Tag: beauty review

Bye Bye Empties, February 2020

littlebeautyloves12 Comments

February was a fun birthday month for me. I spent a week celebrating with family and friends. The weather was cold but not so much in comparison to the years before. We had a few snowstorms but it didn’t stick in the city. Towards the end of February, I went up to Blue Mountain Ski Resort with my company for their annual ski trip. That was a lot of fun. I don’t ski but I do enjoy hanging out with everyone from my office. It was very snowy and beautiful up there. Now it looks like spring is around the corner with rain and milder temperatures.

When I looked at my empties for this month I was surprised that I used up so little items but I thought I’d share regardless. On to what I used up for February!

Skincare

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Vasanti BrightenUp! Glow Boosting Serum. I reviewed this on the blog back in July 2019 which you can read here. I used this to the last drop and enjoyed it so much! This has a very light texture that isn’t oily and absorbs quickly into the skin. It left me feeling hydrated and I feel like after some time of use it really kept my skin radiant. I would repurchase this.

Haircare

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Marajo Anti Frizz Smoothing Serum Capsules. This is an item I received in my December 2018 Boxycharm, and like I said when I first received this the capsules had too much product for my short hair. I’d use only about half the capsule and the rest I would toss out because there wasn’t a way I could store the open capsule without the oil getting everywhere. I really wish they would put this into a pump or tube to make it easier to control how much oil you use. Plus it’s very pricey for only 10 uses ($18 US). Otherwise, this was a really good product. It smoothed out my hair without weighing it down. It did tame my frizz and worked exceptionally well when I styled my hair. I won’t be repurchasing this because of the waste in the product and because it is expensive for me.

Body Care

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Dial Coconut Water Hydrating Body Wash. I can’t recall where I got this from but this body wash is amazing! I loved how it smelled, how it lathered, and how hydrating it is. I even used this as a bubble bath and it was perfect. Sometimes you don’t need a fancy body wash to do all the things you need. I would repurchase this.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Body Lotion. This is an item I reviewed back in April of 2018 which you can read here. Since I’m always rotating my beauty products around, this took a bit of time to use up. I really enjoyed this. Although the consistency is thick is absorbed quickly into my skin and left me feeling super hydrated. I especially loved this after shaving because it would gently moisturize my skin. I would repurchase this.

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There you have it! My little collection of empties for February. Looking at the items, a lot of them were full-sized products that usually do take me a few months to get through so I’m pretty happy with what I used up. I imagine March will have more empties because I have a lot of smaller sized items that I am using up this month.

What items did you use up in February?

Lots of Love,
Dal

FabFitFun Box, Winter 2019 Edition

littlebeautyloves7 Comments

I subscribed to FabFitFun because I wanted to try something different than the monthly makeup subscription boxes I had before.

FabfitFun (“FFF”) is a seasonal subscription service with beauty, skincare, fitness, health, jewelry and other items. The box comes with a magazine that shares articles on life, health, beauty etc. as well as details on all the products in the box.

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Membership Breakdown

Annual Membership

When I signed up I chose the annual subscription option. If you sign up for the annual box you get select status. As part of select status, you can get early access to add-ons and the ability to customize some items in the box prior to shipping. You also get early shipping. The annual membership costs $179.99 USD plus shipping and taxes (shipping is $8 USD to Canada each quarter, you are billed for 4 quarters in advance). You save $20 by signing up for the annual subscription (which in my case covers some of my shipping costs). I prepaid for the boxes and shipping for 4 boxes in one invoice.

Seasonal Membership

For the seasonal membership, you pay $49.99 USD plus shipping. You purchase each box individually but this is a great way to just test out a box without committing to the annual subscription. Seasonal members don’t get access to select status.

For annual and seasonal members the contents of the boxes are valued at $200+ USD.

Annual Access Membership

If you don’t want the box but want access into the other perks of FabFitFun there is also an annual access membership for $79.99 USD. This membership gets access into FFF’s digital perks which include FFFTV, FFF Community, early access to member-only sales, and early shipping.

All FabFitFun members get access to FFF TV, FFF Shop and sales. Membership also includes access to the FabFitFun Community.

On to what was in my box! I’ll include a note if this was something I chose or if it was an item everyone received in the box.

ban.do Bluetooth Shower Speaker
MSRP: $35.00 USD

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This is a water-resistant speaker with up to a 32-foot range. I like the floral pattern on this speaker. I put it into my shower and used it a few times now. It has a loud, clear sound even with my shower running. I like that I can skip songs, adjust the volume and answer calls while in the shower. It’s a really great device that I might not have purchased for myself but I like that I have it

I chose this item

Karuna Face For All Face & Eye Mask Set
MSRP: $42.00 USD

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This included 6 face masks and 1 eye mask. I haven’t tried any of these masks just yet but I do like having them for when I have a pampering day or when I want to prep my skin before wearing a full face of makeup. I feel you can never go wrong with a face mask and I like that this has a variety of them including anti-ageing, purifying, hydrating, exfoliating, etc.

I chose this item

Vooray Sidekick Crossbody Bag
MSRP: $17.99 USD

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This is a water-resistant small crossbody bag. I really enjoy bags like this in the summer because I can easily carry around my essentials. One thing about me is that I don’t like carrying around large bags. This has one large compartment that I can keep everything in. I chose this partly because I liked the bag and because I thought it would be fun to get something different than skincare or makeup.

I chose this item

Ahava Salt Bag
MSRP: $17.00 USD

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Sea salt helps ease muscle tension and leaves you with soft skin. Again, another great item for pampering. For a bag of sea salt, this is pretty expensive but I decided to get this because I wasn’t really interested in the other items being offered.

I chose this item

Cuccio Somatology Calm + Clean Epsom Salt Hand and Body Wash
MSRP: $39.95 USD

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I love me some new hand/body wash. This has a relaxing blend of lavender oil, pro-vitamin B5, and shea butter. I think this would make a great body wash because it has the added hydrating benefits which I love since I have dry skin.

I chose this item

Drybar Prep Rally Prime & Prep Detangler
MSRP: $23.00 USD

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This lightweight detangler uses biotin, vitamins B and C, and seaberry oil to protect hair against heat (up to 450 F) and leave hair soft and conditioned. I heat style my hair so I like having a product that is meant to protect it. I like Drybar products so I’m really excited I get to try more from this brand.

Everyone received this item.

MakeUp Eraser
MSRP: $20.00 USD

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This reusable makeup remover removes makeup using only water. I’ve been using this for the past few weeks since receiving it so I’ll share a review of it soon.

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I’ve always wanted to try this item because it does get a lot of good reviews. One side has sort fibres to remove makeup and the other side has longer fibres to exfoliate the skin. You just wet it with water and use it to wash your face. I like that this is large so I can use it multiple times before I need to wash it. It’s machine washable.

Everyone received this item.

R+Co Television Perfect Hair Shampoo and Conditioner
MSRP: $64.00 USD (for both)

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I love getting shampoo and conditioner sets because they are great to travel with or as a gift. I’m excited to try these and see if they actually give me TV hair, haha!

Everyone received this item.

My Thoughts

These are awesome items! I’m so happy with the variety of products I received. Some other customizable options for this box also included; a beanie and arm warmer set, a candle, blanket, slippers, lash serum, necklace, makeup palette and monthly planner.

What was great for me is that I was able to customize 5 of the 8 items in the box which meant that I got products I knew I would personally enjoy. That’s what really set this subscription apart from others for me. While I love a good surprise box, I also like being able to choose what I know I will want for the season.

Total Value: $258.94 USD ($342.27 CAD)

Do you subscribe to FabFitFun? What did you receive in your Winter 2019 Box?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, December 2019

littlebeautyloves7 Comments

December is always a fun month for me. Everyone is in the holiday spirit and I get to enjoy time off from work to spend with my family & friends.

I wanted to start the new year fresh so this month I not only used up a lot of products but I also went through what I have and did a declutter. Any opened item that I had not been using over the last year or smelled like it was getting old was tossed out. I no longer have the desire to build a huge makeup collection or hold on to items that aren’t doing anything for me. While I love trying new things if those items no longer bring me joy months afterwards what is the point of keeping them. By having a no buy this year I really felt like I was using up what I had and paying attention to every item I keep in my stash. Anyways, it’s so refreshing to start the new year with more space! I’m debating if I do a no-buy or low-buy for 2020.

On to what I used up!

Skincare and Makeup

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Consonant Come Clean Makeup Wipes. These were really good makeup wipes. They do a great job of gently removing makeup around my eyes and face. The cloth is very sturdy and soft too. I’m reducing my use of makeup wipes and moving towards more re-useable options (makeup eraser and reusable cotton pads) but I still have a few packages of this left so I will use them. I like to keep makeup wipes on hand for extremely lazy days or travelling but I’m not going to be using them as often as I have been in the past so after I finish up the other packets I have I will refrain from repurchasing this unless I’m going somewhere.

Delectable Everything Balm. I used this whenever my hands or cuticles felt really dry, over my lips, on my face, on my hair. It really is a good balm for anywhere on the body.  I enjoyed the cupcake scent that wasn’t too sweet or overpowering. I currently have a balm that is very similar to this from Dr. Lipp so I won’t be repurchasing this anytime soon.

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Sunday Riley Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment. I did not enjoy this at all. I have pretty resilient skin but this was very harsh and made it feel itchy. The moment I put it on I felt I strange sensation on my face. I’m not sure if maybe I might have some aversion to an ingredient but this, unfortunately, was a pass for me. Lucky it was only a sample size so I got to test it out but I won’t be purchasing this.

They’re Real Mascara (Sample Size). This will always be one of my favourite mascaras. Sample size or full, I use this up so easily. It separates and coats each lash with a deep black colour and helps fan out my lashes for a fuller look. I would definitely repurchase this. I actually have one as back up!

Haircare & Body Care

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Batiste Dry Shampoo in Beautiful Brown. While I don’t use dry shampoo too often because my hair is dry naturally I still enjoy it every once in a while if I need to make my style last one or two more days. I enjoy the Batiste brand because I enjoy the scent and feel like it doesn’t weigh my hair down or make it feel extra greasy after a day. This particular one had a brown tint which I really didn’t care for. I actually just like the original so I won’t be repurchasing this particular one.

Hadaka Butterful Marula Butter Cream. I started using this towards the end of summer in rotation with other body creams I have and fell in love with it. It has a citrus scent which I enjoyed and the texture was very light and creamy. It absorbed into the skin so nicely. I would repurchase this.

Decluttered Items

I wanted to share in pictures some of the products I decluttered from my collection. I won’t go into each product in detail but a lot of these items are not empty, they just either smell old now or I know I haven’t been using over the past year.

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A lot of these are are all mascaras, eyeliners and lipsticks. There are a few body care items here too.

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All are items that shouldn’t have been in my stash for more than 3-6 months after being opened but a lot has been with me for 2-3 years!

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It was about time to just toss them out. This was good because it was just taking up room in my makeup box and making it harder to find the stuff I actually do enjoy.

So these are my empties for December! Clearly, including the items I decluttered here makes me feel pretty good about what I’ve used up or tossed out. All in all, having a no-buy for 2019 really helped keep my stash manageable and helped ensure I focus on using what I have.

What items have you used up for December?

Lots of Love,
Dal

New Light Coverage Bases in My Stash

littlebeautyloves5 Comments

Recently, I have been using BB Creams a lot more than a foundation. I feel like full-coverage foundation never looked good on me because it always felt like it sat on top of my skin and highlighted a lot of the drier areas. BB Creams and Light-Coverage Foundations were more natural-looking on my face.

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Here are two that I’ve been using frequently over the last couple months. (I also picked up a mini size of the It Cosmetics CC Cream which was a recommendation by Cat at MyLipAddiction.com 🙂 I’ll test that one out when I get it and let you know what I think!)

Garnier Skin Active BB Cream 5 in 1 Miracle Skin Perfecter (Normal to Dry Skin)

I received this in the summer at the Chick Advisory Cinq a Sept event. It made it into my Monthly Project Pan for September as well. At first I was mixing this with my foundation to thin it out but then I thought the coverage was good enough on it’s own so I started applying it without mixing it into anything else. This combines skincare and coverage.

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This claims to renew, brighten, even, hydrate for 24H and protect the skin. I like that it has a whipped texture which makes the formula feel light and is easy to smooth out onto my skin. It feels more like a moisturizer. I usually apply a less moisturizer when I’m wearing this because it’s pretty hydrating on its own. This has caffeine, antioxidant vitamin C and tinted mineral pigments in the formula.

The colour isn’t the best match on me but because it’s a thin and light consistency you hardly notice the difference. It blends in effortlessly so I find that it will even out my skin tone while letting my natural skin show through so it’s not as noticeable that the shade is not a 100% match.

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Overall I really enjoy the texture, tone and hydrating feel of this BB Cream. I would recommend this!

NYX Cosmetics Bare with Me Tinted Skin Veil 

I received the tinted veil as part of a ChickAdvisor campaign where I had the chance to try it and then post a review. Unlike the Garnier BB Cream, the texture of the skin veil is a lot closer to a foundation than it is a moisturizer.

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This claims to be a smooth and weightless formula with light, breathable coverage and has a seamless, satiny finish. The formula is light and smooth and really does just give a veil of coverage. I just found that it didn’t blend out as easily with my fingers and required a brush to really get it to smooth out.

When I’m wearing the skin veil I make do my full moisturizing routine because it doesn’t have any moisturizers like a BB Cream would. If you like light coverage foundation, this would definitely be for you!

What I like about this product is that the shade itself is a great match for my skin tone. I generally don’t have to worry about it being a perfect match because it is just a thin layer of coverage but I do like that it really mimics my skin. It’s also really easy to layer and blend other makeup on top of it. I find that because this base is more satin-like, any concealer, blush, powder tends to sit on it real nicely.

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I would recommend this product too! It’s nice to switch out from a BB Cream every once in a while and use a formula that is more like foundation without the high coverage.

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Those are the new bases I have in my stash that are light coverage. If you are curious of other BB Creams I’ve tried in the past you can take a look at my reviews here.

What do you think of the above products? Do you like items like BB Cream or would you tend toward a veil? Or do you enjoy medium or high-coverage bases instead?  I’d love to know your thoughts!

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, October 2019

littlebeautyloves7 Comments

It has been a beautiful fall season so far! Toronto weather has been mild and the leaves are changing colours! It’s looking gorgeous out there! October was a relaxing month for me. We had Canadian Thanksgiving at the beginning of the month which was a nice time spent with family. I also did Halloween Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland which is when they turn the amusement park into a scary playground at night with lots of haunted mazes, I loved it! Now it’s slowly easing into colder weather and we might have our first snowfall this week. I know some places in Canada have already experienced that. I’m really looking forward to it!

Now on to what I used up in October!

*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 & Makeup

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Ko Gen Do Makeup Wipe. I received this in my BoxyCharm and it was one of my favourite makeup wipes. The cloth itself was thick and the makeup removing solution worked extremely well at removing makeup. I’m having a hard time finding these from Canadian retailers so I’m not sure if I’ll be able to repurchase this. I will if I can find it!

Shiseido Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother. I did a full review of this product which you can read here. This is like a blotting sheet but in liquid form. As someone who has dry skin, it didn’t work for me. I held on to it for the summer but I think it’s time I just removed it from my stash. I think the product is discontinued but I would not repurchase this anyways.

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Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume Mascara. I received this from Influenster a while back and spent the last 2 months focusing on using it up. This is a pretty good mascara. I loved how rich the colour was and how it fanned out my lashes. I have so many mascaras I like more than this one though so I won’t be repurchasing it.

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Moisturizer (sample size). I absolutely love this line from Neutrogena, it has hyaluronic acid which keeps my skin moisturized. I love the consistency of the formula, where it feels like a light cool gel rather than a heavy cream. I would definitely repurchase this.

Hair, Body, Misc.

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Dove Derma+Care Scalp Conditioner. This hydrated my hair way more than I thought it would. I used it after the Dove Anti-Dandruff shampoo and together these worked so well. I think it might give my Head & Shoulders’ shampoo and conditioner a run for it’s money! Plus the Dove conditioner smells so good! I would repurchase this.

Yves Rocher Monoi Lagoon Moisturizing Perfume Body Mist. This has such a tropical flower scent that I enjoy so much in the summer. It’s sweet but not super heavy so I can easily wear this all day without it giving me a headache. I used this about half-way through but I think it was getting really old because it was getting clumpy and gross on the inside. I decided it was best I just throw it out. I have a lot of perfumes and body mists to get through so I won’t be repurchasing this.

Marvis Jasmine Mint Toothpaste. I used up another one of my Marvis tubes of toothpaste. The Jasmine mint tasted like soap! yuck! I think there might be a few more uses in this tube but I’m not going to bother using it. I would not repurchase this particular flavour.

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That’s all I was able to use up in October! I have a couple of items that were near finishing I thought would make it on to this month but alas will probably show up in November. I feel like I’m making good progress through my skincare and body items but it’s taking so long to use up any makeup! Even with my no-buy and project pan!

What items have you used up for October?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Five Eye Brushes I use A Lot!

littlebeautyloves5 Comments

I own quite a lot of brushes. I’m sure that is a statement that a lot of us can agree to! LOL!

I’m sure we’ve all gone through so many brushes, ones that we bought thinking they would be perfect only to end up switching them for something else. It took me a long time to build the collection I have and although I’m happy with them I’m always trying new ones to see how they might make my makeup application better or easier.

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I decided for this post to pull out five eye brushes that I enjoy using and share them. I have a few posts on brushes in my collection that I’ve reviewed and you can read them here and here. I still use all those brushes but since my collection is large I figured why not share more!

Here are five eye brushes that I use a lot!

Quo Eye Shadow Smudger Brush

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This is the first smudger style brush that I ever bought and I’ve purchased more smudger brushes ever since! I think Shoppers was having a sale on Quo brushes at the time so it was the perfect opportunity to grab one and see how I liked this style brush. I love using this to apply shadow to my lower and upper lash line because it gives a nice smokey effect.

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The bristles on this brush are short and dense which helps keep everything close to the lash line but the brush itself is really soft. I like that I can get really close to my lash line to frame my eyes. I also like that the ends are rounded so that I can move the brush around the curve of my eyes.

Sephora Pro Featherweight Crease Brush

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I use this brush a lot for my crease because I find that it’s soft but not so fluffy so it keeps product from blending out too much around my eyes. It keeps the look precise but still creates a seemless blend. I own a lot of blending brushes but I really like this one when I want to take time to blend out my eyeshadow.

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What I love about this brush is that after so much use it continues to hold it’s shape. I love the domed tip which makes it really comfortable to use in the crease. I’m a bit bummed that this is no longer at Sephora and if I knew it was going to be discontinued I might have bought another one.

Artdeco Blending Brush

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I featured this brush before on the blog in the post focusing on the brushes in my One Look, One Week Review Series. I mentioned that this brush is quite versatile and it continues to be a well loved and highly used brush. Recently, I’ve been using it a lot for cream shadows I have (ie. the Nudestix shadows) to blend out any rough edges. The brush is dense so it really blends out cream perfectly.

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What I love about this brush is that one side is wide, while the other side is flat.

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This allows me to use this to lightly blend out shadow in my crease using the flat side or to sweep shadow on my lid using the wider side. It’s even been used as a liner smudger and to blend shadow on my lower lid. It does everything I want a brush to do. Whenever I travel I take this brush with me because I can use it in a variety of ways. I plan on purchasing more of these types of brushes.

Inglot Large Eyeshadow Brush, 28 PO (I think?)

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This brush has a special place in my heart because it was one of the first professional style brushes that I ever purchased and it’s held up all these years. I don’t think at the time Inglot had put the brush numbers on their brushes so I’m guessing it’s the 28PO based on their description online. I purchased this brush to help clean around the edges of my eyeshadow because it’s a super big and dense brush.

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If ever my eyeshahow is starting to blend out a little too far on my eye and I want to blend out the colours I’ll take this brush to help clean it all up. The brush is also perfect as a shadow brush because it’s so big that I can definitly use it as a one sweep brush and be done with eyeshadow. I don’t use this too often because it is so big, but whenever I need a brush like this I’m also so happy I have it.

Luxie 111 Mini Flat Angled Brush

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I received this brush in my November BoxyCharm as part of a four-pack brush set. I use all the brushes in that set but this one is one that I use most out of all of them and I use it specifically to apply eyeshadow to my lower lashes.

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Because the brush is angled, it fits perfectly under my lower lashes and applies shadow really close to my lower lash. By being able to apply a thin shadow under my lashes I keep my shadow looking sleek. I really enjoy this brush. I don’t think I would have thought to purchase this on my own, but after receiving it and trying it out, it has really improved my eyeshadow application.

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These are some of my favourite eye shadow brushes. I plan to share more of my favourite brushes for my eyes and face on the blog since I have so many that I really like and I’m curious to know what are some of your favourite brushes too!

Let me know what brushes you use a lot for your eye shadow application.

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, July 2019

littlebeautyloves5 Comments

Happy Saturday! I feel like I rarely post on the weekends but I finally got around to taking some photos so I figured why not! Also, happy Civic Long weekend to those who have Monday off! I love long weekends in the summer!

It had been a gorgeous July! The days were hot and beautiful and I enjoyed it so much. I’m really excited for August and enjoying more of this summer especially since there are a few things that happen around the city that I enjoy – Food Festivals, here I come! I didn’t use up too many products this month but I’ve also been changing up my skincare and makeup routine for the summer which meant that a lot of my usual products are on a break.

Now on to what I used up!

*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

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Victoria Secret Shea & Vitamin E Shower Gel. VS have some nice smelling shower gels and I really like them. The scent Cabana Breeze has an ocean/vacation scent and whenever I used it I would be taken back to my trip to Jamaica. They lather up quite a bit which makes taking a shower feel like a standing bath. I also love using them in my bubble bath because they do make so much thick bubbles! I would definitely repurchase these shower gels over and over again.

L’Occitane Almond Shower Gel. I used to be into this shower gel but after a while, I got bored with it. I really like super sudsy shower gels and this isn’t like that, or at least it stopped being that way after a while. It just doesn’t get super foamy. It’s weird but I almost feel like the formula started getting old and it wasn’t as nice as it was for the first couple of months I had this. I still enjoyed it for prepping my legs before shaving, but as a shower gel on its own, it lost its lustre for me. If you want to read my original review of this product you can here. I don’t think I’d repurchase this product.

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NeoStrata Glycolic Renewal Smoothing Lotion. I included this product with a short review in a haul I had back in March 2018. You can read it here. Although I really enjoyed this product it’s been over a year that I’ve had it so I’m sure it’s time I just toss it out since I don’t think it’s as effective as it once was. I used this about half-way. I’m not sure I’d repurchase this.

Haircare

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Head & Shoulders Conditioner in Smooth & Silky. Every few months I add another Head & Shoulders product into my empties. If there is one product that I repurchase over and over again it’s this. I really enjoy how well it cleans my hair.

Makeup

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Essence Long Lasting Eye Pencil. This product got old before I used it up but it’s because I haven’t been using pencil liners for quite a while now. Lately, I’ve been using either eye shadow or my Nudestix Crayons to create a smokey liner on my eyes rather than a sharp line or wing. This guy is ok, it is a deep intense black and I like that it’s a twist up liner. I used this a lot in my waterline which is another reason I am throwing it out since I want to get into the habit of using new items for delicate areas such as my eyes. I won’t be repurchasing this anytime soon.

Cover FX PowerPlay Foundation (sample). I love picking up sample foundations to test out before I commit to a new foundation. I got about four applications from this foundation and I really liked how it looked. It feels really light on my face but provides a good amount of coverage. I would purchase a full-size of this.

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Like I mentioned above, I didn’t use up too many items for this month but I did clear out some things that were old or weren’t getting a lot of use in my collection of stuff.

What have you used up for July?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Review, Shiseido Ibuki Smart Filtering Smoother (discontinued)

littlebeautyloves4 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Morphe X Jaclyn Hill: Palette Collection Review Series

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.

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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%.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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: January 2019

littlebeautyloves9 Comments

Alrighty, 2019 Project Pan here I come!

Last year I attempted to use up 18 items for 2018. You can read my round-up of that Project Pan here.

This year I wanted to do something different. Instead of picking products to use through-out the year, each month I will choose 4 items to use through-out the month! This way I’ll rotate through my makeup items and use up more stuff. It should keep things interesting.

During that time I’ll keep track of how often I used it and at the end of each month I’ll share an update on my progress.

The 4 products will be 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.)

My January Items

This month I’ve chosen:

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  • Eyeshadow Palette – Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette (reviewed here)
  • Lip Item – Nudestix Lip and Cheek Balm in Pulse
  • Face Item – Tarte Cosmetics Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Paaarty
  • Random Item – Benefit They’re Real Mascara in Black

I think together these make an easy look that is nice for the colder weather. I’m already enjoying using the Too Faced Palette again, it’s been such a long time that I’ve used the Original Chocolate Bar!

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I’ll share an update in a month’s time and share my February Project Pan. I’ll also try to review the items mentioned above that don’t have reviews and fulfill my Blog Goal of getting more reviews up on the blog.

Are you doing a Project Pan this year? What Items have you choosen for it? What do you think about doing a monthly project pan?

Lots of Love,
Dal