Beauty – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Taking a Break

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

I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I’m going to take a few months break from blogging. I’ve been having some issues with my site and I’ve decided to focus on my Instagram. I’ll decide at the end of the summer if I will start blogging again.

I will still come on and see what awesome content my favorite bloggers are creating! And please come visit me at fortyflirtyfab on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Leave a comment if you have an Instagram account and I will be happy to follow you!

Thanks for all the views, likes and comment over the almost twelve(!) years I’ve been blogging!

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!

Shop My Stash April 2020 — Palette a Day Challenge April 20-25

Hey all! I hope you are safe and doing well!

I’m continuing my April Shop My Stash challenge. This month I’ve been using a different palette every day. I thought this would be a great way to use more of the palettes in my stash and would get me to wear makeup each day. It makes me feel a little bit better. It has been a bit challenging wearing makeup every day, though! I am also deciding if I want to keep all of these palettes.

April 20 — Bare Minerals Natural Oasis

April 21 — Urban Decay On The Run in Bailout

April 22 — Natasha Denona Mini Retro

April 23 — Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam

April 24 — Too Faced Palm Spring Dreams

April 25 — Urban Decay Born to Run

I swatched all of the shades. I love the shades in this palette. It’s pretty, but I think the tones are very fall. The looks I get out of this are deep and vampy. I’m still deciding if I want to keep it or pass it on.

This is the first time I used this palette, so I swatched all eight shades. It’s a really beautiful neutral one, and like the Bare Minerals one, you can get really vampy looks. I like it, though and am going to play around with it some more.

This is another new palette to me. And it’s stunning! I have a larger Natasha Denona palette, but this is my first little one. I love the quality of this, as you can see it swatched beautifully! I used just the pink shades, but I’m looking forward to playing with the gray ones, too!

Soft Glam is one of my favorite palettes! It’s so gorgeous! Every time I used it, I remember how much I enjoy it. I used the shades Tempera, Orange Soda, Burnt Orange, Glistening and Rustic. It was a simple look (it was my Zoom meeting day), but so, so pretty!!!

I received this in my January Boxycharm. I used it once before, but gave it a go again today. used the pink tones and did a cut crease, which was fun. The shades are used are: Cabana Time, Saucy & Bossy, Swizzle Stick, Rumtiki and Buzz Kill. I really liked the look, so I’m going to keep this around and try it some more!

Another favorite in my collection. I love using this in the summer and usually do bronze looks. I decided instead to use the pinks an purples. The shades I used are Weekender, Riff, Hell Ride, Guilt Trip, Wildheart Punk and Blaze. Very fun and different for me!

In my last update, I used a lot of neutral shades, but I used more color this time. And it was fun! Stay tuned for my last update and thoughts on how the month went. I’m ready for May!

Shop My Stash April 2020 — Palette a Day Challenge April 15-19

Hey all! I hope you are safe and doing well!

I’m continuing my April Shop My Stash challenge. This month I’ve been using a different palette every day. I thought this would be a great way to use more of the palettes in my stash and would get me to wear makeup each day. It makes me feel a little bit better. It has been a bit challenging wearing makeup everyday, though! I am also deciding if I want to keep all of these palettes.

April 15 — Zoeva Screen Queen

April 16 — Colourpop Bare Neccessities

April 17 — Boxycharm Hello Charmer

April 18 — PUR x Trolls World Tour Country

April 19 — Colourpop Going Coconuts

I received this in my April Boxycharm. Stunning! These shimmers are so pretty. And the palette is mostly shimmers, just one matte! I swatched all of the shades because this palette is new (to me)! I used the top row with the pink shades, but I’m wanting to use the other shades, too.

I love this palette! Even though there are so many nudes in this, there are a lot of different tones to make a variety of looks! I used some of the warmer nudes — Full Expose, Hustler, Hot Gossip, Tabloid, The Talk, and Silk Teddy.

This is another palette I received from Boxycharm this year. As you can see, I used vibrant shades for my look on this day — Premium, Spoiler, Unboxing, Cup of Joe, Full Size, Charmer and Popup. And, I didn’t care for it. The formula is great, but the shades aren’t really speaking to me. I am passing this one on to my daughter.

I’m a big fan of these little PUR palettes. I used the purple Funk palette earlier in the month. I LOVE this one for warm looks. I think this will be nice for summer and fall.

Such a favorite since I purchased this. I used the shades Shredded, Coolada, Shell Yeah and Coco Crush. I did a very simple but classic look. For a smaller palette, there’s a nice variety here and different looks to create.

I am really enjoying this challenge, even though it takes work to post to my Instagram each day! You can check those out @fortyflirtyfab!

I will be doing two more of these posts and then my next month’s Shop My Stash will also be different. I think I’m going to choose 4 or 5 of the palettes I used this month to get some more use out of them. And I will play with them all May!

Are you doing a Shop My Stash this year? How’s it going?

Shop My Stash April 2020 — Palette a Day Challenge April 10-14

Hey all! I hope you are safe and doing well!

I’m continuing my April Shop My Stash challenge. This month I’m doing something different. I’ve decided to used a different palette every day. I thought this would be a great way to use more of the palettes in my stash and would get me to wear makeup each day. It makes me feel a little bit better. It has been a bit challenging wearing makeup everyday, though! I am also deciding if I want to keep all of these palettes.

This group was almost to the halfway mark of the month

April 10 — Urban Decay Naked Reloaded

April 11 — Karity Picante

April 12 — Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina

April 13 — Urban Decay On The Run G-Train

April 14 — Bobbi Brown Infra-Red

Here’s close ups of each days palette with swatches of the shades I used:

This was one of my favorite palettes from last year. It’s a beautiful everyday palette!

I decided to use some of the bolder shades: Bribe, Retro, Boundaries, Bucked, Barely Baked, Angel Fire and Reputation. So pretty!

I received this is a Boxycharm this year, and finally have got to try it out!

These swatches aren’t great, the palette performed really well on the eyes. The shades I used are: Aish, Epice, Bittersweet, Sass, Fuego and Fearless.

I love this palette! This is an older photo (I accidentally deleted the recent one). I haven’t used it in a while, but it still performs beautifully!

I did a fun purple/pink look on this day. The shades I used are Base, Soul, Love, Celestial and Wild Child.

I’ve just purchased this palette and wanted to try it out. I love the quality of it! I have a few other of these little Urban Decay On The Run palettes and they are so nice!

I swatched all of the shades and used most of them on the 13th. They are stunning and looked gorgeous on! I did a neutral look with a pop of green on the lower lash.

This is a limited edition palette that is no longer for sale. That’s sad because its such a pretty palette! It is nicely pigmented and the shimmers are gorgeous! I am going to keep it because I love it!

The shades are used are Stone Cold, Red Rock, Solar Flame, Fever Dream, Behind The Sun and Infra-Red.

I’m having a lot of fun with this challenge, but it has be work! I have decided to keep all of these palettes. Stay tuned for the next batch of days, and check out my daily palette post on my Instagram, @fortyflirtyfab.

Are you doing a Shop My Stash this month? How’s it going?

Boxycharm Subscription Box Review — April 2020

Hey all! I hope you are all well and staying safe. I have received my April BoxyCharm last week. I haven’t had the motivation to post, but I do love receiving this box each month.

I’ve been subscribed to BoxyCharm for almost three 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 and BoxyLuxe four times a year. I think Boxy has been doing an amazing job curating their boxes lately.

The theme this month is Adore. My version is 24. This month I received:

Iconic London Illuminator Drops –$41
Battington Lashes — $31
Lavish 5 Piece Eyeshadow Brush Set — $29.99
ZOEVA Eyeshadow Palette in Screen Queen — $28
Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional Primer — $32

Total $161.99. That’s pretty good for $25

Here’s a close up of the palette:

I’ve been wanting to try Zoeva’s eyeshadow formula for a while. This palette is so pretty! It’s mostly shimmers, but they perform well.

I didn’t take close ups of the other products, but I’m pretty happy with this box. I haven’t used Benefit POREfessional in years, so I excited to try it again. The Iconic London highlight drops are so pretty on! I’m glad I got that in the box. The brushes are cute. The only item I’m not happy about is the lashes. I’ve gotten them before and didn’t use them. These ones will sit in my drawer, too!

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Do you get Boxycharm? What did you get in your box this month?

Shop My Stash April 2020 — Palette a Day Challenge April 1-4

Hi All! I hope you are well and staying safe!

I’m here with my April Shop My Stash. This month I’m doing something different. I’ve decided to used a different palette every day. I thought this would be a great way to use more of the palettes in my stash and would get me to wear makeup each day. It makes me feel a little bit better.

These are the palettes I used for the first 4 days of April.

April 1 — Tati Beauty Textured Neutrals Vol. 1

April 2 — Colourpop Blush Crush

April 3 — PUR x Trolls World Tour Funk

April 4 — Viseart Paris Edit

Here’s a close up of the palettes and swatches of the shades I used each day:

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This is my favorite palette from last year. I love these shades and finishes. I chose to play with the Poet shades:

The shades from left to right are Matte Aura, Matte Soothe, Sequin Poet, Metallic Poet and Metallic Aura. I always enjoy the looks I create with this pigmented palette!

This is such a soft, pretty look. April 2nd was Thursday, which is my Zoom meeting day at work. I thought it was so springy, but appropriate!

The shades I look is Lovesick, The One, Cheek2cheek, Enamored and Pop a Bottle. This palette is fresh and sparkly!

The PUR x Troll palettes are so gorgeous! I also have the Country one, which is orange and brown shades.

The shades I used are the top and middle shades: Cooper, So Funky, Full of Soul and Let’s Groove. These shades are so gorgeous on! I love purple, it’s my favorite color and I think it really compliments my brown eyes.

I created a soft pink look with these shades. They are Pétale, Opera, Beaux-Arts and Tuileries. I applied Opera all over my lid, Pétale in the crease, Beaux-Arts in the inner corner and Tuileries on the lower lid line.

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That’s the first 4 days of my April Shop My Stash, Palette a Day edition. I will be posting these throughout the month I hope you enjoy them! I am also posting daily on my Instagram, if you want to check them out. It’s @fortyflirtyfab.

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)!

IT Cosmetics Super-Size Celebration Foundation w/ Brush QVC TSV

Hi all! I hope you’re doing well!

It’s time for a new IT Cosmetics and QVC Today’s Special Value. This is a one day only deal and will be on March 30th. You get two Celebration Foundations and an amazing brush to apply them with for $49.96, which is a great value!

Your 30 seconds to flawless — super-sized! IT Cosmetics Celebration Foundation is your full-coverage, anti-aging, hydrating powder foundation. Formulated with peptides, hydrolyzed collagen, silk powder and antioxidants, the talc-free foundation delivers highly pigmented coverage that helps to hide the appearance of skin concerns including hyperpigmentation, redness, dark circles, and visible pores.

Designed to smooth the look of your skin, Celebration Foundation blurs the appearance of skin imperfections to reveal the look of younger-looking skin when you wear it. And bonus: it won’t crease or crack!

Plus, you’ll also receive the Heavenly Luxe Flat Top Buffing Foundation Brush, custom-cut with the perfect density and shape for effortless full coverage.

I have been using this foundation for years. It’s a full coverage powder foundation that makes skin look smooth and it feels amazing on, too! I love how easy it is to apply with the brush, too.

Have you tried IT Cosmetics Celebration Foundation? What do you think of it and are you going to pick up this deal?

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?