Tuesday, June 4, 2019

May 2019 Favorites

Hello lovelies!

I feel like the month of May lasted for a decade.  It was such a long month for me.  On the flip side, I managed to up my makeup game big time and I have worn makeup to work every single day for over three weeks now.  That doesn't sound super impressive, but it feels like my depressive episode I've been living in is lifting. Can I get a hallelujah?!

I pieced together some favorites of mine, mostly beauty but one random favorite.  Let's start with the beauty favorites.

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Foundation, Elf 16 Hour Concealer, Maybelline Fit Me Loose Powder

This combination of foundation, concealer, and powder has become my go-to when I need a look that is full coverage and has awesome staying powder.  I didn't discover this on my own, I found it on youtube by EmilyNoel83.  It was so inexpensive! The foundation is $6, the concealer is $5, and the powder was around $6. Seventeen dollars for a full-coverage face that lasts?  Count me in!


I got all of these products at walmart. The hard candy foundation is actually a walmart exclusive.  It was difficult to find my shade in the Elf Concealer.  I personally believe that since it is so new, it is difficult for stores to keep in stock because they receive such small shipments at a time.  That's just a speculation, though.  The powder is probably cheapest at walmart, but you can find it at Ulta and Target also.

Speaking of EmilyNoel83, let's jump into my next favorite.

Makeup Revolution The Emily Edit The Wants Palette 



If you look close enough, you can see a teeny, tiny bit of pan that I've hit in the first shade.  It's the perfect all over color for setting my eye primer with.  Some of my favorite shades in this palette are Capricorn (second row, fifth shade), a beautiful shimmery brown that makes a phenomenal one-shadow look when you apply it to the lid and buff it into the crease, Top Story (third row, fifth shade), a shimmery gold shade that compliments so many other colors in this palette (particularly corduroy in the bottom row), and Hobby, which is my perfect matte crease transition color.  Emily released another palette called The Needs, but it went back to Ulta.  It wasn't my cup of tea.

This is available at Ulta and possibly on the Makeup Revolution website, but definitely at Ulta.

While we are focusing on Eyes, I have fallen head over heels in love with these two products.


Urban Decay Primer Potion, Cargo Swimmables Waterproof Eyeliner in Black Sea

I really wish I knew where I could get my hands on more of that Cargo Eyeliner.  It is super black and it does not BUDGE once you put it on.  I have had to deal with this eyeliner being stuck on my eyeballs for two days.  It is SO good.  The Primer Potion is a deluxe size that I got as a sample from Ulta with an Urban Decay purchase.  I've never used Primer Potion before, and while I can't justify paying high-end price for a primer when drugstore works just as well, I have definitely enjoyed this while I have had it.

Now that our face and eye looks are complete, let's jump into lips.  I can't keep my hands off of these glosses ever since I got them.  I want every single shade they come in!



Milani Keep It Full Nourishing Lip Plumper

I only have these three shades, but if I weren't on a no-buy I would probably own the entire collection by now.  Rosewood is probably my favorite.  It is a nudey-rose color that is so flattering to my complexion and goes with almost every eye look.  It's the first shade I recommend if you are looking for a new lippie, but you won't go wrong picking up any of these shades.  They also aren't a painful lip plumper, like the too faced lip injection.  I'm not sure they actually plump my lips or make them look more plump but they're beautiful regardless.

At the end of the day, when you're ready to wash all of these products off, I have the makeup wipes for you!


Equate Makeup Cleansing Towelettes

I love it when I find something I love in the equate brand.  At less than $4 for a package (these were $2, I needed a makeup remover quickly one day and bought the travel size), these are highly comparable to the neutrogena wipes, but you're saving money.  These towelettes are super saturated with makeup remover and get every bit of my makeup off at the end of the day.  I use these and then I follow up with one of the equate brand 2-in-1 facial cloths and my skin feels so clean and smooth.

Ready to smell fresh and clean all day long?  These two products are rocking my world and are the perfect scents for spring!


Bath and Body Works Beautiful Day Shower Gel, Soap & Glory Call of Fruity Summer Scrubbin Body Scrub

What I love about Beautiful Day is that it is the slightest bit floral, and the slightest bit clean smelling.  I'm not a big fan of floral scents, but this one is just enough for me.  It's not a new fragrance, but it's one I go back to every spring.

I found this body scrub at target.  If you don't buy it, at least go smell the Call of Fruity scent.  I have it in a hand cream and body butter too.  It is super sweet and super fruity.  It smells absolutely delicious.  The key to using this scrub is to rub it between your hands a little bit before using it on your body.  I use this every time I shower before I shave to exfoliate my legs and it is such a beautiful scrub.  It's runny, not a typical body scrub texture, and I'm afraid I'm going to lose the whole tub in the shower one of these days, but if that happens I will have enjoyed it while I have had it.

My very last favorite, which is pretty random and not beauty related at all, has helped me up my water game.


Hawaiian Punch Lemon Berry Squeeze Singles to Go, Great Value Raspberry Ice Singles

The Hawaiian punch is my favorite of all time.  It is so sweet.  It's not really lemony at all.  I hate lemonade, so that works for me.  It's just really sweet and really tasty.  I put two of these packets in a liter of water.  Raspberry Ice is also sweet and yummy.  If these help me up my water game to what I should be drinking instead of what I am drinking, I think they're worth buying.  I really don't want to hear any comments about artificial sweeteners though.  They don't bother me at all, but I know they aren't for everyone.

This wraps up my May 2019 favorites! What were some of your favorite products this month?  Let's chat in the comments!

xoxo,

Rachel
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Saturday, June 1, 2019

2019 No Buy

If you follow me on Instagram or if we're Facebook friends, you'll know I started a No Buy on May 30 that goes through Halloween.  This post is going to lay out my rules and exceptions for the No Buy.

The whole reason I started a No Buy was because I was getting more enjoyment out of buying things than I was at using my things.  I would buy a new makeup product, or dress, or cup (you see where I'm going here) and I would use it until the novelty wore off then I'd go buy something else.  Wash, Rinse, Repeat.  Not only did I blow through my entire savings account at Ulta (I'm serious. We won't talk about it), but up until the past couple of weeks I wasn't even wearing makeup consistently.  I am going to miss the endorphin rush of buying new things, don't get me wrong, but I'm trying to bulk up my savings account and teach myself to use what I have and enjoy what I have already spent my hard earned money on.

This is not going to be easy.  This is not a casual decision I've made.  I need this.  There's no two ways about it and I finally bit the bullet and started.  I budgeted my last paycheck down to the absolute nickel and stashed a nice bit into my savings account to start bulking it back up.  I drive a bug.  They're expensive when they break!!

So, onto my guidelines for this No Buy.

Cannot Buy:


  • Makeup*
  • Clothes*
  • Coffee
  • Vending Machine Pop
  • Snacks At Work
  • Non-essentials
  • Beauty Products*
*I can repurchase items that ran out or wore out during the no buy UNLESS I have a substitution at my disposal. For example, I can purchase mascara, BLACK eyeliner, skin care, makeup wipes, and BLACK tennis shoes.

Can Buy:

  • Groceries (including snacks FOR work)
  • Gas
  • Gum as needed (this is an essential for me but I tend to buy it in bulk)
  • Essential makeup without a backup
  • Anything necessary, up to my own discretion.
I have one more exception to this no-buy, which might not even be technically an exception as it wore out (well, the dog ate it).  Every October, It Cosmetics releases a pink foundation brush for Breast Cancer Awareness month.  The dog got his paws on my last one, and I am making that one exception that I can buy because it was my FAVORITE brush and I used it all the time.  It was money well spent.

I am 3 days in, and I have already made a list in my phone of things I wanted to buy but didn't fall into the guidelines of my no-buy so I skipped on.  I want to keep track of how much money I am going to be saving not spending my money on nonsense (hellllllo iced coffees...those bad boys add up!!). So far I have saved $52.03. Not even kidding, out of all of those purchases I wouldn't have thought twice about, 5 were iced coffees, 3 were snacks at sheetz, and 1 was a kitchen scale.  I ALREADY HAVE A KITCHEN SCALE.

Fingers crossed about this, guys. I made the budget, I filled the cash envelopes, and I am developing the support system on instagram.  This is my last form of accountability, and I have faith in myself that I can achieve this.  155 days of not buying nonsense.

Does this inspire you to start your own no buy? Leave your comments down below!!

xoxo,

Rachel
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