For the Lazy and/or Layerer: Eyeshadow Sticks

The "My Collection" page on the blog is about half unreviewed products, so I'm going to make a concerted effort to try and talk about some pretty things! I've culled my stash several times over the past year, getting rid of things that no longer work or that don't get the love they deserve, and at this point, I'm pretty happy. I think I've still got a couple purging cycles left (and don't even get me started on my closet), but the effort of trying to decide what to discard is more than I feel like putting forth right now!

I have a zillion "new" lippies (some of which I've had more than a year, hence the scare quotes) and I don't really know where to start, so instead, I'm going to talk about cream eyeshadow! Yay! Eyeshadow!

Clockwise from top left: Laura Mercier Sugar Frost*, Mally Champagne,
Rimmel Bulletproof Beige*, Laura Mercier Rose Gold*, Laura Mercier Khaki,
Laura Mercier Pink Opal*, Boots No7 Cool Mink, BECCA Romanticism*,
Sephora+Pantone Tuscany

I've found that I really adore eyeshadow sticks (it's like drawing on yourself!), and between the generosity of friends and some fortuitous sales, my stash has grown considerably. I now own 7, plus two liquid eyeshadows, which, while slightly less convenient, serve a similar purpose: they work great as quick washes or as bases underneath powder (the "lazy" and "layerer" from the title, respectively).

Influenster Jolly VoxBox Review and Swatches

I signed up for Influenster in August and proceeded to not log-in again for another, um, 3 months. Somehow, they still thought I was a good candidate for the Jolly VoxBox (I'm great at filling out questionnaires!), so I gleefully received these goodies (for free, but all opinions are my own! Which you could probably figure out on your own after reading my comments, as they are not all favorable...):

Puffs Plus Lotion tissue 10-pack* 

(though the card in my box says I should have received 

the lotion-free kind, I'm not complaining)

These tissues are a welcome addition to my purse, now that we are solidly in winter cold season. They're soft, smell vaguely medicinal, and are very very lightly moisturizing, enough to keep my nose from getting chapped from nose-blowing. I can't say I would purchase them myself, because I am extremely cheap when it comes to some things (like tissues, for example) and would never opt for brand name when store brands are the same thing, but I'm certainly happy to have these!

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder Review and Pictures

While I love my BB cream, I unfortunately do need to blot/powder after a few hours to keep it looking fresh.  This meant I had to search for a good mattifying compact that I can port around with me for those times when I'm out for longer than a couple hours.  I wanted something cheap and well-liked, so after extensive research on MUA, I had my list and I was ready to go.  Hard Candy's Welcome Matte powder got really good reviews, but it was $8, which is way more than I want to pay for a powder compact I don't plan to use too often.  Rite Aid used to carry Jane, which had a powder I wanted to try, but at least the Rite Aid near me replaced their Jane display with Rimmel (where am I supposed to get Jane now, huh?!).  I'd used Rimmel's Stay Matte powder several years ago and didn't dislike it, so I decided to give it a try.  It was cheaper than the Hard Candy at $5.69, but there are several problems with it that led me to conclude it was not only not worth bringing with me to DC, but that it wasn't worth keeping at all.

Revlon Stay Matte powder