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! 

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!

Summer Haul #3!

Just in time for back to school, I spotted some great deals this week and I can't believe I am posting about my very favourite makeup brands on clearance because they are clearing out their inventories/ being discontinued! I absolutely love Annabelle eye products and tokidoki collectibles so without further ado, here is what I picked up today!

I picked up six Annabelle studio mono eyeshadows, which I love! They shouldn't discontinue this system because it's rare to find a good quality (and Canadian!) drugstore brand which does single eyeshadows like this. They are super smooth and have decent colour payoff, but they can be applied heavily for more colour. I will show my eyeshadows in detail in a future post!

The other is the cutest and softest kabuki brush from tokidoki! It was being cleared out for $11, PLUS it was the last one in stock! I'm glad I was able to snatch it, because I've heard stellar reviews about this powder brush and its excellent yet natural coverage. This is my first kabuki and I look forward to using it lots! Isn't the design just adorable?

Hopefully I will be able to show you all how I incorporate these new products into my daily makeup routine!

Makeup Hauls Galore!

Wow, lately I have been lemming over both products that I have looked over many times before, thinking about whether to buy them or not, as well as newer (to me, at least!) products that I am very excited about trying out. I hope many of them will become staples in my collection! (Can you believe I have never tried bronzer before? I used to be a bit skeptical because I didn't want to look overly tanned, yet I've learned how valuable bronzer can be in contouring and adding depth to the face!)

This is what I picked up at the mall today!

The first item isn't actually a purchase, but I picked it up at Sephora because I might buy this product in the future! It's a shade bookmark for Urban Decay's new NAKED Skin Foundation, and I checked in with the shade 5.0, right near the middle of their spectrum. I must have gotten darker this summer from all that commuting and walking about, because this is darker than usual for me!

From Sephora, I also got the benefit Watt's Up highlighter as a sample I redeemed from my 100-point perk choices. I was planning on saving points, as that's my natural habit, but I was actually swatching this earlier in store and I was really looking forward to buying it one day, when lo and behold, it was available as a pretty generous sample (2.5 grams!) Will look forward to using this to bring light to my tired face come school time!

What caught my eye in the ever-shrinking collection of tokidoki makeup is this lovely lip gloss that applies as sheer as clear can get, but adds a lot of shine: the Prisma Lip Gloss in Strawberry Latte! I've wanted this colour since a long time ago, and to finally get it to add the cute packaging to my collection (I'm rarely a sucker for packages...or so I think!) along with a great gloss is great! I love the blueberry scent to boot! 

From Wal-Mart, where getting makeup is a nightmare (behold the opened packages, scattered tubes, mismatched colours...you get my drift!) I managed to snag the last Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Sun Light, which is the one I've been looking at for a while. I am also planning on getting The Body Shop's Honey Bronzing Powder to compare, because I swatched that today and it was gorgeous on my skin! I hope this product will be a nice first matte bronzer for me, because I've heard this shade doesn't pack on too much colour for a bronzer. The fact that it was the last one made it feel extra special! There was seriously NOTHING left in the bronzer slots, just lots of loose powder. This was the only one left and with the safety seal tape intact, I didn't hesitate!

Finally...drumroll please, because I am about to present the most exciting item of all! Today I purchased a MAC Lipstick: See Sheer (Lustre) because I've been looking at it for the longest time and I've seen tons and tons of swatches of it. I tried it on myself today and it looks just simply gorgeous! Lustre finish lipsticks are one of my favourites because they have a sheen, but they're not overly frosty or shimmery and provide easily buildable colour that's great for any look! 

I will bring reviews of all these products slowly and surely! For now, I have a lot of products to work through, but if I see recommendations for new things, I am always on the lookout! (Note to self: Buy L'Oréal Caresse Sticks!)

Summer Haul #2!

So summer is passing by as quickly as you can say "Back to school sale," and it's inevitable that we'll all be heading back to fall routines soon! However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy our summers while we have the time to do so! This week, I would like to share the lovely items I got that will become staples in my clothing and makeup collections this year. I look forward to using and enjoying them a lot!

The first item is a grey Jersey Blazer. I got it from Zara for $30, regular $80, which is unbelievable! I love the zippered pockets which make it handy to store small items like cards, a lip product or two, and my phone. The cute cuffs make the sleeves extra special too! :)

Another item I got with my Victoria's Secret PINK purchase is one of their lovable mini dogs! It's my first mini dog, and I love anything coral and red, so my new puppy fit right in! I love how he can stand up on his own so I can place him with my other stuffed fluffies!

Next, we have a pretty big Sephora haul...of a lot of the same item! As you might know, tokidoki is being cleared out because it was a limited time product line, but it was absolutely cute! I love, love, LOVE the graffiti style characters that make up the theme of this brand. I think this collection definitely attracted my attention over Hello Kitty or other similarly-styled collections! I got two tokidoki mirrors with a cute zebra print and assorted characters, as well as the Vegas Arte palette. It comes with a wearable purple colour scheme and a peachy pink blush. For $6, what a steal! I will probably use this in a later review! As well, I stocked up on some to give to friends as gifts, as you can see!

Any other items that I should take a look at that are great for a summer haul?