• smashbox photo finish primer water

    15 Beauty Favourites I’ve Repurchased | 2020

    February 14, 2020

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m sharing makeup and skincare products that have become favourites of mine. Either I already have repurchased or plan to repurchase in the future.

    Check out my 2018 list of beauty favourites

    In no particular order, here are 15 of my beauty favourites:

    Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water – I love this primer water so much, that I actually bought 3 during a sale on Smashbox.ca! It’s one of the few products that I’ve bought backups.

    Check out my blog post on buying beauty backups!

    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define* – Love this brow pencil. Benefit is one of the few brands that carries brow products with more than 3 shades and also different undertones.

    Colourpop Boss Brow Clear Gel – My friend recommended this brow gel and I love it. It doesn’t make your brows feel crunchy at all!

    Bioderma Sensibio H₂0 Make Up Removing Micelle Solution – The Garnier and Bioderma Micellar Waters are my favourites. The Garnier one is cheaper, so I repurchase it more, but I do see why everyone loves the Bioderma one too.

    Goldfaden MD Bright Eyes* – I think this would be a great eye cream for the spring/summer time for me. It was very nice and light, but wasn’t quite hydrating enough for Canadian winters.

    Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer – This is one of my favourite primers that keeps my dry skin hydrated throughout the day.

    Good Molecules Pure Cold-Pressed Rosehip Seed Oil* – I have been loving facial oils for my dry skin and this one is a great one from Good Molecules.

    Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer* – I love that brands are coming out with primers without silicones. This one is a great 2-in-1 product.

    Gummiband Hair Cords – I was originally gifted some hair cords, but I have since purchased more because I love them. Also, they’re a Canadian brand.

    Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder – This is a beautiful powder to set your makeup.

    Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask – This is the only lip mask I’ve tried, so I can’t say it’s my favourite. It is a great lip mask that keeps my lips hydrated at night.

    Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer – A favourite concealer of mine for spot concealing. It blends beautifully into the skin.

    Clinique Even Better Eyes Dark Circle Corrector – I really enjoyed this eye cream. It made my under eyes feel smooth and hydrated. I also loved the metal applicator.

    Rael Miracle Patches (read my review) – Love these patches!

    Volition Strawberry-C Brightening Serum* (read my review) – Loved this serum!

    What beauty favourites have you repurchased?

    Love,

    Products marked with (*) were gifted to me.

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  • makeup of the day

    My Makeup Routine | Fall 2019

    September 23, 2019

    Hi Everyone!

    I thought I’d share my makeup routine lately. My skin has been getting better so I’ve been doing more No Foundation looks when I go out. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that my Makeup Of The Day posts all look the same because I keep using the same products. I’m trying to finish some of my current collection before buying any more.

    Below is a list of most of the products in my makeup collection. Some products aren’t included (like eyeshadows and my contour palette because I don’t use them every day). Any product that was sent to me will have a (*) after the name:

    PRIMER/SPRAY

    • Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer
    • Winky Lux Whipped Cream Primer
    • Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer
    • Touch In Sol No Poreblem Primer
    • Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizing Primer (Nourishing)
    • Nars Tinted Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base in Medium (if I’m wearing eye makeup)
    • Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil (didn’t use in Summer, but will use in Fall and Winter)
    • Pixi Hydrating Milky Mist
    • Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water
    • Cover FX Dewy Setting Spray

    For primers, I might use a mix of two (hydrating and blurring). I’m enjoying the Winky Lux Whipped Cream Primer and Touch in Sol No Poreblem Primer.

    FOUNDATION

    • Shiseido Synchro Skin Glow Luminizing Foundation in Golden 3
    • Nars Velvet matte Foundation Stick in Fiji
    • Lancome Teint Idole Longwear Foundation Stick SPF21 in 260 Bisque N
    • Tarte Amazonian Clay Airbrush Full Coverage Powder Foundation in Light Neutral

    CONCEALER

    • RMS Beauty Un-Cover Up in 11
    • Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer in Custard
    • Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Self-Setting Concealer in 21 Cinnamon

    Sometimes I might just use concealer and pop on some Maybelline Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder to mattify.

    POWDER

    • Maybelline Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder in 15 Light
    • Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder in 2 Medium
    • Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder

    BRONZER

    • Inglot x Jennifer Lopez Boogie Down Bronzing Powder in J217 Safari
    • NYX California Beamin’ Face & Body Bronzer in Free Spirit

    BLUSH

    • Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink
    • Nars Liquid Blush in Luster
    • Bare Minerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in That Peach Tho

    HIGHLIGHTER

    • theBalm Mary Dew-Manizer (mini)
    • theBalm Cindy Dew-Manizer (mini)
    • Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in 01 Highlight
    • Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in #7

    Sometimes I’ll use my bronzer or highlighter as my eyeshadow. The NYX California Beamin’ Bronzer has a bit of a sheen, so it’s really pretty on the eyes.

    EYES

    • Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
    • Art Deco Eyeshadow Single in Off White (to set eyeshadow primer)
    • Make Up For Ever Artist Color Eye Shadow in M549 Dark Taupe
    • Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in 502 Infinite Sand
    • Make Up For Ever Artist Color Pencil in 100 Whatever Black
    • Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara
    • Lancôme Monsieur Big Mascara*
    • Benefit BADgal BANG Volumizing Mascara

    BROWS

    • Kevyn Aucoin The Precision Brow Pencil in Dark Brunette
    • Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define in 6*
    • Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Brows Eyebrow Gel in Perfect Brow
    • Colourpop Boss Brow Clear Gel

    I haven’t been doing a lot on the eyes lately. I might just put a light brown and blend or use my bronzer. I’ll use a nude eyeliner along the lower waterline to brighten the eyes. Then I might tightline the upper lashline with a brown/black. For brows, I’ll either use just the Charlotte Tilbury eyebrow gel or use one of the pencils and follow up with one of the gels.

    LIPS

    • Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer Balm
    • Laneige Lip Glowy Balm in Grapefruit*
    • Dr. Paw Paw Original Clear Balm
    • Perricone MD No Lip Gloss Lip Gloss*
    • Pixi On-The-Glow Multi-Use Moisture Stick*

    I have been preferring lip balms/glosses over lipsticks lately. Just adding a bit of gloss to the lips leaves them looking plump and moisturized.

    What products are in your makeup routine?

    Love,

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  • December 2018 Faves

    December 28, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I can’t believe it’s time for my monthly faves again! ANNND, it’s the last one of the year!

    I could’ve sworn that I chose the @narsissist Soft Matte Complete Concealer as a previous feature friday…I checked and I haven’t, so here we are! I am in loooove with this concealer. It blends beautifully into the skin. I haven’t used it as an under eye concealer because the shade I have is a bit too dark to use it as one. I use it as a spot concealer (I have the shade Custard). I’ve been using it for a while now and I’ve barely made a dent in it.

    I’m really loving this EcoTools shading brush. It’s the perfect brush for applying the base shadow. It’s super soft and blends beautifully. I also like how the handle is tapered which makes it nice and easy to hold. 

    Foaming face washes are my fave. I love this The Body Shop Aloe Calming Foaming Wash. As it says on the bottle, it’s very gentle on sensitive skin. I use it every day and I got it in September which means it lasts about 3 months. Although, sometimes I have used more than 1 pump, so I could probably stretch it to 4 next time. It is a bit pricey, so I suggest waiting for a sale if you plan to pick this up.

    I know Kat von D is controversial at the moment and people are boycotting the brand because of her personal choice to not vaccinate her child. I also know that so many people love this palette that I decided to put aside whatever conflicting views I may have with her own personal views and try the Shade + Light Contour Palette.

    While I haven’t had the chance to try all of the shades, I love the shade sombre for my contour (true taupe contour). It’s the perfect one for my skin tone. The others look a bit dark, but I can use those as eyeshadow or maybe use them for when I just take Instagram selfies so that you can actually see the contour in pictures. I would definitely consider buying the shade sombre when I finish this one or maybe I can find a dupe from another brand.

    I made these brown sugar cookies for Christmas and they are so yummy. Especially when you use them after they’ve cooled down enough to make ice cream sandwiches. I just used vanilla ice cream because we had some for apple pie, but since the cookies are plain, you could use any ice cream!

    Love,

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  • Flashback Friday | My First Sephora Order

    September 14, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Since I just made my first order from Tarte, I thought it’d be fun to do a post on my first online order from Sephora! I made my first order in 2013. I can’t remember if it was my first purchase ever at Sephora. I may have bought a few things like nail polish or something before then, but liquid foundation was my first online order.

    Since grade 9 when my mom started letting me use makeup, I would mostly use eye makeup- mascara, coloured shadows and liners. I don’t remember when I started using concealer, but I was using the same one as my mom, a Clinique one which was meant for under eyes. Both my mom and I have since moved on from that one. My mom likes the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Flawless Wear Concealer. I’ve been testing out different concealers to find a favourite. I recently bought Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer, Maybelline Age Rewind and Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer. From the drugstore, I like the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer and the Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer.

    In 2013, I wanted to try foundation for the first time, so I went to Sephora. I was new to face makeup. I don’t think I even used blush at that point and I was using an under eye concealer for spot concealing. When it comes to buying foundation now, I put it through a testing phase to see how it wears, what it pairs well with, how the finish is, etc. I’ve learned a lot from YouTubers and blogs over the years. I didn’t know a lot back then.

    I didn’t know that:

    • you could try out products and ask for samples
    • you should check to see what the foundation looks like in natural sunlight
    • you should blend it down to your neck
    • primer was an important part of priming your skin
    • makeup sponges could be used
    • you should wear it for a bit to see how much it oxidizes
    • you should set foundation with powder

    I basically did all the things that I shouldn’t do before buying a high end foundation. I didn’t really know what my skin type was back then either. I sort of just assumed it was oily because my mom and sister are oily and since I was acne-prone, I figured I was oily too. My acne was pretty bad in middle school and high school; my forehead was so bad that my doctor prescribed me a medicated acne gel. It worked, but it made me super itchy because it dried out the acne so well.

    I went to Sephora with my sister and I got an associate to colour match me. I told the associate I wanted full-coverage and a matte finish. She suggested the Becca Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation in Nude and a flat liquid foundation brush. After a month or so, I bought it online so I could get 3 free samples and the promo. It took me a while to convince myself to buy it since it’s $51. I don’t know why I didn’t try drugstore foundation first, I went straight to high end.

    Since the foundation was so expensive, I think I was saving it or something. I realized that I should start using it before it went bad, but when I started using it again, it would oxidize really bad and I would look like an oompa loompa. I ended up having to throw it out before it was done. I have since learned my lesson not to save makeup (especially when it’s liquid or cream).

    I also ordered those Sephora OPI Nail stickers, an Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush for my sister and I got the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in No Pressure! as a promo.

    It’s interesting to look back at old Sephora orders to see what I’ve bought. I don’t even remember using some products I’ve tried. I’ve bought a Sephora mascara and brow pencil and I don’t remember doing that. I guess they weren’t that amazing since I don’t even remember getting them.

    What was your first Sephora purchase?

    Love,

    jen

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