Keep Your False Lashes Organized

When you take good care of your false lashes, you can use them more than one time. The problem I often come across is keeping my lashes clean and organized in between uses. With single packs of lashes you have the option to keep the lashes in the packaging, but when you buy multi packs like the ones sold by Ardell, it is harder to keep the lashes organized in between uses.

The idea I am about to share with you is not one that I have come up with, though I would love to be able to take the credit. When I saw this idea, I thought it was absolutely amazing and I knew that I had to share it:

A pill organizer!

You can put your lashes in the compartments by pair, or one strip per compartment. If you choose the second option, I recommend that you use tape or a maker to label which compartments go with each other. If you are going on a trip and don't feel like packing a bigger pill organizer you can always opt for an individual day or two sized pill organizer. This option is probably better for short trips or if you don't have tons of different lashes you rotate through. 

I have seen organizers specifically meant to organize false lashes on the market, but I find these pill organizers to be a better option because they are in so many stores and really cheap (I bought mine for 98cents!). 

How do you keep your falsies organized? 

Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette: First Impressions & Naked 3 Dupe

So when I saw this palette my hands tossed it in my basket before my brain registered what I had even grabbed. I use my Maybelline The Nudes Palette at least 3 or 4 times a week so I had to pick this one up.

The first thing I noticed was its striking similarity to Urban Decay’s Naked 3 Palette. Perhaps you will agree with me:

So yeah, if you had your eye on Naked 3, but don’t want to (or can’t) spend the fifty something dollars, for around ten you can have this palette. Here are swatches of The Blushed Nudes:

And just for fun, here are swatches from Naked 3:

The verdict:

Blushed Nudes is a really good palette. The shadows are soft and blend well. I’m definitely glad that I go it. I do believe that it is comparable to the Naked 3, the biggest difference is that Naked 3 is more pigmented. It really all depends what you want to spend your money on when it comes to make up.

Personally, my Naked 3 is my favorite palette, so I can’t imagine passing that up for the Maybelline. But I can’t deny the similarities. 

Aveeno Positively Smooth Shave Gel Review

Spring…by the time it gets here I am more than ready for it. Fall is my favorite season, but the beginning of Spring always gives me renewed energy. It’s warm, but not too hot, and there is a sweet spot before my allergies and bugs start to attack.

Given the warming weather, capris, skirts, and shorts will soon be able to come out of hiding. A while back, I wrote an article on How to Make aShave Last, and in that article I mentioned shaving lotion/gel that helps slow down hair regrowth. So today, I will be providing you with a review of the shaving gel I use for that purpose: Aveeno Positively Smooth Shave Gel.

I purchased mine at Wal-Mart, though I imagine that this shaving gel would be available in most stores that carry Aveeno.

First off, let me talk about the scent. I know for some people that can be a huge factor, so I will be addressing that first. Personally, I love the scent; it reminds me of Amaretto Cookies. It is a fairly strong scent, though once you rinse it off, I don’t notice it sticking around.

Now, let’s talk about the gel. You don’t need that much, a little bit of gel goes a long way. This is because as you rub it on your legs, the gel lathers up and takes up a lot more space than it did when you first dispense it from the can.

Does it actually slow down regrowth? Now, I’m not going to be scientific about this. From my experience, it does. I am not sure about the formula and what about it slows the growing process, but I have noticed that I get a few extra days before I need to shave again.

To explain how big a deal this is, you’ll need to know about my own “hairy” situation.. (I’m so sorry, but I had to do it.) If I shave in the morning, by night time, I have decent amounts of stubble. And since I am ghost pale, with really dark brown hair, it stands out. By the end of the next day, the entire forest has grown back. When I use this (when I’m lazy and don’t exfoliate) I can get four days instead of one to two. If I’m not lazy, I can get five or six days. After spending years of daily to every other day shaving, I never thought that I would be able to go 4-6 days without shaving.

I absolutely love this shaving gel.

As far as price goes, it is a drugstore product, so it is affordable. It was about four dollars. From the 

prices I saw when I picked it out, it was towards the higher end, but if it works for you like it did for me, you will a lot less, a whole lot less often. 

*I do not own this picture. I found it via a Google search. If this is your picture and you would like me to take it down, please let me know and I will gladly do so.*

Washing a Beauty Blender (or a Dupe)

So you have finally given in to the beauty blender craze ( I know I resisted for a long time). You use
the sponge, and no matter what your feelings on the application, you are now left with a dirty makeup applicator that needs to be cleaned. But how? You can’t just wipe it off, and there aren’t any bristles like on a makeup brush.

Read on if you want to see how I clean my Beauty Blender.

First, I must stress, that if you want your blender to stay in good condition for as long as possible, you must be GENTLE.

What to wash it with?

-I use a mixture of Dawn (original formula nothing extra added) and coconut oil.

I know coconut oil is solid in its normal room temp state, but you can get a liquid coconut oil and I have also seen little bottles of liquid coconut oil in Sally’s.

-I put about equal amounts of each into a container.

-Then I mix the two liquids,

-Using water that is about room temperature, I run my beauty blender under the faucet until it is damp. I then dip it into my clean mixture and gently work it in. I do this by squeezing the beauty blender and running it under the water.  I continue gently squeezing until I don’t see any more dish soap suds coming out of the sponge. I continue dipping and rinsing and squeezing under the running water until I have gotten all of the makeup off and out of the sponge. This will take time, but if you are gentle, your sponge should come out pretty much like new when you are done. At some point it is only natural for stains to occur, but you will know your blender is clean when the water you squeeze out of the blender is consistently clear.

*The image is not mine, I got it from a Google search, If the image is yours and you would like me to take it down please message me and I will gladly do so.*

Maybelline Brow Drama- Review

It took some doing, but I was finally able track down a BrowDrama in my shade: Deep Brown.

Multiple stores that I went to had clearly been picked over, with only a few blondes left.  After having a few days to play with it, I have come up with an opinion that will hopefully help some of you make your own decision.

Overall, I like the product, and at around six dollars, it’s a good buy. I knew I had to try it to see if it was a drugstore type dupe of Benefit’s Gimme Brow. Admittedly, I have not tried the Gimme Brow, because I can’t justify the price when I already have a brow routine that I love.  

The colors that are available are deep brown, soft brown, auburn, blonde, and clear. As I mentioned above, the shade I chose is deep brown and is pretty much an exact match with my brow hairs.

I recommend using a light hand so that you don’t accidentally get the colored gel on your skin- especially if you already have your foundation done.

My one complaint with this product is that applicator: the round bubble end of the want makes it difficult to get the tail end of your brows. If the entire wand was the thinner size, I feel as though I would have the control I desire when working on my brows.

I was lucky to find such a good match to my natural brows, but if you don’t match one of the colors, at least there is the clear gel so you can get the grooming and brow control.

I have decided that I like using this gel for a light, groomed look. After using this product, my brows look neat and groomed, but not like I have makeup in them or that they are all done up. Perfect for a day with minimal makeup or for anyone who is uncomfortable full on filling in your brows: I know I didn’t always like the look of fully filled in brows.

Let's Meet Marsala

So by now I'm sure you have heard the buzz about this years' Pantone Color of the Year, Marsala. While I am a big fan of "wear whatever makes you feel great no matter the trends", I figured I would still take a look at Marsala.

The best way I have heard Marsala explained is as an earthy red. Last year's color, Radiant Orchid, was a lot easier to pin down. Ever since Marsala's debut I have seen many variations of the shade. But since Pantone is the one who chose the color, I'm going to stick with the swatch they supplied:

I decided to shuffle through my makeup collection to see what I could come up with.

 Below I have created some swatches of drugstore Marsala shaded goodness:

Some Marsala toned Lippies. 

Top Row- Left to Right: Kate Moss for Rimmel in 08, Revlon Matte Balm in Elusive, Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry, Maybelline Matte Lipstick in Lust for Blush, Covergirl Jumbo Gloss Balm in 225.

Bottom Row- Left to Right: Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Ravish, Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in Obsession, Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Bordeaux, Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet, Maybelline 14hr Lipstick in Wine and Forever, Almay Liquid Lip Balm in Just Plum Good.

Underneath the lippies I swatched Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranite Punk (left) and the wine color from Maybelline's Designer Chocolates Palette.

Maybelline Wine and Forevernail polish:

Ideas of how to wear Marsala:
If you want to add Marsala into your makeup look there are two ways to add it into a look without being overbearing, and everyone can do it, even if they aren't super skilled in makeup, or their schedule doesn't allow for lots of makeup time.

1. Pop of Marsala: Use a little bit of a marsala shade into your crease.
2. Lipstick statement: Keep your eyes simple with just some mascara and eyeliner and use a marsala lipstick as a quick and trendy statement.
3. Marsala manicure

Do you plan on giving this color a try?

Physician's Formula Mineral Pearl Highlighter Review

So I have been using my highlighter from Physician's Formula for about a year now and I will definitely be repurchasing it. That said, I know that this highlight is now going to be everyone's (please forgive the cliche) cup of tea. Without further ado, I will talk about the properties of this product so that you can decide for yourself.

If you do decide to head in the direction of this product, please use a light hand, unless that is the look you are going for. This product is very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. With a light hand, I can get a nice glow going. With a medium hand, I can easily become a disco ball. And with any more pressure than that, this highlight becomes an opaque pearly white later of pigment. When I first swatched it, I saw the intense pearl pigment and got nervous. I'm so glad I stuck it out though, because I love it. It's kind of like a build able highlight. From subtle to editorial- whatever you decide. I love that versatility. 

The only thing that I think will put some people off is that there is some glitter/sparkle to it. With a light hand it is subtle, but if you aren't careful it can look like you dumped glitter on your face.