Mid-Week Mascara Reviews

Hi there Calendar Girls!

A while back, I went a little crazy and bought a couple of different mascaras on the same day. It was a little excessive for me, but I justified it by telling myself that they were different colors, so I definitely needed them both. ;)

The first one I picked up is the Boots No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara in Brown/Black. I got it from Target for around $8.

First off, I love that it comes in a metallic, hot pink tube! Shiny! I also like the curved brush. I feel like it really helps with application. The color is nice for days when I'm going for a natural look--it's not as severe as black mascara. As you can see in the photos below, there was definitely a curl in my lashes after using this, which is great because I don't really like to use eyelash curlers. Overall, I'd say so far, so good. I will most likely repurchase this when it runs out.

Left: No Mascara, Right: Two Coats of Exquisite Curl Mascara

Second, I got the much talked about Revlon Lash Potion in Blackest Black. I believe it was about $8 as well.

Look at that packaging! So pretty and sparkly! Can you tell I'm a huge fan of creative makeup packaging? Ha! It just makes me love a product even more if it's nice to look at as well as effective! And this is both! I didn't own any other waterproof mascaras before I bought this. Now that I've got a good eye makeup remover, though, I think I'll try more! This stuff is awesome. I wore it on a particularly busy day when I was on vacation earlier this month. I was out all day in hot/humid Atlanta weather and at times felt like my makeup was just melting off my face. However, the couple of times I was able to get to a mirror, I was pleasantly surprised! I was fully expecting the usual dark circles that form under my eyes when I've sweated all my eye makeup off, but it still looked great! This has been a go to since then! Anything that can last through that kind of day gets bumped to the top of my favorite products list, for sure!

Left: No Mascara, Right: Two Coats of Lash Potion

I apologize for the repeat of mascara-less right eye photos. I somehow managed to delete the before photos of my left eye, but I still wanted to show the difference the Lash Potion makes! I just love it!

I hope you enjoyed this quick review! Do you have a favorite mascara? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Vacation Haul

Greetings Calendar Girls!

So, earlier this month, my little family of four took a vacation to Atlanta. Anytime I visit a new place, I have to check out all the surrounding stores and scope out the beauty aisles! I picked up quite a few things on this trip, so I'll just jump right into it!

1. Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer in Aloe Fresh
-I've been very interested to try this since I first heard about it. I don't like to spend a lot of time applying lotion after a shower, so hopefully this will save me some time!

2. E.L.F. Studio Small Angled Brush
-I've been wanting to get one of these for nail polish touch-ups, but I think I'm going to use this one for eye makeup. I'll have to pick up another one for nails!

3. E.L.F. Essential Blending Eye Brush
-I don't currently have a blending brush, so this is a welcome addition to the brush collection!

4. Aquafresh Extreme Clean Whitening Action Toothpaste
-I kind of go a bit crazy when I get to the travel products aisle in a store. For one, I love miniature versions of things because they're just so cute! Ha! But also, travel-sized products are a great way to try out something new without committing to a full-sized bottle/tube/etc. I grabbed this mini toothpaste to see if I would like it...and I do! Good thing I trialed it! ;)

5. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Pacific Blue
-I'm apparently bound and determined to buy every single color in the Xtreme Wear line! Ha! But isn't this a beautiful blue?! Simply stunning!

6. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Bubblegum Pink
-When I first saw this, I thought What a gorgeous bubblegum pink color! Then I picked it up and realized that was its exact name! Ha! I knew it would be coming home with me at that point. It's so yummy looking!

7. St. Ives Invigorating Apricot Scrub
-This was another Target travel aisle trial purchase. Can't wait to try it out!

8. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in White On
-I ran out of my Petites French White and needed another white polish, so of course I made a beeline to my favorite polish brand to provide the replacement!

9. Re-Nu Fresh Contact Solution
-The only contact solution I had was the peroxide kind, which takes at least six hours to clean my contacts, so I picked this up for quick cleaning on the go!

10. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Celeb City
-There used to be a mirror nail polish out quite a few years ago and I was never interested in it back then. Lately, though, I've been thinking that mirror polish would make a nice pedicure color. I haven't been able to find any, so I got this shiny silver instead. It will also be great when the holiday season rolls around if I want to try some festive nail art. ;)

11. Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Comet
-Finally, the highly coveted Rimmel Apocalips has made it to America! I was so happy to see this in Walgreens! (It's exclusively sold there!) There weren't many colors left to choose from, but I thought Comet looked like it would suit me best. :)

12. Old Navy Sunglasses
-These were half off at Old Navy and I couldn't resist their pink, bling-y goodness! Also, they totally remind me of Sprinkle of Glitter!

Alrighty, there's the vacay goods! See anything you like or want to try? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Manicure Must-Haves

Hello there Calendar Girls!

Today, I thought I'd tell you a little about my typical nail routine--a bit of a NOTD Behind-the-Scenes, if you will. :) My first two must haves are these guys:

To start, I remove any old, chipped polish with Sally Hansen Extra Strength Nail Polish Remover and Up & Up Cotton Rounds so I can have a nice blank canvas. After painting my nails, I sometimes use Up & Up Cosmetic Applicators for little touch-ups around my cuticles, etc. because they have both pointed and flat ends and are great for detail work.

My other two must-haves are my base coat & top coat. For a base coat, I like Orly Bonder. It creates a rubberized texture on your nails that grips your polish so that it stays on longer. Its description says that it makes nail color last for up to two weeks, and while I've never experienced that, I do think it helps my polish last for longer than it would without a base coat. It also evens out the ridges in my nails and helps my main nail color look smoother.
For a top coat, I use the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Nail Color in Clearly Quick. It's not the best top coat I've used and I'm still looking for my perfect clear finish, but it does the job for now. The bottle has a neat shape that fits perfectly between your thumb and index finger, so it's easy to hold on to and the brush is wide and flat so you can "cover more ground" quickly! It also leaves a nice, shiny finish and dries super fast!

So those are my mani must-haves! Do you have a favorite polish remover or top coat? I'm always open to tried & true suggestions! Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda

August BirchBox

Hi Calendar Girls!

Out of all the BirchBoxes I've received so far, this one was delivered the fastest! I don't think this month's was my absolute favorite, but I'm looking forward to trying out all of the products, nonetheless. :) So here's what I got!

1. Miss Jessie's Original Super Slip Sudsy Shampoo
-This says that it's good for tangled and parched hair, so it came at a really great time! I've been in a couple of different pools lately and my hair does not appreciate the salt water or the chlorine! It's been super tangly and hard to manage. I really hope this helps!

2. Juice Beauty Oil-Free Moisturizer
-I'm still on the hunt for a good moisturizer that won't clog my pores or make my skin look greasy, so this could be the one! We'll just have to wait and see!

3. Jasmine Seven Fresh Feet Wipes
-I love to wear flip flops in the summer (Okay, actually I love to wear them year-round!), and after walking around outside in sandals all day, one's feet can start to look a little dusty. These were created for the sole purpose (Ha! See what I did there?) of cleaning your feet! What a nifty product! Can't wait to try them. :)

4. ModelCo Party Proof Lipstick in Red Velvet
-I was a bit sad to see that I'd received the bright red shade as my sample because I'm not a red lipstick kinda girl! I think plenty of other people look great with a red lip, but I tend to look more like a clown. I don't think I'll be wearing this out in public. I do appreciate that it's a full-sized lippy, though!

5. Coastal Scents Eye Shadow Quad in Power Trip
-Unfortunately, one of the four colors in this mini quad was absolutely shattered. I've emailed BirchBox and I'm hoping they'll replace it for me. Otherwise, I can't wait to try it! Had it been in good condition, I'm sure this would've been my favorite sample of the month!

Okay, that's my August BirchBox. I've already started trialing them so look for the review post soon! Which of the samples do you think you would like the most? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Nails of the Day: French Twist

Hey Calendar Girls!

This NOTD was inspired by my gorgeous friend, Lara. She posted a red-tipped mani pic on Instagram a while back and I liked it so much that I decided to recreate the look for myself, but with a little twist!

I used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Fuchsia Power to create a bright pink French tip, then I layered a few coats of Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Disco Ball. (And of course Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Clearly Quick on top!)

Of course, no matter how hard I tried, I could not capture the full effect of the glitter on camera. It was layered on quite thick, though, and had a really nice, almost silvery effect. You'll just have to take my word for it (until I gain some better photography skills!). I love how it looks and what I love even more is that it reminds me of sweet Lara! What inspires your nail art? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Walmart Haul & Review

Hello Calendar Girls!

Well, it happened again. I somehow ended up in Walmart. Lol. I have a good reason, though! My baby boy (okay, he's three, but he's still my baby!) needed a haircut. He absolutely hates getting his hair cut and screams the whole time. This, of course, is terrible for my anxiety, so I came up with a brilliant plan and my little family of four set off to Walmart. Then, while my brave husband stayed with Mr. Whiney-Pants in the salon, my older son and I headed over to the cosmetics! I had plenty of time to browse through all the goods and a few minutes later, my newly-shorn little guy came walking up with his daddy, happy as a clam! It worked out so perfectly, I'm actually looking forward to his next haircut! Ha!

Now that I've rambled on for entirely too long, let's get to the point of this post! Here's what I got and how I got on with it!

1. Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

-I've tried a lot of makeup wipes and these are some of the best ones I've used. I was all out of the last pack I trialed (Pond's Evening Soothe), so I picked these up. They don't leave my skin feeling greasy (or contrarily, dried out!) and the scent is clean and fresh. They pretty much get everything except mascara. And they probably would take that off, too, if I was willing to scrub my eyes, but I just use my Up & Up Eye Makeup Remover with a cotton pad instead.

2. Rimmel London Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in Pure White
-I've been looking for a white liner for my waterline and inner corners and I've heard good things about this one. It goes on pretty smooth and is exactly what I was going for. This was a good buy, for sure!

Not the best swatches, but it's my first time!

3. Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner in Brown
-This is amazing! It's called Brown, but it has little flecks of copper and it's so creamy--it glides on like a dream! Hands down, the best pencil liner I've ever owned. It stayed put on one of the hottest, most humid days of the year and didn't end up slowly sliding down my face. I can't say enough good things about it! Highly recommend!

4. Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Cleansing Pads
-I've been using these for years. I recently ran out of them and needed to get some more. In the beginning, I would use them after brushing my teeth in the morning and then rinse my face using the sink, but I always made such a huge mess that way and got water everywhere. Now I use them in the shower! It's so much easier! Wash hair, wash body, wash face, rinse and done! I love these because they are two-sided (one of which has a bumpy texture that is a great exfoliator). My skin always feels super smooth after I use these! And they have a lovely fresh scent, too!

5. Maybelline Color Whisper in Pin Up Peach
-After buying my first Color Whisper a few weeks ago, I knew I wanted more colors ASAP! I love this product so, so much! It feels amazing on the lips...very smooth. Plus, it looks so slick and glossy! The color is punchy enough. I'm slowly trying to branch out into brighter lips and this is helping me along. As is typical with any lightweight lip product, it doesn't last too long. I don't mind reapplying, though, for one of my favorite products. :)

6. Extra Dessert Delights Sugarfree Gum in Lemon Square
-I know this isn't a beauty product, but it does go in my bag, so I thought I'd include it in this haul & review as a little bonus! ;) I've been obsessed with sweet, lemon flavors this summer. (Thanks a lot, Dairy Queen's Lemon Meringue Pie Blizzard!) I always like to have gum in my bag, so when I saw this I thought I'd give it a shot. When you first open the package, it smells exactly like lemon bars! It pretty much tastes like them, too...for the first few minutes. Aside from losing its flavor fairly quickly, it's not that bad. Bonus points for accurately capturing the flavor of lemon bars!

7. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Lacey Lilac
-Walmart had this idea to light up their nail polish section with bright white LED's on every shelf. This was a brilliant plan, because it draws my gaze every time! Apparently I'm not the only one, because the area was fairly sparse! I did find this pretty pastel purple shade, though. I've been trying to add more pastels to my nail polish collection and this is a color I didn't already own, so I grabbed it while I could! It goes on in two coats to form a perfectly opaque milky purple. I really like it!

See what I mean? Very shiny and very empty!

8. Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream
-Again with the lemon! Ha! I was looking for a cuticle cream and I read good things about this one. I've loved pretty much every Burt's Bees product I've ever owned, so it didn't take a lot of convincing for me to purchase this. It smells great--I didn't expect anything less--and I'm really starting to notice a difference in my fingertips. I think the area around my nails looks much healthier. (Take note: You may get caught sniffing your fingertips if you use this product! ;)

If the product looks unused, it's because I took this pic before trying it! ;)

9. Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Fuchsia Power
-I first bought this color over three years ago. I think it was actually my second Xtreme Wear polish ever purchased (the first was Sun Kissed). After maybe a year of non-use, that first bottle actually dried up, so I needed to replace it. I've actually already used this one for an upcoming NOTD, so look for that soon!

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this post and didn't mind the combination haul/review! Do you own any of these products? Will you try any after reading this post? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda 

Nails of the Day: Soft Stripes

Hi Calendar Girls!

I was rummaging through my nail polish collection the other day and I noticed three colors close to each other that I thought looked so nice together! They are NYC Quick Dry Nail Polish in Sidewalkers, Sally Hansen Smooth and Perfect Nail Color in Air and Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Color in Mint Sorbet.

I knew I wanted to use these for a NOTD, but how? I've seen a lot of ombré all over the place lately, so I thought I would try something like a watercolor-y, blended type of ombréd/stripe-y look. Ha! As you can see, this is very hard to describe, so why don't I just show you? :)

Ah, there we go. So yeah...as you can see, it's sort-of a messy stripe design. I realize this look isn't for everyone. I wasn't sure of it at first, but it really grew on me. Oh! And there's quite a lot of polish there, so I made sure to use my Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Clearly Quick over top of everything. I just love this combination of colors. I can't wait to try different looks with them! If you have any suggestions, be sure to leave them in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda

Drugstore Mini Haul

Hey there, Calendar Girls!

The other day while I was out shopping for back-to-school clothes (for my oldest son), I just couldn't resist popping by the makeup aisles! Here's what I picked up:

1. Revlon Lash Potion by Grow Luscious in Blackest Black

-I will admit that I've been wanting to buy this for the gorgeous packaging alone, but I couldn't justify only buying something based on looks. Luckily, I read a review on Fleur's blog and she seems to really like it, so in the basket it went! *sigh* It's so pretty. :)

2. Boots No7 Exquisite Curl Mascara in Brown/Black

-I remember reading about Boots for the first time on Zoe's blog and always wishing I could visit one of the British drugstores and try some of the products my favorite beauty bloggers raved about. I tried to put it out of my mind, though, because it will probably be several years before I visit England. Then one day, I was browsing the makeup aisles at Target when I recognized a familiar logo... Boots! What? Really? Yes! Target has Boots products! I was so excited! After perusing the products, I finally decided on this mascara thanks to the mention on Zoella. (And the pretty pink packaging! ;) 

3. Milani Eyeshadow Primer in Nude

-This was something I picked up sort-of on a whim. I had something like $8.50 worth of CVS Extra Bucks saved up plus a coupon for 10% off any beauty product. I was annoyed with my shadow and undereye concealer that day because it was extremely hot and humid outside and my eye makeup was just creasing all over the place! I thought to myself...I won't be caught in this situation again. So I set off to find an eyeshadow primer. The first one I looked at was somewhere around the $12 mark and I thought that was a ridiculous amount for something I hadn't had a chance to research yet. Then I saw this one and it was only about $6, so I bought it. Or, technically...I got it for free, thanks to those Extra Bucks! 

4. L'Oreal Colour Caresse Wet Shine Stain in Eternally Nude

-This jumped out at me right away. I remember seeing the shiny gold case on many a blog. Most of the colors available were a little bright for my taste, so I settled on this pinky nude. So far, so good! Stay tuned for the review post! 

5. Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick-Kate Moss Collection in 17

-I already own one Kate Moss lipstick and I really like it. It's nicely pigmented and lasts for longer than most of my lippies. Also, I had a CVS coupon for $2 off any lipstick, so what was I supposed to do? NOT buy discounted makeup?? Ha! Yeah right! This looks like it will be a nice, neutral shade for me. I can't wait to try it!

Well, that's haul folks! (Haha--see what I did there?) I've already gotten started trying a few of these, so look out for some reviews in a few weeks! And if you have any ideas for new posts you'd like to see here on Calendar Girl Cosmetics, let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

-Manda