Five Broke Girls: Almay

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The Gloss Over

Posted by Unknown Monday, April 28, 2014 0 comments

     As you well know, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. So here goes: I’m addicted to lip gloss. Much like Tori, I blame essiebutton. I was never too keen on gloss but eventually something clicked and I’ll never look back. Spring and summer are the harbingers of fresh makeup, and lip gloss fits that bill. Bold, matte lips are lovely but pose the risk of seeming over-done. Not to mention they can be tricky to maintain. Just a touch of lip gloss adds color and shine while remaining convenient. After my epiphany, I've found a few favorites. Give these a go if you're a little hesitant of gloss.

ALMAY COLOR + CARE LIQUID LIP BALM in 700 Cantaloupe Crème
     Perhaps the most subtle of this trio, this is an easy finish to any look. The pastel coral subtly warms the tone of your lips which is lovely with a bit of a tan. This does feel more like a balm than a stereotypical gloss. No signs of stickiness here, just a respectable dose of moisture. The pigmentation is sheer, so nice for more casual days.

MILANI BRILLIANT SHINE GLOSS in Sweet Grapefruit and Coral Crush
     This offering is very much classed as a traditional lip gloss – candy-scented and quite sticky. It doesn’t disappoint in terms of shine, though. I also find that the tackiness fades after an hour’s wear or so. While the color payoff isn’t equal to a liquid lipstick they aren’t incredibly sheer. Sweet Grapefruit adds a pretty pink flush to the lips, while Coral Crush is a good option for those a little timid of orange.

NYX BUTTER GLOSS in Peaches and Cream and Strawberry Shortcake
      This duo is another set of shades perfectly suited for the season. These are essentially just an amped up version of the Almay balm/gloss hybrid. They offer more sheen and are nearly on par with a lipstick. These fade gracefully and won’t feather or bleed.

Are any of you gloss converts? Which formula would you prefer?

xx
Rachel

Beauty | Cruelty Free

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, July 10, 2013 0 comments

Okay, so, I am throwing in the flag as far as filming goes for another week. However, my brother is working on my camera so hopefully this situation can be remedied in a soonish fashion.

On to the post!

I understand that animal testing has advanced certain fields like medicine in terms of surgeries and whatnot. That being said, I think that testing on animals for cosmetics and other beauty products is completely unnecessary (I mean, come on, haven't you seen Legally Blonde 2?!).

Seriously, this site is so easy to use, and I'm one of the
lazier people I know (I can be productive sometimes, okayyy?)

Even though PETA sometimes has a bad reputation for being a bit aggressive in their approach, they have a lot of helpful information on their site as to what brands do and don't test on animals and which companies are vegan and etc. It's nice to know that some of my favorite brands don't test on animals (and this is by no means all of them), such as:

Lush

ELF

NYX

Smashbox

Too Faced

Urban Decay

Revlon

Almay

Avon

And of course Burts Bees and Yes To products

Some brands that unfortunately still do test on animals (and should stop being so lame) include:

Cover Girl
L’Oreal
Maybelline
Max Factor
Rimmel

Summer Make-Up Basics

Posted by Tessa Tuesday, June 4, 2013 0 comments

Hello Loves!

With summer basically in full swing now (besides this bipolar Kansas weather that we just can't seem to get rid of), I've found some products that I am constantly reaching for to do my make-up for the day. Doesn't matter what's on the agenda: lunch with the girls, work, dinner with the family, or even all of the above — these products are getting a lot of love lately. I've found it's easier for me to keep these products in my make-up bag on my counter rather than with the rest of my collection where I would have to dig to find them, which to be real honest I definitely do not have time for.

My summer make-up doesn't consist of a whole lot of products. I usually don't bother with a foundation in the summer as: 1. My foundations get too light for me anyway and 2. I find that I don't need as much coverage as I do during the rest of the year since my skin stays pretty well behaved. I've divided my routine into two sections: face and eyes. I do usually have a lip product that I will use as well but that changes on a daily basis. My current favorites are the Kate Moss Rimmel line and the Maybelline Color Vivids collection.

FACE
Almay Smart Shade Perfect & Correct Primer $10.99 at Target
     So this is a product I picked up on a whim when I was in Target. I wasn't really on the hunt for a primer, but I decided why not. I do have some patchy red spots that needed some help. I'm now over halfway through this bottle and I absolutely can not stand the smell of this stuff. It's terrible. I also found that it didn't do much for redness. That being said, the staying power of my make-up is amazing if I have this on, so that's why it's made it's way into my make-up bag for the summer.

Covergirl Fresh Complexion Under Eye Concealer in Classic Ivory $4.49 at Target
     This is slowly making it's way out of my bag as I get more of a tan, but I still enjoy this product. I'll probably purchase it in a darker shade once I have a deep tan. But I love this product, it's not too heavy and it doesn't crease under my eyes like some concealers would. I also really like that it's a wand applicator, I find that those products tend to blend easier compared to potted concealers, though I have one of those that I use as well.

Boots Expert Anti-Blemish Concealer $6.29 at Target
     I hauled this product in a previous post. Upon first impressions the concealer seemed a little thick for my liking, though I do enjoy the treatment that came with it. I use this on days when I need a little more coverage, or if I have a spot that really needs to be covered up.

Yaby Concealer in Buff $4.85 at yabycosmetics.com
     This product I got in my May ipsy glam bag (similar to birchbox, find out more here). I didn't know how much I would like this product since I don't usually go after potted concealers but this one is great. It has medium coverage and blends out really well. This might even become a year round staple for me.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent $3.97 at Walmart
     A lot of people talk about this product so I won't say much, but it's amazing. I use this to set my concealer and also use it on my t-zone since that's where I get oily in the summer months. If you haven't already tried this product from someone else's recommendation, please do.

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder in 720A Sunny $2.88 at Walmart
     I hauled this product in my previous post as well, and as a kind of cult status product, I had high expectations and I must say I haven't been disappointed. I use this as an all over bronzer for my face since it's lighter compared to the one in my contouring kit and is also matte (I love matte products if you didn't already know that).

e.l.f. Contouring Blush & Bronzer in St. Lucia $3 at Target
     I'd been lusting after the Nars Orgasm/Laguna duo forever but couldn't bring myself to drop the money on it so when I heard that e.l.f. had a dupe for it of course I went out and bought it as soon as I could. I have a pretty decent blush collection, but this is my everyday go-to shade. It's the exact same as Orgasm but a lot less shimmer, which I like because then I don't look like someone threw glitter on over my blush. I find that the bronzer is still a little dark for me, even with a tan, and I don't know how much I like that it is a shimmer bronzer. However, it does blend out well.

EYES
Urban Decay Naked Bascis Palette $27 at Sephora
     This palette has been my baby ever since I bought it back in December. The only days that I haven't used it are days when I haven't worn make-up at all. The only shade I don't use is Foxy, it's a bit yellow for my skin tone and also barely shows up (at my palest at least). I'll typically use Walk of Shame as all all over color and then Naked 2 or Faint in my crease, and with a wet angled brush use Crave as an eyeliner on days that I'm not doing anything with color, or if I'm not wearing winged eyeliner.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in 70 Barely Branded $5.94 at Walmart
     This serves a multitude of uses in my collection. I can use it as a base, a highlight or an all over lid color. It's the perfect champagne shade, I'd almost compare it to Benefit's Watt's Up highlight, for a lot less. I will probably never finish this product, seeing as I use it all the time and still have barely made a dent in what's inside.

Revlon Custom Eyes Palette in 022 Beach Beauty $7.48 at Walmart
     I got this as a gift back at Christmas time and honestly didn't know what I would use it for. The texture of these eyeshadows aren't amazing but I've found that using them wet with an angled brush makes for a beautiful liner and the white shade is also a great inner corner highlight. Lately I've been in love with using the teal as an eyeliner.

Rimmel London Get in Line Liquid Eyeliner in 800 Black discontinued
     I really wish Rimmel would bring this product back because it's perfect. There are other similar products from other lines, I just haven't tried them yet. This is what I use on lazy days for a winged eyeliner.

Mary Kay Defining Eyeliner Pencil in Charcoal $9 on eBay
     I only have sample sizes of this liner, so I didn't know how much it cost and when I tried to look it up online it seems as though it is a discontinued product as well. This is for my extremely lazy days when I just throw on some concealer, eyeliner and mascara. I quite like it, and would purchase it if I could find it in the charcoal shade.

Maybelline The Falsies Volum Express Mascara in Blackest Black $5.94 at Walmart
     I cannot say enough about how much I love this mascara. It will forever be my go-to and favorite, unless I find another which is highly unlikely. I have had a tube of this mascara in my ownership ever since it launched — no joke I'm that in love with it. Even if I don't have time to do anything else before I leave the house, I'll at least throw on a coat or two of this.

The Gloss Over

Beauty | Cruelty Free

Summer Make-Up Basics

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