Ulta Haul

Since I hardly ever use my reward points at Ulta they tend to really rack up. So on Sunday I decided to go and treat myself to a facial with all the points I had. I know. I know. But of course you don’t get to $30 worth of points just sitting around, of course I had a few things on my list as well! Sunscreen and eyelash glue.

The middle product was something the cashier put into my bag. I was looking for a facial sunscreen and decided to pick one up from Sun Bum. Originally I asked the girl who did my facial for a recommendation and she handed me one from Dermalogica. You could use it on its own or mix it into a foundation or moisturizer, as it was a liquid formula. But it was quite pricey and the Sun Bum products smell like coconut. I’m a sucker.

Next to the Sun Bum line were sunless tanning products. I’ve used this brand once before but a different product. Decided to give it another go since it worked fine the first time. I don’t fake tan often, but decided to go for it.

Really I just needed the glue but look at those!

xx Sarah

NYX Round Lipstick Collection

Good morning all! I was going through my lipstick drawers over the weekend and noticed how many NYX products there were. The brand does fantastic lip products, so I have quite a lot of their round lipsticks. They retail for about $4 at Ulta and are fantastic! Super creamy with a slight soap scent, which is the only down side.

Snow White, B52, Rose

Gala, Hot Pink, Pumpkin Pie

The formula of Pumpkin Pie is particularly streaky. I’ve tried it on my lips a few times and can never get it to look good so I ended up tossing it after this swatch. Of all the shades I’ve owned, this is the only one I’ve had this issue with!

Haute Melon, Strawberry Milk, Summer Love

Stella, Pure Nude, Power, Narcissus

Have a great start to your week! Let me know which other NYX products you think are worth checking out, I think the whole line is pretty great!

xx Sarah

Try On: ColourPop

Last night I did my makeup to try some of my new ColourPop items. From what I’ve tried, they did not fail to impress! The items I tried were the highlighter in the shade Lunch Money, and the ultra matte lip in the shade Beeper.

*Yes that is a choker being used as a headband. Judge it.

xx Sarah

Instagram: @sarahpolech

Last Day: Giveaway!

Good morning all! Just a reminder today is the last day to enter my giveaway for the entire line of Tony Moly I’m Real face masks. There are eleven masks in total.

The only requirement is to be subscribed to this blog! Two additional ways to enter are available. One person will be chosen!

Enter here!

Have a great Wednesday, and good luck!

xx Sarah

Review: Just Add Water Makeup Remover?

Happy Monday, all! Last week I went to Ulta in search of makeup remover. I surpassed my much-loved Garnier micellar water and picked up something new instead. The Glov On-the-Go Makeup Remover is a fabric glove which claims it only requires water to remove all your makeup. The packaging said this would last three months, though I’m assuming longer if you don’t wear makeup on a daily basis (like me).

So I put it to the test! I had on a full face of makeup including primers, foundation, powders, mascara, and a lipstick. The works. And I found:

*hope this picture is everything you wanted to help kick off your week

This really does work! I was really impressed. All traces of makeup were gone: mascara, lipstick, foundation. I was wearing the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara, which isn’t waterproof, so I can’t say how it would stand against a waterproof formula. But a regular mascara had no problem coming off. This is a really great product!

Afterwards, you just take a bar of soap and clean off the glove. It retails for $12.99 at Ulta, and I would highly recommend it!

xx Sarah

5 Drugstore Makeup Summer Essentials

Happy Sunday all! Yesterday I was going through my makeup collection and I started pulling some of my most-used makeup items from this summer. I noticed a number of them were drugstore items, so I decided to pick five which are particularly good for the summertime and show you. Enjoy!

1. Essence All About Matt! Compact Powder: This is a very inexpensive powder which keeps my makeup in place. I do prefer a dewy finish on my makeup but during the summer I need a little extra help to keep my makeup from breakup up due to the heat, and this gives that to me.
2. Milani Baked Blush (Luminoso): So good, so so good. I used this year round because it’s beautiful, but the summertime is when this puppy shines. It gives a very nice sheen to the cheeks and provides a lit-from-within glow. Plus a subtle peach shade, it’s just all you could want from a blush.
3. Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer (Warm Tan): Originally I didn’t know what I would do with a bronzer like this. I apply it right after foundation, blend it out, and I’m left with the most natural looking bronzer. I now prefer to use this during the summer over a powder contour. It’s subtle, but packs enough of a punch to look the way I would like it to. Great for the warmer months!
4. NYX Butter Gloss (Maple Blondie): This line in general is fantastic and you can’t go wrong with any shade. But this bright peachy pink shade is great for the summer, and feels lightweight on the lips. Plus, it smells go good!
5. L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow (Amber Rush): I’m inserting a picture below just so you can appreciate this shade as much as I do. A nice mix between pink and bronze, which is exactly what I want for the warmer months. And any month. It’s very long-wearing, and the color payoff is intense.

Milani Luminoso

L’Oreal Amber Rush (I’m crying look at this)

A few days remain for my giveaway of the entire Tony Moly I’m Real face mask line. You can enter here!

xx Sarah

Tony Moly Giveaway!

Good morning you lovely people! Two weeks ago I decided to start a blog to share my love for all things beauty with others, and I’m amazed at the response I’ve gotten. In that time, this blog has already reached 100 people who were willing to subscribe to my shenanigans and I thank you for it! As a token of my gratitude, I’m giving away the entire line of Tony Moly I’m Real sheet masks. I recently did a review of the entire line, so if you would like to read it you can find it here. These masks retail for $4 each on the Tony Moly website, and $3.75 at Ulta.

Giveaway

So the rules of the giveaway are pretty straightforward. You must be subscribed to this blog. That will give you two entries. For one additional entry, you can follow my Twitter account (@SarahPolech). For four additional entries, you can follow my Instagram account (@sarahpolech) and I’ll try not to bore you with what you see. How’s that? Good? Great! I was also thinking if I ever reach another milestone on the blog (250 subscribers, 50th blog post, etc) I will do another giveaway consisting of my five favorite beauty products. Spread the joy. I’m looking at you, MAC Velvet Teddy.

Enter here!

The giveaway is open to anyone anywhere and runs until July 14th at 12am (midnight). Good luck!

xx Sarah

Declutter: Nail Polish Collection

Start: 71 bottles

Tossed: 11 bottles

 

Essie

1. Tart Deco: Have another color like this.
2. Turquoise and Caicos: An older polish and the formula has gotten thicker.
3. Go Overboard: I recall this staining my nails and not being able to get the color off for a week! Had to go.

Maybelline: Looks fun but hard to build up the dots on your nail.

Don’t forget my Tony Moly I’m Real sheet mask giveaway is still happening until July 14th! You can enter here.

Let me know your thoughts on Essie polish. I’ve used a few different shades, and the selection is nice! But I think the formula is terrible. I reach for the Ulta brand polishes much more frequently.

xx Sarah

Beauty Empties

Hello all! I go in waves of using up quite a bit of products and feel such a sense of accomplishment once they’re all used up. Realistically I just need a new hobby.

Tony Moly Masks

Really I’ve used up the entire line of Tony Moly I’m Real face masks, but I’ve done a complete review of those. (Also just launched a giveaway of that entire line of masks yesterday, so there’s plenty of time to go enter! Quench your Tony Moly dreams here.)

1. My Little Pet Eye Patch: This product was pretty good, though I do prefer the Skyn Iceland eye gels from Ulta. The Tony Moly ones had a much drier formula and my under eyes didn’t feel as replenished as when using Skyn Iceland.
2. Strawberry 3-Step Nose Pack: Amazing, you need to try this if you’re into nose strips. It’s incredible.
3. I’m Real Sheet Mask (Makgeolli, Rice): Both amazing, both very soothing and nourishing to the skin. These are my two favorites from this line!
4. Changing Magic Foot Peeling Shoes: A foot peel which didn’t really work. Though I did have a mini cut on my foot from breaking in new shoes and it burned like a freak. Didn’t notice any result from using this.
5. Bubble Sheet Mask: I was kind of confused by this product. It leaves a foam of bubbles on your face and you’re supposed to rub it into your skin but there was just so much product left on my skin it was a bit of a mess really. It was an interesting product though!

Hair Products

1. Klorane Chamomile Rinse: I ordered this from Sephora as a clarifying rinse for blonde hair to really bring out the brightness. The smell is very strong and I didn’t think this did much. Also, I went through this quite quickly as the recommended amount of product to use is hardly any and didn’t do much.
2. It’s a 10 Miracle Leave-In Lite: Good stuff! I always used this after getting out of the shower before combing my hair and it was a great detangler and leave in conditioner. Though I don’t recommend using this daily, as the added protein can harm your hair. Or so I’ve heard.
3. L’Oreal High Lift Creation Spray: When I first used this, I thought it was an amazing volumizer. However, the more I used it the more I thought it was just so-so. My hair fell back into a limp mess within an hour or so. Plus, the smell is very noticeable. Bleh!

Makeup

1. Ardell 120 Demi Lashes: I don’t wear false lashes often but these are my favorite! So natural looking with just a little added length and volume.
2. NYX Angel Veil Primer: A good primer, though I have two cons. The first is that it is quite pricey for a drugstore product. But if the product works, it works. The second is I find it quite hard for it to really sink into the skin and stick. I sometimes thought it moved around when I applied foundation. Originally I thought I was just using too much product, but even after cutting back I found this to still be an issue.
3. Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara: My favorite mascara of all time. It adds length without getting clumpy. I will forever repurchase this. Love love love!
4. Lash Food Eyelash Enhancer: I thought this would be interesting to try when I saw it at Ulta, as it’s supposed to help your lashes grow. This is just a mini size which came with a (really good) lash primer, but it’s good! I didn’t see drastic results but I did notice my lashes, which are very short, grew a little longer. I think the results would be much better with the full-sized product.

More Skincare

1. Up and Up Strengthening Nail Polish Remover: Not skincare, but I’m a maverick. The only nail polish remover I’ve used for years, it’s quite good and only $1 at Target. Gets off glitter and all!
2. Mario Badescu Silver Powder: You add water and press it onto the skin as a mask-type product. This product is the messiest product in the beauty world, I’m convinced. I will not buy this again for this reason. Powder would get all over everything because it’s so dry. Yikes.
3. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water: Yaaaaaaaaas girl. Gets off all makeup, including waterproof mascara and lash glue. I bow down.
4. Mario Badescu Eye Makeup Remover: Quite good, this is my third bottle. I don’t think I’ll be running out to purchase it again though. It leave a slight residue feeling around the eyes, though it does a good job at removing makeup.

Hope you found these mini-reviews helpful! I frequently go through products just because I enjoy using them up (I know, new hobby needed I got it) and if I’m really into a skincare product I’ll use it to death. Let me know if you’ve used any products up recently and what you though!

Tony Moly Giveaway

xx Sarah 

Ulta Haul

Good morning all! Last night I ventured to Ulta to pick up makeup remover since I’m completely out. However, I should have known I couldn’t walk away with solely makeup remover. Which is a pain really, since I just had 20% everything at Ulta and held strong by not going in attempt to keep myself from dropping a ton of money. This is what I get for not seizing the day. C’est la vie.

My queen KathleenLights just had this in her skincare routine and that girl has the skin of an angel. So, off I went and put it in my basket. Also, a woman working at Ulta told me the products from this entire Kakadu C line from Dermadoctor have 55X the amount of Vitamin-C as a Florida orange. And God knows I can’t resist a good statistic.

I was so excited to see this lash primer on the display! L’Oreal does great mascaras, so I have high hopes for this product. Plus it’s less than half the price of the Tarte one I love, so who am I to pass it up?

What I actually went in for. Apparently this cloth removes makeup just by adding water. It’s something different and piqued my interest, so we’re going to give it a go.

NYX has some of my favorite lip products, so when I saw a bunch of them were marked way down, your girl pounced. This is what I narrowed down from the initial five glosses I tossed in my bag. (Shade of High Voltage Lipstick is Flutter Kiss // Shade of Mega Shine Lip Gloss is Salsa)

This I got for free. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a platinum member*, or if everyone was given this but I’m always down to try new things. Hopefully it’s a hydrating conditioner, the summer heat is killing me.

Hope you enjoyed! I found a number of other items I wanted, but I’m attempting to have a trace of self-control. Let me know what you’ve picked up from Ulta recently- always down to know what other people are trying out!

xx Sarah

*have a serious financial stake in the Ulta enterprise

 

Review: ALL Tony Moly I’m Real Sheet Masks

Good morning everyone! Over the past month or two I’ve been trying to round-out my skincare routine. During the summer months I tend to focus on my skin more than any other time of the year since I rarely wear makeup. I picked up a few of the Tony Moly I’m Real sheet masks from Ulta a while back and loved them so I decided to try out the entire line. I’m particularly sensitive to scents, so I’ll mention the smell of each one since there are some interesting ones in here. Here’s an overview on each of the eleven which Tony Moly makes! (Grab a drink, a snack, a footsoak, whatever you want- it’s going to be a long one.)

L-R: Pomegranate, Rice, Tea Tree, Seaweed, Brocolli, Makgeolli, Avocado, Red Wine, Lemon, Aloe, Tomato

1. Lemon: This had a very fresh scent, and was so comfortable I forgot I was wearing it (while entranced in Netflix). The product sank in well, and definitely brightened the skin. Skin looked very revitalized after using!
2. Aloe: I’ve used this one twice and had mixed reviews between both applications. The first time I found this to be overly saturated with liquid to the point where it was dripping off my face onto my shirt while wearing the mask. However, I’ve found if you squeeze a little product out before applying the mask, this mask wears much better. Fairly moisturizing, no strong odor. Wasn’t my favorite, though.
3. Tomato: Just wore this one this morning! No strong smell. Skin feels moisturized and looks more radiant after using! Also, my skin had a plump feeling to the touch after taking this mask off.
4. Makgeolli: My absolute favorite of the bunch! I’ve used this three times, and if you’re looking to try just one I highly recommend you pick this one up! The smell is pleasant, almost perfume-y without being over powering. It’s very nourishing to the skin without being sticky. Skin looks revitalized afterwards.
5. Brocolli: Probably the one I was looking forward to the least, but surprised me! My face felt very cold after taking this off, and parts of the mask were actually dry after the half hour you leave it on. Some masks still feel very saturated with product after that amount of time. Product sunk into the skin and my face felt very moisturized after taking it off. There’s no strong smell (phew!).
6. Pomegranate: Kind of an “eh” mask for me. The smell is nice. The liquid didn’t drip off like the Aloe mask, making it cling to the skin better particularly to the chin area. I didn’t think this penetrated the skin well since my face looked wet after taking the mask off. My skin also felt sticky after this was taken off.
7. Red Wine: Another which I’ve tried twice and I just wasn’t loving it. There was no noticeable effect on the skin. It’s meant to work on your pores, but I found no different in pore clearness, size, feel, etc.
8. Rice: The liquid in this one looks more like a lotion than a serum/liquid like the other ones. Smells great but isn’t over powering. Doesn’t feel heavy on the skin once the mask is taken off. Skin looks and feel moisturized and plump afterwards. Definitely would recommend this one!
9. Avocado: Skin feels slightly lotion-y while mask is on, but plump once taken off! I would say this is great for dry skin because my skin is pretty normal but can stray to the drier side and this was extremely nourishing. 
10. Seaweed: My least favorite of the bunch. There was a slight needle prick feeling on my face while it was on- not quite a sting but I could definitely feel my skin reacting to this mask. There’s a fairly strong smell on this one as well. Afterwards my skin looked brighter, but didn’t feel like the mask really penetrated the skin. Skip this one, grab the makgeolli or rice mask instead.
11. Tea Tree: This one has a very strong smell. However, if you can overlook this, the mask itself is quite good. My skin looked brightened and soothed. Felt replenished without feeling greasy at all. Would recommend!

Hope you found these reviews helpful! These masks retail for $4 each on the Tony Moly website, and I believe $3.50 at Ulta. The line in general is very good; out of eleven I wouldn’t recommend two or three. All the other ones are a go!

When this blog hits 100 subscribers, I’ll be giving away a pack of this entire mask line for one of you to try out because it’s just so good. Let me know which of these you’ve tried and whether or not you liked them!

xx Sarah

 

Drugstore Orange Summer Lips

Good morning! During the summer I love when people rock a solid orange lip, but I hardly ever do. Sometimes because I think it makes my teeth look yellow, sometimes because I just don’t know how to pair it with my clothing choices. But I pulled out a few from my collection, all from the drugstore and hopefully easy to find!

Elf Moisturizing Lipstick: Orange Dream

Revlon Matte Balm Stain: Mischievous

*this color does look red in this picture, but if you saw it in person it is very much orange!

Revlon Matte Balm Stain: Audacious

Rimmel London Apocolips Matte: Orange-ology

NYX has one as well which I own in the shade Haute Melon. Pulls a bit between orange and pink- also very nice for the warmer months!

Have a GREAT holiday weekend!

xx Sarah