Loving Lately - April 2015

The semester finally ended for me on April 17th and it has yet to really hit me that I'm very close to the end of my program; the vast majority of my peers are done for good. I'm super happy for everyone who is done, as it's been a longer road (up to 2 years!) for many of them. Alas, I still have a couple courses to do starting today, wrapping up my degree in July. I've been off the last couple weeks, so my makeup routine has been fairly relaxed/understated. Here are some products that have captivated my attention in the last four weeks.

Nudestix Lip & Cheek Dual Pencil in "Whisper/Mystic"

I initially received this and frowned a bit, thinking it was too light to use on my lips (it is), but then remembered this formula is for lips and cheeks. I swiped Whisper on the apples of my cheeks, diffusing the colour with dabbing motions of a synthetic Sephora Collection brush. I then added a light stroke of Mystic to the hollow of my cheek and blended up gently. These colours are so flattering and crazy easy/fast to apply. Highly recommend this duo for the value if you're at all intrigued by the colours, as this dual-ended pencil is the same price as a single Nudestix pencil ($28 CAD)!

Loving Lately - February 27th, 2014

Haven't done a post like this in quite some time, so I thought I'd write about some products I've been enjoying lately. Starting in the top left corner and moving clockwise...

Aerin Rose Balm

This smooth balm gives skin a luminous finish without any shimmer -- it's just an emollient texture that leaves a sheen. It's great for any dry areas (face or body or, my preferred use, cuticles), and in a pinch, you could probably get away with using it as a highlighter on cheekbones. The rose oil in this balm was apparently extracted from 350 rose petals, so you're getting some pretty great hydration in each jar. Good news for anyone who hates heady rose scents, this one isn't overwhelming by any stretch, so don't worry about it giving you a headache or competing with other scents.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in "Luminous Flush"

When I first saw the visual for this launch, I gasped (and then wrote this tweet). This blush had big promises to fulfill, combining a soft flush and the effect of the brand's Ambient Lighting Powders (easily one of the biggest launches of 2013), but the blushes delivered. The shade pictured above is described as a champagne rose shade, and frankly, those are really separate things, but I guess that's what you you have to call it when you mix the two together in a single powder compact. The powder is soft, doesn't kick up as much excess product as the Ambient Lighting Powders did (at least in my experience), and a little goes a long way, meaning this blush will last a while, even if you're applying liberally on the daily.

Fresh Sugar Face Polish

Pictured is a deluxe sample I received when I was browsing at Sephora one day (when am I not browsing at Sephora). It was a brand demonstrator who handed it to me, and he told me to make sure I applied it in circular motions for the exfoliating effect, but then to leave it on my face for a few minutes to reap the moisturizing benefits. Following instructions is just good sense, especially when this guy knows the product inside and out, and I wasn't disappointed! This is exactly what all faces could benefit from after this STUPID WINTER THAT WON'T DIE. Sorry, I just.. can't with how it's still -30C out there. The moral of the story: this scrub will exfoliate and hydrate, so try it if you're in the market for a little help in cell turnover.

LORAC Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in "Spotlight"

Not to put time pressure on you, but if you have any desire to buy this, do it now at sephora.ca because as you may gather from the brand page on Sephora's site, they are pulling out of Sephora stores and ecommerce, so this product has actually been marked down. That was actually what spurred me to get it, and I'm glad I did. It's a microshimmer highlighter (no chunky flecks of shimmer here) in a soft beige shade that is really flattering on warm skintones. It would probably work perfectly fine on cooler skintones as well, so have at it!

Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in "Rose Bloom"

This was given to me in a little Laura Mercier pouch along with some other deluxe samples (Laura Mercier Eye Basics in "Flax", Radiance Foundation Primer, and an eyeshadow duo that I can't seem to find anywhere online) as an apology for being given the wrong eau gourmande when I had visited the counter at Bloomingdales in SoHo. That explains the teeny, tiny size. The colour is described as a matte, warm tawny rose. ....sure. Why not. It's a midtone matte pink that's incredibly unoffensive and very wearable. I'd probably spring for the full size, except I know myself better than to think I'll ever use a blush up. If anyone ever catches me saying I'm going to buy a backup of a blush, kick me. Hard. Thanks!

Clarins Opalescent Face and Cheek Powder

I was sucked in by the holographic packaging, and I stuck around for the gorgeous glow. This powder looks pretty basic in the pan, nothing too dimensional or fancy, but it gives a soft warmth (and I do mean soft - this isn't a pigment-packed pan) to the face when applied with a heavy hand. The bits of the pan that do have more pigment are fairly neutral, so it's pretty hard to mess the application of this stuff up. I like it for days where I don't want to think about how I'm applying blush or which brush I'm using or how I accidentally meant to apply a cream product before powdering, blah blah blah. It's carefree and I'm into it. Chances are, you will be too.

Bonus shot of me being silly with the Clarins palette:

Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.

Bits I Bought in NYC

I spent 4 nights and about 4.5 days in New York, NY, crashing with my dear brother (you know, family day weekend and all). I mostly had intentions of seeing friends, eating and generally wandering the city as I used to. I had a couple items in mind that I wanted to check out, so here are some of the bits I came back with. 

Custom lipstick from Bite Beauty Lip Lab

I remember reading about Canadian brand Bite Beauty's custom-colour-making Lip Lab a little while ago, and then I saw Lesa whipping up a custom blend on Insta, and I made a mental note to check it out next time I was going to be in the city. My flight back to Toronto was pushed back substantially, so I had extra time to poke around. I made my way to Prince Street to partake in this experience and had a delightful time creating a custom lip colour. I decided to stick to a colour that I would wear more often than not, so a fairly neutral-leaning-ever-so-slightly-warm shade was born after two rounds of mixing and trying on the blends with my lip lab tech. The options include picking out a formulation (Matte? Sheer? and so forth and so on!), tweaking the colour to your liking, adding a scent via essential oils and deciding what type of lipstick cap you prefer (an odd but interesting choice to make).

My lip lab tech mixed too much of my custom colour, so I wound up with two bullets for the price of one. Custom lipsticks start at $36 each and go up depending on the formula you choose. I walked away with a flesh-toned sheer luminous creme lipstick scented with mango and mint essential oils. If you're never able to find a colour that pleases you, definitely stop by for a bullet or few as unique as your taste.

Tatcha Camelia Nourishing Lip Balm

This jar untouched was so pretty, but I couldn't even slow my roll enough to snap a pic of it before completely messing up the gold leaf of this lip balm. I'm so not blogger-minded in that regard! Oh well! What I can express is that this balm is reeeeeeally pretty (immaculate packaging, y'all), and is loaded with camellia oil. I recently fell hard for this type of oil after realizing it's the magic ingredient in Shu Uemura's Moisture Velvet range, as well as Shu Uemura's Essence Absolue hair oil. Those products are the only things that hydrate my hair, so I was more than willing to try this balm, and I'm quite pleased with it. There's a square of gold leaf on top of this balm that lends a hint of shimmer when applied to the lips, but once it's gone, you're looking at a pretty emollient formula.

Vaseline Rosy Lips

Once I saw this pop up on US blogs, I knew I'd make a point of hunting it down. I first asked the PR team for Vaseline if this was going to launch in the Canadian market any time soon, and after I received confirmation that it wouldn't in the foreseeable future, I began plotting. I hit several Duane Reades and didn't spot it, so then I carried on to Walgreens in Times Square, because desperate times call for desperate measures! I found a bunch, bought 3 (2 for friends - my hoarding mentality is more selective than that!) and have enjoyed the hint of tint and floral scent that this formula has. People have their views on petroleum jelly, but I cannot deny the way it keeps lips moisturized, even in heinous weather (and I spent three days outside for about 12 hours a day, and I barely reapplied - fantastic!). 

Aesop Moroccan Neroli Shaving Duet

Aesop has expanded aggressively in the US market (the brand originally hails from Australia!), with Manhattan proper being its primary focus. They have stores all over the city, all quite interesting and made from recycled or renewable materials, like old copies of The New York Times. When I lived in the city, I was an avid user of the Moroccan Neroli Shaving Serum. It's a lightweight gel texture that offers low-foam slip, allowing a razor to glide through with absolute ease. I admittedly grabbed this duo for my boyfriend to make up for a really foiled vday gift (Sidebar rant: Dear J.Crew, how did you completely mess up the execution of monogramming a scarf? Not one letter was correct!!!). The shave serum is accompanied by a soothing aftershave lotion, which is lightweight, hydrating and quite comforting to the skin thanks to shea butter and olive fruit, and a slew of other beneficial ingredients that Aesop just loves throwing into the mix (witch hazel. orange flower oil aka NEROLI, glycerin, ginger root extract)! You can find the Aesop range at Holt Renfrew Yorkdale if you're not keen on ecomm or heading stateside any time soon.

Laura Mercier Ambre Vanillé Eau Gourmande

I don't even know what the classification of "Eau Gourmande" is. Is that a thing? Do I just know nothing about fragrance concentrations?! Doubtful, but I need to go on record and say this was a wildcard buy for me. I'm not that into gourmand scents, and I truly haaaaate vanilla fragrances. Anyone who likes to smell like a cupcake is dead to me, and the success of scents like Aquolina Pink Sugar ASTOUND me. Suffice it to say, this scent does not smell that sugary. It's sweet, but it isn't cloying to me personally. The amber element sucked me in. I originally was drawn to the hand cream in this scent, then just started using the hand cream when I wanted to smell this, and well, logic eventually prevailed! YAY!

Happy 2014 + 2013 Favourites

Hello, dear friends. It's been a minute since I posted anything new, and I maintain it's because the holiday season was far more blur-like than it's ever been before. I spent the majority of December working away rather diligently, and have spent the last few days curled into a ball, so allow me to apologize for leaving anyone who actually looks at this blog in the lurch for about a month.

That being said, let me blab on about some favourite products that were really significant standouts in the 2013.

Chanel Les Beiges 

When Chanel Les Beiges initially launched, I was admittedly a bit confused about what the point of the product was. Was it a bronzer? Was it used to contour? Was it a setting powder? Someone told me to use it as a blush -- was that serious? Did it just add a bit of warmth to the skin? How did the numbering system work in correspondence to the other Chanel shades, and why did it always seem darker than the usual shade I wore (shown in Shade 40, which is my standard Chanel shade)? I had a slew of inquiries and not too many answers, so I just started playing with it and discovered that different shades can serve different purposes. Shade 40 is a great contour shade for East Indian women, and I have actually managed to hit major pan on this compact. Me. I hit pan. On a beauty product. Those of you who know me know that this happens very rarely and that it's a momentous occasion and testament to how much I love a product. I use Chanel Les Beiges daily and find that I look like a corpse if I don't. Superb stuff, will absolutely replenish when I'm done with this one! 

Chanel Retractable Kabuki Brush

This past year was very much an exploration of brush necessities and I was seriously enamoured by this retractable kabuki brush as soon as I felt it. You've probably never felt anything so soft and silky against your skin that also happened to be a makeup brush. It is unbelievable. The brush also happens to lay powder products down beautifully, so this one is an all-around winner.

Laura Mercier Matte Eye Color in "Truffle"

I fell pretty hard for one shade from the Laura Mercier Artist's Palette For Eyes, dubbed "Truffle", and it's luckily a permanent shade that is available for purchase on its own. I used this warm chocolate taupe shade as a crease colour, but since I have slightly hooded eyes, I apply this shade lightly with a fluffy brush to the area slightly above my crease while looking straight forward into a mirror so that it's visible when my eyes are open, blending it in to avoid a harsh line, obviously. Long story short: this shade is great and I'll probably use it for years to come. I love the warmth of it, and it's a great transition shade if you're into that concept for between a smokier shadow and your brow shade. Superb!

Bite Beauty Cashmere Lip Cream in "Rioja"

 

This may look like your run-of-the-mill lip colour, but this cream-to-powder formula is wacky in a really fantastic way. When I first pulled this wand out, I didn't understand the consistency of this lip cream, because it was drier than anything else I've ever seen, but don't let that put you off. The formula contains different waxes and butters that have varied melting and absorption temperatures and rates, meaning it keeps lips from falling prey to dehydration, and the pigments leave a powdery matte finish with the most out of control pigmentation imaginable. I enjoy this formula for a different kind of lip product experience. Yes, that's a serious sentence I just wrote. I mean it though!

MAKE UP FOR EVER #158 Double Ended Sculpting Brush

 

MUFE put a considerable amount of time, research and design efforts into their newest brush range, and this brush is such a joy to use every day. The brush heads are 100% synthetic, which is awesome for anyone who is concerned with avoiding animal byproducts, or for anyone who is sensitive to natural bristles. These synthetic hairs are made to mimic natural bristles with two types: straight and wavy hairs. The angled end is perfect for contouring, while the more rounded end is great for blush or highlighter application. If you haven't felt any of these brushes in person, I urge you to get to a Sephora to do so, because they're really excellent quality. 

Dior Huile Abricot Daily Nutritive Serum

Cuticle care is something traditionally addressed with cuticle oil, but can we all just pause to lament the greasy marks cuticle oil leaves on everything? I'm mostly referring to my poor, smudgy smartphone screen. It's downright hindering to apply cuticle oil and then have to sit still while it absorbs while dribbling down your hands all over the damn place. This serum gel formula from Dior is pretty much the best thing to happen to cuticle care this past year. The brush-on applicator makes it super convenient to pinpoint where you apply it, and it doesn't make a mess at all. Never want to be without this stuff!

I had a lovely NYE, and hope you did too! 

I want to wish y'all a happy and healthy new year to come in 2014! Hopefully will be writing much more in the next little while!

Disclosure: This post contains product(s) sent from the company or their PR team for editorial consideration. For more information, please click here.

Good Things Come in Teensy Packaging

As I alluded to in my post on highlighters, I'm from a fam where we are serious fans of anything miniature. A little mini bottle of Heinz, a little jar of jam, it doesn't matter what it is, we just stop and and coo over it and comment on how cute it is. So that's how much I like mini condiment offerings... multiply that affection by about a thousand and that's how much I love beauty product minis.

Minis are always helpful in getting to know a product before committing to the full size, and I've actually been turned on to many a product by miniature sizes and samples. Sampling is essential in this industry in order to determine how compatible a product is with your skin, colouring or body chemistry. Sampling is just good sense, and I hope it's something that more brands consider engaging in if they don't currently have a sampling program in place. Minis that are given compliments of a brand are fun paraphernalia to have as keepsakes. That's how I view any and all Chanel bits that I've amassed since interning there. 

I've accumulated a pretty vast collection of tiny products over the years, given as samples from the counters or included in gift sets and the like. Here's a small (hehehe) sampling of my collection of minis that I doubt I'll ever tire of. They're just so precious and twee!

Included in this photoset: Chanel Les Exclusifs in Gardenia, Beige & Jersey; Chanel Coco Noir; Dior L'Or de Vie Serum, Eye & Lip Contour Cream and Face Cream; Calvin Klein Downtown; Prada Luna Rossa Pour Homme and Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia Eau Fraiche; NARS Mini Bronzer in "Laguna", Jo Malone Vitamin E Gel, Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus, Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer, Laura Mercier Eye Basics in "Buff", Bobbi Brown Rich Color Gloss in "Pink Buff", Benefit Ultra Plush Lip Gloss in "Hoola", Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Serum, Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint.

Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal

Pixi Illuminating Tint & Conceal

I first heard of Pixi’s Illuminating Tint & Conceal through Youtube’s Pixiwoo’s Samantha Chapman.
[Giant Sidebar: I LOVE pretty much every tutorial that Sam & Nic have done for their Youtube channel and think they are a GREAT place to start if you’re looking for … well, just about any look! They have a slew of vids and just feel more refined in their practice, as they are professional makeup artists in the UK and it beats listening to some other Youtubers out there do tutorials…TRUST ME]

Moving right along…

I wanted to buy the tinted moisturizer (TM) pretty much as soon as I saw the video, even though I am a total foundation fan and own a bunch of different ones and need another product like I need a hole in my lungs… but I didn’t forget about Pixi products, which are available for purchase at Target. Naturally, once I moved to the states, I ended up in a city without a brick&mortar Target. Target.com would suffice, so I ordered the TM in Sun Glow, which I figured would match me well enough after reading MUA reviews. It’s apparently $30 USD for 1 oz of TM and 0.09 oz of concealer.
The tube text reads, “One step sheer complexion perfection. Tinted moisturizer, SPF 20, treatment day lotion + concealer all in one. Hypoallergenic, oil free, fragrance free, talc free and water resistant. Suits all skin types, including sensitive skin.”

When I ordered it, I had no idea it was water resistant, so this is news to me. I also don’t really care about SPF being in my facial products. I prefer it to NOT be, to be honest, because it’s too easy to shrug off proper SPF usage and claim it’s in my foundation when really, I’d have to cake on a bottle of foundation in order to actually reap the benefits of the SPF that’s added to said foundation. I wear SPF 50 every day (Chanel UV Essentiel has been my go-to for a couple years now), and that keeps me ridiculously pale but (hopefully) wrinkle-free.

[Sidbar #2: When I purchase products, I don’t have a tendency to pay attention to quantities for price, because I seldom use up products, especially face products. For the sake of this review, I’ll put it out there: $30 USD + tax is kind of ridiculous for a tinted moisturizer being purchased at Target, but I’m accustomed to paying $50+ for a foundation from Saks or Holts or wherever, so my price sensitivity has sorta flown out the window.]

The tinted moisturizer is luminous to a point of sparkley, but I tend to powder all TMs and liquid foundations to set them, generally with Chanel Poudre Universelle in 40 Dore, or, more commonly, Rimmel Lasting Matte pressed powder in Sandstorm. Powdering mellows out the luminosity to a more palatable finish, at least for me!

The TM is easy to blend, and I apply it with a MAC 130 brush or EcoTools Foundation brush. I always blend for WAY longer than most would/could, and then I lightly run my fingers over my face after applying with a brush just to make sure no brushstrokes are left behind. That being said, to each their own, applying with hands is always a viable option too!

I tend to wear this when I want something with slightly less coverage, as that is what a tinted moisturizer is meant to do…tint..and moisturize (it’s not just a clever name). I also have been pairing it with Laura Mercier Mineral Powder (more on that in an upcoming post, I’m sure) for more coverage with even MORE luminosity! Winter is sucking my skin’s will to live sooo I’ve been o.d’n on luminizers and such accordingly.

Would I rebuy this product? Sure. It matches well, I dig the concealer in the cap (and reach for it even when I’m not using the corresponding TM), and it didn’t break me out.