benefit's BADgal BANG! volumizing mascara

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Hey beauties! If you’re new here, I love mascara. I have really small eyes and very long eyelashes, so I like to play them up when I do my makeup to make my eyes stand out. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect cruelty-free mascara for a while now, and I think I finally found it. I’m so excited to share it with you guys!

I had heard a ton of buzz when Benefit first released their BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara, and I knew that I needed to give it a try. This mascara is formulated with aero-particles similar to those used in space. Yeah, like outer space. They’re super light, so the formula boosts your lashes without weighing them down.

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For the most part, when I apply mascara, I go for precision instead of length, quality over quantity, if you will, which is why I’m such a huge fan of this wand. The brush is longer, so it covers more surface area at one time. Its bristles are perfectly spread apart so it really grips your lashes and gets the formula on very precisely. Sometimes a little bit of excess comes out, but it’s easy to work with it to get the amount you need. I love how flexible the wand is.

Because of the lightness of the formula, I never look clumpy or cake-y. I get a really natural look from it, which I love. I never use mascara on my lower lashes because it looks too clown-y on me, but when I use this mascara they look very natural and defined. I love using the brush to shape my lashes in general. Now that I’m at the end of my little tube, I’m using it to top off my lashes when I use other mascaras.

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I bought the smaller tube at first because it was cheaper and I wasn’t sure how I would like it, but now I’m definitely running back to Sephora to get the larger tube. This is definitely my new favorite mascara, hands-down. I’m so happy I gave it a try. I very highly recommend it! Have you use anything from Benefit Cosmetics? Let me know in the comments and maybe I’ll grab it on my next Sephora haul!

Anastasia Beverly Hills' Ultra Matte Eye Shadow Single in Fresh

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I used to play with makeup a lot when I was little. I had a Bratz glitter makeup set that everyone was jealous of. But I didn’t start ~seriously~ wearing makeup until my sophomore year of high school, and it was super gradual. Over time, I’ve learned more and figured out what works for me, but that never included eyeshadow. It just kind of confused me, to be honest.

Then, I got Urban Decay’s NAKED3 palette for Christmas, and I started wearing eyeshadow almost every day. I feel like my look is incomplete without it! Even if I don’t go all out with a cute blended look, I’ll try to rub a light pink in the crease.

Long story short, I completely underestimated how much I used Strange, the pale color in NAKED3. Since I don’t use anything on my eyebrows (yet), I rely on a nude shadow to make them pop. I also use it to prime my lids and highlight my inner corners. So when I realized that I literally couldn’t get anything else out of my pan (RIP), I decided to try a new nude shade.

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After wandering the aisles of Sephora and rubbing an absurd amount of lipsticks on my hand, I decided to try something from Anastasia Beverly Hills, since they sell individual eyeshadow shades and I’ve heard awesome things about their products. Their nude shade Fresh, an ultra matte “ivory pink,” was perfect for me since most of the other shades I use are rose gold-y. It was pretty close to Strange.

Guys, I love this eyeshadow SO MUCH. I love how soft it is and how it glides onto my eyelids. I honestly love it more than Strange! The color is still relatively even with my skin tone, but it pairs so well with the other shades in NAKED3 and gives things that pop that I need in a nude shadow. I need to head back to Sephora soon to get a full palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills. If you have a favorite ABH palette, let me know in the comments! I’m really disappointed that I hadn’t tried them until now.

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I also just really love the fact that Anastasia sells eyeshadow singles. In this case, it wouldn’t have made sense to buy an entirely new palette just for one color. And for it to be so high-quality too? I’ve been blessed.

I honestly don’t even have that much left to say. I was just so happy with this eyeshadow, and I use it almost every day. It’s literally never let me down. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a new nude shade, or really any new eyeshadow color.

Lush Twilight Shower Gel

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Hello, my loves! You all know that I’m a huge fan of self care. While self care is something that looks different for everyone, for me it’s a combination of things I love to do for myself and things that I need to do for myself. One of my favorite forms of self care is showering! I really love feeling the water on my skin and scrubbing off the dirt of the day. I’m a night showerer, so I process a lot of my day in the shower. And I sing and dance. A lot.

But what’s a shower without some good body wash? Before you get your hopes up about this review, I should tell you that this product is only available seasonally, unfortunately. Last summer, I got some really bad news while I was at the mall with my friends, so we wandered through the stores that had nice-smelling things, like Sabon, David’s Tea, and Lush, to calm down. Smelling things is another one of my favorite forms of self care.

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While I was crying through Lush, a sales associate named Gabrielle asked me what was wrong, and we talked for a bit. She comforted me a lot and gave me this small bottle of Twilight Shower Gel left over from the wintertime. It was probably one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. It seriously meant so much more than she realized. In her honor, I use this shower gel whenever I need a little boost of self love.

This beauty smells like lavender and tonka, a combination I never knew I needed in my life, let alone my shower. According to Lush’s website, lavender absolute is used to “calm the mind, aid restful sleep, and promote relaxation.” For those of you who had never heard the word “tonka” used in a non-toy truck context until now, the tonka bean is commonly found in Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica. It’s commonly used to reduce inflammation, which makes sense as to why it’s used in a comforting shower gel like Twilight. Tonka absolute is known for its “sweet, comforting aroma.” To be honest, I thought it was cinnamon until I wrote this post, so I guess it’s somewhat in that ballpark. I’m fully aware that cinnamon is not sweet, just go with it.

Basically, Lush assembled the perfect dream team for a shower gel designed to relax you to sleep. I loved using it at the end of a long day. Aside from the mental benefits of this shower gel, it made my skin super soft and smooth. I truly felt cleansed after I showered. I also loved using it to shave my legs! Literally the only downside of this shower gel is that it’s only available seasonally.

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On the bright side, this shower gel is inspired by the Twilight Bath Bomb, which Lush’s website says is also made with lavender and tonka and smells very similar. If you’re not into bath bombs, they also have a Twilight Body Spray that’s also made to help you drift to sleep. Lastly, there’s the Sleepy Body Lotion, which is pretty self-explanatory. It’s also full of lavender and tonka, as well as almond oil and cocoa butter, so if you have a nut allergy, please use caution!

I feel like my experience with my Twilight Shower Gel encompasses how I feel about Lush. They’ve built a brand that assists with self love, from their sales associates to their processes to the ingredients in their products. I love popping into Lush whenever I pass one, sniffing through some of the new bath bombs, and having a chat with a really cool sales associate with a nose piercing. I always feel like I deserve the world when I leave. Thanks, Lush!

For more information about going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database or Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands.

Physician's Formula's Organic Wear Natural Origin Work It! Full! Flared! Fit! Mascara

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You all know how much I love my eyelashes. Mascara is the most important part of my makeup routine, so I’ve been on the hunt for a mascara that I really, really love. Last year, I tried out Physician’s Formula’s Organic Wear Natural Origin Work It! Full! Flared! Fit! Mascara. That was fun to type.

The reason I took a look at Physician’s Formula’s products in CVS was because the mascara that I was using previously was starting to make my eyes really itchy, and I knew that Physician’s Formula uses hypoallergenic ingredients. I wanted to find something that stayed on really well, since that was also a problem I was having, but my number one concern was the itchiness. Thankfully, I found this mascara (I can’t type all those exclamation points again), which claimed to address both concerns.

The packaging of this mascara claims that this formula is “guaranteed to last through your toughest workout,” and “delivers maximum strength adherence.” So I figured this was the one to try.

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The Pros

This mascara definitely didn’t make my eyes itchy, but I’m not sure if I can attribute that to the organic ingredients. I love a good all-natural formula, but since I bought this mascara I’ve used organic formulas that make me itchy and non-organic formulas that don’t. So I don’t really think it’s relevant.

I’m a really big fan of the brush. It covers a lot of ground and its bristles get in between my lashes, which I really love. I like mascara better when it helps me define and lift my lashes as opposed to giving them volume, which is exactly what this mascara did. I love the way it looks on my lashes. This mascara indeed makes me feel both “Full!” and “Flared!”

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The Con

I’m such a fan of Physician’s Formula’s mission to use organic ingredients to help sensitive skin. But I can’t ignore that the claims that this mascara is “10K Proof. Gym Proof. Sweat Proof. Water Resistant,” are completely untrue. After about a week of wearing this mascara, I found myself crying in public (hey, it happens to the best of us). I wiped away my tears and honestly didn’t think about how I looked because I was wearing my new rigorously waterproof mascara.

Guys. I got home and looked in the mirror, and I had mascara all over my face. Literally all over my face.

Usually, when I cry with makeup on, my mascara gets clumpy and stubborn, so when I wipe my tears things just get a little sticky but I only look a little bit like a raccoon. In this case, however, my tears took the formula and collected it into small pools under my eyes which then descended down my face in small rivers. And wiping my tears didn’t help things at all!

I really don’t mean to be harsh, but I was very disappointed with this part of the formula because Physician’s Formula claimed that this mascara is “rigorously tested to withstand your most athletic activities,” but it couldn’t withstand an anxiety attack on the T. Since this was a big part of why I decided to purchase this mascara, I felt really let down.

We were rooting for you, Physician’s Formula. We were all rooting for you.

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Overall though, I definitely recommend this mascara for days when you know for a fact you won’t be crying or for days you don’t care if you have Physician’s Formula decorating your cheeks. I really loved the way this formula made my lashes look, so I would only use it when I would go out or to top off my lashes after I used another mascara. I’m done with the tube now, and I don’t think I’d purchase it again, but I’m happy I gave this brand a try. I probably won’t buy any other Physician’s Formula products in the future because I don’t trust a lot of what they say now, to be honest. But if Physician’s Formula works for you, I’m so happy!

For more information about going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database or Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands.

Codi Olive Nourishing and Rejuvenating Hand and Body Lotion

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Hey cutie patooties! I don’t know about you all, but I love getting my nails done. The people that work at my nail salon know exactly what they’re doing. I always leave with a smile and beautiful nails. So when they gave my mom and I these Codi lotions for Christmas, I knew they would be great.

I tend to get really dry hands in the winter. Like, cracking and bleeding dry. I keep this tube of lotion by my door so I always remember to put it on before I go outside. During the colder months, I put my gloves on to seal it. My hands stayed really hydrated. There were some periods of time where I’d forget to use this lotion, and my hands would get stingy and gross again. As soon as I started using it again, they would heal.

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The smell is also heavenly. I’ve never had anything olive scented before, and I’m obsessed. I think it smells like the nail salon; it puts me at ease and makes me feel special. I just really love manicures, you guys.

I very highly recommend this lotion, especially if you have really damaged hands, like me. I really have nothing bad to say about it. It’s even cruelty-free!

For more information about going cruelty-free, check out PETA’s Searchable Database or Cruelty-Free Kitty’s alphabetized list of cruelty-free brands.