this more on my waterline and tightline.  I find that after a few hours it will slightly smudge, but not horrifically.  It could be because I have oily lids but I'm not sure if my lids are to blame.  I will definitely be purchasing more colors in the future!

  

Smashbox Try It Kit

This is something I decided to buy on a whim.  I've never really tried any Smashbox products so I decided it might be worth it to try it. I was half right. The kit came with samples of an eye primer, face primer, lip gloss, mascara, and eye liner.  Three of the products I really liked and the other two I actually hated.  These are the products I liked:

The Photo Finish Lid Primer is a creamy flesh colored primer.  It provides an excellent base for eyeshadows.  It enhances their colors and the shadows stay on the lids for a long time.  I noticed a little bit of creasing 6 hours into wearing it.  I also like that you can wear it by itself.  It hides the veins on the eyelids and brightens and smooths the area.  Full size price is $20

The Photo Finish Foundation Primer is a clear primer with a silicone consistency.  It smooths the skin, making it a perfect canvas for foundation.  I like this primer, but I'm not sure if I like it more than Benefit's POREfessional.  I do like that it doesn't break me out and my foundation did stay on nicely for quite a few hours.  Full size price is $36.

The Lip Enhancing Gloss came in the color Illume, which is a sheer champagne color with golden shimmer. It is a beautiful color, especially for when you are doing a dramatic eye look. I like it because it doesn't feel sticky on my lips and it smells like Charleston Chews candy!   Full size price is $19.

Now onto the products I disliked:

I didn't like the Limitless Eye Liner at all.  First, you are supposed to get the color onyx in the kit.  I ended up receiving Fig, which is a brown that is discontinued so even if I did like it, I wouldn't be able to get that color.  It wasn't creamy enough and it tugged harshly on my eyelid.  It also would not apply to my waterline.  Also, the liner I received is defective because the liner is loose in the pencil.  Pretty disappointing. Full size price is $19.

I was most displeased with the Full Exposure Mascara.  It doesn't come in waterproof, which is a problem for me because my eyes tear, especially because of allergies.  I decided to wear this when I went out with friends and within an hour of hanging out, one of my friends informed me that I had big black rings under my eyes from the mascara.  It smudges horribly and flakes too! I don't see how this mascara is a "best seller."  I definitely don't recommend this product but if you do want the full size, it's $19.50

It seems to me that the face and lip products from Smashbox are pretty great and the eye products are not.  I will definitely be purchasing more Smashbox products, except for the mascara and eye liner.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine Lipstick #6 Pink in Devotion

This was my birthday present to myself.  I had to keep saying that to myself as I was waiting to be rung up at Sephora.  It was the only way I could justify buying this.  It's expensive for a lipstick, $34.  I kept asking myself if it was even worth it.  Let me tell you, it so is worth it.  I bought #6 Pink in Devotion which is a cool, hibiscus pink.  In the tube it looks really bright, brighter than the other pinks I usually wear.  On the lips though, it looks absolutely gorgeous.  The Rouge Volupté Shine lipsticks are supposed to be hydrating for up to 8 hours.  I find that it doesn't last that long, but it's still more hydrating than most of the lipsticks I own.  The color itself is long lasting, about 4-5 hours.  I was able to eat and drink and still have color on my lips. afterward.

There are 19 shades in the Rouge Volupté Shine collection.  I definitely want them all, but I am going to have to wait until the next holiday to justify myself getting another shade.  Which shade do you think I should try next?

Almay Smart Shade CC Cream

Besides working as a musician, I also work at a bakery.  I work at the ungodly hour of 5:30AM, and I'm definitely not in the mood at 5AM to put on foundation let alone a full face of makeup.  I started using Almay Smart Shade CC Cream in Light/Medium to hide some of my redness.  It's perfect for my early mornings.  I just smooth is onto my face with my hands and head out the door.  The color is slightly lighter than my natural skintone, but it's not very noticeable.  I think had I gotten the medium color it would have been to dark.  As for breakouts, I feel like I did get a few small breakouts on my forehead, but I'm not sure if it's from the CC Cream or just because of the hot weather.  I do have to use a setting powder or a mattifying powder because I end up looking pretty shiny around my T-Zone.

It's a pretty good product, but I might not repurchase it again.  I think I might have to keep searching for a better CC Cream, if one even exists.  Does anyone have a favorite CC cream that they use?  What about a good BB cream?

Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in Primrose

I just want to get this out there now, I DID NOT pick this color up because the name reminded me of the Hunger Games.  I don't like the Hunger Games.  I picked this shade out because I actually like the color.  It's a gorgeous, neutral dusty pink.  It's like a "my lips but better" shade.  It's neutral enough to wear during the day, yet it's bright enough that it could be worn out at night.  It's smooth and creamy and has vitamins C and E added to it.  The color lasted a good while with some lip primer underneath it.  And I love that it didn't dry out my lips.  I'm definitely looking forward to purchasing more shades from Smashbox!

L'Oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes

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I usually don't care for L'Oreal waterproof mascara. It is incredibly hard to take off your lashes.  I mean, you could be stuck with it on for days. Unfortunately, because my eyes tear because of my allergies, regular mascara is not an option or I would try it (I can only get away with wearing a regular formula by Benefit). I heard some good things about L'Oreal's Voluminous False Fiber Lashes and thought, what the hell? Might as well try it.

I was surprised by the formula. It wasn't as dry as some of the other waterproof mascaras.  The bristles are thick and pretty stiff.  The tip of the wand is small and is good to get the inside corner lashes.  There are also an abundance of nylon and rayon fibers inside the formula. This is the same material that is used to make actual false lashes.

It's not my favorite mascara but I don't hate it either.  I did see a difference in the way my lashes looked.  They were definitely longer.  I also liked that it doesn't clump, well, on me at least.  The biggest upside is that it wasn't as hard to remove as some of the previous L'Oreal mascaras that I've tried.

E.L.F. Essential Lipsticks

Eyes Lips Face has a nice line of lipsticks that are only $1.  They are very pigmented for the price.  They are also pretty moisturizing.  There are 12 lipsticks in the collection.  You can't even get one high end lipstick for $12, meanwhile you can get the whole collection for $12.  The one huge problem I have with the collection though is that all the colors (except for Captivating) are all in the same color family so they all look very similar to one another.  Because of this, I only got three colors.  I tried to get three colors that weren't too similar to each other.  I ended up getting Voodoo, Gypsy, and Nostalgia.

Voodoo is a reddish brown shade

Gypsy is a raspberry pink

Nostalgic is a pale, pinky nude

These are pretty good lipsticks, especially for the price.  I just really wish they would come out with more colors that are not so pinkish.  Maybe a nice mauve or even a coral would be lovely.

My Inglot Eyeshadow Palette (Still in Progress)

I've heard so much about Inglot Cosmetics and its Freedom System from many beauty bloggers and vloggers that I just had to try it for myself.  Basically, the Freedom System is where you buy the empty palette and fill it with different pans.  It can be done with eyeshadow, eyebrows, lip and face products.  As far as eyeshadow goes, you can get either round pans or square pans.  The round shadow palettes come in 3, 5, and 10.  The square pan palettes come in 2, 4, 5, and 10.  I chose to get the square eyeshadows because it seemed like there was more product per pan.

The 10 pan palette was a great investment at $16.  Each eyeshadow was $6 except the 2 Rainbow on the bottom which were $8.  The square eyeshadows hold anywhere from .08 to .11 oz. worth of product.  The Rainbow shadows are .10 oz.  The one thing I find extremely annoying is that they don't name their shadows.  They're identified by numbers and finish.  Here are the shadow I have (so far) in my palette:

152: Shine. Silvery taupe with a shimmery finish. From the Noble Collection
440: Pearl.  Cool tone  pinkish lilac
445: Pearl. Light orchid (my favorite)
71: AMC. Medium plum with shimmer
439: Pearl. Jewel-toned violet

114R is one of the Rainbow eyeshadows.  It is matte purple and has a light, medium, and dark shadow.

109 is another one of their Rainbow eyeshadows.  It is matte green and again has a light, medium, and dark shadow.

Inglot's shadows have AMAZING pigmentation!  They also apply like a dream.  Each shadow is very affordable as well as the palette itself.  It is comparable to MAC but is,  in my opinion, better.  A large MAC Pro Palette is $18.  That doesn't include the insert that you have to buy with it.  The 15 eyeshadow insert is $9.  Then each eyeshadow is $12 and it's only for .05 oz.!  If you live in the tri-state area, shipping is great but a little pricey.  I live in NY and I got my package within a few days since it ships from there warehouse in Chelsea.  I've heard that shipping is a little crazy as you ship further out.

Inglot Freedom System

Wet 'N Wild Comfort Zone Palette

This is one of Wet 'N Wild's Color Icon Palettes.  It consists of 8 shades that are more centered in the neutral color scheme.  Each shade is super silky and pretty pigmented.

Swatches of Column 1: Top (l-r) Crease and Define

                                    Bottom (l-r) Browbone and Eyelid

Browbone: Frost finish beige

Eyelid: Frost finish copper

Crease: Medium brown, pearl finish

Define: Rusty brown, shimmer

Swatches of Column 2: (l-r) Browbone, Eyelid, Crease, Define

Browbone: Grayish beige, frost

Eyelid: Light, spring green with golden shimmer

Crease: Charcoal with subtle hint of green with gold shimmer

Define:  Brown with hint of red and a teal duochrome

I love the whole palette, but I find myself reaching for column 1 more.  Column 1 is more suitable for daytime or nighttime, while Column 2 is more suitable for nighttime only.  This palette is a steal at only $4.99.  The quality of the shadows is pretty amazing for a super affordable drugstore brand.  Definitely worth checking out!

Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

Well that's a mouthful lol.  This has been getting a ton of hype on YouTube and oher beauty blogs, so I had to try it. This has truly become my favorite foundation.  It has been marketed as "the lasting power of a primer, the coverage of a concealer, and the blendability of a foundation."  It definitely does all of those things.  It doesn't leave my face feeling greasy. It also feels light on my skin. More importantly, it doesn't break me out. I'm actually a big fan of Cover Girl foundations.  The last one I had tried was their Clean Foundation for sensitive skin. I liked the way it looked and felt on my skin.  Everyone applies their foundation differently but let me show you how I like to apply it.

I put about 2 pumps of foundation onto the back of my hand.

I like to apply the foundation with the E.L.F. Studio Powder Brush.  I like how dense this brush is.

Then I pat the foundation on to my face.

And buff it onto my skin.

And the finished product!  Even skin tone, not cakey, nice light coverage.

This foundation is definitely worth trying.  It is really pricey in drugstores, anywhere from $12-$15.  The best place to purchase it would be at Target or Walmart where it will be just a little over $9. 

e.l.f. Essentials Jumbo Lip Gloss Stick in Summer Nights

I bought this on a whim while I was at Target a week ago.  I have a Clinique Chubby Lip Balm in the color Pudgy Peony that I'm absolutely in love with, so I figured it couldn't hurt to try the more affordable alternative.  I was drawn Summer Nights for some reason.  It looked like a nice bronzy nude with some shimmer to it, perfect to wear at the beach this summer.  I am sooooo disappointed in this product.  At first I got home and swatched it on my hand.  Okay, it's a bit glittery then I thought, but the color seemed nice.

Then I swatched it on my lips.  Huge chunks of glitter and you couldn't see any color.  It reminded me of those glitter lip glosses you wear as a kid.  It felt very waxy on my lips.  But the wax was only a minute part of my dislike for it.  It was the glitter.  I wish I could go back in time and tell myself to get the less "shimmery" shade.  I think I will try one of the not glittery shades like Movie Star or Pink Umbrella.