February Favorites

I don't do monthly favorites as I am lazy in switching things up. Once I find what suits me best, I would stick with the products for a while. This month, I have switched things up so I thought I would share.

I have been liking the pink-toned makeup lately. I find it quite flattening and yet still look natural and not too much for everyday.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette is my go-to palette this month. I use mostly the matte shades. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Radiant Magenta is such a beautiful blush. It is super pigmented and I have switched from using my Sigma angled contour brush to stippling brush.  I like it much better with the application. I swirl the stippling brush in the pan to mix the lighting powder with the vibrant magenta blush. It gives a very pretty glow on my cheeks. I am loving the Hourglass ambient blush so much that I have placed another order with Sephora for another one.

I tend to shy away from nude lipsticks as they make me look sick. But not since I found the Maybelline  Buff lipstick in 330 Truffle Tease. I am loving nudes. 

I layer the Truffle Tease lipstick with Marc Jacobs lip gloss in Kissability. The texture is so smooth and as it is a lipgloss and quite sheer, it just adds a tiny bit of color to balance with the nude.

It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation Illumination is my go-to foundation mostly this month besides using my holy grail Marc Jacobs gel genius foundation. I have tried a few powder foundation in the past and I find they look cakey on me. This It Cosmetics foundation gives enough coverage and it buffs in so nicely and natural. Also keeps my face matte. Loving it.

Macadamia Healing Oil Treatment is my new addition to my hair routine. I love Macadamia products and I used their hair masque for a while. This leave-in treatment really helps with locking in moisture for my hair. I got this from Winners for only $19.99(think at Shoppers Drug Mart it is over $30). 

Last but not least in this month's favorite is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Mudslide. This one is a very pretty nude with a hint of pink in it. I just love this formula and it last more than a week on my nails. Kind of set a record for me as most nail polish only last a couple of days on my nails before chipping.

What are you favorites this month?

February Empties

I have quite a few empties this month and I am happy that I committed to use up the products and some of them were products included in my beauty subscription boxes.

Wella Thermal Image Heat Protection Spray was included in one of my beauty subscription boxes. Probably it is from my Topbox. This is a fairly good heat protectant for my hair but there is a distinct scent which I am not a big fan of. 

I use La Roche Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel every morning. It is made for oily sensitive skin and I find it perfect for my morning skin care routine. It is not drying and gentle enough in the morning. Have re-purchased already.

Maybelline Clean Express Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover is one of my favorite makeup remover. It is effective and remove all my eye makeup even waterproof mascara. I got mine at Walmart last summer. I tried to find it at a few drugstores but had no luck. So I will be going back to my other favorite Neutrogena oil free eye makeup remover.

I received the Dior Huile Douceur Instant Gentle Cleansing Oil deluxe sample size from Sephora. I either redeemed 100 BI points for this or it came in the deluxe sample makeup bag with purchase. Starting in January, I tried to minimize my use of makeup wipes. This oil is very gentle and does not sting my eyes. But it is not totally effective in removing my eye makeup.

Origins United State Balancing Tonic is my second finished bottle. This is such a nice toner. Does not dry my skin or break me out.

Finished burning 2 Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles this month. Pineapple Creampuff is such a nice scent. I love pineapple scent and this one is perfect. Not too sweet and overpowering. Frosted Cranberry is from their holiday season collection. At first, I thought the scent is so nice. But as I burn the candle, the scent is just too strong and give me a headache.

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes will not be a constant staple in my monthly empties as I try to cut down on facial wipes and use cleansing oil instead.

Pacifica Coconut Crushed Pearl luminizing body butter was included in my Ipsy bags from last year. I love Pacifica products and this one is no exception. The coconut is just amazing.

Elf Makeup Remover Pen is my second finished tube. I use this to clean up my smudges from mascara. This one dries out fast though so I won't be buying any more. I guess I will have to use q-tip with makeup remover to clean up my mess.

em Cosmetics Lash Gallery Waterproof Mascara was included in my Ipsy bag a few months back. This is such a pleasant surprise for me as I have stubborn lashes and only a few waterproof mascara would work on my pathetic lashes. It keeps my curls and gives my lashes length and volume. However, on the second month of use, this one starts to clump up quite a bit. em Cosmetics is a new brand from the States and they finally offer international shipping. Unfortunately on their website, this particular product along with products with SPF are excluded from international shipping. For SPF, I get since US and Canada have different SPF guidelines. But for waterproof mascara, I don't know what ingredient is prohibited from coming here.

Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser is such a wonderful makeup brush cleanser. It gets everything out from the brushes so effortlessly. Only downside is the price tag.

Tarte Smooth Operator is my holy grail finishing powder. It keeps my skin matte all day long. It is a very fine powder which does not look cakey at all. It just gives my skin a natural look. Have re-purchased already.

I am a big fan of GlamGlow skin care products and I received the BrightMud Eye Treatment sample from Sephora. This is quite pricey so I want to try out the sample before getting the full-sized. This eye treatment is quite nice. Each "pocket" is for each eye but I find it too much. If I buy the full-sized product, I would probably just use one side for both eyes. It claims to help with dark circles, brightening, lines, tired eyes, puffiness, hydrating and plumping. I only used one application so I didn't expect the result to be immediate. 

Feb Ipsy Bag 2014

My Feb Ipsy bag finally arrived. It takes so much longer this month and it was stuck in Edmonton, AB for a whole week for no apparent reason.

Since my patience ran out long time ago, I went to my Ipsy Glam Room to peek what is in my goody bag this month. So when I opened the bag, it was no surprise :(

This month's theme is "the Look of Love" and the bag is in a lovely shocking pink color. 

Pretty impressed with this month as I got a few full-sized products.

Zoya Nail polish in Odette(full-sized)

NuMe Hair Mask

Tini Beauty Eye Cream Shadow/Base in Spiced Rum(full-sized)

City Color Be Matte Blush in Fresh Melon(full-sized)

Pop Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Peony Petal

I really like the nail polish shade from Zoya. It is such a pretty lavender pink shade which is totally my shade. Besides, I always enjoy Zoya and no complaint with a full-sized one.

The City Color Be Matte Blush is such a nice shade. The name, Fresh Melon, accurately describes the color. Love it.

Pop Beauty pout mini in peony petal is a nice mauve rose color. Really glad Ipsy sent me shades I enjoy and would definitely use.

The other 2 products are just ok for me. The eye cream shadow from Tini Beauty is a copper-brown shade. I don't usually wear this tone of brown as a base on my eyelids. 

The last product I'm not too excited is the NuMe Hair Mask. I don't particularly enjoy hair products sent in these beauty bags. 

But overall, I'm fairly happy with this month's Ipsy bag.

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream

Ever since I tried the It Cosmetics CC cream sample, I am totally obsessed with it. I was waiting for it to be available on the Shopping Channel but it is not yet there yet so I bit the bullet and ordered directly from the It Cosmetics website. The shipping charge to Canada is quite steep. 

I got it in the medium shade which is perfect. It comes in a 32 ml tube with a pump.

I really like cc/bb cream in containers with pump. Makes it so much easier to control how much product is coming out.

I pumped a bit too much for swatch. I would probably need this much for my whole face.

The texture is light but the coverage is medium. So you only need a tiny bit. It is not sticky at all and gets absorbed into the skin within a minute or two. This CC cream is a combination of color correcting cream with anti-aging hydrating serum. Also has SPF 50+ UVA/UVB. 

I am super excited to try this out and would update you guys with my full review.

TopBox Feb 2014

Happy Family Day! Today is a holiday for most of us Canadians. Nice to have a long weekend in the middle of winter.

Received my TopBox in the mail. This month I opted for the regular box as none of the prive boxes are appealing to me.

4 products included:

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant(30ml)

Diane Lai Rejuvenate(5ml)

So Susan Lip & Cheek Sublime(2.5g)

Essie Nail Polish in Head Mistress

The Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream skin protectant is in a good decent size. It is described as" a legendary beauty secret. Add Shine to eyelids cheeks and lips. Or shape eyebrows for the perfect arch."

I am not familiar with how to use this cream. Did some research on the website and it is a very versatile product. Can be used as a skin moisturizer for chapped patches, lip balm, aftersun lotion, highlighter etc. The texture is like a brownish petroleum. Guess it can be used safely on all the body parts, including cuticle, elbows and gentle enough to use on delicate eyelids and lips.

Haven't heard of the Diane Lai brand. The rejuvenate sample is such a tiny size. To be honest, I don't enjoy receiving products like these in my box. So tiny that it only could last 2 to 3 uses and rarely could I tell if I enjoy the product enough to buy it full-sized.

So Susan is also a brand I haven't heard of. I love lip and cheek tint and this shade is not something I would normally pick up for myself. It is a bright pink, almost neon shade. However, it is quite smooth to apply and easy to blend. So for a more subtle cheek color, I could apply a small amount.

Happy to receive a full-sized Essie nail polish. But Head Mistress is not a shade I usually wear. It is a true red polish. I would probably gift it to my niece.

Overall, I am 60% happy with this month's TopBox. Not overly excited with the products I received. Even though three of the four are of decent size, I could probably use only the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. 

Obsession with Nude Lipsticks

I have never been a nude lipstick gal as most nude lipsticks make me look sick. But the new buff collection from Maybelline has changed that.

I have three of them: 920 Nude Lust, 930 Truffle Tease and 945 Stormy Sahara

These lipsticks are not sheer and you only need a good application to make it last long.

From L to R: Nude Lust, Truffle Tease & Stormy Sahara

There are shades lighter than these in the collection but they are too light for my lips and would make me look washed out. I usually pair these with my Urban Decay nude lip gloss or Buxom Lip Cream in White Russian to get a more glossy look. They last quite long on my lips and moisturize enough as well. 

Comparison of Solid Cleanser for Makeup Brushes

I love my Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser for makeup brushes and sponges. What I don't like is the price tag. It is pricey so I am on the hunt for an alternative.

The Beauty Blender Solid Sponge Cleanser(here) is CAD $20 and as much as I love it, it is an expensive "soap" to clean my brushes. The cleanser has a slight lavender scent. I have used many brands of brush cleaner and let me tell you, nothing clean my makeup brushes better than this. I have a Sigma angled contour brush which I use to apply blush and the bristles are white. Just a few swirls of the brush into this soap, rinse and all the residue is gone in seconds. My brush is like new again.

This comes in a container which I find very handy. When it was new, I could easily take the soap out of the container and after each use, I pat it dry with paper towel and it goes back to its container. However, after maybe 10 uses, the soap is harder to dig out as some makeup residue and wetness is stuck at the bottom. I wash my brushes and sponges every 10 days or so and this cleanser last me 3 months. 

The Masters Brush Cleanser and Preserver(here)

I got the 2.5 oz of the Masters Brush Cleanser from Michaels(craft store). I can't remember exactly how much I paid for it. I think it was around $8 and Michaels always has sale and coupons. This comes in a similar container as the Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser. It has a citrusy scent which I prefer over the lavender scent. I wet my brushes and then swirl over the cleanser a few times to lather up. It cleans just as well as the Beauty Blender Cleanser. It is more of a solid soap and the cleanser hold up well after a few uses. 

This cleanser is made for paint brushes. I tried to look up the ingredients but had no luck. I had doubts about how safe it is to use on makeup brushes. But I had no problem what-so-ever in terms of causing any skin irritations. It cleans very well and I am impressed with it. I have used it for a while and it barely made a dent into it so I think this little tub would last me a while.

What do you use to clean your makeup brushes and sponges? 

Nail Polish Finds at Winners

I love shopping at Winners. They always have new stock and the Winners in my town has a pretty good selection of beauty and skin care products. I notice in the city, the picks are pretty slim. For those who don't live in Canada, Winners is like Marshalls, Ross or TJ Maxx in the States. Great selection of brand name brands at deeply discount prices.

I got a set of 4 Sally Hansen nail polish and an Orly base coat.

Ever since I tried my first Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line in Gold Roses(see my post) I am totally impressed with the formula and the brush. So when I saw this set of 4 at Winners, I needed to grab it.

This set includes: 340 Black Platinum, 370 Commander in Chic, 510, I Pink I can & 250 MudSlide

Black Platinum is a deep dark greenish black which has a slight grey undertone. Commander in Chic is taupe with a hint of purple. Pink I can is a bright pink. Mudslide is a nice nude beige. 

Usually when you see a nail polish set, there are always one or two polish that you would not wear and end up giving them to somebody else. But in this set, all the shades are very wearable. Pink I can is a bit bright and I will probably wait till the summer to try.

This set is only $9.99 and I think it is an awesome deal. I like the brushes in this Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure line. The brushes are bigger than regular brushes and they are pointy in the middle. I find with one or two easy applications, cover all the bases without making a huge mess. I am not very good in painting my nails, always painting "outside the lines". But with these, my clean ups are minimal.

Another find is this basecoat by Orly. I am hoping this will help my nail polish stay on longer. This one is $5.99.

Do you like bargain shopping for beauty or skin care products? What are your latest finds?

Comparison of Dry Shampoo

I used to wash my hair daily. Sometimes twice a day when I was a gym rat. Those days are long gone and I now wash my hair every other day or third day. I have oily roots and with my new favorite shampoo, Lush Big Shampoo(see my post for a brief review), my hair is good till third day with the help of a good dry shampoo for volume.

I have tried a few drug store dry shampoo. Tresemme is one of them and that doesn't do much for controlling oil for my roots. Even the price is good, I don't like it as it does not make my hair feel refreshed and cleaner after application. 

The two I am comparing is Oscar Blandi Volumizing Dry Shampoo and Batiste Original Dry Shampoo. I have been using Batiste for almost a year and a half now. They offer a few different scents and shades. This green yellow container is the original scent. It really gives my hair a lift with added volume and a clean feeling after application. Just spray at hair roots and wait a few seconds before brushing or flipping. It is available in most drug stores at $9.99. The only down side of this particular one is it does leave a white residue and I have dark hair so I have to be careful to really brush it out.

Oscar Blandi is a salon brand and is not as readily available in most drug stores. I have heard a lot of good reviews for their dry shampoo powder so I thought I would give this volumizing dry shampoo spray a try. I got mine at my local Winners for $9.99(retails usually at $25). It has a very nice lemon citrusy scent. Kind of remind me of lemon-scented Pledge. This does not leave a white residue so it is a plus. However, for the volumizing part, I don't find it overly-impressive. It does not give my hair a lift. It does help with the oil-controlling though. 

Between the two, I much prefer Batiste. I have also bought a different Batiste which is for brunette/darker hair and I am hoping it wouldn't leave a white residue like the Original formula. 

Do you use dry shampoo? Which brand is your favorite?

SDM Redemption Haul

Went to Shoppers Drug Mart for my small redemption. For those who don't live in Canada, Shoppers Drug Mart is a drug store which offers a loyalty card. Whenever you do a purchase, you could earn optimum points and every couple of months, they offer special bonus redemption when you could redeem extra. For example, usually you can redeem 50,000 optimum points for $85 worth of products. This weekend, they are offering redeem 40,000 points for $90 beauty or skin care products.

My Shoppers Drug Mart in town does not offer a wide variety of high end beauty products as in the cities. So I just did a small redemption. I combined this offer with a mailed in coupon, when you spend $75, take $25 off. So I am getting $120 products pretty much free. I just had to pay for the taxes. 

L'oreal Voluminous Butterfly Waterproof Mascara

La Roche Posay Anthelios Sunscreen

Benefit Porefessional Shine Control Powder

Physician's Formula EyeBooster 2-in-1 Eyeliner

Benefit GimmeBrow 

La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF 60 sunscreen and Physician's Formula eyeliner are my daily staples and I am almost out of those. 

I picked up two Benefit products which I haven't tried and very excited about. I love Porefessional primer and this oil-control powder is new. It is a fine powder and at the bottom of the tube, comes with a small brush and it is very handy to put in my purse for touch ups. 

Another Benefit product is Gimme Brow in medium. It is basically a brow-volumizing gel. Sometimes when I don't want to do a full brow, think this would be a fast and easy way to do my brows.

I am more adventurous in trying out new mascaras these days. My holy grail is Maybelline Falsies but I am branching out to try other waterproof mascara. Heard this L'Oreal butterfly is pretty good in terms of holding curls and giving volume without clumps. So I'm very excited to try this.

Have you tried any of these products?

Sephora 500 Pt Perk Fresh Best Sellers

I redeemed my 500 Sephora Beauty Insider points on Fresh's Best Sellers set.

3 products are included:

Lotus Youth Preserve Cream(15 ml)

Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil(5 ml)

Soy Face Cleanser(20ml)

I love skin care products from Fresh and I use their soy face cleanser, serum and lip treatment religiously. When I spot this 500 perk set, I knew this set would be perfect for me as I have been wanting to try the Lotus youth face cream for the longest time. Really want to try a deluxe size before I commit to purchase the full size as it is pricey.

Have been enjoying using facial oil recently. I have tried Kiehl's Midnight Recovery, Tarte's maracuja and Josie Maran argan oil. Excited to try this Seaberry oil.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Radiant Magenta Review

Hourglass has released its new ambient lighting blush. I got mine from Sephora as they are doing a special early promotion for VIB Rouge members. The blushes will be available later on in the month.

I am a big fan of their ambient lighting powder and when I found out they released their new line of blushes, I knew that I would NEED to get my hands on one (or more).

I decided on the shade Radiant Magenta which is described as golden fuchsia. 

When I swatch it, it is of a much lighter fuchsia with more pink. The texture is unlike any other blush I own and it is very finely milled. If you have their ambient lighting powder, you would see the similarity. Can't say it is powdery. The texture is just very unique.

When it is swatched on my arm, it still looks quite pink with a hint of fuchsia.

It shows up on my cheeks quite differently than being swatched on my arm though. It is not powdery and it is very easy to apply. Quite pigmented but definitely buildable. It looks much more pigmented in real life than shown in the picture. It shows up much more fuchsia than pink on cheeks. What an interesting blush!

As seen in this lighting, it shows much more pigmented and you can definitely see more fuchsia than pink.

I am glad I picked this shade as I wasn't sure the lighter shades would show up well on my NC30 skin tone. If you love the Hourglass Ambient Lighting powder, I'm sure you would love this blush. It just gives you enough glow that you don't need to apply additional highlighter. The glow is very pretty. This blush is however on the pricier side(CAD $41). So I highly suggest to try it out in stores on actual cheeks before picking your shade. As it could be deceiving on whether the shade would show up well on your skin tone. 

Would I re-purchase another ambient lighting blush? I really want to. The other shade I want is the Mood Exposure which is a pretty plum. I would have to wait until they are available in stores and try it out.

My MAC SkinFinish Collection

MAC skinfinish can be used as highlighters or blushes. The ones in my collection are mostly used as blushes as I love the subtle glitters and the beautiful glow on my cheeks.

From L to R: Shape The Future(from Extra Dimension collection)

Definitely Defined(from Extra Dimension collection)

Lust

Stereo Rose

My newest addition is the Stereo Rose:

It is such a pretty coral with hint of pink. The formula is very smooth and easy to glide on cheeks. I'm a NC 30 and it gives my cheeks such a pretty glow without looking too glittery.

My other two from the Extra Dimension collection consist of 2 parts. One is a more glittery finish and the bottom is of a more matte finish. The swatches are a combination swirl of the two. 

Far left is Shape the Future which is quite pigmented and have to be very careful. Only apply with a light hand. Second left is Definitely Defined which is the opposite as I need to dip my brush and swirl it  a few times to get the swatch. It is a very pale pink.

Second to the right is Lust which has been my recent favorite but with the latest arrival of Stereo Rose which I think it will definitely become my new favorite as I love coral shades and it looks very pretty on my skin tone.

Do you like MAC skinfinish finish? It is very similar to other baked blushes from other brands. Have you tried those and what are your favorites?

GlamGlow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment Review

I have been using the GlamGlow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment consistently for the past couple of weeks. I was not too sure if I loved it when I first used it. Read my first impression post.

When I first used the treatment, I applied the mask to my cleaned face and left it on for 30 minutes to an hour and rinse off. The mask has a very strong coconut scent which I love. It is not a very thick mask and I did not apply enough for the first couple of times to see immediate results.

I have to admit that I am quite impatient in trying out new skin care products and after using the SuperMud treatment from the brand and saw immediate results, I was quite skeptical in this one. 

So from my third attempt on, I applied a thick layer of the mask onto my face and left it on overnight. I have normal combination skin but my skin could get quite dry around my forehead and chin in the winter time. I don't like the stickiness feeling on my skin and I sleep on my side and on my back throughout the night. With that said, I was worried that half of my mask would be rubbed off my face and transfer onto my pillowcase. 

What I did was to wash my face at night and apply a thick layer of the ThirstyMud treatment on. A few hours in and most of the treatment is absorbed into my skin. By the time I went to bed, it was not too sticky anymore. When I woke up in the morning, I was truly amazed of how moisturized my skin is. Feel like my skin has really absorbed all the good stuff from the mask and has a radiant glow but not oily. I kept using the mask every second or third day and I have seen significant improvement of my skin texture. 

I am so happy and relieved to report that I love this ThirstyMud Hydrating treatment. I was a bit disappointed when I first used it as it didn't give me immediate result. But later realized that the mask works 10 times better when you apply it and leave it on overnight. Skin really drinks up all the moisture  and nutrients from the mask and the beautiful glow I get in the morning is worth every penny.