Christmas Wishlist 2013: Beauty

I'll just go ahead and say it: I have an irrationally long Christmas list this year. We can just regard this list as a compilation of things I wanted to buy this year but was too poor to afford. Here it goes!

The eyeshadow palette I bought for myself this year is the Urban Decay Vice Palette, but I've also been lusting after Urban Decay Naked3, the Lorac Pro Palette, and the Laura Mercier Artist Eyes Palette. All neutral, but all extra lovely.

My blush pick for this year's list is Mac "Gingerly" because I've been searching for that perfect orange-coral shade. My concealer/foundation pick is the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. My highlighter pick is the Hourglass "Ambient Light" Palette - because all the online reviews have successfully convinced me that I need this.

I've singlehandedly decided that I need a YSL lipstick in my life, so I'm going for a classic red called "Red Muse". My MAC lipstick pick for this list is "Fixed on Drama", a rich wine retromatte. For good measure, I'm throwing in the elf lip exfoliator, because why not?

For the sheer fact that I've never owned a "high-end" mascara that wasn't a sample, I've included: Benefit "They're Real" (all-time best mascara that I have like 3 used samples of), Tarte "Lights, Camera, Flashes", and Clinique "Bottom Lash" mascara, simply because "bottom lash mascara" seems like a superfluous purchase, but works great as a gift.

Ideally I would like one of every type of the Sephora Formula X nail polishes, but I've included "Boom" for list purposes. Zoya "Payton" looks sooo nice. Want. I'm in need of a good matte top coat so I've chosen the OPI one.

FINALLY, Pharmaprix has begun to stock the Sugar Crush line of Soap & Glory products, so naturally I'm after the Body Buttercream and the Body Scrub. Lush "Lovely Jubblies" (a "breast firming cream"...lol) has been on my wishlist for forever, so it's about time I get my hands on it.

Every year I like to refresh my brush collection in some way or another, so this year I'm asking for the MAC 138 which I'll use for highlighter, the Real Techniques eyeshadow brush set, and the Sigma E65 which I'll use for gel liner.

And, surprise, this is not the end of my list! I'll have a part 2 coming up which will feature my non-beauty items :)

May Favorites 2013

We've reached the end of another months which means it's "Favorites" time! This month I haven't been going crazy on eye makeup - the most I've done is a neutral eye and some mascara. However, I have been focusing on face makeup, meaning concealer, blush, bronzer, highlighter, etc.

FINALLYYYY the Real Techniques brushes have made their way to Quebec! I found this set at the Walmart Superstore near my house, and I am absolutely in love. The pink one is just perfection - it can be used to apply bronzer, blush, powder highlighter, anything. The purple one is meant for eyeshadow but I've been using it to blend cream concealer. The densities of these brushes are spot-on. Well done, Sam Chapman!

My nail polish favorite this month is Essie "Fiji", which I'm sure you've heard me discuss at length. You can find a full review of this nail polish by clicking HERE, but in sum, I think it's the best summer colour. So flattering, and so pretty. Also, Seche Vite is an all-time favorite but I figured it merited an appearance in at least one monthly favorites post. It dries your nails completely in about two minutes. I'm not sure what I'd do without it!

This is the NYC bronzer in "Sunny" which, honestly, I've been neglecting it for a little while! I'm so glad I rediscovered it because I love how matte it is, making it really easy to dust lightly all over the face, giving you an instant tan!

I got this MAC mineralized skinfinish back in March but since I didn't do March or April favorites, here it is - however, I should mention that I've literally been using it every since I got it. It's the perfect highlighter - a really lovely bronzy, champagne color that looks awesome atop the cheekbones. It's subtle enough that you won't look shiny/greasy, but luminous enough that you'd notice a healthy-looking difference in your skin. It makes it look like it sucks the sunlight right to your cheekbones, which is actually really flattering.

This next product is the Ro's Argan Body Conditioner from Lush. I've been using this after every shower on my arms and legs and I've been enjoying it very much. The scent is sooo nice, and it does a good job hydrating your skin. My only problem is that it takes a little while to sink in, but when it does, your skin becomes really soft!

And last but not least, my favorite candle of the month is Espresso Bar from the Bath & Body Works Italy collection. It makes my room smell like a coffee shop! It definitely smells like espresso, but it also has very detectable vanilla-scented sweetness to it. A must-have if you're into sweet dessert scents like I am!

That concludes my monthly favorites! Let me know if you've done a monthly favorites post for May and leave a link in the comments as I would love to read it :)

LUSH "Rub, Rub, Rub" & "Ocean Salt" Exfoliators

Hey everyone! Guess who finally got new batteries for her camera?! Ahhh, I'm so excited that I can finally start posting properly again. So without further ado...

If you're a regular reader of mine, you'll know I have a love-hate relationship with LUSH. For the longest time, I just couldn't seem to find a product of theirs that I was absolutely in love with, and their prices are just too high, and their stuff expires, and ugh... But, despite that, for some inexplicable reason, I get sucked into that store every time I'm in the mall...?! I don't know how it happens. I really don't.

Anyway, I wanted to find an exfoliator for my legs that I could use before shaving to prevent ingrown hairs (TMI?). The lady working at Lush explained that Rub, Rub, Rub (called "Lavez, Lavez" in French) would do the trick and that, she "[doesn't] know how it happens, but it makes your hairs stand up!" Okay. Fine. I picked up a sample. (By the way, I was really impressed with the sample size... She gave me like, half a tub)

I got about 4-5 uses of the sample so I feel like I'm qualified to review this product. Do I still have ingrown hairs? Yeah. Less than before, but yeah. So that part was kind of "meh". However, after I use Rub, Rub, Rub, my legs are so. freaking. smooth. It's amazing. Long story short, I went back to Lush yesterday and picked up the full-size tub, and much to my surprise, it was only $19. I thought that was pretty reasonable considering their baby containers usually retail for around that much. Also, I want to quickly mention the scent of this thing... It smells like mimosas. So delicious. They sell a bathbomb with the same scent so I'm gonna have to try that too.

The last thing I'd like to talk about is this sample of their facial exfoliator "Ocean Salt". I may even prefer this one to "Rub, Rub, Rub". It's supposed to minimize pores and it makes your skin SO soft! It leaves the face feeling very tight which some people might not like, but I love it. I find this one a lot grittier so I'm sure it could be used on the body as well, the only downside is that this is more expensive than Rub, Rub, Rub (like, $34 for a tub...).

The active ingredient in Ocean Salt is the vodka which accounts for the "tightening" effect. Also, it smells like margaritas. So yummy. I'm gonna do a follow-up to this post and show you guys some before-and-afters so we can see if it did minimize my pores or not.

Have you tried either of these products before? What do you think? What's your experience with LUSH products?

Products I Regret Buying

Hello everyone! I figured I would do a post on products I regret buying because I feel like it could be very helpful. My reasons for regretting buying these products range from problems regarding price, packaging, quality, and sometimes just personal preference--so just because I didn't end up liking them, doesn't mean you won't either! These are just some points to take into consideration before buying.

The first (three) products I regret buying are these American Apparel nail polishes. I have one in the color "Hunter" (a deep green), one in "California Trooper" (a really gross light tan color), and one in "L'Esprit" (a pale purple). Alright, so my problem with these nail polishes is their liquidy consistency. I find them incredibly hard to work with because they're so streaky, so you definitely need 2+ coats as well as a top coat. Also, the middle color (California Trooper), is really not what I thought it would be. It's just the most unflattering color in the world and it makes my hands look sickly, if that makes any sense. Anyway, I'm probably going to use these in an NOTD at some point because I'd like to show them to you guys.

These retail for $9 CDN each.

The Makeup Forever HD Foundation & Microperfecting Primer are probably the products I regret buying the most. For the record, I am SO against buying high-end foundation. I really can't justify the price I paid for this stuff. It's almost embarrassing. The story is that I had a Sephora giftcard and I happened to run out of my foundation so I figured I'd give these a shot. The guy at the Sephora recommended them, and I'd heard a lot of good things, so I went ahead and purchased them. Now, you might be wondering what the white bottle on the left is. As it turns out, this line doesn't have a shade in my color, meaning I had to purchase the primer as well. The primer is blue which cancels out the redness of the foundation. It made sense at the time, I guess.

What doesn't make sense, however, is how much I paid for such a low-quality product. The foundation itself is decent. Decent coverage and durability. Fine. The packaging... Not so much. When the product finally came to an end, it was just a mess. The foundation even starting coming out of the base of the lid. It was terrible. Also the cap is incredibly flimsy and it pops off easily, making this foundation super difficult to travel with.

The foundation retails for $42 CDN and the primer retails for $34 CDN totalling $76 CDN. I'm cringing.

Alright, I have a love-hate relationship with LUSH. I can't say I've ever purchased a product from there that I was absolutely dazzled with, and their Solid "Gorilla" Perfume in Karma is no different. This one basically just comes down to preference.

I was really intrigued by the idea of solid perfume so I went ahead and tested a few out before choosing Karma. Now, assuming you've ever been within a 5m radius of a Lush store, you'll know how scented the place is, so testing out perfume in there is no easy feat. I sniffed a couple before getting to this one and I just couldn't smell them, so when I got to Karma, I was like "Oh! Citrus! I can smell it!" And to be honest, it didn't smell terrible! So when I got home from my little shopping trip I pulled this out and smelled it again... DAMN was it CITRUSY. This little thing smells sooo strong, it's enough to give me a pounding migraine. It also has a certain spiciness to it, so that in addition to the citrus... Man. Not for me.

Anyway, lesson learned. Before buying perfume at Lush, put some on, leave the store, walk around, and then see if you still like it.

This retails for $10.95 CDN.

The next product I regret buying is this Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Red Velvet. To be honest, I feel bad for not liking this. It's gotten so many incredible reviews by beauty gurus it makes me feel almost guilty for not liking it! This is one is a matter of personal preference as well. As a lip butter, I didn't expect it to go on so opaque with just one swipe. But maybe the fault is on me for buying such a dark shade. My rationale was that I wanted to try out a darker lip color but not commit to the intensity of a lipstick.

I have to say, it looks pretty decent in the photos but in person it's so dark, it's almost brown. This one is entirely my fault though and maybe I'm just bitter because I haven't had the guts to wear it out yet. Oh well.

This retails for about $10 CDN at Canadian drugstores.

The next product on the list is Maybelline Great Lash mascara in the color "Blackest Black". I think my problem with this one is just that it is overhyped. It's been around for so long and magazines claim it to be the most timeless, best mascara in the history of ever. Meh. I disagree. But I guess it depends on what you look for in a mascara. My problem is the consistency--I just don't find it thick enough. I find myself brushing on 6+ coats before my lashes are how I like them. And not to say that I like that spidery clumpy look, it just takes that many coats before it even looks like I have mascara on.

This product retails for about $5.99 CDN.

My final product is the ever-talked-about Urban Decay Primer Potion in original and "Sin". I wasn't sure if I should include these on this list because I wouldn't necessarily say I regret buying them... As opposed to the other products on this list, I do still use these. I'll start by discussing the original primer potion which is in the purple bottle. I received this with the Naked palette (which I adore, by the way), and I'm just not a fan. If your eyelids are on the oilier side, applying this just feels like slapping on more oil (yum). It's very buttery and slippery and I don't actually notice any difference when I use it.

All to say, I use Sin a lot more often. I like using it when I'm applying shimmery eyeshadows because I do feel like it makes them stand out a little more (which is why I purchased the full size of this as opposed to the original one). My only problem is that you literally only need half a dab of this to prime your entire eyelid, meaning I'll have this product for the rest of my life. I guess that's a good thing considering you get your money's worth, but I feel like it's a little wasteful. I wish the Sin primer came in the same packaging as the original (Sin is a squeeze tube and the original has a wand).

This product retails full-size for $20.00 CDN. (Note: I just checked out the Sephora website for the price and look at this awesome deal: three primer potions in the "vintage" packaging for $22.00 (online only)!)

Alright so that's the end of the products I regret buying! Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed reading this/found it helpful at all :)