Son Does Mommy's Makeup?! | cween.com

Welcome back! It's been awhile since I've created new content for my blog, and I am SO SO excited to be blogging again!

Today, my son and I created a fun "Son Does Mommy's Makeup" challenge video. JacJac is just as passionate about YouTube as I am, so this was a fun experience for us both!

If you LIKE this video, please SUBSCRIBE! And come back to visit here on CWEEN.COM

March 2018 Boxycharm Unboxing

This was a fun month! Boxycharm kicked off Summer makeup the right way with their "Baecation" themed box. If you're new to makeup, looking to expand your collection, test new products, etc. Boxycharm is arguably my favorite subscription box. For $21/month you get 5 full sized products, and those products often retail for over $100. 

The first product I received was Butter London's Double Decker Lashes Mascara. I really enjoyed this! The wand and formula reminds me a lot of Too Faced's Better Than Sex Mascara/L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara. This does end up smudging, but only if you've worn it for a very long time (more than 8hrs). But it doesn't claim to be waterproof so this will fade if worn too long. Because L'Oreal makes a mascara just like this at a drugstore price (this is $20), I wouldn't repurchase. But I do recommend if you've ever wanted to try it. 

A favorite of mine in the box is this Make Them Blush in the shade Hush Blush by Pretty Vulgar. I absolutely love this blush! It is a beautiful warm peach, which goes with virtually every makeup look. This blush is also very pigmented, so a little goes a long way. Using a light hand is key - but Make Them Blush will last a long time before hitting pan. The blush retails for $26 and is worth every penny. The formula is silky and doesn't look powdery or cakey on the skin. So nice! I recommend. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting makeup brushes in subscription boxes! And this Smokey Eye Makeup Brush Set from The Vintage Cosmetic Company is so essential. You get every brush you need to complete any eye look. A shader brush, a blending brush, and a small smudge brush. Adding brushes to my collection gives me life, and this trio will be well loved. The complete set retails for $21.76 which is a little pricey for brushes, but The Vintage makes high quality products. 

Something I'm not too keen on receiving are masks. Whether it's for hair, skin, eyes, body, etc. I have wayyy too many masks. So I have to be honest, these will sit until other masks I own are used up first. And under-eye masks aren't something I reach for. I get bags under my eyes but they don't get puffy or dry. So two of the claims for the eye masks will be lost on me. I am interested to test how they reduce dark circles though. If an under-eye mask like this is something that interests you, South Mane Beauty sells these Eye Gels for $9. 

Boxycharm partners with PUR quite a bit I've noticed. Not a bad thing because I am growing to love this brand! PUR isn't a brand I would normally shop for myself, so I'm glad receiving it via Boxycharm has made me try them out. This PUR x Boxycharm Eyeshadow is so perfect for summer. I still have love for peachy shades and this has many! It also has a fun pop of blue which is very on trend right now with eyeshadow palettes. The shimmer shadows are super creamy, and the matte shades blend easily so this is a fun palette to reach for. For $36 you can purchase this from PUR which is nice that it's not exclusive to Boxycharm.

If I've convinced you to subscribe to Boxycharm, feel free to use my link! https://www.boxycharm.com/refer/Chand-QNKQBANJ

Beautycon Box | Fall 2016

If you aren't familiar with Beautycon, it's a very popular festival within the beauty community. Think Comic Con except with way more cosmetics and instead of superheroes, there are popular beauty vloggers and bloggers. So it was only right that they created a beauty box subscription that comes out seasonally. 

The Fall box was curated by @MakeupShayla (who is one of my biggest inspirations btw) and @mac_daddyy. This gorgeous portrait was drawn by @rongrong_devoe_illustration. I've seen Beautycon boxes from other seasons floating around on Youtube and Instagram, but always debated on purchasing one. Then, of course, since Shayla was one of the curators, I knew I had to pick this one up before it was too late! 

The packaging in the box was impressive. The gold wrapping paper and Beautycon logo sticker is super glam. 

This box cost $29 (without shipping, with shipping around $35). I feel it's well worth it. If you add up the individual prices of each item, by buying the box, you're saving money. I loved nearly everything included so to me this was a good buy. Included in the box:

Super fabulous stickers that represent Shayla and Angel (mac_daddy).

The BrowGal Double Ended Highlighter Pencil in Gold/Nude. 

DUO Lash Adhesive.

Flutter Lashes "iSlay" Lashes.

Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer.

Lazer Kitten Sweetheart Lipstick Pin.

Luxie Beauty Large Angled 504 Brush.

Milani Cosmetics Bella Eyes Gel Powder Eyeshadow.

Mystic Tan Mocha-Kyssed Bronzer Lotion.

OFRA Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick.

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes.

Sugarfina Sugar Lips Candy.

I'm not sure how much longer this box will be available as Beautycon has been promoting their upcoming Winter 2016 box, so if you want to purchase this, do it fast! I loved getting this box and think it was well worth the money.

July Target Beauty Boxes | Unboxing

It's safe to say that I'm hooked on Target's beauty boxes. And the fact that the past two months have had more than one box is awesome. For July, Target came out with two boxes: Simply Radiant and Fresh & Fabulous. Both boxes retailed for just $7 and there again was no shipping charge. Also, each box comes with a $3 off $15 or more Beauty purchase at Target. Seriously, if you haven't picked this up yet I highly recommend that you do.

The Fresh & Fabulous box includes must-have beauty products that will freshen you up in no time flat. Included is:

Tom's of Main Peppermint Antiplaque & Whitening Toothpaste

Dove Regenerative Nourishment Shampoo

Dove Regenerative Nourishment Conditioner

Garnier Clearly Brighter Daily Moisturizer

Sweet Spot On-the-Go Wipettes

Umberto Lifting Powder

NYX Butter Lipstick

The Simply Radiant box is packed with a handpicked collection of beauty products that will keep you looking and feeling your best all summer long. Included is:

L'oreal Paris Color Vibrancy Shampoo & Conditioner

Dessange Paris Purifying Clay Shampoo

Wet n Wild Max Fantastic Mascara

Derma e Firming DMAE Eye Lift

Acure Facial Cleansing Gel

Aquaphor Healing Ointment

If you missed out this month and are interested in purchasing any of these items, Target.com sells the full size products (and I'm sure in-store carries everything as well).

Top 5 Summer Favorites 2015

Summer is officially coming to an end, and I'm clinging on for dear life wishing it doesn't go away! I love camping, swimming, festivals, farmers' markets, the list goes on and on. Speaking of lists, I thought I'd share my Top 5 Summer Favorites today. These have been tested and can all withstand the heat, so they are all must haves for summer. 

Believe it or not, Green Bay DOES have relatively high humidity indexes. To save my hair from getting out of control, I use OGX Kukui Oil's Anti-Frizz Hydrating Oil spray. It claims to "define your curls' curves, eliminate frizz and spritz on a lasting hint of shine." Now, you don't just have to have curly hair to use this product. I wear my hair straight most days and it still works like a dream. The scent is very beachy. To me it smells like a light sugary-coconut. I love the scent that it leaves in my hair.  It uses a kukui nut oil blend that is "an ancient Hawaiian secret used for its humidity resistant abilities creating a shimmering gloss to smooth texture and repel humidity..." This oil lives up to every claim. After use, my hair is left soft and shiny and healthy looking. And the days where it's unbearably hot and humid, it never frizzes. My straightened hair is left straight. You can find where to purchase here.

Sticking to the topic of heat, my next favorite will help you stay matte, even if you've been sweating all day. NYX's Matte Finish Long Lasting Durable Make-up Setting Spray proved worthy of making it on this list. I wore this to a wedding, where the church was not that well ventilated, and it got warm. This lasted through the tears, pictures, and the heat. I could feel myself starting to sweat, and when finally getting in front of a mirror you would never tell. My makeup stayed in place all day. And this felt amazing using it as a refreshing spray. I also love the size of the bottle, it is small enough to through in a clutch if you bring it along for a night out (which I have done, still works amazing). And the packaging isn't cheap feeling. The plastic cap stays locked on the spritzer so you don't have to worry about any leaking. If you'd like to change your makeup game, click here.

If you are in need of a lip-quenching hydrating lip balm, Nivea's Kiss Of Moisture is an item that I highly recommend. After just one use, this made it's way into my list of Holy Grail beauty products. It is amazing! I like slick feeling lip balms instead of the waxy ones, and Kiss of Moisture is not waxy at all. And it's not overly slick as to where it's smearing all over the place and not applying evenly. It's not your 99cent lip balm, but it's definitely not expensive. It doesn't have much of a smell or taste which I don't mind. It's enriched with Shea Butter and Jojoba Oil which i think is where the very faint scent comes from. This product is great with keeping lips moisturized in the sun (though, it doesn't contain SPF), and going in and out of air conditioning. You can pick this up at most registers, or you can click here.

Another NYX item that I favorited over the summer is their Eyebrow Gel. This has been linked as being a dupe for Make Up For Ever's Aqua Brow and Anastasia Beverly Hills' Dipbrow Pomade. Now, I haven't tried either of the high end brow gels, but a quick google search will show you the comparisons. Honestly, this product does take some practice. You can't be heavy handed unless you like the sharpie-brow look. But once you get the hang of it, it can look very natural and I swear this lasts all day. When it gets hot, my brows are the first thing to start melting away. So with all of my summer weddings this year, I wanted a brow product that was going to last. And I am so happy that I picked this up! I wore this to a couple of weddings and out clubbing and it stays put, even if you're wiping your forehead (lol). I picked up the shade Espresso, and it's perfect because while I do have black hairs, unfortunately my brows are sparse. I'm afraid if I used the Black color, my brows would look way too dark. I suggest testing it out, if the color is wrong, most places you'd purchase from do accept returns. You can purchase it here.

The last summer favorite I have to share is Maybelline's Lash Sensational Mascara. This instantly looks like you've put on two coats of mascara with just one swipe. The formula is wet, and the brush is unique. You use the inner curve to reach the roots of your lashes and use the longer bristles to fan the lashes out. This mascara is perfectly dramatic, and long lasting. It hasn't flaked off on me yet, and doesn't smear unless you're wearing it for a very extended period of time. This can get a little clumpy if you only use the inner curve to apply product. But the brush has 10 layers of bristles to reach every lash, so be sure to turn it once the initial coat has been applied. To get what everyone has been hashtagging #LashSensational about, click here.

Thank you so much for stopping by! I think most of these products will end up being yearly favorites as they could probably be used in all seasons, not just summer. What have you been loving this summer? Let me know in the comments!

*All pictures found via Google Images*

No-Buy Collective Haul

          Welcome back to Cween.com! Can you believe it's been a year since my last post? Things have been crazy and we'll get into all of that in a later post. But today I'm back with a haul. 

          After being on a strict makeup no-buy awhile back, I finally let myself indulge and pick up some products. Besides lip balm and hair care items, I've had pretty good discipline with not buying any makeup goodies. I'll leave links on where to purchase each item, and since I've had time to test everything out I'll be reviewing everything.

The first stop was CVS where I picked up a couple of favorites and a few things I've never tried before. 

Peter Coppola New York Argan Oil Conditioner was either on sale or being clearanced out. I grabbed a few of these because I thought I'd try to hop on the Argan Oil craze. This conditioner was really not that impressive to me. I think it's because my hair is thick and almost on the coarse side. It didn't give me the moisture or softness that I look for in a conditioner, but I would recommend this to someone with fine hair as it's not too heavy. Medium hair types might get away with using it. If you're interested in trying it out you can purchase here.

A favorite & Holy Grail hair product for me is the Pantene Truly Natural Co-Wash Cleansing Conditioner. This product changed how I wash & take care of my hair. For those of us with kinkier hair textures we've been told we are only supposed to wash our hair about once, maybe two times, per week. For me that didn't work because my scalp would get too dry and dandruff got out of control. But if I washed my hair more than once a week my actual hair would be extremely dry and brittle. So when I found this it saved my hair from all those negatives. I use this mid-week when I feel my scalp is getting dry and it doesn't strip it of all the moisture like a shampoo would. I'm left with soft, touchable hair as well. Nothing but great things to say about this product. I highly recommend if you have medium to thick/coarse hair, and you can purchase it here.

Next, I picked up Wet 'N' Wild's Mega Length Mascara in waterproof. It only comes in one color, Very Black. This is another Holy Grail product that I continue to repurchase. I use this as the last coat of mascara that I apply because it gives great length, and the design of the brush is absolutely amazing for separating lashes and reducing clumping. You can purchase it here.

One product I did not like and immediately returned was the Wet 'N' Wild Mega Impact Mascara. The brush is like every basic mascara brush out there. It claims to provide "Extreme" volume and length but it does not do any of that. The formula is not that great and it left my lashes clumpy and spidery. I do not recommend this product, but if you'd like to take a risk, you can buy it here.

Next I picked up a London Soho New York Love It Load It Travel Atomizer. This little guy is amazing to bring along in a clutch for a night out when you need a refresher. It's simple to use and less expensive than a Travalo. It is a little flimsy and the cap can bend if you're rough with it (in my case, it was stepped on). But it's so perfect if you want to bring your scent along with you and don't have the space to bring along the entire bottle. This is smaller than some lip products and can fit in your pocket. I also haven't experienced it leaking so that's good. The link I'm providing is more expensive than for what I bought it for. CVS sold it for $5, but you can find it here.

Another item I returned is Milani's Brilliant Shine Lip Gloss. I don't even remember the name of the shade but I was just not a fan. I like lip products that are creamy and moisturizing. And I don't want my lip glosses to be overly sticky. This one, one a scale of 1-10 of stickiness was definitely a 10. If you don't mind that, then this may be an item to try. Also for the color, it was a milky pink when I thought it would be a bit deeper. For fair to medium skin tones, the color would look good. For tan to deep skin tones it's going to be too pale on the lips. To purchase, you can buy it here.

The last product that I bought to try out is Milani's Power Lip Lasting Gloss Stain. I have the shade Macaroon. It's a really pretty mauve-rose color. This product starts off sticky but fades into an almost balm-like texture. The color fades into a lovely less intense shade of mauve-rose stain after a bit. You can get it here. 

Lastly from CVS, I really enjoy their makeup wipes. They don't dry out easily and they are effective in taking off all of your makeup, even waterproof, at the end of the day. These are an essential, and my 2nd favorite makeup wipes after Ponds. To purchase you can get them here.

                

The next group of products I picked up from Walmart. I like their lip crayons so I wanted to try more shades. I picked up Honey and Cherish from the Colorburst Balm Stain collection. They've slightly repackaged the line since I went shopping for these. The color Honey is my favorite lip crayon period. It's a dupe for one of my favorite Avon lipsticks which has been long discontinued so I was so ecstatic to find this. Cherish is a bright pink (think Nicki Minaj) and is great for a spring or summer lip. You can pick them both up here. 

                

Hard Candy The Perfect Cover Up Clarifying Concealer. This item has been discontinued so I'm unable to find a site that sells it. I picked up the darkest shade Walmart had available which was Tan. That was too light for me at the time, so I think I'd manage to be able to use it in the winter. I love the concept of it. It comes with a stick concealer that is nice and creamy, and a blending brush on the other end. 

Also from Walmart, I picked up Revlon's PhotoReady 3D Volume Mascara. It only comes in one shade, Blackest Black, and it's waterproof. I got this because it was being called a dupe to Benefit's They're Real Mascara. The brush is definitely somewhat similar as there are bristles that surround the tip of the wand. The differences I've seen, besides price, is that because PhotoReady has more bristles that are longer and softer, it leaves lashes more separated and defined. But it doesn't lenghten lashes the way They're Real does. Both mascaras I would recommend, it all just depends on what type of lash look you're going for. They're Real gives you more statement lashes as it darkens and gives length. If you want really volumized, defined, "hairy" looking lashes that don't clump or get spidery, use PhotoReady. 

You can purchase the Revlon mascara here.

On a separate trip to Walmart, I picked up the last items of this haul. My favorite gel eyeliner and mascara.

Wet 'N' Wild's Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner in Black. It comes with it's own brush which is very nice and thin. This product does dry out quickly, but it's easy to bring it back to life with some setting spray or water. It's creamy like the name implies and relatively long lasting. You can buy it here.

I needed to pick up another tube of my all-time Holy Grail Mascara. If I could only bring one beauty product with me on a deserted island, I'd immediately say Maybelline's The Colossal Cat Eyes mascara. I've tried the waterproof and absolutely loved it. This time, because it was in a pack with Maybelline's Unstoppable Eyeliner, I tried the washable version. It's still long lasting, doesn't flake, and every bit as wonderful as the waterproof version. No matter what formula I buy of this mascara, it's number one. You can pick up the eyeliner here, and the mascara here.

That's all for this time. I'm so happy to be back posting for you all again!