February Favorites

The month of February flew by.

It was the 1st, and then it was Valentine's Day, then Easter decor started popping up everywhere. Literally everywhere. Can we slow down, just a second please? I barely had time to shop for new beauty products this month, as you'll see my Favorites reflect that. 

Although the shortest month of the year is over, I'm not complaining, spring is slowly easing its way into PA and it's glorious. 

So without further ado, if you're interested in checking out the products I kept reaching for in February, keep scrolling. 

Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer 

I added this to my shower routine in January, and couldn't stick to using it. This month I forced myself to remember, and I am so happy I did. This is one of those products that seems a bit gimmicky in stores, I'll admit. What made me reach for this is actually the other brand of in-shower lotion, Nivea. I tried the Nivea lotion during the summer, and hated it. It left moisturized, but greasy and that shit ain't cute. So I figured I'd give this one a go. You rub it in after bathing and pat it dry. I still use my lotion when I get out, but with this you truly don't have to. 

If you've been eyeing this up I definitely recommend just trying it, this bottle's almost empty and I plan on purchasing it again. (There's even a coupon for it in Sunday's paper!)

purchase here

Noxzema Original Deep Cleansing Cream

I had been using Pacifica Sea Foam Complete Face Wash for a few months, and never noticed any changes to my skin. I don't have acne prone skin or anything, but I was expecting a difference after washing. Then in January my skin went nuts for a couple of weeks, and my cleanser wasn't doing anything for it. I hopped into Target and gravitated towards this Noxzema product. It has eucalyptus in it, like some of their other products that I like so I bought it, and some face masks. I think the jar was $3.99. Figured why not. I instantly noticed a difference in the pimples, and with continued use I'm starting to notice a difference in my skin's texture overall. 

purchase here

Hard Candy Just Glow! Baked Illuminating Powder Duo in Twinkle Star

The Hard Candy 12hour Power Primer is my current go-to primer when I need my makeup to last all day, so I've been trying to explore some of the brands other products. I never hear anyone raving or ranting about Hard Candy, so I've kind of taken it upon myself to just try every product they put out. This illuminator isn't my favorite highlight powder of all time, but this month I've definitely been reaching for it more than my others. The duo features a peach-bronze, and light white gold shade. I mix them together with a fan brush and it's just so beautiful on the cheek bones.

purchase here 

Maybelline FitMe Shine-Free Foundation stick in 340 Cappuccino 

I don't think there's really much to say about this product. It's from Maybelline's FitMe foundation line, which is amazing, and because it's a stick foundation it's super easy and quick application gets me out the door in like 3 minutes when I'm in a rush

purchase here

Thanks for stopping by, XO

The Amuse Bouche by Bite Beauty

Hi everyone, I'm really excited about this product so I'm just going to jump right in to the details.

Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche lipsticks (0.15 oz). If you're a Sephora VIB you can purchase these as an online exclusive for $26, they release in stores March 4. You're going to want to grab these as soon as you can.With 12 edible oils giving the product its immediately recognizable citrus scent, The Amuse Bouche is moisturizing, long-lasting and incredibly comfortable on the lips. I have three shades, Beetroot (bold berry), Gazpacho (true-blood red), and Pepper (dusty rose). If you're following me on social media you know I've been borderline obsessed with the colors I have, and cannot wait to get my hands on a few more of the 34 shades they offer. And I mean with names like Black Truffle, Meringue, Sorbet.. can you blame me?

From left to right : Gazpacho, Beetroot, Pepper

What surprised me most about this formula is the longevity. After a few swipes in the morning, I can have a few sips, lunch and most of this creamy lipstick hasn't budged. AMAZING. I even has a frosty one afternoon and was floored when I checked the mirror only to find the product had barely budged. Major. I know.

Even better still is that I didn't purchase these with my own money, Influenster was gracious enough to send all three of these to me in the Bite Beauty VoxBox. I'll briefly touch on Influenster at the end of this post.





The lipsticks themselves didn't come in individual boxes, just the tubes.
Matte grey, which I love, bullet-shaped tubes, with the standard twist up and down device. Like a normal lipstick, so nothing fancy or unexpected here.

Here are some swatches so you guys can get a better idea of how these will look.

From left to right : Beetroot, Gazpacho, Pepper

(in normal lighting)

(flash photo)

Like I mentioned earlier, these were sent to me by Influenster, and this is definitely my favorite VoxBox. I probably never would've given these a thought if I hadn't received them, and these are my favorite lipstick formula at the moment. I can NOT get enough. 

Speaking of Influenster, have you guys joined Influenster yet? If so, awesome, congratulations. If not, you need to. The site itself allows consumers to find out the latest news and expert tips on almost any kind of product on the market, as well as those yet to be released. You can review (honestly ofcourse) and share your experience and opinions directly with the brands and the community. And the ofcourse there are the VoxBoxes. VoxBoxes allow you to test new products for free based on your level of social media influence. So the more questions you answer, reviews you do, and all around social media interaction, you can start to qualify for VoxBoxes. They're the best part and all designed with different themes, lifestyles and even brand boxes. If you're interested in trying it out all you have to do is head over to their site, here, and sign up. Like I said it's free and if you link your social media accounts, most of the work is done for you. And you get the opportunity to try brand new products and stay ahead of the game. 

Thanks for reading ! XO

PinkSmoke

Hi there.
I posted this full face look on my instagram during Valentine's Day weekend, but the pics were only from my phone so they weren't the best quality.
So I figured this look would be a great way to make a return here at my baby blog.
As you probably realized, over the past few years I've hopped on and off of the blog train, mainly for personal reasons...being too busy, too much on my plate, yadda yadda. The usual list of excuses.
But over the past 6months or so, I've been making plans to do this blog and some other projects. The fact of the matter is, I love all things beauty related, and being able to share and create looks and products with you all is something I truly enjoy. So basically I'm back. So deal with it.


As I mentioned above, I posted this look on Valentine's Day weekend, so the holiday itself is pretty much the inspiration behind this look.
If you're interested in checking out the products I used, keep reading.

My HairCare Miracle

Are you ready to meet the 3 step hair care system that has made my hair silky smooth, cut my blow drying time in half and literally smells like the essence of luxury ?

OH. And it's less than I spend on dinner and dessert.