Pretty Little Beauty Swap Reveal!

Back in July I stumbled across a beauty swap hosted by Southern Beauty Guide & Sleepy Single Girl. 

I was assigned to Aimee from Bows & Beau-Ties, and I love everything she got me!

How cute is that bag! I love little cosmetic bags, especially ones that are plastic-y because they wipe off lovely! She also sent me: Burt's Bees Lip Crayon in Sedona Sands, e.l.f. Smudge Pot in Ain't that Sweet, and a Sally Hansen I <3 Nail Art Pen in Magenta.

Some close ups! (And I think a bit blurry. Pfft! That totally describes my entire day today!). But look how beautiful those colors are!

Here are a few swatches. The Burt's Bees Sedona Sands is on the left, in real life the color is way more pink/neutral and not so orange-y (but no matter the color editing, it wouldn't show correctly). It is also so very hydrating! I love that it is a light coverage, I'm learning that my lips like a more lighter coverage lip product (much to my own dismay!). The e.l.f. Smudge Pot in Ain't that Sweet is beautiful! It's a very light shimmer/pearl pink-ish color. I know that this is a shadow, but I can totally see me using it as a highlighter as well. :) Multi-tasking products are always fantabulous!

I really loved this swap and everything Aimee sent me! Thank you Aimee! Check out the box that I sent over at Bows & Beau-Ties.

February Favorites!

Can you believe it's March already!? I have mixed feelings about this. I'm happy (or am I?) because my birthday is this month (the 4th to be exact) and sad because we are one month closer to the heat that is summer. Bleh.

Today I have some products I fell in love with in February!

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First up is Wen Cleansing Conditioner. I received this along with a few of the styling products from a fellow beauty lover and coworker, Natalie from NatMichelesMakeup. She didn't like it at all and was giving all of her products to another coworker and offered some for me to try out. Ok, my hair is fine, it falls really easy and I use a lot of product on my hair to get it to do anything. I had been reverse shampooing (conditioning first then shampooing it out), which I still do and love, but I wanted to try this out. I love this! It works fabulous for my hair. I can use this daily and it doesn't weigh down my hair and it gets it clean too!

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I bought this from Ulta and used it for a while then stopped, it is Derma E Vitamin E. But this past month I used this religiously and it is one of the products that have helped to finally clear up my skin! (post to come) I use this after I wash my face at night and I have loved the results! We got a few more items of this brand, excited to check them out!

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This Mario Badescu Ceramide Herbal Eye Cream I received from my training class for work (one of my favorite training classes, I learned so much from the Mario Badescu Vendor) and it is also one of the products that has helped with my skin. I love it! It's hydrating with being overly hydrating and greasy. You can use it 360 degrees (all over eye and on lid) and it feels amazing!

Oh my goodness! These Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealers are a-mazing! I knew I had to have it as soon as I saw the press release but I had no idea how wonderful they would be. Even Wayne Goss MUA thinks they are fabulous! I bought one and have used it more often than any of my other concealers. It has amazing coverage and it totally buildable and not cakey!

Ah, the Urban Decay Limited Edition Vice Palette. Having just recently bought the Vice 3 I hemmed and hawd about getting this one as well. But I knew I would kick myself if I didn't buy it. And boy am I right! So there are many shadows from previous Vice palettes, one being Last Sin from Vice 3 and can I just tell you how much more pigmented it is in the LE palette than it's original! I'm glad I listened to my heart and not my wallet when getting this! :)

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One of my new favorite, gotta collect them all, is loose shadow pigments! I use to be scared of them, like deathly scared. But I gave them a try (Bare Minerals being the first and Geek Chic second) and have fallen in love with the pigmentation of them! I use Urban Decay Bondage to get the pigments to stay put and provide intensity. Wow. Let's just say I have since bought a lot a few more and have some coming in the mail! >_<

What about you all? What were some of you February Favorites?

A Whole Lotta Empties!

Alrighty then, brace yourselves, and let's get ready for a whole lotta empties! I was going to do a video, but I didn't really feel like doing any editing. Video editing is a pain in the butt! So I took a bunch some photos and have decided to do a post on my empties.

I warn you, there are a lot of products because these empties have been collecting for awhile. >_< But they do not include empties from February, I'm trying to do monthly empties now but have to get this pile out of the way. I've put them in collage form to make it a bit more easier to deal with? :)

The red x's are no to buying again, green checks are yes to buying again, both is I liked it but I will use something else, and nothing is mixed or no feeling towards it. :)

First up are some cleansers. As you can see I was pretty happy with these four. 

- I really liked the Simple Cleansing Micellar Water (Micellar is like the trend product). Granted, I didn't empty this fully because I was half way through and then the bottle fell into the toilet. Um, nope, no thank you, I can't finish it now. But I really liked what I was able to use. It is really gentle, does it remove all my stubborn makeup? No. But if I use an eye makeup remover then I love it! I will be purchasing this again Bought this at Target.

- Vichy Purete Thermal 3in1 Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution. My first Micellar to try and I liked this one too. Very gentle and clean feeling. Makeup? Again, not so much eye makeup. I really liked this so I gave it a green check mark but I think for the price I would buy the Simple brand. I got this as a sample from Ulta.

- Philosophy Purity Made Simple. One of their top selling products and I agree. This cleanser is pretty fab. If you massage it for a bit on your eyes it will remove eye makeup (as long as it's not waterproof, in my opinion). I also love love love using this to clean my beauty blender. Oh and it is fabulous to use with my Clarisonic. Will buy again, after I use up all my other bottles. Got this from Ulta.

- Michael Todd Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub. Ok, at first I was like ew, black gritty and ew. But the more I used it the more I really liked it. It is a scrub so I need to be gentle with it or my skin hates me. But I felt like it really did deep clean my skin and not strip it. I wouldn't mind repurchasing this but I have a few other products to go through first. I got this from Birchbox.

- Up & Up Nail Polish Remover. There isn't a check mark next to this because it was just a normal polish remover, nothing special. I wouldn't highly recommend it nor not recommend, make sense? It just is. I got this at Target.
- Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara. This type of mascara was the first high-end brand I ever tried. It was also the first mascara that didn't make me want to claw my eyes out! I really do love this mascara, but I have found new ones that I love even more! So this doesn't get a check mark either as it's a good one but I prefer others now. And technically I never finished this one, I just got my others and forgot about this one. >_< I got this from Sephora.
- Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. This here is my favorite mascara that I currently own! I would totally recommend it hands down! This deluxe sample lasted about three months! I love that this mascara goes on so smooth, no clumps, no fall out, and it comes off easily with makeup remover! I got this from Ulta.
- Mally Volumizing Mascara. This was one of the first Mally products I ever used and it is pretty fabulous. It goes on velvety smooth and stays on, no clumps, easy removal. My only issue is that the tube seems to dry out more quickly than others. But other than that I love it! I got this from a class for Ulta.
- Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm in Medium. I love this stuff. I know I've reviewed it before but I finished another normal one (for some reason I finished this one faster than the first, about 5 months) and two deluxe samples. I didn't totally finish these two as I noticed that they smelled a bit off and realized they had expired. >_< Whoops! I got these all from Ulta.

- Wet Ones. I used these to clean my brushes daily. When I was finished with a brush I wiped them over a wet one to get the daily grime off. I would then deep clean them later. I liked these as they are cheaper than makeup wipes, sanitizes better, and tend to stay wet longer. I got these at Target.
- Sephora Express Cleansing Wipes. I didn't like these as a makeup wipe at all, they don't stay wet very long and I feel they don't take off the makeup very well. But they worked as a brush wipe so I was glad to use them for something. Obviously I got these at Sephora.

- Bosley Bos-Renew Texturizing Dry Shampoo. Um, this is the best dry shampoo I have ever used! No white residue whatsoever! I can spray the product right up against my hair and nothing! It gives great volume and has a minty fresh smell that really makes you feel clean. It's a bit pricey ($18.95) but so worth it! I bought these on Amazon because they were a little cheaper than the $18.95 price at Ulta.
- Short Sexy Hair Play Dirty. I really love this spray wax and would totally recommend it! The only thing is that they have changed packaging and it seems like the new version (all black version) isn't as good. This one has a 5 hold and the new one I think is a 2 or 3 hold. Sad. But I still use the new version as I can only find this on Amazon.
- Style Sexy Hair Spray Clay. Meh. Not even sure what this was suppose to do. Add texture? No. Hold? Not really. At least it was a small size. Got it at Ulta.
- Redken Wax Blast 10. Bought this to try and see if it was anything like the Play Dirty. Nope. I feel that this is way stickier and goopy. I don't recommend it. Got it at Ulta.
- TIGI Bed Head Hard Head. This is a pretty good go-to hairspray if you want your hair to stay. And I mean stay. I would recommend it if you like a bit of helmet head. :) Got this at Ulta.
- Redken Shape Factor 22. I know I have reviewed a smaller package of this and I still recommend it. It is the stickiest shaper that they have so it gives a lot of hold and texture while allowing for piece-y bits of hair. Totally recommend. Got it at Ulta.

- DermOrganic Intensive Hair Repair Masque. Meh. Not too thrilled about this because it's really heavy for my hair. But I can see others liking it, just not me. I got this at Ulta.
- Orofluido. Mmmm. I love this stuff. It is an elixir for your hair and surprisingly it doesn't weigh my hair down. I love the smell and the way it makes my hair feel. I got this from Birchbox and have since bought it at Ulta.
- Beauty Blender Cleanser. Meh. I don't like this at all. The smell really bothered me and I felt like it didn't really clean my Beauty Blender. Philosophy Purity cleans much better! I got this from Birchbox.
- DDF Brightening Cleanser. Another meh. Didn't notice a difference, didn't really like how my face felt after using it. It just didn't feel clean. One plus is that I didn't have any sensitivity to it. I got this from Birchbox.

- Freeman Bare Foot Peppermint and Plum Foot Lotion. Ah, good ol' peppermint and plum lotion. I've had this for years! Eeks! Finally finished it. It took me so long to use it because it just isn't that great of stuff. Kind of watery. I got this at Walmart.
- The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask. Ack! No! Uh-uh! I put this on (there's a lot in that package!) it was all gooey and weird but then came the burning! Oh how it burned! Ouch! Cleaned up my face and it was bright red! Thankfully not hives or anything but no way! I got this at Ulta.
- AHAVA Mineral Water Mineral Hand Cream. Love this brand. Can't go wrong with it. Really hydrates. Just wish it was a bit cheaper. Got this from Birchbox.
- The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion. Ok, now this one didn't bother me at all. In fact, I love it! It has helped to clear up my face! Yay! It is pretty fabulous stuff. I put it on at night over my scars and blemishes and watch them fade over time! I got this at Ulta.
- Derma E Vitamin E Severely Dry Skin Creme. Another product that I totally love! It also helped to clear up my skin and keep it hydrated at night! I slather this and the Tea Tree Blemish Fade on my face every night and have noticed a huge difference! I'm not using as much concealer anymore! Win! I got this at Ulta.

Finished! Yay!
So did you make it all the way through? A lotta empties huh! There'll be less next time because I want to keep up with it each month. Do you like these types of posts?

Empties: Skin Care and a Bit of Polish

Ok, so I finally finished editing the remaining video. Phew! It's a tad bit longer than the other one, but I had a ton of empties! I'll try and do this more often so they are shorter and so that I'm not such a big dweeb in them! >_< If you even like these types of videos.

Enjoy! If you watch all of it. Near the end I talk about a product that just might take away my blogging card. *holds head in shame*

Empties: Hair Products

It's been awhile since I've done an Empties video so I thought I would create one (and then have to split it apart because it's too long). So today's video is on hair products that I have used up (not necessarily started during this time but used up none the less).

I hope you enjoy! :)

TAG: Procrastinating Beauty Blogger

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So I have some fabulous post ideas that I have been wanting to do as fillers between nail art. I love reading these types of posts, I hope you do too! I got this TAG post from Oh Hello Mango. Don't judge me too much by my answers! Hahahahaha! :)

Name a beauty regime that you rarely do?

Floss. Eeks! I am the worst at this! I try to remember to do this but I never do. You see, I have two fake teeth (veneers), my top incisors, and I have to be careful when I floss them. The floss gets stuck in the part of the veneer that attaches to my actual teeth. I'm paranoid that they will fall out! Guess I should be better at flossing then! :)

Is washing your makeup brushes something you do regularly?

Erm, uh, working with makeup all day long you think I would. >_< Sadly I don't have a set schedule for this. I don't deep clean my brushes that often, maybe once a month? But I do use a makeup wipe to wipe my brushes over after use. On that thought, I think I'm going to go wash mine! :)

How long will you last with chipped nail polish?

A day? We can't have chipped polish at work, but if it's not too noticeable, I might extend it to two days.

How long will you put off buying/replacing a beauty product, even if you need it?

Until the last minute. But buying extra stuff that I don't NEED I do all the time! Eeeks! >_<

What is your worst beauty habit?

Picking. Yes, I am a picker, it comes with the anxiety. I hate this habit so bad, I'm embarrassed of it. I hate the way it makes me look and feel. Actually I probably wouldn't call it a habit because of the time I spend. I would classify it as a disease, Dermatillomania, though I have not been diagnosed with it, this is just my opinion.

 

Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time?

Serious budgeting. I really need to follow budget system more closely. And exercise (though this could be beauty related), I never do this, and I need too.

When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready until the last minute?

Nope. I get up at least 2-2 1/2 hours before having to leave to give myself enough time to get ready. I hate being rushed!

Can you commit to spending bans?

For a day I can. I wish I was better, but I work at Ulta so I get pulled in by all the fun stuff! But seriously I think I do pretty good at not always buying things as an impulse buying. I wait for awhile to see if I really really need it.

How organized are you makeup and nail polish collections?

Very organized. My polishes are sorted by color in two Melmers and a plastic drawer thingy. My makeup is organized in two drawers (one face makeup and the other eye shadows). I also have a container of unused items!

Do you like these kinds of posts? It really makes me think about what I am doing and what I NEED to do and what I need to STOP doing! >_<