Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

Try this, not that: Revlon Lip Stains

Ever since I started drinking mass quantities of coffee and wearing lipstick, I have been on the search for a lip stain that was low-maintenance.  The need really hit hard during college when I would apply makeup (so after Freshman year) and leave my room for hours with little time to stop in a bathroom to check my face.

I needed something that would last for hours without touch ups because in the 15 minutes I had to walk across campus, I had the choice to stop in a restroom or eat.  Guess which one I picked.

I also need something that won’t get stuck to my lips on windy State College / Pittsburgh days.  Something that wouldn’t smear all over face would also be nice, too.

Try This, Not That: Revlon Lip StainsWhile I am not above buying high-end products, when it comes to having a variety of colors, I don’t have the budget.  I love Revlon products because they are quality drugstore finds.

But I have discovered that not all Revlon lip stains are made equal.

Anything with a marker-like tip always does great on the first application, but in my experience, it’s always downhill from there.  The Revlon Stain + Balm has that effect.  I purchased this when it first came out, used it once, and lost it.  I thought that it was good stuff (because of the first-try placebo effect) and I purchased a second one.

Revlon Just Bitten marker-tip stain isn't the best Revlon stain. Try the Color Stay Balm Stain or the Colorburst Balm instead.

I had this one for longer and it was..meh.  Not impressed.  I thought it was because I had just a normal marker-pen-stain thing, not the same product with the separate balm.

So I bought another one.  Naturally.  Then I found another shade at Big Lots and of course it wasn’t impressive either.

Try this

And then the Revlon crayon-like came out and I have at least one in each variety.  I love them.

Revlon Colorburst Balm has gread buildable coverage and feels fantastic on your lips.

Some of them aren’t powerful stains, like the Revlon ColorBurst Balms, but they are greatly moisturizing.  Some of the shades do stain a little bit.

And then there’s the Revlon Color Stay Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain.

Game. Changer.  I found this through LeighannSays on YouTube.

It doesn’t feel sticky, it lasts, and the color is buildable.  I have the color Honey and it is a fantastic nude with a hint of pink that really pulls your look together but also adds moisture to your lips.

I think Revlon still sells the separate stain and balm product in stores, but it isn’t available online.  The crayon product is a great reboot.  I prefer the format of crayon-like products because they are easy to carry and apply.  I just wish the cap stayed on a little bit better.  It’s taken me a long time to remember that I really have to make sure it’s closed before I put it in my purse.

Revlon ColorBurst Balm and Color Stay Lip Stains are moisturizing and have great color pay off!

What lip stains do you prefer?  Have you found any lines that have similar products but one is vastly superior than another?

Sunday Lately, 7

If you missed it on Friday, I’ve been in particularly snarky mood this week.  I’ve been trying to keep to myself and not let it explode all over others too much.  The prompts this week will definitely help to drag me out of this.  A little appreciation goes a long way.  Just ask Britt Reints!

Sunday Lately 7Doing

Taxes!  It’s about that time.  I get so anxious when it comes to that.  I’m always worried I’m doing it wrong.  I probably wouldn’t have a problem doing it for myself if I was just doing personal taxes, but since I also have side income, I just ship off a big ol’ pile of receipts and paper to the accountant and I am happy to let him deal with it.

There are certain things that I don’t mind paying for convenience and that’s one of them.

Appreciating

Planning ahead.  I usually have social posts planned out week-by-week for some businesses that I manage, but somehow Past Angelica knew two weeks ago that Future Angelica would need a break and scheduled further in advance than normal.  Sometimes I’m my own best lifesaver.

I’m also so appreciating the support from Jonathan while I was going nutso and the time spent with friends from out of town last weekend.

Designing

My #30Lists book!  I bought a small notebook with some foil letter stickers and a cute mini-arrow stamp from rukristin on Cyber Monday (after much agonizing over what not to include in my cart because it was about $100 after discounts and I couldn’t justify that.  My stash is ridic as it is).

I can’t wait to share it with you all.  Side note: I’m a sponsor of #30Lists for March 2015 and I’m so excited!  Scrapbook nerds, unite!  You can register here for March 2015 here!

Humming

Nothing exciting.  I have been listening to my iPod in my car because I’m so sick of everything on the radio.  The songs I’m hearing now I heard on satellite radio in August when I was borrowing my father’s car and was already over them.  I haven’t updated my iPod since I purchased my new computer (4 years ago) and lost the majority of my downloaded music collection in the switch, so that’s getting a little dull, too.

I have been loving Anberlin’s Devotion album, though.  If you have recommendations for new music, please let me know!

Expecting

To have a relaxing week, hopefully.  I can’t believe it’s already the 3rd week of the month.  I feel so jypped that February only has 28 days and I’m losing 10% of the time I’d otherwise have to accomplish things.

I’ve been doing a 21 Day Affirmation Challenge with Propelle so I’m expecting that I’ll have a blog post written about that soon.  I’m also expecting that it’ll work out positively!

What have you been up to lately?

[disclaim]The link to register for 30 Days of Lists is an affiliate link.  I’ve been listing with them in 2014 and I know you’ll love it too.  Thank you for supporting gals that support Gardening in High Heels![/disclaim]

Five things that need to stop

Man it feels like it’s been a long week.  I blame the standing desk that I’ve been using at work.  It’s exhausting to be on your feet for the better part of the day.  It also makes me so hungry.  I eat something good for breakfast like chia pudding and a glass of Instant Breakfast mixed with almond milk and I’m ravenous at 10a.

I get unusually snarky when I’m in a mood, so let me entertain you with my list of things that need to stop this week.

Five things that just need to stop this week

Ridiculous drivers

During my lunch break the other day, I had to drop off documents for taxes and I had to drive there.  On my way back, I witnessed so much bad driving in the space of 10 minutes.

I was sitting in the left-turn lane at the “Stop here” line.  Some jaggo in an Audi decided he didn’t want to wait in line (or he just changed his mind) and he used the right-turn lane to cut in front of me and turn left.  It wasn’t like I wasn’t paying attention or being jerk, I was stopped legally!

Then a bus decided that he didn’t want to wait for the light to turn green before proceeding across the intersection and just went for it when no cars were coming.

This is seriously one of my biggest pet peeves, so I’ve written about it before.

Nasty people

As an introvert, I can only handle so many interactions per day.  When someone is nasty, that depletes my stores of patience at a very rapid rate.  People who think they are the shiz or they are entitled to have everything their way..ugh.

There is no reason for me to help you if you’re mean to me, make snide comments, or assume you’re entitled.

Self-centered people

This is a special group of nasty people.  Much like drivers who are just menaces on the road, most of them assume wherever they are going is the most important and everyone else can wait behind them.

There’s nothing like the person who cut in front of me to make a left-hand turn.  Yes, sir, you are more important than me.  I’m glad you missed that day in kindergarten when we were taught to wait our turn.

Also, my name is Angelica, not Angela, Angelina, Ange-mumble-mumble.  Nothing smacks of being self-centered like calling me by the wrong name for our entire interaction.

Cold

Ugh.  I’m sure we’re all sick of hearing everyone complain about the cold, but really.  I’m fine with snow (because usually that means it’s about 32 degrees), but the negative 10 degree nonsense just needs to stop.

Talking about 50 Shades of Grey

Yep, I read the books.  I will fully admit that I got sucked in.  Everyone at work was reading it (and then we all jumped off a bridge together!) so I borrowed the first book from a co-worker and it was just a train-wreck.  I couldn’t stop!

But that doesn’t meant I want to sit through a 90 minute live-action version of it.  Call me crazy, but a watered-down-R-rated version of soccer mom porn just doesn’t sound like something I want to spend my money on.

What’s on your list of things that just need to stop?

I am woman, hear me say no

I have a disease.  It’s called being a woman.  Now don’t get your tomatoes out just yet!  Hear me out.

I understand I’m painting in broad strokes, but it seems like many women have a hard time saying no.  There are shelves of books dedicated to telling us “We are enough,” and, “It’s okay to say no.”  There are blogs and articles and coaches telling us that it’s okay and actually good for us to limit ourselves.

Saying yes to things you don’t want to do robs you of the money, time, and energy that you would be using to do something worthwhile and meaningful to you, something you actually want to do that would make you feel better, more accomplished, or happier.

I don’t know about you, but I feel obligated to jump on every response, every email, every time someone calls on me the second they call on me.  It results in me being tired, burned out, resentful, and already feeling like I’m breaking my resolution of focus and connect just one month in to 2015.

Pair that obligation with having such a hard time accepting help.  I’m always so surprised when people want to help.  I don’t know if I have a chip on my shoulder about being “the responsible one” or “the one who does her job,” but it’s very difficult for me to let someone take control.

I think I see it as a sign of weakness.  We’re all so concerned about doing as much as possible that relinquishing control, in my mind, is admitting defeat.

Saying that I can’t do it all is saying I’m failing at doing something.  And I don’t fail.

I feel like that is amplified by being a woman.  I work all day, take care of the house, have a side hustle, blog, and am also supposed to have time to work out, eat, sleep, catch up on Scorpion… Impossible!

Because I am not an expert at saying no (it’s something I recognize a need for), I think I could use a little practice.

I’m issuing myself, and you, a challenge.  Say “no” to something today.  How!?  Well, take inspiration from this Levo article.

I love this line:

Saying yes to things you don’t want to do robs you of the money, time, and energy that you would be using to do something worthwhile and meaningful to you, something you actually want to do that would make you feel better, more accomplished, or happier.

So.  Spot.  On.

A few things that I would add:

Will saying yes help you work towards your goals or hurt you?

Really think through this.  Are you doing this because you think it might get you ahead or will it really help to further your goal/blog/career.  Are you doing this because you feel like it’ll make you look good or do you really want to do this?

Do you believe in what you are doing?

Like Michele mentioned in her Levo article, if you heart isn’t in it, don’t do it.  People can tell you’re faking and I’d venture to say you probably won’t enjoy it.

In the case of a product recommendation, if you don’t genuinely believe it, why are you talking about it?  Would you trust someone who wasn’t genuine?  Then why should your readers trust you if you’re not being honest.

And then focus on how you feel

Do you feel good saying no? I’m sure it’s scary, but do you feel freedom to explore other areas or are you just feeling guilty for turning down something?

I may not know a lot, but I do know that your gut will know what the right decision is.

Right, back to the challenge.  Do it today, then try it tomorrow, the next day.  Even if it’s just small things like, “No, I won’t make an extra trip to Target this week, I’ll pick up your (insert thing here) when I go back next week.”

Are you going to join me on my journey to say no?  No excuses, now!

February Birchbox First Impressions

I have been getting Birchbox for 30 31 boxes now.  I’ve done a few box reviews, but I’ve never done a first impressions.  I go through a love-hate relationship with them (I love trying new products but I hate falling in love with them and having to buy them. Oh the struggle), but since I started the #365DaysOfEmpties project, I need to keep my stash of samples up.

February Birchbox Unboxing

February just came in and I am super-excited because I decided to pick a specialty box.  I like when Birchbox lets you pick a specialty box, like this one, or pick one of your samples.  The sample choices they offered for February were samples I already tried and wasn’t like, “Yes I need another one of these,” so I went with the Rent The Runway X Birchbox box.

Rent The Runway and Birchbox made a great box collab for February in 2015

derma e Anti Wringkle Vitamin A Glycolic Scrub

I usually don’t purchase scrubs (aside from Philosophy’s The Microdelivery Wash) because a) I have a big stock of that and b) I’ve been dedicated to my Clarisonic since high school and it gets the job done.

I do like to add in a good weekly exfoliation, though I’ve been partial to AHAs instead of physical scrubbers.  This says it sloughs off dull skin, fades dark spots, and cleans pores so it sounds like a great multitasking addition.

Fekkai Blowout Hair Refresher Dry Shampoo

Thanks to Birchbox, I haven’t paid for dry shampoo in about a year or year and a half.  I love other Fekkai products they’ve sent me and I can’t wait to try this one.

Did you know that for best oil-absorbing results, you should spray on dry shampoo at night and let it work while you sleep?  I can’t remember where I learned that (probably Birchbox) but it’s a great trick.  It really works!

Not Soap, Radio Body Wash in The Stuff That Cupid Dips His Arrows In

This smells so fantastic.  I opened it up and instantly reminded me of a Bath and Body Works spray I had once that I think was also blackberry and vanilla.

I’m not particular about my body wash, but I have been using Philosophy for a while.  It’s creamy and rich and smells great.  I hope this one is as good.  I probably won’t buy it though because it’s $16 and I stocked up on Black Friday when Philosophy was having a sale.  I also received fantastic products from The Williamsburg Inn Spa from my mom for Christmas so I’m good.

Sumita Color Contrast Eyeliner in Raina

I have no idea why this is called “Color Contrast.”  It would be cool if it was a duochrome finish.  But it’s just colored liner.  This is a pretty dark blue.  I couldn’t tell that Raina is blue until I went on the website.

Birchbox suggests to layer liners..maybe that’s where the name comes from?

I have had their liners from Birchbox before and have really liked them.  They have great staying power and the color is intense.  Maybe that has something to do with the name.

theBalm Read My Lips in Bam

This is such a gorgeous peachy petal pink.  I really like that it has antioxidants in it so it’s good for you yet it’s also pretty and glossy.

I can’t wait to see if this is sheer or if it’s as pigmented as theBalm and Birchbox claims.  They also say it’s non-sticky.  I really hope that’s true because there is nothing worse than putting on lip stuff in the morning, stepping outside, and having your hair drag lines of color across your face or attaching itself to your face thanks to the wind.

Do you subscribe to Birchbox?  I can’t wait to hear what you got!

[disclaim]The Birchbox link is a referral link.  I earn points if friends sign up.  I’ve stuck with them for 31 boxes, so clearly there’s good stuff here![/disclaim]

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