March Empties!

Even more empties this month as I moved last weekend and decided to purge some items! I'd definitely been holding onto some stuff for too long! There'll likely be another purge soon as well since I'm moving outside of Canada and won't be able to bring much with me! More on that later though!

L to R: Nails Inc. Marylebone, Nails Inc. Chester Street, Nails Inc. Porchester Square, ELF Cream Eyeliner in Copper

Nails Inc. Marylebone: Unfortunately this is hard as a rock, which is too bad because this was a one-coater glitter, and I loved the colour combination of purple, pink, and silver! Life is too short to cry over hardened nail polish, and I have plenty more to use before I pick up a replacement / dupe. Click here to see it in action.

Nails Inc. Chester Street: This was a meh polish for me and I'm not too sad it's turned into a gloopy mess. There are more flattering taupes out there for me to try out!

Nails Inc. Porchester Square: Another hardened Nails Inc. mini, definitely a sign that I just can't use these up quick enough and there might be a flaw in their formula / packaging. This wasn't too flattering on me either.

ELF Cream Eyeliner in Copper: I bought this a few years back for $3, unfortunately it's all dried up and unusable now. I liked the shimmery brown shade, but it did take a few passes to build up opacity. I have too many eyeliners already and will not be replacing this with anything! I don't find myself reaching for a gel eyeliner as much as a pencil.

L to R: Ulta Brilliant Color Lip Gloss in 15, Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pink Afterglow, Martina Lip Balm in Vanilla, Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Maui Mango Mai Tai

Ulta Brilliant Color Lip Gloss in 15: While this wasn't fully used up (it was about 2/3 empty), the container was a sticky mess, so it's being tossed. This was a "my lips but better" lip gloss for me, and I loved the vanilla scent. It was a bit sticky, and there are better glosses on the market so I won't be picking this up again.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in Pink Afterglow: This was only 1/3 empty, but the container was even stickier and messier than the Ulta one. I'd been storing it in it's own ziploc bag for years now and I've decided to clear some space and just toss it! Too much effort to have to wash your hands clean of sticky gloss after using this! This was a glitter bomb high-shine lip gloss. I liked the colour of the gloss, but too much shimmer for 2016 and this is a sticky gloss that tends to migrate all over your face when wearing. Gross. Will not be replacing.

Martina Lip Balm in Vanilla: This was super old and needed to get tossed! While I liked the consistency, the bit of shimmer, and the scent, I'm not a fan of lip balms you use your fingers to apply with! Will not repurchase

Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Maui Mango Mai Tai: I liked this scent! Fruity and tropical!

L to R: Quo Nail Polish Remover Strengthening, Delon Premium Cosmetic Cotton Rounds

Quo Nail Polish Remover Strengthening: This did a great job removing polish. Will likely repurchase

Delon Premium Cosmetic Cotton Rounds: These are my HG cotton pads! Perfect texture, no fluff, good strength! Highly recommend! I found these at Costco so I have about 5 more packs of them to get through!

I used up 7 full-size products and 3 deluxe-size products in March!

What did you use up in March?

Thanks for reading!

February Empties!

Another great month of empties! I'm on a roll!

L to R: Dr. Scholl's Odour Destroyers All Day Deodorant Spray Powder, Secret Clinical Strength Clear Gel with Olay Beauty Anti-perspirant, GlamGlow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment

Dr. Scholl's Odour Destroyers All Day Deodorant Spray Powder: See review here. Have already repurchased!

Secret Clinical Strength Clear Gel with Olay Beauty Anti-perspirant: This is probably my favourite scent and formula from Secret! It just works! And this "Olay Beauty" scent is the most to my liking. Clean without powder!

GlamGlow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment: From this haul. I've been reading rave reviews about GlamGlow for a while now, and with my skin so parched I pulled this out and gave it a go! I got 2 uses out of this packet. This is not a typical mask and shouldn't be treated as such. This is more of a leave on treatment and is probably best to do before bed. I loved the scent of the mask, luxurious and delicious (seriously I considered eating it!), it smells of honey with sweet coffee and something else I can't quite put my finger on. Anyways, after using this treatment my dehydrated skin was soft and rehydrated for 2-3 days afterwards. I also liked how easy this was to use, put it on clean skin and just leave it on. Easy peasy! I will consider buying this once I'm through my mask / treatment hoard.

L to R: Clean & Clear Advantage Blackhead Eraser Scrub, Selection Organic Makeup Remover Pads, Bath & Body Works Peach Bellini Gentle Foaming Hand Soap

Clean & Clear Advantage Blackhead Eraser Scrub: There was nothing special about this facial scrub, it didn't "erase" my blackheads, and I didn't love the cream texture with the exfoliating beads. I prefer Neutrogena Acne Wash Pink Grapefruit. I will not repurchase.

Selection Organic Makeup Remover Pads: Standard no-name brand cotton pads. These are thinner than some, but still do a good job at toning and nail polish removal. Truth be told these are tied for third place cotton pads for me: first is an as yet reviewed Costco brand that will likely be in my March empties post, second is Quo, and tied for third with Selection is Compliments. They do the job and are cheap! Will repurchase if the first and second choices aren't available!

Bath & Body Works Peach Bellini Gentle Foaming Hand Soap: Love the subtle and lingering scent of this BBW soap! It's like fancier peaches! Also who doesn't love a peach bellini - they're pretty much the only decent item at Milestones! Well I like this formula, foaming hand soap doesn't do me any favours during the dry winter months, every time I wash my hands with these I feel the moisture sapped right out of them. I will repurchase, but only during Spring and Summer!

L to R: Buxom Lash Mascara, Orly Top2Bottom, nails inc. Stratford

Buxom Lash Mascara: Same as previous review here. This is from this haul, and I believe I now have no backups of this mascara. I will not repurchase and I will not use my Sephora Lashstash coupon to get the full-size.

Orly Top2Bottom: From this haul. This lasted me a looonnnggg time. And it's the teensiest cutest bottle. I used this primarily as a top coat. But it did a good job of drying quickly, not bubbling, and adding shine! If I didn't have 5 or 6 other bottles of top coat, I would repurchase. I need to use up at least 4 of those bottles before contemplating buying a top coat, so we'll see how this stacks up then!

nails inc. Stratford: From this haul. Sadly this is dried to the bone with no hope of salvaging (plus with 200+ nail polish, this one just isn't special enough to make a trip to a beauty supply outlet to buy nail polish thinner. Harsh but true). This looks more interesting in the bottle than on the nail. As you can see from the NOTD below, it's just a plain old gold on the nail:



Life is too short to keep dried out nail polish, so Stratford is getting the boot!

L to R: Secret Scent Expressions Antiperspirant Va-Va Vanilla, Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner in Vamp, Calvin Klein One

Secret Scent Expressions Antiperspirant Va-Va Vanilla: See review here. Probably won't repurchase.

Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner in Vamp: I bought this for $10 on sale at Sephora a few years ago. Sadly it's dried up and unusable now. It was a unique purpley brown with shimmer in it. It wasn't the creamy gel eye liner I've tried, but it was the most unique colour! I've come to the realization that I just don't reach for gel eye liners as often as my pencil eye liners, so I likely won't repurchase. If you are a gel eye liner aficionado I highly recommend this shade! Perfect for those with brown, green, or hazel eyes!

Calvin Klein One: I received this deluxe size fragrance for Christmas MANY years ago. It took probably more than 5 years to use up. This is why I like fragrance sets better than full-size bottles, fragrance lasts forever! Sephora lists the notes as bergamot, cardamom, fresh pineapple, papaya, jasmine, violet, rose, nutmeg, and musk. I interpret it as more of a citrus-y fresh fragrance. Really reminds me of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. I liked this well enough (even though it wasn't my typical sweet and fruity fragrance), but I have too many perfumes on the go to contemplate buying anything!

L to R: Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Illuminating Beauty Balm, Balea Defrizzing Hair Mask Mandarin & Grapefruit

Stila Stay All Day 10-in-1 HD Illuminating Beauty Balm: From this haul. First up, this is the only shade offered by Stila, and it isn't a one-size fits all situation. It worked nicely for me, and I liked the light coverage it provided, but those with medium or dark complexions would be out of luck. As I mentioned in January, my hoarding situation is out of control, so I will revisit whether or not to repurchase once I've used up 5 face products.

Balea Defrizzing Hair Mask Mandarin & Grapefruit: I bought this on a whim at a Shoppers trip a while back, and finally put it to use! I found this easier to use than I expected (although it's hard to rip open while you're soaking wet in the shower!). I didn't notice an immediate change in my hair - I'd say it's still as frizzy as normal. It smelled divine while I massaged it in - very citrusy and fragrant. The smell did stay while my hair dried naturally, however after blowdrying the scent was gone. Maybe I will venture out and try more hair masks after this one! Will not repurchase, but it's opened my mind to more hair care choices!

That makes the total count 7 full-size products, 5 deluxe-size products, and 2 foil packets! Another great month! Hopefully I can keep this up in March!

What products did you use up in March?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: February 24, 2016

I love the way glitter manis look but boy do you have to work on removing them!

This sparkly NOTD is Sally Hansen Lacey Lilac with Color Club Savoy Nights (from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base, 2 coats of Lacey Lilac and 3 coats of Savoy Nights, and topped it off with Sparitual Multi-Tasker Base and Topcoat.

Love Savoy Nights as it's the perfect silvery blue glitter for cold days! And Lacey Lilac behaves very well!

Thanks for reading!

My Fav NOTD from 2015

Keeping up with the theme of reflecting on 2015, I wanted to pick out my top 10 fav NOTDs from 2015! Again in order from oldest to newest!

Sephora Formula X A+ with nails inc. Old Bond Street (original post). Spunky and fun!

Glam Polish Isengard (original post). Love the name, love the colour, and the holo is breathtaking!

Deborah Lippmann It's Raining Men with Deborah Lippmann Boom Boom Pow (original post). Super classy and can't believe it's a one coater!

Anna Sui Minnie Mouse 300 Nail Colour N (original post). Cute and sweet!

Wet N' Wild Cosmopolitan with butter London Jack the Lad (original post). Surprising that this throwback drugstore polish goes so well with a high end one!

Arcane Lacquer Erudite Charm (original post). Love the name and the combination here!

Sephora by OPI All That Jasmine with Sephora by OPI Havana Dreams with Sephora by OPI Your Wish Is My Command (original post). A super summery skittlette NOTD, plus Your Wish Is My Command has to be one of my favourite colours!

Deborah Lippmann Through The Fire (original post). Classic and elegant. Love.

Color Club Lady Holiday with nails inc. George Street (original post). Color Club Lady Holiday makes the Fav list again! I just love this grey polish, so versatile and understated!

Seche Nostalgic with Julep Judi (original post). Another one-coater makes the list! Vampy purples (or really purples of any kind) are usually my fav once the weather gets cold!

More indies, more single colour NOTDs, more variety in brands! I think 2015 NOTDs were pretty diverse if I do say so myself!

What was your favourite NOTD for 2015?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: October 3, 2015

A very fall-appropriate mani! I started with NYC Matte Me Crazy, and then 2 coats each of Julep Sawyer (from this haul) and nails inc. Oxford Street (from this haul). I then topped it all off with Orly Top2Bottom.

I am actually really surprised at how much I like Sawyer, but I do think it would look better with a red or green accent.

Brown nails aren't my thing, and I don't like Oxford Street for that reason.

Do you dig brown nails?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: September 26, 2015

This vampy mani is 2 coats of nails inc. St. Martin's Lane (from this haul) with 2 coats of Deborah Lippmann Good Girl Gone Bad (from this haul).

I think these complement each other nicely! Also both had really nice formulas!

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: September 24, 2015

This is 2 coats of Color Club Lady Holiday (from this haul) with 2 coats of nails inc. George Street (from this haul).

This weekend I inventoried my nail polish stash, and now endeavor to use more of my already tried polish more regularly.

These 2 polish were looking slightly worse for the wear, Lady Holiday is starting to separate (see the darker gray at the bottom) and George Street gets a large amount of clear at the top. Hopefully by identifying these issues sooner I can get enough use out of the polish and maybe even fix them!

How do you keep your polish from thickening/separating?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: April 24, 2015

Today's mani is 2 coats of Lise Watier Topaze (from this haul) with 2 coats of Deborah Lippmann Fashion (from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Wet N' Wild Fast Dry as the topper.

I thought this was a nice but not boring neutral look, just enough shimmer and contrast!

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: March 22, 2015

A nude mani that's suitable for work but not completely boring! This is 2 coats of Nails Inc. George Street with 2 coats of Nails Inc. Chester Street (both from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Wet N' Wild Fast Dry as the top coat.

What do you wear to work?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: February 18, 2015

This is such a winter / cold weather mani! Reminds me of snowflakes on ice! This is 2 coats of nails inc. Trafalgar Crescent. I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Wet N' Wild Fast Dry as the top coat.

What do you think?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: February 12, 2015

In anticipation of the pink and red overload coming on Saturday, here's an alternative to the typical pink. I really love how this turned out!

This is 1 (!) coat of Sephora Formula X A+ with 2 coats of nails inc. Old Bond Street (both from this haul). I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Wet N' Wild Fast Dry as the top coat.

Can I just rave about how beautiful A+ is? And the formula is flawless - I love me one-coaters!

What polish have you found has a perfect formula?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: January 18, 2015

Sometimes, in the bottle 2 polish will look like a good fit, but you can't really until they're on your nails and it's too late. This is a clashy NOTD.

This is 2 coats of Sparitual Can You Dig It? with 1 coat of nails inc. Knightsbridge Road. I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and Wet N' Wild Fast Dry as the top coat.

While this combo doesn't go together, I'm surprised by how much I love Can You Dig It? it's usually not a colour I like on my nails, but somehow this bronzey brown works for me.

I also loved how opaque Knightsbridge Road was!

Have you been shocked by how badly a combination looks together before?

Thanks for reading!

My Fav NOTD from 2014

With the beginning of a new year, I thought I'd take a step back and look at my 10 favourite NOTD looks from 2014!
These are in order by age (oldest to newest)

Color Club Lady Holiday with Color Club Savoy Nights (original post). I love how well these colours paired together!

Julep Amy with Julep Marion (original post). I'm a sucker for blue / teal polish and these are 2 of my favourite in my collection.

Color Club Apollo Star with Essie Lilacism (original post). These 2 were paired together at the last minute, and I love how it turned out!

Sephora by OPI Skinny Jeans with nails inc. Soho Street (original post). I was really impressed with the formula of Skinny Jeans, and Soho Street is one of those versatile glitters.

Julep Millie with Dr.'s REMEDY Deserving Diamond (original post). To me this mani screamed class. I felt positively posh!

Sephora by OPI Your Wish is My Command with nails inc. Marylebone (original post). Your Wish is My Command is such a delicate pretty pink and Marylebone is a super attention grabbing glitter, but they worked well together!

Julep Kayla (original post). Probably one of the most interesting polish I bought in 2014, and I love purple!

nails inc. Devonshire Row with Quo by Orly My Heart is Nuclear (original post). These are both gorgeous colours that flatter my skin tone well.

nails inc. Bond Street with Julep Queen Anne (original post). A freehand attempt at nail art that turned out well!

Quo by Orly Mystic Night with Julep Margot (original post). Red and gold are meant to go together and I was impressed with the formula of both of these polish.

I think it's interesting that I don't like my more standard single colour manis as much, only choosing one single colour mani. But it is interesting the colour and finish variety in this top 10, although they are mostly lighter colours.

What was your favourite mani from 2014?

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: December 11, 2014

This festive mani is two coats of nails inc. St. Martin's Lane and Julep Greta (from this haul). I used Orly Top2Bottom as the base and top coat.

Although in the bottle Greta is more of a red with gold shimmer, on the nail it comes across a dark rose gold, but I'm liking it!

Thanks for reading!

20% Off Sephora Haul

Another Sephora haul! This haul took so long to ship that Sephora credited me 250 points (just enough to keep me happy), this is what I picked up in early November when Sephora was running it's annual 20% off event

L to R: Tocca The Naughty List Rollerball Set, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Cosmetics Color Pencil in Anti-Feathered, Josie Maran Infinity Lip and Cheek Creamy Oil Duo, nails inc. Autumn Winter Collection

I was definitely intrigued to try 3 different scents from a new-to-me brand! The scent descriptions for the Naughty List appealed to me more, being described as more sweet and vanilla than floral. Upon first sniff they're a bit muskier than I'd like, but they just might grow on me!
I love the idea of cream cheek colours and enjoy using Josie Maran's Coconut Gelee formula, so I figured I'd pick up this mini set as well (they're tiny!).
Of course I can never say no to nail polish, and was intrigued by the bright blue and deep burgundy-ish purple in this nails inc. set.
The final item added to my cart was this clear lip liner from OCC, as I've been eyeing clear lip pencils for a while to keep my lipsticks from sliding all around my mouth, and I bit the bullet and decided to start with a good brand whose lip products I've reasonably enjoyed.

Here's a closer look at the products outside of their packaging:

L to R: Cleopatra, Margaux, Colette, Everlasting Honey, Timeless Coral, Regent Street, Old Bond Street, St. Martin's Lane, George Street, Oxford Street, and Kensington Place

Here are the freebies I got:

L to R: Origins GinZing Energy-Booster Moisturizer, Urban Decay Urban Obsessions Set, Becca Ever-Matte Poreless Priming Perfector, Formula X A+, Pharrell Williams GIRL

Here's a closer look at the Urban Obsessions Set:

L to R: Skimp, Bust, Guilt, Oil Slick, bottom is Zero

Overall I think I got good value for my money here! And I'm loving the Urban Decay set!

What did you pick up during this sale?

Thanks for reading!

Sephora Haul!

I noticed a bunch of goodies in Sephora's sale section recently and couldn't resist a haul!

 

 

L to R: Tarte Lipsurgence in Amused, OCC Pro's Picks Lip Tar Set, Korres Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara

 

 

Clockwise from Top: Clear, Radiate, Femme, Electric Grandma, Authentic

 

L to R: Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Balm, Fresh Sugar Lip Polish, Fresh Sugar Shine Lip Treatment, Nails Inc Galaxy in Knightsbridge Road, Formula X in Juju

Everything I bought was on sale at the time, I paid $76 for this haul, and used the VIBFRESH code for the deluxe Fresh products!

I was a bit sad that Sephora did not include the 3 free samples with my order, as at the time I'd picked out Kat von D Makeup Removing Wipes and MUFE Eyeshadow as 2 of my 3 free samples, so I missed out on trying out these products.

All the lip products are quite bright, so I've yet to try them all out, but I'm happy to have a backup Korres mascara, and 2 new and unique nail polish!

I put in my order for the Sephora 20% off sale today and look forward to sharing that with you soon!

Did you pick up anything from Sephora during the sale? What'd you get?

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

NOTD: October 17, 2014

 

A fun sparkly mani! This is two coats of Sparitual Strike a Pose (from this haul) with one coat of nails inc. Electric Lane (from this haul) as the topper. I used NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base and topped this mani with Revlon Multi-Care Base+Top Coat.

 

I was kind of hoping when I picked up Strike a Pose that as the bottle was matte glass that the polish would be of a similar finish - alas that was not true and it's a basic sheerish pink (two coats still has visible nail line). Luckily, this is still different enough from other pinks I own, and I will get use out of it!

 

Thanks for reading!

NOTD: October 14, 2014

 

Another NOTD! This is one of my favourite colours - purple! This is 2 coats of nails inc. Bond Street (from this haul) with Julep Queen Anne (from this haul) on half of my ring finger. I used my NYC Matte Me Crazy as the base coat and topped the mani off with Revlon Multi-Care Base+Top Coat.

 

I really like this Gel formula from nails inc. it was quite glossy on its own, however Queen Anne dried semi-matte so I added a top coat for extra shine and consistency! My one complaint was how dark and vampy this purple was, in the bottle it seems more medium purple and this is almost eggplant in my opinion.

 

Have you tried nails inc.'s new formula? What did you think?

 

Thanks for reading!

September Sephora Haul!

I spent some more money...

 

 

L to R: Lip Tar Metallic Test Tube Role Model (Primer, Pleasure Model, and Role Model), Formula X - The Two Summer (Bionic, At Your Own Risk), nails inc. Trafalgar Crescent, Sephora Collection Colorful Universal Atomizer Amethyst, and Pink Sugar Rollerball

 

L to R: Very Irresistible Givenchy, Kate Somerville HydraClear Hydrating Acne Gel, Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black, Elizabeth and James Nirvana White, Formula X Brainchild, Glamglow Thirstymud, bumble and bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Shampoo and Conditioner

I've been loving the OCC lip tars, pleasure model actually works on my fair skin tone and isn't too light to wash me out completely! I'm loving getting to try a new brand of nail polish - Formula X. I also love that Sephora threw in 2 extra sample packets with my order!

Have you bought anything lately?

Thanks for reading!