NYX Wonder Pencil--My dupe.

VS.    

I don't have a problem admitting this, but I follow a lot of beauty bloggers. I think we can all say the same. If we gear more towards makeup and skincare, we should follow beauty bloggers. If we only post about fashion or your life as mom, it's fitting to follow that particular topic of interest.

There's a specific blogger I just recently started following, like two months ago, and she posted about the NYX Wonder Pencil. Heard of it? Nope, me either. BUT! I have heard of NYX and tried a few of their products so I was interested in what she had to say.

She talked about how this one pencil could be used in more than one way. And as cheap as NYX is, I was excited to add it to my online shopping cart and wait for its' delivery.

After I did my mom's makeup a few weeks ago, I realized I had a product very similar to this beauty blogger. So rather than wasting $6 on it, I should try out what I already have, right? Right.

If you remember from that post, I used the L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator Eyeliner in Black Quartz. Which I'm not really sure why that's the name because it's a brown pencil. The other end of the pencil is the illuminating part and is almost exactly the same color as this NYX Wonder Pencil.

So I'm taking the advice of my fellow beauty blogger and trying out her tips. Here are four different ways you can use an illuminating pencil like both of the products we have.

[ONE] Bump Cover-up
If it's light enough, this pencil can be used to cover up a bump that appeared overnight.

[TWO] Tear Duct + Waterline Highlighter
If you swipe the pencil a little in the inner corners of your eyes, near the tear ducts, or along your waterline, it will give you a bright-eyed and awake look. I know there are some mornings that we all need that!

[THREE] Invisible Lip Liner
This is where it could get a little tricky. Some highlighting pencils have some shimmer to them. So if you are using this as an invisible lip liner, just BLEND BLEND BLEND. But if there is shimmer, only apply it at the cupid's bow and beneath your lower lip. Still blend away.

[FOUR] Brow Highlighter
This one is the easy tip. Swipe the pencil just under your eyebrows to highlight that point. It can also give more definition to brows after they've been filled in with brow shadow. But don't leave it looking like a drawn line. Blend it so that it's seamless from your brow to the eyeshadow-filled crease area.

Have you tried the Wonder Pencil yet? Or do you have a dupe like me just chilling in your makeup bag that you didn't realize was even there? 

What other pencils have you tried similar to these? Do you have any other tips to share? I'd love to hear in your comments :-)

I'm linking up with Manic Monday, Monday Morning Gossip, Mingle Monday, and Funday Monday.

(Source for Wonder Pencil image. Source for Eye Illuminator image.)

A smile looks good on everyone.

Alas! It's Friday, bitches!! I'm beyond ready for this weekend to get here. I'm still on my kick of staying organized with le blog on the weekends so I'm hoping to get a lot accomplished. Maybe another vlog or maybe a fun braiding tutorial? I don't have a set agenda yet so we'll see what I can get together.

one | I was at Wally World several days ago and saw this sticky note on the makeup shelf. Way to perk up a girl, friendly stranger.

two | I got this matte top coat while at the store and I am in love. Seriously. If you haven't tried this--or something similar--just ask to borrow mine and you can see how cool it is. I used to think I hated the matte polish look, but it's very pretty.

three | Garsh. I could do post upon post from all the cat pictures in my phone. It's a little sick.

Sophie: What the hell?!?

Asher: I just, uh, ahhh, right there. Move over a little.

Sophie: I'm not moving.

Asher: Just a little. Mm. I got it. Right there. Nope. Right herrre. Yeahhhh.

Sophie: rolls eyes and refuses to nap like that

four | I'm not ashamed. If it were appropriate for me to have every single thing in my house with cats or cat-themed things on it, I'd be one fine pony. Wait, I'm a cat, right? It's been hard to find fun phone cases for my phone because I didn't want to hide the neon coral color. This was is just clear with black writing on it. They didn't plan very well because the black letters blended with the black apple symbol. So I outlined it with a white chalk pen. And DONE!

five | I gots no picture for this one. I've emailed a tattoo artist about a new design I'm wanting on my arm. And I know I've talked about it before, but I've got that inky itch again. Weeeee! Get ready!

Have any fun and exciting weekend plans??

I'm linking up with H54F, Friday Favorites, Fresh Face Friday, Five on Friday, and That Friday Blog Hop.

Chapstick Spring Line

I was contacted by an Assistant Account Executive at Chapstick to review their new Spring line of chapstick flavors and I was delighted to say yes! Although this is not a paid sponsorship, all opinions are my own. I was provided with four samples, two of each flavor, so keep reading for my review!

Disclosure: The Chapstick product and information have been provided by Pfizer Consumer Health.

I don't know about any of you, but Chapstick has been a brand that has been with me since I was about ten years old. Maybe even younger. They are probably one of the only ones with a consistent formula that keeps my lips hydrated and soft ALL DAY LONG.

I recently fell in love with the Chapstick 8-hour Hydration Lock in Vanilla from a previous Birchbox. It's so smooth and the vanilla smells amazing. When I received these samples, I hoped they'd be the same way. And I definitely wasn't disappointed.

 

The two flavors, Pomegranate Gumdrop and Citrus Jelly Bean, remind me of Easter. It brings me back to all of the candy that I munched on from the Easter Egg Hunts when I was a kid. Warning. Do not eat your new chapstick like Easter candy. I repeat. Do NOT eat your chapstick like Easter candy.

--Side story-- I knew this kid in 6th and 7th grade that was in Chorus with me. The one thing I remember about him? He used to eat, literally, Chapstick every day in class. Gag me now.

--Back on track--

Being that I'm on this fresh health-kick, boy do I miss my candy. But, by applying either of these new scents, I not only smell the sweet flavors, but every now and then I can taste them if I lick my lips. I'm all for a guilt-free smidgen of my favorite Easter candies.

SQUEE.

My favorite is probably the Pomegranate Gumdrop. Don't get me wrong, I love citrus-y things, but the other appealed to me more. They both will be available for a limited time at all Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens stores beginning March 1st. So why not stock up for your kiddos' Easter baskets? Or if they love candy just as much as I do, buy in bulk and they can have candy-flavored Chapsticks all year long. WE ALL WIN!

I hope you all go out and buy one, or both, of these Spring Chapstick flavors for a friend and maybe it'll perk them up for the upcoming season. I know I'm ready for Spring. How about you??!

I'm linking up with All Things Thursday, Look What I Got, and Tres Chic Thursday.

February 2014 Ipsy Bag

The February Ipsy Bag came a whole week later than my Birchbox and it's usually the other way around. But that's okay because the glam bag was love themed. And just because I really wanted a love themed bag, here's something fun to listen to while you're reading.

True story: This is my dad's ringtone for my mom.

So. I love every single thing in my glam bag. EVERYTHING. I'm actually excited to use all of the products provided by the different brands. Let's jump right in and we can compare bags later!

POP Beauty

Plump Pout Mini in Peony Petal | Full-size, $16

The color of this lip gloss is such a pretty pink, not too dark and not too light. We all know I hate glosses since my lips are already big, but the fact that it's plumping too is just a bad sign. I tried it on the moment I pulled it out of the bag and wasn't convinced there was plumping power in the ingredients. I think for the color, I'm going to keep it. Otherwise I would've given it to someone else.

ZOYA

Nail Polish in Odette | Full-size, $9

Lavender is one of the hot colors for Spring and I'm really ready for Spring. This color looks more mauve online but it's definitely a purple. I've tried Zoya only once in the past and I remember liking it a lot. And the price is the same for other drugstore brands.

Mally Beauty

Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliner in Starshine | Full-size, $15

I'm not really sure why I keep getting silver eyeliners but I'm not too happy about it. Yes, this is a waterproof liner and yes, it's super buttery. But, I just don't wear silver.

Uberliss

RituOil Orchid + Argan Oil Complex | Full-size, $19.90

I love most hair products like these. It claims to "seal your hair cuticles, which helps prevent moisture loss, minimize thermal damage, and prevent split ends from forming." I use somewhat of a similar product now but it's not meant to moisturize at all so I'm interested in seeing how this works on my hair.

Jesse's Girl

9 Pan Eyeshadow Compact in Behind Blue Eyes | Full-size, $3.99

I'm not sure that I've ever heard of this brand name before but I really like the price for how much you get in one compact. I don't wear blue shadows that often but I like that these all seem to be very wearable. It does include some grays so I could wear those during the day and apply more of the darker blues for going out afterwards.

Ipsy's still in the lead when comparing it with Birchbox. Were your glam bags all that you thought for the month of love??

I'm linking up with Random Wednesday, That Hump Day Blog Hop, Your Whims Wednesday, and I Feel Pretty.

Neutrals

It's good to change things up every now and then. You know, it's fun to bring out the bright colors and funky jewelry, but sometimes you just gotta get back to basics. Today's all about NEUTRALS.

Studded Jacket: F21+ // White Top/Dress: F21 // Faux Leather Leggings: Target // Nude Heels: Target

(Sorry...all items are at least a year old, so no linkys for you.)

I'm linking up with Trend Spend Tuesday, Style Sessions, The Pleated Poppy, and Totally Posted Tuesdays.