Curiously Carmen

Beauty: Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow

By now, you probably know how much I love glitter! I first came across the Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow at the Stila preview event, and I knew I had to try it out. Then for Christmas, I was gifted another one making it a grand total of 3 to my collection!

What it says (taken from Stila):

Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow is a long-wearing, sparkle eyeshadow with the perfect blend of pearl and glitter to leave your eyes with incredible luster and shimmer. With its uniquely lightweight, water-infused texture, it glides on effortlessly, then dries down smoothly, locking in maximum sparkle with minimal fallout for elevated eye looks. 

Application: The glitter is intensely pigmented and has very beautiful shimmer. I use the application brush and gently press over my entire eye lid for more sparkle, rather than one swipe. It applies a bit wet, so I look down for a few seconds to let it dry properly and prevent creasing.

Afterwards, I apply my liquid eyeliner on top. I find that the eyeliner applies best one minute after. When it dries completely, it is harder for the eyeliner to stay on and clumps a bit.

Also, no fall out at all which is amazing! Fall out is probably one of the most common cons about glitter eye shadow.

Wear: The glitter holds up really well and is comfortable to wear. Despite it looking thick, it is lightweight and I don’t feel it at all when I’m blinking, etc.

I really love this product and it is great for fancy occasions. You get the beauty of a luminous glitter without the fall out.

Yay!

Beauty: Top Beauty Products of 2017

Last year, I did a post of the top products I discovered in 2016. I thought it would be fun to share the top products from 2017 this year! As well, I love looking back and reading old posts so I can remember what I loved.

Anastasia Ultimate Glow Kit: I started off the year with the glow kit, and I still really love it although I don’t use it often. The glimmer and golds are so pretty!

Korres Wild Rose Primer/Moisturizer: The smell of this is amazing and always helps to make early mornings and long days a tad better. Not to mention that it moisturizes really well!

Pixi Endlessly Silky Eye Pen: Smudge proof, transfer proof, long lasting, rich pigment… all for under $15!!! I’m quite picky with eyeliners, but this Pixi eyeliner has won be over and left me very impressed.

Hard Candy Metal Eyes palette: For under $10, this kit is truly a bang for your buck. With the setting spray liquid, the colour payoff is rich and intense. It also includes a bonus brush and eyeliner!

The only negative thing as mentioned in the review is that it doesn’t last long by itself, which can easily be solved with primer or setting spray. I still would recommend this palette though!

Pixi Glow Tonic: A cult favourite, I finally started to use it and I noticed really great results. My pores tightened and I have had less breakouts! Definitely can see why this product is so popular – it’s worth the hype.

Mizon Snail Cream: Last but not least, my beloved snail cream! I haven’t gone a day without using it this winter. It makes my dry winter skin feel so much more comfortable. The cream instantly hydrates and absorbs quickly which gives me happy and bright skin. Using this and the Pixi Glow Tonic, I have noticed a great difference in my skin this winter.

Next month will mark my four year blogiversary. I still remember the day I wrote my first post reviewing a restaurant, and haven’t looked back since. Thank you for supporting this lil blog of mine!!! And Happy New Year!!!

 

Beauty: Tried & Tested Beauty Gift Ideas Under $20

I did a post similar to this two years ago, and I thought I would bring it back! With the holiday season approaching, you are all probably looking for gifts. I compiled a list of beauty products that I have tested here to make your gift search a bit easier! To make it easy on your wallet, they are all under $20 CAD 🙂
Being by Sanctuary Shower Spray: Being by Sanctuary is a new brand that launched a month ago in Canada! I tried out a few of their products, and the shower spray is fun to use and cleans well too. The spray foams up once it’s on your body and it leaves a nice scent (I had the salted caramel macadamia nut one).

Availability: Shoppers Drug Mart
Cost: $15 CAD
Crabtree & Evenlyn hand cream: I feel like this is a common gift, and for good reason. The C&E are great quality and always leave my hands feeling really soft. They have so many scents to pick from too.

Availability: Crabtree & Evelyn stores
Cost: Starts at $9 CAD, prices go up depending on size
Maybelline Lash Sensation: I don’t wear mascara often but when I do, I turn to my Maybelline Lash Sensation. The price is amazing and it is one of the few mascaras that get along with my lashes.

Full review: Click hyperlink above
Availability: Drugstores
Cost: $9 ish
Pixi Endlessly Silky Eye Pen: I stumbled upon the Pixi eye pen, and wasn’t expecting too much from it… but OMG it is so good. Vibrant colour, stays put the whole day/night, no smudging, all that good stuff!

Availability: Shoppers Drug Mart
Cost: $15 CAD ish
LUSH Sleepy Lotion: This product seems to be quite popular, touted as being a cure for insomnia. And while it didn’t quite cure my sleeping problems, it has a really nice scent and is quite moisturizing. The cream is also a pretty pale lavender shade.

Availability: LUSH stores
Cost: $20 CAD

I hope this helps! Happy shopping everyone 🙂

 

Beauty: What’s In My Makeup Bag?

I have yet to do a makeup bag post because honestly, I don’t keep much in my makeup bag. Compared to other videos or blog posts I’ve seen, my makeup bag is quite minimal. However, I wanted to do a different type of beauty post today so I figured I would talk about it!

These products are in my makeup bag on a daily basis. But if I’m going to a nice event or something, then I would add some touch up products in my bag. I hate carrying many items in my bag so I try to keep it as light as I can!
Hand cream: The hand cream I’m currently using is a Nature Republic one, and was a gift from Korea. It has a nice, light floral scent and is very moisturizing.

Mirror: A tiny mirror is very handy on the go! I have a tiny, two sided bunny mirror that was gifted from Hong Kong.

Advil: You never know when you’ll get a headache… so I just keep some incase.

EmergenC: Honestly, I’m not sure why this is in here LOL. I must have brought it with me one time and forgot to use it. Anyways, now I just ended up keeping the pack in there. It’ll be good to have if I’m feeling a bit sick.

Tweezers: For that ONE pesky hair that suddenly appears from nowhere! Ugh.

Bandaid: For saving your feet from painful blisters! Or cuts in general.
Lip balm: I purchased the Moody Bee lip balm on a whim at work one day, when my lips were super dry and I didn’t have lip balm with me. Surprisingly, it’s been one of the best lip balms I’ve used and I use it daily! It’s also a local brand which is nice.

Lipstick: I used to carry 3+ different lipsticks in my bag, but that was overkill so now I just have my MAC lipstick in ladybug. It’s a nice, classic red that you can’t go wrong with!

Lipgloss: Sometimes I like to just use this Island Girl lipgloss for some shine. I also like to layer this with my MAC lipstick above.
Face cream: Last but not least, I keep a few Fresh face cream samples from Sephora! My skin goes through random dry periods so it’s convenient to have this in my makeup bag.

When listing them out, it seems like quite a few products but it really isn’t. All of the products are very light and compact, which is what I’m looking for when carrying it around on a daily basis.

What’s in your makeup bag?

If I had a million dollars….. (Fall 2017 Beauty Wishlist)

I started this mini series three years ago, and I would like to bring it back! This is a bit different than my usual beauty reviews, but it’s fun to mix things up sometimes!

If I’m being completely honest, I haven’t been as motivated the past month due to personal issues, and some unhappiness while I figure things out in my life. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I browsed makeup products for fun on a website (I usually keep myself updated with a quick scroll through Instagram), which is why I decided to start this series up again.

But of course, I shouldn’t let my personal issues/unhappiness hinder me from doing my hobby (writing). So let this be a reminder that it’s okay to let the sadness in because that is what makes you stronger, better person. Sadness teaches you how to improve your life. But you also can’t let it rule your life. Give yourself time to learn from it, but not so much time that you forget to do the things that make you happy.

Anyways, I hope that you readers can appreciate the personal tidbits. Often people who put themselves out there publicly are seen to have less problems, but it’s not the truth at all. We choose to only share the positives, but trust me, every single person has their own battles no matter how happy their IG profile or blog is.

Don’t get me wrong, I will always push through for my blog and prioritize time for it. I still have been publishing consistently, sticking to my schedule of 2-3 posts a week. I ain’t leavin’ the blogging world anytime soon 😉 I also am in NO way complaining because I know I have lots to be grateful for. 

Before this turns into a personal post (because I could go on and on LOL)… let’s start this beauty wishlist!!! 😀 To make this list more concise, I have decided to narrow it down to products only found at Sephora.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette: I know that this palette has been around for at least a year now so I am late to the game. I didn’t care much for it when it was released because I have a few palettes already.

However, A) it looked good on my friend and B) also, I noticed that my palettes so far are all brown/gold/champagne shades. My favourite in this is the Vietnam Red shade, which I currently do not have a similar shade in my collection.

Tarte Rainforest of the Sea: This is also not a new release, but I’ve seen this foundation mentioned everywhere on Instagram and beauty blogs! Also, the packaging for the Rainforst of the Sea line is so pretty and enticing…

I probably won’t be getting this anytime soon as it takes me awhile to finish a bottle of foundation and I have a few in my collection to use up still. Or maybe I will say screw it and buy it for the sake of this blog 😉

Stila Written in the Stars Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow Set: The moment I saw these at a media preview event, I was IN LOVE. Oh my goodness, when the PR rep swatched these for us, my heart swooned. They are incredibly pigmented and super glittery. They also did not rub off easily when I tested it out during the event.

It’s also out of stock on Sephora.ca right now, so I’m probably not the only one lusting over this set.

Fenty Beauty Foundation: If you have not seen or heard of Fenty Beauty over the past month, you have been living under a rock. Jk, or maybe you just don’t follow beauty accounts. Fenty Beauty is the new line that Rihanna released and the reviews for the products are really good, especially the liquid foundation.

People are really loving the foundation because of its wide range of shades. In fact, Make Up Fore Ever was recently under fire for trying to throw shade at Fenty Beauty. The loyal following that has already started and Rihanna herself were not having it, so there was a bit of beauty drama over that. You can read about it here if that’s your type of thing.

Anyways, I would love to try out the foundation myself and see if I love it as much as others do!

Tria Hair Removal Laser: This post is titled “If I had a million dollars” so naturally, I had to end with a big product! At $500, the TRIA laser is the only laser approved for home use. To put things in perspective, laser hair removal treatments can go up to thousands of dollars depending on the salon and amount of areas you are doing.  Six sessions for legs only could easily be $2000+ so TRIA would be worth it in scenarios like that.

I’ve had really great results with my laser hair removal session. If I was to laser other areas of my body, I would consider getting this one and doing it safely in the comfort of my own home.

That was a really fun way to take my mind off things! 

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and/or what you are wanting to try out!