Woosh, this is going to be a long one, everyone. I haven’t done a round-up in over a month, so in order to keep this post manageable, I’m going to do a selected roundup. I blame my laziness.
March 22
I’ve been using the By Terry Baume de Rose lip balm for over a month now, and to be completely honest, I haven’t been loving it. I was expecting it to be intensely hydrating, especially because it has a thick texture, but it hasn’t been nearly as moisturizing as I thought. It’s not drying or ineffective, but it’s just not wow. I’ve been wearing it over my First Aid Beauty lip balm overnight, and it works better to seal in lip products rather than on its own. Unfortunately, as much I love the scent of these, I just can’t justify buying this again.
March 24
I rarely impulse buy products at the drugstore anymore, but I couldn’t resist a good sale on Rimmel London products, and a chance to try out some products that caught my eye. The first product is the Lasting Finish by Kate Moss in 47, which is a more creamy non-matte version of MAC Velvet Teddy. If you find MAC’s matte formulas too drying for you, definitely try the Rimmel lipstick out. I love this line for being an affordable, pigmented, and moisturizing lipstick that actually lasts a decent time on my lips!
Next is the Rimmel Provocalips in 750 Heartbreaker. I don’t see these talked about a lot, but I remember seeing some really great reviews when these first came out a few years ago. I’m finally getting around to buying them…although I admit..I haven’t tried these on my lips yet. I will say that when I swatch these, they stick around..for awhile. This shade in particular is also a great dupe for the Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick in Lolita!
Finally, I have a new lipgloss from them called Oh My Gloss in Smart Pink. It’s one of those oil glosses that starts off clear, and slowly adjusts to pink. I hadn’t seen these before and these were a nice cheap thrill.
March 25
Whole Foods does a 25% sale on their beauty products every spring, and I definitely wanted top pick up this Acure Seriously Soothing Blue Tansy Oil. I’ve been hearing great things about blue tansy oils, and specifically the one from Herbivore. I have this stored away in my cabinet for now, because I have a couple oils that I want to finish up, but I’ll be excited to try this out soon!
March 26
Macys was doing a 15% off on their beauty products, including Chanel in stores….so I bought some things. I’ve been hearing over and over about the beauty that is the Chanel Rouge Allure Ink in Amoureaux, from Sandra at ttsandra and Anna at The Anna Edit, so consider me influenced. I was initially a little worried that it would be a little too light and cool toned for me, but it has been one of my most reached for lip products in the past month. It’s the perfect neutral, and the formula is so light. My lip pigmentation changes, but when it’s on the paler side, this is actually a true MLBB – it slightly evens out my lip color and just polishes them up a little bit.
Another product completely influenced by bloggers is the Chanel Lip and Cheek Blushes. I first saw them on Lily’s blog, and was in love at first sight. I only bought one shade from this sale, but ended up getting two more later. I’m planning on doing a more in-depth review on these, so I’ll hold my thoughts for now (but they’re great!)
Lastly, I impulse bought one of their single eyeshadows – the Ombre Premiere Powder Eyeshadow in Bronze Antique. It’s a super unique antique gold shade that I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards, but it’s absolutely beautiful.
March 28
Continuing on my pre-vacation hauling binge was some products from MAC during their 25% off sale. I had a Back2Mac, which I exchanged for Chili, one of MAC’s iconic rusty red lipsticks that I’ve been wanting for awhile.
The other products are all blushes that I’ve had my eye on for awhile. I was clearly in a mood because these are all the same bronzy glowy shades. First is the blush pan in Ambering Rose, which had never been on my radar before, but it the most beautiful sunburned rosy shade. I can’t wait to use this in the summer! I also finally got the Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul, after years and years of hearing talk about it. Swatched, it just looks like a shimmery nude-peach blush, but on the cheeks, it leaves such a beautiful glow. It doesn’t look too shimmery at all on the cheeks, just glowy and slightly brightened. I definitely understand what the hype is all about now! The last blush I bought was one of the Extra Dimension Blushes in Just a Pinch, which is…another glowy peach shade with a pink shift. It’s absolutely stunning and I could see this being a blush/highlighter in one.
March 29
A little shelfie for all the skincare I packed for my trip to Japan. The Indie Lee CoQ10 Toner is my newest product of the bunch, and I do really like it. I find that it’s soothing and moisturizing, but I probably don’t need the much hydration now that the summer is coming. I also tried the Trilogy CoQ10 Booster Oil for the first time on this trip, mostly to help give moisturize my jetlagged and tired skin. It was super moisturizing and I noticed that my skin definitely recovered from the flight much quicker after slathering this on the first night. The Tarte Exfoliating Cleanser Stick is the first stick cleanser I’ve ever tried, and I really like the concept! It was much less messy to use (especially in a plane bathroom) and the light exfoliation made me feel more refreshed.
March 31 and April 1
Some products I was using on the daily were theBalm Liquid Lipstick in Committed, which is a great peachy neutral that actually doesn’t dry my lips out. I’m considering buying a full size of this – even though I have about 100 other lip products I need to use up first. I’m also really loving the Ilia Mulsti-Stick in Cheek to Cheek, which is the burnt orange shade that I’ve been really into lately. It is really multi-use, and it leaves a nice tint on my cheeks and lips. To match a warm neutral tint, I like pairing the Laura Mercier Second Skin Blush in Honey Mocha, which is sadly a discontinued shade, but a gorgeous dark peach shade. You can see all the products worn in the photo next to it.
April 8
This little Herbacin Hand Cream saved my hands during the trip and on my flight. It’s a little potted hand cream that feels light, almost like a gel cream, but is one of the my hydrating hand creams I’ve ever tried. The little portable size makes it easy to slip into any of my bags, but I wish I could just have a never ending supply of this! I recently saw the tube version at my local supermarket, so they should be in most drugstores, but I haven’t seen this tin in many places.
April 10 + April 13
The week I got back to work, I was ready for some spring weather and it just refused to come. I was really feeling some cool tones and a light luminous look, so I started using the L’oreal True Match Lumi Cushion Foundation, which is a little too dewy for me in the warmer months, but works amazingly for me in the winter. It is definitely a dewy finish, but it has light-medium coverage that I sheer out to be more light coverage. It lasts all day if I set with powder and it just looks really nice on my skin. For my eyes, I’ve been going back to the original Too Faced Naked Eyes Palette that has been looong discontinued, but it’s a nostalgic item for me as its one of the first “high end” palettes. It’s also one of my favorite palettes for subtle neutrals, and I wore this look for an entire week straight, which I never do.
April 16
After finishing the CSI Vitamin C serum, I took out this Sunday Riley CEO Rapid Flash Brightening Serum that I got with the Allure Beauty Box in January. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks, and while it’s good, I still prefer a stronger Vitamin C serum.
April 18
Why did you all not insist that I buy the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer in Deep Bronze right away? I tried so so hard to resist this, but once they came out with a dark shade, I was sold. It’s definitely more of a subtle bronzer, but it’s certainly deep enough for my NC30 skintone, and it gives a beautiful bronze glow.
April 20
I’m planning a full review of the new Chanel Lip and Cheek Blushes, let me just tell you now, they are really good.
April 21
To take a new license picture (finally a license to show that I live in DC after nearly 8 years of living here!), I pulled out products that are tried and truly amazing for a good photo. I only have one Tom Ford Quad, in Nude Dip, but it has just the kind of neutrals that I like to wear on a daily basis. I also don’t wear the Hourglass Confession Lipsticks that often, because there is so little product, but one light swipe of these beauties gives a flawless full coverage finish, and I feel like I’m treating myself every time I wear one. The Becca Cosmetics Smoky Quartz highlighter is my favorite highlighter from Becca, and it’s a beautiful cool toned shimmer, exactly what I would picture a “quartz” highlighter to look like. Finally, I’m using a sample of the Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara and it is so good. It’s dramatic and volumizing with so little effort, and the look lasts all day.
April 25 and 26
I’m so glad I was able to snag the Bite Beauty Astrology Lipstick in Taurus, especially since I’m 100% a Taurus, and the shade is exactly the type of shade I like to wear. It’s a cool toned mauve that I can see myself using often. It’s a shame that there is such limited stock on these, but I was determined to get one.
April 27
I finally started using theDr. Jart Ceramidin Serum in the past few weeks, and am really pleasantly surprised. For my oily skin, I like to use it on its own as a moisturizer, and it really is lightweight and hydrating.
April 28
The Pat McGrath Subliminal Eyeshadow Palette in Platinum Bronze is such a stunning palette, and I’ve since picked up Bronze Ambition as well. Blog post coming…
April 29
Speaking of palettes, I bought myself the Nars Wanted palette for my birthday after going back and forth on it for months since it came out. It’s really gorgeous and I’m glad I bought it, BUT I did notice that it’s missing a midtone shimmery shade. Nars Fort de France is quickly becoming one my most used highlighters, because it is really a skinlike finish that highlights my skin without looking shimmery.
April 30
After hearing so much about these L’oreal Shine Lipsticks, I finally went out and tried them myself. I have them in the shades Sparkling Rose and Varnished Rosewood. They are a super sheer lipstick that feels like a lip balm on, making them perfect to throw them on for work.
May 5
I’ve been trying out a few Vitamin C serums, but my favorite is still the Drunk Elephant C-Firma Day Serum, especially paired with the B-Hydra Intensive Hydration Gel. I notice an immediate brightening effect, and my face barely gets oily throughout the day, even on the hottest and most humid days here in DC. I think this is because the B-hydra gel is so intensely moisturizing, but not greasy feeling at all. Both products are a little too pricey for my budget at the moment, so I just buy this duo for the summer months, but it’s really, really, good!
Sorry if this was an unbearably long post – but I hope you all enjoyed reading a little bit more about some of my posts on Instagram. If you have any more questions, just ask me below! I’m writing a reminder to myself right now to remember to update with roundups more often….
Beauty Unhyped 