December Nails

Hey y'all! So this is going to be a very quick post. I did my nails tonight and wanted to share them with you. I wanted to do some holiday nails, but not with super obvious holiday colors. I chose to do blue with a red highlight nail. The colors I used were Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Navy Blue and OPI in Wocka Wocka! They both are very opaque and the color is rich enough that you really don't need two coats. They also dried pretty quick which is nice.

I'm hoping to put up a Birchbox review for October and/or November soon. I just haven't gotten to it. I'm also thinking about doing a tutorial on my current makeup routine.

Since Thanksgiving just passed, I wanted to thank y'all who read this. I know I haven't been doing this very long at all, but I do enjoy it. Whenever someone got me talking about makeup, I would go on and on so I wanted to be able to share that with people. I know that I am not the most educated or detailed like some of the big makeup gurus out there. But my main goal with this is to target those who have very little knowledge about makeup and just let them know what's out there and hopefully help them to know what is right for them. So again, thank y'all so much for letting me share this with you. :)

Stay beautiful!

-Robin <3

Random Mini Haul

Hey y'all! So I've recently picked up some new items and I wanted to share my thoughts on them with you.

Most of them are from Nyx so I'm going to start with those first.
I got the Nyx Wonder Pencil. It claims to be able to "conceal", "line" your lips, and "brighten" your eyes (waterline). I bought mine from Ulta for $4.49. It comes in three shades (light, medium, and dark). I meant to get the light shade but of course I didn't look at the pencil, I just grabbed one from the "lights" and it turned out to be a medium. I went ahead and kept using it because it's not too dark for me. When I repurchase this, I will be getting the light shade though. It is a creamy pencil, not a wax pencil. So...how did it measure up? I first tried it on my water line but because it's the medium shade, it blends too much into my skin tone and really doesn't brighten it. (I've ended up using Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk on the inner half of my water line.) I'm sure when I get the light shade, it will work a lot better. Next, I used it to line my lips. This pencil was perfect timing because I had just recently bought a new lipstick (keep reading for that review) that was pretty bright and it would sometimes bleed. Not anymore! After the first few times of applying, I didn't even have to look in the mirror to check because I knew that the lipstick was bleeding. A+ for that! I did try it a few times to conceal but it is a little too dark so it just makes the areas stand out. Also, it's not going to make any acne just disappear. This is better for any spots or discoloration. For $4.50 though, I think it really is a "wonder" pencil.





(All three shades of the wonder pencil)













                                                                                                         

 (The medium shade on my skin.)













The next thing is another pencil from Nyx. It is the Nyx Slide On Pencil. It is a very creamy wax pencil and it definitely "slides on". I've been using it on the outer half of my water line and right underneath it as well. It's super soft and it is very easy to build up a very dark color or if you don't apply too much pressure, you can keep it from being too opaque. It still won't be too sheer, but I don't think that's the goal when it comes to eyeliner. At Ulta, this is $7.99. (Nyx is currently having a BOGO 1/2 off sale at Ulta.)

(Jet Black)


















The last Nyx item is a blush. I had been using a blush from Physician's Formula that was a nice rosy pink. But for the fall/winter, I wanted something a little darker. So I picked up Nyx Powder Blush in Mocha. I love this blush! I love the formula. It's super easy to build up so you really have you're choice of sheer or opaque. This color is also beautiful. I can't wait to pick up a few more shades. At Ulta, it's $5.99 and is included in the BOGO 1/2 off sale.





(Mocha)














                                                                                                            (On my hand-built up a little)















The last thing is something I just got today. I was at Kroger and saw some Covergirl quads and picked one up. It is in Country Woods. I was really excited when I saw this because I thought it would be a nice brown quad. Well, when I swatched the colors, 3 of them were very soft and blended nicely. The one that I was severely disappointed in was the third shade over, the soft beige one. It is very chalky, not soft, and no pigmentation. As you'll see in the picture, you can't even see it. Just above, I applied it on top of a primer and shows up just a little bit. This might be good for under the brow bone as a highlight or in the inner corner. But I would not use this on the lid at all. The other three shades are pretty enough. The first two are more shimmery than the last one, which is a bit more satin. Overall, it's not the worst quality. But there are better drugstore quads out there and these colors aren't really anything that you won't be able to find elsewhere. They're $5.99 at Ulta and also having a BOGO 1/2 off sale.

                                                                                                        (The bottom four are with no primer. As you can see the third shade doesn't show up, and you can barely see it just above with a primer.)










So basically, Nyx has done it again with some pretty good products whereas Cover Girl kind of disappointed me. I'll be on the look out for more makeup. Also, I just got my November BirchBox so I'll be posting and reviewing the October box. :)

Stay beautiful!
-Robin <3

YouTube Made Me Buy It...Part 2

Hey pretty ladies!
So I'm finally doing part two to this and I have 4 products to talk about. Here we go!

The first is the e.l.f. Kabuki Face Brush. I bought mine at Target for $6. It's in their Studio line if you're looking online. If you're used to paying $1 for most e.l.f. products, it's a just a few dollars more but it's definitely worth it. This brush is ridiculously soft! It's fluffy and big and a great kabuki brush. There are other kabuki brushes that can run you a good $15 or more so this is a great deal for a great brush. I use it to apply my matte powder as well as a loose setting powder. This was bought based on kellylovesbeauty1's recommendation.

The next item is again from kellylovesbeauty1. It is the Revlon Brow Fantasy. I also got this from Target and it was $6.49. Mine is in the shade in Dark Blonde. It is the lightest shade and the others available are Brunette, Dark Brown, and Black. Now, I naturally have very light eyebrows. And by light, I mean practically invisible. I had been using Maybelline Expert Wear Twin Brow and Eye Pencil in Blonde, which is a lighter color. A little less than a month ago, I had my brows tinted so it gave it a bit more color and I can very easily where the Dark Blonde shade from Revlon. I am not one to go the whole nine yards when it comes to my eyebrows. I like the shape that I have so I don't "draw" them on and recreate a whole new shape for them. I just use light strokes to fill in my brows and make them look fuller. Even that little bit can make a difference while still looking natural. This product is double ended with a pencil on one side and a gel on the other. The gel isn't a completely necessary step but it does kind of set the brows in place and keeps the color lasting. I would definitely recommend this brow product.

 The next product is kind of random. It came based off of grav3yardgirl and it is the Impress Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails. And of course I threw away the packaging with the name I got on it and I didn't take any pictures. But they do have a quite a few different shade options from solid colors to patterns. I put these on one night and they were very easy to apply. There is a clear strip on the back that you just pull off and then you are able to apply the nail via a sticky pad. The thing about them is the next day I took a shower and a few of them were kind of loose. I took them off and put on some new ones but a few hours later most of them were feeling loose. These do not seem like they are long term options. They would be absolutely fantastic for a one night event if you don't want to do your nails. They are also pretty short so it's not like you'll have Wal-Mart cashier lady fingernails. ;) I got mine for $7.99 at Target.

(This is just to show you the packaging as well as a few options, solids and patterns.)

The last thing I want to talk about is mascara. Now who doesn't love mascara? I recently bought the Maybelline the Rocket Volum Express in Blackest Black because missglamorazzi loved it! And I got to say, I agree! You can automatically see it working within a few swipes of the wand. It really thickens your lashes and lengthens them. Volume AND length? Yes, ma'am! Now, you do have to be careful about the lashes sticking together but that is easily fixed by running a lash comb through them to separate them. I actually want to compare this to the Covergirl Clump Crush Extensions LashBlast Mascara that I talked about in my last post because I know a lot of people have been loving this one. I have been trying it out for a few days now and I do like what it does for my lashes, I get good length from it. The problem I'm having with it is that the brush kind of hurts. And by that, I mean that the bristles feel "pointy" when I apply the mascara. I have to wonder if this is just my product because as you can see from the picture below, I can still see green wand because the wand is not being completely coated with mascara. I'm not sure if it's just mine or not but I have not heard anyone mention this. 

 This shows you the wand of the Rocket compared to the wand of the ClumpCrusher. I included a second picture of the ClumpCrusher to show you what it's supposed to look like compared to mine.

Below are pictures of both the Rocket and the ClumpCrusher with 1, 2, and 3 coats so you are able to see the difference.

The Rocket (1 coat)                                                                              ClumpCrusher (1 coat)

The Rocket (2 coats)                                                                           ClumpCrusher (2 coats)

The Rocket (3 coats)                                                                          ClumpCrusher (3 coats)

As you can see, the Rocket makes your lashes a lot thicker than the ClumpCrusher but they both have amazing length. I'm still deciding my favorite because they both have pros and cons, but they are both good buys if you're looking for a new mascara. The ClumpCrusher (both Extensions and original) is $6.99 where as the Rocket is $5.99 so that might help you make your decision.

So that is the end of the YouTube Made Me Buy It tag. I hope that what I had to say helped you out with these products. My next post will probably be a mini haul because I picked up some stuff on my own that I'm excited to tell you about. So look for that if you're curious. All the YouTubers links are on the previous post and I highly recommend y'all checking them out because they are all fantastic. Thanks so much for reading!

Stay beautiful!

-Robin <3

YouTube Made Me Buy It

For my first official post, I decided to do the "YouTube Made Me Buy It" tag because I've recently picked up some products based on the recommendations from some YouTubers. I just bought a few of them today so I'll include my review of them in a separate blog post.

The first thing is an eye shadow primer. It is from the e.l.f. line and it is FANTASTIC! emilynoel83 compared it to Urban Decay Primer Potion and for $3 how could I not try it out? It is the e.l.f. Mineral Eyeshadow Primer and I picked mine up at Target. Like I said, FANTASTIC. It has kind of a whipped feel to it and it's very light in consistency. I swipe a little on my lid and just above it and I am good to go. It keeps my shadow from creasing and it lasts for hours. At this price, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Next was a mascara that several people have been talking about it but I based my purchase off of kellylovesbeauty1. She uses it in all of her videos with another lengthening mascara. It's the Covergirl Clump Crusher LashBlast Mascara and I actually got mine in the Extensions version because who doesn't want more length and volume. I got mine at Ulta in Very Black and it was ___. I've only been using it for a few days but I'm definitely liking it. It's buildable so you're able to put on a few coats. It gives more length than the mascara I was using but I will say that the brush is kind of hard, like the bristles are kind of spiky. I'm sure it's just something to get used to. But with all the other YouTubers talking about it, it's something to give a try for sure.

The rest of the things I just bought today so I will let y'all know about them in a few days but I'll tell you right now what they are to give you a heads up. Two of them are from kellylovesbeauty1 again so thanks, girl! One is another e.l.f. product. It is the e.l.f. Kabuki Face Brush. It is from their Studio line and it is $6. I got this and the rest of the things at Target. I haven't used it yet but it is SUPER SOFT. The other thing from Kelly is the Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde. It is $6.49 and it is a double ended pencil and gel. One more mascara that a lot of YouTubers were talking about is the Maybelline The Rocket Volum Express. I bought mine in Blackest Black for $5.99. I have yet to use it but I know that missglamorazzi was raving about it. The last thing I bought was Impress Press-On Manicure by Broadway Nails. I, of course, already threw away the packaging with the name but shade I got is a taupe-y color on the bottom third of the nail with the top being a silver sparkle. It was $7.99 and grav3yardgirl has had nothing but great things to say about these.

So that's it for now! Again, I'll have some more reviews on those products soon. I hope you found some of this helpful and I look forward to writing for y'all!

YouTubers mentioned: 

Emily (http://www.youtube.com/emilynoel83)

Kelly (http://www.youtube.com/kellylovesbeauty1)

Ingrid (http://www.youtube.com/missglamorazzi)

Bunny (http://www.youtube.com/grav3yardgirl)

Stay beautiful!

-Robin <3

First Post...Hopefully More To Come

Hey y'all!

This is my very first beauty blog post so let me tell you a little bit about myself and why I decided to start this.

My name is Robin and I am 21 years old and I live in good ol' Georgia! I am currently going to school for theatre which is a HUGE passion of mine. I'm sure I'll talk more about this later. As far as makeup goes, I have been wearing makeup since I was about 13 years old and let me tell you, I have come a LONG way (as I'm sure we all have) from wearing foundation that was WAY too dark for me or giving myself raccoon eyes. When I was younger, I just had to learn as I went, make mistakes and learn from them. Over the last few years, I have been able to learn SO MUCH from YouTube and beauty blogs. So I thought I would offer my two cents in hopes that y'all can avoid making the mistakes I did. Definitely take or leave what I have to say. EVERYONE has a different opinion and these are just mine. A little about my skin to give you some perspective: I am quite fair with lots of freckles (that's what I get for being 90% Scotch-Irish). I also have very oily skin and am prone to acne. Luckily, it's not very sensitive.

So that's a little about me. Any questions? Feel free to ask! I'm looking forward to joining this great beauty community and hopefully y'all will be going on the adventure with me!

Stay beautiful!
-Robin <3