Sampling About, Using up my Sample Packets

March 16, 2020March 15, 2020 littlebeautyloves7 Comments

At the beginning of the year, I thought about doing another Project Pan, but after looking at my beauty items I thought the one thing that seems to add to the overflow is my collection of sample packets. Now, I loved collecting samples whenever I went shopping at any beauty related store because I always thought it was a great way to try out products or to carry something easy to dispose of while on vacation. After years of collecting, I just find that a LOT of this stuff isn’t being used up so I figured why not just pull them all out and focus on using them up over the next few months and just clear them from my collection.

Now, I’m currently working from home for the next few weeks due to the rising fear of COVID-19 so I figured I would put extra focus on these items. It’ll be a good way for me to focus on something fun during this time and maybe I can provide some updates along the way of what I use up.

On a serious note, my work decided to promote social distancing and asked those who can work from home do so. I just wanted to take this opportunity to ask you to stay safe and pay attention to your local government’s update. There is a lot of information out there on COVID-19 and I encourage you to read creditable sources on what to do in your area so that we can protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

On to my Samples! I’m going to divide these into a few categories so that it’s easier to follow. I’ll include how many I have of each so that as I use them up I can update the counter.

Makeup and Makeup Prep

Smashbox Original Primer x1
Elizabeth Arden Cleanser x1
YSL Primer x2

Benefit Concealer x1
Philosophy Cleanser x1
Glamglow Cleanser x1

Body Care

Josie Maran Body Butter x2
Nivea Care Cream x2

Nuxe Body Oil x1

Hair Care

John Frieda Hair Care set x1

dpHUE Scalp Scrub x1

Moisturizer

Teology Matcha Cream x1
Tatcha Moisturizer x1
No7 Skin Paste x1

Glamglow Moisturizer x1
Jowai Youth Concentration x2
Biotherm Gel x1

Serum and Other Creams

Neostrata Night Serum x1
Neostrata Eye Cream x1
Shiseido Ultimune x1
Shiseido Serum x1
Vichy Mineral 89 x1
Marcelle 2in1 serum x1
Elizabeth Arden Serum x2

Clarins Double Serum x5
Biotherm Elixir x2
Kose Sekkisei Gel x1
Kose Sekkisei Mask x1
Lancome Genifique x1
Filorga Serum x1

I can’t wait to use all these products up!

Lots of Love,
Dal

FabFitFun, Spring 2020 Edition

March 12, 2020March 12, 2020 littlebeautylovesLeave a comment

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. The boxes are valued at over $200 US.

For prices and membership breakdown head over to my first FabFitFun post here

I am an annual member so I get to chose 5 out of the 8 items in the box and while I think I got some good items I wasn’t really excited with the selection this season overall. I’ll get more into that below. I’ll include a note if this was something I chose or if it was an item that the FabFitFun team chose for me.

On to what I got!

ReVive Light Therapy Glo Wrinkle and Anti-Ageing Light Device
MSRP: $68.00 USD
I chose this item

This multi-wave light helps to stimulate collagen and elastin. I was pretty intrigued by this product and wanted to give it a shot. Compared to the other options which included a tote bag and a sweater coat this one sounded the most interesting. I’ll have to try it out for 3-4 weeks and maybe give this a review on the blog since the device is new to me.

Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion
MSRP: $78.00 USD
I chose this item

This treatment minimizes the look of lines and wrinkles and is formulated with collagen. I never say no to skincare, especially if it can improve the look of my skin. I took a look across a few websites including Sephora, Ulta, and Murad and generally the reviews are pretty positive for this product. I hope it works well!

Cosmedix Pure C Vitamin C Mixing Crystals
MSRP: $54.00 USD
I chose this item

Now here’s where I started to get a bit unsatisfied with the selection of items I could choose from. There was a coin necklace, a weighted sleep mask, a mask set, body scrub and this item. I wasn’t really drawn to anything but ended up picking Cosmedix Pure C.

The Cosmedix Pure C is 100% L-Ascorbic Acid which you can add into your night time serum or moisturizer to boost their results. This is meant to brighten the skin and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I kinda did a process of elimination when choosing this item but after reading a bit more about it I’m happy that I picked this. I think it’s an interesting concept and will give it a try.

Aria Beauty Luxe Detangling Electroplated Brush
MSRP: $35.00 USD
I chose this item

From all the options I chose a brush. I didn’t care for the body oil, or tea towels (although now I wish I picked these instead) or a hair remedy. It looked very luxe in the photos and the price suggested it would be fancy. Having it with my now, it feels really lightweight and not very special. The bristles feel a bit flimsy too. I like paddle brushes so I’ll use this but it doesn’t feel as good as others I have. I got one from Winners that was $14.00 CAD (so like $10 US) that feels heftier than this. This is a meh type of product.

Lovescript Body Wash
MSRP: $28.00 USD
I chose this item

Again, another product that I chose because I didn’t really care for the other options (sensing a trend here?). I love body wash so I know I’m going to like this, but really, $28.00?! I have great body washes that cost me less than $10.00 so I don’t know what is so special about this product. It doesn’t claim to have any special ingredients or do anything, other than to lather up. Anyways, I’ll test it out and see how I like.

This Work’s Deep Sleep Body Cocoon
MSRP: $40.00 USD
FFF chose this item

Now, this was a product I wanted and was really excited I got. I love products that have some aromatherapy ingredients to help me relax at the end of the night. I love the Aveda Stress-Fix lotion and the Deep Sleep Body Cocoon sounds like it’s very similar. This has Shea Butter, Crambe, Camelia and Sativa oils that help to nourish the skin and Lavender, Chamomile and Vetivert to help you calm and relax before and while you sleep. I’ve very excited about this.

Chich & Tonic Silicone Straws
MSRP: $15.00 USD
FFF chose this item

I’m not really into silicone straws. The texture feels weird to me and I feel like I can taste silicone on my lips when I use them. I also find that little fuzzies like to cling to silicone. Basically, I don’t like them. I’d rather use metal straws. I will hold on to the brush cleaner since I can definitely use that and I’ll keep the straws for a picnic because the colours are so cute but they won’t be used daily.

Purlisse Watermelon Energizing Two Minute Polishing Peel
MSRP: $35.00 USD
FFF Chose this item

This face mask contains watermelon, antioxidant blackberry, cranberry and elderberry, for anti-ageing and natural radiance. It also has glycolic acid to smooth the skin. It has a physical exfoliant using pumice (a type of volcanic rock) as the scrubber to remove impurities. I don’t mind physical exfoliants but I know that not everyone does. Hopefully, this isn’t irritating but I’m pretty happy to get this in my box to try out.

My Thoughts

So there is my Spring FabFitFun Box, some items I’m really excited about while others are just so-so or downright blah! I guess next time I’ll try to choose more wisely so that I get items I know I’ll enjoy. My sister received the Spring Box and she opted for travel packing bags that I thought were really useful. Next time, I won’t opt for hair tools that I can easily buy somewhere else. The skincare items are good though!

Total Value: $353.00 USD ($482.00 CAD)

Do you subscribe to FabFitFun? What did you receive in your Spring 2020 Box?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, February 2020

March 5, 2020March 4, 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

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

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

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

Makeup Eraser & ProCIV Reusable Pad Review

February 13, 2020February 13, 2020 littlebeautyloves6 Comments

I received the Makeup Eraser in my Winter FabFitFun box. I had seen a lot of great reviews about this product so when I got it I was very excited to give it a try. Another item I had seen good reviews about that I wanted to share is the ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads from Amazon. I figured since they were both reusable cleansing products I would share my thoughts in one post.

Makeup Eraser

First, let’s talk about the Makeup Eraser (check it out here). I have only been using this for about a month and a half but it’s seriously become a staple product in my face cleansing routine. It has a long oval shape with soft fabric on both sides of the cloth. It’s large enough that I can use it 4-5 times before I need to wash it.

How I use this

I only need to use a small section of the cloth each time I use it so I mentally divide it into quarters and use each side on a different day. I might be able to use this a 5th or 6th time if I go back into the areas in between the quarters I did not use. I use this at the end of the day by dampening the cloth with warm water and gently rubbing it on my face. At first, I was worried I would tug at my skin too much but I’ve started to become comfortable with applying the right pressure to remove my makeup without tugging my face.

The cloth has different textures on each side. One side has short fibres for removing makeup and the other side has long ones for exfoliating.

I use the short fibre side to remove all my makeup and cleanse my face and then flip to the other side to help exfoliate my skin to ensure everything is deeply cleansed. What’s great is that I don’t need to use any other products with this it does a good job on its own and I don’t have to rinse my face afterwards either.

Washing it

I don’t wash this between uses but I make sure that I hang it to completely dry so that it doesn’t start to smell. At the end of the week, I’ll just throw it into my washing machine with my other clothes and wash them all in a normal cycle. I then hang it to dry, I don’t put this in my dryer. I’ve machine washed this about 4 times now and the fibres and cloth have held up pretty well! Any dark makeup stains are completely lifted and the cloth itself remains soft and sturdy.

My Thoughts

I’ve been using this at the end of the day because it’s so quick and convenient for removing makeup. With there being dual sides, I can flip between the two fibre textures to cleanse my face and exfoliate it in one step. I might still use some makeup remover around my eyes if I’ve got a lot of makeup on around there but for the most part, it takes off all my other makeup with ease. I really enjoy this and extremely happy I received it in my FabFitFun box. You can find it at Sephora or on the Makeup Eraser website and I would highly recommend picking one up.

ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads

Another reusable item that I’ve been enjoying lately is the ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads I ordered from Amazon (check them out here). This came as a set of 16 and while there is an option to get all white pads, I went for the set with blue/green pads only because I know that white clothes tend to stain quicker for me when I use them to remove dark makeup such as eyeliner or mascara. There are a bunch of different sellers of similar products on Amazon but this one had high reviews so I figured I would try it.

How I use this

These are made with bamboo fabric which is soft. It has a double layer of thin fabric that’s been sewn together on the edge. It’s gentle by not flimsy. I would soak an area of the pads with micellar water and use one side of the pad to remove eyeliner and mascara and the other side to remove makeup on my face. These pads are great for removing face mask residue too.

What I personally like about the ProCIV Makeup Remover Pads is that they are large, about 3 inches in diameter. The pads are really large that I could easily use it to remove makeup from all over my face. I’m happy I chose a set that came in multiple colours because I could designate each colour for something different, ie blue cloth for eyes, green for face, white for nail polish removal etc. Currently, I’m only using this for my face but I could see how these could easily do everything I use my current cotton pads do.

Washing it

I keep the clean pads in a glass jar. I use one pad each day to remove my eye makeup and lipsticks/glosses. The set came with a draw-string mesh bag that I use to collect all the dirty pads into and then at the end of the week I throw the bag and its contents into the washing machine. After the wash, I’ve put these into the dryer and they come out great. The pads hold together well and I don’t see any changes in the fabric itself. They’ve gone through the washing machine a few times now since I’ve purchased them and they are still the same.

My thoughts

I’ll be honest. I was a bit skeptical about these pads because you can’t always trust the quality of the items you purchase from Amazon. I was nervous they might not be soft or would fall apart after a wash or two but they’ve been amazing so far! As much as I love my thick cotton pads that I purchase from Shiseido and Muji, I really wanted to make an effort, especially for 2020, to reduce my use of disposable one-time use items and go for reusable ones. These have completely replaced those cotton pads with ease. I would highly recommend them!

So there you have it! A little review of the Makeup Eraser and the ProCIV makeup Pads. Have you tried either of these products or something similar from other brands? What other reusable beauty products do you use?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, January 2020

February 7, 2020February 7, 2020 littlebeautyloves10 Comments

I took a break from my Instagram during January. It was great to take a small step back from social media and focus on myself. I feel like with the weather (which is really grey and snowy) and with the new year, I felt like I just wanted a refresh. After a large December empties and declutter, January had much less used up items.

Here’s what I used up!

Skincare

Nivea MicellAIR Skin Breathe Micellar Water. This was gentle and effective, removing my mascara and eyeliner with ease. As well as using micellar water to remove my makeup at the end of the day, I used it in the mornings to rinse my face before I applied makeup. This worked super well. I would repurchase this.

Caudalie Grape Water. This mist lasts forever!!!! I have had this bottle for a couple years and over that time I’ve been making an effort to use it every day. I’ve finally used it up! The mist is very fine and it disperses evenly on the skin. I would use this after washing my face, before applying serum or moisturizer. I also used it on top of makeup as a re-hydrating, finishing spray. Some people swear by this product and say that it helps hydrate their skin. I personally thought it was OK. It wasn’t super hydrating and I would have to follow-up with moisturizer if I was going to keep my skin from feeling extremely dry. It just left my skin feeling wet. I’ve used face mists that work a lot better than this and cost me a lot less too. I won’t be repurchasing this.

Body Care

Being by Sanctuary Spa Hibiscus & Coconut Water Shower Burst. I am obsessed with shower gels and soap bars. I think of all the bath items, these are things I get most excited about. I mean, if you got me a basket full of Bath & Body Works shower gels I would be the happiest person! I enjoyed that this was a foaming wash. The scent is really fruity which is not my favourite. I also like my shower gel to double as bubble bath and this, unfortunately, does not. I won’t be repurchasing this.

Hair Care

Head & Shoulders Shampoo Deep Moisture. Another Head & Shoulders shampoo in the empties bin! It’s my favourite shampoo and if you’ve been here before you know every few months I use one up! I already have one open and would repurchase.

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There you have it, my little collection of empties for January. I am happy that at least I used up items that were large bottle sizes. After December and my big empties and declutter post, there wasn’t much left to use up in January.

What items did you use up in January?

Lots of Love,
Dal

FabFitFun Box, Winter 2019 Edition

January 30, 2020January 30, 2020 littlebeautyloves7 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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)

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, November 2019

December 9, 2019December 8, 2019 littlebeautyloves4 Comments

The November weather was so mild and beautiful. It’s not every year that I actually get to enjoy the Fall season before it starts snowing and it gets really cold. It’s finally caught up with us though, winter came in pretty heavy over the weekend and now it is here. I did a lot of Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping because there were a lot of good deals. Did you do any Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping?

Here’s 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

Shiseido Sports BB Cream. I used this a lot while I was in Jamaica back in April and then again in summer here. I love that this has a high SPF which is fantastic on days I know I’m spending the majority of it outdoors. The colour wasn’t the best match for me but otherwise, I liked this! I like that it’s designed for water and sports. I am currently using the IT Cosmetics CC Cream that has SPF as well so I won’t be repurchasing this anytime soon.

Laneige Cream Skin Toner & Moisturizer. I received this to test out and I really enjoyed it for my skin. Since it’s hydrating I found myself reaching out for it frequently even though I’ve never been someone who would remember to use toner. I would probably repurchase this.

Laneige Water Bank Hydro Essence. I got this sample with an order that I’ve been using under my moisturizer. I enjoy Laneige products because they are so light and gel-like while still being hydrating. I would repurchase this.

Face Mask

#primer mask. I thought it was a great concept to have a mask that was a primer to use before applying makeup. This left my skin feeling smooth and prepped. Although I’m not sure if I’d repurchase this exact item, I’m sure I’ll pick up more masks like it.

Wander Beauty Gold Eye Mask. I broke my no-buy to purchase a pack of these during the Sephora VIB sale. I love this mask for hydrating the skin underneath my eyes. I enjoy using this to prep that area before I know I’m going out so that I look refreshed. I would repurchase this.

Makeup

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. This was a real concealer because it was really lightweight. I would repurchase this except that I have a few other concealers in my stash that I need to use up.

Benefit High Brow. I received this in a brow set from Benefit. I didn’t really use this or like it very much. It always just made under my brows look very dry. I decided I would just toss this out since I’m not using it. I would not repurchase this.

Tarte Big Ego Mascara. This came in my BoxyCharm and at first, I was pretty excited to try this out because I like a few mascaras from Tarte. This one was a bit dry and didn’t add anything to my lashes. I would not repurchase this.

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So these are my empties for November! I feel like I did a good job of using up a lot of items. I notice a difference in my stash now that I haven’t been purchasing any new items in my stash.

What items have you used up for November?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Dose Of Colors Bake Browns Eyeshadow: Palette Collection Review Series

November 25, 2019November 27, 2019 littlebeautyloves9 Comments

There are times when I appreciate a simple 5 pan palette especially when all the colours are meant to work together and it’s easy to just put together a couple of looks. That’s what I like about the Dose of Colors Baked Browns Eyeshadow palette. I find it convenient to just throw 2-3 shades together on my lids and be done with it. I don’t mull over the palette thinking about what would look good together and what I feel like wearing that day. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy coming up with fun looks but sometimes, especially when I’m heading to work, I just want something easy.

What It Is

A selection of warm-toned matte shadows, Baked Browns Eyeshadow Palette creates everything from neutral everyday eye looks to deep, dark smoky effects. (beautybay.com)

Price

$48.70 CAD (8.5g – $5.73/g) This is a pricey eyeshadow palette in terms of dollar per gram. I think it’s the second priciest I own after the Estee Lauder Color Envy Sculpting Eyeshadow, see it here.

I received this in my October Boxycharm where I paid $33.00 CAD for the whole box and received other items along with the palette. I wouldn’t purchase this on it’s own. I got the cost from Beautybay.com (which has Canadian pricing and ships to Canada for those who might be interested in getting this)

Packaging

I love the rose chrome colour of the palette itself. I like the sleek style of it too. It’s not very big being only 2″ X 5″ so I can easily store it away. The packaging feels like high-quality plastic. Even though I don’t use it too much I do like that it has a mirror. Inside the shades are laid out from lightest to darkest which is appealing to me.

This comes with a double sided brush. One end is a small blending brush and the other end is a pencil brush. I’ve used this brush quite a bit to apply colour to my lower lash line with the blending end and used the pencil side to apply a smoky line to my upper lash line. It adds value to this product for me.

Colour

I was really happy to receive the baked Browns in my Boxycharm because I knew I’d get good use out of it. These shades are ones that I have been using every day for my project pan. The colours all work together.

I love the warm tone of this palette and how it looks on my eyes. My favourite shades are Outdoorsy and Cherry Wood.

Now, if you like variety in your palettes, this one is definitely not for you. However, if you like a smooth, blendable formula and this 5 pan style, you will enjoy this. It does come in other shades including mauves, berries, etc.

Application & Wear

One thing I’ll address right away here is that these shades are very dusty. They create so much fall out in the pan. After using this for a month I’ve noticed that a lot of excess product is wasted out of the pans and it looks like I’ve used this more than I actually have.

Since it produces A LOT of fallout I have to be careful with how much product I put on my brush, especially if I’m doing my eyes after I apply foundation. I usually go for a simple look day-to-day but if I’m going for something deeper or smokier I need to apply this first and then foundation so I’m able to clean it up.

The upside of this is that they blend so effortlessly on the eyes. I can pull a look together very quickly because this is so easy to blend. I enjoy how easily I can put a look together with this.

My Looks

This first look is one that I wear most days for work. I applied Tealight all over the lid and then applied Deserted in my crease and deepened it just slightly with outdoorsy. For liner I used Rock Bottom. I used deserted in my lower lash line.

For this look above I put Deserted all over the lid and then used Cherry Wood in the crease. I then took some of Rock Bottom and blended it into the outer edge of my lash line. I used Rock Bottom in my lower lash line and blending it out with deserted.

The Breakdown

Pros

sturdy palette
easy to blend

Cons

not much colour variety
lots of fallout
price

My Thoughts

Overall, I really love this palette! The colours are ones I enjoy wearing and I like the formula and blend ability. I would recommend this palette except that the price is a bit high.

Have you tried this palette or any others from Dose of Colors?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Project Pan Monthly: October Roundup & November Items

November 11, 2019November 10, 2019 littlebeautyloves2 Comments

This month I wanted to get this post out earlier than I did last month so that I could share with you what I plan on focusing on in my makeup stash! Then I totally got lazy for a week and here we are… late again… haha!

Looking at the before and after of some of my liquid items from October it really feels like I didn’t make much progress although I used my items 28/31 days. While I usually don’t wear makeup on the weekend I did find myself out and about a lot more in October so I did wear some makeup and used my Project Pan items. Let’s jump into my progress!

But before we do that….

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

Project Pan Monthly

Each month I choose 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 mascara, liner, skincare, body care, fragrance, etc.)

October Round-Up

One thing I love about focusing on specific items in my collection is that I can judge how much I actually like them. When I bought my Smashbox Minimalist Cover Shot Palette I was sure I would use this a lot, however, I realize after having this in my Project Pan I realize I don’t love the colours in this palette. One side is neutral, the other is cool. I leaned towards using neutral brown tones because the grey tones were not appealing to me.

My Guerlain lip balm remained in my purse and I continued to use it frequently throughout the month. I like this lip balm and I think that I am going to go back and purchase more shades. It’s the only lip item I’ve enjoyed in this whole Project Pan series. Granted the before and after doesn’t show much has been used up believe me when I say that I used this quite a lot.

At the beginning of October, I used the Becca Backlight Primer pretty often but after about a week I stopped using it and then that was that. It was just another step in my morning routine that I was too lazy to do.

I used my Maybelline Concealer every time I wore makeup, however, you wouldn’t guess based on the photo above that it was ever used. I do want to just use this up so I am avoiding using my other concealers for now that I finish this up. Maybe it’ll make it onto an empties post in a few months!

My November Items

For this month I chose;

One Eyeshadow Palette – Dose of Colors Eyeshadow Palette in Baked Browns
One Lip Item – Urban Decay Lipstick In Sheer Liar
One Face Item – Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Volume 4 (reviewed here)
One Random Item – CoverFX Custom Enhancer Drops in Moonlight (reviewed here)

I love how I chose items will all chrome packaging! It’s so aesthetically pleasing.

I’m really excited about the items I’ve picked for this month. I’m enjoying the eyeshadow so far – lookout for a review coming soon! I’m also very much in love with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette so I’m excited to use it. Now is also the best time to try to use up the CoverFX drops. I’ve had this mini bottle for such a long time now and it was in last year’s Project Pan so I’m really hoping I use up more of it.

How is your progress been for Project Pan this month? What are you hoping to use up for November?

Lots of Love,
Dal

Bye Bye Empties, October 2019

November 5, 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

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.

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.

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