April 2014 Nail Art Recap

Ok guys. When I usually say I'm slacking, I'm not, but this month has been awful for my nails! They were naked for almost 2 weeks which is why this post is going to be so short lol. I only have 4 pictures for you guys this month. It's so sad. :'(

MANIS

Essie Smokin Hot & Essie Sew Psyched

OPI Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It & Sation Love At First Byte

Rimmel Instyle Coral, Rimmel Mintilicious, & Rimmel Hot Black To Go

OTHER

OPI Don't Pretzel My Buttons, Chinaglaze White Out, Julep Claire, 

& Chinaglaze Tart-y For The Party

That's all folks! Next month will be better. I promise. If you're not following me on Instagram, please do so!

Kiss, Kiss.

-A

My Current Night Time Skincare Routine

I've never done a post like this before, and I'm always trying to find new things to post on my blog. So I thought I would give a skincare routine a try. I use a lot of different things on my face. I love trying out new products, so usually I don't have a set routine. But for the last few weeks, I've been pretty much using the same few products, at least at night, to cleanse my face with.

1. I like a really full coverage face, so at night I obviously have to take all that makeup off of my face. So lately I've been using the Global Beauty Care Facial Cleansing Wipes to remove the majority of my makeup. These come in a 3-pack at Five Below for a whopping 5$! There are 25 wipes in a pack, so it's a really great value.

2. After taking off my makeup, I have to make my face squeaky clean. Lately I've been using my Noxzema Deep Cleansing Cream Plus Moisturizers. This tub is massive! I've had it for 6 months or so, and I'm still not even half way through it. This helps to take off any makeup left over from the wipes and just to take off all the dirt, dead skin, and oil from the day. It tingles when you wash with it, which I love. It makes my face feel like it's getting a really great cleanse.

3. I tend to also use my Proactiv Deep Cleansing Brush with a cream cleanser. I have the old version. I really like the extra exfoliation it gives and that I can see all the gross dirt and foundation coming off on the brush. 

4. At least twice a week I use a mask on my face. My current favorite is the Proactiv Refining Mask. It sucks all the oil out of my skin, which is great for spring and summer. I get really oily in my T-zone, so this is something that helps me out a whole lot. 

5. Once my face is nice and clean, I have to use a toner. The toner that I use literally 99% of the time is the Proactiv Revitalizing Toner. I know. I use a lot of Proactiv products. I used to work for them, and the stuff really works lol. This is my favorite thing to put on my face. I love the smell of it and the way it makes my skin look and feel. 

6. Because of finals and the warmer weather, I've been breaking out lately. So to combat that I use the (surprise!) Proactiv Repairing Treatment. Like I said, I used to work for Proactiv, and I've seen the changes it's made to people's skin. It really helps to get rid of any blemishes that I have. If I see them pop up and then I use this at night, they're significantly smaller in the morning. Sometimes, they're completely gone. 

7. After I make sure all my acne is taken care of, I use a night cream. The one I've been using for about 9 months now is the Own Refining Moisture Night Cream. I got this as a sample in a subscription box last summer, and I could not believe how great it made my skin feel. It's supposed to help with anti-aging as well as moisturize the skin. 

8. The last thing I do to my face at night, is use an eye cream. I use the CVS Advanced Anti-Wrinkle & Firming Formula Day & Night Eye Cream.  I've always had issues with dark circles under my eyes and constantly looking tired. This stuff is cheap and works really well. I've definitely seen improvement since I got it. 

I hope you enjoyed this kind of post. I will try to do an updated one in a few months, as well as a morning skincare routine. I would have done that one first, but it isn't as set as what I use at night. 

Kiss, Kiss.

-A

April 2014 Starlooks Starbox

I am so excited about this month's box! I literally have been neglecting looking at things for this month's subscription boxes. I remember looking up the the Looks Book for this on the first, but that was 3 weeks ago, and I haven't thought about it since. So as the title suggests, this is what I got in my April 2014 Starbox.

If you don't know what Starbox is, it's a monthly subscription service that is all makeup. You always get full size products, but they are all from one brand: Starlooks. The cost is 15$ per month, plus about 3$ in shipping. They also have a referral program where for every person you refer, you get a surprise gift that has a few other makeup items in it. Also, every 3 months that you get your box, you get a free 35$ gift. If you see a box you like, you can buy it individually for 25$.

So here is the actual box this month. It's tan with a green ribbon and purple logo this time. I love these boxes. So this one is going into the pile from the past 5 months.

Each box comes with a card detailing what is inside. The front of the card has a picture from their Looksbook for the month.

There were only 2 makeup items this month, though, which is strange for Starbox. The first item was the Lip Gloss in the color Pout. It has a satin finish and is a burnt orangey-red color with a bit of red orange shimmer. It isn't sticky at all, but it is thick enough to stay on your lips and wear really well.

The second item I was super excited about! It's another one of their 5 Shadow Palettes!!! I absolutely love their eye shadows. They are so buttery and pigmented. I got the palette in the color combination Tokyo.

Last, is the bonus item. Every month they send you something small and cute to go with all the things in your box. This month, since it's finally spring, they send a packet of wildflower seeds.

Even though there were only 2 things in this month's box, I'm still really happy with it. I would have been happy with only getting the palette since it retails for 41$ on its own. The total for both products is 53$ and I only spent 18$. If you were interested in signing up for Starbox, just click here to take the style quiz.

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Hautelook Haul feat. The Balm Cosmetics

It took almost a month to get this stuff in, and I've been crazy busy lately, but here is my most recent Hautelook purchase! I bought 3 products from The Balm, which is a brand I've been dying to try since all the hype from the Nude Tude palette.

Starting with the biggest item, I got the Balm Voyage palette. They had the Nude Tude, and the Balm Jovi palettes available on Hautelook, too, but I loved the color selection in this palette the best. The packaging on their products is sooo stinking cute! I love the vintage feel to everything.

The palette comes with an adorable mirror on the inside that looks like a passport photo. If only I had blonde hair...

It comes with 16 shadows and 3 lip/cheek stains. The shadows have a really great consistency and a great range of finishes. I love that it has a separate flap for the lip/cheek products so that fallout from the shadows doesn't get in. The 4 eye shadow swatches are of A4, C3, B2, & D1.

On the inside of the lip and cheek stain flap are a few color combinations for you to try.

The second item I got was a blush. I got the Instain blush in the color Toile. This blush is like a berry leaning coral color. The swatch I did of it does no justice to the actual color.

Lastly, I got a highlighter. No it's not Cindy. I actually got Betty-Lou Manizer. OMG is this pretty! I did not think I would love this as much as I do. The color is absolutely gorgeous. I can use it as a shadow or a highlight. IN LOVE!

That's everything I bought off Hautelook. I'm super pleased with my purchase. I'll definitely have to buy more things from The Balm in the future. Until next time...

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

Ipsy Glam Bag | April 2014

I actually got my Glam Bag in the second week of the month! That hasn't happened for a good 6 months. Usually I get it at the end of week 3. But anyhoo, let's just jump into this month's bag.

The Goods: 

Let's start out, like always, with the bag! This month's bag is so cute! I missed the preview for the bag, so it was actually a surprise for me this month. I love it. I think it's just too adorable.

The theme for this month is  "Beauty Rocks!"

Urban Decay 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil 
I was soooo excited that we all got this. It's super cool to get to sample a brand new product. I'm not sure if Ipsy has done this in the past year or not, but it's a nice surprise to get in a bag. It swatches really well, and doesn't budge.

Mary Kay At Play Jelly Lip Gloss in Berry Me 
This was such a wonderful surprise for me! I'm a Mary Kay consultant, and it's super nice seeing the product out there for people to try out in a different setting. I've already done a review on this that you can check out here.

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Skin Exfoliant
I knew I was going to get this! I do really like scrubs, though. It smells good and has a decent grit to it. I haven't used it on my face yet, so I'll let you know in an empties post later on.

Demeter Roll On Perfume Oil in Jasmine
I have absolutely no clue why I got this in my bag. I'm pretty picky about my perfumes, and that's probably why I don't actually have more than 3. I also don't wear them that often. This has such a weird consistency being an oil. The scent is ok, but it's not really my thing.

City Color White Gold Shadow & Highlight Mousse
This was a pleasant surprise. I didn't think I would actually like this. The color sheers out to a gorgeous gold finish. I'll be using this in my tear duct area and as a stronger highlight.

Price Summary:
UD Liner - 13.33$
MK Lip Jelly (FULL SIZE!) - 10.00$
Dr. Brandt Scrub - 9.75$
Demeter Oil - 10.00$
City Color Shadow (FULL SIZE!) - 3.99$
Total: 47.07 USD

I am almost never upset about a product I get from an Ipsy Bag. The product sizes are always good, and I love the mix of high end and low end stuff. If you're thinking about subscribing to Ipsy, check out my March, February, and January Glam Bag reviews. I would love it if you used my referral link to sign up.

Kiss, Kiss.
-A

A Haul of Products I Thought I'd Lost

So under my desk while I was cleaning, I found a shopping bag of makeup that I COMPLETELY forgot about! I literally bought this stuff back in January and then lost it, somehow. So I'm gonna show you guys what I bought! Forever ago...

I wanna get the boring stuff out of the way first. So boring for me is new brushes, lol. I picked up 2 of the elf Essential Eye Shadow Brushes. I love these brushes. They're cheap and they work well.

Also from elf, I picked up the Studio Cream Eyeliner in the shade Coffee. I've been trying out 2 new things with my makeup: getting down a really good brow routine and having more natural eye makeup. So I'll use this liner to fill my brows as well as use it for an actual eyeliner on days when I want liner, but I don't want anything too dramatic.

The rest of these items, I got at CVS. These are all from the clearance sale they had at the beginning of the year. I got 2 eye shadow trios from Wet N Wild that I hadn't been able to find until they went on clearance. The first is Cool As A Cucumber. I don't think I'll get much use out of the browbone color, but the other two are absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to put these on.

The other trio I picked up is one I've been searching for for a few months. It's the beautiful Knock On Wood. This trio is going to be so gorgeous for the summer! I plan on pairing it with the trio in I'm Getting Sunburned. I'm dying to use that burgundy color on the bottom!

I bought 2 lipglosses that were on sale. One was the Sally Hansen Lip Inflation Xtreme in the shade Sheer Bare. It smells like spicy cinnamon! I love this scent! I love that it's not the typical vanilla sugar scent or minty scent that lip products usually have. The gloss has a brush applicator instead of a doe foot applicator. You get a ton of product on that little brush, too. Super creamy. Super glossy.

The last thing I bought was the Revlon Colorburst Lipgloss in the shade Sunset Peach. It's so pretty! The applicator isn't the typical doe foot, either. It's actually flat on either side. I like that because you don't have to dip back into the pot for more gloss.

That's everything. I am so glad I found this shopping bag! Now it's like I have new makeup even though I don't! Let's see if I find any more makeup I forgot about. Until next time.

Kiss, Kiss.
-A