In my last post, I mentioned both of these products. They are pretty similar in packaging and formula and I thought a comparison post would do nicely for them. Maybelline advertises this product as a gel with pigments for see-through color. The Revlon Lip Butter claims to be a gel-like butter that gives a sheer color to the lips. I was actually kind of confused because I didn't really think of these products as gels.
     I own two of the Maybelline Color Whisper Lip Colors; Made-it Mauve and Berry Ready. I absolutely love Made-it Mauve. It is a perfect nude color for me. It's not super light and doesn't have a lot of brown tones, so it doesn't make my skin look muddy. The formula of this is really nice. I don't feel like I need a lip balm under it like I do with matte lipsticks (or lipsticks in general). That being said, I do use my ELF Lip Lock Pencil to help with staying power. I've noticed that with using that, it stays on for about an hour and half.
    The Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter is just as moisturizing as the Color Whisper Lip Colors. I will say that the color on these is a lot more sheer. The Maybelline lip colors are extremely pigmented, so if you are wanting a vivid shade but something pretty sheer, I would go for the Revlon product. I use the ELF Lip Lock Pencil with this product as well and it has about the same lasting power.

     Typically I’m a fairly sporadic reader. I plow my way through the first ¾ of a book only to then step away for months at a time. As a result, I usually have several books on the go simultaneously. I’ve quite enjoyed all the options I’m currently engulfed in. Attempting to motivate myself to finish these up, I’m posting about them. Go me.

TESSA
IV. Sweatpants - Childish Gambino
    Let me start this off by saying that it took everything in me not to post a song from Nashville this week.  I won't say which one in case I save it for a later pick. Continuing on to relevant news: how come no one told me I was sleeping on this album? It's been in my Spotify for months and I never quite got around to it. II. WORLDSTAR really got me started on this album, thanks to none other than our very own Rachel. Thus I finally gave it a proper listen and have pretty much listened to nothing else. Also now properly regretting him when he was in Kansas City. Apparently the music gods hate me.




TORI
If I Could Change Your Mind- Haim
     For some reason, I had convinced myself long ago that I severely disliked Haim. Boy was I wrong. I'm not sure I've listened to anything else the past two weeks. Any of the songs are a complete viable option, but "If I Could Change Your Mind," was probably the first Haim song to be belted out in my car. I want this to be in all caps but I'll refrain, but I am so livid that I thought I disliked them and I missed them when they were in Lawrence because I was being fucking dumbbb. That being said, you should still watch the video because it is one of my favorites of all time. Plus their style is amazing. Gahhh.


RACHEL
Teen Lovers - The Virgins
     This week is another selection brought to my attention via Spotify (P.S. - Tessa so kindly pointed out that Premium is now 50% off for students). I've actually not listened to much music in the past week, I've been much more into Audible. However, this has been all up in my speakers whilst I've strayed from a book. It's catchy, which is always a plus. And they were signed to Julian Casablancas' record label. Unfortunately (according to Wikipedia) they just split up this past November. Sad. Anyhow, this is definitely my favorite of their namesake album. I'd also recommend you check out Fernando Pando. 

First off, let me apologize for being an absolute shit blogger these last two weeks. My life is insanity, so it happens. And I'm sorry that I've failed at my New Year's Resolution for this blog but hey, new week and we're back on track. Now on to the real post....

When you're as pale as a ghost (I've only mentioned it about 500 times, right?), fake tanning is really your only option to catch up with those who actually have pigment in their skin. I know last summer I raved about the Banana Boat spray tan option, but I recently picked up a new choice and we'll see how it goes. In the meantime while we wait on my evaluation of that, I'll give you the rundown on my full fake tanning routine.

PREP
    Well let's just start with the obvious here: I always shower before applying a fresh tan. I know some people like to wait, but I'm a morning shower person, thus this gives my tan ample time to develop before I wash it off the next day. I also like to exfoliate for a couple days leading up to tanning, and usually shave my legs the day of because (1) I'm super lazy when it comes to shaving my legs, (2) your tan will fade the next time you shave and (3) it's an extra step of exfoliation to ensure that my skin is fully prepared to take on a spray tan. My current go-to exfoliator is Soap & Glory's Scrub of Your Life - it's foaming so it's not too harsh, but still delivers great results. Not to mention it smells really good. I've also been a fan of Tree Hut's offerings in the past. [Soap & Glory Scrub of Your Life not pictured, because I am a terrible blogger].

SPRAY
     I don't know how much detail I need to go into here. It's pretty self evident I think. My all-time holy grail spray tan is Banana Boat Summer Color Self Tanning Mist. My only complaint about this product is the smell, it says citrus but it's not great and it also lingers around for a while. Other than that it delivers great color and I've never had a single problem with streaking. However, a new one caught my eye when I went to pick up a new bottle for the upcoming season (because I'm realizing that my skin is as white as my Vans and it's not a cute look). I mostly bought it because it said it compares to St. Tropez, which I've somehow held off trying thus far. Anyway, it's Equate's (Walmart) version of their spray tan, but they also offer a mousse and a lotion, which may be tested later depending on how well I like this stuff.

MAINTAIN
     Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. I can't say it enough. If you want your tan to last, the best way to maintain it is to moisturize, and not exfoliate but I think that goes without saying. I'm the laziest person when it comes to moisturizing, so it takes a lot for me to actually follow through with this step on a daily basis. Some of my favorite in my line up are Soap & Glory's The Righteous Body Butter, Jergen's Original Formula in the cherry almond scent, and pretty much anything from Bath & Body Works.

If you have any recommendations, I'm definitely open to them. Do you have a tanning routine? What's in your line up?

xx

Tessa

Sometimees I feel like I neglect the name of the blog. A lot of products that I talk about are far from budget friendly. I have nothing against drugstore products, I just get extremely caught up in the packaging and the hype of higher end products. I thought in this post I would show some love for the products that are budget friendly and that don't skip on quality.

ELF | Lip Lock Pencil ($3.00)
In all honesty, this is my absolute favorite ELF product. I have been using this for as long as I have been interested in makeup. It keeps your lipstick from feathering or moving around and definitely helps the staying power of anything you are wearing. That leads to less touch-ups and overall frustration that sometimes goes along with the whole shindig.

NYX | Jumbo Eye Pencil ($4.49)
I own two of these. I own Iced Mocha and Milk. I love using Iced Mocha as a base color and Milk as a brow highlighter or in my waterline. I typically use a primer under Iced Mocha just to ensure that it doesn't crease or smudge. These blend in easily and I love the consistency of the product.

Revlon | Colorstay Nail Enamel ($4.99)
You guys should know by now that Revlon is probably my favorite drugstore brand. I think I say that about every time I mention it,  oops. They're nail polishes are no exception, they are a nice quality without the price of Essie or ahem Deborah Lippmann (although I would own all her polishes if I could). I have never had an issue with any nail polish I have purchased by this brand and they usually have a really nice color range as well.

Maybelline | Color Whisper Lipcolor ($4.74)
For a little bit cheaper than the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter, the Color Whisper Lipcolor offers a nice range of colors. I actually think I like them better than the Revlon Colorburst (I'm sensing a comparison post coming your way). These are extremely pigmented for a drugstore lip color. I own Made-It Mauve and Berry Ready and would reccommend them both.

Revlon | Colorstay Blemish Concealer ($4.28)
I have had a love/ hate relationship with concealers. I love the idea of concealer but have yet to find one that I am massively obsessed with. That being said, this concealer is the best one I have found and for a pretty good price. I don't really use it as a blemish concealer though. I usually just pat this in with my Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and it tones down any redness I may have.

What are your favorite budget friendly products?
xx Tori

 

Lately my favorite part of my daily routine is taking all of my makeup off at the end of the day (besides eating of course). I have really fallen for the products I've been using so I feel like it's a good time to post about some of the products that make the process easy and really leave my skin looking prettayyy good.

Lush Ultrabland Cleanser
This is by far the best product I have purchased in a very long time. I love the thought behind Lush, so it's not difficult for me to want to buy everything in that store. I first apply a small amount of this solely to get all my eye makeup off. After I have taken that off with a warm washcloth, I will apply this again to take off the rest of my makeup. Ultrabland is the most moisturizing, yet cleansing product. It doesn't strip the skin at all but you can definitely feel that it's taken off all your makeup.

Murad Essential-C Cleanser
I first heard of this product through Rachel. I have been using it for about a week now (I had been using Avalon Cleansing Milk), and so far it's pretty solid. This is probably the newest product to my skincare routine. I feel like the thing I change the most in my routine would be my actual face cleanser. I thought the Avalon Cleansing Milk did an alright job for the price and I might pick up one since I used all of mine. This Murad cleanser is gentle enough on the skin that it doesn't bother me too much to double cleanse. I like this product, but when it's empty, I'm sure I'll try something new.

Mario Badescu Skincare's Glycolic Acid Toner
This is the first toner that I have been loving. Toners have always been difficult for me to find because they always had a high alcohol content and would dry my face out. Glycolic Acid creates a barrier for moisture so this is perfect at the end of the day as to prepare my face for the morning. This hasn't dried out my skin and I'm about half way through this bottle. Sometimes I use this in the morning, but most of the time I use a separate toner (a separate post to come). With all of the cleansing happening before this step, I usually just do a once over, but if I notice any dirt or anything on the cotton pad I'll go ahead and do a double tone.

The Body Shop's Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream
When I went to the Body Shop they were having their buy three, get three sale, and I can safely say that this is my favorite of the six products I bought. I use this after I have used my toner in the morning and at night. In the morning it is perfect because it is a thick enough eye cream that my concealer goes on nicely. At night, it just helps my eyes not look so sad. Dare I say, this product has made me notice my dark circles less? I don't even remember reading that when I was browsing the eye creams, but I definitely feel like my dark circles are less pronounced.

REN Bio Retinoid Anti-aging Concentrate
I got this little sample in a set for Christmas. It smells pretty much like olive oil and that was kind of gross at first. However, for some reason I have been loving this like crazy lately. After I put my eye cream on, this stuff mixed with my Seventh Generation Boots Serum (which has it's own post here), makes my skin feel ridiculously soft. Sometimes I feel like serums and concentrates can feel really heavy on my skin, but when I mix these two it is light enough to not make me feel like I have a lot product on but still completely moisturize my skin.

What are your evening staples?
xx Tori

To wrap up this week, I thought I would share some products that I've been loving this week. I was practically dying of a sinus infection and bronchitis since last Saturday. I finally went to the doctor and am now on three different medications and I have Tylenol with codeine (party in the USA, wuuttt). I kid, I kid, that shit is nasty. Anywho, on to the post...

Revlon | Nearly Naked in 120 Vanilla
     This has been a godsend this week. I haven't felt like my skin has taken to foundation very well since I was sick. Nearly Naked probably worked the best, it won over my BB Cream. It was the perfect amount of coverage and was buildable where my nose was super red. I noticed it also gave my skin a healthy looking glow, my skin wasn't dewy by any means, but it actually looked healthy. So, go you, Revlon.

ELF | Candid Coral
     I talked about this in my most recent video (which was awhile ago, I know). I bought this because I will never get over coral. It was a nice alternative to all of the pink blushes that are in my drawer. This has been nice with the warmer weather we have been having lately. I had kind of neglected it because I had been using my Naked 3 so I had been using rosier blushes. That being said, I kind of catered my makeup this week so I could use Candid Coral.

Naked 1 Palette
     Since I purchased Naked 3 and my Lorac Pro Palette, I have completely neglected my Naked 1 Palette. My makeup this week was super simple and Naked 1 was the perfect thing for it. I typically just used virgin on my brow bone, sin or buck on my lid, and toasted on my crease.

TESSA
Switch - Will Smith
     An oldie but a goodie, yet again. Though this hasn't been on my radar all of this week, it definitely caught my attention perusing my Throwbacks playlist and I suddenly remembered my love affair for Will Smith. His 1997 album "Big Willie Style" was one of my favorites for a long while. We'll ignore the hideously tacky 90's name and the fact that I was only 4 when it was released. Anyway, this is one of those songs that you can turn on and I'll still call it my jam, even nearly 10 years after its release. And I'm now realizing how truly old I am getting. If you've forgotten about Will - firstly how dare you - go rediscover him and I promise you won't be disappointed.


TORI
If You Still Want Me- Veronica Falls
     I'm pretty sure Spotify radio was to thank for this one. Veronica Falls kind of sounds like the Dum Dum Girls mixed with The Bird and The Bee. That makes sense because one of Spotify's related artists were the Dum Dum Girls, so, go me. I've been trying to get through the whole album this week but find myself only listening to "If You Still Want Me" and "My Heart Beats." They are probably the most upbeat tunes in terms of rhythm on this album. This band has a nice balance between female and male vocals that makes them a bit more interesting compared to other bands I've been listening to lately.


RACHEL
Stone in Love - Journey
      We've had this blog nearly a year now, and I have never posted Journey?! Heinous, really. I know I say this essentially every time I choose a song, but I needed something upbeat to get me through midterms. Journey is obviously the only logical choice (and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen but liking that song just means I'm human). I've quite enjoyed a bit of classic/progressive rock lately. Ozzy Osbourne has even snuck his way onto my playlist. But if you need something kitschy and awesome, look no further. Belt this out in the car and I guarantee your day will be better.

It seems that spring is finally upon us here in Kansas. And now I'm going to hope and pray that I didn't just jinx it. I've been in a bit of a rut lately as far as fashion and make up goes lately, so here's some spring time inspiration that will hopefully help you if you're looking for something new, as well as help my out of my routine.

I've already decided my color palette for spring will have actual color. A huge shock to anyone who knows me, try not to fall over. Gray is going to be my main neutral this season, because there's always a shade that goes with everything. Continuing on the theme of my last few videos, purple is of course going to be included. Inspired by an eyeshadow that I lived in for most of last summer, teal will also be joining the party. And last but not least, coral. Three colors is like overload for me, but I don't even care. I may even add in a splash of emerald, considering I've been obsessing over it for the last year and a half. So without further ado, here's some fashion and make up inspiration for you, featuring my spring color palette.