Birthday Haulage!

Hi All,
    So my birthday was on the 29th of July and of course...I went out and did a little retail therapy shopping/ birthday shopping. There are many similar brand as the USA but I had my eye on Inglot makeup for such a long time! I know I can order it online, but there's something about going to the Polish makeup store and purchasing it there.  I also picked up a few other things which I'll also include on this haul.  (I will review the products individually, including prices,so keep a look out!)

First stop? 

INGLOT! 

(Okay so I went there on three separate trips *addicted*)

 My first trip was really just to explore (plus the fact that I didn't have my money

exchanged stopped me from purchasing). 

My second trip, I walked away with a few items! 

I purchased the newest style case from Inglot (has a big mirror and the magnetic spaces. 

It just looks so sleek, and it very easy to open up. 

I'm already in love with my colors and review them individually soon!

Colors from left to right are: 142, 107, 154

My THIRD trip to Inglot, I also walked away with a few shadows.

Instead of the large square pans, I opted for the circles

so that I could pop them into an ELF palette and easily carry them around.

The Colors in top right from l-r: 111, 393, 102, 142

Second Store?

DOUGLAS

This is like an Ulta where you have really high end (Chanel) and then low brands

like Essence all in the same space.  I don't have easy access to an Ulta or Essence 

beauty products so I picked them up here.  I had heard so much about the mascara

and the gel-tint just looked like fun!

Third Store?

ROSSMAN

This is a proper drug store with plenty of makeup and as my face powder was getting a little

dangerously low, I opted to pick one up from a European brand.  Miss Sporty is a UK brand, 

and runs along the same price range as NYC (perhaps a few cents more) but they happened 

to have a bunch of interesting looking products.  I picked up the So Matte Pressed Powder (claimed to have 10 hour wear), Ohh! Blushed Again... blusher, and two bright lipsticks.

I did also receive as a gift from my Aunt an Inglot nail polish in a beautiful mint color 

(I've never tried their polishes). 

Previously, I did also purchase the Garnier BB Cream (it was only 5 bucks here!)

I had heard a lot about it and my drugstore is always sold out, so I figured out why not? 

I look forward to testing these out in the following weeks and letting you know about them!

Have you tried anything from these brands?

xoxo,

Emi

July Favorites

I don't typically do monthly favorites just because I don't rotate out products as much as many other youtube or beauty bloggers do. But if you have read any of my previous travel/ packing blogs, you know that I have packed some variety of products to use too. So I figured, since these were different from a lot of my usual products...I could just show you which ones I opted to use the most this month.  (I'd also like to mention that having less products has been extremely relaxing because I don't feel so stressed out that I have so much to use up!) Without further comment, here are my July Most Used Products.

 Eyes Products:

Shadow: I have opted for this little trio from 

LA Colors (it's in the shade Nude) and love it.  Obviously I have

hit pan on two of the shadows.  I find this versatile and just very easy to use in 

very busy mornings.  This is also a really great basic trio where 

you can just add on shimmery or glittery shadows to bring it to an evening/ dramatic look. 

Look at those dents!

Liner: I have gone back to my gel liner roots! (and now expanded to liquid!)

I love this gel liner from ELF and believe it'll be one of those

that I'll always fall back to. The coffee color is great because it's still not as dark as black, but dark enough to line.  The liquid liner is something I've gotten into,
I've never previously been a fan but it's awesome to make a dramatic eye.
The shade Midnight is also nice because it's a dark navy.

Primer/Base: Of course, If you have been following my blog for a while,
you will know that I am in LOVE with my NYX eyeshadow base in
Skintone.  This small pot has lasted me for over a year and it still is running strong.  It does not
crease on me and I just find it makes my eyeshadows stay SO long.

Mascara: Benefit Badgal mascara is such an oldie but a goodie.
This was my first mascara (not same tube...this is a new one) that I got and was introduced to.
I find this one gives me dark but long lashes.  I keep coming back to this mascara!

Face:

Concealer: I have been loving my ELF Studio Line Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter due.

Ok scratch that, I love the concealer part of the due, I dislike

the Highlighter portion of it.  I have a whole review up on this product, so check it

out to find out why I like it so much!

Blush: Yep, I'm still working through my Rimmel London Blush.  

This is a great dupe for Benefit's Dandelion, the only downside is that I no longer see this

at my drugstores.  (womp womp womb) I like that I can be a bit heavy handed 

with this blush, and still not turn out looking like a clown. 

It's also great because it leave a slight sheen on the cheeks so you don't really need a 

highlighter. 

Bronzer: At home I use the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster, but that thing

is SO clunky.  So I opted to take along a sample of Hoola bronzer

from Benefit.  I like this bronzer, but haven't quite fallen in love with it. 

Finishing Powder: If you keep up with my previous "trying to finish out 

products" you'll know that I've been working on a different product, but I didn't want

to possibly risk smashing my powder in flight, so I opted to take the NYC Smooth Mineral Loose Finishing Powder in Natural Veil.  I'm not a huge fan of loose powders

because they cause a huge mess.  But this summer I've been using the heck out of it!

Body/ Skincare:

St. Ive Apricot Scrub: Oh my gosh, I forgot how much I actually love this product.

After finishing out my large bottle, and vowing to not buy another face wash until my big bottles were done, I almost forgot about how great this makes my skin feel.  I think I'll have to break my ban and purchase this again. 

bebebeauty Face Experts: I picked this up here in Poland as a makeup remover and I love it.  

It's best explained as a milky, makeup remover lotion.  I had a different brand 

but same product a long time ago and loved it.  This doesn't sting my eyes

and takes off EVERY bit of makeup.  

Nivea anti-perspirant Stress Protect: The USA doesn't mass market this product, but in some Polish

markets you can get your hands on this. At first I was skeptical because it's liquidy and I just

couldn't believe that if I had to use heavier duty stick deodorants back home,  this would work.  

Needless to say...I think I'll be picking up a few extra of these to take home!

Randoms!

Vitamin C Tablets: SO many people have been sick and even after going to 

the doctor and getting meds, they still can't shake their colds, so these tablets have been a staple

for me.  I pop one of these a day into a bottle of water, and just drink. It

tastes like lemonade too!

Review: Urban Decay Naked Skin Beauty Balm

Hey Everyone!
   So pretty much every brand has a BB cream in their makeup line...and Urban Decay has totally been workin the "Naked" line too.  I had received a sample of the Naked Skin Beauty Balm with a previous purchase and had put off using it until now.

According to the Urban Decay website the Naked Skin Beauty Balm "Minimize pores, lines, wrinkles and redness instantly.  Get significantly firmer, more lifted skin in 8 weeks".  It also has SPF 20 and claims to have DNA Repair, Optical Blurring and is Oil Free.  Sounds pretty darn great doesn't it? It retails at 34 bucks for 35 ml.  What Urban Decay claims to be so special about their particular BB cream is: "while many beauty balms are tinted to provide coverage, ours diffuses light with high-tech pigments to give you amazing, natural, NAKED-looking skin." This sounds all fancy.  It claims to blur lines to create an "airbrushed" finish to the skin.

Sorry for the ill lighting!

The product comes just in one shade that once blended in becomes translucent.  I'm just going to say it right out from the start...I don't like this product...nor do I really get the point of it.  I was under the assumption that BB creams offer some coverage...this sounds more like a primer.  I don't see any blurring of fine lines either...it truly looks like I've got nothing on my face (which yes...I understand the idea of "naked" skin).

 My redness didn't change at all with this product.  I feel like this would work as a good primer for foundations and tinted moisturizers....but not a stand alone product.  It IS oil-free though, and didn't make me feel greasy.

Final Points: More of a primer than a BB cream, this won't give any coverage, or help redness on it's own.  I'll pass on it.

Have you tried it?
Emi

Packing Nails, Tools and Skincare

So here is post numero dos on my packing! It has been a crazy set of days, but finally I have narrowed down what I'd like to bring with me... and what I'd be happy using.  I like to pack multiple small bags because I feel like it keeps me organized and that I don't lose things.  This first bag will be in my suitcase, and it holds all things that I'd feel ok with leaving in my suitcase (ie things that don't explode)

                                       

In this VS Pink Cosmetic Bag I threw in:

2 dry shampoos: cause there WILL be days I need them

1 Bottle Pamprin: This stuff works...and FAST...I'm not 

gonna mess with cramps.

2 small bottles of a mix of advil & tylenol: To hold me over until

i can get to the Pharmacy.

1 mini First Aid kit: hey... don't laugh...this came in very

hand during my semesters. 

I also opted to take several bottles of nail polish in colors I knew I would wear.

I chose mini's so that I wouldn't waste as much space. 

Nail tools such as a buffer, nail files (Christmas!), cuticle gel and a hand 

moisturizer.  Like I've mentioned before...I love doing my nails...so this is a lil taste of home. 

                                    

My other bag that contains skin, body, and hair care will be in my carry on so that I don't have to worry about little exploding surprises.  I am taking a lot of mini's because I will be purchasing large bottles for the stay...these just tie me over and help for weekend trips to visit family. 

                                    

I hope this helped you guys out when it came to planning out what to pack...the biggest thing I'd like to underscore is that each country has their own brands, so if you forget something or run out during your stay...try something new! (unless you have severe reactions etc...then pack away!)

xoxo,

Emi

Packing Makeup

Holy Moly... 
Ever try to narrow down the makeup products you might feel like using for the next three months? I was going through my makeup collection and deciding which products I might want to take along...it soon ended looking like this:

Yikes! This reminds me a bit of that Victoria's Secret commercial a few years back for the fashion show where the clothing suitcase is TEEEENY tiny, and the makeup trunk was insanely huge? Yep I had a minor flashback of that one. I know for sure I CAN'T take all of that makeup because I actually need to fit a decent amount of clothes, and now airlines are a lot more strict about weight and size of suitcases and carry ons (no thank you 50 dollar fees).  Needless to say...even Guam has makeup stores so if I realize I need something, I can easily pick it up from a Sephora, Inglot or drugstore.

So this was round two, three,  four and five (yep took that many rounds for my real bare basics) of pairing things down.  Still you can tell I was really wanting to take a LOT of eyeshadow...when in reality I'll be lucky to just finish one or two shadows the next few months.  This is still probably going to be picked through because I'm not 100% sure on some products but it's safe to say that I've got some great eye looks, great combos, etc available.

It took forever to finally narrow down my choices!

The bag I chose is a part of a 3 bag set that I got as a birthday gift a few years back.  I'm using the middle sized bag which compared to my computer is still a decent size. 

So let's really see what I plan to take on my trip:

Lips:
I am taking a good variety of products, but colors that I know I will use. 
I always need a few lip balms because my lips get painfully chapped. 

Products from L-R in top image: Fresh Sugar Rose (x2), Buxom Lip Gloss in Sandy,
NYC Applelicious Lip Balm in Applelicious Pink, NYC Lipstick in Violet Shine, ELF Studio Matte
Lip Color in Coral, Buxom Lip Stick in Two-Timer, Anastasia Lip Gloss in Bellini, Rimmel Kiss Off!
Lip Gloss in First Time, Love & Beauty Lip stick in coral/pink

Face:

When it came to face I knew I needed products that were small, and that would not shatter, 
that is why I went with the blush and bronzer.  I also don't switch those as often so it's really
not a big deal to just use these two. 

L-R: Laura Geller Spackle Primer in Bronze, Smashbox Photo Finish Primer,
Wet n Wild Coverall Foundation in Fair, NYC Smoother Mineral Finishing Powder in Natural,
Rimmel London Blush in Pink Sorbet, ELF Under Eye Concealer in Fair, Benefit Hoola Brozer

                          

Eyes: This is my favorite category!

I had a really hard time trying to figure out which products I would love, 

and which would be less fussy.  While I'm boring when it comes to colors,

there is just something about the packaging and the product itself that makes the application 

so much nicer.  I chose products that I knew would not fail me (even though some are already 

running low).  

L-R: ELF Exact Lash Mascara, ELF Waterproof Eyeliner in Midnight, Jordana Fabuliner in Brown, LA Colors Trio
 in Nude, MAC Mineralized Single in Aurora, Physicians Formula Trio in Baked Sands,
NYC Quad in Best of Broadway, NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skintone, Rimmel London Single in Royal
Linen, ELF Cream Liner in Coffee, Benefit Badgal Lash. 

                                    

Now I know this is a good amount of stuff I plan to bring, but I also wanted to have certain extras if I finish a product, it gets lost or stolen or smashes.  If you want to have a review on any product let me know! 

xoxo,
Emi

The Big Move

Hi Everyone!

   So this post has been a long time coming, but I will be studying abroad (in Poland to be exact) for 3 months, and thus got the idea that some people might like to read/ hear about packing for very long trips, differences in culture etc.  I know it's not necessarily beauty, but it still fits into the "lifestyle" aspect of this blog.  I feel like we know how to pack for a week or two vacation, but how to pack into one suitcase everything you need for three months, AND living in a dorm? The packing will also include my makeup and what I will be buying there verses what I will pack and my reasoning for that.

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Anyways, feel free to leave any questions you may have about packing, my upcoming experience, the transition, school etc.  For all my beauty loving people, yes I will be posting plenty about cosmetics there too!

xoxo,
Emi

Project Pan: May

Hi all,
   So you would think that once graduation passes, things get easier, but with two jobs it's actually pretty nutso.  I'm trying to take on as many hours now because I will be away for a while (more on that in the next post).  Anyways I took these photos on my usual monthly 24th day mark, but until now didn't have a chance to sit down and write about them (boo). Anyways, I figured people wouldn't mind too much (sorry if I offend you?)

I feel like I've been making a lot of progress, especially since yesterday I went through all my makeup and put it into a use up asap/ giveaway and then a core collection.  I have much less makeup in my core collection, but feel much happier.

Anyways, let's get back to the products and my current progress on them.

The first right is actually the Wet N Wild Nutty eyeshadow! Holy crow it looks very different than my last post about it, but I'm so glad that it's basically done.  I'm fairly sure I'll have it done in the month of June, which amusingly enough...was my "expected" finish date (it has taken about 8 months to get this far!)

The product on the top right is the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light to Medium, and I finally hit pan on it! I don't know why or how it has taken so long to just hit a tiny corner of the product.  I feel like I'll have this around for YEARS!

The next product on the left is a Physicians Formula Tone Correcting Powder...and sad to say...but I like the ELF version of this much more.  This still leaves a dewy finish and doesn't keep my face oil free for long.  I really can't wait till this is done.

On the right is the Rimmel Blush in Pink Sorbet, and this is another blush I would consider as a dupe for Benefit's Dandelion blush.  I have finally started to wear down the crown design in the middle. It's a pretty sheen of pink on the cheeks that also works great as a highlight.

The last product on the left is the ELF Studio Liner and Shadowstick in Green/Moss.  The "green" is more of a coppered/ antiqued gold black-green.  But this still looks nice.  I haven't started to use the Shadowstick although my swatches show that it's pretty. 

The last product is my Softlips lip balm in Wildberry.  I'd like to take a moment and say woohoo for not losing the dang thing! I have not lost it ONCE this entire month and a half block...THANK GOD. This lip balm has a carmex-y tingle, which I personally love and find that it works great on my lips.  I might actually be sad when I finish this out as I have still so many more to get through. 

What have you finished on your project pan?
xoxo,
Emi