Review: Maybelline Color Elixir

A month ago, I found out that Maybelline was finally bringing their Color Elixirs to Canada. I could not be more excited. These little babies were supposed to be a trifecta, delivering shine, pigmented application, and a balm-like texture in one. So I popped over to the closes Walmart and picked up two colors that I'd been in love with for a while.

L: Blush Essence // R: Captivating Carnation

L: Blush Essence // R: Captivating Carnation

I really like this new line by Maybelline. They do deliver on the appropriate shine and the balm-like texture. However, I don't particularly think they're the most pigmented glosses in the market. Then again, it could be because of the the shades I picked up are relatively light. I'd like to buy a deeper colored shade and test out its pigmentation though. But I do like the softness of the colors; both colors apply very subtly and give a nice, soft touch to your overall look.

The only thing that I don't like about these elixirs is that they are very sticky. I absolutely hate it when strands of my hair get stuck to my lips and for that reason, I've learnt not to wear either of these elixirs on a particularly windy day out -- at least not if my hair won't be up in a bun or a ponytail.

In every other way, I think these are pretty good though. Love the color and the shine it gives.

Have you tried these? What are your thoughts?

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Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain + Swatches

Remember when I said I've been getting a little too into lip products? Well when that started, it started with baby steps. If I'm going to try out different colors, I want to try them out with products like Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable balm stains. 

I had originally picked up the Honey shade but after falling in love with it, I decided to experiment with some of the more different shades - Crush and Smitten. One of the lipstick colors that I've always wanted to experiment with was a nice, deep wine color. Winter season is the perfect time to rock anything wine-colored: lips, nails, scarves, whatever you like! 

The Honey shade originally applies as a soft-pink, almost-mauve color and once the shimmer has faded, it turns into a really soft and subtle pink shade, which is just lovely for everyday wear. 

Crush, on the other hand, is an amazingly deep wine-colored shade that really makes a statement on your face. It pairs brilliantly with really subtle eye makeup and is great for occasions where you want a deep color but you don't want to use a lipstick. 

Smitten is a great intermediate shade between Honey and Crush. It's a deeper pink than Honey but not as deep as Crush. Again, it's particularly fantastic for everyday use and this shade you can pair with subtle eyes for a daytime look or with a nice smokey eye for a nighttime look. 

What I love about this range is that while there is originally bit of shimmer in the initial application, after a few hours, the shimmer pretty much fades away, leaving a nice matte finish on the lips. It does tend to leave residues on cups or mugs or whatever but not to the point that it's very noticeable.

The pigmentation is absolutely fantastic and since it's a balm stain, the formulation leaves your lips feeling nourished and well-moisturized. Bonus point: use these with a nice chapstick if your lips are really dry. It will make a significant difference.

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Let's Get Naked (3)

This past holiday break, I gave myself one of the best Christmas gifts: Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette. 

I was procrastinating from studying and on a whim, I decided to check Sephora's online store to see if it was in stock. It was Tuesday and it was supposed to be available in stores on Wednesday. Imagine my surprise to see it on the website a day earlier. Imagine my relief to see it in stock. Without a second thought, I ordered it right away.

At $60, it's certainly quite an investment to make but because of the neutrality of the shades and amazing quality of the palette itself, I'd say it's an investment you won't regret making. Plus, the palette lasts for a long time. I've been using one of the eyeshadows from the Naked palette to fill in my brows everyday and it's yet to make even a small dent.

The palette is absolutely amazing. As you can see, and as I've already mentioned in an earlier blog post, this palette boasts 12 brand-spankin'-new shades from Urban Decay. True to the quality of the Naked palette, each shadow is incredibly pigmented and glides on very well. 

The colors are fantastic and as you can see, the palette has a brilliant balance of shimmers and mattes and soft, everyday-use shades as well as those you can use for smoky eyes. 

L-R: Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz, Trick

L-R: Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darksite, Blackheart

Two bonuses of this palette are that it comes with a double-ended eye shadow brush and samples of all 4 of Urban Decay's primer potions: original, sin, eden, and anti-aging. Each sample claims to last for about a week's worth of use and it's a fantastic way to try out all the different formulations to see which you like the best. I know when I first bought the original primer potion, I was so overwhelmed between whether I should get sin, eden, or the original since I had no idea how all of them would look. With this, it makes your decisions easier. Plus, it's nice to try them out to see if the Urban Decay primer potions are worth the investment in the first place. 

Overall, I love this palette. I wasn't much of a fan of the Naked 2 palette but this is well worth the investment. Between this and the original Naked palette, I don't think I'll be using any other palettes that I own - at least not for regular usage. 

What do you think? Is it worth the investment?

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Review: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

The approach of winter holidays means one thing: finals season. Finals season means another thing: all-nighters. That means chugging ridiculous amounts of coffee or energy drinks, spending all night with your head buried in a book and furiously trying away on your laptop, and of course, looking in the mirror the next morning and realizing you are staring at the zombie version of yourself.

In that instant, you need two things to make sure that nobody else can figure out the hell you've put yourself through: a nice cold shower to bring some life back into you and a nice foundation which will take away any sign of that all-nighter that is so apparent on your face.

After going through CoverGirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 foundation during the summer and fall, I found myself in the market for a new one.

Unfortunately, I realized that the CoverGirl foundation was incredibly drying on my winter skin so I realized this was the perfect chance to try the foundation that I've heard wonderful reviews about: Rimmel's Wake Me Up.

The foundation boasts having an anti-fatigue effect and to giving a radiant glow to users. Both of these effects are apparent when you swatch a small amount of the foundation: in light, you suddenly notice that it appears to shimmer. It is this shimmer that gives off the anti-fatigue effect. 

The coverage is fantastic and it's really buildable. Overall, it's a fantastic foundation. That being said, I've noticed that it does tend to make my face shiny in the evening so I've found myself reaching for a mattifying powder after about 5-6 hours of wearing it. I do seem to recall this not being an issue when I used the Smashbox Photofinish primer so I'm going to test it out the combination again to see if that makes a difference or not. 

It's great for normal or dry skin, especially if you've found yourself pulling an all-nighter for work or school. But for oily skin? Better keep a mattifying powder or a good face primer handy. 

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Blogmas 06: Moroccan Oil

A few weeks ago when I got my haircut, my hair dresser convinced me to try out a hair cult classic: Moroccan Oil. Like Lush's Ocean Salt, this product is a godsend during winter months. 

My hair ends get dry really fast and unfortunately, I don't like to shell out on conditioner. But this little beauty is amazing at leaving my hair soft to the touch and protects it from the dryness.

Obviously, the steep price tag of the full bottle was too much of a risk for me but thankfully, there's a smaller bottle too. Though it's small, you don't use that much so it actually lasts for quite a long time.

This particular formulation is 'light', which is better for my hair because one of my main concerns was the oil weighing my hair down. But this formulation doesn't do that. It feels light and leaves my hair feeling soft and silky.

Another thing I've noticed is that it smells great. I use it every time I wash my hair and it leaves my hair smelling fresh and soft. Yeah yeah, how can hair smell soft? I know but trust me. It's possible. It's a delightful smell that leaves you wanting to smell your hair all day long.

Needless to say, Moroccan Oil has now garnered a permanent spot in my hair care routine, especially during the winter.

What's your favorite hair care product?

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Blogmas 04: Lush 'Ocean Salt'

I will be the first to admit that my skin is obnoxious. In the summer, it gets obnoxiously oily by the end of the day and in the winter, it gets obnoxiously dry. So when I walked out of Lush with this little beaut, I finally solved the problem.

Lush's Ocean Salt is amazing, to be frank. Even that is an understatement. It's a sea salt scrub for your face and body that leaves your skin feeling as soft as a baby's bottom. Call me crazy but I've noticed my face looks a little brighter after a scrub with this.

Having never used it and with a heft price tag of $21.95, this little pot certainly doesn't come cheap and was quite a risk for me. But it's an investment and a damn good one, if I do say so myself. I only use it for my face and you only use a tiny bit of it at a time so it has lasted me for quite a while. Even after one use, you can visible see (and feel!) the difference. My skin feels softer and more fresh. 

The scent itself is wonderful. It's strong and greets you as soon as you open the pot. When you initially buy it, the sea salt is at the top so the sales associate gives you a little popsicle stick to mix it before your first use. Once it's all mixed in, just take a small dollop, and rub all over your face. You may or may not feel a slight burning sensation if you leave it too long (thanks to that damn vodka) so be sure not to do that. After giving your face a good scrub, just rinse it off. 

One of the best things about Lush, as I've found, is that they are anti-animal testing and all their products are made with natural products. No nasty chemicals, here! And I mean, come on. Have you walked into a Lush store? It smells freaking amazing! I can't wait to try other products from Lush. 

What's your favorite skincare saviour?

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Blogmas 01: MAC Russian Red

One of my recent lipstick purchases was the MAC Russian Red lipstick. This shade had been on my wishlist since I started wearing lipstick and I could not be more happy about the purchase.

I know I said this already in the My Lipstick Collection post but this is honestly the perfect holiday shade. The color is a nice deep red, which is absolutely perfect for Christmas parties with a stunning pair of heels and a LBD. 

The pigmentation of the lipstick is absolutely great and it applies very smoothly as well. Thanks to the blue base of the lipstick, this color shines on every skin tone. From pale to dark skin, this color will stand out and bring the attention right to where you want it: your lips. 

Make sure you have a mirror though. Unless you're a pro at applying lipstick, you're going to need it. 

At $18 (CAD), this is certainly on the higher end of lipsticks but it is well worth it. Fun fact: it also makes a wonderful Christmas gift. Know someone who always has a splash of color on her lips? Get this color for her. She won't be disappointed.

Promise. 

Can you picture it? Because I can. 

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Review: Urban Decay NAKED Palette

If there was ever a beauty cult product, it is Urban Decay's NAKED palette. With a price tag of around $50, it is certainly a pricey purchase but after reading and hearing about this palette from literally every beauty guru blogger and vlogger, I knew I had to give this a go. So last Christmas, my mother was nice enough to gift it to me. After that, I haven't looked back. 

This palette has a little bit of literally everything. In terms of color range, there is a quite a bit of browns and dark purple/blue shades. If there's one palette that can give you a soft, daytime look as well as a great smoky eye, this palette is the one. I'm personally not into wearing a lot of bright colors like reds, pinks, or purples on my eyes so I can honestly say that I have rarely used any of my other eye shadow palette after getting the NAKED palette. 

The pigmentation of each shadow, with the exception of Naked, is absolutely perfect. Because each of the shadows swatch so strongly, the palette is very long-lasting. Like I said, I got it last Christmas and I've barely scratched the surface on any of the shadows. Another plus for me was that I recently realized that I could use the Dark Horse shade to fill in my brows. Sigh. It's so multifunctional!

If you're in the market for a great, multi-functional eye shadow palette and don't mind splurging a bit for a great product, Urban Decay's NAKED palette should be at the top of your list. It is absolutely perfect for every occasion. 

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Review: Micellar Waters

At the end of a long day of school, I don't want to spend fiddling with two or three different make-up removal cleansers just to remove my make-up. This is especially the case if I'm super tired and just want a quick make-up removal method. Feel the same way? Let me introduce you to micellar waters!

Micellar waters are great for those quick, easy times since they have a non-rinse formulation. Basically it means that unlike other make-up removal cleansers, you don't have to follow them up with washing your face. You can just use them to remove your make-up and then ta da! Dunzo! That being said, I do recommend following it up with washing your face, especially if your skin is going through a tough time. 

Bioderma Sebium H2O Micellaire Solution. Bioderma is clearly the cult classic. Bloggers, YouTubers, and any other beauty make-up gurus absolutely raved about this product so when it made its way to my local Shoppers Drug Mart, I knew I had to try it. I bought this product early this past summer after my La Roche Posay micellaire solution began to run low. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. This particular formulation is for those of us with oily skin (for normal skin, buy the pink bottle!) and since my skin gets really oily in the summer, this was perfect! At $33, it is certainly expensive but it's November and I have yet to run out of it. And I use it quite religiously. It removes about 97% of all heavy make-up and it's great for those nights where you just want one product to remove all the make-up, remove it well, and leave your skin leaving smooth. 

La Roche Posay Physiological Micellaire Solution. Compared to the Bioderma, this was really cheap. I tried this when I was in the market to replace my old make-up remover and the drugstore lady suggested I try the micellar waters. Since it was on sale at the time at almost $11, I saw no problem at a little experimentation. In my opinion, this is very similar to the Bioderma micellar water. It may not leave the skin feeling very smooth but it does go a pretty decent job at removing all the make-up. For the price, you can't go wrong. Especially if you haven't tried micellar waters and want to dip your toe into the (micellar) water. Hah. See what I did there?

Overall, I really like having micellar waters as part of my night-time routine. They're quick, easy, and get the job done. Have you tried any? What are your thoughts?

NOTD: Essie's Mint Candy Apple

Essie's Mint Candy Apple is hands-down my favorite color that I own currently. It's such a beautiful color and it's absolutely perfect for the summer and winter. It very toned down and it looks absolutely fantastic on any skin tone. If you've always wanted to buy from the Essie brand but have balked at the prices before, go ahead and buy this shade. You won't regret it, I promise.

It actually doesn't look very mint-y in this light but it does in certain lights. Regardless, I love the pale-blue color of the polish. It actually makes me so happy every time I look at it :) 

What do you guys think? 

Review: MAC's Face and Body Foundation

Every year in September, my university has a big Sidewalk Sale as part of the Freshmen Orientation Week where a bunch of vendors, all our clubs and organizations, and our school's retail outlets set up shop on a street. Last year, I came across a small MAC kiosk where the lady was giving out samples of its Face and Body foundation. I picked up the shade C3 and then months later, decided to buy it. 

The foundation itself is great. It is a natural, satin finish foundation which means that it's not the best at coverage. You can hope to get low-to-medium coverage so don't pick it if you're prone to break out. My skin does break out easily during exam season and especially in the summer so I haven't been using it as much recently. 

Another thing to note about this foundation is the satin finish. I wouldn't recommend this foundation if your face gets really oily. Because of the satin finish, it gives a dewy effect on my skin, which is not a big deal during the winter. Summer is a different story, however. My face is more prone to oiliness because of the heat so I stay away from this foundation. And if I use it, I make sure I'm carrying some compact powder to fix up my face throughout the day.

However, it's a very lightweight formula (as you can see in the swatch) so it's great if you want to even out your skin tone before you apply any other products. I mostly used the product during the winter when my face was otherwise clear of any breakouts. 

Regardless, this is a great foundation and I would highly recommend it. It blends beautifully and I absolutely love that it's not very heavy on my skin. 

What do you guys think? What's your favourite foundation currently?

NOTD: Essie's Eternal Optimist

I've realized that I haven't updated about beauty in a while. There's been too many random posts but I think I know just the way to get back into beauty blogging.

I've been obsessed with painting my nails a pastel color. I don't know if pastels are supposed to be trendy this season but I can't resist me some pastel nails. I've also discovered the wonders of Essie. For the longest time, I couldn't rationalize spending more than $4-5 on a nail polish and the first time I tried Essie, the color began to chip in like 4 days. However, my local drugstore was having a sale on Essie nail polishes and I couldn't help but pick up a few.

One of the ones I picked up was Eternal Optimist. It's a great soft-pink color that almost borders on nude in certain lighting. I absolutely love this color, especially if you're in the mood for something a little girly but don't like darker pinks or hot pinks. I put on two coats; I find that Essie nail polishes always require two coats. The only thing I don't like about these nail polishes in general? The brushes aren't wide. I've found that my hands are much more stable if the brush is wide and a little flat but it's not that big of an issue.

Here's the color in better lighting. 

What do you guys think? What's your favorite nail polish shade?

Review: Soap & Glory Righteous Butter

The one thing I don't like about my body is that from my neck down, I have the driest skin possible. Like Sahara Desert dry. My face, on the other hand, gets super oily, especially in the summer. So by now, trust me when I say I've tried pretty much any kind of body butter or body lotion out there. Okay, most of them.

Victoria's Secret? Done. The Body Shop? Done. St. Ives? Got it!

But one that I hadn't tried yet was Soap & Glory's The Righteous Butter. I mostly avoided it because of its priciness. At $18 a container, I wasn't sure I should buy it so for a long time I avoided the purchase. However, after my last final exam in April I decided to just go for it. I needed some retail therapy and figured I'd be better off buying the body butter than more clothes. A month later, I'm glad I made that purchase.

Soap & Glory's The Righteous Butter is their original formula made especially for those of us cursed with very dry skin. It contains shea butter and aloe vera, two key components to get your skin back to it's healthy glow. Oh, and did I mention it smells absolutely divine? Currently, I slather on a generous amount just as I'm heading off to sleep as a way to relax my entire body and this routine leaves me feeling utterly peaceful.

One reason that I didn't take a liking to other super-moisturizing lotions and creams is because they leave my skin with a sense of greasiness. Have you guys ever found that? You slather on a good amount of lotion and it feels just great but then when it comes time to put on your skinnies, suddenly it feels like you're trying to put on tight leather pants on a hot summer day! Needless to say, it's not a desirable feeling. This was not the case with the Soap & Glory body butter! Out of all the body butters I've tried, this had the least amount of greasiness so I was one happy camper.

I got my tub at Shoppers Drug Mart (drugstores in Canada) but if you live elsewhere, I'm not sure where you might be able to find them. You can try your local drugstores such as Ulta, Target, etc. Regardless, if you can get your hands on a tub of this body butter, I would highly recommend you give it a go. You won't be left unimpressed!