CoverGirl: Lash Blast Length Mascara

Hi everyone,

Hope you've all had a terrific Monday! For today's Mascara Monday review, I will be discussing CoverGirl's Lash Blast Length Mascara. This mascara costs $7.99 from CoverGirl's website and $8.79 from Walgreens, so it's a great budget friendly drugstore mascara. CoverGirl describes this mascara as "Our Elasta-Nylon formula flexes without flaking, giving you extreme, notice-me lashes all day long. This lengthening mascara features our longest brush ever, giving you an 80% longer lash look."

Photo Courtesy of CoverGirl

This mascara is available in 4 different colors: brown, black brown, very black, and black. I have this mascara in the shade black brown. I like that there's a broad range of colors available, usually there's just a black option and maybe a brown, so having 2 brown and 2 black options is great! If you go with a brown mascara it tends to look more natural on your lashes than if you choose a black mascara which is a more bold option.

I find that the shade black brown looks very natural on my lashes and is a great option to wear to work or for days when you want a simple makeup look. It's like a my lashes but better kind of look - brown lashes just enhanced.

The packaging of this mascara is sunny and bright! It's a nice, bright yellow tube. Also, when you buy this mascara the tube comes sealed and the mascara wand is packaged separately so it's up to you when you open it and you can still see what the wand looks like before you purchase it, which I like since I'm very picky about my mascara wands. This is also a great mascara wand for doing your bottom lashes as it's not too huge in size.

Photo Courtesy of Walmart

Overall, I didn't find that this mascara was anything special. I found it easy to brush the wand through my lashes, but since not a lot of product comes out on the wand, I find that it takes a lot of really light coats to make it noticeable on your lashes and it's a bit clumpy. I didn't find that this mascara made too much of a difference in terms of the length of my lashes, which is the whole purpose of this mascara, so that was kind of disappointing.

Final Verdict:
All in all, I like this mascara but it's not my favorite by any means. I definitely don't think I would repurchase it, but I will continue to use it until I finish it. I like that it makes my lashes a nice dark brown shade, it makes them noticeable yet natural looking at the same time. I don't like that it takes so many coats to get a noticeable amount on my lashes, because at that point it usually looks clumpy too. Also, if you're looking for any volume in your mascara, this is definitely not the one for you as it really doesn't add much/any volume to your lashes. This wouldn't be a top recommendation from me, I think there are plenty of other drugstore mascaras that are a much better choice in my opinion.

Which CoverGirl mascara is your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Meg

Sephora VIB Sale: My Ultimate Wish List & Recommendations!

Hi everyone!

So in my previous post, I talked with you guys about the products I have already purchased during the Sephora VIB/VIB Rouge 20% off sale going on right now and decided that it might be fun to share with you guys the top 25 products that I would buy right now if I had unlimited funds to spend on beauty items. Unfortunately that is not the case, but it's fun to pretend! Not all of these products are super pricey, they're just items I'm intrigued and I'd love to try out.

Here we go in no particular order! And once again, quick disclaimer, all photos in this post are from Sephora since I do not own any of these products and cannot take my own photos of them.

1.) Origins: Super Spot Remover Acne Treatment Gel

Full Price: $15.50 at Sephora

I first heard about this product from a youtube video (I honestly can't remember who), but they said this was the best product for quickly getting rid of breakouts and even for using before you get a breakout but you can feel it coming. I have another blemish remover gel that I want to use up first before I purchase this so it'll have to wait for another time.

2.) First Aid Beauty: Eye Duty Triple Remedy

Full Price: $36 at Sephora

This is an eye treatment that is intended to instantly brighten, depuff, and smooth your under eye area. I have pretty bad under eye circles so I'm always on the hunt for products that can help reduce them. I love that this is a skincare item, rather than makeup, so it's trying to help fix the under eye area not just cover it.

3.) Too Faced: Everything Nice Set

Full Price: $56 at Sephora

This is the Holiday Palette from Too Faced this year, and while I think it's an incredible value, I haven't been able to pull the trigger on it and actually purchase it. I have one of the holiday eye shadow palettes from last year and even though I think the eyeshadows are fantastic, I just don't reach for it that often. I'm passing on this one this year, but I highly recommend it if you've never tried Too Faced shadows! It also comes with makeup brushes, 2 blushes, 2 bronzers, and a mascara so it's a really great palette because it covers all the bases and you can try a bunch of Too Faced products all at once!

4.) Marc Jacobs Beauty: Kiss Pop - Heartbreaker 602

Full Price: $28 at Sephora

The packaging of these lipsticks is absolutely adorable! I love the shade Heartbreaker, a pink coral color, and I think it would be very flattering on my skin tone. However, since I'm really into nudes at the moment I've decided to wait and not purchase it because I know I probably won't wear it right away, especially since it's almost winter and this is a very spring/summer shade. Nonetheless, if you like bright lipsticks check these out, they're super pigmented and look beautiful on the lips!

5.) Laura Mercier: Secret Brightening Powder

Full Price: $24 at Sephora

I've been on the hunt for a really great under eye setting powder to set my concealer and I think this would be a great one since it's intended to be very brightening. The reviews on Sephora's website also seem to be very positive for this powder which is encouraging. However, since I've never tried any Laura Mercier products before I really want to see it in the store before purchasing it to make sure that I actually like it. But for $24, which seems like a good deal, you do seem to get a lot of product so I'm sure it would last a long time.

6.) BECCA: Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlights

Full Price: $25 at Sephora

I don't tend to wear highlighter everyday, but I do really enjoy it. This is a great Holiday Set that only costs $25 and you get three deluxe sample size tubes (0.17 oz each) of three different highlighter shades from BECCA. These look absolutely gorgeous, but since I don't wear highlighter all that often I just haven't been able to justify purchasing it, even with the 20% off during the VIB Sale.

7.) BECCA: Radiant Skin Creamy Concealer - Banana

Full Price: $32 at Sephora

I've loved all the BECCA products I've tried so far so I'm tempted to try this concealer, but it only has a 2.5/5 star rating on Sephora's website which isn't very good so I haven't made the move to purchase this item yet. I really want to test it out in the store first to see how I like it for myself.

9.) Dr. Brandt Skincare: Pores No More Pore Refiner Primer

Full Price: $15 for 0.5 oz at Sephora

This is truly an amazing primer! I received a small sample of it in a subscription beauty box and absolutely loved it! It does a terrific job of not only minimizing your pores, but also smoothing your face so that your foundation applies so easily and makes your face look amazingly smooth and perfect, even when you have lots of imperfections. It's a miracle worker and I honestly can't recommend this primer enough. I would have purchased this product but they were sold out of the 0.5 oz size which sells for $15 and I have lots of other primers open right now that I'm trying to use up. Also, this product is available in a 1 oz size, but it's $45 which doesn't make sense because you can get three 0.5 oz tubes for the same price so just be aware of that.

10.) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette

Full Price: $58 at Sephora
While I do think these Hourglass palettes are slightly overhyped and overpriced, the quality of the powders is absolutely amazing and they are so beautiful. If they weren't so expensive I definitely wouldn't have thought twice about buying this one and the one below, the blush palette, but for nearly $60 that's just outside of my price range even though they are amazing.

11.) Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette

Full Price: $58 at Sephora
Also an amazing palette, the blushes are beautiful and look so natural and gorgeous on the skin. If I had unlimited funds, this would definitely be mine. But until that happens I will continue to swatch it at Sephora and appreciate its beauty.

12.) Dior: Dior Iconic Overcurl Set

Full Price: $28.50 at Sephora
This is an amazing deal for a full sized Dior mascara and mini 5 color eyeshadow palette. I think this would make an amazing gift, as it's super high end products but it's actually a really affordable set. I would have purchased this set but I actually just redeemed some of my Sephora points for a sample size of this mascara. If I happen to like it once I try it I might come back and purchase this set as it's a terrific deal.

13.) GlamGlow: Gift Sexy

Full Price: $69 at Sephora 
This is a great set from GlamGlow that is a trio of three of their products. I have a couple sample tubes of GlamGlow that I've yet to try, but I'm really curious about this brand since it's so pricey but yet the reviews of it are amazing! Once I try out my samples of GlamGlow and see how it reacts with my skin, if I like it I might come back and purchase this set.

14.) BareMinerals: touch up TO-GLOW

Full Price: $15 at Sephora 
This is such an affordable set that looks so luxe! I love the gold packaging! I think this would be a great gift for someone because it's something you might not buy for yourself but you'd appreciate getting it as a gift.

15.) Tory Burch: Tory Burch Rollerball Cracker

Full Price: $25 at Sephora 
I absolutely love this perfume by Tory Burch! I just redeemed some of my Sephora points for a deluxe sample of it so I decided not to purchase this set, but I do think this would be a great set to give as a gift because the packaging is just so beautiful!

16.) First Aid Beauty: Fab Faves to Go Kit

Full Price: $28 at Sephora 
I have not tried anything from this brand before so I think this would be a great way to try some of their most famous products without spending a fortune. I've head that the repair cream is amazing but that the cleanser is only so-so so I decided not to get this now just because I'm not totally sure about it. Since I did buy a facial mask from this brand during the VIB Sale (check my previous post), if I like it I might buy this to try out more items from the line.

17.) YSL: Holiday Gift Set

Full Price: $75 at Sephora 
This is such a luxe set by YSL that would be amazing to get if I had unlimited funds. In this set you get their famous Touche Eclat Radiant Touch Concealer (I have this product and absolutely love it for brightening up my under eye area and highlighting the center of my face), the Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Babydoll, a Gloss Volupté in #30 Corail Lingot, a 1 oz sample of Top Secrets Pro Remover, and an adorable YSL makeup pouch. I think this is an okay deal, but it's definitely not the best deal ever. I do think if you've never tried any YSL products before, this is a great way to try out several at once. The Touche Eclat is full-sized and retails for $41, the full-sized mascara of 0.2 oz retails for $30 (you get 0.06 oz in the set), the Gloss Volupte is full-sized and retails for $32, and the remover is sample size as you get 1 oz, but the full-size is 3.3 oz and retails for $30.

18.) Amazing Cosmetics: Amazing Concealer Flawless Face Kit - Fair Golden

Full Price: $47 at Sephora 
I've been tempted before to try out the concealer from Amazing Cosmetics, but I've never been able to make the purchase, so I was really intrigued by this gift set it's only $47 and the concealer by itself is $42. Now in the set you get smaller samples so that's how they are able to do it. Instead of the full-size concealer that's 0.5 oz, in the set you get one that's only 0.2 oz. So once you start looking at the sizes of the products included I realized it wasn't as good of a deal as I originally thought. Nonetheless, having never tried any products from this company I think this is a great way to get a feel from the line.

19.) Marc Jacobs Beauty: Collector's Edition Enamored Hi-Shine Nail Lacquer - Midnight in Paris

Full Price: $24 at Sephora 
This is an absolutely gorgeous navy blue shade of nail polish by Marc Jacobs. It's limited edition and comes in beautiful packaging. If I could justify spending $24 on a single nail polish than this would totally be the shade and I would buy it in a heartbeat, but unfortunately that's not the case.

20.) Estee Lauder: Perfectly Clean Multi-Action Toning Lotion/Refiner

Full Price: $25 at Sephora 
I've been dying to try out a new Toner but until I finish up my current one this will remain on my wish list. I love that this is a 2-in-1 toning lotion plus exfoliator which conditions and balances your skin all at once. I generally love Estee Lauder skincare products so I definitely will be giving this one a try once I finish off my currently open toner.

21.) BeautyBlender: Micro Mini

Full Price: $17.95 at Sephora 
These are absolutely adorable and I think they would be so good for blending in concealer and other precision work while applying your makeup on your face. I haven't been able to commit to buying them because $18 for 2 little sponges seems ridiculously overpriced, but I really want to give them a try because I love my full-size beauty blender.

22.) Make Up For Ever: Mat Velvet + Matifying Foundation - No. 30 Porcelain

Full Price: $36 at Sephora 
I've never tried any MUFE products and I've been dying to try out this foundation. I love matte foundations and the review on this one are amazing so I really want to give it a go. Having bought two foundations in my VIB Sale haul I definitely didn't need to buy another one, but in the future I will definitely be buying this one.

23.) Laura Mercier: Smooth Finish Foundation Powder - Color 4

Full Price: $46 at Sephora 

As I said in the previous entry, I definitely don't need any other foundations at the moment, but I really want to try this powder foundation by Laura Mercier in the future. I love powder foundations and wear them almost everyday so I'm always on a hunt to try and find a better one than my all time favorite Clinique one. I like that this foundation is intended to give you a really smooth finish to your skin, I think it would look beautiful!

24.) Tarte: The Sculptor Contouring Face Slenderizer

Full Price: $24 at Sephora 
I'm definitely not a pro at contouring so I think this would be a very fun product to test out and see if it makes contouring much simpler. From the youtube videos I've watched and reviews I've read on it, it seems like most people really enjoy it. This is definitely a product I would like to swatch first in the store to make sure the shade is a good match for me before I purchase it.

25.) NARS: Virtual Domination Cheek Palette

Full Price: $65 at Sephora 

This is an absolutely gorgeous limited edition palette from NARS that has five face products in it. You get a highlighter, 3 blushes, and their famous laguna bronzer. I really would love to get this palette, I think the packaging is very sleek and all the shades of the products are absolutely gorgeous and I think would flatter many different skin tones. Even at 20% off, this is definitely still a very pricey palette but is definitely one that I think I would use almost everyday and would be great to travel with.


Allright, those are my dream wish list items and recommendations that I would love to get if I had an unlimited beauty budget. What items are you craving for? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Meg

Sephora VIB Sale: My (Intended) Purchases!

Hi everyone,

It's that special time of year again, it's time for Sephora's annual VIB/VIB Rouge sale! The sale this year is from Thursday 11/6 (today) thru Monday 11/10 so make sure to shop if you're a VIB! I thought I would do a blog post of the items that I've purchased in case this gives you some ideas of products you might like to try. Or at the very least, fuels your beauty addiction to get more items! Just a quick disclaimer, all photos in this video will be from Sephora, as I don't own any of these items yet. I will do reviews on the items once I receive them and try them out.

Okay so I'm going to start with lips, then eyes, foundation, and skincare. Here we go!

1.) NARS: Audacious Lipstick - Racquel
I have been dying to try out one of these lipsticks for the longest time! They're just so pricey that I couldn't justify it, but with 20% off, they are only $25.60, which is much more affordable than $32. I was dying to get the shade Barbara, but unfortunately it's already sold out, so I picked the shade Racquel. Sephora describes the shade Racquel as a "pink beige" so I'm hoping it will be a nice nude/neutral shade. I've been absolutely loving nudes at the moment, I think they are absolutely beautiful with a nice sculpted face.

Price: $32 at Sephora
VIB Price: $25.60




2.) Kat Von D: Studded Kiss Lipstick - Lovecraft
I've never tried a Kat Von D lipstick, so I decided to pick up one of these as well! Once again, I'm loving nude shades so I picked the shade Lovecraft, which Sephora describes as "matte mauve pink nude." Whereas the NARS lipstick leans toward a more taupe undertone, this lipstick leans more towards a pink/rose undertone. This shade definitely fits in with the Kylie Jenner/90s lip trend that's still going on. Plus the packaging is super cute!

Full Price: $21 at Sephora
VIB price: $16.80

3.) Bite Beauty: Mix N' Mingle Lip Minis - Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Gavi 

Another brand I've never tried anything from is Bite Beauty and I'm definitely rectifying that with this haul! As part of their holiday collection, Bite Beauty has released a bunch of different deluxe size samples as their "Mix N' Mingle Lip Minis" which only cost $12. It's a great way to try out some different products without committing to a full-size, which are about $24 each. In this collection, you can get deluxe sample sizes of their Lush Fruit Lip Glosses, Luminous Crème Lipstick Duos, and their Matte Crème Lip Crayons. This first item is a Matte Crème Lip Crayon in the shade Gavi, which Sephora describes as a "fleshy peach/nude" color. I really think this is a very flattering nude tone that leans warm which will make you seem alive and not dead like some cool-tone leaning nude colors.

Full Price: $12 at Sephora
VIB price: $9.60


4.) Bite Beauty: Mix N' Mingle Lip Minis - Matte Crème Lip Crayon in Glacé

This is another Matte Crème Lip Crayon, in the shade Glacé, which Sephora describes as a "dusty mauve" color. This is a cooler toned and slightly darker color than the previous one, and I'm excited to try it!

Full Price: $12 at Sephora
VIB price: $9.60

5.) Bite Beauty: Mix N' Mingle Lip Minis - Luminous Crème Lipstick Duo in Retsina & Musk

The last Bite Beauty product I picked out was the Luminous Crème Lipstick Duo in the shades Retsina and Musk. This is a lipstick that has two different colors, one on each end. I love this for putting in your purse because you have two shades in one lipstick tube, how convenient!

Full Price: $12 at Sephora
VIB price: $9.60

6.) Tarte: Lights, Camera, Lashes Inner Rim Liner

I love Tarte's makeup products and I've been on the search for a great brightening eye liner for my waterline so I decided to give this one a try since I've seen some great reviews on it. My eyes tend to water a lot so oftentimes any products I put on my waterline are gone shortly after I apply them. I figured I would give this one a shot and if it doesn't, I'll just return it.

Full Price: $19 at Sephora
VIB price: $15.20

7.) BECCA: Ultimate Coverage Complexion Crème - Buff

I've been using the BECCA Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation for a while now and I truly love it! The color Buff matches my skin absolutely perfectly, and I've never found a foundation that's a better match for me than that one. I decided to check out the other BECCA foundations and came across this one which is very full coverage foundation and also comes in the color Buff. I've been trying to discover my holy grail full coverage foundation so hopefully this is it! Sephora describes the color Buff as "light to medium beige, neutral to yellow/golden undertones." Foundations are quite pricey so they are great products to pick up during the VIB sale!

Full Price: $44 at Sephora
VIB price: $35.20

8.) Laura Mercier: Silk Creme Foundation - Medium Ivory

I've never tried a Laura Mercier product before so I thought this was a terrific time to try something new! This is a full coverage, long lasting foundation that is suppose to cover everything you want covered without looking like you're wearing a ton of foundation. I have a lot of red pigmentation and uneven skin tone on my face so I'm always looking for products that are aimed to hide redness and even out skin tone. Sephora describes Medium Ivory as a "warm beige/light to medium skin tones - sunny beige family." It's so hard to pick foundations online, but I gave it my best shot, hopefully this is a good match because I've never swatched it before!

Full Price: $47 at Sephora
VIB price: $37.60

9.) Clinique: Almost Powder SPF 15 - Light

This is my holy grail pressed powder! I've been using it constantly since high school and haven't found anything that I like better. A close second would be the IT Cosmetics Celebration Foundation, but this one still beats it in my opinion. I feel like this is a product that is not talked about a lot but it's truly fantastic. If you love powder foundations definitely check this one out! It doesn't come in a lot of shades, but it applies very nicely to the face and covers my uneven skin pigmentation amazingly well for a powder. Even when you apply a decent amount of it, I find that I don't look cakey and it doesn't feel heavy on my skin so I love wearing it on casual days. It also has SPF 15 so it's perfect for protecting your skin if it's the only product you're wearing during the day.

Full Price: $27 at Sephora
VIB price: $21.60

10.) First Aid Beauty: Skin Rescue Purifying Mask With Red Clay

Skincare is so expensive so getting it 20% off definitely makes it a worthwhile time to stock up and try some new products! I've recently been on a kick to try out different facial masks and with the weather getting colder my skin is definitely getting drier and it's the perfect time to try out some new exfoliating and pore-reducing face masks. This is a product that I've heard a lot of good things about and it's also an Allure 2014 Best of Beauty award winner, which definitely influenced me to give it a try. It's a mask that you apply and then peel off which I think are best for really clearing out your skin. I'm excited to give it a try and will definitely do a review on it soon!

Full Price: $30 at Sephora
VIB price: $24

11.) Boscia: The Black Collection

I recently purchased the Sephora Favorites Beauty Unmasked set (another great one to try  out!) and tried the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask and I've become so obsessed with it that I decided to pick up this holiday gift set. This set retails for $39 and you get the full-size of the Luminizing Black Face Mask (which retails for $34 normally), a 1 oz sample of the Detoxifying Black Cleanser (the full-size 5 oz size retails for $28), and the Konjac Cleansing Sponge with Bamboo Charcoal (which retails for $15 normally). So for only $4 more than the price of just the Luminizing Black Mask you also get two other great items to try out, one of which is full-sized! I love the Luminizing Black Mask because it does a great job of removing the impurities and dirt in your skin without completely drying out or irritating your skin like some other face masks I've tried. I highly recommend checking out this set if you're interested in trying out this face mask since it's a terrific deal!

Full Price: $39 at Sephora
VIB price: $31.20

What items are you planning to purchase during Sephora's VIB/VIB Rouge 20% sale? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!
-Meg

Eyes Lips Face (ELF): Pressed Mineral Bronzer (3 Shades)

Hi everyone,

Today's review is of ELF's Pressed Mineral Bronzer in three of the four available shades. These are a relatively new product to ELF, I believe they were released in August. Each bronzer contains 0.14 oz of product and retail for $5 from ELF's website. I'm not sure yet if this product is available to buy at Target, like some ELF products. Every so often, ELF has 50% off sales so do try to wait for one of those because then you can get these bronzers for only $2.50 each.

ELF describes these bronzers as "Create a healthy looking glow year-round with this sculpting bronzer. The silky smooth texture of this pressed formula is blendable for everyday wear. Infused with Vitamin E and Grape to help nourish the skin for a more revitalized feel."

In terms of packaging, I think these bronzers are very sleek! They come in a small black compact type packaging with a clear lid so you can see the shade through the top.

This bronzer is available in four shades currently:
     - Baked Peach
     - Tan Toffee
     - Caramel Cabana
     - Beach Bronze (The one shade I don't have)

Baked Peach is more of a highlighter shade than a bronzer in my opinion. It's a very light bronzer that I'd honestly think would even be too light for the fairest of skin tones and is also a bit powdery. It also contains a lot of shimmer and sheen, and I think it's too shimmery to be a bronzer. As a highlighter, I really like this product as it has a bronze hint to it, which I think makes it look a bit more natural on top of a matte contouring bronzer or blush. In terms of coloring, I find that this shade gives off a shimmery champagne-pink color.

Tan Toffee is a really nice warm medium range bronzer color with warm undertones. This is the only matte shade out of all the colors, and thus, I believe it is the best color of the group to contour with. I wouldn't say it's 100% matte, more of a semi-matte with a very slight sheen, but no shimmer. It's not the deepest shade, so I think if you're about my skin tone or any darker this shade will probably be too light for you to contour with. I like using this shade to even out my skin tone and add a slight color to my face.

The last color of these bronzers that I have is Caramel Cabana. This shade is a more medium to tan range warm toned bronzer shade with a sort of reddish brown tone to it. It is a nice deep shade that does have some sheen to it, but no shimmer. It, like Tan Toffee, is a semi-matte shade.

The color I don't have is Beach Bronze, which is a deep cooler toned bronzer that does contain shimmer. I didn't purchase this bronzer as I thought it would be too dark for my skin tone.

The formula of these bronzers is soooo silky and soft! For those of you who have tried ELF's Pressed Mineral Blushes, these are very similar. Do make sure to tap off your brush before applying it to your face as these bronzers are incredibly soft and you don't want any fallout. Additionally, these bronzers are pretty pigmented and I find they look very similar applied to as they look in the packaging. The bronzers feel lightweight when applied to your face and you can definitely build them up for more coverage if you desire.

Swatches applied to my face with no additional makeup

Final Verdict:
I really like these bronzers, but I hope ELF comes out with additional matte shades as I really prefer matte bronzers over shimmer bronzers. I think matte bronzers tend to be more useful, as you can always add highlighter on top of them if you want a shimmery look. I think the color range of this product is very wide (which isn't always the case with ELF products) and would flatter those of all skin tones, from the fairest to the darkest. I also think for the price, this bronzer can't be beat! I don't know where else you can get a bronzer this fantastic for only $2.50 (when you buy it on sale). I definitely recommend checking out these bronzers!

Have you tried any of ELF's Pressed Mineral Bronzers or Blushes? Which shades are your favorite? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

Tarte: Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara (Deluxe Sample)

Hi everyone, hope you had a spooktacular Halloween weekend!

Today for Mascara Monday I have decided to review a deluxe sample of Tarte's Gifted Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara. I received this item in a bonus set from making a purchase at Ulta. You can purchase the deluxe sample size of the product which contains 0.16 oz and sells for $10 at Sephora and Ulta. The regular, or full-size, of this mascara contains 0.24 oz of product and retails for $20 at Sephora and Ulta. I love that you have the option to buy a deluxe sample size to try out before you spend a lot on a mascara that you might not like.

Overall, I absolutely ADORE this formula! It's by far my favorite at the moment!

On the positive side, I love the look that this mascara provides and it's super easy to apply without getting messy - an essential for me! The formula is on the wet side so it nicely applies to the lashes and the bristles are perfect for sliding through your lashes without clumping too much. Also, I did find that this mascara is slightly clumpy, but in a way that makes my lashes seem more full and dense, rather than clumpy in a negative way. Additionally, for being a wetter formula, I don't find that this mascara is messy at all. I love that this mascara is very black as it really makes my lashes seem more full and dense.

I also really like the packaging of this mascara, it comes in a nice wooden tube with purple lettering and decoration. It feels natural, which Tarte is known for, and I just really like it. It's really different than any other mascara I've seen.

The only negative I have for this mascara is that it has a slight smell to it. It's not overwhelming by any means but if you're ultra sensitive to smells do take note of that.

Final Verdict:
All in all, I really love this mascara! I absolutely adore the look it gives and it's super easy to apply without getting messy or clumpy. I think it makes my lashes look longer and fuller, but in a natural way - perfect for an everyday mascara! I highly recommend this mascara and I will definitely be repurchasing it in the future!

Have you tried this or any other Tarte mascaras yet? Which are your favorites or are you dying to try? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!

October 2014 BoxyCharm Unboxing

Hi everyone!

I loved my BoxyCharm box so much last month that I decided to keep my subscription going and today I have a review for you of my October box. (You can see a review of my September box HERE).

For those of you who are new to BoxyCharm, it is a monthly makeup subscription service that costs $21 and they send you 4-5 full-size products, which is a great value when you consider that Ipsy and Birchbox are half that price and you only get small samples. I believe, but am not 100% sure, that BoxyCharm now has a waitlist, but I think it's shorter than Ipsy's.

This month, the 5 full-size products I was sent were:
     - Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster & Restoration Serum --> retails for $48
     - Coastal Scents Eclipse Concealer Palette --> retails for $19.95
     - Cult/Commerce x BoxyCharm "Shady" Collection Nail Polishes --> retails for $21
     - Be A Bombshell Eye Shadow --> retails for $14
     - StarLooks Ultra Gem Pencils --> retails for $14

This month's box also came with a special 20% off coupon for Palmetto Derma's website, just use the promo code BCPD2 at checkout. The coupon code is valid thru 12/31/14.

Palmetto Derma Collagen Booster & Restoration Serum
This is a serum that is intended to "protect from premature aging and creates youthful, glowing and beautiful skin, all day and night!" BoxyCharm recommends applying a small amount of the product in the morning and evening after cleansing and toning your face. Allow the product time to absorb before applying moisturizer and they do warn to keep it away from your eyes. A full-size, 1 ounce, bottle of this serum retails for $48, so this is a terrific product to receive in a subscription box as I would probably not buy this product on my own. If you're interested in buying this product, you can purchase it from Palmetto Derma's website and Amazon. I have not tried this product yet, but once I do, I will probably do a Skincare Saturday/Sunday post on it if you guys are interested.

Coastal Scents Eclipse Concealer Palette
This is the Eclipse Concealer Palette by the brand Coastal Scents that retails for $19.95 but is currently on sale for $14.95 on their website.

The palette contains 15 different shades, 11 of which are shades for you to match to your skin (some have warm tones and some have cool tones), then there are 4 other shades, a mint green shade which counteracts redness or pinkness caused from rosacea, blemishes, or capillaries around the nose and cheek areas, a pale yellow shade which conceals black, blue, or purple imperfections such as bruises or unsightly under eye halos, a lavender shade which neutralizes areas with excessive yellow pigmentation and corrects olive skin tones, and a white/silver shade can be used as a highlighter to add sheen to cheekbones, nose, eyes, etc.

This is the second Coastal Scents product I've tried and I'm honestly very impressed! The concealers are very creamy and highly pigmented. They are probably some of the best drug store concealers that I've used, they even beat many high end concealers! It may seem unnecessary to buy a palette like this since you might think that you won't use all the colors, but I find that you can use some of the shades that don't exactly match your skin tone to contour and highlight/brighten your face. I honestly love this palette and highly recommend it to anyone looking to try out some new concealers! The packaging is a heavy duty plastic so it is also a very good item to travel with as it won't get smashed in your bag. I'm really happy with how well this concealer covered my under-eye circles and brightened the area up!

Cult/Commerce x BoxyCharm "Shady" Collection Nail Polishes
I have neve heard of this nail polish before, but I like that they gave us two different colors, one a dark gray and one a deep purple. I actually really like the purple color and think I will get a lot of wear out of it this fall. I will try them out and report back on how well they wear.

Be A Bombshell Eyeshadow
Prior to receiving this product, I have previously tried a mascara and eyeshadow quad from the brand Be a Bombshell. I wasn't impressed with the mascara since it had a truly horrible smell to it, I couldn't even bear to put it on my eyelashes. On the other hand, I was very impressed with the eyeshadow quad I received.

Because I really liked the Be a Bombshell eyeshadow quad I previously received from an Ipsy/Birchbox, I was excited to receive one in this BoxyCharm. However, I was disappointed to receive this color. I don't tend to wear green eyeshadows, and since this is a dark green shimmer eyeshadow intended for a smokey eye, I don't think I will actually wear it.

However, I do like the texture of this eyeshadow, it's very smooth and finely milled. It just glides right on. I am really curious to try these solo eyeshadows in a color that I might actually wear because the quality seems really great.

Here are some hand swatches of this eyeshadow. On the left side in each photo is a heavy swatch and on the right is a light swatch (only one swipe).

StarLooks Ultra Gem Pencils
The last product in this BoxyCharm was a StarLooks Ultra Gem Pencil in the color ultra violet. I was excited to try a StarLooks pencil since I've heard really good things about them, but unfortunately this is not a color that I wear. I barely wear eyeliner since my eyes water a lot and it usually gets messy and wipes away.

The quality of this eyeshadow pencil is pretty amazing! It's a little smudgy, so if you like to smudge out your eyeliner this is a pretty good one. All in all, I'm really impressed and will definitely check out getting a more normal color one that I would actually wear.

If you do like colored eyeliner, this is a very beautiful color. It's a rich, deep blue-purple that I think would be very beautiful on people with all different eye colors. I might keep this eyeliner for New Year's Eve or some other special event just because I think it looks very beautiful on the eyes.

Final Verdict:
All in all, I think this was a great box this month! I wish that my eyeliner and eyeshadow would have been more neutral colors, but getting brighter and more different colors really pushes me to expand how I wear my makeup so I guess it's not the end of the world. I love that for about $20 a month you get to try out 5 full size products and they always retail for MUCH more than the cost of the box, so it's a great deal! For those of you who are getting tired of your Ipsy/Birchbox subscriptions, I highly recommend checking out BoxyCharm!

Are you interested in trying BoxyCharm? Are you loving any other subscription box services at the moment that you'd recommend I try? Please leave a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

Thanks for reading!