Tag Archives: review

Jul23

Face Mask Festivities: Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: Yes To Tomatoes Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask Edition

Hi! Recently, my mom surprised me with the Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask by Yes To Tomatoes to test out. She is the literal sweetest and knows how much I enjoy doing face masks so every so often when she sees one for a good deal, she will treat me to it. While it wasn’t the best face mask I have ever used, the sentiment behind it was a ten out of ten stars for me! Now, let’s get to it:

I am a huge fan of charcoal skin care products, especially my favorite face bar by Destiny Boutique. I am always eager to test new charcoal products out because they are so effective in clearing the blackheads on my nose. I was expecting two results when using this Yes To Tomatoes mask: Clearing up my problem area as well as giving a nice glow to my skin since my fave face mask by The Body Shop does both. While this mask did clear up a lot of blackheads, it really didn’t do too much else for my skin.

Although I wasn’t overly blown away by the Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask, it did apply very easily. This was nice because some mud masks can be so thick. I had this mask on for about twelve minutes while I did some housework but it dried in roughly ten. I would definitely recommend washing it off right at the ten minute mark because it started feeling uncomfortably tight on my skin after just two additional minutes.

The Detoxifying Charcoal Mud Mask by Yes To Tomatoes is one that you could take or leave. However, if you’re like me and enjoy testing face masks just for the sake of trying something new, then it wouldn’t hurt to give this one a try if you find it for a marked down price!

What was the best face mask that you have used? Do you have a favorite ingredient when it comes to skin care? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul20

Face Mask Festivities: LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: LANEIGE Water Sleeping Mask Edition

Hello! During my last online Sephora Haul, I was able to cash in on my freebie birthday gift right in the nick of time as the month of June was almost over. I went with the LANEIGE gift set which offered a travel sized moisturizer, lip mask, and sleeping mask. Since arriving in the mail, I have used all of these products and can easily say that I would buy a full size of any of them – especially the Lip Sleeping Mask!

This past week, I used the Water Sleeping Mask three days in a row and was blown away by the results every morning. Take a look at some pics and let’s discuss:

When I saw the Water Sleeping Mask by LANEIGE in person, I remembered that I had actually tried it out before. It’s funny, because I was less than impressed in my previous review two years ago. Fast forward to present day and I am freaking obsessed with this mask!

Despite its rich gel texture, the Water Sleeping Mask applies really thin and this is so nice in my hot apartment. It can be unbearable having a thicker product on when I am sweating constantly! A little of it also went a long way and I have barely made a dent in it after three uses.

I was so excited to see the results upon awakening after my first use and when I looked in the mirror, I thought it was a fluke. When I wake up in the morning, I look and feel like the Swamp Creature lol but when I saw myself, my skin was absolutely glowing. It looked so healthy, bright, radiant, and *dare I say* younger! After three uses in a row, I woke up to the same results each morning and couldn’t believe my skin could look that good from just one product.

If you’re looking for instant radiance in the morning, then this nighttime mask is for you! I have no idea how I didn’t experience that during my first test run with the Water Sleeping Mask and am so glad I had the opportunity to try it again. Highly recommend!

Have you used any LANEIGE products before? What are your thoughts on them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Jul19

Violet Voss Le Macaron Palette Swatches Pt. 3

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Violet Voss Le Macaron Palette Swatches Pt. 3

Hello! Today, we are going to take a better look at the third and final set of swatches from the Le Macaron eyeshadow palette by Violet Voss. I am in love with everything about this palette but I am especially enamored with the fact that it was of such high quality for only eighteen dollars! If you are a metallic eyeshadow fan like me, then I cannot recommend the Le Macaron palette enough. 😀

Now, let’s get to it and be sure to tune in tomorrow for a brand new Face Mask Festivities!

^^^ Since all of the eyeshadows in this palette are no names, I’ll do it! How about “Stardust” for the silver and “Moonlit” for the yellow.

As I expected when swatching these eyeshadows, I really liked Stardust and can’t see myself using Moonlit very often. I have been in need of a new silver eyeshadow for a while and I think that Stardust will look so pretty when applied wet as an eyeliner. It reminds me of New Year’s Eve and this eyeshadow will definitely add a touch of glam to even the most simple outfits.

I can acknowledge that the Moonlit shade is lovely but it is one of those colors that would not look good on Lil Red. Despite the shimmer, Moonlit is still way too pale to be flattering on me. I knew it would wash me out completely before swatching it and it is my least favorite color in the Le Macaron palette.

Overall, I am incredibly pleased with both of my palette purchases from Sephora. The Rare Beauty palette by Selena Gomez was a knock out and I think Le Macaron is great too! My only comment on the Violet Voss palette is that it is not the most cohesive set of colors. However, if you are buying it strictly to have more variety with your makeup, then I don’t think you could find a better palette for the price!

What is your favorite eyeshadow that has been swatched recently? Would you purchase the Rare Beauty or Le Macaron palette? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul18

Violet Voss Le Macaron Palette Swatches Pt. 2

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Violet Voss Le Macaron Palette Swatches Pt. 2

Hi! Today, we are going to continue with our swatches from the Le Macaron eyeshadow palette by Violet Voss. I considered this ten shadow palette to be a steal for just eighteen dollars and have been very impressed while taking a closer look. Both the Rare Beauty and Le Macaron palettes that I purchased are metallic because it is my favorite type of eyeshadow to wear. For the most part, my makeup routine is fairly basic and metallic hues on my eyes add a fun pop with minimal effort. You don’t have to do too much to make eyeshadows this pretty look good! Check it out:

^^^ Since there are no names for these eyeshadows, I’ll do it! Let’s call the burnt orange “Flame” and the amethyst one “Bejeweled”.

Although there are a handful of colors in the Le Macaron palette extremely similar to those of Rare Beauty, a majority of them are new to me hues. Like the Birthday Cake eyeshadow we discussed yesterday, Flame was one of the selling points of this Violet Voss palette for me. Burnt orange reminds me of all things fall and Flame immediately brings a bonfire with friends to my mind. I can definitely picture myself rocking it come autumn!

If you recall, I wasn’t blown away by the Purple Haze swatch in yesterday’s post as the undertones of it were too warm for me. I wasn’t expecting much out of Bejeweled so I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up really liking it! I am not a huge purple fan, but the cool undertones of Bejeweled will pair so nicely with my pink hair and I live for the fairy princess vibes it gives me. ❤

Two successful swatches down, two more to go! Tune in tomorrow for the final post from the Violet Voss palette to take a better look at the second eyeshadow from the top right and the first shade on the bottom left. 🙂

What color are your eyes? Which eyeshadow shades compliment it best? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul17

Violet Voss Le Macaron Palette Swatches Pt. 1

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Violet Voss Le Macaron Palette Swatches Pt. 1

Hello! During my last Sephora Haul, I purchased two new eyeshadow palettes: Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez and Le Macaron by Violet Voss. I wanted some beginner level palettes to play with but I also didn’t want it to cost an arm and a leg, either. Rare Beauty was twenty-five dollars and Le Macaron was only eighteen! I was comfortable with these prices and the large amount of positive reviews made me feel confident with my online order.

Today, we are going to be taking a closer look at two of the eyeshadows in the Le Macaron palette. There are some colors that are similar to those in Rare Beauty so we will be bypassing them! Now, let’s get to it with the top left and bottom right shades:

^^^ There are no names for these eyeshadows so I guess I will do the honors. Let’s go with “Purple Haze” and “Birthday Cake”.

The only negative reviews I noticed on Sephora’s website for the Le Macaron palette were complaints on the pigment quality. Happily, I did not find that to be true in the slightest while swatching these shades. While the eyeshadow may have been drier in comparison to the Rare Beauty palette, which was quite creamy, it still applied easily and in a rich hue. You just can’t beat that for eighteen dollars!

I can’t say that I will be wearing Purple Haze very often because warm undertones don’t look the best on me now with my red and pink hair. However, I absolutely adore the eyeshadow in Birthday Cake and it was actually one of the biggest selling points of this palette for me. It reminds me of fairy tales, bubblegum, and all things sweet! Purple Haze is a swing and a miss but Birthday Cake is a definite home run. 😀

What is your favorite eyeshadow palette? What are your favorite makeup brands? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

Jul13

Face Mask Festivities: LANEIGE Berry Lip Sleeping Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities: LANEIGE Berry Lip Sleeping Mask Edition

Hello! At the end of June, I had an online Sephora haul just in time to get my birthday freebie. For my gift, I went with a skin care set by LANEIGE because I have always been interested in trying their products. While I can’t wait to test out the moisturizer and sleeping face mask by LANEIGE, I was most looking forward to using the Berry Lip Sleeping Mask. I see their lip masks all the time at TJMaxx but I could never justify the fifteen dollar price tag. After a few uses, however, I will happily be purchasing a full sized jar because I am obsessed! Let’s discuss:

In a world of skin care that revolves around moisturizers, serums, and eye creams, it is a rarity to find a product solely dedicated to the lips. While I do apply moisturizer to my lips, I have never used a treatment specifically for them, which is why I was so eager to test the Berry Lip Sleeping Mask out. I am very prone to chapped lips and after just three uses I have noticed a huge difference in both the hydration and appearance of my lips.

My first impression of the LANEIGE lip mask was how pretty the seashell pink packaging and product was! It also smelled amazing – just like the mixed berry Lip Smackers. The jar I received was, of course, a trial size but just a small swiping of it went such a long way and I have hardly made a dent in it after three uses. The texture of the mask is rich and creamy without feeling thick and I have been applying a small amount after my nighttime skin care routine every other few days.

When I used the Lip Sleeping Mask for the first time, I couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning to see the results! After washing it off, I couldn’t believe what I saw and felt. My lips had never felt so hydrated and cared for before and they looked fuller and healthy. I even think that the natural color of my lips has improved too from the berry tinged mask. The best part? My lips still were highly moisturized and had a supple, color tinted appearance after a handful of days without using it.

The LANEIGE Berry Lip Sleeping Mask is literally everything and I never realized how much I needed a product just for my lips until testing it out. I highly, highly recommend it!

What is a skin care essential for you? What are your thoughts on this mask if you have used it before? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul11

Selena Gomez Rare Beauty Palette Swatches (Elevate & Trust)

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Selena Gomez Rare Beauty Palette Swatches (Elevate & Trust)

Hello! Today we are going to conclude our swatches for my new palette by Selena Gomez called Rare Beauty. I am so pleased with this purchase – everything from the colors and quality to the packaging and price (A mere twenty-five dollars!) made this the perfect beginner palette for me. I am not a huge makeup gal and didn’t want a palette with an overwhelming amount of colors. However, a little variety would be nice and I found it with Rare Beauty. Check out my final swatches and tune in tomorrow to see my turquoise and orange acrylics!

^^^ The silver eyeshadow is called Elevate, which makes the pink one Trust!

Originally, I thought I was going to really like the silver shade in Elevate because I assumed that it was going to be a pure silver metallic. Swatching it was an entirely different story, though, as it appeared very yellow on my skin. Because of this, I can’t see myself wearing just Elevate as an eyeshadow. But this is not to say that I won’t use it! I plan on applying Elevate to my tear duct and waterline for a little extra sparkle. I actually used to do this all the time with a similar shade but never repurchased it once I ran out so Elevate will work just fine.

Upon first sight of Trust, I also felt like I was going to love it and my instincts were right! The metallic watermelon pink is oh so sweet and I think it is an ideal summer eyeshadow shade. While I wasn’t crazy about Elevate, I thought it looked awesome paired with Trust. This palette purchase is all about being able to experiment and I can definitely see myself attempting a combination of the two in the future. Will it look good? Maybe. But I’ll never know if I don’t try!

Despite a few misses in terms of color (And that is just my opinion!), I still highly recommend the Rare Beauty palette by Selena Gomez. It will not break your bank and will give you the opportunity to play around with the different shades as they all pair well together, for the most part. The quality and pigment of these colors for the price is excellent too!

What is your favorite eyeshadow palette? How do you learn different makeup techniques? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul9

Selena Gomez Rare Beauty Palette Swatches (Boost & Will-Power)

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Selena Gomez Rare Beauty Palette Swatches (Boost & Will-Power)

Hi! Ever since getting my makeup professionally done for my wedding, I have become more interested in experimenting with makeup. Shocking, I know, considering all I do is alternate between three different eyeshadow colors lol! I have never bought an eyeshadow palette before and, at twenty-seven years old, it’s better late than never. While online shopping with Sephora, I purchased two eyeshadow palettes in lovely metallic hues: Le Macaron by Violet Voss and Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez.

The Rare Beauty palette boasts six beautiful and highly pigmented shades and we are going to be discussing two per day, starting with Boost and Will-Power. Check it out:

^^^ The chartreuse eyeshadow is called Boost, which makes the sparkling sapphire Will-Power.

While browsing through the palettes on Sephora’s website, I was immediately attracted to the Boost color. I absolutely love to wear green and now that my convertible hair has cooler undertones, I thought that the chartreuse shade would look striking. When my hair had ultra warm undertones, I could never get away with a color so light as it would wash me out!

I can’t say that I have ever worn blue eyeshadow before and, to be honest, I don’t plan on using the Will-Power shade often, if at all. It is just a bit too loud for my liking. However, Boost and Will-Power together make for the ultimate mermaid combination which might be fun to try. This palette purchase was all about experimenting, after all.

The Rare Beauty palette by Selena Gomez seemed like the perfect one to try for a beginner. Most of the colors would pair well together, eliminating the guess work out of finding the best combination. This palette was very reasonably priced at twenty-five dollars, which made me a bit nervous for the quality. I am glad I took the risk, though, because these shades are incredibly pigmented. I hardly needed any eyeshadow to make the swatches on my hand and the texture was rich and creamy, providing for easy application.

Although we are only two swatches into the Rare Beauty palette, I can already say that I completely recommend it. I know that I will be using each color but Will-Power and that makes the purchase well worth it. Tune back in tomorrow for more swatches in Gutsy and Strong!

What is your favorite eyeshadow palette? How do you learn new makeup application techniques? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jun23

Lil Red’s Book Club: Before She Disappeared By Lisa Gardner Edition

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Lil Red’s Book Club: Before She Disappeared By Lisa Gardner Edition

Hi! This past month has been so busy, I feel like I barely had any time to read. However, after an afternoon reading marathon over the weekend, I finally finished the book I had been working on called Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner. I can’t say that I was overly impressed with the way the book ended but I really liked it as a whole due to the strong female lead, Frankie Elken. So, without giving any spoilers away, let’s discuss:

Frankie Elken is a middle aged former alcoholic who drifts from place to place trying to solve missing person cases that have gone cold. She is not a professional and does her investigating without getting paid, so she picks up odd jobs in whatever city she ends up in. Due to Frankie’s own demons, she is highly passionate about what she does. But, unfortunately, she has never brought anyone home alive in the fourteen missing person cases she has worked on. This time, she desperately wants to get it right and heads to Mattapan in Boston to search for teen aged Angelique Badeau.

Angelique and her family are Haitian immigrants who came to America during the earthquakes. She is described as an incredibly gifted student with dreams of being a doctor and has a deep love for her family and Haiti. According to everyone who knows her, the last thing Angelique could be described as is a troublemaker and has never acted rashly before.

Eleven months ago, quiet and determined Angelique disappeared after school without a trace. After months of tracking evidence and following leads, the Boston Police Department came up with nothing and the case eventually goes cold. Cue Frankie Elken.

In a handful of days, Frankie uncovers secrets that the police weren’t even close to discovering on their own. As you can imagine, this leads to much tension between her and the professionals. In a missing person case, every minute is crucial and newly found intel leads Frankie to believe that Angelique is running out of time and fast. Can Frankie bring Angelique home? And just what in the heck happened to her? Read Before She Disappeared to find out!

Although I wasn’t particularly blown away with the way Before She Disappeared ended, I had a good time reading it. The entire book had such a sense of urgency to it and as I read, I felt like I was a detective right alongside Frankie. She is an unlikely heroine and her tenacity and street smarts blew the case wide open when she arrived in Boston. I found myself liking and rooting for her even more with every page.

The entire book felt like waiting for a bomb to blow because time was of the essence and, although the finale was a bit of a dud, I still recommend reading this book. I am going to rate it with a six out of ten star rating and it actually would have been a seven if there weren’t So. Many. Typos. in the book. It’s me being nit-picky, but it drove me nuts! Lisa Gardner has written a plethora of other books and I wouldn’t mind reading more of her work in the future.

What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

 

 

 

Jun22

Face Mask Festivities Follow Up: The Body Shop’s Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask Edition

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Face Mask Festivities Follow Up: The Body Shop’s Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing Mask Edition

Howdy! When it comes to bath and body care as well as skin care too, I always find myself partial to products from The Body Shop. In my youth, we always had goodies from TBS handy like their bath beads, bar soap, and shower gel. Then, in my teenage years, my mom took me there for one of my very first skin care and makeup hauls.

The Body Shop always hits right in the nostalgia for me and for good reason! So you could imagine how disappointing it was when all of their storefronts in my area closed several years ago. TJMaxx definitely saved the day when they started carrying TBS products in their beauty department and my mom and I were ecstatic to get our favorite lotions and skin care for a fraction of the cost.

A few months ago, my mom surprised me with The Body Shop’s Japanese Matcha Tea Pollution Clearing mask which she found at TJMaxx. It had been a long while since I tested out a new face mask and if you read my original review, you will remember that I felt the mask left a lot to be desired.

While I always enjoy using a new face mask, good or bad, I did find myself a bit disappointed with the Pollution Clearing mask. Yes, my skin felt slightly softer and looked a tad brighter but that was about it and I was very surprised to see so many five star reviews for it on Google. The reviews made me feel like I was missing something and I also refused to believe that The Body Shop could have made such a dud (For a lack of a better word!) of a mask. So, I began using it bi-weekly for about a month and, I have to say, I still don’t get it lol.

There is no denying that using this mask is a pleasurable experience, however, I still don’t see or feel any groundbreaking results after regular usage. Then again, what’s my one negative review among a sea of five star ones?! I still stand by my lackluster opinions but learned from reading user reviews that this mask proves to be highly effective for acne prone skin. My skin type has always been normal so it makes sense that I might not have seen such obvious improvements but it still would have been nice!

Acne prone skin or not, I still wouldn’t recommend paying the full twenty-eight dollar price tag for this mask. But, it is worth a try if you find it at a discount store like TJMaxx. I’m happy that I continued to try this face mask despite little to no results and plan on finishing my jar of it. But I think I will stick to my Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow mask from The Body Shop from now on.

Which products have you been unimpressed with recently? What is your favorite product from The Body Shop? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah