Thoughtful Tuesday 12/20

 

 

Remember during the holidays to step back, enjoy and be in the moment because its these that will last forever.

 

     Holiday Gift Guide

As we hit the last stretch, many (including myself) haven't finished getting gifts for loved ones for the holiday season.
Here's a small guide on what to get in a pinch!

Face Masks
Splurge
GlamGlow Detoxifying Mask - $69.00
 Save
L'Oreal Detox and Brighten Mask- $12.99  (Love these! I reach for them more than my GlamGlow masks.)


Essential Oils
Splurge
 f. miller Necessity Kit - $72.00

Save
artnaturals Rosehip Oil Set - $15.00

Spring Pastel Purses

Splurge

kate spade new york cedar street - maise leather satchel - $148.98

 

Save

Charming Charlie Medium Square Lock Satchel - $39.00

 

Festive Candles

Splurge

Jo Malone Just Like Sunday (Sweet Almond and Macaroon) - $65.00

 

Save

Love Lucy No 29. (Sweet Almond Macaroon) - $18.50

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holiday Hot Drinks

Starbucks Holiday Blend- $7.99

Tasting notes - sweet, spicy and a hint of herbal

 

Starbucks Christmas Blend Vintage- $14.95

Tasting notes - spicy & sweet

Starbucks VIA Instant Latte Peppermint Mocha - $7.99

 

Mugs

$6.36

 

 

 



$10.47

Happy Holidays! I'm looking forward to downtime with friends and family.



$10.36

 

 

 

 

☕ Thank you Starbucks for sponsoring and contributing to this post☕ 

Thoughtful Tuesday 12/13

An Update:
This time of year is always particularly busy. I am working on a last minute gift guide for all of us who forget until 2 days before Christmas. There will be some New Year DIYs and holiday fun!
Jillian

Thoughtful Tuesday 12/6

💄All About the Lips #3: NYX Liquid Suede

 



I am so excited to review these, they have been a longtime favorite. I bought mine at Target for $7, and they are hard to get your hands on. NYX has an online site, and they are also sold at Ulta, CVS and other drugstores.

I have been using Liquid Suedes since I first started getting good at makeup. They have a creamy matte formula that is hydrating and easy to apply.

I had 5 already in my collection.

 

 

I love these products and have nothing bad to say. If you are able to get your hands on them 10/10 grab them while you can!

 

This concludes my All About the Lips series, I hope you enjoyed these!





Thoughtful Tuesday 11/29 & An Update

So, as November wraps up I will be finishing my final All About the Lips series. December is going to be Christmas central. Gift ideas, some DIY crafts and outfit inspirations. It's about to be the most wonderful time of the year!

Thoughtful Tuesday 11/22/16

 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am looking forward to some down time.

💄All About the Lips #2: ColourPop Ultra Matte, Satin, Metallic and Glossy💄

 

 

 

One of the more talked about brands since Kylie Jenner came up with her own cosmetics line, ColourPop is an affordable and wide range company with some good products and some not the best.

I received 6 liquid lipsticks that typically retail for $6.00, so they are comparable to those in my Hard Candy review price wise...But there are some inconsistencies with the product that I will address later.

 

Starting with the mattes, I received two different shade

 

 Vice is a pale nude with a warm undertone. It doesn't really work with my skin tone, but its a pretty shade.

Trap is my favorite. It's a greyish nude and is so cute.

 

About the mattes in general:

They apply like butter. Its a flawless application and they dry down quickly which is an important factor. These lipsticks dry down and they are on for good. I had to remove mine with coconut oil at the end of the day. These lipsticks are not buildable though. The thick formula makes it so that one coat is plenty and reapplication is not a good idea, removal and reapplication is the best way to keep it looking fresh all day.

On to the metallic. So, I received two again.
 

PYT is a nice gold and is definitely my favorite of the two. I would reach for Hard Candy's Sandstorm before this one. The texture is abnormal, and it dries down to a texture that is even more abnormal.
Kween is my least favorite. It isn't a true metallic. Its more of a deep red with some glitter in it. I swatched it in comparison to Hard Candy's queen of hearts and, again, would reach for Hard Candy first.

You can see a huge contrast in pigmentation, and Hard Candy is a true metallic base. ColourPop could be a good topper to amplify a red lip.

I swatched the Ultra Glossy and Ultra Satin together for some reason. I don't really know why.
Anyway.

These are how they swatch.

I really like the satin, its just not the best color on me. I'll definitely be ordering more!
The glossy is definitely my least favorite product I have ever purchased. Now, there is some bias because I always prefer a matte lip rather than a glossy but the quality is terrible. The pigmentation isn't there and it is a very sticky formula. Honestly, 0/5 stars.

In conclusion, ColourPop is very hit or miss. I definitely recommend the Ultra Matte and Ultra Satin. I like them a lot. The Ultra Metallic ones can easily be duped and found in a drugstore, and the glossy is just not my favorite. Maybe its  a bad color, but it just doesn't work for me.

I hope this helps you in your search for the best lipsticks.





Thoughtful Tuesday 11/15/16

Kate Spade

💄All About The Lips #1: Hard Candy Metallic & Matte Mousse💄

I am so excited to review Hard Candy! It is definitely my favorite drugstore makeup company. I find myself looking to them for dupes and new products and have almost always been satisfied with them. 

In this series due to preference, I'm likely going to be reaching for liquid lipsticks rather than stick. If you'd like to know why I can make a post about it. Let me know if you're interested!

Lets Get Started!

So, I picked up these products at my local Walmart for $6.00 each. The packaging is honestly the cutest, and most innovative I have experienced. The lipstick has a special velvet section that hold it in place. The little tin has a built in mirror, which makes it so versatile! You can just pop the lipstick into the tin and put the tin in your purse and you have a mirror and your product in one place. I think its awesome. 

   sorry about the change in scenery! my bed was too comfy

I picked up 5 colors. 

3 are from the Metallic Mousse Collection

♥Penny Talk- a stunning copper/bronze pigment.

♥Sandstorm- a beautiful brown/nude metallic.

♥Queen of Hearts- a deep metallic red

2 are from the Matte Mousse

♥Sweet Pea- a really cute blue based pink. My absolute favorite!

♥Wisteria- a deep purple

Here are the swatches! The names are listed with the swatch.

These lipsticks are impressive for only $6.00! They are pretty long wear, even though they seem to transfer a lot. Regarding the metallics, I found that during the day I had seen a lot of transfer on my coffee mug or water bottle but really there was no drastic change in pigment unless I was eating greasy food such as chips or something else.

Regarding the mattes, they didn't actually dry down as completely matte. The quality as a demi-matte, however, is far above the $6.00 price tag.They wre like a typical lipstic and they lasted a good 5 hours and a lunch wihtout really needing a huge reapplication, just a few touch ups here and there. These are all around great products! Definitely worth the money!

Let me know your thoughts on these if you try them, and any suggestions for other lip products to try!

Jillian

Thoughtful Tuesday 11/9/2016

Maya Angelou
.

💄lipstick trends: fall 2016💄

The big topic this year is finding the best liquid lipstick, and its typically people searching for a matte finish that dries down fully but doesn't dry out your lips. Personally, liquid lipsticks are my favorite. They create a long-wearing beautiful pigment that lasts fo' dayzzzz and choosing matte lipstick also adds to this.
Keep in mind that metallic variations of these are all in trend too!

The Trends
1. Incredibly opaque lips make the lips a separate makeup look to the face.


2. All about the berries. Red is a huge color for fall, this year berry or blue based red are the red of choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Brown Down. Brown and brown bases are taking over and I am so excited for this!

 

4. In the nude. Nude lips are in! Variations of nudes from light browns and peaches to more vibrant ones.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What trend are you most excited for?

Happy Friday!

jill



♥Youtube Collab: Shaaanxo x bh Cosmetics♥

 

I know I already talked about a bh Cosmetics collaboration, but I loved the first one so much that I had to test the consistency of the company- and was I surprised.

YouTuber Shaaanxo (Shannon Harris) collaborated with bh Cosmetics and created a palette of 9 warm-neutral eye shadow colors and when you flip over the palette there are 9 lipstick colors. I am not reviewing the lipstick palette until later, but just to emphasize the bang for your buck I wanted to let you know about this.

Product: bh Cosmetics collaboration with Shannon Harris (Shaaanxo)
Price: $22.00 $14.50
My Rating:  ★★★★

 

**bh Cosmetics is cruelty free

 

This product reminds me a lot of my Kylie Jenner Kyshadow palette (let me know if you would like to see a review of this!), they are definitely comparable in quality as well. This product, and company is incredibly under-hyped. The eye shadows are again buttery and blendable, pigmented, and they are gorgeous!

 

Kyshadow sneak peek

 

 

 

Here are some swatches.

 

I have no issue with these shadows, the bottom one is a stunning duo-chrome (brown with blue and orange flicks) shade and is by far my favorite. You can see the pigmentation and you can see the consistency because they are not patchy and create minimal to no fall out.

 

Now, the packaging is where I have my issue.

Shannon claimed in her video that it was inspired by her backdrop (see left). Shannon loves white and pink together and metallic silver.

 

 

I just personally don't like it. Its not very professional looking or fun and I don't think it accurately describes what you're opening up to. I also wish there wasn't a lipstick side but I'm going to talk about this later in the month. But for having two sides, it is very slim and compact which I thought was surprising.

 

I ABSOLUTELY recommend this to everyone and will probably be gifting this to a few people this holiday season. 

Let me know if you are interested in buying, I have a referral 15% off code from bh Cosmetics! Its always good to save some money! 

 

What did you think of this series? Would you like to see more like this? Let me know in the comments!

 

Happy Thursday.

-jill

 



☕️Up Next; November☕️

In this upcoming month, I am wrapping up my YouTube series with another collaboration which should be complete by the upcoming weekend. I am still experimenting with this palette.

My next series is going to be All About the Lips. I am a lipstick freak, from lilac to teal to brown-it is my favorite product to experiment with. I'm going to experiment with 5 brands and get to know their products better, matte and satin, and give you feedback and suggestions.


I am super excited to show you my favorite brands for my lips!

-jill

Thoughtful Tuesday 11/1/16

IPSY: For the Beauty Experimenter

 

The Pink Envelope

You might need this: https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=ppage_ref&sid=link&refer=z7dtc

 

Any person who loves to try new products but not pay the hefty price for samples, IPSY is the subscription you need!
Side note, keeping it on track with the Youtuber topic, IPSY was created by beauty guru and Youtuber Michelle Phan.

Within this pink envelope you get a cute makeup bag, some in the past have looked like this:



 

You also get 5 samples of beauty brands like Urban Decay, The Balm, Kat Von D and Trust Fund Beauty... There are many more brands involved in this experience. You also receive things like face masks, lip scrubs, primers and beauty tools such as brushes.

 

The best part is....

Drumroll please......

 

It' Only $10 a Month with Free Shipping!

 

 

This is a monthly subscription that you can cancel at any time. There is typically a waitlist for signing up but there are a few things IPSY asks you to do in order to get off the list. It includes messaging friends and sharing IPSY on Facebook and other social media websites. The website offers deals that aren't typically offered by certain brands. Each month you are asked to review your products in order to narrow down your preferences for what you would like in your next bag. You also earn 15 points each review which can later exchange to getting another sample sent in your bag.

 

♥ Sign up for yours here! https://www.ipsy.com/new?cid=ppage_ref&sid=link&refer=z7dtc ♥

 

jill



♥ Youtube Collab: Carli Bybel x bh Cosmetics♥

Youtuber Carli Bybel collaborated with bh Cosmetics, a personal favorite of mine and created a palette of 10 eye shadows and four highlighters. I stumbled upon her account in search for Youtubers who have collaborations and after the Power of Makeup price and performance- I wanted something a little more affordable and budget friendly. This beautiful palette can be found on bh Cosmetics website and a direct link will be listed below. The packaging is cute, the price is right and the product is amazing!

Product: bh Cosmetics collaboration with Carli Bybel

Price: $20.00   $14.50

My Rating: ★★★★

** bh Cosmetics is reported to be cruelty free

 This product is incredibly under hyped. Not too many people talk about it, or Carli Bybel in general. She has amazing skill with makeup and comes along with a positive message for her viewers that you can see under the mirror (Aspire to Inspire). Here are some swatches of the eye shadows in the  palette.

This palette is not only affordable, it is so impressive. The metallic are so smooth and buttery when swatched and applied. Buttery and creamy eye shadows are best for blending and I have been testing this for a few weeks now and I can attest that they are incredibly blendable and as you can see, highly pigmented. I have nothing bad to say, except that the mattes are very brush sensitive meaning that they like certain brushes and apply better with those bruhes than others. Even in their worst application state it still applies very impressively.

The highlighters. Oh, the highlighters. Here are some swatches.

Oh my goodness, these highlighters! So as you can see, the glow is unreal. These apply amazingly. I am usually very weary of powder highlighters giving the chalky appearance after a days wear but these highlighters stay hydrated and creamy all day. The formula for this is amazing and these are probably some of the best highlighters I have in my collection. Also, in the beauty world a lot of people of color find it hard to find highlighters that aren't obnoxiously white and bright. This palette offers a great range of pigmentation and color to fit the light skin tones and the dark and beautiful! If you cant make the highlighter work for you it can absolutely double as an eye shadow.

All in all, I 10/10 recommend this palette to all who go for a natural eye and don't want to splurge on Urban Decay palettes and other high price palettes. Or a collector who wants to add it to their collection ;)
They are LIMITED EDITION, so make sure you get yours while you can here!!!

-Jill