Bouncin' and Blushin'

Hey all!

I've had a great (and exciting) day today! You all have helped me reach a huge milestone of 400 followers on my blog and I couldn't be more thankful and appreciative! So..

Thank you!

Now that I've said a huge (literally) thank you to you all, I have some more great news! I was lucky enough to learn that I won Toronto Beauty Reviews (Elaine) Korres Giveaway! I'm so thrilled, I love Korres and am so excited to start using more of their amazing products. Okay enough rambling by me, lets get to these cute and strange little blushes.

These are Maybelline's Bouncy Blushes. I picked up two shades I wouldn't normally have gotten. The last thing I need is another medium-pink blush! The first one is Coffee Cake. This is a gorgeous bronzy-peach that I wasn't sure about in the pan but adore once it's on the cheeks.

Next up is Hot Tamale. A super bright red-pink with a bit of shimmer (both have a hint of shimmer) that definitely isn't as bright as it appears in the pan but still gives a gorgeous flush of colour.

These blushes are the funniest things! I can't get over the texture of them they are super airy and light and don't feel greasy at all like some cream blushes can. The only thing I can even slightly compare this to is Maybelline's dream mousse blushes but they still don't really compare. You have to feel these for yourself to understand the full effect.

With flash

I apologize for these photos, I couldn't get very good ones. The pigmentation of these blushes is great! They are sheer enough to be layered and look realistic on the cheek but they have enough pigmentation to use only a small amount of product each time. (These photos have a heavy swatch)

In natural daylight

I'm always pretty skeptical of quality when brands come out with gimmicks like this but these pleasantly surprised me. I personally think they are adorable and have great feel and blendability with an extensive colour collection and a reasonable price. I love a cream blush and these just jumped to the top of my list! Especially since they have the staying power of a powder (thanks to the cream to powder formulation).

Have you tried these funny little blushes? What did you think of them?

Summary
Maybelline Bouncy Blush - Coffee Cake & Hot Tamale
$5.99-$9.99 CAD
Available at: Drugstores (if you hurry they are on sale at Shoppers!)

I'm in the zone with this tone!

Hey everyone!

If you follow my blog regularly you probably know that I've been trying to go more natural with all of or most of my skin care products. I started doing this around the end of December and have been very carefully picking and choosing new products to add to my routine. One of my very first purchases was this Andalou Naturals Blossom & Leaf Toning Refresher. 

I have had a hard time finding a toner I like period so I was super surprised to find this product first. I don't like my toners to have any alcohol or drying ingredients, I just want them to be that something extra for after I cleanse and when my skin is feeling parched. 

This toner is completely natural and includes 84% certified organic ingredients. It includes aloe, fruit stem cells (which are common to all Andalou Natural's products), vitamin C, vitamin E, coQ10, vitamin B5 plus their BioActive 8 Berry Complex. On top of all that there is no harsh preservatives or ingredients that you can't pronounce.

This toner provides a refreshing feel and slight moisturization. If you had extremely oily skin I think this would be great to use as a lightweight moisturizer. I use it underneath all of my other skin care products and I have never been happier with a toner! The smell is pretty floral but I've grown to love it. I'm not a huge fan of spray on toners but I am getting used to them and you could always unscrew the cap and use this with a cotton pad if you wanted. 

Overall, I don't think I'll ever be without this product again! Its effective, all natural and it's affordable. Their other products are just as amazing! Right now I only own one other mask but I'm planning on purchasing more of their products very soon. I just spotted them at London Drugs this afternoon so now I have another place to get them!

Summary

Andalou Naturals Blossom & Leaf Toning Refresher

$12.00 (roughly) CAD

Available at: Health Food Stores, Andalou and London Drugs

Come on, Brighten Up!

Hey everyone,
I'm such a late night poster, I don't know why. I have plenty of time to do it throughout the day but I usually just end up taking and editing pictures and then finally getting to actually putting them into a post by around 10pm! Oh, well at least its up!

Tonight I'm sharing with you one of my new favourite items! I recently won a gift box from Vasanti and Rexall and I have to say I was thrilled to see this in there! I had been eyeing up Vasanti's Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvinator for a while (even picked it up off the shelf once or twice) but had yet to buy it.

This is, as the name may suggest, an exfoliator/scrub. This is not just a scrub though, oh no! Not only does this contain 25% dermatologist grade micro-crystals for dramatic yet gentle exfoliation but also powerful papaya enzymes for added chemical exfoliation. It also contains coconut, aloe vera and panthenol in order to keep your skin feeling hydrated even after you're finished.

The texture of this is really interesting. It's almost mousse-like in consistency and you can really feel all the particles - but they are tiny!

This exfoliator is creamy (but not greasy at all), which I appreciate in a scrub as sometimes my skin can wind up dry after using them. I'm always pretty leery when I try a new scrub as my skin is easily sensitized and can wind up red and irritated for days, so although I was excited to use this, I was also scared. To my surprise, even with the high amount of micro-crystals, this exfoliator is extremely gentle. I never end up red or irritated and my skin feels smoother than anything else after using it. If you have been following me for a while you may remember my Colbert M.D. post where I raved about their microdermabrasion pads, I thought I would never find anything to replace them (too expensive to repurchase) but I finally have!

Not only do I notice my skin feels smoother but it also feels lightly hydrated and any product I put on afterwards is instantly absorbed! I only use this once a week (maybe twice if I forget to take my makeup off one night and I'm in need of a deep cleaning) and it keeps me smooth until the next week.

If you're looking for an outstanding exfoliant this is it! You only need a pea-sized amount as well so it will last you forever - a little really does go a long way.

Summary
Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator
$34.00 CAD
Available at: Rexall & Vasanti

Vasanti seems to make skin care that is just as amazing as their cosmetics. I've heard raves about their Eye Wonder eye cream - that just may have to be put on my list!

Cosmetically Curious + Joe Fresh Beauty GIVEAWAY!

Here it is everyone!

My latest giveaway includes a huge selection of Joe Fresh Beauty products! This is a way for me to say, "Thank You" to all of my current followers and, "Hello" to all of my new followers! So, lets get into all of the great products you could win!

Joe Fresh Beauty is an amazing brand that is exclusive to Superstore/Loblaws in Canada and now has a few locations throughout the United States. If you're unfamiliar with them they have high quality products at a really reasonable price and offer a huge variety of products from beauty tools to full face palettes. So, this giveaway features a full sampling of their products and a lot of my favourites!

WHAT IS UP FOR GRABS?

OVER $125 WORTH OF JOE FRESH BEAUTY!

4x Joe Fresh Eye Shadow Singles
- Silk (matte light beige)
- Bronze (shimmery brown-bronze)
- Dusty Rose (shimmery brown-rose)
- Espresso (matte chocolate brown)

3x Joe Fresh Beauty for Barbie Nail Polish

1x Joe Fresh Beauty Cheek Tint in Pink

1x Joe Fresh Beauty Brow Powder Duo in Medium

1x Joe Fresh Beauty Cream Foundation in Medium 1

1x Joe Fresh Beauty Five Minute Face Palette
- 4x Full size eyeshadow in Silk, Silver, Charcoal, Black
- 1x Lip Gloss in Ruby
- 1x Cream Lipstick in Ruby
- 1x Bronzer in Glow
- 1x Blush in Pale Peach

5x Joe Fresh Lip Stains 
- Plum
- Berry
- Watermelon
- Lilac
- Candy

6x Joe Fresh Beauty Mini Lipglosses
- Clear
- Ruby
- Peach
- Chai
- Spice
- Bare

1x Joe Fresh Beauty Brush Kit
- Blush/Powder
- Eyeshadow
- Eyeliner
- Crease
- Tote bag


There you have it, that's a lot of loot! I personally own a couple of the shadows (love! they are so soft and blendable), some lipglosses (the ruby one is a gorgeous red with a hint a shimmer and super pigmented), the Five Minute Face Palette which is an everyday essential and a few of their lipstains and cheek tints. I've never bought anything from Joe Fresh that I didn't love, so I hope whoever wins loves it as much as I do!

Rules


This contest is open internationally. You must be 18+ to enter or have parental consent or be the age of majority in your state/territory. Void where prohibited by law. You must either subscribe via GFC or via RSS feed. Please note that international winners may be partially responsible for customs/duty charges.

Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below to be entered.

I'll say "Yes To" this balm!

Evening everyone!

I thought I'd share with you one of my recently re-found loves today. The other day my boyfriend asked me for a lip balm to use, so off to my drawer of lip products I went. While looking for something unscented & clear for him to use I came across this little tube of loveliness that I had forgotten about - well actually I came across two.

A while back, Yes To Carrots was nice enough to send me a package of products for review. They were incredibly generous sending me all the flavours of their lip butters and tinted lip balms along with a ton of other skin care products. I immediately liked these lip butters but for some reason they slowly moved to the back of my collection. These butters come in Mint, Berry, Carrot, Melon and Citrus but I gave away Melon, Citrus and Mint as stocking stuffers and Berry got stolen by my boyfriend and now permanently lives in his pocket. So, I'm left with Carrot, which was actually my favourite to begin with!

I usually don't expect lip balms in stick form to be as moisturizing as their counterparts in pot form but I was pleasantly surprised in this case. Oh, and the Carrot flavour doesn't smell at all like carrot, it's pretty much unscented. These balms contain a massive amount of moisturizing and soothing ingredients including: Coconut oil, Olive Oil, Beeswax, Jojoba, Sunflower, Shea butter and lots of fruit and vegetable extracts. These make your lips feel super smooth, moisturized and not heavy or waxy. Not to mention these are 95% Natural and USDA Certified Organic which is especially important for something you are most likely going to eat.

My only problem with these little guys is I have yet to find them for retail anywhere in Canada. If you know where they sell these please let me know!

Summary

Yes To Carrots Lip Butter - Carrot

$12.99 for 5 (Carrot, Melon, Berry, Citrus and Mint)

Available at: Yes to Carrots & Drugstores (US)

Disclosure: This product was sent to me by a company for consideration for a review. There is no guarantees that a review will be provided. All opinions are my honest opinion of the product. I was not paid to write this post.

Kreativ Blogger Award

I sort of took this award from Fabdiva20 haha, she tagged everyone because it's always so hard to choose!


THE RULES:
1. Link back to the person that gave you this award.
2. Answer the questions below.
3. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
4. Award 10 other bloggers and let them know you nominated them.



QUESTIONS:
1. Name your favorite song.
Against the Grain - City & Colour (my boyfriend always sings it)
2. Name your favorite dessert.
I love all dessert, literally.
3. What ticks me off.
When people say "I seen". You didn't seen, you saw or you have seen haha (Biggest pet peeve)
4. When I am upset, I...
Whine and cry and feel sorry for myself until someone snaps me back to reality!
5. Favorite pet.
Cats! I love my kittens, Benson is my big Maine Coon & my roommate has a small black cat named Nahla. My bf has also has an adorable tabby named Itsy Bitsy!
6. Black or white?
Black for clothing but white for everything else, it's so crisp and clean
7. Biggest fear.
The ocean and any creature that lives in it.
8. Everyday attitude.
Usually pretty good but I can be a pessimist.
9. What is perfection?
Being happy with what you have done and proud of what you've accomplished.
10. Guilty pleasures.
Makeup & skincare of course!

7 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME:

1. I don't like candy (ie skittles, jujubes, sweet tarts) but I LOVE chocolate.
2. I watch The Shopping Channel all the time but rarely order anything.
3. I thought Twitter was the dumbest thing ever invented before I started blogging, now I can't get off of it!
4. I'm two classes away from having my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.
5. I love watching cooking shows, especially any with Gordon Ramsay.
6. I'm only 5' tall.
7. I have an unhealthy obsession with eBay.

I agree with Fabdiva20, it's too hard to pick just 10! I tag anyone who wants to participate in this award, you all deserve it! :)

This one Really is the Balm!

Hey all!

So lately these coloured balms are popping up everywhere. Maybelline, Revlon, L'Oreal and many others. I've tried the aforementioned three and have to say only one really convinced me it was a great conditioning balm!

This is L'Oreal's Colour Riche Balm in Pink Satin. I found myself wondering what the differences between all these balms were but there are actually many! Revlon's comes in a huge variety of shades, but didn't add enough moisture for me, it was more like a sheer lipstick. Maybelline's comes in few shades and are extremely sheer and L'Oreal comes in a mid range of shades, provides great moisture and a little bit of shimmer. I feel like I'm channeling Goldilocks here "Maybelline was too sheer, Revlon was too pigmented and L'Oreal was juuuusssstttt right" haha.

As I mentioned, I picked this up in the shade Pink Satin which was sold out at 3 stores before I could find this one! This is the lightest of the shades and is a very light but very sheer pink with shimmer.

I love the packaging of this balm, its luxurious and has co-ordinating coloured caps to the product inside to make it easy to find a certain colour in your hand bag or drawer. Another added bonus? SPF 15, which I'm always looking for in my lip balms and lip colours. My lips tend to sunburn very easily even in the winter so I need SPF!

As for pricing, Maybelline is the cheapest version of these tinted drugstore balms, with L'Oreal coming in second and Revlon being most expensive (although prices vary wildly so make sure you shop around!). Of the three I found L'Oreal's to give the most moisture and make my lips feel the most comfortable, while providing shine and a hint of colour!

As you can tell I didn't "haul" any of these because I really wanted to find which one worked for me. I'm glad at least one of them did, being the L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm and I think I'm going to have to pick up a few more colours! Have you tried any of these drugstore coloured balms? Which one was your favourite?

Summary

L'Oreal's Colour Riche Balm - Pink Satin

$7.98 (Approximately)

Available at: Drugstores

A Glymmer of Hope!

Hey everyone!

Yesterday I was finally able to get to the post office to pick up my very first Glymm Box! Being an incredibly impatient person, I had already peeked around the blog world and found out what was in this months box (bad!) and I was really excited to get my hands on it!

This adorable light pink box came packaged in a matching coloured shipping box (what a cute touch!) so you know right away where its from! To be honest, I wanted to wait and take pictures while I was opening the box but I ended up opening it right in the parking lot in my car haha! Here is what I found:

These boxes are beautifully wrapped, it's like receiving a present in the mail! I always appreciate the small touches that companies include such as the embellished ribbon and lots of information about the included products.

Glymm includes a pamphlet describing all the products & their "full sized" price. I think this is a great touch because whenever I get a sample of something I want to know how much it will cost to get a full size and base my review and consideration of the product on that (there's nothing worse than falling in love with a product you can never afford the full size of!). 

My first Glymm box inluded:

Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion (two sample sachets)

Vasanti Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (12g tube)

Kaia Facial Towlette (1 towelette)

Anastasia Brow Gel (Deluxe Sample size)

Cargo Eyeliner - Black (Full size)

I am super excited to try this Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion! I've eyed this up a few times while shopping but never end up purchasing it. I've heard really good things about it and I love that it's all natural. I used to have another Milk & Honey body lotion that was discontinued so hopefully this can take its place.

Now I already know I love this product as I own the full size tube! This is Vasanti's Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator. I'm happy to have this as a travel size/back up though and I'm very excited other Glymm girls will get a chance to try this amazing exfoliator!

I love makeup removing towelettes. These towelettes by Kaia are going to be great because I'm usually extremely tired or lazy by the time I go to bed so having a packaged of these on my bedside table is a must! I'm also always looking for natural alternatives so I'm thrilled to try these out! I really hope I like them and if I do will definitely purchase the full size!

It's funny that this was included in my Glymm box because the day before I was just thinking, "I'm out of brow gel, I need to buy some more," then there it was! I've never tried any of Anastasia products and I use brow gel everyday so I'm excited to be able to try this Brow Gel by Anastasia. And with the amount of brow gel you use on a daily basis, this should last a long time!

Last but certainly not least is a full sized Cargo Eye Pencil in black! When I first saw this in the box I expected it to be some crazy colour that I wouldn't get much wear out of but I was so happy when I saw it was black! Who doesn't need (or want to try) a new black eyeliner? Since I use one everyday I always welcome another one!

This is a pencil that needs sharpening (hopefully it won't be one that breaks every time you try) and has quite a lot of product. I've been happy with my other Cargo purchases in the past so hopefully this will live up to my expectations!

This pencil glides on super easily and keeps a sharp point which is great for thin lines. It isn't an intense black but it will be great for a softer black eye with light definition. 

Overall, I love my first Glymm box! I can't wait for the next one and it is definitely worth the money. The full sized Cargo Pencil alone is worth $16! Do you subscribe to any monthly sample boxes? If so which ones?

Summary

Glymm Box - January 2012

$10 + Tax (with free shipping)

Available at: Glymm.com

Disclaimer: The links in this post are my affiliate links. If you prefer to sign up without it just go to www.glymm.com.

Is Everything Really Better with Butter?

Good morning everyone!
It is a glorious wintery day out there - if by glorious you think of -15°C with a wind chill of -20°C and a winter storm warning for 10-15 centimetres of snow and a car that won't start no matter how many times you jump it... Anyway back on track! Today I have a review of a lip product, namely Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake. I know many beauty bloggers hauled this product, picking up on every shade, believe me I was tempted but I just don't trust lip products because I rarely, rarely love them. So, I decided to pick up just one and test it out.

First off, I love the packaging. Very luxe & expensive looking with the signature "quilted" case of Colorburst products. The cap stays on tightly (as to not fall off in your purse) and the caps give a fairly accurate description of what colour is inside. If you are someone who has many of these it would make it super easy to find the shade you were looking for! I also like the angled tip, as it makes for much easier application, especially in a rear view mirror (not while driving I promise!).

I selected Strawberry Shortcake because of its neutral, medium pink. I figured it would be great for everyday wear and didn't want to select anything darker as I didn't know what the pigmentation pay off would be like. This one has a hint of shimmer in it but definitely nothing noticeable on the lips. You can also tell which shades have shimmer by the cap - ones with shimmer will have, you guessed it, shimmer in the lid!

The pigmentation pay off is actually a lot more than I expected! I would say these are much more close to a moisturizing lipstick than a tinted lip balm. I love the colour of this one once applied, it's a really flattering pink that I think most skin tones could wear. If you were to only pick up on one of these I think this would be a good option.


Now for my personal experience with the product. I expected more. These aren't very moisturizing, at least not for me, and I will definitely require a balm underneath when I wear this. Having said that, I do like them as a moisturizing lipstick and will definitely wear it, it just wasn't what I expected. I wanted a super rich balm with just a hint of colour and that isn't what I got. The term "lip butter" makes me think of my Korres Lip Butter (which is amazing) and I definitely prefer those for a tinted lip balm. If you want a moisturizing lipstick or your lips don't need a lot of hydration I would definitely pick up on this. I don't by any means not like the product it just wasn't what I had anticipated. I may even buy another one because when I do wear lipstick I like it to be sheer and moisturizing!


Summary
Revlon ColorBurst Lip Butter - Strawberry Shortcake
$9.00 (Roughly) CAD
Available at: Drugstores


What did you think of these lip butters? Did you expect more or where they everything you wanted?

When in Rome, definitely do as the Romans do! Especially if it involves a trip to the Colosseum!

Good morning everyone!
This Vasanti kick I've been on has been a tough one to break. With all the great products I've won and their quality blowing me away I've got to share them with all of you! So, as you may have heard I won a prize pack from Vasanti over Christmas that included their Brazilian Bronzer, Vitamin E infused Lip Shine, this eyeshadow duo and their Brighten Up! Enzymatic Microdermabrasion. 


To be completely honest with you all, I wasn't jumping with joy to open their Silky Eyeshadow Duo. I own about a million and never use any (I generally stick to black eyeliner & mascara for everyday) so this was the product I was least enthused about.

I opened it last expecting some strange colours that I would never wear like bright blue & green or pink & purple - what colour would a Colosseum be anyway? Well, after opening the box I was initially pleasantly surprised with the gorgeous packaging these eyeshadows come in.

A gorgeous, sturdy silver case with a flip top lid? How vanity worthy! I want a collection of these just for display purposes alone. I don't want to put this in with my other eyeshadows in fear of it becoming scratched or damaged. I think it's already earned a "stay out" spot.

AND not only is the outside gorgeous but there is a large mirror inside paired with a couple of amazingly shimmery and soft eyeshadows. I was thrilled to see these shades as I'm always looking for a delicate neutral eye that I can do everyday or a shimmer shadow to add to my basic black eyeliner look.

So to answer my own question I guess the Colosseum is a mixture of golden flecked ivory and shimmering rose gold? All I know is if it looks as good as these shadows, I want to see it! Could there be a better neutral pair?

Now, I will say these shadows aren't incredibly pigmented, but they also probably shouldn't be. I see them as more "enhancing" shades than stand out shades. Something for the brow bone or a sheer wash of colour. They are shimmery without being over the top and do stay true to the colours in the pan. They are incredibly soft and wear well throughout the day without creasing (I use an eyeshadow base, usually NYX). I use the rose gold shade all over my lid then the ivory shade on the brow bone and tear duct. The rose shade gives a warmth to the eye and a little depth, while the ivory makes everything it touches stand out.

As you can see, once again, this whole kit is super co-ordinating. All the colours I received are amazing for creating a soft, bronzy, glowing look without being overly done. All together these look pretty great (will have to do a FOTD). I'm looking to pick up some more of these shadows, I think they may make it into my everyday routine - I know this one already has! I haven't stopped wearing it since the day I got it. It adds a little something extra to my basic eye and also adds a little light. My next choice is definitely Eiffel Tower - two gorgeous matte shades.

Summary
Vasanti Silky Eyeshadow Duo - Colosseum
$20.00 CAD
Available at: Rexall & Vasanti

Have you tried Vasanti's eyeshadows? What do you think of them?