Beauty

Milani Bella Eyes Review!

02/19/15

Hey guys! Happy Thursday! I wasn't expecting to do a review on these shadows any time soon as I didn't think my Wal-Mart would be selling them anytime soon. I'm from Canada and it seems as though we always get products a year after they are initially released. Even though these shadows are not new I figured I would do a review on them as they are new to me. I literally got them last night and could not wait to swatch and review them for you guys! 

So what is so unique about the Bella Eyes? Well, Milani claims that these eyeshadows are a gel powder - what is a gel powder? Milani claims that the formula starts off as a gel and is then transformed by a special process into a powder eyeshadow that delivers pure colour with powder wear. 

Here is a closer look at the eyeshadows with a brief description of the colour:

Bella Champagne: soft light pink/beige shimmer

Bella Gold: metallic orange gold 

Bella Copper: metallic red/orange copper

Bella Pink: soft light pink with lilac shimmer

Bella Violet: soft grape purple 

Bella Rouge: metallic cranberry 

Here are the swatches of the colours that I own. L-R: Bella Champagne, Bella Gold, Bella Copper, Bella Pink, Bella Violet, and Bella Rouge. 

My overall thoughts about these eyeshadows is that I really do like them. I think they are really good quality for what you pay. However, I do have a problem with the price tag. On the Milani website they are $4.49, and I bought them from my local Wal-Mart and they were $8.99 - double the price! Although, I really like them so I'm okay with paying that price tag, but I don't get why the price is jacked up so much. Now the products themselves are very pigmented alone, and would probably perform even better with a primer underneath. I haven't had them long enough to say whether or not they are long wearing. 

I would rate these an 8/10, and recommend them to anyone! If you are interested in purchasing these eyeshadows you can find them on the Milani website, or check out a drugstore in your area that carries Milani products. 

Thanks so much for reading. Leave me a comment about what your favourite Milani product is, and be sure to like the post if you did! 

DISCLAIMER: I bought these eyeshadows with my own money. All opinions are my own. 

Too Faced Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks Review!

02/18/15

Hey guys! So as planned I am doing my review on the Too Faced Liquified Long Wear Lipsticks, phewf that was a mouthful. The lipsticks that I own are from the ''Melted Kisses'' holiday set that came out around Christmas time. I was lucky enough to receive them for Christmas from my boyfriend's Mom. As soon as I seen these babies on Sephora's website, and the reviews on Youtube I was gushing over them. The holiday set that I have was $30.00 CAD which is an AMAZING deal considering they go for $21.00 individually. However, considering you're getting an amazing deal on them - the catch is, is that they are smaller than the ones that go for $21.00. But they are super pigmented, and a little goes a long way so they will last you a long time regardless. 

The lipsticks that came in the ''Melted Kisses'' holiday set are - L-R: Melted Nude, Melted Peony, Melted Fuchsia, and Melted Berry. 

Melted Nude: warm toned brown/beige 
Melted Peony: warm toned salmon pink
Melted Fuchsia: cool toned hot fuchsia 
Melted Berry: cool toned deep rich berry

I have to say that I absolutely love every single colour in this set, but my favourite it Melted Peony. It's the perfect everyday nude/pink shade. Each colour is super pigmented, and applies very smoothly. They do stay on for a long time, and leave a slight stain to your lips, and are really glossy. It's the best of all worlds; a stain, long wearing highly pigmented lipstick and a gloss all wrapped up into a cute, easy to apply package. I also love the fact that each lipstick has the corresponding colour on its packaging - making it easy to find the colour you want to wear! Recently Too Faced came out with new lipsticks in this line and I can't wait to try some more.

Me wearing Melted Peony

I think these lipsticks are great for anyone; however, they are expensive. I would definitely recommend giving these a try anyways because they are worth the price tag!! 

Thanks so much for reading. Leave me a comment about what your favourite Too Faced product is, and be sure to like the post if you did! 

DISCLAIMER: I received these lipsticks as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend's Mom. All opinions are my own. 

Makeup Geek Pigments Review!

02/17/15

Hey guys! So as planned I am doing my review on the Makeup Geek fall pigment collection. I was very lucky to have received them for Christmas, from my boyfriend's sister. The pigments are essentially my introduction into the line, as well as a blush and I am obsessed! I think these pigments are worth every penny!! Although I do have some issues with the packaging I think the product itself preforms like a dream! 

The overall packaging of the pigments is really sleek looking. As you can see from the picture above, they have a matte black lid with the label on it; and a clear bottom allowing you to see the colour with the colour name. However, I do have a problem with the internal packaging; which is that it excludes a sifter. If you're unaware of what a sifter is - think of a salt shaker... how it has the little holes on the top to sprinkle out the product; well this lacks that component - which makes it very messy when using them. When you open the container it is completely open... so if you were to drop it with the lid off... you'd be in some trouble! 

Here is a look at what the bottom of the containers look like. The pigments I have came in the ''Fall Collection''. I do not believe Makeup Geek sells this set anymore. However, you can buy them individually. Each pigment is $6.99 and has 2 grams of product - which is a really good price! 

Here are the swatches of the colours. From L-R: Vegas Lights, New Years Eve, Enchanted, Sweet Dreams, and Afterglow. These swatches are literally one swipe of the product! They are super pigmented, so you will have them forever! I personally love every single colour that came in the fall collection set - these are probably all the colours I would have bought individually if I didn't get them for Christmas. I will give a little break down of each colour:

Vegas Lights: copper glitter

New Years Eve: light gold reflective glitter

Enchanted: light plum shimmer

Sweet Dreams: light fleshed tone beige pink with a slight shimmer

Afterglow: soft shimmery champagne 

These pigments can be worn alone, or if you wanted them to be even more outstanding, use them with a primer! On the Makeup Geek website they sell the LA Splash eyeshadow base/sealer which is a dupe for the Too Faced glitter glue. Or if you have MACs fix plus - that would work too. Either way these pigments are lovely! 

Thanks so much for reading. Leave me a comment about what your favourite Makeup Geek product is, and be sure to like the post if you did! 

DISCLAIMER: I received these pigments as a Christmas gift from my boyfriend's sister. All opinions are my own. 

Wet n Wild - Poster Child Palette Review!

02/16/15

Hey guys! Long time no blog again... I apologize for the lack of content lately; however I have been really busy with school. As of right now I am on my reading week and planning on uploading some more! I will have a full update on my main page as to where I have been, what I have been up to and all of that. But for now... let's get into the review!!   

So, I have recently picked up the Wet n Wild Poster Child, 8 pan palette from one of my local drugstores. This palette is far from new, but it is new to my personal makeup collection as of a week ago. I have been playing around with the colours in this palette since I have got it and feel like I had enough time to form a review. Overall, right off the bat I can say I absolutely love this palette. I think it is a great value for the price you pay, and is the perfect colourful palette to have on hand for the spring and summer we are approaching. I love the mix of colours you get from pinks, to blues, to yellows, teals, and dark smokey colours. This palette can definitely be used in a way that can be very bold, or quite wearable. 

Here is a closer look of the palette. As you can see on the left you have a cool toned light baby doll pink, a warm toned medium pink, and a warm toned hot pink, followed by a black with a slight blue/pink shimmer in it. On the right side you have a bright yellow with a slight shimmer in it, a very beautiful teal colour (probably my favourite), a royal blue, and a navy blue. 

Here are some swatches of the pink side of the palette. The baby doll pink shade, as you can tell from the swatch lacks pigmentation. However, it is a light shade, and blends into my skin. The texture of the shadow is very velvety. When I applied it I had to build it up, but with the right base it looks beautiful. The second medium pink shade also lacks some pigmentation and is not as velvety as the lighter pink, as well it also needs a base underneath to get the full intensity of the shadow. The hot pink and black are very pigmented, smooth and long wearing. They can be worn with or without a base, but I usually tend to wear an eyeshadow base anyways. 

The second set of swatches is of the blue side of the palette. The yellow shade lacks pigmentation and is quite chalky. I was the least impressed with this colour out of the entire palette. The teal colour is very nice, very good pigmentation and feels very velvety. The royal blue and navy blue are also very pigmented, with a velvety texture. Overall I would rate this palette a 7/10. It's definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea but I think it is the perfect palette for beginners, who want to experiment with colour, or people who want to build their collection of coloured eyeshadows. Even though there are a few misses in this palette, overall it is very good. Keep in mind, these swatches do not have a base, and with a good base underneath them, they preform exceptionally well. 

I hope you enjoyed this quick post! If you did comment what your favourite palettes are from the drugstore, and like/share this post! I plan on writing more reviews in the upcoming future!

Thanks for reading!

Simple Holiday Eye Look


11/28/14

Hey guys! Long time no blog... I know I've made some promises to make regular blog posts, but it's a really busy time of the year for me as I am entering exams. But... I had some spare time tonight and really wanted to make a new post. So, I decided to incorporate some pictorials on my blog as I love watching youtube tutorials and looking at inspirational pictorials on pinterest; I decided why not make my own? This is a look I did the other day and I thought it was a really subtle way to jazz up a simple eye look to make it a little more festive. If you are someone who is scared to step outside your comfort zone this would be a perfect way to try something new as it is very subtle, and perfect for the holiday season. This eye look would look good on anyone, hope you like it! 

So the first step is to start off with a clean base that eyeshadows will adhere well to. I used my MAC prolongwear concealer in NW15, but you can use whatever base you like that won't crease. If you want to re-create this look exactly I would recommend a matte base (no shimmer, sparkle or glitter) like Urban Decay primer potion (the regular one, or the one in Eden), or a cheaper alternative the E.L.F primer.

The next step I did was apply MAC's eyeshadow in Bamboo in my crease with a large fluffy brush from the Sonia Kashuk 15th anniversary set. Any big fluffy brush you have should do the trick. The method behind my madness is by using a big fluffy brush we are able to diffuse the crease colour seamlessly. If you do not own MAC's Bamboo eyeshadow just use any brownish-beige eyeshadow that's a shade or two darker than your skin tone. 

Next, using a smaller more dense brush than the last one, I applied MAC's Texture eyeshadow to my crease to add some more definition. As you can see, this brush is a lot smaller than the last look so we can get a more concentrated colour where we want, but it will still be blended. The brush I'm using is the blending brush from the brush set I reviewed before this post. If you do not own MAC's Texture eyeshadow you can use a warm brown that is about 1-2 shades darker than the first shade we used. 

Next, I used an even smaller brush than the previous one that is also from the Sonia Kashuk 15th anniversary brush set. This brush is more flat but it fits snug in the crease, allowing us to get a nice concentration of colour again adding more definition. The brown I used was from the Sonia Kashuk palette I previously reviewed and it is the brown in the 3rd row down, first colour. If you don't own this palette you can use any warm toned brown that is 2-3 shades darker than the previous colour. 

Next, I applied Urban Decay's eyeshadow in Foxy all over my lid using a regular shader brush (you can even use your finger for this step). If you do not own Foxy, you can use any eyeshadow that is roughly the same colour as your skin. I also applied this shade to my brow bone.

Next, I applied Urban Decay's eyeshadow in Half Baked to my lower lash line, and applied Annabelle's liquid glitter liner in Gold on top to give it some extra sparkle. If you do not own Half Baked you can use any gold eyeshadow, and for the glitter liner a lot of drugstore brands make some good ones (such as NYX, Milani, ect...).

Next, to really bring this look altogether I applied some mascara. If you really want to amplify this look feel free to add some false lashes. As for me, I kept it quite simple and stuck with my own lashes. Tip: to make your lashes look super long use an eyelash curler before applying your mascara! 

Here is a picture of how it looks. It is very subtle but in the light you can catch that little bit of sparkle which makes your eyes pop. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this look and if you did like/share this post! I will be back with another post within the next 2-3 weeks when I am on my Holidays, I have a lot planned! Thanks for reading!

Affordable Brushes Review!

10/12/14

Hey guys! So I wanted to make this post a review on affordable make-up brushes! Since it's almost the holiday season (well... sort of...) I thought it would be a good idea to write some reviews of different make-up/beauty products I've tried out, to maybe help you in deciding what you want/want to give this holiday season. So to start off, I bought these brushes about a year ago now (a lot of time to try them out, and really get an idea of how they work). I bought this set off of a site called Born Pretty Store. You may have heard of it before, maybe not. I was very skeptical about purchasing off of this website as I have never heard anything about it, and the products are quite cheap. After doing a little bit of research to make sure it was not a scam, I purchased some brushes. 

The brushes I bought remind me of the infamous Sigma brushes (the ''Make me Classy'' kit). Except, the kit from Born Pretty costed $20.00, and the Sigma kit goes for $178.00. WOW! What a difference in price. Now, some people may say that you get what you pay for when it comes to your brushes - however I disagree. I've found some very good ''diamond in the rough'' products in drugstores, and on affordable websites. The kit that I purchased off of Born Pretty Store Comes with 8 eye brushes, and 4 face brushes (making a total of 12 brushes). That adds up to about $5.00 a brush which is quite affordable. As I've mentioned, I've had these brushes for almost a year now and have really put them to the test. I can honestly say that these brushes are worth trying. They are super soft, and do not shed, and are quite durable as they do not fall apart (and I have travelled with them). They are regular sized (not travel sized brushes - however they come with a black travelling case which is pictured below). 

The eye brushes come with (pictured left to right) a pencil brush, a blending brush, an angled liner brush, a large fluffy shadow brush, a large concealer brush, a short-dense shadow brush, a small concealer brush, and an eyeliner brush. I like to use the pencil brush to smoke out my lower lash line. I feel like it's the perfect size and makes it look flawless! The blending brush I obviously use to blend out my eyeshadows (go figure). The angled liner brush has become my go-to brow brush. It is the perfect size for my brows (as it is a little on the smaller size), it has the right amount of denseness to it and it very skinny. When I use this to fill in my brows they look natural, as the small shape can easily create realistic hairs. I like to use the large fluffy brush for a cream coloured highlight under my brow bone. The large concealer brush works nicely to blend out concealer, or apply colour densely to your lids. The short-dense shadow brush is perfect to also apply a shadow densely to your lids. The smaller concealer brush is also perfect for applying your brow bone highlight, right in that high arch, or applying a cream shadow to the lids. And finally, the small liner brush is perfect for applying gel liner, or doing very intricate details in the inner corners of your eyes. These are just the purposes I like to use these brushes for, of course you can use them any way you wish. 

The face brushes come with (pictured left to right) a medium sized duo-fiber brush, a flat foundation brush, a large powder brush, and an angled blush brush. I typically use the medium duo-fiber brush for a light-natural sweep of bronzer on my face; you can also angle it in the hollows your cheeks to get a more defined contour (while still looking natural). I generally don't use the typical foundation brushes - but I have used this one for applying highlighter to my cheek bones and was impressed. I use the large powder brush everyday to set my foundation with powder. It applies a light amount, and makes it look airbrushed. And finally, I use the angled blush brush for my blush - although I find it is a little large for my small face; I tend to use the very tip of the brush. However, you can also use this brush for your bronzer as well. The website states that the brushes are composed of goat hair, and artificial fiber. If you are a beginner with make-up, I believe that these eye brushes are all you need to create any look. As I said, they are super soft and nicely dense. 

Some pros and cons of the brushes:

Pros 

- Light weight 

- Do not shed

- Super soft

- Durable

- Come with a travel case that can be used as a brush holder

Cons

- Have a slight odour when you initially get them

- Matte black handles show fingerprints easily 

(Pictured are the brushes in the travel case). Overall, I highly recommend purchasing these brushes, or since Christmas is on its way - adding them to your list! If you want good quality brushes for an affordable price, these are definitely for you! I would also recommend these brushes to beginners, or anyone building their brush collection. I hope you enjoyed my review on these brushes - expect more reviews coming soon. I recently purchased the Sonia Kashuk 15th Anniversary brush set, and am planning on doing a review of it in the upcoming future - so stay posted. 
Please like/share this post if you did, or have tried these brushes! Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer** I purchased these brushes myself, all opinions are my own. The price of the brushes have gone up since I have purchased them. 

Favourite Matte Drugstore Palettes! 

09/26/14

Hey guys! Hope you're all doing well. I know I've already done a post on my drugstore staples (Drugstore Gems) on my main page; but I want to share with you some other really awesome palettes from the drugstore that I did not mention in that post. 

So it's not everyday that you see a palette from the drugstore that is all matte, and neutral colours. To be honest I haven't heard much about these palettes before I bought them and I don't know why because they're amazing! Coming from the drugstore you may think that they're chalky and not pigmented, but you'd be mistaken. These are really good quality eye shadows for the price. I love the fact that they're such basic colours which is perfect for everyday and blending out any eye look. The black palette on the left is the Sonia Kashuk ''Eye on Neutral'' palette purchased from Target, and the grey palette on the right is the Physicians Formula ''Canyon Classics'' palette purchased from Wal-Mart. The Sonia Kashuk palette was $19.99 which is a little pricey considering it is a drugstore brand but you do get 9 eye shadows that are really good quality; so I feel like it's more justifiable. The Physicians Formula palette was $9.99 which again, is a little pricey for being drugstore but is definitely worth the price (and considering most Physicians Formula products are upwards of 15 dollars!). 

Here is a swatch of the Sonia Kashuk palette. As you can see the colours are very pigmented! They are not at all chalky, they are actually very smooth! The only colour that isn't showing up as well in the picture is the eye shadow next to the white one, and that is because it is basically the exact same colour as my skin. I love how this palette incorporates both warm and cool toned browns; accommodating for any type of eye look you want to achieve. You also have beautiful buttery highlight shades that can help blend the browns out, or to be used under the brow/inner tear duct. This is definitely a product I reach for on a daily basis when I'm doing my eye make-up because it has every shade of brown that I need. It is very compact, making it easy to travel. The packaging is very sleek, and I love that it is clear, allowing you to easily see the colours in the palette. If you're a beginner with make-up I would definitely recommend this palette because it has all the basics. I would also recommend this palette to anyone else who is in the market for an affordable, good quality eye shadow palette.

Here is a closer look at the colours in the palettes.

Here is a swatch of the Physicians Formula palette. Again, as you can see the colours are verypigmented. If you are more into cool-toned browns I would highly recommend this palette to you! This palette is quite multi-purpose too; I'm a natural blonde and my eyebrows are basically non-existent without filling them in. I use the Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Kohl Kajal in Taupe with an angled brow brush to outline the shape of my brow then go in with the lightest brown in this palette to fill in any sparse areas. Since the brown is on the cooler side, and a little bit more ashy is looks very natural in my brows and there is no warmth to them which I love. Like I said, I use this palette mostly for the purpose of filling in my non-existent brows but you can make some really nice eye looks with it as well. Again, I would recommend this palette to anyone who is a beginner with their make-up because it contains the basic colours to help build your collection. I would also recommend this to anyone who is looking for an affordable neutral palette that is all matte.

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you did comment what your favourite palettes are from the drugstore, and like/share this post! 

Thanks for reading!

Milani Lipstick Review

09/26/14

Hey guys! So today's post is all about Milani Lipsticks! If you know me, you know that I absolutely love Milani products. I've watched youtube make-up tutorials for years now and have always heard of them, but they were never sold where I live; until this past year. 

I buy my Milani products at Wal-Mart.

The three lipsticks that I own are Nude Crème, Rose Hip, and Sangria. They retail for about $6.99 a piece, which is pretty inexpensive and a very reasonable price for the product you get. All three of these lipsticks have a creamy finish with a slight sheen. Since they are so creamy they don't dry your lips out or feel uncomfortable when you wear them. 

The packaging is so sleek, modern and very classy looking. I'm just in love with the shiny gold, it makes it look high-end. I also really love how they display the colour on the bottom of the lipstick, it makes it really easy to see what colour you're buying, and if you're a lipstick junkie like me it makes it really easy to find the colour you want to wear in the morning. The colour displayed on the bottom is an accurate representation of the actual colour the lipstick is. The only con to this packaging is that fingerprints show up very easily on it, so it can look quite dirty at times. The packaging is quite sturdy so it would be travel friendly, and safe if you were to throw it in your purse for on the go. These lipsticks are very pigmented and glide on your lips like butter and are very moisturising. All it takes is one swipe and you have full on colour. They are very comfortable to wear and throughout the day I actually forget that I have anything on my lips. They smell like candy, unlike other drugstore lipsticks that can smell like plastic or have that typical lipstick smell. When I wear these lipsticks I don't use a lip liner and I don't have any problems with feathering or bleeding of the lipstick off of my lips. However; if you wanted your lipstick to last longer, or help define your lips more I would recommend a lip liner. The lipstick line has a wide range of colours from nudes to bright pinks, to deep vampy burgundys and purples. There's a colour for everyone in this line.

Below are swatches of the lipsticks without a flash. 

Nude Crème is a browny nude which is perfect for all skin tones because it's not a concealer nude where it completely makes your lips disappear. I feel like this lipstick is perfect for the fall season because it is a little bit of a darker nude (on fair skinned people) but if you're darker it will probably look like a ''your lips but better'' kind of lipstick; either way it is gorgeous! Since it is so wearable, I feel like it would be most people's favourite out of the line. 

Rose Hip is a bright/neon pink. It is comparable to MACs iconic Candy Yum Yum lipstick. Again, this lipstick will look phenomenal on everyone. It's a perfect summer/spring lipstick. It's definitely an eye-catcher so if you're not interested in bright lipsticks this one may not be for you. However, even if you aren't into bright lipsticks you can just dab a small amount onto your lips and you will have a beautiful pink tint to your lips. 

Sangria is a beautiful deep burgundy. At first glance I thought this lipstick would be way too dark for my very pale skin, but I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it on. It is dark, so if you're not into darker lips you may not like this one. In my opinion it is a perfect fall shade and it makes your teeth look really white! 

Me wearing Sangria (natural light)

Overall I would recommend these lipsticks, I think they are very good quality for the price. The formulation is great and the lasting power is excellent. Leave your thoughts in the comments, and like/share this post if you liked it, thanks for reading!