November is such an oddball month to me. All the excitement of October is over (Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.) and I flat out REFUSE to start doing anything Christmas-related until December 1st. So November’s that month where there never seems to be a theme. But when I think back, I actually had an awesome time! I got to attend my first blogger event ever and met some really nice Toronto-area bloggers there. I attended my first IMATS and picked up plenty of new products. So for what is normally a “blah” month of the year, this November was actually pretty awesome!
However for makeup… I was really, really bland this month. With the shorter days, I find it strenuous to actually get out of bed when it’s still dark outside. And since I kept hitting that snooze button so many times, I was giving myself less and less time to do my makeup. So the end result is a lot of boring products got used and re-used this month. Maybe something will pique your interest though.
MAC – Mystical
I bought MAC‘s Mysticalcremesheen lipstick when the Alluring Aquatics collection came out this past summer because hello… have you SEEN the packaging? But the shade of the lipstick really didn’t fit into any kind of summer aesthetic for me. It came out a little too browny-pink and as far as summer colours go, that was a total no-go for me. But I held on to it because I figured I’d make use of it during the colder months. And I have! Throughout the last month I’ve defaulted to Mystical a lot. It’s an easy to wear shade that seems to match all my “blah” eyeshadow looks lately. And when I needed something “that just works”, this was the product for me.
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige
The next two products were used in conjunction. As I said earlier, I was getting up later and later on workday mornings, hitting that snooze button a good 45 minutes longer than I should be. Maybelline‘s Color Tattoo in Barely Beige is a quick product to swipe onto my lids, followed up with…
MAC – Cork
some MACCork in the crease. I used to use Haux for that purpose, but I’ve since run through that pan so I’m moving on to my next “boring brown shade” in my collection. It’s not the most interesting of looks, but it’s quick, it’s easy and I know it works.
Femme Fatale Catwalk lashes
Now THESE are a different story. Femme Fatale‘s Catwalk lashes are anything but boring. These mink lashe are stunning and oh-so-comfortable to wear. There were a few evenings this past month where I got the chance to wear something a bit more interesting on my eyes (aka I had more time to do my makeup than the debacle I encounter every morning before work) and I always opted to wear the Catwalk lashes. Highly, highly recommend these.
How about you? How was your November? Since it’s officially December 1st today, I think I’ll stop being a Scrooge and actually put some Christmas decorations today!
I had to laugh when I looked at my favourites this month. The blushes I used this month are near identical! This month was a 50/50 mix of discovering new products and loving some old ones for me. I definitely favoured colours that were more on the sunset spectrum of things, which I think was partially inspired by having heavily used Sleek’s Sunset palette near the start of the month.
essence – Autumn Peach
I received essence‘s Autumn Peach blush from a promotional package I was sent by PR, and this blush was by far the best thing in there. I love absolutely everything about it: The packaging, the colour, the embossed graphics, the wear time. There is not a single thing about this blush that I dislike. It goes on my cheeks as a subdued bright apricot that I can build up to be quite intense. I defaulted to this blush so much because it’s just so easy to wear and seemed to match an awful lot of my eye looks in the last month.
Tarte – Charisma
And this might as well be essence’s Autumn Peach blush’s slightly pinker sister! Tarte‘s Charisma is another shade I defaulted to a lot this month. Considering it’s so close to Autumn Peach, you can see that I was heavily favouring pinky-oranges in August. Charisma has a hint of gold sparkle to it, so I don’t generally use a highlighter when I opt to wear this one. Beautiful shade.
MAC – Whisper of Gilt
Keeping with the sunset theme is MAC‘s Whisper of Gilt Extra Dimension highlighter. The consistency of the Extra Dimension products has always felt very strange on my fingers (like a chalky styrofoam???) but it doesn’t feel like that when applied to the face. I wore a lot of oranges, bronzes and golds on my eyes in August so I tended to reach for my more golden highlighter to complement the looks.
Illamasqua – Alluvium
Alluvium is Illamasqua‘s most confusing pigment ever. Looks purply-bronze in the pot, swatches blue. In an effort to understand this pigment (what am I, the Eyeshadow Whisperer?), I used it a LOT after I bought it this month. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be a way to pull out the copper sparkles as this defaulted to a bright blue pigment no matter how I used it. If you’re looking for a vibrant blue pigment however, this is absolutely stunning.
Urban Decay Perversion mascara
My last favourite of the month is Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara. I received this little baby sized sample in my August Ipsy bag and fell in love immediately. Black, thick and wet (yep, I’m still talking about mascara) – this product is WONDERFUL. I have an unfortunate number of mascaras open at the moment (which is not a particular habit of mine), but I reached for this product over the six others I’ve bought/received lately. The one day I used another mascara instead of this one, I instantly regretted it. Love, love, LOVE!
What colours did you steer towards throughout August?
ALRIGHT PEOPLE! It is 1:07 a.m. Friday night (aka Saturday morning), this blog post was supposed to get posted at 8 a.m. this morning, but clearly that did not happen. I’m a few glasses *cough*bottle*cough* of wine down, my photos are edited, I have episodes of Supernatural playing in the background should I require immediate distraction, and I just need to provide you with insightful data on what I loved this month.
Shall we proceed?
WE SHALL.
Too Faced – Coral Fire
HNNGGGGGG. Call this my lipstick of summer. (Really, call it whatever you want, I’ll just be over in the corner calling it pretty.) This is Too Faced‘s Coral Fire and it apparently fits into their “red” category of lipsticks. Uh… okay. On ME it’s (oh god, am I really saying this?) it’s a fiery coral. Derp.
It’s deeper than most corals, but I can’t get away from the fact that I do feel it’s actually *coral* in nature. I don’t think it’s red (like Too Faced does), but anyway. It’s beautiful. It’s a colour that just suits me – I’m always shocked by my appearance when I see myself in the mirror while wearing this. It’s slightly pink, slightly “red”, slightly coral, creamy, luminous and it just *works* on me. It’s the kind of shade that makes you want the entire collection because you figure that one colour must make the ENTIRE LINE be as beautiful on yourself as this one shade is. Not to mention the luscious sweet lemon scent of the product which is TO DIE FOR, just so we’re clear, and totally unique as far as I’m aware!
Even if you don’t like this shade, I encourage you to try something from Too Faced‘s La Creme line. All of the lip shades I have from this line are glorious on a level I didn’t even know existed. Plus the name appeals to me. Aside from the colour, we all need to acknowledge the fact that packaging and the naming conventions of products do inspire us to like products more. If this was called “pink-red”, I’d probably like “meh”. But it’s not. It’s called Coral Fire, and it makes me swoon.
Sleek – Sunrise palette
Sleek does gorgeous makeup through and through. Their 12 pan eyeshadow palettes are my absolute favourite product by them. I used the Sunset palette extensively throughout an entire week this past month! (upcoming Challenge Week coming this following week with this very palette) and could not believe I had used this palette so little before then. The colours are phenomenally pigmented. The only downfall is a lack of matte colours. But let’s get real here – you’ve got mattes in your collection somewhere, and you can definitely break them out to use in conjunction with this palette.
Nicka K – Shimmer Eyeliner in Green
Like Sarah, I’ve also been loving this liquid eyeliner this month. Nicka K‘s Shimmer Eyeliner in Green (uhhh *sorta* green) arrived in my June 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag. I loved it at the time, but used it a few times and kind of disregarded it.
I’ll say the bad right off the bat: the brush is fucking weird. It’s not felt, foam or brush tip. It’s some weird plastic contraption that actually causes some patchiness when you apply it. The other downside is that it stains.
The upsides? IT STAINS, WHICH MEANS IT STAYS PUT FOREVER. The colour is incredible. The vibrancy and shimmer is completely unparalleled in anything I own. And it retails for $6 freaking dollars. My MUFE Aqualiner (read: is expensive) doesn’t even perform this well. I don’t mind staining when it means I can wear a product forever. And that colour… good lord. This is worth buying. And I want every shade.
I’m writing too many paragraphs, which generally means you’ve skipped over to the next picture and given up on me. But I love this, and it’s been my only eye makeup of choice when I’m visiting nearby friends or on a hot day when I really can’t be bothered to wear multiple eyeshadows.
Julep – Paris
Kalyn sent me this when I won a giveaway on her blog and I could kiss her for it. This is Julep‘s Paris nail polish. I don’t know much about Julep, but I know I love this. This is a chunky holographic glitter with a gold sheen. As I’ve mentioned before, I wear glitter on my toenails 24/7. When she sent me this, I had just run out of my current glitter polish and needed a replacement. I’ve worn this on my toes for the entire month of July and I only have about a third of the bottle left. I *love* this stuff!
MAC – Sea Me, Hear Me
When I boughtMAC‘s Sea Me, Hear Me blush I kind of made fun of it in my head. I mean it… to me, it was a fall colour being promoted in the summer. “The heck am I going to do with this thing throughout the summer? It’s too damn dark!” is what I told myself.
Lies. All lies.
I wore the pants out of this blush this month. Despite the swatch, it goes on my cheeks slightly more orange, which means I’ve kind of paired it with some odd combinations this month… but really, I don’t care. Because it’s an extra dimension blush (which has always meant “harder than normal” texture to me), I need to use a stiff duo-fiber brush to dig into the product. Buff it on, blend it out and pray for the best. It’s beautiful. To me it’s a more vibrant, showy TarteExposed. Which is perfect for the summer!
And really, I bought it because the packaging was pretty. (Show of hands, you know you did it too!)
Cat butt alert
And this was a blurry Nemo. Because you know he wasn’t going to miss out on on showing off some cat butt for this post!
And now, my favourite gif, because this entire WORK MONTH has felt like this. My boss sent it to me today and I was reminded of how much I love this gif. Grumpy cat, I <3 u4lyf.
I don’t even remember what spring is anymore. Every year in Toronto it feels like we go from serious sub-zero temperatures and then all of a sudden it’s freaking scorching outside! As a nod to the ever increasing temperatures and my ever increasing desire to wear less makeup as I stay up later and wake up later (and have less and less time to get ready for work every morning), I ended up leaning more heavily towards lip products this month since my eye makeup was looking pretty bare a lot of the time.
Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream Kiss
First up is Nivea‘s Lip Butter in Caramel Cream Kiss. This has become my nightly lip balm. I’ve put a rather large dent in this from using it every night before I go to bed. It’s thick enough that it’ll last all night and I’ll often wake up the next morning with a thin layer still on my lips. It doesn’t smell quite like caramel to me, but it’s still buttery, sugary goodness!
Maybelline – Vivid Rose
If I had to define happiness in a shade of lipstick, Maybelline‘s Vivid Rose would be it. I bought this last summer and fell in love with it immediately. This is a bright, hot, deep neon pink that smells like creamy frosting and lasts a surprisingly long time on the lips given how rich it is. Seriously, this stuff stays surprisingly creamy on the lips for many hours after it’s been applied. If you pick up one thing from Maybelline‘s Vivids line, let Vivid Rose be the one!
MAC – Hibiscus
This sad pot of lipstick is MAC‘s Hibiscus lipstick. Unfortunately, the bullet broke a long while ago and the only way to salvage the lipstick was to depot the whole thing into a small sample jar I had from MAC. This lipstick was from the Surf Baby collection in 2011 and because it’s de-tubed, I keep forgetting about it! It’s a cremesheen, which I don’t have the best of experiences with, but there’s no denying that colour! A bright, shiny coral, this one is loads of fun to wear. Unfortunately, MAC hasn’t re-released it in the past few years since its initial release, but if you ever spot this at a CCO or on a blog sale, definitely snatch it up!
Boots No7 Instant Radiance Foundation in Cool Vanilla
Boots No7‘s Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla was too dark for me throughout the winter months, so I’ve only been able to recently bust it out and start using it again. And I, as per usual, had forgotten just how much I love this stuff. It blends in beautifully and it really does give a radiance to the skin that I never really expect from foundation, even when it’s called Instant Radiance! Love the pump too. I picked this up last year when I was in England, but I think Boots No7 brand is now sold at Target in Canada.
Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde
I’d just like to take this moment to give myself a massive pat on the back for finally figuring out how to use this properly! When I finally ran out of my MACOmega shadow, and had this waiting in the wings, I knew I had to buckle down and figure out how to use this product. Sweeping powder through your eyebrows is one thing, trying to actually put some kind of gel product there can be maddening! This has become my go-to brow look now. It’s a lot more in your face than I’m used to, and I’m not entirely sure the colour is quite pale enough for me, but I like the end result so I’ll keep going with this until they come out with a lighter shade than Blonde.
And just like that, there goes June! Tell me what you were loving this month
The month of May was pretty forgettable in terms of makeup for me. I had a few repeat offenders (which you’ll see in this post), but for the most part I tried a lot of new looks and didn’t stick to a lot of the same products. The only consistent pieces were the ones in this post, and they really kind of took me by surprise!
NYC Sun ‘n’ Bronze in Fire Island Tan
I knew at the start of the month that I wanted to use a different bronzer, and I wanted one with shimmer in it. So I busted out NYC‘s Fire Island Tan and was reminded of how much I like this product. It does have an orange tinge to it, so make sure you blend this sucker in very, very well. There is also some gold shimmer throughout it, so if you’re not keen on shimmery bronzers, leave this one at the drugstore!
Tarte – Charisma
This blush by Tarte is just stunning. Charisma is a peach/coral with golden shimmer. It’s perfect for the warmer months when you want to just feel like you’ve got a sun-kissed glow. I really like this in coordination with the bronzer I mentioned above since the gold shimmer running throughout them really ties them together. It might be a lot on the gold shimmer, but hell if I care! As with all Tarte blushes, use a stiffer brush to apply this since it does have a harder consistency. (And btw, does anyone else seriously dislike the new packaging? I wish they had remained in the old packaging like the one above!)
Bite Beauty – Fig
I picked up this Bite Beauty lipstick to figure out what the hype was with this brand. At $28 CAD, this is by far my most expensive lipstick in my collection – so I was really scared I wouldn’t like this product and would have wasted the money on it. However… Fig is a lovely, easy pink shade and it’s a colour I can pair with a lot of eye looks without worrying if it’ll clash or not. It’s also worth mentioning that I really didn’t like the scent of this lipstick when I tried it on the first time. But I’ve found that over time the scent really grew on me. I don’t even know how to describe it – it’s not specifically anything, but it’s something I’ve grown to really like over time. Also, random note, the Bite Beauty lipsticks contain the same amount of product as a MAC lipstick, but because the bullet is fatter, it makes them look a lot shorter. I actually really like the look of the wider bullet, although at first I thought I’d been shortchanged on product!
NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu & Wet n Wild lipstick in 903C/Just Peachy
I randomly stumbled on this combination in the last month or two and I came to really like it when I noticed just how well it photographed on me. With Wet n Wild‘s 903C as a base layer, and NYX‘s Tiramisu gloss on top, this has really become my failsafe lip look. It’s currently replaced my “dead nude” look when I’m wearing a really dark eye look. I still like the really nude, paled out lips look, but I feel like that look is slightly easier to wear in the winter. With this combination, it adds just the right amount of colour punch without overdoing it. Regarding the swatches above, from left to right it’s the lipstick, the gloss and then the two of them layered.
And there you have my monthly roundup! I wonder what the month of June will bring?
