WOW WEDNESDAY: LUSH

 If you know nothing about the Lush company, let me give you a little background. They buy and use only organic fruit and vegetables. They do not test on animals or buy from companies that test on animals. They hand make them using little to no preservatives which causes them to have a short shelf life.

Their holiday collection this year was amazing. I love that they are always trying to better their products every year. I am newly introduced to Lush and I am completely in love with not only their products but everyone working there was lovely as well.

Here's a little run down on the products I purchased this Christmas.

Sandy Santa $9.95 

When I first walked into Lush they brought me over to a large silver bowl with warm water in it and scrubbed my arm with Sandy Santa. This is what sold me. My arm had never felt as soft as it did when the associate  showed me this product. Its is a moisturizing and exfoliating body scrub with Brazilian orange oil.

 The Christmas Penguin $7.45

Obviously I bought him because he is so adorable! Each one is hand made and not one of them look alike. With him you crumble under warm water into your bath tub. The harder the water pressure the more bubbles you get! You could also break him up into pieces so you could use him numerous times. 

 Oatifix $6.95

This is the perfect face mask for when it starts to get cold out. It works perfectly for dry, sensitive, or irritated faces which is what my face always feels like during the winter months. As you can see in the picture it is a combination of bananas, vanilla, ground almonds, and oats. I found this face mask was smoother than I expected because of the ground almonds. There was also a warming sensation when I first put it on and then it became cooling. My face felt perfectly nourished and hydrated after I rinsed it off.

One thing to keep in mind when wanting to purchase this face mask or other face masks is that they are loaded with fresh ingredients and have a short shelf life. This maks them only available to purchase in store.

Go and check out their website for yourself, I promise you will fall in love with their products!

Hugs,

Tara

DRUGSTORE MASCARA REVIEW: MAYBELLINE

 After realizing how many mascaras I had from the drugstore I decided to break them up into brands. First up, Maybelline. I am a huge fan of Maybelline, I think that they have a ton of great products out there like color tattoos, color whispers, super stay lipstick and much more. I always go in with really high hopes for their mascara but sometimes they fall a little below average.

 Maybelline Great Lash ($5.19): I know that this mascara has been around for a very long time and tons of people love it. I felt like it didn't give any volume, made my eye lashes clump together, and I wasn't a fan of the small brush. But enough bashing, this mascara has been around since 1971 and something that doesn't work wouldn't have survived this long in such a growing and changing market. Great Lash is the most affordable product in this review and works for a lot of people, let me know what you think in the comments. Personally, I would only purchase the purple color again.

 Maybelline Lash Stiletto ($7.34): LOVE this for length! This mascara is one that I use all the time. It's perfect for making your lashes look natural, long, and not clumpy. Also Lash Stiletto doesn't flake off, smudge or smear onto you eyes. This brush is thin, long and coats every eyelash evenly.

 Maybelline The Classic Volume Express Hydrofudge ($14.99): I find that this mascara is very natural looking and is build able with many coats. I do find that it isn't very waterproof with smudging on your upper eye lid and it flakes off.

Maybelline The Mega Plush Volume Express ($5.94): I was like a kid at a candy store when I first saw this brush. With the first look, it's the exact brush style I always seek out. To my surprise this brush didn't give me the volume that I expected. It's hard to see in this picture, but halfway down the stylus you'll notice there's a "score" or bend in it to allow the stylus to follow the curvature of your eyelashes. The stylus bends way too much for you to get the right amount of coverage onto your lashes. I wouldn't purchase this mascara again.

Hope you guys enjoy and this and helps you purchase the right mascara at the drugstore!

Hugs,

Tara

WOW WEDNESDAY | NYX BUTTER GLOSS

When it comes to lip gloss I have to admit that I am not picky. I don't mind if they are sticky or not.

I didn't expect to fall in love with a lip gloss that was $4.99, but I DID! They are easy to wear, very natural looking, smooth and not sticky. They have a pleasant smell of vanilla, sweet but not too sweet where you don't want to put it on. I find that this lip gloss gives your lips the perfect amount of color without over doing it. They put off just enough pigmentation that it wont separate on your lips. I also like that there are 12 different colors to choose from! Perfect to put over any color lipstick.

The color Creme Brulee was the first I purchased. I liked it instantly with the way it gave me a bit of color and shine on my lips. I quickly went back to Ulta and bought the other three. I had a hard time trying to decide which one is my favorite. As of right now, I would have to choose Peaches and Cream for the pinkish tone that it puts on my lips for winter. Also, I love these more than my MAC lipglass.

Pros:
Pigmented
Soothes
Smells great
Daily use
Cheap
Effective

Cons:
Heavier than NYX Mega Shine
Not long lasting

You can find them here!

I also want to point out that at Ulta they go "buy one, get one half off" all the time!

DRUGSTORE FOUNDATION REVIEW

As many of you know finding a decent foundation in the drugstore that actually matches your skin tones is hard to do. There is no one at a counter that can color match you and you can't just open the bottles there and put it on your skin.There are numerous factors that you need to keep in mind when choosing a foundation. Do you have dry skin or oily skin? Do you have olive or pink undertones? Since they are reasonably priced you can go with your instinct and try out different ones.

Here's the breakdown in the order that I would place them:

Loreal True Match: HELLO GORGEOUS! For a long time I was a huge fan of the Loreal True Match Lumi, until I found this guy. This is my everyday foundation! Medium coverage with just one layer and full coverage with two. Easily blend-able and with tons of different shades to choose from it is hard to go wrong with this foundation. I would recommend this for warm, cool, or neutral skin tones and also for oily or dry skin. Only con I would give this little guy is it doesn't have a pump which causes too much to pour out.

Loreal True Match Lumi: What I loved most about this product was that it was 40% water which kept me feeling hydrated all day. This foundation is light to medium coverage and easy to apply.  The problems with this foundation is it doesn't stay on all day and it is very luminous so if you have greasy skin stay away! Also in pictures it made you look washed out. Best if used for light to medium coverage and dry skin.

Revlon Photoready: I will only wear this foundation if I am going out at night and I know pictures will be taken. It is medium coverage, doesn't stay on long, easy to apply, and great for pictures It has a matte finish with good pigmentation. I also thought this color would match me pretty well and it actually oxidizes (gets darker/orange with the oils of your skin) a little after you put it on. Still would recommend but only for a night out with pictures. It is too heavy to wear daily.

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1: First impression I really liked this foundation. It has a primer and concealer built in which was nice! It was medium coverage and easily build able to full coverage. I haven't used this foundation for a while and when I went to use it the pump wasn't working right. Also with this foundation I found it to be extremely pink and oxidized quickly. I can never find a Covergirl foundation that matches my skin tone perfectly so I would have to pass on this foundation.

Revlon Colorstay Whipped: This moose like consistency wasn't something I had been used to and I found this foundation to be hard to blend. It is very thick and you need the tiniest amount to cover your whole face. What I did really like about this foundation is it kept me matte throughout my whole 11 hour work shift. The other problems I had was it separated every time I wore it right around my t-zone. I would recommend this for summer time if you like full coverage and matte finish. Best if used with a good primer though. If you have dry skin like me you would need to put a dewy finishing spray over top. I wouldn't buy it again.

Rimmel Match Perfection: NO, just no!!! I am a big fan of Rimmel, I have plenty of their products that I love but I honestly don't know what they were thinking with this foundation. It is very watery, hard to blend, no pump, light coverage, and didn't stay on. I ended up wiping most off because it never sank into my skin. The only pro I would say is that it is the cheapest of the foundations but remember you get what you pay for. Save your money up and buy one of the other foundations!

From left to right: Loreal True Match, Loreal True Match Lumi, Revlon Photoready, Revlon Colorstay Whipped, Covergirl 3 in 1, Rimmel True Perfection.

Hope you enjoyed!

Hugs,
Tara

Disclaimer: I have not been paid by any of these companies to write this review. This is strictly based on my skin type and my own experience.

THE PERFECT TRAVEL EYE SHADOW PALETTE | LORAC THE STYLIST

With Christmas just around the corner I found this Lorac palette for only $15!! Lorac eye shadows are always so beautiful, pigmented, and affordable. With its sleek design it easily fits right into your purse for easy on the go makeup.

The colors:

• First color: Champagne shimmer
• Second color: Army green with gold flecks in it
• Third color: Shimmery silver grey
• Fourth color: Matte black
• Fifth color: Rose gold (very light and has fall out)
• Sixth color: Matte taupe
• Seventh color: Intense satin purple
• Eighth color: Matte plum
• Bottom two colors are both highlighters, creamy, shimmery in color!

I would easily pay more than $15  for this product. Unfortunately, I found mine through Ulta last week and can no longer find it on their website but I did manage to find it on Amazon HERE for $37. I wouldn't spend that much on this palette since the Lorac Pro is only $42 but if you love it I'm giving you the option! Hope you enjoy this post and if you do leave a comment below on what you would like to see next!

Wow Wednesday | Anastasia Brow Wiz

 From all of the rant and raves all over the internet about this product I had to go and pick up one for myself. To say it was love at first sight could be an understatement. It is extremely thin for precise eyebrows that look natural.  The small spooly brush on the end is great for blending! The only con I have about this product is when I got it home the end with the colored tip was broken and some of the product fell out. Other than the one con I can safely say I will buy this product again and again.

Pros

Natural Looking

Easy to use

Precise

Long Lasting

Buildable

Amazing

Cons

Durability 

Price

$21.00

http://www.ulta.com

Whats to come on BeautyTravels

Here are some things you guys can look forward to seeing on BeautyTravels

Wow Wednesdays 

Every Wednesday I will be putting up products that I have been using that really wow me!

Follow me to Fridays

Every Friday I will be posting about places that I have been to and my thought and opinions about them!

Any other things that you guys want me to write about or have any suggestions on better names I am open for suggestions!

FALL SKIN CARE FOR DRY SKIN

Saying that I have dry skin is an understatement. In fall especially I am always trying to find things that make my skin feel moisturized and refreshed. Around this time of year is when I travel to places that are colder and have less humidity than Florida. This always causes my skin to feel tight and all the moisture I once had has now evaporated. I know that all of these products may not be for everyone but this has helped my skin out tremendously.

Step 1: Cleanse the eyes.
I always remove my eye makeup first. Strip off all of your eyebrows, eyeshadow, mascara, and eyeliner in one swoop with Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover. What I like most about this eye makeup remover is it keeps my eyes feeling moisturized, there is no stinging, and I am left feeling clean and fresh.

$10.46

http://www.amazon.com

Step 2: Remove the rest of the makeup.

I like to take my Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes to take away whats left of my makeup. I use these at night and in the morning because they are gentle and dissolve  all traces of dirt, oil, and makeup in seconds. These are the one towelettes that do not burn my eyes. Also, they are not over drying like a lot of other facial cleansers.

$11.91

http://www.amazon.com

Step 3: Scrub, scrub, scrub. 

The way I exfoliate is a little different than most because I use SUGAR! There isn't much to say about sugar other than it dissolves fast, it is a little rough, and it gets rid of all your dead skin. I'm a huge fan.

$8.11

http://www.amazon.com

Step 4: Put some moisture back into your skin with MAC's Fix +. 

In all honesty I bought MAC's Fix + as a finishing spray to keep my makeup on all day long at work. To my suprise, it didn't do that. I needed to figure out a new way to use it so I didn't waste my money. I now use this after exfoliating to put moisture back into my face. What I later found out it does do is keep your face moisturized and gets rid of the powdery look some makeup will leave you with. 

$24.00

http://www.amazon.com

Step 5: Moisturize!

Now when I say I am dry, I am dry! Right after I cleanse my face I can feel the last bit of moisture float away. I quickly have to put lotion on my face before it turns into the Sahara desert. Burt's Bee's nourishing royal jelly formula puts minerals, oils, and vitamins back into your face. Almond Oil deeply moisturizes while Rosemary and Pinetree extracts stimulate cell renewal. Awaken to moisture! 

$17.99

http://www.ulta.com 

$34.00

http://shop.nordstrom.com

Don't forget to use Caudalie around the eye area. I know that this eye serum is a bit on the pricey side but if you have dry under eye areas like I do it is worth it! I don't think it de-puffs like it says but it sure does sooth and quench the thirst my under eye area has.

I hope you guys find some use out of this post. If you have any questions about any of the products listed just let me know in the comment section below!

Hugs,

Tara