MAC studio fix boldblack lash mascara review

I love trying MAC mascaras since mascara is one beauty item that only lasts 3-6 months and instead of throwing it away you can back to MAC it. It's just great!

My latest mascara purchase from MAC was studio fix in boldblack - since I like intense black lashes :)


This is what MAC has to say about studio fix bold black :
'Innovative, mousse-like formula gives superior definition, volume and lift by filling in sparse lashes for a dramatic effect now in carbon black.'

I do agree that it does give good volume and some definition. The formula is quite wet and can be a little messy, it clumps really easily.

The brush is made of hard plastic with little teeth that grab lashes well.

studio fix lash wand:

I didn't like this wand too much, it wasn't flexible at all and it was rough on my lash line when trying to get the mascara into the lash roots.

It really gave a lot of volume and I loved the black intensity. Unfortunately, it did flake as you can see in the picture below.

Wearing 2 coats of studio fix boldblack:

You can see the little flakes under my eyes. Not cool.
With 2 coats it was very hard to get the mascara not to clump. I think it's because the formula is so wet that it makes it difficult not to get too much product on the wand. Wiping the wand with a paper towel before applying would be best I think.

Overall, I didn't really like this mascara as much as others from MAC. It held curl alright, added a little length and a lot of volume. But it flaked through the day, and it ended up irritating my eyes just like zoom lash did.

If you like volume I think you would like this, but I wouldn't recommend it because it does have the tendency to clump and flake. A better option for volume and length would be MAC's false lashes mascara which doesn't clump or flake. Oops I still have to review that one!

Repurchase? No

Price: $19 CAD

Rating: 2.5/5

Annabelle BB cream review

I just wanted to do a quick review on a new drugstore BB cream that I've recently tried.
I tend to stay away from the new drug store ones since they tend to have skin irritating ingredients or low to no SPF ratings.

But, I saw the Annabelle one has some antioxidants and no alcohol so I figured I'd give it a try.

Annabelle is an exclusively Canadian cosmetics company and can be purchased practically anywhere that sells drug store make up country wide.

Basically this BB cream is trying to be like all the others, stating that it is a fusion of skin care and make up.

I think they did a pretty good job on this one to be honest, but it does have it's flaws.
The BB cream comes in two shades only, light/medium and medium/dark.
Light medium is obviously the one I chose since I'm fair. But I must say it's not for fair skin at all! It's very yellow toned and more suited to medium skin.
The reason this is a problem is because it is actually quite pigmented! I couldn't use this on my face because it was more like a foundation, and well - it looked way to dark on me.

Here are swatches on my hand :

blended:

My hands are like 2 shades darker than my face at this point of the summer. I should really use sunscreen on my hands as well!
Anyways this gives a gorgeous luminous finish, and is actually very hydrating. I was very impressed, except with the color.

pros:

- Protects skin against UVB rays
- non irritating
- includes skin beneficial antioxidants and moisturizers
- feels very nice on
- great coverage
- gives complexion a luminous healthy look

cons:

- Not broad spectrum sun protection (you need to block both UVA and UVB rays to avoid skin damage)
- Feels slippery on the skin, doesn't fully 'set' rubs off on clothing (unless set with powder)
- Color options are very limited (medium to deep skin tones - nothing for fair or very dark)

Overall, I highly recommend this if you like tinted moisturizers and some coverage. I would say the light/medium would suit NC20 to NC35 skin tones. Possibly NW15 if you get darker in summer.
I love this stuff and I'm very sad they don't make it in a lighter color.

Repurchase? No. Not light enough for my skin.

Price: $16 CAD

Rating: 4/5

Kat Von D lock-it tattoo foundation review

So lately I've been experimenting with all sorts of different foundations, and after hearing KVD had a new foundation out I practically ran to Sephora to try it.
I love the way Kat's face always looks very smooth and well, perfectly covered:


Dare I say that this foundation actually makes my skin look almost as amazing as Kat's? Well, I'll let you be the judge when you see my before and after pics.

The shade I chose was the second lightest, light 44 'For fair skin with beige undertones'. It's about an NC15 in MAC..maybe more neutral (MAC runs very yellow).
Just an FYI, the lightest shade of lock-it 'light 42' is very very light. It will be an excellent match for those with very fair skin who have a hard time finding a shade light enough.

KVD tattoo foundation shade Light 44:

The packaging is amazing, very pretty like all KVD's line. I love that it comes in a tube, with a pump dispenser.

side view (pump):

What it says on the back of the box:

swatched on my hand:

Blended into my hand:

Coverage is just amazing. Well, you will see just how great it is in the before and after pics:

Before :(nothing on skin, just moisturizer)

After: (with lock-it foundation)

Pretty amazing huh? My skin is suffering some redness and a few breakouts lately, and with this stuff on it looks absolutely perfect. LOVE it.
The finish is matte, but it isn't flat like some mattifying foundations. It maintains a skin like glow on your face and actually doesn't look too heavy or cakey.

Wear time was pretty good, after about 12 hours I got a bit of patchiness where my skin was getting a bit dry.
This would not hold out for 24 hours as claimed, but why would you need a foundation to last that long anyways?

Overall this is what I think of it:

Pros:

- great color selection
- beautiful packaging
- long lasting
- superior coverage
- controls oil

Cons:

- smells sort of nasty..can't really compare to anything but I don't like it
- can make your skin feel dry
- doesn't live up to the 24 hr claim
- expensive

I need to mention that I have recently used Make up forever's matte + velvet foundation and it is very similar to this. The coverage is not quite as good, but it doesn't dry out my skin like lock-it does.
The only one that comes close to lock-it in terms of coverage is Estee Lauder maximum coverage camouflage. Will do a review on that one at some point too.


I think that if you are looking for a true full coverage foundation you need to try this.

Repurchase? No. I found it to be too drying for my skin.

Price: $41 CAD

Rating: 4/5

NOTD: nails inc. sprinkles sugar house lane

I don't know why but I adore this polish! It reminds me of something I can't quite put my finger on...
Maybe chocolate chip cookie dough? I just can't get enough of this. Pale grey/beige with black and silver 'sprinkles' heck ya!


Click above pic to see the texture. This is what 2 coats looks like without a base, I was surprised it was so opaque! Really cool.
With glitters like this I usually peel them off within a day because they feel chunky on my nails; but this one was nice and smooth with a thin topcoat. It lasted 3 days before chipping.

This is my first nails inc. polish and I think I will be getting more. I really want to grab all of the sprinkles ones!

Have you tried these special effects 'sprinkles' yet? What do you think?

Blog Renovations :)

Well I think it's time I revamped this site a bit, I'm bored of the way it looks now.
So, if it looks funny when you visit it's because I'm still editing everything.
This could take a few days or even a week or two because I just don't have as much time as I'd like to spend on it.
On an exciting note I'm going to be adding a mascara index page - basically a page where you can view every single mascara I've tested and a link to the review. Not all my reviews are on this blog, some are on makeupalley. So that will take some time, but once it's up I'm sure it's going to be really helpful.
I just realized how crazy about mascaras I am, and thinking maybe I need to make a seperate blog *just* for mascara reviews lol. But I think this index thing will be a great addition to makeup or morte.
A serious idea I'm having is of making a seperate NOTD (nail of the day) blog. It would be really simple, just pics of all my NOTDs which change pretty well every 2-4 days. 
What do you think?

My summer beauty favorites!

 I thought I'd do a little post on all my favorite makeup I've been using this summer. All products in this post I use daily or at least once per week. I'll list everything and why I'm loving it :

 Left to right:

• NARS larger than life lipgloss in Tiber ~ perfect nude color, awesome formula not too sticky and actually moisturizing!
• MAC prep + prime BB beauty balm spf 35PA+++ ~ Amazing product! I am using the Asian version currently, it's almost the same as the U.S. just has different sunscreen actives. I was using products with SPF 15 but realized I need more SPF than that (my skin was getting irritated by the sun). So this beauty balm (not to be confused with BB cream!) is sheer and non greasy, providing a perfect base for makeup with SPF 35. On good skin days I use it by itself, just evens everything out and gives a slight glow.
• Biotherm multi-proctection SPF 30 eye contour cream ~ Awesome eye cream with SPF. It's fast absorbing and moisturizing, perfect under makeup.
• Burberry Brit EDP ~ I got this by accident, and I'm glad I did because I love it! I picked this up in a sleep deprived haze - thought it was Burberry the Beat (which I also adore!) and once I tried it I thought I may as well keep it. It's grown on me.. it smells warm, clean, sweet and summery. 
• Cover Girl lash blast mascara waterproof ~ I only use this when I need to since it's hard to remove, but it stays all day and is truly water resistant!
• Cover Girl liquiline blast brown blaze ~ The most perfect brown liner I've ever used! I'm not exaggerating. The color is gorgeous and doesn't have shimmer so it's great for the waterline. I like this for the summer because it isn't harsh like black can be.
• MAC penultimate eyeliner rapid black ~ I've been searching for a liner like this forever. I can actually make a tiny, small line with this! I love using it on the top lash line to add just a little bit of fullness to my lashes without having to make a thick line.

 

• Wet n Wild vanity palette  ~ Love this! I like to use the matte colors for a subtle look somedays, and for a more smoky eye I put the shimmery brown over MAC constructivist paint pot and it looks amazing... try it!
• MAC MSF semi precious crystal pink ~ I'm really sad this is limited edition because it's the perfect summer blush and highlighter in one. I use this a lot, the middle gives a light bronze/pink blush and the outside gives a shimmery beige highlight. It's perfect.
• MAC constructivist paint pot ~ Gorgeous deep brown with reddish undertones. I use this one a lot too. I like to layer shimmery taupes and browns over it for a smoky eye.
• Maybelline 24 hr eye tattoo in bad to the bronze ~ Another amazing color. It's the one thing I must say you need for summer. Some days when I want a minimal look thats fast and easy I just use this all over the lid with some mascara and I'm good to go. It's the perfect champagne taupe color, not too dark or too light. The best thing is that it stays all day and doesn't crease or travel.
• MAC lipstick blankety ~ This has become my favorite lipstick ever. It goes with everything, It also makes lips look plump.
• Urban Decay naked palette ~ (Forgot to take a pic!) This is my go-to palette most days. I love it.

One of my favorite summer polishes is Illamasqua Milf. I love it! Sorry for the blurry pic, was holding my baby and trying to aim the camera with the same arm.

 

Here is my summer FOTD, very basic and neutral. I'm spending a lot of time outside so I look really tan..wow.
My FOTD:
face:
- MAC prep + prime beauty balm
- Revlon Colorstay in buff (a whole shade darker than the usual ivory! )
- MAC MSF crystal pink
eyes:
- Urban Decay naked palette: naked (lid), buck (crease & lower lash line), sin (blended above crease), virgin (to highlight).
- Armani eyes to kill mascara (review coming soon!)
- Annabelle brow pencil taupe
lips:
NARS larger than life l/g Tiber

Well I hope you are all having a great summer. My family and I are enjoying it, looking forward to holidays in a few weeks as well.
Let me know what your favorite summer beauty products are! Especailly any skin care and foundations, always up for trying new things :)