The Lip Product Addict {Tag}

Happy National Lipstick Day! 

I was recently tagged to do this Lip Product addict tag from the beautiful MJ from MJ in the Sky with Glitter and I thought no better way to celebrate today than with a lipstick related tag; that and a bold lip of course!

1. Favourite Balm / Treatment?

Oh, Burts Bees.  I love their Grapefruit "Refreshing" balm and am nearing the end of my third tube!  One treatment that I'm interested in trying is the Bite Beauty Agave Lip Mask in Champagne... It's rose gold, need I say more?

2. Best Eye-Catching Red?

I love reds.  But I have to say my most eye-catching would be Viva Glam Rihanna, I talk a little more about it here but the frosted finish is stunning.  Paired with the Viva Glam Riri Lipglass and were talking ruby-red perfection.  

3. Best Luxury & Best Drugstore?

When I think "luxury" cosmetics I think Chanel, I think Tom Ford, Dior and YSL.  None of which I own... So as for my most expensive lipsticks (which also happens to be one of my favorites) I have Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Bumbleberry.  It's formula is incredibly buttery and moisturizing and fades of evenly and naturally.  Bumbleberry is a deep "my lips but better" shade that I love for everyday.  Not to mention the sleek gold packaging feels very luxurious.  

Too Faced Bumbleberry

Best of the drugstore is easy!  Revlon Matte Balms have one of my favorite formulas; matte but not drying and extremelyyyyy pigmented.  Plus a lot of the colors in the Matte Balm line are dupes for popular MAC mattes as well.

Revlon Matte Balms (L) swatched next to popular MAC mattes.  More information here. 

4. Best MAC Lipstick?

Fabby is my most used color.  It's a mauve pink with pink frost- and a little transformer.  Put a nude colored gloss on it and it's the most beautiful neutral.  Put a pink toned gloss on it and you have a wearable light(ish) pink lip.  If you love the look of light pinks on others but aren't exactly comfortable wearing them yourself Fabby is definitely a shade you should look in to.  Perfect to live in your purse. 

Fabby swatched next to, then layered with Revlon Colorburst in Crystal Violet, taken from my Lip Duo Tag

5. The Most Disappointing?

For this category MJ chose the EOS lip balms, and I think I have to agree.  They're so cute and my favorite scents (Honey Dew and Sweet Mint) are always on my bedside table and in my bathroom but they aren't nearly as moisturizing as they could/ should be.  

6. Liner - Yes or No?

I love liner, but is it ideal for everyday? Probably not.  So as a general rule if I'm wearing a bold red, or deep berry color I will always have liner because it makes it more low maintenance and prevents the color from bleeding.  For more natural colors I usually skip the liner but do have a fav nude for those days when I want to take the extra step.  

7. Best gloss?

Yummmm, NYX Butterglosses, everybody's favorite gloss.  My favorite shade is Tiramisu (especially over Fabby)  I don't think theres anything I can say that hasn't already been said; they're buttery, soft, non-sticky, and affordable.  

8. Something extra!

Not everyday, not every week, but every so long my lips desperately need a good scrub!  I did invest in the Fresh Cosmetics sugar lip scrub but then did a little DIY science experiment and found that I could make a great one in my own kitchen.  So although I won't be repurchasing the Fresh one, I do enjoy using it in the meantime.  

Scrubbing and exfoliating your lips will remove any dead skin from the surface of your lips which will allow them to absorb moisture better, your lipstick to apply smoother and improve the overall condition of your lips.  Which we all need every once in a while!  If you're interested in my DIY pursuit you can read it here.  

Aaaand that's all I have to say! Thank you for reading, hopefully you learned something or discovered a great new product that you're curious to try now! Remember to bust out a bright pink or red lip this afternoon and celebrate National Lipstick day with a fun color choice!

If you're interested in doing this tag, please do so! I tag the following ladies and all of you as well:

Karen (KP Says)

Krystal (Little Beauty Bug)

Jasmine (Jasmine McRae)

| Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin |

xoxo

#BLOGGERSDOITBETTER: Going Nude This Spring

You may have heard about (or seen) the "Bloggers Do it Better Challenge" recently that Gemma from Touch of Belle has so wonderfully orchestrated.  When I heard about it over Twitter I thought it was a great opportunity for a newbie like me to not only continue to be inspired and have motivation for my posts but also connect with like-minded bloggers.  

What's unique about this challenge is that Gemma provides us with very broad topics- for example, the first one (this one!) is "Bloggers Do Spring Better" which allows each participant to have a creative license and write about absolutely anything and everything.  As a result a network of  connected blog posts with the same theme is established. I love it!

I've been thinking about this post for a long time and I'm almost embarrassed about how late it is- considering it was supposed to be posted this past Monday.  However, since I've been so incredibly busy with a full time practicum and am just now finding the time to sit down and focus on myself for a second I figured it was better to be late than never! *drumroll*

Blogger Do Spring Better: Going Nude

A trend that I've noticed and loved this spring is nude which actually something that is a little new to me.  Is it not the constant struggle to find the perfect nude?  

Maybelline's Dare to Go Nude Limited Edition Spring Collection

Sephora's nude picks for Spring as seen on Instragram

This being said I think when the weather warms up everybody needs some color! Thus for my first even Bloggers Do it Better post I have decided to marry the nude Spring trend with beautiful shades of rose-y pink, and gold with my top Spring picks!

Lips:

A little while ago I was doing a "Lip Duo" tag on Instagram, in which I featured everyone of these little beauties while talking about Nudes.  I can't help it. I love them.  I think the one thing they share universally is how comfortable they are- which is really important to me!  

From left to right:

NYX Butter Gloss in Tiramisu: This gloss is perfection.  It's just light enough to wash over a dark color to lighten it up for day time and just dark enough to deepen a lighter color.  Plus, just as the name indicates the texture is butter.

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry:  I found that this color is very similar to Mac Twig Satin lipstick (I have a comparison post in the mix) but much more of a rosey shade.  The earthy/brown undertones make it easy to wear day- to- day.  This is the closest I've come to a "my lips but better" color.

MAC Lustre lipstick in Naked Bud: This lipstick is limited edition from the Fantasy of Flowers collection released recently.  It's described as a "neutral sheer nude" on the Mac website.  Personally, I find it has just a hint peach undertones which is perfect and what I think makes it the only true nude lipstick I've ever purchased.  The lustre finish is so comfortable and honestly I have nothing negative to say. Well, actually, It wouldd be nice if it wore a little longer but I take beautiful color over longevity any day.  I like to pair it with either my NYX Tiramisu gloss or Mac Nymphette for more of a golden-peach color.

Tiramise, Sultry, Naked Bud

Cheeks:

From left to right:

MAC Warm Soul: This is the definition of the perfect blush.  It's universal.  I can reach for this color no matter what my lip/ eye color is and it never fails me.  It's a beige toned blush with the smallest flecks of gold shimmer.  In the winter I sometimes skip bronzer and just dust this along my cheeks for a healthy glow.  

MAC Superb:  Another limited edition MAC product from the Magnetic Nude collection and also the first ever Extra-Dimension Skin Finish I tried.  What I love about this is it's almost impossible to overdo when you apply it with a brush or like below you can apply it with your finger for a much more concentrated pigment-  both on the cheekbones or directly over blush you just glow. Its beige-y, it's peach-y, its even purple-y in some lights.  Whatever it is it I can't get enough.

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil:  Not the first time I've mentioned this bronzer! (Read more about it here)  Well suited to the name it is a milk chocolate-y shade, soft, natural, blendable. Did I miss anything??  What I have been doing lately when I'm in a rush is taking my Real Techniques blush brush (any tulip shaped blush would work) and mixing both Warm Soul and Chocolate Soleil on my brush applying it in a tapered shape to my cheek bones.  Boom.  Instant fool-proof cheeks.

Warm Soul, Superb, Chocolate Soleil

Eyes:

From left to right:

Naked 3: The infamous naked palettes.  How can you talk about nudes without mentioning them?  I got my Naked 3 palette from my loving boyfriend at Christmas this year. I chose not to swatch it because you can find thousands and thousands of similar photos with a quick Google search.  The versatility of this palette is unreal.  The rose- gold theme makes it unique enough to be able to create a look exclusively with its colors or complement any other shadows in your collection. 

Urban Decay in Sin: When I think Spring and Summer I think cream products.  So I decided to chose two cream shadows and bases to include in my Spring picks.  This primer potion is actually the sample I received within my Naked palette but I've been keeping it in a sample pot to get the most use of it.  The color is so beautiful that I will sometimes just wear it alone with some mascara, but pair it under any of the Naked 3 shades and you've struck gold.     

Maybelline 24H Color Tattoo in Pure Nude: I heard alot about these color tattoos before I decided to finally go out and actually try one.  I picked the lightest color "Pure Nude" which may or may not be limited edition with their Dare to Go Nude collection I pictured above.  I think this shade is comparable but just a touch lighter to Mac's Paint Pot in Bare Study which my mum has used for years under her shadows.  The formula is super blendable so the only issue I took with this is I found if I wore it alone with no shadow on top it creases after a few hours.  What I love about any light cream shade like this is it is not only beautiful by itself but will also intensify the colors of any pigments you place on top.

Sin, Pure Nude

Nails:

Finally, my favorite manicure lately is Essie Eternal Optimist which is an oldie but a goodie.  I think of it as kind of a dusty rose shade. Which sound un-appealing but is actually really flattering on your nails (especially if you have more of a tan/olive undertone in your skin like moi) and since I'm a sucker for an accent nail Nicole OPI The Next CEO gives a pop of sparkle. 

Oh Spring, love love love.  Writing this has me so excited for the change of seasons.  Thank you again Gemma for organizing such a great project.  I look forward to the next one and I promise to be on time! If you are interested in seeing any of the other Spring interpretations (they range from cooking, to personal memories, to beauty, etc.) search #BloggersDoItBetter on Twitter and maybe even get involved yourself or if you have already published one send me your link below!

xoxo

February Faves

Happy Friday ya'll!

I've been looking forward to writing this because I feel like I've tried so many great things lately that I wanted to share.  It was actually a challenge to narrow it down to a manageable sized list.  Here are five of the products I've been using this month- almost all of which have become an everyday part of my beauty routine!

...these are a few of my favorite things

1. This month was a great for concealers because I actually found two that I've been using like crazy.  I found the perfect under eye concealer- I honestly don't know why it took me so long to try it because I know I'm not the first one to rave about it but the MAC Pro Longwear (NC20) is everything you've ever heard about it and then some.  I'm a full time student, and a part time employee so I don't always have enough time as I would like for my "beauty sleep." This concealer is great for not only concealing my under eye circles but highlighting as well making me appear more awake then I usually am.  If you're a little unsure for whatever reason go to your local MAC counter and ask for a sample!  The samples they give you last quite a long time (long enough to get hooked) This is what I did and I ended up going back for the full sized product immediately.

2. I discovered another concealer recently that I haven't heard anyone talk about- which is the Sephora collection "8 HR Wear Perfect Cover Concealer." I bought mine in the shade 26 medium peach.  I love this for covering random spot blemishes and reducing redness that I tend to have around my nose.  The blend-ability of this product is flawless! I used my BB and it buffs right in.

3. Speaking of the BB... Let's just take a minute to appreciate the Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser. It was recommended to me by a Sephora sales associate when I initially bought my Beauty Blender- but I passed on it at first because I figured soap is soap. Right? Nope. I starting using just regular Ivory soap and I found it left that grimy soap scum feel on my sponge. I would not recommend it.  However when I finally caved and bought it I discovered this solid soap is amazing! You just swirl your sponge into the bar and massage your BB until its residue free.  I also cleaned my other brushes with it and its incredibly simple to just swirl a wet brush on the surface of the soap and rinse it out.  It cut my cleaning time in half! Amazing.

4.  I had been eyeing up the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara (mainly because the gorgeous rose gold packaging) but was really hesitant to spend $30CDN on a mascara I'd never tried before.  When I looked into it it's reviews were kind of all over the place so I went to Sephora looking to see if it was possible to buy a sample size but instead I found a "Beauty Blogger Favorites" little promo pack filled with samples of all the most popular Too Faced products (for less than the cost of just the mascara!) The pack included the mascara, their Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (Medium/Dark), their "Primed and Poreless" primer, and "Shadow Insurance".  While I haven't had the chance to play with either primer I am loving the mascara- it does exactly as it claims and makes my lashes thick and voluminous- plus I'm in love with the hourglass shaped brush. I read reviews that said they thought it was clumpy but I promise it's not.  I like to apply one coat of the Better Than Sex and then one coat of Benefit's "They're Real" to get the best of volume and length. Holy lashes batman!

What was even more exciting (and unexpected) for me was that I loved the bronzer too! I normally lean towards more shimmery bronzers so the matte finish was different than anything I already had.  Initially I hated the chocolate smell but after using it a couple times I find myself reaching for this more than my NARS Laguna bronzer (usually my go-to)! I even love the smell now and the shade (medium/dark) is perfect- I use it for an everyday contour and also as a crease color when I'm in a rush for a quick and easy natural eye look.  If you've been wondering about any of these products I highly recommend this set- the primer samples are small but the price is worth it for the mascara and bronzer alone!

5. Finally, if you follow me on Instagram you know I went a little crazy this month at MAC so not surprisingly my last favorite is another MAC product.  I first saw a swatch of their "Nymphette Lipglass" on Pinterest and fell in love.  It's a pinky-peach shade with golden shimmer in it (the MAC website describes it as a "sunny golden pink").  I've been wearing the hell out of it- sometimes on it's own but mostly layered over top of lipstick.  It makes a killer combo with Fabby Frost lipstick (which is a very similar color but Nymphette seems to just give it that extra oomph it needs) but my all time favorite lip combo is Nymphette layered over Coral Bliss.  The combination of the coral and the pink is perfection.

Have you tried any great products lately?