Chanel LA Sunrise Spring 2016 - Sunkiss Ribbon Blush Harmony


As a make-up addict, you are drawn to make-up not only because of the product itself and the colors it offers, but also because of the packaging (even more so if it's limited edition). Chanel is a company that always comes out with exquisite limited edition items each season and for the Spring 2016 LA Sunrise Collection, the blush was what drew me in. The last time I bought something from Chanel was the Camelia De Plumes Hilighting Powder from .. I want to say the 2014 Winter Collection? 

Anyways - this post will be short as I only wanted to share with you all swatches from the blush if you were interested in getting one, and to also just share these pictures with you so you can all go ooooh + ahhhh when you see them, like I did. 

The scent of this blush is rather strong, it smells of roses. However, I left it open on my vanity overnight and the scent dissipated a bit. The blush comes packaged in a velvet pouch with its own brush that is also contained within its own velvet pouch as well. 



The blush comes in 5 different colors that you can use separately or blend it all together to form a gorgeous shade of pink, perfect for any season. I have included swatches below for your reference: 


Until next time, XO - M.

practicing safe skin care with Schaf*


Being a beauty blogger has provided me with the opportunity to try out different types of skincare that I would have never been exposed to or had the chance be introduced to. For those who have been following my blog from the start, or know me in person, will know that I have a passion when it comes to skincare and I take pride in my skin.

I was referred to Schaf Skincare by a fellow beauty blogger who had introduced them to my blog, and was contacted by them to try out their products. I was sent three of their 5 products - 1. Nutritive Daily Eye Cream ($40) 2. White Lava Purifying Scrub ($30) and 3. Nutritive Daily Moisturizer ($45).

A little about Schaf Skincare before I give you all my thoughts on the products:

As noted on their website:
"Schaf products contain a unique blend of plant extracts formulated to clean, nurture, and protect your skin, utilizing natural and organic ingredients that perform exceptionally well, without the harsh, harmful, synthetic chemicals, irritants, and fragrances commonly found in commercial brands. Each formula blends natural and organic, skin-friendly botanical extracts together with gentle high-performance hydration technology designed to safely improve the appearance and health of your skin. 

All Schaf products are based on the science of hydration, with an oil-free moisture binding component that is equally effective on oily or dry skin, and even for those with sensitive skin.

All of their products are made without: Parabens, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Artificial Colors, Sulfates, Mineral Oil, Silicone, Phthalates, Petroleum, Animal Byproducts, GMOs, Gluten, Propylene Glycol."


My thoughts:
I love the packaging of the eye cream and moisturizer - it comes with a pump dispenser allowing you to control the amount of product you want to use each time. Also, it keeps the product hygenic, as it is not exposed to contaminants each time you open it, or when you dip your finger in to use it.

Secondly, I really appreciate the simplicity of the packaging. From the label to the containers used - no fancy heavy glass containers which makes it fragile.

My favorite product of the three, would have to be the eye cream. It is very light but hydrating, and comes yellow tinted. It doesn't do much for color correcting, however it will help with brightening the eye area. I love how hydrating this product is, without being greasy. It doesn't interfere with my concealer and doesn't cause it to crease. In addition, it doesn't cause any breakouts for me. I have tried super emollient eye creams before which caused little break outs and oil bumps to occur in my under eyes.

Next on the list is the face scrub. the exfoliating bits are made from ground apricot seeds that polishes away your dead skin cells to leave your skin baby soft. As it is made with apricot seeds, it is a bit more abrasive in texture. This reminds me of the St. Ives consistency and texture, which I love.

The face cream is really moisturizing as well - it is thicker in consistency so a little goes a long way. I personally prefer gel-like products during the day and it doesn't matter to me what type of product I use at night as I am sleeping, it won't interfere with the application of makeup.


Until next time - XO, M.

Morphe Monthly Brush Club - January 2016

For those of you who have been following my blog, you will know that I was once subscribed to a monthly subscription beauty box called Ipsy. However, less than a year into the service, I decided to cancel it as the variety of products received was lacking and the products that actually came became lesser in quality and most often or not, it was quite repetitive. I joined Ipsy with hopes of being able to try out products from different brands and when that gradually stopped happening, I had to cancel it. 

I was introducted to Morphe at IMATS 2 years ago in Toronto. We arrived right when IMATS opened, and the Morphe booth drew in the biggest crowd. I had to of course go and see what the fuss was about. Morphe sells their own brand of makeup and makeup brushes and it was the brushes that captivated my attention the most. They were great quality and at really reasonable prices. I picked up a few then and have been using them non-stop, putting them to the test and til this day, I have not encountered a problem with them. No shedding, bleeding or fraying. 

SO! when Morphe released their monthly brush club, I had to subscribe to it and see if the brushes were just as good as the ones I got 2 years ago, and also, it was a chance for me to try out different brushes from the line instead of paying retail for each brush and having to wait until IMATS comes again this year.

The package comes in a bubble envelope with each brush individually wrapped as seen below:

Here's another picture of the brushes after they have been unwrapped:


To help those of you who may be interested in ordering a specific brush, I have listed each brush's name below. Although they are all meant to be shadow/eye brushes, I found the duo fiber brush no. M173 is an amazing concealer brush. It blurs out the concealer under your eye to leave an airbrush finish. 


So far, for the first month of my subscription from Morphe, I am loving it. With taxes + exchange rate included, it comes out to being $29. Granted, there are only so many makeup brushes one can use, so to be honest I won't be staying subscribed to this much longer. I will probably give it 2-3 months tops to see if I can get some more face brushes. 

Until next time, XO - M.

L'oreal Color Riche Mono Eyeshadows - Violet Beaute and Pain au Chocolat Smokey Eye

Hello my lovelies and welcome back to another Makeup Monday. Due to the positive response I got from last week's Makeup Monday look ft. Teal Couture from L'oreal Mono Shadows, I actually had a request on Twitter to do another look with a different shadow from the line. The specific request was to use "Pain au Chocolat" to create a smokey eye look. These shadows are a dream to work with and I decided to buy one more color, "Violet Beaute", to create this.

I had so much fun creating this look and I added some falsies to make it a bit more dramatic :) Having such a strong smokey eye meant I had to tone down the blush and pair it with a nude lipstick.

For a complete list of products used to create this look, please scroll down to the bottom of the post!

Until next time,
XO - M.

Products Used:
- Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer
- Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser - Neutralizer
- Sephora - Gel Serum Concealer
- Charlotte Tilbury Air Brush Flawless Finish Powder - Medium
- Clinique - Cheek Pop - Heather
- Dior - Nude Tan Healthy Glow Enhancing Powder
- Lipstick: Essence
- Brow Pencil - Etude House
- Lashes - KOKO Lashes - KOKO
- Shadows - L'oreal Mono Shadows - Pain au Chocolat & Violet Beaute
- Lash Glue - Esquido




L'oreal Colour Riche - Teal Couture Drugstore Makeup Look

As I was wandering around the aisles of Walmart to check out the new beauty launches, I stumbled across the L'oreal Colour Riche single shadows. I swatched a couple of them, and decided to go with this beautiful teal color called "Teal Couture" and was inspired to create a look for my Makeup Monday series. To top it off, I decided to use all drugstore makeup products!

Before I proceed with the products used to create this look, I want to give you guys my thoughts on the product as I was swatching a majority of them.

These shadows come in a matte formula and a shimmer formula that is almost like a pressed pigment. Be careful with the shimmer formula as they do become loose quite easily if tossed around too much. Mine was lifting in the bottom right corner, but it could be easily fixed by pressing it back into the pan .Think loose pigments, that are packed in it - because of the gel-like, mousse-ish texture of the shimmer pigments, it is a more fragile consistency.
The matte shadows are okay, blendable - the most disappointing of the matte shadows would have to be the black one. It isn't black enough. As for my favorite of the matte ones, it is Cafe Au Lait. 

For the shimmer ones - my favorite is this one of course that I picked up, Teal Couture and the next one is Pan Au Chocolate (which is a beige, brown almost taupe-esque) color. It is so beautiful and that is the next one I need to pick up! The most disappointing of the shimmer shades I think is Grand Bleu, I was expecting a beautiful sapphire ultra pigmented and bold blue, but even when swatched with my finger, it was just a bit lacking lustre. It wasn't bold enough nor was it pigmented enough. 

The suggested application of these shimmer ones would be to apply and pack it on your lid with your finger. I tried various brushes, and none of them delivered the pigmentation I desired. Using the finger and with a few dabs, I didn't even have to apply 2-3 layers. One was enough to create this look.

These retail for around $6.20 (approx) at Walmart.

Products Used to Create the Look are pictured below:

All the products pictured above are pretty self explanatory - I used the Milani single shadow to blend and buff out any harsh lines of the teal shadow and then used the Wet and Wild darker brown shade to do a bit of contouring on the outer crease.

Close up of the shadow plus a one swipe swatch of Teal Couture: 

Until next time, XO - M. 

Healthy Snacking with Prana Organics*


Happy New Year everyone!!! May your 2016 be better than ever, and I wish you all good health and prosperity! To kick off 2016, I thought that I should talk about something that is probably on a majority of people's New Years Resolution list - that is "being healthier/having a healthier lifestyle, etc". I was recently sent some yummy snacks to try from Prana Organic, and to be honest, I've never tried coconut chips before. I love coconut, but always in the sweet variety vs. the savory. I never knew what to expect, and never gravitated towards it, however - keep reading to see my thoughts on the products.

First, a little about Prana Biovegan Inc. They are an importer and manufacturer of organic nuts, seeds, dried fruits and snacks from Quebec (YAY CANADIAN PRODUCTS! - you know I'm all about that Canadian love!). This line of crunchy and tasty coconut chips is available in four flavors: Spicy Chilli, BBQ, Salt & Pepper, and Original. These are 100% organic, gluten-free, with no cholesterol, and offer an excellent source of fibre. Coconut slices are dry roasted to perfection and seasoned with ingredients from around the world. If you do not fancy the savory flavors, you can always just go for the original and you can still get that delicious crunch that is a way healthier alternative to potato chips.

Prana Organic Dry Roasted Coconut Chips are available in 100g bags, in the four flavors mentioned above. The suggested MSRP is $3.99 per bag (which honestly isn't bad - bags of chips go for at least $2.99 now, and at least with this you know you are getting quality products) and can be found at all major grocery chains, health food stores, and supermarkets with healthy living aisles across Canada, starting back in October 2015


I thought I'd take a picture of the back of the packaging to show all of you the actual ingredients and nutrition content.


As you can see - it is 80 calories per 1/4 cup (for the Sea Salt flavor). As a comparison, (information taken from a common chip brand's site - 16 chips equates to 180 calories with 16 grams of fat for the original flavor).... therefore, you do the math.

I find that often, the craving and urge to eat chips, really derives from my need of a salty and crunchy snack. This did it for me. My husband's favorite flavor is Chili, and I like the original :)

Image below shows the Ingredients - simple, easy to read and understand. You know what's going into your body.


Until next time, XO - M.