February Favourites




As this was a short month my list of favourites is also fairly short. I am still loving using the products that have made my favourites list the last few months but here are a few new products I've been loving.

itCosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette
I've had this palette for a little while now but I pulled it out again this month and have been using almost everyday. This palette is filled with matte shadows which is a look I've been enjoying lately. I have a full review of this palette which you can find here.
Hey Honey Take it Off
This is a sample I got in my Ipsy bag a few months ago and I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. I've never tried a product like this before, it's an exfoliating mask. It's a clear gel that you smooth over you face, you let it dry and then peel it off and the dry skin comes off with it. It's really helped my skin this month.
Chloe Rollerball Perfume
I've been wearing my Elizabeth and James Nirvana White perfume everyday for almost a year but this month I've changed my scent to this Chloe rollerball. It's very fresh and floral and I've been really enjoying the change.
Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette in Native
I really love this palette. The blush looks surprisingly natural on me and with the bronzer and highlight this makes the perfect combination. 
Clinique Stubby Stick in 07 Super Strawberry
I know I've complained about how this lip balm wasn't worth the price but it's really easy to apply without a mirror and looks really pretty while being comfortable and long lasting. I've been wearing it a lot this month.

Drugstore Dupes




I've gone through my makeup collection and complied a short list of drugstore items that I believe are dupes for high end brands.

Bronzer

NYC Sunny vs. Tarte Park Avenue Princess 
NYC Sunny Bronzer retails for $3 and Tarte Park Avenue Princess Bronzer comes as part of a contour palette that retails for $41. These two bronzers are very similar. Both are matte, slightly orange, pigmented and blend well. The NYC bronzer is more powdery than the Tarte alternative and the Tarte bronzer last longer and claims it's waterproof, but I think for the price The NYC bronzer is definietly worth it. 


Blush

Milani Luminoso vs. Benefit CORALista
 Milani's Luminoso Blush retails for $8.50 and Benefit's CORALista retails for $36. Although not exact dupes these two blushes leave a very similar look to the cheeks. A shimmery coral colour that is perfect for summer. The Milani blush is a little more coral while the Benefit blush is slightly lighter in colour. Both have a lot of golden shimmer throughout. Luminoso's formula is baked so it is a bit drier and slightly more powdery in consistency. If you can't afford to shell out for a Benefit blush I highly suggest you try Milani.

Eyeliner

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil vs. Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal
Rimmel's eyeliners retail for $7 and the Urban Decay liners retail for $24. I have talked about Rimmel's Scandaleyes liners being a dupe for Urban Decay's 24/7 liners many times before on my blog. Although Urban Decay has a much wider shade selection, the formula's of the liners are very similar. They're waterproof, pigmented, creamy and long-lasting but you can still smudge them out before they set. The two similar shades I used as an example are Roach from Urban Decay and 03 Brown from Rimmel. 


A Cheap Alternative 


The Wet & Wild Palette retails for about $4 while the Lorac Pro 2 Palette retails for $42. These two eyeshadow palettes aren't really a dupe but they are very similar. The Wet & Wild Palette doesn't contain any matte shades and has half the selection of shades as the Lorac Pro 2 palette but there are some dupes between the two. I really love both these palettes. The shadow quality of each palette is very impressive.
Wet & Wild Comfort Zone
Lorac Pro 2


Top - W&W Brown Definer vs. Lorac Cocoa, W&W Browbone vs. Lorac Beige
Bottom Left - W&W Eyelid vs. Lorac Rose, W&W Crease vs. Lorac Mocha, W&W Green Crease vs. Lorac Jade

Do you know of any good dupes?

Hydrating Masks: Glam Glow vs.The Body Shop




Hydrating masks are very important in my skincare routine. I have extremely dry skin and moisturizing masks are the only thing that seems to save my skin. I'm going to be comparing the very expensive and much blogged about Glam Glow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment and the cheaper Body Shop alternative Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask. Both claim the basic same thing - intense hydration but with a $53 price difference you may want to know if it's worth it to splurge on the Glam Glow mask. 
If you haven't heard about Moisture Masks before, they're basically a face mask that you can leave on and they will sink into the skin the skin providing extreme hydration and relieving dry skin. 


Glam Glow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment
I am a big fan of this mask and I definitely get what all the hype is about. This mask provides instant and long lasting hydration. According to the Glam Glow website it claims:
 "THIRSTYMUD uses the newest, most advanced & extreme hydration active technologies, providing deep instant Extreme Hydration for Long, Medium & Short Term Results. THIRSTYMUD™ hydrates, moisturizes, restores, replenishes and calms the skin."
ThirstyMud has a consistency that reminds me of pudding and it smells sweet. It's not too thick when you apply it to your face, it's non-geasy and it sinks in fast so you don't feel like you're wearing a mask. The biggest downside to this product is the price tag. At $75 Canadian I feel like I need a really good reason to use the product.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask
I also really like this hydrating mask and I especially like the $22 price tag. I think this mask works just as well as the ThirstyMud mask at hydrating dry skin. The website says:
"Sink some antioxidant Vitamin E into your skin. Bring skin back to optimum moisture level with this intensely hydrating mask."
The downsides to this mask are that it feels really thick and sticky on the skin. It's harder to sleep in because it doesn't sink very fast. However this may allow for the results last longer.  I find both masks can be a bit tingly on the really dry spots, this mask maybe more so than the ThirstyMud. I also don't think this mask smells as good as the Glam Glow one.

Overall
Unless you have the money to spend on a Glam Glow mask I would stick to the cheaper Body Shop version. The ThirstyMud Hydrating Mask doesn't make a big enough difference to be worth the huge price tag.
You can get the Glam Glow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment here: http://www.glamglowmud.com/products/shop-treatments/thirstymud.html
 and the Body Shop Vitamin E Sink-In Moisture Mask here: http://www.thebodyshop.ca/en/skin-care/skin-care-best-sellers/vitamin-e-sink-in-moisture-mask.aspx

February Ipsy Bag




The theme of this months bag was obviously love for Valentine's Day. The bag is really cute and pink and like all of Ipsy's bags, quite usable. I'm going to have a nice collection of makeup bags from this service. Overall I wasn't very impressed by the products I got in my bag this month but I'll start with my favourite.

Model co Blush in 01 Cosmopolitan 
I was really impressed with this blush. It's pigmented, blendable and finely milled. The colour is perfect for me. It's a gorgeous ballerina pink and it's completely matte. You get a decent amount of blush too. I'm not entirely sure if this is a full size product but the full size retails for $22 so not a cheap product.
L- Blush, R-Lip Stain
City Color Creamy Lip Stain in Flirtini
I really wanted to like this Lip Stain more than I do. Honestly I can't get over the smell. It smells heavily of chemicals and it gave me a headache almost immediately. The colour is really pretty and suites me well. It's a matte gloss that is supposed to turn into a stain. It reminds me a lot of the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. Those smell a lot better though so I would leave this product and go for NYX. This Lip Stain retails for $5.

Mitchell and Peach Fine Radiance Face Oil

Here's another product that has a scent problem. This is a face oil but it has enough fragrance it could be a perfume. Now it smells really pretty but I can't wear it on my face without sneezing. The oil itself is nice, it hydrates well and sinks in really fast. This is a really high end brand so I was surprised to find it in my Ipsy bag. The full size retails for $57 but we got a half sized sample (10 ml) which makes it worth approximately $28!!! I want to find another way to use it because I don't want it to go to waste.

eva-nyc Up all Night Volumizing Spray

This was actually a good product. It volumizes hair and protects it from the heat. I know I've been quite sensitive to scents in this post but I don't have a problem with the smell of this. I have a lot of other volumizing sprays but this will be good for travel. It's sample sized but the full size retails for $24.

Emite Eyelash Curler

I haven't been able to bring myself to use these and I don't know if I ever will. Although they are supposedly expensive, they feel really cheap. I'm scared they'll cut my lashes off as they are sharp. I think I'll just stick with my Sephora curlers for now. These retail for $25.

Overall I was a little disappointing in the bag this month, however this month's bag was worth approx. $83. The service is only $10 per month so it seems like a good deal.

Rosy Valentines Look




This was my all time favourite eyeshadow look last year but I've been waiting to to a post on this look because I think it's a really suitable look for Valentines Day. It's very simple to do but it has gotten me loads of complements.
 This look uses theBalm's NUDE'tude palette but any similar shades would work.
I started by using Maybelline's Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink as a base. I then took the shade Stand-offish which is a pinky-champagne shade and I applied that all over the lid. I then took the shade Sexy and slowly applied that into the crease with my MAC 217, building up the colour until I was satisfied. 
I used Sassy as an inner corner highlight and a white matte shadow on my browbone.
 Finishing the look, I used Maybelline's Gel Liner in Black and drew a fine line close to my lashline. I used Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara on my top lashes and that completes the look. It's really fast and easy but it's very sweet and pretty. Perfect for Valentines Day!

Take it or Leave it: Urban Decay




It's the return of my series Take it or Leave it. If you haven't read the first post in the series where I reviewed The Body Shop products, you can find it here. The point of this series is to focus on a specific brand and give you my opinions on what products are worth your investment. As last time I focused on an affordable brand I thought I would do a high end one this time. Urban Decay is one of my favourite High End makeup brands and I have accumulated a lot of products from their line.


Take it


Naked Palettes- Pretty much every beauty blogger out there owns at least one of the Naked Palettes so I don't feel like I need to go into great detail as to why these are the best. In my opinion Urban Decay has one of the best eyeshadow formula's. They're buttery, pigmented and blend really well. The neutral shades included in the Naked palettes are suitable for everyone. You can find my individual reviews for 2 here and 3 here. In Canada they retail for $64.
Naked Basics Palettes- I think I like these palettes more than the Naked Palettes. They include 5 matte shadows and one satin making them perfect for subtle everyday looks. They're also complementary to the Naked Palettes (eliminating the problem of too many shimmery shadows and not enough mattes) and the packaging makes them perfect for travel. You can find my individual reviews for the original here and 2 here. They retail for $34.
Eyeshadow Primer Potion- Shadows just don't work as well without a primer and this is my all time favourite. Colours show up brighter, last longer and make for less fallout. A tube retails for $24 but lasts forever.
Naked Flushed Palette- I have the palette in Native and it's such a convenient all in one palette. It comes with a bronzer, highlighter and blush all in one tiny package with a big mirror. Really perfect for travel. The powders are blendable, long-lasting and not too powdery. It retails for $35.
Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palette in Native
Naked Flushed - Native

Leave it

24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil- Don't get me wrong these are my all time favourite pencil liners (I have *drum roll please* of these liners) but I think there are a lot of pencil liners that are just as as good and a lot cheaper. Yes they're really creamy and long-lasting and yes the colour selection is amazing but at $24 each I just can't recommend these when there are other liners out there. For example, I think Rimmel's Scandaleyes liners are a really good dupe.
Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners
L-R Perversion, Crave, Demolition, Twice Baked, Roach, Tornado, Ultraviolet, Mars, Deep End
Single Eyeshadows- Once again this is a matter of price not quality. I've already said it a hundred times, "Urban Decay has one of the best eyeshadow formula's" but I think the palettes are a much better deal than the individual shadows. Single shadows retail at $22 (which in my mind is absolutely INSANE! They're good but they're not that good).
Lip Junkie Lipgloss- This makes the "Leave it" list for a few reasons. One, I'm not a fan of the applicator as I find it makes the product hard to apply evenly. Second I didn't notice any plumping from this product which is one of the advertised benefits. I think there are better plumping lip glosses out there (see Boxom). This product retails for $23.
Top Lip Junkie in Naked
Bottom Revolution Lipstick in Naked
Revolution Lipstick- This isn't a bad lipstick by any means I just think it's really average. There are much better formula's out there, both drugstore and high-end. The shade I have is beautiful (I have Naked) and it's comfortable but I don't find it very long lasting. It retails for $26.
All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray- This was the hardest product to decide on. I think this product is great for summer or for people with oily skin. It does make makeup last a little longer on the skin but I've never noticed a huge difference. It's also fairly expensive and I'm really not a fan of the sprayer as it doesn't come out in a fine mist. I've heard the L'Oreal Setting Spray is better and it's about half the price. The full size product retails for $36.

What's your favourite Urban Decay product? If you disagree with any of my opinions feel free to tell me why I'm wrong in the comments! 

Updated: My Everyday Makeup Bag




Last Spring I did a post on My Everyday Makeup Bag, you can see that post here. Since then I've changed a lot of the products I use everyday so I thought I would do an update. Like last time, these are just the products I use every single day. Things like blush, eyeshadow, bronzer, eyeliner etc. I change up depending on my mood.
My makeup bag has stayed the same. It's from Benefit and I got it as part of a free Birthday gift from Sephora about 2 years ago. It's the perfect size to hold my everyday makeup and it looks cute sitting on my vanity.
I'll start with my base makeup. For Powder what I'm using right now is Maybelline's Dream Wonder Powder in 10 Porcelain Ivory. I really like this powder. It's creamy and fairly pigmented but doesn't accentuate my dry patches too much. It also comes with a mirror which is handy.
For my undereye concealer I have a mini version of itCosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye in Neutral Medium. This does a really good job of covering any dark circles but it does need to be set with powder or it will crease.
I use my Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Light 2 sparingly because it's expensive. I usually use it for highlighting. It is a really wonderful concealer, it's thick but really blendable with good coverage.
I'm still using my Revlon Colourstay Concealer in Light 2 to cover any blemishes. I have very mixed feelings about this concealer. It's not bad and does a good job covering blemishes it's just a little thinner than I would like.

Next up is my Brow products. I pay a lot more attention to my brows now than I used to which means I have more brow products. My holy grail brow pencil is the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Medium Brown as it looks natural but fills in my brows perfectly.
I also like to add a little powder on top just to make them look as natural and full as possible. Lately I've been using an ashy matte brown shadow from my Smashbox Full Exposure Travel Palette as it matches the shade of my brows really well. (I believe the shade is M6 or Ashy Dark Brown).
To keep my brows in place I use an Estee Lauder Brow Setting Gel.

Next, Lashes! I have 3 mascara's in my everyday makeup bag. My most used is Maybelline's The Rocket Volum' Express. I have to say I know this is a popular mascara but I'm not a big fan. I don't really like the brush however, it does give my lashes lots of volume.
A mascara I do love is Tarte's Lights, Camera, Lashes. I only have a mini though so I use it sparingly.
I have a Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara which is the absolute best mascara for bottom lashes. It doesn't smudge or flake and it gives them lots of definition. Plus the brush is super cute and tiny!
My eyelash curler is just from Sephora but it gets the job done.

Finally I have my Urban Decay Primer Potion which I can't live without.
My Clean and Clear Advantage Acne Spot Treatment which works amazingly to get rid of any spots.
And last but not least my Nivea's Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss which has been a staple in my everyday makeup bag for about a year.

What's in your everyday makeup bag?

P.S. No Butterflies were harmed in the making of this post :)

What I'm Wishing for This Year!




As I mentioned in an earlier post I'm not spending any money until April but that doesn't mean I don't have my eye on a lot of products. 

I'm always into Eye Shadow Palettes. I can't get enough, they're my biggest makeup weakness. I've wanted the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette for a while now. I love my neutral shades and apparently it smells just like chocolate! I also really want the Lorac Pro Palette because I have the second one and it's one of my all time favourite palettes.
As you can probably tell I'm also into contour kits right now. Nyx just came out with a Highlight and Contour Pro Palette for only $25 and I'm really interested to see how good it is. Then there's the Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow which pretty much every blogger has raved about. It looks so gorgeous!
Finally Real Techniques just came out with a new line of luxury Bold Metal brushes and the Rose Gold 301 Flat Contour Brush really calls to me.

Have you tried any of these products? What's on your wishlist this year?