It seems kind of weird for me to do a favourites post for my first ever post, but seeing as it's the last day of January, and I've got a fair amount of new things I've tried out since Christmas, I figured why not? I also don't really have much to talk about regarding my real life that would remotely interest anyone. This is a littttle picture heavy, as I've featured an image for each product I talk about...it'll make it easier to go out and buy if you know what it looks like, yeah?
The first product I got from my dad for Christmas. I did request this, he did not pick it out on his own. He did, however, go shopping at Sephora. Good job, dad. It is the Too Faced Sweet Indulgence palette. The only thing I've ever owned from them is the shadow insurance, but I've been really pleased with the contents of this tin. I originally wanted the Tarte Carried Away Collector's set, but it was sold out, and this was my second choice.
The set features 16 gorgeous eyeshadows, 2 blushes, 2 bronzers, 1 highlight, 1 full-size tube of Shadow Insurance, 1 double-ended brush, and 3 "look cards". Only two of the shadows are matte, but honestly that doesn't bother me too much. I like a little bit of shimmer, and I find that in general (not just the shadows in this palette) the velvet finish ones go on a lot smoother, and blend a lot better.
The next favourite this month was just recently released in Canada. I've heard good things on YouTube about this foundation, particularly from Tanya Burr (who I think is brilliant). I saw it at Shoppers Drug Mart one day and was so excited. My mum is actually in London now, and this had been on my wish list before it came out here.
I have combination skin, so I have a lot of trouble finding foundation that I like. This leaves a nice, naturally dewy finish without making me feel like I look oily. I also love the fact that the coverage is buildable, so I can build it up if I feel like I'm having a bad skin day, but if I'm feeling particularly good about my skin I can leave it light. The lightest shade is a tiny bit dark for me, but I'm able to blend it out into my neck quite well. This is my new favourite foundation...like, ever. I love it. Thanks Tanya! Now I just need to get some of the concealer and try that out. Something tells me I'll love it just as much!
A lipstick I've been loving lately is by Essence, which I think might be the cheapest brand I've seen in a long time (I think it's actually cheaper than Wet 'n Wild). It was $2.49, and won an Allure magazine Best of beauty award. It's a gorgeous opaque pink-y mauve colour, and glides on really well. The pink-y colouring makes it a really good neutral/nude that doesn't blank out my natural lip colour. There is a little bit of a waxy taste to it, but it's not bad, and can easily be covered up if you apply a gloss over it. The colour is absolutely gorgeous, so it's easy for me to overlook.
Another listick I've been coveting is quite a bit bolder than the Creamy Nude one. It's the Cover Girl Lip Perfection in Hot Passion/Hot (the number is 305, but mine says Hot Passion, and the website just calls it Hot...I had to look up what the line was called). I first heard of this from Ingrid (MissGlamorazzi on YouTube). When she showed it I knew I HAD to find it. It was sold out, and I lost hope. Then of course once I was no longer actively seeking it out ONE popped up in a Wal Mart, so I snatched it up.
Recently Fleur of FleurDeForce (yes, I watch A LOT of YouTube videos) featured this in a disappointing products video, and I totally get why. This does stain. I find that if I've treated my lips the night before, and apply a liner underneath this hasn't been a huge problem for me, but when I first got it I didn't have a red liner, and it was a huge issue. Now I find that my liner (I use Red Blush (08) by Essence...I believe it is $1.49 at Shoppers) creates a barrier and I can get it off relatively easily before bed. If you do find it staining, I used the Lush lip scrub to get it off (I like Sweet Lips, which is the Chocolatey one).
Keeping with the lip theme, I've been loving the Liplicious glosses from Bath and Body Works. this one came as part of a gift set for Christmas, and is actually not my absolute favourite, but the packaging on the other one has been destroyed by my using it so much. This one is excellent, however. It smells amazing, and if you get some on the inside of your mouth, it actually taste almost as good as it smells.
The only thing I'm not a huge huge fan of is the glitter. On a day-to-day basis I prefer a straight up gloss as opposed to a glitter gloss, but this is very pretty. It goes on pretty clear, and the shimmer is not overbearing to look at. I love the strawberry taste/smell as well. It's delicious...or should I say liplicious? My other one is cherry, and also goes one clear. I love them!
Mascara is something I love using. I love a little bit of drama (or sometimes maybe a lot) for my eyes, and long, voluminous lashes definitely helps in that department. I do have oily eyelids, so I prefer a waterproof formula to help avoid panda eyes, but I cannot hep but love Rimmel's Extra Wow Lash.
My lashes look AMAZING when I use this. They are already quite long, but this gives them that extra wow factor. They look so full, and there are minimal clumps (I barely ever get clumping with this product). I use black mascara all of the time. I can't stand the way brown mascara looks on my eyes. This product is so black. I loved it so much I bought two. The last Rimmel mascara I loved this much got discontinued before I got a chance to buy another tube...I was not getting burned like that again.
Because my eyes are oily I need to always have a waterproof mascara on hand for when I need it to last, and am not able to monitor for panda eyes...this is typically any work situation and in the summer when I'm outdoors far more often. My current favourite is also by Rimmel. The Max Volume Flash Waterproof formula is great.
This product has never smudged on me, and I do not have to spend an hour every night getting it off. It is very black, which I love, and is affordable. At this point I'd choose it over a high end mascara, because it's just as good, and is much more affordable. As much as I'd love to be frivolous with my money, I can't do that. My lashes don't need a whole lot of help, though, so maybe that's why I don't notice much of a difference in the high end and the drug store. I am a huge drug store product junkie, though. Once you learn how to use the products properly, I truly believe you can achieve the same results regardless of brand. Which brings me to my next drug store love...
Brow gel. I've never really used brow gel, to be honest. I wasn't huge on filling and taming my brows until a couple of years ago. I volunteered to model in a fashion show (INCREDIBLE...if anyone reads this and wants to know more about it, let me know) and the make up artist filled my brows in. What. A. Difference. It was incredible how different I looked and felt. Now I'm totally loving it, and it's the first thing I do after foundation.
Surprise! More Essence! It's just
so affordable! Having been on a student budget for quite a while I'm used to hunting for good products at a low price. This is a recent find that I picked up purely because of the price. I want to say it was $2.49, but it could have been $2.99 or $3.49...I just remember that it is super cheap. It works really well to set my brows and make them look more natural after I've filled them. Like all clear brow gels it does get some of the pigment in it and start to look yucky (you can see this a bit in the centre of the tube in the pictures), but wow do I love this. Since it's clear it's pretty much fool-proof. It's so easy to use, and if your brows tend to get unruly it makes a world of difference. I can't believe I went as long as I did without using it.
If I'm having a lazy make up day I will use only two products on my eyes: mascara, which I've already talked about, and eyeliner. I used to be married to black eyeliner. Honestly I thought other colours looked stupid on me. Thank God I've let go of that conviction. Black will always be my first love and go-to, however.
Oh, hey, Essence! I know it's a lot of one product. I swear Essence doesn't even know I exist. This little piece of awesome was $2.49, which is a bit more than their regular line of eyeliners. That being said, this has got to be THE smoothest eyeliner ever! One swipe and it's on solid. It's also glossy, which I thought was super cool. It kind of has a wet look to it. It's great for my waterline because I don't have to go over it more than once, so there's no irritation from that. I cannot say enough for this liner, and they're practically giving it away! The swatch in the image is one swipe of the pencil. Also, the redness on my hand is a stain from the CG red lipstick mentioned above, not from the liner.
I love my black liner, but I'm also a fan of copper/bronze/any metallic brown. It's great for a neutral look for work, and I love the metallic effect. My favourite pencil in this category is by Gosh.
This is the Velvet Touch eye pencil in Copper Girl (010). This colour looks great on, and is versatile. It would look great on someone with a darker skin tone, but I love it on myself as well, and I'm quite pale (especially since it's January, and I live in Canada). Like the Essence pencil this glides on very nicely, and has great colour payoff. These are the two big things I look for in a liner, since I don't want to have to be going over that part of my eye over and over again, because it will get irritated. I will definitely be looking at other colours from this brand. Gosh can be found at Shoppers Drug Mart with their high end cosmetics.
This next product I have to admit to being quite lazy with. When I remember to actually use it I love foundation primer. My foundation applies more evenly and lasts a lot longer. Nine times out of ten I'll be halfway through applying my foundation and go "Oh, shit, I forgot to prime!" For some people this is not a big deal, but since my skin can get pretty oily, this is not good for the staying power of my foundation. This one from Avon is very nice...it's from the Magix line, and I think it's called skin mattefier, or something along those lines. It takes next to nothing to cover my whole face. I've used it a fair bit, and it still looks brand new!
This was around $4.99, so I thought I'd try it out and I love it. I've had primers that have felt oily, and others that made me feel as if I was wearing ten pounds of make up before I'd even got my foundation on. Not cool. This feels so light, and the mattifying formula helps keep my face from looking oily. It works really well with the Wake Me Up foundation above. The mattifier stops the foundation from looking too dewy. It comes with a little sponge in the bottom compartment, but I don't like to use it if I can avoid it. They gather too much dirt for my liking. I've been using a foundation brush to apply it, and it's been working out quite well for me.
Before I wash my face each night before bed I like to remove as much make up as possible. It just makes washing my face that much easier. I've tried a few brands of wipes and right now my favourite is the Ponds cleansing and exfoliating towelettes with citrus and cucumber scent.
These smell seriously good. I also use one in the morning because the scent is so refreshing ans really helps me to wake up. One side of these is bumpy, to exfoliate the skin. I use this side first because I find it removes the bulk of my make up. I then use the smooth side all over to get anything I may have missed before I got and wash my face properly. These are about $4.97 at Wal Mart, but you can also get a double pack (60 towelettes total) for $6.47, so I'll usually go for the double pack. I'm not overly picky about which wipes I use, to be honest, since I do wash my face properly after I use it, so a huge factor in choosing these ones was price, and the fact that they smell soooo good.
Omigoodness, we've reached the last product! It has taken me so long to make this post that I wasn't sure if I'd get here. This last one is a fragrance. I got it for Christmas from my brother's girlfriend, and I LOVE it.
Enchanted Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift. I love Taylor Swift, and this perfume is amazing! It smells very nice on me, and is the perfect winter scent for me. The bottle is handbag-sized, so I can take it every where with me, and came with a refill. It twists to open as well, so there's no fumbling with lids...I can use it one-handed. I don't typically apply my perfume out of the house, but if ever there was a need, this has me covered!
We've reached the end of the post! Yay! If you've read the whole thing thanks for sticking with it, and good for you! If you liked what you saw please let me know so I can keep up my ramblings for you!
Jordan
xoxo <3
