September 2015 Favourites

This year is seriously flying by! I can't believe there's only 3 more months left of 2015 and there's less than 100 days until Christmas! Crazy.

This past month, I wasn't too inspired makeup-wise since all I could really think about was the look I did on the bridesmaids for my maid of honour's wedding. What surprised me was how much I relied on the haircare products I'll be sharing about today.

I like switching up my shampoo every couple of months, or rotating shampoos after I've finished a bottle. I tried out a new one this month, the Live Clean Healthy Balance Shampoo. I really didn't know what to think of it, since I usually stay away from the clear gel-like shampoos and opt for the creamy ones. This shampoo, despite its somewhat odd scent, has been pretty awesome. I wash my hair every other day and use dry shampoo on the second day to try to soak up the oil, but my hair still ends up looking and feeling quite oily by the end of the day. With this shampoo, I can confidently leave the house with 3rd day hair.



I realized I haven't really featured any of the dry shampoos I use in my monthly favourites, so here they are! First is the Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk. I've used the Oil Absorbing Dry Shampoo before, but this one has a tint to it, so it's supposed to be better for people with dark hair. I find they both work quite similarly, and they both blend easily into the hair. Second is the Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray. I love this stuff. My hair is quite slippery and can get weighed down very easily, so this helps with putting in the grit my hair needs to hold some volume. I also use this as sort of a dry shampoo on the back of my scalp, because I still haven't mastered applying white powder in a place I can't see.



My makeup favourites this month are pretty boring, so I won't get too into detail about them. I talked about the Bobbi Brown Corrector and the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder in my August Favourites, so head over there to read more about them.

Since fall is officially here, I've brought out the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed - one of my go-to's for the fall season. It's the perfect shade for a natural flush on the cheeks. To keep with the fall vibes, I've been reaching for the Bobbi Brown Warm Eye Palette. For fall, I do tend to go for a smokier look and that can be achieved with the various brown shades in this palette. To complete the eyes, I've been loving the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I'm sure you're all sick of me talking about the Ink Liner, the felt tip version, but the Tattoo Liner has been pretty awesome. This changes my view on using brush tip liners! It has the right amount of stiffness and flexibility to make it easy to draw the lines you want. Also, how cute is this mini? I actually like how short it is! It gives so much more control for drawing lines.



Lastly, I've really liked using the Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray. I used it on the bridesmaids for the wedding and their makeup stayed in place all day and night, with very minimal touch-ups. I also had longer work days this past month, so this spray really helped with keeping my makeup stay in place during the busy days.


What were your favourites for September?

August 2015 Favourites

2015 is just flying by! The start of September signals the end of summer for me, so I'm starting to get into fall mood. Before we get to that, here are my favourites from August.

I wasn't feeling too inspired in my makeup looks this past month, i.e. I was kind of lazy. I kept things pretty simple, but there were definitely some staples in my routine. Because of another heatwave, I was loving the Caudalie Beauty Elixir (review). I really don't need to say much about this facial mist! It's a wonderfully herbal-scented refresher and toner all in one. It really helped a lot in cooling me down during the hot days.

For makeup, there were 4 products that I used pretty much every single day of August. I previously mentioned in my July favourites that the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach has been such a great discovery. I'm still loving how awesome it is to use on dark circles and scars. Then, I layer on the Urban Decay Naked Concealer. I'm still loving how lightweight it is without sacrificing the amount of coverage it gives. I've used it so much that I'm almost done the tube. With these two, my scars and blemishes don't stand a chance!

After all the hard work of applying the corrector and concealer, I've been using the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder. As I mentioned in my August makeup rotation, this powder is so good. A little bit of this goes a long way and it sets concealer very well while providing some brightening properties for the undereye area.

Lastly, I started using the Physicians Formula Eye Booster 2-in-1 Lash Booster Eyeliner + Serum again. I prefer felt tip liners a lot more than brush pen liners, but this is the only brush pen liner that I feel like I have full control over. I don't find this formula is as black as I want it to be, but it can be built up.


What were your favourites for the month of August?

Current Makeup Rotation: August 2015

This month's makeup routine contains a mish-mash of old and new items. I'm sure you're already quite sick of me talking about certain items, so I won't ramble too long about them.

To prep the skin, I'll be using the Benefit Porefessional, one of my favourite primers. It smooths the skin to allow base products to apply better. Because it's been quite hot lately, I'm sticking to minimal makeup - Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer for the dark circles and Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer for any redness, blemishes and scars. To set everything, I've started using the Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder and oh my goodness, this stuff is good! It's possibly one of the best setting powders I've used lately. Everything just stays in place with very minimal creasing by the end of the day. I also find this helps brighten the undereye area a little.

For the eyes, I'm keeping it simple, once again. A sweeping of Burberry Pale Barley all over the lids and a couple of layers of Shu Uemura Petal Lash (review). Even though this mascara isn't marketed as a waterproof mascara, it stays on the lashes for so long, with no smudging, but it is pretty hard to remove at the end of the day.

Last month, I found a combination that I'm still currently loving and talked about in my July favourites. It's Benefit Coralista and Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight. A beautiful peachy coral paired with a soft golden champagne highlight which gives me the perfect glowy cheeks.

To top it all off, I've dug out an oldie but goodie - Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Peach. I wish Revlon would bring back this lipstick range! Peach is exactly what it sounds like - a peach shade that doesn't lean orange. It's comfortable to wear, isn't too pigmented, but also gives a sheen to the lips.

Christmas Beauty Wishlist

Christmas is less than a month away, so I've put together some of the beauty products that are currently on my wishlist.

Some of the products are new ones that were released earlier this year, while some are products that I've had on my wishlist for the past while. Also, ignore the fact that I now own the Dior Star Foundation and the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette! Let's pretend I don't own those and that I still want them! I created this wishlist before the Sephora VIB Sale came around and actually forgot about the sale when making it. Bad beauty blogger!

Dior Star Foundation: Probably the most talked about foundation this year. It's supposed to give great coverage, but still look quite natural.

Bobbi Brown Brushes: The Eye Blender brush was on my wishlist, but I got it free through my optimum points redemption haul, which you can read here. However, the Sheer Powder and Face Blender brushes are still on my wishlist. I love Bobbi Brown brushes! They're soft and well made. I want to add a few more of them to my collection.

Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen: I got into liquid eyeliners this year and I've heard great things about this double-ended liner pen. It's quite expensive for what it is, but I still want to try it!

Oribe Cote D'Azur Hair Refresher: My hair smells kind of blah on its 2nd and 3rd day. This is supposed to make your hair smell amazing!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush Palette: Everyone has raved about these blushes and of course I just need even more blush in my makeup collection. But blush + some highlight in one product? Yes please!

Chanel Rouge Allure Gloss: I've been eyeing the shade Affriolant since seeing swatches and reading reviews about these glosses.

Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide: Another foundation on my wishlist. This has also received good reviews and works well for those with combination to oily skin.

Oribe Dry Texturizing Spray: My hair can be quite flat and slippery after I wash it. So many people have raved about this that I'm convinced I absolutely need to try this out.

NARS Algorithm Bronzing Powder Palette: It's essentially their Laguna bronzer with a mini Ita brush. I actually don't own Laguna, so this is a great way to get a little something extra with the bronzer!

NARS Yachiyo Brush: It's good for highlighting, blush or contouring! Seems like such an amazing brush and the times I've felt the brush, it's so soft.

What are some of the items on your wishlist?

My Neutral Eyeshadow Palette Collection

Clockwise from left: Urban Decay Naked Palette, NARS And God Created the Woman, Lise Watier Eyeshadow Quartet in Les Cognacs, Covergirl Eye Enhancer Palette in Shimmery Sands, Revlon Colourstay Palette in 01 Copper Spice, Tom Ford Quad in Cognac Sable, Too Faced Eye Love Sample Palette, Laura Mercier 3 Pan Palette with Sandstone, Cafe Au Lait and Spiced Cider (blush)

I think it's safe to say that I have a bit of a problem when it comes to neutral eyeshadow palettes. Over the past few years, I have accumulated several palettes, a few which I don't even really use today! For some reason, I'm always trying to find the perfect neutral palette that has a balance of matte and shimmery shadows, and the right balance of highlighting, all-over lid and crease shades. For some, this sounds like an easy palette to find, but I've yet to find it!

The first ever neutral palette I bought was a Maybelline quad (might've been called Chai Latte) which had the perfect taupe shade, but then a depotting session went wrong and it was ruined. I also didn't care much for the lack of pigmentation for the rest of the shades. So, I tried out a few other palettes from the drugstore - Revlon, Covergirl and Lise Watier. I quite enjoy the Revlon quad, but the two lightest shades are too yellow for my liking. The Covergirl trio is too sparkly and not pigmented enough and same with the Lise Watier quad.

My foray into higher-end palettes started with the Too Faced sampler palette that I got as one of the point perks at Sephora. I wasn't too satisfied with the shades in the palette. Then, Urban Decay announced the release of the first Naked palette. I fell absolutely in love with this palette. It's warm-toned and has a variety of gorgeous neutral shades both light and dark. BUT! It was still missing the option of a few matte shades.

I wanted to try my hand at customizing my own palette, so I bought Sandstone and Cafe Au Lait. I do really like both shades, but it still felt like something was missing. When NARS came out with their And God Created the Woman palette, I have to say I mostly bought it because I love NARS, I wanted to try out their eye shadows and it seemed like a great value - 6 shadows, a brush and a mini eye primer. Unfortunately, I think the quality seems sub-par compared to their regular sized shadows.

And finally, my most recent acquisition, the Tom Ford quad in Cognac Sable (reviewed here). It's a gorgeous, extremely pigmented palette that's perfect for everyday use and for those special occasions. Though it does lack transition colours and could be too shimmery for my liking depending on the mood I'm in.

While all of these palettes have a place in my collection, I do still want a palette that can do everything I'm looking for. Maybe once I do, I'll stop buying and hoarding all these eyeshadows I will never finish!

Favourite Fall Blushes

Fall is my favourite season and blush is my favourite makeup product. Even though I tend to use some of my blushes year-round, there are certain shades that I gravitate towards when the weather gets colder. Below are my six favourite blushes for fall:

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in "Exposed": A beautiful soft nude brown with strong pink undertones that is matte. The perfect blush for a natural cheek shade and one of the few blushes that I use year-round.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in "Natural Beauty": Described as a strawberry red shade, it is extremely pigmented and you only need the slightest tap of the brush when using this blush. It gives the cheeks a natural "I just came in from a walk in the crisp fall weather" kind of flush.

NARS Powder Blush in "Douceur": This is similar to Exposed, but less pink. I like using this lower on my cheeks to help in providing some contour. Do you need both Exposed and Douceur? Definitely not, but these are two of my favourite shades!

NARS Powder Blush in "Sin": Sin is a plum berry shade with gold shimmer and so fitting with the plum trend this fall season. This was the first blush shade I ever bought, which started my blush obsession. The gold shimmer is finely milled, subtle and extremely flattering with this shade.

Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Colour in "Spiced Cider": This is a dusty rose colour with gold shimmer. Even though the swatch has a strong orange/brown hue, it is very natural on the cheeks and gives a sun-kissed look.

MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in "Peachtwist": In the pan, it looks very much like a rusty peach colour with golden sparkle. On the face, it blends very well on my warm skin tone. I find this blush is quite pigmented, so only a little bit is needed.