All posts by Chelle

Challenge Week: Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette

While on vacation in the US back in March, I picked up Too Faced’Chocolate Bar – Trying to resist the chocolatey smelling palette was far beyond any kind of self control I personally had at the time! I decided to include it in a weekly challenge (use only this palette for the week), but it turned out to be a week I only wore makeup four out of the seven days! However, I came up with a few looks I quite liked. And, just like everyone else, I can’t get over the smell of this palette. I really wish they made all their palettes smell like this going forward!

20140618_look1.1

This is really just a regular every day eye look made really eyecatching by the red liner. I love how this one worked out and received a surprising amount of compliments on the liner despite how unconventional it was.

20140618_look1.2

Eyes

  • White Chocolate all over the lid and on the browbone.
  • Semi-Sweet in the crease.
  • Cherry Cordial in the outer corner.

Inglot Gel Liner in 79 to create the wing with Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronzer Booster in Light/Medium
  • Blush: Illamasqua Tweak
  • Highlighter: MAC Soft and Gentle
  • Lips: MAC Strawberry Malt lipglass

20140618_look3.1

Cherry Cordial is one of my favourite colours in the palette and I just really love how it looks in the crease. It doesn’t seem to matter what shade you pair it with because it always works out!

20140618_look3.2

Eyes

  1. Amaretto on the lid.
  2. Cherry Cordial in the outer corner.
  3. Salted Caramel lightly at the top of the crease
  4. Champagne Truffle on the inner corner.

White Chocolate was used to highlight the brow and Triple Fudge was pushed into the lash line to act as a soft liner. On my lashes is  Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Covergirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in Shade 51 Light Vanilla mixed together
  • Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand Bronzer
  • Blush: Physicians Formula Happy Booster in Natural
  • Highlighter: MAC Soft and Gentle
  • Lips: I didn’t write it down! ARGH! It could be NYX‘s Fizzies.

20140618_look2.1

These two shades are really the only ones that veer outside of neutral in this palette. I can’t say I’m impressed with the pigmentation of either of them, but it certainly branches the palette out a little bit more.

20140618_look2.2

Eyes

  1. Strawberry Bon Bon all over the lid.
  2. Candied Violet in the crease.

White Chocolate to highlight the brow and Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Cheeks: Illamasqua Hussy
  • Nothing else!

20140618_look4.1

This is my usual “I don’t know what to wear” look that I usually reach for with my Urban Decay Naked palette. I wanted to see if I could re-create the look using the Chocolate Bar… and I *can*, it’s just a lot more shimmery than the one the Naked one gives off.

20140618_look4.2

Eyes

  1. Champagne Truffle all over the lid and on the browbone.
  2. Salted Caramel through the crease.
  3. Hazelnut in the outer corner.

Tarte‘s black gel liner for the wing and Benefit They’re Real mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Blush: MAC Sea Me, Hear Me
  • Lips: Maybelline Vivid Rose

The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette can be purchased from Sephora.ca for $59 CAD or TooFaced.com for $49 USD.

Ipsy – June 2014 Glam Bag

201406_ipsy1

This month’s bag had its ups and downs for me. Let’s dig in and see what I got sent in my bag this month.

Laneige – BB Cushion SPF in three foundation shades
Laneige – BB Cushion SPF in three foundation shades

This was a really interesting product. I’ve never heard of anything like Laneige‘s BB Cushion. The package itself comes with three shades of foundation (LightMedium and Dark) as well as a sponge pad (that I only realized was a puff after I had applied this stuff to my face with one of my brushes). The product is essentially a bb foundation with SPF pre-soaked into a sponge. I wasn’t really sure how to use it, so I ended up stabbing my brush into the sponge to pick up the product. This worked, but it also pushed a lot of the product to the bottom of the little sample. (Which isn’t a problem, I just pulled the sponge out and swiped at the bottom to get more product.) I got two uses out of this sample (I used the Light shade, which was a hair or two too pale for me right now but it wasn’t super obvious). I used it, and it was pleasant to apply, but I don’t really feel like it did a whole heck of a lot. It seems to have evened out my freckles a bit, but the coverage isn’t spectacular so I’d honestly just prefer no foundation to wearing something so light. Worth noting though… this stuff smells really, really good!

Left – no foundation. Right – Laneige BB Cushion in Light
Left – no foundation. Right – Laneige BB Cushion in Light
Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray
Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray

So this is basically a salt spray for your hair to encourage beachy waves/curls to stay in your hair. My hair has a bit of body to it if it’s left to air dry, so I had hoped this would hold some of the waves in place. Marc Anthony‘s Dream Waves Beach Spray smells like coconuts, so basically it smells like every other beach-y hair product out there. It sort of worked to make my hair piece-y (see below), but despite my hand scrunching while my hair dried, it really never held in full on waves. In fact, the ends of my hair look especially ratty and when my hair had dried, the ends felt completely crunchy  and stiff. Not a huge fan of that. It might be fine to actually use on the beach after getting out of the water (or at the pool), but for someone who had just gotten out of the shower, this was a very quick way to make my hair feel dirty again. So I wasn’t overly pleased about that!

Left – Damp hair with the spray in. Right – air dried hair with the spray in.
Left – Damp hair with the spray in. Right – air dried hair with the spray in.
Nicka K Shimmer Eyeliner in Green
Nicka K Shimmer Eyeliner in Green

This product is amazing! Nicka K is a brand I’m completely unfamiliar with, but this liquid eyeliner was simply stunning. I received their shimmer eyeliner in Green and this was budge proof and waterproof. Even moreso than the MUFE Aqualiner I have. I couldn’t believe how much I had to rub at this to even remove any kind of colour off my hand. It also held up all throughout a workday. Highly, HIGHLY recommend this liner.

Be a Bombshell – Last Out mascara
Be a Bombshell – Last Out mascara

I have nothing good to say about this one so I’ll just be specific with my negativity. Be A Bombshell’s mascara is garbage. I hate the brush – it makes it hard to deposit product onto my lashes. My brush was bent oddly which didn’t help either. It clumped up awkwardly on my lashes, particularly in the outer corners making it look patchy. And the products actually smells really, really bad. This is going straight in the garbage.

NYX Butter Gloss – Apple Strudel
NYX Butter Gloss – Apple Strudel

NYX‘s butter glosses are my absolute favourite glosses, so I love that they sent these out in the bags. They’re creamy, non-tacky, and come in some absolutely wonderful colours. Unfortunately, I already own this particular shade (Apple Strudel) so I’ve really got no use for this one. So for that reason I’m giving this one away! It’s completely unused and unopened (the shots above were done using my own one) and I will mail it to you anywhere in the world if you win. Contest open till June 30th @ 8:00 a.m..

Ipsy June 2014 Breakdown (all prices in USD)
  • Laneige BB Cushion SPF 50 (full size is $34 for 0.5 oz, it was really hard to judge the size of this product, but I got two uses out of the one small packet and there are two additional shades, so I’m going to go with $5 overall value since I have no real idea as to how long a full size of this product would last)
  • Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray (1.52 oz @ $3.18, full size is $8.79 for 4.2 oz)
  • Nicka K Shimmer Eyeliner in Green ($4.99, full size)
  • Be A Bombshell Lash Out mascara in Intense Black ($15, full size)
  • NYX Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel ($5, full size)

BAG TOTAL = $33.17

My Thoughts

This bag was kind of a bust for me. The BB Cushion product was interesting, but in the end kind of useless. The Beach Spray really didn’t do much other than make my hair kind of crunchy, although I’ve only tried it once and will definitely try using it in different ways. The mascara is just flat out awful and going straight into the garbage (I can’t even begin to believe that it’s worth the $15 full price they charge on their site). The NYX butter gloss is excellent, but of course I already own it. The real winner out of this group is the shimmery green eyeliner. For such an inexpensive product I cannot believe how well this one works.

Get To Know Me: The Beauty Blogger Tag

I’ve seen this on a few people’s blogs, although I can’t remember which ones exactly. It’s supposed to be a “get to know me better” kind of post, but if I’m honest, all of the questions are extremely superficial. So uh… glean whatever insight you can! 😉

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Straight way moreso than curly, but it’s not “nice” straight. The top half gets this really weird kink in it if it’s allowed to air dry, and the ends just go kind of pin straight. So it’s just really messy/weird looking if I leave it to dry.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

My hair colour is natural. It bleaches out in the sun throughout the summer. Bright sunshine will make it appear far more vibrant blonde than it does indoors.

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I change my hair style pretty often. Braids, ropes, curls, straight… anything goes!

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I have never had a manicure or pedicure done at a salon – it just doesn’t appeal to me to pay money for something I could just do at home!

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

Every week or so.

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

I keep my toenails covered in glitter polish year round!

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

On workdays I’ll do my makeup from start to finish in about 20-30 minutes. On the weekends, or if I’m going out at night, it’s closer to an hour or an hour and a half. I like actually doing my makeup, so I tend to draw it out as long as possible.

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

I have never, EVER understood doing your face first. There isn’t a powder eyeshadow in this world that doesn’t have fall out, so why would you do your face first? So for me, eyes first ALWAYS, then face.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I don’t collect it in the sense that I’ll buy it and not touch it, but I certainly own way more than I “need”. But then again I also NEED variety, so to each their own!

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Two to three times a month – only for going out at night if it’s a club night or something.

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

Depends on the context of “full”. To me, a full face of makeup means I’ll use foundation. I only wear foundation maybe 3 out of the 7 days in any given week so, in my book, I only wear a full face 3 days a week.

12. Do you wear makeup when you’re home alone or with family?

Definitely not when I’m at home. As soon as I get in the door I’m swiping off the makeup as quickly as possible. I love makeup to pieces, but I also love taking it off and feeling fresh again. I’ll wear it around family if we have the intention of going out that day. If we’re just staying at home, there’s absolutely nothing going on my face except moisturizer.

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

I do pretty often considering I spend a lot of time at the gym, playing a team sport or out for a run. I don’t feel the need to wear makeup, so I don’t if I don’t want to. That being said, I like playing with the stuff, so I’m more likely to put something together if I’m leaving the house for any kind of social gathering.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

Oh jeez, who knows. It’s probably a 50/50 split amongst my makeup stash between high end and drugstore.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you’re getting dressed?

I decide when I’m getting dressed.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

I don’t use one!

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

My bed time ranges from midnight till (at a push) 2 am throughout the entire week. If I’m waking up for work, my alarm is set for 6:45 am, but I usually snooze it constantly for about thirty minutes. If I’m waking up on the weekend, it’s anywhere between 8 am and 10:30 am.

18. How often or when do you workout?

Almost every single day of the week. I play various sports about three times a week and I try to run 3-4 times a week, on top of weightlifting.

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right.

20. How tall are you?

5’3″

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

French. It was my first language growing up, but over time I’ve become far more comfortable with English than French which is a bit sad.

22. How many pets do you have?

One kitty – Nemo!

23. How often are you on Blogger?

Errr the platform? I have no idea, I don’t pay attention to what platforms people use for their blogs.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

I tend to read comments on Temptalia as there can be a lot of insight on there. And if I know a blogger personally, I’ll read the comments sometimes to see what they have to say to other people.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yeah, I’ve got a scratchpad of items I want to pick up at some point. Although I feel like I make multiple lists and they end up scattered everywhere.

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

I thought I was being ingenious, but there are a lot of other blogs out there with the same name which is kind of sad to me now. :( But it came to me while I was trying to “make up my mind” on a blog name. It was obviously half makeup oriented, but I thought it was funny because it was taking me forever to come up with a blog name!

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

Nothing good. :( A Canon PowerShot ELPH 320 HS and my Samsung Galaxy Gio phone (which can take surprisingly good photos sometimes despite being practically a relic now). I use my phone primarily to take full face shots at work (in the bathroom no less – I feel ridiculous if someone suddenly comes in and I’m busy taking 25 selfies in a row trying to get the right lighting/angle).

28. How often do you clean your house?

Once every two weeks maybe?

29. What’s your favorite color?

Green

30. Do you swear?

A lot. It’s a bit of a problem. I try to cut back sometimes but I often end up reverting back to just casually swearing all the time.

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?

I just finished a 5K race this evening (spoiler alert: I did really well! The post about that race will be up next Friday.) and it’s about 11:30 PM right now… so the only thing left in my day is preparing this post for tomorrow (Friday) and then watching a pile of YouTube videos!

What’s On My Face – Volume 18: Pride Edition

This year, Toronto is the host city for World Pride. I have loved Pride ever since I moved to Toronto and into the Village. I know Pride gives everyone a different feeling, but to me it’s a time to celebrate freedom, be happy, and wear a metric ton of bright colours and glitter.

I’ve been saving these looks for a lonnnng time. Even before I had a blog I was all “I need to photgraph these because some day… I’ll use them for… something.” Since these are all taken over a year ago (during last year’s Pride Week) the quality may be a little bit different and I definitely don’t have any closed eye shots so I could map out what colours go where. But I’ll do my best to describe!

20140611_look3.1

If you’re looking to shock people with a neon look, then this one is a darn good place to start. Although the up close picture shots make it look really cool,  just be aware that this is not an especially flattering look.

I wore this during my soccer league’s Pride Parade float last year and it held up through the heat and the inevitable water bomb attacks that happened throughout the parade.

Eyes

  • Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original all over the upper and lower lids.
  • NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk all over the upper lid – smooth out with your finger.
  • Then using the Sleek Acid Palette: Neon orange on the lid, neon pink through the crease, neon yellow in the inner corner and the neon green to line the lower lash line.
  • A touch of Urban Decay’Buck to blend out the crease and make the pink a touch less harsh.
  • Physicians Formula Eye Booster in Ultra Black to create the wing.
  • L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes

20140611_look2.1

This is a quick vibrant one that can be done using any two really pigmented colours. The week of Pride, I tend to mix colours based on the rainbow’s gradient and go from there. For example, on Monday I’d wear red/orange, Tuesday yellow/green, Wednesday blue/purple, etc. If you stick to the rainbow gradient, it’s very hard to mismatch colours.

For the above look, I used:

  • Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original to prime my lid
  • NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow pencil in Milk as a solid base – be sure to blend it out
  • Then using Sleek’Ultra Mattes V1 palette: Sugarlite all over the lid, with Bolt in the outer corner and through the crease. A little bit of Pow! to highlight the brow with a touch of Urban Decay‘s Naked eyeshadow in the crease to blend out the shades through the crease.
  • Maybelline Gel Liner in Blackest Black to create the winged liner
  • And finally, CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara on my lashes

20140611_look1.1

And my favourite one! This came out so much better than I ever thought it would.  Every Pride I end up wearing this to work at least one of the days of the week. I think it’s really vibrant and beautiful. And it’ll definitely get you noticed!

  • Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original to prime my lid
  • NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk to create the base
  • Starting from the inner corner, using all MAC shadows, apply small stripes of shadow, then blend them into the next colour. I used (from inner corner to outer): Coppering, Amber Lights, Goldmine, Bio Green, Freshwater and Parfait Amour.
  • MAC Blacktrack Fluidline for my liner
  • L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara on my lashes with Ardell 102 false lashes on top.

I hope this gives you some ideas for Pride. Keep in mind that pretty much anything goes throughout Pride so you can feel free to wear whatever you like.

Thirty Days of Lips

When I came back from vacation in March (and bought that hoard of makeup), I realized I’d picked up something crazy like 26 lip products. So I dropped them all in a bucket and determined that I’d work my way through the whole lot of them. That didn’t end up exactly happening since I ended up using other products I loved as well, but I thought I’d record my progress in pictures as I went along. The result of that process is the following picture: A full month record of what I wore on my lips throughout April.thirtydaysoflips

Week 1 (top row)
  • Too Faced – Jelly Bean
  • Rimmel – Luna
  • Milani – Nude Creme
  • Revlon – Sunset Peach (gloss)
  • Too Faced – Bon Bon
  • NYX – Merengue (gloss)
  • Nothing
Week 2 (second row)
  • Revlon – Twilight
  • Bite Beauty – Fig
  • Revlon – Snow Peach
  • Inglot – 544 (gloss)
  • bareMinerals – Get Ready
  • Nivea – Berry Swirl
  • Nothing
Week 3 (third row)
  • NYX – Vanilla Cream Pie (gloss)
  • Nivea – Berry Swirl
  • Too Faced – Coral Fire
  • NYX – Fizzies
  • Wet n Wild – 903C with NYX – Tiramisu on top
  • Nothing
  • Milani – Flamingo Pose with Maybelline – Sahara on top
Week 4 (fourth row)
  • Milani – Hot Pink Rage
  • NYX – Fizzies
  • Inglot – 541 (gloss)
  • NYX – Strawberry Parfait (gloss)
  • Revlon – Papaya (gloss)
  • Nothing
  • Nothing
Week 5 (bottom row)
  • Milani – Naturally Chic
  • Rimmel – Big Bang