MAKEUP | Dior Holiday Golden Ball 2024 Collection

Purchased by me and it was QUITE the splurge!

As some of you know especially from my Instagram, back in April while I was stress leave, I decided to dedicate my beauty budget for the remainder of 2024 to one brand and that brand was Dior! I was scrolling through Instagram and started seeing some their new releases, events and GWPs and it made me go back into my old Dior press samples and reminisce. In doing so, I realized that I had been neglecting a VERY good brand with quality formulations and of course, FANTASTIC packaging. Over the years, I have been tiring of Sephora and their lack of client service so I have been buying all of my Dior products almost exclusively from the Dior counter at Holt Renfrew. I like that I am buying from a Canadian department store and giving commission to a real person. I have also been rewarded with facials every month, invitations to exclusive events with Dior as well as GWPs that are way better than what I have ever received at Sephora. Suffice it to say, I am going to be continuing to shop with Holt Renfrew! 

MAKEUP | Bobbi Brown Long Wear Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow Sticks

Press samples

I know, I know. I am can't really call myself a "beauty blogger" anymore because WHERE are the makeup posts?? I ask myself that all the time and I am still having a hard time getting "dolled up" on my days off with nowhere to go. If I were smart, I would use the days that I go into work to document my journey with makeup, but I don't do that (anymore) for two reasons - the first being that I never seem to have enough time to take photos because I always get caught up doing something else that eats into my morning time and the second being that my work makeup is nowhere near as glam as blog makeup. Photos for the blog and social media need LASHES which if I don't have on the Falscara wisps, makeup kind of looks "wah wah" in photos. This leads me to say probably for the umpteenth time that I am not a morning person and makeup needs to be foolproof and fast! 

MAKEUP | Armani Eye Tint Long Lasting Liquid Eyeshadow

Press samples

I live for a long wear eyeshadow and though I will always have powdered eyeshadows in my life, my day to day for work is still 75% eyeshadow sticks or in this case, liquid eyeshadow! This version of the Armani Eye Tints have been around since 2019 and I still use them quite often because the shades are incredibly easy to wear and sort of match with everything. Coming in shimmer and matte finishes, the Armani Eye Tints promise 16 hour wear, an easy to use blendable liquid formula and the perfect applicator that allows you both precision and quick all-over colour application.

MAKEUP | Auric Cosmetics Smoke Reflect Cream and Powder Eye Shadow Duo

Purchased by me

I think we were all pretty excited when local Vancouver YouTuber Samantha Ravndahl launched her brand Auric Cosmetics. As her popularity has grown over the years from a young MUA fighting with L'il Kim when the latter stole her work without credit (I remember following that reddit thread when Sam posted asking for help) to YouTube/Instagram star, one thing that has remained consistent is her honesty about products and brands. I feel like she has always been genuine here even though her livelihood depended on getting sponsorships and deals. She has also been honest about her use of Photoshop and commenting about what really happens behind the scenes with many of the seemingly perfect IG photos and brand trips (when they used to happen monthly!). Having met her in person a few times over the years at events, I don't think we would be best friends, but she is fun to listen to on camera and I will always like her somewhat cynical and refreshing take on the beauty industry. 

MAKEUP | Cheekbone Beauty SUSTAIN Eyeshadow Pencils

 

Purchased by me

June is Indigenous History Month with today, June 21st being National Indigenous Peoples Day so what better way to mark this day than with a review about the new(ish) Cheekbone Beauty SUSTAIN Eyeshadow Pencils! 

MAKEUP | Phytosurgence Flash Florescence In Bloom Collection #LunarFebruary

I am back almost a year later with more from Vancouver-based brand Phytosurgence! This brand also fits in with my #LunarFebruary theme as it is partially Asian-owned so yay! They have launched SO MANY more products since I was here last with their classic collection of cream eyeshadows and though I have realllly been tame with my makeup purchases, the Summer 2021 "In Bloom" collection was one that I had a challenging time saying no to so I picked it up during Phytosurgence's Black Friday sale as a Christmas gift to myself!

Purchased by me

MAKEUP | Clarins Frozen Summer Makeup Collection

I have been sitting on this review for longer than I have wanted to solely because I wanted to get my face on and show you a full makeup look with everything, but let's face it. Summer is almost over and the days I have off are spent enjoying the sunshine, reading a book or puttering around the house so putting on a full face of makeup is something I don't want to do on my days off. What I can say is that I have been using almost everything in the Clarins Frozen Makeup Collection along with a few of their new skincare products from the My Clarins line and really enjoying them! I hadn't used Clarins in a long time and it felt nice to come home to a beauty brand staple. I know you want to see more photo spam as the packaging for this year's collection was just screaming "Happy Summer!" so let's get to it!

 

Press samples 

MAKEUP | Natasha Denona Mini Retro Eyeshadow Palette with Makeup Look

While I was on vacation last week, I started "shopping" my beauty room as I tend to do when I have the luxury of time as well as the brainpower to think creatively. I'm always amazed at ideas and motivation for posts and content when I've had even just two days off in a row. Most days I come home from work and do my best to clean up after myself and try not to feel like too much of a slug. After playing around with some blue eyeshadows a few weeks ago, I wanted to get my hands dirty again with eye makeup and dug out my UNTOUCHED Natasha Denona Mini Retro Eyeshadow Palette that I picked up back in May. This was a fairly adventurous palette for me to pick up as I initially did not know how to use the shades cohesively, but after browsing a few makeup looks on the ND Instagram as well as Youtube videos, I felt a bit more confident about applying the shades to my face!

Purchased by me

MAKEUP | Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadows with Swatches

I have always liked eyeshadows in stick form because my God are they ever convenient when it comes to covering an eyelid and then quickly lining my lower lash line! In the mornings when I cannot be bothered to think of what sort of colour scheme will go on my eyelids, I know that an eyeshadow stick won't let me down. When it came to colour selection and staying power, I first used the Urban Decay 24/7 chubby eyeshadow sticks and then when those got discontinued, I became obsessed with MAKE UP FOR EVER's Aqua Shadows which were essentially the same thing. Then my favourite shade 20E got discontinued (it was this metallic champagne) and replaced with something close in the Aqua Matic collection, but still wasn't the same. The closest I have come to is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Shadow in the shade Moonlight which brings us to the beginning of my Caviar Stick relationship and how one stick became four!

Purchased by me

MAKEUP | Avon Glimmershadow Liquid Eyeshadows with Swatches and Makeup Looks

Well, it looks like the only makeup products you will see reviewed on the blog here are eyeshadows because my work face right now is ONLY about the eyes! It's interesting how all of us suddenly have very different routines now depending on how COVID has affected our jobs and daily lives. If your job has moved you to being at home, makeup is either non-existent or there to keep you presentable or just feeling good. If you work outside like me and have to wear a mask everyday, you can still wear all of the makeup you want, but I think eventually the focus ends up being on the upper half of your face! I never used to wear undereye concealer, but now that a face mask stops right underneath my eyes and allows one's eye to zero in on that area, I make the effort in the mornings to make sure I look perky there! I have actually been using the Avon Cashmere Concealer because it is so lightweight and blendable. Once I'm done with the colour correcting, I can move on to the eyeshadow which for the last 2 weeks has been the Avon Glimmershadow Liquid Eyeshadows!

Press samples

MAKEUP | Natasha Denona Chromium Liquid Eyeshadows in Scarab, Ultraviolet and Infra Nude

Today is a scary day in the US and though we are all going to be on the edge of our seats for probably the next couple of months, let's take it in stride, get through Christmas without COVID and take the remainder of 2020 day by day. I have to go through some clothing as Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver has just resumed clothing donations and I came across a few things during Lockdown in April that needed new homes so will get to that later today (I have vacation days today and tomorrow). While on vacation, I do this scary thing where I have time to check out what's new in beauty and then BUY IT! This is what happened with the Natasha Denona Chromium Eyeshadows back in August and I still can't stop raving about them!

MAKEUP | MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Resist Smoky Shadow Sticks with Swatches and Makeup Look

When it comes to my most reached for eyeshadow sticks, it's almost always a cross between my old Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Shadow Pencil in Juju, the Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks and my MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Shadow and Aqua Matic sticks. Juju is now down to the size of the tip of my pinky and since UD discontinued their chubby eyeshadow pencils, I haven't been reaching for this last bit as the product is starting to get difficult to work with which leaves me with LM and MUFE. I like both, but the MUFE pencils have edged out LM because the formula suits my eyelids better. MUFE has gone through a number of product upgrades and changes over the last five years with most of the changes resulting in some beautiful formulas so was that the case with the new Aqua Resist Smoky Shadow Sticks?

Press samples 

MAKEUP | Creme de la Creme Bespoke Beauty Made in Alberta

I remember thinking how awesome it was when the Bite Beauty lab let people create their own customized lip colour and how you could watch and be a part of that process from beginning to end. Until recently, I had no idea that Creme de la Creme existed and that they are a brick and mortar store right in Sherwood Park, Alberta where you can go in, sit down and make not just a lipstick, but eyeshadows too! In times like these where we are all trying to support local Canadian and local businesses, I loved this concept and thought only "cool cities" like NYC would have stores like Creme de la Creme, but there you go! In addition to the bespoke part of their business, Creme de la Creme also has products available for purchase online (also made in Alberta), and I am assuming in-store, which I was fortunate enough to get a chance to try and review for you. I even managed to put together a little makeup look that I thought turned out fairly well!

PR gifted

MAKEUP | The Urban Decay Wired Palette: The Trials, Errors and Successes

Ever since my subscription to Seventeen magazine in high school, Urban Decay has had a special place in my teenage heart along with brands like Hard Candy and Revlon's Streetwear line. It was makeup that was edgy, something I could never be brave enough to wear or make enough money to afford. While I wouldn't call Urban Decay an inexpensive brand, I have always found that the quality I get is fair for the price. The eyeshadows have always been among my favourite formulations with every palette I have used being consistently solid in pigmentation and colour payoff. I had no reason to believe that the brand new Wired palette would be any different from previous ones, but lemme tell ya, this one is not like the others!

PR gifted

MAKEUP | Playing with Some New-to-Me Purple Products

I cannot believe that I haven't been at work for over a month now as I feel like the last 5 years of my life have been so devoted to my day job that I never thought in a million years I would suddenly have the time I have to play with makeup AND the universal okay to do so! I literally can do whatever I want whether it'd be nothing at all, to a few things or to cleaning the whole apartment from top to bottom. Like most of us, I had more steam at the beginning when staying at home was a newer concept mentally and the "world" was my oyster, but now I find that even though I'm still consistently posting on all Cosmetic Proof avenues, I'm getting hung up on the fact that x, y and z are still not done. For example, I wanted to finish my crazy book by the end of April and I still have 400 pages left (it's just over 1000) and I wanted to clean out my beauty room, but all that has happened with that is that I've made MORE of a mess because I am rediscovering things in there that I want to blog about or use. I've organized a few beauty areas, but with my husband working from home, it's hard to organize when he is taking calls in the same space.

Some items PR gifted and are marked with a "*"

MAKEUP | Mary Kay Fall 2019 Collection with Makeup Look

I can't believe I used to be able to do makeup looks every week AND blog about them while working full-time. I have been run off my feet probably the whole year at this point always playing catch up and while I used to have a bit of energy to blog at night, I haven't been able to do so in months. Though I wear makeup everyday for work and a full face of it at that, I haven't really played with a full makeup look since I was on staycation back in September. I don't think that's going to change a whole lot for the remainder of the year as things just keep getting busier and I am now overcapacity at work so if anything, like many bloggers, it's possible you will see less of me because I will be sleeping!

 * denotes PR samples

MAKEUP LOOK | Huda Beauty Neon Obsessions Palette in PINK

I wear makeup everyday for work and not just a little bit of tinted moisturizer and lipgloss, but full on corporate job, gotta look put-together makeup so wearing primer, long-wearing foundation, eyeshadow, and setting spray are all products I use 5 days a week. The only thing is that my look is one that is fairly neutral. Occasionally, I dabble in purples or I will whip out the Stila Glitter & Glow Eyeshadows which almost always has clients commenting, but generally I am a rainbow of light brown to dark brown. I do my gradient from inner corner to outer V and that's pretty much it, but then this summer neon struck! I saw the trio of Huda Beauty Neon Obsessions Palettes and the 90s kid in me lunged for them, but then the 36-year old woman in me said "how often are you REALLY going to wear these shades?" Turns out, pink is my jam!

Purchased by me

LOOK | Gettin' Chrome-y with Revlon

Yowza. The last time I did a makeup look on here was back in January?? That doesn't sound right, but that's what my search shows and I am disappoint! I used to be able to pump out one look a week, but it really slowed down last Spring when I found it really hard to bring myself to put on makeup and spend 2-3 hours photographing on a day I had off. I think if I had regular days off, planning would be much easier, but when they are all over the place where some days I'm at events or running errands, it becomes more important to have time to relax. Oddly enough, I don't think my job has changed much in terms of workload, but I don't think I have ever gotten used to not having energy so it's probably time to start working out and exercising like a healthy person since I'm not gettin' any younger!

PR samples

MAKEUP | Suva Beauty Saffron Collection

This is one of those collections where when I finally took the time to photograph and play I WISHED I had brought it out sooner because the colours, the formula were so glorious it pained me to know that I had been missing out all this time, but as you saw from my palette clean out, I have a tendency to let eyeshadow palettes sit untouched and become wall art. The Suva Beauty Saffron Collection is one inspired by immigrant families. Suva's founder, Shaina Azad, used her Fijian upbringing filled with memories of family gatherings to come up with Hindi-named shades like "Badnam" and "Besharam" as well as a spice-inspired eyeshadow palette.

PR samples

GIVEAWAY | NYX Sugar Trip Advent Calendar with Swatches

This was supposed to have been in my possession before Christmas but with my wonky schedule didn't end up arriving until we were all giveaway'd out so now that I am sure everyone is on some sort of no-buy, it's the perfect time for me to give something back to YOU! Now, I am sure many of you saw the NYX Sugar Trip Advent Calendar* with its fun packaging and 24 days of makeup and now that I have had a chance to play and swatch everything inside, I am legit excited for whoever will get this calendar for themselves! 

PR sample