March Favorites 2013

Spring is finally here! Meaning it's sunny and warm outside, and also time for another monthly favorites :). So let's get started!

This month's favorites includes some old favorites and some new ones.

1. Naked palette by Urban Decay: I realized I had been neglecting my Naked 1 palette ever since I had purchased the Naked 2 palette. I completely forgot what beautiful shades the original palette contains and so I ended up using this for pretty much the whole month :). My favorites shades are Sin, Toasted, and Naked (for my brows). Definitely a staple in anyone's makeup collection!

2. Real Technique's Buffing Brush: Oh.my.god... This is officially my holy grail foundation brush. I have heard hundreds of people raving about this brush, and all brushes by Real Technique's for that matter, that I finally couldn't resist and bought a few sets. This is beyond my favorite brush by Real Technique's so far. It just blends so beautifully, no streaks whatsoever. It even manges to get the area around your nose. It is soft but definitely not the softest makeup brush out there since it is made with synthetic hair. However, because of the synthetic material, it's super easy to clean and dries ridiculously quickly! Love, love love!

3.The Rocket by Maybelline: I have already reviewed this mascara here on my blog if you want to check that out. It's not a holy grail product for me but it definitely has been my go-to mascara lately. I seem to be growing more fond of it the more I use it.

4. Revlon Lip Butter in 'Peace Parfait': I have a love-hate relationship with this lip butter. I love the Revlon lip butters in general, especially this shade. However, the texture of this one drives me nuts. It is the only lip butter by Revlon with glitter in it and because of that the formula feels very gritty. Feels awful when applying but looks amazing on the lips.

5. Revlon ColorBurst Lipgloss in 'Papaya': A wonderful peachy/coral shade for spring. The formula is really nice: not sticky and very pigmented. One layer is more than enough. It can turn out quite strong if you decide to layer it up. It also lasts quite well through out the day. I remember wearing this shade a lot during the summer.

I always try to mix things up each month and reach for products that either really suit the season or have been neglected in my drawers. Don't want to let any products feel un-loved ;).

Hope everyone is having a lovely Easter! :)

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Rimmel Scandal Eyes Review

Rimmel is on a roll this year! They keep on releasing amazing new products, my wallet can hardly keep up!

This time it's all about the eyes... Scandal Eyes that is. A newly formulated waterproof kohl eyeliner. I still own the older version, the "Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definier", which I was never terribly impressed with. It claimed to be waterproof but never lasted on my waterline longer than 1 hour.

So when I heard that Rimmel had released the "Scandal Eyes" and was being given a lot of good praise, I decided to give them a go. I got two, one in the shade 001 Black and 008 Light Blue, which is a very pretty icy baby blue - great for summer. Now let's move on to the actual performance...

Two words: Holy Grail. Truly amazing products. I'm officially picking up another one in brown. They're so soft that they glide onto your eyes without any need of force or tugging, which is great for us who fear wrinkles! The pigmentation is brilliant, really strong, no need to layer it up. The colour selection is surprisingly really good, I found it hard to choose only two. And the best part? They last on my waterline for over 5 hours! That is truly amazing for a drugstore product.

Overall, these are really great waterproof kohl eyeliners! Keep up the good work, Rimmel! :)

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What I'm Currently Loving: Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

I know there are hundreds of reviews on this super hyped product, but I just had to share the love. I was very skeptical of it, mainly because I never had any good experiences with powders. Having oily skin myself, I always need something to prevent any shine or excess oil during the day and help set my makeup. Personally, every powder that I've used ended up looking cakey and didn't last longer than an hour. My friends know me well for ranting my hate for Cover Girl powders (I'm sorry Cover Girl, but they really are awful).

I had given up hope on using powders in general, until I heard about Rimmel's Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder. Given the cheap price and glowing reviews, I decided to give it a go.

And now it's officially another holy grail product in my makeup bag! It looks so natural on the skin (I can't even see it!) and actually keeps my T-zone matte for hours! It doesn't feel heavy on the skin at all, though it does make my forehead feel a bit tight (no doubt the matte-effect). However, if you're looking for a powder to give you good coverage, then I would stay away from this one since it's very light and unnoticeable. I'm not huge on the packaging, but I suppose that's the reason why it's so cheap. Also, the scent isn't terrible like most powders :).

There's a translucent powder version as well for those who don't even want a hint of color. True to it's words, it really does last 5 hours. Perfect for anyone with combination or oily skin.

Overall, an amazing and affordable product! Big thumbs up for Rimmel :). 

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Maybelline The Rocket Volume Express Review

Sadly only after 3 months, my beloved Benefit's "They're Real" mascara (review here) has dried out. Though it was a tragedy, it also presented me with an opportunity to try out a new mascara. I ended up choosing the new mascara by Maybelline called "The Rocket Volume Express". I have seen reviews floating around on "The Rocket" and since it was 50% off, I had to give it a go. Why must sales be so hard to resist!?

The first thing I want to state is the packaging... I love it! Nice color scheme and very compact. I was a bit skeptical about this mascara, mainly because I wasn't happy with the results of Maybelline's most raved mascara "The Falsies" (full review here). However, this mascara turned out to be not so bad.

The details of the mascara went on about how incredibly volumizing it was, and true to it's word, it is. My lashes definitely look much thicker with this mascara, though not really lengthened. But I'm not too disappointed about that since nowhere in the packaging did it mention anything about lengthening.

One aspect I don't like is that you have to be very careful with application. This mascara can easily give you very clumpy lashes if you're not precise with application. Definitely not something to use if you're in a rush. It also doesn't do the best job in holding a curl, I'd say about 2-3 hours max.

One thing I do love about this mascara is that the formula is wet and most importantly, doesn't flake! I cannot begin to describe how much I hate it when a mascara flakes during the day. However, it does smudge on the bottom lashes if you are wearing an eye cream or a dewy foundation near your eyes. So be warned!

I must admit, I'm not a huge fan on the brush. I like that it's plastic, but hate how short the bristles are. I feel that if they were even slightly longer, then it'd be easier to avoid clumpy lashes. It's also hard to get the inner corner lashes with this brush.

And now for my biggest peeve with this mascara... removal. Oh.my.god. It's even harder to remove than the Benefit mascara!! And it's not even water-proof!!! This is probably the biggest con for me personally. I can't stand mascaras that are difficult to remove.

Overall, this mascara has a few more cons than pros, but I still love how my lashes look with them. Therefore I give it a 7/10. Nothing super special.

And so my search for the perfect drugstore mascara continues... :)

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March Topbox 2013 (Pure + Simple)

So for March, we were given an even bigger choice of what to receive for our Topbox. It was a tough decision, but I ended up going with the Pure + simple prive box. I was scared that I would regret not choosing the regular Topbox (especially since last month's was so good!), but after seeing posts for this month I am glad I didn't :).

The only real downer to this prive box is that it only includes two items. Luckily, I am in love with both!

I'll start off by saying that China Glaze isn't the easiest brand of nail polish to find in Canada, so I was super excited to see a full size of this beautiful plum shade! It's called "Purr-Fect Plum" and the color is just like the lining of the Office City Bag by Zara which I just happened to order this week :). Very sophisticated and a great formula as well! Only needs 1-2 coats.

The blush by Pure + simple is a typical shade I tend to go for. This one is called "Soleil" and is a really pigmented coral with gold shimmer. Perfect for summer! The only thing I don't like is that the blush moves around in the compact (shifts side to side), so definitely not something I can take along with me in my purse. I've already tried out the blush and am loving it so far :).

Another great Topbox! Though I will try really hard to go with the regular one next time ;). 

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February Favorites

Thanks to my poor health, I've barely been able to go out this month and in turn barely managed to try out any new products. However, I did manage to come up with a few things that took my fancy during February.

1. Bioderma Atoderm PP Baume: I had received this decently sized sample when I had repurchased Bioderma Sensibio AR and was eager to try another product by Bioderma. I had a few dry patches on my skin, mostly my nose, and this moisturizer solved that instantly! It's meant for "very dry to atopic sensitive skin". It's Paraben and Fragrance free so perfect for anyone with sensitive skin. After learning that fragrances are a natural skin-irritant, I absolutely rejoice anytime I see a skin-care line that is completely free of fragrance :).

2. Baléa 3 in 1 Cleansing Wipes: Probably the best makeup-remover wipes I have ever used, and the cheapest! $3.65 for 15 wipes! Funny enough I found them in travel-section where mini shampoos and such are stocked. They do the job really well and don't leave my face feeling dry :).

3. Benefit Blush in 'Dandelion': I got a sample of this in my February Top Box and have found it to be the perfect blush for spring. It's a light shimmery pink that is perfect for the upcoming season. Staying power is also pretty good!

4. NYX Mega Shine Lipgloss in 'Tea Rose': I absolutely adore this color, to the point where I'm now searching for a lipstick in the same shade. This lipgloss has the best formula I have ever come across! Super shiny, fairly pigmented, smooth, not sticky, not drying on the lips at all, and smell delicious (like candy). Lasts pretty long too and goes perfectly with the Benefit blush :).

The only complaint I have is the packaging. Don't get me wrong, I love how it looks. However, very little product comes out when you take out the brush for application. You end up needing to dip it back in several times to get the wanted look.

Also, when you close it, a line of gloss ends up on the edges which really bothers me. You can see it closely in the photo.

And those are my February favorites! Hopefully, my health will improve and I will have more things to show in March :).

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