Influenster Pt. 5: Maybelline VoxBox

Again Influenster?! I've never had boxes sent so frequently. In the beginning of my last Influenster post I mentioned about getting a foundation survey but never got a follow up about it. Literally a few hours after linking the post on my Influenster account I got the email about getting into this Maybelline box. A few days later it came in the mail, which has been the fastest shipping I've ever experienced with them. I know this is "part 5" but in reality, this is my 7th or 8th box, I just tend to forget about writing about them.

In this box I received Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Foundation in 322 Warm Honey. This, like always, was sent free from Influenster to try out and give an honest review. 

I want to start off by saying I have had this foundation before, however, my old one is about a shade too dark. I used my old one a few times in the summer but no more than three times. I loved the formula, but I couldn't wear it because it would oxidize and become darker and really orange. This new one I was sent is actually the color I use, it's the same color I was sent from my last Maybelline Voxbox. 

Since I knew I loved the formula, I knew I would love this foundation. It really does leave your skin matte. The only downside for me is that theres no pump. I prefer foundation with a pump because its easier to control how much you want to use, without it, I usually pour too much on my hand.

On the left is my old foundation that was too dark, Maybelline Fit Me Matte Poreless in 330 Toffee, in the center is the new one I was sent, and on the right is my MAC Pro Longer foundation in NW35. As I mentioned above, the one on the left was too dark and orange on my face. The one on the right fits me unless I apply too much, if I do then its too orange.

In this picture are the three foundations swatched on my arm, which is a little lighter than my face. You can see here that the one on the left is way too dark and the one on the right is a little more orange compared to the one in the middle. 

Overall I will be wearing this foundation, especially as the spring/summer months arrive. I tend to get more oily and this foundation does a great job in handling it.  I will recommend trying this out if you too have oily skin, obviously it wouldn't really fit someone with dry skin because of how it dries. 

This is me wearing the new foundation, I only look shiny because I like to pack on the highlight ;)

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Liquid Lipstick Swatches and Review

Hey there guys! I haven't really talked about my liquid lipstick addiction, but before we get into that, let me tell you about some drugstore lipsticks I feel everyone should try! Jordana is a drugstore cosmetic line that I have only seen at Walgreens and now Kmart. Their other stuff is pretty great too, like my every day liquid liner is also from Jordana. In this collection there are ten different shades, shades 10 and 11 are skipped over, in displays, so the last color is 12. At Kmart these are sold for $2.99 each and at Walgreens they are sold for $4.99.

I'm sure most people know about liquid lipstick these days, since they are pretty much the big trend right now. In case you don't, liquid lipsticks are an opaque lip color applied like a lipgloss, with a wand, and then it dries to become a long lasting matte lipstick.

I will say that these are really great quality for being a drugstore lipstick. They do last long, but occasionally will come off with food and drinks. Without that though, they lasted until I took it off. They do not transfer after they completely dry. Also, these do have a sweet scent to them, after a few hours its not as noticeable anymore, but it can be a little strong at the beginning.

My review for these were written down when I first swatched them, I will try to add more if I can think anything, but other than that, I am sorry if they are a little vague. The pictures have been edited, only enough to show the true color of the lipstick against my skin, because they were taken with overcast outside while the sun was setting, but nothing drastic or deceiving.

 For reference, the color of foundations I wear is around Mac NC42 and Maybelline Warm Honey.

01-Creme Brulee

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 01 - Creme Brulee, a really pale nude, almost reminds me of Jeffree Star Celebrity Skin. The texture is very creamy-mousse like, it was a little patchy and needed a little more work to look good.

02-Strawberry Cheesecake

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 02 - Strawberry Cheesecake, a bright coral. I was really hoping for this color to be perfect but its a little too neon for my skintone. This one was basically the same formula as 01, but this was a little more thick. It did settle into the lines of my mouth when drying, so I had to smile while it dried to avoid it. Also, this shade took long to completely dry.

03-Raspberry Tart

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 03 - Raspberry Tart, A bright fuchsia. This colors was more opaque than the other colors, the formula was exceptionally mousse-y.

04-Mixed Berry Souflee

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 04 - Mixed Berry Souflee, a light purple. So, all I wrote down for this was that it was perfect. The color was great, opaque and dried quickly. It was basically the best formula out of all ten.

05-Mango Sorbet

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 05 - Mango Sorbet, an orange. This had the same exact formula as shade 03.  This is also my first time owning/wearing an opaque orange lipstick. Its a great color, didn't have to work as hard as the others to make it look good.

06-Cherry Cobbler

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 06 - Cherry Cobbler, classic red. The formula in this was the one that was completely different from the others. It was very lightweight and almost looked like a stain with one coat. In the picture I have one two thin coats.

07-Tiramisu

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 07 - Tiramisu, a peachy nude, this color was the hardest to get true to color in the picture, however, it looked like Mac's Taupe lipstick, but a little darker. The formula is like Jeffree Star Cosm. lipsticks, liquidy and dried easily.

08-Sweet Marsala Wine

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 08 - Sweet Marsala Wine, a deep oxblood/wine red. This seemed to be the most sought after color, however, it was the patchiest color out of all 10. This color was the only one that seemed to feather a bit. The formula is similar to 01 but a bit worse, working very carefully though I believe this could workout just fine. It doesn't look as patchy on my lips because it was the last color I swatched so by then my lips were extremely stained so you can't really tell where the patches are.

09-Rose Macaron

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 09 - Rose Macaron, a pale pinky nude. The formula for this is the same as 07, similar to JSC lipsticks. The color reminded me of JSC Doll Parts but a little more dusty.

12-Pomegranate Pie

Jordana Sweet Cream Matte Lipstick in Shade 12 - Pomegranate Pie, a pastel blue pink. This color reminds of a Barbie pink as well as Mac's Viva Glam Nicki. The formula is a bit thick, very mousse-like, almost the same as 02 but a bit more forgiving.



All around these lipsticks are totally worth the price, especially if buying them at Kmart. I would definitely recommend trying these out, whether you want to see if you'll like liquid lipsticks or if you just want to expand your collection.

Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons Palette: Swatches and Mini-review

I've lusted over the Too Faced Chocolate Bar ever since I laid eyes on it, but the colors were a little too light for me, however, once the Bon Bons palette came out I had to have it. Some of the colors are almost my skin color but I still love it. Right now, this is the palette I tend to grab for the most over the Lorac Pros.

The Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons Palette consists of 16 shades. There are four matte, ten satin/metallic and two shimmer. The looks I usually  do with this tends to be more natural-no makeup looks. I only recently tried the suggested looks from the look book that came with it. The swatches are over Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Primer on the top half of my arm(NW35) and bare skin on the bottom half. 

L-R: Almond Truffle, Satin Sheets, Cashew Chew, Cotton Candy,
Café Au Lait, Dark Truffle, Pecan Praline, Totally Fetch

Almond Truffle, Cashew Chew and Pecan Praline were swatched twice so color could actually show up. As you can see, Almond Truffle only shows on the half with primer. The rest are great, I've only used Totally Fetch once (to do the look book tutorial), but since the colors are so light on me I can only really do natural and or fresh eye looks with this first half of the palette. 

L-R: Sprinkles, Molasses Chip, Malted, Bordeaux, Mocha, Black Currant, Earl Grey, Divinity

One of the main reasons I bought this palette was for Earl Grey and Bordeaux. Unfortunately Bordeaux is a horrible shadow and it only shows up if you really pack it on, this is the same for Malted, this is just as bad as Bordeaux, but for this picture I swatched it 4 times just to show how patchy those colors are.  Divinity is the one color I absolutely stay away from because it looks nice a creamy in the pan but shows as white on my skin. Earl Grey is everything I wanted from it. 

Overall, my favorites are Café Au Lait, Molasses Chip, Black Currant and Earl Grey. To me, this palette feels like it can be a hit or miss for anybody, but because I have dupes for the colors that are bad, I don't really mind not being able to use them. This palette does have the chocolate scent like the rest of their chocolate bar line. I don't think I would recommend this without swatching it yourself first, because like I said, it can vary greatly. 

Influenster pt.4: Changing My Daily Routine... Again!

So I was very fortunate to receive another voxbox. A few months ago I received two emails with surveys, one asked about which deodorant I and the "man in my life" use, and if we were open to trying new ones, SURE! The second one was for foundation, this one was a bit different from when I took the Maybelline one, because with the Maybelline survey I only had about 4 or 5 shades to choose from, this most recent one I had to choose from about 10. In the end, I got the email for receiving the deodorant box, I was a bit sad because trying out new foundation is always fun, but I was still grateful nonetheless.

I have waited about a month to write the review because I wanted to give my full thoughts on it. So, in my box I received Dove Dry Spray in Cool Essentials and Dove Men Dry Spray in Extra Fresh.

I will admit I expected to hate this, I gave myself and my boyfriend a week to try it and then we could go back to normal. However, after the first week we were genuinely surprised how well it held up, especially in this South Texas weather.

The woman's one smells amazingly fresh, its absolutely great. I noticed I haven't left white stains/marks on my shirts anymore and I don't have any sweat spots. The mens one smells, to me, a little too powdery, almost like an old perfume. According to my boyfriend "It's aight." I know that he does enjoy the smell, just as much as I do mine. Also, I feel like his doesn't work as well as mine works for me.

For me I would maybe like to try other brands to see how they compare, for him, once he's done with it he will go back to stick.

Nivea Men Post Shave Balm

Hello there, fellow makeup addicts! I'm back and I want to tell you about one of my new Holy Grail makeup items. Many people I talk to seem to not know that priming your face before makeup actually helps the longevity of it. Surprisingly, I didn't know this either until I entered the world of /r/mua, about 3 or 4 years ago. Unfortunately, there are so many primers out there, I feel you have to just keep trying different ones until you find the right one. (yay! for sephora samples!!)

Primers range from all sorts of prices and brands. It all comes down to if it fits your skin type, the rest of your makeup routine and most importantly, your budget. My first primer was Lorac's POREfection Mattifying Face Primer which runs at $32 for 1.7oz. I was completely in love with this primer, enough to buy it multiple times, even though at the end of the day I would still end up oily. I used this up until last month when I finally ran out and it was time for a new bottle.

After testing out the MUFE and Becca matte primer with no luck, I finally decided on taking the plunge and getting the Nivea Men's Sensitive Post Shave Balm. I was extremely skeptical of this, one because I thought, would it work with my oily skin? And is it actually as good as people say? but, the answer is, Yes! There will be a more detailed post coming up in my updated makeup routine, but to put it very simple, about $6 depending on where you buy it, for a whole 3.3 fl oz.

This product does have a slight "mens" scent, however, it does go away after applying foundation. I do recommend trying this how, but I will say that using this as a primer is not for everyone, as I mention before, you'll just have to give it a try to know.