Cake Beauty: Deep Affection Set

Over the past few weeks, my hands have been super dry and cracking. But more recently, they have been on the verge of bleeding. I tried a lot of hand creams and oils but nothing really worked so I decided to try cake beauty line, which is known for its hand creams. It is a Canadian brand, which is available at Sephora, Target and Shoppers Drug Mart.

I picked up Cake Beauty's Deep Affection set from Sephora for $38+taxes. It comes with a hand cream and a body balm, which individually retails for $22 (100ml) and $26 (236ml) respectively, so this set isn't a value set but just two good products packed together in a cute box. However, I feel it is still a better deal than the other set that comes with three hand creams (30 ml each) for $30 because not only this set  has almost three times more product but both the heavy cream and the body balm works really well for hands. 

Even though, it is not a value set but the bright pink sturdy box makes it a perfect gift for all age groups as everyone needs something extra during these winter months. 

Heavy Cream Intensive Repair Hand Balm: This is an amazing product with delicious vanilla-cake-bakery-kind of scent. It may sound too good to be true but it honestly made a difference after just two uses. The consistency of the cream is very thick and it holds the shape once squeezed out of the tube. However, in-spite of the richness of the formula, the product soaks into the skin instantly. 

Heavy Cream Intensive Body Balm: Just like the hand cream, this balm has an amazing scent which is comparatively a little sweeter and even more delicious. The consistency is somewhat different as it is a body balm but still equally moisturizing. I have tried it on my hands and it works really well and that is what I am planning to use it for. 

Both the products are formulated without parabens, mineral oils, phthalates, petrolatum etc. and with 20% shea butter, thus they have long term skin benefits. Overall, it is a great duo which can be given as a luxurious Christmas gift to anyone or as a treat to oneself.

Have you tried Cake beauty? What are some of your favorite products from this line?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

December 2013: Ipsy Bag

I finally received my Ipsy Bag in the mail yesterday. All the products are centered around the celebration theme. Everything came in a black patent leather bag, which is quite nice and chic. 

I kind of liked this months bag for the most part except one product i.e. the bombshell stick. 

Pop Beauty Eye Shadow Trio in Naturally Bare: I am glad that I got this neutral trio instead of the smokey one. I am not a huge fan of the giant floral design on the compact. Actually, I find the Pop Beauty packaging quite gaudy in general and this trio isn't any exception. All three colors are shimmery and have decent pigmentation. However, the darkest shade is disappointing because it took several swipes to build up the swatch. Since I have it so I'll use it but these days even drugstore eye shadows have raised their bar so I have no desire to repurchase or to try other versions of this line.However, it is a full sized trio so I am glad I got to try it. 

NYX Lipstick in B52: I love NYX lip products and own several lipstick shades from this line. I always wanted to get this shade so I am glad I got it in this bag. It is a beautiful deep mauve shade that is very smooth and creamy. 

Be a Bombshell The One Stick in Girl Crush: This has to be the worst product out of all this month. It goes on very unevenly and feels somewhat crumbly. It is packed with lots of gold glitter and the color blends into nothing leaving specks of glitter all over the place. Usually, I try to utilize everything I have but this is something that will go straight in the trash. 

Nicka K New York Nail Polish: This has to be one of the most beautiful nail polish bottle I own that deserves to sit on the vanity. The polish itself is a gorgeous deep red shade but has very strong pungent smell like those of cheap polishes. Also, unfortunately it doesn't have a name on it. Nonetheless, I am glad I got it because I absolutely love the bottle and the coppery bronze lid. 

Demeter Snow Roll On Perfume Oil: Firstly, I am really happy that it is an actual usable roll on tube rather than the tiny sample. Secondly, I really like the soft scent. I know it may sound odd but the scent makes me feel somewhat nostalgic, it takes me a few years back but I don't clearly remember when and where? I have been continuously sniffing it so that I can recall something and calm down my curiosity but it is not helping :(. 

Overall, I really liked this bag for the size and variety of products. The only thing that is not even worth trying is the Be a Bombshell stick, other than that, I feel everything else is usable. 

Are you a subscriber? What did you get this month?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

NOTD: Deep Berry & Sparkly Rose Gold

This past week, we finally got the first snow of the season in Toronto and to celebrate that I pulled out my deep dark nail polishes. I love using glitters along with dark colors as they not only add a dimension to the look but also accentuates the dark tones. 

I absolutely love this berry and rose gold combination, and as always I used the colored polish under the glitter to tie up everything together. Also, it aids in the glitter removal later. 

The colors that I used are Maybelline Express Finish in Berry Fancy (2 coats) and Julep Nail Color in Jane (1coat). I really liked this line of Maybelline polishes but unfortunately, it has been discontinued. However, you can use any dark berry color. The Julep nail polish is a full coverage rose gold glitter which goes on opaque in just one coat. However, unfortunately Julep glitter polishes get somewhat goopy in the tube after a while. 

The Julep polish is on sale in a set for $14.99 right now along with three other glitter polishes. So, if you are interested then I would highly recommend you to pick it up now. 

How do you spice up your regular manicure?

Thank you for taking to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Purminerals Bare It All Collection + Benefit Hoola Bronzer Dupe

 A few weeks ago I was browsing through the makeup section of Shoppers Drug Mart and came across this Purminerals Bare It All kit. I always pass by Purminerals but never actually thought of trying it but this kit seemed to be a perfect option to get an idea of a couple of their makeup items. However, I didn't buy it instantly because  it retails for around $36+taxes and the packaging felt somewhat cheap. But when I came home I kept thinking about it so I went to the Purminerals website and was completely shocked to find the same kit for just $25. Thus, I picked it up with another skincare kit that I'll review after trying it for a couple of days. 

One great thing that I noticed about Purminerals website is that they constantly have promotions going on so you will never have to pay the listed price. In addition, this brand is exclusive to Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada and Ulta in United States, but due to the price difference I would recommend Canadian beauties to shop online.

The Bare It All kit includes a black felt tip eyeliner, shea butter lipstick, contour/highlight powder duo and mineral blush. 

Pure Black Precision Eyeliner: This is an average felt tip black eyeliner. The tip is easy to maneuver and the color is nice and deep but not very long lasting.

Contour/Highlighter Powder Duo in Uncover: First of all, the packaging is sleek but very cheap and plasticy type that is prone to breakage. There is a full round mirror and no wastage of space for extra applicators. The highlighter is a very finely milled beautiful pinkish champagne shade that provides the most gorgeous glow without any shimmer. The contour shade is a true soft brown shade, which is actually not that pigmented but very very close to Benefit Hoola bronzer (I'll post a new comparison picture soon as I lost the original one). Overall, I really like this product except the plastic lid. 

Mineral Blush in Peep Show: I own a lot of blushes but this has to be the most stunning pink blush in my collection. I fell in love with it the moment I used it for the first time. It does not have any shimmer but a beautiful glowy sheen to it which gives a healthy flush to the cheeks. However, I do not like the lid part as it a blank plastic piece that doesn't have a smooth finish or a mirror. Nonetheless, I would definitely like to try some more colors from this line. 

Shea Butter Lipstick in Au Naturel : This is a browny mauve lipstick. It isn't the most pigmented or intense lipstick but is quite moisturizing and feels somewhat like a balm.  However, it doesn't even last for an hour straight. Also, just like other products the lid is very cheaply made. 

Overall, I absolutely love the contour/highlight duo and the mineral blush, but don't really care about the eyeliner and the lipstick. So, if Purminerals comes out with another similar kit I would buy it for just those two products. 

Have you tried Purminerals? What are some of your favorite products from the line?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

November 2013: Ipsy Bag

I received my Ipsy Bag today in the mail and this month's theme is Glam it Up so there are a fair amount of shiny and bronzy products. I felt that this bag was more summer appropriate than fall, especially  because of the bronzer and the orange lip balm. Also, this month there are six samples instead of usual five, but I found the outer bag to be overly gaudy and tacky looking. 

Tresemme Tres Two Spray: I have heard a lot of things about this spray and always wanted to try it so I am really excited that I received it this month. 

Nailtini Lacquer in Champagne: I love this brand of nail polish, it is nicely pigmented and doesn't get streaky. Also, I am glad that I received this bronzey shade instead of the silver one. 

Star Looks Gem Pencil in Topaz

Star Looks Gem Pencil in Topaz: A month or two ago, Ipsy sent the black version of this pencil and I didn't like it at all. This time they sent  the color topaz, which is a sparkly silver shade and is kind of too much for me. Even though it is super creamy and soft but it doesn't last at all. 

Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched

Pixi Beauty Bronzer in Subtly Suntouched: Pixi is a high end drugstore brand which can be found at Target. I was really excited about this product but it is way too light for my skin tone. However, it can be used as a subtle highlight because of the pink undertones. 

Em Pillow Plush Balm in Creamsicle; Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn

Em Pillow Plush Lip Balm in Creamsicle: I think this is the extra sixth sample this month. I found this balm to be very similar to L'Oreal Hip Studio balms minus the tackiness. It has a very pleasant sweet candy smell but this particular color is way too sheer to show up on my dark pigmented lips. It is a good product but I would never ever spend $15 for a lip balm. Also, I am a hygiene freak so I do not like to repeatedly stick my finger in the product. 

Be a Bombshell Lip Crayon in Hot Damn: I am a huge fan of lip crayons and jumbo lip pencils so I really like this product. The color appears corally red in the picture but is actually a pink based red with tiny sparkles. Also, it leaves a stain behind thus increasing its lasting power. 

I really liked some products from this month's bag so it was a hit for me. Usually, the bags with nail polish and lip products are my favorite and this month Ipsy had both. 

Have you received your Ipsy bag? Did you like it or not?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Laura Mercier Artist's Palette for Eyes

I recently picked up Laura Mercier Artist's palette for eyes from Sephora. It is a limited edition holiday palette which may get sold out soon because of the VIB sale. When I first looked at it, I thought this is another neutral palette similar to Naked or Lorac,  however, it is not. UD Naked has somewhat goldeny bronze shadows, Naked 2 has cool toned taupes & greys, Lorac Pro has a lot of reddish coppery tones along with some mauves while this Laura Mercier palette has purple and plum shadows along with a decent number of neutrals.  

Packaging: I really love the soft cushiony faux leather feel with the magnetic closure, which makes the palette look like a clutch. Also, I like the fact that it is very sleek and doesn't have an extra slot for a brush or primer.

The internal layout and the material of the compact is really good. Also, all the colors are labelled with cool names, which is always a plus. In addition, half of the shadows are matte. 

Sparkling Dew, Guava, African Violet, Plum Smoke, KR Royal, Violet Ink

Consistency & Texture:  Some shadows are better than others in terms of the smoothness and texture. No doubt, all of them are soft and pigmented, but I found that Guava and African Violet have a lot of fall out, which could be fixed with slight tap of the brush before application. But matte shadows are the best  in all domains.

Vanilla Nuts, Primrose, Fresco, Bamboo, Truffle, Espresso Bean

Longevity: The shadows stay on really well with minimal fading at the end of the day. However, I always use a primer underneath for more vibrancy and longevity. 

Price: The palette retails for $60 and each shadow is 0.03 oz (x 12) compared to the full size 0.09 oz that retails for $28 each. 

Overall, I really love this palette because I am all about neutrals and palette takes them up a notch. Some of my favorite shades from this palette are: African Violet, Plum Smoke, KR Royal, Bamboo and Truffle. I especially love Truffle because I own a lot of browns but none like this. It is a true coffee brown shade which is great for crease and even an all over color for dark smokey look. 

If you are interested in this palette, pick it up now with 20% VIB discount before it gets sold out. 

Have you tried this palette? What are your favorite shades?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Top 5 Favorite: Fall Eye Shadow Palettes & Urban Decay Smoked Analogue

For the most part, I wear neutral shadows but there is something about fall that intrigues me to bring out the jewel tones. Along with those deep, dark and rich shades, I also love using taupe during fall and winter months.

 I have several favorites but these are the top five most reached for palettes for this time of the year. 

Urban Decay Pistol, YDK & Pistol

Urban Decay Naked 2: This is a cult favorite of the beauty community and I love using it during fall and winter because of the cool toned shadows. I associate Naked palette with summer and Naked 2 with fall/winter. Some of my favorite shades from this palette are: Pistol, YDK and Busted.

Lorac Pro Palette: This is an absolute favorite of mine throughout the year. Not only it is great because of half matte shadows but I feel that the two halves of the palette depict two different seasons. The left half has a summery feel to it while the right half is appropriate for the fall. 

Some of my favorite shades for the fall from this palette are: Pewter, Garnet and Deep Purple. 

Sleek Storm: This is one of the popular palettes from sleek makeup. Even though I do not own the Urban Decay Smoked palette, but to me, this sleek palette looks very similar to it. It may not have the exact arrangement but the basic idea is interchangeable due to the homogeneous color tones. Nonetheless, I would not call it a dupe but definitely a cheaper alternative for those on budget. 

The shadows are very soft and pigmented but there is a lot of fallout which is somewhat inevitable and visible because of the deepness of the colors. 

Smashbox Click You're It: This is an old holiday palette that came in a red box but I depot-ted it into a regular palette because the original box was quite bulky. Although, this was a limited edition palette but I am still including it in this post because I have seen it on a lot of websites recently. 

This palette has a nice combination of jewel tones and neutral shades. I really like it because the colors are dark but not too deep, thus reducing the chances of messing up for novices like me. 

Maybelline Eye Studio in Cozy Cashmere: It took me over a year to find this palette in Canada but it was totally worth it. Most of the eye studio palettes are all shimmery but this one has two completely matte shadows and one semi matte with shimmer. The rusty orange and the deep orangish brown reminds me of the fall leaves and sets into the whole mood of the season. 

What are your favorite fall shadows? Do you have any recommendations?

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

NOTD: Halloween Special

I love nail polish but I suck at nail art, so whenever I feel like doing something different I opt for a simple accent nail. And since today it is Halloween so I chose orange and black as the theme. As usual  along with the colors I used the Revlon Color stay base and top coat. 

The colors that I used are OPI Call Me Gwen-ever and Hard Candy Masquerade. 

The OPI shade is really nice and pigmented and gives an opaque finish in just two coats. I also used it as a base for the pointer finger under the glitter polish.

The Hard Candy nail polish screams Halloween to me. It has chucks of orange glitter in black base but goes on somewhat gritty because the base is not smooth polish but actually an accumulation of tiny black particles.  Nonetheless, it has really nice pigmentation as for the above look, I used only one coat over the orange base. 

What color did you paint your nails for Halloween? 

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Top 5ish Favorite: Face Powders

Settings powders add up to the longevity of the foundation while blurring out minor imperfections. Today there are so many powders in the market that it could be very difficult to pick just one, so I have decided to share my top favorites, out of all that I own. For your reference, I am NC 25 in Mac and have dry, sensitive and acne prone skin. Also, all the powders mentioned are merely setting powders and there will be a different post for the powder foundations. 

I have picked up my favorites based on the finish, staying power and frequency of use. Also, I have bundled the Korres powders together because I like all of them equally.

 

Korres Multivitamin Lightweight Powder; Korres Wild Rose Brightening Powder; Korres Multivitamin Powder 

1. Korres Compact Powder: This is my absolute favorite brand for everyday powders as they are very finely milled and smooth in texture. They do not get cakey whatsoever and give a very natural finish to the skin. Also, they last for 5-6 hours and keep my makeup looking fresh. 

 

Same order as above

 

Multivitamin Light Weight/Matte Finish Compact Powder in MVP3: It has some peachy yellowish undertones and melts into the skin leaving a natural matte finish. 

Wild Rose Brightening/Flawless Finish Compact Powder in WRP2: It has pink undertones and definitely provides some brightening affect when applied. 

Multivitamin Compact Powder for Oily-Combination skin in 32N: It has very slight peachy tone to it and even though it is targeted towards oily-combination skin, it works very well for my dry skin. Also, I never had any issue with it clinging to the dry patches. 

Apart from the soft and smooth finish, I love Korres powders because of all the natural and beneficial ingredients. Also, these powders are formulated without mineral oils, silicone etc. 

 

2. Revlon Colorstay Stay Natural Powder in 02 Light: This is the only makeup item in my entire collection that I have hit pan on and that alone says a lot. It stays on well for 4-5 hours and is really good for oil control on the t-zone.
 

Also, this powder can provide a light-medium coverage on layering, but, since it is not as fine as others so it can get cakey after a point. 

3. Scott Barnes Pressed Powder in Beyond Beige: This is the softest and the creamiest powder that I own. It is a light weight powder but the creamy texture makes it somewhat moisturizing. Also, it has very strong yellow undertones so it is good to counteract the redness. 

This powder works really well when I get eczema or redness on my face because its not drying at all. Also, it has the potential to provide an added coverage but I simply use it for redness as too much of it can bring out the yellow. At first I felt it is similar to Revlon Nearly Naked powder in terms of softness, but it is actually way more creamier. 

 

4. Benefit Get Even Powder in 01: This is another yellow toned powder but is looking white in the pictures. It is not as yellow as the Scott Barnes powder but still good enough for covering minor redness peaking through the foundation to get a natural look. 

5. Calvin Klein Subliminal Purity Mineral Based Loose Powder in 204 Translucent:  This is an amazing setting powder for a picture perfect skin. It is so finely milled that it doesn't get cakey what so ever. It has slight shimmer particles in it to help blur any imperfections such as pores, fine lines etc. 

Even though it is looking really white in the picture, it is a translucent powder so blends into nothing while giving a very skin like natural finish. In spite of being such a great powder, unfortunately it is discontinued, but you can still find it on some websites that carry discontinued products. 

What are some of your favorite setting powders? 

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

MUA Overview & Possible Urban Decay and MAC Dupes

MUA i.e. Make Up Academy is a very affordable UK based brand. But unless you live in UK, MUA products can only be bought from their online store. Few months ago, I bought 8 items and the shipping cost was £7.50 (fixed rate) to Canada. But recently, I have noticed that they often provide free shipping worldwide with some minimum purchase. 

I came to know about this brand because of numerous comparison posts of the UD Naked palette with their Undressed eye shadow palette. 

MUA Undressed: At the time I bought it, I had the UD Naked palette so I can say that they are definitely very similar but not the same because there has to be some difference in the quality since the naked palette is $60 and this one is just $6.45. 

 But still, with the exception of a few (e.g. gold shade in the picture), most of the shadows are soft and bendable. So, I feel it is a good option for the students, beginners and bargain hunters. 

Left: Shade 1; Right: Shade 3

MUA Blusher: These retail for $1.61 but I honestly do not like these because they are quite chalky. Also, they hardly stay on for an hour or two on my dry skin. So, I would not recommend these. 

Shade 1: Bright candy pink with noticeable golden shimmer.

Shade 3: Peachy melon shade with golden shimmer but looks more brownish in the pan. 

MUA Trio in Innocence

 MUA Eyeshadow Trio in Innocence: This is a beautiful trio of baked eye shadows that can be used wet or dry and retails for $4.03. I really like the color combination as there is a light creamy shade, an olive green and a duo chrome reddish brown with hints of bluish green tones making it somewhat similar to MAC Club. All three shades have some shimmer which simply adds up to their beauty. So, if you want to try one trio out of all then I would definitely recommend this one. 

MUA Trio in Pink Sorbet

MUA Eyeshadow Trio in Pink Sorbet: I do not like this trio because firstly the mid-toned pink is very chalky and frosty looking. Secondly, the light pink shade (which appears white in the picture) disappears into nothing on blending. So, at least for me, this trio isn't good enough to be used on its own because otherwise the end result is a frosty mess.  

Left: MUA Single Pearl Shadow in Shade 12; Middle: Darkesst shade from MUA Trio Innocence; Right: Bottom right corner shade from WnW Comfort Zone

MUA Single Pearl Shadow in Shade 12:  This shadow is absolutely amazing. It is super pigmented, smooth as butter and costs only $1.61. On top of that, it is probably a dupe or a more saturated version of MAC Club eye shadow. So, I highly recommend it to everyone. The only issue I have with MUA is they have numbers instead of names for their products.

MUA Lipstick in Shade 11

MUA Lipstick in Shade 11: This shade looks different under different lights. It is described as a brown on the website but it sometimes appears nude with reddish undertones and sometimes more of a peachy coral. But nonetheless, it is a great everyday color. The formula is very smooth and moisturizing so can be used on days when you forget to apply the balm or are in a hurry. Also, it retails for just $1.61. 

The bottom of the tube screws open to reveal extra product. And it was only after getting this lipstick that I realized NYX tubes also open in a similar way. 

MUA Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette

MUA Eyebrow Pencil in Brunette: This is a true dark chocolate brown shade which is very smooth and creamy. However, the downfall of extra creaminess is that it instantly starts smearing and does not even last for an hour. The picture above was taken immediately after swatching it and you can see how the product has already smudged. 

However, I do like the brush end of the pencil. Usually brow pencils come with a spooly or a plastic brush, but this one has a proper bristle brush. This product also retails for $1.61 but I would not recommend it. 

There are definitely some hits and misses with this brand just like with all others. But overall, I really like some of the products like the undressed palette, lipstick, single eye shadow and the innocence trio. 

Thank you for taking time to read this post, I hope you enjoyed it. Have a great day!

Have you tried this brand? What are some of your favorites?