For the past 4 years or so, I've had short hair, and always wanted to grow my hair long again, but I keep cutting it and it's been impossible. So I started wearing clip-in hair extensions. The first ones that I got were from a store in the mall. Sadly, they were horrible quality, had very little hair, and as I wore them, they got thinner and thinner, and I found white hairs in them. What's worse was that they costed me over $200, and they didn't look natural. When I wore them, you could tell that I was wearing extensions because my short hair would peek through underneath, or the sides would look weird.
After that I stayed off the extensions for a few years, but this year I made two hair extension purchases. One of which, was from HeadKandy.com. The other one was from OriginalDiva.com.au, which completely disappointed me after having high hopes for it based on the website and media.
The Original Diva hair extensions at first felt like heaven. The hair was SO soft, and never tangled. But they didn't look natural on my hair. I had that same problem, with my short hair showing at the nape of my neck, and the sides looking weird. And then I washed them once. Just once. And they're not soft anymore at all. They feel gross.
HeadKandy was the cheapest of them all, so my hopes weren't too high for them. I just thought, for as much hair as they say they come with, and for the price they offer, I might as well try it out. And they are amazing. They felt even softer than the Original Diva ones did at first. They blend right into my real hair, no hair at the nape of my neck shows, and the sides look completely natural. I've washed them three times now, and I've blow dried them because I never have the patience to wait for them to air dry, I straighten them everytime before I put them on, and I've even dyed them once, and they still feel amazingly soft, almost the same texture as my real hair. Given that they are so long (I got the longest length), they do tangle, but the tangles come right out when I run my fingers through them. Also HeadKandy does come with A LOT of hair. It's probably 4 or 5 times as much hair as my first set of hair extensions, and 2 times as much hair as the Original Diva ones. I do get strands of hair falling out here and there with these, but that's normal, and considering how much hair is in them, it doesn't seem to even matter.
29 July 2010
Product Review: Softlips Organic Lip Balm (Pomegranate)
It's been a very long time since I last used Softlips lip balm, but this time with all their newer flavours and stuff I just had to try at least one out. I wanted to try out the tinted ones, but I couldn't find that anywhere, so I went with the Organic pomegranate one. It smells amazing. And it's tasteless. And organic. And cruelty free. They feel very smooth on the lips without any waxy or sticky feeling. I love it, except that my lips seem to have been peeling since I started using it. It's not dry or anything, it's just peely, which is weird.
What's also weird, is the packaging of Sotflips in Canada is different from the Softlips in America. I don't know if its the same or not, but the American ones definitely look like they're targeted more towards younger ages just because of the text they chose and the colours and whatnot.
What's also weird, is the packaging of Sotflips in Canada is different from the Softlips in America. I don't know if its the same or not, but the American ones definitely look like they're targeted more towards younger ages just because of the text they chose and the colours and whatnot.
Skin 79 Super Plus Blemish Balm Triple Functions
I just realized that I said I'd do a review on this almost 2 months ago and never did. So here it is. Well its not really a review since I only used it once, and I don't have it on hand so I'm just saying what I remember about it.
The colour at the time was too dark for my skin (of course now since I'm so tanned it would probably work, but I left it at home so I can't really try it again). So that's why I haven't used it any more than just once. It also seemed to have that greyish undertone(and maybe pinkish?) in it which I hated. I remember that it had quite a good coverage, I think it was a little too heavy for me though. I also didn't quite like the scent.
I kept hearing such great things about this BB cream though, I was kind of disappointed when I finally got to try it. So no, this isn't something I'd actually recommend, but just because so many other people recommend it, maybe it's just me. I'll probably try it out again next time I go home.
The colour at the time was too dark for my skin (of course now since I'm so tanned it would probably work, but I left it at home so I can't really try it again). So that's why I haven't used it any more than just once. It also seemed to have that greyish undertone(and maybe pinkish?) in it which I hated. I remember that it had quite a good coverage, I think it was a little too heavy for me though. I also didn't quite like the scent.
I kept hearing such great things about this BB cream though, I was kind of disappointed when I finally got to try it. So no, this isn't something I'd actually recommend, but just because so many other people recommend it, maybe it's just me. I'll probably try it out again next time I go home.
Product Review: L'Oreal Paris Go 360° Clean (Deep Facial Cleanser for Sensitive Skin)
Immediately after first seeing ads all over the place for this cleanser, I have had the urge to purchase it and test it out. Because I already knew about these silicone scrubbers, tried them and loved them, and they finally made their way to Canada. I read and watched some reviews on them, and found out that a majority of people found the cleansers to be drying. So I kept that in mind when purchasing and went with the one for sensitive skin, which is a white, creamy cleanser. I have actually been using this for about a month now, because I idiotically left my Neutrogena Skin ID cleanser back at home. So here's my thoughts.
I love the scrubber. It is better quality than the crappy ones I ordered online from Ebay a while back, before these. The "bristles" are really soft and it just feels really cool. There's also a little suction thing on the back so you can stick it to the shower walls. I noticed that Sephora now sells these as well, for $5 and it's exactly the same thing. So if you're just in for the scrubber, I'd say just get that.
Now the cleanser, has a very light scent. It hasn't dried out my skin or anything, but maybe that's just because its summer and my skin tends to be more oily in the summer. It feels like a very gentle cleanser though, and it doesn't lather up much. I don't feel like it's doing much for my skin though. It isn't something I would recommend. It's not bad, but its not great either. I've only been using it for so long because I'm waiting for my next Skin ID order to come in.
I love the scrubber. It is better quality than the crappy ones I ordered online from Ebay a while back, before these. The "bristles" are really soft and it just feels really cool. There's also a little suction thing on the back so you can stick it to the shower walls. I noticed that Sephora now sells these as well, for $5 and it's exactly the same thing. So if you're just in for the scrubber, I'd say just get that.
Now the cleanser, has a very light scent. It hasn't dried out my skin or anything, but maybe that's just because its summer and my skin tends to be more oily in the summer. It feels like a very gentle cleanser though, and it doesn't lather up much. I don't feel like it's doing much for my skin though. It isn't something I would recommend. It's not bad, but its not great either. I've only been using it for so long because I'm waiting for my next Skin ID order to come in.
12 July 2010
Product Review: Maybelline Define-A-Lash Lengthening and Defining Mascara (Very Black, Waterproof)
Description:
Product Features
• Zero-clump mascara creates stunning length and clean definition
• Flexible brush is shaped to the lash to elongate and define lashes, one by one
• Built-in wiper contours brush to remove excess formula, ensuring clean deposit on lashes
• Smooth and lightweight formula feels comfortable on lashes
• No smudging, smearing or flaking
• Allergy tested, ophthalmologist tested and contact lens safe
My Review:
The first thing that I have to say is, this is my new favourite mascara!
I don't remember where I first saw this... It was in a review or something, and I decided I had to try it. I bought it about half a year ago, or maybe more, but never got to trying it out, and I wish I tried it earlier!
The first thing I noticed, was the mascara wand. It's flexible. Like, the part with the brush. Not just the bristles, but the whole thing is flexible, which was like, really cool and amazing to me. Also, the brush is rather slim, which makes it really easy to get every single lash on the top and bottom without accidentally getting any on the skin.
This is probably the first mascara I've had that actually lives up to all of its claims. I don't get any clumps at all, it really lengthens and defines my lashes, and it doesn't smudge, smear or flake.
Whenever I wear this mascara, it lasts the entire day without smudging the tiniest bit, or fading. It also holds the curl of my lashes throughout the whole day.
Although it doesn't claim to add any volume to the lashes, I use it with my Lancome mascara base, which does add volume, so it's not too big of a deal for me. I love the look that this mascara creates. I love how I don't get any clumps, so I don't have to comb my lashes, which means no mascara fallout under my eyes and on my cheeks. This is definitely going to be my holy grail mascara from now on.
Mineral Makeup Haul
Okay so I know it's been a long time since I last blogged.... I just haven't really been feeling like it. Again, I don't have any pictures... Because I've been waiting to get my new camera! But ever since I decided what camera I wanted, all the stores have been sold out. Hopefully I get my hands on that camera soon.
Like I mentioned before, I have made a couple hauls from two different mineral makeup brands, and I've tested them all out thoroughly now (except for the samples), so I can finally write about them.
First off, is Everyday Minerals.
Things I got are:
I got every single one of their brushes
Natural Reflections Fair
Soft Bronzer
Kaolin Powder Fair
Champagne
Utopia Blooms
All Smiles (Sample)
Intensive Medium Concealer (Sample)
Multi-Intensive Concealer/Eye Primer (Sample)
Sunlight Color Corrector (Sample)
At the Zoo (Exclusive)
The brushes.... I absolutely LOVE them. And they're really, really soft, and best yet, they're synthetic, cruelty free brushes. I've had no problems with shedding even when I washed them, which is great.
The Natural Reflections Fair, is supposed to set your makeup and mattify your skin. I haven't really used it though to tell how well it works. I guess I lied earlier about having tested them all thoroughly. I just kind of forgot about this one for some reason.
I really love the soft bronzer. I use it mainly for contouring, and it is a really soft bronzer, just a few shades darker than my natural skin tone, so it looks very natural.
The Kaolin Powder is for those who have oily, shiny skin. It's supposed to mattify the skin, and absorb oil from the skin. I've been using this a lot ever since I got it. I don't have oily skin at all, but for some reason my nose is always shiny, even right after washing it. It immediately mattifies it, and stays a matte finish throughout the entire day. I'm not too sure how it really works for absorbing oil and for oily skin, but it's great for my skin.
Champagne is a really subtle highlighter. It's really shimmery and goes on really nicely. I haven't used it very much since I got it though, because I haven't been much into the dewey look this summer for some reason.
Utopia Blooms is an eyeshadow collection with 25 different eyeshadow colours, and an eye smudge brush. They all come in the sample sizes, though they're not too small of a size. The colours are all very pretty. I haven't tried every single one of them yet, but so far, I have mixed opinions about them. Some seem to be more pigmented than others. They are buildable though.
All the other samples that I got, I haven't really tried enough to say anything about them, since they're the same sizes as the eyeshadow samples... Imagine trying to dip a blush brush into that. The concealer and colour correctors don't seem to work very well, but I've only tried once.
The At the Zoo exclusive I got for free with my order by entering a promo code, which I forgot. Everything is in sample sizes, with three eyeshadows, a blush, and a powder, and a Jr. Eye Kabuki Brush.
Also a note worth mentioning are the containers the full sized products come in. They are flatter than the usual mineral makeups, such as Bare Minerals, but larger in diameter. This means a bigger lid to swirl your brushes in. Which means less mess. I really love how the lids are so much bigger. And there's also a thing on the sifter that turns and covers up the holes so there's no mess when travelling with them, which is one thing I absolutely hated about many other mineral makeup brands.
The next brand is Signature Minerals.
I've been eyeing their brushes for a very, very long time now, and finally got them, along with some of their mineral makeup to try.
I ordered all of their brushes, a foundation, a blush, a soft radiance veil, concealer and colour corrector, and 6 sample eyeshadows.
The brushes were kind of a disappointment to me. The face powder brushes weren't as big and dense as I expected. Actually, they turned out to be a lot smaller than I had expected. The hairs are really soft though, and they are synthetic, cruelty free. I don't think I'd really agree that they feel like "pure silk" like it says on their website though. They feel just about the same as the Everyday Minerals brushes. I just really liked the look of the brushes... with the white and bluish grey tips. Don't like the look of the handles though, and the writing on them. I haven't had any shedding at all with these.
The foundation turned out to be too dark for my skin (I got #4.0) Even now that I've tanned a few shades darker than I normally am, it is way too dark. It did look too dark on the website, but I was reading the descriptions and it said:
"Yellow to Olive undertones.
For very light complexions with yellow or olive undertones.
Many of our very light Asian clients enjoy this shade along with Angel Wings Veil."
So I decided it must work for my skin. Apparently not.
The blush that I got was Desiree Peach. It looks kind of orange. It is very pigmented though, and has to be applied with a very light hand and I love the colour of it on my skin. I'm not too sure about how long it lasts though because I've only worn it a couple times and didn't take notice.
I have nothing to say about the soft radiance veil since I haven't used it at all yet.
The concealer and colour corrector seem to work really well. Especially considering that they are mineral makeups. I never thought mineral concealer would really be able to cover up my under eye circles, but it does! As for the colour corrector that I got, it was way too much for me. Too yellow, too pigmented, did correct the colour, but concealer on top of it couldn't even make it look normal. I looked like a raccoon or something after. Sometimes when I want even more coverage for my under eye circles I'd use a normal cream concealer, and then top it off with this concealer which sets it as well.
I have yet to try the eyeshadows because they came in little baggies, and I don't know... I'm just scared to open them up because I just know it'll be a huge mess. The colours look amazing though.
I also have to mention the containers for these. Well, for the foundation and blushes. They are smaller in diameter. Even smaller than Bare Minerals actually. Which makes it so difficult for me to tap the product into the lid and swirl my brush in it without getting powder everywhere. It's so messy! And there is no cover for the sifters. One thing I found cool about the sifters though, was that the plastic isn't hard like all the other ones I've come across. It's flexible. Kind of rubbery. But I don't think that makes any difference whatsoever. I just had to mention it.
So overall, I really do like Everyday Minerals, and not so much Signature Minerals. I probably won't ever buy from Signature Minerals again. Everyday Minerals... Maybe.... But I probably won't, just because there's so many others out there I want to try.
Like I mentioned before, I have made a couple hauls from two different mineral makeup brands, and I've tested them all out thoroughly now (except for the samples), so I can finally write about them.
First off, is Everyday Minerals.
Things I got are:
I got every single one of their brushes
Natural Reflections Fair
Soft Bronzer
Kaolin Powder Fair
Champagne
Utopia Blooms
All Smiles (Sample)
Intensive Medium Concealer (Sample)
Multi-Intensive Concealer/Eye Primer (Sample)
Sunlight Color Corrector (Sample)
At the Zoo (Exclusive)
The brushes.... I absolutely LOVE them. And they're really, really soft, and best yet, they're synthetic, cruelty free brushes. I've had no problems with shedding even when I washed them, which is great.
The Natural Reflections Fair, is supposed to set your makeup and mattify your skin. I haven't really used it though to tell how well it works. I guess I lied earlier about having tested them all thoroughly. I just kind of forgot about this one for some reason.
I really love the soft bronzer. I use it mainly for contouring, and it is a really soft bronzer, just a few shades darker than my natural skin tone, so it looks very natural.
The Kaolin Powder is for those who have oily, shiny skin. It's supposed to mattify the skin, and absorb oil from the skin. I've been using this a lot ever since I got it. I don't have oily skin at all, but for some reason my nose is always shiny, even right after washing it. It immediately mattifies it, and stays a matte finish throughout the entire day. I'm not too sure how it really works for absorbing oil and for oily skin, but it's great for my skin.
Champagne is a really subtle highlighter. It's really shimmery and goes on really nicely. I haven't used it very much since I got it though, because I haven't been much into the dewey look this summer for some reason.
Utopia Blooms is an eyeshadow collection with 25 different eyeshadow colours, and an eye smudge brush. They all come in the sample sizes, though they're not too small of a size. The colours are all very pretty. I haven't tried every single one of them yet, but so far, I have mixed opinions about them. Some seem to be more pigmented than others. They are buildable though.
All the other samples that I got, I haven't really tried enough to say anything about them, since they're the same sizes as the eyeshadow samples... Imagine trying to dip a blush brush into that. The concealer and colour correctors don't seem to work very well, but I've only tried once.
The At the Zoo exclusive I got for free with my order by entering a promo code, which I forgot. Everything is in sample sizes, with three eyeshadows, a blush, and a powder, and a Jr. Eye Kabuki Brush.
Also a note worth mentioning are the containers the full sized products come in. They are flatter than the usual mineral makeups, such as Bare Minerals, but larger in diameter. This means a bigger lid to swirl your brushes in. Which means less mess. I really love how the lids are so much bigger. And there's also a thing on the sifter that turns and covers up the holes so there's no mess when travelling with them, which is one thing I absolutely hated about many other mineral makeup brands.
The next brand is Signature Minerals.
I've been eyeing their brushes for a very, very long time now, and finally got them, along with some of their mineral makeup to try.
I ordered all of their brushes, a foundation, a blush, a soft radiance veil, concealer and colour corrector, and 6 sample eyeshadows.
The brushes were kind of a disappointment to me. The face powder brushes weren't as big and dense as I expected. Actually, they turned out to be a lot smaller than I had expected. The hairs are really soft though, and they are synthetic, cruelty free. I don't think I'd really agree that they feel like "pure silk" like it says on their website though. They feel just about the same as the Everyday Minerals brushes. I just really liked the look of the brushes... with the white and bluish grey tips. Don't like the look of the handles though, and the writing on them. I haven't had any shedding at all with these.
The foundation turned out to be too dark for my skin (I got #4.0) Even now that I've tanned a few shades darker than I normally am, it is way too dark. It did look too dark on the website, but I was reading the descriptions and it said:
"Yellow to Olive undertones.
For very light complexions with yellow or olive undertones.
Many of our very light Asian clients enjoy this shade along with Angel Wings Veil."
So I decided it must work for my skin. Apparently not.
The blush that I got was Desiree Peach. It looks kind of orange. It is very pigmented though, and has to be applied with a very light hand and I love the colour of it on my skin. I'm not too sure about how long it lasts though because I've only worn it a couple times and didn't take notice.
I have nothing to say about the soft radiance veil since I haven't used it at all yet.
The concealer and colour corrector seem to work really well. Especially considering that they are mineral makeups. I never thought mineral concealer would really be able to cover up my under eye circles, but it does! As for the colour corrector that I got, it was way too much for me. Too yellow, too pigmented, did correct the colour, but concealer on top of it couldn't even make it look normal. I looked like a raccoon or something after. Sometimes when I want even more coverage for my under eye circles I'd use a normal cream concealer, and then top it off with this concealer which sets it as well.
I have yet to try the eyeshadows because they came in little baggies, and I don't know... I'm just scared to open them up because I just know it'll be a huge mess. The colours look amazing though.
I also have to mention the containers for these. Well, for the foundation and blushes. They are smaller in diameter. Even smaller than Bare Minerals actually. Which makes it so difficult for me to tap the product into the lid and swirl my brush in it without getting powder everywhere. It's so messy! And there is no cover for the sifters. One thing I found cool about the sifters though, was that the plastic isn't hard like all the other ones I've come across. It's flexible. Kind of rubbery. But I don't think that makes any difference whatsoever. I just had to mention it.
So overall, I really do like Everyday Minerals, and not so much Signature Minerals. I probably won't ever buy from Signature Minerals again. Everyday Minerals... Maybe.... But I probably won't, just because there's so many others out there I want to try.
18 June 2010
Collective Haul
I got all these things in the past week and thought I would share them with you guys, along with a little review on them. I don't have pictures though, just because I'm too lazy to take pictures, but I will take some pictures and do swatches of some of the stuff later.
First I want to talk about mineral makeup. I'm officially over BB creams, and moved on to mineral makeup now. I started off with trying out the bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation in golden medium. I actually meant to get the golden light shade, but I somehow picked up the wrong one, but it's not too much darker than my skin tone, especially since it's summer and I will tan a bit. I also got the bareMinerals Hydrating Mineral Veil. The foundation is very lightweight and has very light coverage, which is fine with me because I don't really need that much coverage. When I want more coverage, I just go back to my BB creams, and then buff this on top of it. Then I conceal, and use the Mineral Veil. The foundation does keep my t-zone area nice and matte all day, which was the main reason why I ended up choosing the matte finish one. The Mineral Veil is slightly shimmery, but goes on unnoticeable. It sets all my makeup very well. I'm not sure if it really is hydrating though. I have also just placed an order on Signature Minerals mineral makeup, as well as Everyday Minerals mineral makeup because of how much I love using mineral makeup now. I also have this Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl that I picked up at the drugstore. It comes with a bottom compartment which has a brush in there, although I never use that brush, because I just don't like the feel of it. The palette looks mainly pink, but it has parts that are darker and more brown and parts that are lighter pink. I like using this as a highlighter on my cheekbones and nose. It is really shimmery, but gives a really subtle highlight... It doesn't really make sense, but I like it, except its probably not the best highlighter out there.
Speaking of highlighters, I finally got the Benefit High Beam to try out, and I have to say, this probably is my favourite highlighter I've ever had. I just love the way it looks on my skin!
I also finally got the NARS Orgasm blush that everybody raves about. I had the cream blush before, but that never really worked for me. I just don't really like cream blushes, but I got it that time because Sephora was out of the pressed blush. I absolutely love the colour of this blush. And as with all NARS blushes, they are highly pigmented and last all day. I love them!
Moving on, I got this Palgantong Make-Up Theatrical Powder in Clear White. Apparently a lot of celebrities use it, which is why I got it.... I don't know though, I haven't used it much, except to set my makeup sometimes, but I feel like it doesn't really do anything, and it definitely doesn't work nearly as well as bareMinerals mineral veil or Mac mineralize skin finish, so I can't say much about it. The powder is white, but it goes on completely clear. And it is very fine and smooth.
While I was at the drug store, I also picked up two cheapo lip balm/gloss things. I don't know what I'd call them. From Nivea. One of them is Nivea Fruity Shine in Strawberry, and the other is Nivea Glamorous Gloss in Natural. The Fruity Shine smells amazing! But I don't like the colour. It's a shame that they don't show the colour on the packaging or anything... I was expecting a little hint of red that would look like I just sucked on a popsicle or something. Well I guess it could be a really red popsicle... I don't like the colour on me though, because it's much too dark and red/pink, so I've only used it like, once. It does go on really smooth and it isn't sticky at all though which I like. I am considering giving it to my mom since she likes redder lipsticks, but she's also too lazy to wear lipstick usually, so this would probably suit her better. The Glamorous Gloss again, didn't show anywhere on the packaging what it would look like. The tube is a really light pink and I love the colour, and I just assumed that the gloss would be coloured similar to the tube. But, the gloss is more like a very, very pale peach, and very close to being just a clear gloss. I like the smell of it, and it isn't sticky at all, but I think it does make my lips kind of dry, so I haven't been using that much either.
Now for Milani's HD Advanced Concealer that I mentioned last time. I got this in the lighter shade, which is perfect for under my eyes. It works like a click pen, with a clicking thing at the end. I don't like how the clicker works though because it usually takes quite a few clicks before anything starts coming out, so I get impatient and madly click and then end up getting too much product. The formula itself is very lightweight and coverage is kind of on the light side, but it somehow still covers up my undereye circles pretty well and brightens them. It isn't good enough to cover up blemishes though. It lasts most of the day, but not all day. By the end of the day, the inner corners of my eyes, which are the darkest areas, would look so dark and horrid.
On to the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils, I got 6 of them, in Iced Mocha, Pure Gold, Cottage Cheese, Black Bean, Pots & Pans, and Purple. These are super pigmented and glide on really easily and are sooooo smooth and easy to blend. The only problem I have with them is that they smudge. And crease. But that happens with most cream eyeshadows. I have tried using these as a makeup base, and overall they work okay as a base. They certainly do make colours adhere and pop more and last longer but I still have a little bit of problem with the creasing, but that can be easily fixed with just a smudge with the finger. Also worth mentioning, is that these are cruelty free.
And since I'm talking about cruelty free, I just got this eyeliner from Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils, in Bourbon. I actually had one before, but I used up the whole thing! I am in love with Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliners. They go on so easily and smooth, and they look amazing, and last all day. This is actually the first time I've ever used up an entire eyeliner pencil and had to buy another one of the exact same thing. I love them so much. I will do a more complete review on these pencils later along with the eyeliner reviews that I promised quite a while back. I just haven't gotten to it yet because of my laziness... Oh and what this had to do with cruelty free, is that all of Urban Decay's things are cruelty free, which makes it one of my favourite cosmetic brands.
I made my first purchase from Lush today, and got the Vanilla Dee-Lite Hand and Body Cream. I love how everything from Lush is hand-made, and they have a wide selection of vegan items too! This cream that I got is vegan, and it smells great. I normally HATE things with any tinge of coconut scent in them, but for some reason this has coconut in it, but I love the smell. And its not overpowering like many creams and lotions on the market are. It feels very moisturizing and it is non-greasy. I love it. I am really considering getting more things from Lush now.
I also made my first purchase at Bath and Body Works a few days ago. I know, its unbelievable that this is my first purchase from them. But I'm such a cheapo, I never wanted to spend $11 on a bottle of lotion, even though that's not even expensive. But I walked by the other day and saw that they had a huge 50% off sale, so I decided that it's about time. I HAD to get one. I spent so long in there trying to decide on a scent to go with, and finally chose the Sweet Pea one from the Signature Collection. I love the smell so much. It's kind of fruity and florally. It feels very moisturizing and absorbs quickly and it isn't greasy at all. I really do like it.
First I want to talk about mineral makeup. I'm officially over BB creams, and moved on to mineral makeup now. I started off with trying out the bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 Foundation in golden medium. I actually meant to get the golden light shade, but I somehow picked up the wrong one, but it's not too much darker than my skin tone, especially since it's summer and I will tan a bit. I also got the bareMinerals Hydrating Mineral Veil. The foundation is very lightweight and has very light coverage, which is fine with me because I don't really need that much coverage. When I want more coverage, I just go back to my BB creams, and then buff this on top of it. Then I conceal, and use the Mineral Veil. The foundation does keep my t-zone area nice and matte all day, which was the main reason why I ended up choosing the matte finish one. The Mineral Veil is slightly shimmery, but goes on unnoticeable. It sets all my makeup very well. I'm not sure if it really is hydrating though. I have also just placed an order on Signature Minerals mineral makeup, as well as Everyday Minerals mineral makeup because of how much I love using mineral makeup now. I also have this Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl that I picked up at the drugstore. It comes with a bottom compartment which has a brush in there, although I never use that brush, because I just don't like the feel of it. The palette looks mainly pink, but it has parts that are darker and more brown and parts that are lighter pink. I like using this as a highlighter on my cheekbones and nose. It is really shimmery, but gives a really subtle highlight... It doesn't really make sense, but I like it, except its probably not the best highlighter out there.
Speaking of highlighters, I finally got the Benefit High Beam to try out, and I have to say, this probably is my favourite highlighter I've ever had. I just love the way it looks on my skin!
I also finally got the NARS Orgasm blush that everybody raves about. I had the cream blush before, but that never really worked for me. I just don't really like cream blushes, but I got it that time because Sephora was out of the pressed blush. I absolutely love the colour of this blush. And as with all NARS blushes, they are highly pigmented and last all day. I love them!
Moving on, I got this Palgantong Make-Up Theatrical Powder in Clear White. Apparently a lot of celebrities use it, which is why I got it.... I don't know though, I haven't used it much, except to set my makeup sometimes, but I feel like it doesn't really do anything, and it definitely doesn't work nearly as well as bareMinerals mineral veil or Mac mineralize skin finish, so I can't say much about it. The powder is white, but it goes on completely clear. And it is very fine and smooth.
While I was at the drug store, I also picked up two cheapo lip balm/gloss things. I don't know what I'd call them. From Nivea. One of them is Nivea Fruity Shine in Strawberry, and the other is Nivea Glamorous Gloss in Natural. The Fruity Shine smells amazing! But I don't like the colour. It's a shame that they don't show the colour on the packaging or anything... I was expecting a little hint of red that would look like I just sucked on a popsicle or something. Well I guess it could be a really red popsicle... I don't like the colour on me though, because it's much too dark and red/pink, so I've only used it like, once. It does go on really smooth and it isn't sticky at all though which I like. I am considering giving it to my mom since she likes redder lipsticks, but she's also too lazy to wear lipstick usually, so this would probably suit her better. The Glamorous Gloss again, didn't show anywhere on the packaging what it would look like. The tube is a really light pink and I love the colour, and I just assumed that the gloss would be coloured similar to the tube. But, the gloss is more like a very, very pale peach, and very close to being just a clear gloss. I like the smell of it, and it isn't sticky at all, but I think it does make my lips kind of dry, so I haven't been using that much either.
Now for Milani's HD Advanced Concealer that I mentioned last time. I got this in the lighter shade, which is perfect for under my eyes. It works like a click pen, with a clicking thing at the end. I don't like how the clicker works though because it usually takes quite a few clicks before anything starts coming out, so I get impatient and madly click and then end up getting too much product. The formula itself is very lightweight and coverage is kind of on the light side, but it somehow still covers up my undereye circles pretty well and brightens them. It isn't good enough to cover up blemishes though. It lasts most of the day, but not all day. By the end of the day, the inner corners of my eyes, which are the darkest areas, would look so dark and horrid.
On to the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils, I got 6 of them, in Iced Mocha, Pure Gold, Cottage Cheese, Black Bean, Pots & Pans, and Purple. These are super pigmented and glide on really easily and are sooooo smooth and easy to blend. The only problem I have with them is that they smudge. And crease. But that happens with most cream eyeshadows. I have tried using these as a makeup base, and overall they work okay as a base. They certainly do make colours adhere and pop more and last longer but I still have a little bit of problem with the creasing, but that can be easily fixed with just a smudge with the finger. Also worth mentioning, is that these are cruelty free.
And since I'm talking about cruelty free, I just got this eyeliner from Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencils, in Bourbon. I actually had one before, but I used up the whole thing! I am in love with Urban Decay's 24/7 eyeliners. They go on so easily and smooth, and they look amazing, and last all day. This is actually the first time I've ever used up an entire eyeliner pencil and had to buy another one of the exact same thing. I love them so much. I will do a more complete review on these pencils later along with the eyeliner reviews that I promised quite a while back. I just haven't gotten to it yet because of my laziness... Oh and what this had to do with cruelty free, is that all of Urban Decay's things are cruelty free, which makes it one of my favourite cosmetic brands.
I made my first purchase from Lush today, and got the Vanilla Dee-Lite Hand and Body Cream. I love how everything from Lush is hand-made, and they have a wide selection of vegan items too! This cream that I got is vegan, and it smells great. I normally HATE things with any tinge of coconut scent in them, but for some reason this has coconut in it, but I love the smell. And its not overpowering like many creams and lotions on the market are. It feels very moisturizing and it is non-greasy. I love it. I am really considering getting more things from Lush now.
I also made my first purchase at Bath and Body Works a few days ago. I know, its unbelievable that this is my first purchase from them. But I'm such a cheapo, I never wanted to spend $11 on a bottle of lotion, even though that's not even expensive. But I walked by the other day and saw that they had a huge 50% off sale, so I decided that it's about time. I HAD to get one. I spent so long in there trying to decide on a scent to go with, and finally chose the Sweet Pea one from the Signature Collection. I love the smell so much. It's kind of fruity and florally. It feels very moisturizing and absorbs quickly and it isn't greasy at all. I really do like it.
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