• First Impressions with Kat Von D Saint & Sinner Perfume Samples

    July 31, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    I received a complimentary VoxBox from Influenster Canada with samples of Kat Von D’s Saint and Sinner Perfumes (the little bottles look like poison vials). I was pleasantly surprised by how good they smelled. Apparently Kat Von D released the perfumes 10 years ago and brought them back. I can see why they were a cult favourite. I’m not good at describing scents and I don’t actually know what certain things in this perfume smell like, so I will just leave a description from Sephora.

    I personally prefer fruity or aquatic perfumes instead of floral. If you like vanilla scents, I think you’ll like SAINT and if you like a bit spicy, you’ll like SINNER. Let’s start with the sweet:

    SAINT20170721_230737

    • Fragrance Family: Floral
    • Scent Type:  Classic Floral
    • Key Notes: Vanilla, Musk, Jasmine

    Meet Saint- soft, alluring, and dreamy, this gourmand fragrance sweetens a bouquet of jasmine and tiaré flower with notes of mandarin, caramel, and sparling Mirabelle plum. Vanilla, sandalwood, and creamy musk build to the romance of the perfume. Saint shares the same floral soul as Sinner, with a sweet gourmand twist.

    SINNER20170721_230745

    • Fragrance Family: Warm & Spicy
    • Scent Type: Cool Spices
    • Key Notes: Patchouli, Wood, Cinnamon

    Kat Von D Beauty’s most requested collection of all time is returning at last and better than ever. Meet Sinner—dark, sultry, and empowering, this enticing fragrance sweetens a bouquet of jasmine and orange blossom with notes of vanilla, mandarin, and Mirabelle plum. Spicy cinnamon envelops white florals at the heart of the fragrance, while base notes of vetiver, patchouli, and wood form the deeper, darker nuances. Experience confidence in a bottle; Sinner is the fragrant embodiment of the edgy, unapologetic, and outspoken Kat Von D we know and love. Sinner shares the same floral soul as Saint, with a bold, spicy twist.

    The two scents can be worn alone or separately. For both, I liked when I had been wearing them for a few hours and absorbed into my skin and mixed with my natural oils. When I first put them on, they were both too powerful (too sweet or too spicy). I think Sinner would be a good unisex perfume/cologne. I love when guys wear spicy colognes. I used both separately and then together. When I mixed them, I noticed that the first fragrance I applied would be the more dominant smell, i.e. if I put Sinner on first, then it would be more spicy.

    RATING: 4/5

    I give it a 4/5 because both perfumes are a bit too strong for me when you first put them on. (Either a bit too sweet or a bit too spicy, but once I wore them for a few hours, and they mixed with my natural oils, I liked them because they were lighter).Thoughts: I’m not sure if I would buy Saint or Sinner, but I definitely recommend them to someone who likes the scents of either of the perfumes.

    What are your favourite perfumes?

    Love,

    jen

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  • Review | Colab Sheer + Invisible Dry Shampoo

    July 18, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    Last year, I got a travel-sized Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo in my 1st TopBox. It smells absolutely amazing and I wanted to save it because a full-size can of the shampoo is expensive (about $30 CAD for a 5.3 oz can). So I thought I would try a different dry shampoo. I went to Winners and to giveaway as prizes for C’s wedding shower, I bought a three-pack of Colab Sheer+Invisible Dry Shampoo Rio Tropical. I saw a full-sized can at Rexall on clearance for less than $4, so I bought a full-sized one too.

    L8640609

    RATING: 4/5

    I give it a 4/5 because it’s a good price and does what it’s supposed to do, but I just didn’t like the smell of this one. Maybe I will try a different scent next time. I did like that it is invisible when you spray it on. If I missed a spot when I was massaging it into my hair, it wouldn’t look like I have white hair or I was recently snowed on. It did what it was supposed to do, made my hair look less oily and gave it a bit of volume.

    I might try a powder one next since aerosol cans aren’t good for the environment. I know batiste is said to be a good brand for dry shampoos, so I might give that a try too.

    Any suggestions? I’d love to hear your thoughts on dry shampoos (aerosol or powder). 

    Love,

    jen

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  • Worth It? | Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer

    July 6, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    I realized that all of my beauty reviews so far have been of products that I like and recommend, so I thought I should start doing reviews of some of the products that I don’t like. I first heard of lash primer last year and thought I’d give it a try. I love Tarte products, but I think I just don’t like lash primer in general (it could be the best quality lash primer out there and I still don’t like it).

    2652c51eb9daf44ae14eb41bf49766ce1.jpgTarte’s Opening Act Lash Primer came with a travel sized Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 mascara (which I like). To begin with, I have dark lashes that are fairly full (they are somewhere in the middle- they’re not sparse, but they’re not super thick and luscious either). The lash primer goes on white and then you apply your mascara on top.

    I like my everyday mascara to look natural and give a bit of length and volume. I curled my lashes and tried one eye with the lash primer and the other eye without. Then I applied my mascara to see how the two compared. The lash primer is pretty thick and even when I take off the excess product on the side of the tube, it goes on pretty thick.

    The primer is supposed to prep, volumize, lengthen, separate, curl, and condition lashes. I did find that the primer lengthened my lashes, but it didn’t separate my lashes. They just ended up looking clumpy and unnatural after one coat of primer and one coat of mascara. I ended up having to use a clean mascara brush to comb out the clumps to make my lashes look good. The primer also makes my lashes feel really heavy and stick together. If you have sparse lashes, I would recommend this for you, but in my opinion, I would rather prime my lashes with some clear mascara or just do a few coats of a regular mascara. The lash primer is an extra step that I can do without on an everyday basis. Plus, if you have a good mascara, it should lengthen and volumize without the need for a lash primer. If I want dramatic lashes for a night out, I’d rather put on some false lashes.

    After finishing the tube, I cleaned and kept the wand. Sometimes you buy a mascara where you don’t like the wand, but the mascara itself is good. So for the wands that I like the brush, I keep the wands after finishing the tubes.

    RATING: 1/5

    I give it a 1/5 because it made my lashes feel so heavy that I felt lightheaded whenever I wore it and it just made my mascara look clumpy.

    What are your thoughts on lash primers?

    Love,

    jen

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  • Review | Maybelline Master Precise Curvy Liquid Liner

    July 4, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    I hope you all had a wonderful long weekend!

    I’ve been meaning to write a review for Maybelline’s Master Precise Curvy Liquid Liner, but haven’t gotten around to it. I bought it a while ago and here’s my review.Capturexxs

    Master Precise Curvy liquid eyeliner with an innovative grip and patent pending curve hugging tip. Now, you control the curve! This liquid eyeliner features an easy grip pen to provide the ultimate control in application. Maybelline’s patent pending tip, hugs lids for a seamless curvy line.

    I’ve been using this liquid liner for a while now and I have to say that it’s a great liquid liner to use when you are just starting to learn how to do a winged liner look or cat eye. The tip allows you to create a sharp winged look. At first, I had a bit of trouble holding the tube because it’s fatter than a regular liquid liner pen (similar to a highlighter).

    I used to find that a lot of gel and liquid liners would make my eyes feel sticky, but this one isn’t sticky at all! It’s definitely not waterproof, it easily wipes away with micellar water if you need to fix your wing.

    RATING: 3/5

    I give it a 3/5 because the pen takes some getting used to because it’s fatter than a normal pen and sometimes your liner can go on too thick, but the formula is good and the tip allows you to do a flick. If you’re looking for a super sharp wing, this isn’t the best eyeliner pen to use, but it’s good for learning how to get that flick. I think I will try another Maybelline liquid liner just to see if the pen is really making a difference in my winged eyeliner/cat eye looks.

    Read my ‘This or That’ post comparing this eyeliner with Milani’s Eye Tech Perfection Liquid Liner.

    Anyone have any recommendations on drug store liquid liners?

    Love,

    jen

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