Best of the Drugstore: Drugstore Week

 

It's the last day of Drugstore Week and what better way to finish than with my favourites from the drugstore. I've done quite a few posts like this in the past so I'll link those at the end of this post. I didn't look at my previous posts before doing this one. I tried to go through my collection and pick all my current favourites. So here we go!

Best Face

Bioderma
This has always been my holy grail makeup remover. It works better than anything else I've ever used and it's so gentle on my skin. This is a product that is sold at drugstores in Canada for about $17. I'm not entirely sure if it would be considered a drugstore product in other places in the world but it is here so I'm including it.
Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer
This concealer has a high coverage, it's really creamy and has quickly become one of my favourites. I especially like how it also comes with a powder to set it.
Rimmel Match Perfection
I really love Rimmel foundations. This one is particularly nice. It's medium coverage but looks really natural on the skin. It's not as radiant as Rimmel's Wake Me Up but it's not matte or dull either.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum
Like the Rimmel foundation, this is really natural looking on the skin but I'd say it's more of a light coverage. It has a really runny texture which I find makes it a little easier to blend and it also smells nice.
Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
Lots of people name this as their favourite drugstore concealer and it's made it's way into my favourites as well. In my dupes post I compared this to Nars Radiant Concealer and it's very similar as it has good coverage and is really creamy.

Best Cheeks

Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso
I'm pretty sure every blogger has heard about this blush. In the summer months, this is my most used blush by far. It's a very shimmery peach colour and the glow it gives me makes me look tan like nothing else.
NYX Powder Blush in Angel

This is my all time favourite natural blush. It is a matte soft pink that adds some very subtle colour to the cheeks. I wear it all the time.
Soap and Glory Solar Power Bronzer

This bronzer gives your skin a sunkissed glow while looking extremely natural. It has quickly made it's way into my daily makeup bag.

Best Eyes

L'Oreal La Couleur Infailible 
I've raved about this pressed pigment eyeshadow in many of my past posts and it's still one of my favourite drugstore eyeshadow formulations. It's so creamy and pigmented (duh! it's a pressed pigment) and the shade (033) Tender Caramel is especially beautiful.
Maybelline 24/7 Color Tattoo
Everyone has heard about the amazingness that are the Maybelline Color Tattoos. They're creamy and so incredibly long lasting. I love using them as a base for other eyeshadows or on their own.
L'Oreal Color Riche Mono
L'Oreal shadows are just some of the best from the drugstore. This one is very pigmented and blendable.
Soap and Glory Archery Pencil
Best drugstore brow product by far. This may actually rival my Anastasia Brow Wiz in how natural it makes my brows look. The pen side is great at imitating brow hairs and filling in sparce areas and the pencil side shapes the brows.

Best Lips

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 107
If I'm looking for a statement lip I almost always reach for this lipstick. It's a dark almost berry red. It's matte and the formula is very long lasting.
Maybelline Color Sensational Matte in Touch of Spice
In the winter months this is one of my favourite lipsticks. It's a dark but wearable everyday shade and because it's matte it lasts a long time on the lips. The formulation is also really comfortable.
NYX Butter Lipstick in Pops
This is my perfect "My Lips But Better" lipstick. I wear it almost everyday. Not only does it smell amazing but it also feels really comfortable on my lips and it lasts a while before needing to reapply.
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey
I've spoken about this lip product so much on my blog. You are probably all getting sick of hearing about it so I'll keep it short. This is a very natural, comfortable lip stain that has been on my favourites list for years.

My previous Drugstore Favourites Posts: 

Top 5 Drugstore Buys

I ♥ Drugstore Makeup Tag

To stay up to date, don't forget to follow me on:

Bloglovin'   Instagram    Twitter

Disappointing Drugstore Products: Drugstore Week

Drugstore Week Continues! Today's post is Disappointing Drugstore Products. I always feel the need to preface disappointing product reviews with a disclaimer that just because I was disappointed with a product doesn't mean it's a bad product. My least favourite product could be someone's holy grail product. I also really love all of the brands I will be talking about today, even if some of their products were disappointing. I never want to insult anyone but I do want to provide honest reviews.

Maybelline Master Glaze Blush Stick in Make a Mauve

I received this in an Ipsy bag so I didn't get to choose the colour which may be my least favourite part of this blush. It's way to dark for my skin tone. I also don't like the chunks of glitter throughout.

Maybelline Brow Drama in Soft Brown

This is a decent tinted brow gel but I am not a fan of the huge circular brush applicator. It also has a tendency to clump and build up really easily. I had heard a lot of good things about this brow gel so I was expecting more. I gave this one to my mom and she seems to be making use of it.

Bourjois Aqua Blush in Nude

My main complaint about this liquid blush is that when you blend it in it with your fingers gets really clumpy, really quickly. It kind of pills (I don't know if anyone knows what I'm talking about so I included a picture). I think this could be better when used with the correct brush but I'm really put off by how easily it clumps. It's a unique formula so wanted this blush to be better.

It got clumpy when I tried to swatch it

L'Oreal Super Liner Duo Precision

I really wanted to like this liner more than I did. It's staying power is terrible. It flakes off almost immediately. It also has a shiny finish which is never my preference with liquid liners. The applicator is also kind of flimsy which makes it hard to draw a straight line.

Covergirl Eyeshadow in Shimmering Sands

This is probably a really good eyeshadow for beginners because it's not too pigmented and therefore very forgiving if you make a mistake. However I'm used to higher quality shadows so I find this trio quite frustrating. I also believe when Covergirl changed their packaging the formulation also changed. Correct me if I'm wrong. I was just not impressed.

Stay up to date with me by following me on:

Bloglovin'   Instagram    Twitter

U.K. Drugstore Tutorial: Drugstore Week

Drugstore week continues! For today's post I wanted to do a tutorial with makeup you could find in a United Kingdom drugstore. Since my North American Drugstore Tutorial was warm toned and bronze, I thought I would do a cool toned look for my U.K. Drugstore Makeup Tutorial.
To start with my base I used the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. For concealer I used my Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer both under my eyes and on any redness or blemishes. I also brought this onto my eyelid to act as my eyeshadow base.

Onto the star of this look, the eyes. I used the I ♥ Makeup by Makeup Revolution Naked Chocolate Palette. I started with the shade Tob-le-rone buffed out in my crease. I then took the shade Dipped all over the lid. In my outer V I blended the shade Delight. To highlight my browbone I used Smoothly and to highlight my inner corner I used Adorable. On my lower lashline I blended together Dipped and Delight.

To line my eyes I used the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Liner in Brown. I finished up the eyes with my essence Lash Princess Mascara on my top and bottom lashes.

For my brows I filled them in with the Soap and Glory Archery Pencil. For blush I used my Sleek Pink Lemonade Blush by 3 palette and the shade Icing Sugar. For bronzer I used Soap and Glory Solar Power Bronzer around the edges of my face and to gently contour. As a last touch I used my Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayon in Nudist.

Stay tuned for the rest of Drugstore Week. 

Don't forget to follow me on:

Bloglovin'   Instagram    Twitter

N.A. Drugstore Tutorial: Drugstore Week

It's Drugstore Week! For today's post I'm doing a North American Drugstore Tutorial. This tutorial contains all products you can find in a North American drugstore (although you can probably find a lot of these products in other drugstores around the world). As normal, the pictures from my tutorial are only of my eyes because I still don't feel comfortable putting my full face on my blog. I was going for a very bronzed look here so hopefully you enjoy.

I started with my base using the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB. I applied it using my hands because I feel it blends best this way. I then went in with my Maybelline Fit Me Concealer to clear up any spots and redness also blending that in with my fingers. To conceal under my eyes I used the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser.

Onto my eyes, I applied the Maybelline Color Tattoo in Creamy Beige as a base and to act as my transition colour. I used my finger to apply a thin coat all over my lid and up into my crease. I then took the real Techniques Base Shadow Brush and took the bronze Crease colour from the Wet & Wild Comfort Zone Palette all over my lid. I took the dark brown Definer from the palette and blended that into my outer V. I combined the two shades and blended that on my lower lashline. To finish I used my finger to press the rose gold Eyelid shadow in the middle of my eyelid right above my pupil. I used the L'Oreal Super Liner to make a wing and then I used Rimmel's ScandaleyesWaterproof Kohl Kajal on my waterline. I used the essence Lash Princess Mascara on my top and bottom lashes.

For Bronzer I used the Real Techniques Blush Brush to apply the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny around the perimeter of my face and any other place the sun might hit. I also used the Blush Brush to apply Milani's Luminoso Baked Blush. To finish off, on my brows I used the Maybelline Brown Drama.  And lastly I used the NYX  Retractable Lip Liner in Nude to line my lips and then NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee.

Stay tuned for the rest of Drugstore Week. 

Don't forget to follow me on:

Bloglovin'   Instagram    Twitter

Dupes: Drugstore Week

For the first post of Drugstore week I thought I would do another dupes post. So after going through my makeup collection I've found some drugstore products that are very similar to some of my favourite high end items.

e.l.f Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder in St. Lucia vs. Nars Laguna Bronzer and Deep Throat Blush

This is a pretty well established dupe already. Even down to the packaging, this duo is supposed to be similar to Nars. I think the blush in this palette is often considered to be a dupe for Nars Orgasm but when I swatched them I found Orgasm to be a much deeper shade of pink. The e.l.f blush is a little bit chunky and has glitter but the overall tone of pink is the same as Deep Throat. The bronzer is also extremely similar to Laguna, just a little bit darker.

Deep Throat, e.l.f Blush, Laguna, e.l.f Bronzer

NYX Lip Liner in Nude vs. Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk

While the formulation of these two lip liners are very different the shades are the same. The Charlotte Tilbury lasts hours longer and is a little bit more drying compared to the NYX liner but for a 5th of the price it's a good dupe.

Top Lip NYX Nude, Bottom Lip Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk

ByTerry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock vs. Kiko Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 38

The ByTerry Ombre Blackstar eyshadow sticks are very expensive so it's exciting to be able to find a decent dupe. Both eyeshadow sticks can be blended out nicely but once they set, they won't budge for hours. The shades are also similar. The ByTerry one is more shimmery and a bit lighter in colour but the Kiko stick gives a very similar effect for a much smaller price tag.

Kiko 38, ByTerry Misty Rock

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer vs. Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

These concealers are very similar in that they are very creamy and high coverage. Nars comes with a high price tag so to find something similar in the drugstore is nice. I personally like the Nars concealer a little better because I find it's a little thicker consistency but the Maybelline concealer is amazing as well.

Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Clinique Chubby Stick in Super Strawberry vs. Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

Back when these came out there were a lot of reviews comparing the two. Both are a similar idea with similar packaging. This is one of the only dupes where I really prefer the drugstore dupe much better as the Revlon option is more of a stain so it lasts longer. It has a minty smell which I don't mind however the writing has rubbed off the packaging which is annoying. These particular colours are similar although the Clinique Chubby Stick is a little darker pink.

Revlon Honey, Clinique Super Strawberry

I hope this post has been helpful! If you want to check out my previous dupes post, you can find it here. Do you have any dupes to share?

Don't forget to follow me on:

Bloglovin'   Instagram    Twitter

What's in my Bag

I can't believe I've never done a 'What's in my Bag' post before!

My bag is from the brand Melie Bianco. It has a removable chain strap and a top handle. I love this bag especially because it's small and compact, limiting the stuff I can fill it with. It also makes it easy to find everything. 

My bag just has one big compartment and a tiny zip pocket. I've had the bag for quite a few years so I don't think it's still available but others like it can be found on meliebianco.com.

In my bag I keep:

 My Wallet which is from the brand Relic 

Bath & Body Works Strawberry Hibiscus Hand Sanitizer  

An extra pair of Contact Lenses 

My Rose Gold Ear Buds

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey

E.O.S Hand Cream

Elizabeth and James Nirvana White Rollerball

My iPhone 

A cute pill box to keep Tylenol and Aleve

I hope you've enjoyed a peak into my bag. What are some of your handbag essentials?

Don't forget to follow me on: 

Bloglovin'     Twitter     Instagram 

August 2015 Favourites

Since I was away in July I didn't have a July Favourites so this post will also serve as my Summer Favourites. It's going to be a big one. I'm including products that I used while I was travelling as well as products I got while I was in the UK (some other products from the UK I am still trying so you'll probably find them in another monthly favourites post).

Soap and Glory Solar Bronzer
This is a beautiful natural looking bronzer that makes me look really sunkissed and healthy. It has two different colours, a lighter more glowy side and a darker more matte side. The packaging is also really cute.

Sleek Face Contour Kit
This is actually the first contour kit I've owned so I wanted to try something a little less expensive. I'm actually really impressed with it. The contour isn't too orange so it looks really natural and the highlight is intense and beautiful. I actually like it a lot more than I ever thought I would.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer
This might be my favourite drugstore concealer ever. It's so creamy and has a really high coverage but it blends out really well. People have talked about this concealer for ages and I can finally agree that it's worth the hype.

Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer
This months favourites is really concealer heavy, sorry. I picked this up when I was in the UK and was so thoroughly impressed. It has two shades, one more yellow toned and one that's more pink. It also includes a powder to set the concealers because they are thick and will crease without setting, however the coverage is amazing!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser
Last concealer, I promise. This is another drugstore concealer that I've heard so much about and I understand why. It is great at getting rid of under-eye circles, it's really lightweight and doesn't crease or feel cakey at all.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream
This is what I used while I was on my holiday. It has an SPF of 35 so it kept me from getting burnt but it also feels really natural on my skin. It's a little dark for me during the rest of the year but with a bit of a summer tan, it's perfect.

Zoella Candy Cream Softening Body Lotion
I'm a fan of Zoe's youtube channel so I was anxious to pick up some of the products from her line while I was in the UK. This body lotion smells really nice and I like the bursting beads. It leaves my skin feeling nice and soft.

Teeez Read My Lips Lipstick in Killing me Softly
I got this lipstick in an Ipsy bag. It's a light coral colour. The formula is matte but it's comfortable and lasts pretty well. I wore this a lot on my trip so I thought it deserved a spot on my favourites list.

Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk
This is one expensive lip liner but I'm so happy with it. It's super long lasting and a really natural dusty rose/nude colour. Because it is so expensive I usually wear it on it's own to show off the colour. I'll wear it with just a little bit of lip balm to keep my lips from being too dry. 

Soap and Glory Archery 
This is a brow pencil and pen combined. The pen is good at filling in sparse areas and the pencil gives your brows good shape. It's also the perfect colour for me which is lucky because there wasn't a lot of options.

ByTerry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock (5)
Another huge splurge item but so worth it! This shadow pencil is so shimmery and blendable but once it dries into place it doesn't budge all day! I did an eyeshadow look with this, you can find it here.

L'Oreal Lumiere Shadow in 502 Quartz Fume 
I love the formulation and the wavy imprint on this shadow is just gorgeous. It a drier formula, not quite as creamy as other shadows but the pigmentation is amazing. It's also a nice taupe colour.

L'Oreal Nude Shadow in 201 Cafe Saint Germain
This is a beautiful champagne shadow but it's the formulation that is really impressive. It's really creamy. It feels more like a pressed pigment.

Seventeen Eye eye shadow in Rose Quarz
I absolutely love the colour of this shadow. It's a pinkish-purple. It's really pigmented and creamy, yet it was really inexpensive. I've been wearing these last 3 shadows together a lot in the last month.

What have you been loving this month?

Don't forget to follow me on:

Bloglovin' 

Instagram 

Twitter