Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with another post!

Thoughts About Ipsy Acquiring BoxyCharm

So, Ipsy has now acquired BoxyCharm! How can I count the ways? As in, what do I think? I do have thoughts!

Disclaimer!

This post is based on thoughts due to experience! Please respect the writer’s thoughts on this topic! You have been warned!

As you all know, I used to be subscribed to both Ipsy and BoxyCharm except they were completely separate from each other. Ipsy was just makeup bags and the basic bag just had deluxe size samples and Glam Bag Plus is the next step up with five full size items with more prestige brands. While BoxyCharm, on the other hand, is a box with five more luxurious brands even when I started back in 2015, I did have to unsubscribe for a few years until I resubscribed with my own money this time and enjoyed it for a bit until BoxyCharm bored me. I loved getting a new pallet every month but the other items really bored me. What I found weird was that they had profiles when I got back around 2019 and it felt like they didn’t listen to what I lied. I did suggest to them about shade selection for face products like foundation, concealer, and powder, even brow products! They listened to that! But not products I did not check off, which were false lashes. I canceled after getting them a second time. You already knew my story with Ipsy which had me leave Glam Bag X, which was their luxury bag or shall I say box where they sent me boxes without four items once. THen GB Plus was next and gave Glam Bag a few more chances until things got nuts with them. I am not the only one who left due to how the profiles were not being listened to much or just the product selection was not what it used to be and that was Alexandria Ryan. I saw her video where she canceled her original profile on camera and she pointed out how her profiles did not match and kept on getting some similar items in all three of her bags. I thought Ipsy was all about the profile, after seeing this video, I was astonished. 

So now, I find out that BoxyCharm was acquired by Ipsy and it has me worried! Yes, worried! How so? I will tell you!

How Will This Work?

Okay, first is the question in how will this work for both? I remembered with the GB Plus and GBX that you needed the basic Glam Bag to have the next two tiers up. Apparently with BoxyCharm joining in,, first Ipsy is getting a bit of an upgrade where not only you still get the five deluxe items but also still choose one item every month but there is one item they call the Power Pick. The Power Pick is either a brand or product that Ipsy chooses as the item that makes the subscription more oomf for the buck. I wonder how since the product choices during the last few months were not the greatest and that made the subscription kind of go downhill for me due to how some items were not my favorites. I was hoping to try some items but it was hard to choose from which made it more tedious. I did find it surprising that when one of my bags got lost in the mail the green eyeliner I picked was sold out but they gave me a gift bag with that eyeliner eventually. I was glad since I was getting tired of getting nothing but black eyeliners. But wait, there’s more! I was glad I watched Alexandria Ryan’s video about this subscription where Ipsy got rid of their Glam Bag Plus and Glam Bag X. The BoxyCharm by Ipsy is different from what I remembered when I subscribed and I think this took place of GB Plus because you get to choose three out of the five products and the two products are your last two items happen to be based on your profile and supposed to be the Power Picks. The Power Picks are spotlight items for that month. I have thoughts on this coming up after talking about how this works. Beauty Boost is basically their Premium Box basically and that is six items I believe? I never went to Premium since I felt I was already getting the same items in the base box. And finally, the Icon Box which is their quarterly box, which is basically both BoxyCharm Lux and Glam Bag X. It works like Glam Bag X where they pick someone who is iconic to curate the box every February, May, August, and November and you get eight full-size items choosing three of the items. The other five are chosen by the Icon and they match your profile.

Thoughts and Skeptics!

I am really skeptical, especially after watching Alexandria’s video it helped me get an idea of what they’re doing. When I saw Alexandria’s video, it seemed like they never changed their ways. What do I mean by that? As in, it feels like they don’t really customize it to your profile. I remembered when I first joined in 2014, I felt that my products did fit me and that it felt more personal with each bag. Then when I came back in 2018, before they started item choices, it felt personal still with each bag and once choice became a thing for all three tiers, it didn’t feel the same and that they were just adding items to just items. I felt the same way with Boxy where I was getting pretty good items and it was like Christmas where I didn’t know what I was getting until it arrived. Then when they started allowing people to choose things then that felt off where they did the same thing where they just picked things except not reading the profile the most. I am still mad about the false lashes because I did not check that off when it came to products I love to get, which I remembered checking off foundation, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner, powder, concealer, lipstick, lip gloss, nail polish, and I believe hair care, and a few skin care items and lashes was the only thing not checked. Yet, they still sent them two times! What the hell? You already know my stance against them, especially after Lash Gate. So, I am really skeptical about the profile part because Ipsy is not only keeping their members but they are also getting the ones from BoxyCharm to cater to and that will take a lot of work to read everyone’s profiles and I have a feeling with this merger it will be extra overwhelming for them. I can imagine so many people complaining about products they get that are not what they wanted. The only complaint I had towards the end was how much skin care I was getting when I marked I was comfortable with makeup and not lying about it. I did see that Alexandria was getting repeats in her boxes since she gets more than one since she tends to do Adventurous, Regular Profile, and Skin Care but they sent repeat items in her boxes.. So, yeah that is making me more skeptical about the new boxes and that brings up the next point!

Items Being Missing!?

As you know, the major reason I canceled Glam Bag X is that I ended up having items missing. My May GBX had the NudeStix item I chose being missing and glad I got to try it all thanks to 21 Days of Beauty and then August, my birth month by the way, had half of my items missing! As my three choices were not in my box, well four items I chose and had to contact them and found out that the First Aid Beauty toner sold out. So, yes this is where the idea of them being overwhelmed comes into play with the amount of subscribers being under them and I have a feeling that products might end up being missing in the boxes out of nowhere, especially with Icon Box. When I notice something missing in my order is missing from Hot Topic or Ulta, they tell me over the phone if it could be replaced and if not, they just refund me and give me a gift card. Ipsy did give me extra points to use after what had happened but I think items might be missing.

Shade Matching Going Wrong

I am watching Alexandria’s video again at this moment and one thing I want to point out is that shade matching will be hell with face products and brow products. Alexandria got a brow gel from Anastasia Beverly Hills and it was taupe. I understand taupe is usually a universal shade for brow products but not for everyone since it can pull gray for most, with the shade of taupe is brown and gray mixed together. I’d rather get that as an eyeshadow or eyeliner. With the amount of people being subscribed will be hard with matching with shades and also one thing about profiles between the two, at least Boxy mentioned Light Medium as a skin tone and I think Ipsy needs to add that now because not everyone has a lighter skin tone and not everyone has a medium skin tone either, so there is that happy medium! And, with the idea of choice, I hope they keep the idea I gave to Boxy and that is to choose the shade if a concealer or foundation is chosen, 

That is it for this post. I was thinking of re-subscribing for shits and giggles at first but thank you to Alexandria, I see that they haven’t really changed with how they do things. I have a feeling things may go wrong due to the merger. THere are going to be so many people under each box that things may go haywire. I don’t get why they had to merge but to me they were stronger individually. I will see how these boxes live up, if they have to split then c’est la vie! Next post is my review on the last two books in the Winter of the Witch trilogy.

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with a new post!

What I Wish For 21 Days of Beauty!

Oh yeah, time for a post about 21 Days of Beauty, not a review but a post on things. Currently, Ulta is having their 21 Days of Beauty Sale where they have products for 50% Off depending on the day. You can also get free shipping if you’re Platinum and Diamond members with Ulta Rewards. Lately, I am agreeing with Jen Luv, it has been a bit boring. I feel like they have been repeating the same brands or products they have done in sale’s past! I do enjoy my skin care that I can get for half off and same with certain makeup but I think this sale needs a refresher. I usually get happy around the two times this sale comes around but lately it has not made me happy. I feel as though the same old same old always gets put on sale. I think the only new thing that was new was Jacklyn Cosmetics. So, what do I want in this sale? Read on!

Mac Mascaras and Blushes

Mac has been in this sale with their lipsticks, paint pots, Fix Plus, and I think their highlighters but I haven’t seen much with their blushes and mascaras. I figured that the new Mac Stacks Mascara would be something to bring a new fresh item to be put on sale but it wasn’t. The blushes have been something I do enjoy due to how well they have performed and they don’t get enough love to be placed in this sale. I figured it would be a nice change to the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes always going on sale and with this sale Benefit had their Boxed Blushes go on sale. Why not Mac? I am glad their single shadows are getting a chance in a few days though. I am hoping with the fall sale they have a different face product.

Hempz Lotion and Body Scrubs

This would be something for the fall sale and that is having more body products on sale because the cold winds does dry skin and knowing how people up north would feel once it gets colder. I do have dry skin and I think Hempz would be an option for the sale because of how moisturizing their lotions are. I have tried them through Ipsy and did get the Sensitive Skin one and that did feel good as well. These lotions can be pricey depending on what you purchase and would be great to have them half off. That goes with the body scrubs because of the flakes building up. I have tried their body scrub and it did help with lifting some layers. I think Ulta should have one day for lotions and one day for the scrubs to give a bit of variety in the body care. I think body care doesn’t get enough love, especially for the September sale.

Tony Moly

Another brand that doesn’t get much love for this sale is Tony Moly. This would be a fun sale item because the packaging is cute for their products like the Peach Punch Cleanser, the Banana Milk Hand Cream, and other items. The items I think that should be on 21 Days should include the Chock Chock Green Tea Moisturizer and the Sea Serum. I just started using the serum and it has not broken me out and doesn’t make my skin sting. The moisturizer is already a bit pricey as the serum and would be a nice add-on during the sale.

Seravay

Another popular brand is Seravay which I have used for their Sheer Tint SunScreen and that has worked for me well. I think that would be a good item for 21 Days because we need sun care and I barely see enough sun care except Murad’s moisturizer that has SPF in it. If the SHeer Tint Sunscreen is on sale, I would buy two or three of them.

Eva NYC

I rarely get to see enough hair products either in this sale. I know they have their Jumbo Hair Event but not enough hair products to put on sale. I think Eva NYC would be a good option for 21 Days since they are a smaller brand. Winky Lux

I haven’t tried this brand yet but I notice how they are in the prestige brand pricing. I think they should get a little love in 21 Days where people could try this brand to be able to afford some of the eye shadow palettes at least. They do it with Nabla but why not Winky Lux?

Nail Care Products

Ulta does have their items placed on sale including nail polishes but with nail care items from brands such as China Glaze, Sesh Veet, and Orally there are countless items that can be placed on sale for half off. I would love to get my favorite Orally Top to Bottom half off so I could get more than one bottle to have back ups for a while until I have to purchase more once my last bottle runs dry or runs out since this doesn’t thicken up as bad as the Sally Hansen Double Duty. Even nail tools could get a chance since people would love to have that nail salon treatment without the added cost!

Press On Nails

Besides the nail care items, press on nails should also be an option in 21 Days. Most people don’t like the idea of chipped nails so they turn to press-ons. I even turn to them sometimes and Ulta is my favorite place to find them. I would say Static Nails should be in 21 Days the most since they are one of the newer brands to appear at the store and online. It would be pretty nice to get some of the nails for around $4 to $5 depending on the style and color. It would give people a new brand to try when it comes to press-ons.

I think that will be it for this post. I know I have seen some SPF items for sale recently which included Shisado but I felt a little bored. I hope we get some new brands on the dock for September’s sale since we are heading into winter by that time. What is next? I do have some thoughts on Ipsy acquiring BoxyCharm since I used to be subscribed to both. Stay tuned!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! Time for a new post!

Annoying Things the Tick Tock Beauty Influencers Do!

I feel like doing something relevant since Tick Tock has been the newest platform for people in the beauty space to do reviews on. We have Micaela Niguera, Glamzilla, and of course Jeffree Star coming back to the beauty space to do reviews on Tick Tock but did cause one thing there. I would say watch the Viewer’s Voice and Dustin Daily for their updates. Anyways, it has been a new platform for them while others are still on YouTube and Instagram. Heck, I post my beauty stuff on Instagram instead since I find doing through there more easily since I did have a troll take down an Urban Decay look I had done. If you all want to follow me there, MariBlueCat is my username!

Besides the new platform rising, we do have some annoyances that are also arising that I feel like are making a scene. Here is my list of those annoying things I have noticed and want to have a bit of a talk but first!

Disclaimer!

This post is based on thoughts and observations from the lead writer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts on these observations because she is only human! You have been warned!

The Influencer GASP!
I feel I should start with this post with this one since I always see this in every Tick Tock video and I did make fun of it on Instagram alongside with something a bit later. There has been something called the Influencer Gasp where the person is doing a review and they gasp at the effects it gives. They give the usual gasp or the “OMG!” or the “Oh!” when it looks “amazing”.” One prime example is Jacklyn Hill going, “Oh!” wWith a green CC Cream she tried onn for her gasp. I feel as though that the gasp is not necessary with how the item works or if it works since it can be misleading to the viewer when it comes to the short. Yes, we can have a gasp towards being surprised during an unboxing from PR but not an individual product. Another thing is that an item takes time to work. Yes, a CC Cream may work at first for one person but not work right away for another. For instance, I used to use the corrector green shade with NYX’s concealer pots and it worked by hiding myn post blemish spots. It would work for me but it would not necessarily work for someone who has major redness since the item does not work for everyone. So, people just don’t gasp unless you are getting a nice gift!

Saying a Product is “Life Changing!”

Another annoying thing, especially with how Glamzilla and Micaela have been saying it, is how a particular product is life changing. I understand that skin care can change someone’s life if it works for them after a few months but a makeup product doesn’t change someone’s life in one use. It’s like saying if I just started the Mac Pro LongWear Paint Pot for eye primer. I would not say it changed my life after putting shadow on it once, I would say I will have to use it more before saying something like it would be my holy grail shadow primer when there are so many out there. For instance, not only do I use the Mac Paint Pots but I also enjoy the shadow primer from Ulta due to how well my shadows stick to it and it’s lower priced than a paint pot or the primer from P. Louise. Tangents aside, I think that some of these people on Tick Tock should stop saying something is life changing after one use.

Saying One Item Is Awesome and It’s Not Afterwards!

I’ve seen this with Micaela where she reviewed the Rare Beauty Blushes and the Got 2 B Brow Gel. She said these items were amazing and how well they worked in one video, well separate videos at first and then the next she says the Rare Beauty blushes are not in her Top Five and the brow gel is hard to remove. This is why I prefer honest reviews from people on YouTube, especially the ones who do the all day wear test to show how the product wears at the beginning and then comes back later to show if it wore off or stayed on and give their thoughts. I miss those kinds of videos since we get a better idea of how the product works throughout the day. I loved how Tati did that with the Wet N Wild liquid lipsticks when she went to IMATS one year to test how well they worked throughout an event! I wished we had more of that since we would be drinking water or soda and see if the lipstick stays or needs to be reapplied. A Tick Tock is just a YouTube short that shows only a small bit of that test. Heck, I was honest one year when I said Havana Nights from Ofra kept on bleeding all over the place, if you saw my interview with Tia Ballard on YouTube, would you see that! Again, tangents aside, I miss those videos where it is an all day test of something to give a better idea of the product rather than saying this product is amazing one video and then the next it sucked a few months later. 

Saying Where to Get the Item When the PRoduct Sucked!

I wanted to bring this up since I did mention the brow gel in the last point. Besides Micaela reviewing the brow gel, she points out how good it is and where she purchased it, which was Amazon. She mentions later how hard it was to remove but then people commented on those videos saying they bought the product. It went the same way for the Maybelline Hybrid Powder where people bought the powder because not only Micaela said it was amazing and it blended like skin but Nicki Tutorials said the same thing which caused people to go to Ulta and buy it! People didn’t get the same results as Nicki and Micaela which caused them to return their product. I saw the reviews on Ulta as well and they were not good. This is why I love watching anything from Jen Luv because she can give you an honest review about a product if it’s crap or not. I love her Top Ten Favorites and Fails every month because with the items she gets in subscriptions or PR or even buy herself, I feel relieved if she says it’s not good then I don’t spend the money on it. Such as the Peanuts Face Pallet from Wet N Wild’s Holiday Collection 2022. I was shocked with her review since Wet N Wild is known for their blushes and highlighters but that was not a good one and I was glad I didn’t buy anything from that collection specifically. Lauren May Beauty is another great resource for reviews and Karen Harris as well since she focuses on more of the Cruelty Free stuff. I just got into Kelly Guche recently and she is really good on her reviews. I got the Fenty Bronzer recently and need to keep using it before I decide to do a Favorites post again. Stilol, I feel as though you’re better off seeing someone on YouTube for recommendations on what to purchase rather than someone on Tick Tock and wasting your dollars on it. I feel bad for the people who picked up that brow gel and felt that they wasted their money. I bet you’re wondering, I suggest the NYX Tame & Frame Brow Pomade and their Control Freak Clear Brow Gel. I have used that combo for years and they are a chef’s kiss in my book! I think Got 2 B Should stick to hair stuff since I used to use their hair pomade when I started looking for jobs in the past.

Making Cuts for The Effect!

I remembered how people pointed this out for some of the people on Tick Tock where they are trying a product and they make cuts to hide what they’re doing. One example is the reason for Lash Gate where Micaela puts on the Telescopic Lift with one coat and then makes the cut to say what happens after a second coat but has Ardel Wispies after her cut. Viewers even wondered if she did the same idea with the Maybelline powder where she put something on and that was not shown. When I did beauty videos, I showed the whole process of putting my makeup on and how it applies. Yes, the video is longer back then but you see there is no cut for an effect. It’s all me! As in, putting on the foundation where I spread it on with the Wet N Wild Photo Focus and then the powder, no cuts to show a weird effect to say my skin is so smooth due to my translucent powder.. I can see why so many people got mad at Lash Gate and were distrusting of some of the people on Tick Tock because the cuts can be anything and we’re not getting much. I know that YouTube editing allows someone come back with the finished product but they say that they tend to do a particular step off camera which includes brows or lashes and they say they will be back and say that their brows or lashes are now on and go to the next step but others do show how they do their brows and lashes. So, no cuts required with some people.

Don’t Need That Much Foundation!

I have to point this out because it is a reference to Meredith Ducksbury. She has posted on Tick Tock how she uses the entire bottle of foundation for her entire look, especially when she uses her hands to apply it. This caught the attention of Makeup by Mario where he talks about how his foundation really needs about one pump and to come to his studio for a makeover. Meredith did go for a makeover and was not happy with the amount he used, which was half a pump. I researched it and apparently less foundation is more coverage and I agree with that. I do about two pumps with the Urban Decay Stay Naked when I first used it, I also used two with Smashbox but that was not my favorite due to the pump being so tiny for the product you need, but I tend to do one squeeze with the new NYX Blur Foundation i’ve been liking at the moment. I don’t use my hands because it’s hard to get a good blend so I use my Real Techniques sponges to get an awesome blend. If I don’t blend too well, then RJ helps with added blending. I think Meredith just likes to cake on a bit much which you don’t need much of it and foundation has not been cheap with inflation striking last year. I was surprised that the Stay Naked foundation went to $40 last year and just wait for a sale or just purchase it if I feel like it at some point. In the meantime, I will stick to spreading on Wet N Wild or just squeezing one dollop of NYX.

N0ot Disclosing Your Sponsorships!

This is one thing that people have been questioning about some of these people on Tick Tock and that is how sponsorships are being disclosed. I like the idea of making your coin but not disclosing with the guidelines the FTC puts in place will get you in trouble, which they need to start breaking down. Seriously, they get on MLMs for saying they cure certain conditions but not break down how bad some people do their sponsorship claims! As in, how some not only use the banner but they don’t[‘t put if it’s ad or not at the beginning of their descriptions or put it in a hard to see font to hide it. To me, that is very tacky with how it gets hidden by white text. I understand paying my bills is important but if I were the FTC, I would tell the person to pay back the check to the company because not disclosing can cause problems. This also goes the same with Amazon links apparently where the person has to disclose that they do make commission off the purchases that are made. I think Amazon and the FTC should crack down and say, “Hey! You need to mention you get paid for your links, if not then we have to take that money for ourselves. Sorry!” One problem I’ve seen with this is, which includes with the past with Morphe, is that the viewer loses trust in their favorite YouTube star or Tick Tocker because of how it feels like if they use their code or buy the product then they are just a paycheck to them. Remember the Morphe codes? Especially with how Jacklyn Hill pushed it constantly with every beauty video she had made? It felt as though we are lining their pockets and like I said above, not all products will work out for everyone. What happens if that linked product or sponsored product does not work out? That also causes a mistrust for that person which would cause the viewer to think, “Are they making a paycheck off me viewing this or buying it?” So, if you’re being sponsored then just disclose and follow the FTC guidelines. They are right on their website for public viewing!

Buying a Gift for the Audience to Promote a Collaboration!

Had to point this out since it just happened and talked about on Viewer’s Voice. Apparently, Glamzilla bought gift cards to give to her audience for Sephora and said something about going broke if she keeps on buying these thank you gifts and then she did a promotional video for her nudeStix Collaboration that will be sold in Sephora locations. I am glad she got the collab but getting gift cards for people to use it on them is kind of cheap in my book. When I get a gift card I’d rather use it on something I really want from the store such as a set of earrings if I got one from Hot Topic or get my favorite Orally Top to Bottom if I’m running out if I got one from Ulta as examples.. It’s a bit tacky to give your audience this incentive and expect them to purchase your collab when those gift cards should be just giveaway prizes if the person were to do a contest using the collab and hash tagged them, that is what I would do if it was my own collab. I just started using NudeStix by the way and so far they are good but I need to keep using them since I did get the Sweet Peach Peony and Sweet Cheeks sticks and have to see how I feel about them.

Giving Advice on a Different Product That is Being Asked About!

Since I pointed out about how people spend money on items that were reviewed and were loved at first, this kind of goes back to people asking for makeup advice. Glamzilla was asked about the concealer from Bobbi Brown since she had made a video about how she enjoyed it. Someone asked if they still recommend it, Glamzilla turns around and says that the Bobbi Brown one was not her favorite and suggests the Maybelline Age Rewind instead because of how iconic it has been, plus she has been sponsored by Maybelline as well. Like I said above, if you like the product and say it’s good then recommend it to people even when they ask about it. Don’t go around and say it sucks when you said it was great at first and tell someone you shouldn’t get it if you loved it. I admit I was guilty of doing that when I said I liked the Star Light Gel Liners from NYX on video and found out later they were really drying and never recommended them in any blog posts after the fact. If you don’t like the product, then say you don’t like it and just say you prefer something else! I think I said in my Coastal Scents video for the Makeup Forgotten video a long while ago that I didn’t like lip pallets but did try their lip pallet for the video and would prefer a lipstick instead.. Not sure if that thing survived the flood, if it didn’t, like said before I prefer lipsticks over lip pallets. Heck, I even said earlier that the Smashbox Foundation is not my favorite due to the pump not being powerful and would even tell someone that if they asked about it.

I think that’s it, I hope no one doesn’t come after me for being honest about some of these points. I’d rather watch an honest review on products by people I enjoy on YouTube than being told to go out and buy something that won’t work on me. I did forget to say with the makeup being life changing . Most people wear it for a day and then wipe it off at the end of the day with some mycellar water, a makeup removing towel, or makeup wipes. Just enjoy the makeup you love to use already instead of buying things that won’t work out or just watch people who you trust on YouTube and just buy what works for your skin or what is suitable when it comes to formulas. You should not be uncomfortable with beauty. That is it! Just look out for my book review next!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! I am back with a new post!

Yeah, Meh, Nah Spring 2023

It’s that time again and that is what I would like, I might buy if it’s catching my interest enough,and definitely not buying for this spring!  It’s been a long time since I’ve done this post with all the makeup that has been coming out and with the drama surrounding it, it is time for me to put my thoughts on it. I watched What’s Up in Makeup this morning and I heard some releases that made me want to write this post and here is what I have to say!

Nars Laguna Shadow Pallet

I mentioned Nars is one of those brands that seems to lose their creativity due to how much they have banked on their blush shade Orgasm for many years with so many items. I still have my big Orgasm blush compact somewhere in my stack of drawers, I am not lying about that, I did buy it but didn’t get the Orgasm Rising Shadow Pallet. See what I mean? Now, this year for spring they are doing the same thing but with their Laguna Bronzer, which is another best selling shade. It’s a shadow quad, even though it says there are five shades but four is only mentioned under the Details tab on Ulta and it costs $49. What the hell? Really? That much for just four shadows even if you can contour with them? That is definitely a nah in my book since I did get the Nomad Surf Shack pallets for way lower since they are being discontinued. Since that was happening I bought two of the shadow duos instead of one. To be fair, I was going through a rough patch last month and I went makeup shopping. Anyways, why would I want a shadow quad with four iterations of a bronzing shade? It would work if this was a nine pan pallet or a twelve pan where you can not only have bronzer type shades but also mix in some blues since it is supposed to be Laguna Beach? Still, nah to me! I enjoy Nars with some items, well more of the blushes but this is not something I would buy.

ColourPop Magnetic Blush Palette

Not sure I will be picking this up but I feel like brands are starting to throw back towards older trends that people have enjoyed and that is the magnetic pallets. If you remember back in the mid-2010s, the brand Z Pallet came out with magnetic pallets where you can take magnetic pans and place them into these pallets to create your own pallet which in turn people started to pan shaes for these pallets to be more unique. I like the idea since I did get those Hot Pot Shadows from Coastal Scents to create my own pallets for work makeup looks and even done it with some Colour Pop shadows as well. Other brands have followed suit and it had died off for a little while due to the pandemic. Color Pop is trying to bring it back with their blushes where you can create a cheek palette where you can put either bronzer, blush, or highlighter or just blushes, highlighters, or just bronzers to have your own face pallet by purchasing this type of pallet to build your own. It starts at 

$10 and you go from there. I may pick this up because I have tried some blushes from Colour Pop and enjoy them and may add some highlighters because they have an amazing formula. So, this is a meh for me!

Too Faced Italian  Spritz Pallet

I haven’t purchased anything from Too Faced since they discontinued their Chocolate Bar collection and am still sad about that. Why discontinue the popular items that made you famous? I heard the Better Than Chocolate pallet was terrible though! So, yeah they broke it. Anyways, when Jen talked about this pallet she got in PR, it got me curious with how she talked about it this morning. I like the idea that it still has the neutrals with the pops of color like with the Chocolate Bars had and it does have the scent of summer which I may be buying thi]k8s since it has been a long time. So, it would be under the Yeah and Meh categories because of how Too Faced brought back the scented pallets and might be going back to their original idea.

Update: I am purchasing the pallet so it is a yeah in my book!

Rare Beauty GIve Yourself Grace Pallet

It’s been a long time since I got anything Rare Beauty related since I left Ipsy. As you know, I only got mascara from Rare through Glam Bag Plus and it was pretty good on my lashes. I may get that again if I can find a Sephora in town. This is an eyeshadow palette that has rosy shades based on the blush shade called Grace. I haven’t tried her blushes which I heard are good things about them, I may have to check those out at some point and with this pallet, is a meh for now since I haven’t tried her shadow formula yet. Jen did try it out and she said she didn’t like it. I may have to try it so the shadow pallet is just a meh right now.

Too Faced Healthy Glow SPF 30 Skin Tint

I haven’t tried many foundations from most prestige brands except for Smashbox and Urban Decay and I do enjoy the skin tint from Urban Decay since it is very moisturizing due to how dry my skin is and I haven’t re-purchased it, I hope it is on the 21 Days of Beauty block for this spring since I already went for the Mac Paint Pots, especially with two newer shades as well. This skin tint has 18 shades with moisture and helps with glow. It also has SPF 30. I agree with Jen that the SPF is not enough to go without your sunscreen since I still wore sunscreen while wearing any makeup product that had it when I used to get any of the subscription boxes. I am not sure if they have my shade since I am a light to medium with neutral undertones and so far Urban Decay, Wet N Wild, and NYX have pulled through with their shades for me. Right now, this skin tint is a nah since I already have foundations I enjoy.

That is it for this post. I think I covered some of the items that were mentioned. I did update that I did pick up the Italian Spritz pallet and not sure if I will do a video since I need to get a new tripod but may just do it on Instagram. Who knows! They seem that they’re coming back from the makeup graveyard and see if they will be purchased again by me./ I am trying one of their Cloud Blushes on top of it. I may add the new Color Pop pallet to my budget next month, who knows. I may continue this series at some point this year since it’s fun talking about makeup like this. What’s next? I am on the last book of the Winter of the Witch Trilogy so stay tuned for that review!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! Guys! THis tea is hot, it’s hotter than a gas giant in space! I decided it’s time for a new Cosmetic Controversy!

Cosmetic Controversy: False Lashes in a Mascara Review and Why Is It Still Happening?

Yes, I know what’s going on with Micaela Noguera and L’OReal Cosmetics with their new Telescopic Lift Mascara. I did buy this one after hearing this along with two pallets from Nomad Cosmetics, which I will be doing a look with this on Instagram coming soon! But I do have thoughts as a makeup lover and I have been wearing mascara since 2014 and will give them! But first!

Disclaimer!

This post is based on thoughts and opinions from the writer of this blog. Please respect her thoughts on the topic towards this controversy and how she feels about the product! You have been warned!

So, this past week I have seen stuff on YouTube about how Micaela Noguera reviewed the new Telescopic Lift Mascara from L’OReal Cosmetics. I have loved the original Telescopic and after hearing about the new one I was a curious little kitty towards it. What got me a little confused is that she not only applied the mascara with one coat, which has the regular brush and then a lash comb to separate the lashes, she goes off camera and comes back saying that it changed her life but other creators have noticed she had some Ardell Wispy Lashes on. I have heard of Ardel but you know my stance on false lashes, heck my first Cosmetic Controversy post was on them, you can find it in the archives and do hear my favorite people on YouTube use Ardel lashes in their looks. A lot of creators like Kathleen Lights, Raw Beauty Christie, and a few others noticed and spoke out about it because they felt duped about how they’re honest with their reviews of products. Even Jeffree Star came out of his reviewing retirement to Tic Toc to post his review and talked about how people are being paid to say that they love the product when people are really honest with items. I may have to touch upon that a bit later in this post but one person did say that everyone lies about everything which is not always true!

The False Lashes in Mascara Advertisements

This is not a new thing because in the early 2000s, especially going into the 2010s, we have seen commercials that showed models with the most beautiful looking lashes for mascara. Maybelline and Rimmel got hit with some whistle blowing for their advertisements. Maybelline advertised their famous Rocket Mascara which I had tried and my lashes did not look like the model’s at all. I didn’t like it much either and never bought it again due to it not doing much for my lashes. THe thing that got maybelline in trouble is for having the model having lash inserts on their eyes to make it look like their lashes are voluminized. Rimmel had their advertisement in 2017 banned in the United Kingdom for using false lashes as well. The UK is very strict on their advertisements and could see why they banned it. I only really saw articles going back to the 2010s before what happened recently but of course we can’t always trust the brand’s advertisements. Not all mascaras do what the claims say since everyone’s lashes are different. Like I said above, the Maybelline Rocket didn’t do anything to my lashes like some of their mascaras.  Rimmel, on the other hand, has better luck with their formula. All I have to say is that using false lashes or extensions in advertisements make it look like false advertising. Most of the time people that use the falsies have to use the mascara on their actual lashes and then apply them and blend them into the natural lash with another coat. Unfortunately, our natural lash does not do what a wispy really does so I can see why most people would wear them. Like I said, I think it is not necessary to have these when most people have nice and natural lashes and mascara is supposed to be used to enhance the volume and length, even some do the curl enhancement. Of course, we do have the lash curlers to help before and after the mascara on top of it. It would have been better if they just left these falsies and extensions at home.

My THoughts with Micaela and L’OReal

I think this was really shady as a freak because I have loved L’OReal voluminous line, especially the Miss Manga which I had used with cosplay and they have discontinued. Rest in Peace my friend! Micaela did a very dishonest review in my book because wearing false lashes makes the product not be real enough to justify the purchase. I did buy it so I can try it out myself after seeing the clips from James Charles in some videos. I like to try out items to see what I think about it for myself since I can’t see the end result due to being blind. If I feel it on my lashes and how well they look and feel with the mascara and if it does the  stuff as advertised, like with how the Miss Manga made my lashes look like an anime character, I will purchase it again. Hearing about how she wore the lashes made me feel that the review was cheap to say that this the best mascara. Even though Micaela is not speaking, L’OReal is also not speaking since they partnered with her and sent influencers PR packages with this mascara. I think they should have put in a contract if there is one to have a point without false lashes. Like I said before, it makes the review look cheap if the lashes were placed because we can’t tell if the formula did its thing. I understand Tic Toc is a new environment for brands to send over review items but Tic Toc personalities should be held up to the same standards of reviews on Instagram and YouTube, which brings me to the next point!

Thoughts on Jeffree Star

Jeffree Star came back to the beauty space but on Tic Toc this time to review the mascara and talked about how he hates people paid to say they love the product even if it’s not good. I’d rather rewind what he has said to the days of Morphe’s popularity where people said they love the item so much after one use. I saw it the most with Miss Jacklyn Hill and that caused me to unsubscribe from her. There are honest people on YouTube who have tried products over time and can say that it’s not good or that it’s awesome after their experiences. I love Jen Luv the most since she says in her motto about not buying crap but buying really good items. I have trusted her reviews on items I’ve seen in her Favorites & Fails video, such as her thoughts on the Wet N Wild Peanuts Collection for holiday last year. It’s been a long time since I bought anything from Wet N Wild since I love their foundation for a long time, I trusted her review on some of the items in the collection did not work out and was surprised that a face product was not pigmented when they were known for pigmentation in a lot of their items. Tangents aside, there are still some honest personalities out there. Which also brings me to how someone thought everyone lies about everything, yes and no! Not everyone lies about everything but some do and that can be a backlash on themselves. I still remember Jacklyn’s lipsticks being one of these examples where she kept on lying about the lab having white cotton gloves and how the fibers fell into the formulas when really there are animals walking around. It is a big deal for customers at the time because of how these contaminants caused injury to the customer. Raw Beauty Christie made a point about the review that made her and others look bad because she wore lashes and doing a review should be more honest. So yes, not everyone lies about everything!

Closing Thoughts

Micaela is not able to bounce back from this due to her silence. L’OReal is also guilty because they should have a clause about no lashes allowed in the review because it brings a bad taste to it. As said before, I did buy this mascara and I will try it for myself and how I li]k,8ke it and see how it feels. I do like Ulta’s snub by putting the Telescopic Lift next to the Ardel display which kind of shows that they don’t like the review either. I also feel that the audience may not trust her reviews after this if she is using false lashes in any more mascara reviews. I know doing this in mascara commercials is banned in the U. K. and the United States may have followed suit but should also do it in partnering with any Tic Toc personalities if they are going to continue work with them as time goes on.

That completes this post. It feels good to say something and man it hurts since I love L’OReal’s products over the years. I will have to see how this mascara works on my lashes to see what I think. Still reading books by the way. I am almost done re-reading The Bear & the Nightingale before I work on the second one in the Winter Witch trilogy, Until next time!

Hello to all of you beautiful nerds and welcome back from traveling the vast nerd universe! Time for another beauty post!

Fave Beauty Items of 2022

I know I should have done this just after the Bests & Worsts but I felt that other posts had to come first in order to think about what I wanted to include. I don’t want to be like some beauty people who name everything they like but I do have some things that I have tried and enjoyed during the year and will mention them here. But first!

Disclaimer!

This post is based on thoughts about products that the lead writer of this blog has enjoyed during 2022. Please respect her picks and thoughts about each item! You have been warned!

Hair

Starting with hair since I have been growing my hair out I want to make sure that my hair is strong! I am starting off with the Tresemme Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner. I have been growing my hair and one thing that helps is carotene oil to make hair strong and I have been enjoying this shampoo and conditioner because of how strong and thick my hair has been getting. I notice not as much fall out as my hair gets but I do put a comb through it and some strands fall but not as bad. Another hair product I did love was the Honey and Mimosa Hair Pomade. For work, I try to keep my hair from sticking out and having a good pomade does help. I have used the Got2B Pomade for years but that has been hard to find for years and tried out one from Old Spice but that one weighed my hair so much I had to toss it until I found the one from Carol’s Daughter.This was the most reasonable priced at Ulta and it did keep my hair down with a light hold and it didn’t weigh it down until I need to either wash my hair or just use dry shampoo. I did like one sale where they had this product buy one get one discounted and did buy it at that time to keep a stock of it. I hope this doesn’t go away. And finally, the Eva NYC Satin Dream Leave-In Conditioner is another favorite this past year. This has been something I use to keep my hair from frizzing up and being so dry, especially after washing my hair. It smells so good and I love the pump idea since this stuff is thick! I’m glad to see that Ulta carries this and I can just go into my Favorites list and pick it up. I just recently got another one in case I run out soon.

Skin

Next category is skin and man. I’m glad I did cancel my subscriptions because all of the skin care items have piled up over the years and now I’m starting to use some items. I do have some items I did enjoy this past year and one of them happens to be the SaraVay Skin Tint SunScreen in 30 SPF. I love this one because it doesn’t give me the white cast like the SPF 50 one does. I tried so much to love that one but couldn’t due to how much of a white cast it gave me, even my supervisor helped me to clean my face every time and had to toss it. The Sheer Tint SunScreen just goes on sheer like it says. I am on my second tube since I did repurchase it when my dad visited last time this month. I am still buying this even on sale. Another skin care item I give props to is the Aveeno Oatmeal Face Wash! I think I have gone through so many face washes all thanks to the subscriptions but I think the one I have enjoyed so far is the one from Aveeno. This one is meant for sensitive skin and I like how it’s not overpowering with the oatmeal scent either and it has helped with moisture even before my skin care. I think I prefer this one over the Saravay one because that one is a bit too drying for my liking even though that was suggested by the person from Ulta who helped me find items for my canceled RangerStop trip. I think I will stick with this face wash for the shower instead. Another skin care item I have enjoyed has been the Good Molecules Hyaluronic Acid Serum which I prefer over the ones I have tried from subscriptions. THis brand is from Beautylish and they have been at Ulta for over a year and a half and have picked this up in the smaller bottle and now I have the bigger bottle. I am about to try one from Tony Moly that has caught my eye and see how that works, if that one turns out bad I know I will return to my Good Molecules one! And finally, I admit I love Native Deodorants! For the longest time I have bounced between so many deodorant brands until I finally broke down and purchased Native all thanks to Mile Higher talking about the Christmas scents at the end of 2021; It did take me a while to get used to them because I was going from brands that I was used to a new and natural formula with shea butter and it was the greatest choice. I have enjoyed the Tye Dye Vanilla Cupcake which was a limited edition scent along with the Mint Chip Cupcake that I got three of and used one of them I believe. I am currently using one from the Cabin Collection which is their autumn collection and it’s the Vanilla Marshmallow. I hope they bring this collection back, especially the shower gels because I got the bundle of body washes and man they smell so good! I love the bundle packs because they do save you some money in the end. I did pick up their Candy Shop Collection with the Strawberry Vanilla Taffy, Sour Berry Ropes, and Gummy Bears because of Jen Luv’s ad and like everyone else who commented, I wanted to smell like gummy bears too!

Face

Next up is what I loved in face makeup and to start this category I have been enjoying the Smashbox Hydrating Face Primer. Even though the NYX Marshmallow Primer, which is my go to replacement for the hydro one they made, has been my top choice, the one from Smashbox is my second favorite and I think I prefer it over the foundation. It has a better pump and it also feels good and cools on the skin when I put it on. It may cost a little bit more than the NYX Marshmallow Primer since they have raised their prices but Smashbox does have a good price for some of their stuff. At least it’s not as high as Urban Decay has gotten as of late! Speaking of which, I do enjoy the Urban Decay Stay Naked Skin Tint which I purchased through 21 Days of Beauty and of course got it in Light Medium Neutral! This is another feel good product but also blends very well into the skin when I get to foundation. I put it on my pallet and apply it with my beauty sponge and it feels refreshing once blended in! Finally, I give props to Milani with their blush sticks! I would have never enjoyed a blush stick until Milani released these last year. I have one in rose and one in peach and love how well they blend in once I apply them.

Eyes

Next up is eyes and man it’s hard to know what I loved! I admit the Ulta Matte Eye Shadow Primer has been something I’ve been enjoying when it comes to priming my lids before applying my shadows. I usually love the potted primers but this tube of primer has been lasting me for a long time and it keeps my shadows on very well. I also enjoyed the Araceli Eyeliner in Rose Gold to go with any of my rose themed shadow looks. I found how pigmented it is and I do enjoy the pencil sharpener that came with it as well. 

Lips

Final category is lips. I think I don’t have much since most of the lipsticks I have used are from Mac. I have purchased a lot of lipsticks from them last year and enjoyed them. I do admit I did like one liquid lipstick line but it got discontinued which made me sad. I do admit their Powdered Kiss line is pretty good from what I’ve tried so far. I do put it on top of a favorite which is the Ulta Collection Lip Primer. I have used the one from ELF but when I tried this one out I fell in love! This one is more like a chap stick and easy to use. I tend to use it with liquid lipsticks to keep them from running all over my face. I tend to carry one in my work makeup bag and one in my personal makeup bags! I did find one I have gotten a while back in one of my LoungeFly backpacks since I used up the one in my work makeup bag since they sold out recently. At least I found out they re-stocked and may purchase at a later date.

So, that is it for this post! I know it seems short but I feel as though it was easy in certain areas. I didn’t include an eye shadow pallet because I didn’t use shadow pallets as much. I may have some for 2023, let’s see what happens! I am still reading books so stay tuned!