Makeup I Decided to Pass Along

So with Christmas coming up and more importantly, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales 😁, I decided to clean out and reorganize my makeup. I threw out some stuff that was pretty old and/or dried up, and I made a little pile of makeup I decided to pass on to a friend (or friends if she doesn’t want it all lol). I at least tried everything except the one item.

Let’s start with the palettes. I bought the Makeup Revolution x Soph palette not that long ago and was pretty excited at first. Honestly, I never picked it back up or even thought about it after the post I made with swatches. The shimmers were underwhelming to say the least. Then there’s the Absolute palette I found at Marshall’s. It actually swatched really well…but for some reason I never was inspired to even try it on my eyes. Finally, there’s the Makeup Revolution Strobe highlighting palette. I actually did like this, but after picking up a few Ofra highlights, I just don’t reach for it anymore.

Then there’s a set of Profusion eyeliners that just didn’t impress me much. The Clinique face wash didn’t do much for me, and I’m having huge success with Philosophy.

The Lace a Peel masks are the only thing I didn’t try because they kind of scared me lol! I received them from BoxyCharm. I have pretty sensitive skin and I was afraid they would irritate my skin.

The CoverFX drops…I feel bad to give away because they retail for a lot! But I got them in BoxyCharm also, and I have literally no idea what to do with them. The ELF mist I’ve used before, but I actually got this as a free gift from my last order through them, and I rarely use setting spray.

There’s a few other items from subscription boxes in there, but those are the main ones. Do you have and love any of these items? That’s one of the best parts of makeup… everyone has different skin and looks and preferences, so what works for me might not for you and vice versa 🙂 I’m not bashing on anything here!

-AV

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Wet n Wild Gel Nail Polish

Since I missed my beginning of the week post, I decided to do another quick post before the weekend hits. I have a feeling my blogging schedule is not going to be super consistent with the holidays coming… But I will still be around 😁

So I used to love painting my nails, but I would get so frustrated with how quickly it would chip and look ugly that I stopped painting them except for important events.

Which means I’ve been using the same nail polish I’ve had for like…ten years or more 😬 I don’t throw it out until I have to haha.

Recently I randomly grabbed the Wet n Wild Gel Nail Polish to try because I loved the color (it was Pretty Peas, a beautiful light mint color that I’ve been obsessed with…I realized I own 100 items in that color after I bought it lol). And magic! Where have I been on new nail polish formula?? That stuff didn’t chip for like 4 days! It used to chip on me in 1 hour!

So naturally I went crazy haha. I decided I would throw out all of my long expired nail polishes and update my collection. Wet n Wild actually offers some grouped sets for a cheaper price on their website, so check it out! Otherwise, they are only $4.99…very affordable!

So far I’ve used the Pretty Peas one and the Taupe’s a Joke…both of which I love. I forgot to keep a picture of the mint one, but here’s Taupe…

I feel it’s more of a grey purple than taupe… Like taupe is grey brown, right? But don’t get me wrong, I am super into this color!

What are you favorite nail polish brands? I really want to try KL next! (Kathleen Light’s brand) I almost bought her Zodiac collection but then didn’t… It was kind of expensive at the time 😦

-AV

November BoxyCharm

So I got my BoxyCharm yesterday but my work schedule has been all over the place …I didn’t even really look at it until today 😦 I even missed my beginning of the week post! 😦 So here’s a quick look at what I got.

I received variation 3. I get the monthly subscription (rather than preordering a set amount) so it’s $21/month for me. This month’s theme was Goal Digger. I mean…I’m not crazy about the name but I don’t really care either lol. I don’t care for the term “gold digger” but maybe that’s just me being a crazy feminist or something 🤨🤔

There is a set of Luxie brushes! Retail $21. I’m excited because I love brushes, always need brushes, and I actually don’t have many small, detail brushes.

Then there’s Lashaholic lashes. Retail $14.99. I have never used lashes and am scared of gluing my eyes shut haha! They look pretty though.

Jonteblu Glittering Star Eyeliner. Retail $5.00. it’s pretty and I hope it goes on well, because I am not afraid to use glitter eyeliner, especially around Christmas 😂

Then there’s the expensive item–CoverFX glitter drops in shade Nova. Retail $44. Please someone help. What do I do with these?? I feel like they are meant for someone with a healthy complexion as compared to being ghostly white.

Finally, my favorite item of all boxes… The palette. My first item to try from Ace Beaute, the Grandoise palette. Retail $24.99. I love the colors and am excited to give it a go 🙂

Some swatches:

What did everyone else get? What’s your favorite item? 🙂

-AV

Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer

Did everyone know that lip primer was a thing except me? 🤔 I’m not sure how I missed the memo… I’m obsessed with how much I hate how lipsticks look on my lips that I can’t believe I didn’t stumble upon this before.

Before I forget though, I stumbled upon this in another beauty blogger’s blog! I don’t know how to link on here because I must be old haha, but her name is Aleeya Azimulla! She did a blog on prepping your lips. Definitely check out her blog 😁

Back to my awful lips. I use some form of moisturizer every single (since like I was born lol). They get so dry and chapped, even in the summer. I have an awful habit of biting them and pulling the skin off as a nervous habit 😬 probably doesn’t help things.

On top of that, I have a lot of lines. I hate how matte lipsticks exaggerate the lines but I prefer mattes because I hate transfer!

So I popped over to Ulta and they had it, so I bought it. I believe it was $20. I was buying other stuff, so I got the free shipping, and it was at my door in like 4 business days.

I have used it twice so far and like it! It has a very faint scent that I can’t quite place. It reminds me of this eucalyptus chest rub I have for my baby. I can’t smell it once it’s on though.

It goes on clear. It is almost like a Vaseline substance but not as thick. Then I popped my lipstick on. One day I used a matte liquid, the other just a bullet lipstick. Both bright red 😁 The primer definitely helped fill in my lines so the matte looked much nicer than normal. I am not good at applying red lipstick lol, so the edges weren’t great, but I think that’s my lack of skill. I have very full lips and it looks like I over draw them when I’m not…and it’s a whole thing.

It definitely helped wear too! I have to scrub my lips to get that matte off. The lipstick (bullet) wore very evenly.

Over all, I’m happy and will keep using it. Do you guys use a lip primer?

-AV

Christmas Has Come to Retail

I am still getting over my cold, unfortunately, so I thought I would just do a short blog to end my Sunday 🙂

It seems like Christmas stuff comes out earlier and earlier every year. I saw stuff in Walmart before Halloween was here, and I stepped into one today for groceries and it was out in full force! Halloween left overs were heavily discounted and pushed aside, and fall decorations were being condensed as well. A lot of Christmas decorations have been out, but now the candy and gift sets were lining the shelves!

When I worked in retail, this really irritated me. It seems like there really aren’t that many Christmas songs, especially not the classics, so I would have to listen to the same songs over and over and over for close to two months! That would drive me crazy.

However, now that I’m out of retail…I do enjoy getting my Christmas shopping done early, so it helps me to have everything coming out already!

I refuse to let my husband (who is a Christmas nut) decorate our house until after Thanksgiving though 😂

I am already thinking about what greens and reds I have in my makeup collection for parties already though haha. Everything (makeup related) in the pictures is from Colourpop, one of my favorite brands!

What do you guys think? Does it annoy you to have all of the Christmas stuff out in stores already? I love fall stuff so I think they should keep fall out longer!

-AV

Update on Skin Care Products

So I woke up Sunday feeling terrible, and it kind of went downhill until this morning (Wednesday). So I skipped posting anything on here or Instagram for the first half of the week, and I honestly still don’t feel well enough or look healthy enough for makeup lol

However, with all of that nose blowing and honestly just rubbing my face in general, skin care is more important than ever. When I get sick now, I get the worst congestion ever. I get so stuffy that my eyes feel like they are going to pop out and it usually backs up into my ears. So I inevitably start pressing on my face where my sinuses are to try and alleviate the pain. I don’t know why, because it never works lol.

But I recently added a new product to my daily skin care, and I’ve been meaning to do a post on it. It’s the Philosophy Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash.

I. Love. This. I bought a small bottle at Ulta to give it a try and I will definitely be buying a large bottle when I run out.

First, it smells like orange peels. It’s not overwhelming…it’s just a very nice scent that I find relaxing. The texture is like a clear goo with little beads in it. You only need a little bit and you just rub it all over like a normal face wash and rinse. I can definitely feel it exfoliating but it’s gentle enough for every day use and doesn’t irritate my skin at all.

Even better, my skin has been noticeably nicer since I started using it. It’s just felt smoother, my makeup has been going on better, and my pores haven’t been as awful. Between my now favorite three, my skin has really been pretty nice (up until I got sick and started touching it constantly lol)

I still use the regular face wash from Philosophy especially before I try a mask so I have a clean face but it’s something super gentle. I did use it the past few days too because I find this scent extremely relaxing.

And of course the Clinique 72 hour surge moisturizer is still my favorite. I use it everyday!

What are your favorite skincare products? Philosophy and Clinique are expensive but I have decided I’m willing to pay it for how nice they make my skin!

-AV

My First Ofra Palette

So I was faced with a big decision haha…I had a very rare 20% off my whole order (prestige brands included!) for Ulta as well as had built up $20 off in points. I also promised my husband I would not buy eyeshadow until after Christmas after that purchase. So I knew it had to be something good. So I settled on something I have been eyeing for probably close to a year:

Ofra Pro Palette Free Spirit. This is online only at Ulta for $59. I swear it had a higher price point before but maybe I’m confusing it with their all highlighter palette that is a whopping $130 I believe. I rarely see any reviews for Ofra and when I do, it’s their highlighter. Which is great. I already own Glazed Donut. I also have a liquid lipstick I got in a BoxyCharm that I love. But I couldn’t take it anymore 😂 It was too pretty! So I bought it along with a new brush set and a lip set from Ulta for stocking stuffers.

First, I *love* the packaging. It’s sleek and thin. It’s magnetic. It’s sturdy. It does have a small mirror. And every pan easily pops out (they are held in with magnets and have a little dip you can get a finger in). So if you hit pan…you can buy an individual of something and pop it right in. Reusable palette!

There are neutral eyeshadow, pops of color eyeshadow, two highlighters (and one has several shades), a bronzer, two blushes, and a banana powder. It’s a whole face in one palette.

Everything swatched great. They are on the softer side, and I definitely stuck my finger in too hard in the banana powder and got it everywhere lol.

My only complaint so far is there is some kick up in the pans. Not so much fallout, but I had to keep blowing on the palette after using something so it didn’t get into a neighboring pan. I only actually applied stuff to my face once so far, but so far I am enjoying everything but the banana powder. It’s not for me.

I used three eyeshadows, mixed the two blushes, the bronzer, and two highlighters. Everything was easy to work with.

Anyone else own an Ofra palette? I can’t wait to try the blue shades next!

-AV