Makeup Products and GIVEAWAY!!

Hey guys! So I don't have an outfit post for you today because unfortunately, I went for sushi on Friday night and ended up with a bad case of food poisoning… Needless to say I was in no mood to dress up or go anywhere yesterday and have been in my pyjamas going on two days now. Yesterday I had a friends birthday party at Eat My Martini on College street and couldn't make it =( .. boo… feeling a bit better today but not 100% so I figured this would be a good time to do an updated makeup routine/post!

I have tried and rediscovered many new products…

Top 15 for February:

1. Rimmel Mascara (Max Volume..the pink tube) – This mascara makes my lashed really think and long ..it rivals my L'Oreal voluminous (which is still my favourite but this comes very close). The only problem I have with this is that the brush is so big that I tend to get mascara on my upper eyelid when applying it which can be annoying. Then I have to go in with a q-tip and makeup remover to fix it. Overall, for the price it is a GREAT product.

2. Clinique Dramatically different lotion for dry skin- I use this EVERY morning before I put on my makeup. I love the fact that it tries in about 30 seconds and then I can continue with my makeup application. My skin just drinks it up! If you have oily skin, you should try the gel formula of this product.

3. Clinique High Impact eye shadow in Foxy- OMG …I have totally neglected Clinique’s makeup line because in my eyes….they have always been about skincare to me…BUT I got this tester shadow in the colour foxy and find myself wearing it everyday to work! It is the perfect satin taupe neutral colour that matches with almost anything!

4. Mac Fix Plus – I have been spraying this on my face before I apply my favourite Revlon Colorstay foundation and then using the sponge you see in the picture above to blend it out for a more flawless finish. I also love using this to spray my face after I have applied all my makeup and it takes away any “caki-ness” you have from applying powder or powder blushes on your face. It seems to make my makeup last longer as it functions to set all my makeup. It is very pricey but a product that I am really liking so far ($21.50 CDN).

5. MAC Ever Hip lipstick- This is from the Liberty of London collection that was recently launched…I LOVE the white packaging and design- so cute! They did a great job on this line with the cool packaging… anyways, when I saw this colour in the store I was a little intimidated. It looked like a dark coral colour that I though would be garish on my pigmented lips. The SA encouraged me to try it so I did and LOVED it. It is such a light, creamy coral pink colour that is perfect for summer spring. I will be wearing this a LOT and its a switch up from the usual pink and nude lippies I tend to gravitate towards.

6. Mac Painterly Paint pot- I am almost hitting the pan on this thing from using it so often. It is a great base for eye shadows as well as on its own to give you a more awake appearance. I have a lot of little red veins on my eyelids and this cancels them all out- great product and lasts a super long time so its worth the investment in my opinion.

7. Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte lipstick in #7 (Lingerie pink) – remember how MAC snob was and still is one of my holy grail favourite liptick colours?! well this is my absolute FAVOURITE now….it is EXTREMELY pricey at about $45 cdn (I think) but the formula is so creamy it glides on my lips, the colour is the perfect pink (very bright so not for the faint at heart) and the packaging is so luxurious- I love the fact that it comes with a mini mirror on the top lid. I have been eyeing this for about a year and after reading all the rave reviews etc I caved. This is one product that when I run out…I will keep on buying. It is THAT amazing.

8. Lash Serum by L'Oreal- I was sent this product to test out and have been using it for a week and a half. It says you need to use it for about four weeks to start seeing results. So far I have noticed that I have less eyelash fallout when I remove my eye makeup at night and although this may sound weird, I have more eyelash growth above my lash line (little babies are starting to sprout). They also seem more conditioned…it says you can also use it as a primer before mascara but I don't like it for this purpose – I find that it makes my eyelashes look spidery. It also leaves a residue but that washes off when you wash your face in the morning. So far for the price/value I am liking this product. I will do another before and after update soon!

9. Lancome Subtle Fluff cream blush- I bought this at a makeup sale a little while ago for $3 and am loving the healthy light flush it gives my cheeks. I am starting to get into cream blushes…I think they are more youthful looking. I don't know if they still make this product? Might have been discontinued?

10. Lancome effacernes concealer- I have tried many concealers including drugstore, Dior etc.. and this is still my fave- can use it for under eye and to cover pesky spots. I don't find it to crease or look cakey.

11. Gosh Darling lipstick in #134- Loving this perfect creamy nude colour- my number one fave for sure- even over my Mac ones ;) …to my Canadians; you can pick this up at most Shoppers Drug Mart locations

12. Hoola Benefit bronzer- Got this in a gift package from Sephora – It is a great matte bronzer ..I was using MAC’s matte bronze before which is a lot cheaper but I find that this gives me a more natural and less orange bronze look. I dont know if I would repurchase yet because I don't really like the cardboard box it comes with and its a whopping $36 on its own (I got it in a package with a bunch of products for $44)

13. PURE creamy white eye pencil- I LOVE this for my waterline. Usually when apply white to my waterline it either doesn't show up or fades in about 10 minutes- this actually works! White is great to give you a more wide eyed and awake look. I have been using this quite often and would definitely repurchase. The whole PURE line is actually quite amazing! A tad pricey but Rexall was having a crazy sale a little while ago so I picked up a few things. Giving one of these away to you guys too!

14. Benefit High Beam- Great highlighter for the cheekbones (got this in a gift set as well) – I also like to use it on my brow bone sometimes to add a little shimmer. I would repurchase this just because I love the glowey effect it gives – I am just not sure if I love the nail polish looking applicator! haha…. my brother asked me why I was putting nail polish on my face the last time I used it!

15. MAC Blanc Type eye shadow- This has become my new Holy Grail highlighter for my brow bone- i LOVE this shade. It is a matte 2 eye shadow by MAC which means its super creamy and glides like butter on your skin. No shimmer so its perfect to pair with my Urban Decay palettes that are ALL shimmer… If you are looking for the perfect matte/non-shimmer eye shadow …. try this!!

And now on to the GIVEAWAY!!….

As you all know, I love a pretty pink lip and Smokey eyes SO ….I picked up a few PURE brand products for you guys (I think they are only available in the UK and Canada as far as I know but I could be wrong). They come in the same sort of packaging as NARS products.

The Giveaway Lineup includes:

1. Pink Lipstick in Flamingo

2. PURE white creamy eye pencil (My fave eyeliner for the waterline!)

3. Duo eye shadow in The Opposite (black and pearly white)

4. Annabelle duo blush in Joue Bijou- great Canadian brand drugstore product!

What do you need to do to Enter the Giveaway??

1. You MUST be a follower to my blog (I will check)

2. You must tell me your favourite product of all time in the comments section (if you don't wear makeup, please do not enter as I would like this set to go to someone who really appreciates it!).

3. You may in addition do a similar post to your blog about your favourite products and link it to this contest – send me the link in the comments section and that will count as an extra entry. Please be sure to tell me your favourite product in one comment and then a separate comment for the link to your blog (that will count as two entry’s for you)

I will then use a random number generator which corresponds to your comment(s) to pick the winner. Duplicate comments/entries will be disqualified.

Contest closes in two weeks from today =)

Best of Luck!!