drugstore

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?

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.

 

No 7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm Review

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I mentioned this cleanser in a favourites post a few months ago and always meant to do a review of this product but somehow never quite got around to it but better late than never, right? Let’s hope so.

In Canada, this cleanser retails for a bit over ten dollars, I believe, but often goes on sale at Shoppers Drugmart, which is nice and affordable as it is about the same price as Neutrogena and Cetaphil cleansers. The product is described as “a gentle, non-drying balm that dissolves make-up and impurities to help keep skin looking clear and healthy. Leaves no residue – just perfectly clean, soft and supple skin” and I would have to agree with that statement … somewhat at least. This was the first ‘cleansing balm’ product that I have tried and it was not what I expected; I am no stranger to cream cleansers and this appeared to be a cream cleanser that contained oils and therefore removed makeup effectively and gently. The texture of this cleanser is interesting, not a rich and thick balmy consistency that dissolves into an oil but rather is a typical creamy kind of consistency.

This product removes makeup when used with a cotton pad or washcloth on dry skin. True to its claim, it was very hydrating but it was also nice and gentle on my very sensitive skin. It also rinses off completely without residue. It has a luxurious floral subtle scent to it but on the other side it is fragranced and therefore not the best for your skin. I think this is a product that feels luxurious at an affordable price which I really appreciate. It’s mineral-oil free (hooray) and doesn’t contain harsh surfactants (like sulfates). I have listed the rest of the ingredients below.

Final Verdict – recommended if you have no issues with fragrance, have dry and/or sensitive skin and if you are into the creamy and balmy cleansers. A minus.

And just in case you’re interested…

Ingredients: Water, Caprylic/capric triglyceride, Glycerine, Cetaryl Alcohol, Myristyl myristrate, Theobroma cacao (Cocoa) seed butter, Tribehenin, Butylene gycol, Cetaryl olivate, Sorbitan olivate, Phenoxyethanol, Tocopheryl acetate, Parfum (fragarence), Methylparaben, Sodium PCA, Ethylparaben, Sodium lauroyl lactylate, Ascorbyl glucoside, Acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, Tetrasodium EDTA, Magnesium PCA, Dipropylene glycol, Potassium hydroxide, Zinc PCA, Biosaccharide gum-1, Ceramide 3, Cholesterol, Ceramide 6 II, Phytosphingosine, Carbomer, Manganese PCA, Xanthum gum, Propylparaben, Potassium sorbate, Ceramide 1.

P.S this doesn’t break out my acne-prone sensitive skin and I’ve been using this for three months

What I actually wore for back to school

sorry about the poor quality!
sorry about the poor quality!

So today was the first day of my second year of university and in light of all that back-to-school craziness, I thought I would share what I wore! As pictured above, I wore a Club Monaco blouse, a bandeau from American Eagle, and an ancient pair of pastel-blue shorts, also by American Eagle. Not pictured were my simple brown flat sandals and white crossbody bag with gold hardware, both from Aldo……. I might possibly have been to tired to get them from downstairs. I quite liked the outfit because it felt appropriate for the awkward between-fall-and-summer season, was the right temperature and was the right amount of put-together.

Top to Bottom (and L-R): L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light, Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup in 20 Beige (Sephora sample), MAC Well Dressed Powder Blush, MAC Harmony Powder Blush, EOS Peach Lip Balm, Wet n Wild Blue Had Me at Hello Palette, Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Eyeliner, MAC Charcoal Brown e/s, MAC Satin Taupe e/s and Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoo
Top to Bottom (and L-R): L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light, Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup in 20 Beige (Sephora sample), MAC Well Dressed Powder Blush, MAC Harmony Powder Blush, EOS Peach Lip Balm, Wet n Wild Blue Had Me at Hello Palette, Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Eyeliner, MAC Charcoal Brown e/s, MAC Satin Taupe e/s and Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoo
poor quality again but taken of me a bit before nine
poor quality again but taken of me a bit before nine
close up of the eyes at six (ten hours after application)
close up of the eyes at six (ten hours after application)
the rest of the face at six
the rest of the face at six

The makeup was definitely the more remarkable part of the getup. I used Laura Mercier Radiance Primer, buffed in Diorskin Nude Skin-Glowing Makeup in 20 Light Beige (I had a sample) and concealed with Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in 10 Light. The eyes were when I became afraid of my intentions. As I usually do, I used Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoo as a base and then went on to fill in my brows with MAC Charcoal Brown and placed MAC Satin Taupe in the crease. Then I decided to use the Wet n Wild Blue Had Me At Hello Palette in some sort of wearable way. The shades I used were the silvery white (highlight), the silver with blue undertones (lid), the second darkest blue (in the outer-v) and the darkest blue (to line the lower lashes). My eye liner was Urban Decay Perversion and my mascara was L’Oreal Voluminous. I kept the rest of the face simple: MAC Harmony to contour, MAC Well Dressed as blush and just EOS lip balm on the lips.

So, this was obviously quite a dramatic look for first day but I thought it turned out rather nice and was surprisingly flattering on my blue eyes. I would say it was a mermaid-y smoky eye and It was one of my latest makeup attempts that was not a complete failure. I thought it was a relatively wearable way to wear this bold palette and that my overall look was nice and awake, which is always nice for the perpetually-exhausted like myself.

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Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips Eye Enchancing Shadow and Liner Palette in Nude Eyes Review and Swatches

The product in question
The product in question

I talked about this before in my monthly favourites but I figured a more detailed review would be a good idea. I have seen this palette at Canadian Drugstores for 13-14 dollars, although I picked mine up when Physician’s Formula was one Buy One Get One Free at Lawton’s (not that it matters to anyone). The palette contains 0.26 ounces of shadows, divided into 9 shades. Like its namesake, there is no separation between the colours in the palette (all nine shades reside in a single pan). According to Physician’s Formula, the nine shades are divided into three looks, “natural” (the lightest three shades), “playful” (the three shades in the middle) and “dramatic” (the darkest three shades residing on the left side of the palette) and each look includes a highlight shade, lid colour and crease-colour. The darkest shade in each look is made slightly narrower in each of the looks for some reason. The palette comes with a sponge-tip applicator with an angled top with the intent that it could be used to apply a shade as liner as well as shadows. The packaging is pink plastic covered by sheer black lace with a nice pink bow on the front and “Nude” written on pink written. It is smaller than the size of my hand and opens from the side to the right. The palette is magnetic.

The brush is alright; I have used it to apply the shadows and I think it is better than some other sponge-tip applicators but I much prefer to use my own brushes.

Swatches on bare skin taken without flash
Swatches on bare skin taken without flash
Swatches on bare skin, taken with flash
Swatches on bare skin, taken with flash

I’m going to describe each shade and my thoughts on it from the left to right as to provide clarity because they are not named. The first shade is a matte black with some silver micro-glitter running through it. The pigmentation of this shade is not phenomenal (it is not the blackest black by any means) and it is a bit chalky, however it is definitely a usable black shade for lining the eyes, darkening the outer-v and the like. The next shade is a shimmery medium-dark taupe-brown with purple undertones. I would say it is a close match for Urban Decay Hustle in both colour and quality. It is nicely pigmented and has a smooth texture that is easy to work with. The following shade is a light shimmery taupe with golden undertones. The texture is nice and smooth, pigmented and a really great shade that in my opinion is fairly unique. The crease-colour for the “playful” trio is another medium-dark taupe shade with the same sheen to it but with grey-undertones. Because it is so similar to the other medium-dark taupe shade, I also find it similar to Hustle – but I think it is not as close as the other shade but a picture will be included below. I think it is almost a darker version of MAC Satin Taupe. The middle shade in the palette is a shimmery light taupe with grey-undertones. It is very similar to the third shade from the left. It has good pigmentation and a nice texture to work with. The lightest shades in the palette are sheerer than the rest. It would be redundant for me to say it with each shade so I’m mentioning it now. They all have the same smooth texture. There is a baby-pink with golden sheen running through it. The adjacent colour is an outlier, however; it is a light warm brown with warm undertones and good pigmentation.The next shade is a shimmery warm light gold and the lightest shade is a golden-toned white. All of the shades have good longevity (the darker half a bit better than the lighter half) and they have a really impressive texture. I do have an issue with the shade range, however; I find too many of the shades to be similar and all of the shades have the same shimmery finish and due to these issues, this palette has limited ability to be an all-inclusive palette. Also, I would not agree with the claim that these eye shadows can be used as liner – the only shade dark enough IMO is the black.

Top to Bottom: Physician's Formula Nude second to farthest left, Urban Decay Hustle, Physician's Formula Nudefourth from left, MAC Satin taupe - taken without flash
Top to Bottom: Physician’s Formula Nude second to farthest left, Urban Decay Hustle, Physician’s Formula Nude fourth from left, MAC Satin taupe – taken without flash
Same as above but taken with flash :)
Same as above but taken with flash 🙂

I really like the packaging. It does not look cheap by any means and I think it is aesthetically pleasing. I also like how compact it is. It holds nine 0.03 oz (appx) eye shadows while being very small – 0.05 oz are the full-size of a MAC or Urban Decay shadow for reference.

Final Verdict– Not that I have any sort of grading scale or anything of the sort, I would say that this is a “B” product”. I think it is a nice palette but its downfall is how similar the shades are, the lack of different finishes and the sheerness of some of the lighter shadows (and chalkiness of the black). However, I think the shades are fairly unique. I quite like that the shades are taupey. In this sense, the shades are along the same lines as the ones in Naked 2 (which I don’t own). I would recommend this palette to anyone who likes shimmery shades, is looking for taupes and is of a light to medium skin tone (because they lack the pigmentation to easily work for those with darker skin tones) and frequently wears natural-coloured looks. This is a great, portable “toss it in your makeup bag” kind of palette.

August Beauty Favourites

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There are two beauty-related thoughts that frequently came to my mind frequently in the last month; I have been in a major makeup rut and that it pisses me off to no end when bloggers list 102 items as their favourites and we all know that it’s simply a list of products they used – not helpful for those of us with a limited makeup budget. As a result of these two things, I have sort of edited myself to compile a list of beauty essentials this month (not just stuff I wore a few times and went overboard).

I was never a lip-gloss girl, never even in my late elementary school or junior high days and because of this I thought I would not be a fan of the whole ‘lip butter’ craze because of their glossiness. However, Revlon lip products were on for a rare buy one get one free promotion and I picked one up to feed my makeup addiction. I think the hype is sort of worth it. The colour I have is Pink Truffle which is a warm, rosy browny pink that is a no-fuss kind of shade. The texture is like a waxy balm and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it lasted on my lips for maybe three hours

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At the end of last month, I ran out of my go-to eye primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion that came in my Urban Decay palettes and as I am currently broke and spent way too much money on makeup (story of my life), I switched to something I already owned, my Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal in Barely Branded. I’m sure everyone and their cat knows this, but these are long-lasting cream eye shadows that double as bases like MAC Paint Pots. It is a shimmery gold-based light champagne sort of colour. I would say the shade is a darker version of MAC Dazzlelight with a touch more champagne in it or is a slightly lighter version of Urban Decay Sin with golden undertones instead of the pink. The texture is ultra-creamy (creamier than the other one of this line that I own) and has good longevity. I do find that this shade performs better as a primer/base than Bad to the Bronze, as it lasts longer without fading and creasing. It performs almost as good as a primer and also doubles as a stand-alone shade..

Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liner in Perversion is another one of those products seems to be a cult-favourite that I’ve found essential in the last month. It is a creamy jet-black that has amazing longevity, in that difficult-to-remove kind of way. It’s quite versatile as it provides the intensity of a gel or liquid, yet can be smudged out with the ease of a pencil.

I picked up Physician’s Formula Shimmer Strips New Eyes Palette towards the end of last month and initially was quite disappointed; it’s not completely practical to have a palette of nine entirely shimmery shades, the shades are a touch sheer and there is not much variation in the depth of the shades. Needless to say, it got used and grew on me. It’s a palette full of those rare taupey shades (there are ten of them in all). My favourite shades in particular were as follows: the light taupe with golden undertones (third from left) and the other light taupe with grey undertones (middle) on the lid, the taupey brown with purple-y undertones (second from left) and the taupey brown with grey undertones (forth from left) in the crease and outer-v and the frosty yellow-toned white (farthest on the right) in the inner corners. This is the kind of palette that is good for everyday looks but is lacking somewhat for more dramatic ones. The shadows do have a nice texture and are easy to blend, I have to say.

I find it particularly difficult to find affordable drugstore conditioners I like but L’Oreal Power Moisture Moisture Infusion Mask really impressed me. I find it very moisturizing without coating my fine hair and weighing it down (like it claims to do), but I think of it more as an everyday conditioner than a heavy mask – but I do have very dry wavy slash curly hair that is quite long. It does contain non water-soluble silicones high in the ingredient list, but I do not find amodimethicone to build up on my hair and its conditioning agents are not oils but rather emollients, the wax mineral oil is derived from and a small amount of hyaluronic acid. The only downside to the product is the artificial-floral scent and it fades after being rinsed out.

I’ve been really enjoying using Organix Luxurious Moroccan Argan Creme Shampoo this month. I was a fan of the regular Argan-oil shampoo in the Organix line but like this one even better. It is sulfate-free but cleanses with gentler surfactants (Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate and Cocomidopropyl Betatine) and the only silicone it contains is water soluble. It contains a fair amount of Argan oil and I do find it to be a moisturizing gentle shampoo that does not weigh my hair down in the least. It has the same amazing sort of scent that MoroccanOil products have.

I’ll start of by apologizing for the current state of this product but I used it and haven’t gotten around to cleaning it yet (and it stains anyway). About a month ago, I saw a Beauty Blender replica at Shoppers Drugmart for a few dollars and after hearing great things about the seemingly magical sponge I couldn’t resist. When used damp, the sponge expertly blends in makeup without wasting too much of the product.

 

 

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Top to Bottom – Revlon Pink Truffle Lip Butter, Maybelline Barely Branded Color Tattoo and Urban Decay Perversion 24/7 Liner.

 

Physician's Formula Nude Eyes Palette swatched from the right at the top to the left at the bottom
Physician’s Formula Nude Eyes Palette swatched from the right at the top to the left at the bottom

Skincare – My Routine and Thoughts

Me without makeup. If anyone was curious the breakouts on my forehead were Cetaphil-induced. My skin looks a wee bit better than this most of the time now!
Me without makeup. If anyone was curious the breakouts on my forehead were Cetaphil-induced. My skin looks a wee bit better than this most of the time now!

I was going to wait to do this video until my skin improved and my routine was flawless – like every product would have to be holy grail status – but realistically I’m never going to be using an absolutely flawless routine, nor will I ever have perfect skin (or anything close to it) and I’m the happiest with my skin that I’ve ever been (and I’ve tried a bunch of different things for my skin) so I figured I’d share. I’ve found since using these products that my overall skin clarity increased and my skin appears brightened and most of all it has become notably less irritated.

My skin tends to be rather complicated; it’s rather acne-prone (I always have a few spots on my face), extremely sensitive, and is prone to very dry patches. Although my skin is dry and dehydrated (particularly on my cheeks and sometimes on my forehead and normal to dry on my chin, nose and around my hairline), I tend to clogged pores – those little bumps that sometimes will resolve by turning into painful pimples or otherwise will just stay there. Also if I don’t use the gentlest of products, my cheeks and nose get quite red and my face becomes tight, extremely flaky, burny and itchy. My pale skin also tends to look rather dull and is prone to flaking when dehydrated. Because my rather problematic skin doesn’t simply fall into one of the traditional skin types and faces a multitude of problematic conditions, I think these thoughts, routine and products that I use could benefit people of different skin types.

In my opinion, there are five basic categories of skincare that we should have in our routines but the routines themselves will vastly differ because of our individual skin needs will be different and in my opinion, the best routine will be centered around how your skin actually is rather than how you wish it would be. These five categories are as follows: cleansing, moisturizing, exfoliating, sun-protecting and treating.

Morning routine
Morning Routine
Morning Routine

1. I cleanse my face with Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Cleanser, which is an affordable gentle cleanser with a lotion consistency that does not strip the skin whatsoever but also does not remove makeup well at all. I rinse this off with cool water with my hands to be as gentle as possible. I talk about it in more depth here –

2. I gently exfoliate with Clinique Mild Clarifying Lotion, which is an extremely gentle exfoliating toner with BHA (salicylic acid) – meaning that it can exfoliate your skin (even inside the pore) without being abrasive like a scrub would and is also more effective because the product is left on the skin. [Note: I am not usually a huge fan of Clinique products (I tried the 3 step skincare system and it was an absolute disaster) but I adore this product.] It is one of the rare exfoliating toners that is effective without costing an insane quantity of money or containing irritants such as alcohol and the like. It’s somewhere between $10-15 in the States, I believe, and in Canada it costs $16 for 200 mLs.

3. The moisturizer I use in the morning is Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet, which is a lightweight moisturizer marketed at sensitive skin. I think this is an excellent moisturizer — it is one of the rare ones with a good texture that does not make my skin burn or turn red, I find it quite soothing actually — and the ingredients are not too bad. There are no drying alcohols (hallelujah) but still are some antioxidants in a squeezy tube that does not render the ingredients useless. My only irritation with this product is why in the world would they put fragrance in a moisturizer for sensitive skin – arghhhh. All in all it is a quite nice moisturizer for sensitive skin. It costs $39 CDN I believe for 40 mLs.

4. As we’ve all heard a million times, sun-protection is really important so I use Avene High Protection Cream. I have discovered that I tend to be sensitive to chemical sunscreens (they make my skin burn, turn red and develop unsightly bump-pimple things that take forever to go and turn into hardened bumps) so I did some research and decided to try this purely physical sunscreen. It offers really great protection for my fair skin (broad spectrum spf 50) and it is water resistant, although it leaves a rather unattractive whitish pink cast. It does not irritate mt skin in the least and retails in the 20-30 dollars CDN range for 50 mLs.

Morning Routine
Night Routine

Night Routine

1. I begin by removing my makeup on both my eyes and my face with Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micelle Solution and cotton pads. I talk about it more here –

2. I wash my face again with Neutrogena Extra Gentle Cleanser. I think that it is very important to cleanse twice (gently!) at night because there is nothing worse than remaining makeup on your skin in terms of causing acne and the like.

3. Then I move on to my treatment. I use  Stievamycin Gel every one or two days, depending on my skins current state (sensitivity and severity of blemishes). The amount I use is dependent on how my skin is at the moment. The Stievamycin Gel, a is only available if you have a prescription from your doctor and in my experience is very effective, particularly on stubborn blemishes but is very sensitizing. The product contains 0.025% tretinoin (which is a topical retinoid/ vitamin a derivative that exfoliates the outer-surface of the skin to reduce the formation of blemishes) and 4% erythromycin gel (which is an antibiotic that kills the bacteria that cause acne). My only irritation with this product is that it is formulated with an alcohol-gel base and my skin does not tolerate alcohol well, however this product is so effective that I keep on using it!

5. I like to wait at least ten minutes before applying my moisturizer, as to avoid diluting the effect of the active ingredients in the treatments I use. I’ve been using Bee By the Sea Sea Buckthorn and Honey Nourishing Face Cream,  which is a very gentle and hydrating cream that takes a while to absorb into the skin. I do not necessarily think that you must use a night cream at night and a day cream during the day – I just am using this because I have it and it helps compensate for the sensitizing treatments I put my skin through. It is very soothing, all of its fragrance coming from the sweet almond oil and rich in coconut and olive oil. It is a no-frills moisturizer filled with ingredients that work to hydrate  skin. It costs $30 CDN at health stores and beabythesea.ca. This is a godsend for irritated skin!

I’m thinking about continuing with a skincare series as I think it is so important. X

Any thoughts?

Rosy Golden Makeup for Summer

products used
products used

I’ve always been interested in the makeup routine or that people tend to go for an everyday basis and I’ve never done one and lately when I want to wear a full face of makeup, I’ve been sticking to this particular look. This routine I find easy to wear and flattering on me – for reference, I’m a pale brunette (somewhere around an NW15) with blue eyes. The makeup seems to follow sort of a golden rosy motif.

note: the cheeks are far more prominent in real life!

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1. Caudalie Vinosource Sorbet-Creme: Because I have dry skin, makeup tends to last a long time on me so I don’t feel the need to use primer for longevity. I thought I’d include my moisturizer because I use it in the place of a primer.

2. Avene High Protection Cream: Because I tend to be sensitive to chemical spf, I use this purely physical one with spf 50 even though it leaves a white cast.

3. Make Up For Ever 5 Concealer Palette (1): I concealed/corrected all of my major blemishes and then touched up the remaining issues after foundation. I also put it underneath my eyes and around the inner corners.

4. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation (100 Ivory): I applied a pump with my fingers, blending the rest into my neck. This product is rather yellow for my skin tone, by the way (which is around an NW15 or so). It lasts a long time and makes you look really glowy.

5. Rimmel Natural Bronzer (021 Sun Light): I lightly contoured my face with this bronzer.

6. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (Stereo Rose): I applied this to the apples of my cheeks and blended towards my temples into my contour – this is a limited edition shimmery pink-coral with bronzy veining.

7. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish (Semi-Precious Pearl): I used the outer ring colour to highlight my cheekbones.

8. Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge (Rose): I put a small amount of this on my lips.

9. Maybelline Color Tattoo (Bad to the Bronze): I blended this onto my lids as a base.

10. MAC eye shadows (Dazzlelight, Woodwinked, Charcoal Brown and Club): I put Dazzlelight on the inner third of the lid as well as the browbone and Woodwinked on the rest of the lid and blended them together. I filled in my brows with Charcoal Brown lightly and applied a tiny bit of Club onto the outer corner of my bottom lashline.

11. Urban Decay (Smog and Freestyle) eye shadows: I blended Smog (which is available individually and in the Naked palette) into the outer corner of my lid). I put Freestyle into the crease to help blend the shadows – this shade is only available in the Smoked palette but any transition colour would work.

12. Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner (Perversion): I made a fine line on my top lashes and then smudged lightly.

13. L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara (Carbon Black):I put a coat or two onto my top lashes.

With the exception of the lips, this makeup lasts all day on me. However, as I have extremely oily eyelids, I would apply eye primer and might powder my t-zone if I were to want my makeup to not budge for 16 hours or more and last through blood, sweat and tears kind of thing (well maybe not tears but you get the idea).