Massive Highend Haul!

So on Tuesday I posted about returning my Sephora + Pantone brushes, and because I was in Toronto I stocked up on a few other products that aren't easily found in my area.

I picked up the Laura Mercier Oil Free Flawless Face Kit ($80CAD) from Sephora. It's a really good deal as you get two brushes to apply product with, the foundation primer, a tinted moisturizer, the undercover pot (two shades of concealer with the translucent powder) and a couple of applicator spounges with this really handy makeup bag. I'm really excited to test these out as I've heard amazing things about the concealer and the translucent powder. Laura Mercier is a rather expensive brand, their translucent powder retails for $45 for a full size one.

I picked up the Nars Laguna/Orgasm bronzer/blush duo which retails for $50. I forgot to take a closer picture of it, but I will post a review + swatches in a month or so once I've given it a thorough test drive. I've been using it for a few days and I have to say I love it so far.

 I also snagged a little travel version of Urban Decay's All Nighter Spray for $14 and cashed in 100 Beauty Insider points for a really nice sized sample of Benifits Watt's Up highlighter.

Unfortunately there is no Chanel counter near me (the nearest one is 45 minutes away) so I took advantage of the fact that I was right by one to pick up the Vitalumiere Aqua foundation in the colour B10. This is a rather expensive foundation at $49, but I've heard such amazing things about it from so many YouTubers I respect (Pixi2woo, Missglamorazzi, FleurDeForce) that I really wanted to try it. I've been using it ever since I got it and I adore it.

I also picked up a Coco Rouge Shine in the colour Boy that my friend Christine of Starry Eyed Beauty told me to buy when we did our shopping day together. I took her advice and bought this super pretty shade but almost had a heart attack when the lady rung me in. It was over $30 for a lipstick! I think MAC lipsticks are expensive at $18 but this was huge sticker shock for me. While I really like this product and packaging I just don't think I can justify spending that kind of money all the time on lipstick.

The bonus of buying my Chanel products at the Bay was that I received a $10 off with $50 spent in the beauty department gift card for my next purchase! I had also been given a $50 gift card for looking after my neighbors pets for a few days for my local mall, which thankfully has a Dior and MAC counter in the Bay.

So I just had to buy the Dior Diorskin Shimmer Star in Amber Diamond which retails for $45. This has been mentioned by just about everyone as an amazing highlighter that you can also use for your eyes and I've been lusting after this for a while. So I was $5 short and while the Dior Lipgloss in Sari Pink is on my wish list I really didn't feel like paying $30+ again for a lip product in a week. So I went over to the MAC counter and picked up the cremesheen in Creme Cup! I haven't purchased a MAC lipstick in so long and while I have a ton of things to depot so I can b2mac them I decided this was one of the least expensive beauty purchases I could make so I could get that $10 off.

I also ordered online these two palettes from Stila, the Rome and the French Rivera sets. These are an amazing deal as you get 3 full sized Stila eye shadows + a holder for $18CAD when a single eyeshadow retails for $22CAD. Rome is now sold out, but there are still four other sets to get. I'm on the fence as to order the other three sets as these are such a great deal. In the Rome set there is Kitten, Golightly and Java. The French Rivera set has Kitten, Grace and Mahogany. Yes I did end up with two kittens but as my friend A- said you can never have too many kittens. I prefer the French Rivera set to the Rome trio as I find it easier to wear during day (the colours are a bit lighter). Both are great investments though, I can see these becoming my go to palettes for weekends getaways, simple pretty neutrals. I'll post a review and swatches really soon as I've already taken the pictures I just want to wear them a bit before I post a full review.

I had quite a bit of sticker shock while buying some of these items (ahem- I'm looking at you Chanel, Nars and Laura Mercier) but I'm really happy I took the plunge and bought these products. I couldn't wait to try them once I got home and I'm loving every one of them so far. I don't normally spend this much money all at once on makeup, but as I'm planning a purchasing ban from September until IMATS and most of these products had been on my wishlist for months I figured I would get a good back to school shopping haul in.

Review: Sephora + Pantone Brush Set

I bought these brushes back at the end of June because I was attracted to their pretty packaging and thought they were a great deal! 5 Brushes for $46CAD when one of my favorite MAC brushes (the 217) was $27 for one brush. Sadly no matter how much I tried to love these brushes they were a huge fail and I ended up returning them to Sephora last week.

First off they applied product terribly! I get fallout from my Naked2 palette even with my MAC brushes but this was ridiculous! Even with my MAC eyeshadows that I've been using for years now with no fallout, ended up all over my cheeks with these brushes.

Another thing that drove me crazy was the bristles kept coming out partway (as seen in the close up shots) but wouldn't fall out. I tried pulling on the offending bristles but they wouldn't budge. This meant for prickly application.

Thankfully the Sephora at Bloor Street West in Toronto was super nice and let me return these no problem even though I didn't have my receipt, or the original packaging and it had been over 3 months. A HUGE thank you to the lovely sales associates who were so nice about it. Honestly the customer service at Sephora has always been lovely, but this was just above and beyond.

Overall rating: DO NOT BUY. I think these are sold out as I can't find them on the webpage, but I did see some still in store when I exchanged these. I'm going to order the essentials kit from Sigma in the near future as I really do need more brushes.

July Glossybox

So this month's Glossybox is disappointing again. Not only did my JULY Glossybox arrive in AUGUST, but it's mostly things I could have picked up at the drugstore. I expect high end/different products from my beauty subscriptions and I've been disappointed two months in a row with Glossybox. I'm giving Glossybox one more month before I completely give up on it.

Zoya Nail Polish ($8.00) in Wednesday
This is really really similar to a colour I got in my Julep Maven box called Daphne, so this is kind of a bust.

Alessandro International Pedix Heel Rescue Balm ($19.95)
This is a good sized sample and smells nice, but I just got a sample of a foot cream two months ago from Glossybox! I'm overwhelmed with foot creams at the moment.

John Frieda go Blonder Spray ($13.99) Full Size

I've looked at this in the store and have read reviews for it so I was a little afraid to try this on my blonde colour treated hair. I tested it and honestly I can't see a difference. I also received a free sample of this from John Frieda as well so this really is useless to me.

Dove Softening Creme Body Wash ($5.99) Full Size
Honestly a full sized body wash from Dove? I thought these were supposed to be deluxe samples!

Burt's Bees lip Shimmer ($5.99) Full Size

Smells nice and looks really nice, subtle shimmer and very moisturizing. But still really disappointing because I can pick this up so easily. I subscribe to beauty boxes to try new products that I haven't heard of before, not stuff I can easily get!

BeautySoClean Sanitizer Wipes ($12.50)


Ok so these are kind of cool, I received 5 wipes in my box. I'll use these when sharing makeup with other people, but as I pretty much never do that these are kind of useless.

Review and Swatches: Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait

I have been loving Revlon Lip Butters for months now. They are amazingly hydrating, give great colour pay off and are easy on the wallet to boot! I think I picked up this one on sale for $5.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart before summer started. I think regularly these retail around the $10 mark, but I've always been able to find them on sale.

The packaging is really nice, the cover has a quilted pattern on it and comes in the colour of the lipstick. This make it super easy to know what colour you're grabbing when in a rush, unlike MAC lipsticks which are a bit of a pain to sort through.

I do find that the lip butters melt very easily and tend to smudge on the packaging if you're not careful. Peach Parfait is a gorgeous neutral pink. It's very much a your lips but better kind of product. I find I reach for this colour all the time, whether for day to day looks or to balance out a smokey eye. The only thing I don't love about this is that there is sparkles in it, which I would prefer that it didn't have.

I love layering Peach Parfait with MAC's Pink Lemonade Tinted Lip Glass over top. This gives my lips a really great fresh summery look.

Rating:

Packing: 5/5 I like that it's easy to find in my makeup drawer and it doesn't look cheap.
Pigmentation: 5/5 You won't get huge pigmentation if you apply it lightly but I find that these are VERY build-able if you want more colour.
Texture: 4/5 The only reason this looses marks is because of the glitter, it makes it just a tiny bit rougher than my other lip butters.
Longevity: 4/5 These aren't going to last you all day, I would say 3-4 hours as long as you don't drink anything.
Application: 5/5 I can apply this without a mirror and not worry that I've made myself look like a clown.


Overall I would 100% recommend this product, I give it an total rating of 4.5/5 and it only really looses marks because of the glitter. This is a great lip product for day to day.

July 2012 Favorites

July has been a boring month for me after the excitement of Italy in June. My courses are picked for the fall, but book lists aren't up yet. I've purchased some great fall pieces for my closet on sale, but the weather is still too hot to wear them. I've spent my days working, going to movies or curled up on a lawn chair reading, kind of boring really. While I love summer I hate not having a purpose while school is off. Anyways here are the products/things I have loved/used to keep me sane so far this month.

1. Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette $60CAD

I hesitates to buy this because of the cost, but I'm so glad I did. I use this almost everyday to do my makeup. Standout colours from this are Tease, Snakebite, Pistol, and YDK, but I have used every single colour at some point. I'm going to try to get a review + swatches of this up by the end of August.

2. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

I think this retails for around $13, but I've seen it on sale for as cheap as $8. This is my first ever BB cream so I have nothing to compare it to, but I love this so much. It gives great lightweight coverage without feeling greasy. The colour actually matches my very pale skin, which is hard to do. Unlike some foundations/tinted moisturizers I've tried I don't feel this on my skin after I apply it, something I can't stand. Miss Glamorazzi posted great comments about this as well and she has much more experience in the BB Cream department than I do.

3. Sephora Collection Microsmooth Bronzing Duo in Spicy Heat $23CAD

 I keep my face slathered in sunscreen during the year, so in the summer it tends to be a couple shades lighter than the rest of my body. So when I went to Sephora to find a bronzer back in April, I was surprised the sales girl chose this for me. I asked her to apply it in store so I could see how it look and I fell in love. I love this bronzer  because I can make it lighter or darker depending on my needs. It also gives a very subtle glow to my skin without looking like I've doused myself in glitter. I've been using this since April (when I had zero tan) to now (when I have a bit of a tan) and it works perfectly no matter what shade my skin is.

4. Revlon Lip Butters

I love the Revlon Lip Butters, they're moisturizing and the colour payoff is really great as well. I've been wearing the colour Peach Parfait a lot lately, as it works really well with any looks I create with the Naked 2 Palette. I think these retail for around $10CAD but I got mine on sale for $6. I haven't seen a good sale on these for a while now so I haven't picked up any new shades.

5. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries!

I love Pride and Prejudice, it's one of my favorite books. I read it at least once a year, and watch the 2005 movie version at least twice a year. When I stumbled across this YouTube version I fell in love. If you feel like a modern take on a beloved classic, this is for you!

Review: Bioderma Sensibo H2O

I've been using this makeup remover for a while now after it felt like everyone and their mother raved about it. I find it does a good job of removing my makeup, and doesn't make my eyes sting like some of them. Honestly though I really don't see what the fuss is about. It's expensive (I think I paid around $24CAD for a bottle of this) and while it does remove my makeup, I still have to rub to get my eye makeup off. I took this and the Olay daily facial wipes to Italy and honestly both did the same thing and left my skin feeling the same after. I probably won't repurchase this, not because it's a bad product but because it's so expensive and I feel like there are cheaper products that do the same thing.

July Glymm Beauty Bag

So this is the first Glymm bag I've received and so far my impression is mildly positive. I wouldn't say I'm jumping up and down for joy with this subscription but I've heard that it's hit and miss some months. I do really like the little makeup bag that you get with it though. Here is a link to the product list of whats in this bag.

Dirt Salt Scrub
 This smells great, but I'm really disappointed with the size as I don't think it'll do my whole body.

Cyberderm H20 Hydration and PM Anti-Age
I've never heard of this brand, but the packaging is super cute! They look like needles.

Joico K-Pak Revitaluxe hair treatment
 Love this, I'm not huge into hair products as my hair is relatively healthy so I tend to not spend my money on them. This hair mask didn't weigh down my fine hair at all and made it feel smooth and silky, plus it had a light citrus smell that was really nice. 

Social Butterfly Hair Perfume 
Great idea, hate the scent. It's too perfumey and sweet for my tastes. I think I'll pass this on to my sister who likes these kind of scents.