Loves & Letdowns – September 2015

So I may have completely forgotten to do my favourites for August so I’m combining two months worth loves and letdowns into one very late post.  The good thing is that I only have ONE let down for those two entire months!  That never happens so I can’t decide if I should give the credit to my purchasing skills or the products themselves.

First of my, LOVES:

Cake Supremely Rich Bath and Shower Froth – Strawberry Sugar (not available online)

Whenever I see these @ Winners or Homesense, I always make sure to scoop them up.  I love Cake products because a) they’re always awesome and b) they are a Canadian company.  I was so disappointed when Sephora stopped carrying this brand and it’s near impossible to find their products anywhere now aside from on their website.

I use this exclusively as a bubble bath and because it’s such a generous size, it lasts me at least 4-5 months.  I’m a huge bath person so I have high standards for my bubble bath.  It needs to have a great scent both in the bottle and once its actually poured into the bath.  It also needs to foam up well and leave behind bubbles that last – not ones that dissipate within a few minutes.  And it needs to leave my skin feeling soft but not greasy.  This one checks all the boxes which is why I continue to buy it.  I’ve never tried this particular scent before so I’m assuming it was limited edition or something but I wish it wasn’t because it smells delicious.  Kind of like a strawberry daiquiri.

CHI Magnified Volume Finishing Spray

This is another Winners find that I’m really impressed with.  I’m really picky about my hairspray as I have fine hair that can’t handle something that is too heavy/sticky/crunchy but it needs to provide some good hold as I do have a lot of hair.  And it most definitely cannot make my hair greasy.  This does the job well and I like that I paid $12.99 for it versus the $20 I see it for in the salon.  However I will re-purchase it at the full price if I can’t get this at Winners once I’ve used it up!

Marc Anthony Strictly Curls Curl Enhancing Styling Foam

I used this mousse years ago and I can’t remember why I stopped using it.  First off disclaimer: I don’t have curly hair.  In fact my hair is stick straight.  However I typically curl or round-brush it every day and I like to add a mousse after washing to add volume and keep my style in place.  For whatever reason, this works really well in my straight hair.  It’s a pretty thick mousse so I do have to be careful about how much I use as it tends to build up in my hair.  Otherwise, I really like this for the volume it adds, as well as it’s ability to keep my curls/style in check.

 

 

 

 

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation & Suncreen – Classic Ivory

I’ve been using this foundation since July and you may be wondering why its just showing up in my favourites now.  My skin is super sensitive, particularly to ingredients in foundations.  I want to make sure I gave this a really good try to ensure it wasn’t causing any breakouts or irritation before I wrote about it on here as I’ve made that mistake before.  I’m excited to report that this has passed the test!  And I’m really glad because this has become the foundation I reach for on a daily basis.

What I love about this is the coverage – I’d say it classifies as full-coverage, but it doesn’t look llike it.  Meaning it covers up any imperfections but doesn’t look cakey or thick.  I use my beauty blender to apply it and I find it just makes my skin look pretty close to flawless.  Its lasting power is also worth mentioning; if I use a makeup remover wipe at the end of the day and there’s foundation on it I’m impressed because it’s usually 14 hours after I’ve applied it.  I’ve been using this with the Too Faced Hangover Primer and I love the combination of the two – I feel like the primer gives my skin a bit of a glow while the foundation gives me the coverage I need.

If I had to pick something to complain about it would be the claim that this can be used as a primer, concealer and foundation in one.  I personally still use a bit of concealer (under my eyes and on any blemishes) because it doesn’t cover those areas up enough for me.  Also I always need a primer under my foundation so I can’t skip that either.  So for me, this can’t replace those products but depending on your skin type, it may do that for you.

Essie Gel Setter Top Coat

I did a full review on this product a little while ago so I won’t bother repeating my thoughts.  I’ve been using it regularly and I still love it – it makes my at-home manicures last for days longer!  Plus it makes them super shiny.  I definitely see myself re-purchasing this!

 

 

 

 

Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Pecan Waffles Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel

This is my favourite fall scent from B&BW.  I always keep one of these in my purse and I find that using them, especially as the weather gets colder and flu season sets in, has really reduced the number of times I get sick. Also very handy if public bathrooms run out of hand soap – which I’ve had happen before!  #ick

 

 

 

 

 

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

I have a review coming up on a Too Faced sample set that I picked up this Summer so I’m not going to get into too many details about this.  Except to say that this is my favourite high-end mascara.  I rarely buy mascara that’s not from the drugstore because to be honest, I’ve never tried one that has justified its cost, and the drugstore is FILLED with great mascaras for cheap!  I will definitely be picking up the full size of this!

Too Faced Hangover RX Replenishing Face Primer

This primer was also included in the set I referred to above so I’ll be including a full review of this in a post to come next week.  All I’ll say for now is that I was very hesitant to try this out but I don’t know why because it has completely changed how my foundation applies and looks on my skin!  The only thing I don’t like is the price but I’m going to have to suck it up because I’ve never used any primer as good as this one!

Milani Eye Tech Extreme Liquid Eye Liner

This was on my list of liquid eyeliners to try as I kept reading and hearing reviews about how great it was.  So I picked it up a couple of months ago and thought I’d test it out for myself.  Consider me impressed!  My preference for liquid liners is always felt tip, as I feel they are the easiest to apply.  This one is no exception and I like how the tip is a good balance between being flexible and firm.  I tend to press a little hard when applying my eyeliner so I need one that isn’t going to be destroyed when I do so.  This also lasted a good two months before it started to dry out!  Normally I can get a month out of one of these max so that was a big bonus.

I could be wrong, but I feel like this is the exact same product as the L’oreal Infalliable Super Slim Liner.  The packaging (aside from the name) is almost precisely the same, as is the product itself.  They also perform similarly so I like that I can pick up whichever one is on sale and know that they work equally as well.

Olay Wet Cleansing Towelettes – Sensitive Skin

Facial cleansing wipes are a must for me when I travel, and I brought these with me the last two times I was away from home.  This is another product that I used to use a few years ago and I can’t remember why I stopped using them.  Regardless, I think these are the favourite face wipes I’ve ever used.  They stay moist (even when you get near the end), don’t irritate my skin and can take off all of my makeup with one wipe.  I’ve been exceptionally lazy lately and have been using these to take my makeup off at night and I feel like my skin is looking better than it has for a while.  Which I’m sure is just a coincidence but I like the fact that I don’t have to worry about these causing any breakouts or irritation.

 

 

And lastly, my one, lonely LETDOWN:

Rimmel Brow This Way Brow Setting Gel – Blonde

I don’t know what it is about Rimmel products, but I have zero luck with them.  So I’m not sure why I thought things would be different with this.  I’ve used this all of once and it’s going in the garbage now that I’ve reviewed it.  First of all, the colour states blonde but it tints my brows ORANGE.  Secondly, the brush on this is WAY too big; it’s near impossible to get a precise application with this.  Not sure what they were thinking when they designed it.  Thirdly, I wouldn’t say this classifies as a gel – to me it has more of a thick mousse consistency, which when you add in that brush, makes for a thick, gloopy mess.  Big thumbs down for me on this one!

And that’s all my August & September favourites!  Have you tried any of these products?  If so, what were your thoughts?  Let me know below!

Thanks for reading!