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 #1: Happy New Year and Welcome!

I can't believe that I almost missed one of my New Year's resolutions before it started! My #1 resolution for 2017 is to blog in This Is How I Roe In Real Life every day and talk about an outfit that I put together and wore, preferably that day. 

This is a great time for me to let everyone know that is reading that if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, there is a list of all of the styles that are made by Lularoe that I can model and review. If there is a particular style that you would like to see (or a few), please make sure and participate in the poll every week as I will use this to come up with outfit ideas. For example, if you want to see how I wear the Monroe and what I pair it with? Check Monroe and one of the dresses or skirts. Every week, I'll clear the poll, and we'll start again!

Sadly, my butt was glued to this couch all day today working on getting all of my core reviews up on the styles, so I never made it into the shower, out of my pajamas, and out the door. The most sad? I didn't get to go to Lisa Mims' house and pick up my new gray Mimi or stop at Spec's for a little something something to celebrate the New Year. But at least I have the core reviews up on the Julia dress, Cassie skirt, Classic tee and Lindsay cardigan for your reading pleasure, so please, enjoy, and excuse my strange picture placement. A lot of these pictures have been cropped for Facebook which doesn't exactly work perfectly with blog placement, but I think they came out pretty well. 

I'm so excited to be blogging again that I can't even tell you all. There are likely some people reading this blog that remember when I blogged before my daughter McKenna was born and I actually had the time to cross-stitch (not to mention the eyesight). I actually really miss blogging. You know how there are those kids while growing up that always had a journal or a diary that they were writing in? That was me. That's now my daughter. Even though blogging is a bit of a lost art, I'm glad to be back to it, and really happy to have something that I'm excited to write about! I will thank you all every day for reading and following along in my Lularoe journey in 2017, and if you have any friends that enjoy reading blogs, love clothes or are curious about Lularoe, I hope that you will encourage them to come visit. 

So, since I can't really post a picture about my Dr. Pepper pajama pants and my old t-shirt, I am going to post a picture of me in my holiday outfit on Christmas Eve! My outfit for Christmas Eve was one of the Lucy skirts from the Elegant Collection. When I claimed this skirt for sale, I had clicked on it and of course, there were about ten or eleven posts on it so I was thinking, "surely it is already sold." Ha ha, lucky for me, everyone was asking questions, but no one actually said the magic words: "SOLD PENDING QUESTION". And I haven't seen another one in my Lula travels like this or for sale. This is a Christmas dark green Lucy, which is a two-layer skirt. The Lucy itself is constructed with a thick belt-like elastic waistband from which two layers of fabric falls. The underskirt is a silky base that acts both as a slip and a background for the top skirt, which in this case is dark green tulle with rose gold diamonds set in the netting. What I love the most about the Lucy is that once it's in place, it stays in place, and this one was no different. I paired it with a dark green Irma tunic to match. As I had spent most of the day getting ready for Christmas, I was hustling to get out the door, so my accessories were a rose gold Fossil watch to match the skirt, handmade Christmas tree earrings, and a lab-created emerald three-stone ring for my right hand. Shoes? Black ballet flats from Skechers. 

I also featured a close-up of the rose gold diamonds on the skirt with the flash.

 

So, in case you are wondering what this mysterious Mimi is that I am excited to pick up, the Mimi is a limited edition full fashion knitted scarf finished with hand tassels. The first release of these was in August and I was able to get two. I'll do a full review of them very

soon with pictures since I have no doubt that this won't be the last release that Lularoe does of the Mimi. It's just too popular! It hasn't been cold enough yet in Dallas for me to really wear them, but the one day that I did wear my Mimi it was freezing, and I layered it over a Lindsay cardigan, Carly dress and leggings for an outdoor cookout. It was wonderfully warm and comfortable, and as such, I decided to invest in another one since I don't think I've worn a winter coat in Dallas in years. The one that I selected below is a solid gray one with white

threads running through it and I will be picking it up tomorrow. If you haven't tried on a Mimi yet or gotten a good look at one, definitely check them out. I have heard mixed reviews about them. People in the colder climates don't think they are warm enough, people in the warm climates think that they are too warm, and they are too long and heavy for some petites to wear since they are all One Size (OS). For me, they are perfect because I like to layer my Lularoe, and these will fit perfectly over a Sarah cardigan and whatever else that I choose to wear that day. In addition to the full fashion knitting and hand tassels, the Mimi also features a row of buttons which can be worn in the front (my preference) or to the side which lets the scarf drape at an angle. Some people think this looks like an afghan and some think it looks like a poncho. My husband asked where my sombrero was when I first modeled it for him. But I like it and that's all that matters! In addition to the pictures of my new Mimi, I have also included a picture of me taken wearing my black and gray one on the cold day which was layered over a black Carly dress and a pair of black leggings flowered with tiny orange and red flowers.

Best wishes to you all for a wonderful start to your new year and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!

Please refer to the calendar above for the current sales. At the current time, green Irmas like the one I am modeling with my green and rose gold Lucy are available for purchase in size XXS from Ariel Walk, 

I also had an idea of including pictures of my manicures (since I do my own nails) when they go with the outfits! These were my Christmas nails....Zoya Honor with a matte top coat and Julep Sharma on the accent. Fun, right? They were inspired by the Elegant Lucy!

The Lindsay cardigan...the perfect layer like icing on the cake

The Lindsay kimono was actually my second piece of Lularoe that I acquired. I was gifted a plain black knit one as a thank you for helping a consultant photograph and stage her initial on-boarding inventory. I remember at the time thinking that it was kind of a strange piece and that I wasn't sure if it would look right on me, but out of all of the Lindsays that I have acquired since that initial piece, the solid black one is the one that I have worn the most. 

Out of the entire Lularoe lineup, the Lindsay cardigan baffles me the most. Not the piece itself...but why it is not more popular. Why this piece does not sell out as soon as it comes in, I don't get. I admit that I have eclectic tastes, but this piece is the easiest way to dress up a pair of leggings and a t-shirt or to throw over a dress when you are cold or just to accessorize with a put-together outfit to bring out a color to the forefront. Below I have demonstrated how you can take a t-shirt and leggings to the next dressy level just by adding a complimentary Lindsay to pull it all together. 

The construction of this piece is simple. It is like a cardigan in that it is put on like a very light, thin sweater, but there are no zippers or buttons. The sleeves are elbow-length and have a large droop at the bottom, similar to a kimono on a geisha. See the similarity? There is just enough exposure to let the lower part of your forearm show, but enough coverage to cover your upper arms and keep the chill off. They are well-made with seams at the top of the shoulders

The Lindsay cardigan, which is kimono-style, really should be in everyone's Lula wardrobe even if JUST in black or gray. For me, it is my go-to piece to grab when there is a chill in the air and I just want something to cover my arms, or if I just want to dress up something casual, or if I want to accessorize a dress and bring a color out of it to the forefront. It is a wonderful accessory piece to wear over Classics, Perfects, Irmas, and all of the Lularoe dresses. 

If you have any dresses that are strapless or sleeveless that you want to wear to work but have a no-bare-shoulders rule like my office does, the Lindsay is the perfect solution. They are light and thin enough to wear all day long in the office and come in a variety of fabric styles such as knit, lace, chiffon and brocade. For the colder climates, they are thin and cool enough to layer under heavier winter coats and for the warmer climates, they are warm enough just to take the chill off as the arms are about three-quarter length. As an example, look at how I am wearing my Maxi dress. I am wearing it as a skirt with a Classic tee and a turquoise topped with a turquoise jacquard Lindsay. Lose the shirt, pull up the Maxi, and now it's a strapless dress with a midcalf length but still work-appropriate because of the Lindsay. 

For sizing, you can see that the Lindsay runs large. No question. I am a full 2X full-figured woman. I have long arms, so long that I need an XL in the Sarah cardigan just for that reason. I am 5'7. I have a 38D bust. Yet, I can wear the Lindsay in the small, medium OR large. I prefer the large because the arms are a little longer and more generous, but if I find a Lindsay cardigan in a color that I like and it is only available in medium, I don't have an issue wearing it as there is a very negligible difference. I have plenty of room in my Lindsay in the back, shoulders, arms and midsection, and the back is almost Irma-length which is perfect for me. The main difference in the sizes is the length; the smaller the size, the shorter in the back. Featured below is a small in gray, medium in green and large in peach.

What I find interesting about the Lindsay from critics is that lace is not a preferred fabric and that girls with narrow shoulders find that they dwarf them. I find it interesting, but I understand why. Lace as a general rule is not thought of as a jacket-type material, which is why I consider my lace Lindsays to be more of accessories than actual jackets for warmth. I think if your thinking adjusts to that frame of mind, that these are layering accessories more than actual jackets or sweaters, you will find that these are more versatile than you think. 

As for the dwarfing, well....you can't change your body's frame, but you can change the way you wear the Lindsay. I have seen Lindsays knotted in the front to bring the bottom up. I have seen Lindsays gathered in the back to pull the the sides back and almost convert it into a shrug. I'm sure that there are other things that can be done with this kimono-style wrap that I haven't even thought of yet. 

One thing for sure is that if you think you might want to have one, even just to keep at the office for those chilly days, give it a try. It's a very warm and soft piece of clothing, there are lots of styling possibilities, and you can buy one as basic and non-frilly as you want or as dressy and lace and feminine as you want. There are lots of jacquard-style Lindsays that are incredibly dressy and can make the most casual of outfits look fancy and dressed up. 

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

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

The Cassie pencil skirt...an golden oldie never goes out of style!

The first time that I saw a Cassie pencil skirt, I was immediately transported back in time to Grease and Grease 2. I guess some styles are just timeless and never go out of style. But even now, when the Cassie skirt is an integral part of my wardrobe, every time I pull on a Cassie I remember my favorite scenes in the movies with Betty Rizzo and Stephanie Zanoni. Remember? Michelle Pfeiffer realizes on the first day of school that she's the only one wearing pants and pulls out a tan pencil skirt to pull over her capri-length leggings? And Stockard Channing...always wearing her trademark black knee-length sexy pencil skirt. 

It should not be a surprise that the pencil skirt is still in style as much now as it was then in the 1950s and 1960s as it is an incredibly flattering and slimming skirt that is just as fashionable for a trip to the mall as it is for an evening out for a nice dinner. And the Cassie? It's the best pencil skirt imaginable. I joke with other Lularoe fans that I collect Cassie skirts like most Lularoers collect leggings...I love them that much. I live in Texas where eight months of the year, it's just not a practical temperature to wear leggings. This is where Cassie skirts come in. I have worn them to do literally everything. I wear them to work with sandals. I wear them to the mall to go shopping with friends. I wear them to lunch. I wear them out to dinner. I have worn a Cassie to get a tattoo on my ankle. I even have discovered that Cassies are the perfect solution for getting pedicures done because they are the perfect length at the knee where you don't have to roll up your pant legs. I am not a fan of shorts and never have been, so for me, the Cassie skirt is the perfect solution to my summer woes. Plus, the fabric is cool, comfortable and breathable, not to mention stretchy and flexible, so for our blazing Texas summers, they are perfect. 

The construction is quite simple of the Cassie. It is a uniform appearance all the way around the skirt (the only way to tell what is the back is the tag) with a slightly longer length (just slightly) in the back to accomodate for the curves in the trunk. The waistband is an elastic five inch band, similar to a yoga waistband, which pulls up and stays in place. If you are wearing a Spanx or other sort of undershort, you may notice that it slides a bit during the day because the fabric that the Cassie is made from is so soft, but for the most part, it stays right where you put it and doesn't move. 

When I first tried on a Cassie last summer, my first reaction was no. JUST NO. I don't wear skirts! Right? Then I realized that I really WAS a skirt wearer and these are super-comfortable to wear either to work, to dinner or just on the weekends to go shopping. I pair them with Spanx underneath so it's like wearing shorts and a t-shirt but more comfortable and more dressy, and the look is very classy, comfortable and sexy. The fabric that most of them are made of is a crepe-like stretchy fabric that is incredibly comfortable and soft. The skirts that aren't made out of the crepe fabric are made of a knit fabric which is just as soft and cozy and breathable as the crepe counterparts. And the best part? They require no ironing which is one of my favorite things about them. They are the epitome of wash and wear. I actually recently moved my Cassie skirts into drawers after realizing that there is really no point in keeping them hung up since they really don't wrinkle. 

The number of prints and colors that Cassies are made in is almost as varied as the prints and colors that leggings come in. It is Lularoe's most popular skirt. My favorite Cassies are the ones that have so many colors in them because the possibilities of shirts to wear with them is endless. Every time the look is different because whatever shirt you are wearing brings out the corresponding color in the skirt to the forefront. The Elegance line released in 2016 also included Cassie skirts in a variety of fabrics with metallics and foils.

One of the other great things about the Cassie is the versatility and the options that you can use it for styling. While I have acquired the majority of mine for the purpose of wearing them in the summer, they easily transition to the winter by sliding them over leggings. These skirts can also double as a stylish infinity scarf. They are very comfortable and soft around the neck because of the lining on the inside, and not at all itchy or scratchy or hot. 

 


And lastly, while the Cassie is very stretchy and has a lot of give to it, it is slimming at the

2XL Cassie over 3XL Cassie

same time. My true size is a 2XL which I can wear in a Cassie, but I prefer a 3XL for me since I wear them over leggings. There's very little difference between the 2XL and 3XL as you can see in the picture where I laid the 2X over the 3X. Once you find your true size in Cassie, it's game on as there are so many fun patterns and prints out there. If you have tried this skirt and didn't like how clingy it was, try sizing up. The waistband is still going to be very fitting and slim but will give you a little more room, and you might just find a new best friend that will make you feel just like a Pink Lady!

The minimum advertised price (MAP) set by Lularoe for the Cassie skirt is $35.00.

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