All posts by Chelle

Five Lip Colours To Try This Fall

201609_5lipcolourstotry1

It’s finally autumn (YAYYYY!), which means it’s time to bust out some deeper, darker and more intense lip shades. I know you might be anxious about trying something new, but I wanted to introduce you to some shades that I’ve found to be quite flattering, although they may not be the first shade you’d gravitate towards.

Try something new this season!
Try something new this season!

I’ve found myself gravitating towards these shades in the last few weeks and I wanted to share them because they’re kind of off the wall colours. I know a lot of people are going to think some of them are unwearable, but hopefully I can change your mind!

Too Faced La Creme in Berry Naughty
Too Faced La Creme in Berry Naughty

Try a purple without going completely down the rabbit hole: Too Faced‘s La Creme lipstick in Berry Naughty looks dark AF in the tube, but it comes out a glossy purple-pink that has a slight sheerness to it that makes it more wearable. The La Creme formula is also incredibly comfortable to wear and it smells like sweet lemons!

Too Faced Melted Matte in Evil Twin
Too Faced Melted Matte in Evil Twin

Although it may look like a straight black lip, Too Faced‘s Melted Matte in Evil Twin has a purple edge to it that helps make it slightly more wearable without looking too “witchy” (which I usually feel is more blue-toned). This is my boldest suggestion in this entire post, but I know there’s a few people out there who are intrigued by wearing a blackish lip! Since this product is a liquid lipstick, you won’t have to worry about it bleeding outside your lip line, and for me, that’s INCREDIBLY important if I’m going to be wearing a colour as deep and dark as this one.

Gosh Cosmetics Matt Cinnamon
Gosh Cosmetics Matt Cinnamon

Probably the most tame colour in this roundup, Gosh CosmeticsMatt Cinnamon is a gorgeous balance of brown and pink. It’s boring as hell to look at in the tube, but the comfort of this lipstick alongside the colour make this an absolute beauty to wear. (I only recently tried this one out in a GOSH Haull + First Impressions video and I’ve been wearing it ever since!)

Wet n Wild Stoplight Red
Wet n Wild Stoplight Red

It’s really, REALLY hard to beat Wet n Wild‘s price tag on their Megalast lipsticks. They’re around $2 and they deliver incredible colour and pigmentation. If you’re not keen on trying out a black lip but still want to wear something vibrant, go for a red (this particular one is Stoplight Red) as we head into the holiday season.

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone
Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone

Never in my life did I think I would need a grey lipstick… until I tried on the Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Chill Zone. It might take some getting used to, but I found myself rather in love with wearing a grey lip – there’s something that feels really, really badass about wearing this colour! (If you want to see it in action, you can check out my essence F/W haul.)

201609_5lipcolourstotry_swatches

Looking at the swatches all together, the lipsticks I chose are a really, really weird mix. However, they’re definitely the shades I’ve been drawn to as of late. If you’re ever worried about wearing a “different” colour, whether it’s dark or vibrant, just remember that half the battle is getting used to seeing yourself in that shade. So buy the product, try it on at home and then just carry on as you normally would. Every now and then you’ll catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and you’ll eventually get used to seeing yourself wearing that colour. Once you’ve gotten over that hump, the next step is to wear it in public. And just remember – a strong smile works wonders at portraying confidence in how you look. 🙂

Let me know what colours you’re into this fall and if you’d wear any of the ones I mentioned in this post!

Swatch Sunday: Mary Kay Runway Bold Eye Color Palette

Mary Kay - Runway Bold Eye Color Palette

As part of their fall launch, Mary Kay released this Runway Bold Eye Color Palette in Rock The Runway ($26 CAD. This palette is more like an addon to your collection as you may struggle to make a cohesive eye look with it without going overboard with all of the shimmer.

Mary Kay - Runway Bold Eye Color Palette
Mary Kay – Runway Bold Eye Color Palette

Mary Kay Runway Bold Eye Color Palette in Rock The Runway Swatches

Shade 1
Shade 1
Shade 2
Shade 2
Shade 3
Shade 3
Shade 4
Shade 4
Shade 5
Shade 5
The product featured in this post was sent to me for consideration.

Skincare Saturday: Live Clean Body Washes

Live Clean Body Washes

You know what’s really, really nice? When you’re introduced to a product, love it, and then discover that it doesn’t break the bank at all!  And that’s exactly what’s happened with these gorgeous Live Clean body washes – they’ rich and foamy, the bottles are ENORMOUS (seriously – there’s 500ml per bottle!) and they’re on well.ca for just under $8 CAD each!

Live Clean Body Washes
Live Clean Body Washes

Live Clean introduced their line of body washes to the world six years ago. The brand is entirely vegan with no animal products (or even by-products) in their formulations. They’re also eco-friendly and are committed to having as little environmental impact as possible. They’re also completely void of SLS/sulfates, phthalates, petrolatum, silicone, dyes, parabens, DEA and phosphates!

The top three favourites that the team at Live Clean love the most are:

  • Coconut Milk: I love this one because it has a glorious rich and creamy scent that veers on the less tropical side of things for a coconut scent. It’s more of a warm coconut scent than a beach vibe (if you know what I mean) and I quite enjoy that different take on a coconut scent!
  • Fresh Water: I’m all over any kind of aquatic scents so I knew I was going to love this just by looking at the blue water logo on the front of the bottle. And sure enough – I’m in love!
  • Exotic Nectar: This is the scent that really made me fall in love with Live Clean. I was over at Julie‘s place and got a whiff of these and I was totally stunned by the scent. Their main scent is argan oil and I am NOT a fan of that smell at all – but there’s something about the way this scent is blended that is extremely pleasing to me.

And, lastly,  brand new to Live Clean‘s range is their Vanilla Oatmeal scent. I personally smell a lot more of the oatmeal side of things with a hint of vanilla. While the three scents I mentioned above are more summer scents in my mind (although I’ll gladly use them year ’round!), this Vanilla Oatmeal one is the kind of warm, inviting scent I want to be using during the cooler months.

You can find a wide range of Live Clean‘s body washes on well.ca, but they’re also sold at Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, London Drugs and Amazon!

So what about you? Have you tried Live Clean products before?

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

Esqido Lashes Review (Lashlorette & Lash Named Desire)

Esqido Lashes

I think my very first introduction to Esqido lashes was by Tati (aka Glam Life Guru) who raved about their soft fluttery lashes on YouTube yearrs ago. While I had seen the brand at several IMATS of years gone by, I had never delved into the brand personally…. Until now! Esqido is now selling their lashes at Holt Renfrew in Canada and they’re a heck of a lot more accessible to me that way!

A few weeks back they invited a bunch of bloggers to their different retail locations across the country to try on some lashes and take them home – I was allll in for that. I wear a lot of fake lashes in my videos and for going out so I’m always happy to try out a new pair and see how they compare to my beloved House of Lashes!

For a little background, Esqido lashes are professional grade mink lashes (which, to my understanding, involves combing the mink for their hairs). They feature a cotton band which is something completely new to me – all my previous lash bands have been made out of some kind of plastic. The lashes are re-usable (as all lashes are) and the web site says “up to 25 times” for re-wear.

Esqido "Lashlorette"
Esqido “Lashlorette”

The pair they tried on me at Holt Renfrew are the Lashlorette pair (pictured above). They were cut to fit my eye shape, hence why they’re a little bit janky looking since I took them home with me. The Lashlorette are considered one of their medium volume lashes (3 out of 5). What I liked about these is that they are flared the whole way around the lash which is something I’ve never really tried before (I usually opt for a bit more of a taper towards the inner corner of my eye). I did notice a wee bit of tickling on my inner corner, but that’s bound to happen without a taper.

I’m wearing the Lashlorette pair above and I love how fluffy and voluminous it makes my lashes look.

Esqido "Lash Named Desire"
Esqido “Lash Named Desire”

The other pair I got to take home with me with are the Lash Named Desire. These are considered 4/5 for volume and have a more tapered inner corner and voluminous outer corner.

Wearing Lash Named Desire
Wearing Lash Named Desire

Although I liked the Lashlorette, I found myself far more impressed with the look of Lash Named Desire on me. I found it suited my eye shape a lot more and added just the right amount of drama.

Wearing Lash Named Desire
Wearing Lash Named Desire

Close up, you can see that the lashes blend in completely with my own lashes. Honestly, up close, the effect looks incredibly subtle to me which is impressive given how dramatic they look from far away.

Overall Thoughts

Although I’ve only worn the Esqido eyelashes a handful of times (there was zero chance I was going to be able to get 25 uses out of a pair of lashes before needing to review them!), I am EXTREMELY impressed with how these wear. The band of the lashes is black, which made me a bit nervous since I tend to prefer a clear band, but I found that the black band really helped meld into my liquid eyeliner and disguise it without the added need of drawing back over the band with liner. I also discovered that since the band is made out of cotton, these may actually be the most comfortable set of lashes I own. The band was strong enough to support the weight of the lashes, but flexible enough that both sets of lashes conformed to my eye shape without any fuss. Usually when you’re working with a plastic band, even if you warp the band to fit your eye, you still struggle since the plastic doesn’t always want to conform to your eye shape.

So while the cost of Esqido lashes may be a bit up there for some people (they’re around $35 USD a pair), I do think that you’re paying for the added quality and comfort that these lashes can provide you with.

The products featured in this post were given to me for consideration.