Deals & Steals: NYC Color Wheel (Mosaic Face Powder)

Hello everyone! I'm starting a new segment called "Beauty Bargains" where I'll highlight some of the best and most inexpensive drugstore products. I'm going to start off with one of my favourite (and not to mention least expensive!) drugstore items that I have re-purchased time and time again.

Here I have NYC's Color Wheel - Mosaic Face Powder. The shade I have this in (and to be honest, the only shade I have ever purchased) is Translucent Highlighter Glow. Now, with a name like that, I expected a lot of shimmer to be laced throughout this powder (although I couldn't see any initially, I've been tricked before!). I was happy to discover that this powder actually contains no shimmer - either that or its just so fine I can't detect it.

This powder extremely soft, oil absorbing and does provide a nice glow without shimmer. It evens out my skin and doesn't cake up and also doesn't appear too matte. 

Pros:

- Not too powdery

- Inexpensive & Readily available

- Soft and extremely blendable

- Gives a soft "glow"

- Controls Oil

- Doesn't look cakey

- You get a lot of product - 9g

Cons:

- This is not translucent! I can actually use this as a light bronzer (but I'm very pale!)

- Packaging isn't all that appealing or functional

For the price, I would say this is an outstanding powder. I prefer it over my MAC Blot Powder because it lends a much less "powdery" or matte look. This blends into skin and is almost undetectable as long as you use a light hand (but that goes for any powder).

I highly recommend trying out this powder if you're looking for a great, inexpensive glow. You can find this (in Canada) for around $5.50 or if you find it on sale (usually at Rexall) around $3.00. 

A great beauty Bargain!

Deals & Steals: Hard Candy - Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer

Good Morning ladies! Sorry for the intermittent posts lately, I've been a busy girl! Today I'm reviewing a product that I am quite amazed with and wanted to share with everyone. A while back, I won a Twitter contest from Hard Candy and this was my prize!

This is Hard Candy's Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer. I was super excited when I realized that this was my prize! I love a good concealer and we have yet to get these in Canada (at least in Calgary). I'm not sure if you can tell from the photo, but this is a HUGE tube of concealer and will probably last me forever! It is bigger than the Clinique All About Eyes concealers for comparison (which I already think are huge haha). 

I like to have a lot of difference consistency concealers for different problems - liquid for under eyes, cream for blemishes, cake for other blemishes haha and of course my Maybelline dream mousse for everything! I have a really hard time covering blemishes so I'm always looking for a new concealer to do the job, this one is incredibly impressive!

First off, they sent me the shade medium, which I was kind of skeptical about because I am pretty fair. The surprising thing about this concealer is that it is extremely neutral in its undertone! There is no pink, orange, red - it's a true beige. I was happy to see that because I don't have many distinct undertones to my skin so this ended up being extremely versatile for me! It also blends into skin really well and is almost undetectable. 

Honestly, this is probably the most pigmented concealer I have ever come across (I'm sure there are many more pigmented - I'm just going with the ones I have in my collection!) This concealer covers every single bit of redness you may have in your skin and completely neutralizes it out! When I first tried it, I couldn't believe what it was covering and how little you needed to get the job done! I also love that it comes with the tiny concealer pencil (which also gives amazing coverage with a different consistency) that is great for using on blemishes, broken capillaries and other tiny imperfections that you need to be precise with. 

My only issue with this (the cream part - tube) is that it can build up on the skin and be noticeable if you apply too much. This is easily corrected if you go over it with a damp sponge or just be very careful about how much you are applying - you only need the TINIEST bit! I know this is a very inexpensive concealer (not sure of the price because it isn't in Canada) and would definitely be worth a try if you are looking for a highly pigmented concealer at a great price! 

Deals & Steals: Wet N' Wild Color - Icon Single Shadows

Nutty (left), Brulee (right)

Hello ladies! Hope your week is going well so far! I have been busy catching up on everyones blogs this last week or so after my little break over the holidays and have been learning about some great drugstore finds! A few "Best Of" posts that I read recently (sorry don't remember the blogs exactly!) have mentioned these little guys - the Wet N' Wild Color Icon Single Shadows! I'm sure you have all heard the raves about Wet N' Wild's Color Icon 6 pan palettes, especially the holiday LE shades - these are the same shadows but in single form (and bigger!). 

These are an amazing deal, and when I say amazing, I mean AMAZING! Where else can you find single eyeshadows for $2.77 each with such amazing pigmentation and silky smooth application? I'll tell you.. NOWHERE! haha I was leery to initially try the Wet N' Wild brand. I used it in junior high and high school when I wasn't really into makeup and didn't want to spend any money on it. I remembered it being okay, I liked the eyeliners but since using new products they had definitely been pushed to the way side. What made my try the brand again is the success I've had with another inexpensive brand - NYC. I was also leery to try them, as I always am with inexpensive makeup products, I tended to believe you got what you paid for! NOT TRUE! NYC is a great brand with a few of their products being a staple in my everyday routine - and honestly, I think everything they sell is under $5! 

Anyways! Back to the review! I am very glad I finally decided to pick these up, I got the colours Nutty and Brulee - after hearing these were the best two shades! (Plus I love neutral colours!)

Nutty - This is an amazing medium brown shade with a great sheen! There is no noticeable shimmer or glitter but it has such a pretty finish! It is almost the same finish as a MAC Velvet! This would be a great everyday colour and very work appropriate! It has great colour pay off and wears really well over an eyeshadow primer! Seriously, I would pay 3x as much for this shadow (Shhh! Don't tell Wet N' Wild lol) because of its fantastic colour and texture!

Brulee - This is going to be an incredibly versatile shadow in my collection! It is completely matte with no sheen, shimmer or glitter but isn't at all chalky! This colour is great as a base, highlight or to blend out harsh edges and blend together colours!  The colour is extremely close to my skin tone when applied so this is perfect for me! This is a must have in anyones makeup collection and for $2.77 - you really can't go wrong! 

These two colours look especially pretty together as well! This is in daylight/no-flash, hopefully you can see the sheen of Nutty! I am more than impressed with these and will definitely be keeping my eye open at the Wet N' Wild section from now on!

Have you tried the Wet N' Wild Singles? What do you think? Any other great products from them that I need to know about? :)

Back To MAC Haul!

Hey everyone! First off, I'm sorry for quality of these photos, I'm not sure why but my camera didn't want to focus and the lighting was bad but not bad enough for flash so these are what resulted! haha

I was recently going through my drawers and reorganizing all my makeup and found my bag of empty MAC containers! I had totally forgotten about them and was so excited to bring them Back To MAC for some new goodies! So, this is the first time I have ever done the Back To MAC recycling program and wasn't entirely sure how it worked but I learned a few things!

BACKGROUND INFO

First, 6 empty "Primary" MAC containers gets you a free product, even if they are depotted (I wasn't sure so I thought I would let you all know!). Which free product you get depends on where you return your containers. If you go to a MAC counter (inside The Bay in Canada) you get your choice of lipstick (excluding Viva Glam) for 6 empties - BUT if you go to a free standing MAC store you can have your choice of Eyeshadow, Original Lipglass or Lipstick. I think its great for MAC to have any recycling program, especially with such great benefits for us! Recycling their packaging is a great way for MAC to save money and for everyone to save the environment - Good on you MAC!

WHAT I GOT

My first item (which I paid for and was not part of the Back To MAC program) is the only thing I really liked from the Cham-Pale collection! I thought I would love the collection but in person it was so incredibly shimmery it just wasn't for me, and the colours weren't good on me either! :( BUT I managed to find this little gem! I have only even tried MAC tinted lip conditioners but heard really good things about the original. I have had a recent addiction to Lavender scents since I got my LAVANILA Lavender Vanilla perfume so this was amazing to me! It has a super subtle lavender scent so it isn't overpowering on the lips! I love the moisurization this gives! I put it on every night before bed and wake up with super hydrated lips - a definite must try!

Next up is the first item I got for free with my empties! If you follow me on twitter, you might know that I have been searching for a really deep blue eyeliner! I couldn't find any I really loved to I decided to pick up a dark blue shadow instead and use it with a liner brush. This is Contrast, a deep blue/purple Velvet eyeshadow that is 1000x prettier in real person than in the photo! I am super happy with this and it makes an amazing liner without having the harshness of black.

Last, but certainly not least, is a new Lipglass! I haven't bought a lipglass in I don't even know how long! I remember them being so incredibly sticky and gloopy that I had like 2 when I was 16 then none until now! I am pleasantly surprised that they are not nearly as sticky as I remember! They actually have a really nice feeling to them and some new gorgeous colours! I decided to go with a staple colour that I would wear everyday and just throw in my purse for anytime! This is Florabundance, as MAC describes it "a peachy blossom pink". Its a great combination of pink and peach and I think would flatter any skin tone! This one also has no shimmer and is fairly sheer, but none the less, gorgeous!

Well, there is my mini Back To MAC haul! As you can tell I had 12 empties so I got the eyeshadow and lipglass for free! I'm already starting to save up more because getting free MAC is definitely addicting! ;)

Have you used the Back To MAC recycling program? What have you got?

Hautelook & Urban Decay Haul

Smoke Out Kit - Juju (browns)

Hey ladies! I don't know if you guys have heard about Hautelook or not but its a great site that has daily deals on a lot of great fashion, beauty, home etc. Back in November they had an Urban Decay sale with lots of great deals and here is what I picked up!

Although this isn't a review quite yet, I wanted to show you guys what would be coming up on my blog!

So I've been eyeing this little palette, The Smoke Out Palette in JuJu,  for a long time, ever since it came out which I think was actually a year or more ago. At first I wanted the smokey (black/grey) version but after seeing the browns it was much more my style! I love a good subtle eye with enough definition to look defined! This set comes with 4 shadows (two matte, two shimmer) a 24/7 Mini Liner in Zero (black) a little eyeshadow brush and  a mini Skyscraper Multi-Benefit Mascara in black. I only paid about $8 for this! :)

Summer Love Nail Kit

I also picked up this great little Summer Love nail kit! I never knew Urban Decay made nail polish so I was excited to try them out! 

This kit comes with 7 mini polishes - some sheer shimmers and some opaque brights. I haven't tried any of these out yet so I can't comment on the wear, colour, etc. but I LOVE the colours! I also love the little cosmetic case it comes with - it will be coming in very handy for my purse! I only paid around $8 for this! :)

My only problem with this order is that Hautelook has extremely slow shipping and it took a month for me to receive my things! The shipping prices from Canada are also a little steep - but if you catch a great deal like these it is well worth it! 

Keep checking back for my reviews on these products! Have you ever gotten anything from Hautelook?

Deals & Steals: E.l.f. Conceal + Beauty SOS Set Review

Conceal Set

Hey Girlies! As you may know from my recent posts, I have not always had the best of luck with the e.l.f. cosmetics line. I recently purchased their Holiday Natural Eyeshadow Palette (click for review!) and wasn't entirely thrilled! But, I decided to press on, determined to find something I like from the e.l.f. line! With that being said, I this was my next purchase, the Conceal +Beauty SOS kit.

1st Product - Tone Correcting Concealer

I picked up this kit at Zellers for $4.99, which is a pretty good price for 3 products! (Not as good as the US price, but still! haha) The first item this kit contains is the e.l.f. Tone Correcting Concealer. I hadn't tried any of e.l.f.'s concealers so I was really eager to test this out! 

Concealer Shade - Light Beige

Surprisingly, this kit only comes with one shade option. I've always been curious why companies do that, it doesn't seem like something that would increase sales! The shade it comes with is light beige, which is great for my light skin! I think it would be a good fit for anyone with light/light-medium skin tone as it is very forgiving and blendable!

Swatch

I find this concealer to have quite a yellow base, which is good for me because I have no pink undertones and hate when I get pink-based products! I'm quite impressed with how well this colour fits my skin tone, so that was a nice surprise!

Pros:

- Creamy, blendable

- Forgiving colour (will work on many skin tones light/light-medium)

- Not cakey

- Doe-foot applicator for precise application

- Dewy finish: good for undereyes

- Moisturizing

Cons:

- Sheer: not much coverage but good for under eyes

- Dewy Finish: not good for blemish coverage

- Contains ingredients known to potentially clog pores (mineral oil, microcrystalline wax)

- Again, so sheer, will not cover blemishes

Final Verdict

I'm confused about the marketing for the product. It is said to be a blemish covering concealer but no matter how much I built it up I couldn't get it to cover a blemish! That being said, I really like it as an under eye concealer or slight redness concealer! Its soft and blendable and gives a nice moisturizing finish to under the eyes! I wouldn't say "don't buy this" I would say, "don't buy this for covering blemishes" though! There are many other better concealers for blemish coverage (I'm sure some of e.l.f.'s other concealers work great for this!) But, I would recommend this as an inexpensive concealer option for light/sheer under eye coverage and moisturization!

Concealer Brush

The 2nd product in the kit is this cute little concealer brush! I was actually quite excited for this, I can never have too many concealer brushes! I also have had really great experiences with e.l.f.'s brush collections!

Synthetic hair

I think this is a great all around concealer brush to have! I really like the "smallness" of it for pinpoint application of concealer to blemishes! Its very easy to use, has great hairs and works well! I won't do a full list of pros & cons for this, its a good brush especially for a $1 USD! Another point, I'm not sure why they included this as the concealer has a doe-foot applicator but good for me because I like it and can use it with all my other concealers! :)

Zit Zapper

The 3rd product is the most exciting for me! I've been wanting to try e.l.f.'s Zit Zapper since I saw it on their website sooo long ago! I'm always on the look out for the "miracle cure" for my breakouts and am constantly trying new products! This is a really handy little stick you can take with you and apply throughout the day. I love that it is clear because that is rare for breakout busters!

Roller Ball top

It also has a super convenient roller-ball top! I love not having to touch the product, it makes it so easy to use! This contains some known breakout fighting ingredients and is great to use in the day time!

Pros:

- 1% Salicylic Acid - to fight breakouts and clogged pores

- Witch Hazel, Tea Tree oil - to further help with breakouts

- Clear: able to use during the day

- Non-Drying (Finally!)

- Price $1 USD!

Cons:

- Salicylic acid is a better preventer than treatment

- Roller-Ball (although I love it!) may not be very hygienic

- Contains Alcohol: not my favourite ingredient

Final Verdict

Honestly, this product isn't perfect. It does have a few cons but I really feel like in this case the pros outweigh the cons! Its a good option for people struggling with breakouts. I'm happy you can use it during the day with no signs that it is there! I will continue to use this, and I will recommend it for minor/rare breakouts. It probably won't help much with large breakouts or chronic breakouts! For the price, I would definitely recommend trying it out to see how well it works for you! It has worked for me (although I don't think the test was fair because it was "my time of the month" and nothing would help!) by decreasing the size of my breakouts. If you are curious at all, try this out! The price is definitely worth it! :)

Hautelook.com Beauty Blowout!

Hey Everyone! I'm not sure if all of you are aware of Hautelook.com but it's a website that has different sales everyday from fashion to beauty to home decor! It has some amazing deals and starting today they are having a huge Beauty Blowout! Today (September 20th) is Stila, Somme Institute, Instyler and NuFace. The Stila products are being offered at insane prices, some above 60% off! If you love Stila, go and check this out! They are having different brands each day so to see a full list visit www.hautelook.com! I hope you all get some great deals! If you do, let me know what they are! :)

Please Comment and Follow :)

Thrifty Shopping

So again I'm on my thrifty Wal-Mart/Drugstore kick solely based on the fact that I can't afford anything else right now (very sad about it, school is expensive haha)! But that being said there are some great products at the drugstores that should not be over looked only because they are inexpensive! I have a lot of staples in my makeup bag that are very inexpensive and that I repurchase constantly because of their great performance! Here are a few things I picked up (I'll specify where in the review) and what I have thought so far, I have had most of them for at least a week so I can give an honest review!

Garnier Fructis Deep Repair Mask - Rexall $2.00

First of all Rexall is only in Canada I believe but its the same thing as Walgreens, CVS, anything like that. I picked up this mask on sale because I wanted a good conditioning treatment for not a lot of money. Garnier products aren't very expensive when they aren't on sale anyways so it is still a good purchase even if you cannot find it on sale! I really like this mask, it leaves my hair feeling super soft and manageable with a fruity scent that lingers for a long time (bonus)! I will tell you that I don't use this mask how it says to use it on the label. If you read the label it says to apply mask to wet hair in the shower after shampooing and leave for one minute (mine is a different jar than the picture I just couldn't find the right picture and my camera is dead). I don't do that though! I apply this mask at night to my dry hair, which I pull up into a high pony tail and saturate the ends that stick out. After that I twist my hair into a tight ballet bun and sleep with it in overnight. This is the best way I have found to use this product and gives the best results! I would definitely recommend this mask and probably any of Garnier's mask products because all the ones I have used have had great results. Just remember if you want and extra conditioning treatment, apply it to dry hair and leave overnight!

NYC Matte Bronzer (Sunny) - Rexall $2.15

I got a great deal on all my NYC products, Rexall was having a 30% off sale and these products are already so inexpensive! I saw this bronzer raved about on a YouTube video and was running out of my matte Hoola by Benefit bronzer so I decided to pick this one up! First the sponge is a joke, I threw it out instantly haha, the packaging is so-so, I feel like I'm going to break it everytime I touch it but what matters is whats inside! And what is inside is a pretty decent matte bronzer! This is probably one of the only truly matte bronzers you can find at the drugstores (well, that I have seen anyways) and its a good option! I still prefer my Hoola bronzer but I do use this one. The only problem I have with this bronzer is it is a bit orange/peach and only comes in the one colour. It still looks surprisingly good on skin though as long as you use it sparingly just to warm up your face or as a cheek colour. I haven't decided if I will repurchase this but I will definitely use it and recommend it if you cannot afford the Hoola by Benefit or are looking for an affordable matte bronzer at the drugstore!

Rimmel Recover Anti-Fatigue Concealer (Ivory 100) - London Drugs $6.00

I love love love this concealer! It is great for anything, blemishes, undereye, brightening, WOW! I have eczema around my eyes so I find it very difficult to find anything that won't irritate it further or look excessively cakey and this concealer does neither! It gives just enough coverage without looking fake or concealer-like and has brightening properties that don't look like shimmer or glitter on the skin. The consistency is great, not too liquid, not to cream and it blends great and wears great. I don't know what else to say about this great concealer but I would highly recommend it and will repurchase it. My only small problem is that it only comes in two shades (according to the website) that will only be good for light to light/medium skin so it won't be good for everyone but if you do have a lighter skin tone, do check this out you won't be disappointed! 

Maybelline Define-A-Brow (Dark Brown) - Wal-Mart $7.98

My brows are pretty full to begin with but I have a few sparse sections on the inner corners which is hard to fill in without it looking unnatural. This pencil is super fine and comes in 6 different shades (which is remarkable for a brow pencil) and even comes in blonde and dark blonde shades for lighter hair. I have had a hard time finding a colour to match my brows, they are super dark but not black and most brow products are too light brown or warm brown and I always needed an ash shade. I finally found that with this large colour selection! My mom found a great shade too and she has very light brows so I can honestly recommend this for any hair colour! The tip is great because it makes hair-like strokes and the comb on the other end makes it look even more natural. This is the best brow product I have used so far and recommend it to anyone looking for a great brow pencil!

Rimmel Eyeshadow Single (Dusk) - Wal-Mart $4.98

The colour I purchased is not the same as the one above I just could not find the right photo anywhere! Mine is a matte chocolate brown, which is a surprisingly hard colour to find in a drugstore! I wanted this shadow only to put over my dark brown liner to give it better staying power and it works great for that! Its a really great deep rich colour with great pigment. I don't know if it is completely matte, I see a little shimmer in it but it is definitely more matte than most eyeshadows. I would also recommend this as a good defining crease colour, its really blendable and has good staying power!

That isn't all that I got...(of course) lol but these are the only things I have used enough to be able to give a good/thorough review on! Keep checking back for more reviews and please let me know your drugstore favourites and your experiences with these products if you have tried them! Enjoy!