MAC Haul!!! Alluring Aquatic Collection

Every summer MAC comes out with an amazing collection. This summer's collection (Alluring Aquatic) was just irresistible (last year, I resisted. Scout's honor.) I purchased the two blushes, an Extra Dimension bronzer, and three lipsticks. I couldn't help myself... I mean THAT packaging! And the Colors!! Let's be honest, I wanted the eyeshadows also. But I had to control myself. And since I recently packed up my bathroom, I know exactly how many eyeshadows I have. Tooooo many. So here is what I absolutely HAD TO HAVE..:

Please excuse my background. I was in the middle of packing (one more week 'til I move!!!) and this box is what was within arms-reach!!!

Left to right: Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell, Extra Dimension Blushes in Sea Me, Hear Me and
Seduced at Sea
Shoutout to my girl, Dana (and her polkadot blankie) for letting me use her arm for swatches

Top to Bottom: Mystical, Enchanted One, and Goddess of the Sea

Top to Bottom: Mystical, Enchanted One, and Goddess of the Sea

First impressions... I LOVE all three lipsticks. I was nervous about Goddess of the Sea because, well, it's purple. But it's more of a subtle purple than a BAM!-In-your-face purple. It's great. Enchanted One is my favorite though for two reasons... a) it's peach. Love me a peach lippie... and b) it's matte. I love me some mattes also. And Mystical is a great everyday neutral color. (Both Mystical and Goddess of the Sea are Creamsheens.)

The Blushes... OMG. LOVELOVELOVE. I mean, what's not to love about a MAC blush?!? They are always my favorites. But these two... They are BEAU-TI-FUL. For me though, Seduced at Sea wins my heart. It is more peach-y/bronze (told ya' I love peach) and is just perfection... <sighhhhhhh>

The Bronzer. I'm a little torn here... It's looks beautiful. But it's very light. I'm gonna have to play with this one a little more before I form an opinion. Buttttt... It just might go back. I know, I know... Blasphemy. However... If I'm not gonna use it, then really, what's the point???

Did you pick up anything from this new collection? Or are you holding out for the Osborne's?!?! Let me know in the comments!

The Beauty Scenario Tag!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! I hope you all have a fun long-weekend planned, but let's not forget what Memorial Day is really about... Those who have given their lives for our freedom. I'm lucky to have Veteran's in my family who are alive and well, not everyone can say that and I am thankful for it.

Now... On to the beauty stuff! This tag was created by the world famous Youtuber, Ms. Lily Pebbles. If you haven't had the pleasure of stumbling across her videos, feel free to do so NOW. I thought this was a cute, fun tag and tagged myself to do it!  1. You have to get rid of all your foundations and can only keep one high-end and one drugstore, which do you choose? Easy-peasy (as my son would say), High-end: Naked Skin by Urban Decay. Drugstore: Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ Cream 2. You go for an interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely? I would tell her. Period. No one wants to walk around with lipstick on their teeth. Myself included, so be a friend and let me know...  3. You are not feeling yourself and need a pick me up. Which lipstick do you put on to make yourself feel beautiful? MAC's Angel lipstick. Best. Pink. Ever. <3 4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years, how would you do your hair and makeup differently? Wellll... For starters, I'd listen to my bestie and NOT chop off all my hair and shave it underneath. Yes, I did that... My mother was not happy. As for makeup... What makeup? I didn't really use much. Just eyeshadow and lipgloss... And when you're young you don't really need much more. Not like now... Now I need a whole new face to walk out the door! ;-) 5. You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott hair cut, but they hear wrong and give you a Pixie cut. Do you... A) Smile, say thank you, leave and call your mom hysterical. B) Cry in the chair and things get awkward. or C) Complain to the manager and demand a refund? Lol. I choose D) STOP the person cutting and tell them to back away from your hair, NOW. That's how I am. If I saw the scissors getting higher and higher, I'd stop my hairdresser and ask her what the heck she's doing. But in the off chance I fell asleep and woke up to the wrong haircut or something similar... I'd choose option C. 6. Your friend surprises you with a four-day city break and you have ONE hour to pack. Which 'do it all' palette do you pack in your makeup bag? My Z-palette. Duh. It's customized with all my favorites! 7. Your house has been robbed, don't worry- everyone is safe(!), but your beauty stash has been raided. What's the product you really hope is safe? Hmmm... This one is hard. I want it all to be safe! but I guess if I had to choose... My MAC blushes. No! My Nars blushes. No! my Hourglass blushes. No! My Limited Edition MAC blushes. Oy. ALLLLLL my blushes. #blushhoarder 8. Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition. Do you... A) Just pretend you haven't noticed. B) Ask them to repurchase it. or C) Secretly do the same to something of theirs? Ummm... First of all, this person would be no friend of mine. All my friends no I'm a bit (I use that word loosely. EXTREMELY loosely) crazy about my makeup, so I don't think they would do that.  Also, I'm pretty sure any one of them would acknowledge that they hurt my makeup baby and offer to replace it. I mean, I think they would do that for anything they borrow no matter what it might be... So that's it!!! Feel free to do this tag yourself! Or leave your answers in the comments below!!! Until next time!

The aforementioned high-school haircut.
You can't see the back but it was shorter than the front...
and then shaved underneath.
Mmmmmhmmm...

Product Spotlight: Rimmel London 60 Seconds Nail Polish!!!

Clockwise: I Lilac You, Instyle Coral, Mintilicious, and Hot Black To Go

Hey everyone! Sorry for the lapse between posts... It's been a busy couple of weeks!!! My sister graduated from med school (Shout out to Dr. Rissa!!!), my grandfather turned 90(!!!), Mother's Day happened, and ya know, life in general... Today I wanted to talk to you about some nail polish. Cuz I love me some nail polishes. Mmmmhmmm. 
And it is by pure coincidence that my second official product review is also from Rimmel London (they don't pay me, I SWEAR). This time it's their 60 Seconds nail polish. I'm in love. And I have my boss to thank for this find, she told me I HAD to try them (and she suggested I do a blog post on them too!). And she was right. I'm a convert. So thank you, Anna!!!

First of all, it's inexpensive. Like $1.79 at my Walgreens and they are Buy 1 Get 1 Half off allllll the time. Plus they often have $1 off coupons in the newspaper... You do the math.
Does it really dry in 60 seconds??? I dunno, I didn't bust out the timer. So I can't be exact. That being said, it DOES dry super fast! Seriously. I was impressed. And you only need one coat for full opaque color (I still do two, it's habit). 
I also really like the shape of the brush on these polishes. It's wide, flat, a little stiffer than most, and it fit my nail perfectly. It made nail polish application simple and easy... for both hands.
BUT the absolute BEST thing about this nail polish is how long they last. I work in retail, so I am constantly using my hands and my nail polish tends to chip. Usually the very next day... Not with these. I did my nails Sunday night and didn't get a single, tiny, solitary chip until Thursday. That speaks volumes in my book. I spend $8-9 on Essie and Opi and my nails are mangled in two days. For $1.79, Rimmel 60 Seconds is a #winner.
My one and only complaint is that my drugstore has a limited selection of colors. Online, however, it shows there are 42 shades... I might have to go hunting. These are must-haves.

Have you ever used Rimmel nail polishes? Let me know!!!

Sample-Stash Sunday!

Happy Sunday everyone!!! If you saw my last post you may have noticed I used quite a few samples up last month. My opinion on sample packets fluctuates, but mostly I find them annoying. To really get to know if you want to buy an item or not, you need more then a couple days worth of product to decide. Most samples barely last a week, at least that's how it is for me... Still I always end up with a lil' box filled with them and they do at least give a general idea of whether or not something will interest me.  (Mainly, I use them for scent. Yes, scent. The smell of a product is make or break for me. If I can't stand the smell, it's a no-go. Regardless of if it's a miracle in a bottle.) So without further ado, here's some mini-reviews of the sample-sized products I used up last month...

1. Sephora Collection Supreme Body Butter- Meh, it was alright. It moisturized. It smelled decent. I have nothing spectacular nor horrendous to say about this one... 

2. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo- I'm still on the fence with this one. I've only used it as an acne spot treatment. And it think it's just so-so for that.  However, I know some people use it daily (for acne prevention) and apply it to their whole face. I think I'll try that and let you guys know, seeing as how I still have four more packets of this stuff...

3. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer- This is good stuff. Butttttt... It's not my favorite. It's pretty comparable to any other "high-end" silicone primer out there, I just prefer the Benefit Porefessional and even the L'oreal Youthcode Pore Vanisher. I feel they are better at filling in my pores and fine lines, but this one will work in a pinch. 

4. Garnier Clean + Nourishing Cleasnsing Oil- LOVE. Love at first use with this one! I love how it removes eye-makeup. And I love how it smells! (OhEmGeeeee... How it smells! Amazing.) And I love how it can be found at the drugstore. #winning. I will be purchasing this very, VERY, VERY soon.

5. WEI Royal Ming Firming and Hydrating Cream- I had never seen or heard of this brand before but was extremely impressed. This moisturizer felt so hydrating on my dry, parched skin. I really, really liked it. That being said, it's $98 for a 1.7oz jar... Eh, I dunno, that's a little price-y for me. 

6. Algenist Multi-Perfecting Pore Correcter Gel Moisturizer- No. <gasp> That's right, I said no.  This is the first product I've tried from Algenist and I wasn't impressed. For some reason this moisturizer beaded (Is that a word? Oh well, that's all I can think of to describe what it did.) up on my skin. It didn't absorb. Or perfect. Or correct. Or anything. Pass.

7. L'occitane Immortelle Precious Cream- This was ok. I really liked the scent and it moisturized well. And at $60/1.7oz it's a little easier to swallow. (Sorry WEI.)

8. per-fékt Skin Perfecting Gel- Another Ok product. I do think it enhanced the appearance of my skin (which is what it claims to do) but so do a lot of other products. Nothing really stood out to me and made me think "I need this in my life!"

How is your Sample-Stash doing? Used any up lately? Good, Bad?! Let me know!!! Until next time...

Trash Talk!!! April "Empties"...

It's that time of month again... Time to talk about my garbage.  I feel like I wasn't toooo productive in the empty product department this time around.  I did use up quite a few samples (they accumulate and drive me crayyy, so I made it a point to work through some), but other than that... Not too much.  Nevertheless, here we go... I've got 5 standouts this month, starting with my favorite: Shout Wipes- That's right, instant stain remover wipes.  These will forever have a home in my purse/backpack/suitcase/makeup-bag/glove compartment and anywhere else I can hide these lil' bad boys.  And that's because... (1) They are individually wrapped and (2) During a recent trip to visit The Boyfriend, I brought two dress shirts to wear to his company banquet (YES, TWO. I need options.)... While removing said shirts from my vehicle I got lipstick on one of them.  The one I was leaning towards wearing.  (Don't ask me how. I couldn't tell you. Stains are just a part of my existence.  Coffee stains.  Ink stains.  Makeup stains.  Kid stains.  Pet stains.  It's par for the course around here.)  And not just any lipstick.  A bright Fushcia lipstick.  On a sheer white blouse.  FML.  (Enter Shout Wipes.)  The stain was completely removed!  My top was still in perfect condition!  And I happily wore it the next night with no one the wiser as to how much of a klutz I truly am... Can I get a Hallelujah?! Esmalte Endurecedor Para Unas- No, you haven't gone crazy.  That shit wasn't in english.  And I don't know exactly what it translates to but I can tell you it's a nail hardener.  I used about 75% of this bottle, before it got all goopy on me... So it's time to let it go.  I was recommended this product by multiple people, however, it wasn't until I had my acrylics removed and my nail tech used it on my extremely thin and brittle nails that I was like "hey!!!" And then I went out and bought it.  This stuff definitely helped my nails grow and feel thicker.  That being said, I must warn you... Don't use more than ONE coat.  Your fingers will feel like they are on fire.  And I don't just mean your nails, I mean your entire fingertip.  Also, they recommend using it only ONCE a week.  I know, I know... It all sounds shady BUT it works.  I swear. That empty little tin you see at the bottom of the picture, that's an eyeshadow... Well it WAS an eyeshadow.  That was the shade Virgin from the Urban Decay Naked palette.  This is the second shadow I have completely used up from this palette.  Urban Decay is my favorite brand when it comes to eyeshadow.  And the Naked palette... Well... It's my favorite palette, by far, hands down. A couple months ago I told you about my FAVORITE contact solution, ClearCare (don't question me, just go buy it, go use it, go love it... You can thank me later), today I'm telling you about my contacts.  Bioinfinity by CooperVision.  LOVE them.  For me, the most important factor in whether or not I will wear my contact lenses is if I can FEEL them.  If they feel like a steel plate on top of my eyeball, it's not gonna work.  These lenses feel like air.  That's the best way I can describe them.  They are monthlies (you replace them once a month) and they boast that they can be worn continuously for 6 nights/7 days (I cannot confirm this... I won't wear contacts overnight unless it's been a loooooong night.  Like a night that ends the next morning... Or afternoon.  ;-)  By that point I've typically forgotten I have eyeballs, so lenses aren't an issue.) Lastly... Macadamia Healing Oil Spray.  I got this in a "two-pack" from Target along with the Leave-In Cream (still currently using).  Aside from the scent, which I could do without, I thought this product was great.  It's easy to use (just a few spritzes, comb, voilà!) and it made my hair feel softer and look shinier.  I recommend spraying on damp hair, when I sprayed it on my dry hair I looked like a grease ball.  (I have dry, frizzy hair... So grease ball status is something I usually have to work hard for.)   The only item that failed me this month was my Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Whiskey.  I usually LOVE my UD eyeliners... For some reason this shade just smudged on me.  It ended up on my cheek bones.  Which is not where eyeliner belongs... And is never a good look.  So into the trash this goes... Sad, but such is life... Alas, there is plenty of fish in the sea, on to the next one!!! Have you had a different experience with any of these products?  Leave me a comment letting me know! Until next time...