Quaran-Tan: Ocean Potion Ever Glow

Hello to all of you on week 4(?) of quarantine/self-isolation/shelter in place. Even though we are confined to our homes, I find that I love to still keep a subtle glow going - I mean summer is right around the corner (and honestly is already here in Florida).

In this edition of my new series (we're going to call it that anyways), I am reviewing Ocean Potion's Ever Glow daily self tanner. 

This giant bottle is only like $5. I picked mine up at Walmart (linked here), but I am sure you can find it at other basic retailers too. It even appears that they have a new 3-day express lotion - might have to try that one out next time.

As for the actual product, I would rate it a 6/10. The cost is clearly a pro. As far as smell, I would give it a 8/10 on the stink meter. It has a very fake orange smell that is not that appealing. It also lingers for a long time after you use it. It also leaves your skin feeling a bit tacky/sticky for hours after application. The overall color is not too bad - you can see my four day application transformation below. For the price, it's not too bad. However, I think there are faster acting products that aren't too expensive available. I hope to review some of them in the coming weeks!

Stay safe and healthy y'all! 

-Madi

Self Care Sunday: AprilSkin Peel Off Mask

Happy Sunday, y'all! I am a big fan of the whole #selfcaresunday movement. I really believe you are your best self if you devote time to taking care of yourself. Every Sunday, I really try to do one thing to better myself in some way for the week. 

Today's #selfcare was a face mask. Not any face mask, but the one I have seen hyped all over instagram as of late - AprilSkin Calendula Peel Off. This new mask claimed to help remove white heads, smooth skin, brighten complexion, etc etc. So I figured I'd give it a shot! 

Purchase the mask here (takes you straight to the manufacturer's site - I bought mine off of Amazon, though for that free two-day shipping!)

I thought I would go ahead and share my before and afters (as scary as they might be...). This is my before. Fresh out of the shower - no face products applied.

This is following application. It does make your skin feel very tight after application as the peel hardens. I left this on for around 30-40 minutes while I did some things around the house.

Post removal - which it did peel off fairly easily. A few remnants could easily be buffed off with a wet wash cloth. It did leave my skin feeling pretty smooth overall. I feel like in the image my skin even appears a bit brighter. 

Overall, I think it is a pretty decent mask. I think it might be better to apply a bit thicker than I did - it would peel easier + it might work better on whiteheads/blackheads then. I think it is a good mask, but honestly not all that different than the cucumber peel off mask from the drugstore (or amazon - linked here).

L'Oreal Ultimate Straight Review

So, about a month ago I was sent the entire L'Oreal Ultimate Straight line to test out by Influenster. They wanted me to give this line a try and see what my thoughts were about it. Get all the details and my recommendation below.



The Ultimate Straight line consist of four steps (shampoo, pre-conditioner {use once a week}, conditioner, and styling creme). The pre-conditioner and styling creme will definitely last you through a couple of bottles of shampoo/conditioner, so they are worth the investment. The above picture was after I washed and dried my hair, but before styling. I definitely have straight hair, but this helped to make my hair smooth and straight before styling which is great!



After a quick pass of a straightener, I got the above results. My hair was silky smooth and frizz-free, which was great in this Texas heat and humidity.



I try not to wash my hair everyday because I have heard that it strips your hair of all of the good oils. Instead, I try to get some second-day wear out of my washes with the help of Not Your Mother's Dry Shampoo (it's my favorite!). I was impressed to see how smooth my hair remained. It still had some good shine too. I was impressed with how well it held up during the second day.



Even though this was the "Ultimate Straight" challenge, I was curious how it would hold up when I curled my hair. I thought it turned out so well! Plenty of shine and volume, plus the curls lasted all day (and a second day too...).

Overall, I am very pleased with this line of products. I plan to repurchase as needed. Have any questions or want to know more? Let us know in the comments below!

Curious in joining Influenster? Use this link to sign up now.

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Essence Cosmetics Review

 

So our awesome friends over at Essence Cosmetics sent us some of their great products to try out. Get all the scoop on these Essence items as well as swatches and a full look below!

   

Nail Polish in Off to Miami 

  Nail Drying Drops

I decided to test out the nail polish to begin with. I was please that it had very even coverage and great color that was true to what I expected. I used my Sally Hansen Hard as Nails base coat and Revlon Gel Top Coat to seal in the color.

   

Overall, I think my nails turned out great. They also dried really quickly thanks to the Essence drying drops they included (I will say I have purchased these before and love them!) They did start to chip within a couple of days, though, which I hate...

Lipstick in Flirty Pink Lip Liner in Wish Me a Rose I moved on to the lip products next (I have a serious weakness for them...). The lip liner was a nice, everyday color that I can use with a ton of my existing lipsticks. It has a pretty matte finish, though, so keep that in mind. The lipstick was very glossy and moisturizing. I really like the color because it wasn't too bright or crazy. It also had a very pleasant smell to it! I would love to try out a couple more colors in this lipstick for sure.


Eye Liner in Hot Scorch Eye Shadow in Coffee to Glow

The eye shadow and liner really complemented each other. The liner was very metallic brown/bronze which is nice for summer. It isn't super dark, though, so make sure that your base shadow isn't too dark. The shadow color looked great, but the pigmentation just wasn't there. I had to really press down to get this swatch to show up. It was even more difficult trying to get the "metal" look to appear on my eyelid when using a stiff shadow brush. It's a pretty color and concept, but I'm just not sold on how it applies.

 
Mascara 

Lastly, I tried out the mascara. The brush on this thing is huge! Not the best for getting those baby lashes, but it does a great job for the price.

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It gave me a nice natural everyday look that worked well for me. I did try layering it with another mascara a few days later, and I really liked that look!

Overall, I thought these products were great. They are super inexpensive too! You can easy stock up without blowing your budget which is nice. You can usually find Essence at Ulta beauty on an end cap or at HEB if you live in Texas. I would totally recommend checking them out on your next beauty run.

 Have any questions or products we should try? Let us know in the comments below!

~Madi

BeautyCon Texas Recap

 

The first ever BeautyCon Texas has come and gone, and of course your Everything Glitters girls were there. There was no way we could miss a convention of makeup and beauty bloggers.

     

When we first arrived, we scoped out the place to see what all was in store. NYX and Tarte had large booths offering some great priced makeup, QVC was handing out boxes with samples, and there were various other smaller boutiques featuring everything from bedding to jewelry to the Perfect365 app to get those perfect selfies. They also had two stages featuring panels with various vloggers and bloggers.

 

Since it was a PACKED HOUSE, we decided to pick our top choices to for sure go to. The first was a spin the wheel sponsored by BeautyCon. I stepped up and got a free American Apparel, Danielle, however, got a sheriff's badge... After that disappointment we moved on to the very very long Tarte line.

   

We waited and waited, but it was very worth it. Tarte was selling product for over half off! We snagged pallets for $20 and lip crayons and glosses for $10. It was a crazy good deal that made it worth waiting in line.

 

Another reason waiting in line paid off was because I got to meet the beautiful British vlogger Fleur de Force. It was a quick hello and picture, but she seemed super nice. And just as pretty in person as she is in her videos!

 

After waiting in Tarte and wandering around a bit, we decided to head out. Overall, it was worth our $25 tickets, but we really hope they work to improve it next year. We at least scored some quality sister time (and makeup) which is all that matters. Did you attend BeautyCon Texas or one of the other ones in past? Let us know how it was in the comments below!

Everyday Makeup Tutorial

In honor of attending BeautyCon Texas tomorrow, I wanted to share our FIRST EVER makeup tutorial! Now bare with us, since this is our first, we have some tweaking to do. We hope you still enjoy it though!

All of the products are listed below as well as in the tutorial!

Foundation: Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue in Opal Concealer: Sephora Pod in Light Under-Eye Concealer: Maybeline Luminous Under-Eye Concealer in Radiant Highlighter: Watts Up by Benefit Blush: Stila's Valentine's Collection in Pretty in Pink Eyebrow Pencil: Loreal Brow Stylist Sculptor in Brunette Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Basics 2 Pallet

• Base- Skimp
• Lid- Frisk
• Outer Corner- Cover
• Crease- Primal
• Eyeliner- Undone

Pen Eyeliner: Jordana FabuLiner Mascara: Benefits Roller Lash & Urban Decay's Perversion Setting Spray: Urban Decay's All Nighter Setting Spray Face Brushes *Eyeshadow brushes were included in Naked 2&3 pallets! I hope you enjoyed it! Have questions or comments? Leave them below! ~Madi

Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick Review & Swatches

I should preface this post by saying I am a makeup junkie.  More specifically, I am a lip product junkie.  I have tried so many products it's unreal.  I love trying new things and trying new colors!  I saw these Almay lip butters at my local Bed, Bath & Beyond and thought I would give them a try.  I absolutely love lip butters as they are easy to put on without really needing a mirror and they provide moisture to the lips.  Here is my review on the colors I picked up (yes, I picked up a lot) and I hope you enjoy!

What I've done is swatched all of the colors on my arm together and then I have swatched them on my lips so you can see what they look like on.  I did not use a lip liner - I just applied them directly to my lips.  Below is a picture of my bare lips so you can see what I started with.

First I will start off with the nude colors.  I picked up two of them.  Here they are side by side.

1. Nude-Light

2. Nude Light-Medium

Next up are the pink shades.  The Pink Light-Medium is the shade Carrie Underwood is wearing in the ad in stores.  The picture doesn't do the color justice as it is much brighter in person!

1. Pink-Light

2. Pink-Light Medium

I really thought I had picked up more than one of the berry shades, but it looks like I only grabbed one.  I really like this shade and might have to look at the other berry options.  Again, the pictures don't do these justice as this is more pigmented in person.

Berry-Light Medium

Last but not least are the red shades.  These are probably the most pigmented out of the bunch.  If you want a red lip, but you don't want something too intense then these might be a great pick for you.

1. Red-Light

2. Red-Light Medium

Overall, I really like these balms.  They have a decent color payoff and and are quite moisturizing.  I like that they have different color options and it makes it very easy to find shades for your skin tone.  They do have some shimmer to them, so if you don't like shimmer I would stay away.  Out of all of them I like the nudes the best.  These could easily be thrown into your purse to apply throughout the day.  I think the Pink-Light Medium will be a great choice for the summer!  These retail for around $5-$6 depending on where you buy them.  I would keep an eye out for when Walgreens or CVS does their BOGO on Almay.  You can find more information about them on Almay's site here: Almay, Butter Kiss Lipsticks- Almay

Have a great week!

Danielle