Five Broke Girls

Home » All posts

Review | Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser

Posted by Unknown Monday, April 7, 2014 1 comment

A couple of weeks back, a friend and I took a lil' jaunt into The Body Shop and Lush. Major damage to my wallet ensued, but it was worth it. Since I've been using this product for awhile now I feel like I can do a pretty well rounded review on it.

To start, Lush already had my heart because they are a cruelty-free, natural brand. I had been using the Boots No7 Cleansing balm prior to this purchase and I just wasn't in love with it and decided on Ultrabland.

With ingredients like Almond Oil, Rose water, Honey, and Glycerine, this cleanser has made its way into moisturizing heaven without leaving your skin feeling heavy or greasy. However, I recommended this product to Rachel and she is fairly sure that the Iris Extract in it had a reaction to her skin. I consider my skin really sensitive and I have had no problems with that, but I wanted to make sure that's out there just in case.

I know I covered the use of this in this here pos t, so I won't go to much into it. Basically I use it to remove my eye makeup, rinse it off with a cloth, and then I go over the rest of my makeup with it. I have had a lot of trouble with dry, dehydrated skin and this product is actually a holy grail product.

The pot that I bought contains 3.5 ounces and I don't really feel like I've made a dent in it. I have probably had this product for two months now and I use it every day. The 3.5 ounce container is $29.95 (I don't remember spending that much on it? That store was a blur). They do offer it in a 1.5 in case you just want to try it for $16.95. So it's not the most budget friendly purchase, but I completely love the fact that I know the ingredients and the pot even tells you who made your product and when.

What's your favorite moisturizing cleanser?
xx Tori

Haircare Update | Video

Posted by Unknown Sunday, April 6, 2014 0 comments

Yo errybody, I've added a few new products to my hair care routine and thought I'd give a lil' info about how things have changed. If you'd like to see a few other staples in my collection, check out dis blogpost. (And please don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe!)

l8r!

xx
Rachel

Essie Dupes

Posted by Unknown 0 comments

I frequently fall victim to the allure of Essie polish. Pretty hues all wrapped up in minimalist packaging – am I really meant to resist? However, with a steadily rising price tag they aren’t the most frugal of purchases. Luckily (during countless hours wandering the drugstore) I’ve discovered a few substitutes.

WATERMELON // SALLY HANSEN HARD AS NAILS TOUGH LOVE

A deep, berry pink is lovely to wear year round. After hearing Kate of gh0stparties praise this shade I decided it needed to be mine. Though I don’t think the color too unique, it took me quite a while to find a dupe. Everything was either too bright, too pale, or the wrong undertone (such adversity I’ve struggled through). At last, this insanely cheap option from Sally Hansen appeared. Bonus: the formula is lovely and is opaque in one coat.

SPLASH OF GRENADINE // MAYBELLINE COLOR SHOW LUST FOR LILAC

I mentioned this Maybelline offering in my Spring Edit video, but only upon purchasing Splash of Grenadine did I realize how similar the two are. Unfortunately I much prefer the formula of Essie’s version, as Maybelline’s can be a little streaky. Though Lust for Lilac may be slightly more pastel, it allows you to achieve the same effect at less than half the price.

TURQUOISE & CAICOS // NYC TUDOR CITY TEAL

Turquoise & Caicos is well-suited for the warmer weather, and last summer I donned it all the time. Still, that nice green-tinged blue can be found on a budget. NYC’s line of polish is consistently good quality and seems to stay fairly updated with the trends. Also, if you’re lusting after Essie’s Matte About You topcoat NYC’s Matte Me Crazy will do the job.

MERINO COOL // SALLY HANSEN COMPLETE SALON MANICURE COMMANDER IN CHIC

A taupe polish is a staple in my collection, and these two are perfect examples. Neutral, but with an undertone of purple, they are fantastic when I’m hoping to look pulled together but not dull. The Sally Hansen Salon Manicure line is slightly pricey for a drugstore option, but the quality is not lacking. If you’re looking to save just a few dollars, Commander in Chic won’t disappoint. Bonus points for the pun.

LADYLIKE // RIMMEL LONDON 60 SECOND NAIL POLISH CARAMEL CUPCAKE

This is the perfect nude for me. I frequently have issues with natural shades being too orange or too dark. Surprise, surprise. The cool undertone works well with my coloring and is a little more unique than your basic nude. Caramel Cupcake is so similar to the Essie version that I could easily touch up a manicure with either of the shades. Rimmel's quality is on point, and it even boasts a wide brush that makes application no fuss. Boom.

SECRET STORY // REVLON PLUM SEDUCTION

Occasionally, I am partial to a bright color on the nails. Secret Story fits the bill perfectly. However, Revlon offers the same shade at nearly half the price. I believe I've mentioned their line several times, as it's one of my favorites from the drugstore. Essie's shade is slightly more pink, but the difference is nearly imperceptible on the nails.

Have you all found any strikingly similar shades? Auf Weidersehen until next weekend!

Rachel

On Repeat #45

Posted by Tessa Friday, April 4, 2014 0 comments

TESSA
Donald Trump - Mac Miller
Spring has finally and officially arrived here in the Midwest, as marked by the appearance of tornado warnings and watches, and now of course I'm just ready to fast forward to summer. I've been on a throwback of what I listened to last summer, namely Mac and Wiz Khalifa, and throwing in Chance the Rapper and Childish Gambino for good measure. I honestly forgot how much I love Mac Miller and his reentering into my life has been a welcome one. So if you need me, I'll be desperately wishing it was summer so I can drive around with my windows down blaring music.

RACHEL
A Certain Romance - Arctic Monkeys
Is there really anything to not like about this song? Answer: of course not. I haven't listened to this album in a while and I quite enjoyed its return. I've been a little short on the new music front lately so I've been revisiting a few of my older Spotify playlists. Also, can we just talk about the new app redesign? Round of applause. Anywho, this has definitely been the musical highlight of my week. Tracks like She's Thunderstorms and Black Treacle have also snuck in when I want something slightly more laid back.

TORI
You Are The Stars- Yellow Ostrich
I know I've talked about them before (relatively recently), but that won't stop me from doing it again. The more I listen to this album, the more I love it. Each song as a completely different feel to it, which is kind of different from their first album. This song is just beyond beautiful and you can tell that Alex's voice has matured a lot since their start. The lyricism is reminiscient of the EP Ghost (which I absolutely loved). Like I've said before, I cannot wait to see what else this band has in store. If only they would have a show in KC or Lawrence so I could see them live.

JENNY
Bad Girls - M.I.A.
I'm not sure why I've never listened to M.I.A. before other than her famous song Paper Planes buttttttt this song is the shit. I've been plowing through homework with midterms coming up and this song makes me feel like such a badass. She has such a different beat and feel that anyone else in the industry and that's what really draws me to her. There's also just such a swag to her music that I allllmost feel like I might have some (we all know I do). But really, go check out some of her other work. You won't regret it.

Recent Favorites | Lifestyle

Posted by Tessa Thursday, April 3, 2014 0 comments

I haven't shared my favorite things, possibly ever on this blog. So I figured I'd share with you a few of my non-beauty favorites that I've been having a love affair with recently.

Mac OS X 10.9.2
I somehow had a free software upgrade on my MacBook Pro and I am absolutely in love with it. I bought my laptop before I started college so it was long overdue and I was missing out on some pretty awesome features apparently. One of my favorites is Messages, it just really makes my life more convenient because I'm on my laptop way more than I'm on my phone so it's helpful to be able to reply to messages without having to switch devices. I'm also loving the mail notifications feature, it helps me to know if it's something that needs my attention immediately or if it can wait until later.

Spotify
I know I talk every week about how much I love Spotify, but I've really been loving it even more lately. By the way, if you didn't know, they're now offering Premium at a 50% discount to students and have some of the absolute best customer service around. If you're ever wondering what I'm listening to besides what I post for On Repeat, check out my playlists.

Pinterest
My love affair for Pinterest started back in my freshman year of college. I kind of left it to the side for a while but recently I've found myself spending a lot of time on there. Especially if it's slow at work and I've got my phone charged up enough. I've been on the hunt for a new hair color so Pinterest has been super helpful in the search. (ps - go give me a follow!)

Breakfast Smoothies
Let's just get this out of the way: I'm not a health nut. No matter how hard I try, I just can not give up my terrible eating habits. Recently, I've been trying to be a bit better, which has included incorporating a breakfast of something other than a coffee and granola bar. My usual go-to is pretty simple: a banana, a scoop of vanilla soy protein powder and some vanilla coconut milk. I've been loving these because I can still take them on the go, which is good considering I'm usually running about 30 minutes behind.

Marley Lilly/Monograms
Ask any of the other girls about my obsession with monograms and they'll probably roll their eyes. If I could put a monogram on everything I would (this is also the part of me that loves Lilly Pulitzer and anything preppy). Marley Lilly recently released an app, for free by the way, and not only can you shop, but you can make your own monogramed backgrounds. So naturally I went HAM and have about 20 on my phone now. Whoops. Sorry, not sorry.

My Kindle/Amazon
Amazon is always awesome, but as per my New Years Resolutions, I've been on a reading binge recently. I read through the Divergent trilogy (and also went to see the movie, of course) and am currently on the second book of The Maze Runner series. I've got a wishlist on Amazon.com about 5 pages long of books to read, so hopefully I'll make my way through them soon. I've also been loving my Kindle to work on instead of my laptop, especially if I'm at home hanging out (watching Netflix) and just have a couple quick things to do.

House, M.D.
Speaking of Netflix, let's talk about how the whole House series is now on there. I was in love with this show when it was on air but never really followed it completely, I would just catch episodes here and there. So now I've made it my mission to get through the entire series, start to finish.

Well, that's all from me for this week. What have you been loving recently?

xx
Tessa

Product Review(s): Concealer

Posted by Unknown Wednesday, April 2, 2014 0 comments

Hello readers! I'm back. School was slowly suffocating me under a mountain of work so I had to take a step back for a while and focus on my studies. I'm so excited to get back to FBG and man, do I have a lot of stuff to catch y'all up on!

To begin with, I bought a couple new concealers at Target when I was home for Spring Break because my trusty Maybelline Undereye Concealer ran out. I decided to switch things up because I hadn't been as impressed with the Maybelline concealer in a while. Soooo I went with a couple new products!

L'Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter in Light
I've heard some reviews on drugstore dupes for the YSL Touche Eclat but had yet to try any of them out. I was browsing the beauty aisles at Target with Rachel and came across this little gem and she insisted that one of the beauty bloggers she follows had highly recommended it. The consistency is creamy and light but really does a nice job of concealing and brightening the underye area. It doesn't feel dry on my skin and the skintone match is pretty spot on. The only thing I don't like about this product is that I feel that it doesn't quite give you enough bang for your buck. There isn't a lot of product and I believe it cost about $11. Given, it's a dupe for a high, high-end concealer but I'm broke and can't afford that type of ridiculousness. Overall, I'd still recommend it.

Sonia Kashuk All Covered Up in 01 Porcelain
I really needed a new concealer because the fact that I was using an undereye concealer for acne marks was sloppy and embarrassing as a beauty blogger. The problem is that I have never found a drugstore concealer that really works well for my skintone and stays all day. This concealer is packaged in a pot which is nice but also makes it easy to pick up too much on accident. It's rather opaque and has a good consistency. However, it doesn't last long on my face and it's a little too light for my skintone. I may try the darker one once I tan up a little bit this summer and see how it goes!

Welp, that's all for me today. Do you have any recommendations on drugstore concealers?

Tuesday Talk | Spring Fragrances

Posted by Unknown Tuesday, April 1, 2014 0 comments

If you've been a little out of the loop with FBG as of late, every Tuesday we post collaboratively. We blabber on about anything from makeup to movies so be sure to tune in dudes. Since the spring season finally seems to be creeping up on us, we're here to share our favorite fragrances to don this time of year.

rachel
Versace Bright Crystal
Both the scent and packaging of this perfume are on point for the warmer weather...even though this photo fails to show it. Bright Crystal is one of the longest lasting fragrances I own. I do think roller balls are slightly more effective when you need a scent to last though. With fresh top notes like pomegranate, followed by peony and magnolia, this is undoubtedly fitting for spring. However, it’s still grounded in a musky amber base so it maintains a masculine element, which I personally enjoy. Fresh, but not too sweet – this is definitely a seasonal staple.

tori
Marc Jacobs Daisy

I can absolutely say for certain, the main reason I love this perfume would be because of the Jasmine notes. Jasmine has to be one of my favorite scents ever. Daisy is a lot more feminine than the perfumes I typically go for, but I am absolutely loving the sample that I got from Sephora. Even though it is a pretty feminine scent, it is also a bit musky with some notes of Vanilla. Those notes even out the Jasmine, Gardenia, and Violet notes. Once this sample runs out, I will definitely be buying the full size product.

tessa
Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb
Surprise, surprise - Flowerbomb is my pick. I've been obsessed with this scent for about a year now. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a purchase completely induced by Eleanor Calder (who is flawless, btw). If the name didn't give it away, this is definitely a floral smelling perfume, so beware if you're not a fan of that kind of thing. However, the addition of patchouli gives it a bit of a spicy note as well, giving it the perfect offset to being overly floral.

jenny
Ralph Lauren Big Pony Women's Collection #2
I caved and bought this perfume after lusting after Rachel's for an obscene amount of time. I think every time I went to her house I sprayed it on... I finally bought this as a birthday present to myself last August because I could no longer live without it. Described as a "floriental fruity" scent, the key ingredients are cranberry and tonka mousse. This is a light, fun scent but still has a sexy hint to it so it's perfect for day and night wear during the spring and summer.