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Birchbox

September 22, 2015
Beauty
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Always a winner! This box was full of goodies as usual. Some well known brands’ new items I knew would be great! And a few fun new brands too.

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–St. Tropez Gradual Tan Shower Lotion– I knew the name, knew the brand was known to be the best in self-tanning, but had doubts about this product. And I was definitely wrong. It’s really easy to use, goes on evenly and gives a perfect glow. And just out of the shower feels like the perfect time to get a little self-tanning done. I’ll be working on this gradual tan for our upcoming Vegas trip!

–Rene Furterer Lissea Leave-in Smoothing Fluid– My hair is so fine and straight already, I tend not to use products like this. But it did leave my hair shiny and not feeling too weighed down. I imagine this would work great for someone whose hair has a bit more texture.

–Dr. Brandt Microdermabrasion Exfoliant– LOVE Dr. Brandt products and this was no exception. Super fine scrubbers and calming/healing ingredients make this my favorite manual exfoliant yet! My skin felt super smooth but not overworked. I will definitely be buying this.

–OPI Nail Lacquer Venice Collection: Amore at the Grand Canal– OPI is always my go-to for reasonably priced, quality polish. And this was no exception. A great classic red, with slightly deeper tones. Perfect for heading into fall.

–LAQA & Co. Cheeky Lip Tints– This went on super smooth and light. Loved the texture and it is the perfect on-the-go cheek color (the shade was a bit too light for me for lip). I keep it in my purse for a little extra color in the afternoon!

Want to try BirchBox? Sign up here.

birchbox

e.l.f. eyes lips face review

June 29, 2015
Beauty
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What a haul! I’m totally impressed with this super reasonably priced brand.

ELF eyes lips face _ raudette review

HD Mattifying Cream Foundation $6.00 — Goes on creamy and light, but dries matte and with just enough coverage. This ended up being my favorite in the end. I carry it with me everywhere, it’s perfect for touchups.

Under Eye Concealer & Highlighter $3.00 — The concealer was a little too light, I felt like it brought out my under eye circles. Maybe for someone paler. But I love the highlighter! Great for the brow line.

Corrective Concealer $3.00 — I love mixing these with my other concealer to specialize them a bit. Pink for under eyes, Green for breakouts & redness, Yellow for bruising or deep under eye circles, Blue to neutralize orange spots and tan lines.

HD Mattifying Balm $6.00 — Liked this one a whole lot, not as much as my regular primers. Nice for a touch up in the afternoon when my foundation isn’t quite doing the job.

Eye Widener, White $1.00 — This one was ok. The white went on and worked as a eye widener, but I think the texture could be a little creamier. It was a little tough to apply.

High Definition Powder $6.00 — I wanted to love this. I was in need of a simple setting powder, but this one just wasn’t finely ground enough and left an uneven texture.

While not every style was a winner, I will definitely be checking out more from e.l.f.

 

Check out my full beauty wish list here:

raudette_beauty_faves

Birchbox

March 3, 2015
Beauty
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Great box this month! Talk about pay it forward. I gave away a beauty blender last month, and bam! One shows up in the mail. Fate definitely wanted me to try this. And I love it!

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  • Gilchrist & Soames Spa Therapy Body Wash I’m not much of a body wash person. I’ve been using these great soaps for a while now, but the spa-like scent of this one was a nice little vacation from my usual.
  • Beauty Blender with cleanser LOVING this. After being so-so for year on foundation brushes, beauty blender is the one. I’m sold! It applies my foundation in a lighter, more natural way, but I still get the coverage I want. And I love the little solid cleanser it came with, easy to use and keeps it in good shape.
  • theBalm Read My Lips Lip Gloss in Rose Pink Great scent. Great texture. The particular shade wa a little soft for my taste, but I’m betting the scarlet red or fuchsia will be perfection.
  • BeeKind Conditioner I really like the BeeKind products. I have the body lotion and it smells delicious, and this has the same great smell! It’s pretty light in texture, great for lighter weight hair, but I think I prefer something a little thicker most days.
  • Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Cleanser Juice is another great beauty brand. It’s organic, and incredibly effective. The cleanser has a bright fruity smell, with the slight under-tone of vinegar. It left my skin super clean and feeling great. Perfect for my slightly oily t-zone and occasionally breakout prone skin. I would definitely use it again.

Want to try BirchBox? Sign up here.

birchbox

It’s a Beauty Giveaway!

February 6, 2015
Beauty
82 Comments

Happy Friday!   Contest Alert!!   I’ve been meaning to do this for a while, and here it is!

It’s no secret I’m obsessed with trying new beauty products. I can pretty much never get enough. And this month I’m sharing the love! Here are 10 awesome products for you to try!
Rules for entry are listed below.

beauty giveaway raudette

Included:

  • Smashbox Photo Finish Luminizing Foundation Primer
  • NYX Love in Florence, Meet My Romeo Eyeshadow Palette
  • Butter London Cor Blimey Nail Polish
  • Beautyblender Makeup Sponge
  • Joico Gold Dust Shimmer Finishing Spray for Hair
  • Burt’s Bees Lemon Cuticle Cream
  • Mac Concealer Brush 195se and Duo Fibre Face Brush 188se
  • NYX Chunky Dunk Hydrating Lippie in Sex on the Beach
  • Clinique High Lengths Mascara

How to enter:
(1) Like the raudette facebook page here
(2) Leave a comment below letting me know!

A winner will be drawn at random from those that complete both steps. One entry per person.
The contest closes Friday February 20th at 11:59 pm pacific, and a winner will be contacted shortly after!

Good luck my lovelies! xoxo.

beauty giveaway closed
Congrats to Stephanie of A Little Polish!

Check out my full beauty wish list here:

raudette_beauty_faves

New Beauty Faves

January 16, 2015
Beauty
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It’s been a while since I’ve written about beauty, but there have still been birchboxes and ipsy and many fun products I’ve tried. Here are a few of my more recent faves, many of which have made it into my regular rotation, if not my everyday (ignore the well-loved bottles, as these are seriously well-loved):

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  • Smashbox Hydrating Under Eye Primer This sounds like a lot things, but as a gal that’s been battling some serious under eye circles and incoming lines (hello to my thirties!) this stuff does the job. A nice eye cream plus this primer is awesome for every day.
  • Smashbox Bing Lipstick I will swear by this red for the rest of my life and when they discontinue it to make room for new and exciting colors, I will cry and cry. I better stock up now. Best red I’ve ever worn. Great staying power too.
  • Perlier Intensive Moisturizing Body Balm This stuff smells and feels amazing. Shea butter with a light almond scent and super moisturizing power. At the end of the day my skin still feels great. Only thing keeping scaly winter skin in check!
  • Living proof Full Thickening Cream With this baby fine greasy hair, products are not always my friend. And sometimes it feels like I’ve tried them all in an attempt to build volume. This leaves my hair feeling bouncy but not sticky and works perfectly in conjuction with my other fave hair powder.
  • Clinique Turnaround Overnight Ok this isn’t a new one, but it’s a renewed one. I used this exfoliating cream religiously in my early twenties, and it staved off basically every breakout while keeping my skin super soft. It was discontinued for a bit, but came back in a new gentler and more moisturizing formula that I initially questioned, but is actually perfect for my now combination, slightly drier skin. I use it 3-4 nights a week and after just a month I can see how much clearer my skin is again.
  • Dr Brandt Pores No More Primer Obviously I love Smashbox, and after months of using their fabulous foundation primer, it was finally beat out by this beauty. They are both great products, but this one feels lighter on my skin and has just a bit more staying power. Despite my slightly drier skin, I still have the oiliest t-zone around and this is the first thing that’s kept makeup on my nose all day. Miracle cream!

I am terrible at seflies, but seriously this lipstick is perfection:

SF 04

What about you? Any great new beauty finds lately? I’m always on the lookout for something new!

Check out my full beauty wish list here:

raudette_beauty_faves

Hot Hot Pink

January 7, 2015
Fashion
2 Comments

I realized this week I’ve been a bit obsessed with hot pink lately. And it all started with a llama magnet. My mother-in-law mentioned she had free magnets from Zazzle coming, and asked if I wanted to pick one out. I’m the type of person that ridiculously loves a million magnets and pictures and menus on the fridge, so I jumped at the idea. After about a half hour of breezing through their millions of options (no joke!), I stumbled across this hot pink llama and knew that was it. As I was looking through recent purchases and gifts, I realized there was a growing trend. “I think I love hot pink,” I whispered to myself, a bit surprised. But why not? It brings a bit of sunshine and whimsy… and now I’m all in.

hot pink

Clockwise from top left: Lime Crime Pink Velvetine / Corinne McCormack reading glasses / Caleb Troy’s Reassurance Print / Ban.do heart necklace / Kate Spade leather jewelry box / Zazzle Llama magnet

Ipsy!

June 11, 2014
Beauty
2 Comments

I admit it. I’m a product junkie. Totally infatuated with Birchbox. And I needed more. Ok, maybe needed is a strong word, but I love testing out new beauty products before taking the plunge, and I love testing a million new things to find a million new favorites. I like Ipsy because it’s a community, where people share looks and how-to’s. They aren’t selling the full size product, although they have links to buy it elsewhere. Although I love the Birchbox program where you earn points toward product. Ah! Luckily I don’t have to choose :)

ipsy

  • Avene Thermal Spring Water spray I love keeping these on hand for travel, or on the nightstand! Any time I’m feeling a little dehydrated, this does the trick!
  • Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer The texture of this is great. Although the color is a bit dark for my fair complexion, it works perfectly as a contour color. I hadn’t tried too many Too Faced products before, but I’ll definitely be giving more a try after this one.
  • Hang Ten Sunscreen I tried this out on the hottest day in Seattle yet – it was almost 80 this weekend! We hit the nearest beach and laid in the sun all afternoon. Amazingly, I didn’t even get a little pink, even without reapplying.
  • Pacifica Shadow Duo The lighter tone of this duo was a little pinker than I usually use for a base, but it was a nice and subtle change from my usual neutral. With a sweep of the more golden tone over my lid, the combo is super flattering and great for every day. I love the texture too, super fine with a perfectly soft shimmer.
  • Eva NYC Hair Mask Obsessed! I just squeezed the very last drop out this morning and I’m sad I don’t have another bottle on hand yet. This hair mask is perfect. My hair was a little fried from too much sun, styling and clarifying shampoos, and this did the trick. My hair was back to healthy in just a day or two, and I’ve used it lightly every other day as a regular conditioner since. I’m looking forward to trying more from this brand!

Want to try Ipsy? Sign up here.