CoverGirl Stay Luminous Review

Thanks to Influenster I got to try the new Covergirl Outlast Stay Luminous foundation. I'm not crazy about this product. I tend to stay away from luminous or dewy products as my t-zone can get greasy...but I gave this a shot as it was included in my Vox Box. I first tried it yesterday with no primer, applied with the Icosmetics Flat Top Buffing Foundation #6 brush. It went on great with this brush, however, the foundation stays tacky...which is really pretty gross. With that being said, it looked pretty great all day. I got oily in the usual spots but nothing out of the ordinary. I applied it today over Neutrogena Shine Free primer with a Beauty Blender. It looked BAD before noon. Real bad. My t-zone was out of control and coverage wasn't anything to write home about. And the tackiness was still there today (I set the foundation both days with translucent powder). I'm glad I got this to try and review it, however, it would be going back if I had purchased it myself. I will give this another shot, likely in the dry winter months but I have my doubts. At this point, I say save your money. If you want #covergirl foundation, get the 3-in-1 Stay Fabulous. It's a much better product than this!

Influenster Go Vox Box First Impression!

Several months back, I joined Influenster.  For those of you that aren't familiar with Influenster, its a it is a free community of trendsetters, social media masterminds, and educated consumers who love to give reviews of stuff.  They invite members to sample their VoxBoxes, which are boxes totally free of chaarge full of various items (each box has a theme).  All they ask is that you share your honest opinions in via reviews on product sites and on social media.  Anyone can sign-up; leave your email below and I will send you an invite!  There's no guarantee if/when you'll get a box but its worth joining.  The more active you are on their site through reviews, product related questions, etc, the better chances you have.  It also helps to have a pretty strong social media standing.


I received the Go Vox Box today and I am PUMPED to try the goodies.  I got Playtex Sport Fresh Balance tampons ($3.99-$4.99), Vitamin Shoppe New Step Fit N Full Protein Shakes in Swiss Chocolate, French Vanilla and Mixed Berry, a Vitamin Shoppe 20 oz shaker cup, Blue Diamond Blueberry flavored almonds ($3.19/4 oz bag), ProFoot Triad Orthotic ($10.99), ProFoot Pedi Rock ($8.99), Aqua Spa Body Creme ($9.99) and a coupon for Muller Yogurt. The coupon was supposed to be for free yogurt but mine wasn't...it was for $1.00 off of two which doesn't motivate me to try it out.  Prices weren't listed for the Vitamin Shoppe products but you can visit their website for more info.  I'm most excited about the almonds (I love almonds and all things blueberry so how can I not love these) and the pedi rock, which is actually soft and says it can be used wet or dry.  I'm not sure exactly how I feel about the protein shakes.  I typically find protein shakes across the board do NOT keep me full but I will see what these do.  I tried the body creme and it smells great...the lavender chamomile scent is making me sleepy.  I plan on trying out the pedi rock and cream tonight...my feet need some serious help.  Check back for reviews on the products in the next few days!

If You Don't Know, Now You Know...

Ebates...seriously one of the best incentives to shop online.  Start your shopping at ebates.com; search for the store and click shop now!  A new window will open and you will see a tracking number.  Within a few seconds, you will be redirected to the homepage of whatever store you are shopping from and off you go!  There is nothing left for you to do aside from shop.  Ebates tracks your purchases via that tracking number and you get a certain % back.  You can get the money deposited into your PayPal account, sent to you via check or sent to someone else.  I've always opted to have the check sent to me.  Info on when the money is paid can be found on their website.  They also offer bonuses for referrals; if you are new to Ebates, I totally appreciate you clicking my affiliate link here.  But, if you chose not to, no big deal.  The point is that you are being paid to shop :)  We can all agree that is a good thing!

Seasons of Change

 Mits been a while since I've blogged...like, a year. To say my life has been flipped upside down and shaken to pieces is an understatement. My dad died on July 2nd. His loss is tangible; there will never be a way to fill the void he has left. He was the funniest, smartest, sweetest, kindest, hardest working, most all around amazing person I've ever met. Saying that I miss him is a gross understatement. I am so lucky that he is my dad and I will forever be grateful for having him. He truly set the bar HIGH on what being a dad should be. After his loss, Chris and I decided to relocate to Morgantown. I could transfer easily with my job, my mom needed the help and I wasn't a fan of Charleston in any way shape or form. Well, I loved some of the shopping but I'll get to that in a few. So, we sold all of our belongings, listed our house and once again call Morgantown home. Chris is the marketing director for an engineering company here and we're all settled in. Speaking of the Charleston house, it's under contract and closing should be soon. Like next week soon. Fingers crossed!

For those of you unfamiliar with Morgantown, I will share this one tidbit with you.  The shopping is horrid. The makeup shopping is so bad its almost criminal.  Which, since I've given up buying makeup once again for Lent, it's a good thing. All 325 other days, though, it's crapola. How Sephora and Ulta have missed this college town is beyond me!  Since I'm resigned to drug store brands, Lancôme, Clinique and Too Faced and The Balm from a local spa (which have saved me from the edge...thanks Spa Roma), I've been drooling over the web and QVC. With that being said, I thought I'd jump back in with a few recent favorites, both drug store and prestige...

1. Primers. For a while I wasn't sold on primers. The silicone based ones left me wondering what the hell happened to my makeup within 30 minutes of application and some of the others just seemed to do nothing as far as prolonging my foundation or keeping my eye makeup vibrant and crease free. Then, at the recommendation of several of my favorite YouTube gurus, I found Rimmel Stay Matte Primer and Milani Eyeshadow Primer.  These two are total holy grail status and both from the drug store. For me, these surpass Urban Decay, Kores, Benefit, Smashbox, Bare Minerals and Nars...no joke.  Rimmel's primer truly keeps my face matte allllll day. That's saying something.  I can look a little Exxon Valdez in the ol' t-zone. So can my eyelids. Not with Milani. Put them both on and let them set for a few before putting on any color (note: put your eye primer under your eyes and it can help your under eye concealers last longer). 

2.  AA..BB..CC...Huh??  Since this trend has made its way from Asia, I was pumped!  My first foray into BB creams left me underwhelmed. It was seriously just a tinted moisturizer. What was the hype all about???  Then, just a few weeks ago, I decided to try IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream. Now I get it. This stuff is amazing. It's SPF 50 which is a must for ye olde pale skin. Its cruelty free. And it's from IT. If you haven't tried IT Cosmetics, I HIGHLY recommend the entire line. I have the Celebration Foundation, Bye Bye Under Eye concealer, Vitality Face Disk and three brushes. I love them all. I can't wait to try their lip products which I've heard great things about. I'm especially intrigued by the blue toned lip gloss which makes your lips look super white (it was on QVC yesterday and I drooled during the entire presentation (item number A231719 because I know you're dying to know about the blue lip gloss, too).  Another thing that makes me love IT is their customer service. I had a packaging issue with the CC cream so I emailed them. That afternoon, I got a sweet response from Holly asking for my mailing address because they wanted to replace the product. How awesome is this??  That went above and beyond and I appreciate it. Thanks again, IT!

3.  Lip Service  I have no self restraint with lip products. None. I have a sinful number of lip products but you can bet the house that's the first thing I look at when perusing cosmetics. Right now, I'm loving Maybelline Color Elixir in 105 Polished Petal. It's limited edition, so I bought two. Of course I bought two. Why wouldn't I buy two??  I've heard there is a matching lipstick but it has evaded my clutches. Have any of y'all seen it?  Another new favorite is the reforumlated and gold tube encased Urban Decay Naked Lipgloss in Lovechild. I initially bought it in the shade Naked but was dismayed that it was NOT the same shade as the original Lip Junkie squeeze tube shade. Lovechild is a gorgeous shade that has fulfilled my "all things UD Naked" dreams. An "old" staple lip color is from Jouer in the limited shade Birchbox Pink. Super bright shade in the tube but goes on sheer.  Great shade and Jouer is a great line. 

More favorites to follow...hope y'all have a happy day!!  

Crisis!

My most beloved beauty tool appears to be quickly on its way to the true death...my Clarisonic Mia.  If you've never used one of these gems, I highly encourage it. It uses the same technology that the Clarisonic Sonicare toothbrushes do, except for your face. It leaves my face feeling great;  so clean, smooth and healthy. They are pricey but worth it. Fingers crossed that mine is still under warranty...I've heard great things about their customer service. Mine acted funny a couple weeks ago but I plugged it in to charge and it kept on trucking. Today I didn't have that luck. It won't stay on and its not charging :'( Have any of you had any experience with Clarisonic and/or their customer service?  Feedback is appreciated!

Self Restraint in the Makeup Aisle

19 days in to my Lenten sacrifice of no makeup or purse purchases. Its been difficult but I have been faithful!  No stops in Sephora, bypassing Ulta and total avoidance of the makeup aisle has helped...makeup has certainly been more difficult than purses!  I've been keeping a mental note of things to buy once Easter is here and at the top of that list are several MAC products (glosses and eye shadows)!  During the last 19 days I have been watching lots of makeup tutorials on YouTube hoping that during this time I can perfect some skills like highlighting and contouring. I'll link to my favorites from my computer in a bit.
A recent fun purchase I made was an Origami Owl locket! If you aren't familiar, these "living lockets" are customizable with cute little charms, plates, dangles, etc. I'm a total sucker for this stuff!  If you're interested in making one, get with my girl Brandy Hudson. I'll post her website here shortly :)
Any products you feel I should add to my post-Lent list? 

New Beauty TestTube

It was a delightful surprise today to see this hot pink box at my door!  About a month ago I signed up for New Beauty TestTube which is a product sampling program. The TestTube comes out quarterly and is filled with excitement in the form of assorted products and New Beauty magazine (I enrolled prior to deciding to give up makeup for Lent).  My first impression was great; hot pink box, fun hot pink test tube, a super thick issue of New Beauty mag and a brochure detailing each of the items received. So what was in my tube?  A full sized Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hour blush in Flush, a sample sized Vichy Liftactiv Serum, a sample sized Vichy Liftactive Eyes ("potent anti-aging formulas that target the most stubborn signs of aging"), a sample pack (5 pack) of Simple cleansing face wipes, a deluxe sample of Stila Face the Day multi-use moisturizing gel cream, a full sized Dr. Brandt Pores No More cleanser and a deluxe sample of Phyto Botanical hair relaxing balm (the only product I will be passing on since I dont straighten my hair). All in all, a great introduction to New Beauty TestTube!  I love getting full sized products in Birchbox but its not always a guarantee...seems like I wont be disappointed in this department with TestTube!  However, I am curious as to whether or not I would enjoy the QVC TestTube more?  I love Mally Beauty, Philosophy, etc but am hoping that those brands may be in the regular Tube. I'm already excited for my next Tube to show up at my door!