Clinique Bonus at the Bay

I usually don't buy new makeup just to get the bonus because in my experience, the products they give you are usually not the same quality as the original items. But this time around I really needed a new powder and so I managed to get the bonus as well.

You have to spend $26.50 CAD before taxes and this is what you get:

- High Impact Mascara in Black

- High Impact Lip Colour in Extreme Pink

- Colour Surge Eyeshadow Quad

- All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage

- Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

- 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula

I tried all the products and I quite like them. The mascara is very good actually and I would consider getting the full size. I also like the shadows - they are not extremely pigmented but perfect for daytime. I love the texture of the lipstick but so much the colour. All in all it's a good set to try Clinique's products.



Bridal Makeup

A couple of months ago I had the honour of doing Mirjana's makeup for her wedding. I had a lot of fun doing her makeup especially considering she's a bit of a makeup junkie like me so it was awesome discussing all the cool and new products.

By the way, this girl has the most amazing skin and beautiful features so doing her makeup was truly a pleasure.



Photography: Charity Swords



Yellow/Purple Eyeshadow

Today I decided to play with fun colours again and this is the result:

Products Used:
Ben Nye Creme Colors as an eyeshadow base
Inglot and 88-Pallete yellow eyeshadow
Variety of purple shadows from the Coastal Scents 88 Matte palette
NYX black eyeshadow as liner
Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara

P.S. I really really love that mascara. It really lengthens and keeps the lashes curled. Check out this picture:

Mascaras on sale!!!!!!!!

I stopped by Fortinos on my way home from work today and noticed they had a lot of make-up on sale :)

I got Maybelline Colossal Volum' Express for $3.99! (Regular price 7.99). This was a great find, it's actually one of my favourite mascaras.

I also got L'Oreal Voluminous for $4.99 (regular price $8.99). I really didn't plan on buying any makeup, let alone TWO mascaras but I just couldn't resist the price. They also had a few of the L'Oreal HIP shadows on sale so I picked up the silver/black one.

I will try the L'Oreal mascara and the shadow over the next couple of days and will report back.

Gosh Bronzer - Natural Glow

I have to go out in a few minutes so I'll make this a quick post. This summer Gosh came out with a limited edition collection which included an amazing bronzer. This bronzer has replaced Benefit's Hoola as my #1 bronzer. The texture is amazing and the colour is just perfect. It doesn't contain any shimmer so if that's what you are after than this bronzer is not for you. It retailed for $20 CAD at Shoppers Drug Mart Locations. I'm really really sad that this was a limited edition item and I am going to try my best to find a few more as backups. But anyways, try it...you'll love it!

 P.S. It looks quite light in this picture but it's actually a medium bronze shade.

Dior Amber Diamond

Today I started thinking about what makeup I would be bringing on my next vacation which will be in 3 weeks for my sister's bachelorette :) You may think it's insane to think about what makeup to pack 3 weeks in advance, but considering I brought way too much of it last time I decided to better plan this time. I am only bringing 1 bag of makeup. THAT'S IT!

If there was one item I couldn't go without it would be the Dior Amber Diamond shimmer. This powder is absolutely perfect for highlighting the tops of cheekbones, browbone, down the centre of nose and above the lip and really anywhere else that you want to add a touch of shimmer. The best thing about this highlighter is that it's not at all glittery. It's a very fine shimmer which allows the light to catch it. I was even able to use it as a very sheer eyeshadow when I didn't have anything else. I LOVE IT! It is probably my favourite makeup item at the moment. I never leave home without it :) It's a bit pricey at $44 USD but considering a little goes a long way I expect it will last a year if not longer.

P.S. The picture above doesn't do it justice. You gotta check it out

Another challenge: Primer Potion vs. Shadow Insurance

Today I decided to do another challenge (one that luckily didn't leave me with a smudged eye at work!) and I compared Urban Decay Primer Potion and Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

I primed one eye with Primer Potion and the other with Shadow Insurance. I then applied Smashbox eyeshadow and waited for the results. About 12 hours later, the results are in...and not as exciting as I anticipated. Both products delivered and work pretty much the same way. The only difference I noticed is that the eyeshadow was slightly (very slightly) darker on the eye that was primed using the Urban Decay primer.

So which one do I prefer? Too Faced Shadow Insurance and only because it's packaging is easier to use and more hygienic. Not to mention half of the product is wasted as the original packaging of the Primer Potion is horrible. Although good news for UDPP lovers - Urban Decay released a limited edition large Primer Potion that is packaged the same way as Shadow Insurance. I might buy it for my kit.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance   $18 USD 0.35 oz
Urban Decay Primer Potion       $18 USD 0.34 oz
Urban Decay Primer Potion       $29 USD 0.85 oz

Eyeliner Sealer vs. Water

I really like the precision of a liquid liner, but hate the somewhat glossy look. So my solution to this problem is an eyeliner sealer. I use the Cinema Secrets Eyeliner Sealer mixed with an eyeshadow (my current favourite is NYX black) and voila - a perfect line.

So today I thought, what if using water is just as effective as the eyeliner sealer and decided to do a little experiment. I did one eye using the eyeliner sealer and the other using water. Hate to disappoint, but the eye that was done with water had smudged approximately 30 minutes after it was done. The other eye is still perfect 10 hours later. And yes I did spend the whole day at work with one eye perfect and the other smudged...hopefully not a lot of people noticed since i was wearing my glasses. Oh the things I do for makeup ...lol

Options:
Cinema Secrets Eyeliner Sealer - $7.49 USD on the site linked above
Lise Watier Metamorfix Liquid Transformer - $14 CAD at Shoppers
Makeup Forever Eye Seal - $20 USD at Sephora

Warning:
Some eyeshadows are not formulated to be used with an eyeliner sealer (or water for that matter) and will glaze over and harden. There isn't really much that can be done after the fact, so I suggest you test a corner of your shadow first.