Beauty Product Reviews

Very nice pencil!

So the last eyebrow pencil I was using was really nice, although it was too waxy/creamy. I like that this pencil is a little on the dryer side, but I sometimes still have a little trouble with clumping. The staying power is fantastic, I can lazily keep my brows on for days! I love how natural the effect is- my brows look darkened and shaped, but not noticeably penciled in. Love the little brow spoolie on the other end of the pencil. The packaging is sleek and stylish, and super thin/travel friendly. I'd say it was a little expensive, but most makeup is nowadays. I love how tiny the tip of the retractable pencil is and I can draw in little hairs at the base of my brows to even things out. This is also a good color match for me, as was the MALANI pencil I was using. My brows are much lighter than my head hair, so I'm hesitant to go too dark, so as not to overpower my face and features. All, in all I'd say this lived up to the hype but I do have a runner up pencil that isn't too far off the mark and is cheaper.

The only deep cleaning brush cleaner that works for me!!

I've tried dish soap AND baby shampoo, to no avail. Neither worked satisfactorily!! Then I stumbled onto this lifesaver. The packaging has changed so it doesn't look like the above image, and its possible the formula as changed as well. But this works like a charm and has a lovely scent. I've never gotten my brushes this clean or conditioned. Its a must have and I'm happy with it. I'd try the MAC brush cleaner or the Japonesque one, but for now I'm happy with its affordability and the fact I can grab it from any Target. Total win for me.

Giving my tried and true a little break!

I got this brush a few months ago when a local Rite Aid was done with its new renovation and had new brands like Jesse's Girl and RT. I was already a huge fan of RT and most of my face brushes are RT. They're cheap, good quality, and last a good while. My go-to face powder brush was the EcoTools bamboo bronzer brush, and its still fantastic, but I decided to complete my RT collection and give this one a go. I don't notice much of a difference and I feel like my other brush buffs the powder into the skin better. The bundle of hair on this brush feels looser, but it still feels nice on the face. Its good for mopping away fall out and its probably better for powder application because you won't over powder your face, which can be easy to do. Do I like it better than the other brush? Not really..but its still nice to have!

Yay! First colorful liner in like ever!

So as I've gotten better with makeup application I've been getting into brighter colors, especially in the waterline. I'm obsessed with aqua liners in the waterline and lashline, especially in contrast to a terracotta lid shade for example. I really want to try Stila's aqua colored liners, (liquid and pencil form) but because I gotta get my makeup on the cheap, I decided to check this out. The color pay-off is pretty good, and with two swipes its opaque. The shimmer is nice, but I'd prefer a matte turquoise color. I set the liner with UD's Painkiller, a bright blue shadow, to prevent any possible creasing. I like that this is cheap, pretty pigmented, retractable, and you get a nice amount for a low price. NYX has become one of my go-tos for affordable yet satisfying makeup. Can't wait to play around with this shade more- its great for playing with contrasting colors or textures around the eye. I also used it to make a bindi/face decorations and it wasn't half bad! Most of my liners are neutral so its nice to have one colorful liner!

Quite nice, want the Brow Wiz though.

I used to love using eyeshadow on the brows, but am now a pencil convert. That being said, I wasn't interested in buying this and was glad I got a sample with my last makeup purchase. The Dark Brown color was a good fit for my brows, especially since they are naturally a few shades lighter than my very dark head hair. The powder has a nice silky texture and its easy to apply with an angled liner/brow brush. I preferred the look of my brows with pencil over this product but it was a godsend when my brow pencils were misbehaving because I could run over them with this brow powder to even out patchiness or clumps. I'm glad I tried it but the ABH Brow Wiz is still on my ultimate Wish List!

Almost perfect!

For the longest time I was really into using dark brown eyeshadow for my brows and it looked great. But more recently I've turned to pencil to get the most natural, yet sculpted looking brows. There's a little more wiggle room and room for error, and it takes less time with pencil I find. I still want the ABH Brow Wiz but can't justify getting something that pricey for mere brows. So I scoured the drugstores for the best brow pencils and really took to the NYX Autobrow pencil. I loved the smooth application and durability. However, the Dark Brown was very reddish, and lighter. A little annoying. So I ended up trying this. I was amazed and happy to swatch this pencil and see how dark brown it was! The color is more accurate than the NYX Dark Brown, and it almost has a yellow/green undertone to the brown color, which I slightly prefer to the other more auburn one. However, the nub doesn't retract very well like the NYX one so I'm afraid it will get smushed or damaged. Also, these pencils are much creamier than the NYX one and more prone to clumping my brow hairs together. The NYX one had a smooth glide to it, but never clumped me up like the MILANI one. I do like the brush and its great for fluffing the top of my brows up. The clumping is fine if you spend more time to even things out, but I did enjoy the relative ease of my last brow product of choice. MILANI is still one of my current drugstore faves, so I'm not gonna fault them on a possibly outdated formula. I would rather have something more creamy than dry and crumbly, afterall! I still yearn for the Brow Wiz but this is nice in the meantime.

One of the better wipes out there!

I'm a wipe lover and not just for makeup. For makeup I still prefer my good ol' Neutrogena wipes in the light blue package. When I'm too lazy to wash my face (which is most of the time) I like to use a more natural/ecobeauty type of face wipe. These have a pleasant but not overpowering scent, are not scratchy, and actually retain a decent amount of moisture. There is nothing worse than getting scratchy, smelly, and dry face wipes...pet peeve!! The packaging is cute and these have redeemed my opinion of Alba, because in the past they've had some hits and misses for me..but mostly meh. I would definitely get these again, and I've always been glad this brand is available in regular grocery stores. I try to get all my bath, body, and skincare products at co-ops, Whole Foods and the like, but sometimes I'm not happy with what I find there. There are glutens, soys, smelly scents and irritating essential oils in a ton of their lotions and potions so I have to be careful. Luckily, I've found some awesome wipes there, even one that's great for freshening up your body on the go! In a pinch these are good body wipes, as well. So yeah, I was pleasantly surprised with these.

Of course you need to try these..but are they worth the hype?

I'm a bit of a hypebuster when it comes to makeup reviews..I really strive for honesty. Sometimes my opinions change after writing a review, but I try to use a product more than once to get a feel for it, not just do a first impressions. *Seduction. In the pan its a deep burgundy plum. I wanted a dark shade so I could use it as a contouring blush. I figured it would be true to pan in that sense. But blended out this was a more rosey color. The texture was stiff and you needed to build the color in small layers. But on the flip side, the blushes are very finely milled and sit beautifully on the skin. It really mimics your natural blush- under the skin, instead of garishly pigmented. I would have appreciated a creamier texture in the pan, but it being so finely milled makes for a really natural looking blush, that disperses across the skin, instead of sits on the surface. They have a fantastic shade range, although I'd just be careful with darker colors because they might sheer out and become lighter on the skin- like Seduction does. I would love to try other colors- but still look for cheaper options that offer better or equal quality or have really good dupes. These blushes are also quite small for the price point. I'd try others, but its not tops on my list right now.

LOVE!!!!

Milani has become one of my FAVE drugstore brands (sorry WnW) and along with the Color Statement lippies, I want almost all of these. They are soooo pigmented, with a lovely shade range that also includes shimmers and mattes. *Luminoso: Beautiful coral/peach shade that also doubles as a highlighter. I love to add a peach highlighting powder over it (like Lorac's Perfectly Lit Oil Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight) to add even more peach shimmer. This would compliment any coral look you're doing, or even when you get a tan! It also looks great paired with NYX's Cinnamon powder blush to add some luminosity to an otherwise matte blush. *Delizioso Pink: Just got this one. Its a gorgeous dolly/baby pink. I got it specifically to do a certain makeup look where I used this and Bella Rosa on the eyes and cheeks. This one is also super pigmented so use a really fluffy brush and a light hand! I don't typically rock pinks like these but I like funky or out there colors to have in my collection when I do specific looks. *Bella Rosa: SOOO pigmented! Need a light hand and super fluffy blush or you will look like you just got back from the gym. This one is fierce! A deep berry/hot fuchsia that packs a serious punch! This and D.P. are both a silky matte, so don't worry about the shimmer factor. I've heard there are NARS dupes within this blush line which makes me even more happy! I have a Nars blush but the creaminess and pigmentation doesn't compete, although its got lovely qualities in its own right. Love these blushes and I wouldn't mind seeing more matte ones in the baked blush line. Best drugstore blushes, hands down!

Need more! Reveiw for Luminoso.

I am really getting more and more into Milani's products. I've heard about these for awhile but wasn't super interested, but now they have my attention! Why did I wait so long to try these? Luminoso gets raved about all the time, so I figured I'd start there..so beautiful- a peachy gold in the pan, but applies pinkish with a subtle shimmer. Luminoso is a great highlighting blush. I love pairing it with NYX's Cinnamon and with a peachy highlighter to blend it all in. Gives me the most beautiful peachy glow! I've seen some of the other non shimmery shades, swatched and IRL, and the PIGMENTATION is out of this world. I've even seen online that there are some definite NARS dupes in the baked blush line. I would love to grab more of these because the texture is silky, the pigmentation rivals high end, and this brand has the best price point at the drugstore! <3