Foundation Stick Comparison: Bobbi Brown vs. Hourglass

I love the convenience and the idea of a stick foundation.  It's easy to travel with, you don't have to worry about it spilling and making a mess, and it can easily double as a concealer.  I currently have the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick in my collection in the shade 4.5 Warm Natural.  Last week, I received a sample of the Hourglass Seamless Foundation Stick in my Play by Sephora subscription box in the shade Beige.  I was intrigued to see how the two compared since Bobbi's was the only one I had ever tried.

No face makeup

Left (bangs side): BB Skin Foundation Stick in 4.5
Right: Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick in Beige

Foundation with loose setting powder, bronzer, and blush because I don't like to look dead

Top: BB
Bottom: Hourglass 

Here is what I noticed:

Shade
As you can see from the last picture, the shades 4.5 in BB and Beige in Hourglass are almost identical.  I also did half of my face with BB and half with Hourglass, and I couldn't tell any difference in either indoor or outdoor lighting.

Texture/Staying Power/Blendability
While the Bobbi Brown stick has a nice texture, the Hourglass variety is noticeably creamier and easier to blend.  The finish it provides is a bit more dewy versus what I get with the Bobbi Brown.  They both provided great coverage.  They both hold up well throughout the day, and neither of them seem to make my skin greasy after all day wear (keep in mind, however, that my skin is normal to dry).  Speaking of having normal to dry skin, neither of these foundations cling to dry patches or accentuate any dryness.  My preferred method of blending stick foundations is to use my fingers.  I think the warmth from my skin helps to blend stick foundations better than a brush or damp sponge.  When using a stick foundation, I don't typically use a concealer--I just blend the foundation under my eyes.  That is what I did in these photos.  I've mentioned before that the light and bright under eyes is not a good look for me, so I like to use something that matches my skin for that area.

Price
Perhaps the only drawback I can think of for both of these is the price.  Bobbi Brown's is $46 for 0.31 oz, and Hourglass's is $46 for 0.25 oz.  They are both high end brands, so a high price tag on these items is to be expected, but $46 is still more than I care to pay for a foundation (I purchased Bobbi Brown's during her friends and family sale in November when it was 20% off).

Final Thoughts
These stick foundations are very similar, and I love them both.  When looking at purchasing one over the other, Bobbi Brown's is a very slightly better value when you look at it from a mathematical perspective.  However, the difference in the amounts of product in each stick is so minimal that value is not a make it or break it point for me.  If I could only choose one, I would probably opt for the Hourglass stick.  I was impressed by its creaminess and blendability.  That being said, Bobbi Brown's is pretty great too.  One determining factor between the two may be shade selection if you're still unsure which one to buy.

That's all for today--please let me know if you've tried either of these, or if there are other stick foundations you prefer!

xoxo,

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

If you know me, you know that I love mascara.  The vast majority of mascaras I have tried are from the drugstore.  I think it's hard to justify the price of a higher end mascara when there are so many great ones at the drugstore.  My all-time favorite is L'Oreal Voluminous.  The original and carbon black are my favorite varieties.

I've read over and over that a cult favorite (and a top pick for makeup artists) is Maybelline Great Lash.  This stuff has been around forever.  It's likely that if you're reading this blog, you've tried Great Lash at some point in your life.  If you haven't tried it, you've most certainly seen it in stores.  It's impossible to miss with its iconic pink and green packaging.  I think I owned this back in middle school or high school when I was just getting into makeup, but it's been so long that I didn't remember anything about it.  I decided to try it again to see if it was really worth the hype.

 

Now, there are a few varieties falling under the Great Lash umbrella.  I ended up purchasing the original in dark brown (this was a mistake--I meant to buy black), but I decided to keep it and try it out anyway.  The first time I tried it, it didn't really do anything for me.  It's been my experience that mascaras usually need some time to dry out in order for them to do what I want them to, so I never judge a mascara on its first use.  I've now used it about four times, and I've decided that I am a fan of this stuff!

Three coats of Maybelline Great Lash mascara in dark brown (two coats on the bottom lashes)

I love the way it fluffs my eyelashes out.  Some of my lashes (especially on my left eye) tend to clump together with this mascara, but I am not someone who minds that because I can work with it to create volume.  I think it still gives decent separation, and I probably could have separated the lashes a little more if I spent more time here.  I did three coats on the top lashes and two on the bottom.  After having used it a few times, it's building pretty well as I layer it on.  I like to do one coat on my right eye, one on my left, a second on my right, a second on my left, etc in order to give it a little time to dry.  This technique works pretty well for me with any mascara.  Also, I love how soft my lashes feel with this stuff!  I'm really not surprised by that, though.  After all, one of its claims is that it "conditions while it thickens."

While L'Oreal Voluminous remains my favorite, I'm really happy I tried Maybelline Great Lash.  It exceeded my expectations; I didn't have high hopes for it.  I will definitely continue to use it and will likely purchase it again in the future (but in black).  I also love how inexpensive it is!  Ulta sells it for $5.99, but I was able to find it at Target for $4.49.

If you've used Great Lash, I would love to hear about your experience with it!

xoxo,

Accutane - Is it Worth it? (Guest Post!)

Hope everyone enjoys this post about Accutane from my awesome sister-in-law, Heather!  If you have any questions for Heather, please leave them in the comments below!

XOXO,





Accutane - Is it Worth it?

As a teenager and all throughout adulthood, I always had acne breakouts. They were mostly located on my chin and under my nose. When I went to college, I always assumed that acne breakouts were a “teenage” thing and they would eventually go away. But they didn’t.

Fast forward 10 years, and at age 28, I was still dealing with the same breakouts. I felt like I had tried everything - special lotions, face wash, ProActiv, Retin-A -you name it. Everything under the sun that had promised clear skin never worked for me. Like clockwork, every week or so I would find another huge pimple on my chin or under my nose. I always tried to cover these up with concealer, but it always ended up making my face look even more greasy.

In the summer of 2016, I finally decided to see a dermatologist. After hearing about everything I had already tried, my dermatologist recommended Accutane. I felt like I had heard a lot of bad things about Accutane, but he promised me that Accutane would be successful, and he had over 1,000 happy Accutane patients. So I decided to give it a shot.

Accutane is a more serious commitment than any medicine I’ve ever taken. You cannot take Accutane if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant - it will cause birth defects. As a result, you have to take a pregnancy test 1 month before you start, each month you’re on Accutane, and 1 month after you complete Accutane. You also need to take a monthly blood test, commit to a monthly dermatologist appointment, and fill out an online questionnaire about birth control every 30 days before you are able to refill your next 30 day prescription. I was on Accutane for 5 months, so the entire experience was about 7 months in all.

The number one thing you will experience on Accutane is the DRYNESS. I never imagined my skin could be SO dry. The inside of my nose was so dry, it was constantly clogged with boogers. I quickly learned that applying Aquaphor to the inside of your nose helped alleviate the dryness. My scalp was so dry that I only needed to wash my hair about once every 8-9 days. This was probably the one nice thing about Accutane, because who likes washing their hair everyday anyway? The rest of my skin was dry too - particularly my hands, face, and lips. Having lipstick stay on was a challenge. I developed a couple dry skin patches/rashes on my face and hands which was very unpleasant as well. I wasn’t happy about my skin’s dry appearance, but I was hoping it would be worth it in the end.

However, after about 2 months on Accutane, I noticed that I was no longer experiencing my routine breakouts. The skin on my face was dry and almost scaly, but the pimples were gone! I didn’t want to get my hopes up, and of course completed the 20 week cycle of pills. But when it was over, I still did not have a single pimple. My skin was completely clear for the first time in years - maybe ever. It was an amazing feeling.

I have now been off of Accutane for 4 months. The side effects of the drug linger for about a month, and then your skin returns to normal - except for the breakouts. At 4 months post-Accutane, I still have not had a breakout! I never thought I could actually be free of the constant pimples and redness.

If you feel like you’ve tried everything to clear up your skin, I would highly recommend Accutane. It was definitely a commitment, and the side effects were not always pleasant, but the end result was everything I had hoped for.

Left: One month before starting Accutane
Right: One month after completing Accutane

100% Cream Product Look

Today was one of those days where I sat at my vanity to do my makeup with no planned look in mind.  Maybe it was the dreary weather that had me longing for that summertime glow, or maybe I just wanted to play with makeup I haven't used in a little while.  Whatever the reason was, I went for all cream products.  I love the look of creams--they can often look more natural than powders, and they leave a fresh, dewy, beautifully glowy, youthful finish.

I used the following products for today's look:

*It Cosmetics CC Cream in Tan mixed with Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation in 4.5 
I mixed them to get the perfect color match for my skin right now.  I also like the texture of the two when combined--the Charlotte foundation is more satin, and the It CC provides more moisture.  By the way, I did apply moisturizer underneath.  In the summer, I can usually get away with using the It CC as both my moisturizer and foundation.

*Maybelline Fit Me Concealers in Medium and Deep
These shades on their own don't quite work for me, but they're great mixed together.  I may be the only person in the makeup world who doesn't like a super bright under eye area.  Maybe I'm not doing it right, or maybe I haven't found the right products, but that trend does not work for me at all.  It makes my under eye area look grey.  Gross.  I prefer to match my concealer to my skin as opposed to some YouTubers who like to go 22 shades lighter.  In summary, do what works for you!

The formula of this concealer is great, and for whatever reason, I like it a lot more now than when I first tried it a while back.  It's the only concealer I've used recently that doesn't make my under eye area look like alligator skin.

*ELF Aqua Beauty Blush and Bronzer in Bronzed Pink Beige (I only used the bronzer)
This is a wonderful cream duo that will cost you a whopping $6.  I believe it comes in two other colors.  The bronzer and blush are great (use a light hand with the blush!).  The bronzer is a really nice shade for me.  And, according to Jambeauty89 (one of my favorite YouTubers), it's similar to the Chanel Tan de Soleil cream bronzer.  This is one I've wanted to try for ages, but when it comes down to it, I can't bring myself to shell out $50 for it.  So, at least for now, I'm happy with my ELF version.

*Pixi MultiBalm in Wild Rose (used as a blush)
This is a great drugstore cream blush!  It's a nice texture and color, and it seems to last a while on my skin.  I like that it dries down and doesn't stay tacky like some cream blushes, which can be annoying.  It comes in a few other colors as well.

*NYX Away We Glow Highlighter in Moonbeam
I used this stuff on the tops of my cheekbones.  It took me a few tries to get the hang of it.  The best way I've found to apply it is to use 3-4 dots where I want it and blend it in with a brush right away before moving to the other side of my face.  It sets pretty quickly and needs to be blended right away.  It's a beautiful highlighter, and I'm glad I tried it several times before giving up on it.

*Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Dark Pearl
I talked about this pretty recently.  It's a beautiful cream eyeshadow that stays put all day!

Add some mascara and brow product, and that's today's look!  I didn't put any color on my lips--I just used my trusty Jack Black lip balm.

If you're intimidated by cream products (and many people are), I hope this inspires you to venture out and try some!  They're not nearly as scary as they seem.

XOXO,

Charlotte Tilbury Makeup

I've been hearing more and more about Charlotte Tilbury makeup through the YouTube beauty community.  A couple months ago, my mom and I stumbled across a Charlotte Tilbury counter in Nordstrom.  We just happened to catch it on the day it opened, and they were offering free makeovers, which I of course had to take advantage of!  Don't you just love getting your makeup done??  It's so soothing, almost like a spa experience.  Anyway, the artist tried a few products on me.  If you're interested to see what I've since purchased from the line, read on.

 Wonder Glow
This is an illuminating primer.  You can use it as a traditional primer underneath foundation.  You can also mix it in with your foundation or use it alone.  This stuff is pricey (honestly, that's pretty consistent across her line), but this is one product that is absolutely worth the splurge.  It gives you such a beautiful lit-from-within glow without looking glittery.  It's subtle and makes your skin look healthy.  The artist who put it on me called it "Gisele in a bottle."  I love wearing it alone or underneath the foundation I'll mention next.  It retails for $55 and can be found here.

Magic Foundation
This foundation is really great.  It comes in a beautiful glass bottle with a pump, which is always a bonus.  It blends in really easily with a Beauty Blender (my favorite), a brush, or even your fingers.  Once blended in, it leaves a beautiful, flawless satin finish on the face.  It holds up pretty well throughout the day.  I think most skin types could use this, although it can cling to dry patches, so be sure to moisturize well before applying this.  It looks even better with Wonder Glow underneath.  It also hasn't irritated my skin or broken me out.  I am in the shade 4.5.  Check it out here.

Color Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil
This may be the most impressive product I've tried so far from her line.  I love cream eyeshadow sticks.  It doesn't get any easier than drawing some on and smudging it out.  The problem is that they almost always crease on me or wear off throughout the day.  This stuff is so easy to use, and it stays put all day (and it has been tested through a workout!).  I have the color Dark Pearl.  It's absolutely stunning on its own but also looks great layered underneath the eyeshadow quad I'll mention below.  It's perfect for the lower lashline, too.  Possibly the only downside to this pencil is that it's not retractable and does need to be sharpened.  However, it's something I'm willing to put up with because I love this product so much!  Check it out here.

Side note: please excuse the line on my wrist from my hair tie :)

Luxury Eyeshadow Palette
This was the item I needed the least out of the bunch--I needed another eyeshadow palette like I need a hole in my head.  But it was something I kept thinking about for quite a while after the artist used it on me, so I finally decided to bite the bullet.  I own the one called The Sophisticate.  I am so happy with this purchase.  The shadows blend really nicely, and the colors are beautiful.  It's small and is great for travel.  On a day-to-day basis, I use the lightest two shades to just give my eyes a little definition.  If I'm going out, I love dolling up the look with the two darker shades.  And, as I mentioned above, it looks awesome layered on top of the Color Chameleon pencil.  If you have a lot of eyeshadow in your collection, this is probably not a necessity.  It is, however, a nice splurge.  I have used it almost every day since I bought it and am happy to have it.  It's become my new go-to palette.  If this is something you're interested in, you can find it here.

Overall Thoughts
So far, I'm very impressed with this line.  I think my collection will only grow from here.  It also doesn't hurt that her products are beautifully packaged!  Who doesn't love a little rose gold?

Thank you so much for reading!  Please comment and let me know what your favorite Charlotte Tilbury products are!


XOXO,

Eyelash Extensions Experience

These days, eyelash extensions are huge.  Everyone is getting them, and everyone is doing them.  Who wouldn't want to wake up with beautiful, long, fluttery eyelashes and not have to use mascara?  While there are many pros to extensions, there are also cons.  And, truth be told, they're not for everyone.  I had been wanting to try them forever.  After doing extensive research and watching many YouTube videos, I decided to finally take the plunge.

I bought a Groupon (and yes, many people would tell you not to do this), but the place I bought it to seemed reputable.  It had good reviews, and her normal prices were pretty comparable to what others in the area charge.  I think what most beauty gurus will tell you is don't buy a Groupon just because it's a good deal--make sure you research the place and check their reviews ahead of time.  When I went to book my service, she was booked out for over 2 weeks.  From everything I read, I took this as a good sign--if you can get in right away, she might not be too experienced, and she might not have that many customers.

When I went in to have them done, I told her what I wanted--something on the more natural side, and something that would open up my eyes.  She gave me exactly what I wanted, and I was very happy with the end result.  It took about 1.5 hours.  I did have some discomfort, which I was not expecting at all--in everything I had read and watched, nobody had ever mentioned this.  In fact, all I ever heard was that it is relaxing, and you can't feel anything as the lashes are being applied.  The discomfort started shortly after she started applying the lashes.  It felt like the glue was really irritating my eyes.  My eyes really started to water, which made it a bit difficult for her to apply the lashes, but it was something I had absolutely no control over.  She was able to work through it though and mentioned that I was not the only person that had happened to, and that if I were to keep coming back to get the lashes refilled, my eyes would get used to it.  Once the procedure was done, the discomfort and watering (and red eyes) quickly faded, and I was back to normal in no time.

While I found it really convenient to wake up and essentially already have my mascara done, lash extensions are not maintenance free.  In fact, at times, they felt quite high maintenance.  I was told to not get them wet for 48 hours.  After that, I had to be careful when washing my face.  I could get them wet, but I had to be careful about it.  After getting out of the shower or washing my face, I used a clean spoolie to brush through the lashes in order to keep them separated and going in the right direction.  As time went on, this got harder and harder to do, and the lashes eventually got all clumped together and didn't want to separate.  Typically on a daily basis, I don't wear any makeup except mascara and eyebrow makeup.  There were, however, a couple occasions when I wanted to wear eyeshadow and liner.  I was able to do it, but the lashes made it much harder.  If you are someone who wears full on eye makeup every day, these might not be for you.

Eyelashes have a growth cycle, and dead lashes fall out on their own (just like the hair on our head).  Therefore, the extensions gradually shed with your own lashes.  I was a bit concerned when I noticed that some of mine started falling out the very next day.  I also noticed that when they fell out, they were in clumps.  What I had heard is that there should be a 1:1 ratio with the extensions to your natural lashes--there shouldn't be several lashes glued onto one.  I got one refill after 2 weeks.  After that, I got them removed after 4 weeks.  They still looked decent at that point, but they were definitely more sparse and natural-looking than I wanted.  At that point, I really missed just wearing mascara and being able to make it as dramatic as I wanted.  As they started to shed, I could see some of my natural lashes peaking through.  While I was relieved that they were still there, I was concerned that they appeared a bit shorter than they were prior to extensions.  That was when I had a small panic attack and scheduled an appointment to have them removed.

I contacted a different lady, one who specializes in extensions, to have them removed.  She noted right away that the extensions look very different than the ones she applies.  She uses Nova Lash, which is a very reputable and high-quality brand of lashes.  She also noticed right away that several lashes were glued onto one and warned me that I might have some lash damage.  Once they were all removed, I saw that she was right--I did have some damage.  It wasn't terrible; I had the same amount of lashes, they were just shorter than before.  I was sad but also relieved that the damage wasn't worse.  She said my lashes would return to normal in about a month.  I started right back up with using castor oil on my lashes at night.  I am happy to say that just one week later (after using castor oil every night), I've already seen an improvement.  They are almost back to where they were before extensions--thank god!

So, what did I take from this experience that I could pass along to you?  Here is what I learned:

1.  Do your research.  I already knew this, but I didn't do a good enough job here.  Do not take this lightly!  Though the place I went to had good reviews, she didn't have an overwhelming amount of reviews.  If I recall, there was only one picture of her work that someone had posted on Yelp.  My advice to you would be to find somewhere with A LOT of good reviews and pictures.  Also, the lady who took them off for me offered a free eyelash consultation, so try to find somewhere that will do that for you.  Ask them a lot of questions--do research so you know what kinds of questions to ask.

2.  I hinted at this in the first point, but don't go the cheapest route.  This is an investment.  I don't always believe that you get what you pay for, but it's true in the case of eyelash extensions.

3.  Extensions just aren't for everyone.  Are you willing to spend the money to have them applied then have them touched up every few weeks?  Think about your lifestyle and how you like to wear your makeup.  Think about if you're willing to put up with worrying about them (being careful not to sleep on them, taking extra time to be careful washing your face and combing them afterwards, etc).  I'm trying to figure out how much time the extensions really saved me.  Sure, I was able to skip mascara every day, but with all the maintenance (not to mention the hour it took me to get a refill, which you would need to do regularly every 2-3 weeks), I think the time saving aspect might have been a wash.

4.  You can have them professionally removed if you don't want to wait for them to all fall out.

5.  If they do ruin your lashes, castor oil can bring them back to life!  There are also products like Neulash which have been said to work miracles, but if the $6 castor oil option works for me, I'll take it.

Thank you for reading!  I hope this was helpful.  Please share your eyelash extension experiences with me!

Benefit Gimme Brow New Shade

Benefit re-vamped their whole brow lineup over the summer.  They brought out some new products, re-packaged the existing ones, and they also added some new shades to a few of the existing products.  I while back, I mentioned that while everyone seemed to love their Gimme Brow, it only came in two colors, neither of which worked for me.  The light shade made my brows look grey, while the dark one made them look too black.  For at least a couple years, I've been wishing for an in-between shade in this line.  Lucky for me, Benefit made that happen.

Gimme Brow in new packaging

Gimme Brow now comes in 1 (light), 3 (medium), and 5 (dark).  Light and dark did not change--these were the two colors that existed before.  Medium was their new addition, which is described as "golden blonde to medium brown--warm."  You'll see in the swatch that it is a great neutral to warm shade that would work for a lot of people.

Shade 3 (medium)

I love how this gel has fibers in it to make your brows more full.  It really works well in that way.  It fills them in lightly, so for me, it's perfect if I'm not wearing any other makeup.  The hold it gives is pretty good as well.  It is buildable, too.  The pictures below will show naked brows, one layer of Gimme Brow, and two layers.  Full disclosure--my brows are freshly threaded, so they don't look as sparse here as they sometimes do when they're in desperate need of a waxing or threading.

Naked brow

One layer of Gimme Brow in shade 3

Two layers of Gimme Brow in shade 5

The only thing I don't like about this (besides the price) is that it's not completely waterproof.  While it claims to be water-resistant, it does tend to fade for me during an intense cardio workout (Pure Barre Platform, anyone??).  If I'm just sweating lightly and going about normal day-to-day business, the longevity is fine.

Thanks for reading!  I hope you give this a try if you're in the hunt for a new tinted brow gel.