EMPTIES: Products I've Used Up #1 (Anastasia, L'Oreal, Hourglass & more!)

Welcome to my first EMPTIES: Products I've Used Up video of the year! Surprisingly enough, I have a lot of makeup empties this time so keep watching after the jump to see what products I liked and didn't like.

Unboxing: January + February Ipsy Glam Bag

Hey all! My February Ipsy Glam Bag came in the mail the other day and it's by far the best bag I've gotten! I ended up unboxing both my January and February bags since I didn't get the chance to last month. Hope you enjoy!
Let me know what you think below ♥
Check out my Ipsy profile: http://www.ipsy.com/lipstickndlace Get the Ipsy Glam Bag: http://www.ipsy.com/r/52v0
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DISCLAIMER: This video is not sponsored. Some of the links above are affiliate links.
♥
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Review: Kiko Pencil Lip Gloss #16

One of the great things about studying abroad in London for a semester is that you get to travel around Europe. Being the beauty junkie that I am, I scoured each city I visited for makeup. Whilst traveling around Italy I found the brand Kiko Make Up Milano and after spending some time in the store and getting a brand recommendation from my beautiful friend Nikki over at Momodoki, I decided to pick up some products. One of the products I purchased was this Kiko Lip Gloss Pencil in #16 Deep Pink €3,90.

What intrigued me about this product was the fact that it is marketed as a lip gloss in pencil form. I'd never seen that before so I really wanted to try it out and see how it works. Personally, I don't think you can consider a product a lip gloss if it's not in liquid form so this product still baffles me a bit but if you can look beyond it's solid form it's not that bad.

I am not the biggest fan of the packaging as it comes in a boring black tube that vaguely reminds me of a MAC product. However, it was relatively inexpensive at €3,90 so I can't really complain. The biggest downfall of the pencil lip gloss' packaging is the fact that it needs to be sharpened. With all the twist-up lip products these days you'd assume it'd be twistable.

The shade I picked out, #16 Deep Pink, is a rosy pink packed with glitter. When applied to my lips the color goes on very sheer but you can definitely see the glitter. The pencil lip gloss feels slightly sticky on my lips as a regular lip gloss would but I don't have any problems with my hair sticking to my lips.

The color lasts for around 2-3 hours without eating or drinking before I need to touch it up. However, while the color does not transfer I have noticed that the glitter can get pretty much everywhere. Occasionally the glitter will travel to other parts of my face but it's hardly noticeable. Unfortunately, if you're wearing a scarf or anything that could potentially touch your lips it's highly likely that the glitter will end up there.

I have to admit that I'm very torn about this product. While the color is pretty and the concept is cool, the fact that the glitter travels everywhere is incredibly annoying. If I could, I'd probably go back and purchase a shade without any glitter, but since Kiko is European only I'll have to wait a while before I can try a different shade out.

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Review: Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine (Fuchsia in Excess)

Can somebody please tell me why Yves Saint Laurent can do no wrong? From their Touche Éclat to their Glossy Stains almost all of the products they've debuted in the past few years have become cult favorites. One of these cult products is their Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine ($35). From the beautiful packaging to the perfect quality everything about this lipstick screams amazing. It took a long time for me to finally cave in and purchase one but I'm so glad that I did.

If I could I'd buy every shade of this lipstick but since I'm a 21 year old girl on a college student budget I had to decide on just one. I ended up opting for the Sephora exclusive shade Fuchsia in Excess. Described as a bright luminous pink on the website this shade is definitely bright and bold. As a huge fan of statement lip colors, I immediately fell in love with this shade and have been incorporating it into almost all of my makeup looks these days. A neutral eye with the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine as a pop of color has been my go-to lately.

The product itself performs exceptionally well. Highly pigmented and easy to apply, the color lasts for up to 3 hours before I need to reapply. While that is rather weak in terms of staying power, the product makes up for the lack of longevity by being very hydrating. I don't feel the need to apply lip balm like I do with MAC lipsticks and I prefer to have hydrated lips than a long-lasting lipstick.

As if the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine doesn't already sound amazing, the packaging is gorgeous. You can see from my photos that it comes in a decadent gold tube with an intricate YSL design around the center. The lipstick feels slightly heavier than most other tubes but it gives the product a more luxurious feel. It is by far my most beautiful lipstick on display in my makeup collection.

If you can't tell by now I am absolutely smitten with the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine and I definitely intend on purchasing more shades. It's even beat out my Chanel Rouge Allure! I'd definitely recommend this product to anyone and everyone who is in the market for a high-end lipstick. I'm also looking in to picking up one or two of the Glossy Stains since I had such an amazing experience with the Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupté Shine. If you have any shades to recommend please do so!
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Review: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Goldmine

I've been trying to replicate and master the gold and black double liner eye look for years now but I can never seem to find the correct shade or formula of gold liner. It's especially difficult for me to find a gold shade that works well with my skin given my yellow undertones. I've searched high and low for the best possible gold liner and so far the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Goldmine ($20) has been my best bet.

Source: Glamour.com

The Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Goldmine is a yellow-gold creamy pencil liner with gold micro-sparkles in it. Think Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero but gold. The liner glides onto the lids easily and does not smudge. However, it fades quickly to the point where in a few hours it begins to blend in with my skin and you can hardly tell I had it on in the first place. I tried setting it with gold eyeshadow but it only extended the longevity of the liner by an hour or two.

While this is the best gold liner I've found to achieve this look it's still not ideal. I'm currently using this liner in my inner corners and bottom lid in an attempt to use it up, but if I can find the receipt I'll definitely be returning it (if I still can). If you have any suggestions about what gold liner I should try feel free to leave it in a comment below, ideally I'd be looking for a liquid liner but if there are any other formulas that you've found works for you I'm open to ideas.
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Review: Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner

It's been quite some time since I've written a review on a Lush product and even longer since I've made a Lush purchase. Although I'm itching to buy some new products to test, my local Lush store in Soho has shut down, making the nearest one to me their Union Square location. In reality, Union Square is roughly 15-20 minutes away by train but I'm hardly ever in that area so I haven't had the chance to make a trip there yet.
This Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner ($9.95) was recommended to me by one of the sales associates. At the time of purchase I had combination-oily skin and had already tried the Lush Tea Tree Water Toner ($9.95) and didn't like it. Lush Breath of Fresh Air Toner is catered toward all skin types with fresh seawater to cleanse, seaweed extract to soften and rose absolute and aloe vera to soothe.
I apply the toner directly to my face using the built-in spray immediately after cleansing. The scent is very pleasant in my opinion, smelling vaguely of a sea breeze. I typically let the product soak into my skin and then continue on with the rest of my skin care routine.
When my skin type was combination-oily I noticed that the toner did very little for me in terms of oil-control but it left the more normal areas of my face feeling soft and supple. However, since I've come back from London my skin has become combination-dry (probably due to the harsh weather in NYC) and I find that the toner causes my face to feel tight.
I'd have to admit that I am not a huge fan of this product and would not actively recommend this toner to anyone. I feel that it doesn't do enough to justify the price tag and the Lush Tea Tree Water Toner is much more effective, so if you must try a Lush toner I'd say go for the Tea Tree Water. At this moment I am only using this toner on my T-zone and I've almost used the product up so look out for it in my next empties video!
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