Best & Worst of Beauty: July '14!

Happy end of July folks!! I'm personally still in denial about the whole thing but hopefully you all are coping with it just fine (not that it's really anything that needs emotional handling… leave me alone). In any case, I uploaded my version of monthly favorites over on my YouTube channel the other day so feel free to check it out if you haven't already! I hope you're all doing well and are ready for August ୧(﹒︠ᴗ﹒︡)୨

xoxo - Cassie

Born Pretty Full Nail Water Decals: Swatches + Review!

*Just to get this out of the way: I am in no way, shape, or form being paid to write this post. I was sent these water decals for review but, as always, I am giving my 100% honest opinion on the product(s). None of the links below are affiliate links and I get nothing in return for clicks or views. You're safe with me!!

After my last post on water decals from the Born Pretty store, I was delighted when I received another email from them to try out more of their nail products. I truly did enjoy the last sets I picked out (and wanted to cry when I used them up) but this time I wanted to try something a little different… 

full nail decals *dun dun dunnn*. 

It was scary for me, okay? Never have I ever used nail stickers meant to cover the entire nail because I've always been worried about the hassle of getting them to fit just right, cutting them too big/too small, wasting product because of said blunders, etc. Well, considering how easy the small water decals from Born Pretty were to apply I figured their large sheet decals would be just as simple to do.

Were they? Methinks the answer lies in the photos below (it does):

Like I alluded in the paragraph above, I was really happy about the format that Born Pretty uses when printing out their full nail decals. They're semi-sized (you can see in the very small 'steps' at the top of each strip) but are overall in one large block pattern so you can cut to whatever size you may need; no one's nails are shaped exactly alike so the pre-sized strips really do worry me in that sense. This assures you that you can cover your nails at your own discretion and not have to worry about wasting a ton of the decals by trimming down individually sized 'nail' shapes (which are usually too round or oval for my nails).

Not to mention the print is absolutely stunning. Truly, the amount of detail that they were able to print into these little sheets is pretty incredible and they retain the intricacy when applied to the nail. Unfortunately one of my strips arrived a bit damaged… I would hope that this was just an individual error in this batch or that maybe it happened during shipping (though that seems unlikely because these come in a nicely bubble wrapped envelope); I wouldn't want any of you to receive the same problem upon ordering (and doubt you would/will) but figured I would point it out anyways because it did effect the performance of the decal. That particular little section applied just fine but when I swiped the top coat over it the whole thing shredded (you can see it on my pinky nail in the very first photo).

Regardless, like I said before, this particular set of floral nail decals ended up being beautiful once applied to the nail and was just as easy to do as the small patterns I tried out last time. 

 You can see on that first pinky nail I did with the daisies that I didn't think to cut the decals a little smaller and thus ended up wasting all of that excess print. Definitely estimate the size of your nail before applying to avoid waste like that!! At least that's what I did for the rest of the nails and it worked out great. 

Really, I am so blown away by the quality and ease of these water decals. Being the nail polish/nail art fanatic that I am, I'm kicking myself a bit for not having tried them out sooner. They're extremely affordable (I was able to get multiple manicures out of each set) and even more so if you go ahead and use the code RIFW10 at checkout… it'll get you 10% off!! Always happy to save you lovely people some of your hard earned money :)

Have you tried water decals before?

Love 'em as much as I do?

Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie

Thrift With Me + Haul!!!

I know it's been a hot minute since I last did a thrift video for you all so, upon bountiful request, here's a big one!! Wander around Goodwill with me, have a chitchat with Galileo and I, and enjoy having a rummage through the goodies I brought home! Happy thrifting~

xoxo - Cassie

M.A.C. "See Sheer": Swatches + Review!

This post has been a long time coming—considering I hauled this lipstick months ago—and the main reason I've been putting it off is because this is one of those products where I feel words (especially the ones that come fumbling from my gob) will never do it justice. However, I think I've been able to come to a fairly accurate description in the past couple of months for this beautiful little lipstick. And by description I mean comparison. Analogy? Though I suppose it's all one in the same, especially if you own and appreciate the beaut I'm about to compare it to.

"See Sheer" is to summer as "Plumful" is to fall.

Boooooooooooom (that's the sound of your mind being blown).

If you don't own "Plumful" and can't comprehend the overwhelming need my above statement should have instilled in your makeup loving soul, then don't fret. I've got you covered here, and here, here too, there was also this time, and that time, this time too, oh yeah and also right here. Seriously, I talk about "Plumful" a lot but not without good reason; it really is a beauty and I can't imagine not having it in my lipstick collection. See what it does to me? Once "Plumful" is on my mind I just can't shut up about it.

Well I'm happy to say that there's a new lipstick in town (read: in my purse) and she goes by the name of "See Sheer". True to all of the M.A.C. Lustre finish lipsticks I've tried, "See Sheer" is lusciously smooth, provides a more-than-sheer-but-less-than-opaque wash of color, and lasts a pretty solid four hours on me. I honestly can't find fault in Lustres from M.A.C. and it's the reason I keep going back for more colors. If I could own them I all I sure as heck would but, hey, that would be a bit excessive (and wonderful, and delightful, and euphoric, and…).

Semi-spoiler alert to anyone with even the slightest deductive abilities as well as watches my YouTube videos and realizes it's almost the end of July: I've been wearing this a stupid amount this past month and can't really see myself abstaining from doing so anytime soon. "See Sheer" is that perfect mix of pink and orange, not at all fussy in terms of look or wear, and a fun pop of color on the lips during these super sweaty summer months (you can see the steam on my glasses in the photo above from my cheeks touching the glass #howembarrassing). I imagine this lipstick would look gorgeous on such a large range of people and I really can't sing its praises enough.

"See Sheer" is, as I said before, the summer to "Plumful"'s fall; the warm to its cool; the love to my life (okay, I think I've gone a little too far there but I think you get my point).

Have you tried M.A.C.'s "See Sheer"?

Love it as much as I do?

What has been your go-to lipstick this summer?

Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie

Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain: First Impression + Review!

Just in case you missed it, I uploaded a new video over on my YouTube channel on a lip product I haven't heard much on in the beauty community! Hopefully it's helpful and OH YEAH I USED MY NEW CAMERA TO FILM IT. Hrrrrrnggggg all of the feels. Truly. The quality is spectacular and I am so beyond touched/grateful that you all helped me get it ♥♥♥

xoxo - Cassie

Lip Product Addict TAG!

For those of you who haven't seen it yet: here's my newest video over on my YouTube channel! Since you all have been waiting very patiently for me to put together my lipstick collection video, I figured this would be a nice little tag to do to tide you over for now. I'm hoping to have the aforementioned video up sometime in the next couple of weeks though so hang tight!! 

Thanks for waiting and sticking with me and, as always, I hope you enjoy~

xoxo - Cassie

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer: Swatches + Review!

Beauty blogger basics #1: Photograph products before you use/taint them.

Beauty blogger basics #2: Review products that are new, exciting, and relevant.

Beauty blogger basics #3: If you break rules 1 & 2, make sure your post on the product is all sorts of excellent and unlike anything the beauty community has read before.

Welp, sorry to say folks but I'm about to break those three basic rules and probably then some. If you think you can handle that though then feel free to stick around and enjoy the complete and utter mess (both literally and figuratively) this post is bound to be.

I'm far (far far) from being a prime time beauty blogger but one thing I pride myself on is being able to hold out on using a product until I take pictures of it pretty from the package. Well, somehow the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer (I can't with these long names, I'm tellin' ya) slipped past my perfectionist radar on that front. This concealer has long since been used and abused—considering I did a first impression/review video on this over five freaking months ago—and unfortunately I really don't have anything super jazzy to say about it. 

I think that the gimmick behind this concealer is… well, the gimmick itself. The actual product is extremely average in terms of drugstore concealers (can cake and accentuate dryness but overall is creamy and lightweight) but the premise of being able to "erase" your dark circles is pretty darn exciting. And with the squishy sponge applicator, the artist inside of me finds the whole thing undeniably adorable. 

(click above to enlarge the photos for a better view!)

Overall I'm just fairly 'meh' about the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer (though I'm undoubtably in hate with the name of the darn thing). Like said, it's not the best but it's not the worst; I've been able to put up with using it for the past nearly-half-a-year and it hasn't caused me any sort of problems. Then again it hasn't caused me any sorts of great happiness either. It creases upon first application but once you put powder on top and blend it out a few times then it seems to set fairly nicely. There is a tendency for the concealer to cake and dry a little around the outer edges of my eyes as well but at least it doesn't feel heavy.
Essentially, what I'm trying to say is: I wouldn't recommend this product to anyone. However, if someone were to say that they wanted to try it out I wouldn't discourage them from doing so. Does that make sense? I always feel like I'm talking in indiscernible circles haha. Either way I do know that I feel this doesn't deserve the extreme hype it receives on YouTube (that's just my opinion though, take it or leave it).

Have you tried the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circle Treatment Concealer?
Love it? Hate it?
What's your favorite under eye concealer from the drugstore?
Do share!

xoxo - Cassie

YouTube Made Me Buy It!: L'Oréal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara

If I'm being completely honest with you all: I wanted nothing to do with this mascara when I first saw/heard of it. I have a very long and deep relationship with manga (and anime for that matter) so to hear of a cosmetic product using my beloved as a marketing ploy? Dreadful. And on top of that they pronounce "manga" aka the name of their product incorrectly? Disgusting. 

That being said, this mascara was (is) actually getting a ton of hype on YouTube and—truth be told—it looks pretty freaking fantastic on people's lashes. So, as per usual, YouTube struck again, filled my soul with all of the makeup needs/feelz, and had me bringing this to the register the next time I was at Target getting cat litter and veggie chips. 

How did it do? Well now, you're just going to have to watch the video now aren't'cha?? (the Minnesotan gushed from my fingertips with that last sentence… I'm just going to go with it; forgive me?)

xoxo - Cassie

tarte Amazonian clay 12-hour blush "adored": Swatches + Review!

I feel a bit guilty doing a post about this particular blush because, like I said when I hauled it, it's been discontinued… at least from the Sephora website. Not sure why they booted "adored" out of their tarte collection but I suppose I'm not complaining because it meant I could nab this for cheap ($14)!

Honestly, to say I "flipped my sh*t" when I saw the chunky round packaging in the Sephora sale section is to simultaneously undermine and underestimate the power of my makeup feelings—especially when I've gushed my feelz about tarte's Amazonian clay blushes plenty of times in the past (here, and here, here too, please don't forget about here). I didn't care in the slightest what shade it was, I knew I was going to make it mine. 

Thankfully (for me and my wallet) "adored" turned out to be beautiful in every way a giddy girl's heart desires: super pink, super glittery, and super cheap compared to what these blushes usually go for ($26). It's your typical cool-toned/blue-based pink but the intense amount of sparkle packed in allows "adored" to stand out from the hundreds of other blushes on the market. Believe it or not, the glitter in "adored" is even more prevalent than NARS' "Super Orgasm" (which is pretty notorious in the beauty community to be the blush to get if you love glitter).

"adored" is just as pigmented as all of the other Amazonian clay blushes tarte creates so you can either pack it on the cheeks or sheer out the color to a light wash. I personally opt for the latter option but hey, whatever floats your boat and makes you happy! And, since the glitter isn't just an overspray (one of my biggest pet peeves with makeup products; why trick people into thinking they're getting pounds of glitter when they're only getting an ounce?), it means you're going to get a healthy dose regardless of how much or how little you tap your brush in the compact. 

As much as I love sparkle, I am so happy that the glitter in "adored" is subtle. From far away you can't see it at all, feigning the look of youthful glowing skin. Up close though it's clear that you've got a little fairy dust on your cheeks but it's charming rather than garish. Love! Or should I say: adore? Sorry, I just couldn't help myself on that one (can you blame me?).

Have you tried tarte's "adored"?

You can still get it on tarte's website!!

What's your favorite blush from the Amazonian clay blush line?

Do share!

xoxo - Cassie

Empties #9!

Curious about all of the literal garbage I've been hoarding in one of my cabinets for the past few months? Well lucky for you, I filmed it all before putting it in its rightful place (the trash)!! Feel free to watch my latest "empties" video over on my YouTube channel or with the player embedded above; 

as always I hope you enjoy~

xoxo - Cassie

NOTD: SinfulColors "Cinderella" + essie "shine of the times"

So sorry that my first 'real' post in a long time is a nail one (much less a nail one which includes a polish you've seen a million times before [here, and here, and oh yeah here too]) but this is just the easiest way for me to get back into the swing of blogging! Which I plan on doing… but don't hold me to it. That kind of commitment during the lazy summer heat and my currently never-ending summer classes is a bit too much for me to handle.

 My girl Stephanie over at Short 'N Chic actually sent me her bottle of "Cinderella" from SinfulColors when she felt it wasn't getting as much love as it deserved. I knew the minute I laid eyes on it though that this particular polish (amongst the plethora she sent me; you can see it at the 10 minute mark) was going to get an immense amount of love during the warmer months! It's a gorgeous not-quite-pale-though-not-quite-bright baby blue polish with iridescent flakes laced throughout. 

And while the shiny bits were quite noticeable on their own, I just needed to give them that extra "oomph" with essie's "shine of the times" to really dazzle in the (currently scorching and torturous) summer sun. I'm not at all built to deal with the blindness and waterfalls from my pores that the 100 degree weather Boston is causing at the moment but blindness and waterworks in my mouth caused by sparkly nail polish? That's a whooooole 'nother story.

I just plain old love the way this nail polish combo looks. No true rhyme or reason behind it; it could be the multifaceted nature of the interaction between the two coats of shimmer, the seemingly endless shifts in color that the polish takes on in different light (sometimes subtle, other times blaring), or maybe just the fact that I got an endless amount of compliments on this polish wherever I went. Truly, be it on the train while sharing a grip on a pole during the rush hour commute or while I was unhanging and scanning people's clothing purchases at work, someone always mentioned how fantastic my nails were and that they just needed to know what polish it was. Well, here's the answer!! Just a bottle of something borrowed and blue with a personal standby true. 

Big shout out to Stephanie again; thank you SO much for this polish!!

Check out her blog a.s.a.p. if you haven't and are a fellow lacquer lover… she's amazing to say the least.

Have you tried either of these polishes?

 Ever paired 'em together?
What polish do you get the most compliments on when you wear it?
Do share!!

xoxo - Cassie

YouTube Made Me Buy It!: benefit big easy multi-balancing complexion perfector

I promise you guys, I'm working on a REAL BLOG POST RIGHT NOW!!!!! I'm sick of my blog being nothing more than a dumping ground for my videos as well, trust me. So hang tight, enjoy the holiday (if you're in the U.S.), and check out my newest video up on YouTube in the meantime!!

As always, I hope you all are well and that you enjoy~

xoxo - Cassie