More Coral Looks to Try: The Mac Edit

As I was looking through my lipsticks, it hit me that after all of my recent ramblings about my deep love of pink and coral lipstick, I'd managed to leave out what is possibly my favourite lipstick for spring and summer: MAC's Costa Chic (left).  Also, while I was off spending money I don't really have yesterday (you can read my post about what else I picked up here) I finally decided to go for MAC's Morange (right).  

Top: Morange

Bottom: Costa Chic

Costa Chic is a creamy pink coral.  It's a frost finish which I am usually not a fan of at all but for some reason it works.  I think because the colour is quite warm, the frost doesn't make it look too outdated.  It really is a classic colour for spring and summer that I think would look great on a range of skin tones.

I actually picked this one up over a year ago on a whim, and didn't think too much about it. I tossed it in my makeup bag for a trip I was taking and put it on rather lazily one day.  It wasn't until I was looking at the trip photos and going "what have I got on my lips, it's beautiful!" that I realized how gorgeous the colour really is.  It probably sounds a bit odd that it took me such a long time to warm up to it but now I think it's stunning.

In the tube, Morange is rather intimidating.  I had heard a bit about it but this was during a bit of a break I took from buying makeup (okay, I bought a few drugstore products, I couldn't help myself) so I hadn't actually seen it in person.  The other day when I finally got to MAC, I was able to pick it out immediately.  It's an amplified finish, meaning it's pigmentation is pretty insane.  While Costa Chic is very much on the pink side of the coral tones, I would describe Morange as almost completely orange, with a hint of coral.  I did find that because it's quite a bold, pigmented colour, you do need to work with it a bit more to get the look you want.  In the picture, I applied it over a good deal of lip balm because most bright colours like this do emphasize dry patches and mixing it with lip balm lessens the pigmentation slightly, giving you a more glossy look and making it easier to work with.

I did mention that I would pick up Morange in my Coral Lips Post and compare it to Revlon's Siren so here are the swatches.

Top: Revlon Siren

Bottom: MAC Morange

As you can probably see, the colours are very similar.  Siren is slightly more peachy and sheer and Morange is more opaque. However, you can build up Siren to get a bit more opacity.  Do you need both? Probably not.  Unless you really want a super-bold orange lip in which case I do think Morange has a bit more to offer.

What do you think of MAC's coral lipsticks? Do you have any others to recommend?

If you want to see more coral lip looks, don't forget to check out my Coral Lips Post which focuses on drugstore options.

I hope you're all having a great weekend!

Kendall

x

I'm in Love Again: Dior Amber Diamond

There is just something about Dior's Amber Diamond that I fell in love with instantly.  To be honest, I've had my eye on this beautiful bronzy highlighter for a few months now and finally decided to purchase it as a reward for finishing all of my term papers.

Amber Diamond is one of Dior's two Diorskin Shimmer Star pressed powders and it's just stunning.

It features strips of ivory, champagne, tan, bronze, and peach.  You can use each shade alone or combine them for a beautiful sunkissed glow.  I tried to swatch each colour but even heavy swatches barely showed up as it's quite sheer.

I haven't had much time to play around with this yet but because I've been so busy with school this past week and because I'm so in love with this product, I wanted to share this beauty as soon as possible.

If you read my blog regularly (a big thanks if you do!) I'm sure you'll know that I'm extremely pale. Because of that, I'm usually quite tentative about any sort of bronzing product. It's quite exhausting to have to be so light-handed with bronzers for fear of looking orange or fake, so it's really nice to find a product that just gives you a subtle glow.

Thank you for bearing with me this past week, I know I've been rubbish at posting but the semester is coming to an end for me very soon which means I'll be able to post much more often.  I was a bit naughty and picked up a couple more beauty treats for myself today so be sure to check back for that.

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Have you tried Amber Diamond or Rose Diamond? What do you think?

Kendall

x

Blue Liner! In a Not-So-80s Way...

Hi guys! I'm sorry for my lack of posts over the weekend but it's getting to be crunch time for me at school so I've been focusing on writing my last few papers of the semester.  I promise once I'm finished with those I'll be back to normal so please bear with me!

This look was super easy and it's a really quick way to add a bit of colour to an everyday makeup look.

To create this look, I just used a swipe of MAC's Paintpot in Painterly to mute any veins and even out my lids.  Then I roughly applied some white liner along my lash line, followed by Sephora Flashy Liner in (08) Flashy Blue which is a gorgeous bright aqua I talked about in my last Favourites Post.

Finally, to define the lash line, I used a black pencil liner on my upper tightline, then put on a coat of black mascara and that was it!

When I did this look, I actually had some temporary purple dye in my hair- it was all very Katy Perry.  I'm kind of sad I didn't take a picture so I might have to re-create the whole look one day!

I hope you guys liked this super simple eye look!

What are your favourite makeup looks for spring/summer?

Kendall

x

P.S. Please ignore my eyebrows, I forgot to fill them in

Review: L'Oreal Voluminous Eyeliner

Happy Friday!

I recently picked up the new L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara on an amazing offer for $6.99 CAD (usually $12-14) and it came with a free eyeliner.  I thought it was a pretty unique liner which means it's definitely worth talking about.  

The liner is a felt-pen style that looks almost like a calligraphy pen or a highlighter.  To be honest, when I first tried it my thought was "who thought of this stupid product?" but after working with it a bit, I'm growing to quite like it.

The pigmentation is wonderful.  It's a true black that doesn't flake or go grey, really giving you that inky cat-eye look. Once you work with the pen-tip for a while, it actually becomes quite useful for negotiating thin and thick lines and you can get decently precise with it.  It also is great for really getting close to the lash line. 

Overall, this is a product that I think you need time to practice with and warm up to but once you do so, it's quite nice.  It also didn't hurt that it was free.

Because of my crazy long posts in the past couple days, I think I'll keep this one short.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Have you tried this product? What did you think? Do you like L'Oreal liners in general?

Kendall

x

Something a Bit Different: Bad Friends

Hi guys, I hope you've all had a great week.

Today's post is not going to be makeup-based (whaaat?!) so if that's your main interest, you can check out my March Favourites! 

Being a girl can be really really difficult sometimes and a lot of that comes from the kind of relationships we have with other women.  As most of you have probably been through at least middle school, you'll know that sometimes we can be a little crazy.  If you're currently in middle school or high school and thinking to yourself "I can't wait until we all grow up and this is over", I've got a bit of sad new for you: it doesn't end.

I promise, I'm really not trying to be a downer; in fact this is meant to be more of a little pep talk.

I know that most of us hope that as we get older, we mature and those little things that we fight about won't be a problem anymore and in many cases, that's true.  But not everyone grows up. For reference, I'm almost 20, I've been in university for a couple of years, and on occasion, I still deal with these issues.  I am by no means any sort of friendship expert but I've had a pretty solid group of friends for most of my life for which I am endlessly grateful.  I know there are a few things that I wish I'd known when I was navigating the murky waters of adolescent friendships so I thought I'd share some with you. Obviously, every relationship is different but I find if you remember a few of these things, you'll not only be happier in your friendships, but in your life.

Mean Girls is basically the perfect example of girl-world

People Aren't Out to Get You.  

Honestly, it's such an exhausting way to live when you think that people are acting specifically to hurt you.  For example, you see a friend at the mall and wave, but she doesn't wave back.  It's so easy to get in the cycle of negative thought that says "oh she's ignoring me" "What did I do to make her angry?" and "That b**** hates me- probably just because I didn't pick her to be my lab partner".  What a waste of energy! In all honesty, she probably just didn't see you.  If you give people the benefit of the doubt, you will genuinely be happier.  If they prove you wrong, that's another thing but honestly, it's so much easier to trust people until they give you a reason not to

Don't Get Caught in a Hate-Spiral! 

I know, girls talk.  We love to gossip and assess things and talk them through.  Honestly, there is nothing wrong with that. But all of that analyzing and discussion can lead to what I call a hate-spiral.  For example, your friend is late to meet you at the movies.  The next day, you talk about it with another friend who chimes in her opinion about how lateness is so disrespectful.  A few minutes later, your tardy friend is suddenly a selfish b**** with no regard for anyone's feelings. If you feel this kind of thing escalating just stop, take a breather and change the subject.  Chances are if you have some time to cool off and think, you can avoid making an enemy.  If you do have a problem with a friend's behaviour, discuss it with that friend! Maybe your friend is living their life completely unaware that you're beginning to consider them an enemy.  Having a quick conversation about how you're feeling can give them a chance to shed some light on their perspective.

Look at cute animal pictures to calm yourself down.  Or better yet, spend some time petting one (if you're not allergic).  This one's mine.

Friendship is Not a Test! 

Friends are companions.  They're people you laugh with, cry with, lean on, and share important moments with.  But they're also human.  This also goes with giving people the benefit of the doubt but your relationships are for your mutual enjoyment. Being your friend is not some magical privilege- people make mistakes. If you test someone who is completely unaware that they're doing anything to upset you, you're probably not going to like the result.

Always Keep Your Head. 

 It never, ever looks bad if you're the reasonable one in a fight.  If you do end up in a fight with a friend, don't say anything that could come back to bite you.  Calling people names and throwing blame around will just make you look like a hothead.  Imagine how silly they're going to look when they lose their temper but you stay relaxed.  If someone is blaming you for something that you honestly don't feel is necessary just say "I'm sorry you feel that way but..." and then state your perspective.  You always want to be the person that never has a bad word to say about anyone.  People will trust you endlessly and your friendships will last much longer.  My rule is that I have something bad to say about someone, I tell it to my mom.  If you have someone in your life that is completely removed from the situation like your mom, sister, grandmother, etc., those are the people you want to vent to. Even a journal can be helpful. Chances are, you just need to get it out of your system but you don't want to say something you'll regret- people don't forget that kind of thing.

I think this post has been long enough so I'm going to leave it at that.  I really hope this was helpful to some of you, even if you aren't going through this sort of thing right now. If you are going through friendship problems at the moment, I know it completely sucks but I promise, it all works out just fine. 

I know this was quite out of the ordinary so I hope you don't mind too much- I'll be back to doing beauty posts right away!

As always, I'd love to hear any comments you have.

Kendall

x

Just to end things on a good note, here are some animal friends

March Favourites

This month I've been really into mixing up my makeup routine so I thought I'd share some of the things that have stuck.  A few of these products have been sitting in my makeup collection without ever really being given a chance.  Unsurprisingly, I've done posts about many of the items in this month's favourites so I will link those if you want more information about a specific product.  Enjoy!

Lips

If you've been reading my blog you'll probably know that the past week has been rather lip-focused for me.  Every one of my favourites for lips this month has made it into one of my recent three lip product posts so I'll link them accordingly

Sephora Glossy Gloss (11) Pink Macaroon

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick (070) Airy Fairy

New Shades of Revlon Lip Butters (Sorbet, Pink Lemonade, Wild Watermelon)

L'Oreal Aqua Lip Lacquer (Coral Tattoo)

Revlon Lip Butter (Tutti Fruiti)

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (Rendezvous)

Just generally, I've been loving pink and coral lipsticks with a fiery passion.

Eyes

To be honest, I've been pretty lazy with my eye look this month.  I've been loving just a quick swipe of MAC Paint Pot (Vintage Selection) with some liquid liner and a mascara.  I've also been using Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara every day and still loving it.

Finally, I've been experimenting with using blue eyeliner.  I've used Rimmel ScandalEYES Water-proof Kohl Kajal (008) Light Blue on my lower waterline or Sephora Flashy Liner Waterproof (08) Flashy Blue on the top or bottom lash line (not both at the same time though!).  If you're using it on your top lash line, I suggest you layer it over a white liner so you get more of the true colour.  If you guys are interested in seeing some of these blue liner looks, let me know in the comments!

Face

I have been using the blush/bronzer duo of Benefit's Hoola Bronzer (which I hauled here) and MAC MSF Stereo Rose.  Honestly, I jumped on the stereo rose bandwagon, tried it once and decided it was too pigmented.  Later, when I got really into coral lips, I decided to try it again as it's a colour that compliments coral and pink lips beautifully.  It takes a little bit of blending and a very light hand but I'm so glad I gave this one another chance. The coral tone and gold veining are going to be even more beautiful in the sumer.

Benefit Hoola

MAC MSF Stereo Rose

Body

Now I know I've spoken about this many a time but I am a very pale person.  And normally, I'm fine with that.  But when spring rolls around, I find myself wishing I had even a hint of a healthy glow.  Being allergic to the sun is not exactly helpful on that front (not to mention the other health risks caused by tanning) so sometimes I need a little outside help.  If you are just diving into the world of self tanners, I would definitely recommend Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer Firming. It builds gradually so if you make a mistake, it's not going to be glaringly obvious.  Plus it actually does an amazing job of moisturizing and firming the skin so your skin looks better all around.  I used it before I went on a holiday for about a week (every other night or so) and it lasted a good 4-5 days of swimming and sunning before it faded.  The only real disadvantage is the smell is quite strong, though I've seen they now have an odourless formula. 

Make sure you wash your hands very well after use!

Other

When it comes to candles (and everything else), I love fresh, fruity and floral scents.  I absolutely hated shopping for candles in the fall and winter because it was such a struggle to find scents that were seasonally appropriate and didn't smell terrible to me.  First world problem, I know.

Anyway, now that spring has rolled around, I'm back in full candle-excitement mode and my new favourite is Bath & Body Works Market Peach.  I'm terrible at describing scents but this is just perfect. Yum.

I hope you guys have enjoyed reading about what I've been loving this month, I know there are a lot of these posts floating around but I personally can't get enough of them! I'm still playing with the format (Eg do I want to do monthly, every couple weeks, etc) so I'll probably be playing around with different types of posts for the next little while.

What are your favourite products this month?

Kendall

x

More Spring Lip Love

As I was getting products ready for my March Favourites Post, I realized what I had basically compiled was a giant collection of pink and coral lip products, plus a few other things mixed in.  

All through the fall and winter, I've been loving berry, wine, and other deep-toned lip colours so I've really been enjoying rediscovering all my favourite pinks (and one peach) for spring.  

I've picked a few of the 'spring-y' colours I've been reaching for lately to share with you guys, enjoy!

L-R: Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick (102), Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick (070) Airy Fairy, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Matte (013) Smoked Peach, Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick (616) Wink for Pink, Revlon Colourburst Lip Butter (053) Sorbet, Mac Lovelorn, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain (020) Lovesick, Sephora Glossy Gloss (11) Pink Macaroon

Now get ready for tons of lip swatches!

Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick (102)

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick (070) Airy Fairy

MAC Lovelorn

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Matte (013) Smoked Peach

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick (616) Wink For Pink

Sephora Glossy Gloss (11) Pink Macaroon

This spring, I've been reaching for a lot of pinks, corals and nudes so I guess it's fitting that I finally have posts about my favourites from all three of those categories.  If you want to read about my other lip favourites, you can check out my posts about Coral Lips, Red Lips, Nude Lips or Lipstick Alternatives (you can probably tell my love for lip products runs deep!)

I also think that all of the new Revlon Lip Butters are perfect pinks for spring.  I did a post about them which you can read here.

Finally, I talked a bit about Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick and how it compares to Covergirl's lip crayon option here.

Sorry for overwhelming you with links to my other posts but it turns out I can talk about lip products for ever.

If I can get my act together, I'll be posting my March favourites soon so don't forget to check back!

What are look are you most excited to rock this spring?

Kendall

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