What's in My (Purse!) Makeup Bag!

Hey Guys,
it's been aaaaaages since I've last posted, sorry about that! Today, I figured I would dump out the little makeup bag I keep in my purse and show you all what's inside it!

Here is the bag itself! I got it from H&M and I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a pencil case, but I thought it was so cute, and it was only $3 so the price was right! For me, it's the perfect size, and I really do love it!

Let's take a look inside!

Here's everything I love to carry with me! Quite a bit, but I like my options! :)

[From top left to right]

• Tokyomilk Dark Lip Elixir in Salted Caramel - I previously have written a post expressing my absolute love for this product. I am a huge fan of the scent and how hydrating it is on my lips. 
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Amsterdam - I freaking loooove the NYX matte lip creams. They are incredible, because you can apply them pretty easily, and then if you let the cream dry on your lips, they literally stay put for ages! This is the perfect red that I absolutely need on hand. 
• Chapstick in Cake Batter - literally the definition of cheap thrills. I am totally addicted to the cake flavor, and this is the most unfussy product in the world. I always need one! 
• Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - this is a great concealer to have on hand because it seems to effectively conceal a wide range of spots - from acne to dark circles. I get really insecure if some bad skin is showing through, so I love to have a concealer with me. 
• Lime Crime Matte Lipstick in Geradium - this is another product I have previously raved about. I love the bright pink color of this lipstick, because it always manages to wake me up - or at least create that illusion! I'm a massive fan of Lime Crime lippys, so I always love having this with me! 
• Zara The Limited Collection Rollerball Perfume in LVII - it's great to have some sort of nice scent around, so I love my rollerballs! This is a lovely scent I recently purchased, and just always seems to agree with me. 
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in London - I will admit that at first I bought this lip cream just because of the name, because I don't love anything as much as I love London. But, I love this shade of nude on me - very flattering! Nudes are great to have on hand, because they will match with anything, but I find it very difficult to find good nudes that really compliment my skin tone. This seems to do the job well. 
• Lancome Définicils Mascara in Black - This was a sample I received through Sephora, and I have found it is so nice to have a tiny little mascara in my bag! I find that reapplying once throughout a long day can really brighten my look. 
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Prague - I will eventually definitely be reviewing the NYX Matte Lip Creams; as you can see, I'm quite addicted! This is a lovely dark rose shade that I think looks very flattering on my lips. 
• Collection Little Mix Lipstick in Perrie's Lipstick - This is an awesome purple, and sometimes... I just really want a purple lip! I'm a massive fan of Little Mix, so I was so excited to get this, and it hasn't left my bag since. I find it quite wearable, even though it looks intimidating. 
• Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 550 Back to Fuchsia - This is a bright pink, and I can never have enough bright lip colors. I love the Rimmel Moisture Renew line, as it's more hydrating than regular lipsticks, but they also have great color payoff. 
• NYX Butter Gloss in Raspberry Tart - I'm a big fan of the NYX Butter Glosses - they've got great pigmentation, but are also a superior gloss in consistency and how they make your lips feel. The Raspberry Tart is a quite bright purple, and it really livens up any of my pink or red colors, so I love layering this over some unexpected colors. 
• Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo in Violet/ Palomino - TWO colors in one tiny tube?! Dream come true. I definitely bought this duo for the violet color, because it's quite a good orchid color, and I wanted to add some more orchid into my makeup collection. However, I am loving the formulation of both, so I'm a fan of this. 
•  Vaseline Lip Therapy in Cocoa Butter - I can't say I find myself reaching for this a lot as I have two other lovely balms, but I sometimes do use this on my hands, and I have discovered I really find myself missing this if I don't have it. 
• Revlon Moon Drops Lipstick in 710 Orange Flip - I am hugely obsessed with more orange colored lipsticks lately, and this is the brightest orange ever! I actually just love it. 
• Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Celestial - I think I have the whole Show Off line, and I love every one! I picked Celestial for the purse because it's a very nice pinky- nude color. 

lipsticks: Revlon Orange Flip, Lime Crime Geradium, Rimmel Back to Fuchsia, Collection Perrie's Lipstick

Okay, that's everything in my tiny makeup bag! Do I have too many lip colors? Absolutely. Do I regret any of it? Absolutely not! 

What's your purse essential? 

Xx Kate 

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February Glossybox: Unboxing and Review

Today, my favorite day of the month happened - I got my Glossybox! :D

I really look forward to finally getting my hands on the month's Glossybox. I subscribe to Glossybox and Birchbox, and in my opinion, Glossybox is without question my favorite. They always pack amazing value into the box - definitely justifying the $21/ month price tag! - and their products tend to be very high quality, and made by respected (or new- to- me) brands. I always discover something new that I absolutely love, and am very rarely disappointed with the products.

Let's dive in and check the February one!

First, the packaging is consistent, but always top notch. I love the boxes the products come in - they're well- made, and I tend to hold onto them because they are a great size for storage, or to use for gift boxes. I love that they include the card every month with product descriptions and tips about using the product, and the bow/ tissue paper is always classy and pretty. It truly always feels like I am opening a great present.

The February box contains:

• Anatomicals Puffy the Eye Bag Slayer Wake- Up Under Eye Patches 
• Figs & Rouge Cherry Blossom Tinted Lip Balm Tube
• Lauren B Beauty Nail Couture in City of Angels 
• Pureology Serious Color Care Colour Fanatic (sample)
• Sumita Beauty Kala Color Intense Pencil 

Let's see how these products perform! 

First is the Figs & Rouge lip balm. Although the last thing I need is more lip products, I really do love them, so I was very excited to get this. I have heard good things from Figs & Rouge but have never personally tried anything from the line. I really do like this lipgloss. The color is a "your lips but better" type of color - it doesn't add anything too crazy, but it does enhance. There's not much of a scent - I expected a strong cherry smell, but you have to really get close to smell anything at all, which is nice, because some people are bothered by scents. This is moisturizing, wearable, and has great packaging. Thumbs up from me!

I unfortunately can't say too much about the Pureology Color Fanatic spray yet - you have to apply it on damp hair, and I have just washed my hair, so no dice there. However, I know Pureology is a respected brand, so I'm excited to try it. I'm always looking for holy grail- status hair products. This has a floral scent that would smell fresh and nice on hair, and is a semi- thick milky white consistency.












I'm a huge fan of the Sumita eyeliner pencil. The line was really black, and it has great staying power. In the swatch, the bottom line is the line after the smudge test. I rubbed this line quite a few times, and didn't see much movement. This was only confirmed when I went to wash it off, and I literally could not get it off for about a minute. I really had to rub at it. This is a great pencil for your waterline, as eyeliner tends to come off very quickly there. I did try it on my eyes, and it was easy to apply and really made my eyes pop. I tend to prefer brown or eggplant colors for every day, but I am really excited that I found a great new going out pencil to use.


These eye patches are really quite fun! I was the least thrilled about these, as I am quite blessed with minimal under- eye problems, and I never fuss with eye creams or eye patches, as I just don't seem to need them. However, I tried these right away so I can give a real review on them. You're meant to put these directly under your eye and leave them there for 30 minutes. I was wary about eye irritation, but there were absolutely no problems there. The effect is very cooling and feels very pleasant! These stick on your face well, so you can move about and not worry about them falling off every two seconds. There was no discomfort with these at all, and when I removed them, I really did see a difference! My under eye area definitely looked plumper and refreshed. Wow! I'm definitely going to enjoy using the next two packets of these. (Also, way to go Glossybox for giving us three packets - how generous!)

Anyone who stalks Glossybox's twitter and webpage did know we were getting this. There's always at least one product a month that isn't a surprise. I was excited about this, as I am one of those people who never feel like I have too many nail polishes. I love the color of this - it's that perfect ballet pink for spring. I'm not loving the lighting in the picture that I included, but trust me when I say that the color in the bottle is the color on my nails - after one coat! The formulation of this is absolutely awesome, and is one of those rare "one coat wonder" polishes that I absolutely adore. I don't have time to put on three + coats of anything, so I tend to throw polishes like that out rather quickly. However, I won't be tossing this any time soon! Also, the back of the polish says that it doesn't have formaldehyde, DBP, toluene, formaldehyde resin or champhor and is cruelty- free and vegan friendly. Lauren B is a brand new line that is launching Spring 2014, and I will definitely be picking up some more of her polishes. This is the reason I love Glossybox - it is so easy to get exclusive and new products that I absolutely love.

Overall, I am very excited about this new Glossybox! I did open it and worry there might be some duds - a cheap eye pencil, some eye patches I will never use, just another lip balm - but the products speak for themselves as usual and they are all great! Once again, Glossybox doesn't let me down, and I am already counting down the days until I have the March Glossybox in my hands! :)

Oh, and Cecil's a big fan too! ^_^

Xx Kate

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The Best Lip Balm...

I've been on the hunt for the perfect lip balm for absolutely ages. It is the first makeup product I ever used, yet I have never been able to find one that hits the mark on all accounts. I want a non- sticky, hydrating, nicely scented, good value, portable lip balm. Why is that so hard to find?!

The Fresh Sugar lip balms are extremely popular and well- reviewed, so I was thrilled to get a sample of them at Sephora for my birthday two years ago. While they were decent- smelling, I really hated them because they lacked form and were too soft, so it was easy to use them up quickly by smashing them on your lips. Definitely not a good value, and I wasn't impressed with many other aspects of them too. I began to give up hope that the perfect lip balm existed.

I bought the Tokyomilk Dark Femme Fatale Collection Lip Elixr in "Salted Carmel No. 36" completely as an impulse buy during Christmas shopping. I liked the idea of a salted carmel scent, I was charmed by the packaging, and $7 at Sephora for a good- sized lip balm seemed to be a steal. However, I was skeptical. It was one of those purchases where I was expecting to be let down.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this! First, the smell is literally incredible. I cracked it open and was immediately in love with the scent. It's strong, but not overpowering, and fades within half an hour on your lips, which is nice if you are wearing other scents. When inevitably it comes off your lips and into your mouth (always something to consider!), this lip balm tastes great. The texture is fantastic. It's definitely not sticky, and the "bee balm" formulation makes it very hydrating without getting your lips addicted to it (coughbabylips!cough). It feels as if I am providing a shield to my lips whenever I put it on. I wear it over lipstick, under lipstick, really whatever I feel like, and I always have it on hand. It's an amazing value. It's made with great ingredients, and the package is quite large. I've been using it since Christmas and have only made a small indentation. I know this is going to last for absolute ages.

If I was getting really picky, I would say the only drawback is that it's in a tin and not a tube. I do like tube balms because you don't have to get your fingers sticky. However, I find that since this is that beeswax formula, I just rub the excess into my knuckles, and it softens my hands as well! By no means would I ever consider using this as a hand cream - it's much too thick for that - but I don't really run into the "tin problem" quite as much with this. 

If salted carmel isn't your thing, this collection features many other delicious and unique scents, such as "Coco Noir" (chocolate and cherry), "La Vie en Rose" (rosewater, orange, vanilla), and Jenna's choice - "Clove Cigarette" (clove, lavender rose, saigon cinnamon, vanilla). I found a few testers at Sephora and smelled them all, and I have to say, every one smelled like a winner to me. I am looking forward to getting more eventually, although I know it's going to take me quite a bit of time to finish this one off! 

What's your favorite lip balm/ lip products? I would love to test them out and hear your opinions. 

Xx Kate 

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Drugstore Find: Boots Botanics Mineral Eye Color

Often I find myself in the drugstore with no actual agenda or purpose. I know I will probably leave with some new makeup that I can't wait to swatch, but I frequently just end up there after a long and boring day of work, dying to find some solace in beauty products.

Today, I found myself at Walgreens perusing the Boots selection. Walgreens recently (last fall) introduced the Boots line at their store, which I was thrilled about, as I spent last summer in London and fell in love with the Boots store. I am really interested in UK beauty products, as they are often formulated with less offensive chemicals, as the UK bans hundreds of more harsh ingredients than the US has. For the month of March, Walgreens is offering a 20% discount on all Boots products. This seemed like a great time to explore more of the collection. 

I haven't really ventured into Boots makeup, although I love the skincare products that I have tried. I especially love the Botanics line, as it is formulated with more natural ingredients (the tagline is "the power of plants.") I saw their eyeshadow display, and was really drawn to some of the duos and quads. I swatched them in store and immediately loved the smooth and buttery feel and was very impressed by the pigmentation and lack of fall out. The duos retail for $6.49 (promo price = $5.19) and the quads retail for $7.99 (promo price = $6.39). With the promotion, I knew I had to take a few home with me immediately! 

For the duos, I chose "Oasis." This duo features a champagne gold and a bronze shade. I was drawn to this duo because often with duos I notice one color is too dark to wear on it's own and needs to be lightened up. I loved this duo because the colors work well together, but could very easily be worn separately as well, and I felt like that made the duo much more versatile. 

As for the quad, I absolutely loved the one called "Velvet Green." I have green eyes, so green shades tend to really enhance my eye color. I felt like all of these colors were super beautiful. It features a pretty green- based taupe, a champagne, a light green, and a forest green. While this quad has more color, I think this quad is very wearable and would be just fine for everyday looks. I do wish there would have been just one matte in this quad, as I don't like to wear metallics exclusively when I am doing an eye look, but I do feel that regardless, I will be reaching for this palette quite a bit. 

In terms of packaging, I like that no space is wasted with a pointless brush that nobody will ever use, but I didn't love the silver border on top, as it scratches very easily and shows fingerprints, so it starts getting banged up fast. I think the leaf print on the eyeshadows is absolutely adorable and really emphasizes the "botanics" aspect. And once again, both of these palettes have gorgeous formulation and were very wearable. I didn't look too far into the rest of the line, but I didn't feel like there was anything too crazy, so I definitely want to take advantage of the discount and buy some more palettes soon! 

Will you be looking into the Boots line now? :) let me know! 

Xx Kate 

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Why You Should Own a Lime Crime Lipstick

I'm a massive fan of lip products lately, and I have been buying way too many. It's gotten to the point where, in my makeup collection, I now have an "overflow" storage space designated solely for lip products. So, when I finally impulse- bought lipsticks from Lime Crime at 1 am, I was convinced I had made a mistake. After all, I have way too many lip products, and they're all great quality. Despite the positive reviews I have read about the products, I was convinced that there was no way my investment had been a smart idea.

I was wrong.

I am a huge fan of these lipsticks. I might be the number one fan, in fact. Honestly, I might go buy some more of these lipsticks once I'm done writing this post, because all I can think of are the shades I don't have but definitely need. Let's break down why these lipsticks are the best.

First, it's worth pointing out that Lime Crime lipsticks are vegan and cruelty- free. I'm a massive fan of that, and it always makes me more willing to buy a product that has some natural, good- for- the- planet formulation behind it.

Second, this product has made me a complete packaging whore. Never in my life have I been so dazzled by the packaging of a product. And it's not just the adorable lipstick packaging itself: all the packaging - even the box it came in - was completely fantastic. In a sea of boring black tubes, my Lime Crime lippys always stand out - and I love that. If you pull this lipstick out in public, you will get people fawning over the package. It's just amazing.

Third, this product smells like vanilla. It's absolutely delicious, and I always want to lick my lips or reapply it when I'm just hanging out around my house, because I love love love this smell.

Fourth, the formulation is just perfect. Not only does it deliver very high- pigmented color, it lasts a shocking amount of time. I wore my red Lime Crime lippy ("Retrofuturist") this weekend when I went to grab drinks with Jenna. I left a red lip mark on my glasses, and yet I noticed my lips still maintained that gorgeous red color. When I got home, my lips still looked awesome, and when I washed my makeup - the color was still there! I was shocked. In addition to the awesome color and incredible lasting power, this lipstick is very hydrating, not at all sticky, and very easy to apply. It goes on like butter and stays on like glue.

from left to right - Chinchilla, Retrofuturist, Geradium

Are you convinced yet? :) I can keep going. The shade range is so cool. They have really unique colors - some I would never be brave enough to try (yellow? green?) but I did try Chinchilla (a grey- purple) and was shocked at how much I love it. They also have classic reds and pinks for those that are feeling less adventurous. The lipsticks retail for $18. I considered this an investment, as I am a massive fan of less- than- $10- at- the- drugstore lipsticks, but I would honestly pay this price again and again. It is very clearly worth the price to me, and it's definitely not that steep when you consider Macs retail for $16 (and I am not a massive fan of their formulation) and many designer lines retail for up to $30 easily.

I honestly cannot wait to try more of the Lime Crime line, and I hope you are excited to as well! You can purchase all the products on their website, and I don't think they sell in stores. Get buying! :)

Xx Kate

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Hair Chalk Let Downs

I love the idea of abnormally colored hair. Pink, purple, green, teal, blue, yellow, orange, silver, or anything really. That being said, not all colors/dye jobs are created equal. It takes time and commitment to have truly awesome colored hair. Unfortunately a permanent dye job is not possible right now so I decided to look into hair chalk.
Most of the options that I encounter resemble the pastels I remember using in elementary school that inevitably ended up smearing on every surface within an eight foot radius. So, when I saw that Bumble and Bumble would be releasing a limited edition, spray-on version, I was ecstatic. They were offering four colors (blue, pink, light purple, and a minty green) AND it was actually available at my neighborhood Sephora.
It took me a while to decide which color I needed and after a few in-store test sprays, I went with the minty green.

Immediately upon spraying it on my hair, I was disappointed. The smell was horrid and very potent and had definitely NOT been noticed when I had tested it at the store. But, I was willing to overlook the scent, figuring it would dissipate over time. Then the bottle ran out. I had managed to get it where I wanted but had anticipated being able to use it more than once after having spent $20. 

(The expression on my face is a representation of my feelings of this chalk) This was approximately twenty minutes after I had sprayed my hair and already I could see that the color was less vibrant than when I had initially sprayed. Which was a total let down seeing as I hadn't even left my house at this point. The chalk also rubbed off my hair and onto my outfit. :(

This is a picture from the following day, where the color is mostly faded. Unfortunately it still faintly smelled funky and had acquired a weird congealed texture.

I would definitely not reccomend this product to anyone. Despite the reputation the Bumble and Bumble has built with their products, the quality is just not found in their spray-on hair chalk. 

Jenna

xx.

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Hi!
We are Kate, Cat, and Jenna. We are roommates/best friends that have decided to blog our journey towards dressing well, mastering the art of makeup, and good hair. We plan to use this space to showcase the good, the bad, and the meh.

xx.

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