Makeup Most Wanted

04
Aug
2016

Fiona Stiles Beauty Most Wanted

categories: Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews

Fiona Stiles Most Wanted
Fiona Stiles is a pretty well known celebrity makeup artist and this year she launched her eponymous makeup line. We got to try some of the products and these three really popped out for me. The hashtag that goes along with Fiona Stiles Beauty is #mistakefreemakeup and with these products, it’s definitely true. All three are extremely easy to use and very hard to mess up.
Ultimate Lash Icon Volumizing Mascara in Carbon Canyon

My biggest pet peeve with mascara is when they claim to give you tons of volume but it’s not dark enough to actually see it. With this mascara not only do I get a lot of volume but Carbon Canyon is super black, so I can definitely see it. I can get my lashes pretty big with Ultimate Lash Icon without getting clumpy. I do notice it can flake a little, but not enough that it makes a huge difference to me.
Soft Cheek Veil in Maiden Lane
Fiona Stiles Soft Cheek Veil Maiden Lane
Next to mascara, blush is my favourite type of makeup. I love when a blush is really pigmented going on and settles down the longer I wear it. This does exactly that. If I feel like the colour is too strong when I apply it, I just wait a minute and let it blend in and it ends up perfect. Maiden Lane is a really pretty neutral pink that leans a little peachy on me. I also appreciate that for a powder blush, it’s not super chalky.
Color Impact Satin Lip Crayon in Hester and Bonnie Brae
Fiona Stiles Color Impact Satin Lip Crayon
I might have been wearing matte liquid lipstick all summer but sometimes my lips need a break and I still want some easy colour on them. These lip crayons are perfect for that. Hester is a nude pink and Bonnie Brae is burgundy, both are extremely creamy and pigmented. These crayons feel substantial on your lips while they’re not great for colour transfer, unless you’re eating or drinking a lot they’ll last a decent amount of time. I’ve been wearing Hester quite a bit lately and will probably reach for Bonnie Brae more in the fall. These crayons also come in matte shades as well.

Fiona Stiles Swatches — Maiden Lane, Hester, Bonnie Brae

03
Aug
2016

Makeup Most Wanted July 2016 – Alyssa’s Picks

categories: Makeup Most Wanted

I can’t believe summer is half over and with the heat wave we’ve been having in Toronto, I’m about ready for fall. I went on vacation during July so this month all my picks were what I used the most while travelling.
Dermalogica Active Moist

My combination skin tends to go to the oily side during the summer, so finding a lightweight moisturizer that keeps my skin hydrated without making it greasy is really important. Active Moist is oil-free and made for combination skin, plus it absorbs pretty much instantly. It leaves my skin really soft and dewy without looking like you could fry something on my face.
Caudalie Beauty Elixir

Flying is pretty much the worst thing for your skin. While some people use masks to keep save their skin from getting dehydrated, I love face mists and Caudalie’s Beauty Elixir is one of my favourites. It comes in 30mL and 100mL, both of which are perfect for travelling. This grape-based mist not only totally refreshes your skin but also minimizes pores, boosts radiance and can be used as a setting spray.
Sephora Super Nourishing Lip Balm

My lips aren’t in the best shape from all the matte lipstick I’ve been wearing and this lip balm has been a massive help in fixing them. I love that it applies like a lipstick. It’s really creamy but absorbs quickly and it has a really subtle vanilla scent. There are honestly quite a few Sephora brand products that could’ve made this list but the lip balm edged them out.
Stila Convertible Color in Camellia
Stila Convertible Color Camellia I’ve tried a ton of Stila products over the years but never a Convertible Color, which have basically been around forever. If you love a multi-use product like I do, this one’s the motherlode. You can use it as a lipstick and blush and I’ve been known to use it as an eyeshadow in a pinch as well. Camellia is the closest thing I’ve found to a decent bronzer on my extremely fair skin. All you need with one of these compacts are your fingers. There’s a mirror built in and they’re creamy enough to blend really well without a brush.
Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette
I took exactly one eyeshadow palette with me on vacation and it was this one. Considering my trip consisted of a wedding plus a lot of full day walking trips, I needed something that would cover everything and boy did it. There are lighter, neutral shades mixed in with deeper browns and pops of blue. Plus it smells like chocolate! All the shadows blended beautifully and there was a way to use it whatever I was doing. This is probably my favourite neutral palette right now.

02
Aug
2016

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Rich Tones

categories: Nail Polish

Last week we started our Sally Hansen Color Therapy posts with the pink and nude shades and today we’re finishing it off with the rich tones. Most of my personal favourites of the line fall into this category. Like the other shades, these are simple to apply. You apply to clean, bare nails and choose whether you want to use the top coat or not. And like the other shades, these polishes dry shockingly fast. I don’t know if it’s just these shades or it’s just more noticeable because they’re darker but I found that all of them shrunk up a bit when they dried, leaving me with at times, pretty significant tip wear before I even had a chance to use my hands. These are super easy to touch up however but I’m wondering if there would’ve been a difference had I used my regular top coat with them.
Ohm My Magenta
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Ohm My Magenta Swatch
Say “namaste” to this magnificent reddish-purple
Right off the bat this one was a star. A one-coater, it went on flawlessly and was really gorgeous. This is the kind of shade you can wear all year round.
Haute Springs
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Haute Springs Swatch
Clear your head with a restorative red
This dark red was pretty similar to Ohm My Magenta but two coats looked better with this one. It also stained, so if I had to choose, I’d pick OMM.
Cool Cucumber
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Cool Cucumber Swatch
A deep refreshing garden green
I love dark green polish and when I can find one that gives this kind of coverage in one coat? Sold. It actually looks like the skin of a cucumber. But this one stains as well and since you don’t use a base coat with Color Therapy, it’s a little bit of a problem.
Slicks And Stones
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Slicks And Stones Swatch
A lustrous crystalized purple
This one coater is pretty in the photo but stunning in the sunlight. It’s so sparkly. It also desperately needs top coat or it’ll look a little dull when it dries. There’s a ton of microglitter in here, so it’s a little harder to take off.
Indiglow
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Indiglow Swatch
Shimmer with an electric metallic violet
Indiglow is one of my favourites and I wish more companies would release this kind of purple more often. The formula was a little runnier than the others, so there was some pooling. The photo is two coats. This first coat was so sheer that I was actually concerned with how many I would need but two was perfect.
Soothing Sapphire
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Soothing Sapphire Swatch
Reflect and restore in a saturated blue jewel tone
Soothing Sapphire is hands down my pick of the shades I tried. It’s almost like a sister shade to Indiglow and the deep blue is just gorgeous. Again, I used two coats with this one but it was less runny than Indiglow. There was a tiny bit of staining but nowhere near as bad as Cool Cucumber.

There are still quite a few shades of Color Therapy that I haven’t tried (I need to get my hands on Reflection Pool) but overall I’m pretty happy with this line. Do I wish the brushes were smaller? Always. I find the top coat fairly useless so I’m going to see how some others react to the polishes and the cuticle oil is fine but nothing super special.

After wearing this line pretty exclusively for about two weeks, I really didn’t notice a change in my nails. But I didn’t have a lot of issues to start with either. I’m also pretty sure that using acetone daily probably counteracted some of the oils effects. So for me all it comes down to was how much I liked the actual polish and I like it quite a bit.

30
Jul
2016

Quo Stain’n Love Lip Gloss & Lip Velour

categories: Makeup Reviews

Quo lip stains

I love the colours of these little glosses, but no matter what I do they always leave me wanting more. On the brush Quo’s lip glosses are vibrant shades of pink and red. I am instantly drawn to the ‘Romanced’ pink colour.

When I put it on my lips, it doesn’t give full coverage. It always seems to apply unevenly. It doesn’t go on smoothly. Even though the word stain is right in the name, it doesn’t stain anything. The gloss wears off quickly, leaving me to reapply every few minutes so it seems.

Quo Lip Velour copy

My issue with the Lip Velour is similar. I love the colours, but this product just doesn’t have a lot of lasting power. In this case though, I am also not crazy about the brush too. It’s like a little lip brush, but very stiff.

I wanted to love these lip glosses and stains, but reapplying more than four times a day is my biggest pet peeve.

29
Jul
2016

Flower Outstretched Lengthening Mascara

categories: Makeup Reviews

flower mascara before

Before – I don’t know why my eyes are different sizes!

Make way for this new mascara that I am in love with! The brush looks weird, but just go with it. The longer brush side is for helping to lengthen and curl those lashes. I was as skeptical as you are. It really works though. For someone like me, who refuses to use an eyelash curler, this is the best product I can dream up. Then I just have to spin the wand around to add the dark black mascara. The formula is a bit thick, so you do need to be careful to avoid big clumps. Otherwise though, my lashes have looked amazing lately. The bonus is that Flower is also so affordable, so I don’t have to break the bank to look this good!

flower mascara

After – Boom! Look at that length!

28
Jul
2016

Clarins Summer 2016 Makeup

categories: Makeup Collection, Makeup Reviews

Clarins released a whole pile of new summer products that I am surprised to say, I am hooked on this season. I’ve never considered myself a huge fan of Clarins. I think that they have a reputation of being a bit older and more conservative, but this new round of products will make anyone smile. I don’t care how old you are.

clarins Bronzing & Blush Compact

My absolute favourite product in the Clarins makeup line is the Bronzing & Blush Compact. This oversized powder isn’t exactly what I would call compact. It’s large size makes it awkward to take on-the-go. I love this powder anyways. The four shades when blended together are the perfect summer shade for my skin. I get a beautiful bronze finish with a subtle shimmer that is suitable for day or night. I was torn on whether to put this in my favourites of the month or here, so know that it belongs in both places!

clarins Instant Light Lip Perfecting Base

Say hello to your new lipstick saver, the Instant Light Lip Perfecting Base! I put this little lip primer to the test with some of the lipsticks that are the worst culprits for disappearing after minutes. While it couldn’t beat them all, I noticed a huge difference in my reapply time. These lipsticks went from a one-hour affair to a full morning in style. I haven’t shared my new secret with anyone yet, so get it while it’s hot!

clarins_fix_make_up_30ml

The Fix’ Makeup-Up Spray has been my other secret weapon through summer’s hot spell. Forget losing my makeup to humidity and sweat. Thanks to a few sprays of this puppy my foundation, bronzer and blush looks just as good when I get home from work as when I left.

Clarins Hydraquench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase

I’ve been trying to jump on the serum bandwagon for a while, but have never found one that I like. The new Clarins Hydraquench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase has come the closest to making me a convert. I cannot express my love for how moisturizing it is. I actually think of it more as a moisturizer than a serum in my routine. It has a very faint smell and absorbs into my skin quickly leaving it feels newly hydrated. It is a bit tacky, but nothing that is troublesome. I have fairly oily skin, especially in the summer month, but this didn’t make me breakout at all. Bonus!!

065b5b5717834e7029a147944ed57a10 Waterproof Eyeshadow

At the bottom of my list is the Waterproof Eyeshadow. I’m not a fan of liquid or cream shadows, so this product didn’t stand a chance. I will always opt for a traditional powder and brush. I will admit that the metallic shades of eyeshadow are very cool. I might not have thought of them as summer shades, but they work perfectly with a bit of a tan.

27
Jul
2016

Joe Fresh Makeup Removing Wipes Quickie Review

categories: Skin Care Reviews

joe-fresh-makeup wipes

Your favourite affordable clothing line now has makeup available at Shopper’s Drug Mart! It’s so exciting to be able to get our hands on this makeup whenever we want. It’s not just makeup though, but also these wipes that help remove makeup too. These wipes are so soft on your face. The scent of baby powder is a nice surprise for cleaning my face. At first glance, you might not think these wipes will give you a deep clean, but give them a chance. I was surprised at the very clean and very moisturized feeling left on my skin.

26
Jul
2016

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nudes and Pinks

categories: Nail Polish

The latest thing in nail polish is using products that are good for your nails and Sally Hansen’s new Color Therapy line is definitely in that category. The 33 colour collection (all picked by Madeline Poole) is packed with good for your nails ingredients like argan oil, acai berry and evening primrose oil. The line also has a top coat and cuticle oil to go along with it. The shades are split up in to three categories; pinks and corals, nudes and rich tones and they all have spa inspired names.

The Color Therapy line is really easy to use. You don’t use a base coat and you can use the top coat but don’t have to. I found they all dried really quickly but they still have that massive Sally Hansen brush that’s way too big for my nail beds, so I had lots of cleanup to do. All of these come off easily with regular nail polish remover. For this post I’m showing you the shades I had in the nude and pink categories.
Pinks and Corals

Couple’s Massage
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Couple's Massage Swatch
Unwind with this shimmery pastel peach
I did 2 coats and still found Couple’s Massage too sheer for me but it’d be really pretty as a french manicure.
Rosy Quartz

A crystallized classic pale pink
This was three coats. Three! I really don’t love polishes this sheer but I would wear this one if I didn’t want polish on but wanted something on my nails (I hate having nothing on them).
Pampered In Pink

Revitalize with this punchy pink
After two coats, this bright strawberry pink still had some slight visible nail line but I really love this shade for summer. It was my favourite of the three.

Nudes

Powder Room
Sally Hansen Color Therapy Powder Room Swatch
A ladylike pearlescent blushed nude
This one was a little runnier than the others and ended up pooling in my cuticles a bit but I think it’s a really nice polish.
Therapewter

Meditate in a deep charcoal metallic
Two coats of Therapewter was stunning, especially in direct sunlight. I would never have put this in the nude category but I can see how that thought process went. Because this one has microglitter, it was a little harder to get off.
Blushed Petal

Breathe it out in a botanical blush tone
I love this shade so much that I didn’t mind that three coats still left me with a little VNL. This was probably my favourite of the bunch.
Steely Serene

Get centered in a gorgeous greige
I had no notes on this one except that it was two coats, so I’m taking that as a sign that I liked it.
Chai On Life

A warm calming taupe
This was the closest any of these shades got to a one-coater but I went for two for more even coverage. While I loved it in person, I couldn’t get it to photograph well for the life of me. I would wear this one again though.

The rich tone shades are coming soon.

22
Jul
2016

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette in The Golden Goddess

categories: Makeup Reviews

Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Palette Box
A lot of us gravitate towards a beachy bronze eye during the summer. It’s lighter than a dark smoky look and it really just screams summer. Charlotte Tilbury’s The Golden Goddess Luxury Palette is probably the best quad I’ve ever used for this kind of look. I’d already tried the Luxury Palette in The Vintage Vamp and it’s quickly become one of my favourite palettes. The Golden Goddess is set up exactly the same way.
Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess Luxury Palette
None of the shadows have names, instead you’re told how to use them. The top left is called Prime and it’s the base shade. The top left is Enhance and if you’re going for a simple daytime look, you can basically stop there. But to me, the bottom shades are the stars. The bottom left is Pop and bottom right is Smoke. Both of these are a creamier formula, while the top are more of a typical powder shadow.
Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess Luxury Palette Swatches
I love that with just four shadows, you can come up with a bunch of different looks and this palette will definitely transition well into fall. I’ve only tried Charlotte Tilbury’s Luxury Palettes and there are still six more I want to try, let alone the rest of the line. I’ve been so impressed with these palettes that I have a feeling I’m going to end up with a collection.

21
Jul
2016

Tarte Tarteist Matte Lip Paint

categories: Makeup Reviews

Tarte Tarteist Matte Lip Paint Box
I’m cheating a little with the next installment of our matte liquid lipstick series. Tarte’s Lip Paint comes in two versions, matte (black cap) and glossy (gold cap) but for this series we’re just using the matte.

I tried four shades, L-R: So Fetch (pink-coral), Selfish (bright pink), Fomo (mauve) and Frenemy (burgundy). I’ve been alternating So Fetch and Selfish all summer. While So Fetch is a coral-pink, it tends to lean red on me and Selfish is a really nice bright, dark pink. I bought Fomo when it was a Sephora VIB Rouge exclusive (the other three are press samples) and I find it more of a fall/winter shade but I really love it. Frenemy is a little too dark for me and I found it a little patchy but I might be able to pull it off in the winter.

Tarte Tarteist Matte Lip Paint Swatches — So Fetch, Selfish, Fomo, Frenemy

The brush is pretty typical looking for a matte liquid lipstick but I actually found it more flexible and easier to maneuver. The formula itself it a lot more mousse like than all the others and that creaminess means it doesn’t dry down that quickly. Or ever really. An hour after I apply it, I still find it the same texture as when I applied it. That also means that there’s no way it’s transfer-proof. It gets on everything.

You’ll notice that every time you have a drink or eat something, it looks like a ton of lipstick is coming off. And it does for a while but eventually all the excess is gone and you’re left with a comfortable matte lip that suddenly stops coming off. Once the lipstick stops, well, shedding, the staying power is pretty great. After a few hours I start to notice a little flaking on the inside of my lips and just touch up that part. This might not be the best if you’re looking for kiss-proof lipstick but the Tarteist Lip Paints are the best at not drying your lips out. And you can always add a gloss over top since they have those as well.