Drugstore

L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy

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L'Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy
L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy, $7

Like many mascara-wearing people, black is my go-to. To be precise, my perennial favorite is L’Oreal Telescopic Carbon Black ($9), is always in stock in my vanity. Last time I stocked up on mascara, though, I decided to try something a little different for me: non-black mascara. L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy ($7) comes in a washable formula and is a little different, but not shocking.

So Edgy Of You (Not)

We’re not talking Euphoria-level adventurousness, here, though; L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy does not excude drama the way bright yellow, pink, or blue do. Indeed: I would wear navy but not bright blue.

Burgundy is not generally considered a soft shade, but when applied to lashes it comes across as a neutral. It is just slightly more fun than brown and note even remotely loud.

To most onlookers, it looks like any mascara; for me, a little softer than my usual, but still definitely providing richness and definition to my lashes. To you, the wearer, and to those with an eye for detail, though, it is ever so slightly burgundy.

For those of you living in a video-conference-centric world, most webcams in use by us mere mortals aren’t going to betray your departure from the norm. If anything, L’Oreal Voluminous Deep Burgundy comes across a little softer – so I tend to reach for a black so I look more awake on camera.

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Changed My Mind: Invisibobble

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Four years ago, I shared an incendiary opinion on the Invisibobble Traceless Hair Ring. I dismissed it as a gimmick. Since it came out, numerous other companies have adopted the concept in their own, similar telephone-cord-like ponytail holders.

Invisibobble

FabFitFun

I ended up receiving a pack of six Invisibobble in a FabFitFun box last year. It contained three clear and three light beige/light nude. Recalling my prior assessment, I sneered at them, like an ass.

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Worth it? elf Wow Brow Gel

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elf wow browelf wow brow gel, $4

I was browsing through Target’s beauty aisles – as a basic white girl is wont to do – seeking NYX Milk pencils. En route, I happened to spot elf Wow Brow gel. The name is reminiscent of a Benefit product, but this does not phase me. For $4 per 0.12 oz pop, I decide to try this fiber-containing formula even though I’m not currently in the market for brow products (currently using Anastasia Dipbrow Gel ($9-18) that is SO NICE and yes I still need to write about it).

Packaging

Like all elf products, elf Wow Brow packaging is unassuming in a black cylinder. Some people want to be seduced with packaging – and don’t get me wrong; I swoon over Hourglass like the rest of ’em – but I’m comfortable with simple and practical. The spoolie housed inside does not beat benefit’s in Gimme Brow and Gimme Brow+ but for the price difference, I’ll live. (Hell, I may be able to clean a Gimme Brow+ spoolie and use it if I must).

Color Selection

Examining the five shade selection, I couldn’t decide what I needed; I grabbed two. As it turns out, elf’s interpretation of Taupe differs both from my understanding of the shade as well as most other brow product manufacturers, so I grabbed it and what they deem Neutral Brown. Neutral Brown seems closer to what I expect from a Taupe shade.

Here they are in real life.

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April 2019 Favorites

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April 2019 FavoritesApril 2019 Favorites
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, $22 / L’Oreal Blow Dry It Thermal Smoother Cream, $6 /
Clarins Glow Booster, $32 / Benefit Gimme Brow+, $24

I’m so, so happy that it is consistently not-cold. My windows have been open. I have been outside. I’m eschewing jackets. It is wonderful! April was a fairly minimal beauty month for me, but details on my April 2019 Favorites are after the jump.

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Skinfix Ultra Rich Hand Cream

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Skinfix Ultra Hand CreamSkinfix Ultra Rich Hand Cream

Looking for the One Hand Cream to Rule Them All? For me, it was Skinfix Ultra Rich Hand Cream.

Thankfully, it is now (technically) Spring. Dry winter air made drier by home heat was already too kind to our skin. Add in increased hand-washing to stave off the ravages of cold and flu season and you’re doing a number on your hands. Even diligent home manicurists find themselves struggling to maintain comfortable, healthy skin on our hands.

A few years ago, I received a tiny little baby of a sample tube in one of those free gift with purchase pouches from Ulta. I haven’t looked back. Since then, I’ve purchased and repurchased this hand cream four times. Now, why do I love it so?

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Manicure Monday – 3/25/19 – Craving Some Color Haul

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Craving Some Color HaulCraving Some Color Haul

For a while I’ve been in neutral. My manicures, anyway. And I love them. They are chic, effortless, professional, and pretty. They’re still what I reach for the most because they just feel right to me. They’re low-effort but high-polish. My toes were unwaveringly in shades of red since June. I love red, period.

It was winter. It was dreary. On a lark, I did a pedicure at the beginning of January with Nina Ultra Pro Caribbean Blue. For fun. For a shred of liveliness in January. I didn’t intend a matching manicure, but as I executed the pedi I was so thrilled with how it came out that I had to do my nails that way too (using Sensationail Polish to Gel because I can’t be bothered with RnP on my fingers these days). I used to wear a ton of color, used to have a gigantic polish collection that I gradually started to pare back when I started using gel polish.

Inspiration

The two weeks I wore that magnificent blue pearl made me realize I missed having some color in my life. Or at least on my toes and very occasionally (I still try to pretend to be quasi-professional most of the time) my nails. I spent more time than I care to admit (cough, hours and hours) looking at and fawning over swatches. I ultimately purchased five bottles of (regular formula, gasp) polish; I’m calling it my Craving Some Color Haul:

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