Happy Easter

Happy Easter, wishing everyone a wonderful day!

Brush Essentials: Save or Splurge?

So the countdown has begun and although it seems such a longtime away, I will be leaving. Since most of my brushes are (still!) packed, I am not going to bother unpacking them but I need to pick out some essential ones that are good but I won't mind if they get worn out. Either that or I can use my faves and hope they don't get worn out. It's a dilemma lol!

The ones I use everyday are in order of importance to me: eyebrow, concealer, eyeshadow- flat and fluffy, eyeliner, and face- cream and powder. So that's seven brushes total.

I thought I was going to just stick with one set, so I got my Sigma travel set out, which I never used.  It does have an eyeliner brush, but look at this disgusting glue on the concealer brush!  And how is that even a concealer brush, unless you are concealing your entire face, that thing is way too freakin big!!

Nice, right? 

But look again: 

Eww!

I really have no idea which brushes to choose, I have sooo many beautiful brushes but I just don't know.  On a side note, I could just kick myself for buying so many damn nail plates!!  I think I have like 500 by now, disgusting I know.... but I might as well pack a ton of bricks, those things are way too heavy!! 

I think this is all my brushes: 

These are the ones I've picked out so far: 

Laura Mercier brow/spoolie- just randomly picked, I haven't used it in a long time though

Essence flat and small round- they aren't very good quality so I'm worried they won't last very long

Sonia Kashuk flat eye- had it for years, very dependable 

Real Techniques Setting- can use for highlighter and concealer powder 

Sigma F80- good flat face brush

Bdellium 955- can use for powder, blush, even light bronzer or highlighter, it's a very tall brush, first one I saw sitting out cause I actually have a few of these same types

eyeliner- I chose the Hakuhodo cause I use it every single day 

I still need the fluffy eye and concealer- the ones I use daily are Hakuhodo as well, but I am concerned they might wear out but I might just buy backups and problem solved.  

Anybody have any other recommendations?   

Skin Food Salmon Dark Circle Concealer

I bought this in #1, a 10 gram jar for around $8.  It's a real bargain, because it is an excellent product!

It is really creamy, just the perfect texture: 

On the left is blended, right is a heavy swatch: 

You are supposed to apply this over foundation, but I've used it alone and it was also good, the only thing I observed is that it's a little glossy looking.  I tried to capture the same exact lighting, with and without the concealer.  Now, I don't feel like I suffer from dark circles necessarily, so I probably don't get as dramatic of an effect as someone who does.  

I also tried it with foundation: 

It probably would have been better to top with powder but that's a lot of layers on my face for me. I tried this concealer on other spots and it was good as well.  I really like the consistency and it's really easy to blend out, at first I was worried about the salmony colour but it turns out fine.  Oh, and the only other thing, I didn't know this but it actually smells a little salmony too.  Kinda icky at first but it doesn't last very long!  

Bourjois 1001 Lashes Mascara in Black Quartz

This mascara promises to "reach every single lash", and I wanted to try it especially for my bottom and corner lashes.

The brush is purely plastic, so it is really hard and rigid.  I had to be extra careful to avoid jabbing myself in the eye.  

My results: 

This mascara is all right on its own, I didn't get any clumping but it tends to flake a bit towards the end of the day.  I feel like it does a great job defining,separating, and lengthening, but I don't get any volume from it at all, so I like to pair it with something else- below I used Essence "Big Lashes".  I prefer applying layers before they dry.  

Overall, it's not a bad mascara and it's great for bottom lashes, but I wouldn't buy it again because of the brush, and because I like to use just a single mascara most of the time.  

Lush FUN Logs

I wanted to get my son something "fun" for bathtime, and this is supposed to work as a bubble bath and body wash.  (And a shampoo and modeling fun too)....

It comes in coloured logs- I got him the green (lemon-lime) and the pink one smelled soooo good- like baby powder but more perfume-y, even though Lush says "childhood candy scented" so I got that for myself.  Blue is lavender, yellow is vanilla, and red is orange juice.  

Here is what chunks of them look like: 

The only problem is, they are supposed to bubble up, and they don't- not enough for a bath, anyway.  It doesn't colour the bath either, but it didn't claim to.  We were fine using it as a body wash, although I think it's too dry to use as a shampoo.  I haven't used a bar soap in well, decades, but this is a lot crumblier so I take it off in chunks and can't leave it in the shower either cause it basically melts in there.  

The great thing about this is that it really does smell amazing, and the scent really lasts for a long time.  I can also say it leaves you with a fresh, clean feeling.  

Overall, I think it is fun, for a kid, but I think I'll stick with body wash! 

Wishlist: Winstonia Plates

So jealous of anyone with these! They said they would have worldwide shipping but sadly that isn't the case. My faves are 102,107, 113 and 119 but honestly I like all of them!

Missha Perfect Concealer

I think concealers are one product I'll always try.  I recently got a few things sent from Asia, and this was one of them.

I found that a lot of products like this only come in two shades.  This one is #1, light beige.  It's a yellowish peach.  I had a hard time getting it to show in a photo swatch - my arm colour looks so dead and ashy!!  

The concealer itself is thin and powdery, a lot like those creme-to-powder foundations.  I found it a bit hard to blend under my eye area but otherwise, it worked like a charm, and was very easy to blend and covered well- surprisingly to me, the thin formula did not detract from the coverage ability.  It has a super nice baby powder smell too, I really enjoy using it.  

It can appear dry and cakey on its own, so I recommend following up with a non-matte foundation if possible.  

Sally Hansen Cuticle Eraser Balm

My nails have still not totally recovered but they are getting better.  I don't normally nip my cuticles for any reason, but mine were getting really dry which I thought isn't helping the nails grow at all.  So I tried this, which claims to "remove dry cuticles and moisturize in one step".

My experience with this was that it really did work.  This is the only product I've ever tried that not only moisturizes, but with consistent use, gets completely rid of dried cuticles.  For me, it worked the first time after only 5-10 minutes!!! But since the bad parts weren't completely gone, I kept using it. I have been using it for about ten days now and I've really noticed a difference- softer, smoother cuticles and the nail skin nearby also.  The only minor issue is that it can leave a greasy/waxy residue if you use too much, so a small amount is better.  

Schick "Intuition Naturals"

I was in the shaving aisle about to pick up refill blades when I suddenly realised, I have been using the same razor for years..... many years!  It's a Schick Quattro, but I saw this one and decided to give it a try.

It's a four blade also, and it's the one that has soap built in with the blades.  I never used this before, and I thought it wouldn't shave as close, but it's really great, no nicks or anything.  I like the rubberized handle parts and love that it comes with a cap too.  This is my new fave!  I know it's not a big deal, but shaving is a part of almost everybody's routine, and this razor makes it easy and nice.  

Aqua Brow.... #15

I am finished with moving.... and unbelievably, the one thing that disappeared was my Aqua Brow!!! And I think it's safe to say I can't really live without it, since I went to another country to buy this one!! They didn't have #10, but the lady assured me it matched fine.  It's definitely redder in tone, and it makes my brows look a bit darker, but it's fine.  I don't know if next time I'll get 10 or stick with this one.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow #10

I've been wantingto get this for a while, but it's been always out of stock. I knew that it was a bit expensive, but I had a feeling it was going to work for me.  And has anybody outside of North America seen MAC's brow gelcremes?  That's what I wanted, but have yet to see.... and now that I have this (and its a permanent product), I'm not so sure I even want to try MAC's- if I ever see it, that is.  That one is 3g of product, and this one is 7g and I'm sure they'll work out to be around the same price anyway, knowing how they mark things up to the sky.

So meet my new best friend....

I have to do my brows everyday, even when I'm sick.  I just don't look right until I do.  But most brow products are too dark for me, although sometimes even when I find "blonde", I have a hard time getting it to show up, it must be meant for really light blondes.  So I just go with the darker shade, and you can't even tell by looking, but I know that it's darker than my natural brows.  But since my brown hair grew out and I'm back to blonde, I just couldn't handle brown brows anymore- I had to find something, and fast.  

Not only does this shade match, but it is absolutely budge-proof.  Normally I'd be touching up my brows throughout the day, more than a couple of times, but not with this.  Once it's dry, it's on all day and into the night.  I've never had it wear off on me at all.  It doesn't look drawn on or flaky, it just really looks like my natural brows "grown in" (which they never did so I pretty much gave up), and it's a really nice and noticeable difference.

Swatch:

Before

After 

With Aqua Brow, just a different day :) 

I find it extremely easy to apply, although I do think I need a little more than a teeny squeeze.  You can blend it out while it's wet, no problem, but just don't wait until it dries.  I don't find I need to top this with any powder, but you could also do that.  I could also do a different shape but I just did what's easy for my by following where my brows should be.  For me this is an absolute HG product that I would highly recommend- they have six shades available.  This #10 is the lightest, and I think it suits me perfectly. 

Pond's Moisturizing Cold Cream

I have yet to determine what exactly "cold cream" is.... but this moisturizer is awesome!!

So thick and creamy.  It is really a dream for my skin!  Combine dry skin with dry weather and it's not pretty.  I don't think I've used anything from this brand before but this was such an inexpensive cream I could not pass it up, and I ended up buying three boxes of it- if it had a longer shelf life I'd probably buy more, it is just that great.  I've been using the Nuxe and love that, and this has almost exactly the same feel- it really hydrates my face immediately, and it is long lasting.  It doesn't smell medicinal, but I can't really pinpoint the scent at all, it's just a nice creamy scent. 

It has some benefits listed: 

It can also remove face makeup- but I wouldn't try it for eyes!  

I've used all kinds of face creams, and I can honestly say that even without the low price factor, I love this.  If you have dry skin and see this, definitely buy it!  

Catrice Better Than Waterproof Mascara

When I bought this, I didn't know if I'd have an opportunity to use it or not.  Well, I'm very glad I did!

The formula is really, really dry and thick.  My tube isn't old and I am sure it's supposed to be this way so it can live up to its claims of being water, sweat, and tear- proof.  I haven't used waterproof mascara in a really long time though!  

Here are my results: 

The best thing about it is that I can honestly say it absolutely lives up to its claims.  Even after hours of strenuous outdoor activity, my mascara was still intact, I was really shocked!  

Here is a photo I snapped afterwards, also because I've never really gotten Meteorites to show up in a photo either: 

Soap & Glory "Glad Pits" Deodorant

My posts are going to be few and far between, or short for the time being.  I just had a long weekend away- I'm going back home today, but after that I am moving apartments so it's a really busy time!

I normally avoid anything aerosol but this is actually a really nice product.

Not much to say about it, really- but I post about it because it's nicer than lots I've tried.  I wouldn't make it my go-to simply because it's aerosol, but other than that, it's great.  It is effective (I usually try to buy the strongest one available and I don't use roll ons either) - I didn't have to reapply at all.  It works as advertised- without leaving streaks and it's long lasting.  It has a subtle, fresh fragrance, a hint florally but definitely not a medicinal deodorant type scent.  

Sally Hansen Cuticle Pen

I recently took my son on a small trip so we had to pack a few things.  I bought this pen a couple weeks ago so this was the perfect thing to bring.  It's hard to pack a glass bottle of oil and it can be hard to use a tub of cream when you're on the go, so this really was handy to have.  It turns out, I like it even better than the bottle though!

For some reason I was expecting it to be an oil-gel, but it's just a thick oil.  To me it smells like almond oil but that isn't listed as an ingredient.  I had a gel nails experiment go completely awry, so I'm starting my nails from scratch at the moment, so I'm constantly moisturizing and oiling- this is the perfect solution for on the go because it's mess free and easy to use.  It is a small amount though, so it's not really a long term solution.  As far as maximum growth, I don't know but it's not doing anything to contradict growth either.  

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