As per usual, I have made it through the month with a fair amount of empties to show you all. Many of these were very well loved and enjoyed, while some were just 'meh'.
LUSH Dream Cream is a classic cream that is made for soothing sensitive skin. I like this cream, especially in the winter for angry noses. However, the smell of lavender isn't one of my favourites so this isn't a cream that I love for anything other than how well it works! I probably wouldn't re-purchase.
LUSH Ocean Salt is my HG facial exfoliator. I have raved about this product on my blog in many, many posts and I've already re-purchased another tub of this cannot-be-without product!
Prada Candy perfume is my every day scent. I wear it day and night, and I've already re-purchased another bottle of it. It is nice and light, but scrumptious at the same time.
A bottle of my favourite Orly polish got all gross and gunky so I tossed it. Someone mentioned you can buy thinner to fix bad polishes but I was too lazy. I bought a new, similar colour by Essie instead.
Cargo Lash Activator mascara was a nice mascara- it worked fairly well for me, but isn't worth the price tag. I would not re-purchase.
Philosophy's Hope in a Jar oil-free has been with me through most of the summer! I really like what it did for my skin, but I hated the smell. As such, it isn't my HG facial moisturizer and I wouldn't re-purchase because I am on the hunt for my perfect moisturizer and I won't stop 'til I find it!!
I used up a bottle of Bath and Body Works Coconut Verbena Lime spray, which I used as a room spray. It was nice, but I wouldn't re-purchase.
I finished off a trial sized version of bareminerals Flawless Definition Volumizing mascara. It was nice, and I loved the lush applicator. It didn't give a lot of length compared to other mascaras I've used. I may or may not re-purchase.
Lastly, I finished yet another pack of Simple facial wipes! I love these. I would definitely re-purchase when they're on sale.
There you have it, ladies, my August Empties! looking forward to seeing yours :)
--S
Thursday 30 August 2012
Monday 27 August 2012
A Swap!
I am participating in a little swap with a fellow Canadian beauty blogger, Amy from theprettyvain ! I am sending out her package (packed with love) tomorrow!
Do any of you swap? I think it is a great way to try new beauty products! Amy and I decided to swap brand new and gently used items, as long as it is sanitary (i.e. something with a pump, or a perfume). Expect some photographs of my swap package from Amy soon!
I also have a lovely package from boscia on its way to me :)
Sorry I've been so MIA lately- I start school again next week, and I've been very busy! I went to Ikea today and got some new bed sheets and curtains. I cannot believe how quickly summer has come and gone- I will have my August Empties and August Faves up soon!
xo
-S
PS. If you haven't already: take one small step for man, but one giant leap for the blogging community and REMOVE CAPTCHA from your blog! Sherry wrote a great little how-to post here.
Do any of you swap? I think it is a great way to try new beauty products! Amy and I decided to swap brand new and gently used items, as long as it is sanitary (i.e. something with a pump, or a perfume). Expect some photographs of my swap package from Amy soon!
I also have a lovely package from boscia on its way to me :)
Sorry I've been so MIA lately- I start school again next week, and I've been very busy! I went to Ikea today and got some new bed sheets and curtains. I cannot believe how quickly summer has come and gone- I will have my August Empties and August Faves up soon!
xo
-S
PS. If you haven't already: take one small step for man, but one giant leap for the blogging community and REMOVE CAPTCHA from your blog! Sherry wrote a great little how-to post here.
Thursday 23 August 2012
Products I've been loving by CoverFX, BareMinerals, LUSH
Today I thought I'd do a quick blitz post to share a few products I've discovered or re-discovered lately that I've really been loving for my day-to-day routine!
CoverFX BritePrepFX primer (note: sent for me to review) and ClearPrepFX anti-acne primer |
bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation in Fairly Medium |
2. bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 foundation in Fairly Medium is the only foundation I use. As you can guess by the product name, it also goes on matte, leaving my skin with a faultless finish. This mineral foundation is also incredibly light on the skin and will not feel heavy and cakey as the day wears on. I will note that if you have any dry or flaky patches, this foundation will definitely make them obvious, so you need to exfoliate well to use this foundation. Otherwise, it is great as it doesn't make me break out, looks natural on the skin, and is easy to apply! I love mineral foundations!
LUSH Seanik Shampoo Bar (note: sent for me to review) |
LUSH Dirty Springwash (note: sent for me to review) |
LUSH Shine So Bright -- for split ends |
So there you have it, some products I've been loving lately! Have you discovered (or re-discovered) anything new?
--S
Tuesday 21 August 2012
Awesome e.l.f. sale!
I have said in the past that I am a fan of e.l.f. nail polish, and today I came across a deal they're having where if you spend $20.00 or more you get EIGHT free nail polishes!! This is such a great deal, I had to share it with you guys- the sale ends Aug 27th. You simply enter the coupon code 8NAILS at checkout.
--S
My First Ever Etsy Haul!
I recently made an etsy account so that I could browse through the jewelry- I see many of you posting 'wants' from etsy often. I found a cute little jewelry shop that had very decent prices in Georgia, so I made a purchase!
Shipping out was a bit slow because the shop owner had to order in more supplies to make my bow earrings! To compensate for that, she sent me a free pair of gold hoops, which was very kind of her! Here is my lovely purchase from the RingBinder:
I have wanted some forget-me-knot stacker rings forever! RingBinder had a great price on these, they were only $30.00 for the three. They are made of sterling silver, 14k yellow gold and 14k rose gold.
Lastly, as a 'thank you for your patience' gift, the shop owner Sarah sent me a pair of 14k gold hoop earrings!
Overall I had a fantastic first etsy purchase experience! The craftsmanship on these products is exactly as I expected- everything is gorgeous! I would definitely recommend her shop to you all as I had a pleasant experience.
Do you ever buy things from etsy? Link me to your favourite shops!
--S
P.S. if you're in the market for pretty children's clothing, my mom has an etsy shop with high quality and adorable stuff you could check out: SadieLooHoo
Monday 20 August 2012
Drugstore Haul! Revlon Kissable Balm Stains, Marcelle BB cream, Essie polish
This past weekend, I decided to treat myself to a few new pretties. I saw in the Shoppers Drugmart flyer that my absolute favourite BB cream by Marcelle was on sale for $17.99! It is usually $22.99 so I drove right over and bought a new tube. My first tube isn't gone yet, but I am not going to stop using this daily any time soon so I figured I might as well grab another tube while it was on sale. I wear this BB cream in Light to Medium. Marcelle recently released a third shade of BB cream, called Dark to Darker for darker skin tones. They've also released a new BB cream with SPF in it, if that interests you!
I also went to Walmart in desperate search for the new Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stains!! I've been seeing them on Canadian blogs but couldn't find them at my local Shoppers! I first grabbed a bottle of 'buy me a cameo' by Essie to replace a similar coloured polish that I had to throw away because it wasn't applying nicely anymore. Then I looked around for five minutes or so at the Revlon section of Walmart and could not for the life of me find the balm stains! I was going to give up when I noticed an end display and lo and behold, there they were!! Both of my most-wanted colours were still in stock so I grabbed them and skipped to the front cash register.
I have already worn Charm twice now, and I love it!! I really like how these apply so smoothly, and the 'stain' part of these products is fantastic! I will do a full review on them after I've used them a while longer, I think?
So there you have it, ladies, my absolutely fantastic drug store haul!!
--S
Essie 'buy me a cameo' |
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Charm and Rendezvous |
Left: Charm Right: Rendezvous |
SWATCHED! Left: Charm Right: Rendezvous |
--S
TOPBOX - August 2012
Today my doorbell rang, and the postman was holding my long-awaited August Topbox! Topbox shipped out a little late this month because they were waiting on a sample. However, they are amazing at communicating with their subscribers, and updated their facebook page to tell everyone the reason why the boxes were shipping out late, and when they should be expected. That kind of amazing customer service is one of the reasons I adore Topbox so much! Many other subscription services are less forthcoming with their subscribers regarding their tardy shipping times.
As is to be expected, my parcel was very carefully wrapped in order to ensure safe travelling. Everything came in perfect condition.
In my August Topbox I received:
Marc Jacobs Dot perfume (4 ml) (full size retails for $79.00/50ml)
Expression Round Crease Brush ($16.00)
Pink Wipes (1 wipe) (15 wipes retail for $12.00)
Chloe L'eau de Chloe body lotion (30 ml) (full size retails for $60.00/200ml)
Kellett Skincare Clarifying Acne Treatment (10ml) (full size retails for $75.00/50ml)
+ a bonus item! Nexxus Shampoo and Conditioner
August '12 Topbox |
The Nexxus shampoo and conditioner samples are awesome! They are fairly large in size, and will last a good while. Kudos to Topbox for sending a shampoo and conditioner sample TOGETHER, rather than just a conditioner sample by itself or a shampoo sample by itself like Glossybox does.
The product I am most excited about in the August Topbox is the Kellett acne treatment! This is some high-quality stuff, and the sample is gorgeous! I hope it works as well as the product looks :)
Topbox is currently on a 4-5 month waiting list, so if you are at all interested in getting a subscription you should go to their website and get on the wait list today! If you want to get a beauty box subscription NOW and not wait for a Topbox, I strongly recommend Glossybox- I have some reviews of their boxes, check it out here.
--S
You can read about my May Topbox here. June Topbox here, July Topbox here.
Wednesday 15 August 2012
REVIEW: LUSH Emotional Brilliance Liquid Eyeliner in Fantasy
LUSH Liquid Eyeliner in Fantasy ($22.95) |
LUSH states that Fantasy comes with a no-smudge, quick drying formula
I read some online reviews of Fantasy, and two people stated it made their eyelids tingle or burn upon application. This worried me! However, I haven't experienced anything like that at all! As promised, this liquid eyeliner dries fairly quickly. I wouldn't consider it smudge proof (the glitter tends to migrate a bit), but the lasting power is amazing on this eyeliner! I applied some in the mid day and by evening it was as bright as ever! I really love the diversity of this specific shade- it looks like gold foil when it dries!
Overall, I am very pleased with the formula of this liquid eyeliner. It is easy to apply thanks to a fabulous fine tipped brush, and it dries quickly, but not too quickly! The lasting power is very good, but you can expect a little bit of migration when it comes to the glittery gold specks of this particular shade. I wish the price point was a little bit more affordable, and I will note that the packaging is quite unique. I like that it is glass so you can monitor how much of the product you have left, but at the same time I do worry about product leakage and/or dropping the bottle and having a gigantic mess to look after! Klutzes beware ;)
--S
Swatch of LUSH Emotional Brilliance eyeliner in Fantasy |
--S
Monday 13 August 2012
GIVEAWAY! Lippy Girl Organic Mineral Blush
Lippy Girl Organic Mineral Blush in Bitch Slap |
Lippy Girl is a Canadian-based, eco-friendly, organic and animal-friendly cosmetic company. Some of their products are indeed produced in China, but Darcey assured me they're made in an EcoCert compliant factory-- she herself is a former high school chemistry teacher who started the brand with savings she put aside originally to purchase a minivan!! As such, she told me she tests all of her products that come in from China to assure that they're lead-free, but has never had any issues at all with her manufacturers.
Lippy Girl is a Canadian-based company, but also has manufacturing in the United States and Australia for its lip care line! The entire lip care line in USDA certified organic, which is very exciting!
Darcey started Lippy Girl as a kitchen experiment because she wanted to create products that were safe and of high quality for her personal family and friends. She started selling her unique makeup creations to the public in October 2011, and insists that what makes Lippy Girl so popular is the fact that the quality lives up to what she wanted for her closest friends and family.
When I spoke with Darcey, I could tell how passionate she was about her brand, and to be honest it made me fall in love with her line! I already loved it for its eco-friendly ethics and high quality ingredients, but now that I see the passion behind the brand, I am a new convert! If you bundle Lippy Girl products on the official website, you get them at a discount, which is totally cool. I intend on doing a lot of Christmas shopping with her brand!
Lippy Girl blush in Bitch Slap *sent for my honest review |
Lippy Girl Organic Mineral Blush in Bitch Slap |
Sunday 12 August 2012
REVIEW: LUSH Feeling Younger Skin Tint
NEW LUSH ITEMS :) |
LUSH Feeling Younger Skin Tint |
I have been wearing this product for the past week and it works just as well as Benefit's high beam. I would say the highlighting effect is on par with high beam, and I'd be hard pressed to notice much difference between them once applied to the face. I swatched them both side by side, as you can see below. High beam is slightly more pink, where Feeling Younger is more champagne. However, when blended they look identical. The wear time on Feeling Younger is fabulous, and I love the fact that this product is buildable, so if you want a tiny bit of glow, you can achieve that, but if you want more dramatic glow, you simply layer the product a bit heavier and blend it for a more intense look.
Swatch: Top- LUSH Feeling Younger, Bottom- Benefit high beam |
Blended Swatch: Top- LUSH Feeling Younger, Bottom- Benefit high beam |
LUSH Feeling Younger Skin Tint -- blended |
LUSH also sells a bronzing skin tint, called Charisma, which could be a parallel to Benefits sun beam. I will do a swatch comparison on these two highlighting bronzers soon!!
--S
Friday 10 August 2012
REVIEW: Boscia Blotting Linens in Vanilla
You may have started thinking about Fall -- I know I have. It is my favourite season, and with Fall comes a pretty standard revamp in your closet and with your makeup/skincare routine. However, last year I recall that we had summer heat right up until mid-October in Ontario, so my mind is still set on shine control! I received a package of Boscia Vanilla Blotting Linens ($12.00/100 sheets) in a beauty bag I purchased recently, and I was excited to try them out. I think if you are familiar with the Boscia blotting linens, you are most likely aware of their green tea linens, which I am guessing are their most popular or well-known blotting linens. I was extremely happy to receive the vanilla linens because I LOVE all things vanilla.
Boscia Vanilla Blotting Linens |
Packaging for Boscia Blotting Linens |
The linens do not have any powdered coating like some other branded blotting papers- it is just the linen doing all the work! They're a fair size, definitely enough to dab the majority of your face. They leave a matte finish and only take a second to apply! I am a true convert and these will be a staple in my purse for a long time to come- I feel that they are completely affordable and for a Boscia product, they're competitively priced.
as you can see, the Boscia Blotting Linen is a fair size- enough for your entire face! |
--S
In other news, I recently purchased the Caudalie Beauty Elixir after hearing many a rave review! Stay tuned for my thoughts once I've given it a go for a month!
Thursday 9 August 2012
REVIEW: NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in nude peach fuzz
NYX Xtreme Lip Cream in Nude Peach Fuzz |
Regardless, I was excited to receive a new lip colour, and I loved the look of Nude Peach Fuzz when I swatched it! This product is made to provide extreme pigmentation with a silky, shiny finish. NYX says it is a hybrid of lipstick, lip gloss and lip stain! Nude Peach Fuzz is definitely the type of lip colour I LOVE, and out of the 11 shades I think it would've been my #1 pick so I was glad to receive it.
When I first applied this product to my lips, I couldn't believe how pigmented it was! It is a little tricky to apply because of the creamy texture- it can apply streaky and unevenly so you have to mess around with it a bit. Once you get the finish you desire, the colour is extremely vibrant on the lips and completely opaque. The consistency is smooth, but not sticky.
As I continued to wear this product through the day, the cream seemed to wear off with normal wear and tear, but some colouring remained on my lips, which would be the lip stain part of the equation. I was very pleased with the overall lasting power of the colour, especially for a lip cream . This product is not moisturizing, and I did feel my lips were left dry after wearing it. This could be remedied by applying lip balm under the lip cream, however.
Wednesday 8 August 2012
LUSH HAUL! August 2012
LUSH UK HAUL August '12 |
I am a total LUSHie. I love LUSH products and use many on a daily basis. I was getting low on some of my basic must-haves, namely Ocean Salt facial scrub, Rub Rub Rub shower scrub and Tea Tree Water toner. I decided to place an online order from LUSH UK because their prices are dramatically cheaper than what the North American LUSH charges.
It just so happened that LUSH UK also recently released a new hair care line, so I picked up two products from that lineup which isn't even available for sale in North America yet! I grabbed their Shine So Bright (£4.50) serum for split ends and Fair Trade Honey Shampoo (£7.00/100g). I also picked up a piece of a Limited Edition Retro soap, Gratuitous Violets. If you have ever smelled LUSH's Daddyo shampoo, you will recognize the scent of this soap, which smells like.. duh, violets!
Lastly, I purchased two items from LUSH's new makeup line, called Emotional Brilliance. I decided on Fantasy, which is a gold liquid eyeliner, and Feeling Younger, which is a brightening complexion enhancer and highlighter.
To go into detail on the pricing differences between UK and NA LUSH, I will give you a few examples:
I paid £3.29 ($5.13 CAN) for my Tea Tree Toner, which retails for $8.95 in Canada.
I paid £5.79 ($9.03 CAN) for my Ocean Salt, which retails for $19.95 in Canada.
I paid £6.63 ($10.34 CAN) for my Rub Rub Rub, which retails for $19.95 in Canada.
I paid £12.08 ($18.80 CAN) for my Fantasy eyeliner, which retails for $22.95 in Canada.
In short, there are major savings to be had when buying directly from LUSH overseas. Their shipping is very reasonable, as they charge
£9.95 to ship to North America. Shipping from NA is $8.00 so the price difference in shipping fees is not very large compared to the huge savings you can make on products!
LUSH UK also hooked me up with FIVE lovely samples! I get to try two other Emotional Brilliance items and one of their new hair conditioners, Happy Happy Joy Joy! The Sea Spray hair mist unfortunately leaked everywhere in transit, so that was no good to me! Sometimes taking a trip all the way from Great Britain to Canada can result in a few shipping mishaps. This is the first time I've ever had a leaky sample, and my Feeling Younger skin tint ALSO leaked a bit. As you can see in the below photos, it became a bit of a shimmery mess for me to clean up when I opened my package, but luckily not too much product was wasted:
You can definitely expect some reviews from me on the above three NEW products: Fantasy eyeliner, Feeling Younger skin tint and Shine So Bright hair serum for split ends. Once again, I had a fabulous experience shopping with LUSH UK! I can't wait to try my new products out :)
--S
You can also check out my January '12 LUSH UK haul and my May '12 LUSH UK haul!
lotsa samples from LUSH UK! |
Leaky Leaky! :( |
LUSH Fair Trade Honey Shampoo -- new product! |
LUSH UK sent me extra makeup applicators for my Emotional Brilliance products! Very thoughtful. |
You can definitely expect some reviews from me on the above three NEW products: Fantasy eyeliner, Feeling Younger skin tint and Shine So Bright hair serum for split ends. Once again, I had a fabulous experience shopping with LUSH UK! I can't wait to try my new products out :)
--S
You can also check out my January '12 LUSH UK haul and my May '12 LUSH UK haul!
Tuesday 7 August 2012
REVIEW: Lippy Girl Organic Mineral Blush
Lippy Girl Makeup is a Canadian cosmetic company that produces eco-friendly, organic, vegetarian and animal friendly products. Their cosmetics are never tested on animals, and their ingredients are natural and free of chemical preservatives! This companies values definitely align with my own, so I was very excited to try the newest blush in my collection, which comes from their brand, a light pink called Tongue in Cheek! I will mention that although Lippy Girl Makeup is a Canadian based company, their products are manufactured in China.
Lippy Girl only has five blush shades to choose from. They retail for $16.50 each.
I will note that I am having a really hard time opening my Lippy Girl blush! Every time I try to pry it open, I think I might break a nail! I wonder if I got a defective container? Has anyone else been struggling to open their Lippy Girl blushes?
First off, the blush looked lovely in the pan- there is just something about baked blushes that make them so tempting to swatch! Tongue in Cheek is a pale, matte pink. I heavily swatched it to get the colour payoff below:
This blush is not heavily pigmented. I had to work to get the colour in the above swatch. I have also applied it to my cheeks and the normal amount of blush I would apply for a benefit blush made hardly any colour on my skin. I had to do double the application to get my desired colour with my Lippy Girl blush. I think that if you want a really subtle pink colour from your blush, this shade might be right for you. I personally love a bit of dramatics when it comes to my blushes, and although I will continue to use this from time to time, I prefer benefit blushes which are more pigmented and bright.
I will say that this blush has excellent wear-time. I can wear it for 6 hours without noticing any colour fading, which in the summer heat is wonderful! I also love the foundation of this company, so I would definitely try some of their other blush colours to see if they might be a bit more pigmented.
Have you tried anything from Lippy Girl Makeup? Let me know of your experiences!
--S
Lippy Girl only has five blush shades to choose from. They retail for $16.50 each.
I will note that I am having a really hard time opening my Lippy Girl blush! Every time I try to pry it open, I think I might break a nail! I wonder if I got a defective container? Has anyone else been struggling to open their Lippy Girl blushes?
Lippy Girl blush in 'Tongue in Cheek' |
Lippy Girl blush swatch for 'Tongue in Cheek' |
I will say that this blush has excellent wear-time. I can wear it for 6 hours without noticing any colour fading, which in the summer heat is wonderful! I also love the foundation of this company, so I would definitely try some of their other blush colours to see if they might be a bit more pigmented.
Have you tried anything from Lippy Girl Makeup? Let me know of your experiences!
--S
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