All posts by Chelle

What I Bought This Month – January 2017 Haul

January 30, 2017HaulsMACChelle

January haul time! Here’s everything I bought or was gifted this past month!

For anyone new here: these posts include things I have either purchase myself, been given by friends or family (as gifts or sometimes PR samples they did not need/want/did not match skintone-wise) – these posts will never include something I was sent directly by a PR company.

Color Club - Magic Attraction ($8.95 CAD each) — Color Club – Magic Attraction ($8.95 CAD each)

I finally ran out of all of my holographic silver glitter polishes, and was trying to hunt down some in the drug store. I don’t know what’s happened, but they don’t seem to exist anymore! I ended up buying a bunch of the Color Club Magic Attraction polishes on NailPolishCanada.com and I have to say… I’m not a fan. I had spent a lot of hours online trying to find out if it was the right kind of silver holo glitter for my toes (which is all I wear on them) and as it turns out it’s got silver holo glitter… but there’s also red glitter in it? It’s kind of weird, it adds a pink tinge to the product. I could get over that, except that the polish has horrendous staying power. It’ll last maybe a day or two on my toe nails before half a nail will chip off (whereas most brands last at least five days – the better ones will last 8). Sadly, I’ve now got four bottles of the stuff and no desire to use it. UGH.

Huda Beauty - Samantha lashes ($8 CAD) — Huda Beauty – Samantha lashes ($8 CAD)

This was SUCH a random item. I was scouring the Bunz Makeup Facebook Group (are you in Toronto??? If so, LOOK IT UP!) one evening and someone was saying they wanted something like eight bucks for this brand new pair of Huda Beauty lashes. I messaged them and we agreed to meet up, etc. But upon further discussion we actually learned WE LIVED IN THE SAME BUILDING and she actually lived in MY OLD UNIT. (We moved to a larger unit in the same building a few years ago.) So I ran down to her apartment at like midnight that evening and gave her some cash and scored my lashes. What a bizarre coincidence!

MAC Turquatic Perfume (free - gift) — MAC Turquatic Perfume (free – gift)

I’ve run through multiple bottles of MAC‘s Turquatic perfume over the years and my mom picked me up a new bottle of it (I was out of it yet again) for my birthday this past month! Love, love, LOVE this scent!

QUO - Nail Polish Remover ($3.99 CAD) — QUO – Nail Polish Remover ($3.99 CAD)

Grabbed another bottle of QUO‘s nail polish remover since I also ran out of the last bottle.

Since my birthday is in January, I snatched up the tarte 2017 birthday gift from Sephora. It has the blush “Party” and the lip paint in “Birthday Suit”.

All said and, supposedly, done, I was going to resist the Urban Decay Afterdark palette. But But I kept playing around with my Electric palette and I feel like they’re kind of brother and sister, so I decided to pick up this one after all. Plus, Rebekah is the devil and kept showing me her awesome looks with this palette!

In the end, it may have the same kind of packaging that the Electric palette has, but the Afterdark palette is not similar at all in my opinion. The Electric palette has matte shades in it which really help to make the palette more versatile. This Afterdark palette is ONLY shimmery shades which I think is just a bit too much overkill. I do love the shades, and I’m happy to have a backup of Fringe (such an amazing colour), but I really wish they had made the textures somewhat different. There will be a Challenge Week coming up for this palette as well!

Marcelle Hydra C - Daily Radiance Scrub (free) — Marcelle Hydra C – Daily Radiance Scrub (free)

The next few items are a bunch of items that my friend (and YouTuber) Samantha didn’t want, so I was happily shopping her stash for these! First up is the Marcelle Hydra C Daily Radiance Scrub. I have a bunch of facial scrubs sitting in my closet waiting to be used, but I am always happy to add more to the back of the line! (There’s something about skincare I have hoarding tendencies for…)

Another one from Sam! I love my Bioderma so, so much, but I’m always curious to try other brands out as well. We’ll see how the Garnier Micellar Water works out!

The Body Shop Frosted Berries Foaming Bath (free)

The Body Shop always puts out amazing products for the holiday season, and I’m happy Sam passed on the Frosted Berries Foaming Bath to me. Shower gel never quite gets as many bubbles going as a proper bubble bath product can, so I’m always ecstatic to have more of this kind of product!

Revlon Colorstay Brow Pencil in Blonde (free)

Sam doesn’t have blonde brows, so I was the easy option for this Revlon Brow Pencil. And so far, I’ve been quite pleased with it! The tone isn’t too warm and although it’s a bit of an odd shape (larger than the micro pencils I’m accustomed to) I still find it works out pretty well!

And finally, the last item I snagged from Sam is this Konjac Sponge. I’ve heard people mention this off and on for use with their facial cleanser. I’ve always use only my hands to wash my face so I’m not sure I really want to add in an extra step with a sponge… BUT, I will say that this sponge feels WONDERFUL on my face as I’m using it to scrub my face wash in. I don’t always love the added step, but it does feel good!

Earth Therapeutics - Refreshing Green Tea Mask (free - gift) — Earth Therapeutics – Refreshing Green Tea Mask (free – gift)

My brother-in-law thoughtfully sent me a few green tea face masks for Christmas! There’s five in the pack which is nice since with face masks you generally just get… like… what? A single item?

MAC Patentpolish in Tumbleweed, MAC Huggable Lipcolour in Cantonese Carnation and MAC lipstick in Ablaze (free - swap) — MAC Patentpolish in Tumbleweed, MAC Huggable Lipcolour in Cantonese Carnation and MAC lipstick in Ablaze (free – swap)

This was soooo random! Mel from I’m Not A Beauty Guru and I had done a swap for some items (she gave me some wine for my IT Cosmetics CC cream) and she ALSO showed up with these MAC items she’s gotten at the warehouse sale in one of their charity bags! I was so surprised! I mean… that’s a heck of a lot of MAC items! There’s the patentpolish in Tumbleweed, the huggable lip colour in Cantonese Carnation, and, the item I’m most excited about… the matte lipstick in Ablaze! I’ve been wanting Ablaze for a while and just never got around to picking it up! Yay!

And there we have all of the new beauty goodies I’ve amassed throughout January! Have you bought anything in January that you’re super excited about? Let me know!

Swatch Sunday: Mary Kay Pure Dimensions Eye Palettes

January 29, 2017Makeup, SwatchesMary KayChelle

Mary Kay Pure Dimensions Eye Palettes

Brands may already be talking about spring products, but since it’s still firmly winter in my book, I’m swatching up the winter release palettes by Mary Kay. The Pure Dimensions Eye Palettes are silky smooth and are absolutely stunning to look at (although you’ll need some mattes to get a completely comprehensive look since these are all shimmery!).

Mary Kay Pure Dimensions Eye Palette Swatches

Mary Kay - Paris Starlight — Mary Kay – Paris Starlight

Mary Kay - Paris Starlight - Swatches — Mary Kay – Paris Starlight – swatches

Mary Kay - Moroccan Dunes — Mary Kay – Moroccan Dunes

Mary Kay - Moroccan Dunes - swatches — Mary Kay – Moroccan Dunes – swatches

Mary Kay - Maui Gardens — Mary Kay – Maui Gardens

Mary Kay - Maui Gardens - swatches — Mary Kay – Maui Gardens – swatches

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

Skincare Saturday: Live Clean Fresh Face

January 28, 2017SkincareLive CleanChelle

In terms of brands that continue to impress me with each new product release, Live Clean has got to be near the very top of that list. Each new release leaves me nodding my head going “yes, oh yes”. The Fresh Face range is 98% plant derived, paraben-, phthalate- and petroleum-free, and hypoallergenic. And to add onto all of that, these products do not break the bank at all, which is such a relief!

Live Clean - Foaming Daily Cleanser — Live Clean – Foaming Daily Cleanser

You know what’s nice? A face cleanser you don’t have to faf around with. The Foaming Daily Cleanser is exactly that: faf-free. It’s easy to use (thank you pump!), it smells good (light, airy, slightly aquatic and slightly… musty? Weird to say, I know, but I liked it) and just all around nice. This is the kind of facial cleanser you can rely on to do the job: clean your face and leave it feeling fresh.

Sidenote, I have tried the Hydrating Creamy Cleanser from this same range and wasn’t in love with it. This Foaming Daily Cleanser was totally different and was much nicer in my opinion.

The Live Clean Refreshing Facial Wipes are hypoallergenic, are 98% plant derived and come with 30 wipes per package (THANK YOU, LIVE CLEAN! I am eternally annoyed with the brands who only put 25 wipes in a pack!). These are mostly billed as a product to remove your face of impurities, choosing to list “removing makeup” as the last thing on their list. So in my eyes, these aren’t really what I’m looking for in a wipe (which is, to say, that I want it to actually remove all of my makeup), but that’s okay, because I remember when I wore less makeup on my face and I just wanted a wipe to refresh my skin. I remember starting a job in my mid-twenties when I didn’t wear foundation, blush or bronzer and I just wanted a skin pick-me-up throughout the day. I used to use facial wipes for that reason – it was an easy way to “wake up” my skin in the middle of the work day when I was feeling tired and dirty. So that’s what these wipes are to me – a skin renewer throughout the day. (And yes, I did try these a few times as a makeup remover and I just feel they didn’t take enough off.)

The final item I tried out in the Fresh Face range was the Soothing Daily Moisturizer. And really, it ticked all the necessary boxes in my book:

smelled nice, but was not overpowering
hydrating, but not greasy
squeezable bottle (I really don’t like pots that I have to stick my hands in)

It’s a no muss, no fuss moisturizer which is exactly what I need. If you’re super dry though, you may find that this isn’t thick enough.

So have you tried Live Clean yet? Let me know your thoughts on this brand!

The products featured in this post were sent to me for consideration.

VIDEO: My MAC Lipstick Collection + Giveaway!

January 26, 2017YouTubeMACChelle

As I said in the video, I’m going to do a giveaway with some of my Back2MAC items and that means lipsticks for you guys!

I’ll be returning enough product to MAC to get four lipsticks. I’ve pre-selected two shades: Russian Red and Relentlessly Red because they are my absolute favourite colours. But I’m also giving you the opportunity to choose two shades as well! (Please visit this MAC Cosmetics page to see your options.)

Giveaway Rules

This giveaway is open internationally!
This giveaway starts on January 26, 2017 and runs for two weeks.
Please be aware that all entries will be double checked to ensure fairness.
One winner will win four MAC lipsticks. Two shades have been pre-selected by me (Russian Red and Relentlessly Red), you will be able to choose the other two shades.
- Shades selected by the winner MUST be from MAC’s regular lineup of black bullet lipsticks. Please visit this MAC Cosmetics page to see your options.
- Please also note that since these are Back2MAC items, they will come without a box.
The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my e-mail. If they fail to respond within that time frame, I will pick another prize winner. (And so on.)
“Giveaway accounts” will not be considered for this prize. (If you want to know what I mean by that, please click here.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Galentine’s Day Gift Set with iHerb

January 25, 2017MiscellaneousChelle

Galentine's Day Gift Basket

This post is sponsored by iHerb.com.

I think we can safely say that Valentine’s Day has evolved to include friends and family over the years, not just those with whom we’re romantically involved! For this post, I’ve put together a gift set as a Galentine’s Day present for a dear friend who also happens to love beauty. I’ve collected these items via iHerb.com (more details on that below), and I’m confident a beauty lover would absolutely appreciate receiving these as a thoughtful present.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last few years, it’s that a beauty lover can never, ever have enough makeup brushes. This Real Techniques Starter Set for eyes continues to be one of the best products I have ever purchased and I still use these brushes on a day to day basis. You’ll find the quality second to none: the brushes don’t shed, they wash up nicely and keep their shape. They also blend and apply eyeshadow like a dream. What more could you ask for in a brush set?! (Want to see how I use these brushes, check out My Favourite Makeup Brushes video!)

I have no idea how I applied my foundation before I got my hands on the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponges (actually, I know how… and it wasn’t pretty!), but these have become absolutely vital in my day to day routine. Get a two pack – I promise you’ll love it!

If there’s one product I raved about the most in 2016, it has got to be the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer (review here). The smooth, buttery formula of the Butter Bronzer has made this a powerhouse in my bronzer collection. The tone is perfect on my skintone (especially throughout the winter months) and it smells like coconut-y goodness with a dash of sun tan lotion!

Finding a brush-tip pen-style liquid liner at a reasonable price can be really, really difficult. So imagine my surprise when I was suddenly reminded of the Physicians Formula 2-in-1 Eye Booster while browsing the iHerb web site! I had completely forgotten about this product and yet it used to be an absolute staple of mine. The Eye Booster does contain a serum intended to help give you luscious lashes, but I always appreciated just how precise and easy to use the brush tip was. Total winner!

And last but not least, let’s throw a little lip balm into our gift basket! Since February hits us in the Northern Hemisphere throughout the winter season, most of us are unfortunately dealing with dry, chapped lips. The Hurraw! almond lip balm is certified organic and vegan and feels luxurious on the lips. Plus, an almond-flavoured lip balm? That’s a new one to me and certainly beats all of the standard mint flavours!

Shopping through iHerb.com was an efficient and easy experience, although you may be a little astonished by just how many products they sell (they have over 35,000 in their online catalogue!). They also ship to 160 countries and the shipping prices are actually reasonable, which is always a blessing. For example, the items above had the option to be shipped to me in Canada between $2-4 USD for regular mail service. In the end, I opted for DHL delivery because it would be faster and it included customs charges upfront. The total cost for that was $12 USD and I actually got my delivery in less than 24 hours (which is absolutely mindbloggling since the package was coming from the US!).

All summed up, I think a self-created gift basket gives you the opportunity to be selective with your products and show your loved one you’ve put some thought into their present.

Let me know if you have plans for Valentine’s Day! Either with friends or family, let me know! David and I are planning to go back to our roots, stay in and make homemade pizzas this year. 🙂