Lorac Platinum Status Eye Shadow Palette: Review, Swatches, & Dupe

NOTE: This palette is no longer available (boo!), but it does resurface at Ulta from time to time, so I thought I would publish this (old, forgotten) review anyway! (Also, please forgive me for the terrible photo quality.)

A few months ago, I was bopping around on the Ulta website when I stumbled across this $12 Lorac palette. That's right, $12 for five Lorac eyeshadows! (There was also a Solid Gold palette, which was the warmer-toned version of Platinum Status). I've head a lot or raves about this brand, but I'd never actually tried it before. So, I picked up this little gem.

Read on to hear my thoughts about this product, along with plenty of pictures...Oh, and a very similar palette from the drugstore that you may already own!

NOTE: 

Josie Maran Argan Oil: Smaller Size = Better Value?

Today I have a quick tip to share with you about the Josie Maran Argan Oil. This applies to both the regular and light formulas: The smaller, travel size is actually a better value than the regular size bottle!

Wait, what?

It's often pounded into our heads that buying in bulk is a better value that will save money in the long run. However, I've found that this is often not the case when it comes to beauty products. In the case of JM's argan oil, here's the breakdown:

The small size is $14 for 0.5 fluid ounces. That equates to 28 dollars per ounce.
The larger size is $48 for 1.7 fluid ounces, which turns out to be 28.235 dollars per ounce.
So, obviously not a huge difference, but now I don't have to feel guilty about continually buying the smaller sizes of this oil because I don't want to drop 50 bucks on it at a time. If you don't want to repurchase this every couple months, or are trying to eliminate packaging, the regular size isn't a bad value, either.

However, if you are a serious, diehard fan of Josie's Argan Oil, the greatest value of all is the jumbo size: 4 fluid ounces for $96. This turns out to be $24 per ounce.

I hope this post was helpful, and gave you something to think about next time you're purchasing beauty products! You can apply this train of thought to any product. Just take the price of a product size and divide it by the number of fluid ounces (or milliliters, or grams, or any other unit of measure). This gives you the price per ounce, and comparing the prices per unit of measure can give you a better idea of whether you're really saving money by purchasing the bigger size.

If you're interested, I did a similar video awhile back about how the Tarte Blush & Bronze minis are a better value than their full-size counterparts. I don't believe this mini set is available now, but it does pop up at Ulta and Sephora from time to time.

Warning: This video is old. And embarrassing. Watch at your own risk.

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments if you have any questions, or if there are any products you always buy in bulk.

Cruelty-free On a Budget: Drugstore Makeup Shopping Guide (Part I)

As a broke student, I know that shopping cruelty-free on a budget can be challenging. It seems like all the big drugstore brands are on the "dark side" of animal testing...Maybelline, Revlon, L'Oreal, Rimmel, CoverGirl, you name it! But look past the aisle-long displays to the endcaps and hidden gems of the drugstore, and you can find some great quality cruelty-free products. This post will focus on makeup (Part I... Part II of makeup is coming soon), and I can do future posts for brushes, haircare, skincare, etc. So, here we go!

*Note: My personal definition of cruelty-free is a brand that does not test its products or ingredients on animals, and ensures that all of its suppliers and third-party distributors also do not test on animals. If a brand's products are sold in China, they are required by law to test on animals, so I do not consider them cruelty-free. If a brand is owned by a parent company that does test, but the "child" company does not, I will note that in the post, as some people have differing definitions of cruelty-free. I am not a vegan.


e.l.f. (eyes lips face)
This is pretty much the cheapest brand around, with a whole range of products for $1. The Essential Eyelid Primer is great if you're really on a budget or just starting out with makeup I find that the best quality, though, is usually in the $3 Studio line, which has some excellent brushes, cheek products (including a Nars dupe), lip products, and sometimes even eyeshadows.
My faves: Lash & Brow Clear Mascara, Studio Blush in Candid Coral, blotting sheets
Find it at: Target, sometimes other drugstores/grocery stores

Prestige Cosmetics
 I don't often hear people talk about this brand, but they definitely have some hidden (affordable) gems. The Automatic Waterproof eyeliners have excellent pigmentation, and the best staying power I've found of any pencil eyeliner. Plus, you don't have to sharpen them! Also, the Primed & Ready eye primer is my favorite. In my opinion, it's just as good as Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I've also heard good things about this brand's eyeshadows, mascaras, and lipsticks.
My faves: Waterproof Automatic Eyeliner in Flannel Grey, Primed & Ready Eye Primer
Find it at: Rite Aid

Wet n Wild
Wet n Wild has the best eyeshadow quality at the drugstore, hands down. I've heard that some of the newer products have a different formula, but you can't go wrong with the classic 8-pan palettes, trios, and singles. Also, they have pretty nice nail polishes, mascaras, lip products, and (I've heard) cheek products.
My faves: Comfort Zone 8-pan palette, megaLength mascara
Find it in: CVS, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart

Jesse's Girl Cosmetics
 This brand has some beautiful eyeshadows and nail polishes, especially the JulieG line. The display might not look as alluring as the big, glossy aisles of Revlon and L'Oreal (shudder), but definitely don't pass this one up next time you're browsing around.
My faves: JulieG nail polish line
Find it at: Rite Aid

Physicians Formula (their brand name has no apostrophe. Why does it have no apostrophe? I don't know. (There should be an apostrophe after the 's' if they're talking about multiple physicians. Just saying.))
Physician's Formula makes my favorite face products from the drugstore, period. They have amazing concealers, powders, bronzers, and blushes. I'm personally not a fan of their eyeliners, but I've heard great things about the mascara. Plus, they have a TON of new BB/CC/ZZ (just kidding about the last one. Although, I bet some brand will make a ZZ cream that is a moisturizing night cream. You know, like ZZ, for sleep/snoring? Did I just invent ZZ cream? Is this genius or just a week of finals taking its toll?) -related products coming out for the spring. This line can get a little pricey, but you can usually find some nice sales in the Rite Aid and CVS circulars.
My faves: Mineral Wear Talc-free Mineral Face Powder, Conceal RX Physicians Strength Concealer
Find it at: Target, Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, CVS, Ulta


That's about it for Part I. Another five or so brands will be featured in Part II, so definitely keep your eyes peeled for that!
Comment below: What's your favorite drugstore makeup brand?

Lifesavers: My Favorite Study Sites

So funnily enough, this blog's first "real" post is not about makeup, nor fashion...No, it's about studying. Today I want to share with you some of my favorite study tools, resources, and motivators that have helped me out over the years.

1. Quizlet
Whenever I have to memorize vocabulary terms, people, or any type of list, I turn to Quizlet. This online flashcard site is fantastic- you can quiz yourself, play study games, take a test, and print out your virtual flashcards for homeroom cramming. You can even share the link with classmates, or study from other people's sets. It's a lifesaver!

2. NoodleTools
NoodleTools is, in my humble opinion, the best online citation generator. It organizes and saves all of your citations, and you can even link your paper or project to it so everything is in one place. It offers MLA, APA, and Chicago style citations, so you can accommodate any picky teacher. NoodleTools also offers help with parenthetical citations, and it's really easy to use. The only downside is that your school has to have an account there in order for you to use it. Check with your school or university library; chances are they can give you the username and password you need.

Well hello there!

     Welcome to Textbook Chic! I've been wanting to do this for quite a while now. This blog will mostly be centered around cruelty-free beauty and fashion, with a few random, nerdy bits and bobs thrown in. In the past, I've had a beauty-based YouTube channel, EverythingsPeachy514. It's been inactive for a few months, but I may start making videos again as a supplement to my blog. Here you can expect to find tutorials, reviews, informative posts, and even some grammar here and there. Sounds fun, right? ;) I can't promise for posts to be frequent, or on a regular schedule- I will do as much as I am able to. Anyway, I hope you'll stick around. I'm full of ideas and can't wait to get started!