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: L'Oréal Colour Riche Balm in Heavenly Berry

I'm back with another review on another great lippie? Haven't you noticed I love lippies and they're one of my fave types of makeup products out there? Haha. On the recommendation of one of my makeup junkie friends, I decided to try out the L'Oréal Colour Riche Balm because it's on sale this week and I know these have been on the market for a while already, so I've been able to read plenty of reviews and make my choice wisely.

The shade I chose was #318, Heavenly Berry. I'm normally not a fan of darker plum and berry shades, even in fall, but this balm comes across very sheer, so even these dark colours impart just a light dose of colour onto the lips. For me, it leaves just a light sheen on my lips, which is perfect! I was debating between this and Plush Plum, but decided to settle with this one because it's a lighter colour and it's not too cold...yet!

This product does have a vanilla scent that I like, a mix between candy and freshly baked cupcakes with frosting. It's not overpowering and disappears shortly after application. The balm itself applies well, gliding smoothly along my lips without that sticky drag that some glossy balms can have. The only gripe some people might have is the lid of the tube must align properly with the bottom in order to snap shut, but I'm a fan of having the label face forward, so I like this design! Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase!

Bonne Bell lipblushes!

Today I'll be reviewing a fairly new product from Bonne Bell called lipblush. I think pretty much everybody's jumped on the bandwagon with nifty letter styling, including the all-lowercase trend! These are listed as a new product on Bonne Bell's website, plus I haven't seen many reviews for this product, so I'll go right on ahead and share with you all you need to know about this lippie!

lipblushes are a lip balm that gives a very slight hint of colour, hence the aptly named lip "blush." It really does just give a flush of colour that's very bare; I have the shade Cheerful Cherry and it is bold in the tube, but applies practically clear. The colour does not colour my lips; seeing as I have one pigmented lip (nice and red) and one that's not (dusty and natural pink) it adds a slight sheen but you have to really scrutinize my "natural" lip to see the red tint. That being said, this product smells AMAZING and the cherry smell is not overwhelmingly cough-droppy or artificial. Bonne Bell always made their Lip Smackers true to life, and I really appreciate this as a grown up product from them! It may not be the most original, but it definitely does bring back nostalgic memories of having quite a few of their products as a young girl!

Here is a picture of the lovely, grown-up packaging! It's so sleek and the colour strip lets you check shades/scents easily!

This is so true to tube colour! How pretty (though sheer!)

I hope this new lippie brings back some classic preteen girly moments for everybody! Having a balm/gloss to indulge on back then was truly fun :)

This Week's Faves!

Hey everybody! This week I've had a lot of favourite things to share with you. Whether it be a good meal, or a fave beauty item, this is it!

The first item is one of my all-time fave seafood snacks: a Panko Crabcake. This yummy crunchy ball of goodness is covered in a delicate panko breadcrumb crust. Did you know panko is technically made from a type of Japanese bread made WITHOUT crusts? It's made by running an electric current through it, rather than baking it traditionally in an oven. The filling was generous, and they're made fresh by a local café near where I work. A great treat to have once in a while!

The second item I have for you this week is the Nivea Lip Smoothie in Cranberry and Raspberry. These lip balms come with an absolutely delightful, smooth, creamy marbled pattern that delivers. It's not intensely moisturizing, but applied daily, you'll notice your lips stay smooth thanks to the vitamin complex. As well, the smell of these balms is TO DIE FOR. A truly fruity scent where I can smell both flavours, and it lasts for quite a while after application. However, if you layer another lipstick or gloss on top, the smell diminishes a lot. There are two flavours, the other being Açai and Wild Apple but I chose this one, which comes out as sheer as any clear balm on my lips.

A close-up of the tube! How pretty is that?!

A slightly blurred photo, because I didn't want the flash to distort the colour. This is the true colour of the balm, although it applies sheerly.

These two are just some of the simple and small things I was able to use (and eat!) this week. As for new products, when I use them, I will write more reviews! What about you all? Have you had any small summer treats?