February Favorites 2018

Favorite Movie: Snatched with Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn. This was a free rental, and I thought it was really good! I had seen previews of it, and I thought I wouldn't like it, but this month I was browsing the list of movies offered on my TV, and I thought I might try it. I was pleasantly surprised. It's about a self-centered girl who just got broken up by her boyfriend. She made a non-refundable trip to South America, but now has no one to go with since her boyfriend broke up with her and all her friends are busy. Her mom is her opposite, and in the end she invites her mom to go. She thinks it might be good for her. The mom is reluctant to go because this is quite out of her comfort zone. They go on their trip and end up getting kidnapped! Now it is an adventure to get back to the states in one piece. I like the characters in this movie. They are one way at the beginning of the movie, but because of their experiences they change and become better at the end. I also like the mother-daughter relationship. Also, it is just plain funny and entertaining on the whole. 

Favorite TV Show: The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I first watched the reunion before I watched any of the episodes. I've seen this show before. I watch a lot of these Housewives shows. I thought I better watch the whole season because the reunion episode was pretty interesting. My mom likes watching these shows too. It's a reality show about 5 different women and their relationship with each other. Teresa just got out of jail, and I was curious how she was doing. The thing about the housewives show is I have to like them at least to a level or else I won't watch. No one on the show is perfect. They all make mistakes. I find people interesting to watch. I think that's why I like watching the real housewives. My dad says it's just a bunch of screaming women, which is true at some points when things get kind of crazy. I'm also still watching the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Favorite Beauty Products

1. Up and Up Hydrating Body Wash. This is compared to Dial Coconut Water Body Wash. This was on my favorite one month. I couldn't find it after that, at least it wasn't in the store I was shopping at, so I bought a different one. I really liked the coconut one, and I was so happy to see this sold on sale at Target. It was only $2.99! It is just like the Dial wash with the fresh coconut smell.

2. Elf Hydrating Face Primer: I also got this at Target. I wanted to get a new primer because I had been using the Dr. Brandt Pore's No More and that is ok for keeping skin matte, but I felt like I needed a primer that was more moisturizing. This does the job. It is a good prep before applying makeup. I also wear a lotion before I put on makeup. This is infused with grape and Vitamins A, C & E.

3. Buxom Lip Gloss in Katie: I have been wearing this lip gloss this month. I don't wear it every day, but when I wore lip gloss it was this one. I think this is a pretty pink sparkly gloss. It has a minty, cooling effect on the lips. I think it is supposed to plump them a bit. I haven't noticed that, but I think it looks nice on my lips.

4. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Kohl Eye Liner in Black: When I wore black eye liner this month I used this one. It has a creamy formula. 

5. Too Faced Everything Nice Palette: This was limited edition at Christmas time I few years back. I've been using this palette this month and reaching for the blushes. One is a matte pink, the other is Papa Don't Peach and it's a sparkly peach. That blush is sold separately and is available. Both are pretty blushes.

6. Wet 'n Wild Vanity Palette: This is a discontinued Wet 'n Wild eye shadow palette. I've talked about this so much on my blog, but I felt like I needed to talk about it for this months favorites. Even though it is old and not sold anymore, it was still a really good palette, and I can't throw it away. It has your basic colors on the left column. Matte cream, matte light brown, and matte dark brown. I used these colors to copy some of the tutorials I followed this month.

7. Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette: I love these colors. Lots of great matte browns, and a gold, peanut butter, creams, and a black. I used this palette for doing some neutral, brown eyes this month. Simple, and basic for everyday. 

I hope you enjoyed checking out my favorites this month. If you have a blog and do a monthly favorites leave a comment below. I would love to check out other blogs like mine.

May Empties!

I finished up some more products to show you. One of them I just hit pan on, but I wanted to show you what it looked like before I used it all up.

1. Walgreens Cotton Swabs: These were just ordinary q-tips. I use them to wipe off eye makeup under my eye or to fix my eye liner mistakes. I dip them in the Maybelline Expert Eyes Moisturizing Eye Makeup Remover because it gets off waterproof eye makeup. I would purchase these again. I'm not picky when it comes to q-tips. I will get the cheapest I can find.

2. MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Medium Deep: I use this whenever a look calls for contouring. I didn't know what to use for my skin color because I'm so light and I wanted a contour to look natural on me. I decided to go to a MAC counter to have a makeup artist match me. I think this is the right color for me. I would repurchase this when I run out. Even though it isn't drugstore, I like knowing that it is the right match for me. It has lasted a long time too. I just use a little bit of it. It is a matte powder that is a few shades darker than my skin color, so it technically isn't a bronzer, but you can use it like it is.

3. Freeman Facial Enzyme Mask in Pineapple: This is supposed to restore radiant skin. I used this once a week. There is a lot of product in the sample. I stored it in a zip lock bag and it stayed fresh. It smells so good! You leave it on your face for 10 minutes and when you rinse it off your face feels smoother. I didn't notice it looking more radiant. I would purchase the full size. I don't think I've ever seen the full size version of this at the store. If I do see it, I would get it. I recommend it.

4. Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash: This was recommended to me by my dermatologist. It has salicylic acid in it which helps get rid of acne. She said for me to use a benzoid peroxide wash in the morning and a salicylic acid wash at night. It is good to have both I guess to get rid of acne. Your skin won't get used to one. This method works for me because I rarely get pimples. I repurchase this in bulk!

5. Juicy Couture in Couture La La Perfume: This smells so good! I'm sorry it is all used up. I love the Juicy Couture perfumes. I haven't smelled one that I didn't like. It smells like a combination of fruit and flowers. Sephora says the notes are sparkling mandarin, water hyacinth, green apple, red currant, lily of the valley, blushing peony, violet leaves, orange flower, smooth woods, and liquid musk. This is a nice perfume for any time of the year. I got this sample from my February Birchbox. Even though I like this perfume, I don't think I would purchase it because I already have a big size bottle of Viva La Juicy.

6. MAKE Dual-Phase Eye Makeup Remover: It was good, but I like Neutrogena better. And it is more affordable and easier to get. I got this sample from a Birchbox.

7. Bvlgari Jasmin Noir Eau de Parfum: I got a sample from a Birchbox. This scent has notes of green sap, gardenia petals, samba jasmine absolute, satiny almond, precious wood, licorice, and tonk a bean absolute. Sephora says the style is seductive, sophisticated, and refined. I agree with that. I like the smell, but it is a little too spicy for me, if that makes any sense. I like lighter, fruitier, sweeter scents. I'm still figuring out what kinds of perfumes I like. I have so many samples it has helped me figure out my tastes. I wouldn't purchase this.

8. COACH Poppy Flower: This is in the purple packaging. The notes are sweet freesia, violet leaves, wet ivy, juicy grapefruit, mandarin, lychee, cassis, jasmine petals, water lily, rose, amber, and apricot skin. Sephora says the style is chic, vibrant, and whimsical. It definitely is vibrant. Even though I just said I like the fruit and floral scents, this perfume is just ok to me. I wouldn't purchase it. It's not a bad smell. I'm not sure what it is that I don't like. I still wore it, so I like it just ok.

9. Tresemme Frizz Shield Finishing Spray: It worked good as a hair spray, but it didn't help with my frizziness. But my hair has a mind of it's own, and it can be very stubborn against hair products. I didn't repurchase this.

10. Up & Up Women's Shave Gel in Strawberry Tangerine: It says this is compared to Skintimate Strawberry Tangerine Twist. It is extra moisturizing with Vitamin E and olive butter. I loved this! This smells so good, it made me want to run out of the shower and make myself a fruit smoothie! I had heard about this in someone else's favorites, so I went to Target to get it. I would recommend this and I would repurchase this. The only problem is it is at Target. It is more convenient for me to go to Rite AId or Walgreens. Target is further away and the Target where I live is always really busy, so I would rather not go to it. The parking lot is horrible. I feel like I'm going to get in an accident whenever I go there. I think this shaving gel is as good as Skintimate. It was even better because it smelled so amazing.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my empties! Feel free to leave a comment!

February Favorites

1. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald: This is one of my all-time favorite books! I remember reading this back in high school, but I think I like it better now. I'm glad I reread it. I'm excited for the new movie to come out with Leonardo Dicaprio. This story has a great message to it. "All that glitters is not gold." Just because someone seems to have a perfect life, doesn't mean they are happy. You can have everything, but still not be satisfied.

2. Tired of Trying to Measure Up by Jeff VanVonderen: This is a self-help book I just finished reading. I had something upsetting happen to me at work, and I was really disturbed by how I feel on my job. I feel like I'm always trying to make everyone happy. I also feel ashamed of myself. So my mom recommended this book to me. It helped me to realize I don't need to try so hard to please people. I am good, just being myself. Of course, I'm not perfect. But growing is a gradual process that doesn't need to be choked out of you.

3. Elf Professional Smudge Eye Sponge: When I want to smudge an eyeliner this works really well. And it was inexpensive.

4. Revlon Nail Enamel in 430 Whimsical: This is a blue with glitter nail polish. It is supposedly a dupe for Deborah Lippman's Glitter in the Air. My picture isn't very good. You should google the polish to see better pictures. I wore this over Sinful Nails Cinderella because I wanted a blue base.

5. Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips in 410 Love Letter: My ring finger has it on. It says, "love" in cursive. It's hard to see. I saw someone do this when I did Google Images, and I thought this would be nice for Valentine's Day. The red nail polish is Essie's Lollipop.

6. Revlon Nail Enamel in 780 Ritzy: This is a black with huge chunks of glitter. I have never worn black on my nails before, but I thought this looked really pretty. And it went well with the Sally Hansen Love Letter (which lasted a long time on my nails.)

7. Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser: At the beginning of the month I noticed my forehead was being ultra sensitive to everything I was putting on it. I was getting what looked like a rash! I decided to change everything I was using, so it would be more gentle on my forehead. I used this to wash my forehead, instead of the Benzoyl Peroxide cleanser I normally use. This is really good.

8. Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Normal/Dry Skin in Ivory: I have used this before and I couldn't stand the smell. I must have had a bad bottle because this has no scent. I got the one for oily skin too because I thought my skin was oily. I must have normal skin on my face and dry skin on my forehead. (At least in the winter time.) This foundation went on better than the oily skin one did. It also didn't irritate my forehead.

9. Olay Age Defying Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream: I am in my 30's and I feel like I should be wearing an eye cream to ward off wrinkles. I'm still not in the habit of putting this on at night. It feels really good. It doesn't sting. It's a nice moisturizing feeling.

10. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner: I found a kit at Target that came with the shampoo and conditioner, and a leave in oil. I have wanted to try this for awhile, so I decided to get it. It is is very moisturizing for the hair. I skip the oil because it leaves my hair too oily. I think it works well. I like the Organix products.

11. Covergirl Cheekers Blush in Rose Silk: This is a luminous rose pink color. On my skin tone it looks like a natural flush. I have warm coloring. My mom has cool coloring and it looks good on her too! I have worn this blush since I started wearing makeup. I think I started wearing makeup in junior high or high school. I didn't wear a lot. But I always wore this blush I remember.

12. Maybelline Eye Studio Master Precise in Black: I wanted to get the Jordana Liquid Liner again, but it was all sold out at my local store. I've been hearing about the Maybelline one, so I was curious to try it. I like it. I recommend the Jordana one though because it is just as good and it is cheaper.

13. Bodycology Shower Gel in After Dark: I really like the way this smells and lathers. My mom didn't like the smell though, so I guess not everyone will like the way this smells. It has amber crystals and vanilla scent.

14. Queen Helene Oatmeal 'n Honey Natural Facial Scrub: After my apricot scrub ran out, I wanted to get a scrub that was for sensitive skin. I looked up reviews, and this scrub had good reviews. It has little beads in it. I use this once a week to get the dead skin off.

15. Up & Up Women's Shaving Gel in Strawberry Tangerine: I heard this was just as good as the Skintimate brand. It is cheaper, and is the Target brand. I love this! This smells so good! It makes me want to have a fruit smoothie.

I hope you liked seeing my favorites. What are your favorites this month?

August Favorites

1. Jesse's Girl High Intensity Nail Color in Julie G with Wet 'n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Hallucinate: I think I was at the beach when I found a Rite Aid and I got these polishes. I liked the combo so much I ended up putting it on my fingernails as well. It's just a pretty coral color and I like having glitter on top.

2. Skintimate Moisturizing Shave Gel in Flirty Mango with Vitamin E and Olive Butter: I have never spoken about what shaving gel I use. For a long time I've been loving the Skintimate shaving gels. They work well and smell good. They come in a lot of flavors. I decided to get the mango one this time.

3. Gillette Fusion Proglide (man's razor): For awhile now I've been having "issues" with the razors I get. They don't seem to be sharp enough or they have a built in soap that gets in the blade and makes it so the hairs aren't cut. One day I decided to borrow a man's razor, and I was so happy. The blade was very sharp and it did the shop perfectly. I don't know why women shavers don't work as well as men's. At least I haven't found one that does. Doesn't seem fair, does it? This comes with fillers to replace the blade.

4. Up & Up Moisturizing Body Wash Antibacterial Compare to Dial Spring Water Body Wash: I have a lot of Philosophy Body Washes and I was using those for awhile. I liked the smell, but one day I was really dirty on my legs and I noticed after my shower my legs still weren't clean! It was very annoying. So I went back and scrubbed my legs with some soap. I wished for a body wash that really cleaned myself. I had assumed my Philosophy Body Washes were doing that. I researched a bit online and found that the best thing to do was to find a body wash that said "antibacterial" on it. I went to Target and found this. It was the cheaper brand, but it works so well. It removes all the dirt and smells very nice. I love it! I'm going to repurchase.

5. Studio 35 Beauty 100% Acetone Nail Polish Remover: I have been using different polish removers, but it was taking a long time to remove my polish and not doing a very good job. This is a big bottle and the acetone is what makes the nail polish come off so easily. This even removed glitter nail polish very well! I didn't have to soak my nails and cover them with foiled paper even! I just used a cotton ball and it came right off!

6. L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier B.B. Cream in Fair: I have been hearing about B.B. Creams for awhile now and I was curious to try one. They have already been very popular in Asia and there are lots of good ones there. America has just started to get in on the craze, but unfortunately they haven't been getting very good reviews. They aren't as good as the ones you can get in Asia, I guess. I got the one from Garnier and the fairest one was too dark for me. I got the Maybelline one and it made my face look really greasy. I gave it to my mom and she absolutely loves it. She has dryer skin than me. I like this L'Oreal one the best. It may not be as good as the ones in Asia, but it works ok for me. On the tube it says it, "Primes to smooth skin's texture. Perfects to hide imperfections. Hydrates for all day moisture. Corrects skin for a healthy looking even complexion. Instantly transforms to your perfect shade for a flawless bare skin finish. Over time, more beautiful skin. Dermatologist tested. Helps protect against pore clogging. Encapsulated pigments infused in an ultra-light lotion with antioxidants Vitamin C & E." It looks white when you first put it on and it feels grainy, but you rub it in and it matches your skin tone. It's really cool. I still wear foundation and concealer though. So it doesn't make my skin look perfect.

 7. It's A 10 Miracle Leave-In Product: I heard about this from people on Youtube. I found it at the beach in a travel size version so I was so happy to try it. They don't have this at the drugstores near my house for some reason. It doesn't feel heavy or leave my hair greasy feeling. It also gets rid of frizz. This is a nice product. There is no bad smell to it either.

Midsummer Haul

I went shopping today, and decided to share what cute and interesting things I found. I hope you enjoy! :)

1. Studio 35 Beauty 100% Acetone Nail Polish Remover. I got this at Walgreens. I went to a women's camp this weekend and there was an area where we could do our nails. They had an acetone nail polish remover and I was surprised at how easy it was to take off my nail polish. I decided I needed to get something like that for myself.

2. Clean & Clear Continuous Control Acne Cleanser 10% Benzoyl Peroxide: I have been looking for this everywhere. Ever since my dermatologist recommended a Benzoyl Peroxide face wash, I have been using this. It is the only thing I have found that has it in a face wash. When I ran out, I looked at every store I could find and they were all out. I actually asked someone at Walgreens and they ordered it for me. This is my favorite face wash to help clear my acne.

3. Conair Pro Concentrator Nozzle: I got this because I've been watching Youtube videos on how to straighten your hair with a blow dryer. They recommend using this on your blow dryer. It helps to smooth out frizz I guess. I got this at Sally's Beauty Supply Store.

4. Wet 'n Wild Mega Last Lip Color in Pinkerbell: This is a corally pink color. It has been called a dupe for the Mac Viva Glam 2012 Nicki Minaj lipstick. I found this at Rite Aid.

5. I am in love with the Gwen Stefani Harajuku collection. I think it is so cute. Target has their back-to-school stuff out and I love to go see the new notebooks.

6. I love baby penguins. I thought this spiral notebook was adorable.

7. In the men's section at Target they have some really cute graphic t-shirts. I'm plus size, so I like that they are comfortable, they fit me, and they are inexpensive.

8. Up & Up Moisturizing Body Wash Antibacterial Compare to Dial Spring Water Body Wash: I have been using Philosophy body washes, but I've noticed dirty spots on my legs even after I showered. So I wanted to get a soap that would actually clean my body, not just have a pretty scent. I researched online and I guess it's good to look for a wash that says antibacterial on it. We'll see how it works.

9. Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 100+: I have been wearing sunscreen this summer and have been careful not to get sunburns. Just to be on the safe side I got this for when I go to the beach in a few weeks. I wanted to find the highest SPF.