Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Non-School Related Makeup Kit

 All these back to school fashions, makeup selections do strange things to us grown up ladies. Yes, I am well aware that I am not going to school and yes I am also aware I graduated from high school almost 10 years ago. However back to school time/ fall usually means more traffic,  longer days at work and just being more busy in general. So yes this isn’t your typical back to school makeup kit this is the grown up version.

Chanel Le Beige Powder
There’s nothing worse than caking a thick powder over old foundation… the word crusty comes to mind.
Fear not ladies Chanel Le Beige is not that powder. This ultra-light weight luminous powder is perfect for setting foundation and also works great for on the go touch ups. This powder is impossible to over apply yet somehow magically perfects the face. With its sturdy packaging, brush and big mirror it’s literally the ultimate on the go powder.
Eye Cream Sample
There is nothing worse in this world then feeling exhausted then looking into a mirror and realizing you look exactly how you feel. For these sort of emergences I keep a sample of any eye cream around. If I notice myself looking tired after work I pop a little on my eyes before applying concealer.

Bobbi Brown Corrector 
I think this is my all time favourite/holy grail under eye product. It neutralizes dark circles like no ones business as where the formula is thick yet settle in fine line. Plus it also has the benefit of small compact packaging. If you have never tried this product it has my stamp of approval it's deffintly worth the hype. 

Lipstick
Nothing switches up a makeup look like a good tube of lipstick.
The lipsticks I usually wear during the day don’t usually change and you can read more about them here. However at night is where I bust out the bright and the bolds. Around Christmas a good holiday red is always a must but in the fall its Chanel’s Character that becomes a go to. A few shades darker then what I normally wear this colour is a really easy way to transform any look to slightly vampy.

NARS Sin
Eye shadow usually stays on my lids and sometimes a slightly worn in shadow looks edgy cool. Blush on the other hand can disappear throughout the day or even end up patchy. Not to mention after a long hard day at work a little pop of color can brighten the whole face. So what is one to do? I suppose you can pop a little lipstick on to the cheeks. However after a long day I don’t want to be caking lipstick on my cheeks. Call me picky!
Back to the topic on hand now NARS Sin! Sin is a beautiful berry colored blush with golden shimmer. An all-time favorite blush of mine, however a blush that I wear more in the fall and winter.


There we have it! 5 easy to carry products that help freshen you up after a long day of work.
For those of you who are going back to school this year I wish you the best of luck. For those who are heading back to work this week ... I feel your pain. 
What are your makeup kit essentials? Leave me a comment! 

Saturday, August 30, 2014

August Favourites

This year is flying by! While I am sad to see summer go a part of me is really looking forward to the fall. I love fall scents, darker lipsticks and just sweater weather in general. However back to the topic on hand August Favourites.

Nivea Pure & Natural in Milk & Honey Lip Balm
I burnt my lips again this month, this time on hot cheesy pizza. Currently I am using last month favorite Blistex and the Nivea Milk and Honey. Milk and Honey is one of those go-too balms for me because it’s affordable, easy to find, has great ingredients, tastes great and has sanitary packaging. Trust me this lip balm does not disappoint and for less than $2.00 it should be in everyones pocket.

 Soap and Glory Scrub Actually
This is one amazing scrub! After my scrub tantrum months back I made a promise to only purchase scrubs in tubes. I eventually broke this promise and bought the Argan Body Scrub from the Body Shop but that a whole other post. Scrub Actually, is actually a fantastic scrub and I adore the packaging. While the scrub is somewhat abrasive it melts into the skin to almost a milky moisturizing texture. The best part this leaves your body smooth and nourished.
Plus it also has the added bonus of smells like sugary sweet candies and tropical fruits.

Rouge Coco Shine in Boy
Rouge Coco shines have to be one of my all-time favorite lipstick formulas. Among the ones I own Boy is my absolute favorite. This nude-y pink colour is the perfect “your lips but better” shade and goes with just about every look imaginable. Love this lipstick you can read more about it and my other favorites here. I recommend the Coco shines to everyone but if your a lip balm lover at heart your going to love these.

NARS Copacabana Multiple
I have been using this every day for months and even featured it a previous favorites post. I love this highlighter! I find this so easy to use … I literally just out of the tube draw it on my face and pat into my cheeks. The formula of this is almost cream to powder. I do have to say it just kind of magically blends itself into the cheeks so theres no need to stress on streaky results. But the booty is in the finish if I had to explain how this looks it would call it healthy skin in a tube. 
I love Copacabana so easy to use yet so effective. 

I can't wait for sweaters and pumpkin pie so I'm very excited that fall is just around the corner. 
Which is a random fact that I am leaving you with, but a truthful one!
Leave me a comment I would love to know what your favourites have been this month. 
Thank you for reading and hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. 

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Favourite Lip Balms

I am a lip balm junkie. I love trying drugstore brands, Sephora brands, french brands, Korean brands… I just love trying it all. I suppose my liking for lip balm started with lip smackers which were highly collectible. If you were a kid in the 90’s I’m sure you were faced with a similar obsession. These days I am quite finicky with lip balms, I expect intense hydration, impressive list of ingredients, great scent/taste and to overall make my lips feel nice. So here is my list of favorite lips balms (which are constantly changing too). 


Blistex Lip Medex
I love how minty fresh this feels! Not only does the minty tingle tickle my fancy (that sounded weird and slightly sexual). But in all seriousness this is my hands down most used product ever! I love the minty tingle and I love the hydration, I love Blistex Lip Medex!
Damaged or dry lips? Or just love minty lip products?  Give this a whirl.

NUXE Reve De Miel
This is my before bed lip balm. Reve De Miel is rather nourishing and quite thick. Actually the texture is very unique because on one hand it feels gritty, which doesn’t sound pleasant but in reality it’s really nice. It’s sort of exfoliating but also very hydrating… totally different than anything I’ve ever had or tried. I am always in total loss of words when it comes this balm but it one of the best I’ve ever tried good.


Nivea Pure & Natural in Milk & Honey
I bought this for $1.98 which makes it the less expensive lip balm on this list. For me the Nivea Milk & Honey is a drug store staple and I like to have one of these floating in my car or on my desk at all times. Why? You ask … It’s the prefect basic no bullshit lip balm. While the Nivea might not promise as much as others it does hydrate extremely well. If you are looking for an simple but effective lip balm you must try this.
Did I mention this has a better list of ingredients then most high end lip balms? It’s also free of preservatives, parabens and silicone's.

What are some of your favourite lip balms? Leave me a comment I would love to hear your recommendations. 

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Round Two

Like anyone there are products that I don’t like. For the most part I am happy to see these leave my collection never to be repurchased again.  Then there are the couple that sneak their way back in wanting to be tried again. Here are the products that are getting the round two of testing.
GlamGlo
My skin hated this and I hated this. This felt like fire on my skin but then I thought to myself maybe I am a simply a wimp. Everyone goes on about this, am I overlooking the benefits?
 It’s hard to see with tears in your eyes… just kidding.
My skin is a little tougher in the summer so we shall see if this is all what it’s hyped up to be.  

EOS Lip Balms
They are cute, smell good, taste good, have hygienic packaging and there ingredient list is quite impressive. So what’s not to like? I hate the hard texture of these. I feel like I can be applying this for 10 min straight but my lips never feel like they should be getting the hydration they need.
However my mom is a huge fan of these, then I saw the cute new packaging and then I found it was coconut.
Maybe it’s just a case of the top layer is hard? I plan on giving this a good test to find out.


Essie Good to Go
I remember in terms of quick drying this top coat was awesome. However, I don’t remember if I loved this or if I hated it? My favorite top coat was sold out and I needed one so I thought “what the heck”.
Spoiler alert I tried this once and I was disappointed. My nail polish peeled like crazy; maybe it was because I was bored? More testing required!

Do you ever retry products? If so did anything surprise you?
Leave me a comment I would love to hear your thought.