Friday, September 23, 2016

Alisha Reviews: Kylie Cosmetics



    We all know who Kylie Jenner is; she's the most followed person on Snapchat and her family is forever in the media's spotlight. She has been taking the makeup world by storm ever since the release of her first lip kit. She has vastly updated her shades, and has even added glosses, "Kyliner" and even "Kyshadow!" When the craze first started, I didn't purchase any of her lipkits just because I knew they would be sold out from the hype that surrounded them. However, once I tried a friends Koko K, my life was forever changed. 
    I started really getting into makeup almost a year ago, and I hated wearing lipsticks. I could never get them on my lips right, and they always smeared everywhere. And none of the ones I ever tried lasted more than an hour on my lips. 
    My lipstick knowledge and collection has grown since then, and the Kylie lipkits have become my favorites by far. Currently I own six of her lipkits (two more coming in the mail, oops) and four of her glosses. I haven't purchased her Kyliner or Kyshadow, but again, I'm simply waiting for the hype around them to die down (plus I'm not sure if that bronze Kyshadow palette is quite worth the money...). 


Each Kylie lipkit comes with a liquid lipstick and a lipliner. They retail for $29. I've heard plenty complain about the price tag, but if you go to Ulta or Sephora and try to buy the same, you'll be paying about the same if not more for a high end lipliner and lipstick. Shipping, however, is worth complaining about. I paid $8.95 for shipping each time I ordered something. It hurt my heart every time I ordered something. But honestly it was worth it to me because as I've said before, they're my favorites. The lipstick is a liquid matte formula. A little drying as all matte liquid lipsticks are, but these lipsticks do not budge. I can wear any of these all day long and not touch it up one time and it will still look good by the end of the day. Especially if I don't eat anything messy. 




Love Bite is one of Kylie's newest shades. It's a mauvy purple, perfect for fall! It does look a lot darker on my lips though.




Kourt K was the first lipkit I bought. Mainly because Kourtney Kardashian is my favorite and I love dark lipsticks. This one is a little patchy on me, and this color is the hardest to get a precise line on my lips.




Ginger makes my lips look the best out of all of my other ones; it doesn't settle as much into my fine lines. The warm shade also goes with so many looks!







This shade is Dirty Peach and it is also one of Kylie's newer shades. I feel like this peachy shade looks the best on me out of the other ones against my skin tone.




Kristen is a berry shade named after Kylie's mom, Kris. She released it as a Summer shade; however, it does go on the lips darker than what it swatches so you could wear this at any time of the year.









Most of the nudes I have are all pinky nudes, so Exposed is a nude shade I don't have yet in my collection. It almost looks like Dirty Peach when I first put it on my lips, but when it dries it looks a million times better.








Kylies's glosses are $15 dollars each. I bought Like, Literally, So Cute, and the birthday edition Poppin'. After watching her commercial for her lip glosses, I had to buy all three of them. And the birthday edition was just because! Usually I don't buy glosses because I hate how sticky and tacky they are on my lips. But these aren't sticky at all. The applicator is a little brush, and the pigment in the glosses are very nice! Of course, considering they're a gloss, they're not supposed to be totally opaque or last forever on your lips. But they feel and look nice on the lips and I love them for days I
don't want to put in as much effort.


Top to bottom: Like, Literally, So Cute, Poppin


What do you think of Kylie Cosmetics? What have you tried? What are you dying to try? Let us know in the comments!!
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Wednesday, September 21, 2016

The Gas Crisis of 2016: What We Know

Gasoline – it is a necessary commodity in our modern world. We take a trip to the gas station to fill up our car for granted. We would like to assume that there is an infinite supply of gas beyond the gas pump. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Gasoline is considered a non-renewable source of energy. Eventually, the supply of fossil fuel on Earth will be gone, forcing humanity to adapt and create newer, more renewable sources of energy.

So what happens when the supply of gasoline becomes very limited?

Almost always, panic ensues. Everyone rushes to their local Exxon station to fill up their cars and gas cans. The owners of gas stations raise gas prices drastically to make an extra buck. It seems almost apocalyptic. . .

September 9, 2016-- An inspector with the Alabama Surface Mining Commission was performing a monthly check of an abandoned coal mine in Shelby County when he reportedly noticed a strong odor of gasoline. This smell was coming from Colonial Pipeline’s Line 1. This gas line is three feet in diameter, and it pushes (on average) 1.3 million barrels of gasoline per day. The Line starts in Houston, Texas and pushes gas to distribution centers all across the Southeast and Eastern Seaboard.

An aerial view of the spill site in Shelby County. (Credit: Marty Sellers, sellersphoto.com for al.com)
The three-foot-wide Line 1 was built in 1963. It is estimated that this line supplies the East Coast with 40 percent of its gasoline. Colonial Pipeline shut down the line within twenty minutes of receiving a report about a potential leak. Gasoline is being rerouted through an alternate pipeline—even being shipped via tanker ship from Houston to New York.

With the flow of gasoline interrupted, six states have declared a state of emergency. This is so truck drivers may work longer shifts to head off shortages at the pump. On Saturday, Colonial announced that it would be constructing a temporary pipeline in order to bypass the spill site in an effort to restore the flow of gasoline more quickly.

Gas stations all around the Southeast have reported shortages of some or all grades of gasoline. Fear of shortages has sparked long lines at gas stations in Nashville, Tennessee. As expected with the fear of shortage, gas stations have raised their prices. Gas prices have started to creep up all around the region; however, Alabama law limits how much gas stations can raise prices during declared states of emergency.

Credit: Google Images
An estimated 340,000 gallons of gasoline have been lost since the leak was discovered on September 9th.  Over 700 workers have been working around the clock to dig up the pipeline, repair it, and to clean up the spill around the old mining property South of Birmingham.

The average price of a gallon of gas went up by 8 cents in Tennessee, 10 cents in Georgia, five cents in South Carolina, and 3 cents in Alabama.

Officials announced on Sunday that Colonial’s Line 1 has been repaired. The pipeline could be restarted as early as this week. The rise in gas prices will only be temporary, officials say.



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Friday, August 12, 2016

My Top Secret Skincare Routine


Picking and choosing products to wash your face with can be a daunting task. I'm still trying to figure out what's best for my skin; it seems to be working against me these days. Today I'm going to share with you my personal skin care routine. This is just what currently works for me; everyone's skin is different and some products might work better or worse for any one of you!

Because I don't have a current favorite makeup remover combo yet, let's just assume that makeup has already been removed!

Step One: Cleansing



I have two different face washes I use on a regular basis. When it is time for exfoliating, I use the Perfectly Posh BFF (Best Face Forever) Exfoliating Face wash! I got a sample in one of my ipsy bags, and I'd never previously heard of the brand before. I'm completely obsessed! This facewash smells amazing. Literally I am going to repurchase this almost entirely based on the scent alone. My face feels so fresh after using this. I can't get over how revitalized this makes my face feel. It is exfoliating, so typically I only use it one or twice a week. However, the packaging claims that it is gentle enough to use every day. You only need a small amount, so my sample size has lasted me quite a while. Once I get around to buying a full size, I'll probably test it out for everyday use; however, I have mostly dry skin so that whole idea just makes me nervous.


On days when I don't exfoliate, I use the Clinique for Men Charcoal Face Wash. Yes it says for men, BUT. It has done an amazing job at clearing up acne on my face. I tend to only have it on one spot and it never seems to go away; however, after continuous use of this, it is starting to subside. This is a huge deal for me because I've had the same acne in the same spot for years and nothing was able to even remotely do anything to help until now. I ran out of my face wash and use my husband's instead which is how I discovered this. Now I use it more than he does! 

Step Two: Tone 

My pores are out of control. Toning my skin after I cleanse is a must! The most difficult thing about finding a toner I like is finding one that doesn't shrivel up my skin. Most toners will kill my skin with dry patches, even though I moisturize religiously. The Neutrogena Clear Pore Toner does a great job at detoxifying my pores. Even after cleansing, this toner still pulls out dirt from my pores that face wash couldn't reach. The label does warn against over drying of the face, but I only use this once a day and it doesn't dry my face out at all. 

Step Three: Moisturizing


After toning I apply the e.l.f  Daily Hydration Moisturizer. This does not make me feel greasy or oily whatsoever. When I wake up the morning after applying this, it's like my skin has gone through a transformation overnight. My face feels so nice and smooth after using this. And for only eight dollars, you can't go wrong! 

Once a Week: Mask


Once a week I like to treat my skin to a deep cleaning of some kind. I have a few masks I switch between every week depending on how my skin feels. My absolute favorite mask to use right now is the Freeman Feeling Beautiful Avocado and Oatmeal Clay Mask. As I said before, my pores are out of control. This mask cleans out everything. It shrinks and purifies my pores so nicely, and it also brightens up my skin. It contains Vitamin E, avocado, and oatmeal to hydrate the skin. The packaging claims to be ideal for normal to combination skin. My skin leans toward the dry side and it works wonders for my face. 






Again, this routine is only what works for me and my skin type right now. Some products might not work as well for different skin types. If any of you feel like you have similar skin type to me and have some skincare tips to try, by all means tell me! I'm frequently buying and trying out new skincare products because there's so many out there!

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Friday, July 29, 2016

Alisha Reviews: Colourpop Haul


I think we have already established that I spend way too much money on makeup. Normally I snag things here and there, but lately I've been going a tad crazy and I've been buying more things at once (I can't help it I swear). Today I will share with you a little haul from Colourpop
I bought six different lipsticks, a brow pencil, and a highlighter. And thanks to Colourpop being so affordable, this haul didn't kill my wallet as bad as some of my other ones.

Colourpop has collabed with famous beauty guru Kathleenlights (my favorite). Kathleen created three new liquid lipstick shades and an eyeliner. I own some of her previous collabs already, and I guess I just had to have all three of her new shades (I told myself no but I love anything she makes so...I caved). 


From left to right the shades are: Taurus, November, Point Zero, and Alyssa. Taurus is a lippiestix from one of her previous collabs that I didn't have yet. Not sure if it is going to work out on my skintone, but a girl can hope. November, Point Zero, and Alyssa are all ultra satin lips; I haven't tried out their satin formulas, so I'm beyond excited about that!

From left to right: Lost, Prim, LAX. Contradictory to what it might seem, I love a dark lip. Preferrably a dark red lip. I feel like I usually talk about really nude lip colors, but it's only because I'm really picky about my dark lip colors. I've been on the hunt for just the right dark red lip, which led me to snag these three liquid lipsticks. Lost and Prim are both ultra satin lips, while LAX is an ultra matte lip. I almost feel as if Prim and LAX are the exact same color; however, I feel like Prim is a tad more on the brown side. 

Last but not least, I bought a highlighter that I have been dying to try. This highlighter is called Monster. It's beyond beautiful. The highlight gives off an iridescent light pink duochrome shimmer. For those of you that like a subtle highlight, you might not lean towards this. But it's perfect for girls like me that like that stripe of metal look! 

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Friday, July 22, 2016

Alisha Reviews: Champagne Pop!



Anyone part of the beauty scene is familiar with Jaclyn Hill. This beauty guru is killing the makeup game with over three million followers on youtube and instagram. Influential makeup brand Becca reached out to Jaclyn for a collaboration, and from this 'Champagne Pop' was born! This creamy highlighter with gold and peachy undertones was an instant hit. However, Becca and Jaclyn didn't stop there. After Champagne Pop's amazing success, they went on to create an entire Champagne Pop collection! This collection includes highlighter/blush split pans, highlighting sticks, a liquid version of Champagne Pop, a highlighting brush, a poured cream version of Champagne Pop, an illuminating face palette, and the original Champagne Pop!

Today I will be talking about the Champagne Collection Face Palette. I was lucky enough to snag one of the last two palettes at Sephora. 


This limited edition palette includes two highlighters and three blushes; it retails for $52.
From left to right in reference to the photo above, the shades in the first row are Rose Spritz, Amaretto, and Pamplemousse. Second row is Champagne Pop and Prosecco Pop. 
This palette is my first time trying out anything from Becca (I've already had Champagne Pop, but since it's in the palette that's basically the same thing). Every single shade is creamy, buttery, and ridiculously pigmented. I'm not a big blush girl because I already have redness on my cheeks and I don't like putting more pink on top of it. Amaretto is perfect for me as it isn't so pink but still provides a little flush of color. The OG Champagne Pop provides such a beautiful glow. And if you mix it with Prosecco Pop, be prepared to reflect any and all light that comes in contact with your face. I prefer my highlight to be as dramatic as possible, so I'm always mixing the two together.

(Top to bottom: Rose Spritz, Amaretto, Pamplemousse, Champagne Pop, Prosecco Pop)

It's safe to say I am completely in love with this palette. It's so pretty I'll probably try to use my original Champagne Pop up first before I dive straight into it. 
Unfortunately, the face palette is limited edition, and it has sold out everywhere online. However, a couple Sephora's might still have it in stock in store. You can find the rest of the Champagne collection here



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Friday, July 15, 2016

The Three Types of Grievers: What You Need to Know

Co-Written by: Jessica N. Keller

     When you and the people around you experience a hard loss, you'll find that sometimes the way others grieve can make it more difficult for your own grieving process. The first step in dealing with other's grief is realizing that we all grieve in our own way. In my own experience, I have seen three types of grievers. I have witnessed these types of grievers throughout my life, watching my family and close friends struggle with the transition of the stages of grief - in their own way. We struggle to wrap our minds around the fact that there are different types of grievers, and grieving processes, because we only know of one that works for us.

1. The Emotional Grievers

   The emotional grievers are in a state of shock when they receive the news of a heartbreaking loss. The loss they are going through affects their everyday lives, whether it be with work, family, their schoolwork, etc. - it is all affected. The emotional griever is likely to burst into tears when someone asks how they're doing in coping with their loss.
    The emotional grievers tend to take everything to heart much harder.  They are the ones who literally compare everything in their lives, unwillingly, to the event that changed it for good.  The hardest part for the emotional grievers is trying to find someone to connect to.  They typically are the one who get more depressed and take longer to overcome the circumstances. This type of griever has a hard time adjusting to change and has the hardest time dealing with how others grieve.

2. The Withdrawn Grievers

    The withdrawn grievers are the quick grievers. They will often grieve by themselves, shutting out everyone else that loves and cares about them. They may see grief as a chore, wanting to get it over with as quick as possible, or avoid it entirely. The withdrawn griever tries to protect themselves and they don't take into consideration other peoples feelings, because they are still trying to protect their own.
    Most could only hope that going through a tremendous loss would make you want to be closer to your family. Some could only hope it would make you want to continue having a relationship with your in-laws (because they are still your in-laws). However, the withdrawn griever pushes everyone away, even when they thought they weren't. All we can assume is that they thought no one was supporting them in their decisions, but the decisions they have made have hurt more than they're probably willing to admit.      

3. The Just-Keep-Going Grievers

   The just-keep-going grievers do just that: keep going. They realize what is going on but cannot force themselves to keep dwelling.  They are the ones who know they have to stay strong: to keep everyone intact.  They realize that if they don’t, everyone will fall apart.  In certain circumstances, no matter how hard they try, they simply cannot.
    The just-keep-going griever continues to try to be the glue. They are the ones stretching themselves to pull the withdrawn grievers in and keep the emotional grievers together. They find a hard time understanding the other two types, because it simply is not normal to them.The just-keep-going griever does grieve, contrary to the belief of the other two grievers.   They do grieve, behind closed doors and rarely; but it does happen.  The just-keep-going griever also looks to the future, constantly trying to decide the next move.  They want the best, not only for themselves, but for all of those around them.
     The just-keep-going grievers take the longest to recover from a loss, mentally and physically. When a just-keep-going griever has time to themselves and they aren't busy, they completely fall apart. They have the time to cry, to mourn. They don't like the way it feels, so when the tears stop rolling, they start. They start on the next project that will keep their mind occupied. They see some family, get another job, take on more at school. This type of griever is the type that almost has to stay busy with anything to keep themselves unscathed.

You Are Not Alone

     It will always be hard; it will always be a blow.  The hardest part is realizing that you have to live you whole life without someone, not by choice but by fate. Eventually you learn to accept everyone will grieve differently, no matter how hard it is on you. The main thing to keep in mind is how are your actions? Are you okay with how you’ve treated the other parts of you heart? The one you’ve buried very deep. For anyone going through any hard transition, my heart is with you. God bless you all.
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Monday, July 11, 2016

Society is Killing Us

   
     I have been watching our society in many ways and from many different angles, and I have come to one conclusion about it: it is killing us. The more I watch the news, the more I am amazed at how someone can do such horrible things to another human being. The more I log on to social media and see the public's reactions to said crimes worries me even more. After horrible crimes, we are so quick to play the blame game and attack others that we feel are the cause when that doesn't solve anything. It causes more and more violence. Violence cannot be solved with violence. All over my social media I have been seeing spectators blame such incidents on race, professional occupation, sexual orientation, gender, statistics, religion, political views, etc. But don't you realize that all that does is drives us further and further apart when we are supposed to be a nation United?
    We are literally a nation Divided, and all I see on social media is how everyone wants us to be a United nation again, and yet they're also the one's playing the blame game. I don't blame anyone for recent attacks. The only blame I see is in our society. The country is divided more now than it ever has been. There is more hate. There is more violence and hostility. There is more rebellion. Some would argue that it is due to this year's presidential election, and I could see that, but that's not where it is rooted from - not at all. This hate has been brewing for years. At least throughout the last decade. Black lives matter. White lives matter. Asian lives matter. Blue lives matter. Cat lives matter. All lives matter. We used to be "One Nation Under God" but now, we are One Nation Under the Death Penalty; because we are literally killing ourselves. You can agree to disagree, but I'm just calling it like I see it. As an American, for the love of God, please stop killing us. Please stop blaming.
    
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Tuesday, June 28, 2016

What You Learn When You Lose the Glue of Your Family

     

    When you lose someone who seemed to have been the glue that held your family together, you watch your family dwindle down around you. As a family-oriented person, it is very hard for me to watch as everyone I thought I was close to, or that I thought cared, almost cut me off. I know, I know, "some grieve differently" - but look, some don't grieve at all, or don't know how to even start. However, when you lose someone in your family, your family should be the ones there for you before anyone else is. Am I wrong? We all drift apart; our lives keep us very busy, but before such a loss, we kept in touch fairly well (at least once a week, from what I remember). It's almost as if that is how we -as a family- chooses to grieve. Apart from each other.
          That is not how you grieve. In times of loss, you need your family more than anything; aside from friends, of course. I lost the best friend that I have ever had in my life, and I only have a few family members and friends that seemed to genuinely care or want to get through the loss WITH me. I still have not grieved. It's been twenty months. I'm still lost. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Holidays. They are all so hard. Unless you've experienced a similar loss, you wouldn't understand. When you go through a tragic event, you find out a number of things.  You find out who your real friends are, the family members that cared about family, you evaluate faith, and you also find out things about yourself that you really didn't want to know but you learned it anyway.

   1. The Family


        Honestly, I cannot think of a time that my family had a get-together that felt forced when my mom was here. When she was here, everything was fun. It was so easy to have fun when mom was here. Now, we try to have fun, but it just doesn't flow, so it seems more natural to some to drift apart and give up instead. Although, get-togethers at my mother's family's home never feel forced to me, because it seems as if we are getting through this loss together. I guess it's just on my father's side of the family that we have drifted apart. We don't know a thing that goes on in our lives until we see it on our Facebook newsfeed.
       Assembling family gatherings are a struggle these days, because someone has problems with someone. If one person is coming to a gathering, another person is not. It just hurts. The cold hard truth is that we are growing apart. I have watched us grow apart for twenty months now. The more months pass by, the farther apart we drift. It is so hard to witness.
       It takes death to show you who cared about the person and who cared about their things. Material things are not that person. It's just a house. It's just furniture. The only time I pitch a fit over something is if it had sentimental value to me that reminded me of my mom, grandparents, aunts, or my best friend. Material things are not -and never will be- important.

  2. Friends


          After the loss of my mother, I had an overwhelming outpour of support from friends sending me prayers, condolences, sympathy and it was appreciated more than anything. I have cherished everyone who has reached out to not only me, but to my family during our time of sorrow. I have an abundance of friends I can thank, but I'm not going to do that in this post. You know who you are. And I thank you.
          Although, going through a loss shows you who your friends are, it also shows you who are not your friends. I had some really good friends who were always down to party, but it seemed as soon as something tragic happened, they skedaddled out of my life, and made themselves scarce. I'm not going to lie, it did hurt. It hurt a lot. Especially  because these were people I thought were my friends, I thought I could count on. I learned the hard way, that I couldn't.

   3. Faith


        It seems as though the one thing I could hold onto throughout this experience of loss, among everything else I've gone through - is my faith in God. I used to turn away from the Lord when times would get hard in my life, or when I had gone through a hard loss for me to go through. I would choose a bottle over the Bible. And I'm not proud of that. But after the loss of my sweet mother, I turned to the Lord for his guidance. My mother, for those who don't know, was an incredible God-fearing woman among many, many other things that I cannot even begin to describe. You could ask anyone who knew her what kind of woman she was. They would all tell you the same thing.
       After this loss, however, I turned to the Lord for his guidance in dealing with my grief. It has helped more than anything, I believe. I don't go to church, but in my belief you don't have to go to church to worship. There are a handful of verses that help me every single day when I think about how badly I wish my mom was still here, just so I can tell her what happened that day. There is one verse, in particular that helped me, it jumped out at me almost a week after she was called home.
Jeremiah 31:13 - I will turn their mourning into gladness. I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. He knows what He is doing, even though we don't understand it. God knows what he is doing.

   4. What You Learn About Yourself


        This has been an eye opening experience. I have lost so much in twenty months. I have had days where I didn't want to get out of bed, at all. I learned my inner strength is stronger than I think. I feel like breaking down every single day, but I find it in myself not to. I have started writing again, as if I'm using it as a way to vent, or to cope. I don't know. I have learned patience. Patience with yourself and with others, because you only have one life. You cannot get upset with someone because they don't get it right away, or because you have to stand in line a little longer than you anticipated. You must be patient. There could be another reason why you're being held up in line, that God could be saving you from an accident on the road or some other incident. I have also learned that it's okay to cry. Before losing my mother, I held in every tear and put on the bravest face. I never wanted anyone to see me cry, I still don't want anyone to see me cry - blame in on the Irish blood in me. However, after losing my mom, I understand that sometimes you have to cry. It's a natural cleanse your body must go through. It's healthier for you to cry than it is to hold it all in.
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Friday, May 20, 2016

MAKEUP TAG: Top 5 Under 5


Let me start out by saying I spend way too much money on makeup. Sometimes it's high end expensive stuff and sometimes it's more from the drugstore. And often I find I like getting drugstore priced makeup more because it means I can buy more at one time, so recently I've been investing and experimenting with more drugstore products. Today I'm going to tell you about 5 products I absolutely love (in no order), and they're all going to be under five dollars!


wet n' wild Eyeshadows
 

If you're familiar with the Youtube beauty/makeup scene, you knew this was coming. When I first started getting into makeup I was extremely hesitant about buying makeup so cheap. I was convinced that higher end was always better. Thankfully (for my wallet) I know now that is not always the case. Wet n Wild's eyeshadows are outstanding quality for the price. Their Eyeshadow Trios will only cost you $2.99; their Color Icon Eyeshadow Collection is just under five dollar for $4.99, and you get eight shadows for that insanely low price. If you're just getting into makeup, or if you're an eyeshadow junkie like me, I highly suggest going and getting yourself a pallet (or twelve, because, why not).

Nyx Jumbo Eye Pencil (in the shade Milk)

Recently I've been getting into the habit of trying to use an eyeshadow base before I put on shadow (I almost always forget). Again, I heard about this product on youtube and picked one up the last time I was in Ulta. This eye pencil works as a great base for your shadow and sometimes I find it makes my colors appear more vivid as well. These are available at Ulta or you can also get one here for $4.50. They come in a lot of different colors besides Milk, and they are originally serve as an eyeliner/eyeshadow.

e.l.f. Lotion Wipes

I'm still going through the journey of figuring out my skin type. I figure I'm mostly dry skin because I need moisturizer more than anything else. I never hear anyone talk about these but I think they're the greatest things in the world. Basically instead of carrying around a bottle of lotion in your purse, you can just throw a pack of these in and be good to go. I use these to moisturize before bed, throughout the day on my hands, on my face before makeup, or any other time I'm feeling dry and I need a little boost of hydration. These things smell amazing and I wholeheartedly swear by them. You can find these at walmart, or here on their website for three dollars a pack.

wet n' wild Flat Top Brush

I'm beginning to favor brushes with a flat top for my foundation, and this one has to be my favorite. It doesn't leave my foundation streaky, it doesn't shed, and it blends everything flawlessly. There's nothing bad to say about it. For only $2.99, it's an amazing brush. I bought mine at Walgreens, or you can get it at their website here.

e.l.f. Baked Blush

I've used this product for awhile now, before I got so into makeup and before I even knew how to use blush. I have the shade Peachy Cheeky. However, I don't use it as a blush; it doesn't show up very well on my skintone at all. This product for me is better utilized as a highlight (I also use it as an eyeshadow sometimes). And on the tops of my cheekbones, it is stunning. It's very easy to blend, no chunky pieces of glitter. I like to mix it with a little water personally, but only because I'm not too fond of highlighters with a powder consistency. These baked blushes are priced at three dollars!

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Saturday, April 30, 2016

POETRY: Human Beings

The most shallow
The most ignorant
Beings on this earth
We don't care about anything
We just watch it all burn
Our trees, our water, our nature
All polluted away
When will be the day
That we will at last say
Enough is enough

-Jaimeđź’™
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Friday, April 29, 2016

MAKEUP TAG: The Perfect Palette 2

Pictured: Morphe 350S & 350M palette (photo from makeupbylilit)

Yes, I'm doing another makeup tag...I'm sorry they're just fun okay. This is the second part to a tag I found on the internet. It would probably make more sense to do the first part before this one, but I liked these questions better, so. I found this tag here.


 Eyeliner, brush, or nothing (included in the palette)
I haven't bought myself a palette with eyeliner in it yet. And while I like having a cute little brush included with the eye shadows, most of the time I find I never end up getting much use out of them.


A palette you have hit pan on
Honestly I've started accumulating so many that I haven't hit pan on any of them. I've used my Naked 2 palette so much, maybe I'll end up hitting pan on that one soon.


Favorite Naked palette
I only own the Naked 2 and Naked 3. And considering I've used the Naked 2 the most, that is without a doubt my favorite. It was my first high end purchase when I started getting into makeup and it will forever hold a place in my heart. With it being where I started, it is the most familiar and easy palette for me to use. 


Favorite holiday or limited edition palette
The MannyMua x Makeup Geek paletteMannyMua is one of my favorite beauty guru's on youtube! He did a collab with Makeup Geek to make this palette and he did an amazing job. You can find his youtube channel here.
This limited edition palette is beautiful. Every shade is gorgeous and I am obsessed with it. I've been wanting to try out Makeup Geek's shadows for awhile now but I think their ready made palettes are expensive and I haven't been wanting to dish out the money for a Z palette (I found an empty palette that Morphe makes that's cheaper than the large one, so maybe I'll finally start building up my own palette). 

A palette you would repurchase or wish you had a backup (if it is no longer available)
I just purchased the new Urban Decay Alice Through the Looking Glass palette. I know it would be a great piece to just keep and display or stare at or something, but I'm dying to use it (it hasn't come to my house yet). I wish I could have another one so I could have one to use and one to keep for collection purposes (lol).  The packaging is a work of art in itself; you can tell a ton of work was put into this. 

A shade you wish was sold individually 
I'm going to cheat here because this shadow is already sold individually, but it's such a beautiful shade I have to talk about it. Maybe it's not totally cheating because it's sold as a pigment rather than a actual individual shadow (yeah we'll say that). Makeup Geek's  Insomnia is a beautiful duochrome shadow in the MannyMua x Makeup Geek palette, and it's literally my favorite eye shadow ever at all hands down. This picture doesn't do it justice; I couldn't find a photo that is really true to how this shade looks. It's a warm, reddish, brown shade and when it reflects it turns blue/teal. IT'S BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

Photos from Makeup Geek


Wild card (pick a question from the original Perfect Palette Tag to answer again)
I chose: Biggest Regret
The very first time I walked into Ulta, I bought the Nyx Dreamcatcher Palette in the shade Stormy Skies. I didn't know what swatching was; I didn't know what pigmentation was; I didn't know anything. All I knew was that I really wanted a Naked palette, but I didn't have the money to get one. But once it was in my head to buy eye shadow, I was gonna buy some eye shadow no matter what. So I grabbed the Nyx palette instead. A couple weeks afterwards I went and bought the Naked palette I wanted, and the Nyx palette disappeared from my attention. I never used it and never reached for it, so I ended up just giving it away to one of my friends. 



The palette you would recommend to a friend

My Too Faced Pb&J palette. It's small, cute, pigmented, and it smells like peanut butter! It's very high quality. Plus in my opinion, you can use the shades to create a look for any of the different eye colors. 

Photo from Too Faced
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