April Birchbox

Don't even point out the fact that it is June. Just shut up. ;)

Quickly, now.

tarte - LipSurgence lip tint in Peaceful (Full-size $24)

Swatch of Peaceful on my hand

I feel like I've mentioned this before, but I LOVE tarte makeup!! It is so ironic because just before I got this box in the mail, I had gone on a serious Sephora shopping trip and purchased an identical lip crayon in a different shade.

This one is very sheer and you can hardly tell that there is much color to it at all, but I love it. It's better than just clear lipgloss for sure! I wouldn't have purchased this one since they cost $24 a pop, but it is a nice color to have.

Marula The Leakey Collection - Omega Rich Pure Oil (Full-size $78)

I have used this a few times when the skin under and around my eyes seems extra dry, and it really seems to help. HOWEVER, I have very oily skin as it is, and this is not a product that I would purchase for myself. I am always looking for good skin care products, and I can see how this would be fantastic for someone with dry skin, but it's just not for me.

It claims to be sourced from the rare East African marula fruit, and has sky-high levels of antioxidants that fight premature signs of aging.

Yu-Be - Moisturizing Skin Cream (Full-size $16)

Quoted from the card in the box: "This bestselling Japanese cream has a highly concentrated formula that heals cracked hands, chapped lips, and all other forms of dryness."

It's such a small tube that I put it aside for when I have really dry skin, and since it has been so warm, this has not been tested yet. I'm sure it is lovely.

Wonderstruck Taylor Swift (Full-size $49.50- $59.50)

This scent is hard to explain... Maybe it is kind of sweet and playful? I like it, but I'm not really drawn to it as much as I am to other perfumes.

MicrodermaMitt - Body Mitt (Full-size $28.50)

LOVE this thing! The photo doesn't do a good job displaying the size of this mitt. It is big enough to fit your entire hand inside, plus your wrist. This does a FANTASTIC job of exfoliating. I've used loofa sponges forever because I feel they exfoliate well... but not even close! Now this is not meant to be used with soap. Directions say to use it on wet skin alone. I prefer to bathe first and then exfoliate.

I recently got a sunburn on my shoulders and it started to peel just a bit. I hate being all flakey and peeley, but usually just have to deal with it. This removed ALL of the nasty dead skin and made me feel soft and smooth immediately. No embarrassing flaking skin. It also works really well on your face.

It is made of all-natural silk, which is likely why it is so expensive, but I think it is worth it. :)

Okay, on to the May Birchbox. Right now. And then I'll be caught up.

--Dixie

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Sephora Haul

I went shopping at Sephora last week with a friend/coworker and I purchased a few things that I thought I'd share with you. 

Let me just preface this post with a few bits of information about myself. I have recently developed an addiction to all things beauty related: skin care, hair care, makeup, fingernail polish, etc. I'm trying a LOT of new things and I'm using this blog to share my adventures with you. Despite my love for makeup, I do not wear makeup every day. Not because my skin is perfect - because believe me it is far from it - but because I don't always feel like making that kind of effort in the mornings. And I'm okay with going without makeup. Most days I just apply some acne medication (Proactiv Repairing Lotion) and top it with a tinted moisturizer with sunscreen in it and that's it. No mascara, no powder, no nothing. BUT I do enjoy the occasional day when I decide I have time to "look pretty". 

Those are the days when I get several compliments on my hair or my eyes, and I vow that I will start making the effort to wear makeup more often, and thennnnn I don't. :-P What can I say? I get lazy.

Below is one of my favorite brands: tarte. I love tarte because it is great makeup, but it is natural and not tested on animals. I have yet to purchase a product from them that I am unhappy with. 

This is tarte - emphasEYES Amazonian clay waterproof liner & brush in black.

I've wanted to try this type of eye liner for a while now, but never bought any until I stumbled upon the tarte version. It applies very smoothly in a thin line with the small end of the brush, or in a thick line with the larger brush. It is easy to smudge the liner while it is still wet for a smoky look. After it dries, it pretty much stays put. It is very pigmented which makes it easy to achieve a pretty line.

This is the Urban Decay - Urban Ammo Eye Palette

To celebrate their 10th birthday, Urban Decay made this palette with their top 10 best-selling shades. I had never used any Urban Decay eye shadows prior to this palette, but I'm definitely hooked. The shadows seem finely milled and super pigmented. It doesn't take much eye shadow from this palette to make your eyes sparkle and pop. :) 

This is smashbox - Photo Finish Color Correcting Foundation Primer

I purchased this because its green tone helps to cover redness, and since I have acne-prone skin, I really wanted to try it out. So far so good, but it is definitely not a concealer. It helps with the redness, but it doesn't completely cover it. When I used my tinted moisturizer on top, that helped even more. 

This is smashbox - Camera Ready BB Cream in Fair

This stuff is supposedly magic. It claims to be 5-in-1: it hydrates, primes, perfects, controls oil, and protects. So it is basically a tinted moisturizer on steroids. I pretty much love it. My usual tinted moisturizer is Benefit - You Rebel Lite, and I've used it for at least 6 months now. I love it, but it does tend to melt away because of my oily skin. This BB Cream seems to hang on a little tighter...

That's it for now. I realize that I'm still new at this, and it COMPLETELY slipped my mind that I should swatch each product. I'm sorry, and I promise I will remember to do that next time! 

Thanks for dropping by!

Dixie

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