Urban Decay 24/7 Vintage Glide-On Eye Pencil review + swatch

Hey there! It seems that I'm in my procrastination mood again and blogging instead of studying (final in a week). Today I have decided to review everyone's beloved Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil. They were on sale for $7.50 so I had included 2 pencils in my friend's online Sephora order so she could make the shipping threshold but then since my birthday was coming up, she just gave them to me as a gift!

The eyeliners that I got were actually the 'vintage' ones so I guess these were the colours they chose to discontinue before they changed their formula? I'm not entirely sure but anyway, the colours that I got were 1999 and Gunmetal. Although the formula probably changed, I believe that these two pencils have the same packaging as the current 24/7 pencils. They are the same size as a regular eyeliner pencil and have a nice silver plastic cover.

1999 is a really nice eggplant colour with a bit of a sparkle. They have a creamy consistency and really do glide on easily (similar to MAC's Pearlglide eyeliner). They are fairly pigmented and do seem to last really long (most of the day) but are not immune to the usual pencil smudging that most  eyeliner pencils suffer. Gunmetal is quite similar to the eyeshadow colour they sell which is described as a "dark metallic grey with silver micro-glitter". It has the same type of application and staying power as 1999 but the problem with this colour is that there is fall out from the glitter :( A friend pointed out that I should try an eyeliner primer so next time I use it, I'll try that and see if there is still fall out.

With flash (1999 on the left, Gunmetal on the right)  

All in all, these seem like great eyeliners and are great for anyone that wants a more bold eyeliner look since they come in multiple different colours. I was disappointed with Gunmetal, but I have no problems with 1999. They sell for $23 at Sephora so they are pricey but they also come in eyeliner value sets and are sometimes packaged with Urban Decay's palettes.

Sephora VIB Sale Haul 2013

This is the first year that I have ever been Sephora VIB (thanks to my other make-up obsessed friend and my mom with her skincare products) so I was able to get the 20% off a few weekends ago. Even though it was the same weekend as IMATS, I still managed to make two online orders over $75 to get free shipping :P

It took a while for everything to come (too many orders were placed I guess) but the second and final package came today. I was a little disappointed to see that most of my samples were substituted because that has never happened before, but oh well. Here is the haul:
- Urban Decay Naked Palette (woo finally! long debate between 1 and 2)
- Ole Henriksen Power Peel 2x treatment
- Benefit Gimme Brow in light/medium
- Too Faced Primed & Perfected To Go Duo
- Too Faced Tan Without the Twinkle
- Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder
- Tarte Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer (to get a friend the discount)

I have yet to try it all, but I'm sure it will be great. Black Friday sale is coming (not really sure why Canada needs this) and there will be some Sephora deals for $12 and under $20, so hopefully I don't go too crazy then too.....

EDIT: Some Black Friday deals have been posted ($12 CAD) and I kinda want 5 or more things oops.

Maybelline Color Tattoo Review + Swatches

Hello readers! (Does anyone actually read this blog? If so, please leave a comment!). I have finally decided to make a review for the famous Maybelline Color Tattoo cream eyeshadows :) These eyeshadows are very creamy and have a similar consistency Benefit's Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow, but at a fraction of the price! I bought these a while ago but I believe that they were $5.99 on sale and and $6.95 regular price at Wal-Mart.

They all seem to be very pigmented and have a long wear time. They go on very smoothly and do not become "scaley" looking when you apply more than one coat. This was a problem with the Benefit cream shadow so it's great to know that not all cream shadows have that problem. Another great thing about these shadows is that they do not dry out easily! I remember reading stories about how cream based products dry out in a few months but I've had these for almost a year and they are still in great condition. They are also very great for eyeliner and seem to last the whole day :) (Well at least 8 hours or so). In my opinion, they seem decently priced and are great for those that cannot afford high-end shadows/already enjoy cream products. If you are hesitant, maybe wait until they're on sale or if you have a coupon :P

There are four colours I have and have swatched are: 75 Electric Blue, 30 Pomegranate Punk, 55 Inked in Pink, and 45 Bold Gold. They all have flecks of sparkle but are still quite metallic-y and since they have sparkle instead of glitter, there is no fallout.

From left to right: Pomegranate Punk, Inked in Pink, Bold Gold, Electric Blue

Electric Blue is very blue and sapphire like. I have yet to find an occasion to wear something that bold so I mainly use it as eyeliner. It is part of the Metal collection of Color Tattoos.

Bold Gold is a very yellow gold and definitely a bold choice for anyone that wants. Despite it being so gold, it isn't too much for day wear and can be used for somewhat of a neutral eye? (Please ignore the eyeliner swatch below it)

Inked in Pink is yet another shacodow from the metal collection and is a pale pink. This one would also be okay for day wear if blended properly but would also look pretty for special occasions!

Lastly, Pomegranate Punk! It is a very dark mix of pink and plum but I find it blends well with Inked in Pink. Like Electric Blue, I mostly use this for eyeliner to add a bit of colour to my eyes :)

There are several different shades of Color Tattoos and I would love to try them all! However, I have too many eyeshadows (and just got the Naked Palette!) but if I ever ran out/one of them dried out, I will probably try a new colour :)

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!

Korres Lip Butter review + swatch

Lip butters are really great for anyone that wants something moisturizing that also gives some colour to lips. The first lip butter I ever tried was of course the Revlon Colorstay Lip Butters! I loved it so much that I got 3: Pink Truffle, Sugar Plum and Brown Sugar! My favourite is Pink Truffle and although I still use it often, I wanted something that was more sheer and bright colour for summer/fall. After much research, I decided to try the Korres Lip Butter! (I was debating between that and a tinted Sugar Rose Lip Treatment but those were too expensive). Since I wanted it for the summer, my choice was Pomegranate which is a "sheer coral".



"A rich, buttery lip balm that melts on the lips and offers a shiny, tinted finish."

My lips are already a little bit pigmented so when I apply this butter, I think that it shows up a bit darker than it should but I like it that way! It applies on sheer, but not too sheer that my natural lip colour shines through. This shade is very good for an everyday lip colour and can probably be used in the winter too. In terms of moisturizing, it makes lips feel very smooth and seems like it would be sufficient for the winter too. I use it as a lip balm sometimes if I can't find mine and it feels very moisturizing. As the description says, the finish is a bit shiny, however it is not as shiny as a lip gloss and is a very light shine.

It is very easy to apply and will go on lips very smoothly. The staying power seems okay, I'd say about 2-3 hours or so, but some of it will come off when you eat or drink. This is in my makeup bag for work so it is easy for me to just touch up when I am lacking some colour.

Lastly, unlike Revlon's lip butter, this one comes in a little jar so you have to use your fingers to apply. That would have to be the biggest con of this lip butter, but other than that, I am very pleased with it and will probably try another colour whenever I finish this one :)

You can buy this at Sephora for $16.

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Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light

This product was probably one of my first big purchases from Sephora and was also the most disappointing. After I started getting more into makeup (about a year ago), I read all about primers and this one seemed to have really great reviews. This was also around the time that I started my co-op work term so I needed something that would help make my makeup last and help control shine. Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light was supposed to be the one for oily skin so I decided to give it a go! Something that really enticed me to buy it was that I noticed that the Sephora website was selling both the 1.7 oz. and the 1.0 oz. for $44 so I decided to take advantage of this and order the 1.7 oz. online! Although it was still very expensive, it seemed like it would be very worth while since it was such a large tube that was supposed to last for a long time.

"A water-based, lightweight foundation primer. Perfect for oily, acne-prone, or sensitive skin, this oil-free, 60% water based primer refreshes on contact while oil absorbers provide a smooth, matte finish all day."

Although it says water based, I have heard that it is silicone based, so I'm not entirely sure what the 40% is. Whatever the base, it squeezes out like a thick white cream and is quite easy to spread.There is a light chemical smell but this goes away quickly. It takes about 2 minutes to disappear into your skin but I've heard that you should wait about 5 minutes for primers to fully sink in :S After it is absorbed, it makes skin smoother, allowing for an easier foundation application. After a few weeks of using it, I realized that this product really doesn't do anything. It did not really make my skin any smoother, pores look any smaller, or help control oil :( It seems more just like some expensive cream, but it doesn't moisturize very well! This was a product I definitely regretted and have tried another primer since then, that I am actually quite content with.

 

 

Conclusion: This is a product that performs too little for the price you have to pay.

EDIT: I have since then returned this for store credit because I heard of Sephora's awesome return policy! Yay