Sonia Kashuk Shimmering Sands & Showstoppers Review

Good morning everyone!

As some of you may know, it was my birthday on the 25th. While I didn't end up going out, I did break out these two quads to do some makeup. I also managed to forget to snag a picture of myself (I know, boo on me). Anyway, I thought I would review these eyeshadows and let you know what I think.

Firstly, I had to apply all of these with a wet brush. I mainly used the lightest brown/tan in the upper quad and a mix of the light colors on the lower quad (and used the black up top for an eyeliner). I tried with a dry brush, and the glitter didn't apply evenly and basically none of the color transferred. 

There was some problem of fallout, I found (even though I used a primer and pat the color on) and it was really hard to manipulate, blend, and control once on the eyelid. 

But worst of all... Clean up was a mess. Usually with my towelettes I can get everything off my eyelid, but for the life of me I couldn't get all this glitter off. :/ And that was honestly a big let down for me.

While I think these colors are pretty, I think there's also a reason these have been sitting in my makeup box for so long with such little use. Showstoppers got mixed reviews on Makeup Alley, and I have to agree with the people that didn't like this quad a whole lot. To be fair, I did get these a bit ago, so maybe in the newer renditions (with black packaging) they've changed the formula? I'm not sure.

But as it stands this isn't something I'd recommend and something I'll only try again in the future if I'm daring.

Do you own either of these quads? What's your opinion? Let me know!

Cheers!

Say Yes to Cucumbers calming facial mask review

Good afternoon everyone!

My plans for today had to be changed due to various reasons (one being the massive amount of snow we're currently getting), so I decided to make today a "me" day, and part of that is using this Say Yes to Cucumbers calming facial mask. Normally I would include a link, but I can't find a link to the single use facial masks anywhere (leading me to believe they must be only in-store); for reference, I picked this up at Target for around $2.00. (And I'm not crazy, here another blogger mentions them too. :P) 

I ripped off the top on the perforated line, but found that it actually didn't open the product (boo, this is one of my least favorite things in life). Luckily for me I own scissors (you'd be surprised at how many fellow college students I know who don't) so I cut down a little further and was able to then squeeze the product onto my fingers. It's quite a bit lighter than other facial masks I've used, and it went on smoothly and didn't dry so fast that I had to race against the clock to get it on my face.

My biggest complaint is that there is way too much product for a single use. I only ended up using about half the bag/rectangle/container/thing. So I had to fold it over and stick it in a plastic bag, hoping that it'll be good for at least one more use (since I hate to waste product). I left it on for the recommended five minutes, and it was easy enough to wash off, which is always a pleasant turn of events (I'm recalling one facial mask I tried where I felt like I was battling a parasitic alien which decided to take up residence on my face and refused to leave even with the most vigorous of scrubbing). My face was smooth and soft, so overall it was a good experience for me.

I have, however, read several bad reviews for this product, and some people did not have very good experiences (lots of complaints of this product leaving the skin red, blotchy, and irritated). To be honest I picked this up on a whim, and I probably wouldn't pick it up again. While I gave it a 4/5 on MakeupAlley, it wasn't all that great for the price and I'm disappointed that there was so much extra product (I really hope it doesn't dry up before I can use what's left). I'll definitely try and use up what I have, but I think I'll try something else next time.

Have you tried this product? Have a facial mask to suggest? Let me know!

Cheers!