August Faves or "I Wear the Same Thing Every Day"

I basically wear makeup when I actually know someone will look at my gross face. And since people look at me in school and I hate waking up early, I basically just use the same few products every day. If, for some bizarre reason, you value strangers' opinions, here's my August's most used products.

1. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream (in Light) ~$8 for 1 oz

I have ok-bordering-on-bad skin and it's been 100 degrees lately (no joke). So instead of slapping on Revlon Colorstay that melts off my face in a few hours, I've been using this BB Cream. It's basically just a diluted foundation, but it's very yellow-toned and neutralizes redness well, and has very good coverage. The best part is instead of getting disgustingly cakey on my disgustingly oily skin, it melts off in a way that looks like it's just getting absorbed. I don't have chunks sitting around on my skin and where it fades you just see my normal face.

2. Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara (in Waterproof Very Black) ~$8 for 0.44 fl oz ($18.18/fl oz)

This was one of the first mascaras I got and it's still my favorite. The shape makes it easy to not get mascara everywhere and the dry-ish formula keeps it from transferring from my eyelashes to the rest of my face and body. Plus, for a waterproof formula, it's super easy to remove without makeup remover and doesn't move in extreme heat. Although, for a waterproof formula, it's not particularly waterproof. If my eyes get watery and I dab them with a tissue, that tissue can go straight to the trash.

3. L'Oreal Lineur Intense Liquid Eyeliner (in Carbon Black) ~$9 for 0.05 fl oz ($180/fl oz)

I already did a pretty in-depth review you can read right here. It's an awesome eyeliner and you should try it.

4. Wet n Wild Coloricon Trio (in Walking on Eggshells) ~$3 for 0.12 oz ($25/oz)

I don't wear eyeshadow every day because it's pretty much a given it'll crease and be ugly. I do use it for inner eye highlighting and this palette is perfect. It's pretty as an actual look, but the two light shades are awesome universal highlighter shades. They're buttery for drugstore, but a little bit powdery. It's a cheap and tiny palette that's just damn convenient.

5. Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade (in Soft Brown) $18 for 0.14 oz ($128.57/oz)

This was one of the first high-end products I bought and damn it was worth it. If you don't do your eyebrows, you should try it, since it really pulls your face together. The Dipbrow Pomade is a cream product and that makes it 100% easier to use than powder products. I apply it with an Ecotools Angled Eyeliner Brush (part of a ~$10 set) and the results are really natural and neat. Plus, $18 is really affordable for high-end, the color choices are pretty extensive, and this 0.14 oz pot will probably last you for a whole 12 months. What you see in the photo is about 2 months of use. I hardly made a dent. So as the saying goes, it's great and you should buy it.

L-R: Wet n Wild Browbone, Crease, Eyelid, L'Oreal Eyeliner, Dipbrow Pomade (Soft Brown).

6-7. Lipstick Queen Sinner (in Red) and Saint (in Berry) both $22 for 0.12 oz ($183.33/oz)

I did a lengthy review on both from the Lip Nouveau Set right over here. Overall, Berry is a pretty berry shade that's really moisturizing, but doesn't last forever. Red, on the other hand, is a vibrant poppy red that has a very matte finish and is somewhat drying. It lasts for ages, though.

8. Clinique Long Last Lipstick (in Heather Moon) $15 for 0.14oz ($107.14/oz)

Here's a review of this lipstick too. In short, it's a really awesome mauve/berry shade with a faint silver sheen and moisturizing formula. It lasts surprisingly long and reapplying is a breeze.

9. Revlon Colorburst Balm Stain (in Crush) ~$9 for 0.09oz ($100/oz)

Guess what, another berry shade. I love all the Revlon crayon-styled products, but I used this one a lot this month. It's perfect for an on-the-go or shit-I'm-running-late type of day. It's really moisturizing, but does fade after an hour or two, so you'll have to keep a mirror around to reapply. Just an overall quick and easy lip product. My only beef is the tube doesn't say the product size and I've ripped off the bar code, which doesn't say it either. A little bit annoying when comparing sizes.

L-R: Revlon, Sinner, Saint, Clinique

10. Revlon Nail Enamel in Eclectic, ~$5 for 0.5 fl oz ($10/fl oz) 

My favorite nail look ever is mint with white french tips. It's awesome. Try it. My main nail polish to use is Eclectic since it's the archetypal mint with a non-boring name like 'minty' or 'seafoam'. The brush is skinny, but after two coats your nail will look perfect. I didn't realize I should take some pictures, but it looks the same as in the bottle. Let me google that for you. Plus, I like the bottle. It's cute.

11. OPI Nail Laquer in Alpine Snow, ~$9 for 0.5 fl oz ($18/fl oz)

I do a lot of french tips, since it's cute and protects my nails from breaking at the tips, so I need a good, one-coat white. Well here you go: a one-coat white. It dries super quick, too. There's not much to say about a white nail polish. It gets the job done, if you're looking for a functional snow white.

12. NYC In A Minute Quick Dry Nail Polish in Grand Central Station,  ~$2 for 0.33 oz ($6/oz)

This is technically just a clear nail polish, but oh my god this makes an amazing top coat. I'm on my third bottle. Yes, it's better than Seche Vite and basically everything else in the world. The polish you see above was on my hands for 6 days, without chips and only 2 fingers had tip wear. Yeah, it's an awesome top coat. It dries super quick and doesn't ruin the polish underneath if you touch something. I put on two coats over my polish, on the tip, and then one halfway through the week if I feel like it. If you want me to rave more about it, then here's another review.

13. D&G 3 L'Impératrice Eau de Toilette, $69 for 3.3 fl oz ($20.9/fl oz)

I have a big giant bag of perfume samples and they all smell like headache-inducing generic perfume. Yeah, some smell like a lily but with that same smell equivalent of aftertaste. This was the only one I found that continuously smells nice. Sephora lists a long list of stuff I can't really smell, but I really get 'apple'. Like a fresh-cut apple. It's the kind of perfume that reminds me of spring and makes me want to throw on a sundress and spin around in a sunflower field. If someone was to wear it, it would be Anna from Frozen or Rapunzel from Tangled (and I guess Frozen too, since she had a cameo). I have a shitty sense of smell and it lasts 6 hours on me, before I'm not sure if I'm smelling or imagining. Also, let me stress how amazingly cheap this perfume is. It's fucking $20 per fluid ounce. Most are about $80 for one ounce. It's going to take me a while to finish this huge bottle off, and I don't have to feel bad about using it since it's only $20. Amazing. Go get yourself a sample because it's spring in a bottle.

Review: Lipstick Queen Lip Nouveau Set (Sinner, Saint, Butterfly Ball swatches)

The best way to kick off a blog is by offering the internet a much-needed review on a pretty set of lipsticks.

A few days ago I picked up the Lip Nouveau set by Lipstick Queen from Beauty.com for $48. Let me tell you right off the bat that this is a fantastic deal. Just one lipstick from Lipstick Queen retails for $20+, but here you receive 3 full-size lippies.

The lipsticks included are Butterfly Ball in Fly (the pink one), Saint in Berry (the gold tube), and Sinner in Red (black tube). The packaging is wonderful. These are the kind of tubes I want to rub against my face: nice and smooth and metal. They definitely feel and look like $20 lipsticks.

The first two tubes are metal, and the last is rubberized. They feel awesome.

Butterfly Ball lipsticks are said to emulate Butterfly wings, with faint turquoise shimmer. The color here is Fly, a pink with some subtle shimmer.

Saint lipsticks are described as "sheer, with 10% pigmentation." Berry is exactly what it sounds like. A berry.

Sinner lipsticks are the opposite of Saint, with "opaque, 90% pigmentation." The Red doesn't really need a long-winded essay. It's red. 

Just look how gorgeous the tubes are.

So now I'm sure you want to see some swatches. Swatches are the meat of the post sandwich. Here's my awkwardly-posed arm, for your viewing pleasure.

L-R: Fly, Berry, Red. No flash.

L-R: Fly, Berry, Red. Flash. Check out the shimmer on Fly.

If you're still in the mood for more awkward photos, just continue scrolling along. I have lots to share.

Here's Butterfly Ball in Fly, with both flash and no flash for those who like checking out shimmer.

On the lips Fly comes off as a nice-looking pink. In the right light you can definitely catch that shine, but most of the time it softly whispers "hey, I'm a pleasant cool pink." It goes on buttery and smooth, really moisturizing too. 

The lasting power, though, is pretty shabby. Anything with the texture of balm won't last long. Fly is subtle enough that reapplying it is easy and doesn't require standing in front of the mirror for five minutes.

Awkwardly posing in my yard and wearing Fly.

Next up in the lineup is Saint in Berry.

Just like Fly, Berry is really balmy and moisturizing on the lips. I want to say its a teeny tiny bit less 'balmy' than Fly--but that's not saying much, since its still much more like a tinted lip balm than a regular lipstick. Despite being described as "sheer, with 10% pigmentation," Berry has quite a bit of color. This is my favorite of the set: it's a nice daytime lipstick that adds subtle drama to any outfit.

And just like the Butterfly Ball lipstick, the wear time on this one isn't impressive. I ate a messy sandwich and the color along with it. Reapplying is a breeze, though, so just leave your sandwich and swipe it back on in a second.

In the grapevine, taking selfies.

I've only got one image of the last lipstick in the set, since it looked basically the same with and without flash. So here you can admire Sinner in Red.

It's a vibrant neutral red that looks fantastic--the pigmentation is definitely 100% on this one. I don't have any 100% dupes for this one (Revlon's Super Luxurious Love That Red is close, but more pink-toned.) 

Along with that, Sinner is pretty dry. Drier than the Revlon Super Luxurious Matte lipsticks. It's dry going on, and it dries out your lips. I, personally, don't mind the dryness, but you can easily apply it on top of a good chapstick to throw some moisture in.  

No flash.

With flash.

11 hours later (4pm-3am). It faded significantly, but still looks like a stain.

Although my lips were pretty dry when I took the above picture, reapplying didn't emphasize and stick in the fine lines of my lips.

Freshly applied on the right.

Lipstick Queen's Lip Nouveau set retails for $48, which comes out to $16 a pop, or about $128 an ounce. To compare, MAC lipsticks are $16 for 0.1, or $160 an ounce.

On their own, Butterfly Ball lipsticks are $24 for 0.134oz ($179.10 an ounce). Saint and Sinner lipsticks are $22 for 0.12oz ($183.33 an ounce).

So overall, this is a fantastic set. If you're thinking "man, the price is good, but those shades don't scream my name," then check out Lipstick Queen's other sets.

Bonus:

Reminiscent of Lipstick Queen, my bun is sitting on her pillow like the queen she is, although without the lipstick part.

Her eyes are evil-looking only with the flash. Also bunnies have no necks, according to mine.