Dud Products #001

Not every product is going to work for everyone. I have found products that work great for everyone else but I just don't like at all. I've compiled a list of a few things that just didn't work for me. All of these products are Drugstore/Discount store but I plan on doing a High End post of duds as well. Lets get Started!

Almay Smart Shade Foundation and Concealer

At 28 years old I am ridiculously afraid of wrinkles. Therefore I gravitate towards anti-aging makeup that wont clog pore or make lines appear deeper. I decided to try the Almay smart Shade. The idea of a smart shade makeup was intriguing to me and I like to try new products that come out. (This one has been out for about a year, I tried it once and put it in my Don't Use Again box)

I don't believe that this "Technology" exists. I tried the light to medium shade that should have worked for me at the time. I was a bit darker because it was the summer. This is super dark for me. I mean like 5 or 6 shades too dark. 

Both the concealer and the foundation are this way for me. So I didn't use it long enough to form a more detailed opinion. After using it once or twice i noticed the consistency was nice and the coverage was good but like i said. A foundation can be lumped into such a large category as light/medium. 

All in all, not for me!

Rimmel Glam Eyes Day 2 Night Mascara

When I bought this I opened the volume cap and thought. "Hmm... Nice big brush consistency looks good. Might be alright" So I put it on. And I was happy. wasn't the greatest Mascara but it wasn't the worst either.  

Than I opened the length side. I was pissed. The brush is exactly the same. Your basically pulling the same brush through the tube to pull off the mascara formula. So Im paying for a tube to clean off the brush for me? I can do that myself. 

Their website says that you can create two dramatically different looks with one brush. ONE BRUSH. Is it the brush that's doing the different looks or the choice to wear less mascara? 

This is such a crap product to me. It's like false advertising. ON their website the have a picture of the product that show two different brushes. One thicker and one thinner. Not true. Crappy Product!

ELF Wrinkle Refiner

OH Elf... How I love thee! You all know that I am the biggest ELF fan. Not only are their products cheap but they are great quality too. 

Except for this one. Getting back to me deep insecurity of wrinkles... I figured id try this out before my primer. I couldn't get it out of the package for about 15 minutes. It has one of those twist per click systems and  clicked and clicked and NOTHING. Then I turned it upside down and left it for a few minutes and still nothing. When i did get the product out it spilled out like it was too thin to hold in the package. It made such a mess. 

The product it self was not too great for me. I didn't find that it refined any small lines that i had. I did however put it on my hand to check it out before to see what it did and i did find it smoothed quite nice. Refined?  Not so much. I wouldn't buy this product again. 

Hard Candy Split Personality 

This double ended pencils are a great idea. I often say I have a split personality so I chuckled at the name. I decided to try the product because they are affordable and come in a decent range of dual colors. 

When I first opened the silver side, I was surprised at the quality of the sponge tip applicator. I wasn't impressed. It is quite flimsy. I couldn't get the control that I wanted using it without having to practically hold the sponge itself. The color is nice though. 

The blue side was worse. I opened it and the sponge was unattached from the pencil. It made a big mess when I fixed it and got it attached again. 

All in all this product sucked for me. The colors themselves are really nice so I wished hey had just put them out in a regular double ended pencil. 

These are a few duds that I have come across. What are your duds?

Disclaimer: All of the statements posted here are my opinions only and arnt meant in a harmfull way.

Natural School or Work Look!

It will be no surprise to you all that I enjoy a dramatic eye. So I decided to switch it up and show you guys a soft work inspired look using Coastal Scents Go Palette in Beijing. 

It's always great to have  few softer looks in your pocket for when you need to tone it down a bit and look effortless. In this look I will use rather inexpensive products that you can get at any Drugstore or on CoastalScents.com 

The Go Palette is available on CoastalScents.com for $8.95 and if definitely worth the bucks. You get 12 very pigmented shade in an easily carried palette. All the shade work great together and there are a lot of choices o pick from. I have the Beijing and Moscow. In this i'm using Beijing which is earthy browns and pinks. I adore the combination of pink and brown together! 

As you can see the look is very minimal and natural. I like this look because its simple and quick but polished as well. You could easily do this with a variation of many products that you already have.

I always start my makeup by moisturizing and applying a primer. The primer of the day is Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro in 002

• First i applied my foundation all over my face. I used Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff. This is a great base for the concealer and bronzer which I applied next. I like to dab my foundation on my chin cheeks and forehead and them blend outward with a damp sponge. I like using a sponge better than a brush because i get better control than if i use a brush. Maybe i just haven't found a brush that i love yet. 
• Once my foundation is applied i used Hard Candy Glamoflauge in Light around my eyes and my nose.  I also have whats seems to be a chicken pock mark under my left eye so i cover that as well. I love Glamoflauge! I`ve said it a million times! 
• After my Concealer a top with a light dusting of powder to set y foundation. I used Revlon ColorStay pressed powder in light. Than i applied a light dusting of NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer in Summer to add a bit of color.  I just left both out of the picture below by accident. 
• When doing my eyes i applied a small dab of NYX HD eyelid Primer to my lids to create a great base. This is probably my favorite primer for my lids. You get lots of product and lots of staying power for just 7 bucks! GREAT DEAL!
• I started my eye look by applying the light pink shade shown in the top row of the palette. This is the third from the left. I wish the palette had color names on them but they don't.  But the color is Called Pink Salmon. I put this all over my lid with a flat shadow brush and blend a little into the crease. 
• I than use the medium brown show in the bottom third from the left in my Crease. This shade is called Antique Chocolate Burgundy. I apply this in a back and forth motion with a small crease brush. I used my 1.00 ELF Pro crease brush. 
• Using a fluffy bare crease brush I blended out the rough edge to make it blend all the way to my brow. 
• Now it`s time for liner! I used my Maybelline Master Drama in Midnight Master which is basically black. I always sharpen this automatic liner because I wanted a fine line. I started right at the inside tear duct and worked out applying the liner as close to the lashes as I can. I also winged it out slightly.
• I applied two coats of  Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara in Black to my lashes and my eyes are done.
• Once my eyes are done i go in with two dots of Coastal Scents Bright Eyes to brighten my under eyes. It has a great pink salmon tone that just brightens up the eyes.  
• As for lips I lined and filled in the sides of my lips with Wet N Wild Burgundy Wine. I leave a small opening in the middle of my lips to give them some dimension. Than topped with Rimmel Stay Glossy in NON Stop Glamour. 

PHEWF! That took forever to write out! I think I may go into detail to much!! :)

I really like the look. It looks easy, Soft and Feminine. 

Here are some closer looks!

(Excuse my brows! Im growing them out for the winter to get them shaped again! )

Thanks for tuning in and I hope you like this look and try it out!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas!

I'm almost done my Christmas shopping. I know, I Know, Its not even Dec 1st yet. Since I am almost done, I went to Walmart last night to pick up stocking a few items and i had a thought to do a post on what I would love to see in my stocking. I hope this gives you some insight on what other lovely ladies in your life would like in theirs. 

Makeup Brush sets are great for stocking stuffers. I picked up these Eco Tools brushes at Walmart for about 6 bucks each. Eco tools are great for the environment while being great quality too. I picked up a concealer brush and a foundation brush. 

The concealer brush is great but I thought of using it as an eye shadow brush because its small and round tipped. It would be great for packing on color. The foundation brush is great too. Its super soft and I used it today to put my foundation on and its blends really well. 

I also picked up these brush cleaning wipes from Sally Beauty Supply for about 7 bucks. They are awesome for doing in between cleanings when you don't have the time to go to the sink They are really gentle and super gentle on the brushes. 

I would be ecstatic to get a few brushes and wipes in my stocking!

ELF's Beauty Manuals are a great idea for a stocking stuffer. The little books come with 12 shadows, an eyeliner and a double ended applicator. These little palette also come with detailed instruction on how to create a specific eye look. I have them in bright and natural. They also come in smokey and and everyday. 

These are great little gifts and a great price. 5.00 each! Who can beat that?

If a lady in your life is a hard candy fan these are great and just a few of the options available at your local Walmart. I picked up these cute lip gloss rings for 1.00 each. The lip gloss is OK but I can complain when paying a buck each. 

I also picked up some Glamoflauge! This is by far the most industrial concealer around. I love it when I have an occasional blemish or when my face is a little red. The amount of product you get is great. It only takes a small pearl size amount to do both under eyes and around your nose, so this tube will last along time. At 7.00 bucks a tube it's a great little item to put in a basket or stocking. 

I would be super grateful for any of these little items in my sticking and I hope this helps you figure out what you will put in your loved ones stocking.

My GO TO Concealers! (High End & Drug Store)

Today's post is all about my GO TO concealers. When you find a good one i tend to stick with it, but i also try not to shy away form trying new products. I found three from High End to Drug Store that i use all the time and thought i would share them with you. 

TARTE Maracuja Creasless Concealer

This is a more High End product from Tarte. I bought it a while ago because I had heard great hings about it and hadn't actually tried it. 

I LOVE IT! I find it's a more Medium to Full coverage concealer that blends really well. IT has a slight pink/peachy color to it so if you have yellow tones in your skin you may need to top this with a more Neutral powder so you don't look too pink. I have pink undertones anyway so I find it quite nice. 

The tube goes along way. You really only need a little drop to do a large area. I can do both my eyes with one small drop of this. IT is super easy to blend. I usually dot it around than blend it in with my pointer finger. You don't need to use a brush and i find the heat from your fingers helps it even out better. 

9/10 Rating! :)

Hardy Candy Glamofauge

This is honestly the army men of concealers. The package say that you ca cover tattoos with it and while I haven't tried to do so I totally believe it. 

You can pick this product up at any Walmart for about 8 bucks. It comes with a concealer pencil and a rather large tube of product that will last you quite a while. I tried to see how far one Ittie bittie drop would cover and it almost covered my entire left side of my face. This is definitely a full coverage concealer and for the price, you cant go wrong!

9/10 Rating! :)

L'Oreal True Match 

I bought this forever go when I was in a bind and needed something quick. I was surprised! I wear it in W1-3 (warm) and I find it quite ice when I want a light-medium coverage. Personal I don't want to cover my face everyday but i don't want to look like a troll either so this is a great and affordable happy medium. 

You can pick this up at any drug store for about 6 bucks. And on a good skin day I can see this working  out really well for most people. If you need something a bit heavier I would suggest trying something with a bit more coverage. 

7/10 Rating!

Palladio Herbal Liquid Concealer

I have heard a lot of opinions on Palladio. I love their products. I have both a foundation in Vanilla and the concealer in Nude. The concealer is great for blemishes and under eyes. I apply it with my finger and work it to my trouble spots. 

The only problem I have is that it could blend  a little better but I think for the 5.99 price it is well worth it and I would totally purchase it again. 

7/10 Rating!

These are what I use on a regular basis. They work well for my skin. Try them out and comment below on what you think or what our favorite concealers are!

Quo On the Go Palette Tutorial (All Drugstore)

At Shoppers Drug Mar the carry a brand called Quo. Right now they have the cutest make u kits and Palettes out for the holidays I picked to the On The Go Palette and decided to do an All Drugstore Makeup look with it. The Palette is quite pretty. Its a little shimmery but it has a few very nice browns in it. This palette has three eye shadows, 1 blush,and 3 lipsticks. It also come with a mirror and two little brushes to apply it all. 

This palette cost me 15.00 at shoppers and i think its worth it. 

In this look I used all drugstore products. At the end of this post there will be a list of everything I used. The only thing I used that wasn't drugstore was the brushes which I bought from ELF at eyeslipsface.com 

Here is my Base Face in which I already applied my Foundation, Concealer, Powder and Bronzer. You can see that I Conoured my cheeks a little with the NYC Sunny Bronzer. I don't have the most prominent Cheek bones so i find doing this brings them out a little. Not the most attractive picture :)  but you get the point! Keep checking back for a  post on how to contour your face!

The three eye shadows are a shimmery off white color that is great for a highlight and a base shade. The middle shade is a medium shimmery brown that is very warm. The third is a darker brown that is also shimmery. I used the light as a base, the medium o the middle and outer of my lid and the darker in my crease and as an outer V. 

I lined my upper lid with a brown liner in a very thin line. I also think you could wing the liner out and it would look really nice. I didn't do this. I lined the outer side of my bottom lashes and smudged it with my finger. I topped it with two coats of mascara and i was done with the eyes. 

I applied the blush on the apple of my cheeks and worked towards my temples. I like this blush. Its very soft and complementary for my pale skin.

The lipsticks are just OK to me. There is a light peachy nude color that I used in this look over the nude lip pencil. The middle color is very metallic and I cant find a reason why I would wear it on its own. I may use it under a lip gloss to counter act the shininess. The darker color is quite nice and i can myself using it with a very simple eye. I don't normally wear dark browns but i'm trying to try new looks. 

 I like this look. Its warm and appealing and i think it make my brown eyes pop. 

 I also tried the look with my hair down and a little wavy and my bangs pinned back. I think both looks are nice but i think i like it up better. 

I took a few pics up close so you could see the eyes better.

I look like i have a giant nose in this hahahaha

As you can see these colors blend really well. And the colors are really nice. The only down fall i think is the metallic lipstick in the top middle. I personally wont use it. It's too bold for me. 15.00 bucks for this palette in a good deal. The quality is quite nice and ive been wearing it for 6 1/2 hours and its still going strong. So longevity is good also. I think ill use this palette enough to warrant the 15.00 price. I's a great alternative to higher end palettes. 

Let me know what you think of this look and if you've tried this Palette.  

What i used in this look:
Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer in 002

Revlon Colorstay in Buff
Hard Candy Glamoflauge
Milani Multitasker Powder in Light
Milani Brown fix
NYC Smooth Face Bronzer in Sunny
NYX HD Eye lid primer
LAncome Hypnose in Black
Quo On The Go Palette

SallyGirl Baked Eyeshadow Minis

I am a recent member of the Sally beauty supply here in St John's NL. To be honest i didn't know we had one until i drove past it. I'm glad i did because i found a few really cool things there. Not only did i find Paladio Stuff that many of my guru loves have talked about it the past and i thought i couldn't get here.  I found a bunch of these little Sally girl Baked Eye Shadow mini's. Which i paid only $1.35 each for. (That's Canadian) But i bet they are much cheaper in the US. 

I have three of them so far but or that price ill probably pick up a few more to see what other shades look like. I have a Bright Purple, Bright Pink and a Bright teal/turquoise color. I swatched them on my hand and they tend to swatch better on my finger tip than when i wipe them on my hand. The good thing about these is that the are Baked so you can wear them wet, which is how i put them on my eyes. 

 I decided to do an eye look for you guys using the pink and the purple. Although i think the teal and purple would look just as cute.

I used: 

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro 002 Primer

Revlon Colorstay Buff

Hard Candy Glamoflauge in light 

Revlon Colorstay powder in Light

NYC Smooth bronzer in Sunny

 Milani Baked blush in Lumunoso

Milani Brow Fix to fill in my brows (They grow weird) 

NYX HD eyelid primer

Sally Girl Baked eyeshadows

Maybelline Master Drama liner in Black

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara in Black

• First i put my Primer, Foundation and Concealer on as usual. Concentrating on any trouble spots. And topped it off with my Colorstay powder. 
• Than i used NYC Sunny to add a little color to my face because I'm rather pale. I also used Milani Baked blush in Lumunoso to pink up my cheeks. 
• After filling in my brows with the Milani Brow Fix i put a little HD Primer to my lids and blended in with  my fingertips. 
• I used the Pink SallyGirl shadow all over my lid. I applied this wet with a sponge applicator and a little water. I than applied the purple wet in my crease and blended outward. I used a blending brush to blend the edges to make it look more seamless. 
• Using the Master Drama Eyeline lined my upper lid and winged out the ends sligtly. I than lined the outer edge of my lower lid and smudged it with a smudge brush. 
• Top with a coat of the Grow luscious Maskara and your eye is done. 
• I went with a really nude lip with this bold eye by using a ELF super glossy lip gloss. The color wasnt named on the package but i think its called Candlelight

I love how this look turned out. It makes my eyes look so bright. My Little one likes it too. 

Thanks for reading!

Little Tidbit's:

1. I put Body Wash in my hair today and had to was my hair all over again. 
2. I lounged all day with my hubby and Caelen and watched kids movies.
3. I am starting to get obsessed with twitter. Its too fun!