beauty favourites Archives - Curiously Carmen

July 2015 Favourites

July 30, 2015

Hi everyone!

I can’t believe July has passed by with the blink of an eye (Hehe, I rhyme)! I haven’t compiled a list of some of my favourite products for awhile, so figured I would do that. I’ve been pretty busy this month and haven’t been posting as much as I would like, but am trying to get more content up for all of you wonderful readers to read!

I’m always raving about my favourite eyeliner, the Kat Von D tattoo liner ever since I’ve started this blog. Unfortunately, I misplaced my KVD liner a few weeks ago amidst bringing it in different purses, applying makeup in the car, etc.

I’m certain that it will reappear one of these days although I have checked the most common places I misplace my items! Instead of spending another $25 on it, I decided to try L’oreal’s lineur intense felt tip liquid eyeliner in the meantime as a cheaper alternative.

This is the first drugstore liquid liner I’ve used for a few years now, but I am quite impressed with it. I bought it in the shade carbon black, and I love how dark the shade is. I prefer felt tip instead of brush tip, and I find this felt tip really easy to work with!

Because of the felt tip and shade, it’s very versatile and you can wear it every occasion. You can tightline for a natural look, or you can choose to wing it out for a more noticeable look!

My mom had purchased Softsoap‘s body wash in sweet honeysuckle & orange peel,and I decided to give it a try one day!

I love this soap because it lathers very well, a little does go a long way! However, the reason why this product is on my favourites list is because I am absolutely in LOVE with the scent! I’ve never tried a honeysuckle and orange peel scent before, and let me tell you… it smells wonderful!

While we are on the topic of soap, I was also introduced to Caprina’s goat milk soap. The boyfriend was suffering from really dry skin from the harsh winter climate. He said that goat’s milk soap improve their skin greatly, so I decided to give it a try too!

I noticed that compared to regular bar soap, this soap is a lot more milkier and creamier. It definitely feels a lot more moisturizing than regular bar soap! Since I don’t have dry skin, I can’t tell you if it made my skin less dry… but I do enjoy using this soap, it cleans well and smells wonderful too!

I also purchased a new pair of glasses since my old ones were getting a bit scratched up and Clearly Contacts has having a promotion. Out of the two pairs, I really liked the Derek Cardigan glasses in 7037 olive.

They are very lightweight, comfortable, and stylish! I really like the design of these and have been wearing them quite often since I got them!
Veering off beauty products now, this is really random but I just have to share it with you as this is an absolute lifesaver! Mopiko ointment is normally used in Asian households for mosquito bites. I’ve been using this ever since I was a child! I am prone to getting nasty, swollen mosquito bites, I am probably allergic to something in those annoying mosquitoes.

Whenever my bites begin to itch, I apply Mopiko and the itch literally goes away in 5 seconds. A cooling, breezy, minty feeling takes over the itch and it feels really relieving. I’ve tried many bug ointments in my life, but I always end up going back to Mopiko because it works the best for me!
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That’s it to my July 2015 favourites!

What are some of your current favourites? Doesn’t have to be beauty related!

Thanks for reading!

Carmen

ELF Geometric Eyeshadow Book

December 11, 2014

I find that many ELF products are a hit and miss. At insanely cheap prices, I don’t blame them either. In high school, I bought their liquid liner and it reeked so bad of chemical smell that I threw it out. Sometimes, you’ll be able to find amazing, great quality products for under $5 (maybe even under $3!) but other times, you’ll find that the price you paid reflects the quality of the product. Last year, ELF was having a huge online sale and I went absolutely crazy. I can’t remember exactly what the sale was, but I think I only paid $20 for $45-65 worth of product. In fact, I bought so much that I didn’t even open some of the products until now. One of those products was the their 36 Piece Geometric Eyeshadow Book.

Bear with the snowflakes, I’m sorry if you think it’s tacky but I love them! Once the holiday season is over, they will be gone so don’t worry :). Anyways, the packaging of this eyeshadow packaging is a bit flimsy, I wouldn’t carry this around openly in my bag. It would definitely be a product I leave at home because the book doesn’t have a clapse to close it. There is a magnetic piece to close, but I don’t think it would be that helpful in a purse with other items inside. It is also made out of a thicker cardboard material.
Here are the colours of the palette. You can tell which ones are my favourite, and which ones I have yet to touch =P There are a total of 36 different shades, but some of the shades are a bit smaller in size. I love this palette because of how many champagne and shimmery gold shades there are! It also comes with a mirror which is a bit handy. It comes with the standard mini sponge brushes, which I haven’t used yet.

Because I love golden/champagne tones so much, here is a close up on them! There are enough colours in here to create many looks! The colours on the palette were not edited, I just added some border effects. I found the colours to be pretty pigmented, and they were also very glittery and sparkly. The only thing I didn’t like was that there was a lot of fallout. I noticed after that my cheeks had a lot of sparkle on them after I applied this.

Anddd here is the finished look! 🙂 This look was my first time trying out this palette, and I was in a bit of a rush. Otherwise, I would have created a deeper smokey eye look! For the price that I paid, the pigment was pretty rich and vivid! Personally, eyeshadow doesn’t last a long time on my eyelids so I have to use my Urban Decay primer potion beforehand. Because of this, I’m not sure how long it will last without primer.

I also used the Dollywink liquid liner (thinking of writing on this too!) Lancome Hynose Star marsacara, Urban Decay Naked Skin foundation, Bare Minerals matte powder foundation, and Makeup Forever lipstick. I wore this out for four hours at a holiday party and it did not smudge with my primer on. It came off easily with my makeup remover.

Last weekend, I decided to try it out again! I had a cold and wanted my eyes to seem brighter. This time, I used both the ELF palette and Naked 2 palette. Again, I was satisfied with the application and pigment, but there was a lot of fallout.

I would recommend ELF palettes to those who are just starting out with makeup, and are unsure if they would like to invest in an expensive eyeshadow palette. For under $10, it’s a decent palette with great shades, the eyeshadow looks are almost endless too with 36 different colours to choose from. The only annoying thing about it is the fall out.

Also, I mentioned above about the first ELF product I bought that reeked really badly of chemicals… it is the eyeliner here. The horror!

-Carmen

Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick

October 5, 2014

The beauty world has been abuzz with Too Faced’s Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick, which triples as a lipstick, lipgloss, and lipstain all in one. After reading and watching many reviews, I really wanted to find more info and try it out! Plus, I’ve been searching for a fall lipstick colour and I really loved the shades that Too Faced had on this line.

Unfortunately, this lipstick didn’t work out for me but I will give it a second chance. Really disappointing since I was almost in love with it- there was just a tiny problem that was driving me crazy!
With tax, this tube came to $27 (Canadian) at Sephora when I bought it last week. Probably the most I have paid for a lip product, but I had really high hopes for this one and did not mind the investment! The packaging itself was pretty sturdy, it wasn’t flimsy at all.

I also loved how the packaging of each shade matched the box and tube, there are products out there where you are unable to tell unless you open it up. Since I was looking for a deep and rich shade for fall, I chose melted berry.
Almost all the reviews I watched and read noted the different application tip, and I really do think it’s worth mentioning! This product features a soft velvet precision tip applicator, which felt very nice on my lip. Since the applicator has a fabric, velvety material on it, the lip product comes out slower as it absorbs through the material first.

There is a small hole in the center of the velvet applicator where the product comes out of, and then spreads out as you apply it on your lip. It reminded me of those mini sponge-y eyeshadow brushes that are seen at the Sephora makeup testing stations, but thicker.

Funny story, when I first applied the product, I completely under estimated how much I would need. Seriously, a little goes a longggg way with this product, which is good considering it cost $27 🙂 I ended up accidentally smudging it all over my chin as I tried to get the excess off, except that it wouldn’t come off and ended up spreading even more!

That was a sign at how long lasting this product is, but it was definitely embarrassing as my boyfriend just stared confusingly at me and said “you have lipstick all over your chin….” Sigh… I finally ended up using makeup remover to get rid of it on my chin.

Anyways, I was in love with the shade at first glance and Too Faced lived up to its words, describing this lip product as “intensely saturated colour”. It was extremely vibrant, noticeable, and will definitely make your lips PoP! It glided really easy too, and the precision tip was very helpful for lining my lips.
I originally wasn’t planning on doing a before and after, but I remembered that I took pictures on my phone on the way to Sephora (I was not the one driving and we were stuck in traffic, also this was the second time I wore my coloured contacts so I wanted to see how they turned out in pictures okay, don’t judge me).

Side note, I did a review on these coloured contacts if you would like to read it! 🙂
BUT THIS LIPSTICK IS PERFECT – SHADE, INTENSITY, LONG LASTING. WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH IT? (Warning- mini angry rant ahead)

I applied this right after I purchased it. When I got back in the car, I noticed that I got some of it on my phone. I thought it was weird since I used makeup remover at Sephora on my chin and hands, but shrugged it off. I’ve read reviews that this has stayed on through drinking and eating, so I decided to eat dinner with this on and test it out.

Then, I noticed that it got on my utensils, which is fair. As I was happily munching on my noodles, I noticed a glop of the product in my noodle soup and on the noodles. It was pretty gross as I’ve never seen product fall off into a glop onto my noodles, and lost a bit of my appetite. I understand if it’s on your utensils and straws, but I’ve never experienced it in my actual food.

In addition, I had also bought some new novels, and was reading one of them as I ate. I noticed that there was lip stain smudge on my page… How did it get there?! My hands were definitely clean and wiped. (You can see it on the top right hand corner, and also on the first line, on “of my”)
After eating, I went to the washroom, and noticed again that the product was on the toliet lid (Sorry for TMI). ?!?!?!How did it get there too?! I didn’t even touch the lid… At this point, I was getting a tiny bit annoyed as the lipstick had transferred to my phone, noodle soup, my book, and the toliet seat in less than 40 minutes.

THEN, after wiping off the seat, I went to the sink AND THE COLOUR WAS IN THE SINK TOO. I didn’t use the washroom sink prior to this, I’m not even remotely sure how the colour got there! At this point, I gave up and didn’t want this product on my face anymore (Well, not like it was staying on my face to begin with…). I used a cotton pad to wipe it off, but it would not come off.

Frustrated, I ended up using makeup remover on my lip (well, that’s a first!) and of course, it smudged to my face and took a long time to scrub off. I decided that this product was not worth the hassle. I wouldn’t be as frustrated as I was, but I was 105% certain that my hands were free from any leftover product residue so I’m not sure what kind of lipstick-magic-wizard-sorcery was going on here. Also, why was it so easy to get everywhere but so hard to remove?! =(

Phew! So, in conclusion, the beautiful shades, precision, and vibrancy of this product is unarguable. So is the long lasting part, as I was having trouble wiping it off without makeup remover. I’m just not sure how it managed to get into my noodle soup in glops, on my novel, the toilet seat, and sink when my hands were 100% wiped and free of any residue. I’m also still technically a student (although I have an internship right now, that money is going straight to my student loans), and can’t justify paying $27 right now for such a confusingly messy product. I guess there’s always that one person who doesn’t have a great experience with it, unfortunately, that was moi 🙁 I’ll probably give this product a second chance before exchanging since everyone loves it.

Am I the only one with this problem? Have you tried this product out as well?

Thanks for reading! Would love to hear back from you, leave me a comment! 🙂

-Carmen

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

April Beauty Favourites

May 9, 2014

This is my first time doing one of these monthly favourites! I’ve seen them on YouTube a lot, plus some fashion/beauty/lifestyle blogs that I follow. Since I don’t have photoshop on my computer, nor am I good at it, I had to come up with a way to create a collage by other means.

After pondering the internet and trying out various photo apps, I have finally created my first one! I know it’s not perfect, so please bear with me here. It’s been awhile since I’ve done a beauty related post, yet alone a mini haul, so I’m quite excited to try this out! These are in no particular order!

1. Dove Go Fresh deodorant, pomegranate and lemon verbana scent. I am in love with the smell of this deodorant. I like how it has a strong scent, making you smell lovely the whole day. When I want to freshen up after I shower, I apply this deodorant and feel refreshed.

2. The Body Shop – Mango body whip. I love all the body lotion products from The Body Shop (not body butter). The mango one has a lovely, subtle mango scent. It moisturizes very well. I love how it’s very light weight so you don’t feel sticky or heavy after applying this lotion.

3. ELF eyebrow kit. I bought this online back in November, and have been using this everyday for the past few months, so of course it is going on my favourites list! I love the colour/shade of the eyebrow kit, which matches my hair and skintone perfectly. The colour is very soft and not harsh, which I like because I don’t want strong, harsh eyebrows (that’s just my own preference). It’s also long lasting, and the small angle brush that comes with the kit makes it very easy to apply this to your eyebrows- pretty foulproof! Occasionally, I will double this up as a eyeliner for my lower lashes since I don’t like pencil eyeliner.

4. LUSH Grease lightning spot treatment. I received a sample of this, and I am already hooked after 2 days of usage. It is made up of all natural ingredients which fight acne scars, kills dirty bacteria on your skin, and prevents/kills pimples. I had two ugly pimples pop up last week, and after applying this spot treatment, I have noticed that they have diminished dramatically. I love how all the ingredients in this are natural as well.

5. Chanel – Chance Eau Tendre. This perfume has a soft, flowery and romantic scent to it which I love. Whenever I spray it on myself, I instantly feel very calm since the scent is very light and relaxing. I also feel a lot prettier when wearing this, so it definitely gives me a boost of confidence when I feel like I look like crap. I’ve gotten many compliments whenever I wear this perfume, which is a plus!

6. Maybelline mineral powder foundation. I bought this back in high school years back, but didn’t really have a good experience with it and ended up throwing it out. My friend recently gave me hers since it wasn’t the right shade for her, and I decided to give it another try. After wearing this as my setting powder, I noticed that my skin looked a lot brighter, smoother, and more translucent with a hint of shimmer. I realized that the problem was the crappy brush that came with it. I used my own brush and the finish looked a lot better.

Well there you have it, some of my current beauty favourites! What are some of yours?

-Carmen