Tuesday, March 01, 2016

Favorites | February Edition

Happy March, y'all! We are this close to warm weather. Woohoo! I'm so excited to share that I've finally got it together and am sharing with you my February Favorites! These type of posts used to be my absolute favorites to write and I'm not even sure what happened but I just totally slacked and stopped posting them - until today!


  • MURAD Essential-C Day Moisture - Let's just go in the order they're applied, shall we? First up: moisturizer. I'm a moisturizer freak because my skin is constantly dry in at least one area of my face (usually my eyebrows and nose) and it's annoying. What I like about this one from MURAD (besides the fact that it smells like straight up citrus) is that it soaks into the skin pretty fast. Cons? It can feel a little greasy at times.
  • COVERFX Custom Drops in N25 - I bought this a few months ago and it's almost done which says a lot because I'm constantly trying new foundations and never get to finish them. The drops are basically a full-coverage pigment foundation that can be added to anything (moisturizer, primer, etc.). My favorite to use with these drops is the Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea of Tranquility Highlighting Liquid for an extra dewy and natural look. Cons? I can't use a dropper and get this stuff everywhere!
  • It Cosmetics CC+ Concealer in Fair - Sup concealer? Welcome to "The Empties Club"! Seriously, guys. When I empty a product, it really says something because I normally don't use a product to the last drop. What I love about this concealer is that it's super full-coverage, applies very smoothly with a damp BeautyBlender and doesn't seem to cake up or crease throughout the day.
  • theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer - I know, I know. Just about everyone raves about this but I swear, it lives up to the hype! I would describe it as a white gold highlight that looks amazing on pale skin. Dampen your brush before applying this for an extra "va-voom in yo face" highlight!
  • theBalm Frat Boy Blush - theBalm, back at it again! Don't worry. I'll see myself out. Ha! Anyway, this blush is so, so flattering on almost any skintone. It's just that perfect "flushed" blush look that looks great on anyone.
  • Maybelline Brow Drama Pro Palette - My brows are a constant work-in-progress. Half of the time I'm filling them in because they seem sparse in some areas and the other half I'm tweezing away because they seem too bushy. Is there a happy medium? YES! I love the wax in this palette. It's tinted to fill in the sparse areas but still waxy to keep my brows in place without moving around.
  • ColourPop Ultra Matte Lipstick in Lumiere 2 - I just love, love, love this shade! It's this gorgeous dark, dusty mauve-y color that I'm really diggin' lately. See swatches here!
  • Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lovesick - I guess I've been into pinks lately because Lovesick has been on repeat all dayyyyy. See swatches here!
  • LUSH Mask of Magnaminty - As much as I'm into skincare, I can't say I've been huge into thick face masks. I used to think I just didn't have the time to apply, sit and wait and rinse when now that I type that, it sounds so silly. Luckily, I've been over that and lovin' this LUSH classic. So many beauty bloggers swear by this! It's super minty on the skin and gives that fun cool, tingly feeling when it's drying. Once I rinse this off, my skin is left feeling smooth and clean.
  • LORAC Mega Pro Palette and Mega Pro Palette 2 - I feel like I just can't get enough of these two palettes lately. They honestly have everything I could ever need. Warms, cools, neutrals, shimmers, mattes - whatever - they're all in these! Unfortunately, I think they stopped making these (maybe? possibly?) but I'm hoping that they come out with a third soon!
What were your favorites in February!?
Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks in Beetroot, Pepper & Gazpacho | Review + Swatches

Good morning, y'all! It's always a good day when Influenster chooses you to try out a few of Bite Beauty's lipsticks from the new Amuse Bouche Collection. Um, yes please!

The Amuse Bouche Collection has 34 bold, dimensional shades infused with 12 different edible oils, all with a yummy, citrus scent/flavor made from fresh pressed fruit. 

  • Pepper - a pinky nude. Um, hello. Literally the most gorgeous pinky nude I've ever come across. It's so incredibly pigmented, smooth and long-wearing. I will note that these obviously aren't transfer-proof but they last a pretty long time. I know that every skin tone has their own issue with certain colors but can I say how tough it is to find a pretty pink-nude for pale skin? THIS IS IT.
  • Beetroot - a deep berry. There's nothing like a good berry lipstick, eh? Swoon, swoon, swoon. Again, super creamy, pigmented and long-wearing. What's really nice is that when this lipstick does start to fade (maybe about five or six hours), it leaves this beautiful stain behind. 
  • Gazpacho - a bright, bright red. Lastly, we have Gazpacho which just screams summer to me! It's the most gorgeous bright, neon red with a slight blue undertone. Same as Pepper and Beetroot in that it's smooth and creamy to apply, incredibly pigmented and lasts a very long time. Like Beetroot, once it does start to fade, it leaves a gorgeous stain behind.

Which is your favorite shade? Will you be picking up some goodies from the Amuse Bouche Collection?

* Products have been sent to me from Influenster but all opinions are my own!
Saturday, February 20, 2016

#FOTD | Bring On The Sunshine

Happy Tuesday, guys! How was your weekend? We really enjoyed the warmer weather and I'm officially counting down the days until spring is here (it's March 20th, if anyone was wondering)! Actually, this look was inspired by some warmer weather! 

I was looking at my ColourPop Ultra Matte Lipstick in Pacific and realized it really hasn't gotten much love lately so I did a fun, spring-y look surrounding that!

  • FACE: Murad Daily Moisturizer. CoverFX Custom Drops (N25) mixed with Rouge Bunny Rouge Seas of Illumination. It Cosmetics CC+ Concealer in Fair. Smashbox MasterClass Palette 3 Contour and Bronzer. theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer Highlighter.
  • BROWS: L'Oreal Brow Stylist Prep & Shape Pro Kit (medium to dark)
  • EYES: MAC Paint Pot in Painterly as a base. LORAC Mega Pro Palette 2 - Cream all over the lid, Stone in the crease. Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Palette - Skulls in the inner corner, Fran on lower lid. Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara. Kiss falsies in Tulip.
  • LIPS: ColourPop Ultra Matte Lippie in Pacific
Tuesday, February 16, 2016

ColourPop Trust Me... & Lumiere 2 | Review + Swatches

Happy Tuesday, y'all! I have been waiting allllll day to edit this post. A certain toddler refused to nap until just an hour ago in which he passed out in about two minutes and I raced to the computer to start this thang. #momlife

So today I'll be talking about the two newest lipsticks from ColourPop - Trust Me... and Lumiere 2! 




  • Trust Me... (a bright red cherry with a new matte x finish) - I had no idea what to expect with this but I always get excited when ColourPop releases a new finish. The formula is described as a "super matte, but super comfortable, long wearing lipstick" - well, sign me up! I am SO in love with this finish. It's exactly how they describe it. It's insanely pigmented but so, so comfy with a matte finish. Matte and non-drying? It's a miracle! No, but seriously. I can't wait to see more lippie stix with this finish but it's definitely a must-have.
  • Lumiere 2 (a dark muted mauve) - ColourPop released Lumiere 2 for KathleenLights birthday as a surprise and it's stunning! Also, has ColourPop gone and changed their liquid lipstick formula again? I noticed a significant change in this one. It's more liquid-y but still really pigmented. It goes on a lot smoother, dries a little slower but lasts longer. Does that make sense? As for Lumiere 2 itself, how gorgeous, right? Lumiere 2 is basically the liquid version of Lumiere but slightly darker. I also noted that Lumiere 2 dries even darker on the lips than what appears in the bottle. Last time was about six hours!

Overall: I am SO excited to see what other lippie stix will come out with the matte x finish. Trust Me... is so stunning and is very comfortable. Probably one of the most comfiest matte lipsticks I've ever worn! Lumiere 2 is gorgeous and the formula seems to have changed to a more liquid-y consistency, smoother application that dries slower but lasts longer.

Shop | Trust Me... is currently sold out / Lumiere 2 ($6)

PS. ColourPop is coming out with new ultra satin lipsticks February 18th! Naturally, your girl will have your covered and will try her best to order all of them! ;)
Friday, February 12, 2016

Michael Todd Soniclear Petite | Review

Is skincare important to you? It really never used to be for me. Granted, I didn't wear much makeup a few years ago but even wearing mascara was wiped off with a baby wipe and whatever was leftover was just left there. GROSS. Shame, young Noelle, for shame.

Now that I've found how important the correct care is to your skin, I can't get enough of cleaners, moisturizers, tools - I'm addicted! - which brings me to our review today! It's one that's been reviewed for a few months now. It's the Michael Todd Soniclear Petite! 
The Michael Todd Soniclear Petite comes as a four piece set which includes the Soniclear Petite itself, an antimicrobial face brush + a cover, a charger/storage cradle and a charger. The Soniclear is the first of its kind. The brush heads are treated with LIFE antimicrobial product protection in the manufacturing process to inhibit 99.9% of stain and odor causing bacteria. That means that you don't have to replace the heads as often as you would with other cleansing tools. They recommend changing them every six months.
So, I was sent this back in December and to be honest, it wasn't love at first use, guys. I'm not sure if it was my skin that particular week or what but I found it to be super abrasive and it just wasn't working for me. I ended up walking away from it for a week and then came back to it again.
I'm so happy I did! Once I tried it again, I found the brush to be incredibly soft and worked well with a bunch of different cleansers. I have no clue what happened that first week! I found my face to be softer and more supple-feeling after the first use and continued to feel that way with every use. I did find that I didn't need to use this every single day and night. I ended up just using it at night, every other night otherwise it felt a little drying. I find that happens with most cleansing tools and my skin anyway so it's not out of the norm for me.

Some quick info on the Soniclear Petite:
  • The brushes move 18,000 times per minute.
  • It comes with an automatic cleansing timer (so nice to have!) to let you know when it's time to move on to the next spot.
  • Has three speeds to tailor to your liking.
  • It's cordless and waterproof! Note: I found that I loved using it in the shower! It has made my legs and arms significantly smoother!
Overall: I love product reviews that have a happy ending! At first, I wasn't a fan and now it's a regular and major player in my skincare routine. I do recommend, depending on your skin type, only using this once a day or even every other day.

Michael Todd Soniclear Petite | Shop ($99)
* Press Sample
Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Makeup Revolution Affirmation Palette | Swatches + Review

Why, helllo. We are finally on the road to wellness over here. We ended up taking Hunter back to the doctor yesterday and they gave him antibiotics for an ear infection (where the hell did that come from?) so I'm hoping that helps him. I'm just over here overdosing on coffee and cough drops. Just not together. Because that sounds really gross.

Yeah, mine is totally scratched up. Oops!

Anywho, today I have for you a full review on the Makeup Revolution Affirmation Palette! This baby has 32 shadows that include neutrals, roses, coppers, chocolates, purples and smokes - a little somethin' somethin' for everyone in just about every finish imaginable.


Let's talk about the palette! The palette itself is a great size and is sturdy with a full-sized mirror on one side which makes it great for traveling. It also has a great clasp that closes the palette without any worry of it accidentally opening. 


Onto the shadows. At first swatch, a lot of the shadows felt hard and you almost had to dig at them to get pigmentation. Once you got through that first hard (but thin) layer, the majority of them were fine and easy to play with. It almost seems like the more you use the shadows, the easier they are to work with. My two problem shadows are the black shadow in the bottom right corner and the dusty plum in the third row, third from the right. They were both chalky and difficult to work with. The metallics in this palette were easily the smoothest and most pigmented but I was pretty surprised to see most of the mattes were nicely pigmented as well. 




Overall: I recommend this palette but be aware that the pigmentation gets better with more use. Does that even make sense? The metallics are amazing in this palette. The mattes come in a close second with pigmentation.  

Makeup Revolution | Shop 
* Press sample