Announcement!

Sephora Pantone Universe products are now on clearance online!

New to: Benefit

      Image from sephora.com

Benefit has just released sheer lip tints that correspond to their best selling cheek stains. There is a red shade that corresponds to benetint, an orange that corresponds to chacha tint, a pink which corresponds to lollitint and a purple which corresponds to posietint. Each retails for $18.00 at Sephora. 

Top 4: Dior products

1) Creme de Rose lipbalm: A moisturizing lip balm that helps smooth the lips, adds a natural glow and can be used as a lip mask if left on overnight.

2) Dior Lip glow: This is by far one of my holy grail, favourite lip products. It is moisturizing and plumping as well as enhancing the natural tint of the lips. It goes with every makeup look, adding the perfect finesse.

3) Rosy Tan quint: This is one of my most used palettes of all time. It is the perfect neutral palette, making it very versatile. It's the perfect size for travel and so easy to use to create the perfect neutral or brown smokey eye.

4) Nude BB cream: This is truely a great base, not to heavy yet gives great coverage. It feels great on the skin, giving the illusion of a no-foundation, foundation. It conveniently comes with a pump which makes application easy and makes it a perfect base to travel with.

Are there any Dior products that you love that you think I should try?

MAC Announcement

The MAC Maleficent collection is now available for order online!

Sephora Announcement

Edward Bess products are on clearance at Sephora, get stuff while you can as quantities are limited!

Happy shopping! 

Current skin care wishlist

      Images from sephora.com 

1) Origins Vitazing: A cream that will help to counteract my dull skin because it's infused with opalescence. It is also infused with SPF which makes it double as both a moisturizer and sunscreen.   

2) Bite Agave lip mask: I suffer from dry, cracking lips, so the hype around this product really appealed to me. It can be used as both a lip mask to smooth lips or as a lip balm to moisturize the lips. I feel like this product will be the perfect marriage between the Lush lip scrubs and my Dior Creme de rose lipbalm.  

3) Ole Henrikson brightening wipes: When I am in hurry and just want to remove my makeup and go to bed, I love using makeup wipes and then doing a deeper cleanse in the morning. Not only will these wipes remove makeup, but they also work to brighten the skin, wiping away impurities--it seems like a great product that doubles skincare duty by removing makeup and preventing dull skin.  

MAC X Marge

        Image from MAC

MAC has announced that for their upcoming fall collection that they will be creating a Simpsons collection. Shall be be expecting yellows and blues? 

What do you think the collection will look like? 

Announcement from Urban Decay

       Image from Urban

Urban Decay has recently posted this tease picture of an upcoming product release! What do you think it could be? Perhaps a palette of waterproof shadows? Perhaps a palette of spring colours? 

Top 4: Drugstore products

In my first instalment of this blog series, I am going to talk about my top 4 drugstore products: 

1) Maybelline colour tattoos (Nude Compliment shown): These are by far the best cream product that are available at the drugstore. They are comparable, even better, than higher end cream shadows and they come in a variety of colours.

2) Revlon colour stay top coat: By far the best top coat I have tried, ever. This product has the drying speed of Seche Vite yet a better consistency.

3) Rimmel wake me up concealer: This concealer is comparable to the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer. It is light, offers good coverage and adds a beautiful radiance to the skin.

4) Revlon lip butters (shade Tutti Frutti shown): This product is by far my favourite drugstore lip product. They are creamy, pigmented, moisturizing and come in a variety of colours. They are perfect for applying colour on the go and are an affordable alternative to the Clinique Chubby Sticks.

Next up... my top 4 Dior products! 

Triple times the points at Sephora

From now until Sunday May 11th, Sephora will be holding a triple times (3X) the points event upon the purchase of a fragrance both online and in-store. This event is a great way to earn points fast and claim amazing point perks--all you have to do is simply add a fragrance to your cart and you will receive triple the points of the value of the fragrance, wether it be a new scent or simply a repurchase. I have had my eye on the Marc Jacobs Honey fragrance for a while now and now would be the prime time to buy it! It's also a great way to help fulfil your Mother's Day shopping!  

April favourites

April was a pretty hectic month for me, but that didn't stop me from finding beauty favourites! First we have the Marc Jacobs perfume in Daisy. It's such a fresh and summery smell, it being a light and flirty floral scent. It also seems to be the fragrance that never dies! I have had it for almost a year now and I am only about halfway done--so it's a great value for money! Next up we have the Bourjois Poudre Bronzante. It's the perfect shade of brown, not being too orange or too red. Not to mention, it has the orgasmic aroma of chocolate! It has a beautiful, buttery consistency and has been my bronzer of choice over my Nars Laguna bronzer this month. Then, we have the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (I have the shade Custard). This concealer has converted me to a concealer lover: it has a light consistency yet good coverage and adds a radiant glow to the skin. I have been loving this for covering up the dark circles under my eyes from my lack of sleep during my examination period. My fourth favourite has been my MAC lipstick in Viva Glam V, which is a mauve luster. This lipstick is the perfect my lips but better colour for my olive complexion and pigmented lips. It's nourishing and moisturizing on the lips and adds a beautiful  sheen to help balance out an otherwise smokey eye or strong cheek. Finally, we have the L'Oreal Sublime Radiance Sensational Cleasning Oil,  a new edition to the drugstore. This product is both great at removing makeup and adding moisture to your skin. It comes with a pump which is great for travel and it doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy or unclean. It's a great alternative to Bioderma because it has added skincare benefits.         

Those were my favourites this month, what were yours?

Shopping smart at Sephora #3: Taking advantage of the points system

      Images from sephora.com 

Sephora is an expensive place to shop; however, the more money you spend the more points you get and with these points you can get some pretty amazing deals. Sephora has 100 point perks, 250 point perks and 500 point perks. With 100 point perks you tend to get deluxe samples of best selling products, like the products listed above. For 250 points you tend to get more unique samples, like perfumes, or specialty products like phone cases. But the best is for last! For 500 points you can get huge value sets that come with a variety of products, like the Laura Mercier sampler set that came with a variety of their best selling products such as their primer and radiance powder. 

With all of the money you end up spending at Sephora it's good to know that you can get something back. You need to take advantage of the perks of Sephora points to help accommodate the hefty weight on your wallet. By saving up your points you can save up for the specialty perks that arrive around the holidays and the commencement of new seasons! 

So what's another way to shop smart at Sephora? The answer is to take advantage of points and point perks! 

Mac Alluring Aquatic Collection

Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming MAC Alluring Aquatic collection! 

        All images from google

New to Sephora: Dior brushes

            Images from Sephora.com

Dior is by far my favourite high-end brands that's available at Sephora. Recently, they launched a line of professional brushes at Sephora that was previously just available at specific Dior counters:

1. Eyeliner brush ($28.00)
2. Smudging brush ($38.00)
3. Medium eyeshadow brush ($32.00)
4. Blush brush ($49.00)  

Current Sephora wishlist

           Images from Sephora.com

Of course I can't peruse the Sephora website without finding more things that I want! These are the three items that I currently have in my basket:

1. Bobbi Brown Skin foundation stick ($53.00): I love the ease of using my Maybelline fit-me foundation stick so I really want to give this one a go!
2. Laura Mercier Caviar stick in Cocoa ($26.00): Lately I have been loving the ease of cream shadow sticks but the Clinique chubby sticks aren't small enough to smudge under the eye; so, I really want to try out the Laura Mercier offering because it's skinny enough to fit under the eye as well as all over the lid.
3. Stila Stay all day waterproof liquid eyeliner ($20.00): Lately I have been wanting to give winged-liner a try because it looks so good from all the tutorials that I've seen on Youtube. Reviews for this product have been great and when I tried it out in the store it seemed easy to use.

Marc Jacobs summer collection 2014

            Images from Sephora.com

The Marc Jacobs summer collection 2014 is available now at Sephora! 

 

• Enamored Hi-shine Nail Lacquers ($19.00ea):

1. 156 New Wave, a deep navy
2. 154 Jungle, a mid-deep forest green
3. 152 Tree Bark, a deep brown

 

• Style Eye-Con No.7 in 210 The Siren ($60.00), a palette filled with colourful shadows perfect for summer

 

 

 

New to: Hourglass

         Image from Hourglass

New lip colours have been added to the Hourglass line! They are available now at Sephora! 

New to Sephora: Brushes

         Images from Sephora.com

Sephora has recently launched three new brushes to their beauty line!

1. Pro full coverage airbrush #53 ($38.00): This brush will be great for all over powder and contouring! 
2. Classic multitasker bush brush #54 ($28.00): This brush is ideal for a variety of tasks--targeted highlighting, contouring and blush. 
3. Classic multitasked concealer brush #21 ($20.00): The taper of this brush makes it ideal for targeted concealing around the eyes and nose. 

Shopping smart at Sephora #2: Swatch before you splurge

It is so easy to commit to buying makeup products in the moment, or online, before actually getting your hands on it. But I am telling you: do not give into the temptation to splurge before you swatch! Online swatches and pictures of products do not do the actual colour or effect of the product justice; nor, does the quality of online resources factor how a certain product will look on your particular skintone. It is so easy for us beauty hoarders to buy a product because it looks great on someone on Youtube, only to discover that it looks ridiculous on you. It is ALWAYS best to get your hands on the product before you commit to purchasing it--whether it be swatching similar colours if the product is not readily available.

Now for a personal anecdote to prove just how true this tell tale is: I wanted the Clinique cheek pop in peach pop and the Too Faced Natural eye neutral eye collection and was willing to purchase them online as there is no Sephora in my city. Upon reaching home I went to my local Sephora to swatch the products and to my surprise they were not what I wanted at all. Both products clashed with my olive complexion--in my opinion--and the colours weren't exactly what I was expecting from the swatches that I saw online. Needless to say that I did not purchase them and I am very happy that I didn't because it would have been a waste of money.

Sephora is an expensive place to shop, but it's a very tempting place! It is easy to click to purchase for immediate gratification without greatly considering if the product is right for you. So...my advice is to SWATCH BEFORE YOU SPLURGE: try and get your hands on the actual product or something close to it so you can see how the colour interacts with your colouring and preferences.

My picks for the starter kit

              Images from Sephora.com

 Sephora is a mecca for makeup starter kits. There are a variety of trial sets from various brands that allow you to try out a range of products before committing to buy full size products. Here are the sets that I think are a great value and contain a great variety of best-selling products form each brand:

1. Josie Maran Spread the Argan love set ($48.00): Josie Maran is an expensive skin care/ makeup line--but her products are renowned. This kit contains her most raved about products, including her whipped body cream, Argan oil and cream blush.
2. L'Occitane L'amour almonde travel set ($40.00): L'Occitane is most renowned for their almond line and this kit not only has their bestselling products from the line--their shave oil and hand cream--but it also comes with a great carry case.
3. Too Faced Beauty blogger darlings ($20.00): This set is a great value for money. It comes with a sample of the brand's best products: their bronzer, face and eye primer and mascara. That is to say, you get a variety of products that can do your whole face.     
4. Smashbox Try it kit ($20.00): This kit, too, is a great value for money. It, too, has a variety of products that can be used all over the face: a face primer, an eye primer, eyeliner, a mascara and a lipgloss. 

What set is my pick? The Smashbox Try it kit--it is a great price considering all the products you get to try. 

New to: The Pantone colour of the year collection

                 Images from Sephora.com

• Bite beauty luminous creme lipstick in Lavender ($24.00)
• Julep colour treat nailpolish in Kessie ($14.00) 

The new thing: L'oreal Le Pastille nailpolish

I have absolutely fallen head over heels for the L'oreal limited edition nail polish Le Pastille from the Les Blancs collection--available now at the drugstore for $9.00. This polish is reminiscent of the ever famous Illamasqua speckled nail polish--it has a base that is accentuated with a coloured speckle. The polish gives such a beautiful and unique effect and texture to the nails. It literally does look like Cadbruy mini-eggs. The colour of this polish is very flattering and unbarring--the base is a neutral cream and the speckles are a blue that meshes nicely with its cream base. The polish itself dries quickly and builds up colour intensity within a few coats. It also comes in a pink base with purple speckle!

Have you tried out this polish? 

Beauty beyond my reach

            Images from google

If you are like me, a copious watcher of UK beauty gurus on Youtube, then you come across many beauty products that you hear about, lust about and want but you can't buy in your country. Here are a few of those products on my list--a list of products that I constantly lust over and will keep on my list for when I finally get my way over to England!

• Barry M gelly nailpolishes: As a nailpolish addict I have been dying to try this formula. I love the colour selection and it is widely regarded by the beauty gurus across the pond--unfortunately, the shipping cost for this product to Canada outweighs the its price value.
• Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita eyeshadow palette: I have been lusting over this product since the first time that I have seen it. This is the perfect eyeshadow for me: neutral, sultry, bronze-y. However, the price for shipping from Selfridges is way too expensive to justify. Sadly, I'll just have to make this dream a reality when I eventually reach England. 
• Soap and glory Lid Stuff eyeshadow palette: This is the embodiment of a perfectly composed MAC eyeshadow quad--it has everything that a neutral eyeshadow palette lover would need! This palette constantly pulls at my heart strings, making me really saddened that Soap and glory cosmetics aren't available in Canada.  

Shopping smart at Sephora #1: Shopping the sales

                Images from Sephora.com

Very rarely in Sephora hauls do I hear people talk about products that they didn't purchase for regular price. Sephora is an expensive place, so I thought that finding any way to save money is better than saving no money at all. Sephora has a constant sale tab on their website that is regularly updated with new products. These are products that are limited edition, over stock, products that are being phased out and products that are on clearance to be cleared: this means that products are drastically discounted from their regular products. With Sephora you're almost always guaranteed quality, so shopping the clearance will give you a quality product often at drugstore prices. I have picked out a few items from the sale section that are available now and that are great for spring:

1. Sephora eyeshadow palette in Miami Vibes (from $24.00 to $11.00): A great spring palette because it has blues for a pop of colour.
2. Sephora hair chalk in Lilac (from $12.00 to $7.00): A great way to add a pop of colour to your hair that's easy to get out and inexpensive; plus, ombre hair is on trend! 
3. Sephora eyeliner set (from $32.00 to $19.00): Eyeliner is a great way to accentuate the eyes on those hot days when you don't want to wear a lot of makeup. This set is a great value for   money--especially for the eyeshadow lover! 
4. Nails Inc. Fibre Optic nailpolish in Chelsea Passage (from $11.00 to $7.00): Textured nails have been quite the trend lately and this is a great price for a Nails Inc. polish--especially one that's on trend.  

Exclusive VIB sets

        Images from sephora.com

Part of the benefit of being a Sephora VIB is the access to exclusive promotions. Every now and again Sephora comes out with really great perks for their VIBs and I came across two pretty amazing ones that I wanted to share. 

1) Makeup Forever Beautiful birthday set ($45.00): A starter set exclusive to VIBs that contains their coveted HD powder, makeup remover and eyeliner.

2) Laura Mercier 500 point perk in Flawless radiance: Laura Mercier is quite the luxury brand at Sephora, so getting to try a kit of their best sellers for free is amazing. This kit features their illuminating powder, radiance primer and lipgloss. 

These deals are while quantities last, so get them while you can! 

Lost and found

If you have a lot of beauty products like I do, than it's easy to misplace and forget about products that you have. Recently I have come across a pile of beauty products that  deemed as missing, disregarded in a purse in the corner of my room. They are products that, upon finding, I started to use immediately, realizing how much I actually loved them and how much I was quite lost without them. Maybe there's merit in cleaning out the cruxes of your beauty room and clearing out your purse because you never know what you'll find or what you have been living without, without realizing!

Current nail things

I am a self-diagnosed nail polish addict. I change my nail polish maybe twice a week, which means that I am always in need of nailpolish remover and a top-coat. My two favourites in these two categories at the moment are the Kit cosmetics Nail Polish Remover Dip and the Revlon Colourstay Gel-shine top-coat. The Kit cosmetics nail polish remover is a quick and easy way to remove any polish. It limits the tedious use of various cotton balls and has a nice lemon-y scent. It's also an efficient way to get off glitter nailpolish and comes with a swab to take off toe nailpolish. The Revlon top coat is what I wish that the Seche-vite top coat was. It is fast drying and non-gloopy. It goes on smooth, without clumps. It also leaves the nails chip-resistant which is what one could only hope a good topcaot would do!   

Mac X Lorde collection

                Image from MAC 

The MAC X Lorde collection will be available from June 5th! Look forward to dark, vampy lips! 

Review: Revlon gel envy

Upon my latest stroll to the drugstore I came across a new Revlon polish: the gel envy. They retail for $7.99ea and come in a variety of colours. I chose the colour 630 Long Shot to further indulge my orange obsession. The formula of this polish is beautiful. It it opaque and dries to a nice, thick, consistency on the nails. The polish claims to be enriched with a gel-base coat and I can definitely feel that effect on the nails. Your nails feel firmer, stronger, upon application. The polish gives a similar effect to the nails as when I apply the OPI nail envy as a base coat (notice gel-envy and nail-envy...maybe because they are the same?!).  The colour of this polish itself is really nice. It's a sunset, rustier orange that is more subdued than the typical orange-red. For the price of one regular product you're getting both colour and the added benefit of a gel/ strengthening base coat--which I think makes for a great deal considering the quality of the product! 

Sneak peak: MAC Maleficent collection

                  Images from google 

This summer 2014 MAC will be releasing a limited edition collection to celebrate the release of the new Disney movie Maleficent. Above is a sneak peak at the collection! You are able to sign up on the MAC website to receive a notification when the collection reaches the shelves! I have my eyes set on a lipstick. 

The new thing: clinique neutral territory palette

And here we have yet another neutral palette that I have fallen in love with. I consider this palette to be the older, sophisticated sister of the Urban Decay Basics palette. You have the neutrality of the UD palette but the colours have a lot more depth and there's a greater colour selection. Although the shadows aren't necessarily matte, they have a finish that's very neutral and un-distracting on the eye that gives a similar effect. This palette has a beautiful taupe undertone that progresses from a white to a deep taupe. It has the ever coveted black honey eyeshadow--a beautiful burgundy--and a colour very reminiscent of satin taupe from MAC. The palette is around the same size as the UD basics palette--if not thinner--and has a full length mirror. You also get an applicator that can easily be switched out with another travel sized applicator. This palette is perfect for travel--both because of it's size and it's colour range. You can get yours at Sephora for $39.00. It was limited edition but is still on the site if you wish to get your paws on it--and I strongly suggest you do!   

Just hit the shelves

                  Image from Sephora.com

Attention! The Dior lip fluids have finally reached Sephora! 

Cat themed makeup

                  Images from Ebay 

I am undoubtedly and openly a cat-lover. Whenever I see something cat shaped I automatically have to buy it--whether it be soap, mittens or chocolate. In order to further indulge my love for cats I have decided to dedicate a post entirely to cat-up: that is, cat shaped makeup!

So here we go, in order of appearance!

1. Tonymoly cat mascara ($10.00) on Ebay (seller: hello-girl)
2. Tonymoly cat lipstick ($5.00) on Ebay (seller: sweethomegadget11)
3. Paul&Joe cat blush ($55.00) on Ebay (seller: germ1123) 

Will you be giving these cat-ups a meow? 

Sephora launches: The tangle teaser

                       Image from Sephora.com

In case you haven't heard, Sephora is now a retailer of the Tangle teaser ($20.00)! If you've been wanting to try one but haven't known where to look, you can now buy it through Sephora.com or Sephora in store! 

My favourite places to buy.....

Everyone has a certain place that they like to buy certain things from, like a certain grocery store or a certain clothing store. With makeup it's no different! For certain products I must go to MAC, for others I have to go to Sephora. I definitely have an affinity for going to the Drugstore for certain products too! To find out which places correspond with what products keep reading....

1. For lipstick.....I almost always turn to MAC. MAC is unbeatable in terms of their colour selection and their finishes. The drugstore doesn't have the colour selection that MAC does, nor does Sephora have the affordable price range that MAC offers. Whenever you are looking for a certain colour, or trend, MAC is sure to please without breaking the bank.
2. For eyeshadow.....I turn to Sephora. When it comes to eyeshadow palettes Sephora is the only place I trust to get the job done. The drugstore doesn't have the quality or colour selection of Sephora branded products and MAC is more prone to single eyeshadows than palettes. Not to mention, Sephora carries all the brands that us beauty junkies look out for, for a good neutral palette-cough Urban Decay Naked palette. 
3. For nail polish.....I will usually always go to the drugstore. Unless there is a certain colour that only a higher end brand is selling, all my nail polish needs are satisfied at the drugstore. The drugstore has a wide variety of colour and textures. They are always on trend and release many limited collections with unique colours. For the quality and versatility of their selection, the drugstore is competitive with higher brands. They are the most affordable place to shop! 
4. For foundation.....I find myself at Sephora. I have quite sensitive skin--skin that requires effort to ensure that it remains vibrant and healthy. Drugstore foundations tend to irritate my skin or not give the dewy finish that my dry skin needs. I know that when I go into Sephora I will have a variety of options suited specifically to my skin type and specifically to my skin colour--colour matching is another facet that the drugstore often struggles with. At the moment, I do not know where I would be with my Nars radiant foundation....It has literally changed my life.  

Are they certain places that you have to shop at for certain beauty products? 

Spotted at the drugstore

Upon venturing to the drugstore today I can across a few new Spring displays!

• L'oreal Les Blancs--a collection of pastels 
• Revlon Spiderman collection--a collection of holographics 
• Revlon Gel nailpolishes (expect a review soon) 

If you had your eye out for one of these collections then you can now mosey on your way over to the drugstore and raid the displays! 

Just hit the shelves

                   Image from Sephora.com

After hearing about them in America, the YSL Babydoll Kiss and Blush have finally hit the Canadian shelves. They are available now on Sephora.com  for $45.00ea. The colour shown above is the one that I'm most keen on: Orange Fougueux.

Formula X pods: A nailpolish revolution?

                       Image from Sephora.com

Sephora has recently released a pretty innovative new product. To mirror the success of their Forumla X nailpolish line, they have created a set of nailpolish pods in their bestselling shades. Each pod has enough product for one nail application, allowing you to try each shade once. It's a sample revelation! This is a great idea for a starter set--allowing you to try out the formula of the product with different colours. It retails for $47.00 which I think is a great price for value. Each nailplish by itself retails for $11.00 so you're getting to try 24 nail polishes for the price of 4. 

I think that this product is a revolution for the "starter kit" product. It breathes new air into the idea of trying our smaller, sampler sizes of a product before you purchase its full size equivalent.

What do you think of this product idea? 

New to: Sephora

                Images from Sephora.com

And the new releases keep coming!....

• Bobbi Brown Soho Chic palette ($50.00): a neutral eyeshadow palette centered around taupes 
• Deborah Lippman Happily Ever After nail set ($30.00): a neutral nail polish set centred around the bridal season 
• Shiseido Lacquer Rouge ($25.00): a long wearing liquid lipstick  

The last of the never ending Sephora haul

Here ye, here ye, I present you with last of my Sephora VIB sale haul:

• Nars Pure radiant tinted moisturizer ($48.00): I think that this will be a great base product for my  dry, dull skin and, because of it's SPF, it's a great product for spring.
• Bobbi Brown creamy matte lipstick in Valencia Orange ($28.00): I am loving the orange lip trend for spring and I thought that this was a unique option because it's a creamy, coral orange as opposed to my typical red-orange lip.
• Sephora pro blending brush ($23.00): This is an alternative to the MAC 217 blending brush, a much beloved brush of mine. I wanted to try another eye brush from this line because I love the pro crease brush so much. 

Announcement: Limited gone permanent at MAC

Mac has recently made some of their popular limited edition lipsticks permanent and available at all counters, not just pro-stores! These shades include Sushi Kiss and Flamingo from the All ABout Orange collection and my beloved Patisserie from the Baking Beauties collection. Next time you're near a MAC counter go check out their new shades!

Review: Maybelline pumped up!

I am sad to say that this product was disappointing. I love Maybelline and I had high hopes for this product, but unfortunately, these hopes were not met. The consistency of this product is way too wet, which makes it clump easily on the lashes. A lot of product came out at once which also contributed to clumping. The effect that the mascara gives is not voluminous by any means. It took me three coats to get the effect in the photo and even with that many coats my lashes do not stand out very much. I find that this mascara actually does more lengthening than volumizing, but since the name of the product suggests volume, I was not pleased. My L'oreal Voluminous Million Lashes mascara gives a lot more volume. I will say though that it lasts nicely on the eye throughout the day without fading or causing the dreaded panda eye. However, I do not think that the effect that the mascara gives stands up to my eyeshadow.

Final verdict: if you are looking for a voluminous mascara, sadly this is not it--or at least not to me. However, because the product lasts nicely throughout the day and does lengthen, you may want to purchase it for those reasons. Perhaps this is one of those products--like the Benefit They're Real mascara--that is better once it dries out.

Have you tried this mascara? What do you think?

New to: the Sephora favourites collection

                   Images from sephora.com

Around the holidays, Sephora released a great array of favourites collections from lashes to eyeliner. They have now released new collections for the spring time and I tell you, they are beautiful. 

1) Lash stash: this collection set features 5 best selling mascaras from Too Faced to Bare Minerals.

2) Summerstash: this collection set features best selling products from various brands and various categories that are perfect for spring. It features the Nars Laguna bronzer, an OCC lip tar and an Urban Decay setting spray. This set packs a punch and is a great value.

3) Meet your match: this collection set features a nail polish and matching lip product from various brands that follow the spring colour schemes of orange, nude and pink. 

What's my pick of the sets? Definately the Summerstash--the brands and products that are featured are an amazing value. 

New spring scents

                       Images from Sephora.com 

Spring time scents have flooded Sephora and it seems that this year's scent trend is florals:

1. Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau so Fresh ($89.00 for 2.5oz)
2. Dior Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet ($75.00 for 1.7oz)
3. Viktor and Rolf La Vie en Rose ($95.00 for 1.7oz)

New to: Laura Mercier

                                            Images from Sephora.com

Laura Mericer baked eyeshdow quads in "Summer in Saint Tropez" and "Rendezvous in Monte-Carlo ($50.00ea)"

New to Mac: MAC Playground

                        Images from google 

The new thing: Sephora 58 pro foundation brush

I purchased this brush on a whim during the Sephora VIB sale because I love my Sigma tapered kabuki brush and I wanted to try another tapered face brush for my foundation. I am happy to say that this purchase has been one of my wisest. This brush is soft, it feels comfortable in the hand and blends my foundation beautifully into the skin. Because it's tapered, the brush fits perfectly into the contours of the nose and bends concealer nicely underneath the eyes. This brush is the perfect consistency. It is dense enough to buff foundation flawlessly into the face, yet fluffy enough to blend concealer under the eye without tugging or irritation. 

Sephora spring collection: Escape to Rio

                              Images from Sephora.com

Spring cheek picks

Spring cheeks mean three things to me: a sheer flush, a pop of colour and a radiant highlight.

1. A sheer flush, a great compliment to a playful eye or bright lip and a great way to liven up the face without clashing with your other bold face makeup: Benefit Rockateur 
2. A pop of colour, a great compliment to a neutral eye or neutral lip: Revlon cream blush in Coral reef
3. A radiant highlight, to mimic the radiance of summer and have a glow when the sun of spring time hits your cheeks: The Balm Mary-Lou luminizer. 

New Revlon release

                       Image from Revlon 

My favourite is Carnival Spirit!

Announcement: Illamasqua leaving Sephora?

Sadly, just as Lorac is no longer being sold at Sephora, it may appear that more brands are soon to follow. It seems from noise circulating on beatychat channels and talking to reps that Illamasqua will soon be departing. When brands are set to leave their products tend to be put on discount to clear, so if you want to get ahold of certain products before they're gone keep checking the site to see if/when the products are on clearance and stock up. I have my eyes on the Illamasqua Reflection palette. 

Spring lip picks

Spring lips mean three things to me: a nude/ sheer wash of colour, an orange and a bright red.

1. A nude/ sheer wash of colour, great for when you're wearing a bolder eye or cheek: YSL rouge volupté shine in 09 nude in private
2. An orange, one of the huge spring lip trends: MAC so chaud 
3. A bright red, a great pop of colour for those days when you're wearing a neutral eye or neutral cheek: E.L.F matte lip pencil in rich red 

My favourite MAC products

1. Cranberry eyeshadow: a beautiful pop of colour that compliments brown eyes. It looks nice blended all over the lid or with a matte brown blended into the crease.
2. Margin blush: this blush is dual purposed, acting as both a blush and highlighter. It adds a beautiful copper flush to the cheeks as well as a nice sheen because of the shimmer particles throughout it. It suits all skin tones, so it's a really versatile colour.  
3. 224 Blending brush: this brush is a miracle worker. I use it for blending, crease work, setting concealer and highlighting under the brow bone. Because it is both tapered and fluffy, it's so versatile. If you buy one brush from MAC, I would highly recommend that this is the one. It's hard to come by fluffy blending brushes and this is a goodie.  
4. Brick-o-la lipstick: this lipstick would suit every skin tone. It's a beautiful red with brown undertones. It's a neutral, wearable, everyday colour that makes your makeup look so put together and sophisticated.  

Announcement

For all of my beauties out there who still couldn't get their hands on the Ambient Lighting Palette from Hourglass, fret no more. Hourglass has just confirmed that the palette will become a permanent fixture on their line, so soon enough, eventually, you will get yours! See how powerful the consumer can be!

Products I regret NOT buying: Holiday 2013

                        Images from Google 

Every now and again we miss out on certain beauty products. Sometimes these are products that we can live without and soon forget, though other times, they are products that keep eating on your mind. This past holiday season I missed out on buying a few holiday releases and I still can't get them off my mind. It's a good idea to reminisce about certain products that you missed out on because more often than not brands tend to re-release and re-promote popular products and products that they released for limited collections. SO, I am sharing with you some of the products that I regret not buying over the holidays with hopes that it will inspire you not to dread loosing out on a product. Now next year, we can be more prompt and have our eyes peeled!

1. Tarte blush palette: Tarte blushes are a product that I've always wanted to try but never got around to it. This set was a great deal, allowing you to try a bunch of blushes at a discounted price. Tarte re-releases this product every Holiday so I will definitely not miss out on this palette again next year! 
2. Dior vernis in Marilyn: Dior always has the most beautiful Holiday collections and this nail polish is no different. It comes in beautiful limited edition packaging and in a very unique colour. I picked up one of these polishes in the shade Minuit and I absolutely love it, so I deeply regret not picking up this beautiful pink with golden shimmer. Dior, also, tends to re-promote their polishes during the Holidays so I hope I can get my hands on this shade, or one like it, next year.
3. Nars lip set: The nars lip pencils, too, are a product that I've always wanted to try and they, too, are quite the splurge. This set was a great deal for the amount of product that you get and it came with popular, wearable shades. This, too, is also a set that is re-promoted by Nars so I intend to grab it next season.
4. Too Faced A Few of my Favourite Things palette: Upon picking up the Chocolate Bar Palette I have come to the realization that Too Faced shadows are beautiful, buttery and pigmented. This palette combines two powder products of theirs: their shadows and their face products--including bronzer and blush. This palette, similar to the Chocolate Bar Palette, has a great mix of neutral and unique, more colourful, colours. After watching Emily Noel's video on this palette I wanted it even more. I really hope that this palette gets re-released because it's a beaut'.