makeup review Archives - Page 5 of 6

Lush Comestic Warrior (Fresh Face Mask)

May 22, 2014

I have had a slight addiction with Lush skincare products this past month, it’s all I’ve been using! I recently went back to Lush to look around, and was drawn to their fresh face mask section. After reading the ingredients in the masks, I wanted to try them and asked for a sample first. Unfortunately, I was told that they do not give samples of the fresh face masks as they expire in 3 weeks, and use only the freshest ingredients. Fair enough!

I ended up purchasing the cosmetic warrior ($7 CA) after reading the ingredients, here’s how it went.
The cosmetic warrior face mask is made with kaoline, fresh green grapes, fresh free range eggs, honey, cornstarch, glycerine, fresh garlic, tea tree oil, limonene, and perfume. Because of those ingredients, I can tell why the mask has to be kept in the fridge and expires in 3 weeks.
When I first opened the tub, I noticed that it was only 3/4 full of product. A lot of reviews warned people about the smell of this product due to the garlic and tea tree oil.

However, when I put it on, I didn’t find the smell to be unbearable. I didn’t really smell the garlic, but the tea tree oil scent was strong.I slathered a generous amount on my face. I figured that since it expires so quickly, I might as well use it up faster, and while the ingredients are at its freshest. I left it on my face for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the mask had hardened slightly. I washed it off with warm water, which took a few tries as the areas that I put more product on was harder to wash off. I noticed that the mask turned into a soapy, creamy lather after washing my face with it. Now, the best part: the results? After drying my face, the first thing I noticed was how soft and clean my face felt. It also felt really moisturized, more radiant, and healthier.

Pros:
-Leaves skin feeling really soft, clean, moisturized, refreshed
-Non messy
-Made with all natural ingredients and vegetarian (as it says on the label)

Cons:
-Have to use within 3 weeks
-Have to keep it in the fridge all the time
-Can be seen as “pricey”, you don’t get that much product for $7

-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

Suzy Nail Colour Review

April 12, 2014

For the past two years, I’ve been stripped away from the liberty of wearing nail polish due to my job. So, whenever I have a few days off, I jump at the opportunity to wear it!

Since I only wear nail polish a handful of times per year, I don’t splurge on expensive ones since they’ll probably dry out by the time I wear it.
I got this nail polish probably last year, at Suzy Shier which is a women’s clothing store. I really liked the soft, girly pink colour and it was also really cheap, so I decided to get it.

One of these cost $3, or 2 for $5. It’s a pretty good deal! I applied 2 coats to get the current colour.
I haven’t worn this since last Summer, so I forgot how fast it dried! I would have to say that it dried in less than 45 seconds, I was so impressed. I’ve never had a nail polish dry that fast and have such healthy and strong shine to it! And for $3?! What a miracle.

Also, can you notice how the top brush part is uneven from the bottom? Somehow, I can’t twist it back to its normal position no matter how hard I try. I’m glad that it doesn’t leak, or else we’d have a problem!
One of the annoying things about nail polish is their removal, especially if it’s glittery. I was in a rush to remove the colour since I was about to be late for work, but thankfully, this polish comes off so easy with nail polish remover. YES!!! Overall, I love this polish!

Pros:
-Fast drying
-Lovely colour
-Matte finish but with a light shine to it
-Easy to remove
Cons:
-Smells strongly like chemicals

-Carmen

Lancôme – La Base Pro Makeup Primer

March 5, 2014

Hi readers!

I received this as a sample from Shoppers Drug Mart when I recently purchased something from their beauty department. My thoughts on this primer are mixed because on the two separate occasions I wore it, I got different results.

I don’t think I would purchase this product just because I got different results so I’m not too sure how reliable it would be, nor would I want to spend $40+ on a product I am iffy about.

I’ll start off with the application. The primer came out like a gel, but when you applied it, it became very soft on your face, almost like a powder. I noticed that it felt very slippery and oily, and I had a feeling that my foundation would not last…. Keep reading to find out why.
First impression: After applying all my makeup, I noticed that I looked really cakey and streaky. To put it frankly, it did not look nice and I felt like all my pores were magnified. I didn’t really have time to reapply it, so I tried blending it more with my brush, which helped a little.

Overall, my first impression of it was that even though it did have that “satin-soft finish” (or slippery/oily as I call it, hah) it left my face feeling pretty heavy. I never knew it was even possible to have “streaky” foundation until this product came along. (Basically, it means I saw a lot of my stroke marks from my brush).

At the end of the night, my foundation was still on even though my face felt heavy. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures in good lighting and ended up deleting the initial ones. I was really disappointed with my first impression on this primer, and was glad I got this for free.

Second impression: I didn’t want to lose hope on this primer! A few nights after, I decided to only apply the primer to half my face and ask the boyfriend which side looked more pore less & even. I was hoping that he would say the side that I didn’t put on the primer to conclude, but he actually said that the right side looked smoother!

I noticed that this time, my foundation did not appear as streaky or cakey as the initial time, even though all the products and amount were the same. I noticed that unlike the first night, my skin didn’t feel heavy or gross the whole night- I even forgot I wore it. Here is a picture I took at the end of the night:
Conclusion: After reading reviews, I noticed that users with the same skin type as mine (combination/oily) had the same problems. Therefore, I conclude that this foundation would be better suited for you if you had dry skin. It all makes sense now!

My face was probably oilier during my first application since I just took a shower before applying (I don’t know why, but my face becomes oilier after I shower) which is why it looked so cakey and streaky. The second time, I don’t remember putting on any heavy moisturizer or showering before.

That meant that my skin was drier my second time, which was why I had more success with it. But yeah, I don’t think I would buy this primer or use it again – I’ll probably give it away to a friend that has a dry skin type.

-Carmen

Island Girl Hawaii Lip Gloss Review

February 20, 2014

Hello readers!

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a makeup review. These days, I haven’t really been wearing much makeup except for eyeliner, and I kinda wanted to take a picture of the product I’m reviewing.

The product I am reviewing today is the Island Girl Hawaii Lip Gloss, which is infused with real flowers. Hands down, this is my favourite lip gloss of all time! It just sucks because I’m pretty sure you can only purchase it in Hawaii. My cousins went back this Summer and bought me the whole set, which made me so happy!

Non sticky: Most lip glosses are often really sticky, which bugs me to no end. My hair is also pretty long, so whenever my lip gloss sticks, my hair clings onto it, and smudges it off or ends up on my hair strands (Ugh, so annoying). This lip gloss, even though it’s super glossy, does not stick at all! I think it’s because the ingredients are water-based, but I’m not too sure, it just really works.

Long lasting: This lip gloss is also really long lasting. I love that I don’t have to constantly apply this over and over again. You also apply the lip gloss via a roller ball. The roller ball also prevents you from over applying so that your lips don’t look oily, and also for the scent to be stronger. I usually dab the lip gloss in three spots on my bottom lip, then purse my lips. I find that this way makes the gloss last longer, as opposed to you putting it all over your lips.

Gloss: As I mentioned before, this lip gloss is really glossy which I love. I usually put this on top of my lipstick if I feel like I want a shine to my lips. It’s also deeply hydrating and moisturizing. Usually, I apply lip balm before my lipstick, but when I’m wearing this product, lip balm isn’t necessary.

Scent/taste: Scent usually isn’t that important to me, but this is just the cherry on top of the perfect lip gloss. Their scents are amazing. My favourite one is the raspberry. The set also comes with pineapple, cherry, coconut, and tropical fruit which smell really nice as well. They also have real flowers infused inside, which adds to the wonderful scent too. Apart from the wonderful scent, it has a wonderful taste as well, though I don’t recommend eating this straight from the tube (although it’s tempting). My favourite scent as I mentioned above was their raspberry one. The others also have a good taste as well. Most lip glosses I use have this really artificial or bitter taste to it, so I appreciate that this one tastes and smells good.

Packaging: The quality of the packaging is great as well. The tubes itself are made out of glass, while the lid is plastic. Since the glass is clear, you can see the real flowers inside which is aesthetically pleasing. On top of the lid, there is a sticker which contains the scent and taste. Each flavour also has it’s own flower colour- for example, the pineapple flavour comes with green, yellow, and white flowers. The coconut flavour comes with magenta, purple, and white flowers. So pretty!

Weaknesses: Over time, I found that the flowers start to wilt inside and not look as fresh as they did before (which shows that they’re fresh I guess?). Also, when it’s about to run out, it takes a bit of time for the product to reach the rollerball. Since I always apply lipstick before I wear this, the rollerball also became stained with my red lipstick but that’s just my own fault.

Next time you’re in Hawaii, give these products a try! The box set I have was around $15 USD. They are sold at the ABC store. Don’t be alarmed though, the quality of this product is really good even if they’re sold at the convenience store! I can’t wait until I go to Hawaii to buy more of these as gifts. They’re definitely a must buy, since I’m pretty sure you can’t buy them elsewhere.