Canadians! The wait is ALMOST over! IT Cosmetics is going to be launching in Canada in August! I have no exact date so far, but I attended a launch event here in downtown Toronto in June and they said that August was when it was all happening! I’ll keep you posted on an actual launch date, so stay tuned to my Twitter!
With the IT Cosmetics pre-launch event, we were sent home with some items to try and the first thing that caught my eye was this massive disc of product I had only ever experienced vicariously through US vloggers’ YouTube videos. Finally my time had come! I now owned the (just wait for this lengthy product name): Your Most Beautiful Your Anti-Aging Matte Bronzer, Radiance Luminizer & Brightening Blush Palette. It’s also branded with Live, Love, Laugh, which I think is a little bit of an easier format in which to refer to this product.
Anyway, just like its name, the Live, Love, Laugh compact comes with a whopping 22.22 grams of product. The bronzer is 11 grams, which is more than your average bronzer compact and each of the other two products have over 5.5 grams. I wish I had taken a photo of my hand over the product for scale, but please just trust me when I say this thing is ENORMOUS!
The way the product is laid out is really appealing (to me anyway!) and the mirror inside the compact is also jumbo sized which is so handy for daily use, or travel. The product itself is talc free and contains anti-aging hydrolyzed collagen, silk and peptides.
Swatched out, you can see how vivid the colours are on the skin. The blush and bronzer shades are slightly powdery (this isn’t a negative to me, but worth noting for those who care) and EXTREMELY pigmented. This is the kind of product where you’re going to want to whack your brush off first instead of going straight from the pan to your face! The highlighter is equally gorgeous and illuminating, but it’s not one of those super reflective highlighters we’ve seen on the market lately. It’s gorgeous, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more of a “lit from within” look as opposed to “hello my name is disco ball”.
On the face, this compact is everything I need and want in a bronzer and blush. The tones are extremely complementary and blend beautifully.
As previously noted, the highlighter isn’t SUPER reflective, but it’s still incredibly gorgeous and the it pairs well with the bronzer and highlighter. (Sidenote: the highlighter IS more reflective than my picture above is showing – I just didn’t capture it very well on camera.)
Final Thoughts
In summary? I love this enormous compact so, so much. It seems everyone was raving about it on YouTube for good reason! The IT CosmeticsYour Most Beautiful Your Anti-Aging Matte Bronzer, Radiance Luminizer & Brightening Blush Palette may have the longest product name I have ever encountered in makeup, but it is 100% worth the hype!
So far, this compact can only be purchased on Ulta.com for $38 USD but it will be available in Canada shortly!
The product featured in this post was given to me for consideration. Post may contain affiliate links.
With Halloween over, I can finally catch up on my backlog of posts to get through. I had hoped to have my Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix Challenge Week up this week, but it seems that isn’t happening, so that’ll be up next week! Till then, here’s a collection of looks that I wore at some point throughout October with a couple guest posts chucked in for good measure. Enjoy!
I wore this to a preview of the H&M Beauty Department and got a lot of compliments on it. It’s one of my favourite colour combos so I was really happy that others seemed to like it as well!
Eyes
MACIllusionary Burning Ambition Duo – used the white gold shade all over the lid.
InglotMatte 317 and Matte 338 mixed together on the outer half of the lid with a little bit of Urban DecayBlackout in the very outer corner.
Wet n WildBrule on the brow bone.
I created the winged liner with MAC‘s Blacktrack fludline and applied Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara to my lashes.
Face
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Blush: essencepinky flow
Highlighter: BeccaChampagne Pop
Lips: Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Maple
The Soul Sister glitter I picked up from Lit Cosmetics at IMATS is quite possibly the most beautiful glitter I’ve ever encountered. My shots don’t do it justice, but it’s primarily green with gold and copper flecks. It’s absolutely incredible.
Eyes
MAC Club all over the lid.
Inglot Pearl 418 on the outer half of the lid.
Lit Cosmetics Soul Sister glitter applied on top of Club.
Wet n Wild Brulee on the brow bone.
Urban Decay Perversion mascara is on my lashes.
Face
Bronzer: SST CosmeticsRadiant Finish Bronzer
Blush: HourglassIncandescent Electra
Highlighter: MACWhisper of Gilt
Lips: NYXSpongecake gloss
I was headed out to Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland and had to wear something festive. Because even though it may not be seen by anyone due to how dark it was, *I* still knew I was wearing something fun! And by the way? Canada’s Wonderland Halloween Haunt? TOTALLY worth it. I had so much fun!
Makeup Geek Bitten on the outer half of the lid and a bit through the crease. I also used this shade to line the lower lash line.
Makeup Geek Corrupt in the outer corner to deepen up the look.
Makeup Geek pigment in Utopia all over the lid. I used Too Faced’s Glitter Glue to make sure it stayed on my lid!
Makeup Geek Bleached Blonde on the inner tearduct.
Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
I created the winged liner with essence‘s easy 2 use jumbo eyeliner pen and tightlined both of my water lines with Maybelline‘s Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Eye Pencil in Sleek Onyx. I applied a few coats of Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara to my lashes and popped on some Ardell false lashes in the style 102 Black. I filled in my brows with Anastasia‘s Dipbrow in Taupe.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: IT cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream with SPF 50+ in Fair and Light mixed together
Bronzer: Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M
Blush: Clinique Cheek Pop in Cola Pop
Highlighter: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft & Gentle
Naked Cosmetics Ivory stack (white shade) on the inner tearduct.
MACCrystal Avalanche on the lid.
InglotMatte 325 on the outer half of the lid.
Urban DecayBlackout on the very outer corner to deepen it up.
Wet n WildBrulee to highlight the brow.
InglotMatte 317 on the outer edge of the lower lash line.
InglotMatte 343 right beside it to the halfway line of the lower lash line.
InglotMatte 370 beside it as well.
InglotMatte 383 as the very last colour on the lower lash line.
I used the Kat Von D Ink Liner in Neruda to create the wing and applied Urban Decay’s Perversion mascara to my lashes. I filled in my brows with NYX’s MicroBrow in Taupe.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Revlon ColorStay in 220 Natural Beige
Bronzer: Make Up For Ever Pro Bronze Fusion in 30M
Blush: Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat
One of my most popular posts was my Drugstore Foundation Roundup from 2013. At the time, I only owned drugstore foundations so it was a fairly inexpensive collection. I’ve now branched out a bit more and have a few new foundations to share.
I know colour matching can be difficult , so here’s a little information about my skin:
At MAC, I’m in the NW20/NC20 colour range.
My skin is mostly normal. I get a bit dry during the winter and a bit oily during the summer, but I’m never dry like the Sahara nor do I ever turn into a greasepit.
My veins appear blue, which means I have a cool undertone.
I wear foundation for aesthetic purposes, not to cover up blemishes. I do not have problems with acne. I also don’t wear foundation on a daily basis as I find it can make my skin itchy. (Make Up For Ever’s Smooth Primer helps prevent this.)
The inside of my arm (where the shades have been swatched) is infinitely lighter than my face.
My face is also not the same colour as my neck (which is lighter), so I don’t even bother trying to match the two since it make me look like I’ve got a pasty face.
Enjoy the comparison swatches and short reviews! There’s a full comparison swatch of every foundation at the very bottom of this post.
First up are my Revlon Colorstays. This used to be my absolute favourite foundation, but then they went ahead and changed the formula. The ones that smelled like paint thinner and had an SPF of 6 (the bottle on the left is the old formula) were amazing. The stuff would cover anything and everything and it looked better and better as the day went on. With the new formula, I don’t find the coverage is as longwearing nor does it wear as well throughout the day and that’s been very disappointing.
150 Buff and 200 Nude are in the Combination/Oily variety, whereas 220 Natural Beige is Normal/Dry Skin. If I’m honest, I don’t notice much of a difference between the two varieties.
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup is a recent addition to my collection and I got a shade that’s really only going to suit me in the middle of summer when I’m quite tan. Right now it’s wearable, but I have to blend it down my neck quite a bit. To me, this feels very lightweight and is easy to blend into the skin.
Definitely too dark for me right now though!
Oh Boots No7, I love you so, so much. I feel their colour matching technology (that gun thing they put on your face) is incredible and seems to nail my skin colour every time.
On the left is Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla. This is my absolutely FAVOURITE foundation. It’s exactly the kind of coverage I enjoy (light to medium with a somewhat dewy finish) and it feels fantastic. Cool Vanilla works for me when it’s late spring into summer.
On the right is Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory. This is my late summer into fall foundation. It’s way, WAY too dark for me right now, but it blends in seamlessly when I’ve got more of a tan. The only reason I didn’t pick up another Instant Radiance in this shade is that the Boots at Heathrow didn’t have Instant Radiance on hand. However, Stay Perfect is a gloriously matte foundation that works wonders at keeping me from looking sweaty.
Cool Vanilla is quite pink toned and Deeply Ivory looks (frighteningly) orange, but I assure you it really is a good suit for my tanned skin.
I’ve done a recent review on Bourjois‘ Healthy Mix Serum foundation so I’ll keep this short. I don’t know a single person that doesn’t like this foundation. It’s a soft (I guess that’s the gel?) liquid foundation that smells absolutely incredible and feels wonderful on the skin. It has a light to medium coverage. They’re considered drug store in the UK/Ireland, but they’re high end here in Canada. Absolutely worth the price tag though.
I will say that the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations do lean yellow and there aren’t an awful lot of shades. If they do suit your skin colouring though, get them!
Illamasqua‘s Skin Base was a panic purchase when I found out that the brand was leaving North America. The texture is very thick, surprisingly so, and yet it doesn’t feel thick on the skin. I have no idea how they managed to do that, but somehow it works. The name is apt too; Skin Base. It does feel like a second layer of skin and probably one of my more comfortable to wear foundations.
I have shade 6.5 and it does lean a bit orangey/yellow on me.
Last up are my it Cosmetics CC+ Creams with SPF 50+. They are hyped out the wazoo on YouTube, so I *had* to try them out. I picked up the shade Fair when I was in the US in April because Light was so incredibly dark. Of course, then I realized Fair was too pale and gotLight as well when I got back to Canada. Right now I’m in between both shades, so I mix them together to get the right tone. (Seriously, can you believe how dark Light is? I was astounded.) I love that there’s a huge amount of SPF in these, but I haven’t tested them enough to see how they perform through sweaty days.
I feel these ones have far more neutral colouring than my other foundations which is really, really nice.
Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff
Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude
Revlon Colorstay in 220 Natural Beige
Neutrogena Healthy Skin in 30 Buff
Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Boots No7 Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla
Illamasqua Skin Base in 6.5
it Cosmetics CC+ in Fair
it Cosmetics CC+ in Light
My Favourites
I feel you really can’t go wrong with the Boots No7 line or Bourjois‘ Healthy Mix Serums. They’re my favourite foundations to wear by far! How about you? Any top picks? Or anything in this list that you love or hate?
Another roundup of looks from the last few weeks. Enjoy!
The last one I have from our trip to Florida. I will never get enough of Peanut Butter as a transition shade, so beautiful!
Eyes (all Too FacedSemi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette)
Caramel all over the lid.
I screwed up the numbers! This area is still the same shade as #1 above.
Truffled in the outer corner.
Peanut Butter through the crease.
Coconut Creme on the brow bone.
On my lashes is Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Blush: AstorFeeling Feline (lip product used as a blush)
Holy crap. Wet n Wild‘s California Roll palette (limited edition from the Silverlake collection) turned out to be a stunner. I even managed to use every single shade from the palette in this look which is fairly awesome.
Eyes
(all from the Wet n WildCalifornia Roll palette, although the shades have no names)
Peach colour all over the lid.
Red shade on the outer corner of the lid.
Pale beige shade on the lid.
Shimmery beige on the inner corner.
On the lower lash line I applied the paler green shade on the inner half of the lid, and then the darker green on the outer half. To create the wing I used MAC‘s Blacktrackfluidline and applied Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Blush: MilaniCoral Cove
Highlighter: Hard CandyTiki
Lips: BenefitCoralista gloss
Oh wow. I was expecting Colour Pop‘s Bae to look something like MAC‘s Club, but it’s not at all the same. This is so much more intense with a high blue sheen. It’s really, really incredible.
Eyes
Colour PopBae all over the lid.
MACSketch on the outer corner and through the crease. Sketch is also smudged along the lower lash line.
Too FacedWhite Chocolate on the brow bone.
Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Make Up For EverPro Sculpting Duo #1
Blush: Physicians Formula Happy Booster in Natural
Highlighter: Make Up For EverPro Sculpting Duo #1
If it’s not already obvious, I often bust out neutral eyes just so I can wear bright lipstick. I feel like I know nothing about matching bright eyeshadows with bright lipstick, so I always default to a look like this when I want to neon on my lips.
Eyes
(all from the Sonia KashukEye on Neutral 02 palette)
Orangey-brown through the crease
Light peach all over the lid.
Dark brown and black on the outer corner.
Palest shade on the brow bone.
To create the wing I used Make Up For Ever‘s Ink Liner and then applied Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch to my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Blush: IllamasquaTweak
Highlighter: Too FacedCandlelight
Powder: HourglassEthereal Light
Lips: Too FacedMelted Candy
Playing around with some of my Colour Pop shades. The lid shade (Too Soon) is very similar to the Pink Sugar shade from the Too FacedSemi-Sweet Chocolate Bar palette, but actually applies to the lid the way the shade looks (as opposed to the glitter bomb that Pink Sugar is). So if you liked the look of Pink Sugar but hated how it applied, check out Colour Pop‘s Too Soon.
Eyes
(all Colour Pop)
Drift through the crease.
Too Soon all over the lid.
Adios in the outer corner.
One & Done on the brow bone.
Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: It Cosmetics CC Cream in Fair
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Blush: TarteNatural Beauty
Highlighter: Highlighting shade from the Make Up For EverPro Sculpting Duo #1
I knew this was going to be not only a super exciting month, but also a seriously spendy month. Not only was I in the US for a week, but there was also the Sephora VIB sale AND Makeup Geek was launching ten brand new foiled shadows (which, although I’ve ordered them, they won’t be here in time for this month’s haul, so you’ll see them all next month).
Buckle in. This is a long one.
First up was Colour Pop. I asked my parents-in-law (who reside in Wisconsin) if they would mind receiving a makeup order and then bring it to Florida where we would be vacationing with them mid-month. They consented, and this saved me a huge amount in shipping (it was free, versus the $40 I would’ve had to pay to ship it to Canada!). I opted for a lot of bright, warm shades since that’s just my “thing”.
I also snagged the Colour PopRebound quad because the shades just looked gorgeous and they had some neutrals which I hadn’t really added to my order yet. Too Soon is likeToo Faced‘s Pink Sugar (from the Semi-Sweet palette) but far more pigmented.
Unfortunately, once I got to Florida I realized that I had completely forgotten my moisturizer. I snagged Aveeno‘s Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer with sunscreen at Publix because I always default to Aveeno if I can purchase it!
Another necessity out in Florida. I hadn’t packed any kind of body moisturizer and I knew I was going to need something to soothe my skin after being out in the sun for so many hours a day. I’m not a huge fan of aloe vera scented anything, so I picked up the VaselineSpray & Go Cocoa Radiant because I’m already a huge fan of the scent, but I’ve also been wanting to try this spray stuff out. And frankly, I think it’s amazing. Super handy for vacation and light enough to not cause you to stick to everything.
I’m not a huge fan of these chubby style lip products, but I’ve heard EmilyNoel83 rave about these for years so I figured I should at least try one out. It’s… okay. It has a very (bear with me on this one) 80s plastic doll smell. If you grew up in the 80s and ever had My Little Ponies that also came with some kind of weird perfume, that’s what this smells like. It’s kind of a plastic vanilla with a fruity-twist scent. Very weird.
Another a “YouTuber made me buy it” situation. I’ve seen Amarixe wearing this over the last several years and since Neutrogena makeup isn’t available in Canada, I picked this up at Walgreens in Panama City as soon as I saw it.
Another brand I don’t have easy access to in Ontario! Walgreens had a small-ish display of Milani stuff, but enough items for me to pick through. I picked up their eyeshadow primer because neither my Urban Decay nor my NARS (alone) can seem to prevent my shadows from creasing anymore. I’ve used this three times and so far so good! I’ll have to use it more heavily to see just how long it holds up.
I had to really restrain myself with the Milani Bella eyeshadows. In the end, I picked a really weird random assortment of them. I’m fairly certain the grey one is Taupe, then Navy (I don’t know why I keep buying blue eyeshadows… I don’t think I even wear them that often), Rouge (because hello – red. Except it’s not red, it’s… magenta) and Copper.
One of the first things that was on my list of things to buy in the US was this Milani blush in Coral Cove. I mean, how was I going to say no to that? A beautiful coral shade pressed into the shape of a rose – stunning! Even more astounding is that this blush contains something ridiculous like 8 or 9 grams of product. That’s ENORMOUS!
We popped into Ulta at Pier Park in Panama City Beach, and while I was unimpressed with some of their brand selections (no Becca, no Lorac, barely any Ulta-exclusive kits), what I was happy with was their NYX display seemed to be relatively well stocked. NYX has been replicating a lot of Anastasia products lately, and I want to see how they compare. I snatched up the Tame & Frame in Blonde which looks gloriously grey. I hope it’s a good match for my brows – the grey looks better than the “pea soup” colour that usually gets assigned to blondes.
Another very similar item… NYX‘s Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe looks like the right tone for my brows. I’m eager to see how it compares to its Brow Wiz counterpart. The packaging is absolutely identical!
I’ve seen a lot of YouTubers go on about the IT Cosmetics CC Cream (in particular, Vintage or Tacky) so I grabbed Fair since it was the closest to my skin tone. I think it’s a hair TOO light, but the Light shade was so dang dark that there’s no way I could carry it off without a tan.
However, then the Shopping Channel had a $50 rebate for new customers, so I signed up for that and picked up the IT Cosmetics CC Cream in Light as well. Hilariously, the going price for the Canadian version was also $38, although in Canadian dollars. This makes the Canadian version a much better buy since the exchange rate is just flat out balls right now. Light is way too dark for me right now, but I think it’ll fare well in the summer months.
With Target leaving Canada, we had a few opportunities to go dumpster diving at insane prices. I didn’t manage to find this one myself, but Julie snatched it up at a Target that still had a lot of remaining stock. The Sonia KashukEye on Neutral 02 palette was one I had always wanted to purchase, but couldn’t really justify spending $20 on it. Imagine my surprise and pleasure when the clearance price was something just shy of five bucks! Huzzah!
Dear Shawna got us into the L’Oreal warehouse sale (this girl knows how to warehouse sales right), and while I didn’t really pick up many items, I did grab a few. First up was the GarnierSmoothing Cream Cleanser because I’m always interested in different face washes. I don’t have sensitive skin, so I’m pretty much free to try out whatever I want!
Also of interest to me at the warehouse sale was this Nourishing Cleansing Oil, also by Garnier. Aside from makeup removers, I’ve never really used anything oil based on my face so I’m curious to see how this plays out.
This thing. This thing is gross. Maybelline‘s Mega Plush mascara in Emerald Velvet just looked nasty on my lashes. I didn’t like the wand, I didn’t like the colour and I didn’t how it looked on me. I used it once and then threw it out. At least it was only two bucks!
You know you have good friends when they can pick you up an eyeshadow and know you’ll love it. Once again Julie pulled through and picked me up MAC‘s Strike While Haute which came out with the Red, Red, Red collection last year. I’ve only used it once, but it’s bright red and matte, and therefore I love it.
As beauty bloggers are apt to do, we buy products that we use once and then decide just aren’t for us. I already had the Urban DecayElectric palette in my cart for the Sephora VIB sale, but when Julie found out I was going to buy a new one, she offered up hers to me for $20. I was elated! It’s in near new condition and she was generous to offer it up for such a great price!
Frankly, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to buy it. Those shades are right up my alley!
A new launch from Wet n Wild saw the release of these pretty palettes. I’ve had a bastard of a time finding these in stores (they’re at Rexalls in Ontario), but… okay it feels like this entire post is about how Julie is my makeup supplier… she once again tracked these down like a bloodhoud for me. California Roll is my favourite so far – you cancheck out swatches for it here.
Alright… we’re getting down to the end, I promise… Sephora’s VIB Sale was also this month, which meant… I saved money right? Uh sure. Sure I did…
After watching a few tutorials on the Too FacedSugar Pop palette, I dropped it into my online cart without a second thought.
There will be an upcoming Challenge Week using this palette, I just gotta get my ducks in a row since we’re moving apartments this week so everything is everywhere at the moment!
Sephora’s sale is also a great time for me to add more Too FacedMelted lipsticks to my collection (I really do want to own them all). This time I snagged Coral (I’m long overdue on buying that one) and Strawberry. They’re both just as glorious as the other shades I own – I’m so happy to have them!
Do you ever feel you’ve been wanting a product for so long that, for whatever reason, you put off buying it? I don’t even know what the reasoning is for that, but that’s the case with this TarteNatural Beauty blush. I’ve wanted to pick this up for… going on four years now? I just never got around to it. I love how red it looks in the pan, but it goes on the cheeks in that perfect “I’ve been out in the cold weather” look. Gorgeous shade.
I completely ran out of my bottle of this stuff, so I had to buy another. Lavanila‘s Vanilla Grapefruit is one of those scents I just feel I could drink in day after day. I’m pretty sure I overdo it when I apply this to myself, but my god do I ever love the scent!
Another replacement item. Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper is almost my perfect liner, but not quite. It’s certainly the easiest to use – since it’s a pen style liner with a brush tip, this makes it perfect. What takes away from that perfectness is the fact that it’s not QUITE matte enough. It has a very slight sheen to it which has a tendency to pick up shimmery shadow from my lid and dull the colour of the liner. But that brush tip though… more companies need to get on this bandwagon. Felt tips just can’t compare.
I placed this order at the very end of March and couldn’t believe how long it took to get to Toronto. (Something like four weeks…) Duo lash glue just hasn’t been cutting it for me lately so I decided to go with the much raved about House of Lashes. Since I was already placing an order for the lash glue, I grabbed two pairs of falsies as well. Noir Fair($14), Bombshell ($7) and the lash glue ($8).
Another freebie from Julie. I haven’t had much luck with Illamasqua‘s shadows in this format, but I’ll give it a shot and see how it goes.
And a bunch of free Sonia Kashuk brushes because… why not. (and oh hey, another one from Julie)
Holy god… I’m done. No more! I hope you enjoyed my ridiculous month of purchases!
As a note, all items featured in any "What I Bought This Month" haul are products I either spent my money on, or that friends and family have given to me. They will never include items that were sent for consideration by PR.