Friday 31 March 2017

Anastasia Beverly Hills Foundation Stick in the shade Warm Ivory Review

Hello!!

As you all know, because I wont stop talking about it, I'm going on a week long trip this summer. And I'm planning my travel makeup bag already!

So I picked up the ABH Stick Foundation! I figured a stick foundation would be perfect for the trip, as it wont leak, nor will the packaging shatter. And it's quick and mess free for quick applications.

I picked up the shade Warm Ivory, which on sephora is described as "Light skin with Yellow undertones"

Which sounds like me, no? (for reference NC20 is a hair too light for my current winter skin!!)

Well, it wouldn't pick up on camera, but after I tore into the box this came in, and opened it. My excitement was crushed. WARM Ivory, in the packaging turned out to be PINK Ivory!! When swatched on my hand, (Which isn't as yellow toned as my neck, might I add!!) It's miss piggy pink. I even asked my makeup unaware brother, what tone he thought it was. And he looked at me like I was stupid and said "pink, duh"

SIGH.

I decided that I'll wear it for a few days, see if it breaks me out, and if it wears well. Then if I truly liked the formula i'd return and get the correct undertone.

Onto pictures!


Here is my skin with just my morning skincare on (My face is lighter than my neck/chest!!): 

-I have Acne scarring on the hollows of my cheeks, and light redness on the apples of my cheeks





Here is ONE layer of the stick foundation buffed into the skin with a foundation brush:

-You can see the sheen/natural finish of this foundation. It's 100% not a dry matte foundation!!




Here is another layer pressed into my cheeks where my acne scarring is:

-As you can see it builds up well. But only if you press it, and pat it into the skin. Not if you buff it in!! That just sheers it out.




The foundation set with a warm toned powder (that's deeper than the foundation, so the shade looks deeper/more natural here):

-You can see the sheen/shine of the foundation is gone with the pressed powder.




Here's the foundation with a finished face of makeup:

-I have all ABH Modern Renaissance palette on my eyes, MAC brow set on my brows, Physicians Formula blush and bronzer on the cheeks, and MAC Twig on the lips!





Thoughts: 

This isn't a dry, thick, cakey stick foundation. As long as I have moisturizer on (which I do every day before makeup anyway!) this smooths over face without tugging and pulling at my skin. I use my Real Techniques Expert face brush to blend this out, and it blends out with ease! I don't have to make my wrists ache to buff it out and melt into my skin. But, please remember I have oily, non wrinkled skin. If your skin is dry I can see it being slightly tug-y on the skin.

It lasts a whole work day on me, a good 9-10 hours. I do have to blot 1 to 2 times. Which is actually pretty good for me!! When I was blending my highlight on the tip of my nose with my blush brush, it rubbed off the foundation there and made it patchy, just a warning, because I know other oily-s struggle with that!

Amount: 9g / 0.32 Oz. (A usual liquid foundation holds more product just fyi!)

Price: $33

Overal: 8.5/10~!!!

Thursday 30 March 2017

ELF Blush and Bronzer Duo Review

Hey friends!!

Today we're going to look at one of my favourite cheek products!!






This is the ELF Blush and Bronzer duo compact! It contains a shimmery light golden brown bronzer, and a light glittery cotton candy pink blush.

I LOVE the bronzer in this compact!! It gives my skin warmth, so I don't look flat or dead,

But I REALLY Love mixing them together! I'll just take a fluffy blush brush, and dab it back and forth into both pans. and then buff it onto my cheeks. And it adds a warm, peachy glow to my cheeks! I'm obsessed!

Amount: I threw out the box It came in, so I have no clue. Shoot!

Price: $5

Pros: Super blendable, soft, and easy!

Cons: Not dark skinned friendly! I wish ELF would come out with more shades in this formula!!

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Joe Fresh Gold Rush Eye Shadow Trio Review

We're going to talk about yet another amazing Canadian product/brand!

We're going to look at swatches and pictures of one of my favourite Joe Fresh Products, their Gold Rush Trio!

This trio has a warm, white gold. A sheer glittery peach, and a metallic orangey bronze!





I couldn't capture the pretty of these shadows fully, as the sun was setting. But they are smooth, creamy, and blendable!!

I can't get a full look out of this, but I love to do a matte brown in the crease, then the glittery peach in the inner half of my mobile lid, then the bronzey shade on outer half and lower lashline, and the white gold to highlight!

Amount: It says NO WHERE on the packaging the amount of product you get?? Hmm

Price: I paid $3 for this on sale. But it's usually around $7 or $8!

Pros: overall, great formula!!

Cons: I'd have to bring extra shadow with me if I took this on vacation. Can't get complete looks out of this.

Sunday 26 March 2017

Lancome 209 Blush Sweetness Eye brightening all in one 5 pan palette GWP Review

Hello!!

We're going to be looking at some Lancome eye shadow swatches today!! I was given this 5 pan mini GWP palette in a swap, and I fell HARD for it! Red eye shadow? Shimmery Taupe?! I'm IN.

Our love story was short lived, unfortunately...







First off, I like the packaging. It's small, and convenient, and has a mirror so it's great for travel and on the go, in that sense.

Also, look at those STUNNING shades!! That taupe <3

My problem with this palette?

The shadows DON'T LAST! I prime my eye lids EVERY SINGLE DAY, with Too Faced Shadow Insurance, then I take my face powder or a matte cream shadow and I press that into the primer to set it into place. And that's always good enough for me to get all day wear with my Oily, Hooded eyes.

But these! Oh my goodness. By the end of the day when I go to take my makeup off, the shadows are all faded into one big brown splotch. And are patchy as HELL.

I'v tried everything, and I just can't get this to work. :(

Price: It was a GWP!

Amount: 2G

Overall: 3/10!

Friday 24 March 2017

L'oreal La Couleur Infallible Eyeshadows Review

Hey all!!

I'm going to be gushing at yall today about my new favourite single eye shadows!!

Yep. I'm finally joining the L'oreal Infallible shadow train!!

I own two of these amazing shadows, both in the Iridescent finish!

I own the shades, 021 Sahara Treasure and 002 Hourglass Beige!







Sahara Treasure is a beautiful golden, olivey, brown with a metallic silvery sheen! It's super soft, and pigmented. This was one swipe! It's a beautiful all over the mobile lid shade!

Hourglass Beige is a stunning light yellowy white, with a slight pink shimmer/sheen. It's STUNNING on the inner corners and all over the mobile lid, or even in a halo eye!

These shadows are buttery, smooth, and soft! They blend out with a few swipes of my 217.

Price: $10.99 at the cheapest (walmart) $13.99 at SDM.

Amount: 3.5G

Pros: Everything!! They last all day over a primer, don't transfer too much with my hooded eyes, are soft and super blendable!

Cons: Nothing! I want more of these!

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Annabelle Brow to Go Kit Review

'Ello all!!

Today we're talking eye brows!

I have very naturally full and defined eye brows (Hey, let me have this humble brag!) So I like to just lightly fill in the lower line of my brows, and my tail when I'm feeling extra. Usually i'll take my MAC brow gel and lightly fill them in!

When I DO use powder, Annabelle's Brow to Go kit in Medium/Dark is my go to!








Can you tell which shade I use? ;)

The lighter shade is a warm golden brown, that I do not use often. As even on my warm skin. It's a little TOO warm.

But the medium neutral brown, that I ADORE. it's the EXACT same shade of brown as my brows. And it's slightly sheer. Just enough that I can build it up to my desired opacity.

If I JUST use the powder. It's basically gone by the end of the day.

But if I use the included wax, THEN the powder it lasts all day.
Also, If I set with brow gel, it also lasts all day on me!

Price: $9.99

Amount: 2.32G

Pros: Great formula, soft but not powdery, darker shade is perfect for my dark brows/hair.

Cons: First shade is almost orangey brown, doesn't last all day when used on it's own.  

Tuesday 21 March 2017

A Rexal/Shoppers Drug Mart Haul!

Hello!!! 

I finally got some disposable income/money, after not having any for around a month. And after getting everything I needed payed. I splurged and went on a drugstore "spree"



This is everything I picked up! I spent $60 CAD, and saved $20 thanks to coupons, and sales!!


I do not like to use makeup removing wipes, I prefer to use a cream and massage my makeup off. And I'v heard good things about Ponds Cold cream, so I jumped at it, as i'm running low on my current cream makeup remover!

I also MAY or MAYNOT have picked up 3 packets of my holy grail hair mask/conditioner. Marc Anthony Shea Butter and Marula Oil Hair mask is my all time favourite, holy grail hair mask. I buy three packs and depot them into a giant lush pot, and the three packs last me a month, maybe 6 weeks!



I got Ardel Natural 120 lashes, which are STUNNING. They're SO natural, and fluffy. I'll be going back for more for sure!!

I'm almost out of my MAC Waterproof brow set, and since I don't have the money to repurchase. I'm going to the next best thing. Essence Make Me Brow, in 3 brownie brow.

I FINALLY found the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter!!! It finally showed up at my Shoppers Drug Mart!! So I snatched it up. it's a BEAUTIFUL Natural, low shimmer highlight! I expect to use it a lot in the upcoming hot months!

I hit pan on my Peachy Make Up For Ever under eye corrector, so I decided to try the NYX Dark Circle Concealer Corrector in Medium. It's a lil sheer, but it does help my under eye look more fresh!!



I got Essence Lash Princess. My old Holy Grail mascara, was the Plump No Clump in the teal tube from essence. So I have high hopes for this mascara!!

I also needed a new face primer, as I'v used all of mine up. So I picked up ELF Pore filling primer. It smells super strongly of tea tree. But it works pretty well!!

Lastly, I got my new babies. I got three new brushes! I only owned 1 foundation buffing brush, and it gets dirty so quickly, I wanted another one or two. So I picked up ELF buffing foundation brush, and Real Techniques Expert Face brush (I already own the Reach Techniques buffing brush. it's a similar shape to this one!) And I got the ELF Blending brush!




Here's the false eye lashes on the eye btw. They look like what my dream lashes look like!!

Monday 20 March 2017

Avon Ideal Luminous Blush Review

Hello!! Today we're talking Blush! Avon blush to be exact.

I remember, my very first blush. It was a very very light, cool, baby pink from Avon! It looked HORRID on my then NC30 skintone. It looked like chalk on me. Ahaha!

This is a totally different blush though!! This blush suits me and is beautiful!!






I have Avon's Luminous Blush in the shade Warm Flush. It's a beautiful, pigmented, shimmery, hot pinky coral!

It blends like a dream, I run my fluffy blush brush along the pan, then tap it off, and apply to my cheeks and bam! I end up with a warm, glowing, coraly flush that lasts all day on my oily cheeks!

Price: $12

Pros: I'v used this on a NW50 person before, and it wasn't ashy! It looked like a hint of pink and glow on her. So I'm very happy that it would work for my dark skin friends!

Cons: This shade would be very easy for fair skin to over do! I find I go a little hard on it sometimes on my Light/Medium skin.

Amount: 6.23G

Sunday 19 March 2017

A New Kind Of FOTD

Hey all!! Today i'm trying something new with my FOTD. I'm going to show you everything I used to get out the door this morning!!






This is the look. It's super easy, quick and basic!! 


This is the skincare I used this morning, I poured a bit of my Nivea Sensitive skin cleansing water onto a fluffy towel, and smoothed that over my whole face, to remove last nights skin care, and any sebum.

I then scooped out a small dollop of ELF's nourishing night cream, and smoothed that over my whole face. Focusing it on the outer edges of my face where I'm the most dry, and lightly on my oily areas (my nose, inner cheeks, etc)

Then I dotted some of Cliniques Repairwear Laser Focus eye cream under my eyes, focusing it on the inner corner where I have dehydration lines, and my outer corners.

After I let that all sink in. I smoothed two layers of my Paula's Choice Non greasy SPF50 sunblock!


Once the skin care was all sunken in, I went in with the makeup!

I primed my eye lids with TFSI. Then patted Maybelline baby skin face primer on the outer edges of my cheeks and my chin. And I then patted and pressed MUFE Mattifying Step 1 Primer onto my T Zone and inner cheeks!

I then squeezed some of L'oreal's Infallible Total Cover foundation onto the back of my hand, and then using clean, warm fingers. I smoothed it onto my skin. To really make it seamless, I took a paddle foundation brush and patted it in to my skin. Next I took a smaller paddle concealer brush, and some of the peachy shade in my MUFE conceal and correct palette and patted that under my eyes. Then took some of the second lightest concealer in the palette and smoothed and patted that overtop of the corrector. Then took a big fluffy brush and first patted MAC Set powder all over my face, then patted Rimmel Clear Complexion Powder ontop of that!

For cheeks, I used my favourite Benefit Bella Bamba on the cheeks and blended upward. I then took the same brush and buffed some of Coastal Scents Lemon Chiffon eye shadow on my cheek bones as a highlight!

For brows, I used my Annabelle Brow to go kit in medium/dark and filled in any spots. then combed through that with my MAC brow set!

For eyes, I did my favourite easy look! I took my tartelette tease palette, and used the matte cream shade to set my eye primer. Then went in with the mauvey satin shade and used that in the crease, then added a touch of the matte plum to the outer corners. Next I took my ELF Smudge pot in Wine Not and patted that over the whole mobile lid. Then over top of that cream shadow, I took a clean finger and patted the glittery taupey shade overtop! Next I buffed everything out, added some of the matte dark brown to my lower lashline, and added 3 coats of mascara and the eyes are done!

For lips, I went simple. And did a moisturizing, nude! I used Almays Smart shade butter lipstick in Nude Medium!


These are all of the brushes I used to complete this look!!


Here's some extra bits and bobs. My current lip balm, a hand cream, and body lotion I applied before going out into the snowy cold. And my current most used fragrance. Atelier Cologne Bergamote Soleil.


Add some fleece lined tights, a long knit sweater. And I'm out the door ready to face the cold day ahead!!!