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September 2016 Favorites

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September 2016 FavoritesUrban Decay All Nighter, $29-39 / MUJI 5 Drawer Acrylic, $35 / EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo, $5 /
Hot Tools Titanium Digital Flat Iron, $60 / OPI Bubble Bath,$8

It’s October! I got my Halloween decorations up over the weekend. I went to Starbucks on Saturday around 10AM – when it was 65+ degrees in my area – and facepalmed at all the hot PSLs taking up the baristas’ time. Well, at least it’s legitimately seasonally appropriate, even if it isn’t weather-appropriate.

Note: My ribbing of PSL-drinkings is in good spirits – if you enjoy the drink, that’s awesome. I’ve got to say, though, give a flat white a try – they’re tasty. You can add your pumpkin spice goop to it, too, and I bet you’d like it at least as much.

Details on my September 2016 Favorites…

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NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

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Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, $29
pic from the NARS Instagram

I neglected to give NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer a shot, dismissing its praise as fangirl hype. As one of the higher-priced prestige (not quite luxury) concealers out there, it was low on my list.

Then, fortunately, Sephora started carrying a travel size. What better way to try NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer than to pay only $12 (.05 oz) for a tube rather than $29 (.22 oz)? Sure, the price-to-product ratio is better in the full-sized, but it takes me forever to get through concealer. This time, overall value loses out to gross spend.

Shades

The diminutive tube only comes in Vanilla and Custard. The two, respectively, are the second- and sixth-lightest in the line. Overall, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer line features sixteen shades, including five deeper ones that would suit some people of color. As for me, I picked up Custard – a yellow-toned concealer for light-to-medium tones.

My gripe with the line? Make some of the travel sizes for people of color, damn it.

More after the jump.

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August 2016 Favorites

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August 2016 Favorites

August 2016 Favorites
Gillette Satin Care Ultra Sensitive, $4 / Hair, Skin, & Nails Gummies, $15 /
Batiste Tropical, $7 / Tree Hut Scrub, $17 for 3 / Skinfix Ultra Rich Hand Cream, $10

It’s been more about health, hair, and skin this month! Check out my thoughts on my August 2016 Favorites after the jump!

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Labor Day

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I’m giving myself a day off. I hope you have one to enjoy; if not, I hope you have one soon. For today, some more tidbits.

  • The Urban Decay Electric Palette is on clearance at Macy’s for only $24. Tempting.
  • I have a dream that we live in a world where Sephora does Labor Day sales.
  • Speaking of sales, Ulta is doing another 21 Days of Beauty. Today, they have Becca Luminous Blush and IT Cosmetics eyeliner on sale. Truth be told, though, I’m kind of underwhelmed. I will probably pick up two more Clarisonic brush heads on the 16th, though.
  • In 2015 around now, I talked about my experience with makeup sales people. I did visit this past week, though, and had a far more real, sincere experience. Got color matched, got zero false-flattery BS.
  • I tried out the L’Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte AND Pro-Glow foundations. They wear well, but I haven’t found the right colors for me. How I wish drugstore items had testers – they’d probably lose less money if they did (rather than some asshat choosing to treat stock as their own tester).
  • Happily, I can report that my hair is NOT losing its mind after several months of primarily using Tigi Moisture Maniac.
  • The red Stridex Pads are still treating my skin kindly, too!
  • Beauty Retailers are going to start stocking their Holiday 2016 sets soon. How crazy is that? I won’t buy any of the holiday palettes, but there’s definitely value in some of the other kits.
  • I finally remembered to redeem my Play! Pass and got my extra 50 Beauty Insider points.
  • I’m in desperate need of a DIY Pedicure and plan to give myself one today.

If you do have the day off for Labor Day, what will you spend it doing?

Cheers.

TPDTY: You Need a Cuticle Stone

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Cuticle StoneCuticle Stone, $1.79

There are a zillion-and-one guides and tutorials out there on how to give yourself a DIY manicure. Beyond the plethora of guides, there are probably thousands of different execution methods you could employ to achieve the same results. Damn few, however, mention taming crazy cuticles and eponychium with a cuticle stone.

It’s always, “gently push them back with an orangewood stick.” That isn’t wrong – it’s a good and gentle method that prevents you from removing living tissue. Those dang cuticle nippers that professional manicurists whip around like a magic wand are SHARP – and I don’t know about you, but they’re a challenge to use. It does not, however, help you remove any dead tissue that adheres to the nail plate like a cuticle stone can.

If you do your nails even semi-regularly, for under $2, can you really afford not to try one?

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