Balenciaga Fragrance Balenciaga Paris Eau de Parfum

Amazing, elegant, floral with a note of woodiness, but do try it on yourself before purchasing! ;) My body chemistry didn't work with this one, but I still love smelling the bottle...

I bought this because I fell in love with the scent right out of the bottle. So right away, word of advice, no matter how much you think you love what you are smelling in the bottle, do test any perfume you are considering buying on yourself. So I believe that this perfume is supposed to have “violets” as its predominant scent. I’m really not good at detecting what flower which perfume smells like but I do agree that this is a floral scent with a bit of woodiness to it. When I first smelt it in the store, I immediately thought that this was my scent. I love florals, but sometimes they are just not sophisticated enough and I don’t really want to smell like an air freshener or a fabric softener. This, on the other hand was “floral” taken to another level for me. It was “floral” but with a woody base that made it very elegant and sophisticated. And then, I took this baby home which followed by me slowly falling out of love with it. I still love smelling the bottle itself, but on me – no bueno… I gave this so many shots because I just don’t understand how it can smell so good in the bottle and so bad on me. I spray it on, it smells just heavenly for about a minute or so and then, instead of being floral and woody and sophisticated, it starts smelling like dry flower petals mixed with an old, musky essence… I start getting this “old lady” (no offense to old ladies) scent which I dislike a lot and always try to avoid (that’s one of the reasons I stay away from vanilla and anything that has too much sweetness in it)… So sad…  I honestly don’t want to give this perfume a bad rep, just really want to stress how important it is to try it before you make the purchase. Everybody had different PH levels and our chemistry does play a very important part, no matter how much we try to ignore it sometimes. If this perfume manages to preserve its heavenly scent on you – you’re the luckiest girl ever because it does have a very unique scent that will get you noticed (in a good way)… ;)) Oh, and it does last for a long time. When I used it in the morning, I could still smell it on my skin after taking a shower at night, so it will last you forever – it’s not something you need to keep in your purse when you go out…

January 1, 2015

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer Highlighting Powder

One of my favourite highlighters so far...

This highlighter is not a subtle one, for sure, so if you are looking for a subtle, natural glow – this isn’t it. Even though this is a very finely milled powder, it still delivers a very shimmery finish, even when used with a light hand. And yes, using it with a light hand is the best way to use it in my opinion. This is a warm, champaign colored powder with lots of micro glitters in it. Personally, I reach for this highlighter almost every day, but for a day look, I use it with a fan brush because I find that this way you get the most natural look out of it. I like that this highlighter stays on all day. I don’t know if it’s because it’s milled so finely or if it’s due to specific ingredients in its formula, but if I apply it in the morning, it stays on my face (combination skin) all day. One thing I don’t want to forget to mention, there is a great dupe for this product out there. It is a limited edition so I don’t know for how long it will still be available, but if you are on a budget and are looking for a dupe, get it! It’s “Metal Glam” by “Essence”. These two are almost identical. When I put them side by side I do notice that “Mary-Lou” is milled slightly finer and “Metal Glam” is just a tiny bit more rosy, but when I actually use them I can’t tell the difference apart from the fact that “Metal Glam” doesn’t last as long. For $20 less though, I would definitely go with “Essence” if you don’t own either one of these… :) Overall, I do agree with most reviewers of this product… This is a great highlighter, very versatile and adaptable for any occasion. The only people I wouldn’t recommend this to are the ones who wear very little makeup and prefer an extremely subtle finish when they do. It would probably be more suitable for them to use a matte or satin powder, one or two shades lighter than their skin color.

January 1, 2015

E.L.F. Poreless Primer

Very put off by the quantity of the product!!!

Well, I got this in three shades (all except Lavender) because I've read many positive reviews, so I was sure that I would like the product itself, and I was ready for the fact that there really isn't much of it in the package. This has been the only "con" for the majority of those who have reviewed these primers negatively. But let me tell you: There is even less than you think! I mean, even though I was ready for it, I really didn't expect THAT little. Basically, there is a smaller tube inside the original, kind of tinted white plastic. That tube is the same color as the primer you choose and is considerably smaller than the outside container. BUT! Inside that tube, there is another tube which is already pushed half the way up, and that is where your 14 grams of primer are hiding! Very misleading packaging situation here, in my opinion. This is literally half the amount of a standard size foundation container, which is 30 ml. (roughly 30 g.). As far as the primers themselves, they are good, but not spectacular enough for me to repurchase at that price. $12 for 28 ml. of primer is a lot, considering that most people shop at "e.l.f." because they are on a budget and appreciate the fact that "e.l.f." is incredibly affordable. The Clear primer is completely clear and has a mattifying effect. It sets to a very smooth finish (not as silky as some of the high end primers but very smooth), and it makes your make-up go on very evenly while giving your overall look a much more perfected finish because your pores do becomes minimized/camouflaged by the product (as they do with most primers). To be honest with you, I didn't find that my make-up lasted any longer than it normally would, but yes, I did enjoy the fact that my face felt and looked much smoother. Green - pretty much the same thing. I didn't really find that it concealed redness very well, although I can't say that I have extreme redness anywhere on my face. I just expected it to even out my overall skin tone, but this didn't do it for me. However, it did preform just as well as the Clear primer did. And I haven't noticed any color at all after having applied it onto my face. Radiant Glow - not as shimmery to me as I've heard a lot of people mentioning. I honestly didn't have any problems with the very slight shimmer/glow that this primer gave me. If you like "e.l.f."'s Mineral Booster in "Shimmer", you won't have any problems with this primer. It's the kind of shimmer that's almost unnoticeable, but those who strongly dislike any trace of shimmer will definitely be put off by this type of finish. And, after applying my make-up, I couldn't even tell that there was even a hint of shimmer to begin with, so definitely not a problem for me. Preformed just the same as the other two, mentioned above. Basically, I see all three of these as the same, and will use them up but, like I said, they aren't spectacular enough for me to repurchase them at this price point. I mean, even for the same price, I would rather get another brand's standard size container. Saves me time and makes it more environmentally friendly since there is no waste on two separate packaged tiny tubes enclosed in two larger tubes. Ridiculous and misleading in my opinion. As much as I love many "e.l.f."'s products (I really am a big fan of theirs), I really can't and won't recommend these primers to anyone.

October 1, 2014

Maybelline New York Baby Lips Crystal

Love everything about these! My favorite "Babylips" line so far! Lips definitely look and feel moisturized! Getting backups...

I am so super excited to be the first one to be reviewing these! First of all, I would like to say that I’m a big fan of “Babylips” and I collect them religiously. Fan or no fan, I think that it’s still important to be objective when reviewing any product. I would never say that I like something if I didn’t actually like it and I always try to stay as fair as possible in all my reviews. So even though I love “Babylips”, for example, I definitely didn’t enjoy their “Dr. Rescue” line because I didn’t find those moisturizing at all… I would even go as far as to say that they would dry out my lips within an hour of application. Don’t know if that had anything to do with the amount of menthol in those, but those were a complete “miss” for me. Now these are a BIG HIT for me, personally. I think that this line is my favorite one so far. I purchased all six shades about a week ago, and the first day I tried these, I told myself that I will definitely need to get backups when I see them on sale. So… I don’t even know where to start… Seriously… I feel like I wouldn’t be able to do them justice without swatches and my excited face next to every swatch! Before I list the colors I would like to say that these are all very sheer, so if you’re looking for a lot of pigment – these aren’t for you. They are beautifully sheer on the lips, with just a hint of every color, and a wet looking finish. When I say “wet”, I don’t mean sparkly o glossy – I mean they make your lips look wet and juicy… I really don’t know how else to put it – they just look amazing and natural. You know how you want your lips to look moisturized but not glossy? This is what you’ll get with these “Babylips”. And every one of them smells deliciously different, by the way! Anyway, here are the six colors I purchased: - Crystal Kiss (#130), very soft baby pink, grapefruit scented; - Gleaming Coral (#135), very sheer, beautiful warm coral, smells like sweet clementines; - Pink Quartz (#140), sheer light fuchsia pink, berry scented; - Beam of Blush (#145), sheer hot pink, smells exactly like bubblegum; - Mirrored Mauve (#150), sheer muted mauve, smells like “Black Cherry” ice cream; - Twinkling Taupe (#155), sheer red based light brown, smells to me like cocoa and coconut. I honestly love every single one of them. They each give a unique hint of color. I am in love with the finish they leave on your lips. I find it difficult to explain but it’s sort of more wet than a regular lip balm, but not as glossy or in your face as a lip gloss or some kind of sparkly tint. These do have very small sparkles in them, but they are absolutely undetectable on the lips and you definitely don’t feel them or anything like that. As with all “Babylips” products, you do have to reapply them every couple of hours or so or when you eat. For myself, it’s not a problem at all – more like a treat, because I love them so much. So don’t expect great staying power out of these. However, they will definitely stay on if you’re not doing a lot of drinking or eating and while they are on – your lips do feel the moisture. Totally opposite to my “Dr. Rescue” experience. And when these wear off, they do so very evenly, without leaving any weird residue on your lips. Love, love, love!!! I would recommend these to anyone and everyone who is looking for a lip balm that’s not highly pigmented and that will make your lips feel and look extremely moisturized! ;))

July 26, 2014

Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

Definitely gets a big "NO" from me and my combination skin. Immediately made my skin even more shiny than it would have been without it!!!

I got this about six months ago and used it three times at most. Got it by one of my favorite YouTuber’s recommendation and, once again, confirmed to myself that I should always take my skin type into consideration, when following someone else’s makeup advice. This foundation comes in a plastic tube, which I didn’t really love but it’s fine… The texture is kind of moussy, and the product itself feels very light and blendable when you work it into your skin. I didn’t need a lot of it to get light to medium coverage which, again, works for me because I usually prefer lighter coverage just to even out my skin overall. But! When I first applied it on my face, I told myself: Wait a couple of minutes until it sets and then go on with the rest of your makeup routine. So I waited… I obviously expected it to set because the name of this product suggests that it will set to a matte finish and keep you that way for most of the day. Now my skin type is “combination”, so logically you would think that this is the perfect skin type to test this product. But no, it never set to a matte finish and stayed kind of dewy. I continued applying the rest of my makeup which isn’t anything crazy… Regular setting powder and blush, followed with some mascara and lip gloss. I mean I don’t pile on ten coats of different powders or anything like that… This foundation, not only didn’t make my skin matte, but it immediately started making my skin look even oilier than it would normally be… I mean it wasn’t just my T-zone… I felt like it tried blocking all my pores, and my pores just said: No! This is the best way to describe it. So I tried a couple of times after this unfortunate experience; used it once with a primer and once without a moisturizer. Not using a moisturizer definitely helped but not enough to make my face matte anyway. It was just less oily overall. So no, I would definitely not recommend this product to anyone. It might be worth trying if your skin is extremely dry, but I honestly don’t think that a product that’s labeled “stay matte” should be targeted at dry skin. Can’t give this more than three stars, but don’t want to give less than three because below three is where I would place something that cannot be used by anyone.

July 21, 2014

Maybelline New York Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

Liked it a lot, but they do dry out a bit too fast...

I had this in black and in brown, and hit pan on both of them. They are smudge proof and really, truly last all day. I do have to say though that they dry out pretty quickly. I personally didn’t have a problem with that because I had literally been using them every day until I ran out, but I could see many people unhappy about that. Not everyone commits to one brand of liner at a time, so it’s not very practical when they dry out within 7 months. If you are looking for something that's blendable - don't get this because it sets pretty quickly. If you need an eye liner that is well pigmented, will last you all day and sets relatively quickly, then this is a perfect one for you. It’s a thick cream, almost has a waxy feeling to it and the little brush that comes with these is pretty handy too – I actually ended up using it at the time. With that being said, I would like to point out that since then, I have completely switched to using “e.l.f. Cosmetics” Studio Eye Liners. I find them a lot more creamy than these “Maybelline” ones, they don’t dry out as quickly which gives you time to smudge them if you need to and they definitely last you all day. Those are seriously smudge and water-proof. Sometimes I need to run the brush on the back of my hand before using it on my eyelid, and if I don’t wash that swatch off right away I will have to work at it pretty hard the next time I wash my hands. These need to be rubbed off with a sponge! So yes, using a makeup remover for mascara definitely helps at the end of the day. But if you are considering getting these “Maybelline” liners because you’ve heard a lot about them – yes, definitely go for it. It is a good product and still relatively inexpensive, compared to high end alternatives of the same type… ;)

July 21, 2014

NYX Cosmetics Powder Blush

Love these! Pigmented, good color range, blend out to perfection and you get 4 grams for $6! The best! ;)

I have these in “Taupe” and “Expresso”… To be honest, I don’t think these really need to be reviewed because so many people have said so many great things about these, but I’ll put my two scents in, just because I like to give credit where it’s due… So as everyone probably knows, the color “Taupe” is amazing for contouring for those with a light complexion. I would say that if you are not over NC/NW 20, then you would be able to use this for contouring. Those with darker skin tones might find it difficult to get this blush to show up on their skin. “Taupe” is a light, cool toned brown, completely matte and in my opinion, totally blows “Kevin Aucoin” out of the water, especially when you factor in the price… You just can’t find better. “Expresso”, unlike the name would suggest, is not a dark brown/coffee colored blush – it’s more of a dark, peach color that looks very natural on the cheeks and would suite many different looks. I really find that color to be universally flattering. It’s also a matte. By the way, I think the fact that these come in about 30 different shades with a good mattes to shimmers ratio is amazing enough on its own! ;) So these are very smooth in texture, have very good pigmentation, are slightly powdery but not enough for it to be a problem and they stay put all day. So unless you have oily skin and you blot many times a day, you will love these blushes. I think that for oily skin, cheek stain are the way to go either way – it’s just so much more practical than having to reapply your blush throughout the day. If you are on a fence about these – go for it, because you’ve got nothing to lose for the price. You get 4 grams of product by the way. Just make sure to check out some swatches online because the pictures on the website can be misleading sometimes due to different screen settings and resolutions.

July 21, 2014

NYX Cosmetics NYX Nude on Nude

Definitely worth the $15 I spent to purchase this palette...

I got this palette for $15 off of “Hautelook” and I think that I got an amazing deal for a very good product. I know that some people criticize this palette for not being pigmented enough, but let me tell you why I like it… First of all, I would like to mention that I own all three “Naked” palettes and many similar palettes of higher end brands, so I know what a pigmented shadow is. Originally I got this palette just because I love “nudes” and I just can never resist when I see a collection of colors I like so much. So with that being said, I do still insist that it is a very good product, especially in this price range. Yes, the eye shadows don’t have a crazy amount of pigment in them, but for someone who loves to play around a bit with their everyday, office appropriate, naturally subtle look – this palette is perfect. All the eye shadows blend out extremely well. I think that the key to loving this palette is to use this with the old-fashioned sponge applicators. As strange as it sounds, this actually works amazingly for me. And I love the natural, but sophisticated look I can get with this palette. Another thing I would like to mention is that I find that the lipstick side of it doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves. You get a wide range of colors, from nudes to brights, mostly mattes with a couple of shimmers as well. And those colors are quite pigmented and look very flattering on the lips. If you need a palette for day time and you want to look natural, but yet sophisticated I would definitely recommend this palette to you. And I’m definitely not saying that the same look can’t be achieved with a palette that’s more pigmented – I’m just saying, why not save the higher end palettes for when you are going for a bolder look or for nights out…

July 21, 2014

Hard Candy Blush Crush Baked Blush

Love these as much as my "Milani" blushes... ;) Beautiful, natural color with a subtle shimmer...

I have two of these, one in “Living Doll” and one in “Honeymoon”. As with “Milani” blushes, I have to say that if you are someone who doesn’t like any kind of shimmer on your face (even if it’s subtle) then these are not for you… I personally love these blushes because I don’t find the shimmer very overpowering and if I’m in a rush I don’t need to use a highlighter. “Living Doll” is a soft blue-based pink and I use this color as a blush. I think it would be great for those with cool undertones or those who have a bit of neutral and warm undertones together. “Honeymoon” is a light peach/pink color with a tiny “vein” of very light lilac run through it and I love this color as a highlight. It gives a very natural highlight because the shimmer in all these blushes is very subtle. You definitely won’t see any sparkles or anything like that. I have to say that both of these are just a bit powdery and not as pigmented as “Milani” blushes, for example, so the more color you prefer on your cheeks, the more you’ll have to work with these. I personally prefer just a hint of color, so “Living Doll” applied with a stippling brush is just perfect for me as a blush because it almost mimics the color I would naturally blush with. And I apply “Honeymoon” with a small tapered stippling brush because it picks up just enough color, and I dab just a little on top of my cheekbones, chin and forehead and run what’s left along my nose. These last me all day; I never had to reapply my blush throughout the day… And I have to say that even if you use one of these blushes on a daily basis without switching to anything else, it will probably last you for at least 6-8 months because they are very dense. Obviously “Honeymoon” as a highlight will be good for years… ;) Would definitely recommend to a friend who is looking for a bit color on the cheeks with a subtle shimmer…

July 21, 2014

CoverGirl Clump Crusher Extensions LashBlast Mascara

Like it very much. Used three tubes in a row!

I love this mascara! Got it at “Costco” in a package of 3 for $19.99 and I used all three tubes without wanting to try something else… To be honest, I think that mascara choice is a very personal thing. We all have different types of lashes, different needs in order to achieve what is perfect in our own eyes. My lashes are not extremely long, but definitely not short, they are not thick but not too sparse either and they are kind of on a thinner side. So right in-between of everything. What I look for in mascara is a brush that will separate my lashes starting from the root without crushing my lashes with its weight or its massive volume. I look for a pigmented formula that will evenly coat every one of my lashes, and even though I would like a lot of extra length I don’t want it at the price of getting the “spider legs” lashes. And I also dislike very quick-drying mascaras. Basically I look for an even coverage of every lash, no clumps and if possible, a little extra volume and length and a drying time long enough to run the wand through my lashes a couple of times. So this mascara covers pretty much all of these points. The only thing I’d say it doesn’t do is give you length. I will give you just a bit of extra volume, and I feel that it’s largely due to the fact that it separates your lashes so perfectly, but not too much length though. Your lashes would probably still look longer because most of us get the tips of our lashes “ombreed” by the sun, so they always look shorter without mascara. And I like the curve in this wand. I don’t necessarily use it to apply mascara to all my lashes at once, but I like the way it allows you to get the outer edges of your eye without making your lashes touch your upper lid (which happens to me very often). I usually spend a little extra time on the outer edges of my lashes, just because I feel that it opens up the eye when the they have a lot of definition. The curve in this mascara helps me a lot to do that. Final verdict, I would definitely recommend this mascara to someone who has similar lashes to mine, and I will repurchase it in the future.

July 20, 2014