nail polish favorites

There are many times throughout the week when I feel like this girl. But if that's the biggest stress I have, then it's a good week. As I sit here typing away with my nude nails (Sand Tropez by Essie), I'm contemplating removing it and applying one of these ASAP! There's something about pastel and neon colors that just makes me a happier person. I'm itching for a bright color change! So today I just wanted to share some of my favorite nail polishes for the spring and summer months. Pastels, neons, glitter-- it's just too hard to choose. 

from left to right: 

L'oreal: Macaroon Me Madly: This is a really pretty creamsicle-peachy shade for when you just want subtle color. 

Essie Mint Candy Apple: This is more of a mint blue than a mint green. It's so pretty on the nails and it's one of those that I can never really get sick of. 

Sally Hansen Lacey Lilac: I'm just obsessed with this line of nail polish. It's the absolute best formula for the price, which is around $2.50. Can't beat that. 

China Glaze Shocking Pink: This is my go-to neon hot pink color. It's currently on my toes and it looks best on tan feet.

Essie Fiji: This is a classic pale pink that goes on perfectly in 1 or 2 coats. When all else fails, just apply this.

Urban Outfitters After Hours: You'll rarely see me sporting an all glitter manicure, so when I'm feeling a little frisky I just do the glitter accent nail thing. This one is perfect. 

Is it still spring? Did we switch to summer yet? The calendar says summer doesn't "officially" start until June 21, but the weather says otherwise... 

What colors/polishes do you reach for the most during the spring and summer? 

Empties (part 2)

In my ongoing efforts to use up the products I own instead of shelving them half-used, today I'm sharing the second part of my empty products from last month...

Up & Up Makeup Remover Towelettes (Target Brand)
These are my preferred makeup wipes. I use these every night before I wash my face to get that first layer of makeup off, so my cleanser doesn't have to do everything. I go through them very quickly which is why they are always on my Target shopping list. 

Seche Vite top coat
Love this top coat. It leaves your nails super glossy and it dries fairly quickly. I didn't re-purchase, but only because I wanted to try the Revlon ColorStay top coat, which I also really like, it's just not as glossy as Seche Vite. 

L'oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara
My holy grail mascara. I have no clue how many tubes I've gone through of this, but I always have to have it in my makeup bag.

Revlon ColorStay Whipped Creme Foundation
This is my favorite foundation from the drugstore. It's seriously amazing how easy this applies, blends, and stays matte throughout the day. More on this foundation here.

Zoya Nail Polish Remover
My go-to nail polish remover. What I love is the packaging. You stick your cotton ball on the top and the product pumps out in a perfect amount. You can find this at Ulta for around $10.

Maybelline Babylips in Quenched 
It's no secret how much I love this lip balm. More on that here. 

L'oreal Elnett Hairspray
I much prefer a flexible hold hairspray, and I feel that L'oreal Elnett does just that. No stickiness but does give a good hold (for my hair, at least). To be honest, I don't go through hairspray that fast since I don't use it often, but I love how great this one works on my hair when I do need it. 

So that's what I've used up lately. See part one here.
What are your most re-purchased products?

xo, Mal

November Favorites

China Glaze Rare & Radiant

This is a perfect Fall-golden-iridescent- multicolored- nail polish for this time of year. 
I think it's also a close dupe for Chanel Peridot. 

Revlon ColorStay Liquid Eye Pen in Blackest Black

I'm trying my hardest to finish this eyeliner up. I swear it just won't dry out-- but I guess that's a good thing. The stiff tip of the pen makes it easy to apply a straight line, and even great for winged liner. 

Benefit Bella Bamba Blush 

(yeah, say that five times fast...)

This is probably my favorite blush of all time. You can achieve any shade of pink on your cheeks with this.  Even if you apply too much, it can very easily be blended to a subtle pink. 

Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara

This month I realized I have too many about 10 sample mascaras I have yet to try. I've been LOVING Lancome Hypnose Star. The shape of the brush is perfect for separating and lengthening the lashes, and I haven't had any issues with clumping.
Anyone else love this one? 

L'oreal Eye Shadow in Iced Latte
I did a whole post on this one here. Basically, it's the perfect highlight shade for the inner corner and brow bone. 

Maybelline Babylips in Quenched

I think I'm giving up on EOS lip balms. This Babylips is easier to apply and I find it is way more moisturizing on my lips. With crazy chapped winter lips, this is my go-to for moisture about 10 times a day. The name Quenched is spot-on! 

Oscar Blandi Texture & Volume Spray

Something about the cold months that makes my hair feel like it needs to fall flat every single day. I got this Volumizing spray in my Birchbox and I'm loving it so far. 

Clarisonic  "Deep Pore Cleansing" Brush Head

This was my first time trying out a brush head other than "normal" for my Clarisonic. Not sure how to compare the two other than I love them both. I just like the idea of getting a "deep pore cleanse" at night. I recommend trying this if you have a Clarisonic! 

What have you been loving this month? 

xo

products that didn't work for me

Sometimes it's just as important to hear about products that don't work just as much as the ones that do. These are just my personal opinions and experiences with products that I didn't have any luck with. Maybe if you've had luck with any of these, you can tell me what I'm doing wrong! :)
 

Burt's Bee's Citrus Facial Scrub

I purchased this Citrus Facial Scrub expecting something way different. I was hoping to get a good exfoliation out of this, but absolutely no luck! The product seemed very dry, and not even water helped to get a better consistency. I didn't feel like it cleaned my face at all. I love Burt's Bees, but this did not seem worth the money. 

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Candy Coral 
My biggest issue with this blush is its texture. The blush is neatly packaged. However, after only a few uses, the product gets everywhere. The texture is more like "play-doh" than "bouncy" as it claims to be. Some of the lighter colors in this line, such as Candy Coral, take a lot of effort to get color on your cheeks. 



 If you want just a sheer wash of color, then you might like these blushes. But be prepared to spend a few extra minutes to get some kind of color. To me, there are just way better blush options for even better prices, such as the ones from Wet n Wild or ELF. 

L'oreal HiP Cream Eyeliner
I bought this liner to see if it could replace my MAC Fluid Line in Blacktrack. At first, I really liked this product. But I found over time that it started to smudge easily. The product in the pot also dried out much quicker than the MAC liner. I do like other drugstore gel liners, but this one just did not work. The best gel liner I've found at the drugstore is from Physician's Formula. 

ELF Studio Lip Stain in Fashionista
 I haven't really found an ELF product I don't like... until this one. I think I was drawn to the color more than the fact that it claimed to be a "stain." I applied the pink color to my lips, then waited about two minutes, and then applied the gloss. I think I've come across lip balms that last longer than this. The color settles into any lines or cracks in your lips. (ew!) And it doesn't ever fully dry so it will rub off on anything that hits your lips. Don't expect this one to last longer than your average lipstick! Luckily, this one only set me back about 3 dollars. 

However, I do highly recommend checking out other ELF products such as the blushes, powders, and brushes at your local Target! 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
This was one of those I-don't-own-anything-like-this-so-I-feel-like-I-should moments in Ulta. Anyone else have those? Just me? :) This matte lip cream is definitely matte. However, it made me look very sick... or that I was about to die. It just didn't do anything for me. Maybe it was the wrong color. But the texture seems a little off too. And I don't think adding a gloss could have helped it out. I'm just going to stick with my comfort zone of lipsticks and lip balms! I tried :)

Covergirl Lashblast 24 Hour Mascara

I know I'll probably get a few "how can you not love this mascara?" thoughts on this one. I know this is loved by many people. I once tried the original Lashblast and it didn't do any amazing things for me. But, I decided to try the 24 hour just to see if this version would work better for me. Unfortunately there were major smudging problems with this. It also didn't do anything to volumize my lashes. So, unfortunately this one didn't work in round two.
Sorry Lashblast lovers! 

 HealthySexyHair Soy Moisture Shampoo & Conditioner

This was an impulse buy at Ulta. I was in a rush and I needed a new shampoo. They didn't have what I was looking for, so I picked up this HealthySexyHair shampoo/conditioner with Soy, Coconut, and Argain Oil because it was on sale. And I really like this line so I decided to give it a try. Unfortunately, I thought it was pretty terrible. I needed a lot of the shampoo to get a good lather. And the conditioner was very thin and watery. None of the ingredients they highlight on the packaging did more for my hair.  For $20, I definitely expected more. 

The bottles are also made very poorly. Much of the shampoo built up inside and around the cap causing it to run down the sides. I literally had to wash these bottles before taking a photo of them. You shouldn't have to clean your bottles! 
Moral of the story: if you see these on sale at Ulta... look the other way!

Have you had any luck with these products? 

What are some of your unfortunate experiences with makeup or beauty products that you initially thought you'd like? 

L'oreal Infallible Eye Shadows

Pressed pigment shadows have never been something I gravitate toward. I've had some pressed glitter shadows that I love, but that's about it. 

When L'oreal came out with these pressed pigments, they were too tempting not to at least try. These are the Infallible Eye Shadows. 

When you open them from the back, there is a plastic shield under the top that keeps the shadow tightly compacted in place. Don't throw that piece away!

The two colors I have are Iced Latte and Perpetual Purple. 

Iced Latte was calling my name. One, because it references coffee. Two, because the color is gorgeous for either all over the lid or as an inner corner highlight.

I picked up Perpetual Purple because it is the perfect true frosty purple shade, which I don't currently own.

I had high hopes for these shadows, and they did not disappoint. I will let the swatches speak for themselves. It only took one swipe for this much color and pigmentation. Remember to barely tap your brush lightly into the shadow when applying. A little can go a long way with these shadows! 

I have worn each of these a few times and they do last a long time with a primer. 

Great pigmentation and long lasting. So, if you've also been curious about these, I recommend that you give them a try! 

There are 18 shades in this collection, and there are some matte options. If you aren't crazy about shimmery and frosty shades, there are a few matte shades to choose from. 

These cost around $6.00. I recommend getting them during a Buy One, Get One 50% sale if you're interested in more than one color. Ulta is having a BOGO sale this week! And you can use the $3.50 off a $10 purchase and essentially get one for free!

How do you feel about pressed pigments from the drugstore? 

What colors do you own or would like to own? 

beauty battle: waterproof mascara

Greetings from Florida! I hope everyone's having a great week. I'm not going to lie, I don't want the week to end yet. I've been in Navarre, Florida and we're headed to Destin tomorrow for the rest of the week. My boyfriend and I have our families here so we're spending time with both throughout the week. It's been a great few days, and I just hope the weather stays nice. 

While I'm here, I haven't put on any makeup. Which is just fine with me. My routine consists of washing my face, loading up on sunscreen, and applying some waterproof mascara. I brought two drugstore mascaras with me. I had them in my collection and thought this was the best time to test which is the best. 

The two I'm testing this week: 

1. L'oreal Voluminous Waterproof in black 

2. Covergirl Professional All-in-one Waterproof in very black

It's no secret that L'oreal Voluminous in carbon black is my holy grail mascara for everyday. It's a drugstore mascara that outperforms even most high end mascaras. For around $6.00, you really can't beat it. So, I decided to try out the waterproof version of this to see if it compares to the carbon black. 

I also like the Covergirl mascara. I find it to be a very underrated, but it has always worked for me. 

I simply just wanted to try this one out again. 

The bristles on the brushes are very different. The L'oreal brush (above) is denser and larger than the Covergirl brush (below). 

To test these two, I've been wearing the L'oreal on one eye and the Covergirl on another for the past few days. I've been in the pool, the sun, and the big salty gulf of mexico. 

When first applied, the Covergirl provided more length and volume than the L'oreal. I like the L'oreal too, but it didn't look as "volumized" as I had expected. 

As far as staying power, the Covergirl didn't smudge nearly as much as the L'oreal. The L'oreal gave me a little bit of a raccoon eye by the end of the day. Although both did perform well for most of the day. 

I really expected the L'oreal to work the best. But, in the end, I would have to pick the Covergirl Professional. I haven't tried any high end waterproof mascaras. So if anyone has had any luck with any others, definitely let me know. I 'll continue to use the Covergirl, but always on the hunt for something better! 

xoxo,