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?

Allure Sample Society: Revamped

Recently Allure re-vamped their beauty box and all I can say is WOW. I love every little piece I get in there and just opening a box I know is full of high end products is amazing.

Yes, it warranted three pictures.  I cannot tell a lie I was pumped to show you the goodies from this month's box.

Soap & Glory Pillow Plump Lip Gloss in Pinkwell: Okay so on first impression it's adorable as hell.  I'm not a huuuuge gloss person but I can see this coming in use in my fall collection.  The smell is... unique. Chocolate marshmallow fluff with cocoa?

Jane Iredale Smooth Affair: This is a primer and it comes from one of my favorite brands and I want to wear makeup again so I can use this!

Erno Laszlo Firmarine Bar Soap: I don't use bar soaps so I will be gifting this but it smells like the ocean. I really wish I liked bar soaps more so I could use it and reveal it's magical properties (it claims it won't dry out your skin and actually improves it), but I just can't get behind them.

Tangle Teezer: This brush can be used on wet or dry hair and has two different bristle lengths. I am intrigued. I have thick hair and I've broken a few brushes before.

Caviar Anti Aging Replenishing Moisture Milk: I love this brand. I would marry this brand if I could. I can't wait to try this!

Pixi Glow Tonic: I have heard so many good things about this product and I'm a little hesitant to use it.  It says it's a toner and exfoliant and my skin is pretty sensitive lately.  I may end up like a tomato. 

Kaplan MD Cellular Rejuvenating Concentrate:This comes in a itsy bitsy dropper bottle so I don't expect to feel the full effects of what this can do, but I love the packaging so much I don't care.

I am in awe with this box,  I love almost everything, will use almost everything, and feel like a spoiled princess with what I got. Can't wait for next month! Maybe there will be a fall lippie in there? Or some highlighter to swoon over? 

Ipsy Glam Bag September 2015

 Ipsy this may just be my favorite bag design yet!

Ipsy is one of my favorite monthly bags.  It always has a grab bag feel and I have never went a month without making one product a permanent in my stash.

NAOBAY Oxegenating Cream: Yet another moisturizer that will soon find itself in the hand cream pile.  The smell is inoffensive and citrusy and I like the idea that it's Eco Certified, but I just have too many face creams in my collection to try out before this.  Anything scented on my face tends to be a no go anyways but as a hand cream I think it will work just fine.

NYX Eyeshadow Trio in IPSYNYX01: Love the name guys.  Very clever. Love the shadows guys. Very nice.  Your trio's tend to be the ones I like more than your pallets when it comes to eyeshadows and this has the PERFECT colors for me.  In fact, it's a culmination of the only 3 colors I wear on a daily basis.  Good job Ipsy!

Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvinator: I already have this and have used this many a time when I want to manually exfoliate my face.  I'm happy to have another so that I can use the other one up and not feel so guilty.

J. Cat Beauty #MOTD Waterproof Slide on Pencil in Bronze: I swatched this on my hand as soon as I saw it and it was still there the next day.  It takes some serious scrubbing to get this baby off your skin.  Which of course means it's perfect for me and my smudgy eye area. Bring on the Bronze!

Formula X Nail Polish in Ignite: I put this on my nails the same night I got it and I am in love.  The perfect red shade that looks like a candy apple without the mess. The size, while very small, is perfect for someone like me who doesn't switch up her polish often and has a whole bunch of polishes cluttering up her space.

Overall: A
I loved the products, found three I will be obsessing over this fall, and two I can make work in my routines.  The only reason it's not a plus you ask? Aw what the heck. Here's your +.

Blush Mystery Beauty Box Review September 2015

I realize I haven't done a box review in some time, and this month had some pretty good boxes, so it's about time I stepped it up and reviewed something! Or multiple somethings! ...Yah.

Holy moly that's a lot of stuff from one box.  One very inexpensive (Under $30) box.  Can I get an Amen?

Sanitas Lemon Creme Scrub: This little bundle of joy was the first thing I smelled when I opened this box. Now it took me a minute to open this. I tried to screw it off and got very upset it would not open and then I looked at the top of it.  It says pull to open. How cool is that?! Needless to say I want to use it and smell like lemons and drift off in a lemon haze. (sorry for the long description but I just had to share that it opens magically)

dr. brandt BB CREAM with signature FLEXITONE: This product is a lie, it smells like a lie, it is way too dark for my skin and does not "blend seamlessly with your own skin tone providing an alternative to traditional foundation:. It would be swell for people who are a little darker than me but it by no means blends to my skintone.

Nick Chavez Starlet Shine Spray:  I have not yet had a chance to spray/smell/experience this, but when I do a full review will be up on the blog.

NIA 24: I seriously have no idea what this stuff is.  The description makes it sound like a beefed up sunscreen but without the sunscreen smell. I just may like this.

L'Occitane Extra Gentle Soap in Verbena: What can I say except I don't use bar soaps.  It smells delightful but sadly will probably be gifted.

SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF: Anything that comes in a little vial makes me squeal with joy.  I think this is a serum, I'm not sure, but the fact that it's in a vial with a dropper makes me want to use it without asking questions.

Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip and Cheek Stain in Forever Peach: I have the pink version of this so I already know I like it. It smells like fruity candy, goes on true to color, and stains just enough but not too much. Only problem is it's so darn small I just might lose it.

SkinMedica TNS Eye Repair: I don't use eye creams very often (tsk tsk), and I already have so many waiting to be used, this baby sample will be going in the donation box.

Raw Spirit  Eau De Parsum in Summer Rain: Oh sweet baby Jesus I love this smell.  It smells like a mans woodsy cologne mixed with a floral womens perfume. Give me a full sized bottle and I may just faint.

Avene Retrinal 0.1 Intensive Cream: So this may just become a cuticle cream as I have many a face cream to use up and this one just doesn't jump to the front of my list.  It's small enough to be put into a pocket and perfect for my rough and flaky cuticles.

I am very impressed with this month's box.  It smelled great when I opened it and looked even better when I removed the tissue paper covering.  I will definitely be getting some use out of these products and there may be a review up on my most exciting finds from this month's boxes.

Xoxo