MAKEUP | 5 Lipsticks That Look Like Crap On Me (With Ugly Lip Swatches of Course!)

This was a post idea that had been brewing in my head since last year when I was doing my beauty clean out and seeing so many strange shades of lipstick emerge from my collection. There was the time of the unicorn hair and crazy lip shades that I really wanted to be able to pull off, but in reality were just something fun to experiment with and bring out for Halloween. When NYX came out with their Cosmic Metals Collection, it was one of the more adventurous posts I worked on (crazy lips here) as I was also enjoying my purple/blue hair, but I think I've mellowed out a bit now as my hair was starting to die from all of the bleaching and now I am left with lip colours that I feel some could pull off, but not this gal. Keep on reading to see what I mean...

 Some PR gifted and are marked with a "*"

MAKEUP LOOK | The Maybelline Total Temptation Collection

I will admit that even though I normally go for eyeshadow palettes first, with the Maybelline Total Temptation Collection, I went eye-first for the coconut-scented mascara! This new collection is all about bold brows, full lashes and smokey eyes that can be worn during the day and at night. I have always had good luck with Maybelline so I was anxious to dive into the collection and give it a test drive!

Mont Bleu | Glass Nail Files Review with Pastel Gradient Nail Art!

I’m quite selective of my nail tools now since I’m addicted to making sure my nails look PERFECT. I have not CUT my nails in years and instead choose to file them down with a glass nail file. I love using a glass nail file especially ones that are gorgeous and have a great grit like the nail files from Design Glassware by Mont Bleu! For those of you who have seen the Mont Bleu nail files, there is a line that have Swarovski elements encrusted onto them and when I saw the Mont Bleu Instagram with these beautiful shots of nail art paired with their nail files I knew I had to join in on all the fun!

To create my gradient, I started with two coats of Trust Fund Beauty – They’re Just Jealous and then sponged on Models Own – Pastel Pink and Lime Crime – Lavendairy. I topped it all off with Maybelline – Clearly Spotted which is one of my favourite matte black and white glitters.

Maybelline | Color Show Nail Polish Gilded Rose Reverse Gradient Nail Art

There has been a ton of “nudity” going on in the nail polish community this past season and although I don’t often gravitate towards nude or neutral polishes, I do require nude polishes for nail art or creating a pretty, classic look like this reverse gradient. From the Maybelline Dare to Go Nude Collection for Spring 2014, I first used two coats of Better in Buff as my base colour and then lightly dabbed on Gilded Rose starting at the base of my nail to create the reverse gradient.

Maybelline | Color Elixirs with Swatches!

Maybelline has had quite a number of collections that have completely convinced me to get every colour, every scent (helloooo Baby Lips?!) and in every finish (Color Show polishes!) and although I resisted the Color Elixirs ($10.99 CDN) when they first came out, I tried just two when Shoppers Drug Mart was offering bonus points and now I cannot stop using/thinking about these lip gloss gems!

The colours I have to review and swatch today are (from top to bottom): Dashing Orchid, Nude Illusion, Blush Essence and Signature Scarlet.

Shoppers Drug Mart | February “Spend Your Points Event”!

This past weekend was another Shoppers Drug Mart event where redeeming 80000 points got you $200 dollars of product ($64 more than what you would normally get!) just in the beauty department which is a WONDERFUL dollar amount to work with ;-) It’s really quite the haul!

Urban Decay | Naked 3, Naked Lip Gloss in Rule 34 and Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Sin

What better time than to complete my Naked collection with Naked 3 as well as a lipgloss from their Naked line! I love the colour Sin from Naked 1 so when I saw that there was primer potion in this exact colour that I could use alone or in conjunction with another colour I grabbed it right away! I am SUPER excited about all three of these items!  

Guerlain | Eye Liner in Bleu Outremer

This is a navy blue liquid liner with one of the thinnest little brushes I have seen. The packaging reminds me of a quill and inkwell and yes, it was $42 for 5mL…but that’s what redemption time is all about! You’ve already spent the money to get the points so why not splurge?

Maybelline | Color Elixirs in Nude Illusion, Blush Essence and Dashing Orchid

Buying these also gave bonus points which was an added bonus, but these are my first color Elixirs and so far they feel and look pretty nice. I chose two lighter colours which aren’t quite as pigmented as the darker ones out there so I might grab one more in a really bright red later on.

Maybelline | Color Show Street Art Collection in Wild at Heart

I don’t have a matte black and red glitter. That was my only reasoning.

SensatioNAIL | Gel Color in Rock my Emerald and Scarlet Red

I managed to find two more colours in the clearance section for $0.99 each! These are normally around $17 each at Shoppers so getting them at this price is a fantastic deal!

L’Oreal Elnett Satin Hairspray in Strong Hold

I have heard way too many good things from so many bloggers/vloggers about this hairspray so into my basket it went!

This should be MORE than enough to hold me over for awhile as I am starting to struggle with where to put everything! I foresee another MUJI order in my future…

Shoppers Drug Mart Redemption and Fall Beauty Bonus Bag (Pt. 2)

As promised, here is the second half of my Shoppers Drug Mart Redemption haul! It was a bit of a whirlwind as this was the first time I had EVER seen nail polishes in the clearance section. For whatever glorious reason, the Shoppers that I go to has now decided to have a continuously awesome clearance section, so I’d better make some room in my nail polish toolbox for more $1.99 polishes!

Shoppers Drug Mart Redemption and Fall Beauty Bonus Bag (Pt. 1)

Last month was mega redemption time at Shoppers Drug Mart which meant that instead of the usual $170 worth of product for 95 000 points, it was $220! I had enough points for TWO redemptions but decided against redeeming all of my points as $440 of product is quite a lot of stuff and my redemption from my birthday in July is still sitting in mint condition all wrapped up…

This was a particularly fun redemption because all cosmetic purchases over $75 included a rather large Fall beauty bonus bag jam packed with oodles of samples!

Shoppers Drug Mart | Birthday Goodies

I don’t know if I’m just crazy, but I chose to get a bulk of birthday goodies from none other than Shoppers Drug Mart. There was a redemption and bonus points event the weekend of my birthday so I definitely used it as an excuse to say “Happy Birthday to Me”! I hope that the points system doesn’t change with the new Loblaws ownership…points are the main reason I shop at Shoppers because their prices aren’t exactly the lowest for many of the products they carry. Fingers crossed things don’t change too much!

June Favourites!

We are now officially full swing into summer and I can finally bring out my more summery makeup colours to celebrate! June was mainly about makeup products for me, it’s funny how each month differs in product assortment. I didn’t have a lot of lip products this month because of the weird allergy on my lips I was battling with, but it forced me to discover other products that DIDN’T go on my lips! I hope you guys enjoy!

1. Origins Incredible Spreadable Smoothing Ginger Body Scrub

This smells just like ginger candy! It’s sweet and almost edible, but has a wonderful grit to it. I like my body scrubs to have fairly large crystals as that is the only way I feel like my body is getting any exfoliation at all. The crystals are packed quite densely and dissolve as you rub. What is great is that this scrub is gentle enough to be used daily.

2. NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beige

As you can see, this colour is far from beige as it is a gorgeous pink with a medium tint to it. It smells like cherries and gives your lips an incredible shine. I have been layering this over lipstick, but can also be worn alone for a healthy pink sheen. This lip gloss is also smooth and non-sticky which is nice, but as a result does not last long and must be reapplied about every two hours.

3. Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose

I got this in a swap from the UK (which I promise I’ll post soon because I got some awesome goodies!) and it smells like raspberries and cream! It’s very moisturizing and has been one of the few things I have been wearing on my lips since I was suffering from my stress-induced lip allergy throughout the month of June. It goes on virtually colourless and is very smooth on the lips.

4. China Glaze Nail Lacquer in Too Yacht to Handle

This is just such a beautiful teal, perfect for summer! The formula is wonderfully opaque in two coats and goes on much brighter in person than in the bottle. This is a colour I feel I will keep turning to again and again this season.

5. Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

I have read about this product for years, but never bothered to try it until last month and it’s great! I actually don’t notice too much of a difference between this and the Out the Door top coat and is much easier to find! I also like the width of the brush. This is a keeper for me!

6. Benefit Sugarbomb Blush

Now that I have a little bit more colour from running errands in the sun, I find that I can get away with less pink and more bronze-pink for colour. Sugarbomb has made its way into most of our makeup bags so I’m sure you all know WHY this is a favourite of mine! It has the perfect combination of pinks and browns that look wonderful on any skin tone.

7. Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

I feel like this is an oldie, but a goodie. This is my favourite colour out of the whole collection and lasts all day even without primer for me! It’s such a pretty shimmery neutral brown that I use it for work often. It’s also very blendable and creamy for an eye shadow that lasts an 8 hour work day!

8. Pandora’s Makeup Box Eye Shadow in Nugget

I got this colour a few months ago, but it wasn’t exactly a “cold weather” colour. Now that I am unearthing my summer makeup, wearing a gold eye shadow seems like part of the summer uniform! The pigmentation of this eye shadow is good and is soft and blendable.

9. Boscia Vanilla Scented Blotting Papers

I actually have my blotting papers in a reusable holder which is why you can’t see the original packaging. These blotting papers have a faint vanilla scent and in my opinion, work like any other blotting papers so it really is the scent that I am loving!

And that’s a wrap for June! 

February Luvs

I feel like I’ve been in a rut when it comes to favourites. I feel like I’m just wanting to stick with products that are comfortable and safe…with the exception of Maybelline’s Colorsensational Vivids! If it weren’t for those Vivids, I really would be a plain Jayne and you guys wouldn’t want to be friends with me anymore!

Enough Already with Shoppers Drug Mart!

As promised, this is the second half of my Shoppers Drug Mart shopping spree and during this event, if you spent $75 or more on anything in the store you received 18 500 points. I bought food as well, but I will just show you guys just the fun stuff! Unless soup and juice is fun for you…then I can edit the post and show you that too!

Review-Maybelline Colorsensational Vivids

I just decided to try the Maybelline COLORsensational  Vivids only two nights ago and I love them so much that I had to write about these lipsticks now! When I think of companies that carry brightly pigmented lipsticks, I generally think of MAC Cosmetics and Limecrime. The brightest lip colours I own are all lip glosses from Limecrime or MUFE so branching out into brightly pigmented lipsticks is a very bold step for me as I always feel like all eyes are on me whenever I wear something bright. I am so glad these wonderfully affordable beauties have made their way into the lipstick world! 

Now bright goes gorgeous, never garish, in 8 super saturated lip shades.
Brighter color from our exclusive vivid pigments.
Creamier feel from nourishing honey nectar.

Out of the eight colours offered in the COLORsensational Vivids collection, I picked up the three that I felt most comfortable wearing on a regular basis: 865 Fuchsia Flash, 870 Shocking Coral and 875 Vivid Rose.

November 2012 Glossybox

November’s Glossybox arrived this past Monday for me and it did not disappoint! The theme for November is all about getting ready to sparkle and shine for the holidays and came wrapped in festive red and white tissue and ribbon. I felt like I was unwrapping a real gift! The box was also quite heavy so I was very curious as to what was inside!

“Free” Sinnage at the Shoppers Mega Redemption Event!

A lot of us waited all of November for mega redemption day at Shoppers Drug Mart on December 1st and 2nd and I even made a girls day out of it because a friend and I both had very specific things to get on our wish lists! I’ve really enjoyed reading what some of your girls ended up getting so I hope you enjoy my redemption post as much I have enjoyed all of yours!

Review - Maybelline Mega Plush Volume Mascara

I’m not normally one to buy mascara considering the number of mascara samples I’ve been getting, but the new Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara really caught my eye because it uses a gel-mousse formula leading to less “crunchy” and brittle lashes. This lighter formula also promises massive and supple volume as it contains 40% less hard waxes and uses a new Flexor Brush. To be honest, these flexible brushes scare me…I feel like I have no control when I’m applying mascara! I’m like a woman gone wild!

                    

As you can see, I didn’t really get a lot of “mega volume”, but I did get some lash lengthening. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with how little this mascara plumped up my lashes, but the gel-mousse formula definitely left my lashes feeling not quite so brittle. There were moments in my day when I forgot I was even wearing mascara! The other positive about this mascara was that it was really easy to remove with just water. The packaging says to use soap and water, but I’m too scared to have soap anywhere near my eyes because I dread the stinging sensation!

The Flexor Brush is not my favourite as I do feel like the extra “gumbiness” of the mascara wand makes me feel like I have less control. I like being able to push a little to really get the brush in between what few lashes I have, but with the Flexor Brush, pushing just caused the brush to bend and not really get into the lash crevices.  One thing I did notice was that the length of the wand is quite short in order to compensate for the “gumby” brush so at least the physics involved are correct!

Final Verdict: Do I suggest that you run out now and snap up this mascara? Probably not. After this experience, I definitely prefer stiff mascara brushes much more to flexible ones. The concept was interesting, but it just didn’t work for me. I did like the formula though, so MAYBE I could substitute a stiff brush with this formula? My lashes didn’t feel quite so heavy so the gel-mousse formula definitely lived up to its promises in that respect, but I didn’t get the volume that was promised which is a huge factor in why most of us buy mascaras anyway. I don’t really care too much for lengthening if my lashes look sparse. As much as I hate to say I don’t like something, I’m going to have to say NO to re-purchasing this mascara

Shopper Drug Mart MEGA Points Redemption Event!

Hello!

If anyone has yet to take advantage of the mega redemption event, today is the last day! It feels like I haven’t done one in awhile, but then when I went through my blog entries, it turns out I just did one in February! Hehe, oh well! Same as last time, I went with a friend of mine and just made it a girls night. I had was able to get $200 of product and I got away with just paying the taxes! Love redemption days!

I picked up the Korres Cool Summer Set which contained Yoghurt After-Sun Cooling Gel and travel-sized sample of their Guava Body Butter because I always like slathering on something cooling after being in the sun and Korres definitely made this cooling gel sound very appealing!

Then came the Quo by Orly 5 Ombre Nail Lacquer Set because I really wanted that second to last royal blue colour (no name) and Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Glass Slipper which I have been eyeing since it came out. After reading some positive reviews and having a good sniff, I finally picked up Taylor Swift’s Wonderstruck and even though I’m turning 29 next month, I look forward to smelling like I’m 19. The bottle was also just too cute!!

Next on the list was Biotherm Softening Exfoliating Cleansing Gel which will be my first Biotherm product! I don’t know whether I got this because it’s pink or whether I really needed a cleanser, but at the new price of $19 (before it was $30) I thought it might be worth a try. Too further add to my collection of Maybelline Baby Lips, I picked another one up in Pink Punch.

I ended up my little shopping spree with Benefit goodies of Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in Coralista and Benefit Hoola Boxed Bronzer! I wanted a colour brighter than Sugarbomb so Coralista was perfect and I was looking for a bronzer that didn’t have shimmer to it making Hoola a great option! I walked out of Shoppers a VERY happy gal!

Did anyone else take advantage of mega redemption weekend? If you did, I want to see your hauls! I showed you mine, now you show me yours

May Luvs

Hi everyone!

So, it’s that time again! These are always my favourite posts to read and write about!

 1. Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

I picked up this duo on a midnight Shoppers run at the end of April and I’ll admit, I didn’t have very high hopes for it once I read the ingredients list, but Kathryn from Provincial Beauty had a very positive review of the Marc Anthony line which encouraged me to give it a try and I’m so glad I did! I noticed that when I let my hair air dry, it was actually a bit dry to the touch and just not soft at all! When I started blow-drying my hair, that’s when I noticed the turn around! My hair became so silky and soft! I’m not sure if this is a heat-activated shampoo and conditioner, but the heat really made a difference!

 2. Pandora’s Makeup Box Eye Shadow in Honey

I raved about this eye shadow in my Pandora review so it’s not a surprise that it’s part of my May Luvs! This is a fantastic every day color and has just a little bit of golden shimmer which I love! I think it’s a colour that will look great on anyone.

3. LUSH Mint Julep Lip Scrub

I use this every day and not only does it leave my lips feeling soft, but it tastes SO GOOD! I love anything peppermint and combining it with chocolate, well I’m in love! I also love how tingly my lips feel afterwards and the fact that I can eat it all up! I’m always extra generous so that I can eat up any “leftovers”!

4. Maybelline Baby Lips in Peach Kiss

After finishing this product in Peppermint and loving the fact that it didn’t have any tint to it whatsoever, I decided to try one with just a hint of colour. Peach Kiss is perfect for just that and is a great lip balm to boot! You can see from my swatch that there is just a hint of nude shimmer to it.

5. AG Smooth Argan Flat Iron Firewall Spray

I quite like AG products, especially their shampoo and liquid varnish spray so when they come out with an argan oil-based line a couple of months ago, I was anxious to try it. I bought a travel-sized version of the flat iron spray just to try it out and I loved it! It smells good, is lightweight so I never feel like there’s anything weighing my hair down and leaves my hair so smooth and silky after straightening! I highly recommend this, it’s fantastic!

I can’t wait to see what everyone’s favourites have been for the month! Hope you enjoyed mine! Have a good evening!

Well.ca Mini Spree!

Hi Everyone!

I know I am certainly not the only one who went shopping on Well.ca a week or two ago! So many of you guys were telling me about the sale they were having on the Milani Liquif’Eye Eyeliners and I hope those of you who picked some up love them as much I do!

Here’s what I snagged!

Alba Botanica Cream Shave in Aloe Mint

I love mint especially when it makes my skin feel cool and tingly! It also smells like peppermint candy which makes me very happy !

Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser and Balm

I saw a review of this and then tried to find it in my local London Drugs and Shoppers, but none of them carried it so I was pleasantly surprised when Well.ca had it! This is supposed to remove excess cuticles and hangnails while conditioning cuticles at the same time. It also has the scent of refreshing cucumber! (I don’t want to destroy the pretty green and white swirly pattern!)

Milani Liquif’Eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in Brown

I just wanted to have a brown one for the times when black seems a little bit too harsh.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Too Cool

After having such a good experience with these little pots of eye shadow heaven, I realized I didn’t have a white cream shadow. This one has a bit of shimmer in it as well so I think it would make a great highlighter.

Care to share what was in your Well.ca package?