20% off Sephora!!!

Hi all! Sorry I've been MIA lately, but a lot has been going on with the holidays.  I will do a post on the Naked 2 palette (which I've already done a review on for YT) and some stuff.  The purpose for this quick post today is to let you know that Sephora is having  20% off sale items when you use the code "EXTRA" at checkout online! The sale ends January 3rd, so hurry up and shop!  Hope you all have had a great holiday!

Lip-rageous Haul - Maybelline Baby Lips!

Hi everyone! I've been sick for about a week now and haven't felt like doing anything, but I do have a few videos saved up.  If you follow me on YouTube, you'll notice I just uploaded a couple.  I'm using ones I previously filmed so I don't have to do any filming right now.  It's been miserable being sick, but I wanted to keep you updated on new products I've been trying.  My last post was all about the Revlon lip butters, and this one will focus on Maybelline's new lip products.
I first saw the Baby Lips balms in my local Bed, Bath, and Beyond and although I was intrigued, I didn't know anything about them.  They were just kind of sitting in a jar on a shelf in the cosmetics section with no explaation about what they were.  I was curious, but felt no need to buy another lip balm that I didn't need (none of my rare moments of self-control).  THEN I saw them featured in a video by EleventhGorgeous...and had to have them.  They are basically a tinted lip balm, but they are soo pretty.  They are the kind of product you can carry around in your pocket or your purse and aply without a mirror while still achieving a fresh and polished look.  What I especially love about these balms is that they are scented (yay!), but they are not flavored (boo!).  There are about 4 tinted shades, and 2 that are colorless.  I have 3 of the tinted balms: Peach Kiss, Pink Punch, and Grape Vine.  Here's what they look like:

From left to right: Peack Kiss, Pink Punch, Grape Vine

Here they are swatched on my lips (in the same order):

Peach Kiss: shimmery peach color (peach scent)

Pink Punch: bright, true pink (fruit punch scent)

Grape Vine: sheer berry (sugary grape scent...I would describe it as what grape Sweet Tarts smell like)

For a better idea of the colors, here are some swatches on my arm:

The first swatch on the left is from Carmex, which I will talk about in my next post.  Then from left to right are Peach Kiss, Pink Punch, and Grape Vine. 

As you can see from the swatches, Peach Kiss is the only shimmery color, and because of this it is my favorite of the three.  It gives off a glossy shine that the others don't have.  Peach is also a nice color for many different skin tones, so I think it would be the most universally flattering color.  I really like the pink color as well, but it's not a unique color that you would not be able to find elsewhere.  Grape Vine is a nice sheer berry color, but you need several layers to make the color show up well.  Because of this, it may be extremely difficult to get it to show up on darker skin tones.

Overall, they are pretty moisturizing and I really enjoy the color they give to my lips.  I would definitely purchase them again.  They sell for around $5 and I think they are now available at pretty much any drugstore or Target. 

Have you tried Baby Lips, or other tinted balms? Which ones are your favorites?



Lip-rageous Haul! - Revlon Lip Butters!

Okay, so we can all agree that I am obsessive when it comes to lip products.  But I think it's justified considering all of the new products coming out right now.  This post is going to be featuring 3 of such new lip products including (drum roll please)....Revlon lip butters, Maybelline's Baby Lips, and Moisture Plus by Carmex!

In case you have been living under a rock and have not heard of the Revlon lip butters, they are basically a cross between a lip balm and a lipstick.  A couple posts ago I mentioned I could not find them anywhere, but I am now seeing them in the drugstore section of my Bed, Bath, and Beyond as well as my local Target.  Most people are saying they've seen them in Rite Aid or Walgreens for a little over $7, but mine were between 5.49 and 6.49 (Bed Bath and Beyond had the cheapest prices!).  Now, from what I had heard the butters were supposed to be fairly sheer, but I have found them to be pretty well pigmented.  What makes them different from regular lipsticks is the amount of hydration they offer.  They give off a moderately glossy appearance, and most people would probably choose to even wear them without a gloss.

 I have 4 colors so far, and I will undoubtedly be going back for even more!  They're really easy to just slide on before you go out the door without having to make sure you apply them perfectly.  There are TONS of colors to choose from (I think 26?), and it would make it very hard to choose except for the fact that there are hardly ever any left!  So I usually pick my 2 favorite colors out of the 5 or 6 that are still available at the store.  The colors I currently own are Sugar Frosting, Peach Parfait, Pink Truffle, and Berry Smoothie.  Don't let these scrumptious names fool you, however.  They are not flavored OR scented!  That was the biggest disappointment, because with all the yummy names, it makes you want to be able to taste them.  Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

I really love the packaging on these.  They have the same lids as the Colorburst lip sticks with the quilted pattern, but they are translucent and colored the same shade as the actual product. 

Another feature of the packaging I really enjoy is the see-through top, which allows you to see the actual color of the lip butter inside. This shade is Peach Parfait.

Now for some swatches:

Sugar Frosting: a champagne-y pink with a "frosting" of shimmer

Peach Parfait: shimmery peachy pink

Pink Truffle: creamy, pinkish nude (no shimmer)

Berry Smoothie: pinkish berry with a hint of shimmer

Now, you'll notice that the shimmery shades show up MUCH glossier than the cream shade.  And from the photos, the colors don't look very pigmented, but that's just my lighting.  I tried to show you a little better with some swatches on my arm:

This gives you a little better idea of how the colors come off.  Overall, my favorites are Peach Parfait and Berry Smoothie.  Sugar Frosting is a nice shimmery color, but there's not much color payoff.  Pink Truffle is okay, but a little brown for my skin tone.  I'll defintely have to pair that one with a gloss to make it work for me. 

Have you tried these lip butters yet?  What colors do you love?  Which ones do you hate?

Since this post has gotten LONG, I will include my thoughts on the Maybelline Baby Lips and Carmex's Moisture Plus in my next post.

Let me know if there's other products I should be keeping my eye on!

Anniversary!

So Saturday wmarked my anniversary with my boyfriend and we had an amazing dinner at a restaurant we visit every year: Melting Pot.  It's a fantastic fondue place with lots of yummy (yet expensive!) food. 

For the appetizer, you get cheese fondue with apple slices, baby carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and 3 types of bread.  They then offer a salad course, which my boyfriend always declines, but I think their salads are really good (they put bacon and sliced egg in them!).  Then comes the main course, which you cook yourself at the table in a cooking liquid of your choice (we choose coq au vin).  You also gets to choose your meats.  We chose pork, chicken breast, angus beef, shrimp, and lobster tail.  They also give you a bowl of potatoes, mushrooms, and broccoli to cook as well.  Everything is AMAZING! Then comes my favorite part: the chocolate! You get to choose the type of chocolate you want (chocolate and peanut butter, chocolate and marshmallow, dark chocolate, white chocolate, etc.) and you get lots of tiny desserts to dip into them: bananas, strawberries, pound cake, cheesecake, brownies, marshmallows, and rice krispie treats!

Overall, it's a great place to go where you can enjoy a good meal but also have an activity to focus on as well.  It's perfect for special occasions.  They also have really great drinks! Here's some pictures I took at the restaurant:

Me and the boyfriend!

My toasted marshmallow martini!

This shot shows the chocolate sauce they pour on the bottom...yummmm!!!

All in all, it was a great night and if you live in the Delaware or Pennsylvania area you should definitely go if you get the chance, but you have to make reservations ahead of time!

My Shopping Wish List

So, with the holidays coming up I have been investigating different products that I may want people to get me as gifts (or gifts to get myself!).  Mostly I ask for products that I wouldn't buy myself because they are more expensive (the Naked palette, the Tarte for True Blood palette, etc.), but there are also some drugstore products that have caught my interest.

Recently, YouTuber emilynoel83 posted a drugstore haul video that included a new product: revlon lip butters.  After reading a few blog posts on them, it sounds like these buttery soft lipsticks are so good you can't just buy one!  They are described as being a nice sheer wash of color and come in many flattering shades of peach, pink, nude, and red.  Curiously, they are not listed on the Revlon site, but bloggers insist that these lip butters are going to be a permanent part of the Revlon collection.  I have not seen any in drugstores near me yet, but supposedly they will be made widely available come January. 

Another lip product that is causing buzz online is Maybelline's Baby Lips.  These lip balms come in both colored and clear versions.  The YT bloggers from eleventhgorgeous did a whole video on these balms raving about them.  The colored balms seem to take several coats to really show up well, but still give a pretty tint to the lips. 

A third makeup product that has caught my interes is the Milani Liquif'eye eye liner.  I've heard that this pencil compares to the Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencils because they are so smooth and creamy they go on like a liquid.  However, I have heard that the pencils that can be sharpened are better than their automatic versions. 

If anyone has tried these products, let me know what you think!  And if there's something else I should be adding to my shopping list, I'm always looking for new products to try!

5 eyeshadows and a lip gloss...

Ok so I had another day off today (miracle!) and being the makeup addict that I am, I have been checking up on makeup sales goign on at Target and Walgreens.  Turns out Walgreens is having BOGOs this week on Maybelline, CoverGirl, and Revlon.  I had a few other boring grocery-type things to pick up, so innocent me thought that I'd just pick up a couple eyeshadow quads from Maybelline that I have had my eye on.  So...long story short I got caught up in a whirlwind of eyeshadow palettes and bought FIVE eyeshadow palettes (actually six, but one is meant as a gift for my mom haha).  You have probably read on this blog or heard on my YT page about trying to find the perfect green eyeshadow, and 2 of these palettes have green shades that I wanted to try.  The others are ones that I have heard about on YT, and one was just an impulse buy :)  Here are some pictures of the eyeshadows (I also got a random lip lgoss that I grabbed impulsively but I forgot to take a picture of it and my camera battery died so  I will include it in my next haul video).

Maybelline EyeStudio quad in "Mad for Mauve" - VERY SHIMMERY

(the colors here didn't turn out great but basically from left to right there is a baby pink, a mauve-y purple, an olive green, and a deep burgundy)

Wet N Wild trio in "Knock on Wood" - all slightly shimmery

(mauve-y pink, dark brown, pinkish burgundy)

Wet N Wild in "Sweet As Candy" - all pearly shades

(white, deep brown, blush pink)

Rimmel Glam'Eyes trio in "Tempting" - all slightly shimmery

(shimmery forest gree, springy pear color, white with green shimmer)

Maybelline EyeStudio Color Explosion in "Pink Punch"

(the top shade is a white with pink glitter, next is a plum color, on the left is a shimmery Barbie pink, on the right is a purple-y berry color, and on the bottom is a shimmery soft lavender color)

As you can see, LOTS of pinks and purples with a few greens sprinkled in.  I am LOVING pink and purple on the eyes right now, and I guess my subconscious kicked in while I was picking out shadows.  I'm super excited to try all of these colors. If you are interested, I can include some swatches in another post. I already have the Color Explosion quad in "Caffeine Rush" and absolutely love it, so I'm confident the "Pink Punch" will be another winner.  I LOVE Wet N Wild trios (they are sooo soft!) so I know those will be more favorites of mine.  Let me know if you have tried the other Maybelline EyeStudio quad or the Rimmel trio and what you thought of them!

Are you an impulsive (or compulsive) shopper?  Tell me your shopping weaknesses or a time where you bought wayyyy more than you should have!



Sexy Mother Pucker! (And Gracie talk)

Hi everyone! Gracie and I had a veryyyyyy lazy day today.  It was my day off, so I got some laundry and cleaning done...as well as some filming!

Gracie and I filmed the "Furry Friends Tag" today, so it will be up in a day or two.  In it I will let you know how I got Gracie, her personality traits, and her favorite toys!  Let me know if you are interested in seeing more videos about Gracie, because I absolutely LOVE talking about her.  I also have a lot of tips for dog owners and recommendations on toys, treats, etc.  Like I discuss in the video, I have worked with animals for over 4 years and would love to share any information I can about owning a pet. 

For those of you who are purely interested in makeup, I have a new product to discuss with you! I will most likely do a random rants video on it, but I just wanted to give a quick description about it:

The product is by Soap & Glory and it's called the Sexy Mother Pucker lip gloss (side note: this brand has lots of clever, borderline inappropriate names for their products).  I LOVE the gloss so much that I will be purchasing the other shades soon! I have it in Candy Gloss, which is supposed to smell like vanilla, but smells to me like caramel.  The other shades are Half Naked (a nude shade with a yummy buttered popcorn scent) and Yummy Plum (a dark coral with a chocolate/raspberry flavor).  The shade I have is a champagne-y shimmery color.  I got it yesterday and immediately put it on...and the same day a lady asked me what lip gloss I was wearing! She said it was so sparkly and pretty she wanted to get some herself!  The purpose of this product is to plump your lips, which I think it does a bit.  When you first put it on it just feels like regular gloss, but the tingle will kick in after a minute or so.  I will share some photos below, including a picture of my lips after applying the gloss:

This is a picture of the packaging.  This brand uses lots of retro images, and I think it is absolutely adorable!

The gloss itself, in "Candy Gloss"

My sexy pucker after using this gloss! (jk, but they do appear plumper and have a nice shine)

Hope you have enjoyed this post and thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to read this!