Makeup Talk // Beauty Counter Review

Hi friends! Happy 2017! I am not sure how weather in your state has been, but in Ohio, we've had 68 degree weather one day and 20 degree the next (literally). If I didn't have a job to venture out to I would probably just stay inside and hibernate for the rest of the "winter". Choosing clothes daily has definitely been a back and forth unwanted guessing game. Anyway, at least my makeup isn't changing drastically like the weather each day! Today I wanted to show you my "everyday" makeup look (I do tend to switch one product for another some days, but the basic look is the same). I also will be reviewing three products from the Beauty Counter line and showing how I include them in my daily routine. Side note-since I work as an RN, sometimes even this amount of makeup is just too much (especially if I am running late). On those days, I stick to moisturizer, a primer, concealer under my eyes, a translucent powder and mascara.

Beauty Counter has a goal to make safer beauty products accessible to whoever may be interested. Why does this matter? According to BC's website,

"Over the past two decades, the European Union has banned more than 1,300 chemicals in the product formulas of personal care products and restricted the levels of over 250 more in such products. The United States has only partially banned 30 to date".

In order to provide a product that does not include many of these chemicals that are not banned, BC made the decision to ban over 1,500 of the questionable and/or harmful ingredients in the use of their products. To me, that is a step in the right direction. I hope that more companies transition to this mindset so more products that the public has more access and more choices when it comes to "safer" products. Another great thing about BC is that their website does have an ingredient glossary, as well as the "Never List" which are some of the ingredients that you won't see in their products.

Products pictured (clockwise): Flower Beauty Glow Baby Glow Blush/Bronzer Duo // Flower Beauty Daily Brightening Under Eye Cream (shade DB2) // Tarte SmolderEYES Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner, shade "brown" // Beauty Counter Lengthening Mascara "soft black" // Tint Skin Foundation (2 shades shown; swatches and shades listed later in post) // Lip Sheer "Rose" //

Tint Skin Foundation 
This product claims to be "lightweight and creamy", with sodium hyaluronate, which helps to retain moisture, promote smoother looking skin and reduces appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. The coverage can be sheer to medium per the website, depending on how you apply it.
For me, I tend to use it on the days that I want a "no makeup" look.  I would say the coverage is definitely buildable. I honestly wear it to run errands or when I am going to work-I have not tried to get more coverage than in between sheer/medium. I did find that it wears well, about 6 hours before I start to notice the coverage is fading. I think this product would be amazing for someone with normal to combination skin. A primer or a great moisturizer is necessary (from my experience) to get a smooth application. I do have combination oily skin, and found that the foundation flaked up around my smile lines and nose. From the four shades I received to test out, I could easily go between two of the shades (linen and sand) depending on if I self tan or not. Since this product is pretty sheer, the shades are very forgiving. While testing this out, I did have a breakout; after switching a few products around, I realized it was actually a moisturizer I was using and not this foundation, so it has not caused any breakouts (win!) As you can see in the following pictures, it gives a satin/natural finish, but I always end up setting with a translucent powder due to my skin type.

Retail price: $41 USD

Shades from top to bottom: Porcelain, Linen, Sand, and Honey.

I used Linen without a self tan, and Sand with a tan.

No makeup. My camera for blogging is currently out of commission. The iphone 7 puts a slight filter on the skin with pictures (I haven't figured out how to turn it off). My skin isn't bad-just slightly red, with noticeable pores. 

 Coverage with the Tint Skin Foundation, shade linen. Even though the picture has the slight filter (sorry), you can see the coverage and finish it provides. 
Dry patches around mouth.

Lengthening Mascara  
This mascara was made to create a daytime or dramatic look, while also hydrating the lashes and defining the eyes. The product states that the brush provides "clean application without smudging, clumping, or flaking. My take? I would agree with most of this! It has not smudged or flaked-nor has it clumped. I found that the brush really does help to define and separate the lashes. I have slightly long lashes naturally, so this mascara is perfect for helping to really make them stand out. I did find that my mascara was dry; I spoke with the consultant and she confirmed what I had noticed from most of the reviews: the product is usually really creamy and completely opposite of dry! Since I couldn't just give up on this new (to me!) product, I decided to put some contact solution into the container/barrel? I think I may have received a dud, because with a little extra moisture, the mascara was performing as it said it would. I will say, if you are looking for volume, I didn't really find it in this product. The name states it is lengthening, which is what you will get! I received the color black; I think this is the only shade. 

Retail price: $29 USD 

Finished look (mainly showing the mascara here!)

Again, finished look (including the Lip Sheer). Pre-gym and errand running!

Lip Sheer

This product is meant to be a lightweight, moisturizing and safe formula to give a sheer wash of color. There are no synthetic fragrances-just pure vanilla planifolia. It promises to condition lips without feeling oily or waxy. It is gluten free, vegan, nut free, and soy free. This product states that it could also double as a cream blush (have not tried that yet!) To cut to the chase, I will just say I absolutely love this product. The packaging of the full size product is beautiful, and I really adore how the product applies and wears. It's one of those items that you want to keep using but you also don't want it to run out. I have a few more shades on my list to purchase full size. It is listed as a Best Seller on the site, and I totally know why. If I could just shell out all the cash for the whole collection I would! 

Retail Price: $30 USD

If you have any questions regarding these products, or are interested, I highly recommend reaching out to the consultant that I worked with, Jenny Pittman. Her Beauty Counter link directly is www.beautycounter.com/jennypittman; her instagram page can be found by searching "jennypittman, her Facebook page is located at www.facebook.com/groups/BeautycounterwithJenny. She also has an email, beautycounterbyjenny@gmail.com. She has been super helpful with these products and I am so glad I got to work with her for this post!

Thanks for reading!

XO, Kelsey

Connect with me: twitter here // instagram here// pinterest here // 

*I was not paid for this review. I did however receive the Beauty Counter Samples for review.
**Primer used under Tint Skin Foundation was Pacifica Jasmine Iris Oil Control Primer (a primer that deserves its own review!)

Dealing with Hair Loss: Telogen Effluvium, Stress, & Products I've Tried

Seven months. That is the last time I've tried to write any sort of post on this blog. No drive, no time, nothing to write about-until now. I figured I would share my experience with my hair loss and what I am trying to do to reverse or slow it, all the while trying to stay positive. This post got lengthy, really fast, so I will try to make it easier to navigate.

Background

First off, if anyone tells you "it's just hair" when you start losing it, they do not get it-at first.

When I noticed my hair thinning, I freaked out. I was sad. Mad. Confused. I mean I barely put heat on my hair. Occasionally dye it, but no bleach. My diet is extremely clean, except for one  or 2 cheat days here or there. I worked out. I felt fine. Stressed, tired, but overall healthy. I frantically researched what could be wrong, bought supplements and products, and booked an appointment with my doctor that later led to a dermatology appointment. Family and friends said, "it's not that bad. It looks a little thin, when you show me, but it is not that noticeable. Fast forward about a month. I compare pictures of the thinning (at that point) to the prior month to my boyfriend, family, and friends. No hidden reactions-pretty much everyone either made a face or said, "Oh wow!" K guys, thanks, I appreciate the support. Kidding, but really, it did kind of hit me harder at that point. I was waiting on my derm appointment, and just trying to ignore the hairs that were piling up in the shower, on my pillows, and on my clothes.

Eventually, I got to see a dermatologist. Diagnosis: unknown. Probably a number of factors, like stress, a recent illness (hand, foot & mouth that I picked up from a kiddo at work-side note, I am a pediatric RN), the new job (I had been working as an RN for about 3-4 months at this point)and maybe a traumatizing event that had recently happened (horrible and realistic episode of sleep paralysis that occurred to my boyfriend and I at the same time, and has since affected my ability to sleep). Overall, most likely Telogen Effluvium.

The What

If you're not sure what TE is, aocd.org says it is: "when some sort of stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state. Telogen effluvium can be acute or chronic. If there is some sort of shock to the system, as many as 70% of the scalp hairs are shed in large numbers about 2 months after the "shock". This sudden increase in hair loss, usually described as hair coming out in handfuls, is acute telogen effluvium. "

My dermatologist said the stress could be mental/emotional (work, family or social life, etc), physical (new diet, workout routine, or recent illness), or any other stress factor.  Since I had so many possibilities for a cause, I think she just rolled with that diagnosis. Treatment? Sit it out, just wait. Be good to your hair. Eat a healthy diet. Take Biotin, hair skin & nails, or prenatal vitamins. Limit damage to hair. Don't have tension on the hairline (such as a tight ponytail or bun). 

What I did is all of the above. I also started doing a ton of research, bought a few more products, and came to terms with this whole TE thing. I would do my hair but try to ignore the areas of thinning. Don't ask me how you ignore parts of your head that are there when you are physically touching them and styling them, but I guess I just mentally blocked it out-I didn't want extra stress about hair loss to increase the hair loss even more! 

Losing it
With everything I did to try to decrease the hair loss, and promote new, I would say I lost maybe 35% of my hair. Is that horrible, compared to those that lose 50-70%? No. Is it still hard. Hell yes! I am a female. I like my hair. I like to have my hair, to style it, to show off my personality. So when it starts thinning out, and I have areas where my scalp is showing through streaks of my hair, I am going to be bummed. I am at the point where I still try to ignore the loss, and I realllllly try to promote new growth, but I am also just waiting. Waiting for my body to say "HEY! Grow hair, grow!" TE takes time. Your body has to be ready for the hair follicle to come out of this "resting phase". The fortunate thing about TE (if that is what this is) is that most cases do not result in complete baldness. I do not even want to think about that! 

Mostly, for me, it has just caused an extra insecurity. It also is scary to think, "hey, hopefully this is TE and not something else". I did have a full blood work up, and everything was fine-no anemia, no hyperthyroidism, etc. I do not like the what ifs. What if its something else? What if this is permanent? What if it never grows back. If I have a baby one day, will I lose even more hair after birth? So many questions. I do my research, I try my best, and then I just ignore it. 

Side notes:I do switch the side that I sleep on. Some nights I sleep left, some right, and some on my back. I try to be gentle with my hair, but I've been told multiple times that if your hair wants to fall out, its going to no matter how gentle you are (hmmm?) I do rotate where I part my hair, and have done so for years (prior to all of this).I still eat a balanced diet. I would like to get a silk pillowcase, because I have read they are much more gentle on your hair. I still take my vitamins, and try to stay positive.

The research for the next best thing is always on-going. I hope to wake up one day and be like, "woah, that part line is looking mighty thick girllll". Or not. Maybe just my old normal. I've never had thick hair. My hairdresser always said, "you have such fine hair, but a lot of it". Note to self-cherish "fine but plentiful" hair if it all comes back. This could be my new normal... but I am hoping for the best! Hopefully by sharing this, someone can share something with me, that worked for them. Maybe I can help you with something I have tried. I'm no doctor, (just an RN guys), just someone looking for answers. Right now, I feel like I am still loosing hair at the same pace as when I first noticed the hair loss. I have been taking vitamins and doing this and that for about 6 months. About 2 months ago, I thought maybe I was seeing some improvement. Not necessarily new growth, but a slowing of the hair loss. Maybe I got lazy with routine, was not gentle enough, or stress took over, but I feel like I am back to where I started some days. Others I do see some progress. So.SO. Confusing.

Fun facts (because we have to joke about this or I will just be eternally sad):
1. Counting individual hairs in the shower that pile up is tedious work. Have you ever tried to separate 10 fine hairs from 10 other fine hairs?!
2. When you condition your hair, you can be certain that a lot more hair is about to end up on your shower floor. Thanks conditioner, 'ppreciate ya.
3. Said showers = wet hair. Wet hair and thinning areas do not go together. Everything looks wayyy worse when hair is wet. Avert eyes from mirror. Or just take all your snapchats then so you can joke with friends about it (again, I try to get through this with humor, lol).
4. Personally, curling my hair (and then washing it a few days later) results in a lot more hair loss. Look real cute with some beachy waves and take one for the team or just walk around with boring stringy hair. Oh, the struggle.
5. "I don't want to put heat on my hair, I can't go out"-statement to avoid being social and instead Netflix & chill alone with popcorn and Halo Top Ice Cream (possible perk? Eh?)
6. "I don't want to damage my hair"-statement for why hair always looks a hot mess.
7. Accept the fact that your bathroom may or may not look like it was featured on a hoarders show. I'm a sucker for anything with "for thinning hair" or "promotes a healthy scalp". Okay advertising, ya got me.
8. "It's just hair" is a statement that is said over and over. Yes, it's just hair. But I am someone that likes my hair. I am probably vain for that, right? I like to look nice. For me, personally, having hair that I can style to accentuate my "personality and other great attributes that realllly matter" is kind of important. I can't change that. Honestly, my personality and general attitude when I am down about my hair is probably not that fantastic. So let me wallow in my sadness for a minute. Then, I will snapchat you the worse possible angle and lighting of a thin area and we will both laugh. 

First, let me take a selfie
I will include a few pictures below for reference. Pretty recent, definitely horrible quality and angles. I can promise you that taking pictures of your thin areas does not qualify for a good time. 

 Dry hair. The top picture shows the diffuse thinning. Bottom picture is the 

ever-expanding part line. 

Hair right after washing. 

Styled hair. Apart from just looking like I have fine hair, you can not really see the results of TE when my hair is style and not pulled back/tucked behind my ears (fortunately). You can see the widened part line and thinning hair right at the scalp if you are close enough in person. 

Things I have tried 

First, let me say that I do not know if one specific product helped me. I will continue to use these products that I am listing, in the hopes that they are doing me some good. I did however choose these products based off of research, other testimonials, and general reviews of the products. I would love to do a separate post on a specific product if requested, but due to the fact that this post is already a mile long, I will spare the details for now. (Most products purchased from Vitacost.com!) 

1. B'iota Botanicals Herbal Care Experts Daily Care for Normal/Dry Thinning Hair Shampoo & Conditioner  (buy at must drugstores like CVS or Walgreens, or Amazon. This is one I would like to review-highly recommend!)

2. Vitamins/Supplements: Zinc, Biotin, and Evening Primrose (deserves a post-supposed to be great for hair loss!) all can be found pretty much anywhere, but I go through Vitacost & Ebates (to get cashback for all this money I am throwing down on this stuff!) 

3. Emu Gold Emu Oil (deserves a review post). Supposed to do wonders for your skin, scalp and hair (or wherever you choose to apply it!)

 4. Andalou Naturals Age Defying Scalp Intensive with Argan Stem Cells For Thinning Hair Serum & Shampoo. I will say that I used all of the serum. I don't know if it necessarily helped, and it was kind of annoying applying it in-between hair washes to dry hair, but I would probably purchase again. The shampoo was not my fave. I didn't really like the formula or smell, and couldn't find a reason to continue using it. 

If you made it this far, thank you for sticking around! I hope to learn more about hair loss, hear your stories, and share product recommendations if you have any. Sorry for such a lengthy post, but as you can tell, I am sort of passionate about this subject! Hang in there if you are dealing with hair loss-it will get better/easier with time! 

Thanks for reading!

XO, Kelsey

Connect with me: twitter here // instagram here// pinterest here // 

**All products listed in this post were purchased by me.

A Brighter Smile // Smile Brilliant Review

Hey lovelies!  Today I want to talk about teeth-yo grill. I don't know about you, but I always strive to have the brightest smile I can have. Being an avid coffee and tea drinker, I know I am continuously staining my teeth, forever prolonging my goal of having super pearly whites. Recently, a company reached out to me, offering to let me try their teeth whitening kit. I said yes, because duh! I wanted whiter teeth-but what made me so eager to try the product was the fact that it was so custom!

Smile Brilliant Teeth Whitening

What it is: Smile Brilliant offers the service of creating custom fitted trays-your exact impressions-so you can whiten your teeth comfortably and with assurance that the whitening gel is actually coming into contact with each tooth/crack/crevice. 

1) Big difference here compared to the use of teeth whitening strips. From personal experience, I know how annoying a whitening strip can be and how inconsistent my results can be. A custom tray is a great thing to have if you are interested in whitening your teeth.

Tray Creation: The tray creation is soooo easy! At first, I really thought it would be a pain to have to "create" my own trays-totally wrong. The process literally took less than five minutes.

In this step of the kit, you will take the "base" and the "catalyst" paste and mix them together by squeezing each into each other, until you get a solid blue color of paste. Once this occurs, you can put the mix into the tray (that will create your mold). After this, you just put the tray into your mouth and bite down! Once all of this is done and your mold has had a chance to dry a bit, you send off your molds in a pre-paid envelope that Smile Brilliant provides and within days, your custom trays will be created and sent back to you! If this seems a bit confusing, just watch the short video below!

The whitening process: Once I received my trays (it took less than a week) I went forward with the process-actually whitening my teeth! I took a syringe of the gel and put a thin strip on the top and bottom tray. The amount I used was less than a fourth of the syringe (for the top and bottom combined). The whitening gel is peroxide based; "carbamide peroxide" to be exact. Smile Brilliant states it is, "22% Hi-Intensity Teeth Whitening Gel" with "no fillers or mixed blends designed to achieve the safest, fastest, most dramatic professional results in the least amount of days with the least amount of maintenance". Do I agree with this? Oh yes! It was explained to me that people often misunderstand whitening products. Smile Brilliant removes stains and restores your teeth to their natural color; in short, they become the brightest level of white that they can be. For me, I used the whitening gel and trays 4 times (2 hours the first time, 1 hour of wear for the other times) before I decided I was happy with my level of "white". I honestly think that if I used them 1 or 2 more times, my teeth could have been even brighter, but I was happy with the level I achieved and decided to just do monthly or bi-monthly maintenance uses. As for the fit of the trays, they were perfect! They didn't pinch my gums, rub up against them, or fit me weird. I don't know why the perfect fit surprised me so much, especially because I helped to create my own mold!

My top tray after it was created!

 Bottom tray and one of the syringes of the whitening gel.

De-sensitizing process: In my kit, I received the desensitizing gel that is to be used in the trays (on your teeth) right after whitening. The length of time you use the gel depends on your preference, but I used it from 10 minutes to 30 minutes (depending on how much free time I had that day). I used less than a fourth of the syringe for both a top and bottom tray application. According to the Smile Brilliant website, the desensitizing gel "temporarily seals micro-fractures and pores in your tooth's enamel. This eliminates the opportunity for teeth whitening gel to penetrate into the more sensitive dentin beneath your enamel". That explanation was pretty helpful to me and also helped present the importance of the gel for those with sensitive teeth. 

My results: The results I achieved were attained with 4 uses. Like I said, I was pretty happy with my teeth color after the fourth use, so I decided not to do another treatment for the time being. When it comes to sensitivity, I did find the whitening gel to cause a bit of sensitivity around my gum line the first time I used the gel. I expected this, because similar irritation has occurred with whitening strips. However, my second use I was more cautious, and I wiped the excess gel off my gums (that had been pushed out of the tray). Doing so really decreased my sensitivity, and I didn't find it to be a problem.

Before & After (4 uses)

Overall: I absolutely love this product. From the process of making your own trays, to the ease of application, I highly recommend this. For any one out there that would like to have professional results at home (for a fraction of what you would pay in the office) I would strongly suggest trying out Smile Brilliant! If you would like more information on the products, I will leave links below. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will be sure to get back to you!

FAQ page here.

Testimonials here. 

Purchase whitening gel & tray kit here.

Purchase desensitizing gel here.

Want to receive 5% off  your purchase? Use the code: beautywithoutlimits

(This code should be typed in with lowercase letters-all one phrase! )

Thanks for reading!

XO, Kelsey

Connect with me: twitter here // instagram here// pinterest here // 

Teeth Whitening

What I Wore (WIW) Lace Kimono OOTD

Have you ever bought a piece of clothing that turns into a staple immediately? I recently found a lace kimono at Target that has found it's way into 3 outfits already-I haven't even had the kimono for a full 3 weeks yet! It is safe to say I have a new favorite!

Outfit details: Shorts- American Eagle (similar style currently in stock)// Brown Tank- Old, Wet Seal // Kimono- Target (can't find the link currently) (similar ON SALE option) // Sandals- Forever 21  (no longer available) (similar option here) // Sunglasses- New York and Company

Up close look at my new hair color-loving it still!

Earrings from Buckle.

Sorry for such a lengthy, photo-packed post! Definitely wanted to share this kimono with whoever is interested; it is still available in store (black lace and white lace) but I just can not find it online! 

Thanks for reading,

XO, Kelsey 

Connect with me: twitter here // instagram here// pinterest here // 

Striped Halter Dress Outfit // Affordable Fashion Post

Hey beauties! I hope everyone is having a great week so far...it's almost the weekend so yay! Currently, I am [trying] to bury my head in the books and study for my state board exam for nursing (NCLEX) which is coming up in the next week. If you know anyone who has taken the exam (or you have taken it yourself) you probably know just have nerve wracking and hard it is to even prepare for it. It is sooo overwhelming! I needed a little break from it all, so here I am with an outfit post! Recently, I discovered the wonderful world of the outlet malls-probably a 25 minute drive from my apartment, but totally worth it. Pretty much anything I could want fashion-wise can be found at the outlets, including the dress in this post! The dress was only about $14...what?! Suchhh good prices and so many stores to choose from! I am definitely glad I started going outlet shopping instead of just "normal" shopping. You can save so much money! Enough with my epiphany though, on to the post!

Dress: Charlotte Russe Outlet (similar here and here)

Bracelet: Alter'd State

Sandals: Forever 21 (cute semi-similar option here) // Sunglasses: New York & Company

 I have recently become super obsessed with type of neckline-I am always in search of dresses and tanks with this style! I feel like it is so flattering on me and also is a bit more conservative, yet fun. What do you think?

Have you ventured into the wonderful world of outlet shopping? Do you have any other affordable shopping recommendations?  

Thank you for reading!

XO, Kelsey

Connect with me on twitter here // connect with me on instagram here// pinterest here //

Makeup Talk // Review of Cowgirl Dirt Makeup

Hey beauties! Today I am bringing you a review of Cowgirl Dirt Makeup, a natural and organic brand based out of Texas. According to their website, the brand stands for "the best of Western Tradition". If you check out their website, you'll learn a bit more about the brand and see the fun western-inspired makeup names. When it comes to reviewing the products, I always test them out for 2-3 weeks at least before giving my opinion-I hope this review can be found helpful for anyone curious about a great natural and organic brand!

 Wearing most of the products I was sent! The blush, bronzer, 3 eyeshadows, highlighting concealer, and foundation. 

From L to R: Under Eye Highlight Concealer, Eye Firming Cream, Mineral Powder Foundation in shade "Grullo 4", Wild West Blush in the shade "Rawhide", Mineral Powder Foundation in shade "Grullo 5", and the Dusty Bronzer in shade "Arena". 

Top picture: natural lighting. Bottom picture: with flash. From L to R: Under Eye Highlight Concealer, Mineral Powder Foundation in shade "Grullo 4" and then "Grullo 5", Dusty Bronzer in shade "Arena" and the Wild West Blush in shade "Rawhide" heavily swatched and then lightly swatched. 

The first product I used was the Eye Firming Cream, which is said to firm and tone the under eye area. I do not think I have had enough time nor sample to really confirm the benefits, but so far I do know that it leaves my eye area feeling soft and moisturized.

Next, I used the Under Eye Highlight Concealer. This is a peachy toned cream concealer that helps to brighten the under eye area. For a girl like me (with hereditary dark circles, products like these are a must.

As you can see, the right under eye is a ton brighter than the left after using this product. I believe I tapped on a bit of the product, let it set for about 30 seconds, and then tapped on a bit more to get more of a brightening effect. If you are someone with only minor dark circles, I think this product could be a huge help to your beauty routine! Since mine drive me so nuts, I add a bit of concealer on top of this to really get the coverage I want.

After priming my face with my usual moisturizer and primer, I applied the Mineral Powder Foundation in shade "Grullo 5" to half my face. I find that this powder foundation gives a sheer to medium coverage (buildable) and leaves a natural finish. This foundation wears amazingingly (not a word but oh well). I have worn it to work-sweating and running around-and it still holds up. The same goes for the Pressed Powder Foundation, which wears just as well, with more of a medium to semi-full coverage (buildable). Something I love about both these foundations are their ability to photograph well. Not only do they look great in person, but they also look awesome with flash photography, which is hard to come by when you have mineral makeup products.If you look at the picture below, you can see how airbrushed the makeup looks-I didn't edit my skin at all. The shade "Grullo 4" is a tad too light for the summer months for me, but it would probably be a go-to for the winter! As for my skin type, I have combination-oily skin and I was impressed with how the foundations did not cause any extra oil, and it was helpful in keeping excess oil from breaking through.

As you can see, the pressed foundation gives a bit more coverage. I think the pressed foundation is a tad bit darker than the loose foundation (even though they are the same shades), but maybe that has to do with the coverage they offer. 

Matte/Semi-Matte Eyeshadows in shades "Mud", "Arena Sand" and "Rodeo Rose".

 Swatches of the same shades with flash photography (top) and natural lighting (bottom). 

 A light application of all 3 shades.

 The last items I used/received are the Matte (and semi-matte) Eyeshadows. The colors are pretty and definitely pigmented, and were easy to blend. I didn't have any issues with fallout or the product smudging throughout the day, but I also tend to use concealer as a base on my eyelids, which acts as a primer. 

  Another shot with all the products! This is a picture with natural lighting-you can see how smooth the foundation still looks. It is almost like a "your skin but better" finish!

Well, if you made it through this super detailed post, thank you! I always try to be as detailed as possible, in the the hopes that my opinions could be helpful for someone trying to decide if they should try a product or not. I honestly have nothing bad to say about any of the products; I have spoken up before about products I was not happy with, but that is not the case here! All in all, I would 100% recommend and back up in product that I have spoke about on this post. I actually am interested in a few more of Cowgirl Dirt's products (such as the cream foundation, organic facial serum, and lipsticks) because I was so impressed with the products I already have. I could definitely see myself buying Cowgirl Dirt products and using them for a majority of my makeup needs-they are amazing! Give them a try if you are on the fence, I dont think you will regret it!

Thank you for reading!

XO, Kelsey

 

Connect with me on twitter here // connect with me on instagram here// pinterest here //

**These products were sent to me free of charge. As always, nothing has influenced my opinion other than the products performance itself.

Makeup Talk // Mineral Fusion Concealer Duo Review

Hey lovelies! Today I have another beauty review for you-this time, featuring just one product, from Mineral Fusion Mineral Makeup! A few weeks ago I was browsing Health Foods Unlimited (they have everything-food, beauty and skincare, household items, etc) and found the beauty section (shocker, I know). I decided to purchase the Mineral Fusion Concealer Duo in the shade "warm". Since trying to clean up my skincare and beauty products, I have yet to find a concealer that even comes close to covering my dark under eye circles. In the past, I have written about how I cover my circles, but the products are in no way non-toxic or natural. You can find that post here.

This concealer duo comes with one light and one dark shade. I sometimes use the lighter shade for a brightening effect, and then layer the darker shade over it. Or I mix the two and apply at the same time.

Natural lighting.

  With flash.

•  Shade selection: There are 4 shades of duos to choose from; cool, neutral, warm, and deep. I have the shade "warm" and find the lighter shade in the duo to be too light/bright for wearing alone. As stated before, I do not wear it alone, so this is not an issue for me. According to the website, you are supposed to use the duo to create your perfect, custom shade. I would give the selection of shades a 8/10. I feel most people could customize the shade to work for them!
• Coverage: This is a medium to high/full coverage concealer. Most days, I just use this alone. Some days, I do use another concealer on top of it (liquid, and unfortunately made with toxic ingredients-I can't find a replacement for it!) Even though this is great coverage, I like using the other concealer to "set it" so to speak. It's probably not necessary! 9/10 coverage wise!
• Application: This goes on sooo smoothly. It does get a bit melted if it gets too warm, but when at room temperature, it is perfect. It feels just like any other cream product. 10/10 on application!
• Wear time: This wears amazingly! Lately I have worked so much; always sweating, working long hours, and rubbing at my sensitive eyes. I give the wear time a 9/10. It looks good when I put it on, and when I get home it still looks awesome after 6+ hours.
• Overall product: 9/10. Great for someone with dark under eye circles and perfect for covering up blemishes. Not sure I will find another natural concealer I love more than this! However, I would love your suggestions if you have any!

See the difference?!

I hope you find this post helpful! Check out Mineral Fusion's Website to look into more of their products here! If you want to learn more about them, go here!

Thank you for reading,

XO, Kelsey

*This product was purchased by me with my own dolla dolla bills ya'll. Mineral Fusion did not encourage me to post anything regarding this product, nor do they know this blog even exists (probably, but it would be cool if they did!) All opinions are 100% mine and honest! 

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