Skin Serum #5 Antioxidant Boost by Kensington Apothecary

Disclaimer:I was sent this as compensation for a missing product.

Back in October I was sent the Yogi Surprise Lifestyle box in lieu of a bracelet that was supposed to be in my Yogi Surprise Jewelry box but wasn't. I just finished up the Kensington Apothecary Skin Serum #5 from that box and wanted to post a review, as I liked it! Let's take a closer look.

If you are not familiar with Kensington Apothecary (I wasn't), it is a Portland, Oregon based brand that formulates and manufactures 100% natural skincare using organic and non-GMO raw materials. The founder's goal was to create a beauty line which competes against luxury skin care products while also meeting the 100% natural ingredient standards that natural skin care consumers expect.  

The Skin Serum #5 Antioxidant Boost ($36) contains Mango, Maca and White Tea Extracts along with trace minerals from clay. It's a clear, slightly viscous serum that absorbs easily into the skin and purports to be anti-aging, moisturizing, and stimulates collagen production. The only weird thing I noticed was the image on their website shows a whiskey colored serum, whereas mine is completely clear. Makes me wonder if the formula is different, but I can't really say.  

Ingredients: Mangifera Indica (Mango) Distillate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aqua (Water), Vegetable glycerin, Camellia Sinesis (Tea) Leaf Extract, Aspalathus Linearis (Roiboos) Leaf Extract, Mangifera Indica (Mango), Seed Extract, Ficus Extract, Hydrolyzed Lepidium, Meyenii (Maca) Root, French Mineral Clays(Montmorillonite, Illite, Kaolin), non-GMO Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Gluconolactone, Sodium Benzoate.   

I layer products a la the Korean skincare method, so this serum was just one of several products I used on my face. I liked that it played well with others, including my foundation. Antioxidants in skincare help to protect the skin by calming inflammation, firming skin, plumping the skin, increasing blood flow to scar tissue, and encouraging the growth of new cells. There are lots of different antioxidants that can be found in skin products, and green tea is one that has a fair amount of research to back up it's claims. Bottom line, I thought this was a good mid-priced serum and I appreciate it's natural ingredient list. I'd like to explore the brand further!

G'old McDonald and In the Taupe Ten Stylo Eyeshadow Pens by Catrice

I recently picked up two more of the Catrice Stylo Eyeshadow Pens ($5.99) when Ulta was having a sale, after having loved Brown to Earth so much. G'old McDonald is a light gold shimmer that performs nicely as an all over lid color or as a highlight on it's own or over other shadows. I'm a fan.

It's lighter than Julep's Warm Gold Shimmer Eyeshadow 101 pen, which has more of an apricot tone to it. I don't think I have any dupes for G'old McDonald in pencil format.

Julep's Warm Gold Shimmer

In the Taupe Ten reads more gunmetal gray than taupe to me, and the formula was a bit problematic. Initially I thought the bunching up you see below might be because the pen was sitting in the heat while I was taking pictures, but it still applied rather patchy on my eye when it was at room temperature.

All is not lost, however, as it works well as a base shade with powder eyeshadows on top. I'm wearing a new favorite, Estee Lauder's Fierce Safari, over In the Taupe Ten below, and all evidence of patchiness is gone.

This is such an easy dark/smoky eye look, and I even got compliments on it, so In the Taupe Ten redeemed itself in the end.

I do have a close dupe to In the Taupe Ten, Julep's Gunmetal Shimmer Eyeshadow 101 pen, which has a much better formula, albeit also a higher price ($18).

Julep's Gunmetal

Brown to Earth is still my favorite of the Catrice Stylo Eyeshadow pens, as both the color and the formula are fantastic. Here I'm wearing Brown to Earth with Fierce Safari, and I love the metallic smokiness that resulted.

In other less happy news, my Westie Lulu passed away on Thursday. She was almost 15 years old, and we had a wonderful life together. I miss her terribly.

Lulu having fun while I raked leaves

Maggie and Lulu enjoying the sun

Lulu opening gifts at her 14th birthday party

Checking out the Christmas presents

Rebel Rose MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick by Wet n Wild

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

The Wet n Wild MegaLast Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipsticks ($4.99) claim to have vivid color and an ultra-matte finish that does not dry out your lips, and based on Rebel Rose, I'd say that's true. This is a really nice drugstore liquid lipstick!

Rebel Rose is a mauve pink that works for me, as it not too pale nor does not have too strong of a gray undertone. I'd say it's a good choice for those who like the idea of those mauvey-pink shades, yet need something that works with more neutral to warm tone complexions.

My lips did not suffer with this formula, which is a plus when it comes to matte liquid lipsticks. I experienced no crumbling or flaking, and baring an oily meal, wear time was a good 6+ hours.

The only thing keeping me from getting more of the Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipsticks are the colors: nothing else is particularly calling out to me. Hopefully Wet n Wild will expand the color range, but if not, I'm happy with Rebel Rose!

Anatomy 24/7 Eye Pencil by Urban Decay

Disclaimer: I purchased this.

I purchased two items from the limited edition Jean-Michel Basquiat collection by Urban Decay: the Gold Griot palette and the 24/7 eye pencil in Anatomy. I was actually surprised at how quickly the items went on sale after being released, but that's a good thing if you are still trying to decide on if you want to purchase, although they are quickly going out of stock. I picked up Anatomy on sale, and it's a stunner.

I wasn't sure how the vibrant orange terracotta would look on, but it's surprisingly wearable. The formula is spot-on: creamy, intensely pigmented, and opaque. Probably one of the better 24/7 eye pencils I've tried, and I've tried most of them.

Here I'm wearing Anatomy over a light wash of several of the shadows from the Gold Griot palette, namely Enigma and Influence.

Mobile is currently experiencing day two of non-stop rain from Tropical Storm Cindy, which has got me feeling lackluster, tired, and ready for some sunshine. Which doesn't look like will be available anytime soon, as tomorrow is another day with steady rain.  See that red area? Yeah, that's Alabama in the bottom middle.

On top of that, my Westie Lulu is at the vet with some hard to diagnosis illness that scared the bejesus out of me when I came home on Monday. She's going to be 15 this year and I initially thought she was experiencing acute kidney failure based on her symptoms, although it now appears to be some some of bacterial infection perhaps brought on by her no longer functioning thyroid. She's still not eating or drinking so cannot come home yet, which makes me sad:-( But, on the bright side, it's not kidney failure. Rain, rain, go away and Lulu come home.

Lipstick Roulette v.5: What I'm Keeping and What I'm Tossing

Here are the lip items I randomly selected for volume 5 of my Lipstick Roulette series, which is helping me revisit items in my collection and decide which ones I want to keep or toss. I can't claim the concept as my own, as I learned about it from a YouTuber named Elle S. If I have full reviews on the items shown below, I will post links.

1. Stellar Show Off Lip Lacquer by Rimmel
2. Rose On and On Color Caresse Wet Shine Stain by L'Oreal
3. Sunset Beautiful Color Lip Gloss by Elizabeth Arden
4. 022 Lip Bomb Glossy Lacquer Stain by Mirenesse
5. Sukriya Color Lip Balm by nyx
6. Coral Be Legendary Long Wear Lip Lacquer by Smashbox
7. Candy Apple Colorburst Lip Butter by Revlon

Stellar Lip Lacquer by Rimmel

I remember when the Lip Lacquers by Rimmel came out approximately 4 years ago, as they created quite the buzz. I purchased two, the peachy Luna and the bold poppy/pink red Stellar. I decluttered Luna a while back, but I think Stellar is a lovely pop of opaque color that wears nicely, so I'll be hanging onto this.

Rose On and On Wet Shine Stain

Rose On and On by L'Oreal goes back a good 3.5 years, and I'm not sure it's distinctive enough from a regular gloss that I would want to hand onto it. Nope, I don't, so it's getting tossed. 

Sukriya Color Lip Balm

The Sukriya Color Lip Balm by nyx packs some nice pigment for a lip balm and I like the formula enough to keep it around, so it's staying.

Coral Lip Lacquer + Sunset Lip Gloss

The Coral Be Legendary Long Wear Lip Lacquer by Smashbox is a nice liquid lipstick formula, and I like the color so it's a keeper.  Here I topped it with the Sunset Lip Gloss by Elizabeth Arden, which has a very faint shimmer to it. It's not distinctive enough for me to keep around, so the gloss is getting tossed.  

022 Lacquer Stain

The Mirenesse Lip Bomb Glossy Lacquer Stain was from a Hautelook beauty bag, and I can't say I'm a fan of  the formula. It's a bit too goopy/thick and just not flattering to my lips, so it's getting tossed. 

Candy Apple Red Lip Butter

Gosh, more than a few of the lip products from this go around are really pushing the expiration limits age wise, although none of the formula's smell 'off', which is what I go by. Candy Apple Red Lip Butter by Revlon is actually five years old, my how time flies.  I still like it and it seems fine, so it's staying :-) So, that means I'm tossing 3 items and keeping 4, which is progress. Now, let's see the items I chose for the v. 6 of Lipstick Roulette!

1. True Love Lipsurgence Lip Gloss by Tarte
2. All Gold E'rything Be Legendary Lip Gloss by Smashbox
3. Bold Blush 420 Pop Balm by L'Oreal
4. 523 Flash Lacquer by Giorgio Armani Beauty
5. Venezia Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick by stila
6. Miami Lipstick by Buxom (discontinued)
7. Julie Lip Gloss by Buxom