Maybelline is a staple drugstore brand that I have been using since I was a teen and through and through I know that I can always count on them for reliable and innovative products. I was recently sent a few products to try out from their new collection and I was so happy to have the opportunity to do so. Below you will find swatches, and two looks I have created from their two palettes - as well as a few lip swatches. The pigmentation of the shadows as you can see are beautiful, buttery and high quality - even better than ones from luxury brands. In addition, the Superstay Matte Ink Liquid Lips are spectacular, they last all day and delivers even color distribution with one swipe.

Products Used to Create the look:

Foundation: Maybelline - Super Stay Long-Lasting Full Coverage Foundation

Concealer: NARS - Radiant Creamy Concealer (Cafe Con Leche)

Eyeshadow Palette: Maybelline - Total Temptation Palette (Right Side of the Palette)

Brows: Maybelline - TattooStudio Waterproof Eyebrow Gel (Medium Brown)

Mascara: Maybelline - Total Temptation Washable Mascara (Blackest Black)

Lashes: KISS Falsies

Lips: Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink - Left: 60 Poet / Right: 90 Huntress

Highlighter: The golden highlighter on the left side of the same Total Temptation Palette

Left: Total Temptation Palette Swatched / Right: The Burgundy Bar Palette Swatches

Products Used to Create the look:

Foundation: Maybelline - Super Stay Long-Lasting Full Coverage Foundation

Concealer: NARS - Radiant Creamy Concealer (Cafe Con Leche)

Eyeshadow Palette: Maybelline - Burgundy Palette

Brows: Maybelline - Tattoo Studio Waterproof Eyebrow Gel (Medium Brown)

Mascara: Maybelline - Total Temptation Washable Mascara (Blackest Black)

Lashes: KISS Falsies

Lips: Maybelline Powder Matte - Left: 700 Nocturnal Rose / Middle: 704 Carnal Brown / Right: Maybelline Super Stay Matte Ink -85 Protector

Until next time, XO - M.

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

To celebrate 50 years since the creation of the cleansing oil, I had received this gorgeous PR package that I will never be throwing away! I had always knew that Shu Uemura had cleansing oils, but never knew they had four variations! 

From left to right, you have: 

1. Ultime8 - For Dry Skin - contains 8 precious botanical oils for cashmere-soft luxury cleansing  ($49/150ml)

2. Anti/Oxi+ - For Normal/Aging Skin - anti-oxidant green tea & moringa exfoliates dullness & yellow tones ($46/150ml)

3. PORE finist 2 - For Oily Skin - sakura and cinnamon bark extracts regulate oil production ($42/150ml)

4. Nutri:Nectar - For Sensitive Skin - gentle emulsion with acai & magnolia to soothe delicate skin ($46/150ml)

~ prices as listed on the site at the time of posting ~

I am a huge fan of Shu Uemura products, starting first from their eyelash curler that I bought from probably about 15 years ago! It's so good! And now, I have moved on to their face products and would love to try out their hair care next!

I suggest that you try out these oils, they are so good and you only need 1-2 pumps to effectively cleanse the whole face so one bottle will last you quite a while!

Until next time, XO - M.

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

Let's be honest, we all need to have that one bottle of moisturizer that we know works (but just may not be the most jaw-dropping beautifully designed packaged product to put on your vanity item). This is where we introduce CeraVe - the Moisturizing Cream. This big tub provides you with all-day hydration upon the first application! This product has also been recognized by the Canadian Dermatology Association's Skin Health Program and works well for those who are battling eczema (like me on my hands). 

My eczema has been a bit more aggravated lately due to all the hand washing I've been doing with baby and I need a product that works and is at a reasonable price. I've mentioned on the blog before that I have a few go-to products for my eczema, but they do come with quite the hefty price tag and may not always be a viable solution when need be. 

This big tub which will last you forever retails for under $25 which is a great price point in my opinion and I read on the reviews that some individuals have used this on their babies as well (I haven't tried it yet though!). Make sure you visit their website to see if there's any coupons because when I checked there was one for $2 off, which is not bad!

This product is said to increase the skin's ability to attract, hold and distribute moisture while forming a layer on your skin to help prevent moisture loss which is essential as you not only want to just hydrate the skin, but you also want to find ways to keep the moisture in your skin. 

 

As you can see from the image above, the tub of cream is bigger than the palm of my hand, and you really only need a quarter sized amount each time, so this will last you quite a while! The texture is thicker than your regular lotion, but it does absorb into the skin and does not feel sticky nor does it leave any white residue. It spreads easily so you won't feel the weight of it on the skin. 

Until next time, XO - M. 

*product was sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own.

This collection was something that I knew I had to get my hands on, by any means possible. Natural looks are right up my ally and this whole collection is named "It Comes Naturally". I was kindly sent a variety of items to try from this collection which includes:

1. Natural Eyes - Neutral Eye Shadow Palette

2. Milk Chocolate Soleil - Matte Bronzer

3. Natural Face - Highlight, Bronzer and Blush Palette

4. and lastly their Natural Nudes lipsticks that I have swatched in a separate post.

I have created two looks with the eyeshadow palette, the images in the top row (look #1) below features a neutral eye and darker lip and the bottom row (look #2) features a halo shadow, blown out bottom lash line and a true nude lip. 

Look #1: I applied Heaven to the brow bone, Silk Teddy on the inner third of the eye, Push-Up in the middle and Erotica on the outer third with Sexpresso to define the outer corner. To blend out any harsh lines, I blended Strip Poker to the crease. Lastly, I blended Martini on the outer half of the bottom lash line and took Honey Pot to the inner half of the bottom lash line. 

Look #2: Heaven on the brow bone, Strip Poker on the crease, Cashmere Bunny with a defined crease brush on the crease and the outer third and inner third of the lid. I took Erotica on top of that to smoke things out some more and placed Honey Pot on the center of the lid for the halo effect. Lastly I took Erotica on the bottom lash line and buffed that out with Martini for an extra blown out effect.

Which look do you guys like? I rarely do a halo eye look so I think I need to practice it a bit more... 

Until next time, XO - M.

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

Established in 1981, Neal's Yard Remedies combines apothecary and holistic in their beauty and skincare products. They have such a rich and extensive history that was a really interesting read for me. I had not known about this company before and to learn that they have been around for so long, and exists in so many countries is really a beautiful story. If you want to learn more about it - just click here. 

I was recently contacted by them to review their products and learn more about it, and of course I had to say yes. I was sent the attached Beauty Sleep Gift Set to test out, and it retails for $99. First off, the packaging is absolutely beautiful and luxurious. The gift box is high quality and thick and has a good weight to it, it's the attention to the small details that lets you know that a company has put thought into everything from start to finish.

Within the box, it contains three of their best-selling products which are:

1) Beauty Sleep Concentrate ~ I really enjoyed this product - it was very lightweight and absorbed very quickly to the skin. It didn't feel heavy and was not overly scented where it affected my sleep. This product is said to help combat the appears of fine lines and wrinkles and I use this at night only before sleeping so that there is ample time for it to work it's magic. When I wake up the next day I just splash my face with water (no soap) and still, my skin feels soft and hydrated - it's said to moisturize up to 24 hours. 

This concentrate, as mentioned on the site contains "arcissus tazetta bulb extract, a smoothing tri-peptide and antioxidant-rich nourishing grape seed oil, for skin that looks and feels beautifully moisturized, replenished and recharged." Of course, it also contains a blend of their essential oils that relaxes you and melts your stresses away into dream land.

I really enjoyed using this at night it helped me to sleep easier and eased my tension and woes from always being worried about baby. I mean, I still worry but I felt like I got a better quality of sleep because I could instantly drift off being so relaxed. 

2) Beauty Sleep Bath Milk ~ it contains organic essential oils that infuses into your skin as you soak in the bath that leaves it soft and hydrated. 

3) Beauty Sleep Body Butter ~ A thick and emollient and ultra hydrating moisturizer (you can just see how thick it is in the image below) it does not move at all - it contains essential fatty acids, Vit A + E to condition my dry alligator skin as well as the essential oil blend that Neal's is known for to help you calm and relax at the end of the day. Again, I use this at the end of the day (before bed) and before I put on my PJ pants to just give it time to sink it.

The product that I am most interested to try is their pillow mist though they just have TONS of products to try out I really would love to try anything :)

Until next time, XO - M.

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

Wet n Wild, has been a drugstore brand that has been around for so many years - I remember even seeing it when I was in high school and that's quite a man years back (let's not go into specifics here!). Anyways, they have done an excellent job in the past year reformulating their products - for e.g. eyeshadows, highlighters etc. In addition they have launched new product as well - more modern and updated items like their foundation as well as these pro brushes that are both beautiful, practical and affordable. 

Below you will find the brushes lined up and labelled. I appreciate that even though the brushes are so affordable, that they are still packaged well - individually and in separate boxes that are labelled. In addition the rose gold packaging does not look cheap at all and the bristles are soft and the brushes actually work and serve its purpose. 

There was one brush that I got, the Flat Contour Brush that had two extra long bristles, but that could easily be remedied by trimming them with a pair of small scissors. Nothing about these brushes would actually hinder me from purchasing them or recommending them to people. But for purposes of full disclosure I wanted to share my findings with you. 

 

The most unique brush out of the collection, is the Precision Foundation Brush. As you can see from the right image above, it has a dip in the middle that you can actually dispense your foundation into and apply to the skin. This worked out well for me, as it didn't cause the foundation to sink into the bristles too much and the longer bristles surrounding the dip worked to blend out the foundation to create an airbrushed effect to the skin. 

Overall, for the price of the brushes - these are an excellent purchase! They retail for $69.90 usd for the set, or individually they are all listed as under $10 each. 

Until next time, XO - M.

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

Too Faced Cosmetics has recently released their "It Just Comes Naturally" collection that is completely right up my alley! Those who know me will know that I love a good natural toned make-up palette and lipstick so I was super excited to receive these items to try!

Before, when I received collections from Too Faced I would try my best to sum it all up in one post, but I think I want to try something different this time and separate it into lipstick swatches and then make-up tutorial to make it shorter :) 

To start things off I have swatched 9 of the 10 lipsticks from the Naturally Nudes Lipstick collection. I received all of them except for Nip Slip, which is said to be a toasted caramel shade. These lipsticks are infused with coconut and cocoa butter and is said to be richly pigmented, creamy and gives a natural nude look and lasts for 8 hours. They also retail for $26 cad each and can be purchased on Sephora, Ulta and the Too Faced website. 

I have swatched all the 9 shades below on my arm as well as on my lips so that you can see what they look like on my light/medium neutral skintone. My favorite colors would have to be Strip Search, Girl Code and Overexposed - you?

Thoughts on the lipsticks ~ they are very creamy and will settle a bit onto fine lines which I easily remedied by putting on a balm before applying the lipstick. These lipsticks don't particularly have a scent to them, it just smells like regular lipstick. I wish it had its signature cocoa vanilla-ish scent that would be great! The pigmentation is great and opaque as you can see from the swatches below, it is all just achieved with one swipe on the arm and the lip. It is very comfortable to wear and is weightless on the lips. The lipstick casing is a solid metal one that feels luxe and the outer packaging color matches the lipstick exactly which is great because you can easily see what you're grabbing from your vanity without having to look underneath for the name or opening the lipstick.

Until next time, XO - M

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

New to the Urban Decay Naked Palette series comes the Naked Petite Heat palette, which as the name suggests is the mini version of their previously released Naked Heat palette. I had previously reviewed and created a look with that palette - if you're interested in viewing it - click on the link here. 

With this mini palette, I really enjoy its versatility - I can create a daytime look, as well as easily being able to transition it into a nightime look. I have done both below for you :) This is also a great palette to keep with you in your make-up bag or even to take with you with you're travelling. It's small, compact and light-weight and once again, you get a variety of shades to let you create different looks. 

DAYTIME LOOK:

I used INHALE on my brow bone and inner third of the lid, I buffed VIBRATE onto my crease with a fluffy brush and then focused HOT SPELL into a more defined crease. WILD THING was applied to the center of the lid transitioning to HEIST on the outer V. 

NIGHT-TIME LOOK

I buffed HOT SPELL on the crease line and applied HEIST all over the lid. I took STRIKE to the outer V and also on the lower lash line. 

Here is the palette swatched and as you can see the pigmentation is beautiful and these swatches are with one swipe. It's buttery and smooth and blends like a dream. I highly suggest that you purchase this!

Products used to create this make-up look:

Foundation: DIOR - Forever (030)*

Concealer: Urban Decay - All Nighter Waterproof Full-Coverage Concealer (Light-Neutral)*

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay - Naked Petite Heat Palette*

Eyeliner: Clio - Kill Black Waterproof Liner

Brows: Wet n Wild - Ultimate Brow Retractable*

Blush: Urban Decay - Afterglow 8-Hour Powder Blush (X-Rated)

Lipstick: Urban Decay - Vice Lipstick (Bun Bun)*

Until next time, XO - M

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

First off, I'd like to Thank those of you who showed great feedback on my last mommy post! It's great to know that my personal experiences can help you guys, regardless the number of people :) This post is going to focus on what I found to be helpful to keep in the bedroom, especially in the first few weeks of bringing baby home. 

Dermalogica recently had an event in Toronto celebrating the launch of their two new products, featured here on the blog. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it being a new mom and on mommy duty, however the Dermalogica team was nice enough to pass along the products for my review and consideration on the blog. 

The two new products launched are: 1) Barrier Defense Booster - $101 cad and 2) Calm Water Gel - $65 cad. Both of these products are created to target hydration, but in different ways. One is a liquid moisturizer while the other is the form of an oil. 

The Spring 2018 YSL collection is packed with intense colors that contrast, clash and complement each other depending on how they are used in the palette. You can easily use this as a daytime palette and transition it to a night time one by packing on the darker blues - I have used this two different ways below. 

The packaging itself is bright almost lava-lamp like and of course packed in its golden luxe packaging. It's heavy and contains a full sized mirror for convenience on the go. The shadow palette is pigmented and work well even without an eyeshadow base - the center golden shade acts more like a topper, I patted it in the corner of my eyes in the daytime look and a bit over the center of the lid in the night time look below. 

 

Products used to create the look are listed above. 

Until next time, XO - M.

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

I was recently fortunate enough to be sent a few products from Revlon to try out. I thought that I would focus mainly on the newest item, which is the Insta-Filter Foundation and then use the rest of the products (as much as possible) to create the rest of the look for the before and after shot. On the bottom of the blogpost, I have included a very short review of each product used from Revlon and my thoughts on it!

It's been a hot minute since I have done a nail polish post as I didn't wear any polish during my pregnancy. For those who know me, will know how hard that is - I had comments from my friends and coworkers asking me how I can bare leaving my nails naked for so long! I used to paint my nails every week, sometimes switching shades halfway through the week just for fun! 

Anyways, I thought what better way to come back from my polish hiatus than to share with you some swatches of my personal Essie collection. It's pretty self explanatory so I hope you enjoy the post below :) 

Spring is upon us and I was fortunate enough to receive a few items from the Givenchy Spring 2018 collection to test out and review. The premise of the collection is The Face Atelier - a Tailor Made Makeup Look. There are 5 items total and I received two of them (the glosses are separate).