Caudalie Make-Up Remover Cleansing Water

  The search for the perfect makeup remover is never ending, wipes are too rough (and terrible for your skin), balms and oils can get super expensive and are can get used up pretty quickly, and Caudalie Make-Up Remover Cleansing Water is the shittest makeup remover I've ever used. It can't even remove non-waterproof makeup.

There wasn't really anything that I liked about this, it smelled pretty terrible, and it was so gentle that I couldn't even use it after other makeup removers as a sort of extra clean up tool. It smeared the makeup around rather than breaking it down or removing it. It also caused darker makeup like liner and mascara to stain the skin around my eyes, and made the skin drier. I used a cotton round with it, and the cleansing water made the cotton round really drag around my skin, it hurt and was definitely not good for such a delicate area. Using plain water on your face would probably be more affective than this. This product costs $28.00USD before tax, for $28.50USD I can get the Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm, which not only lasted me longer, but took off all of my makeup, and I mean all of it.

   Overall, don't waste your money. Caudalie has some really amazing products, but this is not one of them.

Rating: 1/10

MAC Technakohl Liner in Earthline

  Eyeliner is not my typical priority, makeup-wise. I always have a black and brown liner, liquid liner, MAC Teddy and Chanel Waterproof Long-Lasting Eyeliner in 100 Santal. Occasionally I'll switch it up and buy a blue or purple liner, but they really don't get much use. But about two weeks ago I bought MAC's Technakohl Liner in Earthline, because Linda Hallberg went through a period when she used in on her blog a bunch and holy shit she's everything. Clearly, there was no choice but for me to buy it.

   I love this eyeliner, I am well and truly obsessed. It is a gorgeous cool brown, with a touch of purple and a satin finish. It is very easily blended with fingers, brushes and sponges, and once it's set it will not budge. 

   It is a twist up pencil in the standard MAC black plastic packaging. The lid does require more force than you think to close, so make sure that you hear the 'click' because otherwise the eyeliner will dry out very quickly. Another downside to this packaging is that there is no sharpener. In other twist up liners, like the Chanel Waterproof Long-Lasting Liner, the bottom side of the pencil usually pulls out to be a sharpener. If I were to do a wing or sharp flick with this liner, it does provide enough time to move the product with a brush, but may people would prefer to just do that with the liner. 

  The product itself is gorgeous. It is creamy and blendable, it lasts all day and at $16.00USD it's not a bad price point. In everything other than color I would say that this is comparable to the Chanel Waterproof Long-Lasting Liner. The colors  and finishes are different, but the formulas are very similar. I would say the Chanel liner is a touch creamier and you have bit more blending time, but over all they are very similar. 

Overall, this is a great product, and I'd really like to try some more of the Technakohl Liners. This is quickly becoming my favorite day-to-day liner, and I'd love to see how the others compare!

Rating: 8/10

500 Point Sephora Perk: Origins Sample Box

   I think that it's well established at this point that Sephora is one of my favorite places in the world. About a month ago, I cashed in a bunch of my points for the amazing 500 point Origins sample perk. It came in a really cute box, and we all know I love some cute packaging.

   It comes with a 1 fl oz/30 ml Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash, 1 oz/30 ml GinZing Energy-boosting Moisturizer, 1 oz/30 ml High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-enriched Renewal Cream, and a .17 oz/5 ml GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream. They are all lovely. I thought that this was going to be a blog post to show some of the cool things that you can get with Sephora perks, but after using these products for around a week, I thought that they all deserved a little review because they were very very interesting.

   Let's start with the GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream, I have had the full-size of this and it is an absolutely lovely eye cream. It is very gentle and moisturizing, but not in a greasy way. It sinks into the skin very quickly and leaves the skin around the eye very refreshed and soft. It does claim to instantly de-puff and reduce dark circles, but that is b.s. I have rather bad dark circles, and in using the sample, and the full size they were reduced in no way at all. The de-puffing, it helped with de-puffing, but I credit that more to the cool temperature than the formula. It isn't anything outrageously amazing and life changing, but it is a good eye cream, the full size is reasonable priced at $30.00 for .5 oz and I can see it working well on all skin types.

   Next up is the GinZing Energy-Boosting Moisturizer, which has the most interesting texture of any moisturizer I have ever used. Backstory; I have incredibly dry skin, like barely any excess moisture at all, I usually use gel-moisturizers because they are more intensely moisturizing, but hey free samples, who doesn't love that? This is a light-weight moisturizer, I only use it in the morning, it sinks into the skin very quickly and smells like orange peels, but in the best way possible. You can't smell it once it's on your face, which is a big bonus to me. The texture is very weird, it's very viscous, and it was weird to work with at first, but it's really great. I think that it is suited more to normal to combination skin. For my very dry skin, I would like something a little more hydrating.

   The High Potency Night-A-Mins Mineral-Enriched Renewal Cream is so awesome. It is a very thick night cream, and out of the creams, I find that this one really does what it says it will. The cream is supposed to slough away the dry, dead skin to renew and brighten the skin. I certainly notice that my skin has started looking a lot better since using this. I have been having less dry patches, less blackheads, my breakouts don't last as long, and the scaring from the acne isn't as prominent. It is very hydrating, but in no way greasy.

     This is my new favorite face wash, I have gone out and purchased the full size, and I never want to live without it. The Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash is very aptly named, when you rub it onto your face it don't lather or foam, it has this amazing silky, foam. It is very gentle and helps balance the skins oils and lack of oils. It helps to strip away the dry skin and excess oil leaving my skin a blank new canvas. It smells amazing, like mint and camomile, very gentle and very relaxing. I don't think that this would work well for people with oily skin, particularly if you don't use a moisturizer. It is a very intense clean, and if you don't rehydrate your skin after I can see where you would have problems with the overproduction of oils.

  Overall I really liked this. It was a great way to try out a few products from the Origins line, and I can tell that a few of them are going to stick around for quite a while and I am going to be taking a look into more of the line very soon! Let me know if you have ever tried any of the products above, or anything from Origins and what you thought about it! Bye!

Septum Piercing

   So this isn't really beauty related, and by not beauty related I mean not makeup. Before I learned of my love of makeup, I learned of my love of piercings. I have had upwards of 15 piercings in my life, and I love the way they look. I love that they aren't permeant, and I love getting new ones. Recently I got my septum pierced.

(this is my excited 'I got my septum pierced' face)

   Let's start this off with me saying despite having a very high pain tolerance, I am a total wimp when it comes to needles. I close my eyes, I cried a little the first three times I got my ears pierced, its just not a good time. But I love the result. As far as pain levels go, this one was probably a 3/10, and I think most of that was the fact that the day before I hit myself in the nose/face with my car door, and my nose was bruised. A septum piercing isn't a cartilage piercing, there is a section of skin before the cartilage in your nose (the 'sweet spot') where the needle goes. It doesn't even take a second and unlike having the jewelry put in a cartilage piercing, I didn't feel the jewelry go in. It only bled a little (not even enough to drip out my nose) and it was barely sore for the rest of the day, only if I touched it (which I did, because I have no self control).

    The infection rate on septum piercings is very low, and they only take 3-4 weeks to heal, in comparison my conch piercing took almost 8 weeks to heal, and got infected twice. I really love my septum piercing, because I can flip it back and no one knows it's there, which is great for work. I currently have a 16 gauge size jewelry in the piercing, but I wish that I had opted for the 14 gauge, I prefer the bigger size look, and because it is skin and not cartilage that is pierce, the extra stretch wouldn't cause any tearing. I figure I can go up in size after it's healed though.

  Like with any piercing (especially facial piercings) there is a learning curve. I never realized how much I touch my face, or how much the tip of my nose gets touched until now. The first time I washed my face or rubbed my nose I had a very rude awakening. You do have to be careful with how much you move it around, especially for the first few days, you don't want to tear the skin around the piercing or expose it to any bacteria that could lead to infection. I clean mine twice a day with a sea salt and warm water solution. I soak a q-tip in this and gentle swab around the piercing, and clean the jewelry. Other than that, try not to touch or irritate it.

   It is probably my favorite piercing, and I'm totally obsessed. If you have a low pain tolerance, or are prone to infection, this is a really good piercing. Remember to always go to a licensed piercer, check out the different places near you. Don't choose a place based on price; you get what you pay for, cheap price, cheap piercing. Don't do it yourself, the chances of you hurting yourself or getting an infection are huge. If you have any other questions about piercings let me know, and I'll do my best to answer them! Bye!

Diorskin Nude BB Cream Review

    I spent $45.00 on a BB Cream. I feel guilty like a dog who stole a sandwich and got whacked on the nose. I'm glad I did it, because oh holy shit this is the best base I have ever used. But $45.00.  I regret nothing, my wallet however is hurting.  About a month ago, I was in the market for a new base. Especially in the summer, I am not the biggest fan of heavy or even medium coverage foundations. Just in general, I prefer light to medium coverage, when it doesn't feel like I'm wearing makeup, that's my favorite. I don't have the worst skin so I don't really need the extra coverage, but even with light coverage foundations and tinted moisturizers I find that it never really looks like skin. It looks like I'm wearing makeup, and like every other makeup junkie on this planet, I am on the never ending hunt for the perfect base. And I do believe that I have come very close.

  Good Golly Miss Molly this is a beauty of a product. The Diorskin Nude BB Cream is light weight, easy to blend and it has lasted up to ten hours without noticeably fading on me. I use a Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge to blend it, and it takes next to no effort to blend in, and looks absolutely flawless. I have not had the best of experiences with BB creams in the past, they never look too natural, or they provide next to no coverage. This is an amazing medium. It settles to a natural finish, and I'd call the coverage light to medium. It evens out the complexion, if you have a blemish that is red it neutralizes it, and with a little bit of extra building can cover light dark circles.

   I love that this product comes with a pump, so hygienic! I know that when it gets low on product towards the end, I might have to cut it open to get to that last bit, but I'm okay with that. I really don't like the idea that bacteria could be just sitting in my foundation/base. I do sanitize the pump, because I just really do hate germs.

   On the Dior website the company says this BB cream will do five things; "corrects transparently, lights the skin up with a fresh glow, gently hydrates, instantly smooths, protects day after day."
That is a big claim, and I do agree with certain parts of it, but others not so much. It definitely corrects the skin. It isn't glow-y in a dewy way, more of a simple glow-from-within sort of glow, but when you pair it with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light there is most certainly an amazing glow-y look. I'm not so sure about it gently hydrating, I have very dry skin, and I can't notice it hydrating really, I blend with a damp sponge so that helps with it not sticking to dry patches. With dry skin patches it doesn't stick, but if I have a break out and the blemishes dry out, it most certainly sticks to them, so I'm not totally sold on either the 'gently hydrates' or the 'instantly smooths'. It instantly smooths if your skin is good, or if your blemishes aren't dry, if they are, it just makes them more noticeable. When it says protects day after day, it is making reference to the SPF 10 in the product. I don't recommend leaving the house without SPF 30 at the least, so this claim is rather null to me.

    The only other critique I have about the product is the shade range. There are five shades (only four available through Sephora), and all of them have very heavy undertones. My shade, Light 001 has very heavy pink undertones, and is slightly too dark for me (but to be fair the only base that I have had that was light enough was a mixture between the MAC Face and Body in C1 and White). Fair 002 has very yellow undertones and so does Medium 003, Dark 004 has rather pink/red undertones. I wouldn't suggest guessing your shade and ordering online, you really need to try these in person. If one of them is a match for you, buy it! The formula is amazing, despite the poor shade range.

  Overall, I really enjoy this as an everyday base. I think it would suit most skin types well, but I am rather sad about the small shade range. I love the packaging, and the finish. Is it worth $45.00? To me, yes. I have a very hard time finding a base that works this well, and except for skin care, the base is what I'm willing to spend the most money on.

Rating: 8.5/10

MAC Sheertone Blush in Tenderling

   As a super pale person, blush can be a struggle for me. Most days, I don't want to put forth the effort to work with bright, highly pigmented blushes that require a really gentle hand and tons of blending. That is where MAC Tenderling comes in. It is a sheer tone blush, so it takes a little extra building to get it to be opaque, which I really like.

   Tenderling is perfect for us pale folk. It give life back to the face without being overbearing. Some brighter blushes can look silly and borderline clowny, but this doesn't. It would also be great for someone getting into using blushes who is a little hesitant to use those brighter colors. It is a beautiful nude brown-based pink. Nothing too dramatic,  and perfect for lazy days where all I can manage is a tinted moisturizer, mascara and a top knot. I also think that I am pale enough that I can use this a as a contour in the winter. Tenderling has no shimmer or glitter, but is by no means a chalky matte. I love it, have I said that? Because I do.

   Overall, I am obsessed with this blush, I use it on it's own, I use it with other blushes, I have yet to find a look that it doesn't go with. I am not entirely sure what I did before this blush. I may have kissed it once, or twice.

Rating: 10/10

Back 2 MAC

  My favorite thing about being a frequent flier at MAC is the Back 2 MAC Program. Something that I notice after mentioning it to few people is, surprisingly, how few people knew about it. I believe that this is a program that anyone who buys from MAC should take advantage of. So I thought I should tell you guys what I know about it, so that you can take part!

    Back 2 MAC is MAC's recycling program, when you buy certain products and use them up, or the dry out, you can bring them back to MAC (hence the name) and receive things for them. You have to bring back six products that are approved for Back 2 MAC (it will say on the packaging whether or not it is a Back 2 MAC product, I'll also leave a list of things they do and do not take back below), and at a MAC counter you can receive a lipstick for the six products, and if you bring them back to a MAC store you can get a lipstick, lip glass, or a single eyeshadow, so long as they are not Viva Glam or another special collab.

    Recently I brought back these six products (RapidBlack Penultimate Liner, Lip Conditioner Pot, False Lashes Waterproof Mascara, Astral Cremesheen Lipglass [limited edition from the Heavenly Creatures collection], Studio Sculpt SPF 15 Foundation and Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation) and got Creme Cup Lipstick in exchange.

    Just for clarification, because I have had someone ask me this, MAC doesn't re-use the containers, they make sure that they are properly recycled.


Things Accepted:
Eyeshadows (Trio Compact, Quad Compact, or Single WITH metal pan)
Pro Palette Refill Pan with magnet
Cream Color Bade
Paint Tube
Paint Pot
Pigment Jar
Mascara Tube
Liquid Liner Tube
Technakohl Liner
Powder or Blush Compact
Lipstick Tube
Lipglass Tube
Foundation Bottle, Tube, or Jar
Wipes packaging with plastic lid
Brow Gel
Loose Mineral Powder Container

Not Accepted:
Wooden Pencils (lip or eyeliners)
Brushed
Lash Curlers
Sharpeners
Puffs
False Lashes
Makeup Cases/Bags
Sponges
Scissors
Spatulas
Swabs
Blot Flm
Metal Eyeshadow Pans
Secondary Packaging of any sort (i.e. paper box, plastic/cellophane wrapper, shopping bags, etc)