It is that time to talk about some monthly beauty and style favorites (and not so favorites) I have discovered and/or loved during the month of April! A lot of these are new products but there are one or two old faithfuls that I just have to mention because they are just that good and you need them in your life!
Without further ado, here are my loved and loathed products of April:
LOVED
1- Andrea Eye Q’s Eye Makeup Correctors: I absolutely dig a wing liner but I am the first to admit that I am not always the best at it. I often use the tape method to try to get a straight wing but sometimes that doesn’t always do the trick so I am so glad that I stumbled across these at Rite Aid. They are basically pointed cotton swabs presoaked in eye makeup remover that make cleaning up makeup mistakes a breeze and your winged liner look effortless. I happened to catch them on clearance so you can bet that I grabbed every jar I saw (and maybe checked out another store or two (or three) to make sure there weren’t anymore to be stockpiled.
2- Bumble & Bumble BB Repair*: I love rocking my purple hair but in the process of achieving and maintaining purple hair, it can be rather harsh on my locks so this has been a life saver. It helps repair and protect my hair from heat styling and leaves my hair feeling soft and shiny. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about the product so I picked up the trial size but I will definitely be investing in the full size when I run out. A little goes a long way and it is definitely worth the investment.
3- Hard Candy Hydrating Primer Mist: I have really sensitive, dry, and often irritable skin. When my butterfly rash is in full effect, this primer mist is a perfect first step for helping add in some hydration and vitamins before putting on my makeup. I still use another primer with it but it does help my skin feel more refreshed and help my makeup go on much smoother. At only $8 a bottle, it is definitely a steal.
4- Oil Essentials Revitalize, Natural Beauty Oils: This beauty oil does it all. This one specifically is Evening Primrose Oil but the line has many different types. This one helps revitalize the skin by improving your complexion and restores moisture balance as well as delivering much needed nutrients to your hands, nails, and even your hair. This oil is packed with powerful Omega 3, 6 & 9 and Vitamins A and E. What I do is apply the oil to my hands at night and rub into my skin after washing my face and then whatever is left over on my hands, I run through the ends of my hair. It smells great and leaves my skin and hair feeling (and smelling) lush and healthy. Its one of those do it all products.
5- Sephora Collection Disney Minnie Beauty: Minnie’s World In Color Eyeshadow Palette: I am a drugstore girl all the way but every one in a while a product catches my eye that is worth saving up for. Because my heart is made of pixie dust, I knew I had to have this collection from Sephora as soon as they announced it. Lucky for me, Ebates has started a new incentive when it comes time to collect your Big Fat Payment. Instead of being mailed a check or having funds sent to your paypal account, you can apply your funds to an e-gift card to a wide variety of stores and they will add an addition 10-15% on top of your payment. Lucky for me, Sephora happened to be one of those stores so I was able to treat myself to a couple of the items from the new Sephora Collection Disney Minnie Beauty Collection. I will be honest that I was a little hesitant about the quality of the shadows when I first received it. The packaging is to die for but so many times with special collection palettes, the eyeshadow quality can be pretty pitiful but I was very pleasantly surprised and have been able to create a variety of beautiful looks using this palette. A perk of the packaging is that when you are done with the shadows, the mirror and palette pop out and you can use it as a case or clutch. Isn’t that just adorable?
6- Sephora Collection Disney Minnie Beauty: Minnie’s Inner Glow Luminizing Blush: This was another item included in the limited edition Sephora Collection Disney Minnie collection but unfortunately it is no longer listed on the website (sad trombone). This is a beautiful peach luminizing powder and looks beautiful on pale princesses like myself. On darker skin tones, it would make a beautiful blush topper. It isn’t the smoothest highlighter out there but it is really pretty and again the packaging is swoon worthy and if you can tell in the bottom picture, there is a Minnie head in the powder itself.
7- Sephora Collection Disney Minnie Beauty: Perfect Red Lipstick*: Just as the title says, this is the perfect red lipstick. It is that perfect blue-red shade that makes your teeth look whiter and it is super creamy and oh-so-comfortable to wear. Matte lipsticks and liquid lipsticks are all the rage these days (don’t get me wrong, I love them too) but this is a refreshing shift and it is more of a creamy, satin finish. Originally, there was a little Minnie head on the top of the lipstick itself but I’ve been loving wearing it so it has started to wear away (sad face). Again, can we just say how cute the packaging is? I have since picked up two of the remaining items of the collection which is the eyeliner set and cream lip stain set so hopefully they will be as amazing as the rest of the collection and you may be seeing them in next month’s post! I know what makeup I’ll be packing for our trip to Disney in September!
8- Betsy Johnson Wing Tote Bag (similar): Betsy Johnson has always, always been one of my favorite designers. Some of her designs are pretty out there but my favorite are those classic styles with a twist. She’ll throw in a unique accent color or funky design element to give it something extra and give it some edge. I’ve recently lost a lot of weight and have been selling a lot of clothes, shoes, and accessories on Poshmark. I have been wanting a new handbag but I wanted to invest a little more into a bag that was well made and that I knew I could wear for a long time. Poshmark is a great place to shop for second hand clothes and accessories but you can also find items that are brand new and usually at a discount from what you would find in a retail store. When I spotted this purse, I knew it was the one. I saved my earnings and took the plunge and am in love. It is the perfect size. It holds everything I need without being ginormous. The colors of course are my signature colors and since the vast majority of my wardrobe is black, white, and gray, it goes with everything.
9- Viorica Studded Sandals by JustFab*: I am absolutely in love with these sandals. They are a perfect summer staple yet the studs give them that something extra. These sandals can take the most basic outfit and add that bit of edge that I am always looking for. If it has studs or spikes, I am all over it. I am that proud YPW that loves purple hair, tattoos, and spikes. And you know what, Jesus loves me anyway 🙂
10- NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk*: Spring and summer is the time to break out bright eye colors and if you really want to make them pop, NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk should be a staple in your collection. It is so unbelievably affordable especially when you count in sales and coupons. It makes a perfect eyeshadow base and since it is in pencil form, it is quick and easy to use. These eye pencils come in a variety of colors which would all work well as bases or quick all over color on their own. Of course, they can be used as liners as well. If you need your eyes to look more awake (come on, we’re spoonies – of course we need to look more awake), you can line your bottom waterline for an instant boost.
11- Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Boosting Eyeliner + Serum, Ultra Black*: This is one of those oldies but goodies I mentioned at the beginning of the post. I am sure that I have mentioned it before but this is seriously the best eyeliner out there. If you struggle doing winged eyeliner, you need to try this. I can’t speak for the whole “lash boosting” properties, but the tip of this eyeliner makes it so easy to create a thin or thick wing and the formula is amazing. The important thing is to make sure you get the Ultra Black. The regular black is terrible. The Ultra Black is where its at. I have tried other eyeliners and always come back to this one. You can almost always find it on sale and can also stack coupons. I always, always keep a back up on hand.
12 – NYX Tinted Eyebrow Mascara*: Your girl here has some wild eyebrows and this tinted eyebrow gel from NYX has been a life saver. It works great after I’ve taken the time to fill in my eyebrows using a pencil or powder but because it is tinted, I can also use it in a pinch if I am in a hurry and need to get out of the door quickly. I may not wear a full face of makeup every time I leave the house but I almost always at least throw on a quick coat of mascara, tame the brows, and add a quick swipe of lip balm. This is super affordable and comes in a variety of colors to suit every hair color. Maybe not purple but the deep brown gets the job done 🙂
13 – L’Oreal Paris Stylist Definer Brow Liner*: This is my newly found brow pencil love. I have some wild eyebrows but of course they aren’t even and sparse in some places and this pencil makes it super easy to fill them in and look natural. No sharpie brows for me please. Many eyebrow pencils I have tried are either really dry or pull really warm/red which is definitely not a look I am going for. The pencil itself is small, creamy, and retractable (yay for no sharpening!) and I love that there is a spoolie on the end. Many have compared it to the Anastasia Brow Wiz which I have not tried because I just cannot make myself pay $22 for an eyebrow pencil. Maybe if it had Minnie Mouse on it (LOL) but I will stick with this one. I give it two thumbs up!
14- Maybelline NY Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer, Brightener: Raise your hand if you live in a constant state of not enough sleep and circles under your eyes dark enough that it looks like you’ve been punched? *Both hands raised If you have checked out any beauty stores lately or watch any beauty youtube channels, you have already learned that the makeup industry has gone color correcting crazy. Every color of the rainbow does something different and I’m game for playing paint by number on my face if it means that I don’t look as sick as I feel. This concealer is another oldie but goodie and had the whole color correction game won for quite some time. This concealer is a light pink-peach and is perfect for correcting dark under-eye circles. I add a little of this concealer to the inner portion of my under eye and then add a fair concealer in a small triangle under my eyes and between the two, magic happens. This is another product that I always keep a back up on hand.
15- BH Cosmetics Smooth Canvas Long Wear Eye Shadow Primer: These little pots contain magic. I compare them to mixing a concealer with a traditional eyeshadow primer. They completely cover any redness or veins on the eyelids creating a perfect canvas for your eyeshadow. They remind me a lot of the MAC paint pots I have heard so much about (but have not tried). I like using my NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk if I am doing a really colorful look but prefer to use this when I am doing a more neutral look. They help the eyeshadows apply smoothly without creasing. I will even grab one to cover my eyelids if I’m in a hurry just to cancel out any redness and appear a little more put together. They come in four different colors but my favorite is Malt. It seems to work the best with my complexion. The only bummer is that they have to be ordered online but they are almost always on sale and BH Cosmetics usually has a high cash back percentage through Ebates. Every penny counts!
LOATHED
I actually have a few unfavorites this month! One is a true loath, one is more of a “meh,” and the other is more of a frustration.
16- Rimmel Super Curler Mascara: I hate this mascara. Hate it. It is super thick, wet, and clumpy. It makes your lashes stick together so it looks like you have 4 thick, gooey lashes so between your two eyes, you look like a spider. Not a cute look. I have no idea why they call it Super Curler because it did nothing to curl my lashes. I even tried wiping off the wand and then trying to apply. It was a no go. Off to the trash can it goes. I don’t think I have every found a Rimmel mascara that I have actually liked. I think I’ll stick with the ones I know that work.
17- Makeup Revolution Ultra Contour Palette: I am going to preface this by saying that I am a huge fan of the Makeup Revolution brand. Their blushes are beautiful and their highlighters, oh their highlighters, are absolutely stunning. This palette, however, left much to be desired. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t up to par in my opinion. The pigmentation wasn’t that great and the contour colors were too warm for my complexion. This is coming from a cool toned, ultra pale princess so for those that aren’t Casper and are warm toned, you may actually like this palette. It just wasn’t for me which is why it fell into the “meh” category.
18- Bumble & Bumble BB Does It All Styling Spray: This is another Bumble & Bumble product I picked up in the trial size to try it out as I’m looking for new styling products for my hair since it is now the longest it has been in years. Like over ten years. I’ve been rocking short hair for a long time. That being said, I’m glad I picked up the trial size. Its not a bad product. It does a good job at styling my hair and keeping it in place without having that crunchy feeling that makes me want to shudder. The problem is the smell. Holy moly. It smells SO bad. Thankfully the smell fades but it gives me a headache just spraying it over my head for 10 seconds. I’m trying to decide whether to pass it along or just hold onto it for travel. Even though its just the trial size, its still definitely too much money to pitch in the trash. Why couldn’t they make it smell better?! Ugh. First world problems at its best.
If you are still with me, congratulations, you have made it through this edition of Loved & Loathed! You deserve a cookie and a ribbon for making it through! Next month, I’ll try to keep it down! I missed March so there were more products than usual.
Now, that I’ve showed you mine, now you need to show me yours! What beauty and style products have you been loving or loathing lately?
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