December Beauty Haul - ELF Cosmetics, Sephora, The Body Shop, Bath & Body Works, Walmart and Shoppers Drug Mart

Hey lovelies! Happy New Year! I want to start off the year with a beauty haul. I got some great deals this month with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and Boxing Day. Pretty much 50% of the stuff I got this year is from this month lol. Now onto the haul:

Okay, I may have gotten too many backups for the ELF Cyber Monday haul. But since the store was was 50% off and I wanted to take advantage of the shipping to Canada, I got a lot of makeup staples:

From the Essentials line I really like their eyeshadow primer and they recently came out with the glitter eye primer so I had to give it a try. The sharpener of the glitter eye pencil is the bomb so I got two.

My favorite eyeshadow brush from ELF is the e.l.f. Essential Eye Crease Brush. It picks up just enough product to get a really pigmented eyeshadow look and the size is great for the eyelid.

As you can already tell my favorite Studio brush is the e.l.f. Studio Powder Brush. It's perfect for foundation and I use the practically everyday. Then I wanted to try some of the other brushes so I got the Small Tapered Brush and Flawless Concealer Brush. Really great deal but the handles do 'come off' because the glue on the handles just isn't strong enough.

This is what I got from Sephora using the gift card my friend gave me on my birthday. I really wanted to get this kit and Sephora was having a Beauty Insider offer $15 off $50 so I got this along with the Clinique 3 Step Kit in #2 for dry combination and oily skin.

I use black eyeliners the most so I'm really excited to try these out.

I got a ton of stuff from The Body Shop Canada 50% off storewide sale and they had the $25 tote bag with goodies (including the stuff in the picture above). So a really great deal and I hope they have another one next year so I will get more stuff lol.

The first two are what I got and the cranberry shower gel was part of the $25 tote. I really like the shower gels they smell super yummy.

I purchased these in the store. The strawberry and mango body kits came out to be only $5.50 each because I had a $10 off $20 coupon and they were already 30% off.

I got the Bath & Body Works stuff in two separate purchases. They had buy 2 get 2 free so I got two full size sanitizers and hand washes (duplicates not in the picture). Then in store, they have spin the wheel promo and I got the free hand wash with any purchase so I got the sanitizer which was $2 by itself and the hand soap free. Still cheaper than getting just the hand soap on sale.

After Christmas Walmart had their Christmas stuff 50% off including perfume gift sets. I saw the Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Enchanted Gift Set for only $12 so I had to get it. It had a mini bottle, a showel gel and body lotion. The scent smells very high-end and reminds me of walking though the  perfume counter but it's not unique so it's good that I got the deluxe sampler size kit to try out.

My friend got me this perfume and I've seen this at Walmart and it's supposed to be a rendition of Viva La Juicy from Juicy Couture. The scent is somewhat fruity and very light a bit stronger than body spray but I'm liking the glass rollerball bottle and it's sturdy and portable.

Anndd I got more makeup and skincare products. They were all on sale so I had to try them. Of them all I really like the Vichy Facial Emulsion and CoverGirl outlast stay fabulous 3in1 foundation.

Shopper's Drug Mart was having a gift with purchase for Biotherm so I finally got the Pure-Fect Skin Pure Skin Effect Hydrating Gel. For the longest time I wanted to get this moisturizer. Ever since I tried a sample of it got me hooked. I have very oily t-zone and this did wonders to keep my face matte. And I got the Aquolina Pink Sugar perfume. I really love candy scents with a hint of vanilla and this is it.

So this is my beauty haul. Fashion haul is coming up next ^^

Thanks for reading and let me know what your favorite haul for December.

xoxo,
Tina

My Go to Red Lipsticks for Fall

Hey lovelys,

I'm back writing about my go to red lipsticks for fall. They are all affordable and I think the color and pigmentation are great so I really recommend these:

Wet n Wild Velvet Red, Wet n Wild Spotlight Red, NYX Round Lipstick Snow White

I while ago I discovered Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Color at my local drug store. They are somewhat of a suede and matte finish but they are super pigmented and I have to say between the Velvet Red and Spotlight Red they look very similar that I would just get the Velvet Red because it looks more vibrant on the lips. NYX Snow White is probably one of the best dark red lipsticks I've ever used. It just looks fabulous. I think it goes really well with like a black shirt or cardigan. It really makes your look stand out. What's your go to lipstick?

Models Own Lipstick in LS003 Baby Pink

Hey dolls, I am reviewing the Models Own Lipstick in Baby Pink which I got from a kit from ASOS a while back. This is my first and only Models Own lipstick and it's actually a really useful lipstick.

The packaging is really cute. I like that the tube is seen through but it's also really sturdy plastic.

Really lovely baby pink label but the actual lipstick is way lighter.

As you can tell from the swatch the pink is really light. It almost looks white on my lips. But I find the it pretty pigmented and it actually works really well to lighten some of my other lipsticks to make it a new lip color. It's a surprise workaround that I am loving.

What is your makeup workaround?

xoxo,
Tina

Products I've Used Up / Empties #1

Yes. I did empty these products. Not all of which I love...

Simple Refreshing Facial Wash Gel - not this. This cleanser actually made my face more oily in just a few hours than not washing it and drying at the same time...lol Not a good combo for combination/oily skin.

Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Pore Scrub - love this. It controls the oil without drying and exfoliates my skin.

Kiehl's Acai Damage-Minimixing Cleanser - removes makeup at first try. A little drying but doesn't break me out and has a really nice herbal smell.

Clean and Clear Persal-Gel-5 - The only acne treatment I use now. It just works.

xoxo,
Tina

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Divine

Hey gals! I love lip colors that are different and this lipstick is a complete surprise. The CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in Divine is purple color with cream finish.

 

Swatch - one swipe

Pros:

• Super pigmented and unique color
• Affordable but comparable to high end lipsticks
• Feels really lightweight on the lips but doesn't make dry out lips

Cons:

• Stains lips
• Color changes to red when worn over time

I am surprised by how good lipstick is. It's definitely worth a try! What is your most surprisingly good drugstore lipstick?

xoxo,
Tina

Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Lip Color in Click On My HyperPink Review

Hey gals! I am obsessed with pink lately. I have an lip color or rather lip stain to review today. It's the Wet n Wild Megalast Liquid Lip Color in Click On My HyperPink. It's a super pretty doll pink in tube which is the main reason I got it. lol

It comes with a spatula like wand which flexes when you put it on the lips. Interesting product design. I don't know if it really made a difference in the application.

Swatch - straight out of the tube

Swatch - blended in on hand

Don't be fooled by the picture because this is a realllly matte lip product. Once it dries it because completely matte and it really hard to remove...but when it does come off it makes your lips looked that you have put on chapped white out. I really like how this swatches on my hand....but not so much on my lips. I think the only good time to use this is if you want to just wear this for a quick photoshoot. The color is very bright and opaque but the texture is just mind blowing weird and slightly gross as it makes your lips stick together. Not a good look.

Lancome Gloss in Love #385 Under the Spotlight - Deluxe Sample I won from Lancome Canada Facebook Page

Hey gals, new makeup review. This is different from my usual review because I won a deluxe sample of Lancome's web-exclusive lipgloss, Gloss in Love in #385 Under the Spotlight. It's a pretty sweet prize really happy when I got this in the mail.

Nice post card that came with the mail

Front

Back

Swatch

Swatch

The packaging is really glossy and the gloss has micro silver glitters. I like how this gloss feels like I'm putting jelly on the lips. The color is semi sheer not completely opaque. What is the latest thing you won from a contest?

Tina

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in Black: Swatches and Review

I have been wanting to try out black eyeliners for a winged cat-eye look and I thought I'd give Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner a try.

Pros:

• Very pigmented - an actual black not grey
• Creamy and easy to blend for a smokey eye look
• Inexpensive drugstore alternative to high end eyeliners

Cons:

•  Can smudge and crease on you which can look like you have eyeliners above your eyelid...lol

Swatch on hand - without flash

Swatch on hand - with flash

After wiping with my hands

As you can see when I wipe the liner with just my hands it smudges and my fingers picked up a lot of the product. Even though it claims it's waterproof, it's unfortunately not smudge proof at all. It doesn't stay up throughout the day on my oily eyelids but might work better with a black eyeshadow patted on top.

What is your HG eyeliner? Any recommendations?

xoxo,
Tina

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Pink

Hey gals! Today I'm reviewing the Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Pink. I have been wanting to try this blush for a long time since it first came out so I was super happy to find this on sale for about $8 CAD. I have never seen this blush lower than $13 here...pretty insane price difference comparing to the U.S.

The packaging is super pretty. The hearts in the blush are the cutest thing about this product and the main reason I got it. lol

This product comes with a brush but to be honest I haven't actually used it. :)

Blush swatched two times

Pros:

• Pretty packaging, too cute hearts in the blush
• Gives a really natural color to the cheeks...suitable for everyday and natural makeup look
• Has this sheen to the powder which can brighten up your look

Cons:

• Pigmentation - it's not going to give you a really dramatic flush on the cheeks.

Overall, I'm still pretty happy to own this product but I wouldn't repurchase because I have many other blushes with similar color.

Tina