Day #11: LashSense and Sand Dollars

When I first started blogging, I envisioned this being strictly for Lularoe...until I realized that there really IS a demand for review of certain beauty products. And now that I am a SeneGence distributor, I realized I could do both here easily.

LipSense is fantastic. It's what made me become a distributor. I bought my first tube in November, my next two in December, and after that, I was hooked. I will do a review on it at some point, but right now while I'm still trying all the other lesser known products, I'll focus on those since I won't sell anything that I haven't tried and reviewed myself. I just won't do it. If I have a client that wants something, I'll disclose that I haven't tried it and I won't stop her from ordering, but usually it's a person who has tried it elsewhere or has heard great things about the product first. 

So, one of the first things (other than LipSense) that I was asked about was LashSense, the mascara made by SeneGence. I am extremely picky about my mascara, probably more so than any other cosmetic that I wear since I wear contact lenses, and I knew this would be an excellent product for me to try and review since I would run it through all the tests that I always do with every mascara. 

First, I have to tell you that there is a story here. This is absolutely not Sephora's fault and could have happened anywhere from Ulta to Neiman Marcus, but I happened to be at Sephora when it happened. I am allergic to about 50% of mascaras that are on the market, and did I happen to mention that I am picky about my mascara because I wear contacts? Yes. So I was standing in the middle of Sephora in my pre-Lularoe days when I wore all black, and I think two of the customers mistook me for an employee. When they asked me for my number one choice in mascara, I responded with Too Faced Better Than Sex without thinking. I then proceeded to watch the first one put on the mascara straight from the tester on her eyelashes. If that wasn't bad enough, the second one opened a brand new box, cracked open one of the mascaras, put it on her eyes, put it back in the box, and walked away. I just stood there with my mouth open. And yes, ever since then? I have never purchased a mascara without making SURE before I left the store that it was sealed, and most of the time if I can, I just order it online. And I have ordered mascara since then online from Sephora and I have purchased mascara at Ulta since then as well, but after I buy the mascara, I stand there in front of the cashier, tear open the box, and make SURE that tube is sealed with no tampering before I buy it. 

A few rules that I have on mascara:

1) DO NOT SHARE IT. Period. I don't think you should share makeup period, but I share eye makeup all the time with my BFF because I know she cleans her makeup brushes regularly and so do I. I also share it with my daughter. But mascara? No way, no how, absolutely not. 

2) Always keep it tightly closed so no air gets in there to dry it out. And once you have cracked the seal? See #4. 

3) Always apply it to clean lashes. I don't think it's a good idea to apply mascara to lashes that already have mascara on them because then your applicator is picking up your old mascara and putting it back in the bottle. Ew. 

4) Set yourself a timeline to get rid of your mascara after a certain timeline, and that time clock starts the second that mascara is opened. All makeup has expiration dates, and we can all tell when stuff has gone bad. I have lip glosses and lipsticks that smell bad, and I have some eyeshadows that have clearly had it because they won't blend well anymore, but with mascara? I set a 90-day note on my calendar to change mascaras. Some sites recommend sixty days. It's not worth it. That stuff can breed bacteria and if the right kind gets into your eyes, it can really damage them. To me, it's not worth it. I usually spend between $20-$25 on mascara that I use every day. For grins, let's round that up to $30.00 with taxes and shipping if you order it. That averages out to 33 cents a day. To me, it's worth it to have the peace of mind. If I didn't like mascara so much, I probably wouldn't use it but it is one of those "I would take it with me to a desert island" things so I do. 

So, on to the LashSense. I opened it on Wednesday March 1 and threw away my last tube which was some waterproof thing from CoverGirl that I bought a few months ago. LashSense will NOT be my tester for the public as I will not have one (see #1 above) and I will be getting rid of it on June 1, exactly three months from the date I cracked the seal. 

LashSense mascara comes in two colors-black and brown. That's it. No blue, no purple, no neon green. Just black and brown. The black is a jet black and the brown is a dark chocolate. 

I applied it live for the first time during a live video in my multi consultant group which has Butterfly TV every Wednesday night, and it applied fine. The brush is a traditional barrel shape with a wider section in the middle than at the ends, and the point of the brush is narrower which is good for applying it to your bottom lashes on your waterline. It goes on very smoothly

with no clumping and no need for an eyelash comb. It's not as thick as other mascaras that I have worn, so there is no spiky lashes, no fake eyelash look, and it's not overly dramatic. It dried to the touch within a few seconds. I used an eyelash curler to curl my lashes, and the mascara did not spatter onto my cheeks when I closed my eyes. I also tested it yesterday without an eyelash curler, and it also did not spatter onto my cheeks, which most mascaras do. As you can see, I did not wear it with any eye makeup at all for take #1.

As I stated, I am highly allergic to most mascaras, so I was watching this to see if I was allergic to this. Usually when I start having an allergic reaction to a mascara, it starts with my contacts starting to go fuzzy and I can't see very well. Not only did that not happen, but after an hour I took one out to inspect it and see if there was any residue or flakes on my contact. Not a one. The next morning, it was still on, but removed easily with waterproof eye makeup remover. I
have not tried Fooops! yet, which is SeneGence's makeup remover, so I'm still using my favorite Sephora brand which takes off everything. Take #2 was later that morning. I did apply full makeup to see how it would look and used Too Faced's Peach Pallette and Urban Decay eyeliner. The mascara went on fine and accentuated my eyes with the eye makeup. I also decided to test the waterproofness of this mascara and put a swirl on my hand at that time which was about 1 pm on day 2. My last test was the morning of day #3 which is where I went to sleep wearing my makeup (not a good idea, but I took a chance because I wanted to test the durability and also the waterproofness) and took a shower the next day with my makeup on. By the time I showered, I had probably washed my hands at least a dozen times since the day before, but look at my hand after the shower. 

So pros of LashSense:

-No allergic reaction.
-Ease in application with no need for my eyelash comb.
-No cheek spatter.
-No eye irritation.
-Long durability.
-Natural look.

And my cons of LashSense:

-I'll be honest, $25 is a tad pricey for mascara, even for me, but my old standby Too Faced Better Than Sex in the pink tube is not waterproof and it is $23 whether you buy the pink tube (regular) or blue tube (waterproof). And I don't play when it comes to my mascara, because if I open one and I'm allergic to it, I either have to toss it or see if I can get the store to take it back. Most of the larger stores now will take mascara back even if it's opened, which is great, and guess what? So will I! If you like what you have read and want to give this a try, let me know, and if you aren't 100% satisfied, I'll accept it back opened or not for a refund or exchange within a reasonable amount of time. 

-The ONLY other thing I didn't like about this was that for me, I prefer a thicker application, and I couldn't get that without a lash thickener. Yes, I admit it, I like my lashes once mascara is on to look one step below wearing false eyelashes. However, SeneGence has a solution for that. If you like THIS look that I am modeling, which is very nice, you can order just the mascara, but if you are like me, and want a more dramatic eye, you can buy the combination tube which has LashSense on the top and UnderSense on the bottom. UnderSense is like a primer for mascara. I haven't used it since I wanted to review LashSense all by itself but from the pictures that I have seen, it appears that using UnderSense would give me the look that I want, so when the combo double-ended tube is back in stock, I'll be ordering it for myself to try it for sure. 

I have LashExtend in stock in clear. It is a product that helps your lashes grow. I haven't tried this and to be honest, I don't need to because the one thing I was blessed with was very long eyelashes. LashExtend comes in black and brown for day use and a clear formula to wear at night and is to be used for fuller and longer lashes within three weeks.

So here is the price breakdown for all the "lash" stuff.

LashSense in black or brown all by itself is $25.00.

UnderSense (the primer) all by itself is $20.00.

The combo LashSense/UnderSense is $20.00. 

The Lash Extend in clear is $50.00.

The Lash Extend in brown or black is $55.00.

As of the time of this post (and of course, this could change by lunch time), I have one black LashSense, three brown LashSense, and one clear LashExtend. I can order the brown LashSense only. However, if you are interested in any of these, please comment, join my page, email me, text me, send out smoke signals, whatever, and I'll put you on my list to order as soon as they come back in stock. And if you are reading this review after the fact? Hopefully if you read this and are like, oooh, gotta have THAT, let me know because it might just be in stock to order or I might have it!

So where are the sand dollars, you wonder? 

I have to show me Roeing in the wild! And I haven't done that in a while even though I have a ton of Lula pictures and the laundry basket to prove it. In fact, I've now ruined every last one of my old non-Lularoe leggings and yoga pants so now I have to wear my Lula leggings around the house OR go buy non-Lula leggings. And that's just wrong. Yesterday I had breakfast with my girl Deborah Shute and I sported a 2X Cassie (YES! I NOW CAN FIT INTO A 2X CASSIE! AFTER ONLY BEING COMFORTABLE IN A 3X FOR ALMOST A YEAR!), a black Irma and a black Mimi. Yes, flip flops...it's starting to be a little spring-like around here. And I LOVE this Cassie; the design reminds me of sand dollars so it is one of my favorites. I also have it in light blue and white. And lastly....a close up of LipSense Beige Champagne which turned out to be not as nude as I thought!

Hope everyone has a great day and please let me know if you have any questions about LashSense! To join my group, please click here to be added.

Day #6: Pattern-mixing

Pattern mixing takes a little bravery, courage and creativity, but when done successfully, it looks perfect and is a great way to combine some of your more unusual prints with the classic ones.

I originally saw this Lindsay cardigan in a sheer chiffon material sold by a consultant in a sale that had held it for a consultant that wanted it....and then changed her mind. When I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I didn't know what I was going to wear it with yet, but I thought probably a purple skirt and a tan top.

Then I discovered this Carly...and knew that these two pieces were meant to be paired. The Carly is a desert sand brown with a variety of wildflowers all over it that blend together into a great print that is accented by the ice blue Lindsay that is a purple and brown floral watercolor print.

I layered it over slate blue leggings to go with the blue flowers in the Carly and wore a purple-striped Sarah over it to make the pattern mixing complete. The outfit really works.

 When it comes to pattern mixing, you really never know what is going to look good together until you just try it. Florals with florals, florals with stripes, vertical with horizontal, pattern with stripes.

I have done this successfully with three other outfits. The first time I tried pattern mixing was a turquoise Monroe with a brown floral print layered over a chocolate and taupe striped Carly which was a great combination for the summer.

Recently I tried the same style of Carly with rose-patterned leggings which was a beautiful combination given the strong outline of the roses in the same berry color used in the Carly.

This can also be used with the Cassie over leggings when trying to create a unique combination. I was trying to find a pair of fun print leggings to wear with this vertical striped Cassie skirt, and I ended up settling on the sugar skull leggings because they were black and white, which complemented the skirt, and the direction of the skulls was vertical.

Make it a great Lularoe day!

The Madison skirt....hand pleats just like a cheerleader skirt...

The Madison skirt is such a fantastically tailored skirt and looks so great on the right body shape...I refuse to give up on it for me, even though everything tells me that it won't look right on me ever. And that's why there is no Madison in my closet. 

I love, love, love the Lularoe line up of skirts so much and was determined to give this another go after it was a bust at a pop-up I went to last year. At that time, I tried a 2XL. At the time, I thought that it made me look pregnant so I didn't buy it, but later I went to a multi-consultant event and decided to give it another shot, but size down. I chose a beautiful soft chocolate brown XL Madison, one that I would consider buying, and paired it with a dusty rose knit Classic. It was actually kind of funny, because I realized when I got in the dressing tent that I needed a shirt and asked the nearest consultant to hand me a Classic in 2XL that would go with brown and that's what she chose for me. AND I ended up buying the shirt. The knit Classics are awesome, like short-sleeved sweater tops, and I thought that this knit top would blend well with the fabric of the Madison since both fabrics were so fancy.

Sadly, I did not buy the skirt, although I did realize that a XL was a better choice for me than the 2XL. This skirt is absolutely beautiful on the right body type. It has a tailored waistband with elastic in the back, perfectly hand-set pleats and pockets big enough to fit your entire hand and probably little things like keys or a coin purse. (An excellent clubbing skirt, if you don't want to keep up with a purse!) It is very flowy and twirly, and when you sit down, it pools just right around you in the chair. The fabrics on most of them also are a little heavier than the typical Lularoe fabric, so it's really got some meat to it. And the pleats are just so adorable. It reminds me of a cute pleated cheerleader skirt and when you spin, it actually flares out. 

However, there is one big reason I didn't buy this skirt, and it's not the Madison's fault. It can be summed up in three words: Baby Got Back. I could not figure out why when I held up the skirt, it was perfectly even and then when I tried it on, it almost looked tilted. Easy answer: my booty was lifting up the back and making the back portion look shorter than it is. The reason why this happens with Madison and not the other skirts is because this skirt has a completely even hemline all the way around whereas the other Lularoe skirts are cut just a tad longer in the back to accommodate those of us with a little extra junk in the trunk. Even the Cassie is slightly longer in the back. My suggestion if you are interested in this skirt is to try it on first (unless you have a fairly flat or non-bubble butt) and make sure it is a good look for you. It is fairly true to size although I felt one size down for me looked better. I even tried pulling the shirt flat instead of blousing it over the waistline and that didn't help with my booty issue, sadly. 

Jennifer Klump of Sweet and Sassy Lularoe wears the Madison better than anyone I have ever seen, and as such gave me permission to use her pictures of her wearing her beloved unicorn Madison skirt in my blog. Look at how well the pleats drape and how great she rocks this Madison! She looks so beautiful! It is a beautifully well-made skirt without a doubt. And the Madison comes in solids, prints, silky fabrics, heavy cotton fabrics and was released in the Elegance lines in 2016 in a variety of styles including heavy tapestry plaid fabrics and velvets.

I am also featuring a more recent picture of me wearing a black, red and peach print Madison with a peach Classic tee. While it looks better now that I have lost some weight, you can still see it raising up in the back because I have a booty!

So....truly personal preference. I refuse to give up on this skirt, but I also admit that this skirt may not be the best choice for my hourglass figure, just as the Randy baseball tee is also not the best shirt choice for me either. 

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Madison skirt is $48.00. 

If there are any questions about the Madison skirt, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!

The Nicole Dress...May the odds be ever in your favor!

The Nicole dress is such a fun party dress. To me, it is the perfect all-occasion dress. It is great for weddings, funerals, dinners, holiday work parties, work, just wherever you want to wear it. It EVEN makes a great Halloween costume! I wore a plain red Nicole layered with a red lace Monroe and accessorized with a metallic devil horns headband and plastic pitchfork. It is a very simple fitted dress with a waistline that is right at the natural waist, a fitted bodice with a scoop neck that shows the perfect amount of cleavage without being indecent and fitted elbow-length sleeves and a Katniss Everdeen twirly skirt. You know what I'm talking about...remember her dress where she spun around and it burst into flames? Yeah, the Nicole does that. You twirl and the skirt flares out. Totally fun.

This dress is completely versatile. It can be dressed down with sandals and worn alone. It can be layered over leggings and worn with boots. It can be dressed up with hose and heels for a formal look with a wrap. Any occasion, any season, any day, this is your dress. 

I initially bought this dress for a funeral, and the first time I wore it was in Orlando, Florida, where it is humid all the time. The morning that I put it on, I remember thinking, black dress, 75% humidity, 82 degrees, I'm going to ROAST. But I really honestly didn't. I can't explain it....I don't really sweat that much in Lularoe and I'm a sweater, not a glistener. More importantly, I was comfortable all day long starting in the wee hours of that morning when I woke up to shower and get dressed to the wake to the burial to the party afterwards and then to my aunt's house where we sat around until the wee hours reminiscing. That's nineteen hours in a dress in Orlando, Florida and yet I was comfortable the whole time? That's saying something! I layered a black lace Joy over it which is the perfect layering piece since it is the same length, and it was truly perfect. 

The only thing about this dress that I would caution you about is to definitely find your exact size. The dresses that I am wearing is a 3XL and I can not wear a 2XL in it which is my true size because of how fitted the sleeves are and how fitted the bust is. One of the pictures I have featured is a comparison of my black funeral dress sleeve which is a 3XL and then the red 2XL sleeve. It's a very significant difference, so if your arms are either a problem area or just a little on the large size because of muscle (like mine), size up. If you are big-busted, size up. It's a fitted dress from the waist up without a doubt, but once you find your size, it's a dress that you can take anywhere, wear anywhere and do anything in. I love my Nicoles! They come in the typical Lularoe polyblend of 94% polyester, 6% spandex, crepe fabrics (like the Cassie) which are very stretchy (the blue dress above with the bird print is that type of fabric), and even thicker tapestry fabrics which are great for winter. Solids, prints, stripes....Nicole has it all. The Elegance line that was released in 2016 released Nicole dresses in various materials....crushed velvets, oil-slick colored metallics and glittery knits with poinsettia prints. Oh, and as a side note, my cousin Nicole (yes, I know, funny, her name is Nicole too) and I were both speaking at my grandmother's funeral side by side at the podium. She was wearing an XXS Nicole in a gray snakeskin pattern and I was wearing a 3XL black Nicole. No one had ANY idea that we were wearing the same dress. 

Every one of them is unique. Every one of them is perfect and simple and the very epitome of understated elegance. You can even wear a lace petticoat under them to flare out the skirt and wear a belt around the waist to create a 1950s rockabilly look. 

They are so fun and the ultimate party dress! Add in that they are comfortable to boot, and they are well worth the money for the understated elegance that this style gives that will endure as it has for over sixty years. 

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Nicole dress is $48.00. 

If there are any questions about the Nicole dress, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!

The Perfect Tee...Simply Perfect!

2XL red Perfect

The Perfect tee is one out of the four shirts in Lularoe's line. It is truly special and unique to Lularoe as I have never seen anything styled or cut like it. 

2XL white Perfect

The construction of this shirt is similar to that of the Classic tee in that it has the hemmed sleeves and a hemmed bottom, but the neckline is a stitched scoop and the sleeves fall to the elbow, so they are a little longer than the Classic sleeves. They are similar to a Classic at the top although the bust area is just a little larger. As the shirt flows down, it flares out at the edges like a bell with a four to eight inch slit (depending on your size) on either side that just give it a little something extra special. However, these slits also allow the shirt to be tied in knots at the sides if you want a more fitted look by your hip area. The sleeves come down to about the elbow, but are generously sized so they are not clinging. It is a very dressy version of a t-shirt and just absolutely perfect to mix and match with anything from jeans to full-length skirts. 

Sleeve Length

3XL Perfect over leggings

Unlike the Classic, the Perfects really do vary from size to size, but sizing up may be the look you want to achieve depending on your preference. In the Perfect, I wear a 2XL or a 3XL (which have 6" slits and 8" slits respectively) and while the 2XL is my perfect size and the one that I prefer, I do like to wear 3XL Perfects with leggings because they hang a little longer (similar to the Irma tunic). However, what I think is really neat about sizing up one size is that an oversized Perfect, because of the way it is cut, looks like a baby doll dress...or even a miniature Carly dress...and looks really great with leggings. It is a cute and playful look especially for the weekends. They come in a variety of prints and solids, although the only fabric I have seen them made in is the standard Lularoe polyblend of polyester and spandex. They are a great addition to any wardrobe to wear with skirts, leggings, pants and jeans. I bought one gently used Perfect from a consultant who had worn it as a bathing suit cover up on a vacation so the possibilities for what you can wear them for and pair them with are endless!

The Perfect tee will accompany any of the Lularoe skirts very well, but to me, the Perfect and the Cassie skirt go together like peas and carrots. The Perfect drapes down perfectly and the flare at the bottom (the part I refer to as the bell) hits right at the hip line. Depending on your figure, the slits will separate slightly and show the colors of the Cassie that you are wearing.  

Perfect tees are also available in a staggering number of prints as these are included in the styles that Lularoe cuts their limited edition printed styles from. You can find Perfects in geometrics, animal prints such as butterflies, florals, stripes, and so much more. 

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Perfect tee is $36.00. 

If there are any questions about the Perfect tee, please post them below. Make it a great Lularoe day!