Review, Shiseido Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother (discontinued)

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 littlebeautyloves2 Comments

I love Shiseido products so I was very excited to receive their Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother through Influenster. I thought it was a primer to wear under the skin at first and was excited about the “smoothing” part of it, but it’s actually a product you wear to help cover shine.

Although this item is discontinued, I’m going to share a review since this is part of my Project Pan Monthly for April.

What It Is

Skin-blurring filter for smooth, picture-perfect skin. I liken it to blotting paper but in liquid form.

Price

$29.00 CAD (20 mL) This is pricey for such a tiny little product. You don’t need much so at least it lasts long.

Application

The Smart Filtering Primer is very liquid so it spreads easily over the skin. I’ve tried it both over makeup and under makeup. Since it’s designed to reduce shine it does dry out my skin which partly why I don’t use it too often.

When I’ve worn it under makeup I found that it helps to smooth my skin, especially on my cheeks or forehead. It’s not the best on my nose which is the driest part of my face because I find it accentuated the dryness and made my foundation crack.

I know when I first received this I used it a lot in the summer to help keep my skin dry during the hot months. I am traveling at the end of this month so I’ll be taking this with me to help reduce sweat and shine on my face.

Over the last month, I’ve been wearing this over my makeup to help blend everything together and reduce some of the shine on my dewy foundations. I put a little drop onto my finger tips and then pat it over my cheeks and forehead.

This really isn’t for my dry skin but I have it so I will use it. I think if I had normal-oily skin I would enjoy this more.

My Thoughts

I don’t absolutely hate this, it just wasn’t made for me and my skin type. I’m using it for my Project Pan and trying it in the areas of my skin that do have more shine. I’ve also been applying it over my makeup to make it more matte. All in all, I think this is mostly just going to be best used in the summer.

Have you ever tried this product or something like it? What are your thoughts? Any ideas on how I might enjoy a product like this more? Let me know!

Lots of Love,
Dal

Unboxing BoxyCharm, April 2019

April 18, 2019April 17, 2019 littlebeautyloves9 Comments

Price: $21.00 USD (+$5.00 shipping to Canada)
Number of items: 4-5 full-size items

Boxycharm is a monthly subscription box of full-size makeup, skincare and beauty tools. The theme for this month is “Peace, Love & Boxy”. The theme is very in-line with Coachella and summer festivals.

PRICES ARE IN USD, CONVERTED TO CAD AT THE END

PUR Cosmetics Complexion Authority Festival Palette
MSRP: $36.00 US

This is a limited edition 12 pan pressed pigment palette. It’s full of really pretty colours and although I would totally use this myself because I like the PUR formula I’m going to save this to gift to someone else. I’ve included a photo from the PUR website of all the shades in the palette.

The palette is cruelty-free and is infused with skin-loving ingredients such as ginseng, green tea and vitamin B.

Luxie The Summer Daze 3 pc Brush Set
MSRP: $28.00 US

I love the packaging these brushes came in and I also like how the barrel is a bright pink that fades into a gold. From top to bottom in my photo above, the 512 small contouring brush is to sculpt and define your cheekbones (I actually thought this might work well as a blush brush), the 245 small shader brush to brush on shadow, and the 209 large shader brush to pat on and blend out an eye look. I always enjoy receiving new brushes!

Artist Couture Diamond Glow Powder in Purple Dream
MSRP: $27.00 US

This is an all-natural, vegan and cruelty-free powder. When I read the shade name I was worried it was actually going to be purple but it’s a pretty peach with a slight purple shift.

I didn’t want to open this because loose powder can be messy but you can see through the packaging the peachy-purple glow.

Appeal Cosmetics Holographic Lip Gloss
MSRP: $21.00 US

I’m not the biggest fan of glitter lip gloss so I wasn’t the most excited to receive this. I will pass this along to a friend that I think will like it. This gloss works well on its own or on top of another lipstick.

Bodyography Eye Pencil in Bali Bronze
MSRP: $14.00 US

I am soooo happy I received this in my box. The formula is really creamy and glides on seamlessly. I love the shade and think it will look really nice for the summer when I want to wear something that is less intense. This can be worn as liner or smudge to create a smokey eye look.

My Thoughts

All in all, this is a really good box. A few of the items will be saved as gifts for friends and family which is great because I love having items at the ready for gifts. I am excited to use the eye pencil and the brush set.

Total Value: $126.00 US ($168.28 CAD)

Did you get BoxyCharm this month? What is in your box?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Project Pan Monthly: April 2019 & March Update

April 4, 2019April 3, 2019 littlebeautyloves11 Comments

I found it really easy to use up a lot of my Project Pan items in March. I think it’s mostly because I picked products that I really enjoy using. In total, I used the items in my Project Pan 22/31 days.

In case you didn’t know, this is my Project Pan objective;

Project Pan Monthly

Each month I chose 4 items to use, sharing reviews of those products if they aren’t already on the blog. At the end of the month, I’ll share an update of how well I did and then list the items for the next month. The products are chosen from these categories;

One Eyeshadow Palette
One Lip Item (lipstick, lip balm, gloss, etc.)
One Face Item (foundation, highlighter, blush, bronzer)
One Random Item (can be another item from the categories above, or be something else like a mascara, liner, skin care, body care, fragrance, etc.)

March Progress

Jacklyn Hill x Morphe Palette (reviewed here). I really enjoyed wearing this palette because I had a lot of colours to choose from. I would use a matte skin colour from my Tarte Palette over my eyes but everything else I used only this palette. I’ve highlighted the colours I used most often in the photo below. I have little dents in those pans which I’m pretty excited about!

Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick in Watermelon. I kept this in my coat pocket to encourage myself to wear this more often. I think I used it about 10 days out of the month which is pretty good for me. I like the bright colour and thought it really complimented a lot of the eye looks I created in March. I don’t think I made too much of a dent in this.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Water Fresh Makeup (reviewed here). I got through about 1/3rd of this foundation which isn’t bad. This is a staple item that I used everytime I wore makeup so it was easy to use up a decent amount this month. It’s a foundation that I like but am not completely in love with, so I’m happy that I’ve been using it up. I kind of want to use it up and clear it from my stash!

Ciate London Bamboo Bronzer (reviewed here). Now this is a product I made some progress with! I actually hit pan! woohoo! I wore this every single time I put on makeup so I feel like it was really easy to get good use out of it. Plus, bronzer is a product I use all over my face, down my neck and chest so it’s not hard to use it up.

My April Items

This month I’ve chosen;

One Eyeshadow Palette – Tarte Tartelette In Bloom Palette (reviewed here)
One Lip Item – Bite Beauty Lip Pencil in 020 Beige Nude
One Face Item – Ciate London Bamboo Bronzer (reviewed here)
One Random Item – Shiseido Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother

I figured I would keep my Ciate Bronzer in the Project Pan for April in hopes I can use up more of the product and maybe completely use it up.

I also wanted to try using up a lip liner this month and see if I’m more consistant with that compared to lipstick. So far, I feel like it’s something I’m reaching for when I apply makeup. Here’s hoping I get to a point where I need to sharpen the Bite lip liner a few times.

The Shiseido Ibuki Smoother is an interesting product because it’s more like a primer you put on after your makeup. I hardly use this product so I’m hoping I can use it up during this project pan month.

How is your progress been for Project Pan this month? Have you noticed a difference in your products?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, March 2019

April 1, 2019March 30, 2019 littlebeautyloves4 Comments

Spring is officially here in Toronto! It’s slowly getting warmer and although there are some rainy days it’s been equally sunny and I love it! The days are getting longer, and soon it’ll be patio season! I’ve had some ups and downs this month, but I’m looking forward to what April has in store. The last two months I’ve had quite a lot of empties so I’m not surprised I don’t have as many items in March because a lot of my current items are recently opened.

*Note: I’m on a no-buy this year. If I mention repurchasing an item, it just means that I really liked it and would buy again, just not in 2019.

Skincare

L’Oreal Revitalift Triple Power LZR (Sample). The texture of this face cream is interesting. It’s like a hybrid between a gel and cream and it feels so good on the skin. It blends in so easily and it was good at leaving my skin moisturized. The sample lasted about 3 uses so I can’t say that I noticed a brightening effect but I did really like the texture so I might be interested in picking this up in a full-size.

L’Oreal Micellar Water Complete Cleanser. I thought this micellar water is alright. I think the big test for me is how well a micellar water can break down my eye makeup and mascara. This one did a good job but it did leave behind some residue for some of my more stubborn makeup (waterproof mascara). I did like it as a precleanse for before I washed my face. I have quite a few micellar waters to use up so I’m not sure I would repurchase this one until I’ve tested the other new ones I’m currently using.

Garnier Moisture Bomb Gel Cream (Sample). I received this sample in my July 2018 Topbox. Once I finally got around to opening this I used it up after 5 uses, I enjoyed it so much. This is a great everyday moisturizer that leaves my skin super hydrated but is also really light in texture. I would definitely repurchase this.

Shiseido Facial Cotton. This is an item that I’ve shared in an empties post before. Whenever I there is a spend your points event through Shoppers Drug Mart I always pick up a pack of these. I actually have two packs of the MUJI Cut Cotton pads which are practically dupes of these guys so I won’t be repurchasing these any time soon.

Makeup

Tarte Amazonian Clay Waterproof Brow Pencil. I picked this up when I was shopping online on the Tarte website a few months ago because I needed a brow pencil and I figured I would test this out. I got the shade medium brown which works with my brows. I like this formula because it’s creamy but not so much that I’m afraid it’s going to rub off my eyebrows so quickly, but it does apply easily. I really like it and I would repurchase this.

Benefit Dew the Hoola Bronzer (Sample). This is a bronzer I got at the Benefit booth at GenBeauty 3 years ago. When I first started using this I didn’t really like it until I found a method that worked for me which was to use my beauty blender to blend this into my skin and then I was using this all the time. I was pretty sad when I used this up so I know when I’m done my no-buy for this year I’m going to pick up a full size of this!

~~~

There you have it! My empties for March. There isn’t that many items, but I’m glad I used up some items that I’ve had in my stash for some time.

What items have you used up for March?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bronze it Up! My Current Bronzer Collection

March 30, 2019 littlebeautyloves12 Comments

I love wearing bronzers to give dimension and glow to my face. I was going through my collection and noticed I had four in my current rotation. I thought I’d go through some of the bronzers, especially since I have one of them in my Project Pan for March.

Physicians Formula Super BB Instaready Bronzer

I picked this up at GenBeauty 3 years ago and the bronzer is still going strong! This was part of my Project Pan in 2018 which you can read the round-up of here. I did hit pan with this item but it’s so dry that it ended up crumbling and I had to press it back together, hence the pan looking quite bumpy.

I like this bronzer because it gives a really sutble hint of colour. Just enough that it’s noticeable on my skin, which is great because when I’m in a rush out the door I don’t have to worry about blending it out too much. If I wear contour, I tend to prefer to blend that out with this bronzer because it’s very cool toned and helps everything look smooth.

Ciate London Bamboo Bronzer (Sample)

This guy is in my current Project Pan for March so I definitely wanted to include a little review of it here. The formula is very smooth so it looks really pretty on the skin. It is a lot more pigmented in comparison to the Physicians Formula bronzer so I do have to be careful that I don’t over apply it and make sure that I blend this out very well.

This is warm-toned so I prefer to wear this when I’m wearing warmed toned eyeshadow and blush or else it can look muddy on me. I’ve been diligent about using this so I have hit pan which I’m very excited about. I love wearing this in my crease as well, so it has doubled as an eyeshadow for me.

Benefit Cosmetics Hoola Bronzing Powder (mini size)

I must say that I’m always repurchasing this particular bronzer because when it comes to shade, pigmentation and formula I’m most comfortable using this. It’s as pigmented as the Ciate London Bronzer but the cool shade is a better match for my skin tone so it looks a lot more natural on me. This formula really blends into the skin rather than sits on top so overall it does look more flattering on me.

My one qualm with this palette is that I’m not into the box packaging. If I had room in my magnetic palette I would de-pot this. I don’t think you’d have the same issue with the regular size, but my bronzer brush hardly fits in the mini size so it never picks up product equally. I know this is the Benefit style packaging, but it’s pretty bulky.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 4 Bronzer in Filtered Bronze Light

I originally wasn’t going to include this bronzer because the palette is no longer available and I couldn’t find this colour in the single style compact but I am loving the formula and you can get other shades in this range from Hourglass.

This palette is recent to my collection so I haven’t used it too often, but whenever I have I am always so happy with how it looks on my skin. The bronzer is so finely milled and so soft that it really melts into the skin. It’s lightly pigmented like my Physicians Formula bronzer which again I like because I can quickly apply it and be out the door. This, however, has a slight sheen to it which really makes my skin glow.

Mix it with the other face powders in this palette and my skin looks so nice and healthy which is a happy change for me compared it looking really dry. The only downside is that the pan is pretty small and my bronzing brush is large so I find I have to be careful I don’t mix in the other colours.

Swatches

There you have it, my little collection of current bronzers that I rotate through on a daily basis. What bronzers are in your collection? What bronzer do you love the most and why?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Morphe X Jaclyn Hill: Palette Collection Review Series

March 19, 2019March 18, 2019 littlebeautyloves4 Comments

Ever since this palette was announced by Jaclyn Hill and Morphe and I saw the shades I really wanted it. Once Morphe started selling their products on Sephora Canada I purchased the palette and I’ve been happy with it so far. Since this is part of my Project Pan Monthly for March it made sense that I put up a review for it.

What It Is

A palette with 35 dreamy shades, created in collaboration with YouTuber Jaclyn Hill. Mattes, shimmers, satins, foils, and glitters are all pressed to perfection—just the way Jaclyn wanted. (Sephora.ca)

Price

$49.99 CAD (56.2g – $1.12/g). I bought mine during the Sephora VIB sale and saved myself 20%.

Packaging

This is a large palette so it just barely fits into my makeup case. It’s 9″ x 6.5″ in size, it is thin though which I like. I’ve had my palette for a while now so it’s starting to get dirty but I do like white with silver lettering, it’s very Jaclyn Hill aesthetic. I don’t mind that there isn’t a mirror in this one only because I think it would make the palette feel heavy. I like the layout of the shades because I can easily see looks with this palette before I start putting them together.

Colour

This has mostly has brown shades with a few pops of blues and greens. For me, it’s a palette that I’m very comfortable wearing because I can easily pick out shades that work well together without having to think too much about it.

I feel like a few colours are similar (ex. Enlight & Beam, Silk Cream & M.F.E.o., and Soda Pop & Abyss), but for the most part a lot of the shades are different tones of each other which I think is actually great.

One of the biggest critiques I have of this palette is that both Enlight & Beam are shimmer shades, I really wish one of them was matte. I also wish that they replace Soda Pop with a different colour, since it looks similar to Abyss on me. No matter weather it’s the lightest shades, the shimmers or the various mattes, these are all bold and pigmented colours.

Application & Wear

First off, I’ve never tried Morphe shadows, but if all the formula is similar to this one than I can see why people enjoy the brand. They look really great on, even the shades above that look like they’ll be patchy based on my finger swatches (Enchanted, Jacz, Pukey, Mocha) blend out nicely on the eyes. The shimmers are super creamy and look good on the lid without me needing to use a primer or Fix+. The mattes are great builder shades and the darker shades add so much depth to a look without needing to use a lot.

For a lot of my day to day looks I find I’ll swipe Enlight or Beam all over the lid and then take Silk Cream into my cream, blend it all out and be on my way with a nice strong wing. When I want a deeper look, I love have so many warm tones to choose from, there are cool tone browns, or red-brown shades, or neutral browns that help me create so many varying looks. I didn’t know that different brown options would become so important to me! LOL!

I also like having a few colour options, which for me are easier to incorporate. I created such a beautiful pink look using this palette. I’ve worn purple shades, blue shades and my favourite, green shades, in the lower lid when I was looking for pops of colour.

These wear so well too! I have no issues with these shades lasting all day on me and I like wearing them because I know they will last.

My Looks

The first look is taken from my Pink Makeup Look Post where I used the shades Faint & Sissy on my lids along with some shades from my Too Faced Peach Palette.

In the look below, I used Silk Cream in the crease just to have something for the brighter shades to blend in with. I then used Jadas on the outer half of my lid and blended into the inner half of my lid to give it a more ombre effect. For the lid I used Pool Party, and to help keep the look bright and lessen the intensity of the colours I added Obsessed into the inner corner of my eye and blended it gently on the lids.

On the lower lash, I took my NYX Jumbo Pencil in French Fries into the waterline just to add a little bit of bronze to help balance out all the teal.

My Thoughts

If I could edit down the palette, I might remove some shades that I think are really similar, but overall I love the colours and love how they blend. For a palette with different shades of brown, I think that they can all help create different looks and I like that I can easily pick out shades from this palette to put together without much hesitation. I’m impressed with the formula and pigmentation so I would recommend it.

Have you tried the Jaclyn Hill or any Morphe palettes? I would love to know your thoughts!

Lots of Love,
Dal

Project Pan Monthly: March 2019 & February Update

March 6, 2019March 4, 2019 littlebeautyloves5 Comments

For the most part, I was really consistant about using my February products whenever I wore makeup. Towards the end of the month though, I wore the palette a little less because I was so excited about using my Nudestix sets (review is coming soon!) and of course, I was using my lip item less and less. All together I used my items 17 of 28 days in February.

In case you didn’t know, this is my Project Pan objective;