Too Faced Christmas in New York: The Chocolate Shop

 Okay... so I know I haven't posted in nearly 2 years! But today I just had a huge urge to make a post on this Too Faced gift set that I received for Christmas. This set is way too pretty to not take photos of. The pink packaging and New York theme of Too Faced's 2016 Christmas collection is too die for.

 I love all of the detail in the packaging.

 The set comes with an eye primer, a mascara, a liquid lipstick and a palette with 21 eye shadows, a highlighter, bronzer, and a blush!

 The Better Than Sex mascara is my absolute favorite and I have been wanting to try the melted lipstick for a while! Plus I am always needing eye primer.

 18 of the eye shadows are 0.03 oz. and 3 are 0.07 oz. There is an amazing variety of shade, many which are perfect for the holiday and many are perfect for everyday. Each shadow has a unique holiday themed name. The blush is the most unique shade of blush I've ever seen! I forgot to mention the entire palette as well as the liquid lipstick have a decadent chocolate scent.

 From left to right: Sugared Raisin, Huckleberry, Jingle Berry, Banana Date, Butterscotch, Gingerdoodle (I think..!), then the Innerlight luminizer, and the Chocolate Covered Strawberry blush.

The pigmentation varies between the shadows and for the most part they have a fair pigmentation. They aren't as pigmented as I hoped but I assume using a primer would boost the color payoff.

 The lipstick isn't matte (I love matte) but I actually do not mine the slight gloss. The color is a bit too orange-based for me but I will continue to give it a go.

Sephora Lash Stash To Go

 I haven been anticipating this review for quite some time now. I found this set at Sephora a few months ago for $30! I got one of these from Shopper's drug mart a year or two ago and it was great. The set comes with 5 deluxe sized mascaras with a coupon for a full sized of your favorite. I had nothing to lose since I knew I liked the Lancome mascara. I had also heard amazing things about Too Faced's Better Than Sex.

 My favorite so far is the Better Than Sex Mascara. I honestly like them all except the Blinc one. 

Tarte's Lights Camera Lashes has a nice plastic wand that really amps up length and adds good volume. I really like this one!

Josie Maran's Argan Black Oil Mascara gave a less dramatic volume which was just perfect for daily wear. I really enjoyed this one as well. 

I already know I love Lancome's Hypnose Drama and all of the volume it gives me.

Blinc's waterproof mascara didn't do much for me. It barely coats my lashes and doesn't give me the volume I crave. It would be good for a pool day though!

Lastly, Tarte's Better Than Sex mascara was my favorite! It gave a very sultry volume. it was slightly clumpy but I found I was able to work with it quite well. I can definitely see myself choosing to redeem this one!

That's all! Sorry that I don't have photos of the mascara on my eyes.

I just wanted to mention that I won't be posting quite as often this month. I have been really busy lately and I feel like I need to take a little break. Hopefully in the Fall I can sort myself out and bring lots more high quality posts! But for now I'll be posting about every 2-3 days. I really didn't want to quit my blog all together so I'm hoping this is a good compromise!

Nars Lip Pencils ~ Sephora Birthday Gift

Hello there! Sephora has an exciting free birthday gift this year for Beauty Insiders. During your birthday month you can redeem a free set of 2 mini NARS lip pencils which is a pretty good deal if you ask me! For a free gift, the packaging is so nice and the samples are a fair size.

 The set comes with a red Velvet Matte Lip Pencil and a nude Satin Lip Pencil. Each full size retails for $31 CA. The nude is a nice wearable shade however the red is quite a bold statement.

One big flaw about these are that they do not twist up. I still haven't figured out a way to get any more product out since I am almost out of the nude shade. If anyone has any idea please leave them below!

The red seems to last a lot longer than the nude since it is matte and glossy shades tend to wear of faster. they do last an average time for lip products though.
The shape of the pencil allows for really easy application.

The color payoff on the red is amazing! It is so opaque and creamy. The shade is really the perfect red! The nude is a bit less opaque but still noticeable.
As far as I've seen they don't really bleed but I haven't worn he red for more than 5 minutes.

 This shade is quite wearable and a new favorite of mine!

I love the red matte shade but I don't really have any occasion to wear it!

That is about all for today!

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer ~ Review

 Happy Spring everyone! It sure doesn't feel much like Spring here, since it just snowed on Friday but I hope you are all having a brighter Spring. I realized that I haven't even reviewed my new favorite face moisturizer, so that's what today's post is!

I bought this Ultra Repair kit at Sephora on Boxing day last year and I am so glad that I did. This is actually still on the website, and I believe it's limited edition so grab it while you can! It was $53 with a value of $110. I had always wanted to try something from this brand so it was the perfect opportunity to save $57.

This face moisturizer is a lot thinner than most face creams I've tried. I think that's mainly why I enjoyed it so much. I only use it in the mornings and it wear great under my makeup. It blends Into my skin really easily and seconds later it has set. After it sets, my skin feels smooth and not sticky and it's really for makeup! This has made my skin feel really healthy and smooth. it doesn't dry it out or make it tight. it also hasn't broken me out which is great!
The moisturizer itself retails for $30 which is quite pricey, however I loved it so much I would definitely consider repurchasing.

RATINGS

Moisture: 10/10
Texture & wear: 10/10
Price: 7/10
Would I repurchase?: Quite possibly
Would I recommend?: YES!
Overall: 9/10

That's about it! Enjoy the week ahead! :)

OPI Trend on Ten

I've never really tried many OPI polishes before, so receiving this as a Christmas gift was the perfect opportunity. I had always been a China Glaze fan but recently noticed their polishes not lasting as long on me. This little gift set comes with 10 mini OPI polishes. There's a slight variety to the shades however they are mostly red & pink.

After trying a few of these polishes, I fell in love. The formula applies so nicely and smooth. I didn't notice any chipping until the 2nd or 3rd day and my nails usally chip within the 1st.

The thing I wasn't too fond of in this set was the abundance of reds. Red nails look great but they are the MOST work ever! They are so difficult to apply and perfect and removing the polish is a NIGHTMARE. This set came with 4 red polishes and 1 super dark purple that is almost black. Other than that, I really like the set. 

I actually already had one of these shades (Lincoln Park After Dark) in full sized so it was perfect to compare. The minis in this set are quite small. I've only used some of them once so I can't say how long they last but I can't see them lasting longer than 2-4 uses. Most of the polishes need about 2 coats.

This would be great as one gift or to split up as two! This was their holiday 2014 kit but I believe it is still available on some sites and in some stores. I actually saw some on clearance at Winners the other day.

The shades I've tried are Haven't The Foggiest, Bubble Bath, Tickle My Francey, Princesses Rule! & Lincoln Park After Dark.

My favorites are Tickle My Francey and Haven't The Foggiest. Tickle My Francey is the perfect mauve neutral shade. It is such a smooth shade that works with any outfit and season.

 Haven't The Foggiest

(Chipped) Bubble Bath. Accent: Princesses Rule!

Overall, I think this set it great for anyone wanting to try some OPI polishes. I believe it costs around $20 which isn't bad for 10 polishes.

I would definitely recommend this if you can still get your hands on it! If you can't get this kit definitely try out some OPI polishes.

Tarte Bon Boyage Collectors Set ~ Review

I have been waiting to share this review for what feels like ages. For large gift sets like this, I like to take my time trying out the products so that I can share my full feelings on them. I received this as a Christmas gift and was ecstatic the moment I opened it. I had been eying it for a while and I couldn't be happier with it. It comes with 2 full sized products, 4 samples, an eyeshadow palette and a makeup bag! The amount of stuff in this set is insane! I know this set is no longer available however all of the products (minus this exact palette) are available. This is going to be a long one so get comfy!

The packaging of the whole things is absolutely stunning. the gold, lavender and pale blue compliment each other perfectly.

Full-sized LipSurgence Lip Tint (romantic), Full-sized LipSurgence Lip Gloss (Visionary), Mini Lights , camera, lashes mascara, Mini Cheek Stain (Muse), Mini Maracuja oil, Mini Smooth Operator finishing powder

 I found the LipSurgence Lip Tint to be super moisturizing! It applied as smoothly as a lip balm and felt like one too. I was surprised to see the pigmentation of a lipstick with the texture of a balm. After a while of wearing it, the softness went away and I was left with stained lips. So the color lasted fairly long but the moisture did not. I really liked this product! 

9/10

Left: Lip tint, Right: Lip Gloss

 The gloss was alright. It barely lasted an hour on my lips. It was very difficult to apply due to the indent in the applicator. I wasn't able to get much product on my lips with each swipe. The gloss smelled nice and I liked the color but that's about it.

7/10

 

 I loved the mascara! It gave a ton of volume and length. Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of my lashes. It separated them perfectly while still adding so much volume. I would definitely consider purchasing the full-size.

9/10

 I don't wear blush since my cheeks are already so red (not a nice red however) but I found this cheek stain quite wearable. It's not your typical pink or red, it's more of a shimmery mauve/peach shade. It's a bit difficult to blend out and a little goes a long way. It looks very natural and draws light to my cheekbones.

8/10

 I haven't really seen any super special results with this oil. I apply it to my face once a week on my spa night. It's okay but I haven't noticed much skin difference. I will definitely continue to use it though.

6/10

I really loved this powder. I'm not usually a fan of loose powder but this worked wonders. I've been using it under my eyes and it makes my skin so smooth and soft. It looks flawless and airbrushed on my skin. I would definitely repurchase this!

9.5/10

 From Left to right, top to bottom: Palace of Versaille, Moulin Rouge, I think I Cannes, my own Cotes du Rhone, boudoir noir, fall in Louvre, Provence upon a time, Eiffel for you, too haute to handle, Bastille in the night, Chantilly Lace, merci you later, no Champagne no gain, take on Bordeaux, French Riviera, c'est la vie, Marseille the word, play Nice, on a good Notre Dame, Le Cordon Bleu

These eyeshdaows were great! They are so pigmented and the colors are amazing. They are msotly matte shades which create the most beautiful looks. Each row can be made into a different eyelook or ou can mix and match. The shadows make blending so easy. My Favorite shades are Moulin Rouge (2nd shade 1st row), I think I Cannes (3rd shade 1st row), Eiffel for you (3rd shade 2nd row), c'est la vie (1st shade, 4th row).

9/10

Overall I would give this set a 9/10. I absolutely love it and can see myself using all of the products for a long time. I would love to try some more Tarte products in the future!