Smashbox Mascara Showdown

A girl can never have too many mascaras, am I right?! This seems to be a very personal make up item for women and I would agree. Some like clumps, others like length, some want curls, and most just want to find the perfect product to smother the lashes in coats and coats of amazing goodness.

I’ve tried each of these Smashbox mascaras, and here are my thoughts…

If you like clumps, go for the X-Rated. If you dig length, try out the Full Exposure. For my own personal preference, I like the Full Exposure more but I can see why others may like the X-Rated. For me, the Full Exposure does a great job lifting, lengthening, and curling my lashes while the X-Rated falls a bit short.

Either way, I judge my mascara both on how they wear and how they come off. (I don’t miss my high school days of cheaping out on a mascara and tugging at my lashes each night.) I think it is just as important to find a mascara that won’t rip out your lashes and each of these are great for that… they come off with ease. I personally like to soak a cotton round in miceller water, press it against my lashes for a good few seconds, and gently rub the product away.

Do you have a preference between the two?!

Garnier Micellar Water

This product does exactly what it claims to do… removes makeup and cleanses skin.

I primarily use it nightly to take off my eye makeup. The easiest way to do this is to soak a cotton pad in the solution. (Don’t squeeze too hard! It comes out quickly and you don’t need much.) Hold the saturated cotton pad on your closed eyelids and gently wipe away. Voila! Since there is no alcohol or fragrance added, this will not sting your eyes in the slightest. Plus, this bottle is a whole lot cheaper and bigger than most eye makeup removers and works better in my experience .

The second way I use this is to cleanse my face by using the same technique, just all over my skin. Originally I thought this product might replace makeup wipes in my skincare routine, however since I wear a full coverage foundation, I found that I needed quite a few saturated make up pads to remove my makeup. (If you wear a lighter coverage foundation I do think this technique would work well.) Instead, on days I want to feel extra clean, I add this step in after my makeup wipe but before my cleanser to really get every spot of makeup off of my face. Since it is oil free, your skin feels fresh and pores won’t get clogged up.

This is a fantastic, versatile product. I love that it is gentle yet strong on the skin, XOXO.

Have you had a chance to this or other micellar waters yet? Thoughts?

April Birchbox 2016 – Review

I’ve given all of my products a try and come to you today with a review on my April Birchbox :). To find out more about Birchbox, you can click here to access my first Birchbox  review post, where I really get into the details about this beauty subscription service.

You can also click here to sign up if you’re interested.

First of all, how CUTE is this month’s box?!

Laura Gellar New York Baked Blush-n-Brighten

This is by far my favorite product I got in the box and probably my favorite product I have ever gotten in any box! This blush is so bright and so unique and so incredible and… you need it in your life!

PARLOR by Jeff Chastain Volumizing Lifting Spray

I didn’t love or hate this. The times that I tried it my hair felt more smooth than volumized so for that reason I don’t think it does what it claims. However, the smell is amazing!

TOCCA Crema da Mano Hand Cream

Lotions are fun for me to get because I keep them everywhere! My nightstand, purse, desk, makeup counter… the list goes on. The actual product wasn’t anything to swoon over, however the scents offered in this hand cream are truly bold and different.

Dr. Jart+ Liftra Contour Cream

In my Birchbox April 2016 – Preview post, I didn’t name this as what I least looking forward to but, for me, it finishes last this month. (Let me explain…) The product itself seems decent, but the sample size is not enough for me to know if it is actually firming my skin or not. And for the very hefty prize tag of a full sized bottle, I’m honestly not that interested in ever finding out.

Marcelle  3-in-1 Micellar Solution

This product is a serious win! It works wonders for taking off makeup at the end of the day. I wouldn’t recommend using it on the lips because there is a strong chemical taste, but for the rest of the face it’s perfect.

 

My Rating: 

The blush completely made this box for me. I seriously can’t tell you just how much I love it! The rest of the products… they’re all okay. I will use the lotion and micellar water for sure, the volumizing spray occasionally, and the contour cream just for the sake of using it up. Some months my excitement is spread across products and other months all of my excitement is channeled into one great product. Either way I’m happy with my box this month, XOXO.

Birchbox April 2016 – Preview

I have another new and exciting series to announce today!

Starting this month, I will be “previewing” and “reviewing” beauty box subscriptions. The preview will include my initial thoughts on what I am going to get (I always peak), as well as the items I am most and least looking forward to. A couple of weeks later, I will post a review on the same box, which will include my experience on the products after having tried them out.

Today I bring you my very first preview… April Birchbox 2016.

I opted for the featured box this month, which is how I already know everything that will be coming to me.

The product I am most looking forward to this month is the Laura Gellar baked blush. I have heard nothing but great things about this brand and this specific product. This is perfect for me because I am trying to grow my blush collection and try different shades to figure out what looks best on my skintone. The product I am next most looking forward to is the Dr. Jart+ cream, which looks like it should help with lifting the skin and eliminating fine lines. Skincare has been more of top priority for me lately, so this one is really exciting for me to try out. I’m also looking forward to trying out the Marcelle micellar water. These seem to be all the rage right now and I have not had the chance to use one yet. Although I am not super excited to try it, the Tocca cream does look nice and I strongly believe you can never have too many lotions. Lastly, I’m not all that crazy for volumizing sprays in pump bottles like the Parlor product included in this box, but will be trying it out even though it is the product I am least looking forward to.

To learn more about this beauty subscription service, visit my first Birchbox review post.

You can also click here to sign up for Birchbox!

Be sure to stay tuned for my review of these products in a couple of weeks, XOXO.