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

IMATS Toronto 2013 Experience and Haul!

After seeing many beauty guru vlogs about it, I finally got to go to IMATS! It was last weekend on November 9 & 10 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Since I have another friend also into makeup, we decided to go together and got an early start by trying to get there right at 8:30 when it opened :) I did a lot of research on the vendors and previous IMATS beforehand so I knew which products I wanted and what prices to estimate. This was my first IMATS and my first time in Metro in a while so I didn't really know what to expect. Let's get right to the haul! Sorry I only have a phone camera picture.

I came with a list of stuff to get and I got everything on it :) Plus a few more...so I kinda went over my budget haha. This is what I got:

	IMATS Price	Regular Price
Beauty Blender Duo	$24	$37.29
Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in 6, 13, and 14	3 x $18 = $54	3 x $30.51 = $91.53
Bdellium 940 pink	$7	$10.80
945 green	$7	$9.68
781 green	$5	$7.92
942 green	$7	$9.68
785 green	$5	$7.92
934 green	$5	$7.04
Royal & Langnickel brush roll	$10	$29.99 USD
MAC Chromaline in Black Black	$20.79	$25.99
OPI full size polish	6 for $30	6 x $11.13 =  $66.78
OPI mini size polish	$0.50 x 7 = $3.50	$2.83 x 7 = $19.78
Beauty so Clean brush cleaner in Cake Pop and Candy Cane	2 x $5 = $10	2 x $10 = $20
Total	$188.29	$344.40

Wow I actually saved a lot more than I realized. The best savings were probably at MUFE, where everything was 40% off! Classique Nails had good deals too since they were selling full size OPI for $30 for 6 and a bunch of minis for just $0.50! I definitely got more nail polish than I should have. They also had really good deals on Essie, China Glaze, and other top brands.

How far did I stray from my list? The main stray was at the nail polish because I only intended to get OPI Scatter the Scales and Essie Good to Go but they had neither of them :( At MUFE, I had only intended to get an Aqua Eyes and the travel size HD Finish Powder but since I once got Aqua Eyes for $12 at boxing day, I decided to just wait and they did not have the powder in travel size there. I did somewhat intend on getting an Aqua Liner...but getting 3 was too excessive :P Bdellium Tools was a problem for me too because the brushes were so colourful and tempting! I had a list of 5 brushes but ended up not liking 2 yet somehow still got 6 brushes haha.

Aside from the massive amounts of money spending, it was really fun! I got to see make up artists at work during the show and even sat down for a few demonstrations/talks. One was the 50 years of Doctor Who, a special effects sculptist, MAC session, and Battle of the Brushes. It was really fun to explore and look at all the different brands since a lot of them didn't have easily accessible shops in the GTA. There were a lot of special effect makeup and make-up artist tools as well so it was interesting to see all the different kinds. Now for some pictures!

My favourite one of the day! She was also really awesome at her model poses as well.

To summarize, I had a great day and really enjoyed seeing everything at IMATS. It seems to me like it is only a thing to go to yearly if you really have expendable income and are super crazy about makeup. Every 2 or 3 years seems like a better thing since girls only need so much makeup :P Will I go again? Definitely! but probably not until 2015 :)

P.S. I also made two Sephora orders that weekend (with the help of my friends) and thoroughly abused the 20% off VIB sale. Get ready for another haul when those packages arrive!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes, Mist & Fix, Buxom Lasliner Duo review + swatch

Since I have so little of these brands, I decided to just review both Make Up For Ever and Buxom brands. The first products will be MUFE Mist + Fix  and Aqua Eyes and then Buxom's Lashliner Duo.

The first MUFE product I bought was the Aqua Eyes eyeliner in Matte Black 0L. This was another one of my awesome Sephora Boxing Day deals! It was $12 when I bought it but the regular price is $20.

"An award-winning, waterproof, smudge- and fade-resistant eyeliner that doubles as a vibrant eye shadow."

Although I would never use black as an eye shadow, they do have some nice colours that I would try as an eye shadow. In terms of the product itself, I think it actually does meet the description! It does not give me raccoon eyes, stays on all day, stays matte all day and goes on really well. The application is only okay since it does not glide on too well, but it is really easy to get good colour. If this was on sale again, I would definitely buy it, but for $20 it's a bit too much. Here is a swatch of it, Aqua Eyes is on the top and Buxom Lashliner is below it.

As for the Make Up For Ever Mist & Fix, it supposed to be a setting spray and has generally good reviews but I don't think it's doing much for my super oily skin :( It does appear to keep makeup on a bit longer (maybe an hour or two) but it really doesn't do much for controlling shiny skin so I still have to revert to my blotting papers. The application isn't too bad though since it comes out as a fine mist. There is no smell to it and at first you will look dewy and sort of feel like you have hairspray on your face, but then it dries to be matte and non-sticky. I got the travel size for $11 to try but I ordered the Skindinävia spray so I won't be getting MUFE's full size spray.

"A light and comfortable spray that sets all types of makeup and prolongs hold, even under extreme conditions."

Lastly, the Buxom Lashliner Duo. This was also a $12 Boxing Day deal and came as a pack of the full size Lasliner in Sequins colour, a brush, and a bag for the brush. As you can see in the picture, it gives off as much colour as the Aqua Eyes, it just contains glitter as well. 

"Lash addicts beware: Buxom Lashliner is highly habit-forming. This may look like just a liner, but it's also a thickening and conditioning treatment that instantly takes the appearance of your lashes from hardly any to very many. This mineral-rich, paraben-free, whipped gel formula glides on like a liquid liner and dries to a long-wearing smudge proof eyeliner."

This is a gel liner and although I read reviews of it drying out, my pot is still fine. It is a little stiff to work with though so it takes some time. The brush is pretty good too but I think I prefer angled eyeliner brushes just so I can have a bit more control since this brush is too flexible. In terms of wear, it also lasts all day with minimal smudging on the lid. The glitter doesn't even show too much nor does it go onto your face. However when I tried to clean it off my hand, the Buxom Lashliner smudged when I was rubbing it while Aqua Eyes did not. Another problem with this liner is removing it; you end up getting glitter all over your eye area! This is fine when you're about to sleep but if you make a mistake while getting ready, I recommend fixing it with your fingers instead of removing it completely :P When it runs out/dries out, I won't be buying it in Sequins again but may try the other colours.

Make-up and Hair Products

Currently waiting in the 3rd floor of SAF for a PhD student's study thing that gives me money :) I hope I get the max of $25! This will help fund my $40 ticket to Marianas Trench! I know it's kind of expensive considering I've seen them for free twice, but I love Josh Ramsay.

So since this blog is pretty dead, I'm going to use it as sort of a 'whenever I'm bored' blog for myself.
Well since my Fall co-op I've been more into makeup and like accessories (actually just scarves). I started shopping at Sephora and even though there stuff is expensive, I think some of the stuff is actually ok for the price! After claiming 3 years worth of birthday gifts, I finally bought something LOL. Here are the high-end brands that I have tried since Fall (and the reason I cannot afford next term's tuition by myself hehe)

- Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo $21 (bought from U.S.)
- Sephora Collection 3-in-1 extractor $3
- Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer $44 (DO NOT LIKE)
- Sephora Collection Matte Blotting Film $3
- Boscia Soothing Cleaning Cream $12 (for my mom)
- Make Up For Ever Aqua Eyes Liner in Black $12
- NARS Super Orgasm Mini $12
- Hello Kitty Apple Cheeks in Blushing $9
- Hello Kitty Charmmy Eyeshadow Stick in Birthday Cake $7
- Benefit Creaseless Creme Eyeshadow in r.s.v.p. $12
- Buxom Lashliner Duo $12
- tokidoki Perfectto Eyeliner in Arlecchio $6
- MUFE Mist + Fix travel size $11
- Bliss Lemon+Sage Body Butter Max Moisture Cream $7
- Sephora Collection Long-Lasting 12HR Wear Eye Liner in Black Purple $11 (bought from U.S.)
- MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus in NC40 $32
- MAC Archie's Girls Face Powder in Flatter Me $30 (bought from U.S.)
- MAC Archie's Girls Betty's Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Black Swan $16.50 (bought from U.S.)
- MAC Archie's Girls Betty's Lipstick in Oh, Oh, Oh $17.50 (bought from U.S.)
- Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel $31
- Sara Happ Lip Scrub in Green Apple $30
- Nume Silhouette hair straightener in blue $65
- Macadamia Natural Oil Detangler spray $23
- Bubbi Brushes (Dual eye, dual cover, and angled eyeliner) $26 total

I think that is it! Maybe I'll do reviews of the things that I have strong opinions on eventually. Ta-ta for now.