Precious Petals Megaglo Highlighting Powder by Wet 'n Wild

Well would you look at this.  A drugstore highlighting powder from Wet 'n Wild that I've been reaching for every day since I got it a few weeks back, even over some other favorites from much more expensive brands.  

Not only is Precious Petals gorgeous to look at and reminiscent of much higher end brands, it also applies smoothly with minimal powder kick-up, perhaps due to it's talc free formula?   Shimmer can be built up from glow-from-within to high beam by applying layers. For the arm swatches, you are looking at 3 layers and a resulting high beam shimmer.

The color of Precious Petals is what I consider a soft champagne pink.  It's slightly pinker than BECCA's Opal, although in the same ballpark. I have one other limited edition highlighter from Le Metier de Beaute that is close in color, Trompe l'Oeil. 

Both Opal and Trompe l'Oeil kick up much more powder in comparison, although they both apply beautifully.  Precious Petals is right up there with them, however, which is saying something considering it's $4 price tag. 

Too bad Precious Petals and it's sister Crown of my Canopy are limited edition! I tried to pick up the darker Crown of my Canopy once I realized how nice Precious Petals is, but they were all gone, gone, gone.  Within a few days, actually, and I'm already seeing listings on ebay with prices just shy of $30.  Crazy.  Good.

Sheet Masks and Weeds Are Taking Over: Memebox FOMO Mask Unboxing

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

I enjoy using the occasional sheet mask once or twice a week, but when I saw the FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) Mask Box on presale at Memebox for $39, I decided it was time to up my sheet mask game. I was able to use some MemePoints which knocked off $5, making this mystery box of masks even more attractive. Let's see what was inside, starting with these fun colored, albeit landfill cluttering little pods from Prelab. For the few masks I've already used I'll include a more detailed description.

Prelab Skin Energy Mask - White Energy $2

Prelab Skin Energy Mask - Wrinkle Energy $2

Prelab Skin Energy Mask - Soothing Energy $2

Prelab Skin Energy Mask - Aqua Energy $2

I've used the Prelab Aqua Energy mask, which was heavily saturated with essence and features sea water to deeply hydrate dry and rough skin. My skin is oily but I'm coming to the conclusion that it's also dehydrated, and this mask did a good job of moisturizing without feeling too heavy or breaking me out. The  mask itself is 100% natural fiber derived from botanical plants and my biggest issue was unfolding it, but beyond that it fit and wore well.  There was enough essence to smooth it down from the mask onto my neck and decollete with a wear time of about 35-40 minutes.

Ingredients:  Water, methylpropanediol, glycerin, butylene glycol, sea water, trehalose, sodium hayluronate, allantoin, panthenol, peg-60 hydrogenated castor oil, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolymer, xanthan gum, tromethamine, carbomer, disodium edta, ethlhexylglycerin, chlorphenesin, ethyl hexanediol, 1,2-hexandiol, fragrance.

The most represented brand was Mediheal, and I'll start with the fancy masquerade themed Dress Code series, which allows you to play dress up while treating your skin. 

Mediheal Dress Code in Blue - Aqua Care $3

The Blue Aqua Care contains hyaluronic acid, lavender extract, and rosemary extract to hydrate dry and rough skin.

Mediheal Dress Code in Violet - Tone-Up Care $3

The Violet Tone-Up Care contains several high quality berry oils and extracts to help brighten and revitalize the skin.

Mediheal Dress Code in Red - Ginseng Care $3

The Red Ginseng Care contains ginseng as its main ingredient, which is supposed to help the skin develop stronger cells. Other key ingredients are

• Trehalose:  rehydrating and water binding properties, antioxident 
• Betaine: humectant and anti-irritant  
• Fig Extract: hydrating and provides enzymatic exfoliating action 10x greater than papaya 
• Mulberry Extract: lightens age spots and uneven skin tone
• Gingko Biloba Extract: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory

The mask was richly saturated with essence to the point where I was able to wear it for a good 35-40 minutes. My skin felt mildly tacky afterwards but not to the point where it bothered me for felt like too much for my skin, something I've noticed with some masks. My skin was plumped, well hydrated, and I did not experience any morning after whiteheads, which sometimes happens when I use overly emollient sheet masks. Overall, thumbs up.

Mediheal also has a more medical looking series of masks, no doubt connoting serious ingredients for serious skincare benefits. Or at least I'm hoping:

Mediheal E.G.T. Timetox Ampoule Mask $4 (firming)

Mediheal I.P.I Lightmax Hydro Nude Gel Mask $4 (brightening)

Mediheal N.M.F. Aquaring Hydro Nude Gel Mask $4 (moisturizing)

Mediheal P.D.F A.C-Defense Hydro Nude Gel Mask $4 (acne and oil control)

Mediheal P.D.F. A.C Dressing Ampoule Mask $4 (heal and sooth irritated, troubled skin)

Mediheal Mogongtox Soda Bubble Sheet $4 (deep cleansing and exfoliating)

Mediheal I.P.I. Lightmax Ampoule Mask $4 (brightening)

Mediheal N.M.F. Aquaring Ampoule Mask $4 (moisture regulating)

I think the most visually appealing set of masks to me is the Banobagi Vita Genic jelly masks.  I like the simple and colorful design and that I can tell what each mask's primary purpose is at a glance, without having to look up acronyms (I'm eyeing you, Mediheal). These are currently $6 at Memebox, and I received 2 of each:

The sneak peek mask was the Oozoo Face Injection Mask Hydro Lift ($5), which features a separate serum with anti-aging and hydrating ingredients including Ceramide, Ectoine and Beta-Glucan that you inject into the mask.  Fancy.

Also high on the visually pleasing scale but rather low on quality (based on Be-light's usage) are the Urban Dollkiss masks (6 total). The currency artwork is stunning, but the masks themselves are on the small side and rather dry. I guess they will be good for nights when I don't want to sit with a mask on my face for 30-40 minutes, as the one I tried was dry after about 10 minutes.  Oh well, let's enjoy the artwork.

Urban Dollkiss Welcome to Korea Be-light $2

Urban Dollkiss Welcome to Korea Impact Essential $2

Urban Dollkiss Welcome to Korea Moistful $2

Urban Dollkiss Welcome to Korea Solution $2

There were a total of 30 masks from 5 different brands, which averages out to $1.13/mask for what I paid. Personally, the reasonable price + the variety = happiness for me. I can get a bit overwhelmed when perusing Kbeauty products, so something like this helps me experiment and discover without spending endless amounts of time reading reviews prior to purchasing. Not that that isn't fun as well....but you get the point.  The FOMO Mask box is sold out, but Memebox is always adding new boxes, so I'm sure something comparable will be coming down the pike.

The Spring Blues

Disclaimer:  I purchased these.

Every spring I seem to veer towards wearing bright eyeliner with a neutral toned lid.  Something about it feels fresh yet vibrant, kind of like spring itself.  To that end, Urban Decay's 24/7 eye pencils in Chaos, Electric, and Deep End were released from the vault.

Chaos is a dark periwinkle matte blue, Electric is a bright turquoise shimmer, and Deep End is a vibrant teal shimmer.

I love using bareMinerals 5-in-1 BB Cream eyeshadow in Barely Nude as an eye base, as it is a perfect match for my skin tone and both smooths out my lid while minimizing imperfections.  It's not a true matte as there is a very subtle shimmer that keeps it from falling flat without registering as a visible shimmer.

Barely Nude blended

To add a bit more shimmer I then topped it with the #8 flesh colored My Parisian Pastels shimmer cube by Lancome (full review here).  Chaos then adds a hint of color without screaming "colored eyeliner!".  I used Estee Lauder's LE Sumptuous Color mascara in extreme indigo on my bottom lashes to provide a bit more blue to my lower lash line.  I really like how this turned out.

Chaos

For this look I used Deep End on my upper lash line and Electric on my lower lash line and paired them with a light gold shimmer (#7 My Parisian Pastel) and soft orange matte shadows (stila Clay) over Barely Nude.  

What do you do with your makeup to signal the arrival of spring?

Nourish & Regenerate: Yogi Surprise Jewelry Subscription for May

Disclaimer:  I purchased this.

May's Yogi Surprise jewelry subscription box is focused on how we renew, nourish and regenerate ourselves:

The sandalwood, pearl, and amazonite mala necklace is gorgeous!  I love how the wood looks with the soft white and green beads and it definitely evokes spring for me. 

Sandalwood is a traditionally used wood for mala necklaces and is supposed to attract positive subtle vibrations, clear perceptions, promote tranquility and a positive frame of mind.  Sandalwood is also purported to be an antidepressant, antiseptic, insecticidal, and sedative wood and is therefore used to assist the immune system in the healing process and prevention of illness (source).  It also smells good :-) 

Pearls symbolize purity and stimulate the mind in clarity and wisdom.  Amazonite is thought to dispel worries, fears, anger, and irritation and also helps to balance mood swings. 

This month's bracelet features 6 labradorite beads paired with white jade.  Labradorite is known as a protector stone and is thought to bring natural intuitive abilities to light.  I'm a believer in intuition and have had occasional premonitory dreams since I was a child.  They are not usually anything of great significance, but I'm no longer surprised when I dream of someone I haven't seen or talked to in years and then run into them the next day or they shoot me an email.  White jade is supposed to block distractions and aid in decision making and protect you from negative energies.

I've been enjoying stacking my Yogi Surprise bracelets and love how this new addition looks in the mix. 

May's chocolate offering is from Lovely Candy Co. and is reminiscent of Tootsie Rolls but with more natural ingredients.  They taste great and do not stick to your teeth, so count me a fan.

Great month!  So now I should have plenty of protection, peace and tranquility all while making good decisions fueled by my sharpened intuition and laser-like perceptions.  Bring it on.