Lip things

So, here I am. Bored but too "je suis fatigué" to do anything about it. I really want to go shopping, but I was too busy today helping the boyfriend set up a cardboard display in a movie theater (frack the piss out of that thing... really who makes such complicated things? Sadists, that's who) that I didn't get up the energy to go shopping until after things were closed. I still don't understand why shops still close early on Sundays. I think I'll hit up the trifecta tomorrow (Ulta, Sephora, Target) and maybe Rite Aid to see if I can be suckered in to any holiday deals.

To pass the time until it's an appropriate and not too embarrassing time to go to sleep, I've been skimming through some of the blogs I've been following (see links below). One pattern that seems to be reoccurring, especially on the beauty related YouTubes, are lady's obsessions with lip products. Now some may prefer gloss to stick or sheer color versus highly pigmented. But still, everyone has loads of lip things.

It makes me want but that has been one area that I really don't care about. Lip things just don't make me all tingly. Every now and again I'm like "yeah, lip gloss" buy something and then stare at it taking up counter space in the bathroom. This, much like my hesitation with mascara, goes back to my glasses wearing days. I would have on lip gloss and then my hair would get in it and then I'd have a line of gloss on my glasses. GAH! It never failed. So right from the start it was always more trouble than it was worth.

Add to this my color challenges. I suppose I could say I'm all about the natural look and when I wear anything that isn't "me but better" I just don't think it looks quiet right. My lips are fairly pinkish naturally and so trying to find a "me but better" is a pain in the ass. I mean, they're pink, but like, dusty pink... maybe.

Let's face it, I'm an incompetent mess when it comes to choosing lip stick/stain colors. I can pick out a decent sheer/gloss, since the color isn't as pigmented and is harder for me to mess up. But now with watching and learning about all these amazeballs lip sticks (they have matte lip things?!?!) it makes me think that maybe I'm missing out. And still I hesitate. When would I wear them? Certainly not to work. Maybe out, but that's not often. I also have the bad habit of licking slash biting my lips which also diminishes the lasting power of even the longest lasting of lip wear.

Oh gosh, decisions. Any thoughts? Anyone else new to the lip product world and care to share your experience?

Lovely blogs:
Zoella
Essiebutton
Chelsea Wears

E.L.F. tinted moisturizer and volumizing mascara

There is seriously something in my walls... it may be birds. Kinda freaky.

Moving on.

I got a sample of Laura Mercier's tinted moisturizer from Sephora a few weeks ago but still can't make myself bite the bullet and straight up buy it. Mainly because it's just, so... whelming. It isn't amazing, it isn't wretched. It just is.  So I went to stalk the makeup department at Target. Now, I have a few E.L.F. products that are also marginal, but for $1-3, I have less difficulties if I buy something and don't like it.

Previous visits to the E.L.F. section of Target has been rather slim but it's apparently gaining popularity since more products were there. Including a tinted moisturizer.

Not only is it a tinted moisturizer, it practically is fool proof with choosing the correct shade since it has a description on the bottom of the box. "For light to medium skin tones with yellow undertones." THAT'S ME! Sold.

I've also felt that my lashes have been a wee bit sad looking so I wanted to check out a volumizing mascara. I had originally picked up a different version of my current mascara (Maybelline Great Lash) Maybelline's Lots of Lashes. I put them back after discovering E.L.F.'s Volume Plumping Mascara.

So the next day I got ready for work and slapped on my new finds; only to be really disappointed. The moisturizer is fairly runny and quiet orange.  I put it on anyways. The places on my face where I had blended it in, I couldn't even tell I was really wearing anything and the places it wasn't so blended, I looked like I was a quarter Oompa Loompa.

Mascara was also a sad face. My lashes (which are pretty long, just thin) looked less full with this than my regular mascara and it smudged quite a bit by 2pm (I put it on about 6:30am).  I mean I can handle some smudge, I seem to have this place under the corner of my right eye that is ALWAYS getting smudges, but this was under both eyes. I looked five days into a fight and really worn out. 

I didn't think the tinted moisturizer held up very well either. I have pretty dry skin but this just didn't seem to stay put. Even with powder. I don't think it oxidized on me though and the directions recommend using a brush to apply. So perhaps I'll try that. I used it again today and still don't have positive feelings about it. Neutral at best.

Moral of the story: maybe splurge on the nice tinted moisturizer. The sample was fairly small and I still have some, several weeks later so it will last.