January Favourites - Makeup

Hey everyone!

I usually try to come up with witty or fun titles for my posts but there isn't much you can do for "January Favourites" so, straight and to the point it is! I haven't done a favourites post in a long time but I decided I should, not just for you guys but for me to see what I'm really consistently using. As you might be able to tell some of these products are "well loved" and not in the best shape but hey, it means they are great and getting used! So, lets start:

The first photo is things that I turn to on an everyday basis for my face:

1. Tarte Smooth Operator Illuminating Serum

2. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light Plus

3. Revlon ColorStay Foundation Normal/Dry in Buff

5. Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer in Light

6. Lush Colour Supplements in Light Yellow

7. NYC Mosaic Colour Wheel in Translucent Highlighter Glow

I actually use the Color Wheel for a bronzer. You know you're pale when you use a product called "Translucent Highlighter Glow" as a bronzer.. haha

Favourite Blush:

Hard Candy Baked Blush in Living Doll

Favourite Eye Products:

1. Cover Girl LashBlast Volume in Very Black

2. Cover Girl LashBlast Fusion in Very Black

3. Revlon ColorStay Eyeliner in Black

4. Natural Beauty by Carmindy Concealer in All Over Brightener

Favourite Lip Products:

1. Yes To Carrots Berry Lip Butter (I like the Carrot one too)

2. LipFusion lip plumper in Clear

These were the products I really and truly reached for on a daily basis. There were many other products thrown into the mixed and even used often but these stood out. If you'd like a detailed review on any of these please let me know!

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! 

Best of 2010 - Face Primers

Hi ladies! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know some of you were probably out hitting the malls for some last minute shopping (I know I was!) and I hope you are now on vacation! Christmas is SO close I can't believe it - I hope I'm prepared! haha

As it is so close to the end of the year, I am doing some posts about my favourites of 2010! This post will round up my favourite facial primers - yes I said primer-s, there is more than one! ;)

Honestly, I only really started using primers this year. I have really oily skin and always found that even though primers said they were mattifying, they weren't. I would end up an oily mess by the end of the day or worse they would make me completely break out! So, the above picture is of all the primers I have accumulated this year from left to right: Tarte ReCreate Primer, CoverFX Skin Prep, Fusion Beauty Acne Control Primer, CoverFX Clear Prep, Clinique Pore Minimizer, Hard Candy Sheer Envy. I'm only going to show my favourites on this post! :)

First up is CoverFX Clear Prep. This is not only a foundation primer but an anti-acne treatment as well! Thats honestly what sold me on this product (and the sales girl at Murale said it was amazing!). This has a clear, super smooth texture - much like other silicone primers, but much lighter. It sinks into the skin and doesn't feel like there is anything on your face (bonus for us oily girls!). This also has really helped with my complexion and my skin looks much clearer (with continued use, like any skin care product!) The more I use this, the more I love it! I actually also use this at night as an acne treatment. It keeps me matte and fresh while fighting blemishes and I don't wake up with an oil slick on my face! As a primer this also works great! My foundation glides on much smoother and wears a lot longer than without primer!

Next up is Fusion Beauty Prime Results Acne Control Primer. The best invention of 2010 has got to be these anti-acne primers! This is Fusion Beauty's contender and it is a great one! This primer has a lotion-like texture as opposed to a silicone and sinks into skin very easily and completely. It has a yellow tint to counteract redness (from acne), which really does calm down the face! It contains salicylic acid and other known anti-acne properties and calming ingredients. Depending on the kind of texture I want on my face that particular day, I waver between both of these primers pretty much equally! They are both amazing options for oily or acne-prone skin! (Oh and did I mention both Canadian brands?!)

Last, but CERTAINLY not least is Clinique Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector. This is a much smaller tube than other primers on the market and is also a little different than regular primers. I like to think of this as a spot treatment or "spackle" for the face. It fills in pores like NOTHING else! I only use this around my nose and maybe my forehead to camouflage large pores and control shine. Instead of rubbing this onto the skin, you "pat" it on to fill in pores. This makes my face look absolutely flawless and keeps shine at bay all day. I usually use this over top of one of my other primers because they don't do as good of a job of filling in pores. You can use this over makeup as well, like a finishing powder - which I regularly do! If you have medium/large pores this is a must!

These are swatches of my three go-to primers! Left to right: Clinique Pore Minimizer, Fusion Beauty Acne Control Primer and CoverFX Clear Prep. As I hope you can see, the Clinique is more of a "balm" consistency that is a dry finish. The Fusion is a very light lotion and the CoverFX is a clear silicone feel. 

These are the swatches spread onto my hand. Hopefully you can see how the consistency changes. The Clinique ends up being a complete "powder" feel, which I love! The other two soak completely into the skin with no tacky feel so they are lovely for oily skin! Overall, I'm so happy that these companies have come out with primers for acne-prone skin and oily skins! I hope there are more great ones coming up in the next year! What are your favourite primers? Do you use a primer?

Hard Candy - So Baked Bronzer Review

Hey Everyone! As you all might know, I love the Hard Candy line from Wal-Mart and have been snatching up new products here and there! I'm very sad that the new collection (including Glamoflauge and Hide and Go Cheek) isn't in Canadian Wal-Marts yet, but hope it is soon! So here is a bronzer I picked up recently by Hard Candy in the shade Tropics (second lightest).

So Baked - Tropics

Alternative View

Like my last review, I will do the pro's and cons as well as an overall description of the product! According to Hard Candy's web site (Click to go to the bronzer page) this bronzer states:

"Get baked - not fried. Baked to create a beautiful, dewy yet matte finish, the infused color found in this compact gives the complexion a hint of bronzed color for a sun-kissed look. Add a second layer of color for a deeper shade of bronze."

After reading some reviews on other blogs, I realized this probably wouldn't be as pigmented as I am used to in a bronzer. I picked up the second lightest as I am very pale but there are options for all skin types! I wanted to try for myself and this is what I think:

Pros:
- Gives a gorgeous, not too shimmery glow
- Realistic bronze colour
- Feels great on skin
- Comes in a variety of shades for every skin tone
- Blends great, never looks patchy

Cons:
- Packaging: all the silver and writing comes off the front which is sad because I love the design!
- Internal Packaging: Domed powder is great, but tends to make a mess when swirling the brush on top because of low side lips.
- Can be too "glowy" for oily skin (obviously not a con for everyone!)

REALLY pretty finish/Mattifies skin then adds Shimmer

As you can see, I don't have very many cons for this product! I think it is a really well thought out and well executed product with a few minor flaws in the packaging (which doesn't really matter because the product is great!) I would repurchase this for my "shimmery" bronzer and the price is great at $8.98 CAD. I also might pick up the lightest shade (Tiki) and use it for an all over glow or highlighter. (like a MAC mineralize skin finish!)