makeup Archives - Page 23 of 25

June 2014 Favourites!

July 9, 2014

Hello everyone! This is my first time doing a round-up with the Canadian Beauty Blogger network. I am very excited to join this community, everyone is so talented and passionate about beauty products and I hope to bring something to the table as well. I look forward to reading everyone’s posts! Leave me a comment and say hi, I won’t bite 🙂

Burt’s Bees lip gloss: I bought this lip gloss due to my search for a lip gloss with natural ingredients. I have been more conscious about what lip products I use, because we directly consume lip product ingredients into our bodies and I would like to minimize the amount of harmful products I consume. I picked this up at London Drugs, and it was around $8. I like how the shade looks on my skin tone, and how non-sticky it is. I haven’t really bought many Burt’s Bees products in the past, but after trying this, I will be looking into more! If you know any lip products that are made with natural ingredients, please let me know!

The Face Shop “Face it” Oil Cut Pore Balm: I did a separate post on my mini haul from The Face Shop. I use this as a primer in my daily makeup routine, replacing my Benefit Porefessional. I won’t go into too much detail here since I raved about it in a previous post, but I do love this product very much and I’m glad that I found it!

Seahorse crop top: I have never worn crop tops until the past month. I was not comfortable with exposing my navel area, even though my friends have told me that I have a nice belly button which I should take advantage of (?? LOL weird I know). Anyways, on a recent shopping trip, I finally found the perfect summer maxi skirt. I am only 5″2 (5″3 would be pushing it haha), so I either have to cut my maxi skirt to avoid tripping everywhere, or pull it a bit higher. I chose the latter, which finally gave me the opportunity to buy crop tops without feeling super exposed! I absolutely love the seahorse pattern of this crop top, and how loose-fitting and comfortable it is. My maxi skirt and this top will definitely be a Summer staple this year!

London fogs: I am addicted to the Starbuck’s earl grey tea latte, which is the same as a London Fog. The thing that stands out for me with Tazo’s earl grey is the lavender taste. The lavender creates a more rounded and fragrant taste. Last month, I decided to try making my own lattes so that I didn’t have to spend money or waste time going to Starbucks every morning. I bought their vanilla syrup and a milk frother, and haven’t looked back since! The lattes I make at home taste identical to the earl grey tea lattes I buy at Starbucks 🙂 In fact, I am drinking one right now as I type this!

Lush herbalism cleanser: I got a sample of the herbalism cleanser from Lush back in May, and at first, I did not like it because it came in a clay form. You have to break off a bit and wet it with water before cleaning, which was a bit annoying to apply on my skin afterwards. But after two weeks of use (and patience), I noticed that my skin improved and I wasn’t breaking out as much anymore. My skin also became super soft and felt really smooth. I will probably do a separate post on this product because I love it now! I’m glad I gave it a few chances 🙂

Well, that’s it for my June favourites! I hope you enjoyed this post and would love to hear your opinion about these products!

Check out Canadian Beauty Bloggers here!

-Carmen

E.L.F. Studio Eyebrow Kit

July 3, 2014

Since my last beauty post, I have promised a drugstore product because I realize I haven’t done much of those. The elf studio eyebrow kit is my favourite eyebrow tool and brow makeup to use. I love how it is super easy to apply, how long lasting it is, and how natural the colour looks on me. I’ve been using this kit for the past eight months everyday, and just recently ran out.

Unfortunately, I live in Canada where we do not sell elf products in drugstores, so I usually stock up when I visit the US (US Targets or Wal-Marts sell them for cheap!) or ask my friend to kindly order them online for me!

Simple packaging of the product. The packaging is very sturdy, I’ve dropped it a few times on tile floor but it did not shatter. The left side is the pigmented wax, which kind of gives off a gel-like texture. The lighter shade on the right is the powder, which sets the eyebrow colour. For me personally, I never used the right side since it was too light on my skin. I only used the pigmented wax.
It comes with a small angle and eyeshadow brush, along with a mirror. For $5, this is a really good deal and you get a lot more than what you pay for. The angle brush helps you to colour in your eyebrows with more precision. I normally just use the angle brush from this kit. I know that some people are a bit nervous to use a brush and stick with eyebrow pencils, but to be honest, the application process is tremendously easy.
Yep… as I mentioned earlier, I just recently finished my first kit. Looks a bit gross, eh? Oh well. I am pretty surprised that it lasted me this long since I use this every single day.

Anyways, since I use this eyebrow kit daily, I’ll just attach a few random photos from the past few months when wearing this. I think that the shade is suitable for my skin and like that it’s not too harsh of a colour, what do you think?
Random picture #1: This picture taken from my Face Shop mini haul post!
Another random picture from last month…Yes I know my hair is a mess, it was very windy that day in my city and we were by the water 🙂 Also, say hi to Polka the cat again!
Taken in Disneyland back in January 🙂

I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for reading! Comments make my day, and I would really appreciate your support! 🙂
-Carmen

The Face Shop Mini Haul- Korean pore balm?! and concealer

June 21, 2014

I’m really excited to write this post because I have loved The Face Shop since my preteen years and discovered two amazing products! They actually closed down the only boutique in Vancouver around five years ago.

It really sucked because I dug up my old concealer a few months ago, and it worked so well. I tried looking online but I didn’t spend that much time because the site was in Korean. I just gave up and accepted the fact that I would not be able to buy that concealer anymore. 🙁
Anyways, I was beyond ecstatic when my cousin told me that they had just opened up a boutique in town! I couldn’t contain my excitement and I actually went the same day.

Incase you’ve never heard of The Face Shop, it is a Korean cosmetics company. It is very popular in Korea and is their third most popular cosmetic line. I can see why it is so popular, their products deliver great results. Here is what I ended up buying and what I thought of the products!
I bought two full sized skin care products- a pore balm and a double ended concealer (total was $35 with tax). They were quite generous with samples, and took great care in wrapping my purchase.

The worker also informed me at the till that the beauty balm I bought works best for dry skin. I actually have combination skin so she recommended I swap my pore balm, and gave me samples based on my skin type.
Starting with the pore balm, I was in the mood for trying new products and I was just happy that I was able to shop here again! The sign on the table said it would minimize pores and cut oil from the face, so I figured I would give it a try.

It comes with a pad to rub it on your face with, but I just used my fingers because I felt it would absorb better. I noticed that the smell of the balm had a borderline medicinal smell, like Vicks Vapour Rub. At first glance, I noticed that it absorbed my oil really well and had a satiny, smooth finish. I used foundation afterwards, as you are supposed to do. Keep reading to see my results!
I couldn’t find the same concealer I bought a few years ago, so settled on this double ended concealer. The worker told me that they probably didn’t carry that one anymore, and showed me the only concealer they had. One side is liquid while the other side is a stick. I found the stick side to be very smooth, blend able and easy to apply. It also matched my skin tone perfectly. I would say it’s the same quality as the one I bought years ago! Yay!
After finishing with both products and my foundation, I was in shock when I looked in the mirror and ran to show the boyfriend because I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming. Sure enough, all my pores had disappeared.

My problem area was T zone, but I did not see any pores or blackheads at all. My amazement continued the night as my foundation stayed on perfectly without melting. When I took off all my makeup at the end of the night, I noticed my pores looked a lot tighter and smaller than they usually do. The pore balm was sure a miracle! As for the concealer, it hid my dark spots and scars pretty well and did not smudge.
Here is a picture in different lighting,with both the products on. Both pictures are completely unedited and have no filter, I just resized the second picture to fit my site better. I finished my skin off with my Naked Skin foundation, Maybelline setting powder, and Lancome blush. My total came to $35 for the 2 products. I would definitely buy the pore balm again. I definitely have struggled with uneven skin tone, dark marks, scars, you name it since hitting puberty but the beauty balm will hide all your secrets. I find it works a lot better than Benefit’s Porefessional, which was my favourite before this one. The beauty balm is $17 which is cheaper but maybe I should try using both next time?

Pros:

Pore balm is a complete lifesaver, it will even out your skin, make your pores disappear, and seems to tighten them even after washing it off
Concealer has a very smooth application, and is easily blendable

Cons:

The Face Shop does not have many boutiques, may have a hard time finding it in person but is available online
Pore balm has a strange smell (medicinal menthol scent, like Vicks Vapour Rub)

What are some of your favourite primers and concealers? Have you tried these products before and what did you think? Don’t forget to follow me on Bloglovin because I’m lonely over there, and comments/feedback here make me happy 🙂 Have a great day!

-Carmen

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

June 14, 2014

I love my Urban Decay products. I was introduced to the UD Primer Potion in Grade 9, and have been loving their products ever since, from their 24 hour liquid liner, to the Naked Skin foundation (review here), and finally, their Naked palettes.

So far, UD has launched 3 Naked palettes which have all seen insane reception from the beauty community. Whenever they announce a release, Youtube blows up with beauty gurus reviewing the product. For good reasons too, this is one of my beloved eye palettes! I have Naked 2 and Naked 3, but like the Naked 2 more because of the shades!

Simple packaging of the product. The physical palette is pretty sturdy, you can throw this into your bag without damaging the product. I brought the Naked 3 for my trip to Disneyland back in January, and it lasted fine all throughout moving around from my luggage to the hotel room and what not. I’ve noticed that some cheaper eyeshadow will fall out if moved around or dropped, but not the “case” for this.
Ahhhh…the beautiful shades. You can tell which shades I love using more than others. When it comes to eye shadow, I only wear champagne or golden tones. I used to wear purple a lot, but bright colours haven’t really been in style anymore and I love how champagne colours make my eyes look brighter and whiter.
Application: The brush that the palette comes with is really good as well. It is called the Good Karma shadow brush and is double ended, with both a shadow and crease brush. The shadow brush is used for general application, while the crease brush is used to add dimension (to your outer or inner corners of your eye, for example).
Long lasting?: I always use my UD Primer Potion with my eye shadow. If I don’t, my eye shadow will crease within an hour and it will fade away. With the primer, my eyeshadow will last at least 6 hours with no touch up, which is good considering I have oily skin. I’ve worn this to work, and even if I sweat or run around cause it’s a busy shift, my eye shadow looks untouched or unsmudged with the primer. For the sake of the review, I did not wear the primer tonight. I noticed that after four hours, the eye shadow was pretty much gone. I would highly recommend using a primer, or have the kit with you to touch up.

Value: Naked 2 at Sephora is $62 Canadian. Naked and Naked 3 are the same price as well. It just depends on which shades you like. Considering the quality and colour of the palette, I would say that it’s a good investment as the palette is very versatile and durable!

Pros:

Beautiful range of shades!!! (ranging from neutral to dramatic looks)
Can experiment with many different colours to create a look that you love
Comes with a their Good Karma shadow and crease brush & mirror
Easy to carry on-the-go
Comes with 4 samples of their different primers
No fall out!! (major pet peeve of mine, urgh)

Cons:

It is $62, so it is definitely an investment
Lasts longer with primer potion (I suggest the UD Primer Potion, as you can sweat a lot but it’ll still hold up)
Would not recommend if you do not like sparkly eye shadows or shades (Naked and Naked 3 have different shades than the 2)

Up next: Maybe the Urban Decay Primer Potion or Naked 3? Which one would you like? Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Too Faced 3 Way Lash Lining Tool

June 6, 2014

I haven’t done a makeup review for awhile now, eh? Currently, most of my days have been spent at school or studying at home, where I don’t even bother wearing makeup anymore. But I have missed writing about makeup so I decided to quickly put some on and write this post as a study break.

The Too Faced 3 way lash lining tool is not like your typical liquid eyeliner, as you’ll find out below. This eyeliner came in the Sephora “glitz and glam bag” set that my cousin gave me during Christmas. It sells for around $28 CA by itself. I’m not sure if the one I have is the full size, since the gift basket did come with a few sample products.
I used my pen just to show the size comparison. I really like the branding and packaging of Too Faced products, especially the type of writing style they gave.

Anyways, the first few times I used this product, I was very confused because I’ve never seen anything like it before. In contrast to a normal liquid eyeliner brush with one tip, this brush has a triple tip.
The triple tip brush serves a couple of purposes. Firstly, it allows you to “dot” your eyeliner across the root of your lash line, making your lashes look fuller. I suppose you can do this with a normal tip eyeliner brush (my L’oreal one seen on the right), but it would take longer, and the normal brush tip might be looser/softer or thicker, which will give away the illusion of your “natural” thick eye lashes.

Secondly, the triple tip allows you to tight line better. I find that since the tip brush is flatter, as opposed to the rounder ones, you have an easier time when tight lining your eyes. Thirdly, it claims to give you an easier cat eye and winged look, but I don’t really see much difference in that arena.

Here, since I suck at explaining, I took a picture.
As I mentioned above, notice how the brush tip is parallel to my eye lid. To achieve a nice, smooth, and even line, make sure that your brush is parallel to your lid. For normal eyeliners, it doesn’t really matter which way you angle your brush, but for this one, it matters! 🙂
The brush tip in this picture is not parallel to my eyelid. So, when I draw the line, you will see the three dots of the eyeliner vertically which is what you do not want! It will also be harder for you to wing your eyeliner if you hold the pen this way. Also, if you’re wondering, I am wearing this Too Faced eyeliner in the two pictures.

Pros:
-Easy to create a natural looking and full lash line without the appearance of eyeliner
-Easy to tight line due to the flatness and width of the brush
-Goes on smooth and longlasting

Cons:
-Will take a bit of time to adjust, and find the right angle
-The angle of the brush matters when applying, unlike other eyeliners
-If you are not a fan of tight lining your eyeliner, stick with other products
-Expensive

Would I recommend this product? For $28, I would not suggest buying this product if you do not like the natural “no makeup, makeup” look. It’s a good eyeliner if you want it to look natural. If you like your eyeliner dramatic and noticeable, you’re better off buying other liners with a better value.

I would not use this eyeliner for a fancy, dress up event because it’s very subtle. Yes, I can create dramatic eye looks with this as well, but since the purpose is to create a natural looking full lash, what is the point of spending $28 when I can do the same thing with a brush that costs less and is thicker? I hope you enjoyed the review and found it helpful!

-Carmen