i heart beauty blender

So I never really got the whole "apply makeup with a damp sponge for a flawless face" thing. I originally tried this with those little triangle makeup sponges, but I don't know where I went wrong, because once that water hits those things, it is like you are hosing down a pack of wild dogs. They stink.

THEN I bought the Sonia Kashuk beauty blender dupe at Target in the States, and honestly, it really didn't do much. Needless to say it did not give me that porcelain finish I was after. I had all but given up hope... until I met the much blogged about beauty blender.

Bargin bin finds!

At 75% off how could I resist?

I found this GOSH compact in Modest Liberty near the bottom. I thought the colour palette was nice, with soft grey's and pinks. The pigmentation on these is alright, they aren't the most pigmented but they blend really well, and give a nice soft finish to the lid. BUT what really sold me was the little light on the mirror! You know for all those times you get stuck applying your eyeshadow in the dark.... Nifty.


Also I picked up a Jumbo Lip Gloss Pencil in Gypsy Red from GOSH as well. This is a really creamy red. It is easy to apply but it can be tricky to wear, as it is so creamy the colour can wander outside your lip line, perhaps a liner would help with this. Reminds me of those Nars Velvet Lip Gloss Pencils...I will have to get one and compare.

How have you been? Do you ever hit up the bargin bins?

MAC me over

I picked up a few things from the new MAC collection. Over all, I wasn't super impressed with MAC me over, it was a very large collection but nothing really jumped out at me. I am trying to build up my core collection and not get too distracted by the collections.

One item that I knew I wanted was the 226 brush. I smaller version of the 224, this brush does it all. It applies highlight, lid and crease colour really well. I am really happy with it, and considering picking up another one...

MAC 224 left, MAC 226 right

My first Luxe Box...

A week ago I received my first Luxe Box by Loose Buttons. This is a box filled with 3-5 deluxe sample products ranging from perfume to moisturizers to makeup. Loose Buttons is a Canadian brand, but I do believe that there are a wide variety of these types of companies throughout the USA and Britain.

You subscribe to Loose Buttons like you would a magazine. It costs 12$ a month and you can choose either 1, 3, or a 12 month subscription. The shipping is free, which is Canada is really great. Now on with the good stuff.

There's just something about OPI's Skull & Glossbones...

"Find a penny pick it uuuu....AGH! I chipped my nail polish!" This pretty much describes the relationship I have with nail polish, until I bought OPI's Skull & Glossbones.

Is this some super powerful new nail polish blend? Does it have an adamantium core? No no, nothing like that. It just wears really well.

Back 2 Mac

Do you stroll into MAC and feel completely and utterly lost? Even after you have spent countless hours on blogs, youtube, makeupalley, reading up on products? For me it is like I am a kid in a candy store and I can't decide what I want. Normally, I am pretty fearless, I know what I want and nothing is going to stand in my way...but at MAC I am so overwhelmed, I want everything...(hence MAClust).

I am a huge fan of the Back 2 MAC program, it is one of the reasons why MAC is my favourite brand. So recently, I hauled in 18 items to MAC. I was nervous that they wouldn't take back my eyeshadows with the pan missing (as I depotted it) but I had no trouble. I feel like the "MAC won't return eyeshaows without the pan" is some cruel ubran myth that was generated on the internet.

Quarry and Handwritten ended up following me home. Quarry is a mauvey grey and Handwritten appears almost like a deep brown purple, but when swatched it is more brown than purple. Both are matte but Handwritten is classified as a Matte^2 (squared), which is intensely more pigmented than regular matte shadows. A gal could run into trouble with these if she isn't careful, these are great shadows for in the crease.

Left Quarry, Right Handwritten

Z palette thoughts

So...when your makeup collection reaches a certain...fullness, some choose to move to a new home where closets and counterspace are plentiful, others (like me) buy palettes. I have several MAC palettes that I use, but I can't bring myself to pop off the dividers and take advantage of just the magnetic pan underneath (I am a neat freak at heart). So, at Imats Vancouver 2011, I took advantage of the Z palette vendors and bought 2.

Gets dirty like a mutha..

The large zebra print was priced at $21 dollars while the smaller leopard print at $14. I consider this a bargin considering it is really difficult to find a online supplier for this in Canada, not to mention the shipping can be pricey.

Compared to MAC palette, size

Favourites Cup and unexpected FOTD

Remember the movie Practical Magic? With Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman? I watched it last night after reading the book that I dug up at a second hand bookstore. It still has to be one of my favourite films, I love it, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

I have a little china tea cup that is always in my bathroom. It really doesn't seem to have a purpose, it just lives in my bathroom, so I will put it to use and dub it my Favourites Cup.

Favourites Cup

Will You Do The Fandango For Nyx's Bohemian Rhapsody?

Less theatrical than Queen (sorry Freddie) and leaning hard on the bohemian, this 10 colour palette is your one stop shop for matte and shimmer eyeshadows alike.

10 Color Eyeshadow Palette The Runway Collection - Bohemian Rhapsody

With 5 matte shades on the bottom including a black, peachy nude and cool brown, and 5 shimmer shades on top featuring silver, taupe and pink, pack liner, mascara and you're good to go!

My dry lips say, yes please, to Nyx's Soft Matte Lip Cream

Visions of a perfect matte pout, for me, seemed as unlikely as finding a good nail polish colour at the bottom of a half off bin.That is until I picked of 3 of Nyx's Soft Matte Lip Creams at Imats Vancouver 2011.

Right to left: Istanbul, Amsterdam, Stockholm

These babies stood out from the rest of the afore posted hoard, making me wish I had of gone back for more. It was difficult to know if these would be a hit or miss, as Nyx did not have any..sanitary ways of testing this product (there was no way a TESTER doefoot applicator was going anywhere near my mouth). After several swatches appeared promising, I took the plunge. 

Right to Left: Amsterdam, Stockholm, Istanbul

"It's not lipstick, nor is it gloss. It's

 like nothing you've experienced 

before. It's lipstick cream that goes 

on silky but looks soft matte."

Imats Hoard - Ben Nye

Hellloo August!

Hope you had a lovely weekend! Happy BC Day if you are Canadian...and from BC of course. It has been pretty hot here, finally!

I decided to test out my new Ben Nye eyeshadows, that I got at Imats Vancouver 2011. The deal was that if you bought 4 of any pan colour (which were a steal at 6$ each) then you would get the palette for free.

 The palette is magnetic and has small pinholes in the back that can be used to pop the colour out of the palette.

Top Left: Bahama Blue, Top Right: Royal Purple,
Bottom Left: Caribbean, Bottom Right: Fuschia 

The colours I got were Caribbean - green, Royal Purple - purple, Fuschia - pink, Bahama Blue - blue.

The pink was actually a blush, but it can be used for either a blush or an eyeshadow. This bright colour would look amazing on darker skin tones.

Left to Right: Bahama Blue, Royal Purple, Caribbean, Fuschia

So bright outside!

Eyes: My Ben Nye palette of course. Blue on the lid, Purple in the crease, Green underneath the eyes. Black in outer V, and shimmery white brow highlight. Nyx white eyeshadow base, Nyx Milk Jumbo pencil, Physicians Formula Black eyeliner, L'Oreal Intense Black Liquid Liner, L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara, MAC demi lashes.

Excuse the brows, I'm growing them out, I'm beginning to think that even though the lash glue says clear, you pretty much always need to go over it otherwise it looks white

Face: Nars Sheer Glow in Deauville (oh just wait for the review on this!), Hard Candy blush in PinUp, Hoola Bronzer

Lips: H&M Lipgloss in Jet Set Queen

Now how to make this look wearable!

Hope you are having a good day. I haven't been very productive. Damn Shark Week! I can't tear myself away!

-Emily

Imats hoard - brushes (and welcome)

Hello lovely ladies!

It is nice to see some new faces around here and let me be the first to welcome you to my lil makeup corner of the internet! :)  Alright, on with the show!

Brushes

At Imats Vancouver there were a few vendors selling brushes including Crown brushes, Royal & Langnickel (which I believe are one of the imats sponsors) and another Japanese brand which I had not heard of (Haruhodo?).

At first I went to Crown, but was rather disappointed at the quality of their brushes. I could see some of the display brushes already shedding and the bristles felt rather rough and scratchy.

The Japanese brand brushes were incredibly soft and well made but at close to a hundred dollars per brush (and those were imats prices!) I felt I could find a better deal elsewhere.

SO off to Royal & Langnickel it was. I found they had the largest selection of brushes. Their stand included brushes ranging from synthetic to natural bristles, different colours, different sets, and at a variety of price ranges which was nice.

Here is what I hauled!

Silk Collection- Pointed Dome Powder C130 

I really wanted this brush to be like the MAC 138 tapered brush that I often see Tanya from Pixi2woo use for bronzer and highlight but I don't think it is a dupe. The bristles on this brush are far too long and it isn't as pointed. I think this brush would be better for applying loose powder (like the names says).

Silk Collection - Foundation C141

This flat top kabuki like brush is one my cousin swears by to apply her foundation. It feels pretty soft and has densely packed bristles. I have given it a try with my foundation and it seemed to work even on my dry skin but time will have to tell on this one.

Silk Collection - Contour Blush C125

This brush, like the pointed dome, has those long bristles which give a very light application. I think I prefer a brush with shorter bristles for more control, but we shall see...

Silk Collection - Blush Brush C190

Okay, this brush is da bomb. It makes the others look like a joke! Did I really need another blush brush? No, (espc. considering I wear mostly cream blushes) But this brush stands out from the rest. I think that this must be natural bristles, while the others are synthetic, because it is SO soft! When I saw it I couldn't put it down. I love how soft it is and how it is cut into a perfectly tapered dome. If I had of gone back for day 2 at imats I would have looked for more brushes like these. I don't even want to use it...

Silk Collection - Crease C430

MAC 224 on right, C430 on left

Can't have too many of these blending type brushes. Here it is compared to the MAC224. It isn't quite as full and is shorter..

Silk Collection - Brow/Lash Groomer C521-S

A pretty boring brush, yet very difficult to find. You would think I would be able to pick up one of these bad boys at any drugstore but no...

All in all I think these brushes cost me under 60$. Not too shabby!

-Emily

IMATS HOARD!!! (and 10 things I learned from my first Imats)

Seems like so little, but it was so much!

10 Things I learned:

1. DO have an idea of what you want, so you spend less time fumbling around.

2. DO wear comfy shoes.

3. DO (do?) a lap of the floor and check for vendors carrying similar items, as they will often mark their products down for competition sake, and you won't risk paying more.

4. DO buy something if it is an original, DON'T wait or you might miss out (my small stippling brush)

5. DO take a small cross body purse, bags are provided there.

6.Do say Hi! to fellow bloggers, vloggers and guru's, don't be shy (like me)

7. Do start with the vendors/products that you don't see everyday

8. Do go early!

9. Do go for BOTH days. I found that once I got home there were a few products that stood out from the hourd. I would have liked to go back and purchase more the second day.

10. Do stop, enjoy, and take pictures! (which I didn't do enough of!)

I wish I could write more but I am soooo tired!!!! It has been a long day! There will be a further breakdown of what I got, thoughts and reviews!

All in all I had an amazing time! I am in makeup shock! (my wallet will require some CPR as well)

Talk to you soon!

Top 10 Nail polishes for Summer!

Here is a list of my favourite nail polish colours, every colour of the rainbow in fact, from my collection.

Best RED: Orly's Monroe's Red is that perfect cherry poppin' red with a creamy laquered finish, a la Marilyn.

Best Orange: GOSH's Peachy is my favourite. It isn't a true Tang kinda orange but, more a softer, smoother Orange Float with extra ice cream colour. yum

Best Pink: China Glaze's Flip Flop Fantasy. Do you look like you could pass for a vampire extra on True Blood? Not with this colour. It is like Insta Tan, even on the fairest of the fair. It is a unique super bright warm pink, with almost a coral undertone.

Left to Right: Orly Monroe's Red, GOSH Peachy, China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy

Best Yellow: Orly's Spark is a bright banana yellow that calls for a Pina Colada in one hand and a bottle of Banana Boat SPF 30 in the other. Don't worry, I'll do your back. 

Best Green: Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear's Mint Sorbet: I just got this, and I love it! It is that creamy light green colour, without a trace of blue. Cool and refreshing, just like the name says.

Left to Right: Orly Spark, Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet

Best Blue: China Glaze's  Blue Sparrow is a true American blue ( a little late on this post). It reminds me of the fourth of July with its glittery formula. 3 coats and a top coat, are a must for this polish, but don't let that deter you, a welcome change from the baby blues of summer.

Best...other blue: GOSH's Ocean. Okay okay, I could not pick just one blue! This one is so unique with its swirling green and blue colour and almost a duochrome finish. This is probably what a mermaids tail looks like.

Best Purple: China Glaze's Flying Dragon, a kick ass neon purple infused with purple and blue glitter. Top coat and several layers are a must for this polish, but it is well worth the wait. Go purple or go home!

Left to Right: GOSH Ocean, China Glaze Blue Sparrow, China Glaze Flying Dragon

Best Metallic: Revlon's Copper Penny, a rich glitter packed colour that applies like no body's business! Find one, pick it up, and all summer you will have good luck!

Best Nude: Essie's Topless and Barefoot, looks especially wicked on my tanned tootsies, a great nude with no brown undertones, wears well by itself but looks especially gorgeous under...

Left to Right: Essie Topless and Barefoot, Revlon Copper Penny

OPI's Teenage Dream by Katy Perry, a light pick packed with pink and iridescent glitter. Forget Teenage, this fun colour will look good on any age!

OPI Teenage Dream by Katy Perry

Okay, so this was more like Top 11 polishes, but it doesn't have quite the same ring to it, does it?

What polishes are you loving for summer?

In's and Out's

In

• Liquid eyeliner
• Neon, bright nails
• Tinted moisturizers
• Chocolate croissants
• True blood series
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Rings - espc. big ones

Out

• Gel liner ( for the life of me, I cannot get a good line right now)
• Mascara on the bottom lashes - soooo heavy for summer
• Dry skin
• Pancake makeup face
• TV medical shows ( it is getting old)

I thought I would share.

Canucks Game 7 Makeup

Hey all.
I missed a game 6 look, too busy :( But I am really pleased with this one.
I wanted a really grungy, messy look. All the others were so clean and nicely blended and such...this look is very dirty... I like it.

Eyes

Wet'n'Wild
Pride Palette
NYX
Jumbo Eyeliner in Milk and Pots'n'pans
L'Oreal 
Voluminous Mascara 

Intense eyelinerArdell Lashes
Sparkles


Face

Stila 
One step foundation in medium
BeneFit
Hoola Bronzer
MAC
Stereo Rose

Go Canucks Go!

Canucks Game 5 Makeup

I feel like this ended it up looking a little '90's ghetto. What with the dark lip, defined eyebrows, and Canucks tuque:

This look really makes you take your brows into account. Which I am not happy with at the moment.
I think out of my entire routine, my brows are the feature that I struggle with the most. Even though they are the most important.

Brows

Wet'n'Wild
Pride Palette
NYX
Jumbo Eyeliner in Milk


Eyes


L'Oreal 
Voluminous Mascara
MAC
Lashes unknown
Urban Decay e/s
Half Baked
Naked

Face

Stila 
One step foundation in medium
BeneFit
Hoola Bronzer
MAC
Stereo Rose

Lips


MAC

Dark deed

Go Canucks Go!
PS: Happy Friday!!

Canucks Game 4 Makeup

After such a disappointing loss on Monday I though I should do a bit of a tough look for the next game, we have a black and blue smokey eye, with green glitter;

This series is sure testing my skills, which I like. It is good practice.

Products Used:

Eyes

Wet'n'Wild
Pride Palette Greed Palette 

L'Oreal 
Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner in Black
Voluminous Mascara
MAC

She Who Dares

Face

MAC

Studio Fix fluid in NW15

BeneFit

Hoola Bronzer

MAC

Cubic

Lips

GOSH

Darling lipstick

Stila

...pink lipgloss...

The glitter is actually green but the camera isn't picking it up..it isn't picking up the amount either...

SIGH!

All this work.

GO CANUCKS GO!

Canucks Game 3 Makeup

A pinup inspired white cut crease with blue and green;

I am really happy with this look, although it is appearing really blue in the pictures..it is more defined in real life. This was my first cut crease!

I knew I wanted to use a matte white for this look but I really didn't want to go buy a bunch of highend makeup. I went to the drugstore and started swatching whites, I ended up buying one from NYC, because it was the best I could find, but when I got home I knew it wouldn't work for this look.

 THEN, I remembered Wet n Wild! I rushed out and bought their Pride palette and not only does it have a fantastic matte white, but it has greens and blues I can use for this series too. They should rename it Canucks Pride palette. ;)

Wet'n'Wild on the Left, NYC on the right

I like the makeup brush hair I have stuck to my face, adds a little something extra ya know?

Products Used:

Eyes

Wet'n'Wild
Pride Palette
NYX
Jumbo Eyeliner in Milk
L'Oreal 
Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner in Black
Voluminous Mascara
Clinique
Gel eyeliner in Black
Ardell  Lashes
Demi Wispies 

Face

Stila 
One step foundation in medium
BeneFit
Hoola Bronzer
MAC
Hang Loose
Lips

Revlon
Lip stain in Passion
Stila
...pink lipgloss...

The best representation of the blue and green!

Go Canucks Go!