Finish Five: Fall Edition

So predictable. After all that hauling I did in spring  as evidenced in my purchase posts (see Parts I, II, III, IV, and V), of course I started to feel like I need to do a little purging to balance things out. I’ve been on a slow purge of products for quite a while now, and I set myself back a little by going a bit crazy after Elena was born. Thankfully I got a handle on it fairly quickly before I did too much damage! If you follow me on Instagram, you’d have seen several rounds of decluttering which helped restore the balance – however, there are still products that are ‘weighing me down’ so to speak, but I feel a compulsion to finish these rather than give or throw them away.

I’m going to go into more detail regarding my decluttering/streamlining journey in a future post, but I wanted to get the ball rolling on this new series now (as I actually began the post idea back in the summer, oops). Every season I’m going to choose 5 products to dedicate time to using up – these are products that are either near completion / well on their way to becoming so, or have been in my collection for awhile and are probably coming very close to be being unusable (either from being dried up or well past expiry, etc.).

This month, I’m expanding on a few products I’ve been diligently working at using, as well as adding in a few seasonally appropriate shades that need to get more love before I send them to makeup heaven.

Too Faced Sun Bunny Natural Bronzer – DUUUUUUDES, I’ve been working on this one since Elena was born, especially since the end of spring, and I just wanna hit pan already!!! Gah. At least, it’s kind of a great bronzer – maybe just a touch warmer than I’d like (things easily go orange on my skin though), but it gives an amazing bronzed glow to the skin that is truly a glow, not shimmer. It hasn’t been a real hardship wearing this every day, by any means.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Suspect (depotted) – When I first bought the UD Book of Shadows III palette way back when, this shade got major love – but after a while I forgot about it (all the new shiny pretty things!), which is a shame because it’s a great subtle taupe shadow on me, and taupes and I don’t always get along. I’ve been wearing this a lot lately and I’m having a renewed love for this pretty, wearable shade!

Clinique Airbrushed Concealer in 03 Medium – I got this in a gratis order ages and ages ago, and I do use this with some frequency, but its like the never-ending product! I like it a lot for minimal makeup days for a quick hit of brightening and concealing under the eye, so I’m not rushing to finish it too badly, but I am keen to try Urban Decay’s Naked concealer and I really need to use a few up before I can justify that purchase. SO…yea, I guess I do kind of want to finish this soon.

MAC Mattene Lipstick in Bing – OMG I feel like I keep throwing this shade out there every fall and talking about how I’m going to WERK IT, and then I don’t and here it is STILL in my makeup collection since I bought it in like…2008, or something? GAH. This year I at least am making the right moves toward using this and bought a dark lipliner to wear with it so that it looks better on me (hopefully). Let me make a grand statement now though that if I don’t wear this at all THIS year, it’s absolutely GOTTA GO.

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow in Sandy Gold – I really like to use this cream shadow as a base or even on it’s own, as it’s nicely brightening to the eye area, but I forget to use it a lot…and then unfortunately I started to see that it’s drying up on me! You can see it a bit in the picture below, how it’s pulling away from the sides…ugh. So that means I have to start getting my money’s worth with this, I definitely haven’t used it enough to feel I have yet!

Are there any products you’ve been trying to finish lately?

My new favourite base combo with Clinique and Benefit

Yikes! It’s been like, two weeks since I last posted…my bad! I find time gets away from me SO easily these days, and it’s not all baby planning. I’ve mentioned before all the extra-curriculars I’ve been partaking in, but (somewhat) happily, one of those has been wrapped up for the time being – my evening French classes have ended and I don’t plan to sign up for any more (I’m still taking lessons during work hours so hopefully that’ll keep me moving forward), so that’s one extra night a week I’ll have to do with as I please. Admittedly, this will probably involve a book and some tea most of the time, ha – I’ve been doing a TON of reading, like it’s going out of style. I just don’t know how much time I’ll have come mid-March (my guess is: ZERO) so I’m getting it all in now.

Nonetheless, rest assured that even if you don’t see me churning out a ton of posts, I’ve still got beauty on the brain! I scored a pretty large haul during the Sephora VIB sale (which I’ll be showing you soon), and I’m employing every trick in the book to really capitalize on the ‘pregnancy glow’ – I don’t really see it myself, but I must be faking doing something right because I’ve been told several times that I’ve got it in spades. Hopefully its being said in a positive way and they’re not referring to me looking like a grease ball  I’m *fairly* certain that’s not the case, as I’ve got a new routine going that I’m really loving! Neither product is new, nor even really new to me, but I started using them together and it’s like a match made in heaven. The duo I’m referring to is Benefit’s The POREfessional and Clinique’s Stay Matte Oil-Free Makeup (in shade 19 Sand).

I’ve used both of these products on their own separately before, but wasn’t terribly wowed by either. Benefit’s primer seems much like every other, blurring the look of pores with a light, ‘cone-based formula; the Stay Matte formula from Clinique’s foundation range is a great choice for combination to oilier skin that requires little coverage (it’s quite sheer), but it doesn’t keep my skin from getting shiny throughout the day. However, the two together just seem to work. The Benefit primer slightly mattifies my skin (I apply it through the T-zone) and the foundation glides seamlessly on top and manages to leave my skin with only a healthy glow by the end of the day – and this is without applying powder on top!

This has been my go-to pairing for the last month or so – I’m always trying to achieve a ‘glow’ that doesn’t veer into disco-ball shine, and I’ve finally found the trick with these two products. If you’re looking for a completely matte finish, neither of these products, together or separately, will give you that look. But if you have skin like mine that tends to get a low-level shine factor by mid-day, you might want to check them out to keep the oilies at bay without sacrificing that ever-elusive healthy glow.

What’s your favourite primer + foundation combo?

Clinique Cheek Pops in Berry Pop and Peach Pop {a delayed review}

Though I’ve worked for Clinique since 2005 (almost 10 years, crazy!), I’ve never been head over heels for their makeup – it’s always been a bit too mundane for me, a bit too soft. Ever since they re-launched and re-vamped the super-popular Chubby Sticks (we used to have them back in the day, did you know?), Clinique has been upping their makeup game, and I’ve been taking notice. In my last gratis from Clinique back in early spring, I ordered two Cheek Pops ($24CAD) to try as I had read so many great reviews on them, and since I was getting them for free – hey, why not? Being a *wee bit* into blush, I was excited to try these out.

Left – Peach Pop; Right – Berry Pop. This is what they looked like when I first bought them…

…and what they look like now!

The two shades I went with were Peach Pop, a peachy-orange, and Berry Pop, a fuchsia-berry shade. As I discovered a while ago, fuchsia is kind of my JAM, and so I was unsurprized to find that Berry Pop looked lovely on my skin. Interestingly, the shade isn’t comparable to anything else I own – all my other fuchsia shades were MUCH cooler, whereas Berry Pop is, well – more berry!

Clinique Berry Pop

Clinique Berry Pop (natural light)

Orange-y tones however, are not often flattering on my skin tone, and Peach Pop initially seemed like a poor choice, as I found it looked kind of dull and blah. I stuck it in my train case (where all my ‘extra’ makeup is stored) and forgot about it throughout the rest of spring and summer months.

Clinique Peach Pop

Clinique Peach Pop (natural light)

When September hit, I did my annual rotation of makeup products – which I tend to do every season, and sometimes more if I’m feeling bored – and I decided to give Peach Pop another go, as I felt it’s soft peachy tones would work well with earthy, fall-appropriate shades, as well as not compete with any bold eye or lip looks I tend to favour during this season. Surprizingly, for whatever reason, I fell madly in love with the shade this time around, and find myself reaching for it the most out of my edited collection of ‘fall’ blushes. It gives a wonderful ‘fresh’ glow to my skin and wears equally well with heavier makeup as with very simple, basic looks. I should have known better, in truth – Peach Pop is very similar to Chanel’s Blush Creme in Revelation, which I love and wear the heck out of when my tan has faded (it’s too soft to wear otherwise).

Left – heavy and buffed swatches of Peach Pop; right – heavy and buffed swatches of Berry Pop (in sunlight)

I must attribute some of this new-found love to my friend Larie, who recently discovered peach herself. She always gets me thinking outside the box!

Wearing Clinique Peach Pop…sorry for the less than stellar photo, it has been overcast for the past few days, and late afternoon sun can by tricky! But FYI – this photo was taken with my new iPhone 6! Not a bad shot when you think of it that way, eh? The camera on it is pretty sweet 🙂

Though I haven’t worn Berry Pop too often (to me it’s a more winter/spring shade), I suspect I will enjoy it just as much as Peach Pop when the time comes. These blushes are fool-proof to apply, going on softly and subtly if you so desire, but building up to a beautiful bold color if that’s your preference instead. I adore the satin finish that imparts a soft glow to the skin without any shimmer whatsoever (this is my favorite blush formula), and they blend out like a dream. And as much as I’m not a ‘cute-sy’ person when it comes to packaging, I think these little pots are adorable! Love the clear glass packaging, bypassing anything tacky or twee-looking, and the flower pattern inside is intricate and sweet without being saccharine.

I probably should have written about these a long time ago, eh!?

What was the last product you bought that ended up being a sleeper hit for you?

My Summertime Skin Saviors

The past few days have been insanely, impossibly, stinkin’ (on the bus…literally :S) hot.  I mean H.O.T.!!  Tempuratures have soared into the low 30s with a humidex of near 40 degrees since Wednesday, and barely go lower than the mid 20s in the evening.  I don’t like to complain, because before that we had days upon days of rain, but….DUDE.  It’s frickin’ crazy up in here.

Since the sun has been beaming its beautiful yet harmful rays down hard over these last days, sunscreen and skin repair has been heavy on my mind.  Thankfully, even though half of our summer has been spent enduring overcast, rainy skies, I’ve been prepared for the eventual more seasonally-appropriate weather since May, with an arsenal of serious-business sunscreens as well as antioxidant-laden treatments to stave off any damage occurred from those times I do venture out into the heat.  I’m having enormous success with these products so I just have to tell you about them!

Clockwise from left: Clinique After Sun Rescue Balm with Aloe, La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion Face SPF60, Vichy Capital Soleil Sheer Lotion SPF45 Bare Skin Feel Face and Body, MD Formulations Moisture Defense Antioxidant Hydrating Gel

I have pretty high requirements when it comes to sunscreens.  It needs to be non-greasy (especially for face), fragrance-free, and gentle enough for my sensitive, eczema-prone skin – which often means physical sunscreens, except they generally leave a whitish cast that is super-noticeable on my darker skin, especially once I’m tanned.  These demands don’t seem that serious, but it is a TRIAL to find physical sunscreens that leave a trace behind.  I finally caved this year and picked up two products that do contain chemical sunscreens to avoid this problem, but both are extremely forgiving to my finnicky skin.  Additionally, they are both exceptionally light-feeling and are fragrance free.  The products in question are La Roche-Posay’s Anthelios Ultra-Fluid Lotion Face SPF60 ($27CAD), and Vichy’s Capital Soleil Sheer Lotion SPF45 Bare Skin Feel Face and Body ($30CAD).

La Roche-Posay Anthelios on left; Vichy Capital Soleil on right

Let me just say now how madly in love with these products I am!!  Neither cause any irritation to my skin whatsoever – yahoo!!!!! – and disappear without a trace once rubbed in.  They both have a thin consistency, especially the La Roche-Posay, which is very liquidy and rubs in so easily on my face.  The Vichy product, a new formulation this year, is thicker but still very silky to the touch, and is invisible once rubbed in with zero stickiness or heavy feel.  Both are absolute superstars in my books and I’m really pleased to have discovered them.  I purchased both from Shoppers Drug Mart and managed to score them both on sale too, for around $21CAD.  They aren’t cheap but for me they’re well worth the cost.

Ingredient lists for your reference:

La Roche-Posay Anthelios

Vichy Capital Soleil

Next, we have damage control.  I mentioned to you a couple weeks ago that I picked up MD Formulations Moisture Defense Antioxidant Hydrating Gel ($47CAD) and was quite liking it.  The sentiment still stands – this product is awesome!  The texture is VERY thin, and quite watery, so move quickly.  However, one pump will do your whole face and neck, and it sinks in instantly, feeling like I put nothing on.  I love that I can use this every single morning without worrying it might cause excess shine due to the humid, hot weather.

Of course, as it’s preventative with no real treatment, I can’t see the effects of it’s hard work, but it is absolutely one the loveliest products I’ve had the pleasure to use on my oily skin. It is designed to moisturize the skin as well, but I can’t comment on that because my skin isn’t currently dry in the least – so for someone who required extra moisture, this might not be for you.  But for you other oily or normal-combination skins out there, I highly recommend this product if you’re looking to prevent the aging effects of the sun.  I plan on picking up the Antioxidant Spray next!

Ingredient list:

MD Formulations Moisture Defense Antioxidant Hydrating Gel

Finally, I make sure that my body is well looked-after.   To resist aging everywhere else, any time I spend a longer than normal time in the sun, I use Clinique’s After Sun Rescue Balm.  This product feels glorious on sun-parched, over-heated skin, and is terrifically soothing if you’ve accidentally gotten a bit of a burn.  The high aloe content and other moisturizing properties help soothe and minimize peeling, and the ingredients boast antioxidants to combat any crazy free-radicals trying to prematurely age you.

The texture is sort of reminiscent of a gel-cream, and it leaves a bit of a glow behind which absorbs fairly quickly (see photo below) and does not feel sticky at all.  Even on my sensitive skin, this product is exceptional, and I’d use it as an everyday body lotion all summer long if I had the cash (it costs $24CAD, which isn’t horrendous, but its not cheap either).

Ingredients for reference:

Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Butylene Glycol, Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, PEG-8, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric/Myristic/Stearic Triglyceride, Glyceryl Stearate, PEG-100 Stearate, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract, Hordeum Vulgare (Barley) Extract, Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract, Stearic Acid, Tribehenin, Micrococcus Lysate, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria), Cholesterol, Isostearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol, Lecithin, Tocopheryl Acetate, Bis-Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate-2, Sucrose, Polysorbate 60, Tromethamine, Dimethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Linoleic Acid, Squalane, Stearyl Alcohol, Sodium Beta-Sitosteryl Sulfate, Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Hexylene Glycol, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Blue 1, Yellow 5, Green 5

I’m really feeling full-on prepared for summer, and I have to say it feels pretty darn good!  I don’t burn easily or often, but I like to think that’s because I take precautions to avoid that happening.  I think that high-powered sunscreens, in conjunction with repairing products, will keep me looking good throughout the summer and beyond (I hope!).

Are you prepared for summer? What are your go-to products?

May Marvels: What I’m Loving This Month!

Admittedly, May has FLOWN by with everything that’s been going on, and for once my brain hasn’t been consumed with thoughts of new beauty products and pretties as it usually it (perhaps sad, but totally true normally).  However, just because I’m not plotting my next purchase doesn’t mean I’m not thoroughly enjoying what I already have!  I’ve got a handful of items that have been in heavy rotation this month – see for yourself!

I came  SUUUUPER late to the EOS party it’s true, as these cute, all-natural spherical balms ($3.99CAD) were all the rage, oh, 2-3 years ago?  Nonetheless, I’m fairly certain they deserved all the hype, and they still seem quite popular as evidenced by a pretty badass dude on the bus whipping one out to smooth and hydrate his pucker on the bus a couple weeks ago.  It was AWESOME.  As are these – I have been using the one in Pomegranate Raspberry on the regular (a light, fruity scent that dissipates once on the lips), and it’s just got the absolute best texture – not too thin so as to wear off quickly, but not so thick that you can’t easily apply lipstick over it without it smearing or diluting the color.  Due to the shea butter, vitamin E and jojoba oil, I find them quite adept at hydrating my lips – though I would like them to be a bit more smoothing when they’re chapped and flaking.  Overall I’m loving it and am trying to resist also keeping the other two I have – Strawberry Sorbet and Passionfruit – instead of being generous and giving them to friends and family 🙂  Note that these are petroleum-free, paraben-free, and gluten-free, and can be purchased at Lawtons, Sobeys, Pharmaprix, Target, and Jean Coutu.

As someone who manicures her nails twice a week, I am careful to be gentle as too much fussing can weaken them and cause splits and tears in the nail.  I’ve been using an old file that was given to me after my last pedicure, and it was doing the trick – or so I had thought.  I’d heard that glass nails were IT in terms of filing, and had tried them to only feel frustrated at how long it took to get anything done!  However, these files from Mont Bleu (approx. $13CAD) are AH-MA-ZING!  I was totally skeptical but thought I’d give them a shot again, and I’m SO glad I did.  Made with tempered Czech glass and embedded with Swarovski rhinestones (swanky!), I’ve been using one of the longer files religiously on my nails and on my friends nails for the bachelorette party/wedding (love that you can clean these) and they are crazy-effective, but still super gentle.  I had my nails quite long for the wedding, longer than I’ve been able to grow them in ages before they normally break, and I contribute that success to these babies.  LOVE!

My wedding mani! OPI Witch is Which over OPI Dazzled by Gold, just on tips

Late last month I ~FINALLLY~ finished my massive tube of Queen Helene Mint Julep Clay Mask – OMG I thought it was going to last forever!!  I bought it in 2008 if you can believe it…Anyway, I replaced it with Clinique’s new-ish Acne Solutions Oil-Control Cleansing Mask, also a clay mask, and have been using it once or twice a week with good results.  It seems to heal my breakouts faster without irritating my sensitive skin or making it feel tight and uncomfortable.  It does seem to make me a bit more oily the next day, but overall it’s quite effective and a little goes a long way.  For $26CAD for 100mL, it’s a pretty decent deal for a mask and I suspect it’ll last a while too (though hopefully not 5 years long).

Lastly, at the very beginning of May, I finally finished Denyse Beaulieu’s ode to parfum, The Perfume Lover.  When I say finally, it’s not because this was a dull, painful read – it was just because I kept stopping between parts to google all the things I learned!  For a relative fragrance newb, this book was exceptionally compelling and totally piqued my interest about the world of fragrance.  For someone already firmly entrenched in the beauty and joy of perfume and the history of scent, I believe you will find this wholeheartedly captivating.  Though I felt the storyline was a bit scattered at times, I didn’t care, as Denyse spun such an enthralling tale about the origins of fragrance while weaving throughout her own personal love affair with scent.  It was a fantastic read and I am all the more informed and better for having read it.  The accompanying fragrance, Seville a l’aube, is an orange blossom-heavy fragrance with hints of lavender and tobacco.  I am admittedly not a huge orange blossom fan (I believe it’s the reason I can’t fully commit to either Prada’s Infusion d’Iris nor Lancome’s La Vie Est Belle), I don’t mind this.  I think if I were to smell it on someone else, I’d be drawn in and wonder exactly what they were wearing.  It’s enveloping and definitely sensual – and there is something about it I like – but also something about it that repels me.  A strange mix, to be sure, and one that absolutely needs to be sniffed (don’t they all?) to make your own assumptions.

So, these are the things that have gotten me through May!  It has been quite handy to have a few items on hand that are easily grab and go without any serious thought required (as I didn’t have time for it!).  I have a few more fun items to show you (hello, Boy’s Don’t Cry blush!), but I’m waiting for a sunny day to take some FOTD shots.  Hopefully we’ll get lucky this weekend!

What items, beauty or otherwise, have you been loving this month?

All products reviewed in this post were provided by the PR company/brand for my unbiased consideration.

So Many Goodies, So Little (Personal) Time

I’m feeling very overwhelmed tonight at the sheer amount of fun things I want to post about, and the very little time I have lately to do it.  Some of these things aren’t truly pressing (well, to be honest – nothing is life or death in the beauty world, is it?), so I’m trying to figure out how to prioritize which to present first.  For the moment, let’s have a gander at what you can look forward to, eh?

eos Hand Lotion and Shave Cream* for smooth legs and hands – I haven’t owned a shaving product in years but I gotta say, this cream makes me want to change my ways!

Just received my third Haus of Gloi order today and I’m so stoked – along with two Aether Pumpkin Butters, I ordered one in the Komodo scent (mangosteen, Tahitian vanilla bean, dragons blood resin and faded tropical blooms) as well as a small size of a Bubbling Scrub in Selkie (smells like the sea!) and a Sugar Exfoliant in Lassi (reminds me of sour candies :P).  They all smell SO GOOOOOD.

I got my semi-annual gratis today from Clinique*, along with a couple other items, I selected the Acne Solutions Oil-Control Cleansing Mask as I needed a new purifying mask; a Lash Power mascara, which is sort of old news now but still a great product; an Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector, which I haven’t yet had a chance to try but lord knows these poor old eyes need it; and the brand new Even Better Compact Makeup which we played with in school but I forgot my shade, so I ordered by guessing – I think this will be OK once I get a bit tanned, it looks a touch dark for me right now.

When I received a copy of The Perfume Lover and a sample* of the resulting fragrance Denyse Beaulieu created with L’Artisan Parfumeur, I wasn’t convinced I’d be into it all.  Consider me converted – not only am I LOVING the book (I’m about 2/3’s of the way through and totally want to buy ALL OF THE FRAGRANCE now) but I actually kind of dig the scent as well.  It’s not in my comfort zone, not being a huge fan of orange blossom (one of the top notes), but something about it pulls me in.  Expect to read my review on both for SURE.

So….aside from the multitude of lippies I still have to show you, now I have all this to add to the pile.  Oh yea.  I’ll get right on it.  *eeks!*  Maybe you can help me out and let me know which product(s) you’d like to see first?!?!

*Items noted were provided by the PR company/brand.

Score a Lit-From-Within Glow with Clinique’s Uplighting Liquid Illuminator in Bronze

Ever since the end of last month, when I decided I was going to make an effort to use every single makeup item in my stash over the next month (or two…I’ve got a fair bit to go through!), I’ve been rediscovering some real gems that I forgot I even had in my possession.  It’s been a great exercise in recognizing just how much I have, and lessening the urge to buy anything new of which I don’t already have a reasonable fascimile.  It also has helped me weed out items I no longer want, and give some love to my long-forgotten products!  It’s an all around good time 😀

One product in particular that has actually been on my radar for months, but I just couldn’t be bothered to use, is Clinique’s Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator in Bronze ($32CAD/$25US), described as a sheer bronze with gold shimmer.   For some reason, I couldn’t get on board with this product, and I kept pulling it out to use only to bypass it and choose something else.  Finally, in my new dedication to using everything, I tried it once more – and DAMN!  What was I waiting for!?  This stuff is GOLD (well – bronze really, but you know what I mean ;)).

Artificial light

With flash

Dispensed via a pump mechanism, you only need a very small drop of liquid for each cheek – the size of a pinhead.  Without natural light, it’s hard to show you the beautiful effect this illuminator has on the skin in a swatch.  It looks metallic and just kinda…blech.  But!  Never fear my fellow makeup fiends, because this baby shows up FABULOUSLY on the face in photos – which is kinda the whole deal, right?  It’s always good to have an arsenal of photo-friendly products in your back pocket!  Bask in the glory:

You can see my pores a bit here, but it’s not truly due to the product (sadly), and you can only see them in this kind of very up-close view.

I remember once going out for an event, and a few photos were taken that were later posted on Facebook.  A friend at the time wrote a comment and said ‘Whatever makeup you’re using to give you that glow, I WANT IT.’  Stupidly, even though I remember this and remember how GREAT I looked in that photo, I stopped using this for a few years!  What the what!?!

Like my cute feathered headband??  I bought this a few years ago when feathers in your hair were a big thing.  I still think this works because it’s not obnoxious, and it really dresses up my hair if I’m lazy and pull it back 🙂

I find when I’m wearing this, which has been a lot lately, I hardly need any other makeup, because it just makes me look so damn HEALTHY.  And it’s terribly easy to use, at least on my skintone – I just dab a touch on each cheek and then pat it along my cheekbones with either my finger or a stippling brush.  It gives a hint of color, but mostly the illuminating effect speaks for itself without anything else needed.  I will give a note of caution however – on a lighter skintone, you’ll need to apply this more carefully, as it could look a touch muddy if applied with a heavy hand.  Or, even better – head out and grab yourself the ‘Natural‘ shade, which is a soft neutral beige with gold shimmer, and blends into almost any skintone (and is great to use an a inner eye corner or brow highlight too!).  There’s also a ‘Blush‘ option – a sheer pink with white shimmer – but I’ve never tried it or used it on any of my clients, so I can’t comment on it.  Sephora doesn’t seem to carry the Natural shade online, and currently the Bronze shade is sold out, but you can get all three on the Clinique websites (Canada & the US).

Basically, you absolutely need this if you’re in the market for a liquid highlighter/illuminator – or even if you’re not.  It’s just so freakin’ great!  The wear time if you can believe is exceptional too – all day without any touch-ups required, which I think is quite a feat for a liquid product that I’m not layering or powdering.  And I’ll admit, some Clinique makeup doesn’t seem to last that long in general – but this sure does!  The only issue I have at all is that the pump sometimes gets a bit clogged so if you’re not careful, too much will come out if you push the pump too hard.  But it’s such a slight inconvenience for the awesomeness you get that I don’t care one iota about it.  A small price to pay to look like you just came back from a run on the beach in Hawaii or something.  It reminds me of that fabulous glow you get in the evenings when your down South and it’s still warm but you’re not sweating at all – LOVE IT!

So – liquid illuminator, check.  Now I just need a powder illuminator – any suggestions?  Do you prefer liquid, cream or powder highlighters?  Or none at all?

Random EOTD’s For Your Viewing Pleasure

I’m having a bit of a moment lately; I’m rather uninspired to write, or even read blogs the past couple weeks.  Part of that is due to the fact that I’m trying to not buy anything: with my trip to New Zealand less than a week away (so crazy!!), I just can’t justify buying any pretties, especially just to have them sit there for over a month unused while I travel.  I know there are plenty of things I could write about, but the new stuff is always the most fun, am I right?  The other part is that anything that’s giving me the lemming itch doesn’t come out until after I leave, and will likely be sold out when I return, so what’s the point of getting excited for nothing?  It’s a sad state of affairs, my friends.

Wearing Chanel Abstraction Illusion d’Ombre over Clinique’s Rum Spice Color Surge Eyeshadow. As beautiful as Abstraction is, it can be tricky to get the true shimmering beauty to translate on the eye.  The deep warm bronze of Rum Spice helped give it a solid base to build upon.

What’s weird about this is that I’ve actually been more inspired than ever to play with makeup – almost every day I try a new ‘look’ and end up actually loving it.  It seems that while I’m having an ‘off’ month with respect to blogging, nevertheless I’m clearly having a makeup moment, in which I’ve figured out truly how to wear it.  That sounds kind of ridiculous considering I’ve been blogging for a while (with FOTD’s) and I have been doing wedding and event makeup for like, 10 years.  But truly – I’ve JUST GOT IT.

After a breakup, there’s often that feeling of wanting a change, to start fresh.  Naturally, my feeling was instantly related to beauty, and I decided to start focusing more on just one feature rather than overwhelming my face.  While I generally stick to that rule in theory, I would often do a smoky eye and neutral lips – but then add just a touch too much blush.  Or bold lips but then add a bit of shadow, which would end up looking ‘too done.’  I’ve really toned it down this fall, and now if I do a strong lip then I wear just the barest hint of blush and mascara.  Or I’ll wear a fierce flush and keep everything else very minimal (though sometimes I will go for a juicy matching pout).  I find the effect has been MUCH more satisfactory to me, and I’ve actually gotten a lot more compliments on how I look.

A look I did before going out last weekend, using MAC Vex shadow and Dark Soul pigment.  I find silver notoriously hard to wear, so this was a great achievement for me!

The real reason for this change was that I really want to make a statement.  My wardrobe is relatively basic, with only a few outfits that make me feel on-trend; makeup is really where I shine.  If I can’t generate attention via my closet, I can surely make something happen with my beauty approach, right?  And it seems that I’ve just about nailed it 🙂

Though the looks I’m showing in this post are all focused on eyes, believe me when I say that I’ve been having quite the time with dramatic lips this season as well – it’s just that I’ve already on one of the shades (Ellis Faas Creamy Lips in L102, which I love more every day!), and I’m planning on posting the other shade I’ve been rocking lately (keep your eyes peeled!).  What pleases me about these eye looks specifically is that not only have I gotten the rest of the makeup down pat, but I’ve managed to blend and layer my shadows much better than usual, which has made some previously hard-to-wear shades, actually quite wearable!

L’Oreal’s Golden Mahogany Infallible shadow, using MAC’s Vex once again as an inner eye/lid color.I was inspired this week on Refinery29 about pairing reddish eyeshadow with silver, so I had to try it out – and I absolutely LOVED it!  New favorite right here.

In any case, while I’ve been somewhat absent around these here parts, don’t you think for a second that I’m not still living and breathing beauty.  I just seem to have a combination of writer’s block, decreased funds, and a mega-trip on my mind – but I think when I get back in November, I’m going to be chock full of energy to get back on the horse again.  I’ve been particularly desperate to do some swatching series, but as my hands and forearms have been having serious eczema breakout for two months now, it’s just not going to happen until that clears up 😦  I’m hoping the fresh NZ air will fix me – both my skin and my brain 🙂

Which look is your favorite?  Do you ever go through ‘slow’ spells with makeup and/or blogging?

Beauty Low-Buy Update: ‘Meh’ Month Five

The past 30 days seemed to drag on, don’t you think?  I found this month a bit tough to keep myself under control – nothing too serious, but I kept feeling like it should be time again for me to be able to buy something else pretty guilt free 😛  I think my mini Burberry haul really added to the heft my purchases list has this month.  I’m not going to worry about it, since it was a 30th birthday splurge and I’m worth it, dammit!  But, back on the horse – I plan on doing better this coming month.  I think I’m one of the last ones standing regarding the low/no-buy (except Larie, who’s extended her ban – hooray!), so possibly these posts have lost their zest for you, but nonetheless I’m going to keep pressing on because otherwise I have no one to hold me accountable!

I think I should be recapping a few of the guidelines before jumping right into the empties/purchases, so let me just refresh your memory:

1) Makeup: Purchase no more than 10 items per season
2) Nail Polish: Purchase no more than 5 polish per month
3) Skincare: Use one, Buy one

Ok, now that we’ve got that out of the way – let’s see how I’m doing (gulp!).

Purchased (May 20-June 19):

Here we have:

– Marcelle Hydra-C Facial Exfoliating Gel ($10.74CAD – sale)

– Life Brand Skin Relieving Moisturizing Lotion ($5.99CAD – sale)

– Aveeno Sensitive Skin Sunscreen ($10.99 – sale)

– Zoya Arizona & Wednesday polishes ($8.75CAD each)

– Essie Bikini So Teeny & Blanc polishes ($7.99CAD – sale – and $11.99CAD, respectively)

– Orly In A Snap Quick Drying Top Coat ($12CAD)

– Essie First Base Base Coat ($12CAD)

– Sparitual Aurum polish ($12CAD)

– Burberry Fresh Glow Luminous Fluid Base ($66CAD)

– Burberry Light Glow Blush in Russet ($54CAD)

– Burberry Sheer Eye Shadow in Trench ($33CAD)

– Chanel Illusion d’Ombre in Abstraction #88 ($37CAD)

Err…yea.  Not great…but in fairness, my birthday was last month and I felt it was appropriate to treat myself 🙂  Ah well!  Many of these I’ve reviewed already – and I plan on posting the other polish shades soon, especially Bikini So Teeny – LOVE this shade!!!  And the Marcelle scrub is actually quite lovely as well.

My discard pile is somewhat meager this month – and I blame the handful of products I have that just won’t die!!!!  They’re driving me crazy.  I even took a shot of them so you could see what I mean:

I have the Lavanilla bottle upside-down because the bottom of the vial narrows and it looks like there’s a lot more than there is if I stand it upright (I realize I am insane).

All of these products have been *thisclose* to being finished for like a month.  Well, excluding the MAC shadow (in Arena – great natural brow highlight for darker-skinned ladies), I just threw that in there because – PAN!  PAN!  PAN!!  Being able to see pan is very exciting for me; I only have one other full-size product showing pan in my stash, a blush from CoverFX, and it’s just HUGE.  As for the rest…it’s just ridiculous, half of these are deluxe sample sizes, WTF are they still kicking around for??  I can’t STAND sample size products :S  I promise you that next month, these will be finished, kaput.  Or else I’m gonna go stark raving MAD.

…Anyway.  Empties, anyone?

Used Up (May 20-June 19):

And the winners loser are:

– Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturizer SPF15 in 06

– Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF15 Original

– Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara (sample)

– Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Bourbon

– Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator

– Clinique City Block Sheer Daily Face Protector SPF25

– Life Brand Skin Relieving Moisturizing Lotion

– Clinique Moisture Surge Face Spray

So there’s a lot of Clinique, and a lot of the Moisture Surge line eh?  Hmm.  Guess my skin’s been thirsty lately 😛  I do like the line, and almost every school we get a bottle of the Face Spray, which used to sit in my cupboard going mostly unused, ’till I read this article on Beauty Editor, and now I use it daily and it is AMAZING.  I thought it was just for a pick-me-up, but it’s way better when used between skincare applications.  The Moisture Surge Intense was nice, but I actually like the original better, which is weird because that one is merely a temporary solution, whereas this one supposedly restores your moisture barrier to help ‘fix’ the problem.  I just didn’t like the texture as much, or something.  The Tinted Moisturizer provides quite good coverage for that kind of product, but it’s a bit too hydrating for me (re: greasy), especially in the Summer.  Would be perfect for someone with drier skin though!

As for the other Clinique product, the City Block Sheer, I honestly think switching to physical sunscreens has been the difference-maker in my skin.  I have absolutely NO irritation ever and my skin has never been better – I haven’t needed to wear foundation in months.  I will never go back to chemical if I can help it.  Also, I find that using only this sunscreen in the warmer months, with no ‘official’ moisturizer during the day, has made me SO much less oily, I hardly have an issue with it now at all (though it could be because I’m also not wearing foundation).  Hallelujah!

Here lies the second Fresh Lip Treatment which I have finished, and finished HARD:

I’m sad to say but I won’t ever repurchase these again, as I find that due to the high fragrance in them they cause irritation in my lips, which means that even though they’re hydrated, their often rough and chapped.  I have one more to finish and then I’m done with them!  Too bad because they’re lovely but just not for me!

I snagged a sample of the Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara in April which was sweet because I was considering picking it up as my next mascara.  However, I was underwhelmed.  I sort of don’t think mascara samples are fully representative of the full-size product, but at the same time, the brush was just OK (very reminiscent of Clinique’s Lash Doubling, which I could just order for free on my gratis), and it didn’t give me KA-POW lashes in the least, which is sort of my goal.  So, I’ll pass for now.

I used to love the UD 24/7 pencils and wanted to acquire them in every shade (I still have probably 5-6), but lately I find that they’re so gritty feeling with all the sparkle, and its just not comfortable on my eyes.  I did like this shade, Bourbon, a lot though.  But, once a pencil gets down too far for me to sharpen it, out it goes!

Lastly…the Life Brand Moisturizing Lotion, which I’ve talked about before (I really should just stop putting those in because ~snooze~ but you can see how fast I go through them eh?)  Also, I know how much you enjoy the fact that I cut these tubes in half to get as much product as I can LOL (also see the Clinique SPF).  What can I say?  I hate waste 😛

OK!  Putting it all together, here’s a quick recap:

1) Makeup: 4 makeup items purchased [12 this season (Spring)] *Tossed 3*
2) Nail Polish: 5 polish purchased this month (13 total since the beginning of 2012)
3) Skincare: Used 5, Bought 3

This time around, that’s 5  full-size skincare products,  1 sample,  and 2 makeup items 

So…I didn’t succeed on the makeup front, but I’m pretty pleased overall that I was able to only buy 12 items over the course of 3 months – it felt like I was buying a lot more!  Happily, only one of those products was really a ‘filler’ purchase (the Revlon lip butter from last month’s recap) , which I’m trying to avoid, so even though I went over my limit, I mainly only picked up items I really wanted/love, which is ultimately the goal of this whole endeavor anyway, so YAY to that! 🙂

However, I will admit – SO happy that we’re into the Summer season now and I have 10 more items I’m allowed to buy!!!!!!! 😛  (Though…condo furnishings will probably deplete my budget for the next little while, so no fear of going over 10 this time around!)

Have you tried any of the products I mentioned?  What are your feelings on sample size products?  What’s the last ‘filler’ purchase you made? 

Working Hard or Hardly Working: Yes, I’m Still Downsizing!

The past couple months has been a slow one for using up products it seems – like anything else, when it rains it pours, but in those in-between times, it seems to be a bit of a drought.  I’m just on the precipice of finishing a handful of products, but before that happens, I want to round up all the items that I finished before I began my beauty challenge – I want to be fair and transparent (lol can you tell I work for the government?), so when the time comes to match products used to products bought, I’ve got clear evidence to show you that I’m still following the guidelines.  Meticulous to a fault, eh?The list of products below are pretty boring, I have to say – most weren’t very memorable and I wouldn’t repurchase the majority of them.  There are also a handful of samples that seemed to take AGES to finish, despite some being tiny.  Anywho…enough chat – let’s hop to it!Phyto Phytheol Intense Shampoo and L’Oreal Total Repair conditioner.  The former is an anti-dandruff formulation which I had hoped would help with my seasonal dry scalp, which I thought was dandruff.  Turns out, its more likely dermatitis, as per my dermatologist – surprize, surprize, the girl with eczema has one more skin issue to worry about.  Yay…. 😦  Anyway, this didn’t do a lick for my scalp, but since I don’t seem to have dandruff, I can’t really give it a fair rating.  I think there are probably treatments out there though that are more effective and far cheaper than this.

L’Oreal’s Total Repair conditioner was OK, but absolutely nothing to rave about and to be honest, I just stopped using it a few weeks ago and already I don’t remember what it was like.  It wasn’t as hydrating or as smoothing as I wanted it to be, so there’s that.  I can tell you that I already enjoy my current conditioner, an Infusium23 product, wayyyy more.  I bought this because it was on sale.  End of story.Philosophy’s Purity cleanser.  I’m sure everyone and their dog has tried this basic product at some point.  It’s a good standby and I didn’t have any issues with it, but jeez louise this size lasts AGES.  I know that’s a great thing for some, but for Miss ADHD here, I get bored halfway through and am just dying to use something else.  I always feel that there could be something better.  This cleanser didn’t irritate my skin, but I didn’t find it soothed it either, and right now while I’m fighting tooth and nail to keep my skin under control (this cold, cold Winter is doing a major number on it!), this just isn’t going to cut it.  Great for slightly sensitive skin or, of course, non-reactive skin in general though. The Body Shop’s Wise Woman Eye Cream, Ole Henriksen’s Truth Serum, and a mini jar of Vaseline (though apparently I took the label off…?).  The Wise Woman eye cream was nice, decently hydrating but nothing crazy either way, so if you’re super oily/dry, you’ll probably need something else.  It didn’t help with my dark circle, which was one of it’s claims, and I’ve had other eye creams that kept my undereye area more supple.  But for $24CAD, it was a decent price and lasted me a good year or more.

I’m not going to talk anymore about Ole’s Truth Serum – I know you’ve heard enough!!!  If you haven’t though, or need a refresher, see my original post here.  I’m on my second bottle of this now.

Ah, Vaseline.  A medicine cabinet must, even though overall I’m not a fan of petroleum.  But I use this on my lips every night before bed and my pucker stays nice and hydrated for the most part, so for the couple bucks it costs, and the length of time it lasts (seriously, like 2-3 years for this tiny thing…crazy), I’ll keep on buying it!Another Vaseline product – Intensive Rescue Soothing Hand Cream.  I really liked this a lot – it wasn’t as occlusive as the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula, but it softened my hands big time and kept them moisturized for hours.  It even helped with some of my eczema patches, which is always a bonus in my eyes.  It had a relatively thick consistency but abosrbed fairly quickly and didn’t leave my hands greasy.  I can’t remember the price but it was something like $8.99 – around the same as Norwegian Formula etc. Here’s a sample size of Aveda’s Smoothing Body Polish.  I haven’t owned a body scrub in a while – in keeping with staying away from abrasive products as a whole, I’m sort of off the scrubs – but I picked this up in the Fall and used it sporadically here and there.  It had a fairly good granular quality though I never felt that I left the shower super-smooth, so not sure what that was about.  It worked better on damp skin than fully wet.  I wouldn’t buy the full size.More samples!  I’ve had the Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel for years, but finally got on finishing it last year.  It was pretty great, actually – the scent made me nervous, kind of floral and pretty strong – but it didn’t seem to irritate my skin that I noticed.  It comes as a fine powder, with you put in the palm of your hand and add water, then it foams and you apply it to your face for 30-60 seconds and the enzymes exfoliate.  It did make my face feel really smooth afterward, and this sample, if I had used it consistently (say, every 2-3 days) would have lasted me a few months – you only need a bit of powder each time.  If there were no fragrance, I’d pay the $60-odd dollars for the full-size of this; crazy price, but it was pretty lovely.

The CoverFX Nourishing Foundation Primer and Anti-Aging Serum was another sample that lasted quite a while considering its just a little packet.  I normally don’t include those types of samples, but because it lasted so long I thought it was worthwhile.  If I recall, Liz did a post on this a few months back, that was pretty thorough.  I don’t remember it too much, but I think it was nice enough – definitely more like a treatment serum than a primer, as Liz noted.  I think there are a bunch of different formulations of these, and they aren’t cheap, something like $39CAD?  I wanted to buy one but the packing is sooo tiny for that price!  Funny the things I’ll shell out for and those I won’t eh?

That little sample jar on the right was the Philosophy Help Me that I tried out.  I still maintain that it worked quite nicely considering my skin is almost always flared up and red these days – it didn’t add to the irritation – but the fact that the retinol in the ingredients is soo far down the list concerns me.  Obviously that would contribute to why it didn’t irritate my skin, but at the same time – do I want to pay $59CAD for a product that doesn’t really do what I bought it for???  The sample lasted almost a full week using it nightly though, so it seems to go pretty far.Finally, some makeup!!  Though sadly, only one product here is full-size; the others are all sample sizes.  Nonetheless, I got through them!  Here you see a random eyebrow comb that broke (both ends – the comb part you still see is just attached for show) which I included just because.  Then we have a Clinique Lash Doubling mascara sample – this is probably my second fave mascara by the brand after High Impact.  Gives nice volume and some length, but doesn’t clump at all.  Then below it, is one of Clinique’s Vitamin C Lip Smoothie’s in Strawberry Bliss.  The lip smoothies have antioxidants in them to help keep the lips healthy and more youthful looking.  This shade was just a dark but sheer pink shade, but it was really nice and I think the color would look good on almost anyone.  However, this sample went fast – I didn’t use it all that often and even so, it was gone in two months.  I also found that the texture of the gloss is a bit thicker than I’d like – not a big issue, just something of note.

Underneath the lip smoothie, we have a Long Last Glosswear SPF15 by Clinique, another sample size, in Knockout Nude.  Nice cool shimmering beige-nude shade that looks good on most skintones, but I find the newer glosswears with SPF get sticky faster than the old ones without sunscreen.  And they get funky after a while and develop this nasty plastic-type smell.  No thanks!  You can see I didn’t finish it – and I don’t plan to! I also didn’t finish the L’Oreal On-the-Loose shadow pot in Five Alarm below it – if you recall I swatched this with my new L’Oreal Infallible shadow I bought a few weeks ago, and realized how much nicer and more pigmented the newer one was.  And also, I had to bite the bullet that this old shadow was over 10 years old, so it HAD to go.  It’s still got about a 1/4 of the container left, but…oh well!

Lastly, we have a sample jar of a MAC Pro Longwear concealer (shade NC42).  I included this because this was another sample that lasted forever – I had this for several months and was using it on my undereyes almost every day.  It was ok – it covered my darkness but didn’t completely erase it.  I’m terribly fussy with undereye concealers and have yet to find one that lives up to my expectations, to take my review with a grain of salt – for some, this might be total love, as it does conceal better than some and is buildable.  However, the pump dispenser on the full-size is irritating because it gives too much product (you only need a small dot), so that’s a turn off.  I wouldn’t buy the full-size, which retails for $21CAD.

So there’s the rundown of what I’ve used up in the past while, up to January 20th.  Moving forward, anything that I finish now counts toward a new purchase – remember, its one for one in skincare, and two for one in makeup.  Sometimes this seems like no biggie, other times, I find myself just about to pull the trigger on a new product…..only to be reminded that I gotta use ’em to buy ’em!  Rats.

Wishing everyone a great weekend!!!  If you get out shopping, make sure you let me live vicariously through you OK???