Category: Makeup Collection


May
2018

Too Faced Life’s A Festival Collection Review

categories: Makeup Collection

While it’s not the newest makeup collection in the Too Faced line, but I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t share my love for the Life’s A Festival Collection. With summer just around the corner, now is the time to live your best life with Too Faced makeup.

For a little eye shine, the Life’s A Festival Eye Shadow Palette has everything you want. The shadows are a mix of colour and a few colour changing hues that provide endless fun opportunities. I love looking at all of the inspiration for looks on Instagram, because these colours are seriously stunning.

Unfortunately, my Rainbow Strobe Highlighter broke in the mail, so I wasn’t able to take advantage of the beautiful rainbow shine with special Magic Rainbow Strobing Brush. Luckily there are other options for highlighting. I also had the Unicorn Horn Highlighting Stick. This creamy stick provides a sheer and glossy finish. I prefer the look of powder highlighters better, but this stick worked in the meantime. It’s nice that you can just really targeted highlighting with this stick versus a loose brush.

The Magic Crystal Lip Topper is probably the most surprising of everything I have. I didn’t expect such high shine on my lips with this glossy finish. This Holographic finish has serious metallic shine that can be added to any lipstick or worn solo. It changes everything I knew about lipstick and my favourite shades.

Last, but not least, my favourite product, Too Faced Unicorn Tears Bronzer. This shimmering bronzer is the perfect amount of colour and shine. The silver sparkle plays on your cheeks in just the right way. It’s even day time appropriate sparkle that I’ve been wearing to work. I could add on an extra layer though for evening sparkle.

So prepare for summer with more sparkle and a lot of Too Faced!


Apr
2018

Tarte Mermaid Collection Most Wanted

categories: Cruelty Free Makeup, Makeup Collection, Makeup Most Wanted, Makeup Reviews, Palettes, PR Sample, Reviews

Mermaid and unicorn makeup are everywhere right now and I totally get it. Between the pastels, metallics and all the colours in between; they’re just pretty and fun. Tarte’s new Mermaid collection is pretty big and has everything from an eyeshadow palette, tons of lip options, brushes and skin care and it’s all got mermaid themed packaging. It’s hard to cover a collection that large in one go, so these are my Most Wanted from the Mermaid collection.

Palettes are usually the focus of most collections and the Be A Mermaid & Make Waves collection is definitely a star. There are fourteen matte and metallic shades that range from neutrals to some pops of colour and the pigments are pretty great. Tarte’s shadows are generally my go to’s from day to day and this palette is definitely getting a spot in my routine.

Two of my favourite lippies from the collection are the Limited Edition Tarteist Quick-Dry Matte Lip Paint in Exposed and the Holographic Lip Gloss. Exposed is a gorgeous neutral pink that doesn’t leave your lips feeling dried out and while I don’t love lip gloss, the Holographic Lip Gloss isn’t sticky or tacky at all and so, so pretty.

Exposed, Holographic Lip Gloss, Gloss over Exposed

You can use these separately or layer the gloss over Exposed as a topper.

My absolute favourite from the entire collection is the Mermaid Skin Hyaluronic H2O serum. This vegan serum is packed with Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin B5, Algae and marine extracts and keeps your skin super hydrated and glowing. It doesn’t have a strong scent and literally melts into your skin. It’s on the watery side, so you have to be quick applying it but it’s so worth it. It feels so nice.

Now you’ll have to excuse me while I look into how to become a mermaid full-time.


Feb
2018

Lipstick Queen Dating Game Collection

categories: Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews, PR Sample

I adore Lipstick Queens collections and their newest one, Dating Game is a set of four pink lipsticks perfect for Valentine’s Day. With the tagline flirt, date or fall in love – have a fling with pink! there’s a pink for every mood.

I have to say, I’m really not a pink person but these four shades are seriously pretty and super flattering. They’re all really creamy and comfortable with major colour payoff. They’re not transferproof but do a decent job sticking around but reapplying is going to be necessary, especially if you’re eating. The names of the shades are adorable as well; Good Catch (soft, rosy blush), Bad Boy (fuchsia), Mr. Right (warm, rosy pink) and Mr. Right Now (bold magenta).

I personally love Mr. Right but Good Catch and Bad Boy are close behind and Mr. Right Now is probably going to be Stephanie’s favourite spring lipstick. Even if you don’t manage to hunt these down for Valentine’s Day, you can always plan ahead for next year.


Dec
2017

Sothys Paris Reflet – 2017 Limited Edition Make-Up Collection

categories: Holiday, Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews, PR Sample

Sothys Paris, a French based company known for their high performance skin-care lines, has released a limited edition makeup collection Reflet. This set is gorgeous and everything you’d expect from a company like Sothys! It’s sophisticated, elegant and creates the perfect timeless holiday party makeup look.

The collection consists of a dark smokey eye in either dark grey (10 – Gris Zinc) or plum (20 – Feutrine Prune), rose coloured blush (not in this review), bright lips in either red (320 – Rouge des arts) or a lighter rose (310 – Rose Lepic), and a red nail polish (310 – Rouge des arts). If you are looking for a super bold holiday look, combine the grey smokey eye and red lip, or swap in the plum smokey eye or lighter rose lipstick to soften things up just a tiny bit.

For all the makeup beginners out there, or anyone looking for some tips, Sothys also has a super helpful online video that shows you how to apply the Reflet collection.

The eyes – The smokey eye pencils are thicker and used for the base colour on your eye lid. Both the dark grey and plum contain shimmering glitter for a metallic, almost iridescent look. The smaller pencils are the eye contour pencils and used for shading the outside corners of the eye. The grey contour pencil has the same shimmer as the smokey eye pencils, but the plum is just a regular matte plum. These pencils applied so smoothly, it was almost as if they melted when touching my skin. They were also really easy to blend, making it one of the quicker and easier smokey eye looks. For a flawless finish I would finish the smokey eye off with a really thin application of black eyeliner.

The lips – The lip sticks come in a bold red and a lighter rose colour, both being matte. These were my favourite part of the entire set. They applied so smoothly, and once dried, the colour had minimal fade or transfer. The application felt so weightless and moisturized my dry chapped lips so well, I actually forgot I was wearing lipstick. If you’ve been looking for the perfect stand-out bold lipstick for a formal occasion, the red is perfect.

The nails – After trying out and loving the rest of the collection, I had really high hopes for the red nail polish, which is the same shade as the red lipstick. The formula is just a tiny bit runnier than I’d like, which means you’ll definitely need two coats for a flawless application, but on the bright side, it dried pretty quick and matched the red lipstick perfectly.

The verdict – Every piece of the collection I tried was a hit, with the red lipstick being the absolute must have star. I’d recommend this collection to anyone looking for an easy and seductive holiday party look.


Oct
2017

Tarte Highlighters Head To Head

categories: Cruelty Free Makeup, Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews, PR Sample

Tarte is lighting up the season and adding a little sparkle and shine with a few new highlighters. There are two types of Tarte Highlighters for all of your needs:  Tarteist Pro Glow Liquid Highlighter and Tarte Twinkle Stick. These highlighters are very different, and I feel like people will prefer one or the other, but not both.

I prefer the Tarteist Pro Glow Liquid Highlighter. These little tubes have beautiful colours that perfectly complimented my skin. The two shades (Exposed and Sparkler) have a slight bronze metallic hue. This is perfect for giving me a highlighting glow to my cheeks that almost looks sunkissed. As you might expect when you see the petite size of these highlighters, a little goes a long way. Start with just a drop on your cheeks and add on. This Tarte Highlighter blends well, but makes a big impact.

The Tarte Twinkle Stick isn’t my fave, but it’s going to be popular with a lot of people. I actually expected to like it more. This stick style makeup looks adorable in the packaging and the silver shimmer stick just makes you want to apply. Obviously with the stick format, it’s simple to use. Just swipe, blend and go. You can literally add highlighter to your cheeks, or anywhere else you want, in about two seconds. The reason I don’t like it as much is that I don’t find the highlighting shimmer as prominent in this stick makeup. The Tarte Twinkle Stick is much more subtle. On my skin tone, it doesn’t make as much impact. I think if you had darker skin than me, it would create a beautiful shimmer.


Mar
2017

Lipstick Queen Chess Collection

categories: Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews


There’s really nothing I like better than interesting makeup collections that aren’t eyeshadow palettes. Lipstick Queen’s newest offering is the Chess collection, six matte lipsticks that Lipstick Queen founder Poppy King says is ‘beauty and brains combined in a lipstick!’ Each lipstick is named after a chess game piece and has a personality description attached to it. Now, I have zero knowledge about chess, so I don’t know how well they actually fit with the game but it’s really fun picking a lipstick based on shade and/or personality.

Lipstick Queen really thought of everything for the Chess collection’s packaging. The boxes have the game pieces on them and half the lipsticks are in white tubes and the other half in black. Just like the game. All the lipsticks are matte and apply extremely smoothly. These are not transfer-proof and will definitely require touch ups but they also really moisturizing and feel like you’re just wearing lip balm. I actually have a really hard time picking a favourite shade. I was initially drawn to Bishop but there isn’t a single shade that isn’t flattering on me.

Pawn, Bishop, Knight, King, Rook, Queen

Pawn (Loyal) is a deep nude, Bishop (Determined) is a determined mauve, Knight (Courageous) is dashing mocha, King (Noble) is a rich berry, Rook (Unpredictable) is brick red and the ever famous Queen (Supreme) is ruby red. The bonus of getting all six shades as a press sample, is that I can decide which shade I want to wear depending on my mood. I don’t know if I could actually pick just one.


Jan
2017

Teeez Fashion Vendetta Collection

categories: Makeup Collection

Teeez Fashion Vendetta Collection
Since European makeup company Teeez launched in Canada, I’ve really wanted to try their products. The extremely fashionable company does things a little differently when it comes to their collections. Each one has a theme and from what I can tell, none of the products cross over. We had a chance to try out a few things from their Fashion Vendetta line; the To Die For eyeshadow quad in Cinnamon Revolution and two of the Serial lip stains, in Radical and Faux Pas.
Teeez To Die For Quad
The inside of the eyeshadow quad has a lot of shiny, mirror parts, which made photographing it really difficult. But it’s set up like pretty much every other quad I’ve used. Two lighter shades on top and darker ones on the bottom. Cinnamon Revolution’s shades are pretty much exactly what you’d expect. All neutral, they range from a light pearl to a deep brown.
Teeez Serial Lip Stains
There are five other quads to choose from in the collection and this one is probably the best one for a subtle day look. The shadows themselves are pretty good. I had zero fallout to deal with and the darker shades are extremely pigmented. They blend pretty well and lasted all day on me without a primer. I also loved the darkest shade as a liner.
Teeez To Die For Cinnamon Revolution SwatchesThen came the lip stains. The word serial makes me think of things that go on for a while and honestly, these stains last forever. Radical is a really pretty red and Faux Pas is a chocolate brown. There are six other shades to choose from but I’m really happy I got these two although I’m eyeing a couple more.
Teeez Serial Lip Stain Radical & Faux Pas Swatches
When people complain about liquid lipstick not drying fast enough or coming off too quickly, they clearly haven’t tried Serial. These dry in seconds, you’ll want to keep your mouth open for a bit because they gets sticky before they’re completely dry, but once they’re dry, they’re not budging. Like, at all. It takes me forever to get these off my lips. Teeez calls it ‘an indelible film that feels like a second skin on your lips,’ and they’re partly right. If you use a lip balm before you apply, the dryness isn’t bad and it feels like nothing. If you don’t add a balm, your lips will feel like every ounce of moisture has been pulled out of your face. I do love these though, the matte finish is gorgeous and I’ve never had to reapply. I just wish they weren’t so drying and I could get a more precise line with the brush.

The other products in the Fashion Vendetta collection are a highlighter, two different kinds of lipsticks and a couple mascaras. I can’t wait to try more makeup from Teeez and I’m pretty impressed with what I’ve used so far.


Sep
2016

Tarte Tarteist Metallic Shadows

categories: Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews

tarte-tarteist-metallic-shadow-box
One of my favourite things about being a beauty blogger is trying new products that are destined to be instant classics and aren’t an eyeshadow palette. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good palette, but there’s something to be said for eyeshadow singles and the ability to put whatever shades you want together. Until now, I’ve only used Tarte shadows in a palette and most of them have been matte, which is my shadow preference. I’m really not a sparkly, glittery kind of girl so I tend to gravitate toward matte anything. But Tarte has just majorly stepped up their shadow game with Tarteist Metallic Shadows.
tarte-tarteist-metallic-shadow
With eleven shades that are all fairly neutral (so far), there’s a shadow that can fit into any look whether it’s day or night, dramatic or subtle. The packaging is pretty flimsy but you can pop the shadows out and put them in a magnetic palette. The star of these shadows is the formula. These are buttery and pigmented and shimmery but not glittery. They’re smooth and blendable and work really well together. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of fallout but you’re definitely going to want to use a primer with these. The colours are pretty spectacular. I personally love Poker Face (silvery lilac) and Dame (dusty rose) but I really liked all five I tried. There are a couple others I have my eye on (Sinful, Speakeasy) and I’ll probably end up grabbing them.
tarte-tarteist-metallic-shadow-swatches
I love Tarte but it’s been a really long time since I was blown away with a new launch by them. This whole Tarteist line has been great but these shadows are the winners for me.


Sep
2016

Weekend Getaway Makeup Most Wanted

categories: Bath And Body, Beauty Tools, Hair Reviews, Makeup Collection, Makeup Most Wanted, Makeup Reviews

When you are heading out of town with friends or maybe for a romantic weekend away, you don’t want to have to pack your whole arsenal of makeup. Here’s a little glimpse at some of the things I packed to hit the road for a weekend in Boston!

the-face-shop-mango-seed-cleansing-wipes

The Face Shop Mango Seed Cleansing Wipes – Everything about these wipes is moisturizing. I have been addicted to these wipes this summer because they are perfect no matter where the day takes you. The moisturizing wipes are perfect after a long day in the sun to dry out your face. They do leave a little bit of a residue, but it didn’t bother me most of the time. Everything feels nice and dewy.

travel-kit

Leonor Greyl Luxury Travel Kit – I hate going away and not being able to take my favourite shampoo and conditioner with me. This travel kit is really the next best thing. It comes with a shampoo, conditioning mask and oil. My first thought was, why do I want a hair mask while I’m on vacation? It’s nice because you can cheat and use it like a regular conditioner as well. When I was away recently I became hooked on the oil, which is perfect on wet or dry hair. You can find this luxe set for volume, dry hair or curly hair (or even just pick up the travel size oil solo), so you can get exactly what you need.

juara-candlenut-obsession-trio

Juara Candlenut Obsession Trio – Since you are in the shower, you also have to take care of that body. I don’t know what a candlenut is, but I can tell you I really am obsessed. This trio box has a Body Polish, Hydrating Shower Gel and Body Crème with this new scent. It’s got a mix of shea butter, coconut, and something musky underneath. It smells a bit like men’s soap. I can’t even describe it properly. All I know is it made this weekend away even better!

sephora-collection

Sephora Collection Look Color In The Eye Brush Capsule – I hate travelling with my regular brushes. I always get worried I will lose them, break them or otherwise ruin them while on the road. This little brush capsule is perfect to take instead. It has all of the eye brushes I could ever want. The pretty capsule keeps them clean and protected in my luggage.

mac-cosmetics-shes-a-model-eyeshadow-palette

Mac Cosmetics She’s A Model Eyeshadow Palette – Lately MAC has released some crazy, bold and beautiful colours, but that doesn’t always work for my real life. Enter this palette. While the eye shadows can be worn together in more daring ways, it’s also work appropriate. You can use the nice neutral tones for the office once you get back to reality. Then glam up your look with the sparkly silvers or better yet, the daring teal eye shadow. This collection also comes with some bright pink lipsticks and nail polishes, so there will be no shortage of colour when you enter the room.

essence-pure-nude-highlighter

Essence Pure Nude Highlighter – Get a little shimmer and shine with the new highlighter powder from essence. I’ve gotten really into powders this summer. The idea of wearing heavy foundation in the heat is just too much for my skin. This highlighter has been good to add back a little shine where I want. I think that highlighters are seriously under-used makeup, at least by me. I have been applying this highlighter on my cheeks above my cheek bones and nose for a little natural shine. Paired with my blush and bronzer, it gives me the natural glow you want, not the one you get on a humid summer day.