The Cleansed Review | 2019 Favorites

I've never done a post like this before because I'm really crap at keeping lists of favorites and most used products throughout the year. It takes way more dedication than anyone can imagine to keep track of the products we all use and what truly stands out, especially when you're as fortunate as I am to acquire and use as many products as I do. However, this year I compiled a list of some of my stand out products from the year that I could see myself repurchasing next year!

Kylie Skin

At last a post that should have been written sooner but here it is! A short but simple review of the only Kylie Skin product I intend to purchase (for now). Get ready to head to your local Ulta...

Murad's Hydration Line

I try a lot of skincare, yes. But what I keep to use and choose to give away varies. The majority of my collection leans towards the "clean at Sephora" way but I made room for more clinical and scientific research kinds like Murad. I'm really picky about this one but the whole hydration line has earned its place in my stash. 

Glow Recipe

I love being able to talk about a brand that's grown within my own store and I've watched their progress on social media too! With the most fun packaging and concepts, Glow Recipe can come off like a gimmicky brand but it's what on the inside that counts. With K-beauty origins, Glow Recipe continues to wow me with their launches and consistency in making great products! They also just earned their Clean at Sephora seal.

Lancome Skin Feels Good | Foundation Review

Am I writing about what is essentially a tinted moisturizer?? Am I okay? Yes, I'm fine because this isn't a barely there tinted moisturizer. It's a sheer-medium tinted moisturizer hybrid from Lancome! Wow! I didn't expect to love this so much but oh, I do. Skin Feels Good is not only the one in makeup wear but also shines in the skincare department. Win, win!

Kiehl's Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Mask

Kiehl's was the first brand I dabbled with when I converted my skincare from what I always picked up at Target to higher end, better for you choices. I'd always marveled at Youtubers Anna and Lily when they talked about Kiehl's and wondered what did I need? I still remember the masking trio I purchased at the Kiehl's counter, which gave me a taste of what Kiehl's was all about! I didn't really know what I was doing at the time but this Turmeric & Cranberry Seed one left a big impression on me. I kept it in mind for so long that four years later, I finally bought the full size!

Cover FX Power Play | Foundation Review

I've decided to start a new lil' section of my blog dedicated to foundations! Foundations make up a large section of my makeup collection but there's also so many out there and I only have one face. That being said, I've acquired a lot and decided to solely work through one foundation at a time (mostly) before opening another. Yeehaw.

Also foundation is the company focus for Sephora for the second year in a row because women are still on the hunt for the perfect one. Or they're like me and own six different ones because we don't always have to do the same look every day, right? Right.

Beauty & Skincare Haul | September 2019

Sooo apparently I've gotten the spending bug again when it comes to new makeup and skincare and I just can't stop. After several internal arguments that go something like this:

Me: Buy it. You deserve it.

Also me: You need nothing.

Me: But what about [insert X, Y, and Z things]

I end up buying the things! I don't buy a lot of beauty products anymore because I've been so lucky to get so much stuff at my job but I'm still a girl who loves beauty and is also worried about not renewing her Rouge status for the third year in a row. I thought I'd pop a round up of some new things I've acquired in the last month here for your enjoyment (and mine).

KKW Beauty | Thoughts

With an internet-based shop and an inability to swatch, you'd be curious too about Kim Kardashian's make up line, wouldn't you? Well I can assure you, anything from KKW Beauty is well worth the money (or Afterpay payments). I ended up picking up one of the best neutral eyeshadow palettes on the market along with a new contour shade, and I'm loving them!

Too Faced Damn Girl

Too Faced keeps on doing the most and while I'm 100% okay with that usually, they've brought another mascara into the mix because why not when you have one of the best selling mascaras in the world thriving in the beauty world? With my mixed thoughts on a new mascara (that I didn't need), I figured it was apt to put it in a blog post.

The Products I Didn't Like

As someone who is a self proclaimed beauty lover and has had Platinum and Rouge memberships between Ulta and Sephora for years, I've tried a lot of products...I've also gotten to try a lot because of my job. There's something nostalgic too about looking back on old products I used! Thankfully, products I've loved out weigh the ones I didn't. And after this post, they can move onto a good home!

Dry Shampoo Figured Out | Part 2

It's been almost two years since I wrote my original post on dry shampoo, my most read post to date, and now I'm back with an update. According to my Beauty Insider purchase history, I've purchased the OG Drybar Detox Shampoo EIGHT times since that original post. That's not too bad for almost two years. However, there's a new dry shampoo from Drybar that promises to clean with no white residue. But do I like it as much as I like the original???

Glossier Showroom | NYC 2019

Other than meeting a friend for the first time, going to the Glossier Showroom was on my to do list during my four hours in New York City. I'd dreamed about seeing the showroom in person since it's reopening last year and let me tell you, it's everything I've seen on Instagram for aaages.

oo35mm | NYC 2019

With four hours in New York City, I had to be strategic af when it came to having fun and getting where I wanted to go. Thank God for Fran, my tour guide and close friend for four years. This visit was also the first time Fran and I were meeting face to face (thank you Internet!!). I was truly blessed with Fran because she lives there and thankfully knows her way around the city. After walking through the rain, making it to the Glossier showroom, we moved on through the drizzle to oo35mm in Koreatown. It's a tiny and narrow shop filled with all sorts of beauty items and skincare, mostly Korean. K-Beauty has been on the rise for the past couple years and this store was everything I'd ever wanted.

Good Eats | London 2019

The inner blogger in me took over whenever I sat down in a cafe or a restaurant in London. Part of me documented my food for my own amusement but also for this blog. I wanted to share everything I ate/saw/did across four days in one of my favorite places. I didn't get to all my favorite places but I did make it to some of them and some new places!

What I Packed | London 2019

Obviously I'm a planner. Along with being a planner, I'm a hoarder. A hoarded of the tiny and travel sized skincare and makeup. I'd like to say thank you to my job for the products but it's also me being me. I decided early on of what skincare and makeup I was going to take with me in relation to the weather, climate, and however my skin was going to react in another country.

Antioxidants. Hydration. Oil Control. Balance.

These were some of the words that crossed my mind for my stay in London. I wanted to prepare for all possible cases with my skin tbh. I don't travel much so I'm not one of those people who knows how their skin will behave on a plane then in another city. We're just going off assumptions here folks!

Beauty Haul | London 2019

Aside from the shopping I did in New York, I went off in London. I hadn't treated myself to quite a haul in a long time (actually probably never). I touched down in London with a carefully curated list, because that's how I am. I know I filmed two videos for IGTV showing everything I bought but I also wanted to write a post adding onto what I filmed (with links!).

Double Cleansing & Saying No to Makeup Wipes

I bring you another post I ended up rewriting because I felt like it was lacking in true knowledge dropping on here. I want to cover double cleansing and why I love it so much...but first we need to address why using a makeup wipe is an excuse for cleansing your face. Settle in and get excited to take your makeup off!

A First Aid Beauty Guide

We love a brand overview post especially when it has to do with such a brand that ultimately focuses on sensitive skin and a line that calls to the Millennials out there who love bright pink packaging. Sign me up!

First Aid Beauty is best known for its Ultra Repair Cream, the buttercream-like consistency that helps hydrate and nourish from head to toe! While it's great for the driest of skin, it's not for me. Instead, I go towards their Hello FAB line with fun, innovative products that I've somehow collected over the years. There are some hits and misses in this line but everything's worth having a look over at least!

On the Counter | Weldon Nichols

The one where skincare meets self love, swearing by SPF, and getting it from your momma.

Seven years ago, Weldon and I became friends over a certain boyband. Cute British boys aside, we discovered we had so much more in common with one another. One being we were both only children with single moms. Our friendship has spanned over a long period of time with so many changes and growth between us- even Weldon joining me down in Charleston! She's one of those that makes me feel that kind of friendship where you wonder, "how did I live so long without you??"

Enjoy as she reminds us all to take care of ourselves and wear that SPF all day, every day.

How to: Facial Exfoliation

Exfoliating is a great thing! I’d love to do it not only to my skin but also parts of my life! I’ll keep you posted if I ever figure out how to do that, I’ll let you know. Exfoliating your skin is super important so you get all the bad crap off and make room for the new and better skin to come through. But as much as we love a exfoliator to scrub away all the problems on our skin, going overboard isn’t so great. It’s necessary, but you just gotta know what’s best for you and when/how to use it.

Liquid Liner Made Easy

Oooh, eyeliner. The key to looking less tired and like you’re ready to get down to business. The question is, which one do you go for?

I started wearing eyeliner around six years ago. I still remember the day like it was yesterday. Some lady helped me find this Stila liquid liner pen that I still use to this day! It's the holy grail in my book. I probably didn’t apply it the best but hey, I learned.

Liquid liner is your friend. It’s the answer to those quick black lines above our lashes that make them look fuller and your eyes pop. You can free hand with those babies too. I’m the worst when it comes to pulling my eye to do my liner. But with my eye shape, which can differ on everyone, sometimes a little tug makes things go faster.

The Primer Edit

I'm shocked by the fact that I've had my blog for over four years and I've never done a post about primers???? Clearly I'm a fraud because I use one every day. Depending on the foundation that's going over it, it can change from day to day. I cringe at the thought of putting foundation on without primer.

With primers still being a familiar concept to some, I'm here to share that they change the game y'all. They can make any foundation you're dying to try WORK without breaking up, sliding off, etc.

Here's the fun part, figuring out which one you need to put in your next Sephora order. Oh, and thank me later.

Herbivore Botanicals

If you’ve been around here before, you’ll already be familiar with my major levels of excitement when it comes to skincare. Especially when I know the brand’s story, product concepts, and all around love of the stuff they make. Just like my post about Sunday Riley, Herbivore Botanicals is another love of my life in the skincare world. This Seattle-born company keeps things American made with nothing added in that you wouldn’t want on your face. Win, win.

Hourglass Caution Mascara

I love mascara. Love it. It’s my favorite part of my makeup routine just like cleansing is in my skincare routine. I always have 5 or 6 on rotation and once one dries out, in pops another. They all serve a purpose within my repurposed Diptyque candle holder (like the blogger I truly am). One of my friends and I love to dish about our latest mascara loves and stories of when we’ve regrettably poked ourselves in the eye with the wand (RT if this is you). We both decided that we’re super high maintenance when it comes to mascara, hence why I can never give a straightforward answer when I’m asked what my favorite mascara is. Depends on the day really!

On the Counter | CJ Shepard

The one where Fenty setting powder saves lives and Lancome makes highlighters out of fairy dust.

DeTrunking Drunk Elephant

Welcome to another post that I’ve rewritten multiple times because I couldn’t settle on how I wanted it to sound. When writing about a brand that has a controversial way of marketing with amazing products, can you blame me? Thanks to Caroline Hirons, I found some clarity on how to share my constant tennis match of feelings on Drunk Elephant. Caroline’s great for telling it like it is, love her for that, and giving you the honest truth. Let’s tuck in and see how I do.

Glossier Lashslick

Ah I really could have a thread of mascara posts every week because I always have 5 or 6 on rotation. But mascara is one of my favorite makeup products and has been forever. Rarely do I go with just one when I have the options to layer and build up my lashes for maximum drama and avoiding false lashes all together. I don’t trust myself to put those things on myself. All of my mascaras vary with what they do and one of the most natural in my assortment is from Glossier. I didn’t know if Lashslick was for me when it came out but eventually I caved and figured I could layer it if need be. But now that I’ve been through my first one and a second one waiting, I feel confident enough to say that I love this mascara.