MONTHLY FAVOURITES | june 2014

hello my dears. i'm really on my game with this back to blogging business aren't i ? woot woot. can you even believe that July is already on Tuesday?! (i'll also be turning 21 on the 1st of july, crazy!) anyways, for the last couple of months i have been really trying to test out new products and stray away from what i'm used to using on the daily. we have quite a bit to get through, so i won't blab on and on. here we go!  

Elizabeth and James "Nirvana" rollerball perfume in 'black' (sample). 

regular size rollerball $26.00 at sephora

recently i made a purchase online at Sephora.com, and i had 100 beauty insider points, so i decided to pick out this particular perfume. i desperately wanted to try it, considering everyone and their dog were saying how amazing this scent was. i haven't tried the "white" version yet, but also, i've heard good things. alas, i have been using this every single day. i love this scent, it's a bit sweeter but it does have a bit of musk in there as well. the Sephora website describes it "Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black is an addictive blend of alluring violet, sensual sandalwood, and rich vanilla that strike the perfect balance between masculine and feminine." 

needless to say this is an amazing product, and i HIGHLY recommend it! 

L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in 892- "amber rush" $9.99 

another cult favourite, and for good reason. these eyeshadows are honestly incredible. they are such high quality for a drugstore product, the first time i tried it, my jaw literally dropped to the floor. the pigmentation, guys... oh my god, it is like butter. the Infallible eyeshadow's are basically a pressed pigment, i apply with my index finger and i pack on the colour all over my eyelid. this particular shade is beautiful, and suits so many eye colours and skin tones. i am definitely going to be buying many more of these bad boys. it's rare that i'll fall so deeply in love with an eye product, but it has happened. i've always been a Revlon girl at heart, but L'Oreal has been slowly winning me over with every new launch. 

(this was literally just ONE light swipe of my index finger; like i said the pigmentation is out of this world).

M.A.C mineralize skinfinish in "Stereo Rose" (limited edition) $36.00 

I had previously wrote about this product in a blog post from March in a small M.A.C haul i had done. i never used this skinfinish then because it was still pretty cold and crappy here in Canada. but now that summer has come 'round, i friggen LOVE using this. i have oily skin so i've been using a matte foundation (that i will be speaking about next...) and using this to highlight looks so beautiful and give the perfect natural glow. it shows up more of a coral sheen, which i love for the summer time. i hope they bring this product back soon, so you guys can maybe get your hands on it too. love love love. 

Rimmel "Stay Matte" Liquid Mousse Foundation in shade "103 true ivory". $8.99

i'll start off by saying that i wasn't a HUGE fan of this foundation the first couple times i tried it. as summer came and my skin started to get more on the oily side, this has been a life saver. my skin looks flawless every time i wear this, and my powders/blush/bronzers stick to this foundation so well. i find this best applied with my fingers, because it allows me to warm up the product a bit since it does have a bit of a thick consistency. it doesn't feel heavy on the skin, and sets pretty quickly. on the down side i did have a couple breakouts while using this, but nothing too major. it covers every blemish very well. medium to full coverage. good cheap foundation. 

Cover | FX Mattifying Primer with Anti-acne treatment - $16.00 Sephora

I received this guy in an Ipsy Glam bag a couple months back, and i have been using this product to death. this is the first product from Cover | FX that i have tried. this primer glides on nicely, and it doesn't feel sticky or heavy. I also don't feel like this primer is clogging my pores or is doing more damage than good as i have found with some other makeup primers. it controls my breakouts while i wear makeup for long periods of time (such as at work for 8 hours). it provides the perfect base for the rest of my face makeup, i will definitely be repurchasing this item, since mine is sadly almost gone. what i love most is that it is a whole lot cheaper than my regular Arbonne face primer for $40.00. two thumbs up from me.

lastly, but certainly not least the N.Y.C Liquid Eyeliner for $2.99. (not pictured). i bought this liquid liner on a whim, because i had just run out of my other stuff, and considering the N.Y.C liner was so cheap, why not give it a go? the liner itself is super black and matte (sometimes liquid liner has a sort of sheen to it, which i'm personally not a fan of.) it gives an intense line, the brush could be a bit better, i find it is slightly more difficult to create a perfect wing, then again i don't have the most sturdy hand, but i have been doing the tape trick daily. when i use tape it takes all the hard work away, and you'll get the perfect cat eye. if you guys are in need of a cheap liquid liner, i highly recommend the N.Y.C liquid liner. it a good'un. 

anyways guys, i know this was a bit of a long read, and i apologize. hopefully you didn't fall asleep at your computers. i'll talk to y'all again very soon. i hope you enjoyed my June Favourites, let me know in the comments what your favourites of this month were?! 

much love. 

IPSY GLAM BAG | "DESTINATION BEAUTY" MARCH 2014

it seems like the last month went by extremely fast. it is now march, which means another Ipsy Glam Bag arrived in the mail this morning. i always look forward to the surprise of this subscription, i'm usually impressed with the products included. 

for anyone who doesn't know, Ipsy Glam bag is a monthly subscription of samples/full sized beauty products. for the USA it only costs $12.00 per month, whereas for us Canadians the bag costs $15.00. in my opinion this is still a good deal considering the products are often worth way more than what you pay anyways. Michelle Phan distributes the bags herself, which is ultra cool. at least you have the confidence to know that a pretty well known beauty guru is putting together the bags, so you know that you won't be receiving.."crap". 

this month's bag theme was "destination beauty" and what was inside was.... 

• NYX "love in rio" eyeshadow trio in shade:  segredos de giselle $6.00 full size

i own one of these trios, and i really love them. the pigmentation is pretty good, and the eyeshadows are pretty fine. i love this specific shade because they are all neutrals, and these are the shades that i wear on a daily basis. i know for a fact i'll be reaching for this bad boy quite often. (this product is perfect for travelling)

• Chella eyeliner pen in shade: indigo blue $24.00 full size

i'm not sure how i feel about the bright blue liquid liner, it is something completely out of my comfort zone, i never thought a bright blue would look good with a dark brown eye.. but i guess we'll have to find out. i might even be pleasantly surprised!

• bareminerals "marvelous moxie" lipstick in shade: get ready sample size

i love this shade, it is a really really beautiful rose coloured pink. definitely a shade that is right up my alley. too bad this is only a sample size, but it will give me a good opportunity to try it out before spending the big bucks on the full sized lipstick. plus i've heard really good things about the bareminerals  marvelous moxie lipsticks!

• pixi "flawless beauty" primer | sample size. full size is $26.00 

this primer claims that it's "an even skintone face primer. adds a youthful glow. hydrating." i personally am looking forward to trying this out. i have been on the hunt for a primer to add to my must have collection. i have gone through plenty of primers as well... and i'm not a fan of spending $40 + on a primer that is "just okay". fingers crossed that this one fits the bill! i personally love pixi products. 

so all in all, this months ipsy glam bag is pretty good. i'll be honest in saying that i wasn't completely "wow'd" or absolutely blown away at the products. i am, however, looking forward to trying the bareminerals lipstick. i do believe they did a decently good job this month. i'll give them a thumbs up. 

i hope you all are having a decent tuesday! xoxoxoxo

NEW | REVLON COLORSTAY SHADOWLINKS

revlon colorstay shadowlinks $2.49

hey guys! revlon has to be one of my all time favourite drugstore makeup brands. i have been seeing so many commercials lately for these revlon colorstay shadowlinks (phewf- what a long name). i love the idea of being able to purchase separate shades and building your own pallet. that way you pick the shades you KNOW you're going to use the most rather than purchasing an eyeshadow pallet that comes with 3 or 4 shades, and you only end up using about 2 of the shades. at the store where i work i noticed that these shadowlinks were on special for the week. i thought it'd be a good time to try them out. to be safe, i basically stuck with neutrals and one deep purple. i tend to use neutrals on a daily basis anyways, so i knew i'd get full use out of all the links i purchased. they do have a wide variety of colours, like khaki's, blues, greens, purples, silver, blacks, etc. and they had a good variety of matte shades and shimmers. 

unfortunately when swatched, they didn't have very nice pigmentation. they turned out very faint on my arm, so i have yet to see how they turn out with an eyeshadow base on the eyelid. hopefully the colour pay-off will be a little bit better. so that was the only down side to these, but otherwise i love the shades, and i love how the ones i chose look together. and how PERFECT would these be for travelling?! you can take 2 or 3 or 4 shades, without taking up much room in your makeup bag. i love that aspect. also above these shadows they have a little booklet that works as a guide if you're having trouble fitting different shades together. they tell you which ones work for a smokey eye, natural, or dramatic. anything you're looking for, which is great for younger or even mature people. 

i'll definitely keep you guys posted on how these work on the eyes. fingers crossed they're worth the money. love y'all xoxoxo. 

AMERICAN BEAUTY HAUL | part 1

hello everyone! i've missed y'all so much. i went with family to the USA for Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend for a little mini getaway. i was sooo looking forward to being away from work and all of that for just few days.. and i unfortunately spent quite a lot of money.. whoopsie. 

since i purchased so many make-up items i decided to split it up into 2 parts so that this post wouldn't be too long or too boring for you guys to read. these items are all from K-Mart and 'The Dollar Tree' (strange, i know). also, i am in no way BRAGGING about buying any of these items, i am actually having buyers guilt at the moment because of what i spent. 

Wet n' Wild "rose champagne glow" by Fergie $5.99

I have been seeing TONS of blog posts about the Fergie line by Wet n' Wild. all of the items looked so beautiful and it really took Wet n' Wild to a whole new level. my goal in the USA was to purchase items that aren't as easy to buy in Canada, so when i came across the wet n' wild stand at K-Mart i just had to have a look. this is a beautiful illuminating powder. i love the swirly-ness of the powder, it looks amazing. when swatched it is just a really nice champagne/pink colour. 

E.L.F blush in "mellow mauve" $3.00 

in Canada (well at least in my area) we don't have any e.l.f stands or displays at our stores, so we have to buy the products online, but i have seen E.L.F in dollar stores and Winners (oddly enough). but i found the e.l.f display at K-Mart, and since i love the products so much, i needed to pick up something. i wanted some plum toned blushers for Autumn so i seized the perfect opportunity to do so. unfortunately my camera didn't catch the exact colour of the blush, it is darker in person. and i have to say that i am obsessed with the packaging of this. it is so sleek, and comes with a mirror. for only $3.00 you can't go wrong with e.l.f. 

Wet n' Wild Limited Edition coloricon eye shadow trio "a regular at the factory" $1.70

again, another product i have seen all over the blogging world. i couldn't find these limited edition wet n' wild eyeshadows in Canada, even though i'm sure you could find them at Wal-Mart or something.. anyways, this one was in the Clearance for a $1.70. i'm not even a huge fan of the colours of this, it's a little too out there for me, but i figured for Halloween or something i could work with it. it was so cheap that i just bought it without really thinking. oh well. 

Maybelline 24 hr Colour Tattoos in "pomegranate punk" $7.00 

i also wanted more berry toned eyeshadows for autumn, and at K-Mart their maybelline products were "buy one get one for 50% off," so i bought the colossal (which you'll see at the end) and this colour tattoo for the 50% off. i am obsessed with Maybelline's Colour tattoos, i think that they are amazing quality. i can't wait to play around with this shade, and i think it will look really nice on brown eyes. 

e.l.f. Matte Lip Color in "Praline" and "Rich Red" $1.00

these were my big "dollar tree" purchases! i love going into a dollar store and end up finding decent brand items for really cheap. i have a few of these Matte Lip Colors already and i love them so much, and for a dollar, i'd be silly not to buy these. they aren't too matte where it dries out your lips or anything, they have a really nice formulation to them. they are really easy to apply because they are like a lip liner/lipstick in one, so you are really precise when applying these. love them! 

Colossal "smoky eyes" instant volume mascara $7.00 

and lastly, i bought this mascara because i had previously saw it on MacBarbie07's september favorites video, and thought that i should try this out, because -to be honest- i wasn't a huge fan of the original colossal mascara, and she said that this one was better. this one was the other item i purchased with my 24 hour color tattoo to get the 50% off deal. i can't wait to see how this one turns out! 

alrighty guys, that was all of part 1 of my beauty haul from America, and then i'll be posting part 2 beauty haul, a fashion haul and a miscellaneous haul from the USA as well. so keep posted for those! 

thanks for stopping by, little loves. xx

IPSY GLAM BAG | september

i don't usually make two posts on the same day, but i received my Ipsy Glam Bag today and just had to post what was inside! this is the September bag, and the theme was "classic beauty". i actually like all of the items, and i know i'll use them. 

in this bag i received... 

• nyx eyeshadow in shade "morocco"
• starlooks khole eye pencil in "obsidian"
• victoriaJackson taupe eyebrow pencil 
• cailyn tinted lip balm in "big apple"
• elizabeth matt "it's so big" volumizing mascara

first of all... my arm IS NOT that pale... 

the eyeshadow is a really gorgeous dark violet colour, it would be so amazing in a smokey eye. very sultry. the tinted lip balm is matte and actually really neat, the colour pay off is out of this world and it comes with a brush. the taupe eyebrow pencil is great for any skin tone or... eyebrow color, i'll definitely get some use out of that.. and the khole eyeliner is... basic i suppose. i'm happy with it because i was in need of a black eyeliner. 

i really like this ipsy glam bag, they never disappoint, and for only $12.00 you really can't go wrong. they definitely make it worth your while. good job ipsy! 

SEPTEMBER BEAUTY WANTS |

soap and glory

bourjois 

the balm

none of these photos are my own, all from google 

hello besties, as fall rolls around the corner i've been looking at my little collection of makeup and seeing what i'd like to add..

i've been DYING to try all of these brands so badly, i swear every british blogger has something amazing to say about bourjois, thebalm, and soap & glory. i recently discovered that i can purchase "soap & glory" and "bourjois" at Shoppers DrugMart and Sephora here in Canada, but the prices are absolutely ridiculous for them... RIDICULOUS. for soap & glory's "Hand Food" it's $18.00, and everything else is either that price or higher. it's so depressing because i don't want to have to spend that kind of money. it's so sad! 

i haven't checked out the Bourjois section yet and the prices... i only hope it's somewhat reasonable. i've heard amazing things about the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, and the bronzer that looks like chocolate.. who wouldn't want to try that. 

and of course... "thebalm". i'm in love with basically every product that i see from this brand. i think everything looks so adorable and i'd love to have them in my possession. i especially want to try the 'nude-tude' eyeshadow palette, the colours look so gorgeous, and they have a nice mix of everything. and the "mary-lou-manizer', i'm currently seeing this on everyone's blogs/videos. i don't currently own any sort of "lumanizer" or "highlighter" so it's definitely an item i want to get my hands on. 

my fingers are crossed that my little bank account will let me purchase a few of these items in the near future. 

have a good friday! happy weekend :) 

GIVEAWAY EXTENDED |

i am just letting you all know that i EXTENDED my giveaway until the 5th of September. i hope this doesn't damper any of your days, but i just wanted a few extra days to let people enter if they wish. you can enter below. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BROWN EYED GIRL | popping with purples

 yesterday i decided to do something a bit different with my eyeshadow colour. when i go to work i always stick with bronze and golds. but i thought why not try some colour this time. i know purples are the best shades to make brown eyes pop, and sometimes brown eyes are really hard to make stand out. especially against people with blue or lighter shades of eye colour.

to start i used Maybelline's Colour Tattoos in shade 70- barely branded, and lightly coated my entire eyelid (lashes to brow bone) as a base. this shade makes a really nice highlight colour without all of the fuss. if you wanted you could just use this as your eyeshadow and you'd be set for the day.

 next, using my  E.L.F everyday eyeshadow palette ($5 eyeslipsface.com), i used the very last two purple shades, lighter one being more of a mauve and with my E.L.F eyeshadow brush, swiped the mauve on my eyelid. then i used the deeper purple shade

on my crease to add more depth to my eyes. after this is done i used my E.L.F eyeshadow blending brush to blend together the purples slightly to make it look more put together. also - use the darker shade of purple and carefully swipe it underneath your bottom lashes. it pulls everything in, and looks very sultry. 

to really make your eyes pop i used the Chella ivory lace nude eyeliner in my waterline. a lot of people use white, but the nude is a little less obnoxious (trust me, i like a good white eyeliner) but i've been really keen on nude eyeliners lately. this is the key to making any eyes look bigger and more alert. i already have big eyes, but i still love the look it gives them.

lastly, for my mascara i have two different kinds for my bottom and upper lashes. for my top lashes i use nothing but Maybelline Volum' Express One by One mascara (waterproof, two coats) and for my bottom i use Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Love Mascara (one coat) because it has a very small brush which is perfect for getting every little bottom lash. but make sure to curl your lashes to make them fuller. i curl mine BEFORE i apply mascara, i find that works best for me without my lashes clumping. 

all of these items i have featured in either "monthly favourites" or on "review" blog posts if you're interested in learning more. 

P.S. my official giveaway will be unveiled EITHER saturday or sunday. 

thank-you guys for all of the love recently, i appreciate your comments and follows. i hope you enjoyed todays post, and i will see you all again soon. <3 lots of love x