Too Faced Primed & Poreless Face Primer review

First off, I have to say I'm a huge fan of Too Faced. I'm a sucker for packaging and pink things and Too Faced has both! I first tried this face primer as a sample after getting my 100 points at Sephora. I loved it and decided to fork out for the full size.

Too Faced Primed & Poreless Face Primer promises to smooth and prime the skin for foundation. Sephora sells it for $38 Cdn for 28g (1oz) so a bit on the pricey side.

The description says "this one-of-a-kind, matte makeup primer is scientifically formulated to wear under bronzers and foundation powders or alone to achieve the look of flawless skin without makeup! Vitamins A & C, Mulberry extract and a powerful dose of Retinol, virtually banish pores. Tired skin is left hydraged, firmer and detoxified thus creating the perfect canvas to allow powders, bronzers and foundations to airbrush onto the skin seamlessly. Skin appears brighter, fresher and younger. Color stays true and in place all day."

It can be used alone or under bronzer and makeup.

I've been using this primer for about a month now and I have to say I love it! It glides onto my skin and feels so soft. It starts off as a light beige colour, but once rubbed into the skin, is completely clear. And it feels super soft on my face! Afterwards, putting my liquid foundation on is a breeze! Definitely would repurchase.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (took off for the price haha)

Urban Decay De-Slick Mattifying Gel & Powder

Whew it's been awhile since I last posted. It's been a busy month. Oops! But anyways...
 

Mattifying Gel & Powder- front



This past weekend I picked up the Urban Decay De-Slick in a Tube mattifying gel ($34.00 CDN) and De-Slick mattifying powder ($36.00 CDN). Luckily I had Sephora's $20 off a $40+ purchase VIB coupon, otherwise it would have been even more pricey!

  

Mattifying Gel & Powder- back

The gel promises to "banish greasy zones and take control of oil. Our lightweight gel keeps skin matte in any 'heated' situation. Performs anywhere and anytime - dab it on all day for touch-ups without ruining your perfectly applied makeup. Works great on naked skin or under foundation. Stay shine-free on the go. Just don't go out without it."

The gel is 20mL (0.67 fl. oz) and is a white gel. It dries to a clear matte finish. I wouldn't recommend using it as a mattifying face primer though. I didn't find it forms a smooth enough surface to spread liquid foundation on top. I think it would work if you put it underneath your regular face primer though.

The powder states that "this lightweight, shine-stopping powder blots oil and keeps shine at boy. Try De-Slick on naked skin or over makeup. Our formula contains super lightweight rice powder, so you won't feel it, but you'll see the shine-free results. AND it works on every skin tone from dark chocolate to palest porcelain, invisibly." 

The compact contains 11.4g (0.30 oz). The powder is a very sheer white powder and has a slight minty smell -  almost spearmint like.

I used the powder today (applying it with my EcoTools retractable kabuki and so far I'm liking the results. I still need to blot after the 5-hour mark but I did notice a difference in oil build up.

I didn't want to use both products at once, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to tell which one was working or not.

Tomorrow I'll try out the mattifying gel and hopefully it will be as good as the powder.

Dec 6th Update: Tried the gel over makeup today. Once I rubbed it in, my skin instantly mattifed! But my skin did feel tighter for a little while. And I noticed on my cheeks where I had put more gel, there was a white cast of powder. 

Sigma Brushes Haul

My Sigma Makeup brushes arrived today! I ordered them on October 19 and they arrived exactly 2 weeks later, which isn't too bad considering they were shipping from the US to me in Canada.

I ordered two items: Synthetic Face Kit (consisting of 3 brushes) and the Hollywood Glamour Flat Top Retractable Kabuki - Purple brush.

The package arrived nicely packaged with the brushes, an info card and a free brush (a travel version of the E25 brush):



First impressions:

All the brushes are super soft! They're comparable to my EcoTools and Elf brushes which I love. I didn't, however, expect the F80 (flat top kabuki) and F82 (round top kabuki) to be so small. From the site photo, I guess I was expecting almost a bronzer size brush. They look bigger in the online photo. I would say the circumference size is about the size of a Canadian loonie (a little bigger than a quarter). I did realize I didn't have any smaller kabuki brushes so these two will come in handy.

Comparing the retractable kabuki (left) with the F80 flat top kabuki (right), the retractable would definitely be bigger but I find the F80's bristles to be more dense. The barrel on the retractable also feels a little loose. Some bristles on my F80 were a little bent from the plastic cover when I received it which I'm a little sad about.

Overall a great first impression. I can't wait to start using them. If there's any changes, I'll post an update.

Disclaimer: All of these brushes were purchased by me using my own money.

MAC Fix + vs. Model in a Bottle vs. Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray

Having oily skin, I'm always looking for new products to lock my makeup in for the day. Today I'll be comparing the three makeup sprays:
MAC Fix +, Model in a Bottle and Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray.
I originally thought MAC Fix + was a finishing spray but after watching EnKoreMakeup's informational video about Facial Sprays part 1 and part 2 I now know better and it's actually a setting spray. Why MAC would name the spray Fix + instead of Finishing + would be beyond me haha.

Basically there are three different types of sprays: a Refresher Spray, Setting Spray, and Finishing Spray. A refresher spray is more or less like water in a spray water and used to moisturize your face throughout the day and used for a quick pick-me-up. A setting spray fuses all the layers of your makeup together and a finishing spray locks in all the makeup and keeps everything in place.

I've originally been using MAC Fix + to lock in my makeup but realize that by mid-afternoon my liquid foundation (although set with a powder) would be half sliding off my face (it costs about $25 CDN for 100 mL/3.4 fl oz. and has a light clean smell to it. It drys quickly).
This started my research and search for a different product. I ordered Model in a Bottle online for $18 USD + $7.10 shipping to Canada (coupon code "FF20" by the way gives you 20% off the product). The bottle is 2.0 fl oz/60 mL and says it's good for 300 sprays. I couldn't use it for more than five sprays! The smell was overwhelming and super perfume-like! The website does warn that it has a smell but I didn't expect such a strong odor. The sensitive formula is suppose to have a lighter scent but I haven't tried it. For the original version, imagine the smell to be like an old bottle of perfume- that was what it smelt like for me. As well when I sprayed it on, it felt like my face was burning! The one perk I would give it is the bottle and packaging of the product. The bottle looks very slim and elegant.

With Model in a Bottle disappointedly rejected, I went to my nearest Sephora store to pick up the Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray. It cost $35 CDN for 118 mL/4.0 fl oz. I must say this works a lot better for me as a finishing spray. However it claims to lock makeup in place for 16 hours. With my oily skin, I wouldn't say it lasts that long for me- more like 5 to 6 hours. The smell is definitely not as strong as Model in a Bottle and smells "fresher". However for $35, I would have appreciated UD to package it using a prettier bottle than just a standard spray bottle with a label on it. It also feels like the bottle just splashes your face with liquid. A lot comes out of one spray so use two to three all over and you're good to go! If you don't want to wait for it to dry, take a folder or something to fan your face haha.   

After using the three different sprays, my makeup routine now consists of after I apply my powder, I stipple Fix + on and then spray UD's All Nighter spray over top. It seems to do the trick for me and at least helps my makeup last longer than just the morning.

Squishables: Giant, Round Stuffed Animals of Fuzzy Goodness

So my fourth blog post and I've already deviated from Style & Beauty topics. Oops but these little (actually far from it) are the cutest things ever and I just had to write a blog post about them.

They're called Squishables and these big, round balls of fluff is the brain child of company founders, Zoe and Aaron. When they were in Asia, they bought similar plush and didn't think nothing of them. When they got back home, all their friends wanted the toys too so Zoe and Aaron started designing their own and that was how the company was born.

I came across the site by accident via someone's tweet and have since purchased a Squishables Shark. It might be a popular choice because they seem to always be out of stock haha. Typically each plush is $38 USD but some that are a little bigger, like the Octopus or Tortoise cost slightly more at $44 and $42 respectively. Since I live in Canada, I had to ship it via UPS or FedEx Ground for $18 for one squishable (USPS Express Mail would cost US$36). But I believe they have the occasional coupon code and I had used one when I purchased my shark so I think my total came to about $50. I had also purchased the Tortoise for a friend.

The shark is super soft and huggable! Unfortunately he's packed away right now due to home renos but I'll definitely post pics when the dust settles out. I don't want to get him all dusty. Being an Android fan, I'm now eyeing the Android plush. Squishables is on Twitter, as well as Facebook. I know they also have the occasional eBay auction for new arrivals. I'll definitely be waiting to purchase another one as soon as a new coupon code pops up!

GUESS List Members Event

Like many loyal shoppers, I have a discount card at various stores. One of these companies is GUESS. I'm a big fan of their stuff but depending on the season, find their stuff to be hit or hit- sometimes a little too "urban" for my taste. I received a postcard from them in the mail last week notifying me of a private members shopping event this week: Tuesday October 19 to Friday October 22, 2010.

As a GUESS List member, during those four days you get 25% off full price merchandise (with a $5 donation to Habitat for Humanity) and 50% off sale merchandise. It's free to become a member and they email/send you notices for future sales. This event will open up to new members on the weekend (Saturday and Sunday October 23 and 24). In the fine print, this offer is only available at regular GUESS stores and not at their factory/outlet stores. I haven't seen anything on their website notifying people of the current promotion going on either but they might put a notice up this weekend when the sale opens up to basically everybody.

That said, I went and picked up this awesome hot pink "leather" jacket called "GUESS Scarlett" at the West  Edmonton Mall location. It's a little cropped jacket with an asymmetrical zipper. There's also side pockets, a front zippered pocket and zippered sleeves. Best part it was on sale from $118 Cdn to $108.99 and it was 50% off from the sale price. I ended up getting it for about $55 before taxes. What a bargain!

The jacket also comes in black but I probably already have three black leather jackets so I figured it was time to add a pink one to the mix. I think I'll be pairing it with some neutral pieces and wear this for some pop! If you're a GUESS fan, definitely check out this sale in your area! You just need to present your GUESS membership card or phone number.

Body Shop Baked Eye Colour/Eye Shadows

A couple weeks ago, Body Shop had a promotion: buy 2, get 1 free or buy 3, get 2 free. Being the sucky for deals that I am, I ended up buying 5 of their new baked eye shadows. Normally, each shadow cost $16 Cdn but with the deal, I paid $48 for the 5 which works out to be just under $10 each. I also have their Love Your Body loyalty card which gives me 10% every purchase I make. All in all not a bad haul.

There was 8 shades and the 5 I picked up were: Copper (brown), Jade (dark green), quartz (pink), sapphire (blue) and amethyst (purple).
The other colours they had were: Moonstone (silver/black), Sage (lighter green/black) and Starlight (white/black).

This was about 2 weeks ago and I definitely find myself reaching for the pink and purple compacts the most. The pink is absolutely gorgeous! Colour payoff I would say is alright but when I use a creme shadow underneath, then the colours really pop! I would definitely recommend them when under promotion.

Speaking of- their current promo is buy 2, get the 3rd product for 76 cents (in recognition of their establishment date back in 1976).

Take a look at their site for more info http://www.thebodyshop.ca/bakedeyecolour.html But for whatever reason, they're only selling 3 of the 8 colours online: copper, moonstone and jade (which came out earlier this year). The other 5 are still not online yet so you'll probably have to go to your nearest store for those.

Welcome to my Blog (aka: my first post)

Hi everyone! So I finally decided to start myself a blog. I guess the first thing I should do is to tell you a little bit about myself.

I’m a recent university graduate and live in Edmonton, AB in Canada. For shopaholics, this is probably the Canadian city that’s most famously known for “The Mall”- aka- West Edmonton Mall, currently the largest shopping mall in North America. I’ve lived in this city my entire life but have done my fair share of travelling, including to the US, Europe and Asia. I’m 100% Chinese and known as a CBC (Canadian Born Chinese). I graduated from the University of Alberta with a major in Marketing (guess that’s the norm for those who love shopping and want to make a career out of it) and have been working full-time as a Marketing Specialist ever since.

With studying, finals and papers all behind me, I finally decided to jump on the blogging band wagon and try my hand at it. I’ll mostly be blogging about my personal interests which includes beauty products, makeup reviews and of course shopping. I love a good deal and can often be found at the mall at least once a week. Can’t wait to share it all with you all! Stay tuned!