anti-aging – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

April 2020 Beauty Favorites

Hi all! I hope you’re well and staying safe.

Below are my beauty faves for April. As usual, If I have reviewed them before, I will include the link, if not, I will link to where you can purchase:

I had a pretty good mix of skincare and makeup this month. I have been wearing a lot of makeup, because I have been doing a palette a day challenge on Instagram (fortyflirtyfab) where I used a different palette each day. It’s been fun and exhausting! I will be posting my final update soon.

Here’s a close up of the eyeshadow and face palette:

The face palette it the PUR x Trolls World Tour Top of the Charts Face Trio. It’s very fun to use. The blush is my favorite as it really brightens my sad, pale face. LOL!

The Natasha Denona Mini Retro Eyeshadow Palette is fairly new, but I want to include it because it’s amazing! So pretty! I haven’t reviewed it yet, but I’m bringing back my 20 in 2020 palette reviews next month and will be reviewing it soon!

I received the L’Oreal Bambi Eye Mascara and the MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish Highlighter in Double-Gleam in a giveaway from Youtuber Jessica Braun (she’s fantastic). Both of these are amazing. The MAC highlighter is natural and so pretty on and the mascara separates and lengthens my lashes. Love!

I picked up the Tarte Travel Size Timeless Smoothing Primer in my fall Ulta Points Haul. I just started using it, because I finished the pore filling primer I was using. I do love this. It works very well. I might have to pick up the full size eventually.

I received the Cure Natural Aqua Gel to review on Instagram. It’s a peeling gel, so you apply it to your skin, let it sit for a minute, then rub your face. The dry skin balls up and rinses away. It exfoliates it off and leaves skin soft and smooth.

Derma E is one of my favorite skincare brands. The products are affordable and so effective. This is the Skin Restore Advanced Peptides and Collagen Serum. I ran out of my neck cream and have been using this to firm my skin. It’s so lovely. It feels amazing on and does firm my skin.

This is the second bottle (first full size) of the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer I’ve had. I received it in my December Boxycharm. I love using it in the morning under makeup.

I can’t believe it’s almost May. I hope you had a great month at home, and that May is better for us all!

Small Beauty Haul From Target and Sephora

Hi all! I hope you’re all well and staying safe.

I have a little haul to share. I made a couple of orders — one with Ulta and one with Sephora during the recent sales. Here’s what I picked up:

From Sephora I picked up two Urban Decay palettes half price! Plus, I got the Tatcha and Youth to the People deluxe samples with my Sephora points.

The Sunday Riley set was on sale during the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty. I also picked up some soaps, and got free shipping when I purchased the skincare. I haven’t tried it yet.

These are the Ont The Run Mini Palettes in G-Train and Bailout. I have the pink and blue/brown toned ones and I wanted these two. They were on sale for $12.50 each! I should have got the last one, Highway Queen (oranges), but I’m sure I will pick it up later. I love the formula of these palettes.

This is Bailout! Gorgeous browns and purples.

G-Train is warmer and has a couple of gorgeous greens! I will hopefully be swatching and reviewing these soon. And I’m sure I’ll be using one or both of these this month in my daily Shop My Stash (check out my Instagram @fortyflirtyfab).

This is the Sunday Riley Flash Fix set. It has the Good Genes All-In-One Lactic Acid Treatment and the Ceramic Slip Cleanser. I haven’t tried it yet, but it looks really nice.

For my Sephora points, I got two duos — the Youth to the People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream and the Superfood Antioxidant Cleanser. I also picked up the Tatcha The Deep Cleanse and The Water Cream.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

Have you purchased anything online lately? What have you picked up?

Shop My Stash March 2020 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! I hope you are all doing well and staying safe. I’m back with my February Shop My Stash results! I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.

My rule with this is if I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room and let someone else enjoy it! You can check out my first Shop My Stash post for March.

These are the gorgeous products I used this month. And I did so well in using all of these, even though I was mostly at home and was not going out! I love applying makeup almost everyday. It makes me feel put together and like myself.

Before I go into how my month went, I wanted to say I’m switching it up just for April. Since I’ll be at home all month, I’ve decided to do a different Shop My Stash. I am going to use a different eyeshadow palette every day. I’ll be posting the palettes I’ve used every few days with swatches of the shades I used. I think this will be fun and a great way to use some of my palettes I’ve been neglecting.

So back to March. I used the Steve Laurant liner a few times. I kept forgetting about it, LOL! I do really like it. I did use both the Urban Decay Vice Lip Chemistry shades a lot and enjoy that product. It’s so different. It goes on almost matte and light, then it turns a bit deeper and glossier. I have the two lightest shades.

Here are the palettes I used:

I kind of forgot about this palette, too. I used it a few times, but kept reaching for other blushes and highlighters. I think I’ll keep it through the summer and if I don’t reach for it I’ll pass it on.

You can probably tell from how messy this Sigma Enchanted palette is, that I used it a lot in March! I really like this one, especially the shimmers and metallics. My favorite shimmers are Budding, Moonglade and Plume. The pinks and roses are so gorgeous! I am absolutely keeping this palette!

Here’s another keeper, the bareMinerals Gen Nude Eyeshadow Palette in Neutral. Such a gorgeous everyday palette. I can create a full look with this, either all mattes or with one of the shimmers on the lid.

So I am keeping all of these products for now.

On to my empties:

I had ten empties this month. I’m pretty proud of that. Staying at home, I’ve really been digging into my products. I have been consistent with my skincare, too!

I received the Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum in my February Boxycharm. I used it only on my neck and chin in the morning and evening. I really noticed firming in that area. I would purchase this again but it is $98! So…not right now.

I used up two toners — the Pixi Milky Tonic and the Skinfood Peach Sake Toner. I liked both of these. The Skinfood primer was probably my favorite, because it’s so refreshing. The Pixi Milky Tonic is hydrating. I would purchase these again.

I also used two mists. The Derma E UPLIFT Skin Beneficial Mist Mood Enhancing and the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea. I enjoyed both of them and would repurchase.

I used up the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. I like it, but I just started using the Farmacy Green Clean and I like that one more. It’s a smoother texture. I wouldn’t purchase this one again.

My last skincare items were a deluxe sample of the Amazing Grace lotion. Amazing Grace is my signature scent and I love it! And the DHC Urumai Cream is very thick and hydrating. It’s perfect for the winter, but since we are heading into warmer weather, I’ll be using a lighter lotion.

My two makeup items are the Urban Decay Brush Of Loose Powder and my favorite Mascara, the Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara. I would repurchase both, but I am good on powder and mascara right now. I’m really trying to use up what I have right now.

So, although I was at home most of the month, March was pretty good beauty-wise. I hope you stick around for my fun palette-a-day April (or whatever I decide to name it)!

March 2020 Beauty Favorites

Hi all! I hope you’re well and staying safe.

Below are my beauty faves for March. As usual, If I have reviewed them before, I will include the link, if not, I will link to where you can purchase:

I had a pretty good mix of skincare and makeup this month — plus a perfume!

Here’s a close up of the eyeshadow and face palette:

This is the Viseart Paris EDIT Eyeshadow Palette. I picked this up at the beginning of the month and love it! I can create cool and warm tone looks and every shade is stunning! This is my first Viseart palette and I am so impressed with the quality. It’s tiny, but I love that it has so many shade in it. I will definitely be purchasing another palette from Viseart in the future.

This is the Stay Naked Threesome Bronze, Blush and Highlighter Palette in Naked and it’s such a nice face palette. It’s compact enough that it’s perfect to travel with (someday). I love having my bronzer, blush and highlighter in the same palette. So convenient!

This is my current favorite skincare. The Derma E Vitamin C Gentle Daily Cleansing Paste helps to reduce the appearance of uneven skin tone, revealing a radiant and beautiful complexion. I also like using it as a mask.

The Tonymoly Vital Vita 12 Synergy Ampoule is infused with Niacinamide, Adenosine and the exclusive Vita-12 multi-vitamin compound that uses nanosome technology that provides 12 types of vitamins (A, B1, B3, B5, B6, B8, B12, C,E,F,H) combined to create a highly effective multi-vitamin blend. I use it in the morning to brighten my skin and love it! It’s light and sinks right in.

I received the Nuria Defend Triple Action Eye Cream from an Allure box last year. It’s very hydrating and feels nice on my eyes! It claims to remove the appearance of dark circles, reduce the look of puffiness, and improve fine lines. The skin around my eyes do look nice and smooth.

The Pixi Collagen LipGloss is my current favorite lip balm. It is enriched with Botanical Collagen and Peptides and hydrates and softens while helping to create smoother, fuller looking lips. I like using this before I do my makeup so my lips are nice and hydrated when I apply lip products.

I’ve had this since last year, but I’ve just really starting using the beautyblender RE-DEW Set & Refresh Spray. It’s such a cool product! It refreshes makeup, extends wear and adds a boost of hydration. This has a very fine mist nozzle, and it doesn’t disturb makeup. I like how it blends my powders into my makeup so I look really natural.

And my last favorite of the month is a perfume! It’s the Jen nifer Lopez Promise Eau de Parfum. I have been loving this fragrance. It’s so nice for every day, plus it’s a little bit glamorous!

Have you tried any of these products? What are your favorite products from March?

BoxyCharm BoxyLuxe Subscription Box Review — March 2020

Hi all! I just received my March BoxyLuxe. I’m always so excited to receive this box. I been subscribed to BoxyLuxe for over a year and have been a subscriber of BoxyCharm for almost three years.

The regular BoxyCharm box is $25 a month now. BoxyLuxe is a once-a-quarter upgrade option you can add to your existing $25-a-month Boxycharm subscription. So for an additional $24.99, you’ll get the Luxe box, and be paying a total of $49.99 for that quarterly box.

I saw the spoilers for this box, I just didn’t know what variations I would get. I did get to pick some of the items I would receive, which I really liked.

The theme for this month is Pretty Edgy. My version is 8. There’s an interesting mix of makeup, skincare and accessories this month. Here’s what I received:

BoxyCharm Hello, Charmer Palette — $39
NARS Powermatte Lip Pigment in Give It Up – $26
Sol de Janeiro Double Treat: Brazilian Bum Bum + Coco Cabana Cream Duo — $15
ZAXIE by Stefanie Taylor Play It By Ear Pavé Hoop Earrings — $32
Becca Cosmetics Skin Love Glow Glaze Stick — $28
Invisibobble The Original Traceless Hair Ring — $8
Murad Hydro Dynamic Ultimate Moisture for Eyes — $70
PMD Clean Smart Facial Cleansing Device in Blush — $99

The total is $317 and I paid $49.99. Not bad!

I love Sol de Janeiro, but these are so tiny. They are great for traveling and throwing in a purse or bag.

We got two choices this month. My first choice was this Murad Eye Cream. I haven’t tried anything from Murad for a few years. I love eye cream and am looking forward to testing this out!

The PMD cleansing device is the big ticket item this month. It is a sonic cleanser like the Foreo. I had one of those and liked it so I’m looking forward to trying this.

The glow stick is a pretty gold. I don’t know if I’m going to try it. I don’t usually wear cream face products and I don’t usually wear gold highlight. Hmm. I might pass it on.

And I will pass on the lip product. I wear nudes and light pinks and this magenta is way too bright!

I will use the invisibobble, although it’s not very exciting.

The Zaxie Earrings were my second choice. I’ve just started wearing earrings again and these are so pretty on!

Wow! This is so much prettier than I thought it would be. Honestly, when I heard Boxycharm was creating their own palette, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve already used it once, I did a natural look with Spoiler, Cup of Joe, Sneak Peek and Popup. It was very pretty, but then I decided to top it with Swipe Up, which is beautiful!

I am definitely keeping this and will be reviewing it with swatches.

I’m pretty happy with the box this month. I will be keeping and loving the palette, cleansing device, eye cream and earrings. I will keep and use the body lotions and hair ties. I will probably pass on the highlighter and lipstick.

Do you get BoxyLuxe? Which products did you receive this month?

Shop My Stash February 2020 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! Happy Saturday! I’m back with my February Shop My Stash results! I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.

February may be a short month, but I did get lots of use out of most of these products! The shades were perfect for February and I enjoyed using them!

I made sure to use every shade of the ABH x Carli Bybel palette. I really have enjoyed testing it out more. It’s a good palette. The mattes blend well and I really love a few of the shimmers. I do wish that most of the shimmers didn’t have glitter in them, but they are pretty nonetheless. I also still think Jode and OA are so similar and I wish they both weren’t in the palette. But, I can make some nice everyday looks with this and will be keeping it.

The formula of the Dose of Colors Eyeshadow Palette in Marvelous Mauves is so creamy and pigmented! This is a really gorgeous matte palette. I wore it alone and with shimmers from the Carli Bybel palette (especially Aura). I like this alot and will be keeping it.

I wore the blush and highlighter many times this month. They are the Nanacoco HD Pressed Blush in Shimmery Dusty Rose and the Makeup Geek Highlighter in Lit. They are beautiful together! I love them both and are keeping them both!

The Milani Keep It Full Nourishing Lip Plumper in Soft Rose is pretty, but it’s darker and more pigmented than I usually like in a gloss. I’m going to keep it for now and we’ll see if I reach for it.

On to my empties:

I had ten empties this month! Mostly skincare and body care.

I already have backups of the Pixi Retinol Jasmine Cleanser and the Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Pink Juice Moisturizer. I love both of those products! Products I would repurchase are the MAC Fix+ (this was coconut scented), the Farmacy Honeymoon Glow and the StriVectin Peptight.

I got the QMS eye cream from a Boxycharm and liked it. It’s very expensive, though, so I wouldn’t purchase it again. The Julep Boost Your Radiance Oil is nice, but I haven’t purchased from them in a while, since they ended their Maven program. And the rest of the products were from my The Body Shop Advent Calendar. I loved them and might be purchasing them in the future!

Another successful Shop My Stash on the books! I had so much fun with these products and am looking forward to a new batch of makeup in March!

Do you shop your stash or have a project pan going on? I will be doing my first quarter project pan update at the end of March.

February 2020 Beauty Favorites

Hi all! Happy Friday! February is almost over, which is crazy! I’m so looking forward to the spring!

Below are my beauty faves for February. As usual, If I have reviewed them before, I will include the link, if not, I will link to where you can purchase:

I had a pretty good mix of skincare and makeup this month! Like normal, it’s a mix of stuff I buy, products from beauty subscription boxes and PR.

Here’s a photo with the palette and blush open:

So pretty! Here’s close up looks at the products:

Truly Beauty Unicorn Fruit Body Butter— I purchased this in my recent Ulta haul and love it. It’s a very dense body butter and needs to be warmed up. When applied it almost turns into an oil and is so hydrating! It smells delicious, too!

The TellurideGlow Snow Rose Recovery Mask also smells amazing — like vanilla and rose. This is a powder mask that’s activated with water. You leave it on for about 10-15 minutes until it dries then washes it off. My skin is glowing a beautiful later!

Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum — This was my choice for BoxyCharm this month. Yay me — it was an amazing choice! I mostly apply this on my neck and it does firm it. I use it in the morning and night and love it!

Derma E Blue Light Shield Spray — I use this everyday before I work at my computer or phone. It has amazing ingredients and I love that I am protecting my skin from blue lights!

Elemis Pro-Collagen Rose Facial Oil — I use this in my evening skincare routine. I have been loving facial oils this winter for hydration and glow. This smells like fresh cut roses and it’s lovely. Plus it sinks into the skin quickly, which I love.

PÜR Fully Charged Mascara and Fully Charged Mascara Primer — I have been using this duo every day and really love the volume I get with it. I am a fan of mascara primers and am enjoying this one!

NYX Cosmetics Slide On Lip Pencil in Nude Suede Shoes — I purchased this in my recent Ulta haul on the recommendation of Youtuber Allie Glines. I needed a nude lip liner (I thought, I just found a Steve Laurent one I got in a subscription box in basically the same shade, LOL). It’s very nice and works well with all of my natural toned glosses.

PÜR Blushing Act Skin Perfecting Powder in Pretty in Peach— If you want a very pigmented peach blush, this is it! This is such a smooth blush and blends out well, but just use a little at first! This shade screams spring to me — and I’m so ready for it!

Colourpop UR A QT Palette — This is another item from my Ulta haul. I love Colourpop and really wanted this! It is only available at Ulta. It’s still available and it’s on sale right now! It’s normally $18, and it’s on sale for $12.60. I think it might be a limited edition, so if you want it, get it now here.

The second month of 2020 is over, bring on March!

What were your favorites this month?

Boxycharm Subscription Box Review — February 2020

Hey all! I have just received my February BoxyCharm! I love receiving this box each month.

I’ve been subscribed to BoxyCharm for two and a half years now and really enjoy it. BoxyCharm is now $25 a month plus tax for 5 full-sized beauty items. The value is at least $125 each month.

The only subscription boxes I’m currently getting is this box, BoxyLuxe four times a year and the new BoxyCharm Premium. I think Boxy has been doing an amazing job curating their boxes lately.

The theme this month is Adore. My version is 47. This month I received:

Alamar Cosmetics Complexion Brush Trio – $36
Kate Somerville Kx Active Concentrates Bio-Mimicking Peptides Serum — $98.00
Ciaté London Everyday Vacay Coconut Scented Translucent Loose Powder — $22
Qveen Matte Liquid Lip Satin in Wifey — $17
Pretty Vulgar Faux Reals Extreme Volume Mascara — $23

These are gorgeous! They are very soft and seem to be of good quality. I really enjoy the Alamar eye brushes I have, so I’m excited to use these!

The serum was my choice this month. I love anything that smooths and firms my skin. I will be testing this out once I’m done with my current firming serum.

The powder is okay. I already have a Ciate powder in my stash that I got from a Boxycharm. It’s a different name then this one but it looks like almost the same thing. I’ll either save it for later or give it away.

These are my least favorite products this month. I don’t wear liquid lipstick and haven’t heard of the brand Qveen. I will pass it on to someone else.

I like Pretty Vulgar and have tried a few things in my Boxycharm, but I haven’t found anything I love yet. I have tons of mascara, so I’ll either throw this in my stash, or give it to one of my daughters.

—————————————————————————————————————————————

The box this month was okay for me. I am loving the Kate Somerville serum and the brushes and will use those. I might use the powder and mascara, or I might give them away. I will definitely give the liquid lipstick away.

Do you get Boxycharm? What did you get this month?

Ulta Haul — Treating Myself for Valentine’s day!

Hi All! January was a looong month! I’m glad it’s over and we are well into February. So I decided to treat myself with an Ulta Haul. This is a Valentines to myself. It helped that I had a 20% off coupon and a Christmas gift card I hadn’t used yet!

Here’s what I picked up:

I fell for this palette as soon as I saw it online, and love it even more in person! I’m excited that there are neutrals along with the pinks and purples. It will be so wearable for every day as well as special occasions.

Sorry this is a bit dirty, but that’s how it came to me. Maybe the trip was too rough for it! I ams looking forward to using it. It’s so pretty and soft. I think it will be lovely for the spring as well as now!

I have just finished my Farmacy Honeymoon Glow AHA serum and I really loved it. But I decided to try something new. Lactic Acid is supposed to be more gentle but still resurface the skin. Hopefully I’ll love the Ordinary Lactic Acid.

This Milani blush is new and I’m looking forward to trying it out!

My skin has been really dry and I need a new body cream. The Unicorn Fruit Body Butter looks like fun and smells really nice. Plus, I just wanted a new bath bomb and thought this one seems calming.

The NYX lip liner is a favorite of YouTuber Allie Glines, and I really need a new nude one.

——————————————————————————————————————————-

So, there’s my haul. Have you picked up any new makeup or skincare?

StriVectin Peptight Tightening & Brightening Face Serum Review

Hi all! I hope you’re having a great Thursday! I hope your February is going well.

I was sent an amazing product from BzzAgent to review. It’s the StriVectin Peptight Tightening & Brightening Face Serum ($99 USD). Here’s more about the product:

This dual-focus formula harnesses the power of two unique types of peptides, proprietary NIA-114™ and potent botanical extracts for visibly tighter, brighter skin. Tetrapeptides and botanical tensors visibly tighten, and firm for more sculpted-looking contours. Hexapeptides, vitamin C-rich Australian Kakadu Plum Extract and naturally-derived brighteners help even skin tone and enhance clarity and radiance.

I am loving this serum! I apply it before moisturizer in the morning and evening. I like how light but creamy the serum is. It absorbs quickly into the skin.

After about a week of use I noticed tightening, especially around my neck and jawline. I do have some loose skin on my neck, and I love how the serum made it look firmer!

I think this is a beautiful product that really works!

Have you tried this serum or anything by StriVectin?