I don't need any more lotions or body mists. DON'T LET ME buy any more lotions or body mists.

However, I go through body washes and various soaps like it's my job - so I tend to haul the more...specialty brand body washes when they're at a hefty discount. I was on a soap fueled mission yesterday when I checked out Bath and Body Works' Summer Semi Annual Sale - so here's what I picked up!

- Cherry Blossom Shower Gel: This was just changed to an online exclusive last summer and is probably my favorite fragrance in the history of Bath and Body Works. Which means they of course are going to make it more difficult for me to access. Shocker. But I still have a substantial amount of body mist and body cream left in this one but I missed out on the body wash last summer. Yesterday, this was on special for $3 and the marketing said "TODAY ONLY!!!" but it's still listed as $3 online as of 6/16.

- Paris Amour Shower Gel: Yep. I feel like this and Sweet Pea are tied for my favorite fragrances in the brand's permanent line. I think I've already worked through a bottle of this in the past. This was the same pricing situation as Cherry Blossom yesterday, but is now listed as $5.50.

- Wild Citrus Sunflower Shower Gel: WILD FREAKING CITRUS SUNFLOWER. YAAASS. Okay - the year before last this was a summer fragrance that I fell head over heels for and then they repromoted every other fragrance last summer and made this one an online exclusive...of course. So I may have let out an audible gasp and beelined for this display when I saw it. I'm planning on wearing this today because its just so summery and wonderful. This was $4 yesterday, but is listed as $3 online today. Ah, well. It was worth the extra dollar.

- Wild Citrus Sunflower Body Lotion: Yes, this is the only exclusion to the no lotions rule. I have the body mist, and now the shower gel, so I needed to complete the collection. Just let me have this one, okay? Same pricing situation as the shower gel, which was strange.

- Coconut Lime Breeze Travel Size Shower Gel: I don't know why this little guy was on sale, because I can't find it on the site and the full sized one isn't discounted, but I really like this one! Definitely has some force to it, as well! I think this was somewhere around $1.75.

- Tokyo Lotus Apple Blossom Travel Size Shower Gel: This is the only fragrance that I was really interested in from the spring collection, but I wasn't dedicated enough to get the full size. It pairs well with other fragrances, so I picked this up and although it is listed as $2.50 online I could have sworn I payed $1.75. 

I do regret waiting as long as I did to head on over to Bath and Body Works because I wanted to stock up on fragrance oils and scentportable refills, but they we're quite lacking by the time I arrived. I do regret not picking up a candle yesterday and may make a trip back - it's a thrilling saga, really. I HATED Watermelon Lemonade last year and for some reason I am completely enamored with it this time around! It's listed as half off right now, so it's probably a sign that I should jump at it - but otherwise, I'm pretty stocked up until next time!

MAC Limited Edition Kelly Osbourne Lipstick in Dodgy Girl and Lavender Lipstick Comparisons!

These are the times when being a morning person totally pays off. Since this lipstick sold out in all of 10 minutes online when it launched, I took advantage of the fact that my shift ended at the same time that the closest MAC store opened. And they had already sold a significant amount of the collection by the time I arrived - maybe 10:05! Crazy! But I'm so happy that I was able to get my hands on this!

The packaging is gorgeous, a grayed lavender with a subtle sheen to it and Kelly's signature - but hear me out...It feels a good bit more lightweight than your average MAC lipstick. I feel like I'm nit-picking (and I kind of am) but the plastic to it feels lighter and thinner to me. It also spins quicker when you turn the bottom, whereas my other MAC lipsticks have a bit of friction to them. In no way did this affect the quality of the lipstick itself, but remember - you're paying $1.50 more for the packaging in terms of these Limited Editions. 

Okay - now all the negative is out of the way!

Did I wear this before I swatched it for you guys? Absolutely. #sorrynotsorry

Can we tell that this is "a Kadie color"? Dodgy Girl has a matte finish and is described by MAC as simply a "light lavender" - it is a slightly darker take on lavender with a touch of pink that kind of brings it back down into the more wearable territory. While it does have a matte finish, it by no means has a powdery matte feeling. There still is a good amount of slip and nourishment to the lips but it still manages to look matte on the lips. The wear time for this one is actually pretty freaking wonderful. I test wore this one...then forgot that I was test wearing it and drank a few cups of tea, ate chicken nuggets and pretzels, etc, and the color was still surprisingly intact. It had not moved outside of the lip lines and it really hadn't faded all too much either. I will say, though, this shade will definitely stain. I never really removed it and let it wear off on it's own on the day I purchased it, and I woke up with a slightly purple-ish pink stain on my lips then next morning...which lasted until about halfway through my day. It's one of those lipsticks that you kind of have to commit to, because its not really going to come off completely for a while. 

This definitely is a color family that I'm drawn to, so I wanted to share the similar shades in my collection to show how they compare to this one, just in case!

1) MAC Fresh Amour Mattene  - This was limited edition and I have no ever loving clue what collection it was from. It is FAR lighter than Dodgy girl and has a very white-purple tone to it.

2) MAC Lavender Whip - Again, limited edition, but I didn't find these all too similar. Lavender Whip has a much stronger pink tone to it and because of the Cremesheen finish has almost a translucent quality.

3) MAC Dodgy Girl

4) MAC Up The Amp - This one is a whole lot pinker and a touch darker and also has a subtle sheen to it.

5) MAC Nocturnal Instincts Mattene - This was another limited edition - and not to mention one of my favorite MAC lipsticks in the history of forever - but it is completely different. It almost has a pinky-gray quality to it.

6) MAC Viva Glam Nicki 2 - If you mixed Dodgy Girl with a liberal amount of white pigment, you'd have Viva Glam Nicki 2.

7) NYX Power - Hey, not MAC! What can I say, MAC has mastered the whole purple lip thing! Power is actually nowhere close to Dodgy Girl, but I never realized how similar it was to my oh so adored Nocturnal Instincts. A bit pinker, but it really thrills me that it could almost be considered a dupe for a lipstick that I have been hoarding!

8) Lime Crime Airborne Unicorn - And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for - this is the closest thing I have to a dupe for Dodgy Girl. These two are a good deal more similar than I anticipated because they look quite different in the actual bullet, but beside the fact that Airborne Unicorn has a slight sheen to it and is a bit more blue toned and vibrant, the two are in fact quite similar. Do I need both? No, but yes. Don't judge me.

I was intending on hauling other items from this collection, but I decided to stay with the least dupable. If I run across them discounted at a CCO, I would probably consider the blush in Cheeky Bugger and a gloss named Bijou from Sharon's collection but I'm trying to keep my head about me with all of these MAC collections - which up until they announced the Moody Blooms collection for the summer, I was starting to feel like MAC was "back" with their super exciting limited edition collections. I won't be picking anything up from Moody Blooms to the extent of my knowledge - I was underwhelmed...and don't even get me started on all of these collaberations with designers where they significantly hike up the price and let the quality totally bottom out! UGH!

Now that I've completely gone off on a tangent, did anyone else pick up anything from Kelly or Sharon's collections? Let me know!

Revlon Limited Edition Super Lustrous Lipstick in Brazilian Tan

Okay - I'd consider myself an active sports fan, but I've really never fully gotten into soccer/football/fútbol. In all honesty, the only reason I didn't really start watching until now was how incredibly overwhelming it seems. I don't know who to cheer for - and I'm from the USA and I'm not 100% sure if my country's team is good or not.

Long story very, very short - I figured the 2014 FIFA World Cup was the best place to start...So I'm currently watching Brazil vs. Croatia. And I'm going to go with the hype and cheer for Brazil - I think. I'm so definite about all of my other sports teams, so this is a strange feeling for me.

So, in honor of Brazil's hosting of the World Cup and playing in the opening game, I thought I'd give a few thoughts on a "Brazil themed" lipstick that I've picked up recently.

Okay, so I'm quite fair skinned - Like MAC NC15 can be a bit too dark for me on occasion kind of fair skinned - and when you look at a shade like this, you don't really think it would be one that would flatter me all that much.

Given, this isn't like a holy grail status nude for my skin; but in a really strange, unique way...it works. Brazilian Tan is a deep warm nude shade with strong brown tones to it. I feel like the thing that makes this shade so unique is the real lack of pink or peach tones to it - it really is a true brown nude, which sets it apart from really anything in my collection.

The formula of this shade is definitely in line with what I've come to expect of Revlon's Super Lustrous Creme formula - it's mostly to completely opaque, wears comfortably and doesn't dry out my lips. When this faded, it faded evenly so I didn't have any patchiness or anything of the sort. I really do like this one!

Is this a short review? Yes. Brazil just scored, we're tied 1/1 and I'm going to go watch the game!

CoverGirl Colorlicious Lipglosses - Thoughts and Swatches

When I hauled these a couple weeks ago it was definitely a blind purchase. Literally no one was reviewing these yet - I don't know if we got them early here in Central Florida (yeah right, like that would ever happen...) - but I have a suspicion that nobody really reviewed them at first because it's quite possible that no one really liked them.

And man, did I really want to like these...

The display gave me high hopes. There is a decent color range - I'd like to say at least ten shades - and seem to cover all the bases; nudes, pinks, brights, reds, plums, etc. I wanted to get shades that were from different ends of the spectrum of the line so I chose;  Melted Toffee - which in the tube looked like a pale, neutral toned light beige nude, Give Me Guava - which looked like a beautiful neutral light pink with a nearly golden shift and Fruitlicious - which looked like a fuchsia pink with a blue shift to it. They look pretty intense in the tubes, right? Note how often in the color descriptions I chose the past tense for look...

This is why I nearly always look up swatches. What you see in the tubes is not the color you see on your lips...you'd need nearly half of the tube to get the color to look that intense in the first place!

These are quite sheer, but isn't a sheer gloss okay?  Absolutely - but at least give it a nice formula! Now these aren't sticky in the least, which people who abhor sticky glosses might appreciate, but the issue I have is that they are simply too thin too work with. I was expecting something a bit thicker, along the lines of the Maybelline Color Sensational High Shines or the Rimmel Stay Glossys (which are on the thinner end of the gloss spectrum, in my opinion) but these are much thinner. They also have such a strange, oil like consistency that just makes them slide around and they really don't adhere to the lips much. It's such a strange feeling - almost like I mixed color and olive oil and decided it was a lipgloss. 

Because of the texture of these, I didn't find them particularly drying but yet again, they hardly stick around long enough to tell anyway. The only decent use I've been able to get out of these - other than a quick trip to the grocery store or something of the like - was to use them to layer over lipstick. They're okay as layering glosses, but tend to make the product under them wear away a bit quicker - I think they're just too emollient. 

So how do I feel about these? In all honesty - a little bummed out. The wear time is dismal, the texture is strange and the color payoff is very lacking. While these are rumored to be in CoverGirl's permanent line, I've yet to see them listed on the brand's website and have seen them go on promotional sale (aside from a normal Walgreens or CVS sale) a good two or three times now. My thought is that they're not selling too well. I'd pass on these - they're prettier to look at in the tube than to actually wear.

Maybelline Limited Edition Color Whisper in Pop of Poppy

Ever since my mom surprised me with Coach Poppy last year, I've been obsessed with all things poppy. It may sound silly - I think poppies now make me think of my mom and that makes me happy, so if a product has something to do with poppies, I'm all about it. Does anyone else make connections like that with a beauty product?

So that's why this Color Whisper happened. As soon as I saw the initial launch of it, I knew I'd have to have it - if I could actually find it. That's the frustrating thing about Limited Edition Drugstore Collections; if you don't jump at an item and it sells out, you're screwed. I had to check a couple different locations before I was actually able to find one of these. Though, it was totally worth it.

Can we just talk about how cute the packaging is for the Color Whisper range? I really like the translucency and shine the cap has. It's light and summery and almost jewel like and it makes me happy for some unknown reason.

Pop of Poppy is one of those colors that will literally suit any skin tone. It is a semi-sheer ever so slightly red toned pink shade that can be worn very translucent, but does build quite well on itself to give a pop of pink on the lips. I thoroughly enjoy the formula of this range - I think it's my favorite of the "lip butter" trend - because it's just so lightweight. This is a gel based lip product and you can kind of feel that in the way it applies and wears. Given, it doesn't have a groundbreaking wear time; but not many products of the like do on my lips. I don't know if this range has any sort of lip nourishing ingredient infused in them, but they definitely don't cause any dryness in my lips.

I'm super excited that I was able to round up this shade because, even though I bought it for the name, it really is one of those "staple shades" - especially for the summertime! I do have a few other Color Whispers from the permanent line - Lust for Blush, A Plum Prospect and Ooh La Lilac - and while I do have my eye on a few more, I'm really hoping that Maybelline adds more to this range. They're so effortless and comfortable!

What's your summer go-to lip these days?

MAC Alluring Aquatics Extra Dimension Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell

So...it was meant to be.

Last Friday - and I'm nearly certain - I was probably the first customer into my local MAC store. Literally. I left work at 10 and went straight there. Some may say obsession - I prefer the word "dedication".

And of course, the first words out of my mouth after an obligatory "Good Morning" (which 10am does not feel like morning to me anymore!), was "did you guys already sell out of Aphrodite's Shell" to which I was met with a "what the heck is that?".

HUGE rant alert here - In my years of retail, if something is being launched in your store...no matter how many different products there are...you know them. The names, information and all that hoohaw. I work backroom stock and merchandising - not even customer service - and if I don't know information about a launch in the company I work for? *shiver* It's been ingrained in my brain that something like that is a big deal. So I was a bit shocked that for the second time that month (the first time was with a permanent item - Patisserie) and with a completely separate group of people, I was met with blank stares and "wait, are you sure we sell that?".

"Are you sure we sell that?" Let that sink in for a moment. I'm just going to start with my phone pre-loaded to the product page on MAC's website for goodness sake! ¡'Ta Loca, "Are you sure we sell that?"!

*sigh*

Long story waaaaaay short - It obviously wasn't sold out and I was able to purchase it. And I feel quite strongly about it - like Gollum clutching it whispering "My Precious" kind of strongly...

As with about 90% of the rest of the collection, the compact is metallic and embossed with water droplets. It is literally gorgeous but please don't judge my fingerprints - because it is literally a fingerprint magnet. It is nearly the same size as an average Mineralize Skinfinish, but 1g less - which I'm assuming is due to the fact that this is only domed on one side rather than across the entire product.

The product itself is a work of art, really. The bottom half has a raised, textured wave in it, while the top half is imprinted with the MAC logo. This doesn't wear away very quickly either - I've been using the heck out of this and the only change I'm seeing is that the ridges in the waves are a bit less defined.

This is the first time I've tested the waters in the Extra Dimension formula from MAC. I now understand the hype. When you look at the powder itself, it really does look like it would be chunky and lacking of a smooth texture. Touch it. Apply it. This formula was one of those that I really did judge a book by it's cover and just assumed that it wouldn't be smooth. 

This stuff is like butter! MAC does call the Extra Dimension formula a "liquid powder" and I can kind of get that analogy because it is just so finely milled. It does have a sheen to it, so if you're not keen on glowy bronzers then this might agitate you. I have two categories of bronzers in my collection. The larger category - and the one that this one fits into - is that of bronzers that I use as a blush. I do appreciate the glow sometimes because since I have such oily skin and I do so much to mattify it, sometimes it is quite nice to put the glow back in where I want it to be. The other category of bronzers for me are those for contouring - which are usually completely are almost matte and tend to be cooler toned or taupe. This would not fall into that category - between the sheen to it and the general lightness and pinkness of it. MAC describes this shade as a "Golden Bronze with a touch of fine shimmer" which is pretty accurate - but I will say that this does have some pink to it that keep it from turning into an orange-y bronze. It is quite light and I would recommend this more for skintones on the lighter end of the spectrum. I was also quite impressed by the way this blended - it's literally kind of effortless and probably one of the easiest bronzers to blend that I've used in a while!

Am I done with Alluring Aquatics? My answer still stands; if it's still there - and by it I mean possibly the Extra Dimension Eyeshadow in Sea Worship (yes, I've refined my wishlist) - then, just repeat after me...if it's still there, it means it was "meant to be".

Mascara Madness Masterpost - June 2014

I used to be the kind of person that never  had more than one or two mascaras in their collection at a given time; obviously that ship has sailed. I've had these photos on my computer for nearly a month now, and in the name of getting rid of old mascaras, I present you with some mini reviews!

Milani Total Lash Cover - 

What it claims: 3 part brush is meant to define, build and curl.

What it actually does: My lashes have a natural curl to them, so I'm not the best to ask, but this delivered on the define front as I found this did not look clumpy. However, the building aspect is out the window; this deposits a lot less product than you'd expect and isn't very dramatic. The tip of the brush does not have any bristles, so it was difficult to reach inner lashes.

Anything special?: In all honesty, the brush looked cool - before you use the brush, you can see that it is divided up into different colored sections that are all supposed to serve a different purpose.

Wear time and transferring: This didn't transfer on my oily lids but after a whole work day my lashes look a little lackluster.

Removal: No real issue, I use my normal removal process.

Will I repurchase?: No. It was cheap, and I think I now see why.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Lycra Flex - I received this as a sample for review purposes.

What it claims: Fullness and volume with flexibility. 

What it actually does: There is a volumizing effect to this and in all honesty, it doesn't feel quite as crispy as the average mascara, but it still isn't the most lightweight in my collection. The brush is an average bristled mascara wand, but in a very large size. This thing is HUGE.

Anything special?: The infusion of Lycra is meant to make lashes volumized but flexible. 

Wear time and transferring: I had no issues with this wearing off or transferring on me.

Removal: This didn't take any extra work to remove, it was quite easy.

Will I repurchase?: If the wand was smaller, absolutely. I do like the formula but the wand is too big for my liking. 

CoverGirl Bombshell Volume by LashBlast - 

What it claims: Side one volumizes to add 10x the volume, while side two intensifies.

What it actually does: I normally don't like the smaller, rubber bristled wands like side one, but that wasn't what bothered me. 10x the volume is a very large stretch though, and I'm not entirely sure what side two is doing when it "intensifies".

Anything special?: Dual brushes meant to be layered for more volume.

Wear time and transferring: This transfers like CRAZY on me. Horrendously. 

Removal: Since most of it has already transferred to the rest of my eyes/face, they'res not much left to take off, but it does remove easily.

Will I repurchase?: Absolutely not.

Revlon ColorStay 3D Volume Mascara - 

What it claims: Volume and dimension to lashes.

What it actually does: This doesn't make extreme claims, so it is pretty true to the claims it does make. This does not clump at all on me and something I really like about this one is that the wand does not remove an unnecessary amount of product.

Anything special?: Not really - might have a better wiping mechanism than other mascaras.

Wear time and transferring: This may be a little less intense by the end of the day but there was no transferring on me.

Removal: Removal was easy, no issues there.

Will I repurchase?: This is 50% off at CVS right now which leads me to believe that it is being discontinued, so probably. This is my sister's all time favorite mascara.

Benefit They're Real - 

What it claims: Length, curl, volume and lift.

What it actually does: I don't find much lift and lenth to this, but it does add volume. However, this can get clumpy very quickly and is painful to my lashline to apply.

Anything special?: Domed tip for inner lashes and staggered bristles for volume.

Wear time and transferring: This does not transfer on me and still looks very similar to application at the end of the day.

Removal: This takes a bit stronger of a remover to take off completely, but nothing too irritating.

Will I repurchase?: Probably not. Too much work and it agitates my eyes.

L'Oreal Voluminous Volume Building Mascara - 

What it claims: Resists clumping and provides 5x the volume.

What it actually does: I don't thing 5x the volume is too far of a stretch. I posted a selfie on instagram wearing this and was asked if I was wearing false lashes. That's a great feeling. The wand does, however, dispense way too much product.

Anything special?:  Not really.

Wear time and transferring: This did not transfer and still looked the same at the end of the day as it did at the beginning. 

Removal: No issues with removal, an average thickness formula.

Will I repurchase?: Probably. I really like the way this made my lashes look.

L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly Mascara - 

What it claims: Brush design extends outer part of lashes out for a wispy effect.

What it actually does: It does just that. I adore this mascara, but I will say that it did have to grow on me. It takes some getting used to because the asymmetry of the brush is only on one side so it forces you to either flip the brush in the opposite direction or force yourself to be mascara ambidextrous - which I am SO not - but once I got the hang of it, I fell in love. My lashes look incredible with this!

Anything special?:  The wand is asymmetrical on one side; having a scoop of longer prongs. The rest are short bristles.

Wear time and transferring: This will last me all day with no issue whatsoever and has never transferred on me.

Removal: If I let my remover sit on my lashes for a few seconds, this removes without an issue.

Will I repurchase?: Abso-FREAKING-lutely.

L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara - 

What it claims: Complete lash cover and 15x volume.

What it actually does: How does one measure 15x volume? I'm not sure if I'm getting that much volume, but I'm definitely getting volume with this. I can definitely, however, vouch for the total lash cover ability of this. This gets every single lash with no issue and isn't too huge of a brush.

Anything special?: The wand itself is very flexible, and the bristles are sporadic - in a good way. 

Wear time and transferring: I found no transferring and get a whole day's wear out of this.

Removal: Same with all of my other L'Oreal mascaras; no issue, just allow remover to sit for 3 or so seconds.

Will I repurchase?: YAS. I'm just as enthused with this one as the Butterfly mascara. L'Oreal is doing something right, I tell you.

Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara - 

What it claims: Lengthens, defines and will not clump.

What it actually does: Actually, that's exactly what it does - minus the length. I use this on my lower lashline 9 times out of 10, but I have used this on my upper lashes and it definitely separates them and will not clump at all. This is definitely a more natural look, but it has its place.

Anything special?: The wand is teeny tiny.

Wear time and transferring: Will not transfer, which is very important since I wear this on my lower lashline - but this doesn't have an overly stellar wear time.

Removal: Very easy to remove.

Will I repurchase?: I definitely would - this is perfect for bottom lashes.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara - 

What it claims: 8x the amount of volume, smooth lashes and no clumps.

What it actually does: Volume? Yes. Smooth lashes? - what the heck does that mean?? - And no clumps? Pfft. This clumps before I even put it on my lashes, I swear it! The rubber bristles are very, very short and the wand itself is actually quite thick. Not my cup of tea.

Anything special?: "Supersonic brush" and "fast-glide formula". Whatever those mean. Umm??

Wear time and transferring: Once it's on, it's not going anywhere. At all.

Removal: A bit difficult to remove, actually. It takes a bit more work than I prefer.

Will I repurchase?: No. Maybelline needs to scrub the launch of this Rocket.

...I had to...I'm from Florida...

Maybelline Volum' Express Pumped Up! Colossal Mascara - 

What it claims: 16x the volume and an "extra shot" of plumping formula? More mascara being applied possibly?

What it actually does: Well, clumps my lashes, basically. I tried so hard to like this since I love the original Colossal, but I can't even make this semi-work for me by wiping off the excess mascara on a tissue. NOT. OKAY.

Anything special?: A "double shot" brush, which is probably their way of saying a brush that picks up and obscene amount of product.

Wear time and transferring: This did transfer on me, but not to the worst degree I've seen. It still is pretty intense - and clumpy - by the end of the day.

Removal: A little difficult, kind of like I applied too many coats.

Will I repurchase?: I wish I kept my receipt, actually. I would have returned it. For shame!

Maybelline Illegal Lengths Mascara - (can we tell when my camera died and I had to continue taking photos after the sun went down?)

What it claims: Dramatic length and no flaking.

What it actually does: It has spoken true on its claims. This is a wonderful lengthening mascara that still provides me with a bit of volume as well and I LOVE the shape of the brush. This separates and coats very evenly.

Anything special?: 4mm lash extensions. 

Wear time and transferring: No transferring and no loss of dramatic look (which is often a side effect of these kinds of mascara because of flaking). This one is just very well executed.

Removal: No issue in removal whatsoever. The waterproof of this one - which I've accidentally purchased in the past - is another (painful) story.

Will I repurchase?: I have before and I will continue to as well. I just thoroughly enjoy the brush shape - everything else is just gravy.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Mega Plush Mascara - (i.e. the most difficult wand on earth to photograph!)

What it claims: Full volume without the hardness and weight as well as complete coverage.

What it actually does: It is very lightweight and kind of attributed to a fluttery effect. Not so much for the total lash coverage though - this is one of the lesser dramatic mascaras in my collection.

Anything special?: 40% less waxes and a flexible brush (though not nearly as flexible as L'Oreal's Miss Manga)

Wear time and transferring: No transferring occurred with this one but it was one of those disappearing acts that wasn't quite as full as it was by the end of the night.

Removal: Quite easy, I had no issue with this.

Will I repurchase?: I like the fluttery effect, but I'm a bit on the fence about this one.

Get ready to see some empties coming up soon...because a few of these are old enough to be added to the box. I've already added some replacements - Maybelline Colossal (original! OMG), Maybelline The Falsies and Revlon Bold Lacquer have already been through a bit of testing and I do have a few other recommendations to try out. I will say my standout mascaras from this list are definitely L'Oreal Voluminous Butterfly, Miss Manga and Maybelline Illegal Lengths - and outside of this list Maybelline Colossal (original, OMG) and Victoria's Secret Triple Drama are some of my other favorites. I'm sensing a pattern here.

Because 9 times out of 10, I'm just really not feeling these rubber bristle brushes!

Some of My Favorite Beauty YouTubers!

In all honesty, I was a bit tardy to the YouTube beauty party - I've only been watching beauty videos on YouTube regularly for the past two years or so. In that time though, I've been able to come across a lot of channels that I find particularly helpful and wonderful - and while this list, knowing myself, will probably not be all inclusive - because I'd forget my own arm if it wasn't permanently attached to me - includes channels that I've been really enjoying lately. These are in no particular order and I'll be including links and my reasonings, so make sure to check them out!

Kristin Gehm - LOVE HER! She's the queen of the taupe eyeshadow and all about sensible and wearable makeup - but still has some of the most gorgeous eye looks I've seen in a while. I also love the organization of her videos; they all have a format to them that makes them very pleasant to watch!

gossmakeupartist  - This guy knows his stuff! Wayne Goss is probably one of the most talented makeup artists in the business and is always finding newer and better ways to makeup. His videos are also short, sweet and to the point and he doesn't hem and haw around and gets straight to the point. I love that!

MadeYewLook - HOLY CRAP. If you like Special FX Makeup and body painting, check Lex out. Shes so ridiculously talented and down to earth. She also does a whole heck of a lot for the Diabetes community, which is something very near and dear to my heart.

Tati| GlamLifeGuru - I feel like Tati's videos are the perfect mix of drugstore and high end. She is super helpful with drugstore shopping, always outlining sales and I particularly enjoy her "Hot or Not" videos which review new items and collections very close to their release date to give us an idea of if they're worth it or not. Not to mention, shes freaking GORGEOUS.

Dustin Hunter - Dustin posts videos a little less than most of my subscriptions, but they are always a treat to see! I particularly like is makeup aesthetic - he's the perfect mix of editorial makeup with approachable techniques. Not to mention, his voice is so calming that he could talk about the apocalypse or something and I'd find it soothing!

goldiestarling  - Angie is the be all end all of Special FX makeup on YouTube. How is she not doing movies yet? Shes also incredibly helpful if you're interested in learning how to apply prosthetics for costume and special fx makeup, and the beauty looks she includes every once in a while are so beautiful and glamorous!

xsparkage - If you love anything bright, you'll love Leesha. I thoroughly enjoy her collection swatches, because shes quite fair skinned and I can get a really good thought of what colors would look like on me, but her tutorials are the bomb! I don't know how she does it, but the things she puts together always look stunning! Shes also SUPER prego right now and I love her vlogs!

Allura Beauty -  This is where it's at for new collection swatches and reviews. Literally - and I'm ashamed because I don't know the author/youtuber's real name - but she ALWAYS has the information and swatches I need. This is the first place I look when a new beauty collection is released.

Beauty Broadcast| Emilynoel83 - Emily was probably one of the first beauty YouTubers that I started watching and I still watch all of her videos to this day. Shes a wonderful resource for drugstore makeup and makeup dupes. Not to mention, she's worked in broadcast television so she is incredibly easy to understand and listen to!

essiebutton - I love Estee so much because her sense of humor is the exact same as mine - I totally get her. Her makeup style is one that I truly enjoy as well - shes always so radiant! And by the way - her Greyhound named Reggie is one of the most adorable creatures on this planet!

ItsKeerstin - YES. Again with the sense of humor note - I totally love this girl! Shes sarcastic and hilarious and I adore it! Not to mention, she also has oily skin (like I do) and lives in a hot climate (like I do) so I find her reviews incredibly helpful.

Jess Bunty - THE best skincare channel on YouTube. Jess deals with adult acne and has AMAZING  tips and recipes and tutorials regarding acne and scarring and redness and literally all the things I deal with in my skin. Not to mention, shes so freaking hilarous!

vintageortacky - I LOVE Cora. Shes so incredibly talented, but so down to earth at the same time and her makeup always looks flawless. She also does a lot of videos regarding plus size clothing, which I can highly appreciate.

Remember, these are just some of my favorites - I find new channels all the time and rediscover old ones all the same. I'd HIGHLY recommend that you check these guys out as I've learned so much from them!