#yes def a winter break binge read

[ten]

hi!! relic by preston&child is my favourite series!! :)

omg a thriller series thank u i'm def adding that to my winter break reading list!!! i love thrillers so much but they're always a read in one sitting type thing for me cuz i physically cant do anything before finding out what happens HAHA

[thebigqueer]

hiii! could you write a fic/headcanons of leo, nico and will. i had no idea that was a ship until recently and i love it!!! and i want to read how they get together. in my mind solangelo is already dating (bc leo is in no condition to date after canon) and after leo comes back (after toa5) they became friends and eventually they confess to leo (when he already got over calypso and is better emotionally y'know?). no pressure if you don't feel like writing this tho :)))

hhhh anon im sorry i absolutely would love to write this for you into like an actual fic but it takes me a long time to write fics :(

but! i can def give you headcanons! after all they’re like fics but in outline form and much less grammatically correct! but if i do make a fanfic, i’ll be sure to post it. maybe you’ll like it! can’t make any promises i’d write it anytime soon though cuz i have a few more projects on the line but you know... i’m def considering making one after everything i’ve written in this post...

okay exactly yes i totally agree that leo only gets with them after he’s emotionally stable & after toa5

this is straying from soldezangelo a little but i made a post here about what i personally think should have happened w/ leo’s ending in HoO, if you’re interested in reading it. i’m gonna make the following bullet points based on that

but tldr: i’m just basically saying that i wish caleo ended up leaving ogygia as friends so that leo didn’t get that forced romance on him

so he stays at the waystation for a while with calypso (only as friends; like they’re staying there and are really adorable friends) and all the while he’s really thinking only about himself and his well-being. he goes back to high school and keeps up with that project he’s doing w/ other kids and giving them opportunities to make things (GOD THAT WAS SO CUTE)

then leo decides that maybe for the winter, he’ll go back for a trip (i also hc that piper and percy and annabeth go to chb for the same winter so that some of the seven see each other!)

there, he meets will and nico, but i think mostly he’s interested in talking w/ nico. so they talk a lot. nico expresses how angry they were for leo dying like that and scaring everyone, and leo says he’s sorry but he had to. i think this also provides nico and leo the perfect opportunity to talk about jason, since they were both really good friends with him. and nico also understands that it was leo’s decision and his sacrifice. but they also talk about how leo’s sacrifice kind of... felt weird. since in the end, they still lost the storm but the fire lived on (ehehhehe idk if that made sense but i was tryna be smart lakjsdlfkj) 

i think that opportunity ultimately provides nico and leo to get along a LOT better with each other, and they both realize that they actually have been through a lot of similar feelings. by which i mean theyre both so fuckin mentally unstable and they relate to one another.

nico talks about how he’s been in a relationship with will for a while, and leo’s happy for him, really. but i think a small part of him is jealous, too. not because “oh god here’s another couple im supposed to worry about after ive just started getting over this ingrained idea of needing romance to solve all my issues and feeling like i belong,” but more because i think leo’s always been a little attracted to nico since they were on the argo II with each other. i don’t think he ever acted on those feelings, especially since a lot of the people on that ship were more judgmental towards nico and he probably felt like he had to be as well (by the way, none of this is an excuse to leo’s treatment of nico, or, by extension, an excuse for anyone’s treatment of nico on the argo II.)

leo apologizes to nico about how he treated him, and nico smiles and tells him it’s fine. like, nico has had his own bout of personal growth as well, especially in the past year. he doesn’t - and won’t - forget how people treated him, but now he’s learning to just let it go, in a sense. 

and i think this is when leo and nico kind of develop underlying feelings for each other. 

leo and nico probably hang out a lot, but will also joins becuase he’s nico’s boyfriend, and nico loves to have him tag along. so i think leo feels a little intimidated by will, like “damn my crush is really just bringing along their boyfriend huh??” 

and leo’s like. so jealous. like “ugh why does this hot golden ray of sunshine have to ruin everything. why is he always around. he’s so fucking distracting. like hello i’m trying to simp for nico but he’s so gorgeous for the both of us.” and then it hits leo that oh wait oh fuck he actually likes both of them and that “intimidation” he was feeling was mostly just him being attracted LMAO

leo and will get a bit closer through nico, and then i think the two of them are like very joke-y with each other, and they totally connect with each other about texas and being absolute fucking NERDS (since they are both canonically absolute dumbass nerds HSDHFSLFKDJ)

and leo’s struck with how cute he is omG 

and then nico’s like “wow they’re both so glowy aslkdjffdj HHHHH” 

and then will’s like “damn they’re both so dark and mysterious” 

and also not to mention they all totally relate about mental illnesses, abandonment issues, and the like. i mean, after everything that’s happened to all three of them (since will has been through like two wars, has lost two brothers, and has probably lost a lot of lives and feels guilty for it) they probably really relate to each other about always feeling... this dark uncomfortableness inside them. a void. they get really deep about mental health, and i think nico actually suggests to both of them that they should all talk to dionysus, just like he does (because, as we all fucking know, love cannot fix mental health and it doesn’t matter how much they’re all attracted to each other, they will not cure each other just because they’re in love) 

i think somewhere in the relationship between will and nico, a tension starts to build up a little. they’re not really sure how to exactly deal with teh fact that they like leo (and neither of them actually admits it to the other because they like the other as well and they really are not in the mood for a “”””love triangle”””)

but the funny thing is, they probably all talk about it with dionysus in their separate times. and Mr. D is just. he’s so done. 

SLKDJFKLSDHFLJSDKFSDKJFSFDLJK - Mr. D falling asleep at night thinking about this soldezangelo thing because he thinks it’s really funny that they all like each other but don’t wanna admit it

he totally suggests that nico and will talk about it together, and after lots of hesitation, will is probably the first one to come outright and say that he likes leo as well. and nico’s like “OMG WHAT ME TOO. like i really like you but i also really like leo...”

so they’re both actually really relieved, because they didn’t really want to break up with each other but they didn’t really want to keep lying to each other, either. 

and they tell leo, and then leo’s so happy because lKJSDFJLSLDFK YALL I LIKED YOU FOR THE LONGEST TIME

and bada-bing, bada-boom, ya got yourself a little soldezangelo!!!! 

i hope you liked that!!! i’m actually tempted to make this into a fic now, but since it’s already in headcanon form is there a point? hmm... imma think on this though. thank you SO MUCH for the ask!!!

[xcziel]

get to know me

tagged by @vishcount (thank you!!) and i'll follow her format bc making two posts seems a little much - i'm not that interesting!!

(hilariously, this post shows up as blocked for me bc of the tag 'joker' which? tumblr?????)

Part I

name: i'm an internet old, so i never use my real name online, mainly because it's spelled in a very unique way (thanks mom & dad) - i mean like, if you googled it you could find my home address in a few seconds kind of unique - but also, though i do enjoy the spelling, i actually don't like it very much when it's said out loud? (is it weird that my name written down is 'me', but my name aloud has never felt like 'me'?) always wanted a nickname but never acquired one :/

at any rate, i've had the username xcziel forever and i go by that 😊 (pronounced ex-SEE-zee-el, similar to etc. or ex-SET-er-ah! thanks @xia-xueyi for pointing out that it can be confusing to guess!)

rest behind a cut because it got long!

pronouns: she/her

star sign: i don't ... really *do* astrology? but technically saggitarius

height: 5'4" (162.5cm for the intl folks)

time: 5:43pm but these thing take me forever to type out so ... ???

birthday: playing the 'internet old' card again .. but it floats around american Thanksgiving depending on the year

nationality: american

fave bands/groups/solo artists: lumping these together because i just .. don't really do music much anymore. if you had asked me this back in my 20s i'm sure i would have had all kinds of opinions and things to share, but these days i actually mostly prefer to listen music from when i was a kid. part of it is also that as an old, i prefer to buy my music, even digitally, and i don't really use spotify - which does so much to enable diverse music exploration i admit! but i mostly have earplugs in all the time and music does not work for me as background noise, so...

so i guess my answer would be 70s disco and classic rock and 80s new wave artists? i've never liked any artist's entire discography and prefer greatest hits-type compilations, but i guess duran duran and def leppard and depeche mode would be considered formative? i love new order but specifically late 80s new order, NOT joy division. the only concert t-shirt i've ever worn was the cult? i loved sonic temple but i can't listen to most of it anymore though i still adore love removal machine. i think maybe if you get old enough, for some of us there's TOO MUCH good music and we can't pare it down anymore

song stuck in your head: jamiroquai's canned heat

last movie you watched: re: the above, i re-watched center stage, the 2000 one with zoe saldana and the mandy moore soundtrack, bc it's a happy comfort movie and i just got a digital version

last show you binged: i can't really "binge" very often bc after a couple of hours i need a break, so i guess i'd say the tgcf donghua on netflix since it was short enough to get through all in one go

when you created your blog: in 2012 i stopped lurking so i could post about the avengers movie

the last thing you googled: 5'4" in cm? lol before that it was chinese wrapped street food

other blogs: everything is here! i discovered i compartmentalize about as well as i tag reliably (😓) but i do have several automated ao3feed-tag style sideblogs. and i did, very briefly, have a *winces* hockey sideblog too

why i chose my url: ooh i know i've done this before, sorry if it's repetitive, basically it was the username i picked back when my family first got aol: short, unique combo of letters - 14-year-old me really thought about it! and then it wouldn't let me use anything other than my name. thirty-some-odd years later, trying to come up with a livejournal username that wasn't already taken and getting fed up, i plugged it in and went: good enough!

how many people are you following: like 760-something last i checked? although many, many, many of them are deactivated

how many followers do you have: idk i don't like looking at that stuff, but way fewer than i am following

average hours of sleep: it varies too much day by day, my sleep schedule is too wonky, i have no idea what the average would be

lucky numbers: 7? cliché i know, and again not really buying into it, but somewhere in my hindbrain i like it that my first, middle, and last names all have seven letters

instruments: none. i like singing

what i'm currently wearing: giant black t-shirt and baggy black drawstring shorts, standard sitting around the house gear

dream job: don't have one. if i did it would give me something to be working towards *sigh* this is how you end up in retail for decades, kids! but also, to quote a random post i saw in true tumblr fashion "i simply do not dream of labor"

dream trip: covered this one before but: back to the uk and some railway daytrips, or a really fancy northern cruise, atlantic/pacific either one

fave food: uhhh, don't really have a favorite but i'm almost always in the mood for pizza

top three fictional universe you'd like to live in: none really, if i had to still be me..maybe some kind of actually utopian future? but the pandemic has confirmed for me that i do NOT like living in interesting times, so most fictional story universes are RIGHT out. my favorites to read about like discworld or diana wynne jones' worlds would be way to chaotic for my comfort. possibly diane duane's young wizards universe would be safe enough to be okay?

Part II

last song: watching center stage made me think of my dance playlist so sunrise by simply red

last movielast stream: i don't watch streams or youtube often, so it was the same as you, vish! liu chang's birthday stream was SO enjoyable i screenrecorded the entire thing just so i could play it back (and maybe gif sometime if i ever get the drive to actually do it)

currently reading: well i just finished the translated quan qiu gao kao or global university entrance exam novel, which was sparked purely from catching a single rec post here on tumblr and basically just *falling* into this 166 chapter epic that is *amazing* and not coming up for air until i got to the end, which is typical novel-reading behavior for me (yes i was the kid who read through lunch period and got hassled by people who kept pestering me with "what're you reading" questions and yes i realize probably a lot of you on tumblr were too) plus, the new murderbot novel is out tomorrow!!!!! so that'll be where i end up next!

currently watching: the entire dmbj verse (that i can get my hands on) but ... sporadically and stopping at random different parts because the thing is ... this type of show is not really the kind i enjoy so much? so since it's more for "research" and learning character arcs (and let's be honest: shots of liu sang), etc. it's easy to get distracted by other stuff. i'm also watching the sleuth of the ming dynasty, mr queen, bromance, the expanse, re-watching farscape and stargate sg-1, just finished the falcon and the winter soldier, and then anytime something new and short gets introduced it jumps the queue. there are just. so. many. things. to. watch! (now i have to look into anti-fraud league too!? you all are cruel ...)

what is antipoetry to you: i ... don't really think much about poetry? i know what i prefer is usually the more basic rhymed kind like lewis carroll, emily dickinson, poe, coleridge, etc. so i suppose i don't have much use for classifying non-rhyming verse? i can appreciate stuff like rupi kaur which i guess would qualify? or that william carlos williams plums poem? but it doesn't really stick with me the way lyric-like verse does

currently craving: i never know what exactly this is meant to be in reference to ... hmmm, i would love a new high-concept, high production-quality movie like say, pacific rim, to be released, just for that massive, excited energy that comes with something new that hasn't already got tons of disappointing or conflicting history behind it - that would be so fun!!

other than that, right now, i mostly kinda want some fried fish? but that will have to wait until i go to get my second vaccine shot on wednesday since it's on the way there. i'd also like my internal body parts to settle down and fly right but it's been more than a month and they don't seem inclined :(((( maybe once i'm fully vaxxed i'll think about consulting somebody about it

tagging @foxofninetales @xia-xueyi @momosandlemonsoda @memorydragon @thewindsofsong @elvencantation @mylastbraincql @hesayshesgotboyfriend @aurawolfgirl2000 @smaragdine-galaxy and anyone who wants to! but never feel obligated and if you don't get around to it for like half a year that's totally fine, i am still interested!!!

[plinys]

you gonn' turn somebody tonight [a lot parks and rec au]

or, tumblr user jess plinys spends too long thinking about making a parks and rec au and laughing at her own jokes and then binged all of parks and rec season one and the beginning of two. only to realize ray palmer would def be the sort of person to accidentally marry two male penguins (somehow this intro to the au did not include the actual episode and is just more??? nonsense. i’ll figure this au out by my next drabble i swear)

“We here at the Central City Parks and Recreation Department really care about the - oh fucking hell. The meeting’s not for ten more minutes. Does nobody have a watch in this fucking-”

*

“They’re making a documentary,” Rip explains to his gathered coworkers. The co-workers currently sitting on bean bag chairs on the floor rather than at a proper conference table.

“About the Parks Department?”

“Yes.”

“That sounds fake,” Len drawls. 

The but okay going unspoken, but universally recognized.

Especially by Sara who at his words catapults herself out of her beanbag to give him a high five.

Rip Hunter is not being paid enough to deal with this.

He will never be getting paid enough to deal with this. This is something he has long since accepted.

“I think it’s exciting! This is just what our little patch of government needs! Positive outlook guys,” Ray insists.

“I agree with Ray,” Kendra nods, “Any press is good press, right guys?”

“I feel like someone is forgetting the gay penguin incident,” Len points out.

To which the group sagely nods.

“It was a week ago? How could anyone have forgotten it?”  

“Nobody is talking about the gay penguin incident,” Rip cuts in.

“I feel like our camera crew needs to know about the gay penguin incident,” Sara agrees.

“No. Absolutely not. Does anyone remember the rules?”

There on the wall directly above the door to Rip’s office is a list of rules.

The first of which clearly reads: Do Not Speak About The Gay Penguin Incident.  

“I don’t believe in rules,” Len replies.

*

“The thing is - we have been doing a lot of promotions at the zoo, because Kendra’s ‘soulmate’,” Sara makes air quotes around the word, “Carter volunteers there part time. He’s got this weird thing with the birds. Which I mean respect, but also like - penguins.”  

*

“No comment.”

*

“Honestly, like I should have had Carter say something beforehand, but it was so cute. Ray put this little veil on the one penguin and, he’d just been broken up with again, so I didn’t want to break little his heart.” Kendra pauses.

Eye flicking off over her shoulder to where the rest of the team is still assembled in their beanbags in the other room.

“Ray’s really sensitive.”

She turns back to the camera.

“Oh, but like in a good way.”   

*

“Have you ever seen two penguins fuck? How were we supposed to explain that to the children? My baby sister was there and-”

Off screen, Rip shouts, “Lisa is twenty-three!”

“And scarred for life.”

*

“Okay, I’m here to show you around, and definitely not talk abou the penguin incident, because,” Ray gestures dramatically to the aforementioned chart. “Rule number one. And also rule number two.”

The chart, which is done in glitter paint.

Reads the following rules.

Do Not Speak About The Gay Penguin Incident

See Rule One. Again.

Rip’s Office Is Off Limits.

Do Not Feed Gideon After Midnight.

No Fires.

Sara Lance Was Here!!!

“Sara made the chart. She’s really great with the glitter paint. It’s like one of my favorite things about her,” Ray insists. “Not that the rest of her isn’t great. She’s great. Everyone is great. Well - almost everyone...”

“Why is there a camera crew in the office,” Jax asks. Having shown up late to work again - with coffee.  He stares past Ray blatantly at the camera before taking a long drink of his coffee.

“Oh, you missed this morning’s meeting,” Ray replies, “They’re filming a documentary. We’re supposed to pretend that they’re not really here, but we can talk to them sometimes. Like on reality shows.”

“This isn’t about the -”

“Rule Number One, Jefferson.”

Jax groans loudly and rolling his eyes in the general direction of the camera.

“Just because I can’t see you rolling your eyes doesn’t mean I can’t sense it.”

*

“I swear Gray has ESP. I can’t prove it yet, but I’m going too, just you wait.”

*

“So should we be, I don’t know, actually doing something? I mean, I hate my job as much as the next respectable government employee,” Sara insists, “But if they’re going to be recording us?”

Even as she says this, she sinks further into her beanbag chair, drinking the coffee Jax had brought for her.

It is good coffee.

“I mean, it’s not even noon yet,” Kendra replies. “You can’t expect the government to start working before noon, right?”

“Hawk babe has a point,” Len agrees, before popping the hood on his winter coat up - even though it is June, a definitely not parka season - to hide his face away from the rest of the team.

There’s an eighty percent change he may be taking a nap.

The beanbags were quite comfortable after all.

This wouldn’t be the first time it had happened.

Or the tenth.

“You know what the best part of the gay penguin incident was-”

“The gay penguin incident that we are not talking about,” Rip reminds them.

Stein is the only one who listens to him. Also the only one currently doing their job and not lounging around on beanbags drinking coffee waiting for their lunch break to come.

Sara continues as if she was uninterrupted. “The cake.”

“I have good memories of that cake,” Jax agrees, “Best cake I’ve ever eaten at a gay bar.”

I still have my shirt from club. I mean I’ve never been to a gay bar before, but they were so sweet,” Kendra says.

“They kept buying me drinks,” Ray says after a moment, “And telling me how soft my hair was. That’s normal right?”

[cakesandcries]

Online shopping for (most) women is nothing short of a blessing. Well, at least I feel this way and I can explain why. It’s like taking an enjoyable trip to a mall, strolling around and not feeling weirdly embarrassed about entering a store without spending money. Picture this- easy shopping on your laptop while sitting in your comfiest pj’s, unkempt hair framing your face and binging on snacks. Sounds like a regular weekend, huh?

To add to this mix, I only shop within a budget and I consider any item above $50 a luxury. So when I landed on shopmissa.com for the very first time, I was hooked.

Here’s why I ended up doing an online shopping haul TWICE on this first online one dollar store–

a. The price point- most items are a dollar, as promised to buyers. Some bundled sets cost more. Their new pop up shop called a2o lab sells products that cost more than $1, but less than $10.

b. They offer a variety of makeup, jewellery, hair accessories, mobile phone cases, socks, underwear (!), sunglasses, scarves and so much more. And you spend only a dollar per item- that’s just dope!

c. You can be sure they are reliable. No scams such as taking your money and not shipping your products to you. They deliver what they promise you when you decide to shop with them- cheap and good quality stuff.

2 things to know before you decide to buy on shopmissa.com:

You are charged with a shipping rate of $3.95 for any purchases below $35. Anything above that price point and you get free shipping.

Your items take about 2 weeks to reach you, because their processing time takes a while.

NOTE: This post is not sponsored and does not have any affiliate links. If it changes, I will definitely mention it.

I am breaking down the list of 15 products I got into three categories-

Cosmetics

Jewellery

Miscellaneous

After a suggestion from one of my followers, I decided to break this into a two-part blog post for easier reading. That said, let me go on to PART ONE of my haul and review of shopmissa.com. May the (shopping) force be with you!

COSMETICS/MAKEUP

I bought 8 cosmetic products from shopmissa.com, which I have listed below.

The 10-Piece Hi-DEF Brush Set + Brush Roll:

  I was looking for some kabuki face and eye makeup brushes, and something cheap that would come as a set instead of getting individual ones (lazy much). Kabuki makeup brushes, according to me, pack in an even, well-brushed out coverage. And I hit jackpot with these kabuki makeup brushes from shopmissa!

There are 5 face brushes and 5 eye brushes (but no eyebrow brush). I use the brushes for applying both liquid and powder makeup products, such as- BB cream, eyeshadow, bronzer, blush, highlighter and concealer.

PROS:

They cost $10 for 10 brushes and have the softest, most dense fibers ever!

The brush fibers are vegan.

They come with a vegan, faux leather brush case which rolls up. So handy for travelling!

They don’t shed. I have been using them for a month now and they perform so well.

CONS:

The eye brushes seem a little repetitive. An eyebrow brush being included would have made it better.

RATING: 4.5/5

2. Amuse Nude Matte Eyeshadow Palette (SOLD OUT) – Color 2

I’ll be honest with you- I am not a fan of this eyeshadow palette. It isn’t all that pigmented, it is chalky to the touch, fades away within hours of wearing and yes, has a lot of fallout. But there is one particular shade I like in the palette that I use everyday, and it is the mauve one. It has a very neutral look, and plays to the current pinkish mauve makeup trend. I wouldn’t recommend this item.

RATING: 2.5/5

3. Kleancolor Brows Essential Kit-Ash Brown

The right side is filled in with the brow powder.

Let me state one thing clearly- I am completely new to the whole eyebrow game. I was seeing people doing these beautifully arched eyebrows all over Youtube and Instagram but I wasn’t interested. Till this year, when I decided to give it a whirl- trying the eyebrow trend, that is.

OK enough about me. This brow powder from Kleancolor is a total steal for a dollar, and should be one of the eight wonders of the world.

PROS:

The brow powder is soft, goes on so smooth and easy, and has the perfect amount of pigmentation so that you don’t have to go over again and again.

Comes with 3 eyebrow stencils, so that you can match it to your brows and fill in.

Long lasting product, and can easily be used for more than 3 months.

Stays put on the brows and doesn’t move at all. I have clocked in about 6+ hours of wear with this brow powder.

Matches my medium fair, blackish brown hair and warm yellow undertone.

CONS:

The brush is of very poor quality. I would suggest using another angled brush instead.

RATING: 5/5

4. Beauty Treats Bunny Lip Balm

I got it in the variant “Mint Nude”, which does not have a color. There are two other color options, pink and purple. I got the nude one because I wanted a chapstick that I could wear  underneath matte lipsticks.

PROS:

Moisturizes well.

Non-sticky, and can be used under matte lipsticks for hydration.

Cute packaging! The cap is sturdy, does not slide away and create a mess in the bag.

CONS:

It dries out a little over time, especially during harsh winters.

RATING: 4.5/5

5. Beauty Treats Fruit Lip Scrub-Strawberry

Thanks to winters in Seattle, my lips have been very chapped. And you know how dry lips look with lipstick on them, right? Enter the fruit lip scrub from Beauty Treats. It is a life-saver, to put it in a few words.

PROS:

Totally scrubs away the dead skin after 2-3 minutes of gently rubbing it against lips. The end result is soft and smooth lips, just the way it should be.

Smells and even tastes good. ( I didn’t eat it on purpose, I swear!)

CONS:

The smooth effect stays on for about a day, after which the dryness starts to come back again. I use this lip scrub about twice a week.

RATING: 4.5/5

6. AOA 2 Piece Eyebrow Razor Set

This set comes with two razors, one for trimming small rogue hair growing on the upper part of the brows. I have not used the bigger one yet, but I think it can be used for trimming your upper lip area and bikini line too (the webpage says so as well).

PROS:

It is easy to use and precise for trimming fine and small hair.

It does not hurt all that much. Probably you feel like a tiny sensation of burning when you keep repeatedly running the razor over an area.

It comes with a brow brush on a safety guard, so that the sharp blade is not left open to rust and for nicks on the skin.

CONS:

None.

RATING: 5/5

7. AOA Wonder Blender-Black Beveled

Apparently, you’ve got to change your makeup sponge every 1 to 3 months. Ain’t nobody got the time for that! So as a backup sponge for my real techniques sponge, I got this black one from AOA studio. It is on the larger side, has a flat side for blending product around the under-eye area and is not hard. It also doesn’t grow larger after you soak it in water for a few seconds.

PROS:

Blends liquid products well, giving a natural look.

The flat side gives it a smooth, even finish.

CONS:

The sponge tends to absorb a lot of product.

RATING: 4.5/5

8. Honey Bee Wax Lip Balm (SOLD OUT)

I think I found the perfect lip balm, ever. And it’s this honey bee wax lip balm from Rich On. I have not used the Burt’s Bees one, so I cannot compare to it.

PROS:

Super smooth application.

Hydrates really well, and leaves behind a slightly glossy finish.

CONS:

None.

RATING: 5/5

9. Beauty Treats Vanilla Lip Scrub

When I went through the reviews for this particular pot of this lip scrub, everyone was clamoring for a restock. I was curious to see if it was as good as the reviews it scored, and ordered the vanilla flavored one. And here’s what I gotta say-

PROS:

It has a mild, buttery scent. It won’t irritate those with a sensitivity towards fragrance.

It has a fine, grainy texture that spreads evenly on the lips.

CONS:

You have to use it twice to get the dead skin off the lips.

The texture is hard, and you have to swirl your finger a bit to warm it up.

The beauty treats lip scrub (above) in a tube formulation is way better.

RATING:3/5

_________________________________________________________________

This is only the first part of my shopmissa.com haul, debuting some of the cosmetic items I got for supremely money-saving price tags. The second part of my haul will be up soon, but you can read my previous posts till then here and here.

Do let me know down in the comments if you’ve visited shopmissa’s site or are planning to buy something there. I would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. :)

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One dollar online shopping spree! PART 1-Shopmissa review and haul. Online shopping for (most) women is nothing short of a blessing. Well, at least I feel this way and I can explain why.