Rimmel: Show Off Lip Lacquer Celestial & Luna

Finally! I got my hands on the long awaited Apocalips by Rimmel! I was a little disappointed that they changed the name for the US release...Apocalips is so much better than Show Off Lip Lacquer. Not sure why the name was changed...are you trying to tell us something Rimmel? Are we Americans not worthy of a cool lipgloss name?! Well, we did get 14 shades whereas the UK only have 8, so that's pretty awesome...I guess all is forgiven.

Anyways, I've been waiting for months for these bad boys to make an appearance here in the U.S. and I was at my Walgreens as soon as I heard they had arrived. To my dismay, not only were a lot of the colors sold out, the ones left over had been opened. So annoying.

There is a seal on the product but like most drugstore makeup, a little clear sticker doesn't prevent tampering. If you aren't familiar with this product, there is a way to tell if the applicator has been pulled out all the way or not.

From L-R: If the center section is clear like the photo on the left, then the applicator has not been pulled out of the tube. Regardless if the seal is broken, if you see a clear section, that means no one has pulled the applicator out yet. The photo in the middle shows the applicator about to be pulled out. You can see the color start to fill the section. The photo on the far right is what happens as the applicator is being taken completely out of the tube. If you see a gloss that has a center section filled with product, then you know someone has pulled the entire applicator out.

After searching forever for just one gloss that hadn't been tampered with, I was eventually able to get my hands on Celestial and Luna. There were shimmer shades but I was only interested in the creme finishes. Though these weren't my top picks, they were new and sealed and that's all that mattered to me!

Review: Dr. Scholl's For Her High Heel Insoles

Here's my horrible attempt at a quick stop motion vine featuring the Dr. Scholl's for Her High Heel Insoles that I received complimentary from Influenster.

I love high heels...I actually prefer them to flat shoes but as I get older, my tolerance for wearing them for a long period of time diminishes. My feet just don't support me the way the used to. 

When getting ready for a night out, a laundry list of thoughts go through my head when picking out what shoes to wear. I always think about where I'm going to be; am I going to be standing a lot, walking a lot, etc.  Definitely a result of many late nights and mornings where I want to cut my feet off. #girlproblems My feet are starting to throb just thinking about all those endless nights of dancing, clubbing, walking the strip of Vegas, etc. Oh to be young again!

SinfulShine At Sea

Previously I reviewed VIP from the SinfulShine line and mentioned that I wanted to try a few more to see if the formula was the same in all of them. Lucky for me, I had received At Sea in my Influenster box to test out. I'm so glad I did, because I absolutely love it!

Almost every negative I had mentioned in my review (which you can read here), was the complete opposite with At Sea! The formula was so much better with this color. It was almost opaque in 1 coat, the formula wasn't too thick, dried in a reasonable amount of time, and it lasted a few days without chipping! I also like that I can get away with not having to put a top coat on because these polishes dry with a nice shine finish.

I definitely have my eye on a few more colors that I need to add to my collection!

At Sea

Review: Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation

I think the last time I tried a stick foundation I was in highschool...and that was ages ago. It was a Clinique or Estee Lauder one, and I hated it. Fast forward to today, and stick foundations have caught my attention again, but this time at the drugstore.

Ooo...foundation in stick form and shine free...this sounds convenient!

Picking out a shade was a little difficult because there's a number sticker on the top of the cap that obstructs your view a bit. Yes, there's the big ass color wheel but the foundations weren't exactly the color of the display.

The main thing you will notice is the different color core in the middle of the stick. Some were more pink and some more yellow. I noticed that the shade I thought would match me best had a pink core so I had to focus only on the shades that had the more yellow core.

I purchased Shade 310- Sun Beige (which turned out to be a good match) and for reference again, I'm an NC35 at MAC. I paid $8.99 for .32 oz at Walgreens but I know Target sells it for $6.99. Eitherway, it's a very affordable foundation coming in at under $10.

It's about the size of a lipstick but a bit wider which makes it really convenient for on-the-go.

I do appreciate that the sticks are sealed but just like lipsticks, the seals can be broken extremely easily. When the cap is shut, you can't tell the seal is broken with a quick glance. I always pull the cap just a bit to see if the seal has already been broken or not.

4th of July Nails

*Never got this post up in time but thought I'd post it anyway*

In true nail art addict fashion, I of course had to pay homage to America on my nails. My nails still have not grown out and this was super last minute...not my best work for sure. I came across my Julep polish in 'America' (how appropriate) and did a quick mani before all the BBQ's and celebrating ensued.

(L-R) 

ColorClub- Insta-This

Julep- America

Circus by Andrea's Choice- Reverso

Nailtini- Bloody Mary

Happy Birthday 'Merica!

Summer Beauty Essentials & Tips

Already midway through summer here in Cali and I can't believe it! Seriously, where does the time go?!

This post was suppose to go up right after the July 4th weekend, but here we are...July 17th, whoops.

Over the July 4th holiday weekend I went hiking, to the beach, wine tasting, rafting, and tried to keep cool in the ridiculous heat (if that counts as an activity). I know us Californians are known to be somewhat of weather snobs...complaining at temperatures that are laughable to other states and countries, but it's home, and anything over 80 degrees is hot in my opinion. (don't judge)

Over the 5 day weekend, I brought along some products that proved to be great for the warmer weather and being in water.

Forever 21 Picks

I am an accessory whore so you can imagine how many of my shopping trips ended in my accessories costing more than my clothes...oops. I love getting my accessories at Forever 21 but I like purchasing them online instead of in-store. I know there's always a risk to purchasing anything online, but the selection is just so much better online (clothes & shoes included). Plus it's so much easier to shop through with everything categorized and not all over the place. (The only downside to larger Forever 21 stores...too much stuff everywhere.) 

I was doing a little web perusing on the site as I usually do, and thought I would put a collage together of items that are on my favorites list at the moment. If you have similar taste to me, then feel free to click on the item and it will take you directly to the product!

*Direct links to products provided via ShopSense. More information in Disclaimer*

Shortsleeve Tops
Wedges

Walgreens Beauty Sample Box: Glamour Recharge

To receive a Walgreens Beauty Sample Box, you can read my last post to find out how. As I mentioned in my last post, I picked out my box in February but just received it a few days ago. Definitely way over the suggested 6-8 weeks arrival time! It's free so it doesn't really matter but if you have signed up for one and are wondering where it is, I'm sure it's coming...it just might take almost 5 months to receive it!

Out of the choices at the time, I chose the Glamour Recharge Box. Keep on reading to see what was inside!

Walgreens Beauty Freebies!

Calling all Walgreens shoppers!!! If you buy beauty items at Walgreens, check your receipt before you toss it in the trash!

I hardly shop at Walgreens, something about the ones in my area are just well, g-h-e-t-t-o. Anyways, months ago (like in March), I had purchased some nail polish and some lipstick from Walgreens. When I got home, I was just about to throw away my receipt when I noticed another "coupon" behind my receipt. I decided to actually read it and it was a code to go online and choose a beauty box of free samples! Say What?!

Apparently if you spend $30 on beauty related items, you are qualified to choose a beauty sample box of your choice while supplies last! I'm not exactly sure as to what beauty items count towards the purchase, but if you do make a purchase in this amount, definitely pay attention to all the "coupons" you are handed with your receipt.

As I mentioned, this purchase was done in March, and I just received my box a few days ago! I believe from March to July is a little over 6-8 weeks...just a little.  It had been so long, I completely forgot about this box, so I guess it was a nice surprise in my mailbox.

This post was originally going to be about what I received in the box but before I was able to sit down and write it, I had picked up a few things at Walgreens again. Guess what was handed to me with my receipt? Another beauty sample box code! Since this promo is still going on (I'm not sure if this a year round thing or just for a limited time), I decided to make this post about picking out your box.

Goody Ouchless Ribbon Elastics

Goody Website

So I'm sure you have all seen these ties before...a stretchy piece of elastic ribbon tied in a knot at the bottom. I was first introduced to them over a year ago because of Birchbox but the elastics were made by a different company. I remember seeing quite a few people rave about them and how cute they thought they were. I was never really that impressed with them and after receiving a bajillion of them in my Birchboxes over this past year, I was totally over it.

The main deterrent for me was the price vs function. They went for $5 for a 3 pack and $10 for a 6 pack. Umm what? I could get like a 32 pack of my good ol' Goody black elastics for under $5 and they worked better.

As you can imagine, I wasn't that excited to see these bands again when I opened up my voxbox.

Although I don't entirely get the whole hype, I will say I'm glad Goody has come out with their own because they are better and more affordable.

Influenster: Sunkissed VoxBox

If you haven't heard about Influenster yet, I highly suggest you go click that link I just provided to learn more! 

In a nutshell, it's a site where you can actively participate in reviewing products you may have tried, earn badges by answering questions about things that interest you (pets, beauty, working out, etc.), all in hopes to be selected to receive free products from companies to test and review. It's all about being active and participating on the site in order to increase your score of "influence." I've been an Influenster for over a year now and some of my friends have joined as well. We have all been selected to receive different items at different times, depending on our interests.

I think it's an awesome concept if you like this sort of thing to begin with. If you are looking to just get free products all the time but not participate, then this isn't for you.

I'm not sure if Influenster is invite only still, but feel free to leave me a comment or message me with your email and I will be more than happy to send over an invite :)

One of my favorite things to be chosen for are their VoxBox's. They have different themes throughout the year and are filled will full-sized goodies to test out and try! I was recently sent their latest beauty related box, Sunkissed VoxBox, and made a quick YouTube video of the contents. I've also reviewed one of the products already which you can read about here. Hope you enjoy!

Olay: Fresh Effects BB Cream

I received Olay's Fresh Effects BB Cream complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster (post coming soon on Influenster if you don't know what I'm talking about). I was excited to receive this product because Olay is one of my favorite drugstore brands.

This BB cream retails for around $12.99 and comes in 2 shades: Fair/Light and Light/Medium. I'm about an NC35 and I can kind of get away with Light/Medium but I definitely think there should be darker shade options. This product has an SPF 15 which is nice but it's not water resistant so it's not meant to be used in place of a sunscreen for swimming or outdoor activities that may cause sweating.

*You can visit OlayFreshEffects.com or Amazon for purchase info*

It comes with 2.5 fl oz. of product which is a decent amount of product. According to the description sent to me, this product claims to provide:
"24-hr hydration and a splash of sheer color. This all-in-one skin perfecter, sunscreen, and tinted moisturizer evens skin tone and refreshes the dullness, for flawless looking skin."


In general, I'm not a big fan of BB creams because I personally need more coverage. I envy those who can get away with a little tinted moisturizer and be on their way.

Review: GlamGlow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treatment

Image from Sephora.com

Info from Sephora:

Price: $69.00

What it is:
A 10-minute professional-quality mud mask for men and women. 

What it is formulated to do:
This mud mask leaves skin noticeably radiant and glowing. It activates moisturizing collagen synthesis, provides gentle resurfacing exfoliation, and helps to leave skin smoother, brighter, and softer. While providing tighter skin texture and tighter pores, it provides a more youthful appearance and absorbs impurities without removing natural oils. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT:
- Sulfates
- Synthetic Dyes
- Petrochemicals
- Phthalates
- GMOs
- Triclosan

I actually stumbled upon this product by accident when I was trying to use up some credit on the Birchbox website. I remembered seeing the brand GlamGlow on the Sephora website and decided to use my credit on a more "luxury" purchase since I couldn't justify spending $69 on a mud mask any other time. They only offered this particular mask on the Birchbox site and it wasn't until after I completed my purchase that I realized the mask I was actually wanting to try was their Super-Mud Clearing Treatment...whoops.