Benefit HOOLA Bronzer Review

When I was a freshman in college, I had just discovered name brand cosmetics- before then I was all about Cover Girl- if I even wore makeup. A MAC eyeshadow was like the holy grail... especially in electric blue (we were so clueless back in the day)! 

When we would get ready for college parties, I started noticing the girls around me had good makeup- expensive makeup. I had no idea that girls spent $25 on a foundation, but the quality, department store makeup truly made such a difference in how pretty I felt on a night out.

One girl's makeup inparticular stood out to me- she wore Benefit blush and bronzer in Hoola or Dallas. It came in this super cute box and the color was perfect. She always had awesome cheek color, and here I am, seven years later, and I still remember!

This weekend I decided to suck it up and spend the $28 on Benefit's HOOLA. It's a matte bronzer/blush that you can use just on your cheeks or as an all over face color.

I love it. With my fair skin I have to be really careful not to over-bronze, but this powder is soft, matte and very blendable. It gives me a great cheekbone and I use it on my hairline and jawline to contour. I also love it on minimal makeup days; just a sweep across my cheekbones makes such a huge difference! Since I bought Hoola, I have worn it every single day.

I would definitely give this product 5 stars! 

Birchbox vs. Ipsy Glam Bag

I've long been a fan of getting mail- I check the mailbox every day at the same time like clockwork. When I discovered Birchbox, my mail game was instantly upgraded. Every month, I received a cute little box with about six high-enx products, usually sample-sized but still fun. Almost every month I would have a new perfume sample, a mini nail polish, a hair tie or shampoo sample, and some kind of beauty product like double stick tape. Afte a year, I realized I'd spent $120 and had very little to show for it besides a drawer full of samples.

Birchbox- Just for the record, this is a box advertised on their website- I belonged to the company for a year and NEVER got a box this good! Don't get me wrong- you'll occasionally get something good... but never more than one thing in a box... and never full size.

That's when I discovered the Ipsy Glam Bag and my life changed forever. Suddenly, I had full size nail polishes. Full sized! I had full-sized roll-on perfumes, full-sized lip stains or lipsticks, full-sized eyeliners or eyebrow color or lip liners, and a travel-sized hair product. Every month! And not to mention, it all comes packaged in a cute travel makeup bag, not a cardboard box! I immediately canceled Birchbox and dedicated myself to the Ipsy Glam Bag.

Ipsy Glam Bag- this is an actual bag I received and everything in it was awesome. While the eyeshadows are small, they're great quality (Coastal Scents) and last forever. The mascara is decent, and the lash cards are a lifesaver. The eyeliner pot is fullsize.

While I'd love to keep stocking up on samples, as I do use them, I feel Birchbox is less directed at me and what I need and moreso on whatever company is giving them sample products each month. With Ipsy, I am getting things I will actually use every month. It's pretty awesome! 

Birchbox and Glam Bag are both available at $10/month.

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

For my birthday, my friend who works at Clinique showed up with a bag full of goodies for me to try! The first one being Cliniques new High Lengths Mascara. I've always been a fan of their mascaras but I'd never heard of this one, so I had to try it out for my birthday date with my husband. After wearing Benefit's They're Real mascara (see last week's post) for a few weeks, my eyelashes needed something more gentle but that offered lots of volume rather than just length. The High Lengths is exactly what I needed! 

Packaging

What a cool brush! The brush part is about an inch long and curves perfectly to your eyelashes.

Awkward action shot 

After just one coat!

Before & after

This is absolutely my new favorite mascara! It washes off easily without losing any lashes. I recommend you run straight to Clinique and pick up one for yourself!