makeup Archives - Page 11 of 11

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

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.

Benefit – They’re Real! Mascara Review

February 6, 2014

I have been quite busy with school this past week so I haven’t been able to post much. I finally finished my last midterm today before reading break so I’ll be posting more frequently this next week, so stay tuned! Today, I will be reviewing Benefit’s They’re Real! Mascara.

Background: Even though I love makeup, I would say mascara is the one makeup product that I do not really invest in. I hardly wear mascara unless I am going to a fancy event. I wish I was like every other girl who lives on mascara…but sadly, I do not. I much rather prefer eyeliner if I had to choose just one product.

Anyways, let’s move on. I received this product as a present from my cousin last month. It was a part of Benefit’s Matthew Williamson: The Rich is Back make up kit. Since I’m not a mascara girl, I was not really expecting much, but WOW, this product really blew me away (and for good reasons too)!

Packaging: I am a really big fan of Benefit’s unique packaging, and it is one of the things that has always intrigued me. This is the set that it came with, notice all the details put into the packaging of the kit. The packaging of the mascara itself is really pretty as the salmony/orange/pink colour contrasts well with the otherwise monotone grey.

cute packaging of the makeup kit

Wand: This mascara comes with a rubber brush. There are also bristles on the top end of the brush, making it easy to apply mascara vertically for those super short lashes at the corners of your eyes. The bristles also come in varying lengths, so that probably helps lengthen the look of your lashes as well.

close-up of the mascara wand

Application: I really do not like applying mascara. I’ve tried so many different brands which all just clump or don’t even look like I applied it. However, I noticed that this one is really easy and smooth to apply which I really liked. In total, I applied two coats (about as many as I apply before I get frustrated with mascara) with no clumps.

There was no negative impact after using my eyelash curler as well, sometimes curling your lashes can ruin the look of your mascara (Or maybe I’m the only one with bad mascara luck!) I could tell that this mascara is friendly to layering since it does not dry instantly (which is good, because if it dries instantly and you try to layer another coat, it will clump >:( ).

Outcome: Here is the best part! After I finished applying all my eye makeup, I had a bit of time to kill before I had to leave my house, so I decided to take some pictures of it. When I looked at the pictures, I was SHOCKED seeing my eyelashes.

I had to do a double take and think if I was really false eyelashes, because I’ve never seen my own lashes look that long before. This mascara truly does make your own eyelashes look as if they’re falsies which I loved. It also still looks completely natural!

Cons: This mascara is pricey compared to drug store brands. Other than that, I don’t really have anything to complain about. Some reviews online mentioned that it was unfortunate how they didn’t carry a waterproof version of this, but I hate waterproof mascara because it’s so hard to remove.

Conclusion: In my opinion, this mascara really does make your own eyelashes look like falsies. You really have to do a double take and think “they’re real!” so I now understand the meaning behind their name. The wand is great because there are bristles on the top, which make it easier to accentuate shorter lashes that would otherwise go unnoticed. I would highly recommend trying Benefit’s- They’re Real! mascara!

two coats of benefit’s they’re real! mascara, (also pictured- naked 3 palette, kat von d tattoo liner)

Thank you for reading!

-Carmen

Urban Decay – “Naked Skin” Liquid Foundation Review

February 1, 2014

Hi everyone!

I’ve always been a fan of Urban Decay products. My first memory of UD was one of their dark purple eyeshadow pots, which I remember from my childhood. My mom has always been into makeup which is probably how I have taken on the hobby as well.

From then, it slowly progressed to discovering the UD Primer potion (My HOLY GRAIL of all eyeshadow primers, a later post will be dedicated to this amazing product), then to various liquid eyeliners, and finally, their Naked Skin foundation.

I first tried the foundation through Sephora + Pantone ‘s colour IQ and got a sample of it. Usually, when I am investing in a relatively expensive foundation, I ask for a sample first to make sure I really like it before actually spending money. It’s been a few months with this foundation and it’s safe to say, I love it as much as when I first bought it. Here’s why:

Coverage: When I buy foundation, I aim for at least medium coverage. I have combination skin, redness in a few areas (esp around my nose, eyebrows), and a few scars which is why low coverage does nothing for me. Anyways, the coverage is great. A little goes a long way, I usually use one pump, dab it in my problem zones and use my foundation brush to blend it out.

Feel: Usually, medium-high coverage foundations feel heavier which makes sense. However, as their website says and I agree with, this foundation feels really light and non-existent which is perfect! My face also does not feel oiler than it normally is after using.

Length: Foundations that say they last 12-24+ hours plus are lying. Why would you need a foundation that lasts 24 hours?! Like do you not need to sleep or something? Go sleep!

Anyways, this foundation lasts pretty long for my skin, at least 8 hours before I notice it starting to wear off. I normally reapply it after 6 hours, if I happen to have it with me, just because it does seem to lose its radiance a bit. I’ve had foundations that have lasted only 3 hours MAXIMUM before it goes away.

Cons: While writing this post, I kept trying to think of things I did not like about it. But honestly, I can’t think of anything… Except maybe the price? It retails for $45 Canadian not including tax. It is pretty expensive in my opinion, but for what you get out of it, it’s worth it.

Thank you for reading !
-Carmen