MARK. Pout Velvet and Vinyl Lip Paint Review and Swatches*


Liquid lipsticks have been in the beauty market for a long time now, and it has been a long journey for me to find one with the perfect formulation. One that isn't too dry that ends up showing all the lines on your lips, or one that doesn't dry and end up smelling sort of metallic like.. So far, I found one that I like, from Huda Beauty but it is $26 for 5ml. It can get quite pricey if you want more than one color. In addition, most of the colors offered by Huda is quite tame and do not offer any bright pops of colors. A formulation that I have found to be very similar is the one here from Mark Beauty. 

They are called the Mark Pout Velvet Lip Paint. They are $12 for 7ml (which means its alot more budget friendly) and it smells a bit like candy. The site right now shows that it is on sale for $10 each, I'm not sure how long the sale is for, so please check it out and take advantage of it :) It is a whipped consistency that dries comfortably and feels weightless on the lips. The color is pigmented and the swatches below are all with just one swipe. 

Swatches: (Top-L) Quiet / (Top-R) Fantasy
(Bottom-L) Spark / (Bottom-R) Fancy

For those of you who still do not really like the matte formulation or matte liquid lipsticks and love glossy lips - no worries, Mark has you covered with the Mark Pout Vinyl Lip Paints. Again, these are $12 for 7ml (and are also currently on sale for $10 - not sure how long that will last on the site). These are extremely glossy that gives your lips a plumping effect as well, making them look fuller than they are. 

The below pictures are all with one swatch again and it is not streaky at all. They are extremely pigmented, glossy and gorgeous. I will say that not all colors worked for me, but I wanted to swatch the whole collection for you guys!

Swatches: (Top-L) Cozy / (Top-R) Glamour
(Bottom-L) Covet / (Bottom-R) Shocking

Honestly, I really recommend you to pick these lip products up - regardless of the formulation, the velvet or vinyls. These products are even higher quality in performance than some high end products that may be double the price of these offered by Mark. 

My favorite colors are: Velvet - Spark and Fancy. Vinyl - Glamour and Shocking.

Until next time, XO - M.

Dior Addict Lip Tattoo - Long-Wear Colored Tint - Review & Swatches*


I have always been a huge fan of Dior Cosmetics and remember having to save my paycheque as a teen to buy one of their lipsticks which I would cherish and baby through my highschool years. Dior is a brand that is always classic, beautiful and elegant and I can always count on them to release collections that have beautiful packaging and is of high quality. That being said, when I saw the release of these Dior Addict Lip Tattoos, I knew I had to give them a try!

Lip Tints are not something new in the beauty industry, I am quite aware of this - however Dior takes it to the next level with its luxe packaging and feel. The containers of these products are reflective of the color within, they contain 6ml of product inside and the product is dispensed with a doe-foot applicator for precision. 

I would say that this product is a hybrid of a gloss and tint - one layer gives you a nice sheer wash and two layers gives you a more pigmented punch (see pics below for the two layers). I got about 3 hours of wear with this (with its gloss finish on my lips) - basically from when I apply them in the morning until lunch time. After I ate, the tint was leftover on my lips which is offers a fresh look of having just had a popsicle, perfect for the summertime. 

For those of you who enjoy a more natural look, you will really like the tinted finish. Also, for those of you who never got into the matte liquid lipstick phase, this is also very suitable for you.

This product wore very comfortably on the lips all day - when applied, it was a very cooling sensation and had a very slight mint scent (but no worries, it doesn't have any plumping properties, so for those of you who are sensitive, have no fear). 

The colors I have below are:
  
(Right) 881- Natural Pink, (Middle) 451 - Natural Coral Tint, (Left) 771 - Natural Berry Tint

The next color I want to pick up is 491 - Natural Rosewood Tint - it is a perfect Miranda Shade - a dusty-mauvey brown pink :) right up my alley!

I highly suggest that you go and get one or two of these products to try! AND - a tutorial on the look featured in this post will be up shortly ~ it is created with some new DIOR goodies :)

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own

CELEBRATE CANADA DAY W. FREE CANADIAN FLAG NAIL VINYLS*

 

Come July 1st, Canada is turning 150 years old, and what better to show your Canadian pride then by rocking these gorgeous nails thanks to Nail Polish Canada! These nail vinyls help you create a maple leaf on your nails with ease ~ peel, stick, paint and remove and your nails will be just as gorgeous as the ones above! 

My lovely friends at Nail Polish Canada, a website I have used for years to order nail polishes from is giving away 10 sets of vinyls completely FREE - you do NOT have to pay taxes, shipping or anything at all - there is no catch! 

To claim your free set - head on over to Nail Polish Canada and enter the unique coupon code - QU2E438SJX1YU.

Each set comes with 20 stencils so you can either keep them for yourself or theres more than enough to split with your friends to wear together to celebrate our beautiful country's birthday! 

[UPDATE: June 25th ~ Giveaway is now closed as all prizes have been claimed! Thank You!]

Until next time, XO - M.

*Products and photos are provided by Nail Polish Canada

Ton Cosmetics - Review, Swatch and Try-On*


Ton Cosmetics is a Canadian cosmetics company created by two sisters Vicki and Maria Barillaro - the premise of the company is that they help you take the guess work out of finding your perfect nude lipstick. They categorize it by three different skin tones - Light, Medium and Dark and then further separates it into three different tones within each criteria - Cool, Neutral and Warm. Therefore, there is a total of 9 lipsticks right now that they have created that will best suit you. 

I decided to include a screenshot below of the website, as well as my response from the questionnaire I took regarding which shade would be my perfect nude. The one biggest issue I have with finding the perfect nude, is that it either runs too pink on me, too brown or sometimes it is so nude that I end up looking quite zombie like. 

Taking this questionnaire released by Ton will take all the guess work out of it...so keep on reading below to see if it worked!


According to the test results, Medium Neutral is my perfect shade ~ I was sent shades from the Medium and Dark range as the Lights would not work out for me. 


Below are the swatches (on my arm) of the Medium and Dark tones - as you can see, it is no gimmick, they truly are all different and lean to exactly what they say - cool, neutral and warm tones.


For even more precision, I have swatched them on my lip so you can see what each of the six shades look good on me, and for you to see if the suggested shade (medium neutral) is really my perfect nude. 

Below: Medium Cool 1 (Right), Medium Neutral 1 (Middle), Medium Warm 1 (Left)
- it may seem like the Neutral and Warm Medium shades are similar, but the Warm is much more opaque and looks too neutral on my lips giving me a bit of a washed out zombie look. Medium Cool is too pink and well Medium Neutral I think is my perfect nude lip!
  
  
 Above: Dark Cool 1 (Right), Dark Neutral 1 (Middle), Dark Warm 1 (Left)

Despite Medium Neutral being my matched shade, I must say that I love all the dark shades as well - my favorites in the dark tones are Cool and Warm. In medium, it is Cool and Neutral. You can always buy any shade that suits you best and at $19 the price point is very reasonable. 

The lipsticks are buttery and does not contain any fragrances - The packaging itself is beautiful, the outside casing is white pearlescent micro shimmer and the top of them have a really pretty silver gem. This sure stands out in your collection or on your vanity as it is unlike any other lipsticks I personally own. 

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for review, all opinions are my own

DIY Natural Smokey Eye Bridal Tutorial


It's summer time, and wedding season is in full bloom - I myself was wedding in June and I thought it would be a great idea to try and re-create my own bridal look as well as giving my readers a tutorial on how to achieve this look if you wanted to do your own make-up on the big day! This works for both the bride as well as if you are in the bridal party, or even a guest. I was recently sent the Too Faced Natural Love Palette to review and looking at this palette, the shades of it, the name of it - I knew it would be the perfect one to do this post and tutorial on.

I paired this look with two different lip colors - one natural and one slightly darker, a bit more dramatic - this can be from day to night, or just whatever is your own preference. 

  

Below is a picture of the products that were recently sent to me for review - which are new releases from Too Faced. I will for sure have a new post up soon with lip swatches of the different lipsticks, however for now I just wanted to give you a sneak peek of some of the goodies I got :) 

 

I recently watched this video which talked about how so many brides want a "natural smokey eye look" which honestly doesn't exist, but somehow we all know what you mean ~ and that is the look I hopefully have created below. 


For the eyes, I took:
- Heaven all over the lids to the brow bone.
- Spotlight buffed out with a large fluffy brush on the crease
- Honey Butter on a more defined fluffy brush on the crease
- Nudie on an even more defined brush, focusing on the outer V
- Makeup & Chill just on the outer V crease. 
- Honey Pot on the inner half of the lid
- Coffee Date and Chocolate Martini on the outer V
- lastly I took Poodle and Cutie Patootie on my inner corner with the Too Faced Love Light in Blinded by The Light. I found the highlight to be more micro shimmer and subtle as opposed to the instagram bold highlight - which is perfect for those girls who love a more natural look. I put a bit of this on my inner corner and a bit on my brow bone and it just accentuates it slightly. Oh and I also put a bit above my lip as well to give it a poutier look.
- I finished it up with my regular Clio liner that is my ride or die and the new Ardell Faux Mink Lashes in 811

On the lips I have Medium Cool 1 on the lips in the Right pic, and Wine Not? on the Left Pic. I am so obsessed with Wine Not? it's like a grey toned dark berry color, it's so unlike anything I've ever tried!

 


If you're interested in the rest of the products used for my look - check out the picture below as it lists everything! For specifics, please do not hesitate to ask!

Until next time, XO - M.

*certain products mentioned in this post and in the image above were sent for review, all opinions are my own.

Elizabeth Arden - Tropical Escape Color Collection Review and Look*



For the summer of 2017, Elizabeth Arden has launched its limited edition called Tropical Escape Color Collection. As always, to review the products I have created a look with items from this collection to put them to the test and to see what I really think of them. 

The products I had received for review are as follows:
- Elizabeth Arden - Statement Brow Gel (Deep Brown) - $32 cad
- Elizabeth Arden - Lasting Impression Mascara - $32 cad
- Elizabeth Arden - Dare to Bare Body Oil - $45 cad
- Elizabeth Arden - FourEver Bronze Bronzing Powder - $45 cad
- Elizabeth Arden - Sheer Kiss Lip Oil (Coral 03 and Red 04) - $25 cad 

  

I used the FourEver Bronze Bronzing Powder palette and applied the bronzing powder on the outer perimeters of my face to add some warmth to my complexion - In addition, I took the pink quarter as blush and the highlighter section above the blush color and applied it on my upper cheekbones. The palette was buildable, which is good because you won't end up looking stark or like an oompa loompa for applying too much product. The bronzers are the perfect tone and do not run orange. The blush is a bit pale, but it really wasn't meant to be a blush so I have no complaints ~ I was simply trying to make the most out of a palette and see how far I can stretch it.

Next I filled in my brows, and applied the Statement Brow Gel to set it - the brush may look fairly big and intimidating but trust me, it doesn't get everywhere and make a mess. It sets your hairs perfectly and doesn't leave them crunchy.

I loaded my lashes with the Lasting Impression Mascara, and I have to say for those of you who want length and separation, this product is for you. It didn't give me volume and thickness, but elongated my lashes and really separated them.

Lastly, I finished the look with the Sheer Kiss Lip Oil - in the above picture, you can see that I used Coral for the left image, and Red on the middle one. Please continue reading below for my thoughts with the images.

The left picture is meant to show that I multi-purposed the FourEver Bronze Bronzing Powder and used it for my eyeshadow. I took the darker of the bronzers (bottom right) and applied it to my crease, then the lighter bronzing color (top right) on the outer V and the highlighter shade (top left) on my inner half of the lid. 


While I find these lip oils rather cute, I must say that I wasn't a fan of their packaging. I do not mind squeezing the color portion to dispense the product, but as you can see, it is a small nub where the product comes out from, so it is really hard to navigate and determine where the product has applied, and how to dispense it and spread it out evenly. The product itself is pigmented and provides hydration and shine, but I wish for a better packaging concept.


Lastly, the collection contains the Dare to Bare Body Oil - I wasn't much of a fan of this product, I found it really oily without really absorbing into the skin well, I was hoping that it would be like a dry oil, and leave behind a beautiful shimmer, but it didn't it just made my skin look quite greasy. It also does not have any scent to it. I was scared to wear this on my legs because I didn't want this to transfer to my car seats, I think this would be okay if you wanted to just put it on your shoulders to highlight them. 

Have you picked up any of the items from this collection? If I was to recommend any one product it'd be the Statement Brow Gel and the Bronzing Palette.

Until next time, XO - M.

Laneige - Two Tone Lipstick Review with Swatches*


Laneige is a brand that I have been using for a few years and I absolutely love their skincare - you can search my blog to see my previous posts relating to Laneige. I have never tried their make-up before, so when I was sent these lipsticks in the mail, I must say I was quite excited to see how they compare to the skincare I've used before. 

Ombre lips have been coming up in the past year all over the beauty community, but Korea has been doing it much longer. These two tone lipsticks were designed to help you effortlessly achieve this look with one lipstick as opposed to carrying two and then blending it out yourself. 


The images below show how you should be using the lipsticks to achieve this look - I have always found this look to resemble that of having just had a popsicle - the inside of your lips are stained. 


These lipsticks are highly pigmented and creamy - they contain a semi-glossy finish that makes your lips look really hydrated and juicy. They come in 8 shades total, I was sent 4 of them and retail for $35 each. 


The lipsticks barrels are slim, sleek and I love that the color of the lipstick is on the base of the barrel. The color shown is the main color that would show on the middle of the lip. In additionm the oblique-shaped tip that houses the dual-color design is purposely diagonal so that it can form a more natural ombre look.



As previously mentioned, the lipsticks are highly pigmented in color and moisturizing - I would recommend you try Juicy Pop (a fun twist for summer) or Red Blossom for a more dramatic look as the two colors really are sharp contrasts of one another. Cashmere Nude is perfect for those seeking a more natural ombre 


Will you give these lipsticks a try? I suggest you to try at least one! :)

Until next time, XO - M. 

*products were sent for review ~ all opinions are my own.

Rimmel - The Only 1 matte lipstick review and swatch*


I was recently given the opportunity to try out The Only 1 Matte Lipstick and was sent a few colours to review. I thought the best way as always, is to do a swatch post for my lovely readers so that you are able to see how the colors look and the finish of the product. 

These lipsticks are true matte lipsticks that require only one swipe to deliver even pigment to the lips.  There is a very slight fragrance to them, I can't really pinpoint the scent of them - they aren't sweet or floral scented, it just contains a bit of perfume fragrance.

The one thing I really appreciate about the packaging of these lipsticks is the fact that the colors are shown directly on the outside packaging, leaving the choosing of the colour you want easy. It's hard to go with names and numbers sometimes, so just seeing what is on the outside is great - the colors shown are actually quite true to what is inside as well so win-win! These retail for about $8 I believe and that is a really good price for what you're getting. I would suggest you pick one..two..or more up!

See below for the swatches:
Bottom R - bare lip / L - 700
 

 R - 200 / L - 600
 

 R - 110 / L - 120
 

 R - 750 / L - 800
 

If you're interested in knowing what is on my eyes, I used the Rimmel 002 London Nudes Calling Palette, which is very similar to the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette, as you can see from the images below. 


As you can see - from the picture below, the top is the Rimmel palette, the Bottom one directly below is the Naked 3 Palette. The order may not be the same, but the colors are similar enough! The pigmentation of the Rimmel is really good and I would say that if you do not want to shell out the big bucks, this is a good alternative. 


Until next time, XO - M.

My Tarte Cosmetics Lippy Collection - Reviews and Swatches*


Hello my lovely readers - sorry I've been MIA for a bit, I've just been playing catch-up in my personal life as well as work has been so busy. I have been lucky enough to receive some lip products from Tarte (such a big milestone, I'm so honored and excited) and I thought what better way than to show you these gorgeous lip products then with a lip-swatch post. If you're interested in reading my review and seeing the swatches, then please keep reading! Also, I have included a photo of all the products I used to create this make-up look, just in case you're interested. I will be definitely publishing another post featuring a make-up look created by Tarte products soon, so please stay tuned!


 
Out of the liquid lipstick formulations from Tarte, my favorite would have to be the creamy matte lip paints. As the name suggests, they are creamy and feel whipped and light in texture. It doesn't settle in fine lines and offers high pigment delivery without being patchy at all. In the pictures above, you can see that they are not patchy, it's with one layer and swipe and when dried, it doesn't crack or have a weird scent. LOVE THIS! The vibrant colors make me look so tanned too :) I definitely want to pick more up in different shades! P.S. the subtle vanilla peppermint fragrance is refreshing!

 
This liquid lipstick formula is the quick dry one, and yes it dries really quick and stays put! I had to soak a cotton pad with micellar water and let it soak and break up the lip product off my lips. If you want something transfer-proof get these! I lasted a full half day with these, and I only say half day because I had lunch and thought I should re-apply it after to look more polished. Again, this is not patchy, it is high pigment, but you will feel this on your lips when it dries and it does settle a little bit on the lines of your lips. This can easily be combated by putting lipbalm on before, but it takes the quick dry formula away. This does not contain the same fragrance as the creamy matte lip paints, they are just neutral scented.

This gloss can do no wrong, it doesn't feel too thick or gloopy, it doesn't bleed outside the lips and create a mess and it just stays put while delivering a high pigmented, high gloss shine! I need these in more colors! If you are a fan of lip glosses, get this! You will not be disappointed as these will give you a good color delivery! I need these in more colors!

 
 For those of you who want a more neutral look, these would be for you. These are hydrating, color-tinted balms that also contain that peppermint vanilla like scent.

 
These lipsticks - just go get them. They are so moisturizing, so pigmented (I think that is a common theme in all the lip products I am mentioning). The lip swatches are with one swipe only and it's beautiful. They do not sink to the lips, transfer to your teeth and just offer a gorgeous finish - I need this in MORE COLORS!

To sum up, honestly it is so difficult to convey which formula I like the most so I'll say which one was not a holy grail status for me, and that is the quick dry formula - only because I didn't really like the texture or feeling it left on my lip, being quick dry it felt like it shrank a bit when dried. The color delivery is gorgeous though! So, if you like quick dry then by all means, try it out!


Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for review and consideration, all opinions are my own.