#stevelaurant – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

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)!

Shop My Stash — March 2020

Hi all! Happy Sunday and happy March! The weather is so nice in Kansas City today, it’s supposed to be in the 60’s. What’s the weather like where you live?

I’m always excited to play with new (again to me) color cosmetics that I either haven’t used in a while or haven’t used much at all! My goal is to get more use out of the products I have and to see if they are something I want to keep.

This month I have chosen products that I have only used a few times, but I am excited to see how I really feel about them. I’ve picked out two palettes, a blush and a highlighter palette and two really interesting lip products. Since spring is on it’s way, I went with softer tones:

Such gorgeous products! I’m excited to play with these!

Here are close ups of each product:

Sigma Enchanted palette — This palette screams spring to me. I think enchanted is the perfect name for it. It’s almost like a fairy palette, lol! Plus there are greens and a gold for my St. Patrick’s Day look (I always wear green and gold on that day. My dad was part Irish). I’m very excited to play with this more.

bareMinerals Gen Nude Eyeshadow Palette in Neutral — I chose this so I would have a neutral palette as well as my fun one for March. I love the formula on this and the shades are perfect for every day.

Natasha Denona Bloom Blush and Glow Palette — I received this in a Boxycharm Premium last fall. I haven’t used it a lot, so I want to give it some love. I think it looks perfect for spring.

Vice Lip Chemistry Lasting Glassy Tint in Pink Slip and Low Key — high-gloss lip tint that reacts to your pH and creates a custom shade unique to your tone. Its lightweight, balm-like texture gives your lips a hit of hydration, so they feel moisturized. The lasting glassy tint adjusts to you; the color fully develops and reveals itself after just a few minutes and lasts up to 5 hours.

Steve Laurent Lip Liner in Chic — this is a nice nude pencil. I forgot I had it and just found it. I love nude liners because they work under any lip color.

Swatches:

The lip pencil in Chic and the Lip Chemistry’s in Low Key and Pink Slip

I am very excited for these products this month. I have used the eye shadow palettes a few times each, but not the other products. I am looking forward to trying them out!

Do you do a Shop My Stash? What products are you focusing on this month?

BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review — August 2019

Hey all! I recently received my August BoxyCharm! I always watch for the spoilers so I basically knew what I am getting. There were a couple of different variations this month. Read on to find out what I got (and if I got the variation I wanted)!

I’ve been subscribed to BoxyCharm for almost two years now and really enjoy it. BoxyCharm is just $21 a month for 4-5 beauty items, most of them full-sized. It is a nice way to try new makeup and beauty tools.

My version is 2. This month I received:

Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Illuminating Face Oil ($42)
Ace Beauty Glimmer Eye Shadow Set ($25)
Tarte Big Ego Mascara ($23)
Becca Cosmetics Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder ($39)
Steve Laurent Lip Liner in Chic ($15)

The total of this box is $144. Not bad for only paying $21!

I have been wanting to try this since it came out! It’s a powder that contains water. A lot of people say that it feels wet when you apply it. To me it just feels really cooling. I have tired it. I find that it’s not great for under the eyes, it cakes up. But a light layer can set the rest of my makeup and it looks really natural. I’m going to continue testing it out, it’s so much fun to use!

This oil and the powder were two items I think everyone will get this month. I already have a few oils I’m not using, so I will probably give this away. Plus, I think it has shimmer or glitter in it and I don’t enjoy that in my skincare.

So the big variation this month was either this mascara or the Peach & Lily Glass Skin Refining Serum (which is what I wanted). I did get a deluxe size of this mascara with the tarte Unleashed palette I recently purchased. It’s okay. It gives a lot of volume, but it smeared badly under my eyes. So I will be giving this away and I am envious of those who received the serum!

The top photo is the nude lip liner and the bottom are shimmery shadows. I’ve used the lip liner a couple of times. It’s pretty hard, so I hope it will soften up. I do like the shade.

The shadows I received are in the shades Iced Latte and Cotton Candy. They remind me of Colourpop Super Shock Shadows. The texture is the same. Here are swatches of these products:

The shades of these eye shadows are so pretty! My only issue is that there is a lot of glitter in them. I don’t know if you can see that, but here are specks of glitter in each one. While I love metallic eye shadows, I’m not the biggest fan of glitter in my shadows. I’ve worn the pink one (Cotton Candy) and it is gorgeous on. My only issue is that I have glitter all over my face. Next time I wear them, I’ll put on a glitter glue first and see if that helps. If not, I’ll pass them along to my daughter.

This was an okay box for me. Not as good as the last few BoxyCharm’s I received. But I will use the powder — it kinds of makes the box for me. I also will use the lipliner and hope it gets softer and I might continue to use the eye shadows. The face oil and mascara will be given away.

What did you get in your BoxyCharm this month. If you got the serum — lucky dog!!!

I’m really looking forward to my BoxyLuxe in September. I hope it’s as good as the June one.