It Cosmetics Brow Power Review + Demo ♡

A long while back at Ulta there was a promotion for a free It Cosmetics Brow Power travel-size pencil with any $10 purchase, a deal I couldn't pass up. My sister and I both got one and, even though we have different colors of eyebrows, we both love it!

The color is Universal Taupe, something I was initially skeptical of, however since I usually reach for taupe-colored brow products, I was expecting it to match mine pretty well. Amelia, however, has darker, warmer toned eyebrows which I was excited to see the product on to compare.

The pencil is double ended: one end is a thin, twist up brow pencil and the other is a spoolie. I don't have any pictures of mine since I broke it off on accident and misplaced it, however Amelia has photographic evidence of hers. I love that it does come with one, especially since it's easier and faster to use and store. 

The most impressive aspect of Brow Power is its ability to match so many different colors of brows. I have neutral toned medium brown eyebrows and it matches them perfectly. I like to vaguely outline the top and bottom of my brows and lightly fill in the front using vertical strokes; the middle and tail I make a bit darker. Amelia has naturally thicker, darker brows than I do and it still looks really natural too!

I tried to swatch the pencil using a variety of pressures to demonstrate its range of changing tone and depth depending on the pressure applied to it. 

Have you tried this pencil? What hair color do you have?

Thanks for reading! xo

Zoya Naked Manicure Women's Starter Kit Review ♡

Zoya released a new line of polishes at the beginning of this month called Naked Manicure. Being someone who struggles with flaky, weak, thin nails, I was immediately intrigued and decided to purchase it. I originally set out to pick up the Women's Starter Kit in store at Ulta, however Ulta doesn't supply the kits and instead sells the polishes individually which is, unfortunately, much pricier. I ordered the kit through Zoya's website (linked earlier) and received it quickly. It comes with the Naked Base ($12), the Pink Perfector ($10), the Tip Perfector ($10), and the Satin Seal Top Coat ($12), a $44 value, for $25 total. My package also came with a pamphlet full of information about the polishes, before and after pictures, descriptions of the ranges, and color combination charts for canceling out tainted nail colors.

I wish my nails were strong and healthy (like my dad's!) but since they're not I have to do what I can to keep them presentable. I mainly struggle with flaking, however I am growing out some stubborn staining from a polish I used a while back. I did use a baking soda and lemon juice soak on my nails to lighten it and it definitely helped remove some slightly orange discoloration from the tips.

The first step is to apply Naked Base, a thin, clear, base coat that helps prep for the polishes and begins to mask the look of layers of nail on the tips of my nails. Pink Perfector is next which is a translucent rosy pink that helps correct discoloration and camouflages flakes. The Tip Perfector is a relatively opaque creamy white polish that is applied to tips to brighten and accent them. I read a lot of people's comments on Zoya's Facebook about how it's too opaque for nails to look natural, however I like to apply a second coat of Pink Perfector after using it to blur the tips before applying the Satin Seal Top Coat. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of the top coat, but it's a gorgeous mostly matte finish which also blurs imperfections and really gives a natural appearance.

The wear, unfortunately, is not as long as I would like. With my nails I would say I can get maybe four days. I want to try it out with a bonding base coat and see if that increases its wear time! My friend wore it for over a week on her strong, long nails and it looked amazing the whole time.

Overall, I really like these products and I'm going to repurchase them when I run out!

Have any of you tried any other colors of perfector or Naked Manicure in general? What do you think?
Thanks for reading! xo

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush First Impression

I recently had a coupon for buy one get one half off Maybelline products. I figured it was the perfect time to use it since I had just been obsessing over trying a red cream blush and decided to pick out the Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in "Hot Tamale."

In regards to packaging, I do like the flip top lid with the raised, rounded product. The blush does feel "bouncy" in a sense; when I push on it a small indent forms that goes back to normal over time. I don't love the texture, however; it's somewhat frustrating since I like to use my fingers to apply cream blushes like this when I don't use my Beauty Blender and it ruins the appearance. The airy, "bouncy" feeling also makes the blush seem delicate and easy to ruin. The wear isn't as long as I would expect from a cream blush, however it does last for hours. It's very pigmented so a little goes a long way. The blush isn't as red swatched, though, in comparison to the color in the packaging.

What other Dream Bouncy colors are good? Does the texture freak out anyone else?!

Thanks for reading! xo

Hannah

Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes Mascara Review & Demo

Eep! Sorry I've been a little MIA as far as July goes. I've had such a busy month and I'm not sure why or where it came from. I've missed sitting down and typing blog posts but since this one took a while to construct I've had time to get other ones started so I should be on top of posting now! :)
I've been looking into getting this for a while since my favorite waterproof mascara is the Maybelline the Rocket Volume (I did a review for it here), but I have problems with it drying out and getting clumpy about halfway through the tube. I will say, though, I wear mascara rarely so they do sit for a while in my drawer between uses. Anyways, a bit ago I was at Ulta and decided to finally buy the Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes mascara!

| PACKAGING | 

I love the bottle for this! Most likely because I fancy nautical themed things (especially anchors) and this has one right on the tube in pretty metallic gold. It feels like a good quality mascara when I hold it- something I think is important since it's a "high end" mascara. I'm generally not a fan of anything animal skin or fur (faux or not) but I think the snake-y kind of texture is toned down enough that it still looks classy and doesn't even borderline hooker. 

| APPLICATION AND FORMULA |

I used the Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara many years ago and I loved it but it was before I discovered eyelash curlers and waterproof mascara for my stick-straight lashes. I was really excited to try this out since I loved the effects of the original mascara. Once I opened my Lights, Camera, Splashes and started brushing it on my lashes, I noticed it was a pretty wet mascara. I've had quite a lot of experience trying different mascaras, and I know that generally wet ones don't work as well on me. After applying the first coat, I noticed that my eyelashes fell a tiny bit but they still looked pretty good! After the second coat, I could see that they were darker and definitely thicker but they fell enough that I had to recurl them once they dried and I also applied some eyeliner to my tight line like I usually do.

I'm a little disappointed in this mascara. I was expecting it to hold a curl as well as Maybelline The Rocket or The Falsies especially since it was $20 and I don't have to re-curl with those fellas. I liked it a lot on my first go, but the second and third time I used it I was unfortunately less impressed. I was applying one coat like I typically do when I decide to wear makeup, and both times it made my lashes fall a bit almost immediately and get clumpy. I'm not really sure how I got my lashes to look how they did in the "one coat" picture since with the next two trials I had to recurl (thank you, straight eyelashes) and separate my lashes even after one application. After wearing this for a full day I was excited to find that it doesn't flake or smudge at all! The Rocket tends to flake after a while, so this feller works better than it in that aspect.

I know I'll continue to use this mascara, but it'll be when I have time to fidget a little since my Rocket is grab and go and takes no time. I really wish this worked out for me since it's so pretty and Tarte is such a good brand. Has anyone with curly eyelashes tried this? Or anyone with straight eyelashes who liked it?

Thanks for reading! xo