June 2015 Favourites

Can you believe how quickly this month went by? I honestly can't believe half the year is already over. Before you know it, it'll be December and we'll be ringing in the new year. Before we think about that, it's time to talk about this month's favourites.

Let's start off with some new favourites. I bought a pack of the Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water Cloths during the Sephora sale, but now with the whole fiasco of many brands that can't be shipped by Sephora, you can't order it from the Canadian Sephora site anymore. Do you know how sad that makes me? This is possibly my ultimate makeup removing wipe! It removes makeup extremely well, even waterproof mascara. Now I'll have to ship it to friends in the States or find another place to buy it.

My next new favourite is part of the Clarins Aquatic Treasures (Summer 2015) collection. I absolutely could not resist the rose gold packaging that matches the eyeshadow inside of it. I got the Ombre Iridescent Eyeshadow in 01 Aquatic Rose and it's a gorgeous light rose gold pink that you can sweep all over the lid. It stays put all day, even without a primer because I'm too lazy to apply an eye primer everyday.

Then we have the Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in Candlelight. Most likely the only highlighter I'll ever need to own. I use this on the tops of my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose and sometimes right in the centre of my eyelid. It gives a really natural glow to the high points of your face and I think it'll work with pretty much every skintone. To use it, I've been loving the Real Techniques Setting Brush. It's the perfect size and gives great control over where you're placing the highlighter. I was searching for the perfect brush to use with this highlighter and this is definitely it. No need to splurge on all those expensive brushes!



Now for the repeat favourites. I'm still really enjoying the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer. Lightweight, while still giving good coverage for my dark spots and hyperpigmentation. Ever since I got the Candlelight highlighter, I've only been pairing it with the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium (review) and they are perfect together. And surprise, surprise. The Clinique Cheek Pop in Plum Pop. Still absolutely love this silky smooth and blendable blush. I've used it so much that the fine details in the middle are gone and on the petals have faded quickly.

What were your favourites this past month?

Return to Sender #1

I was inspired by Gummy to start this little series. I buy a lot of products and many times, they don't stay in my makeup collection. Most of the products I do try out don't even warrant a full review, so here's to some mini reviews on products I didn't think were worth it to keep.

Lancome Rouge in Love Lipcolor - 200B Lasting Kiss: I bought this a long time ago in the hopes of finding a lipstick that would give my lips a natural pink colour without being too pigmented. In the end, I found it was a little too nude and for some reason it gave off more of a peachy colour on my lips. It also didn't last long enough on my lips.

Clinique Pop Lip Colour + Primer - Bare Pop: I really wanted to like this! The first thing I noticed was the amount of glitter! I liked the colour, but I just couldn't get over the amount of glitter on my lips.

Dior Addict Extreme Lipstick - Incognito: I wanted this lipstick for the longest time, but I didn't know it would be so nude on the lips. After I put it on, my lips looked so dead. On other bloggers, it looked so much better and a little more pink. It just didn't work for me.

Tarte Coloured Clay CC Undereye Corrector - Light/Medium: This was the first umdereye corrector I ever tried out. I wanted something that also helped brightened my undereye area. The Medium/Tan shade looked too dark for me, but this shade was definitely too light and didn't correct the darkness in my undereye area.

Beauty Blender: I returned this after I received my free one in the April Birchbox from subscribing for the first time. Funny enough, I still haven't used it! I've been using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge at the moment.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder - Dim Light: I previously tried out the Diffused Light shade and thought it made me look sick. It also didn't control oil very well either. So, I wanted to try out Dim Light to see if it would change my mind about this product that so many people swear by. I liked this shade a lot more since it helped with brightening my complexion. Unfortunately, it still didn't have good oil control and that is the biggest thing I look for in setting powders.

Finding the Ultimate Brow Product: Anastasia Brow Wiz - Ebony

This is the fifth post in my search for the ultimate brow product. If you haven't read the previous posts, I've already talked about the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette, Anastasia Brow Wiz in Dark Brown/Brunette, Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Dark, and Marcelle Duo Eyebrow-PRO in Brunette.

If you haven't read my past reviews, you're probably wondering why I'm reviewing the Anastasia Brow Wiz again. How different can a second review of the same product be? I first tried out the Brow Wiz in the shade Dark Brown/Brunette thinking it would be the best shade match for me, since my hair is more brown than black. At first, I thought the shade looked ok on me, but then my brows started looking a little too drawn on and obvious for my liking. So, I set out to try the shade Ebony.

L-R: Ebony and Dark Brown/Brunette

L-R: Bare brows, Brows filled with Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony

At first, I thought Ebony would be too black and dark for my brows, but it really isn't! The grey tones in the pencil make this shade work really well for those with naturally black eyebrows and very dark brown to black hair. The most important thing to remember is to use light short strokes to ensure it looks natural. 

In my previous review of the Brow Wiz, I stated that I felt like I could snap this pencil because of the thinness. But, I've grown used to it and don't mind it now. The pigment of the pencil is still great - just enough colour, but not too pigmented. Same goes with the spoolie as it still blends out the pigment well. I do have to point out the change in packaging. Before, the two caps on each end of the pencil had different lengths - longer on the pencil end and shorter on the spoolie end. I would struggle with accidentally crushing the pencil with the shorter cap if I didn't wind down the pencil enough. Now, both caps are the same length, so it definitely helps with this small little issue.

Since getting this pencil in Ebony, I don't think I've been so satisfied with how my brows look! Is this the ultimate brow product for me? It's very possible! Keep an eye out for my final round-up post on all the products I've tried and what my final thoughts are. 

Current Makeup Rotation: June 2015

Life has been a bit crazy lately. I recently had a health emergency and started a new job, so this blog hasn't been a priority for me. I'm trying to ease myself back into it and trust me, I have a lot of posts that I want to write up, but adjusting to the new job and the long commute, and having other priorities has left little time in truly writing posts that I would want to post on this blog.

To try easing myself back into posting regularly, I'll be posting 1 to 2 posts per week.

To start off, here are the current products that are in my everyday makeup routine for June.





The base products I'm using this month are the L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer and the Urban Decay Naked Concealer. With the weather getting warmer and more humid, I've noticed my skin getting oilier. All three of these products truly last through a long day without having to blot and re-powder.

To put colour and dimension to my face, I've been using the Clinique Cheek Pop in Plum Pop, NYC Bronzer in Sunny, and Kevyn Aucoin Candlelight highlighter. I seriously have not been able to put down Plum Pop the past 2 months. There's just something about the plummy pink colour and the perfect sheen to the cheeks. I've been trying out the Kevyn Aucoin highlighter and since I'm not crazy about highlighter, I can say this is probably the only highlighter I'll ever need.

For the eyes, I'm going back to the Bobbi Brown Warm Eye Palette from the 2014 holiday collection. It hasn't gotten much love in the past few months, so I thought I'd start using it again. The rest of my eye makeup are the usual suspects - Kat Von D Ink Liner and L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Waterproof Mascara. And lastly, to fill in my brows, I've been loving the Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony.