The Smells!

Can you tell that I couldn't think of a title for this post at all?

I know, I know. Getting candles at Bath and Body Works is very cliché, but I got a free mini candle offer from Facebook and decided to redeem it and get some other things too.

The Salted Caramel mini candle and the candle tin were both 50% off. The Salted Caramel candle smells exactly like the drink from Starbucks. I love it and it is amazing for winter/fall.

The Forever Red eau de parfum is supposed to be $10, but since they're having a preview of it now and having an official release at a later date, the cost for the small bottle is $5. I am not going to try to describe the scent because I am horrible at it. You can read the description of all the notes here. I really like how it smells, but my friend doesn't. With anything that has a fragrance  I really recommend going to a store to smell this in person.

The Peach Bellini candle is the one I got for free. It smells sweet and wonderful. I'm probably going to wait for spring/summer to use this though.

Minnie Mouse Inspired Nails & Makeup

Surprise! This is what I look like. You can't see my full face clearly, but it's a lot more than what I've shown on this blog.

I volunteered at this event for one of my clubs last friday night and it was strongly recommended to dress up. I had Minnie Mouse ears, and so I decided to throw on stuff Minne Mouse - esque things for my costume. I basically just wore pink shorts, black sleeveless top, black leggings, and a pair of comfortable black flats.

I also painted my nails, which I'm very proud of even though I did mess up. I used a red nail polish from OPI and a white nail polish from Wet n' Wild. They weren't my nail polishes, and so I don't know their names. I also used a dotter to draw the bow, Mickey Mouse, and of course the polka dots.

For eyes, I used Coastal Scents' Go Palette in Beijing. It has really nice pink, red, and purple eyeshadows that were perfect. For the black nose, I used Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero and TheBalm's Eyeshadow in Serious. Any black eyeliner/shadow will work though.

I used three red lip products for my red lips. I know that sounds a lot, but I'll explain! I first used a red lip stain. I'm always worried about lipstick fading, and so I like to have a layer of lip stain under my lipstick to make sure a similar color will be there all day. The only stain I have right now is Benefit's Benetint. I then used MAC Viva Glam I all over my lips and also used my fingers to really push the color into my lips. The last product is Korres' Lip Butter in Wild Rose to make my lips feel a bit more hydrated. (I usually use this process whenever I wear red lips.)

Review & Swatches: MAC Viva Glam I Lipstick

MAC Viva Glam I Lipstick is described as a "intense brownish blue-red" on the MAC website and it has a matte finish. This lipstick contains 3 grams / 0.1 US. ounces and costs $15. The proceeds from the MAC Viva Glam line all goes to MAC AIDS Fund. 

This lipstick was on my wish list for the longest time and then my boyfriend got it for me as a gift. I was so excited to receive this. I wanted to take pictures before trying it on and it was so hard to wait to use it. 

Review: Disney Cinderella Collection by Sephora Compact Mirror

This compact mirror is from the Disney Cinderella Collection by Sephora. This is more of a rave than anything for this mirror. I probably shouldn't even call this a review because it is just a compact mirror.

Well, maybe not just a compact mirror. It is gorgeous. This Disney + Sephora collab includes a few other things, but this was the only thing I really wanted. 

Since most of the things can be seen, I'll just point out some things that aren't really noticeable in the pictures I've included. The middle of the front has a geometric pattern. It isn't noticeable, but it adds texture. 

The back comes with a kind of protectant that can be taken off. Underneath that protectant is the Disney copyright logo, but it is actually a sticker. I thought it was another sticker on top of the logo. I ended up taking that off too. 

The metal is very reflective and attracts a lot of fingerprints. There are so many fingerprints. I can't do anything about that, but it does make me sad. I'm just picky like that, though. 

The compact is very weighty, but it makes it feel very expensive and nice. 

Another thing that I love about this compact is that not only looks like a clock, but it opens like a pocket watch, too. The little knob that sticks out looks like out of those knobs on watches to adjust the time. It just needs to be pushed to open the compact.

One mirror is normal and the other is magnified. The normal side is engraved with the sentence "Time for your moment."

Final thoughts: I love this compact. I do not regret it at all. I have another small mirror, but it was a cheap mirror that broke a year after I got it. I am looking forward to carrying this everywhere with me.

Where to buy / Cost : Sephora for $20. I heard that it was released early for Beauty Insiders and then going to be released to the public at a later time, but I haven't found that information again. At the time this review was written, it is currently sold out though. Hopefully, Sephora will restock soon.

Click "read more" to see the pictures of this beautiful compact!

Review & Swatches: Maybelline Instant Rewind Eraser Dark Circles in 130 Medium

The Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles in 130 Medium contains 0.2 fl. oz. / 6.0 mL. This is a treatment concealer with goji berry and haloxyl. According to the packaging, this product is supposed to "instantly erases dark circles and fine lines and visibly diminishes puffiness."

The applicator is like a squishy foam like ball and you just push it onto the skin to deposit product on the undereye region. To make product come out, twist the red part to the left and you should hear some clicking. I was concerned about the applicator because I thought it was going to hold onto a lot of bacteria, but Maybelline says that the applicator is "protected with an anti-microbial system."

(For reference, I compared this to my MAC Select Sheer / Pressed powder in NC35 and the colors were very similar.)

Click "Read More" to see swatches and read how this product worked for me!