origins ginzing brightening eye cream | how to restore tired eyes

Today I wanted to quickly chat about one of my favourite morning under-eye products. I hesitate to call this an under-eye cream as I found it works better as a mildly-moisturizing brightener than a full-on hydrating eye cream. I was introduced to the GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream to Brighten and Depuff (15ml, $39 CDN) by a sales associate at Sephora and was so happy with the sample, I decided to pick up the full size and give this pink shimmery cream a go.

dry shampoo life | which one worked the best?

Dry shampoos are like culotte pants; I want to love them but they just don’t seem to work for me. Luckily, I have persistence on my side and a box of dry shampoos from a Sephora favourites box I ordered last Christmas during a “treat yo-self” moment. Personally, I love the feeling of clean hair but I know washing it daily isn’t good for it. Since picking up these mini dry shampoos, I’ve made a conscious effort to try them out, even on days when I really don’t want to. There are some hits and misses in this variety pack – let’s get started on the reviews!

1.     Bumble and Bumble Bb. Pret-a-Powder Tres Invisible Dry Shampoo withFrench Pink Clay (Score 5/5)

This was my favourite of the bunch. I found that this product absorbed oils really well and volumized, while providing that healthy shine I get when I wash my hair in the shower. The product smelled great when applied and the scent faded throughout the day. The press nozzle was user friendly as well. I rubbed in the product with my fingers and was instantly ready to go!

2.     DryBar Detox Dry Shampoo (Score: 2.5/5)

This was probably the product I was most excited to try. Seeing beauty gurus leaving the drybar salon with their healthy bouncy blowouts made me think DryBar was all sorts of magic. This product absorbed oil fairly well but I couldn’t get over the strong scent! The smell was long lasting and I could smell it throughout the work day. It was so strong that it actually distracted me at some moments.

3.     Living Proof Perfect Hair Day (Score 2/5)

I really like this hair product line but unfortunately, this scent was also too overpowering for my taste. Again, I could smell my hair throughout the day and was paranoid that others in my work place could smell this chemical scent as well. I found that this didn’t do as good a job of absorbing oil as others, but if it’s all you have, you could make it work.

4.     Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo (Score 4.5/5)

This was a new name to me and is carried only online at Sephora (when it’s in stock!). This was a pleasant surprise. This shampoo absorbed oil really well and made my hair feel less greasy. The smell was fruity, reminding me of those pre-teen perfumes that I’m sure we all drenched ourselves in. Although fragrant when spraying, the scent doesn’t last all day.

5.     Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam (Score 0/5)

Ouai is another brand I was excited to try out, however, this foam shampoo only added more grease to my hair. Luckily for me, I tested this out over a weekend so I had time to wash all that extra grease out of my hair after applying it! It was all sort of bad – strong scent, added grease and flattened my hair. I would have loved to give this even a .5 mark but there was literally nothing okay about this product.

--> Have you tried any of these dry shampoos? Which one worked best for you?

BECCA blushed with light palette review | limited edition

This past weekend has been so much fun! I have been popping in and out of Sephora stores all over the city to find products I have been lusting over for months and to stock up on products I'm almost out of. My husband knows all too well about my beauty addiction and was sweet enough to keep me company while I visited yet another Sephora to pick up this beautiful blush palette by Becca Cosmetics. 

Becca cosmetics has blown up in the beauty industry with their collection of incredibly stunning highlighters and most recently, their luminous blushes. This year, they introduced their first limited edition blush trio called Blushed with Light (3 x 0.16 oz, $41 cdn) that offers a lovely variety of shades. 

This is an ultra sleek compact that houses a full sized mirror, two mineral blushes and one luminous blush. 

0.16 oz Mineral blush in Wisteria (soft rose)

0.16 oz Mineral blush in Songbird (peachy pink)

0.16 oz Luminous blush in Snapdragon (coral)

This trio is on the more affordable end of blush palettes at Sephora, and what's great about this one in particular is that you get three blushes that equal to just over two full sized Becca blushes for the cost of one. This is a great bargain considering other brands create holiday sets with less products and generally at a much higher price point.

I don't own any Becca blushes so I'm excited to finally add some to my collection. All three powders apply beautifully on my light-medium toned skin, however, I find that Songbird and Snapdragon glide on creamier than Wisteria. 

The luminous blush in Snapdragon was the shade I was most excited to try. A fan favourite, it looks very similar to the colour Orgasm by NARS, and has the same consistency as the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes. It has a touch of gold shimmer that helps create a lovely warm glow to your cheeks. This is a great everyday blush and my favourite out of the three in this palette. 

Songbird is a peachy pink mineral blush that is another fan favourtie and has a warm undertone to it. For fairer skin tones you could use this shade to create a more natural looking contour. It has a beautiful pigment and will be especially gorgeous during the spring/summer. 

Wisteria is a new shade that is exclusive to this palette. This is a matte finish blush in a soft rose shade. It applies the fairest out of the three but gives you the most lovely subtle colour to your cheeks. If you want a natural everyday makeup look with just a flush of colour to your cheeks, this is the shade you should reach for. 

I have been wanting to try the Becca blushes for quite some time and so happy they have created an affordable palette this holiday season. The packaging is beautiful and the shade selection is incredible. I am so, so happy that I picked up this palette. For my light to medium skin tone, these three powders apply smooth and last all day. Keep in mind this is limited edition, so once it's gone, it's gone!

burberry festive mini lip velvet set review

It’s that wonderful time of year again where we start seeing brands coming out with their holiday gift sets. I’m such a sucker for cute packaging, so holiday gift sets are exactly up my alley. Holiday sets are a great way to try out several products from a brand that you may not normally pick up on your own, or you want to test them out before you commit to purchasing a full sized product. When I first saw the Burberry Festive Mini Lip Velvet Set ($45 cdn) on the Sephora site, I instantly added it to cart. From the packaging to the shade selection, it seemed that these four mini lipsticks were exactly what I needed for this holiday season.

What’s Included:

1x 0.02 oz Lip Velvet in Oxblood No. 437

1x 0.02 oz Lip Velvet in Damson No. 425

1x 0.02 oz Lip Velvet in Nude Rose No. 405

1x 0.02 oz Lip Velvet in Military Red No. 429

Packaging

Burberry’s iconic print is patterned throughout each lipstick. It has a mirrored gold exterior that is beautiful to look at, but finger prints are easily visible. The lipstick case is made of plastic and doesn’t have too much weight to it, so if you’re like me and prefer something that feels sturdy, you might prefer the full sized lipsticks instead. They have a standard snap closure, which I feel could have been elevated to normal Burberry quality if they used a magnetic closure instead.

Product

These lipsticks are tiny! I knew when I was ordering them that they were mini but didn’t realize how small they were until they had arrived. As beautiful as they look and as highly praised as Burberry lipsticks are, I was shocked to see that each lipstick had less product than a deluxe sample I can get for free at Sephora!

However, the velvet lipsticks themselves are perfect. They have a smooth and creamy application with great colour payoff. These lippies last a few hours before they start fading on my lips. Burberry claims that their velvet lipsticks are “light-as-air, comfortable wear lipstick [that] delivers defined shape and continuous colour with a lasting velvet [matte] finish”.

Oxblood No. 437: This is a coveted deep burgundy shade that applies incredibly smooth and has a semi-matte finish on me.

Damson No. 425: My favourite of the set – a berry toned shade that offers a beautiful matte finish with one swipe across the lips.

Nude Rose No. 405: The lightest shade; a pinky-nude that has more of a satin finish on me.

Military Red No. 429: A vibrant and saturated red that compliments the term “festive”. A perfect red that applies creamy and evenly leaving you with a beautiful matte finish.

Verdict

I have a hard time justifying the cost of this for the amount of product. The lipsticks themselves are beautiful and for that reason, I would rather pick up a full sized lipstick instead. However, I wouldn’t have realized how great these lipsticks truly are if I hadn’t picked up this set!

If you’re looking for a cute stocking stuffer and want to try out a variety of shades from the velvet lipstick line and can look past the size of this set, then I say go for it! You won’t be disappointed with the outcome of the product itself. However, if you’re like me and you want the best of both worlds – quality packaging and a great product, I suggest heading to your local Sephora or department store and test out a few shades before you commit to the full sized velvet lipstick.

Repurchase?

I will definitely be picking up a couple of full sized lipsticks from Burberry this coming winter, but if unfortunately, I would pass on purchasing this set again. It is no doubt adorable, but I can’t look past the quantity vs. the cost.  

What is your favourite Burberry product? 

Let me know in the comments what I should try next from the brand!

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!