Tag Archives: Bioderma

Empties – February through September 2015

October 21, 2015Empties, MiscellaneousArdell, Barry M, Benefit, Bioderma, Boots No7, Bourjois, Clean & Clear, CoverGirl, Dermal Therapy, Duo, Embryolisse, essence, Femme Fatale, J. Cat Beauty, Jealous Body, Johnson's, Kat Von D, L'Oreal, Lavanila, Make Up For Ever, Marcelle, Miracle 10, NARS, Neutrogena, Nivea, Olay, OPI, Pixi, Pür Minerals, Revecen, Tarte, The Body Shop, Too Faced, Urban DecayChelle

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These Empties posts fill me with dread. Made worse by the fact that I haven’t done an Empties post since January, so that means I’ve got 8-9 months of garbage to talk about. This type of post isn’t even something I enjoy reading on other peoples’ blogs because it’s soooo cluttered with deodorant, toothpaste and shampoo. (Sorry guys.) But let’s be real here… no one cares if you finished up your deodorant.

With all of that being said, I do get asked for Empties posts and I do see it come up in search terms for my blog, so I thought I’d keep going with them. I do approach my Empties posts with the mentality of “if I wouldn’t put it in a monthly haul post, I won’t include it in an Empties”. So this is primarily makeup with some skincare. Enjoy!

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Duralash by Ardell: These single lashes are great for fluffing up your lashes without adding too much “fakeness” to them. I finally ran through the whole package and decided to chuck them. Repurchase? Yes

Ardell Demi Wispies: I got a lot of uses out of these (maybe 7-8?) and really loved wearing them. They recently started to not stick to my lash line, I think due to glue build up, so I had to chuck them. Repurchase? More than likely, but not anytime soon since I’ve got a bunch of House of Lashes waiting for me.

Femme Fatale lashes in Catwalk: I was sent these and absolutely loved them. They’re soft and gorgeous (full review here). However, I don’t know if I was too rough with them, but after the third time I wore them, while I was pulling the glue off the band, a chunk of the lashes just fell right off. So now they look patchy and I’d rather not deal with them. They were gorgeous when I used them though. Repurchase? Unlikely. At the elevated price point, I don’t think a section of lashes should be falling off the band.

J. Cat lashes in EL13: These came in an Ipsy bag and I really enjoyed them. Easy to wear and just the right amount of oomph. Repurchase? Maybe, but I don’t even know where you can get this brand.

Revecen lashes in 6: THESE ARE FUCKING GARBAGE. They’re super plastic (like, they even look shiny), the band doesn’t bend and the edges would ping off my lash line. Repurchase? NO. Get the hell out of here you garbage lashes. Ugh.

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Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original and NARS Smudeproof: The Urban Decay one used to be my holy grail primer. It would keep my shadows in place without creasing and I loved it. Then, oddly, about a year and a half ago, it just stopped working. It’s like my eyelids adapted to the formula and decided to overpower it. Now it’s crease city if I use this primer by itself. However, I have noticed that if I layer it with the NARS Smudgeproof base it works very well. The NARS one won’t work on its own for me either though which is kind of shocking since EVERYONE raves on about it. Repurchase? Possibly, but I’d have to buy them together, which is just kind of silly and expensive. Right now the Milani primer is working just fine for me.

Duo lash adhesive: I used to love Duo, but I’ve found lately that it’s just not sticking as well as it used to despite the tube being relatively fresh. I think I finished about half of this tube before I gave up on it. Repurchase? Nah, I’ve moved on to House of Lashes glue.

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Barry M Nail Paint in Diamond Glitter: All finished up! I use this kind of silver/disco glitter polish exclusively on my toes at all times (and have since my teens). I loved this brand so I’ve actually had three bottles of this. I will say though that it tends to peel off in rather large chunks so I’ll probably move on to a different brand soon. Repurchase? I already have another back up bottle I’m in the midst of using right now!

OPI Nail Lacquer in My Boyfriend Scales Walls: I got 75% of the way through this bottle before it got too goopy to use. So handy to have a white nail polish in your arsenal for french tips and gradients, or even just wearing it on its own. Repurchase? I can’t since this one was limited edition. The OPI formula was great though!

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Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper: This is the absolute best liquid liner on the market. The brush tip makes this so, SO easy to use and I love that the formula is water resistant (it may say waterproof, but I wouldn’t say it’s totally waterproof). My only beef is that it’s not truly matte since it has a bit of a sheen. If they could only just make it totally matte this thing would be utterly legendary. Repurchase? Yes, absolutely. I already have another one cracked open!

Benefit They’re Real Push Liner: BE GONE DEVIL. This thing is an effing disaster to use. Chunky, not smooth and hard to apply. I’m so glad I got a sample size as I would’ve hated to pay full price. Repurchase? BAHAHAHAHA. …No.

Tarte gel liner in Black: Loved this so much. It stayed soft and creamy for over a year and I actually ran through the entire pot of it. Super rich in pigmentation and so very easy to apply to the lid. Repurchase? Eventually, but I’m already working through MAC’s Blacktrack fluidline and I have an Inglot black gel liner waiting in the wings… so it could be years before I purchase this one again. I do really, really love it though!

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Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream Kiss: I loved the pants off this lip butter! I loved the scent and the texture of it so much that it became my nightly balm. It worked well to heal my lips overnight and kept them very supple. Repurchase? I’m working through the Macadamia one right now, but yes, eventually!

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Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara: This gave me soft and fluffy lashes. Great formula! The only downer for me is the damn brush – I hate the double bubble. 🙁 Repurchase? I wouldn’t buy full size just because I never have to with all of the minis going around. I’m currently using another mini of this right now.

pur minerals Big Look waterproof mascara: A waterproof mascara is always nice to have on hand, but this one wasn’t my favourite. It added enough volume, but it made my lashes feel crispy. Repurchase? Nah, pass.

essence Lash Princess mascara: This one gave me a ton of volume, which is not something I expected from such an inexpensive mascara. I even liked the shape of the cobra wand since it made it easy to apply. (Full review here.) Repurchase? I would, but not in the near future as I’ve got a backlog of mascaras at the moment.

CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara: This used to be the be all, end all mascara for me. I used it for a year straight and loved it. I found this tube wasn’t as great as I had remembered, which made me a little bit sad. Still, a great drugstore mascara. Repurchase? Yes, but not right now.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara: This is it folks. This is my holy grail. Smoky Stretch gives me the BEST LASHES. The formula stayed quite wet for months which is something I personally enjoy in a mascara. (Full review here.) Repurchase? Yes, absolutely. I’ve got one in my Sephora cart right now just waiting for the November VIB sale!

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Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation in 52 Vanilla: I finished it and now I want more. This foundation is the absolute best. It smells amazing and provides just the right amount of coverage for my tastes (light-medium). The shade range isn’t extensive, but it works for me! (Full review here.) Repurchase? YES! A wonderful blogging friend was in England recently and picked one up for me!

Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer: This is an oddly pink toned primer that I got in an Ipsy bag a while back. I didn’t notice it doing anything amazing really. Repurchase? Nah.

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Lavanila Vanilla Grapefruit perfume: I freaking loved this scent so much. I remember using it a lot when I went on vacation to Prague last year, so whenever I wear it now (I got another one) it reminds me of that awesome vacation. It’s a very sweet, candy-like smell, so use it sparingly when you first start wearing it. Repurchase? Yep, I’ve already cracked open a new bottle.

Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black: I don’t typically include little samples in hauls/empties, but I loved this perfume so much that it actually lead me to purchase the full size bottle. It’s not a typical “me” scent, since I tend to prefer aquatic/water scents (not that the Lavanila one is anything like that either) but I still really, really enjoy it. Repurchase: Yes, I think I’m always going to have a bottle of this on hand now.

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Bioderma Crealine H2O: Always a winner. I keep a bottle in the bathroom and one by my makeup table because I love it so much. I use it to clean up makeup mistakes, remove makeup and to refresh my face if it’s feeling grungy. This stuff is fantastic. Repurchase? Yes, definitely!

L’Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar Gel: I saw this at a drugstore in Prague last year and since it wasn’t available yet in Canada, I decided to purchase it. I really didn’t like it though – it’s awkward to use (since it’s a goopy gel) and it didn’t do a very good job of getting my makeup off. I was really happy when I finished the damn thing. Repurchase? Not a chance.

Marcelle Gentle Make-Up Remover for Sensitive Eyes: This is my favourite makeup remover ever. I’ve easily gone through over 30 bottles in the ten years I’ve been using this makeup remover. There is nothing better on the market that I’ve ever experienced. 100% worth it. (Full review here.) Repurchase? Absolutely. I have another bottle already open and three more (they were on sale) sitting in my closet ready to be used.

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Dermal Therapy Heel Cream: I have gross heels – they crack and get dry. Yum, right? This stuff is freaking magic on them and actually heals the deep cracks. Much love. Repurchase? Yes, I already have another tube open.

Nameless tub on the bottom left: My friend Alison made this awesome body butter for me and I finished it all up! Repurchase? It was a gift and only she makes them!

Miracle 10 Light Serum: This is a gel type facial moisturizer that I wasn’t in love with. The scent is overly medicinal and it wasn’t enough moisture for the winter months. Definitely more of a summer moisturizer. Repurchase? I wouldn’t buy it, but I do have another bottle because of a blogger swap. So I suppose I like it enough to use it again, but it wouldn’t be my first choice of moisturizers to spend my money on.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre: When I first got this a few years back, I didn’t think much of it. It’s a simple moisturizer that doesn’t smell like much, what’s there to fall in love with? But I kept going back to it, and buying it times and time again. This is my fifth tube and I’m still using it just as much as ever. Repurchase? Yep! Already have another one waiting for me.

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Jealous Body Scrub: I was sent this, but there’s no denying the amazingess of this coffee and coconut scrub. It smells like a highly caffeinated dream and does wonders at restoring moisture to your skin. (Full review here and here.) Repurchase? Yes, definitely.

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The Body Shop Shower Gels in Pink Grapefruit and Fijian Water Lotus: The Body Shop can do absolutely no wrong with their shower gels. The Pink Grapefruit scent has been a favourite of mine for something ridiculous like 15 years and I still love it! The Fijian Water Lotus is a new one to me and my mom gave me some for last Christmas. I love the watery scent of it. Repurchase? Yes! And definitely yes to both scents. They’re wonderful.

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Johnson’s Baby Shampoo: Oh crap, I was totally bitching about shampoo empties was’t I? Bahahah. WELL, I use this as a cleanser for my makeup brushes so I’m basically telling you how awesome the shampoo is for my brushes… that’s different right? 😉 Repurchase? Absolutely and I already have!

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Makeup Removing Wipes: My favourites are the two on the left – Neutrogena‘s Hydrating wipes, but I’ll use the Boots No7 ones as a stop gap if I need to. Repurchase? The Neutrogena ones for sure as they’re the most hydrating/wet ones I’ve found and work the best.

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Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser: I don’t have an acne problem, but I do use the Clean & Clear products because I love the scent, texture and feel. Plus this cream one has a nice icy feel to it so I find it highly enjoyable. Repurchase? Yep, already have a new one!

Miracle 10 Cleanser II: This was a nice cleanser. Nothing miraculous, but hey, it did the job of keeping my face clean! Repurchase? Unlikely – Miracle 10 products are very expensive and since I don’t have problems with my face I tend to just stick to the cheap stuff.

Olay Fresh Effects Out of this Swirled!: Ugh, I hated the scent and that just ruined it for me. It’s a fine grit scrub that worked well enough, but I hated the artificial scent of it. Repurchase? Nope!

Annnnd DONE! Wow. Nine months of empties all wrapped up. And, tragically, my empties bin is already filling up again. Ughhhhh. I may stick to doing this twice a year because that was far too lengthy of a post for my tastes. If you made it this far though, kudos to you!

What I Bought This Month – May 2015 Haul

June 1, 2015HaulsAveeno, Bioderma, Burberry, Clinique, Embryolisse, essence, Kat Von D, L'Oreal, Lise Watier, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek, Makeup Revolution, Marc Jacobs, Marcelle, Maybelline, NARS, Nuxe, Pacifica, Sally Hansen, Stila, Wet n WildChelle

Another big makeup haul this month! Although I can (thankfully) attribute the bulk of this haul to a CBB swap we did at the very start of the month – I was able to get rid of a TON of products I don’t use or don’t like, and in return I got a whole bunch of freebies from other bloggers who had the same issue with some of their products. I’m so happy to be trying some new things and get rid of ones I don’t use – what a relief!

And because I have no real self-restraint, I did order a few things…

Makeup Geek – Foiled Shadow (top image) – Whimsical, Starry Eyed, Fortune Teller, Untamed, High Wire, Fantasy, Pegasus, Day Dreamer, Masquerade & Charmed ($9.99 USD each). Regular shadows (bottom image): Rapunzel, Yellow Brick Road, Homecoming, Latte, Last Dance, Sensuous, Moondust, high Tea, Poppy, Shimmermint, Duchess ($5.99 USD each

You knew this one was coming! I picked up ALL of the new Makeup Geek Foiled Shadows, and a whack of the regular line that was I was missing as well (including the new Poppy, High Tea and Rapunzel). Unfortunately for my wallet, but fortunately for you guys, I accidentally ordered TWO sets of the foiled shadows. Ouch, pain. So much pain to the wallet. BUT I’ve absorbed the cost (and shock) of it by now and I’m going to hold a giveaway shortly for the entire line of new foiled shadows. Look for a review and giveaway for those in a week or so!

Wet n Wild – Vegan Culture, Vinyl Collection and Thrift Store Chic ($4.99 CAD each)

The Silverlake collection by Wet n Wild has been the most exciting thing I’ve seen from the brand lately, so I had to finish up my collection of the palettes. I had two of them in last month’s haul, and here’s the remaining three!

Kat Von D – Star Studded Eyeshadow Book (free – swap)

Next up are a bunch of items that I picked up from the CBB swap/meetup that we did. For more details on that, check out Jenn’s recap, but the basic gist is that about ten of us brought makeup that didn’t work for us, dumped it on an enormous table at Tim Horton’s and took whatever we wanted from what others were willing to give away.

This Kat Von D Star Studded palette was part of the swap, but kindly held for me by Steph of Fun Size Beauty who had lugged it out there. I had debated getting this over the holiday season, but never bit the bullet. I’m happy to now have it… although I have yet to use it. Ack!

Stila Magnificent Metals – Cobalts (free – swap)

I’ve never used one of the Stila foiled shadows, so this should be interesting to test out. I ended up with a LOT of blue shades from the swap so I’m working through the slowly, but this one hasn’t made it through my rotation yet!

Lise Watier Auror Eyeshadow in Violet (gift)

At the swap I got to meet Zoë for the first time ever (!!) and she pushed this Lise Watiereyeshadow single into my hand that she had been holding onto with me in mind. At the time, I was half worried she was giving me the shade I already had (Teal), but it turned out to be Violet, a shade I had sent to my friend as a gift, but never picked up for myself. This has turned out to be a beautiful shade, and I love it more than Teal as the colour payoff just seems to be so much better. Yay!

Wet n Wild – 965 Cherry Picking (free – swap)

No one was looking at the Wet n Wild Megalast lipsticks, so I snatched up 965 Cherry Picking. These are some of the best lipsticks I own, despite their ridiculously cheap price point and I am always more than happy to add another shade to my collection.

L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Endless Sea (free – swap)

WHO WOULD TOSS THIS AWAY? I love my L’Oreal Infallible shadows and I didn’t ownEndless Sea, so I gleefully added it to my ever growing pile of makeup.

essence Metal Glam eyeshadow in Jewel of the Ocean (free – swap)

I swear this essence Metal Glam shadow in Jewel of the Ocean is the exact same shade as the L’Oreal one above. I never really thought I wore that much blue shadow, but I sure do gravitate towards them quite often.

Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer (free – swap)

Yessss! Make Up For Ever‘s Smoothing Primer has turned out to be my favourite primer from the new Step 1 Skin Equalizer line (read my recent review here). This didn’t work out so well for another blogger, so I gave it a shot – and I’m so glad I did.

NARS Multiple in Undress Me (free – swap)

Rejected because it had too much glitter in it… which makes it perfect for me! The NARS Multiple in Undress Me is a pale lilac-pink chockful of glitter particles. The base colour basically disappears on my skin when I apply it, but it leaves behind glorious glitter particles. I tried it once as a highlighter, and it works, but it’s not for those who don’t want glitter on their face. I am SUPER excited to use this all over my body during Pride!

I’m not much of a nail polish person, but I didn’t have anything like these Sally Hansen ones and I thought they’d be fun for some holidays like Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day.

Wet n Wild Mega Liner in Indigo Blue (free – swap)

I’ve never used Wet n Wild‘s liquid liners before and this one was completely untouched in the swap. It’s a beautiful shade on the lids, although a littttle bit shiny which isn’t my favourite kind of finish for a liner. The shade is so gorgeous though that it’s worth ignoring that slight sheen.

Wet n Wild palettes in Poster Child and Art in the Streets (free – swap)

Man, I walked out with a LOT of Wet n Wild in this swap. People kept throwing the bright eyeshadows at me because they knew I’d use them.

Marcelle Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (~$5 CAD each)

Last month’s CBB brand of the month was Marcelle, which offered everyone the opportunity to get 30% off on their web site for a limited time. Bonus was that a lot of items on their site were already on sale, so I stocked up on a few items. Marcelle‘s eye makeup remover has been a longstanding favourite of mine, so I snatched up four bottles at less than half price of what they normally cost at the drug store. SCORE!

Marcelle Liquid Dip-Pen in Blackest Black (~$7 CAD)

I also picked up the Marcelle Liquid Dip-Pen in Blackest Black because Sarah fromWorkaday Beauty told me they were matte. They are indeed matte, but the felt tip isn’t quite long enough for my tastes. Like any black liquid liner though, I’ll definitely use it up.

As beauty lovers are apt to do, we end up with duplicates of items. I was handed this lovely Maybelline matte lipstick in the colour Craving Coral, one I had actually been eyeballing since this line was launched!

These next two palettes came from a fellow blogger who hadn’t touched them and decided they needed to be re-homed. I have no familiarity with Makeup Revolution as a brand other than that they’re based in the UK. What I CAN say though is that this palette and the next one are dead knockoffs of Sleek palettes – the shades are identical in both palettes. I have no idea if the quality is the same however – that’ll be interesting to see. This one is a rip off of Sleek‘s Acid palette.

Makeup Revolution – Redemption Matte Brights (gift)

And here’s the other one. A knockoff of the Sleek Mattes V1 palette.

MAC – Refined Golden from the Wash & Dry collection ($33 CAD)

And who could resist this one? I didn’t really need anything from MAC‘s Wash & Drysummer collection, but every year I get suckered in by the packaging. I’ve already gone through a full MAC bronzer before (Golden) and figured I’d step it up a notch this time and go for Refined Golden. It’s a beautiful bronze-y (veers orange though) shade with gold sparkle. The sparkle doesn’t translate to the skin much though, so I’m sure that will make a lot of people happy. And really… how was I going to resist that packaging? I mean my god.

Bioderma Sensibio/Crealine H2O (~$23 CAD)

I knew I was going to have a bunch of French skincare waiting for me at my parents’ place that my dad had picked up for me when he was in France earlier this year (I went back forOttawa Race Weekend), but I couldn’t wait any longer – I needed my Bioderma solution micellaire! In Canada it’s called Sensibio, and in France it’s Crealine – same product though. I was especially drawn into this one because it has a pump top (so handy) which also means it has a twist off top, which NONE of the other Bioderma bottles have. Seriously, have you ever tried to get top off of your regular bottle of Bioderma? Best wishes to ya!

And this is the one that was waiting for me at my parents. Now I’ve got one in the bathroom and one on my makeup desk. I love this for not only taking off my face makeup at the end of the day, but also for spot correcting as I’m applying it.

Embryolisse – Lait-Creme Concentre (gift)

I really only rotate between two facial moisturizers and this is one of them. When I first tried Embryolisse‘s Lait-Creme Concentre (after having watch many Pixiwoo videos, of course) I didn’t think much of it. But, for whatever reason, I have found myself going back to this one again and again. This is probably my fourth or fifth tube.

And the last French item is Nuxe‘s Reve de Miel lip balm. I’ve never used it, but I’m excited to. It smells nothing like honey and a lot like lemon – totally unexpected!

Aveeno Positively Radiant Moisturizer (gift)

And the other moisturizer I use is by Aveeno. My mom picks this up for me whenever she’s either at Costco or Walmart because I don’t have convenient access to either of those places here in Toronto.

Pacifica – French Lilac Perfume ($10.50 CAD)

While in Ottawa, my mom and I were in a health food store briefly and I somehow (lol) found myself in their beauty area. I wasn’t taken by much except for this perfume byPacifica. It’s their French Lilac scent and it smells identical to the lilac tree in my parents’ backyard. Interesting fact… I bought this for $10.50 at the health food store. A few days later I went to Terra 20 (a natural beauty and other stuff store) and they were selling the exact same thing for five bucks more. Holy jeez, gouging your customers much?

Burberry Lip and Cheek Bloom in Poppy ($33 CAD)

Ah Burberry. I found myself at Nordstrom in the Rideau Centre and wanted to check out what Burberry had to offer. I never find myself at Holt Renfrew (frankly, I don’t think I look the part when I walk in there), but I felt a lot better about being in Nordstrom in Ottawa (Nordstrom has yet to open in Toronto!) so I swung by the Burberry counter. The item I was Most drawn to was this Lip and Cheek Bloom in Poppy – an incredibly vibrant pinky-red shade. It’s so gorgeous and was impossible to pass up.

Clinique Cheek Pop in Cola Pop ($24 CAD)

Phew, we’re getting down to the end of the line! The last few products are all from Sephora. I placed an order for a hair care item I needed, and “had” to add these on to my cart to get free shipping. I picked up the Clinique Cheek Pop blush in Cola Pop because I’d read on Jen’s blog about this one and I was struck by the uniqueness of it. I’ve tried to curb my spending on blushes, but I truly do not have anything at all like this shade in my collection and am curious to try the formula out.

This was a spur of the moment decision. I once turned down a free white liquid liner from Illamasqua (I opted for a free eyeshadow at the time) and I’ve regretted it ever since. I actually feel like that white eyeliner haunts me – how could I turn down such a unique product?! So I grabbed Kat Von D‘s Neruda Ink Liner to see how it goes. It’s not a brush tip like the Tattoo Liner is, but it’s a long-tipped (highly necessary!) felt tip that lays down one hell of an opaque line. I’ve only swatched it so far, but can’t wait to use it in a look.

And lastly (phew, we made it!) is the Marc Jacobs 500 point perk. I got this primarily because if I hear one more person go on about the Marc Jacobs Highliner gel liner, I was going to scream. (And so far, it does live up to the hype, this thing sticks to skin like nothing I’ve ever seen.) I’ve also been sitting on about 1500 Sephora points and was happy to finally see something come up that WASN’T skin or haircare based. There’s also a mini lipstick, liquid liner and mascara in this box, so I think it was well worth the 500 points I spent on it.

And that’s it! How was your month? Did you pick up a lot of new goodies?

What I Bought This Month – May 2014 Haul

May 30, 2014HaulsBioderma, Dermal Therapy, Embryolisse, Hard Candy, Julep, MAC, NYC, OlayChelle

I actually hadn’t picked up any beauty products this month until the very last week and then suddenly I had a whole stockpile!

While MAC‘s summer collection didn’t have a whole heck of a lot of bright colours, I knew I still wanted to pick up a few products because holy hell is that packaging ever beautiful! The first item I picked up was the cremesheen finish lipstick in Mystical. The colour is slightly more brown than I had expected, but it’s a very easy, every day colour for me. Slightly more fall-oriented than spring or summer, but still really beautiful.

I wanted to give MAC‘s extra dimension products another shot because everyone seems to love them and I’ve always been kind of “meh” about them. I have the skinfinish in Whisper of Gilt, but I’ve always found the product to be very hard and stiff in the pan, which requires using a rather stiff brush to actually get any product out of the pan. Turns out the blush is really no different! Like the lipstick, Sea Me, Hear Me is far more of a deep fall colour (I really didn’t understand this collection, despite the packaging being spectacular) and it looks nice on my cheeks, but I really need to use a stiff brush to get it out of the pan!

Hard Candy Ombre Lipstick – Cheerful (~$6 CAD)

Hard Candy Cheeks and Balances – Cheeky Pink (~$8 CAD)

This works slightly better than the lip product, but not a whole heck of a lot. Hard Candy‘sCheeky Pink “Cheeks and Balances” is supposed to be a cheek colour and highlighter in one. It goes on stripey (obviously) and you really need to blend it out with a finger or two. It can be a bit greasy, but I’ve only tested it out so far without wearing it for any extended amount of time. It’s a bit too finicky to keep the actual colours separated once you blend them, so it’s easier to just smush the product together as you swipe it on your cheeks. It’s quite frosty overall (even the darker pink colour), so apply lightly and build up if you need to.

Julep polishes in (l-r): Michelle, Angela, Missy, Paris, Hilary (free)

Embryolisse – Hydra-Masque (~€15 CAD) — Bioderma – Crealine H2O (~€12)

Product Empties – November 2013

November 8, 2013Empties, MiscellaneousAveeno, Bath & Body Works, Bioderma, Biore, China Glaze, Crush, L'Oreal, Lush, MAC, Physicians Formula, Revlon, Simple, TRESemme, Urban DecayChelle

Come with me, will you, while we rummage through my trash!

Bioderma Sensibio H20 – Solution Micellaire

Quite an amped up product in the beauty community. I bought this bottle of Bioderma last year and expected miracles out of it. What I got was basically an overhyped makeup remover that didn’t work on waterproof cosmetics as far as I could see. I ended up using this to clean up makeup mistakes and occasionally to remove oil residue from my face (read: after I’d used my other oil based makeup remover to actually remove my makeup). It does work very well for removing lip products, but the taste of this product is so bitter that it made me not want to use it to remove lipstick. For what it did for me, it wasn’t worth the cost. It’s definitely not a bad product, but it just didn’t work as efficiently as my usual makeup remover (Marcelle Eye Makeup Remover – oil based).

MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Undercurrent

You might be asking why does this pencil look so jacked up, especially since it hasn’t been sharpened all the way down to the very nub. Well, the pencil itself is about two years old, and the last time I used it it was becoming harder and harder to apply to my eye. In my infinite wisdom I thought I’d McGyver the crap out of the pencil – melt it down into a little pot and then nuke it in the microwave to soften it up.

This is not what happened.

In the end I succeeded in burning my fingers and burning the product (the actual pencil caught on fire, I kid you not). By the time I got anything out of the pencil, after having smeared most of it on my hands, I had a very hard lump of burnt eyeliner sitting in a tub. By the time it had cooled, the product was so rock hard that I gave up hope and threw it out. Sigh.

That being said? MAC‘s Undercurrent eyeliner is the best eyeliner I have ever owned. It took 2 or more years to dry out, but it was a beautiful colour that almost melted onto the lids when applied. The teal colour of the pencil was shot through with glitter that didn’t flake off. I will definitely buy this particular liner again.

I love this lipglass. This is the second tube of C-Thru I’ve finished. There was a bit left, but the scent had started to go off and I didn’t want to risk wearing it any longer. On me, it gives a bit of a milky texture to the lips. It definitely sinks into my liplines and does a nice job of blanking out my lips – I’m aware this sounds utterly unappealing, but I really do like the pale look it gives my lips, particularly when I’m wearing a very intense dark eyeshadow look.

This stuff is AMAZING. I was continually having problems with lipsticks bleeding outside my lip line no matter what I did. Liner, blotting, powder blotting, lip liner brush, edging my lip line with concealer… you name it, I tried it. Frustrated, I finally asked someone at MAC for help and they pointed me towards their Prep + Prime for Lips. I was very skeptical, but I used it with Russian Red the next day and it didn’t budge. I now use it every time I wear lipstick and will never be without it!

As a tip, when I apply this, I apply it not only to my lips, but also slightly outside my lipline so that I fill in any fine lines around my lips that I may have. I also make sure to wait until the product feels tacky on my lips (about 60 seconds after application) and then I apply my lip colour. I find this works a lot better than applying lipstick right after I’ve applied the primer as it hasn’t been given a chance to go tacky yet.

I’m trying to think what I actually feel about this product and I’m kind of stumped. MAC Fix+ is okay, but it’s not amazing (I’m sure some people are shaking their heads sadly at me right now). I normally spritzed this on my face after I’d applied all my makeup to “soften things up”. Did it work? Maybe. But it also could make my skin look a little too dewy. I also used it to apply mineral eyeshadows or pigments and it will definitely intensify the colour of the shadows… but water does the exact same thing. A lot of people swear by this, but I personally haven’t repurchased it again.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original

Despite being into makeup as far back as I can remember, I had never used an eyeshadow primer until roughly 4 years ago. I couldn’t believe what I was missing out on! Suddenly my eyeshadow was no longer creasing by mid-day! Urban Decay’s Primer Potion was the first one I bought and still the only one I’ve used that I like. (I gave a MAC Paint Pot a shot, but that sucker creased on me pretty quickly.) I am curious to try out Too Faced‘s version, but I’ve been so happy with UD that I’ve been hesitant to even try. The tube above was probably my fourth tube and I already have another one already opened in my collection. For anyone interested, if I apply makeup 5-6 times a week, the tube will last me an entire year!

Revlon Colorstay – Combination/Oil – 220 Natural Beige

I had an odd relationship with this foundation. At first I hated Revlon Colorstay. It smelled like paint thinner, it felt awkward on my face (although it must be said that when I bought this, it was one of the first foundations I ever owned, so I was not accustomed to wearing foundation frequently) and I wasn’t really sure it was the right colour for my skin. And I’m still not sure it’s the right shade, but no one’s ever said to me it looked odd on my face. I eventually started to experiment with other foundations and stopped using this one… until I realized I still had a lot left in the bottle and I had better get to finishing it.

And suddenly, it was like the product was completely transformed. I suddenly LOVED Colorstay! The shade 220 Natural Beige was definitely not dark enough for the summer months on my tanned skin, but it was good for late spring and early fall as my tan started to fade. I loved the texture on my skin and I loved that it would hold up throughout an entire day. Compared to the other foundations I had started to experiment with, this was like pure gold!

I’ve since bought a lighter shade for the winter months but I’m not quite pale enough for it yet.

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Foundation in 220 Nude

This Whipped Creme foundation on the other hand, vexed me. First of all, why is THIS foundation called “220 Nude” whereas the one I just finished above, the liquid version, is called 220 Natural Beige. WHY DOES THE SAME NUMBER HAVE A DIFFERENT SHADE NAME? And there *is* a Natural Beige in the Whipped Creme formula, but it’s number 240! It doesn’t make any sense and it’s just confusing for consumers.

I bought 220 Nude last year while visiting a friend (and attending her wedding!) in the US before the product was commercially available in Canada. After much internet research, I settled on this particular shade because I thought it was lighter than 220 – Natural Beige (in the normal liquid version of Colorstay). In the end, I think it’s actually a tad darker and I ended up wearing it throughout the summer. I’m not even sure why I bothered to finish the product, as I didn’t particularly enjoy it although it did have good lasting power. It just didn’t compared to the liquid version I loved so much I suppose. I’m glad I tried it, but I won’t be getting it again.

L’Oreal Studio Secrets Professional Magic Perfecting Base

The sticker is gone from the product as I intended to reuse the jar for something else before I thought to throw it in my “Empties” bin, but this is L’Oreal‘s Magic Perfecting Base. It’s not exactly a primer, as it doesn’t actually say it is, but it is supposed to facilitating foundation application. This is one of those products where I really have to wonder if it actually helped with my application. Overall, I’d say no, BUT I did find that it seems to do a pretty good job of smoothing out my pores. I would apply it with my fingertips and smooth it over my skin and it really did feel nice to apply it. That being said, it’s an expensive product and it didn’t do enough to my skin to warrant repurchasing.

I *loved* this product. Physicians Formula Happy Booster Bronzer in Light was absolutely fantastic on my skin. It was a light tan shade with a slight (VERY slight) silver glow to it and it smelled of lavender. Since all of my other bronzers with shimmer in them are a decidedly golden shimmer, this felt very unique to me. I’m browsing Physicians Formula’s site right now and it doesn’t look like they carry this product anymore. 🙁

I received this as freebie from my mother who didn’t like it that much. I tried it once, twice, and then emptied the thing out of the container so I can return it to Lush later (for a free face mask). A Million Kisses tastes absolutely awful to me. The colour it gives the lips is quite pretty and I wish I could get over the scent/taste, but I can’t, and there’s no way I was going to ever finish that little tub.

Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Triple Moisture Body Cream

This is my second tube of B&BW‘s Warm Vanilla Sugar in the Triple Moisture Body Cream version. I prefer this over the regular lotion that comes in a different bottle as that one feels too liquidy to me. This cream is thick and smooths into the skin nicely. The scent also has pretty good lasting power, so if you put clothes on right after you’ve applied this product, be aware that it will linger for quite a while – probably into the next day! Will definitely repurchase this at some point.

For me, this is a much better choice when compared to Lush‘s Honey I Washed The Kidssoap. It’s the exact same scent, but It’s Raining Men lasts a lot longer than that bar of soap does. I originally bought this smaller 250ml bottle so I could test it out and see how I feel about it. Well, the verdict is in, because the 500ml bottle is sitting in my shower caddy!

This bottle doesn’t look empty, but it has about a third of it left and it’s gone really clumpy and hard to apply. It’s Alive is a polish from China Glaze‘s Halloween 2011 collection and it was absolutely stunning. It would go on smoothly and the chunks of glitter were absolutely gorgeous. It’s a shame the product eventually clumped up, I would’ve like to have kept this another year!

It’s no secret – I always wear glitter nail polish on my toes. I prefer silver, or rainbow/disco ball glitter, and have been doing so since my mid-teens. I don’t stick to a particular brand, but I did end up with three bottles of this Crush brand one (bought it at a Boathouse store, I’ve never seen the brand anywhere else) and this is the last of the bunch. The bottle is actually completely used up, even if it doesn’t appear that way. Since I have no brand loyalty for glitter polish, I probably wouldn’t repurchase again just so I could try something new.

Aveeno Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser

Not much to say about this other than that this is probably the 15th bottle I’ve owned. I buy Aveeno cleansers on a regular basis (any of them, they’re all excellent) and will continue to do so. They’re gentle on the skin and they smell nice. Winner.

I’ve seen people go on and on about these Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes as if they were the second coming. My verdict? They work and they don’t smell offensive. Are they my favouritest ones ever?!?! No, but I would repurchase them if they were on sale.

TRESemme Thermal Creations Heat Protectant

I actually have a bone to pick with this TRESemme heat protectant:

It weighs my hair down.

It doesn’t matter how much or how little I use, it ends up making my hair lay flat when I really didn’t want it to be doing that. It also definitely increased the greasiness of my hair which didn’t help my “lay flat” situation either. I’ll admit this is the first heat protectant I’ve ever used, but I’ve never had problems with dry, or damaged hair prior to using this, so I don’t even know what possessed me to buy this product in the first place. (Oh wait, I do know… everyone on YOUTUBE!) I know others seem to enjoy this product, so perhaps it really just wasn’t for me. But I have to ask… does anyone ACTUALLY notice a difference in their hair (in a positive manner) when they use a heat protectant spray? I sure didn’t notice my hair being any healthier than it was before. As a bonus though, it really does smell quite nice. But that’s not enough to make me repurchase this one.

Oh man, these are glorious. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t love Biore pore strips? I’ve been using these for about 15 years now and pulling these strips off my face never gets old. As a note, I use the ones made for the nose on my chin as well. I’ve found that the nose strips seem to have a stronger adhesive which makes the nose ones more successful at pulling out gunk from the pores on my chin as well as my nose. The strips made specifically for chins didn’t seem to have the same effect on me.

Phew! That was it! there was a lot more there than I had expected and I’m happy that I can finally actually throw out some of my trash!