Colourpop Haul!

I have been dying to try some Colourpop products, so when I saw that they were having a birthday sale and that they ship to FPO, I hopped on their website to pick out a few things. I love that Colourpop celebrates all skin tones and embraces color as a cornerstone of their brand. It’s refreshing to see such bright, punchy colors at an affordable price! Aaaand they’re also cruelty free!

First up are these Lippie Stix in Cami (top) + Lumiere (bottom). Cami is a “neutral mauve pink ” and in the Matte X finish, which is highly pigmented and a true matte, while Lumiere is a “dusty mauve pink” in the Matte finish, which is obviously still matte, but creamier – and also still really pigmented. I love both of these! The shades are kind of similar, but not really. They each have their own vibe. Lumiere, born through a collab with Kathleen Lights, shows up darker on me than I expected, but I am honestly really pleased with both of them! They are very comfortable on the lips and I love that the applicator is somewhere between the size of a lipstick and a lipliner – it makes it easy to be precise on the go.

I also got two Ulta Satin Lips, Lyin’ King (top) + Naked Ladies (bottom). Lyin’ King is a “saturated raspberry” and Naked Ladies is a “bright coral red.” I haven’t tried Naked Ladies on my lips yet, but I wore Lyin’ King today and was really impressed. The formula was super pigmented, so I didn’t need to layer the product. I have extremely dry lips and am an anxious lip-picker, so I was worried that the formula would draw attention to that, as many other liquid lipsticks do. *Drumroll please* It didn’t! It was so comfortable on my lips and I didn’t feel or see any obvious dryness. I am very impressed with these and can’t wait to purchase some more shades. I’m looking for the perfect nude-pink, so if anyone has a suggestion, let me know!

Finally, I got my hands on some Super Shock Shadows. Trois (top) is part of the Jenn Ne Sais Quoi collab with Jenn Im, Birthday Boy (right) was the free gift for Colourpop’s 2nd birthday, and Beverly (bottom) is from the Kaepop collab with Karrueche Tran. These have the craziest texture! They’re bouncy and creamy, but feel like a powder once they’re on your skin. Birthday Boy and Trois are very pigmented, though I had to swipe Beverly a few times to build it up. I had been eyeing some rich, fall shades of eyeshadows (because fall is clearly the best season) and these are exactly what I was looking for!

I am honestly super impressed with everything that I ordered! I highly recommend trying out this brand, which is also known for its Ultra Matte Lips (which I didn’t try because my lips are probably waaaay too dry for them!). Everything is very affordable, and shipping was free over $30! I purchased everything pictured for $32 and shipping was really fast. The quality and pigmentation has me hooked ass well! What are your favorite Colourpop products?! Let me know in the comments below!

MOTD | 06/14/2016

It’s been terribly rainy and stormy here, so I’ve had plenty of time to play around with makeup for fun. Today I kept telling myself that I was going to do a natural look, and then I had an oopsie with my eyeliner and ran with it 😬 What are you wearing today?

Details are as follows •

Face | Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 foundation in classic ivory • Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in fairly light neutral • Rimmel Stay Matte powder in translucent

Cheeks | Benefit Hoola bronzer • Nyx Baked Blush in foreplay • Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

Brows | Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Powder Duo in dark brown • Nyx Auto Eyebrow Pencil in taupe

Eyes | Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette (I used creme brulee, salted caramel, hazelnut, milk chocolate, & marzipan) • Wet n Wild creme eyeliner in black • Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara

Lips | Clinique Almost Lipstick in black honey

Have a great day!

Fri-yay! Maybelline x Star Wars

Happy weekend everyone! This is a short entry, although I promise I’m sitting on about four blogs that I need to roll out. Alex and I visited the big new Aeon mall, and at his suggestion I picked something out from the cosmetics counter in the department store. If you read my last Fri-yay blog you know that the drugstore and high end cosmetics are all together in the Aeon department store, which is kind of cool.

My husband and I love Star Wars, and since I didn’t try any of the cool Covergirl x Star Wars beauty products back in the US, I thought it would be fun to try out one of the products here. My Stila Stay All Day liquid liner is on its very last threads of life, so this liquid liner caught my eye. Just look at the cute Stormtrooper! I wish I’d taken photos in the store because they also had a cute one with R2D2 and C3PO. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what shade they were, even with the assistance of Google Translate. I did a lot of Google-ing and figured out that the Stormtrooper one was “soft black.” I don’t know what I was expecting out of soft black – maybe still black but not like…black hole black? I’m not sure. I will say that I was super disappointed!

^That’s with multiple swipes back and forth. It is barely pigmented! The tip is very precise and similar to the Stila, which I like. However, this barely shows up over my eyeshadow, so it’s almost not worth it. It does add a teensy bit of definition though, so I’ll still use it on occasion. It was ¥1200, so roughly $11.

Although this was fun to try, it’s definitely not something I’ll repurchase. If you have any recommendations of products to try or things you’d like to see reviewed, let me know! I’m waiting on an order from Colourpop and I’ve been testing some drugstore brow products, so look out for those in the coming weeks!

Xo Shelbie

Fri-YAY: Japanese Beauty Products

It’s a beautiful (and hot!) Friday here in Japan. I’ve been struggling over the last few weeks with what to blog about – it seems like I have so much to share and yet writer’s block has been haunting me. So I figured for now I’ll spare you all of the details of our journey (although we did make it to Japan safely almost exactly 4 weeks ago and have been settling into our new home) and instead jump into a fun Friday series of fun things I’ve been able to see, try, or experience!

Alex and I took a trip to the Aeon Mall in American Village and I got to see Japanese beauty counters for the first time. I was surprised to see high end beauty products sold right next to what would normally be sold at a drugstore in America. I was also surprised to see that brands such as Revlon and Maybelline were much more expensive than in the States. I picked out two products to test, Makeup Revolution’s Blushing Hearts triple baked blusher in Candy Queen of Hearts, and Maybelline’s The Magnum Barbie Mascara.

I was drawn to the blush because it looked like an awesome dupe for Too Faced’s Sweethearts blush, which carries a $30 price tag. The MUR dupe was ¥1300, roughly $11.80 with today’s exchange rate. Definitely more affordable! It’s a beautifully pigmented blush with a satin sheen. The Candy Queen of Hearts shade looks like it’s an almost identical dupe for the shade Candy in the Too Faced counterpart. I’ve been using this blush almost daily for a week now with no complaints – it’s gorgeous!

I was drawn to the mascara, because, well…Barbie. The packaging is cute and I was intrigued by the fact that I hadn’t seen anything like it in the States. I have absolutely no idea what any of the packaging says, so I tried to read as many English-translated blogs as I could to figure out what the claims were! I was able to gather that it is waterproof and meant to give doll-like lashes. It had a curved brush and lash fibers to extend the length of your lashes! One of the first things I noticed about this mascara was the smell. I can’t describe it, but it’s strong. I compared the scent to my Maybelline The Falsies Black Drama mascara, and they smell the same, although the Barbie one is definitely stronger. The brush is pretty similar to the Falsies brush in the US, and I think it has a relatively wet formula. I haven’t taken many photos wearing this mascara, but you can see below in my Snapchat update that it definitely gives doll-like lashes even with one coat. 

Despite how beautiful it makes my lashes look, I have a few complaints. First of all, this mascara is beyond waterproof. In fact I think it might actually be bulletproof. After using makeup wipes, eye makeup remover, and cleanser, I still had residue on my lashes. It took so much scrubbing that it irritated my eyes. My next complaint is that if I don’t seal the final coat with another mascara, the fibers flake off into my eyes. That’s no bueno! Overall, I still think it makes my lashes look fabulous and I’ll definitely use it for special occasions! It was ¥1400 yen, so again, it was more expensive than I had anticipated. Maybelline The Falsies mascara in the States runs for about $6-7. 

Overall, I’m generally pleased with both of these goodies and it was so fun getting to explore new products! I hope to experiment with some skin care products next, so if anyone knows of some great products available in Japan, please let me know in the comments! 

Have a happy weekend!

Shelbie

March 2016 Favorites

  
Forgive me for being a week late – we are so close to our moving date and I’ve had a lot on my plate! March has been a fun month, and I can’t believe April is already upon us. I think every month that I blog about my favorites I write something to the effect of being surprised at the passage of time. But it really does shock me at how quickly it seems to pass! The past few weeks I have really been loving a light, fresh faced look, and my favorites for this month definitely reflect that!

Fizz & Bubble Large Bath Bombs // $6 // Ulta / A friend of mine gifted me a few of these. I love taking baths to de-stress, so this was a perfect gift! They smell fantastic and the fizz is fun. The Hawaiian Lei one did turn my bath water a little blue, but other than that I haven’t noticed that they have any special effects like LUSH bath bombs typically do. If that’s not important to you, definitely check these out! I actually dropped the Lavender Fields one in a bath right after I finished taking these photos and it left my skin feeling super soft!

Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in Peony // $5 // Target / If you’re like me and love the peppermint tingle of Burt’s Bees lip balm but also like a little color on your lips, this is a great product. Peony is a shimmery soft rose pink shade. This is a perfect everyday product and I love that it’s just a tinted balm! I also have the shades Fig and Rhubarb.

Nyx Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe // $10 // Ulta / I’ve been on the hunt for a product similar to Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz (my fave brow tool!) because I go through it so quickly and it’s expensive. At half the price, this is an amazing product! Taupe isn’t the perfect shade for me, but my Target is always out of stock of most Nyx products, so I didn’t have a choice! They only had the shades Taupe and Espresso. I think that Ash Brown is probably the shade I need, so I’m going to try to find it on my next trip to Ulta, but for now the Taupe is actually working really well! I love that it’s a super skinny pencil, which allows you to make precise lines and draw in what looks like natural brow hairs. It is a little on the dry side, but I can look past that for the price! I will definitely be repurchasing this when the time comes.

Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft Matte Hydrating Foundation in Warm Ivory // $11 // Ulta / This foundation was recommended to me by Emaly over at The Traveler’s Wife, and although it’s definitely not one of my favorite foundations ever, I have been using it a lot! I typically reach for matte foundations that give me a flat look and keep me from getting oily. With the summer months ahead, I’ve been going for a more laid-back and natural look. This foundation has a satin finish that gets a little dewy on me throughout the day. It’s medium coverage and does actually feel a little hydrating, which surprised me! For a drugstore foundation, I think it’s pretty good. My only complaint is that it builds up a lot of gunk in my brushes.

Benefit They’re Real Tinted Primer // $24 // Ulta / This is a deluxe sample, but I am seriously considering buying the full size! This is not your average mascara, and unlike the regular formula of They’re Real, it’s much softer on your lashes. The original They’re Real formula seems to dry to a really hard, crusty finish, and is nearly impossible to wash off. This formula is in a deep brown shade, and can be worn in place of mascara, or underneath. It gives a really pretty false-lash effect that basically makes your natural lashes look super long. If you have blonde hair, I think this is an amazing product! My eyelashes are nearly see-through without mascara, so this is perfect for the laid-back look I’ve been going for.

Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream // $42 // Sephora / I honestly have no idea where I got this from! It must have come in a kit or as a deluxe sample, because I don’t believe that you can buy this small size on its own. I randomly found this in one of my beauty bags and have been using it in favor of my beloved Clinique Dramatically Different moisturizing gel, which I ran out of. This is more of a day cream, so it’s pretty thick, but it doesn’t make me oily or greasy at all! It also smells fabulous.

Chapstick Total Hydration in Soothing Vanilla // $3 // Walmart / I’ve mentioned my anxious habit of picking the skin on my lips several times before, and I’m always trying out new lip products to help heal them. My usual go-tos, Vaseline Lip Therapy and Bag Balm, are not very portable. I love that this comes in a twist-up tube, and also that it feels super lightweight on the lips. The smell isn’t very noticeable, but I don’t mind. I also have the coconut flavor, but I feel like the formula is different in that one so I’m sticking with the Soothing Vanilla!

Aveda Smoothing Body Polish // discontinued? // Aveda / I searched everywhere on the internet for this and was only able to locate it on eBay and Amazon from unauthorized sellers. I am assuming that this product has been discontinued, which is a huge bummer! I love using this body scub before fake tanning. It has a soothing scent and leaves my skin soft and prepped for a tan.

doTERRA Lavender Essential Oil // $28 for 15 ml // doTERRA / Coping with anxiety can be complicated and difficult. This move has really heightened my anxiety, so I’ve found myself using this essential oil regularly. One of my favorite products is Aveda’s Stress Fix oil, which is a blend that includes lavender and clary sage. For a stronger aroma, I like to dab this oil on my wrists, behind my ears, and dabbed on my neck and chest. I find that turning the lights out and simply taking deep breaths and smelling the aroma are very calming. This was a gift from my sweet Aunt-in-Law and I am so grateful to her for sharing this with me because it’s been really helpful and healing for me!

That is all for March! If you have any product recommendations please leave them in the comments below so I have time to pick them up before we leave for Japan!

xoxo Shelbie

Lamora Beauty Brush Haul!

 Happy almost Friday! (Fri-yay, am I right?) This will be quick – just wanted to share these pretty new brush babies with you all! I have blogged about my beloved Lamora flat top kabuki brush before, and as a recap I actually prefer it to my Sigma F80. It’s super soft and blends liquid and powder foundations like a dream. I got an email from Lamora Beauty with a coupon code to get this 6-piece set for $5 on Amazon, so naturally I jumped at that opportunity. 6 brushes for $5?! Crazy steal.

The set comes with a flat top kabuki, an angled kabuki, domed kabuki, shader brush, blending brush, and angled eye brush. I’ve used all of them except for the angled eye brush so far and I’m in love. They are SO soft. One thing I did notice was that Lamora must have made some changes to their brushes since I got my first one – my original brush has a matte black plastic handle and is super lightweight. It definitely feels cheap. The new ones that I got in this set have heavier, high gloss (and slightly sparkly!) tapered handles and the bristles are just a teensy bit longer. They are beautiful! The set is $20 right now on Amazon, which is still a great price. They look, feel, and perform like professional brushes, and they are also cruelty free & vegan friendly. I highly recommend you check them out!

New brush on top, old brush on bottom

What are your favorite inexpensive brushes? Let me know in the comments!

Shelbie

 

Product Empties!

Hi Lovelies!

I’ve been busy the past couple of weeks as I had a dear friend from Wisconsin visiting me here in North Carolina! Our departure for Japan has been delayed, so I have a few more weeks to prepare for the emotional chaos that is moving internationally (lol)!

I blog a lot about products as I test them out, but it’s not often that I mention products I’ve actually finished…which is probably because I don’t finish a lot of products. I think I have successfully finished a single tube of chapstick in my lifetime. Things either get lost, forgotten, or purposely ignored. So today, I’m going to share with you the graveyard of products I’ve emptied within the last few weeks! Moving has actually been a great motivator to spring clean and use up old products, especially since we can’t send most of our personal care items with our household goods overseas. Find out which products I loved and which ones I was happy to dump below!

FACE //

Covergirl Outlast 3-in-1 Stay Fabulous Foundation in 810 // This is the 5th or 6th time that I’ve killed a bottle of this foundation. I love it! It’s matte, long-lasting, and has great coverage. And the pump is a huge plus! I frequently reach for this in favor of my high-end foundations.

L’Oreal Infallible Pro Matte Foundation // This is another product I’ve repurchased 4 or 5 times and I use it interchangeably with the foundation above. It’s more of a demi-matte, but it’s still long-lasting with medium-full coverage.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer // If this wasn’t so expensive I’d have stockpiles of it! This is truly my favorite bronzer ever. It’s versatile in that it is great for both bronzing and for contouring. The box o’ powders from Benefit never disappoint, but Hoola is definitely my favorite. If you’re still searching for “the one,” look no further. (Unless “the one” you’re looking for is an actual human being, in which case I suggest you look further)

SKIN //

Arbonne Clear Future Corrective Acne Treatment Pads // This was another one of the products that Arbonne sent to me in a PR kit. These are seriously pricey ($46 for 60 pads!) but I did feel like they definitely reduced some of the acne and redness I was experiencing, especially on my cheeks. Even my husband tried them and got results!

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel // My all. time. favorite. moisturizer. ever! This bottle has lasted me close to a whole year with regular use. It keeps my skin hydrated and healthy without exacerbating any oil or causing breakouts.

Nature’s Bounty Tea Tree Oil // I honestly can’t remember where or when I got this, but I’m assuming I picked it up in the natural section of the grocery store, since I know this brand is sold there. Tea Tree has been a lifesaver for my acne. Diluted, it makes a great toner, and on its own makes for a great spot treatment. This is one oil that I’ll always keep on hand, and I love that Nature’s Bounty offers quality oils at affordable prices. 

Jergen’s Natural Glow Instant Sun Mousse // If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know that I am an avid self-tanner. Although my tanner of choice is usually Fake Bake Flawless Darker, I picked up this Jergens mousse at the drugstore to try, after not being able to find my usual drugstore fave (L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Mousse). It was okay and I used it all, but I’m not sure the shade was right for my skin tone. 

HAIR //

Redken Hair Cleansing Cream Shampoo // If you have hard water or use a lot of hair products, I highly recommend this shampoo! I used it every other time that I shampooed my hair, and found that it was really effective at removing buildup without drying out my hair. It was a great product, but I don’t have hard water anymore and rarely use styling products, so I won’t repurchase.

Redken All Soft Conditioner // I loved this conditioner! It had the ideal consistency – not too thin or thick, and left my hair feeling soft, smooth, and detangled without feeling heavy or greasy. I usually go through conditioner very quickly, but I found that I only needed a small amount of this product to achieve results, so it lasted several months. Definitely try to pick this up during one of Ulta’s BOGO 50% off Redken sales!

What products have you finished up lately? Let me know in the comments below!

| Shelbie

Spring Polish Picks!

Hi lovelies, happy March! This is just a quick post, but I’ve been enjoying doing my nails at home lately and figured I would share some of my favorite fun nail polish picks for the spring season!

   

From left to right:
Essie Nail Lacquer in Sequin Stash
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Get Juiced 
Sinful Colors in Mint Apple
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Punch Drunk
Essie Nail Lacquer in Blanc
OPI Nail Lacquer in Strawberry Margarita 

 

I’m currently wearing Strawberry Margarita and it’s so bright and fun! What are your favorite polishes for spring? Let me know in the comments below! 💕

OOTD & Mini Target Haul!

Hi lovelies 💕
It has been pretty cold here lately, so I’ve been getting good use out of my Hunter boots. I’m wearing a loose fitting black top with a ruffle detail from Forever 21, a 3/4 sleeve sweater from Madewell, and my beloved black Jessica Simpson skinny jeans. Casual, comfy, and black like my soul.    
 Hubs and I met up with some friends for pho, and then ran some errands at Target, where I couldn’t resist the glorious selection of drugstore makeup. 

  

Nyx Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Tea and Cookies // $7 // I’ve been dying to try this! The soft matte lippies are a no go for me because the formula is so dry, so I’m hoping I can make this one work. 

Essence Blush Up! in Pinky Flow // $4 // As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, Benefit Dallas is my go-to everyday blush. Sadly, I’ve hit pan on it, so I was on the hunt for a substitute. I found this pretty ombré blush from Essence, and while it’s not a natural flush like Dallas, it’s perfect for spring!

Maybelline Dream Velvet Soft Matte Foundation // $9 // I bought this on the recommendation of my friend Emma over at The Traveler’s Wife Blog. I just ran out of my Covergirl 3-in-1 this morning, so the timing was perfect. I don’t typically branch out and try new drugstore foundations for fear of breakouts and bad shade selections, but the reviews of this look really promising! I’m excited to give it a try. 

Have a great Saturday! Xx

February 2016 Favorites!

Wow – I can’t believe the end of February is already here! This is probably the first favorites blog I’ve had up on time in all of WisconsinWhimsy history, so let’s take a moment to relish that.

For kicks, I thought I would go back and read my favorites post from February of 2015, and it was a fun throwback. I actually still use quite a few of the products I blogged about in that post! This month, I’ve been wearing less makeup and embracing a fresh, clean face. My acne was almost completely gone for a couple of weeks in January, and then came back with a vengeance in the early weeks of February, so I’ve been trying to take extra good care of my skin. I’ve recently started oil cleansing, so I’ll blog about that once I’ve had the opportunity to gather my thoughts on it! Here are my favorites for February of 2016:

Juicy Couture’s Viva La Juicy perfume // $74 for 1.7oz // Sephora / We’ve established that I’m terrible at describing fragrances, so I’ll spare you. I will say that this is my favorite spring perfume, and it’s lightly fruity without making you smell like a middle schooler. The packaging is chunky and gaudy, in true Juicy Couture fashion!

WoodWick Wax Melts in Berry Passion // $5 // Kohl’s / Our apartment here in North Carolina is a 1-bedroom with an open concept, and it really bothers me that kitchen smells spread into other rooms and linger. I picked these wax melts up on a trip to Kohl’s and have been really enjoying the fruity, springy scent! My husband complains that I only ever use woodsy scents (I’m convinced that the smell of cedar soothes the soul), so this was me branching out to appease him.

Dermablend Intense Powder Camo // $32 // Ulta / I picked this up at Ulta a few months ago without knowing anything about it, and I’m so impressed. What I love about powder foundations is that you can buff them in and go – they take me much less time to apply than liquid products. This is a medium-full buildable coverage powder. I have the shade Beige, which is yellow-undertoned and fair, which is nearly impossible for me to find in drugstore foundations! I apply it with a flat buki brush (think Sigma F80 or F87) and buff. It covers all of my acne blemishes, but it’s not great at covering dark circles, so I still use undereye concealer.

Clinique Long Last Soft Matte Lipstick in Beauty // $17 // Sephora / Matte lipsticks and liquid lipsticks are all the rage lately, but since I have extremely dry lips and a bad anxious habit of peeling them, I try to avoid matte lip products altogether. Surprisingly, I actually find this lipstick to be a little moisturizing! Beauty is a classic rose shade and is perfect for basic, everyday looks. This is the ideal lipstick for tossing in your bag to have on hand any time you want to polish off your look.

Arbonne Clear Future Intensive Acne Spot Treatment // $30 // Arbonne / Disclaimer that I received this product for free from Arbonne for testing. A few months ago, Arbonne generously sent me the entire Clear Future line and a self tanner. I’ve been using the line pretty strictly, and definitely noticed an improvement in my acne. I’ve used many drugstore spot treatments before, most of which were primarily benzoyl peroxide treatments. This one is 2% salicylic acid, and I’ve noticed that it works especially well on my cystic acne bumps.

CoverGirl Clump Crusher Mascara // $8 // Ulta / I use mascara every day and honestly I hate spending more than $10 on it because I go through it so quickly! Lately, I’ve been using this drugstore find. I have to use two coats in order to get a bold effect, but it isn’t clumpy at all and I love that it doesn’t flake or smear. I think this is a versatile mascara, because one coat gives a very natural look, and two or three coats build up to dramatic, fanned out lashes.

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, & Rosewater // $7 for 4oz // Nordstrom / I looove the smell of rose anything, so this facial spray is right up my alley. I tested it several months ago at an Urban Outfitters, and liked it so much that I eventually bought it. I wouldn’t rely on this spray as a makeup setting spray, simply because I haven’t noticed that it extends the wear of my makeup. It does, however, refresh my skin and leave it feeling hydrated and healthy, especially on days that I’m wearing a more full coverage look. The 40z bottle is compact enough to keep in my bag, which is a plus as well.

Do you have any recommendations for things I should try in March? We are moving to Japan in just 27 days (insert panic attack here) so I want to snag any must-haves here in America before we depart!

Happy Friday and Leap Year!

xx Shelbie