This coming Friday I’ll be heading up to Ottawa for the capital city’s Race Weekend. Last year, after hearing about my first race experience during Toronto’s Pride Week (the Pride and Remembrance Run, which I’ll be doing again this year), my dad decided he wanted us to run a race together and he picked the 5K during this event. Despite having grown up in Ottawa, I had never, ever heard of this event!
Anyway, the point of this is… I’m only in Ottawa for less than 48 hours, so I don’t really need a whole lot of makeup. Regardless, I’m bringing some, so here’s what I decided to pack.
Urban Decay Anti-Aging Primer Potion and Benefit They’re Real mascara
The necessary basics – mascara and primer. I’m a little bit nervous to only be bringing one eye primer, but since I’m stuffing everything into a smaller bag than normal, I’m only bringing this trial size of Urban Decay‘s Anti-Aging Primer Potion (which is something I’ve also never tried). Also along for the ride is a trial size of Benefit‘s They’re Real mascara.
Murad Oil-Control Mattifier and yaby foundation in Buff
I have no idea if I’ll even want to wear foundation on the weekend at any point, but I’m bringing a small tube of yaby‘s foundation in Buff and a MuradOil-Control Mattifierprimarily just to use it up.
Bobbi Brown blush in Apricot and NYX Love In Rio trio in Segredos de Giselle
My only blush for the weekend is Bobbi Brown‘s Apricot – it’s beyond gorgeous. And since I’m bringing a fairly neutral eye palette, NYX‘s trio in Segredos de Giselle, I’ll need that brightness from the blush to liven up my face.
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip and Hard Candy bronzer in Hula Hula
Looking at these side-by-side and I’m wondering why the heck I’m bringing both of them… Regardless, they’re both in the bag! Physicians Formula‘s Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip needs some love, so in it goes. Hard Candy‘s Hula Hula bronzer is a fantastic shimmery bronzer that I’m going to use to fake like I’ve got some semblance of a tan. 😉
Nivea – A Kiss of Berry Swirl, Revlon Snow Peach and Urban Decay gloss in Naked
And once again I’m bringing far more lip products than I’ll ever actually use. The Nivea lip balm is a necessity, but the others are completely superfluous. RevlonSnow Peach is there in case I feel the need to wear a bright colour and the Urban Decay mini gloss inNaked is there if I’m feeling lazy as hell.
All jammed in
And since this month’s Ipsy bag was so darn cute and tiny, I put all my products in there. Now… fingers crossed that we have wonderful weather for the race on Saturday!
I hadn’t planned to do an Empties update for another month but this bag was getting way too full and I didn’t want the post length to be too ridiculous. So here we go! Makeup first because I know that’s the interesting stuff.
MAC – Haux and Brule
Not one, but TWO eyeshadows done! Can I get a “HELL YES!”? The top right was MAC‘sHaux, my oldest eyeshadow. After 19 years, I can finally retire it , but it has definitely had a good long life. The bottom right is MAC‘s Brule. Brule only took me about 3 years to finish up as it was my daily browbone highlight.
Repurchase? No, but not because they were bad, but because I have a great many other shades that are near identical. Plus I clearly didn’t like Haux that much if it took me 19 bloody years to finish it up!
MUA Matte Foundation in Shade 1 Soft Sand
I really liked MUA‘s Matte Foundation at first – their Shade 1 Soft Sand was a great match for my skin and it went on my face really well… but the niceness stopped about an hour after application. It started out looking really good, but this foundation eventually dissolved into a greasy mess by the end of the day or night. I’m not even prone to oil but this certainly induced it! I went through about half the tube, so I definitely gave it a fair shot, but I decided this wasn’t worth finishing when I had other products I much preferred.
Repurchase? Definitely not.
MUA All In One Beauty Balm in Light
Another “meh” product from MUA. (So far, the only thing I’m liking from this brand is their eyeshadows.) Their BB Cream in Light was overly thick and not much fun to wear. It had more coverage than I expected (which may be good for some people), but for me it looked like I’d applied a paste to my face. I just never fell in love with it after using half the tube so I decided enough was enough and chucked it in the garbage.
Physicians Formula Eye Booster in Ultra Black
I’m not sure why this hasn’t been included in an empties post earlier, because I’ve been done with this liner for a very long time. Physicians Formula Eye Booster liquid liner inUltra Black made me fall in love with brush tip pen liners (NOT felt tip – those are the devil). Very black and easy to wear although slightly lacking in the waterproof department. I’ve since heard that the Ultra Black shade has gone slightly grey which is a bit of a disappointment. This, thankfully, was a liquid liner that didn’t seem to have the horrible reflective properties of other liners (I’m looking at you MUFEAqualiner).
Verdict: I wouldn’t repurchase this right now as I’m firmly attached to my gel liners, but I would recommend it to others.
l-r: Duo eyelash adhesive, Pop Beauty Fuchsia Freesia, Too Faced Better Than Sex
Duo eyelash adhesive is my staple eyelash glue. This tube is very old (~3 years) and needed replacing.
Verdict: Forever repurchase
As I said in my Ipsy Haul for February 2014, Pop Beauty’s Plump Pout in Fuchsia Freesia smelled bad. Well, it turns out there was a bit of a to do with Ipsy and Pop Beautythat month and I could’ve gotten a replacement for my rotten smelling lipgloss. It’s a shame that I didn’t, but I’m not using this sucker and it’s going straight into the garbage.
Verdict: Just based on the toxic scent and how the whole thing was handled (poorly and secretively) I’ll be avoiding this brand.
Too FacedBetter Than Sex mascara: Loved this stuff, but hated the wand. The formula of the mascara is fantastic, but the wand made it really, really annoying to apply. There’s nothing easy about an hourglass shaped wand!
Verdict: Won’t rebuy – the formula isn’t worth the hassle of the brush.
Blistex Lip Medex
Blistex‘s Lip Medex is like medicine in a tube for your lips. Nothing heals my parched, dry, cracked lips like this stuff does throughout the cold winter months.
Verdict: Love it and will repurchase it in the winter.
Marcelle Gentle Make-Up Remover for Sensitive Eyes
Marcelle‘s Gentle Make-Up Remover for Sensitive Eyes is a forever favourite. This is the best makeup remover I’ve ever purchased and it works wonders on waterproof makeup. I usually wait to buy this on sale and then get a bunch of them all at once.
Verdict: Repurchase most definitely
Clockwise starting at the top: Marcelle Cleansing Cloths (x2), Garnier Moisture Rescue, Neutrogena Hydrating, Neutrogena
MarcelleCleansing Cloths are adequate, but nothing to write home about. They only remove waterproof makeup “so-so”.
Verdict: No repurchase
GarnierMoisture Rescue wipes: Useless and stinky. Dry and irritating. YUCK.
Verdict: Never, EVER repurchase
NeutrogenaAll-in-One Makeup Cleansing Wipes: These are okay, completely satisfactory, but I bought these by accident when I thought they were the same as:
NeutrogenaHydrating Makeup Remover Cleansing Cloths: These are holy grail. Not buying any other makeup removing cloths after trying these. They’re wetter than any other cloth I’ve tried and they actually remove waterproof mascara well.
Verdict: Would repurchase the Neutrogena Hydrating wipes
Lush It’s Raining Men Shower Gel
I love Lush‘s Honey I Washed The Kids soap, but the darn thing just runs out way too quickly. It’s Raining Men is their shower gel equivalent and it such a better investment in terms of money. This stuff lasted me absolutely forever (about a year, using it intermittently with other washes and soaps) and easily outdid the longevity of the bars of soap. This smells like honey and caramel and *edible*. To confirm: It is NOT edible, in a moment of weakness I tested it with the tip of my tongue and it tastes like soap. Horrible. Horrible. Horrible!
Verdict: Definite rebuy!
l-r: Fortune Cookie Soap: Native Nectar Body Wash, Venus Fly Trap Perfume Oil, Make it Rain Whipped Cream
Fortune Cookie SoapNative Nectar Body Wash: A very liquid body wash, but lovely nonetheless. It had small shimmer particles in the product, but they didn’t stick on the skin (so it just looks pretty, really). It has a very clean coconut smell – very lovely.
Verdict: Would repurchase
Fortune Cookie SoapVenus Fly Trap Perfume Oil: This stuff is amazing. It smells like sickly, sweet flowers but not in a revolting way. It doesn’t smell like old lady perfume and it’s pretty light and not cloying (as in it won’t give you a headache with its thickness). I never, ever thought I’d like a scent like this (FCS indicates that it has “Bergamot, narcaisse & musk lurk beneath delicate notes of water orchid, sparkling lemon & pink jasmine.”) but this is just beautiful.
Verdict: Would repurchase
Fortune Cookie SoapMake it Rain Whipped Cream: Love this so much! The formula and it does feel like whipped cream on the skin. I also really, really love the scent. I’ve heard some people say it smells too much like musk, but I actually get a very clean, very laundry scent out of this.
Verdict: Definite repurchase
Foil Packets
DERMAdoctorwrinkle REVENGE: Completely forgettable in every way.
Verdict: Would not purchase
BioreBlemish Fighting Ice Cleanser: I don’t have acne problems (and this contains salicylic acid to help with breakouts) so I can’t really say if this helped combat anything, but it did feel nice on the skin.
Verdict: Purchase if on sale
BenefitThe Porefessional: I genuinely do not get the hype with this product. It seemed fine as a primer, but nothing earthshattering.
Verdict: Would not purchase
H20Face Oasis Hydrating Treatment: I don’t even remember this stuff, so it definitely couldn’t have been amazing.
Verdict: Would not purchase
H20Aquafirm+ Micro-collagen Moisturizer: Can’t remember this one either.
Verdict: Would not purchase
NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in Alaska Light2: Quite liked this one actually. I got enough out of the foil packet for a single use and it smoothed on nicely and had light coverage, which was nice because it didn’t cover my freckles (which I like). [Click for a pic of the foundation on my face.]
Verdict: Will consider purchasing when I finally run low on other foundations.
Orange Whip Body Butter
My friend Ali made this wonderful Orange Whip body butter for me for my birthday. I used up the whole jar really quickly and loved it to pieces.
Verdict: No need to repurchase, I’ll just poke her when I need more!
Adidas – Pure Lightness
Monumental effort here – I finished a perfume! I really liked Adidas‘ Pure Lightness. Fragrantica.com indicates that it has “Top notes of melon and red apple; middle notes are jasmine, magnolia, violet and lily-of-the-valley; base note is musk”. But to me, this just smelled aquatic. It’s light and crisp and has quite decent lasting power.
I don’t know what your April has been like where you are, but here in Toronto it has been wet, cold and blahhhhhh. I’m pretty sure we’re currently on a week long sun-strike, and in the next two weeks there’s rain predicted for 11 out of 14 days. It’s dreary and everything feels permanently soggy. Apparently April showers bring… more showers. In May. Hooray?
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Diffused Heat
I can’t stop talking about this blush. I also can’t stop using this blush. Hourglass‘ Diffused Heat is the best blush I own. There. I said it. This is going to sound ridiculous, but I know someone out there is going to get this: This blush fulfills me on so many levels. In the pan it’s a beautiful swirling masterpiece. So, visually, it’s pretty darn stunning. It also looks rather coral (in the pan) which is my absolute favourite blush shade to look at. HOWEVER, on the skin it actually turns a pretty pale pink with maybe a very faint hint of peach, which is actually the most attractive shade on me. So despite the shade in the pan being a total lie, it really works out for the best.
Joe Fresh – Sand Bronzer
Joe Fresh‘s Sand Bronzer is really light and blends away smoothly and is NOT orange, despite how it appears on the shot on the left. I had a bit of a tiff with my Physicians Formula Bronze Booster this month (no matter how many times I use it, the product won’t even dip down in the pan – so annoyed!) so I swapped to the Joe Fresh one. It’s a quick and easy bronzer that’s very simple to blend out. Plus… sleek, fun packaging – which is always a bonus.
Too Faced Absolutely Invisible Candlelight Powder
I have no real explanation for why I reached for this higlighter so much this month, but I did! Too Faced‘s Absolutely Invisible Candlelight powder is supposed to be an all over face powder but there’s no way in hell I’d use it that way unless I wanted to look like a white-gold disco ball. There’s far too much shimmer in this powder to use everywhere on your face, so I stick to using it as a cheekbone highlight. The swatch makes it look slightly chalky and definitely quite pale, but I think you can see the hints of gold shimmer in it. I usually opt for this one when I want a faint highlight and it provides a lovely golden- white sheen.
Real Techniques – Miracle Complexion Sponge
Makeup brushes and tools aren’t really my thing – I use them out of necessity, but I really don’t get excited about them. Until this. This sponge. Real Techniques‘ Miracle Complexion Sponge has been branded as the Beauty Blender dupe and while I can’t speak to that as I’ve never owned a Beauty Blender ($25 for a SPONGE??!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!), I *can* say that this makes putting on foundation an absolute breeze. It smushes the product into my skin way better than any foundation brush I’ve ever used (the one exception being Revlon‘s Colorstay – I prefer a brush with that one as I thought the sponge did weird things to that foundation), so it makes me look like I’m way better at applying foundation than I really am! With a price around $5, this is seriously awesome. I’m curious to see how long it’ll hold up too since it is a sponge after all – it’ll definitely have a shelf life. And does anyone know where I can actually get these in Canada? I picked mine up in the U.S. and I don’t recall seeing them anywhere in Canada.
Lavanila – Vanilla Grapefruit Eau de Parfum
This might as well be my crack – I cannot get enough of this perfume! I talked about it at length in my haul for the past month, but I feel like I could seriously bathe in this stuff for the rest of my life. Lavanila‘s Vanilla Grapefruit is wonderfully vanilla scented with a kick of citrus (that’s the best description you’re going to get out of me!). I wear so much of this stuff that I’m probably that annoying person who smells like they had a perfume bottle explode on themselves but I’m so enamoured with this scent that I don’t care! (And I’m totally eyeballing this set on Lavanila‘s web site now. Errrr… well I WAS… until I put everything into my cart and discovered that shipping to Canada was over $20. CURSES.)
What are your favourites this past month? Did you have at least semi-decent weather where you were? *crosses fingers for some sunshine*
I saw EmilyNoel83 do a “Four or More Tag” and thought I’d follow suit. Usually if you own a ton of a particular product by a brand, you generally like them, or you’ve at least got a good idea of how the products work. (Or you’re stupid and bought a whole bunch without testing any out *cough* We’ll get to that later…) I’m sticking to lips for this edition because if I included eye makeup, we’d be here a loonnnng damn time. Onwards!
Rimmel Apocalips
Out of all of the lip products I’m going to mention in this post, these are my absolute favourites. Rimmel‘s Apocalips (called Show Offs in the U.S.) are freaking stellar! They’re a liquid lipstick that dries to a creamy finish with amazing lasting power. Even the applicator with the extra dip in the doefoot wand makes it even easier to get the right amount of product on your lips. While the U.K. and (I think) the U.S. are blessed with the entire line, Canada has to make do with a reduced number of shades. I’ve heard some people complain about the scent of them, but they don’t bother me as I don’t find them overly pungent.
Rimmel Apocalips (l-r): Celestial, Big Bang, Luna, Stellar, Nude EclipseRevlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks – Creme formula
Another massive love! Revlon Super Lustrous Lipsticks, specifically in the Creme formula, are my most comfortable lipsticks to wear. They stay put, aren’t dehydrating on the lips and the colour selection is absolutely massive! I really like the swatches below – you can very clearly see that there is a lot of pink in Cherries in the Snow, however I often get comments on my “red lips” when I’m wearing it! Out of the ones I have though, Fire & Ice is my favourite.
Revlon Super Lustrous (l-r) – Pink Velvet, Cherries in the Snow, Black Cherry, Fire & Ice, Snow PeachMaybelline Vivids
The Maybelline Vivids are what got me started on wearing bright, luminous, absolutely NEON lipstick. They have a sweet scent and taste, although it does dissipate after a while. Again, excellent lasting power and the colours are just gorgeous. If you want vibrancy in your lipstick, these are the way to go. Vivid Rose is my favourite out of the bunch. (Also, I had no idea thatMandarin Orange and Neon Red were so similar to each other.)
I went insane and bought the entire NYX Butter Gloss line (the original line, before they released a whole bunch of new ones) after trying a couple of them a friend had given me. These are it for gloss for me. I don’t need, or want any other lip gloss in my life and I’ve completely avoided buying any other lip gloss since I picked these up. They’re non-sticky, easy to apply and don’t fade awkwardly. These are the be all, end all of glosses for me. I really can’t recommend these enough. (Full lip swatches can be found in my original review.)
NYX Butter Glosses (l-r): Strawberry Parfait, Eclair, Peaches and Cream, Merengue, Creme Brulee, Peach Cobbler, Tiramisu, Apple Strudel, Vanilla Cream Pie, Cherry Cheesecake, Maple Blondie, Cherry PieMilani Color Statement Lipsticks
And the duds of the group. I’m so mad I bought all of these! Milani‘s Color Statement lipstick line has lovely colours – they’re vibrant and certainly attractive. Heck, even the tube is beautiful! But they all have this horrible fake watermelon taste that just never goes away. I’ve worn these lipsticks 6+ hours and the watermelon taste just sits on your lips. Bleughhhhh. If only I had bought one before going nutso and picking up so many.
Being the only female I know who doesn’t own a purse (by choice!), this very obviously makes doing a “What’s in my Purse” post completely impossible. So instead I’m showing you what beauty products I have stuffed into one of my drawers at work for emergency moments. These items are permanent fixtures… they never leave the office!
The wee compartment that holds my goodies
These products are a mix of necessity and/or items that can be used in a pinch if I have a really destructive day on my makeup (i.e., I walked to work in the rain and it completely dissolved my face).
So let’s take a closer look as to what’s in my stash at work.
Hard Candy pencil sharpener and CoverGirl Liquiline Blast pencil in Black Fire
First up is a really nasty looking pencil sharpener, but this is the best one I have ever owned. It’s better than my MAC one and my NYX one. This is a Hard Candy sharpener (the ollllllldHard Candy that used to be sold in department stores at high end prices, not the revamped one you see in Walmart now) that I picked up in 1997. It might be a relic, but I’ve yet to find anything better! (And yes, it has been disinfected a few times over the years! ;))
The second item is a liner from CoverGirl. It’s a straight black (Black Fire, to be precise) and it’s from their Liquiline Blast collection. It’ll do in a pinch, but it’s not great. It smears, smudges and transfers. The smudger on the end is also pretty much garbage. That being said, this has helped to fill in the occasional gap on my eyes that I missed at home and, of course, it can double as an eyeshadow if you blend it out enough.
Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm in Twilight
This Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm in Twilight is part of my “To Use Up” products of 2014, so I keep it at work for those days when I forget to bring in a lip product to wear that day. It’s a wonderful stain – very intense, and can be built up to a very strong, dark raspberry shade. I even like the balm on the other end.
MAC Prep + Prime for lips
I’ve sung the praises of MAC‘s Prep + Prime for lips before so I’ll keep it brief. This is the second open tube I have of this product right now – I keep one at work and one at home. This tube is almost gone – it’s actually rolled up as far as it’ll go. This is an absolute necessity for me when I wear lipstick.
MAC Tinted Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink
When I need a balm or some kind of lip conditioner, I’ll reach for MAC’s Lip Conditioner in Petting Pink. This product doesn’t have opaque coverage, so you really only get a faint hint of colour to the lips when you wear this. I’ve owned this for about three years and it takes forever to go through the pot!
CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Eye Concealer in 210
I’m not much of a concealer person, so this products sits there rather neglected. CoverGirl & Olay‘s Simply Ageless Eye Concealer in 210 doesn’t work on my undereye area – it’s way too stiff of a product and drying, which you can easily see because the product is actually CRACKING – but it does work for blemishes. I’m not acne prone, so this really does sit untouched in my desk. BUT… it’s there if I ever need it!
The middle drawer holds the good stuff!
That’s it! Not a whole lot in that drawer, but they’re handy when I need them. Do you keep anything in particular at work? Or do you carry your products back and forth every day?
