My NARS Blush collection with swatches

Hi beauty lovers! Hope everyone is having a great week. I'm so looking forward to this weekend and catching up on some much needed rest. :)

I just wanted to share my little NARS blush collection with you, as well as a NARS bronzer and NARS multiple. Basically all my NARS stuff that is used on my cheeks. :)

I am a huge fan of the blushes. I picked up Orgasm several years ago, and I've been hooked ever since. I really find them super pigmented and top quality! I wish I owned every single one, but for now I'm happy with my little collection.

 

Dolce Vita

 

Orgasm

 

Exhibit A

Taos



 

Mata Hari

 

Sin

 

Albatross

 

Nico

 

Nars Multiple in Copacabana

Mini NARS Bronzer in Laguna

Left to right without flash: Dolce Vita, Orgasm, Exhibit A, Taos

Left to right with flash: Dolce Vita, Orgasm, Exhibit A, Taos

Left to right without flash: Mata Hari, Sin, Albatross, Nico. Sorry the last two shades are so hard to see!

Left to right with flash: Mata Hari, Sin, Albatross, Nico

 

Left to right without flash (sorry for the awful pic! Sun was starting to set!) Copacabana, Laguna

 

Left to right with flash: Copacabana, Laguna

 

I love most all of these shades. I'd say I wear Orgasm, Exhibit A and Taos the most. Albatross makes a lovely highlighter and Nico for me is pretty much useless. I've read ladies say it is to be used as a setting powder. I just don't find it a particularly good one. I know that Exhibit A looks very scary in the pan, but I assure you that when it is lightly stippled on it's just beautiful! I've had this for a couple years, and I've used it quite a bit, and there is not a dent in it! I also adore Laguna. It is a true bronze shade that doesn't turn red on me, and it has a lovely shimmer.

Next on my list is Desire, which looks like the perfect pink shade to me. :)

You can find all of these shades at Sephora.

Do you own any NARS blushes? Which are your faves?

Thanks so much for reading! :)

 

Urban Decay Smoked Palette Look with Mac Angel lipstick

Hi beauty lovers! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. :) Anyone else excited for the Oscars tonight? I can't wait...actually, red carpet is on now, so I'm gonna post this and go watch!

 I just wanted to share a look that I wore Saturday night using Urban Decay Smoked Eyeshadow palette. This palette comes with a 27 paged look book, so I went with the first look called "Iconic". If you'd like to see my swatches of this palette, you can find them here.

I love this palette! I personally prefer it to the Naked 2 palette which I also own. I find the shades easier to wear, and for me personally, there was less creping.

 

 

 

 

Sorry about my messy hair!

 

On my face:

Lise Watier Base Miracle

CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation

Guerlain Meteorites Compact in 02 Teint Beige

 

On my eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Urban Decay Smoked Palette

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion

Lancome Cils Booster

and several coats of Benefit Bad Gal Lash

 

On my cheeks:

Nars blush in Dolce Vita

 

On my Lips:

MAC Angel Lipstick

Smashbox Reflection High Shine Lip Gloss in Star



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for reading! :)

 

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Murale Redemption!

Happy Valentine's Day, beauties! I hope everyone is enjoying their day, whether single or not. :)

Today, my little Valentine's treat to myself was a Murale redemption haul! I decided to spend 80,000 points for $200 worth. If you don't know what these points are all about, Murale is owned by Shoppers Drug Mart and uses their wonderful Optimum point program which you can learn more about here.

Also, if you're in Canada and you haven't been yet, I would highly recommend visiting Murale. They carry many high end brands including Chanel, YSL, Guerlain and Bobbi Brown (note that not all brands are available for sale online), and their customer service is UNBELIEVABLE. The lady that helped me today, was genuinely so sweet and helpful, and they gave me a follow up phone call later in the day to see how I was liking my products. :)

Today I redeemed for Shiseido Facial Cotton, Guerlain Ecrin 4 Couleurs in 01 Les Violets, Guerlain Meteorites Compact in 02 Teinte Beige, Nars blush in Dolce Vita and Chanel Glossimer in Jalousie.

Sorry for the blurriness. And just the overall bad pictures. :( It was very overcast today, and I didn't realize how blurry they were until I uploaded them hours later. So here is the Ecrin 4 Couleurs in 01 Les Violets. I think this quad comes in such a beautiful compact! I was worried when I began swatching because the matte colour on the left is quite chalky and not as highly pigmented as I would have imagined. I'll have to see how it applies on my eyes. The other 3 colours are lovely, soft and nicely pigmented.  This retails for $64.00 CAD 

 

 

The Guerlain Meteorites compact is a Pressed Powder with a soft, light texture. It has the same strong scent that the Guerlain Meteorites Balls have, and I found it to be decent on my oily skin. With most pressed powders, I have to touch up every couple of hours, and I find this to be no different. I do like it more than my Diorskin pressed powder because I find it less chalky. I think it gives a nice, natural look.  I do have to say that for the price, I found the compact feels a little cheap. This was $67.00 CAD.

 

 

 

I knew I wanted another Nars blush to add to my collection, but I waited until I could swatch in store before deciding which to pick up. I went with Dolce Vita which is described as a matte, dusty rose. Love it! Nars blushes are really of exceptional quality and I highly urge you to give one a try if you haven't yet. These blushes are $32.00 CAD.

 

 

 

Admittedly, this is my first Chanel Glossimer. I've heard so many wonderful things and had been really wanting to try one. I picked up the shade Jalousie. The saleslady pointed to it and said she thought it would be perfect for me, and I smiled big because it was the colour I found most eyecatching. It is a beautiful bright pink with red undertones. I find it to be quite long lasting, and not overly sticky. Love it! I would definitely purchase more shades. These retail for $31.00 CAD.

 

Here's a little swatch taken on my hand:

The Shiseido Facial Cotton are my favourite cotton pads ever! They never shed, and are very soft. For $9.00 CAD you get 165 pads.

So that ends my redemption fun for the winter, and now it's time to build my points back up for the next one.

Did any of you spoil yourselves in any way this Valentine's Day? :)

 

Mail Haul - Nars, Smashbox, Real Techniques

Hello beauty lovers! :)

I just wanted to share with you a midweek mail haul. The Real Techniques brushes by Samantha Chapman are wonderful for the price! I’m sure most of you know Samantha from her Pixiwoo vids on YouTube. I love all of her and her sister’s videos, and I love the tiny brushes they use on their faces, and how the brushes seem to blend everything so seamlessly. I just had to get my hands on them!  I purchased the Expert Face Brush. I actually received this brush last week, so I’ve been able to use it several times since. It applies my Estee Lauder Double Wear foundation flawlessly! I always have a tough time finding reasonably priced brushes that won’t streak, and this one is perfect.  I love this brush! It is so dense and soft. My only gripe would be the thick handle which makes it impossible to store with my other brushes. I know it was designed this way to stand upright on your vanity, but I prefer to store my brushes away. 

Here’s the write up from their website:

Ultra firm and broad for application and blending of cream or liquid foundation:

Look pixel-perfect even in harsh light

Ultra-plush, synthetic taklon bristles are hand-cut and
100% cruelty-free
Self-standing for easy storage
Extended aluminum handle is light and easy to use

The brush sells on their website for $9, but they only ship to the US. I bought mine on eBay, and it can also be purchased for $8.99 USD on iherb. I’ve ordered from iherb many times over the last few years, and I’ve always had excellent service!

Yesterday I received the Real Techniques Core Collection brush set. I haven’t tried these brushes yet, but I think I’ll post a review when I do. Included in this set is:

The Contour Brush (delicately applies highlighter to contour or create sheer, soft-focus finish)

The Pointed Foundation Brush (use with liquid foundation to build custom coverage)
The Detailer Brush (precision cut to effortlessly conceal problem areas; or, use with lipstick for long lasting shape and definition)
The Buffing Brush (ideal for full coverage application of powder and mineral foundation)

These are all included in a Panoramic Case:

Dual carrier and stand keeps brushes organized on your counter or on the go.

I’m excited to try these! I bought these on ebay, but again you can get them from iherb for $17.99

USD. They are all very soft, dense (though not as dense as the Expert Face Brush) and small. I like the size of them as I find many brushes are just too large for my face.  

I also received an order from Kiss and Makeup. I got a Nars Blush in Sin and Smashbox Shades of Fame,Reflection High Shine Lip Gloss Set

The Nars Blush in Sin is a beautiful , highly pigmented shade of mauve/plum with some fine shimmer. It’s unlike any other blush I own, so I’m happy to have it in my collection. :) I own many Nars blushes, and I love them all.

The Smashbox Shades of Fame Lip Gloss Set contains 5 glosses in the shades Candy, Buff, Hibiscus, Papaya and Star. I didn’t find these glosses overly sticky, and I haven’t been able to test their longevity yet. I’ll report back when I do. I’m most excited to use Star! I think it will look lovely over a red lipstick.

I purchased the Smashbox gloss set for $29, and the Nars Blush for $26 from  kissandmakeupny.com. Shipping in the US and Canada is free! I didn’t get charged any duty or customs fees, either. Shipping took about 5 business days. I couldn’t be happier, and I would definitely recommend this company!

Here's a few pictures...sorry about the bad quality. It's been very overcast here lately:

 

From left to right, the Expert Face Brush, the Contour Brush, the Pointed Foundation brush, the Detailer Brush and the Buffing Brush

 

 

Nars Blush in Sin, Smashbox Shades of Fame Reflection High Shine Lip Gloss Set, from left to right in, Candy, Buff, Hibiscus, Papaya, Star

 

Here's some swatches of Nars Sin and the Smashbox Lip Glosses in Candy, Buff, Hibiscus, Papaya and Star

 

Thanks so much for reading! :)