February Glossybox

I finally received my February Glossybox yesterday in the mail and I want to show you what was inside. The theme of the box was for the traveling fashionista. I have to say that this box was very disappointing compared to their January box.

The Products

Lisi Cosmetics lip gloss in Central Park

Davinci Cosmetics shimmer powder in Dejavous

BVLGARI soap

Nail Rock in a gold United Kingdom design

Missha Super Aqua cell renewal facial mask

The only product I used so far was the lisi lip gloss which I didn't particularly care for because it was thick and sticky with a medium wash of color.

Makeup Removers for Silicone Bases

Hello! I am back with a post on the best makeup removers I have tried for Silicone based makeup. Now what do you use when you don't want to buy traditional makeup removers? I have a few products which I have personally used and want to share them with you.

Depending on the brand of the foundation it can either be a silicone and water mix or purely silicone. Silicone Foundations work by smoothing out skin tones and evening any fine lines. There are 4 silicone bases that are normally used for foundations and they are; Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Polysiloxane and phenyl trimethicone. The two most common being:

Dimethicone- acts as an emollient (retains moisture) and leaves skin feeling smooth and soft
Cyclomethicone- smoothes and shines

 The best makeup removers for silicone based foundations are those designed to remove long wear and/or waterproof makeup.



Acne Washes

Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash     Retail Price $5.49
Typically a face wash for acne because it contains sallycic acid, I have found that it serves as both a face wash and a good makeup remover. It does dry out the skin so I would suggest moisturizing afterwards.

Clean and Clear Morning Burst   Retail Price $5.99
Although not as good at removing makeup as the Neutrogena face wash it does remove a great deal. I would suggest washing a few times or using this product in conjunction with another one. This product also dries out the skin a bit so moisturizing afterwards is key.


Facial Soap

Cetaphil    Retail Price $4.99
Good for removing makeup and also moisturizing. It's non-comedogenic (meaning it will not clog pores) which is good since it has a moisturizing agent. Probably because of the moisturizing agent I do feel like it does a decent job but not as good as the face washes. But it is nice and gentle on the skin with or without having makeup on.

Almay    Retail Price $4.00
This is by far my favorite makeup remover. It comes for different skin types and works very well as a facial soap and for makeup removal. It removes all of my makeup and leaves my skin feeling clean. Like the facial washes it does dry out the skin but that can be easily remedied.


I wear silicone based makeup regularly which is why I wanted to write a post about what I use to get rid of my makeup. Hopefully you found this post helpful.

Have a Beauty-full day!

Beauty & Life Videos

Hello there!  

To start off this new year I want to formally share with you all my Beauty Channel. I have featured a few videos in posts but in case you haven't seen them you can check out my beauty channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/Meli1223/featured . I post makeup, hair and styling videos at least once a week. 
If you want to see some follow me around type vlogs then you can check out my other channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/VlogsWithMel/videos?view=0 I will also be posting tags on there. 


My newest tutorial can be found below!

One of my Vlog's can be found below!

-Have a Beauty-full day!

August Favorites

This post is a little early since we still have about a week and a half left of August but I have all of my favorites already. I didn't really have anything during the month of July that was a new favorite but this month I do.

Neutrogena Fight & Fade Toner

I was a bit skeptical about what this product could do but after reading so many glowing reviews I figured to give it a try. It rightly does deserve the praise it gets because I did see a marked difference on my acne marks. It visibly reduced the size of a lot of my marks and reduced the appearance on some so much that you could barely even tell they are there. As for preventing and reducing acne it also did a good job because I have had almost no breakouts all month. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who wants to reduce the appearance of any acne marks. I used this product twice daily right after washing my face and not only where there were marks but all over my face. Neutrogena also sells a Fight & Fade gel which I will also buy to test out for next month and switch out with the toner. You can buy this product in any drugstore, I got mine from Duane Reade for about $10 but Neutrogena's site sells it cheaper here. 

The Balm Nude 'tude

I am so glad that I bought this palette because I absolutely love it! The color pay off is very good and it has  really nice shades for a neutral smokey eye. I personally love Snobby, Schitzo and Sultry for a neutral eye and I use Sultry alot to blend my shadows together. This palette is comparable to the Naked 1 palette or Two Faced Natural Eye palette. The packaging is cute and is worth trying out whether or not you have the UD or Two Faced palettes. You can purchase the palette here.

BH Cosmetics Liquid Eyeliner

This is such a great inexpensive product and easily comparable to drugstore liquid liners. Being that it is in pen form it makes applying eyeliner so much easier. The felt tip is thin enough that you can make a fine line or a thicker one once angled slightly. The liner dries fairly quick and comes with alot of product. I have been using it about everyday and it is still as good as when I first opened it. Originally the price is $5.95 but since BH always has sales you can get it cheaper, for instance it is on sale at $3.27 now here.  Definitely give this a try if you are an eyeliner junkie or just looking for a good liquid liner.

Real Techniques Crease Brush

This crease brush comes in their starter kit that includes 4 other brushes. I am always looking for good crease brushes and I have added this to my list. At first usage I wasn't exactly keen on it, because it is a thicker fluffier brush it can blend out the shadow a little higher up than intended. I kept trying it and figured out how to get it to blend out the shadows with out extending it so far up into the brows. It's really soft and the brush picks up the shadows really well. I would recommend trying this brush but if you do not have that much space in between eyes and brows this brush might be too big for you. You can purchase the starter kit from Ulta here.

Cat Print

Last favorite of the month is all things Cat print. In general I love cats but this month has been about wearing them on some article of clothing or other. Not sure what sparked the cat craziness but I think its one of those prints that are cute and depending on the design do not have an age restriction. Pictured above is a fun Cat Print Laptop case from Asos. Simply searching for cat print things will lead you to a multitude of different site.

So that is all for my favorites for the month of August. Thanks for reading and have a beauty-full day!

Makeup Monday's: Memory Lane

I've decided to start a segment that I will call Makeup Monday's where I will recommend or discuss 1 or a few products every Monday. For today I'm actually going to be a bit nostalgic and look at products that I have been using for some years. Anyone looking to start building their makeup collection without wanting to spend alot of money should consider these products.

NYX Cosmetics Single Eye Shadow $5

I have been using NYX eye shadow in black for around 9 years, it was one of my first most repurchased item. When I was first starting out with makeup I solely used it as a liner, then gradually as an eye shadow. It brings a lot of product for the price and will last a long time. I love that it is very pigmented and affordable.

L'OREAL Hip Shadow Duo's Average around $7-8.50

These shadow duos are another longtime favorite of mine. They were the reason I started buying L'Oreal products. The color pay off is really good (especially on their metallic duos), you get a good amount of product as well. I have never finished using one in its entirety but I have hit pan on a few after many many usage. The price is a little bit pricey but most often than not there are always sales which lower the price. Still would recommend it because of the color pay off and the fact that you do get 2 eyeshadows in one package.

Revlon Illuminance Cream $7 

This was one of the first creme shadow palettes I bought. The shadows were slightly sheer but I mainly used them as a primer of sorts. The palette I had I don't think the sell anymore but it was a nice palette with the colors I liked. For the price I think its a good purchase and recommend it to anyone starting up their makeup collection who might not want to spend alot. 

Maybelline Define-A-Line Eyeliner $5-6

When I first started out using eyeliners I would try and use those cheap pencil liners that are like $1. They always ended up hurting my eyes due to the tugging that I would do using those hard pencils. Thankfully I quit those and decided to get soft eyeliners. Maybelline was one of my most used eyeliners because it was so easy to apply (it glides right on) and it was affordable. My only qualm about this product is the amount you get but otherwise I still love it.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara $6.50

This product was something I started using purely because I grew up seeing it part of my mothers makeup collection. So by default I began buying and using it. I still do use it but not as my sole mascara, more for the nostalgia that it brings. It works well enough for everyday use if I don't care about making my lashes look longer, fuller or anything like that. I would recommend it and in fact I bought one for my little sister as part of her makeup kit and it will be her first mascara.

July Haul

Rather than do a video I thought I would do a blog post instead for the things I purchased in July. I purchased some beauty products and some clothing items as well.

Beauty

This is a purchase I have been wanting for some time. When I saw HauteLook had it on sale I bought it right away. The original price is $36 and Hautelook had it for $18. So far I've been loving it but will do a review much later on. You can purchase the palette here.

Another HauteLook purchase, I ordered in July but won't be getting until the end of August unfortunately. I bought a 3 piece brush set for $12. If you wanted to get some Crown Brushes they are affordable and pretty good quality, you can get it here.

I normally wouldn't buy into getting this product but after reading so many great reviews I decided I would give it a try. So far I've used it less than a week but I want to try it out for around 3 and then possibly do a review on it. In stores I bought it for $10, If you wanted to get this product go here.

Clothing/Accessories

I have wanted red jeans for some time but never felt like committing to an expensive pair. These red jeans I bought from Walmart for $16. Although they stretch they do feel more like pants than jeans but probably because they are pretty thin. Nonetheless I'm happy with the color (they have other bright colors to choose from). You can get it here.

I have never bought any pants/jeans from forever21 before so I was a bit hesitant about doing so. The materials they use for some of their clothes aren't the best sometimes but I decided to give it a try. I love the jeans so much that I'm definitely buying more jeans from them for fall. They have some stretch, are thick (not bulky) and they are long. These skinny jeans are better made than the ones I own from Old Navy. If you are any size over a 10 shop in there plus size section for bottom pieces. I paid $24.50 for them and you can get these jeans here.

Another forever21 purchase  I was wary of but really like. Whenever I buy any forever21 piece I like to get it in store so that I can try it on because things always look different on. For the price, color and type of shirt I wanted I decided to buy it online not knowing how it would fit. I love the hi-low tops and its true to that and sheer. My only minor complaint would be that it was a tad too tight in the arms for my taste but nothing that was bulging or uncomfortable. I decided to keep the top because it did fit and the color was beautiful, I paid $12.50 for it and you can get it here.

Normally Animal print isn't my thing but I saw this high-low top that was reasonably priced and figured I would see how I like it. I bought it at Conways for $14.50. You can check if you have a store near you here.

By far my favorite purchase of July was this cat print headscarf from Asos. I'm a bit of a cat lady and becoming obsessed with headscarves so couldn't resist buying it. I paid $6, and you can get it here. 

Also purchased but not pictured were two tank tops from H&m, one burgundy the other a semi-sheer black both were priced around $6

If you want to see what I bought in June you can check out my video here.

Have a Beauty-full day!

OOTD: Red Pants

I haven't done an OOTD in quite awhile so here it is. Video included!

Red Jeans here from Walmart, White tank top from H&M

 Jean Jacket from the Gap, White Sneakers here from Target

Head scarf here from Asos, Jewelry I've had for years

Lipstick is Nyx Chic Red here


Video can be seen here!