My Trip to NYC: A Beauty Lover’s Take

Hi Everyone!

In February my sister and I traveled to New York City as Reading Week adventure. We did a lot of planning so that we could maximize our 3 days and because of our shared love of makeup, much of what we did was beauty-focused. I’m a big believer that travelling should be customized and I’m just not into touristy stuff, so on this trip (I know we’ll go back) we didn’t do much of the traditional tourist stuff.

Travel

As I’ve mentioned before, I live in Ontario Canada, so NYC is a bit of a trek. We wanted to save our money for shopping and activities so we decided to travel through Mega Bus. Mega buses are double decker coach style buses where the tickets start at $1. How this works is that the earlier you book, the cheaper the tickets are. We didn’t get the $1 tickets, but I thought the cost was still reasonable. On the way there we sat upstairs and it definitely was not roomy by any means. From what we had seen, we figured there would be overhead compartments so we opted not to check our bags. On the way there and on the way back there were no compartments, so with my bag at my feet for the way there it was definitely a tight squeeze. Bearable, but tight. On the way back, there was a spot behind us to set our bags, so that was a little better, but we also sat across from 2 stranger so our personal bubbles were a tad stifled. We travelled both times at night, so I did sleep through some of the trip. I mean you’re not going to get 5 star sleep upright on a bus, but all things considered it was manageable. In all, including stops and crossing the Canada-USA border, the trip took about 12 hours from Toronto.

I would definitely consider taking Mega Bus again, it was clean and fairly organized, but next time I would make sure to purchase the tickets as early as possible and purchase an extra seat for a little extra room. The tickets are cheap enough that you can do this and it’s still affordable.

Hotel

The hotel was another area that we were able to do extremely economically. My sister had Air Miles points to use so we put those towards the hotel and ended up paying $43 CAD for 2 nights, which is crazy. Now before you’re thinking, well what hole did they stay in? I’ll backtrack a little. We knew it would be insanely expensive to stay right in Manhattan, so we researched and decided to stay in Long Island City. We stayed at the Best Western Plaza, which although nothing fancy, was clean and had extremely friendly staff. This hotel is less than 5 minutes from a subway station that takes you directly into Manhattan (the F Train if you’re wondering).

Transportation

Now that I’ve mentioned the subway, I’ll talk about how we got around. We had initially planned to use a mix of the subway and taxis, but ended up taking the subway for the whole trip. I highly recommend having access or a GPS or something because finding the subway stations that would take us where we needed to go, was definitely stressful. In Toronto you can pretty much go into any stop and eventually get to where you need to go, but in New York the stations are much more specific. We were able to purchase a Metro Card and travel for around $30 each.

Beauty Related Activities

Sephora Times Square

Definitely an amazing Sephora. If you don’t have access to Sephora regularly, this will be heaven for you. I didn’t buy much here because the dollar is terrible and most I could get at home but it was still impressive. Times Square overall is impressive. I have never been somewhere so lit up with artificial lights and screens before, it was definitely a must-see.

Bite Beauty Lip Lab

Prior to leaving for our trip, I was looking up NYC vlogs on Youtube (as you do) and discovered that Bite Beauty has a lip lab in Soho. As soon as I saw this, I knew we had to go. Basically, they have artists on hand and they help you develop a custom lipstick. Generally you book by appointment online, but they didn’t have any when I was looking. I called them and they told me that they leave room for drop ins so that’s what we did. We got there for around the time they open and they were able to take us right away. The artists were super kind, patient and helpful. We had an idea of what we wanted ahead of time and they brought our ideas to life. In terms of pricing, 1 custom lipstick is $45 or 2 (of the same shade) for $60. My sister and I each purchased 2 of our custom shade and then we just shared  them, so we each got both of the shades we created. That seems expensive, but you’re paying for an experience. You get to not only develop the shade, but the finish, the scent and choose the shape of the cap. You give the artists an idea of the shade you’re looking for and they mix bases to develop options for you.

The base colours they use to mix custom shades

Samples of the scents/flavours you have to choose from

I asked for a pinky-brown shade and the artist created an option for me, which I liked but I wanted it to be more matte. She then made the same shade but with no finish and it was perfect. We wanted shades that were wearable so we both picked shades that we knew would wear often.

My sister asked for a pinky coral shade and also went with their most matte finish.

After you decide on a shade then they melt down the mixture and mold it for you. Once it’s cooled, they place it into the bullet and you have a custom lipstick. Pretty cool, right? They also sent us home with a card that had our formula/mix on it so if we wanted a second of either shade we could have it made in the future.

We also went to the MUFE freestanding store and the Macy’s impulse section (Herald Square) both of which I highly recommend.

Restaurants

The other thing we agreed that we wanted to do during our trip is eat. I really believe that that’s how you get to know a city and I really wanted to get to know NYC haha.

Black Tap

One thing that was on our list from the beginning was Black Tap. I’m sure basically everyone has seen those crazy milkshakes on Buzzfeed and from it taking over the internet back in January. We were definitely curious if these were worth the hype, so we decided to try it for ourselves. This turned out to be an all day affair, which we were not anticipating. I definitely wasn’t thinking that we weren’t going to wait- trust me I knew we were, but we waited way longer than either my sister or I planned for. 4 hours to be exact. We got there less than half an hour after they opened and that’s how long it took. Pretty insane. The Soho location has only 16 seats (all bar seating and standing) so that’s why it takes so long. We had a party of 5 in front of us in line so we had to wait until they made room for them, which prolonged the wait significantly. I’ll admit I wasn’t terribly impressed with how the restaurant handled the line. They didn’t really acknowledge how long people were waiting or have anyone to control the line. I could deal with that, but when they let a woman in who didn’t wait in any line, I was pretty mad. If you’re asking people to wait that long to eat, then anyone who wants to should be treated the same.

When we finally got in there, it was definitely a tight squeeze (a theme of New York, I’ve discovered). I ordered the Texan Burger and onion rings, which were both excellent but not worth a 4 hour wait.

Now for the star of the show: those milkshakes.

These were definitely the star of the show. These are definitely awesome, but maybe a 2 hour wait max, not 4. I got the sweet and salty, which was a peanut butter milkshake with m&ms and a pretzel rod.  It was something I checked off my bucket list and I’m glad I did. They do have some more unique specialty flavours that you can call ahead for and next time I would definitely do that to try something different. This was massive and I didn’t finish nearly all of it, so I would suggest sharing.

Clinton Street Baking Company

On the last day we hit up the lower east side for brunch. My sister was recommended to go to this place from a friend of hers and I am so glad we went. This place is so freaking adorable and has amazing food. One huge bonus is that they use the NoWait app, so you can ‘check in’ in advance of your meal and it will call you when your table is ready and estimate the wait time. Definitely way better than waiting 4 hours+. I got the chicken and waffles, which was so freaking good. It came with maple butter, which was basically heavenly. My sister got chocolate chip pancakes also with maple butter and those looked amazing as well.

Note this place is cash only during the day if you’re heading there for breakfast, brunch or lunch.

There are some of the highlights of our first trip to NYC. I definitely want to go back and get to know more of the city. I fell in love with Soho and I just want endless time to explore that area.

Leave me a comment below about where you visited last and if you incorporate beauty into your travels!

Bye for now!

Chelsey

February 2016 Favourites

Hi Everyone!

2016 is flying by and this will be my first monthly favourites post of the year. It’s been a crazy couple of months for me personally and makeup has become my ‘zen time’ more than ever before. Since it’s been awhile since I did a monthly favourites, I have lots to share, so let’s get to it!

Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation

I have owned this for quite a while now and I really wasn’t sold on it until recently. I gave this another try and I have been loving how it makes my skin look. I have been experimenting a lot with glowy bases and this is the perfect foundation to use with those, since it has a natural finish.

Tartelette in Bloom Palette

I have been OBSESSED with this. I swatched the original Tartelette palette when it launched and I wasn’t overly impressed so I never purchased that one; when I saw this one I knew she would be mine. The metallics in this are so good and it has almost every shade I need to create an eye look. The only thing I wish it had is a light/white shimmery colour that I could use as a brow bone highlight, but that is definitely not a deal breaker. I have used this for every eye look since I got it, which is impressive since I haven’t fallen in love with a palette in a long time.

Becca Backlight Priming Filter

Surprisingly, it has taken me a long time to love this product. I felt iffy about it, but for some reason I kept reaching for it and regretted every time I forgot to use it.In addition to giving me a soft glow, this makes my skin feel really nice and it smells amazing. I’m kind of all or nothing when it comes to makeup; either I wear a full face or I wear nothing, but this does look beautiful on bare skin if that’s your thing.

Morphe Brushes

I was in a brush funk so I decided to try some new brushes and I fell in love. I had one brush from Morphe that I got at IMATS 2014, but I wanted to try out some others to see if they actually live up to the insane hype. I have been loving these brushes so much and they have stepped up my blending game MAJORLY. I know that a lot of people on Youtube and other bloggers have affiliate codes with Morphe, but from an outside perspective (aka someone without an affiliate code), these are extremely good brushes. I will say though that their shipping is HORRIBLE. My order processed for a full 8 days before shipping out, which is an excessive amount of time in my opinion.

Brushes from left to right: E17, M510, E4, E30

Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit- Gleam

This is a fairly recent purchase, as I bought it on my New York City trip earlier this month, but it has already made it to favourites status. These highlighters (especially Crushed Pearl) are so beautiful and give me the intense glow that I’m after!

Maybelline Colossal Volum Express Mascara

It is so hard for me to find a mascara that really wows me. I have used this on and off for years and I keep going back to it. This mascara can be built up for intense lashes. Even though it mainly advertises volume it also adds lots of length as well. I don’t really have a holy grail mascara, but this comes pretty close.

MAC Mineralize Blush- Warm Soul

I decided in January to add this classic to my collection and I have been loving it ever since. I know some people don’t like the current formulation of this, since it’s apparently different than it used to be. I don’t know what it used to be like so I guess I have nothing to compare it to. It gives a great warm, bronzed look to the cheeks which is great to warm up my skin.

Kat Von D Lolita II

Clearly I like warm-toned things. I have been loving terracotta or more natural orange lips lately and this lipstick fits that perfectly. This is very similar to Ofra’s Miami Fever, only a little softer in tone. Kat Von D doesn’t have my favourite liquid lipstick formula in the world, but if I like a shade enough I’m okay with reapplying as needed.

There you have it! What products did you love in the month of February?

Bye for now!

Chelsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

L’Oreal Lumi Cushion Foundation Review

Hi Everyone!

I have been testing out a hot new drugstore foundation and I thought I would share my thoughts.

Packaging

The cushion trend has been exploding in North America, even though it has been popular in Asia for a long time. This type of packaging was pretty intriguing and definitely enticed me to buy this product. The packaging is appealing, especially because I love rose gold, but the round shape does make it a little more difficult to store, since I stand all of my foundations up in a plastic container. It can go on its side but it’s still a little bulky that way.

In terms of functionality, I usually will dot the foundation on my face 1st and then go in with a brush or sponge to blend it out, so there was definitely a learning curve with this product. Unless I was going to put my finger into the container/sponge, there’s not really a way to dot it on first, so I have switched to lightly dipping a brush into this product and then going right onto my face, which has worked fine. You can’t really tell how much product you’re using with this style of packaging so I suggest dipping lightly and adding more if you need it. I also question how easy it would be to see when you’re getting low and need to purchase more. This style of packaging is super clean though so it would be great to travel with, as the foundation doesn’t leak out and it’s plastic.

Price

This is seriously getting up there for drugstore foundations. I did purchase this with some gift cards I got for Christmas, but it was still $24, which is a lot for drugstore. When shopping at Sephora I accept the prices, but when drugstore prices are high, it hurts me. Not sure why that is. Probably some sneaky marketing techniques of high end brands.

Shades

The shade range for this foundation is downright awful. I have no idea what L’Oreal was thinking when they came up with the shades for this product, but it was not well done. I picked up the shade N2 which was the lightest thing they offered. I would have liked C1 or even N1, but those didn’t seem to be offered. I have cool undertones and usually neutral foundations are fine too. This shade is okay for me, but I definitely have better matches in my collection. On the other side of the spectrum, there were basically no dark shades either which I think is unacceptable. I don’t get why they wouldn’t release this product in a wide range of shades. The True Match line is known to cater to a large variety of skin tones and if this product is in that line, it should too. Definitely a huge let down for this product.

Finish and Feel

Foundation in natural light

This foundation is definitely very glowy, as the name would suggest. I like dewy finishes so this is right up my alley. In terms of feel, this is definitely heavier on the skin. It hasn’t looked cakey in my experience but I can definitely feel it on my skin. It does set and I haven’t experienced transferring. Now I can’t find anywhere where it says if this has SPF or not, but it did flashback a little for me in flash photos. Usually I try and take my photos without flash, but good to note just in case. With how luminous this is, I’d be hesitant to try it on oily skin, but of course you could.

Similarities

This reminds me of the regular True Match Lumi, but that one breaks me out and this one doesn’t. The finish is very similar. The regular Lumi has more shades than this, but also still not as many as the regular True Match.

Wear

I had no issues with wear time on this, but like I’ve said before I haven’t really experienced wear issues ever due to my normal-dry skin type.

Final Verdict

This foundation has the potential to be a great drugstore options, but they need to come out with a full shade range. I do prefer being able to dot my foundation on, but the concept of the cushion is still intriguing to me and likely something that is going to be trendy or a while. I do think the price is a bit high for drugstore. My cap for drugstore is generally right around $15, which I think is reasonable. If I’m being honest, I like this product but I don’t think I’ll be reaching for it a ton. Lately if I want a luminous look, I reach for the MUFE HD Stick, it’s super quick and gives me the luminous look that I like. It’s not that this is a bad product, but I just have other foundations that I like more.

Have you tried this foundation? What did you think of it?

Bye for now!

Chelsey

 

 

 

 

Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani Blush Palette

Hi Everyone!

I don’t know about you guys but when Urban Decay announced their collaboration with Gwen Stefani, I got so so excited. I was a bit disappointed by the eye shadow palette, but I knew I needed the blush palette. The second it launched on UD’s website, I was on it. I have been playing with this for a few weeks now so I thought I would share my thoughts on it.

Packaging

Urban Decay nailed it on the packaging of this product. The white and gold is totally my style, it’s cute but in a chic kind of way. It is a little on the thick side, but it’s also pretty sturdy so I think that’s a fair trade off. I especially love the metal plate logo, it’s such a nice touch. As a side note, this has a huge mirror the the top/lid can be rested flat, major points for this UD!

The Shades

I think there are pros and cons to the shades chosen for this palette. First off, these blushes are all super soft and highly pigmented so that’s a huge win for me. However with that being said, I don’t necessarily agree with some of the shade choices for this palette. Now obviously Gwen Stefani has super fair skin and the shades in this palette are definitely created for light skin. Even though the palette is a collab with Gwen, I feel like they should have included colours that were still in line with her style that were more versatile. Some of these shades would never work on medium to deep skin tones, which I think is pretty unfair. I will go shade by shade next, but definitely this is something I noticed and to keep in mind if you considered purchasing this palette.

Cherry

The first shade in the top left is called Cherry. This is a super light baby pink shade. Although pigmented, this shade is pretty limited to fair to light skin. I don’t typically reach for shades as cool toned as this, as I think warmer blushes look better on me. Of course, even though it’s not my style it’s still a good quality blush. Not super original, but nice.

Easy

The next shade in this palette is called Easy. This a deeper cherry pink shade with gold shimmer. This shade is one that I do think has a little more versatility, but it doesn’t scream Gwen to me. With her signature red lip, I just can’t picture her wearing this. I don’t have a lot of shades like this one, so I think I need to play with this one more.

Angel

Angel is the highlight shade in the palette. It’s a champagne gold shade with soft gold shimmer throughout. I was kind of expecting this to be lighter since Gwen is so fair. It does work as a highlight on me even though it’s a little darker than I would normally go for, but I prefer it as a blush topper. This could definitely work on medium and deeper skin tones and fair can use as a blush topper, so I do think this shade is more versatile.

Lo-Fi

The next shade in the palette is the bronzer shade. I definitely appreciate that they included a bronzer with the blushes because it makes this super travel friendly. With that being said, I do think the shade choice here is odd. This shade is very warm, which sometimes can lean orange on pale skin like Gwen’s. I personally don’t mind warm bronzers and I don’t think this looks orange on me so don’t have an issue with this shade, but it definitely won’t be flattering on everyone or a shade that everyone likes.

Hush

This shade is by far my favourite in the palette. It’s a shimmery neutral pink-peach. I reach for neutral blushes the majority of the time which is probably why I like this so much. With that being said, this wouldn’t be very good for deeper skin tones, it would likely be more of a highlight. But on my skin tone this shade made the palette worth it for me.

OC

The last shade in the palette is called OC and it’s a light, true peach shade. I do enjoy warm blushes and this is a great mixing shade for me. Since it’s more satin and the rest of the blushes are shimmery, this is a great way to neutralize shimmery blushes. On it’s own, I don’t think this shade is going to work for a lot of people. It has a lot of yellow in it, which might be more difficult to pull off in my opinion rather than if it was peach with red or pink in it. On dark skin I have a feeling this would look ashy.

Final Thoughts

In all, I’m on the fence about this product. The shades are highly pigmented and incredibly soft, but some of the shade choices don’t make sense to me. Some are just not versatile to a wide range of consumers and others just don’t seem like they would be Gwen Stefani’s style. This is definitely a special collab and if you’re a Gwen fan it might be worth checking out. Hush definitely made this palette worth it for me, so I’m glad I picked it up, but I do wish some of the other shades selected were different. This is the Afterglow blush formula that UD already has in their permanent line so if anything I’m definitely going to check out some of their other shades since I really enjoy the formula of these.

If you have tried this palette, let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Bye for now!

Chelsey

 

 

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer Review

Hi Everyone!

Make Up For Ever recently launched a brand new line of concealers and I picked one up right away to test it out for myself. I absolutely love Make Up For Ever products, so this launch was super exciting.  I have been testing this out for more than two weeks now and I thought I would share my thoughts with you.

The Packaging

I’m going to start with the packaging on this. It was kind of hard to tell from Sephora’s website what kind of applicator this had, so when it came without a wand I was pretty disappointed. I know this is likely designed for professional artists, but for regular makeup users the lack of a wand is a real pain. I really wish this had a wand because it’s difficult to get it spread out evenly without a wand. In terms of the amount of product, this tube looks small, but you actually get a good amount of product and it’s twice as much as my beloved Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. However, for me the packaging on this is a miss.

Formula

This formula is very pigmented but it’s also quite thick. It reminds me a bit of the MAC Pro Longwear formula, you only need a little bit and the thickness is very similar. This formula creases really badly on me. So badly. I usually don’t have issues with creasing if I set right away but with this, I couldn’t set it fast enough. This is so annoying because when it goes all creasy it makes you look tired right away. I don’t think I really have fine lines for it to settle in, so if this creases that badly on me, I probably wouldn’t recommend it for mature skin because I don’t imagine it doing well with fine lines or wrinkles around the eye area.

Shade

Since I always correct first with my Bobbi Brown Corrector, I really look for a concealer that will highlight and brighten. Since I am very fair skinned I struggle to find a concealer that is lighter than my skin tone. My UD concealer is the only one I’ve found that is light enough to highlight and unfortunately this one matched me, but was not light enough to brighten. I was expecting a wide shade range for this product since the MUFE HD foundation line has quite a wide range, but the shade range was pretty limited.

Wear

In terms of wear, this didn’t really win for me either. I have normal to dry skin and generally speaking makeup stays put on me, but this does fade after a few hours. The fading is nothing super intense, but it definitely doesn’t look good as the day goes on. I tried it with different foundations, primer and no primer and it honestly doesn’t seem to make a difference; it never wears well on me.

In all, this concealer was something I was really excited for but unfortunately it did not live up to my expectations. This has been super hyped and honestly I just don’t get it.I will continue to purchase my UD Naked Skin Concealer until something better comes along.

Have you tried this concealer? What did you think of it?

Bye for now!

Chelsey

FOTD: January 7th, 2016

Hi Everyone!

I sat down to play with makeup today and I thought I’d share what I came up with. It worked out to be oddly monochromatic which I wasn’t expecting. Also if you’re wondering, my last Best in Beauty post (hair care, skincare and tools) is coming shortly, I’m just wrapping it up at the moment to make sure I didn’t miss anything. In the meantime I thought I’d share my makeup today, since I am trying out a few new products.

Face

Smashbox Primer Oil

Becca Backlight Filtering Primer

MAC Fix+

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation Stick- R230

Bobbi Brown Corrector-Bisque

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Concealer-R20

Besame Brightening Vanilla Powder

Too Faced Love Flush Blush- Baby Love

Nars Laguna Bronzer

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors- Champagne Pop and Pearl

Brows

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade- Medium Brown and Soft Brown

Eyes

MAC Paint Pot- Soft Ochre

MAC Sculpting Powder- Emphasize

Morphe Jaclyn Hill Favorites Palette

Makeup Geek Sparkler- Solar Flare

Kat Von D Mid Vida Loca Remix Palette- Rewind and Noble

Maybelline Colossal Volum Express Mascara

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfectors- Champagne Pop and Pearl (inner corner and brow bone highlight)

Lips

MAC Lip Pencil- Subculture

Ofra Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick- Miami Fever

So there you have it! What new products have you been trying out lately?

Bye for now!

Chelsey

 

 

 

 

Best in Beauty 2015: Eye and Lip Products

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back for part 2 of my 2015 Favourites! I have already shared the best face products, but now it’s time to share my favourite lip and eye products. I’ll be honest and say that I wasn’t over the moon about most of the palettes that launched this year and usually palettes are my go-to so that’s kind of disappointing. I do have a few eye favourites that were excellent along with a bunch of lip favourites I love as well.

I’ll start with eyes.

Palettes

Like I said, I was pretty unimpressed with the palette selection for 2015, but I did have one that was a standout favourite. I spent the end of 2014 on the Morphe website hunting this sucker down and once I finally had it, I fell in love and for more than the first half of 2015 this is basically all I used. I love my warm shades, as I think they are the most complimentary to my skin tone and eye colour. This palette is full of them, which is one of the reasons I love it so much. It’s sad that this was limited edition.

Single Eye Shadows

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadows

Generally speaking I don’t reach for a ton of single eye shadows, but since building a Z-Palette of these, I reach for them every time I do my makeup. These are amazing quality. I bought most of these at IMATS, which definitely makes them much more affordable. I love all of these but I have a few that I basically can’t live without. These are go to crease colours for me, since they really bring out my eye colour.

M846

M928

M822

Josie Maran Coconut Water Eye Shadow- Playa Del Pink

This is by far my favourite ‘lid colour’ shade of 2015. This is so beautiful, I can hardly stand it. Everyone should own this. This is my go to for neutral looks, where I want to look natural, but not boring. I wore this for my graduation photos and I’m happy with how my makeup looked in the proofs. This has a doe foot applicator, but I like to swipe it onto a synthetic brush, so I don’t get too much product since it’s a liquid.

Pigments

I know a lot of people don’t like pigments, but I love them. To me, the little extra effort of spritzing my brush with Fix+ to help the pigment is worth the intense colour payoff I get. I have 3 that really stood out to me in 2015.

(Left to right)

Makeup Geek Duochrome Pigment- Chameleon

Makeup Geek launched their duochrome line in 2015 and although I wasn’t wowed by the pressed shadows, I was very impressed by the loose pigments. Chameleon is a really unique mermaid type shade that is like nothing else I own. This shade really helped me embrace colour, which is something I am always trying to push myself to do. I honestly think that if applied properly, you can basically wear any colour and it will look good.

MAC Tan Pigment

This is a classic. It looks beautiful on everyone and compliments all eye colours. This isn’t available in MAC’s To-Go sizes, but it’s worth it to buy the full size for yourself or to split with someone. It is so beautiful and I reach for it probably the most out of all my pigments.

Makeup Geek Duochrome Pigment- Prism

My last favourite pigment and my second from MUG is Prism. This shade looks super basic in the jar, but when you sweep it on reflects light gold with pink. It’s the perfect lid colour to boost a neutral look.  I have a review of the complete collection, if you’re curious.

Eye Liner

I discovered a new favourite eye liner in 2015 and I only have that one to share because I actually don’t need any others.

Inglot #77 Gel Eye Liner

I picked this up at IMATS and I haven’t used another liner since. This has the perfect balance of creaminess but it’s not too creamy so it stays put better than any other. It also doesn’t budge off my inner corner, which is beyond impressive to me. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for an awesome gel eye liner.

Eyebrows

I decided to include brow products along with the other eye products because this seems to be the best place for it.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Dip Brow Pomade

I still haven’t found anything to top this. I also found my perfect shade combination in 2015. I was using Soft Brown, but I found that my arch was disappearing in photos, so I decided to try another shade for the tail of brows to help define them. I now use both Soft Brown and Medium Brown to define my brows and I love it.

Okay that wraps up my best eye products now onto lip products.

Lip Treatments

Preparation is essential to any lip look, especially matte lips which I have been obsessed with.

Kaplan MD Perfect Pout Lip Mask and Balm

I picked this up on a whim one day at Sephora since my lips were feeling pretty dry. The mask is supposed to plump your lips up and exfoliate them. I didn’t notice a massive difference in terms of plumping, but it does make my lips really smooth. It’s not gritty so it’s perfect when you just need extra hydratation and soft exfoliation. The lip balm is insanely hydrating and it perfect to pop in your purse and use to keep your lips super hydrated.

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lip Scrub

When I need intense exfoliation (usually for matte lip looks), I have been reaching for this ridiculously often, as it makes me lips baby smooth. Plus it tastes and smells like strawberries. If you wear a ton of matte lips, this is a must have.

Lipsticks

I have a few of lipsticks I fell in love with in 2015, both regular formula and liquid formula

Liquid Lipsticks

2015 was the year of the liquid lipsticks and I definitely jumped on that train. I am planning a second liquid lipstick showdown shortly with all new brands facing off, so stay tuned for that. For now, here are some shades I was obsessed with in 2015.

Stila Stay-All-Day Liquid Lipstick- Patina

This became one of my go-to neutral lip colours in 2015. It’s neutral enough to go with a lot of looks, but it still stands out against my fair skin. If I wanted something not too dark, something neutral but not nude, I would reach for this.

Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick- Dominatrix

This is definitely a statement lip. I fell in love with brown lips in 2015 and this is my favourite dark brown lip. This is super intense against my fair skin, but I love it and I feel good when I wear it, which is the point of makeup to me.

Lipsticks

I did also have a few regular lipsticks that I couldn’t live without in 2015, both from MAC and both matte.

MAC Runway Hit

In the summer, I basically wore this out. I am always on the hunt for soft coral lipsticks that aren’t too pastel looking. This was absolutely perfect and it was my shade of the summer.

MAC Velvet Teddy

This has become by all-time favourite nude lipstick. Like I said earlier, I love brown lips and this the perfect way for me to wear brown, but not nearly as intense as Dominatrix. I know why everyone loves this so much. It is the perfect nude to me as it doesn’t wash me out at all.

Lip Gloss

Like I said, I reached for matte lips a lot in 2015, so I only have 1 gloss that was my go-to. There are some situations where matte lips just don’t look as good, such as photos, so a neutral gloss is a must.

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss- Beige

This gloss is the perfect neutral pink and even though I reach for matte lips a lot of the time, when I put this on I wonder why I don’t reach for it even more. It makes my lips look super hydrated and soft, which is a look I like when I’m wearing soft makeup looks. Sometimes I find with light makeup, matte lips can look kind of harsh.

Lip Liners

Lip liners are basically my makeup lifeline. I hate putting on lipstick without one, I feel like I can really correct my lip shape with a lip liner. I have 2 that I used over and over in 2015.

MAC Lip Pencil- Edge to Edge

It amazes me how many lipsticks I can wear this with. This is a dusty pink shade and it goes with so many lip looks. It’s pink, but somehow neutral so it goes with nudes as well. Definitely a must purchase.

MAC Lip Pencil- Soar

This pencil is ridiculously popular and for good reason. This pencil is great for mauvey lip looks, like Patina that I mentioned earlier. These kind of shades were super popular in 2015 and because of that I got a ton of use out of this.

So there you have it! I still have the best skincare, hair care and tools to share with you, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, leave your best eye and lip products in the comments below!

Bye for now!

Chelsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best in Beauty 2015: Face Products

Hi Everyone!

I cannot believe that there are only 9 days left in 2015…insanity! Since it’s that time, it is time to wrap up the year with 2015’s best products. I have decided to split up the post this year into 3 so that it’s not so long. This first post is going to be dedicated to face products, next will be eye and lip products and lastly to finish it up I will do skincare, hair care and tools. So let’s get to the products!

FOUNDATIONS

Foundations were an easy, easy pick for me this year. I had a couple that I just could not put down.

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation Stick- R230

This foundation blew me away this year. I had never tried a stick foundation prior to picking up this one and I never had high expectations for one reason or another. This one is absolutely fantastic. It’s definitely full coverage, but doesn’t turn cakey. I’ve heard people say this has a natural finish, but it’s definitely dewy. I love the way this makes my skin look and it is one of my favourite foundations I have ever tried. I like this way, way more than the liquid version of this foundation.

Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation- 4.75

My second favourite foundation of 2015 was definitely the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. I got this as a birthday gift and I have been obsessed with it ever since. This foundation looks nice with a light layer, but also builds up beautifully. It is definitely glowy, which I love.

CONCEALER

Concealer was also an easy pick, as I had some clear favourites.

Bobbi Brown Corrector- Bisque

Since I’m a student, dark circles are a constant in my life. This product has become my savior. Honestly if you have darkness you want to cover, this is a necessity because it cancels out the darkness and let’s the concealer just brighten everything nicely.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer- Fair Neutral

This favourite should be no surprise to anyone. This concealer is a pale girl’s dream, which is one of the reasons it’s a favourite of mine. It is so hard for me to find a concealer that is light enough to highlight on my skin tone, but this does the job and does it well. Not only is this nice and brightening but the formula is full coverage and doesn’t cake up.

Besame Brightening Vanilla Powder

To set the concealer combination I mentioned, I cannot live without this stuff. I knew I liked this stuff and then I didn’t have it and then I knew I loved it. This does a great job at setting my concealer so that it doesn’t crease, but it also helps everything blend nicely and look seamless.

BLUSH

This category is so hard for me to choose. I love blush and I mix it up pretty often. I will say that a lot of the blushes I loved this year are pretty neutral.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush- Celebrated

This was an easy pick in a hard category. I got this fairly early in 2015 and I have consistently reached for it when I want a neutral cheek. This blush is fantastic with bold eye or lip looks since it adds colour to the skin but doesn’t compete. I found this blush to have a softer formula than the other Amazonian Clay Blush I own from Tarte as well so that’s a bonus.

Too Faced Love Flush Blush- Baby Love

Staying on the neutral train I also developed a love affair for this blush formula this year. These blushes are pigmented and soft with a nice range of colours to choose from. I do own all of these shades, but Baby Love is definitely one of the standout shades for me. It’s a very subtle nude pink that has some soft shimmer that doesn’t really translate onto the skin. It the perfect blush when you just need a little colour,  but something on the natural side.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush- Luminous Flush

This blush is the -perfect pink blush. It’s not too bright, not too warm, not too cool and it’s nice and glowy. It’s just the perfect blush to give a natural flush to the cheeks and it’s neutral enough to go with almost anything. I wore this for my graduation photos because I wanted something that would stand out for photos but that wouldn’t be too much.

BRONZER + CONTOUR

I’ll admit that I wasn’t super into bronzer this year. For the most part I am proud of my fair skin, so I generally just use bronzer to bring some dimension into my face that foundation sometimes takes away.

Soleil Tan de Chanel

The one bronzer I was obsessed with was definitely a splurge, but one I’m glad I made. This quickly became a summer staple for me. It’s definitely on the warm side, but all buffed out it just gives a really healthy look to the skin.

NYX HD Blush- Taupe

I had heard so much hype about this as a contour product that I decided to get it when I visited the US in August, as NYX is hard to come by where I live. I’m so glad I picked this up because it’s the perfect contour shade for my skin tone. It’s definitely on the grey side, but not so grey that it looks unnatural. This is the best product I’ve found for a naturally strong contour. Mine looks super beat up because this is a very soft powder and it breaks super easily. I quickly put it back together with some alcohol, so it’s less messy but it’s definitely ugly.

HIGHLIGHT

This was probably the easiest category for me to pick by far for face products and I’m sure many of you can guess without scrolling down to see.

Becca Champagne Pop

I can honestly assure you that this is not over-hyped. I don’t love this because it has Jaclyn Hill’s name on it, I love it because it is the most gorgeous highlighter. My only complaint was that this doesn’t last that long, but if I wear a primer, it lasts much better. I love this alone or mixed with Becca Pearl, a combination that is a recent obsession of mine. I own this in palette form and in pan and I am still worried about running out. I honestly haven’t touched another highlight in a long time. This just gives the best glow I have ever found.

MISCELLANEOUS

I do have one item for face products that doesn’t really fit into the other categories I already mentioned, but I have to mention it anyway.

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist

I couldn’t talk about the best face products of 2015 without mentioning this spray. At first I just thought this was okay, but the more I use it, the more I love it. This really blends everything together and makes my skin look super glowy. I love aiming this right down the centre of my face because then it really picks up the highlight on my nose, which I like. If you like super glowy skin this is definitely worth the splurge.

There you have it! What face products did you love this year? Let me know in the comments!

Bye for now!

Chelsey

 

 

Fancy Vs. Frugal: Stick Foundation

Hi Everyone!

I’m starting a new series today called Fancy Vs. Frugal. In this series I will compare a high end version of a product with a cheaper option to see if you need to go fancy or if frugal will do the job. Today I decided to compare the fancy Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation Stick with the frugal Maybelline Fit Me Shine Free Foundation Stick. Until recently I had never tried a stick foundation, but after purchasing the MUFE stick, I became obsessed. Stick foundations are mess-free, quick and easy, which is perfect when I don’t have a ton of time.

The Price Comparison

There is a huge price gap between these two products, which makes this especially interesting. The MUFE retails for $50 CAD and you get 12.5g of product. I bought mine at IMATS for $30 though. The Maybelline stick was around $10 for 9g of product. Definitely a big difference in price.

Maybelline Fit Me Stick Claims

This foundation claims to set down to a ‘lightweight powder finish’ and promises flawless, shine-free skin.

MUFE Ultra HD Stick Claims

This claims to create a flawless complexion with an invisible look on the skin. This also claims to be 4k compatible, which I’m not going to be testing since most technology hasn’t caught up to that and even with a brand new camera, I haven’t either.

Finish and Feel

The Fit Me foundation feels like absolutely nothing on the skin. When I was swiping it on, it felt like my skin with no makeup on even with 2 layers, which is perfect for all day wear. With that being said, it’s definitely not full coverage. I have a mark on my cheek currently and even with 2 coats, it needed more coverage to be covered. It is advertised as shine free matte and although it’s not dewy, it’s not flat either. So still suitable for drier skin types as well as oily.

The MUFE is definitely a slightly heavier feeling foundation than the Maybelline, but it also has more coverage. I am comfortable with 1 layer of the MUFE and I always feel like that’s enough. I definitely wanted 2 layers at least of the Maybelline. The finish of this is different than the Maybelline, since it sets to be a dewier finish on me. Both finishes are good, and it’s really about preference.

I like these foundations for different things. For natural makeup days I will definitely reach for the Maybelline since it feels completely weightless, but for more glam looks I’d stick with the MUFE since it has more coverage.

I apologize that the photos were taken with different lighting; natural light wasn’t on my side today when I took the first photo, so I used my soft box lights.

Shades

The Maybelline foundation comes in 11 shades, which is good for drugstore but not fantastic considering all the skin tones in the world. There are lots of medium and light shades, but it seems to be lacking in dark shades. I wear 110 Porcelain in this foundation.

The MUFE has 15 shades, which is slightly better, but only marginally considering the price difference. They definitely cater to a wider variety with their range though. I wear R230.

Wear

Generally speaking I don’t have issues with foundations lasting on me so both lasted equally well.

The Verdict

In all, I’m extremely impressed with both of these. The Maybelline really held it’s own for being less than $10 and it definitely wins for price. I love the feel of the Maybelline as well, but I prefer the finish and the coverage of the MUFE. In all, I honestly think both of these are excellent. I would say if you have skin issues that you really want to cover, spend the money for the MUFE, since it has better coverage and you need less. If you have pretty normal skin, you could definitely go for the Maybelline. Other than coverage the main difference is the finish, like I said the MUFE is definitely dewier. In all, the frugal definitely held it’s own, but the fancy is great too!

Verdict: Tie, but not because they’re dupes.

There you have it! What other products would you like to see in this series? Let me know in the comments!

 

Bye for now!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara Review

Hi Everyone!

I’m back today with a new mascara review for you! I realized I hadn’t done one of these in a while and it’s been even longer with a drug store product. I’ll be honest that I don’t check out what’s new at the drug store too often, mainly because the stores around me never have stock of anything. I happened to be in Walmart the other day picking up some groceries so I stopped by to take a look and ended up picking up a couple of things to review. This mascara was of course 1 of those things. I haven’t heard a ton about this, but I wanted to give it a go and see what I thought of it. I honestly don’t have a holy grail mascara. I don’t like to consistently buy high end ones, although I do occasionally treat myself to one. So mainly I stick to drug store brands, but I don’t have ‘the one’ I love as of yet. So this was part of my continuous search for a mascara that will blow me away.

Deets

This was around $10 which is pretty much the cap of what I’ll pay for a drug store mascara. I got it in the Blackest Black and the non-waterproof formula. I’m not sure if they have a waterproof one, but I hate waterproof mascara so I wasn’t buying it anyway.

The wand is pretty basic on this, even plastic bristles all the way around, with a rounded end with no bristles on it. They definitely weren’t going for one of those crazy, ridiculous wands for this one. I’m okay with that because I never seem to like those anyway. The wand is pretty bendy, which can be okay for getting all of your lashes, but sometimes it’s hard to build up your lashes since there’s no resistance.

The Claims (From Maybelline’s website)

This mascara claims to ‘scoop and lift’ your lashes while delivering ‘instant volume’ and ‘holding lift in place’.

Review

This mascara has a medium wet formula. It’s definitely not a dry formula, but it’s not like super wet either. Maybelline described this a cream formula and I think that’s a perfect description for it. It definitely will get onto your skin when you look up to do your bottom lashes or look down to do the top, if that makes sense, but it does flake off easily once it dries.

I curled my lashes first to see if it would hold the life in place like it claimed and then applied the first coat.

It looked pretty good after one coat, but definitely did not hold the lift in place like they suggested it would. I think the formula is one the heavier side, so it did add volume but weighed my lashes down which undid the curl. This isn’t a huge deal breaker for me, but I do like nicely curled lashes.

Now onto the second coat.

The second coat definitely added more volume at the root of my lashes and wasn’t what I would consider  overly clumpy. The second coat did weigh my lashes down even more and that’s a bit disappointing. You can see where it got onto my skin a bit around the lower lashline, which did flake off fairly easily like I mentioned. In didn’t give me a ton of length even with 2 coats but I did get lots of volume, which I like. In order to get length, this might be a good mascara to mix with a mascara that is more lengthening. As a side note this also didn’t make my lashes crunchy which is a bonus for me.

Does it do what it claims?

The main claim of this is that it would scoop your lashes and hold lift, which is definitely doesn’t do. It did also claim it would give instant volume and it definitely did that. It’s important to look at the claims so that companies are held accountable for their products, but ultimately if I like the mascara, the claims aren’t the most important thing.

Daily Wear

I have worn this all day and I didn’t find that it smudged or flaked on me. I generally don’t have issues with smudging or transferring, so I’m not too surprised by that. The only time I found it flaked a little was if I rubbed at my eyes, but it was minimal even then. It definitely did well in terms of daily wear.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I think this mascara is pretty good. If it held a curl better, I would definitely like this even more. I still don’t think it’s holy grail, but it’s pretty good. If you like a mascara for purely volume then definitely give this a go.

There you have it! Have you tried this mascara? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Or if you have any suggestions to help me find my holy grail mascara, let me know; I love getting suggestions from you guys.

 

Bye for now!

Chelsey