Reviews

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!

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?

November 30, 2016

Baby’s Here! Our Top Five Newborn Products Reviewed

I’ve been guilty of not keeping up with this blog while I was pregnant. To be fair, there are lots of other things I didn’t keep up with either: shaving my legs, doing laundry, eating things other than Kraft Mac & Cheese, and getting around to washing that oily spot off my back seat from a pourable candle that melted last summer. So this blog really isn’t that special in that regard. That spot is still on my back seat and here I am, writing a post. Blog: 1, Oily Spot: 0.

That said, my little bundle of joy is coming up on six weeks (where has the time gone?) and today I’m going to discuss STUFF. We got lots of stuff at our baby shower. We got lots of stuff from other people. We got lots of stuff ourselves at a baby consignment sale inside an old Kmart over the summer. We got stuff. But what stuff have we actually used? In no particular order, here are 5 things that have kept us sane for the past six weeks.

1. Graco Simple Sway Swing – $79.99

I wasn’t 100% sure we needed this swing. We put it on our registry after a friend told us that she wished she’d had one for her little girl. And if we hadn’t received it as a gift, I’m not sure we would have shelled out for it. Friends, this thing is a magic-maker. It is a maker of magic and a calmer of babies. My son would starve slowly in this swing if it meant that the swing kept swaying and the babbling brook noises kept playing. The swing has 6 swing speeds (we’ve only made it up to level 2) and a choice of music or nature sounds. It also has a vibration setting that we have not tried yet because we don’t have any D batteries. Who has D batteries just hanging around? AA? Sure. AAA? Maybe I can take them out of the remote. But I haven’t had D batteries at the ready since I upgraded from a CD boom box to a ‘shelf system’ in the ninth grade. Regardless, I’m sure when we get around to popping those suckers in, it will only make the whole package better. One down side? This thing is enormous. You’ll need some floor space for this bad boy but if you can swing it (get it?), it’s worth the lost space.

2. Snuza Hero – $119.99

The Snuza was not on my baby registry. I hadn’t even considered it. I did have an Angelcare baby monitor on the registry (which we received) but I hadn’t thought about the fact that we would be sharing our room with the little man for several months before moving to a larger crib. The Angelcare monitor is pretty major for a small cradle in our room. But the fear of SIDS is goddamn real and I spent a lot of time watching his chest rise and fall while he slept (and I should have been catching some precious Z’s). The Snuza is a little gadget that clips onto the waist of baby’s diaper and monitors the rise and fall of the tummy. If it doesn’t detect movement for a few seconds, it vibrates and makes a small beep. If there’s still no movement, an alarm goes off. The first night we used the Snuza Hero, I woke up and realized that I’d been having a dream. A dream, y’all! That requires you to actually fall asleep for a certain amount of time. Which I had not been doing. For days and weeks. This ain’t cheap and I know this bug might not save my baby if the worst happens. But it does make me feel a little more secure when I close my eyes at night and that is priceless. As a side note, we used a 20% off coupon at Buy Buy Baby so it was a little more affordable.

3. Dohm White Noise Machine – $49.99

There’s a reason that everyone recommends this and that reason is that it is awesome. This little machine is shaped like a weird food steamer for a reason. You can slide the top and the sides to create any variation on white noise that you like. Then you can take that variation and make it soft or loud. Prior to unpacking this white noise machine, we were streaming a three-hour relaxation music video on YouTube (find it here, it’s amazing and will always remind me of those first few weeks) all night long. Baby Boy loved it but he also really loves this white noise machine and we don’t need to restart it every three hours. It also helps mom and dad sleep. WINNING.

4. Boppy – $29.99

There is a debate out there, friends. A debate I never knew existed before I had a baby. One that has loyal followers and defenders that will go to the mat with their opinion. That debate is between Boppy and My Brest Friend (yes, you can giggle at the name). The Boppy is a kinda firm, horseshoe-shaped pillow that can be housed in a variety of fashionable slip covers. For breastfeeding, the Boppy is meant to go around your waist and support the weight of the baby while you do your thing. The Boppy can also be used for tummy time, lounging, and for me, to sit on after my tailbone took a beating during delivery (seriously ouch). My husband uses the Boppy to keep our little one snuggled in while he reads or plays video games. I used my Boppy in the first week or so after I got home, but kept having a problem with my little guy slipping between the cushion and my belly. I felt like I was constantly pushing him back up. So while the Boppy has its merits, I eventually found myself moving on to the next…

5. My Brest Friend – $44.99

The My Brest Friend was not originally on my registry because I thought I’d be a solid Boppy lady. But after visiting the lactation consultant at the hospital (seriously, if you have problem with BFing after going home, VISIT THEM) and trying one out, I asked my husband to pick one up for me. In realness, the MBF (I can call it that because we’re tight) is kind of an awkward setup that involves strapping a foam pillow to your waist. This made getting up after feeding my newborn a little more difficult because I had to navigate removing the pillow (which goes around your back) and getting the little guy to his final destination in the crib while he slept. My husband would often have to get up and make the move for me as I sat helplessly inside my foam prison. But it was way more supportive than the Boppy. Little Man didn’t fall between me and the pillow and each side of the MBF has a slightly raised bump for extra support. I haven’t used it as often in the last week or so because I’m trying to train myself to hold the baby in my arms while feeding him instead of depending on a pillow. You can’t bring a nursing pillow to the mall with you (well… you could…). But I do still use it sometimes when I’m really tired or having trouble supporting his ever-increasing weight.

It’s tough to suss out what you’ll actually need when baby arrives. Everyone has an opinion and honestly, most of them are kinda right. Sometimes you end up needing things you didn’t think you would (My Brest Friend) or hadn’t even considered (Snuza). All babies are different and all parents have different requirements, worries, and comfort levels. Read reviews. Ask your friends. Figure out what you think you might need and don’t be afraid to return things you realize you don’t. Example: we quickly discovered that our son doesn’t like to be swaddled with arms-in, so any arms-in swaddles we received went back. If you’re a parent, what items did you love? Any that you hated? Feel free to share in the comments!