• August 2018 Product Empties

    Hi Everyone!

    I finished some makeup products which brings me one step closer to streamlining my makeup collection! Yay for progress! → Check out my makeup goals

    Pearlessence Cucumber Water – I bought this at Winners for $10. I liked that it was in a glass bottle, but the mist would sting my eyes. I got it in my mouth a few times and it tasted horrible.

    Repurchase? No.

    Milani Conceal + Perfect 2-in-1 Foundation + Concealer in 01 Creamy Vanilla – If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you’ll know that I am planning to only purchase high-end foundations from now on. This was a very thick foundation/concealer, if you used a beauty sponge to blend it, it could sheer out a bit. It looked nice, but it was way too full coverage for me. I’d rather use a sheer, dewy foundation and then use a spot concealer on areas that need covering up. I would’ve used this more as a concealer, but the shade I bought was a tad too yellow for me. So, if I didn’t use it all over the face, I would have random yellow splotches on my face. It had a bit of a perfume-y scent to it that I didn’t really like. I didn’t really give this a proper wear test (as a foundation). I mostly used it when I took pictures for Instagram and practised applying my makeup.

    Repurchase? No.

    The Body Shop All-in-One BB Cream Colour-Adapting Tinted Cream (read my review) – I gave this a 5/5 in my review, but since then, I have tried the Lancome Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation which I really love (read my review).

    L’Oréal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive Lipstick in 370 Jennifer’s Nude – This is one of my fave lipsticks! It’s interesting because when I swatch it on my arm, it’s like a sheer peachy-pink, but when it’s on my lips, it’s a beautiful pinky-nude.

    Repurchase? I bought another tube a few months after purchasing the first one because I thought it was going to be limited edition. I think I will wait until I’ve used up some other lipsticks before breaking out the new tube though.

    GOSH Click’N Conceal Pen in 01 Light (read my review) – I liked this concealer, but they no longer sell it at Shoppers Drug Mart.

    Repurchase? Unavailable.

    Repurchase? Probably not. I really like it, but I looove the Lancome Skin Feels Good Skin Nourishing Foundation.

    Live Clean Exotic Nectar Argan Oil Restorative Shampoo – I don’t love the smell of this one, but it does make my hair look shiny and feel soft.

    Repurchase? Not this particular Live Clean shampoo.

    Live Clean Apple Cider Ultra Light Conditioner – Like the shampoo, this conditioner smells like apple juice to me. It doesn’t make my hair feel as soft as the other ones.

    Repurchase? Not this particular Live Clean conditioner.

    The Ordinary “Buffet” Multi-Technology Peptide Serum (read my review) – After my initial first impressions review, I realized just how tacky it made my face feel. I want a skincare product that doesn’t feel tacky or cause my makeup to pill.

    Repurchase? No.

    Love,

    jen

  • 2018 Mid-Year Makeup Inventory | Bronzers

    Hi Everyone!

    Check out my other makeup inventory posts:

    Primers & Foundations | Bronzers | Blushes | Mascaras | Highlighters

    I have a handful of bronzers that are all fairly popular, so I thought I would swatch them all side-by-side to compare them and give a mini review about what I think about them. However, some are matte and some radiant and several are a bit darker than what I should be using on my skin tone, but it’s nothing a good blending can’t fix. The Bobbi Brown one is from an eyes and cheek palette, the Too Faced one was part of a rewards kit from Sephora and the Physicians Formula one was what was left at my Shoppers when it was on sale and I really wanted to try it.

    Current bronzer inventory: 6

    • 2 Matte- Bobbi Brown, Too Faced
    • 1 Natural- Jennifer Lopez Inglot (in the description, it doesn’t say whether this is matte or not, but I would describe this as natural because it’s between matte and radiant)
    • 3 Radiant- Milani, Physicians Formula, Tarte (Park Ave Princess is also available in matte)

    Bobbi Brown Bronzing Powder in Medium

    Golden Light would probably be better suited to my skin tone, but it’s what comes in this palette.

    A lightweight powder bronzer with a soft, matte finish—your secret to achieving a sun-kissed look year-round (or just when you want to warm up sallow skin).

    Formulated with the perfect balance of red and brown tones (the colors that exist in a true tan), this lightweight, mica-free formula creates the most natural look.

    Inglot x Jennifer Lopez Boogie Down Bronze Bronzing Powder in J217 Safari (read my review)

    This is kind of light, I could probably go up a shade.

    Feel fabulous with a natural-looking tan and a sun-kissed glow with Boogie Down Bronze. This sheer, pressed powder leaves your complexion feeling instantly warmer and radiant. The formula allows seamless blending with a powdery, velvet finish that doesn’t smudge. Define your cheekbones by brushing across them lightly to enjoy all-over warmth day and night.

    Milani Bronzer XL in 01 Bronze Glow

    At first, I thought this was too orange, but it blends out nicely with a fluffy brush. Go in with a very light hand and build it up.

    UPDATE (July 29): I’ve mostly been using this bronzer because it’s my least fave of my collection. I think the fragrance in this has caused my cheeks to break out a bit. So, I decided to declutter it.

    Bronzer XL is an instant, healthy looking kiss of summer color in one no-fuss powder compact. The matte half acts as a base and contour for the face, neck and body, and the shimmery highlighter side will take you anywhere you want to glow. With a silky finish and oil-free formula, this bronzer stays where you want it to and lasts as long as you do.

    Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Butter Bronzer in Deep Bronzer

    I chose Deep Bronzer because it was on sale at the time and it was the only one in stock. I don’t think it’s too dark for me, but I could probably get the Bronzer shade next time.

    Ultra-luxurious bronzer, infused with Murumuru Butter, delivers a radiant Brazilian goddess glow! Incredibly creamy and soft texture combines the best features of a powder and cream bronzer, to deliver a lit-from-within tropical glow unlike any other.

    Packed with essential fatty acids and pro-vitamins that soften, condition and moisturize skin, leaving it silky soft. Ultra-rich bronzer formula instantly melts into skin, sealing-in moisture to deliver instant and lasting hydration. Features ultra-refined pearl and soft-focus pigments that smooth skin texture, brighten skin tone and deliver a gorgeous bronze finish.

    Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer in Park Ave Princess

    If I were to pick this up in the store again, I would choose the matte one.

    An ultralight, mineral-based bronzing powder.

    Tarte Mineral Powder Bronzer is an oil-free bronzer that fuses earthly minerals with naturally-derived ingredients for a natural-looking finish. It contains Skinvigorating™ ingredients like vitamins A and E, which act as antioxidants to fight free radical damage, and it’s infused with mineral pigments that are known for their soothing and softening properties.

    Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer in Chocolate Soleil

    If I were to get this, I would need Milk Chocolate, but it was in a Rewards Bonus Kit. I just have to be light-handed with this bronzer and maybe use it as an eyeshadow to help use it up.

    A long-wearing, rich, matte bronzer infused with 100 percent real cocoa powder.

    Bronzing has never been so delicious. Create all-over warmth and dimension while achieving a rich, matte, buildable tan. The formula is infused with 100 percent real cocoa powder for skin-loving benefits and a long-wear bronze that smells as good as it looks.

    For the Milani bronzer, I swirled my finger into both the bronzer and highlight to get the swatch above.

    Inglot, Tarte and Bobbi Brown’s bronzers aren’t scented, while the Physicians Formula, Milani and Too Faced are scented. Physicians Formula smells like coconut, Too Faced smells like chocolate (because of the cocoa powder) and Milani smells like perfume.

    Even though the Bobbi Brown one is the most expensive, I had the most trouble swatching it. It was going on patchy while most of the others went on smoothly.

    As you can see from the swatches, the Bobbi Brown and Too Faced ones are the darkest because both of those are for medium skin tones. I would consider purchasing Too Faced in the correct shade, but i don’t think i will be picking up a Bobbi Brown Bronzer. The Milani Bronzer is the most orange of all of them. A little goes a long way, but once you blend it out, it looks really nice. I wanted to try it because it was such a good deal for such a big pan.

    I think my favourite has to be the Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Butter Bronzer. It’s buttery, blends easily and I love the price. Normally I don’t like scented things, especially if it’s very strong, but I’m okay with the coconut scent from this bronzer. I’m also still figuring out how to apply bronzer properly and spending more than $25 for a bronzer seems like a bit much since I’m still learning. I’d rather spend the money on a good primer or foundation.

    What are your favourite bronzers?

    Love,

  • First Impressions with Milani Cosmetics

    Hi Everyone!

    I hope you had a wonderful long weekend! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a while, I’ve been painting and reorganizing my room…I will share pics of my beauty corner as soon as I can! I went shopping last week and I went to Rexall and they had a sale for cosmetics, Buy 1 Get 1 50% off, but what caught my eye was the Buy 2 Get 1 Free for Milani Cosmetics! I just had to buy some of their products because they are such a good price and they come in beautiful gold packaging. Unfortunately, they didn’t have testers for the items I bought, so I went by swatches online. Here’s what I got:

    20170905_063130Eye Tech Perfection Liquid Liner – The shape of this is really interesting, I don’t think I’ve ever used a regular liquid liner pen, I prefer kohl liners (I usually wear eyeliner on my lower waterline or tightline my upper waterline). I’m not very good at doing a winged liner look, but this pen was really good and I got a very sharp wing. I compared this to the Maybelline Master Precise Curvy Liquid Liner (read my review).

    RATING: 5/5

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    Color Statement Lipstick in 26 Nude Crème – This is a beautiful shade that almost matches my lip colour. It’s good for days where I don’t want to just wear lip balm, but want something natural looking. It’s super smooth and smells like a Watermelon Jolly Rancher.

    RATING: 5/5

    20170905_063113_001Keep It Sweet Sugar Lip Scrub – This smells like candy. The directions on the back say “Apply a small amount with finger and gently scrub lips to buff away dry flakes. Tissue off.” Just using a tissue didn’t really work, I still had some sugar granules on my lips, so I just used some luke warm water. My lips feel super smooth and hopefully this will be an awesome product for the winter time…my lips already get a bit chapped now, so I really need to keep a lip balm handy. I’m not sure if I would use it 2-3 times a week as recommended, that seems like it would be bad for your lips, but I will definitely be using it once a week.

    RATING: 5/5

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    Retouch + Erase Light-Lifting Concealer in 02 Light – At first, I thought this was a really small tube for $10 when I could get another concealer by Maybelline or Rimmel, but I compared it with my fave Wake Me Up Concealer by Rimmel and they’re both 7mL. The Milani concealer is a lot thicker than I expected, I wasn’t sure if I would like it because I thought it might cause creasing under my eyes, but I wore it for over 8 hours and it didn’t crease (I set it with The Everything Powder by Cake Beauty).

    media-20180126safasf.jpg

    Tip: it comes with a sponge tip, but those are filled with bacteria if you don’t clean them regularly, so I pulled mine off and I squeeze a dab onto my finger and apply to my under eyes. It’s also better because the warmth of your finger makes the thick concealer blend nicely.

    RATING: 5/5

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    Bronzer XL in 01 Bronze Glow – I loved how this was less than $12 and it’s so big! This has a very light fragrance, but I don’t know how to describe it. With the exception of the lipstick, this is the only thing that’s scented. This is a bit too orange for me, you have to go in with a very light hand and blend well so you don’t look like an oompa loompa.

    UPDATE (July 30): I think the fragrance in this was causing me to breakout on my cheeks.

    RATING: 2.5/5

    20170906_103212.jpgBaked Blush in 01 Dolce Pink– I was originally planning to put this in a giveaway, but I kept it so long that I thought I should try it myself and then purchase a new one. It’s a really pretty shimmery pink.

    RATING: 5/5

    BLOG TITLES- JC
    These swatches were taken at different times (hence the shade difference between my arm and hand). On the left is the bronzer and blush swatches and on the right, the concealer, liner and lipstick.

    What are your fave Milani Cosmetics products? Let me know in the comments section below!

    Love,

    jen

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