Empties #5

Here are a few products I have finished up using recently:

Clinique All About Eyes Rich
A great eye cream I have been using since college. It's super moisturizing and a good basic eye cream. It also helps with dark circles and puffiness!

John Frieda brilliant Brunette moisturizing shampoo
Since I ombre my hair I like to use shampoos sometimes to help bring out the different highlights and shades. This is a really affordable shampoo and although it's not really that noticeable to me, I think it helps maintain my dyed color.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser
I love Kiehl's. This was a great every day gentle cleanser that I like to use in the morning to refresh the face. My face didn't feel stripped after at all. I really enjoyed using this and it lasted a long time!

Murad Rapid Age Spot and Pigment Lightening Serum
Even though this was a deluxe sample it lasted me quite a long time. I think this helped fade a lot of the freckles and unwanted spots on my face that I got this summer. It's quite pricey so I'm not sure I'll purchase the full size but I really enjoyed the sample!

Batiste Deep Brown Dry Shampoo
I absolutely love this and will repurchase this! It it great if you have dark brown to black hair it's perfect for helping reduce oils in your hair and give some volume. I'm a huge fan.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir
I pick these up from time to time. They come in such a good travel size and I love using this as a toner or refresher during the day. They are great because they act as a toner but also as part serum helping to tighten pores and stimulate microcirculation.

Have a great weekend everyone!

___
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on bloglovin'

October Favorites

Here are a few things I have been loving all throughout October. I have seriously been non-stop using them.

NARS Radiant Cream Compact Foundation
I love how easy to apply and transport this foundation is. I have the color Sante Fe which is a medium shade with peachy undertones. I love that you can bring this in your bag for touch ups. I like to apply this with my fingers or a brush and it’s just super easy. It gives you a light radiant coverage that looks like skin and it doesn’t feel like you’re wearing any foundation. This is also great for night because there is no SPF but remember to wear a moisturizer with SPF if you plan to wear it during the day.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Lets Get Naked
I have been wearing this all month as well. I am a big lover of the your lips but better lipsticks but this one is much peachier and pinker than what I normally go for. I think it’s a really pretty girly lipstick that is very creamy and moisturizing. And it contains my favorite ingredient: hyaluronic acid! Win.

Dr Lipp Nipple Balm for Lips
I’ve already talked about this before but it’s been a staple this month because my lips have been cracking a lot. I purchased the full size after getting a sample in my birchbox this month. I leave one by my bed and one in my hand bag. It’s similar to the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream but with out the smell and I think tackier. I love that slightly sticky feeling it leaves and your lips are instantly more plump and moisturized.

YSL Babydoll Mascara
I have been obsessed with this mascara wand. Something about it just gets me really excited to put it on every morning. Plus I’m a little sick of removing waterproof mascara so I’ve been going for the regular formulas. It doesn’t hold the curl as well but for every day makeup I think it’s still pretty fantastic.

Loreal Infallible Eyeshadow Pot in Bronzed Taupe
I love creamy eyeshadow. They’re just so easy to apply (I’m all about quick and easy makeup that looks good) and there are really nice colors in this range. I have been using Bronzed Taupe the most this month. I apply it up to my crease and blend out the edges. It’s a metallic brown/grey color that looks beautiful. I highly recommend you guys check out the eyeshadow pots!

Radical Skincare Instant Revitalizing Mask
This mask is unlike any other mask I have tried. It’s a great pick me up during the middle of the week to give some hydration and energy back to the skin. This mask applies as a gel, but then turns into a foam without any rubbing and starts popping to dissolving. It’s craziness!

Batiste Dry Shampoo Deep Brown
I just featured this product earlier in the week because I love it. I use this on day 2 hair to refresh and get rid of any oiliness. I love that they have different shades for different color hair and this one really suits my dark hair. You just shake up the bottle before applying and lift up sections of your hair and spray. I'm running out so I need to get a new one soon!

Have a great weekend!
___
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on bloglovin'

Hair Lift

My hair is extremely straight. It doesn't like any other direction but straight. I always have a hard time keeping any curl in my hair and it often just lies very flat on my head. This is where these two products come in.

When my roots are looking a little oily or if I just want to add some lightness and lift to my hair, I always reach for my Batiste Dry Shampoo. I'm almost out of this can so I will be purchasing another one soon. This one is for dark hair so you don't get that white powder all over your hair that a lot of dry shampoos do. It's really easy and I'm just obsessed with it.

If I want an extra lift, than I grab this brush: the Spornette Little Wonder Brush. Just take sections of your hair and comb your hair in the other direction to create more texture. Don't over do it because you could get tangles but a few back combing sections and you're hair has got some life!

Here is a picture of my hair before with nothing in it.

And after!

It's subtle but I like just the little added texture.
___
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Twitter
Follow me on bloglovin'

batiste dry shampoo for dark and deep brown hair

I have been trying to wash my hair every other day and in between those days, I NEED DRY SHAMPOO (especially in the summer). My hair gets pretty oily if I don't wash it after one day so for me, a can of dry shampoo lives in my bathroom, my handbag and my car. I picked up the Batiste Dry Shampoo for dark & deep brown hair because I heard great reviews about it. And since I have dark dark brown (pretty much black) hair I have been loving using it!

Target (East River Plaza) Haul

If you live in NYC then you'll understand why I was so happy to go to a Target (because they're not in convenient locations!) I took a bus to get to the Target (East Rive Plaza - also Costco, Marshalls and others). I only picked up a few things but they're things I've been meaning to pick up for a long time now.

I picked up the Tresemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray. I have never used a heat protectant and mainly because I rarely even blow dry it. I always just comb it through after I shower and then let it air dry. But on those special occasions when I do want to blow dry my hair or curl it with my flat iron, I didn't have anything to protect my hair. Now I do.

I also gave in and got the Maybelline Color Tattoo in 25 Bad to the Bronze. I already have 05 Too Cool and 35 Tough as Taupe. I've had those for about a year and I wasn't really impressed with them. Tough as Taupe definitely still creased on me by the end of the day. I don't think I wore a primer so hopefully if I pair Bad to the Bronze with MAC's paint pot in painterly it will live up to the hype. There is a lot of hype. And I'm not sure what I was thinking when I bought Too Cool... maybe I thought it would a good inner corner highlight but it just sits on my shelf collecting dust. Sad.

For some reason, all the Duane Reade, Wallgreens and CVS stores in Manhattan do not carry the new Revlon lip butter shades. I had to go all the way to Target in Harlem to find Revlon lip butter in Juicy Payaya. I picked up Pink Lemonade a few months ago at a different Target but I think it's too light for my complexion. I hesitated to get Tutti Fruiti as well because it was such an orangey color and that scared me, but I fell in love with Tutti Fruiti so I knew I needed to have Juicy Payaya. It's a much pinkier orange and I really think it's flattering for light to medium skin tones.

Haaay. Wearing Revlon lip butter in Juicy Papaya.

I found Batiste Hint of Color Dry Shampoo in Dark & Deep Brown at Marshalls. It was only $5.99 (normally $9-$10) and since I've been wanting to try it I was so happy it was there. I tried it out as soon as I got home and I do like how when I spray it on my hair I don't really need to massage the product in to get rid of the white I normally would get from other dry shampoos but the spray can is intense. I need to practice how to spray it lightly because it comes out strong.

And finally just some lovely cotton rounds for taking off my makeup and applying toner.

Thanks for reading that really long haul!