Makeup Bag Essentials: November

*Nothing to Disclose

It's that time again, Time to switch up the makeup routine. Honestly, my routine rarely changes. I may switch up colors but overall things stay the same. That being said I'll tell you about a few of my new additions. 

For fall I'm loving the Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie. It's the perfect balmy berry color that's not too dark for me to pull off. I own a few other colors and of the few I have this is the least pigmented. I think that works in it's favor in this instance. I'm not big on the bright lips.

One thing I have changed recently is my foundation. I've been struggling with liquid foundations for years and I'm never happy with the result. They always find their way to break down on my nose and give me trouble. So I switched to a powder foundation. I got a sample of the Bare Minerals loose foundation and I've been loving it. There is still some break down, but since you need so little to get good coverage it's not bad. I know I'll be buying the full size when I run out of my sample.

My last new product that I'm in LOVE with is the ELF Lip Exfoliator. It's by far the most convenient lip scrub I've come across and I love it. I can't say enough good things about it. 

So those are the new things in my makeup bag. As the months go on you'll find that the other things very rarely change. 

L'Oreal Infallible Eye Shadow

*Purchased by Me

My love for all things neutral struck again. This time in the form of these gorgeous super pigmented pressed shadows. I've seen these floating around the community for ages, but didn't really buy into the hype. I came across some of them in a super clearance sale a few months ago and snatched up the middle shade called Cafe Latte. It's the perfect inner corner and all over lid color. After falling for the consistency and staying power I knew I needed more.

I had seen swatches of Amber Rush (on the right) and thought it was the perfect rose gold color. I began searching and after looking in about 5 different stores I found it while I was on vacation in the Keweenaw this past June. I was more excited about this shadow than I was pretty much anything else on my trip.

My most recent acquisition is the color on the left. Liquid Diamond. The perfect purple toned grey. I wear it all over my lid and often wear it alone. The photo shows it more as a blue tone, but I've noticed that lots of purples show up blue. If you ever find yourself in the makeup section of your local store give this color a gander. I'm so in love with it.

The claims are that this color will last for 24 hours. I've tried it with primer and without. With primer I went all day without a crease in sight. Without primer I started noticing a crease after about three hours. I normally never go sans primer if I'm wearing eye shadow.

The best way to apply these are with your finger, but I've recently found that a small flat synthetic concealer brush works pretty well too.

What are some of you're favorite long wearing eye shadows?

Jo Malone: New Favorite Fragrance?

*Purchased by Me

I blame YouTube for my love of Jo Malone. After seeing several YouTubers mention this brand and more specifically this perfume I knew I had to try it out. Sadly, I live in the middle of nowhere with no access to a Jo Malone counter or store. Enter Ebay! I know it can be tricky buying cosmetics and/or perfumes from Ebay, but there are a few really good sellers out there. I searched and found a sample to buy, and at first I wasn't in love.

On first sniff I thought it smelled a an old lady, but after trying it a few more times it grew on me. It grew on me so much that I took the dive a bought a bottle. Here's a list of the notes so you can get an idea of the scent. Top note is red apple; middle notes are peony, jasmine, carnation and rose; base note is suede. It's not my usual scent, but I like that I'm branching out as a perfume wearer.

I'm planning a trip to Chicago and found out there's a Jo Malone counter in several stores I'm going to visit. I can't wait to go there and smell all the pretties. On the other hand. I'm nervous about how much I'm going to spend. 

Rimmel London 60 Second Nail Polish

*Purchased by Me

I Lilac You:

Mintalicious:

I'm a big advocate for pastels colors in fall. I think they can add a pop to your outfit like no other. That being said it's tricky to get a pastel creme polish to behave. I've had several experiences with streaky messes, which are never fun. I found these beauties at Walmart a few months ago and knew right then and there that I needed them. 

They're both from the Rimmel London's 60 second line. One is a yummy mint and the other a light lilac color. Both have great coverage in two coats, but being the stickler that I am I used three. Since buying these I've picked up about five more colors from the range including a gorgeous teal. 

There are two things about these polishes that really get me excited. First of all the price. They're 1.50 each. One one hand you can buy a few, but on the other hand you can buy ALL of them. The other thing I love about them is the color range. For the most part they're all creme finishes, but there are a few that are shimmery. I can't wait to go and pick out a few more. 

Allure Sample Society: October

*Purchased for the purpose of review

Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE monthly sample boxes. So when I heard about one from Allure, one of the best beauty magazines around I had to have it. It's 15 dollars a month with free shipping. I can say for sure that this month was worth WAY more that 15 dollars. Nothing better than getting a full size high end product for practically free, right?

Unlike some sample services you can't really customize it like you can with services like Ispy. That's a bit of a downside, but overall I'm happy with my box this month and can't wait to get my hands on next month's box. I got four product, three are samples or deluxe samples, but the last one is a full size product. 

I'm not really into self tanning so the Tarte Brazilliance pads are going to go to waste. I think they're a great product, but just not for me.

The sample of Givenchy's new perfume was great because I really wanted to give it a sniff. I was sadly disappointed in the smell. It's far too heavy for my liking. I'm horrible at describing scents so here's a list of the notes. Golden Fruit (Mirabelle Plum), White Flower Bouquet (Mainly Jasmine), Sandalwood, Vetiver, Patchouli.

The Lorac primer is something I might have to get in full size. I'm loving the feel of it. I'm also loving that it's a matte primer. As a girl with super oily skin a matte finish is key. 

Lastly we have a product that I'm the most excited about. I've been on the search for a good eye cream for months and had just about given up. Enter the Restorsea eye cream. A product derived from the sea with all sorts of good for you natural ingredients, and none of the icky ones. When I saw this in the box I squeed a bit. I squeed even more when I found out that the full size is 85 dollars. The final squee came when I went to the site and found out the "sample" I got in my box WAS the full size!!!!!!!!!! There are no words for how excited I was to have an 85 dollar product in my 15 dollar box. If that's the quality I can expect from this every month, sign me up.

What are some of your favorite sample boxes? I'm always looking to try more. 

Glasses by Firmoo

*Partially Purchased and Partially Provided for Review

I was contacted by Firmoo a few weeks ago, and asked if I would like to try out a pair of glasses for free. Being a glasses wearer I jumped all over the offer. My first thoughts were to get a new pair of sunglasses, but I was quickly informed that the offer was for regular glasses only. 

I browsed their site and found a few pairs I loved. I have a really wide head and there wasn't really a pair that sounded like it would fit the right way. After searching for a while I landed of this pair of subtle cat eye glasses. I love a vintage style frame and this was just perfect. The fit is a little tight, but nothing I haven't dealt with before. 

Checking out was easy. Just enter your prescription and such and away you go. You may have noticed in my disclaimer at the top that there were only partially free. That's because I have pretty bad eyes. I had to upgrade to a different lens and that was a ten dollar cost. My pretty bad eyes also stop me from wearing contacts.

My overall experience was a good one and I won't hesitate to look at their site in the future. My next pair will without a doubt be a new pair of sunglasses. 

Glam Glow: Super Mud

*Purchased by me

Can we just take a moment and freak out because it's OCTOBER!!!!!!!!!! Quite possibly my favorite month ever. The leaves, the sweaters, the boots, and the covers. I'm a sucker for snuggling up in bed with blankets and a good book/laptop and wasting a day. I'm really good at it and October is the perfect month to waste a day.

On to the product! Glam Glow is something I've been lusting over for months. I'm a girl with greasy skin and clogged pores. I don't want to be, but that's what I'm stuck with. I had heard so many things about this mask, but with the whopping price tag I was stunned. I finally found it on sale online and bought it. I didn't know what I was missing. I don't think I can ever live without this in my life. It's that good. 

Now, I'm not going to post any action shots because no one needs to see my blackheads. It's just not proper. So if you really need to see this in action look it up on Google. The mask is super dark and thick. It covers really well and dries to a lighter grey color when it's ready to be washed.

I put a thin layer on my trouble spots: my nose, my chin, and any other spots that have issues. I like to let it set for 30 minutes, and then wash it off with a warm wash cloth. Afterwards my face feels soft and clear and ready for serum and moisturizing. I try to do this at least twice a month, but if my skin is being really crappy I do it once a week. 

Have you tried any of the Glam Glow masks? I've only tried this one, but I'm intrigued and want to try more. What are your favorites?