Welcome to And It's Pretty! A place where I post about beauty, skin care and all the other things I am obsessing over!
I always seem to accumulate a lot of moisturizer samples. And I am nervous to try them because they always seem to be to heavy and make me break out. But I decided to give this one a shot.
Verdict: I really liked it! It wasn't super heavy and it soaked in very quickly without leaving my skin oily. I would definitely use it again, but I have a hard time justifying the $48 price tag.
I'm not picky about make up removers. As long as it doesn't leave a residue and doesn't burn my eyes, I'm sold. I love the rest of the Benefit They're Real! line. So it makes sense to try out the remover as well.
Verdict: All the instructions said was to saturate a cotton pad and wipe your make up off. It did remove my make up, but it was a little thick for my liking. It lathered when I mixed it with water but then it was a little too watered down and more scrubbing was required. Not my favourite way to remove make up but it's definitely not the worst product I've tried. It didn't burn my eyes, which is always a plus for me too.
This week I sampled Sephora Collection's Express Eye Makeup Remover Wipes.
Everybody knows that one of the best things you can do for your skin is take your make up off before bed. I know I'm not the only person that isn't great with this rule. But I have made it easier on myself.
I wear a lot of make up. It's my security blanket and I flat out refuse to leave the house without it. (It drives my friends and family crazy.) And I am all about that long wear formula. But at the end of the day, I just want it off my face. I've tried a bunch of cleansers and make up removers over the years and found that wipes are my favourite.
Now for my thoughts on this one. Unfortunately, the sample only contained one and I made the impulse decision to use it on a low make up day. But I really liked it.
When I took the wipe out of the package, it wasn't super saturated. This made me a little bit nervous that it had dried up but I was impressed! It took everything off, even my water proof mascara with little to know scrubbing. And it didn't leave a residue on my face like my current make up remover does. It wasn't heavily scented either, to anger my skin more.
I would have liked to try it with some of my long wear eyeliner, as that stuff does not want to come off as of late. But I think I will be picking up a box of these when I'm out of my current remover.
I have decided to do my Birchbox posts a little bit differently. I am going to post as I try thing ans see how it goes. This was in the June Birchbox. The theme was "Say Yes."
I have tried other salt sprays before and never really liked them. But I really liked this! I used this with the curl spray I have and they were perfect together. I had loose curls that lasted all day and even survived the humidity.
I will be using this again and will look into the full size when it's gone.
Two weeks ago, I reviewed my first, and only, Ipsy Bag. I also signed up for Birchbox. So here are my thoughts on this one!
It looks like Birchbox has a new theme every month. May's theme was Cupcakes and Cashmere. So it is filled with products to elevate your everyday life. And the box is adorable.
First of all, there is BeeKind Body Lotion.
First impression... It smells delicious! It is made with honey and chamomile. It isn't thick and doesn't leave a greasy film on my hands when I rub it in. And the smell lingers. Best of all, part of the proceeds go to honey bees and sustainable pollination research. Save the bees!
Verdict: I like it. I am going to pop it in my purse. If you are looking for a lotion, and want to support a good cause in the process, check this out!
Next up is Benefit Cosmetics It's Potent! Eye Cream.
I recently posted about this. I purchased the full size from Sephora and I love it. It's super hydrating and helps get rid of the dark circles I have hanging out under my eyes. And I am obsessed with the tiny version of the container.
Verdict: If you are in the market for an eye cream, this is my holy grail. I am obsessed. Get it. You need it. If you haven't tried it, why not?
The box also included Mirenesse Glossy Kiss in Starlet.
Oh. My. God. I am in love! At first glance, I thought this was red. But it defintely has some pink and orange tones in it. As well as a ton of gold glitter. It is stunning! It isn't drying on my lips. And claims to be long wearing. So I guess we will see!
Verdict: I am going to love wearing this. It's is so pretty. With a simple golden eye, it would be a match made in heaven! I am very interested in seeing what other colors this brand has available.
The next product is Number 4 Non-Aersol Hairspray.
First of all.... Holy sh*t! The smell! It smells like straight up alcohol. It does have some of that typical hairspray smell but it is heavily over powered.
I am not a big hairspray person. I used to dance and had to have a whole can of hairspray in my hair to keep it back. Now I just like to let it move around on it's own. The only time I really bother with it is during the dry, staticky winter.
Verdict: As I said, I'm not big into hairspray, so I don't use it regularly. But I made an execption for this. And I have to say I didn't like it. At least not enough to use it on a daily basis. The smell put me off. And I did not find that it had an all day hold. It seemed to wear off after a few hours. I am still going to use it and see if a few uses changes my mind.
And last but not least, Whish Shave Crave Shaving Cream.
It smells light and fresh. It contains shea butter, green tea, coconut oil and jojoba seed oil. All organic. So it's a shaving cream you can feel good about.
Verdict: It's not my favourite. I am just getting back into using shaving cream and this left me disappointed. It does not lather. When I apply it, it almost seems to sink into the skin. And I did not find it moisturizing, as the skin afterwards was very dry. I have used it twice and seemed to have used the entire sample. So it doesn't go a long way either.
Birchbox Verdict: I think I am going to keep this box. It did not take too long to arrive and it had none of that force social media spamming that Ipsy had. The products come in a small box, not a make up bag. And I really don't need a new make up bag every month. The prices are about the same. But I am going to keep my Birchbox subsciption going. So be on the look out for my new post next month!
I kept seeing Ipsy on Facebook so I just decided to sign up for it. They send you 5 random samples a month from a wide variety of brands. And here is what I received in my first bag!
Firstly, the samples you receive come in a very cute make up bag. I am a sucker for cute travel sized make up bags. And every month you get a new one with a new design!
The first product I received was Cailyn Pure Lust Extreme Matte Tint in Narcisssist.
I love matte lipsticks but my lips are so dry. I really liked this one, however. One coat was heavily pigminted and wore for a long time. Eating and drinking provided it's on hurdles, like it does. The color didn't transfer, but touch ups were required afterwards and that is when my lips started to feel dry.
The color is a darker coral-ly salmon. It's perfect for day wear. But it would also be a nice, softer touch for an darker evening look.
Verdict: I really love this color. I will get a lot of wear out of this and am definitely interested in trying this brand again.
The next product I received was Jesse's Girl Pure Pigmant Eye Dust in Brown Sugar.
I have never heard of this brand before and loose pigments make me a little bit nervous. But I love the coppery color. I tried this out with a white base. It did not have a ton of color pay off. I am not sure if this is normal with loose pigments. But the color was buildable. I was able to create a light dusting over the lid and build it up darker in the crease.
Verdict: It's not my favourite but I will use it. Loose pigments seem more hassle than they are worth. If you love loose pigments, then I would try it out!
I also received Brigeo Rosarco Milk.
This is a leave-in conditioning spray. I bleach my hair on the regular and am always in need of a good deep conditioning product. This one contains rosehip, argan and coconut milk. You spray it on your damn hair and let it work it's magic.
The trouble for me was remembering to use it on it's own. I have an arsenal of products I use on a regular basis to keep my hair feeling soft. But just when I started to fall in love, I had finished it!
Verdict: I would definitely use this again. It left my dry, damaged hair feeling soft and healthy without weighing it down. And that is an impressive feat!
And finally, I have Eylure London Naturals in No 20.
I have only tried fake lashes once. They were cheap and it was a messy disaster. But I like how simple these ones are. They look very natural.
I got to try these out and loved them. They were so natural and blended easily with my lashes. And I didn't need to trim them.
Verdict: I have only worn them once. But I really did love them. I wore them for a photoshoot and they looked amazing and the glue stayed put all day. Will definitely wear them again!
Ipsy Verdict: I did discontinue my subscription after receving this batch. I liked the products but I wasn't a huge fan of how demanding the website was. To get any information about my products, or even just to get off the wait list, I had to spam my facebook page with promotional posts. If I feel strongly about a product, I will post about it. But I hated that it was required. If that does not bother you, sign up! The products are great and the make up bags are adorable!