Thoughts (and Updates) on Makeup Acquisitions

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This morning, after I rolled around groggily and developed the capacity for coherent thought, it dawned on me that I wanted to write a post different than the one I had planned. From playing with makeup in the last little while, I had thoughts that I wanted to share on a multitude of different products, both ones that haven’t been mentioned much before and those that are regularly featured around these parts, without committing to the formality and conclusiveness of a traditional review. And I was feeling in a chatty mood – or is it type-y? I’m not in love with the title of this post either, if you were cringing along with me.

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Smashbox Cherry Smokes Photo-Op Eyeshadow Palette ($44)

I actually had gone back to Shopper’s Drugmart, where I purchased this in the first place and I would have returned it if it hadn’t been such a hassle to do so but regardless, this is a lovely autumnal-themed palette. As for the individual shadows, they are creamy and uber-pigmented but it has to be noted that their powdery texture should inspire caution because there disasters can easily come awry with the fallout situation. My issue with the palette is that it doesn’t contain all of my essential daily shades — it does have some nice shimmery lid shades and some matte shades but it would greatly benefit from a lighter shimmery highlight/lid shade and a nice light brown shade for use through the crease and blending. With this complaint aside, the eight shades found within this palette are a nice mix of cool and warm tones that are unique and interesting yet neutral shades. None of the shades in the palette are anything less than poor but unfortunately the least fabulous is the matte reddish brown – which is still good but a wee bit dry and more difficult to blend than the others. The black is bloody amazing, though.

Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in 734 Grege ($61)

Speaking of palettes, this one remains being a staple in my routine with its small selection of essential everyday shades and impeccable quality; they’re pigmented, long-lasting and blenable with the least fallout out of any shadows that I have ever tried. Even though this quint really does not seem exciting in the slightest, it really is one that should be more compelling. The cool-toned deep brown works effectively to deepen the crease and it also works to fill in my eyebrows, if used with a light hand, the satiny caramel shade fits the bill for use as a transition colour or a standard shadow for the crease, there’s a nice shimmery highlight shade as well and there’s a nice defining shade along with one for the lids. While this palette functions nicely on it’s own, my experience has taught me that it’s also a good one to use with other shadows that are missing the essentials.

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Smooth-Effect Makeup ($48)

Before you give into the urge and roll your eyes at me for talking yet again about a product that I’ve been nothing short of confessing my love for since picking it up as a birthday gift for myself back in June, hear me out. I still love this foundation for all of its virtues but seeing as my skin has been on the drier state of things as of late, with dry patches and some of the expected flakiness, so I thought I would give an update on how the velvety foundation would fare with the drier skin, seeing as I’ve been experiencing dryness and a definite introduction to autumnal weather. The formula can show the more severe dry patches but still, I wouldn’t say that it highlights them but more than this, it doesn’t highlight or show skin texture issues in a way that is helpful when I’m on the drier side of things. It’s not necessarily going to perform quite as well on my skin in the colder months, but I still expect it to be one that I frequently reach for. It’s lightweight luminosity manages to really flatter dull dehydrated skin and it can definitely sit nicer on skin with a little bit of extra help on the hydration front or with a luminizing primer such as the Annabelle Luminous Finish Colour Control Instant Perfecting Base. Again, I emphasize that it doesn’t belong with the camp of hideous foundations on dry skin.

 Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette ($67)

I’ve given my thoughts on this gorgeous trio of the supposedly air-brushing powders in a rather comprehensive manner before and have thrown in a few updates before but here I am, adding a few more thoughts. I’m still feeling equally as impressed with the first two shades of the palette — Incandescent Light as an opalescent subtle highlighter and Dim Light as a nice blurring powder — but I have actually ventured into using the darker golden Radiant Light shade and have been using it often. This shade neither works as a traditional highlighter or bronzer in a way that I love, but I’ve found it stunning when used as a glowy ‘blush’ when I’m not going for a ‘blushy’ look. There’s something about wearing this on the cheeks that makes you look glowy and a bit more golden.

L’Oreal Glossy Balm in Ginger Candy ($9-11)

I somehow hadn’t noticed this until now, but it appears that I like these balm pencil style products, especially from the more affordable brands but I might like this formula and shade the most. They have all of the positive traits of the Revlon Lacquer Balms but they don’t have that mintiness to them — my lips might be rejoicing — and there’s even less of that sparkle going on. I picked up this shade without thinking about the shade and I automatically gravitated towards this gorgeous warm-toned darker peachy nude, that strikes me as one of those flattering no-fuss shades, and I have to say that it’s like MAC Patisserie Lipstick in more than just function and practicality – it’ a slightly peachier version of my favourite MAC lipstick. This has found its home in my bag, but has also frequently seen the light of day. I don’t regret this purchase in the slightest.

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Have you tried any of these products?
Maggie, x.

 

 

Weekly Medley #33

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1. The necessary tools for surviving a Monday, even if it’s the first authentic one you’ve had in ages… The friend that allows you to cry about your life to and make inappropriate jokes to without judgment is not shown, but there nevertheless. Anyways, if you’re ever in Halifax (yes in the Canadian Maritimes) and you’re into that whole cafe situation, I highly recommend Coburg Coffee. Their food in general, and in particular their breakfast bagels are also fantastic.

2. The post that had me genuinely hysterical… Vanessa, a fellow Canadian, shares my sense of humour apparently and had me keeled over with her ‘Some (Sarcastic) Tips to Become a Popular Blogger’ over at Citron & Guavaberry.

3. The product that you need in your life if the first words you’d use to describe your legs/arms/other body part would be itchy, eczema-ridden, dry and/or scarred… Like pretty much any product in existence, the La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP will make patches with open abrasions burn but it doesn’t have any irritating ingredients and actually works to help prevent itchiness and other nastiness in the future, with its high niacinamide content. It also absorbs in seconds, working without that greasy residue.

4. Charlotte Tilbury lusting reignited… I had just about given up on trying the legendary makeup artists beauty line because (a) I have no income and (b) it’s not impossible to get her products shipped to Canada, but it’s ridiculously ridiculously monstrously expensive but when I saw Allana haul some of her treasures from Beautylish and say that they waved the $20 shipping fee from her first order, I was excited. As much as I’d love the Filmstar Bronze & Glow, the price-tag is a little steep by any stretch of the imagination, especially compared to other treasures like the Dolce Vita Luxury Palette.

5. Favourite overall makeup face and photo of the week… I’m not in love with the whole yellow undereyes situation which I have to blame on my laziness — I was lazy and attempted to use my face concealer underneath my eyes. I’m wearing the gorgeous L’Oreal Ginger Pop Glossy Balm, Bourjois Sweet Cherry Cream Blush, Smashbox Cherry Smokes Eyeshadow Palette and the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. I’m somewhat partial to my hair as well here, so yay.

6. One moisturizer finished … I mentioned this already but I was a good little beauty-obsessed individual and actually used up a product before moving onto the closest light-reflective object. T’was nice but not life-changing enough to repurchase, in short.

7. My ‘Project 10 Pan’ post… Not only was I a fan of how this post turned out but I also have been enjoying the whole committing to use up products thing and not buying as many things endlessly. Woo.

8. A final moment of shameless self-promotion … Not only was I pleased with actually getting an actual product review out there, I was particularly happy with how it turned out and the photos that went with it. And, I kind of love the product in itself, the MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick.

In case you didn’t notice, I tried something a little different for this week’s round-up and I’m feeling the less-focused informal style. I haven’t been back to university for an entire week yet but I’m already bogged down with readings and that all that accompanying fatigue already. I’ll stop crying about my life now. Erm, let’s just say that Fall doesn’t appear to have begun here by any means and it’s been so very hot hot hot here. I swear to god I’ve slept in a sports bra and short shorts above the covers and still have been dying of heat. I’m not meant for a hot-climate obviously.

How was your week?
Maggie, x.

The Weekend Post | Project 10 Pan

DSC_0538DSC_0539This week’s edition of ‘The Weekend Post’ strikes me as a little bit different than the usual in the sense that there’s no real feature distinguishing it from a post that I might do during the week and it’s format is a real blast from the past, although I hadn’t done one before. For a good while, I’ve been feeling that a stash cleanout and beauty shopping hiatus is in order in the meantime. As many of you who have been into the beauty blogging and video-watching thing for years will be aware that the idea was created by Laura of “Buy Now Blog Later” who we all know and love and the basic rules are that you select ten items of the beauty variety that you must use up before purchasing something within the same category. I’ve actually already finished a few things of my ten because I had been mulling over doing a whole no-buy until finishing these items and had been attempting to use them up while debating whether or not to commit. I’m going to try to not only not allow myself to buy items in these categories until these ten products are used up and also limit myself to only purchasing beauty items that are essential — or perhaps on sale for a ridiculous good price. Let’s get onto it.

1. REN Hydra Calm Global Protection Day Cream ($54) – finished

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Since noticing maybe a month ago that I was coming near the end of this nicely nourishing and soothing moisturizer, I’ve been committing myself to finishing it up and as a result I pumped out the last little bit this morning. I’ve been using this not only as a daytime moisturizer but also one for nighttime use consistently since receiving it for Christmas and while I really have enjoyed using this moisturizer, I’ve been ready for a change and that change has taken the form of the recently-purchased Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream. I am rather proud that I forced myself to use this one up before moving onto the next shiny new toy.

2. Indeed Laboratories Pepta-Bright Even Skin Tone Enhancer ($40)

DSC_0549This cream-serum was not only among my very favourite beauty discoveries of 2013 but also has a place in my heart with the few skincare products that offered drastic results shortly upon first use, however the tube is coming to an end and I have other brightening acidic-based products in my arsenal that I should get to before repurchasing this beauty. That was a roundabout way of saying that I would like to finish this AHA and Chromabright containing brightening treatment. If brightness/dullness is one of your skin concerns along with general texture and hyperpigmentation, this product will serve you very very very well.

3. L’Oreal Sublime Soft Gentle Micellar Solution ($12-13)

DSC_0547My mother picked this one up as a gift for me this spring after I placed the product in her hand with one of the elusive coupons that provided a few dollars off – clearly, I may have influenced the decision – and when I ran out of my previous bottle of Bioderma, I gave this one a good go. Months have passed and I’ve used up the majority of my bottle but in recent weeks, I spotted the good ol’ Bioderma Sensibio H20 in the difficult-to-find 500 mL size for less than the price for the typical bottle, and it’s tempting to completely return to the original. However, the L’Oreal is almost a dupe and works 99.99% as well but can’t quite remove difficult eye makeup as well…

4. NOW Solutions 100% Natural Shea Butter ($20) – finished

DSC_0541I had been applying a generous layer of this oil-balm twice daily to soothe and heal the whole leg eczema situation and I had really been enjoying the soothing butter but as I was nearing the end of this balm, I spotted La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP at a local drugstore (Lawton’s to be exact) for less than half-price and of course I picked it up and had to use it immediately. I’m pleased to report that I restrained myself afterwards and actually finished the shea butter before continuing use with the latest shiny object within sight.

5. John Freida Frizz-Ease Dream Curls Daily Styling Spray ($15)

DSC_0542I do believe that these refreshing-slash-styling sprays are essential for hair like mine that is on the curlier end of the spectrum and that benefits from not being washed and styled daily, as my hair seems to lose vitality by day especially towards the roots and crown of my head. This served its purpose decently, both refreshing my curls and hydrating the hair but it unfortunately worked by making the hair rather wet and it was irritating waiting for it to dry. It’s tempting to just go out and try another product of this variety for better results so I’m forcing myself to use this one up beforehand.

6. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation ($9-12)

DSC_0545This may be a surprising one because while I might not be able to say that the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation is my absolute favourite foundation, it remains among the top of the very best of them and therefore I love it dearly. However, I’m not someone who can typically wear more than a scant helping of foundation on their face at any given time and as a result I rarely go through them so seeing as close as I am to the end of this bottle, I can’t resist making it a priority to finish — especially considering my foundation hoarding tendencies.

7. MAC Studio Careblend Pressed Powder ($30)

DSC_0540Not being a powder girl on account of my drier and uneven skin, this one has impressed me time and time again with its non-powdery tendencies, and I’ve been using it for well over a year and things are coming close to the end so I’m making an effort to reach for this one to simply get rid of the packaging, or rather save it for my next ‘Back 2 Mac’ product redemption. Regular readers for a long time around here will be aware of my feelings towards this powder and if you’re in need of a recap, it doesn’t completely mattify the skin and it doesn’t highlight dry patches…

8. L’Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Liner in Carbon Black ($9-10) – completed

DSC_0548Strictly speaking, I have not finished up this liner but it is rather difficult to literally finish up liners of this variety because the tips fray and the formula dries up first. I hadn’t been happy with the results that I had been getting with my favourite liner, finding them to be messier and lacking the usual precision but then after many uses I realized that I had been using this bottle consistently for 10 months and the issue was that the tip was beginning to fray and the formula was much dried up along with the potentially problematic hygiene issues. I love this stuff.

9. Annabelle Smoothliner in Black ($7)

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I’ve raved about this creamy jet-black long-wearing liner countless times and for good reason; the creamy texture might not go as far as some others but at its price and quality this one can’t be beat. However, since getting the liner down to a nub, I’ve found myself reaching for other liners but I want to make sure I use this one up before it dries out and just to streamline my stash in general.

10. Revlon Bold Lacquer by Grow Luscious Mascara in Blackest Black ($8-9)

I’ve been naughty and have had more than one or two mascaras open as of late and now that I stop to think about it, it was a bad idea considering their shelf lives and thus, I’m making an effort to use up my older ones. Now, this one isn’t the oldest (that would be the L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess) but it’s close to it and I would rather get rid of this one because I don’t love it as much and it seems to be beginning to dry up in that not-so-fabulous way.

Have you ever done anything like this? What products are you trying to use up?

Maggie, x.

 

Testing, Testing

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It’s so easy to let products that you’ve purchased slip into the cracks because you’ve finished talking about them as an addition to your monstrous stash of beauty-related products but aren’t ready to devote an entire post in the product’s name and I wanted to remedy this somewhat — viola, these posts were born where I provide my thoughts on products that have likely been mentioned before but not discussed conclusively. Here are some products that I have been using (for either testing purposes or enjoyments sake) and an abridged account of my thoughts about them. I should warn you that there are a few affiliate links below, before your read on…

1. L’Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara ($9)

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Some of you may be aware that I gave the Miss Manga Mascara a miss in my previous ‘the verdict’ post and while I stand by my original assessment of the mascara — too wet and easily clumpy for my tastes –, it has grown on me as it’s dried out notably. I may or may not have accidentally left it without the cap on for a day or two and this may or may not have improved the formula in my view. It’s definitely a dramatic mascara that doesn’t require too much building to get to its effect and can look spidery if too much is applied or if you’re not careful but it’s definitely one that I’ve been liking when I’m just shoving on a brush or two on each set of lashes before running out the door. Like many other mascaras from L’Oreal, this can be a bit of a bother to remove and it does sit on the more wet side of things formula-wise but as it has begun to dry out I’ve been liking it for its ‘instant drama’ effect.

2. Revlon Highlighting Palette in Peach Glow ($11)

DSC_0530After hearing Amelia Liana and Lily Pebbles rave about the ‘Bronze Glow’ shade of this product, I had been keen on trying out this product and did so in June. In conclusion, it’s not a product that I am wowed by but it’s not a bad product by any standards. The highlighting palette serves as a very subtle highlighter and it does have less than stellar pigmentation – so those who are wary of obvious shimmer and glow-overload could very well find this ideal. The overall assortment of colours included in the compact strikes me as rather strange; on the one hand, there are two obviously deeper bronzy shades (top and middle), two paler peach-leaning champagne shades (second from the top and the bottom) and a very pale shade that is more yellow than neutral. Swatches would be appropriate here but there’s this issue where my battery of my camera is dead and the charger appears to have run off, so I hope you can let it slide. On the same note of my shortcomings, I didn’t actually attempt to use these as eyeshadows but I wouldn’t expect the lighter less pigmented shades to work well for this purpose…

 

 3. NARS Contour Blush in Paloma ($46)

DSC_0531If you’ve been keeping up with things around these parts in the last few weeks, you will likely be completely unsurprised by my glowing review of this contouring powder duo. The rosy-hued tan matte contouring powder is absolutely fantastic; with amazing pigmentation, blendability and longevity, this shade easily provides an instant natural-looking sculpted effect. I’ve found that it’s a tool that gives ‘instant cheekbones’ and I do thing it has surpassed my old love, the MAC Harmony Powder Blush for contouring. The lighter soft-matte highlighting shade isn’t as ideal for me as the darker shade as it doesn’t have any sort of sheen and I tend to love sheen in highlighter; however, it’s nice for brightening up the center of the face and setting the undereye area. Being the middle shade of the range, Paloma is an ideal shade for my skin and will suit neutral to warm complexions that range from moderately fair to maybe medium in depth. It’s natural-looking effortless sculpting at its finest.

 

 4.NARS ‘Radiant’ Cream Compact Foundation Refill ($45)

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Being a sample-sized pot from Sephora, this might not be the most attractive product to photograph but I have been using the generous amount frequently and have been on the fence of purchasing it for more than a little while — but I’ve decided I must have the luminous cream foundation. Fiji is ever-so-slightly pale for me at the moment but I’m convinced that it will be perfect as soon as I start to pale out and remain for the majority of the year – “the golden peachy undertones” actually seem to be working for me and my neutral-warm skin. It’s a medium coverage foundation that is kind to drier patches – although it doesn’t hide them by any means if they are extremely serious – and leaves the skin looking polished but still skinlike. The foundation is definitely luminous but it doesn’t venture into oily territory as hours wear on; in fact, it tends to remain looking the same until it is removed. Unlike heavier-coverage cream foundations that I’ve tried before, this looks like skin and adds some glow and doesn’t highlight every little patch of dryness on the face. It also is slightly moisturizing and feels like nothing. It should also be noted that the compact is purchased separately from the refill.

5. NARS ‘Pro Prime’ Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base ($29)

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Despite the hype this colourless eyeshadow primer receives around the blogosophere, I cannot report that it is either infallible or lifechanging, but I can say that it is the best primer I’ve tried on my weirdly crease-prone lids. Like other products of this kind, it’s performance depends on giving it the proper time to sink in before shadow application and applying the smallest amount and I find I can get some (mild) creasing with this, but the wear I get with this primer tops the wear that I get with the rest. Plus it doesn’t take much time to sink in and isn’t problematic to use in any other sense.

Note: The abundance of NARS products was completely accidental. Whoops.

6. Indeed Laboratories Facial Powdered Exfoliator ($30)

 

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This powder exfoliator, that turns into a foamy liquid when mixed with water, was an impulse purchase on my part, back in June when I spotted it for the first time ever around these parts, for ten dollars less than the typical price; I didn’t regret it and I still don’t. It’s definitely an effective and unique exfoliating product and not just because of its powdered format — It doesn’t have any sort of harsh microbeads and pairs the physical exfoliating action of the rice bran powder with those fruit acids that I love dearly. This is a product that I love and would recommend to anyone who would like to try out an acidic exfoliant (but doesn’t want to irritate their skin) and chemical-exfoliant lovers alike because there’s enough action for it to be effective in brightening, smoothing and refining the skin but there’s no painful sting or irritation after the fact – no stripping, redness, etc. However, because this is only going to remain on the skin for a small amount of time, it would not have the benefit of a lotion or gel that is not rinsed off, of course. ‘exfoliate’ is what I would call a revamped new-generation ‘scrub’ – without the negative effects of the scrubbiness. Did I mention that I like acids and hate that this brand refuses to capitalize the names of any of their products?

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Have you tried any of these? What have you been testing lately?
Maggie, x.

MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick

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As much as I love a good bold lip of the red or coral variety, sometimes I come to admit that it’s those more difficult to find those flattering neutral shades that are the essentials or most valuable and for me, the MAC Matte Lipstick in Kinda Sexy ($19) is definitely one of those. I’ve waxed on about my love for Patisserie, the sheerer warm toned pink tinged neutral hue, and this one offers a similar kind of thing and I suspect it will become just as loved over time. Kinda Sexy definitely sits on the more pigmented and long-lasting side of things with its matte finish and it definitely has a bit more colour to it, while still being neutral. It’s a neutral hue with strong peach undertones that still fits into the cliched my-lips-but-better territory but it actually serves to darken/brighten the lips, while still remaining neutral. This lipstick isn’t ‘nude’ in the strictest sense on fair skin like mine, but it might be considered one (and a nice one at that) on deeper complexions — you’ll have to let me know.

Despite the neutral hue of this shade, it’s not a slap er on kind of hue that doesn’t require a mirror or any care but the extra effort proves worthwhile because the shade actually serves to stain the lips and last through a good moderate amount of eating and drinking. Despite being a matte finish, it doesn’t dry out my perpetually chapped lips or emphasize the patches in the slightest. This matte formula is impressive in how comfortable it is on the lips and I’ll definitely have my eye out for more matte shades — this matte is nothing like the uber-dry/drying Ruby Woo, if you were curious. My lips are peeling in the below picture and this shade does not emphasize it in the slightest, if you ask me. I find this shade lasts about 5 hours, which kind of blows my mind given that it’s such a neutral shade.

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Being a neutral (but brightening) shade, Kinda Sexy goes with just about any sort of makeup look, regardless of how minimal or dramatic the rest of the face is and it’s one that I grab for when I don’t want to think about what shade would go. I’m obsessed with this shade at the moment and as a result, it has found a home in my bag and I don’t expect this to change any time soon. For the sake of full-disclosure, the link below will be an affiliate link, too.

DSC_0471Shade comparisons: MAC Kinda Sexy (top), MAC Patisserie (middle), Revlon Matte Balm in Complex (bottom)
 
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MAC Lipstick in Kinda Sexy ($16/$19)
What’s your favourite MAC Lipstick?
Maggie, x.

Weekly Medley #32

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If you remember last week’s post, I’m sure you can recall that I was feeling “under the weather” and unfortunately I wasn’t feeling any better this week; that feeling transformed into a cold with the runny nose, dry skin and heavy fatigue but fortunately it’s not too much of a serious one of the head variety. At the beginning of the week, there was this onslaught of scorching weather and I wanted nothing less, given how I was feeling, so I was as happy as a clam when the cooler weather came along. Along  With the perpetual exhaustion and runny, the sahara dry, flaking and generally red skin was problematic, both on my face and body and two products that helped immensely were the above moisturizing mask and facial oil. Although the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask does tend to burn slightly upon contact with irritated skin, the thick and nourishing mask did work wonders on my reddened dry patches and general irritation, when I was applying it at night. I swear, my skin absorbed it instantly, it was that dehydrated.  On the soothing and redness-reducing front, the By Nature Organic Rosehip Oil worked wonders; whenever I didn’t have the mask on, this was slathered all over my face because I could quickly see the difference with this one. This was one that stopped the itching and took down to red irritated patches within hours. In short, this duo has restored the state of my skin tremendously and I adore both products — and slathering my face in both products.

At this time of the month, there’s an onslaught of favourites posts (and videos), which I know is redundant and irritating to some, but I salivate at the very appearance of them. I love favourites posts and videos like I love lattes in my sleep-deprived state. My absolute favourite of the ‘favourite’ themed posts/videos had to be Suzie’s and if you haven’t watched it already (and every other video that she has ever made), I would highly recommend giving it a go – here. She’s relaxed and amusing and can probably sell me just about anything… but honestly, she’s great.

I was also rather pleased with this weeks posts in general. It’s definitely rewarding to go through your archives and not even questioning whether you’ve uploaded a post or two. My three favourites would have to be my ‘August Favourites‘, ‘Beauty Bargain‘ and ‘The Pre-Fall Haul‘. Writing this down, I feel more than a little bit self-indulgent so I better stop myself. I’m back to classes on Thursday, as absurd as it feels and equally as absurd are my thoughts on my new Smashbox Cherry Smoke Photo-Op Eye Shadow Palette – I stand by what I said about the amazing pigmentation and general formula of these gorgeous shades but I don’t love it as a staple palette for putting together entire ‘eye looks’ and because of this, I might actually be returning this. However, the formula is so great. Angst.

How was your week?
Maggie, x.

The Monthly Roundup #9: August 2014

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I might not have been loving life all August (but when am I ever?), but things have been pretty great here at Beautylit & Ramblings this month. Obviously, I haven’t done all of the posts that I planned to at some point but I’ve definitely been pleased overall with the quality of my posts and I did post 22 times, so I can’t complain.

1.  August Favourites –

Where I shared a nicely edited selection of products of the beauty variety (along with a few random ones) without going overboard with the most complex, exhaustively long sentences known to man. I’ve been good in the last few months and haven’t been consistently including every single favourites post in these monthly posts so I was happy to go back to my old way for once.

2. The Pre-Fall Haul –

Where I outlined the products that I picked up in preparation for the upcoming fall season and close-approaching fall school semester and gave my general thoughts on them. I was particularly pleased with the vast quantity of nice pictures included in the post along with my feelings towards the items themselves.

3. The Six-Step Sunday –

Where I wrote more of a typical lifestyle-infused ‘weekend post’ and talked about my six different steps for the ideal relaxed Sunday. It was definitely a different post for me but I was pleased with the results and it did get a significant number of views etc., so I’m assuming you enjoyed it as well.

4. The Five Sumer Essentials –

Where I wrote a ‘little’ ode to the five products that I agonized over including as my five standout products of the summer season. I liked it and it did take some thought…

5. My MAC Eyeshadow Palette –

Last but not least is a post that I’ve been meaning to do and planning for ages that finally came to fruition this month, taking more work than you would assume. I was happy with the result and I hope that my overview of my shadows was a helpful resource to some of you. I just about choke with satisfaction whenever I glance at this post…

What were your standout posts/things of the month?
Maggie, x.

August Favourites

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DSC_0451Ahh, I suppose the summer is now coming to an end and to be honest, I’m not particularly sad about it for two different reasons. First off, I’m beyond done with the hot summer weather and am ready for more than a little bit of cooling down and also, this summer wasn’t a great one for me and I’m ready for a change of scenery. I’m sure I’ll change my mind as soon as the stress sets in, though. This month brought a smaller selection of products than my usual but I’m definitely pleased with this bunch as a whole… This post does contain affiliate links too.

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The Bath & Body Works 3 Wick Candle in Beach Day ($10.50 on clearance – now) was my first foray into the world of Bath & Body Works scented candles and I’ve been obsessed with this light and unoffensive but potent scent. I smells like a relaxing beach day, reading on the beach and the gentle crash of waves with the light lemon and lime, saltwater and light citrusy musk scent. It’s a nice relaxing and low-key scent that lingers nicely. Plus, finding this one on sale was rather nice and it softened the blow of spending fifty dollars on candles.

Also, on the “non beauty” front, I’ve been obsessed with my Forever 21 Coffee Understands PJ Set ($15.80). This should not be a surprise because I’m one of those people who are obsessed with comfort and these fit the bill on that one and somehow seem more appropriate to be lounging around in at random hours of the day than mismatched tops and bottoms. The set is nice and lightweight which was key for the weather earlier in the month and I do adore the cheeky and true ‘nobody understands me like coffee does‘ lettering on the top and the printed shorts. I’m saying that I wore out the top portion in public but I may have been spotted leaving the house, wearing it with leggings…

Before venturing into the usual charted territory, I have two more mentionables of the more random variety. I’ve been really loving watching Suits this month and I may or may not have had a slight binge watching episode where I went through three seasons in less than 24 hours. Without paying attention, I grabbed the fifteen dollar special issue of People Style Watch and despite its purchase happening my accident, I adored the ad-free issue. I loved how it wasn’t based on actual pieces or selling of items but rather about styling outfits for everyday life. The price-tag on this one was rather hefty but it might actually have been worthwhile – it did help me with recognizing what kind of pieces I’m looking for and what is essential/extraneous.

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By the second week of the month, I had pulled out the muted neon peach MAC Lipstick in Sweet And Sour ($19) and since, I have not put it down or gone many places without it. I will admit that it’s not gorgeous when my lips are looking a bit horrific but at a certain point, I couldn’t muster the effort to care and the gorgeous colour was worth it. It’s one of those shades that adds some colour to the face but isn’t out there in the slightest. In the latter half of the month, I had gotten lazy on the lip balm front and then managed to burn my lips — ow / ew — so I wasn’t reaching for the matte formulation as much, but I also enjoyed the flattering darker peachy-nude shade, known as the MAC Lipstick Kinda Sexy ($19). Despite being a matte formulation, this lipstick manages not to dry out my lips and isn’t completely unflattering on them either — unless they are both flaking and peeling…

Around the midpoint of the month, I picked up a few things at MAC, shortly after making an order to Sephora online and there are two products that were late to the party but I fell in love with so instantly that they were begging to be mentioned. It’s been almost every day that I’ve been reaching for the creamy and jet black MAC Kohl Power Eye Pencil in Feline ($19) and I’ve been adoring it. The pencil glides on as smoothly as any one has before with almost a liquid-like appearance and can be smudged nicely until it sets, when it becomes long-wearing. Its only faults are how difficult it is to remove without an oil based remover and that it transfers from lower to upper waterlines so easily. Because of the formula, this pencil can reach small spaces that other pencils cannot and I’ve been enjoying this.

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Since receiving the NARS Contour Blush in Paloma ($46) with my Sephora shipment, I don’t think I’ve put on any makeup without going for the contour portion of this duo. It doesn’t look that amazing in the pan — it’s really a rosy tan shade — but its formula is so amazing that it provides an ‘instant cheekbones’ kind of sculpted effect without much effort at all. I’m in love.

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I wore the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette ($67) consistently this month, as I had in July but this month I was much more consistently pleased with the result. To be honest, I don’t use the golden Radiant Light powder often at all, but the other two shades were consistently gracing my face. Dim Light is a nice finishing powder that adds a bit of glow while blurring things slightly and I’ve been enjoying this as I’ve discovered not to put this on the sides of my forehead – it tends to look weird and out of place there — and Incandescent Light is a lovely subtle highlighter that simply reads as a glow on the skin that I’ve also been using to set my under-eye section. I reviewed the palette in full here, if you’re interested.

What were your standout products this August?
Maggie, x.

The Pre-Fall Haul

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I can’t completely explain it in a comprehensible way but I kind of detest the word ‘haul’ and as a result I tend to tiptoe around posts of this type and call them by another name; however I’m just going to bite the bullet and call it what it is this time. As per usual, it’s not a massive supply and this one is a bit collective and it is centred around picking things up for the upcoming school year along with the usual pick or two. If you’re anything like me, this will sound all too familiar. Because I’m paranoid about violating disclosure policies, I’m going to say now that a few affiliate links will actually appear in this post.

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It was about a month ago when I picked up my first Bath & Body Works candles and that purchase included two fall-themes options, the Cayenne Caramel and the Spiced Pumpkin Cider 3 Wick Candles. I’m new to the candle party but I do find them nice and relaxing with the ability to help boost productivity too. The second candle was a safe pick for me as I typically adore those spiced apple/pumpkin scents but the first one surprised me- cayenne
And caramel did not sound appealing but it has that nice warm spicy feel to it with a hint of caramel sweetness. Somebody stop me now.

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Before getting to the beauty bits, I’m going to share the four items that have served to update the wardrobe for fall. It’s not large enough for a school bag but I first picked up the smaller red cross-body structured bag from Forever 21 because I’ve seemed to kill all of my cross-body styles and it seemed to be the perfect everyday bag when you don’t want to carry the content of your life with you. I mentioned picking up this thin light beige slouchy sweater from Garage in last weeks ‘Daily Highlights’ post but I feel compelled to include it again here. It has a cropped cut in the front of the sweater that graduates to a longer length on the sides and has an impractical but cute peekaboo back.

More recently I finished off these little wardrobe updates with another slouchy lightweight sweater and a new pair of jeans. The H&M sweater is nothing shocking, especially considering that it was just included in my ‘Weekend Wishlist’ post. It’s quite oversized and slouchy because I picked it up in a large – the only size I could find – and it will become a staple paired with jeans and leggings. The jeans were a far more surprising purchase for me as they were from Hollister, a store that I very very rarely venture into, let alone go as far as to try something on from. Hollister had all of their jeans on sale for $27 dollars and I loved the Blake Natural Waist Jeggings so much that I had to have them instantly. Despite their name, they are more of a high-waist jean and the waist served to really suck in the stomach and they were more than flattering on my non-existent butt etc.

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DSC_0416In my day out shopping with friends, we went all over, so of course I couldn’t help but checking out both major drugstores and ending up with more than a few items. First up, I hit up Lawton’s and ended up with six items, all but one of which were on sale. L’Oreal was on for 40% off and I was tempted to try out loads more but I was good and picked up the L’Oreal Glossy Balm in Ginger Candy ($6), a flattering and comfortable peachy nude and the typically-my-lips-but-better L’Oreal Collection Privee Lipstick in Eva’s Nude ($5). These both have impressed me as comfortable and flattering everyday lip options so I’m fairly proud of myself. There was quite a sale going on with La Roche-Posay, with most things on sale for more than the usual dollar or two off and I took the opportunity to try out the La Roche-Posay Lipikar Balm AP ($12.50) because it looked promising for eczema-ridden legs with its high niacinamide and shea butter content. I’m liking it thus far. 

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Then I found myself in the nail-care aisle with my polish-savvy best pal, Lauren and somehow ended up buying three items there. First off, I spotted the Sally Hansen Kwick-Off Moisturizing Nail Polish Remover ($5) and I couldn’t resist replacing my used-up pot with this one – it’s seriously amazing. Before heading through the cash, I noticed that Essie was on sale and I was compelled to pick up the gorgeous On A Silver Platter Nail Lacquer ($7), a gorgeous antiqued silver shimmer with cobalt glitter running throughout and the No Chips Ahead Top Coat ($7).

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I might not have spent much less at Shopper’s Drugmart, but I did come away with only two products, neither of which would be considered typically affordable drugstore products. Frustrated with my drier-than-dry lips, I went to pick up the pot of Rêve de Miel® Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm, but it was unfortunately out of stock so I went for the $9 stick format of the Rêve de Miel® Lip Moisturizing Stick in its place. Thus far, I can say it’s a nice balm but it’s not a rich and nourishing treat like I had heard the pot formula to be. The big purchase of the stop was in the high end section and was a palette that I somehow justified to myself as completely realistic as I hadn’t bought a palette in a while but I know it wasn’t strictly essential. The palette was the Smashbox ‘Photo Op – Cherry Smoke’ Eyeshadow Palette Cherry Smoke that contains eight smooth and pigmented warm autumnal eyeshadows for $39 US or $44 CDN. I’ve tried the palette out and it is fantastic, as the below evidence might indicate. I would return it to ease my guilty conscience if it wasn’t so beautiful and amazing.

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What have you picked up lately?
Maggie, x.

The Beauty Bargain | No 7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser

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DSC_0389I’ve said multiple different times that the Boots no 7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser is one of the best bargains of the beauty variety because even ingredients-wise, this indulgent creamy cleanser performs with the most luxurious of them and for a little over a ten dollar bill (and less most of the time because Shoppers seems to consistently have the line on sale), you can get 200 mLs of product and a nice muslin cloth. I believe that Americans can purchase the line from Ulta, and obviously those from the UK can purchase the line from Boots.

The packaging is rather nice and convenient but admittedly not the most compact for traveling purposes; my only issue with it can be chalked down to user error. I have this tendency to either forget to put the top on after use or somehow end up losing it altogether and this tends to make the first part of the cleanser come out with a hardened patch that I have to discard.

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The cleanser is designed to be a more affordable alternative to the famous Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish but I can’t comment because I haven’t and don’t plan on trying it because it contains essential oils unlike this version. It has a rich and nourishing cream texture but it doesn’t feel heavy in the slightest while it works to soothe the skin and cleanse/ remove makeup without stripping the skin. The cleanser has an emollient base and is also rich in glycerin and cocoa butter. It’s not great for the skin, but at least the fragrance is somewhat low on the ingredient list and the fragrance makes the product seem more indulgent than the price-point would suggest, emulating that spa-like feel. The scent doesn’t smell artificial or particularly strongly and it is actually rather pleasant, if you ask me.

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Myristyl Myristate, Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, Tribehenin, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Phenoxyethanol, Panthenol, Methylparaben, Parfum (Fragrance), Dipropylene Glycol, Ethylparaben, Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hydroxide.

As I have been for numerous months, I use this cleanser as my initial nighttime one to remove makeup. Now I don’t use it to remove my eye makeup as directed but I’m sure most could get away with that — my eyes are far too sensitive to tolerate a cream-based product without burning or any other form of reaction. This detergent-free non-drying cleanser is very effective at removing makeup when paired with some sort of washcloth (or muslin cloth if you prefer) and never seems to irritate my skin, even when it’s in its most fragile state. I’ve also found that this is a nice cleanser in the morning when you want a bit of a treat because it soothes and hydrates the skin after being rinsed away and leaves things looking a bit brighter; it takes a little more effort but it is rather nice when I’m rather sleep deprived and looking dull, or my skin is just not at its best. As regular readers would be aware, my skin is definitely on the drier and more sensitive side of things and this is an appropriate cleanser for that but I also think that it would be suitable for more combination skin types as it is not heavy. It also does not contain mineral oil, if you have an issue with that ingredient.

Have you tried this cleanser or another ‘hot cloth’ cleanser?
Maggie, x.