NYX Butter Glosses: Review and Swatches

I heard quite a bit of hype on NYX's latest lip gloss formulation. Since the brand's Mega Shine Lip Glosses are some of the most popular from a drugstore brand, I knew the new product had to be something incredible for makeup junkies to be focusing on something different.

Left to Right: Eclair, Creme Brulle

And so I went to Ulta and found the Butter Glosses in the NYX section for I believe just around $5 a pop--pretty good! I picked out about five, but ended up only purchasing one, Creme Brulle. I ended up liking it so much that when I went to Target, I snatched the only one they had left--Eclair. These colors are typical-Alyssa-colors: a nude-y pink (Creme Brulle) and a creamy, neutral pink (Eclair).

Eclair, Creme Brulle

The packaging is lovely: round, doe-foot applicators, and color coordinated. I love it! And because the whole packaging down to the caps are the color of the product, it's very easy to pick out the one you want without them having to be upside down.

I'm about 95% positive that the scents are matched to the desserts they are named after (how amazing is that?) Eclair smells kind of like a sweet vanilla (like Eclair filling!) whereas Creme Brulle has more of a subtle caramel scent (just like its namesake). Maybe it's just my imagination, but if that is the case I would buy them just for that detail. But I do love these glosses. The formulation is one of my favorites--thick, pigmented, and very smooth and bendable. The formula can be sheered out or built up and look good no matter what. I also think these are good glosses to apply on the go--I'm sure the brighter colors (there's a red I'm dying to own) are a little less versatility in this way, but I can't imagine these neutral colors ending up splattered across your face. The formulation, feel, and wear reminds me of the MAC Cremesheen Glosses--which is a very, very good thing.

Creme Brulle, Eclair

I highly recommend these. They've wormed their way to one of the top spots on my favorite lip gloss lists. And for just around the five dollar mark, they are an all around winner. These glosses should be sold wherever NYX products are sold (Ulta, select Targets, and select Bed Bath and Beyond stores).

Makeup products named after food items: Yay or Nay?
xoxo
Alyssa

My Alternate Make Up Storage (November 2013)

I've been playing around with room decor and storage/organization lately, and one of the things I'm trying to perfect is my make up storage. I have what I call my "beauty box" on my desk (an updated post on that will be coming soon), but I have much more makeup than that box can fit. I have a separate drawer besides these two for more loved products, but today I'm showing you guys where I store the makeup I don't really use too much. 

I took these pictures on my iPad, so I apologize in advance if the quality is not up to usual standards. But I have this little three-shelf on one of the walls in my bedroom, and the bottom is most definitely my favorite. The magazine racks (housing Vogue, Teen Vogue, Seventeen, and Lucky) are from Target, the three-drawer container is from Walmart, and I'll go more in depth with the books torwards the end.

                                 

This is the place I store my makeup products that I like enough not to throw away, but at the moment I'm just not using very much. A lot of these products I really love, so it's not the "reject section." In fact, when I redo my beauty box every few weeks, I switch in some of these products. 

                                 

First drawer: face products. Recognize the containers I use to keep things a bit neater? They're old Birchboxes! Birchboxes are one of my favorite organization bins--they are the perfect size. But anyways, the front houses base makeup. There's some Arbonne powders, an ELF powder, and some random concealers and luminizing products. In the back bin is blushes and powder highlighters. I have some various Maybelline blushes, other miscellaneous drugstore powders, and a few cream blush sticks. On the side of the boxes is my trusty Avon Correct and Conceal Compact, which is taking a break from being my every day concealer option (if you're wondering about the hair tie, let's just say the compact is very well loved).

                                 

Next up, eye products. The front bin houses singles and a few duos. I LOVE the single shadows in this bin and they get used often. The Elf Mineral Shadow in Elegant and the Avon Celestial Shadow in Moon Sand are two of my all time favorites. Other than that, there's some random drugstore shadows and an Estée Lauder duo. In the back there's trios, quads, and small palettes. I have a few Elf quads, some Clinique, and a few others. On the side is some extra pencil liners ans an Elf Cream Liner.

                                   

And lastly: lips. In the front are some excess Revlon's Lip Butters (Cupcake, Gumdrop, and Creamsicle) that I just prefer for the summertime. Then some Elf lipsticks, an Ulta one, and my favorite Avon gold lip gloss. Other than that it's just some lipsticks from various brands. In the back is 85% Elf glosses (I loved Elf glosses for years). I've tried about every formula, and this bin houses the squeeze tube ones, and the Hypershines (my favorite) mostly. Besides that, it's just random glosses. And on the side are some lip palettes from Ulta and a backup of my favorite Hypershine gloss from Elf (Fairy).

On top of the bin, I store some of my favorite books. From my childhood, I have Dr. Seuss's The Foot Book and If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff. Then there's The Fault in Our Stars (John Green) and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) which have been favorites of mine for a few years now!

Do you have a lot of products you don't use regularly?

xoxo

Alyssa 

Monday Questionnaire: November 18th 2013!

Ah, Monday. How I dread you every week. But really, I cannot believe that next week is Thanksgiving--this year went by so quickly! So I'm back today to answer a Monday Questionaire: it's just some quick questions to start off the week.

                              

                           This little guy came in my Birchbox last week! Can you say

                            perfection?

1.) Mood:

 I'm pretty content today. Tired, as always, but not particularly happy or sad.

2.) What is the last song/album you purchased?

The Taylor Swift Christmas album. I'm getting in a festive mood lately, plus the album is great.

3.) The best video game system ever is __________.

I'm not a huge gamer, but I love my Wii. However, my Gameboy will always hold a special place in my heart!

4.) Current nail polish:

Revlon's Facets of Fushcia

5.) How many times did you hit the snooze button this morning? 

None! I don't even allow myself a snooze button because I know I'll abuse it. 

6.) Current outfit:

Jeans and a sweatshirt: comfy, comfy,comfy!

7.) What is the furthest distance you've ever driven?

Not far!

8.) You can only use one mascara for the rest of your life-- which one is it?!

Maybelline's The Mega Plush. I like the my-lashes-but-better effect--no drama for me.

9.) If you could have a $1000 gift card to anywhere right now, where would you choose?

My first instinct is an American Express or Visa, but is that cheating? Probably either Target or Amazon!

10.) Weekly Goals:

Clean, clean, clean! I want my bedroom spotless and reorganized. 
--------------------------------
 

Leave your answers in a comment below!

xoxo

Alyssa 

Fall Fashion: My New Boots

Fall and Winter fashion is my favorite. I love jeans and leggings, and being able to snuggle up in a cozy sweater and a scarf makes me happier than it should. A girl can't be ready for Fall without her basic outfit of a cardigan or sweater, scarf, and boots. I was desperate for black boots that weren't riding boots or combat boots. Just little ankle bootie-type shoes that had a one-inch heel or less--no stilettos for me.

Fortunately, JustFab.com, which is one of my favorites for shoes and handbags, has a great selection of boots for the Fall and Winter. So when I spring for my new pair of riding boots, that site will probably be the first place I check. Everything on JustFab is $39.95, as it is technically a monthly subscription service. But most people just use it as an online shop.

Let's just acknowledge the fact that I ordered these boots on Monday (11/11) and they shipped from across the country and were on my doorstep Thursday (11/14) afternoon. Talk about amazing shipping services (and it's free with a $39.95 purchase...which is every item!)

The boots I picked are the Gale. They're black pleather booties that hit me mid shin. They have a one inch heel, wrap around straps, and silver buckle detailing. One of my problems with boots is that most of them include gold hardware, and I like silver a million times better. These were one of two pairs of black boots on the site that had silver detailing. The inside is also fur-lined.

While I think they look better in the online photo, I really do like the style. My one critic is the fur lining: it's way too much. Fur lining is okay if it can't be see on the outside, but with these you can totally see. It makes the style look less like a chic and fashionable shoe and more like a snow boot. But they are very warm.

In terms of comfort, these were pretty solid. I definitely had to break them in, but it only took walking around the house for twenty minutes with them on the night before to do so. The day after I got them, I wore them all day to school and nothing hurt.

These guys looked really cute with back leggings, a dress, and a cardigan, but when I tried them on for the first time, I was wearing skinny jeans and a plain tee and it looked good, too! They're really veritile style-wise and I think they'll hold up well in the snow. 

I'm pleased with these boots. They're my fifth purchase from the website (and fourth pair of shoes) and I've been happy with everything I've gotten from the site. My oldest pair of shoes from the site (brown riding boots) is over a year old, well loved, and still going strong. So if you're looking for some nice, reasonably-priced shoes, look here!

Link to Gale booties*:justfab.com/gale

*not an affiliated link

Where's your favorite place to buy boots?

xoxo

Alyssa

Birchbox: November 2013 + Update!

Hello, everyone! It's been over a month since my last post, and I have no idea how time passed so quickly. I feel like just yesterday I was complaining about going back to school and now it's almost Thanksgiving.

Before I get into today's post, I did want to do a quick update on what's been going on and where I've been. As soon as school started, every second of my life was taken up! Between driver's ed, editing the yearbook, assistant directing the school play, and you know, schoolwork, blogging kind of took a back seat. I planned on starting again the day after my play finished, but I ended up with family stuff and I just found it a bit hard to write. But now I'm back...and hopefully to stay! *fingers crossed*

Anyway, today is about Birchbox. Unfortunately I had to skip my October post, but I was seriously in love with my box, so I was really exciting when this little guy (or girl, I guess?) arrived at my door.

This month's theme is More Good, which is tailored to "...the abundance in all forms. More thanks, more giving, and more thoughtfulness." In short, it focuses on charitable beauty brands that give back. I think it's a good theme for November to coincide with Thanksgiving. 

My first two samples went together, but were counted separately: Beauty Protector Protect&Shampoo and Protect&Condition. Upon first sniff, they smell like a salon and they are new to the Beauty Protector brand. The bottles look like a travel size, which in my opinion, is the perfect amount of product to truly tell if it works or doesn't. However, while they are nicely sized, I kind of wish they were grouped together as one sample and I would have gotten something else. It just feels kind of cope out-ish to count this as 2/5 of my samples.

Next up, nail polish! More specifically, Color Club's On the Rocks, which is from their new Cocktail Hour Collection. It's a gorgeous shimmery, metallic silver that looks like liquid metal. How much more perfect for the holidays can you get? I picture this as an accent nail with a deep, berry red a bit closer to Christmas. And I promise, Birchbox, I will never complain about Color Club in my box--their formulations are underrated, in my opinion. 

Number four is the Dr. Jart + Water Fuse Beauty Balm SPF 25+. I've heard YouTuber  MeghanRosette  (one of my favorites) rave about this so I was looking to try it. However, there is practically nothing to this. BB Creams are used in place on foundation, and you really need to wear foundation four or five times before you can really make a decision on the wear, skin reaction, etc. I doubt I'll get more than two uses out of this, which sucks. But it is a product I've wanted to give a go. 

My least favorite is the Juicy Couture Viva la Juicy Noir sample, and not because I hated the smell. I actually kind of really liked it, and I'm not usually a major fan of Juicy Couture fragrances. I just cannot stand getting perfume samples in my box. Any person can walk up to any beauty counter or into any store and ask for a perfume sample and receive the same thing for free. I wouldn't mind them if they were an extra, but I don't want them as part of my five. 

And finally...the best part. Birchbox introduced their new section: Birchbox Finds, which is a completely extra item in the box that isn't related to beauty. There won't be one in every month's box, it's just something a bit extra that the company discovered as is loving. And the first Birchbox Find? A full-sized Ghirardelli chocolate bar in the new toffee flavor. Not only do I love Ghirardelli, but I LOVE toffee, so I squealed in delight upon finding this. It makes up for the perfume sample (and not many things would).

The box also includes a fun little Holiday guide with tips and tricks from Birchbox. It's something cute and quirky to flip through.

I didn't figure out my exact total, but I know I passed ten with the chocolate and the nail polish. All in all, I'm happy with this box. But please, Birchbox: no more perfume samples!!

Want to subscribe?* http://www.birchbox.com/

*not an affiliated link

What subscription box service are you subscribed to?

xoxo

Alyssa