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!