Mindful Living with Words of Affirmation // Hallmark Review

Living a mindful life for me has evolved into a multi faceted journey.  First it started with just more awareness in my daily life, then I decided to go cruelty free with my make up, which then evolved into a low-tox lifestyle, and has now moved into nurturing my relationships with others.  This year, in 2018, my word of the year is Authentic.  I am focusing on living the best, truest version of myself and this involves investment in personal relationships.

I was compensated for this post. This post also contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.  Read my full disclosure here.

I have to say I am not one to send cards.  For me, it's not a priority but the thing a card says is 'hey, I care about you.'  And in that simple act you can really enhance or build a relationship with someone you care about.  As I grow older I'm reminded of the cards I received on birthdays, holidays, & smaller occasions and I want to make this a priority in my life going forward.

Which is why I'm excited to have been sent this fun little box from Dollar Tree to share with you!  Today, August 30th each of the 6500 Dollar Tree stores nation wide will begin to carry Expressions from Halmark at $1 each and Heartline a Hallmark Company at 2 for $1 - two super affordable card lines!  This means that you'll be able to celebrate life's amazing moments - both big & small - with wonderful cards that won't break the bank.

There are also 4 additional lines being carried at select stores to help us connect even closer with our loved ones:

Mahogany: Mahogany enhances emotional connections among family, friends, and the community, and celebrates what is most beloved about Black culture.

Vida: VIDA expresses the voice of Latinos across generations, bringing them closer together to celebrate life’s special moments.

Tree Of Life: Tree of Life brings Jewish family and friends together to celebrate their faith and culture by honoring meaningful holidays and milestones.

Joyfully Yours: Joyfully Yours lets family and friends express their faith in just the right way during holidays, special occasions, and moments big and small.

One of my Love Languages is Words of Affirmation.  I love to give compliments and share encouraging words because I also love to hear those same things!  The cards that Dollar Tree is offering now are both high quality and relatable.  The card stock these guys are made from is thick and the cards seem substantial. I feel like sometimes when we skimp on the card, it shows - whether it's poorly made, the sentiment is kinda off, or it just seems dated - a bad card can throw off the whole vibe that we're going for.  These cards have such sweet sentiments and delicate touches that your loved ones will totally feel appreciated.  They aren't hokey and no one will know you only spent a dollar!

I can't wait to give these guys to my friends, family, and coworkers to express my gratitude & celebrate life's little moments!  Check out more of the fun sentiments here on the Dollar Tree website and while you're there, check out this project.  I totally want to create a ready to go system where I can grab a card and give!  The best thing is this is so affordable I almost can't believe it!

How do you show your loved ones you care?  Are you excited for these new lines from Dollar Tree?

ps. check out another amazing Dollar Tree DIY post here!

Unboxing my Silhouette Portrait // My 5 First Thoughts

I have had my Silhouette Portrait since October 16th, 2015.  I didn't plug it into my computer until December 4th, 2015.  When it comes to new, hard core crafty supplies - sometimes I get intimidated.  (I didn't use my Cinch until this summer even though I got it for Christmas in 2014.)  The evening of the 4th of December started off like any other weekend evening....I stare at the bundle that is the Silhouette Portrait before moving on to some other craft for the night.  This night however, was different.  I pull out all the accessories, opened the CD drive (for the first time since like 2012), and installed the Silhouette Studio software.

For the next few hours I played around.  Here are my first 5 thoughts

I am intimidated

This is the thought that came to mind each time I looked at the bundle of cords and mats and machinery under my desk.  How can a thing so small (like 1/3 the size of my Cricut Explore) be so intimidating?  Even after installing the software and opening my first file.....I was intimidated.  I have to set the blade depth? What?  I have to add the cut lines?  Huh?  Trace feature?  Witchcraft?  But like one YouTube video later I was beginning to pick it up.

Why won't this print?

My first task was just cut a printable from my shop - I don't design in a program that will save as a graphic so I converted my PDF to a PNG and opened it in the Silhouette Studio program.  I played with the registration marks, I added cut lines.  I hit print.  Nothing.  

Eventually I had like 8 pending jobs in my print queue!  Eventually one went through and I was able to print.

Damn it, I didn't add registration marks.

I took the registration marks off to work on my cut lines...and in the excitement I didn't add them back.  So I had a few pages that I couldn't cut with the machine.  Damn it.

What the actual f***?

I plugged in the machine and loaded the adhesive paper on the mat.  I didn't calibrate, (still don't know how to do that!) and hit send to Silhouette.  It. Was. So. Loud.  Louder than my Cricut, and much faster.  No problem reading the registration marks.  No bleed on the print.  Zip Zip Zip.....Cut Cut Cut.  Damn printable is cut.  Like, holy hell.  What is this witchcraft?

I imported.  I traced.  I imported. I added cut lines.  I printed.  I loaded the Silhoutte.  And before I knew it I had a stack of cut stickers.  Cut stickers! Honestly, I was so blown away at the speed, ease, and accuracy after just a few moments of doing this.  Imported PDFs turned to PNGs, added cut lines/traced areas, send to printer.  If you didn't get this on Black Friday from Amazon for like $99....you should totally stalk the site until a deal comes up that you're willing to pay.  Best money I've spent.  No lie.  And I was impressed with my Cricut when I first got it.  But this? This was amazing.

Why didn't I do this sooner?

And then I just printed and cut until my dog kept pawing at me to go 'night night'.  Seriously.  Why didn't I do this sooner!

So this is just a little first impressions type of post on my Silhouette but I do plan to do a few DIYs, tutorials, and comparison between the Cricut Explore and the Silhouette Portrait.  I am glad I have both and I plan to tell you why!

Has there ever been something you were super impressed with and shocked you didn't try sooner?  

xoxo, Moe

Trend Tuesday // FLOWER Eyewear Review

The last time I got new glasses was probably my freshman year of college...maybe even before that. It was a long, long time. I would get contacts and just use my glasses when I didn't feel like wearing my contacts. Recently I've begun to see (or rather un-see) that I wasn't seeing very well any more. Remembering that my prescription was still good but still changed slightly, I decided to get a new pair of glasses.

Unfortunately, I don't have eye insurance. I knew I needed to find something super affordable so I thought about going to Wal-Mart or to Meijer. I always get my eyes examined at Meijer but I hadn't found any glasses the other times I'd taken a look around. A little while ago Drew Barrymore released a line of glasses through Wal-Mart - FLOWER Eyewear. You may be familiar with her beauty line (which I love) of the same FLOWER name that is exclusively sold at Wal-Mart.

I love anything and everything Drew Barrymore, so I was in. 

Something I truly love about the line is that there are multiple frame styles in multiple colors. So if you like a certain style, there are a few colors to choose from. The line also doesn't just include glasses - there are sunglasses too! I don't think that my Wal-Mart carried all the colors or styles but they had a good variety.

Each of the frames has the FLOWER logo in gold on the arms of the glasses. They styles were different enough to tell them apart - some have thick plastic frames, some have thinner wire frames, and there are some that have a floating frame. They are all classic looking with a retro feel.

The glasses I picked out were Rachel in Tort. I have to say that I really do love the coloring and the shape they are on my face. The big frames are something new to me but seem to be super trendy right now....I'm sure they've been on trend for quite a while now!

I can't speak for all the cases that come with the glasses - though I'd assume they are all the same - but mine is pink with the Flower logo. It's not as rugged as I'd like a glasses case to be. The case is hard and it could stand up to a tumble but the outter fabric covering it already has some dents and wear. I've never really cared for glasses cases before but this one is super cute....so I do cary it with me. The glasses also came with a super cute cleaning cloth - not just a standard boring one. This has a pretty floral design and the Flower logo as well. 

I think the whole design and execution of this eyewear collection is pretty and functional....and affordable! I would highly recommend this eyewear line and I plan on getting some sunglasses as well!

Do you have a particular brand you get really excited for?  Where do you find affordable eyewear?

Beauty Review // Maybelline Fit Me Comparison (Dewy vs Matte)

Today I wanted to do a quick comparison between two of the offerings in the Maybelline Fit Me line - the Matte & Poreless line and the Dewy & Smooth line, today we'll be talking just about the foundations.  I plan on doing a comparison between the powders as well.  You can see here on the Maybelline website that the Dewy & Smooth is a repackaging of the original fit me line.  I have the old/original packaging so that is what you will see in this review/comparison.  So let's just get into it.

From the website

Fit Me® foundation has a new look for its same great hydrating formula!  Hydrates, smoothes skin texture and matches natural tone for a luminous, seamless finish.
For Normal to Dry Skin. SPF 18.  Fit Me!® Dewy + Smooth foundation for dry skin from Maybelline New York goes beyond skin tone matching to fit the unique texture issues of normal to dry skin for the ultimate natural skin fit.  While some foundations can exaggerate dry, rough patches, only Fit Me Dewy + Smooth hydrating and moisturizing foundation contains our genius hydra-smoothing concentrate so dry areas become incredibly smooth with a perfect dewy finish.

taken from the Maybelline Website here

Tone + texture-fitting foundation for the ultimate natural fit.  Mattifies, erases pores and matches natural tone.  For Normal to Oily Skin.  Fit Me!® Matte + Poreless from Maybelline New York goes beyond skin tone matching to fit the unique texture issues of normal to oily skin for the ultimate natural skin fit.
While some foundations can exaggerate pores and oily skin, only our pore-minimizing foundation contains our genius blurring micro-powders that erase pores and absorb oil for a naturally matte and poreless-looking finish.

taken from the Maybelline website here 

First Impression & Application

Each of these foundations come in a pumpless, square glass bottle with a black cap.  The repackaging of the original fit me foundation (found here) doesn't deviate too much from the original look - there is an addition of the words Fit Me to the black cap and the front design is a bit different.  The Matte & Poreless version has a teal accents.

The consistency of each foundation is different.  The Matte & Poreless is very, very runny.  It is a cross between the consistency of the Maybelline Dream Wonder Foundation (review here) and the Maybelline Super Stay Make Up - I feel that it is really, really runny but no too runny to blend away to nothing.  The neck of the bottle gets covered with the product no matter what I try to do.

The consistency of the original formula, repackaged as Dewy & Smooth is thicker, but not as thick as the Super Stay Make up.  It seems to give a decent amount of coverage with the sponge, but as I'll get to later, by the 4 hour mark the foundation is gone.

I apply each of these foundations with my a beauty blender style sponge.  For me, I feel that the sponge gives more coverage and less streaks.  Even though these aren't the same consistency they are still runny - just one more than the other - and streaks are a problem with a brush.

Wear time

The original formula lasts only about 4 hours on my skin.  I remember when I first got this foundation I was super impressed with it but it soon fell to the fails pile (as seen in this post).  My skin just seems to eat this foundation, quite literally.  It does slip around or get super greasy...it just disappears.  I couldn't even do a check in on it because my first check on it at work, around the 4 hour mark, left me stunned in the bathroom.  Everything was gone.

Super weird! The Dewy & Smooth is recognizably thicker than the Matte & Poreless, I hope this image picks up on that.

The Matte & Poreless, however, is the gem for me from this line.  It stays a good 7-8 hours on me.  Enough to get through my work day and then a little touch up after work and I'm sitting down to film for my channel.  I have oily skin and big pores, so the claims of the foundation really got me.  I'm not so sure about the matte claim because it doesn't stay matte all day but it does last all day, and that is the biggest thing for me.  The powder does help with the matte look though.  I would say I am matte at about the four hour mark and then after I do notice some oil but nothing too bad that I wouldn't expect.  

Overall Impressions & Recommendations

For me, the Dewy & Smooth/original formula is a no go.  I feel like if you had extra super dry skin this might be ok.  If you don't have an oil problem at all, this might work for you.  I've never had a foundation just be gone off my skin before so I was super disappointed in this foundation.

However, I am so very glad I picked up the Matte & Porless version - though I think I'll have to get another shade because 120 is too off from my skin tone - because it was impressive, especially after the original formula was a complete fail.  I like it in the way I like the Dream Wonder Foundation, too.  It has sort of an oily feel too it that makes it super runny but with really good coverage.  I don't know if the oil vs oil thing has to do with the staying power either....  Additionally, I do feel that the application of the foundation is indeed matte.  It doesn't mattify down to be unworkable but it does set matte in a way that doesn't look cakey.  I feel that I do have to be light with the powder lest I do get a bit of cake face going on.  However, a good douse of your setting spray can take care of that.

Overall, for my skin type, the Matte & Poreless foundation is the bomb.  It has grown to be one of my favorite foundations and I would recommend it if you have normal to oily skin.  If you just prefer that matte look, I'd totally go with this one.

I hope this review & comparison was helpful.  I do plan on doing a powder comparison too because I want to show the differences between them.  You can see all my foundation reviews here.

What foundations have you tried that surprised you - both in a good or a bad way?

xoxo, Moe

Beauty Review // City Color Intense Blush Quads

City Color Cosmetics has been making the rounds lately for their awesome, affordable cosmetics - and I have to say I agree.  I found a few City Color items at 5 Below the other day and thought I'd give them a whirl.  I'd seen older City Color products in stores before but never the newer items that have been making the rounds recently.  So here are my thoughts on these pretty affordable blush quads:

From the Website

Our Intense Blush Quad is a girls ultimate must-have blush for bold and bright cheeks. Its enhanced formula is richly pigmented and blends beautifully for a flawless silky finish. Comes in 4 vibrant collections for your perfect glam look.

Information taken from the City Color website here.

First Impression & Application

First off richly pigmented is not an understatement.  These blushes are pack a powerful, colorful punch!  The sleek black packaging is nice and sturdy.  It might be a little too bulky for me, but I know these blushes aren't going to shatter easily because of the hefty packaging.  Fun Fact: In the store I dropped a palette from the display and it was fine.  Each quad comes with two very thin brushes.  Usually you get a fatter, flat brush with a blush from the drug store and this reminds me of one nearly half the size of the usual brush. 

These blushes have a grid texture imprinted on the surface.  This is only a turn off for me when swatching by hand because I have a weird thing with certain textures.  The over all feeling of the actual product is very smooth and they don't kick up a lot of powder.

Additionally, the price listed on the City Color website is $5.99 but at 5 Below I only paid $4.00!  Steal!

Wear Time
The wear time of these blushes is impressive as well.  You only need the slightest amount on your brush to get a big color pay off.  I've found that the darker blushes in the orange palette sort of leave a stain on my cheeks.  Sometimes that can look a bit crazy especially if you're not wearing a long-wear foundation.  However, since I like to get a good 8 hours out of my blushes and other face make up, these are perfect.

Overall Impressions & Recommendations
As you can see by the swatches the two different quads would suit your skin tone differently.  If you have a darker skin tone the orange quad would show up beautifully with out any building. However with the pink quad you might have to do some building if you have a deeper skin tone.  I definitely think that blush color all depends on your comfort level but each of these offers some benefits for a variety of skin tones.  If you choose one quad you do have a variety of colors to change with the seasons.  Currently, for the early fall time I love a neutral shade and in the Orange palette the first shade on the left and the 3rd shade from the left really speak to me.  Additionally, in the pink palette the 3rd from the left shade is another perfect neutral shade.  As we move into the winter, the first shade on the left in the Pink palette will give a nice rosey cheek.  These palettes are versatile!

Overall, for $4.00 I think these quads are amazing if you're on a tight beauty budget.  Even for the $5.99 price tag on the City Color website that's not bad, but as always I suggest saving money, so if you can get it for $1 a pan...you should do it!  These are so pigmented and the price is really a steal!

Have you tried anything from City Color Cosmetics?  What products would you recommend?  Where have you found them out in the wild?

xox, Moe

Review // Wet n Wild Fall 2014 Color Icon 5 Pan Palettes

If there is one Drugstore brand that I get super hyped about when something new is announced, it's Wet n Wild. I just live for the new products with the changing seasons. Honesly, I can't wait for this holiday season as well! Here I have for you a review of two of the 5-pan pallettes from the Fall 2014 Wet n Wild collection

From the Website

Five amazing shades in one convenient package for an unbeatable price! Each eyeshadow palette features five distinct shades that can be mixed and matched to create a unique look for every style. From matte to ultra-shimmer, these long-lasting, highly pigmented formulas are satiny-smooth for crease resistant wear. Enriched with Macadamia Oil, each shadow provides continuous moisture that improves the appearance of the delicate eye area.

taken from the Wet n Wild website here.

First Impression & Application

These shadows come in the standard 5-pan configuration first released in the Spring 2014. The two collections I have are Melrose at Night and Smoke and Melrose. Melrose at Night has one satin-finish shade (Browbone) and 4 shimmer shades. Smoke and Melrose has one matte shade (browbone), one satin-finish shad (base), and 3 shimmer shades. First impression of this collection was that these were the only two I would consider buying and I'd probably only end up getting one of them since the looked so similar when I saw them online. However, when I was in the store (I found these at Walgreens) I realized while these are similar-ish, they are still very different.

If you've been disappointed in the texture of the previous 5-pan palettes, you'll be happy to know that the buttery texture you're used to with the trios is present (at least in these two). I credit this to the fact that there are more shimmer shades. The only original 5-pan I have is The Naked Truth and those shadows are matte. The texture of the shadows in the Melrose at Night and Smoke and Melrose palettes is much smoother, reminiscent of the original trios & 8-pan palettes.

Another first impression I had was that they reminded me of two other palettes - the Chocolate Bar palette from Two Faced and the Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay. There is a combination of deep, chocolate shades, rose shades, a bright cream shade, and a gold shade - characteristics of each of those higher end palettes.

 Melrose at Night

Smoke and Melrose

Wear Time
I'm pretty impressed with these 5 pan palette!  I was not impressed with the first set of 5 pan palettes that came out a bit ago but these do blow me away.  Like I mentioned above, the texture reminds me of the classic trios and 8-pan palette in that they are very smooth.  They do kick up a bit of powder, but if your familiar with Wet n Wild trios & 8-pan palettes, it's not flakey at all.

The lasting time is about the same as the original formula in their trios & 8 pans. I use the Mary Kay Cream Shadow in Apricot Twist as a primer because it is pretty much amazing and stays all day.  So with that primer these shadows stayed all day.  On an unprimed eye I would say they last about 4-6 hours.  These are highly comparable to the trios & 8-pans I love!

Overall Impressions & Recommendations

These have impressed me very much and I would say if you're looking to get that rose gold eye look that has been made popular by the Naked 3 palette, these two palettes are for you!  In comparing these two palettes to my Revealed 2 palette (a good dupe of the Naked 3) I totally see the comparisons.

Unlike the Maybelline The Nudes palette I reviewed a few weeks ago that just seemed mediocre - these two Wet n Wild palettes are must haves.  They have the same rose gold feature that's popular and you really can not find that in a drug store palette right now.  At around $3.99 each you also get a nice rose gold collection for less than the price of The Nudes palette (around $11.99).  The only reason I'm comparing The Nudes and the Smoke & Melrose and Melrose at Night is because these are two popular styles of palettes now: nude shade and rose gold shades.  So if you're going for something that is on trend right now, these two Wet n Wild palettes are worth it more so than The Nudes palette.

I can't get over the awesome colors of these palettes and how on trend & dupe-worthy they are!

What are your favorite drug store palettes?  Anything new for you?

xoxo, Moe

Maybelline The Nudes Palette Review

Ok, so today I wanted to share my thoughts on a very sought after product from the drugstore - the Maybelline The Nudes palette. First off, don't worry if you haven't found this product yet, it is going to be permanent so just keep looking and don't fret. Secondly, I think you only need this product if you're just starting out in your make up collection. I'll go in depth in this review but now you know how I feel. If you want to know more about the product hitting the shelves, then keep reading

From the Website

Maybelinne's first 12 shade collection to create infinite looks featuring bold, beiges, sultry sands, brazen bronzes, and over the top taupes. Put together in such a way that the eyeshadows combinations can be broken down into duos, trios, & quads.

taken from the Maybelline website here.

First Impression & Application

The palette comes in a hard, black plastic case with a really nice font design. The packaging is really sturdy making this palette good for travel. With a price of $11.99 it's an affordable palette option from the drugstore. You can sort of tell from looking at it where the duo, trio, & quad layouts are. This gives the beginner make up lover an idea of where to place shades & to create different looks. None of the shades are too powdery - they all kick up very little powder and they aren't chalky or patchyn - and the color pay off is pretty impressive. They blend well over the eye & work together nicely. You also can create your own look from the shades and aren't limited to the styles they suggest.

Wear Time

The wear time on these is pretty decent just like any good quality drugstore eyeshadow. I would compare the quality to the Maybelinne quads and say they have about the same lasting power. In fact I'm pretty sure they are the same formula as the feel the same & wear the same. I know that sometimes across different products in the same brand quality changes but these are pretty much comparable to the smaller quads. Personally I have been using a MaryKay Cream Shadow as a base for my eye looks recently and those don't budge...so these last pretty long throughout the day on a good primer.

Since the colors in the palette are quite similar, sometimes the individual colors get lost when blending. Some colors end up looking the same but if you're into it you can also get a very subtle look.

Overall Impressions & Recommendations

Like I said at the beginning of the post - if you have a huge make up collection, or even a modest one, you probably don't need this. It's pretty average quality for the drugstore & you probably have something a long these lines in your collection. Some of the colors are similar - I hope you can see that in the photos above - so you're not getting a huge variety in eye looks here. However, if you are just starting off getting into make up (maybe you're a teenager or younger professional that doesn't do too much with make up) I would highly suggest this to you. The color aren't intimidating & you have a guide to show you were to place the shadows. Because they are natural you're not going to go crazy overboard all over you eyelid. I would only recommend this to someone who is a do-or-die Maybelline fan or someone who is just starting out in their own make up adventure. Even if you don't wear a lot of make up but maybe want one, super affordable palette to branch out with this is for you.

I hope this was helpful and that my recommendation made sense to you. Overall I was pleased with this palette but it wasn't something so spectacular that I really needed to have it.

xoxo, Moe

 

Wet n Wild Cover All Foundation, Concealer, Powder Review

One of my favorite brands from the drugstore is Wet n Wild. Not only do they have an amazing Fergie Center Stage line with a bunch of beautiful, bright colors, but they also recently (as in probably a year ago) released a few new things in the line called Cover All. Last Summer I did a first impressions video on the foundation & the powder - it was one of my first videos! But about a week ago I found more of the line in my Kmart - I found the foundation in the shade fair and their liquid concealer. I'm slowly realizing that Kmart is a really great place to find drugstore make up that you either can't find or didn't know existed. I also found the LA Girl Glazed Lip Paints there & only bought 3...I'm trying to keep from going back for the rest!
Anyway, today I wanted to to a review of these products from the Wet n Wild CoverAll Line because I think they are great for the price!

From the Website
CoverAll Creme Foundation - All day wear with medium-to-full coverage and a lightweight, satin-matte finish. VisiBright Complex reduces the apperance of wrinkles and rejuvenates skin. (I got this description from DrugStore.com because I couldn't get the Wet n Wild website to work. Drugstore.com says medium-to-full coverage but also says sheer-to-medium coverage and also mentions that there is SPF & I don't see that this has SPF at all....find the description here.)
CoverAll Pressed Powder - All day wear with a radiant weightless finish. VisiBright complex to reduce the appearance of wrinkles & rejuvenate skin. (Taken from DrugStore.com)
CoverAll Liquid Concealer Wand - Liquid formula conceals & minimized blemishes. Easily blendable with flawless, long lasting coverage. (taken from DrugStore.com

First Impression & Application
CoverAll Creme Foundation - I did a whole video on this foundation here (including the pressed powder) but I have to say I was fairly impressed with the coverage of this. When I bought it I didn't think I'd be that impressed with it. I thought a $3.99 foundation wouldn't blow my socks off, but this one did. The foundation is rather creamy & won't drip from the tube but it isn't too thick that you can't blend it out nicely with a sponge. The coverage is pretty impressive and I would say that this give medium-to-full coverage and is buildable. The color selection is rather limited and until recently, I didn't know that the shade fair was an option. I first got this foundation in fair/light and it was a little too dark for me...and not a shade I would consider to be fairl/light! I'd actually call it medium!
CoverAll Pressed Powder - This powder comes with a sponge applicator, which you could use for a more targeted application but this powder I applied with a brush. First impression was that this powder is really drying. I could feel it being dry on my skin if that makes any sense. It applied evenly and gave a little bit more coverage. Being in the medium shade, it wasn't too dark - so the shades don't really match across products. Application with a brush did not kick up too much powder & it blended nicely on to the skin. I tend to tap my pressed powder onto my skin rather than sweep or blend it that way my foundation isn't disturbed. The brush didn't apply too much in one area and it blended evenly.
CoverAll Liquid Concealer Wand - While in Kmart I picked up three shades of this concealer - fair, fair/light, and beige. The naming is really weird & so are the numbers. I've only used the fair shade & find the consistency to be a bit unfamiliar. It is also hard to describe. While it comes out of the tube onto the applicator alright, the texture seems to be a bit thicker but also a bit drier. And not in a bad way. The texture lends well to blending & covering under the eyes. Maybe drier isn't the right term - it feels more airy, it's a light enough texture that it blends well under the eyes and doesn't cake or move around.

Wear Time
CoverAll Creme Foundation - For a $3.99 foundation this product wears pretty well, even on oily skin. I would say you would get probably 5-6 hours of good wear out of this foundation on oily skin. You will probalby get more if your skin is more normal or even leans a bit dry. I would go as far as to recommend this to dry skin because of how hydrating it feels - but its still not too much for oily skin. With that being said, I notice a significant breakdown in my t-zone during the day. It is nearly all gone from my nose at the end of the day and you will definately need to touch up. (I hardly touch up during the day, even if I need to!) Since the colors are a bit limiting, you may also need to mix two to get your right shade. I noticed when just wearing the fair shade this week it didn't quite match me going through the day - when it wore off my nose I could tell the difference in the color of my skin and the foundation. When wearing the fair/light shade I noticed a bit of oxidation....so thats a down fall.
CoverAll Pressed Powder - I'm not quite sure if this pressed powser really compliments the foundation as much as it could. I found the powder to be great for my oily skin but not sure I would recommend setting this foundation if you have drier skin. I could feel how dry it was on my skin as soon as I put it on. It wears about as long as the foundation does & would be nice to bring to touch up as it would give you back the coverage that may have faded. If you only needed a little bit of coverage you could even use the powder as your foundation. The only downfall to using this as your touch up powder is that there is no mirror. The sponge it comes with give precise and targeted application which is great to use this as a powder foundation.
CoverAll Liquid Concealer Wand - This concealer wears wonderfully under the eyes. I haven't noticed it creasing or fading away & the coverage is rather nice. It blends beautifully with a sponge - both the Beauty Blender & the Real Techniques Sponge are amazing to blend it out. The shade fair is great for me under the eyes and wonderful for highlighting. The different shades have different undertones so they can offer a little bit of color correction. For a pretty affordable concealer you can grab up all the shades!

Overall Impression & Recommendations
Overall I think these products from this line give you an affordable option if you're not trying to break the bank. I believe the foundation is great even for the $3.99 price! While the down fall is that the color selection is kinda crummy and the shades don't seem to match across the products I would really recommend giving these guys a go. The concealer can stand on it's own & I would use it everyday - and currently am! The foundation would be great for a short day out or for running errands. At one point I was looking for a more full coverage BB Cream just because I want something easy to wear - this fits the bill (though it doesn't have the benefits of SPF, ect) in that it's easy to wear. Because it lasts for a good amount of time I can wear it when I'm out shopping, etc and I don't have to waste my favorite foundations on short trips.
I would also recommend this line if you're buy for a teen or the like who wants to start wearing make up. It is more full coverage if you have blemishes but its not so expensive. I think they would be rather satisfied with these products since they don't break the bank and are pretty impressive.
xoxo, Moe

BH Cosmetics Haul + Review

A bit ago I posted on Instagram that I picked up some things from the BH cosmetics site.  I am not linking to BH in this post for the only reason that I was requested (by BH) to remove a link to them in a previous post - a link they requested me to add in the first place.  But I wanted to review these products anyway because some I'm satisfied with & some I'm disappointed in.  So, if you want to find any of these products, I'm sorry but you'll have to go to the BH website on your own - the links I will provide are all from Amazon (if I can find the product) and are affiliate links, btw.  So if thats not something you're in to.....just an FYI:

So above is what I picked up for a pretty good deal.  I'm always hesitant to buy make up online because unless I've bought it before I don't really know how it will be like.  In this order I did save more than half even after shipping.  Things were on sale, I looked for a coupon code online, & I thought I used Ebates but I don't see anything in my account now.  My original total was $63.90 before shipping.  With the things I got on sale + a 5% off coupon I found on line that saved me only .84 cents - I paid $24.45+$7.95 shipping.  I only paid $32.40.  So I was pretty excited about the discounts to try new things I'd never tried before.  But let's get into the reviews:

Malibu Eyeshadow & Blush Palette and San Francisco Eyeshadow & Blush Palette

I was really excited about these - I thought the would be a fun alternative to the Lorac Pro To Go palette.  I also got a little sample of the eyeshadows in my Ipsy bag way back in the summer of 2013 (here is where I did a make up look featuring it) but the shadows from the sample & the shadows in the actual palette I feel are totally different.  Each palette has 16 eyeshadows & 4 face powders and different themes based on the city they are supposed to represent.  I'm on the fence about these palettes.  Each have fun, pigmented eyeshadows - when you use your finger to swatch them.  But they don't apply very well or have a lot of color payoff when you apply them with a brush.  These eyeshadows are average at best - Wet n Wild and even Elf eyeshadows have much better pigmentation & application.  The eyeshadows in these palettes remind me of a super cheap palette from like a drugstore Christmas aisle.  They are ok....but not great.  The powders themselves are rather chalky & kick up a lot of powder.  The face powders, however, I do like.  Each palette has 4 powders - a highlight type of powder, a deeper powder that might be able to be used as a bronzer, and two powders you'd assume are blushes.  The Malibu face powders are my favorite - I noticed the blush lasted a good long while during the day & the lighter, highlight shade is really pretty.  Overall, I'm glad I got these on sale & would only recommend them if you're looking for a lighter eyeshadow application.  They would be great for travel if thats what you're into but I'm not totally satisfied with them since I don't like every product

BH Floral Blush Duo in Rose

Way back in October I had this on my October Wishlist and it's taken me this long to actually pick it up.  I am soooo hesitant to buy make up online when I don't know what it will actually be like.  These blush duos come in cardboard packaging with two individual pans of product.  It's not a split pan type of deal but two separate pans in half circle shapes.  These blush duos have a lighter & a darker side to them and all but the Tulip shade can be used in blush & highlight way.  The Tulip shade has two deeper sides that may not work in that manner & you could probably use them as two separate blushes.  Anyway, back to the one that I have - Rose.  These are pretty average too. The pigmentation is nice and the highlight-and-blush combo is a great idea but all in all, pretty average so the sale price I paid wasn't too bad for it.  I wouldn't recommend paying full price for these.

Bombshell Bronzer in Diva

I think this is the only thing I'm very satisfied with.  I was a bit disappointed that the bronzer has gold flecks of glitter in it when on the website it clearly states that it has a matte finish - of course the glitter isn't picking up on camera, so that is a testament to the next sentence - But the flecks of glitter in there are pointless as they are the chunky kind that will fall off your brush & never reach your face.  I do quite like this bronzer & have used it over the past few days for contouring.  Its a wonderful brown color - not too orange and rather deep (contrary to what the picture shows!), making it perfect for contouring.  I actually would recommend this to you & at a sale price of $3.95 it's a steal.

6 Color Concealer & Corrector in Light
I actually do like this product as well.  It's pretty versatile as it has 3 corrective shades & 3 more skin tone shades. (On the website the Medium is also set up this way but Deep has all skin tone shades.)  However, the skin tone shades in this palette are a bit too light or a bit too off color to really conceal.  I like the lightest shade in the top row for highlighting under my under eye.  Then the other colors in the row have more of that salmon color to conceal under eye circles.  The texture is really smooth & it almost has a powder finish.  This palette applies great with your fingers & blends out nicely with a sponge.  I'd recommend this to you as well.

Overall, I was disappointed in the quality of these items.  I hear a lot of people rave about the quality of other items from BH Cosmetics - so I guess the quality doesn't really stretch across all items.  I am much more impressed with a similar site called Coastal Scents.  I did a review of their Revealed Palette here & they just launched the Revealed 2 palette and I'm excited.

Have you ever used BH Cosmetics?  What did you think?

xoxo, Moe

Connect on Twitter // Follow on Pinterest