STUFF I TRIED THIS MONTH: July 2016
I have to admit, I've finally started keeping a list of things I'm trying so that I can put these posts together each month. Previously, it's been a little more loose than that. A lot of these products are minis are deluxe sizes, because I'm on a mission to make a dent in the samples I've started piling up in my house. This is also where I'll be featuring my updated thoughts on products that I receive in my Ipsy bag once I've used them a couple of times. These aren't full reviews really, because these are just products that I've used casually rather than with a testing eye, but I can give you a little bit of my impressions of them! As always, products I do full reviews on won't be featured in these posts, of course.
Without further rambling about the point of this post, keep reading to see what I tried this month!
I was picking up hair dye at Sally Beauty Supply this month and I noticed that the Sally Girl display had been replaced with the new Bitzy display sometime since I'd been there last. Because all of the products were so affordable, I decided to pick up a few and give them a bit of a try!
BITZY Nail Color in Sweetie Pie
I've always wanted a polish that had neon glitters in a milky base, so this was obviously the nail polish I was going to pick up. Unfortunately, I just couldn't make this work and gave up before I did a full manicure. I found that the formula of the base was streaky and a bit too thin to hold up to the glitters and that they glitters didn't all lie flat. I might give this another try, but my first impression isn't good.
BITZY Lipstick in Dare To Bare
What I wasn't expecting with this lipstick was that it was going to be a frost - but it was! There's something I kind of hate about nude frost lipsticks, so this was never going to be a winner for me. On the lips it looked so light that I almost looked sick. I thought about trying it out as a cream highlight, but unfortunately on my skintone it just pulled a little too deep. On a deeper skintone, though, that could probably work. It's a fairly dry formula, so you wouldn't have to worry about it sliding around, and it has a nice sheen.
BITZY Matte Lipstick Crayon on Ravishing
Of the three things I picked up, this is my favorite. I would say this shade is a warm rose type shade that's very wearable and would be flattering on a lot of people. The formula is a little bit drying, but not uncomfortably so, and wears the way you would expect from a chubby lip pencil. The pigmentation is good and it glides really easily onto the lips. I'm actually tempted to try out a couple of other shades of this just to see how I like the line as a whole.
Obliphica Seaberry Hair Serum
Honestly, I've had this sitting on my hair shelf for ages but hadn't really used it. Now that I have, I find myself reaching for it a lot. It's a kind of thick, smooth gel formula that feels like it has some oils to it. I find that this makes my hair feel really soft and makes it look healthy and shiny. I'm not sure I'll invest in a full size, but I'll definition enjoy using the deluxe.
Sally Girl Nail Color - Neon Coral
LOVELOVELOVE. I swear, I pick up at least one of these Sally Beauty neon minis every summer because I'm a little obsessed with neon toenails in the summer. I currently have this on my nails. Now, it does need three coats for full opacity, but the formula is thin and they dry quite quickly. Also, it's a neon so it dries a little bit matte and requires a top coat of shine. Still, love.
PUR Cosmetics Correcting Primer Illuminate & Glow
This continues to be my favorite thing in my July Ipsy bag. I think it gives a healthy glow to my skin without looking greasy and I've noticed that it does play quite well under a more matte foundation, the combination of this glow and the long wear matte working really well on my summer skin. I have a feeling I'll end up picking one of these up in a full size.
NYX Intense Butter Gloss in Tres Leches
I held off on trying this for a LONG time, but I finally caved when they were on sale at Shoppers Drug Mart recently and grabbed the shade I'd been lusting after. While I do think this is a really nice formula for someone who likes a highly pigmented and shiny lip gloss, it just isn't for me. I find it a little thicker than I like on my lips and it's rooting me more and more in the fact that I'm just not a glossy lip kind of a girl.
La Roche Posay Anthelios Mineral SPF 50 Ultra Light Tinted Sunscreen Fluid
So, this is a little dark for my skin, but I decided to try it under makeup as a primer and I found it worked really well in that way. I didn't have any adverse effects (such as break outs or excessive oiliness) and it did protect my skin on a day that I was out in the sun. I think I like this one!
JOE Fresh Gel Eyeliner in Raisin
I grabbed this on clearance at Superstore recently mostly because it was cheap and I was interested in having more gel eyeliners in my collection and I love a purple liner. Now, when applied this is nearly black but not quite which I actually really like, because it's dark but not too dark and it doesn't look grey. I think this applies and wears pretty nicely and I'm happy that I bought it. Not doing a little dance, but enjoying it.
THRIVE Causemetics Eyeliner
This isn't as black as I was hoping that it would be, but it's still quite creamy and you can build it a little to get the depth that you want from it. I've used this smudged along my lower lash line and also as a tightline and it worked quite well. One thing I will say though is that if you don't want black on your inner rim, I would skip this because it does transfer when you blink. All in all, not my favorite black eyeliner, but a decent one all the same - and a good cause!
J.Cat Beauty Perfect Duo Brow Pencil in Dark Brown
Sigh. I really wanted to try this and unfortunately I'm a little bit disappointed with it. The shade is a little too warm for me and I would have killed for something ashier. It also has kind of a weird tip. It's slanted, but it comes out of a round hole so the slant isn't actually going to maintain. And it's also quite a bit thicker than I prefer for my traditional brow pencils. I can get a decent brow out of it, but it's more work than I like and I have other products that I prefer. The spooilie is rad though. I like their spoolie.
MAKE UP FOR EVER Excessive Lash Mascara
So this mascara is both awesome and not so awesome. The good is that this stuff is SUPER black and makes my lashes look full and fluttery and amazing. The not so good is that it smudges and if one happens to be watching the Harry Potter series in preparation for a trip to Wizarding World and happens to start crying at the death of beloved characters... this will literally be EVERYWHERE. This is not theoretical. I looked like a panda of doom. Anyway, I like the way it makes my lashes look enough that I'm going to keep using it... and possibly try a water proofing top coat of something.
Overall, it's a mixed bag this month, I'd say. I had some really great products, some good products that just don't work for me personally. Honestly, that's pretty standard these days.
Have you tried any of these products? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
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