Take it or Leave it: Maybelline

It's time for another Take it or Leave it post and I'm back to a drugstore brand this month. Maybelline is one of my favourite drugstore brands and while I haven't tried everything from the brand, I've amassed quite a few products over the years. Like always the main goal of these posts is to list some of my favourite products from a specific brand so you'll know what's worth your money.

Take it

Creamy Matte Lipsticks
This is probably my favourite Lipstick formula ever. These creamy matte lipsticks are very comfortable, pigmented, long wearing and non-drying. The shade 660 Touch of Spice in particular is amazing. If you haven't picked up one of these lipsticks I highly suggest it.
Eyestudio Gel Liner
I've had this gel liner for over a year and it's still creamy. It lasts a really long time on the eyes and doesn't budge. I don't like the brush it comes with for application, but if you use a liner brush this gel liner is amazing.
24 hr Colour Tattoo
I've made my thoughts on the Maybelline Colour Tattoo's very well known on my blog. These are perfect for quick makeup looks. They take no time at all to apply. They blend out really well but once it dries these don't crease at all. I can't attest to the 24hr claim because I've never worn makeup for 24hrs but these do last all day on me. My favourites are 25 Bad to the Bronze which is a cool toned shimmery bronze and 80 Creamy Beige which is a matte beige, perfect for a no makeup, makeup look. These also work great as eyeshadow bases.

Creamy Beige, Bad to the Bronze, Pure Nude, Tough as Taupe, Inked in Pink

Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer
This concealer is amazing at hiding darkness under the eyes plus it's really light so it won't crease. It comes in many colours including a Radiant shade which is great for highlighting all over the face.
Master Drama Eyeliner
I think this is a good option when looking for a drugstore eyeliner. It's a twist up liner and the shade in Midnight Master is very black and long-lasting.
Dream Fresh BB
This is a very lightweight, moisturizing BB cream. It evens out the complexion but has little for coverage. Perfect for those good skin days. It also has an SPF of 30 which makes it my favourite for the summer months.
Colour Elixir
The Maybelline Colour Elixir's are unlike any other lip product I've tried. I would classify it a lipgloss. It is very smooth and glossy while also being long-lasting and pigmented.
Mascara (The Falsies, The Rocket)
I've liked the mascaras I've tried from Maybelline. I think besides Covergirl they are the best Mascara option at the drugstore.
Dream Wonder Powder
This may have become my favourite powder. I have very dry skin so I have trouble with a lot of powders accentuating any dry spots but this one doesn't seem to cling to my dry skin at all. It has fairly high coverage too which is great for days when I don't feel like wearing foundation.

Leave it

Dream Bouncy Blush (not shown)
I mentioned in a disappointing products post how this isn't my favourite blush. I find the texture is weird and hard to blend out.
Master Glaze Blush Stick
Once again another cream blush from Maybelline that I am not a fan of. I don't really like the stick application in this product and I find there is way too much shimmer in the blush for my liking.
Lipstick
The Creamy Matte lipsticks may be my favourite formula of all time but I am not the biggest fan of the rest of the Maybelline lipsticks. The lipsticks are creamy, last an average amount of time and the brand has really good colour selection but overall I think other brands make better lipsticks. (Check out Revlon or Rimmel for good drugstore lipsticks).
Colour Show Nail Polish
This is a fine nail polish but I would spend my money on nail polish from other brands first. There are lots of good nail polishes at the drugstore but I think these are just average.

Eyeshadow Look: Josie Maran Coconut Watercolor Eye Shadow in Rio De Rose Gold

I wanted to do a look that centered on Josie Maran's Coconut Watercolor Eye Shadow in Rio De Rose Gold. I realize this is a dramatic look and I probably wouldn't wear it on an everyday basis but to each their own. The Coconut Watercolor eyeshadows are extremely long lasting, very pigmented and have the most beautiful shine. 

I started the look by priming my eyes with my Urban Decay Primer Potion and then I used a powder over top to make blending easier. I took a medium toned matte brown through the crease with a fluffy brush. This acted as my transition shade just to make sure everything looks good and blended out. You can use whatever transition shade you're comfortable with.

I then took Sunset from my itCosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette and started concentrating it on the outer third of my eye with my MAC 217 brush. Slowly I started working that shade into my crease and eventually to the inner third of my lid. I kept a space open in the middle of the lid. I blended that out until I felt comfortable with the opacity making sure the colour was deeper on the outer corner than the inner corner. 

Next comes the star of the show. I took the Coconut Watercolor Eye Shadow in Rio De Rose Gold and used my finger to apply it to the centre of my lid making sure not to get any in my crease. I blended it out with my finger. I also used the liquid shadow on my bottom lashline in the inner third just to bring some light to my eyes. Under my eyes I used some black shadow and smudged it out with some of the matte brown I used as my transition shade

I used Sheer Joy as my brownbone highlight and the tranforming pearl shade in the tear duct. I used a black pencil liner on my waterline and to tightline and I used Maybelline's Gel liner in black to draw a thin line close to the lashes. I finished the look with a few coats of mascara on my top and bottom lashes. 

Let me know what you think of the finished look. I was really happy with how it turned out. 

Makeup for Beginners According to Bobbi Brown

I've been reading Bobbi Brown's Beauty Rules and it occurred to me that most the posts I write are geared to those already experienced with makeup. With the help of Bobbi Brown, I though I'd put together a Makeup Starter Kit for those just beginning with makeup. For the record I have no affiliation with Bobbi Brown and all credit for the list of essentials goes to her. You can get her book here. It's good, I recommend it!

Below, Bobbi Brown lists a few essentials that every makeup kit should have. I haven't included everything on her list in this post. Just the fun stuff.

Makeup Remover- Neutrogena All-in-One Makeup removing Cleansing Wipes $8. These are my favourite makeup removing wipes. For beginners I think it's okay to use wipes but once you get into the habit of wearing makeup everyday, I would strongly suggest moving away from wipes as they tend not to remove makeup as well as other products. I suggest Bioderma for a more expensive option.
Tinted Moisturizer with SPF- Maybelline Dream Fresh BB (SPF 30) $11. This has very light coverage so I think it's perfect for those who don't feel they need a full coverage foundation but want to even out their skin tone.
Cover-up Stick for covering up Pimples- Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer $7. While I am not a big fan of cover up sticks for blemishes (I find them drying), Bobbi Brown suggests that they are an essential.
Tweezers- Any tweezers will do here. I don't even know what brand I have. Tweezers can be used for many things such as plucking your eyebrows or apply false lashes.
Mascara- Maybelline's The Rocket Volum' Express $9. You have two main choices when it comes to a mascara. There are volumizing mascara's and lengthening one's. Occasionally you'll find the perfect mascara that does both. I think of everything on this list, mascara is the most important.
Eyeshadow in neutral colours- Covergirl's Shimmering Sands $7. It's the perfect collection of everyday shadows. The shadow quality isn't the best which makes it perfect for beginners because it's very forgiving if you make a mistake.
Eyeliner- Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal $8. I think pencil liners are the easiest for beginners to work with. Brown would also be my choice for beginners because it's a lot softer than black and it works on all eye colours.
Blush in Soft, Natural Tone- NYX Blush $5. NYX has the best quality blush in the drugstore with the widest range of shades. You can get a matte shade which looks the most natural or a blush with shimmer which can give you a healthy looking glow.
Lip Gloss- NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss $5. This is a perfect comfortable, non-stick lipgloss. It adds the perfect amount of colour to the lips. As a plus, there are a wide range of shades available.
Lip Balm- Any lip balm will do. This is a necessity even if you don't wear makeup.
Nail Polish- Pure Ice nail polish $2. This is my favourite brand of cheap nail polish as it's opaque and long lasting.

For a total of $62 beginners can have a complete Makeup Bag with all the essentials according to Bobbi Brown. I hope this post was of some help.

Source: Brown, Bobbi. (2010). Beauty Rules: Fabulous Looks, Beauty Essentials, and Life Lessons for Loving your Teens and Twenties. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. pp. 93-92.

February Favourites

As this was a short month my list of favourites is also fairly short. I am still loving using the products that have made my favourites list the last few months but here are a few new products I've been loving.

itCosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette

I've had this palette for a little while now but I pulled it out again this month and have been using almost everyday. This palette is filled with matte shadows which is a look I've been enjoying lately. I have a full review of this palette which you can find here.

Hey Honey Take it Off

This is a sample I got in my Ipsy bag a few months ago and I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. I've never tried a product like this before, it's an exfoliating mask. It's a clear gel that you smooth over you face, you let it dry and then peel it off and the dry skin comes off with it. It's really helped my skin this month.

Chloe Rollerball Perfume

I've been wearing my Elizabeth and James Nirvana White perfume everyday for almost a year but this month I've changed my scent to this Chloe rollerball. It's very fresh and floral and I've been really enjoying the change.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette in Native

I really love this palette. The blush looks surprisingly natural on me and with the bronzer and highlight this makes the perfect combination. 

Clinique Stubby Stick in 07 Super Strawberry

I know I've complained about how this lip balm wasn't worth the price but it's really easy to apply without a mirror and looks really pretty while being comfortable and long lasting. I've been wearing it a lot this month.

Drugstore Dupes

I've gone through my makeup collection and complied a short list of drugstore items that I believe are dupes for high end brands.

Bronzer

NYC Sunny vs. Tarte Park Avenue Princess 

NYC Sunny Bronzer retails for $3 and Tarte Park Avenue Princess Bronzer comes as part of a contour palette that retails for $41. These two bronzers are very similar. Both are matte, slightly orange, pigmented and blend well. The NYC bronzer is more powdery than the Tarte alternative and the Tarte bronzer last longer and claims it's waterproof, but I think for the price The NYC bronzer is definietly worth it. 

Blush

Milani Luminoso vs. Benefit CORALista

 Milani's Luminoso Blush retails for $8.50 and Benefit's CORALista retails for $36. Although not exact dupes these two blushes leave a very similar look to the cheeks. A shimmery coral colour that is perfect for summer. The Milani blush is a little more coral while the Benefit blush is slightly lighter in colour. Both have a lot of golden shimmer throughout. Luminoso's formula is baked so it is a bit drier and slightly more powdery in consistency. If you can't afford to shell out for a Benefit blush I highly suggest you try Milani.

Eyeliner

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil vs. Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal

Rimmel's eyeliners retail for $7 and the Urban Decay liners retail for $24. I have talked about Rimmel's Scandaleyes liners being a dupe for Urban Decay's 24/7 liners many times before on my blog. Although Urban Decay has a much wider shade selection, the formula's of the liners are very similar. They're waterproof, pigmented, creamy and long-lasting but you can still smudge them out before they set. The two similar shades I used as an example are Roach from Urban Decay and 03 Brown from Rimmel. 

A Cheap Alternative 

The Wet & Wild Palette retails for about $4 while the Lorac Pro 2 Palette retails for $42. These two eyeshadow palettes aren't really a dupe but they are very similar. The Wet & Wild Palette doesn't contain any matte shades and has half the selection of shades as the Lorac Pro 2 palette but there are some dupes between the two. I really love both these palettes. The shadow quality of each palette is very impressive.

Wet & Wild Comfort Zone

Lorac Pro 2

Top - W&W Brown Definer vs. Lorac Cocoa, W&W Browbone vs. Lorac Beige

Bottom Left - W&W Eyelid vs. Lorac Rose, W&W Crease vs. Lorac Mocha, W&W Green Crease vs. Lorac Jade

Do you know of any good dupes?

Hydrating Masks: Glam Glow vs.The Body Shop

Hydrating masks are very important in my skincare routine. I have extremely dry skin and moisturizing masks are the only thing that seems to save my skin. I'm going to be comparing the very expensive and much blogged about Glam Glow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment and the cheaper Body Shop alternative Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask. Both claim the basic same thing - intense hydration but with a $53 price difference you may want to know if it's worth it to splurge on the Glam Glow mask. 

If you haven't heard about Moisture Masks before, they're basically a face mask that you can leave on and they will sink into the skin the skin providing extreme hydration and relieving dry skin. 

Glam Glow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment
I am a big fan of this mask and I definitely get what all the hype is about. This mask provides instant and long lasting hydration. According to the Glam Glow website it claims:

 "THIRSTYMUD™ uses the newest, most advanced & extreme hydration active technologies, providing deep instant Extreme Hydration for Long, Medium & Short Term Results. THIRSTYMUD™ hydrates, moisturizes, restores, replenishes and calms the skin."

ThirstyMud has a consistency that reminds me of pudding and it smells sweet. It's not too thick when you apply it to your face, it's non-geasy and it sinks in fast so you don't feel like you're wearing a mask. The biggest downside to this product is the price tag. At $75 Canadian I feel like I need a really good reason to use the product.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask
I also really like this hydrating mask and I especially like the $22 price tag. I think this mask works just as well as the ThirstyMud mask at hydrating dry skin. The website says:

"Sink some antioxidant Vitamin E into your skin. Bring skin back to optimum moisture level with this intensely hydrating mask."

The downsides to this mask are that it feels really thick and sticky on the skin. It's harder to sleep in because it doesn't sink very fast. However this may allow for the results last longer.  I find both masks can be a bit tingly on the really dry spots, this mask maybe more so than the ThirstyMud. I also don't think this mask smells as good as the Glam Glow one.

Overall
Unless you have the money to spend on a Glam Glow mask I would stick to the cheaper Body Shop version. The ThirstyMud Hydrating Mask doesn't make a big enough difference to be worth the huge price tag.

You can get the Glam Glow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment here: http://www.glamglowmud.com/products/shop-treatments/thirstymud.html

 and the Body Shop Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask here: http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/skin-care/skin-care-best-sellers/vitamin-e-sink-in-moisture-mask.aspx

February Ipsy Bag

The theme of this months bag was obviously love for Valentine's Day. The bag is really cute and pink and like all of Ipsy's bags, quite usable. I'm going to have a nice collection of makeup bags from this service. Overall I wasn't very impressed by the products I got in my bag this month but I'll start with my favourite.

Model co Blush in 01 Cosmopolitan 

I was really impressed with this blush. It's pigmented, blendable and finely milled. The colour is perfect for me. It's a gorgeous ballerina pink and it's completely matte. You get a decent amount of blush too. I'm not entirely sure if this is a full size product but the full size retails for $22 so not a cheap product.

L- Blush, R-Lip Stain

City Color Creamy Lip Stain in Flirtini

I really wanted to like this Lip Stain more than I do. Honestly I can't get over the smell. It smells heavily of chemicals and it gave me a headache almost immediately. The colour is really pretty and suites me well. It's a matte gloss that is supposed to turn into a stain. It reminds me a lot of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. Those smell a lot better though so I would leave this product and go for NYX. This Lip Stain retails for $5.

Mitchell and Peach Fine Radiance Face Oil

Here's another product that has a scent problem. This is a face oil but it has enough fragrance it could be a perfume. Now it smells really pretty but I can't wear it on my face without sneezing. The oil itself is nice, it hydrates well and sinks in really fast. This is a really high end brand so I was surprised to find it in my Ipsy bag. The full size retails for $57 but we got a half sized sample (10 ml) which makes it worth approximately $28!!! I want to find another way to use it because I don't want it to go to waste.

eva-nyc Up all Night Volumizing Spray

This was actually a good product. It volumizes hair and protects it from the heat. I know I've been quite sensitive to scents in this post but I don't have a problem with the smell of this. I have a lot of other volumizing sprays but this will be good for travel. It's sample sized but the full size retails for $24.

Emite Eyelash Curler

I haven't been able to bring myself to use these and I don't know if I ever will. Although they are supposedly expensive, they feel really cheap. I'm scared they'll cut my lashes off as they are sharp. I think I'll just stick with my Sephora curlers for now. These retail for $25.

Overall I was a little disappointing in the bag this month, however this month's bag was worth approx. $83. The service is only $10 per month so it seems like a good deal.