New at the Drugstore! (Haul)

January 4, 2016January 2, 2016 / Kayla Hutchison / 5 Comments

Hey Beauties,

I don’t think I have done a chatty little haul blog post in a very long time. 2015 is over and 2016 is here…and it bears gifts. Makeup gifts. Lots of makeup gifts. It’s a good thing my resolution wasn’t to not buy makeup, because I would’ve failed before New Year’s.

It’s no secret that I love drugstore makeup. As much as I love a great high end palette, I love sharing more affordable options with you all and I like to have them handy in my own collection for personal use and tutorials. There are a few brands that always get me though, and Wet n Wild and Milani are two of them. I always love browsing around different stores for their newest collections.

It’s rare that I am disappointed with the quality of their products. So, when I found an almost untouched display of new products from both their brands, I jumped at the chance to pick a few (a lot) things up.

First, I’ll talk about some new Milani products.

Basic Neutral Eye Palette $10– At first, I thought this palette was pricey, but then I saw that pretty gold packaging and considered the fact that Loreal sells palettes for $16-20 and figured it was worth it. This is just a standard neutral palette, but there were 3 palettes on the display. I grabbed this one to test them out and see how I like them. I’ve swatched a few of these shades and I really love the dark brown shade and the shimmery one. A few of Milani’s eye products have been major misses lately, so I’m hoping this one will redeem how I feel about their shadows.

Primer Perfection Hydrating Primer $10– I picked this up out of pure curiosity. I have super dry skin in the Winter, and I’m curious as to how a primer can be both hydrating, oil free, and a pore minimizer. I will definitely be talking about this in an upcoming video!

Rose Hip Oil Lip Treatment $8– This was another purchase that I felt was kind of pricey for a drugstore product, but considering the price of competing lip treatments, this was a steal. I’ve already been using this, and I love the smell. I’m not too fond of the huge ass applicator, but the product itself is very moisturizing and if I apply it before bed I wake up with my lips not feeling dried out. It’s also not too thick like true lip masks can be, and feels more like a silky lip oil.

Okay, the Wet n Wild displays were what I went ham on. I love me some Wet n Wild products. They were also on sale at Walgreens and there were little coupons in places, so double score. Nothing makes me happier than an already affordable brand being on sale.

Brushes 99 cents-2.99– I have been wanting these brushes for SO LONG. They are so freakin’ cute. They were also way cheaper than I expected. Now, these are obviously going to look way cuter than they feel and they do feel a bit plasticy, but the brushes themselves are super soft. I have used the powder brush a few times to put loose powder under my eyes, and it does a great job at being super gentle in that area! The eye brush is awesome as well, and will set you back a whole dollar.

Brow Mascara $5– I actually needed a new brow mascara since my beloved Nyx one was drying out. I’ve used this one a few times, and I honestly may like this more than my Nyx one. The wand on this is slanted so it’s easier to apply it to your brows. This is also a few dollars cheaper than my Nyx one!

Max Fanatic Cat Eye Mascara– Remember when I reviewed that other Max something or another mascara and hated it? I really hope this one is better and I don’t hate it. I need a cruelty free mascara option that isn’t $23 like my all time favorite Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara.

Glow Shimmer Strips Thing– I never know what these things are called. This I picked up because it reminded me of the popular Ofra Cosmetics highlighting brush strips. But these aren’t $30, they’re $4.99. This has so much product, and the light pink highlight in this looks a lot like the one I love so much from my limited edition Fair Trade Coffee trio from last Summer.

Lash O Matic Fiber Mascara $8– I bought this out of pure impulse. Most days I wear natural looking false lashes, but I’m wanting to see if this will be any good. I will probably end up doing a first impression video on this product. The Physicians Formula one didn’t “wow” me because the fibers got EVERYWHERE. Honestly, now that I know how to out lashes on properly, it takes me less time to put them on than trying to put 3 million coats of mascara on my wimpy lashes.

I also picked up the new setting spray a few weeks back, but it’s not in the photos. I’ve been using it, and I will say there’s not a lot of product in it. It is nice to have a cruelty free and affordable drugstore option though. Even though the setting spray didn’t blow my mind, it’s still nice and worth looking into!

Well, that’s everything I picked up in this mini drugstore haul. I have a huge Ulta haul on the way, but I’ll probably film that and add my Christmas makeup presents in it as well. So, if you’re interested in that, make sure you’re subscribed to my Youtube channel!

I hope you all enjoyed this little haul post! As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you’re all having wonderful days.

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Unboxing: Target Summer Beauty Box

June 10, 2015June 9, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 5 Comments

Hey beauties,

Today I have an unboxing! I will be showing you all what I got in my Target Beauty Box this Summer. Every season, Target releases beauty boxes that have deluxe sample sizes and full sized products, and are pretty high value. They are usually $7, and the shipping is free, and if you have a Target debit card you can snag an extra 5% off! There is no true “subscription” with this box, and it’s on a first come, first serve basis. I will say that these boxes sell out very quickly every time they’re released, so if you ever see one in stock and want it, just get it.

This season’s bag was valued at $40, and I received 5 items in my bag. I think that for the most part everyone received the same scheme of products with some variances here and there.

Without further adieu, let’s get on to the the unboxing!

1. Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Styling Creme– Deluxe sample size valued at about $6. I love Fekkai products! They’re a bit out of my price range, so getting big samples like these makes me so happy. I’m really excited to try this one because it claims to tame frizzy hair, and boy do I need that in the Summer time in the humid South. This is one of the products that I’ve seen vary between boxes.

2. Olay Regenerist Luminous Hydraswirl Eye Cream– This is actually the product that caught my eye the most when I ordered this box online. This is a full sized product and retails at $23! I have tried this out a few times, and I do like it. It’s unscented and gives a nice glow to my under eyes, cancelling out the purple that’s naturally under my eyes.

3. Sinful Colors Nail Polish “Boom Boom”– The retail value of this is $1.99, and though this is a lovely pink shade, I don’t wear pink nail polishes often. I may be setting this one aside for an upcoming giveaway *wink wink*

4. Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick in “Gladiolus-” Retail of this is $8, and it’s full sized! I haven’t had a chance to wear this shade on my lips yet, but I have swatched it and it felt very smooth and buttery!

5. Cutex Advanced Revival Nail Polish Remover Wipes– There are 3 of these in the box and that comes to about a little over $1. I have used one the pads already, and I put it to the test with a deep burgundy shade, and it cleared all the polish off in with one pad! I was impressed, and I will use these up. Will I repurchase? Probably not for awhile since I have loads of acetone stored away, but these are very nice.

Total Box Value: $40

There were also 2 coupons in this box, one for $3 off a $15 beauty purchase at Target (can also be stacked with manufacturers coupons as well) and a $1 off a Revlon product.

Overall, I’m really happy with this seasons beauty box! Did you snag one or more of these boxes? What did you get? Will you be getting one in the future?

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you are all having wonderful days!

Target Fall Beauty Box

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Lips of the Day: LaSplash Lip Lustre “Belle”

May 19, 2015May 19, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 7 Comments

It’s no secret on my blog or youtube channel that I am a huge fan of LaSplash’s liquid lipsticks. They are incredibly long lasting, matte, and at $12 a pop, these are some of the most affordable liquid lipsticks that are taking the beauty community by storm.

However, I don’t see as much about the lip lustres as I do about the smitten lip tint mousses and original liquid lipstick lines.

The lip lustres are a few bucks more expensive, but to me they are so unique in terms of lipstick. They have glitter in them, but they are still matte and long lasting. Say what? What’s even cooler, is that the glitter can be “activated” by rubbing your lips a bit after the product has dried. Sometimes I will rub my lips while wearing one for a glammed out look, and sometimes I leave it be for more of a subtle shimmer. It’s almost like having two shades of lipstick in one tube.

Today, I want to give a shout out to “Belle” because Belle is such a fun nude shade. I find this shade without the glitter to be flattering for pale skin tones, but with the gold glitter this shade is just…life. I love it.

I love how well this shade compliments a nice peachy cheek and white-gold highlight for Spring time. It’s a subtle way to bring a whole lot of glamour to a look.

Seriously, look at that gold sparkle. I can’t get enough of it.

I do have another shade called “Lady” (I believe all of these are named after Disney characters) that I will try to swatch sometime soon. I just wanted to mention this one today because everyone seems to be all about getting nude. WAIT…I mean everyone seems to be all about wearing nudes.

My septum clicker is from Body Art Forms 🙂 Oh, and because people ask me often if I have “boogers” in my lip swatches…yes…those are totally gigantic shiny boogers. No, silly, those are my nose studs…that sometimes collect boogers.

Anyway, thanks for reading! If you want to see more “lips of the day” post please let me know! This is really the first time I’ve done a post focusing on one shade and I don’t know if that’s something you all would enjoy on a semi-regular basis.

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Ipsy Unbagging: May 2015

May 18, 2015May 18, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 1 Comment

Hello, Jetsetters

I have an Ipsy unbagging for you all today, and yes, the theme is “Jetsetters” for the month. Remember when I said that last month’s bag was my all time favorite? I changed my mind, this is my new favorite bag. Seriously look at how freakin’ cute it is. There were several bags that were given out, and from what I’ve seen they’re all cute.

Anyway, if you’re new here a quick description of Ipsy is that it’s a beauty subscription that arrives at your doorstep once a month, and costs $10 per month. Each person takes a beauty quiz of sorts and is given 4-5 full sized or deluxe sample sized beauty items based on that quiz. There’s typically a pretty good mixture of high end and indie/non mainstream brands, especially lately it seems. I really feel that the Ipsy has stepped their game up and they are sending out some incredible things, or at least in my opinion they are.

The first thing I want to share from my bag is this BellaPierre gel liner. I wasn’t too thrilled about getting another liner, because I have about 10 that I need to use up from other beauty services…but then I swatched this one. I swatched it and it didn’t budge. I washed dishes, rubbed it with my hands…everything. It’s also very very creamy and smooth. I have a feeling that with allergy season upon us this liner may be my new best friend. Because there’s nothing better than being halfway through your day and having an intense sneeze fit and suddenly looking like a sad raccoon.

Okay, I will admit that I squealed a bit when I saw this in my glamroom. I’m a lip product junkie, I know it. I embrace it. Or rather, my lip products are always embracing my lips in some way (ha!). In my bag this month I got a mini pencil (still a good amount of product) of Urban Decay’s 24/7 lip priming pencil. This pencil from what I gathered is supposed to prime and blur out imperfections on the lips. I have a feeling this will come in handy now that I have an HD camera and every little line can now be seen on my lips. I also got two little lipgloss samples in “Failbait” and “Bittersweet.” I’m normally not a fan of samples like these because I never use them, but Urban Decay is one of my favorite brands so chances are these will be used. I’m honestly dying to try that purple gloss out sometime soon.

This was the other thing I was most excited about this month. I received a Luxie tapered blending eye brush, and I die over anything and everything rose gold. I actually ordered the Luxie angled face brush when they had a sale on it and I use that brush constantly for blush and it’s probably my prettiest brush I own. So, I was naturally excited to see I was going to be adding a new little rose gold pretty to my collection. Blending brushes are something I never seem to have enough of.

Last, but not least, I received a deluxe sample of the Briogeo leave in conditioning spray and a sample of the Amie morning-dew mattifying moisturizer. I use leave in conditioners CONSTANTLY on my hair since I have naturally coarse and frizzy hair, so the spray I’m pretty excited about. I typically don’t use hair samples (I forget to, oops) but that one I will use.

I’m happy about the moisturizer, just not too sure how it’s going to be on my skin yet. A “dew” mattifying moisturizer seems like a bit of an oxymoron to me, but I will try it at some point.

Overall, I’m really happy with this month’s Ipsy bag! I feel that their sample game has been strong the past few months. If you’re subscribed to Ipsy, what did you get in your bag? Are you happy with it? Comment your thoughts or link me to your blog posts ❤

I have no idea if I should start doing “follow up” posts with my subscription bags, so if that’s something that would interest you, feel free to tell me! Or maybe I should make the follow up a video with a look put together with some of my favorite things received? I have no idea, ha!

As always, thank you for reading, and I hope that if you’re new to my blog you will decide to stay and follow me for a wee bit!

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Wet n Wild Lunch in Sao Paulo Palette

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 / Kayla Hutchison / 9 Comments

Hey lovelies,

So, I was trying to find the California Roll palette from the Silver Lake collection only to discover that most of the Walgreens in my area have started to take the displays down. I was a wee bit crushed. However, Kaily from Someday Sunny must have felt my pain states away and found one and is sending it to me! Seriously, that made my whole day.

The point of me mentioning that is because even though I couldn’t find anymore Silver Lake palettes, I did find a display with a new Limited Edition Wet n Wild palette!

If you’ve read my reviews on the Paris Runway and Milano palettes knows that I think the quality of these palettes are awesome for drugstore eyeshadow palettes. If you’re looking for a cruelty free and affordable palette, I do reccomend them.

With that being said, to avoid repeating myself I’m just going to share photos and swatches and my thoughts on how this compares to the other two.

Price: $7.99, same as the others

Permanent? Nope, this is one of the limited edition items from Wet n Wild that will be popping up over Spring and into Summer. So, if you see it and want it, snag it.

Colors: This palette has a few very bright and colorful shades and some neutral shades. There are no matte shades in this one, so you may need to use some from other palettes if you’re like me and enjoy matte transition shades, but overall the colors are very pretty and I feel there’s a decent amount of diversity.

Quality: The quality is the same as the other two, in my opinion. Very easy to swatch, and the colors feel very nice. A few of the colors were very slightly powdery, but nothing too bad. I do feel that in terms of drugstore quality, these are awesome shadows.

This palette comes with the brush just like the other two did. It’s not my personal favorite brush, but it works if you’re in a pinch, or if you’re just starting out with makeup.

Swatches:

These swatches are done with no primer underneath. The color payoff was really nice. The yellow-ish color I had to work a bit with, but I typically do with all lighter shades because my skin is so fair. I’m dying over that greenish-teal color though. I really want to play with that one.

Overall thoughts: Ah, I’ve been sucked into the “limited edition” trap once more. However, this one I am very happy with, and I’m already planning out a possible “get ready with me” video using it! It’s probably obvious by now that Wet n Wild is one of my favorite drugstore brands.

I don’t know if I like this palette more than the Milano one, but I do like it more than the Paris Runway palette. I don’t like that it lacks mattes, but the pretty colors kind of make up for it I suppose. The closest thing to a matte is the teal shade, but even then it still has a bit of sparkle in it. However, if you did some blending you could probably blend the sparkle away. Only do that with shadows, don’t blend your real life sparkle away 😉

I do have some more limited edition goodies from Wet n Wild to review soon, so stayed tuned! If you’re new here, stay awhile if you want!

What are your thoughts on this palette?? Will you be picking it up?

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*I purchased this product with my own money, and all opinions in this post are my own.

Swatch Sunday: Random Lippies

December 7, 2014December 11, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / Leave a comment

I have quite a few lipsticks that I have bought over the past few weeks that are beautiful and blogworthy, but I didn’t buy enough of each line to really justify doing a whole post about each. So, I’m doing a lipstick swatch “dump” of sorts.

First up, I bought 3 LA Girl Creme lip colors to try them out. These retail for $4 each on average.
As you can tell, the packaging is a bit cheap and can get pretty messy. However, for the messy packaging the product itself is very creamy and applies smoothly. The colors are opaque. I normally don’t like many creamier formulas, but these are nice.

Left to Right: Promise, Amour, Kiss & Tell
I’ve been reaching for Kiss & Tell a lot over the past week. It’s such a beautiful brown with red tint to it. It looks superb paired with a dark red lip liner.

This is a photo taken the other day of me wearing “kiss & tell” with a deep red underneath. Love this combo.

Next, these teeny Kat Von D lippies were my second Black Friday snag while shopping online on Sephora. I didn’t need them, but I have a weakness for MINI things I couldn’t help it.
There’s not much to say about these because I already own two of the studded lipsticks and an everlasting liquid lipstick. I love the formulas of both of these lines. Both of these were $10 and for Kat Von D anything, that’s a steal. Even though I didn’t need these, no regrets. No regrets

Berlin is a matte darker rosy shade. I will probably be reaching for this come Spring and Summer. Lolita is a matte brownish nude shade. I own Lolita in the liquid form as well and it’s my favorite color of life.

Last, I have a couple Nyx lippies. I have “Whipped Caviar” from the Matte line (Kylie Jenner dupe, supposedly) and “Pops” from the butter line. I love the formulas of basically any Nyx line of lipstick. Super affordable, super opaque, super super.

Bottom swatch is Whipped Caviar (matte) and top is Pops (butter)

I will say that the matte one wears very comfortably on the lips as well as the butter one. The butter lipsticks seriously apply like…butter. Can you tell I am all about the brown/mauve nudes right now? I am stocking up while there are so many out because this is my go-to shade all of the time. If you’re very fair, I would suggest trying out the mauve/darker nude trend because I find it to be such a flattering way to wear a nude without it washing me out. That’s a totally personal opinion though and I can understand why some are tired of hearing about the “Kylie Jenner” lip.

I’m honestly ready to start finding some Marsala shades in my collection right about now. I’m not ever one for trends, but the last few color trends have been shades that I love already and work with often on an everyday basis.

I hope you all enjoyed my quick swatch sunday post with all of my random lippies. Have a gorgeous day!

Online Haul: Part One (With Swatches)

November 29, 2014November 29, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / 2 Comments

Ah, it’s that time of year again. The time of year my bank account dreads.
I’m not one to fight crowds. I worked at Target for 4 years and I do not want to participate in that mess. If you do, fine, it’s just not my jam. However, I have been on the lookout for the best online deals the past 1.5 weeks for my kids, and a bit for myself (moms deserve presents, too) and found a few amazing deals. I wanted to share a few of the things that I received in the mail on Friday because I am SUPER excited to try them out. When I get new makeup in the mail I have to open it up and play with it right then. Swatch it, apply it, put it all over my face. Okay, maybe not that last one.

Anyway, my first major score was the Coastal Scents Revealed Palette. If you’ve been following me for a bit you’ve probably seen me mention the Revealed 2 palette a lot. It’s my baby. I am in love with that palette and reach for it more than I do my Naked palettes. So, of course I’ve been wanting the original Revealed palette for awhile now. I know that these palettes are old news to many, but they’re new to me and I’m obsessed. I ended up getting the Revealed palette for $5 + shipping which is incredible! I almost squealed.

I just love these stickers that Coastal Scents sends in their packages. So adorable. The palette comes in a thin, cardboard case and there are 20 shades total. I will say that a con of these palettes is that there are no names on them. I have no way of knowing what the exact names of my favorite shades are in case I hit pan.

These are the swatches of all 20 colors on top of a primer. The first two shades did not want to show up on my alabastor skin, sorry. There are a few matte shades in this palette, but not many. I love how cool toned this palette is though. I wear a lot of cool toned makeup since it compliments my complexion and I wear mostly cool/blue toned lipsticks.

The second part of this haul came from Ulta. They were running a one day deal where you could get $5 off a $10 purchase and get free shipping on any purchase, no minimum. I will say that I made two orders just so I could use the coupon twice…shhh. The second part of my purchase is going to be a part of a video first impression though, so be on the lookout for it 😉 I’ve been wanting to give the brand Essence a try, so I picked a few things out. I got two of the lipsticks and a blush.

Bottom to top: lipstick “On the Catwalk,” lipstick “Barely There,” blush “Autumn Peach”

The lipsticks feel very creamy and applied very well and evenly on my arm. I can’t wait to try these colors out! The blush is just a very peachy blush, and honestly the picture on Ulta made the blush seem darker than what it is. It’s a lovely color, just now what I have been looking for. I have several colors like this already. I’ve been looking for a darker peach with an almost red tint (if that makes sense) if anyone can recommend one. I want a color like that for winter to give me a “flushed” look without looking like I have wind burn.

The last thing I ordered was just a Nyx concealer that I needed to get because mine is almost out. In all, that order was $9 shipped and I got cash back on ebates since they were doing double the cash back for many places all week long. I am very pleased with this small haul! Anyone else score any amazing deals this week??

I’m going to be doing a no buy in the month of December (possibly longer) to focus solely on Christmas and getting a few things done around our house and such. I need to do a no buy period.
I hope you all enjoyed this post even though the products I bought are old news. I ordered some super exciting limited edition things on Black Friday though that should be here next week that I can’t wait to share and play around with and create looks. If you’re doing most of your holiday shopping online, make sure to look into ebates if you haven’t already to get cash back!

Let’s Talk about Amazing and Affordable Face Products

November 3, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / 1 Comment

Personally, when I watch videos and read blogs by my favorite beauty bloggers I catch myself day dreaming about high end products. I can’t be the only one. The products that I want to try out, but sadly can’t afford right now thanks to life and kids. Not that it upsets me at all. I love my life and kids with all of my being.
I do know that I am not the only one that is constantly looking for amazing and affordable makeup products though. Too many times I catch myself thinking that if I had more higher end products my makeup would look flawless, but then I remember that it’s truly about finding what’s right for you and how you apply it.
So, I want to do a few blogs about amazing and totally affordable makeup products, starting with some of my favorite everyday face products. Of course, these are just what works for me and my face, but I hope that everyone that reads this either finds a new awesome product to try out or that they take away a few tips on finding these products for even cheaper than they already are.
I will also include a separate picture of swatches for the blush, highlighter, and bronzer at the end of the post.

Wet n Wild blush in “Pearlescent Pink” – Holy grail blush. I use this blush almost everyday. That’s why the packaging looks kind of dirty. It’s the perfect shade of pink for me and has the slightest hint of shimmer. It’s so beautiful, and a shade that would work on many skin tones. These retail alone at around $3 most retail stores, which is incredible by itself, but I find these on sale so often at CVS and Walgreens. Wet n Wild also releases coupons in the newspaper often, so if you’re a coupon clipper (raises hand!) keep an eye out for them. I have scored so many free Wet n Wild products stacking sales with coupons.

LA Girl Pro Concealer– if you follow many youtubers and bloggers, chances are you have heard others raving about this very product. It’s so amazing and I just got it myself a few months back. I have horrible dark circles due to being extremely pale and having allergies, and this concealer covers my under eye circles and doesn’t look caked on. I use the lightest shade, obviously. This concealer retails for $5 on the la girls website, but I found mine for way cheaper on ebay. I got 3 tubes for $7.
Quick Ebay tip– when buying makeup always make sure you’re buying from a well known buyer with great feedback. Sometimes people are awful and sell fake products. There are a lot of great sellers on there that do sell the real deal for real cheap.

Nyx Matte Bronzer– This is a newer addition to my collection. I have searching for what seems like forever for a flattering contour shade for my skin tone. I typically use Nyx blush in “Taupe” which is amazing as well, but I wanted to switch it up a bit. This line has different shades for different skin tones, so naturally I picked out the shade called “light” that is supposed to be for lighter skin tones. It is a nice bronzer for light skin, maybe a bit on the warmer side for my liking, but a light hand while applying can easily fix that. The packaging is also very sleek and pretty.

Nyx Matte Finishing Spray– This has been in my possession for awhile (can you tell by the makeup all over the bottle?) and I love it! It’s perfect for everyday matte makeup looks for me when I want to set my makeup, but I don’t want to use up any of my Urban Decay spray.

Wet n Wild Highlighter– This is from the Fergie line in the color ‘Rose Champagne.” It’s so beautiful and affordable. It’s a champagne color with a hint of pink. Super flattering on fair skin. There is so much product in this for the price. I would recommend anyone try this if they are as obsessed with highlighters as I am. I hope the dewy skin look is here to stay.

Nyx Eyebrow Gel– I know this is technically not a “face” product, but eyebrows are a must for a complete face look. I’ve been using the black shade from this line for awhile now, and I love it. I still tend to reach for my dipbrow pomade most days, but if I am wanting a very bold brow I reach for this one. It takes the smallest amount of product to do both eyebrows, and it applies so easily. I use an angled brush to apply it. This product does set quickly, but it also stays ALL DAY. It’s an awesome and ridiculously affordable product that I would recommend to anyone to at least try.

Nyx HD concealer in “Lavender”– I use this concealer probably everyday. Usually I put this on under my foundation to cancel out the darkness under my eyes. I also use it to lighten up concealer if it’s a bit too dark. It serves multiple purposes, and costs $5. Amazing. Highly recommend for anyone with intense dark circles or is extremely fair and has trouble finding a light enough concealer.

BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Powder– If you follow my blog you have probably seen my first impressions post about this powder, if not I will link my review post of it at the end. I haven’t had this powder long enough to say it’s a staple yet, but it is a great powder for the price. BH Cosmetics has sales constantly on their site, and this powder tends to be about $7 on their site most days. My tips for using this powder are to use the elf powder brush (the studio one with the flat top) and just pat it into the skin if you’re using it to set your foundation or concealer. It works for me. I find that when I sweep powder across my face in a typical swirly motion it can kind of stick to dry spots easier. But do whatever works for you 🙂

Elf Acne Fighting Foundation– This foundation is something that is on my face often. I LOVE this foundation, and I mention it often in my “face of the day” posts. It’s supposed to be blemished skin friendly, but besides that it is also very full coverage and extremely affordable at $6 on the eyeslipsface website. I will say that if you have very fair skin and you don’t have a white mixing agent like the manic panic white dream tone foundation that you may want to hold out on buying it until you have both. The lightest shade on me is a few shades too dark, and I have a to use 2-3 pumps of white to get it to my exact shade, but it’s still an amazing foundation if you’re looking for a less expensive full coverage foundation to add to your life.

Elf Mineral Face Primer– The one in the picture is the green toned one, but I also have the plain clear toned mineral face primer. I use the green one on an almost daily basis because it’s supposed to correct red skin. I naturally have a bit of red in my skin on my cheeks, and this helps to correct it a little. Aside from that, it’s $5 (I think) and can be found on elf’s website or in many Target stores. This primer feels amazing on the skin, and the ingredients do not break my skin out whatsoever.

Swatches from bottom to top: Wet n Wild “pearlescent pink,” Wet n Wild “rose champagne glow,” and Nyx Matte Bronzer in “light.”

Last tip for saving money, especially with all of the holiday things coming out- use ebates. I love this site. You get cash back for online shopping through their site. Example: I recently got 4% cash back on a Sephora purchase online, and 7.5% back on BH cosmetics. If you do a lot of online shopping please create an account through them. I think you get a check or paypal credit every 3 months for what you’ve earned…don’t quote me on that though.
Anyway, I hope this blog has been somewhat enjoyable or helpful. If you’re interested in any other affordable products I have in my arsenal, please feel free to make requests on what you may want to see me focus on.

BH Cosmetics Powder review: https://kaylahutchison.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/first-impression-too-faced-cocoa-powder-and-bh-cosmetics-studio-pro-powder/

Target Fall Beauty Box Review

October 29, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / 1 Comment

I typically miss out on the sample and beauty boxes Target releases and every time I am a sad panda. So, when I was browsing and saw that they had released their fall beauty box and they weren’t sold out I immediately ordered it. I was beyond excited when this pretty box arrived in my mailbox today and I couldn’t wait to open it up and see what was inside and show you all!
Let me begin by saying this box was $7 shipped to me. I have a Target debit card though, so I don’t know if shipping costs would apply to anyone without a Target debit card. I personally judge beauty boxes/subscriptions by what’s inside, if I like the products or at least most of them, and if the overall value exceeds what I paid for the box. If I’m paying $7 for a sample box and the products inside are worth less or just a little more than what I paid for the box itself, I feel kind of ripped off.

Inside the box:

First thing I noticed about this box was the beautiful coupon it came with. I love coupons. The cool thing about Target coupons is that you can stack their store coupons with a manufacturers coupon and use cartwheel (mobile app) on top of it creating an amazing deal. I’ve scored free and really cheap makeup many times stacking coupons and cartwheel offers.
The next things that caught my eye were the full sized Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil in white and The Loreal Colour Riche Lipstick in “Blushing Harmony.” I use the jumbo eye pencil almost everyday as an eyeshadow base, so I was pretty excited to get another one of them, because having extras of things I use on an almost daily basis is never a bad thing, in my opinion. The Colour Riche lipstick is also beautiful. “Blushing Harmony” is a very deep rosy nude glossy type of lipstick. It’s not a very sticky formula though. It’s also not matte or a long wearing liquid lipstick. It can be worn alone or on top of lipstick. The value of the eye pencil is $4-5 and the gloss $8-9 so those two products alone made me feel like I got my money’s worth with the coupon.

Next thing I noticed was the set of nifty BB cream cushions. Laneige is a Korean brand and these BB creams are exclusive to Target and have a high SPF. The estimated value of this is between $14-15 and there is are light, medium, and dark cushions as well as the SPF cushion. I’m extremely excited about this particular sample. I have been trying to find a BB cream that just “wows” me for the longest time now, and getting a sample that has several different skin tones in it is amazing. Many beauty and sample boxes tend to only include one shade, and we all know people come in very many different colors and we are not all one shade. The light shade will obviously be the one I try. I will probably gift the others to friends or family.

Fekkai Salon Blow Out Dry Shampoo (1.7 oz) This is not a full sized product, but the value of it is still about $8, and dry shampoos always make me happy. I feel like they probably make anyone with hair and a life happy. I can’t and don’t wash my hair everyday. Even before I had kids, it just makes me hair brittle and dry if I wash it constantly. I can’t wait to try this one out.

Loreal Paris Elnett Hairspray (2.2 oz) This is valued at around $2 for the sample size. I know there are still so many bloggers and hairstylists that use and swear by this hairspray. I have even heard my mom talking about it when she talks about the Aqua Net glory days of big hair. I have never gotten a chance to try it out for myself though because I am partial to my Vidal Sassoon hairspray or my Garnier anti humidity hairspray. However, if I like this little guy I may switch it up.

Overall, from what I have researched the total value of this box is around $38, which is over 5 times what I paid at $7! I feel this was definitely worth it, personally. I haven’t received any box/bag from a subscription service that has had that valuable of a box compared to what you initially pay in so long. It gave me a bit of hope in some weird sense. Haha. This box is a one time purchase, but I will totally be on the lookout for the next one they release. I hope it’s soon! If you have received this box as well, please feel free to comment with your own thoughts and overall opinions.

First Impression: Too Faced Cocoa Powder and BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Powder

October 26, 2014October 26, 2014 / Kayla Hutchison / 1 Comment

I have been hunting for a new powder for quite sometime now. If you’ve been following me for awhile you probably already know that I talk about the physicians formula correcting powder often. I still love it. I used it most of the summer almost everyday to set my concealer and would wear it alone some days. However, it can cling to dry spots if you have naturally dry skin like myself. So now that the weather is changing and I want to wear fuller coverage makeup, it looks a bit cakey after awhile and oxidizes weird on my skin.

If you’re as pale as me, you will understand my struggle to find a powder of any sort. Many are either too dark or oxidize and are darker after a few hours…or they look caked on if you apply too much. So, I’ve been watching videos and reading reviews by people with a similar skin tone/type as me and I have a few to talk about.

First, is the Too Faced Cocoa Powder foundation in “Light.” I’ve seen this talked about a lot, but couldn’t justify wanting to buy it until I watched a video of Thataylaa (look her up on youtube. I love her videos and personality) using it lightly as a setting powder. So, I started trying to see if I could catch a good deal on it, and I found it on hsn.com for $39 with free shipping AND the teddy bear hair kabuki brush included ($68 total value). I ended up being able to use a coupon code for 15% off on top of it, so the deal was pretty awesome and it’s included in flex pay and I got money back on ebates. Just throwing that out there in case anyone is interested in trying it and wants a good deal on it, I was not sponsored to say any of that. I’m just a mom on a budget.

Anyway, back to the actual review. The smell of this product is as delightful as I had hoped and imagined. It smells like chocolate. I decided to try it out for the first time on top of a bb cream and use the teddy bear hair kabuki brush.
Application– Like a damn dream. Very easy to work with and is buildable. With that being said, I do feel it would be light coverage if worn alone as a powder foundation. I wore it on top of a bb cream so I only needed a small amount to cover everything up and set my makeup. The brush it came with is super soft as well. I don’t know if I would have bought it had it been alone, but since it came with the powder it’s definetely a perk.
Wear time– it lasted all day and did not oxidize or cling to dry patches during the day. I did chores, chased the dog and toddler around and ran errands and this stuff stayed in place and even kept the faint delicious smell all day.
Overall first impression- thoroughly impressed. I’m so happy I stumbled upon such a great deal because I don’t know if I could have brought myself to spend the money on it at regular price at Ulta or Sephora.
Lastly, I have to give Too Faced props for always having the most adorable packaging on the face of the planet. Seriously, how chic and cute is the packaging? It’s so pretty.

Second, is the BH Cosmetics Studio Pro Powder in “205” which is the lightest shade. These powders are on sale often on Bh Cosmetics’ website. I think I got mine for around $7, so this is a very affordable option. The packaging is also very sleek and black, which I like. It claims to be a matte finishing powder.
Application– I used my elf cosmetics powder brush ($3) and patted this underneath my eyes to set my concealer, and I was impressed with how easy it was to apply. It wasn’t too chalky and didn’t get everywhere. I typically pat my powder instead of brushing on my face because I feel it’s less likely to cling to dry patches that way.
Wear– It did oxidize a bit, but it wasn’t bad. It didn’t apply cakey, but it did look a bit caked up and weird in a few spots after about 4 hours of wear. So, this is a powder that will need to be touched up a few times throughout the day.
Overall impression– I wasn’t as impressed with this one, but I wasn’t disappointed either. It’s probably a powder I will reach for this fall for everyday looks and for when I run errands. The price is superb though and the packaging is also adorable and very sleek.

Both of the brands mentioned are cruelty free, and as far as I know Too Faced is vegan friendly. Have any powders to recommend for me to try in my pursuit for the absolute perfect powder for fair skin? Please feel free to comment with your own thoughts, opinions, and recommendations.