Beauty

August 16, 2017

IRL: L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara vs. Too Faced Better Than Sex

As I wrote last Wednesday, I wanted to love Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara. It made my lashes look large and in charge and just… beautiful. However, it was less beautiful as it began to flake and smear under my lid throughout the day. That’s a huge mascara no-no.

So when I heard that L’Oreal was coming out with what was essentially a dupe for BTS, I was excited. And when I started seeing reviews that called it the best new mascara ever, I had to run out and get some ASAP. For me, ASAP meant a couple of weeks later. I have a baby at home, y’all! I can’t run out to Walgreens all willy-nilly. I’m also on a budget and was waiting for a bit of a sale, so when I picked up my mascara at Walgreens last week it was not only BOGO 50%, it was also a dollar off each. So I spent a grand total of $13 (with tax) on two mascaras. WIN.

Of course, I had to test it against its competitor and luckily I still have a barely-used BTS at home. Now, it’s not a perfect comparison because this is a new Lash Paradise tested against an older Better Than Sex, so some might say that differences could arise based on how long the BTS has had to dry out BUT I say that it’s close enough for me. And probably you, too. And really, that packaging? Anyone who says this isn’t a direct dupe for BTS is being silly. Color, texture, everything is remarkably similar on the tubes. Comparing price: Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara retails for $23 full size and $12 for travel size. L’Oreal’s Lash Paradise retails for $9.99 but ranges from $7.99 to $9.99 depending on where you buy it.

Let’s compare the two wands, shall we? I’d watched videos on YouTube comparing the two and in person, honestly it’s hard to tell the difference. The L’Oreal (left) bristles seem to be slightly shorter. That’s about it. They both have a slight hourglass shape that fits the curve of your lashes. Both nice.

Let’s get down to business. Here are my eyes with a bit of shadow and no mascara or liner. And my face without foundation (hello, freckles!). Woof, need to work on those brows, girl.

OK, here is my scientific experiment. This was around noon, so start the timer. BTS on one eye, LP on the other. Two coats – light on the lower lashes – and no liner. I thought liner might throw off my results a bit. They look very similar. The LP makes me lashes look a bit longer and the BTS looks a little fuller but overall pretty good on both. (As a side note, I promise I don’t have uneven eyes. I was trying to get better light and I tilted my head. Oops. OR I do have uneven eyes and this is how I find out. TWIST.)

A few hours later and the BTS still looks nice, but you can see the flecks starting to collect under my lower lashes as they always do. The Lash Paradise was flake-free and I didn’t snap a photo.

Aw man, flake city. Lash Paradise still looked good. Not perfect, but fine. Also by this point, my BTS eye was getting really irritated. I think I’ve blamed my contact lenses in the past but since it was only the BTS eye, I’m pretty sure it was due to the flakes falling into and irritating my eye. (Sorry about the lighting on this one, folks. My downstairs bathroom light is super yellow and it was getting dark outside by this point.)

Here are my official results. It’s hard to tell, but the flecks below my eye are the remnants of my BTS mascara. The Lash Paradise eye was irritation-free, but I did have a bit of flaking. Not as much as the BTS, but saying it didn’t happen would be untrue. My LP eye just looks better. The length is still there, which is awesome. Overall, I give Lash Paradise a thumbs up. For me, it is not only a dupe for Too Faced Better Than Sex but it’s actually BETTER. Definitely worth it and I won’t be purchasing Better Than Sex again. If you haven’t tried it yet, go. Go now.

I also picked up L’Oreal’s original “Voluminous” mascara and will be testing it alongside my new love Lash Paradise soon. Which is better? We’ll find out!

August 3, 2017

FabFitFun Summer Box – Better Late Than Never!

I was enticed to try to FabFitFun box from an acquaintance on Facebook who was showing off her summer box. “Look at this great stuff!” was her basic message, and I said to myself “I agree, but I’m not yet sold.” Since Facebook knows everything now, about an hour later I scrolled past an ad for $10 off my first box plus a mystery eyeshadow palette. I can be bought with eyeshadow. I signed up and my friend signed up using my referral code that evening, deciding to compare boxes when we received them. Yay girl stuff!

While it’s more expensive than your monthly Birchbox, the items in the FabFitFun box are also full size. After a year or so of subscribing, I was drowning in tiny samples from my Ipsy and Birchboxes. Before we moved I ended up giving most of it away, trashing the rest, and canceling my subscriptions. What a massive waste of money. Luckily, FabFitFun is also seasonal, so you get a box every quarter instead of every month. It makes the cost a little easier to swallow for me.

So anyway, approximately 10 business days later, my friend got a note that her box had shipped. But… I got no such note. Shucks. Maybe mine will go out tomorrow? No? Next day? No. Day after? No. Week after? Sorry, still no. A week later, I was offered a $10 credit as consolation when I asked about it, which I felt okay about. But when Monday came and nothing happened? I felt less consoled. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… nothing. Friday I reached out on Twitter. FabFitFun responded quickly with message that my box had shipped that day, providing tracking info and all. What a happy coincidence! I settled in and waited for my box to arrived the following week.

Only it didn’t, guys. It didn’t. It sat there for almost an additional week before I finally reached out again and said “Guys, it still hasn’t shipped.” At which point, it finally did AND I did receive credit for my fall box on the house because of the wait. I received my box a full 5 weeks after ordering. I know that things happen and sometimes you get the short end of the stick, but it was a bummer that instead of feeling excited when I got my box, I sort of just felt like “Oh, finally.” I do totally appreciate them giving me a free fall box, and I can’t wait to see what kind of fun stuff it has. Thumbs up, FabFitFun. Way to turn that frown upside down!

Anyway, my battle with shipment isn’t why you’re here. You’re here because you want to know what the eff was actually in the box. Well, here it is (including my extras on the bottom).

Regular Stuff:

1. Michael Stars Ruana – Retail $54

I didn’t know what a ruana was until I got this box. It’s a not a scarf, it’s not a sarong, it’s not a shawl – it’s all of those things plus whatever the heck else you want. I got the black and white print, but I think there were a couple of nicer colors. It’s nice and big and soft, but I wouldn’t pay $54 for it and frankly, neither would you. But I’m sure I’ll use it on my next beach vacation. Insert wishful thinking right about here: ________

2. BKR Little (500 ml) – Retail $35

This is a cute water bottle. It’s glass, which is both scary and nice, and it has a silicone sleeve to keep it from ending up as tiny shards at the bottom of my sink. I like the pretty blue color. I might pay like $14.99 for it at TJ Maxx.

3. Cargo Cosmetics Picture Perfect Highlighter in Bronze – Retail $30

I’m just not really on board with this highlighter thing. I spent a lot of years trying not to look shiny in every photo of me, ever. I don’t think the lizard people among us understand the struggle. It’s pretty, for sure, and I sometimes wear a really light color under my eyes to brighten them up. This is a darker color, right around a sparkly version of my own skin. I might one day use it for a janky Twilight Halloween costume, but I can’t see using it regularly.

4. Juice Beauty Smoothing Eye Concentrate – Retail $29

When I told my friend I probably wouldn’t use this, she was like “What! We’re 33! You’re not going to use it?!” And I was like, shrug. To be fair, she’s an aesthetician and I’m tired. She’s probably right.

5. Kris Nations Mystic Bar Necklace – Retail $58

$58 gets a hard NOPE from me on this one. It’s cute and gold (my preference) and came in an adorable little glass jar that I will 100% repurpose. It’s 18k gold overlay which I guess explains the high price tag. I kind of wish I’d gotten a different color. I’ll wear it, but it’s not something I would have picked out for myself.

6. Eau Thermale Avene Ulta-Light Hydrating Sunscreen Lotion SPF 50+ – Retail $24

Yes, this is something I can get behind. You need sunscreen, people. And while I normally hate getting skincare items in subscription boxes, I was happy about this one. You can’t pin me down, folks. I’ve used this once so far with no negative effects and plan to continue using it.

7. Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk – Retail $20

This is one of my favorite dry shampoos and I was excited to see it come in my box. It’s a bit pricey, but works really well. The only downside is that I feel it runs out super fast. I purchased it once from Sephora after getting a sample and wasn’t planning to purchase it again (for the running out reason), but this was like a happy little accident surprise. Huzzah!

8. Ready, Set, Create Art Kit! – Retail $22

OK, so… what? This is fun but I have absolutely no idea what buyer gave this the green light to send to adult women. As someone who purchases many craft supplies, I find that $22 price tag tough to believe. Cute stencil though, and I guess I’ll keep it in my closet for when my niece comes over.

Extra Stuff:

My Box had a couple of extras, including the mystery eyeshadow palette.

1. Spongelle Cleanse Buff Glow Shimmer Buffer with Built-In Body Wash – Retail $20 (according to their website)

This is really something. I’m not sure why I received this, since there’s no mention of it in my little summer box newsletter thing. It’s very sparkly and smells interesting. It will make a festive stocking stuffer at Christmas. Or possibly a white elephant gift. No shade – some women really like being sparkly. OHH, maybe for my off-brand Twilight costume? Now I’m using my noodle.

2. RealHer Play Book Shadow Palette Do Your Squats – Retail $28

“Do Your Squats” is an interesting name for this warm, rather brown-themed eyeshadow palette. It’s not bad, really. The shimmers are nice and aside from “Terrific”, which is a gaudy glitter bomb, this palette is totally wearable. It’s also paraben free, vegan, cruelty free, and sulfate free. I used it once over the weekend and it blended well. I’ll definitely keep it in the rotation, but I wouldn’t have purchased this on my own for $28.

So that’s all, folks! Overall I was pleased with my summer box from FabFitFun and looking forward to seeing whats in my fall box. Until then, enjoy!

July 8, 2017

Christmas in July

I tend to be one of those horrible bloggers that vacillates between “I have no time and no one cares what I have to say, so why bother?” and “I simply must write about this immediately!” And unfortunately, the former has been winning a lot of my battles. Plus, I underestimated how much time my kiddo would take up in my life. With my son turning 9 months old soon and finally on a (and I use this term incredibly loosely) schedule, I’m finally getting a little break in my day to breathe. And… to shop. Online. Because honestly, I still don’t leave my house that often.

I have some exciting things coming in the mail soon! I just can’t wait to see them sitting, so unassumingly, on my doorstep.

My First FabFitFun Box

My friend and I both ordered ours on the same day, but hers shipped a few days ago and mine… didn’t. Sigh. I signed up after the FabFitFun summer box was released and the website said it would be shipped within 10 business days. Sad trombone noise, but it’s been 11 business days. I sent a message to customer service today to see what the 411 was and they said it will ship next week. Siggghhh. But they did give me $10 in credit to appease me, and I feel appeased.

Fragrance Oils from Brambleberry

I’ve been making and selling handmade soap for a few years now and I’ve always been an essential oil girl. I liked that they had the “natural” element and felt that it kept my labels clean. But scent selection is extremely limited and I felt that was limiting my customer base. Trying fragrance oils is an experiment. If they sell, great! If not, I know that I can always go back to my roots. Plus Brambleberry is so fun to browse if you’re a soap nerd like me. I could spend a ton of money there… and sometimes I do.

Some Scentsy Stuff

OK, so the other thing about me is that I love me a scented candle. I know they might give me cancer or whatever people are worried about. But they make my house smell fresh as hell and I like that. There’s nothing better to me than coming home to a pleasant-smelling home. I’ve never ordered anything from Scentsy, though it seems like it would be right up my alley. Surprisingly, I’ve never been invited to an in-home party. (As a side note, are other people just way more popular than me or what? It seems like they turn down enough invitations to be annoyed by them and here I am like, “Hey guys, I like stuff.” I don’t know. Something to consider.) But one of my friends just became a Scentsy consultant and invited me to her Facebook party, where I managed to win myself a wax warmer. She’s far away so I have nothing to sniff, but I’ll probably order some little blocks and try it out.

Me, tho.

That’s it for now, folks. Will report as further developments present themselves (ie, my stuff shows up). I know I bought all of this stuff with my actual money (except the warmer, that is) but I can’t help feeling like I’m getting presents. Ahhh, delayed gratification.

December 16, 2016

Modern Renaissance Unboxing and First Impressions

I was super stoked when the UPS man showed up last Thursday because it meant one thing: my Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette was here! Oh, and the rest of my Sephora order, but come on on. We know what the main attraction is here.

As soon as I could get the little guy down for a nap, I opened that sucker up.

MR palette.jpg

OK, so lots of people complain that the textured, fabric box is a magnet for pretty much every other product on your makeup table and that lovely pink color guarantees that even the slightest smudge will stick around. This is completely true. If you need your palettes to be completely wipeable and looking shiny and new forever, this will make you totally insane. Luckily, I’m disgusting and don’t care.

There are 14 little shadows in the palette. At first I was little put off by the small size of each shadow (0.02 oz. each) compared to something like Tartelette palettes (0.53 oz. each) but holy shnikes, these are pigmented. There’s no digging around for color like some of my Tarte shadows – be gentle, the first dab will do ya. I’ve only had a few chances thus far to play with Modern Renaissance but both times my heavy hand has given me slightly too much dark shadow that needed to be blended, blended, blended. So use a light touch! These may have half the amount of shadow but will give you the look with less.

MR colors.jpg

I’ll be honest and say that Venetian Red and Love Letter make me very nervous. They’re super red/pinky and I’ve never tried those colors. But I’ve seen others use them successfully and look gorgeous so I’m sure it’s a matter of practice and courage to wear them out of the house. I was worried that other colors wouldn’t be wearable for me because I usually rock a pretty natural look. Thus far I’m a fan of raw sienna and antique bronze, but there are plenty of other lovely, wearable shades in this palette.

A note about the included double-ended brush, though. The white end was great for picking up a small amount of color, but I did lose some bristles while blending with the other end. Nice to be included and have something on the fly, but won’t replace your favorite brushes at home.

Overall, I give this palette a thumbs up. If you’re not sure how to pick colors yourself (like me), get thee to Pinterest and search for Modern Renaissance looks. There are plenty of tutorials both in picture and video format to help you out. I’m legit excited every time I get a chance to pick this up, and not only because it means I’ve gotten more than 5 minutes baby-free. You can buy this at both Ulta and Sephora as well as online and it retails for $42.00.

Have you tried this palette? What are your thoughts?

December 7, 2016

Want It Wednesday – Makeup Edition

While I was pregnant, my ever-expanding waistline pretty much precluded any exciting new outfits. And no way was I going to spend a small fortune on maternity clothes to look good for a few months and then pack it all away in a box. Ain’t nobody got time (or money) for that. But a lady still wants to feel pretty, even when she is wearing the same leggings for the third time this week and the same damn denim shirt (unbuttoned) again. So I focused my attention elsewhere: makeup. I was a late bloomer, makeup-wise, and didn’t start wearing it regularly until about age 25. I’d like to think I’ve made up for it in sheer effort and interest, and at no time was that more acute than in the last 6-8 weeks of my pregnancy. Of course, I wasn’t able to buy ALL THE THINGS so I’ve still got a pretty healthy wishlist, powered in part by subreddit r/makeupaddiction (hellooo). So what better way to get back into the swing of things than gushing over five makeup-related things on a Want It Wednesday? Hurray! Huzzah!

Anastasia Beverly Hills – Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette ($42.00)

My first thought when I saw this palette was “Holy crap, that’s a lot of pink and red.” And it is, for me. But the more looks I’ve seen that are created this palette, the more I think I’d enjoy it. I love the more orangey and peachy tones and I’d like to figure out what all of the fuss is about. This palette has nearly a five-star review (of over 2,000) on Sephora and lots of loyal followers on Reddit. There’s a solid 50% chance I might just be falling for hype here, but it has to have some potential. I actually purchased this with my Sephora VIB coupon ($20 off $50) on Monday and am expecting it on Thursday. Yay!

Urban Decay – All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Spray ($31.00)

Who doesn’t want their makeup to actually stay where they put it by the end of the day? I know dewy is all the rage right now, but I do matte for a reason. I’ve got some major shine by the end of the day and I don’t necessarily like watching my makeup slide off all night when I’m at a wedding or dancing my ass off at Slippery Slope either. I’ve never used a setting spray, but this is said to be a good one.

Nars – Travel Size Blush/Bronzer Duo ($24.00)

I normally don’t go for a whole lot of travel size items, but this is a similar approach to the Naked Basics palette, plus it takes me a good long time to get through blush and bronzer on a regular basis. This palette is a duo of Orgasm blush and Laguna bronzer, two of the HG products that everyone seems to love. When I looked at them at Sephora, both seemed a little glittery to me, but I’ve heard that they don’t actually make your face look bedazzled. I’m willing to give it a go and see what all the hubbub is about.

Mac – 217 Blending Brush ($25.00)

Brushes are expensive, y’all! I’m not a brush manufacturer so I couldn’t tell you why, but for some reason, a set of good makeup brushes costs a friggin’ arm and a leg. I bought a set of Coastal Scents brushes years ago on Amazon which have served me well thus far, but with my recent foray into the world of eyeshadow (and purchase of some decent palettes), I’m in need of a great blending brush to bring everything together. This bad boy is said to be the mother of them all (well, the ones that I can afford, anyway). Honestly, like the Modern Renaissance palette, I purchased this because I got a great coupon. Mac isn’t carried at Sephora, but I used Macy’s $10 off $50 beauty coupon (code: FRIEND thru 12/8, so get your beauty on today) plus Ebates 10% back on Macy’s online purchases to bring this brush down to about $18, similar to a cheaper alternative (IT Cosmetics or Sigma). I also picked up a Mac 239 brush for the same price. I’m just waiting for them to arrive!

Sephora Collection – Color Switch by Vera Mona Brush Cleaner ($18.00)

I don’t know about you, but I hate cleaning my brushes. Maybe you’re one of those ladies (or gentlemen) who gleefully scrub their brushes each evening and carefully set them out to dry. I’m sorry, and this might be gross, but I don’t. I clean my brushes when needed and when I can, but I’m guilty of going too long. I recently ordered some solid brush cleaner from Sephora that I hope will speed up the process when I do clean them fully, but between cleanings, this color switch brush cleaner might just do the trick. It’s actually just some sort of sponge that knocks all the powder off of your brushes between colors, but that sounds pretty damn good to me.

Do you have any of these? Do you want them? Are you in the process of actually waiting for some of them right now (like me)? Should I be looking at something else entirely? What are your thoughts on the Naked palettes? Leave comments and suggestions below!