Tag Archives: MAC

Skincare Saturday: What’s In My Bathrooms?

Guest bathroom
Guest bathroom

I think we’re all a little bit curious as to what products people keep – be it in their bags, showers, makeup collection, etc. – so I thought I’d take you on a quick tour of my two bathrooms and the products I keep on the counters and in the medicine cabinets.

Sidenote: There’s a lot of PR products in here and most of them I’ve reviewed in the past. I’ll put a star (*) beside each product that was sent to me so you’ll know!

The first bathroom is our guest bathroom and, out of the two we have, it’s the one we use the least (which means it stays clean the longest!).

Guest bathroom - sink area
Guest bathroom – sink area

I like the idea of keeping a fairly clean counter in the guest bathroom (our ensuite is much different) so I don’t have a ton of stuff on display. Tis the season for Live Clean holiday hand soaps, so I’ve got their Vanilla Peppermint hand soap* out for use. I also keep the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Lotion* out in case someone is feeling dehydrated and needs a skin boost.

In my opinion, no bathroom is complete without Q-tips and cotton rounds, so those are there as well!

Guest bathroom - medicine cabinet
Guest bathroom – medicine cabinet

It’s a little bit empty inside the mirrored medicine cabinet, but that’s fine by me! I’ve got a handy Febreze in there because no one likes to leave a bathroom feeling ashamed (more specifically… in someone else’s house!) and honestly that Febreze is about six years old at this point. Those things last forever!

I’ve also got some QUO nail polish remover – I always opt for the hydrating ones if I can find them. Some more lotion in there – Avon‘s Skin So Soft Aqua Express* (love the smell of this one!) and the Be Delectable Hand Cream. Since I also wash my makeup brushes in the guest bathroom, I’ve also got a huge bottle of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo which is my go-to for makeup brush cleaning.

Ensuite bathroom
Ensuite bathroom

Time to move on to our ensuite and this one is a lot more jam packed with products! Once again with the Q-tips and cotton rounds, but this time I’ve got a Bath & Body Works hand soap in Crisp Morning Air which is one of my favourite autumnal scents.

Ensuite bathroom - counter
Ensuite bathroom – counter

To the right of the sink is a lineup of products that I use daily… or that I try to use up (namely some of the hair stuff).

  • The Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Cleansing Pads* are one of my favourite quick face washes. The pads come soaked with face wash and have a textured side so you can really scrub at your face.
  • Dermal Therapy Heel Care is VITAL to me. I get heel cracks and this is the only product that will heal them.
  • Bioderma Micelle Solution in Hydrabio* – an absolute daily necessity for me. Helps to clean up my makeup mistakes and great for removing any makeup or oil residue at the end of the day.
  • Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Soap – I usually wash my face in the shower (where I keep another face wash), but if I’m not showering that day I’ll reach for this face wash. It’s kinda neat – it foams up like shaving cream, and thankfully does not smell like eggs!
  • Infusium 23 Leave-in Conditioner*: LOVE this stuff. I was a huge fan of the shampoo and conditioner, but I used those up a while ago. So now I’m finishing up the leave-in conditioner which I spray on my hair when I’m out of the shower. Helps detangle my very-much-in-need-of-a-haircut, far-too-long-hair right now!
  • Sun Bum Sea Spray* – I love using this during the summer to give me some crunchy, salty beach waves!
  • Living Proof Instant Texture Mist – Not a huge fan of this one, so I’m trying to use it up. I much prefer the volumizing cream.
  • Sunsilk Thermashine leave in conditioner: This is actually a bottle of water that I use to wet my hair if I got a kink in it and need to re-style it. I miss Themasilk/Sunsilk though. They were my absolute favourite hair brand through the 90s and 00s.
  • Pantene hairspray – I’m not fussy when it comes to hairspray so I just buy the biggest can out there and it lasts me forever since I only use it when I curl my hair.
Ensuite bathroom - medicine cabinet
Ensuite bathroom – medicine cabinet

Straight into the medicine chests!  There’s a hell of a lot in here, so I’ll keep it brief. I’ll also only be mentioning the products that are mine (which uh…. is most of them).

  • Secret Deodorant: Spring Breeze is my favourite scent and I haven’t strayed from it in about a decade!
  • Sekkisei Enriched Lotion*: Using this as my daily toner. It seems fine, but I don’t notice much of a difference in my skin. I do like using toners for some reason though.
  • Lierac Hydragenist Spray*: I don’t use this super often, but it’s a great hydrating spray when you need an extra boost.
  • Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Oil: It works really well at breaking up makeup, but I do notttt like the smell of it.
  • Marcelle Gentle Makeup Remover for Sensitive Eyes: The BEST makeup remover in the world, hands down. Been using this for more than ten years and they had better continue to make this throughout my entire lifespan!
  • MAC Cleansing Oil: Tiny baby sample I got with one of my orders.
Ensuite bathroom - medicine cabinet
Ensuite bathroom – medicine cabinet

And the last two shelves… phew!

  • Clinique Pep-Start Eye Cream*: I use it… but I have no idea if it’s doing anything like removing wrinkles. It does help to rehydrate my eyes if I’ve worn makeup too much that day though.
  • Bioderma Hydrabio Gel-Creme*: Super moisturizing. I tend to put this on on days where I don’t wear makeup.
  • The Body Shop Drops of Youth – Youth Concentrate Serum*: Just trying to use this serum up. It’s okay, but it tightens my pores and I’m not a huge fan of that sensation.
  • tarte Lip Facial* and Mary Kay Satin Lips*: Two lip scrubs I just pulled out but haven’t used yet (just finished my Lush one the night before).
  • Korres Wild Rose Face Oil*: Almost done with this one and I really like it! It’s lightweight so you can wear this one throughout the summer as well. I usually apply it a few times a week at night.
  • Maison Jacynthe Eau Florale de Lavande*: I’m not huge into lavender, but the scent of this is refreshing and soothing. I occasionally mist my face with it in the mornings for a boost.
  • Embryolisse Emulsion Hydra-Mat*: This stuff is WILD. Super moisturizing but also mattifying. I don’t know how that works, but it does!
  • Bioderma Hydrabio Creme*: Feeling seriously dehydrated? This is the moisturizer for you! I only apply this at night because it’s SO thick and does’t play well under makeup.
  • Philosophy Take A Deep Breath*: This is a lovely gel cream that is my current daily moisturizer. It works really well under makeup, smells nice and is hydrating.
  • Embryolisse Eclat du Regard*: Super buttery eye cream that I’ve used a handful to times, but will be in full rotation when I finish up the Clinique one

Phew! That’s it! When I thought of this idea for a post, I hadn’t really stopped to consider just how many products I have in my bathrooms! Hope you liked the quick tour of the products I’m currently using on the daily. 🙂

Post contains affiliate links.

MAC Snow Ball Holiday 2017 – Here Comes Joy (Review & Swatches)

MAC Face Powder (Opalescent) in Here Comes Joy

There are some products and packaging that simply take my breath away… and the entire launch of MAC‘s Holiday 2017 collection did that to me. Called “Snow Ball”, the entire collection is a gorgeous scintillating mixture of beautiful products and stunning packaging.

MAC Face Powder (Opalescent) in Here Comes Joy
MAC Face Powder (Opalescent) in Here Comes Joy

I mean, come on – just look at that! It’s a muted gold-silver packaging that feels smooth to the touch but has a kind of crackled-foiled appearance.

Just look at that snow-etched detail!
Just look at that snow-etched detail!

And when you look even closer… it looks like snow frosted on a window or car hood! It’s beautiful, ethereal and so simply stunning that I’m surprised they have done something like this sooner for their packaging. It suits the name Snow Ball so well!

MAC - Here Comes Joy
MAC – Here Comes Joy

Anyway, enough about the (gorgeous) packaging! Although I wanted the entire collection, I really tailored down what I was getting and opted for the Face Powder (Opalescent) in Here Comes Joy. Here Comes Joy is a peachy-gold with shimmer that MAC says “transforms cheeks into pearly orbs that light up the night. Adds the perfect high-impact shimmering glow to skin”. There is a gold highlighter as well, but I have enough golds in my life so I wanted something a bit more unique.

MAC - Here Comes Joy
MAC – Here Comes Joy

What threw me off a bit about this powder initially is that it’s labeled as a face powder. Not a highlighter, not an extra dimension finish and not a skinfinish – a face powder. So I was a little bit worried about how strong the highlight was going to be. We’re so used to the screamingly bright highlighters that something that seems softer may not fit the bill of what I was wanting.

MAC - Here Comes Joy - swatch
MAC – Here Comes Joy – swatch

Swatched out, Here Comes Joy is definitely a peach-to-gold shifting colour. The pigmentation did seem strong and it definitely looked like there was quite a sheen on it.

Wearing MAC - Here Comes Joy
Wearing MAC – Here Comes Joy

But uh… where did it go on my cheeks? I mean, it IS there – there is a slight sheen bouncing light off the top of my cheekbones.. but it’s not enough for me. In person, Here Comes Joy is a soft, subtle highlighter that is perfect for people who want a “lit from within” look. For me? It’s just not enough (and I applied it HEAVILY here!).

Final Thoughts

I wanted to love this product so badly – the packaging, the beautiful imprint, even the shade of it is beautiful. But, in the end, Here Comes Joy just doesn’t have enough reflective properties to make me want to use this with any kind of regularity. I wore this highlighter for a week straight trying to make myself fall in love with it… and I was just never satisfied with how my cheekbones looked. I kept wanting to reach for something more vibrant, more luminescent to add on top of it.

All that being said… if you dislike the beaming bright highlighters that become such an enormous trend in the last few years because they’re just too much, then this might be a product suited more towards you.

The MAC Face Powder (Opalescent) in Here Comes Joy can be purchased on nordstrom.com for $34 USD. Oddly, Nordstrom refers to this as a “Impalpable Glare Powder”… which uh… is not listed on my packaging at all.

Holiday 2017: What I’m Buying & Passing On

It’s my absolutely favourite time of the makeup year because the holiday collections are coming at us hard and fast! There’s always so much to choose from, and I usually end up making a shortlist (errr something longlist…) of things I want and what I’m going to pass on. Here’s how my list stacks up so far.

The “To Buy” List

KAT VON D Everlasting Mini Liquid Lipstick Set

Starting off with the set I’ve already purchased – the Kat Von D Everlasting Mini Liquid Lipstick Set! I *loved* this set last year and was so, so excited to see that they’ve brought it back again this year. What’s even more amazing is that there isn’t a single duplicated shade from the previous year! I prefer minis because there’s no chance in hell I’ll be finishing a full sized tube any time soon. If you want to see swatches from this year’s line up, I’ll have a full video posted to my YouTube channel tomorrow.

Sigma Creme de Couture Eyeshadow Palette

This is another item I’ve already purchased and it’s currently in transit to me. The Sigma Creme de Couture palette will be my first foray into Sigma products, and it’s long overdue! This palette is actually a re-release from about five years ago. Back then, I had seen Leesha of xsparkage rave about this palette in multiple videos, but I had never pulled the trigger on purchasing it. Since it was limited edition, the palette eventually sold out before I decided to buy it. AND I WAS SO REGRETFUL! Several years passed, and they never restocked it, so it truly felt like one of the ones that got away. Imagine my surprise when, five or six years later, they’ve decided to re-release it! I couldn’t believe it – I’ve never seen a brand do something like this half a decade later! Of course I snatched it up and am eagerly awaiting it in the mail.

Too Faced Unicorn Survival Kit

This one is causing me a little bit of panic because I haven’t seen any kind of release date advertised anywhere AND the Too Faced Unicorn Tears lipstick is an Ulta exclusive item. So does that mean this will only be available at Ulta?? Either way, the Too Faced It’s available on Ulta.com now MUST BE MINE. I’ve been itching to get the Unicorn Melted Latex (which was only recently released on Too Faced‘s web site) and I’m dyyyying to see what that blue-ish-purple highlighter looks like!

UPDATE: It’s available on Ulta.com now! Go get it quickly because I don’t know how much stock they have and they sold out REALLY fast on TooFaced.com!

Too Faced Gingerbread Melted Matte

Ohhh yes! Last year Too Faced released a specially scented Candy Cane Melted Matte with pretty packaging, and this year they’re bringing it back in a Gingerbread version. I really love that they’re creating one new shade and throwing some scent and pretty packaging on it. It feels like a makeup Christmas ritual to me now, and I will be really happy to add this to my collection!

Too Faced White Chocolate Bar Palette

This one isn’t actually released yet, but I did receive press information to indicate that this would be released with part of their holiday 2017 lineup. Does the makeup world need another chocolate bar palette? No, probably not. Am I going to get it anyway? Yes, absolutely. I’ll admit the colour assortment in this palette is very odd. I felt like it could’ve done with more pastel brights, but I’ll wait to reserve complete judgement until I’ve tried it out myself. Still, I have to keep my Too Faced Chocolate Bar family together right??

Stila Glitter & Glow Set

I’m about thirty seconds away from screaming bloody murder at this set. I WANT IT SO FREAKING BAD, and yet Sephora Canada has had it out of stock on their web site for going on three weeks now. Although it’s never actually shown up on the Canadian site, it’s readily available on the US side. I freaking LOVE the Stila liquid glitters and I have about four of them in the full size tubes. This set is great because it’s got six shades in mini format so you get a lot of bang for your buck. NOW IF ONLY IT WOULD COME IN STOCK ON SEPHORA.CA! ARGH!

Tarte Tartelette Toasted

Oh man, I want to get my hands on this one so badly too! The tarte Tartelette in Bloom came out of nowhere and slapped me in the face with how good it was, so I cannot wait to see how the Toasted palette is! The shades in this one are a bit more up my alley (although very similar to Urban Decay’s Naked Heat) so I’m super anxious to play around with them! This one should be out fairly soon!

MAC Snowball Collection

It’s been a long time since a MAC collection really drew me in, but holy smokes the packaging on the Snowball collection is beautiful! I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be picking up yet, but you can check out the entire colour story over on Temptalia.

The “Pass” List

Kat Von D Saint & Sinner Eyeshadow Palette

I can’t quite put my finger on why I’m passing on this palette. I love the crazy ornate packaging, I love KVD‘s eyeshadow formula… and I’ve seen swatches of this palette and it looks hella pigmented and gorgeous. BUT… there’s something about the eyeshadow layout that just isn’t speaking to me. I don’t feel especially inspired about this combination of colours, so I think I’ll just take a pass on it… for now.

Cover FX Custom Enhancer Drops Set

So while I’m passing on this set because I already have two of the shades (Halo and Celestial), I actually think you should pick up this set if you have none of the shades. I freaking LOVE the Cover FX liquid highlighter formula – it has one of the most beautiful finishes I’ve ever seen and the colours are absolutely gorgeous.I’m so glad Cover FX has put out this set because it’s a great way to get access to several shades at once since the cost of this set is equivalent to the price of a single full size bottle!

Too Faced Bossy Lady + all of the items with agendas

I found the whole Too Faced Holiday 2017 collection kinda meh to be honest (which really saddened me). I’m not a paper planner person and I’m so not interested in planner decorating either, so this entire range of products just left me feeling deflated. Although it seems they’ve started manufacturing their holiday palettes in the US again and I believe the quality is markedly better, I just don’t see the point in picking up these sets when I’m super not into the planners. There is, of course, repetition amongst the eyeshadow shades year over year, and since I own the last three years of holiday sets, I don’t really feel like these have anything new to offer me. Instead, I’ll dump my money on the Unicorn Survival Kit and the other items that seem unique to me!

Tarte Blush Bliss Palette

There’s a few things with the palette I’m a bit iffy on. First of, I love the colour selection – those shares are right up my alley… BUT – they’re all too similar. They are way too same samey and I’d like some variety if I’m going to be purchasing a blush palette. Number two… there’s no bronzer. And I realize Tarte hasn’t put in a bronzer since the Off The Cuff palette (which is my freaking favourite), but ever since they did that, I now expect them to put in a bronzer. I bring my Off The Cuff palette with me everywhere I travel, and a large part of that is the variety of shades plus the bronzer it houses. Number three… I think Tarte is still outsourcing their holiday products to China and I’m a bit tired of the quality inconsistencies… so this is just a pass for me.

The “I’m Not Sure” List

Anastasia Beverly Hills Prism Palette

Oh man, I do not know what to do about this one. I have a few ABH palettes that I absolutely love, and there have been a few times where I’ve really kicked myself for not getting some of their limited edition items. However, if this palette is made with the same formula as the Subculture palette (which I did not like and promptly returned), then I want nothing to do with it. So yeah… not sure about this one.

And that’s about it! Phew, that was a long list. Of course, there’s other things I’ve considered, but I think this post was long enough and was really focused on the items that caught my eye the most this holiday season. I’d love to hear what you’re going to be picking up or ignoring this holiday makeup season!

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National Lipstick Day – MAC Giveaway!

 

Image shamelessly ripped from Racked.com

This post was completely unplanned, but I woke up, checked Instagram and my feed was COVERED in posts about National Lipstick Day. I have no clue if it’s National Lipstick Day in Canada, or the US, but everyone seems to be participating, so I thought I’d throw a MAC lipstick giveaway in the mix!

Full disclosure: I have 12 Back2MAC items, and I don’t need more product, so I thought I’d return them to MAC and pick up two colours of YOUR choosing!

Giveaway Rules

  • This giveaway is open internationally!
  • This giveaway starts on July 29, 2017 and runs for one week.
  • Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
  • One winner will win two MAC lipsticks of their choosing.
    • Shades selected by the winner MUST be from MAC’s regular lineup of black bullet lipsticks. Please visit this MAC Cosmetics page to see your options.
    • Please also note that since these are Back2MAC items, they will come without a box.
  • The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail. If they fail to respond within that time frame, I will pick another prize winner. (And so on.)
  • “Giveaway accounts” will not be considered for this prize. (If you want to know what I mean by that, please click here.)

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