K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Tint • Fri-yay!

Happy Friday! I snagged some new products at the drugstore today and couldn’t wait to try the K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Tint…so keep reading! 👇🏼

I purchased the shade 02 Natural Brown. It looks somewhat like a lipgloss tube with a brush applicator, and the product is a gel that looks frighteningly black. For someone like me with blonde hair, it felt a little ominous. But, ya know…do it for the ‘Gram. You apply the product to clean eyebrows and let it sit for a minimum of two hours, but preferably overnight. When you’re ready to reveal your new brows, simply peel off the product and voila! This product won a 2017 Cosme award (think Allure beauty picks). I have thin, sparse eyebrows and I would loooove not having to spend time filling them in every morning.

I was surprised at how easy it was to apply. There are two eyebrow stencils tucked into the box, but they were both too thick for my natural brow shape. If you make any mistakes, you can swipe them away easily with a q-tip. When you first apply it, it looks very dark and ridiculous. I felt kind of like Groucho Marx, which then made me really antsy about committing, but the tint only lasts up to a week, so it’s not nearly as much of a commitment as microblading. I figured I could just cover my eyebrows with foundation and salvage them with a pencil if my little experiment went south.

I left the tint on for about three hours (I was impatient and nervous, what can I say!), and I was shocked 1. at how easy and painless it was to peel off, and 2. at how good it looks! My brows definitely look fuller and more defined, and I’m so excited about shaving time off my morning routine. It only took me 5-10 minutes to apply the tint, which should last for 3 to 5 days. A few sweeps of the Kate Tokyo brow powder I picked up today should be more than enough in the mornings now! 🙌🏼

If you’d like to try the 1 Day Tattoo Eyebrow Tint, it’s available on Amazon. Okinawa friends: you can find this at Tokyu Hands, Don Q, and some Matsumoto Kiyoshi drugstores for roughly ¥1200. The product comes in 5 shades: Light Brown, Natural Brown, Mocha Brown, Ash Brown, and Smoky Brown. If you have sparse brows like me or are just looking for an easy, low maintenance brow routine, I highly recommend trying this product out!

Daiso/Don Quijote Haul!

As if there weren’t already enough cute, fun things in Japan, there are these neat stores called Daiso, where everything (almost) is ‎¥‎100. AND most of the inventory is much more practical and better-made than some of the things I’ve seen at dollar stores back in the States! I was like a kid in a candy store walking through there, y’all. I went to the pink Daiso in Ginowan, and it was comparable to a Walmart in terms of selection and products, and I was able to score almost everything in this haul for $20! I also paid a visit to another store, Don Quijote (or Donki/Don Q) which is more of a discount store with lots of imports. I actually thought it was a little pricey! I still snagged some goodies, though 😉

Here’s a list of the things I bought at the Daiso:

• frilly scrunchie (they’re making a comeback)
• heart shaped earring backs
• mini hair elastics
• sock bun thingamajig
• strawberry scented glitter nail polish remover
• aloe vera facial cleanser
• makeup brush/sponge cleanser
• silicone vegetable scrubber (I bought it as a makeup brush scrubbie)
• ceramic lotus soy sauce dish (repurposed as a ring dish)
• heart-shaped sunnies
• oven mitt
• mason jar sippy
• no-show socks
• doggy poo bags + holder
• not pictured: dog toy
• 3 different plastic organizers
• not pictured: pasta strainer
• not pictured: burlap pouch decoration
• not pictured: fake decorative herbs

What I picked up at Don Q:

• 7-pack of LuLuLun brightening sheet masks
• peel-off lip stain
• Alice in Wonderland DVD (bonus: it plays in english and was only ‎¥‎148)

I’ve had the chance to test out some of the products I bought and I have to say, I am really impressed with the quality of the items I bought! I could probably spend hours in the store, wandering through the aisles and justifying purchasing things I don’t need. Have you ever been to a Daiso? What are your favorite dollar store finds? Let me know in the comments below!

June Favorites

I cannot believe it’s already July! I hope everyone in the States had a wonderful Independence Day weekend. June was a wonderful month for me – I finally started to settle into our new house, we completed the adoption process on our adorable 3-year old Labrador, and I made some amazing new memories with my husband. I’ve been wearing less makeup than ever – but (and I’m sure you’ll be able to tell based on my faves!) only because I have been loving a natural, glowy look with nearly-bare skin, highlighted cheekbones, and soft pink lips.

Clinique Color Surge Eyeshadow in Lucky Penny // $16, discontinued // I’ve owned this shadow for quite a long time – I want to say I purchased it two summers ago, but since I usually reach for one of my palettes, it’s been a little neglected. Recently I’ve been trying to cycle older products into my routine, and I realized how much I love this shadow! It’s an intensely shimmered copper that blends like a dream and has that coveted creamy texture of high end powders. I love it. Sadly, Clinique discontinued it, so unless you want to fork out the big bucks for it on eBay or Amazon, you’ll have to settle for a dupe such as CoverGirl’s Mink.

Lipstick Queen Frog Prince Lipstick // $25, Ulta // I reviewed this a while back (read here) and really liked it, but for some reason it got tossed into the abyss that is my lipstick collection. It’s a buildable lipstick that can go from a tinted balm to a pigmented stain in just a few swipes. I think it’s so fun that it looks green in the tube but shows up rosy pink on the lips! It’s a great lippie to keep in your bag.

Yankee Candle Wax Tarts in Lemon Lavender + Sage & Citrus // $1.99 ea, Yankee Candle // Y’all. I have a Yankee Candle addiction (my husband will confirm this). It’s one of those iconic brands that follows you into adulthood – I still remember my mom burning their candles as a kid. I used to be a huge candle junkie, but here in our new house, we have a lot more space – so I’ve been using my wax warmers more often because, quite frankly it’s a lot more cost effective to melt wax in each room than it is to buy full size candles. These two scents are pretty self explanatory, and they’re perfect spring-to-summer transitional scents.

Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in Radiant Lights // $6, Ulta // This highlighter is really popular in the blog world lately, and I know I’ve written about it before on wisconsinwhimsy. It’s cheap, it’s gorgeous, and you get a good amount of product. I have a handful of high end highlighters, and yet this is the one I reach for almost every day! I would say the pigmentation is middle of the road, but that’s actually a pro for me, since it gives me a little more control over the opacity.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone // deluxe sample, but full size is $41 at Ulta // If you read my last beauty blog about the Best of Becca Blushed Radiance kit, you probably already know why I love this product. It’s perfect for a sheer-to-medium intensity glow, and it feels really lightweight on the skin. Moonstone is a great shade for light skin like mine!

Wet n Wild 1 Step Wondergel in Stay Classy // $4.99, Target // I purchased this at the Exchange with a coupon, so I only paid $2.99 which was a steal! Stay Classy is a cool-toned mauve, and I would definitely say it’s a year-round color. I didn’t bring my UV gel kit with me to Japan, so I’ve been using regular polish on my nails lately. I’m hard on my nails, though, and it’s hard for me to find polish formulas that I actually like! I’ve had this on my nails for 5 days now, and while it doesn’t look like a fresh mani, it does still look pretty good for a home nail job. It hasn’t chipped at all, rather just worn down on the tips of my nails. I’ll definitely repurchase this in other shades!

What were your favorite beauty products this June? Let me know in the comments below!

 

Review | Best of Becca Blushed Radiance

Happy Fourth of July weekend for those of you in the States! Becca is a hot brand right now thanks to the beauty world’s obsession with all things #glow. I bought this kit in Seattle as a last-ditch effort to use up some of my Ulta points before we left for Japan. I’d been wanting to try Becca products for a while, but I already have a handful of highlighters, so I thought it would be fun to try a few different products from Becca rather than investing in a full-size product! The kit retails for $32.50 at Ulta. //

The kit comes with four products – Becca’s flagship product, which is their pressed shimmering skin perfector in Opal, backlight priming filter, shimmering skin perfector spotlight wand in Moonstone, and mineral blush in Flowerchild.

From top to bottom: Opal, Flowerchild, Backlight Priming Filter, Moonstone

I’ll cut to the chase – the pressed shimmering skin perfector was my least favorite! It was the product I was most excited to try, and I just wasn’t that impressed. I thought the texture was a little grainy, and it looked more glittery than glowy on my skin. Opal is also very gold, and I haven’t built up much of a summer tan yet, so the shade itself is a little too dark for my skin tone. This is one of those products that got tons of hype, and the first couple of times I used it I was blinded by the hype and thought it was the greatest highlighter I’d ever tried. Now that the novelty has worn off, I think it’s just an okay product.

The spotlight wand in Moonstone is fabulous. I love using this product with the L’Oreal Lumi Cushion foundation for a 5-minute makeup dewy glow! Moonstone suits my skintone much better than Opal, and the liquid has a much finer texture than the powder.

As you can see, I dropped the blush compact and shattered it a bit 😢 Flowerchild is a pinky-coral with gold shimmer. I don’t think this particular shade is anything special, but I do think it’s a universally-flattering shade, which is probably why it was chosen for the kit. The pigmentation and longevity are great! If I were to buy a full size blush from Becca, I think I’d get Sweet Pea or Lantana.

Finally, the primer. I wasn’t impressed. I liked how it looked on my bare skin in indoor lighting (outdoors it looked obviously shimmery), but once I applied foundation, it basically disappeared. I think this primer would work best for someone who wears sheer coverage foundation and naturally has smooth textured skin – it definitely emphasized my pores. I usually wear medium to full coverage foundation on a daily basis, so this product just isn’t for me!

Overall, I like the items in this kit, and I think it’s a great way to try out a few different products from Becca without splurging on expensive full size products. However, I don’t know that I would repurchase the full size of any of the products, at least in the shades that were in the kit – other than the liquid shimmering skin perfector in Moonstone, which I really liked! Have you used Becca cosmetics before? What are your favorites? Let me know in the comments!

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!

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