Mar 31, 2013

SDM Redemption Haul

A couple of weeks ago, Shoppers Drug Mart oddly had an one-day bonus redemption on a Friday. Usually, they have their redemptions on the weekend. Does not matter to me as I have been eyeing on a few products I want to get and they rarely go on sale.


I only did a $100 redemption and I picked up these products: CoverGirl Outlast 3-in-1 foundation, Benefit Porefessional primer, PurMinerals 4-in-1 pressed mineral makeup and Bourjois Baked Blush.


I picked up the shade 950 warm beige


In the short 2 weeks since I got this, this has become my go-to foundation. It has light to medium coverage. Blends very well and does not give me the heavy foundation sticky feel. Love this!




This is my first product bought from PurMinerals. This is a 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup.

From their website:

More than a mineral foundation, 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation is a natural mineral makeup concealer, powder and SPF 15 protection all in one. The cornerstone of the Pür Minerals line, this mineral makeup foundation is pure mineral pigment ground to the smoothest texture and bound with organic shea butter and vitamin E. This full-coverage mineral foundation is good for your skin. Vegan friendly. Paraben-free. Gluten-free.
  • Pür Minerals mineral makeup foundation does not contain harsh chemical dyes, alcohol, fragrance or preservatives.
  • 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation includes titanium and zinc, which provide an all-natural barrier from the elements.
  • Pür Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation is easy to use without the typical mineral mess.
  • Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation is good for every skin type and condition, from oily skin to dry, mature types.


I am drawn to the 4-in-1 multi-function powder. Easy, breezy, just swipe the powder and you have foundation, concealer, SPF and powder all applied at the same time. Awesome for rush mornings when you only have a few minutes left. 

I have only tried it for  a few times and so far I'm quite pleased with it. Gives me the coverage I want and it has been the easiest no fuss no mess mineral foundation powder I have used.


I got it in the shade Golden Medium


Nice packaging



swatch


Bourjois Blush in shade 34 Rose D'Or


Looks very dolly-pink in the pan

When swatched on my arm, it does not look that Barbie pink. It is a very pretty soft pink.




I have another one of their blushes: left: Lilas D'Or, right: Rose D'Or


Left: Lilas D'or, Right: Rose D'Or

I love Bourjois blushes as they are very pigmented. Only complaint I have is the blush tends to dry out a bit after a month or so, making it not as easy to swipe with a brush as compared to when I first got it. 

The last product I got was the Benefit Porefessional face primer. This is my second tube and I absolutely love it. It is the most silky primer I have used. Making it very easy to apply and perfect for summer time especially when you don't want extra product applied to make your skin sticky 






Mar 29, 2013

March Favorites

Sorry for my MIA for the past few days. My Dad was in the hospital for a surgery and I have been busy between hospital trips and running errands. So glad that he was discharged yesterday and am able to spend Easter at home. Happy Easter everyone!

For those of you who followed my blog knew that I am having an extended stay in Toronto. I did not bring a whole lot of my makeup here so more excuses to run out and get some essentials. So my favorites this month contains some new products I got a few weeks ago as well.


Origins Night Vit-a-mins
MCA gel eyeliner
CoverGirl 3-in-1 outlast foundation
Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
MAC Pro-Longwear Concealer
Urban Decay Naked Basics
MAC Mineralize Blush in Gentle
Graftobian Corrector Palette


Graftobian Corrector Palette and MAC Pro-Longwear concealer (my shade is NC 30) have been life-savers for me this month. With barely any good nites' sleep, my dark under eye bags are really obvious. I applied the the shade on the far left first and then mix it with the shade on the second right. Dark area lightens up immediately. I sometimes apply a bit of the shade on the far right to lighten a bit more when needed. Also use the green shade in the middle to counteract the redness around my nose.

The MAC Pro-longwear concealer is applied after I used the corrector. It really is a medium to full coverage concealer which I haven't tried before. Really conceal every imperfections. Love it.


I only brought my Urban Decay's Naked Palette 2 with me and I need some matte shades. What a perfect chance to grab the Naked Basics. I was contemplating on getting this for a long time. I have 2 of the shades already but having this palette is so convenient. I don't have a lot of time to do my makeup and this palette is exactly what I need for a quick fix. Apply WOS on the lids, Faint on the outer corners of my eyes, Naked 2 on the crease and out the door. 

The MAC Mineralize Blush in Gentle is my absolute favorite blush for the past month. I have been using it almost daily. It is such a natural pretty blush. When applied, it gives you the most natural flush-look. I would not have usually picked this shade up to have a natural look, which taught me a lesson of viewing the products online is not the brightest thing to do as it looks so much different in person and I am so glad I went to a MAC store to swatch it. 


Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation
CoverGirl Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation

Of the few powder foundation I have acquired for the past few months, Benefit Hello Flawless is my favorite. It gives a natural finish. Not cakey at all. Makes my oily skin stay matte all day. My skin does look like it is flawless to my absolute amazement. 


I got this CoverGirl outlast stay fabulous 3 in 1 foundation a couple of weeks ago here. I'm in the shade 950.


It is a light to medium coverage foundation. I like the shade varieties to choose from, making it much better to match my skin than having to grab 2 shades to mix.


When it is blended, it gives you a silky smooth finish. I wear this all day long and does an excellent job of staying on and staying matte. Compared to the Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation, this is a much better coverage. 

MICA Beauty cosmetics gel eyeliner in black

This is the only gel eyeliner I brought with me to Toronto and I have been really enjoying this. This glides on easy and I just have to let it sit for a minute to dry. I apply it with my new Real Techniques pixel point eyeliner brush (from the Real Techniques Eye Starter brush set).


Last but not least is my new Origins High Potency Night-A-Mins mineral-enriched cream. 


This is my new night cream and I love it so much. It is very rich but not greasy. Has a nice citrusy orange scent which I love. After a week's use, I can honestly say it helps with the overall texture of my skin. My skin feels so soft and I find myself touching my cheeks at night time from time to time. This is truly an amazing product.

What are your March favorites? Would love to see your favorites. Leave me a link if you have one on your blog.








Mar 25, 2013

J. Crew Fitting Room

Was able to go to J. Crew store again at the Fairview Mall. There were a few spring items that I want to try on. After I grabbed a few to the change room, I realized they were all striped except one. Yes, I am still obsessed with stripes.



J. Crew Lightweight Boy Shirt in Stripe in size 6 (here)

This is made out of cotton but so soft that feels almost like silk. However, it fits small. I'm usually a size 4 J. Crew and this is a size 6.


Side view


I would recommend to go up a size for this one.


Liberty-collar merino sweater in stripe in S(here)


Here is a close-up look. As much as I like the stripe, I think the floral collar is a bit too much for the wide stripes. I like the fabric though. Not a very thick wool.


Tried on a couple of items from the clearance section:


Reverse-jacquard stripe popover in S (here)

This is a small but it fits tight around my arms. It fits ok on the bodice so not sure if I go up a size, it would be better.


The store has still got both colors(I believe the other one is a navy/brown). It was $37.99 in store. Very good deal.


Pear Sweater in S (here)

This is a light wool sweater but the fabric is so itchy I had to pass. If it is a thicker wool sweater, I can probably layer it with a thin long-sleeved tee underneath to minimize the itchiness on the skin. But since it's a lightweight, don't think I can layer it.



I was going to try on this tippi but only saw it on my way out. Next time.






Mar 22, 2013

Sherlock Holmes Style Jacket & J. Crew Matchstick Jean

On a relatively sunny and warmer day in Unionville, what better way to spend the day than to stroll around Too Good Pond and browse through the boutiques on the Main Street. 

One of my favorite boutiques is Blossom Lounge. They have a great selection of clothing, accessories, bath and body products as well as beauty products. 


Jacket by LA MadeClothing

This style of jacket reminds me of those cape-styled jackets in Sherlock Holmes. Don't you think so?


Worn unbuttoned gives the more casual look. The jacket is all lined and made of very soft wool. The flaps on the shoulders give a more unique look.


Side view of the jacket. Also has a button-cuff on . I really like the extra detailing of the jacket.


The jacket will be perfect for warmer spring weather. 


This is the J. Crew Matchstick jean in classic rinse wash (buy here). I have this in a 28S. I tried on both the regular and short and the short is the right length for me. The regular is just a wee bit long. Not long enough to take it to get altered but it would be dragging a bit when worn without shoes. 




This is going to be my new favorite jeans. Sits right on my waist, no more low-rise. Narrower at the bottom and denim is so soft. 





Mar 21, 2013

MAC Mineralize Blush in Gentle

Have wanted to try MAC mineralize blush for a while. But since I don't live near a MAC or the Bay and usually shop online. Figure I would wait until I visit a MAC store to swatch the blushes before deciding on the shade. I'm glad I did since the colors are way off on the website.


Mineralize Blush in Gentle
Pro Longwear Concealer in NC30


When I was browsing online, I was contemplating between Love Thing, Love Joy and Gentle. I was leaning towards Love Thing but when I actually swatched and tried on my cheeks, it is a bit darker and much more pigmented than I thought.


Gentle does not seem that pigmented in the pan but when I tried it on my cheeks, it is a very nice mauve pinkish shade. I am really loving the pigmentation. Just a little bit goes a long way.


The swatch on my arm doesn't seem that interesting. When it is applied to the cheeks, it is very nice. Just the right amount of blush to be visible on my NC 30 skintone.



Also picked up the pro longwear concealer. It is a medium to full coverage concealer which I don't have any. This is in the shade NC30. I was going to go for a lighter shade for my under eye area but the sales associate suggested to go with my regular shade, NC30 since the NC 20 looks too light on me. 

I love this concealer. It is medium coverage and a little goes a long way. It doesn't dry out my under eye area and it doesn't look cakey. The only complaint is the pump. Since I only need a tiny bit to do both my eyes, the pump always dispense too much of the product. Does not matter how hard I tried to pump a tiny bit, it still comes out half a pea-sized. 




Mar 20, 2013

Real Techniques Eye Starter Set

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am staying in Toronto for an extended period of time unexpectedly. I did not bring a lot of my makeup brushes with me, especially my eye brushes. I got a set of Real Techniques travel essentials set at Walmart and found them pretty good. So I went to Walmart and grabbed the eye starter set.


I don't know if Real Techniques brush sets are new to Walmart. But to us Canadians, Real Techniques brushes are definitely new here. I'm so glad that Wamlart carries them but so far, I have only seen them in sets. Wish they would start selling the individual brushes.


Comes with 5 brushes and a case.


A shadow brush, a crease brush, an accent brush, pixel-point eyeliner brush and a brow brush


I find the case very handy for traveling. I have the same one from my other traveler's set as well.



The ones I have used so far are the the shadow brush(far left), crease brush (second left) and the pixel-point eyeliner brush(second right).


I am really enjoying the shadow brush and crease brush. They are much fluffier than the ones I'm used to. The crease brush is shaped more like a dome and it does take some getting-used to when I first started. I am more used to a stiffer crease brush from Sigma. Also the eyeliner brush is very nice. I use that to apply my gel eyeliner and I like the precise thin lines and even with my not-so-steady hands, easy to handle.

I am quite impressed with the quality of these brushes. The set is $18.97 which is quite reasonable for its quality. 

Have you tried Real Techniques brushes? What would you recommend?