September Favorites

Haven't done a monthly favorites as I keep using the same products for months. That is how I operate: when I am into something, I just keep doing the same over and over until I am sick of it.

This month, I have added a few new items in my routine to share with you.

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Wash is my new favorite shower wash. If you like citrus scent, this is a must-have to try. A mixture of lime, lemon, vanilla and coconut. Amazing scent. 

My skin has not been in the best condition this month. Quite dull and non-vibrant. Have been loving Chosungah 22 C&T Blender as my primer to give my skin some life. It has good coverage and can be worn alone. Gives my skin a luminous and dewy finish without looking greasy and oily.

Having non-stop minor breakouts this month so I am using GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment regularly. Whenever I see a "potential" breakout, I spot-treat it with this and see a dramatic calming down by morning. 

During the hot humid months, my hair is like a frizz-ball. Using a hair straightener almost daily dries out my hair tremendously. I went back to my Macadamia Natural Spray Oil Treatment and within a few uses, my hair texture has improved and brought back shine. I have tried other brands but always go back to this one for reliable results.

Two lip products I use quite a bit this month: Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist and Burberry Kisses in Military Red. I never thought I would love the red so much. I am still timid in wearing bright red on my lips. How I apply this is to dab some product on my lips and use my finger to blend it out. Since it is such a pigmented and creamy lip formula, it blends easily and stay on lips for hours. Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick is often layered underneath for moisture and hydration. 

What have you been loving this month?

Buxom Tokens of Temptation

Sephora is offering this Beauty Insider Buxom lip set(use code VIBTOKENS). I love Buxom lip products and of course had to grab it.

  

Full-on Lip Polish in Erin

Full-on Lipstick in San Francisco

Full-on Lip Cream in Berry Blast

White Russian is my all time favourite lip cream and so I am happy to try another shade.

From top to bottom:

Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in  Granite

Lip Polish in Erin

Lipstick in San Francisco

Lip Cream in Berry Blast

It is my first time trying their lipstick and San Francisco is a pink mauve shade. Like most of other Buxom lip products, this has a minty cool sensation. Supposed to plump up your lips to give that full lips look. Some people don't like that but I don't mind. Berry Blast is a very pale and sheer lip cream. Perfect to layer on top on any lipsticks. 

What I bought actually is Anastasia Beverly Hills Tinted Brow Gel in Granite. I have used their clear brow gel and very happy with it. I was going to get another one but thought I should try the tinted one as they are the same price. 

I picked the shade Granite which is a brownish-grey shade. I have only used another tinted brow gel which is the Benefit Gimme Brow. It has a much smaller brush and easy to apply. This one has a slightly bigger brush but it is curved so application is just as easy. The gel formula really keep your brow in place and last long. If you have thinner brows, this might be tricky to apply with the bigger brush and you would have to clean up the excess product above and below your brows.

Lush Haul

Have not done a Lush haul for a while. Lush has recently launched some new products and I am so excited to get my hands on these as I am not sure if these are permanent or limited edition.

Comforter Shower Cream

Cup O' Coffee

Refresher Shower Jelly

Beautiful Shower Gel

The only product I have tried before is the Cup O'Coffee, which is a face/body mask I fell in love with after trying out a sample earlier. If you love the scent of coffee, you have to have this. This is a permanent product so you don't have to dash out to get some. I have used this more on my body as an exfoliator. The scent is absolutely amazing. For sure to wake you up if you feel like you just roll out of bed and half asleep still.

Refresher shower jelly is another amazing product to wake you up in the shower. The amazing lemon scent reminds me of lemon meringue pie which is one of my favorite desserts. Definitely have to get a couple more.

I am a big fan of their Comforter Bubble Bar. It is my all time favourite bubble bar from Lush and I always have to have one or two in my stash. When I find out they are coming out with the Comforter Shower Cream, I was jumping for joy. I love the black currant and berry scent and if I can enjoy the scent every day in my shower, it would be a dream come true. 

It is a shower cream, not a shower gel, which is more moisturizing and supposedly thicker in texture. However, it is kind of runny. When I used it the first time, I poured out more product than I needed. The scent is the same as the bubble bar but it doesn't linger on unfortunately. When I use the Comforter bubble bar, the scent lingers on in the bathroom for hours after my bath and it lasts quite a while on my body. The shower cream doesn't. So as much as I love the "idea" of Comforter as a shower product, it does not live up to my expectation. 

I haven't tried Beautiful Shower Gel. I just had a brief sniff and it smells very fruity, peaches and apricots. Can't wait to try it out. 

Have you tried out any of the new products from Lush?

Laneige Brightening Sparkling Water Foam Cleanser Review

Ever since I started using Laneige Water Sleeping Mask a few months ago, I have been very impressed with the product and always wanted to try other products from the brand.

I was lucky enough to be sent Brightening Sparkling Water Foam Cleanser* to try. 

I don't have much luck with foam cleansers in the past so I was skeptical about this. Foaming cleanser always dry my skin out bad and my skin doesn't react well. 

Look at how rich this foam is. I have never tried anything quite like this. You are supposed to shake the canister well before dispensing the product. Apply product on dry skin which is another first for me. 

I have been using this cleanser both in the morning and night for 4 days now. Surprisingly, this cleanser has not dried my skin out at all. My skin feels clean but not tight as with other foam cleansers. This cleanser also doesn't break my skin out. The scent is also amazing. If you have used Laneige Water Sleeping Mask, you would be familiar with the scent. I love the scent and it is not overpowering. It would only linger on skin a few minutes after application. 

With the "dry application", this cleanser also acts as a gentle exfoliator. It is supposed to rub off dead skin cells and brightening and luminous skin would come later. As I have only been using it for 4 days, I haven't noticed any significant results yet but do notice my skin feels clean and smooth afterwards. 

Sephora is carrying Lineage products and this retails for $30 for 5oz which I think it is very reasonable. You don't need a whole lot to clean your entire face. So I think this canister would last me a good 2 months. 

Have you tried any products from Laneige?

* PR product sent for review thanks to Influenster

Burberry Mini Beauty Box

Burberry is now available at Sephora and I am very excited as I have always wanted to try their products. 

I got this Burberry Beauty Box last month and I don't think it is still available right now sadly. I thought it would be a great way to try out some products without breaking the bank.

Burberry Mini Beauty Box CAD $34

It comes in a very nice and sturdy box.

Included in this set:

Fresh Glow- Nude Radiance No.01 Luminous Fluid Base

Kisses- Military Red No.109 Hydrating Lip Color

Light Glow - Earthy Blush No.07 Contouring Powder Face & Eyes

Kabuki Brush

I am most excited about this earthy blush. It is very finely-milled and the shade is quite versatile. If you have pale skin, this could be used as a bronzer. But I use this as a blush. Haven't tried it as an eyeshadow yet.

The Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base comes in the shade No.01 which is a bit light for me. I have used this as a base and just apply concealer on top if I don't feel like having a full face of makeup. It has a light coverage and I love the luminous finish. 

Haven't tried the kabuki brush or the lipstick yet. The brush is perfect to throw in your purse for mid-day touch up and it comes with a velvet wrap so the powder residue would not be making a mess in your makeup  bag.

Overall, quite happy with this beauty box. For the value, I think it is a good deal to try out Burberry products. I like the blush the most and want to try out other shades.

Have you tried anything from Burberry? What is your favourite product?

Marc Jacobs YSL at my Winners

Love shopping at Winners(similar to TJMexx, Marshalls). You never know what you would find there. I just went today and pleasantly surprised to find a few Marc Jacobs and YSL goodies in there.

There is not much variety since my store is a relatively small store. I picked up Kiss Pop in Headliner.

Headliner is described as a berry sangria shade. It is a muted fuchsia shade and very pigmented and creamy. If I apply it full on, it is very bright. So I like to just tap some product on and blend it with my fingers as seen in the picture above. 

It is CAD $19.99 compared to $35 at Sephora so I am super happy with it.

Also spotted the YSL Touche Eclat. I have tried samples of this and really impressed with it. However, they only have it in shade 3 which is a tiny bit too dark for me as I prefer shade 2. Also, it is $39.99 compared to $50 at Sephora. So not much of a discount to me. 

RapidLash

I am not blessed with long curly eyelashes and ever since I tried my first lash serum and notice how much better my lashes have the "potential" of growing, I am hopeful.

The first one I tried is the DermaGlow Lash Enhancer. It does a great job and I got a couple of them on sale when they were on deep discount at Rexall since they were discontinued.

Ever since I used up my last one, I am searching for a new one and I think I have found " the one".

RapidLash is in the medium price range when I am in search for a lash serum. I had no idea that lash serum can be ranged from $15 to $95. I got mine from Shoppers Drug Mart for $59 and I have also seen this at Rexall.

It comes in a sleek silver tube with brush tip. I have used this for a good 2 months and this performs much better than DermaGlow which I am impressed with already. I have a sparse spot on my top left eye. I had the habit of pinching my eyelashes and "yank" a few out when my eyes are itchy and irritated. Throughout the years, I notice it has created a "bald spot" which is not obviously noticeable to others, except myself. But bothers me a bit as when applying mascara, my lashes on my left eye are not even. 

I have applied the RapidLash on my lashes every night for 2 months and started to notice my "bald spot" is gradually diminishing after  4 weeks. Yes, you really need patience for the lash serum to kick in and does its magic. Really important to keep applying every night to see results. Not only the spot is now filled with new lashes, my lashes have grown much longer and healthier. I notice my lashes don't fall off that easily as they appear much stronger.

Although this still seem pricey and don't seem to go on sale ever, a tube would probably last a good 3 months when applied every night. I have read reviews that once you stop using lash serum, lashes may go back to what they were before. I have taken breaks between serums and let me tell you, you would notice a difference. 

Do you use lash serum to help your lashes grow better?

My Blush Collection

In the world of makeup, blush and lipsticks are my major weakness. My collection of blush and lipsticks is fairly large, compared to other products.

my most used blushes

I keep these in my bathroom and I use these very regularly. I tend to switch them up a bit according to seasons but these are my staples. For the past 4 months, I have been using one particular blush non-stop. It is my every day blush: Dior Rosy Healthy Glow Awakening Blush. I can honestly say it is my holy grail.

This is by far my favourite blush palette. I feel like all the shades in this Tarte holiday blush palette 2014 are quite neutral and perfect for every day use.

my "not so much used" blush collection

I hoarded a lot of MAC blushes in the past and I gave away a few already. I find sometimes it is a hit and miss with the limited edition as I don't have the luxury of swaching them in store before buying and usually buy them blind online. Some of them are not as pigmented as I would like.

Tarte Amazonian Blushes

I love these Tarte blushes. Exposed(the one on far right) is my favorite. 

Benefit's Boxed blushes and Physician's Formula

What have you got most in your makeup collection? 

Lush Cup O' Coffee Face Mask

I was at Lush to get my regular Big Shampoo and excited to see a few new products. Cup O' Coffee is their new face and body mask and if you love coffee scent as much as me, you have to try it.

I was given a very generous sized sample of the Cup O'Coffee to try when I purchased my Big Shampoo.

I used their fresh face masks for the longest time but since they are fresh and need to be refrigerated, in addition to I don't live near a Lush store, it is not as convenient as I would like it to be. This Cup O'Coffee has a much longer shelf life and does not need to be refrigerated. 

It can be used on face and body. Apply this generously on clean face and leave it on for 10 minutes. Or another way to use is to use as an exfoliator which is how I use it in the morning. There are tiny bits of chunks of cocoa extracts and the aroma is just incredible. I find it is still gentle enough to use in the morning. I will try using this at night as a mask since I am always rushed in the morning and don't have to time to leave it on for 10 minutes.

Are you a fan of coffee? I find it so rare to get coffee-scented skin care products. The scent lingers on for an hour after rinsing it off. I will definitely purchase it in full-size once I am done with the sample. 

MAC Haute Dog Collection Rare Breed

MAC has new collections very regularly and I used to follow them closely. But since my "low-buy", I try to stay away from all the press releases to minimize temptations :)

I caved in to get a lipstick from their latest collection Haute Dogs. The dog in the picture just caught my total attention.

Their lipsticks from the collection are mineralize rich formula which is one of my favorites from MAC other than creamsheen. They are very moisturized.

Rare Breed is a pink nude which I always go for when I shop for a nude, your lip but better shade lippy.

I love a good nude lipstick and yes I have a lot of similar shades in my lipstick collection but for lip junkie like me, this nude is obviously different from all my other ones :) This has a bit of gold shimmer to it when swatched on hand but does not show up much on lips.

Very comfortable on the lips and they feel moisturized for a good 4 hours. I love having one of these "easy breezy" lipsticks in my purse as these ones need no mirror to apply and to me, they are like lip balms but still has pigmentation. 

What is your favorite nude "your lips but better" lipstick?