Ask Me Anything!

Happy Friday! I've done a fair amount of tags and share some personal things in posts, but wanted to do a proper question and answer on the blog! I'll answer anything (within reason) whether it's about beauty, music, books, my life, the world, etc. Either comment on this post or tweet me @rpolansky77. You'll of course be recognized and I'm hoping the post will go up next Wed. or Fri.
Hopefully you'll enjoy getting to know me more and I look forward to answering your questions :)

Wearing the new Marc Jacobs Primer and Full Coverage Foundation (reviewed here)

So go ahead, comment or tweet me. You know you want to...

Givenchy Glow Products

Givenchy is one of those brands I've never thought to try. I'm no stranger to designer beauty and have no problem paying the higher price tag if it's worth it but for some reason Givenchy just never made it on to my radar. One of the perks of being home is having access to many Sephoras with many brands and these two items caught my eye the other day.

Mister Radiant. This is marketed as an "innovative face gel". The little beads burst upon application, providing a tan glow that might seem intimidating but easily sheers out. There's not enough color in my opinion to be used as anything but a primer, and the gel texture makes it great for that. There isn't really any color once applied all over, but it still gives a nice glow. I can see myself wearing this alone on no makeup days when even a tinted moisturizer is too much.

Healthy Glow Powder in Shade 1 Première Croisière - tan beige. Although it's supposed to be a bronzer, I was instantly drawn to shade 1. It's a light beige shade that can be used as an all-over face powder and I can't see it being used as an actual bronzer on any skin tone. It's so finely milled and I love the finish it gives, whether wearing it alone or with foundation. The powder is a baked gel, which is a first to use for me. I really like it and the glow it gives, and can see myself wanting a darker shade for a bronzer in the near future (although my wallet is screaming no). As you can see from the swatch, it hardly shows up on my skin and just gives a very subtle sheen.

Healthy Glow, Mister Radiant

Have you tried anything from the Givenchy line? I'd love to know your recommendations!

Marc Jacobs Full Coverage Foundation and Coconut Face Primer

I love Marc Jacobs Beauty. In addition to extremely sleek and luxurious packaging, the products themselves are wonderful. I've raved about the eyeliners, which are probably my favorite item, but I also own a mascara, some lip glosses, concealers, etc. So you can bet I was super excited when I learned they had a new primer and foundation launching. I ordered the primer online and got the foundation at a Sephora near me at home -- it's so new it wasn't on the shelves yet, but they still helped me find a perfect match.

First, let's talk about the Under(cover) Perfecting Coconut Primer. I love the luxurious glass bottle and love even more that it comes with a pump. This is meant to be hydrating and nourishing, which helps when dealing with a fuller coverage foundation. It's supposed to make you look younger (which isn't really a concern for me) as well as smooth out imperfections. I'm loving it so far. 

I have the Re(marc)able Full Cover Foundation Concentrate (that's a mouthful) in Bisque Medium, which is for fair skin with neutral undertones. There are a lot more shades than the original gel serum foundation, so I would suggest swatching this in store. It's a full coverage foundation, so you only need a few jobs. I'm not crazy about the dropper applicator but it makes do. It reminds me of a thicker version of the Cover FX drops -- a little goes a long way. Although it's more matte than dewy, I find it sinks into my skin perfectly and provides great coverage. It's lightweight yet long wearing and would work for any skin type.

Coconut Primer and Full Coverage Foundation

Even though these launched less than a week ago, have you tried them? Let me know if you have any other Marc Jacobs product recommendations! 

Upset At Ulta and Heading Home

Hi all, so I know I had said this next post would be a part 2 of my Catrice Beauty haul/review and believe me I wanted it to be. The second half of my items came yesterday and one of the eyeshadows I was excited about was completely shattered. They're sending me a new one but what makes me even more upset is that two of my items still haven't shipped! The order was placed a week ago and they said they can't tell if the items are sold out or not... wouldn't you be able to tell? And don't have the items for sale if you don't have them! Needless to say, I'm quite upset and figured it would be dumb to do a post only featuring three items so I am sorry that's not up.

On another note, I've been loving channeling the 90s vibe with black choker necklaces, like this one I got from Forever 21. Plus it's been a while since I've posted a selfie and don't want all of you to forget what I look like ;p

I'm heading home for the next two weeks and blog posts should still be normal. The week after next I will be away on vacation. I'm going to try to either pre-schedule posts or write when I'm there, but there might be a small decrease in posts. Sorry for such a boring post but just wanted to rant and update you all on where I'm at!

New In: Catrice Beauty (Part 1)

Before I get into the post, as you can see, lots of exciting changes are being made to the blog. You'll now see that I have an actual domain (Makeupmusicbooks.com) and have dropped the blogspot part, as well as snazzy graphic changes. Bare with me as things may get a bit funky but the finished result will be worth it. Anyways, onto the fun stuff...

I'd actually never heard of the brand Catrice Beauty, until one of my favorite bloggers Nouveau Cheap announced the brand landed at Ulta. Maybe it's just psychological, but I tend find that the harder it is to get a product, the more I want/like it. Catrice Beauty used to be exclusive to Europe, and I found all my products on Ulta.com. They're super super affordable and have quite a wide range. This is just a first impressions haul/review, with a part two coming Friday (hopefully) since my other shipment is arriving today.

 

Catrice Ultimate Stay Lip Liner in Rosy Rose and Mauve Me Tender. So I have a love-hate relationship with these. I don't really like the rose shade -- it was drying and tugged as I applied it. It's also more pink than I typically like, but that's what I get for purchasing it without swatching. I like the mauve shade though but it's nothing super special.

Long Lasting Waterproof Eyeliner in Karate With Bronze Lee. I like this, but again, not crazy about it. It's not as pigmented as I would like, although I only wore it on the water line. It needs to be built up a little but does apply pretty well.

Illuminating Blush in I Am Nuts About You and Kiss Me Ken. At only $5.99 each, my only regret is not purchasing the coral color. I really like these and although I was afraid the Ken color would be too pigmented, it's a gorgeous raspberry that starts out sheer and can be built up. I prefer "Nuts About You" because I'm a sucker for nude blushes, but both shades are silky and provide a subtle luminosity and glow.

Color Correcting Mattifying Powder. Shades of pink, purple, beige, and green combine for an all-over sheer powder that color corrects, brightens complexions, evens redness, and more. I only wore it once and wasn't overly wowed, but it did a pretty good job of setting foundation and toning down redness.

Multi Color Compact Powder. Although the swatch is hard to see, this is a slightly-darker-than-my-skin powder that can be used as a subtle bronzer, blush, or even all over powder with a light hand. I'm not 100% sure of it's true purpose but it's a solid powder.

Fine and Prime Anti Redness Cover Stick. This is an item I (surprisingly) don't really have in my collection. I don't get red spots too often, but I figured it would be handy to have a color correcting stick in my collection to help conceal. It seems pretty creamy and decent.

L-R: Bronze Lee, Rose, Mauve, Nuts About You, Kiss Me Ken, Multi Color Powder, Color Correcting Powder, Anti Redness

Now, my only gripe about Catrice being available exclusively at Ulta is their horrendous shipping times. First of all, you have to spend $50 to get free shipping--which can take over a week to come. If you want it faster, you have to spend $10 for 2 day shipping, which doesn't include processing time, which means it can take 4-5 days to come. You would think with competitors like Sephora offering free 2 day shipping that they would step up their game! I love the range of products and especially since there is no store near me, I wish it was easier to get to you!

I'm done with my rant... have you tried anything from Catrice? Anything look appealing? Share your thoughts!

My First Time Tag

I'm always down for a good tag, and I saw Dulce Candy do this with her husband last week, so here ya go. And not to burst your bubble, but it's a lot less dirty than you may have thought ;)

1) Do you still talk to your first love? I do not. We had a messy breakup in high school and haven't really talked since.
2) What was your first job? Besides babysitting, I was a camp counselor and worked at a bagel place at the same time.
3) What was your first car? A gold Subaru forester--I still have it four years later.
4) Who was the first person who texted you today? My mom
5) Who's the first person you thought of this morning? My boyfriend who I woke up next to :)
6) Who was your first grade teacher? Mrs. Rosenberg--she was amazing!
7) Where did you go on your first airplane ride? I don't remember it but I know I went to Barbados when I was younger, so I'm assuming that's it.
8) Who was your first best friend & do you still talk to him/her? Her name was Hana and she lived up the street from me, unfortunately she moved in 3rd grade and then we drifted apart. 
9) Where was your first sleepover? I think Hana's house? 
10) Who was the first person you talked to today? My boyfriend
11) Who's wedding were you in for the first time? I've actually never even been to a wedding, let alone been in one!
12) What was the first thing you did this morning? Checked my phone
13) What was the first concert you ever went to? Avril Lavigne! 
14) First Broken Bone? I've never broken a bone, but I've fractured my nose and sprained my ankle.
15) First Piercing? My ears, which I had to wait until fourth grade to do.
16) First Foreign Country? Europe--Paris and France
17) First movie you remember seeming in the theaters? Oh wow remember? I know I must have seen a lot of movies but my first real vivid memory is Finding Nemo.
18) When was your first detention? I was a pretty good kid but I did have to stay after school in sixth grade once.
19) Who was your first roommate? Her name was Zoe, freshman year of college.
20) What was the first lesson you ever took? I think swimming.
21) Who was the first beauty related person you watched on youtube? Ayydubs!

Let me know if you have any other tags you want me to do, and if you do this tag, let me know!

July 2015 Glossybox

As I mentioned in my last post, I haven't had the best experience with subscription boxes. I actually received my June Glossybox last week and then the July box today. You can still sign up and get the July one, which is why my review is (hopefully) still relevant. I have the month-to-month service, which means I can cancel my subscription any month. They promise luxury beauty samples that are either deluxe or full size, which at $20 a month it better be. I think my favorite part is the actual box, they're quite durable and pretty, plus great to help organize makeup.

Naked Lips Organic Lip Balm. Meh not super excited about this. I guess it's always nice to have a new lip balm but I tend to always have a bunch and this one is nothing special. It's natural with a peppermint feeling, but doesn't even provide an SPF.

Hey Honey I Peel Good. Now this is an item I'm excited about. I love honey based products and you're supposed to leave this cream peel on for 2-3 min. so it can improve skin's elasticity and texture. It's for all skin types and if you massage it on, the benefits improve.

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask. I haven't tried many Laneige products, although since they're sold at Target I'm always tempted. Yet again, this is another product I don't really need but seems nice to have--an overnight sleeping mask that plumps and hydrates skin.

Kueshi Anticellulite Booster. This product is full sized and retails for $22.60, which is already more than the cost of the box. That means basically everything else is a bonus (which is quite honestly how I feel about them). Sometimes I think these things can be gaffs, and I've yet to try it, but it's supposed to smooth and reduce swelling. Can't hurt to try and if anything it can psychologically improve body image, right?

Face Stockholm Eye Pencil. Everyone received these in different colors, and unfortunately (or fortunately) I received this in brown. It's definitely just an eyeliner shade, not a lip shade, which is sucky because the texture seems a lot more suited for lips. Swatching didn't provide high hopes.

So I'm kinda meh about this, but I think I'll give it another shot or two. Do you get Glossybox? Let me know about your experiences!