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Monday, June 15, 2015

Review of Tarte's Away Oui Go Palette

Hey guys! So today I want to talk to you about a palette I bought last Black Friday. I know, it's been a very long time and a lot of people probably don't care about it anymore. I've only had this blog for a short time, so let me just explain how I want to do things. when I write reviews of products I will probably make a post about my initial thoughts, but then make a longer more detailed post later on discussing how much I have used the product or if I regret purchasing it. The only way I can give my opinion with 100% certainty is by taking the time to really experiment with the product or see if I even use it often. Sometimes I buy these great products, but I end up hardly ever using them either because I change my mind about them or I have other products I like better. Anyway, enough rambling, let's get on with the review.

Okay so first of all the box the set comes in is absolutely gorgeous! I'm always a sucker for adorable packaging. The contents of the box include a small mascara, three small lip glosses, a portable eye shadow palette, 4 blushes, and 16 eye shadows. I paid $48 for the box, which is a steal considering how many different products I received.



Alright so this is one half of the inside of the box. You can see the three lip gloss colors, the mini mascara, and the portable eye shadow pallete. After extensively using these products I can tell you that the mascara is definitely not worth buying in a full size. Lights Camera Lashes had a lot of potential, I think the formula was very nice. But the applicator is not good. It made the mascara very clumpy. I still used up this product, but only underneath two coats of my favorite mascara. As for the three lip glosses the only color worth repurchasing in my opinion is the bottom one. I just really like the color of that one. Idk why but there aren't any names on them. The lip glosses themselves are okay. They're a bit stickier than I would like, but I really do like the color of the bottom one. I wish I knew the name of it though. I may buy that one in a full size but it depends on the price. I would only pay maybe 15 dollars for it at the most.


So this is the other side of the box, the eye shadows and blush. I apologize for the crappy picture taking but I'll be doing swatches of each quad. I love how large these quads are, and you really do get a lot of product for the price. I've been using these eye shadows for about 6 months now, so I have a pretty good idea about which ones I prefer and which ones I really don't use. I think this box is great for someone new at eye shadow, because there is so much variety! The first quad is matte neutrals, the second is shimmer golds, the bottom left is a silver nighttime look, and the last one is for a smokey eye. To be honest, I definitely use the top two quads more often than the bottom two.


Alright so here is my swatch of the first quad, the one on the top left. From left to right these colors are called private chateau, cafe for creme brulee, tea for two, and marvel at the Mona Lisa. These colors are very basic neutrals. I definitely have gotten a lot of use out of these, particularly private chateau and tea for two. I use private chateau as a highlighter right below my eyebrow every day. I think tea for two is a very basic brown, which is a staple for anyone. One thing to keep in mind though is that if you're a makeup connoisseur you probably don't need any of the colors from this quad. These colors are pretty basic and you could find them at the drugstore. I also love how these eye shadows feel, as they don't irritate my skin or eyes. They are definitely high quality eye shadows. I think the color looks a bit better with eye shadow primer, though these shadows will last all day with or without it.





Okay so here is quad two, the one on the top right. This is my favorite quad by far. These colors, from left to right, are macaroons for you, champagne and chocolat, kisses under the arc, and art in montmarte. As you can see from the swatch, these colors are absolutely beautiful. Some are a bit similar to the naked 3 pallete. I definitely use this quad the most. I just really enjoy these colors for an everyday makeup look. Since I started using this eye shadow quad I've really neglected all my other eye shadows. I love to use macaroons for you in my crease, and champagne and chocolat on my eyelid. I like champagne and chocolat because it's pretty gold, and that makes my hazel eyes pop. I do enjoy kisses under the arc on occasion too, but it's a bit more orange on my skin tone. I like these colors because they're subtle but still pigmented enough to make a big difference in my look.








Here are the bottom two quads. On the left the colors are champs-elysees shopping (I kid you not), stargazing on the seine, eiffel tower engagement, and secret soiree. I really haven't gotten much use out of this one to be totally honest. It's been months since I've had this box and I've worn these colors only once. As beautiful as they look in the box, on my hand and eyes they just don't do anything for me. I feel like they all look like a really bad bruise, especially on my eyes. I also prefer golds to silvers always. I think this quad would look a lot better on someone with blue eyes or someone tanner than me. I do use stargazing on the seine sometimes though. It's the a very metallic silver color and gives my eyelids some sparkle for nighttime. On the right the colors are snow angels in the parc, navigating the metro, midnight stroll, and liaison at the Louvre. I prefer this quad to the one next to it. The colors are a bit more dramatic, and I only use this quad for a nighttime look. I love the color midnight stroll the most out of the four, and I've gotten a lot of use out of snow angels in the parc as a highlighter. I enjoy the navigating the metro color because it has gold in it. 

Last but not least these are the four blushes that came in the box. Each one corresponds to a quad. The colors from right to left are irresistible (goes with quad 1), envisioned (goes with quad 2), limitless (quad 3), and intrigue (quad 4). To be honest, I have a lot of blushes already that I love, so I didn't find myself reaching for these very often. My favorite of these is envisioned, which happens to be with my favorite quad. I love peach blushes, even though I'm extremely pale. I just think they give a lot of depth to my face. Though I do love pink blushes too, just not irresistible or intrigue. Irresistible is too much like a highlighter pink color. I can blend it out but I think it's just too pink for me. Intrigue is too dark for my skin tone, even when I blend it out I still look really flushed, like I just ran 5 miles. I think that on someone tanner than me intrigue would be amazing though. I'll probably pass it on to my olive-skinned mom to try.



One last little thing. Here is the portable pallete they give you, so you can take your favorite quad with you. It's very easy to remove a quad out of the box and then place it on the magnetic bottom of this container. One thing I wish was that it was easy to remove each individual color, so that you could make your own quad. I know tarte products are notoriously easy to depot but I still wish the box was made so that each individual color could be taken out. I wouldn't carry a blush with me in my purse, I just don't need it. If I could I would keep all the eye shadows from quad two but add the colors private chateau and tea for two from quad one in the place of the blush. My other concern is that this portable pallete seems cheaply made out of cardboard, and the color gets dirty very easily, even from just being kept in a purse. 





Overall, I think the box was worth the $48, mainly because of the eye shadows. While I'm not crazy about every single color I have used most of them, and they're very high quality. The mascara is a bit of a miss for me, maybe other people might like it better. The lip glosses are also pretty good, even though they're a bit stickier than I would like, though I doubt I'll purchase them full size. The blushes are high quality and I think the colors are good, it just depends on your skin tone. If you're pale like me you'd probably like the first two, maybe even the first three, but if you're tan the second two would look a lot better. 

Anyway I've rambled on enough for one day. Hope this review was helpful even though this box is so old! 
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Saturday, June 6, 2015

The Best BB Cream Ever!!!



Hey guys! So today I wanted to do a separate post about the BB cream mentioned in my recent skincare post


Here is a picture of it! It's called Rejuvenating Blemish Base BB Silver Label by Dr, Jart. It's SPF 35/PA++.


As a pale skinned individual, I've always struggled with my complexion. It be can so frustrating because, when you're pale, literally every imperfection shows. So, here's a picture of me naked-faced for the internet, which frightens me a bit
























Okay, so this is my face. For some reason this picture looks much better on my computer than it did when I took it with my iphone, but whatever. A little info about my skin: I've had combination/oily blemish prone skin since I was about 13. I had pretty bad acne until I was 17 or 18 years old. While my face has certainly cleared up I still do have some redness and scarring. I usually have one or two pimples at a time. I also have a broken capillary by my right eye, and a lot of redness around my nose. For info about my skincare routine look at my first post.

So, when I first got this product I was a bit skeptical. First off, there is only one color, which seemed weird to me because the product is definitely tinted. I also wasn't crazy about the $30 price tag, but I had heard such amazing things about this product from my pale-skinned friends that I had to try it. I was worried the sunscreen and the moisturizer would make my face oily, because that's usually what happens.

To use this product I squirted a bit on my hand. I would say I used a good amount, as I was trying to use this to replace my entire foundation, concealer, and powder routine. I used my fingers to gently pat the product on, as the directions stated. This was the result I got.











Honestly, I am super happy with the results. Again, the pictures really don't do this product justice. This BB cream feels great when applying. It's moisturizing without making my skin feel oily, and I think it really brightens up and evens my complexion. One nice thing about this is that it can function as a concealer. I think it corrected my dark circles as well as my favorite concealer (Boing by Benefit). It also fixed the redness around my nose, and covered the broken capillary by my eye. One nice thing about this product is that you can build up the coverage in places where you need it. I put a little extra on my blemish on my jaw, around my nose, and under my eyes. Usually I like my complexion to look very matte, but I surprisingly like the dewy finish this product gives. I think it makes my complexion look more natural, and like I'm not even wearing any makeup. I would feel confident going out in public wearing just this product. Even though I have pretty good skin, I still rarely feel comfortable out in public without my putting on my usual face makeup, which involved foundation, concealer, and powder.

Bottom Line: Yes, I like this product and believe it's worth the money 

Ultimately, I do think this product is worth the money. I mainly think this because of the many functions of this product. This one product can take the place of four products (moisturizer, foundation, concealer, powder), which is especially great for summer, when it's so humid makeup just melts off my face. I also love that it's a moisturizer that doesn't make my face oily. It also serves as a sunscreen, which also makes it good for summer. Most sunscreens (even expensive ones) make my face oily, so I can't wear them. One thing I'm not sure about is if this product will work for everyone. There's only one color, and it's definitely on the paler side. I'd recommend trying this product out somehow, or heading to Sephora and trying out some of the other Dr, Jart BB creams (http://www.sephora.com/search/search.jsp?keyword=dr%20jart&mode=all). I bought this one on Amazon at (http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Jart-Rejuvenating-Blemish-Whitening/dp/B006VDWCY2/ref=sr_1_1?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1433272574&sr=1-1&keywords=dr+jart+rejuvenating), As you can see, the price is now down to $20 for whatever reason, It must be a different seller this time, so I may order another one even though the one I have should last me 4 or 5 months. 

Hope everyone is having a great day and enjoying the summer <3

Monday, June 1, 2015

Thrifting Tips & Tricks!




Hey tenacious cookies! Today I wanted to talk to you guys about thrift shopping, and share with you some of my best finds.

So when many young women here the term thrift shopping they commonly associate it with gross, very worn clothing for people who can't afford to buy clothing from normal stores. But if you don't thrift you're really missing out!

Thrift stores vs, consignment shops

One thing to keep in mind is that thrift stores are very different from consignment shops. Thrift stores are generally much cheaper than consignment shops, but they are also much less selective in what they accept as donations. Thrift stores are also typically run by not for profit organizations. My favorite thrift store is The Goodwill, and in my town we have at least 3 or 4 within a 30 minute car ride. My mom and I usually go to one of these stores each weekend to shop.

What To Expect

The thing about thrift shopping is that, ultimately, it does save you money. However, you cannot expect to find an entire wardrobe. Personally, I use thrift stores to find my very basic pieces, so that I can have a larger budget for trendy, brand new clothes that I will never find at the thrift store. At the end of this post you'll see pictures of many of my thrift store finds. You'll see most of them are very basic pieces, but they are from high quality brands, and these garments make it possible for me to dress well while staying on a budget. I never have to buy sweaters, plain T-shirts, or solid tops from retail stores for full price, which saves me a ton of money in the long run.

How to shop in a thrift store

The first time I went with my Mom I was incredibly overwhelmed. The racks were jam-packed with clothing, and there seemed to be little organization. I was convinced I would not find anything there. After a while, it got easier, and I grew to love The Goodwill. Here's the basic strategy I employ to have a successful experience and to look through everything without being in the store all day.

1) The approach is very systematic. Start at the rack closest to the entrance. If you can, bring a friend or family member that could pick out clothes you would like but isn't the same size as you to prevent competition.
2) Each of you starts out on opposite sides of the rack, and you work your way to the middle
3) First look at the tag on the inside of the garment for a brand name that you like or know is high quality. The brands I usually look for are: Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, J Crew, Loft, White House Black Market, H&M, and Charlotte Russe. If it is not any of these brands I skim right past it without looking further
4) If the brand looks promising, pull it out of the rack and examine it closely. First decide if it's the style you like based on how old the garment looks (Charlotte Russe 2007 is very different than Charlotte Russe 2015)
5) If you still like it, look closer for any irreversible damage (ie large stains, holes, etc). If it doesn't have any problems put it in the cart.
6) Repeat for all racks (or as many as you have time for)
- One thing to keep in mind is that racks are divided based on the type of garment, so if you know you're not looking for any sweaters right now then go ahead and skip the rack.

Tips & Tricks 

1) Many stores (including The Goodwill) have a system where each week a particular tag color means a garment is 50% off. The Goodwill also has a student discount of 10% on the total purchase.
2) Some days are better than others, and a lot of it comes down to luck
3) Really be willing to dig around to find good items, they're not going to pop off the rack at you
4) The dressing rooms are usually a catastrophe, but look closely at what the person before you left behind.
5) Keep an open mind. Don't put back a great find because it smells weird or is covered in cat hair. As long as it's fixable you can look past it.

My Best Finds:

So, since I didn't really know where else to put these pictures in the post I just decided to have them all at the end. Enjoy!
Loft navy shirt
Banana Republic button down
Banana Republic sweater 
New York & Company burgundy sweater

Loft olive shirt

New York & Company pink blouse

100% cashmere sweater
J Crew black shirt

J Crew blue sweater
floral pencil skirt

Loft navy and cream dress

Express pink shorts

Loft blue blouse

Old Navy mint and blue blouse
New York & Company green shirt