Red Raider Runway

As a rule of thumb, they say to swap out your mascara for a new one every three months to prevent eye infections from bacteria build up (bacteria like tight, moist places), not to mention by three months most mascaras get flakey and dry out anyway. But instead of simply tossing them aside when it's time to replace them, why not donate those mascara wands for a good cause!

A few months ago I saw a post on Facebook explaining that a wildlife refuge organization was accepting donated mascara wands used to help clean the animals they rescue! The non-profit organization, Appalachian Wildlife Refuge, started the Wands for Wildlife mission to collect old mascara wands. They state that the tiny bristles on the small wands are perfect for combing out any fly eggs or larva from the animals' fur. Mascara wands are firm enough to comb out the fur yet soft enough not to harm the animals. And when you see pictures of some of the cute animals, you can see why these tiny brushes are the perfect size for them.

When I first saw the post on Facebook, I immediately shared it with my friends and family to see. However, because of the nature of social media, sometimes it's easy to feel like we contributed to the cause by sharing a post and act complacent, as if we've done enough by then. While there's nothing wrong with spreading awareness, taking action should be the goal as well. With everything in life, I like to make sure I follow through with my plans. Earlier in the year I made a post saying that I love mini-mascaras because I have so many of them, so I know I'll have quite a few wands to be able to donate periodically.


The website states to wash all the brushes before you send them in, so I made sure to scrub each one down well. I even used waterproof makeup remover just to be as thorough as possible (you know how stubborn makeup can be at times!) 

The organization asks that people not go out and buy new wands - the point is to recycle what we already have! No matter the brand, everyone uses mascara, so there's no reason why anyone shouldn't be able to participate and donate their wands!! They also accept monetary donations if you would like to help out with food and care for the animals' rehabilitation.
If you would like to donate your wands please do so and mail them in (with the mailing form) to:

P.O. Box 1211
Skyland, NC 28776

With so many other mini-mascaras I still have, I know I'll be able to continue donating for as long as the Appalachian Wildlife Refuge needs them! Who knows, maybe other wildlife refuge centers need them as well!

As an activist I am always trying to do my part to help. Are there any other programs you think I should know about? Let me know in the comments below!


Be sure to follow the site on social media at @RedRaiderRunway and use the hashtag #RedRaiderRunway for a chance to be seen and featured!

My very first post on this website was a haul on random beauty things my grandma likes to give me every time I go home to visit. Since I took a trip home recently, she had collected a lot of stuff over the year for me to take back with me. I'm particularly happy with this haul because there are quite a few new things I have never tried before. Whenever my grandma offers me some of her old clothes or things I'm not familiar with, I always try to say yes and accept it because it challenges me step out of my comfort zone and try new things. Here are some of the things from this grandma haul.

Balm Shelter Tinted Moisturizer - $25

I had never tried tinted moisturizer before but always wanted to. I thought this was going to be really thick and creamy and smell like sunscreen, but it is surprisingly a lot thinner and smoother than I thought. Having a product like this is especially perfect for the summer so I'm glad I have it now. So far I seem to like it a lot.

MAC Prep & Prime Color Correcting Cream - $31

I. love. this. stuff! This is such a good primer for me, it's so light so when I'm applying the rest of my makeup over this, it doesn't feel like I'm caking on layers. But truly, the reason I love this product is because of its oil control properties. I only applied a little over the most oily part of my face because I'm always afraid that more products=more oil. But I was quite surprised over how well it worked! Next time I'll apply a bit more to see if the results improve. I haven't noticed any change in the color correcting just yet, but I'll keep an eye out to see the differences between that as well. 

Benefit's Lemon Aid Eyelid Primer - $20

 I've been holding off on buying eyelid primer for the longest time because to me it was a luxury I couldn't afford. So when my grandma gave me Benefit's Lemon Aid, I was so happy and excited to try it. I don't have very big eyelids and they're slightly oily (not all the time, but they can get oily), so whenever I do my eyeliner a bit too thick, it starts to smear on my lids. From the few times I've used this already since I got it, it has already helped my eyeliner not make a crease on the upper half of my eyelid. It's the perfect consistency to combat the oils of my lid and keep my makeup in place from creasing!

Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Gel Mascara - $8

I've mentioned before that your preference in eyebrow products lies all in the amount of time you're willing to spend on doing your brows. Well, brow gels with tint have become my new lazy method of doing my eyebrows. Instead of meticulously filling in my brows with pomade or a pencil, I just brush over them a few times and I'm good to go! I think this is one of my favorite gels I've tried because it's really pigmented so it does give more definition to my eyebrows as I'm sculpting them. Plus it has a weirdly shaped brush that actually helps me be more precise in my strokes so I can get to every hair perfectly.

Benefit's Erase Paste Concealer - $34

I think Benefit must have discontinued this product because I had a hard time finding it online, however, I do really like this concealer. It works great for under eye bags which I know will definitely come in handy once the school year starts up for me. It has a thicker, pasty consistency but it spreads really well so just a tiny bit of product goes a long way. Because of its consistency, you have to be careful not to get too close under your eyes at first and smooth your way up under the eyes otherwise you may get creases and make the look worse. But it's really not that bad. I used a powder over it to set it and it worked fine all day. I really like it because it covered my dark circles without making it look like I was compensating too much!

Ready to Wear New York Glam Blush Stick - $21

Every time I go shopping with my grandma, it feels like we are always looking for just the right blush and so far we have yet to find it. She usually ends up giving me the ones she didn't like to see if I'll like them. (So far I haven't found just the right shade either). So when she handed me this blush stick, I was intrigued because I've never used a cream blush before! I have only ever tried powdered ones and the color of this one looks promising. So far I've only tried it once, and I think my inexperience with cream blush made me a little heavy handed, but I'm looking forward to trying this out more to see if I can find the right balance and hopefully find a new blush to wear!

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked2 - $22 (on sale for $10)

When it comes to make up, the biggest hurdle I have to get over is lipstick. For the longest time I never wore lipstick. But I am finally coming around and trying to get out of my comfort zone. So when my grandma offered me these lipsticks, I tried not to shy away from them. This Urban Decay one is a nude color, and even though I have lots of nude lipsticks and neutral shades, it's still a shade I am still getting used to wearing, so I'm not quite confident in wearing it yet but I'm trying! 

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy Lipstick in Tumultuous Pink - $32

This lip color seemed so pretty to me, especially for the summer. It's bright pink but not so in your face, and it's not too pale. My only complaint about this lipstick is that it's not matte, but I think with a little light dabbing over it I can make it less shiny. However, this is the type of shade I am most uncomfortable wearing! Something about how bright it is makes me uneasy, but as I said, I am trying to take risks in wearing shades I'm not used to, so I'm going to give this a try!

Bite Matte Cream Lip Crayon in Cognac - $22

Of all the lip colors I received, I was rather surprised that I ended up liking this one the most. It is such a dark brown color that I didn't think I would feel comfortable in such a loud, bold color. But I ended up really liking it. It instantly elevates any look I try and makes a casual outfit much dressier. However, my biggest complaint is how easily it comes off, it doesn't seem to be long lasting when I try to drink or eat, so re-applying it often is a setback of this product.


Overall, I am extremely pleased with all the products my grandma gave me this year! I'm really excited to keep trying out all the new products I have and hopefully finding some new all time faves. My grandma also gave me some new clothing items (lots of super cute shorts!) and things like a Double T scentsy (so cute!), and lots of candles (I am obsessed with candles!) And of course, a new makeup bag (she gives me one every time I visit, I swear), among other things. For this post I decided to just stick to the beauty products but perhaps I'll make a post showing the other things sometime like how I pair the shorts or something. Let me know what other types of posts you'd like to see from me!


Please be sure to follow the site on all social media platforms at @RedRaiderRunway. Use the hashtag #RedRaiderRunway for a chance to be seen and featured on the site!

One of the first posts on this website was a comparison between different types of eyeliners. However, afterward I realized that there was one type of eyeliner that I have neglected to mention, and that was felt tip eyeliner! I've heard them called various different names: eyeliner pens, markers, etc. but they all have the same type of tip. I decided to go out and buy one because I had never used one before (hence why I had forgotten to include it in the "This or That" eyeliner post).

I decided to buy NYX's Super Skinny Eye Marker because NYX is a really affordable brand that has reliable products for someone on a college budget.

NYX Super Skinny Eye Marker - $9.50

My first impression is that the pen offers much more control than a liner with a brush would, whether that be a liquid liner or a gel liner. And its tip is very fine point which makes for easy wings. It is no doubt the easiest type of eyeliner to use, without question. With the felt tip pen eyeliner, you get the stability and control of a pencil liner, with the fine precision of a liner with a brush!



The pigmentation of this eyeliner varied though. I tried the product several different times for many different occasions to see how it held up. At first it seems like the color is dark and rich when you first apply it.

The bottom two lines are both from the felt pen.

However, after using this product over time, I can say that more often than not, it looks pretty dull and grey, and I have to go over what I already drew a few times just to get a darker color. Secondly, this product smudges so easily, especially with a little water, it would be completely gone at the first sign of rain. When I washed my hands after drawing all the different types of liners, both felt pen lines were completely gone while the top three lines remained on my hand. (The pencil and gel lines were smudged, but the liquid line stayed completely intact - I told you it's resilient!)

Overall the best thing about this specific eyeliner is that it is extremely quick and easy to use. If you're a beginner and want to try out some winged cat eye looks, this is the eyeliner for you. It's not as intimidating as liquid liner, and the broad strokes of a pencil won't work against you. This felt tip marker has the right amount of control and precision for winged looks. It's honestly the perfect eyeliner for when you're on the go or in a rush. Just swipe it on and you're good to go!

I'm thinking the durability of this product has more to do with the brand than the actual type of eyeliner. I'm curious to try out other types of felt tip pen eyeliners from other brands. Do you have any recommendations for which brands I should try?


Do you have any tips? What other products should I review next? Leave a comment below!

Follow the site on all social media platforms at @RedRaiderRunway and use the hashtag #RedRaiderRunway for a chance to be seen and featured!

As I mentioned in my planner post, I usually like to reflect over my obsessions during the month as it comes to an end. I like to try new things often so some months I use things more than others. It doesn't mean I stop using them after the month is over, but simply that it was something new I tried during this month and particularly liked it. Here are my favorites for the month of May!

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation - $28

I really hate switching up foundations because of the uncertainty of it all. What if it makes me break out? What if it looks really cakey? What if I wasted all my money on this for no reason? But the bottom line was, as much as I love my current foundation (Maybelline's Fit Me Foundation), I wanted something with a little more coverage that wasn't too heavy. Sometimes I have days where I break out and want more coverage, or I know it'll be a long, busy day and I want something that wouldn't wear off by the end of the day. So I asked around and this foundation was suggested to me for long lasting good coverage.
So I took a risk and bought it, and I love it so much! It feels a little thicker than most foundations I've used in the past, so it leaves a bit of residue on things like the rim of my glasses or my phone screen if I'm taking a call. But for the most part it's not terribly inconvenient, and when set with a powder afterward, it looks even better! The coverage more than makes up for it. I wear this foundation when I want to look good and know I'm going to be photographed because it covers so well. 

MAC Prep + Prime BB Cream - $31

And then sometimes I have those days when I really don't want a lot of coverage at all! Sometimes I have really good days when my skin looks great so I don't need heavy coverage. Or sometimes my day will be short - only one class, or only an errand or two to run, so I don't care so much about being 100% covered for a long period of time. This BB cream is light and covers well enough for exactly when I need it and I like knowing it does its job with minimal effort. It's great. I wish it didn't smell so strongly like sunscreen, but the SPF in all these MAC products isn't a bad thing.

Boxed Water - $1.49

Look, I'm just going to go ahead and say it - I'm all about the aesthetic. I originally bought boxed water because it looked so freaking cool. Yeah, I'm one of those people, I'll admit it. But if I'm getting purified water to drink (I'm trying to stay more hydrated this year) regardless of what it comes in, does it really matter? The company claims boxed water is better because the packaging is made from recyclable material and ships better, etc. whereas bottled water made from plastic usually ends up in the ocean. If I can reduce my carbon footprint while drinking good, clean water in a cute package, why not? Ain't no shame.

Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Soft Waves Sea Salt Spray - $7

I recently cut my hair really short (like, really short) which is the shortest I've had it in about...eight years. Needless to say, it was a huge change for me. I thought it was short after having dyed and cut it last summer, but this was a huge change for me. (It's not the shortest I've ever had it though!) So because I got a new hairstyle, I needed to find ways to style it. I decided to pick up this NYM's sea salt spray to give myself some natural curls. I love this product because it gives me so much volume! It adds texture and a buttload of volume so I can style my hair without heat which is perfect for the summer coming up. It also smells very sweet, like vanilla. Except it makes my hair pretty greasy the next day, since it's a product and all, so I would advise to use this on second-day hair instead of freshly washed hair so you don't have to wash it immediately afterward. Not Your Mother's also has a texturizing beach babe sea salt spray so I really want to try it out to see what the differences are between the two products!! 

Seacret Salt & Oil Scrub - $50-$100

Speaking of sea salt, this salt and oil scrub is amazing. The stuff retails for $100 (but the website sells it for $50) but my roommate and I got it for $25 each! Who knew you could hustle kiosk workers? We were just trying to politely decline the man's salespitch and he ended up lowering the price for us and throwing in free stuff so in the end we gave in. We're still not sure who ended up getting swindled overall, but the bottom line is - this product works great! It's made from pure sea salt from the Dead Sea and it's hypoallergenic so it should be fine for all skin types.
It's a really great exfoliant as a salt scrub generally would be, but the best part is the oil afterward which leaves your skin feeling INCREDIBLY soft and moisturized! It's seriously amazing how soft your skin feels after this. So I especially like to use this scrub on rougher areas such as elbows (something I'm really self conscious about!), knees,  callused hands, or any other body part you think needs exfoliating and natural moisturizing!

Netflix - $8-$12/month

Honestly, we are so lucky to have a service like Netflix. I know we all binge watch Netflix, but May was the month in which I consumed the most television (procrastinating from studying for finals oops) and I just have to talk about all the amazing shows Netflix has provided us with. Catching up on old seasons of beloved shows is fun, but Netflix has been killing it with their original series!! I am an aspiring television script writer, so I love talking tv and analyzing shows. I can talk about shows for days (ask me what I think about a certain show and I'll give you a dissertation on it!), but I'm going to try and keep it brief. These are shows you should be watching ASAP:
Master of None (season 2) - The most beautiful piece of television my eyes have ever seen. So simply authentic and beautiful in both script and cinematography. I feel this show deep in my soul. Great script, filming, casting, storyline, everything. Amazing amazing amazing.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - This show is so unexpectedly funny, I feel like people are sleeping on it! It's just the right amount of quirky and cute. I feel like it's the perfect light, fun show everyone needs to contrast all the bleakness of the real world. Add some positivity to your life by watching this show!
Grace & Frankie  - The cutest show on the planet, so wholesome, witty, and hilarious!! You will not regret watching this, I promise.
Girlboss - I love how real and honest this show feels. I can watch it and say "I know someone exactly like her" and who wouldn't want to know badass women who go after what they want? Also the soundtrack is bomb!
The Get Down - REST IN PEACE. Netflix just cancelled this gem of a show after just one season but WOW it was amazing!! It had an all POC cast, amazing original songs, and dealt with real historical issues of classism and race and how that affected disco and rap music. I'm so sad this show didn't get the recognition it deserved but don't miss out on watching it now!! (Maybe we can bring it back!!)

Cooking Fever - Free

Last but not least is this mobile phone game, Cooking Fever. I'm a sucker for phone games and every summer my game playing spikes up because I have all this free time again without classes. I usually don't like to give in to advertisements or sponsors (Youtubers promote this game like crazy) but honestly...it's pretty fun. I'm addicted to playing it and getting a perfect score on each level. I like this game a lot because it's not one of those real life games where you have to wait in real-time for energy to reload or any of that nonsense! Just frantic fun. Except I ran out of gems and I refuse to use real money to buy any so just be careful how you spend your gems since I was spending mine a little too freely without calculating how you can earn more. 

Do you also play games on your phone? Recommend some to me!! I'm always looking for new games to play in the summer! 

So these were my monthly favorites for the month of May. It felt like such a long month. The first half of it was stressful and full of events and finals for me, whereas the second half feels like a different time entirely with endless free time to play games and watch Netflix. Be on the lookout for more monthly posts like this every month!

Please subscribe to the website to receive email updates or follow the site on all social media platforms at @RedRaiderRunway!

 One of my first posts on this blog was a "This or That" post comparing different types of eyeliners: pencil, liquid, etc. On this edition of "This or That" I decided to focus on eyebrow products. Bold eyebrows became a huge trend a few years ago so there's a variety of different types of products available to choose from. Eyebrows frame your face and give your face definition - it's one of those steps that, if forgotten during your makeup routine, is instantly noticeable - and not in a good way. That's why it's important to try and figure out which type of product works best for you.

There are two types of brow pencils: wooden and mechanical. The first type is not shown simply because I don't own any. When I first started filling in my eyebrows I started with a wooden pencil, but I quickly found that using a wooden pencil would constantly make my eyebrows look too thick, too dark, or weirdly matted in places. It just looked too thick because the tip of the pencil got dull fast so it got broader. I thought maybe I just have a heavy hand but all the problems I had with the wooden pencil didn't happen when I used mechanical pencils.
I switched to mechanical brow pencils such as the Anastasia Brow Wiz or the two pictured above. The Your Best Friend pencil above even comes with a built-in brow brush on the other end which makes pre-shaping much more convenient. These types of brow pencils work so much better in evenly distributing the product and has much better precision when shaping your brows since the tips tend to be thinner. However a thinner tip may also mean you're covering less surface area at once so it takes a little longer to fill them. My biggest complaint about these pencils is that the product runs out too fast so I constantly have to keep buying them shortly.


Pomades are my personal preference for brow products because you get the most bang for your buck. You need an angled brush for this product, but I just bought a small drug store one rather than the suggested Anastasia brush because it was three times the price, and the cheaper one does the same job just fine. This product covers surface area really well with just a little bit of product and doesn't make my eyebrows look weirdly matted. The angled brush also helps shape them to precision as well. Pomades last an incredibly long time, I think to this day I haven't finished my first jar and it's been about two years almost? It's really long lasting and it hasn't even dried out yet (which is a problem with products in a jar like this) so it's definitely the best bang for your buck.

Sometimes, thick, dark or defined brows are not someone's thing. Sometimes all someone wants is just a little tint and a hint of definition to eyebrows, and that's where brow gels come in. These are new products to me, and I sometimes use them as a "finishing" product after I've done my eyebrows and use the gel to keep all the hair in place. But others only use this product to give their eyebrows more color and it looks just fine. Whenever I've just had my eyebrows threaded I think they look so good they don't need to be filled in at all, so sometimes I use a gel to add a hint of color. I've used the above Benefit one and a Mac one and both work similarly. I think I'd prefer the Benefit one because the brush was smaller so it allowed me to shape each section of the eyebrow to perfection, but they were both good options.



The truth is, the main difference between all these products simply comes down to convenience. All of them work well and do work the way they're supposed to. It all comes down to what you prefer. How meticulous do you want to be? Are you the type to stand there and make sure every last hair is in place or do you accept that your eyebrows are sisters and not twins? How often do you want to have to go out and replace the product? How long are you willing to stand there and fill them in? Do you like a dark bold look or is a subtle color better? All of the products work great, so it's other outside factors that go into choosing which is best for you in the end.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

When it comes to eyeliner, finding what works best for you can be a little frustrating and overwhelming. Trying to do a cat-eye can result in raccoon eye makeup if you're not using the right product. So I've compiled a small guide to help differentiate the types of products in order to decide which would be best for you.



















+Easy to apply on the waterline

Follow my blog with Bloglovin