ShopMissa Haul

This is gonna be a long one dolls so grab some tea and get ready for a haul.

Over the last few years I've pretty much phased out makeup.  My bare faced days greatly outnumber my made up ones and even when makeup does grace my face it's mostly just my eyes that get any attention.  One of the steps I'm trying to take to help with my anxiety and depression is to start taking care of myself on the inside and out.  That means a new haircut and color, and to start once again using makeup.

Without further ado it's haul time!

lol Creme Eye Glitter: Top L Starry Night, Top R More Champagne, Bottom The Joker

AOA Diamond Lipgloss: L-R; Mermaid, Glitz, Pixie

AOA Wonder Matte Liquid Lipstick: L-R; Cashmere, Extra

Roll On Sparkle Eyeshadow in Nude Diaphne
AOA Perfect Eye Primer in Nude
Roll on Sparkle Eyeshadow in Vegas Baby

AOA Starlet Eyeliner: L-R;Paparazzi, Superstar, Golden Girl, Spotlight, Fame

Intense Colour Waterproof Eyeliner in Black
AOA Sculpting Brow Pencil in Dark Brown
AOA Go Brown Mascara in Medium Brown

Amuse Pro Liquid Illuminate in Champagne and Sorbe

Santee Powder Brow Liner in Dark Brown

lol 5 Eye Shadow Pallete in From Paris With Love and Indi Go Girl

AOA Brush Cleaner

AOA Mask Brush

Amuse Single Highlighter in Color 1

lol Face Powder in Light

Beauty Treats Color Corrector in Pink

Santee Skinny Eyeliner
S,he Makeup Lip Primer in Nude
Prism Cream Eyeshadow in Bronze

Planet Topper Pen, Alien Topper Pen

AOA Sugar Lip Scrub in Watermelon

AOA Cotton Puffs

Hopefully these gems will make it into future favorites or unfavorites posts. If there are any of these products you want to see in a full on review let me know in the comments!

Ipsy Glam Bag June 2018

Hello Dolls!  Its Ipsy time and this month was a fun one. Previous biases were pushed aside in favor of new experiences.  Boundaries were pushed and beauty prevailed! Okay, that was a little much but you get the idea. 

This months bag was colorful and fun inside and out.

Red Tri Colored Makeup Bag

Blue? Hmm...

Steve Laurant Eyeshadow in Blueberry: I've never been a huge fan of blue eyeshadow. In fact I've been a huge believer that it should have stayed in the 80's and 90's where it belonged. Since dyeing my hair blue I have found a new set of feelings towards blue eyeshadow. It's fun for under the lid or as a pop of color over a traditional black wing eyeliner. This isn't an overpowering blue but my goodness does it have some pigment. 

Liquid Eyeliner? Yes Please!

Jonteblu Felt Tip Eyeliner Pencil in Black: I love me a good black eyeliner and currently have at least 3 in different makeup bags in purses and in my vanity. I haven't opened this one yet for that reason but I'm still very happy to have one for when those run out.

Baby Brush

Luxie Beauty 245 Small Shader Eye Brush: I'm not the kind of person who spends money on brushes or beauty blenders (knock offs are better in some cases) so I love getting brushes in beauty bags. It's pretty small but very soft which is always a plus in my book.

Oh, It's you again

Cotz Natural Tinted Face SPF 40: I've gotten this in beauty subscription boxes before and I never used it. I was concerned it would be too dark on my face or that it would make me break out or something ridiculous. This time I think I will give it a chance though. It swatched out without any noticeable color and will be nice for days out on the boat.

Hello Old Friends

The Saem Natural Acai Berry Sheet Mask and Natural-tox Apple Sheet Mask: Sheet masks and I have a long history together. I buy them or get them in boxes, say I'm going to use them, and then NEVER DO. I mean ever. I mean I still have some from a year ago I haven't used. I swore I would change my ways and break out of my comfort zone and I'm not mad about it. I tried the berry one earlier today and was pleasantly surprised how much it smelled like a blue icee. I will be gifting the apple one because I don't really like apple scented things.

Overall I like the bag. I will use everything I got (sans the apple mask) and am giving some old hang ups a new chance in my routine.

I rate this bag with an A

Back At It Again With a Haul From The Dollar Store

Little recap on where I've been for the past few years:

• In 2015 I got diagnosed with some mental health issues and blogging and life in general took a pretty hefty backseat. I will have another post on my mental health and go into a little more detail in a future post.
• By the end of 2016 my relationship that brought me to the DMV ended and I moved back home to focus on myself and re-connect with my family after 5 years. 
• In 2017 I focused on myself and my family and my job.  I still design kitchens for the Home Depot, I helped welcome a beautiful nephew into the world, and spent some time living with my wonderful aunt and uncle.
• I re-connected with a former boyfriend and we moved in together with our cat from 6 years ago Murphy and a new fluff ball named Helios.
• 2018 has been a new set of challenges and realizations and I figured it's finally time to stop making excuses and start writing again.
• Here we are! June 2018 and another shot at my blogs.

Lets get started!

The dollar store has always been a favorite store of mine.  Growing up it was one of my moms favorite places to shop and as an adult it has become one of mine.  Recently the selection of makeup and beauty products has been knocking it out of the park and I figured it was about time to show you all the little goodies I found on my last trip there.

Rimmel Color Rush in On Fire

Rimmel Color Rush in I Want Candy

Rimmel Color Rush in Sun Kissed

Rimmel Color Rush in Boom Chic A Boom

L-R: Sun Kissed, I Want Candy, Boom Chic A Boom, On Fire

Rimmel Color Rush Long Lasting Intense Color Balm: Intense is definitely the right word for these puppies right here.  I always have dry lips and lipstick isn't always something I want to fuss with.  These give you a nice pop of color without drying out my already dry lips.  

Rimmel Scandaleyes 24 Hour Waterproof Eye Shadow Stick in Blamed Blue

Swatchy Swatchy

Rimmel Scandaleyes 24 Hour Waterproof Eye Shadow Stick in Blamed Blue:  Ever since I dyed my hair blue I've struggled to find a blue eyeshadow/liner that I liked that would stay on under my lower lashes.  Enter this eye shadow stick and I am in love.  This doesn't budge and is almost the same shade as my hair which is a win for me. It makes me want to try the other colors in the range.

ELF Lip Kiss Balm in Bare Kiss

Swatched

ELF Lip Kiss Balm in Bare Kiss: As I said above my lips are perpetually dry.  This is a much more sheer formula than the Rimmel balms. I can see using this one on a daily basis because its such a nice tint, especially in the summer months.

Fake Nails: My mom loves herself some fake nails (thanks for the obsession mom!) and working in a warehouse means my nails take a heck of a beating sometimes.  Working the register is the worst because the change takes the polish right off the tips of my nails.  Now, I have unusually small nails and hands (so says the ladies at the nail salon as they laugh because they have to use their smallest nails) so I have to modify these before I put them on. They aren't something I can wear more than a week, but seeing as a full set from the salon at around $50 a pop only lasts me a month or so I can't complain. 

The dollar store is like my hidden gem for cute makeup and beauty tools at a price I'm happy to pay.  Sometimes you luck out and get drugstore products for a fraction of the drugstore price like the Rimmel balms and eye shadow stick. Other times you find cute fake nails for a fraction of the price you'd pay anywhere else.  

Do you like to shop the aisles of the dollar store?

What cool finds have you come across there?

Birchbox September 2015

The Main Box 

Helmut Lang Curion: This smells like EVERY SINGLE DEPARTMENT STORE EVER. It smells good, don't get me wrong, but it leaves me with a headache and a need to check my bank account to make sure I still have money.

Tocca Esfoliante da corpo: At first I thought this was a hand cream and I was kind of disappointed. But it's a face scrub so I'm still kind of disappointed because I don't use scrubs.

100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream: Dun Dun Duuuuuuuun. The one thing I should be doing that I just never do in my routine. Hopefully if I leave this on my desk I'll actually use it. Otherwise it goes into the graveyard and never gets seen again.

ModelCo Ultra Long Lasting Lipstick in Smitten: They should have just called this marsala. It's gorgeous and smells like vanilla and I really want a reason to wear this.

Rene Furterer ABSOLUE KERATINE Sublime Renewal Leave in Cream: Yay! This will come in handy. I've been abusing my hair lately and it needs the kind of pick me up only a leave in conditioner can give.

 (I already broke this lipstick so that's why I didn't show the bullet to you guys. I cut a huge chunk out with the cap when I opened it.) This is Smitten AKA Marsala AKA needs to be on my lips ASAP.

 The Extras

bbrowbar Highlighter: This is GORGEOUS. It's the perfect shimmery, easy to apply, lasts forever kind of product I adore. It's a brow product but it's so pretty it's also an inner corner product.

Peripera Peri's Tint Water: This stuff is potent. It stains in seconds and just blends out instantly like a little watery paint. I have no idea where to use this and if I'll use it. But it's cute!

Swatches!

I am really loving the upgraded Birchbox. The full sized items are things I would never buy for myself but am super glad to have. The contents of this month's box were absolutely amazing as well.  Will next month be fall themed? Maybe.... purple things?

Summer Lovin

Summer is the time of year I go from full faced makeup to practically nothing.  I usually throw on a shadow, put on a liner, and go.  Anything else just melts right off and that is no good folks, no good.

Here we go! My summer face!

Blush: Cable Beach by Cargo

Brushes: Black (e.l.f bulsh brush) , copper (Real Techniques Contour brush)

Mascara: Big Curls by NYC

Pot: Ain't That Sweet smudge pot from e.l.f

Eyeshadow: Orchid Eye Polish by Cailyn

Brow Pencil: Universal Taupe Brow Power pencil by IT Cosmetics

Eyeliner: Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper

Concealer: L'Oreal Dream Lumi in Radiant

Eyeshadow: Maybelline in Made For Mocha

What do you wear in the summer? Anyone else excited for fall?!

E.L.F. HAUL

Does anyone else love a good sale?

How about a good sale on already inexpensive makeup?

I have been a religious devotee to the world of E.L.F makeup, so when a sale flyer popped up in my inbox I threw caution to the wind and went wild.

Now I know this looks a little crazy, and I do agree it is, but all this for well under $50? Uh yes please.

I did give some away, and one nail polish came already dried up so that went in the bin, but I kept/love/use/will use a lot of this.

I'll do a review on some of the pieces I thought were really neat later.  

Do you guys have any E.L.F favorites?

Any extra special websites you visit to get makeup? You know, a girl can never have enough!

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks in L.U.V.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks in L.U.V.

First Impression: Cute packaging? Check Perfect purple color I've been looking for in a liquid lipstick for months? Check. Kat Von D? Cheeeeeeeck

After Application:  A little patchy after one coat. A little patchy after two coats. Super duper dry and non transferable. Maybe I need to exfoliate more?

Overall: I have mixed feelings on this product.  I love love love the color.  It smells fantastic.  It's going to be my favorite winter color for sure, and definitely goes with my skin tone.  Only downside is it's a little patchy.  I exfoliate, moisturize, and still this stuff clumps up on the edges and thins out in the middle.  

Repurchase:   Honestly no.  I'd rather spend $6 on the ColourPop Ultra Matte Lippies and get 4 really awesome colors than $20 and getting a really awesome color that is patchy and clumpy.  This will definitely do for now (until the ColourPop Lipsticks come back into stock) but I can think of other products I would like to try out for $20.

Sephora Trip and Great Customer Service

Warning:: This post contains a lot of words, not a lot of pictures, and one kick ass customer service experience.  If all of these things appeal to you, read on!

So the other day I ventured out with a friend and we somehow ended up at Sephora.  I was really excited to pick up my favorite eyeliner again and get my friend hooked on the Sephora Cream Lip Stain.  What I was not excited about was how absolutely overwhelming Sephora can be.

A few minutes into our trip we were greeted by an associate who works there named Beatriz.  I was thrilled at how thorough she was with out consultation, and how knowledgeable she was.  She also gave her opinion, which let me tell you, both me and my friend were more than thrilled to hear.  After about thirty minutes into the consultation we stopped playing around with lipsticks (I totally got my friend hooked on the lip stains by the way) and we switched over to face mode.

Apparently I am not as pale as I though.  When I was color matched (that color matching machine is amazing and I want one) I was the shade IR06.  It is apparently code for "not as pale as snow white, but still pretty darn pale".  Being that I was on the hunt for a new foundation, this knowledge made me feel invincible!  Now I know my shade!  IR06!  Wait.. that's not a shade that I've ever heard of. This can't be right... Oh but it is my friends, it is so very right.  You just type it into the little Sephora machine and it tells you what shade you are in EVERY FOUNDATION EVER!  Well, every foundation that carries your shade that lives in Sephora.

After I got color matched Beatriz listened to my skincare woes (coverage, blemishes, meltdown face, weird application issues).  Not only did I end up with the most amazing foundation ever, I also found out the solution to my makeup meltdown issue.  My friends, let me just say, if you ever find yourself with makeup meltdown, just dust some setting powder like the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil, and you will be set! Pun intended.  If you are ever in the Northern Virginia area and happen to need to go to Sephora, go see Beatriz.  She will knock your socks off, empty your wallet, and you will want to hug her she's so amazing!

Now that you guys know how amazing Beatriz is, how awesome the color matching machine from Sephora is, let me tell you about the few things I picked up that have been my favorite products these past few weeks:

Urban Decay Naked Skin in the shade 3.5-  Can I drool over the interwebs?  I am obsessed with this foundation.  It's medium coverage, a little watery which makes it a dream to apply, and feels like nothing on your skin.  I had co-workers ask if I was going bare faced, it's that good at mimicking your skin.  That and this is the first foundation that has ever matched my skin so well I actually get sad taking it off at night.

Bare Minerals Mineral Veil-  Love this stuff.  Best twenty something dollars I've ever spent.  I can't believe I've never tried this before, and never want to be without it again.  No more makeup meltdown, no more streaky face, no more weird patchy skin where the foundation has "disappeared".  Need I say more?

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper-  Holy grail eyeliner.  Holy freaking grail.  The applicator is a brush, not a nib or a felt tip, but a darn brush.  It gives the most precise line, lasts for ever, and when it does come time to take it off it comes right off with makeup remover like it was never there to begin with.  I've repurchased this about three times now, and even though I went a few months without it I finally feel like it's back home on my dresser where it belongs.

Samples-  The fresh face cleanser is still un-opened (super lazy with packets over here), but the Dior perfume is almost gone.  It smells like Soap and Glory Hand Food Hand Cream, so if you love that smell as much as I do, go get yourself a sample!  Or a bottle!  And maybe one for me while you're at it.