I have a type-A personality. My life revolves around my four dollar TJ Maxx planner, vacations have fully detailed itinerary’s penned before we even set off, and I have notebooks filled to completion with notes and lists that keep me in check. It is just how I survive.
I recently started journaling my cosmetic purchases; nothing too badly, just the date they were purchased and how much I spent. It started as a way to track my money and how long a product was lasting me, but then I added a new element. I started putting stars next to products I bought during the month that I especially liked, specifically products I was trying for the first time. I decided to share them with you guys in the form of a “My favs of the month” post.
March was my birthday month, the arrival of my Spring FabFitFun box, along with half of Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Event so I was especially blessed with all these opportunities to try new goodies. Here’s what I’ve been loving so far.
My March Favs
Honorable Mention: MAC Prep and Prime Fix+ Scents in Lavender, retails $27, on sale for $13.50
I was a loyal follower of Urban Decay’s All Nighter Spray and that was my setting spray of choice. Then I saw on a forum that this product was similar to my new fav Mario Badescu Chamomile and Lavender facial spray but would actually set my makeup, so I scooped it up during the 21 Days of Beauty Event. While it does set my makeup and keep everything in place, I was not expecting it to be as matte and thought it would be more hydrating like the Mario spray. I do love how long lasting it is and its scent is much better than most setting sprays, it was my own dumb expectations that prevented it from making my top 10.
10. tre´stique Matte Color & Lip Balm Crayon in Florence Fig, retail $25, FFF item
This was the mystery item FabFitFun was offering as a choice if you weren’t interested in the mixing spoons or body lotion. When my box arrived and my item was revealed to be a lip crayon, I did not think I was going to like it based on my experience with other makeup brands FFF partners with (ish for example). I tried it and now I love it, it’s a constant in my purse. Florence Fig is the perfect dusty rose shade and the balm is nourishing without feeling too waxy. Pleasent surprise out of a mystery item? Yes. Would I spend the regular $25 on it once its done though? No, I do think that price is a little bit of a reach.
9. ColourPop’s Super Shock Highlighter in Churro, retail $8, on sale for $6.40
Colourpop ran a promotion when their Instagram hit 7 million followers in early march. Not only did they offer 20% site wide (excluding new arrivals), they rereleased discontinued shades of their most popular products. My first haul that I got included the discontinued Super Shock Eyeshadow in Koosh and the liquid lips in Chilly Chili & Wild Nothing. In my second haul I went back for Churro because of how stunning it looks in its pot and I have not regretted since. Not only is it a treat to look at but the application is a flawless deep gold, almost a light caramel shade, unlike any highlighters in my collection. The only reason it’s lower on my favs is because it is a darker toned highlighter that only looks good with particular looks.
8. MAC’s Painterly Paint Pot Eye Primer, retail $22, on sale for $11
I know, I am literally the last person on earth to try and fall in love with this collection staple but I am here now ok? I understand the hype! The only reason I ranked it as low as it is is because I have only had a few days to play with it before writing this piece. In those few days though, I have noticed a significant improvement in my eyeshadows appearance and performance. Gone are the days where I only lay concealer down to prime my eyes, I am a new women. Definitely a repurchase item.
7. Ouai Leave-In Conditioner, retail $26, FFF item
I also did not have a lot of time to experiment with this item but it is already impressing me. The reason it is as low as it is is that I am pretty sure I am using it wrong. The video on FabFitFun.TV shows them spraying the product onto wet hair and spreading it out with a wide tooth comb. I would not even dream about combing out my curls, no matter how wide the teeth are, and I haven’t even applying it to wet hair. I have been using it on my flat-ironed hair to give it a little bit of a boost after it’s been heat treated, and it works! If it preforms this well when it’s being used wrong, I can only imagine what its like used properly. Also I will most likely repurchase when I am finished with it.
6. Tula’s Purifying Face Cleanser, retails $28, FFF item
Another FabFitFun item I ended up loving. I finished up my Mario Badescu cleanser this month and moved on to this beauty effortlessly. What has been turning me off with face products lately has been how they smell but Tula’s cleanser has a clean, almost baby shampoo like smell that I love. It leaves my face feeling soft and totally refreshed. However, I’m glad it was included in my FFF box because while its a great product worth try I just cannot see myself shelling out more than $20 on a face product. The only exception was the Dr.Brandt Exfoliate that I scooped up at Sephora for $39.99 because that is truly how good its going to get for that item.
5. Dry Bar’s Hot Toddy Heat Protectant Spray, retail $26, Ulta point redemption
Since I am a March baby, I cashed in 2,000 rewards points at Ulta in order to finally buy some items I had been eyeing and to treat myself for my birthday. One item in my haul was Dry Bar’s Hot Toddy, which I picked out because I had been looking for a top notch heat spray (due to the amount of times I flat iron my hair) and I already love Dry Bar’s dry shampoo so this was a perfect excuse to explore the brand more. I’ve used this 3-4 times since it arrived and I’m loving the results. My straightened hair feels healthier and the ends look less frayed, definitely a keeper. The $26 price point though is a little daunting, will make sure to stock up when redeeming points and if it pops up during the Love Your Hair Event.
4. Morphe X Jeffree Star Brush Collection, retails $49.99, Ulta point redemption
I was so L U C K Y that my birthday point redemption coincided with the release of this brush set. It was so overhyped and publicized I thought it was going to sell out. Luckily I nabbed a set along with the sponges. While I haven’t opened the sponges yet since I am currently stocked on beauty sponges, I have tried the brushes. The foundation brush blends my foundation amazingly, that brush alone makes me want to endorse the whole set.
The only negative feedback I have is I do not remember having heard that the highlighter brush and the eyeshadow brushes were made with natural hair. I will rewatch Jeffree’s reveal video to see if he doesn’t mention it or that was a slight on my part but the reason I mention it is because if you don’t already own natural brushes (like me), or are not able to recognize them from a synthetic brush (also me), you’re going to make a grave mistake when washing them. I attempted to wash the highlight brush alongside my synthetic brushes using the beautyblender cleansing solid and it frayed out immediately.
I was able to save it by smoothing it back into place with olive oil, but educate yourselves and don’t do what I did! Once you keep in mind the pink bristle ones are synthetic and the white bristle ones are natural then these make an excellent edition to your collection.
3. Colourpop’s BFF Mascara in Blackest Black, retails $8, Mystery Bag inclusion
These bad boys launched back in January but I just cracked open the one I received in Colourpop’s iconic mystery bag launch. These were also really hyped up in the Colourpop community and I can also say they are worth the hype. The formula is truly something of magic, with an applicator that gives off serious Better Than Sex vibes. I’ve tried Better Than Sex and actually ended up tossing it before it expired because the applicator kept getting clogged up with product, leading to uneven application. Colourpop has a non-clumping formula that helps out your lashes and the brush itself. For that price point, this will be my new go-to mascara.
2. Dr.Brandt’s Needles No More, No More Baggage Eye De-Puffing Gel, retails $42, FFF item
I had no idea what eye gel was, I had no desire to buy any any time soon, but when I tried it out just for fun I was hooked. Someone on the FFF forum described it as “Spanx for your eyes” which is 100% accurate. Now I’m 23 and don’t have a huge problem with bags under my eyes yet this gel also helps with discoloration and my issue with swollen eyes after a night of crying. I layer it under my daily moisturizer when I need it and find it makes my eyes look more alive and brighter. Is it worth the $42 price point? Yes! Am I personally going to pay that? I can’t financially afford to whenever I run out of product, as with the Hot Toddy, I will stock up during Ulta events and point redemption hauls.
1.Jeffree Star X Manny MUA Collab Bundle, retails on Beautylish for $50
This was by far my favorite discovery of March because everything I tried I have incorporated into my everyday look. Now I know this is an old collection, the reason I stumbled upon it was because I was craving some new Jeffree Star products and hopped on Beautylish because of their reasonable free shipping price ($35 purchases). Apparently they are still selling the collection. It came with two liquid lips and a highlighter with a savings of $15 as opposed to buying each item separately. The two liquid lips, I’m Shook (a pretty coral) and Daddy (cool tan nude), are signature JSC liquid lips that never fail. The real showstopper is the highlighter, Uranus is a breathtaking champagne gold that I cannot stop using. It’s blinding but not too blinding where I can’t use it for every day wear. I am so glad I found this bundle, I can’t believe I payed full price for it!
Misses
With every favs list, there are some misses. However, I only had 2.
Ulta 24K Magic Beauty Oil, retails $19.95
I picked this up during the Beauty Stars event to get 7x the points and because I was looking for a cheaper alternative to the Living Proof No Frizz Serum for my hair. You could also use it as a lip primer and to revive dried out makeup. I will say it does do a good job, it really does keep my frizz at bay during the day and primes my lips well. My only issue is with the dropper applicator. No matter how many times I squeeze it, product gets lodged in the tube and will not come out. I end up having to wipe the product off the dropper with my fingers and applying it that way, and subsequently skipping applying this product all together.
L´óréal Pure Sugar Scrub Smooth and Glow Grape Seed Lip Scrub, retails $6.99
I only used a sample size of this that came in a Ulta gift with purchase sample swag bag but this is what I was talking about during the Tula summary, this product was great but I could not stand the smell! I have no idea what it was but every time I applied it in the shower I gaged. It made my skin feel amazing but I will never be able to get over the scent, make sure to smell your products before purchasing people!
What were your favorites this month? These were some of mine and don’t worry, I already have a few shipments that are coming in April just waiting to be tried out and I can’t wait to share with you all my thoughts.
Beauty Belle 