What It Is: A long-lasting, intense black, dual-ended fiber mascara with one side delivering major volume, and the other delivering dramatic curl and insane length.
Ingredient Callouts: This is cruelty-free.
Verdict: I’m always using two to three mascaras at one time, usually I’ll use one to lengthen and then a second one to add volume, and a third one for defining the lashes. Huda Beauty’s Mascara solves this problem by creating two mascaras in one tube! One end is for lengthening lashes and the second end is for volume. This comes really handy especially when you’re traveling and don’t want to carry so many makeup products. This product really worked and I really love how the mascara didn’t clump nor flake off at the end of the day. I recommend this product if you, like me, love to use more than one mascara for your makeup look.
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What It Does: Revitalizes dry and stressed skin while sleeping.
Active Ingredients: Rose Petals and Rose Water.
Verdict: This is one of the very few rose products that actually smells like a genuine rose. For someone who has oily skin like me, I absolutely love the gel-like texture of this sleep mask. Not to mention that it actually works in regards to waking up with thoroughly hydrated and plump skin. It’s not sticky, and very light. An excellent mask for year-round, but especially during the summer months when one craves lighter creams. Not to mention that it’s made with some of the best natural ingredients and 100% vegan. I recommend this sleeping mask if you’re looking for a light moisturizer that still has you waking up to the most hydrated, softest skin you’ve ever witnessed.
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What It Does: This is a good multi-use product. It comes packed with three creamy, mix-and-match shades that deliver a dewy, flushed finish to both your lips and cheeks. From bold and daring to soft and subtle, this versatile palette has everything you need to create endless looks.
Verdict: I’ve found that using your fingers to blend this product is the best way to go. I tried using a blush brush at first and found that the application was a little patchy. Also, you may want to wear primer or moisturizer prior to wearing this cream blush as it’ll make blending much easier. I do like the colours though but as far as cream blushes go, I think the Kat Von D and Glossier ones are the best, especially when it comes to blendability and being in the same price category. But if you want to have three colours on the go with you, then this palette would be perfect for you.
Price: $35
Where To Buy It: Ulta and Poshmark
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Active Ingredients: Collagener, Volufiline, Commipheroline, and Glycerin.
Verdict: I absolutely love Rodial as a brand, and have been very satisfied with their skincare products in the past. The same can be said for this product. First of all, let me say how much I adore the packaging. The serum inside can stay germ-free because you pump the cream out, super easily by pressing down. I liked this feature very much. Now for the product itself, let’s just say that it truly delivers in a way that other serums do not. It does hydrate and it does plump your skin. It’s light enough to use under foundation if that’s your thing, but I use it at night. The texture is lightweight and completely absorbs into the skin allowing you to wake up to plump, and firmer skin. I really love it and I know this is on the pricier side, however, you only need one pump to cover your face and neck so it’ll last for a long time, so I see it as a good skincare investment, especially since it does help the skin look and feel better.
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What It Is: A luxurious moisturizer that intensely hydrates, smooths, and reduces the look of lines and wrinkles for dewy and plumper-looking skin.
What It Does: Hydrates and plumps skin.
Active Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, peptides, and olive oil.
Verdict: This cream is intensely hydrating, but the consistency feels a bit off. It’s kinda blocky and not whipped as you would expect from the look of it. But when you dip your fingers to take a scoop, the olive oil in it makes it oily and therefore you’re better off using a little spatula in trying to gather this up from the pot. Now, I have oily skin, so I felt like applying this cream was going to head me toward acne-ville. And although it didn’t break me out, it also didn’t feel refreshing. I think this cream is best suited for those that have dry skin and will find the olive oil to be hydrating, and not simply stay on the surface like it did with me. I recommend this cream if you have dry skin and are looking for deep hydration. If you have oily or combination skin, this cream probably won’t be the best for you. I would suggest the Tatcha Water Cream instead.
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What It Does: Helps minimize pores, combat shine/oily skin, and even out skintone.
Active Ingredients: Barbados Cherry, Cactus Flower, Niacinamide, Australian Lemon Myrtle, Japanese Raisin Tree, and Green Tea and Fig.
Verdict: I’m conflicted about this product because I do like it and it does feel good but it’s not enough to warrant paying $34 for toner. I haven’t seen a difference in controlling my oily skin or pores, but like I said, I do like how the toner feels on my skin. It doesn’t sting nor does it feel dry. It feels very soft and nourishing to the skin, so for that, I will say it’s a good toner. It also has some very excellent ingredients and is completely vegan. So for those points, I can see someone wanting to choose this toner over others. But I personally, haven’t seen a huge difference in my skin to warrant that price point.
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If I told you it wouldn’t be a secret, now would it?
PLOT SUMMARY:
For as long as she can remember, Belle has been insidiously obsessed with her skin and skincare videos. When her estranged mother Noelle mysteriously dies, Belle finds herself back in Southern California, dealing with her mother’s considerable debts and grappling with lingering questions about her death. The stakes escalate when a strange woman in red appears at the funeral, offering a tantalizing clue about her mother’s demise, followed by a cryptic video about a transformative spa experience. With the help of a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the barbed embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the same lavish, culty spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle discovers the frightening secret behind her (and her mother’s) obsession with the mirror—and the great shimmering depths (and demons) that lurk on the other side of the glass.
Snow White meets Eyes Wide Shut in this surreal descent into the dark side of beauty, envy, grief, and the complicated love between mothers and daughters. With black humor and seductive horror, Rouge explores the cult-like nature of the beauty industry—as well as the danger of internalizing its pitiless gaze. Brimming with California sunshine and blood-red rose petals, Rouge holds up a warped mirror to our relationship with mortality, our collective fixation with the surface, and the wondrous, deep longing that might lie beneath.
GRADE: A
REVIEW:
A fever dream, a fairytale, a nightmare. This book is all those things and more. As someone who is as skincare obsessed as Mirabelle, this novel resonated a lot with me. Awad writes some of the best mad, unhinged women in literature, and I’m absolutely here for it. When her mother unexpectedly dies in a tragic accident, and Mirabelle leaves Montreal for So-Cal, her descent to madness doesn’t take that long. Much like her previous books, Awad manages to capture the protagonist’s slip from reality in a way that is both poetic and terrifying. This novel is steeped with silent rage, mommy issues, and the color red. Often, as the reader, you can’t tell what is real and what is madness, a bit of an Alice in Wonderland moment, if you will. But one thing is certain, you can’t look away, and you continue down the proverbial rabbit hole along with Mirabelle, trying to make sense of the craziness as best as you can. This is one wild ride that explores our obsession with beauty and youth and to what lengths one might go to be beautiful.
*Thank you so much to NetGalley and S&S/Marysue Rucci Books for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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Verdict: First things first, the packaging is incredibly adorable, and why I selected it as one of my items for my June Ipsy bag. When you first apply this lipstick, it smells heavenly – like actual ice cream. The lipstick feels lightweight and the colour is really pretty, a berry shade. Now, the issue I had with this lipstick was that after four hours it began to BLEED/FEATHER (what this means is that it began to run over the natural lipline, into the skin). By the time it was 6pm, the lipstick looked like the Harley Quinn smudged lipstick. Usually, all the liquid lipsticks I’ve used from Urban Decay or Maybelline have lasted me from 7am-9pm sans bleeding/feathering, or smudging. So to have this one start to bleed after only four hours, it was such a letdown. So I can’t really recommend this lipstick if you’re looking for longevity, because it’ll turn messy and I’m not a fan of messy lipstick AT ALL.
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Skin cycling may sound complicated, but it’s actually based on a less-is-more approach that helps you achieve healthy-looking skin and protect your skin’s barrier. To start, you’ll follow a four-day evening routine with one key type of product designated for each night.
The rotation begins with exfoliation on the first night, followed by retinol on the second night. The third and fourth nights are dedicated to recovery skin barrier-protecting serums and moisturizers. Then, the cycle repeats.
Every Day & Night: Some products are too essential to skip out on and should be used every day of your routine. This includes serums and moisturizers.
Night One: Exfoliation
Kick off your cycle with an exfoliating formula to help minimize the look of your pores, buff away dull or rough skin, and prep your face to receive the benefits from the rest of your products throughout the cycle. First, cleanse your face and make sure it’s 100% dry. Then, apply your chosen exfoliating product. For this step, some of my favorite exfoliating creams are Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Age Defying Exfoliator or Glam Glow Brightmud Dual-Action Exfoliating Treatment.
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What It Does: Delivers volume and length, almost giving the illusion of false lashes.
Verdict: I’m on the fence with this mascara because it does deliver in the sense of lengthening your lashes, but I’m not really a fan of the formula. The formula is kinda gloopy and clumpy, and tar-like. I can see this working if you do one coat of the mascara and then use a clean mascara wand to fix up any clumping the mascara creates. Sadly, this is the issue with mascaras that have fibers, they do give you maximum length and volume, but there’s a learning curve on how to apply it without creating a total mess. It also flakes a little by the end of the day or if you nap. I don’t completely hate this, but there are so many other amazing mascaras out there for less price that I don’t necessarily recommend it either.
Price: $26
Where To Buy It: MAC, Ulta, and Sephora.
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The Inkblotters 