Boxycharm – October 2017

I received my Boxycharm last week! If you’ve not heard of this box, Boxycharm is a monthly beauty subscription service. For $21/month, you receive 4-5 full sized beauty products in a cute little black box.  Each box is always worth $100+!

This month’s theme is Spellbound!  I received 5 full sized products in this month’s box and I’m excited to share them with y’all! All links will open in a separate window:

• Dr. Brandt Pore Dermabrasion – $58.00  I used this a few days after receiving my box, and it’s OK.  I have sensitive skin and it didn’t irritate my skin.
• Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter (Prosecco Pop) – $38.00 I am glad that I received the pressed powder, though it is a bit too gold for my skin color. I may use it from time to time.
• Tarte Tarteist Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint (Front Row) – $20.00 I didn’t like this color on me at all. I’m more of a lip gloss gal.
• Jonteblu Lip Liner Pencil (Brown Sugar) – $5.00 Meh.
• Dirty Little Secrets Eyeshadow Chubby (Illusion) – $14.00 I haven’t used this yet.  It’s very pretty, though.

Total box worth: $135.00!

If you want to check out Boxycharm for yourself, click my referral link here!  If you want to check out Boxycharm and subscribe without clicking the referral link, clicky clicky right here!

❤ Cherilyn 

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October Favorites

October is the month of birthdays in my family!  Just to name a few: my youngest daughter turned 23, my oldest grandson turned 3, and I turned 45!                              Happy birthday to all of my October beauties! ❤

Here are a handful of products that were my favorites during the month of October –   (All links will open in a new window):

• Morphe G36 Round Powder brush – ($14.00) I received this brush in my MorpheMe subscription box back in February but only started using it a few months ago to apply foundation. It’s soft and dense and buffs out my foundation perfectly.
• e.l.f. cosmetics Baked Highlighter – Moonlight Pearls ($4.00) I have had this highlight for a couple of years and always find myself reaching for it. It is the perfect shade for my skin tone and never fails to give me that glowing from within appearance.

• Gerard Cosmetics Slay All Day Nikkia Joy Rose Setting Spray – ($22.00) GC Slay All Day is one of my ride or die setting sprays. If you want your makeup to last longer, then look no further. The Nikkia Joy spray has a beautiful light rose scent and performs just as the regular Slay All Day setting sprays. It does tend to dry out my skin, so I use it in rotation with the Morphe Prep & Set spray.
• Smith’s Rosebud Salve – ($6.00) I use this salve before going to bed and just before makeup application to keep foundation off my lips. It has a light rose scent and is hydrating. It’s been a favorite for at least 7 years.
• Victoria’s Secret Pure Seduction Fragrance lotion – ($18.00) My BFF gave this to me as a birthday gift and I’ve been using it almost daily. It smells SO darned good! It has a fruity and fresh scent that isn’t overpowering. I just use a small amount on my arms and on the back of my neck and it leaves me smelling good all day.

What are your October favorites!

Boo! Get To Know Me Halloween Style

Halloween is my favorite holiday. When my girls were younger we’d decorate the house and throw the best Halloween parties.  We had the foggers and the giant spiders and the strobe lights and the zombies hanging from trees and the graveyard in the front yard. We had a stoop where we’d set out a cd player and blast spooky Halloween sounds on during the night. Dogs wouldn’t even walk on our side of the street!

And our costumes. We weren’t the cutesy costume family. We dressed up with fake blood and gore. Scaring the poo out of the kids was my favorite. 😉 And they loved it! This is the only photo I could find from 2006. I wish I had photos of me as Evil the Clown! Out of all my costumes, Evil the Clown was the best!

Our Halloween parties were memorable with me telling the kids a ghost story incorporating their school and using some tidbit facts that I quizzed their parents for weeks before. At the end of the evening, Homemade Halloween songs cd’s were included in the goodie bags and then we’d have a group photo taken.  I’d use a 1 hour photo service to have the photos ready for the parents at pick-up. Touches like these helped make our parties the event that kids wanted to attend.

When we moved into a smaller home, I sold all of my costumes and decorations.  It pained me to do so, but we just didn’t have the space for the containers upon containers of decorations. Now that I have two grandsons, I am slowly building back up my collection.

Do you celebrate Halloween? Share your stories with me! 

 

 

Favorite Brushes

Morphe. Now, there’s a brand that triggers a bunch of people on Youtube.

I use Morphe products.  I LOVE the setting spray. I love my brushes and I enjoy my Jaclyn Hill palette.  I don’t have any other Morphe makeup products other than the JH palette so I cannot attest to their quality.  I do have more Morphe brushes than any other, and I like them.

Before I joined the MorpheMe brush club in February of 2017, I purchased several brushes from Morphe online. The brushes had great reviews and were inexpensive. I wanted to do this post to share how my brushes have held up since purchasing almost a year ago.

I’ll post about my favorite 5 Morphe brushes below. All links will open in a separate window:

M510 Pro Round Blender – ($8.00) I purchased this brush and use daily in rotation with the R40 for highlight application.  I love the way this brush distributes the product onto my skin. This brush has goat hair bristles and has a long slender handle. There is some fraying and a bristle sheds from time to time, but I have had this brush for almost a year, I wash it quite often and it still works just as good as it did from day one.

 

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R40 Deluxe Pointed Blender – ($6.00) I received this brush in a MorpheMe box in April 2017. I use it daily in rotation with the M510 for highlight application.  Another goat hair bristle brush with a  long slender handle, I like the way the product is distributed onto my skin.  This brush also has light fraying with minimal shedding, is washed often and looks and performs well with daily use for six months.

 

E34 Tapered Blush – ($17.00) – I purchased this brush almost one year ago and use it daily for blush application.  It is washed frequently, and has no fraying, but had minimal shedding just after purchasing. I no longer experience shedding with this brush.  It has a thicker handle and feels comfortable in my hand.  The bristles are synthetic, are not rough, and feel soft against my skin. It picks up ample product and applies beautifully on my skin.

 

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E41 Round Deluxe Powder ($23.00) – I purchased this brush almost one year ago and I use it daily for powder application.  I wash it frequently, has no fraying and I haven’t experienced any shedding. I LOVE big fluffy powder brushes.  This has synthetic bristles and is so darned soft!

 

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M439 Deluxe Buffer ($14.00) –  I purchased this brush almost one year ago.  It is washed frequently, has no fraying and no shedding. I love this brush and use it in rotation with the G36 for foundation application.  It is a dense brush with a medium in length but stocky handle. It buffs out my foundation to a flawless finish.

 

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G36 Round Powder ($14.00) – I received this brush in my first MorpheMe subscription box in February of 2017. I started using it about 2-3 months ago for foundation application and it is tied with my M439 as a favorite for foundation.  This brush has synthetic bristles, is washed frequently and has no fraying or shedding.  It is soft and buffs out my foundation perfectly.

 

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The goat hair bristled brushes don’t hold up as well as the synthetic brushes, but even with their fraying and light shedding, are still just as soft and their performance still outstanding.

Morphe brushes are inexpensive, however, if you only want to purchase a few brushes, the shipping cost is a bit much unless you spend $75.00 (for those in the U.S.). Select Ulta’s will carry Morphe products in store and online, which will hopefully curve that shipping cost.

Overall, my Morphe brushes have held up for almost a year, with daily use and frequent cleanings with brush shampoo and isopropyl alcohol. For the price, I cannot complain at their fraying and shedding.   I will continue to use, purchase and recommend Morphe brushes for their low price point, quality and durability.

Do you use Morphe brushes? Share your Morphe brushes experience! 

 

 

ipsy – October 2017

This month’s theme is Spellbound. “Everything feels enchanted, mysterious, and…different!”  For my birthday month, this bag is perfect!

If you’re not familiar,  Ipsy is a beauty subscription service for $10/month.  You receive 5 beauty products; some deluxe sample sizes, with the occasional full size product. Everything arrives in a cute zippered makeup bag.

The bag is a gorgeous crimson in a lacy floral print and black accents with a black silky inside. The zipper pull is in the shape of a bat and I am in love with it!

My first impression of the bag was that it reminds me of Dita Von Teese as it has a vampy romantic burlesque look.  ipsy has upped their game with their bags lately.

Let’s get on with what was in this gorgeous bag!

• Tarte Cosmetics Deluxe Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara –  Full size $23USD (No promo code)
• Hanalei Papaya Enzyme Powder Cleanser – Full size $20USD (Papaya for 30% off)
• Dirty Little Secrets Eyeshadow in Bronzed – $12USD (ipsy20 for 20% off)
• It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Powder – Full size $29USD (No promo code)
• Firma Beauty 201 Tall Blender Brush – $12.99USD (ipsy for 10% off)

If you’re interested in trying out the Ipsy subscription service, click my referral link here. If you’d rather check out Ipsy without my referral link, clicky clicky here!

❤ Cherilyn

MorpheMe Brushes – October 2017

If you aren’t familiar, MorpheMe is a subscription service through Liveglam that offers $30 worth of Morphe brushes for $19.99/month!  The brushes come in a bubblewrap envelope with a cute little accordion card that has brief descriptions of each brush.  I have been subscribed since February and have received a wide variety of brushes.

This month’s brushes are pink as October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Here are some facts from the National Breast Cancer website:

• One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer.
• Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.
• Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among women.
• Each year it is estimated that over 252,710 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,500 will die.
• Although breast cancer in men is rare, an estimated 2,470 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and approximately 460 will die each year.
• On average, every 2 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer and 1 woman will die of breast cancer every 13 minutes.
• Over 3.3 million breast cancer survivors are alive in the United States today.

When breast cancer is detected early, and is in the localized stage, the 5-year relative survival rate is 100%.  Early detection includes doing monthly breast self-exams, and scheduling regular clinical breast exams and mammograms.

PK14 Tapered Powder brush ($15)

PK4 Contour Blush brush ($11)

PK36 Tapered Blending brush ($6)

PK524 Oval Shadow brush ($6)

PK45 Angled Brow brush ($5)

Total box worth: $43

If you’re interested in signing up, click HERE (this link will get us both a free brush!), or click HERE if you don’t want a free brush. 😉  It’s $19.99/month.

Hair.

I have a lot of it.

It’s thick and curly and gets curlier the older I get.  Not sure why that is, but I’ll take curlier hair over no hair all day every day.

I’d have to say my hair is my best feature.  I receive the most compliments on my hair, with my big ol’ blue eyes being second. I’ve had just about every crazy hairstyle imaginable and in just about every color.  I’ve since mellowed and have been coloring my hair jet black for almost 10 years.

Other than coloring every 6-8 weeks, my hair care routine is fairly simple:

• I don’t wash my hair on my days off.
• The day before my days off I do not use conditioner. I only use shampoo.  I am about to go two days without washing so I minimize the use of products that make my scalp oily.
• I NEVER brush my hair.  In fact, the only time my hair gets combed is when I go to the salon to have it cut. I run my fingers through my hair to remove any tangles.
• I get haircuts on a regular basis. I try to have at least 3 inches cut every 6-8 months. This helps keep my hair healthy and soft.
• I use a hair mask about once a month. My favorite is the Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning mask.
• I don’t use products like hairspray, mousse, pomades, etc.  If I do use a product, I use Loma Serum or a Garnier Fructis leave-in conditioner.
• If I put my hair up in a ponytail, I use elastic hair ties that reduce breakage. I don’t make it a habit to pull my hair back in a ponytail unless I’m at the gym.

As with skin, your genes, hormones, and diet play a part in hair health.

What do you do for hair care?  What are your favorite products?