review

Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet Review

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Happy Wednesday! Y’all, my birthday is tomorrow. I can’t believe I will be 26! I feel like I just turned 21 yesterday, haha. So far I don’t really have any birthday plans. It sucks when it lands during the week. Maybe I will go out this weekend or something? Who knows!

Anyways, Influenster sent me these Giorgio Armani Lip Magnet lipsticks to review. I always get so excited when Influenster sends me a beauty product to review, I love trying out new products and being able to tell you all about them! They sent me shades Four Hundred For All (the red color) and Second Skin (the pink color).

These lipsticks are said to be ultra-matte, weightless, and long lasting. I will say the product is pretty weightless. After it dries, it has a matte look to it, and I cannot feel anything on my lips, which is a huge plus for me! My biggest pet peeve is when a lipstick feels really sticky and gross, or feels like I have glue on my lips. The colors are also VERY pigmented, so a little bit goes a long way. I wore the red color on Christmas, and it truly is the perfect red lipstick. The pink is not as light as it looks, It kind of showed up like a light red on my lips, but it was a very pretty color!

The only downside is they aren’t very long lasting at all. Unfortunately, while I was eating, the product was coming off on everything my lips touched. By the time I was done eating, you could barely even see the product, it was just like a little stain. I even accidently got some on the sleeve of my sweater! Luckily a makeup wipe took it right off. When I think of liquid matte lipstick, I think long lasting and kissable.

Would I recommend them to a friend? Unfortunately, probably not. There are way better matte liquid lipsticks out there at a cheaper price point. I think Colourpop Ultra Matte lipsticks will always have a place in my heart, haha!

What are some of your favorite liquid lipsticks? Let me know in the comments! Thanks for reading!

Valerie

Giorgio Armani Lip Magnets received complimentary for testing purposes thanks to Influenster. All opinions are my own! 

Christmas Outfit

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Dress: Loft (Similar)  //  Blazer: Similar  //  Shoes: Charlotte Russe  //  Clutch: Similar  //  Tights: ASOS

Merry Christmas! I am finally starting to get over my sickness. I planned to have this outfit post up a week ago, but I ended up being way too sick to shoot the photos for it. Of course the day I shot these, it was so gloomy outside!

Anyways, I picked up this dress (I tagged a similar one since the one I found in store isn’t listed online) for under $3 (yes, you read that right!) at Loft Outlet at the St. Louis Premium Outlet mall. They hosted a blogger shopping event for the holiday season. I found SO many good deals including a Kate Spade tote for under $100, Nikes for $35, and a Loft layered sweater for $20.

We were also given the chance to have a bra fitting with Jockey, and it was so great! I actually found out I was wearing the wrong bra size. Their bras aren’t your typical cup size, they run by numbers, and are kind of in a way custom fit. It is one of my new favorite bras! If you get the chance, I recommend stopping in there.

Now, on to the Christmas outfit. I always love dressing up around the holidays. I guess it’s because my full time job is so casual, I never really have an excuse to dress up. This dress is perfect for Christmas and even Valentine’s Day. Since the dress is sleeveless, I paired it with a black blazer, black tights, and my Charlotte Russe stud heels. Of course, I had to add my signature leopard clutch. I literally wear it with everything.

Have a great Christmas everyone! Also, I’m having a Christmas giveaway on my Instagram page, make sure you head over to enter!

Valerie

This post was in collaboration with St. Louis Premium Outlet Mall. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible! 

My Hair Care Routine

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It’s Monday, y’all! Did you have a relaxing weekend? Since the past few weekends have been super busy for me, I decided to spend this weekend doing absolutely nothing (which is why this post is going up today, haha). I think I left the house once, just to grab something to eat, no joke! But, I was able to try a new face mask and hair mask and watch a bunch of Gossip Girl. This is the second time I watching it by the way…

I shared with you a few weeks ago my skin care routine, and I thought this time I would share my hair care routine with you all! Before starting, I’m going to share what type of hair I have, since a lot of these products might not work for you. I have somewhat thin, wavy, very oily, hair. My hair is also somewhat colored (I have blonde on the ends). When I was younger, I had very thick, frizzy hair. But as I got older, it seemed to thin out a bit and is not as frizzy. My hairdresser told me that every 7 years your hair and skin changes, which I have totally noticed with my own. Now, onto my favorite products!

Shampoo:
When my hair is colored, I use Kerastase Reflection Bain Chroma Captive shampoo. It really keeps your hair moisturized if it has a little damage from coloring it. It also cleans my hair really well, which is a huge plus with my oily hair. Since I do have oily hair, I have to wash it every other day, which can really dry the ends of my hair out, and this shampoo helps out a lot! Once a week when I need an extra cleanse from having a lot of products in my hair, I use Pantene Pro-V Weekly Deep Cleanse Purifying Shampoo.

Conditioner:
Since my hair is somewhat thin, I like to use a volumizing conditioner. What really works for me is Pantene Pro-V Sheer Volume Conditioner. I apply it to the middle/ends of my hair (not my scalp), twist it up with a clip and let it sit in my hair while I wash my body, then rinse out at the end.

Hair Mask:
During the winter months I like to use a hair mask at the ends of my hair to give it a little moisture. My go to is the Kerastase Reflection Masque Chroma Captive. I use this in place of my conditioner once a week. It really adds the extra moisture my hair needs during the dry months. Once a month (usually on Sundays, see my Sunday routine here), I use coconut oil in my hair, and let it set for a few hours while doing other things around the house.

Dry Shampoo:
On the days I don’t wash my hair, I use Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak Dry Shampoo (the unscented one). This stuff not only gives your hair texture, but it gets rid of all the oil in my hair. This is a lifesaver for us ladies that have oily hair!

Styling Products:
The only styling products I use are heat protectants and texture sprays. My favorite heat protectant is the TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray. I spray it on my hair before I blow dry it and it makes my hair so soft!  If my hair is feeling flat, then I spray a little bit of the Not Your Mother’s Texture Spray. It not only add a little texture, but it also acts as a light hold for when you decide to wear your hair in a messy bun :).

Hair Tools: 
My favorite hair tool is my straightener. It’s so old (I can’t tag it since I’m pretty sure it’s not made anymore), I have had it since my freshman year of high school, and it still works perfectly! I can use it on wet or dry hair (but I never use it on the wet hair setting). On the weekends when I am going to dinner or out with friends I use my ConAir curling wand, which is also a few years old. Another one of my favorite hair tools are the ribbon hair ties. I take showers and straighten on my hair in the evenings during the week, so to keep my hair from getting super frizzy and oily while I sleep, I put it in a pony tail using these. It doesn’t leave a crease in my hair, and it’s super comfortable. And they hold really well! I found these in the dollar section at Target.

Vitamins: 
To help with my thin, volume-less hair, I decided to try out vitamins that I have seen a few other bloggers rave about. I went to Target and grabbed The Olly Undeniable Beauty gummy vitamins. They taste so good! Like grapefruit. I have been using them for a couple months now and they are seriously amazing. After my first month, I noticed my eyelashes were a lot thicker. Then the next month my hair had a lot more volume! Now, I can tell my hair is growing a lot faster. I cannot recommend them enough!

What are your favorite hair products? Let me know in the comments!

Also, I’m starting a book club with some of my other favorite bloggers! The first book we are reading is Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. We will start reading on January 1st, and our first Twitter chat will be on January 15th & 31st! Sign up HERE!

Valerie

The Kerastase Reflection Line was sent complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. All opinions are my own. 

Stripe Dress And Green Jacket

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Dress (similar) // Jacket (similar) // Booties // Choker // Ring // Clutch (similar) 

Happy Wednesday! It has been so cold lately, I think I’m actually going to have to dig my coat out! Lately I have been getting away with just wearing a jacket, but with the temperature being 30 or less on Thursday, I don’t think that will cut it. I bring that up because when I shot this look, it was a tad warmer, but you can still wear it during the winter! Just add black tights/leggings or OTK boots! Since it is a tad short, I always wear it to work with leggings underneath. So cute and comfy! If you need it to look a bit more business casual, you can add a blazer instead of the green jacket and a pair of heels.

You can also notice in this picture that I’m a lot tanner than what I normally am! Yes, I’m pretty pale. Well, a tanning salon where I live was having a free spray tan weekend special, so of course I had to give it a try! Yes, my first spray tan #amievenhuman? But I have to say I absolutely loved it! I think I’m going to get another one here in a week or two. But this time I will make sure I don’t wear jeans afterwards, because you can kind of tell on my calves where the jeans rubbed it off…

A little update on the blog schedule: The end of this week I will be sharing my hair care routine, and a few products that are perfect for color treated hair. Next week I’m going to have a Christmas outfit post featuring a dress I found for under $3!!! Yes, you read that right. Also, the week before Christmas I will be having giveaways for you guys! Mostly beauty related. Is there anything you would like to see in the giveaway? Let me know in the comments!

Have a great week everyone, and stay warm! As always, thanks for reading

Valerie

Thanksgiving Outfit

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Dress: Similar/Similar (Under $40!)  //  Faux Fur Vest: Similar  //  Clutch: Under $30!  //  Boots: Similar  //  Bracelets: Similar/Similar

Does it even feel like next week is Thanksgiving? The end of 2016 is just flying by. Didn’t 4th of July just happen like last week? Haha! This year for Thanksgiving we are doing the usual: visiting my family and my boyfriend’s family. Which means LOTS of food. Then of course doing a little shopping afterwards. I will have a post up this weekend with some of my favorite Black Friday sales! What stores would you like to see on the list? Let me know in the comments!

It’s always hard finding an outfit that looks dressed up but comfy at the same time. But this dress fits that perfectly! It’s somewhat oversized, so you can easily hide that full belly, while also staying comfy. I absolutely love the bell sleeves on this dress. They have been a huge trend this year, and I don’t see them going away anytime soon! I paired this dress with a faux fur vest (my favorite fall item) and ankle boots. If you plan on going shopping Thanksgiving night, just grab a pair of flats to change into! If it’s going to be chilly where you are, you can always wear a pair of black tights to stay warm.

Unfortunately, most of these items sold out really fast (I literally bought those ankle boots 2 weeks ago, and they are already gone…), so I tagged similar items. Both of the dresses are under $50! The leopard clutch is an exact duplicate to mine and is under $30!

What are your Thanksgiving plans? Are you going shopping Thanksgiving night? Let me know in the comments!

As always, thanks for reading!

Valerie

Velvet Moto Jacket

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Jacket: Soft Surroundings // White Tee // Jeans // Choker Necklace (similar) // Clutch (similar) // Boots

I have lived in the St. Louis area my whole life. So when Soft Surroundings contacted me to help them celebrate the 11th birthday of their St. Louis store, I did to not hesitate to say yes! They are headquartered right here in St. Louis.

I just love the atmosphere of St. Louis. There is always something going on every weekend, most of it being free! My favorite spot is The Loop. There are so many restaurants and shops for every occasion. Lunch with friends? Go to Blueberry Hill! Girls night? Go to Moonrise! In the mood to hear music? Check out The Pageant and Delmar Hall! Pretty soon they are going to have a trolley going down The Loop, and I’m so excited to try it out!

On November 11-13th, pay a visit to the Soft Surroundings St. Louis store (at The Boulevard, across from The Galleria), to help them celebration their 11th birthday, and enjoy drinks, treats, and a complimentary make over while shopping!

Soft Surroundings sent me this Velvet Moto Jacket to give you a taste of what they have to offer. They are known for their extremely soft fabrics. This jacket is SO soft and comfortable. The velvet trend is one of my favorites this fall. I paired this jacket with an oversized white tee, jeans and booties. Of course I had to add my leopard clutch! It has become my everyday bag (leopard is a neutral in my book).

What do you love about your city? Tell me in the comments, and let me know if you are going to the birthday celebration at Soft Surroundings!

Valerie

In collaboration with Soft Surroundings. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible!

P.S.: If you are planning to move to STL, or are just wanting a new house, two of my sorority sisters just got their real estate license! Check out their website HERE.

My Skin Care Routine

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I have struggled with acne since I was in 4th grade. I was always told that once I got older I would grow out of it. Well, that has yet to happen. I tried Proactiv, and it seemed to work for a little while. But after about a year or so my face seemed to get used to the product and my face started breaking out again. I went to the dermatologist and found products that seemed to work a little more, but they were so expensive and my insurance wouldn’t cover all of the cost.

Within the last year I think I have finally found a routine that works for my skin. I still get those pesky breakouts before my time of the month, but other than that my face stays pretty clear. This routine works great for those who are acne prone and/or have oily skin.

Face Wash: Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Cleanser (found in drugstores). The active ingredient in this is benzoyl peroxide, which is the active ingredient found in most products you get from the dermatologist and Proactiv, but this face wash is more than half the cost! I wash my face in the morning and night. I take nightly showers, so when I first get in I wash my face and let the face wash sit on my face like a mask while I wash my hair and body. This gives your skin the chance to really soak in all the product. I learned this trick from my dermatologist, and I have really noticed a difference after doing it!

Face Cleansing Brush: Clarisonic Mia 2. Clarisonic sent me this face brush about a month ago to try out, and I absolutely loved it, so of course I had to add it into my routine! I use it in the morning and at night, and it really helps to get my face cleaner, especially if I have makeup on! It cleans out my pores of all the excess oil, dirt, and makeup. My face is always so much softer after using it!

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Before using the Clarisonic brush, make sure your face and the brush are wet (it’s waterproof, so you can use it in the shower!). Next, apply the product directly to the brush (shown below) or rub on your face.

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Once you have your face wash on the brush, turn on the brush by pressing the bottom button and going in a circular motion on your face. The cleansing brush is gentle, so you don’t have to worry about your face being red and irritated afterwards! The Mia 2 is timed for each section of your face (chin/nose, both cheeks, and forehead), so it pause for a second so you can move to the next section to clean. I always start with my chin/nose, then each cheek and ending with my forehead.

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Clarisonic facial devices would make a great gift for Christmas! Clarisonic is offering Styled Muse readers a 15% off coupon code to try a facial cleansing brush out for yourself or to gift to a friend or family member! Go here and use code: HERCAMPUS

Toner: Neutrogena Acne Stress Control Toner (found in drugstores). I apply this to my face with a cotton pad or cotton ball after washing it. It helps with oily skin!

Spot Treatment: Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Gel (found in drugstores). Whenever my face starts to break out, I apply this directly to my pimples, and it helps with redness and swelling and they tend to disappear quicker.

Face Mask: Clarisonic Detoxifying Clay Mask (found here). Twice a week I use this face mask to remove impurities from my pores.

Moisturizer: ELF Nourishing Night Cream (found in drugstores). At night I apply this to my skin, especially during the winter. Since I have extremely oily skin, I don’t have to apply a moisturizer as much. This one doesn’t leave my skin feeling greasy after applying it and doesn’t break out my skin. I also love using their eye cream at night!

What is your favorite product in your skin care routine? Let me know in the comments!

Valerie

This post is sponsored by Clarisonic and Her Campus Media. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Styled Muse possible!

Girls Night Ideas + GIVEAWAY!

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Sometimes you just really need a girls night. Am I right? But, what is there to do? Coffee? Drinks? Girl, I gotchu. I’m giving you a few ideas that are perfect for girls nights, plus a giveaway to have your very own girls night!

  1. Movies in: I know it may sound lame, but this is the time you can watch all those chick flicks you haven’t been able to see because your boyfriend just isn’t about that life. Grab a few of your favorite snacks, bubbly (it can’t be a girls night without that), and your PJs.
  2. Paint night: Whether you are painting at home or at a painting party, it’s a fun way to catch up, drink wine, and get a little crafty. My local coffee shop hosts these every few months, and I have it on my to do list to sign up!
  3. Spa night: Manis, Pedis, Facials, you name it. Take this time to pamper yourselves and have a glass of wine… or 5 ;).
  4. Shopping: This is an obvious one, right? But be adventurous and try on something you normally wouldn’t!
  5. Comedy club: What’s better than having a few drinks with your girls, while laughing until your stomach hurts?
  6. Coffee: Some of my best girls nights are sitting on the couch at a coffee shop, drinking a latte, while catching up.
  7. Out for drinks: One of my favorite places to go and have drinks and appetizers is Elephant Bar. They invited me to try some of their new signature cocktails and appetizers and they are SO good! My favorite cocktail was the Jungle Colada, it literally tastes like ice cream! For appetizers you have to try their Parmesan Crusted Green Beans!
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    I partnered with Elephant Bar to give TWO Styled Muse readers the chance to each win a $25 gift card to have your own girls night! Head on over to Instagram to enter!

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    What are some of your favorite things to do at your girls nights? Let me know in the comments!

    Valerie
                  In partnership with Elephant Bar. All opinions are my own.

Sephora Play Review

~ styledmuse ~ 2 Comments

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Happy Thursday! Did any of you watch American Horror Story last night? Let me know what you thought! I’m excited to see what this season brings.

There are so many subscription boxes out there! Ipsy, Birchbox, Sephora play… which one do you join? I have tried SO many of these. If you are interested in Ipsy and Birchbox, see my review of them here. I decided to try out Sephora Play for a couple months. I will show you what I got in each one for July and August, and let you know what I thought.

July: 

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Contents:
1. Nest Fragrances: Citrine
2. First Aid Beauty Skin Rescue Deep Cleanser with Red Clay
3. Ouai Wave Spray (excited to use this!)
4. Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer (not pictured, I used it all as soon as I got it! I love Smashbox primers)
5. Beautyblender Blotterazzi (so awesome!)
6. Too Faced Soleil Matte Bronzer in Chocolate

 

August:

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Contents:

1. Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in I-544
2. Urban Decay Perversion Mascara
3. Clean Reserve Blonde Rose (In love with this scent! I may have to purchase the full size.)
4. Lancome Energie De Vie Smoothing & Glowing Liquid Care Moisturizer
5. Caudalie Resveratrol Eye Lifting Balm
6. Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12hr Wear Waterproof in Flirting Game

First of all, it was really hard to get off the waitlist for Sephora Play. I think I waited about two months before I received an e-mail, saying I was finally off the waitlist. Sephora Play is $10 a month and you get 6 samples, whereas Ipsy and Birchbox you only get 5 samples at $10 a month.

I’m not going to review every product I received (if there is a specific product you want reviewed, let me know!), otherwise this post would be extremely long! But how awesome is it that they sent a Beautyblender? The first box was well worth the $10 with that alone!

Every month, your samples come in this cute draw string bag. They are easy to reuse as a makeup bag, or a dust bag for your jewelry while traveling!

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One thing that I really love about Sephora Play is that they send you a “Playbook” that includes a list of all the items you received, plus details about each item and how to use them. Attached to the front of the book is a “Play Card” that you can take to your local Sephora to get tips from the associates and also get 50 extra points if you make a purchase!

So far I really love Sephora play. Each item I have received is something I could use everyday. If I had to chose between Ipsy, Birchbox, and Sephora Play, I think I would still choose Ipsy. Only because I get mostly makeup products from them, and they tend to send full size items. The only full size item I have received from Sephora Play is the Beautyblender (which I’m still amazed about!). But, it has only been two months, so we will see what happens next month.

Have you tried Sephora Play? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Valerie

 

 

 

 

The Estée Edit Review

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Happy Tuesday! Does anyone else think Tuesday’s are the worst days? After you spend the weekend relaxing, you are usually pretty well rested for Monday. But once Tuesday hits, you a worn out again, and realize how far away Friday is. I hate it! What always puts me in a better mood, is new makeup. Especially being able to review it. I was so excited when I found out Influenster was sending me four products from The Estée Edit, including Beam Team Hydrate + Glow, The Barest Lip Color, Pore Vanishing Stick, and Flash Illuminator. Here is what I thought:

Beam Team Hydrate + Glow:

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The Beam Team Hydrate + Glow is a double duty Illuminating Hydrating lotion with a flip cap at the end that contains a touch-on shimmer concentrate. The hydrating lotion is what I put on first, before my primer. It does a great job of hydrating your skin, while also leaving a subtle glow. I have it on in the photo above (I know it’s so hard to see it!). My face also didn’t feel greasy or oily afterwards, which is a huge plus for me! I have very oily skin, so I have to be very careful which moisturizers I use. (I will share a blog post in a few weeks, showing you my skin care routine that helps with oily skin). I used the shimmer concentrate at the very end of my makeup routine to add a little extra highlight. I have to say, it really didn’t show up very well on my face. It was a little bit of a disappointment.

Pore Vanishing Stick: 

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I had a lot of you asking me what I thought about the Pore Vanishing Stick. I tested it out for a few weeks before I decided to write this review. After applying the Beam Team Hydrate, I applied the Pore Vanishing stick on my face where I have large pores (my cheeks and nose). Keep in mind, I have VERY large pores. This product did minimize them quite a bit. The box says you can wear this alone as a primer or over makeup. Since I have very oily skin, I wore this and my regular primer at the same time, to give extra coverage. After I applied this product, I applied my Photo Loving Primer from NYX, and it almost made my pores completely disappear under my foundation. I was very impressed. I think this is my favorite product out of the four that was sent to me!

Flash Illuminator: 

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The Flash Illuminator is a high impact highlighting cream that instantly illuminates skin while providing skin care ingredients like Hyaluronic Acid. This is perfect for highlighting and strobing. I was really worried about using this, since I’m so used to powder highlighters, not cream. But this is probably my new favorite highlighter. I applied it over my foundation at the stop of my cheek bones, to give that perfect highlight. Also, keep in mind that a little bit of this product goes A LONG WAY. Which I really love, because this bottle will last you awhile! Just use a little dot, dab with you fingers, and blend with a beauty blender.

The Barest Lip Color: 

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I have to say, out of all the products I was sent, this was my least favorite. But do keep in mind, that I am VERY picky with lip products. The color has to be perfect, not a gross texture, and it NEEDS to be long lasting. I usually stick with matte liquid lipsticks. Hello, Colourpop! If you follow me on Snapchat (valzors), you saw how many lip shades I have from them, haha. I completely cleaned off my vanity and reorganized my makeup!

With this lip color, the color just did not look good with my skin tone. The box says you can apply a little for sheer coverage, or layer for full on color. But it looked the same on me both ways. I think the color was just way too dark. It also says it is a lipstick/lip balm hybrid, but I only got a lip balm vibe from it. It is also not long lasting at all, it wiped completely off with the swipe of a paper towel.

Have you tried any of the products from The Estée Edit line? Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! Thanks for stopping by!

Valerie

All products received complimentary for testing purposes from The Estée Edit. All opinions are my own.