Where Have I Been?

Hi friends! I know it's been awhile since we last talked. How have you been? I've missed you!

There's a reason for my lengthy absence! I've been doing an intensive internship for the past month (and I mean intense--some days I'm gone for 14 hours), and it's taking up so much more time than I ever would have thought. Unfortunately, that severely cuts into my blogging time. I don't foresee myself being able to regularly churn out blog posts this summer, which is a huge letdown considering I love this blog, but I'll do my best to check in when I can.

I return home at the very end of August, so come September everything should return back to normal. Hang in there, guys! I'll be back in no time, with plenty of things to share with you! I'm counting down the weeks. See you soon!

What are you doing right now?

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The FOREO LUNA Cleansing Tool: It's For Your Face

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Hi, friends! I bet some of you are wondering what this weird-looking pink thing is, right? No, it's not something you'll find in a sex shop (get your mind out of the gutter). It's a skincare tool called the Foreo Luna, and it's to be used on the face. 

I've been using this product since February, so this review is honestly way overdue (but at least I've tested it enough, right?). I talked about this little gadget in my March Favorites and promised to write more about it, and that time is now.

Swatches & Review: Maybelline Eyestudio Brow Drama Pomade Crayons

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Hi, friends! I have another beauty review for you today. I'm always looking for ways to up my brow game and get #browsonfleek, so when Maybelline came out with these Eyestudio Brow Drama Pomade Crayons, I was curious to see how they worked. I received these for free to test out, and after playing with them for the past few weeks, I think it's about time I talked about them! 

The Beauty Lover Tag

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Hi, friends! I've missed you this week! Between a wonky work schedule and then getting sick, things have been a little hectic around here.

Today's post is a fun little questionnaire (or "tag") that any beauty lover can relate to. I was tagged by the wonderful Lauren of Little Blushing Birdie to do this not too long ago, so I figured it was time I gave it a go. If you haven't visited her blog before, reading her answers might give you a better idea of who she is. ;) But enough about that--let's get to the good stuff!

Birchbox: The Lip Sync Kit Review

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Hello, friends! I've got a fun little unboxing and review for you today. You might remember me talking about this Lip Sync Kit two weeks ago in my Mail Time post. I purchased this kit from Birchbox, and it basically comes with everything you need for a capsule lip product wardrobe. I'm always up for new lipstick (I mean, have you looked through my lipstick collection lately?) so I thought it looked like fun. I can't wait to tell you guys my thoughts!

Birchbox? What's that?

Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. They're always adding new products to the shop. Last month they sampled products from Amika, Juice Beauty, Shiseido, as well as pages of others! Some products are even exclusive to Birchbox, like Cynthia Rowley's new makeup line and the cult-favorite Beauty Protector brand. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link! Thank you!

Chronicles of a Hair Novice: The Messy Bun

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Hi, friends! I'm trying something new on the blog today. You might have notice I talk about makeup and skincare on the blog all the time, but hair? Not so much. I let my hair air dry 99% of the time, and my idea of hairstyling is throwing it into a side braid. You would think having hair on my head for 22 years would make me better at this, but apparently not. When Aveda sent me some products to try (you might have seen it on my Instagram), I was kind of like, "I don't do much with my hair. What am I supposed to do with these?" but I figured this was a good opportunity. Maybe I could become a hair person! I'll show them!  

Birchbox: April 2016 Review

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Hello, friends! I'm so excited to dig into my monthly Birchbox with you today! Mostly because of the adorable packaging. Can we just take this all in for a minute? I wish everything in my life looked like this. Well not everything, but my house could certainly use a healthy dose of beautifully painted flowers, that's for sure. 

Birchbox? What's that?

Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. They're always adding new products to the shop. In the past, they have sampled products from Amika, Juice Beauty, Shiseido, as well as pages of others! Some products are even exclusive to Birchbox, like Cynthia Rowley's new makeup line and the cult-favorite Beauty Protector brand. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link! Thank you!

Mail Time! April 2016

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Hi, friends! I've been having some stuff pile up in the mail recently, so I thought I would share what I got with you! Think of this as a sneak peek into what you'll be seeing in future posts. Today we have a mix of orders I placed online, free samples I snagged, and products that companies sent to me for review. But enough about that. Let's get started! 

Trend Report: Current Makeup Trends & How to Achieve Them

Hi, friends! I thought today we could take a step back from product reviews to look at makeup from a broader perspective. Specifically, I wanted to talk trends. Makeup trends come and go so quickly that it's hard to keep up. Today I'm doing a roundup so we can all get up to speed. I'm not really a stickler for abiding by trends, but I think it's fun to follow them and take inspiration from others so I can incorporate it into what I already like to do. We can all learn from each other. And who knows? You just might find something that sticks long after it dies down. But enough about that--let's get to the good stuff.

My Favorite Things: March 2016

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Hi, friends! Happy April! It's been awhile since I did a Favorites post (not since my 2015 Makeup Favorites, I believe), so I thought it was about time to touch base with you all. I've been trying out some new products and rediscovering some old ones, and I'm so excited to finally share them with you!

Trash Talk: Spring Cleaning Edition 2016

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Hi, friends! It's spring cleaning time again! This post was inspired by my propensity for finding old or forgotten products in the back of my makeup drawer. As I explained in last year's spring cleaning post, this is kind of like a glorified Empties post. Only instead of getting rid of products when they're empty, I take a look in my collection and determine what I need to trash from there. Beauty bloggers and makeup enthusiasts tend to be Goop Hoarders (because makeup is essentially colorful goop), so today I'm sharing my tips on how to separate the good stuff from what needs to go. 

Happy Easter!

Hi friends! I'll be spending the day with my family today, but I just wanted to check in and see how you guys were doing. If you celebrate Easter, then I wish you a happy one, and if not I hope you have a great day nonetheless. 

What are you doing today?

 


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Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Easter lololol (just kidding)

My Lipstick Collection: The Pinks

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Hi, friends! Today, I wanted to do a continuation of my Lipstick Collection series. Last month we delved into my neutral lipsticks and before that we talked about the reds. With spring finally upon us, I figured it was a good time to talk about the pretty pink shades in my stash.

Off-topic, but can you believe it's finally spring? I don't know about you guys, but the temperature is finally starting to stabilize around 50 degrees around here, and it's so nice. We had a rumored "snowstorm" on Sunday, but it barely snowed (typical), and it had already melted by the time I woke up the following morning. But you're not here to listen to me talk about the weather, are you?

Birchbox: March 2016 Review

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Hi, friends! It's Birchbox time again. My box came relatively early this month (it arrived by the 9th, and typically they ship by the 10th) so I've had some time to mess around with the products inside. 

Birchbox? What's that?

Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. They're always adding new products to the shop. In the past, they have sampled products from Amika, Juice Beauty, Shiseido, as well as pages of others! Some products are even exclusive to Birchbox, like Cynthia Rowley's new makeup line and the cult-favorite Beauty Protector brand. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link! Thank you!

Rainy Day Manicure: Trust Fund Beauty Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted

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Hi, friends! Today I wanted to share with you a nail polish I've been really liking lately: Trust Fund Beauty's Elegantly Wasted. (Can we talk about that name, though? I love it). I don't paint my nails on a regular basis, but I always find it to be a nice little treat--especially on the rainy day when things look gloomy and dull.

The Power of Two: Elizabeth Arden Skincare Review

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Hi, friends! I can't believe it's been a week since we last blogged it up! Sure, I've been on social media, but it's just not the same. Real life took over this week, so I haven't been able to write a full post. But I'm back! With an in-depth review of not one, but TWO products, so hopefully that makes up for my short absence. :) 

Today I'll be reviewing two products sent to me by Elizabeth Arden: the Superstart Skin Renewal Booster and Flawless Future Ceramide Caplet Serum. There was no stipulation to it, no "You must review these," but I've been using them for a few weeks and I wanted to share what I thought about it. So let's jump into everything!

How to: Create Your First Skincare Routine

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Hello, friends! It's been awhile since I did a "Skincare How-to," so I figured it was about time we fixed that. We already talked about How to Determine Your Skin Type, so the only logical next step is to use that knowledge and develop a skincare routine. With the sheer amount of products and information out there, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Before we go into talking about complex stuff like retinoids and chemical exfoliation, let's just go back to basics. In the wise words of Julie Andrews, "Let's start at the very beginning."

February Finds: 6 New Products I've Been Trying

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Hi, friends! It's around that time of the month (no, not that time of the month) when I usually do my monthly favorites posts. Usually I'd talk about all the new products I tested and my favorite discoveries of that month, but things are going to work a little differently this month. For the majority of February, I was either using products I've already mentioned on the blog, or testing new products that I haven't made a decision on yet, so I'm not quite ready to share my thoughts on them so early in the game. 

So I figured, rather than talking about the products you guys already know I like in a redundant Favorites post, how about we start the train rolling on some new products? Here's a sneak peek to some of the products you'll see mentioned on the blog within the next month or two: 

My Lipstick Collection: The Nudes

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Hi, friends! It's been awhile since I did one of these lipstick collection posts, so I thought it was about time we visited the series. If you didn't catch my previous post on my current wardrobe of Red Lipsticks, let me fill you in. I basically included mini reviews of all the lipsticks of that color I had in my collection, and it was a good time.

Today, I figured we could do the same thing with my nude lipstick collection. I've never been much of a nude lipstick person, but in the last few months of 2015, I might have become a believer.

I know I love looking through people's makeup collections to learn about what products they like to use (or maybe I'm just nosy), so I hope you guys feel the same. I figured this deserved a part two, so without further ado, let's get to the good stuff~

Birchbox: February 2016 Review

Hi, friends! It's time for another issue of "What's in my Birchbox?" where I tell you...what's in my Birchbox! I don't know what it is about subscription unboxing posts that I like so much. Maybe I'm just nosy and like snooping in other people's stuff. Anyway, without further ado, here's what I received in my Birchbox this month!

Birchbox? What's that?

Birchbox is a monthly beauty and lifestyle subscription service. It sends 4-5 deluxe samples that are curated to your beauty profile. It is $10 a month, and has a wonderful rewards program, in which you can earn points for reviewing products and making purchases in the Birchbox Shop. You can then redeem those points for full-sized products! It's probably the best rewards program out there, in my opinion, which was one of the big draws in me signing up. They're always adding new products to the shop. In the past, they have sampled products from Amika, Juice Beauty, Shiseido, as well as pages of others! Some products are even exclusive to Birchbox, like Cynthia Rowley's new makeup line and the cult-favorite Beauty Protector brand. You can get a free Mally Evercolor Shadow Stick in in Copper Rose when you sign up with the code MALLYGIFT. If you're interested in subscribing to Birchbox, I would love it if you used my referral link! Thank you!

Instagram Roundup: #5DayLipstickChallenge

Hi, friends! Last week was a slow blog week, partially due to all the time I put into my Mineral Oil Masterpost, and partially due to the Instagram challenge I was involved with. A couple of other bloggers and I devoted a week to showing off five lipstick selfies and dubbed it the #5DayLipstickChallenge. It was a fun opportunity for me to pull out lip colors that I don't normally wear. I was so happy to see that some of you joined in as the week went on! 

Now that it's over, I figured this would be a good time to look back, not only to look at how I did photography-wise (as part of my 2016 Blog Resolutions), but also to share my thoughts on the lipsticks themselves. The colors may be nice, but what about the formulas? Stay tuned!

What's the Deal with Mineral Oil?

Hi, friends! It's been awhile since I did a full post focused on any ingredient, so today I'd like to talk about something that's been bugging me for awhile: the ridiculous controversy over the use of mineral oil in beauty products.

If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll know I'm pretty active over there, so I've seen a lot of pins. There's a lot of great information on there--delicious recipes, foolproof makeup tips--but there's also a ton of misinformation. Myths and rumors get spread around and are eventually seen as true, just by the sheer number of people saying it's so. One thing I see on Pinterest a lot that really grinds my gears (boils my pasta, steams my broccoli, etc.) is the amount of false information circulating on mineral oil in skincare. And I can understand that, but today's post is going to put all that confusion to rest! I've done a stupid amount of research for this post, so I hope it's helpful to you!

*This post is all about the use of mineral oil in skincare ingredients (NOT ingestion--I am not a doctor)

Review & Swatches: PÜR Cosmetics HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation

Hi, friends! Today I have a new product to share with you from PÜR Cosmetics. I reviewed their new Cameo Contour Sticks just a few weeks ago, and now they're adding another product to their Spring 2016 lineup: the HydraFluid Water Serum Foundation. I've actually been in the market for a new foundation recently, so I was excited to see how well this worked. These babies are being released into Kohls and UTLA this Sunday, so you can use this as a sneak peek to see whether or not you'd want to pick one up. 

Trash Talk: Bath & Body Empties (Jan 2016)

Hi, friends! It's crazy that we're so close to the end of January. 2016 is really flying by! I was originally planning on doing another Favorites post to mark the end of 2015, to serve as a catch-all for hair, nail, and body products, but then I decided against it. I'm not very picky with those other things, so rather than repeat the few products you guys already know I love, I figured I would write up some mini reviews to the products I used up recently.

It's called Trash Talk, because we're gonna talk about all of our beauty trash (this is a friendly zone, we don't talk trash about each other here)! We're just talking about bath and body products today, since I'm trying to cut down my post lengths. I feel like they're always so long! What do you think? Do you prefer short, concise posts, or long ones with more information? Or a mix of both?

But enough about that. Let's get to the good stuff!

Beauty Buff Favorites of 2015: Makeup

Hi, friends! Can you believe the first month of 2016 is almost over? It's insane how time flies! Today I wanted to talk more about my favorite products from 2015. With skincare products, I'm a snob super picky when it comes to formulas and ingredients, so when I find something I like, it can be a little hard for me to detach and try something new. With makeup, however, I'm a lot more lenient and tend to try more products at a time. Plus, I hesitate having too many jars and tubes of skincare products open at a time, just because beneficial ingredients don't last forever, but with makeup I kind of throw caution to the wind. I don't think I have to tell you have many lipsticks alone I have open right now (or you can see for yourself in my ongoing Lipstick Collection series).

So, without further ado, let's talk about my favorite makeup discoveries and most used cosmetics of 2015!

Birchbox: January 2016 Review

Hello, friends! It was weird writing "January 2016" in the header this morning. I don't know about you, but it always takes me a couple of months to get used to it. I'll probably continue writing 2015 and correcting it until at least March!

Anyway, today I wanted to unpack my Birchbox for you guys. I'm actually super impressed this month, and this might have been one of my favorite boxes to date (and I've been subscribed for about two and a half years now). But let's just get to the review already so I can tell you more about it. 

Beauty Buff Favorites of 2015: Skincare

Hi, friends! I hope you're all having a nice 2016 so far. I'm excited to finally be starting my Beauty Buff Favorites of 2015 series. Most of these are ones I've recommended over and over again on this blog. But the products I like don't get a free ride into a Beauty Buff Favorite slot; I'm always testing and re-testing to see if they still hold up.

The winners are essentially the products I'd be content with using without changing it up. Obviously, being a beauty buff means I'm always trying new stuff (plus this blog would get very boring very fast), but I'd be okay if these were the only products I had to work with.

Quick photo note: it's been cloudy for days and we're not going to see the sun until at least Thursday, so today we're photographing by a window! Plus, the Penni household is in shambles due to the fact that we're finally starting to put our Christmas decorations away.

Without further ado, here are my favorite products I used in 2015!

Review: CoverGirl Colorlicious Oh Sugar Vitamin Infused Lip Balm in Caramel

Hi, friends! You guys know how much I love tinted lip balm, so today I'd like to share with you a new product from CoverGirl: the Oh Sugar Vitamin Infused Lip Balm. These are part of their Colorlicious line (where you'll find a lot of their other lip products categorized). 

I'll be reviewing the shade Caramel, since that's the shade I received in the mail. I got this product for free, but that's not going to impact my review of it at all. But enough about that--let's get into the good stuff! 

Year in Review: 2015 Blog Overview

Hello, friends! Today I'd like you to come on a walk down memory lane with me. 2015 was a big year for my little beauty blog. It got a whole new name and design. I also got a DSLR camera and began really studying up on my photography. If you're new to this blog, this might be a great place to start if you're in need of  post recommendations. As for us long timers, let's look at some of our favorite moments! 

The posts below were written in 2015 and have garnered the most page views thus far:

My New Year Beauty Resolutions for 2016

Hi, friends! Happy 2016! I hope you had a nice New Year's! Today I'd like to talk about New Year's Resolutions. I've never been hard-set on making resolutions, since I think if I wanted to do something, I would have done it already. However, this year I'm really liking the idea of a fresh start, so I think I'd like to take this opportunity for a clean slate. In 2015, I graduated from college and earned a Bachelor's degree, so in 2016 I hope to put it to good use! 

Beauty-wise, I like to make a few resolutions each year. It helps set a direction for both myself and this blog. So, if there's something you'd like to see on here in 2016, let me know! I like trying new things, and in the spirit of the new year, now is the time to do so.

Last year, I had a few beauty resolutions as well. How did they stack up?