l'oreal Archives - Curiously Carmen

L’Oreal Nail Polish – White

July 18, 2016

A few months ago, I was really wanting white nails so I quickly picked a L’Oreal one up at London Drugs! There was only one white polish on the entire shelf, which is why I picked this one.

If I’m at a drugstore, I normally just buy Sally Hansen or essie, but I figured it’s time to try L’Oreal! I forgot how much I paid for this- maybe about $6?
The packaging is pretty simple, not much to note here. The shade is called hit the slopes – 712. Perhaps inspired by the beautiful, snow capped mountains in the wintertime.

Unfortunately, I found this nail colour to be a bit difficult to work with. It was very runny and the colour was very light. I used four coats for the colour above, and I was getting annoyed with how runny it was! It took a lot of patience and time, so don’t be using this when you are in a rush.
I finished with the almighty and my Holy Grail Seche Vite top coat. The top coat drastically improved the nail colour and made it look a lot better. It would have looked very weak and bland without the top coat. I wore this for the entire week I was in New York City, and it did not chip at all! Seriously, Seche Vite’s top coat is the BOMB.

This was my first time trying L’Oreal’s nail products, and this polish left me a bit disappointed with the formula. I’ve tried other brands before where it was just that one shade that didn’t work out, but the others were great, so maybe I should try another L’Oreal polish.

Nay!

*Products purchased by myself

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

L’Oreal True Match Foundation

March 2, 2015

Hi everyone,

I’ve had the L’Oreal True Match foundation for awhile now, but didn’t really like it at first so it was kept at the back of my makeup storage. I decided to bring it out and give it another chance, here is how that went!
This foundation claims to be super blendable, and is the first of its kind as it matches your skin’s texture and tone.

Since I am more knowledgeable about makeup now, I decided to give it a try again but wearing a base and setting powder which might support and enhance this foundation.
I started off with The Face Shop’s beauty balm, which you can read about here. Then, I put on the foundation using my fingertips. As I mentioned earlier, the foundation was more watery than I expected but it blended very nicely. It became almost like a powdery, soft texture after you blend it out.

I then finished off with my Maybelline Mineral Powder foundation which I talked about last week, and my ELF blush. Yep, I was trying to use all drug store that day (on my skin at least, I don’t have any drugstore eyeliners).

With the addition of the primer and setting foundation, I liked the L’Oreal True Match a lot more. I’m glad that I gave it a second try! My foundation lasted the whole day, but that might have been with the help of the primer and setting foundation.

I was browsing around Shoppers Drug Mart on my lunch break, and my jaw almost dropped when I saw that they were selling this foundation for $20. That is pretty pricey for a drugstore foundation! Or maybe it’s because I haven’t looked at drugstore foundation for awhile and that’s the standard price now? Let me know how much you pay for your drugstore foundation down below =)
I probably won’t buy this again since there are a lot of other foundations I like much more, but I don’t mind using this up. I would recommend this product to those who are looking for a daily light coverage foundation.

Have you tried this product? What did you think of it?

Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Estee Lauder Fall/Winter 2014 Media Preview Event (Part 2/2!)

September 16, 2014

As I was mentioning in part 1, I decided to split this post up because it would just be way too long for one post. If you’re just reading this now, these two posts are a review of the Estee Lauder Fall/Winter 2014 Media Preview Event that I went to two weeks ago. I also mentioned in the first post that these two posts will just be a simple overview of the products, as I did not get a chance to try these products well enough to formulate an opinion or review 🙂 However, I was able to bring home many of their already released products as you will see.

Out of all the products I was introduced to that day, my favourite would have to be the sculpting foundation brush on the top left, designed exclusively for Estee Lauder. I read about this brush before, but I finally got to see it in real life and hold it! The middle section of the brush is curved, and will effortlessly hug the contours of the face for effortless sculpting and definition. I feel like this brush will definitely be a saviour for beginner contourers like myself. In front of the sculpting brush, is their new perfectionist youth-infusing foundation. It contains their best selling serum, along with advanced ingredients that will create a more “youthful” appearance to the skin. There are microscopic priming beads that instantly fill lines while blurring imperfections- sounds like real life photoshop to me!

Moving on to the top right is Estee Lauder’s new Re-Nutriv Ultra Radiance Foundation. I was drawn to this one because it contains gemstones such as sapphires, rubies, and jade. To add to the elegance, it includes a blend of Gold and South Sea Pearls. These magnificent gemstones and pearls complement each other as they interact with light to create unique, vibrant colours. Unfortunately one small bottle costs $100, but a girl can dream right?

On the bottom left was the Modern Muse perfume, which smelled lovely as well. It is a blend of “sophisticated florals and succulent fruitiness juxtaposed against deep sultry woods”. Wow, I want to be able to write as beautifully as the person who wrote Estee Lauder’s PR book (which I am reading for reference right now cause I forgot what the scent was exactly, haha)
At the end of our tour, we were given an option to do the “3 minute mini makeover”, with an Estee Lauder makeup artist. There were four looks that you were able to choose from. As I mentioned in my first post, I am still trying to master the art of contouring so I opted for the contouring option.

Here is what I went home with. Thank you so much, Estee Lauder. I was in so much shock, I was definitely not expecting any gifts, let alone this many. I am super ecstatic to try all of these products out and will be doing reviews on them for sure, so keep your eyes peeled.

I am so grateful to be given this opportunity to attend such a great and organized event, thanks to Estee Lauder and the PR team. Everyone working was so kind, welcoming, and talented in what they do. I have a newfound appreciation towards this brand because of this event. Every time I walk by an Estee Lauder booth, I am reminded of the wonderful team of people behind it and I am so grateful and glad that I caught a glimpse of that at the event.

The products in this post were sent to me free of charge from Estee Lauder, and I was not paid to write this post. Everything in this post is my personal opinion and was not altered by the request of the company.

-Carmen

GUEST POST: Cleopatra Inspired Look

September 5, 2014

Hello everyone! I am happy to have another guest post on my blog, this time featuring a great friend of mine, Rachel. She will be writing about how she created a beautiful Cleopatra inspired makeup look – cat eye lovers, this one is for you! Even if you aren’t a fan of cat eye and/or can’t master the look, read on anyways because Rachel has some great advice AND preview on many makeup brands including Smashbox, Too Faced, L’Oreal, NYX, and Revlon! Thanks for doing a guest post with me, Rach. Hope everyone enjoys, let’s get started!
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Hi lovely readers of Carmen! I am so excited I get to guest post on here, Carmen’s blog is a must read for me. I trust her as a friend and beauty guru/foodie extraordinarie. I am by no means, a beauty guru/expert status and I also use a lot of drugstore products. So if you are one of those girls sitting at home watching Youtube and then proceeding to sit in (not on, in) the bathroom sink, to get just the right angle for that perfect cat eye–we are one.

So, I did in fact sit in my sink to do this look. Winged eyeliner is no easy feat, and doing so with liquid liner is even less so– doing winged eyeliner with liquid liner and being Rachel Carrier -post concussion…even harder. This look came about as I was exploring the beautiful world of Miss Cleopoatra herself. Since school stared again, I have come back in touch with my love of literature and enrolled in all a Shakespeare course (be still my heart). One of our assignments involves memorizing and reciting a soliloquy from the piece you are assigned that week. I got Cleopatra and I was beyond excited. Egyptian inspired make up is bold and intricate and so strikingly beautiful. Balancing rich, dark skin tones with piercing, vibrant eyes and lining everything with thick black creates a contrast and a story that represents the person themself. I started by googling images of Cleopatra. The classic thin and precise dark eye brows that match up with thick winged liner and blue eyeshadow and paired with blood red lips was a starting point. I decided to stick to a pretty classic looking Cleo, and I would just tailor it to the products I had and what colours suit me best…aka not blue.

What I used:
Too Faced- Matte Eye Pallete $50: This is my favourite pallete of all time and a great investment. The brown colour doubles as my eye contour shade AND brows, any double whammy product is good in my books. I tend to stay away from sparkle or shimmer because matte colours are easier to work with on a day to day basis and shimmery colours have a strange effect on my eye.
L’Oreal Colour Riche- New essentials eye quad in 525 $11: When I do use shimmery colours, this is my go to pallete for adding drama and glamour to any look. The pigments are rich and they go on true and do well layered. I suggest stroking your brush through gently and then tapping off the excess and blotting on the pigment before sweeping it on your eye lid for better coverage and less leakage.
L’Oreal Magic Perfecting Base $12.99: I bought this on a whim whilst in London Drugs and shortly after watching a slew of Youtube tutorials. I wanted to have the perfect matte skin that they have, but I was concerned at the price for such a small pot of product. But a little does go a long way, I use it for special occasions when I am wearing foundation. It creates a more even complexion and allows for even coverage.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara $18: This was a Sephora splurge. But, because of my lack of and short lashes, I need a mascara that will support and add body. I am not sure, if it is the one I will use forever, but it has done me proud.
Revlon Bold Laquer Mascara $9 for 2: To be honest, I bought this because it was on sale. I am not sure how I feel about this mascara yet, the brush feels spiny and the mascara itself has a strange texture that is very laquer-esque. I used it as a base before my Smashbox one because I find it does seperate and add length very well.
Revlon Colour Stay Liquid Liner Skinny $7.99: Revlon was having a buy 2 get 1 free sale. I really love this liner though. It has a super, skinny, precision tip and the formula is wearable but not too sticky and it is forgiving.
Maybelline Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner Khol Kajal $2.99: I swear by this stuff. It is so smooth and creamy, it is wearable and I just love it. I use this on a daily basis to tightline my upper lash line and it creates a natural thick lash line.
Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation- 150 Nude $7.99: I like this foundation because it is light and easily blended with a light to medium coverage. It doesn’t crease or become too greasy on my skin either. I tend to stay away from foundation because my skin has a lot of irritations and foundation makes it worse or can look cakey, but this is nice and fluid which makes for a light finish.
Nyx Lipstick- 511 $3.99: This lipstick is a vibrant red with a nice rich formula. It isn’t super creamy nor is it too sticky. It goes on smooth and leaves a nice stain as well. I like to layer it with other colours.
Sephora Lipstick $16: The tube doesn’t say what shade it is, but I love it. This appears different in the tube than on your lips. You should test it first on your skin tone. It is a really dark plum, but it is defintely a rouge. I like the consistency of this lipstick and wear it often in the fall.
For the look itself, I swept the gold colour eye shadow over my lid to the crease and then dabbed the copper colour in the crease and shaded it in to create a dull smoky eye. I added gold to the inner corners of my eye and lined the inner half of the bottom lid with gold as well. I then used the dark shimmery purple to create a more smoky effect on the outer bottom line as well as in the crease. I enhanced the smoky shadow with the black and brown from my Too Faced Pallete, and I used the white as a highlight for my brow bone. Cleopatra has very defined eye make up look and I wanted to soften it slightly for modern day.

I kept my brows well defined and extended them past where I would usually have them. I used a mix of the brown and the black in my Too Faced Pallete. I then tightlined both the upper lash line and the waterline with my black eye liner, making sure to connect in the inner corner for that signature cat eye. Then I used the liquid liner to extend into my winged liner. In most pictures, Cleopatra’s winged liner meets with her brows. That is too extreme for me, so I left about 2 centimeters of space. I finished with more gold on top and two coats of mascara. My trick for stubborn lashes is to heat your eye lash curler under a hair dryer for a few seconds til just warm, then curl and mascara them.
The final touch was the lipstick. I first used a layer of my Babylips chapstick from Maybelline. Then I did a layer of the Sephora lipstick, I blotted, then a layer of the Nyx lipstick then blot and then I pressed some black eye shadow into it as well with my finger and just blended. Of course, a well angled selfie was due after all this work.

And there you have it folks. An easy and modern take on a classic queen. I may not be as striking as Cleopatra may have been, but I hope to have the confidence and wit that she possessed and was known for having. A beauty from within, so to speak. I had a lot of fun doing this, and I am honoured that Carmen asked me to blog it. Thanks for reading, lots of love to y’all.

-Rach