November 12, 2017

October Favorites 2017

Well hello hello. I know my October Favorites are extremely late, but hey I got some great products that might make it worth it. October was a bit of a hectic month. I had my beautiful best friend's wedding so a lot of my time was bouncing around between the wedding and work. Nevertheless, I have some favorite beauty products (and tools) from this past month including rediscovering my love for the drugstore products yay!



Dose of Colors Baked Browns Palette:
I guess you can count this as a rediscovered favorite but I purchased this palette back in April at IMATS. I knew though that I would have enjoyed this palette a lot more in the Autumn season. I mean the colors alone are beautiful. It reminds me of a portable version of the Sephora Pro Warm Palette (which I LOVE and I do have a review of it here).



I did get this palette discount when I went to IMATS for around $25 but honestly, the quality of the matte shadows in here is worth the retail price of $32. The mattes are just as creamy and comparable to Kat Von D's matte shadows (which I truly believe she does create some of the best matte eye shadows). These shadows blend beautifully without getting muddy and the colors (used with a good primer of course) last all day. I love that the colors can be a simple everyday neutral eye, to a really define, warm evening eye.

I almost didn't picked this up at IMATS until after I swatched the shades. I'm really glad I did decide to purchase it

Loreal Infallible Pro-Matte Liquid Lipstick in Shakedown
Oh my...you guys....this is up there for favorite liquid lipstick formulas (here is my list of the ones that made the cut in my book). I saw that emilynoel83 had this color on his lips in one of her snapchat stories and been hearing the rave all over social media about formula on these including the pro-matte glosses.


There's so many things I love about this product that I'm not entirely sure where to begin.  For starters, I LOVE the shade. It's the brown lip color that I feel like I've been looking for all season but it has that hint of mauve undertones. It gives me major 90's vibes. I also love the doe foot applicator and how precise it is to get  a crisp line and by corners of the mouth. The formula is so interesting. It has a bit of thickness but when it dries down (which does take a while) it's a comfortable matte on the lips. I noticed when I press my lips together, it will slightly stick but it's not too much of an annoyance since I rather not have my lips be deprived of moisture. It's the longevity of this that blows my mind. Even with eating and drinking, there's some fading and a bit of transfer, but the majority of the color is still there and it doesn't come out of the lip line. It's amazing and makes me feel so much better to bring this out with me knowing I don't have to worry about how bad the reapplication process will be. Beyond impressed with this formula and so incredibly happy it's from the drugstore. Even better, try getting this when a $3.50 off $15 coupon for ulta that comes around (which is what I did plus I had points saved up to take more money off).

So good. Ok I'll stop talking about this now (for now)

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer:
Quite a mouthful to say but what a beautiful product. I've forgot how much I love this concealer and the brightener as well. I also just remembered that I did have this in a favorites a while back but I feel like I didn't give it enough love back then. So let's give it some love now.




These concealers are lightweight while still providing a natural full coverage. I love how the concealers brighten up the under eye area. Finally, one of my favorite things about this is because it's so light weight, it doesn't emphasize on fine lines and looks flawless from beginning to the end of the day.

Maybelline concealer, you have been much loved (if you can tell from the little amount of products I have left in them).

Beauty Blender Micro Mini:
Ok so this isn't a necessity, but I can't believe how much I've been liking this small beauty blender . It's a lot softer and more lightweight than the original beauty blender which makes this perfect for the delicate under eye area. Surprisingly, I've also come to love this with cream highlighters as well.

As I mentioned, I don't think this is a necessity, but if you happen to get one, I would definitely give it a shot first before turning it down (like I almost did). Besides, look how cute it is?

sephora.com 


MBA Cosmetics Chromalights in Champagne Toast:
Now that we're getting into the holiday season, I plan on making glitter a part of my daily routine. If you've seen my face at all for the month  of October, then you know I have been drenching myself in this glitter especially ever since I got my hair dyed to auburn again. I also purchased this at IMATS back in April and I've been using this glitter along with the Dose of Colors Baked Browns palette. The great thing about this product is that the adhesion is already embedded in the glitter so all you have to do is press it onto your eyes. There's some small fallout with the first time applying this but throughout the day, the glitter stays put. It as a really creamy feel which I love because some glitters can be too harsh for the eye. For $10, you get a lot of product and a little goes a long way. I've got so many compliments on this color and I really can't wait to go back to IMATS to try out more of their colors.



Finally, I've incorporated this glitter into my Halloween look for work which was an autumn edition of Mother Nature and possibly one of my favorite looks that I ever done. I applied the glitter to my liquid lipstick leaves on my face to give them some dimension.



Every Drop Beauty Spatula:
Ok bare with me but my last two favorites are tools. However, they are amazing tools. This was also another purchase back at IMATS and honestly I will probably pick up two more this coming year. If you care about using your products to the fullest and getting your money's worth, then you need to get this item. I've always contemplated on getting one for years and I'm so glad I finally decided to get one. I've used this for so many things including skincare items (which as we all know can be pricey) and was very shocked at how much product was leftover. I would be able to get another week or two out of the bottle. The spatula at the end of it is silicone so it washes off easily. I'm obsessed and I've saw recently that they also make a spatula for lip products which is something I'm definitely going to look into.

Makeup Paw Palette:
So this isn't the exact one I got off of amazon however I actually got mine at Primark for about $3 and I can't get over how much I've been loving this set. The spatula is perfect on one end for getting product and the other side for mixing. The metal plate makes it easy to remove the content with makeup remover afterwards. I've been using this a lot to mix liquid lipstick colors and I've also been using this with my inglot duraline and my eyeshadows to create an eyeliner. This has been just a really handy tool to have and I think it's going to be a great addition to my makeup routine.



So yes that's a wrap up of my October Favorites. We're getting into the homestretch of 2017 including an ultimate favorites list for the year. I can't wait to get into the chaos of the holiday season. It exhausts me sometimes but I also secretly love it.



November 9, 2017

Review: Maple Holistics Tea Tree Oil Shampoo

Very excited to be bringing you a quick review from a brand that I think I'm growing to love. For all disclosure purposes, this product was sent to me for review however all of my opinions based on this product are honest and my own.



Alrighty so the review! 

A little bit of background on the company. They are a natural based brand that is cruelty and sulfate free so you're not adding any harsh chemicals to your body, hair or skin (or to the cute furry animals yay!). So I was super excited to try this shampoo knowing that it will be adding benefits without chemicals and was safe on color treated hair. 

This shampoo claims that it will promote hair growth and improve on scalp health. I've been using this product for a couple of weeks now and I can definitely say that I have found improvements with my hair on both of those claims. I can't fully tell if my hair has got longer but I've definitely got comments from friends that it has. However, the biggest difference I've noticed is how clean my scalp feels every time I use this shampoo. I feel like the scalp tends to get neglected sometimes but it's makes an incredible difference and feel to the hair when cleaned properly. 




I think the only downside to this is the medicinal tea tree oil smell which I was expecting with this product. However, I did enjoy using it tonight since I'm recovering from a cold and it helped clear my congested nose. But the smell will definitely being something that you will either hate or love. 

If you lovelies are interested in trying these products yourself, they do have a sampler program so you can try out the products first before committing to a full size. They also have a subscription box for $40/month if you enjoy using their products a lot but with added bonus products inside. It seems that they have excellent customer service care and have a great money- back guarantee policy.

Overall I'm really grateful that I got to try this product and I'm really looking forward to exploring other products that they have especially the skincare line!

Until next time, stay beautiful ♥