Smashbox Love Me Eye Shadow Palettes - Admire Me, Entice Me

Hi beauty lovers! Hope everyone's week is going okay so far. :) 

Over the weekend, I partcipated in Shoppers Drug Mart's 20x the points on cosmetics promo. I went into the store with a few things in mind, but couldn't find any of it at my closest SDM. I'm really looking forward to seeing Quo's spring collection in stores! It looks super gorgeous! Anyway, I picked up both Love Me Eyeshadow palettes by Smashbox. I also picked up a Maybelline Color Tattoo, but I wrote about that in a separate blog.

 

 

I think both palettes are just gorgeous, I and had a really tough time deciding which to purchase, so I grabbed both. I'm so glad I did!

Entice Me on the left, Admire Me on the right:

 

Please note that the lovely "Love Me" adornment does lift up, so all shades are easily accesible.

 

I found all the shadows soft and fairly pigmented upon swatching. I had to layer a couple of the shades a few times to get these swatches. I think they are so beautiful, so I honestly can't wait to try these on my eyes.  Hopefully there's no trouble with application.

 

Entice Me:

 

Admire Me:

 

Have you tried anything from this collection? Please share if so! :)

 

Thanks so much for reading. xo

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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Spend Your Points Haul: Lise Watier Pastel Power, Urban Decay Theodora, Dior Cherie Bow etc.

So today I participated in Shoppers Drug Mart's Spend Your Points event. I redeemed 80,000 Optimum points for $200 worth of cosmetics. I adore this program! I did two top redemptions at Christmas and got so many goodies! I almost always participate in SDM's 20x the points events, so as you can imagine, my points build up really quickly! If you don't know about Shoppers Drug Mart's Optimum Program, you can learn more, here.

Today I went to an SDM that carries more high end brands like Dior and Guerlain. They also carry Urban Decay, and that's why I went to this particular location!

Everything I bought is a new release/spring collection:

 Lise Watier Pastel Power Eyeshadow Quartet ($36), Dior 5 Couleurs Cherie Bow Edition in 854 Rose Charmeuse ($61), Urban Decay Oz The Great and Powerful in Theodora ($58), Smashbox Love Me Lip Enhancing Gloss in Adore Me ($22) and Lise Watier Eye Shine in Vert Sarcelle ($19).

I called the store in advance a couple days ago so they could put aside the Urban Decay Theodora and  Lise Watier Pastel Power Quartet. I was dying for both of these! I purchased a couple of other Pastel Power products last week, and I'm totally loving them. I think the Lise Watier quad will be so pretty for spring! These are not shades I would normally wear, but I'm super excited to try them! :)

Urban Decay's Oz palettes are something I've been seriously lemming since I first heard about them a few weeks back. The colours are beautiful, and I'll be sure to swatch them later on! This palette came with a travel size 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero and a Super-Saturated High-Gloss Lip Colour in Theodora (which I used before this pic...sorry!).

 

 

The Dior palette was something I bought on a whim. I had nothing else in mind and needed to get to $200. I thought the shades in this were gorgeous. I love the hot pink and black!

 

I really wanted something from the Smashbox Love Me collection as I know it is selling out fast! I swatched the Lip Enhancing Gloss in Adore Me, in the store and thought it was really pretty.

 

Lastly, I got the latest Eyeshine from the Lise Watier collection that was released for the Spring to match the Pastel Power Quartet.

Here's a couple swatches of the UD Lip Colour, the Smashbox Gloss and the Eyeshine.

Without flash:

 

With flash

 

 

 

I'd love to hear if you participated in Spend your Points today! Please let me know what you got. :) This promo runs until this Monday, the 11th, if you weren't able to get to a store today. Also, there are whisperings of a Spend your Points event at Murale for this coming week. I'm hoping it's true!

 

Thanks for reading! :)

Mascara Collection and Before & After

Hi beauty lovers! I just wanted to share my mascara collection with you. :)

The pic shows from top left to right: L'Oreal Voluminous Original in Blackest Black, Physician's Formula Plump Potion, Lise Watier 24 Hrs Glam, Benefit Bad Gal Lash, Sephora Volume, Lise Watier Mascara WOW, Lancome Definicils High Definition, DiorShow, Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash, Josie Maran GOGO,

And bottom left to right: Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils Shocking, Rimmel Glam Eyes, Smashbox Full Exposure, L'Oreal Carbon Black Voluminous, L'Oreal Double Extend, Too Faced Lash Injection, Tarte Extend MultiplEYE, L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara, and Benefit They're Real.

Admittedly, I'm a complete hoarder and don't wear most of these, but I've tried all of them, and can definitely say that my faves are Bare Escentual Buxom Lash, DiorShow, Smashbox Full Exposure and Benefit Bad Gal Lash. Unfortunately, my BE Buxom Lash and Diorshow mascaras are empty and I need to repurchase, but for now I am mostly wearing Bad Gal Lash. It lengthens, thickens and pretty much performs magic tricks. I love it. :)

 Another mascara in my collection that I love Josie Maran's GOGO Mascara. It's strange, because this mascara does not offer insane volume or length or anything that Bad Gal Lash does. It's quite simple, and is a my-lashes-but-better-mascara. I don't wear this often, but if I ever did need to look like I wasn't wearing any makeup, I'd turn to this. Unfortunately mascara has such a brief lifespan that it'll probably be no good by the time that situation arises.

As you can see from my before pics, my lashes are almost non-existant. They also have no curl to them and are just...blah. In the past I used Careprost to grow them. They did grow to rather insane proportions, and I loved it, but they also left discolouring on my lids, and I decided it just wasn't worth it.

So here's a before and after with Bad Gal Lash. As you can see, it makes a WORLD of a difference...lol. I'm not sure why my lashes are so light on the left in this pic. I must have dusted some setting powder on them or something.

Here I've curled my lashes with a Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, and appled two coats of the Bad Gal Lash mascara.

Please let me know what some of your favourite mascaras are! Thanks for reading :)

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! :)

January Lip Factory Box - My First!

Hi beauty lovers! I finally received my first lipfactory box today, and I honestly found it mediocre. Lipfactory costs $22 per month. Here's a little write up from their site.  Lip Factory Inc is an exclusive, affordable, makeup subscription service.  We provide the easiest and most economical way to explore the makeup brands that you have always wanted to try. New brands and color palettes are delivered to your door each month.



Included in my box for January was:

Cult Nails Nail Lacquer in Deception
Naked Advanced Skin Cream
Burt's Bees Rejuvenating Lip Balm with Acai Berry
Smashbox Lipgloss in Fame (I think this might be from the Lip Enhancing Line, but it doesn't state so anywhere)
Two Cosmetics Lips Gloss in Sun-kissed
Senna Cosmetics Lipgloss in Sugar Cookie
NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in ECP01 Black/Gray
C158 Angle Liner/Spoolie
E.L.F. Eyebrow Stencil Kit
Dermalogica Special Cleansing Gel
Dermalogica Sheer Tint spf 20 in Medium
2 Beauty So Clean Cosmetic Sanitizer Wipes

The Cult nail polish went on very sheer. The light will catch a faint pink hue, but overall I'm not impressed with it, and I would have preferred some of the other shades I saw in other blog posts and pictures. I also found it very runny. In the picture, I am wearing three coats.

I found the Naked Cream hydrating and I liked the light texture. I read that some ladies didn't like the scent, but I found it inoffensive, and it smells like many of the unscented creams I own. I really like this cream!

The Burt's Bees Lip Balm was wonderful. It had a sweet smell and was very moisturizing.

The Smashbox Gloss in Fame was probably my favourite item of the group. Not just because of the name, but I liked the shade and the pigmentation. Just a personal preference, I think.

The Two cosmetics lipgloss was quite sheer on me as you can see from my swatch. The gloss was non-sticky and had a nice texture, but I doubt the longevity of it. I know I should't judge it before giving it time, but I have glosses that feel similar and just don't last past one drink.

The Senna Lipgloss was much stickier than the Two lipgloss, but still felt soft. It was also slightly more pigmented. I think I prefer this to the Two lipgloss. But still, can I have something with more pigment please? This just isn't my style. I prefer a bold lip or a bright, pretty colour to something so neutral.

Unfortunatley, I won't ever use the NYX eyebrow powder. It's in a black/gray shade. My brows are pretty dark. I'd say they are close to black. But actually using a black powder on them seems way too bold. I think I'm happy with my Smashbox brow powder, in brown. It did however come with the most adorable little spoolie I've ever seen. :)

The double ended brush/spoolie is kind of cute. I will probably try this out, but I'm not a huge fan of double ended brushes. I probably would have preferred just a liner brush. Sorry I'm so picky. :)

I've actually tried the ELF brown stencil kit a couple years ago, and I wasn't impressed. I found the stencils far too thick for my face. They are quite large! I think I'll pass these on to someone with a larger face.

I haven't tried the Dermalogica Cleansing gel.

The Dermalogica Tinted Moisturizer is lovely. The shade fits me well, and I found it light and moisturizing. It has a scent that I didn't mind. I would definitely consider purchasing this in a full sized product.

I haven't tried the Sanitizer Wipes. The packages say they are to be used to wipe clean cosmetic products, like lipsticks, gloss, cosmetic pencils etc. I may or may not try these. I'll report back if I do.

Overall, I wasn't overly impressed with my box this month. I did however love the Smashbox gloss, the Naked cream and the Burt's Bees Lip Balm. I would have been a lot happier had my nail polish been a different shade and the glosses, more pigmented. I look forward to being happier with next month's box. :)

Her'es the Cult Nail Polish in Deception:

Here's a picture of the the three Lipglosses. Smashbox Fame, Two Sun-kissed and Senna Sugar Cookie:

 

Thanks so much for reading! :)