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?

REP Beauty: Eye Shadows (Review)

Hello everyone! Today I have a review post that I'm very excited about. Back in February I came across this new brand REP Beauty. They are a Canadian company out of Edmonton, Alberta that offers an amazing range of high quality products right in my (previous) own backyard. I entered a Valentine's day contest where you had to share your worst Valentine's Day experience (please don't make me repeat it again haha) and I won - proves how bad my story was! Included in my prize pack were three eyeshadows, two frost and one matte, that I will be reviewing today.

I will admit I don't wear eyeshadow on a daily basis. I usually just throw on some black eyeliner and top it off with black mascara. Simple, and to the point. That being said I've been venturing into eyeshadow lately and forcing myself to wear it more regularly and these shadows have really stood out in my collection.

The first photo in the post is of J'Taime and the second photo is the same in an opened compact. I initially (in the catelogue photo) thought this shade would be much more pink-toned but it leans much more towards a coppery, reddish-pink with gold shimmer. REP Beauty offers its shadows in frost or matte formulations, this one falling into the frost category. 

The next shade I received is Frost Bite - a true white with intense shimmer. I find myself using this one a lot to highlight the inner corner of my eyes and sometimes as an all-over wash of shimmer. This is also part of the frost collection. 

The last shadow shade I received is part of the Matte collection and is in a much bigger pot compared to the frost shades - although the gram weight is the same at 3 grams. This is a true matte shadow with great colour pay off that doesn't look chalky at all. The shade I got is Smoke Signal and is an ashy grey. I expected it to be hard to blend and tricky to work with like a lot of other matte shadows I own but I was pleasantly surprised to find it easy to blend and easy to wear (no creasing or fading). 

As you can see from the swatches the pigmentation in these shadows is great - frost & matte alike. I applied these to my hand with my finger. From left to right is Smoke Signal (Matte), Frost Bite (Frost and J'Taime (Frost). The shimmer in the frost shades is very intense. Usually I find frost shades to fade, only leaving the shimmer behind but these shadows stay true throughout the day (I still suggest using an eye primer or concealer as a base for any shadow). 

Here is a look I created using all three shadows for date I had last night. I blended them out really well as I'm still not completely comfortable with a lot of eyeshadow. I also added a coat of LashBlast mascara by Cover Girl in Blackest Black. 

Overall, these shadows give great colour pay-off, great staying power and a really pretty finish, both from the Matte and Frost formulations. The packaging is classic, glossy black with a flip top lid (Frost) and glossy black with a screw-off lid (Matte). The price is also very reasonable for the quality and quantity at $12.75 for both formulations. REP Beauty offers a huge range of colours and I hope to try many more of them. As of right now, REP Beauty is available online for purchase. Please check them out and support a great Canadian company with really great beauty products. Stay tuned for more REP Beauty product reviews. 

REP Beauty Website

Don't forget to follow them on Twitter and subscribe to their blog while you are visiting the site!

Disclosure: I won these products in a giveaway. All opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation. 

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?

Coach for Estée Lauder Collection

Hi Everyone! Sorry I've been absent for so long, the holidays got away from me - I went into SUPER lazy mode, I don't think I even opened my computer for two weeks straight! (Partially due to the lack of internet when I was up at the Ski Hill!) So, for my coming back I thought I would do an extra special post on one of my most favourite Christmas gifts this year!

This is the Coach for Estée Lauder Collection. This was one of those buy-with-purchase items during the holidays - you know, if you spend blank amount of money you can purchase this collection for blank amount of money. Personally, I had no idea this was out there! If I had known I would have already bought it before Christmas! I have never really used Estée Lauder cosmetics, the only thing I have owned from them was their liquid bronzer from a few (like 6) years back - which was actually really great! Honestly, I would have bought this for the makeup bag alone! How adorable is this little golden bag? It goes especially nicely with the new Coach Handbag I got for Christmas too! :)

(This is not yet a review, but they are to come! :))

Close up!

Cute little Estée Lauder Signature tag, as well as the Coach Signature Leather tag!

Here are a few more pictures of the bag close up, just because I can get enough of it!! Not only did I get this amazing little bag (that is now a staple in my purse) but it came packed with makeup goodies! (Just to let you know - None of these are Limited Edition Colours, all can be bought separately!)

First up is this cute little, luxurious, compact! It is packed with 3 Pure Color Eyeshadows and a Signature Silky Powder Blush. When I first opened this I was shocked at the purple shade - "What is that doing in there?" I thought - it just looks so out of place! But after swatching it, it is actually a gorgeous muted purple that goes great with the other two shadows to create a really different eye look that I would never have thought of! Plus, it looks great with my green eyes! :) (Sorry no swatches, I will tomorrow - my camera battery ran out!) The shades (from left to right) are Ivory Slipper (Satin), Hot Cinnamon (Shimmer) and Amethyst Spark (Shimmer). Oddly enough, when applied these look completely opposite of how they are described! The two that are marked "Shimmer" look like satins with only a slight sheen, while the light "Satin" shade looks like a shimmer! Either way, they are gorgeous and in no way too shimmery or glittery! The blush is a great, everyday Nude Rose. It is matte with no shimmer but the slightest sheen to give it a gorgeous finish that isn't chalky. 

Next up are two of Estée Lauders Pure Color Long lasting Lipsticks. I'm not a big lipstick wearer (as you may know) but these are two really gorgeous and wearable shades that I am definitely going to try out! On the left is Sugar Honey and on the right is Pinkberry. Both shades are much darker than they showed up in the pictures (sorry, flash photography at night!). Sugar Honey is a definite shimmer/frost shade while Pinkberry has no shimmer particles, just a great sort of mauve satin!

Next up is Estée Lauder's Artist's Eye Pencil in 01 Softsmudge Black. I'm a sucker for any black eyeliner - you can never have too many! This one is super soft, doesn't tug at your eyelids and can create a very thin line without wearing down too fast and without being TOO soft! The original Artist Eye Pencil comes with a smudger on the end but thats okay because I rarely smudge my eyeliner anyways. It seem to set really well without smudging after the fact but I have yet to wear it for a full day so that review is to come!

Next is a mini Pure Color Gloss in Wired Copper. I really like the smell of Estée Lauder glosses (smelling this one reminded me that I had a sample of this before!), they are sweet but not candy sweet and isn't overpowering! This color is a full on shimmer with quite a bit of sparkle and a close to metallic finish and very high shine. It isn't very pigmented, more of a traditional gloss - just to add shine to the lips!

This set also came with two mini covered brushes. Although I probably won't use these very much they are great to throw in my little makeup bag for quick touch ups! The eyeshadow brush is very soft and they blush brush could actually apply color nicely!

Overall, I LOVE this set!! I couldn't be happier with it - the Coach makeup bag, the shimmering golden cases and the rich colours are to die for! I will be happy to have this in my purse and I'm so so glad that my mom was able to snap me up one of these! Please keep an eye out for swatches tomorrow!

Did you get any great makeup gifts for Christmas? Let me know! :)

Stila Travel Palette - Fabulous in Fiji

I love these little palettes! If you haven't seen them, they are little "books" from Stila that include 4 shadows and a convertible colour. This is the last (or so I thought..) in the series of 5, called Fabulous in Fiji. (Turns out there is a new one (the sixth) called Adventurous in Aspen..which I now NEED! lol)

As always, this comes with four shadows, a convertible colour and a mirror. I was so excited to finish my collection with this one (although it is now NOT finished lol) and was so happy when I finally found it at Murale in Canada! These all retail for $10 USD and $13 CAD, amazing deal! Of the five I own, this is my VERY LEAST favourite... I actually don't think I will ever use anything from this palette but I needed my collection to be complete! 

Here are the swatches of the shadows and convertible colour. This palette is supposed to be beachy and tropical (like Fiji!) so there are brights and a bronzing colour. The shadows are (from left), Palm, R&R, Wave and Escape  and the convertible colour is called Plumeria. As you can see the colours are very pigmented and very soft feeling, great quality! They also aren't super sparkly, just a pretty shimmer! The convertible colour is kind of orange for a bronzer but blends out nicely (I might use it in the summer). The bright blue in this palette is almost exactly the same as the bright blue in the Trendsetting in Tokyo palette. I'm really not into blue eyeshadow, or green for that matter, so this was more of a "collection" purchase than a "wearing" purchase haha. 

Do you all have any of the Stila Palettes? My favourite is Pretty in Paris (plums and neutrals) - whats yours?

Thanks for reading! XOXO

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?

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!

1st Tarina Tarantino Makeup Purchase!

My First Tarina Tarantino Product!

Hey Girlies! So I'm sure you've all noticed one of the new (in Canada at least) additions to Sephora recently. Tarina Tarantino's makeup brand. She was originally a accessory designed but has now ventured (back) into makeup! Her brand is super girly, glittery and sparkly! I've passed by this display at Sephora many times but had yet to buy a product until now. Most of the products in the line are on the expensive side so I hadn't been able to pick anything up! But, thanks to Sephora's "gift" stand (the area right before the till that ALWAYS gets me!) they are bringing Tarantino makeup at a more affordable price (and I'm sure smaller package!).

Magic Hour Smudge Pen in Silk

What I picked up is this little Magic Hour Smudge Pen. Its a loose eyeshadow applied to a sponge (photo to come) that is available in a variety of very pretty shades! I picked up Silk because of its versatility. I could use it as an all over lid colour or a pretty, shimmery highlight.

Heres what I mean by Sponge

One swipe of the sponge!

The applicator is one of those "spring loaded" sponge tips that dips into the loose shadow in the lid. I really like this type of application and packaging especially for travel! Very clean and compact with no brushes required! These also come in some really pretty darker shades which could create a really pretty, smudgy and smokey eye!

Pros:

- Very pretty colour range

- Price: $10 CAD and $8 USD

- Packaging: clean/sleek and portable

- Great pigment pay off even with lighter shades

- Soft sponge applicator

- Great sheen without being overly shimmer/glittery

Cons:

- Small, little product

- Small colour range 

- May need another brush/sponge to blend (in order to not apply excess product)

- Wearability: will wear off quickly (oily lids) with no primer

Overall, this is a cute little product thats great for travel and touchups! I am glad I bought this and might go pick up a couple more in different colours! I would suggest adding one of these to your purchase from Sephora when you pass by their "impulse buy" stands! haha (theres no way around them!) If you have some of these I would love to see other colours! What do you guys think? Will you buy?

NYX Eyeshadow Base - Skin Tone

Hey Ladies! I'm always looking for a product thats going to make my eyeliners/eyeshadows stay on longer, (well, I'm always looking for products in general, lol) so I'm constantly trying out new "primers", "bases", "potions" etc.! Here is one I picked up from NYX, which is actually my ONLY NYX product because I can't get my hands on much here in Canada :(!

NYX Eyeshadow Base - Skin Tone

This eyeshadow base comes in a pot, much like MAC paintpots or Sephoras Eye Primer Pot. I'm not a huge fan of things in pots because my nails are a little long and I hate digging my fingers in them! I also don't really like applying this with a brush, I don't really know why I just find it blends in better with my fingers! 

Side view of the little pot

Having said that I don't like pots, I generally like the consistency of eye primers in pots better! I find that the thicker textured primers keep my eye products on better than the thinner ones in tubes.

Swatched

When you apply this on it comes out a nice flesh tone and blends in completely (just like UDPP and TooFaced Shadow Insurance!) Lets look at the pros and cons:

Pros

- My shadow didn't smudge or move (AS MUCH!) There was still slight movement, but again, my eyelids are very oily

- It has a great texture, thick but light feeling

- Comes in different colours

- Good Size for the price

- Inexpensive (and widely available for my USA friends!)

- Evens out my eyelid colour (which is great because they tend to be dark!)

Cons

- My shadows and liners still moved a bit (very oily lids though!)

- Not available in Canada in Stores
- Didn't really find it "intensified" my colours

I don't have many cons! It performed quite well! I always take into consideration that my eyelids seem to be excessively oily (no eye primers have ever worked flawlessly for me!) I think this is a really good option for an inexpensive eye primer and would be especially good if you had dry-normal skin on your lids! It does help shadow and liner last longer and it does even out the surface of your lids which is what an eye primer is supposed to do! Another great thing about this primer is it is available in different colours. It comes in White to make vivid colours pop, Pearl to enhance the shimmer in shadows and the skin tone for an original eye base. Overall, with this being one of my few NYX purchases I am definitely wanting to try more. I hope our selection in Canada gets widened soon! :) What do you all think of NYX products? Have you tried this primer? Let me know! :)