Product Reviews

Proof Is In The Puddin’ Eyeshadow Review

January 27, 2021 Bri Fitzpatrick Leave a Comment

Proof is in the Puddin’ palette from Beauty Bakerie

Eyeshadow can completely overhaul your makeup look. I absolutely love bold, bright colors but quality palette of neutral tones is essentially for creating beautiful blends and gorgeous everyday eyeshadow looks.

Beauty Bakerie is a black-woman owned independent makeup brand which I’ve been a fan of for the past few years. I recently got its “Proof Is In The Puddin’” eyeshadow palette on an insanely good BOGO deal.

The eyeshadow colors are named after various puddings. Shades like Rice Pudding, Warm Cocoa, and Almond Jelly allow makeup lovers to create a variety of looks. In total, the palette includes 9 shades that range the spectrum from beige, tan, and brown. The palette typically retails for $38.

As a woman with deep brown skin, it’s super important that neutral eyeshadow colors be exceptionally pigmented. If they’re not, they simply don’t show up well. I was skeptical about shades like Rice Pudding and ‘Nana Puddin’ working for me at all. I was pleasantly surprised.

Swatched shades (listed from top to bottom): Rice Pudding, Chia Pudding, Bread Pudding, Butterscotch’d, Spiced Caramel, Mango Pudding, Nana Puddin’, Warm Cocoa, Almond Jelly

Check out this eye look featuring The Proof Is In The Puddin’ Palette:

I used Warm Cocoa, Mango Pudding, and Spiced Caramel. I sprayed my Farmasi Mineral Water spray on my shadow brush before applying Spiced Caramel. I finished the look with my magnetic gel eyeliner and magnetic lashes from OpulenceMD Beauty‘s limited edition Warrior Lash set.

Overall, I’m pleased with this palette. The color pay off was better than I expected. The palette has enough variety to make a beautiful look by itself or combine with shadows from other palettes. Price-point wise, the palette provides a great value. Approximately $4.22 per .05 oz shadow pan.

As I mentioned previously, the brand is still independently owned and was founded by a black woman who refers to herself as “head baker”. All the products have fun whimsical packaging based on sweet treats. It’s adorable and worth checking out if you like supporting independent businesses, minority owned businesses, or are just fan girl-ing over its superb branding.

Have you tried the “Proof Is In The Puddin’’ palette yet? How did you like it? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this look and the “Proof Is In The Puddin’” palette. Let me know what you think!

Should You Try Magnetic Lashes?

January 14, 2021 Bri Fitzpatrick Leave a Comment

Should you try magnetic lashes?

A few months back, I shared my experience wearing magnetic false lashes for the first time. I loved the ease of use but wasn’t a huge fan at how dramatic the style I got was. It was too much. At least for every day wear. I decided that it was worth it to buy another style.

OpulenceMD Beauty has a line called “Less is More”. I figured it was a good starting place for a less dramatic lash. I purchase the style “Say Less” The lashes are definitely still on the long side, but it’s not nearly as thick as my Freedom style lashes. These look wispy and delicate.

Magnetic lashes, should you wear magnetic lashes

My Freedom lashes were good for a few hours but I wouldn’t dare wear them for a full 8 hour work day. I’m just not about that life. After experimenting with “Say Less” I decided to put it to the test and wear them to work.

My day job at the moment is in retail sales. I wear business casual attire and am constantly on my feet walking around and talking to people. With the whole COVID situation, it’s very important that I refrain from touching my eyes throughout the day. I didn’t want lashes to exacerbate any desire to touch my face.

I felt confident, feminine and pretty while wearing Say Less. I even think they helped me look a little more “awake” than usual. The lashes stayed on very well. I checked throughout the day (paranoid, as it was my first all day trial run) and never had to adjust its placement.

Because the lashes are long, you will feel them touch your upper lid when you open your eyes very big, but that’s about it.

I should mention that I was rushing when I applied my lashes. I was running late and quickly put on the magnetic liner. It got a little messy, so I tried to wipe away excess with my fingertips and then put a little bronzer on my eyelids. It probably took me 2 to 3 minutes from start to finish.

I ended up getting several compliments from coworkers. I’m looking forward to making this a regular, or semi-regular thing.

So, Should you try magnetic lashes?

It’s definitely worth trying. If the novelty isn’t enough of a draw they actually are much easier for beginner beauty enthusiast to apply. The lashes I’ve been using are made by an eye doctor who claims that they’re safer than using traditional eyelash glue.

Price point wise, I’m very pleased. The lashes cost $45. I got 3 pairs of faux mink lashes, magnetic liner and an applicator. Each pair is supposed to be good for up to 25 wears. In theory, I should get 75 uses out of the purchase. So about $0.60 per wear. Not bad at all for magnetic lashes.

My set did not come with a case, but I’m fine with keeping it in tray in was packaged in.

I’m so happy with these so far. I want to try more styles. I may need to join their premium membership club. If I do, I’ll report back with my thoughts.

Have you tried magnetic lashes yet? Do you think they’re easier than traditional lashes? If you decide to try them out, comment below to let me know what you thought.

CURLS’ Wash and Go Gel on 4A Natural Hair

September 22, 2020 Bri Fitzpatrick Leave a Comment

Curly girls, where you at? Let’s talk about CURLS’ new wash and go gel.

If you have textured hair, like myself, you probably know how challenging it can be to achieve the perfect wash and go (a style that highlights your natural curl pattern by using curl defining stylers and gels). My go to gel for years has been Eco-Styler Gel. It does an amazing job of defining my curls and coils, but it leaves a hard, crunchy gel cast that can’t be scrunched away.

A friend of mine shared a discount/affiliate code for the CURLS brand. I’ve used a few of their products in the past and was curious about its recently launched series of styling gels. I grabbed all four.

The green bottle was formulated specifically for “wash and go’s”. The company calls it the B n Control Sculpting gel. It’s supposed to have a firm hold without flaking or having drying alcohols.

Is it worth it?

Read more to see an in-depth assessment of this gel. We’re getting into the nitty gritty. Everyone knows us curly girls are PARTICULAR when it comes to our products.

Smell

Neutral to bad. This is not one of those products that makes passersby admire the scent of your hair. While I didn’t think it stunk, the mixture of ingredients was slightly unpleasant.

Price

This gel retails for $5.99. I used a discount code so I paid a little less. Even without a discount, the price isn’t bad for 10 oz of product. If you’re ingredient conscious, this is a good affordable option.

Ingredients

I mentioned that this is a decent choice for ingredient snobs on a budget. TRUE… but I still had to side eye an ingredient or two. It has silicones in the formula, something I generally try to avoid.

That being said, redeeming ingredients include aloe vera juice, shea butter and jojoba oil and does manage to omit drying alcohols.

How Much Product I Used

A LOT. I didn’t measure or anything like that, but I can comfortably say I used at least an ounce of product, and it’s not that my hair is that long. I probably should have used less but I felt like I was using enough for it to define my curls. So I used more. (More on that to come).

My Results

Unfortunately I lost my day one results, as I switched phones that day. I do have a picture of “day two hair”. This is after spritzing (liberally) with water and fluffing.

One great thing I can say about this gel is that it didn’t make my hair take forever to dry. Even with my liberal usage. My hair dried in under 3 hours which for me is almost miraculous. Unfortunately, I think it failed to define my curls. I can achieve a fluffy wash and go’s without gel… so I going to rate this product as fairly ineffective on my hair type.

I’m almost sure that this product was meant designed for curl patterns 2c-3c, despite the company advertising it for all curl types. One size fits all is not typically a real thing in the natural hair world.

If you’re a type 4a-4c natural and have given this a try, let me know how you liked it. If anyone with looser curls has tried it, let me know how you liked it.