April Glossybox Review

I have to admit, I was a tiny bit let down in April with my Glossybox.  Not that the products weren't good ones, but most just weren't products that I could see myself using.  My March box was way more impressive, and I'm really looking forward to the next one.  (The boxes are so sturdy and great for organizing my makeup collection, too!)  It's almost time for my May Glossybox to arrive, I know, and I apologize that this post is so late in coming.  I totally spaced and didn't realize until now that I hadn't done my review yet.

Here's a breakdown on what I got for the month of April in my Glossybox subscription:

#1: Wash with Joe shower gel in Coffeemint- It's a nice little travel size, and the scent isn't too overpowering, so overall this is a good sample this month.  It's not girly either, so I can have my husband use it in his travel bathroom kit for vacations.

#2: Tigi Glow Blush in Brilliance-  It's a baked blush, and the texture is very velvety.  There isn't too much color payoff when I swipe it with my finger, but I haven't tried it with a brush on my face yet.  It's sitting in my "to be tested" box on my bathroom counter right now.  I'll do a follow up post on this blush once I've had time to really review it.

#3: Bamboo Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist-  I used this the other day right out of the shower on towel-dried hair.  I spritzed it liberally then pulled it all up into a french braid and left it for most of the day.  I was left with gorgeous beachy waves, just in time for bed.  I haven't used it for immediate styling, but the waves did stay for a few days until my next shampoo, and the scent is nice.  Most testing required for a real verdict!

#4: The Honest Co Lip Balm in Sweet Orange Vanilla-  This smells amazing.  The texture is not too waxy, which I find can be a problem with a lot of organic lipbalms that are based with beeswax.  This one actually lists sunflower seed oil as its first ingredient, and it helps it stay very emollient and gives it good slip.

#5: Bulgari Tea Bag for Bath-I think this where I started to get a bit of disappointment.  It's a one time use sample, and those really bug me.  If I'm going to buy a fragrance, I need to wear it a few times to really see how the scent suits me.  I much prefer the little sample vials with a spritzer.  I'm sure I'll never take this out of the foil, as a tea bag for the bath sounds cool... but when I'm in the bathtub I've got bath bombs or oils in there to soften my skin.  Unless I step out looking like I belong in a fragrance ad for Bulgari, I don't want there products in my bathwater.  I'm there to get soft clean skin, not smell like a French whorehouse.  Just my $.02.

#6: Le Metier De Beaute Replenishing Daily Solution Sample (not pictured)- Another single use packet.  And to top it off, it's for a ridiculously expensive product.  Yes, I know I'm only paying $20 a month for the subscription.  They need to budget the per use, and this stuff is $225 per bottle, so a single use technically has a lot of "value" to it.  However, a single use of a skincare product is not nearly enough to convince me to spend that kind of money.  Even if it's attached to a card with a code for $75 off.  $150 is still way too much when I don't know what kind of results it's going to give me.

Compared with the subscription boxes I got for Ipsy and Beautybox5 in April, I don't really have a clear favorite.  They were all just pretty much ok for me. There weren't any stand out products, although the blush from the Ipsy bag was very pretty and well reviewed by a lot of beauty gurus on YouTube.  I think if I'm going purely on value, the Ipsy bag was the best this month, since there were two full size products, and it's only $10 a month.  Glossybox still trumps everyone though on per use value if you take into account the skincare sample and coupon, and the number of items you receive.  Which box do you prefer this month?

Ipsy

BeautyBox5

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Product Review- Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Mousse

I think just about every thing Tarte makes these days is made with Amazonian clay.  Or maracuja oil.  Still not sure what makes these ingredients the bomb diggity (yes, I just said bomb diggity.  I just turned 30 on Saturday, and I'm rebelling by reverting back to 90s lingo from my teenage years.)  Whatever makes them so awesome, they must work, because I think I'm in love with everything that I try from the Tarte Cosmetics line of makeup.

Their new (or at the very least new to me) emphasEYES Waterproof Amazonian Clay Brow Mousse is no exception.

From the company:
Amazonian clay-infused brow mousse with a shape shifter double ended bamboo brow brush.

Product Performance: For brows that WOW, trust Amazonian clay brow mousse to take the guesswork out of achieving arch perfection. Fill them in nicely without looking fake. This light, airy consistency allows the product to naturally glide onto brows, fill in and blend seamlessly so there’s never any harsh lines or waxy build up. The FREE shape shifter double-ended bamboo brow brush allows for a precise application every time so it’s practically impossible to mess up the application.
Powered By: Amazonian clay: Amazonian clay minimizes oil around the hair follicle to balance skin and keep pigment in place. Dry skin? This nourishing clay hydrates skin naturally to restore moisture so product does not flake or transfer

My Take: At first I was a little like brow "mousse"?  When you open the little glass jar, it looks more like gel eyeliner than a mousse, and it comes with an angled brush that looks a lot like an angled eyeliner brush.  It's a bit thicker and stiffer and works perfectly for the brows, though.  I got the medium brown, and it was a beautiful warm toned brown that looks great with my red hair.  It's only available in three colors, and I would love to get the other two and add them to my makeup kit for work.  This stuff really stays put, but it hasn't been super hot or humid yet, so it's still got to be "tested" a bit more. Just a tiny bit goes a really long way, and I can see this lasting forever so long as it doesn't dry out first.

**Disclaimer: As with all my product reviews, I was not paid by the cosmetic company to provide feedback or review/promote their products.  All the opinions expressed in this article are my own.  These items were purchased with my own money.

Makeup Tip #5- Eyeliner Don'ts

Today is my birthday!  Yay!  Happy Birthday to me!  The "Dirty 30" it is now.  Thank goodness for freckles and good skincare, because I never get carded and it feels so nice! haha!  But now, on to today's topic!...

I think one of my biggest pet peeves when meeting clients and doing their makeup for the first time is when they tell me they only wear eyeliner on the bottom.  Either just in the waterline or in the lashline.  Regardless of where on the bottom only you put your eyeliner, I can't tell you how much this bugs the crap out of me.

Why?  Even though I'm a firm believer in the whole makeup philosophy that there are no hard and fast "rules" to makeup, and that everyone has the right to their own opinions and preferences on how it should be worn on their own face, I do still wholeheartedly believe there are general guidelines on what is and is not flattering.  Eyeliner on the bottom only is one of those that falls in the "not" flattering category in my mind.

Using eyeliner on your bottom lashline only can make you look tired.  Dark colors make that area recede, and lining that part of your eye only will cause you to appear as if you have shadows under your eyes- especially if you are outside during daylight when the light is falling directly from above!  It will draw the eye downward and age you as well. (The majority of women I see who wear their eyeliner like this are in their late 40s or older or teenage girls.  And since the bulk of my makeup work in the last five years has been for weddings, these women are typically outside mid-afternoon for portraits.  So yeah, really unflattering.)

It's all about BALANCE.  If you're going to wear eyeliner on the bottom line, you need to wear something on the top line as well.  Even if you are just tightlining the top lashline on the underside to add definition and depth to your lashes.  The top lashline is thicker and darker naturally with your eyelashes, so it makes sense to emphasize this area of the eye for the most natural open look to the eye.

The top liner line should also be thicker than the bottom line.  It makes your eyes appear bigger and more open.  I'm a huge fan of the whole cat eye trend, as it draws emphasis on the top lashline and up and away to give the eyes a lifted look.  A heavy dark line all around the eye will visually close it and make it appear deeper set into the face and smaller.  This is a good trick if you have really large eyes that are set forward in the sockets to balance them with the rest of the features, but for the rest of us it's typically not a great day-to-day look.

If you do want to line your lower lashes, what should you use then?  It all depends on the look you're going for. I already mentioned that darker colors will make the eyes appear recessed into the face, but if you're looking for a dramatic or a smokey look, feel free to use a black or dark brown color on your bottom lashes.  The thickness of the line will determine how much emphasis you give the bottom lashes.  I recommend dotting the liner between the lashes and using a smudger brush to gently blend the color in a diffused line, pulling down every so slightly in the center of the eye for a larger more rounded to the eyes.  You can see the technique in this photo I did for a model a few years back.  The top lashline is thinner, and more from the underside (tightlined) since she has very large eyes.  We wanted a more sultry look, so I chose to soften the bottom line and make it slightly thicker in the center to give it an open look.  This gives her eyes more balance while still emphasizing her bottom lashline.

Also note that this photo was taken at dusk, when the light is almost parallel to her eyes, which keeps the bottom of her eyes from looking dark and sunken in.  If this photo had been taken in the afternoon, she would have had noticeable shadowing under her eyes.

I wanted to show that this technique is useful in some circumstances and not totally bashing those people who do wear their makeup like this.  I just recommend you keep it more for evening and at least do SOMETHING on your top lashline to add balance.  And make sure that you're always using an eyeliner that it waterproof, or you'll be wiping smudges from your undereyes all day long!  I love love love the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil.  These super creamy pencils glide on really nicely (good name choice guys!) and set to be budgeproof.  You have enough time to smudge it and smoke it out though without it looking funky.

Where do you draw your eyeliner?  Do you wear it on the top only?  The bottom only?  Or do you wear some on both lashlines?

Product Review- Real Techniques Makeup Brushes

Today's blog post is a little bit of a "cheat".  Here's my latest product review video for YouTube, where I talk about each of the different Real Techniques makeup brushes and how I like to use them.  I could go on and on in the blog about how freakin' amazing these makeup brushes are and how much I love them, but I think for something like this a "show and tell" method gets the message across so much more nicely.

You can see the Real Techniques makeup brushes mixed in with my other brands... ready for a wash on a Friday night!

I think I own probably about 300-400 brushes.  I have tried every line out there at some point, and none have impressed me as quickly as the Real Techniques makeup brushes.  I apologize that this video is kind of long, but 1. Let’s be honest here, we all know I’m a chatty Cathy, and 2. I own I think every brush they make.  So there’s a lot to go over.  Hope you enjoy it.   

Products Used or Shown:

Real Techniques Expert FaceBrush

Real Techniques Buffing Brush

Real Techniques Essential Foundation Brush

Real Techniques Pointed Foundation Brush

Real Techniques Detailer Brush

Real Techniques Foundation Brush

Real Techniques Contour Brush

Real Techniques Blush Brush

Real Techniques Multi-Task Brush

Real Techniques Stippling Brush

Real Techniques Setting Brush

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush

Real Techniques Accent Brush

Real Techniques Brow Brush

Real Techniques Pixel Point Eyeliner Brush

What do you think?  Would you or will you buy these brushes? Have you tried them already?  How do you feel?  Let's get some feedback!

**Update*** 10/23/13:  These brushes are now available online at Target.com and inside your local Target stores!