Makeup look using old faves

Leave a comment February 23, 2019 chrisindagordon

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

4 Comments February 16, 2019 chrisindagordon

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?

Pin for later!

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

Project Pan Roulette Update 3

Leave a comment February 9, 2019 chrisindagordon

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!

Pin for later!

Things I liked and Did in January

Leave a comment February 4, 2019 chrisindagordon

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?

Pin For later!

Covergirl Favourites

2 Comments January 23, 2019 chrisindagordon

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?

Pin for later!

Products Worth the Splurge

4 Comments January 18, 2019 chrisindagordon

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?

Pin for later!

Klairs Freshly Juiced Vitamin Drop: A Review

Leave a comment January 15, 2019 chrisindagordon

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.

Pinterest Graphic you can pin for your viewing pleasure

Rolling Project 10 Pan 2019 intro

2 Comments January 10, 2019 chrisindagordon

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?

Pin this for later!

Project Pan Roulette Update 2

9 Comments January 7, 2019 chrisindagordon

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.