Review: Sun Bum Sunscreen Lotion

Hey there you guys! Today I have a review that I'm super excited about. I got in touch with the lovely people over at at Sun Bum, and they sent me this to show you guys. And I can hear you guys now "Really it's just a sunscreen, whats so special about this one?".  Lots darling readers, lots! Shall we see what all the fuss is about?

This sunscreen makes a lot of claims: Hypoallergenic, Oil/PABA Free, Won't Clog Pores, Photostable, Waterproof, and its also enriched with Vitamin E. As well as being Paraben and Cruelty Free, and to top it off it's approved by the Skin Cancer Foundation. This one is SPF 30 but they have a range of SPF 15-70. (all at the same price weirdly enough...)  Getting more interested? Excellent! Now that I've given you the the facts let's get on to the actual review.

Right off the bat I'm gonna tell you, I'm really enjoying this sunscreen. I tested it out while on vacation, (which is the best possible time to test products) where I was out in direct sunscreen for long periods of time. I followed the instructions and didn't get burned or any darker then I was before. The scent is a very classic coconut sunblock smell but it doesn't have a chemical or medicinal edge like many do. It comes out in a white lotion form. It really does feel more like a normal lotion then sunblock, and the white disappears as soon as you rub it in. Those are main deciding factors for me. There's nothing I hate more about sunscreen than when it's looks like you got hit with ectoplasm. Another good thing about this is the packaging is great. I love the logo, color choices, font, and wood pattern; more importantly though the plastic is sturdy with squeezy sides and a leak proof cap. This makes is perfect to throw in a beach bag, or purse.

You can I believe you can find this at Target, but for sure at Ulta or on their website. Retails at $15.99 USD for 8 oz.

So what do you guys think? I love comments so be sure to let me know!

This post may contain product sent to me from a PR company, however all opinions are my own. I am not a professional makeup artist, I just do makeup as a hobby at this time. Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Happy One Year Anniversary for Spice Drop Beauty!

Oh my goodness! Has it really been a whole year? This year has gone by so fast and I am so happy that this blog has been a part that year. I'm so thankful for everyone who reads this blog, regularly or not. Especially those of you who comment, I really value your input. Always feel free to comment, and constructive criticism is encouraged! I feel honored that you guys take time to look at my blog, it means more to me then you can imagine. =)

I really wanted to do my first giveaway today, but I don't have that quite worked out yet! How ever my Blogiversary comes with some other big blogger milestones! A few weeks ago I reached 100 blog posts which is very exciting, and also I recently got my first PR company to send me product to review! This opens some new doors for me, and it means that I'll have more reviews for you guys. I'll have that up as soon as I get a proper disclaimer together. But until then I have a blogiversary quick look for you guys!

I made cupcakes! 

I started out with Nars Sheer Glow foundation in Deauville for a smooth perfect base. Then I along the edges of my face I blended a tiny bit on NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer to add a little more color. For a contour I used NYX Taupe Blush very lightly under my cheekbones, along my nose, my temples, and my jawline. Then I added a pop of Tarina Tarantino Parasol Doll Skin Blush for a sweet hint of pink on my cheeks. To finish off my face I added then pale pink highlighter from Benefit's 10 boxed powder on my cheekbones. 

Moving to eyes I put Urban Decay Primer Potion all over, and then NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk on my lids and under my brows as a base. Then over the white on the lid I patted MAC Free to Be and and mix of that and Sugarpill Love + on the outermost third of my lid. In my outer V and under my eyes I put Urban Decay Barlust and blended out the edges with the pink shade in the Wet n Wild Comfort Palette. Over the white under my brows I patted Urban Decay Kinky for a creamy matte nude brow highlighter. In my inner corner I used the same highlighter I used on my face. Then I applied some MAC Blacktrack Fluidliner right along my lashline. Then I applied a coat of Benefit They're Real! Mascara. Then I filled in my brows with MAC Redhead Brow Creme.

For lips I applied Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Balm and patted some Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in Wink the perfect medium pink lip.

I hope you guys liked my quick look, and thank you again for reading! I'd love to hear more from you guys! XOXO, A.

Update!

Hey gang, just a super brief update, I'm gonna be on vacation for the next week or so. So I probably won't have any blog posts for the next few days. But never fear (not that I really think you do too much) when I come back I have a ton of posts for you guys! Some reviews I'm excited about, I'll do a post on what I brought on this trip, and I also have more of my fairy tale series. So talk to you guys soon! XOXO, A.

Review: Lime Crime Velvetine in Suedeberry

Hello lovely readers! Today I have a review Im pretty excited about, a Velvetine from Lime Crime. I've been wanting this since it came out last year, and I finally bit the (shipping) bullet and got one! It was hard to choose which one to get, but eventually decided on this one, Suedeberry. Interested? Keep going!

Let's start by just talking about this product, because it's pretty unique. It comes in a tube with a doe foot applicator like and applies like a gloss, but then once it dries it becomes a totally matte kiss proof lipstick. I've gotta say it lived up to its word! As you can see in the picture it goes on wet and workable, and then in about a minute it dries completely matte. Witchcraft! Probably not, but it seems pretty magical. I took this on several test drives, and it lasts pretty well. It lasted for three hours of drinking and talking with minimal wear, and it lasted through about four and a half hours of a party where I was dancing and talking a lot. As for being kiss proof, its almost completely prefect. While its still a bit wet (there is a tacky stage between wet and dry) some will transfer but once its wet you're set! That even rhymed!

Now let's discuss the color, because it's stunning! Its a near neon warm red, and almost radiates on me. It's a great summer color, and if you like warm orange leaning reds I'd definitely recommend this one. The other shade is called Red Velvet and is a deeper blue red, so if cooler or less bright is your scene skip this one and get its co-part.

It's packaging is crazy cute, with a frosted tube and adorable applicator. I'd expect nothing less from LC their packaging is always great. However something I'm not as crazy about is the price. These go for $16.99 USD which isn't..... terrible... I suppose.... but these are pretty small. At 3g a pop these has less product then a MAC Lipglass. I was a bit disappointed in that, but to be fair I think it makes up for it because you don't need lots per application, and you don't need to apply often.

You can buy it here at Lime Crime's website!

What do you guys think? Let me know,  I love read your comments!

Fairytale Series: The Big Bad Wolf

Who's afraid of the bug bad wolf? Today I have the next look in my fairytale makeup series! I didn't just want to do hero's, and frankly Little Red's makeup is sort normal: Pale, flushed cheeks, doe eyes. Sort of a less elaborate version of my Hansel and Gretel look. I actually really like how the eyes turned out this look, it made them super big and dramatic looking with out being too dark or harsh. But that aside, lets get started on the tutorial!

            

 So I started out with my face makeup. To make a even base to start off on a used a little bit of a full coverage foundation and buffed it all over my face. Then to make my skin a little darker (my body is darker then my body right now) I dusted a light brozer over the edges of my face. Then with a darker bronzer I contoured my cheeks, temples, and along the sides of my nose.

I first primed my eye area. Then with brow cream and a small angled brush I filled and shaped my brows normally. After that I started to to draw small strokes up and outward, I slowly brought them further up until they were where I wanted them. After that I added a second layer with a darker color, and then made small hair like strokes to make it more realistic looking.

Moving on the eyes I started by patting a light brown over my eyelids. Then with the same brown I started making a a elongated V deepening my crease. Then I blended a medium dark brown into the V and crease. With a dark red brown I smudged along my upper and lower lash lines for a smokey effect.  Then with a small brush I added an inner corner highlight to brighten up a bit. To blend out the colors a bit more naturally I used a medium nude pink on a fluffy brush of the V. And finally to finish it off I added some black gel liner to the outer half of my upper lash line and added a lot of mascara for fullness.

On my lips I used a neutral pinky brown shade to balance things out.

Products Used:

Face: Kat Von D Lock it Tattoo Foundation in Light 48, NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny, Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer.

Eyebrows: Urban Decay Primer Potion, MAC Redhead Brow Cream, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Buck, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Backdoor.

Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Buck, Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Backdoor, Wet n Wild Comfort Palette Dark Red Brown, Wet n Wild Comfort Palette Light Shimmery Shade, Wet n Wild Comfort Palette Medium Pink Shade, MAC Blacktrack Fluidgel liner, Benefit They're Real! Mascara.

Lips: MAC Mocha Lipstick

Concealer Throwdown!

Hello there beautiful readers, how're you? Today I'm going to review two different concealers one of which I've already reviewed here Bobbi Brown's Corrector Concealer and my current favorite Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer. Confession, I have some pretty bad dark circles. It runs in my Dad's family, and I also have deeper set eyes, which cast a natural shadow. So needless to say under eye is one of my more 'necessary' makeup items. Today I'm pitting these two top contenders against each other. Bobbi Brown Corrector is very popular with a sort of cult following, Tarte's offering I haven't seen as much press about but its reviews are very good. Let's see shall we?

Lets start with a brief description of each product. Bobbi Brown Corrector Concealer is a cream concealer intended to cancel out darkness and blue/green shades that make concealing so difficult. Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer is a full coverage liquid concealer that brightens the area.

L-R: BB-Tarte

The first thing that I want to touch on is that BB's concealer doesn't completely cancel out the deep blue green tones under my eyes. While it does cover up a lot (and there is plenty to cover) you can still see the shadow like darkness beneath my left eye. The Tarte really conceals the darkness, as well the green tones. I will say that the Tarte concealer needs more blending, but I like the final look better. The finish on these is different too. The Tarte has sort of a dewy finish, where the BB is more of a creamy satin finish. At first I wasn't crazy about the dewy finish but after some constant narcissistic mirror checking, I noticed that it really look quite natural. Also it doesn't settle into fine lines quite as much as the BB does.

While we're on the subject lets talk about price. These are high end and are both $24 USD, a bit expensive sure; however I care more about more about use I get out a product than the price. The Bobbi Brown in $24 for .05oz of product (ouch) and the Tarte comes with a whooping .28oz. This is a hugggggeee difference. Now I wouldn't take issue with this if you only needed a teensy bit of the BB at a time so it would last awhile. Not the case, I hit pan in under two months. I'm almost completely out after using it regularly for 3 1/2 months. On the other hand I got a little sample of the Tarte concealer while at Sephora and I still haven't run out! Thats right I haven't even had to buy it yet, and thats after about two months of regular use. (I have maybe a month left on it too!) This to me is a pretty big deal. I don't have the cash to continually repurchase an expensive product, that honestly could be better.

So I've chosen a winner, but I'd love for you guys to weigh in! Tell me what you think in the comments! XOXO, A.

Fairytale Series: Princess and the Frog

So today I have the second installment in the my fairytale series. Todays look is a little more understated then the last, they'll probably vary in how wearable they are. For this I wanted to focus on a lilly pad motif, and greens and purples. More of the feel of the story than a direct interpretation.

After doing my foundation and concealer (run of the mill, nothing fancy) I put a eyeshadow primer all over my eye area. Then I took a white cream base and patted it on my my eyelid. Then I took a mint green and applied it over the white base. With a medium blue green shade on a pencil brush I ran it through my socket and then went out and made a curved V for the shape of my eyeshadow. Then I blended the green down to fill in my inter crease. From the outer corner I went down angle that matched the top and then pulled in, and blended it into the the outer third under my eye. Then I blended a purple into the center of my lower lash line. Then with black gel eyeliner and an angled brush, I made a small curved wing. Then I gave my upper and lower lashes a good coat of black mascara. Then I filled in my eyebrows normally.

For my blush I blended a plum gel blush into the apple of my cheeks, then powdered over it a little so it wasn't as intense. Then I applied a lavender lipstick to finish off the look. 

Products Used:

(In order of use)

Eyes: Urban Decay Primer Potion, NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk, Wet n Wild Color Trio in I Dream of Greenie mint color, Lime Crime eyeshadow in Jade o Lade (Chinadoll), Sugarpill Poison Plum Eyeshadow, MAC Blacktrack Gel Liner, Maybelline The Rocket Mascara, MAC Redhead Brow Gel Cream, NYX Red Brow Powder.

Face: Rimmel Long Lasting Foundation in Ivory, Tarte Maracuja Concealer, ELF Studio HD Blush in Showstopper, Bare Minerals Orignal Mineral Veil.

Lips: NYX Round Lipstick in Castle.

Thanks for reading! What's your favorite fairytale?

Monthly Favorites: June '13

Hey guys! Sorry I've been terrible at keeping up the last couple weeks, but to be fair my computer has been having problems. Today I have my favorites for the month of July, I don't think I did a favorites post last month so these have been constant favorites in the early summer.

1) Summer Boardwalk 3 wick Candle from B&BW. It smells AMAZING! It smells like you're walking past a carnival and you get a breeze that smells like carmel corn and candy apples. It has a great scent throw without being too intense, and it just smells so summery and fun! If you don't like sweet or 'foodie' smells, this isn't for you but if you do definitely go check it out.

2) Ole Henrikson Protect the Truth SPF 50 sunscreen. This is the best face sunscreen for oily skin that I've ever tried! It's lightweight and oil free, it doesn't have a white cast, and smells lightly of oranges. Sold yet? I definitely was! This is a little baby bottle that I got in Sephora's 2013 Sun Safety Kit.(Which is totally great! Tip: spilt it with a friend with an different skin type.) When I run out I will definitely repurchase, skin protection is worth a little splurge.

3) St. Tropez Only For One Night Instant Body Glow. This is my favorite instant self tanner. It gives fast even natural looking color with a hint of shimmer, and washes off with just water. I'm a big fan, especially because my legs are several shades lighter then the rest of my body right now. This helps them look a little more lively. Vgood!

4) MAC Honey Jasmine Blush. Okay so this was a limited edition blush that came out maybe a month ago in MAC's Temperature Rising collection. It's a stunning soft orange shade that looks fantastic on me. (not to be cocky or anything. ;D) I normally try not to show LE products, but I really love this. Also you can still find this online, so it's more okay.

5) Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. This is an amazing matte bronzer! I was really impressed by this product, and a little goes a long way on a pale girl like me. It gives a very natural finish, and is great for contouring as well as all over bronzing.

6) Maybelline Vivid Lipstick in Vibrant Mandarin. I reviewed this awhile ago, and at the time I thought it looked nice but wasn't totally sold. I let it sit lonely in my lip drawer for a month or so, but lately its been really growing on me! Go read the review for more information.

7) Jordana Lip Out Loud Super Shiny Lipgloss in E- 123. Its a very cheap drugstore lipgloss, with a really stupid name, granted. But these are actually really nice! they're non sticky and come in pretty shimmering finishes. This one is a sheer bright pink coral. Its sheer, but has a fair bit of color payoff and is great for quick summer makeup that doesn't look cakey or overdone.

And for non beauty favorites.... I'm gonna have to go with Diablo Cody's Biography: Candy Girl. It's well written, raunchy, and set in my hometown which is always a trip.

How's your summer going? Any new favorites, beauty or otherwise? Let me know in the comments below!