March Favorites

I feel guilty that I bought enough beauty products to write, yet again, a favorites post. But, I have some [legitimate] excuses: there are more days in March, I didn't have as many exams, and I had my spring break this month. Yeah... I feel better now. So, onto my favorite beauty products! (swatches are towards the bottom of the post)

L'Oreal Paris Studio Secrets Professional Magic Smooth Souffle Foundation $13.97: I love the texture of this foundation! It's feels like whipped cream. It is really easy to blend, and I don't need to use a brush or sponge to apply this. I'm going to do a more thorough review on this product, including pictures and application tips because this foundation deserves its own entry. That's how awesome it is.

Stila Crush Lip and Cheek Stain in Mango $24: I bought this at Ulta because they are having a special deal where you can get the Make Me Blush Cheek Color (item below) for free with any Stila purchase of $30+. Actually, I had originally bought this stain in the shade "Coconut", but it did not complement my skin tone. Mango is a bright coral color with a shimmery gold base. I love the color, especially with Stila's Make Me Blush Cheek Color on top. The combination of these two products give me a nice, rosy glow and helps the color stay put on my cheeks for several hours. I used this on my lips, but the stain was barely noticeable. Also, these stains are supposed to smell like their respective names. Coconut smelled great, but mango smells odd... fortunately, the scent isn't too powerful and fades pretty quickly.

Stila Make Me Blush Cheek Color $22.99: I've been eyeing this blush since it came out around Valentine's Day. I think the hearts are adorable, and the shade is a nice, coral color when all the colors are combined. It is a bit shimmery, but I found that I can easily dust most of the shimmer off my cheeks with my fingers. You can get this for free with any $30+ Stila purchase at Ulta. I'm not sure when the deal ends though.

Rimmel Lipstick in Kiss $2.64: I think this color is really cute for spring and summer. It's a slightly bright, watermelon pink color. I also love the moisturizing formula of the lipstick.

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Ultra Darling $14.50: I love this color. It's slightly darker than the Rimmel lipstick in Kiss, but I would still describe it as a watermelon pink. I also love the formula: creamy, moisturizing, and gives a nice, wet sheen.

Alterna Bamboo Smooth Kendi Oil Dry Oil Mist $14.05: This mist claims to nourish and improve the strength and flexibility of hair, banish frizz, and enhance shine. It is also a heat protectant. First off, I must say that I am kind of obsessed with the scent of this mist. I love the fact that it is also a heat protectant because I don't like applying more than one product onto my hair. I can't say if this product has improved my hair because I feel that my hair is pretty healthy. I've never colored it, and only use heat on my hair on rare occasions. In fact, I am extremely low maintenance when it comes to my hair. In terms of frizz and shine: yes, I have noticed that my hair isn't as frizzy and is shinier. I also like the fact that this doesn't leave my hair looking or feeling oily.

Swatches:

From L to R: Stila Make Me Blush; Stila Mango Crush; Rimmel Kiss; MAC Ultra Darling

Thanks for reading!

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Haul: Candles!

I am a fanatic of many things in life, and candles are one of them. Candles come in all sorts of aromas: you can put a bakery scented candle in your kitchen, a fresh scented candle in your bathroom, and a romantic floral scented candle in your bedroom! I also love fruity scents for my bedroom and kitchen. I just received my order from Candles by Victoria, and I really like these scents. First off, allow me to commend the owner of this business, Victoria. She is the only owner of Candles by Victoria, and has the full time job of being a single parent to two kids. Nevertheless, she always manages to fill every order in a timely manner. Thanks, Victoria! (I doubt she will ever read this though LOL) Anyway, onto the candles :)

From L to R: Blueberry Monkey Bread, Coco Beach Baby Peach, Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Blueberry Monkey Bread is definitely my favorite out of the three candles. It smells just like it sounds: a mesh of blueberries and monkey bread. So decadent! I'm not particularly fond of Coco Beach Baby Peach. It smells like a blend of peaches and cardboard, and is a bit too musky for my liking. :-/ Pineapple Upside Down Cake also smells delicious. It smells like fresh pineapples with a hint of shortbread cookies. Overall, these candles are a great buy. Each 9oz jar is $8.25 and shipping is a flat rate fee of $8.50. You can take 10% off your total purchase with this code: cbvictoria.

I also bought two candles from Bath & Body Works since they were having a "buy two for $20" sale. However, I purchased these a couple weeks back, so I am not sure if this sale is still going on.

From L to R: Passion Flower and Peach Bellini

I haven't had a chance to burn Passion Flower, but it smells so delightful. According to the BBW website, this scent is described as: "Juicy passion fruit, watery pear and casaba melon combine perfectly with Tahitian vanilla." It's pretty spot on. Peach Bellini is also a very sweet scent. It smells like fresh peaches with a hint of vanilla and jasmine. I love both of these scents.


On another note, I finally found a Vietnamese restaurant somewhat close to my house (~30 minutes) that makes bahn mi sandwiches. *happy dance* For some reason, I've been craving banh mi for the past two weeks. My boyfriend also found an Italian delicacy in the same shopping center that sells canolis, which he has been craving for... well, pretty much everyday. It looks like we'll be making frequent trips there.

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February Favorites

Aside from the fact that February was a month of many midterms and lack of sleep, I still managed to buy tons of beauty products. *sigh* Go figure :3

These were my favorite beauty/health related items that I purchased and/or used several times during the month of February:

• Nivea Visage Alcohol Free Toner $5.44: I've used toners in the past, but never considered them to be a necessity in one's skin care regimen. This toner is, by far, the best toner I have ever used. It is alcohol free, so it doesn't sting when I apply it. My face doesn't feel tight, dry, or irritated. The downside is that this product is difficult to find in stores. I've checked my local CVS, Rite Aid, and Target, and none of them carry this product. :(

• Clean & Clear Makeup Dissolving Foaming Cleanser $4.99: This cleanser removes almost all traces of makeup. I know this because my toner picks up very tiny amounts of foundation/concealer residue after I cleanse. It's a foamy consistency, so application is quick and easy. Best of all, the cleanser is gentle and non-irritating.

• Milani Mineral Blush in Luminous $5.99: I love the color, but the packaging is crappy. The clear, plastic part popped out when I tried to open the lid. I want to do an exchange, but every time I go to my local Target, this blush is sold out. The color is gorgeous though. It is a rosy, peachy pink with gold reflexes--similar to Nars Orgasm, but this blush is a more subdued pink.

• Sonia Kashuk Creme Blush in Rosey $9.99: I love cream blushes, but I haven't had much luck with them. They are usually too solid, so the color is difficult to blend. This one, however, has a very creamy consistency, so it is easy to blend. I also love the coral color. On the other hand, I have to be careful when applying this blush because it is quite pigmented.

• Wet 'n' Wild Brow/Eyeliner Pencil in Taupe $0.75: This is a brow pencil and an eyeliner. I still love my Physician's Formula brow pencil, but I have been using this one from Wet & Wild almost everyday since I bought it. The color is practically a perfect match for my natural brow color. I also like that it contains beeswax to help pat down my brow hairs and keep them in place.

• Avon Glazewear Lipgloss in Apple Cinnamon $2.99: This is such a pretty color. The color is a nice, toned down mauvy red with shimmers. The lipgloss is also quite moisturizing, and it stays on for a long time. Best of all, this lipgloss is not sticky at all.

• Green By Nature Lip Butter in Banana Shea $4.99: I love this lip balm. It glides on smoothly, protects my lips from the bitter cold, prevents my lips from becoming chapped, and smells delicious. It is 100% free of parabens and contains 95% natural ingredients. This pwns Burts Bees. Seriously.

Swatches:

Please excuse the crappy 2.0 megapixel quality. From L to R: Avon Apple Cinnamon, Milani Luminous, & Sonia Kashuk Rosey

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