Tag Archives: “beauty”

Jun 12 2012
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2012, Beauty, Project Ten Pan

What’s In My {makeup} Bag

I have had a few people ask what my beauty routine is. Well honestly, I don’t know if I have an actual routine. My makeup is different every day. I do always use foundation (usually liquid), some lip gloss, blush and usually mascara. Not all that exciting. I thought I would give you guys a glimpse into my makeup bag to actually show you the products I use every day and the few products I only use when headed out for the night.

The actual bag itself is a Lululemon shower caddy. It is easy to clean, it holds everything nicely and is a pretty purple colour. All highly important details.

The foundation. My skin has the attitude of a teenage boy so often foundation is important. If my skin needs help I use Clarins Everlasting Foundation in 109. For the days that my skin just needs a little evening out I use a tinted moisturizer. Right now I am working my way through a bottle of Benefits “You Rebel”.

Blush is super important to me. It makes me look awake and glowy. Nars makes my favourite blush. The formula is really nice and the colour is highly pigmented. From left to right is “Orgasm”, “Gaiety” and “Deep Throat”. All very pretty colours.

If I am not using Urban Decay’s Naked palette for eyeshadow I default back to two of their pots. Both “Roach” and “Midnight Cowboy Rides Again” are staple colours.

These four products never leave my makeup bag. From top to bottom we have Urban Decay’s Primer Potion, Duo Adhesive eyelash glue, YSL Sheer Candy in Papaya and YSL Touche Eclat in #3. The primer potion keeps my eyeshadow on for what seems like forever. The eyelash glue is the best I have ever used and the YSL products are both indulgent purchases that I no longer want to live without. There is something so decadent about putting on lipgloss out of a fancy tube. I love it.

From left to right, Nars eyeshadow in “Night Star”, Erase Paste in Medium, LaVanilla Forever Fragrance Oil and Smith’s Rosebud salve. Erase Paste has saved me from many a dark circle. As soon as school is in session my eyes need all the help they can get. Smith’s Rosebud Salve will always be my favourite. I carry it in my car, in my purse and in my makeup bag. On a plus side it is one of the least expensive products I own.

My tweezerman tweezers are the best! I love how little they are and how sharp they always seem. I also have Anastasia brow gel and MAC Viva Glam Lady Gaga lipstick. The pretty pink lipstick looks good on any face I seem to do.

Oh bronzer. How I love thee. This particular bronzer is by Guerlain and is the Terracotta Golden Glimmer powder. This is one of the only bronzer I find that doesn’t make my skin look dirty. For whatever reason I always seem to have problems with bronzers. Any volunteers for bronzer lessons?

All of these products stay in my makeup bag. I have a whole trunk of other products that I use occasionally. When I started my Ten Pan Project back in November I cut way back on how much make up I purchased although in the last month or two I have certainly allowed myself the odd trip to Sephora. I just love seeing what companies have brought out. It is hard to resist a summer collection!

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Feb 28 2012
3 Comments
2012, Beauty

Beauty Boxed.

Beauty is one of my passions.

I love make-up, perfume and hair products. My girly side certainly shines when the topic of lipgloss comes up. When I first heard of sample boxes I practically squealed. There are currently 4 different service providers in Canada that deliver a selection of 4-5 deluxe beauty samples to your door every month. The cost ranges a bit, but overall I have really enjoyed getting a little treat in the mail every month.  I decided to do a little review on each box, and now that the month is almost over  and I have received them all I thought I would share my beauty box experience with all of you.

1. Glymm Box - Glymm  provides 4-5 samples to your door every month for $10 plus tax. Glymm was my first ever beauty box and I usually love every box I get. Sadly this month is a little lack lustre.

  • Sula / Natural Shadow ( in Why Nott) –  A  creme eyeshadow valued at $8.00
  • Burts Bees / Tinted Lip Balm - A pinky lip balm valued at $7.99
  • GlamGlow / Tingling and exfoliating mud mask – The sample size is only enough for one use but I am looking forward to trying this mud mask. Full sized bottle is $78.00
  • Mai Couture / 2-1 Oil Blotting Bronzing Papier – A blotting paper  that doubles as a bronzer, valued at $0.48 for 2 sheets.

Over all the entire box was lacking a little pizzaz. The eye shadow was really nice, but I like higher end products samples. I don’t normally think twice before I spend $8 on a lipgloss.

2 – Loosebutton Luxe Box – Luxe box is the one beauty box that I consistently change my mind about. Some months I absolutely love it, other months I am ready to cancel. Luxe Box is a little bit more expensive, at $12 plus tax every month.  This month Luxe Box paired up with Flare magazine to have a limited edition box, although I didn’t find the products we received to be any more unusual than normal.

  • CK Shock for her – A pretty decent sized roller ball applicator. This is one of the few perfume samples that was a decent size and a nice scent., full size is 50 ml and I received 10, valued at $9.00
  • Redken Color Extend shampoo and conditioner ( 3 sample duos) - I love shampoo and conditioner samples. It’s a great way to try a product you normally wouldn’t buy and I like to have a few samples on hand for travelling or summer camping.
  • Mereadesso Beautiful Body Balm – A lotion that leaves your body with an instant glow. This was a good sized sample, yet I found the smell of the lotion to be off putting . Full sized product valued at $54
  • Lise Watier 24 Hours Glam Mascara- A gorgeous smudge free formula in a cute giraffe print tube. I have yet to try this sample but am looking forward to it.

My Luxe box was pretty decent this month. According to youtube some customers received a Dermolgica product, so I was a little disappointed when my box didn’t contain it. Overall I will use all the samples in this box.

3- Topbox – Topbox is one of the newer subscription services in Canada. Right now that have quite a waiting list to sign up, but from what I have seen so far they are worth the wait. The products come in a cute cylindrical tube and tend to be higher end ( think Nars). Topbox is $10 plus tax per month.

  • Yves Saint Laurent Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils – This mascara is amazing. It coats my lashes, it doesn’t clump and it stays put all day. Full sized this product is valued at $36
  • Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat – This is one product I have been wanting to try out for a little while. It is essentially a highlighter and is valued at $50 for a full sized product.
  • Pari Beauty eye shadow – I received a wonderful purple colour eyeshadow that was personally selected for me. The packaging is sleek and cute and the product is valued at $11.
  • Shu Umera Art of Hair, Full Shimmering Illuminating Shampoo – I have never used a Shu Umera hair product before and was excited to see this in the mail. The product is a fairly decent size (probably 15-20 uses). The full value of this product is $45.
  • LillyPilly Kakadu Plum Hand and Body Cream – Lotion samples for hand and body, Full sized valued at $22.

I enjoyed this Topbox. All of the samples were higher end and I like that they customized an eye shadow colour that works with my skin tone.

4- Glossy Box - Last but not least is Glossybox. Glossybox is hugely popular in the UK and just made it’s way over to Canada. They are a little more expensive at $15 per month, but they guarantee  5 luxury samples per month.

  • Ahava Mineral Body Cream – I love Ahava products and this body cream is no different. It smells great and doesn’t have a greasy feeling. Full sized valued at $28.
  • Skin Care Moisturizing Stick by Elizabeth Grant – This is a new to me product that works wonderfully under lipstick. It leaves my lips hydrated and nourished and as a bonus we received a full sized sample valued at $12.00
  • Essie nail polish in “Keeping You Whimiscal”- I am a sucker for nail polish and I was so glad to see a full sized polish. The colour is the perfect pinky- purple and reminds me of spring. Full sized product is valued at $9.99
  • Oscar de la Renta “Live in Love” perfume – The sample was  good size but it was not at all what I would wear. When something like this happens I usually just give the sample to someone else. In a house with 5 girls someone will always wear it.
  • Prevage Day Anti Aging Cream by Elizabeth Arden – I fell hard for this day cream. My skin looks great after I put it on. The only downside being the way it smells ( very old ladyish) and the price ($160 for a full sized). The sample was enough to last me two weeks though, so that is always a bonus.
  • Beauty So Clean Sanitizing Wipes and Mist – A beauty cosmetic sanitizer wipe and mist. I have yet to try this product out but I love the idea. I am a freak about keeping my beauty brushes clean and will let you know how this turns out.

Overall all four boxes were alright. Receiving samples in the mail every month allows me to try a bunch of new products on my student budget ( which seems to get smaller and smaller by the month). I probably won’t keep all four boxes as it does get expensive, so next month after I receive one of everything again I am going to narrow it down to my favourite two boxes.

Have you ever received a beauty box? What is your favourite way of finding new products?
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Feb 13 2012
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Manicure Monday

Monday Manicure – Turquoise and Caicos

Like every other girl in the world I want my nails to look good. I have done the gel nail thing, the acrylic tips and the plain painted manicure and probably my favourite is just the regular old manicure. Switching up my colours and designs is essential because I get bored pretty easily and look forward to change . Monday manicure is a new post I will (hopefully) do every Monday showing how I have my nails done.

This week is pretty simple, yet fun. I’m normally not a fan of blue nails but my sister bought an Essie colour and I just had to try it.

(sorry for the blurry picture, I had to use my Blackberry)

I used Essie’s “Turquoise and Caicos”, and then on one finger I used Sally Hansen stick on nail patterns in “Numbskull”. Originally I had all turquoise but I wanted to spice it up a little bit . There are only so many places you can wear a skull pattern and get away with it.

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Feb 09 2012
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Project Ten Pan

Project Ten Pan Update 2

Back in November when I started Project Ten Pan I thought I would of been able to pan out my products pretty fast. Little did I know that it is seemingly going to take forever. While this project seems endless I have been making some progress which is exciting.

Products Used Up

1.Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation

2. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Potion

Products I Have

Everything else, minus Guerlain Metorites

I am happy to have 2 items down. I kind of figured that these would be the first products to go. Everything else is a big undertaking. I decided to cut the Guerlain Metorites out because I will own those for the rest of my life. They seem to multiply. For Christmas I received a very nice smash box set from my sister and this has only added to the problem. I want to use so much stuff.  While I still focus on my original products I have found myself straying to try new things a lot more.

Urban Decay came out with this little palette, Naked 2, and I have been in love with it ever since. I wasn’t going to buy it at first but then I panicked and didn’t want it to sell out without me having gotten ahold of one. I have a serious beauty problem. The palette has been put away in my room though, so hopefully I can stay focused on the original Naked.

My make up bag is totally jam packed and I feel ok sticking to the products I have inside of it. I may revise how I want to continue with Project Ten Pan next month but for right now I really want to still give it an honest shot, after all I am starting to see my reflection in a few of my products!

** On a side note does anyone have any blush brush recommendations. Mine is constantly losing bristles and it is so frustrating!

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Dec 13 2011
3 Comments
Project Ten Pan

Project Ten Pan Update

I am loving Project Ten Pan. It has been about three weeks since I took on this challenge, and It isn’t as hard as I assumed it would be.  Now that I am in the middle of everything I have realized that I will not be able to pan out ten products by the end of the month, so I have made a few small changes.

My Urban Decay Primer potion was a lost cause. I had let the product go unused for to long so it hardened and became impossible to squeeze out of the tube. Part of the reason behind why I am taking part in the ten pan project is to prevent any products I have from going to waste. Some of the higher end products are really expensive and I hate when I have to throw them away.

One other change I also made was limiting my blush selection. Nars makes a realy great product and it seems to last forever. I decded to stick to the color “Deep Throat” and really focus on limiting my use to just that one blush. There are three or four different colors in my collection that I tend to rotate, so narrowing down to one should help me hit pan a little bit faster.

All of my other products are slowly being used. My foundation will be no problem to get through, as I use it every single day. Any of the eyeshadows will be around the longest. With the colors I have it doesn’t take a lot of product to look good, so as of right now it seems I will be with them forever. I am going to keep going with the project until the end of December and reevalute where I am. Hopefully I have made progress on quite a few of these products.

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Dec 09 2011
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Getting Gorgeous

Getting Gorgeous – Freeman Avocado and Oatmeal Clay Facial Mask

I decided to drug store it up a bit this week. I love high end beauty products, but being a student, working part time and having a crazy car payment every month sometimes doesn’t leave enough room in my budget for expensive products. Thanks to project ten pan my beauty expenses have come down a bit so I decided to treat myself to a $2 mask.

 

Freeman Avocado and Oatmeal Clay Facial Mask

 

The mask is pretty typical. Mix it up, put it on your face and wait until dry. One thing I really liked about this mask was the smell, it was very fresh and almost sweet. I found it refreshing. The mask dried really quickly, like maybe 3 minutes.The mask gets really tight, and it actually makes it hard to move your face.  It took a bit of rinsing to get it all off once it had dried.

Once off my skin looked good. It was smooth and soft, but overall not a dramatic result. For the $2 I spent though I am pretty happy with the results. It’s a quick refresh for tired skin. I used some moisturizer after and my skin felt pretty happy, well as happy as my skin can feel.

Overall I would give this Freeman mask about a 3.5/5, resonable in a pinch but not something I would use every day.

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Sep 04 2010
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Uncategorized

Make Me Beautiful

Oh the pleasures of a face mask. Sitting in a silent room with my eyes closed while the next wonder treatment promises me everlasting youthful skin and the glow that will keep people guessing. Hello, My name is “Sucker #1″. I live for gimmicks. Anything that promises me tight abs, a smaller ass or perfect skin has me whipping my credit card out and dialing into whatever office that can ship it to me. Being a total beauty junkie anything that I can apply to my face has me drooling. From at home laser hair removal (yikes!) to eye shadow that you just press on I’ve tried it. I’ve been an at home waxer, a heated eyelash curler, and even a self proposed chemical peeler. Beauty buys delight my entire being. I love to go from brunette to blonde and back again. I’m tanned, then pale. Appearance is one of those fantastic things we girls can play with. Its incredible what a little mascara and some shimmer can do to your attitude.

People can even Vajazzle there vaginas now! I can only imagine what that would do for your sex life. I’d be all to tempted to show everyone my sparkles. What is your best/worst beauty rule? Has anyone tried anything ridiculous ei; vajazzling?

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