bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow Quad in The Happy Place - Swatches & Review!

You probably already all know, from many reviews, that my eyelids are pretty oily. I always, always need to use a primer (my fave of the moment being Make Up For Ever's Eye Prime) and the use of primer doesn't always keep some of my MAC shadows from creasing (Vex, Copperplate, Club are the culprits here).

So when I tell you, that this bareMinerals palette lasted 15 hours on my lids, without creasing, would you believe me?

I kid you not, this is what happened. I applied these eyeshadows to my eyes (after primer) for a full day of work, which included traveling, sweating (aka, lugging stuff from a van in heels) and general running around. When I got home, at about 11pm, I barely had any creasing. The only spot the shadow moved at all was on the outer corner of my eye. And that was probably from rubbing. I was absolutely floored.

If you have oily lids, or have problems with shadows not lasting on your lids, this is the palette for you!

 

Peace has a bit of shimmer in it, and is of a beige/pink color. Imagine is a rose shimmery shade, à la MAC All that Glitters, but much better and smoother. Exhale reminds me of MAC's Copperplate but is more pigmented and more taupe. I don't think I own anything like Euphoria, and I absolutely love it.

From left to right: Peace, Imagine, Exhale and Euphoria

These swatches were taken under new lighting (my lightbox!) so they might look a bit different than usual. But rest assure, they are pretty color accurate!

The texture of these shadows is very soft and smooth. But unlike Sleek shadows, they do not have the tendency to crumble (being too soft). You do not need to load up your brush with product to have these show up on your lid. You only need a tiny bit of the shadow. If you put too much on your brush, you might get a bit of fall out, so be careful!

I honestly can't say anything wrong about this palette. The shadows are smooth, pigmented, not dry, creamy, and they are ridiculously long wearing. I guess the only tiny little thing I'd say is that they are so pigmented that it might take someone who isn't used to wearing much makeup, a bit of getting used to. But honestly, my mother has one of their palettes, and while she'd not a makeup pro of any kind, she absolutely loves it.

There are quite a few variations of these palettes available at Sephora if The Happy Place doesn't float your boat. I purchased mine of Ebay because I do find them quite expensive (C$38). I would've gladly payed full price though, had I known The Happy Place was this good! It could also make an excellent Christmas gift. Too bad my mom already has one!

Hope you're having a good week! Don't forget to enter my 100 follower giveaway here! Only a few days left to enter!

A drugstore search for the perfect bordeaux lipstick!

I find inspiration in the strangest places.

This past week, I had to attend trade show for high school kids, in order to promote a scholarship we offer at my work. One of the high school girls was wearing the most gorgeous bordeaux colored red lipstick. It was absolutely stunning on her and sent me on a mad dash to find that exact color as my local drugstores (yes, plural, because I only buy on sale!). Here's what I came up with!

I tried to find the deepest reds, without leaning too much towards a wine color. It wasn't an easy task! My picks ended up being the Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Bordeaux (HA!) 124, the Marcelle Rouge Xpression in 851 Obsession, and the Revlon Lip Butter in 040 Red Velvet.

They kind of look like a little family in their silver tube!

Here they are swatched on my hand.

 Left to right: Rimmel Bordeaux, Marcelle Obsession, Revlon Red Velvet

And on ma face!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Bordeaux

Marcelle Rouge Xpression in Obsession

Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet

The verdict?

Well, my favorite was definitely Revlon's Lip Butter in Red Velvet. It's so pigmented! It was smooth on application and the color is stunning. However, Rimmel's Bordeaux is the closest match to the color I was looking for - the color is stunning on. It was also the easiest lipstick to apply because the formula wasn't slippery at all. But it was a bit drying. My least favorite is the Marcelle Xpression out of the three. The formula was a bit dry, and not what I expect of the Xpression line which I'm already a fan of. It also applied a bit patchy.

If you're looking for a drugstore lipstick of the bordeaux variety, I highly suggest the Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet. The Rimmel lipstick was also quite good!

What is your favorite drugstore lipstick? Do you find any line particularly moisturizing? 

I hope you had a great weekend! I spent most of mine trying to finalize a light box for the blog since daylight is sparse these days! And then the rest of it pretty much relaxing. It was good!

Don't forget to enter my 100 followers giveaway here!

MAC's famous Girl About Town lipstick - Review + Swatches!

Girl About Town lipstick by MAC is a classic fuchsia that you might have in your collection already, especially if you love a statement lip. It's quite a popular MAC item, and I never really knew why until now.

I picked this lovely lipstick on a whim as a BACK 2 MAC item on my vacation to Toronto this summer, remembering somewhere in the back of my mind that Miss Pixiwoo had used it in a recent makeup tutorial. I haven't had time to wear it much until this past week!

I've often been disappointed in MAC's lipstick texture. I often find them drying, and difficult to apply smoothly. My lips are already dry, and adding a MAC lipstick usually makes the matter worst. The Amplified Creme finish of the MAC's Girl About Town, however, is absolutely dreamy. The lipstick glides smoothly on application, and had incredible pigmentation.

The swatch on my hand consists of one swipe of the lipstick. Not too shabby!

And on my lips. Isn't the finish just stunning? I love that sheen!

I love that this lipsticks somehow (and without shimmer/glitter) makes my lips feel fuller. I also like the color against my complexion. I must admit however, that the color is a bit too bright for my personal everyday taste - I've worn it dabbed on lightly to work and it was still quite bright. Still though, I'm very content in having this lipstick in my collection for when I'll fancy something fun!

Girl About Town wore easily for 4 hours, including eating and drinking, and left a pleasant pink stain.

Of all my MAC lipsticks, I'd say this beats them all in formula and pigmentation. This is one for the books!

Hope you're having a great week! Don't forget to enter my 100 followers giveaway here for chance to win a Bioderma makeup remover bottle, a Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick and a Wet & Wild palette!

Buckling down on my skin care routine for winter!

Anybody else lazy or inconsistent with their skin care routine? I'm guilty of this. But my skin has always looked its best when it is exfoliated and moisturized, so Annick is going to have to make an effort.

Here's my current usual routine.

Morning: 
- Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
- That's it.

Yes, that's right, no moisturizer. It's a sin.

Night: 
- Say Yes to Cucumbers Facial wipe for makeup removal OR Bioderma. I make sure that my eye makeup is FULLY removed. Cleanse with Cetaphil to remove any residue.
- I usually spritz my face with Caudalie Eau de Beauté.
- Sometimes I moisturize with my Nuxe Crème Prodigieuse.

That's it! I really should be ashamed. I don't do much to my skin, and it shows.

I would like my skin care to look like this.

Morning:
- Cleanse with Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser
- Moisturize with Nuxe Crème Prodigieuse

Night:
- Ditch the use of facial wipes, and use Bioderma for makeup removal. It is much less irritating to my skin.
- Cleanse with the Cetaphil Gentle Cleanser + Clarisonic OR cleanse with a non-abrasive exfoliating cleanser. Point is, re-introduce regular exfoliation to my routine. My skin loves being exfoliated.
- Use a non-drying toner such as the Caudalie Eau de Beauté regularly
- Moisturize every night with the Nuxe Crème Prodigieuse, or a heavier moisturizer.

Weekly:
- Do a clay-type face mask once a week, or more.

Goals:
- Introduce some type of exfoliating cleanser when the Clarisonic feels a bit too much.
- Hopefully introduce a night cream as it gets colder.
- Perhaps find a gentler makeup remover than my Bioderma ... like a cleansing balm. They've always intrigued me (I may or may not have an Antipodes cleansing balm on its way to me right now).

I feel like my skin easily goes on oil-production overdrive if I don't keep moisturizer in my routine. And I'm such a lazy bum when it comes to applying it.

Winter always wreaks havoc on my skin. As an oily skinned gal, my skin become oily and flaky by the end of the day, yet tight and dry at other times - it's just terrible. This is why it becomes important for me to crack the whip!

Do you have any skin care goals for winter? Does your routine change dramatically?

Don't forget to enter my 100 follower giveaway here!

A giveaway and a THANK YOU!

100 + followers! 200 + posts! That's something to celebrate about don't you think?

So as a thank you for your support and dedication, I bring to you a giveaway!

I really am grateful for all the people who follow me, read my blog, leave comments and just generally support me. This blog isn't much of anything without people reading it. I started it because I needed something fun to take up some of my spare time and here I am, more than 1 1/2 years later, still at it somehow. And I honestly can't say I could've done it without all of you! So here's a token of my appreciation!

The prizes?

- Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in Plaza. Love this lipstick - it is reviewed here if you're interested.
- A 250ml Bioderma bottle, one of my favorite makeup remover.
- Wet & Wild Comfort Zone palette - it is reviewed here if you're interested. I absolutely love this palette!

What do you have to do to win? Fill out this Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open internationally! :) 

Thanks again everyone for all your support! The winner will be picked in two weeks!

Hope you have a great week!