c.Booth Egyptian Argan Oil Body Butter

c.Booth Egyptian Argan Oil Body Butter
An Influenster Review



I was recently given the opportunity to review a c.Booth product of my choice at no cost, thanks to Influenster.  While Influenster tends to send out VoxBoxes full of products to review, they occassionally offer coupons for products and I was lucky enough to receive a coupon for a free full-size product of my choice!

c.Booth has a variety of bath and body products - bath oils, body butters, and more- that are typically sold in drugstores for around $10.  After doing some research online, I decided I was most interested in the Egyptian Argan Oil Body Butter, which is offered in an 8 ounce tub.





Egyptian Argan Oil Body Butter at Ulta.com

The package pictured above is exactly what you get.  Inside the tub, there's a seal that can be easily lifted and removed.  The product itself is creamy and moisturizing, but not at all greasy.

Swatch Sunday #6 | elf Cosmetics

SWATCH SUNDAY #6 | ELF COSMETICS

As you know, I am a big fan of makeup bargains, and elf cosmetics knows the way to my heart.  The brand's "essential" line typically retials for $1-3, while the "studio" line is typically $3-6.  Those are amazing deals, but they get even better!  elf offers 50% sales once or twice a year, which bring the price down even lower.  I decided to swatch some of my recent finds as well as some past favorites.  And from now on, I will have a special guest swatching along with me - my husband! 

I often, in my YouTube videos, mention that cosmetics products can appear drastically different on deeper versus lighter skin tones.  Well, we finally had the brilliant idea to do double swatches, and I am SO excited that we did!

Here are some highlights from this week's Swatch Sunday video.

Pictured above are elf All Over Cover Sticks.  They are retractable cream foundation/concealer tubes, and they typically retail for $1 on eyeslipsface.com.  I purchased these for just 50 cents during a 50%-off sitewide sale.

These are creamy and pigmented, and they blend out very nicely.  The major downside, in my opinion, is that these never really set.  They really need to be set with a powder, or they can tend to transfer easily. 

Bottom line: these are a great concealer - try the middle shade to offset dark circles.

 
 
 

 

I found these HD Blushes at Dollar Tree, and they are also currently available at eyeslipsface.com in five different shades.  I really like all the shades, and, since the product is very creamy, I decided to try swatching on my lips. 

 

 This went on very smoothly and set semi-matte.  I absolutely love all of these shades as lipsticks, and will definitely be using them in this way.  I also imagine they would make great eyeshadow bases, and will be sure to try them that way as well. 

 

Two thumbs up for this product!

 

 

 

I purchased these bronzers online during an elf sitewide sale, when they were just 50 cents.  I got several of each, on the off chance they were awesome as highlighters, and- guess what?- they totally are!

 

I swatched these on my hand and my husband's hand to show how they appear on different skin tones.  In my opinion, these wouldn't be very effective as bronzers even on fairer skin, but I'll let you be the judge. 

 

 

 

I have used all of these as highlighters (I typically go with Luminance- the lightest of the three- during winter), and am a huge fan of these. They're creamy and blendable, and give off a nice sheen.  I would recommend picking these up, if you're not afraid of a little bit of sheen at the high points of your cheek and under the browbone.

 

There are more swatches in the YouTube video, so be sure to check it out!  If you've used any of these products, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Thanks, as always, for reading!  See you next time.  :)

Wishlist Wednesday #5 | Dollar Tree

WISH LIST WEDNESDAY #5 | DOLLAR TREE 

 

If you're anything like me, you've probably made mental lists of all the awesome finds you've seen hauled at Dollar Tree in hopes that one sweet day you'll find them, too.  I'm no different - except I actually make visuals to help me keep track and I update them every week as new sightings occur.

 

On each of the items, I listed the Instagram account of the person who found them.  I also linked all the accounts in the caption so you can check out their other posts and follow them!

 

https://instagram.com/prettynflawed/
https://instagram.com/natdagreatest/
https://instagram.com/phonejones.on.the.yt/
https://instagram.com/thedollardiva/

I wasn't able to find out anything more about the Klar and Danver body washes or the Fall-themed duct tapes, so I'll just leave those images there for now.  If I find them, I'll be sure to review the body washes for you!

 

I have tried the hand soaps from this brand, and I did like the scent.  The formula wasn't my favorite - it had the gelatin consistency that many of the cheapie brands have- but it lathered up just fine and the quantity for the price is pretty unbeatable. 

 

 

 

So, I would likely pick up one of each scent to test before loading up on these body washes.

 

Next up is this Maybelline Pure Blush.  I have actually seen this product at Dollar Tree in the past, and I know that the quality is pretty nice.  The formula is soft and not too powdery, the pigmentation is pretty good, and it's nice and blendable. 

 

 

 

Since this product is discontinued, I have no way to compare the Dollar Tree price to a regular retail price.  I will say, however, that these are still popping up from time to time on eBay, where they sell for $7-12 apiece.

The reviewers over at Makeup Alley are giving this product a general thumbs-up, with the major cons being oxidation, staying power, and 

packaging (many referenced an included brush, which the ones I saw did not have... hmmm.)

 

Read the reviews here and here

 

However, there were 3 or so negative reviews, a handful of average reviews, and the rest were glowing.  I'll still plan to pick up as many of these as I can get my hands on.

 

 

Next up: two elf products!

 

The HD blush starting hitting the shelves at Dollar Tree last week.  This week, a powder blush from the Studio line was spotted.

 

 

 

There are currently a lot of these shades still available for sale (retail: $3) on the eyeslipsface website, and the reviews, again, are overwhelmingly positive.  The major cons appear to be pigmentation, shade compatibility issues, and shimmer. 

 

 

elf Glossy Glosses are also popping up at Dollar Tree, although I'm not sure how many shades have been found.

 

 

 

There are currently four shades being offered for sale on the elf website, and their normal sale price is $3. 

 

There are major complaints ranging from lack of pigmentation to packaging problems to taste, color fidelity, and stickiness.  I would suggest starting with one shade, since the reviews are truly all over the place with this product.

 

Check out my YouTube video for a list of colors currently being offered as well and positive and negative reviews on both elf items.

 

Jelly Belly flavoring syrups are also being sold at Dollar Tree.  I believe these are meant to be used for snow cones, which means they are likely super concentrated and absolutely chock full of sugar.

 

 

 

Still, I'd at least like to take a look at the nutritional information to see if I can bear to use these.  If they're not overly sugary, I'd like to try a few of these as flavorings for my cheesecakes.

 

 

Lastly, more flavors of the Campbell's Soups for Easy Cooking have been making their appearance.  I have purchased one or two flavors, and would like to try others.

 

 

 

 

These can be used alone, but are marketed as starters for other dishes (recipes are included on the boxes and on the Campbell's website).  Check out my YouTube video to view the nutritional information for each of these.

 

Thanks for reading!  Please comment below to share what's on your wishlist.  :)

 

Swatch Sunday # 5 | Physician's Formula

SWATCH SUNDAY # 5 | PHYSICIAN'S FORMULA

I know you're going to start thinking that I am in love with this brand, but I actually have just amassed a large collection from Dollar Tree hauls (and one EPIC Burlington Coat Factory haul).  This week, I had a special guest swatching along with me - my husband! 

I often, in my YouTube videos, mention that cosmetics products can appear drastically different on deeper versus lighter skin tones.  Well, we finally had the brilliant idea to do double swatches, and I am SO excited that we did!

Here are some highlights from this week's Swatch Sunday video.

Pictured above are the Physician's Formula Felt Tip Eye Definer marker.  The tip is a pointed brush that is long, firm, and actually does create a defined line.  These typically retailed between $5-8 and appear to be discontinued.  I found these for just $1 at the Dollar Tree.

These are moist, defined, and pigmented to show up on deeper skin tones.  I've had them for several months (open and in use) and they haven't yet dried out.  However (and the experts at Makeup Alley tend to agree), these don't have great staying power.  Good for a dinner date, but not for all-day office eye looks.  The Makeup Alley reviews also call this brush difficult to work with, and I didn't find this to be the case. 

Bottom line: buyer beware.  You may love these, and at the $1 price point, it's worth a gamble.

All three Physician's Formula Eye Definer Flat Automatic Pencils pictured above were purchased at the Dollar Tree.

I actually really love the formula of these pencils, and the colors came across beautifully on both skin tones.  I have used Black Raisin as a smoked-out shadow liner (I didn't even bother trying to line, as I could tell by swatching that these would budge easily), and it worked beautifully.  I also use the Warm Black and Dark Brown as eyebrow pencils and they are simply awesome for creating the shape I love.

Bottom line: I love these pencils and would recommend them!

The Physician's Formula Loose-To-Go powder was purchased at Dollar Tree.  The Magic Mosaic powder was purchased in a set during the Burlington Coat Factory haul referenced above.

These powders both give off a slight wash over deep color, and the Loose-To-Go powder offers a bit of shimmer as well. 

Bottom line: there's not much pigmentation in this palette - skip it unless you're very fair.

Left to right: Mineral Wear FaceBrightener, Gentle Wear Bronzer, Les Botaniques Bronzer

All three of these products were purchased at Burlington Coat Factory as a part of a set.  The sets cost $2-3 each, which is a huge savings from the typical Physician's Formula price of $10-13 per item. 

These actually do show up on both skin tones (some more than others), but the color being given off by the first two is not something I would describe as bronzer spectrum. 

Bottom line: If you're interested in trying one of these bronzers, I'd recommend the Les Botaniques line.  It actually looks like a bromzer on fairer tones, and works as a totally respectable highlighter on deeper skin.

 

I purchased this 3-in-1 Shimmer Strips product at Dollar Tree, where it was- of course- just one dollar.

As pictured above, the lighter colors appear to be a great highlighter and bronzer set, and they could function as eyeshadows as well.

Bottom line: I like this product a lot, and actually to intend to try these powders as shadows, highlighters, and bronzers.  There's not a ton of product included, but for $1, that's not a deal-breaker.




Shimmer Strips blushes in Sunkissed Glow (left) and Rosy Glow (right)

I purchased these Shimmer Strips blushes at Burlington Coat Factory (left) and Dollar Tree (right).

These swatches were specifically for Instagram, because I wanted to get good photos of the product in the same lighting and directly next to each other for better comparison.  We also applied these wet inadvertently (I had cleaned off the swatch surface with a wet wipe just prior to swatching and LOVED the effect), which ended up being a great thing.

As you can see, these colors are absolute magic for both skin tones.  Applying wet makes the color rich and intense.  These could easily double as eyeshadows as well. 

Bottom line: GET THESE!  I would actually dare to say these may be worth the asking price.


Believe it or not, there are actually even more swatches in the YouTube video, so be sure to check it out!  If you've used any of these products, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Thanks, as always, for reading!  See you next time.  :)

 

Thrifty Thursday # 5 | Big Lots

 

THRIFTY THURSDAY # 5 | BIG LOTS

Recently, Big Lots has been stocking some great fragrance mists from brands I know and trust- like Calgon, Parfums du Coeur, and Bodycology.  I typically only shop sales, so I'm not sure if these fragrances have been around and I just missed them, but they all looked new to me!

I was especially excited because there was a huge diversity in the scent profiles: sweet, floral, musky, tropical, herbal, marine - literally a little of everything!  I held back on the lotions, but grabbed one of each fragrance mist I was interested in trying.  I'm going to try to test them out over the next week or so, and if one or two really strike my fancy, I'll be heading back for backups.  :)


Here's a high-level look at a few scents from each brand.  For a look at everything I hauled, check out the YouTube video.

From Parfums du Coeur:

NOTES: sparkling raspberries, juicy apples and succulent peaches




NOTES: wild strawberries, succulent peaches, and voluptuous vanilla

 

Both scents pictured above are currently available for sale - the retail price is $5-10 per full-size (8 ounce) bottle.  Check out the Body Fantasies website for a list of locations where these products can be purchased.


From Calgon:

NOTES: lush tangerine, crisp water lily and creamy sandalwood.

NOTES: sweet florals

Both scents pictured above are currently available for sale and retail for about $5 per full-size (8 ounce) bottle.  Check out Walmart online for tons of Calgon bath and body products.

Instead of sharing additional information about the Preferred Fragrance brand, just a heads-up that this brand has apparently gone through several lawsuits due to their dupery.  Check out First Nerve's post on this topic, here.


Next up, from BioSecrets:




NOTES: refreshing bergamot, soothing rose, and ylang & ylang on a sweet and exciting bed of vanilla & musk.



 

 

 

NOTES: exotic papaya, pomegranate, kiwi and pear on a beautiful floral blend of mimosa and jasmine with a heart warming drydown of musk and amber

These fragrances are currently being sold for $7 each online.  At Big Lots, however, you can find the full-size bottles for just $1.50 apiece!


There's more in the haul video, so be sure to check that out.  Thanks for reading- I'll see you next week!

WIshlist Wednesday #4 | Dollar Tree

WISH LIST WEDNESDAY #3 | DOLLAR TREE 

 

 

If you're anything like me, you've probably made mental lists of all the awesome finds you've seen hauled at Dollar Tree in hopes that one sweet day you'll find them, too.  I'm no different - except I actually make visuals to help me keep track and I update them every week as new sightings occur.

 

On each of the items, I listed the Instagram account of the person who found them.  I also linked all the accounts in the caption so you can check out their other posts and follow them!

 

 

https://instagram.com/dollartreecrazy
https://instagram.com/amandaa28_
https://instagram.com/bargainbeauty
https://instagram.com/jessicaestrlla
https://instagram.com/beaute_07
https://instagram.com/prettynflawed
https://instagram.com/soleiluna09
https://instagram.com/sensationalfinds
 

 

 

 

Duck Tape brand duct tape has been popping up at Dollar Tree for about a year, and lots of different designs have been spotted.

 

 

 

 

These retail for $5-6 normally, so $1 is a great price.  They come with 10 yards of tape, so if you're shipping out a lot of boxes, or if you plan to use these to make duct tape crafts, now's the time to load up!

 

Next up, Amanda over at Fabb TV hauled a Soft Whisper body wash that I've never come across at Dollar Tree.

 

Several months ago, I found two different varieties of body washes that look like the ones pictured below:

 

I really regret not getting more when they were available.  The Pomegranate body wash pictured above was awesome - lathered up well, the texture was nice and thick, and it gave off a lovely scent.

There was also a peach or nectarine scent that I hauled that I adored.  So SOOOO bummed that I didn't purchase more.  They totally rival Bath and Body Works in my opinion.

 

 

These NYC City Proof Intense Lipcolors are also popping up at Dollar Tree.  I believe I picked up a few of these on clearance some months ago, so I'll be digging through my stash to try to find them so I can swatch them in a future Swatch Sunday.

 

 

There look to be about a dozen shades total, although finding a complete set at Dollar Tree is typically near impossible.  But I'm on the case!  :)

Annnnnd, it looks like the L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base has once again been found at Dollar Tree!  YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!

I was lucky enough to find several of these last year, and I've been very happy with this product's performance as a primer.  True, it does need a little work to get it completely blended, BUT! It's totally a win in my opinion.  And, since the .5 ounce full-sized product retails for $8-12 dollars (the 3-week sample size, which is being sold at Dollar Tree, is .17 ounce and retails for ~$4).

The reviewers of Makeup Alley are unconvinced.

One major con - which was referenced quite often in negative reviews on MakeupAlley.com, is that this is packaged in a tub, which means that you're constantly sticking your fingers inside and exposing the product to germs, dirt, water, etc.  Some reviewers also referenced how difficult it is to blend (it is), but that's not a deal-breaker for me. 

 

 

Next up, the gawjus Miss Jessica Estrella of YouTube infamy found and IG-blasted a bunch of elf products.  I shared reviews online, but the bottom line is- reception to these two products is largely positive.

 

Both products are from the Studio line, which typically retails $2-5.  And even better, elf has 50% off sales a couple of times a year, which brings the prices down even further.

 

 

 

These lotion wipes come 15 to a pack and normally retail for $3. They're actually still being sold, and are available in three different scents, although only the Coconut Vanilla has been spotted at Dollar Tree.  Largely, the reviews were positive, and I'd be interested in trying them just to experience the whole lotion wipe trend.

 

 

The elf HD blush is a product I've actually be wanting to try for some time, so I'm very excited that it's made its way to DT!

 

 

 

Reviewers have called this product a bit watery but incredibly pigmented.  I'm not sure how easy it is to blend these out, but I did share reviewer commentary and photographs in my YouTube video, so be sure to check it out!

 

 

There's not much more I can say about Ritz crackers or the books pictured above, except that I want them (!), and if you're a long-term Wishlist reader, you've already been alerted to the awesome Skintimate product pictured below. 

 

 

Check out my most recent Wishlist Wednesday blog for more about this product!

 

 

 

 

Those are the highlights!  So, what's on your wish list this week?  Comment below to share your must-finds. :)

Thanks for reading - see you next time!

Swatch Sunday #4 | Physician's Formula

SWATCH SUNDAY #4 | PHYSICIAN'S FORMULA

 

Over the last several months, I have found tons of Physician's Formula makeup items at Dollar Tree.  Not just a large quantity, but also a large variety.  Below, I'll share photos and quick reviews, and also head over to YouTube to see live swatches.



Baked Sands looks like it would be perfect as a highlight/contour palette for me.

I haven't yet used these wet, but they're excellent dry, so I'm very hopeful!

Next up are these Physician's Formula Natural Origin blushes.  I found five different shades at Dollar Tree.

Top to bottom: Blushing Organics, Mauve Organics, Natural Organics

 

Top to bottom: Pink Organics, Warming Organics

 

 

I broke Blushing Organics (it fell out of the pan and shattered), and repaired it (ish) by saturating with rubbing alcohol and allowing it to dry.

 

A swatch of "Blushing Organics" after alcohol repair.  Actually more pigmented!

 
There are a ton more swatches in my video (the longest video yet!) so take a look.  If you've used any of these products, please let me know in the comments section below. :)

Thanks for reading!  I'll see you next time!