Hello Pretty Bird! - A beauty and not-so-glamorous lifestyle blog: Beauty
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts

25 November, 2015

Review & Swatches | Bite Beauty Best Bite Rewind Set

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This may surprise you, but I'm pretty conservative when it comes to buying holiday beauty sets. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I'm not looking and drooling over a lot of them, but usually I manage to walk away with just a few little bits and bobs. There was one holiday set I knew I had to grab as soon as it came out though: Bite Beauty's Best Bite Rewind set. I'm a huge fan of their Luminous Crème lipstick formula, so I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to try out their lip crayons!

Bite Beauty Best Bite Rewind Set

28 October, 2015

WORTH THE SPLURGE? Kérastase Resistance Thérapiste Bain Shampoo & Soin Premier Thérapiste Conditioner

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Since we're already talking about scrimping and splurging today, how do you feel about splashing out big bucks on haircare products? For a long time I was one of those people who would only buy drugstore haircare, but I've been trying to broaden my horizons lately and try new things. So when Influenster sent me a couple items from salon brand Kérastase's Resistance haircare line I was naturally quite curious—would they be worth the extra cost? Read on to find out!

Kérastase Resistance Thérapiste Bain Shampoo & Soin Premier Thérapiste Conditioner


23 October, 2015

Review | Mizon Special Solution Good Night White Sleeping Mask

Affiliate Links Bought It

Do you ever suffer from "product blindness?" Like when you have so many skincare (or makeup) products, you kind of forget that you have some of the more unassuming ones. Such has been my relationship with Mizon's Good Night White Sleeping Mask—it looks so boring that I totally forgot I had it. Until today, that is, so now I'm going to review it!

Mizon Special Solution Good Night White Sleeping Mask review and ingredients


Etude House Pink Bird Box: Mini reviews of the ugraded Collagen Moistfull skincare line, Precious Mineral Cover & Bright Fit BB Cream + GIVEAWAY!

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Who's ready to hear about some new makeup and skincare goodies from Etude House? Pink Bird Box powers activate!

Etude House Pink Bird Box September 2015

12 October, 2015

Review | Miraclear Adjustable Facial Cleansing Tool

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Poll time: Do you prefer to use a brush/tool to cleanse your face, or just go in with your fingers? I go back and forth: I like not having to worry about cleaning my cleansing tools, but sometimes I want a little more exfoliation than my bare hands can provide. And thus my quest for the perfect cleansing tool continues! Today I'll be looking at the Miraclear Adjustable Facial Cleansing Tool, which combines the convenience of silicone with the scrubbiness of well... silicone.

Miraclear Adjustable Facial Cleansing Tool review and how to use

05 October, 2015

Review & Swatches | Allure & Butter London Arm Candy Nail Lacquer Collection (+ GIVEAWAY!)

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Now that fall (and jacket weather—brr!) is in full swing, I thought this would be a good time to share my swatches of Butter London's recent collaboration with Allure Magazine, the Arm Candy Collection. Arm Candy consists of six fashion-forward, fall-tastic shades in a variety of finishes, so there's something to please everybody. Even better yet, Butter London has provided me with an extra set of nail lacquers to give away to a lucky reader—yay! Read on to find your new favorite shade for autumn.

Allure & Butter London Arm Candy Nail Lacquer Collection review swatches

25 September, 2015

An introduction to UNT Cosmetics (Taiwan): BBs, CCs, eye stuff (oh my!) Plus coupon code & GIVEAWAY!

Sponsored

A week or two ago I reviewed the Pore Minissima Super Anti Shine Oil Control Serum by Taiwanese skincare brand UNT, and now I'm back with more! UNT is perhaps best known for their skincare products, but did you know that they also make a ton of makeup? Well even if you didn't before you're going to now, because I'll be swatching not one but FOUR of their products today. Hold onto your pretty little hats.

An introduction to UNT Cosmetics (Taiwan): BBs, CCs, eye stuff (oh my!) Plus coupon code & GIVEAWAY!

24 September, 2015

Unboxing | Walmart Beauty Box Fall/September 2015

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Happy fall, y'all! With the change of seasons comes a bounty of new beauty products and beauty boxes, including today's catch, the latest Walmart Beauty Box.

Unboxing | Walmart Beauty Box Fall/September 2015 review

15 September, 2015

Review | RE:CIPE by Slowganic Detox Rose Petal Cleansing Oil

Affiliate Links Bought It

Calling all rose lovers! Today I'm reviewing a cleansing oil that not only smells like roses, but also has actual chunks of rose floating in it. All rose, all the time. Like whoa. Meet RE:CIPE Rose Petal Cleansing Oil, your new favorite floral friend.

Care Cara detox RE:CIPE by Slowganic  (Recipe by Nature) Cleansing Oil - Rose Petal review.

UNT Skincare (Taiwan) now available in the US! Coupon code + a review of their Pore Minissima Super Anti Shine Oil Control Serum

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I have some good news for all the skincare fanatics out there: UNT Skincare now has a US/global website! UNT, for those of you who aren't familiar, started in Taiwan in 2004 and specializes in results-driven products at reasonable prices. For example, one of their most popular products is EX White Laserwave brightening serum (which contains 5% Mandelic Acid and 3% m-Tranexamic Acid), but they have a wide variety of products addressing other skincare concerns (not to mention a whole line of makeup and nail products!)

UNT Pore Minissima Super Anti Shine Oil Control Serum #UNTbeautytalk

I recently got my hands on UNT's Pore Minissima Super Anti Shine Oil Control Serum to try, which promises to blast shine and control oil. Here's the thing: I don't have oily skin all over my face, but I do have classic combination skin. I tend to treat my face mostly for dryness because having tight, dry skin drives me insane, but my nose gets about 10x oilier than the rest of my face by the end of the day even if I don't moisturize it as much (as do my forehead and chin, to a somewhat lesser extent). As I'm sure anyone with oily or combo skin knows, this can be a problem because makeup tends to melt off those spots faster, which looks... odd. I've been on the lookout for an anti-shine serum I could use as a spot treatment of sorts, so on my face Pore Minissima went! Here are all the juicy (but not oily) details.

14 September, 2015

Hey, it's the August Etude House Pink Bird Box: Swatches of the new Bling Bling Eye Sticks, Dear Darling Water Tint & More

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One of my favorite things in the world is finding new makeup that's inexpensive, works well, and isn't a total pain in the ass to use. There was at least one thing in the latest Etude House Pink Bird Box that ticked all three of those boxes—but you'll have to keep reading to find out what it is! [Insert gleeful cackle]

Etude House Pink Bird Box August 2015 review and unboxing


03 September, 2015

At long last, the July 2015 Etude House Pink Bird Box: Play 101 pencil swatches, post office weirdness & GIVEAWAY!

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So here's a funny story that's not actually that funny: Etude House sent me this box in July (as one might expect), but it never showed up at my doorstep. After a while I contacted them for the tracking number to see if I could hunt it down, but by the time I got it, it was already listed as "returned to sender" because they had tried to deliver it so long ago. (Except nobody ever tried to deliver it, or if they did, they didn't leave one of those little pink missed delivery slips that American postal customers enjoy so much.) Don't you love it when that happens? Anyway, I thought it was long gone, but when my boyfriend went to the post office to pick up a different package a couple of weeks later it was somehow magically there. I don't even know anymore. In any case my local post office is awesome, and I finally have the July Etude House Pink Bird Box to show you!

July 2015 Etude House Pink Bird Box

01 September, 2015

6 UNDER 6: A collective review of six low-pH body washes (plus tips for finding more!)

Affiliate Links Bought It

Bodies are weird. I spent a lot of time taking care of my face, but the skin on my body has its own issues too, so lately I've been trying to give it some extra TLC. One of the ways I've been doing that: Switching to slightly acidic, low-pH body wash instead of harsh soaps.

6 UNDER 6: A collective review of six low-pH body washes (plus tips for finding more!)

Some of you may be wondering why I care so much about the pH level of my body wash. There's been a lot of buzz in the beauty community lately about using low-pH cleansers on your face as a means of maintaining healthy skin. (Your skin is naturally acidic, at around pH 5.5.)

A couple of other bloggers already wrote really good posts on the subject, so rather than try to rehash and summarize I will leave these links below—I recommend reading them if you're curious about skin health as it pertains to acidity.

19 August, 2015

R. Asks | Eye Masks/Packs: How *do* you wear them?

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

This week's question was inspired by these bad boys:


Don't recognize them? They're under-eye hydrogel masks. Very useful for cooling/de-puffing the eye area. But their efficacy isn't the point of this post—I'm wondering if you use them, how do you wear them?

I realized after many, many uses that I was probably wearing mine the wrong way. I say "wrong" because the jars that have illustrations or pictures of people wearing them tend to show them pointing in a certain direction—but maybe that's not how you do things. If so, I want to know. So here's my question...

Which of the following eye mask wearing styles most closely resembles your own? Is there a reason you prefer wearing them that way?


I think method A is what you're supposed to do, but I usually feel more comfortable wearing them in style B. Maybe that has to do with the shape of my eyes. I've also seen bloggers model them in style C. I don't think there's really any way you shouldn't  wear them (except maybe on the inside of your mouth or butt). Just curious what other folks do.


Oh yeah, sometimes I stick them on my forehead and smile lines too. I'm such a wild woman.

14 August, 2015

Hair Hacks: 3 ways to get the most out of your everyday conditioner

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You might not believe this if you've ever looked at my haul posts on Instagram and Snapchat, but I'm a big fan of multi-tasking beauty products. There was a time in the not-so-distant past that I couldn't necessarily afford to try out eight thousand different lotions and potions at once, so I'm always excited when I find a single product that can fulfill multiple needs. One of the most versatile things in my bathroom is probably my regular ole, everyday Pantene conditioner—aside from all the non-haircare things you can do with it (like shaving your legs), it's actually really easy to turn one bottle into several different kinds of haircare treatments! Today I'll be sharing three of my most-used DIY hair treatments which are based around—you guessed it—my regular everyday conditioner.

#PanteneProtect #WantThatHair Pantene Protect Conditioner Hacks


31 July, 2015

A look inside the Etude House Pink Bird box: Open Your Eyes Make Up Box Kit, Decoden kit cuteness and more

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Who wants to see some fun goodies from Etude House? Sorry it took me a while to post about June's box—this has been a crazy month. The contents of the box are still delightful though. Aged like a fine wine? Or something.

Etude House Pink Bird Box June 2015 review

30 July, 2015

Meet the Foreo ISSA™ toothbrush, AKA one of the weirdest things you'll find at Sephora

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I'm a little bit obsessed with oral care products. My teeth are by no means perfect, but whenever I see a toothpaste with an unusual flavor or brush with an unusual design, I have to try it. (Super cool hobby, am I right?) So naturally when I was offered a Foreo ISSA™ toothbrush to try, I couldn't resist... it looks like it's from the future! The future of TEETH! But does it actually work well? Read on to find out.

Foreo ISSA™ toothbrush #ISSAbyForeo #iFabboMember mint

Review | Botanic Farm Pearl Shining Primer

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When it comes to foundation, I'm a fan of dewy, glowy finishes. Problem is, not all foundations and BB creams are designed to look that way. So, what to do? Grab a luminizing primer to glitz things up a bit! Today I'll be taking a looking at Botanic Farm Pearl Shining Primer, which gives skin glow without being too glitzy.

Botanic Farm Pearl Shining Primer

Review & Swatches | Butter London Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayon Collection (+ GIVEAWAY!)

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I love the convenience of lip crayons. Liquid lipsticks and tints are probably the best choice when you want bulletproof color that won't budge, but sometimes you just need something you can toss in your purse and swipe on as needed for a bit of color. I'm sure most of you are familiar with Butter London's extensive collection of nail lacquers, but lately they've been really stepping up their game with other color cosmetics—lip crayons, eyeliners, mascaras (oh my)! Today I'll be swatching the Butter London Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayon collection, which really does live up to its name. Oh, and my readers have a chance to win seven of these crayons for themselves—wheeeeee! Read on for all the bloody brilliant details.

Butter London Bloody Brilliant Lip Crayon Collection swatch swatches

28 July, 2015

How to use the Foreo LUNA™ Cleansing Brush (a review)

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Years ago I used a silicone facial pad (sort of like this one) as my primary cleansing aid. I loved how soft and gentle the silicone felt, but after a while I lost the brush and never bothered to replace it, and eventually forgot about it. But all those sassy silicone memories came flooding back when I saw the LUNA™ cleansing brush by Foreo—it looked like a silicone cleansing pad/sonic brush hybrid, and you know what? That's exactly what it turned out to be! I've been testing out the LUNA™ for over a month ago, so now it's time to discuss everybody's favorite questions: Is it worth the money? And how the hell does one use this weird-looking thing? Ooh, the suspense!

Foreo LUNA™ Cleansing Brush for Combination Skin #LUNAbyFOREO #iFabboMember