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 :)

October 2012 Beauty Favorites

Hey everyone! I'm a little late to the monthly favorites party, I know, but here they are finally!

St. Ives Apricot Scrub: This has been a beauty classic over the Internet, I think. I picked one up for my giveaway and one for myself (both travel size, just to test out), and I really ended up liking it. I ended up buying a full-sized version, except the one meant to eliminate blemishes. I might like it even better than my LUSH Ocean Salt because it doesn't leave you with that plastic-y, tight feeling as much. It just leaves your skin soft! :)

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries: This is also an item I'm giving away, and 'tis so for a reason. I absolutely adored mine so I had to pick it up for you guys. It glides on amazingly and it's perfect for casual days where you don't want crazy eye makeup. I'm fine with just a swipe of this and some mascara. Although I must say, it's important to wear a primer underneath otherwise it might move around.

Evian Fresh Water Spray: Now. Okay. I received this in a Glossybox a few months ago and I was like, "Water in a spray can. Nice", but I've finally found a use for it. It serves as a toner, but I use it as a "lazy girl's moisturizer". On days where I'm running late (ahem, most days), I'll quickly spray this instead of using moisturizer. My acne cream is really drying to it's important for me not to neglect moisturizing, but I feel like this is okay to use as a substitute. Obviously it doesn't moisturize like crazy, but it makes me feel better lol.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder: Tanya Burr uses this all the time and it looked like a great product so I picked it up for myself. Guys, let me tell you, this is a life-saver if your skin tends to get shiny. It does the job so, so well. My mom is usually skeptical about every single product I buy, saying they're all scams, but she actually loves this one. I highly recommend it.

Lancome Absolue Eye Premium: So this is an eye cream... I can't believe I actually got into eye cream. Who am I!? Anyway, this feels really nice before bed after you just washed your face. It's a sample size, by the way. Would I buy the full size? Maybe. We'll see.

Stila "In the Know" Palette: I picked this up at the Pharmaprix VIP Day and I've been using it all the time since I got it. It's an all-matte palette, which I think is really great. I've been using one of the lighter colors all over and a brown or grey for contouring. I pop on a winged eyeliner, some mascara, and call it a day. The only problem I had is with the Stila Smudge Stick that came with this palette. It wouldn't twist back down so it broke off... Lame.

Lancome Artliner in "Aubergine": So I totally forgot to include this in the photograph above, but I also picked this up at the Pharmaprix VIP Day (well actually, my mom did but she's too inept to use a liquid liner, so it's my now muahaha). It's an awesome eggplant color and I love pairing this with my matte eyeshadows. Highly recommend!

So there you have it! October favorites. IT'S ALMOST CHRISTMAS!

September 2012 Beauty Favorites

It kind of occurred to me that I've never done a monthly favorites post on this blog so I figured it's about time I did one! I wish I had individual pictures and swatches for all of these products but unfortunately my camera has been acting up lately and all of my pictures are coming out blurry and overexposed. As soon as that's sorted out, hopefully I'll have some more detailed posts for you guys! I'm going to use stock images for now (which sucks, I know!).

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe: I've been trying to slowly transition out of warm colors this month, and this eyeshadow has really been helping. It does look pretty brown in the above picture, but when it's swatched it's undoubtedly more on the grey side. Because it has that slight brown tinge, I've been blending it out with cool-toned brown colors and the effect is really nice. Hopefully I'll start using true greys and silvers using this as a base color soon!

Bailey Powder Foundation Duo in Medium: This is the first product I've hit pan on! (Yay!) I've been using this product since I got it in this year's March Glossybox and I love it. I use a light dusting of this over my liquid foundation as a setting powder and it's been working out great for me. (If anyone has an idea of where I can re-purchase this, please let me know!)

Revlon Colorstay Nail Polish in Rain Forest: This has been my favorite nail polish this month! I have a full post on this HERE if you would like to know more.

L'Oreal Color Riche Balm in Tender Mauve: I've been having a love-hate relationship with this product all month, but I kept going back to it. The finish is slightly sheerer than I hoped it would be, but the color is definitely buildable. This is great if you have more orange-red toned lips and you want to counter balance those tones. Overall, it's pretty moisturizing, but it feels a little excessive and greasy after re-application. But, generally, it's a decent product and I like the way it makes my lips look. It has SPF in it too which is nice, and it makes it smell like sunscreen (which I like!).

Coastal Scents Smokey Palette: My last two posts have been about this product so feel free to scroll down and read more about it! I've been having a lot of fun experimented with this palette this month!

MAC Prism Blush: This is just generally one of my favorite blushes ever. It's a sheertone finish so it gives a really subtle hint of color on the cheeks. It was actually my mom's favorite when she was my age so I think it's a really timeless, classic shade.

Sigma F84 Angled Kabuki: I've been adoring this brush for applying foundation lately. It's really a lifesaver. You can read my full review HERE.

MAC 134 Powder Brush: I tend to go back and forth with which powder brushes I use, but this month I've been loving my MAC 134 brush. I've had it for about 2 years and it seriously gets the job done. I use this brush to apply my Bailey powder and covers my entire face instantly. To be honest, I can't really justify how much I paid for this brush... But I genuinely do love it.

Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush: So after hearing the entire YouTube beauty community rave about this product, I figured it was finally time to test it out for myself. You can read my full review HERE.

And that concludes my first monthly favorites post! I'll probably post non-beauty favorites in a few days, so stay tuned for that :)