Mini Drugstore Haul Video!

It's finally here!!! Watch my mini haul blogpost's corresponding video over on my YouTube channel & let me know in the comments what you think! I'm almost done testing out all the products and I can't wait to film the results for you guys. 

xo Kara Rose 

Beauty Faves

Experimenting with new looks has been an obsession of mine for as long as I can remember.  Naturally I'm always seeking new beauty products to keep up with my ever evolving style! While I love to test the beauty waters, there are a few products I always come back to. I decided to film a "Beauty Favorites" video and this is my corresponding blog post.  Read up!

Skin Care

• Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser . Ask any derm what drugstore cleanser they recommend & I'm sure the answer is this one. Formulated for normal to oily skin types, who are sensitive to harsh products, you won't find any fragrance in this bad boy! Be warned you won't get a lather with this product but it does leave your skin squeaky clean (without a trace of makeup left).  

• Burt's Bees Sensitive Skin Night Cream. I've tried several nighttime moisturizers & I am absolutely in love with this one. While I tend to have normal to oily skin, I do get some surface dryness from time. With nightly use, not even surface dryness can touch my face! The texture is strange, with a slightly watery yet rich feel, but the refreshing sensation you experience after application is unparalleled. You won't find any fragrance, parabens or animal testing involved in this product. Natural ingredients make up 99% of this cream including aloe & rice extract! 

• Kiehl's Creme de Corps Light-Weight Body Lotion. This lotion is a bit pricy but totally worth it. It's super light weight & absorbent leaving your skin instantaneously soft! Seriously, I think my hands owned the title of driest in the land but this lotion has ended that. I also love that it's fragrance free so it doesn't clash with my perfume!    

Hair Products

Batiste Dry Shampoo. Because I have color treated/fine hair i'm always looking for a good dry shampoo. I've tried all the fancy/pricy brands but Batiste is my fav! It's amazing at extending time between shampoos, which I love due to all the damage my hair suffers at the hands of dye, & it serves as an amazing styling tool to boost volume! In case you're wondering... my favorite scent is cheery but there are many to choose from!

• Bumble and Bumble thickening hairspray. Not only is this hairspray non aerosol it HOLDS your style! It's totally heat and sweat proof! I love it for my blunt bangs & as a nice bonus it smells great!  

Makeup

 

• Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream. My main skin problem is redness & this BB cream is just enough coverage to even out my skin tone without looking cakey. It's light as air, non greasy, moisturizing & it has an SPF 35 which is prefect for my pasty face! How could you not love a product that does all that in one step? 

• Smashbox High Definition Concealer. I didn't include this in my favorites video due to time but it's certainly worth a mention. While my BB cream is great most days, I do get a spot or two from time to time. On my spotty days nothing beats this lovely concealer + I use it daily to eliminate the dark under eye circles that I'm prone to. 

• Cover FX Bronzed in Pink Topaz. Unfortunately since posting my favorites video I've discovered that this blush appears to be discontinued. It was a beautiful dusty rose color with a subtle shimmer & I will definitely be scrambling to find a replacement when I run out.

• Maybelline Expert Eyes Expert Wear Twin Brow & Eye Pencils. I only use this as a brow pencil (I don't recommend it as an eyeliner!) & a wonderful brow pencil it is! Blonde is the shade I use. It's a subtle ash blonde which I love because so many light brow pencils are way to warm/red for my taste. One of my pet peeves are brows filled in with a warm/redish shade! Another nice bonus is how cheap it is & it comes with two in a pack! 

• Urban Decay original Naked Palette & Naked 3 Palette. So much has been said about these palettes that don't think I even need to go into why they are great... you guys all know! 

• Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in 13. This is perfect on days when I have zero time for my makeup but I need to look fab. Once you apply this it's not going anywhere, seriously I have to fight to get it off! They have so many colors but 13 is my go to. I love to wear it alone with some mascara and a bold lip! 

• Benefit They're Real Mascara. Unlike most mascaras you don't have to choose between length or volume! This one truly gives you both without looking clumpy or spidery. With the special domed brush, equipped with bristles on the tip, you can easily reach every lash! 

P.S.  Make sure to watch the corresponding video HERE  to see some bonus faves! 

Another drugstore haul!

I've done it again... I've done a little drugstore damage.  As always I will be reviewing the products I got and sharing that review with you all. Here's a photo sneak peek of the goods!

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick, Revlon blush in 002/Haute Pink & the Balm blush in Argyle

Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids in 875/Vivid Rose, Maybelline ColorSensational Vivids in 885/Vibrant Mandarin & Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 440/Cherries In The Snow

The haul video I filmed will be up next week & as soon as I've tested all the goods I'll be filming the my review!

xo Kara Rose

Beauty Favorites on YouTube

I've made a video, over on my YouTube channel, filled with all my beauty faves! Check it out and let me know what you think of my picks. I would love love love to know what your faves are! 

xo Kara Rose  

Target Haul - Written Review

For those of you who prefer the written word, I've whipped up a little review for you! Here are the products I will be talking about & the links to buy them.

• Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen Kit 
• Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm (Craving Coral & Rosy Red)
• e.l.f Studio Golden Bronzer 
• e.l.f Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick (Forest Nymph & Rock Out)
• Maybelline Eye Studio Master Smoky Shadow Pencil
• Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Bronzer, Blush & Eyeshadow (Waikiki Strip/Peach Glow Bronzer

Now lets get down to the fun part! To kick it off we are going to take a closer look at the Pixi "Endless Silky Eye Pen Kit".

In the packaging! 

"Endless Silky Eye Pen" swatches.

I have to start the off by saying I am usually not a fan of pen eyeliner. I use pot or liquid liners, so I went into this purchase very skeptically. Not going to lie, I am eating my words right now! This liner is so buttery and smooth! All that's needed to get a gloriously smooth line is a whisper of a swipe across the lash line.  At this point you may be thinking "That's fine and good but there is no way this liner would last". If that's the case you are wrong. Having oily eyelids I was convinced within 20 minutes I would look a smudgy mess. After an entire days wear I had to work hard to get this stuff off! This product is deffo a new favorite! Here's the verdict in numbers.

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen Kit

• Pigmentation: 10
• Colors: 10
• Ease of application: 10
• Staying power: 10 
• Value: 10  ($25 for 5 eyeliner pens and a sharpener) 

Moving on...

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Lip Balm

Craving Coral 

     Rosy Red  

Don't be fooled my the word "balm" in the title. These little suckers pack a pigmented punch! Going into this purchase I expected very sheer color but that is certainly not the case. What you see in the tube is pretty much what you get on your lips. It is moisturizing so the balm claim isn't entirely unfounded + it smells and tastes amazing (like mint).  In terms of longevity I'd say this stacks up about average. Overall all I'm happy with this purchase but it's definitely not the whisper of color that I expected, which is not entirely a bad thing... just unexpected! 

Pixi Tinted Brilliance Balm (in "Rosy red" and "Craving Coral") 

• Pigmentation: 10 
• Taste/Feel: 10
• Color: 10
• Staying Power: 5 
• Overall Value: 4 ($14 each) 

On to the next! 

Studio Bronzer 

Unfortunately I don't have very much good to say about this product.  On, the color lacked any luster and was just generally unflattering. I tried this out many times in an effort to get it to work for me. Without fail I came out looking dirty, orange or not able to see the color at all! The price point is very low so I can't complain too much but I will not be purchasing this again. 

e.l.f Studio Golden Bronzer 

• Pigmentation: 2
• Shade: 3
• Staying power: 5 
• Value: 10 ($3) 

Next up

e.l.f Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick

Left swatch "Forest Nymph" Right Swatch "Rock Out"

I hate to be the bringer of bad news but this was another dud! Having never tried eyeshadow in stick form I was so excited to try it out.  On the positive side the colors are beautiful and true to the tube. Sadly, the good news ends here.  Applying this was a nightmare! You have to apply so much pressure to get this bad boy on! If you couldn't guess, the sensation of pressing and rolling a stick over your eyeballs is very creepy! Once it's actually on don't get two excited! Even with primer and setting spray the product only stayed on for a maximum of 20 minutes before creasing and running!! At only $2 what could you expect? shrug*

e.l.f Jumbo Eyeshadow Stick (in "Forest Nymph" & "Rock Out")

• Pigmentation: 2
• Shades: 10
• Ease of application: 1 
• Staying power: 1 
• Value: 5 ($2 each. It's so cheap normally the value would be 10 but the quality is too poor)

Lets more on. Shall we?

Master Smoky in "Smoking Charcoal"

By now we all know I'm wary of eye pencil but Maybelline's Eye Studio "Master Smoky" is another exception! You won't ever get a precision line with this guy but you will get is a fab smoky look.  I love the little sponge designed to perfectly smudge the thick line this pencil creates. With the afore mentioned (perfectly sized) sponge you will get flawless rock'n roll peepers in no time! It's so easy to glide on and once you've got it smudged to perfection it's not going anywhere. I wore this all day and not a crease, or a smudge I didn't originally create, showed up! 

Maybelline Eye Studio Master Smoky (in "smoking charcoal")

• Pigmentation: 9
• Color: 9 
• Ease of application: 8
• Staying power: 10
• Value: 10 ($6.99) 

Last but not least

Shimmer Strips Bronzer, Blush & Eyeshadow 

This little guy is a lovely, shimmery, subtle bronzer that can also double as eyeshadow! Just swipe through all the colors evenly with your brush for a discrete bronzy glow, or dip your brush in just one color for a little lid glam. The reason I purchased this was for use as a bronzer. As I'm extremely pale the subtlety works brilliantly for me. If you have dark skin this shade (in equal parts) will be way to light for you. That being said you do have some wiggle room if you concentrate on swiping your brush mostly through the dark side. You can also use the lighter colors as a highlighter!  

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Bronzer Blush & Eyeshadow (in "Waikiki Strip/Peach Glow Bronzer) 

• Pigmentation: 5
• Color: 10 
• Ease of application: 10 
• Staying power: 10
• Value: 5 ($11.99) 

This concludes my written Target haul review! If you prefer to watch me talk about all of this click HERE to watch my review. Let me know in the comments what you think of these products!

xo Kara Rose 

NEW review video!

The Target haul review is finally up on YouTube! It was so much fun making this vid. hope you love it as much as I loved making it!! Let me know what you all think ;)

XO Kara Rose

New video up on my YouTube channel!

This one is a Target haul. I'm not doing this video just for the haul. There will be a review posted as soon as I have tested out all the products. I hope you guys enjoy! Watch it HERE

New Video up on YouTube!

I've uploaded my "Holiday Gift Haul". This haul is not just me holding things up and saying "this is a candle. I like it.". NO! It's more of a review of all the products and I even include links so you can find all the items mentioned!  Let me know if you like this vid by giving it a big old thumbs up or leaving a cheeky comment!