Target Beauty Boxes - Summer 2015 - Head of the Class & Honor Roll - Back to School Time!

Head of the Class

(Smaller Box)

_____________________________________________________________________

Honor Roll

(Larger Box)

For $5 these boxes are an awesome deal, I must say! 

A little haul and some reviews... ELF & Maybelline

ELF 3-in-1 Mascara
With my smaller, hooded eyes, the little ball on the end is a little large when I'm just applying the mascara straight in the traditional fashion.  However, it is great for my little hooded eyes because the ball can reach into the inner and outer corners really well.  That little ball on the end is good and bad for my eye shape at the same time lol. :) I enjoy this on the lower lashes because the brush is not too big and the ball in very helpful.  It separates and lengthens my lower lashes very well.  The formula is very very wet, but maybe it will dry up in a week or two.  I usually do not enjoy super wet mascaras, but this one is nice.  It gives a very natural look and adds length, but not a ton of volume. It also seems to be waterproof  The thing I like about the wet formula is that it does not flake at all, it holds up super well all day. It's also very very black in color.

ELF Super Long Lasting Lustrous Eyeshadow - Soiree
This eyeshadow does not come off as dark as it looks in the pot.  It has a rosey hew to it and plenty of sparkle.  The glitters can sometimes fall down and create a fall-out situation, but the shadow does not crease with or without primer and with or without powder shadows on top.  It has a very cool whipped texture similar to the Flower Beauty Cream Eyeshadows.  It's a unique texture.  Most "cream eyeshadows" are a harder consistency, but this is very whipped and creamy feeling.

ELF Baked Eyeshadow - Pixie
I feel like there was some sort of film on top of this shadow when I first opened it.  The first swatch was a super disappointment, but subsequent swatches after I was able to swirl my finger on the shadow to remove whatever was on top, have been great.  At first I couldn't get it to stick to a brush wet or dry, but after breaking down that top layer, it applies great.  So keep that in mind, don't judge it until you've really broken into the product's top layer.  The color of this shadow is absolutely beautiful.  It is a great shimmery pinky-peach that is so perfect for the warmer weather.

ELF Baked Blush - Pinktastic
I bought this one thinking it would be a nice highlight... and it probably would be for skin tones a tad darker than mine (I have pretty pale skin).  It does have a beautiful glow to it but it's just slightly too pinky and colorful for my light skin as a highlight.  It does make for a very glowy blush.  I typically like a more matte face due to my fear of looking shiny because I have oily skin, but this product is beautiful for those who want a pretty summer glow.

ELF Makeup Lock & Seal
I haven't used this one in application yet, but I have played around with it.  I used it with other shadows swatching on my hand, then ran them under running water to see if it made them waterproof.  Water did not pool up on top of the swatches and it also did not make them last any better than the regularly swatched shadows.  Once again, I haven't used it enough yet to really give a great opinion of it, but I plan on using it with my Stila Foil Eyeshadow to see if it works the same as the tiny little dropper of liquid that came with the shadow.

Maybelline Super Stay 24 hour Concealer - Fair
This concealer color is strange to me.  It is light when it comes out, warms up when blended with the finger, then sets back to somewhere in between those two colors when it is dry.  This stuff is rightly named "super stay" because it sets very very quickly and does not need a powder to set it.  It may set almost too quickly, you must blend it out immediatly.  I would even recommend to do one eye at a time if you are using it for the undereye area.  But it covers circles pretty well and does last well too.  It also does not accentuate the fine lines under my eyes or my pores on the cheeks.  So far I am really enjoying this concealer.

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Tiny Walgreens Haul + some little reviews : Wet n Wild Fergie + Maybelline Bleached Neons

Just did a little shopping at Walgreens the other day, so here are a few little mini reviews on the things I picked up. Enjoy. :)

Maybelline Color Show Bleached Neons Nail Polish - Lime Accent
The wear time and color opacity are disappointing with this polish.  Just like the other Color Show polishes, it will only last about three days before chipping starts to occur.  It takes at least three coats to get a decent layer of color on the nails.  However, I love the color.  It's a cool lime green that is a bit toned down, but not quite pastel.  The title "bleached neons" really does fit this particular color well.

Maybelline Color Tattoo - Sunwashed Sky
This is a super pretty shimmery silver with a purple-ish sheen.  Great wear time like the other Color Tattoos.  It's amazing how they can make a product tacky enough to make powder shadows on top pop as pigmented as possible, yet at the same time it can hold up and won't crease all on its own.  Love the color, love the product. :)


Wet n Wild Fergie On Edge Longwearing Eye Pencil - China White
I was skeptical about these because other Wet n Wild liners I have tried in the past have been hard, less pigmented, and just crappy.  But these were on sale and I had been looking for a white pencil, so I figured I would try them out.  I was looking for a matte white and this was not it, but it is still pretty and I love using it on the inner corners of my eyes.  It stays all day and is not too stark.  It has a pearly white finish; it's not super opaque but also not sheer, it occupies a great middle ground.

Wet n Wild Fergie On Edge Longwearing Eye Pencil - Ex-Stacey
This is a pretty hot pink color and does have a bit of sheen to it.  Like the other, it wears really well and has a nice in-between finish that isn't too harsh but not sheer at all either.  These liners stay put really well and don't smudge or cause any problems for me.  The formula doesn't really apply well on the waterline, but that could be due to it having a sheen and not being completely matte.

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Alaina

Cotton On Fall Fashion Haul

Just uploaded a new video! 

This is a small haul (as most of my hauls are lol) from Cotton On online.  I picked up some super cheap clearance stuff, getting me in the mood for fall!

ELF Haul

Watch the video here!

When I got the email saying ELF was having a 50% off everything sale, of course I had to check it out.  And once I checked it out, I couldn't just abandon my shopping cart and all of those good deals.  Since on ELF's website, most of the time it's either "free shipping" or a percentage off, you really have to do the math to see which is the better deal.  Most of the time, I find the free shipping wins over 30-33% off, with the small amounts I tend to purchase at one time.  However, with 50% off, that was definitely a better deal than "free shipping."  I just purchased some stuff I had been wanting to try for awhile now, but didn't really feel the need to hurry up and get.  So here's what I picked up! Enjoy & don't forget to check back for better reviews in the future. 

I heard this was a dupe for NARS Albatross, and I'm definitely not running out to spend that kind of money on a highlighter, so I decided to give this one a go.  This is a great highlighter and I even love it in the inner corner.  It's a great summertime golden glow.

I use a darker powder to fill in my brows as fall and winter approach, so this lighter colored brow gel really helps bring my brows back down a shade lighter and also adds dimension with the two colored products.  This is also a good product to use if your brow products are running a little reddish for your liking, you can use this on top to cancel that out.  This stuff is also really excellent at controlling my brows, the gel really does its job and keeps them in place.  

I also am a huge fan of the "treat" side.  It's supposed to help sparse areas of your brows grow in better, and I truly truly think it's working. I should have taken before and afters!  I've been trying all summer to grow my brows a little thicker and was having horrible luck at that, they were just doing crazy things and I couldn't control them.  Since I started using this, about every other day or so, my brows are looking sooo much better.  I really don't think it's a coincidence, you should definitely give it a try if you have this sort of issue with your brows. 

I really love this blush & bronzer.  The bronzer is so pigmented and dark, with my light skin, I really have to be careful with it.  The light pink/peach blush is great too.  They give a nice bronzy glow to the face when used together. The shimmer looks overpowering in the pan, but it doesn't transfer so harshly onto the face.

I was not impressed by this shadow.  The color reminds me of ash with a tiny bit of purple in it.  Using it dry, it totally sucks, honestly.  Using it wet is alright.  The shaker cap allows tons of product to come out, it isn't too messy though.

I wasn't super impressed by this shadow.  1) The shaker cap hardly lets any shadow out, unlike the shaker on the matte eyeshadow, where tons come out.  2) It looks bright and nice when applied wet or on a good base, but it was very disappointing applied dry.

This cream shadow creases (not crazy bad, but you can just tell) on its own and when used as a base with shadows on top all by itself.  However, with a primer underneath, the creasing is totally fixed.  This was somewhat disappointing but not a huge letdown since it can be fixed.  This color has some really gorgeous sparkle to it that the pictures don't really show, by the way.

The purple has almost a matte finish once it sets and dries, but in the jar, it looks like it has a sheen.

I've tried these as bases without any eyeshadow primer and they do crease about halfway through the day.  It's not super horrible creasing, but if you're using darker shadows, you can definitely tell.  With a primer, they are fine all day.

I said in the video I would be doing a review/comparison between the cream eyeshadows & cream liners, but honestly, they are sooo similar, I don't think that will be necessary.  They both crease without a primer, but last all day with one.  They have the same consistency, I would almost bet they are the same product just with different labels, honestly. 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lainamarie91

Collective Haul Video

 So here are a few things I've picked up recently.

And some of the review links... :)

Watch the video here!

Yes to Tomatoes Daily Balancing Moisturizer


Yes to Grapefruit CC Cream


Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly


Lush 9 to 5


Beauty Blender

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Lainamarie91

Small Spring/Summer Fashion Haul

Watch the video here!

Today I bought a few clearance spring/summer items that were all super cheap.  

Sandals - Payless - $6

Chambray Dress - Target $8.38

 Floral Dress - Target - $8.38

 Lavender Shorts - Target - $4.26

 High-Low Top - Target - $5.56

 What's on my nails?
Fingers - Sinful Colors Island Coral
Toes - New York Color Times Square

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lainamarie91

PinkyParadise G&G Circle Lens Haul

Watch the video here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COtoNGDLtFs

Hey everyone! I just got these lenses a couple days ago; my boyfriend Justin bought them for me for Valentine's Day (I got them early of course, we're really bad about giving gifts early lol).  Anyway, I thought it would be kinda helpful if anyone wanted to see actual pics of these three lenses.  I have very dark brown eyes (they look so close to black).  I still have to give them a few more tries before I can review them fully, but I figured this would be helpful too.

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Lainamarie91

Target Clearance Haul

Posted on Instagram when I got them! :) @lainamarie91

Watch the video here!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fJW9c03Svo

Hey everyone, this is just a small, quick Target haul.  I picked up 4 pairs of pants on 2 different trips.  Target has tons on clearance right now and you should totally go check it out and take advantage of it all!

I usually just wear regular blue jeans; I didn’t own any fun or colorful jeans before this purchase.  I figured it was a good time to change up my wardrobe a bit.  I got two pairs of colored ankle pants, a pair of floral print skinny jeans, & a pair of pink sparkly pants that are so cute!

The first two pants in my Instagram picture are called Ankle Pants and these are all by the Mossimo brand at Target.  These pants are supposed to be worn rolled up a couple times to be at ankle length; since I'm short (5'3"), when they are rolled down they are long enough to be worn as regular pants and I just have to roll them up a couple more times to make them at a decent height on my ankles.  They are in a pretty turquoise sort of color and a magenta, pink/purple color. (sorry, the tag on the pants didn't have the correct color names, maybe the original paper tags did, but I had already thrown those out lol)  The last pair, the floral pair of pants are super cute and I can't wait to wear them for spring.  These last two pairs are more like jeggings in the feel of the pants, but they are technically just entitled "skinny jeans," but they are very comfortable and stretchy like jeggings.  The pink sparkly pair (pair number 3 in the pic) are freaking adorable and I believe I would consider them my favorites from this bunch.  The picture sort of shows the sparkles, but they are soo much cooler in real life.  They are a light, pastel pink with gold sparkles.

The pink sparkly pants were about $13 and the other three pairs were about $7 each. What a deal! Check out your local Target because they just have tons of clearance clothes, it's awesome! :)

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lainamarie91

First Cherry Culture Haul! ft. NYX

 

This is my first purchase from cherryculture.com and my first time trying many of these NYX products.  I do own a couple of NYX products (jumbo eye pencils, round lipstick, etc) but I was really excited to try out their blushes as well as a few other products. 

 

Enjoy this closer look at the products and check out the swatches!

Enjoy!
Link to the video on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMAXgcBh2Gw

 

 

Powder Blush - Taupe, Pinched ,Spice
http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-powder-blush/16203&cat=0&page=1

Cream Blush - Tickled
http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-rouge-cream-blush/16604&cat=0&page=1

Liquid Crystal Liners - Gold, Silver, Jade

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-liquid-crystal-liner/17508&cat=0&page=1

 

Glam Liner Aqua Luxe - Purple

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-glam-liner-aqua-luxe-collection-/18181&cat=0&page=1

 

Long Lip Pencil - Pinky

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-long-lip-pencil/16633&cat=0&page=1

 

Slim Lip Pencil - Deep Purple, Rose

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-slim-lip-pencil/16399&cat=0&page=1

 

Retractable Lip Liner - Red

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-retractable-lip-liner/17774&cat=0&page=1

 

Auto Lip Liner - Natural

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-auto-lipliner/16201&cat=0&page=1

Xtreme Lip Cream

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-xtreme-lip-cream-/17856&cat=0&page=1#

 

Round Lipstick

http://www.cherryculture.com/cosmetics/makeup/nyx/nyx-round-lipstick/16605&cat=0&page=1#

 

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lainamarie91