"Should I buy or nah?" That's the question I am constantly asking myself every time I come across a product I am interested in. I typically do a lot of research on any product I'm considering buying, whether it be online reviews or googling "Has anyone's face fallen off after using this product?" I work hard for my cash, so I like to spend it on things that I am going to actually use and hopefully won't turn my face to mush.
Clarisonic Mia 1
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I recently, like 5 hours ago, bought a Clarisonic Mia. I was torn on which Clarisonic to purchase. I ended up with the original design called the Mia, but there is also the Mia 2, the Aria (which I almost got because it shares the same name with my favorite Game of Thrones character, although a different spelling), the Opal, and the Pro. They range in price from around $100 to $225, depending on which model you get. I know those prices look steep, but there is a 90 day return policy at Ulta, where I purchased mine, and a one year warranty from Clarisonic, which I think is amazing. That really shows that they stand behind their product.
If you don't know what the heck I am talking about, let me explain. Clarisonic sells these face scrubbers with the claim that they clean six times deeper than you can with your hands. For some reason, I have been battling acne on only my right jawline. I'll get it cleared up for like a week, then it is right back and I can't figure out what I am doing to that side of my face. I do wear a lot of makeup, a full face at least five days a week, so I was thinking that perhaps I need something deep cleaning to help clean up this acne patch. After reading different reviews for about six weeks, I finally decided to make this investment. As I have only owned this product for just a few hours, I have only used it once. So far, I can say I am impressed. For kicks and giggles, I went ahead and took my makeup off the way I always do, which is with a face wipe and a little coconut oil around my eyes. After I got my skin "clean" I went to my sink to use my Clarisonic and to see just how much residue I have been leaving on my face. When I finished, the brush was completely tan with my foundation!!!! Keep in mind that I use those makeup remover towelettes that are supposed to take all of your makeup off, exfoliate, etc. Spoiler alert- they do not! The lady at Ulta told me that my skin will probably get worse as I start using the Clarisonic regularly, then clear up. Anyone have a ski mask I can borrow to hide my ugly while my skin goes through self destruct mode?
Makeup Geek Eye Shadows
I said I wasn't going to talk about anything that I put in my monthly favorites post, but I cannot get over these eye shadows! Good gawd, they are creamy, pigmented, so blendable, ahhhh! I did some swatches for you guys so you can see how awesome these are. I ran out of arm room since I went a little crazy and bought fifteen of these, so I had to swatch Chickadee, Mango Tango, and Razzleberry on their own. I also wore these three together last week and I got so many compliments, so I am probably going to do a tutorial post on how to achieve that eye look. These shadows are pretty affordable too. I think they are around $5.99 a pan, but I would pay double that for these shadows. It's like getting the quality of Mac with the pricing of Nyx. Freaking sign me up for one of everything! I've already ordered a couple more shadows that were out of stock when I placed my initial order, but I cannot wait for them to get here. One I ordered is called Cosmopolitan, which is a dupe for Mac's Expensive Pink. I also ordered Bitten, which is a matte burgundy color that I can't wait to wear in the fall.
In an attempt to clear up my acne patch, I have switched my foundation application. I normally use a Beauty Blender (go enter my giveaway HERE for your chance to win one), but I decided to switch to a brush and see if that helped my patch of ugly. Plot twist--it did not help with the acne, but I did get a kick ass brush for $10! This is the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I was really wanting to get the Makeup Geek Stippling Brush (yes, I am a Makeup Geek hoe and I can't even help it) but they won't be back in stock October. I probably will buy that one when it come back in stock, but until then, this one will do. I really like it and I have no complaints other than it makes my under eye area and the area around my nostrils a bit streaky. I just tap my Beauty Blender over those spots to make the lines go away, but other than that, this brush is FLAWLESS! I am going to use it for applying cheek highlighter if I like the Makeup Geek one more.
Speaking of Makeup Geek, I purchased a pencil brush from their website right before I bought all of those shadows. I specifically bought this brush for smudging shadow under my lower lash line. I find this brush to be a little scratchy and I keep washing it and hoping it will soften up. If does blend beautifully, so it does its job, but I will it did so with a little less pain.
Makeup
In an attempt to further cover my ugly patch of acne, I purchased Mac Pro Long Wear Concealer. I always buy my Mac stuff online from Nordstorm because they always have free shipping, their return policy is bomb ass, plus they send you three samples with each order. If you live in a Podunk town like I do, this is the way to go. This is a really good concealer, but I have to admit, Maybelline's Fit Me concealer is just as good and is a fourth of the price. I like this concealer on my eyes as primer more than anything, so I probably would repurchase it, but if you're on a budget and want something from the drugstore for cheap, grab the Maybelline.
This month's Birchbox contained some really good products. My box included both Noir Eyeliner and Laqa & Co. Lip Lube. The eyeliner is actually a full sized item, not sample, which excited me because it is really good! It is very creamy and goes on very smoothly. I would compare it to the Urban Decay 24/7 eye pencil. The Lip Lube has a disgusting name, but a good product! It's similar to the chubby sticks that Revlon has out, only they don't stain your lips after. I like lip stains, but I am kind of over them at the moment, so trying this lip LUBE was nice.
Random Purchases
Since I'm getting married in a little over a year, I am doing all kinds of things to make sure I look banging on my wedding day. In addition to various hair treatments, dieting, and trying to get my skin under control, I've been looking for legit teeth whitening products. I came across Dr. George's Dental White. Their website claims that Oprah uses this to keep her teeth white. Honestly, I couldn't tell you what Oprah's teeth look like. She could be all gums and I wouldn't even know, so sorry Dr. George, name dropping didn't work on this girl. He should have thrown Nicki Minaj or someone like that to appeal to my demographic... Aka white girls that like rap music and white teeth. This product is the real deal. Apart from foaming up in my tray and making me look like a mad dog, I have no complaints. The price is right, too! I paid like $12 plus shipping for this huge bottle of whitening gel. I don't think I will use this up in my lifetime. I have been using this for about 2 weeks now and I've actually had people ask me how I have gotten my teeth so white. I just tell them about Dr. George and ask them if they knew Oprah has teeth.
I meant to put the Julie G nail polishes in my August Favorites post, but I think I forgot. Anyway, these polishes are very nice. They are the perfect formula and I can go about two days without my nails chipping. I'm super hard on my nails because I type a lot, clean a lot, and I like to pick at it when I'm bored. The color I have been loving is a rose gold metallic polish called Liquid Metal. Because I am gaudy and I love it, I have been topping this color with a rose colored Julie G glitter polish called Little Fairy, which gives me the mental picture of Britney Spear's tramp stamp. I bought these on sale at Rite Aid for only $1.99 each, so I see a lot of nail polish reviews coming in the near future.
And there you have it. My beauty purchases for this month. I'm anxious to see how the Clarisonic works out for me and I will do an in depth review on it in a few weeks, or whenever I get past the Quasimodo stage and my skin has finished purging. If you haven't already, be sure to enter my giveaway! Follow me on Twitter @butterybiscuit7, on Instagram @Bridgetb2011, and like the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/BeautyOnABudgetBlog. Talk to you soon!
Xoxo,
Bridget
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