September Empties

I've been trying to work on my panning game, but it seems it's just other stuff that's been emptying on me lately.. 

Ole Henriksen Face the Truth Gel Cleanser - I can't seem to find this in a "full" size, which I would expect to be somewhere around 150mL. I bought it in a set with Truth Serum and a moisturizer last year, but I really enjoyed the cleanser. I would buy it again, but it was pretty small, approximately 50-60mL, if I recall correctly. It smells like citrus. Gel cleansers are my favourite type. 

Missha Perfect Cover BB cream, no.21 - mine was a sample size, but I so rarely use the same base product two days in a row, so it took me over a year to use it. I really liked it. At one point, I also used shade no.13. I find them both totally usable for my fair, neutral-to-yellow skin. The no.13 is quite fair and whitening, and no.21 is a bit more neutral. It has 42SPF and looks just like skin for me. 

CoverFX Illuminating Primer - illuminating primers are my thing! I would try this one again after I finish all the others one I'm trying to get through. It's a close contender for favourite, but I really love my Becca Backlight Priming Filter. 

Smashbox 24/HR Photo Finish Shadow Primer - I'll probably always buy this. This is my third one since 2014. It lasts me over a year, you don't need much for a day's application. 

Urban Decay/Gwen Stefani Blush Palette (Highlight shade Angel) - The first highlight I have ever panned. I worked on it daily for a while. I don't really find it glittery/shimmery enough for my tastes, it's better for someone who likes a subtle highlight. I'm preserving Hush because I love it and I can't find a good dupe. I thought Becca Rose Gold would be similar, but it's too orange. I'll work on Easy and Lo-Fi next. 

Trend: Favourite Brown Lipsticks RIGHT NOW!

One thing that I always have a lot of in my collection is lipstick. I love different finishes and colours and formulas and brands, and there always has to be "the one" for each occasion. I've been trying to make sure all colours get equal love and use, so I thought I'd pick a colour or shade range as a theme for a few posts.

Here are 6 of my favourite brown lipsticks right now.

Left to right: Urban Decay VICE "1993: (cream), Urban Decay VICE Vintage "Roach'" (cream), MAC Styled In Sepia (matte, LE but something like Stone is comparable), NYX Matte Lipstick "Butter," Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick "Sanctuary," Colourpop Ultra Satin "Tansy."

Nude or brown lipsticks can sometimes be a challenge if you are fair, because the contrast of features and shades and pigmentation of your lips can definitely change how the lipstick looks. Some of these might be nudes or mauves on someone else, but for me they are distinctly brown.

UD Roach is described as a cream finish, but I think it is comparable to their other VICE lipsticks with a "metallized" finish. I love the newer VICE lipsticks and highly recommend checking them out, there is a ludicrous number of shades (in the 100s if I recall correctly) and there is certainly something for everyone.

I love MAC matte lipsticks, 98% of my MAC lipsticks I own are actually in this formula. I find it very comfortable and long lasting. This exact shade was in a limited edition collection, but Stone is a similar shade.

NYX Butter is a lighter, daily wear brown that can look a bit like a "greige." It isn't as long lasting as some other lipsticks I own, but it's a safer way to wear a brown to work.

Sanctuary is gorgeous and leans a bit cool, I think KVD actually describes it as a cool toned sepia which is a bit strange. It is quite dark on my colouring so I save it for evenings but it's a nice formula and colour.

Colourpop Tansy is the closest to a true "brown" that I have and I love it. Honourable mention goes to its sister brown. the Ultra Matte shade called Limbo. They are similar save for the formula, and I just prefer the Ultra Satin at this point in the game. I own a lot of their matte liquid lipsticks and they're not as consistently good as the Satins.

The 2 Urban Decay lipsticks are definitely my favourite of them all, it's nice to have so many options and I'm coming back around to love bullet lipsticks over the liquid trend that's been reigning for the last couple years.

Do you like brown lipstick and what's your favourite one?

Sephora Haul - I love me

...because I love myself and hate having a full wallet. Cue nervous laughter.. because I'm a terribly broke student. At least I'll look great. 

I really hate my local Sephora. They never have anything in stock that I am there for. I don't particularly enjoy shopping online at Sephora because I don't get to have my stuff for a couple weeks. I also don't think the point conversion is the exact same (besides the obvious, I'm paying more, but getting less points because of shipping and duty and stuff). But this time, I was like.. I don't want to keep giving this store my phone number to call me when stuff was back in for me. The perk to shopping online this time was the cute little season set - I grabbed "A Bright Night Out."

The samples came in a little red cosmetic bag. It's an ugly shape and a weird, cheap texture, and I forgot to take a picture of it. I can't complain about a free bag, but I didn't look at it and think, "that's cute and useful!" It was nice to have an extra bag to put my new stuff in at the time, though. 

I missed the lotion sample that was included in the set, Philosophy's Loveswept. That one went right in my bag and has been put to use. The Fresh and Glamglow samples pictured weren't part of the free sample set, they were two of the free samples I added to my order on my own. The other one I chose was Lancôme Nude Miracle, and it came with three shades. The sample colours on the outside of the packaging are SO misleading and I was so confused. I gave the darkest shade to my mom, because she's always super tan and darker than me in general. She didn't try it while I was around, but I'm guessing it's nowhere near what it's shown to look like. The two lighter shades I figured I could mix to use more product and make a better shade for myself. I opened the middle shade in the 3-sample line up and it was FUCKING ORANGE. It was gross. It looked like it would be a fairly light, warm but still "fair" shade.. but it was just totally unworkable. I'm usually a "porcelain" or "ivory" foundation lady, so I opened the lightest sample shade and it actually ended up going on looking great. It was slightly taupe-looking on my hand before I blended it, so I was scared I'd have a brown face, but it blended into my skin perfectly. The full size is $48CAD, though, meaning I would never purchase it. I think $18 for the current L'oreal one I'm using is expensive enough. I find the strangest things to be a cheap-ass about. 

I like the UD 24/7 liner, but I don't typically use black for kohl (I prefer dark brown). I would definitely consider getting a fullsize of a different colour, though, or I would look into the sets they have for the holidays. It's a nice sample size, something to throw in my bag to travel with.

The Lancôme Hypnose mascara is just a mascara to me, nothing special. I like it well enough.

I haven't bothered to smell Girl yet, but I do really like Chloé ("Top notes of pink peony, freesia, and lychee embody subtle freshness. At the heart, midnotes of magnolia flower, lily of the valley, and rose rise to sublimated femininity. A base of velvety elegance comes to fruition through cedarwood, amber, and honey"). My mom's boyfriend is super sensitive to literally every scent on the planet - except this one! He actually liked it and we were all amazed. I would absolutely consider purchasing it. 

I already know I love the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks, and I am probably going to get this shade in fullsize. I already have passed by it a dozen times, and sometimes even had it in my hand and changed my mind. Stupid, because it's great. It dries immediately and lasts a long time.

The Marc Jacobs gloss is a waste of time and space and I hate it. I do like "plumping" glosses that make your lips tingle, and this does that, so I'll just sit here with my arms crossed and go "hmmph" instead of throwing it onto the street. It's just that it's entirely sheer, with a plastic taste, and the glitter isn't visable like a MAC lipglass might have. I'm just smearing something vaguely tingly onto my lips that doesn't last very long. I would rather have an Avon Glazewear than this thing, and I fucking hate the Glazewears.

My real goodies (the ones I can't hate because I did my research and paid good money for them)!

I just wanted the Naked Basics 2 palette because I don't have anything small to put in my makeup bag when I travel or stay somewhere overnight. I always try to cuddle up my Naked 2 or 3 palette in a million shirts in my backpack to make sure nothing happens to them. This one is tiny enough to be secured with my other tools and products and not risk getting smashed up. The packaging is sturdy, there's a mirror, it has colours I use on a daily basis. I didn't include swatches here today because I figure this isn't news to anyone that this palette is decent and lots of people have done good reviews of it already. 

I've never tried a NARS blush before, so I picked one out almost at random. I wanted something that didn't resemble anything I have or use already. I heard it was super pigmented and flattering on Super White Girls, so Desire went in my cart, too. It's a true, cool pink and it makes me look like a cute little dolly with perfectly flushed cheeks. I like it a lot. I forgot to swatch because I was too happy. I'll probably never use anything else ever again (move over, Sea Me, Hear Me). 

I literally picked out Dragon Girl because Taylor Swift uses it. I am shamelessly copying a celebrity and I have nothing else to say about that. 

NARS Desire, Naked Basics 2, NARS Dragon Girl

KVD Bachelorette, Marc Jacobs Kissability (words like Disgusting and No come to mind), NARS Dragon Girl 

What's the last item you bought?

It's been a while

I know that hardly anyone read this to begin with, but I did want to make a quick update and share some things.

I had a bad last semester (January-April 2013). Many personal things were going on, school ended up going less than acceptable, and I am now no longer attending the same college. I quit before finishing my degree (which would take another two or more years) and I am no longer invested or interested in what I was in school for. I have applied other places, and I'm moving, and that's a lot to swallow. I still have a huge interest in beauty blogging, and I am going to try again to do a better job of it.

I want to still make this a beauty-related post, and so I will quickly ramble about a couple of things I've been utterly in love with as of late!

When I saw the new Avon Cosmic nail polishes, I overlooked them. They didn't seem to look like holos when I saw them in the catalogue. But then I saw some swatches pop up online and nearly bought every colour. I still want Saturn and Super Nova (orange and a pinkish red, respectively). I have the next two days off work (I work with food and cannot wear polishes), so I slapped Radiant on as soon as I was home tonight!

 I super recommend you try them out. I have no idea how they remove yet (sparkles may be a bit stubborn, so be prepared).

Next up is my all-in-one, uber-versatile beauty product.. are you ready... ?

COCONUT OIL!

I originally bought it for my hair, I coat my head with it before I colour at home and also as a mask sometimes. Then I started putting it on my legs after I shower. And it makes your lips really smooth. And it's an amazing moisturizer and base for foundation. You can Google all its beauty uses.. it's seriously my new favourite thing. This jar was $7 at Bulk Barn.

Last of all, I finally invested in a beauty bloggers' old favourite: Naked II. I had a gift card for Sephora from Christmas I still hadn't used, so I got this and their Full Action mascara, which is my favourite of all time. 

I know you've all seen and heard about the Naked palettes, so I'll just leave a couple of my own pictures up and then I'm all done! I mean, this is my small update, and I hope to have more to say and share soon.