Urban Decay Naked Flushed review + swatch

The Urban Decay's Naked Flushed Palette is a bronzer/highlighter/blush trio (which I received as a birthday gift this year). These type of trios seem to be very in right now and I can see why since they are quite multi-purpose! I'm not really sure which company came up with this idea first but the first one I heard of was Benefit Cosmetic's Fine One One stick. I'm more of a powder girl so when my birthday came up, I asked someone to get me the Urban Decay palette.
 
The packaging of this palette is very similar to the Naked Basics palette; it made out of plastic and has a full size mirror. The mirror is sufficient enough for me to see about half my face so it is great to use for touch-ups. It does not have any latches and is just a magnetic closure. This makes it very easy to open and close while still being secure enough to just pop in your makeup bag.

"Use these pressed powders individually or blend them together to create just the right effect—and let this seemingly straight-laced trio morph into a tangled color love-fest. Then bask in the radiant glow and let people wonder what you’ve been up to."

All the powders in this are full size, similar to how Urban Decay's eyeshadow palettes are. The great thing about this palette is that the colours can applied either separately or you can mix the colours together. My favourite way is to mix the blush with a bit of highlighter and apply bronzer separately. They are also super pigmented but have a very powdery formula so you definitely need to tap your brush to get off excess powder.

Bronzer - "a medium bronze satin" which is fairly pigmented but it may show up as slightly orange on some skin tones. It seems like a colour that is better for light skin tones and some medium tones because it may not show up on darker skin. It would be great all over bronze but doesn't show up enough to work for contouring for me. 

Highlighter - "a soft pink champagne shimmer" that is more pigmented than the bronzer and you will be able to get full colour with just one swipe. It is very shimmery and slightly pinked tone but seems like an okay highlighter for cheekbones. I'm not a highlighter person since I have oily skin anyways but I do occasionally mix it with the blush.

Blush - this "dusty rose satin with a hint of shimmer" is extremely pigmented and it is easy to go a bit overboard when applying. It is a very pink blush so it is not one that I wear everyday but it is still one I will use from time to time. The pigmentation allows it to last throughout the majority of the day so it is quite a long-wearing blush.

Swatch without flash

  Swatch with flash

My favourite part of this trio is definitely the blush since it is so pigmented so whenever Urban Decay blushes start to appear more in Canada, I would like to try one in another shade!

Tony Moly Mini Peach Lip Balm and Peach Anti-Aging Hand Cream review

The Tony Moly Mini Peach Lip Balm was a product I was first introduced to me by a friend. Their cousin had gotten them one from Korea and after I smelt it, I knew I had to get myself one. It comes in this cute little roundish container with a pointed tip and flat bottom. It doesn't really look like an actual peach but it's still really cute! It is a 7g container and like other Asian cosmetics, there is an additional plastic cover when you twist open the container. This makes it slightly more hygienic since I think it helps prevent dust accumulation.

It is a nicely scented peach lip balm that is a peachy colour in the container but goes on sheer. It is peach scented but does not smell too overly fruity or sweet. Application is not the best since you have to dip your finger into the pot and it also takes a few layers to feel like you have enough product. However, once it's on your lips, they will feel very moisturized and it will last like that for a couple hours. Your lips will feel super soft and if you accidentally eat it, it tastes like peach!

It does not last through drinking and eating so I wouldn't recommend using it too close to meal times. It's usually around $7-11 on eBay but my friend went to Korea this summer and was able to pick one up from there and I'm sure it was much cheaper (I don't know the price since I paid her back for other products at the same time).

The Peach Anti-Aging Hand Cream is something that I got mainly for the peach scent lol. This packaging is the same twist off "peach" packaging as the lip balm. It is around 3 times the size of the lip balm but holds 30 g so the size is justified. It has an additional plastic cover for hygiene reasons as well.

In the container, it has a similar peachy scent as the lip balm but it is just a little bit lighter and somewhat smells...cream like. When you apply it on your hands, it gives off just the peach scent which is exactly what I wanted! It is a white-ish cream that is the right consistency since it is neither too thick or too runny so it is very easy to apply. It is also non-greasy so it would be okay for on the go application.

My only problem with this cream is that I feel it does not properly absorb onto the skin sometimes. I often put it on over night and sometimes when I wash my hands in the morning, I still get a bit of that weird slimy "just applied cream" feeling. This may be something that happens with other creams as well but I feel like I haven't noticed it until I used this cream. I have no evidence about whether it really is 'anti-aging' or not since I'm not that old lol but the smell is a benefit enough for me. This is available on eBay for $6+ so I don't think it is too much cheaper in Asia.

Despite these two products not performing as well as I thought they would, I think I would still repurchase just because the scents are so great!

Boxing Day 2013 Haul

Woohoo, time for another haul! As with every other Boxing Day, I went shopping at Toronto Eaton's Centre since I like those stores better and although the sales weren't too good (mostly just 50% off), I still ended up buying quite a lot...

I don't remember the exact prices for each but here were the deals:
- Express 50% off entire store
- Hollister 50% off entire store
- Lindt 50% off holiday chocolate
- Sephora $12 deals
- Bath & Body Works $3 hand soaps/holiday items 50% off
- aerie 50% off store

Since this is somewhat a beauty review blog, here's a close-up of the Sephora items :)

- Caudalie Winter Moisture Kit
- tarte clean slate deluxe primer trio
- boscia Intensifying Moisture Pack+
- Make Up For Ever Aqua Shadow duo
- Ole Henriksen The Naked Truth Kit
- Sephora + Pantone Universe makeup bag (promo code: VIBEMERALD)

The display in the store was quite barren and the website only had 10 deals so Sephora was quite disappointing. Black Friday was definitely better and last year, the stores had a bunch of $9 and $12 deals! I remember the display was swarmed with makeup obsessed girls but this year, I was able to walk around the entire display without interference.

Besides there being a lack of good deals at Hudson's Bay and the disappointment at Sephora, I am quite satisfied with my purchases. Hopefully everyone else's Boxing Day went as well as mine!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas (or other holiday) and a Happy New Year :D