Glossy Box: Bergdorf Goodman Edition

Well, this was a pleasant surprise...

For some crazy reason, I was convinced that I wouldn't be getting this particular box.  It seemed way too soon to be getting another one, and I wrote the whole thing off as one of those special purchases that you have to opt into and promptly forgot about it.

Smash cut to last weekend: guess what showed up in my mailbox!

1. Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer (full size: $45)

I'm not really a huge primer girl, but I'm coming around to the Maybelline Baby Skin.  As excited as I am to try this one, I'm not sure anything will get me to spend more than the $8 (or whatever the Baby Skin costs) on a primer.

2. Revive Eye Renewal Serum Firming Booster (full size: $140)
Serums are fun!  I'll give it a shot!  Won't spend that much on the full size!

3. Philip B Lightweight Deep Conditioning Creme Rinse (full size: $26)
Fun fact: this sample has the least expensive full-sized counterpart.  This box is fancy, y'all.  Anyway, I love me a good deep conditioner, and this size will be great for travel.

4. Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme Cologne Absolute (full size: $140)
I love this scent.  It reminds me a bit of the Jimmy Choo perfume that I wore on my wedding day, which may certainly contribute to that.  My husband also approved of this scent, so: bonus!

5. Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream (full size: $95)
I'm not completely loving the eye cream that I'm currently using anymore, so I'm excited to switch it up and give this one a shot.

6. Lancome Absolute L'Extrait Regenerating Ultimate Elixir (full size: $360)
Near as I can tell, this is a moisturizer (and quite the luxurious one, at that).  It smells just lovely, and I think it will be an exciting little departure from my trusty Aveeno.

The Bergdorf Goodman box also included a $25 gift card to the store, which means that the Hourglass blush in Dim Infusion is on its way to my hot little hands.  Score!

If you received the Bergdorf Glossy Box, what did you think?  Any products that differed from mine?

May 2014 Favorites

Monthly favorites posts and videos are some of my, well, favorites to look forward to each month.  I find it almost a little bit fascinating to really think about what my most reached-for products were for and to notice little trends here and there.

1. L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara

No surprise here.  I'm completely infatuated with what this mascara does for my lashes.  While it's not labeled as a waterproof formula, this particular product performs just as well, if not better, than some waterproof mascaras I've tried.

2. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
An easy go-to for a sun-kissed look.  Plus, the smell is just delicious.

3. Tarte Exposed Blush

Still going strong in May, just as it was in April.  We're having some major remodeling done on our house right now, so a lot of my makeup isn't really easily accessible.  This blush has made my mornings really easy; it's tough to mess this one up.

4. Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

This is one of my new favorite formulas.  It really does last on my skin all day, and it applies beautifully with my beauty blender.

5. Jordana Fabuliner

An easy to use, felt tip black liner that's worth every penny (all 299 of them).

6. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Perfume

This was a Christmas gift from my mom last year, and I'm so thrilled to finally have it in my collection!  This is my go-to fragrance for every day; I love that it's light and not too sweet.

7. Alex and Ani Bangles

This little swan guy appeared in a Glossy Box a few months back, and I was instantly hooked.  My Amazon wish-list is now crawling with more of these bracelets, but I just couldn't help myself and ordered the St Christopher charm bangle in mid-May.  I've been wearing them almost every day; I love that they chime just a bit without being obnoxiously loud.

8. AG Hair Cosmetics Keratin Repair Serum

My stylist talked me into this a few months ago, and I've been using every time I've washed my hair since.  My ends tend to be dry and prone to breakage, but since I've been using this serum my split ends have been almost non-existent.

What products have you been loving this month?

Review: L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

L'Oreal Miss Manga Mascara

I first heard about this mascara on several UK beauty blogs and YouTube channels.  I coveted the volume and lamented the fact that it wasn't available in the US.  Imagine my excitement when I read on Nouveau Cheap that it was soon to be landing on this side of the pond!  I finally got my hands on it a few weeks ago and I'm already so, so pleased with its performance.

The brush has natural bristles and a very unique shape.  The thick base does a fabulous job pulling out and adding volume to my outer lashes, and the narrower tip makes it easy to coat the inner corner lashes, as well as my bottom lashes.  

Speaking of bottom lashes, here's my beef with putting mascara there: unless I fully commit to waterproof mascara (and the ordeal that is removing waterproof mascara), it almost instantly winds up smudging onto my under-eye area.  

Not so with the Miss Manga.  While not labeled as a waterproof formula as far as I know, this mascara has yet to flake, smudge, or transfer, even on my oily skin.  It's a for-real miracle, y'all.

Long story short, I'm loving this mascara.  So help me if/when they discontinue the formula in the US.

Have you tried this mascara?  What did you think?

Glossy Box, May 2014

1.  Aqua Spa Relax Body Creme (full size: $10)

Based on the back-of-the-hand test, this seems pretty moisturizing.  The scent is only so-so, however.  Still, it'll be nice for traveling this summer.

2.  Bellapierre Cosmetics Super Gloss (full size: $24.50)
This gloss seems nice, not too sticky, although I'm not completely sold on the shade.  Might be nice for a no-makeup look.

3.  Caldrea Body Wash (full size: $18)
Tea Olive Lime might just be my new favorite scent.  I would love a perfume in this fragrance!  Another sample that will be great for traveling.

4.  Ciate London Paint Pot in Skinny Dip (full size: $15)
Try as I might to avoid spoilers, I was super excited to find out that this month's box included a Ciate polish.  Imagine my disappointment when the color I got was a bright orange glitter.  This might end up in my giveaway pile.

5.  LASplash Cosmetics Eyeshadow Sealer/Base (full size $9)
Color me underwhelmed.  I've not road tested this one yet, but a friend of mine didn't give it a very good report.

Verdict:  Only so-so.  The body creme and body wash will be handy for vacations this summer, but other than that, I wasn't a huge fan of this month's sample haul.  Better luck next month!

Drugstore Staples

While I'm certainly not opposed to spending my money on high-end beauty products, there are a few things to be found at the local drugstore that I find to work just as well, if not better, than a lot of the more expensive brands.  Here are a few of my drugstore essentials:

1. Lip balm

As tempting as something from the Fresh Sugar line, or the Dior rose lip balm may be, it just seems so silly to me to spend that much money on something that you're just going to need to reapply in 20 minutes anyway.  Instead, I swear by the Nivea Lip Butters (the vanilla and macadamia is my favorite) for post-lip scrub at night, and the Kiss of Milk and Honey Lip Treatment for everyday hydration.  Both are less than $4.

2. Dry Shampoo
I'm so relieved that dry shampoos have become a lot more affordable in the last couple of years.  For a long time, the only real options to be found were high-end, expensive options, but now it seems like every haircare company has their own version.  My personal favorite is the Dove Refresh + Care dry shampoo; it's $4.99 on an average day, although I just snagged some at Rite Aid for $2.99.

3. Moisturizer
Skin care is so expensive.  I get that the high-end stuff may work wonders, but for basic things like moisturizer, I much prefer the drugstore.  I'm currently using the Aveeno Smart Essentials moisturizer and night cream; they're part of the Active Naturals line and they smell wonderful.

4. Lotion/hand cream

Every now and then, I'll "splurge" on some Hand Food hand cream, but more often than not, I'm strictly a drugstore girl.  I love the Neutrogena Norwegian formula for night, and my favorite to toss in my purse is the Curel Hand and Cuticle Therapy.  As for post-shower moisturizing, I've used the Curel Daily Moisture for as long as I can remember; it's all I remember my mom using when I was growing up.

5. Mascara

I fully admit that I do love some high-end mascaras; I've repurchased Benefit's They're Real several times now, and the Too Faced Better Than Sex continues to grow on me.  That's not to say, however, that you can't find equally great formulas at the drugstore.  Maybelline makes a few of my favorites, and I also love the L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black and the Voluminous Butterfly for great volume.

What are your drugstore essentials?

Review: Sigma Warm Neutrals Palette

It came, it came!

It's the same old story: Hadn't planned on getting this palette, didn't need another set of neutral shadows, it wasn't even in stock half the time, et cetera.  So what if I put a harmless little e-mail alert on the off-chance that it was restocked in the next few months?

So pretty...

I swear, not even two weeks later, I got an e-mail from Sigma that, lo and behold, the Warm Neutrals Palette was back in stock and ripe for the purchasing.  That, coupled with the 10% off codes you can find on pretty much any YouTubers' channel, along with the terrible influence of my coworker (hereafter referred to as The Enabler), and I was powerless to resist.

These shades are absolutely right up my alley.  I really shy away from bright colors, but I will forever fall in love with a good neutral palette.  These swatch beautifully, and while a few of the matte shades seemed a touch powdery upon first glance, I think they're certainly workable.

L-R: Oyster Sand, Sugar Milk, Mild Mannered, Dove

L-R: Fawn, Cinnamon, Russet, Balanced

L-R: Cozy, Innocent, Optimistic, Warm Stone

Purely based on swatches alone, I'm loving Mild Mannered, Dove, Russet, Balanced, Cozy and Innocent.  Here's a quick Sunday morning look I came up with:

A a base I used the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink.  I swept Balanced all over the lid, and patted some Dove on the outer third and up into the crease.  I blended out the edges with Cinnamon, and put just a touch of Sugar Milk on my brow bone.  I smudged a little bit of Dove under the outer half of my lash line, and Balanced is under the inner half of my lash line.

So far, I'm pleased with this palette and I think it will be perfect for everyday looks, as well as for some more intense, smokier looks every now and then.

April Favorites

Sigh.  Spring in the Portland Metro area is so, so much different from most of the rest of the country.  Of course, it has a reputation as being rainier than most year-round, but the spring months really seem to confirm that reputation more than others (well, except maybe November and December).  Basically, what I'm trying to say is that it's raining.  All the time, every day.  And I'm over it.

Good thing there's makeup to help me forget my rainy-day blues!

Still on a quest to find good lighting in my house...

This month's roundup includes several newer products (that post-shopping high, I guess), as well as a few rediscovered old favorites.

Is it monthly-favorites cheating if you really love a product but probably wouldn't spend the money on it again?  That's a little bit how I feel about the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara.  Packaging: adorable.  Formula: great.  Performance: fine.  This does give a good amount of volume and doesn't flake on me like I've heard other people complain about, but it clumps so easily that it's almost (almost!) more trouble than it's worth.  I think what I really ought to do is invest in some disposable spoolies and use them to comb through after I apply.  I do find that a second coat after the first is about 2/3 dry is helpful, however.

Never mind the curlers.  Saturday afternoon, you know.

I am absolutely a BeautyBlender convert.  When I picked one up at the Sephora VIB sale, it was purely an impulse buy (near the register!), but I think I still had a pretty good gut feeling that it would be worth the investment.  

Even more so than foundation application, I am crazy in love with my BeautyBlender for blending in my concealer.  I have slightly puffy under-eyes with one very, very annoying fine line running through each one, and I have never had a concealer not crease on me just a little bit, until I started using the pointed end of this little pink beauty.

I purchased the kabuki brush on a bit of a whim back in January.  I had just started my great bronzer experiment (that is, I had just purchased my first bronzer and had no idea what the hell I was doing) and I was hoping to find an affordable kabuki brush that would help me to blend things out (I was very, very concerned with blending.  No weird muddy face for me!).  I found this Eco-Tools retractable kabuki brush at Rite Aid one afternoon, and I've been steadily using it since.  Not only is it wonderful for blending out not only bronzer but also the occasional over-zealous blush application, but the fact that it's retractable makes it ideal for traveling.

Simply put, this blush is gorgeous.  It's got just a hint of pink to it, but for the most part is subtly nude and delightful.  It's great for those little-to-no-makeup days that I tend toward in the spring and summer.

Swatched!

I have a weird relationship with lip products; I rarely stray from the my-lips-but-better standard, and even then, I usually end up sticking just with lip balm because it's less maintenance.  This gloss, however, may have changed me.  I picked up Vanilla Cream Pie on a whim during a trip to Fred Meyer a few weeks ago and I couldn't believe how long it had taken me to jump on the butter gloss train.  I happened upon the NYX display at Target last weekend (when did that happen, by the way?) and couldn't resist getting a second shade in Apple Strudel.  This one is a bit more sheer than I had hoped for, but I'm still loving it as a natural lip option.

L: Vanilla Cream Pie; R: Apple Strudel

I ordered some skin-care items from Sephora a couple months back, and my Honey app found a coupon code for this little gem when I was finalizing my order.  The sample came in a good-sized bottle that was supposed to only last two weeks, but it was still kicking around 3 weeks in.  Even in such a short time, I feel like I can really see a difference in the tone of my skin.  It's not as though I was covered in wrinkles, but I feel like my face is smoother and a bit more toned since I started using this serum.  It might be time to cave and start investing in my skin care instead of just spending money on it.

What products did you love this month?