NOTD- OPI Nicki Minaj - Fly and Save Me on the ring finger

Nail of the day

China Glaze: Turned up Turquoise
2 coats

Product Face Off--Tarte Lights Camera Lashes & L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

This is my first product face off because I recently realized that L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black is a fantastic dupe for Tarte Lights Camera Lashes.

Lights Camera Lashes has been my holy grail mascara for years, but the price of it was getting kind of out of control for my budget. I started wearing it back in college because it made my lashes look so full and long. I stopped wearing it because of the price tag, but I went back to it when I saw it in a set of Tarte products.

L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black is a new discovery for me. I never really gravitated towards L'Oreal products, but then I saw a bunch of YouTube videos about it and decided to give it a try. I instantly fell in love. It is an amazing mascara that does everything I want; lengthens, makes my lashes look super full and doesn't wear off or flake throughout the day.

Left: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Right: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

As you can see the packaging is very similar. Here the Tarte mascara is without the usual snake skin wrapping around it. Either way they look so similar with the packaging. 

Top: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Bottom: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

The wand is slightly longer on the Tarte mascara, but I like the shorter wand because I feel like there is more control over the wand and how the mascara applies to my lashes. It helps to maneuver the wand to separate the lashes if they begin to clump. 

Top: Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, Bottom: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black

The brush on the mascaras is also very close in size. The L'Oreal brush is a little longer and thicker than the Tarte. I have smaller eyes so the brush on the Lights Camera Lashes is great, but there isn't much difference between it and the Voluminous Carbon Black. They both provide excellent coverage to your lashes as you apply and quickly because of the size of the brush.

All in all I love both of these mascaras but if you are looking for a less expensive alternative to Lights Camera Lashes I think the Voluminous Carbon Black is the perfect mascara for you. It lasts forever, has great pigmentation, has little to no clumping and is definitely my new holy grail mascara.

<3 Greens

Review: Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows

I absolutely love these cream shadows. I discovered them a few months ago when I was looking for a new tinted eye shadow base and will buy them in every color I can get my hands on. Right now I have 4 (Skinny Jeans, R.S.V.P., Pot O' Gold (Sephora exclusive) and Birthday Suit) and the pigmentation on them is amazing. They have a great color payoff without having to use a ton of product. This prevents the eyes from feeling super heavy.

(left to right) Skinny Jeans, R.S.V.P., Pot O' Gold, Birthday Suit

 These shadows are great as a base. They bring out the colors in so many other shadows, but they are also phenomenal to wear on their own. If I am having a lazy day or I am running late I will swipe one or two on my lids and put on a little mascara and I am good to go. They last the whole day and never budge or crease. Their name really does describe them.

(left to right) Pot O' Gold, Skinny Jeans, R.S.V.P., Birthday Suit

The texture of them are also fantastic. None of mine have dried out at all. They are very creamy and because of it they are super blendable with one another. The Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadows are an amazing product and I recommend them to anyone.

Review: Benefit Play Sticks

This is the best foundation I have ever used. I have an abundance of redness on my face, especially on my cheeks and nothing I have ever used has covered it the way the Benefit Play Sticks do. It has some amazing coverage, which is why they say it can be used as a concealer or foundation. Some days I don't even use concealer for my blemishes because of how well this foundation covers everything.

This is me after I did half of my face with foundation

                                               

The finish of this foundation is also great. It is a cream to powder finish so it lasts all day, even without a setting spray. I simply use a primer under it and it stays through my whole work day and into the night. It is easy to apply, just use a normal foundation brush and a small amount of product to keep it from looking cakey. This is a holy grail product for me and I will repurchase this for a long time to come. The only downside to this product is the color range. There are only 4 shades, but luckily the lightest shade matches me perfectly.