Top 3 Concealers

I never used to wear much concealer because I never had dark circles, bags or discolouration under my eyes at all. Fast forward to getting pregnant and having a baby and now I have bags and dark circles on the daily! I used to use concealer mostly to hide blemishes, but now I use it to brighten under my eyes and provide extra coverage for scars and blemishes. I expect my concealer to cover well, last all day and not crease or look cakey.

One of the first concealers I ever tried was the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. I love the Fit Me line and honestly feel their foundation is holy grail status for me. I like this concealer for natural makeup days when I want to wear some BB Cream and mascara and run out the door. I do not find the Fit Me concealer provides a ton of coverage but enough to brighten my eyes without looking like I have much on.

My newer favourite is Catrice Camouflage concealer. I like that it is waterproof and does not budge all day. It doesn’t crease or look cakey and it blends really well. I find it provides really good coverage and because it lasts so long I like to use it to hide scars and blemishes. It is a drugstore product so its super affordable, although I have yet to see it in any stores in Canada. I originally ordered it online from Ulta and have already reordered it!

My absolute favourite is Tarte Shape Tape. I was originally skeptical of this product because every YouTuber I followed swore by it and I often find YouTubers wear pretty heavy makeup so I wasn’t sure I would like it as much for everyday. I was wrong! I love it. I would use it daily if it wasn’t so expensive but it does come with a lot of product and a little goes a long way. The color range is pretty great for concealer and I find it is long wearing and very full coverage. I find it best for under the eyes, although it does also build to cover blemishes if needed. I highly recommend trying it if you haven’t already! If you want a more detailed review feel free to check out my post tarte shape tape contour concealer – Worth the Hype & Price?

Let me know if you agree with any of my picks and what your favourite concealer is!

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Colourpop Satin Lips Review

I was so excited to start using my new purchases from my Colourpop haul that I have been rocking their lippies for the last week. I have mostly been testing out their Ultra Satin Lip formula and decided to let you know my opinion on them!

On a side note though, has anyone been following the drama with Kathleen Lights and Jaclyn Hill? I really like Kathleen Lights and follow her on Instagram so when I saw you her apology I had to look up what the drama was about. I am quite disappointed that she used the N word but I can’t imagine living in a world where people Snapchat me all the time and people are constantly judging what I say, do and wear. YouTube has definitely made these girls famous and although I appreciate their makeup advice I have never really thought of them as people I look up to when it comes to lifestyles or morals. You only see such a small glimpse of who they really are on YouTube and social media. Anyways the reason I bring that up is because Kathleen Lights is the reason I even know what Colourpop is, as she has collaborated with them a few times and talks about them quite often on her channel.

Now on to the review:

I purchased three Ultra Satin Lip products, all in fairly pink/mauve nude colours as that tends to be my go-to! Below are the swatches of the colours on my lips.

         Left: 951        Middle: Frick and Frack      Right: Echo Park 

As you can see they are all quite neutral colours. The formula is pigmented and they dry down fairly well and appear creamy but not glossy. I did notice that they accentuate the texture of your lips, so when my lips are dry they are noticeably dry and cracked. They are not transfer proof or long wearing but they do wear down nicely without staining the lips or getting patchy or streaky.

I can honestly say I will reach for these often. I really enjoy the formula, it is not too drying and its very wearable for everyday. I like that they wear off well without it being too noticeable. They retail for $6 USD and offer great value for their low price! I highly recommend these.

Let me know in the comments if you have tried out any of the Ultra Satin Lips or other Colourpop lip products and what you thought of them!

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Colourpop Cosmetics Shipping to Canada

I have been waiting for the Yes Please eyeshadow palette to be restocked on ColourPop’s website, and finally I got an email about it being restocked. I waited until 10AM PT (11 AM my time) and quickly ordered it. I also ordered 3 Glossy Lippies, 3 Satin Lippies and the Hi-Maintenance palette and a highlighter and pressed shadow.

They offer free International Shipping for orders over $50 USD. My order totalled $63.00 USD which came out to $81.83 CAD plus I owed $19 CAD in duty charges when it arrived. This means my whole order ended up costing more than $100 CAD. I ordered August 24, received shipping confirmation on August 28 and then received the package September 6. The package was well wrapped and no products were damaged during transit.

On first impression I was really excited for everything. The packaging is simple and practical and I appreciate that most of it will be able to be recycled. The only thing that disappointed me was the size of the Yes Please palette. It is VERY small, the shadows themselves are about half of a usual pressed eyeshadow and the palette easily fits in the palm of my hand. I have watched lots of YouTube videos featuring the platte and honestly never noticed it being so small. However, it was only $12 USD so it still a fairly good value.

I plan to do a few more updates about this haul after trying the products a bit longer. I will also comment more about if they are still a good value for those across the border after factoring in the exchange and duty.

Let me know your experience with Colourpop in the comments!

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Freedom Makeup London HD Eye foil Review

I recently purchased an order from tambeauty.com because I really enjoy Makeup Revolution as a brand and wanted to try their new individual eye shadow pans. Along with the eye shadow’s I also purchased a few brushes and a golden highlighter. I have some of their eyeshadow palettes and find them to be quite good for the price. Shipping is free to Canada if you purchase $40 CAD of products. The shipping is fairly fast, I got the package within a week of the shipping confirmation.

I have been trying out these eyeshadows for a few weeks preparing to review them for this post! I bought the Burnt set and the Metallic #1 set. They include mostly warm tone pink, orange and browns. There are 3 matte shades and 7 metallic/shimmer shades. Each set you buy has 5 shadows in it for $8.10 CAD. That comes out to $1.62 a shadow, which is super affordable.

These eyeshadows are really pigmented when applied with a brush (not as much with a finger). I love Sweet Life and Bad Behaviour as crease and transition shades and Under Your Spell as an inner corner highlight. They do not show up nearly as pigmented in the swatches as they do on the eye. They are buttery shadows with not a lot of fall out. I find they blend easily, even with the affordable Makeup Revolution Pro E103 Eyeshadow Blending Brush I have been using. I also find the shimmer shades show up really well and last all day, with or without a good eyeshadow primer. 

These eyeshadows are magnetic, so they can fit in any Z Palette. I have a cute Tarte Palette that I bought at Sephora and it has a beautiful giant mirror inside. I have recently purchase ColourPop shadows as well so I am excited to add those to the palette soon as well! On the back of each eyeshadow they have the name of the color as well as the collection it is from. I like that these allow you to customize your own palette, which makes them really travel friendly.

The one con I found when using these are that they can be hard to manoeuvre around the palette. When I was trying to take pictures of them and arrange swatches for this post I managed to put my finger nail in a few of them and chip some of the product off. I think you could easily avoid this by putting them in the palette once and then leaving them. As long as you are not constantly changing out or rearranging the shadows in the palette I think they will hold up quite well.

Here is a simple makeup look I did with these shadows. I used Under Your Spell in the inner corners, Sweet Life and Bad Behaviour in the crease and Inhibition on the outer corner. I put Burnt Bridges lightly all over the lid.

All things considered I think these are incredible eyeshadows for $1.62 CAD each. I love how you can customize your own palette by picking the color schemes you would wear most. I hope Freedom Makeup continues to release more collections as I would most definitely purchase more to add to my collection!

If you have tried these out as well let me know what you think!

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August Beauty Favourites – Old and New

I have enjoyed playing with makeup again since coming home from my vacation all July! I have been using most of the beauty products I purchased in my Ulta Haul but I have also been using a few other new products that I have purchased this summer. Although I have a bunch of new favourites to share I also thought it was important to share what past favourites I am still using and loving as well!

Keep reading if you want to know what I have been loving this month!

New Favourites

L’ORÉAL Infallible Blend Artist Foundation Blender

• I love this Beauty Blender dupe! It is soft and works really well when damp. I use it mostly for concealer but also for foundation and it applies my makeup evenly.

NO7 Stay Perfect Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 15

• I mentioned this in my Ulta Haul Favourites but it has been my most used foundation this month. It is light feeling on the skin but covers well and lasts all day! It is hydrating but doesn’t leave my oily skin too shiny.

Freedom Makeup London HD Eye foils

• I plan on doing an entire post committed to these but they are incredible. I have been playing with them for the last month and I often reach for them over my expensive eyeshadow palettes. They are pigmented, blend easily and last a long time. I highly recommend them!

Old Faithful Favourites

L’ORÉAL Lash Paradise 

• I still use this mascara daily! I reach for this mascara over my other high end mascaras because I love how it makes my lashes look and how it lasts all day without smudging and flaking. I still highly recommend this mascara!

Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer

• Although I purchased Catrice camouflage concealer and have been loving it, I am still reaching for my Shape Tape quite often. I like wearing it when I have BB cream or minimal foundation on just to cover blemishes and my under eye area. It lasts really well and doesn’t break up on my oily skin. I think Shape Tape will stay a staple beauty product for me for a long time!

Let me know if you are loving any of these products as well!

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Ulta Haul – Favourites

 

My Ulta haul was a major success! I have been trying out my new makeup for the last few weeks and I love so many of the products I bought! I really wish we had more of these products available in Canada but I will definitely have to do a regular online Ulta haul.

Catrice Camouflage concealer in light beige- This stuff is amazing!! It legitimately does not budge all day. It blends beautifully and covers blemishes and dark spots like a dream. I think I may like it better than Tarte Shape Tape. I wish we had Catrice in Canada!

Physicians Formula eye booster eyeliner – I love this eyeliner! The pen is so easy to use and it is the only eyeliner where I get a perfect thin cat-eye every time. The pen distributes the liner evenly and one swipe is all you need. It is not super long wearing on me but I have fairly oily eyelids and most eyeliners don’t last.

No 7 Stay Perfect foundation in warm sand – I really like this foundation. It is light-medium coverage and lasts all day. I rarely find a foundation that holds up on my oily skin and this foundation stayed flawless. The packaging is beautiful, the bottle is glass and it comes with a pump. I highly recommend this foundation but again wish it was available in stores near me.

Eyelure No117 (wispy) lashes – I really like these lashes. I wore them in my last MOTD post and I found they added the perfect volume and length for pictures. The glue they come with works really well and the lashes are really affordable. I highly recommend them!

Real Techniques Blush and Powder brushes – I really like Real Technique brushes and these are no exception. They are dense but fluffy and they don’t shed at all. I like that the handle is on the heavier side as well. They are amazing quality for the price!

Have you tried any of these and are any of them your go-to’s as well? Let me know in the comments down below!

MOTD – Family Photo Shoot

Today I got family pictures taken with my husband and son. My son is 7 months now so we wanted to try to snap a few pictures because he is growing up so fast!

I went with makeup that I knew was full coverage but looked good in pictures. I rarely wear false lashes but I like wearing them in pictures because I feel they really help open up the eyes.

My makeup of the day:

Primer: ELF Poreless Primer

Foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation 3C2 Pebble

Concealer: Tarte Shape Tape in Light Medium

Powder: Makeup Revolution Banana Powder

Eyeshadow: Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette

Eyeliner: Tarte Amazonian clay silk eyeliner in black brown

Eyelashes: Eyelure Whispy No 117

Blush: Milani baked blush in Luminoso

Bronzer: Tarte Park Ave Princess

Lipstick: Essence 07 Sparkling Miracle

Hope you enjoyed today’s makeup look!

Worth the Splurge

I have been reflecting lately on what beauty items are worth a high end price tag. I feel a lot of makeup from the drugstore ends up being just a great as higher end makeup. Often times the only difference I notice is the packaging, drugstore makeup tends to be packaged in plastic and tend to omit mirrors or brushes whereas higher end makeup is packaged in glass or heavier plastic and often includes mirrors or brushes.

Out of all my high end purchases I decided that the three things I would highly recommend despite their high end price tag are: Sigma brushes, Shiseido eyelash curler and high end liquid lip products (Smashbox, Buxom).

Sigma Brushes – Five-Piece Most-Wanted Brush Set $95 CAD

I bought my Sigma Brushes in a set from The Bay online here.

The brush set I purchased includes:

• E25 – Blending: controlled blending
• E30 – Pencil: soften and smoke out lines
• E40 – Tapered Blending: soft blended crease
• F35 – Tapered Highlighter: subtle highlighting
• F80 – Flat Kabuki™: application of liquid or cream products to flat areas of the face such as the forehead and cheeks

I had been eyeing Sigma brushes for awhile but kept debating whether they were worth the money. I heard great things but I also heard good things about cheaper brushes like Real Techniques and Morphe. Morphe has terrible shipping prices to Canada and Real Techniques brushes can often be hard to find in my city, although I do occasionally see them in stock at Walmart. Although I do like the Real Technique brushes that I own, nothing compares to these Sigma brushes. They blend makeup flawlessly, they feel heavy and good quality and the bristles are so soft and easy to wash. I have not had any shedding from my Sigma brushes, which is a regular complaint I have about cheaper brushes. The E40 is by far my favourite blending brush of all time as I feel it blends eyeshadow flawlessly. If you splurge on one brush have it be the E40!

Shiseido Eyelash Curler – $24 CAD

I purchased this eyelash curler from BeautyBoutique online here after reading several reviews on what the best eyelash curler was. I had been using a very old Mary Kay eyelash curler since high school (and I tried the Revlon eyelash curler as well) but just don’t find they work on my lashes very well. I often find they pinch my eyelid and my lashes don’t hold a curl very long after curling them. The Shiseido eyelash curler works so well that my lashes stay curled all day. It can pinch my eyelid at times but only if I am not careful. I find this eyelash curler very easy to use and keep clean. It is made of sturdy metal and I have a feeling it will last a long time. I highly recommend it!

Liquid Lip Products – Smashbox Always On Matte Liquid Lipstick $28

I have talked about this liquid lipstick before and that is because it is by far my favourite liquid lipstick. These lipsticks are pigmented and long lasting and they wear well throughout the day. I love the applicator and I find the formula is not sticky or drying like many drugstore liquid lip products. They also offer a wide range of colours so most people can find something that suits them.

I also enjoy other higher end lip products like Buxom glosses and Urban Decay Vice Liquid Lipsticks. I find they hold up much better than cheaper lip products. I often purchase Sephora Favourites sample size lip kits to try out new high end lip products from various brands without committing to the full size products and their price tags and I always fall in love with a few of them! I highly recommend purchasing the Sephora Favourite kits if you are new to high end lip products and want to try some of the brands that are out there.

 

Let me know in the comments below if you agree with my three splurge worthy beauty products and what beauty products you find are worth splurging for!

 

Ulta Haul – Shipping to Canada

I have been eyeing the Ulta website for awhile now but just recently decided to place an order. They offer free shipping to Canada when you spend over $100 CAD so I decided to splurge and order a big haul of makeup goodies.

They had a sale going on that was BOGO 50% off for most of their drugstore brands. I can access most of those brands at Shoppers and Walmart here so I tried to grab products that are a bit harder to find here. No 7 skincare is sold at Shoppers Drug Mart but not their makeup so I thought I would try it out as I had heard good things.

 

 

Pictured above is everything included in my haul: 

No 7 Stay Perfect foundation

No 7 City Light tinted moisturizer

Fiona Stiles & NYX blush

L’Oreal Beauty Sponge

NYX liquid eyeliner

Catrice concealer

Physicians Formula Eye Booster eyeliner

Eylure falsies

Real Techniques blush and powder brush

 

I have been trying a few of these products since arriving back from my vacation and I already have a few favourites. I will post a haul update next week to let you know my thoughts on the haul and what I would recommend!

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you think and if any of these are your favourites!

 

 

 

MOTD Friday – New Ulta Goodies

I have been on vacation the last three weeks and have definitely missed blogging! My makeup routine while away was quite simple and often non existent because we were camping and hiking and I didn’t feel makeup was necessary.

I was excited to get back to playing with makeup today! I had an Ulta haul arrive while I was away (stay tuned for that post) so I played with a few of my new goodies.

MOTD

Foundation- No 7 Stay Perfect in Warm Sand

Bronzer- Physicans Formula Butter Bronzer

Blush- Makeup Revolution Ombre blush

Eyeliner- Physicans Formula Eye Booster

Mascara- L’Oreal Lash Paradise

Lipstick- Marcelle Rouge Expression in Enchantment

Brows- Makeup Revolution brow palmade