Monday, May 26, 2014

tom ford, you are a sexy man

First Tom Ford products!
The blush is held in a velvet pouch, which is quite fancy. 
I got the cheek colour is 03 Flush, which is described as "formulated with spherical pearls and rich emollients. It glides onto skin with the comfort of a cream, achieving outstanding luminosity and a velvety transparency." Flushed is a vibrant coral-orange and this picture doesn't do the colour justice as it doesn't show how bright this colour is in the pan. 
My first Tom Ford lipstick and I went for Violet Fatale which is a lovely brightened fuchsia plum colour. 

When I found out that Tom Ford finally opened their beauty counter at the Holt Renfrew store over the weekend, I was most excited for the blushes. The other colours are either too dark, or I have something very similar in my collection already, but the Flushed cheek colour really caught my eye. It's the perfect coral-orange for the summer, especially with a slight tan.

I was on the fence about the Tom Ford lipsticks, but when I tried the colour Violet Fatale on my lips, I had to have it. It's a gorgeous colour and something different from the usual red or pink lip.

Thank goodness I had a gift card, 'cuz Tom Form makeup does not come cheap. I'm glad I was able to splurge on the items I wanted, without breaking the bank!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

coral me bright

Spring has finally sprung (kind of), bunnies are frolicking in the grass (literally) and flowers are starting to bloom (yeah!). It's around this time of year that I feel like it's time to lighten my makeup routine, in terms of colour. I've already put away most of my dark berry, plum and burgundy lipsticks and I've switched out my berry, rose and pinky-brown lipsticks for corals and peaches in my makeup bag.

You can tell coral is my favourite colour to wear in the spring (at least on my face), as I have a LOT of coral lipsticks (and blushes, but we'll save that for another post) and here are some of my favourites in no particular order:

Maybelline Colour Whisper in 35 Coral Ambition, Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya and Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited in CR330 (medium grapefruit pink)
While these lipsticks feel more like a lip balm, I find the Maybelline Colour Whisper has decent colour pay-off. I like the Revlon lip butter which I find slightly moisturizing and very similar to the Maybelling Colour Whispers, although it doesn't have the best colour pay-off. The pigmented Shu Uemura lipstick is a surprisingly bright pinky-coral colour and I love the futuristic look of the lip bullet.

Maybelline Coloursensational Vivids in 870 Shocking Coral, Topshop Lips in Confession and Oh La La. 
The picture doesn't really show you how neon the Maybelline Vivids lipstick is in Shocking Coral. I love it because it brightens the complexion and it's a wearable statement lip without requiring too much maintenance like a red lip. The Topshop lip in Confession looks very similar to Shocking Coral in the picture but it's actually more subdued in comparison. Oh La La leans more peach.

Sephora Lip Attitude Glamour in G02 (pink lover), Make Up For Ever Rouge Artist Intense in 39 (satin orange coral) and MAC Cremesheen lipstick in Ever Hip
Pink Lover is a great pink-coral lipstick colour that's very moisturizing, and leaves a nice sheen on the lips. However, because it's so moisturizing, it's very soft in texture and can melt easily if left in the sun too long, which I found out the hard way. Unfortunately, the Sephora Lip Attitude Glamour lipsticks are now discontinued. While the Make Up For Ever lipstick is marketed as a 'satin' lipstick, I find the texture is more matte in feeling. You will definitely need to make sure your lips are conditioned and well moisturized in order to wear this lipstick. I always apply a gloss on top, because I find the matte texture a little too drying on my lips. The MAC Ever Hip lipstick comes in my favourite formula, Cremesheen, and it wears well on the lips.

NARS satin lipstick in Niagara, NARS sheer lipstick in Love Devotion and Too Faced Juicy Melons La Creme lipstick
The NARS lipsticks are more wearable for work, if you don't want to draw too much attention with a bright lip. Niagara is a muted red-coral and Love Devotion is a sheer peach colour that turns coral on my naturally pigmented lips. The La Creme lipsticks from Too Faced are very creamy with some slip, but I do find it tugs at any dry patches on my lips. Other than that, it's a very pretty coral colour.

Dior Addict lipstick in 457 Candide
Dior Addict lipstick in 457 Candide was a limited edition colour that came out in the Spring 2010 collection. This colour leans more pinky-coral to me and it's a very lightweight, balmy, sheer lipstick. Great for when you want a little bit of colour and can touch-up without a mirror.

ILIA lipstick crayon in Karma Chameleon and Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayon in Peach on the Beach (cute name!)
Lip crayons are just so easy to use. You literally just draw on the colour and go. The ILIA lip crayon is more a of a bright red-coral, great for an evening out and the Bourjois lip crayon is a beautiful coral colour with a really cute name :)

Sunday, March 30, 2014

spring social

Just when you put yourself on a shopping ban, this happens:


Naturally, I decided to take advantage of this discount and restock on my usual stuff and also, pick up a few coveted items that I've always wanted to try out. 
Stocked up on summer skincare essentials: Caudalie grape water spray and Clinique Moisture Surge gel moisturizer.
A few makeup items might have fallen into my basket as well: YSL Gloss Volupte in 206 Fuchsia Oran, YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat foundation is B30, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup 2.0 and re-stocked on an old favourite, Make Up For Ever HD Foundation in #120
As I'll be heading to a hotter climate in 2.5 months time, where the humidity and heat will have my makeup sliding off my face within minutes, I'd thought it would be a good time to test out the Estee Lauder foundation. Supposedly, it will stay put and matte all day and prevent oil and sweat from breaking through the foundation. I will definitely be putting it to the test when I'm in Sacramento this summer.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

new neutrals

While I think Clinique's skincare line is top notch (love their Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief moisturizer and All About the Eyes cream), I'm not too familiar with their makeup line except for their Black Honey Almost Lipstick and Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss, both of which I have in my collection. When I was in high school, I tried on my mum's purple eyeshadow from Clinique and I vividly remember the eyeshadow having massive fall out and looking like someone punched me in the eye. 

One night, I happen to be casually browsing through the Sephora website, as one with a makeup addiction does and this popped up in the New Arrivals section. I was intrigued and decided to take a closer look in-stores. After the first swatch, I HAD to have it. Unfortunately, it was sold out at my local Sephora. A couple days later, I was downtown and checked out the Sephora there and they had it in stock! I threw it into my basket, booted to the cashier and 5 minutes later, I walked out with a new palette. 


It's very sleek and compact, fits nicely in the hand, comes with a dual-sided brush, and a full mirror. The eyeshadows are very creamy and blend perfectly with one another. I don't really use the dual-sided brush that it comes with but if I was in a pinch, it's not horrible to use.

I'm glad to have this is my collection and I think it's a great palette for travel and will look good on anyone, from a classic work look to a dramatic smokey eye.

Monday, February 24, 2014

playing lip service

I'm over winter. Non-stop flurries since Sunday and while this might not be the polar vortex that is coursing through the United States right now, I'm over it. I want spring to come. Badly. But, since it's not happening as soon as I want it to be, I'm indulging in some bright, vibrant colours for the lips.

From the drugstore (top to bottom):
Maybelline Colorsensational Elixir in Breathtaking Apricot 005, L'Oreal Extraordinaire by Colour Riche in Orange Tempo, and Rimmel Lasting Finish Colour Rush Long Lasting Intense Colour Balm in 300 Viva Violet. Peaches, oranges and a bright pink purple to boost the mood when the weather is so grey out.
These are the first Chanel lipsticks I've ever bought and I couldn't be happier with the colours that I've chosen. On the left is Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Colour in 54 Le Baiser, which is described as a deep pink with gold shimmer, but the shimmer isn't obnoxious or over the top. On the lips, the colour is more of a coral than a deep pink because of the gold shimmer, which makes the lips look fuller and glossy. 

The Rouge Allure Luminous Intense Lip Colour in 145 Rayonnante is a deep fuchsia with mauve shimmer. Again, the shimmer isn't too intense either, but it does provide another dimension to the lip colour. 

I'm ready for spring, so hurry up and get here!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

bite me

I wandered into Sephora downtown with no real intention of buying anything and happen to stumble upon the Bite Beauty lip lab event, where you can choose your colour, finish (satin, matte or sheer) and essential oil to make your own custom lipstick for the price of $36. Of course, I couldn't pass up this opportunity and walked out with 2 colours: #23 a neutral pink colour with citrus and #27 a raspberry red with mint. 


I also got a free cinnamon plumping lip oil sample with my purchases, which I haven't tried yet. I'm assuming it gives you that tingling feeling as the cinnamon stimulates your lips, giving you that momentary plumpness.

*Sorry for the blurry last picture, my camera was having troubles zooming in onto the product. 

Friday, January 31, 2014

don't hate me cuz I'm beautiful

Another eyeshadow palette to add to my growing stack and this one is from NARS.  It's called the NARSissit and it's a 15-eyeshadown palette that ranges from neutrals, warm to cool tones and darker colours for a night-time (or day, depending on your preference) smokey eye look.


This palette contains 15 of NARS best-selling eyeshadows and there's a good mix of shimmer, matte to frost finishes that will satisfy everyone and their needs to make a variety of eyeshadow looks. I love the large mirror and the fact that it's incredibly slim in packaging, which makes it great for travelling. While you are getting a lot of colours in this palette, the size of each individual eyeshadow is quite small, if you were to compare it to other palettes like the Urban Decay's Naked palettes. The packaging does get dirty very quickly, but it's nothing that a wet wipe can't solve. The only real downside of this palette is the price: this palette retails for a whopping $85 at Sephora. Otherwise, if you're relatively new the the NARS brand and want to try a little bit of everything, and you don't mind spending a little more money, than this is a great palette for you. If you're looking for alternate options, I'd check out the Urban Decay, Stila, Clinque or Too Faced.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

get it before it's gone

It's sad when you see a cosmetic line leave Sephora, but it's even more sad when it's name brand that you have always wanted to try but never really got around to it. The only good thing out of this scenario is the discounted prices when Sephora puts it all on sale to get rid of leftover stock. So, before everything disappeared for good (as you won't be able to find Lorac Cosmetics in Canada anymore, boo!), I picked up a few items to try out.
The Lorac POREfection Baked Perfecting Powder is smooth to the touch, not too powdery and really nice but it's just a tad shade darker than my current skin-tone. I think once the weather gets warmer and I start getting a "glow," this colour will be perfect me.

I checked the swatches on-line for this product, but I didn't realize how bronzed this highlighter was until I had it in my grubby paws. It's a lovely colour and kinda reminds me of the Dior Amber Diamond Skin Shimmer (which I can't seem to find on Sephora... is it discontinued?!)
Last but not least, is the Lorac Pro to Go palette, which is essentially THE perfect all-in-one travel palette. It comes with 4 natural eyeshadows, 2 highlighting shadows, 2 matte blushes (coral and pink), a matte bronzer and 2 small brushes. The design of the palette separates the eyeshadows from the blushes and bronzers, folds up into a sturdy, compact palette with magnetic closures and is pretty much all you need to create a day to night look.