Lipstick Mood Ring: Happy Red Lips

Happy Sunday friends! I like to think that lipstick directly correlates with your mood. I find that the color of lipstick I choose often reflects how I am feeling that day. For instance, today I'm having a very blah day that will consist of studying and other mundane activities, but after a swipe of red lipstick I'm feeling more energized and ready to conquer the day. Red lips are definitely one of my favorite makeup looks and I certainly haven't been sporting them enough. Instead of waiting for a special occasion, I think I'll start pulling out the red lipstick on the icky days when I am in desperate need of a mood booster. Red lips don't have to be scary for daytime as long as you keep everything simple. Today I'm sporting a touch of cream blush for some color to the cheeks, a pale gold eyeshadow and a coat of black mascara to the top and bottom lashes. My red pout du jour is thanks to my gorgeous red-orange lippie, Rouge Dior in 844 Trafalgar. Definitely one of my all time favorite lipsticks that never fails to make me feel happy and stand a little taller.

What lipstick shade makes you feel happy? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading.

Review: L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara

Hello again everyone! Today I'm reviewing another drugstore mascara that has crossed my path over the past few weeks. I have been having some mascara issues lately and I'm on the hunt for a good affordable mascara. I know that L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara has been around for a very, very long time and it gets much love in the makeup community. I have used this mascara in the past but I decided to repurchase it a few weeks ago to give it another go and give my two cents about it:

PROS:

• Although it was very "wet" on the first application, it dried out within a few days and became a really nice consistency to work with. 
• It gives me dramatic volume with 1-2 coats.
• It seems to lengthen lashes slightly.
• It helps my stick-straight lashes to hold a curl without feeling crunchy.
• It layers well if you wish to add another layer for a night out.
• It has classy, sleek packaging.
• It's budget friendly and is often on sale. 
• The brush is designed well and separates lashes easily.

CONS:

• The formula was incredibly wet and messy on first application.
• The formula tends to flake onto my under-eye area after a few hours.
• The formula dried out and is now very clumpy after only 3 weeks. 

After giving this mascara an honest try, I can definitely see why it is so well loved by makeup-wearers everywhere. My main issue is that it has dried up and become super clumpy after a mere three weeks of being opened, and I generally expect a mascara to last longer than that. The nice thing is that it can be easily replaced every couple weeks, as it is affordable and easy to find, but I like a mascara that performs for longer. It truly is a beautiful product, but I shall be moving on to another mascara to trial in the pursuit for the perfect drugstore mascara.

Have you tried L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara? Has anybody else experienced it drying up so quickly? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below and recommend me your favorite budget mascaras!

Thanks for reading.

Cheap Thrills: Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette

Happy Sunday folks! I absolutely love long weekends and I hope Canadians everywhere are enjoying Victoria Day weekend. I'm so happy to share this amazing find with you all today. The Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette is a steal of a deal, coming in at around the $6 mark in Canadian stores. The quality of these shadows is as good and probably better than much more expensive palettes like the Urban Decay Naked Palettes. I feel it is my duty to share this incredible bargain with you all so you can save yourself a few dollars and buy yourself a stellar eyeshadow palette. One of the many things I love about this palette is the versatility. There are such a wide variety of shades, that you can easily use the light shimmery colors for day time looks and add in the darker colors for a sultry smokey eye (my version of a "sultry" eye look pictured above). The palette also offers some unique colors to play around with such as the moss green with golden shimmer, as well as a copper brown that has a blue shine to it (a duochrome finish). Most of the shades have a metallic finish and look stunning blended together on the lid. I've seen this palette at Walmart, Lawton's Drug Mart and Dominion, so I really really really really encourage you all to pick it up and give it a go!

CONSISTENCY: These are SO buttery and pigmented it makes me want to cry. Most of the arm swatches pictured above were achieved with just one swipe. They are so pigmented that I would recommend applying small amounts at a time so you don't go overboard. They all blend together amazingly, so you can use multiple shades in your eye look quite easily.

COLOR RANGE: I wish there were more matte colors to wear in the crease but otherwise, it's a nearly perfect palette. I love that this is a neutral and very wearable palette, with some interesting colors to add some pizazz to a basic look. Most of the colors are warm-toned, but the grey browbone shade and the black crease shade are cool toned. Most have a fine shimmer running through, though there is one shade with noticable glitter.

WEAR TIME: These eyeshadows are great with and without an eyeshadow primer. They last a very long time and I have not noticed them to have any fallout onto the cheeks/under eye area as the day goes on. These eyeshadows can easily take you from an early morning to a night out without needing re-application.

WARNING: These beautiful, buttery eyeshadow are so creamy in texture, that they will shatter if the palette is dropped. So please handle with care!

The bottom line is that you need this in your life. When I break this puppy out, I start to wonder why I spend so much money on expensive palettes when Wet n Wild can perform as well for a fraction of the price.

Have you tried the Wet n Wild Comfort Zone Palette?  Have you tried any other Wet n Wild palettes? Please let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

Skin Rehab: How I Wash my Face

Yeah, I'm serious. This is about how I wash my face. You may be thinking that nobody wants to read about washing your face but I will defend proper cleansing for the miraculous work it has done to my skin. I won't say that I'm breakout free, as I'm still waiting on some angry, cystic buggers to fade away, but I have seen dramatic improvements in my skin over the past few weeks. I've been a maniac about washing my face for about a year, and until I became obsessed with the beauty community, I never really knew how to properly wash my face. I'm not saying that this is the ONLY way to properly wash your face, but it works for me and it might just work for you. I'm willing to bet that there are a hefty number of people who wouldn't have skin issues if they cleansed properly. Here's my routine:

MORNING:
When I wake up in the morning, I probably have the residue of multiple treatments left on my face. Some people argue that if you washed your face the night before that your face is still clean in the morning. That's both WRONG and GROSS. You can't expect for any products you put on your face to work properly if you are in fact, rubbing them into a dirty face. This is how I like to wash my face in the mornings:

• Step 1: Use a gentle cleanser (I use Clarins Cleansing Milk with Gentian but any gentle and non-foaming cleanser will do) and massage into your dry skin. Really massage the product into your skin and give yourself a mini face-massage. 
• Step 2: Use a hot face cloth to wipe the cleanser off of your face. In my experience, I cannot completely remove a cleanser with running water, the hot wash cloth method is a great way to remove every last bit of cleanser while mildly exfoliating the skin.
• Step 3: Rinse out your wash cloth again and wipe off your skin one more time to make sure you have properly removed the cleanser. 

NIGHT, THE DOUBLE CLEANSE:

It is most important to wash your face before bed. Especially if you wear makeup, you must wash it off properly to prevent your skin from getting congested. I once relied on eye-makeup removers to remove all of my eye makeup before washing my face, but I have become lazy. Instead I love to use cleansing oils to bust up ALL of my makeup in one go. I used to be afraid of cleansing oils, thinking that using an oil to wash my acne-prone skin would cause breakouts, but I have since changed my way of thinking. Even if you have oily skin, putting more oil on your face will not make your face greasier. In fact, stripping your face of oils by using harsh and stripping cleansers will actually cause a rebound oil production in your skin and make it even oilier! Using oil on your skin helps to balance it out and let's your skin know that it doesn't need to produce any more oil. I am a firm believer in double cleansing. If you wear makeup or anything that includes SPF, you should wash your face twice to ensure that all the junk has been cleansed off your face. This may seem excessive, but it's the one thing that has radically changed my skin for the better. Some people like to use two different cleansing products, but I've seen good results with using the same cleanser twice. 

• Step 1: Take a pump or two of cleansing oil (I use The Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil but there are so many great products on the market, and some people swear by coconut oil from the organic section of the grocery store!) and massage it into your dry skin. Really take the time to massage it into your skin and get it into your eyelashes to break up the mascara. 
• Step 2: Take a hot wash cloth and wipe away all of the oil and makeup from your face.
• Step 3: Take another pump of cleansing oil and massage into the skin once again and massage it in well to pick up any of the product that may have been left behind in the first cleanse.
• Step 4: Rinse out the wash cloth and use it again to wipe off the cleansing oil from your face. 
• Step 5: I like to rinse out the wash cloth one last time with hot water and run it over my face just to make sure that every last drop of cleansing oil has been washed away. 

When you break it down, it's incredibly simple. So simple that very few people talk about how to properly cleanse the face. I'm fanatical about the double cleanse, and I would recommend to everybody. I've seen such a difference in the number of breakouts I deal with, as well as the overall condition of my skin. 

How do you wash your face? Do you double cleanse? Am I a skincare freak? Please let me know your thoughts and recommendations in the comments below.

Thanks for reading. 

Holy Grail: The Perfect Pink

First off, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and grandmothers reading today! I hope you are all pampered and receive the love that you deserve for being the amazing women you are. Today I am bringing your attention to a lipstick that has officially received Holy Grail Status for me... and I've only had it for about two weeks. For those of your who are not aware of the term "holy grail", it's a way to describe a product as the best of the best and something you simply couldn't live without. If it hasn't become obvious through the past months of blogging, I've never really got on with pink lips. Most of the pink lipsticks that have crossed my path have never quite suited me, for a variety of reasons. Too cool, too warm, too barbie, too frosty, too pale, too bright, and the list goes on... until now. Enter the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Turn On. What a beauty. I have worn this lipstick nearly every day since purchasing it, and I'm never looking back. This is such a beautiful shade and I'm surprised that I haven't heard it talked about in the beauty community. It's a gorgeous pink that is perfect for spring and summer that manages to have a touch of class and sophistication while still looking young and fresh. 

PIGMENTATION

If you look at the lipstick in the tube (pictured above) the lipstick looks to be a dusky pink mauve. This is deceiving, as it does not appear that way when swatched. It instead presents itself as a cool toned pink with a distinct rosy undertone. On the Sephora website, Turn On is described as "rosy pink" which I think is fairly accurate. It looks like a cool toned purple-pink on the lips while have the slightest warm rosy-ness. It's incredibly hard to describe the color but I assure you that it is both beautiful and unique. I also tend to steer clear from cool-toned lipsticks, so I think this illustrates how wearable the color really is. The product itself is incredibly pigmented and goes on with full-power with one swipe. The intensity can easily be built up with additional layers. 

FINISH

The lipstick initially applies with a creamy sheen but fades to a beautiful matte finish. There is absolutely no glitter or shimmer particles. After a few hours, it becomes a stain on the lips but it can easily be reapplied on top of the stain and look freshly applied once again. It does wear off of me a little bit in the centre of my lips after drinking a coffee, but it is super easy to dab on a layer onto the centre of the lips. 

COMFORT

A beautifully colored lipstick does not equate to a comfortable one. Luckily, this lipstick feels incredibly moisturizing on the lips and doesn't start to feel dry until a few hours have passed. I like to use a lip balm in under the Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick and it created a perfect base that's not too slippy for the lipstick to cling to. I'm incredibly particular when it comes to lip products, and this one is definitely comfortable to wear both day and night.

PACKAGING

I don't really think this needs explaination. Look at the pictures, it's so pretty. 

VALUE

This lipstick retails for $26 in Canadian stores. I picked mine up at Shoppers Drugmart and I think this lipstick rivals lipsticks that are much more expensive. I think it's a good price point for a high end lipstick and certainly has the quality to prove it. If you want to dive into the world of good quality lipsticks, I think this range is a great place to start. 

HOLY GRAIL STATUS? YES!

I absolutely love this lipstick and it has forever changed my mind about wearing pink lipstick! The Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Turn On is a game changer, and I want to tell the world about it. 

Have you tried the Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks? Are there other shades I'm missing out on? Please let me know in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading.

Review: Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Foundation

I'm going to start this review by admitting that this foundation was very much an impulse purchase. I usually research every product before I buy, but I was easily convinced from just ONE Youtube video. I took the above picture just minutes after doing my makeup this morning (I can't believe I forgot to put on lipstick). The Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Foundation is very different from any other foundations in my collection. For starters, it's extremely runny and comes out of the pump as a straight up liquid that could easily run off the hand and onto the floor if you aren't paying attention. Secondly, it has a little ball inside the bottle which helps to mix up the foundation which you have to shake before using. Not that there is anything wrong with that, just thought I would mention it as a unique feature. Here are my thoughts on the foundation:

PROS:

• It's marketed as having a semi-matte finish and I would have to agree that it's certainly not dewy. Somehow it manages to give a really healthy glow while still maintaining a very natural looking semi-matte finish. It definitely lives up to it's "naked skin" claims as it looks very skin-like and un-cakey. 
• Light to medium coverage for those who are looking for that (definitely my favorite coverage level). One layer creates a light coverage base for those who have really good skin. I like applying a second layer for medium coverage that covers up slight redness on my cheeks.
• Love the pump and the design of the bottle. 
• Has a very subtle, but pleasant fragrance.
• Has an extensive shade range with the shades ending in "0.0" having a warm tone and shades ending in "0.5" leaning cooler. My shade is 1.0 meaning that it is the lightest shade that has a warm tone. 
• The "ultra-definition" properties make it photograph beautifully.
• Feels incredibly light and un-cakey on the face. Pretty much feels like you aren't wearing foundation.

CONS:

• For some reason, I find that the foundation wears off quickly. I love the look initially but by the end of the day it seems to be worn off completely from the center of my face (literally disappeared from my cheeks, forehead and nose) while still being intact on the perimeter of my face. I'm not sure if it's because I have combination skin (with an oilier T-zone) or because I don't powder to set the whole face. 
• Provides no coverage for blemishes. It doesn't even conceal the redness surrounding a spot. I need to use a heavy duty concealer to cover my blemishes and scars, and I need to use much more concealer than I would with other foundations. 
• I'm still not 100% convinced that it was worth the $45 price tag.

All in all, I'm really on the fence about the foundation. If I could figure out a way to make it last all day, I would be thrilled with the product. It seriously looks so beautiful on the skin and I just wish I could figure out a way to make it last. I've tried using primers in underneath, which didn't seem to extend the wear time of the product. It's quite possible that my skin has become oilier in these (slightly) warmer months and perhaps I need to start using more powder than a sheer dusting on the T-zone in the mornings. I really want to figure out how to make this foundation work for me, as I think it has a beautiful finish that none of my other foundations can achieve. Another point to mention is that I generally have long work days, so I need products that last without any touch ups. A part of me feels a little let down by the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Foundation, yet I take it as a challenge to figure out the best application for me and my skin. 

Have you tried the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Foundation? Has anyone else experienced it wearing off throughout the day? Am I doing something wrong? Please let me know in the comments below. 

Thanks for reading.

April Favorites

Happy Saturday folks! I'm so relieved that this week is finally over and has resulted in a big move to a new apartment that I am absolutely in love with. If you have experienced the misery that is moving, you will already be well aware that it is a torturous, awful experience. As a result of the big move, I have stuck to the bare essentials and had a month of (mostly) boring makeup looks. The few times I did put in effort, I went for a retro inspired sixties look. After finishing season 6 of Mad Men, I've been drooling over the beautiful makeup looks on each of the female characters. So keep your eye out for some retro makeup posts to come. Here's what I've enjoyed using this month:

BOURJOIS HEALTHY MIX SERUM FOUNDATION in No. 51
I purchased this foundation quite some time ago on a whim. After hearing the beauty community rave about the foundation for years, I was certainly intrigued to see what the hype was all about. I love this foundation for day to day wear. It claims to have skin care benefits and I would definitely agree that it feels more nourishing on the skin than other foundations in my stash. It has a very healthy, satin finish that looks beautiful on the skin. It can be applied lightly for a light coverage or built up to a medium coverage. I also love that it has a pump that dispenses a very small amount of foundation, so no product goes to waste.

BOURJOIS CREAM BLUSH in 01 NUDE VELVET
After extensively researching the makeup used on the set of Mad Men, I discovered that the makeup artist swears by cream blush with a matte finish to get that lovely peachy flush of the 60's. I've been loving wearing this ultra pretty peachy blush applied to the cheeks without bronzer or highlighter. The formula is cream to powder but still manages to have a healthy sheen on the cheeks.

RIMMEL SCANDALEYES PRECISION MICRO EYELINER 
This is my first eyeliner pen! Somehow I've never jumped on the eyeliner pen train until now, and I have been missing out. I avoid using gel liners and liquid liners on a daily basis because of the potential for making a mess and the effort that goes into drawing a perfect flick. This eyeliner has been essential to creating my Mad Men-inspired makeup looks. The super-fine nib draws the thinnest of lines, which is great for a pretty day time look. The liner is not super pigmented and looks like more of a soft black that a super intense black. I personally like the lack of pigmentation as super dramatic liner can look overdone with my pale skin and light hair.

MAYBELLINE THE ROCKET VOLUME EXPRESS MASCARA
After a major disappointment with a high end mascara (read about it here), I've turned to the drugstore to try some new mascaras. I've heard lots of good feedback about the Rocket mascara and I have to say that I am definitely a fan. I love that the mascara separates the lashes for a pretty defined look, adds a decent amount of volume and helps my lashes hold a curl all day long (which few mascaras are capable of doing for me). I love how my lashes looks with one coat but also love how it layers for more dramatic lashes when I go out. I'm majorly impressed with the quality of this mascara for the price.

NARS SATIN LIP PENCIL in YU
Now that spring seems to be finally hitting my coastal province, I've been loving this lip pencil for a bold pop of color. I've been using this patted in the lips for a stain-like effect and using it full powered for night's out. I swear that this lip product makes me stand a little taller because it just looks (and feels) so glamorous.

THE BODY SHOP HONEYMANIA BODY BUTTER
I haven't used a body butter from The Body Shop in ages, but it's just like I remember. I love how nourishing it feels on my dry skin and how it manages to disappear into the skin without leaving behind a greasy film. Not to mention that I absolutely love the floral-honey scent that lasts on the skin all day long.

LA ROCHE POSAY EFFACLAR DUO 
This has been my go-to acne spot treatment for nearly two years. I've recently had some angry breakouts, and I like to think that this spot treatment makes blemishes disappear in half of the time they normally take to clear up.

AVENE SOOTHING EYE CONTOUR CREAM
I've made it my mission in 2014 to become an avid eye cream user. I've been using this stuff day and night and it seems like my eye area just drinks it up. I have noticed a major difference since using this eye cream, the skin around my eyes looks more plump and hydrated, which equates to less fine lines. The eye cream itself is formulated for sensitive skins and never burns or irritates the delicate eye area.

So those have been the winners of the month of April. What have you been enjoying this month? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.