new products

The Restrained Sephora Order

DSC_0255

On Monday morning, I woke up and upon lazily picking up my laptop from the floor and into bed with me, I figured that I would check up on the state of my Sephora order and when I found out that it was actually here in my mailbox, I was more than a little bit excited; this excitement has not faded since opening and trying these products, either. I’m not one to make online orders really at all, but when I didn’t manage to make it into the store for the 2x/3x/4x the points event, I bit the bullet and went for the promotion online. I’m pleased to report that while I was charged duty, it was a miniscule amount and that it arrived within a week of being shipped – that’s good for us Canadians. Plus, they actually managed to give me the samples and the perk that I requested as well. Let’s get on into my small assortment of goodies but be forewarned that they aren’t the most interesting of products…

DSC_0263

First up is the NARS Contour Blush in Paloma that I had sights set on as soon as its release into the blogosphere but had initially held off because of its price and apparent similarity to the MAC Harmony Powder Blush that I adore for contouring. There’s no way around it, the 0.28 oz duo is pricy, coming in at $42 US/ $46 CDN but I fell in love with the darker shade upon first use (and I have worn it twice), as it might not swatch amazing but as soon as its swept onto the face, there’s some magical contouring action that happens with little effort and you still look completely natural. It swatches nicely, more similar to MAC Harmony than it actually appears on the face, but applies in a much more pigmented and smooth fashion than one would expect — I think it might beat out my old favourite. While it swatches quite rosy, on my neutral-to-yellow undertones, it applies more of a muted rosy tan hue, with much more brown in it. It doesn’t appear pink on my skin at all, which I had previously thought it might do. Plus, it hadn’t faded on my face within 10 hours — brownie points, anyone? As you can likely imagine, I purchased the duo mainly for the contouring shade but the soft-matte “highlighting shade” is nice, too. It doesn’t really seem to show up on my wrist as it’s always slightly paler than the rest of my body but because of this, I feel that it can be used to set the undereyes and other areas of the face without difficulty while still brightening things up.

Below: NARS Contour Blush in Paloma (both shades), with MAC Harmony on the right for comparison. And after that, my face today featuring both this product and the next one

DSC_0290

DSC_0270

DSC_0260

The next product was nothing glamorous but as I’ve heard fabulous things for ages about the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($25 US/$29 CDN) and have had it on every single wishlist I’ve made myself for more the year, I finally went for the eyeshadow primer. I have difficulty with eyeshadows creasing despite not having oily eye lids and it’s been getting worse as of late so the purchase only seemed to be rational. I do have deep set eyes so I have eyes that are more creased at the socket generally, though. While I’m not sure if this is life-changing yet, it’s definitely a primer that works thus far and one  that dries down quickly.

If you’ve been a reader for a while – thank you! – then I’m sure you’ve heard me ramble on about my love for the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet (until it ran out at least) and now that I noticed how close I was to the end of my current moisturizer, I decided to bite the bullet and go for the slightly more intense but-not-heavy formulation from the same line. I’ve used the Caudalie Vinosource Intense Moisture Rescue Cream ($39 US/$40 CDN) three times since it’s arrival so I can’t say anything definite but it seems to me that this has impressed me even with my prior high expectations. Like promised, the antioxidant-rich cream seems to soothe the skin while being extremely hydrating. I’ll definitely keep you posted.

DSC_0259

DSC_0285

I’m not normally one to spend time discussing samples but as the 100 point perk that I included with my order has astounded me, I figured I would give them some attention in photographic form. I haven’t tried any of the three yet but I have tried the sample size of the Marc Jacobs Beauty High(Liner) in Brown(Out) and was amazed with the rich deep bronze liner that applied as if it were liquid and stayed put like a champ. I’m not wearing this today but I wore it yesterday and it seems to be blowing most liners out of the water with its intense colour and actual authentic creamy texture that doesn’t go waxy or break of instantly. Let’s hope it stays this way.

Have you picked up anything lately? Either way, Happy Wednesday!
Maggie, x.

Additions to the Skincare Routine

IMG_7554

 

So here I am, as promised, delivering another installment in the creatively-titled ‘skincare series’. Gradually I began making drastic changes to my skincare routine about a year ago but ever since the initial changes I’ve been rather consistent with my morning and evening skincare routine with results that I can’t complain about by any stretch of the imagination. However as one reaches the end of skincare products and is a beauty addict such as I am, some products are purchased and switched in for others and the rare additions are added to the routine, having made the cut.

Not too long ago, I featured the newly-acquired Boots no7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser($12 CDN) when I confessed my accidental shopping sins. While it is a new addition to the routine, I picked it up to replace the Cleansing Balm from the same line that I actually finished up after loads of use because the formulation was similar and I was curious. As expected, this offering that presumably is created to imitate the oh-so-popular Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish – that I’ve never tried – without the fragrant essential oils seems to be just as nice, rich and soothing whilst removing makeup effectively with a washcloth but it comes with 50 mls of extra product and is housed in the practical pump packaging. The following two products received mention in mere passing in contrast here to the cleanser that I’ve discussed before in some detail.

This purchase was induced by the brand being available at a 20% discount but truly I was interested in adding a serum with all of the benefits they seem to be toted as providing that could be used once or twice daily and the La Roche-Posay Rosaliac AR Intense Localized Redness Serum ($35 CDN) seemed to fit the bill without having irritating alcohol or stuff of that sort. While I don’t suffer from rosacea, I do suffer from redness and all-around skin irritation and this doesn’t have any sort of life-altering ingredients but this glycerin-based serum has proven to be gentle, soothing and hydrating and it has been a valuable addition to the routine. Unlike my serum love, the Indeed Labs Pepta-Bright, this can be used daily, evening and night and I have been doing so. The pump packaging of the serum is also to die for especially if you’re particularly concerned with keeping ingredients stable and avoiding contamination.

With some legitimate sadness and regret, I’ve noted that my beloved brightening and smoothing treatment/serum, Indeed Labs Pepta-Bright has been running dangerously low and I was not ready to be without an effective AHA chemical exfoliant in my routine somehow I ended up at the cash register with the smaller size of the First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads ($14 CDN) – it’s funny how that happens. However, I’ve been impressed to say the least — not only are these alcohol-free AHA-filled cotton pads fairly affordable, they are extremely concentrated yet gentle with their abundant aloe-leaf juice and I’m able to report that they provide the adequate results of a brightening resurfacing chemical exfoliant – and they are so concentrated that I’ve been able to get two uses off of one pad, using both sides individually. The exact percent of the acid doesn’t appear anywhere (that I can find) but I assure you that its concentrated without being irritating in the least. I can see why everyone seems to be holding these pads in high regard but I’m not ready to offer any definite conclusions yet…

Have you tried any of these products? What have you added to your routine as of late?

Maggie, x.

 

 

 

So MAC Happened…

IMG_5968
IMG_5974
I was lucky enough to receive a MAC Lipstick from my mom for Valentines Day. Well kind of; knowing me so well, she got me a gift card because I am insanely picking as she knew not to deprive me from the whole picking experience and when I went in to pick it out, I ended up with an eye product as well. You should know by now that this tends to be a reoccurring pattern for me.
MAC Dreaming Dahlia Lipstick ($19 CDN) 

I’m quite a fan of MAC Lipsticks but don’t own a ton and the shades I have tend to either be bold statement shades or nudes and I’ve been craving one sort of in between that can be worn on the daily but also has some instantly-brightening colour to it and this limited-edition offering from the Fantasy of Flowers collection caught my eye and fit the bill. It’s a warm-toned true coral shade with a lustre finish and I’d say that it’s rather pigmented for a luster (medium-buildable opacity) and while remaining comfortable and hydrating on the lips, wears for about four hours without requiring maintenance. These shades tend to be flattering on my skin but I’m hesitant buying these shades but I know I shouldn’t be. To me, this lipstick screams spring to me and if I were to make a prediction it’s going to get loads of wear this season.

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Layin’ Low ($24 CDN)

I hadn’t expected to pick this sleek little pot up but I have to say that I’m not disappointed in the least. I’ve had an obsession with cream eyeshadows lately especially as bases in light of my primer crisis but I was looking for a matte one and I remembered using one of these a few years back and I found it to be a shadow-primer hybrid with better primer capabilities than the ever-popular Maybelline Colour Tattoos – these do crease on me a bit but it’s after hours and hours of wear and that happens to me regardless of what primer I use. Obviously these are longlasting as shadows in themselves and have the easiest texture to use, while setting for maximum longevity. MAC describes this shade as a “creamy beige”, but I think it’s warmer and darker than that; I would describe the matte shade as a very warm beige-brown shade that is notably more orange-toned and darker than the famous Painterly. I’ll try to keep you updated on this but so far so good!

The I’m trying to do these sorts of post detailing the products I’ve picked up but I’m still getting the hang of things and I’d welcome some advice. Thoughts on the products? Tell me what you’ve been loving lately …. please?

Maggie, x.

P.S. I’m wearing Layin’ Low on my lids by itself and Dreaming Dahlia on my lips!

IMG_5993