Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Use Up 2015

January 19, 2015MiscellaneousBoots No7, Bourjois, Hourglass, MAC, Maybelline, RevlonChelle

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I had moderate success with my Use Up 2014 collection of items, so I wanted to continue the trend this year. I have no desire to restrict myself to a proper Project Pan (and buynothing while on it!), although I really, REALLY do enjoy finishing products. Last year I tried to clear 14 items out of my collection, and I bombed out of a few of them. It was too large of a number and some of the products just frigging sucked to finish. This year, I’m keeping it to a reasonable 10 products, and I’m wayyy more enthused about using these than I was last year’s items. As with last year, these are items I want to finish up and move out of my collection, but they’re not necessarily ones I’m going to be repurchasing any time soon.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal Light

I bought into the hype of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders and picked up the one I most wanted to look like. Ethereal? Hell yes I’d like to look like an otherworldly being! But this does… nothing? I don’t know what everyone else is seeing but this might as well be a mattifying translucent powder. I notice no difference on my face when I wear this, but I bought it, paid an astronomical price, so I may as well use the darn thing. Since I don’t actually use face powder anywhere in my routine, this is actually a super easy step to throw in. And it’s not like I can fuck it up really… since it looks like nothing on my skin.

Barely Beige was one of those limited edition Maybelline Color Tattoos from many, many seasons ago. Despite the mad love that everyone gives them, I’m just not much of a Color Tattoo person. They tend to go on my lids and make them look crinkly – as if I suddenly aged 20 years. Not flattering. They are, however, very easy to use, when I need something to wear without thinking about it (like when I hit the snooze button for an entire hour and suddenly have to run to work). I own about 10 shades, but this is the colour I’m most likely to use up within the next year. It’s starting to go hard on me too, so I’m not even sure it’ll make it the whole year without becoming cement.

MAC eyeshadows in (clockwise starting from top left) Club, Fade, Print and Cork

I somehow managed to finish up four eyeshadows from MAC last year, so I’m doing the same this year.

Club has been a longstanding awesome shade, but I now have dupes in my collection and this is the oldest formula I own of this shade, so it’s time to go.
Fade is sheer baby blue from my teen years that I need to just completely move away from (incorporating this one is going to be painful – this one is the most at risk for not getting used up this year).
Print is a lovely dark grey shade, but it’s almost done and it’s old, so it’s time to say goodbye.
And lastly, Cork. It’s old, I have plenty of browns like it, so it’s time to move on.

Throughout 2014 I realized that I’m just done with lipgloss. It’s too finicky for my liking, so it’s time to clear out what I have. Revlon‘s Papaya is a lovely shade, but it just needs to go. It’s hard to tell from the tube, but I think there’s a little less than 50% remaining.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52

I managed to finish up one foundation last year. Only one! So I don’t know how the hell I’m going to finish up three… While they’re all quite lovely on the skin, I just need to move these along since they’re liquid products and they’re a few years old. These are ones I’d consider repurchasing at some point, but for now, I need to use up what I have and I have a lot more foundations that are waiting in the wings after these.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla – I was colour matched to this at Boots in Galway, Ireland, and it’s the perfect shade as I move from spring into summer. I seem to only have a small window when I can wear this for it to match my skin, but it’s one of the best-looking foundations I own. Highly recommended. (In general, I highly recommend the No7 colour matching system. It works far better thanSephora‘s Color IQ and it has never failed to pick my right shade no matter what the season.)
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shades 51 and 52 – 51 is far too pale for me, but mixed with 52 it’s fine… but only in the dead of the winter. I’ll trying to get these finished before spring hits otherwise I’ll have to wait until December to wear them again.

Do you have any plans for a Use Up 2015? Or a Project Pan for the year? I have a ridiculous fascination with used up products, so let me know what your plans are!

December 2014 Favourites

January 5, 2015Favourites, MiscellaneousElizabeth Mott, Makeup Geek, Too Faced, YouniqueChelle

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I never know if people are more interested in seeing a year long favourites post, a December favourites post. Or both. For now, I’ve got my December favourites and in a week or so, I’ll have gone through my entire collection and figured out what I loved all year (a slightly daunting task) and sorted out what made my year throughout 2014.

But for now… December!

I brought my Makeup Geek shadows with me when I went on Christmas holidays, so I was able to reacquaint myself with them all. I love these without question. They’re rapidly replacing MAC eyeshadows in my collection (and at a fraction of the price no less). Easy to blend and a variety of colours, what more could you ask for? In particular, I’ve been lovingBleached Blonde (top row, fourth from the left), Goddess (second row, second from the left) and Bitten (second row, fourth from the left). Bitten became my holiday theme colour because it was dark enough and unique enough to stand out.

Another major discovery over the last month has been Younique‘s 3D Fiber Lash mascara (full review here). These are easier to apply than false lashes (to me, anyway) and add incredible length and size to my lashes.

This was in my October favourites, so you know it’s a keeper. Too Faced‘s Melted Berry has been everything to me lately. Usually I opt for red lips throughout the holiday season, but I’ve found myself straying towards dark red with a hint of pink to it. Gorgeous, gorgeous colour and the staying power is incredible on these Melted products. (One day, I’ll catch them all…)

Incredible, incredible colour. Often gets me questions from complete strangers as to what lip product I’m wearing!

Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass in Cherry. It’s one of those staining products for lips and cheeks (akin to Benefit‘s Benetint), but I find myself only using it on my cheeks. The colour is fantastic – just the right amount of “I’ve been out in the winter cold” but without the realistic look which is usually “I’ve actually got windburn from the frozen wind”.

Looking back almost everything was geared towards being festive/winter-y, which is not unusual I suppose. With the shorter days, I was less likely to try out new things on myself for fear they just didn’t work out. So I stuck to my old faithfuls and they served me well. 🙂

Travel Makeup Bag: Christmas 2014

December 17, 2014Makeup, Miscellaneous, VacationAnastasia, Benefit, Boots No7, Bourjois, Duo, Elizabeth Mott, Femme Fatale, Makeup Geek, Manhattan, Tarte, Too Faced, Wet n WildChelle

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It’s that time of the year again! I’m packing up shop and heading to Ottawa for the holidays this year. As I’m writing this, Toronto is awash in rain, rain and more rain. I’ve had enough of it – gimme some snow!

I’m hoping Ottawa is inundated with snow and I can get out to the mountains (which are larger than Toronto’s Blue Mountain mole hill) and snowboard. Lately it feels like I’m the only person who likes snow in this city. When you grow up in Ottawa, you kind of just learned to live with it I suppose. Since I now live and work in Toronto, I feel like everyone here hates the snow. It’s pretty clear the city hates it too because it sure as hell has no idea what to do when it snows. Snow tires? Hah no. Ploughing? Hah no. Wear appropriate clothing? Haaaaaahaha… No.

So anyway. I’m going to Ottawa. And here’s the makeup I’m bringing.

This year I gave up on on trying to figure out which pre-packaged palette to bring and instead opted for the Makeup Geek Z-palette I’ve put together over the last year or so. I usually (very sadly) default to neutrals on vacation just because it’s easy, but there’s a chance I’ll be meeting up with Kalyn and goddamn I am not showing up to meet that woman wearing neutrals. As everyone else has said… these shadows are phenomenal.

Easy one here! Last year’s holiday palette from Tarte has four blushes and a bronzer and it’s in super slim packaging. This has become my “go to” for taking with me to travel since it’s such a no brainer.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla and Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla

Neither of these colours match my skin tone right now, but I think they will if I mix them together. Boots No7 Instant Radiance Foundation in Cool Vanilla is slightly too dark and the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 51 Light Vanilla is too pale. I’m sure they’ll work out together somehow, I’ll just have to tweak the ratio a bit.

This is if I even wear foundation though. I hate the stuff really – it makes my skin itch and feel uncomfortable, but it looks soooo much better in pictures when I use it. I also like to put it on if I know I’m going to be out for a very brief period… that way I get to come home and wipe it all off. Stupid gunk.

Too Faced Melted Berry and Wet n Wild 910D/Red Velvet

Too Faced Melted lipsticks are forever in my heart, so I’m not going anywhere without one of them. Melted Berry has been ma jam lately, so that’s in the mix. And since it is Christmas after all, I’ve decided to sashay away from MAC‘s Russian Red for a while and use Wet n Wild‘s 910D/Red Velvet. It’s bright and more luminous, and I suddenly feel the need to be slightly electrifying with my lip colour.

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False lashes are mandatory celebratory wear for me so I’m bringing along my current favourites: Femme Fatale lashes in Catwalk.

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And lumped together are my potted products. I’m going risky and bringing only my Manhattan Eyeshadow Base. I say risky because I usually bring two primers to MAKE SURE nothing freaking moves on my eyelids, but this one seems to have been holding steady lately so Imma give it a shot. Tarte‘s gel liner is my current black liner staple (and I’m somewhat close to finishing it). And lastly, is Anastasia‘s Dipbrow Pomade in Blonde cuz without it I only have half-brows and that’s not a good look on anyone.

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Last up are some randoms. I keep meaning to use Elizabeth Mott Tints & Sass because it’s a great “I’ve been outdoors in the cold” shade and it’ll double as a lipstain. I’ve also got a mini size of Benefit‘s concealer I want to try out(not that I ever wear concealer…) and Watts Up because that highlight is amazing. For mascara, I’ve got Benefit‘sThey’re Real and some Duo lash adhesive for my falsies.

I’m also a dumbass because I forgot to include some vitals that aren’t pictured. They are:

MAC Prep + Prime for lips
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper
And whatever lipbalm I grab on my way out the door.

C’est tout! What are you guys up to for the holiday season?

Procrastination Beauty Blogger Tag

December 15, 2014Miscellaneous, TagsChelle

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I was surfing around for some beauty blogging tag to do since December has meant not only am I strapped for time (not that I’m complaining about having wonderful friends and family to hang out with, but dear GOD this month is an utter scheduling nightmare) but it also means I can’t take any pictures before or after work since the lighting is utter crap. Soooo I’m moderately amused by the title of this tag because while I haven’t been procrastinating exactly, I’ve just been struggling for time… so it kind of LOOKS like I’ve been procrastinating.

Still with me? Did that make a lick of sense?

No? Too bad, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

So please enjoy the “easy” content while I sort out the rest of my December. 😉

1. Name a beauty regimen that you rarely do?

Lord, I’m sure I have tons, but I’ll only name a couple: I don’t wash my face before going to bed (I remove my makeup with remover, but never wash it) and I only wear sunscreen on my face if I’m going to be covering my entire body (i.e., going for a long run during the summer, out to play sports, etc.)

2. Is washing your make-up brushes something that you do regularly?

Once a month? Maybe? This makes me think back to when I didn’t know you were supposed to wash makeup brushes, so I went about five or six years before I ever washed out my one and only MAC 275 brush. Yeah, it basically rinsed out black. Delicious!

3. How long will you last with chipped nail polish?

I used to care and changed it immediately (which was usually every two days), but nail polish is a fickle beast and I do NOT have an ounce of cares to give if my nail polish is chipped anymore. To be perfectly honest, I barely even wear it anymore.

4. How long will you put off buying/replacing a beauty product, even if you need it?

I don’t wait. Ever. If anything, I usually have a backup ready and waiting in the wings a good two months before I actually run out of the product I’m currently using.

Helping me out while I photograph products.

5. What is your worst beauty habit?

I’m sure this is going to gross people out. In fact, I’m grossed out that I do it… But I tweeze errant eyelashes if the mofos are just being absolute jerks and growing in the wrong direction. It’s not a daily thing (or I wouldn’t have any eyelashes left), but maybe once a month I’ll yank one or two out that are just not cooperating. (I know pulling out eyelashes due to stress/boredom is a condition, but this isn’t the same thing.)

6. Name something non-beauty related that you put off doing all the time?

Groceries. I hate doing groceries. Or laundry. Or cleaning.

I think I just hate chores in general.

7. When going out somewhere, do you leave getting ready to the last minute?

This is definitely something I do not do. I give myself plenty of time – usually TOO much time. As I’ve said before, I really enjoy getting ready, so I try to draw out the process as long as possible – much to the chagrin of my friends and family.

8. Can you commit to spending bans?

I have done, but not often. I often find that even if I go on a makeup spending ban, I usually find somewhere else to throw my money, so it’s kind of a moot point really. I either spend it on makeup, or something else. /shrug

Nemo’s working out how much I’m allowed to spend on makeup for the next year…

9. How organized are your make-up and nail polish collections?

My makeup is well organized and everything has its place, but my nail polish is kind of just… lined up… sort of? I mean it’s on a shelf, and it sits there, but it looks kind of messy.

And that’s it. I hope you’ve enjoyed the filler post complete with pictures of Nemo.

While I haven’t tagged anyone, I realize that we’re all struggling throughout December, so if you’d like to do this tag on your blog, please feel free!

November 2014 Favourites

December 1, 2014Favourites, MiscellaneousFemme Fatale, MAC, MaybellineChelle

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November is such an oddball month to me. All the excitement of October is over (Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc.) and I flat out REFUSE to start doing anything Christmas-related until December 1st. So November’s that month where there never seems to be a theme. But when I think back, I actually had an awesome time! I got to attend my first blogger event ever and met some really nice Toronto-area bloggers there. I attended my first IMATS and picked up plenty of new products. So for what is normally a “blah” month of the year, this November was actually pretty awesome!

However for makeup… I was really, really bland this month. With the shorter days, I find it strenuous to actually get out of bed when it’s still dark outside. And since I kept hitting that snooze button so many times, I was giving myself less and less time to do my makeup. So the end result is a lot of boring products got used and re-used this month. Maybe something will pique your interest though.

I bought MAC‘s Mystical cremesheen lipstick when the Alluring Aquatics collection came out this past summer because hello… have you SEEN the packaging? But the shade of the lipstick really didn’t fit into any kind of summer aesthetic for me. It came out a little too browny-pink and as far as summer colours go, that was a total no-go for me. But I held on to it because I figured I’d make use of it during the colder months. And I have! Throughout the last month I’ve defaulted to Mystical a lot. It’s an easy to wear shade that seems to match all my “blah” eyeshadow looks lately. And when I needed something “that just works”, this was the product for me.

The next two products were used in conjunction. As I said earlier, I was getting up later and later on workday mornings, hitting that snooze button a good 45 minutes longer than I should be. Maybelline‘s Color Tattoo in Barely Beige is a quick product to swipe onto my lids, followed up with…

some MAC Cork in the crease. I used to use Haux for that purpose, but I’ve since run through that pan so I’m moving on to my next “boring brown shade” in my collection. It’s not the most interesting of looks, but it’s quick, it’s easy and I know it works.

Now THESE are a different story. Femme Fatale‘s Catwalk lashes are anything but boring. These mink lashe are stunning and oh-so-comfortable to wear. There were a few evenings this past month where I got the chance to wear something a bit more interesting on my eyes (aka I had more time to do my makeup than the debacle I encounter every morning before work) and I always opted to wear the Catwalk lashes. Highly, highly recommend these.

How about you? How was your November? Since it’s officially December 1st today, I think I’ll stop being a Scrooge and actually put some Christmas decorations today!