L'Oreal Extraordinary Oils VoxBox

At the beginning of this month I was sent the L'Oreal Extraordinary Oils voxbox from Influenster.

I received:

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Deep conditioning mask

I have very curly and dry hair. I love these products. The first time I used them all together and I was shocked because it left these very pretty, very soft, ringlet curls in my hair. These curls stayed in tact for four days before I washed again. 

I plan to make another video with an update and so I can show how my hair looks before and after. But, for now, the report is that they are GREAT products!

Not Your Mother's Whip It Up | SPICE VOXBOX

At the beginning of December I received a box from Influenster! If you don't know what Influenster is, it's a site that polls off your social media impact. You don't have to be a famous YouTuber or Blogger to use this website, you just need to be present on social media. I love this website and I think I even mentioned it in another post, I'll have linked below.

One of the items I got in the box was by the brand Not Your Mother's. I've only ever used the sea salt spray from NYM, and it is one of my favorite texturizing hair product, ever. I've repurchased it so many dang times, it's astounding.

The product in this box is the Whip It Up mousse. One of the big claims on the bottle is that it's a non-sticky mousse. I have very coarse, heavy, and extremely curly hair. I was skeptical, honestly. But I've used it every time I've washed my hair since then and I actually am loving it. I think I'd definitely be inclined to buy the full size after I use up this travel size. The big bonus is that you really don't need a lot of it because it expands since it is a mousse. I foresee this travel bottle lasting a good while.

The other perk, it smells exactly like vanilla cupcakes! Let me know what kind of Not Your Mother's products ya'll enjoy!

Also check out NYM on social media:

• ​https://instagram.com/nymbrands/
• https://www.facebook.com/NYMBrands?fref

Maybelline Better Skin Foundation *Week 3 Update *

Three weeks ago Influenster sent me a full size foundation, it was the Maybelline Better Skin Super Stay Foundation.

I did a demo and a review of it after my second day of wearing it. You can see that video here:

My first week I didn't see much change in my overall skin tone, but I enjoyed the fact that my face wasn't having any kind of zit reaction to the formula. And damn did I put it through some shit. I slept in this foundation. I worked out in this foundation. I went to a punk show in the dead of summer without AC. And the honest truth is that it's held up each time. 

By the end of the second week, I was really seeing how much my skin was starting to glow. My face was clear, and my skin just seemed to glow from within. 

I did a three week update at the end of my third week, so you can see my skin, here it is:

I'm very happy with how my skin looks with this foundation. I cannot say it's tone corrected any discoloring as it claims to do, but I will say the things it DOES do are amazing, and maybe it will correct dark spots with continued use, we'll see. 

I'll keep ya'll updated on this foundation, but at this point in time, I fucking love it. 

Bath Appreciation Post

I recently got into taking baths. I know, crazy, but I'm a 22 year old lady who hasn't taken a bath since I was a kid. Once I started taking showers as a kid, I never went back to baths.

Since moving in with my boyfriend and the other folks living here, I've had to fight for bathroom time. It wasn't a big deal to me because David and I have our own bathroom off of our room, it has a nice sink, toilet, and a tub. All I ever needed bathroom "time" for was taking my shower. I would wait until everyone had gone to sleep, and then get my shower in.

After going to my Mom's house to visit, she convinced me I should use the tub in the bathroom off of our room. It's just a tub, no shower head, and no one had ever used it since they moved into the house over 5 years ago. I was nervous about it. My mom sent me home with two bottles of bubble bath from Avon, and told me to let her know how it went.

WELL, IT'S FUCKING RAD. Like how come I never knew how cool baths are? Is this a secret society that no one wanted to let me in on? Taking a bath in our bathroom means no one knocks on the door and there is optimal relaxation.

I've been using a few products I picked up from World Market, recently, and I think I'll make a bigger post about bath products in the future once I've gotten more to try out. For now, here's a few shots of bathwater with some World Market fizzies inside.

The two blue shots on the left are while using fizzies and salts both under the scent "Fresh Cotton." And the far right is while using fizzies and salts both in the scent, "Verdana." I got all of these products from World Market. The blue was definitely more vibrant than the green, but either way they were fun to try out.

Favorite Youtuber/Blogger: MAY.

Hey ya'll, this is a smidge late, but oh well!

My favorite YouTuber this month is:

VICTORIA DONELDA. :)

She is hilarious and an amazing make up artist. I've been watching her since the beginning and I haven't grown tired or bored of her channel. I feel like it's gotten a lot better since december when she got a new camera, which is superb.

Check all her links out:
https://www.youtube.com/user/victoriadonelda/videos
http://victoriadonelda.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/victoriadonelda

http://instagram.com/victoriadonelda#

OKAY, and my other favorite as of late is also a YouTuber, and that is.. 

MIKE FALZONE.

This guy.. man.. His videos seem to just always find me at the perfect times in my life. He's insightful and funny in the perfect balance. I really love his ideas and the way he conveys them. PLUS, look at him, he's perfect. 

Check out all his links and stuff:

https://www.facebook.com/mikefalzone?ref=ts

http://mikefalzone.tumblr.com/

http://www.youtube.com/user/mikefalzone/videos

https://twitter.com/mikefalzone

Anyhow, sorry this was late, I was on a mini vacation and for some reason I queued my posts wrong..cos I rock the ass at the internet lately.

Love, Noralee

Top 10 Spring Lip Products.

Hey ya'll!

This is a smidge late, but Spring is upon us...sort of. I mean, in Texas it's already basically summer weather, which sucks. And I know that a lot of other places are still feeling winter weather. But, regardless, it is essentially Spring season.

So, these are my favorite lip products for the Spring time. I probably won't do a Summer one, because they're essentially the same, minus one or two of them.

I have five chapstick like products:

ELF Hydrating/Conditioning pot in Nice & Natural
TokyoMilk in Salted Caramel.

 The ELF pot is actually fairly pigmented, meaning you'll get a very faint "nude lips" look when you apply this. If I'm wearing a nude lip during the day and since I live in TX and have to worry about heat, if I don't want the lipstick I used to melt in my purse, I generally just throw this little pot into my bag. It really does work with touching up nude lips, and it's amazing on it's own.

The ToyoMilk tin is something I picked up from Sephora at the counter as an impulse buy and then fell in love with it. Zero color. Great taste. And probably the most hydrating thing in my whole fucking collection, seriously. I keep this thing by my bed or in my purse at all times.

Baby Lips in Pink Punch. Blistex Fruit Smoothies in Berry Explosion and Melon Medley

 Baby Lips is an on and off product for me. Sometimes I use it all the dang time, and other times I can't stand it and it just sits in the bottomless lip drawer in my collection. Lately I've been using it, which is obviously why I decided to put it in this post. I think Baby Lips is a good product for people who aren't into lip stick, because it's not heavy like a lipstick and it's not super pigmented. The Pink Punch one would be great for Spring also. :)

Blistex chapstick is just fucking perfect. That's all I got to say about this. These things are ridiculously hydrating, but also make your lips SOFT like velvet or some shit. It is awesome. Seriously. Just go buy some Blistex stuff and have yourself a little revelation.

 Moving onto favorite Springtime lipsticks:

From left to right:  NO7 in 80 Sienna, Sonia Kashuk in 80 Soft Nude, Wetn'Wild in 903C Just Peachy, Avon in U302 Sparkling Peach, Revlon in 027 Violet Frenzy.

NO7: I love this shade because it's perfect for my skin color. I guess I have kind of an olive skin tone because my family is Native American. But I'd say this is a coral on the more orange side than anything, and it's not for everyone, but it's worth a try. I picked it up at Target when they were clearancing all the NO7 stuff out. I think I got it for like 2 bucks. Hell yeah.

Sonia Kashuk: THIS IS MY PERFECT NUDE. This is honestly my favorite lipstick I've ever gotten and I just.. I just love it so much that I want to do a whole post about it. I can't even.

Wetn'Wild: These lipsticks are a dollar something after tax, and most of them are pretty matte. This one is completely matte on the lips, even though in the swatch it's not looking "matte" like, sorry about that. This is a really pretty classic pink that I think would be flattering on any skin tone. PLUS, so cheap!

Avon: One thing first, my Mom has been selling Avon for almost 21 years, so I have a crapshoot ton of Avon products. I've seen a lot of people bash Avon or say they're overpriced or whatever qualm they have with the brand. I don't care, because honestly they're a lot cheaper than a lot of shit at Sephora. With that being said, nah, I do not pay full price for anything I have Avon related, if I pay at all. I do think they're a quality brand though. Anyhow, this lipstick is one of the truest "peach" lipsticks I've ever had. A lot of lipsticks claim to be peach but end up just being a pink color. EXCUSE ME HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A PEACH?

Revlon: I say if you're going to keep wearing darker shades into the Spring, this is how it's done. This is a duo chrome kind of finish purple. So, it gives the appearance of multi colors and also ends up looking shiny and light like a lipgloss. It's one of my favorite purple lipsticks for the warmer months, honestly. Plus, Revlon is just on point with their lipsticks. I've only ever gotten one that I didn't like.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this post and have an awesome day!

Love, Noralee

Hit or Shit: Rimmel Clean Finish Liquid Foundation.

Full price this foundation is under five dollars, sorry I can't recall full price nor find it online, but I know for sure it was under five. I snagged it at Target with a red tag, clearanced to about $1.70.

I was honestly so completely stoked about this foundation for a week or so, because it was the first time I'd gotten a shade that completely matched my skin tone, and half the time I could go without concealer because it was brightening and FULL COVERAGE AS FUCK!

I LOVED this foundation... Until, it started breaking me out. Which is seriously strange for me and my skin type. I don't have sensitive skin, if I did, I seriously wouldn't have a face for the kind of shit I put my skin through sometimes, haha! But I started getting these monstrously huge breakouts ALL over my face. I also was getting patches of redness on my nose and cheeks. It was crazy, my skin has never reacted to any product like this before. So, I stopped wearing this foundation for a week and switched back over to my beloved Loreal Magic Souffle, and within a day the redness was gone, and I never got new breakouts since switching off the Rimmel foundation.

 This foundation is "clean" feeling and it will keep the oil under control, but for me personally and my skin, this is a huge SHIT. Honestly, if you have sensitive skin, I definitely wouldn't tell you try this, your skin might fall off or something, and that would totally be lame. So, not saying this is a bad product, because obviously I said like three times that I loved it, but my skin did not, which is why this sucks.

I'm mad that I have a whole bottle of this sitting in my makeup collection now, man. :(

Anybody else have any bad experiences with Rimmel? This was my first time branching out to face products from them, previously I've only used their mascaras and lipsticks, which I love.

Love, Noralee

an update full of I'm Sorry's.

HEYHEYHEY.

I'm just going to be honest, I've gotten a lot of messages from people via tumblr and from here about where I've been.. and the truth is this was the hardest semester of college I've ever had to go through.

A lot of you who have been following me here or Tumblr know that my Grandma lives with me and she's been sick for a few years. This semester we had to put her in a nursing home, and it really took a toll on my household, and my schoolwork. I was playing catch-up constantly for months. And then finally I got some good news about my scholar work I've done on rape culture. I was asked to be a speaker in Washington DC two weeks ago. The week before I went though, there was a death in my life. One of my best friends, mentor, and ex teacher, passed away at a young age and very suddenly. I went to his funeral that Sunday, then Tuesday I left for DC. It was bittersweet, honestly.

I've also been playing a lot of shows and working on stuff for an album.

photo credit to Olivia Themudo

  I've been stressed with this biology class I'm currently in, and the fact that I also need to find a job. It's just been a very dang stressful semester. It's almost over though, and I'm not taking summer classes, so, hayyyyy. ;p

I just want to thank everyone who has continued following this blog from the bottom of my heart. There will be new content coming ya'll's way. I've queued some beauty reviews, and some thrifting posts, already. And once this month is over, and finals week is over, I will get back into a regular swing again, I pinky promise.

Here's a stop motion video I made of my travels in Washington, DC, I hope ya'll enjoy it:

Love, Noralee

Beauty Guru Spotlight: guru of the year!!

It wasn't super hard for me to pick my favorite guru of the year. It's funny because the only reason I found out about her was because of a video she made about body positivity. After I watched that video, I subscribed, only to find make up tutorials and hauls and whatever in my inbox. I watched a few of her tutorials and fell in love with the genuineness in her personality.

Anyhow, I've mentioned her briefly before, so I'll just get right to it, my beauty guru for the year is:

Rachel Whitehurst.

 

This is Rachel's video on body image and her rant on the thinspo tag of Tumblr. It's the video I mentioned above that I first saw of hers. She also has a video called something like, Fuck Negativity (Advice on Life) - that is REALLY great, and of course her 3 part video series on college for people new to dorms and living on campus.

Besides these videos, she also posts really amazing covers, like she legitimately has a voice of a fucking angel. I swear to it. And, her makeup is always on point. I love her tutorials and first impressions because she is so straight up about everything. She'll tell you why she hates things, not just that she hates them, and same goes for why she loves things. I feel like she really considers all people with all different skin types when she makes tutorials, and when she's reviewing them. She's always thinks of what kind of skin type would work for a product that didn't work for her, instead of just writing it off as being a shitty product - which  is something I see a lot of beauty youtubers doing. 

Also, I have to mention: she is hilarious. so. hilarious. 

Here are all of her links & enjoy!:

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/icallitambrosia/videos
TUMBLR: http://87daysbefore.tumblr.com/
BLOGGER: http://www.87daysbefore.com/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/87daysbefore/
FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/87daysbefore/
INSTAGRAM: 87daysbefore

Who was your favorite beauty guru this year? :)

Love, Noralee

TAG: Beauty Blogger

The Questions...

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

My hair is ridiculous......ly curly. :)

2. What it your natural hair colour?

I was born with blonde hair, that progressively got darker as I aged.
It's a fairly light - medium brown on it's own nowadays.

3. Do you dye it yourself or do you go to a salon?

I do it myself, generally. It's the perks of living around the corner from a Sally's beauty supply shop.

4. How often do you wash your hair?

Every few days. It gets frizzy if I wash it every day or every other. So, I will wash it say Sunday night, style it Monday morning, then use a shower cap when I shower the other days, but not wash it til Wednesday or Thursday. I'm blessed with hair that stays pretty un-greasy. (I use Got2B Rocking it Dry Shampoo when needed, also!)

5. Do you wear the same hair style everyday or do you change it up?

No. Sometimes it's just too hard to work in the morning and it ends up just getting thrown into a top knot. Other days it's perfectly agreeable, and does whatever I want. Haha.

6. Do you do your own nails or do you go to a salon?

I've never had my nails done at a salon before. So, yes, I do it.

7. How often do you change your nail varnish?

Typically whenever it starts to chip. I always have a color in my purse, and sometimes when I'm outside on campus & bored, I'll just paint my nails out of boredom.

8. Do you always wear nail varnish on your toes?

I like painting my toes because it stays on forever, y'know, way longer than finger nails. I've had this plum color on my toes for two months now and no chips.

9. How long does it take you to put on your makeup?

Depends. Like if I have extra time in the morning, you bet I will use it all, but if I wake up late, I know how to move through things fairly quickly when needed.

10. What do you do first, your face or your eyes?

Face.

11. Do you collect makeup or just buy it when your need to?

I collect, mostly. I think I've been collecting my whole life really. My mom has been selling Avon for the past 20 years, so basically when she was pregnant with me.. So, I've always really been into makeup and the application.. and REALLLLLY into having it.

12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

I used to wear false lashes every single day because when I was younger I burnt my eye lashes and they basically look like shit now. They never quite grew back and it makes me really sad. But, I've found a couple mascaras that work for me right now, so I don't need to keep buying falsies. I'm looking to investing in the Too Faced Better Than False Lashes kit this Christmas. Hopefully it works as good as everyone on YouTube has said.

13. Do you wear a full face of makeup everyday?

Not every single day, no. If my skin looks good, I'm fine without wearing foundation. And if it's a lazy day, I won't wear foundation or eyeshadow.. I'll generally fill in my brows and put on mascara.

14. Do you wear makeup just around the house?

If I've come home from somewhere, I don't just take it off cos I'm home. But, if I wake up in the morning and I know I'm not going anywhere, then I won't put anything on.

15. Will you leave the house without makeup on?

Yes. I'm okay with going somewhere without any on. But, I'd still want to fill in my eyebrows and put on mascara. Haha. If I couldn't, then yes, I'd still be fine with it.

16. How many high end products do you have? 

I don't know. A few, I guess? I like drugstore, obviously because it's cheaper, but there are a few things I've splurged on. Plus, a lot of Avon products, which can end up kind of pricey so I'm thankful for the family discount.

17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

Once a week, sometimes more if they look like they need it. I also use the Mac spot cleaner when needed between washes.

18. Do you plan what you will wear the next day, or when you are getting dressed? I generally consider my options as I'm getting ready for bed, and sometimes I'll dig through my closet to find a particular item I know I want to wear but know I won't have time to dig through and find in the morning. But, that's about it.

19. How often do you change your handbag?

I just mentioned this in a video I filmed today, haha. I have a white tribal print bag that I use for more seasons, but once winter and mid fall come into play I switch it out for a dark dark dark navy bag. I dunno.. it just goes with my wardrobe better, I think.

20. What time do you get up and go to sleep?

I get up at 6:15AM on Tuesdays & Thursdays for school.
Any other day I'll sleep as late as 9, 10, 0r 11 sometimes.
When I go to bed is kind of crazy, haha. On school nights I try to get to bed before 12am, that's always the goal. On days when I know I don't have to be up & I can go out with my friends, I typically won't get to bed until like 5/6am. Haha.

21. How often and when do you workout?

I do yoga 4-5 days a week, and then I have an elliptical in my garage that I try to do total of an hour on a week. After finals are over I'll bump that up, probably.

22. Left or Right handed?

Right and left.

23. How tall are you?

I'm 5'5 ish.

24. Do you speak a foreign language?

I took Spanish all through high school but I really remember nothing. 

I know a bunch of songs in latin, german, and french though from being in choir my whole life.

25. How many pets do you have?

I have two dogs, Penny & Jake.
I have one cat, he's orange, Max.
I have three black moor goldfish, Crabman, Joy, & Earl jr.
I have four female rats, Reggie, Maeby, George, & one that needs a name, haha.

26. How often are you on blogger?

I get on daily, even if I don't post, I'm always try to respond to stuff and keep up with other people. It's been a really stressful semester.

27. Do you read the comments posted?

Of course.

28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yessss. I have one of those eStickyNotes on my home screen with a list of various things.

29. How did you come up with your blog name?

It's from an Elliott Smith song. Which I know isn't beauty related, but it means a lot to me, and it's something I knew I wouldn't get sick of.

30. What sort of camera do you use to take your photographs?

I use a Sony a200k

31. How often do you clean your room?

I generally keep it tidy-ish, but the more stressed I become over time the more crazy it gets. So, it's pretty bad right now, but I've decided that once this semester is over with I'm redoing my whole room.

32. What is your favourite colour?

I like black, pastel purple, maroon, gray, stuff like that.

33. What is your favourite magazine?

I really love Nylon. I need to renew that sub soon, haha.

34. Do you swear?

Often, yeah.

35. What are you going to do today?

Well, it's about 5PM right now, so I'm going to schedule this to post tomorrow while I'm at finals and probably get back to studying. ;p

Love, Noralee

My beauty christmas list!

1. Too Faced: Better than false lashes
2. ELF Large Stiple brush
3. Lush Sweet Lips lip scrub
4. Naked2 by Urban Decay
5. Benefit's Full Glam Ahead box.
6. Urban Decay: Eyelash Primer Potion
7. ELF eye refresh
8. And a years worth of subscription box service. (not decided yet between myglam & glossy box.)

What's on your beauty christmas wishlist? :)

Love, Noralee

Beauty Guru Spotlight: November.

My favorite beauty guru for the month of November was Kristee aka Strawberryelectric48 

I think she is absolutely hilarious and completely relatable. She's goofy and is very genuine with her subscribers. I like the way she reviews things, and how she's up front with products she dislikes and products she likes. She's also very quick to tell you WHY she doesn't like something, not just write it off like you should just take her opinion and go with it. She's quickly become one of my favorite gurus on youtube.

YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/strawberryelectric48/videos?view=0
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/Strawberryelectric48
VLOG: http://www.youtube.com/user/morekristee
TWEET: http://www.twitter.com/strawberryelect
TUMBLR: http://strawberryelectric48.tumblr.com/

Hit or Shit?: ELF HD Powder.

 This is the ELF HD Powder. It isn't new, but this is the first time I've tried it. It is available on the website in the this one, and one called "body glow" or something along those lines - it is the same packaging but I think it wouldn't be of use to me, because it looks kind of like a "glittery" bronze and I'm not a big fan of all over shimmer powder stuff. Butttt, if you've tried it and I'm wrong, correct me! This product is $6.00 and worth above and beyond every penny of that.

 The packaging is a matte black container, very sleek. And comes with the powder puff above. Which it is soft and great quality, but not to sound like a snob - I just like my brushes better when applying. I'm totally keeping the puff though, because I'm sure I'll find a use for it, and if not, it's just too cute to get rid of, really.

 This is what it looks like with the grate on top of it.

And here it is removed so you can see the actual product.

This gives your face a total finished feeling. I am so in love with it. It is one of their more "expensive" items, which is why it's taken me so long to just get it and try it out. I got it at my local Target a little over two weeks ago, and have been trying it out on different temperature/humid days to see how it holds up. The thing I think I'm most impressed with is the fact that it can make any foundation you're wearing look not only flawless, but like it is not there at all. I've tried wearing this two different ways, the first being all over my face. And the second was an experimentation, where I didn't blend my makeup line as well as normal, to see if this would do anything to it. It does. It sets in, perfectly. Besides the sheer fact that something translucent acts with such coverage, it also blends other products well. I think this product is very versatile and something that has quickly become a staple into my everyday face routine. Did I mention it feels like silk on your face? True story! I don't know if it's just my imagination but ever since I started using this, I've felt like my face has been getting softer.

This is totally a hit, and really worth trying out. In fact, it's already on my repurchase list.
ALSO, I think I will order and extra for my giveaway, if you'd guys be interested. ;p

Have any of you tried ELF's HD Powder? Or something similar?

Love, Noralee

ELF Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks: FAQ

I got a bunch of questions about the ELF Eyeshadow sticks, so I wanted to get this little Faa posted before anything else in my queue posts. Also, I am at school, typing from my Kindle Fire so I apologize for any formatting mishaps and grammatical errors.

1. Do you wear primer with them?


Yes. Mark Primed for Perfection is what I’ve been using, which is more a matte primer rather than a liquid-y one. I’ve yet to try it out with my primer potion of ELF primer, but I’m sure it works just as well. I just happen to like my Mark primer because it can be used as an eyeshadow easily. I really hope they come out with a shade similar to Nyx’s Milk because you could use it as a base and probably (depending on your lids) get away with not using primer at all.

2. Creasing?

With primer, my colors stayed 5+ hours before noticeably creasing. I have slightly hooded lids, so there’s an obvious amount of crease just from that. Without primer, I noticed that the lighter shades I own such as Little Miss Thing and French Lace faded out after a while. But, Turkish Coffee and Rock Out didn’t budge.

3. Do they dry up/get flaky?

No. So far, I’ve worn these shades a total of four times since I’ve gotten, even wearing them today at school, not once have they gotten dry or flaky. I have fairly oily lids, which is also why I tend to lean more towards matte primers. So, my biggest advice is primer. Finding a primer that works with your type of lid. If you’ve never tried a primer I think a really good starter one to check out would be ELF’s dollar primer. It’s a dollar and it’ll help you find out what kind of primer will be well off on your lid.

4. Blending ability?

These blend very well. You can blend them with your fingers or a blending brush very easily, and yes, they do layer with each other well. I think these are actually a lighter formula than the Nyx pencils. I forget that I am wearing them, which I think is nice. You can achieve dramatic looks without feeling like your eyelids are heavy of makeup and without using a lot of product. They also hold powder very well. I’ve put a matter brown over the Turkish Coffee color before, and it holds the colors very nicely in a breathable manner that still allows you to blend. These are very versatile.

5. Is there a drying time before you can layer another color?

Since these are a stick, they’re not as creamy or “wet” as you’re probably thinking. So, no, I haven’t found that they need any time to dry before applying another color.

6. Watery outer corner of eyelids?

Dude! I have this problem too. Well, had. Though my lids are still oily and do get watery on the outer and inner corners. I’ve found a solution. Before I do my eye makeup, I take an oil blotting sheet and blot both of my eyes. Then proceed to put on primer, which I’ve found if I alternate between using a more matte primer and my other “wet” primers, it helps my lids out in the oil/watery department. Another trick is to just put extra primer on the spots that you notice losing color/getting more watery. It totally helps, I swear. I know Mark isn’t exactly cheap always, I think my primer was like $38, but I do know Wet n’ Wild had a similar primer that comes in a pot, and so does Nyx. :)



Again, there are 10 different shades of these eyeshadow sticks and they are $2.00 each. They’re definitely worth it. :) If you have any other questions or comments, leave em below in the comments.

Love, Noralee

Swatches: ELF Jumbo Eyeshadow Sticks

 These are from ELF's new products. They are $2.00 and come in ten shades.
From the right these are: French Lace, Rock Out, Little Miss Thing, and Turkish Coffee.

 Little Miss Thing is on the left, below that Rock Out.
Turkish Coffee on the right, below that French Lace.

Honestly, I really love these. They are ridiculously pigmented, have nice staying power, and blend WELL. I really like wearing French Lace as a base (because they do not have a white like Nyx's Milk yet, which sucks, but hopefully they'll get one!), and then Little Miss Thing over the lid, and Turkish Coffee in my crease, outer v, and lower lash line. I'll try to post a photo of this sometime soon so ya'll can see how that looks. I think they look great together. :)

These are totally a steal at $2.00, seriously! Check them out before the colors start going out of stock!

Love, Noralee

Beauty Guru Spotlight.

I got this idea when I posted my YDK swatches and mentioned Rachel Whitehurst. I think it'd be cool to just do "spotlight" type posts, because I think it's always cool to find someone new to watch on YouTube. I intend to do this monthly. :)

Beauty guru spotlight of this month is totally: GRAV3YARDGIRL on YouTube. :)

 She's sassy.(:

You can subscribe to her on youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/user/grav3yardgirl?feature=watch

Bunny has one of the most amazing personalities on youtube, I think. She's eccentric and she puts a lot into her videos. Even her tea vlogs where she's not really talking about anything in particular, she's still very entertaining. I trust her reviews too, I think she's pretty spot on and honest.

You can also find her on:
twitter: https://twitter.com/grav3yardgirl
tumblr: http://grav3yardgirl.com/
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/grav3yardgirl
etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/enmortem?ref=seller_info

Freebies: Target's Fall Beauty Bag.

Hey guys! Free stuff = Awesome. :)

Okay, so I didn't even know Target had ever done this? But apparently this is their last "beauty bag." A colleague of mine from one of my classes at school stopped me while I was leaving campus this afternoon and asked me if I had reserved a Target Fall Beauty Bag. She knows that I run this blog, and like to check out all kinds of products. I had no idea what it was, seriously. She gave me the low down though, so I thought I'd make a real quick post so you all can try to reserve one too!

Go to Target Styles on Facebook and like the page, here is a link riiiiight.. here.
After that it will ask for your shipping information, all that, and boom, you will get a beauty bag coming your way in 6-8 weeks. I've never done this through Target before so I have no idea how long it'll actually be, but I do know that I heard they are deluxe sample sizes. So, I'm stoked about that.

I have a "mall haul" type post that I've been working on, but some construction issues have happened at my house as of 8AM this morning, so I wasn't able to come home and finish photographing everything like I thought I would be able to.. Buttt, that will be happening! I got some pretty cool stuff. And tomorrow I'm headed to a fair, so there'll be some nice photo moments, I'm sure.

Thanks for reading and thanks for all the comments. Get yourself a Target Beauty Bag!

You all are amazing. :)

Love, Noralee

Hit or Shit?: ELF Essential Line Tinted Moisturizer.

I wear tinted moisturizers typically in the summer and pre-fall in Texas because of how hot and humid it is. I picked this up because it is getting to where I can start back in on my foundation routine but it's also not completely cool enough. My current tinted moisturizer was kind of spendy so I'd like to save as much as possible for the days I'll really need it, not the days where I got up and figured it'd be hot, only to walk outside and realize, oh shit, I need a sweater.

REAL TALK: This stuff is light weight, easy blending, stays put, and gives more coverage than my other tinted moisturizer. I was seriously surprised. Plus, since this is a part of their Essential Line it was only $1.00. Of course that means, as you can see in the first photo, not a lot of product. But, I do know they have them in bigger packaging on their Studio Line for $3.00. (They've even come out with an oil-free line.)

You do get a lot for the fact that it costs one dollar, I'd say. It's definitely not a one use bottle. I've used it about 4 times now and will say a little really does go a long way. This is a hit. :)

Love, Noralee

Eyes of the day. :)

• Mark matte eye primer.

This shade from ELF Baked Palette in California on my lid.

• Urban Decay's YDK in my crease. (Sorry I don't have a photo for that.) 
• ELF Waterproof liner in Coffee.

And, the white from this Maybelline sunbaked neutrals palette

 Love, Noralee

Friday Favorites: Makeup Wishlist.

1. LUSH Lip Scrub: the chocolate and sugar one.
2.NYX HD Studio Primer.
3.STILA baked trio eyeshadow.
4. URBAN DECAY Naked 2 palette.
5. KAT VON D True Romance Saint palette.
6. URBAN DECAY Urbanglow cream highlight in Brown Sugar.
7. SEPHORA Matifying Powder in d20
8. ELF Stippling Brush.

What's on ya'lls make up wishlists lately?

ALSO, I have some more product reviews coming soon. (:

Love, Noralee!