Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow Review

While I've tried tons of Make Up For Ever products, a product I've never tested of theirs is their eyeshadows. Make Up For Ever recently came out with eyeshadow duos and I was asked to test them out. I received the shades I-872 (shimmery pink) and M-846 (matte burgundy), colors both complimentary to my blue eyes.

First off the packaging: it comes in a plastic black case, and a clear lid. In classic Make Up For Ever fashion, this packaging is simple and practical. I love that you can immediately see the shades you're looking for through the clear lid. The packaging makes the shadows a great addition to any travel bag.

While the shadows may appear dry upon first inspection, they are actually very smooth and incredibly pigmented upon application. They blend easily on the lid. The shade on the left is a shimmery pinky beige shade, and the right is a deep burgundy-red matte shade. They balance each other well with one being shimmery and the other matte - perfect for a dramatic (and fall appropriate) smokey eye.

The shadows lasted all day on my lid with a my Make Up For Ever eyeshadow primer (which I always use). While I do find a deep burgundy a bit too intense for office makeup, I wore it anyway this past Monday with a bit of Satin Taupe from MAC on top and it looked amazing.

Luckily, if shimmery pink and burgundy don't float your boat, you can customize your own palettes. The range offers a choice of 210 shades and are available in singles, duos (like mine) or trios in a wide range of shades in finishes. Given the quality of the two shades I tested out, I'd say this is a product you don't want to miss out on!

* I have received this product for consideration, but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Clairol Shift A Shade Event

About a month ago, I got the crazy and amazing opportunity to get flown to Toronto to get my hair dyed as part of the Clairol Shift A Shade event. I got a lovely personal color consultation with Luis Pacheco, Clairol's Consulting Colourist, who suggested the perfect fall color to brighten up my locks. The first though that comes into my mind when I think of fall hair color is red - so it was fitting that my selected shade was a natural dark auburn aka Clairol's Nice & Easy in 4R/112.

We were fed lots of yummy goodies! I had quite a few fruit skewers! 

Behind the scenes of getting my before picture taken by a photographer (thanks to Gerry from The Bunnie Hole for taking the picture!)

And here's the before and after shot! What do you think? I love that my hair looks subtlety more auburn - it's not a drastic change, but just enough to give a bit more life to my locks. And with my blue eyes, a tint of red really brightens up my features!

Thank you so much to Clairol for this amazing opportunity!

Passport to Revlon JetSet into Fall ColorStay Challenge - Pucker in Paris & an Instagram Giveaway!

Hello Beautiful Readers!

I decided to participate in the Passport to Revlon ColorStay challenge recently, and here's how I made out with it! My challenge was to re-create the "Pucker in Paris" look with the products below:

From left to right: Revlon ColorStay Skinny Liquid Liner in Blackout, Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara in Blackest Black, ColorStay Gel Envy in Sure Thing, Blackjack, and Diamond Top Coat, Revlon ColorStay ShadowLinks in Petal and Greige and finally, the star of the look (in my opinion), Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in Parisian Passion

Luckily, I was given a little guide on how to achieve the look!

Truthfully, this look is right up my alley, and something I've been wearing a lot lately - a soft smokey eye, a cat eye (although this cat eye is doubled for dramatic effect), and a bold lip.

Here's how you can achieve this look:

First off, start with a good base to even your skin out - the Revlon ColorStay foundation is perfect for creating a flawless look that lasts. Apply Revlon ColorStay ShadowLinks in Petal all over the lid (almost up to the brow) and the shade Greige in the crease for a soft smoky effect. Then, stabilize your hand and prepare to draw the first line across your lid with the Revlon ColorStay Skinny Liquid Liner in Blackout . I use my pinky finger as an anchor to create that perfect cat-eye flick.

Once you've applied that first flick, simply create another flick right above it. I found this to be the easiest way to get the double-flick effect. Then, apply two coats of the Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara in Blackest Black. I curled my lashes before for extra flirty-ness.

After the eyes are done, I applied my Revlon ColorStay Moisture Stain in Parisian Passion to the lips. For longer lasting power, let the first coat dry and re-apply. When I took these pictures, my mani was coincidentally Revlon's Gel Envy in Hold 'Em which matched the shade of the Parisian Passion perfectly.

And voila, here's the fresh Parisian end product! A simple cat-eye with a twist, and a sophisticated lip.

To complete the look, here are the steps for the Pucker in Paris manicure.

For the mani, start by applying the shade Blackjack on all your nails except for the ring fingers. On the ring fingers, apply the shade Sure Thing. I applied two coats on both of the shades. Finish the manicure with the Diamond Top Coat.

And voila! How modern and simple is this many! I'm in love!

The mani wore quite well, and still looked fresh after 6 days with very minimal tip wear!

What do you think of this look? I thought the cat-eye was surprisingly wearable and I wouldn't be opposed to sporting it as a daytime look. And I was just completely smitten with the mani!

And now for the fun part! Revlon has kindly offered for a reader to win a Jet Set into Fall prize package with these products. All you have to do is follow me on Instagram @annicktheblogger, and like the picture of me wearing the look! You have to be a resident of Canada and over 18 years of age to participate. Good luck! Contest will close Friday the 17th of October.

Pür Minerals Jupiter Palette

As you may or may not know, I'm a huge fan of eyeshadow palettes. Doesn't matter that in my day-to-day routine I don't use them, I freaking love opening up a palette and having more than one option to choose from. This Pür Minerals palette is no exception - with 6 shades, there's more than enough to create a day or nighttime look.

Palette to the left with shadows Majesty, Destiny, Night Sky, Jupiter, Caine, Cosmos, Eyeliner in Space (black liquid liner) and lip gloss in Galaxy (sheer shimmery pink)

The lip gloss is quite pretty on the lips. Whoever, when it comes to my personal taste in lip gloss, this really isn't my style. It's very shimmery and pink - I usually stick with sheer glosses with no glitter. However, it's very comfortable on the lips, and non-sticky which is an essential for me. The funny thing about this gloss is that it actually has a little light and mirror in the wand when you apply it! Talk about technology!

The liner is kind of a bust. It's very liquidy, and not as black as I would like it. However, for a non-dramatic every-day wear, this might be perfect. I had to layer the eyeliner in order to get the jet-black line in the photo below.

Majesty, Destiny, Night Sky, Jupiter, Eyeliner in Space, Gloss in Galaxy, and below, Caine and Cosmos

The eyeshadows have a dryer texture than what I'm used to. However, that did not affect their performance at all - the shadows were pigmented, easy to blend, and long wearing. My favorite shade is Majesty - it's such a beautiful taupe/grey color. And Night Sky is simply beautiful all over the lid for a smokey eye!

This limited edition palette is available exclusively at Shoppers Drug Mart ($35.00 CAN).

Tangle Teezer Review

Hello my friends! Long time no post! My apologies for the radio silence - I guess I just used this summer as a true break from this blog didn't I? Don't worry, I have a few reviews lined up, including today's review of the Tangle Teezer.

I was offered the chance about a month ago to review the famous Tangle Teezer all these Youtubers have been talking about. I've never tried anything like this before, and I've never reviewed a hair brush on the blog, so I thought I'd give it a go!

The Tangle Teezer is a plastic brush, meant to comb through tangles without any snagging or pulling. The brush is ergonomically designed to fit perfectly in your hand.

I found the Tangle Teezer to detangle hair amazingly. I have very thick and unruly hair. It doesn't particularly get too knotted, but it does take a bit of effort to comb through all of it. I found that the Tangle Teezer worked through any knots really well. I've tried it on freshly washed hair and it worked through my tangles amazingly, way better than the regular hair brush I used for that purpose before. I've also used the Tangle Teezer in the shower with conditioner and it works really well. I don't usually use a brush in the shower, but I had just colored my hair, and wanted to test the brush on my seriously tangled hair - it worked really really well. Next, I tested it on dry hair, and again, the brush worked really well. Basically, doesn't matter what state my hair is in, it works better than a regular brush at gently detangling.

Since, like I said, I have really thick hair, the brush doesn't always detangle my hair all at once. When my hair is straight, it's not a problem at all, but when my hair is curly, or frizzy, I sometimes need to section my hair and detangle it that way with the brush. However, I don't foresee this being a problem for everyone - just for people with super thick hair. And even then, it's still easier to use the Tangle Teezer, than a regular brush.

I've even noticed a difference in the state of my hair after using this brush. Since it's quite gentle on my hair, I find my hair looks a better after blowdrying. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but perhaps my hair is suffering from less breakages since this brush is so gentle? I don't know, but my ends have never looked better.

As you can see, I received the blue/pink combo, but there are quite a few colors to choose from (including a classic black).

All Tangle Teezers on Nail Polish Canada ship from from Canada and the full selection is available on their website here. Which one are you eyeing?

* I have received this product for consideration, but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream

I've been having a love affair with Bourjois lately. While I've been consistently using the CC Cream I'll be reviewing today, the Rouge Edition Velvet lipstick in Hot Pepper has stolen my heart. But more on that later. On a whim, after seeing Essie Button rave about it (it happens to all of us), I bought the Bourjois CC Cream off Asos, which is way cheaper than buying it in store in Canada. I'm always game for trying new BB/CC Creams as they're usually what I wear on my face every day of the week.

The best way I can describe the texture of the product is ... silky? Yes, it's silky. It blends than most of my BB or CC Creams and is less tacky. It really glides on the skin - I use it with my Sigma buffing brush. The Bourjois CC Cream claims to be help cover fatigue signs, redness and dark spots. I actually think it truly does help with all those things - for me, the redness in my skin was instantly neutralized upon application. Based on this, I'd say the coverage is pretty good for a CC Cream. It feels a lot more like a foundation comparatively to my Estee Lauder BB Cream or my Clinique CC Cream.

I bought the lightest shade of the Bourjois CC Cream and it's quite light! So for you pale ladies that are having a hard time finding a CC Cream that suits your skin type, this is definitely the way to go. It's a bit light for me now, but it will be perfect for winter.

Since I have oily skin, it's hard for something to stay on my skin all day. I found this product wore quite well and instead of sliding off my skin, it sort of merged with my natural oils and gave me a nice glow. Gross but true! And I find it's better to try to work with my oily skin than try to fight too much with it.

All and all, I'm quite pleased with this product and I highly recommend it to someone who is looking for a lighter option for a base than foundation. Tip: buy it off Asos where it's way cheaper!

Live Clean Exotic Silk Keratin Oil

When it comes to hair, I consider myself to have a pretty low maintenance routine. I wash my hair 3 times a week, and blow dry/straighten a couple times a week. When I can, I like to let my hair air dry as much as possible. A product I've been adding to my hair routine recently has been the Live Clean Exotic Silk Keratin Oil. I've never been a massive fan of silicone in products because 1) silicone heavy products block my pores and 2) silicone coats your face/hair without nourishing it. So I was pretty excited to see that the Live Clean Exotic Silk Keratin Oil has no silicones. I don't think I've ever owned a hair oil that didn't have any! It's also 99% plant derived, contains no mineral oils, and no parabens. That's good in itself, but I'm just stocked on the no-silicone part.

I use it in my hair when I air dry it (to tame the frizz) but also to straighten, and blow dry it. I even use it as a finishing serum at the end of my blow-out. The key is to use a very small amount and work it into the ends of your hair. Because it is a pure oil, a little goes a long way, and a tiny bit more than a little can leave your hair a bit heavy. It leaves my hair silky and shiny. It also does a great job cutting down the frizz in my hair on that second day hair! The best part? The delicious coconut beachy smell!

* I have received this product for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

The Body Shop Lipsticks: Color Crush #205 and Color Crush Shine #15

I have more than enough lipsticks to last me a lifetime, but when I walked by The Body Shop the other day and they were having a sale, something clicked in my mind. I remembered hearing Estee from EssieButton talking about how much she loves the Body Shop lipsticks, and I just knew I had to try them. I opted for two different formulas - the Color Crush in #205, and the Color Crush Shine in #15.

Since the two lipsticks are different formulas, they are both very different in texture. As the name suggests, the Color Crush Shine has a glossy finish, and is quite sheer. The Color Crush, however, is very pigmented. Both feel very light on the lips, and are moisturizing. They both wear off beautifully, with no flakiness or dryness. For a sheer lipstick, the Color Crush Shine actually wear pretty well, and leaves behind quite a lot of color after it wears off. When I wore the Color Crush lipstick to work, the pigmentation lasted up until lunch, and also left a stain behind. They both wear quite well!

Because the Color Crush in #205 is very pigmented, and I don't always want a bold lips, I've used this lipstick by lightly dabbing it on my lips and working the color in with my fingers. I add a bit of balm and voila! It such a lovely fresh color, even when applied with a light touch!

Body Shop Color Crush Shine #15 on left, Body Shop Color Crush #205 on right

Swatched on my hand.

Both lipsticks do not have much of a scent. There's a faint plastic to them but it's not noticeable, especially not after application.

I highly recommend both of these. While the Color Crush #205 shade isn't particularly unique, and could probably be duped at the drugstore, I doubt you could find anything that is quite as moisturizing. I definitely do not have anything in my collection that is comparable to the Color Crush Shine in #15, even if it's also not the most unique shade. The color is beautiful, and I love the non-sticky glossy feeling. Like the Color Crush lipstick, the Color Crush Shine is probably easily matched in the drugstore, but I doubt the moisturizing properties could be matched. And wouldn't you rather have something that has no scent instead of the sickly sweet scented drugstore lipsticks? I know I do!

Has anyone else given these a try? Any suggestions towards my next Body Shop shade?

Empties, empties and more empties!

This is a big one folks, be prepared. I think this is maybe 6 months to a year worth of empties. I was de-cluttering the other day and thought it was grand time to do this post!

This may not look like a lot, but keep in mind that there are some products I've thrown out before adding to the "empties" pile. I usually just chuck mascaras, big shampoo bottles and face wash. So forgive me!

Let's get on with it shall we!

1. Redken Color Extend Shampoo - One of my staples. I usually buy a ton of this shampoo when the Christmas kits go on sale on boxing day and use them throughout the year. It smells delicious, and leaves my hair squeaky clean, while still being gentle on colored hair. Love!

2. Redken Color Extend Conditioner - Same as above. One of my favorite conditioners.

3. Aveeno Moisturizing Body Wash - One of my favorite body washes ever! Repurchased a few times since I used up this bottle. Super moisturizing, and the best part is the delicious scent! This is the Fig version, but the Lavender one is just as heavenly.

4. Tigi Bed Head Color Goddess Conditioner - I bought this because it smells like heavenly caramel, but I didn't really like the product. The conditioner weighed down my hair, and didn't untangle at all.

5. The Body Shop Almond Hand & Nail Cream - Love this stuff! Switched things up from my usual Hemp Hand Cream from The Body Shop, and I think I prefer this version. It sinks in a lot faster than the Hemp cream, and smells even better!

6. Bioderma - This needs no introduction. It's awesome, I love the product, but I'm using up other makeup removers at the moment. Once those are done, I'm bringing it back baby!

7. Avène Cleanance Soapless Gel Cleanser - I love this cleanser, and I've been using it for quite a while. It works great with my Clarisonic and even if it claims it's "soapless" it still does give a bit of a lather.

8. Beauty Secrets Pure Acetone - The name explains it - it's pure acetone for gel nail polish removal!

9. Batiste Brunette Dry Shampoo - Some of these Batiste dry shampoo smell disgusting, so I thought it was quite lucky that I love the scent of the brunette version! This brunette version is a LOT easier to blend in than the regular dry shampoo. I've repurchased this product many times.

10. Caudalie Instant Foaming Cleanser - I wouldn't really recommend this product. It's a bit drying (even on my oily skin) and uses up quickly. And I couldn't really use it effectively with my Clarisonic. So this was a bit of a dud.

11. Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse Normal to Combination Face Moisturizer - This is maybe my 3rd used up tube? After I used up this one, I moved on to my Vichy moisturizer, but I still love my Nuxe moisturizer.

12. Too Faced Shadow Insurance - This used to be my go-to shadow primer until I moved on to the Make Up For Ever Eye Prime. Great product - I just find the MUFE primer works a bit better.

13. Clinique Stay-Matte Foundation - I LOVE this foundation (reviewed here). I'm planning on repurchasing it again after the summer. It's the perfect match for my skin tone and keeps my oils controlled! A clear winner for me!

14. Anastasia Brow Whiz - Loved this product, but I replaced it with the less expensive and better Clinique Superfine Liner for Brows.

15. Clarins Be Long Mascara - I loved this mascara (reviewed here) but the high price point, and backlog in mascaras I wanted to try out prevented me from re-purchasing it. Great mascara though!

16. L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes - I don't even remember if I liked this or not - but I don't think I did. If I did I would have repurchased it! Haha!

17. The Body Shop Hemp Hand Scrub - This took foreeeeever to use up! And truthfully, it wasn't really all that great. I loved it at first, but - who really needs a hand scrub? The scrub beads kept getting stuck in my nails when I used it - ugh. This is discontinued anyway, so no re-purchases here!

18. CoverGirl Flamed Out Mascara - I love this mascara! I'm already on my 3 tube I believe and it's quite good. Coats the lashes well, lasts all day, and removal is easy! A+

19. Aveeno Calming Body Wash - Love this body wash (see #3) but I think I do prefer the Fig scent over this one. If I had to choose. But I love both.

20. Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Cream - A staple in my daily routine, I especially like using this in the summer when I'm a little more tanned. Excellent product and I'm on my second repurchase. A little goes a LONG way with this!

21. Make Up For Ever Eye Prime - Love this product (reviewed here) and I'm on either my second or third repurchase. Read the review to see why I love it so much!

22. Peter Thomas Roth AHA/BHA Acne Clearing Gel - I actually really liked this product! While I thought it wasn't as effective on my face as other products I own for clearing acne (and it was a bit drying), I ended up using it to clear up body acne and it worked wonderfully!

23. The Body Shop Aloe Soothing Night Cream - Didn't really like this product. I barely used it and then it started smelling funky so I threw it out. Sad.

24. Nuxe Demaquillant 3 Roses - Wasn't too sure about this product at first, but the more I used it, the more I loved it! It takes a few swipes on a cotton pad to remove makeup, but it's such a gentle non-drying cleansing water that I forgive it for taking a bit more time to remove makeup. I could see this working really well on sensitive and dry skin.

Are you still with me? If not, I totally understand because this was the longest post ever! However, I'm pretty happy with the amount of products I've used up lately - this means less makeup is coming into my already sizeable stash, and that was my goal this year. Have you been using up a lot of products this year?

Vichy ProEven Daily Dark Spot Corrector + ProEven Night Overnight Concentrate

Good morning friends!

After last week's tragedy in my hometown of Moncton, my mind hasn't been much on blogging. It's been a full week since the fatal shootings, but I still can't quite grasp what happened in my small, safe and welcoming town of Moncton. All I have to say is I'm very relieved my family was safe in their basement, a fact only true because of the hard work of the RCMP during these events. So thank you.

Now, on to the review.

Before I was kindly sent the Vichy ProEven Night* for review, I had been actively using the Vichy ProEven Daily Dark Spot Corrector for a while on and off for almost a year. I'm actually a big fan of the ProEven Daily! It's my go-to product to reduce the look of those after-pimple dark spots left behind. This product works on my skin wonderfully. I apply the product to specific dark spots and after a couple days, I can see the area returning back to normal. I prefer using the ProEven Daily on older acne scars or flare-ups because the product isn't as drying as a regular acne cream. I never wake up with flaky patches with the ProEven Daily.

The ProEven, unlike the ProEven Daily, has a more fluid consistency. It feels a lot more like a serum, and is meant to be applied all over the face, every night. Personally, I don't feel my skin needs it every night. However, when I do use this product, my skin is really plump and moisturized in the morning. After using this product for a bit, I do feel my skin has a smoother texture. I don't however, notice that much of a difference in spot treatment. Perhaps it's because I use the ProEven Night all over my face, and my ProEven Daily on specific target areas? The ProEven Daily doesn't make my skin feel particularly hydrated, while the ProEven Night feels like a luxurious serum. And it smells like one too! The ProEven Night is said to have been tested on multi-ethnic skin. Of course, on my pale skin, I can't really test this claim.

I love both products for different reasons. I love the smell and the feel of the ProEven Night, but I think the ProEven Daily react better with my skin, and I see results faster. Heck, I even use both in combination sometimes since I love the moisturizing effect of the ProEven Night, but the ProEven really helps the resurfacing of skin cells!

What do you use to help your skin cell turnover? What's your favorite serum treatment?

* I have received this product for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Maybelline Color Elixir - Captivating Carnation & Hibiscus Haven

Good morning friends! I know I'm quite late to the party, but a lip product I've been absolutely loving lately has been the Maybelline Color Elixirs. I own the product in two shades, Captivating Carnation (left), and Hibiscus Haven (right).

The texture of these is heavenly. Not too thick or thin, it smoothes on beautifully on the lips, and last for about 4 hours. While the texture is thin and non-sticky, it does sort of leave a film on the lips. I don't mind this as I'm pretty sure it's what makes this product longer lasting than the average lip gloss. The product does have a smell and taste which I don't love. It's not terrible, but I could do without. 

One thing that stands out to me with these product is that I don't find them drying on my lips. In fact, if anything, they feel moisturizing to me. With drugstore products, I almost always find products drying on my lips, so I'm very happy (and surprised!) that these are so comfortable to wear. 

Captivating Carnation and Hibiscus Haven

I'm in LOVE with Captivating Carnation as a shade. It is the most beautiful natural rose shade and goes perfectly with any eye makeup. I've used this one a ton. Hibiscus Haven is a lot brighter and I find it hard to wear it with very little makeup on the rest of my face. I love the bright shade but it feels a bit out of place on my minimal everyday makeup face. Also, Hibiscus Haven, compared to Captivating Carnation, is a lot patchier on application. It takes a few swipes to get it right but I have not had this issue with Captivating Carnation.

Overall, for a drugstore product, I'm really happy. Other than the scent, it hits all the right marks: color payoff, excellent wear time, and good moisturizing properties. I'm a fan! I can't wait for a good sale on these to pick up more shades!

Infusium 23 Miracle Therapy Shampoo with Moringa Oil - A Review

In full disclosure, Infusium23 has a special place in my heart. When I was growing up, my mom loved that shampoo and the scent of Infusium23 takes me back those days. Not only did my mom use it, but I used it as well in my teen years, and loved it. However, when I moved away, I got swayed by the charm of the more expensive shampoos (not that I could afford it as a student), and forgot about my beloved Infusium23.

Fast forward to today, and I'm using it again! When I was contacted to review some of their products, I jumped at the chance to revisit my old flame. This time though, the bottles look better than they did in my teen years, and I'm trying out their new Moringa Oil Therapy Shampoo.

Honestly, I love this shampoo. The good ol' Infusium scent is still there and beautiful as ever. It might be a bit too fragrant for some, but I love it. The shampoo leaves my scalp squeaky clean, and the conditioner has no problem detangling my hair and leaving it smooth. I have a lot of really thick hair and really value a shampoo that will thoroughly clean my hair without any issues. There's nothing worst than washing your hair and realize after your hair is dry that you've missed a greasy spot! You don't need a lof of this shampoo to create a good lather. I have colored hair and didn't notice any stripping of color. I also loved that this didn't leave my second-day hair greasy.

It's been a while since I've met a drugstore shampoo I like so much. This will be a repurchase for sure, but maybe next time I'll give an Infusium23 shampoo for colored hair a go? If you're looking for a good quality drugstore shampoo and conditioner, I highly suggest giving these a go.

* I have received this product for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer - Cocoa Radiant

I'm really bad at moisturizing my body. Unless the lotion is very easy to rub in, I usually either forget about it, or don't have time.

I absolutely love my Olay Silk Whimsy Body Lotion, but I had been craving a different scent. Enter the Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer in Cocoa Radiant.

I have to say, moisturizing has never been easier. If you don't know the premise of this product already, it's a spray on moisturizer. The continuous spray is so easy to use and the lotion truly rubs in in seconds. It reminds me a lot of my spray on sunscreen, but it's a million times easier to rub in!

The scent is quite soothing. It's nice, but nothing exceptional. The scent doesn't really linger too much on the skin, and it's not very strong. In a way, I think that's best for me and my work environment - we have a scent free policy and this product goes unnoticed. Used regularly, this leaves my skin seriously soft and doesn't leave a greasy feeling.

I'll be interested to see how long this bottle lasts as I'm using it every time I shower. For anyone who is like me and is lazy about moisturizing, this is seriously the way to go!

Herbal Essences Naked Line: Dry Shampoo Review

Today, I'm reviewing a new product from Herbal Essences' Naked line: their Paraben free dry shampoo.

While I'm mostly used to very powdery dry shampoos (my usual is the Batiste Brunette), this dry shampoo has a different consistency. It feels a lot more like a hairspray when you spritz it on your hair. After about a 30 second wait though, the familiar powdery feel is there.

The nice thing about this product is that even with my dark brown hair, I had a hard time seeing any powder residue. What is visible blends in like a dream. It doesn't make my hair feel soft like my Batiste dry shampoo, but rather more voluminous. This would be a great product to use if you wanted to give it a bit of grip for an updo. While it did make my hair feel cleaner, I'd almost rather use the product strictly for volume rather than as a dry shampoo. The high alcohol content in the product almost makes me think it cannot be that good for my hair. And unfortunately, the product smells like alcohol as well - a lot like a hairspray. While the scent is not that bad, I prefer my regular dry shampoo's powdery fresh smell.

Overall, I know I'll use this product when I'm looking of volume, or to put my freshly washed hair in a high bun, but I'll stick to my Batiste for dry shampoo uses.

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Essence's Free Hugs Nail Polish

Hello friends! Long time no talk! Excuse my short absence - sometimes, inspiration just isn't there. I'd rather wait for the funk to pass than write a crappy review! However, today I'm really excited to talk to you about this Essence nail polish I picked up.

While I was visiting my boyfriend's family in a small town in New Brunswick, I stopped at a Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up Tylenol as I had a splitting headache. Luckily, since I always detour through the beauty aisle (anyone else do this?), I ended up on an Essence display I had never seen before. Where I live, the Essence display is quite small and limited, but this small town had a massive Essence display with a ton of different nail polishes to choose from! Because my boyfriend and his dad were waiting for me in the car, I hastily picked up two colors, one of which is the subject of today's post!

Free Hugs, Two Coats. Excuse the dry cuticles.

Free Hugs is a gorgeous pepto-bismol-y pink. Now I wouldn't normally say Peptol Bismol has a nice color, but here, I think it works. The polish is vibrant without being neon, and a true pink. However, I do think the color does pull a little coral in some artificial lighting. The color does not have any shimmer, and the polish needed two coats to be opaque. It dries really fast, so you actually have to be careful not to take too much time during application or the polish can become gloopy. The wear time is great - I've had it on for two days (with L'Oreal base coat and Essie top coat) with no chips and a tiny bit of tip wear. That's excellent for me! I have to say, this isn't the first Essence polish I've fallen for - I'm constantly impressed at the quality of these polishes. And at $1.99, you really can't go wrong!

Make Up For Ever HD Second Skin Creme Blush #320 English Rose

Hello friends!

Today, I'm bringing you a review of the new Make Up For Ever HD Second Skin Creme Blushes. Make Up For Ever were kind enough to offer me a shade for review, and I picked #320 English Rose.

First off, I've always been a fan of Make Up For Ever's non-fussy, clean packaging. It doesn't get any simpler than that really, and I love it. Why have wasteful packaging anyway, it's all about the product! I admit, I love gold and elaborate sometimes, but I think Make Up For Ever's philosophy of offering quality product is reflective in their packaging. The compact size, and the mirror in the lid, makes this blush a great option to add to a handbag.

The texture is smooth, and never feels oily or greasy on the skin. I'd describe it as a cream-to-powder finish, but it's not very powdery. It has more of a creamy matte finish which is perfect for my oily skin type.

I'd describe the shade I chose, #320, as a dusty, almost peachy rose. It looks so so natural and beautiful on the skin. I love wearing it with barely any makeup on for a healthy glow - just a little BB Cream, mascara and this cream blush and I'm good to go! I usually apply this with a flat top kabuki brush and it blends wonderfully - it really melts into the skin. It's quite pigmented, so a little goes a long way.

#320, swatched in natural daylight.

While I do have oilier skin and usually have problems with cream blushes staying on my skin, I had no problems with this product. The blush stayed on my skin through a whole work day, with BB Cream as a base might I add, and I still looked healthily flushed by the end of the day.

This blush will definitely become a summer staple for me. I don't like to wear heavy makeup in general, but even less in the summer, and this little blush accompanied with waterproof mascara will definitely become part of my daily routine. If you're looking for a quality cream blush, I highly recommend your check out their new HD Second Skin Creme Blushes - I already have my eye on the #215 Flamingo Pink and #515 Tangerine!

* I have received this product for consideration but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

3D White Crest Whitestrips Review!

A few weeks ago, before I had a big event to go to, I tried out the Crest 3D White Whitestrips - 1 Hour Express. I had used Whitestrips before, but it had been a while, and I thought a pick-me-up for my teeth was in order.

I actually thought these worked very well! In the past, I thought the Whitestrips were a bit bulky in my mouth, and would slide around. These didn't budge and actually covered a little more teeth than the previous strips I've used.

There was a noticeable difference in my teeth, before and after. No pictures, because that's just gross (and nobody wants to see a closeup of my teeth!), but my teeth looked brighter. Nothing life changing, but because I could see the difference with my eyes, I was happy!

I didn't get any sensitivity when the strips were on, but my teeth were a bit sensitive for a couple days after. Nothing major - I barely noticed it, but it's worth mentioning, especially if your teeth are already prone to sensitivity.

I highly recommend these if you have an event or special event, your teeth are already white enough for your liking, but you'd more of a sparkle in them. If you'd like to go further with your teeth whitening journey, Crest Whitestips have a lot of other options to choose from!

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

CoverGirl LipPerfection Lipcolors - Swatches and Review

When I was younger, I owned a few CoverGirl lipsticks that I absolutely loved. A frosty pink (you know you had one too!) and a shimmery beige. They weren't particularly pigmented, or moisturizing - this is one of the reasons I was impressed with CoverGirl's current line of lipsticks, the LipPerfection Lipcolors.

The line has a wide range of colors, and is incredibly pigmented. I tested out the following shades for this review.

First off, the packaging is quite nice. I like that you can see the corresponding color of the lipstick at the bottom of the tube - it makes it a lot easier to search for a specific shade in a hurry. However, the bullet of the lipstick sticks a little bit out of the tube which makes it easy to smudge it when you put the lid back on.

Left to right: Hot, Bombshell, Ravish, Tempt and Crème, a few swipes each.

They are not drying at all, but I do not find them moisturizing either. The pigmentation of these is quite good - Hot and Bombshell are seriously vibrant on the lips. Even more muted shades such as Ravish and Crème look pigmented on the lips. They also last quite long on the lips - shades like Hot and Bombshell gave me a good 4-5 hours of wear.

My only real negative about these? The taste. It's has a sort of artificially sweet taste that's hard to describe. I honestly can't stand it - it's too strong for me. Some don't taste as much as others, but Crème was the worst offender. I didn't notice any taste with Hot, and Bombshell's wasn't too bad.

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Rainbow Honey Cosmetics - A Nail Polish Review

Hello friends!

Today I have a review of indie nail polish maker called Rainbow Honey.  When it comes to glitter, it can be difficult to find a unique shade at the drugstore - I know I rarely find anything other than the standard silver, gold, and party glitter. This is where indie nail polish companies like Rainbow Honey excel. I was sent five shade for review:

From left to right: The Kraken, XOXO, Papillon, Magic Cake and Sweet Talk

In the same order as above: The Kraken, XOXO, Papillon, Magic Cake, Sweet Talk

I have to say, I'm in love with all these glitters, especially with Magic Cake and Sweet Talk. The Kraken and Sweet Talk are opaque after 2-3 coats, and the rest of the glitters are meant to be worn sheer, or layered over a base color. I absolutely love the matte neon geometric shapes of Magic Cake and can't remember the last time I saw such a cool glitter polish.

Magic Cake over Essie's Bottle Service. I really should have used another base color because you can't see the pink glitter very well.

After having worn Magic Cake, I have a few tips on how to apply these glitters. First off, try not to layer it on too thick - it causes the finish to be a bit bumpy. I suggest to first lay a thin coat, then try to add glitter pieces gently with the wand. This technique helped me get the colors of the glitter polish evenly distributed on my nail.

If you're looking to add unique and beautiful glitters to your polish collection, I highly suggest Rainbow Honey. The formula is also 3 Free (Formaldehyde, Toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate) and not tested on animals. There is a massive selection as well, so if what I've reviewed doesn't really match your taste, there's bound to be something else that floats your boat on the NailPolishCanada website. If you didn't know this already, the website has a "More pictures from the web" feature where you can see swatches of the polish you're looking at - it makes picking a polish a lot easier! I'm especially smitten with Koi Pond and Meteor for glitters, but opaque shades such as Fire Spring and Tiny Ruby are also gorgeous. And at $11.50, it's a small price to pay for a truly unique polish!

Rainbow Honey Cosmetics are available on their website, or on Nail Polish Canada.

* I have received these products for consideration, but my opinions are always my own. I am not being compensated for this review and I always strive to review products with honesty.

Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Polish in Ever Reddy

Good morning! Today, I bring you a quick post to show you a nail polish that has really impressed me recently. The Cover Girl Outlast Stay Brilliant nail polish in Ever Reddy is the most perfect shade of red. It's vibrant, yet doesn't pull too orange, or pink. It's a true bright red!

I wore this polish on a whim as I was fancying a red polish, and I didn't wear any base coat. I usually wear a base coat, but couldn't be bothered that day for some reason. I thought this would let the polish stain the hell outta my nail, but lucky for me, it didn't. In fact, without a base, I'm thoroughly impressed with its wear time. It wore very well for 4 days, and only after that did I start seeing a bit of tip-wear.

The polish was almost opaque in one coat, but I used two coat since I didn't use a base. I think I've found myself a new red staple polish to add to my collection!

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Looking Glass Spring 2014 Beauty Trends & a $50 WalMart Gift Card Givaway #beautyunited

Good morning and happy Monday my friends! Today I'm bringing you a little giveaway!

I was kindly asked by Proctor & Gamble to pick out my favorite Looking Glass Spring 2014 Beauty Trends video, and try to re-create it using Cover Girl and Pantene products. Never one to copy a look completely, I decided that my favorite look would be a mixture of the Glamourous Grunge, and Gilded Glory. I loved the idea of a fresh skin with barely there makeup, but with the pop of color of a berry lip. And I loved the sleek pony tail in the Gilded Glory look. So I got to work!

Here are the products that came home from Walmart with me, courtesy of Proctor & Gamble. I wanted to give the ponytail of the Gilded Glory look a try by blowdrying my hair and smoothing it over using the Pantene BB Cream. I've only used it a couple times, but I love this product! Then I went for the Glamourous Grunge flawless skin with the Cover Girl Tru Blend Foundation and the Tru Blend Fixstick Concealer. A no-makeup look needs a good brow, so I picked up the Brow & Eye Maker Pencil in Soft Brown. Then for the berry lip, I went for the LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in Jam Twist. Just the name is alluring!

My products along with the two looks I was inspired from.

And the finished look! I used all the products mentioned, but also added a bit of dimension to my face with the Cover Girl Clean Glow Bronzer in Spices, and a lashing of mascara. This is definitely an everyday, fresh faced look, and I have to say I love it! The berry lip also helped me be more comfortable with so little makeup! I didn't have much in terms of headbands similar to the Guilded Glory look, so I used this one from Forever 21 I had laying around. I love the centre part of the low pony!

So now it's your turn! For a chance to win a $50 Walmart Gift Card, visit the Looking Glass on Youtube, and tweet with the hashtag #beautyunited to let us know which look is your favorite! Just let me know in the Rafflecopter below that you've entered by posting the link to your tweet! This is only open to Canadian residents and the giveaway winner will be announced on the 26th of February!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

*Disclosure: I am a #BeautyUnited blogger. As part of my affiliation with this group I receive products and special access to P&G events. The opinions on this blog are my own.