September Empties (Products I've Used Up)

Greetings from London! My sincerest apologies for not posting in over a week, I haven't had the chance to sit down in my room since I got here. I filmed this video back at home before I left and had meant to post it the Wednesday before my flight but per usual, life got in the way. Please keep watching to see what products I used up in the month of September and whether I'd repurchase them or not.

December Favorites

Even though I just concluded my Elle Awards of 2012 earlier this week, awarding my favorite products for eyes, lips and face, I still wanted to do a monthly favorites because they may not be reflected in my top products of the year. I also wanted to let everyone know that I'm interning full time for a family friend during January and then on the 16th I'll be leaving for Orlando where I'll be staying for the remainder of the month until I start classes again, which means I won't be posting as often this month. I'm going to try to get as many posts up as I can in the beginning of the month to make up for a lack of posts towards the end. But, I'll definitely be tweeting and posting pics of my trip on Instagram so be sure to follow me there for updates!

1. Pixi Correction Concentrate in Brightening Peach ($15) - I mentioned that I hoped this product would be a dupe for my Bobbi Brown Corrector ($23) in my Target & Lush haul back in November and much to my pleasure it practically is. Now, the reason I say practically is because while the shade, texture and correcting effect is all the same, I've noticed the Pixi corrector is a tad bit sheerer than the Bobbi Brown. While this may seem like a bummer, it works almost just as well and is $8 cheaper. For now this product is under my favorites, but I may switch back to the Bobbi Brown depending on how I feel once I use up this entire product.

2. Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara ($19) - This product won an award for Best Mascara in my Elle Awards of 2012, and for good reason. It lengthens your lashes like crazy and it doesn't smudge. I have a terrible problem with mascara smudging underneath my eyes but this one stays put by the end of the day. I also wrote an in depth review of it here if you'd like to know more.

3. Aussie Aussome Volume Mousse ($2.50) - This volumizer was on my December Wish List and the first chance I got I raced to Target and picked it up. I've been using this product every day I go out ever since I purchased it last month and I love it. It definitely gives my hair some volume and body, which my stick straight and thin Asian hair seriously needs.

4. Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray ($29) - I've had this product for quite a while now and since I've gotten a lot busier and have been out longer these days, I've started to use it almost daily. It's great for setting my makeup and making it last throughout the day.

5. Lush Sweet Lips Lip Scrub ($9.95) - I've always loved this product but I've started appreciating it more since the cold weather has been taking a serious toll on my lips. I use this product every morning and night in the shower to scrub away any dead skin and my lips have been looking soft and full all Winter!

Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara

I recently mentioned this Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara ($19) in my July Beauty Favorites, it's the one mascara I've been reaching for the most this month and I'm sure I will continue loving it in the months to come. It really lengthens my lashes while at the same time maintaining a natural look, which is great for the daytime. It also stays put all day and I have bad smudging problems, so I give it some serious props for not making me look like a raccoon by the end of a hot summer day.

The packaging is unlike any other mascara I own, it comes in a squeeze tube instead of a regular tube so you can put every last bit of this mascara to use. It also came with this plastic "smudge shield," which I'm pretty sure is just a guitar pick, that you're supposed to use when applying your mascara to get close to the root of your lashes without smudging it onto your eyes. I think I ended up just throwing it out because it was too bothersome to use.

The brush of the product is nothing fancy, it's as the name states, it's a skinny brush with short tough bristles in a spiral, but I do like it. It doesn't clump my lashes together and applies just the right amount of mascara, not too much and not too little.

Overall, this is a great product and it is relatively inexpensive for a specialty store mascara. I recommend this product to anyone who wants to add length to their lashes while still maintaining a natural lash look.

July Beauty Favorites!

Well July sure flew by quickly for me. The first half of the month I spent in Florida at Disney World and Universal Orlando and the second half I spent in summer classes. Clearly, the first half of my July was the better half. But, at last the month is coming to a close and that means July beauty favs!

I'm still using a lot of my faves from June, like the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish and the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil, but there are a few new additions to my summer beauty routine.

First up we have probably the most expensive beauty item I've ever purchased in my life, the Cle De Peau Beaute Concealer ($70). Now I'm not in the habit of buying extremely expensive products but I decided to make an exception for this one. My entire life I've been searching for a concealer for my under eye circles and I could never find one that had the right coverage and consistency. I had all but given up until I heard about all these rave reviews regarding this concealer. I feel it was totally worth the $70 because it covers my dark circles like magic, and since I've been waking up at 6:45AM every Monday through Thursday for summer courses I have some serious circles to conceal.

My second favorite is this Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara ($19). I bought this a while ago from Sephora and I never paid much mind to it until recently. I don't know what came over me to go on and grab this mascara out of the bunch I have but I'm glad I did. It really lengthens my lashes and holds my curl.

I actually just purchased this Herbal Essences Hydralicious Shampoo ($8.67) & Conditioner ($8.67) about a week ago and I'm already completely in love with it. I couldn't quite put my finger on the scent for a while but in its description on Amazon it says that it has the scent of water lily nectar and passion fruit, all I can say is that it smells amazing. Most shampoos and conditioner weigh my straight and thin hair down but this duo leaves my hair soft and bouncy. I actually wake up in the morning with perfect looking hair, something that used to never happen to me with any other shampoo or conditioner I've used before.

Another drugstore and monthly beauty favorite is a longtime favorite of many beauty gurus, the Maybelline Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm ($2.97) in Pink Punch. I'm pretty late to the game because when they first came out I figured it was just a glorified lip balm but now I see why everybody loves it. It definitely gives your lips a good amount of moisture and on top of that it gives your lips a nice hint of color. This shade in Pink Punch gives a hot pink sheen to your lips and I love how it feels lightweight, which is perfect for these hot summer days. It's a great product to take with you to the beach.

And finally, I've been really into my MAC Hey, Sailor! Blush ($21) in Fleet Fast! Like the Eyeko mascara, this was just lying around in my makeup arsenal for a while until I felt the urge to take it out again. It gives a nice peachy coral tint to the cheeks, giving me a nice and healthy glow for the summer.

So what are your July beauty favorites? I'd love to know! If you have a blog post please link it below, and if not then feel free to comment.

XOXO,
Elle