Author: Carina

ColourPop Super Shock Eyeshadows - Not a Box of Chocolates

ColourPop Super Shock Shadows: Not a Box of Chocolates

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One of the reasons I finally made my ColourPop purchase was a set from the holiday collection, Not a Box of Chocolates. I had my eye on a lot of colors in their permanent range, but I was too indecisive to make a rational decision, a.k.a. not buy all of them, so I relied on the convenience of a set. Part of me wishes I had gone with their late holiday release, Barely Blitzed, but that is just a small part. Not a Box of Chocolates features 6 limited edition shades of ColourPop's Super Shock Shadows in 4 different textures/finishes: satin luxe, metallic, pearlized, and matte. They come in this super-cute box—not unlike a box of chocolates—that feels really festive. The box looks really luxe, but it's just a really thick board and a mosaic-like sticker sheet over some foam with holes cut out for the shadows themselves. It doesn't look cheap, necessarily. I'm just saying, don't expect stained glass or anything like that. If you've heard anything at all about these eyeshadows, I'm sure …

Project Pan: 2015

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Earlier this year, I made the declaration that I will be keeping a “strict” Project Pan this year. To be honest, I am very wishy-washy when it comes to my intentions to downsize… and I know that that fact hasn’t been lost on all of you. However, I really cannot ignore the gross accumulation that has been happening in my beauty and makeup life. This is, by no means, a rejection of makeup. I just want to stop buying new things for the sake of buying new things. And I realized that, when I was making extra effort to not buy things last month, I was actually rediscovering old items in my stash that work for me so, so well. Following a makeup clear out, where I got rid of pretty much everything I hadn’t been using, I surveyed the remains (lol) and found some items that I couldn’t throw away and ended up wanting to actively use them. Now, this challenge always seems particularly impossible and gargantuan, but I think it can be done …

ColourPop Lippie Stix Feminist Lumière

ColourPop Lippie Stix: Feminist & Lumière

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I got two of the ColourPop Lippie Stix to try over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, namely Feminist and Lumière. I’ve been seeing this brand all over the Internet, mainly YouTube, and you know I can’t resist a hype, especially if it comes with a $5 price tag. Everything ColourPop sells is priced at $5 each, though from what I understand, they contain considerably less product than usual (e.g. the Lippie Stix have 1.5g and the MAC lipsticks have 3g).

Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Cava

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The Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Cava was pretty much an impulse buy from a Sephora VIB sale. I wanted a new shade off of the Bite Beauty line—from any range at all!—but everything didn’t look appealing enough. Until Cava. Admittedly, it is a really strange shade. Sephora describes it as a “lilac beige,” and I can definitely see that definition working because all I have in my head right now is “mauve, mauve, mauve!” As part of the Luminous Crème Lipstick line, Cava is supposed to be a “lush, long-lasting, moisture-rich lip color.” (It is.) Funnily enough, I have a lip mini with 2 LCL shades that are also on a nuder side of the spectrum, if you will. Because the color is so strange, in the best possible way, Cava is a little tricky to wear. If you don’t play up your eyes enough, there is a tendency for it to pull out the deadness in your face. When paired with the right look, though, this color soars to great heights. I …

Simple Human Mini Sensor Mirror

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I received (jk, I asked for…) the Simple Human Mini Sensor Mirror for Christmas. It seems like a weird thing to ask for, I know, but I’d been wanting a circular vanity mirror that lit up for a long, long time. About a month or so into using this (I received and opened it early because I’m a cheater), I’m still on the fence about it, though I’m teetering more on the side of “I’m so glad I got this.” A part of me really, really loves it. The Mini Sensor Mirror has an LED ring light around a circular mirror that lights up with a motion sensor. You can completely turn it off if you want to, and it charges via a USB cable so there’s no need to use wasteful alkaline batteries. I love that it folds into itself and can be tucked into a case for travel. But, sometimes the 10x magnification is a bit too much for me. It’s very useful for reshaping eyebrows, getting rid of stray hairs, and precision …

Happy New Year

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Hey everyone! Happy new year. 🙂 I’m going to go back into the swing of things. The holidays really threw me for a loop. I have an irrational fear of being unproductive but at the same time, the holidays really exist to get together with friends and family and to spend time with them. So no more to feeling guilty! We had a family photo (my dad’s side/extendeds) and it’s kind of funny but I kept going back to old faves and reliables. Here’s a not-so-great photo of me, my sister, and our dog, Noah, that I nicked from her Instagram account: I’m wearing Ellis Faas Skin Veil in S104L*, Ellis Faas Concealer in S204*, LMdB Eye Brightening and Setting Powder in Refresh, NYX Blush in Taupe, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Palette (Dim, Incandescent, and Radiant Light), NARS And God Created the Woman Palette (Alhambra and Galapagos), K-Palette 1Day Magic Liquid Eyeliner*, Nature Republic By Flower Auto Eyebrow in 2, NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama, and FALSIES. :0 I’m wearing Red Cherry Lashes …

Favorite Finds of 2014

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Hey everyone! Here’s a quick post on some of my favorite finds this year. I had a really, really hard time narrowing down my picks because, frankly, 2014 was a great year of discovery for me, as far as beauty products and cosmetics are concerned. I’ve mixed in fragrance and skin care picks, as well as other products I really wanted to mention that I really loved as well. Let’s start with makeup!