Just Discovered Essence's All About Matt Compact Fixing Powder

As you've probably known from my last post, I've definitely been a bit crazy with my face products recently!  So here is another post about another amazing product that I discovered in my local Shoppers Drug Mart.  So Essence just recently made its debut in Canada at Shopper's Drug Mart and I was excited to try out some of their stuff!  I currently have some of their nail polishes and eyeshadows but it's this product that I think I will return for more Essence goodies!  I don't have either the E.L.F HD Powder nor the Makeup Forever HD Powder, so I can't compare them, but I'll definitely let you know how those are compared to this!

 

So my sister's friend recently picked up Essence's All About Matt Fixing Compact Powder and was raving about it so I decided to pick it up for myself as well...and let me tell you...I absolutely love it even though I've only used it like once!  This comes in a compact so it eliminates the mess of powders and there's a lot of product in there, 8g/0.28oz.  It will definitely take me some time to go through out of these babies, so it's a good deal for $3.99 (CDN).  I bought it today and I just applied it on my starting to shine face and it completely matified it, but I'll see how it holds up until tonight!  Honestly for $4, it didn't really matter to me if it wasn't as good as people raved about but as of now, I really like it!

After some time of usage, I'll definitely update you guys on whether it's a keeper for $4 or whether you should just skip it!

Face Stuffs!

So recently I've been really into face products!  I've never really been 'into' them before, I had my typical foundation, BB cream and setting powder, but that was really it.  But on my recent trip to Walmart, I think I developed a need to impulse buy face products, so I picked up two things that I think are worth sharing!

So I purchased Hard Candy's So Baked Bronzer in 129 Tiki and Milani's Illuminating Face Powder in 01 Amber Nectar.  I have heard great things about both these products and since I slowly expanding my face makeup collection, I decided it would be a good idea to add these in!  Both products are about the same size, Tiki has 12.5g/0.44oz while Amber Nectar has 10g/0.35oz of product, this is a huge amount of product  that probably will take me a long time to finish!

So starting with Hard Candy's Tiki...

So Tiki is suppose to be a bronzer but I definitely did not purchase it for that purpose!  I had heard from others that Tiki is very similar to the MAC Mineral Skin Finishes (which I don't own) so I was eager to give it a try!  The color itself is a golden peach shimmer (see swatch), although when you blend it out, it gives the skin a nice sheen to it without being super shiny.  I've been applying this on my face with just a regular blush brush, lightly sweeping it all over as a face powder basically.  I have combination oily skin, so at the end of the day, it will look uber shiny, but I didn't find that this made my face look more shiny, which is a good thing!  It's very soft and fine milled and doesn't have any huge chunks of like glitters or shimmers!  This would definitely work well as a highlighter as well just on your cheek bones!  I see this as more of my go to during winter or even spring!  I'm definitely happy with this purchase and would purchase again if I run out!  At my local Walmart, this was $8.98 (CDN).

Now Milani's Amber Nectar...

So I was super excited when I purchased this!  I was unsure about how the color would look on my face because the product itself has a combination of peachy coral, creamy ivory, light brown and taupe.  I was thinking...what kind of color is this going to make?  Well, a damn pretty color I say!  When you swirl your kabuki brush into this powder, it makes a light coral peach and when you blend it out, it's like a golden shimmer.  I was worried that Amber Nectar and Tiki would look the same on my skin but Tiki gives off more of a natural glow while Amber Nectar gives off more of a tanner glow...if that makes sense?  I realized that the Amber Nectar has this slight cinnamon smell to it...maybe it's just me, but I like it!  This one isn't like a highlighter I think, it gives off a satin finish, more like a dewy finish to the skin when you apply it.  This is definitely a more summer face powder when I've developed a nice tan!  At my local Walmart, this was $9.98 (CDN)!

I definitely recommend these for anyone who likes a light wash of color all over!  I would definitely say keep a light hand when you use these because the color can be built up and trust me, I've made the mistake of wearing too much highlighter or face powder... and let me tell you, its not a good look!

the Balm's Shady Lady Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3

So this is my first time purchasing the Balm's cosmetics and I really wanted to give their eyeshadows a try since I had heard such amazing things about their Nude'tude palette (even though I never actually picked it up).  So I've been into make up for quite some time and honestly, I have always asked myself, why haven't I bothered to try out the Balm's cosmetics?  Then it hit me...it's so hard to find in Canada!  Besides Hautelook events, the only place that I can actually go to purchase the Balm's cosmetics is at a drug store called Rexall.
So a couple weeks back, I went to Rexall during their Buy One Get One Free event for the Balm's cosmetics...needless to say, I dropped a lot of money on cosmetics on that one trip!  I think my boyfriend had a jaw dropping moment when I was at checkout because he had clearly never seen me spend that much in one shot.  But onto the review and swatches!

What are these?
These palettes are eyeshadow only palettes (no duh lol)!  Each palette contains 9 shadows, I'm not sure if the shades in each palette are palette only shades or if they have singles of them since I'm not too familiar with the Balm's cosmetics.  I didn't notice it until now, but each palette has a slightly different weight to it, Vol. 1 has a weight of 19.4g/0.68oz, Vol. 2 has a weight of 17g/0.6oz and Vol. 3 has a weight of 14.4g/0.51oz....hmmmm are they decreasing the amount of product in each palette?

Packaging?
Each palette comes in a cardboard sleeve that matches the palette's design and on the back of the sleeve, it has the colors that are in the palette.  The palettes all have a magnetic closure and they feel pretty sturdy since everytime I try to open them, you have to apply a bit of pressure to open the palettes.  But I wouldn't say these would be something appropriate for just throwing in your purse because it would definitely find a way to open up!  When you open up the palette, you have the nine shadows and then a big mirror.

Colors?
I found the color selection in these palettes to be pretty wide range but they aren't super bright colors.  Many of them would definitely fit into the neutral realm of colors with your occasional green, blue or even purple.  But I really appreciate it because I'm still having restraints when it comes to bright colors.  Each palette always comes with a great dark shade and a great highlighter which is always a plus because it usually means I can complete an eye look with just one palette and not have to go through different palettes to find the certain colors I need.  I did find that Vol. 1 had much more darker colors than the other two volumes, while Vol. 3 had the much more lighter colors of the three volumes.  In all three palettes, the shades satin, or satin with glitter, there are no mattes unfortunately, although I do own the Balm's Meet Matte palette.  On the palettes themselves, above each shadow is the name and what it can be used as (either as a shadow or a liner).  Each eyeshadow pot is slightly larger than a quarter so you do get a good amount of product!

Vol. 1:

Vol. 2:

Vol. 3:

Price?
On the Balm's website, these are $39.50 (USD).
On the Sephora website, these are $51 (CDN).
At Rexall, these are $40 (CDN).
On sale at Rexall during the BOGO event, each palette was $20 (CDN)...complete steal right?

My Take?
Overall, I really like these palettes, they offer a good range of colors that aren't too out there.  Since I got them on sale, there's not much to complain about.  Did I really need all them...probably not, but I got too hung up on the moment and snatched all three up.  I have a lot of other shadows that are probably dupes to some of these and so I think I could have got off just buying one of them.  But by having all three, it has allowed me to try out some eyeshadows from the Balm.  I think I really prefer Vol. 2 because it has colors that I would often reach for, it definitely has more neutrals.  I don't have a particular color makes me crazy though.  I find that with all eyeshadows though, you definitely need a primer, so needless to say, so did these shadows.  Without primer, they just aren't as lively on the lid, if you know what I mean?  I found all the shadows to be pretty pigmented and you'll see on the swatches below.  I'll definitely be purchasing more from them if anything catches my eyes in the future!

Swatches?
*All swatches are done without primer
*Swatches are as the color appears in the palette!

Vol. 1:

     

Colors from left to right:
1) Caught in the Act Courtney - a chocolate brown with golden shimmers
2) Shameless Shana - a satin light brown with orange undertones
3) Luscious Lani - pink champagne satin
4) Jealous Jordana - forest green satin with green shimmers
5) Risque Renee - a navy blue satin
6) Curvy Cami - a grape purple satin with a golden sheen
7) Jetting Jennifer - a golden satin
8) All About Alex - an olive green satin
9) Easy Wheezie - a blue with purple undertones satin

Vol. 2:

     

Colors from left to right:

1) Caught in the Act Courtney - same from Vol. 1 (didn't notice until writing this post...hmmm)

2) Feisty Felicia - a dark purple satin with purple golden shimmers

3) Insane Jane - grey satin with a hint of green undertones

4) Bossy Bobbi - a dark primary blue satin

5) Makeout Mary - a deep leaf green satin 

6) Just This Once Jamie - a pale rose pink satin

7) Mischievous Marissa - a peachy brown satin

8) Tempting Tara - a creamy ivory satin 

9) Devilish Danielle - a light pink satin

*In the swatches, Tempting Tara and Devilish Danielle look the same but in real life they aren't!

Vol. 3:

     

Colors from left to right:

1) Lusty Lee - a baby blue satin

2) Envious Erin - a cream white satin

3) Racy Kacy - a red brown satin

4) Safe Bet Annette - a baby pink satin

5) Runaround Rebecca - an olive green satin with a golden sheen and a hint of a red sheen

6) Come-Hither Heather - a purple grey satin 

7) Open to Offers Olwen - a teal blue satin

8) All the Way Annie - a purple satin with silver shimmers

9) Guilty Gwen - a dark grey (almost black) satin with silver shimmers

So here is my take on the Balm's Shady Lady Vol. 1, Vol. 2 and Vol. 3!  Let me know what you think!

Galaxies Away...

So galaxy nails were in like maybe last year I think?  But here is my rendition of galaxy nails and hopefully my steps help so that you guys can create your own galaxy nails too!

For galaxy nails though, I tend to use ALOT  of nailpolish, you don't have to use as many as I do, but I did find with experience that more colors means the colors transition a bit better, but definitely find what suits you the best!

So What Did I Use for This Nail Art:

Nailpolish (Listed in Order from Left to Right in the Picture):

1) Sally Hansen's Black Out (a black creme)

2) Sally Hansen's Natural White (a white creme)

3) Wet n' Wild's Tickled Pink (a bubblegum pink creme)

4) Wet n' Wild's On A Trip (a purple with blue undertones creme)

5) Wet n' Wild's Kaleidoscope (a clear polish with varying sizes of glitter) 

6) NYC's Pink Promenade Creme (a red magenta creme) 

7) China Glaze's Lemon Fizz (a pale yellow creme) 

8) Essie's Mezmerised (a true blue creme) 

9) Sally Hansen Top Coat 

*Important Note: I found that using creme shades left me with a much better result for some reason, that is why all the shades that I will actually be using to create the galaxy are creme!

Non-Nailpolish:

1) A Sponge Tip Applicator - your can actually buy these as make up stores like Sephora or even check Walmart, but I just use the ones that come with my palettes

2) An Index Card - this will be kind of like your artist mixing board, rather than dipping the sponge tip applicator into the nailpolish bottle, you'll dab a bit of polish onto the index card and sponge the color onto your applicator before applying it to your nail, it makes it a lot easier to control and prevents you from putting too much polish onto the spongetip applicator without knowing 

What Did I Do:

1) As usual apply a base coat to protect your nails from staining (I skipped this step because I'm going to take this off after).

2) Apply two coats of any black nail polish (I'm using Sally Hansen's Black Out), wait for each coat to dry.

3) Put a little drop of white polish (I'm using Sally Hansen's Natural White) on to the index card and use your  sponge tip applicator to pick up some polish and dab any excess on the index card.  Then starting that the middle of your finger, sponge on the white polish.  Create somewhat of a diagonal line, concentrating most of the color in the middle of your finger.  Don't worry if the white isn't opaque, galaxies are see through!

4) Take a little bit of blue polish (I'm using Essie's Mesmerised) and lightly sponge it onto the white, don't worry if the colors become mixed!

5) Now take a purple polish (I'm using Wet n' Wild's On a Trip) and sponge along the rim of your galaxy.  Make sure your applicator isn't load with polish, the trick is to be light handed!

6) Now take a magenta polish (I'm using NYC's Pink Promenade Creme) and sponge lightly on the interior of your galaxy.  Have a gentle hand with this particular color because it's bright against the blue, white and purple.

7) Now take a pale yellow polish (I'm using China Glaze's Lemon Fizz) and sponge it lightly into the middle of your galaxy and use whatever is left on the ends of your galaxy.

8) Take the white polish (I'm using Sally Hansen's Natural White) and lightly just sponge it into the middle of your galaxy to bring back some whiteness to your galaxy.

9) Apply a thin coat of glitter (I'm using Wet n' Wild's Kaleidoscope) to your galaxy.

10) Finish it off with a coat of top coat to protect your beautiful design!

I wouldn't recommend this if you're in a rush because this nail art is quite time consuming.  After your sponge each layer, you have to give it time for it to dry a bit.  My first attempt to do all 10 fingers, took me about 2-3 hours, but with practice, you can probably shrink that time down to like 1-1.5 hours.  Still a long time but they are very pretty!  Definitely experiment with different colors and make different colored galaxies, have fun! 

Enjoy and let me know how it goes!

Look At Them Math Nails!

So if you probably didn't know (which you probably don't), I absolutely love math and am currently studying math in university right now!  I'm in what's called a teacher education program which means I am in school, not only to complete my degree but also my teaching degree.  So just last year, I was practice teaching and decided since I was teaching math class, it would be an absolutely appropriate idea to do 'math nails'!  They were a hit!  Please don't mind my crappy nail painting skills, they've improved trust me!

So what did I use for this nail art:
1) Sally Hansen's Celeb City
2) A black striper/black nail art pen (I can't recall the name of it because it doesn't belong to me!)

What did I do:
1) As usual, always apply a base coat (any one will do) to prevent any sort of staining.
2) I did two coats of Sally Hansen's Celeb City to ensure total coverage of my nails, you don't want to have balding spots on your nails!
3) You can either Google math symbols, or in my case, recall them from memory and use a black striper/black nail art pen to draw on your math symbols onto your nails!  For most people, I would recommend to practice on a sheet of paper drawing your math symbols if your hands are shaky, mine were definitely and I can't say how many nails I messed up because of my shaky hands!
4) Once your done with all your symbols, seal it off with a shiny top coat and sit back in awe all the math you have displayed on your nails!

This is uber simple and easy, nothing complicated!  Give it a try!

The First Hellos!

Hello world, be kind!  So I'm starting my journey as a blogger and hopefully I can keep up!  This blog will probably jump back and forth between makeup, food, life and all other things I think are good!