Beauty Blog: My "Hits & Misses" for January 2014

I swear it feels like I just posted my December "Hits & Misses"! I can't believe how fast January flew by and we even had 31 days this month! January was a weird make-up month for me because my skin has been so dry that I felt like anything and everything I put on my face looked horrible. I have never had such a hard time with my dry skin until this year. I'm also pale as pale can be so that always makes your skin look worse than it really is. Luckily, I was sent a bottle of self tanner to review so that helped me out in the color department last week! I also found that I didn't purchase a lot of new items this month to add to my collection; I am trying hard to use up what I have. I am also saving my money for the day that our ULTA opens in Albany! I can't wait to do a little shopping in there once they open their doors in February. I am hoping they have some really good sales and deals to go along with their grand opening. Without further ado here are my "Hits & Misses" for January.

HITS

Garnier Skin Renew BB Cream ($11.99) in Light/Medium Shade - This has to be the best drugstore BB cream currently on the market. It's great for days when you want more of a no make-up face but still want a hint of coverage. It actually gives you more than a "hint" of color; in my opinion it's almost a full coverage shade. It's creamy and feels wonderful on my face. This does everything that it claims: evens out skin tone, blurs imperfections and gives a radiant glow. My skin looks so alive and healthy when I use this BB cream. I was also impressed with how light weight the formula was and the smell was pleasant. I also like the fact that this contains SPF 15. 

L'Oreal 24HR Infalliable Eye Shadow in Golden Emerald ($6.99) - This line of shadows is one of my favorites from the drug store. The pigmentation is outstanding and it has high end quality at a drug store price. I used Golden Emerald a lot this month and it's not your average forest green color. This has flecks of dark and olive green along with gold shimmer. There is nothing matte about this shade. I pair this with a dark purple crease and it really makes my hazel eyes pop. It is also beautiful paired with a dark chocolate brown crease. If you really want a vibrant green it's best to apply this slightly damp and it pops off your lid! Used with a primer this lasts all day without fading or creasing. 

L'Oreal Linear Intense in Carbon Black ($7.94) - Y'all know I love my WnW H2O eyeliner but this is giving it a run for it's money!! I decided to try this after reading great reviews online. I was a bit intimidated by the brush but it's super easy to use. It has a very small natural bristle brush but it gives you a nice sleek line that is bold. It's crazy how thin of a line you can get with this even though it has a brush end versus the felt tip end. I like that it stays put all day without fading or transferring. It doesn't run when you sweat or tear up. It's super easy to remove with an eye make-up remover or towelette. I have used this non-stop since I purchased it over a month ago and that speaks volumes. 

Revlon Colorstay Brow Enhancer in Light Brown ($9.99) - As much as I hate to admit this I feel like my brows are thinning. I do NOT over wax or pluck -- I really should clean them up more than I do but I feel the my brown brows aren't as vibrant as they used to be. Is that possible with age?!? I used this brown enhancer a lot this month and it helped fill in my brows making them look thicker and fuller. I like that the brown shade isn't too dark as it's more like a dark ash blonde. The enhancer comes with two ends as one is used for the brow and the champagne color is used for highlighting your brow bone. I typically don't use that end but it is a nice shade to highlight with. 

Kiss Everlasting French Nails ($7.99) - I have been addicted to these this past month and for a good reason. They are great!! If you don't want the commitment of acrylic nails but have a special occasion or just want a set of nice nails these are wonderful. They are thin and so natural looking that if applied correctly you can get at least 7-10 days wear out of them without having to worry about them popping off. I have worn these while doing the dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc. and they don't budge! I am seriously in love with them and even more so that I don't have to commit to the upkeep of acrylic nails. Check out my video on the best way to apply these :)

5 Second Original Salon Nail Glue ($3.99) - This might as well be compared to super glue because it's that strong. Once this bonds with your nail you don't have to worry about losing a nail. It also literally dries within 5 seconds so you have to be careful not to get this stuck to your fingers while applying your nails or it is a little painful. The good part is that once you do remove your fake nails this glue hasn't ruined your original nail and cleans off easily with acetone remover. This is made in several different formulas/packaging but this is the one I prefer and found that works the best for me. 








L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess in Blackest Black ($7.97) - Holy Cow! Just when I thought I had the perfect mascara from L'Oreal they did it again with this tube of loveliness. The special brush makes clumping almost non-existent and it coats each individual lash. After one coat of this my lashes look longer and fuller. I can't get over how impressive the mascara's are from L'Oreal and this one is currently my favorite out of all of them! I didn't buy the waterproof formula in this and I will tell you that if shed a ton of tears it will run but otherwise it stays put until you take it off. I also feel like this formula isn't as harsh on my lashes as the others are. 

Famous Dave*s Self Tanner (Small Batch Reserve) in Light/Medium ($38.00 online) - I was so lucky to have this bottle of self tanner to review from Dave of "Famous Dave*s Self Tanner" this month. I was a nice shade of pale and needed some color on my skin and this did the trick! I am usually weary of self tanner's because many leave you looking like an orange streaky hot mess but this one impressed me. I applied it after I exfoliated my skin in the shower and the next morning I woke up a nice shade of a natural tan. I loved that the lotion was almost fragrance free and was super easy to rub into my skin. Some tanners give you a work out just trying to apply it but this didn't and absorbed quickly. I went to bed directly after application and it didn't transfer on my pajamas or my bed linens. I was determined to give this an honest review even though the company was generous enough to send me a free full size bottle and the only bad thing I can say about it was there still has that slight smell of self tanner (y'all know what I am talking about) but it wasn't overpowering like most. I wish I had taken a before/after picture because the quality of the tan and the shade it produces it phenomenal. I have applied this once so I know if I wanted a richer shade of tan I could apply a second and it look great but I was so pale to begin with that it would look "too fake" if I did that. I am doing a giveaway with this product BUT....here's the catch....you gotta watch my video on YouTube to get the details. However, if you are interested in purchasing your own bottle head over to their website to check out their line as they have several different tanners to choose from! They have their lotion tanners as well as a mousse tanner and mist tanner. They have a tanner specifically for your face and even offer an exfoliating cleaner along with a bunch of other goodies. The best part is this product is out of NORTH CAROLINA so for my hometown friends it's always good to support our local businesses. Check out their website: www.famousdavestanner.com/!!

Watt's Up Highlighter by Benefit ($30.00) - I received a travel size of this at Sephora for my December birthday gift and I have been obsessed with it since then! This is the *perfect* champagne color and would look fabulous on any skin tone. It's a cream stick that turns into powder once applied. It doesn't have sparkle but leaves a nice soft focus sheen wherever you decide to apply it. I use it on my cheek bones and down the bridge of my nose and it gives the prettiest hint of perfection. It brightens without blinding you as it just adds a subtle glow. I will definitely go and pick up the full size version when I run out of my sample size because it's that freaking awesome. A little also goes a long way so I can justify the price. 

Viva la Juicy Noir by Juicy Couture ($70.00) - Simply amazing is all I can say about this fragrance. For Christmas I received a gift set with all three Viva la Juicy scents and I have fallen in love with this. I have worn the original scent for the past 3-4 years but the Noir tops that. It's very similar to the original but this is a tad heavier and would be perfect for the Fall/Winter if you are a seasonal scent fan. Along with the original scent they have added hints of honeysuckle, sandalwood and berry. This scent is more of a sexy scent where the original is more playful. I will say that I found the original lasts longer than the Noir....however, I love smelling it so I don't mind reapplying it :) 

MISSES

A! Absolute Make-up Cleansing Tissues with Pomegranate Extract ($6.99) - I received this in my January iPSY bag and I think this is the most foul smelling make-up towelette I have ever used. I honestly can't even tell you how well the product worked because I only used it on half of my face before my gag reflex kicked in and I was desperately trying to find my other wipes to get the scent off of my face. Online this product has really good reviews and maybe it does work great but I just can't handle the smell. The worst part was even after I used my Equate wipes the scent still lingered on my face. Yuck. These will be given to a friend or thrown in the trash because I can't use them. 

L'Oreal Youth Code Illuminating BB Cream ($12.99) - This was featured in my first "A Must or A Bust" video so obviously it was a miss for me this month. I was so happy when I saw this at CVS because I am a sucker for illuminators but this was just overkill. It left my face looking almost greasy/oily and it didn't even out my skin tone like the Garnier BB cream. I had high hopes for this because I love L'Oreal products (as you can tell from my hits this month) but this was just an epic fail in my opinion. If you even have a trace of oily skin this would not work for you at all because I have very dry skin and hated it. I couldn't find my receipt so I didn't return it so I have been using it as a highlighter/illuminator strictly on my cheek bones and it seems to work well for that so I guess it's not a complete miss....but it still fails as a BB cream! 


As always, thanks for reading my blog and be sure to check out my coordinating YouTube video for the details on how to get your own full size bottle of "Famous Dave*s Self Tanner"! I should have a new video for "A Must or A Bust" up soon so please stay tuned. Until then take care and let me know if there are any products out there that you would like a review on :) 

Click here for my YouTube video!