TAG | The One and Only

So a while ago Maya, from Spider Leg Lashes, had posted a tag and then tagged anyone who wanted to do it. Of course, I took the opportunity to do the tag!

The Only Question: If you could only have one ____ what would it be? And, why?

 

 

Primer - It would be a sin not to say Urban Decay Primer Potion. This has been my beauty must-have and I'll forever continue buying it!

Base product - I went for The Body Shop Vitamin E Cool BB Cream just because it's the one I'm currently using and I really like it.

Blusher (cream or powder) - Definitely Sleek MakeUP blush in Pomegranate. This colour is gorgeous and looks amaaazing.

Highlighter - I'm going to opt for an eyeshadow that I like to use both as an eye and face highlight, which is Sephora Peach Beige. The colour is a perfect champagne and always looks amazing!
Eyebrow product - I love Quo brow gel! It does not leave my brows stiff and holds them in-place at all hours.
Mascara - My favourite tends to change a lot, but at the moment it's definitely Benefit BadGal Waterproof. This mascara has gotten a lot of hate but I just love it!
Concealer - I don't actually use a concealer as concealer, I use a foundation which is MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NW20.
Powder - I've been opting for Marcelle Translucent Powder lately and I just love the finish it gives to my skin!
Bronzer - It seems that I use product that are meant for one thing as something else, and here's another one. I actually really love how The Body Shop eyeshadow in the colour 10 looks as a bronzer.
Make Up Brush (single) -This was definitely a tough one. I was going to choose ELF Eyeshadow brush, but I went for MAC 217 only because it's a multi-purpose brush.

Eyeshadow - I loooooooove eyeshadow, and I have a whole ton, but this was my easiest pick. Quo eyeshadow in Dusk. I've never seen such a beautiful, unique colour before and I cherish this eyeshadow!

Eyeliner - I went for Rimmel Soft Kohl in the colour Sable Brown because it looks great on the waterlines and smudged around the eye. It was either that or MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack.

Lip Liner (or lip colour) -This category kinda irks me cause there's no lip colour category, but a lip liner one? I'm changing it... My choice is Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Sugar Plum, this colour is gooorgeous and perfect for the fall!

Lip Balm - Another easy choice. Hands down EOS in Summer Fruit. This is the only EOS balm I've tried and I absolutely love it! It's the perfect texture and wear.

Nail Polish  - This was definitely a difficult choice because I have so many nail polishes, but I opted for Gosh Limited Edition in Galaxy. The colour is so unique and gorgeous!

I Tag...

 

Anyone who wants to!

HAUL + REVIEW | Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters

Peach Parfait

Berry Smoothie

Lollipop

Sugar Plum

Cherry Tart

 A few months ago when the Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters came out, I was definitely intrigued. What most caught my attention was that they're like tinted lipbalms, but so much better. I do admit, the beautiful colours and packaging were definitely the selling factors for me. The very first one I bought was the colour Berry Smoothie. It was the perfect berry pop of colour that can match virtually any skintone and makeup. The second one I got was Peach Parfait. The only real problem I have with this balm is that it has some chunky glitter in it that really doesn't feel nice on the lips, but I really like how it looks.

Recently my local Shopper's Drug Mart was having a summer sale and I noticed that the Lip Butters were on sale for $3.99 each (usually around $8). Obviously I went a little wacko and wanted to buy the entire collection, but after a few breathing exercises, I picked out two that I've been wanting for a while: Lollipop and Sugar Plum. Lollipop is a gorgeous fuchsia colour that can really pop on any skin tone. I really love how it looks with basic black eyeliner and heavy mascara. I think it'd be the perfect colour for a very light/platinum blonde. Sugar Plum is probably my favourite out of all 5. It's true to being a lighter plum colour that I think is perfect for the fall time (but I will probably disregard that and wear it all year round). I also think it looks the best with my hair and skin tone.

That night, I went back and got Cherry Tart because I couldn't get it out of my mind and I knew I'd regret not buying it. It's a lighter true red that wears really nicely because it does have a sheen to it. As Lollipop, I also think it wears nicely with a black liner and heavy lashes.

My sixth sense must have kicked in because the very next day I needed to pick up a few things at Shopper's and found the Lip Butters back to their normal price. I'm glad I didn't wait to buy them.

As a product, these are my favourite lip products to use. They're super easy to apply and wear, and very comfortable. Because they're like a lip balm, you don't need to apply a base of balm to prep the lip. I think the colour range, although it covers the basic colours and a little bit more, I think Revlon could work on expanding it (if they're wanting to evolve the collection). I think if you're one of those girls that wants to just throw something easy on the lips and not fuss with it, but also get a stellar look and colour, these are the right ones for you. As a value, I think $8 is a little steep for them, but they're often on a sale, so you can't go wrong. The packaging is gorgeous and I do not have any problems with the lid falling off, it stays on nice and tight. I'm definitely planning on expanding my collection.

Performance: 9/10
Value: 7/10
Quality: 9/10

Definitely recommend!

Ada xx

HAUL | Books, Forever21

Hello my lovelies! It's a haul day, what can I say? See what I did there? Me neither. So my cousin and I had a little adventure downtown. We were meant to do some shopping but we mostly ate at Jack Astor's and got lost 300 times because I'm a terrible navigator and should not be trusted with directions. We ended up going to a huge bookstore and browsing around. Surprisingly, my cousin is quite the picky one when it comes to books, whereas I stacked and stacked anything that caught my attention. I picked out three books that seemed the most interesting to me, and they were around $4.99 each.

• The Daughter Game by Kate Long
• A Race to Splendor by Ciji Ware
• The Pattern Scars by Caitlin Sweet

Realistically, do I need these books? Absolutely not, but I need these books. Do you see my dilemma? They are now 256, 257, and 258 in-line on my 'To Read' list. Kidding, but probably not.

We then finally ended up wandering into the mall where we walked too much and browsed too much. Forever 21 was really the only real stop and needed place we ended up in. As she looked through piles of clothes, I browsed the jewelry and spotted these adorable earrings. They're very tribal and I just love the size and the way they almost sound like wind chimes when the feathers hit each other. And the extra bonus? They were only $3.99.

In the line up for the cash, they always have bins of little things people can look through while they wait. As you may or may not know, I am obsessed with their nail polishes and obviously couldn't resist. But, I managed to overpower my obsession a little by only picking out one nail polish. I ended up getting Coral, which is just as the name suggests. I do have pinks and an orange or two, but I don't have any coral nail polishes so it was a pretty obvious choice.

The last item is one that was purchased seperately but does not deserve a post of it's own, and that's the Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips in the colour Raise a Glass. Now, I did only use these one time so perhaps I do need to try them a few more times to get the hang of 'em, but so far I'm not happy. I think my biggest problem with them is the fact that they don't stick to your nails very well. I found the ends of my nails (where you file), the glue would rub off and the piece would stick off. Although there's not really any dry time and it's a smooth, flat, even surface, they're more trouble than they're worth. I think I'll stick to painting them (which is therapeutic as well, extra plus).

Ada xx

HAUL | The Body Shop, Sephora, MAC

Hello lovelies! It's been a very, very long time since my last blog post/video but I am indeed back and really excited to be making new videos and posts for you guys! I'm gonna start off with a haul because I love them so much. And don't worry, not all of the products were purchased at one time.

Because I had used up all of my non-cruelty free waterproof mascaras, I was in desperate need of a new one. Finding the right mascara was quite the adventure, I'll admit. I first purchased the Revlon Photoready 3D Volume waterproof mascara. I really loved the effect it gave my lashes, but they quickly dropped - not all the way, but enough for me to return it. Next I went with Bourjois Liner Effect waterproof mascara, which turned out to be even worse! My lashes dropped within seconds and it was my mistake for not trying it out on a day off because I had to wear straight lashes to work. I have wanted to try the Bad Gal Lash waterproof mascara ($26) for forever, but for some reason I never did. Perhaps it was the price, perhaps it was the bad reviews, but after my bad luck, I figured it couldn't get much worse, so I caved and got it. I'll admit, I didn't love it at first application, but I have to admit, it really grew on me. It does drop my lashes a bit, but only enough for them to look more relaxed and less curly. I'm really, really happy I tried it.

Next I grabbed a new replacement head for my Clarisonic, except this time I got the Sensitive Skin 2-pack head ($50) rather than the regular. Honestly, I really don't notice a softness in the brush. Maybe the hairs are a little bit thinner, but that's it. Not supremely impressed. And finally, I couldn't help but check out their little sale section. Usually it's a big mess with opened products splayed everywhere, but I guess they restocked because it was clean with several new products. The two things that caught my eye were 2 Sephora-brand kohl eyeliners for only $3! I got two colours: a coppery brown (04) and a grape (07). When I tried the testers on my hand at the store, I was really impressed by their smoothness and pay off, so I knew right away that I had to have them in my kit, but when I tried them on my own eyes at home, I found to be quite disappointed. The brown is actually lovely and applies well with a bit of force, but the purple is had to work with and for some reason, there was a bit of my lash line that it just refused to stick to, whether I rubbed from the tube or with a brush. It's a difficult product to work with, unfortunately.

The next products are from my favourite store: The Body Shop. If you're American, I highly suggest you go on ebay and get some of the products because a) they're fair trade, b) they're cruelty-free and c) they're just plain amazing. I'm signed up to receive offers from them daily and I don't think there's a day that they don't have an offer going on. Buy 1, get 1 50% off, buy 2, get 1 free, 50% off everything etcetc. The two lipsticks were purchased separately. The first is a beautiful deep "Russian Red" but not quite as pigmented and in your face. Out of all the reds, it was the one that most appealed to me, and the one I thought would look best with my complexion and hair. It doesn't have a name (unfortunately), but the number is 22 (retails $13, paid $6.50). The next (now that I see them photographed together) is a lighter and pinkier 22. I was doing one of those buy 1, get 1 50% off deals and I was a bit rushed for time, so I was quickly scanning through the lipsticks. The sales associate was lovely and suggested it off the bat, saying it was the one colour she found looked good on everyone. The second she swatched it on her hand, I was sold. It's a really colour that can be worn sheer for a nice, pinky look or built up for a brighter lip. The number for it is 14 (retails $13, paid $6.50).

Next came the blushes, which I got for a steal, really. I believe they all sell for $20 (the first one for sure, the other not unsure), but I got them for a whopping $3 each with a total savings of $51. I almost feel like I robbed the place, but I can't help but be a sucker for amazing deals. The first blush is in the colour Petal (yay, finally a name!) and it can either be combined for a lighter pink, or used as a bright blush with a highlight. I like to use it for the latter because I find they balance each other nicely. The other two blushes are named (from left to right) 03 and 04. 03 is a cool, blue-undertoned blush that I think would look lovely on any skin and 04 is a beautiful peachy blush with specks of gold sparkles that will look gorgeous in the summer under the sun.

My splurging at TBS came to an end with the lovely peacocky-green eyeshadow appropriately named 31 (retails for $12, paid $6). It's extremely pigmented and must be used under caution for the crazy fall out that is bound to happen with too much product. I really love this eyeshadow because it's not super bright, but gives you that pop of colour, but also because it can be worn sheerly for a lovely light eye or built up for a really dramatic, smoky eye.

The next palette is the Revlon CustomEyes in the colour 005 Gold Spun ($1.50). It's a 5 piece set with 2 sheeny shadows and 3 sparkly shadows. I found the palette in Dollarama and couldn't help but grab it, it is Revlon after all. Truly? I am disappointed. The shadows really aren't very pigmented and are a little bit chalky. Unimpressed. The back comes with a little chart describing how they suggest to wear the shadows, but I completely disregarded it and did my own look with it, but I think I might try it after all for a different look. My favourite shadow from the 5 is the white because it has a blue sheen to it that reminds me of my all time favourite eyeshadow Lark About by MAC.

And finally, I decided to order a product that is owned and loved by many. After the failure of my Maybelline gel eyeliner, which is quickly drying out, I decided to ditch it and get the MAC Fluidline in Blacktrack ($18). To be quite frank, from the videos I've seen of girls applying it, I feel like mine's not quite as black and gel-y. Don't get me wrong, I really like the product and definitely use it a lot, I feel like it's not quite living up to it's name. But I still have a lot more in my pot to go, so maybe I need to dig a bit deeper to find the gold.

So comes my conclusion. I'm so happy to finally be back and I can't wait to write more!

Ada xx

RE-HAUL | MAC, Costa Blanca X, Sephora

So I ended up exchanging my Ocean Dip nail polish for MAC's Creamsheen Glass in Loud & Lovely! When I went into MAC and the sales lady told me that I would have to send back my nail polish by mail, but then she went into the back to ask and they made an exception for me. She was so lovely and helped me pick out this gorgeous colour! I was going to originally purchase a lipstick in Show Orchid, but they didn't have it and I couldn't find a colour I really loved (I also swatched Hibiscus and didn't love it as much as I thought I would) so she ended up suggesting I get Loud & Lovely. I tried it on and it was beautiful! It was $22 CAD so I had to pay the difference of $4. I also decided to keep Lush-Light Bronze after comparing it with Gold-Go-Lightly. My mom really liked Lush-Light Bronze.

I then stopped by Sephora because I desperately needed a new Urban Decay Primer Potion. I was going to purchase the jumbo one but they were out of stock and their smaller size comes in the tube form now! I ended up picking that up for $23 CAD but because I still had store credit I ended up only paying $14 for the product! I got the original one.

I also stopped by Costa Blanca X because they were having a sale. I love this store and own a couple things from them. I was going to get this cream and gold clutch with wood on the outside, but my mom wanted to buy it and it was $30 CAD and I didn't want her to waste her money, so instead I picked out this larger black and gold clutch that was onsale for $15 CAD! I love it soso much and can't wait to use it the next time I go out!

And that's my haul! :D

HAUL | MAC

Hello beauty lovers! I am back with another haul and this one is from our beloved MAC! After seeing xsparkage's Surf, Baby! Haul, I decided to invest in some of the cosmetics she mentioned. Unfortunately two that I really wanted were sold out (Hibiscus and Cheek Powder), so I had to make do with what I could get my hands on.
I ordered online, got free shipping because my order was over $50 and it got here in only a couple of days considering it was sent from Toronto! C: I ended up paying $79 (with tax) on all three products.

The first thing I got is the Studio Careblend/Pressed Powder in Lush-Light Bronze for $33.50 CAD. After receiving this product, I'm contemplating exchanging it for the Gold-go-Lightly because I like a bit more of a gold glow rather than pinky brown.

The second thing I received is the nail lacquer in Ocean Dip for $18 CAD. It's a beautiful teal colour, BUT I just realized that I paid $18 for a nail polish and I never pay more than $4 a nail polish. I'm probably going to exchange it for Hibiscus because it was one of the things I really wanted.

Finally, I got a lipglass in Krazy Kahuna for $18.50 CAD! It looked so nice on swatches that I just had to have it. I am soso excited to try this product even though I don't like sticky lip glosses, I'll make it work.

So that's my haul! I'll be reviewing these products shortly.

HAUL | NYX, Blogsale

Hello beautifuls! So here are my images and swatches for this haul! C:

 

 

 

 

I will most likely be doing reviews on these products, but if you would like a specific one, feel free to message me! C:

First Post - HAUL

Hello beauty lovers! I'm so excited to finally have my own blog for my Youtube account! I'll be posting hauls, reviews, swatches and anything beauty, hair and style related! So to start off my blog, I thought I'd post a huge haul that I've collected from over the past few months.

HIGH-END
So the very first thing is this Cargo Catwalk palette I received for my 18th Birthday!

I really adore this palette! It comes with six eye shadows, four smokey-eye shadows, two bronzers and three blushes. On the inside of the case comes a guide to creating the perfect smokey eye (which I have yet to use). I adore that the powders are pressed to look like objects. The six eye shadows on the side are buttons and the blushes and bronzers are scarves. As you can tell, I have used this palette quite a bit, especially the smokey eye browbone colour.

The eyeshadows actually have no names. They're simply labeled as 1, 2, 3 etc. The smokey palette is called Essential Palette (Grey). The blushes do have names, the are: The Big Easy, Rome and Topeka. The bronzers in between are Medium. I don't really understand why they would add 2 of the same bronzers.

DRUGSTORE
The next item is the Nivea Visage Refreshing Toner for Normal to Combination skin. I really like this toner! It wasn't too expensive, about $9-12 and it will last me for a while.

I found that I've been reaching for my LashBlast very often lately and that I ran out of it quicker than I thought! So I stopped by my drugstore and bought another Waterproof LashBlack. Unfortunately my mom was rushing me and I just grabbed the nearest one, later to find the colour was Black Brown. :C I had to go back and exchange it for Black. Now, normally I would have tried the Black Brown but I was too much of a chicken and I like my black mascara too much.

 

A few weeks ago I was talking with my co-worker about my crappy and extreme skin and it turns out she has the same skin as I do! She recommended La Roche-Posay Toleriane Riche Soothing Protective Cream and I just had to jump on this product! I visited my local Shoppers Drug-Mart and was surprised to find the product was indeed $30. I was a bit hesitant about buying it because it was so much money for so little product! Only 40 ml which is not a lot at-all! But I bought the product anyway and was very happy with it. Along with it I received a few La Roche-Posay samples but I'll post about them later.

 I recently ran out of my CoverGirl Fresh Complexion concealer that I would wear as a foundation (don't shoot me, I have my reasons!) and that one lasted me a good few months but I was ready to move on to something a bit more serious and more... foundation-y. So I bought the L'Oreal True Match Foundation in Shell Beige. A sales associate applied the foundation onto my bare skin at Shoppers and of course, they have the worst lighting ever so it looked like my exact shade the next day when I did my foundation, it was not my colour at-all! So of course I went back and decided to exchange it for a completely different foundation instead. I chose the Maybelline Age Rewind (you can start early!) Foundation in 150 Classic Ivory. I was helped by another sales associate and this time got the exact colour!

I just love a great deal, like any other girl, so naturally I just had to dig through the discount shelf at Shoppers where a lot of Gosh makeup was on sale! There was this beautiful medium blue eyeshadow on sale and I was going to snag it but honestly, I never wear blue and it was too pretty to just sit around in my makeup collection so I left it. Instead I found this beautiful medium Taupe nail polish called 596 Miss Mole. I just fell in love and have hopefully found something to inspire me to stop biting my nails! But the best part was that it was on sale from $7 to $3! $4 off! I don't like spending $10 on nail polishes so to have found something on sale for $3 was a major win for me.

This mascara was a gift from a friend. She went to a fashion show for her friend's birthday (great idea!) and got a ton of freebies and decided to give me the Maybelline Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara. So nice!

WINNERS

The next thing is the Physicians Formula Organic Wear pressed powder in Sand Beige. It comes in a cute cardboard-like container with the powder on one side and a mirror and brush on the other. This cost me about $6 at Winners so I just had to snag it! It offers great coverage but does get a little powdry.

This powder foundation was also on-sale for about $2.50 and it's the Annabelle Mineral Powder Foundation in Natural Ivory. My mom actually got this for herself but I have a special way of using it. C;

MAKEUP GEEK

About a month and a half ago I ordered from the Makeup Geek store! I paid $38 (with shipping) for my entire purchase. I got two brushes, the C411 Pointed Blender and an angled bronzer/blush brush. I also ordered two Nyx lipsticks in Power and Sash. I also ordered the Palladio Eye Ink liquid liner in black and the Nyx cream blush in Boho Chic. (Images of the Liner and lipsticks are next!)

LIPS

I've been slightly obsessed with lipsticks lately and so I bought 4. Two are fro MAC and two from Nyx (which I just talked about). The two MAC lipsticks are Myth (Satin) and Fast Play (Amplified). I bought Fast Play for my mom because she had this Clinique lipstick she loved but ran out of and so since MAC has just a great collection of lipsticks, I wanted her to get a similar one to her Clinique one.

I also got a Bonnebell LipLUSHous gloss in Strawberry Kiss. This was a random buy because I don't usually opt for brands like Bonnebell or Annabelle but I saw it, thought it was a cute colour and just grabbed it. Apparently it's a lip plumping gloss but I don't notice a difference, just makes my lips tingly.

Here are some swatches of the lipsticks and gloss! From the top we have Sash, Power, Myth, Fast Play and Strawberry Kiss. These swatches are not completely true to colour.

LINERS

I'm not much of an eyeliner girl, but I thought I would try some liners for my top lid. The first eyeliner is the Maybelline Eye Studio in Blackest Black. It retails for about $10.99 I believe. The second is the Palladio Eye Ink in Black from Makeup Geek that was $6. The last is the Rimmel London Soft Kohl eyeliner in 011 Sable Brown which was a birthday gift as-well so I dunno how much it retails for.

SAMPLES

I ordered from Sephora a few months ago and with my order came a bunch of samples! I got the Getaway pack plus three extra samples. Some are missing because I used them and threw out the containers -_-. Oops. So I got a Smashbox Limitless eyeliner in Onyx, the Anastasia Beverly Hills clear brow gel, Make Up Forever lipstick in Rouge (a very bright pink), Caudalie Pulpe Vitaminee 1st Wrinkle Eye Cream, Tarte MultiplEYE lash enhancing mascara, Lancome Genifique Youth Activating Concentrate, Lorac lip gloss in 3D, Sephora Advanced Lash Booster mascara in Black, Sephora eyeshadow in Peach Beige number 13, Shiseido Benefiance Concentrate Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream, and Sephora eyeshadow samples in Milestone number 17, Golden Girl number 50, Swimming Pool number 37 and Fame and Fortune number 43. I also received the Philosophy Hope oil-free daily moisturizer (forgot to put it into the first picture).

I also received these extra samples from Shoppers Drug-Mart during my many trips there. I got the La Roche-Posay Lipikar Baume AP Body Balm, Nuxe Gentle Pureness Gentle Purifying and Clarifying Mask, Two NeoStrata Smoothing Cream Level 1, Biotherm Skin-Ergetic, Nuxe Moisturizing Balancing Emulsion and two La Roche-Posay Nutritic Transforming Care for Dry Skin.

MISC

And last but not least, I randomly bought this Almay Facial Soap for Normal to Combination Skin for $1.

So there you have it! My ridiculously large haul of random stuff! If you would like a review or swatch on any of these products, please drop me a comment below or email and I will be happy to make one!

Hope you're well and happy!