May/June Product Reviews 2017

Hey Y'all!

Lord, I'm so behind. Okay, so these are going to be my monthly product reviews from the last two months, so this one is going to be quite long. I know that I say that in every post, but i'm serious this time. I've normally been doing the skin and hair products in a different post but I'm just going to start combining them all into one, so if you're interested in only skin or hair, you're more than welcome to skip through the products you don't want to read about! 

I've really been trying to be good about trying to post these every month but my silly dog chewed through my charger cable for my laptop and it took forever to get a new one, so here we are. I've also been putting a lot of time into another project, which I'll mention at the very end of this post! If you've been following me on Instagram then you may have seen some sneak peaks ;). Anyway, I'll start with all of my makeup likes and dislikes and then i'll move into the other categories! I hope you enjoy! 

The first product that I want to mention has been my absolute favorite for the last three or four months. I've waited to mention this because I wanted to wear it for quite some time so I could give you a good solid review on it because it is a higher end foundation. This is the BECCA Aqua Luminous Perfection Foundation and it retails at ULTA for $44. It comes in a standard 1 oz bottle and there are nine different shade selections. Not the worst shade selection I've ever seen *cough physicians formula cough* but it's not the best I've seen either. I personally wear the shade porcelain, which is the lightest shade, so if you have a more fair skin tone than me, then you will not find your shade with this formula. Now, like I've said in every other blog post of mine, I have very dry sensitive skin, so this formula is PERFECT for my skin type. I like a very dewy complexion and this is the dewiest (is this a word?) foundation I have EVER used. I like to use the BECCA purple first light priming filter primer with this which already gives my skin an intense glow, and then when I put this over top of it, it is the most beautiful, ethereal glow. If you like a very clean, matte finish, please don't purchase this because you will hate it. I always set my foundation with some sort of pressed powder, but once the powder sinks in to my skin and I top it with my favorite setting spray, my skin looks so fresh and luminous and bright. This foundation lasts so long on my face as well! I never have to do touch ups, it's not streaky and it doesn't tend to oxidize. I personally think that it looks better when applied on the face with a beauty sponge as opposed to a brush because it is more of a liquid foundation as compared to something more creamier. Now, if you're thinking of purchasing this, there are two key things you need to know. This is not full coverage. It MAYBE gets up to medium coverage with two coats, but that is the coverage that I personally look for because I like to show all of my freckles. Another thing is the applicator on this. It is a tear dropper applicator which I can't stand and the ONLY thing I don't like about this. My first bottle didn't want to work at first and my second bottle dropper doesn't work at all. It's not the end of the world because I can just take the applicator off and pour it out but I would much prefer this to have a spatula or a pump. Other than that, if you're looking to have a sheer to medium coverage foundation that gives you an intense dewy look, this is the one for you! If you've seen me within the last three to four months, this is the only foundation I've been wearing, so there ya go! 

I have been LOVING this concealer! I ran out of my wet n wild one, which I love, so I picked this up because I constantly see people raving about it on YouTube. This is the Maybelline instant age rewind eraser concealer. This is a .2 oz bottle and retails for $8.99 at ULTA. This comes in six different shades and I personally use the lightest one in the shade "fair". This has quickly become of my favorite concealers and I will definitely be repurchasing this when I run out. This formula is full coverage and it's super creamy and blends out like a dream. This is going to be great for people who have heavy dark circles under their eyes. My dark circles aren't that bad but I have lots of redness on my cheeks and I have a huge dark spot on my chin and this covers both of those up effortlessly. I know a lot of people don't like the sponge applicator at the top, but I don't mind it at all. I just place the product on my face where I need the extra coverage and take a pointed side of my beauty sponge an bounce it out. I've also used this as an eye shadow primer and it works fantastic! I would highly recommend this if you're in the market for a drug store concealer! 

I have a few powders to talk about this month but I'll start with my favorite one! This is the IT cosmetics bye bye pores pressed anti ageing finishing powder. This is a translucent finishing powder that is .31 oz and retails at ULTA for $29. Whenever you're a platinum member at ULTA, they will constantly send you coupons through email for free deluxe samples for certain items and this was one of them. So, I have personally not purchased this item, but I promise you, I definitely intend to! One thing about the BECCA foundation that I forgot to mention is that it does tend to slightly accentuate your pores because it is so dewy and has a natural glow to it so this ended up being a saving grace. Once I applied this, it covered up my pores so beautifully without making my face look dry and cakey. I found myself not needing to reapply this through out the day which is why I think it is 100% worth the price tag. You get a really great amount of product and I just think that this is an outstanding powder. I also found that because it's so finely milled it doesn't get into my fine lines. It just puts a very soft smooth veil over my entire face that I'm in love with. Make sure that when you're applying this with your favorite powder brush to tap it into the skin instead of swiping it on your face because that is going to give you the best look without taking off any of your foundation! 

I've tried two different settings powders from e.l.f. but I'll talk about this one first because I like it a tad bit more. This is the Perfect Finish HD Powder in Clear/Translucent. This is a .28 oz pressed powder that I purchased at Walmart for $6, but you can also purchase this at CVS and from the ULTA website for the same price. I ran out of my sample of the IT cosmetics "bye bye pores" powder so I just went and picked this one up really quickly and I really like it. The super white powders scare me sometimes because I'm afraid that it's going to apply a white cast on my face but this one doesn't do it. It doesn't minimize pores but it doesn't set my liquid foundation and give me a very smooth look to my skin. This one claims to reduce shine and mattify skin, which normally I wouldn't go for, but where my becca foundation is SO dewy, this gives me the perfect amount of mattification without looking crusty. This will last about five to six hours on my skin and then I need to go back and do a quick touch up, but I'm really not complaining because it's such a good price. It comes with a little fluff sponge, which I don't use, and a really nice mirror, so this is perfect to keep in your purse and do touch ups if you need to! I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a great powder without paying a high price. 

The next powder is the e.l.f. prime and stay finishing powder. This is a .17 oz finishing powder and comes in three shades: fair/light, light/medium, and medium/dark. I purchased this at Walmart for $2, but you can also purchase this at CVS and the ULTA website for the same price. This is a very lightweight powder, so if you're doing a full beat and wearing your full coverage foundation, I wouldn't recommend this because you will end up reapplying this a lot through out your day. If you're wearing a BB cream or a sheer/light coverage foundation then you may really like this. I used this for a couple of months because I was buying so many other products that I didn't really find it in my budget to spend a lot on powder and I liked this. Just like the other powder, I did have to reapply it through out the day, but it gave me a very soft finish and did help to minimize the appearance of my pores without looking powdery. If you're a beginner in the makeup world or you don't wear a lot of it, then I think this is a great product for a great price! 

UGH. I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS. I've only had this for about a week, but I don't care, I need to talk about this because it's amazing. This is the BECCA shimmering skin perfecter pressed. It's a highlighter, and I'm using the shade "pearl" which is an extremely white shade, which is the one pictured above. They have five other shades that compliment a range of other skin tones but this one is going to be PERFECT for my fair skinned girls. This product is .28 oz and retails for $38 at ULTA. I've had people ask me why I purchased this for such a high price instead of purchasing a highlighting palette with multiple shades that I can get for about the same price, and my answer is this: I'm normally so fair that I can't use but one of the shades in most highlighting palettes. Simple as that. I know that I could purchase a highlighting palette and use the darker shades for eye shadows or something, but I personally would rather have this and use this every day knowing that my highlight will be "fleeking" as my husband likes to say. This is one of the most pigmented, blinding highlights that I've used yet, so go in with a VERY light hand at first just in case you don't want to be seen from outer space. I mean, can you ever have too much highlight though? The answer is no. NEVER TOO MUCH HIGHLIGHT. Anyway, these feel amazing, they're soft, they're blinding, they're honestly everything that I want out of highlight. They aren't chunky and it's not packed full of glitter. They also have liquid forms of these if that's more up your alley, but I personally prefer powder highlights. If you've never tried these before I highly suggest running to your nearest ULTA and playing with these because I can't say enough good things! 

Okay, cool story about this little item. This is by Physicians Formula and it's their Butter Blush! So, I follow a lot of makeup brands on Instagram, and this company was having a valentines contest to win a free butter blush in the shade of your choice! The challenge was to write a short valentines day poem that had to do with the brand and this blush, and honestly, I don't even remember what I wrote, but I won! So, I picked the shade "vintage rouge" and they sent it to me! I literally use this blush every day along side my butter bronzer. This brand has had a lot of misses for me but these are two products from them that I can count on. The formula for the blush is the exact same as the bronzer so it's super silky and smooth and applies such a beautiful flush of color on the cheeks. And yes, the blush smells like a dreamy coconut vacation just as the bronzer does. This item is .26 oz and retails for $12.99 at ULTA. If you've never tried the bronzer or blush from this brand, I highly recommend picking this up because these are my absolute favorites and I think everyone deserves to have these in their collection. 

Be still my heart. Look how beautiful this is! It's the Tarte Tartiest PRO Amazonian Clay Palette. My mom got me this for my birthday and I use this almost everyday. This comes with 16 matte shades and 4 shimmer shades and it's absolute perfection. This retails at ULTA for a cool $53 but this palette is so large and I promise it's worth it. These shades are so pigmented, they blend super easily and they smell like vanilla! One thing that I think is brilliant about this particular palette is you can create five different cohesive looks if you pick a row and go from left to right. You have lid, crease, outer v, shimmer shades. Obviously you don't have to just use the shades together from each row; you can mix and match all you want, but I think this would be great for professionals and beginners a like because it kind of gives you guide lines for particular looks. I was really impressed with the shimmer shades because of how pigmented they were alone, but if you really wanted to amp them up, you can use your favorite glitter glue or wet your brush with some water or setting spray to give them extra vibrancy. I seriously switch between this palette and the Anastasia modern renaissance pallet. YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE. 

If you have yet to see/play/use these WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE? Just kidding my friends, but seriously, these are 100% my favorite thing that has come out this year from the entire makeup industry, and I don't say that lightly. These are from the brand Stila and they're called the magnificent metals glitter and glow liquid eyeshadows and they are BOMB. These retail for $24 a piece at ULTA and Sephora, and that is an extremely important fact to know because each retailer has exclusive shades for this product that you can only get at that certain retailer. Okay so first off, if you don't like glitter, then go ahead and skip this because this is legit liquid glitter for your eyes. To everyone else that's still here, this is it you guys. This is the dream. This beats out any shimmer eye shadow, any glitter or loose pigment that you've used, any sparkly anything. These are hands down the most pigmented glitter anything I've ever used. These apply SO evenly, so smoothly and so BEAUTIFULLY. I've already decided that I'm going to use all of my Christmas gift cards to purchase every shade that they have because I need all of them. One of the things that I love about this is that where I am so god awful lazy, I can skip out on doing eye shadow by just popping one of these bad bitches on my eye lids, slap on some mascara and go. This is every lazy/glamorous girls dream I promise. I know that not everyone is going to agree with me on this product but I'm never been in love with a makeup product like I have with this. If you come in to the store I will shove this product in your face making sure that you're aware that it exists. Maybe I'm overrating, but I'm not. So, GO PLAY WITH THESE!!!!

If you've ever read my blog then you know that the Urban Decay Perversion mascara is my favorite. Well, it was. This mascara is amazing and has quickly made it to the top of my list and I definitely wasn't expecting it to. This mascara actually isn't on the market yet; it will be hitting stores on July 26th and will be $25 per tube which is a pretty standard price for a high end mascara. ULTA gives out birthday gifts every month for rewards members which is how I got a hold of this early and I'm blown away by this. I can't wait for this to come out so I can snatch a bottle or two! The wand reminds me a lot of the too faced better than sex mascara but it doesn't clump up my lashes or flake onto my face. My lashes look so voluminous and fluffy with a couple coats that I honestly don't have the longing feeling for false lashes. I know that not everyone is going to have this experience with this mascara but if you're a fan off the too faced mascara but HATE the flake and clump of that formula, then I definitely recommend picking this up when it comes out at the end of July.

Speaking of Too Faced, these are the melted matte liquid long wearing lipsticks. These are .23 oz and are $21 a pop at ULTA. These have become one of my absolute favorite liquid lipstick formulas. I'm normally a gloss girl just because I hate the drying feeling of a liquid lip, but these are brilliant. I found that this particular formula doesn't feel drying at all, they don't crack and peel off my lips and it honestly feels like I'm not even wearing anything on my lips. I only have one shade, queen B, in this product but I definitely plan on investing more of my money in a couple more shades. There are only five shades pictured above, but they actually have 20+ shades in this formula for you to choose from. The pigmentation on these are superb, resulting in me only having to do about one swipe on each lip and I don't find myself really having to reapply these, unless I'm eating like a cheeseburger or something. Check these out if you're looking for a new lippie!

I'm still screaming over these and I've had them for a little over a week. These are some of the most beautiful lip glosses I've ever used. These are from the brand LORAC and they're part of the beauty and the beast makeup collection. The price is right with these because you get five FULL SIZED lip glosses for a total of $35 at ULTA. Normally their lip glosses run $17 a tube, so this really ends up being a good deal. Can we just talk about the packaging on these for a moment? These are STUNNING. You get glass packaging on each tube with a gold screw top and gold flower designs on the entire tube. Like I said, I'm still screaming. As far a the formula goes, these are amazing. I'm a lip gloss girl through and through because I like the wet look on my lips without having to worry about it getting all over my face when I'm eating. These are highly pigmented, they're not streaky, sticky, or patchy. BUXOM lip polish is still my favorite lip gloss for the sole reason that they have a lip plumper in their gloss formula, that doesn't burn your lips, but if those didn't exist, these would hands down be my favorite lip gloss formula ever. I highly recommend purchasing these, and quick, because these are a limited edition item. They also have a five pack of cream lipsticks, an eye shadow palette and a cheek palette in the beauty and the beast line. 

Another lip product that I've been enjoying for a couple of months are the MILANI Matte Color Statement Lipsticks. The only place I've found in my hometown that sells the brand milani is CVS and you can pick these up for $6.29 a piece. They have so many beautiful lip stick shades; some are matte, cream, satin and they also have liquid lipsticks. Although they say that these are matte, I personally think they're more of a semi-matte formula because there is some transfer. That being said, unless I'm eating or drinking, I don't really find myself having to reapply these a lot throughout the day. The shade range is beautiful and these are extremely pigmented. I definitely want to get more colors in this formula! This is a great lipstick to pick up if you're on a budget! Make sure to keep up with CVS sale adds because sometimes these are BOGO half off! 

This is the last makeup product that I'm going to talk about, that I liked. This is by IT cosmetics and it's the vitality lip flush stain in the shade "Je Ne Sais Quoi". This is a lip gloss stain that retails for $24 a tube at ULTA. You may think that this is a super high price tag for a gloss, but it's much more than that. Just like a lot of their other products, this gloss is infused with skin care benefits including collagen, 9 different oils and hydraulic acid which is great for hydrating your lips. This comes in six different shades but it really plays a lot on your natural lip color to bring this gloss to life. After the gloss wears off throughout the day, it gives your lips a beautiful natural looking stain which I absolutely love. I will definitely purchase a tube whenever I run out of the one that I have!

I am so happy to say that I only have one makeup product that I'm going to mention that I don't recommend. 

This is the Smashbox legendary liquid lipstick in "crimson chrome". This is a metallic liquid lipstick that does NOT dry down one bit. Now let me say this, the color of this is absolutely STUNNING. It's very metallic and as soon as I put this on my lips it immediately made me of think of dorothy's red shoes from the wizard of Oz. This formula is very think and it got all over my face. Maybe I don't know how to correctly apply lipstick to my mouth but it was entirely too messy for me. This is the only color I've tried from this line, and they do have more "wearable" nude shades that maybe wouldn't be so bad, but if I'm going to wear a super bright red, I want it to be matte and cement like so I don't get it everywhere. This is not a bad product by any means, and I think this could be utilized in a play or a photo shoot or something but it's definitely not for everyday wear. If you want to try this out then you can pick this up at ULTA for $24.

I told you guys this post was going to be entirely too long. 

Let's move on to some skin care!

This next item is the most amazing, and expensive, thing I've ever put on my face. This is by the brand Murad and it's the City Skin Overnight Detox Moisturizer and is part of their Environmental Shield line. Let's go ahead and talk about the price. This is a 1.7 oz jar for, what for it, $70. *faints*. I swear to god though, it's worth every penny. If you have dry skin, you need this in your life. My skin has never felt so smooth and hydrated in my entire life and I've yet to find anything that compares to this. It instantly soaked into my skin and didn't irritate the sensitive parts at all.  I know this costs a pretty penny, but I'm a huge advocate of investing in good skincare. If you have good skin then you can make anything look great whether it's drug store or high end or from the dollar tree. It's so important to take care of your skin because it's the only one you'll ever have! Also, if you do decide to get this product, it's going to last you for quite a while because a very tiny bit goes a very long way! This is step three in the environmental shield line but you can just do your normal cleansing routine and then slather some of this on before you go to bed. I literally recommend this to everyone because it's hands down the best moisturizer I've ever used! 

If the murad moisturizer is appealing to you but you don't want to spend that much, then try this product out! This is by neurtogena and it's part of their hydro boost line. It's a gel-cream moisturizer for extra dry skin and contains hyaluronic acid. This is fragrance, oil and dye free and works great on my sensitive skin! They also have a water gel cream that's better for normally dry skin. Is the murad one better? Absolutely on all levels. But, this one works great too and I would definitely recommend it. It soaked up into my skin, it wasn't greasy feeling and it did seem to actually hydrate my skin instead of just masking over the dry patches. They have an entire line full of face washes and eye creams but I have yet to try them! You can purchase this at ULTA for $20!

Another moisturizer! This is by Garnier and it's the clearly brighter brightening and smoothing daily moisturizer with SPF 15! I really liked this one but I think I'll only be able to use it in the summer when my skin isn't super dry. If you have normal skin then I think you'll really like this one and you'll get the added benefit of the sun screen! I didn't really notice it evening out my skin tone like it says it will but my face definitely felt nice and smooth and ready for makeup application! If you're looking for a cheap moisturizer with some SPF that won't irritate sensitive skin then check this out! You can purchase this at ULTA for $15 and you'll get 2.5 oz!

If you're a fan of taking your makeup off with micellar water then you should give this a try! This is by the brand Formula 10.0.6 and it's the so totally clean micellar water for sensitive skin. I have found that I prefer to take my makeup off with a wipe, but if I run out of wipes, I always find myself reaching for this. I personally feel like it's more effective then the garnier one and it also doesn't burn my cheeks which is great! It removes my face makeup like a dream, but it's a little harder removing my eye makeup. It eventually comes off but my face just doesn't feel entirely clean when I use this as opposed to when I use a wipe. To each their own though, and if this is up your alley, you can purchase this for $5.99 at ULTA and you'll get 6.75 oz which is awesome! 

This is the Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer and let me tell you why I love this stuff; I hate lotion. I don't like it getting in between my fingers and rubbing it everywhere and sometimes it's greasy and I just hate it. I know, I'm weird, and there are far worse things to dislike but oh well. This is different because when you're done showering, but still in the shower, you squeeze some of this on your leg or wherever and rub it in and your moisturized. The thing is though, it's not a lotion texture, which I'm all about, it's more of a liquid water texture and just sinks into your skin. When you get out of the shower, you dry off like normal and feel your skin and it's like you just buttered yourself up and it's amazing. It's my favorite way to moisturize my skin and it smells like coconuts! They do have other scents you can purchase and they also have self tanning ones! You can purchase this at ULTA and almost every drug store for $10!

So I've got just a couple of likes and dislikes in the hair department and then we'll be done! Let's start with one of my favorite things! 

This is by the brand OGX and it's their damage remedy coconut miracle oil conditioner. I love this stuff! I will literally buy anything that has anything to do with coconut! They also have a matching shampoo that goes along with this conditioner that I haven't tried, and don't ask me why I didn't buy it because I don't know, but I will definitely be repurchasing this. This threw me off at first because at first it comes out looking like a normal creamy moisturizer, but once you work it into your hair, it kind of dissipates into an oil and dissapears. It freaked me out because I thought it slid off my head or something, but once you rinse it out, you can feel it being super hydrating. I didn't have a problem brushing my hair and it felt super soft and smooth. It does seem to help a little bit with my frizz but that's not really it's purpose. My hair is dry and brittle and this makes it feel very luxurious. This bottle is $8.99 at ULTA but sometimes they're on sale BOGO half off which is awesome! This is 100% worth the money! 

Speaking on frizz, this hairspray is great to help with that! This is also by OGX and it's the smoothing shea sleek humidity blocking hairspray. It's so hot and humid here in east Tennessee during the summer so naturally my hair is SO frizzy. This really does help to tame my hair when I'm sweating and makes it appear like I have smooth hair. Whether I straighten or curl my hair, it also helps keep my style in tact without that gross crunchy feeling that some hair sprays will give you. The smell is really nice too! It kind of reminds me of an earthy honey smell which I really enjoy. I highly recommend this to anyone dealing with terribly frizzy hair! You can purchase this at ULTA for only $8.99!

Can't have a blog post without mentioning dry shampoo! This is by the brand Philosophy and it's the amazing grace dry shampoo. This retails at ULTA for $24 and you get 4.3 oz of product. First let me say that this is a great dry shampoo, but the living proof one is still my absolute favorite. If you're in love with the amazing grace perfume that they have, then you will absolutely love this! It smells SO good but it does have a strong white cast. You can totally work it out with lots of massaging and brushing but it's a lot of work. The end result? My hair looked very clean like I just washed it and every time I use this, I get lots of compliments telling me that I smell good. You get a good amount of product for the price, so if you're willing to put in a little time and effort and have your hair smell like one of the prettiest perfumes every made, then I highly recommend this! 

This is the last product that I've liked over the last couple of months! This is by redken and its the Guts 10 volumizing spray foam! I went and got my haircut at ULTA about a month ago and my hairdresser put this in my hair when he was styling it and I just had to buy some because it works wonders! I have very thin, fine hair so I have absolutely no volume, but with this, you would never know! It s a volume mousse that you put in your hair before blow drying and I love it! It's easy to use and smells great! 10/10 would recommend! You can purchase a 10.5 oz can at ULTA for $19.50!

Okay, so this is the first couple of products that I absolutely DON'T recommend. This is by the brand Pacifica and it's the coconut power strong ad long healing shampoo and conditioner. This brand is such a hit and miss for me and I hate that, because I want to like everything they make! This brand is cruelty free and vegan but damn some of their products are so bad. This smells great and it feels great when I'm working it into my hair but it makes it SO tangly. If I use this, I literally can't brush my hair. I quit using it and just started to use the conditioner to shave my legs with because it smells really good. This is supposed to help dry damaged hair which is like, every girl out there, but I feel like this stuff makes it worse. There are so many other great shampoos and conditioners out there, so don't waste your money on this. 

THIS DID NOTHING. Like, absolutely nothing to my hair. This is by the brand aquage and it's the sea extend volumizing mist. Let me just quote to you what it's SUPPOSED to do. "Delivers frizz free waves and curls with shine on all hair types. For a good hair day on any hair type, this do-it-all styling product will smooth, will smooth, wave or curl any hair type without crunch." Okay, honey NO. First of all, these are really big claims. Second, none of those claims delivered. I know everyone has different experiences, but this literally did NOTHING. You're supposed to spritz this on your towel dried hair and then let it air dry or use a diffuser, which I don't own, so I let my hair air dry. My hair didn't get an ounce of a wave and my hair was so frizzy it looked like a cat crawled on top of my head and died. I hate this. I know I'm being harsh but this made me mad. If you wanna give this a go it's $25. A quarter of a $100 to do nothing lol. I'm being super salty. (haha, get it?)

We're on to the last product! This is another dry shampoo and it's by the brand Batiste. So, this isn't a terrible dry shampoo. If i'm running low on money and need something real quick then I may repurchase this. The problem I have with this is that near the end of the day I start getting white flakes in my hair and my other dry shampoos don't do that! The plus side to this though is that they have a lot of different scents that smell amazing. I know a lot of people who use this and love it so it's not terrible, but if I need a shampoo to rely on for an extended period time, I won't be using this one. This is super affordable though and you can pick up a can at ULTA and walmart I believe for like $6! 


And you've made it to the end! If you read all of that, thank you so much! and If you just read one thing, thank you as well! It means a lot to me if you're checking these out and value my opinions even just a little bit! I'm sorry that I got behind this last month, but you can think my dog Rosie for that! ;) I'll try to be better and have another blog post up next month in July with my product reviews! 

Now, there is something exciting that I want to announce! If you follow me on Instagram then you've seen a couple of photos I've posted showing a sneak peak of my next project. I'm creating a podcast focusing on horror everything! It's going to be titled "Morgan's Crypt" and I'm so dang excited about it! I had my friend draw up an image for my thumbnail, which is what you may have seen on insta, and I'm currently working on some other neat things! I'm going to try to upload once a week and I'll be discussing new releases, movies, TV shows, books, games, merchandise and anything else I can find related to horror! I'll also be creating a Morgan's Crypt twitter account so that I can be interactive with my listeners and I'll also have an Instagram for the podcast where I will post really neat horror themed merchandise that you can purchase! I love anything scary and I thought this would be a fun way to do something with that! It will be a couple of more weeks before it launches because I'm trying to make sure I get everything right before I delve into this, but I will definitely let you know when it's coming out! 

Other than that, that's it! Thank you guys again so much for reading and I'll see you soon! 

BYE Y'ALL!

Quick disclaimer: I did not take any of the above photos, they were all pulled from google images!

Snapchat: @morgasim22
Twitter: @WinsteadMorgan
Instagram: @morganannwins

April 2017 Product Reviews

Hey Y'all!

Another month has flown by and that means another month of me impulsively buying makeup I don't need! It works out for the better though because I have found so many products this month that I absolutely LOVED! One of these products I am definitely adding to the list of products that I can no longer live without! I hope y'all enjoy reading these posts as much as I love writing them! There are a couple of products that I didn't enjoy, but that doesn't mean that you don't love them and they don't work for you, so please keep that in mind! Just a reminder that my skin type is sensitive and very dry so a lot of the products that I love do tailor to that! Okay, let's get started with all of the positives for this month!

 

The first product that I want to RAVE about is the BECCA first light priming filter primer. This product is 1 oz and retails for $38 at ULTA. This is a high end primer but I honestly feel like for me, it is worth every penny I spent on this. I got this a couple of months ago in a sample size and fell in love with it the first couple of times I used it, so I went out and spent some of my birthday money on this. The product claims to "even, cool, soothe, smoothe, restore and energize skin." This primer did all of that and more for my skin. I always tend to go for more hydrating primers and this gave me the hydration I was looking for, it evened out my complexion and it made my foundation look seamless! It also has "Blue Flamenco" in the primer which is what gives it that beautiful purple color and gives your skin a luminous fresh look! (I don't know what blue flamenco is but I'm not mad at it.) Sometimes I'll take my porefessional primer, by benefit, and put that on the tip of my nose and chin to blur out my pores, but I'll still put this primer everywhere on my face, especially right underneath my eyes where my skin tends to be the most dry. As far as the longevity of the primer goes, and making your makeup last all night, I can't really account for that because I'm constantly spritzing my face with different facial sprays to stay hydrated. I can not say enough good things about this primer and I will DEFINETELY be repurchasing this when I run out! This has officially been added to my list of "ride or die" products!

 

 



 

Moving right along and continuing with another primer, we have the Smashbox photo finish foundation primer. This primer is also 1 oz and retails for $36 at ULTA. If you're a beauty guru, or know anything at all about high end makeup, then you're definitely aware of the Smashbox primers. I like this primer, and I can definitely see why everyone loves this primer, but I will most definitely reach for my BECCA primer over this one or any other primer that I currently own. This is not a bad review because this is a really good primer, I'm just saying that it's not one that I'm going to reach for unless I'm out of my BECCA primer. When I used this for the first time I definitely noticed that my foundation went on smooth and nice but it didn't give me any added benefits like hydration, luminosity, pore filling or anything else. This is a good primer if you have normal/oily skin and just want your foundation to look nice and last all day. And hey, that's not at all a bad thing to look for! If that's all you want out of a primer then this is definitely going to work for you, and I would highly recommend you purchase this. If you're looking for added benefits in a primer, there are so many different ones on the market that will do different things for your skin! This primer says that it's supposed to help minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and have a blurring effect but I didn't really get any of that out of the primer. It's still great though to lock foundation in place and help it stay on through out the night without any touch ups!

 

 

 

Speaking of foundation, the next product we have here is the L'OREAL infallible pro-glow foundation. I adore this foundation and I have been wearing it non stop since I purchased this about a month ago. You can find this at ULTA, walmart, walgreens, pretty much any drug store you come across. I know a lot of people love the infallible pro-matte foundation, and if you have oily skin then I would definitely recommend that one, but this one is specifically for dry skin and it looks so beautiful. Now, if you're looking for full coverage, this is not going to be the one for you. I am not a full coverage queen. I like to have my freckles peek through, and I like something nice and light because I don't like to feel like I have makeup on my face. I used a beauty sponge to blend this out over my face and it blended out so smooth and even and I was extremely impressed with it. This foundation does have sunscreen in it, spf 15 I believe, so make sure to shake this up really well before use or you'll have little white dots on your face where the sunscreen separated from the foundation. Not only is this foundation easily accessible but it's around $12 and they have so many different shades to make sure that you are able to find the correct color for your skin tone! It holds up really well through the heat and sweat and lasts a very long time on my face. It does claim to have up to a 24HR wear, but I don't wear my makeup for that long, so I'm not sure if that claim holds true. Definitely give this foundation a go if you're in the market for a new one!

 

 





Oh hey there drug store eye shadow palette! This is part of the Wet N Wild Color Icon Eye shadow collection and mine is in the shade "Comfort Zone." I did not expect a drug store eye shadow palette to be that good but this one absolutely blew me away. This little thing is SO incredibly pigmented and they blend out so smoothly on the eye lid. I've used this with and without an eye shadow primer and I really can't tell a difference. The ONLY downside to this palette is that the shadows themselves have a lot of fall out, so I would highly recommend that you do your eye shadows first before applying your foundation and the rest of your face. One thing that's really neat about this is that all the colors are labeled and they tell you where to apply them on your lid to get a complete look. If you're new to makeup and want to start dabbling in eye shadows then this is a great starter palette. Another cool thing is that the "definer" shades, the two shades on either side at the bottom are light reflecting or duo chromatic. They are some of the prettiest shades and I can't believe that this was only $4.99! FIVE DOLLARS PEOPLE. I would pay $15-$20 for this, it's that good. Trust me when I say that you need this in your life. This brand isn't sold at ULTA but they have it at CVS, walgreens and Walmart. This brand is cruelty free!

 

Okay, I have three different mascaras to review this month, (don't worry about it), so I'll try to move through these quickly! This first mascara is the smashbox indecent exposure mascara. You can purchase this at ULTA for $23. Now, the first thing that I want to go ahead and get out of the way is that none of the mascaras I'm about to review beat out the UD perversion mascara; that one is still my absolute favorite. However, if UD randomly decided to discontinue that particular mascara, then I would more than likely reach for this one. It has a normal bristle wand, which is great because I don't care too much for the rubber wands, and the formula really seems to separate and lift my lashes giving me volume. The wand was super easy to work with and it was super black and coated my lashes perfectly. I really don't have anything bad to say about this at all!

 

 

The next mascara is by the brand LORAC and it's the lorac pro lash pomade mascara. You can purchase this at ULTA for $24. If you're looking for added benefits in a mascara other than volume, lash separate and length, then I would highly recommend this one! The curved bristle brush gives you the opportunity to get those pesky end lashes and curl them very nicely without having to use an eye lash curler! Also, the brand states that this mascara is "Clinically proven to thicken lashes by 250% and proven to add shine, curl, and length." I can't tell you if this claim is true or not because I have not been consistently wearing this every time I wear mascara. However, I did love the way my lashes looked when I wore this, but yet again, it just didn't give me the volume that perversion does.

 

 





 

 

This next mascara is one the coolest things I've ever seen. It's hard to explain this mascara just from a picture, but I'll try! This is the Pacifica Dream Big Volumizing Mascara. So if you look at the photo, this mascara has a pretty standard wand, but the special thing about this is that at the top of the cap there is a twisty knob and you can actually shorten the wand or make it larger which is awesome. One is for length and one is for volume. I tried this on both my top and lower lash and for me, I really enjoy this for a bottom lash mascara because it gives you a beautiful feathery look, but it doesn't give me the length and volume that I personally desire on my top lashes. This is a really good mascara for those of you that have very long eye lashes and want a more natural look and I also think it would be good for those of you that wear false lashes. The formula is very black and it does a wonderful job of separating each lash so that it's not clumpy. I really love this mascara and would definitely repurchase this to use on my "no makeup" makeup look and for my bottom lashes. If you want to see how the wand works, I would look up reviews on this on YouTube so you can see for yourself how neat this is! You can purchase this at ULTA for $16 and this brand is vegan and cruelty free!

 

 

 

Okay, let's talk about one of my absolute favorite lip products! This is the Bare Minerals Buttercream Lip gloss! I own two shades, Heart breaker and Sugar, but I've tried all the colors at work and they're beautiful. For those of you who don't know, I am 100% a lip gloss girl. I like my lips to look wet and shiny and most of the time if I'm putting makeup on to go out somewhere, I'm going to eat. A lot of people like to wear matte liquid lipsticks for this reason, but my lips are so small and even if I put on a super mattifying formula I still get a lipstick line on my chin when I eat and I hate rubbing it off and thus rubbing the makeup off on my chin. With lip gloss it just fades while I eat and then I can apply a shiny new coat. Obviously a lip gloss will not last as long as a liquid lipstick but it has it's pros and cons. So this isn't a normal lip gloss formula where it's sheer and has little pigment; these are creamy and ultra pigmented but it still has the wet look of a lip gloss. They aren't sticky and feel super comfortable on the lip. All of the shades in this collection are nude shades, fifteen total shades, and they have something flattering for every skin tone. I highly recommend these to anyone who doesn't like liquid lipsticks or just wants to try something new! Oh, and they smell SO GOOD. You can purchase these at ULTA, and Sephora I believe, for $18 a pop, it's so worth it, and this brand is cruelty free!

 

 

This next item is the basked blush from NYX cosmetics! I just want to say, there is not much that I've tried from NYX that I didn't love. This blush claims to give a natural glow while also highlighting the face and it does just that. These are somewhat shimmery blushes but they're not glittery. They're soft and reflecting but not chunky. Now, if you've ever used a baked blush or highlighter or eye shadow, you know that there is a weird film on the top of the product that you have to scrape off before you can really get any pigment, and these are the same. I was frustrated at first because I wasn't getting anything on my brush but after I scraped away a good bit, these ended up being very pigmented. I would definitely use a light hand with these because they can reach clown status very quickly. I love these though because I think they're perfect for summer and they're SO affordable! These retail for $6.99 a piece and they have 12 different shades. You can purchase these at ULTA, some CVS carry NYX, and their website! This brand is cruelty free!

 

 

 

Another NYX item! This is the access flawless finish sponge and I'm obsessed with this. My preferred method of putting on my foundation is with a beauty sponge, and normally I use the real techniques sponge, but this one has quickly become my favorite. Once you wet it, it doubles in size, and it's super soft and squishy, but what sets it apart is the shape of the sponge. I use the bottom rounded part to apply my foundation all over my face, and then the top pointed part is perfect to get right up under my eyes and those weird crevices on the sides of the nose. I'm able to use the pointed top to blend out my concealer and I also apply my under eye setting powder with it. This is hands down my absolute favorite sponge I've ever tried! Now, I've never actually tried the original beauty blender because I just can't bring myself to pay $20 for a sponge when I can spend that amount of money and get an amazing liquid lipstick or gloss, but with this, I feel like I would never need to try the beauty blender. I purchased this at ULTA for $7.99! They have pulled this product from the store though and they're only selling them online, which scares me because if they discontinue this I will be so so sad, but you can also purchase this on the NYX website.

 

 

I thought that I had already reviewed this on my blog but it turns out I only posted about it on my instagram. This is the Wet N Wild photo focus foundation and if you keep up with other makeup blogs or YouTube then you've seen everyone talking about this. I think I picked this foundation up in early march and it's spectacular. This foundation is more on the matte side so when my skin is extra dry or dehydrated I can't really wear this without looking a tad cakey. When I'm having a good skin day I'll wear this because the finish is beautiful! It's a medium to full coverage foundation and it's only $6! Wet N Wild has seriously been killing it. Normally I use a beauty sponge but I actually like the finish with this foundation more when I use one of the oval artiste brushes. This foundation has 20 different shades which is amazing for a drug store foundation. The only down side to this foundation is that it smells like paint. It's a little overwhelming at first but it doesn't settle into your face to where you smell it all day. Honestly, if I could smell that all day then I wouldn't wear this foundation. When you untwist the top it has a spatula applicator which I really enjoy so I'm not making a mess. I would recommend applying this in sections on the face and then go ahead and blending it out because it does dry very quickly and can be a little hard to blend in. I would highly recommend this if you have oily to normal skin! You can purchase this at CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and on the wet n wild website! This brand is cruelty free!

 

 



 





Next up is another wet n wild product and it's part of the same line. It's the photo focus concealer! I was using the nyx concealer but I ran out and thought I would give this a go and it's my new favorite. It blends out so smoothly and effortlessly! I don't have huge dark circles but it does cover up with little discoloration I have and it gives me a little bit more coverage on the redness on the tops of my cheeks. I absolutely love this! The only downside is that the lightest shade they have is called "light ivory" and I would like it to be a shade or two lighter but it's fine. This comes in only 6 shades and retails at $3.99!

 

 

Okay, just going to go ahead and say it, this is my absolute favorite setting spray. This is once again, the wet n wild photo focus setting spray. It has a fine mist, it doesn't squirt dots of product all over your face and it dries very quickly. Another thing that I like about this is that it doesn't really have a scent. It really sets my makeup beautifully and I do notice a longevity with my makeup every time that I use this. I have tried lots of setting sprays like the hard candy and the Mario Badescu, and I absolutely love those, but this is my absolute favorite. The only thing I don't like is the size. It's 1.52 fl oz which is a great amount for the price that you pay for this product but I hate running out and having to go buy it. I'm on my fourth bottle now and I wish that I could buy a bit ole bottle of it and be done with it! I mean, first world problems, I know. But if you're listening wet n wild, PLEASE make this into a huge bottle or at least double it! You can purchase this for $4.99!!!!

 

 

Okay, we are at the last product that I liked and then we will move into the products that I didn't care for! This is the E.L.F. under eye setting powder. I use this to set the concealer underneath my eye area. I have gone through three jars of this already. You're probably like what? I purchased this in like feburary and forgot to talk about it, BUT, the jar size is very small. This is another product that I wish they would sell in a larger size. The little brush that it comes with is a joke and I recommend throwing it in the garbage as soon as you open it. I personally use the tip of my beauty sponge and squeeze it in the container and dab my under eyes like that. You could also use a concealer brush of any kind. I highly recommend this to everyone because it's $3. Can't get any better than that! I mean, unless it was cheaper or free. You can purchase this at CVS, Walmart, ULTA online only, or the elf website.

 

 

 











 

Okay, so this product is an in-between product for me. I really really liked this foundation but it broke me out so I had to return it. This is by the brand No7 and it's the lift and luminate foundation. The claims for this foundation is that it's supposed to lift, firm and brighten your skin- disguising lines and wrinkles as well as evening out the skin tone to give a flawless look and its best for normal/dry/very dry skin types. It has spf 15 and is supposed to be hypo-allergenic. I really loved the formula of this foundation. It sank into my skin making it give a beautiful finish, it was luminous and over all my skin looked great! I tried this about three times with my normal routine and I started getting really bad breakouts all over my face. After I stopped using it the breakouts went away. I was so upset because I thought that this was going to be my new ride or die foundation. If you don't have sensitive skin then I would highly recommend trying this out if you're looking for a medium coverage luminous foundation! One down fall though is that there is only eight shades. I am normally the lightest foundation and it was hard for me to get the right color. It didn't entirely match my skin tone, but once I did my entire face and lightened it with a powder you couldn't really tell. You can purchase this at ULTA for $16 for 1 fl oz.

 

 

I don't even want to write about this one because it absolutely breaks my heart that I had to return this. This is the LORAC Pirates of the Caribbean Cheek Palette. This brand did a limited release Pirates of the Caribbean line that includes this cheek palette, an eye shadow palette, and multiple liquid lip/gloss combos. These items are all SO BEAUTIFUL. So let me explain why I didn't quite like this palette. These shades are extremely pigmented. When I touched them for the first time I absolutely fell in love and knew I had to buy this. Here's the thing though, they're chunky. Not super chunky, but every shade I wore accentuated all of the texture that I had on my face and it drove me bonkers. The colors are so pretty and I feel like they did a really good job of including shades for all kinds of skin tones but I can't get past that one little thing. There are so many highlighters out there that soak into the skin giving you a pearlescent glow without showing the world your little bumps and pimples and scars. Now, this isn't going to be the case for everybody but this is what I experienced. I would definitely recommend trying this out because you may have better luck with it then I did, but just a fore warning, use a very light hand when playing with this because they are ultra pigmented. You can pick this up at ULTA for $30.

 

 

 

This next item that didn't work out for me is the Urban Decay all nighter makeup setting spray. For a lot of people, this is their go to setting spray, their ride or die, holy grail of all setting sprays. It's supposed to set your makeup and make it last for up to like 24 hours or some unholy amount of time. It's oil and paraben free which is awesome! I don't know what it is about my face but no matter what foundation or makeup I wear, this spray takes my dang makeup off. Like, my entire forehead area and around my eyes and eye brows. I'm not touching my face, I'm letting it dry. It cakes up and just peels off. It's seriously gross. The Chill setting spray does this on my face as well. Not every product out there is going to work for every single person but I haven't met a single person who doesn't love this. I'm just weird and I would still recommend it because everyone else loves it, but just watch out for that. Let me know if you've had this same thing happen to you when you've used this! You can purchase this at ULTA and Sephora for $15 for a travel size or $31 for a full size bottle.

 

 

I hate these. These are from E.L.F. and they're the aqua beauty molten liquid eye shadows. I purchased these because I thought they might be a little bit similar to the STILA glitter liquid eye shadows but they aren't at all. These come with a doe foot applicator which is nice but they just disappear on my eyelids. They're not vibrant, they don't blend well, and they crease very badly. I've tried these by themselves on my eye lid, with an eye shadow primer, over other eye shadows and I just can't get these babies to work. It's so sad because in the packaging and when I swatched them on my hand, they looked so gorgeous. Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I can't get them to show up on my eyes. If you want to give these a go, you can purchase these for $4 a piece and they come in 4 different shades.

 

 

 

This next product is by physicians formula and it's a concealer stick. The only reason that I purchased this was because I was at CVS and I only needed to spend $2 in this particular brand to get like $10 in CVS dollars, so yeah. This did absolutely nothing for me. I applied this directly on my face, I tried applying with a beauty sponge, a brush and it has absolutely no coverage. I kind of figured it would be a dud being in a stick form but I wanted to give it a fair shot anyway. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because there are so many drug store and high end concealers out there that will give you ATLEAST a light coverage. I'm serious, this did nothing. It was like candle wax or something. This was like $4 at CVS.

 

 

Okay y'all! That's all I have for the month of April! I've already gotten so many new makeup products for next month and I hope to have the post up sooner than this one went up! I'm also going to do a separate post for the month of April including skin and hair care! Leave me a comment if you've had similar or different experiences with any of these products! Have a great day you guys!

 

BYE Y'ALL!

 

 

 

Just a quick disclaimer, I did not take any of the above photos that you see in this blog, they were all pulled from amazon or google images.

 

Also, if you want to follow me on any social media outlets, I post lots of photos pertaining to makeup/food/my fur babies!

 

Instagram: @morganannwins

Snapchat: @morgasim22

Twitter: @WinsteadMorgan

(Just a heads up, if you follow me on twitter, I do lots of retweets about the show The Office.)