July 2016 Beauty Favourites!!

I know that my June favourites were late, but this one is on time. Kind of. More on time than last month's favourites at least.....

Since I went out of town a lot for the month of July, I honestly didn't bring a lot of makeup with me. I went out of town for my boyfriend's son's travel baseball. Which means I was out in the sun watching 13 year olds play a sport. I wasn't really looking forward to putting on a full face of makeup just to have it melt off my face in a matter of minutes. So I concentrated more on skincare and sun protection.

And for that, I started with cleansing my face. And I only brought my trusty Purity by Philosophy. I used this in the morning and at night. There's honestly nothing like it. It's gentle enough for my sensitive skin, but it cleanses and clears everything out that I need it to while washing my face, especially the sunscreen. This cleanser not only applied to my trips, but every single day of the month. And then some :) 

For my daytime moisturizer, it was and is always pertinent to have a moisturizer with SPF in it to protect from the sun, and I switched back and forth during the month from my Pharmagel Derma Brite SPF 35 to my Arbonne FC5 SPF 20. For my 'no makeup' days (brows and mascara, usually), I used my Derma Brite. For my makeup days, I used my FC5. Some of my foundations or BB Creams I use also have SPF in them, so that's extra in my mind. For the record, I also applied SPF 60 on the rest of my exposed skin (2 or 3 times) as I was out in the sun while watching baseball for a minimum of 6 hours each day.

For makeup, I mostly kept it minimal. Mainly because I didn't want to have half of my face melt off by lunch time and have to go through the rest of the day worrying what kind of monster I looked like. I do my makeup in the morning, and I go to work for noon until about 830pm, so my makeup either needs to last the ENTIRE day, or it needs to be not so noticeable when it starts breaking up on my face. Considering how hot it is, I opted for the not so noticeable route. 

And for those days that I wore makeup, I chose lightweight items like my E.L.F. BB Cream in Fair, and my Garnier Skin Renew rollerball concealer for my face, and basically just mascara and lip gloss. I don't necessarily have favourites of those, but the Benefit Roller Lash mascara and my Essence XXXL gloss are the ones I've been reaching for. 

I don't know about where you live, but where I live it gets FUCKING HOT AND HUMID in the summer time, so the least amount of products on my face, the better.

And that's it!! Thanks for reading!!

Byeeeeee :):)

July 2016 Boxycharm!!

Boxycharm is now shipping to Canada!!

If you don't know what Boxycharm is, you should check it out! It's a monthly subscription service that offers 4 or 5 full sized products worth more than $100 for $31CAD!!

I'm very happy it is now shipping to Canada so I can start enjoying some of the joys my fellow Americans have the liberty to indulge in.

This month's box included some awesome products :) The theme was 'Modern Merbabe'.

1. Mally Beauty Blending Brush - MSRP $15USD
2. PYT Argan Oil - MSRP $30USD
3. Noyah Lip Gloss - MSRP $16USD
4. Ofra Pro Palette & Shadows - MSRP $59USD

That's a value of $120USD!! And at today's exchange rate, that's a whopping $156CAD!!

Granted, I wouldn't necessarily purchase ALL of these items, but for the amount I paid versus the amount they're all worth, I'm certainly not angry about it.

The eyeshadows are quite pigmented. I did have to scrape at one of the shadows in order for the top layer to give me anything to work with, but once I did that, it was fine. The blending brush will definitely come in handy; no doubt about that. I've already used the argan oil in my hair. I only used it once, and I'm not too huge a fan of the scent, but will continue to use it until it's gone. Argan oil has some very awesome properties to it that help with hair and skin, so that will go to good use. The lip gloss isn't something I would necessarily choose on my own, but if I decide to not use it, then I will pass it on.

I signed up for a 3 month subscription. It saved me a couple dollars per month, and it automatically renews itself and charges my account, so I'm going to let it happen strictly based on this month's box.

All in all, I highly recommend this, and I hope it continues to be this good.

That's all!!

Thanks so much!!

June 2016 Beauty Favourites!

Sooooooo now that July is half over, I'm here to share my June beauty favourites with you.

Super late.

I'm sorry.

Speaking of July being half over, where the fuck has the time gone???? I've been going out of town and working a lot, and I've actually been sick for the past week :(

But I digress.

For the month of June, I really wanted to concentrate on bronzed and glowing skin. I don't spend a lot of time out in the sun (it's terrible for your skin.... too bad I didn't have that mentality like 10 years ago), so I need to pretend that I bask in the sun every so often. For the bronzed and glowy days, I really enjoyed using the Covergirl Tru Blend Bronzer and I doubled up with the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Liquid Glow Illuminator in C301 Ice, and the L'Oreal True Match Lumi Powder Glow Illuminator in N202 Rose.

My favourite moisturizer has been this Sephora brand Instant moisture + cream for quite some time. I do change up the moisturizer I use every so often, but I always come back to this one. It's fairly inexpensive, but there's 1.69 fl. oz (50mL) in there, and that's a huge amount for $25. I love the scent, and I really enjoy the fact that it has hyaluronic acid in it (which helps maintain moisture in your skin).

For setting my undereye concealer, I've reacquainted myself with my Maybelline Fit Me Powder Matte + Poreless in 100 Translucent. I find that it sets my concealer without being too cakey and it doesn't deposit any colour, so it's perfect for setting.

Foundation is a funny thing. I have a very difficult time finding one that matches both my undertone and my neck, as well as looks as natural as possible and doesn't break up on my face in a matter of hours. I should really invest in a high end foundation, but I'm pretty bad when it comes to overusing foundation, so I'm hesitant to throw money in garbage, so to speak. Anyways, I've really been loving the Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour with Comfort Serum Foundation in the shade 010 Light Porcelain. My favourite on that matches me is in 091 Light Ivory, but I ran out of that at the beginning of June, so I went for the 010 shade, and have been bronzing a lot because it's slightly lighter than the 091 shade. I love the finish it has on my skin and it lasts most of the day. And you can get it on sale for like $6 at Walmart. So win win!

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs & Rosewater has been a long time favourite of mine, and I'm pretty sure it's made a monthly faves once or twice. I really enjoy using this to give my skin a nice mist of hydration at any point during the day without compromising whatever else I have on my face. The scent and feeling are both very refreshing.

For my eyeshadow, I've been mainly using my Makeup Geek shadows and keeping it mostly minimal. These eyeshadows offer the quality (some would say even better) of a MAC eyeshadow with being 1/3 of the price. Since there has been such competition with eyeshadows being so affordable from brands other than MAC, they have actually dropped in price dramatically for their pans to be able to compare against the less expensive brands of eyeshadows. My favourite shadows are Peach Smoothie, Creme Brulee, Cocoa Bear, and In The Spotlight. I love how nicely they all fit in my Small Z Palette. I'd really love to get more one day, but it's so hard to choose what shades I want because I WANT THEM ALL.

MAC Costa Riche eyeliner is the BEST warm brown for green eyes. Enough said.

For extra sun protection for my eyes, and to look chic, I've been loving these sunglasses from Ricki's. I got them a few months ago in anticipation of wearing them in the Summer. I really love the ombre effect from animal print to teal on the rims and arms. And I like how the lenses are kind of ombre'd as well, but they're also cool toned, so I still see mostly true to colour when I'm wearing them.

And those are the products I couldn't live without for the month of June.

I hope you enjoyed, and I'll talk to you soon!!

Bye Bye :)

Top Box Rachh Loves Collaboration!

Sooooooo,

If you haven't heard of Top Box, check them out HERE!

It's basically a monthly subscription service of travel sized makeup items. Yes, there are many of these kinds of things going around, but this one is Canadian! It's only $12/month! Ipsy is $10USD, which, depending on the exchange rate, can add up in CAD after a while.

I ordered this on a whim after seeing Rachh Loves' video talking about this, and since she's Canadian, I figured what the hell. This was $19CAD, and this is everything I got in the package.

I was able to choose the shade of NYX Butter Gloss I wanted, as well as which duo of Essie nail polish I wanted. So I chose shades of everything I didn't already own. What else came in the box was a Cake Beauty everything balm (which I had just gotten at Genbeauty, and I LOVE, so I'm totally ok with it), a travel size of Glam Glow Brightening Treatment, and a travel size Elizabeth Arden Grand Entrance Mascara.

Being that there is only 1 full sized product in here, I honestly don't feel like it was worth it. Especially considering I had just come back from Genbeauty where I received countless travel and full sized mascaras as well as the exact same Glam Glow mask. I'm not too huge a fan of the formula of Essie nail polishes, and I'm probably going to sparsely wear the Butter Gloss. I'm not too thrilled altogether, so I'll probably include a couple of these items in a giveaway at some point.

I very much enjoy Rachel's channel and her personality and everything. I just would think a little harder next time something like this comes up to figure out whether or not it's worth getting.

And that's my opinion :)

Thank you so much for reading!

I'll talk to you soon!!!

May 2016 Beauty Favourites!!

Hellooooo!

And Happy June!!!

Holy shit this year is almost half over. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!?

This month flew by!! With working, and Mother's Day, then Genbeauty, then more work, then my sister's birthday. It seriously kills me how busy I can get. I'm thankful for it, though. Mostly.

Jumping in to my May 2016 beauty favourites!

I've been LOVING using white nail polish under bright colours to make them POP! The China Glaze White on White has been my go to for that purpose. I just picked up OPI Alpine Snow because my Cosmoprof didn't have the China Glaze one.

And speaking of putting white polish under bright polishes, I've also been LIVING for the China Glaze shades Turned Up Turquoise and Flip Flop Fantasy.

This Aqua XL liner by Make Up For Ever has been my go-to waterline liner since I got it at Genbeauty. It's matte, it lasts legit FOREVER, and it's stupid pigmented.

I got this NYC Smooth Skin Loose Face Powder because of Ashley, and I should really message her and thank her for it. I got this at Walmart because she raved about it, and it's so inexpensive for the job it does. I've been debating getting the Laura Mercier translucent powder for months, but I'm so happy with this that I don't feel like I need it anymore.

For my lips, this Cake Beauty delectable everything balm has been the best thing since Vaseline. Apparently it has like 21 uses, but I've only put it on my lips. It's a tiny thing, but it will last me quite a while. It's soft, moisturizing, unscented, and glossy. It's honestly awesome.

My glow this month has been brought to you by Anastasia Beverly Hills. I got the Glow Kit in Gleam during the VIB Sale from Sephora a couple months ago, and I've been using it almost every day since. I love to layer Starburst and Crushed Pearl on the tops of my cheekbones. I like to put Hard Candy on the apples of my cheeks as a glowy blush, and since I'm so fair, I didn't think I would have a use for the Mimosa shade, but I've been using it as an eyeshadow! And during the summer I'm sure I'll be able to put it on my shoulders to add a little somethin somethin ;)

Aaaaaaaaaaaand that's it!!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope your June is amazing!!!

Byeeeee :):)

Generation Beauty Toronto 2016!!

Hey!!

I was lucky enough to attend Generation Beauty by Ispy in Toronto at the Toronto Convention Center, and I'm here to share my experience with you.

It was pretty last minute when I decided to go. A slightly long story, too, but mostly worth it.

I was originally supposed to go with my beautiful friend, April, but there was a scheduling conflict, so I was going to get a ticket for Wayne's daughter as a birthday gift and take her with me, but that didn't work out either. By the time all of this transpired, the original ticket price ($63) batch had sold out, as well as the next batch ($105). According to the website for the event, there was going to be a swag bag worth $200 of beauty products. The ticket price after the first two batches were sold out was $210. I live in Windsor, which is about a 4 hour drive from Toronto. At that point, it was totally not worth me going. So I had come to the sad realization I wouldn't be able to attend. This was in March sometime.

On Mother's Day, I was checking out some posts on a group I belong to on facebook, and I had noticed that someone posted a discount code from the Ipsy snapchat to make the ticket price go to $100. It was a 24 hour deal, and about 17 hours had already passed, so I had to move quickly. I needed to find out if I could borrow a car from my parents to drive up there; I needed to find out whether or not my cousin and his girlfriend were going to be in Toronto that following weekend so I could stay there; I needed to buy my ticket; I needed to see whether or not April could go with me, etc. etc. So I moved quickly and everything fell into its perfect place in the world for me.

And so I went!

I'll begin with the bad.

I was under the impression that everyone who attended was handed a big swag bag when you walked in the door. I was wrong. When I registered, I was given a floor map of all the vendors. Around the floor map were corrugated tickets for each vendor/brand. It was set up so everyone had to line up at each booth, and when you got the the front of the line, you handed over your ticket, and got a product from that brand. At the end of the day, that was considered your swag bag. I was pretty upset when I found that out. I was even more angered when I was told by some AWESOME girls I met while I was there that the swag bag I had pictured in my brain was actually going to be handed out at the cocktail party that night. And only people who were beauty creators were invited to the cocktail party. I was considered an attendee, not a creator. Pissed. Oh! Did I mention that beauty creators didn't even have to pay for their ticket to attend genbeauty? They were given them by being an Ipsy OS member. So not only was I angry about the ticket I had to pay for, I didn't get the swag bag I was led to believe I was receiving, AND I wasn't invited to the cocktail party where the swag bag was handed out.

Moving forth.

I met some amazing girls while I was there. I saw huge YouTubers and influencers. At some point in the afternoon, there were small swag bags handed out (with a ticket).

By the end of the weekend (the event spanned over Saturday and Sunday), I came out ahead in regards to the ticket price compared to what I ended up with at the end of it all. When it comes down to paying for gas and parking and food, I more than likely came out behind, but I got to see my cousin and his girlfriend, and I got a ton of new makeup out of it. Thank goodness I didn't have to pay for a hotel on top of everything.

So this is what I stood in line for.

Not bad, right? I will use most of it, but the stuff I've decided I won't use, I have already given away or put away...... for a giveaway..... ;)

I will try my damndest to be a beauty creator by the time it comes around again. I pray to have my YouTube channel up and running again by then. Wish me luck!

That's all for now. Sorry this is so late (like 2 weeks, but still).

Thanks so much for reading!

Talk to you soon :)

Tiny Drugstore Haul :)

Helloooooo!!

Happy Monday!!

I'm just hopping on here to share with you a few things I've picked up from the drugstore over the past couple weeks :)

The Physician's Formula Butter Bronzers are back ups. It may seem excessive, but I'm so in love with this bronzer, and I'm quite certain it's limited edition. Soooooo I just want to be prepared. And perhaps one might be for a *giveaway* coming up :):)

These NYX shadows were on a display and I couldn't resist. I only owned 1 of the prismatic shadows, and I've been wanting to expand my collection, so I grabbed these 2 shadows in Mermaid and Frostbite. And they're GORGEOUS!!

This Essence brand cream highlighter is from the 'Hidden Stories' collection. It's a beautiful subtle cool toned cream highlighter. The formula is reminiscent of the Maybelline bouncy blushes. And for only $4, you can't really beat it!

This one is the ever coveted Milani Baked Blush in the shade 'Luminoso'. I finally got my hands on it. It's a lovely, warm, bright apricot colour. It's a very smooth formula, and it has a nice sheen to it when applied to the cheeks.

The Sun Bum lip balm with SPF 30 is a new and AMAZING discovery for me. I saw this at Shoppers Drug Mart after hearing Kathleen Lights talk about the sunscreen on her channel, and since the sunscreen is actually stupid expensive ($19CAD), I decided to start with the balm. And I'm in LOVE!! Not only does it smell great (I got the banana one, but there's a coconut scented one too that I want), but it's actually the smoothest lip balm I've ever applied to my lips. I will most certainly be a repurchase over and over again.

The Wet N' Wild brushes I heard were a dupe for the MAC 242 from Makeup By Cheryl on her channel. I could never find them in stores near me, but the last time Wayne went to the states I asked him to look for them for me, and since they were only $0.99, he got me 2 :):) I use it to pack shadow all over my lid after spritzing it with a little Fix +. It's flat, so it's perfect for packing shadow, and I totally dig it.

The L'Oreal True Match Lumi Cushion is simply a repurchase. I'm not out of my current one, but I wanted to make sure I could get my hands on it before I was out of the one I already have.

I got the NYC Smooth Skin loose powder in Translucent because of Ashley Pomeroy's channel. She was talking about how much difficulty she had trying to find this product in her city, so I figured it had to be pretty sought after, so I went and found it! I've only used it a couple times, but so far so good!! It has kind of an 'old lady' smell to it, but it doesn't last on my skin.

These e.l.f. eyeshadow palettes were extremely exciting for me to find and buy. I went into my local Superstore and much to my surprise the ENTIRE makeup section was topsy turvey-ed! So I knew there must have been a new display. So in my search of the newly displayed makeup, I happened across the new e.l.f. display with some new products; these palettes being among them, and I couldn't help myself. Just look at them!!

So that's all I've picked up lately! I have used almost all of the products so far, and I'm very impressed with all of them. Perhaps aside from the Essence highlighter which isn't terribly pigmented, everything is awesome!

That's all for now! Have a great rest of your day or night wherever you are! 

Bye bye :):)

Makeup of the Week!!

Hellooo!!!

Happy Saturday! Happy weekend! 

I'm just here to share with you my makeup looks for the week. I hope you enjoy :):)

Sunday May 1

Monday May 2

Tuesday May 3

Wednesday May 4

Thursday May 5

Saturday May 7

 

The only day I didn't wear makeup was yesterday. I didn't want to, and it's a good thing to give your face a break once in a while. 

I really hope everyone enjoys their Mother's Day tomorrow. I'm going to surprise mine with brunch :)

That's all!

Byeeeee :)

April 2016 Beauty Favourites!

Holy hell I can't believe this month is over already!!

It really feels like it flew by, and perhaps that's due in part to the fact that it's my birthday month and I was sick for the week surrounding my birthday this year. Being sick, though, I didn't wear a whole lot of makeup, and when I did I just kind of threw it on to make myself look presentable.

That being said, these are a few of my favourite beauty products for the month!

The L'Oreal duo has been my RIDE OR DIE for brows for longer than just the month of April, which you may already know because I shared the pencil in my March favourites. But for real, I've already gotten a back up of the pencil because I've been using it so much.

This Morphe brush is PERFECT for blending out eyehsadow in my crease. I got this last year at IMATS because MannyMUA talked about it so much, and I've never looked back. It's so soft, and I love how it tapers, and I love how it blends, and I love the density, and I love everything about it. I really should invest in more Morphe brushes......

This NYX palette, though. This NYX palette, though. THIS NYX PALETTE THOUGH!!
You know how you go for a different shade of highlight based on the rest of your face makeup?? This palette has them all! Honestly, if you get this (if you're just starting out in makeup), you don't need any other highlighter. No joke. There are warm and cool and neutral toned highlighters in this palette that can go with literally every look. And you can use a couple of these as blush toppers. It's honestly so worth it.

The Nest rollerball of perfume was a total fluke how I got it. I was running errands with Wayne one day and he was taking his sweet ass time checking something out, so I went to Winners and was browsing the makeup section (OBVIOUSLY), and found it for like $13. I couldn't believe it. I know Nest fragrances are sold at Sephora, and they're not $13, so I had to have this one. Aaaaaaaand the scent is directly up my alley. It's reminiscent of the other 2 rollerballs I have, which are Clean Rain and Marc Jacobs Dot; but slightly more deep and floral.

The Pharmagel Eye Gel was a purchase from Cosmoprof a couple of months ago, and I've been OBSESSED with it! It's supposed to help reduce the appearance of aging. I pair it with the Pharmagel Eye Creme, and I have found that my under eye area has changed pretty dramatically in regards to fine lines and dark circles. They are pretty pricey, but I've had both of them and have been using them for almost 2 months, and I'm barely halfway through them.

Last but not least, this 'highlighter' from Wet N Wild in Reserve Your Cabana has been a cult classic for quite some time. Mine has seen better days, but that's only because I show it so much love. I don't necessarily use this as a highlighter, because I'm actually so fair it doesn't show up as a highlight on my face. I use it as an actual face powder. And because there's so much product in it, it has lasted a really long time, and I won't be upset when it runs out and I have to buy another one.

I do declare that that is all for the month of April. I don't think it was too many products, but they're all definite keepers! Let me know what you were loving for the month! Maybe I'll have to try out some new products in the coming months :):)

Thanks so much for reading!

Talk to you later! :)