EMPTIES | January 2020

It's been a while since my last post so I thought I would ease in with one of my favorite posts to write about: empties! With what's going on in the world right now, I have time to devote to this space and also, I wanted to reconnect with y'all! So, let's get started with what I used up in the month of January.

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EMPTIES | March 2017

Happy Monday everyone! The Monday blues are nowhere to be seen here and with the sunshine, I feel so uplifted. I've been hoarding these empties for a while now so to justify my pack-rat tendencies, let's write about them! This was a slow month for me but I did finish a few full-sized items.

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DE-STASHING PROJECT | Going Cruelty-Free: Lip Edition

I'm back for another De-Stashing Project! This time, it's all my non-cruelty free lip products. If you haven't been keeping up with this series, I am transitioning to a cruelty-free blog so I went through and pulled out everything that isn't CF. Attempting to use up all my non-CF stuff up first is the main goal but I'm also hoping to cut down my collection because I want to curate a collection of all my favorite things. This is the last part of the makeup before I move onto skincare and then hair/body. Eventually, I will go through the rest of my collection until it is down to a manageable size. So without further ado, let's move into the products!

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UNBOXING | Tarte "Be Your Own Tartetist" 7-Piece Essentials Kit for June 2015

 This actually came in June but as my summer was quite hectic, I couldn't get this out on time. I don't know if the items will be released individually but I had the photos sitting in my folders so I hope y'all don't mind. Anyhoo, the Tarte "Be Your Own Tarteist" 7-Piece Essentials Set for June 2015 fit right in for the summer with the warm-toned shadows and the bronzing serum so let's get on with the review!

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS | BECCA Radiant Glow Collection

With yet another heat wave hitting SoCal this week, a radiant glow seems fitting. For those of you just entering Spring, this'll be the perfect kit! The BECCA Radiant Glow Collection contains 4 items to help bring that glow to your face. The kit contains a mini Under Eye Brightening Corrector, a Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Moonstone, a Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal, and a Beach Tint Lip Shimmer Souffle in Raspberry/Opal. Let's get on with the review!

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HAUL | Fall ULTA Goodies

Most people go shopping for a new fall wardrobe once autumn sets in, but me? I go for brand new makeup! ULTA was holding a 21 Days of Beauty so I waited to pick up some items I've been wanting for a while. Yay for restraint! Now, let's get on with them items, yes?

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PRODUCT SMACKDOWN | L'Oreal's Caring Coral vs BareMinerals' Party Starter

 Corals are one of my favorite summertime colors. Orangey corals like the bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Party Starter is my go-to summer lip color for cracked lips days. I'm not a fan of lipglosses but they do have their benefits. For a consistently dry-lipped girl like me, they work much better than matte formulas but I cannot stand the stickiness. I have long hair and being in a windy climate makes lipgloss much more trouble than it's worth. That's why I'm so excited that I found a similar color at a drugstore price--the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Caring Coral! P.S. Product Smackdowns aren't exactly about finding dupes; it's more about finding products that serve a similar purpose and in this case, about finding my perfect orangey coral, moisturizing product. :) Let's move onto the comparison!

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UNBOXING | Tarte "Be Your Own Tartetist" February 2015 Set

My name is Cindy and I am a Tarte addict. There, I said it. No brand is as well represented in my makeup collection, which is much larger than what one would attribute to one sane person. It all started a couple of years ago when my mom (re) gifted me a Tarte Eye Couture Day to Night Palette, which I actually reviewed for y'all waaaay back in my early blogging days. Not only can I expect the packaging to be gorgeous, the product usually never fails me either. The purple theme jives quite well with me and the mission statement is one I can stand behind. I was quite the avid environmentalist in my teens so this brand speaks to me. I even created a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation and habitat about the Amazon rainforest for my AP Environmental Science culmination project (which bored my classmates and was quite overkill, if I'm being completely honest).

Going back to what this post is supposed to be about, when I heard that Tarte was releasing another TSV with QVC, I was intrigued but the items and colors didn't exactly wow me. It wasn't until I saw a slew of Youtube tutorials that I thought, why the heck not...I can always return it if I hated it. I, of course, got it on Auto Delivery as I like keeping my options open and *spoiler alert* so glad I did! Proceed with caution as I turn on "full-on" fan girl mode to the max ;)

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EMPTIES | February 2015 ♥

Posting this one time for once--yay! February was a slow month for me in the number of products I finished but I'm using up more of my full sized products. This one has a couple of repeats but that just shows you how much I love them! Let's jump right into the items I'm sad to see go.

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UNBOXING | January 2015 Ipsy Bag

This is the last one I'll be posting as I need to cut back on beauty spending...trying to be a responsible adult >.< Anyhoo, the long and short of it is that you get 4-5 products every month. A whole week has gone by with no post so I'm glad to be posting this finally :D Let's get into it!

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UNBOXING┊ bareMinerals Beauty & the Beach Sephora Beauty Insider Box

⇥ AT A GLANCE ⇤

I love these little boxes from Sephora as it lets me try out a particular brand's most popular products. Of course, the 500-point "perk" is a bit exorbitant but I try to accrue points during their 4x points sales. Anyhoo, this time, I have the bareMinerals Beauty & the Beach Beauty Insider Box which includes deluxe sized samples of the All-Over Face Color in Pure Radiance, the READY Blush in the Natural High, the READY Bronzer in Skinny Dip, the Lash Domination Volumizing Mascara, and the Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss in Party Starter. 

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UNBOXING ┊ Tarte Shades of Clay October 2014 Edition

⇥ AT A GLANCE ⇤
This is the third and final installment of the Tarte Shades of Clay from QVC. I'm sad that I won't be receiving any more of these but they have introduced an exciting new product in this installment: the Colored Clay CC Eye Primer! Each set contains 7 products to create a nice and rosy look:

• Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation
• Colored Clay CC Primer
• Amazonian Colored Clay Bronzer Blush in Rose Bronze
• Colored Clay CC Eye Primer
• Colored Clay Eyeliner in Midnight Plum
• Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara
• Lipsurgence Lip Gloss in Blushing Bride

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HAUL┊ Sephora VIB Rouge Sale

So I know I'm supposed to be on a no-buying ban but the Sephora VIB Rouge Sale was just too tempting for me to pass up. I did control myself, picking up only 3 things for myself (the other two items are for my mom). The 4x bonus points was a good deal :D

I griped a lot when I hit VIB Rouge and this is a continuation of a previous post where I talked about the gifts I received for hitting VIB Rouge. Anyhoo, enough blabbing--let's get into the haul!

Sooooo many bloggers talked about this little lippie so I had to try out one. With 16 colors available, I had a hard time picking. I eventually left with Dior Addict Fluid Stick in 689 Vertigo. This is my first luxury brand lip product and I'm excited to report that this is a major hit with me! It goes on glossy but dries down to a comfortable semi-matte stain. Eating and drinking does not disturb this color too much. It wears down evenly so there isn't awkward lip ring action going on here. Scent-wise, it isn't unpleasant nor is it overpowering. The vibrant pink is bright but not neon, so it's perfect for summertime. I forgot about it for a while but I will definitely be pulling it out more often now! The only thing standing between me and more of these babies is the price. At $35USD each, these Fluid Sticks are quite a pretty penny. Still, my eyes can't stop looking at 893 Trompe L'Oeil, a raspberry plum shade.

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UNBOXING┊IPSY Glam Bag September 2014♥

I'm not going to go on and on about what this is because most beauty-obsessed people would already know by now (¬‿¬) BUT the tl;dr version is that it's a $10USD monthly subscription service that includes 4-5 full-sized or deluxe sized products ranging from hair, skin, beauty, and makeup all encased in a cute little pouch. Now that we've got the formalities out of the way, let's hop into the products for this month's Glam Bag!

⇥ AT A GLANCE ⇤

I've been on the waitlist for forever and finally got my bag this month. The theme this month is Street Style. Inside, I received 5 products in my bag: Avon Big &amp; Daring Mascara, Be a Bombshell Smooth Criminal Powder, Cailyn Art Touch Tinted Lip Gloss,   Mitchell &amp; Peach Luxury Hand Cream, and a Pacifica 7 Free Nail Polish.

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FAVORITES | June & July 2014 ♥

I didn't have a June favorites since I wasn't trying anything new and still loved the products I had been using. July however, had a lot of new products that I can't live without and I've also rediscovered some old favorites, mostly lippies. Let's head right into these now :D

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REVIEW| BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss

Let me start off by saying that I do not like lip gloss. It's too shiny, makes my hair stick to my lips, requires constant touch ups, and isn't as pigmented  or long lasting as my lipsticks and lip stains. However, I decided to give lip gloss a try because I AM a freaking beauty girl and wanting to broaden my horizon, got them on a whim. True to it's name, the BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipglosses are MARVELOUS ♡.

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REVIEW | Tarte Color Your World With Shades of Clay June 2014 (2nd Installment)

Let me preface by saying Tarte is one of my most favorite brands. The attention to cruelty free and natural ingredients really makes it stand out as an Earth-conscious brand. The Tarte Color Your World with Shades of Clay Collection is part of a 3 piece set from QVC that was available for auto-ship a couple of months ago. As far as I'm aware, the items in this kit, like the foundation, eyeliner, and blush are exclusive to this kit. The primer, finishing powder, lip gloss, and mascara are part of their current line up.

--AT A GLANCE-

The collection is built around the multitasking benefits of Amazonian colored clay. This 7 piece set contains all the products you'll need for a naturally flushed look. To perfect your complexion, the Colored Clay CC Primer and the Amazonian Colored Clay Liquid Foundation are up to the task. Finish off all your hard work with the  Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder. The Amazonian Color Clay Bronzer Blush in Peach Bronze will add a healthy glow and flush.  Eyes are the windows to the soul and the Amazonian Colored Clay Eyeliner in Espresso and the Lights Camera, Lashes 4 in 1 Mascara will frame those peepers to perfection. Finishing off your look, the Lipsurgence Lip Gloss in Flushed will add a pinky tint to your gorgeous pucker. All of these wonderful finds are encased in a large coral makeup bag.

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UNBOXING | Sephora X Laura Mercier Beauty Insider 500 Point Reward

I don't know whether to be happy or ashamed that I had enough points to cash in for this box but never mind that! Future Cindy can contemplate and deal with the consequences of her spendy ways (bonus points if you get the reference!). Without further ado, here is the lowdown on some Laura Mercier products!

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GIVEAWAY | Win 2 Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stains! (CLOSED)

Two parts sorry for being missing for so long without explanation plus one part my own stupidity equals this little giveaway! If you've read my previous post, you'd have heard about my carelessness (don't be impatient and click the submit order button twice) but that became a blessing in disguise for two lucky readers! 

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REVIEW | Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain

Being the lip junkie I am, I preordered these from Walgreens right away when I got the email. They arrived a week or so later and I immediately tried these on. I meant to do a first impressions post on them to show color swatches and such but then life got in the way. I'm back now and have sooooo many things I want to talk about so I'd better get started!

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