Beauty Resolutions for 2011

Oh New Years, the time of champagne, sparkles, countdowns and, of course, resolutions! I don't know about you, but my past experiences with New Years resolutions usually end up being ignored by the second week of January. So instead of telling myself that I will lose ten pounds, stop cramming for school exams, and keep my bedroom perfectly organized at all times, I figured beauty resolutions would be a lot more fun and probably a lot easier to keep (at least until February hehe!). So here are my beauty resolutions for 2011:

-Use less makeup wipes and deep cleanse my face more: I always make sure that there is a bottle of cleanser in my bathroom but once I'm getting ready for bed and feeling a bit tired I find it so much more convenient to just wipe my face clean with a makeup wipe. The problem with this is that it doesn't get your face perfectly clean like regular cleansing does. So even if it takes a minute more and is a little less convenient, I'm going to try to properly cleanse my face every night before bed.

-Take better care of my eyebrows: my eyebrow hair is very light so its not super obvious when the plucked hairs start to grow in but I really hate the texture of eyeshadow over top of unkept brow hairs. Compared to most people I probably take pretty good care of my brows, but I would like to pluck the strays just a little more often in 2011.

-Exfoliate my body at least once, preferably twice, a week: I am pretty good about exfoliating my face (I do it about three times a week with a gentle facial exfoliator), but exfoliating my whole body takes a bit longer so I find myself procrastinating about it. In 2011 I resolve to exfoliate my body more as it just makes skin look so much more luminous!

-Last but not least, blog more!!!: this isn't really a beauty resolution but I was pretty bad about blogging in December so I definitely resolve to blog more. I have so much planned for this blog and my youtube channel of the same name so stay tuned to Cosmetic Confessions in 2011 for lots more reviews, tutorials, hauls, and other fun, girly things!

Happy New Year everyone!

xoxo, Caitlin

Wet n Wild Has Me Lusting Over This Palette!

I have a confession: I love drug store makeup. I know its hit and miss but high end products can be too, and there is nothing more satisfying than finding an amazing drugstore product at a steal! I never used to use drugstore eyeshadows because I found most of them to be chalky and unpigmented but after absolutely loving the Wet n Wild Color Icon singles, I had to try one of the Wet n Wild Color Icon palettes ($5). And boy did it deliver!

I opted for the Color Icon palette in Lust because I loved the plum and silver tones. The palettes consist of six shades: two neutral shades, two medium shades, and two dark shades. What is really awesome about these palettes is that the shades on the left side of the palette are matte while the shades on the right side of the palette are shimmery, allowing you to create a multi-textured look (and avoiding making your eyes look like a disco ball!). Cue the swatches!

The eyeshadows themselves are pigmented, blendable and long lasting when worn over a base. While they aren't as soft as some of my other eyeshadows, they are thoroughly impressive, especially for the price! The rich plums and shimmery silvers in this palette are perfect for fall but I'm definitely eager to try the other palettes from this line (aptly named Greed, Pride, and Vanity).

One of the trade offs in getting high quality makeup for low prices is often the packaging and this is true for the Color Icon products. Although it is functional and fairly durable, the packaging is very plain and simple. One thing I do like is that the clear front of this palette allows you to easily see what is inside without having to open it.

Overall, I am so happy that I found a great range of eyeshadows at low drugstore prices! I am definitely going to buy more of the Wet n Wild Color Icon products so be prepared for some more reviews and swatches!

Thank you for stopping by for some Cosmetic Confessions! Have a beautiful day!

XOXO, Caitlin

FTC Disclaimer: Purchased by me, all opinions are my own.

Benefit Full Finish Lipstick in Do Tell

I purchased this lipstick at the Sephora on 5th Avenue back in May at the insistence of the most fabulous makeup artist. For most of the spring and summer I wore pale pink or nude lips whenever I wore lipstick and therefore this color didn't receive much attention, despite me thinking that it was a beautiful color. Now that it is fall I have been wearing this lipstick whenever I want a slightly rich but not-to-dark shade on my lips.

I have never tried any Benefit lip products before this, and I must say I am impressed. The product goes on smoothly, feels silky on my lips, and is slightly moisturizing. Although this is a full coverage lipstick, it does not have a heavy matte texture. The finish is more glossy, meaning that you could wear Do Tell beautifully without having to wear a gloss over it.

The shade itself is a slightly cool toned pinky mauve. I think it is neutral enough that both cool and warm toned ladies could pull this off. This shade would look good on a wide range of skin tones from pale to medium-dark. While it is not a vampy berry color, I think this is the perfect everyday fall lipstick shade.

The packaging of this lipstick is functional and sturdy. The glossy black tube with white writing does the job; however, it is nothing too special. This lipstick has no detectable scent which is kind of nice as perception of smell is so subjective.

Overall, I am very impressed with this product. It is silky, pigmented and long-lasting. Here is a FOTD with me wearing Do Tell for your reference.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! I hope you found this review helpful and come on back, I have lots of reviews coming! Have a beautiful day!

XOXO, Caitlin

FTC Disclaimer: Purchased by me. All opinions my own.

Fab or Drab: Volume 2

Due to the fact that I am still trying to sort out my pictures, etc. from my computer crash (see post below). I figured I would do a "Fab or Drab". I find things like this very fun to read on other people's blogs so hopefully you find it fun on mine as well :D

FAB:

Christmas Collections/Makeup Gift Sets: Its that time of year where all of the makeup companies are releasing their Christmas collections and gift sets! I love holiday makeup with its rich reds and shimmery golds! I also find gift sets very exciting as they are usually a good deal and they allow you to try things you wouldn't necessarily buy full sized right off the bat.

Sleek Palettes: These palettes are only $11.75 each (although when I ordered mine they were only $10 each) and they are beautifully packaged and very high quality eyeshadows. Expect a review and swatches coming very soon!

Hot Chocolate: Brr its getting cold here and nothing is a better treat to me right now than a nice hot mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows on top. I like it best made on the stovetop from scratch :)

Ankle Boots: I have a great pair that I bought in California. They have about a 2-3 inch heel so I can walk in them for days and they look good with so many things: leggings, skinny jeans, dresses, you name it! I am currently on the prowl for another pair because they are so dang versatile and cute!

DRAB:

Computer Crashes: Need I say more? Nothing frustrates me more than technical difficulties because I usually don't have the computer geek skills to fix them. Thankfully my boyfriend does and that is the reason why I am sitting here typing this to you :)

Dry Skin: Sooooo annoying! Every night before bed I slather my lips in lip balm and coat my hands with body butter and every morning I wake up to cracked lips and dry skin :( I live in a very dry area and once the cold weather rolls in its a constant battle with dry skin! I'm sincerely jealous of all you girls who live in warm, humid climates!

Midterms: I'm sure all of my fellow students agree with me on this one! Its crunch time and studying for 25 hours a day doesn't leave much time for pampering :(

I hope you enjoyed hearing about what I think is Fab or Drab at the moment. As always I tried to be positive and put more "Fab" than "Drab" because its very easy to complain but its nice to take a minute to enjoy the good things in life :)

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! Have a beautiful day!

XOXO, Caitlin

FTC: All products mentioned were purchased by me. I am not being compensated for this post.

Why I have been MIA

Just a quick message letting you know why I have not posted anything on here or on youtube for a while. My computer crashed, like literally "couldn't turn it on" kind of crashed and I had to delete everything currently on my computer in order to fix it :(

That included all my video and photo editting software, stock photos, FOTD and makeup photos I had taken, the intro that I use for my videos, etc, etc I could go on and on. I am currently working very hard to get everything up and running again.

But for some good news: I have lots of fun posts and videos in the works including a review and tutorial using my new *favorite* foundation, some reviews of some inexpensive but awesome new eyeshadows I bought, and some colorful eye looks.

I will try to have these things up as soon as possible (providing I don't run into anymore technical difficulties LOL). Stay tuned for more Cosmetic Confessions!

XOXO, Caitlin

Skin Care 101

This thoroughly exaustive post is meant to complement the skin care video that I put up on my youtube channel. You can check that out by clicking here!

This is going to be quite a long (somewhat text book style) post because I am VERY passionate about skin care! This post should give a bit more in-depth information about skin care products and their uses for those of you who are interested! So lets get started!

The first thing that I wanted to mention was that I switched to an all-natural skin care regimen about 4 months ago and it is working wonders for my skin! Although I do not suffer from acne, I have always had issues with sensitivity, redness, and irritation. Since eliminating all of the products containing irritating (and potentially carcinogenic) ingredients from my skin care regimen I have seen a great improvement! Some of the things that I try to avoid include parabens, pthalates, sulfates and petroleum by-products.

Now, moving on to the actual skin care products and why they are important:

Cleanser removes dirt and impurities from the face and prevents clogged pores. I recommend using a milky cleanser if you have dry skin or a foaming cleanser if you have oily skin.

Toner restores the skin's ideal pH. Cleanser is basic but the skin functions best at an acidic pH of about 4.5-5.5. Toner converts the skin's pH back to its ideal acidic pH. It also removes any residue left behind from cleansing and reduces pores. Toner should not be applied to the eye area. I also recommend avoiding toners that contain large amounts of alcohol or witch hazel as these are very harsh/drying on the skin.

Moisturizer helps to hydrate the skin. If you have dry skin try a moisturizer that has more moisturizing properties but if you have oily skin look for an oil-free moisturizer. I recommend using a thinner moisturizer for the day time and a richer moisturizer for overnight.

Eye cream moisturizes the delicate eye area. Eye creams often contain anti-aging or brightening ingredients in them. I like to use an eye cream at night for moisture and an eye gel in the day under my makeup. It is actually necessary to wear eye cream in addition to regular facial moisturizer because the molecules in facial moisturizer are too large to be absorbed by the skin in the eye area.

Sunscreen is very important! If you want more info about sun protection, check out the post I did a while back.

Exfoliators/scrubs remove any dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. They can improve the complexion, making it smoother and brighter looking. Avoid exfoliators that are too rough as they can damage or irritate the skin. I recommend using exfoliators with microbeads in them, as they do the job but they aren't too harsh!

There are many different types of facial masks available, including moisturizing masks, clarifying masks, and exfoliating masks. I like to use masks containing clay, as the clay extracts your pores by sucking all the stuff out of them. Sounds gross but it works!

Acne treatments often contain salicylic or benzoic acid to kill acne-causing bacteria.

Serums usually contain high concentrations of anti-aging ingredients or vitamins to nourish the skin. I don't think that serums are necessary for everybody (I don't use one!) but they can be useful if you are having issues with your skin or if you want to fight wrinkles!

I know that was very long but I hope it was helpful! Check out my skin care video as well for my product recommendations and skin care routine! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!

xoxo, Caitlin

I'm Pleasantly Surprised with Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Singles

Mention of the brand Wet n Wild takes me back to my days of being a broke 13 year old on the verge of becoming makeup obsessed! Wet n Wild was pretty much the only makeup I could afford back then and even though the quality wasn't the greatest it made me happy (I remember that the lipglosses smelled like rocket candies hehe). Flash forward seven years and, while my makeup budget has grown exponentially, it seems as though Wet 'n Wild products can still make me happy!

That's where Wet n Wild Color Icon eyeshadow singles come in. At around $2 a pop these single shadows are nothing short of impressive. I found them to be richly pigmented, blendable and comparable to shadows that cost ten times as much!

The Color Icon eyeshadow singles come in seven shades: Sugar, Brulee, Nutty, Penny, Lagoon, Envy, and Kitten. They all looked very beautiful but I opted for the Lagoon, Envy, and Kitten which are vibrant jewel toned shades.

As you can see the packaging is nothing special, just a clear plastic case, but it does the job. I had no issues opening the durable case, and it is nice that you can see the eyeshadow color when the case is closed without having to open it or check the label.

I found that these shadows were soft enough to be pigmented and nicely blendable but they did not stir up a lot of powder so I did not experience much (if any) fallout. When applied over an eyeshadow base they lasted all day without any fading, creasing, or smudging. I found that Envy applied the smoothest while Kitten was the least smooth and pigmented, but I suspect that this is due to the beautiful gold sparkly shimmers that Kitten has.



From left to right: Envy, Lagoon, and Kitten

The only possible con I can think of for these shadows is that the limited shade range may make it difficult to do an entire eye look with only these shadows, but I'm sure that this isn't a problem for all of you makeup-obsessed girls out there who probably have a ton of other shades that could be used to make a look along with these ones. Overall, I found the quality of these shadows to be very impressive and the fact that they are so inexpensive makes me really happy (who doesn't love a good deal!). I am most definitely going to be buying the rest of the shades that I didn't get and I'm going to have to try some of the other new Wet n Wild products as well!

I hope you guys enjoyed this review! If there are any other Wet n Wild products that I should try let me know! Have a great day and thank you for stopping by my blog :)

xoxo, Caitlin

FTC: All products purchased by me. All opinions expressed are my own.