Month: March 2022

Victoria Beckham Beauty Review – Satin Kajal Liner in Bronze and Cocoa and Lip Definer in 02

by liftbakelove4 Comments on Victoria Beckham Beauty Review – Satin Kajal Liner in Bronze and Cocoa and Lip Definer in 02

I’ve been wanting to try Victoria Beckham Beauty products ever since the brand launched, and I finally picked up a few things during a sale in 2021. I wanted to thoroughly test these products to provide a more detailed review of them. I’ve gotten a ton of wear time out of them so if you have any questions I haven’t addressed, please ask in the comments! Victoria Beckham Beauty is a luxury beauty brand that focuses on being clean but also high performance and was founded by Victoria Beckam. As always, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts!

Satin Kajal Liner in Cocoa and Bronze – I hate most eyeliners because I have incredibly watery eyes. Especially when it comes to tightlining, most eyeliners break down, running into and smudging beneath my eyes for the remainder of my day. That hasn’t happened to me once with these – once they set, they stay put. They are incredibly creamy and blendable so it’s shocking how well they dry down. They don’t smudge all over, they don’t run into my eyes, and they don’t move. I love that even though they set so well, there’s still enough time to play with them to get the look I want. Because of all of this, they are totally worth the price to me. And they’re less expensive than I would have expected! If you purchase these without the sharpener, they are $26, which is much more reasonable than I expected for a luxury brand. For comparison, Urban Decay’s eye liners (which have 0.04oz compared to Victoria Beckham’s 0.042oz) are $22. And during a sale, you can get them for even less (even just with the welcome10 code, they’re around $23). Obviously, it’s still over $20 for an eyeliner which I know is a lot of money, so I would love to know your recommendations for drugstore eyeliners that actually don’t smudge or run.

Satin Kajal Liner in Bronze and Cocoa

Bronze is a golden brown with a slight shimmer that I love using as a subtle liner for every day. It pairs really well with the eyeshadow looks I tend to use, and the shimmer is just enough to add some brightness without going overboard. Cocoa is my perfect deep matte brown that I love using for tightlining or to create definition for a smokier look. Normally I would compare these to other similar products I own, but I actually got so frustrated with all my previous eyeliners over the years that I have decluttered all of them.

Lip Definer in 02 – The formula is really stiff but is still relatively easy to work with as long as your lips aren’t incredibly dry. Because it’s so stiff, it dries down immediately and lasts an incredibly long time, so if you’re looking for something that really will stay put, this formula is great. Despite it’s dry texture, It’s quite agreeable, especially if you use lip balm ahead of time. That said, I find I don’t reach for it as much right now because it’s so dry here and it feels like I’m tugging on my lips in an uncomfortable way. I’m excited to get more use out of it in the summer.

Lip Definer in 02, Thrive Causemetics Lip Liner in Kackie, Make Up For Ever Artist Pencil in Wherever Walnut, Em Cosmetics Lip Liner in Kitten and Mink

02 is described as a neutral beige brown for light to medium lip tones, but I think it has much more pink than brown, as you can hopefully see from the above swatches. Both Kackie from Thrive and Mink from Em Cosmetics are truer beigey brown tones. In my collection, 02 is closest to Kitten from Em Cosmetics which is described as a rose nude. Both the Victoria Beckham and the Make Up For Ever pencils require sharpening, whereas the Thrive Causmetics and Em Cosmetics liners are twist ups. It’s no surprise then that the formula is closest to the Make Up For Ever Artist Pencil – the least creamy and emollient of the bunch but also the longest lasting. When I have really dry lips, I reach for the Em Cosmetics and Thrive Causemetics formulas over the Victoria Beckham or Make Up For Ever (or when I just don’t feel like using a sharpener). These are similarly priced to the eyeliners at $24 with no sharpener (less if on sale), which is in the same range as the rest of these (Thrive Causemetics is $20, Make Up Forever is $20, Em Cosmetics is $19). The formula is less special than the eyeliners, so while those are worth the splurge, I honestly think you don’t need this one if you already have lip liners you love.

Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see here on LiftBakeLove, and thanks for reading! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.

February 2022 Fitness & Lifestyle Favorites (includes mini Juggernaut AI Review)

by liftbakelove2 Comments on February 2022 Fitness & Lifestyle Favorites (includes mini Juggernaut AI Review)

I’m so excited to share my fitness and lifestyle favorites to kick off March (how is it already March?!), and that I loved especially during February. I spend most of my time outside of work and testing beauty products training for powerlifting competitions (see my last competition recap here) and am very into fitness and health. As always, thank you so much for being here, and it would mean so much to me if you subscribe here or on Instagram @liftbakelove for new posts!

A7 Bar Grip Hoodie – This hoodie is so incredibly comfortable that I never want to take it off. The site says it’s made with an ultra-soft cotton/polyester fleece blend, and it truly is ultra-soft. I have it in an XS but there’s still plenty of room given the relaxed fit. I love that it has the bar grip material on the back so I can use it for bench and low bar squats (it helps you stick to the bench or a bar stick to you) or just look super cool while I’m walking around. The material is lightweight enough that I can workout in it but warm enough that I’ve been able to wear it as my only top layer in 40 degree weather. Even though it’s $60, the quality, fit, and comfort are absolutely worth the price to me.

A7 Defy Joggers – I’ve been trying really hard to mix up the brands that I include in these favorites posts, but I really need to share about these joggers. In full transparency, A7 gifted these to me in the same order as the sweatshirt, but as always, these are my unbiased opinions. I also had already purchased a pair for my husband, and he loves them so much – now I understand why. These fit so well in a way that is comfy and oversized but doesn’t look baggy, which is shocking considering they’re unisex. The fabric is lightweight but still warm enough for these winter to spring transition months and is so soft and comfortable. The zippered pockets are deep enough for all my stuff, and there’s no weird back pockets to content with. I’ve been wearing these for days on end and might buy myself another pair for my upcoming birthday.

Juggernaut AI Powerlifting program – I started using Juggernaut in December, and I’ve been thrilled with my progress training for my next competition in April. My 1RMs are already over 100lbs over my competition total in October, and I still have over 2 months left to train, and I’m still only doing 4 days a week. I love that the app is super easy to use, the program is 100% personalized to me down to adjusting after every set based on how I said it felt. I’ll be doing a full review after my meet but I wanted to share because I’ve just been loving it. As always, you can use my affiliate code LIFTBAKELOVE with Juggernaut to get 10% off. Like all my reviews, everything written is my completely unbiased opinion, and I would definitely be talking about this program without being an affiliate (I even wrote this before getting a code and am editing this in afterwards). 

Strawberry Built Bars – I’m still shocked at how good these are considering the macros (most bars have around 17g of protein for 130 or 140 calories!) and keep trying new flavors. My most recent favorite are the strawberry bars which I can tell have actual dried strawberries in them. They were the perfect “I want chocolate covered strawberries but also protein” bar all February. There’s almost always a 20% off code going around and free shipping which helps with how expensive they are. That said, at about $1.8 a bar, they’re still less expensive than other bars like Quest ($2.25 a bar plus shipping from their website) and taste way better to me, and I’ve kept loving them since the first bar I tried last year.

Ember Mug – I know this mug is incredibly expensive, but it’s so worth it for me. It takes me forever to drink coffee in the morning, so I’ve really appreciated having coffee that stays hot for hours. It also means that I can add cold milk and the coffee heats back up to a great temperature without me having to do anything. And if I have other things right after the coffee’s done, it’s so nice to be able to step away and come back to coffee that hasn’t gotten any colder. It’s held up super well over the years I’ve had it and charges fairly quickly so I can use it again for tea in the afternoon. I’ve been really appreciating this mug lately, and it’s definitely one of my favorite things.

What would you like to see next on LiftBakeLove? Let me know in the comments below, and thanks as always for being here! As always, some links may be affiliate links that support the blog, but all reviews/opinions are completely my own and unsponsored.