The Great ColourPop Experiment

Last year, I discovered the magic that was Kat Von D's Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and my life was changed. It happened, like most things in my life, because of Broadway. I found out that Jasmine Cephas Jones used "Outlaw" for her role as Maria Reynolds in Hamilton and immediately had to acquire this magic because I had been dying over it for MONTHS. 

(Related: If anyone knows what lip shade/brand Jessie Mueller was wearing for her Waitress performance in the Tonys last year, PLEASE FIND ME BECAUSE I NEED TO KNOW AND THE INTERNET HASN'T HELPED ME YET.)

Anyway, so yes, Outlaw became my signature red (and I LIVE for red lipstick). The only thing I don't love about it is that it isn't really everlasting; I can't drink when I'm wearing it and it gets all over everything and the fact that it's decently drying. What a bummer. 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when ColourPop had a sale where their lip products were $4 each. I had inherited a few Lippie Sticks from them when one of my friends ridded out her makeup stash (shout-out to Emily for the endless supply of products that I will forever receive with gladness) and I liked the feel and the shades that they had, so I was totally down to spend $4 on a few good shades. 

I got a pink, a red (more on this later), a black (WHICH I HAD NEEDED AND I LOVE SO MUCH), and a primer. 

I wasn't in the habit of using lip primer, but let me tell you, it was simply magic. I tried it along with one of my new lip paints and was amazed at the staying power. My lipstick did not budge and did not dry. And it was MATTE. Glorious. 

This prompted an experiment. 

What if I tried the primer with my Kat Von D? Would it work? There was only one way to find out. 

So I went about my day and if you think that lipstick is going to keep me from eating tasty things, you are out of your mind. It was a normal day. I ate lunch per usual, drank coffee, and drank water. I didn't have high expectations, but I did a couple check-ins with a mirror front-facing selfie cam throughout the day and was surprisingly okay. 

The end of day test was amazing. 

There was fading on the inside of my lips, but the outside looked fine. A little duller, but still true to color. The dryness was still there, but it was more manageable. There was a moisture barrier if you will. I didn't feel like I could literally reach up and peel off the lipstick. 

It was great. 

The primer's become a daily staple and I'm super pleased with it. It works better with some lipsticks and paints than others, but overall, I like it. 

As an added bonus, I did a swatch test with the red lip color. In the picture below, the top swatch is ColourPop and the bottom is Kat Von D. They're almost exact duplicates with a $16 price difference. I am sold. 

So yes. ColourPop. They always have sales. Their colors are on point. And their primer is literally magic. What else could you want for $4?

Function of Beauty

 I have this terrible habit of being the exact person that Facebook ads target. I am the person who ignores the fact that people specifically have set algorithms that are meant to get to you and instead goes, "OOOOOOOOH! *purchase*" 

As such, Function of Beauty popped up in my newsfeed a number of times and I just went with it for a while, trying to resist. Finally, I decided to click on the website and was ushered into a haircare wonderland. So many options. It was like a Myers-Briggs test for your follicles. I didn't know that there were so many things that your hair could be. But then I looked at the price tag and cringed. $40+ for shampoo?! Are you kidding me? I am ON A BUDGET, people! I'm not maaaaaade of money. I have bills to pay, things to do, a cat to raise. No thank you. Unless each strand of hair is going to be caressed and massaged by Baby Jesus himself, I'll pass and go back to splurging on my $5 Aussie shampoo/conditioner duo, thankyouverymuch. 

Around tax time, I caved. I found a coupon code (they're EVERYWHERE, if you decide you want to try it; I even have a referral code at the end of this article if you decide that you're convinced...soooooo....) and went for it. I ordered the smallest shampoo and conditioner (8 oz each) so that if it ended up not being everything I dreamed of, I wasn't saddled with tons of unusable customized shampoo. Now, granted, they offer free returns in the first 30 days, but I didn't know this at the time. The whole customization, creation, and shipping process took about 10 days from order to door. 

I'm a sucker for good packaging and the unboxing for my first shipment was a wonderful experience. The box is so cute and everything is so uniform with the pumps for the shampoo and conditioner hidden underneath the cardboard. This maybe isn't a selling point to everyone but PEOPLE, I WAS IMPRESSED. 

The nice thing about dropping a large sum of money on shampoo is that Function of Beauty does take steps to make sure that you're getting the most out of it. They give you an individualized process to use based on the goals that you've chosen. A note about the goals because I just realized that I kind of glazed right over that- when you first place your order, you fill out a hair profile, choosing three attributes that describe your hair's chemistry (type, structure, and moisture) and then choosing up to five goals that you want to achieve or things that you want to improve about your hair. Everyone's goals will be a little different, but here's about what I was working with. 

My hair is fine, oily, with heavy natural wave. My goals were:

• Oil Control: My hair gets super disgusting because of the natural oils. I've always had hair that can't go more than two days between washes (and two only if I'm REALLY brave) and that is resistant to dry shampoo. It just makes my hair a more stringy grease pit, to be honest. 
• Lengthen: I trim my hair, but keep a decent length on it and I really like having long hair as long as it looks healthy. Allow me to elaborate on this: The first time I got my hair cut, I was 26 (okay, so I'm 26 now, but this was in October and I'm thinking of posterity) and had FIVE INCHES OF SPLIT/DEAD ENDS and ended up with healthier looking hair that was about three inches below my shoulder blades. 
• Anti-Frizz: Humidity is to my hair as spinach is to Popeye. See also, "being exposed to the elements without product" and "cotton-ball like shape and texture". 
• Nourish Roots: This is super boring and basically just ties back to the lengthen goal and the fact that I don't want my super thin hair to fall out. 
• Heat Damage: I am the worst with hot tools. Hot sticks, curling wands, blow dryers, and flat irons are a part of my daily routine. Any stylist that I've gone to has expressed horror at my terribly heat damaged hair. 

So my suggested routine was pretty simple and straightforward, but a direct contrast from what I had been doing. Wash and deep scrub hair & rinse. Apply conditioner & let set 1-2 minutes before cold rinsing. Wash again & rinse. Done. 

The change was immediate. 

After 2 days of the new shampoo & routine. No product.

About a week of the new shampoo and routine with no product

My hair wasn't as puffy. I wasn't using TONS of product anymore and my hair was looking calmer despite this. I was an instant convert. But was my deep love going to last?

Fast forward to my first reorder process about three weeks ago. I had made a few observations. 

• I was definitely going to need more shampoo than conditioner (but what else is new), so this was adjusted. 
• I ran out a few days before my new order arrived and used some leftover Aussie that I still had from when I stocked up pre-new shampoo. It wasn't the same. My hair puffed up. It wasn't as smooth and was much less manageable. I wasn't a fan. 

And then some other observations. 

• I got my hair cut about a week ago and the stylist said nothing about my heat damage. I hadn't changed anything about my heating tools except for maybe less flat ironing, more curling wand....ing. 
• I also only had about two inches of dead ends after going six months between full cuts. Furthermore, she took off five inches and I still have hair that is below the mid-back point. It's insane. 

That being said, don't be mislead. It's shampoo and conditioner. Not a magic potion. If you don't take care of your hair, you still will face the consequences. See below where I let my hair air dry without brushing it and I know so much better than that. And THEN, after it was dried, I decided to brush through it. WHAT A FOOL I WAS. And full disclosure, even tough I don't use smoothing creams, gel, or mousse and maybe only use a fraction of the hairspray that I used to, I still do apply a healthy spritz of sea salt spray after washing my hair and before I brush through it (my nightly routine).  This is more to coax our my waves than anything and, again, is just preference. I also use a thermal protectant every one in a while if I'm using heat several times per week so as not to tempt the fates. 

In summary, I'm a huge fan and convert. I am 100% in love with the effects that it's had on my hair and would recommend it to pretty much anyone who asks (and some that don't). 

My referral link is here for $5 off. (Full disclosure: I get a discount too, sooooo...)

Go forth and tame your hair, people. You're welcome. 

Ulta3 Nail Colour

 I didn’t used to care about my nails at all. Then one day, my best friend introduced me to SimplyNailogical on YouTube, I learned quick cheats to do my nails in all kinds of fun ways (EASILY!) and became a manicure convert.

Because of my love of nail polish, my Ipsy bag typically includes at least one nail polish type product in it. For my first two bags, I received muted tones (soft pink, nude beige) so I was psyched to find that I had a glorious, fiery red in the September bag.

Full disclosure: I’m a China Glaze/ OPI girl traditionally because that’s what I can find at Ulta Beauty on most days for $10 and less and also, both brands go on super smooth. Ulta3 is an Australian brand (which I’ve found is true for most of the best brands, e.g. Fun Lacquer, Picture Polish, etc. What’s up with that, Aussies?). Typically I don’t get to try any of those brands because shipping is positively outrageous so I went into this prepared to be wowed and, quite honestly, inspired to spend all the money on shipping.

I slapped on some nail polish last night with the typical regimen, but I left out the top coat because, one, I wanted to see how it wore on its own and two, it was late and I was feeling lazy, to be honest. However, most of my nail polishes have gone the no-top coat route at least once and are good for a couple of days before they start to chip. Not so for Ulta3.

The chipping was immediate, the first bits sloughing off during my morning routine. As I’m typing this, three of my nails have at least half of the polish chipped off. That’s insanity. I’ve had drugstore brands that have lasted longer than that. The color is phenomenal, but that’s hardly helpful if the color won’t stay.

Tarteist Lash Paint Mascara

An ode to mascara.

Oh mighty mascara.

You raise my eyelashes so they can stand on mountains

And also so that they can pick up a stiff breeze on said mountains

Eyelashes for days.

Amen.

 

If you’ve discussed makeup at all with me, you know that mascara is my go-to and my number one staple. I got pinkeye last summer and was devastated not only because, you know, pink oozing eye, but also because it meant that I had to discard ALL OF THE MASCARA.

Imagine the joy when I got my September Ipsy bag and found Tarteist Lash Paint. I’ve used Tarte before; I have a liquid lip color from them and was excited to try out their mascara. When I put it on, I was instantly in love. My eyelashes extended to my eyebrows (note: exaggeration, not actual fact) and they were beautiful and thick. I was so pleased.

For about two hours.

Ipsy described the mascara as long-lasting, but this wasn’t the case for me at all. The days that I tried out the mascara were humid and hot and I sweated a lot. Unfortunately, my mascara didn’t run, it pooled. It gathered into a dusty line at the base of my lower eye and made me look like I’d lost a fight. My friends noticed it too. Argh!

I’m waiting for some mascara that I ordered from Mary Kay to come in and am using the Lash Paint in the meantime. To be fair, without the sticky humidity, I’ve not noticed as much gathering at the base of my eye, but it still doesn’t stay put.

Maybe it’s my body chemistry; I’m not saying this won’t work for everyone. But I certainly won’t spend money on this product. Tarte is still a great brand and I highly recommend their lip color. If you have a subscription to a makeup box or something like that, it’s worth using from time to time if you don’t need long wear. But that’s all that I can recommend myself.