Review: L'Oréal Caresse Sticks in Cardinal Plume

Hello everybody! I'm back with my first official beauty product review in a long time! I've been having a busy first two weeks back at school and adjusting back to the hectic life of running to classes, studying, and extracurriculars has not been an easy feat! Needless to say, I'm happy to bring to you a somewhat new product that's been talked about heavily in the hybrid lipstick/lipbalm market: the L'Oréal Caresse Sticks! Technically, these are part of the Colour Riche line and contain 50% less wax than traditional lipstick, giving it a lightweight feel and sheer but buildable colour. What I like about this is that any bold colours can instantly be transformed into everyday lipsticks that don't look too overdone; you just look polished!

Here is a photo of the retro gold packaging: I love metallic packaging and I think it looks great, but it does tend to attract fingerprints for those of you who find that annoying. It also has the little clicky part at the bottom so when you put the cap back on, it has to be aligned with the front, which may be a deterrent to some. A huge plus for the tube, though, is the coloured section of the tube that lets you see a sample of the true-to-life colour inside!

The flash makes the colour true to life!

This lipstick swipes on easily and is EXTREMELY lightweight without having that cakey, dry lip feel that matte or thick lipsticks can sometimes give. However, due to this, the colour will tend to fade quickly and may feather on some people. On myself, it didn't give much definition to the shape of my lip and I had to make sure I didn't rub my lips together and get the colour everywhere! However, a bit of clear wax lipliner should do the trick without a cakey feeling or added weight! Overall, a good, everyday kind of light lipstick that has 16 shades so everybody is sure to find one they love!

Overdue Haulage!

Woohoo! I finally have another haul post to show everybody! The story behind this post starts with a simple idea: do a joint e.l.f. haul to split the shipping and make it cheaper! So, about two months ago, a few friends and I got together to do said haul and we split the cost of shipping (super cheap!) but I wasn't able to claim these items until recently (read: today!) I also picked up some great freebies that my friend generously gave to me as well as a few tokidoki brushes!

If you've been keeping up with previous posts, I'm sure you all know I am absolutely obsessed with the artwork from tokidoki! I wish that Sephora continued to carry it because it was an absolutely amazing brand when it came to graffiti-style artwork and their bags! When they got these brushes back in stock, I asked my friend to pick them up for me before they sold out again. Now, I have the entire collection (including my beloved kabuki) and here they are, along with the other great things I got!

Loads of beauty goodies to enjoy :)

As you can see, I now have the tokidoki Siberia blush brush and the Pittura brush set! Although they are top-heavy because of the capped figurine, they are lovely brushes and are soft, not scratchy, on the face and eyes without being floppy. I also ordered my first brush from e.l.f., which is their Studio stipple brush. There are also a few assorted samples, notably a full size GWP Lancôme Juicy Tubes in Miracle and a C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine. I also hauled a Milani Liquif'eye liner with the old name and packaging in Brown, as well as the e.l.f. baked eyeshadow in Toasted (individual reviews to come soon!)

I can't wait to bring back more reviews to the blog! I love to share my honest opinion on products and I love to read them too! 

My Best Beauty Buys: The Under $10 Edition!

Who says cheap and afforadable beauty products HAVE to come from the drugstore? Granted, a lot of high  end colour cosmetics do perform better than their drugstore counterparts, but there are hidden gems that I think everybody should take a look at which can be found for under $10! I decided to create a little product collage for you all to play "I Spy" with!

The first item is the LUSH Lip Scrub in Sugar Lips. What I love about this lip scrub over homemade ones is the heavenly smell! It smells just like a chocolate bar, and a little bit of scrub (enough to lightly coat your pinky finger) is enough for each exfoliation, which I would do 1-2 times a week. You get to lick the sugar off and enjoy a bit of a treat as well! Since a small jar will last me for at least 8-10 months, I happily fork over the $8 I need to buy this lip scrub. Bonus: it's super portable!

Second is Batiste Dry Shampoo. I want to try all the scents, but I'm sure the formula is the same across the board for every one of them! I bought this dry shampoo in Blush and it smells great, a little bit strong at first but the scent disappears within seconds of application. I like to follow the bottle instructions and lift up my roots in sections and spray from a distance of 1 foot or 30 cm, then work it in with my hands and then comb through. My hair feels slippery smooth afterwards, but most of the oily feeling is gone, making this dry shampoo a winner in my book! At $9.50, it lasts a long time and it won't burn a hole in my wallet!

Next, we have Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer. I use the shade Soft Beige because oddly enough, I don't like to have such bright undereyes which creates a weird glow! I like soft, natural makeup that just covers up my tired eyes after my late study sessions. This has good medium coverage and doesn't look cakey, plus the pen applicator won't dispense too much at a time if you are careful! The price of $6 makes it a great deal!

Lastly, I have a product that has gained a fan following status amongst many beauty junkies: the eos lip balm! I have a few, but my favourite is Summer Fruit, which smells like a gorgeous mix of peaches and pears with a hint of apple to me. The cute egg shape never fails to start a conversation, and fits well into nooks and crannies inside my purse. It's sanitary as opposed to a potted balm but I feel it still moisturizes well with regular use. I wouldn't say it's conditioning, but it does soothe my lips when they are a little dried out! These can be found at the nice price of $3.99, and for an organic and natural balm, that's an amazing price!

Review: Tokidoki Kabuki Brush

First of all, apologies for not posting the last two weeks! I've had a lot to do but now I'm stepping back into routine and will continue to blog regularly about my latest beauty quirks! Thanks to everybody who still stops by to read my blog! I love my readers! :3

Last week, I was lucky enough to be able to haul the last tokidoki kabuki brush in stock at Sephora! Since the brand is being discontinued, I wanted to snag all the collectible items that will become staples in my collection, including this amazing brush which I heard rave reviews about from other friends.

Isn't it just adorable?!

This kabuki brush by tokidoki is not only visually appealing, it does the job well. The bristles are ultra fine and soft without being floppy; I can control the movement of the brush very well in application. As well, it won't scratch your face or leave splotches of powder if used correctly. All you need is a very light hand, since a kabuki has denser bristles for more even and dense coverage. I just couldn't pass up the design with the purple dye and the cute square handle! I actually don't mind that it isn't long handled, plus I don't have to worry about getting water into the ferrule of the brush when I wash it.

The only trick I would recommend with this brush is to dry it upside down. I have a post coming soon on how I wash my brushes, so I will show you all there how I handle this one!