make up

Empties Part II

I meant to post this back in December, but the month seemed to get away from me before I could! This is the second part in my empties posts. These are the products I used up last year. Some just went unused/bad and some I completely used up. Sorry for the bad quality of the photos – I’ll be using a new camera going forward!

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I’ll just pick out a few of the above to talk about. The Stila lip glaze in Watermelon is one that I just adore. I have so many back ups! But beware – it is uber sticky, so stay aware if that isn’t your thing. Jesse’s Girl [lip gloss fourth from left] is a brand that I’m becoming more familiar with, and one that I often have trouble finding. I found mine at Rite Aid, and I am simply in love with the frosted pink color. I really want to try their eye liner because I heard it is awesome. The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind is a fantastic concealer, but the tip of mine was a sponge applicator, and it really didn’t work for me. I worked with it because I loved the formula, but the sponge deteriorated beyond recognition by the end. I do recommend this product – I hope they have changed the applicator by now! The Tarte lip gloss was ok – nothing super special – although I’m a big Tarte fan. The Make Up Forever HD Foundation is my favorite. The bottle above is before they changed the formulation, but it is still my daily go to.

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The only mascaras that I would highlight above are the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara [third from left] and the Too Faced Queen Sized. Both are super old in my collection, so I had to throw them out. But I adore them. And of course, I love the Anastasia Brow Wiz. I’m working through two other brow products now, but will eventually return to this one.

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I LOVE Bumble and Bumble products. My salon carries the line, so I often pick up products there. The creme de coco shampoo is fantastic, and smells incredible. I plan to pick up another bottle in the near future. The mending shampoo is alright, made my hair too fluffy though. I HATED the Caviar Anti-Aging Replenishing Moisture Shampoo. Doesn’t do a thing and made my hair dry. I use the Organix Moroccan Argan Creme shampoo on the reg, and I think it makes my hair pretty soft. Dry Bar’s Sake Bomb Shampoo is good – not great – but works well for travel. The Tresemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo is pretty good as well. As someone with crazy, curly hair, it definitely smooths out the texture of my hair.

Have you guys tried any of these products?

VIB Sephora Haul -UPDATE

This weekend I was at the mall, and found myself in the Sephora inside JC Penney. I had totally forgot to check there before thinking my sale shopping was over. I came across two sets, that I believe are exclusive to these Sephora’s. SO glad I went and checked it out!

I picked up the Sephora Favorites Beauty Unmasked – and I couldn’t resist the group of products they put together for this: FullSizeRender 26.jpg

I also picked up the Sephora Favorites Skin Wonderland, and again, the group of products is amazing. I had been thinking I hadn’t picked up any skin care items, and now I rounded out my haul! Can’t wait to try them out!

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Favorites: January 2015

It is hard to believe the first month of 2015 has already come to an end. I wanted to start a monthly series where I share my favorite products, as well as ones that I discover each month.

Over the past few months I have been searching for a new make up primer. I came across several blogs that highly recommended Too Faced’s Hangover Rx Replenishing Face Primer. It leaves my face looking slightly dewy, which I like, and it is filled with ingredients that help to rejuvenate the skin. Although I’ve now tried several primers, I find myself reaching for this one 99% of the time.

Recently I re-discovered one of my absolute favorite perfumes: Givenchy’s Hot Couture. According to Sephora.com it has hints of Raspberry Dew, Jasmine, Bergamot, and White Musk. I only have this in the roller ball size, but I can’t get enough.

While watching YouTube videos I came across several vloggers who mentioned Buxom’s Full-on Lip Cream in the color White Russian. It is a gorgeous nude/pink, and OMG – I haven’t left the house without it in weeks. It leaves your lips tingling, and has a minty smell. The color is beautiful and while this is definitely a sticky lip gloss, it is also very creamy.

Another item I have been searching for over the past few months is a new wallet. I’m picky about wallets, because I like wallets that are easily accessible for me. While surfing ShopBop.com I came across a Rebecca Minkoff wallet that I just adore. It is their Continental Single Snap Wallet in Crimson (click here for a similar wallet). Fortunately the wallet was on major sale AND since they are partnered with Amazon I was able to buy it through Amazon and use a bunch of gift cards that I received for Christmas. Sadly the wallet is no longer available but the link above will show their updated version of mine, which is now in a GORGEOUS marble pattern.

The last product I discovered this month is Korres’ Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara. I received it in the holiday GlossyBox. I typically use mascaras that are very dark, and enhance and volumize my lashes, and this does not disappoint.

Let me know if you discovered any other great products this month!!

Making Resolutions Real: Closet Clean up

Like many girls, I absolutely love to shop. However, I know that I can’t buy things without purging the old things in my closet. Over the past few years I’ve found three different opportunities to clean things out and make some extra money.

Since I work in fundraising I’m all for donating clothes and gently used products to places like the Salvation Army, but considering some of my things still have tags on them, it almost felt like I was throwing away money. After some googling I found Threadflip. It is a website where you can sell clothing and accessories that are new or in fairly decent condition. You can list any brand and the recommended asking price is 20-40% of the retail price you paid. I base my prices on how much I have used the item, and how much I’m looking to get it out of the house. Oh, and the company takes a 20% commission. Over the past year and a half I’ve made over $500 and sold about 35 items. I choose to pay for shipping for my customers, but you can also let the buyer pay the shipping if you wish. Some I only make $2-$3, but to me thats better than nothing. You also can use their white glove service where they list the item for you and take care of everything. Since I have so many things listed, I preferred to do it myself. Things can take a while to sell, but eventually they will! Click on the screen shot below to visit my “closet”:

Poshmark is another site I use to sell things. I should disclose that I’ve only recently joined, and already sold my first item. The downside to this site is that you can only list items through the app on your phone – you can’t do so online, unlike Threadflip. Also, people often ask to trade or pay through Paypal which isn’t sanctioned by the site. I had no problems with my first sale, and they require the buyer to pay $4.99 in shipping. It appears as though their commission is about 15%, but I had trouble confirming that on their site. Oh, and their support staff are fantastic! Click below to visit my “closet”!

The final site is for those of you who, like me, are obsessed with subscription boxes. Mysubscriptionaddiction.com is a review site, and they also offer a swap forum as well. The swap site is great! You have to list the item, what box it is from and the condition of the item. Each party is responsible for the shipping, and it really runs on an honor system. I’ve had several swaps so far, and its great to get items you can use for those that would be sitting in your closet and drawers. I tend to swap make up, but you can swap anything from any box listed on the site (and there are tons!) I absolutely LOVE this. Click on the link above to get swapping!!

Do any of you use these types of site to clean out your closets? Share in the comments other sites/ideas – I’m always looking to try new things!

Get to Know Me: Daily Routine

I thought the best way to give readers insight into my personal taste would be to highlight my daily routine.

One of my absolute “must haves” is my Clarisonic Plus. I’ve had it for several years now, and while its not quite working properly, I just can’t let it go! The bright fuchsia color adds a nice pop to my white bathroom counter, and I can’t rave enough about this product. It keeps my skin clear, and feeling soft – so great that I have to bring it with me when I travel. (That is actually hard because the plus has a massive charger) The other perk to this version of the Clairsonic is that it has a brush head that you can use on your body. This is PERFECT for the summer and scrubbing off self tanner. The face wash that I reach for daily is the Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash. The scent is so enticing and along with the Clarisonic the results leave my skin in the best condition I’ve ever seen.

Every morning I use Origins Refreshing Eye Cream which helps with the puffiness under my eyes which I have pretty regularly.

The following is the rest of my routine:

Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer

e.l.f. HD Lifting Concealer

BeautyBlender

Make Up Forever HD Foundation Shade N118

Smashbox Contour Palette

Anastasia Brow Wiz – Taupe

Anastasia Clear Brow Gel

Chella Ivory Lace Highlighter

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner

Josie Maran Argan Black Oil Mascara

Benefit Dallas Blush

Ben Nye Banana Luxury Powder

My lip gloss (and blush) tend to change pretty regularly. I’m going to do a post highlighting some of my recent favorites!

Just another blog?

I know you’re thinking that you’ve stumbled across yet another “beauty blog.” And while, yes I blog about beauty products, my goal is to go beyond being just another blog. I’ve loved all things make up related since I was little – I can even remember my first trip to Sephora as a teenager (corny, I know). In late 2014 I made a promise to myself to make the new year the best one yet, and I want to do everything I can to live up to that. Since I spend most of my free time reading other blogs and watching YouTube videos, I realized I wanted to add my voice to the ever growing blogging community. So welcome to my blog where I will highlight not only one of my biggest passions, but also my journey to living my best life possible.

GabGoesGlam

Beauty. Lifestyle. Fashion.