Tom Ford Coco Mirage Review

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This is the big one. This quad is … a lot of monies. I was looking for something that was simple and easy to reach for on the daily. I have lusted over this palette for a long time and can I just say: it’s nice but I think there’s just as good out there. I love a luxury product, I love how they feel, but I also think there are other easy everyday palette’s out there that you can get a lot less. Does this mean I wouldn’t consider buying another of these quads: absolutely not, but first let’s get into the review of the actual shadows.

The description on Sephora.com Each Eye Color Quad is designed with four opulent, complementary shades that achieve multiple looks, from a bold smoky eye, to a sexy slash of color, and everything in between.

Tom Ford Coco mirage open, beige, brown, copper

Let’s begin with the claims. The claims are accurate – you can achieve multiple looks from one eye wonders to smokey eyes. Now, this is a pretty much all matte palette which I don’t have but I still find myself enjoying a shimmer or satin.These are the colours: matte light beige, matte neutral medium beige, warm copper with shimmer, matte chocolate brown. These shadse are my jam. I love brown and bronze eyeshadows. It was a toss-up between this and the nude dip (honestly still on my list but in due time).

Close up of Tom Ford coco mirage palette

The shadows are creamy, but not too soft, they have minimal fallout and blend out nicely. They are pigmented but not enough that they will there is too much pigment on the eyes and then you are blending like a mad women. This is a white t-shirt type of palette – I’m talking the one (or two) reliable t-shirts you have in your wardrobe, this is the palette equivalent. Did I steal them from Michelle Wang, yes I did. This palette is expensive, and while you can find other neutral palettes and singles that give the same vibe, there is something about this palette that is so enjoyable to use.

Let’s get to the price. It hurts my soul to say: $115. That’s a lot. Honestly, what I will say, is this palette is not better than any other brand at Sephora. The main difference I see in this palette is the way the shadows sit on my eyes, however, the soft glam also sits wonderfully on the lids. By that, I mean it doesn’t look powdery or chunky. What this palette does, is your eyes but better look. It has the easy of a palette with a no brainer vibe that I’m down with. However, if this is not in your budget (whose budget is it in) then don’t get this palette. This is a lovely, classy lady palette. When I used it I feel like I’m a girl boss who means business.

Very zoomed in shot of the tom ford quad

Now lets not get too intense here – I don’t think anyone (including myself) should spend this much on a palette. I like that it is a quad which I find is harder to find in both the high end and drugstore world, but that being said, I use all the shades. I supposed the build your palettes are an option, but I like the sleekness of this quad and how easy it is to reach for on a daily basis.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars docking for the price. I think that when you are looking for a luxury product, you expect to pay the luxury price. I purposely sought out this palette, therefore, I carefully considered buying this product. I will not recommend something that is this much money, but if you are in the market for a classy, treat yourself kind of item then this might be your jam.

The swatch

swatches — Left to right: matte light beige, matte neutral medium beige, warm copper with shimmer, matte chocolate brown

Three looks coming soon!

Labour Day Project Pan finale

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Labour day. The extra day off I always look forward to and then you get a four day work week. I wanted to pop this finale up for you all. This was a short project, so there wasn’t much progress on many of these items. I am very close to hitting pan on the NARS highlighter!

Anastasia Bronzer

This is truly the never ending bronzer. I swear, there is no point at which I will be able to get a dip in this product. I used it about 3 times a week each week of this project but it barely looks like I’ve made a dent!

Hourglass Blush in Incandescent light

Again … how does this look like I’ve not used it? I swear I use this daily or at least every other day and it still appears untouched!

NARS Highlighter in Fort De France

This is a lovely highlighter – though boarding on too dark for my skintone it is lovely. I love how glossy it looks and how blinding it can be. I didn’t wear this one as much because sometimes it is a bit too much for my day to day. I still love it though and am soooo close to hitting pan!

Too Faced Sweet Peach

I will admit … I did not use this palette as much as I want to this month. I really love the shadows and the colour story but for my early mornings I just didn’t have the time or will to reach for this! Hopefully I’ll get more use of it in the months to come!

Colourpop Supernova shadow running in orbits

This has been my go to shade for a bit of glitter on the daily. Its easy to blend out and doesn’t look chunky on the lids. I am actually about half way through this product. Definently happy with my progress on this one.

If you are into project panning let me know in the comments what you are trying to pan right now!

Subtl Beauty Stack Review

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Subtl Beauty is a brand that I found on the Instagram. This brand intrigued me because it was a stack for your whole face. There is something called Trinny London that does the same concept, but Subtle beauty was a bit more accessible to me in the Canada’s both price and shipping cost. I also can confirm you won’t get dinged with duties (at least I didn’t).

This is what the website says what you need to know in terms of the story behind the brand: “My reason for creating this brand is super simple. I live a really busy lifestyle, sometimes applying my makeup in the craziest places, and I desperately needed a beauty brand that understood this.
The Subtl Beauty stack was a solution born out of a need, and I’m so happy to be able to share it with you” Rachel Reid, Founder & CEO

I’m not gonna lie I immediately ordered this as soon as I clicked the link. What a innovative and fun idea I thought it was! I even posted it to the full coverage podcast makeup group.

Let’s start with the actual stack. Its so cool. All the products twist into each other making it super portable and easy to access. You also don’t need to overly tighten them for the products to stay fresh for day to day use.

The two highlights of this stack for me are the concealer and the highlighter.

The claims for the concealer: Pimples suck, and they always seem to strike at the most random and worst times. Wouldn’t it be great if you just didn’t have to worry about them? Introducing the Subtl Beauty mattifying concealer. Our buildable, medium-coverage concealer is your ultimate wing-woman; always there by your side, ready to jump in at any moment. The description of this concealer might sound a bit scary if you don’t like matte, but I find it to be a true satin concealer and it covers everything I need it to. I swear its magic …

Now to the highlighter. My mom rarely compliments my highlighters – not because she doesn’t like them but because sometimes they just aren’t her jam. She always compliments me everytime I wear this highlighter:

What the website says it is: “This pressed powder highlighter is the low-key glow your weekday self has been craving. With just a touch of golden pigment, this every day, mineral highlighter blends naturally to give your skin a dewy appearance, without looking overdone”. This is exactly spot on. LITERALLY a powder that is all the dewy goodness.

The blush, bronzer, and universal powder are definently lovely. Nothing mind blowing, but these products all compliment each other and work together so well. This is one of my go to “stacks” for that 6:00 a.m. wake up call! The products also last all day and you don’t feel them on your skin.

The swatch:

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Sephora Collection Bright Future Skin Tint Review

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The Sephora Collection Skin tint. Where do I begin? This was something I bought because a: it was on sale and b: I love anything that says tint in it so naturally, I purchased it. This is the fifth installation of foundation week and let me tell you, this one is going in the declutter bin.

The claims: A Skin Tint that smooths skin and improves its overall appearance, creating a fresh and healthy-looking glow. This lightweight formula blended with lemon extract helps improve complexion’s luminosity and with rice peptides to let the skin breathe. Vitamin E and Shea extract are known for their powerful antioxidant properties. The formula offers long-lasting moisture.

I really wanted to love this product. But. It’s just not there for me. I found it to be a bit cakey, and not easy to spread with your fingers.The claims of the lightweight formula don’t really ring true to me for this product. Sure, there is some long lasting moisture but the skin tint itself doesn’t look good on the skin all day.

The application: When I tried spreading this on my face with my fingers it was super streaky which is how I like to use something marketed as a skin tint or tinted moisturizer. I found with a sponge this did look nice but it just didn’t do anything significant for my skin.

Left to right: Sephora Collection matte foundation. The ordinary serum foundation, Sephora Collection Skin tint, IT Cosmetics CC Cream, Kosas Tinted Face oil, The Body Shop Fresh Nude not pictured: benefit hello happy because I forgot to swatch it.

Overall rating: 3/5 stars. I think that this product could have been good but it just doesn’t do that. While it is supposed to be a tint, I just find that it doesn’t give me the tint look I have found in other products.

Benefit Hello Happy Foundation Review

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I love a good lightweight foundation. The benefit foundation was one I had heard about before but never tried. When I had some shoppers points I picked this bad boy up and fell in love. I am so excited to review it in this little foundation review week

The claims: Benefit’s new Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation evens out the look of skin tone and blurs imperfections with soft-focus optical blurring spheres. The lightweight, buildable formula is easy to apply and flashback free, plus it contains shea extract, an ingredient known to smooth the look of skin and help protect it*. With a natural matte finish and light-to-medium coverage, Hello Happy Soft Blur Foundation looks like skin and feels like nothing at all. It’s available in 12 easy-to-choose shades that let a range of skin tones put on a happy face”.

This is a very natural-looking foundation with a matte finish. I think that the claim is extremely accurate. This foundation feels like nothing on the skin, isn’t dewy but isn’t too matte and does not cling onto dry patches. This does dry down quickly, but not so quickly that you can’t blend it out. This is also a foundation that is the perfect light coverage, you can use it with your fingers, a sponge and a brush and it would feel heavy in any instance.

The application: I do prefer to apply this with a sponge however if I’m having a lazy day, I still think this works well with fingers.

The prices: this is $40 CAD for 1 fluid ounce of product. I think this is a pretty fair price for a high-end foundation. While this is expensive, it is also in my opinion worth the money. If you are are like me and prefer a sheer – medium coverage with a very skin-like effect. This is the product for you!

Overall rating: 4.5/5 stars. I have to say, this is one of my first high-end foundations and its so lovely. It had cute packaging but the only gripe i have is the shade range. Benefit Cosmetics is notorious for smalls shade ranges and I think this range needs to be expanded.

The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation Review

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The Body Shop Fresh Nude foundation is one of the best foundations I’ve worn to date. I wanted to do a dedicated review on this foundation since I wear it all the time, but have never done a review. First, my skin type if normal – dry and not acne prone. It stays pretty balanced and my preferred finished is generally natural to a radiant finish.

Let’s start with the foundation claims: “Make every day a good skin day with The Body Shop’s Fresh Nude Foundation. Enriched with English rose water and aloe vera, this hydrating formula leaves skin feeling beautifully fresh and comfortable all day. With a semi-matte finish, each of these 16 nature-inspired shades mimics the look of fresh-faced natural skin with a nude glow”. The other bullet point claims are: “Up to 24H moisturization, Light to medium coverage, Semi-matte, fresh-faced finish, Suitable for sensitive skin & dermatologically tested, Pair with The Body Shop’s new Shade Adjusting Drops”

The claims of the foundation are pretty accurate – except I wouldn’t even say this has a matte finish what so ever, it is more of a satin finish. I find that this does have a solid light to medium coverage, but you know me I like to sheer this out for light coverage. I also find this is one of the most skinlike foundations in my collection. It is best applied for me with a sponge as it really sheers it out and blends it into the skin seamlessly. This product has 14 shades that are basically all shades of beige. While shade range is never a problem for me personally, it would be nice to see them add a few more shades.

The application: this foundation applies easily with a brush and a sponge. If you want more of a medium coverage look, I’d use a brush, but if you want a more light coverage look I’d use a sponge. As someone with sensitive skin, this does not irritate me at all. I use this foundation on the daily (or at least a few days a week) because it is a favourite but also it is a year old and is in my project pan right now. I enjoy using this and it’s always a joy to put on each day!

The Price: This foundation is $25 CAD which is actually close to a lot of drugstore foundations. Further, the Body Shop also always has amazing deals that include makeup.

Overall rating: This foundation gets 5/5 stars from me. I love this so much. I’ve had it for a year and continue to use it 3 – 4 times a week, both to use it up and because I love it. It gives that fresh-faced look it claims and gives you a natural glow. It also wears well throughout the day and wears well under powders. I don’t set this foundation but if you have an oily skin type I could see people steering away but since it has a nice true satin finish then you may like it.

10 HR Wear Perfection Foundation Sephora Collection Review

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Welcome to day four folks! We are talking a matte foundation. Matte foundations are something I always want to love, then try and they end up feeling quite dry. However, I have had the Sephora collection matte foundation in my collection for a while after my mom gave it to me because it didn’t suit her skin. I do think it’s on its last leg simply because I found it did break me out around my chin after one wear so I don’t know how accurate this foundation review will be.

The claims: A weightless foundation with buildable coverage that blurs imperfections and conceals blemishes for a smooth and natural finish. Did I metion that this also comes in 60 shades???? Who knew!

Okay so let’s start with the weightless claim. 100% this is a weightless foundation and I find that it’s actually not too matte. It really has more a satin finish with a medium coverage. I find that because this is so old (I think my mom bought this about 2 years ago) that it is not good for my skin anymore. I have heard Mariah Leonard talk about this and how it’s a wonderful combination of matte and satin. It truly is, for me, however, I think because of the whole expiry thing it’s irritated my skin.

Application: My preferred application method for this foundation is a sponge. I like to sheer it out so it isn’t detectable but this conceals like a champ. While this might have caused my breakouts on my chin, it also covered them quite well so who’s the real champion here. This also wears extremely well. I work quite long hours and this foundation holds up during a long day with minimal wearing off. Then again, I don’t tend to apply the foundation to my jawline but I do apply it to my chin so it wears well on their too.

The Price: $26.50 CAD for 25ml of product. This is a good price for a foundation. This is on par with drugstore foundations so I think that it’s definitely worth a go if you are looking for a long wear foundation for any occassion this is a good option.

Overall rating: 5/5 stars. I cannot fault this foundation for possibly being expired because that would be my own blunder of putting it on my skin because who knows a new one might cause the same reaction. In terms of wear time, it is lovely. I took a before and after photo ( i didn’t do this for any other one) because of the title of this foundation and wore extremely well.

The Ordinary Serum Foundation

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For the third installment of foundation week, I wanted to review the Ordinary Serum Foundation. Last year I apparently deemed it one of the best foundations I’ve ever used. I still really like this foundation and of the affordable foundations I have tried, this one is the least irritating and has the coverage I like – a solid light to medium coverage that just evens the skin tone.

The claims: “Serum Foundations are lightweight medium-coverage formulations available in a comprehensive shade range across 21 shades. These foundations offer moderate coverage that looks natural with a very lightweight serum feel. They are very low in viscosity and are dispensed with the supplied pump or with the optional glass dropper available for purchase separately if preferred. The pigments used in this format are treated for a rich, highly-saturated effect. These pigments are suspended in our proprietary spreadability system that allows pigments to look natural on the skin, resist collecting within fine lines and stay on for longer. The foundations offer a semi-matte finish and are compatible with most primers and are designed to work exceptionally well with the primers offering from The Ordinary”

This is definitely a lightweight feel and has solid medium coverage. As with most things, I love a foundation that feels light on the skin and doesn’t irritate my sensitive dry skin. I do find it is a hit or miss foundation for me depending on how dry my skin is. I find with more creamy moisturizers this sits nicely on my skin but if my moisturizer isn’t as hydrating then the foundation does adhere to my dry patches. This foundation wears nicely and lasts throughout my long days!

Price: $6.70. The price and formulation of this product is unbeatable. This, like many foundations I own, will stick to dry patches, but regardless of the price, this is such a nice formulation. I found in retrying this, it is still a lovely foundation but I find I do need to hydrate well before applying to avoid the product sticking to my dry patches.

Overall rating: 4/5 stars. Again, I dock a star for the way it sometimes sticks to dry patches. 80% of the time this performs without a hitch and does not stick to those pesky dry patches. If you want a lovely, affordable, non-irritating foundation this is the one for you. You can purchase this at well.ca or deciem.com

Kosas Tinted Face Oil Review

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For the second installment of our foundation week, I wanted to review the Kosas Tinted Face Oil. When I saw this brand landed at Sephora I knew I had to try this product. I saw Estee Lalonde use it, I saw JaimePaige use it (sadness she did not enjoy it) but I didn’t see too many other people talk about it. I thought this would be the perfect foundation for the cooler months so I decided to try it out.

Let’s start with the claims: A featherweight, light-coverage foundation and hydrating skin elixir in 10 shades that can be worn across 30 skin tones.

I don’t know how true the 30 skin tones is … but I will say this is a very sheer product and really just gives the skin a filter.

I think that this foundation is really lovely and dewy. This foundation wears surprisingly long. I found this lasted all day on me and survives the sweat. I do recommend for this hot summer weather but if you are doing to wear it, I would set it with a powder. Another pro to his product is it is clean at Sephora but this is a clean brand in general and I love that. It doesn’t make my skin itchy and takes a few seconds to apply making it a perfect work base product.

After application – living on the edge doing my makeup in a while t shirt

Application: This product applies great with fingers and a sponge. I don’t use brushes really at all to apply face products so I cannot speak to that. I use my fingers mostly for this product because I find it really warms up the product and sheers it out for that perfect dewy base that doesn’t make me look too greasy. In terms of how it feels on the skin, it does feel lightweight so much so that I can’t tell it’s on my skin when I’m wearing it.

Price: $55 CAD 30ml/1oz of product. Again, this is really pricey. I think this is worth it if you can afford it. I don’t like to recommend products that are too expensive, but in the case of this one it feels lovely on the skin and one I can see myself using on a more frequent basis than my more full coverage counterparts. Overall, I’m giving this foundation a 4/5 because it is one of the best “clean” foundations I’ve used and gives me that lovely dewy base I strive for on the daily.

IT Cosmetics CC Cream Illumination: Review

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The IT Cosmetics CC Cream is an iconic product. My mom loves it, influencers love it, but I wanted to get the illumination version. I read an article quite a while ago that a beauty editor wrote who said that when she wears this CC Cream and people always comment on how healthy and glowing her skin looks. I was sold. I promptly went to Sephora and purchased this product. I bought this back in March and I’ve worn it on and off since then. I have been able to wear it enough that I know my thoughts.

The claims: “Infused with proprietary Drops of Light Technology™ for a subtle touch of radiance, Your Skin But Better™ CC+Illumination™ Cream with SPF 50+ delivers full, flawless, perfect coverage and protects your skin with SPF 50+ UVA/UVB broad-spectrum physical sunscreen. Clinically shown to provide intense hydration, support improved appearance in skin texture, and enhance skin brightness without glitter or shimmer, this breakthrough color-correcting cream never creases or cracks and instantly camouflages imperfections, including dark spots. It’s formulated with an advanced antiaging serum made of hydrolyzed collagen, peptides, vitamins, and antioxidants that work in harmony to visually diminish the look of wrinkles and pores for a more luminous, supple, and flawless-looking complexion.

All of the claims of this are pretty accurate – however, the shimmer they claim isn’t in there is totally in there. But I love it. I find it’s not detectable on the skin once blended out and it creates a lovely luminous look. This is a full coverage CC Cream, compared to my beloved Andalou Naturals CC cream that has next to no coverage, the IT Cosmetics has a full coverage.

Application: My preferred method for application is a sponge. The sponge absorbs just enough product that it sheers out the coverage to my preferred light to medium coverage. If you don’t like a sheer coverage, this will definitely deliver that full coverage effect. This feels lightweight on the skin and doesn’t irritate my skin.

Price: $52 CAD for 32 ML or 1.08 oz. This is a steep price, however, I think if you enjoy a full coverage with all the skincare benefits of a CC cream this is the way to go. If it is in your price range then go for it.

Overall rating: I want to say a 4/5 stars simply because I don’t always like using a sponge and sometimes prefer to just use my fingers. When this is used with a finger application I find the coverage is a bit too full for me. I would also say a con to this product is the shade range. I do think we are in the era of Fenty but I also think it can be overwhelming for there to be so many shades so really it’s toss up depending on your skin tone. I think it’s great that they have expanded to 12 shades, but there is always room for improvement in terms of undertone!

Project Pan 6 by labour day update 1

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This update is a bit later than expected … but nonetheless I thought I would post it because these products are all quite hard pressed so it is difficult to see progress.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Bronzer

This bronzer is so hard pressed in the pan that showing progress is difficult. I find that I only need a tap of this so it will take awhile for any progress to be visible.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

I really love how glowy and fresh this blush makes my skin look. I really enjoy this formula and am hoping to see a dip in this by the end of the project. Alas, it does end in September but I will continue to use it.

NARS Highlighter

Too Face Sweet Peach

I really love palettes – but I have just not been reaching for this on a daily basis. I have been gravitating towards my liquid shadow from colourpop and my single cream shadows. I am focusing on the shade luscious but its a slow go!

Colourpop Supernova shadow

Like I said previously. This is a lovely eye shadow that I have been using daily. You can tell there has been some solid progress and I’m so happy with this shadow. I mix it with the Anastasia bronzer and then use this all over the lid.

Favourite Canadian Brands

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Whenever I find out about a brand, I always search to see if they are Canadian. I wanted to round up my top 3 brands that have Canadian roots.

Annabelle Cosmetics

This is a quintessential drugstore brand from Canada. Their eyeliners are popular, as are their bronzers. I have the bronzers, but one of my favorites products is the Annabelle highlighter and the Annabelle hydrating primer. These two products are what I love for a glowy day. I also enjoy their cream highlighter and their blushes. This is also one of the most affordable brands you can find at the drugstore.

Cheekbone Beauty

I LOVE this brand. The story is inspiring, the proceeds go to a great cause. I love their lipsticks and their highlighting palette. Their liquid lipsticks are named after inspirational and successful Aboriginal women each with their own story. What drew me to this brand was the story, please go read about it! I also like to use liquid lipsticks when I don’t want a reapplication but when I want a colour that lasts most of the day. Their liquid lipsticks don’t dry out the lips and come in a variety of amazing colours.

Nudestix

I enjoy this brand for many reasons. The first one is how easy and accessible it is in Canada. They make great highlighters, bronzers, and blushes that are all easy to apply. I’d like to try more of their items particularly their very first foundation launch. They are somewhat of a unique brand in that they do such user-friendly products even though arguably there are other user-friendly items on the market in this same form. There is something about the sleek black tubes and ease of use that draws me to the brand.

What Happened to my Skin after One Month of High End Makeup

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I said this would be up at the end of May beginning of June but here we are in July! Life got ahead of me, have no fear I still had my notes from the month of May and documented how my skin reacted in May. During the month of April, I did an entire month using drugstore makeup items. In the month of May I decided to use all high-end makeup. I used the It Cosmetics CC Cream, the Charlotte Tilbury Magic away concealer, the Kosas tinted face oil, the NARS highlighter and the Anastasia highlighter among a few other bits and bobs from my collection. I wanted to do this contrast to my previous project because I wanted to see: does your skin get a more positive effect from using high-end makeup versus drugstore makeup.

I switched up my foundations and used solely my Charlotte Tilbury Magic away concealer and the CoverFx duo. The main thing I noticed was my skin wasn’t as clogged as it previously was using the more inexpensive drugstore foundations (think the CoverGirl and Rimmel). I found that using the Kosas and the It Cosmetics my skin did not break out as much, but I did have some skin issues on my chin because (at least I think) my skin was recovering from its previous experiment. My skin definitely likes higher-end base products better than the least expensive side of the drugstore. I would like to do an experiment where I only use say $20 drugstore foundations (because that is what they are in Canada) and see what happens then because near the end based on my previous experiment where my skin vastly improved once I began using the more expensive foundations.

Perricone MD No Highlighter Highlight, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer , CoverFx peach duo

Now, the main difference I used what the way the products felt on my skin, in particular, the concealer and powder products. By the end of the day, my fave didn’t feel clogged. However, I was also playing with some other things in my life and so my chin spots persisted.

To be honest, my skin spots persisted on my chin, but my skin did not appear to have such a dramatic difference as it did in the drugstore makeup for a month. I don’t really know if this is attributed to the different ingredients or to fewer fillers and preservatives (presumably) in the makeup I used.

It Cosmetics CC Cream, Kosas Tinted Face Cream, Perricone MD No highlighter highlighter, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away concealer, CoverFX duo in Dirty Peach

Urban Decay Naked 3, Nudestix Matte eye pencil in Putty

For example, comparing the Kosas Tinted Face oil to my Maybelline BB Cream the ingredients are visibly different. This could be attributed to the fact that the BB Cream is not part of the clean at Sephora, but I would say that the It Cosmetics CC Cream has just as many or more ingredients than the Maybelline BB Cream and I don’t really know what to think about that. While I do find myself reaching for high-end products because I don’t feel that on my skin versus the drugstore products.

I can say, that by the end of the experiment my skin was good, but I do think I did these experiments a bit close together and did not let my skin fully heal from the foundations that did irritate it! I also added a few products in my skincare routine so it’s really a mystery.

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Project Pan Roulette: Intro

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I love panning products … and in an attempt to continue a trend of consciously using products I am going to do another project pan roulette! Thanks to Rebbecca and Alexy. I chose 9 categories. I have a few goals for this project and far warning, the work dip will make an appearance in each explanation. This project will end on Oct 15. Just to make it a short and sweet round.

Something you are afraid to Pan

I chose the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar bronze and glow. I know an ambitious goal. But I am trying to choose products that I’m loving currently and not force myself to use ones just to use them. I want to see some amount of progress.

Something you aren’t sure if you like

The Burt’s Bees BB Cream. This product ebbs and flows. Sometimes I love the finish and other times it looks cakey. I’d like to finish this! I know super ambitious but I think if I focus I can do it.

A product you bought online

The sublt beauty stack. OKAY IS THIS CHEATING. I don’t know. But I’m currently using this consistently so I decided to put it in this project. My goal is to make a dip in the concealer.

Something from a lesser known brand

Cheekbone beauty lip gloss is sundance. This is a lovely lip gloss. I’m talking it goes over the dryness and lines in your lips so nicely. I’d highly recommend this formula and this brand. I don’t know how to tell the progress in this product. So I’m just going to use it daily and see what happens.

A product in a palette

Again – am I cheating. Likely. But here I am. The taupe shade in the 100% Pure naked 2 palette is so pretty. It’s easy, not super pigmented and gives a slight amount of shiny pigment to the eye. I want to hit pan!

Something overrated

The makeup revolution concealer. This is so overrated. It also isn’t my favourite but I thought I would make an effort to use it!

An item from your favorite brand

Colourpop ringer. I do rather like colourpop – I drag them for the fast makeup they produce but yet, I continue to love their products and it is a brand that in my opinion, is affordable, has a wide shade range and unique products. I want to see a dip in this product.

Something you have considered decluttering

The B by Superdrug lip and cheek tint. I bought this last year in Europe and have since considered decluttering it purely because I wasn’t using it. I love the shade and the ease of use of this product and I would like to see some sort of dip by the end of this project.

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CoverFx Monochromatic Blush Duo Review

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Peach blushes get me (well blush in general but that is neither here nor there)… every single time. I’m just a peachy girl. I love peach lips, peach blushes, peach eyes, so when Coverfx came out with their monochromatic blush duos I felt the need to pick one up. Coverfx is a Canadian cruelty-free, Sephora certified clean brand, and thus far don’t have too much in the way of colour cosmetics, more sore foundations and primers etc. I haven’t really reviewed many powder products other than eyeshadow palettes so hopefully, this review is thorough enough.

My standard for blush is pretty low: I prefer a blush that isn’t super pigmented because I really like to swirl my brush in and pack it on. Think the hourglass blush formula and the mac sheer tone blushes. First, let’s go through the claims of this product: Formulated talc-free for a color-true, high-impact payoff, these blush duos include both a matte and a shimmer shade, each, for a monochromatic, multidimensional effect. Use each shade individually or layer them together to customize your finish”

This blush was a welcomed change, I bought it in soft peach. I really like to glow (as you may now if you follow me on insta I do quite a few glowy looks over there) and I love that glow on the apples of the cheeks. I find the shimmer in this can be built up or just spackled on for a bit glow on the skin. The matte side really packs a punch and creates a beautifully peach look. These also work on the eyes as well.

The packaging. This has lovely white, heavier packaging. It also has a huge mirror making it each for application.

Pricing: $50 CAD sold at Sephora for 14.5 g of product. This is definitely a lot of bang for your buck (or maybe not I don’t really know maths but it seems like it). I compared it to some of my other peach blushes, but alas these photos didn’t turn out and I couldn’t be bothered to reshoot since my weeks are super busy! This shade is definitely more of a nude peach compared to both my Burt’s Bees bare peach and my mac peach twist. I like that it leans a bit more beige than peach so I find it pairs well with a lot of looks.

Overall rating: 5/5 stars. This is like any other blush – but it lasts all day on my skin. I find that blush is something that my skin “eats” per se. And because this can be packed on and then fades nicely, it is the perfect daily blush for me. If you want a nice starter two in one product I would recommend this!

June Faves

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June has been such a lovely month. Many awesome things are happening, my room decorating is coming along and my career is slightly starting! I haven’t done a ton this month, lots of work and chilling, but I did discover a few lovely makeup items.

Pixi Delicate Dew Highlighting Duo

This is a lovely, glossy highlighter. It feels similar to the NARS Forte De France highlighter in terms of texture, and shines like it as well, but is a bit more subtle. Because I have a slight tan, even though it looks darkish in the pan, it gives a beautiful glow.

The Quo Colour Lust Lipstick in Gossip Session

This is a lovely lip colour. It feels very similar to the MAC Lustre Lipstick formula. This is a lovely peachy shade that lasts well and moisturizes the lips. It’s also buildable and a great work day lipstick that you can reapply without a mirror.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

This is a lovely cream shadow. I have had this before and it dried up and repurchased it. It is the perfect bronze shade and hardly creases. My mom complimented my eyeshadow and asked what it was, and I told her it was the Maybelline Colour Tattoo. This is a lovely sparkling shadow that is an easy slap on and go type of shade.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer

I love this concealer. It is expensive but it hardly creases. It is easy to spread out and doesn’t leave my skin feeling clogged under the eyes or on the face. It is a splurge item but for something I use every day, that takes a few seconds to blend out with fingers or whatever your preferred method is, it is worth it for me.

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Sephora Haul: Mini Reviews

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I did a bit of shopping over the past few months at good old Sephora. I have been near a Sephora about twice a month for the past 6 months for work training, and I always took the opportunity to do a little bit of a pop in at Sephora. I got a few of these products online (during the Sephora sale) and a few in store during my journey’s there. I wanted to do a few mini reviews rounding up my thoughts on these products. I will do some more in-depth reviews coming in the next month!

In Store Purchases

Mac Fix plus: This is an iconic product. I have heard on several makeup podcasts that its purpose is to not actually set your makeup but to refresh your skin and melt the powders together. I really like this, however, because it is not a setting spray it makes me miss my beloved Too Faced Hangover RX setting spray. This doesn’t irritate my skin and has a lovely scent.

Nudestix nudies matte in sunset strip: This was a YouTube made me buy it product. As soon as I saw Jamie Paige Beauty and Samantha Ravndahl use this, I knew I was going to “need” it in my collection. This is a lovely, coral blush that is the perfect summer flush (or any season flush). It is creamy, and while it claims its matte I don’t find it to be a flat matte, it is almost like the Physicians Formula butter blush in a cream stick version.

The Online VIB Sale Purchases

Clockwise: Kosas tinted face oil, Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar bronze and glow, Bite Beauty lip balm, Charlotte Tilbury Magic away concealer, Coverfx matte and shimmer blush duo

CoverFx Matte and Shimmer blush duo: This duo, again, something I saw on Instagram and it immediately piqued my interest. I love the idea of having the option of using a shimmer or matte blush or layering them. I also like to use these on my eyes as well. Full review and comparison coming soon!

close up of charlotte tilbury filmstar bronze and glow

The Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow: This has been on my list of things to get for YEARS. Since I saw Allanarama use this back in 2016 I have been eyeing it ever since. Now, that Charlotte Tilbury is finally in Sephora (and I finally could justify this in my budget) I bought it. This is a lovely product. The sculpt shade is the perfect contour without being too grey that I feel I can wear on its own or paired with bronzer. The highlighter is beautiful and glowy, without being metallic or glittery. This is the perfect palette for work!

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away concealer: Oh mama. This concealer. Is. Magic. See what I did there? This concealer creases so minimally and spreads out so easily while maintaining excellent coverage, I don’t know if I ever want to go back to any other concealer… although you know me I’ll always be trying more. However, I think that this is going to be my new holy grail concealer … it’s just lovely!

Kosas Tinted Face Oil: This has mixed reviews from various sources. However, I really like this. It does tend to look greasy so I usually set my t zone when using this. I was concerned that this may break down on my skin but honestly, it lasts really nicely throughout the day. I don’t recommend this if you already have oily skin, but if you have normal to dry skin this is a lovely light coverage base. Full review to come!

Bite Beauty Agave and Daytime Lip Balm: I got this because I needed a good lip balm. This is nice, but I find that it doesn’t really hydrate my lips as much as I thought it would. I wear this in the morning as I’m doing my makeup. I find that my favourite lip balm is still the Fresh one in terms of actually hydrating my lips. I will use this up but I’m not sure if I would repurchase this!

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Beauty Minimalism as a Beauty Blogger

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Beauty minimalism is something I wanted to talk about. I think the definition of minimalism is very personal but is tied with surrounding yourself with things that you genuinely love. The way I want to talk about the idea of minimalism from a beauty standpoint is discussing release fatigue. Basically release fatigue is when you are tired of brands releasing and releasing product (looking at you Colourpop). This is my daily struggle: my content that does well is reviews and hauls, and what else do you review than a new product? However, I battle between wanting maybe one or two products of each makeup category to loving trying and buying new products. I wanted to share some thoughts I have about release fatigue and the over-consumption (me included) of the beauty industry.

According to an article I found on the Allure website- over 3,000 women were surveyed by skinstore and found that women in the united states spend $300,000 on their face over a lifetime. A LIFETIME. I have never counted or added up the value of makeup collection mostly because I could porbably pay a large chunk of my OSAP. When you are not into beauty or skincare to this number is probably terrifying and the amount of makeup I personally own is probably mind boggling – however it is my only hobby that costs me money so I think somehow it balances out! But, to think about numbers like $300,000 shows how much the beauty industry is growing.

I think my biggest gripe with the beauty industry right now is how much companies are releasing. If you take a look at Trendmood’s Instagram you can see photo after photo of new products and new brands – which is great but can be overwhelming. NARS, Colourpop, Morphe are a few of the brands that I’ve noticed have been releasing collection after collection, MAC has always done those limited collections so I don’t get sick of their collections because in my humble opinion I feel like brands have tried to emulate that. I think my main issue is it feels like brands are capitalizing on trends and targeting consumers so they will buy more and feed into capitalism (which again obviously I do this too). However, I think that brands that curate well (like Glossier) do so strategically for marketing purposes. I think Glossier, and Hourglass are a few brands do well with having releases every 3 months or so making it less overwhelming for consumers. When brands like Colourpop (who I will admit don’t compromise quality) release a collection every which way I feel like for the average consumer this can get overwhelming. Even for me, an avid lover of the brand, it can just get overwhelming.

When I say overwhelming I say this for one reason: that someone new to makeup is just going to buy this affordable makeup and then not realize what they actually like. Am I speaking from experience? Yes. Yes, I am. When you first discover the world of beauty YouTube you just want to try everything and that means buying inexpensive products that either don’t work for you or you bought to try because you saw your fave person using or like me you use it once and realize its not your makeup style. Now I’m not saying Colourpop doesn’t make some of my favorite products or in fact doesn’t make products I use on the daily they are merely a good example of a brand that releases collections twice monthly. In fact most of the time I find myself gravitating towards my colourpop items because they are so good – however it is the best example I personally have in my Instagram feed of new releases.

What is the point of this post? I think my point is that I strive to be more intentional with my purchases. At the beginning of 2019 I bought a million drugstore products that didn’t “spark joy” as Marie Kondo would say (still need to read the book and will do so this summer) and then finding myself not gravitating towards drugstore makeup but using my high-end and boutique makeup (like the body shop). I think the other thing for me about trying to not buy makeup is to not buy it as an excuse for “research” for the blog. I built the beginning of this blog on drugstore beauty which I will never not lover but more and more when I picture my “ideal” collection it consists of high-end makeup with some drugstore and boutique brands spackled in there. While I don’t ever see myself losing the drugstore/affordable side of my blog I do think that because the beauty industry has boomed so much I want to start doing quality over quantity as well as treating ALL my purchases with more thought.

I also think that I struggle with the fun of trying new makeup and being creative with only owning what I need. For example, as a blogger, I love finding dupes for holy grail products which then means I am feeding into the mass market to try new things to help my readers find alternatives! Alas, the balancing act continues!

What are your thoughts on beauty minimalism as a beauty blogger?

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Drugstore Hero Products

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From my month of only wearing drugstore makeup I discovered quite a few lovely drugstore products. I wanted to share some drugstore products that are sort of hero products in my collection. This was also in part inspired by Mariah Leonard. Stay tuned this month for a “what happened to my skin when I used high end makeup for a month”.

Joe Fresh powder highlighter. Again, another gem from the Canadian drugstore. This is such a nice subtle highlighter that creates a beautiful glow on the skin. I thought this might be too icy for my liking but it is a nice neutral highlighter for my skintone.

Annabelle Matte bronzer. This is a really nice matte bronzer. It is a spot on dupe for the Anastasia powder bronzer. I love how this warms up the skin without being orange. Definitely a must have if you visit a Canadian drugstore.

Burt’s bees blush in Bare Peach. This is one of the best blushes I own. It is pigmented but fades quickly so I like going ham with it and taking it up on my temples for a more peachy look and it tones itself down by the time you are done the rest of makeup.

L’Oreal Blush in bare honey. Another great neutral blush from the drugstore. This is a lovely warm blush.

Burt’s Bees multi-sticks. These were sent to me by topbox cirlce in exchange for a review. I love these products. Glossy glowy goodness that creates a lovely dewy moment on the cheeks.

L’Oreal stick foundation. This is an awesome full coverage yet lightweight foundation from the drugstore. Again, not really drugstore priced, as its $19 CAD. It blends out easily and does not irritate my skin.

Burt’s Bees goodness glows foundation. This foundation was something that I did not life before – and I still do have a bit of hard time working with it in terms of blending it out and blending it into the skin. However, I found that using this with a good moisturizer and a good hydrating primer it works wonderfully. I also like that it is clean ingredients so I do hope they expand their shade range.

Annabelle hydrating illuminating veil. This is a lovely hydrating primer that I would repurchase. It is pearly without being glittery and creates a lovely dewy base that works well under any foundation.

Joe Fresh concealer. I love this concealer. It is from a Canadian brand and it has light coverage but covers just enough under the eye so you look awake.

Maybelline Age rewind. The Maybelline Age Rewind concealer is perhaps on of the best concealers I’ve ever tried … including the Charlotte Tilbury concealer except I would still repurchase both. The Maybelline Age Rewind concealer is light weight but full coverage and has great lasting power.

Revlon Candid Concealer. This is a lovely medium coverage concealer. This is eons better than the Too Faced Born This Way sculpting concealer (which has grown on me) but nonetheless this is a lot less expensive and is easier to blend out!

Colourpop eyeshadow in cornelious. These supershock shadows are awesome in general. They are easy to wear one wash wonders that are easy on the daily.

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Cheekbone Beauty Brand Review

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You know me – I love trying new brands and discovering new brands especially ones with a Canadian background and brands for a cause. When I listened to the breaking beauty podcast with the found of Cheekbone Beauty Jenn Harper, who is an Indigenous woman from Thunder Bay. I was so excited that finally a brand with a great cause. The founder herself strives to educate people on Residential schools and its impact on generations of Indigenous people. The brand supports the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (FNCFCS). You need to read about this brand – it is literally makeup that advocates. The founder of this brand is also extremely inspiring! They also have great customer service – when you order she emails you and says thank you for supporting. Their lip kits on the website also donate 100% of the profits go to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society.

You can buy this brand on cheekbonebeauty.ca. I bought three products: their stardust highlighting palette, their warrior women liquid lipstick and their lip gloss!

Let’s start with their most iconic product: their warrior women liquid lipsticks. These retail for $29 CAD. I got the shade Melina. The cool thing about this lipstick collection is they are named after indigenous activists. This is directly from their website: “Melina was named after an Indigenous Rights advocate from the Lubicon Cree First Nation in Alberta, Canada, Melina Laboucan-Massimo. Melina has been a vocal advocate for Indigenous rights for the past 10 years and is a Climate and Energy Campaigner with Greenpeace Canada. Melina has also produced short documentaries on water issues as well as Indigenous cultural revitalization”. The liquid lipstick in this collection is a lovely velvet matte formula. I find they are similar to the NYX Soft Matte Lip creams but have better pigment and last longer. I find I can put this lipstick on and it lasts literally all day.

The lipgloss is also a lovely formula.The lipgloss retails for $24CAD. I don’t usually go for a colored lipgloss but the colour sundance spoke to me as I love coral. This is a lovely non-sticky formula that somehow lasts quite awhile.

The Stardust highlighting palette is perhaps one of my favourite products. The highlighter palette retails for $48CAD. The highlighters in this are a bit dark for my skin tone but I find with a light hand and mixing the lightest one with the gold one they give such a nice glow. They aren’t metallic but still gives a lovely sheen and glow to the skin.

The swatches:

Liquid Lipstick in Melina, Lip gloss in Sundance

Swatches of the stardust highlighting palette

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Makeup Revolution Reloaded vs. Naked Heat

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In the past, I have been skeptical of the brand makeup revolution because of its reputation of blatantly copying other brands best selling products accept selling them at extremely affordable prices. Now, I have just managed to get my hands on this because orabel beauty sells the brand. Makeup Revolution is a brand from the United Kingdom and is cruelty-free. I wanted to compare this palette to my much loved naked heat palette. This is very clearly made to dupe the urban decay palette but makeup revolution has sneakily added a few more shades so it’s not a blatant copy like their makeup revolution golden bar whose packaging couldn’t be more obvious that they are trying to copy Too Faced. On one hand, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this because they are copying another brand, but on the other hand, I think makeup and makeup trends should be accessible and that is what makeup revolution gives to consumers. In any case, I wanted to compare the two palettes because I love warmed tones and couldn’t resist testing it out. After the disappointment of their concealer, I wanted to try a few other items form the brand.

First the claims on each: Time to get RELOADED! Our 15 shade eyeshadow palettes that are bound to pack a punch at an affordable price. Warm burnt shades for lovers of orange and burgandys, in a variety of matte and shimmer shades. Highly pigmented, long-wearing, smooth and blendable eyeshadow shades that will keep you on trend all year round. The price of this palette is 9.99 CAD on orabel.ca. Orabel is a great website to find makeup that isn’t easily accessible in Canada. The shipping was super fast too!

The naked heat claims: Urban Decay’s Naked Heat features all-new, amber-hued neutrals—including warm browns, burnt oranges, and rich siennas. Each shade features Urban Decay’s Pigment Infusion System™, a proprietary blend of ingredients that gives each shade its velvety texture, rich color, ultimate staying power, and blendability” . This palette is currently $66.00.

As you can see, these to have a similar description in that it is a warm-toned palette but the makeup revolution one does not blatantly state that it is duping and after all brands are free to create warm toned palettes as long as no copy writing is being infringed upon. I think that these have similar vibes.

The Comparison

The biggest differences I see in these palettes are the density of the shadows. The mattes and shimmers in the makeup revolution ones feel thinner than the naked heat shadows and apply with less pigment. The same goes for the shimmers, the ones in the makeup revolution palette are quite similar to the naked heat but again, the naked heat ones to pack a bit more of punch.

MR means Makeup Revolution and UD means Urban Decay

I think that price wise the makeup revolution palette is a nice affordable option for that same warm vibe that the naked heat gives you. The naked heat really for me, steals my heart in that I am an avid lover of the naked series. While I don’t own the newest one, as a collector of these particular palettes I would always choose the naked over the makeup revolution. Now, the lack of pigmentation in the matte shadows in the makeup revolution reloaded is actually welcomed so that you don’t overdo it and it doesn’t require as much blending to diffuse the colour as I enjoy doing in all my eyeshadow looks. However, I’d say if you have a darker skin tone then you would have to build up the mattes in the reloaded palette quite a bit.

The application

Right is urban decay and left is Makeup Revolution

The application of the naked heat vs. the makeup revolution is different. The naked heat packs a punch essentially right away whereas with the makeup revolution I find you have to build it up a bit more to get that full opacity. I created two similar looks here. The makeup revolution also did not last as long as the naked heat after a 12 hour day. Granted what I used for primer was a matte foundation and even when I have worn the makeup revolution palette with a sticky primer they tend to fade more than the naked heat.

Is this a “dupe”

In the makeup world a dupe is a duplicate, generally intended to be a more affordable version of the high end version. In all cases of duping, this is a colour dupe if anything. The Makeup Revolution Reloaded palette definitely has similar shade colours, but the formula is very different. I think that is a great dupe and if you want that naked heat warm vibe this is a great affordable alternative!

Drugstore Concealer Round up

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Because I’m not sent anything, I obviously do not have EVERY drugstore concealer on the market for this post. However, I have quite a few concealers I’ve been collecting over the past 7 months, FOR SCIENCE. I wanted to give mini-reviews on each. I think it’s helpful to have a reference point for something that most people use in their daily lives, makeup lover or not. I ranked these concealers into three categories: the top, the middle and the bottom. Basically, the ones I love, the middle pack are ones that are alright and I may repurchase, and the bottom category are the concealers that I would not repurchase. Most of these are super similar from the top 5 to the middle pack, but I wanted to give the low down on why I love the ones I do and why I am not a fan of some others. I would eventually like to do this again with maybe high end or different concealers from the same brand! Who knows, those ideas are always brewing.

The Top Five

Photo of: revlon youth fx, collection lasting perfection, Joe Fresh illuminating, Maybelline Fit Me, Maybelline Age Rewind

Me wearing the maybelline age rewind — Maybelline Age Rewind

Maybelline age rewind. This has a newly expanded shade range so I feel more comfortable recommending this than say, the Annabelle or collection lasting perfection. This concealer is lightweight yet covers up dark circle in no time. It doesn’t look heavy under the eyes and stays all day. I have yet to find another concealer (other than at the moment the charlotte tilbury concealer) that is as good as this one.

Me wearing the Joe Fresh illuminating concealer — Joe Fresh Illuminating Concealer

The Joe fresh illuminating concealer. When I first tried this I didn’t use eye cream and I thought it was a drying concealer and gave it to my girl Kaitlin, who loved it. So since she loved it I decided about a year later to repurchased, at which point I had forayed into an eye cream. This is a beautiful light coverage concealer. I love the effect it gives my under eyes. The biggest con is there aren’t many shades, you’ll see this is a recurring theme in this post. This is a Canadian brand you can buy this at Loblaws and Superstore.

Me wearing collection lasting perfection concealer — Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

Collection lasting perfection concealer. WHY IS THIS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE UK????? This is such great, full coverage, lightweight concealer. I really enjoy this. It blends out easily and brightens up your undereye in a non extremely stark way. However, again a huge drawback to a lot of these concealers is the shade range. Selfishly this work – but the drugstore needs to step up its game!

ME wearing the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer — Maybelline Fit Me

Maybelline Fit Me concealer. This is yet another amazing concealer from Maybelline. I also used this quite early on in my makeup years, and again I thought it was super drying and didn’t look nice under my eyes. Then I learned some makeup tips and rebought this for this post.

Revlon youth fx concealer. This concealer is very similar to the Maybelline age rewind. It is lightweight and has a lovely satin finish under the eye. I used this up awhile so it is an empty so alas I don’t have a photo for you. I would 100% repurchase this! Again shade range …

The middle pack

Left to right: NYX HD, L'Oreal True Match, Rimmel Lasting Breathable, Revlon Candid Concealer, Annabelle Concealer

Me wearing the Annabelle concealer — Annabelle Perfect Concealer

Annabelle perfect concealer. This is a great concealer from a Canadian brand. The shade range is such drawback. Even the shade I got isn’t necessarily what I would classify as fair light but alas it does match my skin tone so I usually just mix it if I want a brightening effect. I like this on those days I don’t want super brightened under eyes and want a nice light – medium coverage.

Me wearing the Revlon Candid Concealer — Revlon Candid Concealer

Revlon candid concealer. I really like this concealer. It is only in the middle of the pack because really this is on the same level for me as the Annabelle. I like the finish of this. It is has a nice satin finish under the eyes and lasts all day.

Me wearing the L'Oreal True Match concealer — L’Oreal True Match Concealer

L’Oreal true match concealer. This concealer has similar vibes to the Maybelline age rewind. It really creates that brightened under eye effect which isn’t always the vibe I’m going for but I find it has very nice coverage. I think if I were to repurchase I would get one shade up to match me a bit more for a less brightened effect.

Me wearing the NYX HD Wand — NYX HD Concealing Wand

NYX HD concealing wand. This concealer was just okay for me. It has a pretty good shade range, but I find its a bit thick on my under eye. I find that by the end of the day this almost balls up instead of staying looking semi fresh until the end of a work day which is something I look for in concealer.

Me wearing the Rimmel Breathable Concealer — Rimmel Lasting 25 Hour Breathable Concealer

Rimmel lasting 25 hour breathable concealer. This isn’t the best… some days it works really well and other days it does not work at all. This concealer is difficult to blend out and it doesn’t wear well throughout the day.

The bottom pack

Left to Right: Elf Beautifully Bare, Makeup Revolution Concealer, Colourpop Concealer

Me wearing the colourpop no filter concealer — Colourpop No Filter Concealer

Colourpop no filter concealer. I know this is in my bottom three but I simply cannot make this work. I feel like this is a polarizing concealer, either people love it or leave it. I like to mix this in with concealers that are a bit of a darker shade if I want that brightening effect but on its own it is too stark for my liking. It has nice coverage but I find that even when I set it – it faded throughout the day.

Me wearing the makeup revolution concealer — Makeup Revolution Concealer

Makeup revolution. This was the same vibe as the Colourpop but a bit more full coverage and a better shade match. This concealer is only at the bottom of the pack because I just don’t enjoy how much this creases throughout the day. This does last better throughout the day than the Colourpop.

Me wearing the Elf beautifully bare concealer — Elf Beautifully Bare

Elf beautifully bare. I really wanted to like this but it just did not work for me. This has a waxy texture, and faded almost right away even when I set it with powder. It also kind of balled up b the end of the day which isn’t my favourite!

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Current Favourite Nude Lipsticks

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I did one of these posts last year outlining some of my favourite nude lipsticks that I wore pretty much on the daily. I love nude lips and they are pretty much the only colour I wear, other than coral. I used to be very into mauves and purples but right now my makeup style is more the coral and nude lips route. I wanted to give you all an update on my current faves that I’ve been rotating between!

Burt’s bees suede splash

A repeat from last year. This is a slightly darker nude for my skin tone but works with most makeup looks I create. It is a beige nude that has a hint of rose.

Covergirl sultry sienna

This is such a lovely shade of lipstick. I find that it is the perfect my lips but better shade. It is only a shade darker than my natural lip color. I also really like the smell of these lipsticks.

Cheekbone beauty Melina

A new favourite that I have been wearing pretty much every day since I got this. The Cheekbone beauty liquid lipstick in Melina. What a lovely, matte but not drying everyday lipsticks. This has a peachy rose undertone and lasts forever on the lips without crumbling off like other liquid lipsticks I’ve used in the pasts. It also has a great meaning behind it (more to come in my cheekbone beauty brand review I’m just slow). Again, this is my lips but better shade as are most of the ones in this blog post.

Clockwise from the bottom: Fenty Gloss balm, Burt's Bees Peony Dew, pixi natural rose lip balm

Fenty gloss bomb

The Fenty gloss bomb is definitely my go-to gloss for any day of the week. It has a rose gold shift that doesn’t make my lips looks strange like many true nude glosses make my lips look. I can wear this on its own or layer it.

Burt's Bees Peony Dew laying beside Fenty Gloss

Pixi lip balm in Natural Rose

Covergirl Sultry Sienna beside Pixi natural rose lip balm

This is lovely hydrating lip product. It is exactly what it sounds like, a rose lip balm. This lip product is easy to wear and has a lovely hydrating finish. AGAIN this is my lips but better shade for me. It fades nicely and lasts quite a long time.

Burt’s bees Peony Dew

This is part of their glossy finish lipstick. It is a bit pinker than it’s counterparts. It has a rose pink base but still fits into the nude category for me on my lips. I find the natural shade of my lips pulls pinky purple so this one fits into the nude lip category for me.

Swatches of the lipsticks: Left to right Left to right: Fenty Gloss, Burt's Bee Peony Dew, Pixi Natural Rose, Burt's Bees Suede Splash, Cheekbone beauty Melina, Covergirl Sulty Sienna — Left to right: Fenty Gloss, Burt’s Bee Peony Dew, Pixi Natural Rose, Burt’s Bees Suede Splash, Cheekbone beauty Melina, Covergirl Sulty Sienna

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6 by Labour Day Project Pan

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I love project pans and wanted to start another (actually I have been using these since May 1) but am just late on posting these items. Usually, the classic labour day project pan is a 7 by labour day but I wanted to do 6 as to not have too many things on my plate. This project will end of September 2 so it is a Spring-Summer project.

Too Faced Sweet Peach

The first item I chose was the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, particularly the shade luscious and summer yum because I use those shades quite often. This is a lovely palette that I generally use in the spring anyway so I decided to throw it in this project.

NARS Forte De France

The second item in this project is one of my favourite highlighters. The NARS highlighter in the shade Forte De France. Quite honestly, I don’t think I will hit pan on this but I do think I have a shot since it does have an existing dip from being in previous projects.

Hourglass blush in incandescent Electra

This is such a lovely blush that it is so easy to wear. It doesn’t have a ton of peach in it but the marbling makes for a nice effect on the skin. I want to see this dip significantly in the next few months.

Anastasia Bronzer in Tawny

This is a lovely matte bronzer and has a nice finish. This does pull red and I like to be light handed with it. I don’t see this hitting pan but I want to use it as much as possible. If you are interested in a full review you can read it here.

The ELF plumping lip gloss in Champagne

I chose this lip gloss because it seemed like one of the easier things to pan. Every time I use it, the product goes down a bit more and the progress is visible.

The Colourpop Supernova Shadow in Running Orbits

I chose this for the project because it also has some progress already. It creates a lovely glittery eye and is super easy to use. I don’t find this creases easily and it makes me look “put together” quickly. I even wear this in a light layer during the day and I love it!

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What Happened to My skin After only Using Drugstore Makeup for Month

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In the name of science, I decided that for the month of April I would use all drugstore makeup for a month. In doing so I kept all my project pan items the same – such as the body shop foundation which is mid-range as well as my pan that palette, palettes, but other than that I switched out my normal high and low routine, for all drugstore affordable products. I Kept my skincare routine basically the same. I did get two new cleansers and a new moisturizer. I also added a new face oil, but that only made my skin feel better. I wanted to say that normally I switch between the IT Cosmetics CC cream and the Benefit foundation as well as my Body shop foundation and my Andalou Naturals cc cream, with a smattering of the Maybelline BB Cream in there. I know – I keep it wild. My reasoning for this project was mainly for the foundations. I wanted to see what would happen to my skin if I used only drugstore foundations, powders, concealers for a month. Mostly – I was curious about the effects of the wide range of foundations I owned price wise.

My skin before the whole experiment taken on April 1st.

Joe fresh concealer and Burt's Bees Goodness Glows foundation product shot

Day 2: new pimples have popped up. Literally, the day after I began using the Covergirl Outlast Active foundation I got new spots. This is the thing – I wanted to make a more inexpensive drugstore foundation work which I why I used the CoverGirl and the Rimmel breathable foundation for the first half of the month. But, my skin just did not react well. Which is extremely frustrating because makeup should be accessible and affordable and not give your skin wild reactions. While most young people have great skin and don’t need foundation, I am fully aware that teenagers want to wear foundation and yet the foundations they can afford are clogging their sweet young pores.

By day 3 I had sprouted new friends on my chin. Alas, I was still using the CoverGirl and Rimmel foundation. I had bought the ELF BB Cream which I actually quite like and doesn’t irritate my skin so that will be on my rotation for after May. I noticed an improvement after I started using the BB Cream and then just using concealer.

Day 15 – a bit more congested than usual, lots of redness and spots.

Physicians formula butter high lighter, bronzer, blush.

By day 15, halfway through the month my skin was visibly more textured and had small breakouts – bare in mind when I used the Burt’s bees foundation for my skin drastically improved. When I returned to the Maybelline BB cream and Covergirl foundation my skin then turned slightly red and those small breakouts returned. At this point, I decluttered the Rimmel and Covergirl foundations that I knew were causing this and switched to only using the Maybelline BB Cream, and the Burt’s Bees Foundation.

The Last day of the experiment. A few spots but looking a lot less congested

At the end of the month, you can see that my skin had improved – there are a few uncharacteristic spots around my mouth and on my forehead that I never get. However, this was only because I was gifted the Burt’s Bees foundation that is a clean foundation and I bought the Physicians formula healthy foundation that is $20 CAD which resulted in my skin healing. I also was using my L’Oreal shaping stick foundation that has never irritated my skin and is also $20 CAD. As someone who loves affordable makeup but also loves skincare, it is interesting to see the difference in using more expensive products from the drugstore that give my skin a better reaction than that of the less expensive foundations you can find at the drugstore.

L'Oreal shaping stick and Maybelline Instant age rewind

This experiment really taught me the value of ingredients in foundations. CoverGirl by far had the most ingredients but that doesn’t mean they aren’t bad – it just means my skin might react to those differences but other peoples skin might be totally fine. What I did find was that the drugstore does concealer formula’s very well. I know in theory they should be similar formulas to foundations but I found that the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind and the Joe Fresh illuminating concealer were wonderful.

In the name of science, my conclusion is that my skin prefers higher end base products but can handle the powders at the drugstore which tend to not give my skin a reaction – however, I do use the more expensive drugstore products so that is defiantly a factor.

Look out for the end of May when I post about my high-end makeup every day and see the results of my skin then!

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April Favourites Revisited

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I have seen a few content creators do this type of post/video. I think that beautywithemilyfox was the first person I saw do this type of post. I wanted to revisit my favourites from a year ago (some of these are the same products) and see if I still like them and if I still use them. This is a good way, not only to see if my makeup taste has changed but also to see just how long products can last when you don’t use them as consistently as someone who only owns one highlighter and one foundation.

Thayers lavender toner

This is still one of my favourite toners. I find that it is very gentle and has a lovely light lavender scent. I find that it keeps my skin hydrated and balances it quite nicely. It also keeps spots at bay.

NARS forte De France highlighter

I still adore this highlighter. This was one of my first, other than the balm Mary Lou Manizer, high-end highlighters. I love how smooth the formula is and that as a powder, it looks glossy on the cheeks. It has not turned me into the Anna Edit yet but alas I love the glow it gives.

Caudalie essence

This product has changed my skin. I love it. It is a gentle hydrating yet chemically exfoliating product. It has a lovely scent because of Caudalie’s iconic grape water that also adds that boost of hydration. I highly recommend this if you have sensitive skin and want a chemical exfoliant. I put some on my hands and then pat it into my skin.

Lush Karma perfume

This has been living in my travel bag/my purse, hence why it isn’t in the photos. I still love this scent. It is rather strong but doesn’t last all day so I can justify putting quite a bit on and then it usually fades by the time I come into contact with other humans. This is a patchouli based scent and is rather warm but also citrusy. This isn’t usually a scent I would go for but I do like warm scents and fresh scents. I would definitely get the spray once I run out of the solid!

Top shop jeans

Ah, the classic jeans. Friends, these no longer fit me. These are real, no stretch, 100% cotton jeans so I gained maybe an inch on my waist and they no longer do up! I still own them, not in hopes that I will lose weight, but because if I ever did I don’t have to buy new pairs … I know my mom would say “if you did lose weight you’d want new jeans” which might be true, but for me, these were such a staple in my wardrobe I can see them becoming a staple as I do more cardio and body weight workouts!

The Body Shop Fresh Nude foundation

Since buying this last year it has become one of my holy grail foundations. It has a lovely satin finish and looks skin like on the skin. It builds very nicely but also looks lovely sheered out in an even layer. I tend to use half a pump and put it on the parts of my face that I feel need a bit of evening out. There definitely isn’t enough shades in this range. Selfishly I really like this because I have my shade and it doesn’t irritate my skin. I hope they come out with even more on the darker end of the scale because right now its a 50 shades of beige situation.

A word on Decluttering

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Decluttering is something I’ve always struggled with, whether its clothes, books, random things from my childhood or makeup. It is something I really want to get better at and I’ve been pretty good with clothes. If it doesn’t fit, it’s donated, if it’s broken, it’s fixed or I fix it then I donate it. With makeup and with having a blog, I find myself acquiring items for posts, for comparison, because of hype and then never using it again … or consistently reaching for something else over it because it suits my current makeup style more. All of the items in this post are items I’ve decided to declutter. They are all great products. They are all beautiful on the skin and easy to use, but they just aren’t getting the use they deserve in my collection. Many of these items also dupe items in my collection so as with other areas in my life, I wanted to pare it down.

I am decluttering a lot of ELF products … ELF is a great brand, one of my favorite drugstore brands but I find that the items I own from them dupe other ones and that was mostly the purpose I bought them, for posts I never got around to writing. For example, their pressed highlighter dupes pretty much any other gold/champagne highlighter in my collection. So I decided it was time to part with it. Same with the Wet n wild and Maybelline master chrome. These are both wonderful metallic see from space highlighters, but again they are similar to ones that already exist in my collection and those cover that metallic look when I’m in the mood for it. I am also finally decluttering blushed gems from ELF because while it’s beautiful, I just have others that are a similar shade. The essence highlighting stick is a lovely cream highlighter I included in last years underrated drugstore products, but again I just haven’t used this as much as I should so alas it shall find a better home. I’m also decluttering one bronzer, which was also in my underrated drugstore products. This is underrated and it is a beautiful bronzer, but it’s just not getting the use in my collection it deserves.

highlighter clockwise: ELF shimmering skin highlighter, essence prism highlighter, Maybelline master chrome highlighter, ELF baked highlighter in blushed gems, Wet n wild highlighter in blossom glow.

Clockwise: ELF prism palette in bronze, Joe Fresh neutrals, Illamasqua palette, ELF baked eyeshadow, Essence eyeshadow stick in mauve.

I’m also decluttering 5 eyeshadow products. A single eyeshadow from ELF that is great, I just find myself gravitating towards other purples in my collection as well as the ELF prism eyeshadows in the bronze. I love this, but I also have the Maybelline rooftop bronzes that have a few more shades I use more than this one. I’m also, which I didn’t think I would, am decluttering the Joe Fresh neutrals palette. I KNOW. I barely used this since I bought it last year … so I’ve decided it’s time for it to go. I find myself gravitating towards more warm neutrals and pinks so alas it is time for it to find a new home.

Blushes left to right: Milani Luminoso, ELF Berry Merry, Annabelle, ELF Twinkle Pink blush

We have four blushes and one cream blush. Again, these are all similar shades I have in my collection in other formulas that have been getting more use than these ones. My mom has already taken all the blushes so it was easy to find them a new home! As for the cream blush, I bought this for a post that never happened … so I decided it was time to finally get rid of it.

Left to right: the ordinary coverage foundation, Maybelline stick foundation.

I am also getting rid of two of foundations in my collection. One is the Ordinary coverage foundation. I simply don’t prefer this one compared to the serum. This one isn’t drying at all, I just gravitate towards the serum one because I can easily slap it on. The Maybelline SuperStay Foundation stick. The one I wanted to love, but the one that was just too drying for my skin. I decided to part with it because I prefer the L’Oreal shaping stick.

My point of this post is that decluttering makeup is hard, especially as a blogger. I almost feel like when I declutter something, it was either intended for a post I never got around to making or something I reviewed and it fell by the wayside. I’m trying to strike a balance between new products and shopping my stash and creating blog posts to create content.

Earth toned makeup look

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I have always been a fan of earth-toned makeup, while this could have been a green look or a blue look I don’t tend to buy lots of colours so I decided in honour of earth day I wanted to create earth-toned look. I want to acknowledge that the beauty industry is a wasteful industry, packaging, advertising, etc. I constantly buy products in packaging and find myself buying before completely using something up. In any case, I didn’t buy any new products for this makeup look, I used what I had and what is more fitting for an earth-toned look than the Milani earthy elements palette.

The eyes

me wearing the palette and entire makeup look

First I started with the light brown transition shade in the crease focusing it on the outer corner of my eye. I then built that shade up slightly more. After that I added the orange shade on the outer corner, really blending it into the skin. I then took the fun gold shade and padded it all over the lid. I really like this palette because it is so easy to us and while you can only get a few different looks out of it, it never fails me.

Base Products

Milani Romantic Rose Blush, Maybelline dream fresh bb cream, L'Oreal True Match Mulit use concealer, Annabelle Hydrating illuminating veil, Rimmel Kate Sculpting contour kit

I used the Maybelline dream fresh BB cream in a light layer over the Annabelle hydrating illuminating veil. I then used the L’Oreal true match multi-use concealer I then used my project pan bronzer in the Rimmel contour kit. It’s a nice warm-toned glowy bronzer. I also wanted to use one of the most neutral blushes in my collection and that is the Milani brush in romantic rose. I forgot to photograph the highlighter I used but it was the physician’s formula butter highlighter in the shade pearl.

The lip

The whole inspiration for this look was the Maybelline made for all lipstick in spice for me. This is a warm toned terracotta lipstick that I think works for any season.

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Updated Underrated Drugstore Products

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Flatlay - clockwise from the left: Burt's Bees Tahitian sunset, Joe Fresh powder lip product, Joe Fresh concealer, Physicians formula butter highlighter, Annabelle Chrome eyeshadow in rose gold, Annabelle bouncy eyeshadow in booty shake.

Last year around this time I did an underrated products at the drugstore post. I outlined some of the products I think need some more love in the community and I stand true to that now. I have actually decided to part with almost all of the items in that post purely because they just weren’t getting the use they deserve in my collection. They are still underrated and I highly recommend them but they are kind of like those jeans I wear sometimes, but not enough to justify owning anymore. I do think though, that as I have progressed both financially and my makeup style has changed as well as my skin has changed, I do find myself gravitating towards brands that are mid range to high end or the more expensive drugstore brands like Burt’s Bees and Physicians Formula. In any case, by the poll I did on my Instagram you all wanted to see an updated underrated drugstore products

Annabelle chrome eyeshadow and Annabelle bouncy eyeshadow

Annabelle Chrome eyeshadow in rose gold and Annabelle bouncy eyeshadow in booty shake swatches — Rose Gold, Bouncy Eyeshadow Booty Shake

Annabelle has always been one of my favourite underrated and Canadian brands at the drugstore. They have a ton of amazing stuff in their line. Highlighters, blushes, bronzers. I wanted to highlight their eyeshadows. I have their pressed, bouncy, and metallic ones. I photographed their new bouncy eyeshadow and their metallic chrome ones. They are very different in formula. The Chrome eyeshadows have a bit of a stickier (not in a bad way) texture while the bouncy eyeshadows are literally bouncy feeling. Similar to Colourpop super shock shadows but a bit more creamy.

Another Canadian brand, Joe Fresh. The Joe Fresh illuminating concealer was something I decluttered originally… then repurchased and fell in love. I thought it made my under eyes look dry but at the time I bought this I didn’t really know what I was doing with makeup. Now, when I use this I find it blends out beautifully and is rather lighter coverage, but makes you look awake.

Joe Fresh Matte lip stick and Burt's Bees Glossy lipstick

Swatches of Lip products. Joe Fresh powder matte and Burt's bees tahitian sunset

Two lip products. The Burt’s bees glossy lip pencils. The only person I saw use this is Racchhloves, quite a few years ago when I was just getting into the beauty space on youtube. So naturally, I went out and bought three shades. And naturally, I still wear them all the time. They make your lips feel moisturized and have a good variety of colours. I also wanted to throw in the Joe Fresh Power lipstick. This is such a good lip product. It is right on trend with the blotted lips we are seeing everywhere and again, it’s only available in Canada. I really like the shade of this and how easy these are to wear. This does have a matte powdery finish but I don’t find it dries my lip out.

The Physicians Formula butter highlighters. I suppose this line, in general, isn’t underrated but I find this product, in general, had its moment and then went by the wayside. There are definitely a ton of videos on YouTube when you search them, but I just don’t see anyone really using this like they use the Butter Bronzer in the same line. I think that these are some of the nicest satin highlighters out there, drugstore or not. The shade range isn’t as big so I hope they expand it because this highlighter is the perfect highlighter when you want that lit from within glow but can be built up to be brighter.

Favourite L’Oreal Products

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It is no secret that L’Oreal is one of the biggest beauty brands in the drugstore and one of the biggest owners of other beauty brands. I think that L’Oreal is a somewhat underrated brand because it has been around for so long that everyone is just like “oh yeah that’s the L’Oreal stand”. My bestie loves their infallible matte foundation and I used to love their Lumi true match foundation, alas it expired before I could use it all. However, I notice a few of my favourite products (also bought because of Youtube) are from L’Oreal. They are also one of the few drugstore brands that have more than 6 shades of foundation, the undertones can be a bit iffy, but generally, they have a larger shade range than other drugstore brands.

L’Oreal True Match Blush in Bare Honey

In general L’oreal mascaras and cheek, products are what I gravitate towards. I love blush … as we know… and finding a great nude blush is a bit difficult when it comes to the drugstore. The shade bare honey was used by Estee Lalonde years ago and of course, I bought it. This blush is intended to be for people with a warm undertone. I have more of a neutral undertone but I find this blush is a simple, fail-safe blush for the daily grind. It has a nice peach undertone without being fully peach. It is also lightly pigmented so I don’t need to worry about overapplying in the morning.

The L’Oreal Glo Lotion

I love me a good glow giver. I resisted buying this for a while because I didn’t really know if it was worth it or not. But after seeing Allana Davison always glowing wearing this, I bit the bullet and spend the $17 on it. Not a drugstore price in my opinion, but I love this for a nice glow to the skin on no makeup makeup days and on days where I’m going for a bit more of a full coverage look.

The L’Oreal Lash paradise

From bottom left in a clockwise direction: L'Oreal Lash paradise, L'Oreal true match blush, L'Oreal Lumi Glotion

The first mascara I’ve worn where my mother complimented my lashes. This mascara does dry out within 3 months. I mean technically you are supposed to replace your mascara 3-6 months into the tube but I like to get mine teetering on 8 months. (I Know fam I know). This is cheapest on amazon.ca but can be found at shoppersdrugmart and walmart. This gives me the best, fanned out, volumized lashes. I really enjoy this and it doesn’t smudge on me unless user error hits like accidentally smacking your eye with it, it never gets on my lids or on by bottom lash line.

What are your favourite products from L’Oreal?

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Project 10 pan update 1

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Alas, the project pan update is here. This project is actually going quite well and I’ve finished two products and expanded the pans on others! I’m still attempting to reach my goal on most of these products but things have been going well. I also want to explain how I rotate these products into my daily makeup routine. I don’t use these every day – I use them 2-3 times a week on a rotating basis. Particularly the cream products I will use for layering instead of on their own, thus getting use out of those.

Physicians formula butter bronzer

This bronze WILL NOT END. It just keeps going. I could repress it, but I like to see the pan expand. As you can see a bit more pan is exposed compared to the intro.

Physicians formula butter blush

This has some progress. You can tell that it is being used quite a lot, but this will take awhile to hit pan on.

The Body Shop Cream blush

I am pleasantly surprised at the progress on this product. The stick is going down steadily and despite not using it every day, I feel like this has really great progress and I think this is something I can use up this year.

The Rimmel contour kit

I have only been using the bronzer in this. To be honest … I use this bronzer almost every day and yet it still has no signs of pan! I really enjoy it. This is a nice, glowy bronzer that isn’t too pigmented. I will hopefully hit pan on this eventually but alas I am going to enjoy it as I use it!

Essence Pure Nude Highlighter

This is such a nice, subtle highlighter. I wear this to work quite often because it is glowy but it isn’t glittery. You can tell there has been some use on this. I don’t see myself hitting pan on this for awhile but in the meantime its a great highlighter for that glow within look.

The Joe fresh highlighting stick

There is such minimal progress on this. Despite the fact that I use this almost every day under my foundation, the stick has hardly shrunk! This is a nice highlighter, it is a bit more a dry cream so I think that is why the progress isn’t as evident as the body shop blush.

Becca Champagne pop

This is almost done! I just have a bit left in the corner to finish off. Again, this was a bit of a “cheat” simply because it broke and I had to repress it. However, it is really nice that this will be done by the next update because I can roll something else in.

Products I’ve finished

The Nudestix tinted blur stick. I LOVE THIS. Once I am done my obscene base products I will be repurchasing this. It is the perfect, skin tint that creates a lovely undetectable canvas for the rest of your makeup and I actually finished it!

The First Aid Beauty Tinted Moisturizer. This is definitely more of a summer product for me. I think that it was nearing its expiry when I finished it because the texture and finish changed. I will say this pulls a bit orange on me so I won’t be repurchasing this. Hopefully, they come out with some more shades!

The Revlon Youth Fx Concealer. I forgot to take a photo of this but I did finish this concealer. I really like this concealer and would repurchase. It has a nice satin finish and though most people don’t like sponge applicators

Things I’m adding

Since I finished three products I am going to add three products into this project. The Andalou Naturals CC Cream and the Body Shop Fresh Nude foundation. I am also adding the Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. I love this concealer and find it similar to the Revlon.

Things I liked and did: February and March

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I decided to combine my February and March faves into one post, simply because in February I didn’t really do or try anything. Alas I decided to combine them. The past two months have been such a 360 from the previous months at the end of 2018 … I just can’t believe it! Enjoy my favourites fam!

Lifestyle

I want to first give a shout out to Popsugar fitness on YouTube. Since starting my new internship (Which I am liking quite a lot), I have had minimal days during the week that I can actually workout. I now understand why people go to the gym at lunch … in any case because I am an intern I like to hop on anything I can work wise so I haven’t been exercising really at all during the week, except for Saturdays and Sundays. For those workouts, I have been doing the PopSugar fitness 30 min or longer workouts. I really like these workouts because while their jobs on this channel are fitness, they are also are sweating and tired. I like that they are authentic workouts and kick my butt. I am still trying to balance the hours I work with working out so I’d like to start doing something at lunch: whether that is going to the gym to bike or even running at lunch eek!

The Knix wear bras. OMG I HAVE FINALLY FOUND A BRA TO FIT MY BREASTICLES. I tell you, since gaining a bit of weight finding any bras that fit has been a struggle. These bras fit perfectly, cover everything and look great under anything you’ll be wearing. I think I will only buy these from now on. The best thing is is that these bras are from a Canadian company that uses women of all different shapes and sizes to model their bras. So when you click on size 8 it shows someone who is a 34D who is actually a 34D etc.

Articles of Society jeans. I have the fit called Sarah. I have never found a pair of jeans not from American Eagle that actually make me feel good about my body. As soon as I put these on in the change room I actually felt good about my body. They aren’t super high rise but they are high enough to make me feel good. I am eyeing a few more pairs to get later this year! I want to try their high rise ones.

The makeup

The benefit hello happy foundation. This is a lovely foundation. It has light coverage and a natural finish. It isn’t matte, but creates a nice satin radiant finish (at least on my skin). It is my first truly high-end foundation and I couldn’t be happier with it.

The Colourpop single shadow in ringer and the naked 3. This is a specific combination that I rather enjoy. I love layering the shade from Colourpop over anything from the naked 3 palette. It gives the look a bit more life and creates a nice glossy effect on the lid.

Elf Beautifully bare face palette. I have been using this for traveling and have been loving it. It only works for fair skin which is extremely unfortunate. The formula of these powders is so nice. They are smooth and look lovely on the skin.

Dior lip glow. This. is. The. most. Luxiourous. Lip. product. I love it. I have been wearing this every day. This is the product that apparently reacts with your bodies chemistry and gives a custom colour to match your skin tone. I can’t exactly attest to this, but the shade I have is 004 Coral and it creates my perfect sheer coral shade (at least in my eyes).

Anastasia Amrezy highlighter (this is so sad but it’s no longer on Sephora rip). Ughhhh I keep forgetting how great this is. It is a glossy sheen that lasts all day. It is a unique formula in that I find it is so smooth it almost gives a wet look to the skin. Highly recommend. This also can last a 14 hour day and leave you glowing at the end of the night.

Too Faced Hangover Rx setting spray. A Again … eating my past words. This is a great setting spray. It makes my makeup last all day. I’m talking 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. My mom said one night after I got home from work “your makeup still looks perfect”. I attribute it to this and my next favourite.

Skincare

There is one lonely item in the category, but its a goodie! That product is the The Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream. Amazing. There is nothing like this moisturizer (at least that I’ve tried). I have been a die hard drugstore moisturizer gal. Then, with all the driving I do and the office air, I realized I needed to step up my game. My skin had been flaking on my chin by 1 or 2 p.m. each day. Now, with this, my skin is moisturized for my 14 hour days all day with no flaking. A huge win and it will be a painful day to repurchase when it runs out, but I shall be investing in this again after I run out.

What did you like in the past few months?!

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Drugstore Mascara Round up

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I have by no means tried all the mascaras from the drugstore, but I like the idea of doing these round ups for different products at the drugstore and such. I wanted to round up the mascaras I’ve tried over the past 7 months (most of these will be decluttered after this post except for the top ones, purely because most of these are past due at this point). I also forgot to take pictures of all of these on my eyes so I’ve included some pictures I remembered to take. I would eventually like to do this post with mascaras from the body shop and high end brands! In due time people, in due time. I’ve divided the mascaras into three categories: the meh, the unfaves, and the top mascaras.

The meh

Essence lash princess . This mascara makes my lashes look beautiful. It is one of those mascaras that gets better with age. At first, it is a very wet mascara so the more you layer it on the more it flakes off. This Doesn’t come off very easily gives nice length not a ton of volume but I do like the effect. However, of the essence mascaras, this is my favorite one. It is one of the few they make that has a sized wand and so its easy to apply. However, it is merely a meh for me because it didn’t live up to the hype since it transfers on me every time I wear it.

Covergirl waterproof mascara. This is an okay mascara…it is very basic. For me this had good and bad days, I wouldn’t call this waterproof mascara because it does flake on me and typically waterproof mascaras hold a curl better than non-waterproof. I put this in the meh category because its fine, but isn’t something that totally wowed me.

Maybelline lash sensational sumptuous mascara. I really like how this makes my lashes look. They look curled, a nice amount of volume and length. My only complaint is it’s hard to get off even with an oil-based cleanser micellar water combo. That is why it is in the meh mascara section simply because the removal is difficult.

Ny x worth the hype. This mascara lasts all day and doesn’t flake. It Gives a more natural looking lash vs a super volumized lash – holds a curl. The reason this isn’t in my top mascara is that it isn’t something I’d rush out to repurchase.

Annabelle Expandable mascara. I love how natural and delicately volumized this makes my lashes look. This doesn’t flake throughout the day. This has a plastic bristle wand mascaras so beware it can poke you in the eye like no one’s business. The plastic wand is the reason it’s in the meh section for me. I do like this but I don’t know if I’d repurchase this specific annabelle mascara.

The collection mascara in brown. Honestly – I haven’t worn this one much but it is just a nice natural looking mascara. It doesn’t give much volume or length. It gives a nice natural look to the lashes.

L’Oreal Voluminous Waterproof mascara. This mascara was an accidental buy. I wanted the non waterproof but in any case, this wasn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would be closer to the lash paradise mascara effect but it merely coated my lashes. It was easier to get off than the Maybelline Lash sensational despite it being waterproof. It was just a meh mascara for me.

The unfaves

Essence instant volume boost. Similar to the lash princess, this has a smaller wand so it is easier to use. However, the volume bit isn’t really volume. I just sort of lifts and coats the lashes. It also transfers on me.

Essence Get, big lashes. Again this gives nice length and volume but it has a giant wand that can be a bit of faff to use. Without fail I always get it on my lids and bottom lashes. It also flakes throughout the day so alas not my favorite.

Essence I heart extreme lashes. This again has a huge wand that makes it difficult to use. It gives nice length and volume. It also Smudges very easily

Essence volume stylist curl and hold mascara. This does have a smaller wand than the others and gives does give the lashes a nice lift and curl that holds all day. However, as with all essence mascaras, I found this one difficult to remove and it flaked throughout the day. I would really like to find an essence mascara I really like because they are so affordable, but alas the hunt continues.

The top mascaras

Marcelle ultimate power volume. This is a nice basic mascara – I accidentally bought it in blue but it gives a lots of volume and makes your lashes look fluttery. I would repurchase this, in fact, I think it will be the next one.

L’Oréal Lash paradise. Amazing this is my favorite mascara of all these. It comes off my lashes easily but also gives great volume and length to the lashes volume. It holds a curl all day and doesn’t irritate my eyes

Maybelline snapscara. This is my favourite fluttery lash mascara. It gives naturally lifted look and comes off easily at the end of the night. It doesn’t flake during the day!

Colourpop BFF ft my freshly showered hair

Colourpop BFF Mascara. This is a great mascara. It is similar ot the lash paradise in that it gives a ton of volume. This is a top mascara because while sometimes I get it on my eyelids, that is generally down to user error for me. This is a very wet mascara so I like it more now that it is more dried out.

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up next: Covergirl outlast active foundation review, year long project pan update, drugstore concealer round up.

Project Pan Roulette Finale

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I am extremely late to the game for this finale…work has been very busy and getting all my updates up on time has been a challenge (full time workers and bloggers how do you do it). I am done with this project and am unsure if I’m going to join the next round or not. It starts on April 15th so I have some time! Again, as I say in these posts each time, this was started by Rebecca Morgan and Alexandra Sjosten.

Something in your Favourite Shade

This has zero progress. I have decided to declutter this product purely because it just isn’t something that blends well and I didn’t use it at all during the last four months.

A Product You’ve Already Hit Pan on

I made some good progress on this. This bronzer is pretty hard press so I found it hard to go through. I love this for a light glowy wash of colour on the cheeks and for a wash of colour on my eyes.

A Drugstore Product

This blush is never ending. I love it and will keep using it as this is in my 2019 year long project pan. I love that it is neutral and gives a lovely flush to the cheeks.

A Collab Product

The Colourpop cornelius supershock shadow is one of my favourite basic one colour looks. I have put this back in my collection for now and am using the shade Truth now.

An Old Favourite

Still love this lip stick. The Burt’s Bees Lipsticks are exactly what I need in my life. They are easy to wear, don’t require a mirror and are the perfect go to shades for the gal on the go. This is staying in my everyday rotation.

A Product You Always Buy on Sale

I generally buy mascara on sale. I liked the Maybelline Lash sensational but it was super difficult to get off. It didn’t smudge which is a huge plus and made my lashes look nice, but alas I’ve had this since June 2018 so I think it’s time to part with it.

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Revlon Mythic Lights Ethereal Makeup Look and Product Reviews

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Spring is in the air…. Or is it friends. We just don’t know here in Canada. Spring is approaching and alas peach blushes are approaching and pastel eye shadow is in the horizon. I will be using some new Revlon products for this Mythic lights ethereal spring look! I am so excited because I haven’t used a ton of Revlon products, just their concealers and a few lip products and these colors are TOTALLY out of my comfort zone.

What does ethereal mean? According to the dictionary, this is what it means: “extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world”. The ethereal aesthetic is almost like the glossier aesthetic or the fairy aesthetic. I went for some inspiration on Pinterest for this look. I’m not a makeup artist but it was fun to create a look that was outside of my brown and pink eye shadow comfort zone.

I started the look with the skin. Revlon sent me their Colorstay Full Cover foundation*. I was really surprised by the formula of this foundation. It was light and airy and didn’t dry out my skin at all. Granted, I use a hella expensive moisturizer so that could be why my skin didn’t dry out using it. I also used the Revlon Candid concealer (not sent to me, simply a concealer I love).

I then went HAM with the highlighter palette. The galaxy dream palette* was sent by Revlon for me to create this look. I actually quite like this, however, it is not as glossy as it could be but it does the trick for fun color-shifting shades. It is a bit powdery, but still blends into the skin nicely. I piled on the 3 shade from the top and it has a beautiful purple-pink shift to it. I’m still a newb at capturing makeup on camera so you can’t really see it in the photos but these highlighters have a beautiful shift to them. Too keep with the ethereal glowy theme I used the darker purple blush in the hourglass ambient lighting palette from this year.

I used the darker cushion lip tint* in 290 extra violet and mixed it with the Fenty lip gloss. They also send the shade 230 Naughty Mauve* which I have been loving for work! These give a beautiful wash of colour on the lips and aren’t drying.

Attempting to show the purple highlighter

For the eyes, I used the galaxy dream palette and the two cream eye shadows in the package. The colors are 750 and 760. Shade 760* is called earl grey. It is a beautiful silver that creates a lovely smattering of glitter of the lid. The other shade, 750* is called Vanilla. It is a light white shade that is perfect for the inner corner. I really like these. They are pigmented and beautifully sparkly without being too chunky. I used the purple-pink highlighter in the inner corner.

Are you into the ethereal look for Spring?

Products denoted with a * were sent to me for consideration

New Skincare I’ve Been Trying

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As you may know, I love skincare. I have been working on finding a skincare routine that works. Like makeup, I enjoy trying and buying skincare but I do this much less frequently than I do with makeup.

During January I did an order on Wishtrend to try a few Korean skincare products. I have been curious about Korean skincare and as you know, have been using the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop so I wanted to try a few more items from the website. I ordered the Gentle Vita Exfoliator from Skin and Lab. This is such an interesting product. It is an exfoliator that you use on dry clean skin (so after your double cleanse) and it literally balls up your dead skin and cleans off that layer of dead skin. I also ordered the Klairs SPF but have only tried this once (it’s winter what do you expect). It was really nice and no heavy so I will report back when I used it a few more times. Along the cleansing line, I bought the Camomile Waterproof eye and lip makeup remover. This is nice, but to be honest I like the Marcelle Micellar water much better than this one. This removes mascara but not nearly as easily as the Marcelle, even the waterproof mascara. If you want to try anything from the camomile line I would go with the cleansing balm.

I received the Vichy Mineral 89 from Top box circle, and this has been a lovely source of hydration for me. Would I repurchase this? Yes, I would. However, I don’t see a huge difference between the effect of this product and the Neutrogena hydro boost. However, the ingredients list for the Vichy is much shorter meaning the hyaluronic acid is more concentrated (at least from my understanding). It is also 89% their thermal water which creates a boosting effect.

I have also been trying the Body shop Himalayan clay mask. This is a really nice, clarifying, nonirritating mask. I used to the love the L’Oreal red clay mask but I found that unless my skin was super angry, it slightly burned. This mask does not burn upon application and leaves my skin feeling rejuvenated and brighter.

This post includes items sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own. This post contains an affiliate link for items bought on wishtrend.com.

3 Looks 1 Palette: Urban Decay Naked 3.

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The Urban Decay Naked 3 is undoubtedly the least popular of the naked palettes. I understand the controversy: this palette doesn’t work on darker skin tones and creates the same look every time. For me and my skin tone, this is a great palette for every day. Sure, I usually only use one to two shades on the daily, but I love all the shades in the palette. I wanted to create 3 looks for you all that while they aren’t extremely different, they use some different shades in the palette to create a darker look to a lighter “daytime” look.

Look 1

For the first look I wanted to do something that I would regularly do as well. This is a lighter wash with a hint of depth on the outer corner. I started with the classic limit in the crease. Then did a slight wash of mugshot over the whole lid. I then put dust in the inner corner. I also mixed Burnout and dust for the lower lash line.

Look 2

For the second look I wanted to do something that I would typically where on the daily. I went for a light wash of Limit in the crease. Then put trick all over the lid. I then went in with Liar on the outer corners.

Look 3

For the third look I wanted to do more of a cool toned taupe vibe so I went in with a few of the shades from the darker end of the palette. I started with the classic limit in the crease. I think mixed liar and mugshot together for the outer corner. I wanted a bit of pizazz in the inner corner so I used strange and dust.

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February lip challenge: A recap

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A very popular “trend” right now in the beauty community is a buy less mentality, particularly in the project pan community where the goal is to use and love your collection. The goal is also to shop your stash and realize that you don’t need the new shiny thing. I am not good at this (shameless haul plug here) but I am trying to strike that balance of new products and the being more creative with my blog posts by using makeup I already have, curating more lists and doing more in-depth reviews on products. For the month of February, I wanted to do a wee experiment with my obscene lipstick collection. If you follow me on Instagram I posted on my stories or my grid each day showing what lipstick I chose

In January I went through my lipsticks and picked ones that I wear often, and the ones that I never wear (looking at you Marcelle velour liquid lipsticks that I bought in July). I created an excel document and wrote down all the lipsticks I wanted to wear for the month. I also forgot to take a photo of the Pixi lip balm in peach for my flatlay but I did take a pic of it on my lips.

I tried to theme the weeks into reds, berry’s, and nudes because those are the categories I wear the most often. I wanted to do this experiment because lipstick is very difficult to use up when you have a lot of them. I really wanted to challenge myself to wear a different lipstick every day instead of the same 4-5 I rotate through on the weekly. To be honest I did this to determine if there are any lipsticks I should declutter but I did use a lot of tinted lip balms which are my absolute favorite to wear to work so none of those will be decluttered. That was a bit of a blunder on my part. I have learned that while I love super bold lipsticks, I prefer ones that I can simply slap on with no mirror and know it is going to look semi alright. That is why I love the Burt’s Bees lipsticks and balms, as well as the CoverGirl sultry sienna nude lipstick because they are so easy to wear.

The first couple of weeks were more subtle nudes, the Marcelle Velour Liquid lipsticks, Mac See Sheer (a beautiful sheer pink) and other rose nudes. The second half of the month floated more into my reds, darker berries, and mauve shades. Mauve shades are something I used to wear ALL the time.

What have I learned

I love wearing bold lipsticks but with a blotted effect. For example, with Bite Beauty Beetroot, I didn’t wear it to it’s fullest opacity because I was at work. While I easily could have, it just felt right to pare it down a bit. I am trying to rotate through my entire collection and lipsticks are by far one of the largest parts of it. I love buying and trying new formulas, but lately, since I’m working an 8:30-4:30 job I’ve found that I pick a few standard ones and use those during the week and my “fun” shades get left behind. I want to continue to try and wear fun and bold shades (not a red as my Burt’s Bees Scarlet Soaked is my most favourite low maintenance red) like my dark berries and brighter pinks. Also, I have an affinity for rosy, beige nudes and it shows. Below are the lipsticks I wore every day in order!

Marcelle Rosy nude
pixi tinted lip balm rose
pixi lip balm peach
milani nude creme
covergirl sultry sienna
MAC see Sheer
Burt’s Bees Suede Splash
Marcelle Barely there

Burt’s Bees peony
Joe Fresh Mango
Burt’s Bees Fig
Pixi scarlet sorbet lip balm
Covergirl Succulent Cherry
Burt’s Bees Scarlet Soaked
Burt’s Bees Tahitian Sunset
Fenty Gloss

Pixi lip balm
Mineral Fusion Adorn
Mineral Fusion Flicker
Burt’s Bees Blush Ripple
Burt’s Bees Sunset Cruise
Nudestix Crave
Joe Fresh Blackberry
Burt’s Bees Rhubarb
Bite Beauty Rhubarb
Bite Beauty Beet Root
Colourpop on a stick
Colourpop bees knees

What is your favourite type of lipstick?

Makeup look using old faves

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I am trying (despite my last post) to shop my stash. When I run out of something I am valiantly trying to no go and buy something new. However, that can be hard when blogs do well on hauls and new items. BUT I am attempting to strike a balance so that is why I try to do project pan and shop your stash posts as well as new product posts. I wanted to create a makeup looking that I used to do all the time during the 2016-2017 school year! Spoiler alert: I was into contour and rather enjoyed the blown out smokey eye for an everyday look! Some of these products weren’t from that year but were favorites that fell by the wayside.

The Base

I used to love the Ordinary Serum foundation. This is a really good foundation, super light coverage but enough to even out the skin. When I tried it again I still had the same feeling – it wears nicely throughout the day and doesn’t feel heavy on my skin. I also didn’t really have an old favorite for concealer so I just used my normal Maybelline age rewind. For bronzer, because I still use my Physicians Formula butter bronzer, I decided to use the Soap and Glory wonder bronze (I got this in the UK I don’t know where you can get it in Canada). This isn’t old but it is something I loved and used for a month and then it fell by the wayside. I really like this, it has a beautiful warmth to it that makes you look super glowy. I also pulled out an old love, the Kevin Aucoin Sculpting powder in Medium. I remember I bought this with my $25 coupon from Sephora and used it every day because I aspired to the level of Allana Davison cheekbones. I also only used to own one blush which was the Milani Luminoso blush. It is still beautiful and while I know this is coming to its end since I’ve had it for a while, it still has a soft spot in my heart.

For the highlighter. I have two that I used to love. The first is the Body Shop Honey Bronzing dome (still a fave but I haven’t used it in a while) and the second is the Anastasia Beverly Hills Nicole Guerriero glow kit. I was very into super metallic see from space highlighters and admittedly I still lam, but I don’t wear the kit as often simply because these are true metallic, wet highlighters that for work I feel I don’t especially need for the day which I why I lean towards more subtle and glossy highlighters. For this look, I only used the glow kit, but just know I used to use the Body Shop Honey Bronzing dome almost every day before I discovered the world of highlighting at both the drugstore and Sephora.

The eyes

We all know my love affair for the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette. I do still use and love this palette. But I used to wear this every damn day. I bought this on Valentine’s day in 2017 (yes I went back in my orders and found when I bought it) and damn is it ever nice. I really love all the shades in this palette. I don’t tend to use the green but I’ve dabbled in all the shades. For the look I did I used the shade puree in the crease and lightly swept it in back and forth motions. I then swiped the shade luscious across the lid. After that, I darkened up the outer corner with the shade cobbler. To top it off I used the shade nector as an inner corner highlight as well as a bit of the shade glow-getter from the Anastasia glow kit. I used to be very into liquid lipsticks but have since decluttered a lot of them so I didn’t have one to use for this look.

What are some of your old favourites?

New in makeup

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Me at the beginning of the year: I’m only going to do curated hauls. Also me: walks into the drugstore two times this month and buys makeup each time. Fam, I wanted to be a good soul and not buy drugstore makeup or at least as much but DAMN I can’t resist a new launch. I bought some goodies this month in the makeup department (and a skincare haul and reviews coming soon). I wanted to share it with you (to somewhat?!) justify this spending…also hauls on my blog do quite well and frankly, I also like reading them!

I am on the hunt for the best drugstore glowy base product and when I saw that the L’oreal glotion was on sale at shoppers I “had to” buy it. Curse the optimum points system. I really like this so far and if fairs well under (most) bb creams and foundations. The next glowy product I bought was the new Annabelle illuminating hydrating base, this smells like a fresh day on the beach (it is Seabreeze scented according to the package) so I couldn’t resist. Speaking of base products I also got the Maybelline BB Cream and the Nude by Nature BB cream. I am searching for the perfect sheer base for my life, and these two are so far okay…further reviews to come. I also got two concealers, I will add both to my concealer round up and I haven’t heard much about the Revlon Candid Concealer. A dedicated review to come! I also went out of town earlier this month of, as usual, hit up the body shop. I got their cushion foundation because it is the same family as my favorite foundation the fresh nude. Again, a review to come. I also did a wishtrend order (no duties Canadian friends) and was curious about the Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream. It’s a different kind of product and I will do a review on this eventually!

I also bought the new Covergirl Active foundation. I have only tried this once but surprisingly I did really like it. I want to test it more and I’ll return with a review. I also picked up a few concealers for my roundup, the L’Oreal True Match, and the Revlon Candid Concealer. I also did a wee bit of a Colourpop order. I got one pressed eyeshadow, a lip liner and the concealer, the new mascara and the Jelly Much eyeshadow. I really like all of the items, except the concealer. I am still testing it but thus far, while an amazing price I’m not as enthralled with it as I thought I would be!

Speaking of eye products I got another item from Annabelle. I spotted their new bouncy line at the store and couldn’t resist getting on of their eyeshadows, in surprise surprise a bronzy shade. I also got the Maybelline snapscara (which I forgot to take a photo of) purely because I heard the full coverage gals talking about it and wanted to try it, that and I will include it in my drugstore mascara roundup. I also bought the Maybelline city bronzer in 200, I wasn’t sure if I should 100 to 200 but the medium shade seemed to have the look I wanted. This purchase has no justification – I was completely influenced by Mariah Leonard. I also, despite not being a liquid lipstick lover, got one of the Maybelline super stay matte ink liquid lipsticks. Maybelline also came out with a made for all lipstick line so I got the shade spice for me.

I think what we can all learn from this is I can’t set foot in shoppers without at least gandering the makeup aisle. While last year at this time I feel like bought way more, for February I’m hopping back on the thoughtful purchase train and am going to try to buy things just from my list of brands I want to try. Wish me luck folks.

Have you been trying anything new lately?

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*this post contains an affiliate link for wishtrend.com*

Project Pan Roulette Update 3

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I am finally slightly on time for this update. I really love panning, it’s so satisfying to hit the pan on an item or get your monies worth out of a product. Rebecca Morgan and
Alexy created this and are such inspirations for shopping your stash. Some of these products have literally no progress and some of them do. There will be a new round starting on April 15th if you want to join! So many amazing creators are doing this project and it’s such a great community to be a part of!

A drugstore product

The Physicians Formula Butter Blush. I love this and will always love this. It’s such a buttery (pardon the pun) formula that really glides on the skin. I don’t necessarily think that this shows any progress because these are the never-ending blushes, but I am still enjoying using this.

Something in your favourite shade

LOL this has no progress. I want to love this I do – but I cannot blend this out for the life of me. It’s sticky so it’s good for waterline and lower lash line work, but this isn’t something you can slap on the eye and blend out.

A Product You’ve already hit pan on

I chose the ELF golden bronzer for this. I really enjoy this bronzer for everyday use. It is glowy and light which means I can pile it on and it won’t look overdone. The pan is slightly expanded but not as expanded as I would like. I’m hoping to use this a bit more over the next month.

A collab product

For a collab product, I chose the Colourpop SuperShock shadow in Cornelius. This is such a beautiful shade. It is the epitome of a slap on and go type of shade. I like to fluff this into the crease and take it all over the lid and layer on another sparkly shade on top. This has some great progress, you can tell the dip is getting deeper. While I have no specific goals for this I would like to see pan in the next month!

A product you always buy on sale

Fam. I’m not sure why I keep choosing mascaras to pan because they expire so quickly. I do like this mascara but I think that it is better when it dries out a bit. This is a very wet mascara when you first buy it but I like the effect of it when it dries out. This isn’t my favourite mascara and since I’ve had this for an overly long amount of time I will be decluttering it after this round.

An old favourite

Burt’s Bees Suede Splash. Still going strong folks. I really like this lipstick, it is the perfect darker nude for my lips and is easy to reapply throughout the day. The progress is once again, slow and steady. I don’t know if I will finish this but I see myself using this past this project as it is something that I used almost everyday. Possibly by the end of the year this will be finished!

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Things I liked and Did in January

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January was a whirlwind interesting month for me. I made life decisions and have fulfilled my goal of trying more career things and have contracted yet another cold, hence the little hiatus of posts on here! I’m attempting to balance this new 8:30 – 4:30 job life with the blog and such. I found and discovered many products, surprise, surprise, the drugstore impulse purchases got me this month … February is a new month and I shall try to buy fewer drugstore items. Have no fear I will be doing more posts this month!

Makeup

Revlon Candid Concealer, Maybelline Bronzer in 200, Annabelle Hydarting Illuminating Viel

Revlon candid concealer, Maybelline bronzer package open, Annabelle Illuminating veil

I have a lot of Maybelline products I discovered this past month. I don’t know what it was, was it Mariah Leonard raving about the bronzer or ttsandra holding the Maybelline Matte Ink in her classy way, but both of these are in my favorites. I don’t love liquid lipsticks, but Maybelline came out with all these new colours and I decided to try one (on a whim of course) so I got the shade self-starter, both for the colour and the name. It is a beautiful salmon pink coral shade that makes me happy. It also lasts all day without drying out my lips. The Maybelline bronze r is new to their collection and I have the medium shade (in my opinion they could come out with a few more shades. This bronzer is really nice and does a good job shading while not looking too heavy. I would say if you want a cheaper version of the Physicians formula butter bronzer this is a good option.

L'Oreal Lash Paradise and Annabelle Jelly eyeshadow

Close up of the Maybelline matte ink, L'Oreal Lash paradise, Maybelline City Bronzer, Annabelle Bouncy eyeshadow

The Revlon Candid concealer. WHAT. OKAY. SO. You know my feelings on the Too Faced Born This way sculpting concealer, it’s fine but not any better than any of my drugstore concealers. I tried this concealer and LOVE the finish. It’s satin so you don’t really have to set it but if you do set it, it doesn’t cake up. I know a lot of folks love the foundation but as an avid concealer as foundation wearer this is great. I also have two Annabelle products that I have been loving. Their new Hydrating illuminating veil is what I imagine to be a MAC strobe cream? I don’t know that might be an invalid claim but I find it rather hydrating and of course illuminates the skin. I have the Annabelle bouncy eyeshadow in the booty shake which surprise surprise is a bronze shade because I am unoriginal. Along with the eyes I love the L’Oreal Lash Paradise. I know – I’m a broken record in the beauty community but this really is a great product. It is the most comparable mascara I can personally find to the Lancome Monsieur big. While it is not a dupe, this is my only mascara that makes my lashed volumized and holds a curl.

Fashion

Makeup alongside a purple lavender shit and the American eagle jeans in onyx black

I don’t usually do fashion favourites but I wanted to give a shout out to the American Eagle Super High Waisted jeans in Onyx Black. I find American Eagle (and all jean brands) vary in sizing. I own the same type of jeans in a 10, 12, and my black ones are in a 14. I suggest trying these on before buying. However, I find these to be some of the most flattering jeans. While I do love the Topshop Jamie Jeans, I like the American Eagle a smidge better because they have various washes and fits.

Now, does anyone remember eclipse? This store has been around for years but I only ever shopped there for tops for school dances. However, my bestie got a shirt there and I just couldn’t stop thinking about it so I bought. It’s called the SuperSoft Sweater with a Crisscross back. It is so soft and easy to wear. I don’t know if they got a new supplier or buyer but regardless they have such cute, soft, casual tops!

What did you like in January?

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Covergirl Favourites

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Covergirl, the first mass drugstore brand I ever used. I remember my mom giving me a Covergirl mascara and BB Cream every year. I remember loving the Natureluxe foundation when I was in grade 11. This didn’t match my skin all but I thought I was such a classy adult lady wearing my Covergirl foundation housed in that sleek green tube. I went away from Covergirl for a while, but since they rebranded and became leaping bunny certified I’ve been playing with more than just their eyeshadows. I distinctly remember their blushes, they were the quintessential figure skating blush, that powdery smell and small horizontal pan with the ineffective brush. Ah, nostalgia. Since Covergirl is such a nostalgic brand I wanted to round up a few of my personal favourites from the brand.

Covergirl natureluxe foundation, green tube

Covergirl Eyeshadow Palettes

Covergirl roses palette, open showing all the shadows

Covergirl Roses palette closed showing the packaging

covergirl roses swatches on arm - light skin

I recently finished the Nudes Palette and am now working on the Roses palette. This is the old packaging and formulation but nonetheless, these are such good classic eyeshadows. These purples and rose shades are my jam. This palette claims to perform just as well as it’s $50 counterpart but I don’t find this similar to the Urban Decay Naked 3 at all. This is a more purple based palette than the Urban Decay Naked 3 which is a more rose-pink based palette. These shadows are quite soft and not actually very pigmented. In my experience, I like a less pigmented shadow for an everyday look.

Covergirl Highlighter Palette

Covergirl true blend super stunner palette in 500 it's lit, lid is closed showing the packaging

Covergirl It's lit palette open showing the powders

These highlighters are beautiful. They give a beautiful sheen that isn’t metallic. These are also rather soft powders. I predict the powders in this palette will be a bit more simple to hit pan on than others that are more hard-pressed. While this highlighter is slightly more powdery, this is a great option if like me you are into highlighters and highlighter palettes. I would also eventually like to try their other palette with the blushes and bronzers to see how that formula works as well!

Covergirl lip products

Covergirl lipsticks, red tube containing succulent cherry, brown beige tube containing sultry sienna, pink tube is the oh sugar tinted lip balm

Swatches of punch, sultry sienna, and succulent cherry — Oh Sugar tinted lip balm in Punch, Sultry Sienna, Succulent Cherry

I truly love CoverGirl lip products. They are comparable to high-end lip products and have a ton of shades for an affordable price. I love Sultry Sienna, thanks to Jamiepaigebeauty. I also love their oh sugar tinted lip balms. These lipsticks do have a slight scent that is similar to the MAC Lustre lipsticks. If you have a Covergirl lipstick you will know the scent I’m talking about. The Covergirl tinted lip balms, on the other hand, have a more fruity scent but not a sickly fruit scent. I would love more colors eventually but I’m trying hard to not buy any lipsticks this year.

The wildcard

The eyeshadow primer is quite good. It is on the same level as the Milani one. This is really sticky which is nice because your shadows will stick to it, I can’t speak on this as an alternative to high-end eyeshadow primers because I haven’t tried any but I can tell you this is an effective primer. My eyeshadow doesn’t crease and still looks vibrant at the end of the day, which is a big win for me because my eyelids are the only oily part of my face.

Do you have any Covergirl favourites?

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Products Worth the Splurge

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I did a post last year (eek) about products I’m not willing to splurge on. I wanted to do another one about products I am willing to splurge on and why they are worth it. I get it, spending $45 on a blush is wild, it is, but I will say with no shame that I have spent that amount of money on a blush. Now, don’t splurge if you can’t afford it, but for me there is something about wonderful saving for that one item and buying it.

Blush

I love blush, while I do own mostly drugstore blushes, I love me a good high end blush. My favourite are the Hourglass Ambient lighting blushes and their palettes. These have this light reflecting technology that gives you a glow from within.

Skincare

Caudalie Essence and Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

I have a few high end skincare items including items from Caudalie and Summer Fridays and I love them. I splurge on high end skincare with good ingredients because my skin loves it. I know, it’s a bit ridiculous to spend $34 on a cleanser or $50 on an essence, but I don’t know what to tell you my skin enjoys it. It’s not to say I don’t have drugstore skincare favourites like the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Serum or the Cerave hydrating cream and lotion, but I don’t feel bad when I spend money on skincare. The biggest benefit to buying skincare from higher end brands in the formulation of the products and the sourcing of the ingredients. Sometimes less expensive products can have the same ingredients, they are just formulated differently and sometimes diluted to be less effective. However, this doesn’t mean their aren’t great drugstore skincare products

Eyeshadow palettes

There are some great drugstore eyeshadow palettes out there, but I have no problem splurging on a high end palette. I love the Anastasia eyeshadow formula, the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette, and the Urban Decay Naked Heat and Naked 3. The interesting thing about high end eyeshadow palettes is while the drugstore is catching up, I find that anytime I wear a high end palette my eyeshadow actually lasts all day, despite wearing the same eyeshadow primer.

Tinted moisturizers and BB Creams

FAB Tinted Moisturizer and Nudestix Tinted blur stick

Okay, I only own two of these, the First Aid Beauty Tinted Moisturizer and the Nudestix Tinted blur stick, but I would repurchase both. The First Aid Beauty does pull a bit orange so I’m on the hunt for a tint that isn’t orange so I can round them up for you. The Nudestix meets that bill but I want to find a tinted moisturizer that also meets the criteria.

Highlighters

NARS Forte De France, Anastasia Amrezy, Anastasia Nicole Guerriero glow kit, Nudestix nudies

I LOVE highlighters and because I rarely use them up, spending a bit more on a good quality powder doesn’t really bother me. Now, I realize that the drugstore makes amazing highlighters. Trust me, I have some that are among my favourites but I think that for powder highlighters you can get a really beautiful sheen and glossy finish from high end highlighters vs the drugstore where tend to come across as a bit more powdery. My personal favourite formulas are Anastasia, NARS and Nudestix. However, highlighters like the Essence Pure nude and the Annabelle Cream highlighters are wonderful. However, if you want a tried and true, easy to use highlighter I would go for high end.

All of these products are what i personally don’t mind splurging on. I think that it is ridiculous the amount of money products cost. However, despite my issues I take with capitalism and elitism, beauty that costs a lot and feels so nice to use, these items get me every time, congratulations to the marketing people for selling overpriced items so well (not being sarcastic, it’s impressive). What is your favourite splurgy item?

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Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop: A Review

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I am so excited to do this review. Both because I have been on the hunt for a vitamin c serum for my sensitive skin and because I’ve been curious about this brand ever since I saw Cruelty Free Becky do a video on it. They create eco-friendly, basic skincare with ingredients that are kind to sensitive skin.

Close up of the bottle of the Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop

The claims: “The Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop is a serum to rejuvenate the skin. It contains concentrated pure vitamin C and key ingredients directly from nature. Its innovative multi-solution and non-irritating formula is to revitalize, maintain, and transform the skin”. For reference, my skin type is normal to dry, sensitive and easily irritated. This product is Cruelty-free, Vegan Friendly, Ethanol-free, Paraben-free, Silicon-free, Steroid-free, Artificial coloring-free, Artificial fragrance-free, pH 3.5 ± 1.0. This retails for $23USD.

The application. This is such an easy application. You need one to two drops and it spreads quite easily. What I enjoy about this one compared to other vitamin C serums that I have sampled is that it doesn’t burn my skin. Vitamin C is (according to this) a powerful antioxidant that stimulates collagen in the skin, which means it basically keeps you looking younger because as we age we lose collagen. However, I have problems with the whole anti aging discourse, but I do see the value in women who genuinely want younger skin, yet we are making these decisions under the watchful eye of the patriarchy so alas I’m torn. It should be noted – wishtrend does not advertise this as a youth reversing serum, simply a serum to rejuvenate the skin. Also fam, I tried to get a pic of the application but it just wasn’t going well so enjoy the flat lay pics.

Klairs freshly juiced vitamin shot laying down, surrounded by snowflakes

In any case, the claims are all valid. Vitamin C is a potent substance so when the instructions stay, 1 to 2 drops – use one to two drops. Various vitamin C serums sit at a super high concentration and these can actually bring on redness and irritation. This serum has a few different derivatives of vitamin C that makes it the perfect vitamin C serum for my sensitive skinned friends. The two ingredients being sodium ascorbyl phosphate and ascorbic acid.

The point of vitamin C is to essentially rejuvenate and brighten the skin. However, because of it’s potency, the website advises that you store this either in the fridge or in a cool dark place, they also advise using it up as within the expiry as vitamin C can expire quickly.

Klair's serum on top of snowflake, the pippet is laying beside the bottle.

So how does one integrate this into their routine? I used this at night and at the frequency of every other night. I did this rotation simply because while it is non irritating my skin is uber sensitive so I alternated this with my Caudalie essence as my skin can’t take too many acids at once. In any case, I started with a double cleanse, toned, applied the vitamin C serum, then I would apply the Neutrogena hydro boost serum, followed by a moisturizer. I’m hoping to add a face oil in my routine soon!

Have you tried anything from Klairs?

**PR products are featured. All opinions are my own. Affiliate links may be used.

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Rolling Project 10 Pan 2019 intro

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I am so excited to start my new project pan for 2019. I have picked a product from all the categories in my makeup collection. A cream, powder and of course a matte and shimmery bronzer. I have a few set goals in mind and I will be rolling in products as I go. If I either finish one, or if I get extremely bored by one I will just roll in a new one. I will attempt to update monthly but if I don’t have significant progress than I will forgo the update for that month.

The base products

First Aid Beauty Tinted Moisturizer

I really like this, however it does pull a bit dark on me. I am hoping to finish this within the first month of this project and by the next update roll something new in.

Revlon concealer

This concealer is amazing, I really like it. I can feel like it’s nearing it’s end. I hope to also be done this by the first update and roll in something new.

Nudestix Tinted blur stick

Again, another of my favourite base products. I LOVE this so much. It is so sheer and creates a dewy finish even with its blurring properties. I also think this is something I can have finished by the next update.

The Body Shop multi stick

This was a favourite from summer 2016-17 and I wanted to get more use out of it. It doesn’t appear to be available online anymore but I am sure you can find it in store. I am hoping to finish this one this year or at least, see a significant shortening (is that a word) of the stick itself.

Physicians Formula Butter blush

This is also in my project pan roulette, okay is this cheating? Yes quite possible. But I really like it and want to hit pan on it. It is a perfect nude blush for my skin tone and it gives my cheeks a healthy glow.

Physicians Formula Butter bronzer

I have already hit pan on it and hope to further expand the pan. I still enjoy this and hope that I can finish it this year.

Joe Fresh Highlighter

I chose a few highlighters for this project. A girl has got to have choices. I do quite like this and it is a bit older in my collection so I want to see this used as much as I can. Hopefully I can see some progress each month!

Rimmel London Kate Sculpting Palette

This is another older product in my collection and I’m not sure they sell this exact shade anymore. As you might remember, my products on the chopping block this was in it. I discovered I love the bronzer and want to hit pan on this one this year.

Essence pure nude highlighter

This was one of my first YouTube made me buy it products. I do quite enjoy this highlighter. It is subtle and pretty and never fails me.

Becca Champagne Pop

A moment of silence for the fallen one. I can still use this despite it’s appearance. I can use this with my finger and with a brush still. I think it will actually be quite easy to use up so it was a good attainable project pan goal for me to have this year.

Are you doing a project pan this year?

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Project Pan Roulette Update 2

9 Comments Stickychrisindagordon

Hello all! I know it’s been project pan update and finale central up in here. Have no fear, I have some reviews and other fun posts coming up later this month for you! The rest of the project pan roulette peeps posted their updates 2 days ago and I once again am late to the game. This was created by Rebecca Morgan and Alexy.

A drugstore product

Physicians Formula Butter Blush. I have been using this probably three days a week and I can notice some progress happening. I really like this blush. It is one of the smoothest drugstore blushes I have ever used. I like that it doesn’t look powder on the skin and gives you a beautiful, dare I say, buttery glow.

A product in your favourite shade

The Body Shop Eyeshadow stick in Cyprus bronze has minimal progress. I don’t use this very often purely because it isn’t easily blendable on the eye. I love most of the makeup the body shop makes but this product just doesn’t blend out easily which makes me less likely to reach for it.

A product you always buy on sale

The Maybelline lash sensational mascara. This mascara is alright. It doesn’t flake but it is a pain to take off at night even with an oil based makeup remover. I think after this project and (spoiler alert) after my drugstore mascara round up I will be throwing this out. Both because it will be finished and its close to expiry.

A product you’ve already hit pan on

The Elf Bronzer in Golden Bronze. The pan has slightly expanded but not by much. I’d say that I can expand this to hit other shades in the next two months. I like this bronzer because for my fair skin, it’s not very pigmented so I can layer it over my other bronzer without look over bronzed.

A collab product

I chose the Kathleenlights super shock shadow in cornelius for this one. I have made decent progress on this. I use this maybe once or twice a week in conjunction with other palettes. This is a super simple shade that you can use for a one eyeshadow look or as a base.

An Old Favourite

Gotta love how consistent my lighting is fam

The Burt’s Bees lipstick in Suede Splash. I love this lipstick still. The progress is slow and steady. I think I can come close to finishing this at the end of the project, I just have to really focus on it!

What are you trying to pan currently?

Coming up: Products I’m willing to splurge on, Klairs vitamin C serum review

12 Pans of Christmas Finale

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I am a bit late on this one but nonetheless before I post my 2019 rolling project 10 pan I wanted to get this finale and my 2018 project pan finale up for you. Today we are talking the items I used throughout the holiday season.

The swatch

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Anastasia Bronzer

Hourglass Blush in Incandescent light

NARS Highlighter in Fort De France

Too Faced Sweet Peach

Colourpop Supernova shadow running in orbits

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Anastasia Beverly Hills Bronzer

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush

Too Face Sweet Peach

Colourpop Supernova shadow

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Annabelle Cosmetics

Cheekbone Beauty

Nudestix

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Something you are afraid to Pan

Something you aren’t sure if you like

A product you bought online

Something from a lesser known brand

A product in a palette

Something overrated

An item from your favorite brand

Something you have considered decluttering

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Pixi Delicate Dew Highlighting Duo

The Quo Colour Lust Lipstick in Gossip Session

Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Away Concealer

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In Store Purchases

The Online VIB Sale Purchases

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The Comparison

The application

Is this a “dupe”

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The Top Five

The middle pack

The bottom pack

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Burt’s bees suede splash

Covergirl sultry sienna

Cheekbone beauty Melina