Mascara Archives » Alina Avery

October Birchbox 2015

October 14, 2015 by Alina Avery 4 Comments

This month’s box was one of my favorites. Unfortunately, one of the samples leaked so the whole thing was a bit messy inside, which led to less than fantastic photos, but you’ll get the idea!

First, the prime offender, Number 4™ Lumiere dhiver Fluoro5 Elixer Restore & Repair Oil. Ok, ignoring the fact that this has the longest name ever and spilled all over the place, I really like it. It smells amazing. I had it all over my hands after handling my slippery box contents, so I quickly ran them through my hair and my initial impression is a good one. And given the mess it made and the amount left in the bottle, it seems like a little bit could go a looooong way. I think I’ll like this, and I think it will pair well with my hair styling holy grail.

Next up, another hair product that I’m DEFINITELY looking forward to using, Macadamia Professional™ Style Extend Dry Shampoo. I’m a big dry shampoo fan, and I love the Macadamia Professional cleansing conditioner and hair mask, so I’m thinking I’ll like this too.

Sheet masks are incredibly trendy, so I was excited to see a BioRepublic Skincare Cucumber Breeze Soothing Fiber Mask . I wish I’d get more than a single use out of the sample, but I haven’t really gotten into sheet masks yet so I’m interested in trying it out.

Next up, my sample choice pick, Benefit’s new Roller Lash mascara. This has gotten so much hype lately I was excited for the chance to try it. We’ll see how it compares to the Clinique Chubby Lash I’ve been loving so much lately.

Finally, a little k-beauty treat, the Too Cool For School DINOPLATZ HIGHLIGHTER. This has actually been on my wishlist lately. You know how I feel about highlighters, especially liquid illuminators, and the packaging here is so cute! However, I do think the shade name is a little insensitive. “Pearl Bay Invasion” is definitely reminiscent of Pearl Harbor, which I don’t think is entirely appropriate (and I’m not one who’s easily upset by things like that, believe me!) but I supposed I can chalk it up to a translation error.

So aside from my leaky hair serum, I’m SO happy with this box!

Did you get the October Birchbox? What was in yours? Or did you pick one of the Estee Lauder Breast Cancer Awareness boxes? Let me know!

September Favorites

October 5, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

Before we get too far into October and this becomes irrelevant…

I don’t know if I’m going to do monthly favorites. It feels a little repetitive since it’s rare that I find anything life changing, but I haven’t listed my general favorites since my holy grails, so I thought now could be a good time. Here’s what I’ve been loving lately, my September favorites!

Again, the R+Co Badlands Dry Shampoo Paste. I couldn’t not include it after raving here, here, and here. Like I mentioned before, a little goes a long way to help style dry, wet, clean, or dirty hair. It’s so versatile and pretty much the only thing I’ve been putting in my hair lately.

Sticking with hair care, the Christophe Robin Cleansing Purifying Scrub. This is a scrub for your hair and scalp that really does balance any oil, grease, or dryness. My scalp has always been dry and sensitive even though my hair gets greasy pretty easily, and this has really worked for me. It’s a little tricky to massage in the large salt crystals, but they eventually dissolve to create a thick, luxe lather. I use this every 2-3 times I wash my hair, and wash my hair every 2-3 days, so I end up using this a few times a month. It’s expensive ($52), but at that rate this should last me at least 6 months, which seems about right for the amount I’ve used since purchasing in August. I picked this up from BeautyHabit via Amazon, but Sephora just started carrying the brand and I’m so excited to try other products from the line, especially the temporary color masks.

Moving on to skin care, the Fresh Black Tea Instant Perfecting Mask has been on weekly rotation. It has the texture of mashed potatoes, which is kind of strange, but it’s a really lovely product. It tingles slightly but very gently and rinses clean leaving skin soft and smooth. Another pricey pick but again, a little goes a long way.

Similarly soothing and stimulating for skin, the Caudalie Beauty Elixir is one of those cult products that I never really bought into until recently. I’ve been loving using this mist as the last step in my skincare routine or to refresh throughout the day. I only bought the small size since I wasn’t sure how I was going to like it, but I’m almost out, so the big version might be in my near future.

On to makeup products, the Clinique Chubby Lash Fattening Mascara is potentially a new holy grail. It’s a deep black color and a very dramatic look, making lashes look thick and long and defined. Clinique almost always nails it when it comes to mascaras and this is no exception. It’s also pretty affordable for a high-end mascara. I’ve been reaching for it every day. I only wish it was slightly more water resistant.

Jouer Matte Moisture Tint is the perfect summer to fall transition foundation. It’s still light and sheer so your summer tan, faded as it might be, still shows through. It’s matte, but not flat, and hydrating but not heavy. I’ve been mixing it with an illuminator to hang on to summer a bit longer and have been loving the effect. I wear the shade nude.

Finally, my friend Lisa and I have been raving over the Urban Decay eyeshadows all month. I’ve been using my UD palette almost daily. The three staple shades, ABC Gum, Secret Service, and Blackout stay in the palette constantly as I use them as base shadow, eyebrow powder, and liner respectively, but the other shades rotate a bit more. Lately, I’ve been loving Solstice, my newest shade, a “Moondust” formula with pink-green duo-chrome glitter which is a lot more wearable than it sounds. I also have Freelove, a peachy-pink satin, and a Chopper, copper shimmer, in there currently.

Swatches, left to right: Chopper, Freelove, and Solstice.

What have your favorite products been this month?

Holiday Beauty Sets

September 30, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

Ok yes, it’s insane that “holiday” sets are being announced (and even released!) in September.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t wishlist the crap of them. Holiday Beauty sets have some of the coolest limited edition shades and products, usually at an incredible value. Here are my picks (so far) for this year!

First, these Guerlain Snowflake Meteorites:

Guerlain
Meteorites Perles des Neiges – $80

OMG if that’s not the most perfect winter makeup ever. Serious lust for this one. These Guerlain perles are a classic, if a little difficult to use. I think this would be the most amazing setting/finishing powder for cold weather – slightly shimmery, a bit of glow, like you’ve been out for a walk in the snow. So gorgeous.

Then, the Marc Jacobs eyeshadow palette of your dreams:

Marc Jacobs Beauty
Style Eye-Con No. 20 – Plush Eyeshadow – $99

It’s no secret I love the MJB eyeshadow formula, and this is a great value. The colors here seem a bit random (and every one of the top row is going to look exactly the same on my skin) but there’s a good variety in here in terms of colors and finishes. The price is steep but it looks like the perfect palette for traveling since you have a million different looks all in one palette (and it looks like maybe a GIANT mirror).

Next, this lust-worthy Laura Mercier Bronzer Trio:

Laura Mercier
Blush & Glow Radiant Face Trio – $58

A “matte” highlight and bronzer and a shimmery bronzer AND a travel brush?!?!??! Also, I say “matte” because Laura Mercier says “matte” but there is some obvious, if subtle shimmer in these. Which is fine by me but if you’re looking for a true matte bronzer, this isn’t it. Also I LOVE LOVE LOVE the tortoise packaging. Major heart eye emoji for this baby.

Also, this Bite Beauty Lip Set for every lip occasion ever:

Bite Beauty
Discovery Set – $55

So much variety here! The Agave Lip Mask is one of my favorites and I wore the lipstick shade from this set (Pepper) at my wedding. It’s a perfect my-lips-but-better shade for me, so a backup is always welcome. I’m fascinated by the lip wipes and the clear primer. I feel like I’d use everything in this set which isn’t super common when it comes to block busters like these.

The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder and Blush motherlode:

Hourglass
Ambient Lighting Edit – $80

I’m actually not sure about this. All of these products are lovely but I’m not sure I’d want them all in the same palette. You’re going to use up the setting powders way faster than the blushes and bronzer, but this would make a great travel kit. The packaging is gorgeous and like I said, all of these products are hits in my book. Regardless, I’m happy to see more blush palettes popping up!

And finally, this Peter Thomas Roth trio of adorable mascaras:

Peter Thomas Roth
Lashes To Die For™ Mascara Trio – $45

This mascara is actually amazing. I’ve used a few tubes of it over the years and am always pleased with the results. It may or may not actually make your lashes longer and stronger, but it’s a great mascara in general. Thick and lush lashes without clumping! A trio of smaller sizes is actually genius because you’ll never use up a whole tube before it expires or dries out. This way you can keep two sealed and pristine while you fall in love with the first one. Love it.

Do you have your eye on any limited edition products for holiday? I’m dying to see what comes out as part of the Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani collab.

Better Together

June 12, 2015 by Alina Avery Leave a Comment

I’ve introduced a number of new products to my routine over the past few weeks. I’ve been absent from blogging (I’m so sorry!) but not from beauty, obviously. I’ve noticed that while my new go-to products work great on their own, sometimes you hit a combination where it seems like two (or sometimes three) products were meant to be used together. Here are a few of the best combinations I’ve found.

The Guerlain Terracotta Bronzing Mist in Light is new to my stash, as is the Real Techniques Bold Metals Arched Powder Brush. Both of these cost more than I originally wanted to pay for them, but I love them so much that they’re so worth it. I picked up the bronzer first and would originally spray it directly onto the high points of my face and then blend in with a fluffy powder brush, which worked fine. But the paddle shape of this powder brush along with the synthetic bristles means that it can both precisely apply product and blend it out so it looks incredibly natural. The bronzer is waterproof and toned just right to give the appearance of a weekend trip to the beach without looking heavy or orange. I spray it onto the tip of the brush and then apply it to the backs of my cheekbones, top of my forehead, and bridge of my nose.

I’ve loved the Sunday Riley Effortless Tinted Primer since I discovered it this past winter. It was literally the skin savior of my Christmas Ski Trip. It’s amazing worn alone for the slopes or the beach, when you want to even out your skin tone but you don’t want heavy makeup. It’s a dewy finish and the whole Sunday Riley line has so many great ingredients for your skin. Lately I’ve been paring it with a new find, the Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Gel Cream. This tinted moisturizer has an amazing texture, and is barely tinted. I love layering these two sheer products for the perfect buildable coverage. They melt together and into the skin so it seems like you aren’t wearing anything, you just have perfect skin. Finally, I’ve been incorporating a pump of the Armani Fluid Sheer in #3 for a subtle summer glow.

I have been trying to get my hands on the Surratt Beauty Relevee Lash Curler for years. I was so pumped when they announced they would be selling Surratt at Sephora.com and immediately signed up to be alerted when the curler came back in stock. Sadly, it’s still not available on the website, but miraculously, right before I left NYC, I popped into the Sephora at Union Square and they had TWO curlers in stock. I immediately purchased one and haven’t looked back. It really is all that they say it is. I’ve found that following up with the Estee Lauder Little Black Primer really holds the curl in place and my lashes look long and dark and my eyes look wide open all day long. Since I’ve been wearing glasses a lot more often, I’ve found that dramatic lashes really go a long way to making sure my eyes still pop behind heavy frames.

What product combinations have you found work for you?