BEAUTY TOOLS | Real Techniques Miracle Diamond Sponge vs. Miracle Sculpting Sponge

Using a sponge has been the only thing that has made me unafraid to use foundation. When I see people using brushes, I am always in awe, but from watching YouTube and other makeup artists, using a brush is preferable to a sponge. I have been told it's something about how much more absorbent a sponge is leading to wasted foundation. It IS a sponge after all, but honestly I just love how much faster I am at applying my face in the mornings! I love the "bouncing" motion to deposit product and though I have loved the Beauty Blender over the years, Real Techniques has been the only other company that has made sponges that I find even remotely comparable to this pink beauty sponge conglomerate.

Over the last two months, I have been using both the Miracle Sculpting Sponge* ($10.49 CDN) and the VERY pretty Miracle Diamond Sponge ($12.99 CDN) from the Bold Metals Collection to see if one was better than the other even though their marketed purposes differ. The Sculpting Sponge is intended for contouring and highlighting, but rules are just guidelines right? 

Real Techniques Miracle Sponge Review

NAILS | Star Trek Sweaters

I haven't really discussed this in a long time, but I am a very big Star Trek fan. I have gone to a convention in Las Vegas and I own complete DVD collections of Next Generation and Voyager. I love the history of the Federation and watching the progression of the different NCCs (though my favourite will always be 1701-D). I have watched every Star Trek series (except for The Original, I just couldn't get onboard with Shatner) and now there is a NEW one to watch! Star Trek: Discovery made its television debut this past Sunday and though it feels more like the latest Star Trek movies, I have thoroughly enjoyed the first two episodes and look forward to more! We finally get to see the beginnings of the war between the Klingons and the Federation!   

Star Trek Nail Art

KOREAN BEAUTY | TONYMOLY Luminous Goddess Aura Aurolighter

Like most things that I order from eBay, sometimes things get lost and when I ordered this at the beginning of this year I was convinced I was not going to get a chance to see whether the TonyMoly Luminous Goddess Aura Aurolighter was truly a rainbow highlighter. Then one day, after filing my loss report with the seller, it just showed up after 3 months of being MIA completely intact!

TonyMoly Luminous Goddess Aura Aurolighter

NAILS | Saying Hello to Fall with Picture Polish's Forest #ManiMonday

Every month I look forward to seeing the new blogger collaborations with Aussie brand Picture Polish because they almost always have glitter and 99% of the time a little bit of holo. The shades are usually more on the adventurous side and aren't really about what's trending according to Allure and Pantone. There are a couple of really cool shades for September, but the one that jumped out to me the most was the shade Forest created in collaboration with nailgrammer Lacquertech

Picture Polish Forest Swatch

MAKEUP | MAKE UP FOR EVER Water Blend Face and Body Foundation ("You Took Some Time to Love, My Friend")

I never thought the day would come when I would have more than 50 foundations on the go. Then again, as I have gotten older I have started to lump foundation into skincare so just like I collect serums like potions in a video game raid, I hoard foundations for every mood and season. I have always had really good luck with MAKE UP FOR EVER foundations and most of their makeup in general, but when the Water Blend Face and Body Foundation* ($54.00 CDN) came out last year I wasn't quite as impressed as everyone else seemed to be. At least initially.   

MAKE UP FOR EVER Water Blend Foundation Review

MAKEUP LOOK | Shu Uemura Tokyo Trends Cut Crease

I don't think I'm ever going to be the one with fierce and trendy makeup as I can still barely get my winged eyeliner game on. Working with the brand Shu Uemura has gotten me out of my box a bit more over the years in terms of trying more colour, but not many of us think of this brand when it comes to cutting edge or trendsetting, even though there are some crazy cool and work even on what little surface area an Asian eyelid allows! When it came time to try a cut crease, I was scared, but according to the folks at Shu, it was indeed possible with the proper tools.

Shu Uemura Cut Crease

NAILS | Mandatory Crayola Nail Art

It's obvious I love these Crayola x Sally Hansen Insta-Dri polishes isn't it? Crayola nails have been on my nail art bucket list and when this collaboration came out, it was time for me to finally do them! Using a Crayola design from Serena of Copycat Claws, this is what I came up with! If you don't follow Serena already, she is one of my most favourite CANADIAN nail art bloggers AND she is a scientist!   

Crayola Nail Art

BATH & BODY | Avon Skin So Soft Oil-Infused Body Wash

For awhile I had this obsession with foaming hand soap. It was all I was buying because there is something just so incredibly satisfying about pressing down on a solid pump and hearing that glorious foaminess greet your palms. So now that I have romanticized foaming hand soaps, let's get into foaming BODY WASH! I know it's pretty much the same thing just bigger, but that doesn't take the fun out of it does it? In fact, since the bottles are bigger it's even better!

When it comes to bath and body, Avon has something for literally everyone and though I do receive a number of bath products from Avon, the Skin So Soft Oil-Infused Foaming Body Washes immediately caught my eye when they arrived. I shook 'em, pumped 'em and then had to shower with 'em!

Avon Skin So Soft Oil-Infused Body Wash Review

NAILS | Back to School Nail Art #ManiMonday

Last week's ManiMonday was seriously science-y and although I've maybe done one or two back to school themed nails before, this will be my first time doing them while NOT a student anymore! I was in university for two separate degrees from 2001-2011 and by the end of it I was done. I was exhausted from going to school full-time and working 40 hours a week and my then-boyfriend and I had decided that getting engaged was only going to happen once I graduated so I REALLY  wanted to be finished!

The Sally Hansen x Crayola collaboration has been one of my favourites to date and all I want to do is keep these polishes out forever because not only is the packing incredibly cute, the formulas are fantastic! Almost every single shade is a one-coater! This collection has reminded me of why Sally Hansen polishes were the first polishes I ever purchased because for the price, you get consistently good formulas and brushes that make nail polishing easy, fun and approachable. 

Back to School Nail Art (1)

MAKEUP | Burberry Full Kisses Lipsticks with Lip Swatches

I'm really glad glossy is coming back because my lips have been so temperamental lately. I don't think I have ever mentioned this here, but whenever I get stressed, my lips get super swollen with tiny blisters and then flake like crazy for about a week. You can't even see anything, but my lips just feel very tight and uncomfortable. If anything, I have been asked if I have had lip injections whenever I have a flare up because my lips look so full! These flare-ups started when I got a big promotion at work in 2013 and then while I was prepping for my wedding. It went away while I was in the beauty industry and then came back when I started my current job two years ago. It is what it is so whenever I have a flare-up I go back to my glossy finish lipstick buddies to mask my dry patchy lips. My new friends go by the name of the Burberry Full Kisses* ($33.00 CDN) and they are a creamy full coverage, luminous finish lipstick lasting up to 8 hours!

Burberry Full Kisses Review Swatches

NAILS | Pretty & Polished April Showers Swatch (It's a Thermal Polish!)

Whenever I wear an indie polish it really gives me a sense of nostalgia as this is when I first started getting interested in nail polish and while it is still a very large part of my life, I don't follow the indie game quite as closely now that my collection is in the thousands(!) and I've gotten more busy working with mainstream brands. This doesn't change the fact that I still have numerous indie untrieds to share with including Pretty & Polished April Showers that I picked up, I kid you not, 3-4 years ago! P&P did/does some great thermal polishes with many of the colour changes being extremely fun. April Showers is a bit more subtle, but has these wonderful bits of blue and white glitter that really make this a unique polish.  


SKINCARE | Mediheal Line Friends E.G.T Timetox Ampoule Mask Review

Hey, hey, hey! It's sheet mask time again! A lot of the masks I try to feature here on Cosmetic Proof are predominantly for the fun factor because I love a good, honest mask selfie. Some sheet masks are for show while others may look boring, but are in actual fact highly effective. Today's sheet mask is a little bit of both and was a collaboration between well known Korean sheet mask brand Mediheal and Line Friends! Line is a mobile messaging app that I started using a couple of years ago and within the app are very expressive sticker emojis that eventually became a character line beloved by all.

Mediheal Line Friends EGT Timetox Ampoule Mask Review

BATH & BODY | Crystal Hills Organics - Crystal Infused Skincare!

Last month I had posted on my Instagram stories about a local new-to-me brand that I found interesting, but had a few questions about. Crystal Hills Organics is based in Kelowna, BC in the gorgeous Okanagan Valley (their Instagram will have you wishing you could work your 9-5 job there) with a goal of using the healing power of nature to soothe, cleanse and protect and enhance the body. Crystal Hills has their own organically certified farm for all the grapes, herbs and flowers used in their products and the soil is enriched so that only the freshest and highest quality ingredients are used. Not only was I happy to learn of this, but also that the founder, Andrea Barone, has a background in Biological Science and Occupational Health and Safety. There are so many indie green brands popping up that I tend to gravitate towards the ones that have some scientific process or at the very least surround themselves with people who do. 

Crystal Hills Organics Review

NAILS | Nucleotide Skittles Version 2.0 #ManiMonday

I started bullet journaling last month and in trying to keep to themes and staying organized, I have chosen "Back to School" and "Science" as my themes for beauty! You guys know that I love drawing molecules on my nails and I am hoping this theme will keep me focused and allow that creativity to come back. There will still be new Fall polishes featured. but academia will take priority!

Some of you may have already seen in stores one of the cutest and most perfect nail polish collaborations - Sally Hansen and Crayola! I mean talk about one of the best pairings ever! These polishes are bright, happy and pigmented to the max like most Insta-Dri polishes and have been so much fun to play with! It only seemed appropriate to use these new polishes for an updated version of the DNA nucleotide base nails that I did more than FIVE years ago. I cringe at how my photos and nails were back then, but hey at least I'm growing up!

DNA Nucleotide Nail Art

BEAUTY | New Shades of the Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils!

Oooh baby, I raved about these Clarins Instant Light Lip Comfort Oils two years ago (here) when they were first released and I am STILL going to rave about them now because in a world of mattes, these are like the oasis in the lipstick desert. These are pillowy, glossy and juicy goodness all with a delicious candy scent and now there are FOUR additional flavours to choose from! 

Clarins Lip Comfort Oil Review Swatches

SKINCARE | Yes To Cotton Collection

Say, what now? An actual skincare review since June?! I've said before that I absolutely adore skincare and if you saw my bathroom counter you would wonder how I even keep track of what I am using, but I have a system, I really do! At the beginning of summer, I started testing out the newest addition to the Yes To... family - Yes to Cotton! I had been a fan of the Yes to Cucumber and Grapefruit line when I first got into skincare so this was a great reminder for me of just how many good AND fun products Yes To had. With all of their products being at least 95% natural and of course paraben-free, this is a drugstore brand that can rival many green beauty brands.

Introduced to Shoppers Drug Mart in the Spring of this year, the Yes to Cotton collection includes: Comforting Facial Wipes, Comforting Facial Moisurizer and Comforting Micellar Water. From the Yes To website, I also see that two masks and eye makeup remover pads have also been added which I will have to hunt down because ladies and gents, I REALLY liked this collection!   

Yes to Cotton Review

BEAUTY | Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara (Will This Work on My Baby Asian Lashes?)

I don't often review mascara because let's face it, although there are many pros to being Asian (Hello Kitty, magical math abilities and looking 15 years old until you're 60), as a people we just don't have much in the way of lashes. They are almost always thin, short and in most cases slope downward. No matter the mascara, it's hard to see a difference when you don't really have a good lash foundation to begin with!

I do like weird beauty things though. I like finding out if a product is truly innovative or if it's just gimmicky especially if it's a $38 mascara like the new Noir Interdit* from Givenchy! With a new 90° bendable brush for ultimate lift to give a complete lash extension effect, so let's see whether it works!

Givenchy Noir Interdit Mascara Review

NAILS | Subtle Summer Holo #ManiMonday

I know, I know, it's not Monday anymore, but I guess because of the long weekend today is Monday for a lot of people. I actually have my weekend now so I'm feeling good, productive and also ready for the pedicure I have planned for later this afternoon. I haven't had a pedicure since June and although I won't let anyone touch my nails, I cannot be bothered to paint my toes. I enjoy the extra foot massage and for today's appointment, I added in 15 minutes of reflexology so looking forward to that!

I have posted a few times about the limited edition Cirque Colors Vice collection and after realizing that I hadn't used three of the shades, this holo taping manicure was born. Yes, I may have a slight obsession with using striping tape and YES, I have less lazy nail art planned for the month, but sometimes when it's all about the pretty colours like these ones, crazy nail art can be a bit distracting.

Cirque Colors Holo Taping Nail Art

BATH & BODY | The New Zoella Beauty Jelly and Gelato Collection!

Zoe Sugg, better known as Zoella, is probably one of the few millennials on YouTube I actually like. Not to bash millennials, but some of the younger girls on YouTube can be a bit high energy for me/fake sounding which is just something I don't identify with. I feel like Zoella is intelligent, entertaining and the British accent definitely helps!

When Zoella came out with her first bath and body collection, I was enamored with the cuteness of it all and the fact that she admitted to buying her own bath fizzies on her video because she loved them so much and wanted them right away that day when she had run out! Whether that story is true or not, I would like to believe it is because her bath products really do smell fantastic in a playful, grown-up type of way. Having used Zoella's new Jelly & Gelato Collection for a couple of weeks now, I am now very tempted to pick up the additional pieces of the collection because I find myself looking forward to actually having a shower just to use these shower gels!

Zoella Beauty Jelly and Gelato Collection Review

HAIR | I'm So Blue

I am an Aveda Vancouver Ambassador. All treatments are complimentary.

It feels like forever ago since I decided to colour my hair dark blue, but it has been another harrowing hair experience I can tell you that! Going this shade of blue has probably been the easiest to maintain out of the blonde, oilslick and blue/green. With blonde, I eventually looked brassy, oilslick was probably next easiest to maintain as my hair didn't look awful at the end of 8 weeks, blue/green was probably the worst as the green turned muddy even with colour protecting shampoos and treatments.

After much Instagramming and Pinteresting, my Hair God JT, from Civello Robson, and I decided that a darker blue would look great at the beginning and at the end of the summer and we were right! It's actually looking fairly tame now, but allow me to take you on my hair story starting with the very first day at the salon!

Aveda Civello Blue Hair