Brace yourselves!

Oh no, y'all. I just spent a ton of money on makeup for my birthday. I think there's another haul on the horizon! I just wanted to give you a heads up since I've been MIA for a while. College takes up a lot of your time, you know? Talk to you soon (hopefully)!

~Stacie

Time to say goodbye

Hey there! I have some things that are starting to show some wear, so I thought I would write about what I'm doing to replace them.

First up: my nude sandals.

As you can see, these sandals have taken some abuse. The toes are all beat up and the heel part of the sole lifts away from the wedge heel as I take a step. I've had them for around five years, I think, and they've served me well. I loved wearing them in late spring and through summer because they had the "nude" colored material paired with the cork which gave them such a fun, young, summery feel. I loved it! They went with everything and helped elongate my legs a bit--which is what a shorty like me needs. But they started to really fall apart this year and I had to come to terms with the fact that I needed new shoes.

So that's why I bought these!

I love these! They're a little more sophisticated looking and that's good now that I'm in college instead of high school, but they still give a nice summery vibe. I'm still trying to break them in a little, but I can go a good couple hours before they start hurting. That's pretty good for heels! I bought the first pair at TJ Maxx, and I got these from the same place. Good ol' TJ Maxx. I was excited to buy these since I could actually buy them for myself! Yes, I finally got a job this past summer, and these were one of my first purchases. Not a gift, and not something I had to beg and plead for. Good feeling, y'all. Good feeling.

Next: Revlon ColorStay Brow Enhancer in Blonde

Do you see that?! That is all I have left of this product. Barely anything. I love this stuff. It's great for when you're in a hurry and can't afford taking your time to make sure things don't look too heavy or overdone. It's a nice little tinted wax that was perfect! And now they don't make it anymore!!! Ugh! I don't think there's anything like it in the drugstore, and I don't feel like spending $20 or $30 on a brow product.

When I first got this I wasn't too excited about it because the gold highlighter made my skin look scaley. On the second use, the entire highlighting end fell out on the ground! That left me with mixed emotions. In the end, I didn't care too much because the tinted wax was the best part. Now that it's gone, I need some suggestions on a good alternative in the drugstore.

Last: EcoTools Duo Fiber Brush (Stippling Brush)

This was one of the first makeup brushes I ever bought. I've had it for... I don't even know. Probably five years. I could be anywhere from four to six, though. My dive into makeup is kind of murky in my mind. There was a time when I liked it but wasn't too serious about it, but then there was this leap when I started watching videos constantly and started buying more. I just can't remember when that leap happened.

I got this kit of brushes from EcoTools and this brush was in it. You can't buy it by itself, so I'm going to have to get another stippling brush from another brand. I think I'm going to look at E.L.F. Their small stippling brush is pretty good. I took the above pictures at those angles to show that the bristles have lost their stiffness, which is pretty much essential for a stippling brush. The bristles just kind of bend and droop to the side. Don't they look sad? Besides that, the tips have frayed and curved so they don't have the needed oomph to apply product. This brush has a lot of sentimental value, but it's time to say goodbye.

I guess that's it. I hope you're having a great weekend!

~Stacie

EDIT/UPDATE: I looked on Revlon's website, and they're still displaying the brow enhancer as if they're still selling it, so maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough, or my drugstore in particular has decided not to sell it anymore. Suggestions would still be greatly appreciated!

Haul! Because apparently I can't help myself...

That's right folks! You read correctly. This is in fact yet another haul. This really must end. But I don't know if I see that happening any time soon. Oh well, let's get started! And brace yourself. It's a long post with lots of pictures and words.

The haul is broken into two three groups. The first was bought at the same time, the second is kind of scattered over a couple days, and the third was pretty much at the same time. I thought having two groups was bad, but then I went and spent MORE money. Goodness. That's why this post has taken a little while to get up. I kept going and spending more money. And of course I had to share it with you.

Group 1

E.L.F. Small Stipple Brush

So... I bought this on recommendation from guess who! Yep, that's right. Emilynoel83 said she really likes it for applying cream blush and highlighter because it's smaller. I agree. It is really nice for those jobs and I'm glad that I picked it up. Now I need to see if E.L.F. has a bigger version because my regular-sized duo fiber brush like this is starting to fall apart. It's an EcoTools brush and one of the first I ever bought. I've had it for at least four years, if not six. Sorry those years are kind of jumping about, but I'm kind of foggy on when I really started to get serious about makeup and brushes and such.

E.L.F. Baked Eye Shadow in Toasted

This I bought because Melissa from Melmphs on YouTube said that it was a dupe for Urban Decay's Toasted. I love how the names are even the same. I thought it looked like a pretty color and for $3, why not? It is a very pretty color. It looks a little warmer on your eyelids than in its solid, baked dome form. It works well with blue and green eyes.

E.L.F. All Over Color Stick in Pink Lemonade

I saw this and I thought I might as well pick it up since it's the only one I hadn't bought yet. It is GORGEOUS! Oh my goodness, it is so pigmented. You have got to be careful how much you put on or you'll start looking like a clown or an overly rosy doll. Just a warning. But it is beautiful.

L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Eye Shadow Quad in Cuppa Joe

A little look into my makeup history: one of the first eye shadow quads I ever bought (if not the very first) was the L'Oréal Paris quad in Autumn Leaves (which they still sell, by the way). All the shades are beautiful, but over the past couple of years, the matte medium brown in the quad has become my favorite to use in the crease for definition when I do pin-up inspired looks, or I just need a little definition in general. Since it's only one among four shades, I've been worried about what will happen when I run out (I haven't even hit pan yet, but I'm a worry wart). I don't get too much use out of the other three colors, so I don't really want to keep buying the same quad when I'm only going to use one shade. Every single I've bought is either too dark or too sheer. It's never right. And do you know how hard it is to find a matte shadow in the drugstore? They are obsessed with shimmer!

When I heard that this quad was all matte and the browns all looked so perfect (and who has enough matte cream colored eye shadow? No one!), that I thought I had to pick it up. I had already purchased a Color Riche quad in Blue Haute Couture, so I knew the quality would be good. I've been using this quad for a while, and it is great! Definitely a good standard eye contouring set to have, or if you just like a neutral eye.

L'Oréal Paris Eye Shadow Single in Deep Mocha

I got this single with cheek contouring in mind, not for use as an eye shadow. Bronzers are not really made with contouring in mind, even if they are matte. They're just too warm-toned. Usually anyway, and especially in the drugstore. Also, some are too light and I'm tired of striking out. So I've been looking for cool-toned browns that I think will work as a contour. Unfortunately, in order to get a cool brown, companies usually make them dark. I bought Antique Brown a while ago, and it's even darker than this one. I thought if I used a light enough hand it could work, but it really doesn't. This one seems to work alright enough, and it works well if I combine it with a bronzer like NYC Sunny or my E.L.F. contouring duo's bronzer.

Group 2

Wet 'n' Wild 8 Pan Palette in Blue Had Me at Hello

I finally did it. I finally broke down and bought this palette. So now I have all three 8 pan palettes that they normally sell, along with a limited edition one called Sparkle til Morning. There was a 50% off sale at the supermarket and it's already cheap so I thought I might as well go ahead and get it. The colors are so pretty, and that tealy turquoise was a-calling my name. The silver is beautiful, too. Very pigmented.

Wet 'n' Wild Eye Shadow Trio in I'm Getting Sunburned

And since the sale was so good, I figured I would pick up another trio. Emily did a tutorial recently using this trio along with Walking on Eggshells, and the colors looked appealing. I'm a little disappointed with the pigmentation of the gold shade. I really had to build it up to what you see in the picture.

L'oréal Paris Infallible Eye Shadow in Iced Latté

I'm thinking there was a BOGO 50% off deal going on so I picked up this and the liner. I'd been eyeing both for a while. Iced Latté is supposed to be similar to Stila's Kitten. I thought it would be worth checking out, even if it wasn't quite a dupe. I like light and shimmery shadows. And boy is this guy shiny! I took two pictures to show just how reflective it can be. I love it! It's becoming one of my favorite shadows. It's great for highlighting the inner corner of your eye.

L'oréal Paris Voluminous Smoldering Kohl Liner in Noir

I don't know why, but the smudgy kajal/kohl liners have become appealing to me. They're always linked to words like "smoldering," "smokey," and "seductive." Those words are appealing enough, but there's an added bonus for me because I think I'm slightly partial to words that begin with "S". You can get a normal liner look or smudge it out for a smokey look. It has pretty good wear either way. I wore it to work once and I'm kind of active and this didn't seem to get smudgy beneath my eye. Good staying power! But not waterproof.

Group 3

Maybelline Master Drama Eye Liner in Taupe Takeover

This is another buy on suggestion from Emily. Couldn't help myself. It's limited edition and she said it was great for lining your lower lash line to get a subtle smokey look. I like doing that and a liner is a little bit easier than eye shadow sometimes. It's got great lasting power and it's beautiful--I don't regret!

A word of warning: don't twist it up more than you want to use. It doesn't retract! I wanted to look at the product more than the tiny tip, so I cranked out a lot, only to find that it wouldn't go back down. I ended up smooshing the tip in the lid. Bummer. Learn from my mistakes :)

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in In The Buff

Ulta does this great thing every once in a while where they sell all their products for a really low price. I think it's like $1,2,3,4,5 or something like that. Anyway, the single eye shadows fall in the $2 price range and they usually sell for $6! This is great for me because I really like their eye shadows. I think the sale might actually be every summer, because I think that's when I've seen the sale happen over the past couple years. Always be on the lookout, but really pay attention during the "J" months.

The $2 price time is great for people who want to experiment with Ulta shadows, and they do have samples out to swatch, but I was not going in blind and wandering when I went to buy these. Ulta makes great palettes that contain A LOT of eye shadows along with quite a few lip colors, and usually about three blushes and a bronzer. It's a great introduction to the Ulta line, and it's usually around $20. If you wait until they put out another palette (which they are constantly doing) you can find the "old" ones in the clearance area marked down to around $15.

So way back when I was starting to get into makeup seriously I was babysitting for my cousin and getting a good chunk of money for a young high schooler. I had recently been introduced to Ulta and LOVED it. I would usually spend most of my money there on hair products and makeup. Thankfully my hair product obsession has died down, so I just focus on makeup now. Anyway, back then I bought a palette and it was really nice to see all the colors to use. It was great for a newbie to experiment. I still have that palette, and there are certain shadows that I really like and try to pick up in singles.

In the Buff is one of the shades I really like. It's a nude color with a bit of gold in it. Very nice.

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in Bermuda Sands

This is not one that was in the palette, but on Temptalia's website, she has a very in-depth dupe search and this was apparently an exact dupe for Stila's Kitten. Now, I don't own Kitten, but I was able to swatch it in Ulta one time and compared it to this. I didn't think it was a perfect match, so I didn't get it then, but I thought it was pretty enough to get this time. It's a good nude color that has a bit more of a pink hue. It would go well with a rose gold look.

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in Organza

This is the one shade that disappoints me. It's like there's a hard crust on the top that I need to break through before I can get rich product for good swatching. It might just be that the product is sheer. It is very reflective and pretty, but it's not like the Organza in the palette I have. I'll use it anyway, but it is a bummer.

Ulta Eye Shadow Single in Twilight

Please ignore the face that it is named Twilight. I don't think it's named after the stupid books and movies. I think it suits actual twilight much better. I loooooove this shade for a gorgeous smokey eye. It's kind of grey, kind of purple and its satin finish is just gorgeous! The swatch isn't really doing it justice, honestly. After watching Sherlock Holmes (with Robert Downey Jr.) when it first came out, I would try to recreate Irene Adler's (Rachel McAdams's) makeup by mixing this with Organza in my palette. I had to search for this single for a long time. Every time I'd seen the $2 deal going, it was already towards the end of the sale and this shade was already gone! This time I got to it early enough. Haha, victory!

If you have made it all the way to to end, thank you so much for bearing with me! I hope this was interesting. There are quiet a few mini reviews snuck in here and there. I hope your day is beautiful, and I will talk to you later!

~Stacie

PS After reading over this, my shopping seems to really have been aimed towards dupes for Kitten, haha!

PR: Up and Up Brand Cleansing Towelettes

This is going to be kind of a comparison as well as review, because I've tried two different kinds.

First up, the Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes.

Up&Up Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

I first bought these a couple years ago. I thought it was a cool idea and that they would be helpful for overnights and when I'm just too tired to go through the whole regimen at night. The description on the side says that they cleanse, tone, and moisturize. I agree. I don't feel a need to add a moisturizer afterward, but I do have oilier skin that some. If you veer more towards dry skin, you might still have to add a moisturizer. But that's still quicker than my normal routine.

These wipes are are supposedly comparable to Neutrogena's makeup removing towelettes. I have never tried those, because I believe that store brands often have stuff that works just as good, if not better. Since I like the Up and Up wipes, I've never felt the need to buy Neutrogena's. They also remove eye makeup, which is nice.

Here's a little picture show of how well the wipes work. Here's me with makeup from the day:

Here's a close up of the darkish eye makeup that was on (the photo doesn't quite do it justice. I sort of hate this camera):

Here's my face after using the cleansing towelette. All squeaky clean!

Here's what the cloth ended up looking like:

Look at all that black! It did a great job of removing my mascara and eye liner. The reason you see a kind of starburst shape of black is because I'd wrap the cloth around my finger and kind of brush it against my lashes as lightly as I could. I thought that was the best way to get all that junk off.

Now for the other guys.

Up&Up Exfoliating Cucumber Cleansing Towelettes

I'm not sure what possessed me to try something other than the plain makeup remover cloths. I probably thought that the others were good, and these would be good too. And who doesn't like a little extra exfoliating power? Well, in this case, I don't. Let's compare the cloth textures:

Makeup Remover Towelettes

Exfoliating Cucumber Towelettes

Do you see those bumps?! They are huge. They're the same consistency as pills on your clothes. They're not quite as large, but it's like that's how they made them. They're too rough for your skin. The packaging claims that the one side that doesn't have bumps is for gently removing makeup while the bumpy side is for exfoliating, but you can still feel the bumps through the smooth side, and it's still too rough. I do not like these, and I will not purchase them again.

To wrap it up: go for the makeup remover kind NOT the exfoliating. Do that, and you're golden :) Thanks for stopping by, and I'll talk to you soon!

~Stacie

The deal on translucent

The purpose of this post is to clear up the confusion people seem to be having about the meaning of translucent. It could tip into rant territory, but I'll try to keep calm. But I've heard several gurus and beauty reviewer bashing on translucent powders saying, "I think it will show up on darker skin or if you apply it too heavily." "It's not invisible!" Wah, wah, wah. All I hear is WAH. Haha, whoops. Did I already start to slip into a rant? Let's get back on track.

Waaaay back in seventh grade, I learned the scale of opacity. It appears that many people were either sleeping during that lesson or skipped class. If you were one of those, or your school simply neglected to inform you, read on!

1. Opaque

The most extreme ends of the spectrum are opaque and transparent. The picture below looks solid pink, but there's actually a black butterfly underneath it. You can't see the butterfly because the pink is so opaque. Opaque materials block your vision. The majority of materials we use in our day-to-day lives are opaque.

2. Translucent

This is where a lot of confusion occurs. Technically, if something isn't completely opaque or transparent, it's translucent. Looking at the picture below, you can see the butterfly, but not perfectly. The pink makes the image look a little fuzzy, and that's a common characteristic of translucent materials. My favorite example is frosted glass. Sheer fabrics are also translucent. You can kind of see what's behind or beneath them, but it's not completely clear.

3. Transparent

Transparent is where you can see everything beneath the material. Think windows and glasses. If there was obstruction to your view, they would be pointless! Below, you can see the butterfly crystal clear.

Comparison

Let's see those levels next to each other.

Okay, now it's really clear what the difference is. But unfortunately, there aren't only three levels in the scale. In real life, it looks more like this:

And that's why there's so much confusion and frustration. Translucence takes up most of the scale. And where do you draw the line to say that something is opaque or transparent? It's really difficult. If something isn't 100% opaque or  transparent, usually people will say that it's pretty opaque, or it's high on the opacity scale, or pretty much transparent. You get the gist.

The word "translucent" encompasses so much of the scale, and that's why the makeup companies use it. They just slap that word in the title so if you think something is too opaque or not opaque enough, they can throw up their hands and say, "Hey, don't yell at us! We warned you and put translucent in the title."

What I'm really trying to get at is that there is no such thing as an invisible powder. If you can see it in the packaging, you'll be able to see it with enough building up on your face. So be careful. Also, there isn't just one shade of translucent powder. I've seen many translucent powders in many shades, so if you're worried about the standard, light-colored translucent powder showing up on your darker skin, get a little bit darker translucent powder that will blend in with your skin better. When buying a powder, it's better to go for a slightly lighter shade than darker. Leave it to bronzer to warm up your skin.

If you're still scared of powder making you look cakey, I've heard that Mally has a clear gel-like product that is supposed to mattify you. It's called the Evercolor Poreless Face Defender. I haven't personally used it, but emilynoel83 has talked about it a bit and seems to really like it. Just keep in mind that it's more expensive than drugstore products. You can watch this video to see what she says about it. The link will take you to the part of the video where she talks about the product, so don't freak out when it doesn't take you to the very beginning of the video.

I hope this was more informative than it was rant-y. Have a nice day!

~Stacie

Why I like the minis at Bath and Body Works

Bath and Body Works Fragrance Mist Minis in Pure Paradise, Rio Rumberry, Capri Seaside Citrus, and Bali Mango

Hey there! I mentioned my love of mini fragrances in a previous post, but I thought I would elaborate a little more in a single post. I think minis deserve their own post. My love of mini fragrances is mostly due to my already large collection of fragrances. Don't remember? Take a look:

There's a lot of full-sized fragrances there. It's going to take me a loooong time use them all up, assuming some of them don't go bad before I can. I don't know how long a fragrance lasts. I've had some for five years and they seem to be fine. Minis are great because it's less product to worry about using up before going bad.

They're also good for another reason. I'm notorious for liking the way a fragrance smells in the store, getting it home, and not liking it. Especially in a BBW, there are a lot of fragrances going on, and I'm not sure if I can  actually tell what I'm smelling. Also, there's an atmosphere in the store that brings my opinion of fragrances up a couple notches. So for the smells that I only sort of like when I bring them home, I thought I would really like and wear all the time in the store. Minis are a great way to try out a fragrance before committing to a huge bottle.

Speaking of trying out a fragrance, sometimes I find that my opinion of a fragrance changes over a period of time. Some of it might be from the change of chemical makeup in the bottle (breaking down over time, for example), and some of it is probably from my likes in fragrances changing. I've heard that as you get older, your tastes change, in clothes, makeup, fragrances, food--pretty much all around. So to prevent that from happening, I'm going to stick to minis for a while.

Minis are also good for seasonal fragrances. I was talked into getting some autumn scents last year that I ended up not wearing all that often. Unfortunately, I bought the big bottles because they were having a Buy 3 Get 3 Free sale (they do that a lot, I've noticed). It was a double hitter for me because not only was I not too crazy about the fragrances, they only appealed to me during the fall and winter months. I don't really want to smell like pumpkins in spring. If only I had gotten minis... I'll know in the future!

I hope this was helpful to you. I think it's a good tip, but that's just me. Have a great day!

~Stacie

PR: Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...

Essence Stay All Day Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Glammy Goes To...

Hey all! I was using this the other day, and I decided I should do a review on it. This may end up being more of a warning, rather than a review.

This is a cream shadow that you can find at Ulta or wherever else Essence is sold (I've only seen it at Ulta). I bought it upon recommendation from Emily (emilynoel83). She was going on about how gorgeous the color is and how long-wearing it was, and it was so cheap, too! It is cheap, it is long-wearing, and the color is beautiful. This product may have those things going for it, but there is a problem that outweighs its benefits. Let's take a look at a swatch.

As you can see in the swatch, it has a tendency to clump up. It's kind of flaky when it dries. It makes my eyelids look like dragon scales. I do not like the effect at all. And when I think about it, I'm pretty sure that it was like that from the very first time I used it. It's always had a drier texture to it. There are so many other cream shadows in the drug store--some that are just as long-wearing, if not more--that are creamier that I will not be repurchasing this. If you've had a different experience, I would like to know, because I do like that these are pretty cheap.

This was a pretty short review. I hope it was helpful. Have a great day, and I'll talk to you soon!

~Stacie

PS Sorry that there's all those indentations in the product. Hauls will have pretty, new product pictures, and reviews will not because I have to use a product before I can review it. If I've taken a picture of a brand new product in the past, I'll try to use it in the review so things look as nice as possible. Anyway, the little divets and bumps show off how pretty and metallic the shadow is. I just wish it wasn't so dry!