October 2016 Ipsy

It's another Ipsy post today. I promise I have more exciting posts coming up but I wanted to make sure I got a chance to share what I got in my October Ipsy Bag. It was a good one this month.
I'll start with the bag. It's Halloween themed as you can probably guess. There's lots of ghosts, magic potions and spell-books decorating the bag. The bag is also a metallic pink. However the zipper on the bag broke off after only a couple of uses which is sad because it was in the shape of a really cute ghost.

Pure Brazilian Miracle Leave-in-Conditioner with Keratin

I have to say I'm getting a little tired of receiving leave-in-conditioners in my bags. This one is fine but nothing too special. It's not replacing any of my multitude of other leave-in-conditioners. I got a sample size but this retails for $26.

Indi Beauty Buttercream Antioxidant Lip Scrub

I actually really liked this lip scrub. It's really sweet and smells and tastes nice. It's a sugar scrub so it's good at exfoliating but there is also a lot of oil in it so your lips are left feeling really moisturized and smooth. It retails for $11.99.

Noyah Lipstick- Smoke

I've recieved a sample of their lipstick before and I really like the formula. It's very confortable and opaque. However the colour I received has purple/grey undertones which combined with my fair skin kind of makes me look dead. The other shades are great though. It retails for $18.

NudeStix Concealer Pencil- Light 2

I was most excited for this product. I had heard a lot about this brand but had never tried anything from it. I was impressed with this concealer. Since it's in pencil form I thought it would be less creamy than it is. It has good coverage and can be blended out quite easily. I would only use this to spot conceal as it's a bit thick for under the eyes. The full size retails for $28 and I'm a little confused if this is full size or not as the stick says it's 0.088oz but Sephora lists full size as 0.05oz so...?

theBalm Hot Mama Blush

I love powders from theBalm, their Mary-Lou Manizer highlight is one of my favourites and their eyeshadow formula is great so I was excited about this blush and was not disappointed. It's a beautiful peachy-pink with gold shimmer. Thankfully a little goes a long way as this is a crazy small sample size. (The packaging is super cute though). Full size retails for $20.

Autumn 2016 Favourites

I've been a very bad blogger lately. I'm sorry I haven't had a new post up in a while but I have a bunch planned for the rest of the month so things should be getting back to normal soon. Because I didn't get a September or October Favourites up and it's now November, here is everything I have been loving this autumn. 

Nail Polishes
Sephora Formula X- Ignite
I finally got into the autumnal spirit with this dark red shade. I've been very vocal about my love for the Formula X polishes. They're definitely the longest lasting that I've tried.
Ciate London- Spinning Tea Cup
I tried to hold onto summer with this shade. It's a beautiful lilac purple, one of my personal favourite colours. The formula of Ciate nail pots are also great as they're opaque and long lasting.
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
I started using this top coat and it is amazing. It makes my polish last for weeks and keeps my nails super shiny. The one major downside is it smells much stronger than most other nail polishes I own.

Beauty
it Haircare 12-in-One Amazing Leave in Treatment
This is a product I received in a recent Ipsy bag that has made a big different to my hair routine. It has so many benefits (12 actually), including heat protection. I just apply a little to my wet hair before drying and it leaves my hair super shiny and soft. Plus it smells nice and fresh.
Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder
I'm sure this powder has been in a favourites before at one point. I recently repurchased this powder and I absolutely love it. It's creamy and has high coverage but doesn't look too cakey on my skin.
Marc Jacobs Lip Creme in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
This mini lipstick came in the Sephora Birthday gift this year and I just can't stop wearing it. This has quickly become my favourite lipstick formulas. It's so comfortable (I mean forget you're wearing it comfortable), it is really creamy, insanely opaque with just one swipe and it's super long lasting. Literally the perfect lipstick. The colour is a really nice dusty rose too.

Jordana FabuLiner
I know for sure that this eyeliner has been in a previous favourites because it's one of my all time favourites. In my opinion it's one of the best drugstore eyeliners and it's super affordable (like $3). It has a felt tip which I find easy to use, and the biggest plus for me, it has a matte finish.

Non-Beauty Favourites
Heartland
This fall I ended up spending some time riding horses at a ranch near my lake. Because of this I started watching Heartland on Netflix and quickly became hooked. It's a Canadian TV show that centres on a horse ranch in Alberta. Heartland is currently in it's 10th season which gave me confidence that it was worth watching. There aren't that many sweet family drama's on TV anymore so it's really nice if you're looking for a relaxing Netflix binge.  For Canadians, I think it's nice to support CBC and Canadian television because there's really not that many options and for everyone else, this is just a really sweet and addictive family show. Plus the animals are cute!

What have you been loving this autumn?

September 2016 Ipsy Bag

I have another Ipsy bag post today to get us caught up. I really like the design on this bag. It's metallic and the design on the front is really cute with the women spelling out Ipsy.
So here's what I got in my September Bag.

itCosmetics Superhero Mascara

I love itCosmetics as a brand but I've never tried their mascaras before so I'm really looking forward to using this. I have so many mascaras going right now so I'm going to wait a while before I open this one. It is a fairly small sample. The full size retails for $24.

Ulta3 Nail Colour in Sizzling Red

This is a vibrant bright red nail polish from a brand I've never heard of before. As with most nail polishes in Ipsy bags this is full size. It retails for $2.30

eyeko London Eye Do Liquid Eyeliner

I'm all about black liquid liner so this is exciting for me. I have a couple liquid liners going at the moment so I'll probably wait a while to use this. In a black liquid liner I'm looking for it to be very pigmented, matte and easy to apply so we'll see how this one goes. This is a decent sized sample at just over half of the regular size. It retails for $20.

eva-nyc Forget Me Knot Dry Conditioner

I've loved this brand ever since I got a dry shampoo from them in a previous Ipsy bag. I'm really looking forward to trying this dry conditioner as detangling products are always really important to my hair care routine. This is a sample size that would be great for travel. Full size retails for $14.


Seraphine Botanicals Guava Butter Lip and Cheek Stain

Unfortunately I already know that I do not like this product after trying it on the back of my hand. While I'm generally not a fan of cream blushes there are a few types of cream blushes I enjoy. However, this one doesn't dry to a power and instead remains fairly sticky. Most annoyingly it has a VERY strong fruit punch scent which doesn't seem to fade with time. I can't stand having scented products on my face so this one is not for me. However if these aren't drawbacks for you, the colour is very pretty. Plus the brand is vegan which is great. This product is FULL SIZE and retails for $24.

I was pretty happy with this months bag but I think the August bag was better. As I haven't tried many of these products yet, look out for my monthly favourites posts to see if any of the Ipsy products make my favourites.

What did you get in your September Ipsy Bag.

August 2016 Ipsy Bag

It's Back!!! That's right I've resubscribed to Ipsy so you can look forward to another year of Ipsy Bag Reviews and to start us off, I've got TWO Ipsy bag posts this week. Due to the Canada Post strike fiasco, I got my August and September Ipsy bags at the same time so check back here on Thursday to see what I got in my September bag

If you want to see a rundown of what I got last time I was an Ipsy subscriber you can check out My Year with Ispy post. 

First off, the bag is really cute this month. It's a little smaller than the bags I was getting last year but it feels well made.
Here's what I got in my August Bag.

Beauté Basics 3 Tone Bronzer

This is a very tiny, very shimmery bronzer. It is also fairly pigmented but blendable. It's going to give you a nice bronze glow. I swatched the individual shades and the top swatch is all three combined.

 Nomad Eyeshadow in Spice Market

This reddish cranberry shade is absolutely beautiful and perfect for this time of year. The shadow is quite pigmented but blendable. Downside is this is a fairly tiny sample. This might be my favourite product from this month's bag.

Ciaté London Nail Polish in Spinning Teacup

I really like Ciaté nail polishes so I was super excited to receive this full size polish in my bag. This lilac colour is also one of my all time favourite colours so I'm super excited about this.

it Haircare 12-in-One Amazing Leave in Treatment

I haven't tried this yet but I love hair treatments so I'm really excited. It's also a decent size at 100ml. It claims to do so many things so it will be interesting to see how this works.

Tarte Tarteist Mascara

This is the big brand product I was most excited for. I absolutely love Tarte mascaras so I can't wait to try this one out. It's only a small sample but the packaging is adorable.

What did you get in your Ipsy Bag?

I hope you enjoy the return of my Ipsy bag reviews.

My Hair Care Routine

I haven't talked much about hair care on my blog before. That's mostly because I'm not very diligent with my hair care routine. I'll often choose to spend my time getting ready doing my makeup or picking a cute outfit and I'll forgo styling my hair, instead leaving it natural. However there are a few hair products that I swear by and I thought I would share.

I'll start with my hair type. I have medium length, fine, brown hair. I've never coloured it and I rarely use heat (my fine hair air dries quite quickly). My hair varies between straight and wavy whenever it pleases despite what I have planned for it.

Shampoo and Conditioner

I've just started using the Dove Advanced Hair Series- quench Absolute for dry, wavy, curly hair. I've been loving it. It makes my hair really shiny and soft. The shampoo lathers up nicely which I always enjoy and the conditioner isn't too thick so it doesn't weigh my fine hair down. Strangely my hair dries straighter when I use this shampoo compared to other shampoos not specifically for wavy hair.

Leave-in Conditioner

I have been using this Sebastian Professional Laminates Detanging Milk for years now. I just spray it through my wet hair and brush it through. It smells really nice and it leaves my hair super soft and shiny and most importantly it helps me get a brush through my fine, tangly hair.

Heat Protector 

On the rare occasion that I blow dry or curl my hair, I'll use the TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray to protect my hair. It smells nice, it comes out in a fine mist and it leaves my hair shiny and smooth all while keeping my hair from being damaged.

Hair Brush

I have very tangly hair due to it being so fine. Brushing my hair was always a chore I hated because it usually hurt and took a long time. Everything has changed since I got the Tangle Teezer. It gets out tangles and knots in seconds. It's seriously magical and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Dry Shampoo

I wash my hair every other day so for second day hair, I use Dove Invigorating Dry Shampoo to make my hair look less oily. The smell isn't too over powering and as long as you're careful with the distance you're spraying from, you won't end up with white in your hair. It also provides lots of volume.

Texturizing Spray

This is an expensive little product so for special occasions I'll use a some of this Orbe Dry Texturizing Spray. It gives a crazy amount of volume and texture. It's amazing!

Hairspray

As I rarely curl my hair, I don't often use hairspray but I thought I should include it anyway because finding a hairspray I actually like has been a hard task. I use the TRESemmé Perfectly (un)Done Waves Ultra Brushable Hold Hairspray. I hate hairsprays that make my hair feel hard and crunchy so this one is ideal for me. The hold isn't anything too special but it leaves my hair feeling naturally movable.

What hair products do you swear by?

I have many, many more hair products, these are just the ones I use most often, so let me know if you'd like to see a hair product collection post.

How I did my Makeup in High School

Doing a post like this has been on my list for a while and now it's a really popular youtube tag. I have always had an interest in makeup but like a lot of young girls, I didn't have the budget or the skills to ensure my makeup looked good.
In high school I mostly wore eyeshadow. I only wore concealer under my eyes and rarely ever wore foundation. I hated lip gloss and lipstick and I didn't start doing my brows until a few years ago. I didn't understand bronzer, had never heard of highlighter and thought my cheeks were naturally too rosy to wear blush. Below, I recreated my three most worn makeup looks from High School. I tried to copy the technique (or lack of technique) that I used to apply my makeup.

Grade 9

 

Annabelle Eyeshadow Duo in Kir Royal and Black Revlon Eyeliner
It was my first year in high school and I wanted to look super grown up so what did I do? That's right, I went heavy on the black liner. I would actually line my lower lashes (not the waterline), then use makeup remover to remove it leaving only a very thin line right at my lashes.

Grade 10 & 11

Claire's Shimmer Eyeshadow Palette with Lancome Eyeliner in Black Coffee
I got super into the shimmers in the middle of high school but I tamed it down with the brown liner. I didn't know how to blend and I used a very shimmery, white highlight on my brow bone. These eyeshadow came in a rainbow palette with 48 shadows. I'm just thankful I went for the neutral shades and not the bright blues.

Grade 12

Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow Trio in Posh Squash, Spicy and Champagne with Lancome Eyeliner in Black Coffee
My makeup was getting to be better quality once I hit my last year of High School. Believe it or not this was actually the look I wore to my grad dance with bright red lipstick.

While I'm not exactly embarrassed with my High School makeup, I'm very thankful my beauty skills have improved.

What style of makeup did you go for in High School?

Best Packaging: Cheap vs. Highend

I know the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" but I can't help but judge a product by it's packaging. Really nice packaging can make a lackluster product seem much better than it is, conversely, a great product with tacky packaging can seem kinda lame.

While the most important thing about a product is obviously the formula, the product's packaging is also important. Often times high end products are more expensive in a large part due to very luxurious packaging, but the packaging on inexpensive products can be just as good. Of course this post wouldn't be complete without mentioning the worst packaging too. 

Highend

Charlotte Tilbury

Charlotte Tilbury is my favourite packaging of all time. It's rose gold and the attention to detail is very impressive. It also feels extremely luxurious and well made. There is quite a bit of weight to it and it doesn't feel like plastic (although I think it probably is). Just looking at it makes me happy.

Urban Decay

Specifically the packaging on their eyeshadows is beautiful. These are expensive little products at $22 each and I'm pretty sure that's partly due to the ornate packaging.The lid is partially clear so you can see the shadow, but the rest of the lid is very detailed. The packaging is also a dark metallic, almost steel like in colour. I am very much a fan.

Hourglass

Hourglass is another luxury brand with beautiful packaging. The colour and unique shape is what I like the best about this packaging. It does feel a little bit more light and plastic than other luxury brands.

Cheap

Sleek Makeup

This is a well named brand because their packaging is quite sleek. It's very thin and black but feels very sturdy and well made. Plus there is a quality mirror included in the palettes.

Sonia Kashuk

Glass products from drugstore brands automatically make them feel more luxurious and the brushed glass and matte lid on this Sonia Kashuk concealer makes it look like a highend product.

Milani

Now the actual packaging on this one is very minimalist. It's just a clear lid with a gold base but the flower imprint on the product is what makes this so special to me. I think this is such a unique and beautiful way to package your product. I just love it.

And the award for worst packaging goes to...

Benefit Box 'O Blushes

Now to be fair this was a limited edition Christmas release so I'm not going to be too hard on them but this packaging is so clunky and hard to store. Plus I'm not a huge fan of looking at the Christmas theme in August. However I did get 5 blushes, a bronzer and a highlight for the price of one regular sized blush, so I can live with the terrible packaging. 

As you can tell I favour packaging that looks very sleek and pretty. There are other brands that have really cute and fun packaging (i.e. Too Faced, Benefit, theBalm) that didn't make my cut.

What Brands do you think have the best packaging?