Ulta Haul - Featuring Redken and Stila

Ulta is draining my wallet! There is an Ulta way too close to my apartment and I pass it every day on my way home from work. I keep finding myself creating little lists in my head and convincing myself that I need all of these random things. Well, that is exactly what happened in my latest Ulta trip. Check out some of the items I picked up:

I'll get the boring stuff out of the way first...let's see I picked up my favorite razor refills, Venus Embrace. I also got some dry shampoo. I really like Batiste! I think it's one of the best dry shampoos around and at Ulta they had two new scents, "blush" and "fresh." I think the fresh scent was the best while blush smelt too floral. I also bought a new black gel liner from Maybelline. It was a bit pricey, nearly $10. I like it a lot though. It's super creamy so you don't have to tug on your eyelids to create an even line and it stays on so well without fading. The brush that comes with it is not so great, but I still recommend it.
Now onto one of my favorite items that I picked up...the Redken Cooling Deep Conditioner from their Nature's Rescue line. On the Redken website it is described as an ultra moisturizing conditioner that helps rebalance hair while cooling and soothing the scalp. I am obsessed with the scent of the Nature's Rescue line. It seriously lingers in your hair and I love smelling my hair all day long, hah...I just love this line! My only issue is I wish this conditioner came in a tube like the Redken's All Soft Heavy Cream. I hate dipping my fingers into a tub.
Last but not least, I picked up a Stila long wearing lip color in Coquette. It is definitely a "my lips but better" color. It's sort of a rose color and I think it stays on a little longer than a normal lipstick. I wouldn't say it's long wearing though. At $20 I expected long wearing results....but at least I'm happy with the color :)

Ulta Haul

Hey everyone! I really need to start blogging more. Some days I'm just not feeling it, well maybe most days. When I get home from work I just want to veg out on my couch playing video games. Also...other bloggers I aspire to be like are just so amazing that I feel like I should give up because my blog will never be as popular or as informative. I also wish I had a better camera, ehhh one day! I guess in the mean time I will continue to do the best I can. Today I felt like I should go ahead and talk about a trip to Ulta I made. I absolutely love Ulta! They usually have pretty good deals.
Here's some of the things I got:

CoverGirl was on sale buy 2 get 1 free so I repurchased my CoverGirl NatureLuxe Silk Foundation in "Alabaster." I also got a CoverGirl pressed powder for setting my foundation in Translucent Fair. The most exciting purchase was the new CoverGirl Mascara called Lash Perfection. I think it's the best mascara I've tried in a looooong time. I am extremely pleased with it. After using my eyelash curler my eyelashes usually lose their curl because mascara can weigh them down, but not with this mascara. It makes them look soooo good. Not clumpy at all! I think I will do a review on it soon showing my lashes before and after and maybe going a little more in depth. I also got one of Maybelline's new "Fit Me" blushes in Light Pink. It's really not that good. The pigmentation is terrible. Oh well. Anyway, if you shop at Ulta a lot then you know about the Ulta Rewards program. I got a level 2 reward this time so I was able to pick out a free eyeshadow by the Ulta brand. It's a nice gold color called Gold Leaf, but I really have to pack the color on with a flat shader brush and even then the fall out is bad and the pigmentation is seriously lacking.
Finally, I got this hair powder from the brand Not Your Mother's called "Girl Powder Volumizing Hair Powder." I think hair powders are the new thing for achieving volume these days. It seriously adds massive amount of texture. I just sprinkle a little directly into my roots and rub it in. I don't really have to tease my hair at all anymore! I was thinking about doing a review on this and showing my hair before and after with the hair powder. I know Got2B has a hair powder out for volume now as well. I'm sure that many more brands will be following this hair powder trend. We'll see!

Anyway, upcoming blog posts will be product reviews, a few OOTDs, and a post I'm extra excited about - "Hiding and Treating Dark Under Eye Circles" yeh something I've been plagued with thanks to my awesome genes. Maybe it will help someone out there who has the same issue :)

Maybelline One by One Review

I have been using the Maybelline One by One mascara for a couple of months now and I probably should have reviewed it a long time ago, but better late than never. I actually won this mascara as part of a prize pack thing from a YouTube banner creation contest hosted by MacBarbie07. Bethany (aka MacBarbie07) considers it to be one of her favorite mascaras at the moment. For me personally, I find that it is an okay everyday mascara. It doesn't add any volume or curl, but it does add length and definition. I prefer a mascara that gives a more fanned out and full lash look like Maybelline's Full and Soft. Another thing that really bothers me about this mascara is the rubber brush. I really try to avoid rubber mascara wands. Natural bristles tend to grab my lashes better. I also think this mascara flakes. I notice little black specks under my eyes throughout the day and I HATE flakey mascaras! The one plus about this mascara is the bright fun colored tub aaaand I will say it lengthens pretty well. Mascara reviews are very dependent on the individual because everyone's lashes are different...so if a defined and lengthened lash look is what you are after then try out this mascara. 
Overall, if I had to rate Maybelline's One by One mascara out of 5 (5 being the best) I would give it a 2.5. There are way better mascaras out there and also way worst mascaras so it's just average for me.

Maybelline's One by One Mascara - bright fun packaging

Rubber bristle mascara wand

Me with Maybelline's One by One mascara on

You can see that it creates long and defined lashes, but had to use my eye lash curler for the missing volume and curl.

Maybelline Full 'N Soft

The best drugstore mascara hands down is Maybelline's Full 'N Soft. I have been using it for years. Sure I try out new mascaras, but Maybelline's Full 'N Soft is like my go-to mascara. It can do no wrong! I always purchase the washable one, but it is also available in waterproof.

The Maybelline website says you will love this mascara for the following reasons:
• Builds full, healthy-looking lashes without the brittle feel
• Prevents loss of lashes with patented Quick Dissolve System that allows easy mascara removal
• Advanced thickening formula with Vitamin E helps to soften and nourish lashes
• No clumps, no globs
• Contact lens safe and hypoallergenic
All of these claims in my opinion are completely true. It definitely makes my lashes appear fuller and natural looking. I find that it's a great mascara for daytime. I also agree that it doesn't make your lashes appear brittle like other mascaras. They are pretty soft to the touch...which means there is no flaking! I love that it has Vitamin E in it because I find that it makes my lashes healthier and I experience less lash loss. I've also never had problems removing this mascara. The most recent tube I purchased actually had more of a wet formula at first, but after a month it was drier and I felt it worked much better that way. The tube is kind of bland looking...it's just black and silver. I know it's trendy for mascaras to come in bright unique packaging now so it's just not as cute. Despite that, I love that it is a natural bristle mascara wand.

I'm not too fond of the rubber bristle wands. I find that the natural bristle wands really grab every little lash. The result is a full lash look. It makes me look like I have more lashes, but in a natural way. Like I said before, it's really great for daytime. If you like a dramatic false lash look then this would not be for you. Oh, and I almost forgot the best part, it's only $6-$7.
Here are my lashes before applying Full 'N Soft mascara:

Here are my lashes after applying Full 'N Soft mascara:

Revlon Top Speed Nail Polish

Hi again! I can't stay away from blogspot! It's just too addictive. This time I want to talk about a Revlon nail polish I bought at Walgreens the other day. As you know, I work at Walgreens so I actually put together the Revlon Top Speed nail color display. I get first dibs on all of the colors! hah...Well, a little side note, I'm in the process of applying for jobs and interviewing with companies so I'm trying to stay away from crazy nail colors. I normally wear a lot of purple, hot pink and coral. This time I had to pick a nice neutral color that I could wear to interviews. It's time for me to be practical! I picked the color Sheer Cotton, but I was soooo close to buying Lily or Jaded. I have to admit, Revlon makes some of the best drugstore products. I have a lot of their nail polishes and I was curious to try out the Top Speed nail polish line. I think this is a line that's been around for a while, but they may have revamped it with new colors. The Top Speed nail polishes are about a dollar more than the regular Revlon polishes. I think the price difference is due to the fact that the Top Speed polishes dry extremely fast and supposedly have a built in top coat. I painted two coats of Sheer Cotton the other day without a top coat and they were already beginning to chip by the end of the day. This time I painted three coats and did an additional top coat using an OPI top coat. We'll see how that holds up!

***Update: I worked all day long and was really rough on my nails...yet not a single chip! Good polish, but use a top coat.

Revlon's Top Speed Sheer Cotton. A very pretty neutral color

Revlon Top Speed display

My Revlon nail polish collection

From left to right: Revlon Liquid Quick Dry, Revlon Top Speed Sheer Cotton, Revlon Grey Suede, Revlon Power Walk Pink, Revlon Bubble Gum, Revlon Passionate Fruit, Revlon Rock (purple, not blue) Revlon Plum Night
As I mentioned I love Revlon products and their nail polishes may be the main reason why. My Revlon polish collection mainly consists of limited edition colors so I don't know if you can find all of those colors, but I figured I'd share anyway. I love how Revlon always keeps up with nail color trends and I love the size of their brushes. The colors all go on so smoothly and dry without bubbling.
So, because I am going on job interviews and trying to look more professional I went through my nail polish collection to try and find some wearable work polish. This is what I came up with:

Work Appropriate Nail Polish

From left to right: Sephora by OPI Dear Diary..., Revlon Sheer Cotton, Revlon Grey Suede (I actually wore this on an interview last week), Rimmel Steel Grey, Rimmel Sweet Heart, Rimmel Promiscuous, Maybelline Timeless Pink, and Maybelline Timely Rose.
I personally think nudes, mauves, greys, and light pinks are great for work...but let me know if you all agree that those are work appropriate colors.