Empties March 2017

Hello, hello!

I think that I’m making pretty decent progress in using up items in my stash. I’ve also continued to go through all of my old lipsticks to test if any of them have gone off or dried out and culled them from my collection.

First up, skincare empties:

MyChelle Dermaceuticals Creamy Pumpkin Cleanser* – Originally reviewed here. I absolutely love this cleanser, it was so perfect for winter, as it made my skin feel super clean without any dryness or tightness. This is on my to-buy for fall wishlist, I am currently testing out something new for spring / summer.

Kate Somerville EradiKate – Originally reviewed here. I’m kind of mad at myself for forgetting to replace this one when I made my mini birthday haul from Sephora! I don’t breakout very often, just an occasional hormonal or stress related one but this one really works for my sensitive skin!

Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner – Originally reviewed here. This is on my to-buy wishlist for summer. I’m currently finishing up another facial mist in my stash. This is my second or third bottle that I’ve used up!

Sukin Purifying Facial Masque – Originally reviewed here. This is on my to-buy wishlist as soon as I clear up a few more facial masks in my stash. This and the Consonant DHE Mask are top two clay based facial masks.

Symphony Beauty Snow Cream Moisturizer – This was an Ipsy GlamBag item. It is too highly scented for me to use on my face, so I used it up on my feet. I will not purchase this one.

Cougar Beauty Hyaluronic Acid Facial Oil* – Originally reviewed here. I liked this  facial oil, but used it up really quickly due to its very watery consistency. Would I purchase? Probably not, because I have so many hyaluronic acid based products on my to-try wishlist.

Milani Moisture Lock Oil Infused Lip Treatment – Originally reviewed here. I really loved this when I first got it, but near the end, the consistency changed and it got sticky. I won’t be re-buying this one.

Concrete Minerals Electric Eye Primer – I don’t think that I’ve reviewed this primer, but I’ve had it since before I started blogging two years ago. It is one of my favourites as it is a great primer for loose shadows and pigments. Will I re-buy? Maybe, once I’ve used up a few more eye primers in my stash.

Brazen Cosmetics Goodbye to You: Light – Originally reviewed way back when I first started blogging in March 2015! The Brazen Cosmetics website is no longer there, so I don’t know if the company is gone or just on hiatus so I don’t think that I can replace it. This was a great banana type powder for setting the under eye.

I’ve continued to go through my lipstick collection, and culled a few more because they failed the tests for scent (does it smell rancid or like palydough), texture (has it dried out or melted) and / or discoloration (visible colour changes, or that weird almost fuzz look).

ColouPop Ultra Metallic Liquid Lipstick in Kween – this one isn’t all that old. Original review is here. This is my only disappointing liquid lipstick from ColourPop. It was dry and patchy when I first got it, and it is even drier now. Will I re-buy? Not this shade, and probably not any of the Ultra Metallics, but yes, I will buy other lipsticks from ColourPop.

Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks in Shame, Manic and Jilted – These are OLD, I never did review them, but they were my fave lipsticks from they time that they were launched!  Shame was dried out, but still smelled ok. Manic turned weird looking, almost fuzzy like F-Bomb from last month’s empties, and was starting to dry out, and Jilted was starting to discolour, and dry out. The Revolution Lipstick line has been discontinued, but these three were re-launched in the Vice Lipstick line. Re-buy? I will probably go test out and swatch the new Vice Lipsticks to see if I would purchase Manic and Jilted.

Annabelle TwistUp Retractable Lipstick Crayon in Kinky Pink and Royale – These are fairly old as well, but they still make this lipstick format, and both shades are still listed. Repurchase? Maybe. I’ll go take a look at some of the new shades since they were comfortable and long wearing.

Do you go through your lipstick collection to check to see if they are still good?

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: Everything purchased by me, except for items marked with an *. Please see original reviews for details.

 

Best of 2016 – The Makeup Edit

Hello, hello! Today I’m showing my picks for my “Best of 2016 Makeup” picks, a few are faves from last year, and most are new for this year.

Best BB/ CC Cream:

This one made my faves list again this year – the Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream with SPF50 from IT Cosmetics. I only use it in the warmer months because the shade Light is too dark for me this time of year. I want to try it in shade Fair, but I have some things to use up first.

Best Liquid Foundation / Best Powder Foundation:

My fave liquid foundation is the Nars Sheer Glow yet again this year. But I have a tie for best powder foundation – the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Pressed Finishing Powder (that I recently panned) and the Too Faced Cocoa Powder Foundation (that I’m close to panning). I’m trying to decide whether or not to re-buy, or to try something new.

Best Concealer:

One of the concealers is a fave from last year, the Nyx HD Concealer in Porcelain, and the other one is the Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector, both of which I use daily!

Best Lipstick:

This was a tough one to pick since I have so many faves, but I’ll go with my two most worn lipsticks – both are ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip in shades Dopey and Frick n Frack.

Best Highlighter:

Another ColourPop Super Shock Cheek, this time in the shade Butterfly Beach – the PERFECT rose gold highlighter.

Best Blush:

My most reached for blush is from Nyx Ombre Blush in shade Mauve Me, with an honourable mention going to the Essence Silky Touch blushes.

Best Brow Product:

This year I have two picks that I’ve been using sometimes on their own, sometimes together – the Nyx Tinted Brow Mascara and the classic Anastasia Beverly Hills Perfect Brow Pencil.

Best Palette:

I only purchased one palette in 2016 because I own so many single shadows. I use the Tarte Tartelette Matte palette more than any other shadows in my collection!

Best Mascara:

This year I have a tie between the Essence I ❤ Extreme Volume and the Annabelle Big Show Mascaras – both in the Waterproof versions. Both give my lashes volume, are super black, hold a curl, and don’t clump or flake on me.

So there you have it, my picks for the Best of 2016 Makeup! Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: Please see original reviews for disclosures, all are identified.

Weekly Re-Cap (Oct 10th-16th and 17th-23rd)

Hello, hello!

Just a re-cap of the past two week’s blog posts in case you’ve missed anything.

I missed last week’s blog post re-cap, so this one covers the past two weeks.

Monday, October 10th – Project Pan 12, Week 5 Review, Nars Sheer Glow

Wednesday, October 12th –  Naturelle Review Part 1, Biokem Purifying Shampoo

Friday, October 14th, Naturelle Review Part 2, Royal Coffee Scrub

Monday, October 17th, Project Pan 12 Collab, Week 6 Review

 

Wednesday, October 19th, IQ Natural Skincare Lavender Sugar Scrub

Friday, October 21st, Annabelle BigShow Waterproof Mascara

 

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!

Disclosure: Please see original reviews for product disclosure. All opinions are my own, based on my experience in using the products.

Annabelle BigShow Waterproof Mascara

Hello, hello!

Today I’m reviewing the BigShow Waterproof Mascara from Annabelle Cosmetics, a Canadian brand!  Here’s what it says about the BigShow WP Mascara:

Dare to get the max volume effect with the new BigShow Waterproof mascara! Its volume-boosting waterproof formula, enriched with carnauba extract for a softening effect, delivers instant volume. Plus, its clump-free brush helps you avoid heavy lashes.

It also says that three coats will give 11X the volume.

Onto the review:

My lashes are long and stick straight. My eyes are sensitive so many mascaras tend irritate my eyes. That being said, I have seven requirements for a mascara:

1. waterproof

2. smudge-proof

3. non-flaking / non-clumping

4. must be DARK black (not blackish, not brown black, and definitely not grey black)

5. volumizing

6. must hold a curl

7. non-irritating to my sensitive eyes

So how does this mascara measure up to my seven requirements? I would say that this mascara is on par with my holy grail mascaras (Essence Cosmetics I ❤ Volume and Get Big Lashes Waterproof)! It meets all seven of my requirements! I just don’t think that it gives 11X the volume, but it does add a nice bit of volume to my lashes, even with just one or two coats. I never wear three coats of mascara, so maybe it really is the third coat that does it volume-wise.

I was hoping to do some swatching and photographing today, but thus far it is a dark and rainy day. Hope the sun comes out later!

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day!

Disclosure: I purchased this!

Swatching Singles – Black, White & Silver

Hello, hello!

This is the last colour grouping for my single shadows swatching project. I hope that you’ve enjoyed taking a peek at my shadow collection. I really liked doing this as it made me rediscover some hidden and forgotten gems! These ones are from Concrete Minerals, Urban Decay, Fyrinnae and one oldie from Annabelle. Here we go, from left to right, swatched on bare skin / no primer, taken in natural light with favourites in bold.

From Fyrinnae, we have Pure Sugar, and Mithril:

I completely forgot that I owned these two! With primer, Pure Sugar is more white, and Mithril is more silver.

Next we have two from Concrete Minerals – Wednesday and Ether:

I love these two shades so much!

Up next is Urban Decay Gunmetal, and Concrete Minerals Nocturne:

Gunmetal was my go-to for a smokey eye for a long time!

Here’s Annabell Carbon, and Concrete Minerals Black Metal:

Black Metal is amazing when used over primer, or used wet!

Here’s another two that I completely forgot that I owned, Fyrinnae Immortality and Kuroneko:

Photos do not capture the the amazing rainbow flecks in Immortality! Again, these two are best used over primer, or wet.

So there you have it, my entire single shadow collection has been swatched! Which ones do you like the best?

In case you’ve missed it, here’s my  gold / copper / bronze and oranges,  greens, blues, pinks , purples  and browns in my collection.

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful day! ❤

Disclosure: I purchased all of these things!