Partial Hospitalization Series: Day Two Groups

You find a better seat than yesterday. In a corner. The group starts with a woman you've never met passing around handouts. Handouts for mental illness like it's a kindergarten class on how to write the letter A. Draw a 45 degree angle. Breathe in and think about the problem. Connect the two lines with a line in the middle. Breathe out and think of all of the solutions. Keep calm. Follow Freud, or was is Schrodinger, or that guy that wrote that book about the 7 Habits? Avoid eye contact. Why do you keep making eye contact? She'll call on you if you make eye contact. You try to look away but it's not in time and suddenly your name is being uttered. An almost death sentence in group. And suddenly you're sharing things with people you've known for a total of 8 hours that you haven't been able to share with people you've known for 18 years. You had to do a diversion class once, and oddly enough this reminds you of it. Everyone is talking but they seem to only be talking to pass the time. They just want to say enough words to get past the 6 hours that you're supposed to be there. 5 hours and 45 minutes if you're lucky. You get unnecessarily angry at those who seem to have such an easy time sharing and roll your eyes at those who refuse to open up. Why in mental health does there seem to be no happy middle? Why is it that almost every person you know who is mentally ill seems to only see life in black in white? All of the things or nothing at all. Note to self; look up that symptom on the internet. 

So you do.

Next note to self; do not self diagnose.

Partial Hospitalization Series: Medicine

The doctor is quiet. Everyone at this whole place seems to be so quiet, and it makes your brain race a million miles an hour trying to fill in the gaps. She speaks to you for barely ten minutes and then suddenly you have a diagnosis. Bipolar II, Panic Disorder without Agoraphobia, and Psychotic Disorder (not otherwise specified). This is it, what you've been waiting years of your life for. A diagnosis. And yet you're somewhat disappointed. You're crazy, You see things, feel spiders that aren't there, chase toddlers around parking lots when there aren't any there. And you don't feel like this diagnosis really speaks to the magnitude of it's severity. Just a couple words seem to sum up how you feel everything all the times, how you can't stand the thought of people leaving you but you want them to go away for the rest of forever.

She recommends a type of pill that will make you stable. But stable is terrifying. Stable means you might not be able to sing or act or write the way you're used to. Stable means you may not be able to love and hate and everything in between as strongly as you're used to. But you're here for that reason, aren't you? Stability. So you tell her you'll think about it and see her on Tuesday with an answer.

Stable, maybe you can get used to that.

Partial Hospitalization Program Series: Day One

Your first day at a PHP program is one of the most emotionally exhausting days you'll experience. Your first hour (or was it two, or three?) is spent baring your heart and soul to a complete stranger with a clipboard. Your life story becomes a checklist to them. Abuse? Check. Sexual assault? Check. Irrational anger? Double check. It all gets broken down into such finite particles of existence that you begin to question the real reason you're there. Was it really the mental breakdown that led you to run out of work and chase non existent babies around a parking lot? Or was it that one time in elementary school somebody called you fat?

And then you finish up and go to meet a group. That group looks nothing like you were expecting. But then again, you aren't quite sure what you were expecting. Whatever it was, all this group is, is a gathering of adults sitting around a table, not truly prepared to share the damage that brought them there.

Then it's over, and you're not sure why, but things are looking up despite the fact you're exhausted and the program used up all of your spoons for the day.

Your day one went by in a flash, and you can only hope that despite the difficulties you faced, the rest go the exact same way.

7 Months and 1 Haircut Later...

Well, hello there. My last post here was in January. Since then. So, so much has happened. This blogger is now an employee at Sephora (living the dream, I know). I've moved out of my Father's home and have decided on attending a school to become a certified Esthetician. You know, so I can just look at someone's eyebrows and say, "That's my aesthetic."

So... A plus for that. But out of anything I'd say one of the biggest changes in my life is my look. For most this may mean a different color lipstick or a daring pair of heels... For me... I did a complete 180.

And then, there's who I am now. Honestly, the changes have caused some issues. A former boyfriend of mine, who I tried to date again, couldn't handle the fact that I seemed so "unhappy" now. To him... me, happy, was in pink and bright colors, wearing girly makeup, and tying my hair up into adorable ponytails. But honestly... while I do struggle with depression, I was dealing with the same things back then as well. Now, I simply have the freedom to express who I am and the people in my life willing to accept that. 

Honestly, even with all these changes, all these new things going on in my life. I'm still the Rhi who was blogging for you all those months ago. I'm just Rhi on her way to a genuine happy. 

So, coming up, I have a few themed posts, tutorials, and articles. I'll talk about my new haircut and color. We'll go into what I'm up to as far as extra curricular. And of course, my signature funny posts will follow. So so excited to be with my Rhiadolls again. I think things are going to be great. What are you looking forward to seeing? Lemme know in the comments. 

Everyday Makeup Tutorial (My First YouTube Video)

I feel like for the past year now, I've been telling everyone I'd eventually get around to making YouTube videos, but honestly I didn't know where to start. I've always been better at expressing myself through writing or in person than I have been in video (though this semester's Communications class is likely going to help that). So I've filmed maybe 5-10 different videos that I figured I'd use as my "First Video". But none of them felt like what I wanted my channel to be, which is an extension of my blog, not the other way around. So I finally did it, I filmed a video, edited it, and posted it a few days ago. Of course I've got 11 views cause god knows how many videos there are doing an "Everyday Makeup Tutorial". Just do me a favor, watch it, let me know what you think, what you'd like to see more of, and maybe what looks from my Instagram or blog you'd like to see done as a tutorial. My new schedule is going to be makeup tutorial every Monday and blog post every Thursday. Surely, there must be a limit to how many tutorials someone can watch. But I say, let's follow the Mean Girls motto on this one.

What It's Like For Girls Living In The Kardashian Beauty Era

I'm not a beauty blogger. Or well, I don't feel like one. I'd never refer to myself as a Guru, and even the term "makeup artist" prefixed with "self taught" makes me feel like a fraud. The why to this is really simple. I'm pale, I'm overweight, my lips and eyes are small, my eyebrows are not instagram worthy.

It finally dawned on me why I've been avoiding beauty related social media recently. I don't at all meet the new standards of beauty. I like to call this the "Kyle Jenner Standard". Your lashes should be full and fluttery, lips should be big and pouty, eyebrows should be painted on to perfection, and skin should be that perfect shade of racially ambiguos.

 The fact I'll probbaly never achieve this level of beauty sort of makes me uneasy. Kylie Jenner is 17 years old and literal perfection, ignoring the recent comments people have made about her "appropriating".

At 17 I barely leave the house unless I'm required to (work and family time/errands), spend 60% of my time doing school work, and practically live in nerdy tee shirts and sweatpants. When I was younger, all I really cared about (all most girls my age cared about), was having clear skin, being under a size 12, and being allowed to wear makeup to cover my freckles. So much has changed. The outlandish "Todlers and Tiaras" makeup obsessed little girls are suddenly really acting like that. I spoke to a couple makeup artists and a couple girls/young women about what they thought of the current beauty standard and this is what they had to say. (Warning, this is going to be a long but interesting post, it's worth the read.)

How do you feel about makeup? 

"I love makeup personally. I've never felt pressured my social media to wear it, although in 7th grade I felt the pressure from peers to be "prettier" so that's when I started to learn how to wear makeup properly. " - Megan, 16

"I love makeup. I don't wear it everyday or spend a whole lot of time or money on it, but I think in general it's pretty great." - Amy, 18

"Well, I don't wear makeup very often. Mostly because it's a pain to take off and I'm lazy. However, I do think makeup is great! At times I think it's good to have a break from it to keep yourselves from becoming dependent on it to feel beautiful. Other than that I think it's a great way to accent the beauty that is already there without makeup." - Desiray, 20

Have you ever tried to over draw your lips? 

"No, even though I have next to no upper lip. It would look too obvious and strange if I tried to fake it." - Kelsey, 23

"Yes I do currently overdraw my lips." - Megan

Have you ever worn fake eyelashes?

"I've worn fake eyelashes for dance competitions and performances and then occasions like prom and homecoming, but that's it." - Megan

"Yes. Again with love hate. I like the way they make my eyes pop but overall I wouldn't use them daily. To me it's not worth it especially when you can bold your lashes with some vaseline and mascara. " - Heidi, 24

"Nope." - Amy

Have you ever tried to contour?

"Once, I think." - Amy

"I tried to contour like once. It looked really unnatural and just wasn't for me. I will occasionally highlight my face in some areas, but when it comes to contouring I'm lost." - Hope, 18

"I do currently contour my face as part of my everyday face. " - Megan

Have you ever wanted plastic surgery?

"I am getting plastic surgery but for personal reasons not for face like Botox or permanent makeup." - Alexis, 17

"Yes, my nose is one thing I've always been self conscious about especially when it's the small nose that is considered  most attractive" - Heidi

How do you feel when you can’t follow a particular beauty trend (overdrawing/contouring/filled in eyebrows)?

"Well, I don't feel like I can't follow them. I probably could if I practiced and such, but I choose not to do those things. I could if i wanted to, I just don't want to. " - Amy

"Trying to keep up with trends or following them has honestly never appealed to me because then you’d be the same as everyone else. Trends are awesome when it's something funky and different but it's not for everyone but everyone wants to be like everyone so it takes the fun out of the look. To be honest not every trend applies to everyone. If you find something that doesn't quite fit you or your tastes I don't think you should follow it just because everyone else does. Or you can adjust it and make it your own. " - Heidi

"I guess it makes me feel bad when I can't follow a certain trend, but it's more frustration than anything at the fact that I wasn't able to figure something out. I have a basic mastery over makeup, and I don't feel like I absolutely need to follow the next trend. I like how I do things now enough that I don't dwell on it when I can't produce a certain look." - Hope

"A trend’s a trend; it will die down eventually. Not ever trend is suited for everyone." - Kelsey

Have you ever been made fun of (seriously) because you didn’t wear makeup/makeup was too natural?

"I wasn’t so much made fun of, but I did often hear “You’d look a lot better if you wore_____”." - Kelsey

"I've never been made fun of for a lack of makeup but I do feel insecure without it." - Megan

"No. I almost always wear makeup, and when I don't, no one seems to care. Actually what I see most in terms of makeup criticism, is girls being picked on for wearing too much makeup, or not doing something correctly (using the wrong color foundation, way overdrawn eyeliner, too strong eye shadow, etc.)." - Hope

"Yes. As I said before in highschool I opted out of make up entirely and just wore whatever, but when I was made fun of wasn't in high school. It was actually in elementary school in 6th grade. I had no need for makeup or girly things but a group of girls actually bullied me because I was into superheros and video games rather than tabloid magazines that dictated what make up /women/ should wear. "
Do you think the Kardashian/Jenner family should be beauty icons? Why or why not?
"I really don't like their look honestly. It's very dramatic and hardly any of what they look like now is their real appearance. And for another not a single picture I've seen do they have a genuine smiles and I don't watch the show so I don't know honestly." -Heidi

How has Social Media/Kardashian/Jenner beauty standards affected you? In a negative or positive way? Explain. 

" Although the they do makeup/dress really well within a certain kind of aesthetic, I don't particularity think they should be icons for anything. That lifestyle is so toxic. We should be celebrating people who do good in the world, not the drama in the lives of celebrities. I find the whole obsession shallow. " - Hope

"No, simply because their beauty is artificial. We look at celebrities as these perfect beings when in reality their looks are usually an illusion thanks to Photoshop, surgery and makeup. " - Kelsey

"Honestly their fame has affected my beauty routine. Once Kylie entered the limelight my makeup routine changed completely. I find myself basically trying to imitate her face, so I would call it a negative effect." - Megan

"It hasn’t. I wish I had a better reason. I worked hard to be happy with myself without makeup, and to view makeup as an addition and not a replacement. I can imagine that without their looks, the Kardashians would be very empty people. Social Media doesn’t define you; if you love the way you look without it- great! If you like to wear heavier makeup- great too!" - Kelsey

Has social media ever made you feel like you HAD to wear makeup?

"It certainly has made make up more appealing because you see these beautiful darlings with fantastic eyeliner and perfect pouty lips. Even for geeks we secretly want to look like our sexy heroines with red lips and thick lashes so, indeed. In any social media genre make up and having a certain look is played to its receiving masses that this is what a girl or woman should look like and it's a pressure for all social mediums." - Heidi

" I've never really felt like I /had/ to wear makeup, because I know plenty of girls who don't. Social media does push/ inspire me to up my makeup game, and maybe makes me feel bad about how I look overall, but when it comes to makeup it's more of an inspiration than making me feel as though I absolutely MUST wear makeup. I do really like the trend where celebrities/ really good makeup people post no makeup pictures of themselves because it reminds me that the look isn't natural,, and also reminds me of how wonderful people can be at makeup (again, inspiration)." - Hope

"Not really. I'm 24 now, and in high school I definitely went through the phase of feeling like there was alot of pressure or obligation to wear it, but I don't feel that came from social media for me." - Anonymous

*********************************************

Honestly, talking to all these women seriously opened my eyes. Some felt incredibly strongly about makeup, beauty, and the Kardashians. While others simply were too busy living their lives. Both Heidi and Kelsey work as makeup artists (Heidi in beauty, Kelsey in SFX). They both seemed to have a much clearer head particularly regarding trends. The youngest of the group, Megan, seemed the most effected by the change in standards. What do you think? Are the Kardashian/Jenners doing more bad than good? Should girls be trying to emulate what surgery and genetics created rather than learning how to enhance their own features? 

Calling All Ladies 15-25 and Makeup Artists! Be featured in my next blog post!

So I'm working on a huge blog post. Huge. Inspiration struck while in the shower and I want quotes. From as many people as possible. So email me, write in the comments, tweet me, post on my Facebook, the answers to these questions.

Makeup Wearers/General Public:

How do you feel about makeup?

Has social media ever made you feel like you HAD to wear makeup?

Have you ever tried to over draw your lips?

Have you ever worn fake eyelashes?

Have you ever tried to contour?

Have you ever thought about getting plastic surgery?

Have you ever wanted to fake tan/skin bleach?

What’s your biggest style inspiration?

How do you feel when you can’t follow a particular beauty trend (overdrawing/contouring/filled in eyebrows)?

Have you ever been made fun of (seriously) because you didn’t wear makeup/makeup was too natural?

If you didn’t know (bonus if you really don’t know) how old would you think Kylie Jenner is?

Do you think the Kardashian/Jenner family should be beauty icons? Why or why not?

How has Social Media/Kardashian/Jenner beauty standards affected you? In a negative or positive way? Explain.

Have you ever found yourself judging someone because they don’t do their makeup a certain way to fit in with what everyone does?

What’s the most you’ve ever spent on a makeup product? On a makeup shopping trip?

Makeup Artists:

What do you think of Overdrawn lips, Fake tan, fake eyelashes, and contouring for everyday wear?

Do you personally like to wear makeup? Do you wear it because it's expected?

What's the youngest age person you've been asked to apply beauty makeup on?

How do you feel when someone asks you to make them look like a "Kardashian/Jenner"?

Have you ever had a client ask you to stray from what's flattering on them so they can follow a makeup trend?

Is banana powder really good for all skin tones?

Do you see people wearing/requesting foundation darker than the rest of their body so they can look tan?

Do you ever feel pressured to follow certain beauty standards Social Media has put on you as an artist? 

Thanks so much to everyone who is answering these to me and don't forget to let me know if you want me to link your social media (I might even add a photo of you if you send it/tag me in it when you answer), or if you want to remain anonymous.

Scentbird Perfume Subscription Box

So I have a subtle obsession with good smelling stuff. I love candles, lotions, perfumes, bath bombs, body sprays... All of it. And I have a pretty excessive collection. So I've decided I'm really just going to start buying roller balls rather than the full size, since I'm going away to college next year and the rooms at my first choice school are smaller than the average dorm.

This is where Scentbird comes in. I first saw this on one of Jessica Braun's subscription box reviews and have been lusting after it for a good six months now. The idea is that it's 15 dollars a month, and you get a "one month" supply of a perfume of your choice. It's an 8ml bottle which is about 120 sprays. When signing up you take a quiz that helps them know what kind of fragrances you like. They ask questions about where your happy place is, what drinks you like, etc.

I was lucky enough to receive my subscription for free in exchange for an honest review. And I have a few things that I didn't really like but mostly things that I LOVED.

Scentbird sent me my little vial in a bubble mailer. I'm unsure as to whether or not this is the normal method of delivery but honestly I'm not happy with it. The case seemed pretty sturdy, but I'm afraid that some post offices aren't as careful with small packages and I can't imagine how upset someone would be if they received a busted bottle. This is especially an issue with month boxes, as it only ships in the case the FIRST month.

My other (admittedly petty) complaint is that you have to spray the sample in order to smell it. I wish they sent a little scratch and sniff or something so I could sample the scent without having to waste 1 of the 120 sprays. Even if something has been matched to you, you could still not like it. Some scents that Scentbird recommended to me give me headaches as I've had previous experience with them. I wish there was a way to test if the perfume I chose had an adverse effect on me without having to commit to a scent I hate all day or wasting a scent I love with a couple test sprays.

Overall, I think I really like this concept and the execution of it is quite nice as well :)

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored but all opinions are my own honest opinion. I only received the product as payment.

Project Pan 10 and Pan That Palette Challenges!

So I actually love Reddit. Mostly you can find me on /r/nosleep or /r/makeupaddiction. However, a few months ago I found a subreddit that really just... wow. It's called /r/panporn (it's all G rated I promise), and it's a community of makeup lovers that post pictures of the makeup they've used so much they've "hit pan" on (you can see the metal pan the makeup has been pressed into). This really intrigued me because I normally end up throwing away makeup items rather than using them because they've broken, I've bought a higher quality product, or I just simply never use it. And yet, I have an ungodly amount of makeup.

Well, while browsing through all of that I found two very intriguing concepts. The first is Project Pan 10. I have absolutely no idea who in the world started this, but the idea is you take 10 beauty products and you try to use them all up. The only makeup I've ever managed to completely finish is Foundation. Below are my 10 products I've decided on. I'm not sure nail polish is technically apart of this challenge but as I've never finished a nail polish I decided to try one as well. I planned on taking pictures of the items but I just could not get a non blurry photo, but aside from two or three things, all of these items are new or almost new with minimal usage. I've used maybe a fourth of the eyeliner and a fourth of the Jackie Oats. I've probably used a third of the Elf lippie.

• Milani Powder Rose Blush in 01 Romantic Rose 
• Milani Baked Blush in 05 Luminoso
• Physician's Formula Argan Wear Light Bronzer
• Lush Color Supplement "Jackie Oats"
• Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eyepencil in Perversion
• Younique Mineral Pigment in Glamorous
• Palladio Matte Lipstick in Scarlet
• Elf Matte Lip Pencil in Praline
• EOS Strawberry Vanilla Swirl 
• LVX Nail Polish in Anthracite

 I've been wearing makeup for years and I STILL have my first ever makeup palette. Even worse I've only hit pan on one of it's shadows. This is what brought me to Pan That Palette. This challenge was started by Amber F on Youtube last year when she decided she was going to COMPLETELY use up a Naked palette.

The results are pretty inpsiring. This year, the challenge is the Lorac Pro palette which I (surprisingly) do not own. But I still wanted to take part in this challenge. To psych myself up I went through and organized all of my palettes. It really is an eye opening experience sitting down and looking at nearly 30 eyeshadow palettes. 

At first, I wanted to go the easy route. I planned on panning my Too Faced Natural Eyes palette. It's what I've started using just about everyday for my makeup and it's the palette I brought with me to College For A Weekend. Then I started thinking. It would be too easy. I had my eye on this palette since I bought the Chocolate Bar palette and discovered my love of Too Faced eyeshadows. So I started thinking about impulse buys. Or things that I so badly lusted after but when I actually got it, I sort of just threw it into the back of my palette drawer and forgot about it. So, I have decided to start trying to pan the Urban Decay Vice 3 palette. It contains the same amount of product as the Urban Decay Naked palette does, but has 20 colors rather than 12. 

This is my start. There are already obvious dips in Alien, Last Sin, Truth, Undone, Downfall, and DTF. This palette is very versatile but there are a few colors that I will have trouble using. I'm most worried about Dragon, Freeze, Vanity, and Sonic. 

I plan on posting a bit of an update maybe once every two weeks on the usage of these products. I really can't wait to see how forcing myself to use up products rather than "saving" them will affect my makeup buying and really my blogging. 

If anyone else has done in the past or is in the process of doing either of these challenges, please link me to them in the comments (who knows, I may share them in a post later down the road). 

August Beauty Favorites

Honestly, I've been meaning to jump aboard the monthly favorites bandwagon for awhile now and just... I'm lazy.

Sooooo here we go! My monthly beauty related favorites!

How to Get the Smoothest Shave Ever

So this may seem a bit late to you, after all wouldn't a leg shaving post be better at the start of summer? No. No it wouldn't. Because honestly it isn't until the late summer, early autumn that I really start paying attention to that. Which is bad but meh. I suppose it's left over from my public school days. I'm a lot more worried about the opinions of kids my age I have to live with all year then I am strangers in a shopping mall. So here it is. The best (and quickest) shaving experience you may ever have.

Benefit Roller Lash Dupe

I don't but high end mascara, I just don't do it. Essentially you're paying 20+ dollars for a fancy brush. And there are plenty of amazing mascara brushes in the drugstore range. The hype surrounding the Benefit Roller Lash was enough to make me consider buying it. However, my current budget was not about that life.

Enter the next most hyped up mascara of late, Maybelline Lash Sensational. I picked it up and put it on my lashes and I swear to god the angels sang from the heavens. My lashes were full, curled slightly, long, and beautiful.

Low and behold the wand for the Maybelline product just looks like a larger version of the Roller Lash mascara. Which is funny considering they both came out around the same time (I believe the Maybelline came before).

If you're looking for a great mascara and an alternative to Benefit's Roller Lash, pick up Maybelline Lash Sensational for about 1/3 of the price.

Don't Buy Counterfeit Makeup

Just one thing for today's blog post:

Don't buy fake makeup, Don't buy fake makeup. Don't buy fake makeup. DON'T BUY FAKE MAKEUP. DON'T BUY FAKE MAKEUP.

I know I've talked about this before with my post about not buying makeup from the dollar store, but due to a recent post I saw on social media I felt the need to bring up this subject again, with a little more clarity.

I was pretty shocked when I found out that people sold counterfeit makeup. I was even more shocked when I saw that people seriously bought it for use. An easy search online will turn up countless Chinese "dupes" for anything from Naked palettes to MAC lipsticks, for sometimes 1/10 of the price of the real product.

A lot of the logic I've seen people use to explain away why these choose to buy these items are extremely flawed. "It's the same product just directly from the factory" or "Maybe they just chose not to inflate the price after they bought it wholesale."

no

No

NO

This isn't the same as buying a Michael Kors bag from some street stall on vacation. This is a product you will be putting on your skin. Your skin has this nasty habit of absorbing what you put on it. These counterfeit products are made cheaply and illegally. They are not put through the same required tests as the real products. There can be all sorts of bad for you chemicals and bacteria in these products. The video below has a little more information on this. It also has some graphic-ish photos of skin issues and eyes so if you have issues with those be warned.

While this video mostly deals with in person kiosks at market, it should be noted that every brand contacted said very certainly they do not discount their products. The only way you are going to find these products on sale is directly through the retailers or a place like Sephora or Ulta. Even then those sales will be few and far between, never more than 20% (except on occasion when an items is being discontinued and they need to make room for more items). 

Now we've covered the health risks, let's discuss the moral issues. Buying these makeup products can mean supporting animal testing/cruelty, human labour/trafficking, and potentially even terrorism. Your money directly goes to those organizations. It's really not good. 

This is a guide to figure out whether you're buying fake MAC lipstick or not, but the principles can be applied to most makeup products.

At the end of the day, don't buy on sites like eBay, Alliexpress, or any other kind of wholesale warehouse. If you're looking for an LE product, or a product cheaper than you can get it in store, I suggest checking out Glambot. Glambot verify's their makeup before selling it, and it's coming from other's like you (completely sanitized of course). 

Here are a few more articles about fake makeup products.

Cosmo: The Knock Off Beauty Market

Homeland Security Warns of Dangerous Counterfeit Cosmetics

The Toxic Trade In Fake Makeup

Normally I don't do this but Please, PLEASE share this everywhere you can. It's important to me that people aren't risking their healthy because they're misinformed.

Rant: Urban Decay Naked Line

Oh my god. I know I've talked about it before but I absolutely hate the Urban Decay Naked obsession. Now the Naked Smokey has come out and I'm (metaphorically) slamming my head into my vanity.

Seriously??? SERIOUSLY?!?! Another Naked palette. Does anyone else remember when Urban Decay was a makeup company that provided makeup to a more alternative clientele. I understand the need to branch out, really, I do. But in that they seem to have left their old customers behind.




Despite still using the tagline "beauty with an edge", there's such an obvious lack of "edge" in the new line of products. Almost everything in the past year or so sporting the name "Naked".

With the launch of the Revolution High-Colour lipgloss and Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Blush I thought that the company was starting to (re)broaden their horizons. I was let down of course when the Naked Smokey launched.

Please can we go back to the Urban Decay of the past, when palette's like the Deluxe shadow box, Fun palette, and Bamboo palette existed. To those of you insisting that you need to own four different palettes with muted nudes, great, you have it.

I can even appreciate the variety of nudes. It's a type of all inclusive collection that a lot of brands lack. What I don't appreciate is the complete focus on this line.

Urban Decay, please take a minute to look at a different business model. Too Faced cosmetics has become pretty much known for the Cocoa collection. And they do frequently release new products to that line. But at the same time, Too Faced is still releasing some very exciting Limited Edition products (Color Pop palette), new innovative products to their permanent line (Born This Way foundation), and spins on their old products (Metallic Melted Lipstick). As much as I used to ADORE Urban Decay, I've found myself drifting to other lines like Kat Von D, Too Faced, and even drugstore brands like Maybelline and Covergirl to get the kind of variety in makeup I've been looking for.

What are you thoughts? Are you getting fed up with the Naked obsession like me? Or are you a faithful lover of the endless neutral trend.

$10 Smashbox BB Cream Dupe

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When I started with makeup, I was really obsessed with foundations that had a medium-full coverage that would give me a perfect blank canvas of a face. However, that turned out to be a terrible idea. I had no idea how to wear that amount of makeup. I ended up with this really odd texture that was one part my dry skin and one part what I was putting on top of that dry skin. I set out to find a BB cream to wear in the summer of 2015 that would get rid of the mass amount of redness in my face, but wouldn't look like I was wearing an inch of makeup. Too Faced, Urban Decay, and Benefit all were big let downs. Because I'm one of a handful of individuals that avoids tanning in the summer at all costs. So I did something I hadn't done in the year since I started my makeup obsession, I asked a Sephora sales associate for help. 

My spot on match was the Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream with the tear inducing price tag of $39.  Needless to say I did not purchase it that day. Maybe it's just me but I find it hard to justify spending more than $25 on a foundation when it is going to be used up in about 2 months if used daily. 

I did get lucky and find someone willing to sell me a unused bottle that they bought on accident for $18 dollars. But I was right, it lasted about 2 months, even with 4 day a week usage. Meaning it lasted me one month of consistent usage. 

I ran out, I wanted to cry a bit, and I was back to using a foundation that was one shade too dark for me. 

That is, until a couple days ago when I headed into Sally's Beauty Supply. It was there that I found the Femme Couture Cosmetics CC Tinted Moisturizer. I bought it because it looked my color and was a tinted moisturizer. But when I got home and applied it I realized that it was basically a dupe for my oh so expensive Holy Grail BB cream. 

Buying the CC Cream from Sally's has a few pros and cons.

Pros:

• $9.99 for almost twice the amount of product of the Smashbox BB Cream
• Moisturizing but not too dewey
• They actually make a shade for pale skin that offers some coverage and isn't glorified lotion

Cons:

• There are only 4 shades available
• No SPF
• Not much known about the company

So go ahead and try it. Ten dollars may get you a new favorite face product!

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30 Minute Running Playlist

I think I briefly mentioned in my last update that I was starting to exercise and eat right. But I haven't really publicly discussed it. There have been a few updates on Instagram, and a new board on Pinterest, but aside from that I've sort of avoided becoming one of those peoples that talks about how far/fast they've run or how many push ups they've done. This is mostly because I'm not particularly good at exercising, and I'm many months away from the ultimate "10 minute mile" I seem to read about on every runner's blog.

What I AM excellent at is choosing music for these awful exercise activities. Like seriously if making playlists burned calories, I would be so thin right now. So here it is, 30 minutes of awesome music for your workout.

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There ya go :)

Back to Blogging

It has been a ridiculous amount of time since I last posted any kind of content. My post about making this a more all inclusive type of blog went over well and then bam, I poofed! Well no more!

So I guess I will use this as a sort of "whats to come".

Makeup wise, there isn't much for me to do. Tutorials, maybe, but I lack the equipment and talent to crank those out as often as I know some would like. DEFINITELY more reviews. I really didn't realize how far I had gotten from doing those basic kind of stuff until I received a request for more, and realized I really hadn't done any except for in very brief roundup posts.

As far as the new subjects I plan on bringing into my blog... Well, I go away for college in a year, and even if it's only a year, I plan on making my room picture perfect in the next couple of months. Already almost all of my furniture has been rearranged and replaced... Now all I need is the proper decorations.

Speaking of aesthetic, if you're not following me on tumblr you can do that here (or click the picture above).

You know you can expect a million more funny stories/true facts told in gif list form, because honestly those are my favorite posts to do.

Readers, I am also looking at getting fit. You see... this thing happens when you are an internet obsessed teenager where you pin all about fitness and healthy recipes but still spend a solid 6 hours in front of the computer eating two packs of ramen and a donut. Shameless social media plug, follow me on Pinterest. I'm currently training for the Color Run in September and will be posting about that. Meaing be prepared for the millions of complaints about shin splints. 

Honestly, there is't much else to discuss that I don't want to cover in another post... So, ya know. See you then.

Update! (Writer's block, "Lifestyle" blogging, etc.)

Hello Rhia-dolls! So I have no idea how long it's been since I've updated. Lets just go with a good two weeks. Part of that was due to just coming back from a cruise and part of that was writers block. I just finished up my first year in "college" and my junior year in high school. This will be the first summer I have had off in something like two years.

Honestly, I want it to magical and dare I say "tumblr-esque", but to be honest I'll probably spend 99% of my time behind my computer screen.

Since it's summer, the amount of makeup I'm putting on my face has like been cut in half. So I'm not buying makeup, I'm not wearing a lot of makeup, I didn't go to prom, I didn't do anybody's makeup for prom... what the heck do I write about?

I want to do something other than makeup, because I'm so much more than that. But I feel like I started EyesOnRhi with the  idea that I would only be discussing makeup. That was a stupid idea for me.

So now, looking at what's next, I can only think maybe I'm joining a wider niche of blogs. One where I can write about the things I love (heavily including makeup) as well as my opinion on a massive range of topics.

So what does that make me? A lifestyle blogger? Maybe? A super pale teenage girl with a computer and basic understanding of English? Definitely.

For the most part this will remain a "Beauty Blog". I'm still in love with makeup. But I need to grow a bit and see what becomes of it.

For those of you who are staying with me during this, thank you so much. For those of you who are gonna click away the first time you see a post about a day trip to the beach, I'll miss ya.

40 Beauty Questions Tag!

Wow so I'm a hella lazy person, if you don't know me in real life. Which means rather than take a million and twelve pictures for a new post I'm just gonna answer a beauty tag and use some funny as heck gifs.

Rant: Sephora Beauty Insider, VIB, and VIB Rouge "Perks"

It's definitely not a secret that Sephora is just about my favorite place ever. I've always found the employees to be much more educated and engaged than those who work at Ulta. That being said, recently I've felt like being apart of their loyalty program is almost a waste. This past week they had their twice a year sale for those of us apart of said program.

Beauty Insiders used code 'BILOVE' for %10 off.

...wait what...

Yeah, that's right. If you were one of the many people to spend less than $350 dollars you got a whole TEN PERCENT off! WOO! Isn't that amazing???

No.

Then there are those in VIB ($350 a year) and VIB Rouge ($1000 a year) who got I believe either 15 or twenty percent. Either way... not a great deal. To put it in perspective, I needed a BB Cream from Smashbox (they seemed to be the only brand that had the coverage and color I needed) that cost $39 dollars. Which is a lot of money. But my discount definitely didn't encourage me to buy it. Why? Because even with my "amazing" loyalty discount, it still would have been 35 dollars. Even if I had been VIB Rouge it would have been over 30 dollars for this one product. For people who are spending so much in a store, especially when you consider that store really doesn't have sales (not even really for black friday).

So let's talk the structure of Sephora's Beauty Insider program. For every dollar you spend, you get 1 point. Now sometimes you can get 2 or 3 times the points for purchasing whatever their monthly focus is (it's almost always skincare or perfume). When you get to 100 points, you get to choose a deluxe sized sample, at 250 you normally get a perfume, and at 500 there's some sort of kit.

Current Perks:

I'm never impressed with the points perks. The 100 point perks are crazy small considering that means I have spent at least a hundred dollars on makeup. Now I'm not asking for a whole palette or anything, but I feel like maybe the rewards should be worth at least 1/5 of what I just spent. The closest to pleased I've ever been with their 100 point gifts is when I picked up the DS size of the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara that retails at Macy's for 12 dollars.

The 250 point perk always seemed to be even more sad than the 100 point perk. Let's be honest, those headphone will probably break in a week, and perfume is such a difficult thing to have encompass everyone. You'd be better off getting 2 of the 100 point perks than the alternative.

Halfway to VIB Rouge, you qualify for the 500 point perk, which ALWAYS SUCK. Last year for months all it was was the Formula X polish system, which I have heard so many terrible reviews about. Now this year, I suppose it's slightly better, I mean that Bare Minerals kit almost looks worth it.

Compared to other programs (like from Ulta), the Sephora one kinda sucks. I'll probably continue to shop there for the clearance section, and to keep getting my birthday gift (the only actually awesome perk I've gotten as a Beauty Insider).

Let's face it Sephora, you can talk about your 'BILOVE' all you want, but honestly...