What you and I grabbed at the Sephora 20% Rouge: weekend one

For this year’s VIB Rouge sale, I wanted to try some things I’ve had on my “loves” list for a while. Most of the items I learned about from YouTube videos and have been curious to check out.

I started with an actual trip to the Sephora at West Towne on Sunday night. With my Sephora app open and ready to go, I started my visit with a return—a $14 Cover FX setting powder that I could just tell I wasn’t gonna use.

Return one, pick up seven—seems right. *eye roll*

Before you judge too hard—I do actually return quite a bit—it’s one of my new rules to return things I can tell won’t work for me right away.

And already by Thursday night—there are a few things from this trip I know I won’t be keeping.

Back to the visit—once my return was made—I made the rounds. I took a bunch of things off my list like all the Sephora Favorites collections. The lip one just didn’t have colors I was that into and the lashes one had too many non-cruelty free options. Same with the skin care—all just meh.

After checking out the holiday sets at the front of the store, I turned left towards the Marc Jacobs area. I had heard magical things about the Marc Jacob, Enamored Hydrating Lip Gloss in Sugar, Sugar from kathleenlights and decided to give it a go.

Marc Jacobs, Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner in (Grape)vine 63, a matte purple also found its way into my awkward Sephora basket, because why not? I really like my other liners from the line and I’m always down for a new purple one.

Next up: concealer. I headed up the aisle to Cover FX. While I returned the Cover FX powder, I wanted to try the Power Play Concealer after watching this video from Teni Panosian. So I picked up the N Light 1.

And since I was in the Cover FX aisle, I also grabbed the Anti-Aging Primer because it was a “WOW” deal down from $38 to $22 plus 20% so I thought it was worth seeing how it was.

It wouldn’t be a trip to Sephora without at least one unnecessary lipstick. I decided to get the Bite Beauty, Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Chai after seeing Jaime Paige’s fall lip video.

I’ve really been digging my Drunk Elephant skin care products, which basically make up my current nighttime skin care route. I picked up those products during the last 20% off sale, so I decided to try the Drunk Elephant, C-Firma Day Serum after watching this Wayne Goss video that raved about this serum.

Since the kit was only $8 more than the serum alone, I decide to pick this holiday pack up so I’ll have a travel polypeptide cream and I can try some of the other day time products.

Finally, I was just wandering around and made one spontaneous purchase that wasn’t on my list and that was the Summer Friday, Jet Lag mask.

I’m intrigued because it’s supposed to be very hydrating and it’s part of the “Clean” program. And I like the packaging. I’m a sucker for packaging.

There were a few more items I wanted to try that weren’t at the store, so I also did one late Sunday night purchase right before I fell asleep order. ( i’m guessing this is not healthy behavior.) They arrived Thursday afternoon—just in time for me to include them in this post.

I really did wanted a holiday lip kit so I decided on the Becca X Chrissy Teigen, Lip Icing Glow Gloss Kit I don’t wear a ton of glosses so these little ones are perfect—they aren’t super small like a sample—but a nice purse size. And I really love the colors. Plus at $29 plus 20% off, I feel like it’s a pretty good deal.

As we know—I love stick products—so in the above video when Teni recommended NudeStix, Nudies Tinted Blur Stick ,I decided to also give those a try. I wasn’t sure on shade since I was ordering online so automatically one of these will be going back. I went with Light 2 and Light 3.

Finally, this one has been on my wish list for at least a year. I’ve had samples of the Omorovicza products and have been crazy for all of them. Omorovicza Heroes pack  included three of my favorites, so I had to try them in their full size. This one is always sold out—it was when I tried to get it once before—but it comes back in, so sign up for an email alert.

Here’s me today with the Marc Jacobs lip gloss over UD Liar lip pencil, the concealer, serum and my new Pat McGrath palette (!) which sadly, I love because they are wicked pricey

One week in, I’ve tried many of the products. I love the Marc Jacobs products. I’m still on the fence on that concealer but I’m going to try it another week. And the primer is fine—definitely worth the discounted price—but I’m not sure it’s worth full price.

There is something in the Bite Beauty formula that does not agree with my lips. That lipstick felt like it burned my lips, for real. And I kinda remember having the same thing happen the last time I did their nighttime lip treatment. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s going back.

And I’ve only tried the serum a few days. So far, I don’t really notice anything. But I’m willing to give it a fair shake.

The Chrissy Teigen lip glosses are as delightful as her IG feed so they are staying.

I haven’t tried the mask, NudeStix or Omorovicza products but I’ll keep you posted.

I also had the great, great fortune of being the new owner of a Pat McGrath Labs, MTHRSHP Subliminal Dark Star Eyeshadow Palette.Thank you, Anjee!!! I love it! Today I wore Interstellar and I’m completely in love!

Speaking of Anjee—I asked on the socials what everyone else is getting to add it to the blog—and Anjee spoke super highly of all the Pat McGrath Labs shadows. One palette in and I may also be hooked!

Anna said she’s grabbing both of the Fenty lip glosses. We all know Gloss Bomb is my holy grail! I’m so excited to hear how the new one looks. She’s also picking up the IT Cosmetics Illumination CC Cream—I know my friend, Norma is the leader of the fan club and also a member!—so it does come highly recommended by her. It was a little too shiny for me and slightly too high of coverage, but the formula is really nice.

And Rachel got the Naked Cherry palette and gave it super high marks! She said it’s heavily pigmented and rally different from the Naked 3, which was my main concern. I’ll definitely be giving it a look.

So there you have it—the obsession continue!

Did you grab anything? Looking at anything for the second weekend? Hit me up below!

Per usual—my addiction, my money. 

Otto Titsling’s newest creations reviewed including ThirdLove

It’s been two years (TWO YEARS!!) since I chatted about my favorite bras. Not too much has changed regarding my favorite style—bralettes—or my boob size: small (although I have confirmed my “A” size—more on that below.)

What has changed is the number of online shops featuring specialty undergarment lines since that first post published including our girl, RiRi’s launch: Savage x Fenty, which just rocked New York Fashion Week with a runway filled with all the shapes, sizes and styles you can imagine.

In my limited experience, new outfitters are AGGRESSIVE. I swear I get a postcard mailer weekly from ThirdLove boasting their best fitting bras. And if you should decide to check out their website—be aware—their ads will follow you everywhere. And I’m having a similar issue with AdoreMe which I haven’t purchased from and am reminded by them of that every day.

And some retailers are adding undergarments their collections. One of my favorite online clothing sites, the reformation.com, famous for its sustainable, reclaimed textiles just launched a line of lingerie that quickly sold out, but has since been restocked.

I figured it had been a while since I had picked up anything new—and with a post request from a friend on ThirdLove—now was the time to see what’s good in the world of Mr. Otto Titsling’s newest creations. Let’s recap!

Savage x Fenty

I am an unabashed Rihanna stan. Period. But I try to be honest about reviewing her products—it just so happens I’ve also really loved them—so it hasn’t been hard to continue stumping for her.

The makeup line is wonderful. I just got a deluxe sample of her Pro-filter Primer and just ordered two of her three new Stunna lip paints to check out.

Could her lingerie line live up to the level set by Fenty Beauty? What do you think?

Yes—of course—it’s wonderful, too!

There are so many styles and fabrics and it’s incredibly inclusive. I wouldn’t imagine you could go to the site and NOT find something you’d like to order regardless of your size. Honestly, going to the site is worth it just to see the gorgeous models she used and all the personality and beauty it celebrates.

one of the sets i purchased. photo courtesy of savagex.com

I ordered three sets during a recent sale. It was 2/$39 bralettes, 3/$24 undies and 25% off online. Overall–I got three full sets for $80–which is just over $26/set which is incredibly cheap.

The fit—especially the bras—is exceptional. I also really, really love the fabric. It feels substantial without being thick or heavy. It’s very smoothing although it’s not designed like Spanx or that kind of product. It just lays without lines or bunching.

There is a small detail along the edge of the underwear that I was able to snag with my fingernail, which was a little disappointing.

the little black detail on this set is what i managed to snag. oh well. photo courtesy of savagex.com

But I liked the fit of the underwear so much I bought five more through their recent 5/$35 sale.

There is one negative. Savage Fenty offers a $49 subscription service/membership. I did this with my first order to get a shipping discount. But I will be canceling it. I don’t see myself needing to buy anything else in the near future that would offset the cost of the annual fee. But in case you were wondering, this is what’s included in the membership according to the website:

  • Enjoy membership-only pricing, 20-25% off every style.
  • Free Shipping – Both ways on us.
  • The Drop – Early access to our latest drops, before they sell out.
  • Xclusive Access – Members only access styles hand-picked by Rihanna!
  • $30 Reward – You will automatically receive $30 off your first purchase of $35 or more after your free trial ends.

So unless you buy a lot of lingerie, I don’t see this as a necessity. And they also seem to have lots of sales going if you aren’t in a rush to get something and can wait for a deal.

 

The Reformation

I have a lot of thoughts about this line but I’ll stick to the lingerie.

Of the three purchases I made, these are my absolute favorite. They are so simple but fit perfectly and are super comfortable.

Some of the looks are very basic–but I find them to be quite pretty in their simplicity.

a basic black set i selected, photo courtesy of thereformation.com

I am always reaching for just a basic bra to wear, especially under t-shirts. This style is exactly what I want and I’ve been wearing it constantly.

this one is gorgeous–and i look exactly like this when i wear it. 😉 photo courtesy of thereformation.com

The lace options definitely have more pizzazz and I really liked this green color, so I grabbed this set, too.

Lace is tricky, especially to take care of and I’m really bad at not just throwing everything in the wash, but so far they have held up nicely.

They also lay flat so there aren’t lumps or ridges showing through when I wear them, which is nice.

I feel the prices are fairly standard for a higher end option, especially ones that fall into the sustainability subcategory. Bras run from $35-45 and the underwear is $12-$18.

Overall, I would definitely purchase from here again.

ThirdLove.com

I had been asked to do a review on this brand a while ago and kept forgetting. But then I got a postcard in the mail and thought it was time.

Their whole concept is to find the best fitting bra possible. Regardless of your size, even if you’re are a half-size, they believe they have a bra for you.

But honestly–this isn’t really my problem.

I generally buy a 36/B when purchasing my specific  band/cup size. If I’m buying by general sizes, I’m usually a medium or large depending on the band more than the cup.

Since I usually wear bralettes, the fabric conforms more to my chest than I have to fill up the cup, if that makes sense.

It gives me more flexibility in selecting bras to wear.

When you start with the ThirdLove process, you take a quiz. It asks you about the fit of your current bras and what you generally wear.

Then it asks you your breast shape. Honestly–I had never thought about this! It seems pretty naive, but I didn’t even think about boobs coming in different settings, just sizes.

I was really surprised by this concept, but based on the descriptions, I figured I was teardrop since I can lay my hand flat at the top of my chest and my boobs come out under my hand. (very scientific, i know.)

It recommended a 38/A for me in the T-shirt style–a larger band and a smaller cup. And this was what I ordered.

this is the bra it selected for me and i purchased, photo courtesy of thirdlove.com

They say you should wear your bra on the loosest setting, so the 38 does kinda make sense–although I’m not sure I notice a difference in how it feels with this change.

And in this particular style, the A was a good choice. It definitely doesn’t gap or feel loose.

My issue with the bra is that the fit is fine. I don’t generally wear an underwire and the fabric is slightly padded.

It’s just more bra than I’m used to–and at $68 for one bra–it’s a lot. I got three sets through savagex.com for $12 more.

But I also understand that my bra size makes it easier for me to find a bra that fits.

So I checked in with my friend, Shelly who definitely has a different bra issue than me.

She ordered through ThirdLove.com and her size was a 34/G. So while I have a larger band size, my cup size is small. She has the opposite issue. (i actually didn’t know there was a thing called a G.)

She kept her first bra through them–although it isn’t the miracle bra she was hoping for–and looked to try other styles.

Remember–the quiz helps you find the best style for your fit.

After the first bra recommendation, Shelly had a tougher time finding a second option that worked.

One thing we agree on with ThirdLove–they have amazing customer service.

You get a bunch of updates letting you know where your order stands and then they text you to see how it fits.

Even if they use bots–the texting experience was great and felt real!

Shelly ended up receiving and returning three different bras and none worked out. ThirdLove was in contact with her throughout the process and recommended they just give her a refund.

That’s some pretty impressive customer service.

Shelly  shared that as a 34 or 36 DDD, which is usually what she wears “it’s hard to find bras and definitely hard to find fun bras.”

For her size, she said “that’s why I love Adore Me – totally fun bras in my size! And prices are good. It’s amazing! Victoria Secret has a decent selection for bigger boobs, too but they are pricey.” 

I didn’t end up ordering anything from AdoreMe because at this point, I had already spent too much on undergarments!

But if a larger cup size is your issue, it sounds like AdoreMe is worth checking out.

I should’ve returned the ThirdLove bra because of it’s cost, but I kept it because of the customer service and laziness. And I’m really keen on both the Savage x Fenty and thereformation.com options.

Hopefully, this gives you some ideas on what’s new in the world of Otto Titsling and the current state of my underwear drawer (in major need of a declutter!)

What bras are working for you? Have you used any of these online sites? Thoughts? Any interest in hearing about my favorite online retailers for a future post?

Let me know in the comments below!

I’m on a spending freeze right now because I bought all these things with my own money. Even on sale–it was too much!

 

 

You are heard.

Last weekend, I had the honor of standing up in my cousin’s wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and it was so good to see so many family members and have it not be associated with a funeral–which seems to be our go-to reunion occasion of late. And Cousin Heather was beautiful and so happy. It was a day filled with joy and a feeling of peace.

photo courtesy of Tymber Wenninger

But it also served as a day of reflection for me.

Cousin Heather was my first friend and like a sister to me. As I’m the oldest of three girls, she was the one I modeled myself after.

And it wasn’t a stretch to think of us as sisters. We do look similar and people often confused us as sisters–when I was younger–and even at the wedding.

It was no less thrilling today as it was over thirty years ago.

I wanted to be her. I wanted to be as beautiful as her, as talented as her, as funny as her, as smart as her. My life was playing catch up to a someone who couldn’t have been a better standard bearer. She’s kind, thoughtful and curious. And she never seemed to mind having to spend time with me, even when I was small. And I had to be annoying. Grown-up Lyn can be a lot. I can’t imagine what it was like to deal with me as a kid.

So as far as role models go, I had one of the best.

During the reception, I had a lovely conversation with her youngest daughter. We talked about how gifted her mom is as an artist. She said she wished she had skills like her. I said I did, too.

I remember coloring with her at her kitchen table–and even though she’s a few years older than me–her drawing was the difference of comparing a child with a master. It was discouraging. But she told me I didn’t have to draw to be an artist. She said I would find my own thing.

She was right. And I shared the same advice to her daughter.

One Saturday morning at our Aunt Mary’s house–the usual Saturday hangout growing up–I told her that I wished I had freckles like her. She explained how she put pickle juice on her face to try and get rid of them. To bleach them out.

It was the first time I was ever aware that something I found magical about someone’s appearance could be the thing they disliked most. It was just as confusing then as it is now.

She also gave me the greatest birthday gift I ever received. A 45 of Rick Springfield’s Affair of the Heart and two Star Wars figures: Princess Leia and Yoda. She said I could add the record to my growing collection, and now I would have toys I could bring with me so I could be included when the boy cousins were doing their movie recreations on Saturday mornings. It was perfect.

Through my late elementary school and early middle school years, she helped me navigate tough times. I’m not sure she even knows how much her words mattered to me then and how I’ve held on to them still as a guide to seek safety and strive for success. But I do.

We haven’t reminisced about those times. She maybe doesn’t even remember. Standing in the sun on Saturday, I was reminded that it’s often in moments that are fleeting for you, when you are making an impact on someone else. Without trying. Without noticing. Without effort. Just by being you and being present and connecting.

She and I lost touch for a number of years. I was going through high school and college, while she was married and had her children.

We reconnected as adults. Peers. No longer a young kid idolizing her older cousin. She could lean on me during her tough times, just as I had–and would–lean on her.

We share ideas and talk about the world and encourage each other’s projects. It’s a relationship that means a lot to me. And standing behind her at her wedding helped me understand that it also means a lot to her.

Today is a difficult day for many women. It’s a reminder of memories hidden away. It’s a trigger for emotions we have spent our lives silencing. And it’s confirmation that things are still not equal for us. We are not inherently given spaces of safety and success, we have to seek them out and create them for ourselves.

Some will find comfort sharing their stories. Some will need quiet. All will need acknowledgement that we are not alone.

I’m choosing to use today to think about the women–whether through grand gestures or small moments–that have made an impact on my life.  There are many.

My Cousin Heather is one of those women. And you are, too. Just by taking your time to read these musings makes me feel heard.

And sometimes that’s all you need. A moment. You give me that.

Know that today I hear you, I see you, and I acknowledge you. Do the same for other women in your life. Especially today.

Cousin Heather and me

 

Songs I think you should know from 2000-2009: indie rock and dance edition

I am fortunate to be the “aunt” to many of my friends’ kids. It’s a gift in my life and it’s so wonderful to be a witness to all their different life stages.

I totally love getting on the floor and playing dolls or LEGOS or whatever their thing is at the time.

I love catching their sporting events and piano recitals.

And I really love to find out what they are listening to–what artists are speaking to them, what songs are on repeat, what music from their parents resonates with them–and checking it out myself.

There are lots of current favorites I first heard about through these conversations–Billie Eilish, Smino, Khalid–but I’m always happy to find we have a lot of the same current artists loading up our playlists. I have always been a pop music junkie, and Spotify and other streaming services makes finding the top tracks pretty simple.

On the flip side, it’s a lot harder today to plug into music from other generations. A family doesn’t have to hear each other’s music if they don’t want to–even radiating out of closed bedroom doors–as listening through headphones seems to be most teenagers’ go-to for their music experiences.

I had to know my parents music and they had to know mine. But that’s not so true anymore.

However–based on conversations with my friends’ teenage kids–they are still as musically curious and adventurous as most teenagers have been in the past. It’s just overwhelming with so much music in front of them and very little introduction from trusted sources to know what’s worth a listen.

In these talks, I’m taken by songs I think everyone knows that are unfamiliar. Or styles that seem to be fading in relevance like guitar rock or experimental pop.

So I decided to put together a playlist of the songs that really opened up the world of indie rock and dance music for me during the time I was discovering this music, too to share with one of my friend’s kids.

A little backstory on why this era of music is so important to me:

Continue reading Songs I think you should know from 2000-2009: indie rock and dance edition

Reviewing some new purchases: Flesh, Born to Run collection, Dose of Color and Essence

I’m so excited the weather has decided to return us to what our August SHOULD’VE felt like–sunny, 80s and dry–in September! It gives me an excuse to continue trying out looks and products I picked up at the end of the summer season so I can slowly transition my look into fall.

A trip to Chicago in July lead to a spontaneous Ulta visited where I grabbed some new to me lines: a Flesh Firm Flesh Thickstick Foundation (this name is ridiculous) in 10, Pudding “light medium beige, neutral undertones”and my first Dose of Color product, their Block Party Single Eyeshadow, in Shell We Dance “pink champagne base w/ platinum reflects.”

Another random Ulta visit put the Urban Decay Born to Run palette in my hands, along with two eyeliners from the collection: Double Life, a “reddish-brown metallic” and Overdrive, a “deep green metallic.” I had my eye on this collection for a while but felt like getting another palette and more eyeliners was absurd. Boy, am I glad I gave in and just got it!

my new pick-ups taking my look from summer to fall

Finally, I ended up ordering Ulta online–some deal or something I’m sure–a Dose of Colors, Matte Liquid Lipstick in Campfire “burnt sienna,” and another Flesh stick in 08, Custard “light, neutral undertones.” Plus I started trying out an Essence Satin Touch Blush in Satin Coral and Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara I had acquired along the way but hadn’t started using.

My summer has been dominated by all things peach. I love that fresh squeezed summer shade–really natural but with a little pep in its step. Mostly this summer I kept things pretty light with CC cream or really light coverage foundation, mandatory bronzer, brow gel, mascara, a single swipe of a peachy eyeshadow and a little peach blush and lipstick. (okay–that actually sounds like a lot of makeup–i guess it is!)

typical summer look–all things peachy

This new round of makeup has been a perfect addition to my summer favorites and will definitely carry me into the new season.

Continue reading Reviewing some new purchases: Flesh, Born to Run collection, Dose of Color and Essence

It’s 20% off at Sephora time! Our wishlists and recommendations

As summer draws to a close, we will cope the best we know how: by dreaming of what we are going to use our Sephora discount on (or have in Lyn’s case!)

We made a special Sunday trip to Sephora to get a first hand look at what’s out right now–which we shared on our Instagram story–and picked our favorites.

And then we looked through our stuff to see what we are loving that might be a little on the high end but still recommend and things we are running low on that we can’t live without.

Here are some things that we are either planning to stock up on, or splurge on, or think YOU should buy as our proxy:

Jess:

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer

A handful of years ago, the three of us were having a rambunctious girl weekend in NYC. It was hot and smarmy in SOHO, so we bopped into a Sephora for a spritz, as we do. A lovely Sephora employee (cast member? What is their official designation??) saw me wilting, and asked if he could introduce me to this primer. “But I have makeup on already!” I worried aloud. He told me not to fret, as it didn’t matter- it would still be magical, and hey, it’s what Madonna uses. SIGN ME UP. My face was instantly human again!

Continue reading It’s 20% off at Sephora time! Our wishlists and recommendations

Halo Beauty–did it change my life?

If you’re not familiar with Halo Beauty, you’re probably not familiar with Tati Westbrook, the YouTuber/beauty influencer/glam guru who developed this supplement designed to give you amazing hair/skin/nails.

 

I go in waves with watching YouTube videos where I’ll watch a ton and then go a few months without watching any. But when I do watch them, Tati is definitely one of my favorites.

Her sheer quantity of uploads is impressive. Girl puts in the work! And you can tell she is very thoughtful in the type of videos she posts with a large range of topics although all are makeup/skin care focused. I appreciate her point-of-view and her clear knowledge and passion for products–which I totally feel! I can tell she believes in miracles–and so do I.

And she’s not 22, which I appreciate.

So when she announced her launch of a supplement, it rocked the influencer beauty world in a very non-story story kind of way.

I’ll let her explain how she came to create the product:

And if you have an hour to kill and want to immerse yourself in some silly YouTuber drama, you can click here.

But regardless of all that noise, I decided to give the supplement a try (as you know if you follow us on our Instagram page.)

And I just finished my first month on it.

Here’s what I think in a simple pro/con list:

Continue reading Halo Beauty–did it change my life?

Let’s Try “Lifestyle” Ice Creams!

Have you noticed something going on?? Something in the freezer section of the grocery store?? So many “ice creams” are now trying to be all “hey! Hey! I’m totes healthy! You can eat the whole pint and it won’t blow your calorie budget for the day AND you can get some protein! Do it! Dooooo iiiiiitttt!! Ice cream for health!!”

I mean, it sounds good, but also a little bit like a clown trying to lure me into a van with candy. Are they worth the hype? I caught about 700* people buying Halo Top the last time I was at the grocery store, so maybe there’s something to it. Let’s try a bunch and find out!

HALO TOP CREAMERY

Halo Top was invented because the founder was hypoglycemic and wanted a delicious dessert that wouldn’t spike his insulin, which is a valid reason to make such a thing. Somewhere along the line, fitness influencers and Crossfitters adopted it (22 grams of protein in a pint! #gainz) and it has become crazy popular. I mean, have you seen how much freezer real estate it gets at the store?? They even sell it at Walgreens!

My husband has some dietary reasons to avoid huge amounts of sugar as well, so it seems like there’s always a pint or two of Halo Top in our freezer- this one was easy to check off the list! I will agree that it is a pretty good ice cream replica, and a bonus is that it comes in a billion flavors, and even a few non-dairy alternatives, so there’s something for everyone. BUT it is sweetened with stevia, and I hate stevia. Like, haaaaaate it. For one, I really don’t like how it tastes, but even if I could get past that, if I eat stevia, it’s basically like I’ve eaten 100 very explosive bees all armed with tiny steak knives. So I get really mad when a thing says “no artificial sweeteners!!!” and then I dig deep into the ingredient list and fucking stevia is lurking around. NO THANK YOU.

So this whole stevia thing has my list narrowed down to lifestyle ice creams that also don’t have stevia, which is…. a shorter list.

ARCTIC ZERO

“Fit Frozen Desserts!” “Lactose Free!” “Gluten Free!” “Fat Free!” “GMO Free!” are things listed all over the package for this guy. It should also include “Flavor Free!”. I tried Cookie Shake, and it was sad. Not terrible, per se- it was, chocolate-ish? But so boring that eating the whole pint wasn’t even appealing. You know it’s good when you forget it’s even in the freezer- I never finished eating it beyond the first half inch down.

Continue reading Let’s Try “Lifestyle” Ice Creams!

Happy National Lipstick Day–deals on lipsticks I love!

It’s National Lipstick Day! Who knew?! Clearly, many retailers and brands did, because my inbox today was filled with various offer emails.

Looking over these BOGOs and percentages off–some of them are really good!–I thought I’d put together a quick list of current lipstick favorites with links to corresponding deals available.

So jump on these now–or save these recommendations for later–because everyday is lipstick day for me!

Ulta

Ulta is really a one-stop shop for most of these deals–AND today you get 5x points with purchase!!–so I’m going to stick to sharing deals through Ulta instead of through the brand websites. But most are offered through their site, too if you prefer to buy direct.

There are lots of high end and drugstore options so I’ll give you both starting with high end.

Too Faced: I recently reviewed Sweet Peach Creamy Lip Oil–and while I returned the shade, Papa Don’t Peach–I kept Pure Peach and picked up Tickle-Me-Peach, a brighter orange gloss. I love these both and wear them constantly. Here’s your chance to give them a try on the cheap. Continue reading Happy National Lipstick Day–deals on lipsticks I love!

A smattering of Milk Makeup products reviewed

There’s something about a stick. As you know–I really hate products in pots. Pumps are awesome and squeezy tubes are fine, but I’ve always loved products that are packaged in sticks.

My favorite foundation for forever has been a Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer, which I rarely mention because it’s ALWAYS on sale on the website so I’m certain it will be disappearing into the ether soon. (and why i hoard several for the future.) But it was the first stick foundation I ever tried and I’ve been hooked on sticks ever since.

Sticks are just so convenient. You swipe it on, rub it–and bam–you’re done! No mess, no brush, no worries. And they are really easy for travel–TSA-friendly–plus super fast to put on in the car. (not that you should apply makeup while driving…)

So Milk Makeup’s packaging really speaks to me. And there’s also something about the clear containers that look really fresh and make me reach for them regularly.

Back in September, I ordered the Matcha Toner stick. I don’t really understand toner, so I’ve never used it with regularity. The description for this product says “The world’s first solid facial toner removes oil and detoxifies pores.” Okay!

Here’s the thing–since I got it in September–I use it every day, twice a day. And you can see from the photo, there’s still some left and I got it months ago.

Continue reading A smattering of Milk Makeup products reviewed