All posts by Chelle

What’s On My Face – Volume 10

More makeup looks I’ve done over the past few weeks ranging from stuff I wore to work, out to a bar or was just headed over to a friend’s place! I was really happy with this set of looks and I hope you enjoy them.

As a note, I’ve switched to NARS‘ Pro Prime eyeshadow primer, so that’s what I use in all of my looks now unless otherwise stated.

20140205_look1.1

I loooove this one! It took me a lot more time to put this one together because I don’t normally get this creative and use so many shadows. (Seriously, if you haven’t noticed, I tend to stick to about two lid colours!) I don’t typically wear this much shadow/liner under my eyes on a regular basis because holy hell is that area ever sensitive on me and I usually end up with very watery eyes. This frustrates me because I realize just how much a makeup look comes together when you shade under your eyes!

Anyway, moving on.

With this, I had one goal: I wanted to use the MUFE rainbow glitter that I had picked up last month. I also hadn’t done purple look in quite a while so I figured this was as good a time as any.

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Eyes: I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil in Milk all over the lid as a base.

  1. The first colour from a ginormous Sephora eyeshadow palette I have that unfortunately does not have shade names, however, the colour is very similar to MAC‘s Crystal. Essentially, the colour is a very pale lilac shade with a bit of a sheen to it. This shade was placed on the inner half of the lid.
  2. I then used MAC Dame’s Desire right beside the previous shadow, but not all the way out to the corner.
  3. Sleek Sugarlite was blended heavily into the upper crease.
  4. Sleek Highness filled in the outer corner, with;
  5. Sleek Noir at the very edge of the outer lashline to darken up that area.
  6. I then used MAC Vellum to highlight the inner corner of the eye and blended it into the pale purple.

MAC Blanc Type  to highlight the browbone with MAC Omega on my brows. On the lower lashline, I used Sugarlite to line the outer half of the lid, then applied some Too Faced Glitter Glue to the inner half of the lid and tapped on Make Up For Ever‘s Glitters 13 (silver rainbow glitter) on top of the glue. I lined the upper lashline with MUFE‘s Aqua Liner in 13 Blackand used MAC‘s Feline Kohl Power pencil on the lower waterline. And finally, I finished up the eyes with some Ardell‘s 102 Demis and applied  L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
  • Bronzer: Revlon Photoready Bronzer in Bronzed & Chic
  • Blush: Tarte Exposed with Illamasqua Hussy layered on top
  • Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
  • Lips: I’m not wearing it in the picture, but I wore Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial out that night.
  • Extra: I used MAC‘s Select Coverup in NW20 under my eyes and set it with Laura Mercier

20140205_look2.1

It was just one of those mornings when I had no idea what to wear and just happened to look into the tub that contains all of my mineralize eyeshadows. Although it’s beautiful, I rarely use this shadow. A word to the wise though, this can apply really patchy and can flake off at a moment’s notice. Beautiful end result, however.

20140205_look2.2

Eyes:

  1. With a dampened, flat, stiff makeup brush, I packed (and I do mean packed) on MAC Blue Flame all over my entire lid. You may will likely need to layer this.
  2. I then blended Makeup Geek Creme Brulee into the crease.

I also lined the outer third of my bottom lashline with the Blue Flame as well. Too Faced‘s Cream Colored Ponies on my browbone and L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • No foundation, bronzer or highlighter.
  • Blush: Illamasqua – Hussy
  • Lips: MAC – Shy Girl

20140205_look5.1

Obligatory neutral eye look, using the Too Faced A Few of my Favorite Things palette.

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Eyes: (Urban Decay Primer Potion as a primer for this one!)

  1. Too Faced Snowflakes all over the lid.
  2. Too Faced Buche de Noel slightly into the outer corner.
  3. Too Faced Woolen Mittens on the outer corner and blended into the crease.

I did the winged liner with MAC‘s Dipdown fluidline. Too Faced Cream Colored Ponies to highlight the brow with  L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on the lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: MUA Matte foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand
  • Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
  • Blush: Errr no idea. Maybe nothing?
  • Lips: MAC Boldly Bare lipliner with MAC Viva Glam Cyndi on top

20140205_look4.1

This look features Jealousy Wakes, the eyeshadow created by Christine (Temptalia) for MAC. Unfortunately it was limited edition (boy, was it EVER) and it sold out almost instantly back when it was released. It’s a beautiful shade and this is my default look when I want to wear that shadow.

20140205_look4.2

Eyes: (Again with UDPP)

  1. MAC Vex, inner two thirds.
  2. MAC Jealousy Wakes, outer corner and into the crease.
  3. Makeup Geek Creme Brulee throughout the crease.

MAC Brule to highlight the brow and  L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: MUA Matte foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand
  • Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
  • Blush: Physicians Formula – Natural
  • Highlighter: Dior Amber Diamond
  • Lips: MAC Petting Pink Lip Conditioner

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A shame the sparkles don’t show up more – I was going for a wintry snowfall at night look.

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Eyes:

  1. MAC Crystal Avalanche on the inner two-thirds of the lid.
  2. MAC Print on the outer third.

Although it is incredibly difficult to see in the photograph (which is very frustrating to me), I did layer Illamasqua‘s Beguile pigment on top of Crystal Avalanche. Rest assured that it showed up much better in person.

I used KIKO‘s Twinkle Eye Pencil in 06 (I really need to use this more, it’s fantastic) on the lower lashline. The upper winged lined was created with MAC Blacktrack fluidline. I appliedToo Faced Better Than Sex mascara to both sets of lashes and ran some MAC Omega through my brows. (The brows really never change, I’ll probably stop repeating this…)

Rest of the Face

  • Foundation: MUA BB Cream in Light mixed with some moisturizer
  • Bronzer: Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light/Medium
  • Blush: MAC Warm Soul
  • Highlighter: MAC Silver Dusk
  • Lips: Nothing – was heading out to eat so I didn’t see the point!

I’m pretty pleased in the makeup department lately… most of my looks have been suitable enough to post on here and I had about 15 or so looks to choose from for this post! Pretty happy with that because sometimes I can get a nasty streak where I don’t like anything I applied at all for several days. (That’ll make for an interesting post some day.

January 2014 Favourites

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Wow, January. You were a very cold and very bitter month. It was so cold in Toronto that it was pretty much on parr with Ottawa winters, which is not something I’ve encountered in the 12 years I’ve been living in this city. It was so cold that my walks to work induced windburn tears and pretty much dissolved my eyelid makeup most days. I got into the habit of packing my makeup and bringing it in to work to do it there instead of risking complete destruction on the walk in!

Blistex – Lip Medex
Blistex – Lip Medex

The first item in my favourites has been an absolute necessity for me this winter. Blistex‘s Lip Medex is the lip balm type product I reach for when I need a fast acting, thick balm to heal my lips. The consistency is thick and very much feels, tastes and smells like medicated vaseline. I’ve worn this a lot while walking to and from work through the exceptionally cold January we’ve had this past year. There were even one or two days where I was walking in -39C (with windchill)! This balm kept my lips completely protected.

201401_favourite_eyelooks

I’ve had a lot of eyeshadow favourites this past month and the above two eye looks (left side tutorialright side tutorial) I loved so much that I ended up wearing them several days in a row which is really unusual for me. So the shadows that make up these combos are what made my favourites this month:

L’Oreal Infallible – Amber Rush
L’Oreal Infallible – Amber Rush

I wish my photography skills could do this shadow justice, but they don’t. L’Oreal‘s Infallible Eye Shadow in Amber Rush is the epitome of rose-gold. Not only is the colour beautiful, but the Infallible eye shadow texture has always been fantastic and this one is no exception.

Makeup Geek – Bitten & Creme Brulee
Makeup Geek – Bitten & Creme Brulee

These two Makeup Geek eyeshadows have become absolute staples in my collection. Bitten is a deep brown-maroon shade. I love this in conjunction with L’Oreal‘s Amber Rush. The other shade, Creme Brulee, has done for me what no other mid-tone brown has ever done. I love using this shade to blend out my lid and crease colours and help fade line between those colours and my browbone highlight. I’ve tried various others shades to do the same thing (Urban Decay‘s Naked and Buck, to name some common ones) but none of them were just the right shade and tone. Both of these Makeup Geek shades are must haves in my book and I’m so glad I finally got around to ordering from the line.

Inglot AMC Shine 15 & Matte 382
Inglot AMC Shine 15 & Matte 382

The orange (Inglot AMC Shine 15) and red (Inglot Matte 382) eye look above certainly isn’t for everyone, but it’s my absolute favourite eye look on myself. It’s incredibly vibrant and the orange tones do wonders to bring out the blue in my eyes. It’s just so bright, vivid and happy! A few months ago I tried these two colours out on a whim (I mean really, you wouldn’t normally think to wear luminescent orange and matte red to work) but I quickly fell in love with the combination.

Maybelline – Barely Beige
Maybelline – Barely Beige

Despite loving my eye looks above and wearing them several times throughout the month, I also had a few days where I was like “mehhhhhh” and didn’t want to really have to do anything extensive with my eyes. These were usually the days I hit the snooze button too many times and was left rushing to get ready. That’s where Maybelline‘s Color Tattoo in Barely Beigecomes in. This pale champagne shade is a cream shadow that makes for a very easy eye look when I’m need to get out the door as quickly as possible. I’ll smooth Barely Beige all over my lids and then blend in any brown shade into the crease (MAC‘s HauxCork, etc.) for a quick and easy look. I’ve done it so often that it’s a completely brainless operation for me now.Barely Beige was part of a limited edition collection a year or so ago, but there is a permanent shade called Barely Branded that is near identical if you’re looking to pick this up.

Illamasqua – Hussy
Illamasqua – Hussy

Illamasqua‘s Hussy blush wasn’t one I was expecting to love so much. I bought it at roughly the same time as Tweak (deeper, slightly red) and I loved the look of Tweak… but I just don’t find myself reaching for it like I do with HussyHussy is one of those colours that just happens to match most of my eye looks. It’s very easy to wear and brings just the right amount of colour to my cheeks (go easy on it though, these blushes are incredibly pigmented).

Revlon – Creme Brulee
Revlon – Creme Brulee

Revlon‘s lip butter in Creme Brulee has always been a favourite of mine, but I’d forgotten about it over the past few months. This is my second tube and it’s almost close to done as well. This is my perfect glossy shade of nude. It doesn’t make me look weird like Creamsicle does, and as such it’s a completely effortless shade. I love wearing this with very dark eye makeup looks.

Too Faced – Better Than Sex
Too Faced – Better Than Sex

This one is a bit of a weird favourite. I wore this deluxe sample size of Too Faced‘s Better Than Sex mascara a lot this past month (it came in my Too Faced “A Few of my Favorite Things” holiday set and was easy to pop in my makeup bag on those days where I was doing my makeup in the bathroom at work). I love the formula, I love the effect it gives to my lashes, but I haaaate the brush. The brush has an hourglass shape that can be very frustrating to work with. The end of the brush ends up severely coated in mascara, so much so that it requires a lot of wiping off before you use the wand. And something about this wand causes me to get a lot of mascara on my lid (moreso than usual anyway). So while I love the mascara itself, the wand drives me bonkers! And I definitely wouldn’t be able to justify paying full price for that mascara – I love my drugstore ones far too much. As a note, it has a very wet formula, which is what I’m partial to, but I know most people aren’t a big fan of very wet mascaras.


And that’s January done! I’m not usually one to say this as I quite like winter, snow and cooler temperatures, but I’m about done with this particular winter. It’s been too frigid and too windy and I’m looking forward to spring.

Fitness Friday – Race Signup Addiction

At the start of January I said that one of my goals for 2014 was to to run multiple races. And with that little resolution, I’ve created a bit of a monster. I’ve decided that if I’m going to be in a different city for any reason, I’ll see if I can hunt down a race to run.

Here are theraces on my radar for the upcoming year:

Races I’ve already thrown my money at and will be participating in:

shamrock5k Name: KELLY St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock 5k
Date: March 16, 2014
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
What I’m Looking Forward To:

  • My first race outside of Canada (and my second race ever!).
  • I get to run it with a really good friend of mine who lives in Baltimore (and who I’ll be staying with!)
  • St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favourite “holidays” (along with Halloween) so I’m excited to go overboard with a green running outfit. (It’s the little things. 😉 )
  • There’s free beer for runners after the race and live music – you really can’t beat that!

nycruns10k Name: NYCRuns Spring Fling (10k)
Date: March 22, 2014
Location: New York City, New York
What I’m Looking Forward To:

  • I’ve never been on Roosevelt Island – I’ll be interested to find out what’s actually there.
  • My first 10k race.

sportinglife10k Name: Sporting Life 10k
Date: May 11, 2014
Location: Toronto, Ontario
What I’m Looking Forward To:

  •  The course is entirely downhill down Yonge Street – I’m looking forward to getting an awesome time I’ll never be able to beat on a flat surface!
  • Seeing if I can beat my previous 10k race time.

ottawaraceweekend5k Name: Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (5k)
Date: May 24, 2014
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
What I’m Looking Forward To:

  • I’ll be running this one with my dad who recently picked up running again. I have this slight fear that he’ll actually beat me. :s
  • If this one goes well, I’ll probably do a longer race the next time I do this event.

pride5k Name: Pride and Remembrance Run (5k)
Date: June 28, 2014
Location: Toronto, Ontario
What I’m Looking Forward To:

  • A good friend does an amazing post-race brunch for friends of his who ran in the Pride Run.
  • Rainbows EVERYWHERE!
  • Great run for a great cause. This was my first race last year and the atmosphere is awesome – everyone is really friendly and we did this as a large group (although we ran at our own paces).

 Races I’m contemplating signing up for:

winterman5k Name: Winterman 2014 (5k)
Date: February 16, 2014
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Things to consider:

  • Last year they ran this event in -29C (with windchill). This has the potential to be a very, VERY cold run and because of that I definitely don’t want to do any of the longer distances.
  • This video of last year’s event kind of made me wonder if I could even run with that much snow on the ground since I don’t have any shoes with proper snow/ice traction.

islandgirlhalf Name: 2014 Island Girl Half Marathon
Date: September 21, 2014
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Things to consider:

  • Since this would be my first half marathon, I like that it’s at the end of September when we have a higher chance of it being quite cool outside. The last thing I want to do is run a long race in the dead heat (I realize I’ve jinxed myself now).
  • It’s out on Toronto Island which would be a great place to run since it’s very flat, plus the views are beautiful.
  • Price tag is a bit hefty: $70 until July 1st, then it goes up to a maximum of $90.
  • I’m a bit concerned about committing to this one right now because September is a LONG ways away and I have no idea if I’ll run into any injuries as I go through my training.

So that’s my current roundup of races!

How I Used To Wear Makeup

Ever wonder what you’d look like a decade or so later wearing the exact same makeup you used to wear in your teens? I’ve seen a few videos and blog posts on this and I wanted to give it a try. I dug into some old folders on my harddrive and found a few decent examples. With the old photos as reference points, it all started coming back to me and I decided to recreate my old makeup looks on my thirty-one year old self.

As I didn’t wear foundation, blush, bronzer or even fill in my eyebrows back in the day, I wanted to keep this as “true to the past” as I possibly could so I’m not wearing any of the usual suspects. Onwards with the flashback!

2001 vs 2014 – Click to enlarge
2001 vs 2014 – Click to enlarge

I was 18 years old in the shot on left and it was 2001. My grandmother took this shot before I was headed out to a bar or club, probably to see some live music at Barrymore’s in Ottawa. My mom still keeps this photo on her bedroom dresser, so I had her scan it for me so I could post it.

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There is really nothing to this look but I remember liking it because I thought it looked pretty badass to be wearing black liner. I also had no idea what the heck blending was back in the day, so I assure that this was completely unblended. I also didn’t wear any primer or eyeshadow so by the end of the day, that black liner had completely transferred to my upper lid. Classy! In the shot above I used MAC‘s Feline Kohl Power pencil and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, but in 2001 I know I used MAC‘s Ebony pencil liner and some kind of CoverGirl mascara.

2003 vs 2014 – Click to enlarge
2003 vs 2014 – Click to enlarge

This was an absolute favourite look of mine. I used to wear a lot of light blue tops, and I usually matched my eyeshadow to my clothes (which is something I still do now). I remember getting the idea to do this look from a friend of mine in high school who did something very similar with a silver eyeshadow.

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This is one I’m surprised I still like. It’s completely unblended (I remember a friend pulling me aside, grabbing a cotton swab and vigorously blending out my liner because she was so incensed that I hadn’t done it) but I really like it. Maybe I’m just nostalgic for this look because I wore it so frequently. As you can see, there’s nothing on my lid. The only thing I used for the blue liner is MAC‘s Tilt eyeshadow and that’s exact same shade I used in my teens as well. I probably lined my lower waterline with Ebony pencil back then, but I used Feline for it today.

2004 vs 2014 – Click to enlarge
2004 vs 2014 – Click to enlarge

I remember this one so well. I went to a MAC counter and asked for help creating a smokey eye. Annnnnd this is what I got. Now, this isn’t how I’d do a smokey now (and heck, I don’t even know if this was considered a smoky eye back in the early 2000s) but I do like the overall effect. I’m also fairly certain I dumped half a container of MAC‘s Silver Dusk on my face in the shot on the left since there’s glitter particles everywhere… something I definitely didn’t recreate in the present! 😉

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I had used MAC‘s liner in Phone Number and Krisp eyeshadow (no longer available) to blur out the harsh edges. I have since rebought Phone Number and have it still in my collection, but I used up Krisp a long time ago and it’s never become available at MAC again as far as I’m aware. I lined my upper and lower lashline with Phone Number, and then blurred out the edges slightly with an off-white, slightly grey eyeshadow from a Sephora palette I have (no shade name, sorry). I also lined my inner waterline with Phone Number as well and applied Too FacedBetter Than Sex mascara to my upper and lower lashes.

2014_hiutwm_shag

I look back on this one and smile! This was my “special event” makeup when I was in grades 9 or 10 (~1997). I considered it special event makeup because at the time it was darker and shinier than anything else I owned at the time. It’s fairly simple and I still have the same colours I did back then: MAC‘s Nylon on the lid with Shag (no longer available, although Haux is a very good dupe) on the outer third and through the crease.


I’m surprised at how much I actually still like these looks on me. They may be a bit dated, but they don’t look nearly as bad as I expected them to which is slightly relieving. Another thing I noticed is that I wore a lot of liner/shadow on my lower outer and inner lashline, something I don’t do nearly as often today as my lower lashline seems to get irritated very quickly.

So that’s all I have for now! I really enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with this post. I’m curious to see if I can dig up more old photos in my parents photo albums for another post at a later date.

What I Bought This Month – January 2014 Haul

I know what you’re going to say. “You said last month you weren’t going to buy anything makeup-related until March!” I know I did, but I’ve got an excuse! My birthday was this past month and I was gifted almost everything I’m about to include in this post. Everything will have prices just so you’ll have an idea if you’re interested in some of them, but I’m only taking blame for some of these items! 😉

On with the loot!

Make Up For Ever – Glitters 13 ($20 CAD)
Make Up For Ever – Glitters 13 ($20 CAD)

This item was actually a replacement (in my eyes) for my returned Illamasqua palette. I’ve been wanting to pick up a 3D, disco-like glitter for ages now. I had wanted MAC‘s 3D Silver Glitter, but never got around to picking it up. I saw this while at Sephora and decided why the heck not and picked up MUFE‘s Glitter in 13. I am eternally in love with this kind of silver glitter with a rainbow sparkle to it. This is the kind of glitter I always have painted on my toes and I definitely wanted something similar to use on my face. I’ve not had the opportunity to use it yet, but I’m excited to!

Joe Fresh Beauty – Rose Gloss in Peach ($6)
Joe Fresh Beauty – Rose Gloss in Peach ($6)

I picked up this Joe Fresh Beauty Rose Gloss in Peach while I was out one day and didn’t have a lip balm on me. THIS THING IS AWFUL. Run away. Run FAR away and never ever buy one of these. First of all, it smells horrible. Fake, plastic and completely unpleasant. It also clumps up on the lips and causes horrible strings when you open your mouth. This gloss has no redeeming factors whatsoever. I mean, just look at this horrible picture. It looks like something out of a horror movie. Ugh.

Joe Fresh – Rose Balm in Peach
Joe Fresh – Rose Balm in Peach

I quickly depotted it and threw the contents out. I’ll use the pot for something else. Bleugh.

Neutrogena – All-in-one Make-up Removing Cleansing Wipes ($7.99 CAD)
Neutrogena – All-in-one Make-up Removing Cleansing Wipes ($7.99 CAD)

I spotted these Neutrogena wipes on sale so I snatched them up. Adding to my stack of four other unopened packs of wipes in my bathroom linen closet. /facepalm

Ally’s Orange Whip Body Butter
Ally’s Orange Whip Body Butter

This stuff is amazing. A dear friend of mine made some body butter for me! (You can find her at www.alidoesit.ca, or you can find a direct link to her recipe here.) The label rubbed off, but I believe she said it was Orange Whip Lotion. She also indicated she “messed up” the recipe and it came out thicker than she intended. Well to hell with her mess up, because I really love just how thick this moisturizer is! It’s far closer to a body butter, which is just all the better in my opinion. To me, I don’t get so much of the scent of orange, but I do get the scent of a million wildflowers rolled into a single mason jar. It’s as if you got dumped into a field of flowers and sniffed them all up at once. The smell is incredible. Not to mention it feels wonderful on the skin. Because the ingredients are all natural, it won’t last as long as some storebought lotions simply because it doesn’t have all the chemical additives in it. That being said, it won’t matter because I’m about halfway done the jar already!

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip ($9.96 CAD)
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip ($9.96 CAD)

This is definitely one I bought with my own money. This Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip was marked down 60% off and the tag indicated it was on clearance and their stock wouldn’t be replenished. Having always wanted to pick up one of these but had always balked at the enormous price tag in Canada (seriously, these are over $20 at the drugstore here), I panicked and purchased this because I was worried I’d never get the opportunity to test it out since it was on clearance.

Living Proof – Full Thickening Cream ($32 CAD)
Living Proof – Full Thickening Cream ($32 CAD)

Having a rather nice gift card to Sephora, I picked up a few items I had been lusting over. The first was this Living Proof Full Thickening Cream for hair. I had used a small sample of it and loved the effects and the smell of it. I then went into the Sephora, picked it up, brought it to the counter and was floored at the price tag. $32 for this thing and it is SMALL. I should’ve photographed it against my hand to give you an idea of size… but seriously, it is really dinky. I do love it, and I’ll use it up, but I’ll have to see whether or not it’s worth repurchasing at that steep price.

NARS – Mediteranee ($39 CAD
NARS – Mediteranee ($39 CAD

Another one I picked up from Sephora and my very first NARS product is an eyeshadow duo in Mediteranee. I’m curious to see how NARS compares to other brands I’ve used especially when I consider the sticker price. I’m a sucker for oranges and the shade on the left is slightly gold tinted so I’m excited to use this one.

NARS – Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base ($29 CAD)
NARS – Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base ($29 CAD)

Annnnd my next item from NARS (from Sephora). This one was absolutely necessary – allow me to explain. In the last two weeks, I don’t know what the heck has happened, but suddenly my Urban Decay Primer Potion doesn’t seem to be working as well as it used to. I’ve had a few days in a row where my eyeshadow almost completely creased off by the end of the work day. I’m in kind of a slight panic about it because I’m used to being able to put on eyeshadow at 7 am with UD‘s primer and have it last until midnight if it was a particularly long day.

I’d heard that NARS‘ primer was the absolute best for oily eyelids so I figured this must be a step up from UDPP. I don’t have an especially oily face really – I don’t powder my face, I don’t even usually have to wear foundation or anything mattifying, but I figure I must have oily eyelids to cause all my eyeshadows to crease. I’ve only tried it a few times with inconclusive results (some days it didn’t crease, some days I had minor creasing). I really, REALLY hope this works for me because having to worry about creased eyeshadow after having had years of no problems with UDPP is making me really, really nervous.

Nemo checking out my new Real Techniques brushes
Nemo checking out my new Real Techniques brushes

I was in Winners one day and stumbled over some Real Techniques with amazing price tags attached to their shiny packages. I’ve mentioned my lack of brushes previously and had intended to pick these sets up while in the US, but when I saw that these were cheaper than even what they sell in the US, I decided it wasn’t worth waiting to spend the money.

Real Techniques Travel Essentials ($16.99 CAD)
Real Techniques Travel Essentials ($16.99 CAD)

Everyone’s seen these, so I’ll be brief. This is Real Techniques‘ Travel Essentials set. It includes a foundation brush, an eyeshadow blending brush and a large powder brush.

Real Techniques Starter Set ($16.99 CAD)
Real Techniques Starter Set ($16.99 CAD)

RT‘s Starter Set includes two eyeshadow blending brushes (seriously, they’re too fat to do anything other than blend stuff on your face), a very small detail brush, a liner brush (there’s no way you can use this one for liner by the way, it’s way too big) and an angled brush that they’ve labeled as one for your eyebrows.

I love my other Real Techniques brushes so I’m excited to use these!

Bath & Body Works – Violet Lily SKY Diamond Shimmer Mist ($6 CAD)
Bath & Body Works – Violet Lily SKY Diamond Shimmer Mist ($6 CAD)

The SummerSky and Air scents from Bath & Body Works are a new addition to their regular line although I’m not sure if they’re limited edition. As a result of them being so new, they’re all on sale for roughly half price. I’m not sure how long this promotion will last, but snatch them up quickly if you like the scent. I really love the one I grabbed which is the Violet Lily Skyscent. I’m not even going to try to describe it other than to say that I really like it. I picked up the diamond shimmer version because I’m a sucker for anything with sparkle or glitter. Unfortunately, I’ve been wearing it the past few days and the scent disappears really quickly which is frustrating (it seems to be gone after an hour or two). The small sparkles stick around for a while on your skin though, so that’s quite nice.

If you’re familiar with B&BW‘s previous shimmer mist, then you’ll wonder if the new bottle (this time labeled Diamond Shimmer Mist) is actually bigger. I know it sure looked bigger to me, but as it turns out both bottles have 236ml of product, so you’re still getting the same amount, despite the change in packaging. I will say that the previous Shimmer Mist I had, the Warm Vanilla Sugar one, lasts a lot longer on the skin and I think the shimmer particles are slightly larger than the new diamond mist ones. Either way, it’s a fun product to have!

Bath & Body Works bottle comparison
Bath & Body Works bottle comparison

For a “no buy” month I sure did end up with a decent number of products!