Talk About Cosmetics - Wander Beauty Lip & Cheek Gels

Have you heard of Wander Beauty? I’ve been so intrigued about the brand for so, so long that when it came time to make a Christmas wish list I knew I had to include them somehow. Then I found the Carryon Wherever You Go kit and added it my list with glee. Turns out Santa (or my Dad) found my list and I unwrapped the set on Christmas morning and have been enjoying this incredible set since then.

The set contains minis of Wander Beauty’s four Carryon Lip and Cheek Gels. The colors, which all have a satin finish, are island Hop, Pink City, Tinseltown and Madisoness. They’re made with hydrating, soothing, conditioning ingredients and color that is easy to blend, buildable and long-lasting. They leave behind a gorgeous stain and work as well on the cheeks as they do on the lips and as well on the lips as they do on the cheeks. I’ve tried many lip and cheek products and I can’t say they all work that way, this is actually incredibly rare, and these minis do it seamlessly.

All four shades are so pretty! Choosing a favorite is hard but it might just be Pink City since it’s a classic, easy-to-wear mauve shade. You’ve also got the fun bright pink Island Hop, peachy nude Madisoness, and rose toned red aptly called Tinseltown. They all have their time and place, so I’ve gotten tons of wear out of each.

Top to bottom: Tinseltown, Pink City, Island Hop, Madisoness

The formula is so smooth and buttery it’s just like wearing an ultra-luxurious lip balm. My lips love the hydration and comfort they provide. They have no scent or taste. The color is gorgeous and lasts so beautifully, on cheeks or lips. After a few hours the balm wears away and you’re left with a pretty wash of color. They blend effortlessly on cheeks and last well as blush, too. These are an absolute dream! The size is perfect, too! They fit in any pocket, purse, makeup bag, hand, wherever! They’re cute but not too itty bitty. They still have a good amount of product and will last a good length of time.

They, like all Wander Beauty products, are cruelty-free, vegan, and free from parabens, synthetic fragrances, mineral oil, and phthalates.

I’m absolutely in love. If they had more colors I would purchase them. And I am certainly even more interested in Wander Beauty now that I’ve found love with these four baby beauty gems. Let me know if you’ve tried anything from Wander Beauty and if you have any favorites from the line.

My Dad bought my gift set from QVC, but you can find the full-sized individual versions (which are much larger) on Wanderbeauty.com, Sephora, Nordstrom and anywhere Wander Beauty is sold. 

Talk About Subscription Boxes - Feb. 2018 Goodbeing

Every time I open my mailbox and find my Goodbeing box waiting for me inside I’m reminded just how quickly time goes. This year is already flying by, and to quote a great song from my past, “the years start coming and they don’t stop coming”. Maybe once you hit 30 time starts moving more quickly. Or maybe having a monthly subscription box just makes you notice it more. Who knows!

Anyway, skip this paragraph if you’re already familiar with Goodbeing, but if you’re not then check it out because this a basic breakdown for those unfamiliar with the service. Goodbeing is a monthly beauty and/or lifestyle box that focuses on natural and cruelty-free products. You can sign up for the month to month plan or purchase an annual subscription which allows you to save 15%. From there, you can choose either the Standard plan or the Mini plan. With the Mini Goodbeing, you’ll receive 2 items per month, either 2 travel size or a full size plus a deluxe sample. This plan has an average value of $15-$20 but will vary month to month. The Standard plan has an average monthly value of $40-$50 and comes with 4-5 items per month in a mix of sizes that can be full size or deluxe sample sized. And, as an extra (awesome) perk you get to choose 1 or 2 items yourself each month. You can truly customize your Goodbeing experience to make it what you want it to be. You start off by filling out a detailed member survey about product preferences and concerns. Click here to check out the different plan options and how it all works.

Once again, I forgot to take a screenshot of the choices so let’s just nix that idea because I didn’t do it when I chose my products for next month either. I have marked my picks with a *.

I received: Z Skin Cosmetics Neck Firming Cream*, Curandera Remedies Mysore Herbal Salve*, Au Naturale Créme De La Crème in Ivory, Sahajan Restorative Eye Cream, Plaine Products Shampoo, and ReChoc Reservatrol Dark Chocolate.

I selected the Z Skin Cosmetics Neck Firming Cream thinking it would be perfect for my super dry neck. They say the first parts of your body to show signs of aging are your neck and your hands, and even though I’m not super worried about fighting signs of aging (it’s going to happen regardless of how we feel about it) I am interested in taking care of my skin. I must admit that I don’t take very good care of the skin on my neck. I was excited to try a product specifically designed for the skin on the neck but I’m not in love with this. It has more scent than I thought it would so I’m going to have to pass it on. This is a full-sized product coming in at $19 for 1 fl. Oz.

I chose the Curandera Remedies Mysore Herbal Salve, designed to help soothes aches and pains, for my Mom, who has RA. It’s made with Olive Oil, Candelilla Wax, Arnica Infused Tea, 100% Alcohol, Essential Oil Blend (Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Orange, Ginger), and Menthol Crystals. She really likes the smell of this but has no comment on how it works yet. I’ll keep you updated. This is also a full-sized product. You get 2 oz. for $15. 

The Au Naturale Créme De La Crème in Ivory was a fun surprise. Makeup is my favorite type of product to receive in any subscription box. I wish Goodbeing actually offered a monthly makeup box option. That would be so much fun! This is a gorgeous cream shadow in a generously sized deluxe sample pot. I received Ivory, which is described as a cream shade with subtle gold undertones. It’s a beautiful nude that appears to have some shine to it. It looks gorgeous on and the formula is really lovely, too. A full size is 4 grams but this is very nearly there at 3 grams. I love Au Naturale products and this one is no exception.

The 8 mL Sahajan Restorative Eye Cream sample has a value of $25.60. Unfortunately, my sample came a bit exploded but I’m not a fan of the smell anyway. The ingredients look great and it does seem very rich and hydrating, but it has parfum and I’m way too sensitive to any smells to use it.

I received a Plaine Products Body Wash a couple of months ago and received the Plaine Products Shampoo this month. I love the perfect travel sized, eco-friendly aluminum container and I think one of you will love this product so much so it’s going into my next giveaway, so keep an eye out for that! 

I don’t eat chocolate but if I did I would be really interested in the ReChoc Reservatrol Dark Chocolate. It sounds great! This will also be heading directly to the pile of giveaway goodies. 

That sums up my February Goodbeing experience. If you’re interested in signing up, you can click here to do so. With plans starting at $9.95 you’re bound to find an option that works for you whether you’re wanting to try out the beauty box or the lifestyle box. The box ships within the US but also to Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden and the UK. A subscription would also make a great gift for any beauty lover in your life.

You can also find Goodbeing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

And if you’re already a member I would love to know what you received so be sure to leave a comment below.

(FTC: This box was sent to me for free for review purposes. I am not being compensated for this post. Although, if you sign up with my link I can get a longer subscription for free + boxes to give away to my readers. All thoughts and opinions are my own.)

Let's Love Ourselves This Valentine's Day

That's the real me. It's the real me without any editing. That sun flare is real. You can see my cute little eye crinkles (that I love most of the time) and my not so white teeth. Of course, though, that’s me with makeup on and my hair curled. I was even wearing real pants. Jeans to be accurate. Most days I’m in comfy pants and warm, cuddly tops. I’m 30, almost 31, and this year I want to love myself more than ever. For Valentine’s Day, I want to talk about accepting who you are and making peace with what makes you you.

I feel like each person goes through a tumultuous journey when it comes to how they feel about themselves, or how they view themselves. We are our own worst critics and we can be awfully mean.

There is no reason for us to feel like we aren’t pretty enough or thin enough, or that our hair isn’t long enough or thick enough, or that our skin isn’t clear enough. We are enough. We are always enough, just as we are.

I was very lucky. I know this because I still am. My parents always told me that I was beautiful and smart, and funny, and kind, and wonderful. I don’t know what happened but somewhere along the way but I stopped believing they were telling me the truth. I went through a time in my life when I wouldn’t leave my house without a full face of makeup, my hair done, and heels on my feet. I had to be made up just in case I saw someone who would think poorly of me if I wasn’t “perfect”.

My skin was never good enough (even though I was very lucky up until college and had really great skin) and my hair was never right. I was most confident when I was so thin you could see every bone in my body. I thought I was my most beautiful at 115 pounds. Just for the record, I’m 5’10”. You do that math. I started hating the way my teeth looked. I refused to smile in pictures unless I was taking them myself so I could retouch them and make my teeth whiter.

My teeth used to be totally straight, so much so that dentists always believed that I was lying when I told them I never had braces, but my teeth aren’t perfect anymore. I have been embarrassed about my no longer straight teeth for such a long time and I have no reason to be.

Pictures I’ve shared on my blog of myself have been “prettified”. I never alter the makeup or whatever it is I’m showing you but I do get rid of any zits I might have and I make sure my teeth are white, but realistically white because I would never want any of you thinking that I edit my teeth to make them look whiter. I just wanted everyone to think that they really are brilliantly white. Guess what? They aren't!

My teeth are what they are, my skin is what it is, I am who I am and I need to fall back in love with myself because I am as perfect as Kassie can and ever will be. No one in the world is perfect but we are all as perfect as we could and should be. I am beautiful. I am smart. I am funny. I am kind. I am loving. I’m not broken even though I am sick. I’m not ashamed of who I am, at least I won’t be any longer. I am me and I am proud of who I am.

I'm writing this because I want you all to remember that you are beautiful. You are perfect just like you are. Don’t ever look at social media and feel that you aren’t enough. You are. You are perfect. You deserve to love yourself and exactly who you are at this moment and every moment in the future.

Let’s Talk About Change

Things have changed. I don’t know how that quote goes verbatim but it’s something along the lines that the only constant in life is change. I don’t know if it happened when I turned 30 or if it happened in August around the time that I was in the hospital and then diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia but I’ve had this stressed out, yet apathetic feeling towards Beautiful Basics. I don’t love Beautiful Basics right now.

I’m approaching beauty in a way that is different than I ever have before. I’m evolving, and I didn’t allow my blog to change and grow with me. The big secret is this: I’m not that green anymore. I still check labels and have a lot of brands and ingredients that I just won’t allow into my makeup bag (parabens? NEVER!) but my primary focus has shifted from clean beauty to cruelty-free and vegan beauty. The good news is that many vegan products are made with healthier ingredients. I’ve been so afraid to admit that to you since it’s highly likely that you’re around because of my green, clean beauty roots. I don’t want to not use beauty products that aren’t labeled as GREEN. I just don’t. I really like Urban Decay, ULTA brand, Wander Beauty, Nudestix, and Stila. I just do. But of course, I still love clean brands, too.

The second issue I’ve been having, though, is the fact that I am enjoying having less. I don’t want a hundred lipsticks or 40 different facial masks. I have what I want, I like what I have, and I’m using what I have. There’s something so freeing about that. I have 9 blushes/bronzers. Is that a lot for an average person? Maybe. It still might be more than I need but I use them all. There isn’t a single color that I do not like. I have 11 lip colors. I think that’s an awesome and manageable amount. I wear them all and I just think that’s the coolest thing. I’ve had a large collection since I got really into makeup in college and it grew once I became a blogger.

The same goes for my skincare and hair products. I have a single shampoo, that I use every time I wash my hair and have repurchased many times. I know it works for me. Same for my skin care. I have 1 daily moisturizer and 1 cleanser. I’m addicted to them both. I have 3 facial masks, a handful of serums, and 3 treatments. I know them well, I use them, and I enjoy using them.

I previously had more product than I could ever possibly use and I’ve now managed to make it so my beauty stash brings me joy, instead of stress. I’m so proud of myself for this but it makes for a boring beauty blogger.

The final issue I’ve been experiencing is the fact that beauty hurts. Thanks to my Trigeminal Neuralgia putting on makeup is sometimes extremely painful. Using scrubs or masks or treatments can hurt and continue hurting me for days. This alone has changed beauty for me. I want to keep things simple, to keep from getting more hurt, which means I’m not experimenting with new products or trying different looks.

So, things have changed. I have changed. My outlook on beauty has changed. And now, Beautiful Basics has to change, too. In my New Year, New Content post I told you about wanting to change things up but I feel like this post was also necessary. Hopefully, you’ll stick around for what comes next.