Sheer Makeup Favorites

I do love a good full face of makeup, don't get me wrong - it's always nice to go all out and have your makeup looking flawless, but more often than not I like to go for the quick, sheer makeup look that's fresh, fast and easy. With Spring right around the corner, a sheer and fresh face is right up my alley, so today I'm sharing some of my favorite products to achieve the look.

The Body Shop All in One BB Cream - This gives me the perfect amount of coverage, goes on smoothly, gives great hydration to the skin and lasts all day - perfect for those light-medium coverage lovers.

Maybelline Dream Lumi Concealer - Not only is this my new favorite under eye concealer for covering my dark circles, but I've found it also works great for a light touch of coverage on any blemish you may have. It doesn't crease and blends seamlessly with any foundation I choose to use it with. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - This light weight powder is excellent for adding a touch of coverage and keep skin matte all day. I love it for both setting my foundation and concealer - the perfect all in one! 

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural - This powder is just dark enough that it adds a nice bit of warmth to my face without being too heavy on the skin. During the Summer months this is the perfect all over face powder, but for this time of year it makes for a lovely light bronzed glow.

Elf Blush (Peachy Keen) - This blush adds a nice soft wash of color that perks up my complexion and also adds a nice glow with the golden subtle shimmer it has. 

MAC Paintpot (Bare Study ) - This cream product has been a long time favorite for its stay all day capabilities, and the lovely wash of color it adds to my eyes. It can be easily paired with a little winged liner and some mascara for a simple eye look. 

Revlon Lip Butter (Pink Lemonade) - The formula of these is perfect for when you want just a subtle sheer wash of color and moisture to your lips, this one in particular adds a hint of pink which gives your lips a little extra something. This makes it easy to apply on the go and keeps your lips feeling hydrated. 

What are some of your sheer makeup favorites?

Best Drugstore Lip Liner

I've not always been a big lip liner gal, but over the last year and a half I have grown to appreciate the importance of this little step in your makeup routine, and the difference it can make to you lip look. Today I'm talking specifically about one brand that has stood out from all the rest as far as a good drugstore lip liner goes. I've tried out pretty well every standard drugstore brand that makes a lip liner, but nothing I've found holds a candle to Rimmel. Both the Exaggerate and Lasting Finish versions of their lip pencils are AH-mazing!

I'll start off with how amazing the price is - between 4-6$ CAD depending on where you shop - such a great price point for a great quality product that can easily be on par with many high end versions.

Top to Bottom - Wine, Enchantment, Natural, Pure


Their pigmentation is excellent, and they apply easily and with no issues of feathering. They have a great creamy consistency when being applied as well which helps the color glide on, without pulling along the outer edge of your lip. I wear these both paired with lipsticks, or on their own for a lovely matte lip look. The shade 'pure' is one of my favorite Spring/Summer simple matte lips - so easy to throw on, and it doesn't get any easier or space efficient than a slender lip pencil.



Do you have a favorite drugstore brand lip liner? 

February Beauty Favorites 2015

I'm back again with another monthly favorites round up, so here is all my absolute favorite beauty products from the past month! Can we also talk about how it is now March - FINALLY! - which means Spring, and all good things that come with it are right around the corner! 

I've been keeping my face makeup pretty simple this past month - it has pretty well just consisted of my Loreal Magic Skin Beautifier BB, which is my favorite drugstore BB cream by far. Prior to applying the BB cream I've gotten back into the habit of applying Maybelline Baby Skin as my pores have been extra noticeable the past while. My go to concealer has been the Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch which I've been especially focusing on the inner corner of my eyes, and along my cheek bones for a nice highlight/brightening effect.

I've been really slacking on my self tanning the last while, so to give my face a little bit of color and glow I've been loving the combo of Rimmel Natural Bronzer to warm up and contour slightly, and this Mac blush in Fleet Fast. This blush has a satin finish which gives a lighter wash of color, perfect for my pale skin at the moment.

As for my eye makeup I've been keeping it pretty standard with my UD Naked Basics - I've been putting Naked2 all over the lid, Foxy on my brow bone and inner corner, and finally blending a bit of Faint into the crease. I've been using my Maybelline Gel Liner in Blackest Black for my tight line - so super black and lasts all day long! Lastly I've been re-loving my Maybelline Illegal Length mascara - it gives such a nice length and lift to my lashes without clumping, and creates a nice soft look that is perfect for everyday. 

Valentines Lips | Three Ways

Whether you're going on a date with that special someone, choosing to stay and have a good pamper session, or doing a night out with friends, Valentines is a day for love. It's always nice to look nice, regardless of what you're doing on the 14th, so I've rounded up three combos - lip-spiration as it were -  that work perfectly with a variety of different makeup looks for whatever kind of V-day you're choosing to have.

Nude

For the nude lip I chose my favorite lip liner in Natural by Rimmel, and filled in my entire lips. Then I applied Revlon Soft Nude and topped it off with the Maybelline Color Elixir gloss in Nude Illusion.

Pink

I had a bit of a harder time deciding on a pink lip, but narrowed it down the Elf lip liner in ... , which I lined and filled in my lips with. Next I took one of my all time favorite pink lipsticks - Mac Creme Cup. I chose not to go with a gloss and keep it more on the creamy/natural looking end of things and I'm happy with the decision.

Red

Finally, and most boldly of all - I had to do a red of course (Valentines and red go hand in hand) - so I grabbed my only go to red of the past couple months. The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo is simply stunning.



I hope this little post gave you some inspiration! Let me know what your plans for Valentines are in the comments! 

How To | Wear Pink Makeup the Non-Girly Way

I am certainly not the type of person that would consider herself to be a 'girly girl'. I know that logic seems a bit off considering I write a beauty blog about makeup and fashion, but really in terms of my life as a whole I cannot define myself as such. Although you would have an extremely hard time finding anything pink throughout my wardrobe aside from small details on an item I am not in the least opposed to wearing pink hues in my makeup looks. Pink is an especially lovely shade for this time of year because it can bring life and brightness to an otherwise dull complexion. I find wearing pink, wether it be on my lips, cheeks or eyes, can really make me look and feel much more fresh, and give my spirits a little boost as well.

Starting off with lips, probably the easiest way to pull off pink because of the wide variety of textures and intensities available. If you want to start at the more sheer end of things I really love the Rimmel Vinyl gloss in Keep a Secret, a light pink with shimmer. My choice pink lipstick is Mac Creme cup, which is excellent if you're looking for something pigmented, but by no means bright pink. If you've fallen for the balm/stain kind of products than something like the Revlon Balm Stain in Sweetheart Valentine, or the Rimmel Color Rush in Give Me a Cuddle would be excellent options - they are easy to apply and once the initial color has worn off, your lips are left with a lovely stained effect.

creme cup, give me a cuddle, sweetheart valentine, keep a secret

Cheeks are another way to add pink into your daily makeup routine, and there is a pink out there for everyone! Three of my favorites are all sporting the same 'rosey' type of undertone, which in my opinion is the easiest form of pink to wear for pretty well any skin tone out there - rose undertones in pinks make your cheeks look most natural, while still adding a glow. A new addition to my collection is Rimmels powder blush in Pink Rose which has a very slight shimmer to it. Mac mineralize blushes have always been a long time lover of mine because they are so easy to work with, and this one in Subtle Breeze is no exception. My favorite cream form product goes out to the Maybelline bouncy blush in Pink Plum, which is so soft, blendable and buildable.

pink rose, subtle breeze, pink plum

Last, and probably the most difficult to pull off is eyes. I find with shades in the pink-red family it always works out best when you pair these shades with a good liner and lots of mascara. The easiest 'pink' shade in my collection to wear is certainly Mac All that Glitters, although it is much more on the champagne end of the spectrum. Two of my other favorites I wear in a very similar way - Elf mineral eyeshadow in Sweet and Urban Decay Grifter are both ones I love to rock on the bottom lash line with various looks on the lid. They're both lighter and add a beautiful glow to the eye. The most 'stop you in your tracks' of my picks has got to be Urban Decay Last Call - it's like the bolder sister to Mac Cranberry. I wear this best when it involves being smoked out with a matte black shadow, lots of eyeliner and mascara.

all that glitters, sweet, last call, grifter

Beauty Favorites | January 2015

I don't know what it is about January but I always seem to be caught off guard at the end of it thinking - where did the month even go? All of a sudden its January 27th and I'm finding myself rushing to gather my monthly favorites together so I can finally get one of these posts up at the end of the actual month I'm talking about (lets cross our fingers I make it happen more than once!). Without further delay, lets get into these favorites, and start also making our way through the shortest (and most gloomy in my opinion) month of the year. 

First off, I found myself reaching for these couple face makeup items pretty much every single day this month except for the days I wore no makeup at all. Loreal True Match foundation was always a favorite of mine, and after repurchasing it a couple months back I've found it back in my everyday makeup bag from the depths of my makeup drawers. Perfectly paired with the foundation was my Benefit Erase Paste which does a double duty of blemish and under eye concealing. I've been pretty constant on my bronzer and concealer this month as well - Nars Laguna Bronzer paired with the Rimmel blush in Pink Rose have been my dream combo. 

As for the rest of my makeup I've been keeping it pretty simple as well. I've really been enjoying a more simple eye look with lots of mascara - the one I haven't been able to keep my hands off of is Loreal Miss Manga which I did a full review of this month as well. As for lips I have to say a shout out to one of my favorite bloggers and fellow Canadians Estee (Essie Button), as I saw in her Best Beauty Products of 2014 video that she mentioned the Revlon Balm Stain in Honey was a favorite of hers. Lets just say any lip product specifically that Estee calls her favorite of the entire year has got to be purchased, like.. yesterday.

(Top to bottom) Nars Laguna, Rimmel Pink Rose, Revlon Honey 

There you have it guys! A very small but to the point January Beauty Favorites! Comment down below with some of the products you've enjoyed this month! 

Five Things | Go To Drugstore Foundations

Foundation is one of those very individual things, and I know everyone has a different preference - dewy, natural, matte, light/full coverage etc - and everyone also has different skin types, which makes it difficult to wear certain types of foundation. I tried to choose a variety for this post so that there is something for pretty well everyone. As I've said in many a post before, my skin is combination. All these foundations work well for me, it just depends on what finish or coverage level I'm looking for on any given day. 

The first two I grabbed are both similar in that they leave a more dewy finish to the skin - not in the 'I just left the gym' kind of way though. Maybelline Fit Me is a wonderful one for a nice medium coverage, and leaves the skin looking dewy, but not oily. It does have an spf built in which is great for protection your skin, but should be avoided if you're planning on getting your picture taken - white cast is bad news! Rimmel Wake Me Up is my other favorite drugstore foundation in the glowy catagory. This has a very, very fine shimmer to it which reflects the light giving you a lovely 'lit from within' look. It's medium coverage, and I especially love this foundation for this time of year because of the glow, and the fact that it gives any dry areas on my face a little extra moisture. 

If you're not so much into the dewy look, these next three will be more your style. If you're after the most matte face possible, Rimmel Stay Matte is right up your alley. This is probably the most mattifying foundation I've ever tried - if your curious about the finer details, you can read my full review of it here. Loreal True Match foundation is much more a middle of the road type of foundation. I would call it medium to full coverage, and because it is oil free I feel it does a good job of keeping oily areas at bay, but does not have the extreme matte effect of the Rimmel Stay Matte.

My last pick, and my most favorite as of lately goes out to Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous. I've raved about this for about two straight months now - I've done a full review that you can read here - but to sum it up, it's a long wearing foundation with medium to full coverage that keeps your skin looking matte and flawless all day. The price point of this (about 6-8$CAD) for the quality is simply astounding. I think it's safe to say I'll continue to be raving about this for many months to come.

Throw a comment below on some of your favorite drugstore foundations! 

Beating Winter Blues With Champagne Shades

I love a good glow in my makeup all year round, but I seem to be craving that lit from within look even more during this gloomy time of year. We're right into the thick of the winter right now, and it's not our skins best friend. The dry weather and short days tend to make skin dull and lack luster - my solution is to pull out the champagne tones. 

(Top to bottom) CG Champagne, MAC Naked Lunch, Hard Candy Tiki Bronzer

(Top to bottom) Benefit Watts Up, Smashbox light luminizer, NYX cottage cheese, 

Rimmel bullet proof beige 

My first and most obvious choice - note the name - is the Covergirl Eye Enhancers eyeshadow in Champagne. So soft and buttery, it makes for the most amazing inner corner highlight that will truly make your eyes pop. Naked Lunch from MAC is also one of my favorite powder eyeshadows for bringing extra brightness to my eyes - the bonus is it isn't a heavy glitter shade so it never looks over the top. As for cheeks my go to powder product is the Hard Candy So Baked Bronzer in Tiki. It's labeled as a bronzer but for that purpose I think it would be impossible to pull off. It is however one of the best drugstore highlighting products I've ever found. 

If you're more of a cream product type of person, especially in terms of face highlighters, then Benefit Watts Up is the perfect product. In a stick form it makes for super easy application and adds the most wonderfully natural glow to the skin without looking like you actually applied a highlighting product. Smashbox Artificial Light Luminizing Powder - what a mouth full - is yes, technically, a "powder", however I kind of find it to be an in between kind of product. The applicator dispenses small amounts of this creamy powder that adds such a beautiful glow to the cheeks or eyes. Just a tip, I dispense it onto the back of my hand and then use a brush to apply it to where I want it - applying it straight from the container can get a little tedious. 

My final two picks are both eyeshadow sticks, and seriously, who doesn't love a good eyeshadow stick - so easy to use and convenient. The NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in cottage cheese - the name leaves little to be desired - is a stunner. It's shimmery white with undertones of gold. Finally the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadow stick in bulletproof beige, which I must add is waterproof, adds a gorgeous light golden glow to the lids. I love wearing this both alone and as a base to make other shadows really pop. 

December 2014 Beauty Favorites

I know, I know, it's basically half way through January of a new year now, but I figured better late than never. With that being said, here are my favorite beauty products that brought me into the new year!

Bath and Body Works Frosted Wonderland Body Cream

The scent of this is absolutely heavenly, and the formula is my favorite as far as body lotions go from Bath and Body Works - extremely moisturizing for this time of year especially. 

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation

I've previously mentioned this foundation in another favorites post, and have also done a review which you can read here. 

Covergirl Lash Blast Volume (waterproof)

This mascara is an old favorite. I decided to repurchase it a while back and can't believe I ever stopped using it. It is one of my top drugstore mascaras ever for sure. 

China Glaze Evening Seduction Polish

I truly love dark polishes all year round, but especially through the fall and winter. This has been my go to quite a bit lately - almost black, but not. It's actually a very deep purple shade that I find extremely flattering, long wearing and shiny, even without a top coat. 

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

This bronzer is completely matte (love), and has a cooler tone (also love), which makes it perfect to give you some color this time of year, but does the job without making you look overdone or orange. There's really no time of the year that I'm not obsessed with this bronzer. 

St. Ives Smooth and Nourished Oatmeal Scrub + Mask 

I've tried this product as a scrub, but I was not a huge fan, but I have absolutely loved it as a hydrating mask. I remove my makeup, cleanse my skin and then apply this for about 10-15 minutes once or twice a week. It leaves my skin feeling super soft, plump and hydrated and has really helped with some of the dryer areas around my nose and chin that I tend to get this time of year. 

Rimmel Exaggerate Full Color Lip Liner in Enchantment 

These lip liners are my absolute favorite from the drugstore and overall. This is the most perfect neutral plum shade - perfectly pair with many medium toned lipsticks of like color, or just as beautiful on its own (my personal favorite lately). 

Revlon Brow Fantasy

I've been completely obsessed with this little duo pencil and brow gel, it is awesome! I did a review on this which you can find here .

Loreal Carbon Black Lineur Intense 

This is a classic and old love of mine - look back to any post from probably two years ago and it was probably included. I ran out of my Maybelline Line Stiletto around the middle of December and decided to go back to Loreal just to switch things up. I honestly don't know why I ever gave this stuff up. So easy to work with and perfectly bold and black. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing my (very late) December 2014 beauty favorites! 

Go-To Dark Lip of December

It has been a busy month with the holidays coming up and everyone having tons on their plates, but regardless of how crazy its been for me I've still been making time to wear makeup (obviously!), and my number one simple look I've been loving is a speedy concealer and powder routine followed by a little liner and mascara. To top it all off and make it not so boring I've been adding a darker lip. I find I look so much more pulled together and like I had way more time to get ready than I really did. 

I find having a darker lip also distracts from the fact that I'm typically rocking a messy bun (from the pervious night maybe) and what ever baggy sweater I threw on that morning. 

My favorite liner and lipstick combo lately has come down two these two beauties. I've always been a major fan of Rimmel lip liners and this one in 'Wine' is no exception. I fill in my entire lip using Wine, and then dab this NYX butter lipstick in 'Licorice' over top to deepen it a touch more. 

Let me know some of your favorite dark lip options to check out in the comments!

See you in my next post! 

November Favorites 2014

As another month comes to and end it's that time where I round up some of the things I've used and enjoyed the most this month... here's what I came up with! 

NYX Matte Lip Cream in Monte Carlo

Guys, seriously, I've been obsessed with this little beauty this month. It is so soft and creamy (as the name would suggest) and I don't find it drying like other matte lip products I've tried. It's long wearing and smells amazing too! Going to be getting more shades in the very near future because I think I'm in love.

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation

I plan on doing a full review/how I apply this product really soon but just know it is seriously awesome stuff. I may actually have to dub this my favorite drugstore foundation of all time (wow! now that says something!). 

Rimmel Exaggerate Full Colour Lip Liner Definer in Natural 

This is an old favorite that really never isn't in my makeup bag, I've gone through at least 4 of these guys in my time and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. It's the 'my lips but better' lip liner shade, and I adore it so much I wear it on its own a lot of the time as well. This month I've been really loving it combined with the next product I'm going to mention. 

Maybelline Color Elixir in Nude Illusion 

This stunner has been going over top of the Rimmel liner and making for my perfect everyday lip combo. These glosses are also an addiction of mine - my goal is to get every single color... seriously. They feel amazing and smell even better! 

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

Another oldie but goodie. It's such an effortless product and I think that's why I always end up throwing it back into my makeup bag time and time again.

EVAmour Perfume by Eva Longoria 

I must say I did not buy this for myself, my mother in law picked it up on a whim while in duty free while on a trip to North Carolina. I'm usually slightly nervous to receive fragrances as a gift because I'm so particular about what I truly like to wear. She really did amazing picking this up though, it is just me plus fall - I am terrible at describing scents but I highly recommend giving this a sniff next time you're able to because it's simply lovely.

Maybelline Pumped Up Mascara

As you can probably tell, if Maybelline comes out with a new mascara Hannah buys it, and fast. This has been in my makeup bag all month long and I've really been enjoying how plump and full and, of course, 'pumped up' it makes my lashes look. 

Maybelline Gel Liner in Brown

I've been loving this for both lining my eyes and for my water line and tight line. It lasts all day, the formula is smooth and creamy and I've been really digging brown liner because it's not as harsh looking as black can be, which is great for every day wear. 

Sally Hansen Polish in Ruby Do

Really no explanation needed for this aside from that its a lovely creamy burgundy wine color, and is the exact shade that I'm obsessed with at this time of year. I really love the formula of this polish, it's super creamy and opaque in one coat. I also enjoy the brush as it's bigger than ones like Essie/OPI. 

Notebooks

Finally, in the picture above you see I added in a notebook. This has just been the one I've been using over the past few weeks, but in general any form of notebook is always a favorite of mine. I use them for my daily life to keep track of jobs around the house, for my blog, for work, and to keep track of my kids and where they need to be - I would be totally lost without a notebook on the go at all times. 

Brand Boast: Rimmel London

Todays new post is something slightly different from anything I've ever done before. After becoming inspired by Essie Button,who has featured a number of specific blog posts and videos devoted to her love for one specific brand, I decided to draw from her inspiration and do a similar post. I'm going to attempt at making this a series of sorts entitled "Brand Boast". My first brand, as the title suggests, is Rimmel London.

Rimmel is a British cosmetics brand which was founded by Eugene Rimmel in 1834, originally as a perfumery and personal hygiene focused business. I have done much research into the brand since deciding to write this post, and since doing so the most interesting and amazing thing I have discovered is how industrious and business savvy Eugene Rimmel was. It is truly amazing that he started apprenticing at the age of 14, and by 24 was an expert perfumer and a visionary for his brand and the cosmetic industry as a whole. 

Now that I've quickly brushed you up on the history of the brand, I'm going to get down to why I love it so much, and have for easily ten years now. 

Face Products:

Im pretty sure one of my first ever foundations/powders was Rimmel brand, and ever since my grade school days I've continued to go back for more. It's not just the price point that is so appeal, but the fact that everything is such a great quality for that amazing price. There is nothing better than being able to rave about a product that is also widely attainable and affordable for all. 

My personal favorite as of late has been the Stay Matte foundation (I have a complete review on it here), and of course I cannot speak of Rimmel face products without pointing out that the Stay Matte pressed powder is probably one of the most universally loved drugstore powders of all time!


Lips:

The other top reason you will always find me going back for more Rimmel products - lippies! I swear they hit the nail on the head every single time, but my top favorite (and I'm sure many can agree) is the Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick lines. For about 6$CAD you can get a lipstick that is pigmented, long wearing, easy to apply and comes in enough colors to keep every lipstick lover satisfied. I have also done a review of the Kate Moss lipsticks in past, you can find that full review here.


I hope you all enjoyed this post as I certainly enjoyed writing it and doing the research into one of my favorite brands! 

Lippies I'm Loving Lately

Lately I've been finding myself reaching for a bigger variety of lip products on a more regular basis - this is kind of odd for me because although I love to shop for lipsticks/glosses and all other things lip related I rarely change my look during the week. I find myself picking out one product to stick in my every day makeup bag which I store in my bathroom, and then that's pretty well what I rock the entire week, unless I'm feeling daring or there's a date night out involved.

You can see pretty clearly I've been loving my various shades of pink for the most part. As usual many of my favorites of the moment are also Revlon - I have a huge soft spot for all Revlon products, but they just really know what they're doing when it comes to lip products specifically.

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss - Keep a Secret

Revlon Laquer Balm - Demure Reservee 

Revlon Balm Stain - Sweetheart Valentine 

Mac l/s - Cream cup

Revlon Matte l/s - Pink Pout

Revlon Lip Butter - Sweet Tart

Maybelline l/s - Very Cherry

What have been some of your favorite lip products lately? 

Five Things - Drugstore Face Powders

Today I decided to write about something I use pretty well everyday, sometimes multiple times a day, both with and without foundation, and all year round - powders!

They're essential for many reasons - setting your foundation, brightening up your complexion, stopping those pesky oils from appearing, and giving you a quick and simple way to get a little touch of coverage on days when your not looking to use anything too heavy. 

I've gathered up my five drugstore (low end) favorites to show you all. They're great if you don't have a big budget, or you just want something cheap to throw in your travel makeup bag so you don't have to worry about your $50 powder shattering while you're on the go. 

1. Maybelline Dream Matte Powder - I have actually heard through the grape vine they are discontinuing this (say it ain't so!), but if you can still find it try to get your hands on it. Its finely milled and provides a great matte finish without looking chalky. This one specifically I love using on its own with a little concealer for a light makeup day. 

2. Covergirl Clean Pressed Powder - This powder range comes in several different varieties, based on your skin type, I have the 'normal skin' variety even though I'm much more on the combo/oily side. I love this because it feels light and breathable, while still doing what it's supposed to be doing. The only complaint I have about this is the scent, which reminds me somewhat of a face wash I once used in my younger days (oxy clean maybe?). It's not enough to really bother me all that much, and doesn't last long once applied, but I could see how this could possibly bother others who are more sensitive to scented products, especially ones that are going directly on your face. 

3. Rimmel Stay Matte - This is, like for many out there, a holy grail product that I must always have a back up of. It is cheap (about $5 CAD), but does what most high end powders only wish they could do. It claims up to 5 hours natural shine control, and in my experience it does the job! I can't say enough good things about this product. If you haven't tried it, do it! You wont regret it, especially if you have combo/oily skin like me. 

4. Maybelline Fit Me - Yes, two Maybelline powders in the same post! But let me say, they know how to make good products, and this powder is certainly up there with their dream matte as well. It doesn't have as much of a mattefying result as the dream matte, but it provides a lovely, soft, barely there look to your skin once applied both alone or over foundation. 

5. Elf Studio Pressed Powder - This is most affordable of the 5 powders I'm mentioning ($3 CAD) so it can be expected that it is a little more loosely packed, which only means you just need to use a little more caution not to over do it so that you don't look chalky or caky. It maintains a matte finish for several hours before touch up is required, so for being so affordable it is well worth the purchase to have on hand in your beach bag or where ever else your nice products don't really belong. 

Review - Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

When I first heard rumors of this foundation prior to its release I just knew it would be one I'd have to try. I love a matte face, and I love a good drugstore foundation, and if it also claims to have a lightweight formula... well sign me up! I've given this a try over the past two or so weeks so I have now been able to form a solid opinion and have found my favorite way to apply it, so let's get into it! 

The claim:

"lightweight shine control"

"feather light, liquid mousse blends flawlessly for natural-looking all day shine control. silky smooth formula leaves a perfectly matte, baby-soft finish. lightweight texture won't feel heavy or greasy." 

I chose the shade 100 Ivory, which I'm very pleased with. It is maybe a hair too dark for my pale winter complexion but is certainly nothing I could get too worked up about as it is as close as I could get. 

I purchased mine from Walmart for around $7.99CAD. At the time I purchased it I can honestly say I only saw maybe 5 or 6 shades, although I've seen advertisements that show 8 shades. 

For the purposes of this post I began bare faced (only products on my face are my Josie Maran pure argan oil mixed with my Neutrogena moisturizer) 

As I've been using this over the past few weeks I've found my favorite way to apply this foundation is to first dot on the product with my finger tips, and then go in with my Real Techniques buffing brush to blend/buff it into my skin. 

I must say I was shocked the first time I applied it, mainly because the formulation seemed much thicker than I anticipated, however once you begin to blend the product into the skin it does not seem stiff or difficult to work with at all. 

(after foundation application - no other products used) 

The only negative aspect I've found of this foundation is that I doubt anyone with dry skin would enjoy this. It has, on occasion, drawn attention to some of my small dry areas and I really don't have all that dry a skin type. 

(once I applied the rest of my makeup) 

Overall, I would have to say I really love this foundation, Rimmel has really out done themselves on this one. It's lovely and lightweight for being medium coverage. For me it's become a great alternative to my Revlon Whipped Cream 24hr as that can feel pretty heavy, especially for every day when you don't need 100% full coverage. 

Also I must add the wear time on this is great - 6-8 hours on my combination/oily skin is great, especially when the product doesn't even claim to be 'long wearing'. 

Let me know if you've tried, or plan on trying this!

Loving lately

Hello once again everyone.

I feel I have to give a slight explanation as to where in the heck I went just over a year ago. I really didn't go anywhere to be honest, I just began to let life with my daughters and family take over, which subsequently put blogging at youtube on the back burner. 

Quite some time has passed now obviously but around Christmas I began to seriously miss my once beloved hobbies, and now I am finally biting the bullet and returning to my blog with a renewed energy and excitement!

Now that those formalities have been taken care of I will jump into my first post after being MIA, and what better way to begin than to talk about what I have been loving as of late. 

1. Urban Decay Naked Basics - I've had this since May (birthday gift to myself) and can say with all honesty I use this at least 4 days a week. I love every shade, especially because they mainly matte - big thumbs up for matte eyeshadows in my books. 

2. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - I don't have much to say aside from this being such an old and timeless favorite of mine - I always seem to come crawling back to it, it's just too lovely (and affordable) not to.

3. Benefit Hoola Bronzer - Matte and lovely, what more can I say?

4. Mac Melba Blush - An oldie but goodie in my books! I find I always reach for this when I have any doubts about which blush to choose. I find it to be perfect for every day use, and is subtle enough to be used with a darker eye look.

5. Benefit Watts Up Highlighter - Received this from Sephora in my birthday gift but did not touch it for months, then all of a sudden recently I tried it out and haven't looked back since!

6. Bare Study Paint Pot - I've always come back to this, because you can never go wrong with a shimmery champagne shade on the lid.

7. Benefit Erase Paste - My under eye circles worst enemy!

8. Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12hr Primer - I believe this deserves a whole post of it's own, but for now I will say my skin has never loved me so much and I cannot live with out it!

9. Benefit They're Real Mascara - I swear this has been the most hyped mascara pretty well ever in history, and fortunately it is totally worth the hype. This stuff never leaves my everyday makeup bag.

10. Maybelline Line Stiletto - This is not only my favorite drug store liner, but one of my favorite liners when compared to high end options as well. So black, so easy to apply, so amazing.

11. Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer - I am so happy I decided to try this, my oily eyelids tend to crease easily and I've found other brands of lid primer to not work as well as I'd hoped but this has become my daily eye base (both alone and under shadows).



If you are interested in any of the products I listed above and would like an entire post devoted to reviewing any of these items I would love to do so, just let me know in a comment! 

Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipsticks - Review & Swatches

First off I want to apologize for my extreme slacking in regards to blog posts over the past month. I am really trying to get better at making the time each week to commit to blogging, but with twins it is extremely hard!

Now that I have apologies out of the way, I can tell you about my new lippy loves. Rimmel came out with these Kate Moss lipsticks a while back, and over the past couple months I have caved and picked up three different shades to test out. 

I have sampled other Rimmel lipsticks before, the ones in the shiny purple packaging though (not sure what they are designated as?), and have enjoyed all that I've tried. These have followed suite for me, I've been really enjoying them! 

I'll start off by saying I enjoy the packaging. For being a drugstore product I appreciate that it isn't like the other Rimmel lipsticks I own, bright metallic packaging, which can come off as slightly tacky. These are a matte black and simply have the signature Rimmel crown on the top of the cap and have Kate and a heart on the side of the cap. 

The one thing that bugs me however, there's no names! I always love when products have super cute names - I've always thought that would be a fun job to have actually, naming lipstick and nail polish colors! So when a company can't bother to name their products and simply resorts to numbers I can't help but be a little annoyed with their lack of effort. 

The collection is marketed as 'Lasting Finish' - so basically it is similar to pro long wear and/or superstay products from other companies. I don't feel the staying power is that miraculous or different from the usual lipstick, I would say from personal use they will last about 4 hours, but much less if you are eating or drinking. After about 4 hours I found they began to fade and slip slightly. They didn't look terrible by any means, but reapplying is a must to keep the bold pop all day long. 

There is a variety of shades available, from pinks and nudes to reds and deeper vampy purples as well. I picked mine up at Walmart for about $6 CAD - can't go wrong for the price thats for sure! My store had about 10 different shades, but I believe more are available, it just depends on what specific stores carry. 

(Swatches in same order as above - 01, 11, 14)  

The two red shades I chose - 01 and 11 are gorgeous and I've been wearing them a fair bit this past month or so. 01 has more of a hint of orange in it, where has 11 is more of a blue undertone red. It all depends on your skin tone really to find the perfect red for you, but both of these I feel work well for me. I also picked up 14, which is a pinky-brown sort of nude - certainly deeper than any other nude I own, which makes it more suitable for winter. 

So there you have it! Over all I would certainly recommend these, especially for the slim price tag. I think there is a perfect color for everyone in this collection! 

Until next time!

xo, Hannah

September 2012 Favorites - I'm Back!

Hey Guys! 

So as I have already mentioned, I gave birth to my twin girls on July 3rd, and needless to say, things have been pretty crazy around my household! But as I am getting into a better routine I am trying to get back into blogging and also filming for my Youtube channel.

That being said, I have a new monthly favorites video today! 

A lot of people love these types of videos so I figured this would be the perfect place to start off!

Hope you all enjoy this and I will be back with many more blog posts and updates soon! 

xo, Hannah

June Favorites 2012

 My June Favorites! 

Favorite eye look of the month involved using Naked from the UD Naked 1 Palette plus.... 

...using Toasted from the same palette 

(Toasted all over the lid and Naked in the crease!)

(Left to Right) 

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 030 Natural 

Loreal Color Riche Lipstick in 235 Nude

Mac Lipglass in Orange Tempera 

Mac Blush in Fleet Fast (satin finish) 

Click the video to see a full explanation of my June loves! 

Until next time! 

xo, Hannah

What's In My Hospital Makeup/Toiletries Bag?

Given my upcoming hospital stay for the birth of my daughters I have my second of two posts for you guys, as promised. In my first post (found here!) I covered the general contents of my hospital bags, one for me, and one for the girls. This second post, as you can see by the title, is a little bit more of an in depth look at what I am packing 'beauty' wise (this is a beauty based blog after all, so I couldn't resist!). 

(My toiletries bag - I'm using a makeup bag I received from e.l.f) 

Tresemme Dry Shampoo 

I decided it best to include this incase I do not feel up to washing my hair completely, for whatever reason, when I first get a chance to shower.

St. Ives Appricott Scrub

One of my favorite facial cleansers - so happy I found it in a travel size! 

Dove Deoderant (Cucumber Green Tea Scent)

So fresh and so clean! 

Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo/Conditioner

Josie Maran Argan Oil 

This might seem a little much, but I decided to include this for a couple of reasons. The bottle is so small first off that it really makes no difference in packing, it also functions as a moisturiser for my face, and for the bottom few inches of my hair (using this on my hair helps to tame and maintain my naturally straight style). 

Crest Mouthwash, Tooth Paste and Tooth Brush

Sephora wide tooth comb & hair ties/band 

(My makeup bag contents) 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder Foundation

Mac MSF Natural 

Garnier Anti Dark Circle Roller 

Mac Pro Long Wear Concealer

Elf Blush (Peachy Keen)

Mac Paint Pot (Painterly) 

Elf Eyebrow Lifter/Filler

NYC Waterproof Liner (Brown)

Almay Liquid Liner (Black)

Covergirl Lash Blast Original (waterproof) 

Korres Wild Rose 24hr Moisturising & Brightening Cream 

Body Shop Born Lippy Watermelon Lip Balm 

Quo Duo Fiber Stippling Brush

Elf Blush/Bronzer Brush 

And there you have it! All the beauty related products I am bringing with me to my labour and delivery! Of course every one of these items is being treated as a luxury, and I am certainly not planning on straining myself, or taking time away from my family to utilize all these products if time does not allow. Having a little bit of makeup though is a nice reassurance, and I do want to look somewhat decent for all the pictures that will be taken afterwards (yes I am that vain, but I'm okay with that). 

I will keep you all posted on my progress as much as possible, and there will certainly be a birth announcement posted on here once I get the chance! 

Until next time! 

xo, Hannah