Comprehensive Gift-Giving Guide: Premium Skincare Gift Sets with the Best Values!

Hello! As Christmas is less than a day away, are you still putting it all in at the very last possible moment as far as holiday shopping?  Premium-brand skincare is quite an investment to make for anyone, and this comprehensive guide is for all the skincare savants in your friends and family you still haven't crossed off that list yet. If this person you're buying for is all about luxury skincare, this post will only showcase mid-tier brands, not luxury brands, per se. So if that is the case, you'd be better off looking elsewhere!

But if you're here for a value resource, no frets, I have you covered! All skincare sets I found are under $75, and I also took product size portions in each set as a factor, the ounces in the travel sizes compared to the full sizes, the variety of functionality of the products included, etc. Skincare is something that's inevitably used up fairly quickly, and let's be real, someone doesn't really know if they like a product or if it works for them in the long term if there's only enough in a mini travel size worth only about five uses, which equals about a week or two of use, right? I took that into account when doing my scouring through websites. By the way, this is not a sponsored post.

If you are wondering what to get, and what the best value skincare gift sets are from the top premium brands this holiday, stay tuned! 

Lip Gloss is Poppin': An Affordable Holiday Red Gloss!

What Do I Do When I'm Not Blogging?

The Usual Setup of a Blogger, Eh, Sans the Camera 

What I Usually Have in Front of Me When Blogging; my current version of this setup is for the birds, so this image will have to do 😅
free stock image courtesy of Pixabay

Hey guys! Wow, upon realizing that I'm pretty close to hitting the 3-year benchmark with this blog (which is an amazement that I've kept with it this long, at any rate), I decided it was a good time to publish a post like this! I never thought to make a post about myself, because, eh....I don't like to talk about myself much, to be honest. But I finally figured that this may be a good time to tell my awesome long-term readers of this blog just a bit more about me, and what some hobbies of mine are when I'm not on the bloggie, if there's even a single soul who wants to know, that is. 😉

A Bookly Wednesday: The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt | Thoughts & Update #1

How innocent it looks......

     Le sigh of 'oh shit.' This seemingly moderately-sized tome is finally beginning to reduce my thoughts to pinings of the disappearance of that figurative brick wall that seems to appear in front of me and block me with every five pages of this book that pass. While I'm not going to throw in the towel on this, pack it away and move on to another read just yet, allow me to just reiterate from my first post of this novel, the sheer number of developed characters that are contained within this book. The families are all of the same timeline, same narrative, they are all acquainted with one another, and are constantly appearing and developing with each page.

Oh, don't know where I'm going with this? Just take a look at all these characters...

It cut off the bottom of the page, but oh, if only that was all......

Nail of the Day + Review! Sinful Colors Shine Gel Tech Nail Color in 'Alfresco'

Sinful Colors Shine Gel Tech in Alfresco

Nude Lip Review: NYX Lingerie Matte Liquid Lipstick in 'Bedtime Flirt'

NYX Lip Lingerie Liquid Lipstick in 'Bedtime Flirt'

     

     Hello to all of my lovely readers! Hope everyone is getting along with the holiday season thus far! 😊 So, this year when I ventured into trying two of these NYX Lingerie line of quick-drying matte liquid lipsticks not long after their release, I was initially overall impressed with the two shades I purchased! However, I think that my immediate liking of them may have escalated as soon as I had been sorely disappointed with their Liquid Suede liquid lipsticks prior to trying these, and upon comparing the two formulas, due to ill logic on my part, I decided rather too quickly that, since these Lingerie liquid lipsticks were a tad bit longer lasting, I made the immediate, albeit very wrong, mental decision that I liked them. Now? I'm finding that I just don't enjoy wearing them...at all. At least, not this particular shade in 'Bedtime Flirt.' 

New Skincare and Makeup Acquisitions!

 

     Hey, what's that tattered piece of fabric I see being whisked away in the horizon?  Oh, it's just my wallet floating away. Well, to be fair, what is going to be discussed in this post are close to being the only beauty products I've purchased in the past six months or so, and for me, it's the inevitable time of the year where I'm reminded that my birthday is approaching, so I suppose I have a bit of an excuse. However, that is to be determined. 😅

Alright my lovely beauties! It has been a hot minute since I've acquired a couple of these products: There are two high-end makeup items I'll be showing, which were indeed purchased much earlier than the drugstore items. I've changed jobs since, for college, so my current budget is at legitimate shoestring status. What's more, most of the skincare and makeup items were purchased at a rather steeply discounted price! Huzzah for bargains!

Clearance Sighting: Real Techniques & EcoTools Brush Sets! (Walgreens Clearance Only!)

     For the holiday season, does your spending mantra follow the idea to keep your holiday gifting wallet a little heavier than it would be otherwise? Seriously, who doesn't love a sale? If you're looking to purchase some drugstore makeup brush sets for the fam bam's holiday stocking this season (or for yourself!), then please, everyone just hear me out on this awesome PSA: just pass on Ulta for just a minute and head on over to Walgreens to check out their ridiculously discounted $8.99 Real Techniques brush sets and certain EcoTools discount offerings! We'll all be blending and shall detail to the heavens with this deal! Well, I can't think of a better time, because they're half off! Say whaaaa? Here's what I have found so far, and store location deals depend fully upon their offerings of certain brushes and accessories from store to store:

Real Techniques Core Collection: $8.99
Real Techniques Eye Starter Set: $8.99
EcoTools Mini Essentials 3-Piece Set: $3.29

Dolls, that's all I wanted to pop in to say today! I only looked in a few different Walgreen's locations, and found all three to be uniform in their last chance prices of the RT brush sets!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend!

💋 xoxo-Cailee

A Skincare Sunday Review: Shea Moisture Superfruit Multivitamin Renewal Eye Cream

     Hey everyone! Welcome back to another Skincare Sunday review!  It had been a while since I had even thought to try another eye cream after finishing another drugstore one a year or so back. At the time, being a broke college student, I just wasn't thinking of my skin, and wanted to find something cruelty free that fit my insanely tight budget. The caveat was, I couldn't find any eye creams which fit the description. Then Shea Moisture comes onto the skincare scene and I was hoping to be proven wrong through my discovery of their Superfruit Multivitamin Renewal Eye Cream.

The Best of Wet n Wild Cosmetics!

     Welcome back! A quick question: Am I the only one who thinks that if Wet 'n' Wild were to decide to make their limited edition products they've released over the years to be brought back as offerings in their permanent collection, the sheer collection of Wet 'n' Wild products would then be gracing probably half of the cosmetics shelf space that drugstores have available? Every single limited edition palette, blush, lipstick, new formula that had been requested as a permanent addition? It would be overwhelming, in the best possible way, to say the least. 

     Since I and many other people I know are lovers of Wet 'n' Wild for its affordability, cruelty free standing and focus on quality all throughout, I decided to create a post dissecting my top all-time favorites, ranging from permanent items to limited edition items that have been released in recent years. Let's begin!

October Product Empties: Makeup and Skincare + Repurchase Waffling

     Happy Thursday!  Today's post is just a small roundup of a fair few things I've finished off in the past month, and my thoughts on whether or not I want to repurchase any of them! Diving right on in...

Limited Edition Wet n Wild Color Icon Matte Liquid Lipsticks | Review + Swatches!

Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Matte Liquid Lipstick

     Oh, Wet 'n' Wild, how could you constantly tease us like this? I have come to the conclusion that, out of all drugstore brands, they can singlehandedly claim the title of being the temptress of them all. :) So, while these lip products are still somewhat available, yet scarce (as well as bits and bobs of the rest of the collection), I figured I would go ahead and post this review, just in case they decide to make them permanent in the future.

     The Wet 'n' Wild Autumn Lush Collection for 2016 includes 4 newly launched limited edition shades of their new Color Icon Matte Liquid Lipstick formula. I only have two of the four shades they have to offer: an insanely bold, saturated fiery red called How Fleek Is Your Love, and a vampy deep burgundy with heavy brown nuances called Don't Be a Plum-Plum. Best part? They retail for $2.99!! Say whaaaa?? That's the bee's knees!

Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Matte Liquid Lipstick swatches, 2 passes of the applicator

FOTD: Autumn Leaves | Glittery Warm Brown Smokey Eye & Neutral Lips

🎃🎃

     Since today is All Hollow's Eve, I decided to go with a spicy, glittery brown smokey eye look today! It looks a bit warmer in person, and I gotta say, I don't really sport the whole costume look in the week leading up to Halloween, or even the day itself, be it a witch, goblin, fairy, a sprite....you name it. I just never really put in any effort to celebrate Halloween, and never really do any crazy costumes or makeup, and I s'pose I'm just keeping that tradition going for this year! I do, however, definitely get into some Lovecraft/Poe horror story mashup reading marathons every year, but eh, it doesn't even have to be close to Halloween for me to do that. 😄 I read spooky and cosmic horror stuff all the time, regardless of the season.

     

     Every autumn, I really enjoy visiting the cider mill and pumpkin patches, seeing the changing of the leaves' colors, and just breathing in the the crisper autumn air makes me elated, as it does many other people. The gradual changing colors of the leaves was where the color palette for the look was inspired, so you will see some beautiful green peeking out from beneath the eyes! Continue on for the products I used to achieve this look!

Soft Rose Gold Eyes | Simple Everyday Makeup Tutorial featuring LORAC Unzipped & Makeup Revolution

     Hello, and welcome back!  How are you all today? Since I recently got back to posting to the blog on more of a semi-regular basis (without any of those monthly gaps) I've also been wearing more makeup on a regular basis, including eyeshadow, some lovely high maintenance lip product or another, sheesh....sometimes even bronzer! ;) The overall rosy tones of this neutral look really brighten and liven up the complexion for anyone, I think. It's a very feminine, soft effect, and one that looks beautiful on every skin tone. Whether rose gold tones are paired with a neutral cool mauve or a warm nude lip and cheek, (or even with brighter tones of makeup!) either way, it makes for an all-encompassing elegant combination.

     For the eyes, I used my beautiful LORAC Unzipped Palette for the rose gold in the center of the lid, along with my highly coveted Makeup Revolution 32 Flawless Matte Palette for the crease-work. It's a ridiculously simple look to achieve, so the steps to get this eye makeup will be kept pretty succinct, and followed after will be the product breakdown for every product used on mah face. Let's continue! 

Drugstore Skincare Review!! Freeman Charcoal and Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask

*Contains Affiliate Links     

     Hello, and good day to you all!  So, now is the time for me to finally express some thoughts and other ramblings of a review on this seemingly inexpensive skincare product from the Freeman brand, and seriously, this stuff is pretty much the grand-daddy line in the drugstore skincare market. My first tube is currently on its last leg, as you will see from the photos. The product in question is none other than the Freeman Feeling Beautiful Charcoal and Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask. I was originally planning on making this a Skincare Sunday post, but limiting myself to one skincare review a week would be pretty pathetic on my part lol, especially since I have quite a few products I want to discuss with you all! This is a beauty blog after all, for goodness' sake! :)

     And look, this tube is almost empty, so please excuse all the photos of this crinkly, beat-up packaging. Should've clicked away on the cam when I first bought it, right? I know, le sigh. 

Freeman Charcoal and Black Sugar Facial Polishing Mask

'What The Heck?' Product Regret: Pixi Lash Line Ink Review (Please Don't Waste Your $$)

     Hello all you beautiful people! Hope you're having a fantastic day so far!  I have been in the process of moving my storage to a new town this past couple of weeks, so that's the boring reason why I've been a bit lagging and dragging my feet a bit on the blog. So excited to be back, though!

    So, back to it: There's a series I think I want to begin on this blog, and the overall point of the posts in the series will be to discuss and review some of the various products that really didn't live up to my expectations, and that I pretty much regret ever wasting my hard-earned bacon on. To be blunt, this series will focus on the product purchases that I feel quite strongly about. 😄 May I present to you the first product in this 'What The Heck?' series, the Pixi Lash Line Ink in 'Black Silk.' 

Panned Products #1

*Includes Affiliate Links
Hello all!  Today's post will just be showcasing a few makeup items that I have been automatically grabbing for lately, and without much thought. Admittedly, I haven't really been planning my makeup looks or really been allowing much room for that creative spark to my makeup (or even my fashion choices, for that matter), as I currently have a lot of other things going on - I realize that I will never be doing even a fraction near as many things in one day as someone as, say, Eleanor Roosevelt did, so I'm putting that in perspective lol (I'm reading a comprehensive bio on the First Lady, so things from it are just kind of sticking to the forefront of my mind at the moment, and I'm incorporating it into everyday thoughts and conversations. I unknowingly let the book take over my life and entire mind, so to speak. 😄

Anyway, these items actually didn't take very long to hit pan on, though I have owned a couple of them for a hot ass minute. The first two are a couple of neutral basic, everyday shimmer eyeshadow palettes, shown immediately below, followed by a beeee-yootiful cream blush as well as a concealer cream. I love seeing pan. Some other people seem to want to shed a tear when they see it. Eh, seems I'm the only one, then?

Eye Palettes

A Fall Transitional Lippie: Sephora Luster Matte in Coral Luster | Review & Swatches

Sephora Luster Matte Long-Wear Lip Color in 'Coral Luster'

Hello, and happy October!  It wasn't until after I had edited and uploaded these pics that I realized that whoops, this particular shade may not be available anymore! Lo and behold, upon looking at Sephora's site, though, I heaved a small sigh of relief to find that this shade is still available! It is, however, one of the steeply discounted shades in the line (it's $7 as of right now, originally $16) so it's probably on its way out the door soon. Grab it while you can, because it's a beauty! 

The Lash Report | Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara Review

     *Contains Affiliate Links
     Hi everyone! Who's ready for a Better Than Sex review? This post is long overdue, to say the least, and has been in my drafts for far too long. I don't remember purchasing the Too Faced Better Than Sex, I believe I got this tube in my gratis bag one week during my short stint working for Sephora, seemingly many moons ago (when really, it was less than a year ago). So, to be quite honest, I don't even have this tube anymore, and I can't believe nothing has possessed me until now to review this, as I in fact really enjoyed it while I had it!

A Minimal Fall FOTD

     *Contains Affiliate Links

Hello, dolls!  Now that it has finally begun to cool off slightly here in the midwest, I thought, what better time than now to reiterate an updated post of my everyday fall makeup look! I've been wearing a slightly altered version of this look for the past couple of years (using different products, of course), and the best part? This look takes me less than 10 minutes to achieve! 

The overall finished look is a glossy berry lip, with a light wash of taupe shimmer on the eyes, winged liner and barely-there face makeup.

Read on if you would like to see which products helped me achieve this simple fall look!

A Few Product Empties! + Would I Repurchase?

*Contains Affiliate Links

     Hello there!  Hooray, it's almost the weekend! So, today, I have a scarcely proportioned roundup of the products that I've recently finished up completely (and these are the ones I actually managed to keep the empty containers for). This is split in half with two skincare products, and two makeup products. And, I know, in theory, it's a good habit to throw away crap as soon as it's coming up empty, but for posts like these, well....let's just say there are a few other things I finished that I wished would've stayed around a bit longer for me to do a post on them. Hmmm, hoarder tendencies there, or no?

In all honesty, I sometimes don't really see the point of "empties" posts without information that I can get something out of, whether I'm reading or watching, so to reiterate what some others prefer to do, I would like to tie in some mini reviews on these items. Ultimately, what it will come down to is, would I purchase and try these babies again, or were some of these products just a thorn in my side that I couldn't wait to use up, so they would be out of my hair forever? Read on to find out! 

A Day Outdoors FOTD | Yesterday's No Makeup, Makeup Look

     Hello lovelies! Hope you all are having a fabulous week thus far, and even more fabness to come your way! I think the reason why I've felt so good this year, with minimal allergies, infections, and whatnot, is merely because (1. I changed my field of study last year, and I now spend a lot of my time out in nature, as, hey that's rock-studying for ya, and 2. Apart from that, I've just been helping tend to my dad's flower garden, hiking with the family or playing a few rounds of tennis, and I've been doing these things even more than I used to, with little to no technology!). 

I feel as though this "seemingly" nekkid-faced, "seemingly" naturally glowy skin (when we all know that really isn't the case, we get a little help *wink wink*) fairly mimics what I've been rocking with for the past year or so! Low maintenance, easy, fresh, and you may say, 'Eyyy! What's with the cheeks? Why so pale?' I must say I do like the uber-pale look sometimes. 😊 At the moment, though, I was dealing with a minor hormonal breakout on one cheek in the space where I would normally apply blusher, so I decided to go sans-blush so as not to enhance that area. You feel me? 

Here we go! For this look, I'm not wearing anything on the lips, except a little dab of Carmex. These photos were taken in natural sunlight right before I left to go hiking, so let me take you through the steps I took to get this no-fuss dewy look (with slightly dressed up eyes!).

The Lash Report | Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara Review

*Contains Affiliate Links
     Hello, everyone out in the blogosphere! I have to say, whenever I find an affordable, sought-after beauty product that has an average rating of 4/5 on MakeupAlley, let's just say that in some instances, such as this one, even if I tried the product before and didn't like it, well, I'm tempted to think that some products are worth a revisit (ahem, or a repurchase). That was the case with the Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumizing Mascara, and I decided to revisit it, and at the $2.99 pricetag, it's one of the most budget-friendly mascaras I've bought in my life!

What I'm Currently Reading: The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt

     Before I begin, I have a confession: I'm currently in the middle of reading two gigantic tomes....at once. Funny, and I wonder why I never seem to retain all that I would want to from these large weights after I finish reading them (bibliomaniac's first world problems here). One of the novels currently on my bookshelf is a piece of historical fiction (the one for which this post will discuss) and the other an Eleanor Roosevelt biography that I'm still trudging through, and finally nearing the end of, after almost a year. Phew, glad I got that off my chest. Now, onto the topic at hand....

A Skincare Sunday Review: No7 Beautiful Skin Blemish Defence Serum

No7 Beautiful Skin Blemish Defence Serum

*Contains Affiliate Links
     In my skincare discoveries, I have recently been converted from heavy creams to lightweight serums and the occasional skincare oil for nourishment and hydration. I find that these aforementioned options are much less pore-clogging for my skin, particularly. In all honesty, I went into purchasing the No7 Beautiful Skin Blemish Defense Serum, knowing that this serum's claims were promising me no more than a sans-frills pre-step for prepping the skin for moisturizer, with some peptides and Willow Bark Extract to calm any mild breakouts I was having, and block any more from making themselves come to the surface. I wasn't expecting an acne-clearing miracle, nor was I expecting adequate hydration from using the product alone.

Review: Rimmel #103 Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate Moss

     

*Contains Affiliate Links

Hello! Bonjour! I originally wasn't planning on posting this review, but since this lipstick was one of my go-to lip colors of choice for the duration of a month this year (not necessarily a good thing though, as I was just in the mindset of finishing the tube up more than actually enjoying it), I thought that it warranted a review for that reason. I own a couple other shades in this line, one being a deeper berry, the other a lighter soft neutral pink (it's like a matte version of MAC's Creme Cup), with this one being a slightly deeper pink than the other, and slightly warmer. With the aforementioned fact that this lipstick was one of my go-to's, you would think I would say I love it, but alas, it fell short on a few key factors. 

A Cordial Affair: Dramatic Fall Makeup w/ Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

   *Contains Affiliate Links  

     Back to bloggin' I go! Yes, I didn't realize how out of practice I became with my makeup skills, and here's where I have to be honest and come clean: I have not been wearing makeup for months. Well, my daily routine has been involving a bit of makeup, but the most I've been using daily hasn't been any more than a light touch of concealer and maybe a coat of mascara.

Now that autumn is approaching as ever as the winds are quickening (where that came from, I have no idea), I just thought I would vampen it up a bit when I got home from class today. I popped out the palette that seems to be on every 'Ride or Die Products' tag that I've seen so far: feast your eyes (for the millionth time, I can imagine lol), on the ever-beloved Chocolate Bar......(ahem, by Too Faced, just in case you don't know of it for some unthinkable reason 😊)

After I applied primer: 
Step 1: I blended the light pink shade in the palette, 'Strawberry Bon Bon' into the entire crease socket and above the crease, stopping just below the browbone. This shade required quite a bit of layering to show up, and I so rarely use it, that I was shocked, and pleased to see that it didn't look powdery or chalky on the skin, even after multiple layers.
Step 2: Then came the warm-toned reddened brown, called 'Cherry Cordial.' This was blended right into the crease and kept on the socket and not blended anywhere above that. I blended it and extended it towards the inner corner of my eye. 
Step 3: The dull one of the palette (but still quite pretty! Its nuances and dry texture remind me a bit of MAC Patina), called 'Amaretto,' was packed onto the mobile lid all the way to the inner corner.
Step 4: I then took this stunning, warm (but wearable!) gilded gold called 'Creme Brulee' and packed it on the center of the lid, switching back and forth between this shade and 'Amaretto' as I went, and finally reinforcing 'Cherry Cordial' at the very end to tie the crease together.

For the rest of the eye products used: 
1. Primer: Wet 'n' Wild Photo Focus Eyeshadow Primer
2. Liner: Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner in 'Blackest Black'
3. Lashes: Jordana Best Lash Extreme in Black
4. Brows: L'Oreal Brow Stylist Plumper in Light to Medium
5. IC Highlight, Tho!: L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in 'Iced Latte' was that high shine, blinding, angelic inner corner highlight

Face

Base/Foundation: Skin79 VIP Gold Collection Super+ BB Cream

Undereye Concealer: Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream in 'No 1 Salmon Blooming'

Contour/Undereye Setting Powder: Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Contouring Palette in 'Caramel Toffee'

Blush: NARS Sin

Lips

Liner: NYX 'Currant' Lip Liner

Lip Color Combo: NYX Matte Lipstick in 'Up the Bass' and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in 'Prague' applied on top of the purple to lessen its gray undertones

Hope you all have a beautiful day! So tell me: What products are you wearing more of, now that the fall season is approaching?

💋 xoxo-Cailee

My First Foray into Carrier Oils feat. Aura Cacia Nurturing Sweet Almond Skincare Oil + Hello Again!

*Contains Affiliate Links  
     To prevent at all costs a dismal rambly post explaining my 6 month long hiatus from my blog, I'll just say, 'tis great to be back! Even if I'll just be posting on this blog in the summer months, I have had time to really think about what direction I want my online writing platform to go (and I'm not talking about this blog individually). And believe me when I say that, in interim, as far as the beauty stuff is concerned, with research, I have really had the chance to reflect on how to implement improvements into my skincare game. Huzzah!

     Aura Cacia is a brand I just recently discovered whilst perusing the aisles at Whole Foods a couple months back. I was in a somewhat desperate search for something that could act as a moisturizer for the face that didn't veer off into 'oily' or 'heavy' as being the main points of discussion in the reviews I read, and upon reading an admittedly large amount of reviews (as I was always skeptical of a carrier oil alone doing an adequate service in regards to the inflammation, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, and other skin problems I was having, all the while being lightweight and comfortable), in the end, something that seemed to tick the boxes for me was the Nurturing Sweet Almond Skin Care Oil.