My five minute face.

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Seriously, I timed myself. I love makeup and all things beauty but for the longest time I haven’t been wearing anything to work because I get up at 4:45 AM everyday because despite having an office job, I work manufacturing  hours just by the nature of what I do. That’s fine and to be expected and I’ve always been a morning person butI haven’t ever taken my time to do my makeup in the morning because I always say I don’t have time.

However, I recently had a second what would have been emergency surgery had we not caught it when we did and the thing that brought me joy other than my lovely husband, family, friends and videos of my cat were pretty little makeup products and all I could do while I was in there was watch YouTube or listen to Bachelor podcasts. The joy I found in learning about new makeup and playing with makeup I don’t get if I don’t use my products.

So after getting home and getting back to work, I timed myself to do a five minute face and here is what I do in exactly five minutes:

 

-Squirt Urban Decay Naked BB Cream into hands and spread over face
-Use Maybeline Better Skin Powder puff all over face
-Use concealer under eyes, on lids and any acne. I have a L’Oreal Lumi in the picture but actually prefer to use the Benefit hydrating stick concealer because I can use it quicker and has more coverage.
-I then put on my Nivea kiss of color lip balm
-I dust Benefit Hoola bronzer all over my face and in the creases of my lids.
-I pat the Pur eye polish on my lids.
-I quickly use the ABH brow definer and put a line below and above my brows then quickly brush it out.
-I apply liquid liner and mascara (I have Physicians Formula pictured; I find that this fades and prefer Kat Von D Tattoo liner and I don’t really have a mascara preference but this Essence lash princess is pretty damn good and cheap). Sometimes I’ll put a crayon liner in my waterline instead of a liquid on the top or both if I’m feeling feisty.
-I swipe on the Rimmell Provocalips lipstick (this does’t smudge or transfer and is fantastic)
-I then dust on a little bit of Tarte’s Paaarty blush and if there’s time a little of the Makeup Forever Star Lit Powder for highlight (this stuff is gorgeous). If I don’t have time for the Makeup Forever, I just use the Nudestix stick highlighter really quickly on my nose and cheekbones.

I switch up my products sometimes when I want to spice it up or have extra time but I know these things work and work well for me. I skip the steps I find less important when  I just can’t seem to crank out my full face.

And that’s it. I’d prefer six to seven minutes for this just to feel like I’m not rushing but I have proven that this is totally doable and pretty for a work day if you need a quick face!

 

Here’s a picture of my sweet husband watching the makeup he bought for me while I was in the hospital:

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He’s the greatest and I love him dearly.

That’s all for now.
XO

 

-A

April 2018 Boxycharm (and March 2018 Boxycharm reviews).

I have been very impatiently awaiting the arrival of my April Boxycharm. I knew there were five Colourpop palette variations (3 of which I was interested in) and the option between a MAC lipstick or Tarte liquid highlighter. I knew there was also the option between an Adesse liquid lipstick and a set of brushes.

My box arrived today and I could not be more excited about what I received.

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1.) I got the Tarte Tartiest Pro Glow Liquid Highlighter in the color Stunner. In the super pretty LE packaging with the colorful turquoise and pink and blue cap. Even though I love MAC products, I was hoping for this version because I’ve almost bought this product several times and have been wanting to try it. This retails for $29.00

2.) I got the Colourpop My Little Pony Eyeshadow Palette. I am super pumped for this, as it has a good mix of pretty colorful shades and neutral shades. This was one of the three I was hoping for (the other two being Golden State of Mind and Semi-Precious). This retails for $16.00.

3.) I got the Dr. Brandt Pores No More Vacuum Cleaner mask. I really liked the scrub from them we got last October, so I have high hopes for this as well. This retails for $47.00.

4.) I got The Browgal Instatint Tinted Brow Gel in the Color Brown Hair 02. I am interested in trying this, as it seems like a good shade match for my brows. This retails for $22.00.

5.) Finally, I got Adesse Hi-Definition Liquid Lipstick. Not sure of the shade, as I don’t see a name but it’s a pretty neutral mauve color. This retails for $24.00

 

This brings the overall value of my box to $138. Not too shabby for $21 a month!

 

I will now also report on my thoughts in what I got in my March 2018 Boxycharm.

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In March I got:

1.) Boxycharm X Pur Baecation Palette which was a collaboration with Boxycharm and Pur. This retails for $36.00 and you can purchase it at Ulta. These are not the most pigmented shadows in the world and are a bit powdery but all things considered I still quite enjoy it and will continue to use it. I probably wouldn’t purchase this if I didn’t get it in my Boxycharm though.

2.) South Mane Eye Gel packs which I believe retail for $10.00 for three. These were super fun to do with my husband. I think these worked all right, nothing crazy different. I don’t know that I would go out of my way to seek these out but if I saw them again or on sale I may pick them up to use again.

3.) I received the 3-piece brush set from The Vintage Cosmetics Company. These are pretty cute. I enjoy 2/3 brushes so far. The small, dense shadow brush I thought I’d love the most I find really aggressive with my shadows and tends to push a little harder than any other shadow brush does. I really like the small size and density so I’m going to continue to try to use it and see if it’s just a learning curve. The other two brushes are super nice and I quite enjoy them. This retails for $21.50 (not sure of exact change but I know it was around that price).

4.) I got the Pretty Vulgar blush in Hush Blush. I’m actually one of the weirdos who wanted that bright pink color so bad but I actually really like this. It’s a nice rose/teracotta on the cheeks and it’s very similar to my favorite blush ever, which is an Hourglass blush from the 2016 holiday palette. This retails for $26.00 and the packaging is so dang cute. It also has a good amount of wear time. The packaging does feel a bit cheap but I don’t find that a huge deal when the product is really nice. I would consider purchasing other colors.

5.) Finally, I got the Double Decker mascara from Butter London which retails for $21.00. I’ll be honest the first few times I tried this I wasn’t terribly impressed/didn’t really like it. However, after using it for a bit I really enjoy the look it gives my lashes and it doesn’t flake! You do have to take a little time to build it on your lashes, so I wouldn’t recommend it if you always get ready in a hurry but overall it’s a lovely mascara after you get past the first few applications. I would consider repurchasing this.

That makes the total for this box $114.50, still pretty good for $21.00 a month!

That’s all for now.

 

XO

-A