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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PROJECT PAN | A to Z 2018: Second Quarter Update

Hi all! I'm back for another A to Z Project Pan update. I meant to do monthly updates but since I'm making slower progress than I thought, I decided to do quarterly updates instead. Hopefully, it's not boring since there will be better progress pics. Since my last update, I finished three products and rotated in three new ones! Read on to find out which ones they are ;).

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PROJECT PAN | A to Z February 2018 Update

Hello everyone! If you've been following my Project Pan on Instagram, thank you! I'm super excited as this is my first major project pan. Anyhoo, I thought the blog would be the place for a round-up, a summary of updates on Instagram. So if you miss some updates, check the blog at the end of the month. But you you prefer instant updates, my Instagram would be the place for you. :) 

I wasn't sure how I wanted to organize my updates. So I've decided to separate it into the products I used for more than half the month, the products I got use in fewer than half the month, and the ones I didn't use at all. At the end, I'll show the ones I had to swap out for whatever reason and the ones I hit my goal.

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EMPTIES | December 2016 & January 2017

I've been holding onto my empties for over a year now so to justify my hoarding, I've decided to write about them. As I write this, it's Valentine's Day and what better way to end the night with some blogging about what I loved and what I didn't? 

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PROJECT PAN | A to Z 2018 Intro

If you've been following my Instagram, you'll know that I've started my first official Project Pan: A to Z Pan. I've been following panning accounts for so long and decided it's time I try my hand at this. My collection has gotten out of control and I think this will help me focus on using up items. This is just a fun format for those of us who get overwhelmed by our own massive collections *raises hand*. I've picked 26 items to coordinate with each letter of the alphabet. 

While this is meant to be a year-long project, I didn't post an update in January because I had started halfway into the month. So, this intro post is much more appropriate while I wait to post my first update at the end of February. Side note, while my blog is meant to feature only cruelty-free items, I wanted to include non-cruelty free items in this project just so I can focus on moving them out of my collection. I won't be repurchasing anything that is not cruelty-free and will clearly indicate those in the ensuing makeup bios.  

This is a long post so I would suggest you get comfortable, LOL. Let's jump into the items and my goals for the year!

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BEAUTY ROUNDUP | Year in Beauty: 2016 Edition Part 1

Welcome to my first post of 2017! It's been another 366 days around the sun and many a beauty love has been discovered. In previous years, I chose four products in six categories to talk about. Strategic buying made this year's list harder to compile because I really do love so many things! Some things will come as no surprise but there are others that are just getting their spotlight now. I'll link to related blog posts so y'all can get more information if you're interested. I've split it into two parts and this one will be all my makeup loves. So without further ado, here is 2016's Year in Beauty!

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BLOGMAS | Day 10: Charlotte Tilbury vs Revlon Lipsticks

{AT A GLANCE}

As a creature of habit, I end up with many similar looking colors. So I wasn't too surprised to see that I have two iterations of this browny reddish color: Charlotte Tilbury KISSING Lipstick in Stoned Rose (CF) and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Rose Velvet. 

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BLOGMAS | Day 6: Favorite Long Lasting Lips for the Holidays

As I'm writing this, it's Christmas Eve! I don't know if my level of excitement is noticeable but I cannot wait to see my family and chow down. So, I've prepared a few options that are guaranteed to last through the night. Whether you like a bold and matte lip or a glossy or sheer lip, all options will stay through the festivities! So let's get into the details.

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BLOGMAS | Day 5: ULTA Birthday Haul + First Impressions

I've gotta say, hauls are one of my favorite posts to do because I love sharing all the cool loot I got. But then I feel massively guilty afterwards when I tally up how much I spent. They're a good way of reminding me what I've got so they're not all bad? As I'm writing this post, all of the items I am talking about are still in stock, so fingers crossed that if what I'm showing y'all today interests you, y'all can still get it!

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HAUL | Sephora 2016 VIB Sale

November is my favorite month because not only do we celebrate Thanksgiving in the U.S. (food! family! FOOD!), it's my birthday month! It's so dangerous because there's so many great sales to tempt me. I pretty much picked up items that I've had my eye on for ages and a gift for my sister. So let's get into the items. :)

I tried a sample of the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream in my Samples Weekly Edit #2, and while it was too rich for summer, it's perfect for this drier fall season. The First Aid Beauty Winter Skin Savers ($38usd) contains one Ultra Repair Cream, One Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration in Vanilla Citron, and two Ultra Repair Lip Therapies, one in colorless and the other in Rosy Red. These are going to be a gift for my sister since she's been complaining about dry skin so I'll have to ask her whether or not it was a good one! Since I too also suffer from dry skin in the colder months, I bought a 2 oz tube of the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration ($12usd). They come in various sizes but this one is a good size for me because I only need it for winter so I think this size would see me through the colder weather.

Lisa Eldridge always has the prettiest nails and I was mesmerized by a jade color she was wearing in one of her videos. I didn't want to get that one so I was looking for a dupe and came across the Formula X Nail Color in Supersonic ($10.50 usd). It's very similar in tone to my jade bracelet, so bonus points for that. I haven't tried it on my nails yet but will do so at some point in the future. Unfortunately, it seems as if this brand is being phased out of Sephora so check your local stores to see if they have this color. If you're interested in this color, OPI Jade is the New Black was my inspiration (not cruelty-free though).

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PRODUCT SMACKDOWN | Battle of the Lip Balms

It's been over two weeks since I last posted on the blog and I do apologize for the silence. School is my main priority, so I hope you understand. I'm taking human anatomy, along with two other courses, and it's been kicking my butt. I hope this doesn't come across as bragging, but I've never studied so intensely for any course in my life! The last time I was this studious was for AP U.S. History in high school. So, it's definitely a challenge but I'm enjoying everything so far...let's see how I feel by the end, haha. 

Anyhoo, since I start school super early in the mornings, I can only put in minimal effort. On top of that, the past few weeks have been hot and dry. Out of all lip products, lip balms are my favorite because they require little to no effort to apply and don't look horrible if I don't do touch ups. I mean, not much to touch up throughout the day if it's a lip balm?  I've been rotating between the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments, Maybelline Baby Lips, the Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm and the ULTA Lip Balm. So let's get into my thoughts on each!

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HAUL | Colourpop Shadows and Lippies

After following the Youtube beauty community for several years and being burned countless of times, I hesitated on jumping on the Colourpop bandwagon. KathleenLights is one of my favorite Youtubers so when she released her second collaboration with Colourpop, I wanted to show my support. But as every beauty lover is prone to do, my eyes started wandering and I ended up with 8 Super Shock Eyeshadows, 3 Ultra Matte Lips, 2 Lippie Stix, 1 Satin Matte Lip and 1 Lippie Pencil. For someone trying to downsize her collection, hauls seem counterintuitive. But I have no other reason for wanting this other than that I cannot turn away from glittery shadows and affordable products.  I have swatches of the lip products and two looks for y'all. I wanted to keep the shadows looking pretty for a review so I haven't swatched them for the blog but will include those photos soon!

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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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JUMP INTO FALL | Berry Lips

I'm starting a Fall Series: Jump Into Fall. I'll be posting about my favorite fall beauty bits. It's been a little over a week into autumn over here and it's starting to cool down. I thought it pertinent to post about my favorite shade of lipstick for fall: BERRY! I have tons of shades in this color but I decided to share seven of my favorites, three high-end and four drugstore options. Let's get onto it!

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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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REVIEW | L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm

Dry and peeling lips are my summer's bane. The lack of moisture in the air and the fact that I don't drink enough water cause them alligator lips but that's where tinted balms come to the rescue! I always have a couple in my bag for rushed days and the ones I have been reaching for a ton are the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balms. I have three colors, Rose Elixir, Plush Plum and Heavenly Berry. Let's get into the review, shall we?

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REVIEW | Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet

Hello everyone! It's Hump Day which is actually my favorite day of the week. Something about being in the middle makes me feel comforted, haha. Anyhoo, I'm super excited to be discussing one of my new lippie favorites: the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets! They've been out since last year over in the UK but I just got my hands on them after an order was lost--can this be considered delayed gratification...no?

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PRODUCT SMACKDOWN | Battle of the Liquid Lipsticks: High-end vs Drugstore

Not sure if y'all have noticed, but I've been on a liquid lipstick craze recently. Doesn't help that the drugstore has released several that are comparable to the high end versions. I've done a review on the Rimmel London Provocalips, Show Off Lip Lacquers, and the Show Off Matte Lip Velvets so head on over there for affordable liquid lipstick options. For this post, I'm going to be focusing on the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick  and the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick. Also, I'll be showing some drugstore dupes if these are a little bit out of your budget so keep on reading!

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