Etude House Dear My Enamel Lips-Talk REVIEW

Korean beauty is all the rage lately and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere or slowing down any time soon, so I figured what better way to make a come back to blogging by jumping on that bandwagon! I picked up two of these lipsticks in Chinatown in Chicago, and of course they're old, discontinued shades BUT the formulas are the same, so I'm running under the assumption that the new and current formulas and shades are pretty much the same product as well. I will try to locate bother of these lip colors on the internet for purchase but I can't guarantee that I will be able to find any legit sellers or whatnot. If you live in the Chicago area, I would suggest just going straight to Chinatown and if you do not, I suggest looking up reviews of the sites and whatnot. I didn't order these online, and I don't necessarily know how legitimate any of the sellers I might find are, nor do I want anyone getting scammed!!

Etude House is, from what I can determine, a pretty popular and relatively affordably priced (in Korea!) trendy makeup line. I am Korean, but I don't speak or read a lick of the language so I'm really not sure what exactly the packaging says, but luckily they have a English site now! I paid $16 per lipstick in person, which is much more expensive than it is on their site so go me. :( Anyway, if you want to learn more about these particular lippies, click the jump.

Pacifica Skin Revival Micro Dermabrasion Scrub REVIEW

Okay, so normally I like to test products out for a longer period of time than just one use. But this is a product that, considering the hefty price point and the tiny amount you get, I cannot stand. This review is going to go up ASAP so I can rehome this product to someone else who, hopefully, loves this product. Sadly, I did not. This is not intended to be a slight on Pacifica products as a whole. I have a handful of their products that I really enjoy (a couple of cleansers that should be getting some review love on here pretty soon!!) Plus, I love what the company stands for; it's cruelty free and all natural and also produced locally in the USA (holla at my Portland people!)

LORAC Love, Lust & Lace PRO Matte Lip Color Set REVIEW (Holiday 2015)

If you read my last post, then you know I was super disappointed by the Hard Candy lip set this holiday. This set by LORAC however...this gift set is a winner. For $24 you get three full size Pro Matte Lip Color pencils, one permanent shade and two limited edition shades. These lip colors retail for $16 each. I think this set is a wonderful gift, especially for those who like true matte lip colors without the drying discomfort that those types of products can cause. The theme this year is so pretty. I know some people aren't a fan of the blue but I dig it.

In this set you get two limited edition colors, "French Rose" and "Mulberry", and one permanent bestselling shade, "Pink Taupe". I think the color selection of this kit has been done quite well; you get a light pink and a nude and then a nice wearable holiday red color. I think a wide range of people will be able to get a lot of use and enjoyment out of the colors in this kit. That being said, they're not unique colors, so if you're looking to gift to a lip product junkie, this might end up being a bit redundant.

FTC DISCLAIMER: This set was purchased by me for review purposes. I am not affiliated with LORAC, nor is this a sponsored post. I don't receive any compensation for this post and, as always, all opinions are my own.

Hard Candy Wish For A Kiss Review (HOLIDAY 2015)

Spoiler alert; this set f*****g sucks. I'm actually offended that Hard Candy was able to waste my $4.88, what a joke. I know, I know, language and all that. But seriously, this gift set is literally trash, and that's where these glosses are going after this bloody review. Okay, okay, I'm never this negative about these things, ever. But this is a special occasion. So let's talk about brands cheaping the crap out on their holiday sets. Because what the actual hell is this shit, Hard Candy??

FTC DISCLAIMER: I, clearly, purchased this set with my own money. My thoughts and opinions are all my own. I'm not sponsored, nor affiliated with Hard Candy, and I receive no compensation for this review. Obviously. If I HAD gotten this for free, I would have honestly been even MORE offended that they actually wanted to waste my time.

Smashbox BB Water SPF 30 REVIEW

I don't often do foundation and other base products reviews. It typically takes me a while to get them done, partly because I typically like to test them out with a variety of primers and powders to get a feel on how a product is going to function. But this is a foundation that I feel I have a grasp on after about a week of wear; every now and then a product is like that! For example - the Smashbox BB Cream is my HG product STILL. I purchased it way back when it first hit the market and I've repurchased several times, which, for me is INCREDIBLY RARE. I've loved that BB cream since the first use and I haven't looked back. Every now and then I feel like trying out one of those incredibly raved about Korean BB creams (especially seeing as how I, myself, am Korean) BUT then I remember that the Smashbox BB cream exists AND that I can use my discount on it, haha. So this BB Water had a lot of competition to beat out its prior incarnation.

Did it manage it? Click the jump to find out!

FTC Disclaimer: This product was received by me as gratis from my job. I am employed by Ulta BUT all opinions in this post are mine alone and do not reflect those of my employer. I am not affiliated nor sponsored by the company in question, nor have I received any monetary compensation for this post. As always my opinions are thoroughly my own.

Exuviance Sheer Daily Protector; the best sunscreen I've ever tried (REVIEW)

Let's talk about skincare today. I don't often do this because I consider myself to be a skincare n00b. In fact, I admit; I was TERRIBLE at taking care of my skin when I was a teenager. I broke every skincare rule in the books; I slept in my makeup, I didn't moisturize, and I never wore sunscreen. Now that I'm 27, skincare suddenly seems crucially important. I invested in a Clarisonic. I'm diligent about cleaning my makeup off. And I wear a daily SPF. Exuviance is a brand that I never had access to until working at Ulta. I'd heard of some of the bigger brands, such as Mario Badescu, Dermalogica, Philosophy, and Murad, but this was a new line to me.

Exuviance is a skincare line created by two doctors who are widely considered to be leaders in the field of cosmetic dermatology and who also patented the first glycolic peel. This sounds like the type of line for me! One of my biggest issues, and the main reason why I never wore sunscreen much as a teen, is the feel of sunscreen. It's usually that thick, white goop that has a strong smell and leaves that grayish cast on your skin and takes forever to sink into your skin. The other thing is that sunscreen should be reapplied every few hours...and let's be real here - who is going to do their makeup and then rub sunscreen all over their face in a couple of hours?

No one. That's who. Enter the Exuviance Sheer Daily Protector Broad Spectrum SPF 50 PA++++! (Speaking of "enter", if this is the type of product you think you'd be interested in trying out and you live in the US, definitely enter the Exuviance GIVEAWAY! 25 lucky people will win one of these babies...and this sunscreen retails for $42!)

FTC Disclaimer: I purchased this product from Ulta with my own money. My opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer. I am not receiving monetary or physical compensation for this post. It IS in conjunction with Brandbacker, which anyone can sign up for and take part in. My integrity is very important to me - I would not have chosen to make this post if I did not enjoy this product.

Lipstick Queen Frog Prince First Impressions/Review

Lipstick Queen is a brand that I haven't delved too deeply in. I was so excited when my Ulta store first got it in store, bought six or seven things, and then promptly forgot about it for over a year. Which, in retrospect, is crazy because Medieval is one of my favorite casual red lippies ever. Sure, I joked about buying the $50 Velvet Rope lipsticks, but I've never bit the bullet.

However, when we got the Frog Prince display in, I was intrigued. Then my GM was telling about how, when she received it as gratis, it stained for 48 hours and didn't budge. Okay. I was sold. I am going to be typing this up in review format even though it is a first impressions post because if I continue to like it over the next couple of weeks I don't intend on editing this post. If, however, something crazy happens and I actually end up disliking this product, I will edit this post, add an ETA to the title, and update you. As of right now I really like this product.

FTC Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with this company, nor am I being sponsored nor compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.

bareMinerals Work, Weekend, Wow Eyeshadow Palette REVIEW

I've been debating on picking up this particular palette for a while and finally bit the bullet! I accidentally sold myself on it while selling it to a customer, no joke. Considering the READY® eyeshadow 8.0 palettes are $40 for eight shadows and the duos are $20, getting seven shadows for $26 seems like a great deal. I always love the READY® shadows, I have amassed a decent chunk of them at this point, and I reach for them frequently. I just wasn't sure if I would actually use this, mostly because at this point I have so many eyeshadow palettes. Obviously, this didn't stop me!

FTC Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me with my own money. I am not affiliated with Bare Escentuals, nor am I sponsored, nor compensated in any form. All of the opinions in this post are, as always, my own, and do not reflect that of my employer.

Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effet Faux Cils Mascara - REVIEW (Influenster)

It has been a long time since I've gotten an Influenster box and BOY AM I EXCITED that it was this particular box. I've tried the YSL Faux Cils mascara before and it was a beautiful mascara...or it would have been if it didn't flake like crazy on me. That being said, this is a reformulated version and I was excited to be able to try it! Mascara is a tricky thing, and it's not my favorite product to review because it's so personal; even if you have the EXACT SAME LASH TYPE as me, you can still end up hating a mascara I absolutely love. It's actually ten times more difficult when you consider that this is a $32 mascara...and that's hella expensive. Add in the fact that I got it for testing purposes and this post is pretty challenging.

I've done many posts involving Influenster before, and I will link to them below. Basically, when you sign up, you can pick badges of interest and do activities within those badges. When Influenster has a program relating to your interests, you can receive products free of charge to test and review. It's social media based, so you will have the best luck if you have the full spectrum of social media (FB, Twitter, IG, Vine, YT, a blog, etc.) I've done a mini intro post here.

• Oral Aesthetics and College VB
• Holiday 2012 VB
• Uni VB

FTC DISCLAIMER: I received this product through the Influenster program for testing and reviewing purposes. I am not affiliated with Yves Saint Laurent and this post is unsponsored, nor am I receiving compensation, beyond the product to try. All opinions are, as always, honest and my own.

Also, before you click the jump, this post does contain wonky close-ups of my eye, so if those kinds of things make you uncomfortable, don't proceed!

January-March Empties!

Okay, okay, so that title is a lie; some of these empties are from as long ago as last July. I'm always torn between wanting to do a substantial empties post...and not wanting it to be ridiculous. This post is going to be ridiculous, sorry to say, because I really want to through out my trash, haha. So, basically, this is about four months worth of empties, give or take a bunch of things that I forgot about and just tossed.

I'm doing this in blog format because it will be way easier to scroll to relevant parts than in a long-ass video. I hope to never acquire this much trash again. I'm hoping to do one of these every other month, if it's interesting. (If all I have is a bunch of cotton and products that I've shown before, don't expect an empties post - I enjoy these types of things...but not when they're redundant.)

L’Oréal Infallible® Pro-Spray & Set Makeup Extender Setting Spray REVIEW

Let's talk about a most exciting release! I'm sure everyone has heard of the UD All Nighter setting spray by now, and certainly the Skindinavia sprays! But here's a setting spray from the drugstore that is actually effective! From the Infallible line by L’Oréal, this spray contains 3.4 oz and retails for $16.99, but if you live in the midwest near a Meijer, I found mine at Meijer for $13.99 AND on a BOGO50% sale! Definitely check places like grocery stores such as Meijer or Walmart instead of Walgreens or CVS because you will probably find it for a bit cheaper! Also, this is a fairly new release, which means the price will probably drop as the product is out on the shelves for longer.

e.l.f. Cosmetics makes a Studio product called Mist and Set, and if this product works for you, that's AWESOME because this particular spray is only $3 and you can frequently get e.l.f. products for 50% off! Unfortunately, this spray doesn't prolong the wear of my makeup, plus it contains parabens (Methylparaben，Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, and Butylparaben, to be exact) so this isn't an option for me.

I'm hoping that, as this product is out on the shelves longer, they begin to bring out different formulations of this setting spray because, REVIEW SPOILER, I am in love with this product! BUT I have dry, flaky skin in the winter and insanely greasy and sweaty skin in the summer months and the All Nighter doesn't work so hot for me during that period so I'm not positive as to how well this spray will fare in those conditions. I HAVE worn it during hot and sweaty truck unloading shifts and it has held up beautifully during those, so fingers crossed. I would love if they came out with an oil control formula though!

Maybelline Color Sensational ® Creamy Mattes REVIEW

I have a pretty exciting post, or at least I was pretty excited. This is going to be a review on the new Creamy Matte lipsticks from Maybelline...and yes, I bought all ten, haha. I had no intention on doing so, and I rarely buy every single shade in a collection or release, but I realized that I had purchased eight of the ten and I scored my lipsticks on sale so...what the heck, right?

To limit the length of this review, I've posted individual color reviews on my Tumblr and will be doing this for future products where I purchase multiple shades because let's be real; ain't no one got time to read an absurdly long post with page anchors. Plus, the Tumblr app has a really friendly mobile interface and I don't have regular computer access so I can pump out posts on there easily. Feel free to follow! That's a sideblog, so I can't follow you back via that blog, but I can follow you on my main blog if you'd like!

I will have links to each individual color post in this post. Anyway, onward with the review!

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner REVIEW

This is a review I should probably have had up a while ago, but I'm just now getting some computer access so apologies! This is, obviously (lol) going to be a review on the new gel liner pen from Benefit. One thing to note; while they claim to be the first company to package a gel liner in this format, they're not. This Maybelline one has been out internationally for, as I understand it, before the Benefit one. Not that this really means jack, but I wish companies would do a tiny bit of research before making claims. (Yes, it has been out longer than the Benefit one, I just did a quick Googling and found this review dating from September 2013.)

Anyway, I LOVE liquid eyeliner pens. Love love love. I usually use the Physicians Formula one (review here because it works well enough for me (not the blackest black liner, but what I sacrifice in intensity, I gain in sheer ease of application, availability, and price). I actually took a break from gel liners when I started using liquid ones more, and now I use almost exclusively liquid liner. That being said, I jumped outta my skin when I heard about the Benefit one because HOW COOL? A GEL LINER PEN! Anyway, let's start this! This product retails for $24.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this product free, as a gratis sample from my job (I work at Ulta) for testing purposes. I am not affiliated with Benefit Cosmetics, I am receiving no compensation for this review, and this is not a sponsored post. All opinions are, as always, my own!

e.l.f. Ariel Treasure Within Beauty Book REVIEW

One of the times I was questing at Walgreens (for the new Maybelline "The Nudes" palette, which I finally found at Ulta; review soon!) I spotted a display that caught my eye. Now last Halloween (or maybe two Halloweens ago) e.l.f. did a collaboration with Disney and had some gift sets based off of villains. This is a similar concept, except with Ariel!

Truth be told, I'm actually not a HUGE Little Mermaid fan, but the packaging and the concept suckered me in and I ended up with two kits; a lip set (review to be coming) and this "Treasure Within" Beauty Book. The packaging of this is GORGEOUS, can we just take a minute? I'm so in love with the aesthetic aspects of this palette. But how do the products inside stack up?

(I'll be including page anchors so if you just want to see swatches or read about just one part, you can skip to that particular part and not have to fuss around, since I can get...really verbose, especially when talking about so many products in one mega-post.)

FTC Disclaimer: All of the product(s) shown in this review were purchased by me, with my own money. I am not affiliated with e.l.f., nor am I being compensated or sponsored for my review. All opinions are, as always, my own.

WNW Summer '14 All Access Beauty Mega Last Polishes REVIEW

Okay, so I have been obsessed with nail polish lately. And, the Wet N Wild Mega Last polishes have been my favorite drugstore nail polish since they came out. I love the variety of finishes and colors, I even love the packaging and the brush. And who doesn't love the price, right?? These six colors came out with the All Access Beauty summer collection, and I'm still seeing these all over my Walgreens, so hopefully I didn't get this review up too late (I'm so sorry, I wanted to wear each of these to see if they wore differently!)

I own about 20 colors from the permanent range and for whatever reason, I've never talked about them before. (This could be because I am horrible at doing nail swatches, apologies in advance.) This collection also includes some bronzer/blush palettes that I've already reviewed here!

FTC DISCLAIMER: These products were purchased by me with my own money. I am not affiliated with Wet N Wild, nor am I sponsored or receiving compensation for this review. As always, all opinions are my own! :)

The Mega Last polishes are $1.99 at most places, but they often go on sale at Walgreens. I haven't seen the All Access Beauty collection in Rite Aid but I've seen it in Walgreens, so I don't know if this collection is only available there, or what? All of these colors are fun, summery colors (although admittedly not insanely original; you might have these shades in your collection already, if you're a polish addict!)

WNW Summer '14 All Access Beauty Bronzer & Blushes REVIEW

I have been searching all over for these dang things! I'm so jealous of people who can find the LE WNW stuff super fast because it takes my area FOREVER to get them. Anyway, these are the Bronzer & Blush compacts. I have all three of these products and I'm pretty excited to share. The theme this summer seems to be based off of festival life, according to the display.

Now these displays are sell-through, so once the product is gone, it's gone, unless the store gets an entirely new display. If you want these, I recommend buying them when you find them.

I found mine at Walgreens for $3.99 and an interesting thing to note is that, normally even LE products will still be on sale. WNW products are currently 30% off on select products, including the permanent line color icon bronzers (which have the same packaging and size, just different colors) but these weren't ringing up with the sale price; same for the nail polishes. I mean, WNW is pretty inexpensive, but that's still a bit of a bummer. Yes, I have the Wellness card, before anyone asks.

FTC Disclaimer: I purchased these products with my own money. I am neither affiliated nor being sponsored by Wet N Wild or Markwins, nor am I being compensated for this post. All opinions are, as always, my own!

Covergirl Ready, Set, Gorgeous Summer 2014 FIRST IMPRESSIONS/REVIEW

Okay, so a few days ago I had posted a new CG products haul post (you can find that here if you're interested) and three of the new products were new face products. Now, unfortunately, I don't have good news, personally. I've heard horror stories about CG's Clean makeup, which can break people out like crazy. I've also read that some people have bad reactions to ALL Covergirl makeup. One of my favorite foundations is the Outlast Stay Fabulous liquid foundation. I wore it six days a week for three months, with no wonky reactions.

I do not have acne-prone skin. I get a pimple every couple of months, maybe. There has only been one other product that has ever had this bad of an effect on my non-sensitive skin, and that was a serum-moisturizer from Garnier. I mentioned in the haul post that I thought I was having a reaction to the concealer, because I developed six pimples only on my undereye area...yeah, no.

The way these products work is similar to Maybelline's Fit Me line; you select your liquid foundation shade and from there you can pick out the corresponding powder and concealer. My shade in the foundation is "215 Warm Beige" and my shade in both the powder and concealer is "Medium", which is for shades 215 and 220.

Okay, let's get this party started. WARNING: this post is photo-heavy and there is A LOT of text. And contains a lot of pics of my derpy-ass face. I apologize in advance. (I'm adding page anchors, so you can skip to whichever part you're interested in.) And, yeah, I will never switch to contacts. Just...no.

FTC Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in this post was purchased by me, with my own money. I am not compensated for this review, I am not affiliated with Covergirl or Proctor & Gamble, and all opinions are, as always, my own.

Covergirl Lipslicks Smoochies in #smooch REVIEW

I was pretty tardy to the party, as far as these Covergirl Lipslicks Smoochies go. I had read/watched a few reviews and everyone seemed pretty down on these; the biggest complaint seemed to be that these had a lack of pigmentation. And if you've been around on my blog for a while, you know one of my biggest pet peeves is when a balm claims to be tinted and then isn't. So basically, I wasn't interested in trying these. Now, I used to have a couple of the CG old school Lipslicks, and I remembered liking those alright. Finally, curiosity killed the Kate and a makeup haul brought her back.

I do have two shades in this, but I couldn't find the other one, so I'll review the individual shade on my Tumblr when I locate it, but since buying those two, I've purchased a few more, and there's not a wide change in the formula, so this is going to be a stand alone review. These widely vary in price for me, they're about $4.99 or so at Walmart and $7.99 at Walgreens, so YMMV for sure. The only difference is that Walgreens has sales and coupons and their Wellness card or whatnot, so you can actually get rewards and stuff for purchasing them there. Also, CG often goes on those BOGO50 sales.

I'm not typically a huge CG fan in the slightest, but lately they've been impressing me with their face products and some of their lip and nail products, so who knows. Eye product-wise...eh, their shadows are not my favorite, but you usually can't go wrong with Lash Blast mascara.

Maybelline Dream Wonder Pressed Powder REVIEW

So...Maybelline is one of my favorite drugstore brands, typically. And this is going to be an interesting review, because, while I like the way this powder functions, I can't recommend it. I know, I know, that seems weird, and I'll definitely explain in-depth. This product is fairly new, so it's still a bit more expensive; about $8.99 at most places. I imagine the price will drop a bit the longer the product exists. This isn't being promoted as a powder foundation, so I'm not going into it expecting crazy amounts of coverage.

Also, I tend to prefer light coverage face products anyway, so keep that in mind! :)

L'Oréal Colour Riche Extraordinaire in Pink Tremolo 105 REVIEW

This is going to be a review on a new lip product from L'Oréal; the Colour Riche Extaordinaire liquid lipstick. This is basically one of those lipstick/lip gloss hybrids. I'm pretty sure this is their version of the Maybelline The Elixir lippies they have out. The formulas are pretty similar in texture. These are pretty pricy for a lip product; they're currently $9.99 according to L'Oréal's website and that is a lot of money for a drugstore lip gloss. The tube is small and compact, which is nice but at the same time...this product contains 0.18 fl. oz./5.5 mL, which is more than the amount in the Revlon Super Lustrous glosses (0.13 fl. oz./3.9 mL) BUT less than what comes in the Le Glosses from L'Oréal, which are also only seven dollars at most places. (0.40 fl. oz./12 mL)

I only own the one color but I might be picking up a few more and I do really like this particular lip product. The shade I own is "105 Pink Tremolo" and it's a really pretty hot pink. It's not too blue-based and I think it would work well with a variety of skin tones. t's easier for me to type up individual color reviews so this is probably going to be how reviews get done lately, lol. If you like smaller posts like this instead of my huge multi-color reviews, please leave a comment and let me know! :) Thanks in advance.