My Nail Polish Collection {4}: Pucci Licious by Color Club

     To start off, let me just say that this is a FIRST IMPRESSIONS, NOT A REVIEW. Also, I only used this color on my toe nails, so there will be no swatches...if you want to see a swatch, just go to Google Images and search "Color Club Pucci Licious" :)

     This color is a blue-toned purple cream. In the bottle it looks like it's a bright lavender color, but it definitely dries darker and more blue-toned. I thought this was the perfect color for April/Easter. The first thing I noticed was that it was extremely streaky and didn't dry evenly. Although it only took 2 coats to be opaque, the challenge for me was getting it to be evenly distributed over my nails. Since it's a cream, it did dry with a more matte finish, but not completely matte. I am personally not a huge fan of matte polish, and this one was no exception; I thought it looked very cheap and unprofessional. 1 coat of my favorite top coat by Revlon and I was good to go- without the top coat I seriously hated how it looked!

     Based on my first impressions, I think this is a good polish if you use it with a top coat! However, I would never use this to paint someone else's nails because it is too difficult to work with (maybe I just got a defective one, who knows). Other than that, I think it is a beautiful color that, based on my experience with other Color Club polishes, will last a long time.

This color is from Color Club's Poptastic 7-piece collection, but you can also purchase this color individually. 

Week of Reviews Day 7: Real Techniques Stippling Brush

     For my last review for my week of reviews I decided to basically review Real Techniques customer service and their stippling brush. One of the 1st posts I ever did on this blog was a review of the stippling brush, you can click here to read it.
     My opinion on the brush has changed over time. I rarely use it anymore because I just don't love the results. It's great for blending along the jawline & stuff like that, but it just makes my foundation (which is light coverage) look so caked on! Anyway, about 2 weeks after I purchased the brush (under 10 uses, had not washed the brush yet), this happened....

A huge chunk of the brush literally fell out. Based on what I've read online, others have also had the same problem. Here are some of the things I've read online of people having similar experiences with the stippling brush:

From Facebook:

From Ulta.com, WalMart.com, or RealTechniques.com:

As soon as my brush started to fall apart I sent an email to Real Techniques. The replied within 24 hours, saying that if I gave them my address they would send me a new brush. I emailed them back, didn't get the brush. Emailed them again and the brush came 3 weeks later. It took me a total of 6 weeks to get the brush. Honestly, I don't think it was worth it and would have rather just got a different Real Techniques brush or my money back. However, I do realize I am part of a minority. I read hundreds of reviews to find the ones posted above. Don't get me wrong, this is a great brush. It doesn't work with every product I've tried, but it works well with most and it's affordable. I was just very disappointed with its quality. 

Since it seems to be a very small amount of people who have had the same experience as me, I would recommend purchasing it. For a $10 brush, it's great. I like it better than any other drugstore brush I've used. Despite everything I had to go through with this brush, I think the majority of you would enjoy this brush and hopefully won't have to go through the same experience I did. 

Tip: This brush may not work well with liquid foundation, but try using it to apply your undereye concealer or cream blush!

Week of Reviews Day 6: Garnier Fructis Damage Eraser Fortifying Shampoo

I've been dying to try this new Garnier line but it has always been sold out at my local drugstore. My bottle was literally the last product from the Damage Eraser line left.

The first thing I noticed was that it didn't smell like your typical Garnier product (fruity), it was more of a salon shampoo scent (like Tresemme). The smell didn't bother me, it was just unexpected since it is a Garnier product.
This shampoo dried my hair out. I only use it every other day at most, so I can't imagine how dry it would make my hair if I used it every day. I honestly don't think it did any "damage erasing" either.

I don't recommend this shampoo. There are so many other shampoos that work much better, both from Garnier as well as other brands. I hope to try the rest of the line in the future and hope I like the other products more than I "liked" this.

Week of Reviews Day 5: Equate Cocoa Butter Conditioning Body Lotion VS Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Conditioning Body Lotion

     As I have said before, I have super sensitive skin and cannot use lotions with any sort of fragrance in them. I use lotions with cocoa butter in them because (1) they smell good and don't irritate my skin and (2) cocoa butter helps prevent stretch marks and other skin conditions. The Vaseline lotion was the winner by far. I was very unimpressed with the Equate lotion. A 24.5oz bottle of the Equate lotion retails at $3.42 and a 32oz bottle of the Vaseline lotion retails around $6.64. Although the Vaseline lotion costs nearly twice as much as the Equate lotion, it is much better and definitely worth the money. Plus, the Vaseline bottle is also larger than the Equate lotion, so you are paying for a larger amount of a better quality lotion. I have loved every Vaseline lotion I have tried and I highly recommend them. The Equate version is just a cheaper alternative that simply isn't as good.

Week of Reviews Day 4: Certain Dri Anti-Perspirant

Certain Dri is an aluminum chloride deodorant for people who suffer from excessive perspiration. It comes in a both a roll-on and a solid form. I have tried both and the roll-on definitely works better than the solid, but both work much better than typical over the counter antiperspirants/deodorants. The solid is designed for those with sensitive skin to use instead of the roll-on. I have very sensitive skin and as long as I didn't apply it after shaving, the roll-on never irritated my skin. Certain Dri is an antiperspirant that you apply at night and lasts for up to 72 hours. For me, it doesn't stop my sweating, it just lessens it. It's affordable and costs about 40% less than other Clinical Strength deodorants/antiperspirants and it works much better.

 I do have to say that I prefer Drysol over Certain Dri because Drysol lasts MUCH longer than Certain Dri and Drysol is MUCH more effective than Certain Dri. Since Drysol is not an over the counter antiperspirant, Certain Dri is a good alternative and possibly cheaper (depending on how much your insurance covers Drysol). I would recommend Certain Dri but if you can get a prescription from your doctor for Drysol, get that instead! I get Certain Dri at WalMart for about $5. You can also get Certain Dri AM for morning application, but I haven't tried that so I'm not going to say any more about it. :)

Yes, I do realize that a post about antiperspirants isn't necessarily "charming". Oh well. :)

Week of Reviews Day 3: Garnier Fructis 3 Minute Undo Dryness Reversal Treatment

You know I love me some Garnier. I've loved almost every Garnier product I've tried and was super happy when I got this for free thanks to Garnier's glorious manufacturer's coupons that you can find on the shampoo & conditioner bottles.
Disclaimer: This is more of a first impressions than a review, but who cares?

The first thing I noticed was that it smelled amazing, as do most Garnier products.
Then I noticed that it was a thinner formula (for Garnier) and had little beads in it.

Let's just get to the point; this did not condition my hair! It made my hair really dry and tangly. I ended up putting my normal Garnier conditioner in my hair afterwards because my hair was really dry and tangled.

After I got out of the shower I went to see if other people had this problem. Turns out most people loved this product and swear by it but people have also had nearly identical experiences to mine. Seems to me that this product isn't for everyone. I personally wouldn't recommend it and I will never repurchase it, but hey- if you can get it for free like I did, go ahead and try it. Maybe you'll love it. Maybe.

Week of Reviews Day 2: Garnier Fructis Fall Fight Conditioner VS Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Condtioner

Don't get me wrong, these are both great conditioners, but they are very different. They both smell great and work well, but I think that the Fall Fight would be better for oily hair and the Triple Nutrition would be better for dry hair. I have a huge problem with my hair falling out, which I've talked about before on this blog, so I was really hoping I would love Fall Fight, and I did, but I still love Triple Nutrition more because my ends tend to get really dry and it really moisturizes them. As far as the Triple Nutrition in the green packaging as opposed to the yellow packaging, I do see a difference and I like the one in the yellow packaging much better than the one in the green packaging. 

Week of Reviews Day 1: Pond's Dry Skin Cream

Today I'm reviewing Pond's Dry Skin Cream, which I purchased because Clean & Clear no longer makes their Morning Glow moisturizer (which I am still super upset about) and this was the most affordable alternative. I found Pond's at Walgreen's on sale and ended up getting two 3.9oz creams for about $3!
My biggest concern was that this moisturizer was going to break me out because it didn't say "oil free" on it, but I trusted the packaging, which said it won't clog pores.
My first impression of the cream, which I use as my primary moisturizer in my morning and my under eye cream at night, was that it was very oily. It has occlusives and humectants in it, so I started to freak out when I saw how oily it was. Luckily, it was only oily-feeling for a couple minutes & then it just made my skin feel super soft. Also, it did not break me out and still hasn't after 3 week of using it religiously...and I have sensitive skin!
The only thing I do not like about this product is the packaging. I wish it had a pump! Other than that, this is a pretty great, affordable moisturizer/cream, especially if it's on sale!
I have both oily and dry skin and I absolutely love this stuff for my dry skin, but it doesn't make my oily patches any oilier than they already are. If you have dry skin or combination skin, I highly recommend trying Pond's Dry Skin Cream!

P.S. If you have any recommendations on great facial moisturizers with SPF in them that are under $10, please let me know! I'm going to Belize this summer and I need to find a good one since Clean & Clear doesn't make theirs anymore. I have tried Jergen's Natural Glow (or whatever it's called) and I liked that one, but I went through it so quickly! 

Week of Reviews

Hello there, ladies! I thought it would be fun to post a review every day this week....sooo there will be a new review posted at 7am PST every day this week :)

Affordable Pencil Eyeliners

I'm going to do a mini review on all the pencil eyeliners I have tried (don't worry, I'm somewhat new to the eyeliner world, so there aren't a ton)! I decided to do this post for girls who are still trying to find a great pencil eyeliner :)

1. Ulta Collection Gel Eyeliner Pencil: These were the first eyeliners I ever tried and I have them in the colors Peacock, Majesty, Black/Brown, and Black Out. At first I really loved them, but now that I have experimented with other pencil eyeliners and gel eyeliner, I think they're pretty dry compared to the eyeliner I mention for #5. Don't get me wrong, I still love them, but they are definitely not the best out there. I don't think I would ever repurchase the Black/Brown and Black Out ones, but I would definitely repurchase Peacock and Majesty (yes, I do love colored eyeliner). Peacock is such a fun color to wear in the summer and Majesty is a fun purple. They also come in many other beautiful colors! $8.00 each at Ulta
2. Bonne Bell Eye Define in Espresso: I really like this eyeliner and it was very affordable- it retails around $2.50. The color is easily the best brown color I have ever tried- it's a beautiful dark brown with hint of plum (don't get me wrong, this is not a purple eyeliner, it's definitely brown). It's very creamy and easy to apply, great for a beginner!
3. Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner in Ebony Black: I honestly didn't like this eyeliner. The color is great and it's easy to apply, but it kind of ends up looking waxy, like a crayon. I also didn't like the smudger; it's more like an eraser. $4.97 at WalMart
4. Ulta Collection Automatic Eyeliner in Raisin: This eyeliner was great at first, but it started drying out after about a month. The color is gorgeous- it's a very wearable plum color that is very subtle. It's a little harder to apply and hard to get a thin line. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the "automatic tip", especially for beginners. $8.00 at Ulta
5. Ulta Collection Design A Line 12 piece eyeliner collection: My grandma gave me this for my birthday and at first I thought I was never going to use it- there was 1 black and 1 brown and the rest were crazy colors (like gold and orange). I'm really sad that Ulta no longer sells this because they are my favorite eyeliners now! They're extremely creamy and go on very easily and look absolutely flawless. They are so creamy that sometimes I blend them out and use them as eyeshadow. By far the best pencil eyeliners I've tried. Plus, who else has awesome, festive eyeliners for almost every holiday? Yes, I am wearing green eyeliner on today. 

Rank (1=Best, 5=Worst)

1. Ulta Collection Design A Line

2. Bonne Bell Eye Define

3. Ulta Collection Gel Eyeliner Pencil

4. Ulta Collection Automatic Eyeliner

5. Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner

Review: CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

CoverGirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation is meant to be a primer, concealer, and foundation in just 1 simple step.

I wanted to purchase this foundation after hearing about it from Ingrid (missglamorazzi), who always mentions it in her videos....then I saw that it was nearly $10. My holy grail drugstore foundation (also by CoverGirl) is only about $5, so $10 didn't make this foundation very appealing. One day went to WalMart and they were out of my color (Creamy Natural) and any color close to it. I ended up purchasing Classic Ivory and planned to mix it with the foundation I use when I get a tan (CoverGirl Clean in Medium Light). 

CONs: Since I do mix it with a light coverage foundation, I do not get the full coverage results I would get if I used it alone. I have used it alone and it did give me great coverage, but I still needed to use concealer on some pimples. It can look patchy very easily and it doesn't look very natural like it claims to. I have also found that it's more difficult to set than other foundations I have tried. More than anything, the thing that disappointed me the most about this foundation is that it didn't last all day. I wear it from 5am-10pm (yes, I realize it's probably not meant to last that long) and there's very little left on my face by the end of the day when compared to the CoverGirl Clean foundation.

PROs: It mixes well with my other foundation and it does a great job at covering any redness I have and it doesn't break me out. I really like the packaging and the pump works well. I also like that it has SPF in it. For the most part, I do like how it looks and you can pretty much make it any finish you want, depending on what you use to apply it and what you use to set it. I personally like to apply it with a sponge and I did not like how it looked when I applied it with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush because it looked very cakey (btw- there will be a post about my Stipping Brush in the near future). 

Bottom Line: I would probably repurchase this in the right color, but I don't think it will ever be my go-to, holy grail foundation. I do think a lot of you will like it and I do recommend it, especially because so many people love it and it has great reviews.

...and that concludes this insanely long review!

The Charming Miss

Last night I decided to give my blog a complete makeover. I changed EVERYTHING, even the name! I just wasn't a huge fan of what my blog used to look like, or that it was the cliche "Makeup By...", but now I love it and I hope you will too.

Review: NYC High Definition Liquid Eyeliner

Confession: The 1st time I EVER wore eyeliner was last summer.

I seriously wore makeup for years and never even touched eyeliner! After "mastering" the art of pencil eyeliner (I will review some of the pencil eyeliners I've tried in another post), I decided it was time for me to try liquid eyeliner. 

I wanted to start with a felt tip eyeliner and I wanted it to be pretty cheap because I was learning. Alli (MakeupByAlli) mentioned that one of her favorite liquid eyeliners was from NYC, which I knew was an affordable brand & I loved all of their products I'd tried, so I decided to go check it out. When I went to purchase the liquid eyeliner Alli talked about (which wasn't felt tip), I saw that NYC also sold a felt tip liquid liner, so I purchased that instead.

It's such a great eyeliner! For me, a beginner, it's super quick & easy to use! I can do it faster and make it look better than I ever could with any of my pencil liners. The tip is great and I can get a thin line or a thick line with it. It has never smudged for me and lasts all day--even when I have naps. If I mess up while applying it, it is easy to fix. It also works great when it is set with a shadow (I do this to make it matte). 

After reading some other reviews on this product I found out that a lot of people do not like this eyeliner, so this eyeliner is not for everyone. I do not have oily eyelids or anything like that, so I don't know if it will work for people who do.

I would mainly recommend this for anyone else who's learning how to use eyeliner. It's not too dark, so it won't look super harsh, and it's easy to use.

For under $4, this is a great product to try because it's not a huge waste of money if you don't like it. It's very affordable, possibly one of the cheapest liquid liners sold. 

PS- I decided not to do my Favorite YouTubers of February. I was way too behind to choose my favorites and it's already the middle of March.

DIY Matte Nail Polish: Does it Really Work?

I recently heard that you can change the finish of a nail polish from any finish to a matte finish by holding your fingernails in steam while the polish is drying, so I decided to experiment and see if it actually works. Yes, it does take away a good amount of shine from the polish, but it does not make them completely matte. If you look a few posts back at my Valentine's Day nail post, I actually tried this on them- as you can see, they are still fairly shiny. I'm sure there are certain polishes that steam works better on than others, but so far I haven't had much luck. I would recommend buying a matte polish or top coat if you want your nail polish to have a matte finish, as the results are much better than the results I got from the steam. 

A few reviews as well as my Favorite YouTubers of February should be up soon :) I've been trying a lot of new products lately & I will share my thoughts on them with you as soon as I have time!!

In the Tropics

I'm sure you've all been wondering where the heck I've been...
Well I've started taking a few more classes and one of them starts at 6am, so that's kind of messed my whole schedule up. I get up around 5:15am, get home around 2pm, work until 10:30pm, and then I basically stay up all night doing homework, so I haven't had time to blog for a while and I probably won't post very often for the next few months.

Anyway, as you have probably figured out by now, I am a huge fan of Sephora's eyeshadows. If they have a new palette, I usually buy it right away (unless the reviews are horrible or something like that). Well they have a new palette that I'm planning on purchasing and it's called the Moonshadow Baked In the Tropics palette. The colors look gorgeous, the reviews are good, and I think it would be great for a ombre eye look for spring! What do you think? It's only $27 at Sephora!

Now I'm going to get caught up on Pretty Little Liars :)

My Nail Polish Collection {3}: The Palace Life by L'Oreal/Valentine's Day Nails

For Valentine's Day I decided to get somewhat festive with my nails!

For my fingernails I decided to go with The Palace Life from L'Oreal's Versailles Romance Collection from Spring 2013. Since they no longer sell this polish in stores, you can click here for a link- it's about $7.50 on Amazon. This color is a warm pastel pink cream. It's pretty pigmented and it's opaque in 2 coats; much nicer than similar Essie colors that take at least 3 coats to even show up ;) I thought the formula was quite streaky (I don't think it was the brush) and I noticed that it chips pretty easily, even with a good top coat. Overall, this polish is not my favorite, but I do think it's pretty for the spring.

On my toes (don't worry, I'm not going to post a picture!) I am wearing OPI's Lincoln Park After Dark, which is a very deep purple, with Ulta's Material Girl on top, which is a plum-colored glitter. To be honest, I don't think that Lincoln Park After Dark is worth the hype; it's easily one of OPI's most popular colors, but I honestly wasn't too impressed. I initially was going to just do Lincoln Park After Dark all by itself, but it was super streaky (which is probably because of the brush- I was using a mini bottle that came in a gift box), so I had to put a glitter on top so it wouldn't look horrendous! Ulta's Material Girl looks amazing on top of Lincoln Park After Dark and it seriously looks like professionally done glitter toes! I love this combination and definitely recommend it. If you're interested in purchasing Lincoln Park After Dark, I would definitely recommend purchasing the full size over the mini.

Lincoln Park After Dark is $9.00 at Ulta: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod5180201&_requestid=439857#

Material Girl is currently $2.00 (reg. $6.00) AND buy 1 get 1 free at Ulta: http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod3570051#

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day!

5 Favorite YouTube Beauty Gurus of January

As always, I am super late with this post! & since I am so behind I even threw a 6th one in there for you!

1. April (AprilAthena7): I'm pretty sure I have watched more of April's videos than any other YouTuber this month. I love her beauty channel, her vlog channel, and her cooking channel (which is my most recent obsession). She's so sweet and genuine & I just love watching her videos! Click here for her Blueberry Scones video on her cooking channel, here for her vlog of her 4D ultrasound, and here for a drugstore makeup haul & review video!
2. Mindy (CuteGirlsHairstyles): People call Mindy a braid ninja...and they're not kidding! Her videos always amaze me. Click here for her Zipper Braid Updo tutorial.
3. Danna Ann: Danna does the best swatch videos and makeup tutorials ever. You can click here for her review & swatches of the new Nyx Butter Glosses and here for her Valentine's Day makeup tutorial.
4. Tess Christine: Tess makes the best videos and I wish she made more! She is so beautiful and I love her simple style. Click here for a tutorial with 9 different hairstyles for when you're running late.
5. Michelle Phan: I'm not going to lie, I am typically not a huge fan of Michelle's videos, but I really enjoyed one of her videos this month. You can click here for her DIY Rice Scrub & Mask tutorial. 
6. Tiffany (MakeupByTiffanyD): As I've said before, Tiffany's videos are typically 20 minutes or longer, but she is so easy to watch and clearly knows what she's talking about! You can click here for a wavy curls tutorial and here for her favorite makeup brushes video.

Tip: Get Organized

Today my lesson in church was about how we can live happier lives. One of the things we talked about was being able to spend more time with our family. The lady teaching the lesson shared a personal experience about how getting organized helped her see that when you get the things you need to do for school or work done as quickly as possible, rather than spending time on the Internet or something, you end up having a lot of time to spend doing things that will make you happier. This made me realize that I get on the computer and time passes so quickly & the next thing I know it's super late, I still have a lot of things I need to get done, & I end up staying up super late, rather than doing something more rewarding.
I have made a goal and I encourage you to it too! I want to get organized this year. I'm going to do my homework and work (I work from home in the evenings, mainly quoting open ends, and go to school during the day) as soon as I get home. I'm so excited to see how this is going to improve my life. I feel like I'm going to have a lot more free time to spend with my family if I make this change in my life.
So my tip is to use a planner/calendar & write down what you need to do each day. As soon as you find some time to do the things you've written down for the day, do them! After you've completed everything on the list, the rest of the day/night is yours & you can do whatever you want without having to worry about due dates, projects, etc. This will lessen the stress in your life and allow you to spend more time doing the things you love!
I found a super cute free printable 2014 calendar on Pinterest (link below) that I'm going to use to keep organized.
Link: http://spoonful.com/crafts/20-free-2014-printable-calendars#carousel-id=photo-carousel&carousel-item=12

P.S. I am working on my Favorite YouTube Beauty Gurus of January, but I'm still trying to catch up on some videos from this past week. The video should be up sometime this week! I also have a few other posts I'm working on, so be on the look out for those!

Must Watch YouTube Video!

A few months ago Lauren Curtis uploaded an amazing video to YouTube. I felt like sharing it with you ladies tonight. I personally found this super helpful and informational. Enjoy!

Vaniply by Vanicream

I've had a dry patch on my hand since around June (I have had very bad eczema my whole life). It comes and goes, but it's been getting really bad recently. I have tried a total of 3 ointment/steroid prescriptions from my dermatologist, but they would typically make the patch go away for a day at most & then it would come right back, sometimes worse than it was before I used the ointment/steroid. 

Since none of the prescriptions were working, I decided I wanted to try some non-prescription products and see if any of them worked any better than the prescriptions did. I did my research and found that Vanicream had a new product, an ointment called Vaniply. I love Vanicream products (I highly recommend the Lite Lotion), so I was very hopeful about Vaniply. Before I ordered it, I called my grandpa (who is also a huge fan of Vanicream- he literally has a Lite Lotion in every room of his house) to see if he had tried it yet. Turns out he had tried it and he loved it. He even offered to let me borrow his to see if I liked it before I bought it. 

The first thing I noticed about this product was that it feels exactly like Vaseline, which I haven't had much luck with with my eczema (but I love it for my feet), so I looked at the ingredients to see if there was any Petroleum Jelly in it. Turns out it is Dimethicone, not Petroleum Jelly, which I believe is the active ingredient in Dermasil lotions. I love Dermasil, but the results aren't very long lasting for me, so that worried me a bit...

While reading everything on the back label, I noticed that it said it was for lips and skin. Since my lips are always super chapped, I decided to try it on my lips as well....

I LOVE THIS STUFF!! I put it on my lips during the day & put my Revlon Lip Butter right on top. Revlon Lip Butters usually turn into a train wreck when applied on dry lips, but with the ointment on them it glided on like a gem. It stayed on all day and you couldn't even tell how chapped my lips were! It made my lips super soft. As for the dry patch on my hand...I applied it to the patch before bed and when I woke up in the morning the patch was literally gone AND it hasn't come back since (1 week, which is the longer than any prescription ointment I tried). 

This stuff is amazing. I highly recommend it, whether you are using it as a lip treatment or a skin ointment, it's superb. AND it's safe for kids and those with sensitive skin (like myself).
Here is the link to the Vanicream website: http://www.psico.com/products/products.cfm

$6.99 at Walgreens. $5.29 at drugstore.com 

*This is not a sponsored post.*

Fun Fact About Uggs

Let me start this post by saying that I absolutely love my Uggs. I have the Bailey Button Triplet boots in grey. Due to the high price, I try to take really good care of these boots.
Today I was at work when my boss asked me to help him move a vending machine. He bought it used and the previous owner did not tell him about the oil tray on the bottom/back of the vending machine that hadn't been cleaned out for over 14 years. That being said, as soon as we started to lift it a good amount of oil--yes, BLACK oil--spilled all over my Uggs. I seriously was about to cry and easily would have if I had not been at work. As soon as I got home I called my dad to see what he thought I should do. The oil had dried in hard, gray (thank heavens) spots, so I was hopeful; even if I couldn't get the oil off it wouldn't be too noticeable. My dad took a sponge (a dry, clean sponge) and started gently scrubbing at the oil marks.They came right off! Now my boots look good as new and you can't even tell anything happened to them.
So my fun fact today is that oil does not ruin Uggs. Hope y'all had a great day.

Review: Covergirl Clean Normal Skin Pressed Powder

Since I love the Covergirl Clean foundation, I decided to try the Covergirl Clean powder. I really wish I had gotten the oily skin formula, rather than the normal skin formula, because it would probably work better- and I don't even have oily skin. I've heard that you can either use this powder as a powder foundation or a setting powder, but I don't know if that's true. I've been using it as a setting powder & here are the things I've noticed-

• You need a lot to make your makeup feel like it's been set.
• It makes my foundation and face makeup last longer...nearly all day.
• I don't like the smell...it smells like old lady perfume.
• It looks very natural and smooth.                                                                        
• I like it better than the Covergirl Smoothers pressed powder.

Overall, I don't hate it because it actually works, but I do wish I had gotten the oily skin formula because it would probably set my foundation better. I do recommend it and I will probably repurchase it, but I am still looking for a really good drugstore setting powder. Any recommendations?

$5.94 at Walmart

5 Favorite YouTube Beauty Gurus of December

Yes, I know I am SUPER late with this post! Truth is I didn't have a ton of time to watch YouTube in December and I was without Internet for 10 days. I've been trying to catch up, but catching up has resulted in me missing January videos, so I decided to just choose my top 5 based on the few videos I watched so I won't have the same problem this month. Without further a do & in no particular order...

1. Ingrid (missglamorazzi): I LOVED Ingrid's DIY December videos! I've already shared a couple of her DIY December videos in some other posts, but you can click here for the link to her DIY December playlist.
2. Jenny (ShowMeCute): You can click here for her DIY Confetti Popcorn recipe/tutorial and here for her DIY Metallic Sharpie Fingernails tutorial. I love the whole Sharpie nail art idea! Genius.
3. Tiffany (MakeupbyTiffanyD): Yes, her videos are typically about 20 minutes long, but Tiffany is so easy to watch, she seems super sweet, and I can tell she knows what she's talking about. You can click here for her Healthy Hair Care Routine & 6 Minute Curling Tutorial, here for her Holiday Glam & Classic Makeup Tutorial, and here for her Naked 3 Palette Review & Swatches video!
4. Allison (amarixe): I think Allison has been in almost all of my favorite YouTuber posts. She recently went on a trip to Europe & she took some great pictures, so I recommend you follow her on Instagram as well :) You can click here for her What's in My Travel Beauty Bag Europe Edition video.
5. Stef & Tracy (eleventhgorgeous): I love this sister duo. They are so fun to watch and I love that they are best friends. I also think it is more entertaining when there are 2 girls as opposed to just 1. You can click here for their Get Ready With Me- New Year's Eve video.

Since this is a post about YouTubers, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about the recent change to A Brunette Duet. As sad as I am that Steph is leaving, I think Laura will do great and I will continue watching her videos. What do you ladies think of the change? You can click here for Laura's channel.

Review: Dove Cool Moisture Foaming Facial Cleanser

Disclaimer: This product is discontinued. It is still sold on Amazon and possibly a few other websites, but it can be pricey. I do believe Dove is currently selling a similar facial cleanser, but I could be wrong.

I use this cleanser during my nightly routine. I use a makeup removing wipe to remove my makeup and then I was my face with this cleanser to clean my face. 

I love this cleanser! It removes any excess makeup and is very gentle and refreshing. My face feels soft and clean after I use it. It's very moisturizing; probably the most moisturizing cleanser I've ever used! It also smells nice, which is a bonus. I also used to use this in place of a shaving cream on my legs & it worked very well. It's great for sensitive, dry skin!

I highly recommend this cleanser, however, I honestly don't think I will be repurchasing it due to the cost since it has been discontinued. I do love it though.

Here is an Amazon link for this product:

http://www.amazon.com/Dove-Moisture-foaming-facial-cleanser/dp/B000P06X38

Ulta Cheek Color: Infatuation

My current favorite blush is Infatuation, which is a blush from Ulta's collection. It's perfect for fall & winter and I have to say I've been loving it more than I love my Nyx blushes. It's super wearable, easy to work with, and silky. The only things I don't like about it are the packaging and that it doesn't last all day (but that's not a huge problem). Yes, the packaging is awesome for traveling & such because of the size, but it's not super durable. Regardless, it's such a gorgeous blush and I highly recommend you pick it up! It's only $7.00 at Ulta and right now they're buy one get one free! 

PS- In this picture it looks darker than it actually is. This picture makes it look like a dark berry color, but it's really a more natural berry color!

Review: Clean and Clear Morning Burst Fruit Infusions Smoothing Facial Scrub

I typically use the Clean and Clear Blackhead Eraser scrub every morning, but I was looking for something that would be a little more moisturizing for winter, so I picked this up.

I read a lot of reviews before I purchased it & everyone said it was very moisturizing, so I originally intended for it to be the face wash I use every morning. After just a few uses I noticed this is NOT a daily cleanser because it is too abrasive. My skin, especially my nose, got extremely dry and I had to stop using it for about a week while my skin got back to normal. Now I use it a few times a week. It does make my skin really smooth, but it was not moisturizing. It is not for daily use and it doesn't do much for pimples, acne, and such. It smells good, makes my face feel smooth, and it's fairly brightening. 

There are definitely products I like more than this, so I will not be repurchasing it. I do recommend it is because the majority of the reviews I've read for this product have been raves, so I think there's a chance you might like it!

Review: Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask

A little over a month ago I received a sample of the Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask in one of my Sephora orders. I had read reviews on it & I wasn't expecting good results since it didn't have good reviews. The sample lasted for 5 uses. I washed my face before each use, used it once a week, and left it on for 30 minutes, like the instructions say to. 

I honestly wasn't impressed by this product. I didn't hate it, but I would never spend $55 on it! I probably wouldn't even buy it if it was $5 at the drugstore.

$55.00 at Sephora

I'm going to go through what it's supposed to do (according to sephora.com) & tell you if it did it or not.:

Enhance Skin's Radiance: I did not notice any "enhanced radiance". I was sure I would, since you can find inexpensive products at the drugstore that brighten your skin. This really disappointed me. 

Eliminate Dull and Blemished Skin Cells: I did notice that it helped make some of my scarring a little less noticeable...if that counts.

Reduce the Appearance of Pores: I was really hoping this would be true, but I did not notice a change in the appearance of my pores.

Reduce Inflammation: I actually saw a huge difference with this particular one. It pretty much eliminated the redness around my pimples and made it much easier for me to conceal them.

Promote Hydration: I did notice it was fairly hydrating, but nothing I've never seen before in a Freeman face mask. I did, however, have to use moisturizer after I used this mask.

Leave Skin Soft, Refreshed, and Glowing: My skin was soft after I used this, but as I said before, I still had to use moisturizer. As far as "refreshed" goes, I didn't notice anything particularly "refreshing" about this mask. Lastly, I don't think it made my skin radiant by any means- nothing more than the typical clean-face "glow". 

The Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask is nothing special. It's not worth the $55 it costs and it didn't do a ton for my skin. I don't recommend it, especially because the other reviews I've read are exactly like mine, so I know I'm not the only one who didn't like it. However, if you're still interested in trying it, you can get a free sample of it with your next Sephora order (online). I highly recommend getting the sample before buying the full size since it is expensive.