The Daily Face #1: I actually wear this to class and look like a sane person

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Face: Kiehl’s Stress Rescuer moisturizer, Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (Ivory), MUFE 5 Concealer Palette (1), Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer/Highlighter (Ivory), Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Creme Bronzer in Warm Tan, Benefit Rockateur Boxed Powder, NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray

Eyes: NYX HD Eyeshadow Base, Dior Earth Reflection Quint, Maybelline Master Precise Black Pen-Liner, Maybelline The Falsies mascara, Lancome Le Crayon Kohl in Black/Noir, MAC Charcoal Brown eye shadow, Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette

Lips: MAC Patisserie lipstick

This is probably quite boring but this is the kind of post that I enjoy reading maybe the most — the makeup that I wear the most on an everyday basis (what I wear to Uni) and is a standard amount of makeup compared to others (you know the odd occasion when you don’t look like you’re wearing 10x the amount of makeup that everyone else is) and takes five minutes, max. It’s the perfect happy medium to make me feel put together and polished but does not scream overly made-up.

Being the foundation hoarder that I am, the foundation I wear on a daily basis varies depending on the state of my skin at the moment and general mood, nevertheless a favourite of mine for everyday (and is also up there for all time) is Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. The almost invisible slight shimmer gives that nice glow while still providing a natural-looking medium coverage. Luckily for me, Ivory (the lightest shade) is perfect for my moderately fair skin for most of the year with its yellowy undertones.

I ran out of Urban Decay Primer Potion (sigh… :() and I have weirdly oily eyelids so I picked up Nyx HD Eyeshadow Base, which works better than Maybelline Colour Tattoos and and ever so slightly better than MAC Paint Pots but not as well as UDPP… but I can’t complain.

I’ve always had rather large and deep-set eyes and I’ve learned that outer-v definition can really make a difference for me and liner is essential. I put the Lancome on to tightline and applied a thin line on the upper lashes with the Maybelline. It was a complete splurge but I’m really enjoying my first Dior quint; I did quite a standard eye today with the golden champagne on the lid, the taupe in the crease and the deepest shade along the lashline and outer-v and I have to say that I’m a fan of the look.

I’ve struggled using the MUFE Concealer Palette for ages because the dark-correcting shade is just so orange and although it conceals dark circles, it can be very obvious but I’ve been putting the Rimmel on top and I’m impressed. The lip choice was obvious; the standard wearable pinky-brown nude MAC Patisserie. 

Benefit Rockateur is holding its place in my cheek product rotation and the Sonia Kashuk Creme Bronzer has been a pleasant surprise, finding it’s way into my daily makeup. Big deal right here. Um and my No-Buy might have maybe sort of turned into a Low-Buy after spotting the NYX Dewy Finish Setting Spray (First impression – lovely) and the limited-edition velvet matte top coat from L’Oreal……

Thoughts?

I may or may not have cut Benefit Rockateur out of the frame :)
I may or may not have cut Benefit Rockateur out of the frame 🙂 – see box to the far right

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Dior 609 Earth Reflection Quint

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Dior palettes are the kind of makeup item I find myself gazing at longingly but never seem to purchase as they seem to extravagant and pricy but I have to say I’m glad I took the plunge and picked up this one.

The eyeshadow quint retails for $61 CDN for 0.21 oz of product and I picked mine up at Sephora. The shades are the typical size of a full prices shadow pretty much (0.042 oz each) and the cost breaks down to $12.20 per shadow which is not too bad granted all the shadows are to your liking – and luckily in this case they were for me.

Obviously this palette contains five shades. The darker shades do tend to be more pigmented but all the shades are impressively long wearing with a buttery, smooth and blendable texture with a beautiful finish. Like all of the palettes in this series, the shades are iridescent but manage to have that sheen without being overwhelmingly shiny or glittery which can be a difficult feat. The texture is so soft and amazing. There is slight fall out but I don’t believe it’s escapable.

This palette seems to me to have a taupe theme and is neither overwhelmingly cool or warm. The palette features a shimmery pale pink that is sheer in consistency and quite brightening, a pale gold champagne shimmery shade with the same consistency, a light gold-beige shade with more pigmentation, A silvery taupe with a hint of purpliness to it (sort of similar to Satin Taupe but a touch lighter and more golden) and a darker taupe shade that is slightly warmer and plummy.

Even the dark colours have that soft texture and blendability, which is tough to come by. Although I don’t own it, the overall colour scheme of the palette seems to be along the lines of Urban Decay Naked 2 but obviously with less selection. The lack of selection doesn’t bother me. I find myself enjoying this palette for its simplicity. Just using this palette I can create subtle day looks to a dramatic smoky eye and that’s hard to come by for me. It’s a nice palette to create entire looks from.

The lightest two shades are grey highlight shades for me, the pale gold looks great on the lid, the silvery taupe I either wear on the crease and the darkest shade I like to wear in the outer-v for more subtle eye makeup or in the crease for darker looks and it’s dark enough to be used as liner. I like having a palette that I use every shade in!

I would have to give this product an A rating because the only downside of the product is the lack of different finishes and the price. These shadows have really impressed me because of their buttery texture, pigmentation, texture and longevity. I decided that I was going to create actual categories for review purposes to make my perceptions of products less arbitrary:

Pigmentation – 9/10

Longevity – 9.5/10

Packaging – 9.5/10

Value – 9/10

Overall Quality – 10/10

Total Grade – 47/50= 94%/A

Far too expensive for your wallet? Although they are not quite as longlasting, buttery and pigmented, Physicians Formula Nude Eyes palette struck me as similar. It features the same taupe shades and beautiful iridescence. Those shadows are generally impressively soft.

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Top - Bottom: golden shade on upper left, pinky shade in center, light taupe on upper right, dark taupe on bottom left, highlight shade on bottom right
Top – Bottom: golden shade on upper left, pinky shade in center, light taupe on upper right, dark taupe on bottom left, highlight shade on bottom right

Daytime Nude Lips and Tangent

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When I first started getting really into makeup, in 9th/10th grade, I was a nude lips kind of girl. That sort of changed lately, starting in my senior year of high school, when I started venturing into wearing brighter lips and before then, nothing at all. I suspect this was because pinks (especially cool-toned ones) look absolutely horrible on me. After I discovered brighter lipsticks, nudes (especially pale ones) were delegated to occasions where I wore a dramatic smokey eye. Lately as I’ve begun my no-buy, I’ve been in a rut in terms of lipstick – there was nothing in between just good old lip balm and a bold statement lip and I’ve been digging out my nudes as a solution of sorts. In my early days of makeup, nudes were my daily go-to and over the last little bit, I’ve been enjoying them and I think they can be worn on an everyday basis. Even more, they can be quite flattering.

I found myself quite liking the way that nude lips put the emphasis on my eyes and how low maintenance it was. I used MAC Creme d’Nude Lipstick which was my second lipstick from MAC and the third lipstick I ever purchased (the previous two were complete failures). I stupidly bought MAC Viva Glam Gaga, which was a horribly unflattering cool-toned pink and I should have learned from that mistake… In other words, this was my first lipstick love.

I may have accidentally taken the above photo with flash and captured the dreaded flashback effect but what can you expect wearing an spf 50 BB Cream? I’ve gotten back into using Skin79 Snail Nutrition on the regular and it is a great one. Cheek products were standard. The concealer/highlighter from Rimmel is very nice and has been making its way into my everyday routine.

The daytime smoky-ish eye is a look I always think can look great but is hard to do without overdoing it. However, using my old stand-by MAC Woodwinked and adding in some trusty Sketch, Dazzlelight, Satin Taupe and Charcoal Brown and I have to say it’s one of the few (as of late) days where I’ve been really liking my makeup. Although I abhorr the word, Woodwinked really does make the blue eyes ‘pop’ and stand out without looking heavily made up.

Happy Wednesday! Thoughts?

 

FACE: Skin 79 Snail Nutrition BB Cream, Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer/Highlighter in Ivory, Benefit Rockateur Boxed Powder, Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in Warm Tan

EYES: NYX HD Eyeshadow Base, MAC Dazzlelight, Woodwinked, Charcoal Brown, Satin Taupe and Sketch eye shadows, Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Brown, Maybelline the Falsies mascara, Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette

LIPS: MAC Creme d’Nude lipstick

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The Tired, Sick and Stressed Face

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Face: Lancome La Base Pro, Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick in 2.5 Warm Sand, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light , NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny, Milani Baked Blush in Red Vino, Benefit Girl Meets Pearl

Eyes: NYX HD Eyeshadow Base, Dior Earth Reflection Quint, NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny, Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 liner, Maybelline black Gel liner, Maybelline The Falsies Mascara, Revlon Brow Fantasy in Brunette (whoops forgot to picture….)

Lips: Revlon Pink Truffle Lip Butter

It can be difficult to muster the energy to put on makeup and wear some sort of semi-appropriate outfit when you have to be out the door on Monday mornings by 8:15 and you’re swamped by work and stress, along with being perpetually sleep deprived. Even though I’d rather hit the snooze button, I find myself reaching for a few products – I suspect this is because I get an unhealthy amount of enjoyment from makeup and use wearing makeup as justification of wearing lazy-day outfits every day while looking somewhat presentable and alive. So here is what happens on a typical day (when I’m not running uber-late) in order to feel somewhat polished but I’m not one with qualms about not wearing makeup and rocking the fourth-day-hair messy bun… end ramble.

My skin has been even more dull than usual, dry,red, sensitive and somewhat flaky and uneven which tends to pose some difficulties on the foundation front. I do generally suffer from foundation sitting on my dry patches awkwardly and its even worse this time of year. Although I’m a skeptic on the facial primer front, I’ve been trying out a few of my primer samples from Sephora and am trying to see if it helps any, as people always seem to claim it does. Today I used Lancôme La Base Proand it seemed to help the foundation glide over my drier spots (most of my face at the moment) to a small degree.

I would normally just whip out my trusty Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect but my skin is too dull and red for that to be enough today – my skin is getting back at me for late nights and subjection to stress. I’ve heard that Bobbi Brown Stick Foundation is one of the rare ones that can provide great coverage yet not highlight dry patches and her shades run so dramatically yellow that they do tend to neutralize the redness in my skin. I’m always nosy to find out what shade other people wear in foundation so I’m feeling compelled to elaborate that my shade is 2.5 Warm Sand. The coverage was medium buildable and struck me as a foundation like LM Silk Creme but better for those with drier patches – it didn’t completely hise dehydrated patches but it did not emphasize them by any means – and I would say they were less visible than when I wasn’t wearing foundation so colour me impressed.

I’ve kind of gotten addicted to tightlining my eyes with Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liner in Perversion daily, even though it tends to irritate me when it smudges onto the bottom waterline despite my best intentions for it not to but we can’t have it all – It doesn’t irritate my sensitive eyes and actually stays put. Some migrated to the lower waterline and I couldn’t be bothered to remove it. I did this before my NYX HD Eye Primer because I find it has a really siliconey feel that tends to make creamy products migrate until it dries completely.

For eyeshadow, I started with NYC Sunny Bronzer in the crease and then finished with my latest obsession, the Dior Earth Reflection Quint (expect a review soon!). I used the iridescent golden champagne across the lid and the pink in the inner corner, a little bit more of the taupe shade in the crease and the darker taupe shade in the outer-v. The shades have great pigmentation, texture and longevity and the shades are in the golden taupe sort of family. I felt compelled to whip up a wing with Maybelline Gel Liner. I recently picked up Maybelline The Falsies and I remember why I love it so much. It’s my favourite mascara and creates the best thick lashes.

I ended up being quite a fan of the rosy Milani Red Vino on the cheeks (along with some NYC Sunny to contour … who doesn’t love contour?) and went for something easy on the lips with the browny-rose Revlon Pink Truffle Lip Butter.

That’s got to be one wordy daily makeup post — any thoughts?

October Beauty Favourites

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October ended up being even crazier than September. I’ve been exhausted, the weather has cooled dramatically and school has been insane with midterms, papers and all. This month I began to experience the wonderful phenomenon that is my skin’s response to the cooler season (itchiness, redness, skin burning and dehydration) and learned to adapt my makeup routine to make it as quick as possible – you know the grab and go routine where you have two minutes until you’re out the door and look terrible? In light of this, my favourites became fairly apparent this month.

Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer Daily Hydrator

I just talked about this in my fall skincare edit (here) for good reason. I am one of those people that suffer from serious dehydration and sensitivity the moment the weather begins to get colder and this moisturizer has really impressed me as compensation for this. i really appreciate that the moisturizer is lightweight and fast-absorbing while still being incredibly rich and soothing.

Nars Orgasm Powder Blush

For some reason, this hyped-up shade is one I find myself reaching for much more frequently in the cooler months. It gives a flattering, brightening glow to the cheeks, I’d say. I do have to mention that it’s not super unique but I have been loving this warm pink-coral blush with golden shimmer.

Dior Miss Dior Fragrance

I’ve never really been a perfume but lately I’ve really been getting into using this one. I adore that it’s sophisticated while still being young, subtle and not the sweetest in the least. It is fresh with a hint of woodsiness to it but don’t take my description here as fact because I am not talented at describing scents. I’m working my way through my sample from Sephora and am seriously debating purchasing it full-sized.

MAC Patisserie Lipstick

This is the first Lustre I’ve purchased from MAC and i quite like the formula – moisturizing, medium pigmented and has a nice sheen. This shade is a warm-toned pinky-brown wearable nude and it wears for a few hours and doesn’t emphasize dry patches on the lips.

Bourjois 10 Hr Sleep Effect Foundation

As I mentioned in my review, (link here) I picked up this foundation in the third shade which is 73, a nicely neutral fair-ish shade. I find that with a pump of product this offers slightly more coverage than light but not quite medium. This foundation emphasizes dry patches less than any other foundation I’ve tried (although severe ones will still be noticable) and offers a natural-looking dewy skin finish and decently-good longevity. I think this foundation is rather under-hyped.

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I’ve definitely mentioned the complexity of my thoughts on this palette before and recently put up a review (link here! but I can honestly say I’ve really made use of (and enjoyed) using this palette this month. Although these shades are obviously rather warm toned and shimmery it’s made it’s way into the staples pile. I like how it contains every single basic shade I need for a look. Sin is a gorgeous subtle lid shade, buck and naked are great for filling in my brows or in the crease, creep is great for subtle lining and darkhorse and hustle are great for the outer v! I like more but those are my absolute picks and they create the quick no-fuss and flattering defined eye.

NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny

I’m not exactly sure how this purchase happened, well sort of. Like many other brands of the more affordable variety, NYC is difficult to find in Canada and when I ventured into Walmart (which I rarely do), I couldn’t resist picking this up. It’s a pigmented matte light-medium warm toned bronzer that doesn’t lean particularly orange and I’ve been reaching for this most days. I like that its dark enough and has the right type of colour to add both a bit of warmth and can help to shape the face.

Thoughts?

Urban Decay Naked Palette

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I’ve always been relatively lukewarm to this palette; the shades were high quality and the price-per-shade was right but there was something off about this product being a must have for me. I do find that it is too shimmery and metallic overall and the shades run a bit too warm (even though my skin leans slightly warm). I don’t always necessarily subscribe to the choose-eyeshadow-to-make-your-peepers-pop thing but they are particularly flattering on my blue eyes but I think they’re nice on all eye colours. I’ve had this palette for over two years and was never planning on doing a review on it but here goes…

Overall, the shades are really great quality, wearing for a long time (among the longest) without going creasy or patchy (with a primer, of course because I am disposed to shadow creasing on me) and with a pigmented and smooth texture but they do vary so I’ll describe them individually below and give my thoughts on them. By the way, the palette retails for $62 CDN at Sephora and contains 12 full-sized (0.05 oz) shadows, a mini-sized Urban Decay Primer Potion and a synthetic shadow brush.

Virgin is a pearly ivory-pink highlight shade that isn’t overtly shimmery and provides a nice sheen. It’s not the most pigmented in the world and I don’t believe it would suit skins darker than a medium in my opinion. I quite like this as a highlight shade on my fair skin. This shade is permanent.

Sin is a soft and finely-milled pinky-champage with warm undertones and a shimmery finish. The texture and pigmentation of this shade is great. This has to be one of my favourite lid colours of all time and is permanent.

Naked is a cool-toned light matte brown. It has impressive texture for a matte and is permanent. However, the shade is so light that it suits fair complexions as a transition colour and medium ones as a base-shadow colour. I like using this to fill in my brows when I want a really natural look and I use it as a transition shade frequently.

Sidecar is a warm toned medium taupe-bronze shade with glitter in it. It’s pigmented but doesn’t have the most impressive texture and really is prone to fall out. Also there is a red undertone to it that makes it difficult for me to wear but the shade is stunning on others. This shade has been previously available but is not permanent.

Buck is a slightly warm-toned medium matte brown without too much orangeness to it. I find myself reaching for this shade tons as of late. The texture is great as is the pigmentation. It can be used to fill in the brows if you have warmer toned brunette hair but I find it slightly too warm for that but I use it loads in the crease. This shade is permanent.

Half Baked is a warm-toned light intense metallic gold shade with a hint of bronze to it. The texture on this shade is fabulous and is the same high quality you can expect from shadows from this brand. I quite like this shade but it’s not something I reach for on a daily basis because I find it to be overly intense and metallic! This shade is permanent.

Smog is a medium-dark slightly warmed toned bronze shade with a slight green undertone to it and is nice and shimmery. The texture and pigmentation is good. This shade is nice but not particularly unique. I wear it in the crease on occasion and have worn it on the lid. It is flattering on blue eyes. This shade is also permanent.

Darkhorse seems to me to be a dark chocolate brown shade base with green flecks of glitter/shimmer in it. The pigmentation is good and the texture is not amazing but relatively impressive as the shade is so dark. This is a staple for me in the outer-v and as a subtle liner. I would say it is neither cool nor warm and is permanently available.

Toasted is a warm toned medium subtle pinky-copper with a subtle plumminess to it. It is difficult to describe and much better than it sounds. The texture is great and I don’t reach for this shade a ton but its a great one! This shade is permanently available.

Hustle is a slightly cool toned, taupe-brown with plummy undertones. The finish is shimmering but not in an overpowering way. It’s a great quality shadow and I use it frequently in my crease. This shade is exclusive to this palette, I believe.

Creep is a soft black with bluish-silver glitter running throughout it. It is not the richest deepest black and the glitter can be slightly annoying. The pigmentation isn’t the best nor is the texture but for being such a dark colour it’s fine. I use it loads in the outer-v, used as liner and to smudge liner. I’m fairly certain this shade is exclusive to this palette.

Gunmetal is a cool-toned dark metallic grey shade with a gorgeous silvery subdued blue sheen to it. This shade has amazing pigmentation and texture. This is definitely an underhyped shade. It is permanent and its great in  the outer v.

Swatched top to bottom in order listed above
Swatched top to bottom in order listed above

It now comes with a synthetic eyeshadow brush that I appear to have misplaced at the moment and is good quality but not one I find myself reaching for frequently. I do use it on occasion to pack colour onto the lid.

I would have to give this palette a B+/A- on the grounds that the shadows are great quality and value for money and would practical for everyday use on account of the tones, however I find the shades overly shimmery as a whole and overly too warm to be an all-in-all essential palette to use without the aid of other shadows. The hype is there for a reason and it is a great investment to add to your collection (given that you don’t own a million neutrals). Thoughts on my way late review?

Bourjois 10 Hr Sleep Effect Foundation

The French side ... whoops :)
The French side … whoops 🙂 It actually reads Bourjois 10 Hour Sleep Effect Foundation, Fresh, rested complexion with Vitamin (E,F, B5 and mineral-enriched formula
excuse the fingernails :)
excuse the fingernails 🙂
Before (makeupless)
Before (makeupless)

Ever since I discovered that Bourjois makeup was available in Canada at Shoppers (but not particularly affordably) I have been meaning to try a foundation, as I’ve heard such fantastic things about them. Because my mind is completely irrational, I picked the one that I hadn’t heard much about – Bourjois 10 Hr Sleep Effect foundation.

The foundation is a sheer and truly dewy one offering solid light coverage (or maybe a little more than light asit does cover some redness). I do think the product excels at making dull skin looking rested but as when I’m sick and stressed I have some spots, redness and general imperfections I sometimes require more coverage and might reach for a hefty amount of concealer or a medium-coverage foundation. I think this foundation would show severe dry patches but I do not find it highlights them and I can see myself reaching for this in the dead of winter.

Unless you really pack this on, it is almost imperceptible on the skin and looks like glowing dewy skin. I find this foundation to last all day on me but longevity isn’t ever really a problem on my skin. This is a step dewier than other foundations such as Rimmel Wake Me Up, YSL La Teint Touché Éclat and MAC Mineralize Moisture and feels as light as it appears.

This is a foundation that lacks a wide shade range. It’s not suitable for anyone with a deeper skin tone than a medium tan but it does have some good options for fair skin (71 is a touch fairer than NC15). I picked up this foundation at the end of summer and it matches my slightly darker skin – I picked up shade 73 for $26. This shade is fair-medium in shade with neutral to olive undertones.

In terms of equivalent shades of 73, I can think of a few. It is rather similar to Diorskin Nude in 20 Light Beige, MUFE HD in 118 (don’t have it so I cannot show it) and about a n20-25 (neither particularly warm or cool).

The packaging is neither the best nor the worst. I really like that it comes with a pump and is not particularly large but it does not look luxurious in the least. I don’t mind this but it is something to consider.

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Here I am wearing a small pump of this foundation without any other makeup on my face and I thought I would include a photo of myself wearing it with some concealer and the rest of my makeup done:

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So, here’s my final recommendation: I would probably give this foundation an A-/A as I think it clings to dry patches much less than others and is a great one for natural-looking and glowing skin (for drier skin types) but the shade range is limited. I definitely think this is a good option for fairer skins because the shades start nice and light. I think this foundation is suitable for combination, normal and dry skin looking for some light coverage and luminosity. It’s longevity was good for a sheer foundation and I quite like it. It can be built up slightly by the way. Thoughts?

Fall Skin Edit

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I am one of those poor unfortunate souls whose first unignorable sign that it is now fall/winter is in my skin. I notice this even before the chill – my skin becomes very dehydrated, itchy and sensitized. I am a firm believer that you have to switch up your treatment of your skin with the seasons and I thought I’d share a few products in my arsenal that I’ve been enjoying.

Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm for Dry/Very Dry Skin

I will admit I’ve been sharing my love for this wallet-friendly cleanser a little too frequently but a moisturizing cleanser such as this one truly makes a difference in the cooler months. It removes makeup at least as well as Bioderma (with the aid of a cotton pad or face cloth) while soothing the skin and adding extra hydration. This is one of the rare cleansers that my skin has never reacted to by burning, tingling or some other unpleasantry. I know the fragrance is not good for my sensitive skin, but the scent is nice and the product feels very luxurious. Highly recommended!

Kiehl’s Skin Rescuer Daily Hydrator

As I do not have a Kiehl’s retailer near me I picked this up a few months back while travelling and I must say that I’m impressed … although I like the next product equally as much but for different qualities. The price point impressed me; I paid $42 CDN for 75 mLs which is rather good for a middle-end product as it contains well over the standard amount of product. Although we are all sensitive to different things, this would be a reccomendation of mine for those with sensitive skin as it doesn’t contain any typical irritants (fragrance or drying alcohol) and contains good quantities of glycerin and squaline. I’m not quite sure how potent they are but this moisturizer also contains small amounts of both Rosa-Gallica Flower Extract and Chamomile (supposed skin soothers), if anyone is interested. This moisturizer is soothing and concentrated, the smallest amount of this light-but-rich cream with a somewhat-sticky texture hydrates the skin and absorbs fairly quickly.

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet

This is a product that has been in my routine since May and it has pretty much become essential. I picked mine up at Sephora for 40 mLs of product at $40 CDN. Unfortunately this contains fragrance although in it’s defense, it does smell lovely. The texture of this moisturizer is what makes it remarkable. It has that whipped and light souffle-like texture that absorbs immediately and feels nice on the skin. This is a product I apply and feel the immediate calming and deeply moisturizing effects. Ingredient-wise, the second ingredient in this product after water is grape water, which is an antioxidant known to have a beneficial impact on the skin and contains small amounts of chamomile, grape-related extracts and a good quantity of shea butter. Because this moisturizer is so light, I think more combination skins could use it with success. I am nearly out of this product and plan on repurchasing either this product or the richer moisturizer in the same line.

Coconut Oil

I am neither one to preach on about oils being the best thing ever nor one to be opposed to them – I like them and enjoy their benefit but they’re not an essential in their pure form. No matter how irritated my skin is, applying coconut oil is not painful and I like to apply it after moisturizer on occasion and wake up with much more hydrated and radiant skin. It’s also an amazing body moisturizer and makeup remover.

These are a selection of products that I’ve been really appreciating in my transition to the cold season here in Canada but I have a few more products on my wishlist; I have been lusting after a moisture masque or serum. Thoughts?

The Bold Lip Strikes Again: Playing With New Products

the mess that is my desk
the mess that is my desk

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Being a Canadian, I have always lusted over the beauty that is Target and finally we got one (and two more on the way) and I couldn’t resist picking up some goodies. Of course, I couldn’t wait to try them myself and therefore this look happened – not very time consuming (maybe it took five minutes) and probably more than anyone ever needs on a lazy Saturday.

Face: MUFE HD Foundation in 115, Rimmel Match Perfection in 010 Ivory, Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer in 41 Warm Tan 
Eyes: Nyx HD Eye Shadow Base, Maybelline Eyestudio Quad in Fall Temptation, Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 003 Brown, Maybelline One By One Mascara in Black, Urban Decay Naked Palette – shades Buck and Naked (through brows and not shown)
Lips: Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 107
 
Make Up For Ever HD Foundation
This foundation is a longtime favourite of mine (I’ve had this bottle for about eighteen months and have used it many many times, however I picked this product up before my realization that although I suffer from redness on my face, my undertones are more yellow so the shade is a bit pink for me (and slightly pale… but irrelevant). It is a medium-full coverage foundation with phenomenal longevity and a satin finish. It’s a nice albeit expensive foundation.Sonia Kashuk Undetectable Cream Bronzer

This is the first time I used this product and I was impressed. I always have wanted to try the Chanel Bronze Universalle as I thought it would be nice and glowy on my perpetually dehydrated skin and I tried this as an alternative. I picked the lighter shade of the two (warm tan), which is a warm light-medium bronze without shimmer with true terracotta undertones – it does have a bit of orange in it. I believe the darker shade is notably darker and slightly less orange but i don’t have a huge problem with it. I just would not recommend ever using it as a contour and those with fair skin such as myself do have to be careful with it but I really appreciated how it seamlessly blended with my skin, adding warmth. I might be slightly wary of this shade if I was a cool-undertoned fair person but I think they could wear it with caution.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 107

This was the second product resulting from my target shopping trip and was equally as impressive as the bronzer. The last thing in the world I needed was another red/berry lipstick but after hearing such great things about this one I couldn’t resist. It’s an opaque, matte-but-not-particularly-drying dark red berry and is cooler in tone. It smells suspiciouslly like the candies called Nerds that I recall enthusiastically from my childhood. It’s a dark shade that can be worn without looking too over the top and I will definitely wear this to classes and such.

Maybelline Fall Temptation Quad

This is a fairly recent purchase and I’m very impressed. It’s a limited edition quad that actually contains a high-quality matte shadow. They are creamy and relatively pigmented. The four shades are a shimmery cooler-toned pale gold, a light orange-y gold with some shimmer running through it, a medium chocolate shimmery shade and a cool dark brown that is completely matte but smooth and pigmented. I expect to have a review with swatches up on this soon as its impressed me so much.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer

This is the third product I bought yesterday from Target, although I can’t give it a definite review slash opinion as its a face product and my opinion on those takes time. It’s supposed to be a highlighting concealer that is designed for use underneath the eyes and the applicator is a pen. I found it brightened and covered well but I’ll have to get back to you on my true thoughts of it.