Can Never Have Too Much Too Faced Giveaway!

Here it is everyone, as promised - My Big Too Faced Giveaway! I really appreciate all the love and support I've had surrounding my blog! Thank you so much - and what a better way to say thank you then to giveaway some great stuff? (I think I love giving stuff away more than I love winning it!)

Here is what's up for grabs:

One lucky lady (or man - great present *WINK*) will win:

- Too Faced Starry Eyed Liquid Liner (Silver Lining)

- Too Faced Mirror Mirror Gloss (I Know You Want Me - Clear)

- Too Faced Eyeshadow Duo (Bon Bon)

- Too Faced Eyeshadow Duo (Totally Toasted)

- Too Faced Liquid Lava Matte Extreme Liner (Thick Pencil liner - Matte Black)

- Too Faced Kitty Glitter (Pussie Galore PI) 

- Too Faced Beauty Balm (Grapefruit)

- Too Faced Lip of Luxury (Totally Nude)

Personally, I think this is a pretty big deal! I really like Too Faced and these do not come cheap! I'm going to make all of you work a little bit for this one hehe...

RULES & REGULATIONS

- Open to US & CANADA only (I'm sorry everyone!)

- Must be over 18 or have parents permission

- Winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be picked

- Contest will CLOSE December 31, 2010 at Midnight (MST) Aka - New Years Eve!

- Winner will be chosen at random using Random.org - because I finally figured out how to use it.. lol

- I must see your tweets and blog posts so REMEMBER to add them in the spaces on the form!

HOW TO ENTER

- Please fill out the form below to enter - bonus entries will be marked and on there as well! Easy as pie!

PS - If you refer your friends to my giveaway and they state on the form that you did, you will get an extra entry for EACH person! So, spread the word and the love! :)


Also - I may hold little contests on twitter (quizzes) to earn extra entries (+10), so don't forget about me between now and the close date!

Revlon Matte Suede Nail Polish - Powder Puff

Good Morning Ladies! I hope you are all having a fabulous Sunday! As you may have seen my other post, I am in love with these Matte Suede Polishes by Revlon! I said I might go back and purchase this one and of course, I did lol! I have no self-control, plus it was on sale for $2.99!

This is Revlon's Matte Suede Polish (Holiday Collection) in Powder Puff. I was very intrigued by this polish as I have never tried a full, white nail. 

This colour is actually really soft, not a harsh white at all! It has a multi-dimensional base that subtly reflects different colours. It is also very sheer!

I think this is a gorgeous winter shade! Although I am usually partial to deeper colours in the fall and winter, I think this is a great unexpected shade! It also makes your nails and fingers look longer and more slender, bonus!

This is two coats, no base coat and no top coat. I think this is going to be one of my go-to shades for this season, its so pretty and unexpected! Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:

- Such a pretty shade

- Multi-dimensional base that reflects other colours

- Matte Suede Finish (love it!)

- Price - $2.99 right now, Regularly only $4.99

Cons:

- Limited (very) shade range for the Matte Suedes

- Cannot wear a top or base coat

- Can apply streaky, just be careful :)

Overall, I love this! I love this Matte Suede finish and the colour! I hope Revlon comes out with more Matte Suede shades. I highly recommend this (and other Matte Suede polishes) for a really different and gorgeous look! This is going to be a great shade for winter and I'm so glad I bought it! :)

WINNER of 100 Twitter Followers Giveaway!

Good Morning Ladies! I am super happy to tell you all who the winner of the Glamour Glosses is...BUT before I do, let me tell you what I did haha! So, I used ClassTools.net as I did before (the fruit machine) and entered everyones names etc. etc. Then it told me the winner! I tried to take a screen shot as I did before and somehow closed every window I had open on my screen! AHH!! So you guys have to trust me that I am being completely honest about who it told me was the winner!

So here it is....

GABY!

(From http://gabysbeautyblog.blogspot.com/)

Congratulations Gaby! I hope you enjoy your glosses! I will be emailing you soon!

Don't forget everyone, when I reach 150 followers on my blog, I will be giving away a 7 Piece Kit from TooFaced (I put it together - all full sized products), this is huge and has some great things in it! :)

Yes To Tomatoes - Daily Clarifying Cleanser

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great weekend! I just got home from Bridesmaid Dress shopping which was an amazing experience (my first time being a bridesmaid!) and we ended up ordering some gorgeous dresses! Anyways, lets talk about what you came here for, this is my Yes To Tomatoes Daily Clarifying Cleanser. 

Not long ago, the Yes To Carrots company was nice enough to send me some of their products to sample. I must say I was very excited as I love their Yes To Cucumber Facial wipes! 

A little back ground info for those of you who don't know me and my skin. I have oily/combo skin that is acne prone. It's actually quite amazing, I never thought you could have dry and oily skin at the same time, but you can... Oh yes, you can! Anyways, this makes it especially hard for me to find skin care products that won't make one issue worse while making one better. For this reason, they sent me to Yes To Tomatoes line to control my oil and breakouts. Check out their website to see which line is best for you - Yes To Carrots!

As you can see this is a clear, foaming cleanser. It is a very light foam as there is no Sodium Laurel Sulphates in it, the foaming properties are sugar derived. Here is what Yes To Carrots has to say on the website about this cleanser:

"You won't be able to stop yourself from staring in the mirror, turning from cheek to cheek and checking out that gorgeous glow radiating from your clean skin! Yes To Tomatoes Facial Wash maintains your skin's pH balance while removing excess oils and impurities, purifying and refreshing your beautiful complexion. Go ahead, spend a little extra time in the mirror checking yourself out - you're balanced, beautiful, and beaming!"

I find it hard to find a cleanser that will get rid of all the excess oils on my face, as well as not leave my skin feeling excessively dry! This one does a good job of that, with my skin never feeling tight after and it feeling thoroughly clean!

Pros:

- 99.6% Natural (wow)
- Petroleum, SLS & Paraben Free
- Doesn't dry out the skin
- Contains natural fruit acids to exfoliate
- Contains Antioxidants
- Very gentle around the eye area
- Gets skin very clean

Cons:

- Personal Preference - I don't like the smell, but it isn't overpowering
- I can't buy this again because it is not available in Canada :(
- Smallish bottle - I want more!

Overall, this cleanser is great. Many of you may not think too much about your cleanser as your skin may be normal or combination and it doesn't matter too much to you. To me it is essential to have the correct cleanser! I get excessively dry skin around my eyes from harsh cleansers but the rest of my skin is very oily and needs something to cut through all the oil. In the winter it is even harder because I get dry patches in my oil slicks. Fun. But, this cleanser doesn't both either one! It gets rid of the oil while leaving light hydration, but nothing you can "feel" afterwards, no residue! I definitely recommend this if you love natural products that are equally as effective! I will continue to use this and hope I can get my hands on some more! :)

DON'T FORGET:

Click Here for full Ingredient List.
Click Here to check out Yes to Carrots on Twitter!
Click Here to view Yes To Carrots Facebook Page!

O.P.I. Bring On The Bling - Burlesque Collection

Oh the Glitz and the Glam! What a pretty collection of polishes, lots of glitters and gorgeous colours! What I'm talking about, of course, is the new Burlesque collection by O.P.I. I have been dying to get my hands (or fingers..haha) on these polishes since they came out! 

I ended up picking up the Bring On The Bling polish - a gold glitter with red/green/silver flecks throughout in a clear base. 

I must tell you a few things about this polish before you get too excited by its gorgeous glittery finish. This took me 6 coats...SIX! Now I knew it would take a few coats to get it the way I wanted, but I didn't fully realize how little glitter would be deposited on my nail after each coat. Thats just a little warning to everyone, I personally think it was worth the coats because I love how it turned out! 

Heres a closer look so you can actually see the glitter in the clear base. I'm contemplating buying a gold polish to layer this over, it would probably work a lot better and take a lot less coats to get the look I want!

This picture shows the red and green glitter a little better!

Overall, I'm not THRILLED with this polish. I do like it but its a lot more "Christmasy" looking than I expected, great for the holidays but I don't know how much use I will realistically get out of it! It is still very pretty on though, and I have got a lot of compliments on it! I might go pick up the purple-y/blue one with glitter, maybe I will get more use out of that one! What do you think of this polish? Glitter polishes in general?

LAVANILA Healthy Fragrance Deluxe Roller Ball Set

LAVANILA Mini Set

Hi Ladies! Hope everyone is having a great day, I'm freezing my butt off over here in Calgary! But, I have a few things to warm me up and brighten my day! A few days ago I received a package from The Shopping Channel and had to share with you what they were nice enough to send me!

This is going to be a new kind of post for me. I have yet to review a fragrance and it seems like a tricky thing to do. Everyone experiences and interprets scents differently, especially mixed fragrances. I will try to describe to you the scents I experience in each of these adorable little roll-ons the best I can. 

This is LAVANILA'S Healthy Fragrance Deluxe Mini Roller Ball Set from The Shopping Channel. I have heard a lot about LAVANILA yet this is my first personal experience with them. This set includes (in a gorgeous gift box) 4 mini roller ball fragrances (5ml each) in Vanilla Lavender, Pure Vanilla, Vanilla Coconut and Vanilla Grapefruit.

Please Click the Photo to Enlarge

LAVANILA prides itself on providing fragrances free of Parabens, Sulfates, Synthetic fragrances, Synthetic dyes and Petro-chemicals. Honestly, I never thought of my fragrances containing these chemicals, or worried about applying fragrances to my skin! Now that I've discovered LAVANILA I have looked into some ingredients in my other fragrances and have been shocked at the amount of synthetics and preservatives. I love the idea of applying healthy things to my body, that now includes fragrance! Here is what The Shopping Channel website has to say about LAVANILA fragrances:

"Each all natural fragrance is infused with pure essential oils with anti-oxidants and natural botanicals to help pamper the body and soul. This collection is all-natural and completely free of harsh and possibly toxic chemicals."

Getting back to the scents themselves, my first thought is I love the packaging! The tiny roller balls are purse-friendly, simple and elegant (and colour coded I might add!). They also all contain my favourite scent of all time, Vanilla!

Vanilla Grapefruit

Now that I've touched on the ingredients and packaging lets move on to the most important part, the scents.

Vanilla Lavender - Unfortunately, this one spilled during shipping so I was only left with a half a vial. Not all bad because cleaning up after it made my hands smell lovely for hours! This one has a pure Lavender scent (much like a Lavender Essential Oil because that is what it contains) but not as harsh. I find Lavender can be an overpowering scent at times, but with the mix of vanilla I find it soft, soothing and romantic. I also sense a hint of citrus and a slight powdery finish. A real feminine fragrance that I would wear on a relaxed date or at night. 

Pure Vanilla - This one surprised me a little. What I expected to be a sweet, traditional vanilla scent turned out to be a more powdery version of the classic. My first impression, it smells exactly like my Grandma's house. I'm not saying that in a bad way, my Grandma's house smells great! To me, this one is a mix of baby powder and real vanilla, not the sweet ice cream and cake vanilla.

Vanilla Coconut - I am in heaven with this scent! This is my Hawaiian vacations in a bottle! There is a slight floral underneath the sweet coconut and smooth vanilla. I even get a hint of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen in the most elegant way. When I smell this I am immediately taken back to Maui, sitting on the Lanai in the morning watching the ocean. I don't think I could love a scent more! This one also has a very subdued powdery finish.

Vanilla Grapefruit - I almost think this smells more like grapefruit than the real thing! It is incredibly fresh, energizing and fizzy (if you can describe a scent as fizzy, maybe effervescent is a better word). Either way, this is a wake-me-up fragrance that adds incredible fruitiness and energy to your spirit, while still being mellow with the warm scent of vanilla. There are definite hints of other citrus fruits such as lemon and orange. This is such a bright and fun fragrance.

I definitely love some of these scents more than others, although all will have a place in my fragrance wardrobe. My favourite that I MUST purchase a full size of is Vanilla Coconut, this is scent heaven to me. My second favourite is Vanilla Grapefruit, the complete opposite of the calming Vanilla Coconut but great for a fresh, light everyday fragrance to perk up my mood. My third favourite is Vanilla Lavender, a wonderful floral that will be worn on special occasions and when I'm feeling extra feminine. My fourth favourite is Pure Vanilla, but it is far from being last. I honestly love all of these and this one is a comforting, soft scent that I think will be great for work. 


Overall, I love these. I love all the scents and I love that they all include Vanilla in their formulation. I love the adorable, simple packaging that is purse friendly and a great sampler. I also love that these are "healthy" fragrances and are formulated without many harmful chemicals and preservatives. I highly recommend this set for yourself or as a Holiday gift. You can find it on The Shopping Channel's website for $40 + Free Shipping as well as on LAVANILA'S website. I know fragrances are hard to describe and its hard to get an accurate perception of the actual scent through words but I hope I helped a little bit! 


I rate this Product:
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 

Korres Lip Butter Review

Korres Lip Butter - Guava

As you all may know, I am on a never-ending quest for the perfect lip balm. Living in Canada the dry, cold winter air takes a TOLL and I mean TOLL on my lips! I never realized just how bad chapped lips could get until moving to Calgary and experiencing the driest and coldest air of my life! A normal winter day around here is -20 degrees Celsius so I need something intense and incredibly hydrating!

Here I have the Korres Lip Butter in Guava I have actually had a few of these lip butters for quite a while. The first ones I purchased were in Pomegranate and Quince (but I seem to have lost the Quince one, hopefully I'll find it in a purse somewhere haha!) but I didn't use them as often because they are both pigmented and hard to apply without a mirror. Although from the applications I did do, I could tell they were extremely hydrating and soothing.

With that, I was determined to get a clear version of this lip balm, which are surprisingly hard to find I might add! I went to Sephora and had to get the sales lady to dig around in the drawers and the back room to find me one! What can I say? I was determined! Luckily, she did find me one and I snatched it up! Since then I have been slathering this on 100 times a day and loving every second of it!

I also like that it is a natural product. Although there are still quite a few ingredients on the list that I cannot pronounce nor have any idea what they are, it does include some great natural ingredients to moisturize and soothe. Heres what the website says about this lip butter:

"A buttery lip balm that melts on the lips and offers a shiny, tinted finish. The combination of Shea butter and Rice wax offers deep hydration and softness. Ideal for chapped lips."

It really does "melt" into lips and provides really intensive hydration.  I can honestly say this (in combination with my Lush Lip Scrub) is the only thing that has helped my lips! I can't get enough of this stuff, its been permanently on my lips since I bought it and I swear I've gone through half a pot of it already! This keeps my lips so soft even when I don't have it on. That may sound like a weird comment but when you live in -20 degree weather, your lips have to be covered with something at ALL TIMES!

Pros:

- Hydrating
- Deeply Moisturizing
- Repairing
- Prevents chapping
- Taste/Smell - Amazing!
- Texture - not thick or sticky at all!
- 7 Great Colours Available!

Cons:

- Not as "natural" as I would like - too many ingredients that I don't understand!
- The lids tend to break, they are a little flimsy

Overall, EVERYONE needs one (or 7) of these! I am going to buy 3 more for every purse/school bag/car/room in my house seriously! I am not going to be able to live without these from now on! This is it guys, my holy grail of lip balms! I never thought I would find it but my lips are so extremely happy that I did! I've never tried such an effective, yummy and versatile lip balm!

Revlon Matte Suede Nail Polish - Ruby Ribbon

Revlon Matte Suede

Good Afternoon Ladies! I'm snuggled up in my house right now with a hot cup of tea (so snowy out) after a stressful morning! What better way to relieve stress than to do some blog posts! 

What I have here is Revlon's Matte Suede Nail Polish in Ruby Ribbon! I'm on a huge matte nail polish kick, ever since it came out! And personally, I think this "suede" look is even better! 

The idea of this polish is to look like suede, well, it does! Its pretty much a matte finish polish with really fine, soft shimmer to create a more 3D sueded effect. So far, I have only spotted these in three colours, this red, a forest green and a really beautiful white. I hope there is more out there because I am in love with this finish! 

I found a few tricks through trial and error that helped me get the finish and colour I wanted. I find the best way to apply this particular polish to get the true red seen in the bottle is to only apply one coat. It also looks more like a "suede" if you apply only one coat. The above photos are of my nails with two coats and I find it started to look more glossy and a really deep wine colour!

Pros:

- Finish! Amazing, different "suede" finish

- Colour - really pretty deep, classy red

- Price - $2.99 CAD 

- Wear - even without a top coat, this wears better than most of my other polishes

- Dries super fast

- Applies seamlessly

Cons:

- Cannot use a topcoat, ruins the finish

- I also find it applies better without a base coat

- Limited Colour selection (unless there are more I don't know about!)

This is only my second Revlon nail polish and I have been really impressed with them so far! The price is great, the colours are great and the wear is great! I definitely recommend picking up these polishes! I have yet to try the "speed dry" collection, let me know what you think of those if you have tried them! How do you guys like the "suede" look?

100% Pure Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

Happy Sunday Ladies! I hope everyone is having a great day, man how the weekend flies! I have a little post for you on something I am extremely excited about! So if you have puffy, tired, dehydrated skin around your eyes, you will want to read this! (By the way I got this from The Shopping Channel my Canadian ladies!)

This is 100% Pure's Organic Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye cream. First, I am going to say that I'm extremely impressed with the formulation of this product. A lot of the time, the words "organic", "natural" and things of that nature don't really mean what we may assume. In this case, 100% Pure, is 100% telling the truth! I really want to show you guys a list of the actual ingredients in this eye cream: (from their website)

"Ingredients:Organic Green Tea1, Organic Calendula Hydrosol1, Organic Rosehip Oil1, Organic Green Coffee2 Vitamin E (a-tocopherol), Vitamin C (ascorbyl palmitate), Extracts of Coffee Cherry, Organic Rosemary3, Organic Oregano3, Organic Thyme3, Organic Grapefruit Seed3 and Organic Goldenseal4, Organic Vanilla Absolute3, Candelilla Wax"

To my surprise, I can actually pronounce and understand what all of the ingredients in this product are! I have found that with many of my products that are "all natural" the list of ingredients is so beyond me that I find it hard to believe. A lot of the times as well, even though they are "all natural" they include large amounts of preservatives which kind of defeat the idea of a "natural" product to me. That being said, I am very happy with the ingredient list in this product!

I'm even more happy with the amazing, and I mean amazing, results that this has given me! My eye area isn't a major concern but I do regularly wake up with puffy, swollen eyes and usually have a great deal of dehydration around my eye area. This has tackled both of my concerns!

Before

After - 5 minutes

This may just be me, but I see a really big difference in my eyes! I feel like I look much more awake, hydrated and way less puffy! I took these photos only 5 minutes apart with the first with no eye cream and the second with a small amount (smaller than pea-sized) applied to both eyes above, and below. These photos are also in the same lighting and same position. I hope it isn't just myself that sees a difference, but even if it is, I LOVE IT! haha I swear I can actually feel this working right after I apply it. It feels like a tightening, soothing sensation that isn't at all irritating or uncomfortable. I really like that this provides the cooling and tightening of a gel with the hydration of a cream, all in a 100% natural base!

I'm not even going to do a full list of Pro's and Con's, I think you know my take! Its 100% natural, effective and by the way, smells amazing! It smells like fresh brewed coffee mixed with vanilla, love it! The only downfalls to this product is the price (a little expensive but nothing crazy at $19 USD for 1 oz, mine is 0.25 oz), the availability of the product, I don't have any stores near me that carries it so I also have to pay shipping, and maybe for some the strong scent of coffee. (I love it but if you don't like a strong scent or don't like the smell of coffee, you won't like this product for that reason) having said that you don't really smell it around your eyes! 

Overall, I will repurchase this, I WILL! It is the most effective eye treatment I have ever used and the bonus of it being 100% natural is extremely exciting to me! I want to try all of 100% Pure's products now, if this one is that effective they must all be! They also carry a line of "fruit pigmented" cosmetics that you have to check out! (They are on my Christmas Wish List) 

http://www.100percentpure.com 

NOTE: they have a Canadian version of the site as well as an American version, make sure you pick your country at the bottom right! AND for my Canadian friends, be sure to check out 100% Pure on The Shopping Channel for great deals and less expensive shipping! 

Samples of the Week

Hey everyone! I'm just having a lazy Sunday and thought I would share some of my samples I received this week!

I got this little Bare Minerals Matte at Sephora for their V.I.B. Friends & Family sale! I was so excited when she popped this into my bag and couldn't wait to use it! Although, when I got home I realized that it wasn't my colour...

Haha, and I mean REALLY wasn't my colour! I always wonder about samples of foundation/concealer and things of that sort and what the logic is behind only offering it in one shade. It doesn't make sense to me because only a certain portion of the people who get the sample will even be able to use it! I would have loved to have tried this out and maybe even have bought it, but because it is so vastly not my colour I have no idea if I like it. This all seems like a waste to me (for the company) because they are not really accomplishing what samples are set out to do - test it out, like it, buy it! Anyways, thats my rant... Moving on... lol

Okay, I'm not really moving on because I'm extra sad that I can't use it because its so cute! The little brush and all, I just wish it had even been close to my colour! Another thing is I've been really wanting to try the Bare Minerals Matte for some time now! Oh, well! Maybe I can use it as a bronzer?

I got this little Shiseido skincare sample at London Drugs the other day as part of a promotion! I really like the Shiseido Pureness line, I'm not sure how my skin will react to the "moisturizing" line as I have very oily skin. 

This kit came with an Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam, the Hydro-Nourishing Softener and the Night Moisture Recharge. I'm excited to try the Extra Gentle Cleansing Foam as I've heard good things about it, but they other two I'm not sure about for my skin type! :)

I also like that it came with a little "how-to" and information about the products as well! 

I also recently signed up for the Vichy Normaderm 7-Day Challenge on their facebook page. I'm not sure if it's still going on but check it out! This is a sample pack of their new Normaderm Tri-Activ Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care. I used this when it first came on the market years ago but they have since redone the formula and I'm excited to try it again!

I LOVE how they give you separate little daily packets to use! This way you can use the right amount of product everyday without trying to conserve any in fear of running out! They also include a $3 off coupon for your purchase of the product afterwards if you choose!

I'm excited to try all these things, I love getting samples and trying them out! Have you got any good samples lately?

Revlon Multi-Use Palette

Okay Ladies, who doesn't love a great palette? And who doesn't love a great palette full of all cream colours that are a cinch to apply with only your fingers? I know I do! 

This is Revlon's Multi-Use Palette, which I believe is a Limited Edition piece. This has been on the market for a while now and I have been eyeing it ever since it came out! What made me crack down and purchase this was that I got it for only $6.49 CAD at London Drugs! 

This tiny little package contains everything you could need for a great, glowing face! I find this especially nice for the holidays and to take on vacation! At first I thought these colours were sort of random, a peach blush, brown and grey shadows and a bright red lip? Seemed a little random and non-coordinating to me in the package.

Here are the swatches of whats included in the palette.

Left to right: Brown Shadow, Grey Shadow (both creams), Peach Blush and White, Shimmer Highlight (both Creams) Bottom: Red Lip Colour (comes with little lip brush).

I find all these shades extremely pretty! Especially the bright red/pink lip colour, once my lips are unchapped (which I feel like will NEVER happen!) I will swatch...*sigh* stupid cold, dry winter air! 

SIDE NOTE: if anyone knows of a great chapped lip healer PLEASE let me know, I've been trying everything!!

The brown and grey eye shades actually go together really well also, something I would have never expected! Overall, I love this little palette! I love cream anything because they are so simple, and easy to apply without making any mistakes! Its also a full face of makeup in one tiny little compact which makes it super great for travel or in your purse! I will do a makeup look with this in the near future (maybe tomorrow!) and highly recommend picking this up if you happen to spot it around! This is going to be a staple in my makeup bag from now on!

O.P.I. DS - Sapphire

I'm in Love...

Hey ladies! So, if you follow me on twitter I've been yapping all week about picking up an OPI Burlesque collection polish. Well, I did and I was disappointed (review coming up soon) but luckily I also picked up this gorgeous OPI DS (Designer Series) polish in Sapphire! 

Two great things about this polish: 1) Its GORGEOUS! and 2) it was only $7.99 - which is great for an OPI polish! I got this at Winners (yay, love Winners!) where they regularly carry a vast selection of OPI polishes, including the DS line occasionally. 

This is two coats of this fabulous polish with no top coat! It reflects almost ever different colour but the base is a pale blue/silver. I love the super fine shimmer in this polish, it gives it such an interesting and eye catching finish! I never really thought to paint my nails a pale blue/silver but now that I have this on my nails, I don't think its ever coming off! It is incredibly gorgeous, seriously, I'm in love!

I really hope Winners gets some more of the DS colours in! I find the formula and performance of them much better than original O.P.I. shades! (this may be in my head but I think they apply smoother and wear longer)

What are your experiences with O.P.I. DS? Do you think it wears better? Do you have some really amazing colours?

WINNER + Hint for NEW Giveaway!

Here it is everyone! The moment you've all been waiting for, the WINNER of my Giveaway! :)

Note: I hope its okay with everyone that I used classtools.net as opposed to random.org, I couldn't figure random.org out lol and this way is really cute! I got the idea from Vyile - click to check out her blog! And sorry about the photo but this is the only way I could figure out how to get a picture of it on here lol, I am in NO WAY tech savvy! 

WINNER!

And the winner is....

JENN from SPICED BEAUTY!

Congratulations Jenn! I will be sending you an email shortly! Thank you to everyone who entered my first giveaway! I really appreciate all the support and love! Keep an eye open for my 150 follower giveaway in the (hopefully!) near future featuring 6 (or 7) Too Faced Products!

Hint: if you want a hint of what will be in the new Too Faced giveaway, 3 of the 5 items featured in their New Years Eve Survival pack are full sized in my giveaway (colours may vary)! So get your friends over to my blog so we can reach the 150 mark! :)

Mario Badescu Herbal Hydrating Serum Review

Hi my lovelies! As you all may very well know, I'm on a Mario Badescu kick! I've been recently introduced to their brand after receiving their sample package and have been loving them ever since! This item in particular wasn't included in my sample package but we have a cute little local store here that sells Mario Badescu and they were having a sale on most of their products so I picked a few up! 

One of the items I got was the Mario Badescu Herbal Hydrating Serum. According to their website, this is: 

"One of our most unique, versatile products for all skin types that doubles as a layering product to use over day or night moisturizers for extra hydration. Can also be used alone as a lightweight hydrator for oily skin. Formulated with Ginkgo Extract, Ceramides and Ginseng Extracts that provide nourishing benefits for the skin." 

I find that it is definitely living up to its claims! I have oily skin, like, all-over oily skin, not just my t-zone so I can't add too much rich moisture. That being said, having oily skin doesn't necessarily mean my skin isn't dehydrated, which it is! That means I still need to add hydration, its just much harder to do!

This is a really nice blue gel that spreads evenly and absorbs lightning quick! I find it very similar in formulation and texture to their Ceramide Eye Gel that I love and received in my sample package.

The Facts

- Super hydrating without being thick or rich
- Absorbs super fast
- Keeps skin moisturized for a long time
- Never feels heavy on the skin
- Cooling, soothing
- Has little to no scent
- Does not clog pores or cause breakouts

I have had a really great experience with this prodcuct on my oily skin. I know Pammy at "Pammy Blogs Beauty", has also had a great experience with it and her normal/dry skin! I like that this serum can be used on any skin type and still provide great benefits!

Pros

- Hydrating
- Non-oily/Greasy
- Can be used on ANY skin type, including sensitive
- Cooling/soothing
- Packaging: simple and effective
- Can be used mixed with a moisturizer for an extra hydration boost

Cons

- Price: $30 USD for 1 oz.
- Availability of the product (not in all cities)
- Small bottle (I'm going to WHIP through this stuff!)

Overall, I love this!! It is so hard to find hydration for oily skin that won't make you breakout or feel greasy! I also love that you can use this on any skin type and its also safe for around the eye area. This is such a great product to have in any skin care regime for an extra boost of hydration without an added thick layer of product! Remember, just because skin is oily doesn't mean that it doesn't still need moisture. Sometimes your skin can produce excess oil because it needs moisture. The key is finding a super lightweight gel or serum (here is a great option! lol) and sticking with it to balance the skin out!

Final Verdict

I will definitely be repurchasing this product! Even if I have to pay more and order it from the website, I will do it! Its just that great! I would recommend this to anyone with any skin type! :)

Fusion Beauty Foundation Review

BioActive Foundation

Good Evening Girls! This is the continuation of the last Fusion Beauty Foundation post I did. My last one was just a purchase notice, not yet a review! So here is the review of this really interesting foundation!

First of all, this foundation has quite a long name haha, this is Fusion Beauty's Skin Fusion Bio-Active Mineral Intuitive Soft Focus Fluid Foundation SPF 10. (I would post a link but this is no longer available on Fusion Beauty's site). 

This foundation is one of those "intuitive" formulas. Meaning, that it comes out of the bottle white and changes to adjust to your skin tone. I purchased this in light/medium and it is very forgiving (or just my perfect colour! But probably not..haha) Once you pump it out, the best way to apply is to mix it on your hand to help with the colour change before applying to your skin. 

Mixed on hand

If you read my previous post on this, it has a lot of claims to better skin! The market this more as a skin care product than a foundation. This is what the box says:

"Proprietary Bio Active Mineral blend that combines pure Gold with 60 sourced essential minerals and anti-oxidants to activate and boost absorption of nutrients, fight free radicals and rev up cell metabolism." As well as, "Stimulating peptide blend with an anti-bacterial formula to purify, heal blemishes and speed cell renewal for balance and brightness."

So as you may think, I was very intrigued! Heres what I've concluded after wearing this for about 10 days.

The Facts

- My skin looks great when I wear this, I love the finish: not too matte, not too dewy
- The texture is interesting, but I like it! Once you blend this into your skin, the texture turns to an almost powdery feel! Great for oily/combo skin but still doesn't look cakey or chalky.
- Keeps my skin matte ALL DAY! This is huge for me, I have oily skin!
- Looks really natural, colour is great
- I had to be careful when blending! I tended to think that because it was white one my hand, it would be clear on my face (forgetting really that it changes colour!) I had to remember to blend well around my hairline, eyebrows and nose!
- This has some amazing ingredients, I haven't noticed a difference in my skin yet, but I also have no extra blemishes! YAY!

Pros

- Looks natural on skin
- Keeps skin matte
- Colour blends seamlessly (as long as I remembered to blend it, lol)
- Feels clean and fresh on skin - no heavy feeling
- Great finish (satiny)
- Great skin care ingredients built in

Cons

- Packaging - pump works one minute, doesn't work the next (sometimes I have to pump it like 100 times)!
- VERY sheer - more like a tinted moisturizer/base (primer)
- Can be hard to blend if it "sets" before you get to it
- Need to use quite a bit of product to cover entire face/neck
- I'm pretty sure its discontinued haha, I got mine at Winners!

Overall, I like this and will continue to use it! Its a great companion to my Annabelle Mineral makeup! It seriously keeps my skin matte all day which is unheard of for me! My skin usually gets to oily and greasy with any liquid product on it so I am so impressed just based on that fact alone! I'm interested to see if it improves my blemishes at all or if I see a difference in my skin overtime! I will keep you all posted on the progress! If you have a chance to pick one of these up at Winners and have an oily skin, I would definitely recommend it! :)

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion Review

The Infamous Pimple Healer

Here it is ladies, the infamous Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, the product that made Mario Badescu famous! I don't know about you guys but I've been hearing about this stuff for ages! It always has an ad in every magazine I see or has a write up as an "editors favourite" or "best skin care product". So, naturally I was curious... And had to try it out for myself! Heres what the Mario Badescu website has to say about this product:

"The Drying Lotion is a fast acting, effective acne spot treatment. Formulated with salicylic acid, calamine and other quick-drying ingredients, this product will shrink ugly whiteheads virtually overnight while you sleep. While other acne spot treatments can irritate and dry delicate or sensitive skin, this product is safe and effective for all skin types." 

How to Apply

First off, this is the most different (in every way!) blemish treatment I have ever seen! The idea is you dip a q-tip down to the bottom of the bottle (through the clear layer and into the pink layer) then pull it out and apply to the blemished area. Heres a photo of what it looks like once you take the q-tip out:

After you dip to the bottom, then remove

You end up with a saturated q-tip, bathed in a pink sort of "clay" looking substance. It actually looks really strange once on the q-tip, take a look:

I assume the idea of dipping the q-tip to the bottom and then back out is to get two layers of the clear liquid (below the pink layer and then above the pink layer). This is what it looks like after you apply:

It becomes pretty obvious as soon as you apply this that this is not a day treatment! haha You can only use this at night as you don't blend it in. You dab it onto the blemish directly and then let it dry and leave it on over night. The active ingredients in this blemish treatment are (from the website again):

"Isopropyl Alcohol,Deionized Water (Aqua), Calamine, Camphor, Colloidal Sulfur, Salicylic Acid,Glycerine, Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, Talc."

I was hesitant when I saw the first ingredient, alcohol. You by now know my feelings about alcohol but lately, I've been having trouble finding products without them! With that being said, I kind of overlooked it on this one as it is only a spot treatment and I apply it sparingly and over very little areas. The other active ingredients are good. Salicylic acid will help exfoliate the area and clean the pore out, Calamine & Camphor soothe, Colloidal Sulfer further fights the breakout and Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide and Talc all help with drying out the white head. Speaking of which, this is only really a treatment for small white heads. They have a few other products (Drying Cream, Buffering Lotion) for different types of breakouts. Lets move onto the pros and cons:

Pros:

- Dries up whiteheads overnight (It really does, it WORKS!)
- Non-drying
- Doesn't create flakey skin
- No Benzoyl Peroxide (I have an allergy, so its good for me!)
- Big Bottle - this will last forever

Cons:

- Only works for whiteheads - not other types of breakouts (under the skin, cystic, blackheads)
- Price: Expensive, $21.00 CAD
- Messy
- Can only be used at night
- Strong alcohol smell

Overall, this is a great addition to my arsenal of blemish-fighting products. Although it is not the "cure-all" I expected it to be! It works amazingly on the small, annoying whiteheads that pop up, but anything bigger or non-whiteheaded (?) lol it won't work on. You also CANNOT use this on open or ruptured blemishes (please don't try, I did (silly) and it hurt so bad!). This is a really great product to use in conjunction with the drying cream or buffering lotion to cover all your breakout bases! I am super glad that I spent the money on this, I've never had something help so much with whiteheads, its really amazing what it can do! Just keep in mind, it isn't for every blemish concern.

Final Verdict

I will repurchase this product. Although, I probably won't need to! This bottle is really big and you only use the tiniest bit each time (even if you use it on 1000 blemishes a night like me! haha), its a good investment to your skin care regime, especially if you struggle with mostly small whiteheads.

NOTE: A lot of cities don't have an actual retailer of Mario Badescu products. They have a great website (linked in my sidebar) that you can order off of and get your free samples!