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

Skindinävia No More Shine Makeup Finish review

Setting/finishing sprays were another thing that I was exploring last Fall and after looking at multiple reviews, I decided to try Skindinävia! My friend's sister and I decided to split The Kit which is a set of their two best sellers - No More Shine Makeup Finishing Spray and Original Makeup Finishing Spray. We decided to get the 8 oz. bottles because it only cost $10 more than the 4 oz. kit! They were also having FREE Shipping & FREE Travel-Size Makeup Finishing Spray for international orders over $40 so it seemed like a really good deal. (This seems like an everyday deal though because it's always on the website, but with a different "now through" date) I wanted to keep the travel size so that I could try both sprays so me and my friend decided to split it according to volume. In the end, one 8 oz. bottle ends up being $27 total! Really awesome deal considering the 4 oz. sells for $29 by itself.

No More Shine Makeup Finish "controls shine and absorbs oil over face and t-zone while preventing makeup slippage. Formulated for oily skin types. For best results: Apply before and after makeup. Spray 2-4 times in an "X" and "T" formation."

I have been using this spray on a regular basis for about 7 months now and it really does seem to help makeup last a lot longer! At first, I would spray it on top after finishing makeup application but now I spray it on before. This seems to work just as well but I find that I actually do get the best results when sprayed before and after application (good thing we chose 8 oz.).

Another plus is that when sprayed after makeup, it helps take away any cakiness! In terms of oil control, I don't think this one really helps at all as I still need to blot after 4-5 hours (which is usual). The only major problem with this is that the nozzle makes spraying it a bit difficult. It's just regular spray bottle but for some reason, it just doesn't come out very well. You cannot cover your entire face with one spray so you are required to make multiple sprays (but 1-2 spritzs is sometimes sufficient). They should change that nozzle with the one they put on the travel size because that one works really well and one spritz can cover your full face. Despite the faulty nozzle, it doesn't really waste much product and even with daily use, there is still half the bottle left.

I have used the Original spray a few times and it performs just as well as the No More Shine. They also have a Bridal Makeup Finish and I think I want to try that next. Hey, not only brides need perfect makeup ;)

Benefit Cosmetics Gettin' Cheeky! review + swatch

Benefit is quickly becoming one of my favourite high-end/Sephora brands. They have really great tints, value kits, mini sized products available, and very attractive packaging. I've only bought 3 Benefit products but I have tried a lot of samples and the Sephora Benefit birthday gift and loved most of it :) The product for review today was actually a birthday gift too, but I was actually contemplating on getting it a while back.

Gettin' Cheeky! is a set of three mini tints: Posietint, Cha Cha Tint, and Sun Beam. Each comes in a little 4.0 mL/0.13 oz. bottle. It is miniature packaging of the full sizes (0.42 oz.) so they also have the nail polish like brush for application. This is a limited edition Sephora exclusive product.

Posietint: Benefit's Posietint is a petal-pink stain that plants a kiss of see-through tint on cheeks and lips. With hours of smudge-proof, just-picked perfection, you'll be the prettiest bloom in the bunch! 

Cha Cha Tint: This mango-tinted stain beautifully blushes lips and cheeks with a tropical sunset hue. Smooch-proof and smudge-proof, this sheer stain will have you looking deliciously sun-kissed for hours.

Sun Beam: Consider this liquid sunshine in a bottle. This golden bronze highlighter gives you a natural, sunkissed radiance. Dot and blend over makeup onto cheek and browbones for a bronzed glow that complements all skintones.

I don't entirely know how to use Sun Beam so I have barely touched that one but I like using Posietint and Cha Cha Tint a lot! Posietint provides a natural flush on your cheeks that seems to last all day (or at least the work day). I mainly use it on my lips and it gives a nice pink tint while still looking very natural so it is a nice MLBB? lol. Cha Cha Tint is also great for the cheeks and stains all day. It's a bit too bright for year round wear so it seems like a more summer shade and I stopped wearing it a couple months ago but will occasionally use a bit on my lips. Both tints are really great and even with daily use, these sizes have lasted me over 3 months. When the bottle finally finishes, I think I will splurge to get Posietint (since I still have another mini Cha Cha Tint). To finish off, here are the swatches:

 

stains blended out (1 layer)

Sephora had their Benetint as a 100 point perk a few months ago so I snagged two of those! They also have a new Lollitint which looks really gorgeous so I'm thinking of getting that next year to build up VIB status again :)

Black Friday 2013 Haul!

This is quite delayed but here is my Black Friday Haul for this year. Since we live in Canada, this is still a new concept for us so the deals are not as great as the States, but it's still better than nothing. I'm not sure when we first got Black Friday, but I remember a few stores having sales last year. I was waiting until my Sephora online order came in to make a post and it did last week so here's my Black Friday haul:

From Sephora:
- Josie Maran Argan Hand Healer
- Lorac Fan Favourite Duo
- Clean Rollerball Set (bought in store)
- Philosophy's purity made simple (bought in store)
- Boscia Pore Perfection Set

These were $12 CAD each and using the VIB 10% off code (V436CB), I got them for $10.80 woohoo! I took this opportunity to buy some gifts for my friend and to let other friends get in on the discount too but most of those are wrapped so no pictures, sorry! The purity was sold out online before I could get on so I went to get it in the store. It was advertised as 12 oz. for $12 so I didn't look at the bottle when I grabbed it. Turns out, I only got 8 oz.! My friend managed to get 12 oz. so it seems like they just ran out of that size. Since they will probably have it again during Boxing Day, I'm going to try to get the 12 oz. then ;) They gave me a sample of Benefit's Hello Flawless foundation, which was nice, but it was in a light shade even though I'm a medium...

This is my haul from other stores (sorry for the Sephora repeats):

- Aritzia's TNA Verbier Parka 10% off
- 3 tops from aerie 40% off entire store + free tote
- Nano Vidal Sassoon hair dryer $10 (returned this because it wasn't hot enough)
- WD Elements 1 TB External Hardrive $59.99 Future Shop door crasher
- Hollister sweater 40% off entire store

Oh I also got about $50 in Lindt chocolate! oops. They were having 50% off boxed chocolate so I got 2 boxes of specialty truffles, a small box each of the snowman truffles and regular milk truffles, as well as 2 boxes of assorted truffles :D

All in all, this seemed like a great haul since I managed to get some clothes and a new winter jacket! Aerie was also giving out a free blanket along with the tote for purchases over $45 but they ran out by the time I got there :( It actually looked like a nice blanket too, which makes me kind of regret not going to the mall at lunch, but at least I got a tote right?

Ipsy December 2013 Glam Bag Review

Woohoo, I finally decided to subscribe to a beauty subscription! Since Christmas is coming, I decided to try one bag as a little Christmas treat to myself. I received my Ipsy Glam Bag on the 11th I think and it came in the mail in its usual hot pink metallic bubble mailer. This definitely added to the excitement of getting my first subscription bag!

This glam bag was a black plastic pouch that was nice and sleek looking. It has red inside lining, a diamond texture design and an 'ipsy' zipper pull.

Now for the good stuff! My glam bag this month came with:
- Mirabella Eye Blender Brush ($27)
- POP Beauty Bright Up Your Life Eye Shadow Trio in Naturally Bare (approx. $8.08)
- Be a Bombshell The One Stick in Sunset ($16)
- Nicka K New York Nail Color in NY 139 Ripe Apple ($4.99)
- J. Cat Beauty Big Lip Pencil in Caramel Mocha ($3.99)

Total Value = approximately $60

I only tested these products a little bit and so far the Big Lip Pencil seems the most disappointing. The colour is really unflattering and slightly orange like so it really doesn't seem like I'll be using it at all. The One Stick is shade of pink-red and looks like a natural flushed when worn sheer on the cheeks (seems alright for lips too!). The eyeshadow trio has really great neutral colours and is also fairly pigmented. The nail polish was also a bit disappointing since I specifically did not select 'nail colour' in the Ipsy quiz since I really do have a lot :S but it is a nice shade of red that's perfect for the holidays. Lastly, the eye blender brush has really soft bristles but the metal handle makes it a bit too heavy. This is my third blending brush, but I guess you can never have too many? haha

This bag was a good value (since the brush already costs $27) but I feel like this will be my only Glam Bag and I will stick with my plan to unsubscribe. To finish off, here's swatches of the eyeshadow, lip pencil, and bombshell stick:

Left to Right: eggshell, toasted taupe, and cinnamon

Top: J.Cat Beauty The Bit Lip Pencil in Caramel Mocha; Bottom: Be a Bombshell The One Stick in Sunset