Tag: makeup

beauty

Beauty Review: Fenty Beauty Lil Match Stix Duo Mini Shimmer Skinstick Set

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During a lunchtime stop into Sephora, I was searching – in vain – for Fenty Beauty’s Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation in shade 420. Fenty Beauty is Rihanna’s uber popular makeup line that continues to break records and shake up the beauty industry. It’s sold out every time I go to this particular Sephora location, and I’m dying to try it, so I ended up just ordering it online.

However, the trip wasn’t in vain: I spotted some new Fenty Beauty products as I walked through the checkout line (I found some cute makeup brushes that I had to get). As it turns out, Fenty Beauty has designed some miniaturized versions of their popular products. I picked up the Lil Match Stix Duo Mini Shimmer Skinstick Set to try out some new shimmer skinstick shades.

The set contains two match stix shades in Sinamon and Starstruck.

beauty

Review: IT Cosmetics

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I recently received a bag full of IT Cosmetics products from one of my grandmas. Why did she give me makeup? you ask. Perhaps you think that it’s because I love makeup and she would know how much I love it. Well, that’s only partially true.

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Simply put, my grandma loves to buy stuff but rarely uses any of it. All of the products she gave me were brand new and unopened. She ordered the products from HSN because she loves shopping from the comfort of her television!

But, before you assume that I hit the makeup jackpot, let me show you the gag.

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Yeah, none of the complexion products are in my shade. My grandma bought the products suited for tan skin (closer to her complexion) while I’m clearly on the deeper end of the color spectrum. But I’m still a makeup junkie so I’m gonna wear these products regardless of the color mismatch.

This post is both a review and a how-to. If you’ve found yourself stuck with products that are too light for you, this may help you get some use out of them. Who knows: you may be able to “mix up” your perfect shade once you get comfortable mixing stuff together.

That’s exactly what I did: I mixed IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation in Tan with my summer foundation shade (L’Oreal True Match in N8 Cappucino). I applied the Bye Bye foundation as if it were a primer: it even made me a ghostly shade like some of my best primers do (LOL!) Then I blended the True Match right on top.

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At the end of my day

*Tip: if you have a foundation that’s too light, mix it with your summer shade to find a hue that should be pretty close to your winter shade. I generally use a 25%/75 percent ratio (25% too light foundation, 75% summer shade). Your mileage may vary, but if you invested a lot in a shade that’s just a little “off”, this may help you save your money!

The resulting shade matched my chest perfectly! It also held up during the day, even though I didn’t use a primer underneath. Bye Bye Foundation is buildable, so if this was my ideal shade, I could make it go from light to full coverage easily.

Next is the IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Concealer, also in Tan. Again, I mixed it with my L’Oreal True Match, and it did a great job of concealing any discoloration under my eyes. Warning: use a light hand with this concealer. A little goes a LONG way, and it is very full coverage.

Both complexion products were lightweight on the skin and looked very natural, after I fiddled with the shade. I finished the look off with the Bye Bye Pores loose finishing powder in (you guessed it) Tan. I only applied that to my undereyes, and I used a light touch (I didn’t want that raccoon eye effect). The powder was nice: no heavy perfumed scent and didn’t settle into any creases. The color was also the perfect shade: not too yellow or too gray. I’ll be adding the powder into my makeup routine for setting my undereye concealer going forward.

I also tried the IT Cosmetics Hello Lashes mascara. I LOVED it! No clumping, defined my lashes and gave them a lengthened appearance, and it had a round tip that is good for applying mascara to the lower lashes. I have seasonal allergies, so it was nice to wear a mascara that didn’t irritate my eyes. Also, I did a light rub test, and the mascara DIDN’T BUDGE! No dark circles after a long day is always a win. This mascara is a keeper.

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Hello Lashes Mascara making my eyes POP! (And a few particles of eyeshadow on my cheek)

The last product I tried is the Vitality Lip Flush in Je Ne Sais Quoi. Now this product is really intriguing: it looks like a clear balm, but when you apply it, it turns into a “flush” color: pinkish red that just looks like a lip stain with some sheen/shine. It reminds me of those color-changing lipsticks from the 90s, that were blue or green in the tube but turned to pink or coral when they warmed up to your body heat. It’s a cool product that I’d use again, especially on a day where I’m doing a “no makeup” look.

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The Vitality Lip Flush in Je Ne Sais Quoi

I also got the Live Love Laugh Vitality Face Disc but the colors were much lighter than I could work with. The disc features a bronzer, blush and highlight that would be well suited for a lighter complexion, but looked pale and sort of flat on me. I may try to work the shades into my eye makeup routine, because it’s a LOT of product and I’d hate for it to go to waste.

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Overall, I liked the line. The colors weren’t for my shade, but the products performed well, didn’t have any weird smells, and applied easily. I do have one critique for the product: I wasn’t a fan of the hygienic sealing on the foundation and concealer. The seal is difficult to remove (both because of the hard-to-locate perforation and small size of the sealing), which I normally don’t take issue with when it comes to cosmetics (better safe and hygienic than sorry!) But this was sold through HSN, whose customers are overwhelmingly older women, many of whom may have some vision and physical limitations. I’d guess that customers have difficulty getting into the products because of the wrapping. It would be fantastic if the company explored alternate method of sealing the products that isn’t so difficult for older hands and weaker eyes.

Other than that, I really enjoyed IT Cosmetics. Who knows: maybe I’ll try some of their products in my actual shade in the future! Shoutout to my grandma for giving me some new products to try!

beauty

Review: Life of a Bombshell Mini-Haul

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I bought some Life of a Bombshell products several months ago but never got around to doing this review. Between work, travel and the bazillion other reviews I did, I missed reviewing these items.

But now I’m back, and I’m ready to talk about them!

I’ve reviewed Life of a Bombshell before in this post. The gorgeous rose gold brushes are still holding up well (though I broke the handle on one of them – clearly *my* issue, and not anything wrong with the brand itself). I’m a fan of the brand because it’s a small, woman-owned company.

I purchased three of the liquid matte lipsticks, in Passion, Purpose and Master Plan, as well as the High Maintenance eyeshadow palette. I also order the creme sheen lipstick in Barbz, but I haven’t worn that one yet, so I won’t be reviewing it in this post (I’ll probably review it on Instagram in the next couple of days).

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So, let’s talk about the liquid lipsticks first. These did have a matte finish but they were non-drying and applied smoothly. The colors were GORGEOUS, vibrant and long-lasting. Passion is an intense fuschia, Purpose is a lovely purple shade – not as dark as plum but not as light as orchid – and Master Plan is a rich, gingerbread hue. I often combined Passion and Purpose for a bright and eye-catching lip shade. At work, I reach for Master Plan when I want an easy neutral shade to wear.

Swatches (top to bottom: Master Plan, Passion, Purpose) without and with flash

Wearing a combination of Passion and Purpose

Now about the palette. I. LOVE. IT! The colors are beautiful and applied easily. The pigments are smooth and can be easily intensified for dramatic looks. I like that the palette combines shimmers and mattes, and, instead of having a strictly “rose hued” palette, the company wisely included a green shade for variety. Genius!

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The only two things I wish is that the company named the shades and included a mirror in the lid. It would be a lot easier to describe the combination I used for my eyes if the shades were labeled (for easy reference). However, absent of shade names, I’ll do my best to describe what I’ve been rocking recently. I love using the matte tawny (top row, 2nd shade) as a transition color, oat (bottom row, 1st shade) on my brow bone, shimmery cerise (top row, 3rd shade) on my lid and the deepest shade – the soft raisin one (bottom row, 3rd shade)- in my crease for depth. It’s a soft, easy look that’s both polished and pretty.

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Swatches of the eyeshadow shades: the first 4 are the top row; the remaining shades are from the bottom row

The products are reasonably priced and perform well. I’ve been complimented on several of the looks I’ve created with the lip and eye shades. I highly recommend that you try them for yourself!

beauty · luxury

March Beauty Challenge: Glass Skin

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I don’t spend a lot of time talking about my skin care routine on this blog because, well, there’s a lot more to life than beauty stuff. But I recently saw a post about a woman that had “glass skin”: skin so flawless that it looked shiny and smooth like glass. And, I was intrigued by what could create such a perfect, poreless complexion. After reading the post and comparing the “glass skin” routine to the Korean 10 step product routine, I decided that I would do a “glass skin” challenge during the month of March.

My skin is combination and can be sensitive at times. This routine will (hopefully!) help nourish my post-winter complexion and give me the kind of skin that looks perfect without makeup.

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The goal is to look as gorgeous as Kezia by the end of the month (photo courtesy of D’Journae)

The ten steps as outlined by Self magazine are as follows, and the products I’ll be using for each step are also listed:

  • Oil cleanser (to remove makeup): food grade coconut oil
  • Foam cleanser: Mary Kay 3-in-1 Cleanser (for combination/oily skin)
  • Exfoliant (advised for 1 – 3 times week use): Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Daily Peel for Sensitive Skin (I’ll use this one daily, as it’s gentle)
  • Toner: Caudalie Grape Water
  • Essence: SCINIC First Treatment Essence
  • Serum/booster/ampoule: The Ordinary Niacinamide and “Buffet” serums, Mary Kay Timewise Night Solution
  • Mask (1 – 2 times per week): Mary Kay Moisture Renewing Gel Mask
  • Eye cream: Mary Kay Firming Eye Cream
  • Face cream: Mary Kay Age Fighting Moisturizer (for combination/oily skin)
  • SPF: Mary Kay Timewise Day Solution

Whew, so many products! I currently use anywhere from 4-7 products per cleansing session, but adding these additional products will be new for me. To be fair, some of these will only be used once or twice a week, or only once a day, so, while the list looks long, not every product will be used twice a day.

 

 

beauty

Review: Beauty Benefits Haul

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It took me longer than I anticipated to write this review, for two reasons:

1) I bought a bunch of products, so it took time to try them all; and

2) I was underwhelmed each time I tried a product, so I didn’t know if I needed to even bother writing about them.

But, since I bought the products, and I know that some of you may enjoy reading about inexpensive beauty hauls, I figured, why not write about it?

Initial excitement about the products soon turned to apathy LOL

I enjoy using super-luxurious products that deliver BIG on their promises. But I’m also intrigued by bargain brands. I know, for a fact, that many exclusive brands use the same manufacturers as the companies that can be found in a local drugstore. So well-made products can be had at any price point.

However, Beauty Benefits is not a maker of those products. I overwhelmingly disliked the brand but there were a few items that I enjoyed and will use until they are used up.

Here’s what you need to know about Beauty Benefits:

  • The products are CHEAP.  Each product cost $1 at a local Dollar Tree store.
  • The cost correlates to the quality. That isn’t the case for all cheap makeup, but for this brand, it applies. Overall, they don’t apply that well and the textures are subpar.
  • The powder products that should be matte actually have quite a bit of reflective ingredients in them, so you get a little unintended shimmer. That may be find for eyeshadow or blush, but foundation powders shouldn’t sparkle on your face.

That moment when your pressed powder is shimmery and you have to speak up about it

  • The shades aren’t labeled on the products, so once you throw away the packaging, you won’t have any way to recall the name of the shade. I used some stickers to keep them straight, but that’s a bit much for such an inexpensive product: would it really have hurt the manufacturer to put the shade names on the actual product, instead of just on the exterior package?

The blushes before I opened the packages

Blush swatches (with color details in the caption)

 

  • The eye products are surprisingly good. I really enjoyed the eyeliner (the applicator brush isn’t very thin, but the product applies smoothly, albeit with a touch of shimmer. I also liked the lengthening mascara, though it doesn’t “length”. It did a good job of defining the lashes without clumping. Avoid the volumizing mascara: it doesn’t have an interior “rim” to wipe excess product off of the wand before applying to your lashes. You’ll end up with a ton of mascara on your wand EVERY. TIME.
  • I also liked the lip liner. It applied smoothly and is VERY pigmented. I’d purchase it again.
  • I also enjoyed the lip glosses. Shiny, not too sticky, easy to remove (which also means they need frequent reapplications, but that is normal for lip gloss), and doesn’t stain the skin.

With and without flash. (Top to bottom) Lip liner in Red, lip gloss in Terra, Rouge (yes, rouge is basically clear), Geranium, Berry and Ballet

  • While I disliked the brand overall, these actually make really good “intro to makeup” products for young girls. These are great to gift to your daughter, niece or goddaughter, when they want to play in makeup but aren’t responsible enough for the more luxurious stuff.

So, while I disliked the powder products from Beauty Benefits, the liquid liner, mascara, lip liner and lip gloss were okay. And since each product was only $1, I’m not mad at this minimal investment!

Do you all enjoy any bargain beauty brands? Let me know all about them in the comments below!

beauty · luxury

Review: KoyVoca Mini-Haul

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After trying KoyVoca’s incredible Hi Life Highlighter in $1,000,000,000 Babe, I was eager to try some more of their products. I initially reviewed a few of their items in this post, but I really wanted to try their foundations and lipsticks. So I ordered two of the Classic Cream-to-Powder foundations in the shades Savannah and Mali. I also ordered the Nude Perfection lipstick in Vanity.

For starters, my products arrived fast, as in, less than a week. Kudos to KoyVoca for consistently getting their products out quickly! Next, I squealed when I saw the package: the products came in a gorgeous, festive envelope. Can we get into this shiny red packaging?

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Next, I was impressed by the size of the foundation compacts. There is a lot of product in them! These also have really nice mirrors in the interior of the compact.

Wrappers on, wrappers off

 

(left, Savannah, right, Mali)

I’ve swatched the products below. Can you tell which foundation is Savannah and which is Mali? I’ll give you a hint: Savannah has neutral undertones and Mali is warm-toned. In person, I could clearly see that one foundation was warmer than the other.

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I was really glad to see that Savannah (the shade that most closely matches the skin on my face, top swatch) is truly neutral: not too warm or too cool. Mali (bottom swatch) will be perfect during the summer, when my skin gets a bit warmer toned (even though I don’t necessarily tan every summer).

The product picked up easily with a swipe of my finger, though they work best with sponges (I wish the compacts came with sponges! Oh well.) I actually applied Savannah with a flat top powder brush and it buffed into my skin perfectly. It looked like my skin but better!

Now these are cream-to-powder foundations, so I was surprised that I had to apply powder on top of them to mattify the finish. Normally, cream-to-powders dry down and look flawless, but these still had a bit of shine to them. No matter: a good mattifying primer and a light application of translucent powder does the trick.

Next, I tried the Nude Perfection lipstick in Vanity. KoyVoca has only a few lipsticks, and each of them are designed to flatter women with deeper skintones. Vanity was one of the deepest shades available and looked like it would be a gorgeous hue, so I got it. I wasn’t disappointed.

First, the tube is magnetic, so the top of the lipstick tube is extra secure (it’s unlikely that the top will just “pop off” while in your purse). Next, the lipstick has a pleasant smell. It’s difficult to describe, but it doesn’t reek of the cheap chemicals that can occasionally be smelled when purchasing inexpensive lip products. And then there’s the color.

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This gorgeous shade looks like a grown up nude hue on me. I love it! It’s moisturizing, smells good and looks great. It’s been my go-to “throw it on and go” shade. It may even be taking the place of my Liya Nude, since Vanity is a richer hue with a little more red to keep it from being a “flat” brown.

Overall, this KoyVoca mini-haul was a hit! I have 3 products that I know I’m going to enjoy using over the next several months. The prices are reasonable ($10 for each foundation compact and the lipstick is also $10), and the quality is great! I still highly recommend that you give KoyVoca a try!

beauty

Review: Life of a Bombshell Brush Set

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Happy Tuesday, beloveds! I’ve got another beauty review for you all.

I bought these rose gold makeup brushes back when I did my big beauty haul in August. These came from Life of a Bombshell, the company responsible for my Bronze Bombshell palette (I’ll be reviewing that soon!). My order arrived quickly and I was absolutely blown away by the beauty of the products I received.

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I selected these brushes because I love anything in rose gold. The set has ten brushes and, while I didn’t get a guide naming the function for each brush, I’m comfortable outlining the brush types based on my own experiences with certain brush shapes and sizes. Here’s what I *think* these brushes are for (from left to right):

  • Large powder brush
  • Concealer brush
  • Blending brush
  • Angled liner brush
  • Contour brush
  • Eyeliner brush
  • Crease brush
  • Highlighter brush
  • Flat eyeshadow brush
  • Blush brush

Closeup of the blush brush

 

But, being “pretty” doesn’t matter if the brushes don’t perform well. The real test is how well the brushes work when using them to apply makeup.

So, how did these brushes work?

I was VERY impressed with how well these brushes worked! These picked up product and applied with ease. The brushes are soft and the bristles are tightly packed, allowing for an even application. The bristles didn’t shed during product application and they didn’t absorb too much of my liquid products (a bit of a problem when using sponges and other absorbent tools).

These brushes also cleaned easily. I used baby shampoo and hand soap for cleansing. Even when the brushes were brown, black and pink from my foundation, eyeshadow and blush, I easily got the bristles back to white and pink again.

The set was $19, and I feel it was well worth the price! I plan to get another set as backup brushes. If you’re so inclined, check them out!

 

art · beauty

Time for Costumes . . .

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Yay! It’s Saturday! I’ve been waiting for this day all week!

Halloween is upon us, so you can expect a lot of people to be out and about as they gather some last minute items.

In the spirit of the season, I’m posting links to incredible Halloween makeup tutorials. Even if you don’t celebrate, you’re bound to find something fun that you can incorporate into your everyday look. Enjoy!

 

 

 

beauty · luxury

Review: KoyVoca Highlighter

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As I mentioned previously, I went a little overboard (in a good way) while shopping for beauty products. At the same time that I purchased the Nicolet Beauty lip catnips, I purchased a new highlighter from KoyVoca. Like I’ve mentioned before, I love supporting indie beauty brands, and KoyVoca is another small business that specializes in cosmetics that flatter demographics that are traditionally ignored (primarily women of color).

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For the record, I generally avoid highlighters. I don’t want to look like every other 20-something on Instagram. And since I have oilier skin, my pores tend to look larger and many products can amplify skin texture. Highlighters are some of the top offenders when it comes to putting the spotlight on textured skin.

But, in the interest of keeping a more modern look, I looked for a highlighter. I didn’t want a very warm, golden product, because I have cool/neutral undertones and warm tones tend to be unflattering on me. So this product needed to have neutral undertones, preferably cool ones, but I didn’t want it to make me look like a corpse (a pretty common occurrence with cool-toned products).

This highlighter had to come correct, or I would never use it again.

I took a chance on $1,000,000,000 (Billion Dollar) Babe.

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I’m officially a highlighter convert.

This shade is the perfect neutral: warm enough to make my skin look alive, but cool enough that I don’t look sallow when wearing it. It looks amazing on the skin, too: it doesn’t make my pores look enormous.

Don’t let the swatch fool you: it is far more neutral than the camera is capturing. Here’s another view of the product in different lighting (it captures the cool tones a little better).

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I’ve worn this product on my cheekbones, nose bridge, brow bone, and inner corner. I got so many compliments on my “glow”! I really loved how it looks on the skin. So, I ordered some more stuff from KoyVoca, including the face powders, foundations and another highlighter.

Aside from the actual product performance, I was pleased with KoyVoca. The product arrived quickly and were well packaged. I found the prices were extremely reasonable, as well.

Are you all enjoying the highlighter trend? Tell me about the highlighters you enjoy in the comments below!

beauty · luxury

Review: Nicolet Beauty Lip Catnips

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During my beauty binge a few weeks ago, I came across Nicolet Beauty. I was intrigued by the line, because they offer vegan lip products in both glamorous and unusual shades. They offer both lipsticks and lip glosses. But that’s not the only thing that lured me in.

Look at the container. LOOK. AT. IT.

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Nicolet Beauty sells “lip catnips” (intensely pigmented lip gloss) in both the standard lip gloss tubs, but they are also offering a few of their shades in these limited edition special containers. Now tell me: wouldn’t you just LOVE to have these on your vanity?

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I ordered two of these limited edition glosses in the shades “Florence” and “Norino” (there are two other shades, as well: Delphia and Zona). The website describes “Florence” as a “Metallic Berry lip gloss”, while “Norino” is described as a “Rose Gold metallic lip gloss”. I found both of these descriptions accurate, and the pigment was intense and true to what is shown on the website.

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(Florence on the left, Norino on the right)

I. Loved. These. Catnips! The coverage is gorgeous and these smell like cupcakes! I’m a bit more partial to “Norino”, mainly because this is the one that I’ve worn more frequently. I have gotten compliments on the rose gold shade when I wore it. I anticipate that “Florence” will be an absolute hit this winter (I usually go a little deeper on my lip shades during the cooler months, so this one will be a perfect change from “Norino”).

(Florence and Norino in their pots)

Now, a few disclaimers are in order. These are both shimmery shades, so if you love your mattes, this isn’t for you. Also, while the website lists these as lip glosses, the website also cautions that these are highly pigmented. So these colors apply like a lip gloss but have coverage and finish like a lipstick. These do not apply as sheers and, since they don’t dry down to a matte finish, they blend well with lip liners (you don’t have to rush and blend because the lip catnip doesn’t dry completely).

Since these are glosses, you can expect that these will remain a little “tacky” and retain their sheen throughout the day. Funny enough, I found that the colors looked a tad shinier when unmanipulated, and took on a more matte look when I pressed my lips together. If you want a shinier look, you will have to layer a clear gloss over the lip catnips, or just remember not to press your lips together too much.

The unexpected surprise of this order was the fact that I got the glam lip brush along with the catnips. I can’t promise you that everyone receives a lip brush (it wasn’t mentioned on the website) but I was delighted to see this coordinating accessory in my package.

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Oh yes, about the package: it arrived quickly (within a week) so I was pleased. These glosses are ordinarily $16, but as of September 15, 2017, these are on sale for $12 each. This is a great way to get some affordable luxury in your life!

That’s my review of Nicolet Beauty. I hope that the company continues to produces these luxuriously packaged items, because they are unique and help me to quickly tap into my inner glam.

What do you think of Nicolet Beauty? Let me know in the comments below!