Generation Beauty New York Series: Goodie Bags Day 1 & 2

If you're familiar with Generation Beauty you may already know that the goodie-bags provided at the end of each day can be a large part of the motivation to attend for some people. While it is an exciting aspect of the event and I'm happy they provided them for us, I can't help but feel like the bags were a little bit underwhelming.

Many of the items in them were either slightly larger things we had already received from booths that day (I say slightly larger because few things were full sized) and the size of the bags themselves were smaller than I had been lead to believe they would be based on previous reviews I saw from LA . I know this may make me sound greedy but keep in mind these tickets were $95 + personal travel costs of getting there all the way from Virginia.

Regardless, there is some good stuff in these bags that I may have never tried on my own, so I can definitely appreciate the diversity of brands included.

1. Formula X Nail Polish in "Pyrotechnic" (full size)
2. Mally High-Shine Liquid Lipstick Pen in "Delish" (full size)
3. Crown C410 Flat Concealer Brush (full size)
4. Temptu Highlighter in "Champagne Shimmer"
5. Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Hairspray
6. SOHO Retractable Kabuki Brush (full size)
7. Benefit They're Real Mascara
8. NYX High Voltage Lipstick in "Tiara" (full size)
9. Makeup Forever Smoky Extravagant Mascara
10. Skin Inc. Pure Revival Peel
11. Moroccan Oil Hand Cream
12. It Cosmetics No-Tug Waterproof Gel Eyeliner
13. It Cosmetics Tightline
14. Cargo HD CC Cream in "Medium" (full size)
15. Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder

1. Dermalogica Clear Start School Day Skin Essentials- Breakout Clearing All Over Toner and Emergency Spot Fix
2. SKINN Exfoliating Face Wash
3. Derma-e Purifying Daily Detox Scrub (full size)
4. Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black and Nirvana White Perfume
5. NUXE Multi-Purpose Dry Oil Sample
6. Bliss Long Glossed Love Serum Infused Lip Stain in "Ready for S'more" (full size)
7. Klorane Dry Shampoo
8. PurMinerals Lipstick Samples
9. OFRA Liquid Lipstick in "Venice" (full size)
10. Gallany Lip Gloss in "Giggle" (full size)
11. Essence I <3 Extreme Mascara (full size)
12. Eva-nyc Dry Shampoo
13. Belief Aqua Bomb Moisturizer
14. Cover FX Calming Primer
15. Laura Geller Baked Gelato Vivid Swirl Blush in "Papaya"
16. Jouer Pearl Lip Enhancer in "Nude Pearl"
17. treStique Mini Shadow Crayon in "Tibetan Ivory"
18. Juliette Has a Gun Perfume Sample in "Lady Vengeance"

*this post wasn't sponsored and all photos are my own*

On Trend: Makeup Removing Cleansers and Oils

First and foremost: do not let the word "oil" scare you. It used to make me nervous, but I always cross check ingredients with the non-comedogenic list on acne.org and I haven't experienced any issues! Lets be honest, makeup wipes suck. Yes, there are "good" ones and there are terrible ones, but no matter what I have never heard anyone ever talk about a makeup wipe that has legitimately and effortlessly removed ALL of the makeup off of their face (mascara and all!) I'm over spending money on the makeup wipes, and then liquid eye makeup remover to get the remaining black swan eyes off, and the cotton pads I need to use it with, and then the cleansers to remove all the oily residue. It's too much effort to accomplish one goal- ain't nobody got time for that!!! I've been searching for one product that I can use to easily get the job done, and I've formed some definite opinions on both drugstore and high end products.

Drugstore Cleansers/Oils- Garnier

All of my drugstore selections are from Garnier because I believe they've been producing the most competitive makeup removing cleansers and oils that you can get at the drugstore. As far as I've seen, they were the first drugstore brand to put out a makeup removing oil. Since its release about a year ago, they've expanded their line of products to include a lotion cleanser and a cream cleanser.

Garnier Clean+Nourishing Cleansing Oil

This is the product that scared me the most because it just looks like straight up vegetable oil. BUT, don't be afraid because of the skin myths out there. The first ingredient is mineral oil. This is not a pore clogging oil. Also- this is a cleanser- it goes on and immediately comes off,  so if you're still concerned, know that the oils wont stay on your skin like a moisturizer, they rinse off clean and you should still follow with your regular cleanser after rinsing the makeup off. Another major oil in this is jojoba oil which is AWESOME! Jojoba oil is one of the best things you could possibly use to moisturize your face without clogging pores. Jojoba is also expensive which is probably the biggest contributor to the cost of this product, but it's still s cheaper alternative than the pure oil. 

I use about three pumps and apply it with DRY hands on a DRY face- definitely do not get water involved yet. I spend most of my time rubbing my lashes to work the mascara off and once my face is covered I rinse it off. 

My biggest peeve with this product is how it leaves my eyes. Even after rinsing the oil makes my vision foggy and I sometimes get these weird emulsified strings of black makeup in my eye. I also will admit that I can tend to have some eye makeup leftover under my eyes that doesn't rinse off easily and will cause me to use a towel or a makeup wipe. However, this stuff really does cut through my heavy eye makeup and even when it doesn't remove everything, it softens my chunky mascara and makes it easier to get off. I don't love the price- it's usually around $8 but is sometimes on sale around $6. I just think I need to use too many pumps and sometimes additional products to justify how quickly it runs out. It has a nice scent, leaves little residue, and is awesome compared to what's available at the drugstore, but overall it's not the best thing in existence.

Garnier Clean+Sensitive Skin Makeup Removing Lotion Cleanser

I was really stoked to find this new display at my Target because I never knew they were releasing more products! The lotion cleanser is designed for sensitive skin and is free of fragrance, alcohol, dye, and oil. Unfortunately, this was my least favorite product of the three I tried. It removes face makeup really well; I could see the foundation coming off as soon as I started rubbing the cleanser around my face. However, this product sucks with eye makeup; it barely removes mascara or eyeliner yet it claims it can remove waterproof mascara...yeah right. The term "lotion" also made me surprised by the consistency of the product. It's not like a thick body lotion but more of a thin lotion that feels more like a gel. I think this could be a big reason why the cleanser doesn't remove eye makeup well and I just wouldn't repurchase it again.

Garnier Clean+Smoothing Cream Cleanser

THIS, THIS, THIS!!! SO MUCH YASSSS!!! I have found the holy grail product people! This product is AWESOME because it combines the same moisturizing properties of the Garnier oil, but in a cream form. This is not like the lotion cleanser- it's much thicker, even more like a lotion, and actually does turn into a cleanser. Not only does it remove everything COMPLETELY but I feel like I'm not wasting product like I was with the oil. The oil required me to use several pumps and because it's a liquid I often felt like I was spilling a ton of it from my hands when I was trying to get it on my face. The cream is thick enough to dissolve my mascara but still lets me get away with using about a quarter-sized amount because adding water foams the products up and helps rinse everything completely clean. I'm gonna go ahead and say what I probably shouldn't say- this is an IDEAL product for those nights when you stumble home drunk and are too tired to go through your skin routine (lol). It removes all your makeup, helps cleanse your skin, and leaves it soft and slightly moisturized from the jojoba oil. I wouldn't suggest skipping your routine every night, but when you're feeling lazy, this stuff is awesome. I was really amazed that I didn't have any eye makeup remaining after rinsing and I will probably never buy another remover or wipe because of my love for this product!

High End Oil Removers- PurMinerals and Bliss

I'm prefacing this post by saying don't spend your money on expensive removers. I won't go into as much detail on these products because I'm not endorsing them, especially after expressing my thoughts on the Garnier Cream Cleanser. 

PurMinerals Melt Away Makeup Emulsifier

I tried this product because Ulta was doing a 50% off sale on PurMinerals skin care and I've really enjoyed their products in the past. However, while I was shopping on Amazon I saw the product for the same sale price and I'll take any opportunity I can to avoid shopping at Ulta; always check Amazon, they typically offer lower prices than retailers (the original price is $23). This product is okay but overpriced- it only works a little bit better than the Garnier oil and is 3x the price. It's also overpoweringly scented and gave me the same problems of feeling wasteful as the Garnier product did.

Bliss Fabulous Makeup Melt Gel-to-Oil Cleanser

This stuff is better than the PurMinerals product because it starts as a gel and is easier to apply to my skin but it still doesn't remove as well as the Garnier Cream Cleanser. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible product- it does remove a fair amount of makeup but the fact that I still have some remaining eye makeup left under my eyes makes it DEFINITELY not worth the $28 price point. There's no contest against the Garnier Cream Cleanser, so save your money and hit a Walgreens before trying these overpriced time wasters!

*This post was not sponsered; all photos except for the bliss photo and the garnier oil photo are my own*