Maybelline Master Duo Eyeliner

Hi guys, hope your weekend is going well!

If you've been following me for a little while, you'll probably be familiar with my love of NYC liquid liner (NOT the felt tip, the brush tip one). Recently, I decided to branch out a little bit and picked up a few other drugstore options to test out.  One that intrigued me the most was Maybelline Master Duo Eyeliner.  Offered in a fairly wide range of colours, the claim is that the unique shape of the applicator allows for both thin, precise lines and thick, dramatic ones. The applicator looks somewhat like a flat circle with the thin edge designed for thin lines (what a surprise) and the circle-y bit for thicker lines.  

First off, it's very important that you shake the product well before you use it.  I'm not used to that, meaning my first real try with the liner ended up very watery and weird.  Once I bothered to actually read the bottle and gave it a good shake, I noticed the product was actually still quite thin and liquidy, but the pigment was much better.  This liner gives a patent shine finish with a relatively intense black.  Once it dries, this stuff will not move until you take to it with makeup remover.  This is a big plus for me as I do occasionally forget I'm wearing makeup and give my eyes a rub so it's great to have a liner that stays in place.  When you do remove it, it kind of peels/flakes off which is a bit different. The removal process takes a bit longer than most other liquid liners as well. I didn't notice a lot of flaking while I was wearing it though.

As for the applicator, I really do like the idea and with a little practice, you can get quite a precise line going.  As expected, I find the wide end a little more difficult to get a clean line with.  The spongy tip does mean that you can get quite close to the lash line and between the lashes pretty well.

I find you can get a very nice look by using the thin side in the inner half, then transitioning to the thicker side for the outer half.  This will give you the classic feline look in no time.

Overall, I think it offers something a little bit different than other liners I've tried but I think I'm going to keep experimenting before I re-purchase.

Kendall

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Drug Store BB Creams Part Two: L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier

Happy Saturday!
A few weeks ago, I reviewed a couple drugstore BB creams (you can check that out here).  During the process, I admitted that I haven't been the biggest fan of BB creams thus far, but Revlon's offering was able to tick the most boxes.  Recently, L'Oreal products were on sale at my local Walmart (sale items shouldn't count during a spending ban!) so I thought I'd give their Magic Skin Beautifier a try.  I've only used it a few times now so this will be more of a first impressions post.
The first thing that I noticed is that the packaging seems to be designed in a way that implies a little goes a long way (very narrow nozzle, thick product).  However, I find it doesn't spread as far as you'd think.  It starts off white, then adjusts to your skin tone, which I have to say works quite well even on my very fair skin.  The finish feels very powdery, verging on dry-  probably why it doesn't spread as far as some other BB creams.
The coverage is extremely sheer, in fact I think it works best under a foundation.  It does somehow make your skin look better but it doesn't do a great job of covering redness, evening skin tone or masking blemishes.  I think it would be a great first step in a foundation routine.
All in all, I'm still feeling a bit iffy.  Thankfully, summer is around the corner, meaning I'll likely be reaching for this type of product: light coverage with a powdery finish.  If you like a bit more coverage from your BB cream or have very dry skin, I'd give this one a miss.  However, if you're looking for a bit of extra "beautifying" in your foundation routine, or just feel like your skin needs that something extra, you could do a lot worse.

Have you tried this or any other drugstore BB creams? Thoughts?
Kendall
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Mac Sunbasque Dupe: NYX Terra Cotta

I was originally planning a post just devoted to MAC's Sunbasque, the first Mac blush I ever bought.  As I was rooting through my blush drawer, I happened upon NYX Terra Cotta, which I bought about six months ago, tried it, got scared by the pigmentation and tossed it in the back of the drawer. It turns out that these two are actually super similar so I thought I'd do a little comparison.

NYX Terra Cotta

(L) Swatched lightly 

(R) Built up

MAC Sunbasque

(L) Swatched lightly

(R) Built up

(L) NYX Terra Cotta

(R) MAC Sunbasque

As you can probably see from the swatches, the colours as quite similar.  Both have a bit of shimmer and lean heavily towards the bronze, slightly peachy side.  Terra Cotta is a bit more bronze while Sunbasque is more pink.  I personally find Sunbasque much easier to work with as it's a sheertone shimmer, meaning it's not quite as pigmented.  Terra Cotta is highly pigmented, which means you need a very light hand to avoid looking orange-y if you're pale like me.  If you're okay with needing to work with a blush a little more Terra Cotta is a great deal for a similar look to Sunbasque.  However, there's just something about Sunbasque that I find really special.  Maybe it's just the fact that is started my love affair with Mac blushes.

I hope you enjoyed my little compare and contrast!

Kendall

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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

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Battle of the Lip Crayons

I know, I'm so cool with the names of my posts (you're going to have to imagine my sarcastic tone).

Recently, I've been noticing lip crayons popping up left, right and centre. Covergirl, Revlon, Clinique and others have all taken a stab at this trend and I have to say, some do it better than others.  

Today I'm focusing on Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains (which I talked about in my lipstick alternatives post) and Covergirl's Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm.  I picked a bright pink for both of them first of all because pink is fun and lovely, and also because I find it's easier to judge lasting power and wearability of something with a little more pigment to it.

Here we have Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Lovesick and Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in (215) Watermelon Twist (which I only picked up recently and mentioned in my last haul post)

Lovesick is a stunning fuchsia that I find very wearable.  I know a lot of beauty gurus really love these balm stains and I totally agree.  They have great staying power and you really do feel like you're wearing a lip balm for hours.

Watermelon Twist is a bit more of a strawberry, milky pink.  Covergirl's offering to the lip-crayon world makes no claims at being a stain, but I find it does last fairly long on the lip.  However, the reason I don't have lip-swatches is that this formula really clings to dry patches on the lip and I find it much more difficult to work with.  The idea behind the lip crayon is supposed to be easy application but Watermelon Twist might just be a bad colour for me.  I think in the summer, with well-moisturized lips and a clear gloss on top, this could look really beautiful.

Here is Lovesick (top) and Watermelon Twist swatched on my arm, then again after I wiped them with a tissue

You can probably see that neither of them are fantastic stains but for the amount of moisture you get with both of them, I'd sacrifice a bit of lasting power.

I apologize for not having lip-swatches but honestly, I just couldn't make the Covergirl one work well enough to look presentable which probably says enough right there.

Just to be clear, I don't hate the Covergirl product and I probably will try this in another colour.  Buuut I think the Revlon Balm Stains have a great formula that is really difficult to beat.

In the end, it all depends what you're looking for.  I think Covergirl has a wider selection of pinks but the formula isn't quite perfect.

I hope some of you found this little comparison helpful. If there's anything else along these lines you'd like to see, feel free to let me know in the comments.

Happy almost-Friday!

Kendall

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A Quick Review: Lush Sweetie Pie

Happy Tuesday lovelies!

Today I have a super-quick review for you: Lush's Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly.

I actually purchased this baby when I had only been bad twice (you can read my second "I Was Bad" post HERE and my most recent one HERE) and have sort of been spreading out my posts about the Lush products I bought that day as I feel they are all pretty special.

Anyway, I've been using this shower gel on and off for around a month and I have to say it's...interesting.  I really do adore the smell- it's hard to describe but the container says it has cherry and coconut.  As for the glitter, I really haven't noticed any on my skin after using it so it hasn't been an issue for me.  

What I'm a little put-off by is the texture.  It really does seem like a block of hard jell-o. It's also super slippery and easy to drop.  I've tried using this in the same way you'd use a bar of soap- that is, using the entire thing without breaking it up and I've also tried pulling off little pieces and using those.  I'm not exactly sure how they intended it to be used but I think keeping it together generally prevents it from being too easily drop-able.

To sum it all up:

The smell is fantastic

It does do a good job cleaning and leaves my skin feeling soft and moisturized

It's super awkward to use

I definitely will use this up but before I repurchase, I'll probably try something new.

If anyone else has tried Lush's Shower Jelly, I'd love to hear about it.

I'd also love to hear what your favourite Lush body wash is because I'm really interested in exploring the brand.

Thanks for reading!

Kendall 

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A Quick Drugstore Foundation Review

For the past few months, I have been dying to get my hands on Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation.  After trying it, I figured it was definitely worth talking about, along with another newcomer, Revlon Nearly Naked.

I was way too excited when I finally found Rimmel's Wake Me Up Foundation.  After hearing nothing but good things, I was desperate to try it.  It smells wonderful (not chemically or too "makeup-y"), has a convenient pump bottle and a radiant, non-greasy finish.  All of this just makes the fact that their lightest shade is much too dark for me that much worse. 

Here it is on my skin.  Even though it's on the inside of my arm (lighter skin than my face) you can probably see it is much too yellow and dark.  I bought the shade Ivory (100) with trepidation as I had a feeling from just looking at the bottle that it would be too dark.  I refuse to give up on this one though as I'm hoping it will work in the summer and if not, when I am in the mood for some serious contouring, I'm sure it will be perfect.

Overall, I would highly recommend this for anyone that has a bit more pigment in their skin than me!

Fresh off my disappointment with Rimmel's colour availability, I decided to try again with Revlon's newest release Nearly Naked in (110) Ivory which is the same shade that I use in their Colourstay line that I talked about HERE. 

The colour match is great for my skin, and to honest, this foundation blends better than many, many others that I've tried.  The finish is fairly dewy without being too oily, though I did end up needing a blotting sheet or some powder a few hours into the day.

The coverage I would classify as sheer but buildable.  Though it is a bit difficult to build up without losing the "no makeup" look.

I know this just looks like a random picture of my arm, but this is actually my pale, pale arm with the foundation blended in.  What really sells this foundation for me is how well it blends to give a really natural finish, which feels light on the skin.

Application-wise, I use my Urban Decay Optical Blurring Brush to buff it in then set it with Rimmel Stay Matte Powder (001 Translucent).  I find if I happen to miss anywhere with the powder, it does feel a bit sticky and is more likely to slide around.

Overall, if you are looking for a very natural finish, this is for you.  However if you want long-lasting, full coverage, you might do better sticking with Colorstay.

If you have any must-try drugstore foundations, I'm always willing and eager to try so let me know in the comments!

Kendall

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