Sunday, August 30, 2015

The #BBCChallenge (August) | Mermaid


Sometimes there is nothing more fun than shaking it up a little and trying some new things. As a beauty blogger, it's fun to stretch outside the box and get creative and show you guys a little something different. That's why myself and some of my favorite blogger babes are getting together at the end of every month and challenging ourselves to create something fun (whether it's with our makeup, nails or hair - whatever!) inspired by whatever the topic of the challenge is. Have an idea for a challenge? Leave a comment below! 
This month's challenge is: Mermaids! 

The Look:

  • Face: It Cosmetics CC+ Cream (Light) mixed with Rouge Bunny Rouge Seas of Illumination (Sea of Tranquility) for foundation. MAC Pro Longwear Concealer (NC20) under the eyes. I used a blue and purple from Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette (who remembers this one!? old schoooool!) for contour and around the forehead. BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Highlighter + So Susan Highlighting Crayon for highlight.
  • Eyes: Almost every lime green, purple and blue in the Coastal Scents 88 Color Palette. Liner is a purple from the palette mixed with MAC Fix+. Mascara is YSL Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara. The champagne liner underneath the cat eye and in the inner corner is the BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop Highlighter mixed with MAC Fix+. 
  • Brows: Sigma Beauty Dual-Ended Eyeliner in Daydream
  • Lips: ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Koala
  • Nails: Julie G. Cabana Boy
  • Hair: Irresistible Me Extensions 22" / 200g (medium brown) in a loose Elsa braid 
I can't wait to start on next month's challenge because it's October and ANYTHING can happen in October! ;) What would you like to see?

Also, make sure you check out my beauty bloggin' babes take on the mermaid challenge below! :)

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks | Donut, Solow, Bumble, Seesaw & Koala - Swatches + Review


Part four of five - almost there - of the ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks Collection! PHEW! So far, we've reviewed/swatches the redsthe nudes and the purples/darks - run and check them out if you haven't already ;) Alrighty. Today we're doing the pinks/lights! 


  • Donut - a bright peach. Who doesn't want a lipstick called 'Donut'? Right? Just me? Okie dokie than. Donut pulls slightly orange on my pale skin but I still think it's wearable and fun.
  • Solow - a neutral nude pink. I think Solowi is Donut's slightly cool-toned sister. So if you're a little worried about Donut pulling orange-y on you, Solow is the way to go. It's the perfect "your lips but better" shade.
  • Bumble - a dusty warm terracotta. Bumble is SUCH a fun and unique color! I love that it pulls a little brick-y but is rosy at the same time. It's got some brown tones, red tones, pink - it's basically got everything!
  • Seesaw - a pastel lavender pink. Seesaw is just one of those shades that works universally on everyone. Is it groundbreaking? Eh, not really. But it's always nice to go back to the basics with a pretty light pink.
  • Koala - a vibrant pastel lavender. Sweet Lord, this is NEON in real life, guys. Koala is amazeballs if you're looking to stand out in a crowd. 
ColourPop | Shop ($6)


Thursday, August 20, 2015

ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks | Lychee, Zipper, Tulle, Limbo & LAX - Swatches + Review


Hey munchkins! Today I'm bringing you installment tres of the ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick swatch-a-thon. Previously, I swatched the nudes and the reds but today it's all about the purples/darks. Let's go!

Okie dokie, my loves. So out of these five, I really only had two troublemakers: Lychee and Zipper. Both applied kind of streaky and patchy. Zipper bled within a few minutes of application as well. Tulle is a freakin' allstar though and unique in color. You need this lipstick in your life. Right now. Limbo and LAX are also pretty amazing and I recommend them as well. Tulle, Limbo and LAX played pretty well and all lasted around the six hour mark.

  • Lychee - a bright, warm violet. The picture does this no justice. It's way more bright in real life (see the arm swatch for a truer portrayal). That being said, it did apply patchy at times. I think this one of those shades where if you love it enough, you can make it work.
  • Tulle - a dusty, mauve burgundy. HELLO GORGEOUS! Lip pencil: Lady
  • LAX- a vampy, darkened red. Lip pencil: Creature
  • Zipper - a deep, blackened purple. Lip pencil: Leather
  • Limbo - a deep, chocolate brown. Lip pencil: Pitch


Thursday, August 20, 2015

BoxyCharm | August - Gorgeous Globetrotter


Hey sugars! I missed July's BoxyCharm (eek, don't hate me!) but I'm back with August's and let me say - it's pretty damn awesome!

What's BoxyCharm, you ask? BoxyCharm is a beauty subscription that comes to your doorstep every month with 4-5 full size luxury items for $21 a month. While that might sound a little more expensive than other subscription services, consider that you're getting guaranteed four full size products every month while compared to Ipsy where it's only $10 but they're usually smaller samples. The promise of full sized products alone totally got me hooked on it!


Coastal Scents Revealed 3 Palette ($39.95 - on sale right now for $19.95) - HOW. AMAZING. IS. THIS. PALETTE!? This palette comes with 20 all-new, super pigmented and smooth shadows that are perfect for fall. I mean, just look at them, all jewel-toned and pretty. I was pretty impressed with the pigmentation from this palette as well. Little fall-out from the mattes and those metallics are just insane.
Basically, I used all the red-tones on my eyeballs for this look. SA - WOON!

MicaBeauty Gel Eyeliner ($35) - The good news? This liner is amazeballs! Super slick, dries matte and is the blackest of blacks. Bad news? For $35, you can probably find cheaper. I'm just being honest. Granted for the ladies and gents that got this in their BoxyCharm, it's a total steal and holy grail-status and high-fives all around to us but as amazing as it is, I'm sure you could find something that works just as well for cheap. 

Seta Eyeliner Brush ($16) - A gel liner and a brush to go with it in the same box? Oh, BoxyCharm, you spoil us! While I've only used this brush with the MicaBeauty one above, I have to say it applied it like a dream. Pretty precise and smooth. I'm pretty stoked to add this brush to my collection!

So Susan Statement Skin ($20) - Stop reading this review (but come back afterward!) and go order this highlighter right meow. Swoon, swoon, swooooon! While I'm not familiar with the brand "So Susan" if this highlighter is any indication of the quality of these products, you bet I'll buying the whole collection! This highlighter crayon is super smooth to go on and has a really pretty, light champagne glow to it. I think this might be my new fave highlighter.

Nios Shield Leave-In Conditioner ($26) - Lastly, we have the only "fail" in the entire box and that's just because I personally am not a fan of leave-in conditioners. Heck, I just found a conditioner I like (and likes me back - it's mutual!) so I'm a little weary of leave-in conditioners right now. That being said, it smells wonderful. Let me know what you guys think!

Swatches | So Susan Highlighter Crayon + MicaBeauty Gel Eyeliner

BoxyCharm | Shop + $21 a month
* Press sample
Sunday, August 16, 2015

ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks | Pacific,Ouiji,Succulent,Creeper & Avenue - Swatches + Review


Hi babecakes! Today I'm back with my second out of five (I think) reviews on the ColourPop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks (available right meow!). Your girl had to split them otherwise my lips would hate me. In my last review (here), we talked about the "nudes" of the collection and today we are all about those brights! 
Overall, the brights had a little bit of a longer wear time than the nudes (about nine hours). I also noticed that with some of the nudes, you could get away with two thin coats while with these that was near impossible without them getting crumbly once they dried. I would highly recommend not layering these and only applying once until they've fully worn off. I didn't notice any bleeding with any of these shades which is amazing in my book! They were slightly drying, but like I said in my nudes, I wouldn't say they were more drying than any other matte liquid lipsticks I own.

(Excuse the different skin tones - I swear it's all me - but I wanted to make sure the swatches reflected the true color of the shade.)
  • Pacific - a true bright orange. Pacific is one of those shades that just screams summer to me. I would describe it as more of a bright melon. Coordinating lip pencil: Chi Chi 
  • Ouiji - a bright color red. I would describe this as more of a watermelon pink. I have no clue why it's said to be a bright red. Like at all. Maybe pulling a little towards to coral side. Coordinating lip pencil: Trixie
  • Succulent - an electric neon orange-red. Another must-have! Significantly lighter and brighter than Creeper. Coordinating lip pencil: Frenchie
  • Creeper - a true classic blue-toned red. Think Taylor Swift-pin-up-cherry red. While I really love all the shades, this is definitely top five material. I also expected this to bleed going into the wee hours, but am happy to report it didn't! 
  • Avenue - a deep yellow red. An autumn must-have! It's a fun mix of a cherry red and a Bordeaux shade that can be worn all year round! Wait. Do people actually do that? Have shades of lipsticks that they only wear in certain seasons? Yikes. 
Overall: The reds of ColourPop's Ultra Matte Liquid Lipsticks collection are to die-for! My faves are: Succulent, Avenue and Creeper! Which ones are yours?

ColourPop | Shop ($6)
Friday, August 14, 2015

#WantThatHair | How I #PanteneProtect My Hair with Pantene Pro-V Full + Strong Shampoo and Conditioner


* This is a sponsored post from SheSpeaks/Pantene.
Guys, my hair has been through a lot. 


Middle school brought a lot of damage with my obsession of straightening my curly hair with *GASP* no heat protectant. Did they even make that stuff when I was in school? Eh, probably not. I didn't stop the damage there. In high school, I had fun with box dyes going from light brown to red back to dark brown. For a while I stopped using hot tools regularly but my hair was SO thin by then! Lots of it, but no volume. Flash forward to last year, after having Hunter, I think I lost half of my hair due to postpartum hair loss and my hair got even thinner. 

Needless to say, when it comes to shampoos, your girl is alllllll about the volumizing ones. And conditioners? Well, honestly, I used to stay away from them. They typically weighed my hair down and make my already thin hair super greasy and limp by the end of the day. 



Until I happened upon Pantene Pro-V Full and Strong Shampoo and Conditioner one day in the shampoo aisle at Walmart. Say what now?! 



Rejoice, my thin-hair chickadees for there is a conditioner that leaves your hair silky and voluminous. While both the shampoo are BFFS and work together to give my hair strength against damage (and I greatly appreciate it!) and pump up the volume without greasify-ing it, it's the conditioner that's really the finishing act of them both, locking in moisture and nourishing my hair without weighing it down. Ahem, can we also talk about amazing it smells? Ugh. Like citrus-y heaven. 



It's such a relief to find a lightweight conditioner that works with my hair and gives me a little oomph at the same time. I highly recommend both the Pantene Pro-V Full & Strong Shampoo and Conditioner if you're looking for a lightweight, cleansing product that won't weigh your hair down and instead oomphs it up while nourishing it.



You can find Pantene Pro-V's Full & Strong line as well as other lines for different types of hair at your local Walmart or on Walmart.com!

What kind of hair do you have? What hair product/tool do you normally have a hard time with?

Monday, August 10, 2015

REACH Complete Care Curve Toothbrushes - Review


I participated in this sponsored campaign on behalf of REACH® and One2One Network. All opinions stated are my own.

We all do it. Some of us do it a lot and some of us, well, not so much. We should be doing it at least twice a day (once in the morning and once at night). Oh yeah, I'm talking about brushing our teeth, guys!


Now while different people have different preferences (soft, medium, hard, vibrating, etc.) I have been loving the REACH Complete Care Curve Toothbrushes lately! The design is contoured to be able to get every spot in your mouth with ease. The bristles are specially designed to clean at three different angles! Awwww yeah.

My absolute favorite detail from this toothbrush is the curved neck of the brush. Sometimes when I brush my teeth with other toothbrushes, I find my hand at some super weird angles to get into difficult-to-reach spots. With the REACH Complete Care Curve Toothbrush, it allows me to brush those pearly whites easily! 


For a guaranteed fresh, clean mouth, I've been using the REACH Complete Care Antiplaque/Antigingivitis Mouth Rinse

Maybe it's because I haven't used mouth rinse in a while (don't you judge me!) but I was pretty impressed with this one. Not only does the top of the mouth rinse have a holder for your toothbrush (Sorry babe! I called dibs!) but it also has a pump and cup for it! Mind officially blown, ladies and gents. The pump dispenses just the right amount so there's no worries about splatter and mess.

Besides having a super cool design, the REACH Complete Care Mouth Rinse comes in a likable flavor - Artic Mint - that doesn't burn off your taste buds with a rinse. It also kills bad breath germs, reduces plaque, helps prevent gingivitis, fights tartar build-up, cleans your whole mouth, foams between teeth, freshens breath AND no burn from alcohol. Phew. That was a mouthful. 

REACH also has this really cool program where they'll text you every three months to upgrade so you don't forget! Text "REACH" to 33233!

I participated in this sponsored campaign on behalf of REACH® and One2One Network. All opinions stated are my own.
Wednesday, August 05, 2015

#ISSAbyFOREO Toothbrush - Review


Aw yeah! Your girl is back with another FOREO product - this time it's the FOREO ISSA Toothbrush. This baby looks insane, doesn't it? But for a $199 price tag, is it worth the switch? Let's check it out!


The FOREO ISSA Toothbrush is your electric toothbrush gone 2.0! It's the first reinvention in 60 years and boasts a superior approach to dental care. With silicone bristles and pulsation control at your fingertip, the ISSA offers a super gentle brushing experience customized to how fast or slow you like it.

The ISSA is to be used with normal toothpaste (as long as it doesn't have bleach in it but including homemade tooth powder) as you are basically using it exactly like you would with a normal toothbrush. That being said, you do have to buy a new brush head once a year. There is a button in the middle to turn it on and than a plus and minus sign to turn up the pulsation frequency or lower it to your liking. The silicone bristles are extremely soft - almost too soft but I'll get into that in a sec. The brush pulsates in 30 second intervals, pausing to let you know to change to a different side (or quadrant of the mouth). After two minutes, the pulsations pause three times to let you know you're done which is pretty cool.

My thoughts? I prefer a brush that's a little stiffer with thinner bristles to get in between my teeth. The reasoning, according to FOREO, for soft, silicone bristles is that they use high friction to clean your teeth rather than scrape it off like a normal toothbrush, but I'm still not a fan. After using this for over a month, I have to be honest: my teeth do not feel clean after using it. Like, at all. Total bummer. It has all the makings to be awesome but the actual use it's used for doesn't work for me - or my wallet! 

Shop | Buy ($199)
* Press sample

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