Impulse Buy Monday: CoverGirl Colorlicious Lipstick

Happy (freezing) Monday, lovelies! This week's featured impulse buy are two new Colorlicious Lipsticks from CoverGirl. These were bought during a recent drugstore haul where I had an expiring coupon burning a hole in my wallet, plus at CVS that week I could earn $1 in ExtraCare Bucks per CoverGirl item purchased. I really did not need any new lippies, but hey, a good deal is a good deal!

The brilliance of the Colorlicious collection is that CoverGirl divides the huge display into different categories: reds, plums, nudes, and pinks, making it incredibly easy to find the color family and shade you're looking for. The annoying thing about this collection is it's impossible to tell from the display what finish each shade has: are they shiny, satin, shimmery, etc. The plastic cap on the tube is completely colored, so you can't see the lipstick inside, and all the shades in each group have the same color cap. The only hint given is at the clear bottom. In the right light I was able to take an educated guess on each shade, whether there was any sparkle to them or not.

Birchbox v. Ipsy: February 2015

I've been a subscriber to Birchbox for over a year, and to ipsy for about four months, so why not start pitting them against each other in a battle royale! Two beauty subscriptions enter the ring this month, but only one can walk out a winner...

-February 2015-

Birchbox: Is that a Beautyblender?? YES, yes it is. I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened February's box. I've always wanted to try a Beautyblender, but I really couldn't justify the $19.95 for a makeup sponge that will eventually need replacing. I currently use the Real Techniques dupe, which works wonderfully, but now I can compare the two and see if the high price tag is worth it for the Beautyblender. Plus Birchbox gave a sample of the solid cleanser to keep my sponge nice and clean!

Impulse Buy Monday: Tarte's Tres Chic Park Ave Princess Contour Palette

Happy Monday, everyone! I'm very excited about this week's Impulse Buy Monday because it's my first high-end impulse buy, and I'm absolutely in love with it! I recently picked up Tarte's Tres Chic Park Ave Princess Contour Palette, which is a special edition version of their original Park Ave Princess collection.

I'm fairly new to Tarte cosmetics. My best beauty buddy and I split a QVC Today's Special Value from December that included blushes, lippies, eyeshadows, and mascaras, and I really enjoyed my half of it. The Amazonian clay blush was especially gorgeous and very pigmented. I had also heard that the Park Ave Princess Contour Palette was a gem from the Tarte line (frequently mentioned by Tati over at GlamLifeGuru on YouTube, one of my favorite YouTubers). When I saw that this special edition palette was on sale on the Ulta website (here) I jumped at the chance to purchase it.

Impulse Buy Monday: CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation

Monday has once again reared its ugly head, which means back to work and school. But it also means another installment of Impulse Buy Monday on my blog, where I review what item I just couldn't resist buying and trying this week. I may be a bit late to the party on this beauty product as it came out quite a few months ago, but I held off on buying CoverGirl's Ready Set Gorgeous foundation until recently. It always seemed like this foundation was marketed to a much younger age group, with its pink packaging and Katy Perry spokeswoman. But I kept seeing great feedback about it from all ages of beauty bloggers, so I decided to give it a try.

This foundation retails at drugstores for around $7.99, but price varies from store to store (wait for a coupon!). According to the package, it promises a "flawless, natural look that lasts all day." It's oil free and safe for people with sensitive skin.

Ipsy Fail: Hikari Cosmetics Eyeliner

I've been an ipsy Glam Bag subscriber for three months now, and I absolutely love it. Not only are the bags themselves adorable (and useful), but the samples and full size items I've gotten have been fantastic. With brands I've heard of, products I've wanted to try, and items that are new to me, ipsy has provided a special package full of my favorite things each month. However, in my January Glam Bag, I got the first product that I was disappointed in: Hikari Cosmetics Mechanical Eye Liner in Storm.

At first I was excited to get an eyeliner, as I love new eyeliners! I seem to be in a never ending search for my HG eyeliner, and I really enjoy trying new brands of them. The color scared me a bit, it is a silvery gray that I wasn't sure how to wear. Black is my standard eyeliner color, so any eyeliner outside that comfort zone color is intimidating. Do I wear it the same way as black? Do I put it in my waterline? What kind of shadows can I use with it? These questions kept me from trying this eyeliner for a few weeks.

Impulse Buy Monday: elf Studio 3 in 1 Mascara

Happy Monday, lovelies! Monday can only mean one thing: time to share with you yet another beauty impulse buy! Today's post features the elf Studio 3-in-1 Mascara: Lengthen, Define & Volumize.

I was recently on my way to a friend's house after work, and I stopped to beef up my makeup. Unfortunately I realized that my purse makeup bag didn't have mascara in it, and I wasn't wearing any! Instead of just going with the flow and not wearing any, I ducked into Target and headed straight for the cosmetics. Since I already have a ton of mascaras at home, I didn't want to spend much money getting a new one. At $3, this mascara seemed like the perfect choice to get me out of the pickle I was in.

January 2015 Favorites

Can you believe we are already finished with the first month of 2015? Seems like yesterday that it was New Year's Eve. But a new month means a whole new batch of beauty favorites!

CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Mascara: If you read my Impulse Buy Monday post about this mascara, or if you follow me on Twitter, you know I adore the new Full Lash Bloom mascara from CoverGirl. Full Lash Bloom is the newest addition to the CoverGirl mascara line, and it has spread across the beauty blog universe like wildfire. It deserves all the hype, as this mascara is fantastic! It's not clumpy, it builds volume and length, it dries quickly, and my favorite part- it keeps your lashes feeling SO soft! Although I have many favorite mascaras that I would repurchase and recommend, none of them keep my lashes feeling so good. After typical mascara application, my lashes are usually untouchable and stiff, but this mascara feels like I have nothing on at all. Also, the packaging is adorable and I am a sucker for cute packaging. I definitely recommend this mascara if you're looking for a great drugstore option.