Friday, August 29, 2014

August Favorites

So, its that time of the month were I share my monthly favorites. Summer is officially over and it is now time for back to school. Enough with the clichés, lets get on to the favorite products I have been loving this month.

Make Up

Almay Get Up and Grow Mascara

I hauled this mascara back in June and didn't start using it until the beginning of this month. This mascara is the perfect for make your lashes super long. It doesn't clump up my lashes and it doesn't weigh them down. It holds a curl pretty well, usually after five or six hours I do lose the curl. I also find this mascara does smudge, especially under my bottom lashes. Overall I am pretty happy with this mascara.

Physicians Formula Organic Wear Fakeout Mascara

I also hauled this mascara back in June. This mascara adds volume rather than length. It holds a curl for the whole day and it is super easy to remove. This mascara paired with the Almay one is the perfect pair because you get both length and volume and the curl of your lashes will stay all day. I have been wearing both mascaras separately and together all month long.


Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer in Brightening

I have had this concealer for a while now and have used it on and off. This month however I got really into using this underneath my eyes to cover dark circles. It just adds the perfect amount of brightness underneath without looking cake. This product doesn't crease on me but I know on some people it does.

Skin Care

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

I got a foil packet sample of this in one of my Sephora orders and decided to try it. This stuff is literally magic in a bottle. I used up the sample and literally went out the next day and bought four bottles of this product. This cream is formulated to help with eczema caused by allergic reactions but it is also safe to use on sensitive skin. This product has made my skin feel softer and brighter the more I use it.

EOS Shave Lotion

I bought this product after hearing Tati rave about it in one of her videos. This is the best shaving product ever. It doesn't foam up at all, it is more of a lotion than a gel. This product can be used wet or dry which makes it great for travel. I got the pomegranate raspberry scent and it smells amazing. There is also a vanilla scent.

Hair

Bumble & Bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Primer

Since it has be hot and humid in Canada, my hair never corporates. It always gets huge and puffy in the humid air and I have never found a product that helps with that until this month. I have been using the Bumble & Bumble Oil Primer. This is a heat protecting product but it also helps smooth hair. A small amount of this product goes a long way especially since it is an oil. This product also smells amazing!! 


That is all of my favorites this month. What have you been loving this month? Is anyone else ready to go back to school?

Stay beautiful,
Sarah

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Lush Haul

The whole purpose of this Lush trip was to recycle the little black pots I have that have been collecting dust for a face mask (bring back 5 washed out Lush pots and get a free mask), and I got sucked into the Lush world and bought some products, oops. Does this happen to anyone else?! On to the haul.

Catastrophe Cosmetic Face Mask

First the item I was going in for. This is their blueberry face mask that is formulated for sore and troubled skin. It is cooling, calming, and deep cleansing with blueberry. This is a clay mask, so it does dry out my skin a tad but other than that it really helps my skin. I find if I go without this mask for too long my skin starts to miss it.

Bubblegum Lip Scrub

This is just an ordinary lip scrub but I find this one works the best for me. I have tried this scrub before in the Mint flavored one but I didn't like the taste. I use this lip scrub at night, especially if I am going to use the Bite Agave lip mask. I also use it in the morning if I am going to apply a lip product that will show dryness or cracks in my lips. *Note; Lush doesn't have this product listed on their website, I'm not sure why*

Granny Takes a Dip Bath Bomb

This is a new bath bomb at Lush so of course I had to try it. To me it smells like lemons and limes. According to the website the outer pink ring of this bomb is also contains bubbles! I feel like this is going to turn my bath water funky colors and I am excited about that.


Dragon's Egg Bath Bomb

I have used this bath bomb before and I really enjoy it. This bath bomb does turn your water different colors and it smells like lemons to me as well. This bomb does contain glitter but I don't find them to be annoying or make me shimmer.

Dorothy Bubble Bar

I have never used this bubble bar before but decided to try it. This is a more floral scent but it is not sickening. This bubble bar does have a underlying orange scent. This may turn the bath water blue or the bubbles may be a blue color, both are exciting.

Sunny Side Bubble Bar

I have used this bubble bar multiple times and I can safely say its probably my favorite one. It's a gold color circle that creates gold color bubbles. This product also has glitter but again it is not annoying and it doesn't make me shimmer. This bubble bar also smells like citrus and pairs amazingly well with the Dragon's Egg bath bomb.


You've Been Mangoed Bath Melt

I have also purchased this bath melt multiple times and I do enjoy it. This bath melt smells like mangoes (hence the name) and lemon. The bath melts just melt into the water and contain oils to hydrate, nourish and soften your skin. You do have to watch with the bath melts because they will melt from the heat of your hand.


Floating Island Bath Melt

I have never purchased this bath melt before but decided to buy it because it contained the same essential oil as another bath melt I usually get (but were sadly out of). This bath melt contains sandlewood which is very good if you have extremely dry skin like I do. This product also smells like lemons but it has a hint of vanilla.

That is everything I purchased at Lush on this trip. I am super excited for all the great baths I will have. What are your favorite products from Lush? Have you tired anything I bought?

Stay beautiful
Sarah

*NOTE: ALL items purchased above were purchased by me with my own money*

Monday, August 25, 2014

Top Five Fave Drugstore Make Up Products

Even though high end products are great and they usually work well, they aren't exactly budget friendly. Also, I believe everyone needs to have drugstore products they like because you never know when you may need a quick product pick up. Today, I've decided to round up my top five favorite drugstore make up products and share them with you.

1) Garner Skin Renew BB Cream

As I have already mentioned, I am a light coverage gal. Out of all the BB creams I've tried, both drugstore and high end, this one is the best. It goes on flawlessly, it even outs skin tones and the coverage can be built up (not quite to medium but pretty close). I also love that this product also comes in an oil free formula, an anti aging formula and a skin tone correcting formula. This is my go to BB cream everyday because it makes my skin look flawless.


2) Maybelline Line Stiletto

This liquid liner easily defeats many high end brands. This liner is a felt tip liner, which I usually don't like because the felt tip is harder to use and bends too easily. However, the felt tip on this liner is on the shorter side and it doesn't bend quite as easy as others. This product is also the blackest formula I have ever seen in a liner.

3) L'Oreal True Match Concealer
This is a crayon concealer that easily blends and covers almost everything from pimples to redness. It is slightly on the more expensive side of the drugstore products but way cheaper than some higher end brands. This concealer has a wide range of colors so everyone can find their perfect match. I mostly use this concealer on a day to day basis and I usually don't have to pull out a heavy duty concealer because this one works!



4) Revlon Color Burst Balm Stain in 001 Honey


Swatch of 001 Honey
This lip crayon in this color is amazing. Honey reminds me of a nude with a tinge of mauve, completely a my lips but better product. This lip crayon does stain your lips so it lasts almost all day. Since this is a balm it does provide moisture to your lips. This product is also super easy to apply and takes any make up look to the next level. This lip product is easily my go to lip color.





5) Maybelline Color Tattoos

Swatch of Barely Branded
This is a cream eye shadow that is supposed to lasts 24 hours. These eye shadows are incredible! They color payoff is incredible, they don't crease and they come in a variety of colors; including limited edition ones. Not only are these shadows an easy swipe on and go kind of product but they also make a great base for other eye shadow looks. I personally own five of this product but my favorite one to use is Barely Branded .

These are my top five favorite drugstore products. What are your favorites? Have you tried any of mine?

Stay beautiful
Sarah

Friday, August 22, 2014

Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polish Review

I recently stumbled upon these polishes made by Covergirl. They are called the Outlast Stay Brilliant nail polish. I've decided to reviews these nails polishes because I love a good nail polish and because after getting the first bottle, I went out the next day and bought four more!! Lets start the review.

The first thing that catches my eye with these polishes is the wide variety of colors. Covergirl has created everything from dark to brights to neutrals to sparkles and everything in between. Most polish companies do make a wide variety of colors but I feel like Covergirl has hit the nail on the head with the selection. I have also found that there aren't any duplicates in the collection. On the topic of color, these polishes have amazing color payoff! I find I only need one coat for these polishes to go on opaque. The color you see in the bottle is the color that goes on your nails.

The formulation of the polish is also incredible. It isn't thick but it also isn't watery either. It is the perfect combo of the two making in the easiest polish to work with. This type of formulation also makes touch ups easy. However, I wore this polish for a week straight and I only had one chip. So touch ups with this polish seem rare.

What's most impressive about this polish is the fact that you don't need a top coat. The Outlast Stay Brilliant polishes come with a built in top coat. The polishes do dry to a shiny finish. These polishes also dry super fast, perfect for the on the go girls.

The one major negative about these polishes are the cap/handle of the brush. The cap/handle are square so when I was painting my nails I found it a little difficult to hold and when painting my right hand (my dominate hand) I found it very hard to position it.

From Left to Right; Megawatt Mauve, Golden Opportunity, Out of the Blue, Mint Mojito, Leading Lady

I did some close up swatches as well.




Megawatt Mauve

Golden Opportunity

Out of the Blue

Mint Mojito

Leading Lady

Overall I love these polishes and I can't wait to add more to my collection. Have any of you tried Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polishes? What did you think of them?

Stay beautiful
Sarah

*NOTE; all products mentioned above were purchased by me. I liked this products and decided to share my thoughts*

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

August Ipsy Unboxing

I recently signed up for Ipsy and just received my first bag. I decided that each month, I will share with you want I got in my bag.

For those who don't know what Ipsy is, it is a monthly beauty subscription service. This service is completely customizable because you take a quiz and you can change that quiz as often as you like. You can also review the items in your bag so, if you don't like a product at all, you can tell them not to send you it again. Each month, they send you a themed cosmetic bag filled with  four to five make up items, tools, shampoo, conditioner etc. It is ten dollars American (For Canadians add 4.95 for shipping).


This month's theme is Beauty Schooled. Lets open it!

The Bag is Uber cute




Swatch 24/7 Eyeliner
The first item I see is Urban Decay. It is the new 24/7 Velvet Glide-On Eye Pencil. It is in the shade Plushie which is described as a smoky purple. The little booklet gives you a look you can create as well. This pencil felt creamy (not as creamy as the other 24/7 pencils) and it also had a great color payoff. I am very excited about this!








Inside the bag there are five items.

The first product is a Dry shampoo by Klorane. I've never heard of this brand and it looks to be from France. It is an extra gentle dry shampoo with oat milk. It has a strong floral perfume scent. I tried this while writing this post to give more details and this dry shampoo left the most terrible white residue in my hair. I am a dark brunette haired girl so most dry shampoos leave a white residue but once I massage it in or brush it out, it is gone. This stayed and didn't leave no matter what I did.






Sheer Glo swatch
The next two product are the same. They are Sheer Glo Shimmer Lotion by Manna. Again, I have never heard of this brand. It is described as " An incandescent liquid that lights up skin with an all over radiance". You can mix this with your foundation or wear it alone. You can also use this on your face as well as your body. This did feel very light on the skin when I swatched it. I am not sure if you can see it in the picture but this product does have a pink tinge to it.  To be honest, I am not too excited about this.





The third product is a lip balm by Jersey Shore Sun. I have never heard of this brand either. This lip balm is in the Mongongo scent. The tube also says it is an anti-aging lip conditioner. This lip balm is certified organic and is cruelty free. It smells fruity! It is made with Mandarin green orange and ginger. Hopefully this lip balm works.








The last product is a Coastal Scents eye shadow sample palette. I got set 6. I am very happy that these are all colors I will use. The colors are Peach Puff, Cherry Chocolate, Nude and White Silver.  The shadows feel very buttery and have a great color payoff. The darkest shade (Cherry Chocolate) had a bit of fall out when it was swatched. But overall these shadows are great and I am excited about it.



I'm giving this bag a rating of two and a half stars out of 5 because I am very excited about the Urban Decay liner and the Coastal Scents eye shadow. The dry shampoo left white residue but it did get rid of the extra oil so it gets half a star. Are any of you a subscriber to Ipsy? What did you get in your bag this month? If you are not a subscriber and would like to sign up please use my link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/1ik8u

Stay Beautiful,
Sarah

*NOTE: The Ipsy link is an affiliated link. It gets me points that I can redeem for an extra product. Thank you*

Monday, August 18, 2014

Sephora Haul

I placed another order on Sephora, I know I'm kinda addicted to the online shopping. However, this online order is super special because I have officially become a VIB Rouge WOOOO!

For those of you who don't know, Sephora has a rewards program called Beauty Insider. It is a free program and for every dollar you spend it earns you a point. The points can be redeemed for deluxe samples. Once you spend 350 dollars in a calendar year (from January to December) you become a Very Important Beauty Insider and if you spend 1000 dollars in a calendar you become a Very Important Beauty Insider Rouge. The only difference between the three levels of the beauty insider program is the different events you can attend, the amount of percentage off you get during Sephora's sale, how many more times the points you get during the Summer Surge event and the VIB Rouge is the only program level in which you get free shipping on every order.

On to what I purchased

Sephora's Favorites Draw the Line.

This is an eyeliner sample set, with one full sized product included. This was an amazing deal for people who would love to try different brands and different types of eyeliner. Most of the eyeliners are in the color black. I did buy this set for my mother because she really wanted to try the different brands.

The set includes;
- Sephora Collection Contour Eye Pencil 12 Hour Wear in Black Lace
- Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner in Dark Brown
- Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper (black)
- Nars Cosmetics Larger than Life Long Wear eyeliner in Via Veneto (black)
- Marc Jacobs Beauty Highliner in Blacquer
- Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Double Ended Eye Pencil in Perversion and Rockstar

Sephora Collection Look Color in the Eye Brush Capsule

This is also for my mother who has just purchased her first Urban Decay palette, the Naked Basics. After purchasing the palette, she realized she needed brushes and since I was already ordering her the Draw the Line set, I decided to add this simple brush capsule to the cart.

The set includes;
- An angled shadow brush
- A domed shadow brush
- A small shadow brush
- An angled liner brush
- A smudge brush

Smashbox Try It Kit

This is just like any of the Sephora Favorites kits however it is exclusively Smashbox products. I love sets like this because it allows to try different products without the high price tag and usually they are a good size.

The set includes;
- A Photo Finish Foundation Primer
- A Photo Finish Lid Primer
- A Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx
- A Full Exposure Mascara in Jet Black
- A Lip Enhancing gloss in Illume (this lip gloss is exclusive to this kit)






The three free samples I chose were a Marc Jacobs fragrance called Dot. I already know I love this perfume so  grabbed another sample. A First Aid Beauty face cleanser, I  already love their Ultra Repair Cream and decided a free sample was the best way to try more of the line. Lastly, I chose the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer.

Since I hoard my points, I decided to spend some to commemorate becoming a VIB rouge. I chose the Hourglass The New Classics which was the 500 point perk. I also grabbed a Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder and a Marc Jacobs Highline Gel Eye Crayon in the color Brown (Out) which were both 100 point perks.








So my cat totally photo bomb 
Also, if you are a VIB or a VIB Rouge you can use the promo code "VIBPARTY" which is a black cosmetic case filled with eight different samples.

The most important item in this package however is my VIB Rouge card.

Wow, that was a long post. Have any of you tried what I bought? Anyone else a VIB Rouge?




Stay Beautiful,
Sarah

Friday, August 15, 2014

Empties + Mini Reviews

Does anyone want to explain to me why you seem to run out of everything at the same time?! Here I am with another Empties Post.


Quo Mini Eye Make Up Remover Pads

These make up remover pads can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada (sorry!) This product removed every little bit of eye make up, even the Maybelline Color Tattoos! These make up remover pads even took off waterproof mascara. They are also a great price, five dollars (Canadian). So far these are working great!
Verdict: Buying more!!

9 to 5 Cleanser by Lush

I talked about this in my last post here. Basically the same opinion applies. However, I am finding that my skin is getting used to this cleanser so I will have to put something else into rotation.
Verdict: Love it but I need to use something else for a bit.



Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in the color Groenland

This was a foil packet sample so I only got one use but this was incredible. It felt like I had nothing on my skin. Although the color was a shade too dark, it still made my skin look amazing. I was super happy with this.
Verdict: I am going to try a sample in my correct color and then I will probably buy the full size.

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Night Cream

This was a sample size, however, I did get about four uses out of it because you don't need a large amount. I have super dry skin so I was happy to try a product that claimed it provided intense hydration. The claims are true! This cream provided my skin with hydration that surpassed any amount any other cream has ever given me. The two downsides I found with this product was that the smell bothered me and if my skin was having a good day and it wasn't super dry, this cream would make my skin greasy and sticky.
Verdict: I would buy the full size of this cream but only use it on days that my skin is super dry.


Too Faced LashGasm Mascara

I got this mascara in the Too Faced Paparazzi Ready kit. This mascara is a lengthening one. This mascara was great for about a week but after that it was just too clumpy. It also flaked a ton!! It held the curl okay, but I found after wearing it for about two hours my lashes would lose their curl. The brush was also one of the plastic variety which I normally don't enjoy.
Verdict: Over all, I did not like this mascara and I will not be buying the full size.

Essence Get Big! Lashes

I got this mascara for free because I spent over fourteen dollars on Essence products. This was the first mascara I have ever tried from Essence and I didn't like it. This mascara is supposed to provide a "volume boost" to your lashes. It provided this boost for about twenty minutes before it flaked away. It clumped and it didn't hold a curl at all.
Verdict: I will not be repurchasing.


L'Oreal Voluminous Original

Everyone raves about how amazing this mascara is and to be honest, I didn't think it was anything to get excited about. Yes, it gave my lashes volume and it held a curl but it flaked, smudged and smeared. This is the first mascara to ever smudge and smear on me. I even tried it with a lash primer and it continued.
Verdict: I will not be repurchasing.

Dove Go Fresh Revive Anti-perspirant
I  enjoy Dove deodorant and anti-perspirant because I find that it works. However, I did not enjoy this pomegranate and lemon verbena scent. It sort of smelled like body odor the moment you put it on. Gross! I didn't even finish this product.
Verdict: Will repurchase, just not in this scent.





Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 001 Transparent

I was so impressed by this powder. It set my concealer, it didn't cake up on me and it provided great coverage on my super light foundation days. I can't really say it kept me matte because I don't have a problem with oily skin. Over all, I felt like this was a great powder even if you don't have oily skin.
Verdict: Will repurchase once I finish other powders.

So that is all my beauty trash this time. Have you tried any of the products I talked about? What are your thoughts on the products I mentioned?

Stay beautiful,
Sarah