Physicians Formula Sexy Booster Blush

Ever since I was introduced to Physicians Formula felt-tip lash booster liner 2 years ago, I became very impressed with their products. I got the lash booster liner because there was a mail-in rebate, making the price much more appealing for a drug-store brand.

With the new year, Physicians Formula is offering a list of products qualified for mail-in rebates. I browsed through their new products and the blush caught my eye immediately.

How can you turn down such cute packaging?

In its package

I haven't tried their blushes before and this is my first one. There are two shades to choose from. This is more dusty pink. The other shade offered is more of a coral, peachy shade.

It opens up like a book. Reminds me of the cute packaging from Benefit's

At the back of the box, it also opens up with a brush

When you first open the box, you would be immediately drawn to the vanilla-scented blush. I always like dessert-scented makeup so I love that added feature. The pigmentation of this shade is quite good. Very smooth and gives me a very natural glow. 

I got this one at Rexall for $19.99. Yes, I know, it is quite deep for a drug-store blush. The mail-in rebate is $7 so it would only cost me $12. 

Few other items which are on the mail-in rebate list also interest me. The Organic Fakeout mascara and the Sexy Booster bronzer are on my watch-out list. I will wait for these to go on sale or become available at Walmart. They also have a new line of BB cream, concealers and powders but they don't get a lot of good reviews so I'm hesitant to try. Have you tried any of the new products from Physicians Formula? What do you recommend?

Origins Skincare Must Have Set & Buxom lip glosses

Excited to receive my Sephora order today in the frigid cold. I placed this order online 2 weeks ago and usually does not take this long to get here but due to some shipping complications, I just got it today.

Heard so much good reviews about the Origins skincare line. I was at the store a while ago and the sales associate suggested this set to try out the set.

Included in this set:

- 0.5 oz Plantscription™ Anti-Aging Serum
- 0.17 oz GinZing™ Refreshing Eye Cream
- 1 oz Checks and Balances™ Frothy Face Wash
- 1 oz Modern Friction™ Nature's Gentle Dermabrasion
- 1.7 oz VitaZing™ SPF 15 Energy-Boosting Moisturizer 

I have been on my current skincare routine for a while and want to try something different. Excited to try the VitaZing moisturizer as it is like a tinted moisturizer. It is a very light shade which scared me at first but it would blend in your skin tone quite perfectly. 

Anastasia Brow Prep kit

Just a brow gel with a tweezer. I got this to top up my Origins skincare kit to qualify for free shipping.

Buxom Lip Glosses in shades Dolly and Leslie

Sephora had this Buxom Lip glosses promo when I placed the order 2 weeks ago. They are the traveler sized which is a surprise to me. I thought I would be getting those tiny little sample sized glosses.

I love their White Russian lip cream and very happy with the shades offered in the free offer. Very wearable shades and right up my alley.

Left: Leslie

Right: Dolly

Lazy Styling

When I look at other bloggers' styling looks for the week, I am always amazed how creative they are. I'm fairly lazy in this department. When I'm obsessed with wearing something, I would continue to wear that consistently throughout the week.

J. Crew lace-printed sweatshirt in size S (here)

J. Crew Pixie pant in size 4 (buy here)

Banana Republic tissue turtleneck tee in size S (sim)

La Canadienne Geralda suede boots (buy here)

I have been wearing the J. Crew pixie pant non-stop since I got them. I switched this up with my other J. Crew factory ponte pant. Good that they are different colors, otherwise, people would think I have been wearing the same pants for weeks haha.

Tissue turtleneck has been my essentials for the past week as it has been freezing cold for the past week, day time high of only -20 C! 

My other stable is my La Canadienne  boots. Kept me warm and they are super-comfortable. Some boots are said to be weatherproof but they are not in reality. These ones are truly winter-proof. I don't have to worry about salt stains on the suede not coming off.

I'm loving this lace-printed sweat top. Even though it is so cold outside, central heat is blasting indoors and if I wear a warmer sweater, would be too warm. This sweat shirt layered with a cotton turtleneck is just perfect.

What U see is Not what U get(L'Oreal Color Caresse Wet Shine Stain Infinite Fuchsia)

After I got my first L'Oreal colour caresse wet stain in the color of Lilac Ever After(post here), decided to go back and get a darker shade to see if the pigmentation and staining power is any better.

Got Infinite Fuchsia 

looks very fuchsia in the tube and on the applicator

when you swatch on your arm, it is not as fuchsia

on my lips after one coat

I guess with lip stains, you just have to gamble on the shade you swatched on your arm in the store. My lips are not very pigmented so I'm thinking the color will look at least a little bit fuchsia on me.

I waited a few minutes to let it dry for a bit before I applied a second coat

The pigmentation is still disappointing. I don't know if I applied it totally wrong or what. But this is not what I expected.

The formula of this lip stain is very watery. I find it very hard to apply it  in order to have my whole lips stained evenly. Decided to do 2 coats and then put on my Buxom White Russian lip cream to top it up for a more even finish. 

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

I am not a foundation person. I guess it started from when I was a teenager and had oily skin, bought the wrong foundation. Skin felt cakey and suffocated and of course I didn't know to put on the right setting/finishing powder and the skin looked extremely oily at the end of the day. Ever since then, I rarely put on foundation, only tinted moisturizer and BB cream.

I am drawn to light-weight foundation and souffle type of foundation. When I saw the Revlon released its Nearly Naked Foundation, I knew I had to try it.

I got the shade 160 Fresh Beige

It is quite liquidy. The bottle does not have a pump, making it challenging to pour out the right amount each time.

It is very light-weight and has light to medium coverage

I only tried it a couple of times. I like the lightweight feel of it. I applied it with my Sigma ankled kabuki brush and it is very blendable and easy to apply. But since it is not as thick as other foundations, I may consider getting a beauty blender to see if it can be applied better. I still set it with my Amazonian clay smooth operator setting powder so I didn't have to blot my face throughout the day and didn't feel oily at all.

I got the Nearly Naked Foundation on sale at Rexall this week. Original price was $12.99 and 30% off making it only $9. Awesome deal, in my opinion.

While I was at Rexall, of course had to check out other deals.

Saw this L'Oreal foundation

MagicSmooth Souffle

This must be a discontinuing line as all of them are deeply discounted. Original price was $20.94 and all were on sale for only $4.94.

Most of the medium shades were gone. I got the 524 shade, buff beige, which is a bit darker than I wanted. But for that price, maybe I can use it in the summer months when I get tanner.

This feels very light and is a souffle texture which I love

I haven't tried it yet so cannot review on it. But it feels ok and non-greasy.

Feel like gambling when I buy a beauty product which I haven't heard of or read any reviews on it. But it is on deep discounted price so no big deal if it doesn't work out. Do you buy beauty products on impulse and is pleasantly surprised?

L'Oreal Colour Caresse Shine Stain

Was browsing at the cosmetic section at Walmart yesterday and saw the L'Oreal colour caresse shine stain. I am always drawn to lip stains as I love the fact that I only have to apply it once in the morning and hopefully don't have to reapply anything besides lip balm for the whole day.

The packaging is very cute and sleek

I picked up the shade 185 Lilac Ever After

I love mauve colors and think I'd better pick up a shade which is not too dramatic as I look terrible in bright deep lip colors.

This is a mauve color with some pinkish brown tone

The swatch on my hand. Doesn't show up too well on pictures unfortunately. The stain does stay on my hand for a good amount of time. My hand looks so crazy with all the swatches of the lip stains at the check out counter. No matter how much I rubbed the swatches, they won't smudge a bit at all. It feels a bit sticky when I did the swatches.

When I apply it on my lips, it does not feel as sticky as I swatched on my hand which is a big relief as I hate sticky lip products. I only apply one coat and did not apply any other product on top. I was expecting a more glossy finish but guess I have to apply more generously. 

Overall, quite happy with the lip stain. The staying power is amazing. Does not dry up my lips throughout the day. Does not have any fragrant or minty flavor unlike my other lip stains. Definitely I will go back and try other shades. Think I would go for a slightly darker shade.  

J Crew Heartbreaker Sweater & Pixie Pant

I have been loving my J. Crew heartbreaker sweater and pixie pant combination. Wore this to lunch with a friend today. It is freezing cold. Haven't had this extreme cold weather for a while. It is -20 C(think it's 0 F) without the windchill even in the afternoon. 

Heartbreaker sweater in size S ( buy here)

Pixie Pant in size 4 (buy here)

When I first saw this sweater on the website, it didn't catch my eye at first. I love anything heart-patterned and I'm glad I didn't have my eye set on it until I saw it in store on sale after Christmas. I got this for 40% off sale price in store and it was only $48 which made it an awesome deal. 

I know I said I love the factory ponte pant(factory version of the pixie pant) but after I got the Pixie pant, it is really much better than the factory version. The fabric is still very stretchable but the retail version is a much better quality. I have had the factory ponte pant for over 2 months now and have washer it many many times. The fabric is starting to stretch a bit more than I want to especially in the knee area. I only have the pixie pant for a little over 3 weeks now. Washed it a few times and the "excess fabric problem around the knee area" hasn't occurred yet. The only thing I like more about the factory version is the side zipper. Hopefully the pixie pant will have a side zipper instead of a back zipper in the near future.

J. Crew is having a promo of 30% off all sale items and free shipping over $100 on all online orders. I saw the sweater this morning but it is currently sold out. But watch for early morning popbacks if you are interested. 

January Ipsy Bag

I got my January Ipsy bag the same day I got my Topbox. Both boxes usually arrive in the middle of the month.

This is my second Ipsy bag and I haven't been disappointed by the goodies I get so far

 

BigSexyHair hair spray

Josie Maran Argan Oil

Nailtini Nail polish in the shade Frappe

Pacifica Blood Orange body butter

Also included is a Soho concealer brush

I'm very happy with this month's goodies. I heard a lot of good reviews about the Josie Maran argan oil. It can be applied to your skin or your hair. A bit disappointed at the size of the oil as it's quite tiny. Smaller than your normal travel-sized. I believe other than the oil and the hair spray, the rest of the products are full-sized so really great value for this month's bag. I got the concealer brush which is perfect as my current one needs a replacement. I see other varieties of this bag of crease brushes instead. Hope I will get that as well. Who wouldn't want another makeup brush in their collection?

I quite like the nail polish I got. It is called Frappe and it is a very pale pink. Quite sheer but I don't mind as I can always apply more to make it more opaque. This is 3 coats. I see others get a bloody Mary which is a bright red shade. I am happy I got sent this pale pink instead.

I have already tried the Pacifica Bloody Orange body butter and it smells amazing. I love citrusy scents and this one is right up my alley. 

January TopBox Canada

New year, new hope. I did not have high hopes for my January Topbox as the last couple of boxes disappointed me. I was going to give it a last shot before I decide whether I want to keep this subscription or not.

Surprise surprise, I am very happy with January Topbox.

This month's Topbox's theme is Clinique

Cannot go wrong with Clinique. It was my first ever skincare brand I used when I was 16. My Mom introduced me to Clinique when I first used facial cleanser and toner. I have been a loyal customer to Clinique for a good 10 years before I branch out and try out other brands.

In this month's Topbox:

Repairwear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector(7ml), Full size $57(30ml)

Clarifying Lotion(60ml), Full size $16 (200ml)

Rinse Off Eye Makeup Solvent(60ml), Full size $25 (125ml)

Color Surge Eye Shadow Duo (Full size $25)

I have used all their products except the Repair wear Laser Focus Wrinkle & UV Damage Corrector. Even though the Clarifying lotion and eye makeup solvent are not full-sized products, they are decent sizes and more generous than the regular sample size. 

Very happy with the eye shadow duo I get. Very wearable shadows and they are the usual neutral shades I will wear.

The brown shade is very pigmented and smooth while the pink shade is a bit frosty.

Overall, very satisfied with this month's Topbox products as I know I will use them all up. Are you happy with this month's Topbox? What did you get? 

ELF Blush Bronzer duo & Eyebrow Kit

ELF has a lot of great products at amazing price. Too bad they are not so readily available here in Canada. I was going to place a small order online but all I wanted was the eyebrow kit which is $3. With the shipping, it is just not worth placing the order.

Fortunately, I found the eyebrow kit at Winners(similar to TJ Maxx) and they even had the shade I wanted. I was so excited.

I got the kit in medium. On the left, it is a darker brown wax texture to shape your brows. The right hand side is a lighter shade of a powder base to fill in your brows.

This is my Benefit Brow Zings

I have been using Benefit brow zings for years. Think this may be my third or fourth kit. As much as I love it, always nice to find cheaper alternatives for comparison.

Left: ELF Brow Kit

Right: Benefit Brow Zings

I just got the ELF kit last week and haven't tried it yet. But from what I see, the shades and textures are very similar and comparable. If you want swatches and reviews of this kit, check out Cheap Makeup Reviews. 

Another great product from ELF is the Blush Bronzer duo. I got that last year and I believe they are now called contouring blush and bronzing cream.

This looks lighter in picture 

Left: NARS Laguna bronzer

Right: NARS Orgasm blush

I got the ELF set before I got the NARS. I was just curious as how comparable they are.

Swatches from NARS

The blushes do not look even similar in pictures. But in swatches, they both resemble a coral shade.

Left: NARS orgasm

Right: ELF blush

NARS orgasm has a hint of shimmer and appear more pink on skin than the ELF. ELF has no shimmer, a more matte finish.

Left: ELF bronzer

Right: NARS Laguna

Really have to be careful with ELF as the pigmentation is intense. Only apply the bronzer with a light hand. NARS Laguna is a more subtle bronzer which I adore. By the way, the two NARS products are the smaller sampler sizes I got from Sephora Favorites(in the glow set) and inside beauty points. I plan to get the NARS Laguna in full size when I'm finished with this.