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.

LORAC PRO Palette

 I had wanted to try out the LORAC PRO Palette for a while now. I've never seen it anywhere in Canada so when I found it in Kohls in Vegas I bought it. I believe it was $42 or something like that. The shades are all neutral. Half a matte and half a shimmery. The colors all compliment each-other nicely so I thought I could make some nice looks with it.

 

 It also came with a mini eye primer which I actually really enjoy!

 The shades are all quite pretty. They are fairly pigmented but not as much as I expected. I feel like a need to layer them a bi before I get my desired look. The are fairly bendable.  I must say, I do prefer my NAKED 2 palette.

It was a nice change for my eyeshadow collection. Althought if I could go back, I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Overall I'd give this a 7/10.

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 Cream

I'm finally down to the last review from the First Aid Beauty set. Today's post is all bout their Ultra Repair cream which I have loved since I first used it! I love the packaging on all of their products. This jar of cream is fairly large so I can see it lasting a while. It isn't very scented which is s good thing. Especially when you apply lotion all over your body, it can be way to overpowering if it's scented.

I have quite sensitive skin and this works really well with that.

This makes my skin so soft! It's a super thick body butter consistency and it applies so nicely. After a few minutes it soaks in. I usually use this after a shave my legs and it makes the world of difference. I don't really have a ton so say about this other than it's a really luxurious body cream that would be a great item to splurge on. This size retails for $37 CA which is really quite a lot, however once in a while it's a nice treat. 

I think the set I purchased this in was really a great opportunity since I honestly probably wouldn't spend nearly $40 on this. 

RATINGS:

Packaging: 10/10
Price: 6/10
Hydration: 9/10

Scent: 9/10

Would I repurchase?: It's possible 

Would I recommend?: Yes, if you're willing to pay the price!

Overall: 9/10!

Have a great day :)

First Aid Beauty Ultra Lip Therapy

 

 Hello! I decided to review another product from my First Aid Beauty set. This time I'm reviewing the Ultra Repair Lip Therapy! I love the packaging on this how it is a squeeze tube, it sets it apart from other lip balms. 

At first, it was super creamy and moisturizing and had a really nice super slightly minty scent. After a few months it separated and it quite liquid-y. I found that happened with another squeeze tube lip balm I had. Other than that I really enjoyed it

It was quit moisturizing and lasted a fair amount of time. I enjoy the scent because it isn't too minty but it is the perfect amount.

I don't have too much else to say since it is only a lip balm so that is about it!

 

Have a good day/night!

Soap & Glory Suagr Crush Body Buttercream

It's been a while since I have found a body butter with a scent I've been in love with. I received this Body Buttercream by Soap & Glory for my birthday a week or two ago and as soon as I smelled it, I knew it was a new favorite. This body butter smells exactly like a lemon lime soda, it's amazing! The scent lingers too! It's not too overwhelming but it's still noticeable!

Not only is the lotion amazing, the packaging is adorable! The pink and green go together perfectly to make a super fun and bright look!

The body butter is similar to the ones from Victoria's secret, where it's a bit spongy at the touch but blends into the skin nicely. It doesn't last super long on my hands, however when I apply after shaving, my legs feel flawless! I would completely recommend this. I can't wait to try more from the Sugar Crush line since all of the products smell so amazing!

RATINGS

Moisture: 8/10
Scent: 10/10
Packaging: 10/10
Lasting Power: 8/10
Would I repurchase?: YES!
Would I recommend?: FOR SURE!
Overall: 9/10


Have you ever tried this?

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask ~ Review

Hello there! So I thought I'd share another review from the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Head-To-Toe Hydration set. I already reviewed the Face moisturizer here so feel free to check that one out. Today I'm reviewing the face mask from the set.

The set was only $53 however the mask regularly retails for $28. You can get it at Sephora here!

The mask is slightly chunky with a bits of oatmeal but it goes on fairly invisible. After ten minutes, I rinse it off and my face feels quit smooth. It wasn't too much different than other face mask but my skin did feel pretty soft. I did really enjoy this mask since it worked well with my sensitive skin. it was very gentle and had little scent to irritate my skin.

I don't have much else to say, other than that.

RATINGS

 Skin benefits: 8/10

Moisture/repair: 8/10

How it feels: 9/10

Price: 6/10
Would I repurchase?: Possibly
Would I recommend?: Yes!

Overall: 8/10

I hope you enjoyed this review, enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss ~ Hot Shot

Hello there! Today I thought I'd share a review of a gloss I got on Boxing Day last year! it the Bare Minerals Marvelous Moxie Lip Gloss in the shade Hot Shot. It's a very beautiful color and it's a great sized gloss!

To be quite honest, I didn't really like this gloss. I don't think it was plumping, but it felt very tingly and minty which I really didn't enjoy. The color was alright but I really couldn't get over the feeling. it didn't go away either. As long as a wore it, my lips felt tingly and minty. To me, that was very uncomfortable and completely turned me off of the gloss. It was also quite sticky which I also do not enjoy. my lips were sticking together and my hair was getting all caught up in the gloss. The only things this gloss had to offer was the color and I already have another lip gloss with a very similar shade. I bought this on Boxing Day ads one of the $12 or so deals. I gave the blush from the set to my Mum and she said she did not like it either. Oh well, I'm glad a tried it in a set rather than wasting $25 on it full price.

I'm not saying this is a bad lip gloss, this is just my personal opinions. I know some people may really enjoy tingly, sticky glosses and if so, this would be perfect!

The packaging is very pretty and classic and the wand applicator is oddly long. Although the length gives nice application. I noticed this lip gloss also gave off a really high shine which looked really pretty. For a gloss it gave a fairly good color payoff on the lips. It was a nice sheer coral.

RATINGS

Color payoff: 8/10
Wear: 6/10
Feeling/texture: 1/10
Price: 4/10
Would I repurchase?: No
Would I recommend?: If you think you'd like this!
Overall: 4/10

This gloss was just not for me! Have an amazing day everyone!

Redken Pillow Proof Blow Dry Express Primer

 This week has been super hectic for me. I wasn't able to schedule my weekly posts last weekend like I usually do which just added to all of the commotion. I'm still trying my best to get up all of my planned posts so we'll see how it goes! Today I thought I'd review the Redken Pillow Proof Blow dry primer that I received for Christmas. I had tried this product before at the salon and I loved it. My hair is extremely thick and long so I nearly never go to the trouble of blow drying it. Blow drying my hair can take up to an hour without any product, so I tend to avoid it if possible.

 First off, the packaging is really cute. I love the pink theme, it's very girly. The product itself is amazing. I could never have imagined a product like this. When my hairdresser first used this on me, I was super surprised. She blow dried my hair in half the time it usually takes! I knew I needed this product knowing my hair.

All I do to use this is section my hair into 2 or 3 sections, shake the bottle and spray about five sprays onto the section I'm working on. I brush it through and start blow drying. The product doesn't smell the nicest but it works wonders! It completely cuts blow drying time in half!

This is a higher end hair product so it's a bit pricey at about $22 but I really do think it's worth it. If your hair already take very little time it's probably not worth it. But if your hair holds you back from blow drying your hair, I would definitely recommend this. I don't think enough people know about this product, it is so unique and amazing.

 

Make sure to shake it up before you use it since you can tell there are 2 obvious sections. 

RATINGS

 Use: 10/10

Price: 6/10

Scent: 6/10

Would I repurchase?: Yes! But I probably won't be running out too soon.

Would I recommend?: YES!
Overall: 9/10

That's about it, enjoy your day :)