#glowrecipe – 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!

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.

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 February.

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.

BoxyCharm Premium Review – February 2020

Hi all! I’ve just received my February BoxyCharm Premium! This is a fairly new subscription from BoxyCharm. It’s a little more products than the regular and a little less than the BoxyLuxe. Here’s the details:

It’s $35 a month
6-7 beauty items a box
$175+ Value
You get to pick one of the items
The items will be different from BoxyCharm/BoxyLuxe – you can subscribe to both with no product overlap.

I’ve been receiving this box since it launched last November. The products I received are:

Karity Picante Palette — $29
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush — $40
Faccia Skincare 24K Gold Foil Moisturizer — $100
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist — $28
Korres Body Butter in White Blossom — $32
Tarte Double Duty Beauty Base Tape Hydrating Powder — $30

My total this month is $259 — Amazing for a $35 box!

This is the item I chose this month. It was between this and a hair straightener. The photos I saw of this made the palette look so bright, but in real life it’s a lot more wearable. I’m excited to test it out!

I’m very excited about this blush! I don’t have any Hourglass Cosmetics products and I’ve heard their blushes are gorgeous. This is in Dim Infusion – A subdued coral blush fused with Dim Light to add warmth. I’m trying it out soon! I’ve been sick the last few days and haven’t been wearing makeup, but I have lots of new makeup to play with, so I’m getting up and putting makeup on!

This is the skincare I received. I love Glow Recipe and am looking forward to use this mist, but I’ve never heard of Faccia Skincare before, but I’me game to try this spendy face cream. I have a few moisturizers open right now, but I’ll put it in my stash for later.

I have heard good things about this Tarte primer. I love all types of primer, so I will use this, too.

The packaging of this Korres Body Butter is gorgeous. It’s very floral, but I will keep it in my office and use it when I need some hydration.

I am quite happy with this month’s BoxyCharm Premium! I plan on using everything that I got in the box this month! Amazing! Next month’s Premium is all Fenty Beauty products and I’m looking forward to that box as well!

I also just received my regular BoxyCharm for February and will be reviewing that in a couple of days.

Do you get BoxyCharm or BoxyCharm Premium? What did you get this month?

Shop My Stash January 2020 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! Happy Saturday! I’m back with my January 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.

I’ve had a lot of fun playing with these products this month! And I have decided to keep all of these products for now.

The Colourpop blush and Milani blusher are both amazing products! They are still fairly new to me, but I now have a good idea of how they perform, and I love them.

I’ve found that I don’t really wear lipstick any more, just liner and gloss. I did wear my MAC Creme in Your Coffee lipstick once or twice. It is nice and I’ll keep it, but I now want to go through my lipsticks and get rid of most of them. I did a pretty big declutter last year of my makeup, but I really want to pair it down to just what I use. Would you be interested in seeing that on my blog?

I used this palette a lot this month! I tried every shade. I’ve found that I like it okay. Many of the shades have to be built up, especially the shimmers. I am okay with building up mattes, but I like my shimmers to be soft and very blingy. I do like the variety of the shades and I made a lot of varied looks with it. I think I’ll keep it for now, but I might pass it on when I declutter.

Urban Decay On The Run palette in Detour – I really love this palette. It’s the opposite of the Emily Edit palette in that it’s very pigmented and easy to use. The shimmers, especially Dash, are creamy and are very blingy! And the mattes are so easy to blend.I am very happy to keep this in my collection.

On to my empties:

I had a lot more empties than I thought I would this month, but I have been trying to go through my products more. So I’m proud of these.

For skincare, I finished the PIXI Jasmine Oil and the PIXI Collagen & Retinol Serum. I’ve had the Jasmine oil for a while, but I concentrated on using it the last few months. I love the scent. I also liked the serum, which was unscented, but I don’t know if it did much to my skin. The Glow Recipe Pineapple Bright Serum was very scented like extremely ripe pineapple. I didn’t care for the scent but I loved the serum to brighten my skin. I would repurchase the PIXI Jasmine oil and the Glow Recipe.

The Laneige Choco Mint lip mask was amazing! I got it in a holiday set with a full size of the berry and another little one. I use the lip mask every day. And I will continue to repurchase them so I always have one on hand. I also used up the Body Shop Fall For Pumpkin body butter I purchased in October and two hand creams, Juicy Pear and Mango, from my The Body Shop advent calendar.

For Makeup, I finally used up the Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer. I’ve had it for about 18 months and have been working on using it up. It’s okay. It works fine, but was really expensive. I don’t know if I’ll purchase again in the future. I also finished my L’Oreal Lash Paradise primer, a deluxe size of the Too Faced Damn Girl Mascara and the Pop Beauty lip liner. I would purchase the lip liner again, I loved it.

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I had fun playing with the products in my Shop My Stash last month. I’ll be posting my new one hopefully tomorrow.

2019 Annual Skincare Favorites

Hi all! I’m back with the second part of my 2019 favorites. This one will be mostly skincare, and maybe a hair care product or two!

Check out my first favorites post that’s all about my makeup faves and one big foundation fail here.

Now on to the skincare goodies:

I have been loving the products above — and more. I will probably have more than one favorite or some runners up in some areas. And as for cleansers, my favorites aren’t pictured because I used them up and haven’t repurchased yet. I have so much skincare that I have purchased, received in subscription boxes or PR that I really want to use up before I get more. Unless, of course, it’s a category that I have completely run out of.

So, starting with cleansers, my favorite this year is the Pixi Glow Tonic Cleansing Gel. This cleanser is so refreshing! And it cleans my skin without leaving residue and without drying out my skin. I also enjoyed the Skin & Co Truffle Therapy Whipped Cleansing Cream. It’s very creamy and removes makeup without irritating my eyes.

For eye cream, I currently love the Origins Ginzing Refreshing Eye Cream. It brightens dark under eye circles. I also really enjoyed the Derma E Hydrating Eye Cream for intense moisture when my eyes need it!

This is my second full size Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. And I will continue purchasing it. It hydrates my lip so well. I use it at night, and sometimes during the day, too! My favorite day lip balm is the Kopari Coconut Lip Glossy. It’s so moisturizing, which I need as my lips get very dry.

Derma E Skin Restore Advanced Peptides & Collagen Moisturizer — This is hydrating, plus it has tons of anti-aging ingredients so it helps with lines and wrinkles.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask — This is my last step at night. It locks in all of my other products and my skin is insanely hydrated in the morning.

These are my fave serum’s and oils from 2019:

Farmacy Honeymoon Glow Serum — I use this a couple of times a week to resurface my skin. It contains a 14% AHA/BHA/gentle flower acids blend, Hyaluronic Acid, Salicylic Acid and a proprietary honey blend.

Innisfree Intensive Hydrating Serum — This is such a beautiful hydrating serum. I use it day and night before other serums and moisturizers. I also really enjoyed The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. It’s such a lovely hydrating serum and keeps my skin moisturized all day.

Glow Recipe Pineapple Bright Serum — This is such a nice Vitamin C serum. I use it each morning and it brightens my skin. It does have a very strong ripe pineapple scent, but it goes away.

Pixi Jasmine Oil Blend — I’ve had this for over a year and have just used it up. A little goes a long way. It’s very hydrating and is nice to use at night

These are my two favorite hair products from this year:

IGK Mistress Hydrating Hair Balm — I apply this balm two ways — on damp hair then I comb through it. Once it’s dry, I apply a bit more. It makes my hair so soft and I love the coconut scent.

Cloud 10 CBD-Infused Glossing Mist — I love this for two reasons: It makes my hair shiny and healthy looking and it smells amazing. Oh, I guess three reasons — the benefits from the CBD oil!

So that’s it for my 2019 favorites! What were your standout skincare products for 2019?

I’m so excited for a new year and new favorites. Bring on 2020!

BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review — January 2020

Hey all! I have just received my first BoxyCharm of 2020! I love receiving this box each month.

I’ve been subscribed to BoxyCharm for over two 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 Breaking The Ice. My version is 6. This month I received:

Ace Beaute Eye Shadow Palette in Scarlet Dusk— $34.99
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask — $22
Pretty Vulgar Under Cover Concealer — $25
Petite ‘n Pretty Fully Feathered Volumizing Mascara — $16
Wander Beauty Trip for Two Blush and Bronzer Duo — $36

Total — $133.99. I think that’s good for a $25 box.

This was my choice item for this month. I could have chosen this, Ace Beaute Vintage Dawn OR Dr Brandt 24/7 Retinol Eye Cream

I have tested it out last night and I think the shadows are really pigmented and bright. Maybe a little bright for me! It might be a palette that I use with a more neutral palette. I’ll play with it a little more and see. I might do a review on it as well.

I am really happy I received this. When these cheek palettes were released last year, I really wanted to try them. I’m a fan of Wander Beauty. I haven’t tried this on my face yet (there is a swatch below). Bellini is a really pretty shade, but Costa Rei may be too light even for my fair skin.

Petite n’ Pretty is a brand sold at Ulta. It’s makeup for kids, tweens and teens so I’m not sure why it’s in a BoxyCharm. This is one I might pass on to one of my daughters.

I was sent a sample pack of the Pretty Vulgar concealers to match my shade a month or two ago. This is the lightest shade we were sent to test, and it might be a bit dark for me. I’m going to test it today. Here’s swatches of the Wander Beauty palette and the concealer:

The peach blush is gorgeous, but as you can see the bronzer is very light. The concealer is very creamy which is nice, but I usually like a little bit lighter shade for brightening. This may be good for me in the summer, though.

Las but certainly not least is the Glow Recipe mask. I have been wanting to try this! You can use this at night, or use it as a days mask. I might try it as a day mask and keep it on for 10 minutes first to see how my skin reacts to it. I do love the Glow Recipe watermelon moisturizer and pineapple serum. I’m very excited to try this product! It is in a smaller 1 oz size, but that’s fine!

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I’m pretty happy with my January BoxyCharm! I’m excited about the Glow Recipe mask and the Wander Beauty face palette. I will be testing out the eyeshadow palette and the concealer. And I’ll probably be passing on the mascara.

Did you get BoxyCharm this month? What did you get?

I just received my BoxyCharm Premium a few minutes ago, so I’ll be posting that review in a few days.

September 2019 Beauty Favorites

Hi all! It’s almost October, which means it’s time for my September favorites!

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

My favorites this month include a good mix of makeup and skincare, plus a hair care item!

I’ve been trying out loads of new skincare the last few months and love to spotlight my favorites each month. Plus, a few of these favorites are from subscription boxes.

I received the Glow Recipe Pineapple-C Bright Serum in my BoxyLuxe for September. I use it every morning after cleansing and toning.It really brightens my skin!

The Primera Alpine Berry Water Cream is so hydrating.

The Ordinary Granactive Retinoid 2% Emulsion has made such a difference in my fine lines.

I purchased the Smashbox Primerizer during the spring Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty. I didn’t want to wear it in the summer heat and humidity, but now that it’s cooler, I’m really enjoying this. It smooths and hydrates the skin. Perfect before foundation to create a moisturized base.

I also got the MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ Scents in Creamy Coconut in the Ulta’s Spring 21 Days. I only have about a third of this left. I like the soft coconut set and it performs just like the original spray.

The IGK Hair Mistress Hydrating Balm was also included in my September BoxyLuxe. This is a gorgeous balm that works to smooth damp or dry hair. I use this every day to tame my frizzies.

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The Wander Beauty Frame Your Face brow pencil was in my September Ipsy Glam Bag Plus. The shade is Dark Brown and it works well for me. The pencil is a bit of a dry formula and takes a little pressure to use, but I like the effect I get with it.

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This pretty face palette is the Ofra x Madison Miller Miller Squad Midi Palette. I also received this in September Ipsy Glam Bag Plus. The blush is really nice for fall and I enjoy the highlighters, although they are very similar to each other.

I’ve had the Sigma Beauty Enchanted Eyeshadow Palette for a couple of months. I’ve posted about it on my Instagram (fortyflirtyfab), but I haven’t reviewed it here yet. I do plan on reviewing it soon. It is unfortunately sold out on the Sigma Beauty website, but I have found it on Amazon here.

This is a stunning palette! You can create ethereal or even very dramatic looks with it. The shadows blend nicely. Some of the shimmers need to be built up, but that’s fine with me.

———————————————————————————————————————————That’s my September favorites. Bring on October! What have you been loving this month?