Off Topic: Candles

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Are you even a beauty blogger if you don’t talk about candles? /s

Anyway, I can’t resist. Not because of the oddly pervasive stereotype that I just poked fun at, but because I really freaking like a few so I’m going to share. I can deviate from time-to-time, damn it. Call it beauty-for-the-home, if you will.

Yankee Candles

I tend to buy a lot of Yankee Candles when they’re on sale. They carry a lot of fragrances that:

  • I enjoy
  • My husband enjoys (or at least tolerates)
  • Do not give either of us headaches

motheroceancandle

Mother Ocean from the Margaritaville collection is … everything. It’s fresh without being overpowering. I think the ozone component is responsible for my obsession with this fragrance. It’s incredible, and if money were no object I’d clear the shelves at my local Yankee store every time I saw it in stock. This is my absolute favorite candle, period. I will grieve when they end the line.

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September 2016 Favorites

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September 2016 FavoritesUrban Decay All Nighter, $29-39 / MUJI 5 Drawer Acrylic, $35 / EcoTools Eye Enhancing Duo, $5 /
Hot Tools Titanium Digital Flat Iron, $60 / OPI Bubble Bath,$8

It’s October! I got my Halloween decorations up over the weekend. I went to Starbucks on Saturday around 10AM – when it was 65+ degrees in my area – and facepalmed at all the hot PSLs taking up the baristas’ time. Well, at least it’s legitimately seasonally appropriate, even if it isn’t weather-appropriate.

Note: My ribbing of PSL-drinkings is in good spirits – if you enjoy the drink, that’s awesome. I’ve got to say, though, give a flat white a try – they’re tasty. You can add your pumpkin spice goop to it, too, and I bet you’d like it at least as much.

Details on my September 2016 Favorites…

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Batiste Dry Shampoo

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Batiste Dry Shampoo
Batiste Dry Shampoo / Tropical / $6

For several years, I was a devotee of Psssst! dry shampoo. It took me a long time to find and settle on it, sifting through failures from Pantene and Dove, the lackluster one from Not Your Mother’s, and through an incredibly-awesome-but-usually-out-of-my-budget KMS Hair Play. Psssst! was out of stock when I went to replenish, so I decided to try Batiste. If you caught my August Favorites, you saw that it earned a place as one of them.

Application

That pressure, though – depressing the nozzle of a Batiste bottle releases a quick, forceful burst of product where you want it to go. No wimpy, aimless mists here – Batiste’s fine, powdery spray is targeted. Batiste is on a mission. This is awesome if you’re like me and tend to need to concentrate dry shampoo in certain areas – for instance, towards the back of my crown is the spot that usually needs the first, and repeat, attention. Being able to direct product there means less product goes to waste – and it means that areas that don’t need help aren’t risking unnecessary build-up.

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NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

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Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, $29
pic from the NARS Instagram

I neglected to give NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer a shot, dismissing its praise as fangirl hype. As one of the higher-priced prestige (not quite luxury) concealers out there, it was low on my list.

Then, fortunately, Sephora started carrying a travel size. What better way to try NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer than to pay only $12 (.05 oz) for a tube rather than $29 (.22 oz)? Sure, the price-to-product ratio is better in the full-sized, but it takes me forever to get through concealer. This time, overall value loses out to gross spend.

Shades

The diminutive tube only comes in Vanilla and Custard. The two, respectively, are the second- and sixth-lightest in the line. Overall, the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer line features sixteen shades, including five deeper ones that would suit some people of color. As for me, I picked up Custard – a yellow-toned concealer for light-to-medium tones.

My gripe with the line? Make some of the travel sizes for people of color, damn it.

More after the jump.

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Micellar Water Challenge Conclusion

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Micellar Water

It hardly seems like it, but a month has already passed since I took part in a Micellar Water Challenge. At that time, I also issued that same challenge to you readers – eschew your makeup wipes, and try using micellar water for your makeup removal needs as well.

How My Skin Feels

In a word, my skin feels awesome. Since I started removing my makeup with Micellar Water instead of using a makeup wipe, the skin on my cheeks has retained more of its moisture. Combined with my normal exfoliation routine, my skin is doing pretty well – less flaky skin around my nose. Finally, I’ve not needed to use quite as heavy a hand with moisturizers.

Also, no fragrance! Dear skincare companies, please please stop adding perfumes to facial skincare products. Thanks.

Cost Considerations with Micellar Water

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