March 2016 FavoritesDespite March possibly being more hectic than February, my March 2016 Favorites are less boring than last month’s. Ch-check it out.
Do I talk about Clarisonics too much? Sorry. I’m not sponsored or anything, they don’t know who the hell I am – I just like the dang thing. But don’t worry, this isn’t much of the same – today, I’m sharing a neat trick with you.
So while Clarisonic has a ton of different brush-heads, they don’t really have a variety of sizes. If you splurged on the fancier PLUS model(s) that can accomodate the body brush, great, you have access to a larger one. If I’m not mistaken, the diameter of the luxury heads, too, is slightly smaller than the traditional heads, but not buy a bunch.
Have you ever wanted a smaller brush head that makes it easier to work around, for example, the contours of your nose? A Clarisonic precision brush?
Guess what – you already have one! Really! Check this out.
In late January I received a coupon from Ulta (because I’m Platinum this year) to get a free mini It Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner. I’m not too familiar with the It Cosmetics brand, really only seeing their line in Ulta. This sums up what I know about It Cosmetics:
That’s pretty much it.
I redeemed the coupon and got the freebie It Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner to test the waters of the brand.
Here’s some info about It Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner, from Ulta’s Website, condensed into tl;dr for your reading pleasure:
My freebie mini came in Black Brown which I appreciated – I don’t need yet another black pencil liner, and am happy to have a brown pencil handy. I actually forgot about it (out of sight, out of mind) since it was tucked into my drawer, but I finally got around to it.
It glides on effortlessly without much pressure, both swatched on the back of my hand and into my lashline.
Most pencil liners, even ones claiming to be waterproof, do not last on my waterline. I don’t have exceptionally watery eyes, but I guess my waterline is exposed to enough moisture that it usually breaks down and fades within an hour or two
At 7am, I tightlined with the It Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner to provide definition. I added just a little more along my lashline, but the real test is waterline usage, so I slapped it in there, too, in the outer 2/3 of my waterline.
I checked it at 8am, and it still looked alright. Not as intense in the waterline, but it was still visible. Upper lashline and tightline perfectly intact.
I checked at 9am – it faded more, but I could live with it because I don’t like a harsh dark waterline. I don’t bother with dark colors in my waterline most of the time because I feel like it closes off my eye…I don’t like my eyes to appear small. It was still intact and going good on my upper lashline and tightline, though.
By 10am, it was noticeably in trouble. At the outermost edge it was gone completely, meaning the It Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner line didn’t appear to start until a few millimeters into my lower lashline. Awkward. Top is in good shape, still!
At the 11am check, the product in my waterline was barely visible but the tightline and waterline looked great. I decided to reapply and try again. Unfortunately, it wore away within 3-4 hours, just like the first run.
I found it removed relatively easily with a Ponds makeup wipe – it was no more difficult to remove than an Urban Decay 24/7 pencil, for instance. Also, I can’t really speak to the whole, “younger-looking eyelids,” thing – I noticed absolutely no difference from tightlining with it, but I’m also in my mid twenties, so. I’m taking it with a grain of salt anyway because that part sounds like nonsense marketing.
So this makes a good liner for the upper lashline and tightlining. You CANNOT sharpen it (at least this little version, anyway) as it is a twist up and therefore has a blunt tip; it is not suited to sharp precision work, but makes for a smooth tightline and not-intense upper lashline work. Its performance in my waterline shouldn’t be the only thing that tells you to buy or not – like I said, I have a hell of a time with most pencils in my waterline…so if you DON’T have trouble with them, this might actually work really well for you!
I personally won’t be repurchasing a full size when I run out of this. I don’t dislike it, but I don’t like it enough to spend $22 on. If you don’t have an exceptionally watery waterline, though, it may be a worthwhile investment for you.
Disclaimer: HEY. Although I got this for free, this was not a sponsored post. ULTA has no idea who I am. I only got a voucher for this product because I somehow managed to make it into the Ultamate Rewards Platinum tier, which anyone can achieve if they have a problembeauty hobby.. This voucher was distributed to platinum members, so I’m not special. Questions? Feel free to ask.
I only had four things to list in my March 2014 Favorites, and two of them are single shadows – this says a lot because I am very much so a palette girl. These are really something special.
Years ago, cult favorite Urban Decay had nail polish offerings. At some point, they were discontinued to the woe of many fans (and the joy of eBay scalpers). Recently, UD reintroduced the collection and each season new shades are chosen Thanks to an Urban Decay event hosted by my local Sephora (more on that another time), I received a full-sized Urban Decay nail polish for free along with this little PVC TSA-approved (oh buddy!) travel bag. This polish retails for $15 and can be purchased directly from Urban Decay or from Sephora.
Swatched here in shabby lighting, all except the ringfinger are topped with Seche Vite and and the ringfinger has the China Glaze matte topcoat. Regarding the polish itself: it is a gorgeous deep purple with almost an amber shimmer (in the bottle) that translates to shimmery purple awesome on the nails. This Urban Decay Nail Polish shade is Vice and is UD through and through.
That said, I am not the biggest fan of the formula. While it was definitely opaque in two coats, it dries too fast – like when you’re making your third stripe down the center of your nail to finish the coat, I had it, “skip” a little where it overlaps the first swipe to the side because it was already tacky from drying too quickly. My attempts to fix it without scrapping it and redoing the whole nail were in vain. Polish that dries fast is usually a blessing, but when it causes you to have to redo two nails, it is a pain. Otherwise, the formula is smooth and of a nice viscosity. On a final note, I am quite fond of the wider brushes that grace OPI and Sally Hansen brushes, so I was a little disappointed by this relatively standard-width brush.
I can tell how jealous you are of my excellent lighting that makes my fingers look far cooler-toned than they are. I hope you can see the lettering on the cap – if not, I’ll have nicer pictures in a later post.
Cutesy skull detailing – again, I apologize for the lighting. I was using my ancient camera. The skull has roses for eyes.
Though it is definitely a pretty shade, and though I am a Urban Decay fan, I must admit I would not buy this polish. I have a hard enough time with $10-12 for gel polish. The formula seems pretty typical for a decent polish that I can buy for (at MSRP) $5-8 each, and I just do not wear deep purples enough to make it worth it to me. Glad I got it free! Have you tried any Urban Decay Nail Polishes from the current or from previous collections? How did you like it?
