Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler Review

Hey everybody, today I've got a review on the Shu Uemura eyelash curler. This thing is pretty expensive, retailing for about 20 bucks, but I got mine on Amazon for cheap(er).

Before I got the Shu Uemura curler, I was using the ELF eyelash curler. The ELF one worked decently well, but I have pesky eyelashes at the outer corners of my eyes that the ELF one wasn't curling.

The thing about the Shu Uemura one is the shape. It seems to fit the shape of the eye better than other eyelash curlers I've tried because it is not as round. If you're finding that other eyelash curlers are not a very good fit for your eye, this might be a good option for you.

As far as actually curling my lashes, this does a good job. It gets every lash, even the ones in the outer corners that are hard to reach. The actual curl is really nice. Some eyelash curlers make a kink in your lashes, which causes them to point upward at a harsh angle. This one makes it so your lashes have an actual curl, and no kink. They are lifted from the root, which makes it looks like you didn't use an eyelash curler at all.

Is it worth the hype?
Depends on your lashes. If you don't have really pesky lashes at the corners of your eye that refuse to curl, I would say stick with a cheaper eyelash curler. Ultimately, if you've found an eyelash curler at the drugstore that you are satisfied with and isn't causing you issues, then I wouldn't spend the money on the Shu Uemura. However, it is a great tool, and I can see why everybody loves it. If you want something luxurious and you don't mind spending the money, go for it. You will probably like it just as much as I do. So, in short, yes, I believe it is worth the hype, but I would not advise you to spend 20 bucks on an eyelash curler if you already have a cheap one that works fine.


Sorry I've been lagging on posts, y'all. I'm back to school and working, so I've been very busy. I'm trying to get as many posts up as I can.

Much love,
Gianna

L'Oreal Lash Out Butterfly Mascara Review

Hey everybody! Today we're going to be talking about a new drugstore product that I haven't heard much about yet. It seems like it sneaked its way on to the shelves unnoticed. I've only just begun to see some reviews, and they were generally positive, so I had to get my hands on it. Here's what I have to say...

The whole thing about this mascara is it's supposed to give fluttery lashes. It has a little wing on the wand that it supposed to help reach and extend the outer lashes. It has a plastic wand, which is actually something I prefer.
I will say, I like the packaging. It's very sleek and understated, which I appreciate.

Here are my lashes without mascara:

Here they are after one coat:

And here they are after two:

Overall, I like this mascara. I think "Butterfly" is a good name for it, because it really does give fluttery looking lashes. If you're looking for length and definition, this is a great choice. Also, I think this would be a great layering mascara. If you are willing to take the time and use a separate mascara over top of this one that is really volumizing, the combination is going to give you amazing lashes.

I like the wand. The little wing is actually easy to use and effective. It's not a very messy mascara like others can be. It doesn't get all over your lids or under-eyes. As far as smudging or flaking, this is the best performing L'Oreal mascara I've ever had. It smudges and flakes a little bit, but only if it's been a really long day. Generally L'Oreal mascaras flake and smudge horribly on me.


This gets two thumbs up from me. Not sure if it replaces my Maybelline The Rocket, but I would certainly repurchase it and throw it in the mix.

Much love,
Gianna

Urban Decay Vice 2 Swatches

Hey everybody! Last year when UD came out with the first Vice Palette, I passed it up knowing that I didn't really need it. However, I was kind of sad when it sold out because I thought it was a beautiful palette. When I got an email from UD saying the second palette was out, I was like, okay this is going to be mine. I've swatched all the shades for you guys to see. Feast your eyes on the beauty...

The packaging is beautiful, and pretty compact for a palette with 20 eyeshadows. It has a mirror on the inside that stretches the length and width of the lid, which is awesome. I probably will not depot these shadows, because the packaging is wonderful and reasonably small.

Swatches are left to right, top to bottom.

Smokeout, Lovesick, Shellshock, Coax, X-Rated
Smokeout is a very dark shimmery brown with maybe a hint of plum.
Lovesick is black with silver glitter.
Shellshock is a metallic silver. Very beautiful for a special occasion where you want something flashy.
Coax is darker pink with shimmer.
X-Rated is a matte light pink.

Prank, Madness, Strike, Stash, Poison
Prank looks nearly black in the swatch, but in the pan it looks dark blue. It almost has a duo-chrome kind of vibe going on.
Madness is a bright, but still dark blue with shimmer.
Strike is gold with shimmer.
Stash is an olive green with shimmer.
Posion is a charcoal color with shimmer.

Radar, Damaged, Voodoo, Betrayal, Derailed
Radar is almost an amber color. I believe it has both shimmer and glitter. It's very beautiful.
Damaged is an emerald green with shimmer.
Voodoo is like a grape purple with shimmer.
Betrayal is a purple-y duo-chrome color. It's very unique.
Derailed is a dark, taupe-y brown shade with shimmer.

Dope, Toxic, Habit, Ambush, Rewind
Dope is a light, soft pink with a satin kind of finish.
Toxic is kind pink-y mauve shade with shimmer. Definitely leans more pink though, but not the same kind of pink as Coax.
Habit is a matte, almost skintone like color. It is slightly darker than my skin.
Ambush is a shimmery brown.
Rewind is a matte, medium/dark brown.


What do you guys think? Are you getting this palette, or saving your money for something else?

Let me know!!

Love as always,
Gianna

Light, Natural Makeup Products

Hey everybody! Even though I am a makeup addict, I understand that a full face of makeup every day is just not feasible for most people. When I wake up early in the morning for school, the last thing I feel like doing is putting on some thick foundation, lipstick, liner, etc. Not only is a full face of makeup a hassle at times, it's also not very good for your skin.

I've put together four products that are extremely natural, light, and easy to put on and go. On days where I just don't care enough to do anything extra, these are the products I use.

Left to right: Covergirl Super Thick Lash Mascara, Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie, Jouer Matte Moisture Tint, NYX Blush in Mocha
Covergirl Super Thick Lash is pretty awesome for natural, but still nice looking lashes. When I don't feel like piling on Maybelline The Rocket (which gives tons of volume and length), I go with this. It lengthens, defines, and thickens my lashes, but still looks natural. It's a mascara that perfects your lashes without looking like you have mascara on. I really enjoy it, and it's super cheap at your local drugstore.

Revlon Lip Butters are really light and glossy. The shade Berry Smoothie is a natural pink color, very much like the natural color of my lips. It doesn't add tons of color, just a little tint and a glossy finish. It makes my lips look healthy and beautiful. I love it!

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint is just awesome. It's light to medium coverage, but way better than a tinted moisturizer. It perfects my skin, looks really natural, and covers just about everything I expect it to cover. I have a full review on it, if you would like to see what I think of it in depth.

Last but not least, NYX Blush in Mocha. This blush leans pink, but not too pink. It's completely matte, which is going to give you the most natural look. Blush is not really something that I think we should skip, even if we're doing a natural look. A slight flush to the cheeks makes us look healthy. Choose whatever shade you like best, but I think Mocha is a fabulous choice.

Here are a few swatches...

NYX Mocha, Revlon Berry Smoothie
They are quite similar colors. I totally did not plan it that way! Depending on your skin tone, choose the best color that suits you. I am quite fair with yellow undertones. I think neutral pinks suit me really well if I'm trying to look put together, but not overdone.


That's all for now!

Much love,
Gianna

What to avoid when you have Rosacea

Hey everybody. For about six months I have been dealing with rosacea and all the fun little things that go along with it. Rosacea isn't just chronic redness; it can also appear as "papules and pustules," burning ans stinging, an enlarged nose due to excess tissue, and irritated eyes. My rosacea sits under the "papules and pustules" plus burning and stinging category, which pretty much means that when I have a flare up, it looks like acne. When I first started getting flare ups I thought it was acne, and treated it as such. That was probably the worse thing that I could have done, and once I finally figured out what the heck the problem was, I started doing tons of research to figure out a new skincare routine.


When you have rosacea, that means that you have sensitive skin. When you have sensitive skin, there are loads of things you need to avoid, especially if you are prone to rosacea.


The first thing you need to do is stop exfoliating your skin. Yeah, that's right. Papules and pustules can make your skin feel very rough, like it always needs exfoliating. Before I knew acne wasn't the problem, I exfoliated the crap out of my skin, which only made it worse. Your skin needs to repair itself, so exfoliation is the exact opposite of what your skin needs.

As far as products go, there are lots of ingredients you need to avoid. Always looks for products that are labeled "sensitive skin," and go from there. I always choose products that are oil free, because I have oily skin. My nighttime moisturizer has oil in it, but that doesn't matter because I only use it at night.

Products that you choose should be free of drying alcohols (not all alcohols are drying, did you know that?), fragrance, witch hazel, and anything irritating like menthol. Toners are pretty much a no-go. They contain alcohol and acne fighting ingredients that are going to exacerbate your rosacea. I stay away from acne fighting ingredients because they can be irritating. If I do happen to have a pimple, I use a spot treatment only on that one spot to clear it up. This method works well for me.

It's really important to stay away from scented products. I've heard that fragrance is the number one irritating ingredient in skin care. Think about it- you're just apply unnecessary chemicals to your already sensitive face.

I have found that simple is better when it comes to caring for sensitive skin. I use my cleanser, my prescription treatment for rosacea, and my moisturizer. During the day I also use a sunscreen. And that's it. When I start overloading my skin with products, I can really tell that my skin retaliates.


Sunscreen is important for everybody, especially those of us with sensitive skin. When it comes to sunscreen, look for physical suncreen ingredients like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Physical sunscreens are far less likely to irritate the skin than chemical sunscreens. It's difficult to find sunscreen at the drugstore that uses only these ingredients. Your best bet is going to be products that are made for babies or are labeled as natural. Neutrogena Pure and Free is a good line to use.


Here is a really helpful chart showing the differences between physical and chemical sunscreens.

Drying alcohols that are irritating to the skin are listed as :

Isopropanol
alcohol denat
ethanol
SD alcohol
ethyl alcohol

Avoid those and you'll be fine.


Fatty alcohols that are okay are listed as:


cetyl alcohol
cetearyl alcohol
behenyl alcohol
lanolin alcohol
stearyl alcohol

These alcohols are perfectly fine because they are not stripping or drying.



I know this is a lot of information, but I hope it helps you in choosing the skincare that is right for you.


Much love,
Gianna

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint Review

Hey everybody! I have been hearing loads of great things about the Jouer Matte Moisture Tint on YouTube, so naturally I had to try it out myself. I mean, a tinted moisturizer that keeps me matte? Sounds good to me. It's certainly better than Dr. Brandt's BB Matte, which I have previously reviewed. Here is what it looks like:

The Matte Moisture Tint comes in five shades and retails for $38.00. You get 1.7 ounces of product, which is nearly double the typical amount of foundation you get in a bottle. Because you get so much product, I think the price is not too terrible.

The texture of this stuff is kind of thick, but not hard to work with. I would say work in sections rather than do your whole face at once. I almost want to say it is a cream to powder formula, but it isn't exactly. It just sets matte, and once it starts to set, it feels a little powdery. But it doesn't look powdery. It looks natural, with a demi-matte finish. This stuff has really awesome coverage for a product called a "moisture tint." I would say it has light to medium coverage, and it's buildable. You're not going to get full coverage out of this. But I find that it gives me a good medium coverage applied with my fingers (which is the only way I've applied it thus far). If you want full coverage, this isn't the product for you.

It feels very light and comfortable on the skin. It sits well and doesn't sink into my pores. It doesn't necessarily stay matte on my face all day. If you're really oily, expect to blot.

One of the absolute best things about this product is the ingredients. It is oil free, hypoallergenic, fragrance free, and non-comodegenic. It has an SPF 15, but it uses physical rather than chemical ingredients to provide broad spectrum protection. This means that for those of us with really sensitive or rosacea prone skin, this product should not be irritating. This is probably my favorite part of the this product. It's really hard to find products with SPF that don't use chemical sunblocks.


Overall, I thoroughly enjoy this product. I like the coverage, I like that it's super natural, I like that it's matte, I love the ingredients, I like the hygienic packaging... I just like it all.


If you haven't tried this already, I highly suggest you check it out. I can see myself repurchasing this product many times in the future.


Much love,

Gianna

Favorite Drugstore Under Eye Concealer

Hey everybody! Under eye concealer is one of those things that I seem to change my mind on a lot. But by trying different products with different consistencies, I think I have found what I like in an under eye concealer. My under eye area can be quite dry, even though my skin is rather oily. Most under eye concealers accentuate the dryness around my eyes, which is a terrible look. I look for under eye concealers that are really creamy; if it is too thin, it accentuates my dryness. Products like the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind under eye concealer is very thin, and looks very dry on me. MAC Pro Longwear has a similar aging effect. Although I like Pro Longwear, I don't like the way it looks on me after a whole day's worth of wear.

The Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Concealer is quickly becoming my go-to under eye product. It is supposed to have a "gel" formula, which makes a lot of sense. It kind of glides over my under eye area, rather than settles into the lines.

For right around six bucks, I think this stuff performs right up there with higher end products. It reminds me a lot of Tarte's Creaseless Concealer, which I really enjoy.

I have it in two shades, Radiant and Ivory. Radiant is a light pink color meant for highlighting and brightening purposes. Ivory is slightly lighter than my natural skin tone. I have been using Ivory a bunch lately, and I find that it does a fantastic job of brightening up the area under my eyes as well as concealing my circles.

As far as the way it wears throughout the day, I really enjoy how it holds up. I don't really find that it creases on me. It may sink into some fine lines a little bit, but unlike other concealers, I don't find that this makes me look old and dry under there.


Overall I just really enjoy this product. It covers well and performs at a great standard, especially for such a low price. If you tried the Age Rewind concealer and didn't like it, or if you're looking for something at a drugstore price that its moisturizing like Tarte's under eye concealer, I say give this a go.


That's all for now!

Much love,

Gianna