Review & Swatches | Bite Beauty Best Bite Rewind Set

Affiliate Links Bought It

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!

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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!

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!

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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.

Unboxing | Walmart Beauty Box Fall/September 2015

Affiliate Links Bought It

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.

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.

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

Affiliate Links Sponsored

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!)

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.

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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]

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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!

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.

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.

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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.

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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.

Review | Botanic Farm Pearl Shining Primer

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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.

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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.

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

Affiliate Links Press Sample

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!

Unboxing | Scent Trunk Women's Fragrance Box - July 2015

Affiliate Links Press Sample

I'll cut to the chase: I'm a big fan of Scent Trunk. This should come as no surprise to anyone who's read my dozens of indie fragrance reviews, but for folks who are new around here, I'll say this: If you like indie fragrance, you should really check them out. What's in a Scent Trunk, you might be wondering? Well I'm about to show you!

Review | A-True Real Black Tea True Active Essence

Press Sample

Toners and essences are sort of like the brassieres of skincare. Good ones provide much-needed support for the rest of your skincare routine, and bad ones can weigh down your skin, making the subsequent steps feel all bunchy and out of place. I've been on the lookout for a good hydrating essence to use in my routine, and I think I finally may have found it—A-True's Real Black Tea True Active Essence. Sad, shapeless routine no more!

Introducing Mishibox, a new Korean beauty box

Affiliate Links Press Sample

I don't know if you've noticed, but Korean beauty products have become really, really popular lately. This is great news for folks like me who have been using this stuff for years—at long last, some of our favorite products are available for purchase without weeks of waiting time! (International shipping is slow, yo.) But one thing I've really been missing is a good subscription K-beauty box. There are several non-subscription options out there (I'm sure I don't need to name names), but companies that will send you good boxes of surprise stuff each month. And not just samples—a mixture of samples and full-sizes. Luckily, new subscription box service Mishibox offers just that—and they ship from right here in the USA! They were kind enough to send me their first box for review, so let's take a look and see if it fills that K-shaped hole in my heart.

Unboxing | Walmart Beauty Box Summer 2015

Affiliate Links Bought It

For the second time in a row, the Walmart Beauty Box managed to show up on my doorstep without any warning. A quick search of my e-mail reveals that they did in fact send me tracking info, but it came from "auto-notify" with the subject line "Unregistered Demo". Who knows how I managed to overlook that. Anyway, it's here now—want to see what's in it?