Challenge Wrap Up: 1 Palette 30 Days

     As you may know I used only 1 eyeshadow palette for 30 days. If you follow me on instagram, you have seen the looks I've been able to achieve with the crown leopard shimmer palette.

These are the swatches for the palette. I placed them in the same order as they are in the palette.

 

 

The challenges were:
-limited to 36 colors
-all shimmer
-some iridescent
-no black
-no white

 

     In the beginning I have to admit it was a little difficult to come up with subtle looks.

 I wanted to dive right in to the blues and mix unexpected colors  together, but I had just started a new job and was afraid they might not take it well.
     I thought without black and white I'd be lost. I don't use white that much, but I use black for various things.
      Not having black meant I had to come up with ways to darken a color properly.  I say properly because adding the charcoal grey to some colors would just destroy them. I added complementary colors to some looks to increase the contrast and intensity.
      I added a swatch card so you could see the colors and a chart of how I used the colors each day and which ones I used.
      I would love to do this challenge again! The first few days were difficult, but it got easier after the first week. Would I do this again? Most definitely!!! I'm already thinking about it now!

     If I only had this 1 palette, would I be happy? Yes and no...WHY? with the absence of black, you can't get the dramatic smoky look you may want. It's probably not a good palette for beginners, since blending and possibly intense color mixing is required. It's a great palette though, surprisingly pigmented, blendable and with hardly ANY fallout. Hautelook actually had the matte version on sale a couple weeks ago. I was temped, but I didn't purchase it.

 

Below is a spread sheet I created. I know you all might be semi pro's, but just in case... I applied the colors 3 different ways.

1. typical crease, lid, highlight combo

2. from inner to outer corner (lightest to darkest)

3. classic 'smoky' application ( darkest color close to lash line, middle color on lid and lightest color from the crease to brow)

 

 

Some of the looks I have done (the day I wore the look is on each pic)

 

 

 

 



 

BEAUTY NEWS!!!!

HELLO BEEEEEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!
     Thanks for sticking with me through my elusiveness and such this month.  I have finals and this seasonal job and finals. The job is okay, but the BEST part is that I am entitled to a discount at the Sephora inside the store. It doesn't work with all locations or online, BUT it enables me to get a LOT of beauty products at a cheaper price. Between black Friday, the pop up show and my special discount today, I have am AWESOME supply of items! I shouldn't have to buy anything for another year, like that will stop me!
     My only regret is that I haven't really been drugstore shopping. :/
I went this Friday after not buying anything from a drug store since before "No Buy Month".
I did step into a Rite Aid because I had 3 $5 coupons for Almay products, and Almay was 40% off, so I got the lip glosses for about $1 a piece! So what kind of deals are to be had this week?

CVS
Mix and match BOGO 50% off!!!!
Covergirl
Rimmel
Maybelline
Neutrogena
Almay
Revlon

Olay Facial cloths $4.99
$2 off Simple skincare

Walgreens
BOGO 50% off
L'Oreal, Roc, Covergirl, Ponds, St. Ives, Simple, Olay, Revlon, Neutrogena Cosmetics

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% off
Revlon, , Clearasil, Aveeno, Eucerin, Aquaphor
AND Cosmetic bags

Physicians Formula & Wet n Wild  BOGO FREE!
NYC 30% off
Covergirl 25% off
Almay eye $5.99

*DON'T FORGET*  Ulta has a $5 off of $10 coupon!! Remember Ulta has a strick coupon policy and lots of brands are excluded from this deal. I use my coupons on NYX products most of the time.
I got the Smokey and Natural palettes for a total of $5.27!!!
IF you don't have a paper coupon, download the Retail Me Not app. The coupon is on their site.
Plus there is also a 20% off coupon!!!

I PROMISE to have that crown review/challenge update available Wednesday afternoon, latest!!!
In fact I'm going to start on it right now!

BEAUTY NEWS!!! late edition

HEY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!!!
It's been a while since my last post, as the end of the semester approaches, I have less and less free time and the other time I have is work and last (and definitely least) sleep. OMN I CANNOT WAIT TO JUST SLEEP FOR ABOUT 12 HOURS! or at least 6 hours.
Anyway what's been going on...I went to the Makeup Show Pop Up Shop last Saturday and it just wasn't for me. It was more for makeup enthusiasts, and makeup lovers, shopping for good deals. Even though this event was less crowded, I enjoyed the regular Makeup Show in May a lot better. There were more brands, and even though I didn't get to any seminars, I still learned some things.
Plus since I get a discount of some brands and have a few pro discounts, The deals weren't all that great for me.

On to this weeks sales
Sephora- If you are a member of the BI program at any level, you should have gotten your Sephora certificate in an email. It's good until the 15th! I got my Naked 2 palette for $27 out of pocket, when I combined my certificate with a gift card.

Ulta- Ulta still has tons of items PERFECT for gifts...AND inexpensive. Also if you've gotten the new magazine you most likely have the $5 off of $10 coupon...YES! I actually have 3, and will be using them to stock up on a bunch of stuff before the new year.
Check out these potential gifts:
30 set of Ulta lip glosses $10
Wicked or Sparks Fly Makeup Palette $10
HOOF Spa sets $8.99
Beauty Gems 25% off ( sale prices from $5.99-$11.24)

Rite Aid
BOGO 50%
-L'Oreal skincare
-Revlon
-Covergirl
-Maybelline
-Jesse Girl
-Rimmel
-Renewal skincare

BOGO Free Renewal cottonballs, cleansing pads and cleansing puffs

Walgreens
$5 beauty sets

BOGO 50%
-Maybelline
-Revlon
-Neutrogena
-Noxema
-St. Ives
-Studio 35 skincare

BOGO FREE - Ponds cold cream or wipes

CVS
BOGO 50%
-Clean & Clear
-Olay
-Neutrogena
-Ponds
-Aveeno
-Cetaphil
-Vichy
-Biore

Also elf is having a new deal everyday, follow them on facebook or by email to receive details.

AND don't forget to come back tomorrow, when I will reveal my "1 palette 30 days" challenge results!

Beauty News- BLACK FRIDAY EDITION...WITH CYBER MONDAY Update #5

As you know it will soon be black Friday! Many deals  are starting Thursday night between 7 and 8pm!

Here is the list so deals so far...Check back later today because I will constantly update this list!

Coastal Scents -50% off everything
ELF- so far BOGO 50% and receive a $10 gift card on $30 orders AND free shipping on orders of $35 or more!  50% OFF EVERYTHING! AND FREE shipping on orders $35 and more.
Sugarpill- 20% to 50% everything. Deals go LIVE at 8pm PST
Sedona Lace- 50% off everything
Magnolia Makeup- 50% off everything
Lisi- 50% off everything
Macy's- Has a variety of beauty items on sale. Also spend $50 on beauty and get FREE shipping!!!!
Here's a few on my list:
             -Smashbox "Try it" kit $10
             -Impulse eye's, lips and cheek set $10
             -Benefit "tan about town" kit $17
Ofra-50% off everything
Stila- no definite details but says possible free samples, free shipping and UP to 80% off.
BH- 75% off!!!
Inglot- 20% off everything
Concrete Minerals- 20% off using code: SUGAR 20
Sephora- MANY $10 items. I posted the link below, but here are a few I'm interested in.
             -5 color Stila palettes
             -Lorac, Buxon, Bare Minerals and Too Faced Eye Duo's
             -Sephora Brush trio
http://www.temptalia.com/sephora-black-friday-2013-deals
 
Ulta- Has great sales as well that don't go live until tonite.
        -30 piece Ulta brand lipgloss set $10
        -Ulta brand brush set $10
       -Urban Decay shadow primer set $12

Just Added!!
Tarte- 25% off of everything!
YES-40% off
Sigma-20% off

Alright this is my list for now , but I'll be back in a few hours when I have more details.

Beauty News!

     I know, I know, I've been a little behind on my blogging and it's killing me! It's either sleep or write, and sleep wins usually, sometimes without me knowing!
I'll play catch up this week and get you some much anticipated info RIGHT AWAY!!

Beauty Challenge Update-I've been using my palette for about 2 weeks now and it's going great! I use to worry about the shimmer being too much, but it's actually no so bad, even at work. I do try to save my more extreme combinations for home. ONLY 12 more days!, which means 12 looks...and here I am already feeling like I could go another 30 days!

SALES!!!!

Sephora
I know they had their VIB 20% off, which I MISSED and were upset about! I could have gotten so much stuff dirt cheap, combining that with my store discount.
I sure they have another special soon and I will be ALL OVER IT!!

Ulta
This month you should have gotten your magazine with your ULTA rewards coupon, FREE Ulta product coupon and $3.50 off coupon.
PLUS
Ulta brand products are BOGO FREE
There's a 5 for $5 deal on select products
Also there's BOGO 50% on NYX, Jane, Ecotools and Real Techniques, Covergirl, Physicians Formula, Revlon, L'Oreal and Maybelline.

CVS
BOGO 50%- L'Oreal, Maybelline, Wet n' Wild, Physicians Formula, Essence of Beauty, Neutrogena, Roc, Clean and Clear, Revlon.
Rimmel 40% off

Rite Aid
Revlon and Wet n' Wild 40% off
BOGO 50% L'Oreal, Covergirl, Cetaphil, St. Ives, Ponds, Simple, and Noxema
Almay removers $4.99

Walgreens
L'Oreal, select liners, mascara and lip products $6.99
L'Oreal skincare 20% off
BOGO 50% Neutrogena, Cerve, Wet n' Wild
Revlon 40% off

For my convenience and that fact that it would makes sense, I'll be switching some dates that I post things in my blog!
On Friday - I'll post the sales for the following week.
On Sunday- I'll post my reviews
On Wednesday- I'll post my $1 *GEMS* and Best $10 or less I ever spent!

News on $1 *GEMS*- When I took on this task, KNEW it would be difficult! So lately I haven't been able to find a $1 beauty items that actually work well. Don't fret!! I'm always looking and I'll let you know what I find ASAP, even if it might be an almost $2 *GEM* :/

Have a great week and you'll be hearing from me soon!

Beauty News!!!

     Here we are again! Another week , more sales, deals, beauty tips, advice and experiments.
I am 1 week into my beauty challenge and it's going well. I am trying to use EVERY single color in the palette,  but I can already tell I have a few go to colors. Now the new challenge with this palette is to darken some colors without using the charcoal grey, I'm an artist so it should be easy!

On to sales:

Rite Aid
BOGO 50%- Covergirl, Olay, Revlon, Almay, Neutrogena, Ecotools, Jessie's Girl and Renewal Skincare.
Physicians Formula and NYC are 40% off

Walgreens
BOGO 50%- Maybelline, Revlon, Covergirl, and Neutrogena
Ponds cold cream or makeup wipes/towelettes- BOGO FREE
20% off L'Oreal Skincare

CVS
BOGO 50%- St. Ives, Noxema, Cetaphil, Maybelline, Wet n' Wild, Covergirl eye & nail, Almay, and Milani

Ulta
Ulta brand cosmetics are BOGO FREE
BOGO 50%- Ecotool, Real Techniques, Almay, Maybelline, NYX, L'Oreal, Physicians Formula, Covergirl, Derma E, Olay, Roc, Aveeno, Neutrogena skincare and L'Oreal skincare.

Now, back to research in, while wearing my Wonder Woman snuggie.

Come back this week for another review, $1 *GEM* and hopefully a best $10 I ever spent. I'm hope I can find something cool VERY soon!

Weekly Review: Cleansers Part 2

Finally! Part 2 of our cleanser review is here!
      This go 'round I wasn't too fond of a few of the cleansers, but I stuck it out. Some of these weren't for me or my skin type and 1 was just BAD! I tried them all anyway, and even though they weren't terrible I doubt I'd make a future purchase of some of these products.

Just a little disclaimer: I purchase or obtained these samples myself, I did not receive and sponsorship from any of the companies in this article of any other article I've written.

Up first!

Ponds Luminous cleanser ($8)- silky, foamy, feels luxurious and moisturizing to touch. Not great for oily/combination skin. This product cleans well and leaves you skin feeling super soft.
Recommended use for dry skin (ONLY)








Suki Lemongrass Exfoliating Cleanser ($32) - Smells weird, sweet and lemony, but with an underlying chemical smell. Foams, minor exfoliation. Gets a plus for the lemon peel, but not my favorite. For an expensive product it was lacking. Left me wanting more and feeling like I had to rewash my face. After
using this. 




Juice Beauty Acne Fighting Cleanser ($22) - Similar to the Biore cleansers, but all natural.  Has a bit of an off smell. Cleanses well, and is part of an acne fighting system. My skin felt clean, but not dry.
Recommended for oily/acne proned skin






Clean and Clear Morning Burst ($7) - This product is nothing special. Another product with an "off" smell! Supposed to be morning burst and have a citrus smell, but lacked the wake up feeling. Exfoliating microbeads are seen in the cleanser, but you can't feel them, it's just not enough beads!






Simple Exfoliating Cleanser ($6)- Gentle cleanser, perfect for everyday use, doesn't foam, but still cleanses well. I like the exfoliating properties and the natural ingredients. I would only use it in the morning as my day time cleanser, but only because I need a stronger cleanser to cut the oil and cleanse my face. Does leave skin feeling dry.
Recommended for sensitive and normal skin.






Simple Refreshing Cleansing Gel ($6) - Very gentle, probably 1 step above just using water. Perfect for sensitive skin, again not something I would use on myself. If you like natural products this is perfect. It doesn't foam and it's almost like a lotion.
Recommended for normal and sensitive skin






Now time for one I REALLY did not like...

Ulta Foaming Face Wash ($9) - Lots of problems with this wash! It's pretty much a waste. It's thin and watery. It's supposed to foam, but it barely does. I thought I did something wrong, so I kept applying more and more, to no avail! I would NOT recommend this product at all.
 

$1 *GEM*

     This week's $1 *GEM* is once again by E.L.F. (eyeslipsface). It's the Luscious Liquid Lipstick.
     The color is subtle, but when I wear it I get asked "what lipstick is that?" When I show them the tube, no one believes it's just this product.
     I like this "lipstick" because it gives you some color without giving you a SO MUCH color. I usually don't plan to put on lipstick, but once my face is done, without lipstick the look feels incomplete.
     Sometimes lipstick is just too much, but this is perfect!
     It goes on smooth and glossy. When first applied feels a little sticky. It's also not messy and comes in this cute, felted tip tube. Plus it's moisturizing!
     It lasts a few hours, and can be layered over a liner or regular lipstick. The only downside is that it only comes in 11 colors.
At $1 I recommend giving it a try.

Beauty News!!

New month, new challenge, new sales!
I checked and there is nothing really special happening at Ulta and Sephora.
Sephora is giving away a sample bag to Beauty Insiders with any online order.

CVS
BOGO 50% - Lumene, Aveeno face, Olay, Rimmel, NYC, Trim tools, Eucerin
Ponds BOGO free
Aveeno, Jergens, Curel, Biore 2/$14

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% - Maybelline, Revlon, L'Oreal, Garnier, Neutrogena, Roc
Physicians Formula BOGO free
Almay Eye $5.99

Walgreens
Revlon BOGO 50%
Great Lash mascara $4

                                                        This was my Halloween look

 

 

To review, this month's challenge is "1 Palette, 30 Days"

I'm going to try to get more than party looks out of the 36 colors, and maybe even a few 'natural' looks...we'll see. Follow me on Instagram -aprilmaykup, for daily looks.

I'll be updating you on my progress in a couple weeks and also created a swatch card, so you can see all the colors out of their original packaging.

Come back later this week for part II of the cleanser review, $1 *GEM* and The Best $10 (or less) I ever spent!



30 Day Palette Challenge !!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

     I am happy to announce that the palette I will be using for the next 30 days is my Leopard palette by Crown.

I bought this during a special on hautelook.com a few months ago, so we'll approximate the value @$20.    

(side note there are crown brush sets and makeup currently on sale at hautelook) 

 

Pros

• 36 colors
• Different color families
• Variety
• Lights and darks
• Fashion and neutral colors

 

Cons

• No black or white
• All shimmer finishes
• Opalescence of the colors make the color change with different angles and lighting. I could possibly walk out the house with something that looked fabulous at home but terrible in different lighting.

 

this is a pic of some of the colors and my little note :)

 

Halloween Look #3-Mermaid

My final Halloween look is the Mermaid.

It can be broken down into 2 sections. If you want to do just the eyes for the mermaid look, Fantastic!

But after that I take it a little further adding scales on my forehead and cheek area.

 

Materials:
Shimmer eyeshadows in purple,  royal blue, sea green and gold
Darker foundation 1 shades  ( for contour,  if have a contour kit, it's equally as good!) A matte brown shadow may also be used.
Blue/teal liquid eyeliner (gel liner may also be used)
Eyeshadow primer or tinted cream shadow
Hair net 
Green or teal/blue mascara

Materials I used:
100 elf palette  $10
Nyx eye base  $6
Elf liquid liner pen  $1
Hair net (borrowed) $3
Rimmel teal mascara $4

Step 1
I applied my foundation. I actually used a color 1 shade lighter than my  normal color. I did this because I new I'd be. Applying a dark blue and a lot of contour in places it wouldn't normally be.

Step 2
I wanted to create a thinner looking,  fish like face, so I contoured my nose thinner. I also contoured my cheeks, starting At the usual point by the earlobe but bringing it down to the jaw bone, and chin.  Don't forget underneath the chin as well.

Step 3
I wanted to get the eyes right! I wanted this look to be pretty and give you options. Essentially you could just do the eyes and end your mermaid look there w/o using the extra steps.
First I primed the eye and eyebrows with the white base. I even did the bottom lash line.
Next apply your sea green shadow all

Over the eye and on the bottom lash line.
Our royal blue goes in the crease. 
Blend that in the entire socket area.
The purple goes in the inner and outer corners of the eye.
Add the blue liner.
I forgot to add the mascara until all the way at the end. If you're stopping here add the green or teal/blue mascara and you're done! But for those that want to push the mermaid look further move on to the next steps.

For my brows, I tapped in the blue eyeshadow with a brush. 

Step 4
I tied a hairnet around my face. Try not to laugh at my pic :)
We'll be adding different layers for an iridescent look.
First I dabbed for blue on my forehead and cheeks.
Next I put some purple
Then sea green
And last gold
I layered them in some areas to give the translucent, opal like effect of scales.
I sprayed the areas with a fixative to stop it from moving around, then removed the hairnet.





Step 5
As a final accent and to make the scales more noticeable (or to clean up mistakes) you can take a concealer and lightly go over the lines made by the hairnet.

Step 6 (remember to moisturize the lips first!)
LIPS
First color lips with eye primer.
Put sea green in the center of the lip.
then blue on either side of the green.
lastly add purples to the corners of the lips.

VIOLA!!! take a look at the mermaid you!

Halloween look #2-Lion/Lioness

     I chose to do this look on someone else because it made the process a lot quicker. Plus, this little girl loves having her makeup done!

 

Materials:
-bronzer with shimmer (or gold eyeshadow with shimmer)
-matte shadows in burnt orange, pink, black and brown   
-shimmer shadows in copper and gold.
-cream shadows in peach and bronze
-white face paint
-white eyeshadow base or gel liner. 
Optional
Lashes
Mascara
Black gel liner  
 

 Materials I used:

-elf eyeshadow palette $10
-elf cream eyeshadow in butter pecan $1
-nyx white eyeshadow base $6
-white face paint ( came in a kit with other items) $5
-wet n' wild gel liner in black $3 
-body shop bronzer $30 ( I know, pricey ass bronzer, especially for this blog! but I got it in a kit from the body shop with a smokey palette and "lip tar"/gloss for $10 on clearance)
 

 

Step 1
I used primer all over her face. It was just to help the makeup stay on since no foundation was used. Then I applied the bronzer all over to give the face a little shine and as a base for all our other makeup.
 

Step 2
Make a white oval shape around the mouth, stopping under the nose. If it's uneven, it's ok we'll fix it later. Also take this time to cover the lips and tip of the nose. I know my niece and I knew she couldn't handle having her lips covered until the end.  Also block out the area underneath the eyes. 

 
Step 3

With the darkest brown, I used a brush to apply the shadow around her hairline and on her jaw bone. I spread the dark brown all over her jaw to contour it and make her face look more angled.

Step 4

Apply the burnt orange color around the top of her face as well, but only from cheek to cheek. Then under her eyes and around the mouth, barely covering the edge of the white we applied earlier. 
 

Step 5

For the nose I used a little cream blush set with powder, but this other method I'll have you use works the same, but cuts down on materials.
Since (ideally) the nose is already covered with eyeshadow base, apply the pink shadow. It might take a couple layers of powder to get it as pink as you like.

Step 6

Using the dark brown again make a line on the nose, right where the pink ends. Also start contouring the nose. Make a line with your shadow on each side of the nose right into the eyebrow
Once you have these lines drawn, go back in with more shadow and blend.  Add a little black to create a stronger contrast if necessary. 
Next, paint 2 small triangles right on the nostrils with black gel liner.
Highlight the bridge of the nose with the shimmery bronzer.

 

Step 7
Using our black shadow again, line the lower lash line, being sure to draw it beyond the outer corner.
I could have used a pencil liner, but my model  wouldn't have liked that.
Also add more eye base underneath if needed. Set with the white eyeshadow.

Step 8  FUR!!!

We did several layers of fur.
Using quick strokes, draw lines around the face using the dark brown shadow,  then  gold, the copper. I could not find strong enough variations in my palette
So I used the cream shadow to add in bronze darks and peach highlights.

Step 9   Lips
If you haven't already,  prime the lips with eyeshadow base. Using shadow draw a small black triangle in the middle of the bottom lip. This is what I did, but I recommend you use a cream product first like a black or very dark lipstick, the set it with a black  eyeshadow. It will last longer and pop against the white background. 

Step 10
Optional
Add mascara and/or lashes.
(My model is wearing neither )    

 Ta-Da!
 The look is complete!!








 

Beauty News!!!

HI AGAIN!
   Here we are, Halloween week and I have some great looks to show you along with some 'how to' directions. BUT today, let's talk sales and give you some more info our the next makeup challenge, starting on Friday.

CVS
BOGO 50% - Revlon, Covergirl, Roc, Ardell, Andrea, and Katy Perry
Maybelline 30%
Covergirl Mascara 2/$15
Olay products 2/$8

Walgreens
BOGO 50% - St. Ives, Almay, Vaseline, Simple, Revlon, Wet n' Wild, Maybelline Smokey line & lipgloss
L'Oreal Skincare 20%
Cetaphil $8.99- and they have a new line of Oil Reducing products

Rite Aid
BOGO 50% - Covergirl, Olay, Revlon Colorstay, Almay face products, Neutrogena, Maybelline lip products, Rimmel
Maybelline Mascara & Smokey line $5.99

Ulta
Urban Decay, Book of Shadows Palette for $32, This set includes 16 eyeshadows, full sized 24hour liquid liner, travel sized primer and curling mascara. ($64 value)
along with the other sales from earlier in the month.

Sephora
As usual, check their sale page.

    Now for our next challenge, I (or we) will be picking 1 palette at random and use that for the entire month. I have yet to name this challenge, until I pick the palette. I will announce which palette I have chosen on Thursday.
     The process of choosing a palette was super scientific. I wrote the names of all my palettes on post-its, folded them up and put them in a container. I'll pick one at random and use that for 30 days, whether it's 4 colors or 100! Honestly, I'm hoping for a smaller palette, less than 100, but more that 4, so I can get a variety of looks, push my creativity and see how much I can stretch a small amount of colors.
    So I hope to see you've been back here, checking out my Halloween looks and checking in on 'challenge day eve'.

BEAUTY NEWS!!!

It's another beautiful week! Even if you may not think so, you can make it true, starting today, by putting your best face foward.
To help you with this, here are the sales for this week.

Rite Aid   
BOGO 50% Revlon lip, eye & nail, Almay eye, Covergirl lip, eye& nail, Physicians formula eye & face       
NYC 40% off
Maybelline 30% off

 

CVS  
BOGO 50% St. Ives, cvs beauty, Revlon, Trim tools, Noxema, Roc and Clean & Clear,  
Physicians formula,  NYC and Wet & Wild 40% off
Walgreens  
BOGO 50% Maybelline, Revlon, Almay, Ponds, Covergirl lip & nail, Cetaphil,
Garnier 14.99        
ULTA             

Same sales at last week and for the rest of the month

NEW Japonesque Color collection! Buy any piece from this collection, get free shipping on your entire order and a free gift!

Sephora

Sephora complexion brush $9

Sephora concealer $7

Sephora Desert Sunset collection $10!!-12 shadows & 2 blushes

Sephora Artist Color Box $20-25 shadows & 5 liners

Bare  Minerals Insider Pretty Amazing set  $24

Benefit The Rich is Back set $24

 

So this week and next week, I'll be posting the rest of my Halloween looks. I'll also be prepping for the next makeup challenge. I wrote down all the palettes I own. I will be choosing one at random and using that palette and ONLY that palette from November 1st to 30th. I counted every single one , including my MAKE palette with only 4 colors. I also included the palettes I created with the Ruby Kisses shadows. In total it adds up to 24 palettes! I am surprised, intrigued and feel a TINY, almost invisible amount of shame for owning this much stuff...BUT it's my job!

 

Happy reading and have a GREAT WEEK!

Weekly Review-Cleansers

     Like so many other things, the perfect cleanser (for yourself ) is hard to find! I tested 16 cleansers...so far. Below I reviewed 8. These were all great products, some just not for me and my skin type. I shared my recommendations and hopefully one of these will work for you...if not I have another review of cleansers waiting in the wings.  A few of the cleansers listed, I have already incorporated into my skincare routine.
     These products can be found at local drugstores, Ulta, Sephora, Walmart and Target.

Neutrogena Oil Free Cleanser ($8)- This is an old favorite. I've been using this for years. Its a great everyday cleanser, but it's not good for acne breakouts.  I find it a little bit much for twice a day cleansing. It's heavy, creamy and doesn't foam. However, you can feel it cleaning out your pores ,with this tingling sensation that goes from icy to warm. It contains salicylic acid.
Recommended for daily use for people with oily or combination skin.

Biore Ice Blemish Clearing Cleanser ($7)-  I use this cleanser for about 2/3 days before "shark week" and 2/3 days after, depending on how bad my breakout was. This cleanser is cooling, foamy, and leaves skin feeling fresh and clean. When used frequently, it can become harsh to the skin, leaving redness in some areas, even with my sparing use. Does irritate my eyes slightly, but this is balanced by the cooling effect.
Recommended for use when needed, for oily or acne proned skin.

Biore Pore Clearing Scrub ($7)  foamy, slightly exfoliating, creamy. Similar to the ice cleanser without the cooling effect and I used it for the same reason. 
Recommended for use when needed, for oily or acne proned skin.                                    

Biore Cleanser for Combination ($7)  Just like the name suggests this cleanser is for combination skin.  It's lighter than the other 2 Biore products on the list. Since it's for combination skin,  ideally it's designed not to leave dry/normal parts dry and still work on diminishing oil in the oily areas.  Recommended this for all skin types (except sensitive) especially if you find other acne clearing products too harsh.






Cetaphil  ($12) This cleanser can be used with or without water, which amazes me. I didn't try the dry application, but it makes me wonder where this cleanser was when I was working at a camp! Its very gentle, it doesn't foam. 
 Recommended it for sensitive, dry or normal skin. It just doesn't cut  it for oily skin.

Family Dollar Cleanser ($3.50) This is a definite dupe for Cetaphil! Same formula, results,  everything! But at 1/3 the cost.

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash ($24)- I wanted to love this ever since I smelled it. The smell is addictive and delicious, like glazed donuts or candy! It contains microbeads for light exfoliation.  It's foamy, light and cleans well. Can be used daily. I even use it as a morning cleaser. After using a harsh one at night I just want something light in the morning and this does the trick.
Recommended for all skin types.

Yes to Grapefruit ($12)- I love this stuff. Why? Well it has citrus which helps with dark spots, exfoliating crystals and salicylic acid to help with oil and acne. This is my new everyday cleanser. I use it once a day in the evening. Leaves my skin feeling clean, soft and smells like fresh grapefruits!   
Recommended use for normal to oily skin types
(even if you don't have dark spots)           
                                            


I'll continue the rest of this review in November, just to make room for all the Halloween looks I have to post this month.
As usual if you have questions/comment please leave them below.
THANKS FOR READING!!