Product Review: Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette

Today I want to talk about the Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Contour Palette. This debuted earlier this year and has become a cult favorite among a lot of makeup lovers. You can find this through Sephora (and I hear on QVC now) for about 46.00 which can be pretty pricey, but the value of this palette is worth it.

I need to start by saying I am obsessed with this perfect mix of colors. It's one that I think is a staple for any makeup lover because of the versatility of the colors and combinations. I use it for light every day looks and then again for smokey night looks.

There are three sections of colors from left to right: Neutral, Cool, Warm. In each quadrant has a base color, lid, crease, and highlight. It makes it easy to put together a simple light look, or a dark eye. I usually mix and match, I tend to stay toward neutral and warm, but I love the cool top base color. All of these eye shades are a smooth and buttery consistancy, providing a TON of pigment so use a light hand for the darker colors. With that said though, I can see this palette lasting for so long because I am barely tapping my brush on these to achieve awesome results. 

The box comes with information on all of the shade names and even color combination ideas for different eye looks. I love that, it's so helpful. One of the best parts about this palette is that you can play around and create some really awesome looks.

I love love love this palette, and if you wear a lot of these colors you need this in your life. It's fun to experiment with and makes me super interested into trying Kat Von D's other palettes and beauty products.

For more info on Kat Von D Beauty Click here.

DIY Facial Mask: Bentonite Clay + Apple Cider Vinegar

I love making my own beauty products. The most important reason is because the ingredients are all natural, and they're also usually cheaper than buying a mask at the store. This mask that i'll show you how to make only uses two ingredients. Super simple to make yourself a fresh mask that works better than one you would get at a spa or from a jar.

What is it?

This mask is a seriously deep cleansing mask that wipes out dirt and oil from our pores using Calcium Bentonite Clay. Clay acts like a magnet to draw out all the junk and leave your skin fresh and clean. 

What's inside?

Like I mentioned this mask includes only two ingredients:

Aztec Secret: Indian Healing Clay
100% Natural Calcium Bentonite Clay

Dry powder inside the tub, mostly odorless. I find mine on Amazon for about 8.00 for a whole pound, which will last me a long time.

Apple Cider Vinegar. I used this kind from walmart, which I found in my pantry. It is definitely better to use organic because it is unpasteurized and still has all of the beneficial vitamins and minerals from organic vinegar. A lot of people wouldn't expect that apple cider vinegar is good for the skin, but it has great anti-bacterial properties which help with acne. It also has malic and lactic acid which help to exfoliate and soften the skin.

You can find apple cider vinegar in any grocery store or if you're buying on amazon, you can order it there too for about 4 dollars. 

How do I make it?

You'll want to add equal parts of dry and wet. I started with dry and slowly added in the apple cider vinegar to make a paste that wasn't too thick.

You'll immediately see a reaction between the two ingredients, causing a ton of bubbles.

This is about how thick my paste was. It will keep bubbling, even as you apply it.

The mask goes on a bright green color, and takes about 4-5 minutes until it becomes really hard. I would suggest leaving it on atleast 10 minutes. Like a lot of clay masks, this one is a little difficult to remove. Take a hot washcloth and lay it over your face to warm it back up, that will help remove it without hurting your skin.

I have pretty sensitive skin so I worry using clay masks, but this one surprisingly didn't leave me feeling red or itchy or tight. My skin felt a lot softer and looked cleaner. I recommend applying a moisturizer after you use it, since the clay can be a little bit drying.

If you DIY a pore cleansing mask it will only run you about 12.00 to start and last you between 6-8 months atleast. Much cheaper than a store-bought mask!

Product Review: Maybelline Color Sensation Lipstick

Looking for a lipstick that is affordable and will last all day? These Maybelline Color Sensation lipsticks are hands down the best bang for your buck. Depending on where you shop they can run you anywhere between 5-6 dollars a pop, which is a bargain compared to other high end lip products. You can find these in any drugstore (cvs, walgreens) or my favorite; target.

They have an assortment of categories for their lipsticks, sorted by colors and finish. Brown, pink, red, nude hues with variations between matte, buff and glossy formulas. Really nice selection for all types of skin tones. These are my favorites that I have so far:

From Left to right: 950 Unwanted Spice (buff) | 940 Touchable Taupe (buff) | 656 Clay Crush (matte) | 515 Coral Crush (vivid)

The buff formulas all provide a nice clean finish to the lips, not too gloss and not too matte. The Matte isn't too drying, which a lot of mattes can be, and the vivid color is a bright and glossy formula. With all the variations, their staying power has been seriously great. I drink and eat and bite at my lips (bad habit) and the formula will come off a little, but lasts without fading through a little wear and tear (like I said, bad habit!).

I highly recommend trying these out if you're looking for a lasting lipstick. Sometimes drugstore lipsticks can be cheap and disposable, but next time you're at target (aka tomorrow) find a color you want to try for fall and buy it! You wont be disappointed.

Product Review: Acure Shampoo and Conditioner

Within the last year or so i've really changed the way I take care of my skin. I've done more and more reading about ingredients in skincare and the quality of products. Acure is by far one of the best companies that i've seen in the natural skincare department. They use real natural ingredients with some sweet science to make outstanding products that are super affordable for their worth.

Being that i've tried so many of their skincare products, I was SO excited to try their hair products. I want to use natural haircare also because the shampoos and conditioners get absorbed by your skin just as well as skincare products do. 

Both products (and a lot of Acure products) have "stem cells" as a main ingredient and so I went to their website to see exactly what that meant and this is what they say: "Active Stem cells contain all the benefical markers that a specific plant carries. Being able to isolate and amplify these benefits up to 1000 times their natural bioavailability makes stem cell science so unique."

 
I tried the Pure Mint + Echinacea Stem Cell Shampoo and Conditioner first. 
Here are the claims:

• Builds Volume without the build-up
• Feels thicker and fuller with use of Quinoa Protein that supports keratin
• Lightweight moisture
• Echinacea promotes cell regeneration at root level

What do I think?
I tried this out and even though this is "sulfate free" the lather was pretty great. It spread nicely through my hair and I feel evenly cleaned it. The conditioner was a little runny but was easy to apply. After I applied the shampoo my scalp felt amazing, like really energized from the mint. I loved the way it felt, and remained even after I washed it.

After my hair was dry it felt really clean. I wouldn't say that it felt more volumized, it had a little more lift than normal. The next morning I noticed that my hair looked really awesome still, not too oily or dry. Usually I am desperate to shower in the morning because my hair feels oily. This product was amazing for my hair.

Next I tried the deluxe samples of Acure's Moroccan Argan Stem Cell + Argan Oil shampoo and conditioner. This set claims to provide moisture to even the most dry and damaged hair leaving it soft. It is full of super moisturizing ingredients, fatty acids, and oils that are great for dry scalp and hair.

What do I think?
I was not a huge fan of this one, and I wanted to be so badly. I love the smell of this so much, it smells like really rich cotton candy almonds. It didn't spread as evenly through my hair and after it was dry some parts of my roots looked a little greasy as if they hadn't been washed. I thought my ends that are usually dry felt really nicely moisturized.

Overall I wouldn't purchase the Moroccan Argan set because it made my hair super greasy. It would be perfect for those who have super dry hair, or those who have dry ends and want a nice conditioner. I absolutely will be purchasing the Mint set, I loveeeeeeeeeee the way it made my hair feel. I have seen their shampoo at target before so I hope they have the mint kind too! Each bottle is 9.99 which is a little much but considering the product is a pretty awesome price. If you're a birchboxer like me, Acure is also on their site so you can use your points toward them.

Preview

Preview

Product Review: Jouer Matte Moisture Tint

Jouer is a brand that I have heard of only through Birchbox subscriptions. I haven't really tried too many of their products but I like them for their attention to skin loving ingredients. Their products usually get pretty good reviews online too. 

A month or so ago I was looking for either a BB or CC cream with more coverage. This product had pretty good reviews as far as coverage for being a tinted moisturizer. I found this matte moisture tint, hydrating primer, and a beauty blender in an exclusive set for pretty cheap. I had to jump on the offer because I really wanted to try the beauty blender too.

What do I think?
First when I squeezed out the product I immediately thought this color was a bit too yellow for my skin tone. I was a little thrown off by that and how thick the formula looked.

 Spreading it out on the back of my hand it also seems pretty thick. I was afraid it would clog my pores because of the thickness. It seemed to cling to dry patches on my hands making it look a little scaley in texture. 

I used the primer and dampened a beauty blender to apply it to my face. It looked pretty cakey and not so smooth. It dried kind of patchy and seemed to sink into my fine lines, especially on my forehead.

I was a little bummed out because I wanted the matte face look, and I liked the antioxidants and vitamins in the formula. The only reason I didn't return it was because I love the beauty blender SO much and the primer wasn't terrible.

Product Review: Yes To Grapefruit CC Cream

 Let me start (because I can't hold it inside) this off by saying that this is my favorite CC cream EVER. I first heard of Yes To products by way of a Target beauty aisle. I was actually looking in the all natural section that has Burts Bee's and bath accessories when I saw their Yes To blueberry anti-aging makeup removing wipes. I saw they had Yes To blueberry, carrots, tomato, and grapefruit and thought their packaging was super cute and wanted to try something out. After I was pleased by the wipes, I was scrolling through birchbox looking for something to buy with my points and I saw this CC Cream. 

When I first tried this out I honestly didn't like it. The smell at first was weird, different from any other beauty product i've smelled. I was also really turned off by the consistancy: It was pretty thick and seemed weird as I applied it with my fingers.

 

After I wore it around for the day I felt like it was too thick on my face, like my skin couldn't breathe. I didn't go back to it for about a week after until I ran out of a BB cream I was using. I tried using a kabuki brush instead of my fingers and it blended much nicer into my skin this way. The rest of the day wearing it my face felt great and it sat well on my dry/combo skin. I apply it now with a damp beauty blender and it looks even better.

As a CC cream it doesn't have a lot of coverage, i'd say light/medium coverage. I have a red patch on my cheek and it definitely disappears for the most part when I wear this. I feel like all my imperfections were hidden nicely without looking too done up.

I have gone through two bottles of this in a year, wearing this almost every single day. I would wear this to work and it lasts all day without any oilyness or dry patches. 

The top and bottom pictures show from left to right: a bottle I just finished, the bottle i'm currently using, and a bottle still in it's package (I hoard them when they're on sale).

 

What do I think? 

Overall I think that it does the job it claims to on the package, and as long as you blend it out over your face using a brush or blender you should have no wear issues. I also really see a difference in my skin tone after using this for so long. My skin definitely looks brighter and even, especially in my cheek area. During the day my skin feels supple and hydrated while i'm working.

If you're looking to try a new CC cream, i'd definitely give this one a try. You can pick it up at Target in the natural beauty aisle, and also check out the other products Yes To has to offer. Their fruit/vegetable concept is really appealing and makes you think about the idea of "feeding your skin" as well as you should feed your body.

Product Review: Hebivore Botanicals Sea Spray

 

 I heard of the brand Herbivore Botanicals after seeing their products come up on my Instagram recommended section. They are an all natural formulated beauty product company that make products for your body, skin, lips, and hair. I think they're great because their formulas contain simple and few ingredients and are all natural. 

I picked up this lavender scented hair texturizing spray because I have a ton of all natural skincare products and wanted to try something for my hair. I have made my own DIY sea salt hair spray and thought it left my hair too dry. I also bought TONI&GUY brand sea salt spray through Birchbox and thought the hold was too hard.


So I decided on this spray not only because of the ingredients but because on the label it claims to have the "same salinity as the ocean". Basically meaning that this bottle gives you the same salty beach waves that you get from swimming at the beach. Isn't that what everyone wants to hear?

What do I think?
This hair spray smells amazing, a perfect mix of lavender and ocean air. For purposes of review I tried not to over spray it (which was hard). My hair took to it well, left a nice hold in my hair with a few waves. I let it dry some and then sprayed again for more waves, which held pretty nicely for the rest of the day. I liked that there was no crunchy hold and that it didn't feel like my hair was being weighed down. At the end of the day my hair looked and felt like I was at the beach all day.

As an added bonus Herbivore Botanicals claims this is safe to use on your face too, that it is cleansing and detoxifying, and helps your skin maintain moisture, pretty cool! You don't often think about how run-off from hair product can irritate your skin but knowing this is a benefit is comforting.

The price is 20.00 for 8oz which is an okay price, I noticed it seemed like I used a lot for just one day. I think this would be the best for someone who wants beachy hair once in awhile. I know it will work for me because i'll probably use it only once or twice a week. 

Find the spray here. Let me know if you use a sea salt spray that you love!