My 12 favorite beauty products of 2012

Happy 2013 everyone!
Shockingly, I have found a bunch of HG or 'holy grail' products this year! It makes me happy to find amazing things that suit me, but at the same time it takes the fun away from hunting for something new.

Everything in this post are products I use daily or a few times per week.
You might recognize some of these items from my summer favorites post.
Sorry, I didn't take individual pictures of everything, I wanted to get this posted before 2014 ;) So; here are my top 12 beauty buys from 2012.

 

12. Clinique take the day off cleansing balm  $34 CAD

This was a recent discovery and I am so impressed with it. I've wasted so much money trying to find a 'gentle' cleanser that completely removes makeup.  I can't use foaming cleansers or wipes anymore, they make my face red and irritated. This balm easily takes off every single trace of makeup, even waterproof mascara - and it rinses off completely. No oily residue at all! I love this stuff so much.

11. Essence volumizing lash powder $3.99 CAD

I was skeptical, but this stuff works so well. I found that using wet mascara with it is best. Covergirl lash blast (orange tube) worked magically with it. It gave me fake looking lashes. The fibers won't irritate sensitive eyes, just be careful when applying and you will get amazing lashes.

10. ELF liquid eyeliner $1.50 CAD

I grabbed this back in the summer when I ran out of MAC penultimate liner (which dried out within 3 months of use :( And I don't think I will look back. I can get a thin dark line in one swipe, and it stays put all day. So cheap too!

9. Maybelline color tattoo cream shadow bad to the bronze $8.99 CAD

I use this all the time. It's one of my go-to shadows because it is so quick and easy to get a gorgeous taupe shimmery eye. Just apply to lids, add a few coats of mascara and then put on some more for a little more color intensity.

8. Wet n Wild color icon palette vanity $6.99 CAD

I think this is what I would consider my HG eyeshadow palette. I recently purchased a back up. It's so pigmented and gorgeous. The colors blend like a dream. I was using MAC blanc type as an all over base shadow before, but when I started using the matte beige in this quad I realized that it was even better than MAC! I will never be without this palette.

7. NARS larger than life lipgloss Tiber $30 CAD

I love NARS larger than life glosses. I think they are the best out there. They are shiny, long lasting and hydrating. No stickiness at all. Tiber is my favorite color, a nice neutral beige. I am going to buy more.

6. MAC lipstick blankety $18 CAD

This is my HG lipstick. It is the perfect mix of pink and beige and I can wear it with anything. It tones down the redness in my lips but it doesn't make me look like a corpse.

5. MAC paint pot constructivist $20 CAD

I love this as an all over lid color or as a liner. It's a nice rich brown with reddish pearl. It makes my green eyes pop. Genius color. Another item I will never be without.

4.  MAC eyebrow pencil lingering $18 CAD

This has become my HG brow product. I have tried lots. This is IT. The color is perfect, it looks totally natural, it defines and helps shape and fill in brows where needed. Most importantly, it stays on all day and it keeps brows in place. I couldn't ask for more. I have heard that maybelline has a dupe of this product so I will be checking that out too.

3. MAC mineralize skin finish light year (limited edition)  $34 CAD

I'm sorry I had to put an LE product in here, but this has become my everyday blush. I mix all the colors together and it gives me a luminous pink/beige/peach glow that I haven't got from anything else. It's exactly what I want in a blush. A little glow without looking overdone. All pale girls need this in their stash!

2. MAC play it proper beauty powder $34 CAD

This is my HG highlight product. It is a light pearly pink and it gives my cheekbones an amazing glow. I've hit pan and already have a backup because I use it pretty well every day. 

I highly recommend light pink highlighters for pale skin, I think they are the most flattering.

1. Make up forever face and body foundation $44 CAD

My number one favorite? MUFE face and body foundation. I love it. I haven't found any other foundation that gives such a youthful look to skin as this. It's dewy but it is so light feeling, and it lasts all day. I tried shade #20 and it was very dark on me, I ended up going for #38 porcelain ivory and it is a pretty decent match. It's expensive, and hard to get here but I will keep using it until I find something similar.

I hope you liked my top 12! What were your favorites of 2012? There were so many great things this year it was hard to pick!

Maybelline the colossal cat eyes mascara review

 Maybelline is putting out new mascaras left and right lately! Just one after the other after the other...

I tried the original 'colossal' mascara a few years back and I really liked it, except that it flaked horribly.
Fast forward to a few months ago I tried the waterproof version, and it was so dry I couldn't get anything on my lashes.
So I was slightly hesitant to try this. But, anything to do with cat eyes grabs my attention, so I got this as soon as I saw it on display.

 The tube has a cute leopard print pattern on it, it looks a bit juvenile in my opinion, but I suppose they are pushing products towards the younger crowd these days.

The 'claw' brush, actually does a good job of grabbing and coating lashes. It's a little awkward to work with if you aren't used to curved a brush.

The cat claw wand (click for large size) :

The result is fanned out lashes that are nicely lengthened and a little volumized. The curved brush helps to curl lashes up and the end of it is great for flipping up the outer corner lashes. Adding mascara to those outer corner lashes does result in a more cat-eye look and overall sultry eye.

with 2 coats of colossal cat eyes:

The formula is very wet and smells of roses. it's the exact same formula as the original colossal. Therefore, I have the exact same problem with it, the flaking off :/
I really like the brush, and if the formula was better I would recommend it.

Overall, this doesn't do too much for volume but it's great for length. It can be layered but beware of clumping. If you liked the original Maybelline Colossal you will probably like this too.

Repurchase? No

Price: $8 CAD

Rating: 3/5

Maybelline lash discovery mascara review & update!

I'm going to start with a little update before I move on to the review.
For those who don't know, I'm 9 mos pregnant - I'm also anemic and so very tired! I haven't been playing with makeup as much lately. My skin is suffering the worst acne right now since I was 14, so I really don't want to take many pics. Thanks hormones.
Anyways, this week I'm uploading all of my mascara reviews, I want to get them posted before the baby comes :)
So welcome to the start of my mascara review extravaganza!

Lash discovery mascara has always held a little mystery in my eyes. How does a mascara with such a tiny brush work?

For reference, here is the brush beside a Canadian quarter. Canadian quarters are the exact same size as American ones, in case you wondered the difference.

You can see just how tiny the mini brush is. It's absolutely the smallest mascara brush I've ever used.

One BIG problem with this little mascara is that the opening of the tube is not small enough to remove any excess product from the brush.
So, when you take it out to apply it, you will find there is a load of mascara on the tiny wand, and it will be a mess. To fix this problem I had to wipe excess product from the wand every time I went to apply it. Not cool.

It was a challenge to get used to applying mascara with the small wand. It reached all my lashes nicely and coated them. It added some length and volume but nothing spectacular.

Wearing Maybelline lash discovery* :

One thing I despised about this was that it really weighed down my lashes. It did not hold any curl whatsoever. I think it does this because the brush holds onto too much product as I mentioned above. It's a heavy formula and the weight just pulls down on your lashes.
*I need to point out that for the photo above I actually curled my lashes before applying lash discovery and then again after to get the curl back into them.

The formula is very wet and I didn't use it long enough to see what the result was when it got a bit drier. I imagine it would work better after it dried out slightly, it would grab less onto the lashes and maybe then it wouldn't weigh them down so much.

Overall this mascara gave me basic length and slight volume. It took extra work to clean the wand before applying and then curl my lashes again after I applied it.
I'm sure you can see why I didn't like this mascara very much at all. It's not available everywhere so I had to hunt for it, definitely a waste of time. I say pass on it!

Repurchase? No way.

Price: $9.99 CAD

Rating: 2/5

Maybelline superstay 14 HR lipstick in beige forgood photos and swatches

Well now, I think I have a new favorite lipstick! This color is fabulous. The formula is decent. The price is right!

These new Maybelline superstay lipsticks don't hold up for 14 hrs unless you don't eat or drink anything while wearing them. Otherwise, on me they last about 4-6 hours which is pretty good for a drugstore lipstick.
Beige forgood - is pretty well my new favorite go-to nude. It's the perfect mix of beige brown and pink. It's natural, subtle and looks great with pale skin. It does carry a slight hint of grey, just a warning it could look corpse like on some complexions.

So many nude colors turn awful shades of orange, bright pink or mud on me. This one is perfection.

Beige forgood swatch:

Wearing beige forgood:

Of course hardly anything is perfect, but this is close. My only dislike is the fragrance. It is really different from anything I've smelled in a lipstick before. It's sweet yet strong and chemically, not pleasant. But the good thing is that it fades after a while.

The finish is really nice, not totally matte, more like a MAC satin finish.

I am going to go out on a limb and say that this color is similar to Guerlain divinora deep and matte #480, discontinued and rare shade - and yes one of Angelina Jolie's favorite lipsticks. Beige forgood is possibly a smidge cooler but really, it's similar! The Guerlain is absolutely more matte in finis.

Comparison pic (Guerlain was taken without flash)

Edited to add:
Other lipsticks beige forgood is similar to is MAC our pick and fondle. I think fondle is more brown, but beige forgood and our pick are super close.

Comparison:

If you are looking for a new nude lipstick I highly reccomend checking this color out! It's quite inexpensive too at $9 CAD.

Favorite drugstore beauty buys of 2011

Happy new year everyone!

Are you broke from Christmas? Want to treat yourself to a little something without breaking your wallet?

Well, I've got a list here of inexpensive but awesome drugstore products for those that want to be beautiful on a budget.

This is not my top 2011 list (that is coming soon) but these are all really good products and I'd recommend trying them!


From left to right:

• Cover Girl Lash Blast 24 Hr $9.99 CAD
  This literally blew me out of the water! I almost gave up on drugstore mascaras, until I tried this. It lengthens and volumizes all while holding a curl like nothing else! It stays on all day without flaking or smudging.

• Wet n Wild coloricon palette in greed $6.99 CAD
  Almost every color in this palette is a MAC dupe, and the quality of the shadows in lust are by far superior to those in other WnW palettes I've tried. This also looks amazing with green eyes!

• NYC smooth skin pressed powder in translucent $2.99 CAD
  One of my all time favorite powders ever. It's very light and doesn't oxidize, doesn't emphasize dry skin like so many powders do and it covers pores for a flawless look. You really can't go wrong with this.

• Maybelline super stay 14 hr lipstick in beige forgood $10.99 CAD
  This color is a fantastic neutral beige nude. It stays on for hours and doesn't dry my lips out. This is one of my top lipsticks right now.

• Maybelline baby lips lip balm in peach kiss $3.97 CAD
  Although the artificial scent and taste aren't to my liking, this is a nice light hydrating balm to wear by itself or under lipstick. I have found since using this daily my lips do not feel as dry or chapped as before.

• Cover girl lip perfection lipstick in romance $ 8.99 CAD
  I was pleasantly surprised to find lip perfection lipsticks are super pigmented and rich. They last a while and hydrate, it's hard to believe these are made by cover girl. Romance is a lovely pinked mauve shade with slight shimmer, it looks great on pale skin!

• Maybelline color tattoo 24hr cream gel eyeshadows $6.97 CAD
  These cream eyeshadows are just super. I love my MAC paint pots but these are just as good. You can see more about them here.

• Revlon colorstay blemish concealer with softflex $10.99 CAD
  This is the best concealer I have found that covers minor imperfections and redness. I always feel better after I put it on because I know it won't come off until I decide to take it off. The amount of Salicylic acid is too low to have any anti-acne benefits but this is still a great choice if you want to keep covered all day.

Well that's all for now, do you like any of these drugstore picks?

Maybelline color tattoo 24hr cream gel eyeshadow photos, swatches and rave!

I have a new love, and it's these new maybelline cream shadows!

If you like MAC paint pots, these are very similar, and they are less than half the price of MAC.

The color selection is great, there are many shades to choose from. I do wish there was a light neutral beige. All the colors are quite pigmented and bold.

First up is 'tough as taupe'. This one is creamy and very pigmented. It's a medium taupe color with a grey purple cast. There is no shimmer in it, the finish is nice and satin like.

tough as taupe swatch:

Here is a look I did using tough as taupe as a base color:

Next is 'bold gold'. It's a medium burnished gold with bright gold small-particle glitter. This one isn't as pigmented as the taupe, but it can be layered to achieve the color you see in the pot.

Swatch of bold gold:

And another look I did using bold gold as a base color:

These cream shadows really impressed me. The pigmentation is just as good as MAC paint pots or Estee Lauder double wear cream shadows.
The wear time is excellent as well, they stay on for 10 hours or so without fading or creasing on me. Some might find they last longer, or those with oily lids maybe less.
I forgot to mention that these also work really well as a gel liner. I used MAC 209 lining brush and applied the taupe color to my upper and lower lash lines and it lasted all day long.

My overall verdict is that these are amazing, and I want just about every color.

It's about time a decent cream shadow is available at the drug store!

NOTD: Essence glisten up over Maybelline extreme black currant

I wouldn't have posted this NOTD if it weren't for the absolute amazing-ness of this combo! I realize that it is a little sloppy, but this color was just incredible, I think my favorite of all time.

As a base I used 2 coats of Maybelline Salon Expert 'extreme black currant' which is a deep blackened violet jelly (pictured above on the right).

Essence glisten up is a super sheer aqua with tiny glitters throughout and flakies. The flakes didn't show up much in the pictures, but I got this amazing greenish teal cast of 'glow' when I layered this over the black currant that took my breath away.

2 coats Essence glisten up over Maybelline extreme black currant:

I have over 100 nail polishes and I think this is my favorite color - EVER. It's just so bewitching!

What do you think?

Maybelline volum' express one by one mascara review

Oh boy. You want to know something pathetic? I bought this because it matched the coral colored lipgloss and nail polish I was also buying at the time. I didn't need it or really want it, I just bought it because it matched. I think it might have been on sale, so that's alright then.

I'm not the biggest fan of Maybelline mascaras, although the odd one does sometimes impress me. I liked Maybelline the falsies, didn't quite love it though.

Sadly I couldn't get a good shot of the wand on the one by one mascara. Basically it's a football shape with tiny rubbery spikes that really grab every lash.
It's quite unique and I can't quite compare it to anything else.

Wearing one by one:

This mascara was easy to apply and added a little length and volume. Not bad.
I like how it separated my lashes, I just wish it gave more length at least.
It sort of reminded me of a cheap version of MAC mascara X, in that it gave me very natural looking feathery lashes. Nothing extraordinary.
What this one by one did do was give me flaky raccoon eyes within an hour of wearing it.
I thought maybe I layered it too much, using two coats. So I tried using only one coat and that did nothing. It just flaked all down my face while I was at work.
I was so mad. I took this back to the store. It's total crap! Don't buy this one, especially not in the hot summer weather or you will regret it.

repurchase? never.

rating: 1/5

price: $8.99 CAD

MAC Ever hip lipstick swatches and some comparisons

I don't know about you but I'm into coral pink colors lately. I think coral suits all skin tones and brightens up the face nicely.
Ever Hip lipstick first came out with MAC's Liberty of London collection, and was recently re-released in the fashion flower collection for spring 2011.
I grabbed it right away when I saw it at the counter, I knew I'd love it.

MAC ever hip swatch:

It's a cremesheen finish, which means it isn't drying (yay) but doesn't last more than an hour or two on the lips.

wearing ever hip:

I adore this color because it looks really flattering against pale skin. It brightens up my face and adds a touch of color. I really think that everyone should own a color something like this, it's nude but a little brighter and fun for summer.

I've taken the chance to compare ever hip with some other similar colors all found at the drugstore. I know not everyone uses MAC or can find sold out colors, so here are some other options that are more easily found.

Left to right:

Mac Ever hip, Maybelline pink please, Wet n Wild 903C just peachy, Revlon coral reef gloss

Swatches:

Mac Ever hip, Maybelline pink please, Wet n Wild 903C just peachy, Revlon coral reef gloss

- Maybelline pink please is definitely more pink than coral. There is just the tiniest hint of peachy coral in it for those that only want a tiny pop of color. see more swatches of this here.

- Wet n wild mega matte 903C just peachy is more peach than coral, but it's definitely got a warm orange tone to it. It looks really bright on my lips for some reason and I don't wear it very often. It could be the matte-ness of the color that makes it seem brighter when applied.

- Revlon super lustorous lipgloss in coral reef is very similar to MAC ever hip. It is almost the exact same color. I think it is just a touch brighter. I'd recommend this if you are looking for a true coral color. The great thing about it is that you can sheer it out or layer it on heavily depending on how much coral you like.

here is a swatch of Revlon coral reef on the lips:

Another lipstick by Revlon that is similar to ever hip is called pink in the afternoon. I don't own it but I do believe that the color would be almost identical as it is also a nude toned coral pink.

What kinds of colors are you liking lately now that the summer is approaching?

Three great bronzers for pale skin with photos and swatches

Guess what? Pale girls can wear bronzer too. It's totally possible.

For the first time in my entire life I went out and bought some bronzers to play with. I've never bothered with it before because 1) I love vampire white skin 2) I never saw a need for it and 3) They always look so orange and disgusting on my skin.

Well, this winter I was pasty and white and felt I was just looking a bit dull. I needed some warmth in my face and blush just wasn't doing it.
That's when I figured I should try and find a bronzer for my skin tone.
When I tried it I actually saw my face come alive with some glow! I guess that's why bronzer is so popular.

For reference here is my face without any blush or bronzer, just foundation:

My skin is extremely pale, most foundations are way too dark. I have blue and green veins so my undertone is neutral (a mix of cool/warm).
My best match in foundation is L'oreal true match N1 porcelain ivory. It is the exact color of my skin. You can imagine how hard it is to find a bronzer that doesn't look orange on my skin!

Well here is me wearing MAC 'bronze' bronzer, (quite heavily) sorry it's blurry but I was pouting too much in the other shots:

Pretty big difference a sun kissed look can give! It definitely perks up my skin and makes it look more 'alive'.
Here are 3 different bronzers with different tones that I would recommend to pale ladies and gentlemen such as myself. They are all quite affordable and easy to find.

Maybelline bronzer 01 sunlight $7.99 CAD

This is the very palest bronzer I could find. It is a light golden tan with shimmer. It isn't very pigmented but it's great for a subtle look. The shimmer isn't over the top but it is noticeable, so if you don't like shimmer than this isn't for you.
This would suit fair to very fair neutral, warm and olive/yellow skin tones best.

Maybelline sunlight swatch:

Wearing sunlight:

New York Color smooth skin bronzing face powder in sunny 720 $3.99 CAD

I picked this up on a whim because it's so inexpensive, and it turns out that it's pretty great!
The base color is medium brown, and it's got some warm orange and red tones to it but they aren't too much. You can layer to get a more sun baked look, or use lightly for a little bit of color.
The finish is matte, no sparkle or shimmer here. It looks quite natural.
I think this would suit fair to medium warm, olive and neutral skin perfectly.
This might not work for cool skin tones as it could bring out any redness or pink undertones.

Wearing NYC sunny bronzer:

MAC bronze bronzing powder (pictured in limited edition packaging) $27.50 CAD

I think MAC bronze bronzer is my favorite of the bunch. I really like the finish, because it is a little shimmery yet not noticeable on the face. It looks more glowy than anything.
The color is perfect, it's a nice deep brown bronze with a very subtle golden orange tone.
I would have to say that this would suit almost any skin tone. It's quite neutral and can be layered to deepen the color. When applied lightly it can look great on even the whitest skin.

Wearing MAC bronze bronzing powder :

There are a lot of bronzing powders out there and they are hit and miss. It's challenging to find the right tone that doesn't make you look fake.
I find it easiest to apply bronzer with a large skunk brush, since it doesn't pick up much product. That way I can use just a little at a time to ensure I don't put too much on.
Sun kissed skin is beautiful, and using bronzer instead of tanning can save your skin from harmful UV rays and irreversible damage (like age spots and wrinkles!).

You can even use bronzing powder on your body in the summer, to achieve a contoured glow without risking your skin. Just invest in a large brush so you can cover more area.
I love to use Lush Charlotte island body tint. I mix it with my moisturizer and it leaves just a hint of color on my skin. It also smells like chocolate! It's very nice because self tanners tend to smell horribly. I will never touch them again with a ten foot pole because they make me orange.

I hope this has been helpful, I know it's hard for pale people to get a nice fake tan! But it is possible :)