Take it or Leave it: Soap & Glory

It's the return of everyone's favourite series, Take it or Leave it! In this series I provide mini reviews on all of the products I own of a specific brand and let you know which products are worth your money and what you should avoid. Today I focus on Soap and Glory. In Canada, the body products are available from Shoppers Drug Mart. I picked up the makeup when I was in the UK. I certaintly haven't tried everything from the brand but I thought I would give my options on what I have tried. Overall Soap and Glory is one of my favourite brands. 

Take it

Rich & Foamous Body Wash
This is a really great body wash as it smells absolutely amazing and it gets you nice and clean while leaving you feeling moisturized. I'm totally in love with it. You also get a lot, as it comes in a large bottle.
Sugar Crush Body Butter Cream
Another amazing smelling product. This has more of a sweet citrus scent which I think is great for spring and summer as it's a really energizing fragrance. It also has a super thick formula which is great for moisturizing.
Archery Brow Tint & Precision Shaping Pencil
I am obsessed with the way this product makes my brows look. It fills in your brows while still keeping them looking natural. One end has a fine tip pen which is great at mimicking the look of brow hairs to fill in sparse areas. The other end has a pencil to help shape your brows. I don't know what I'm going to do when this pencil runs out. I guess another trip to the UK is in order :)
Kick Ass Concealer 
This is the perfect all in one concealer. It has two cream concealer shades and a powder to set everything in place. The pinker more salmon toned concealer is perfect to counteract dark undereye circles, while the more yellow toned concealer hides blemishes perfectly. It's creamy and thick but blends really well and once set with the powder, it won't budge or crease all day.
Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayon
A lip crayon that acts more like like a lip gloss is a fairly unique idea but is something that I reach for on a regular basis. The shade I have is Nudist which is perfect for more natural makeup days. It's also really moisturizing and smells wonderfully sweet.
Solar Powder Bronzer
All the makeup I've tried from Soap and Glory has been fantastic and this is no exception. It's the perfect bronzer for my fair skin. It has a matte bronze side and a lighter more shimmery side which adds a sunkissed glow to your complexion. One of my all time favourite bronzers.

Leave it

Hand Food Hand Cream
It's not that this isn't a good hand cream, but I find it leaves my skin a little greasy. While the smell is nice, I think there are better hand creams at the drugstore.
Scrub 'Em and Leave 'Em
Personally I am not a big fan of the scent of this product but besides that, the granules in this scrub are fairly rough on my sensitive skin. It also is not as moisturizing as I would have liked. There are many better scrubs out there. Unless you love the scent, save your money.

Let me know what you think of Soap & Glory's products! Do you disagree with my opinion? Tell me why I'm wrong in the comments!

The other brands in the series:

The Body Shop

Urban Decay

Maybelline

Peachy Spring Eyeshadow Look

I haven't done an eyeshadow look on my blog in a while so I wanted to do something really bright and fun for spring. This is a fairly simple look involving only 3 shadows and a bright purple eyeliner but I think it's ideal for spring.

For this look I use the itCosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette, theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer and the purple liner from the Nonie Creme Colour Prevails Eyeshadow duo.

I started by taking the shade Sunset from the itCosmetics palette and sweeping that all through my crease. For my browbone highlight I used Sheer Joy. I then took a flat shader brush. and using a patting motion, I put the Mary-Lou Manizer all over my lid and in my inner corner. 

 I smudged the purple liner from Colour Prevails on my lower lashline. I finished with a thin line of Stila's Stay All Day Liquid Liner and my Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara on my top and bottom lashes.

It's a pretty quick and simple look but it's bright, fun and colourful to get you in the spring mood.

A few years ago I did a Lilac Spring Eyeshadow look which you can find here.

What's your favourite look for Spring?

High End Holy Grail

I'm all for Drugstore Beauty and I think there are tons of amazing products you can get for very little money, however there are some luxury products that are worth the money. These are my favourite luxury products that have reached holy grail status. Even though they are ridiculously expensive, I would still repurchase.

Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm

This is my perfect cleanser. It cleans really well, it removes all makeup and moisturizes your skin. My skin is left feeling soft, not tight and dry. Plus it smells really lovely and the balm consistency feels luxurious. 

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray

I'm not a big user of hair products but this spray makes such a difference to my fine hair. It gives a ridiculous amount of volume and texture. It also smells nice and lasts a long time in my hair.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow

I've talked about this a lot on my blog, but this sculpting duo has become something I reach for most days. The highlight especially is stunning. The bronze shade is also really nice for contouring. 

Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Very Victoria

Besides the gorgeous rose gold packaging, this lipstick is actually amazing. It's long lasting, but not at all drying. This colour is also really flattering for everyday. These lipsticks smell like vanilla too which is a plus.

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 5 Misty Rock

Finally this eyeshadow stick is really great! It's really shimmery and long wearing but still blendable. I wear this shade for all special occasions because the shade Misty Rock is a beautiful purple-taupe.

What are your High End Holy Grail products?

Blogging Tips

My Blog just celebrated it's second Birthday so I thought I would share some tips I've learned in the 2 years I've been blogging.

Website

• Get a good website template! A good template makes your blog look much more professional. If you're good with HTML and can make your own template, I'm envious. If you're more like me, then there are lots of good templates you can buy for your blog. I got mine from Etsy at this shop. You don't have to spend a lot of money and you can adapt your template to fit your blog. 
• Driving traffic to your blog is made so much easier with the use of Social Media. I use both Twitter and Instagram to promote my blog posts and since I started doing that my traffic has increased drastically. Use hashtags such as #bbloggers (if you're a beauty blogger) to expand your audience. You can follow me on both Twitter and Instagram @MakeupByMeggy.
• Speaking of Social Media, you can put buttons on your blog that link to your social media. While you can buy buttons on Etsy, I made my own for free. I got the buttons from this site where there are lots of other options and instructions on how to make them. Try out my buttons in the sidebar to follow me!

Photos

• Pictures are one of the most important parts of any blog post. I'm not the best with photos, but I've learned some tips to make my pictures look better. Editing your photos is important. My favourite photo editing websites are Canva and PicMonkey. Canva is perfect for adding graphics or titles to pictures while I use PicMonkey mainly for a tool called teeth whiten which is great at making my pictures brighter and whiter.
• Another Important aspect is the background. Try to come up with your own style of background. I like backgrounds that are light and bright. I'll often have a candle or some sort of prop in the background.

1. Found Here. I used a sparkly silver feather from a craft store. 

2. Found Here. I used a magazine. 

3. Found Here. I used a variety of leaves in different fall colours. 

4. Found Here. I used tissue paper to make a colourful background.

Writing

• As important as good photos are to attract people to your post, good writing is probably the most important part of blogging. Try to find your own voice and your own style. Don't try to be something you're not by trying to sound like everyone else.
• Do it because you love it! If you're blogging for fame or fortune, it's going to be obvious to your readers. Having a love for what your doing will come out in your writing, will help ensure your content is good and that you remain committed to your blog overtime.
• Develop a schedule. It's good for your readers to know when to expect a post. I post every Monday and Wednesday and I rarely stray from that schedule without letting my readers know.

I hope these tips have helped you with your own blogging, encouraged you to start your own blog, or taught you something new.
Do you have any Blogging Tips to share?

Lush and Sephora Haul

I hadn't bought anything new since February so it seemed like it was time for a little shopping. I didn't go too crazy but I did pick up a few things.

After exams I like to have a nice long bath to relax and unwind after the craziness of the last term. From Lush I picked up my all time favourite bath balm, Butterball and one I've never tried called The Experimenter. I also picked up a Bubble Bar in The Comforter.

While browsing the Sephora website I saw this Too Faced set and I'm a total sucker for value sets so I just had to buy it. I've never tried any of these Too Faced products but I've heard a lot about them. I actually prefer smaller sized products. I have a lot of makeup so I actually don't finish products very often making this set perfect for me. The set comes with: Hangover RX Replenishing Face Primer, Shadow Insurance, Chocolate Soleil Bronzer, Melted Liquid Lipstick in Chihuahua and Better than Sex Mascara. 

I also got some deluxe samples with my order including a mini Flash Photo Gloss from the Estee Edit and a mini Gravity Mud Mask from GlamGlow.

You'll probably hear about how I get on with these products in future posts.

What have you hauled lately?

April 2016 Favourites

I'm so happy that it's finally spring and the weather is getting nicer. I recently did a Winter Favourites post so I don't have a lot of new favourites for this month, but I do have a few.

It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Conditioner

This is such a good leave in conditioner. It makes my hair so soft and shiny. I am not a big fan of the spray because it doesn't come out in a fine mist due to it's thick consistency so I like to spray some into my hand and use my fingers to run it through my hair.

 Origins Plantscription Youth Renewing Face Oil

I've been using this before bed this past month and I think my skin has been looking really good lately. It is an oil but it sinks in really fast. When I wake up my skin looks rejuvenated and feels so soft however I'll need to use it longer to see the long term effects.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB 

I like wearing a lighter foundation in the warmer months and this BB cream is perfect. It's really dewy and moisturizing. It hides imperfections and makes my skin look more even, but still really natural.

 Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Leapin' Lilac 

I've been obsessed with this lilac nail polish this month. It's really opaque, fast drying and the applicator is big which means you can paint your nails really fast. Plus it lasts about a week on me (with a top coat) without chipping. If you want to see my Nail Polish of the Day (among other things) follow me over on Instagram @Makeupbymeggy.

Soap and Glory Sugar Crush Body Buttercream

Once the weather gets warmer I replace my warmer scented body lotions with something a little fresher. I really love the lime scent of this body butter plus it's really moisturizing.

What have your favourites been during the month of April?

The Only One!

For today's blog post I decided to challenge myself by picking what products I would use if I could only wear one makeup look for the rest of my life. This was hard to decide as these aren't just holy grail products, they are products I think would be suitable for any occasion and that I could wear everyday without getting sick of them.

Foundation- Rimmel Match Perfection

I love this foundation because it isn't cakey, it has good buildable coverage and it's match to my skin tone is perfection (haha Match Perfection...get it! Sorry.)

Concealer- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer

Although I do find it slightly ridiculous to spend this much on a concealer, it really can't be beat for how high coverage and blendable it is. I could easily use this concealer forever.

Blush- Nars Deep Throat

I explained how much I love this blush in my recent Blush Tag post so I don't want to be repeating myself but it just suits my skin tone so perfectly. It's a gorgeous everyday blush.

Bronzer- Nars Laguna

If you saw my Top 3 Series: Bronzers post then you already know that this is my all time favourite bronzer. It's not too orange, it has some shimmer but not too much so it makes you look luminous not sparkly. It's also really blendable so it looks natural.

Highlight- Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow

I don't know if this is cheating because this is part of a duo compact, but it is by far my favourite highlight. It's not subtle but I still wear it all the time because it's so finely milled that it doesn't look too chunky or glittery. 

Brows- Anastasia Brow Wiz 

I think this has got to be one of the most popular brow products. It's just so good at filling and sculpting while still keeping your brows looking natural.

Eyeshadow- Urban Decay Sin

This had to be the hardest to decide. I LOVE doing my eyeshadow and creating different eyeshadow looks so choosing just one eyeshadow that I would wear for the rest of my life was very difficult. However I think Sin is really pretty and neutral so it would suit many occasions plus Urban Decay has my favourite eyeshadow formula, so pigmented and blendable.

Eyeliner- Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner

Can you believe there was a time when I hated liquid liner? Now I'm choosing it as the eyeliner I would use for the rest of my life if I could only choose one. This particular liner is really long wearing and the applicator allows for a really thin and precise line.

Mascara- Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes

I've raved about this mascara a lot. It makes my lashes really thick and long, but it still feels soft and natural to the touch. There is also no smudging or flaking. It has got to be my all time favourite mascara.

Lipstick- NYX Butter Lipstick in Pops

This was also a VERY difficult choice to make. If I could only wear one thing on my lips for the rest of my life I would want it to be comfortable and neutral. My NYX lipstick fits both those qualifications. It's a perfect My Lips But Better shade and it feels really moisturizing.

Nail Polish- Pure Ice Taupe Drawer

If I were to wear only one nail polish for the rest of my life I think it would have to be this pinky nude. The formula of this polish is opaque and long lasting and the colour would be appropriate for most occasions.

Perfume- Elizabeth and James Nirvana White

Although this isn't makeup, I just wanted to add that if I could only wear one perfume it would be my Nirvana White because it's fresh and floral and perfect for most occasions.

Let me know what products would be in your Only One Makeup look!