July 2017 Hits, Misses, and Pans
This is going to be the first in what will be a monthly series of favorites, rejects, and panned products. If you're not familiar with the term "panned", it means products you finished off, but not just any random product -- specifically products that come pressed into pans, like powder eye shadow or pressed face powder. I might loosely apply the term to empties in general, or I might do separate empties posts. I'm not sure yet. I'll throw in products that I hit pan on this month (but didn't necessarily fully pan), because hitting pan is so satisfying.
I will begin with a picture of some of this month's favorites in action. Details on this look at the end of the post.
Ignore this crazy hair, which is bedhead full of coconut oil because I'm fancy. I'm aware my neck is yellow next to my face. My "tan" is yellow, and bad lighting brings it out. Fun!
Hits:
1. Ofra Liquid Lipstick in Napa Valley.
Bought this from Ulta back in April. It is described as a "plum metallic". I have over fifty lipsticks. I counted them up recently. I rarely burn through an entire lipstick. I am burning through this one. I am scraping the tube, and I have to work really hard to get color on the wand. It's a gorgeous blackened plum. Originally purchased along with Urban Decay's Vice lip topper in Monarch after seeing it on Phyrra here. I love the topper too, but usually just use the Napa Valley alone.
The formula is pretty comfortable. It's not that painfully dry matte you get from a lot of liquid lipsticks. It doesn't bleed out into fine lines. I don't need a lip liner with it. It's not patchy. It doesn't emphasize flaws. It lasts a decent amount of time. I had a horrible schedule for a while where I was going to my full-time job, then straight to a class for three hours. I'd be out of the house for fourteen hours. This is the lipstick I wore all that month, because I needed everything as simplified as possible. I pair it with reds and oranges from Anastasia's Modern Renaissance more than anything else, but that's also my most used palette. I wear a lot of red/wine eye makeup, and Napa Valley is my go-to lip color to go with it whether I'm doing a warmer red or a cooler red. Napa Valley works just as well either way. I have nothing bad to say about it.
The formula is pretty comfortable. It's not that painfully dry matte you get from a lot of liquid lipsticks. It doesn't bleed out into fine lines. I don't need a lip liner with it. It's not patchy. It doesn't emphasize flaws. It lasts a decent amount of time. I had a horrible schedule for a while where I was going to my full-time job, then straight to a class for three hours. I'd be out of the house for fourteen hours. This is the lipstick I wore all that month, because I needed everything as simplified as possible. I pair it with reds and oranges from Anastasia's Modern Renaissance more than anything else, but that's also my most used palette. I wear a lot of red/wine eye makeup, and Napa Valley is my go-to lip color to go with it whether I'm doing a warmer red or a cooler red. Napa Valley works just as well either way. I have nothing bad to say about it.
Ingredients (from ulta.com): Mica, Cyclopentasiloxane, Isododecane, Tridecyl Trimellitate, Cyclohexasiloxane, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Methicone, Titanium Dioxide, Tricaprin, Hydrated Silica, Aluminum Hydroxide, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Talc, Hydrogenated Polubutene, Aroma, Propylene Carbonate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl Acetate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Cyclotriloxane, Ethylhexyglycerin. May Contain: CI 77492, CI 77891, CI 77491, CI 17200, Ci15850, CI 77499 CI 45410, CI 77015, CI 75470, CI 42090.
2. The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% +HA Spheres 2%.
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| Not the best view of this look but you can see how I'm using Napa Valley with my red eye shadows. |
2. The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% +HA Spheres 2%.
Purchased from Beautylish in April? I didn't keep the emails, and don't feel like logging into my account to verify this. I bought more in May, and I'd been using it for about a month by then.
I have a very simple skin care routine involving washing my face with something very mild twice a day, religiously. Sometimes I remember toner and sometimes I don't. I moisturize, always. I'm slacking on the face masks, scrubs, and everything else. My skin is combo/dry, but otherwise pretty good. So why mess with it? But I have this stupid annoying freckle patch on one cheek that is positioned in such a way that it looks like the shadow inside a wrinkle. Hell no. I wanted to try something brightening that might fade it.
The Ordinary claims this product "brightens, hydrates, and smooths the skin's surface. It reduces fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation (such as dark spots, age spots, and acne scars)." I haven't seen significant fading of the stupid freckle patch, but my skin is smooth like butter! I think my skin looks healthier when naked. I guess that's the brightening? My skin was not rough to begin with but the change was so drastic that I hopped online and bought two more tubes. Unexpected results: Two skin-color moles were reduced in size. That was completely unexpected so there aren't comparison pictures. I never thought to take any. I'm not sure the difference is obvious in a picture anyway, but I definitely feel a lower profile when I'm washing my face.
The Vitamin C Suspension is gritty. That's a drawback. I was originally applying it over a hyaluronic acid serum, which reduced grit. Now that I'm out of that serum, I wet my hands to apply the Vitamin C Suspension. Wet your hands, rub the Vitamin C Suspension in your palms, and apply. No grit. It's like $5. It's worth this tiny bit of work.
I have a very simple skin care routine involving washing my face with something very mild twice a day, religiously. Sometimes I remember toner and sometimes I don't. I moisturize, always. I'm slacking on the face masks, scrubs, and everything else. My skin is combo/dry, but otherwise pretty good. So why mess with it? But I have this stupid annoying freckle patch on one cheek that is positioned in such a way that it looks like the shadow inside a wrinkle. Hell no. I wanted to try something brightening that might fade it.
The Ordinary claims this product "brightens, hydrates, and smooths the skin's surface. It reduces fine lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation (such as dark spots, age spots, and acne scars)." I haven't seen significant fading of the stupid freckle patch, but my skin is smooth like butter! I think my skin looks healthier when naked. I guess that's the brightening? My skin was not rough to begin with but the change was so drastic that I hopped online and bought two more tubes. Unexpected results: Two skin-color moles were reduced in size. That was completely unexpected so there aren't comparison pictures. I never thought to take any. I'm not sure the difference is obvious in a picture anyway, but I definitely feel a lower profile when I'm washing my face.
The Vitamin C Suspension is gritty. That's a drawback. I was originally applying it over a hyaluronic acid serum, which reduced grit. Now that I'm out of that serum, I wet my hands to apply the Vitamin C Suspension. Wet your hands, rub the Vitamin C Suspension in your palms, and apply. No grit. It's like $5. It's worth this tiny bit of work.
Ingredients (from beautylish.com): Ascorbic Acid, Squalane, Isodecyl Neopentanoate, Isononyl Isononanoate, Coconut Alkanes, Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Sodium Hyaluronate, Glucomannan, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer, Acrylates/Ethylhexyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Trihydroxystearin, BHT.
3. Nyx Pro Foundation Mixer in Opalescent.
3. Nyx Pro Foundation Mixer in Opalescent.
Purchased from Ulta in June. Last year, I bought a bottle of Kat Von D Lock-It Foundation in the shade Light 42. It's a good color match, but the formula is all wrong for me. I threw out the packaging before coming to this realization. Lock-It Foundation is super full-coverage, and rather matte. This creates a disgusting death mask on my face. I mean, I'm an old goth so if I'm saying it looks too deathly, I think that says something. It was bad.
I've been trying to make the Lock-It work by cutting it with moisturizer or luminizing primers. That stopped it from being too cakey, but it was still not looking great. I heard that cutting it with Nyx Pro Foundation Mixer in Opalescent was The Thing to Do, but I didn't want to throw good money after bad.
When Urban Decay released their Aura foundation mixer and I realized a) I wanted it and b) it was essentially the same as the Nyx foundation mixer, I just went for it. This was a good life choice. I mix a 50/50 blend in the palm of my hand and get light to medium coverage and no look of death! At first, I thought this foundation mixer would just get me to the end of my Lock-It foundation, but I've started to like the finish I get from it so much that I might just keep buying Lock-It and mixing rather than go to the hassle of trying other foundations.
I've been trying to make the Lock-It work by cutting it with moisturizer or luminizing primers. That stopped it from being too cakey, but it was still not looking great. I heard that cutting it with Nyx Pro Foundation Mixer in Opalescent was The Thing to Do, but I didn't want to throw good money after bad.
When Urban Decay released their Aura foundation mixer and I realized a) I wanted it and b) it was essentially the same as the Nyx foundation mixer, I just went for it. This was a good life choice. I mix a 50/50 blend in the palm of my hand and get light to medium coverage and no look of death! At first, I thought this foundation mixer would just get me to the end of my Lock-It foundation, but I've started to like the finish I get from it so much that I might just keep buying Lock-It and mixing rather than go to the hassle of trying other foundations.
Ingredients (from ulta.com): Water / Aqua / Eau, Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Caprylyl Methicone, Talc, Isododecane, Dimethicone, Cetyl PEG / PPG-10 / 1 Dimethicone, Vinyl Dimethicone / Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Propylene Glycol, PEG-10 Dimethicone, Phenyl Trimethicone, Silica Dimethyl Silylate, Magnesium Sulfate, Trimethylsiloxysilicate, Dimethiconol, Bis-Isobutyl PEG / PPG-10 / 7 / Dimethicone Copolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Aluminum Starch Octenylsuccinate, Propylene Carbonate, Tin Oxide, Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate, Phenoxyethanol. May Contain: Mica, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499).
4. Kenra Platinum Snail CC Creme.
Purchased my first tube in February after a popular YouTuber included it in a video about weird stuff. She didn't like the smell. She said it was like musk and patchouli. I can take or leave patchouli, but I like musk, so I decided to try it. My hair underwent black dye removal last year. Among other things, a couple rounds of 40-volume bleach were involved. My stylist did a great job but it's impossible to bleach without any damage at all. My hair post-dye removal is particularly porous and dry. This weirdo snail CC cream actually improves elasticity. I ran out of my first tube in June. After a week or two of extra tangly hair that seemed like it was more prone to breakage all of a sudden, I had to go buy more because it's necessary. Will probably keep using this as long as I have bleached hair on my head.
I keep it in the shower and add 5-8 pumps after my leave-in, then comb it through with a wide-tooth comb and plop my hair in a t-shirt. That's the same whether I'm wearing my hair naturally curly of if I'm straightening. If I'm wearing it curly, I'll add another styling product after plopping (currently a mousse). If I'm wearing it straight, I'll add a heat protectant serum after plopping. Just to give you an idea of how I'm using the snail CC creme. As for the scent, I do pick up musk but it's so slight, and it doesn't linger.
4. Kenra Platinum Snail CC Creme.
Purchased my first tube in February after a popular YouTuber included it in a video about weird stuff. She didn't like the smell. She said it was like musk and patchouli. I can take or leave patchouli, but I like musk, so I decided to try it. My hair underwent black dye removal last year. Among other things, a couple rounds of 40-volume bleach were involved. My stylist did a great job but it's impossible to bleach without any damage at all. My hair post-dye removal is particularly porous and dry. This weirdo snail CC cream actually improves elasticity. I ran out of my first tube in June. After a week or two of extra tangly hair that seemed like it was more prone to breakage all of a sudden, I had to go buy more because it's necessary. Will probably keep using this as long as I have bleached hair on my head.
I keep it in the shower and add 5-8 pumps after my leave-in, then comb it through with a wide-tooth comb and plop my hair in a t-shirt. That's the same whether I'm wearing my hair naturally curly of if I'm straightening. If I'm wearing it curly, I'll add another styling product after plopping (currently a mousse). If I'm wearing it straight, I'll add a heat protectant serum after plopping. Just to give you an idea of how I'm using the snail CC creme. As for the scent, I do pick up musk but it's so slight, and it doesn't linger.
Ingredients (from ulta.com): Water (Aqua), Cyclopentasiloxane, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Ceteareth-20, Glyceryl Dilaurate, Dimethicone, Benzyl Alcohol, Fragrance (Parfum), Polyimide-1, Sodium Laneth-40 Maleate/Styrene Sulfonate Copolymer, Polyquaternium-55, Dehydroacetic Acid, Glyceryl Polymethacrylate, Aleuritic Acid, Yeast Extract (Faex), Glycoprotein, Propylene Glycol.
Purchased at CVS end of June/beginning of July. I was running low on my Urban Decay All-Nighter and didn't want to repurchase. You used to be able to buy two-packs of All-Nighter and that was a decent deal but I'm not going to spend $30+ on a single bottle. I tried Catrice Prime and Fine, and that was okay but also nothing exciting. I saw Hollie Forrest's review of Milani Make It Last on her YouTube channel. That's what brought me around. She has dry skin too, and she didn't say it was drying. She said it was better than All-Nighter. That piqued my interest. It's fantastic! It makes powders meld together on your face, and it actually seems to make makeup last longer. All-Nighter did the powder melding thing but I'm not sure it boosted lasting power. I'm not noticing any additional dryness.
I react to raw watermelon as part of Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS), but there are always OAS foods that I still react to even after cooking them. So the watermelon extract was a concern too. I don't think I'm reacting to it. I still could be. I can't say for sure that I'm not, but I don't think I am. I will keep buying this!
Ingredients from Milani's site: Water (Aqua), Alcohol Denat., Niacinamide, Pvp, Pentylene Glycol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Polaxamer 407, Peg-60 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Ethylhexylglycerin, Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract, Fragrance ( Fragrance), Citrullus Lanatus ( Watermelon) Fruit Extract, Sodium Benzoate, Citrulline, Caprylyl Glycol, Potassium Sorbate.
Purchased from Beautylish at the end of May. I loved this oil at first. I still want to love it. It's lightweight and moisturizing without feeling oily. It absorbs quickly, and you only need a tiny amount. But the rosaceae (rose) family of plants is very likely to cross-react with the betulaceae (birch) family of plants. I have a severe birch allergy, so I knew this was a possibility. I haven't reacted to roses (that I'm aware of) in the past, but that doesn't mean anything. I patch tested my rosehip oil when I first bought it. Nothing happened. But after about a month of using it on my face twice a day, I started noticing my skin would go red right after I applied it. It's not from the friction! That's not a thing! (I realize it is for some people with very sensitive skin but it's not for me. My face does not turn red from the incredibly minor friction involved in applying a face oil that I'm not also allergic to.) I love this oil, and pretended it wasn't happening. Another month went by and I couldn't ignore it anymore. It's not going to work for me, but I would recommend it to anyone without 1,001 plant allergies. It feels really nice! Probably trying marula oil next.
Purchased from Ulta in April. For $65 an ounce, I expect to see some results. I finished the entire jar in under three months, and I saw nothing. Nothing! To be fair, I live in a dry climate. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, meaning it draws moisture from the air to it. If you live in humidity, this serum should give your skin a plump, youthful look. But if there's not enough humidity in the air, it can suck the moisture from your face instead. I didn't notice any added dryness. It just...did nothing! It acted as a buffer for my gritty Vitamin C Suspension. For $65 though? I'll stick with tap water.
Ingredients (from ulta.com): Water/Aqua/Eau, Saccharide Isomerate, Sorbitol, Lactobacillus/Olive Leaf Ferment Extract, Opuntia Tuna Fruit Extract, Honey Extract, Algae Extract, Eriodictyon Crassifolium Leaf Extract, Hydrolyzed Silk, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Magnesium Ferment, Saccharomyces/ Iron Ferment, Saccharomyces/ Silicon Ferment, Pentylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Urea, Sodium Pca, Trehalose, Polyquaternium-51, Triacetin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.
Panned this month!
1. Tempera and Love Letter from Anastasia's Modern Renaissance palette. Fully panned. Empty pans are in the trash. I have now panned three shades from this palette. The first to go was Vermeer. Pan is also showing on Buon Fresco.
2. Hit pan on Easy from Urban Decay's Gwen blush palette. This was a limited edition product that I wasn't going to buy at all. When it went on sale for $25, I figured I'd at least be able to use enough to make it worth the expense. I love the finish of UD blushes. Well, I have gotten my money's worth! I have fully used Cherry, Angel, and Hush. But Easy is a darker pink and I couldn't even use it for a long time. I'm not into the whole second-degree-burns-to-the-face look, nor the Victorian prostitute look. Pale person problems. I have a lot of brushes but I didn't have the perfect brush for this too-dark blush until I picked up a Wet N Wild contour brush. It's a dollar at Walgreen's. It's got just the perfect amount of fluff to not put down too much color. I still need to use a light hand, but it works.
Makeup on my face in the picture at the top, saved for the end because dang. This is a long list! If I didn't type as fast as I do, y'all would not be getting a list.
Moisturizer: CeraVe Pm
Sunscreen: La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 50 Mineral
Primer: Maybelline Master Prime Blur & Smooth
Foundation: Mix of KVD Lock-It liquid foundation in Light 42 and Nyx Pro Foundation Mixer in Opalescent.
Concealer: UD Naked Skin Fair/Neutral just under eyes.
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light under eyes and KVD Lock-It Powder Foundation in Light 42 dusted lightly everywhere else.
Cheeks: Medium gray from original LunatiCK Contour Palette, UD Gwen blush in Easy, BH Cosmetics Blacklight Highlight in Laser on cheekbones.
Eyes: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk, Fringe and Thrash from UD Electric, Untitled from UD Tenant palette (which I keep spelling Tennant because I guess David?), black Inglot gel liner, Lancome Drama Liqui-Pencil in Aubergine, UD Perversion mascara, ABH Dipbrow in Dark Brown (but this lighting makes it look faded).
Lips: LunatiCK Lip Slick in Coven Cream.
Setting Spray: Milani Make It Last.
**I'm not at all opposed to affiliate links, but there are none in this post. Links added for reference and convenience.
Panned this month!
1. Tempera and Love Letter from Anastasia's Modern Renaissance palette. Fully panned. Empty pans are in the trash. I have now panned three shades from this palette. The first to go was Vermeer. Pan is also showing on Buon Fresco.
2. Hit pan on Easy from Urban Decay's Gwen blush palette. This was a limited edition product that I wasn't going to buy at all. When it went on sale for $25, I figured I'd at least be able to use enough to make it worth the expense. I love the finish of UD blushes. Well, I have gotten my money's worth! I have fully used Cherry, Angel, and Hush. But Easy is a darker pink and I couldn't even use it for a long time. I'm not into the whole second-degree-burns-to-the-face look, nor the Victorian prostitute look. Pale person problems. I have a lot of brushes but I didn't have the perfect brush for this too-dark blush until I picked up a Wet N Wild contour brush. It's a dollar at Walgreen's. It's got just the perfect amount of fluff to not put down too much color. I still need to use a light hand, but it works.
Makeup on my face in the picture at the top, saved for the end because dang. This is a long list! If I didn't type as fast as I do, y'all would not be getting a list.
Moisturizer: CeraVe Pm
Sunscreen: La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 50 Mineral
Primer: Maybelline Master Prime Blur & Smooth
Foundation: Mix of KVD Lock-It liquid foundation in Light 42 and Nyx Pro Foundation Mixer in Opalescent.
Concealer: UD Naked Skin Fair/Neutral just under eyes.
Powder: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light under eyes and KVD Lock-It Powder Foundation in Light 42 dusted lightly everywhere else.
Cheeks: Medium gray from original LunatiCK Contour Palette, UD Gwen blush in Easy, BH Cosmetics Blacklight Highlight in Laser on cheekbones.
Eyes: Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Nyx Jumbo Pencil in Milk, Fringe and Thrash from UD Electric, Untitled from UD Tenant palette (which I keep spelling Tennant because I guess David?), black Inglot gel liner, Lancome Drama Liqui-Pencil in Aubergine, UD Perversion mascara, ABH Dipbrow in Dark Brown (but this lighting makes it look faded).
Lips: LunatiCK Lip Slick in Coven Cream.
Setting Spray: Milani Make It Last.
**I'm not at all opposed to affiliate links, but there are none in this post. Links added for reference and convenience.
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