Melt Cosmetics Haul Update

Hey everyone!!

It's 2 a.m. and I can't stop thinking about how badly I want a sandwich, like an Italian sub or something like that, mmm. 

I'm such a carb queen I could eat bread all day and I love sourdough toast so much, I eat it almost everyday. Now I want toast hahaha.

So in early December I did a mini haul from Melt Cosmetics (read here) and since it was my first time trying their products, I'm back for an update.

The Prime Rose Lipstick Collection ($65)

Breaks down to $13/ea.

Sold individually for $19.

Features five neutral rose inspired lipstick shades.

Mum, Old Fashioned, Old Rose, On-the-go, and Stepford.

I love every color in this collection, I am a total neutral & nude whore when it comes to makeup and that is exactly what attracted me to this set.

It's the perfect combo of warm & cool tones.

So after wearing these for the past couple months, here are my thoughts.

(Below L to R: Mum, Old Fashioned, Old Rose, On-the-go, and Stepford)

They have a matte finish but it's definitely more of a soft matte and it was so fucking comfortable to wear, I normally stay away from classic lipsticks because I hate how they always seem to get all over me and I feel like I'm constantly too worried about it to enjoy wearing the lipstick (lol) but these dried down matte enough that it did not smudge onto my face or teeth and did not stick to or smear when my hair got in my face.

That being said these are definitely not long wearing like a matte liquid lipstick but I didn't expect them to be and I had to reapply only 3 hours after putting it on although I was initially bummed how fast it came off I ended up not minding because like I said before they're super comfortable and unlike a liquid lipstick you can reapply over and over again and there's no buildup, patchiness, or uncomfortable thick feeling. They also do transfer and I drink a ton of fluids so I reapplied often without any problems.

The formula was just creamy enough to apply smoothly and they've got great pigmentation, even better they don't highlight any dryness on your lips and feel almost moisturizing.

They have a very faint scent which is kind of a very light vanilla mixed with baby doll plastic (lmfao) I know that sounds weird but that's exactly what I think of and I don't mean barbies, I mean those soft plastic baby dolls. Maybe I'm fucking weird but I really like the scent and I really like these lipsticks.

The Rust Eyeshadow Stack ($58)

Breaks down to $11.60/ea.

Sold individually for $17.

Features five warm earthy eyeshadow shades.

Classic, Antique, Rubbish, Rust, Rott.

I've been trying these out since early December.

(Below L to R: Classic, Antique, Rubbish, Rust, Rott)

Seriously?! Seriously though what is not to love about these, obviously the shades are to die for and the fact that they're all matte literally makes me salivate.

Matte shades are my all time favorite, I fucking love an all matte eye look and it's my daily go to. These have every shadow you need to do a complete look but obviously because they're neutral you can pair it with just about any other palette you might already have.

Matte shadow is not as easy to perfect as shimmer shades as you've probably noticed in some of your own palettes.

I noticed that the majority of Melt Cosmetic's shadows are matte shadows and let me just say I can see why, they fucking nailed it.

These shadows are so creamy and so pigmented so you can definitely expect a little fallout but actually not as much as I thought there would be.

They blended out so easily, weren't patchy, and you only need very little because they really are super fucking pigmented as you can see above with the lightest shade in this stack Classic.

My skin is quite light and these lighter matte highlight shades usually tend to not show up as well on my skin without building it up but damn I had no problem with this at all.

Every time I use these shadows I fall more in love with them and umm have you seen the packaging? These are literally perfect in every way.

I can't wait to get my hands on their Dark Matter Stack next but it's always sold out so I'm constantly watching for a restock, which I will relay to all of you on my Twitter or Facebook page.

I got absolutely lucky that I loved everything I ordered but I will say that if you're thinking about ordering and you could only get one thing from Melt Cosmetics, GO FOR THE SHADOWS!!

Leave your thoughts on Melt Cosmetics and their products you've tried in the comments below or hit me up on social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html

Products Mentioned:

Prime Rose Collection

Rust Stack

February BoxyCharm Unboxing

Hey everyone!!

Has anyone noticed that that's pretty much my intro now (hahaha), even down to the two exclamation marks after it. I didn't even plan that it just kinda happened now I feel weird if I don't write it.

I started a Facebook page (follow it betches) but anyways before that I never really used Facebook. Now that I have a page I've been looking for some good active makeup groups or beauty blogger groups to join. Ugh it's so exhausting. I found one that I like and they're so helpful but pretty much all the other ones that say they are makeup groups or beauty blogging groups end up being basically just girly groups that talk about just a bunch of like: clothes, bf drama, drama in general, their kids, just random girl stuff you know? All that is fine for some girl talk but that's just not what I'm looking for and it makes finding groups rather hard because they're all named makeup groups and I end up just leaving the group after a week (if I can even make it that long lol). If you know of any good makeup and beauty groups or beauty blogging groups on Facebook that are actually primarily about beauty then please leave me some recommendations below in the comments, there's far too much crap to weed through.

So it's that time of the month again, you know that special time of the month where every one gets pissed they didn't get the product they wanted in their BoxyCharm.

So let's just jump right in.

First off can I just say that this month's box is seriously fucking amazing and btw you can still order this all month long (unless they sell out).

1) Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion ($79)
I had to mention this product first because this was the product I was most excited for this month, this product comes in every BoxyCharm in case you're thinking of ordering this month still.
I'm really into skin care and I love exfoliators so to getting a Dr. Brandt exfoliator this month almost made me pee myself. When I starting squeezing it out for a swatch the first thing I noticed was the scent, omfg the scent. It's a very clean light scent that smells like it has the lightest touch of lemon oil or something similar. It's super clean almost reminding me of an all natural house cleaner with essential oils and baking soda although that might sound weird it's so good, nothing heavy or perfume-y.
When I swatched this the grain was super fine and the creamy paste was completely saturated with the grains which I personally prefer over let's say an exfoliator that has fewer and larger beads. I feel like these kind of super fine and grain saturated formulas really do a better job of exfoliating the shit out of your skin but all that is just personal preference. I am so excited to try this that I had to keep myself from running to the bathroom and squirting this all over my face while swatching it.
(omg! If you watch family guy, do you remember the episode where Brian was squirting sunscreen all over Stewie? lmfao)

(Below L to R - Unexpected, Barcelona Beach)

(Below L to R - Unexpected, Barcelona Beach)

2) Makeup Geek Pressed Eyeshadow Pans ($12 - $6/ea.)
I received shades Unexpected & Barcelona Beach.
I'm a fan of Makeup Geek eye shadows, they're richly pigmented, velvety soft, and blend really easy. Even if you don't order this month's BoxyCharm you should still check out Makeup Geek's eye shadows if you're in need of affordable single pan options. I was even more excited that I got two beautiful neutral crease colors. I know that's so fucking boring but I love neutrals and you know we always run out of those crease shades first. Plus both the shades I received were cool toned which I was happy about because I don't have as many of those.
Unexpected is a cool mauve-y matte pink and Barcelona Beach is a cool toned matte soft brown. Damn this Barcelona Beach one! I am in love with it already and I actually think this would be an amazing contour color too. I could see myself multi tasking with this one on a quick makeup day.

3) Small Z Palette ($14)
Love that they put this in here along with the two eye shadow pans because not everybody buys single pans therefore they wouldn't have had anywhere to put them, plus most people tend to buy the bigger Z Palette's so this one would be great for travel. It holds nine pan shadows. It's also customized with the BoxyCharm logo details just like their boxes which is a great touch. They really killed it this month, good job BoxyCharm.

4) Royal & Langnickel Omnia Eye Kit ($29.98)
I've never tried this brand of brushes before but it's funny because I've actually been looking for their Moda Prismatic line in stores and then I got this so at least I get to try out the brand finally. They feel really soft and it came with a shader brush in gold and a detail brush in copper. You can never have enough eye brushes especially if you wanna be lazy and not have to wash brushes constantly (hahaha).

5) Japonesque Pro Performance Lipstick ($20)
I received shade 06
Once again I fucking lucked out and got a beautiful medium mauve-y neutral shade which is perfect because I wear these kind of shade daily.
It swatched evenly, pigmented, was creamy, and didn't appear to dry down at all which could mean it doesn't wear long but I'll be sure to update on that after I try it out a few times.


So that was this months BoxyCharm let me know in the comments below or on social media if you've tried any of these and don't forget about those Facebook page recommendations.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html


Products Mentioned

Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion

Makeup Geek Pressed Eyeshadow Pans

Small Z Palette

Royal & Langnickel Omnia Eye Kit

Japonesque Pro Performance Lipstick

Makeup Geek MannyMUA Palette & Swatches

Hi everyone!!

Does anyone watch The King of Queens?
OMFG I love this show. It's obviously like 10+ years old and I've seen every episode like a zillion times (FYI: I have the entire show, every episode, recorded on my DVR and I play it on repeat all the time including this exact second lol) but it's freaking hilarious and Carrie for real is my spirit animal. BTW I love Leah Remini because she is literally actually like her character in this show.
She's so feisty and inappropriate and I love it, I guess I can relate.
There's so many funny ass characters and actors in this show too.
If you haven't seen Patton Oswalt's stand up you should check it out, he's funny af and I think there might be one on Netflix.
Watch this damn show, seriously.

Okay anyway, this post today is actually about the Makeup Geek MannyMUA Eyeshadow Palette (in case you couldn't tell lol).
So while I was posting my usual beauty related news posts on my social media (btw follow my twitter or  facebook page because I also post beauty news & new releases) I posted about how Makeup Geek was going to be restocking the MannyMUA Eyeshadow Palette for the last time ever. I had procrastinated every restock saying I didn't need it but the truth is I fucking love Manny as an artist and as a person and while tweeting about this last restock I knew I had to have it. Good thing I didn't debate it this time because it sold out in just a couple hours.
So here it is guys, the swatches of these beautiful eyeshadows that I almost missed out on.

Can we talk about this packaging, omfg I can't even throw away the box it's in because it's so freaking beautiful. It's a rainbow holographic silver print on matte black packaging, so much yes.
The actual palette has the classic Makeup Geek Print & logo that you've probably seen on other collabs which features an almost rose-y gold print on a glossy black thick cardboard palette.
I honestly think they should have put the print from the packaging on the palette but whatever I get it *eye roll *.

The back of the packaging has his picture and a little note.

(Manny!! Why are you so pretty? Why do you make me look like a troll? *sobs *)

The back of the palette though, ugh *cries inside * has moons as the shade markers with the color names. I fucking love little details like these and I love that they even let him do it because it gives collaborations more of personal touch. 

So as you can the inside has a large mirror which is a nice touch but honestly they could have taped a dog turd to the lid and I still would have bought it (hahaha kidding, kinda).
This pic shows the inside of the palette which feature 9 pans of which 6 are brand new and exclusive shades. I personally love when at least most of the shades from a collab (if not all) are actually new and/or exclusive to the palette because it's once again so much more personal and so much more time and effort goes into it rather than just slapping your name on something.
By now I think that I don't even have to say how much I love warm tones but oh my gosh these warm shades make me weak in the knees (I can hardly speak, I lose all control and something takes over me (S.W.V. vibes or no?)) This picture does no justice to how truly gorgeous these shades are and he seriously hit every fucking mark when picking these shades, we have transitions, color builders, dark shades for dimension or even smokiness, shimmers, and that highlight shade though.
You really could use this palette in it's entirety to make several complete looks.
Manny!! You slayed this fucking palette!!
(all exclusive shades marked with *)

It's funny because when I first saw this palette online it was the bottom row that initially called out to me but this shade Luna in the top row is one of my faves.

(Top Row Below

L to R - *Artemis, Beaches & Cream, *Luna)

This shade on the left was another one that ended up being one of my faves, I'm really feeling these lighter shades in this palette. Who even am I (lol)?

(Middle Row Below

L to R - *Cosmopolitan, *Sora, Frappe)

The final row are the deepest shades and equally stunning although I did notice the two matte shades were a little dry and on first swipe appeared a little patchy, that being said they did build up really well and were super pigmented that it didn't affect the final outcome one bit.

That duo-chrome Insomnia, she's a sexy beast.

(Bottom Row Below

L to R - Insomnia, *Mars, *Aphrodite)

When I first got this palette a few weeks ago I was a little hesitant to make a post about it because unfortunately it's not available anymore but as you can see I decided fuck it, this palette was just too beautiful not to share and like I said before I love Manny and wanted to show my support.

If you missed out on this palette I wouldn't be too bummed about it because although this palette is beautiful, these warm tones are always all over, you can find dupes in single pan form or similarly curated eyeshadow palettes even. 

Did you get your hands on this eyeshadow palette? 

Do you just love Manny too?

Let me know your thoughts below in the comments or hit me up on social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html

Products Mentioned:

Makeup Geek MannyMua Eyeshadow Palette

February Ulta Haul

Hi everyone!!

How's everyone's February going so far?

Can't believe winter is almost over, I am so ready for Spring. Since I live in the desert late winter and early spring is the only time of year that it's really nice outside to get out and do stuff.

The rest of the year it's either crazy cold or insanely hot, and we spend a lot of time indoors.

In case you didn't know I watch a lot of movies, well last night I watched Suicide Squad and it was not what I expected. I feel like everyone hyped up this Joker and Harley Quinn thing that I expected it to be more focused on them and their crazy ass relationship (honestly though I am so fucking sick of hearing about Harley Quinn) but turns out this wasn't even about that at all, it was more like a villan version of avengers well not exactly but more so that direction than what I thought. Seriously though why is everyone obsessed with Harley Quinn? I don't get it, the Enchantress was fucking kick ass compared to her. Have you guys seen Suicide Squad? Let me know your thoughts below in the comments.

So I'm starting off this month with an Ulta Haul, my first of the year.

I was running out and low on a bunch of skincare stuff so this was much needed plus I wanted to switch some stuff up and you know since I was ordering stuff I had to pick up some makeup too.

So here we go..

SkinFood Rice Brightening Facial Cleansing Tissues ($12)

Repurchase. 

I bought two of these because these are my absolute favorite facial cleansing wipes and I constantly live in fear of running out. They have a super light, fresh, and clean barely there scent, they're the perfect dampness, they're quite large, I've never had one rip on me, they don't leave any residue on my skin, and they don't irritate my skin or eyes whatsoever. These aren't makeup remover wipes and I've never used them for that so just throwing that out there. I use these after my makeup remover mostly at night on days where I'm too lazy or tired to go to my sink and do my normal face washing routine, but I also use them during the day if I'm not wearing makeup to just freshen up my skin. They leave my skin feeling clean and ready for my skin routine and I could go on and on about how much I love these facial wipes. Oh I almost forgot although $12 might seem like a lot to some people for facial wipes, they come with a whopping 80 sheets per pack whereas most packs come in 20 or so, so it actually breaks down to $3 per 20 sheets which is actually cheaper than even the E.L.F. wipes.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser ($24/8oz)

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash ($28/8oz)

First time purchase for both.

I bought these because I was looking for a face wash that would work for both my combo skin and my husbands dry skin (yes I take care of my husbands skin too he's more minimal though). 

I heard so many great things about these from people with so many different skin types that I thought I would give these a try. 

Who am I kidding I'd been wanting to try these and it was a bonus that it would work for both of us lol. 

BTW I absolutely loved my previous face wash and exfoliator and will go back to it if it turns out I don't like these.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion ($27)

Repurchase.

I use this lotion version only during the winter months when my skin is drier than normal otherwise I use the gel version of this. I also buy this lotion version as my husband's daytime moisturizer. I always like to try new things but I always come back to these Clinique moisturizers, they are just so good and I can't stay away.

Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream Moisturizer ($28.99)

First time purchase.

I bought this to replace my night time moisturizer for the time being because I was having trouble finding my favorite night time serum in the Olay Luminous line, I fear it may be being discontinued. I figured since this has similar ingredients, I'd give it a whirl. I've only used this twice so far but I love how my skin was not greasy or residue-y when I woke up and it was super smooth. It's not very hydrating which would be great for oily skin but since I'm combo and more dry right now in the winter, I'm thinking of adding in a different night time serum to use with this.

Benefit Cosmetics It's Potent Eye Cream ($34)

First time purchase.

I bought two of these which I guess is kinda crazy since I've never used it before but I'll be using this as my day time and night time eye cream so I figured I'll go through it faster. I usually have two different eye creams for day and night if that makes sense, plus I take it all the way up to my brow brown, down to the top of cheek bone, and deep into the inner corner / nose contour. A little does seem to go a long way and so far it does seem hydrating but I don't notice much else yet.

Does any one else find it hard to find a really good eye cream? I'm always switching brands when I finish one because nothing really seems to wow me or really do much of anything.

First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Beauty Remedy ($36)

First time purchase.

This was kind of a splurge for me, I'd been wanting this for a couple months but the price tag always had me second guessing whether or not I really needed a day time eye treatment in addition to an eye cream. Well obviously I've only recently bought all this stuff and have only used this twice but OMFG, I'm so glad I bought this. Just a tiny bit goes a long way, and I prefer to use my ring finger to blend rather than the metal tip. It really did instantly brighten up my eye area, added hydration, and felt great on the skin. I apply this before makeup, the same time I apply my facial primer. It wears beautifully under my makeup and I can't stop raving about this product already and I love the fact that it also has anti aging benefits in it as well.

Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer ($32)

First time purchase.

Bought shade Fair/Light.

I bought this because once again I'm more dry on the outer parts of my face during the winter (I know, I know.. I sound like a broken record) and I freaking love Too Faced so I figured this would be a good one to try out.

Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream ($8.49)

First time purchase.

Bought shade 520/Light.

Even though the outer parts of my face are drier right now, my t zone is still greasy as fuck like normal so I still use my mattifying products. I love BB creams and there aren't that many matte ones so I'm always down to try a new one. Plus I've heard amazing things about this one right here so I'm really excited to try this.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation

w/ SPF 15 ($39)

Bought shade Light Sand.

First time purchase.

I pretty much bought this because I love full coverage foundations and obviously I wanted to try it.

Ulta Full Coverage Concealer ($9)

Bought shade Light Cool

Repurchase

I already have this in the shade Light Warm and I freaking love this concealer so much that I had to get it this shade too for when I want an ultra bright under eye and highlight effect. This concealer really is full coverage, blends out quick and easy, and a little goes a long way. I reach for this quite frequently and am thinking about buying another shade to match my skin tone for blemishes.

Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder ($3.99)

First time purchase.

I've heard good things about this powder and that this was great for oily areas so I plan to only use this on my t zone.

E.L.F. Cosmetics Perfect Finish HD Powder ($6)

Repurchase.

Love this powder for setting my entire face and also use a shit ton of it on a brush to bake my under eyes. I go through this pretty fast. I guess I go through setting powders in general pretty fast.

Ulta Slim Brow Pencil ($10)

Bought shade Dark Brown

Repurchase.

Bought two of these, I am definitely loving these eyebrow pencils. They have a super fine tip which makes drawing brow hairs quick and easy. The formula isn't too waxy, it's stiff with just enough creaminess to make it run smoothly. I think I might like these better than the Nyx ones as they tend to be more waxy and can sometimes be patchy, even though I still use them.

Ulta Brow Pomade ($10)

Bought shade Medium Brown

Repurchase.

I already own this in Dark Brown and bought this one to add extra dimension to my brows and make them appear more natural. I have very sparse brows and I pretty much draw each hair in the front and this stuff is magical. It has become my favorite brow pomade even better the ABH brow pomade (gasp) I've been using the Dark Brown one for months and it hasn't dried out yet.

Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder ($37)
First time purchase.
Okay so I did not buy this one at Ulta, I had to swing by Sephora but this was the only thing I bought there so I figured I'd just throw it in here.
I am already hooked on this powder!! I've been using it everyday since I bought it which has only been a few days but it's amazing. It's super light weight and I feel like a little goes a long way. Because it's a first time purchase I've been using it multiple ways, I used this to set my entire face as well as my under eyes with no cake-yness and no creasing. Worked well with all my normal products.

Okay so that's my first Ulta Haul of the year but it's my birth month so I'll probably be hauling more stuff this month (hahaha). Have you guys tried any of these products, let me know in the comments below or on my social media.

https://alletseaesthetic.blogspot.com/p/contact.html


Products Mentioned:

SkinFood Rice Brightening Facial Cleansing Tissues

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

Olay Regenerist Luminous Tone Perfecting Cream Moisturizer

Benefit Cosmetics It's Potent Eye Cream

First Aid Beauty Eye Duty Triple Beauty Remedy

Too Faced Hangover Replenishing Face Primer

Covergirl Clean Matte BB Cream

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation

Ulta Full Coverage Concealer

Essence All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder

E.L.F. Cosmetics Perfect Finish HD Powder

Ulta Slim Brow Pencil

Ulta Brow Pomade

Nars Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder