Makeup Most Wanted

12
Apr
2016

MAC Air of Style Fragrance Blend

MAC Air Of Style Box
Of the hundreds (probably) of MAC products I’ve used since my teens, somehow none of them have been a fragrance. I know Turquatic is a cult fave and it sounds like a scent I would love but I’ve never tried it. Based on the description Air Of Style doesn’t sound like my kind of scent but I really wanted to try it anyways.

I generally don’t go for floral fragrances unless they’re rose based and Air Of Style is definitely a floral. With top notes of wild peonies, red dates, white pepper; followed by tuberose, orange blossom and jasmine and a leather and rare woods background, I was pretty sure this wouldn’t be for me.
MAC Air Of Style Bottle
But to my surprise I like it a lot more than I was expecting. It could’ve gone a totally sweet, cloying route but instead is really well balanced. That said, it’s a little too girly for me and would’ve almost hit given off a teenager vibe, except it stops just short of it.

If I had to use one word to describe Air of Style, it would be pink. I probably won’t be using this all the time but I’ll definitely have moments where it’ll fit my mood. Air of Style comes in a rollerball and a 20ML and 50ML bottle.

11
Apr
2016

Mani Monday: Quo By Orly Spring 2016 Collection

categories: Mani Monday, Nail Polish

We’ve been receiving a lot of spring polish collections that have at least six shades in them. And while I love variety, sometimes a smaller collection still has everything you need. Quo By Orly’s 4-piece spring set falls into that category. While Orly’s nearly identical Melrose collection (Quo By Orly and Orly almost always have identical collections with different names) has two more shades, the four shades we tried have all your spring looks covered.
Stand Out
Quo By Orly Stand Out Swatch - Dried Weird
Nearly every spring nail collection this year has had a version of coral-pink and Stand Out is a fairly decent coral shimmer but it dried kind of weird and ended up being a little bumpy.
Retro Glam
Quo By Orly Retro Glam Swatch
I’m really not a glitter fan but this pink holographic glitter was super pretty and would be great as an accent nail.
Always Chic
Quo By Orly Always Chic Swatch - Gorgeous Pearlescent Pink
I honestly can’t get over how much I love Always Chic. It’s a gorgeous pearlescent pink and just reflects light so beautifully. I haven’t seen a single spring shade like this one and the formula was fantastic as well.
Cultured Classic
Quo By Orly Cultured Classic Swatch - Perfect
I have to mention how impressed I am by the formulas for this collection and Cultured Classic had the best one of the bunch. This minty turquoise could’ve been one coat but looked so much better with two.

I have to say, this was one of my favourite Quo By Orly collections and even though it’s small, Cultured Classic and Always Chic are two of my favourite shades for spring this year. I can’t wait to see what they come out with for summer.

07
Apr
2016

Makeup Most Wanted March 2016: Alyssa’s Picks

categories: Makeup Most Wanted

March was a weirder month than usual for Toronto. It warmed up significantly and then got really cold. It really ended up affecting the products I used the most, so here’s what I couldn’t live without last month.
Vichy Liftactiv Serum 10 Supreme
Vichy LiftActiv Serum 10 Supreme
This serum isn’t new, but it is recently reformulated. I’m slowly starting to incorporate more serums into my skin care routine now that I’m almost into my mid-thirties. Liftactiv Serum 10 Supreme is helping me prevent some of the bigger aging issues while keeping my skin glowing. It’s also not too harsh for my sensitive skin and absorbs instantly.
REN Skincare Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream
REN evercalm_global_protection_day_cream_2
I’d been wanting to try REN for a long time, especially their Evercalm line which is for sensitive skin and protects against environmental pollution. So to say I was excited to try the Global Protection Day Cream could be considered an understatement. Luckily, this cream more than lived up to my expectations. It’s a little thicker than you might expect from a day cream but it absorbs really well and I did actually notice a reduction in redness and sensitivity. It has so many amazing ingredients in it that I’m not surprised at how well it works and the scent definitely has an herbal tinge to it but not enough that it bothered me. I’m definitely going to get my hands on the rest of this line.
Smashbox Be Legendary Lipstick in L.A. Sunset

March is one of those transitional months where it’s so hard to decide what shades of makeup you want to wear. And while I wasn’t completely ready to ditch my red lipsticks, I definitely needed something brighter some days. Enter L.A. Sunset, which is a gorgeous creamy coral red. It’s a perfect in between shade, not too red and not too coral. The formula is super comfortable and even though it was a cream lipstick, the wear time was better than most. I’ll be wearing this shade long into the summer as well.
John Masters Organics Lip Calm Collection

When I wasn’t wearing the Smashbox lipstick, I was wearing a ton of matte lipstick which really did a number on my lips. If you know me, you know I live off lip balm. My desk is covered with about 8 different kinds and I leave them everywhere, purses, my car, my nightstand, etc…The Lip Calm collection comes with the original citrus Lip Calm and three new flavours, Raspberry, Vanilla and Peppermint. While I would normally gravitate towards anything mint, I’m actually completely obsessed with the citrus and raspberry and have really only been using them. The lip balm is really soft and smooth, easy to apply and kind of melts into your lips and leaves them really hydrated. These never get hard or drag on your lips and they’re probably my new favourite lip balm.
Too Faced Candlelight Glow in Rosy Glow
Too Faced Candlelight Glow Rosy Glow
I’m not into the contour/highlight thing at all. Partially because I’m so pale everything is too dark for me. But when people start telling me I look paler than usual, I need to do something. Rosy Glow is perfect because it makes me look like, well, I’m glowing. I use it with a really light hand and it makes my skin look amazing and not like I’m halfway to being a ghost. The Warm Glow shade is nice as well but Rosy just looks better with my skin tone. This is the only highlighter I’ve used on a regular basis and I’m ok with that.

06
Apr
2016

Hif Cleansing Conditioner

categories: Hair Reviews

hif-hydration-support-cleansing-conditioner

I was so excited to try this hair care product because it sounded so different. This hif Cleansing Conditioner is supposed to both clean and soften in one step. This was meant to be a next step in hair cleaning.

The product treats hair like fabric using different cleansers and conditioners to get the right finish on your hair. Each type in the line has different numbers for cleansing, conditioning and activation time, so you know the formula that you are getting. I tried the hydration support bottle for moisturizing. Since I have been suffering with extremely dry scalp, this hydrating cream seemed perfect.

I hate to write bad reviews about any products, but I have never had an experience quite like this one with my hair. The hif cleansing conditioner is extremely thick. I actually had a hard time working it all the way through my hair. Even when I added a little water, it didn’t lather up and spread. I didn’t think much of it. I spread it though my hair and left it for the recommended 3 minutes.

When I tried to rinse it out of my hair though, it didn’t easily rinse out easily leaving my hair silky clean. My hair still felt dirty. I wondered if it would dry better.

It didn’t! When my hair was dry it felt grimy, greasy and so dirty. It felt dirtier than my hair has ever felt. It was just one big clump. Honestly there are no words to describe how my hair felt.

Luckily I had a hair appointment the next day. It took three washes for her to get all remnants of the product out of my hair and return my hair to its previous smoothness.

Like I said before, I hate writing bad reviews, but I couldn’t let this one go. I wanted to like this product so much, but I can’t risk using it again.

05
Apr
2016

Erborian Korean Skin Therapy

categories: Skin Care

erborian-scrub

Erborian Skin Therapy straight from Asia is a passion project of two Korean women. They sought out traditions and natural products from around the world and combined them with Korean tradition to make a line of products. Right now Erborian is made up all of skin care products that can be discovered by ingredient or routine.

If you’ve never tried any products from Korea, you don’t know what you are missing. Korean women take their skin care very seriously. Their products are innovative and cutting edge. A huge portion of the trends that we get here start in Korea, because they are always thinking up the next big thing.

Erborian+Cleansing+Creme

Erborian products are beautifully light on the skin. I tried a few different products and all of them were soft on my skin. Even the exfoliators are oh so gentle. For cleansing, I tried the Cream and Cream Scrub, both which include seven herbs of Korea.

For a deeper clean and moisturizing, I tried the Bamboo Waterlock Mask. I had no idea that bamboo was so moisturizing, but this gel mask is soft and gentle.

Erborian Korean Skin Therapy bb creme

As a last step I used the BB Cream with ginseng. Unlike so many BB creams, this one feels like it really cares about your skin. It is skin care first and makeup second. It leaves you with smooth skin with a touch of colour to help even out the skin tone.

If you want to try something innovative and new give Erborian a look, you are sure to be pleasantly surprised.

04
Apr
2016

OPI Soft Shades Pastels Spring 2016

categories: Mani Monday, Nail Polish

I’m not a huge fan of pastel nail polish but it’s something I’ve come to expect with spring nails and I was getting very confused by the lack of it this season. Leave it to OPI to make things right in my nail world with their Soft Shades Pastels line. Not only are all six shades pastels but they all basically have the same formula. And for a pastel, it’s a seriously amazing formula. There was a distinct lack of chalkiness throughout the shades and there was minimal patchiness and streaking. All of the photos are two coats with a top coat.
It’s In The Cloud
OPI It's In The Cloud Swatch - dirty white-out, meh
I love a white nail polish but this creamy white just looked dirty to me. Maybe it was a little too much on the warm side, but I would’ve preferred a brighter white.
One Chic Chick
OPI One Chic Chick Swatch - Great Formula, bad colour
Yellow nail polish doesn’t look good on me. Ever. But I’m always looking for a formula that doesn’t suck and this one was really good. If you’re looking for a pale yellow, this is probably the best one I’ve tried so far and if you can pull it off, even better.
Stop It I’m Blushing!
OPI Stop It I'm Blushing! Swatch
This pale peach is the shade that won me over. It’s so notoriously hard to get a good formula for a shade like this and it was so easy to work with.
I Am What I Amethyst
OPI I Am What I Amethyst
I don’t think this shade is really going to remind anyone of amethyst, but it has a really nice hint of lavender. This is the pastel for someone that wants something a little different without going into full on blue/green territory.
This Cost Me A Mint
OPI This Cost Me A Mint Swatch
It Cost Me A Mint might be one of the few green shades I’ve tried that I didn’t automatically love. There’s nothing wrong with this pale green, it’s just a little light for me.
It’s A Boy!
OPI It's A Boy! Swatch
While I’m trying to decide how much I hate the name of this pale blue polish, I definitely love the shade. It’s exactly what I want from a spring polish and considering we’re still getting snow in April, it just makes me happy.

This is such a great collection if you love pastels and all these shades also come in GelColor.

01
Apr
2016

Parissa Brow Shaper Mini Wax Strips

categories: Skin Care Reviews

parissa brow wax

The idea of waxing my own eyebrows seemed ridiculous to me. I imagined all of the horror stories that you hear about accidentally waxing off too much of your eyebrows. I figured this was something better left to the pros. I liked having two full eyebrows.

Sometimes, you convince yourself to do crazy things in the name of beauty. Waxing my own eyebrows at home is one of those things I have convinced myself to do.

When I opened the box I felt instantly more relaxed. I feel like Parissa understands that this is a pretty stressful decision to make, so they have made it a bit less scary.

It all starts with the instructions. Since I was so nervous, I was sure to read it all! The instructions come full of great tips, picture guides and different shape options for your face. It made it all seem a little more achievable.

The next step was in the strips. The Parissa wax strips are very small. This means there is less chance for me to accidentally pull off half of my eyebrow. They are easy to cut apart and separate for use. The small size allows me to get it right beside my brow without getting too much. My outlook was better to take too little and have to use another strip than take off too much. I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t hurt, because waxing doesn’t feel great. But it’s no different than going to the salon.

The final step is to apply the oil, which only take a minute and soothes your tender skin.

I was shocked at how quick and easy it was. I don’t need a lot of work on my brows. If I did, I might not think this was such a seamless process. Parissa might have made me a convert. I don’t need to go to get my eyebrows done all of the time when I can do it at home in just a few minutes!

31
Mar
2016

Biore Baking Soda Cleansers

categories: Skin Care, Skin Care Reviews

biore baking soda face wash

Biore seems to always be thinking ahead to some new and exciting skin care innovation. This time it’s your trusty household baking soda. They have infused a line of face washes with this pantry staple. It makes me wonder what else I have been missing in the cupboard. I tried the Biore Baking Soda Pore Cleanser and the Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub.

The Pore Cleanser has become my new daily face wash. I am undeniably hooked. The addition of the baking soda to this gel cleanser helps turn it from a regular face wash to a gentle exfoliator. You can feel the little granules cleaning your pores. It’s soft enough that you can easily use it as your everyday face wash. I found that my skin was noticeably fresher looking after I added this facewash into my routine.

biore baking soda powder

If you are looking for something more unique, look no further than the scrub. This scrub comes in powder form. Every time I looked at the bottle I was picturing those volcano science experiments you did in school. I was hoping that when it touched water, there would be some sort of volcanic eruption! While the results aren’t something out of Pompei, this Biore scrub does activate with the help of a little water. Apply the powder to your wet face to create a deeper scrub. You can keep adding water for a softer clean on the skin. This is exactly the product you want on your side when you want a little more scrub to your rub-a-dub-dub.

I have to say that when I received these products from Influenster I was excited to begin with, but I never dreamed the outcome would actual live up the hype in my head. I am pleased to say that it did!

30
Mar
2016

Too Faced La Crème Color Drenched Lipstick

categories: Makeup Reviews

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick Box
I’ve used a ton of Too Faced products over the year but other than my beloved Melted Liquid Lipstick, I’ve never used their lipsticks. Even though they just launched La Matte Lipstick (and trust me, I’ll definitely get around to those), I was way more interested in the new La Crème shades. We’ve been using so much matte lipstick lately that I’ve almost forgotten what creme lipstick feels like. And with names like Unicorn Tears, I was sold. We got to try eight of the new shades (we’re missing Topless and Sugar Daddy) and one of the originals, Pink Chocolate.
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick New Shades
These lipsticks go on ridiculously smooth. They’re soft enough to be able to maneuver but hard enough that they don’t end up all over the place. Because they’re not matte, they’re also not transfer-proof and you really have to reapply pretty often. The upside is, they’re really comfortable and moisturizing and feel fantastic.
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick New Shades Swatches
The shades are also incredible. I had to try Unicorn Tears first because I was so intrigued. It’s an iridescent shimmer that you can wear on it’s on or over another lipstick and it’s insanely gorgeous. Pink Chocolate might be the oldest shade in the bunch but it’s one of those shades that’ll look great on anyone. WHAM!, however, is my favourite. Too Faced calls it an iridescent raspberry and that’s a decent enough description but it’s really so much more than that. It’s the perfect red for a night out when you want something different. The shimmer just makes it something special.

I might have favourite shades but they’re really all stunning and there’s something for everyone with over twenty colours to pick from. I might have a hard time deciding between the shades and the names, but I’m sure I’m not the only one.

28
Mar
2016

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Spring 2016

categories: Mani Monday, Nail Polish

It’s been a minute since I’ve used Sally Hansen’s Complete Salon Manicure so I completely forgot that you can skip base and top coats with it. By the time I remembered, I had already used both with two shades, so all of the swatches have both base and top coats. In the five shades I tried for spring, I only disliked one of them and shockingly, my favourite shade wasn’t a blue. I think I’ve gotten used to the huge brush, so there wasn’t nearly as much cleanup to do this time.
Warm Regards
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Warm Regards Swatch - VBN
Warm Regards is a bright orange-red and while the colour itself didn’t bother me, the visible nail line did. You can’t really see it in the photo but even with two coats, it was extremely sheer. I can deal with VNL with lighter shades but not one this bright and noticeable.
Red Over Heels
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Red Over Heels Swatch - 1 Coat
Red Over Heels doesn’t really scream spring to me, but this dark, classic red was perfect with just one coat. I did notice that it got a little dull as it was drying, which was probably why I forgot you don’t need to use a top coat with this line. It looked much better with one.
New Suede Shoes
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure New Suede Shoes Swatch
New Suede Shoes is a bright cobalt that’s usually going to fall somewhere in my favourites. And while I liked it a lot and got a ton of compliments on it, the formula wasn’t my favourite. The first coat looked awful but luckily the second coat made up for it.
Bluphoria
Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure Bluphoria Swatch - 1 Coat
Another one coater, Bluphoria is a dark navy-gray that went on perfectly. I’ve definitely worn a lot of shades like this before but I always love them. I just prefer them in the fall rather than spring.
Happy Daze

I don’t even know what’s going on with me lately but Happy Daze was my favourite shade of the bunch. It’s a bright pink that I would normally not be drawn to, but I guess Toronto’s weird March weather is making me want something definitely spring like. This shade did survive me scraping sheets of ice off my car without gloves though.

Overall, I really liked these shades and was pretty impressed that I could deal with a ton of ice without a single chip. I don’t know how it would’ve gone without the top coat but I have a feeling it would’ve held up pretty well.