IMATS List

I'm so excited to be going to IMATS Toronto tomorrow (Saturday). So I thought, I would post the list of things I want to get and then when I do my IMATS haul post on Monday, we can see how well I stuck to my list (hahah)

I'm not going to link everything (the post would be all links then), but I have broken it down by seller, so I'm sure it'll be easy to find online.

MORPHE
- M439
- M332
- M330
- G30
- Secretive eye shadow

MAC
- Prolong wear concealer
- Nylon eye shadow
- Wedge eye shadow
- Kid eye shadow
- Waterproof foundation
- Painterly paint pot
- Soft Ochre paint pot

I am also hoping to get some beauty blenders and the Real Technique Buffing Brush.

Do you think I'll stick to my list?

Wish me luck at IMATS. Have a great weekend everyone!

Stay beautiful,
Sarah

100th Blog Post

WHAT?!

Can we just take a moment and appreciate this.......

I just want to take this blog post and thank each and everyone of you who continue to read my blog. It means the world to me especially because I view this blog as a hobby.

This hobby is something I thoroughly enjoy and I love watching it grow.

I don't have anything else to say other than I am planning on holding a giveaway soon (I'm still collecting items for it!)

Also, if you are going to IMATS Toronto this Saturday, I will be there!

What kind of content would you guys like to see? Please let me know in the comments! :)

Thank you all so much!!

Stay beautiful,
Sarah

Foundation Stick Face Off

I have been noticing that it has been very popular for companies to create foundation in a stick form.

This form of foundation can be applied directly to the face and then blended with your fingers. This makes the process a lot faster and easier.

So I decided to buy three drugstore brands that have created this form of foundation and pit them against each other to see which one is better or if they are even worth it!



Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick


This is a mid range price at the drugstore. This foundation stick has 9grams worth of product and it is in the shade 110 Porcelain.

This foundation stick is oil free and it comes with a shine free core. This core will whisk away oil. I don't recommend this foundation stick for anyone with dry skin, like me!! I found it clung to dry patches and made them look worse. I also found that this foundation stick did not blend well and I think it was because the anti-shine core would mix with the foundation.

Elf Moisturizing Foundation Stick

This is the cheapest foundation stick. This foundation stick has 14grams worth of product and it is in the shade Ivory.

This foundation stick is very very creamy, which is it's downfall. This foundation is so creamy, I found that it tended to break off the stick as I was applying it to my face, which made a huge mess. I found the packaging to be very hard to turn and it tended to get stuck.  I like that this foundation stick is larger because it covers more surface area.

Revlon Photoready Insta-Fix


This is the most expensive foundation stick. This foundation stick has 6.8grams worth of product and it is in the shade 110 Ivory.

I really liked this foundation stick. I thought it went on with ease and it was very easy to blend in. I also found this one gave the best coverage out of the three. This foundation stick sometimes felt a little dry when applying it.

Overall, I don't think foundations sticks are that great. I think using a liquid or powder foundation would be a lot easier. However, I think foundation sticks would be a good fix for touch ups on the go.

The winner of this Face off is the Revlon Photo Ready Insta-Fix because it was the easiest to blend, had the smallest surface area (great for getting into small areas, like around the nose) and it provided the best coverage.

Have you tired any foundation sticks? What did you think of them? What items would you like to see face off?

Stay beautiful,
Sarah

Estee Lauder Sale Haul

The Estee Lauder Sale happens twice a year and it is an invite only sale. So when I was able to score some tickets from a friend, I knew I was going to shop a ton!

Unfortunately, the sale was a bit of a let down. I did buy some things and I love everything  I purchased but I found that the sale lacked some of the items I really wanted, like foundation.

However, I did get some great stuff at some price good prices! So here is what I purchased. I am going to break it down into categories - some categories will have a group photo and some will be individual product photos - just so this post does not get hella long.

Face & Eyes


Smashbox Halo Powder in Fair

I already know I love this powder. So, when I saw it, I knew I had to pick one up. This powder also came with a brush (surprise!)  and a sample of the Smashbox Photo Ready Foundation Primer.






M.A.C Turquatic Perfume

I have heard nothing but good things about this perfume and I wanted to pick it up. It has a nice clean and fresh scent to it. It is also a very light smelling perfume, meaning it would be perfect in the summer months.

Smashbox Photo Op Eye Brightening Palette


This palette is designed to make your eyes look brighter. I was drawn to the eye shadow in this palette. A double ended shadow brush, a eyeliner and a full size mascara is also included. The mascara, eyeliner and the black eye shadow all have a hint of blue in it because blue makes the whites of the eyes brighter.






Bobbi Brown Eye Shadow in Champagne and Estee Lauder Eye Shadow in Sugar Biscuit

Eye shadows at the sale were buy one get one free, so, of course I had to pick up two.  These two shadows are really similar in colour but I thought they looked gorgeous. I also have never owned a Bobbi Brown or Estee Lauder eye shadow before.


Lipsticks:




I bought three lipsticks - they were 10 dollars each so it was a pretty good deal.

- Snow Orchid > Amplified
- Glam > Matte
- Flamingo > Lustre





L to R; Real Doll, Make Me Gorgeous, Snow Orchid, Flamingo, Glam




Travel Items:

- MAC Fix+ x2
- Clinique CC Cream in Very Light
- Smashbox Hydrating Foundation Primer
- Bobbi Brown Everything Mascara
- Smashbox eye Brightening Mascara
- Lily Pulitzer for Estee Lauder palette x2
- Lily Pulitzer Estee Lauder travel bottle

Charity Bags:

You were able to give a donation for Breast cancer research and in return you were giving a bag full of MAC makeup. I bought the maximum number of bags, which was 4.

All of the bags come with a Mineralized Skinfinish Natural in Medium Deep so I have four of them.

I also got the MAC Fluidline Eyeliner Gel in Looking good. I have three of these because I traded one with the people I went with

I got three Real Doll Lipsticks. This is a Lustre formula. *Pictured above*

I traded with the group I went with to get

- MAC eye shadow in Bouffant Veluxe Pearl
- Make Me Gorgeous Lipstick > Amplified *Pictured above*
- Real Redhead Lipstick (this will be passed along to my mom) > Lustre *Pictured above*

That is everything I picked u during the sale. I'm not sure what I am going to do with the extras I received in the Charity Bags (I may be thinking about holding a giveaway!).

What MAC, Estee Lauder, Bobbi Brown or Smashbox products are your favorites? Let me know in the comments below!

Stay Beautiful
Sarah

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip Kit

I was shopping in Sephora the other day and I saw this Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip kit. I instantly put it in my basket. This kit retails for 30 dollars Canadian (25 dollars American) and one of these lip products is full size! Here is a review and swatches of the kit.

How cute is this packaging?!

Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in Rose

I own one of the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatments already so when I saw this in the kit, I decided to pass it along to my mom (she LOVES this line of lip products). This product is a light tint of pink. It is very moisturizing. I didn't swatch this one because I was passing it along.




Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lip in Lolita

The famous and hard to find Lolita was in this kit, YAAASSS! If you have wanted to try Lolita, this may be the easiest way to try it. I have heard nothing but good things about this lip product line, so I am very excited to try it. However, I thought Lolita was more on the pink side but when I swatched it, it was very brown in colour.

Make Up For Ever Artist Plexi Gloss in 202

Everyone in the Beauty community has been loving these but my first impression of this gloss is not good. This gloss is extremely sticky, so sticky it makes a pop sound when you pull the applicator out of the tube! This gloss did feel comfortable on my lips but it didn't show up very well. This gloss might work great to top lipsticks with.


Marc Jacobs Le Marc lipstick in Je T'aime

This is my first Marc Jacobs beauty product and it's the cutest mini ever! The packaging is adorable and this color is beautiful (the swatch picture does it no justice). This lipstick felt very creamy when swatched and the color payoff was incredible! This lipstick also left a bit of a stain too.


Sephora Collection Rouge Infusion in 19 Peony

I thought this product was going to be more like a lip gloss but it is actually a lip stain. This product has great color payoff! I haven't worn it on my lips yet but I have high hopes for it.


Tarte Amazonian Butter lipstick in Coral Blossom

This is the full size product! I love the Tarte Butter lipsticks because they have a great colour payoff, moisturizing and are very easy to apply. I also love that I don't need to apply a lip liner with these lipsticks. When I first saw this lipstick, I thought it had a bit of glitter or shimmer in it, when applied it looked so natural and you couldn't tell that there was shimmer or anything in it.

Overall, I think this lip kit is perfect to try some hard to find colors ( aka Lolita) and some higher end lips products, like the Marc Jacobs lipstick. This kit was strictly pinks, so I'm hoping Sephora comes out with other lip kits in other shades.

Have you picked this kit up? Any lip product you're excited to try? Let me know in the comments!

Stay beautiful,
Sarah

August Ipsy Unboxing

I recently received my August Ipsy bag. For those who do not know, Ipsy is a monthly beauty subscription service that is completely customized to you. 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 was Prep School.

Here is what I got in my August Ipsy bag.

Lord & Berry Lip Color and Liner in nude

I'm never upset when I get a lip colour or lip liner! This lip product is the "wooden pencil" type meaning it will have to be sharpen. This product glided smoothly when I swatched it and it had a great color pay off. I am a little disappointed in the color because I find it a little to brown to be used with the lipsticks I own but I'm sure I will find a use it.

Batiste Dry Shampoo

As much as I have been hatin' on Ipsy for sending me hair products, I was actually happy to receive this. I LOVE Batiste dry shampoo!! I rave about it a lot so I will only say that this dry shampoo does an incredible job of soaking up excess oil and although it does leave some white residue, once you work it into the hair, the residue is gone. I wasn't a huge fan of the floral scent but it grew on me!


Hikari Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Salsa


This lip gloss has incredible pigmentation and the colour is beautiful! It does leave a bit of a stain behind when it is wiped away. This gloss is a very sticky and thick which makes me not like it. The gloss also smells very strongly of plastic.



Jessie's Girl Eye Shadow Primer

I found this eye shadow primer to be a little watery when I first went to use it. After applying it, this primer seemed to fix any discoloration I had on my eyelids and it also did a pretty good job keeping my eye shadow in place and my eye shadow didn't crease.




Pencil Me In Eye Liner in Boysenberry

This liner is the right amount of creamy. It glides across the skin which makes me think it can be smudged easily. I really really really love the colour of this liner, it is like a blue-purple-black all mixed together.


That is everything that came in my Ipsy bag. Overall, I am rating this bag 3 and a half stars out of five because I am excited about the Batiste dry shampoo, the eyeliner and the eye shadow primer. I gave half a star because although I never turn down a lip liner, it's just a little to brown. The lip gloss is a great colour but it is too sticky and smells bad.
Are you a subscriber to Ipsy? What did you get in your August bag? Let me know in the comments below.

If you would like to sign up for Ipsy, please use my link: http://www.ipsy.com/r/1ik8u?sid=ipsypoints&cid=general

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*

Bellabe Review

The Bellabe is a facial hair removal device that is an easy alternative to threading or waxing. Bellabe is just for facial hair and works best on hair on the upper lip, chin, cheeks and side burns.

The Bellabe in the colour Sweet Pink

To use the Bellabe, you bend the product to make a upside down U. You then twist both of the coloured ends. This makes the spring rotate which is what is used to remove the unwanted hair.

The upside down U

The Positives

- The Bellabe was very easy to use by your self!
- There was no pain when the hair was removed. There was a slight tug but it was practically painless compared to other hair removal methods.
- Bellabe hair removal process was very quick. Perfect for doing quick touch ups.
- The Bellabe is also very easy to clean and it is a very quick cleaning process.
- The Bellabe has a cheaper price tag to waxing salons. The Bellabe costs 15 dollars Canadian.

The Negatives

- The Bellabe was hard to position for certain areas like the chin.
- I found that the Bellabe was not great for precise areas such as around the brows. I tried to remove stray hair above my brow and ended up removing some brow hairs.
- Not the most travel friendly.  It's not bulky and it won't take up a ton of room but it is bigger than a pair of tweezers.
- I also found that the Bellabe was not the greatest for large areas or large amounts of hair. I personally feel like the Bellabe is good for a few stray hairs here or there. Large areas or large amounts of hair may be easier to use other hair removal processes such as waxing.

Size comparison of the Bellabe and tweezers

Overall, I feel that the Bellabe is a great painless and quick method to remove stray hairs. Although I wouldn't use it for very precise hair removal.

You can purchase the Bellabe from Nail Polish Canada. The Bellabe comes in eight different colours (mine is the Sweet Pink shade). For 15 dollars Canadian (plus free shipping), it is a great purchase if you are looking for an easier hair removal option.

Nail Polish Canada is a Canadian website that provides Canadians with a wide array of nail polish and nail items. With free shipping over 25 dollars or a flat rate shipping of 3 dollars for any order under 25 dollars, it is a great website for anyone looking for nail polishes or nail products in Canada. They also have a great rewards system with some awesome rewards!

Stay Beautiful,
Sarah.

*NOTE: This box was provided to me. My opinion was NOT swayed because of this. Please see my disclaimer for more information.*