I don’t really see many posts about essential beauty tools, besides brushes and sponges. So, I figured why not contribute mine. Something being essential is very different from person to person, today I will just be discussing mine. Continue reading “My Essential Beauty Tools. (That aren’t brushes/sponges.)”
If you have yet to become a part of Influenster, I really think you should! Here is a link where you can sign up!
Besides being able to try beauty products for free, you get to also have the chance to sample other types of products. In this case it was the Zzz Quil sleep aid. I have suffered with Insomnia for many years, and I can tell you first hand that it is very difficult to find an aid that helps you fall and stay asleep, but doesn’t turn you into a zombie the next day.
I have had prescriptions for sleep, and never have I tried one I like. On top of them not working, the can become addictive, as with many medications. I have taken Benedryl on a parental recommendation, but I always feel groggy the next morning.
This Zzz Quil is different. I did fall asleep faster and didn’t wake up through out the night. The next morning I even felt like a normal human being, not dead and half functioning. But, I would not go as far as to say this will be my nightly sleep aid. After using it for an extended period of time, I did notice a lack in its effectiveness. The body just builds up a tolerance I suppose.
I think this is a great product to have on hand for every now and then, I especially think it is great for travel. Sleeping in strange places can be hard, it is nice to have help. I would not say if you suffer from insomnia to stop taking any prescribed medications, rush to the store and buy cases of the stuff. It is a good aid for the occasional restless night, but not the miracle sleep aid Insomniacs wish for.
*I was sent this item for review by Influenster, but all opinions are honest and my own.*
What helps you sleep when you feel restless or in general?
XoXo Manda
I have a bad addiction to Sub Boxes. It is like getting gifts every month! It gives me something to look forward to, I really love it.
Today, we are going to be taking a look at a new one, by the company Medusa’s Makeup. Medusa’s Makeup is a cruelty free, mostly vegan, indie brand. The packaging is all really cute, and their products come in a ton of fun colors.
The box itself is $15.95, here.
It came in a mailer just like Ipsy’s, above is what was inside. I really like the sticker. I know its just something small, but little things like that really get me.
Then inside the foam were these 2 cute little packages! I took pictures of the front and back, just so you could see how adorable it is.
I got four products this month. Pretty great, right?
Lipstick, then gloss.
Here are the lip products swatched. I didn’t want to open the eye products just yet, the do not have a sifter. If you enjoy eye pigments and glitter, this brand sells literally every shade you could want!
The lipstick is a bit sheer, but the gloss is beautiful! The lipstick is also beautiful, but not as bold as I thought it would be.
If you enjoy indie brands, eye pigments, glitters, or partake in the Vegan and/or CF life, I think you would enjoy this monthly box. I am going to be looking forward to getting more from this brand!
What monthly beauty subs do you love? What indie brands do you love? Have you tried Medusa’s makeup?
XOXO Manda
I haven’t written any post recently that contain looks that I have done. This is for many reasons. I am not too happy with my skills and my camera situation is kind of, well…crap, at the moment. But, I decided to go ahead and throw a post up showing a look I did with my Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette.
I call it”Fast Glam” because it doesn’t take long to achieve (duh) yet it still some what looks like it did.
Base:
After Priming with my Too Faced Hangover RX I applied the Too Faced Born This Way foundation and concealer.
To set my face I used the Rimmel Stay Matte on a powder brush. Specifically, my ELF kabuki brush. This is my face setting brush of choice! As for the powder, I am actually not the biggest fan of it, I am just trying to use up my last bit of it.
Blush, Bronzer, yada yada…
I used a few more new items for this part!
If you haven’t gotten this palette you need it, especially if you are fair complected. Every part of it is great, especially the $6 price tag. ELF is having a huge sale right now, so now would be the time to pop over to their page, by the way!!
Brows:
Eyes:
Lips:
I gave my face one more good Glossier spritzing, then I was done!
Do you enjoy these types of posts? What type of posts would you like to see? Have you tried any of these products? Let’s discuss!
XoXo Manda
Greetings! (As you can tell I am still working on an opener.)
I talk a ton about makeup products on here, but a big part of doing well with your makeup is taking care of yourself. I like really specific things when it comes to the hygiene products that I use, and purchase for my house hold, so I figured it would be a nice thing to share!
In Shower:
These huge bottles are $1.99 at the drug store, is that not a fantastic price! Josiah and I share shampoo and conditioner, which in turn causes us to go through them a bit quickly. So, the inexpensive price is perfect for me.
It also smells AHHHHMAZING! I need products that are unisex, coconut is a pretty unisex scent in my opinion. Josiah doesn’t seem to think it is too feminine anyway.Out of all the hair products I have tried, the suave shampoo and conditioner is what makes my hair the softest, makes me very happy!
Another product that we share. I need something that is moisturizing, but also doesn’t contain much fragrance. This guy seems to do the trick! I usually purchase the big pump size. Sometimes If I am at Wal-Mart I will usually purchase the Equate version, just to save a little extra cash.
Razor heads are expensive. For some reason I really hate dropping the money for them, so I buy disposable ones. I am trying different ones to decide which I prefer, so far the Bic Soleil are winning! Let me know if you have any suggestions!
My legs are awkwardly dry and sensitive. It’s kind of a big problem for me. This has been my favorite shaving cream to use by far! It doesn’t dry out my skin and I do not develop a rash after I use it. I usually develop a rash after shaving if I stray to a different product. This is due to the fact that it doesn’t contain much fragrance.
Sense my skin is so dry I have to exfoliate frequently. I usually end up purchasing this scrub. It is easy to get my hands on, actually it is one of the only scrubs I can get my hands on quickly. The tropical mango scent is the one I prefer.
This product isn’t overly grainy, meaning that pain is not an issue with this product, as I have noticed it is with some others.
Josiah and I have too very different skin types, but I don’t want to spend a ton of money on our in shower face wash. This oil free one is pretty great for my dry skin and his cystic acne prone skin. Again, if I am at Wal- Mart I usually pick up the equate version to save a few bones.
After shower/ morning products (not skin care):
I really enjoy this natural brush. The bristles are soft and it isn’t as expensive as other natural brushes.
Tom’s is a pretty good brand if you want to buy natural hygiene products, but don’t want to throw down the big bucks that most of them seem to cost.
I personally prefer a whitening tooth paste, Josiah does as well so it all works out. I hate the scent (and taste) of spearmint and mint in gum and tooth paste. I actually hate gum in general, chewing it or seeing it be chewed, but anyway….This tooth paste isn’t overly minty, like at all. It is almost flavorless!
Desert Essence is a VERY inexpensive natural brand. I actually picked this product up because it was so highly raved about by a Vegan beauty vlogger I follow. I enjoy the “cinna-mint” taste, which actually is more cinnamon in flavor than mint. I actually can’t get this product any where near me, so when I go up to St. Louis I usually pop by Whole Foods and pick up one or two of these gentlemen.
I know using two different deodorants is a bit excessive, but each hold a different purpose.
I use the Suave Clinical Protection one during the day. It lasts while I am at work, and I really love the Suave coconut scent. I use to have very little body odor, but spawing causes a womens body to change, some times drastically. TMI, but who cares, we are all human here.
I use the Tom’s long lasting in “Lavender” at night before I go to bed. I don’t want to wake up smelly or smell like body odor while in bed, sense obviously the Significant Other shares it with me. I would only use this, but it doesn’t go very far through out the day, at all.
I got this product in a Vegan Cuts box and fell in love! It is a facial toner, the best one ever! It has no scent, which is best for skin care and is super hassle free. Instead of having to pour it on a cotton pad, you just spray it on your face. Boom that’s it, done! I use this after my shower, when I get up, and sometimes a bit through out the day.
I really hope you liked this post! What are your hygiene must haves?
XoXo Manda
Hello, people of the internet!
I have a quick little post for you, a collective haul! I made a few online purchases, and I decided to show you some of the stuff. Yes, I know that was a pretty redundant statement.
Let’s jump in to this and start with Sephora!
I picked up the Urban Decay X Gwen Stefani palette, sense it was on sale for $25 and I missed the Naked Smokey palette sale. I thought this palette was going to be pretty basic and boring, I mean look at it. Shockingly, I have been able to create some great looks with it that I can’t wait to show off!
I also decided to finally get the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. I honestly can’t tell you what took me so long to get, but I am really glad I did. I really want to get Semi Sweet and Chocolate Bon Bon as well.
Next I bring you a few ELF things.
Oh, ELF. I just can’t seem to stay away from you. I also purchased a few other ELF things, like brushes but didn’t include them in this picture for some reason.
I got the Bare it All Full Face palette. This palette is beautiful! I have a look coming up soon that shows it in action.
I also got my hands on the ilikeyew Bunny Blush palette. I wish this wasn’t limited edition, it is a fantastic face palette to have in your collection, especially if you enjoy peach tones.
$12 for 3 sponges! One beauty blender is almost double that price, so I am really hoping that I like these guys.
Last ELF product is the Artisty Palette. Which looks suspiciously like an Urban Decay Vice palette. It is originally $20, but right now it is on sale for $8!! If you don’t want to spend big bucks on a high end palette, this one is pretty nice.
My last order was with Colour Pop
Yeah, yeah, I have a Colour Pop problem. But, I work hard for the money I spend on it, so who cares?
I decided to get the shadows in “Bite” and “Stereo”. I got “Bite” because I wanted a matte white, I really enjoy how it looks on my brow bone. I got “Stereo” just because of how pretty it looks on the people I have seen use it!
Colour Pop Tie Dyes!!! I loveeeee Tie Dye anything. I obviously had to get my hands on as many of the TD products as I could. I got the shadows in “Pop Rocks”, “Summer Lovin”, and “Mermaid Kiss”. I am still pretty disappointed that “Meow” was sold out by the time I made my order. I also go the Highlighter “Churro”, it looks so unique! I also love churros the food, no way I was passing this one up.
I decided to take the plunge and get some of their satin liquid lips and matte liquid lips. I got “Lumiere 2”, “November”, “Marshmallow”, “Clueless”, “Beeper”, and “Littlesticious”; which wasn’t pictured.
I wanted to get another Colour Pop highlighter, so I picked up “Hippo”. Kind of got it just because of the name, kind of got it because it is different than any other highlighter I have.
I hope you enjoyed this post! What products have you recently picked up? Want reviews on anything in this haul? Let me know!!
XoXo Manda
Today is the day. My first ever give away is over and it is time to announce a winner!
My winner is…….
If you have not followed her blog yet, you really should! She talks a lot about makeup, which is my favorite thing ever, but she also talks about her process of becoming a foster parent. If you know follow my blog, you know that I gave my son up for adoption. The fact that “Crazy Jess” and her family are letting other children into their home and hearts is amazing. It isn’t an easy thing to do, and I really wish there were more people who had enough love in their hearts to love other peoples children like their own. SO, I am honored to announce her as my FIRST ever giveaway winner!
XoXO Manda
Y’all I caved.. I told myself I wasn’t going to get this palette, because I wouldn’t use it much. I couldn’t not get it though, it is just too beautiful!! Every part of it!
This palette retails for $45 on the Sephora website, I think this is a fantastic price for an eye shadow palette.
I want to start off by talking about the packaging. I am in love with the design, isn’t it beautiful! It is right up my alley! The packaging is really bulky, which I usually hate, but I am displaying this in my little beauty room, so in this case it doesn’t bother me that much. It does come with a pigment in it, causing it to have to be bulky.
Look at how jewel toned and perfect these shades are!!! The first and last shades are both matte, the remaining shades and the pigment are super metallic. Obviously looking at this palette you can tell you aren’t going to be getting any neutral, everyday look with these shades. If you are into the pops of color, or just using tons of color in general you will love this palette!
All the shades are crazy pigmented. Even the mattes. The matte purple is probably my least favorite shadow in this palette, it is just a little more patchy than the other shades. But, that is fine I have my holy grail matte purple “Daphane” by Nars.
I look at these shades and just think “holidays”. Especially NYE and Christmas, I dig it!
I do not have a look for you today, but I do have a few in the works that I will be posting and doing pictorials for.
I do not think the is a palette you MUST have, it obviously isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But, if you like colorful looks, I really think this is a fantastic palette for you to pick up. I know I am let down by colorful shades a lot, this palette didn’t stray me wrong. All the shades pack a punch and all the shades apply beautifully!
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this post! What looks would you like to see with this palette? What are your favorite colorful eye shadows?
XoXo Manda
*Image from Glossier.com
If you read my recent eyebrow post,Let’s Talk Brows! Plus, My new FAVE Brow Product, then you would know I am in love with the Glossier boy brow. So, naturally I had to try more products! I am sorry, but I am working on my flat lay set up (improving it a ton which is why I have been M.I.A on Instagram), so I had to use their Image of the product.
This facial spray is $18 and can be purchased at glossier.com
“Ever thought you’d spray water onto your face right after you washed it? No? Well, this isn’t just water, per se. It’s made with roses and aloe to hydrate, soothe, and leave you feeling fresh and awake, prepping your skin for the Priming Moisturizer. Also excellent as a makeup refresher and midday pick-me-up.”
The bottle contains 4 fl Oz. of spray. I want to start off by saying how cute the packaging is. It makes me think of something preppy, and for some reason I really like it. Each order comes with stickers, so you can decorate yours however you want! Maybe someday y’all will get to see mine!
If you love the rose water smell that seems to be popular right now, than you will love this smell of this spray. It is personally one of my favorite scents, so I really enjoy the small hint of it that seems to linger a bit after use.
I use mine after I shower, after I wash my face, in the morning before makeup, after I apply all my powder products (to help it all melt in), and at points through out the day if I feel that I need a splash of moisture.
Needless to say I love it! I am someone who loves facial mists though. Like really loves them. I mean, I think I mention my MAC Fix Plus at least once every post! These sprays are pretty different, even though I think it is similar to the rose scented MAC Fix Plus, but I digress. What makes them different is the extra skin care properties that the Glossier one contains; Glycerin to attract moisture, rose water to soothe, and the aloe to act as a water reservoir. The soothing facial mist is hypoallergenic, paraben and alcohol free, and cruelty free! So, if you were looking for a great CF alternative to Fix Plus, here it is!
I think this is great for anyone. It is a good way to add extra moisture and soothing properties if you have dry skin, it helps powder products sink in to the skin, it can cool you down when you feel a little flushed, give you a bit of a healthy glow, and if you are lazy with skin care; is a great way to get in your moisturizing step.
I thoroughly believe this product is a win! Another Glossier product I won’t be able to live without. You go Glossier!
What is your favorite facial mist or setting spray?
XoXo Manda
I have recently made a few ELF purchases, and I am slowly but surely going to be trying out and reviewing them all for you. ELF is becoming more and more popular, due to its good quality and inexpensive price tags, but are all the products worth purchasing? Today I am going to give you the run down of my thoughts on 3 products, and a tiny rant.
Bronzer Palette “Bronze Beauty” $6
ELF has recently came out with quite a few face palettes. The each have for different slots for product, with pans that pop out so you can customize them however you like. They do not sell the pans separately, maybe someday. There is a palette called “deep bronze”, that is deeper than this one. All four of the shades are either matte or shimmer in finish, and are all pretty soft for $6.
I have really been enjoying this palette on my very fair skin, it has become my favorite way to create a bronzed and glowy look. I do however, wonder if it’ll be dark enough for medium skin tones. Might be a good idea to go with “deep bronze” if you fall in that category, just to be safe. I see why this is a top rated product on their site, it blends out beautifully and gives you quite a few options, only for $6!!
Baked Highlighter “Moonlight Glow” $4
I bought this highlighter because it is RAVED about all over the beauty blogesphere. I have no idea why. I had to really work to get any pigmentation at all, even with fix plus. It feels dry and almost as if there is a layer of something over top the product. I was really disappointed, I really wanted to fall for a $4 highlight. I am still considering trying the other two shades, maybe I just got a bad batch?
This swatch took a TON of work to get, even with my finger sprayed with fix plus. I would pass, but then again how can so many people love it if it is that bad? I really think I just got a dud.
Day to Night Lip Duo “Graphic Minimalist” $5
Unfortunately, this shade is no longer available. It was LE, made in a collab with Tracy and Stef from Eleventh Gorgeous, on youtube. They are so sweet, and probably my favorite youtuber’s so I had to buy their collab. I love it. I love the product, the shades, the lasting power, all of it! For $5 I wasn’t expecting much, but because of this product I now hold ELF’s lip products to a higher expectation.
I really like creme finishes on the lips, so I was all about this not being “in” with the matte trend. The shades are a warm nude “day”, and a cranberry plum “night”. Both are BEAUTIFUL! The staying power of these lip sticks is good for $5. I did have to reapply through out the day, but not as often as I thought I would have to. They wear very comfortably on the lips, and do not have a lasting scent. If you can, I would check out their other shades in this range!
Now for my rant…
My past to ELF orders have arrived terribly. The 1st one had a broken palette that got all over EVERYTHING. It was all just shipped in a big box, nothing was there to cushion during shipment. My next order arrived with 2 items missing! Yes, their CS responds in a timely manner to address the issue, but I haven’t had this issue with any other companies, especially not this frequently. Has anyone else had this problem with ELF?
What are your favorite ELF products? What brands and products do you want to see reviewed?
XoXo Manda
Beauty & Tidbits 