Tag Archives: L’Oreal

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’s On My Face – Volume 37

May 13, 2015Makeup, TutorialsArdell, Bourjois, Catrice, ColourPop, essence, Hard Candy, Hourglass, House of Lashes, INGLOT, Kat Von D, L'Oreal, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek, NARS, NYX, Sleek, Too Faced, Urban DecayChelle

Loads of Makeup Geek (no surprise there), MAC and some Colour Pop thrown into the mix this week!

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My absolute favourite YouTuber – Sharon Farrell – does some ridiculously stunning makeup tutorials. She often has neutral makeup, but she knows how to bust out a bright look too. I fell in love with her Desert Sunrise tutorial when she posted it in January, but never got around to trying it out. I finally did, and I loved the results!

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Eyes

Makeup Geek Mesmerized through the crease.
Makeup Geek Sin City on the inner third of the lid.
Makeup Geek Roulette on the middle of the lid and on the middle of the lower lash line.
Makeup Geek Caitlin Rose on the outer corner and on the outer half of the lower lash line. The outer corner is also darkened up a bit with Makeup Geek Corrupt.
Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.
Inglot Matte 370 on the inner corner with L’Oreal Infallible in Goldmine on top.

I tightlined my inner lash lines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner and used the same product to line my upper lash line. I applied Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch mascara to my lashes and then added in some individual Ardell lashes.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: MAC Ripe Peach
Highlighter: Make Up For Ever Pro Sculpting Duo #1

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I pulled out this “traditional” look because I was headed to my cousin’s baby shower and wanted to wear something flattering (the eyeshadows) while still wearing a really bold colour on the lips.

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Eyes

Makeup Geek Grandstand all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Cocoa Bear on the outer corner and through the crease.
Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on the browbone.

I created the wing with Catrice‘s Dating Joe Black liner and applied Make Up For EverSmoky Stretch mascara to my lashes. I then added in some Bombshell lashes by House of Lashes (my first time wearing House of Lashes… and holy crap I’m in love!).

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: I think it was Hourglass Diffused Heat, but I’m not positive.
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: MAC Relentlessly Red

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A quick re-post for posterity… I did this pastel rainbow look for Workaday Ramblings for April’s guest post.

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Eyes

Too Faced Milk Chocolate through the crease.
MAC Sushi Flower on the inner corner of the lid.
Inglot Matte 334.
MAC Fade.
Sleek Cricket on the outer corner.
MAC Dazzlelight to highlight the brow.

I used MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline to create the wing and then tightlined my upper waterline with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. I coated my lashes with Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla
Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: essence Pinky Flow
Highlighter: Hard Candy Tiki
Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in Eclair

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Jill of Beauty Vixen was headed off to Mexico, so I helped her out with this look that was inspired by the flag of Mexico.

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Eyes

Makeup Geek Creme Brule through the crease.
Makeup Geek Whites Lies on the inner half of the lid.
MAC Landscape Green pigment on the outer half of the lid.
Makeup Geek Bling on the brow bone.

I created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline and then tightlined my upper and lower lash lines with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. On my lower lash line I applied MAC‘sStrike While Haute eyeshadow and blended it out the edges with Makeup Geek‘s Creme Brule. On my lashes is Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shade 52 Vanilla
Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: essence Life’s a Cherry
Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt
Lips: NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella

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Stop the presses! I have been after a neon red eyeshadow for a very long time. A lot of shadows have come close, but have never really quite hit the mark. Then came alongColour Pop‘s Erotic, and suddenly my search is over! Technically it’s a pressed pigment, but that’s never scared me away from using a product on my eyes. Erotic is incredible – it’s a neon red that has tiny specs of orange and pink glitter.

Eyes

So the eye look is easy on this one – the only shadow I’m wearing is Colour Pop‘s Erotic! I then created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and lined my inner rim withUrban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. On my lashes is Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: MAC Warm Soul with Milani‘s Coral Cove on top
Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt

Shopping My Stash for Marsala

January 12, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesColour of the Year, L'Oreal, MAC, Makeup Geek, NYX, PantoneChelle

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I don’t know who decided they were in officially in charge, but every year Pantone picks a colour of the year. Sometimes it seems to follow trends, and sometimes it seems totally offbase. (Where the hell did Radiant Orchid (2014) come from anyway? I mean really.) This year we got blessed (lol) with Marsala.

Introducing MARSALA Pantone 18-1438. A naturally robust and earthy wine red, Marsala enriches our minds, bodies and souls.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that’s not the colour of any red wine I drink. This is more of a lazy brick colour. Too much of the brown, not enough of the red. I guess we have Kylie Jenner to thank for this colour.

Leaving out my opinions regarding the Kardashians seemingly influencing this colour of the year, I have to say it’s not bad. It’s an unexciting shade, but it’s very, very workable. I know none of us truly care about the colour of the year, as it certainly won’t be impacting anyone’s makeup or clothes after the month of January, but I wanted to see what the hell I had in my stash that would come close to this colour.

MAC Mystical lipstick and NYX Spongecake gloss

First up are the lip products. MAC‘s Mystical was from this past year’s summer collection and it was about the only lipstick shade I had that fit into the Marsala zone. More of a pink tinge on this one, but it makes it infinitely more wearable on my skin.

NYX‘s Spongecake surprised me. I’d never think of this guy as even remotely brick-coloured, but when I compare it to the Marsala swatch above, it comes out surprisingly close. More orange-toned, for sure, but still in the “zone”.

Unfortunately Mystical was a limited edition item but Spongecake is a year ’round drugstore item for those who have NYX available to them.

This blush is such an odd one to me. MAC‘s Sea Me, Hear Me (yet again, limited edition) looks pinky-er in the pan, orangey-er on my skin and yet somehow still appears “more Marsala” than anything else I owned.

Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mahogany

My favourites of the bunch are the eyeshadows. I’m really hoping that people learn to experiment with eyeshadow more and embrace reds, or even just brick reds, on their lids. Red eyeshadow, or any shadow in that family, has a very special place in my heart: It can be a flattering colour or an incredibly loud one depending on how you pair it.

l-r: Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mal-r: Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mahoganyhogany — l-r: Makeup Geek Bitten and L’Oreal Golden Mahogany

Makeup Geek‘s Bitten is a longstanding favourite of mine and a must-have shade from the brand. I think it fits best with the Marsala theme out of anything I own, so at least I can feel trendy while wearing it.

L’Oreal‘s Infallible in Golden Mahogany is slightly more electrifying however. It definitely adds far more red into the mix, and coupled with that shine, it’s a stunner.

So while I’m not jumping for joy about a colour of the year, I am interested to play around with the colour and see what combinations work out best for me. I hadn’t done it intentionally, but when I look at the blue of the Alluring Aquatics collection mixed with the colour of marsala, I’m thinking I could really work with those together.

How about you? Is this something that interests you? Have you got products that fit into the colour of the year theme?

What’s On My Face – Volume 26

October 27, 2014Makeup, TutorialsBoots No7, Dermacol, essence, Hard Candy, Hourglass, INGLOT, L'Oreal, MAC, Makeup Geek, Nicka K, NYC, NYX, Revlon, Sephora, Tarte, Too Faced, Urban DecayChelle

I’ve been having “blah” kind of makeup days lately. A lot of neutrals, with brighter lip shades (tis the season?) but it’s actually starting to make me feel a bit depressed. With the darkness in the morning, I have far less desire to get out of bed. And because of that, I spend a lot less time on my makeup, which means not only boring looks (to me), but it also means sometimes I don’t even have enough time to take pictures of my makeup before I dart out the door to work. Sigh. Beauty blogger problems? I don’t know. I’m looking forward to DST ending so I can get an extra hour of that sun in the mornings (uhhh that is how that works right? I think I mess this up every year…), because right now, the only relatively suitable light I have to take pictures is at 7:55-8:05 a.m., which is when I’m supposed to be out the door!

So I tried to spice it up and do some interesting things every now and then. This is a mix of “meh” and “oooo”. I hope you find something you like!

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Let’s start out with my favourite! Themed after one of my favourite candies of the Halloween season: candy corn!

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Eyes

I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk all over the lid, blended it out, then:

Makeup Geek White Lies on the inner third of the lid and pulled around the tearduct.
Inglot Matte 370 on the middle third of the lid.
Inglot Matte 383 on the outer third of the lid and on the outer corner of the lower lash line.

Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing with Urban Decay Perversion mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: Hard Candy Skinny Dipping
Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Cheesecake

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While I love this shadow, this is what I mean when I say I’m too damn lazy to get out of bed in the morning. This is basically a one eyeshadow look with no liner. Not something I’m fond of, but this colour certainly gets the job done!

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Eyes

L’Oreal Infallible in Golden Mahogany all over the lid and blended up through the crease.
MAC Blanc Type to highlight the brow.

On my lashes is Estee Lauder‘s Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume Mascara.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: MAC Gingerly
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
Lips: Sephora Color Reveal Balm in Unique Pink

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I actually did this in 2012, but never got around to posting it. I believe I wore it to work on Halloween that year.

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MAC Coppering all over the lid.
I then used a piece of tape to create the sharp outer edge, and then blended appliedUrban Decay Blackout to the outer corner.
MAC Brule was used to highlight the brow.

L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara is on my lashes.

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These are the kinds of looks I just don’t gravitate towards, but they’re a heck of a lot simpler to put together in the morning!

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Eyes

L’Oreal Infallible in Tender Caramel all over the lid.
MAC Copperplate on the outer corner and through the crease.
MAC Shroom on my brow bone.

On my lashes is Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Cheeks: Hourglass Mood Exposure
Lips: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul

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Another easy one. Whack on boring eyeshadows, a super bright liner and tada!

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Eyes

MAC Blanc Type on the lid and on the brow bone.
MAC Copperplate in the outer corner and crease.

Nicka K Shimmer Eyeliner in Green to create the wing with Dermacol Party Time mascara on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: NYC Fire Island Tan
Blush: essence Pinky Flow
Lips: Revlon Pink Velvet

What I Bought This Month – September 2014 Haul

September 29, 2014HaulsArdell, Astor, Barry M, Boots No7, Catrice, Dermacol, e.l.f., Embryolisse, essence, Gabriella Salvete, L'Oreal, MAC, Makeup Geek, NYX, Sephora, Soap & Glory, Tarte, Too FacedChelle

Settle in folks, this is another doozy of a haul. I spent almost two weeks in September travelling in Europe and this meant getting to dabble in makeup brands that I don’t have access to in Canada. I picked up a lot of different brands and products overseas, as well as a few new releases here in Canada/US.

Makeup Geek Vegas Lights palette ($37.99 USD)

The most exciting thing I picked up was the brand new Makeup Geek Vegas Lights palette. I hemmed and hawed over this sucker for a little while, but in the end splashed out for it. I love Marlena of Makeup Geek, and I *love* her eyeshadows.

Vegas Lights: Casino, Sin City, Roulette, Mirage, Desert Sands, Bada Bing

The colours in this palette are right up my alley – specifically Sin City and Roulette. The bottom row really helps ground any look you can come up with this palette. I’m impressed thatMakeup Geek managed to put out a palette that actually has serviceable neutrals along with some beautifully coloured shadows. I think this palette is limited edition, in which case, consider picking this up before it’s completely gone!

Makeup Geek shadows: Chickadee, Glass Slipper, Shark Bait ($5.99 USD each)

When I put in the order for the Vegas Lights palette, I also put a few shadows in the order. I have this (completely useless) idea of collecting all the Makeup Geek shadows so had to plug in a few more for this order.

MAC Chromacake in Landscape Green ($31 CAD)

For this year’s Halloween costume, I’m going as Gamora from the Guardians of the Galaxy. Because of Gamora’s green skin, I’m going to need a heck of a lot of coverage so I hopped on over to the MAC Pro store and picked up a Chromacake in Landscape Green. I’ve never used a Chromacake before, or any kind of body paint before, but I’m hopeful that this will turn out well.

The lady at the MAC Pro store was kind enough to give me an insanely generous sample of Landscape Green pigment to match my Chromacake. In fact, she gave me so much pigment I was actually able to mix it with alcohol and press it into an eyeshadow pan. Very handy!

I’ve been loving the Autumn Peach blush by essence that I was previously sent, that I wanted to check out the other shades. Life’s a Cherry is a lovely pink veering on red shade. I think the lighting on the shot above really doesn’t make it across right, but so far I am loving this other essence blush as well.

e.l.f. Disney Ariel Eye Collection ($5 USD)

The Disney Ariel collection was never released in Canada as far as I could see, so a friend in the US shipped a bunch of the products up to me. The eyeshadows aren’t bad, but that eyeliner is absolute crap.

e.l.f. Disney Ariel Bronzer & Mini Kabuki Brush ($5 USD)

The brush on this one is far too scratchy, but the bronzer is fairly nice. Pretty glittery, but still useable.

And lastly from the Ariel collection, a couple pairs of false lashes. They’re regular Ardell lashes but specially packaged up for this Little Mermaid collection.

My wonderful friend Sara whom I was vacationing with in Prague managed to snag me a few goodies in the US that she very kindly brought over for me. She managed to get an awesome deal on the Tarte Rainforest After Dark palette.

Having only ever tried Tarte’s blushes and bronzer, I was curious how their eyeshadows would perform. There are some lovely shades in here, but the palette on its own needs help. There’s no matte brow shade that works for me (the light pink is too dusty of a pink colour) and the pale lavender-grey is actually quite sheer and requires a lot of packing on. That being said, this sucker is super handy. The browns on the right side are wonderfully pigmented, the bronzer and the highlighter are wonderful and the blush is like all of Tarte’s blushes – easy to blend and looks great on my cheeks. This palette is wonderful for a full face – something quite rare in a palette of this size.

I had bought NYX‘s Butter Lipstick in Fizzies back in March but had managed to mangle it when I took it out to a club one night with me. The bullet broke in half and no matter what I did, I couldn’t put it back together. Since NYX‘s Butter Lipsticks still aren’t available in Canada, once again Sara managed to pull through and picked me up a tube in the US. Here’s hoping I don’t break this one as well.

Too Faced Melted Lipsticks in Melt Berry and Melted Candy ($21 USD, each)

She also snagged me two of the newer shades of the Too Faced Melted lipsticks. I haven’t actually tried any yet, but I’d been lusting over them for several months. As they’re cheaper in the US, I broke down and had her buy me two – Melted Berry and Melted Candy. Melted Candy is AMAZING. It’s almost fluorescent and shows up amazingly in pictures.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul (free)

And finally, she also kindly gave me a few products that hadn’t worked out for her. NYX‘s Soft Matte Lip Cream is a product I’ve heard about constantly over the years, but had never picked one up. The colour above is Istanbul and I’m excited to try it out.

NYX Butter Gloss in Red Velvet and Fortune Cookie (free)

And lastly, Sara handed over two NYX Butter Lip Glosses that hadn’t worked for her. (Shock, horror!) I’ll always happily add more of these to my collection!

Soap & Glory Lid Stuff in What’s Nude (£10 GBP)

I had a layover at Heathrow on my way to Prague and made a mad dash for the Boots they had in one of the terminals. Thankfully, this particular Boots had Soap & Glory makeup products and I was able to pick up their Lid Stuff eyeshadow quad in What’s Nude.This is a handy quad to bring along with a super bright palette, quite similar to one of the Urban Decay Naked Basics.

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker in Raplumzel (£8 GBP)

Also from Soap & Glory is their Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Raplumzel. This is completely unlike any other balm sticks I own. It’s way more buttery and soft, very reminiscent of a Revlon Lip Butter except that this smells like caramel or something. Delicious!

Boots No7 Stay Perfect Foundation in Deeply Ivory (£14.50 GBP)

Boots’ own brand No7 was having a deal on where if you spent enough money, you’d get a free goodie bag. I was interested in picking up more foundation from No7 as I already use their Instant Radiance foundation quite often. I got re-colour matched with their fancy handheld device and they paired me up with Deeply Ivory, two shades darker than what I had been previously using. I really love just how well the colour match seems to work with this brand, I’ve never been disappointed! I have zero idea if the technology is the same, but I’ve found that the Boots one gives me accurate results whereas the one from Sephora is seriously dodgy.

Boots No7 Lipstick in Sweet Copper (£9.95 GBP)

The lady at the Boots counter was doing colour matching to “find your perfect shade of lipstick”. I’m sure this suckers some women in, but it was really just about colour matching your skin and then finding a few shades that seem to match it based on some card they had. I thought it was basically a bunch of garbage, but I picked out a colour I didn’t think I had (yeah right) and it turned out to be Sweet Copper. Beautiful shade and I really love the consistency.

Boots No7 Exquisite Eyes Gift with Purchase (free)

And because I’d spent enough money on their No7 line, they gave me this set. It includes a mascara, an eye pencil, a brush and a shadow.

Barry M Nail Paint in Diamond Glitter (£2.99, each)

I spotted the Barry M display and snagged the last two Diamond Glitters left on the display. I had previously gone through an entire bottle of it and I knew I loved it. I was happy to re-stock this in my collection because I can’t get Barry M in Canada.

Because I had loved the Too Faced Melted lipsticks that Sara had brought me up from the US, that I ran out at bought Melted Nude in Prague. Bonus being that it was on sale (price above is the non-discounted price) and it was cheaper than I could even get it in Canada. Sold!

This one was a necessity. I had forgotten my eyelash curlers at home and had to pick up a pair while on vacation. I’ve been using Tweezerman ones for years and I guess I just assumed eyelash curlers are supposed to pinch your eyes? Wrong, so wrong. I was happy to discover that Sephora‘s eyelash curlers are wonderful! No pinching of my lids at all! Think I’ll be throwing out my Tweezerman ones immediately.

Now this was interesting! I picked this up at Rossman, one of the drugstores in the Czech Republic, because I had read that L’Oreal regular liquid version was similar to Bioderma‘s micellar liquid. This is the gel format and I’m curious to see how this works in comparison with my other makeup removers.

Picked up Dermacol‘s Soft Heel Balm solely because of the packaging. I have nasty heels and anything I can use to repair them is definitely right up my alley.

I wish I’d bought more Dermacol, but I didn’t actually realize that they were a Czech brand until very late into my trip. This was another item bought purely because the packaging screamed at me. Not opened yet because I have a bunch of other mascaras I need to finish up first.

essence blush up! in Heat Wave and Pinky Flow (105 Kč, each)

Snagged these two up because I’ve never seen them in Canada! Bush ombres are just way too pretty to pass up and the one on the left looks like a dupe for MAC’s Ripe Peach, a blush I had never managed to get my hands on.

Astor Lipcolor Butter in Feeling Feline (169.90 Kč)

Hot pink, slightly sheer and called Feeling Feline! We had to go to three or four DM stores before we finally found one that hadn’t already been used. I also like how it’s not cut at the top like all the other chubby stick lip products.

Catrice Liquid Liner in Dating Joe Black (94.90 Kč)

Nikkie of NikkieTutorials claims this is better than Make Up For Ever’s liquid liner. Sold!

Gabriella Salvete Glitter Enamel (89.90 Kč)

Yet another 3D silver glitter polish to add to my collection! I think this one is textured though.

Gabriella Salvete Liquid Eyeliner in Black (129.90 Kč)

I really don’t need more black liquid liner, but this one claims that it’s matte. I’ve yet to meet a liquid liner that’s actually matte, but hey, I’m willing to give it a shot!

My brother brought this over from France as I was getting low on the one I had back in Toronto. I had thought this was around 7 or 8 euros, but it turns out it’s a lot more expensive than that. I wonder if the price got jacked up recently?

That’s it for this post! There were a few things I picked up in Vienna that I don’t have on me now (forgot them in the car, my friend in Germany is going to mail them to me) so they’ll be in next month’s post.