April 2015 Beauty Empties

Hey everyone! Today I have empties to share with you all. My latest post like this was back in october so this is quite overdue. As always, I'll share a quick review on each product along side the picture and tell you whether or not I would repurchase! Now we have quite a few things to go through so let's get on with it :) By the way, I'm doing the table format today to present the products to make it as visual and easy to consult as possible. It's not as cute as some other formats, but I feel like it's so much clearer. What do you all think of this? Do you enjoy reading these posts? Do you have any suggestions for me?

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Dark and Deep Brown	Got this in NYC and I'm so bummed out to have run out! I can't get it around here and can't have it shipped either. It's the usual dry shampoo by Batiste that I like, but with no grey cast, love it and would definitely repurchase.
Dove Nutritive Solutions Conditioner	I don't like the Dove shampoos because they make my hair greasy. I do like the conditioner though, because they're thick and very moisturizing, already repurchased.
Pantene Aqua Light Shampoo	This is funny, I already reviewed it here, and said that I wouldn't repurchase, but clearly I did anyway. I still feel the same about it, it's an alright shampoo nothing special about it for me.
Fructis Triple Nutrition Conditioner	I like the smell of this, it moisturizes ok and the texture is thick enough. However, I HATE the packaging. It's so hard to get everything out. Wouldn't repurchase
Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser	I quite liked this product since my skin is super sensitive. It didn't feel like it stripped my skin or irritated it. It doesn't contain any soap so it's perfect for my skin type. Also it's a huge size so it lasts forever. Would repurchase.
Clear Volumizing Shampoo	I've finished this quite a while ago, but I can't remember anything about it. I guess it means it was average on all fronts for me. Might repurchase.
L'Oréal Everstrong Deep Replenishing Masque	I like the products from the Everstrong line. They are super thick and quite moisturizing and I love the packaging. I have another one from the same line at the moment. Would repurchase.
Bath and Body Works Hand Soap in Tuscan Vineyard and Mediterranean Lemon	Both great scents. I still think these are incredibly drying, but I can't help buying more because of the yummy scents. Would repurchase.

Bath and Body Works Candle in Eucalyptus Mint	Great subtle scent - almost sort of manly smelling. I've been more into neutral scents like this one lately (or citrusey scents). This one is a permanent scent I think and I would repurchase.
Bath and Body Works Candle in Harvest Peach	I loved this scent. It had a great scent throw and really filled up the room with scent. Would repurchase.
Bath and Body Works Candle in Lemon Drops	Also a nice scent. A little more sharp than other citrus scents I've had in the past, but very pleasant none the less. It's not special enough though for me so I'd rather try something else before repurchasing this one.

Purederm Firming Lift Coenzyme Q-10 Sheet Mask	This was my first time trying sheet masks. I brought a  box of 10 of these and they were quite affordable. I'm not sure about the benefits of these, but they feel moisturizing and are qui entertaining to wear. Would repurchase.
Lush Fresh Face Masks/Hair mask in : Love Lettuce (x2) Oatifix Hair doctor	This is probably my favorite mask from Lush. I have probably finished over 5 tubs of this. My face feels nice and clean and very soft after using this. It's quite soothing for my skin also. Would repurchase. I also like this mask, but the texture bothers me. It's thicker, drier and kind of hard to spread. The smell (sort of like a banana-oat kind of thing) also bothers me for some reason. It's a nice mask when my skin is dry though and I would repurchase. This minty scalp mask feels odd when you first apply it (imagine a minty tingly lip balm for your scalp). It does feel nice and soothes the scalp when irritated. I'm not sure whether my scalp issues are not severe enough for this to make a good difference, but other than soothing it didn't seem to do much for me. Wouldn't repurchase.
Colgate Max White Toothpaste	I felt like this was quite whitening and the minty taste wasn't too strong. It was a pretty good toothpaste. Would repurchase.
Crest 3D White Luxe Toothpaste	To me, this toothpaste is quite overrated. It's very popular in the beauty community, but I didn't feel like it performed any better than any other regular whitening toothpaste. In any case, I don't actually want a super whitening toothpaste for daily use since it's more abrasive for the teeth and I'm prone to sensitivity. I felt like this was quite expensive too, so I wouldn't repurchase unless on sale.
Maybelline Babylips in Peppermint and Coral Crave	I have so many other Babylips I have to go through before I can repurchase, I'm a little bummed out. I really liked both of these, because they were very slick and moisturizing. I love the finish and both were very subtle (Coral Crave didn't have much color). I loved that Peppermint was a bit tingly and had SPF in it. Would repurchase.
Clean & Clear Persa Gel 5	Already reviewed here. Already repurchased.
NYX Studio Liquid Liner in Extreme Coffee	This is not finished, but it dried out. I feel like it's probably because I bought it on clearance which might mean it was a bit old to begin with. I loved it though, the color is great it is easy to use. Already repurchased.
Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara	Already reviewed here. I've been using this non stop for over a year now, but I'm kind of getting over it. Would still repurchase though.
La Roche Posay Toleriane Dermo-Cleanser	Full review here. Would repurchase.
Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer	I'm not sure how I feel about this. This was quite thick for me to use underneath my eyes. It looked kind of cakey, but most concealer do that for me. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't that great. Might repurchase.
Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion	I finished one of these a long time ago, and repurchased (they last forever!). I have since then branched out to try other primers, but I used this consistently for years and I love it. Already repurchased.
EOS Lip Balm in Vanilla Mint	The only thing I enjoyed about this was the smell. I really dislike the texture and it doesn't moisturize well. It feels waxy to me and just sits on top of my lips. I forced myself to finish it, but it was a struggle. The packaging is cool, but it ends up being unhygienic towards the end. Wouldn't repurchase.
Bath and Body Works PocketBac Hand Sanitizer in Vampire Blood	Amazing smell, fun concept for Halloween, would repurchase.
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Gel Cleanser	This was a sample, so I can't say too  much about it, but it seemed quite pleasant to me. Might purchase.
Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser	Nice basic cleanser. Nothing special though. Wouldn't repurchase.

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That's it for this beauty empties! Hope that you enjoyed this and that the format I chose to present it in helped you look at the products you were interested quickly and efficiently and made reading this more enjoyable. Let me know what you think in the comments. Also, have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

Laroche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Intense Soothing care and Dermo-Cleanser Review

As some of you might know, I suffer from allergies and my skin is very sensitive. It has a tendency to fluctuate from dry and scaly to super oily in a matter of weeks. It reacts strongly to any abrasion, is acne prone and I have broken capillaries on my cheeks. In other words my skin is a struggle and I have a hard time finding products that are gentle, but effective. I'm just bought a Clairsonic as I write these words. I will probably post a review in the near future about this addition to my routine and let you know how it goes for me.

This duo I have been using on and off for a couple months. It might not be apparent form the pictures, but they are quite small bottles. I do alternate between these guys and less expensive products, which may somewhat change their efficiency for my skin. Nevertheless, I have been using them long enough now that I feel comfortable reviewing them for you.

I'm trying a new format for this review in order to make it easier to read. Let me know if you like this or not!

Pros	Cons
Very gentle on the skin, does not irritate	Very expensive
No tight feeling after washing the skin	Could be a little too hydrating for some people (too hydrating for me when my skin becomes oily)
Unscented	Kind of difficult to get the face wash out of the bottle
Very hydrating	The face wash does not foam, which kind of bums me out a little
Moisturizer comes with a pump, which is very hygienic	No SPF in the moisturizer
Moisturizer is absorbed quickly into the skin and is easy to spread out

Overall : I love this line and my skin does as well. It's great when my skin is feeling dry, irritated or allergic. It's abit too heavy for summer, but it does nicely in the winter. I would repurchase in the future,

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That's it for this quick review! Did you all like the new table format? I think it's really easy to read and I might do more of these in the future. What do you all think?

First Beauty Haul of 2015

Here are my latest makeup/beauty items purchases. Let me know if you'd like to see reviews on any of these! I'm extremely excited about the Clairsonic and will probably be doing a review anyway, but let me know what you would like to see!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Korean Beauty Store Haul

As some of you might already know if you've read my last post, I found a Korean beauty store in my local china town. I'm really excited about this, I had no idea we had any! I was kind of overwhelmed by the discovery and I'm still doing the 10$/week budget for makeup so I didn't go too crazy, but I did pick up a few things! The makeup items will be included in my 10$/week budget which I will update you all on very soon!

• Darkness lashes - They had a bunch of lashes at the store. They were only 4 to 5 $ a piece, really affordable! I haven't tried them yet since I don't have any lash glue on hand at the moment, but I'll update you all on what I think soon! :)
• Crystal Jelly Cheek Pot in the color 01 by Tony Moly - the texture of this blush is crazy odd, but so far I'm loving this product! It's now in my makeup bag and I use it everyday. I think I'd like to pick up a few more colors and make a full review. Anyone interested?
• Party Lover Liquid Eye Liner by Tony Moly - OMG this eyeliner! It's going into my monthly favorites for sure <3. I didn't know about the Tony Moly brand, but I'm mad impressed!
• Nail polish remover - nothing too exciting, I needed some and I decided to try this one because it was cheap :)
• Sheet masks - I'm so excited I finally got  my hands on sheet masks! I've seen people rave about them forever now. Can't wait to try them out <3

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That's all I got at the Korean beauty shop but I'm saving my budget to go back and pick up some BB cream a glitter liner and a bunch more probably! Let me know if there are any Korean specific brands or products that I should try! Everything looks so cute and awesome :D

Skin and Hair Care Haul

Hey all! As some of you might know, I've been doing a 10$/week makeup budget all year. This resolution doesn't apply to hair and skin care, but I've also been trying to use up products and I haven't purchased any notable new hair or skin care since january.

My mom got invited to the L'Oréal bi-annual private sale, so I decided now was a good time as ever to stock up and try a few new things. I was pretty much out of shampoo and conditionner, I didn't have any hair masques left and I needed some new sunscreen for my face. Also, lately my skin has been really sensitive and allergic so I wanted to look into products for sensitive skin.

I got quite a few things, but everything was heavily discounted so I didn't end up spending that much, considering all I got.

Laroche Posay : Toleriane Ultra kit (30$), Anthelios SPF 45 Sunscreen for the face (10$)
L'Oréal : Youth Code Serum (7$), Everstrong hair masque (3$)
Vichy : Foaming cleanser and moisturizer (12$)
Biotherm : SPF  15 Lait Solaire (Free :D)
Redken : All Soft shampoo and conditionner (20$)
Essie : Nailpolish (4,25$ each)

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That's all I got! I'm really excited about all of my purchases. Let me know if you'd like to see reviews of any of these products! I'd love to do them for you all :)

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My Winter Skincare Routine

Hey all! Today I'm sharing my winter skincare routine with you. I'm always interested to know products people use on a daily basis to keep their skin healthy and radiant so in case you were curious about what I'm using, I decided that I would make a blog post about it!

During the winter time, it gets very cold here in Quebec City (It can get as cold as -30 degrees celsius or -22 degrees fahrenheit) which means that my face, lips and body become quite dry. Also, the fact we have the heat on constantly in the house makes my skin even more dry.  Because of that, I need heavier products to help me keep my skin and lips from chapping, which is why I have a different skin care routine during the winter.

• For my body, I like to use the Coconut Body Butter from The Body Shop during the winter months. It's very thick and hydrating which means it's perfect to keep my skin in good shape throughout the colder weather. I use this whenever I feel like my skin needs it.
• I also like to use Massage Bars by Lush at the end of some of my showers. Hot water can dehydrate the skin so by applying this oily product to the skin at the end of my shower, it forms a layer of protection on the skin which keep the moisture from the skin from evaporating once you get out of the shower. I like to use this at night because it does leave the skin with an oily residue.
• Last, I use the Glysomed Hand Cream several times a day. It's my absolute favorite hand cream because it leaves my hands very silky, but not oily. My hands are so soft and nourished after this, I've never seen anything like it.

My face is the most prone to getting dry during the winter. I get dry patches on my nose and forehead (the flaky noticeable kind, yuck) and my under eyes get very dry. Because of this, I use much heavier moisturisers during the day and night time.

• For the day, I like to use the Avène Eau Thermale Tolérance Extrême Cream. It's quite thick and it definitely gives much needed hydration to the skin. It's also great for my sensitive skin which has a tendency to be more prone to eczema during the winter time. This moisturizer is specifically designed with eczema prone skin in mind which makes it a perfect choice for me.
• For the night, I use the Garnier Ultra-Lift Firming Night Cream. It's a nice thick cream which feels great on the skin. It does have a scent to it, which I'm not too fond of since my skin tends to be extra sensitive during the winter, but I'm almost done with this jar so I'll try something new next time.
• Eye cream is critical for me during the winter months because I sometimes get eczema around the eyes and dry patches on my lids. I like this Olay Eye Cream to help soften my eye area. It's a gel formula so it's not too oily for the delicate eye area.
• As far as my cleansing routine is concerned, it's the same year round. I do tend to exfoliate more often during the winter time because dry skin tends to make my skin look dull. I exfoliate about 2 to 3 times a week during the winter, while I may do it maybe only once a week during the summer. I've been using the St-Yves Apricot Scrub for years now and I like it.
• Last, I like to use the L'Oréal Go 360 Clean Facial Cleanser to wash my face at night. I like the scrub that it comes with and it feels fresh on the skin. I think it's a great cleanser for year round.

 Next, for my lips, I do pretty much the same thing year round because I get super chapped lips no matter how much water I drink and how often I apply lip balm. It's always been that way (and that's probably why I have an almost unhealthy obsession with lip balm, ahaha).

• In the morning and at night, before applying lip balm, I exfoliate my lips using the Popcorn Lip Scrub by Lush. It gets rid of any dead skin and helps smooth my chapped lips before I apply any lip product. It's definitely been my holy grail ever since I got it this past summer.
• Next, if it's morning, I will apply a light balm such as Maybelline Babylips or Softlips or something like that.
• At night, I prefer something heavier such as Blistex Lip Medex, Nivea Lip Butter or Vaseline Lip therapy.

Lastly, I thought I would mention the products that I use for makeup removal, which is, in my opinion, also a crucial step in any skin care routine. Efficient makeup removal is super important if you want healthy and clear skin.

• First, I remove my eye makeup using Equate Eye Makeup Remover. It's somewhat similar to the Neutrogena Oil Free Makeup remover, but I don't like it as much. The reason I use this one anyway is because I wanted to try it and now I have a full bottle of it which I'm trying to use up. Anyway, it does work to remove my makeup ok, so it does the job for now.
• Next I Remove the bulk of my face makeup using Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes which I'm a very big fan of.
• Last, to make sure that all my makeup is removed and that there isn't any oily residue on my skin from the makeup remover, I use Bioderma on a cotton pad all over my face. This is a no-rinse face makeup remover that is very gentle on the skin. It sort of feels like putting water on your face, but you can see it remove all the rest of the makeup that all the other products couldn't get. If I'm going to wash my face soon, I may skip this step, but if I go let's say, a few hours before washing my face, I will always use Bioderma to end up my makeup removal routine.

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That's all I do to my skin on an everyday basis during the winter time to help keep it clear and healthy looking! I hope you find this helpful or interesting. :)

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Beauty Empties n3 : Mini Product Reviews (Fall Edition)

Hey all! Today I'm back with another empties post! Like I always do, I will give you a brief review of all the products I have finished so that you know how I have felt about it. Don't forget to check out my Beauty Empties 1 and my Beauty Empties 2 also! Get ready for a text heavy post. Hope you enjoy! Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these products and what you thought of them. :)

Bath and Body Works Anti Bacterial Soap in Fresh Picked Tangerines
As always, I think that the scent of the Bath and Body Works hand soaps is phenomenal. This tangerine smell was heavenly. I also love that it lingers on your hands for a while after using it. What I'm not so fond of is how drying they are for my hands. I ought to try the moisturizing kind next. Would repurchase, but another formula.

Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes
I'm always raving about these. Check out my other Beauty Empties to know what I think of them.

Neutrogena Oil-Free Makeup Remover
Probably my favorite makeup remover at the moment. I am currently trying out the Equate kind, which seems similar, but kind of stings, which this one doesn't. It removes all my eye makeup including waterproof mascara. Would repurchase.

Klorane Makeup Wipes
I didn't like these. They were supposed to be blueberry scented, but to me they smelled like vinagear. Not a scent I like to put on my face. They weren't moist or soft enough to be pleasant on the skin or remove properly my eye makeup. The wipes were quite large though which was nice. It's probably the only good thing I have to say about these. Oh and they were super expensive too (14$ for 25, ouch!) Would not repurchase.

Bath and Body Works White Barn N1 Candle (Nutmeg and Spices)
My favorite candle of all time for fall and winter. The smell is quite potent and very comforting. I have a few smaller backups of this. I haven't gotten the bigger one yet because I have so many to finish before that. Would repurchase.

Secret with Olay Deodorant
Nothing wrong with this deodorant. I usually quite like Secret deodorants. I did think it lacked a fun smell though, which I know not everyone enjoys, but I kind of like. What I disliked most about this is the packaging. It's a twist up system, like you would have with gel formulas, but with a cream anti perspirant inside which oozes through the cracks when you turn the dial. First off I think it's kind of a ridiculous ideal, second it wastes a ton a product so you end up with two tons of deodorants underneath you arm, unless you use your fingers to spread the amount that was squeezed out on both your armpits. Meh. Wouldn't repurchase.

Bioderma Hydrabio Serum
This was just a sample I got when I purchased my face cream. It's nothing special in my opinion. Very light and feels nice, but no nicer that my much less expensive Neutrogena Cream. Wouldn't buy it.

Bioderma Sensibio H2O Solution Micellaire
I used this as a facial makeup remover and it worked wonders. No need to rinse afterwards and felt very nice on the skin, no tightness or greasy feeling whatsoever. I would also use it to freshen up in the morning before I put on my makeup. Quite sad to see it gone especially since it's so expensive. Would probably repurchase eventually.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Conditioner 
Great Coconut smell and works pretty well too. It's a thick conditioner, just the way I like them. Would repurchase.

Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Leave in Conditioner
Nice smell and creamy texture. Very inexpensive, but didn't do miracles to my hair, or at least, not that I noticed. I took my ages to finish it and I'm kind of relieved that it's gone now, lol. Wouldn't repurchase because it doesn't do enough for my hair.

Biore Makeup Remover
Also a sample I got with purchase. It's so tiny that it's kind of difficult to tell if it was any good. Seemed to do the job just fine. Would try it since it's pretty inexpensive.

Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara
My holy grail mascara. You probably know how much I love this if you've checked out my monthly favorites this year. Would repurchase over and over again.

Chi Shine Infusion Spray
Not a bad product at all and it smells heavenly. It's pretty much like the Silk Infusion Oil by Chi, but in spray form. I think it's intended to use on either wet or dry hair. It does work great, but it's easy to overdo it and I prefer the oil version. I have another one I'm working on that my mom gave me (because she didn't use it), but after that I wouldn't repurchase.

Aussie 3 Minute Miracle (Moist)
I think I have one of those in every Empties post. Love the smell, love how it works. I still have 1 or 2 backups of this, but unfortunately I cannot find it anymore in Quebec. I thought Target might sell it and I was kind of pinning my hopes on that, but apparently they don't so after I'm out, I don't know when I'll ever get my hands on this again :( Would repurchase if I can find it.

Samani Antibacterial Brush Cleaner
This was my first time trying a brush cleaner and I was impressed. It really gets all the color out quickly and efficiently and it dries quickly. Perfect for spot cleaning your brushes after each use. Would repurchase.

Viva La Juicy Perfume
This is a sample I got at the Bay. I love the smell and would definitely wear this perfume (not as much as my Classique by JPG though). Don't really want to pay the 80$ for the full size though so I might purchase it someday, but not yet.

Clean & Clear Persa Gel 10
We don't have this formula here in Canada. I got this one in the states. Here we only have the 5.  I don't think the 10 is any more effective than the 5 though. It's not proven that 10% benzoyl peroxyde is any more efficient that 5% and it's more irritating to the skin which is better to avoid when you have acne. I'm fine sticking with the 5% from now on, which works just as great for me.
Would repurchase the Persa Gel 5.

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That all for the beauty empties! Thanks for sticking with me this long if you're still reading this and I hope it was informative and helpful for you! Let me know in the comments of any products that you think I should try! I love trying out new things :)

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Beauty Favorites : November 2013

Hey everyone! Since November is now over and December is just starting, it's time for me to share my monthly beauty and random favorites with you all!

I'm really excited for December because I adore Christmas! It's my favorite time of the year. :) I just started my advent calendar (I got a Lindt one this year and I really pumped about it, ahah) and my Christmas tree is all set! It even has a couple presents underneath! Basically as you can see, I'm quite happy that November is gone and that December is finally here.

December will be a very busy month for me, at least until the 20th when my uni trimester ends. After that I will be free until the beginning of january, which is really exciting!

Now, enough blabbering and let's get onto the favorites!

I haven't got too many thing to share today. I figure, I've been presenting the same stuff over and over again on my favorites and it's getting kind of boring. So I thought I would stick with new stuff or at least things I haven't featured a million times already. I still do love everything else I've shown recently dearly though!

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Beauty Favorites

♥ ZA Total Hydration Energy Mist ♥ 

Winter time means dry skin for me and it makes my makeup look dry and not so attractive. I love to spray this hydration mist after I'm done applying to keep thing as dewy and moisturised as possible.

♥ Bioderma Sensibio H20 Solution Micellaire ♥

 No rinsing needed, gets all my face makeup off and doesn't leave a tight feeling behind. Perfect for dry skin and lazy girls like me :P

♥ Organix Morrocan Argan Oil ♥ 

Smells great, makes my ends nice, shiny and healthy looking and it's super affordable. It's a win-win situation!

♥ NYX Eyeshadow Base in Nude ♥ 

It will never replace my beloved Urban Decay primer potion, but this stuff works well and I love that it is tinted. It's great to even out my lid, especially if I'm not going to wear much on my lids.

♥ OPI Nail Polish in Dulce de Leche ♥

So wearable, perfect neutral pinky nude for my nails! 

♥ Baptiste Dry Shampoo ♥ 

This is the original, but I also love the tropical scent. It's quite effective at absorbing extra oil and it really lifts my roots. 

♥ Maybelline FIT Me Foundation ♥ 

Love the texture and coverage of this foundation. It conceals well without the foundation look. The color 115 is perfect for my winter complexion.

♥ Nivea Lip Butter ♥ 

You have to go kind of easy on this one because it will leave a white cast behind if you overdo it. It's not great if your lips are really chapped (only accentuates the cracks), but once you've got a bit of moisture going, you get a nice shiny lip with this and the smell is incredible.

♥ Garnier Tinted Roll On Treatement ♥ 

Gives off a cooling sensation which is nice in the morning when you have puffy eyes. Super thin consistency, but pretty good coverage, an ideal combo in my book.

♥ Stila Smudge Stick in Damsel ♥ 

I had forgotten about this pencil liner since I've been sporting mostly black recently. This liner is so creamy and it really lasts on the waterline. Damsel is a nice deep brown color which looks great on.

♥ Rimmel Stay Matte Powder ♥ 

Around the end of the summer, I didn't really like this powder. I think it's not that great at actually keeping you matte if you have oily skin (ironic isn't it?). Now that my skin is on the drier side though, I love that this powder sets my makeup, but still is quite light on the skin so that my skin doesn't look super dry and dull.

♥ Quo Eyelash Curler ♥ 

It's amazing. It curls my lashes without any effort and the pink color is just so pretty! Also, it was only 5$ which is a bargain.

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Random favorites

Food

Orange Juice - I don't know why, but I'm always craving it lately. I especially love the Tropicana one with "some pulp". 

Miso Ramen - Cold weather means I want soup all the time. It's so comforting. Everything we go out to a ramen place (which is often lately) I get the miso ramen. It's so lovely ♥

TV Shows

The Vampire Diairies (Still not caught up with the current season)

Brookly 99 - It's just hilarious

Trophy Wife - Really funny as well!

My Everyday Foundation Routine

Hey all! Today I decided to share with you all the products that I use on a regular basis to make my skin look nice and to hide any imperfections! I've mentioned this before, but I don't wear makeup every single day. So this foundation routine is essentially what I'll do if I decide to wear makeup (and the foundation routine I use to prep my skin for any blog posts on here!). So in case you were wondering what's on my skin, well here it is!

My skin

First, I'll talk a little about my skin, so that you can determine if the products I'm using would suit your skin in case you want to try any of these products. My skin is usually normal to dry and I don't get oily very often. (although this spring and summer my skin has been uncharacteristically oily) The main issues I have with my skin is redness in the cheeks (I have rosacea) which I need to cover and some acne here and there. My under eye area also tend to be dry and I get flaky skin on my nose and forehead on occasion. With that said here is how I proceed to concealer and brighten my complexion :

Base

First, I apply moisturizer. Lately I've been liking the Moisture hydrating lotion by Neutrogena because it has SPF 30. I like using the Real Techniques buffing brush or Expert Face Brush to apply this. In the winter, I use a heavier moisturizer because my skin gets drier. After moisturizing, I spray my face with the Urban Decay All Nighter Spray. This is a new step to my routine and I haven't determined how useful it is yet, but for now, I'm testing it out.

Foundation

Next, I apply my foundation using the same brush.  (I also often use my hands for this) Lately, my favorite is the Rimmel Wake me Up Foundation. I love how silky it is on the skin and it think the coverage is great. It leaves a nice dewy finish, which I prefer since I tend to have dry skin. I'm not big on matte finishes on myself since it tends to bring forward the dry patches on my skin which isn't very flattering. Personally, I like doing my foundation first for a couple reasons. First, many of my problem areas are usually well concealed with just foundation which eliminates the need to cake on more product by adding concealer. Second, I hate fixing fallout from my eye shadow once I have foundation on. I prefer wiping everything clean and then applying my face products. Lastly, I haven't found a concealer that I like a lot for my under eye yet so I like to apply a slippery foundation on first so that the concealer has a base so set on and it doesn't get into the fine lines around my eyes as much. Phew, that was a lot of information wasn't it? I guess I have loads to say about foundation :P

Concealing

Next, I conceal anything that is still showing through with either Maybelline Mineral Power concealer and/or Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting concealer. I like to apply the lumi in a triangle shape underneath my eyes from time to time if I'm going for a bright highlighted look. I like  to pat on my concealer to blend it out. I also sometimes use the deluxe crease brush from Real Techniques to blend, especially if I went heavy underneath the eyes and I don't want to ruin my blending job by patting with my fingers over it.

Powders

 Last, I powder the middle of the skin using the Stay Matte Powder by Rimmel and with a blush brush by Eco Tools. I only do it in the center of my face to conserve the dewyness of the foundation. After that, I also apply blush with the same brush. I don't really have an everyday blush, but I do really like this one by Rimmel called Pink Sugar. Next I highlight the top of my cheekbones with the Stila Highlighting duo in Kitten using the contour brush by Real Techniques. After all is applied, I spray my face again with the Urban Decay Spray to help it stay on longer and to attenuate the look of powder on my skin, which I am not a fan of.

The results

Clearly, I also have eye makeup on here, but let's focus on the skin :P I also want to mention that my lights are very hot, which make my skin look a little more shiny than it really is in real life.

That's all I do! I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments what your favorite face products are! I'm love trying out new ones! I really want to try a few new foundations and concealers. Let me know if you have any recommendations.

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April 2013 Beauty Favorites!

Hey everyone! Now that April is over, it's time for monthly favorites ♥

April has been quite hectic for me with school and everything, so the month went by super fast. I can hardly believe may is just around the corner already! It's finally getting warmer here in Quebec City so that's definitely making me quite excited for summer. My trimester will be over in just a little over three days, but unfortunately, my summer trimester is starting next Monday :( 

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Anyway, let's get started with my Beauty Favorites 

  I have quite a few new favorites to share with you all this month :) 

♥ Neutrogena Oil Free Makeup Remover - This is a repurchase, just as gentle and efficient as I remembered! It works great with waterproof mascara too (which I have been into lately).

♥ Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes - I probably mentioned this a million times on my blog now. I just cannot get enough of these! I was super glad to get these again in April since I had run out and had to get by with another brand for a couple weeks. 

♥ Samani Makeup Brush Cleaner - This is very new to me. I've never had brush cleaner before. I really like this, it gets the product out of my brushes instantly so I can use them to apply multiple colors.

♥ L'Oréal Kids Tangle Tamer - Seems to work ok for detangling (my hair isn't all that tangly usually), but the smell is absolutely fabulous. It smells like yummy pears, it's awesome :D

♥ Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Clear - I've gotten into filling my eyebrows lately (especially if I'm going to take pictures, it looks a lot more put together). This is a cheap and efficient way to keep my brows looking tidy.

♥ Rimmel Scandal'Eyes Kohl in Nude - I love this on the waterline. It makes your eyes look bright and awake. If I'm going for a natural look, I much prefer nude to white. This pencil is super creamy as well, I wish it came in more colors.

♥ Bonne Bell Liplites - Not sure what this one if called but it's  a creamy medium pink color. It smells like vanilla cake, yummy!

♥ NYX Eyeshadow Base in Nude - This is a great primer for eye shadow, it really helps the shadow stick to the lids. I also love that it is tinted because it hides all the little veins in my eyes.

♥ Kiss 05 Lashes - These look great on. They're not too overpowering, but they're still long and dramatic! They're also super comfortable and light.

♥ Sally Hansen Nail Polish in Pacific Blue - I've had this for a couple years now and it hasn't dried up. Love this color for spring :)

♥ Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - I bought two of these at the beginning of the month. One for myself and one for my giveaway. I have been using mine constantly. I love everything about it! I think I might do a full review about it soon, would you be interested in that? Let me know!

♥ Lush Shampoo Bar in Seanik - I'm super impressed with this! The smell is very nice (even though I was skeptical at first, it seemed a bit salty for a hair product), it leaves my hair feeling super clean and weightless and it rinses off really well. To my surprise it lathers very well too. I love this.

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And now my Favorite Accessories for this month

♥ Bracelets from Ardène (except the gold bracelet on the left which is from Suzy) - This month I have been loving the combination of gold, white and turquoise. It looks great paired with peach, pink and cream :)

Hair clip from Ardène - I got it from a surprise baggie (Yes my friends and I  still get those 2 for 5$ surprise bags because we're just like little kids :P) Usually we get mostly rubbish from them, (once my friend got an awesome owl necklace though) but this time I got this hair clip. At first I didn't think much of it, until I tried it in my hair. It's is so strong for it's tiny size I can't even believe it. I have a ton of hair and it can hold my bun all day, no hair bands or bobby pins required. I'm getting a million of these for sure!

♥ Necklaces from Forever 21 - The first one is a dainty bow and the other one has an awesome feather on it. I love them because I feel like I can pair these with so many outfits!

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That's all for this month's beauty favorites! What were your favorites this month? Let me know! I'm on the hunt for good Spring/Summer bright nail polishes :)

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SE Asia Beauty Haul : ZA, Canmake, Nivea, Maybelline, Biore, Essential, Majolica Majorca and more!

So while I was in SE Asia this summer, I really wanted to pick up some asian beauty products that I have been eyeing for a while. Turns out, most of it is quite expensive (especially the japanese brands), but I'm glad I can try them out! If I like them, I'll feel more comfortable paying shipping to get them later on. Plus, I got to swatch some of them and see which colors I like :)

Here is what I got!

I got a Majolica Majorca mascara (680 baht, about 22$ ouchie :S, hope it's as good as I hear), a ZA hydrating spray, Biore Cleanser (and mini makeup remover), Essential shampoo, conditionner and hair mask, Vaseline moisturizer, Nivea deodorant and cream, ZA powder foundation and compact, Maybelline BB Cream (it's tiny) and Canmake cream blush (also really expensive, can't remember how much exactly, but around 10$)

I haven't given everything enough of a go to review it yet, but if you would like an in-depth review of any of the products here, let me know!

In the mean time, so far, I have been really liking the ZA foundation (it's milled incredibly fine and makes my skin super soft <3), the Vaseline moisturizer, the Nivea deodorant, the ZA spray and all the Essential hair care which are super creamy and moisturising (although I'm not a big fan of the floral smell).

That's all I got in SE Asia (well Thailand really). If you are curious, I got most of these either at Boots (I was super excited to go there, we don't have it here), 7-11 (they have a couple cheap beauty products) and Watsons. Sadly they didn't have any of the british cosmetic brands there. I would of liked to try out Sleek and Collection 2000 (now just called Collection I think).

Anyway, I really should be studying right now, I am procrastinating at the moment :S I'll update soon with Halloween looks, favorites and more :)

Collective Haul : Beauty, Bath and Body Works, Shoes and Clothes!

Lately I've been shopping for clothes and shoes for my upcoming trip. I also picked up a couple other things along the way! Here is what I got :)

Tops from : Simons, Forever 21, Forever 21, Winners, Winners

 

Shorts from : Winners and Garage (isn't that the brightest neon coral ever? <3), Bathing suits from : Garage

A pair of Havaianas flip flops (got them at Winners for half the price!), Crocs (they go with everything and they are incredibly light, perfect for backpacking) and flip flops from Zellers

Rain jacket from Atmosphere, it was more than half price! Super light weight, nice fit, goes with everything, perfect for backpacking <3

Got both Stila products from Winners, 5$ each :D such a bargain! That pencil liner is worth 26$ I think

Bath and Body Works Semi-Annual sale is currently going on. These were all 3$ each :D 

Tell me if I should review any of the makeup items on here! Packing post is coming soon! I have almost everything I need to start packing my bag, so as soon as I do, I'll show you how I do it!

March 2012 Favourites

I haven't done a monthly favourite products in a while! I have been more into making myself up this month than I have been in a while so here are the products I enjoyed most in the process!

1 - Revlon PhotoReady foundation : I love the coverage and flawless skin it gives me. Plus the color Ivory matches me perfectly so I can apply it only where I need it for a super natural look.

2 - Stila In the Lights Palette : I haven't worn much eyeshadow besides this palette for a few weeks now.

3- Equate Facial Cleansing Towelettes : Not only are these ultra cheap, they have a lot of moisture, are quilted, remove all my makeup (even mascara and eyeliner) and are super soft. Love these! Also love the 60 pack so I don't have to repurchase as often :)

4 - N.Y.C. Sunny bronzer : It doesn't have any shimmer in it so it gives me a natural tan. Since spring is approaching, I'm kind of over the pasty white look!

5 - Garnier Ultra Lift Night Cream : this is super rich and creamy, but it absorbs quickly into my skin. Super moisturising and non greasy, it's perfect for my skin right now.

6- Maybelline the Falsies mascara : Love the curved brush, the volume it gives me and how black it is. Also love that is isn't too dry.

7 - Blistex Lip Medex lip balm : Not everyone might agree with this but I love the mediciney smell this product has. I also like that since it contains menthol it has a cooling effect. This month, my lips were so chapped, they burned. This product was a life saver!

8 - Flat face brush and small angled brush from the 22 piece Coastal Scents brush kit : Love the face brush for foundation, powder, blush and bronzer. It's extra soft and gives a flawless finish. Love the angled brush for lining my eyes. It's better for me than a larger angled brush since my eyes are super round. That way it's easier to follow the contours of my eyes.

9 - NYX Eyeliner Pencil in black : pretty black and applies without too much tugging. It's probably not the smoothest pencil liner out there, but it's the best I was able to find so far. Any suggestions on that?