cotton swabs Archives

Hi Everyone!
It’s been almost six months since Part 1 of Revisiting My 2018 Favourites. So, here’s Part 2! This post is for July to December’s beauty faves.

Click here if you missed Part 1!

JULY

BCL Spa Sugar Scrub Lavender + Mint – I absolutely loved this. It smelled amazing and the scrub made my skin feel so soft and smell good.

Repurchase? If I could find it for cheaper than $40 somewhere, I would! I’ll have to check salons in Toronto to see if they sell in-store. I’ve only found the brand on Amazon for $50+ or on wholesale sites.

BCL Spa Dead Sea Salt Soak Lavender + Mint – As much as I loved this, I probably wouldn’t buy it again since it’s so expensive. I would rather buy the sugar scrub.

Repurchase? No.

Sonia Roselli Water Balm – Loved this!! It was a great moisturizer and primer, I will definitely get this again!

Repurchase? Yes!

Tarte Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Birthday Suit – I liked this, but I need to find a shade that’s more my style.

Repurchase? Yes.

Colors by Llarowe Nail Polish in The Deep End – This is a pretty mermaid-y shade.

Repurchase? I would repurchase from the brand, but I probably wouldn’t buy a similar shade. I want to streamline my nail polishes and purchase shades that don’t have shimmer (neutrals, reds, wines, etc.)

AUGUST

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge -I love the flat side of this sponge.

Repurchase? Yes! It would be great if I can find a 4-pack for $20 again!

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil – I enjoyed the little deluxe sample I had!

Repurchase? YES!

Soo’Ae Juice Mango Glow Mask – No offense to face masks, but I feel like (for the most part), they all feel the same. Unless one is specifically meant for something like drawing out impurities, the hydrating, brightening, plumping sheet masks all make my face feel the same.

Repurchase? Yes.

elf Studio Matte Lip Color in Tea Rose -This lipstick felt nice for a matte lip colour. This specific shade did not look good on me. It looked okay once I topped it with gloss though.

Repurchase? No, I prefer satin finish lipsticks.

Laneige BB Cushion Hydra Radiance SPF50 – As someone who deals with acne, I can’t just use this product. I need something with a bit more coverage. This is a very nice and affordable product, but I need something with a bit more coverage than what this offers.

Repurchase? Possibly (when my skin is clear and when they have a better shade range). Although the scent is quite strong.

SEPTEMBER

Benefit Precisely, My Brow Ultra Fine Shape & Define in 6 – LOVE THIS!

Repurchase? Absolutely!

Diorshow Bold Brow in 002 Dark – I love this, but won’t repurchase until they expand the shades (if that ever happens). The shade 002 Dark is the darkest and it leans gray.

Repurchase? I would if they had a darker shade.

OPI Nail Lacquer in Step Right Up! – I love this shade! It’s a beautiful sheer pink.

Repurchase? If It’s still available when I finish my current bottle, I would definitely repurchase.

Clinique Acne Solutions Clinical Clearing Gel – This gel works well, but since it has salicylic acid, it can make my face a bit itchy and/or red.

Repurchase? Maybe.

Pixi Aspyn Ovard Glow-y Powder in Santorini Sunset – This is a beautiful champagne highlighter.

Repurchase? No longer available.

OCTOBER

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in Light-Neutral – Loooove this powder! I think I need a lighter shade though.

Repurchase? Yes!!

Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Cucumber Toner – I think I’m allergic to witch hazel (or at least, I can’t tolerate a heavy concentration of it).

Repurchase? No.

The Face Shop Multi-Layer Cotton Pads – I love these! They are much stronger than the Muji Peelable Cotton Pads.

Repurchase? Yes.

Unknown Brand of Cotton Swabs (flat end and pointy end) – These are really useful! I like that it has a pointy end.

Repurchase? Yes.

Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer – I love this primer.

Repurchase? Yes.

NOVEMBER

Kopari Coconut Deodorant – It’s aluminum-free! It also smells really nice when you sniff it from the tube, but it can sometimes be too much for me (especially since I don’t looooove coconut). Also, since it’s got a strong scent, I feel like I shouldn’t wear my perfume when I do wear it because it will clash.

Repurchase? Yes, I would try one of the other scents (or even unscented).

Etude House Lip & Eye Remover – This is great for removing my makeup.

Repurchase? Yes.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer in Light – Really love this concealer.

Repurchase? Yes.

TULA Acne Clearing + Tone Correcting Gel – When I first got this, I was using it twice a day and then I stopped for a bit and realized that while it does work, my face was so dry because of the salicylic acid. I’ve cut down to using it only when I feel a pimple coming (like a spot treatment) instead of using it all over.

Repurchase? I would.

DECEMBER

NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer – This concealer is awesome for spot concealing and I would definitely purchase in a lighter shade as an under eye concealer.

Repurchase? Yes.

The Body Shop Aloe Calming Foaming Wash – This was very gentle and I love foaming cleansers.

Repurchase? Yes, but on sale.

EcoTools Shading Brush – Love this brush. It’s so soft!!

Repurchase? I would definitely buy more EcoTools brushes.

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette – I really just wanted to try this once to see why everyone loved it so much. I’m glad that they offer a duo now instead of having to get all six shades.

Repurchase? I love the sombre shade for contouring, but I would rather buy another brand for obvious reasons.

Do you still love your favourites from last year?

Love,

Hi Everyone!

Here are October’s favourites! I’ve also added some non-beauty faves at the bottom of the post. Keep reading to find out what I’ve been enjoying this month 🙂

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Airbrush Foundation in Light-Neutral – I have been absolutely LOOOOVING this foundation, although the shade I chose is a bit dark for me. I’ve used it several times now and it looks like I have a filter on my face because it just blurs out my pores. For about a year, I was having trouble deciding which powder foundation I wanted to try and finally chose this one and I’m so happy I did! I wore it yesterday and I wore it for about five hours and it didn’t break up on my chin or nose (yay!) and my bronzer, blush and highlight layer beautifully on top. I use a kabuki brush and take my time to blend the foundation out so it doesn’t get cakey (one time I wore it, it did get a bit cakey). It did get a bit shiny on my forehead, but that’s to be expected.

I love multi-layer cotton pads from The Face Shop. They’re so handy for toner and each pad is 5 layers. I’ve been looking into making reusable pads because as nice as these are, the multi-layer cotton pads can be expensive. I also love these cotton swabs from Winners (just a random brand) that have a pointed end and a flat end. The pointy end is great for cleaning up your winged liner. The flat end is great for using my Clinique acne gel and also it’s easier to use for removing nail polish (for those harder to reach corners that a cotton pad can’t get).

I’m really liking this Thayers Witch Hazel Cucumber Toner! It smells refreshing and I’ve been using it in the morning. I’m so glad I spotted this at Winners last month. I’ve poured some into a spray bottle so I can use it as a facial spray. I checked the Thayers website and both the toner and the facial spray have the exact same ingredients, so I’m assuming that it’s the same product in a different bottle.

I broke out while I was using the Witch Hazel Toner.

Read about my experience here!

I guess it’s a Tarte Appreciation month. I have been loving this Timeless Smoothing Primer. I have a Limited Edition one, so the lid is different than the regular primer (which has a gold lid). Check out my full review on the primer.

5 Songs I’ve Been Listening To

These weren’t necessarily released this month, but I discovered them this month.

After hearing this song on Tati’s Halo Launch Party Video, I have been listening to this song non-stop: Ruelle – Hold Your Breath. After listening to some of her other songs and reading comments, someone mentioned The Originals. I looked it up and found out that this song is from 5×03. No wonder I like it. I’ve gotten so many songs from The Originals.