bobbi brown crushed lip color review | spring 2018

Now that the warmer weather has finally begun here in my city, I’ve been slowly transitioning my winter makeup out of rotation and introducing brighter and more lightweight products in. Although my face makeup changes, my lip products always seem to hover around the berry toned shades. This year, I decided that I would introduce different lip shades into my rotation and the Bobbi Brown Crushed Lip Color in the shade Babe has made my most recent cut. Today I’ll be reviewing this product for you.

hourglass veil translucent setting powder review

You know Rihanna’s song where she sings “shine bright like a diamond”? I can relate; it's how I feel when I don’t set my makeup with powder. I definitely shine bright, only it's not in areas that you would want to shine. I shine on my forehead and my nose, thanks to my oily t-zone! 

Today I have a very hyped up product from Hourglass on review – the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder, which I'm hoping will cure my oily areas and keep my makeup set and in place to conquer the day. I have been a fan of hourglass products for a long time and cannot say enough positive things about their blushes (my review here). So naturally, I was excited to try out one of their newest products, the Veil Translucent Setting Powder.

Best gift idea's for Mom | Mother's Day

Although you shouldn't ever need a day to celebrate your mom, it's nice to have a dedicated day for all moms to share in the celebration of being, well, a mom. The older I get, the more I appreciate what my parent's sacrificed and understand the depth of love they have provided and continue to provide my brother and I with. As Mother's Day is coming up on May 13th, I have dedicated this post to my mom and the (mostly) beauty gifts I think she would love to receive.

if you're going to San Francisco... | benefit cosmetics mini gift set

I’m back today with another adorable mini set from Benefit Cosmetics. To be honest, I was suckered in by the pink dome shaped container featuring the famous Lombard street in San Francisco. This set was part of the 2017 holiday collection but are still available in store at Sephora and are a great test size if you’re curious about their products. This was the smallest set they had; there were a few sets ranging from this size up to a large dome that included a variety of full sized products. The set I picked up had a mini trio of Benefit face products; a blush in the shade Rockateur (swatched here), the POREfessional primer (reviewed here) and the roller lash mascara. As with all Benefit packaging, the dome is unnecessary but targets those who love cute packaging.

looking for a new primer? I've got you covered.

There are a lot of people who don’t find primers effective. I’m on the other side of that spectrum. I find that using a base before foundation helps smoothen skin, masks skin imperfection and helps control natural skin oils. There are a variety of different primers out there, so today I thought I would share my top 6 primers that I always have within arms-reach.

it cosmetics your skin but better CC+ cream with SPF 50+ | review

IT Cosmetic’sYour Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF 50+ has been a loved product by many in the beauty world. This product has never been on my radar as BB and CC creams generally make my skin feel greasy within a couple hours. What grabbed my attention was that this brand focuses on skincare first, then makeup. I became super curious about this brand one day so I decided to pick up a sample of both the original IT Cosmetics CC cream and the latest CC+ Illumination. After testing this out for a week, I opted for the original formula as I found it dewy enough for my skin type. Today I’ll be reviewing the original CC+ Cream from IT Cosmetics in shade Medium.

new blush bunch from benefit cosmetics | worth the money?

If there is something I love more than makeup and skincare, it would definitely be miniature sized items (you know the ones that sucker you in before the cash registers? Yeah, those!). You can sell me anything that has a fun-sized option. Take the Benefit Cosmetics The Blush Bunch as an example; this is an adorable travel-friendly set of blushers and bronzers that caught my eye because of how cute these little compacts looked. They come in their own individual compact which gives you the flexibility to mix and match if you plan to travel light and only want to bring a couple shades. I initially saw this online and was devastated when they sold out. Luckily, one of the stores near me had a couple left in stock so I was able to take a set home with me!  

best lip products for spring | swatches

Don’t you just hate the feeling of dry lips? I literally can’t think of anything worse! And remember when matte lips became a thing? Without the lip scrubs, balms and masks those liquid lipsticks would seep right into the lip lines making for an interesting look. This year’s spring beauty look is all about that natural, fresh look and I’m totally into it. I love a semi-sheer lip that adds just enough colour but keeps my lips hydrated.

smashbox - light it up - gloss to go set review

Smashbox has teamed up with California’s neon artist Meryl Pataky to create this incredible lip gloss set for this holiday season. The Smashbox Light It Up – Gloss To Go Set ($30 cdn) is great for those who want to try out several glosses without having to worry about committing to one full sized colour. I picked this set up at Shoppers Drug Mart and thought I would do an overview of what you can look forward to if you pick up this set.

The set includes five (5) shades (5 x 5 ml): Bare Light, Orange Light, Fuchsia Light, Lilac Light and Ruby Light

Both Bare and Fuchsia light apply much more sheer than the other three and are the only two in this set with some sparkle to them. I recommend wearing them overtop another lip product. Orange, Lilac and Ruby light can be layered and worn alone or overtop lipstick to add some brightness and vibrancy. Smashbox tip: Create a personalized shade by mixing and matching between glosses in this set!

These glosses last for several hours, glide on smoothly without that sticky feeling and don’t dry out my lips. They also have great colour and aren’t shockingly bright. The lilac light was the first to catch my eye and one of my favourite colours in this set to wear. I didn’t think I would get too much use out of Bare and Fuchsia light as I’m not a huge fan of sparkly lips, however, the sparkles are so small/minimal that I have been reaching for Bare light much more often than I expected to!

Smashbox has nailed this packaging. It’s fun, bright and caters to those who love boxes. The neon orange acrylic box had me just as excited as the product itself! The glosses come in a standard twist off cap and lip applicator. I appreciate that the applicator isn’t super flexible so you have some resistance when applying to your lips. The glosses are a perfect size to travel with and will not leak if closed correctly. 

This set is a great value if you’re a fan of lip glosses. Each gloss has 5ml of product versus the standard 6ml lip gloss from Smashbox ($25 cdn each). It is also a nice introductory set for people like me who don’t go for glossy looks too often but wouldn’t mind keeping a few on hand for those days you want some shine.

Repurchase?

If you’re picking this up as a gift, this would be ideal for teenagers and I wouldn't think twice about purchasing this. From the product quality to the packaging, you have everything you need for a perfect gift. The cost value is great for anyone who loves wearing lip glosses on a daily basis. For me personally, I don’t wear glosses enough to justify repurchasing a set like this again. I would be much more inclined to pick up another set for myself if it had a mix of lipsticks and lip glosses.

sephora vib haul | april 2016

Sephora’s VIB sale has ended and my wallet couldn't be happier. Between restocking products that I know I’ll need in the upcoming months, to selecting a few items that have been on my wish list for sometime, I definitely took advantage of the 15% off VIB sale this month. I try to wait for these sales so I can haul my items and save some serious money. This was actually my first time ordering through ebates, so I was able to save another 4% cash back during the sale as well!

I’ve been trying out most of these products for a few days now, so I’ll be able to give you a quick first impressions review and let you know if it's love at first site.  Let’s get to the haul!

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist | This has been on my wish list for quite some time. I figured since summer was just around the corner, I wouldn’t mind having a refreshing mist that creates a healthy, dewy finish. This brand has marketed themselves extremely well and they put so much detail into their packaging to make the product feel that much more luxe. I absolutely adore their Classic Rice Enzyme Powder.

Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Foundation | This item was on my wish list because I love light to medium coverage and thought this would (hopefully) be a perfect, lightweight summer foundation. Unfortunately, the coverage is minimal and doesn’t do much for my skin.

Becca Backlight Priming Filter | I am so obsessed with the Chanel Illuminating Base and as I’m almost out, I figured now would be the perfect opportunity to pick up another wish listed item. I have only heard positive reviews about this primer and they are all true; I haven’t gone a day without this product. I avoid my t-zone for this one as I try not to enhance the oiliest part of my face but for everything else, hello glowy skin! Definitely one of my favourite purchases from this haul!

Too Faced Soleil Matte Bronzer (Milk Chocolate) | A repurchase of one of the best matte bronzers I have ever owned. I ran out of this a few months back and while waiting for the VIB sale, I dipped into my Marc Jacobs O’Mega Bronzer Perfect Tan. I missed this bronzer an incredible amount and am so excited that I can finally use this again! The Marc Jacobs bronzer just doesn’t work as well on me as the Too Faced bronzer. Bonus that it smells like chocolate!

Becca Blotting Powder Perfector | Becca has nailed it with this product – it keeps my t-zone oil-free all day and I rarely need a touch up. This is probably what magic powder is made of. Such an incredible buy and so happy to have picked this one up!

Givenchy Teint Couture Embellishing Concealer | I haven’t made up my mind about this concealer yet. I picked this up because of the positive reviews but I’m not sure it does enough for me. I liked the idea that it had a brightener above the concealer but I tend to lean towards liquid concealers more. I will be doing an in-depth review on this in the upcoming weeks.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Limon Verde | I was in the market for a new summer perfume and added this to cart because the notes listed, sounded like the scent would be crisp, clean and fresh – exactly up my alley. The bottle is absolutely stunning as well. I’m excited to wear this during the upcoming months!

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer | My fifth repurchase of this product – I use this daily and panic when I’m running low. When I use this with the Laura MercierSecret Brightening Powder, my dark circles disappear and fine lines are kept at bay. One of my holy grail beauty products.

Makeup Forever Duo Mat Powder Foundation | This was my last purchase during the sale so I haven’t had a chance to test this out until today. I ordered this after a friend couldn’t stop talking about how matte this product made her look. I instantly added it to cart and waited in anticipation. My holy grail liquid foundation is by Makeup Forever, so I’m hoping this will be just as good. Stay tuned for a detailed review!

Did you take advantage of the VIB sale? Let me know what you picked up in the comments below!