February 2016: Ipsy Bag

This month's ipsy theme was "Pretty in #IPSYPINK" and I received the following five products: Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment, Luxie Beauty Flat Definer Brush 221, Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Oil, Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind Sparkling Lipgloss in Pink Sequin, and Jersey Shore Cosmetics Vanilla Bean Anti-Aging Lip and Hand Polish.

 

Before I begin, I would like to mention that this month's ipsy bag was a total fail for me. I personally did not like any product so this review is going to be a little negative.

 

 

Jersey Shore Cosmetics Vanilla Bean Anti-Aging Lip and Hand Polish.: This is basically a brown sugar scrub but is super greasy and oily. It leaves a weird film on the hands so I really don't like it.

 

Luxie Beauty Flat Definer Brush 221: A simple and decent flat definer brush. It looks nice but I personally don't have a use for yet another brush.

 

Smashbox Cosmetics Photo Finish Primer Oil: This is the size of hundred points perk at Sephora. Unfortunately, it did not work for my skin.

 

Product accumulates in the rim and the lid due to the lack of a sifter or cover for the pigment.

 

 

 Naked Cosmetics Mica Pigment in Sierra Nevada: Just last month, I mentioned how I am not a fan of loose pigments but received another one from Ipsy this month. This one is exceptionally messy because it does not have sifter to hold the pigment in, so a lot of product accumulates in the rim of the container and the lid. Also, the color is just a regular bronze and not unique enough to go through the trouble.

 

 

Vintage by Jessica Liebeskind Sparkling Lip gloss in Pink Sequin: The name explains the shade very well. It is straight up shimmer particles in a goopy and sticky base, so I do not like it at all.

 

So, overall this month's Ipsy bag was a huge disappointment for me. I have been an Ipsy subscriber since 2011 and I feel its the time to let it go because a lot of brands that are sent by Ipsy are not even available in Canada, so even if I like something I can't order it. Also, due to the horrible exchange rate and extra shipping charges, the Canadian subscribers pay double the amount for mediocre products, and the few high end items that are sent can be redeemed as point perks for free at Sephora.

 

What is your opinion about Ipsy and other subscription bags? Do you have any recommendations? I am looking for other subscription services that ship to Canada.

 

Thank you so much for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

 

 

 

NOTD: Colors of Love with Hearts

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

 

Today's post is all about the colors of love i.e. red and pink with accent hearts. I am not much of a nail art person but love nail polish so I always try to add a bling here and there.

 

 

The two polishes that I used for the first look are: Nicka K New York and Julep Hartleigh.

  

 

Julep Hartleigh: This was a part of 2015 February collection and has a clear base with white round specks and red metallic hearts. It does not come out even so I had to pick out the hearts to make it look even on both hands. Also, since it has a clear base so I used one coat of red polish to make it pop.

 

 

Nicka K New York: I received this polish in a subscription box around 2-3 years ago. Not only it has beautiful packaging but an awesome formula.

 

 

 After about four days my red polish chipped but the accent nail was still perfect, so I decided to replace the red with pink and it turned out amazing.

 

 

 Fingrs You Pinky Swear?: I shared a blog post about seven different shades of Fingrs polishes back in 2013. Their formula is amazing in general and this one is no exception, its a beautiful baby pink shade that goes opaque in just one coat and looks flawless in two. Also, it lasts well and doesn't chip.  

 

 

So, these are my super simple and easy Valentine's day nail looks. Give them a try and see if you like them.

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

 

December 2015: Ipsy Bag

Once again I received my ipsy bag at the end of the month. I am not sure what's causing the delay because I have been a subscriber for almost 3 years and never had this issue.  But anyways, this month I received the following five products: Pacifica Power of Love Natural Lipstick, Be A Bombshell Mechanical Eyeliner, Marc Anthony Deep Conditioning Treatment, RickyCare 3D Blender, ModelCo Lip Liner.

 

 

RickyCare by Ricky's NYC 3D Blender: When I first took it out of the packet and washed it, I did not like it at all because it felt rubbery and slippery like those traditional makeup wedges.  It is not light and airy so does not bounce back to its shape like beauty blender, and retains the impression for a few seconds before going back to its normal shape. Also, it holds the water inside and shrinks in size on losing the excess water. However, it works. I used it with a light weight foundation and it blended well so I am definitely going to use it and keep the beauty blender for special occasions.

 

Marc Anthony Coconut Oil and Shea Butter Deep Conditioning Treatment: I haven't used it yet but Marc Anthony products are usually nice so I am hoping for the best.

 

ModelCo Illusion Lip Liner & Be A Bombshell Mechanical Eye Liner

 

ModelCo Lip Enhancer Illusion Lip Liner: From the packaging I thought this is going to be a beautiful vibrant pink liner but it is actually a pinky nude. It is just an average liner, and feels a bit drying.

 

Be A Bombshell Mechanical Eye Liner: This is my least favorite product from the bag. It lacks pigmentation, so requires a lot of work to build up the color but disappears in a single swipe. And its not just this liner that is below average in quality but almost all the products from this brand that I have tried through ipsy are same.



Nudie Red



Nudie Red & Tender Heart



Pacifica Power of Love Natural Lipstick in Nudie Red: This feels more like a balm than a lipstick because it is moisturizing, light weight and sheer. The shade nudie red is nude with reddish pinky hues and comes across as peachy. I have compared it with the shade called Tender Hearts from the same line and they look almost alike except that the latter is a tad bit browny.

 

 

 

Em Michelle Phan Shade Play Eye Color Palette in Bali Bronzes: This was a surprise product and I honestly thought that I received it by mistake, but then later found out that all the long term members have been sent different versions of this palette. The packaging is beautiful, the display is pretty but I feel the shadows are not up to the par. The very light gold does not show up and is not even visible in the picture. The three mid toned shades are nice but the two darker ones lack pigmentation. Also, all the shades are shimmery and very similar to each other. So, overall it is not a palette that can be used on its own as it does not have enough color and texture differentiation.

 

What did you get in your ipsy bag this month? What was your favourite product?

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

 

 

 

December 2015: Julep Maven All That Glitters Overview

I have been a Julep maven for about two years. Its a great service with free shipping and new colors every month. This months theme was All That Glitters and I got the IT girl box. It came with three nail colors and a cinnamon flavored candy cane along with a coupon for free nail polish.

 

Chrissy, Beatrice and Omelia

 

Chrissy: Beautiful creamy green shade that leans a little bit towards teal. UPDATE: This polish stains both the skin and the nails really really bad during the removal process. Even repeated washing with soap didn't get the color off my skin. I will never use it again. I will share the pictures in an upcoming post.

 

Beatrice: Shimmery gold with a hint of copper. Its a difficult to define kind of shade so I may be wrong but to me it looks like the liquid form of Becca Jacyln Hill Highlighter.

 

Omelia: This is a special edition 2015 wonder maven polish. It's purple with tiny pink sparkles in it.

 

On the first look I thought I already have these shades in my collection so I have done a brief comparison.

 

Omelia (bottom) and Barbara (top)

 Barbara is a lot more pink while Omelia is purple.

 

Chrissy and Emilie

 

Chrissy and Emilie

 Emilie is true leafy green shade while Chrissy has some bluish undertones to it, which makes it look a little bit teal when placed close to a true green.

 



Sienna and Beatrice

Beatrice has a lot more copper to it while Sienna is more of a cool toned silvery gold. Also, Sienna has a creamy and smooth texture while Beatrice has some finely milled glitter.

 

What did you get in your Julep maven box this month? What do you think about Julep polishes in general?  Also, do you have any thoughts on Julep matte lipsticks because I really want to try them.

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a wonderful day.

 

 

Review & Swatches: Fleur De Force Eyeshadow Quad in Lunar Rose

The infamous you tuber Fleur De Force recently came out with her own makeup line, which is available exclusively on feelunique. In her collection, along with lip glosses and lashes, she has two eye shadow quads, Cosmic Bronze (neutral brown shades) and Lunar Rose (pink shades). I picked up Lunar Rose because I already have tons of browns and I am currently kind of obsessed with pink shadows. I paid $12.38 CAD for it.

 

 

Packaging: Nice sleek compact packaging; comes with a tiny brush instead of the sponge tip applicator, which does not really matter to me because I don't use either of them.

 

 

Shade 1: Completely matte pale pink shade. This is the only matte shadow in the quad, it has nice texture and pigmentation. It is creamy and soft with barely any fallout.

 

Shade 2: Shimmery pink shade that has some taupe in it. Again, very smooth, creamy and pigmented shadow that works really well as all over the lid shade. It is not overly shimmery by any means, the smoothness of the shadow makes it a cross between satin and shimmer. This was the shade that inspired me to buy this quad because it looked kind of rose gold in some swatches but its actually a lot more pink. Nonetheless, I still like it.

 

Natural Light

 

 Shade 3: Cream shade with satin finish. This is not a straight up plain cream shadow but has some dimension to it, which makes it really pretty.

 

Shade 4: Matte dark burgundy shade with multicolor glitter specks. Even though this is supposedly the darkest shade of the quadbut it has the weakest color payoff. It barely shows up with one swipe. The swatch in the pictures took a while to build up. So, it may be an issue for some but I personally do not mind it because I never wear dark shades.

 

Indoors

 

Also, as I mentioned earlier, I am not sure why but all the swatches that I searched for before buying the quad, looked somewhat different, and I am talking about the swatches not the actual quad. So I am not sure if something is changed or it was just the lighting and how the pictures were taken.

 

Indoor with Lights On

 So, overall I liked the quad. Also I would like to add that even though $12.38 seems a little pricey for a brand that is marketed as drugstore but we need to keep in mind that it is released in the European market for £7.99, which is the perfect price range but it is the currency conversion that makes it appear a little expensive.

 

Have you tried Fleur de Force makeup line? What are you thoughts?

 

Thank you for taking time to read this post. Hope you have a great day!

 

 

 



NOTD: Sparkly Bling

Today's nail look is somewhat different for me because normally I do not wear glitter polish on all the nails at once as it is a pain to take off. However, this time I made an exception because my original plan of glitter accent with a nudey mauve shade didn't go well. 

The polish that I used is Clio by Julep and to be honest I am quite disappointed with it. I bought several glitter polishes from Julep last month and based on how it looks in the bottle I thought this one is going to be my favorite, which unfortunately it isn't. In the bottle, it looks very condensed and multidimensional with beautiful pinkish rose gold specks mixed in with silver and gunmetal glitter. However, the problem is that on the nails it looks like plain flat silver glitter. 

Also, another issues is that I had to use thick four coats to get this look and I can still see some gaps in between. I think next time I am going to layer it over a darker color for some added depth and intensity. However, on a side note, I really like the silver top of this polish as regular Julep polishes come with a black cap. 

Do you like glitter polishes? How do you wear them? 

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

 

NOTD: Pinkish Sparkly Rosegold

The China Glaze nail polish Strike Up A Cosmo was released earlier last year as a part of their Autumn Nights Collection along with eleven other beautiful shades. But even after a year of release, all the colors are still readily available. 

Strike Up A Cosmo is a pinky rosegold shimmery shade, which is marketed as a foil finish by the company. The consistency is really nice and goes on opaque in just one coat. 

In the pictures, I have two coats of polish along with a regular base and top coat. As I said earlier, one coat is enough to get the color in the bottle but I used two just because I always do that. I have few other colors from this line that I'll share in the future posts. 

Do you have any polishes from this collection? If yes, then which one is your favorite?

Thank you for taking time 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 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!