March Loves & Letdowns

I’m a little behind on this month’s favourites – but on the bright side I’m actually doing it this month.  I completely forgot to do February favourites!  Oops!

I’m going to jump right in – here’s what I loved this month:

Gap Open Front Cardi: I love cardi’s any time of year, but especially for Spring and Summer.  This one is super lightweight so it’s perfect to throw overtop of a t-shirt or tank in the morning when it’s still a little chilly out.  They offer this sweater in a wide variety of colours; I selected it in Heather Grey colour but I’m tempted to pick up another in Turquoise or Blue.

Bath & Body Works Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla Hand Soap: I can’t get enough of this hand soap – it smells exactly like my favourite warm drink from Starbucks – their Cinnamon Dolce Hot Chocolate.  Love it!

Tarte Maracuja Oil: This was included in a Tarte set I bought on Black Friday and I was a little hesitant to use it as I haven’t really had much success with using oils on my face.  My skin is super sensitive and I usually break out when I try to use them.  This one is different though!  I’ve been using this off and on throughout the month as a night-time moisturizer and mixed into my foundation in lieu of primer and it works so well!  I totally expected it to leave me greasy and oily by the end of the day when I mixed it into my foundation but it just made my skin look glowy and healthy and my foundation applied like a dream.  Used as a nighttime moisturizer, I couldn’t believe how supple and smooth my skin felt the next day.  I’m about halfway through my little mini bottle of it but I plan on purchasing the full size, or at least another of the same size.

CoverGirl TruBLEND Blush (Light Rose): This might be one of the best drugstore blushes I’ve ever tried.  Be warned this particular shade is quite light so it probably wouldn’t work well for those with darker skin tones.  But for any of my fair-skinned friends, I’d recommend this.  It’s a really soft pink-ish peach and you can build it to your desired intensity.  On top of that the formula is great – it’s silky, soft and buttery.  Highly recommend this!

Frilly Lilly Argentinian Lemon Shea Butter Creme:  I’ve found my new favourite hand cream!  Frilly Lilly is a local mani/pedi/waxing boutique with locations in Alberta & British Columbia, and California.  I’ve been using this cream for probably a month and a half and it has really helped my chronically dry hands.  It’s not at all greasy – it absorbs quickly but moisturizes really well.  I also love that it doesn’t leave white marks on darker clothes if you touch them before it’s absorbed (one of my biggest pet peeves with hand cream!).  I picked up the Argentinian lemon scent and at first I wasn’t sure about it but I’ve grown to really like it – it’s very refreshing.

NYX Butter Gloss (Angel Food Cake / Strawberry Cheesecake): I’ve talked about how much I love the NYX Butter Glosses before and that hasn’t changed.  I gravitate towards lip glosses and these are some of the best I’ve tried.  They’re glossy and pigmented and so easy to wear.  Angel Food Cake is a lovely nude/mauve shade and Strawberry Cheesecake is a warm medium pink.  I really haven’t been wearing any other lip products aside from these this month!

L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer (Blonde):  I have to admit I’m kind of lazy when it comes to brows – half the time I forget to do them.  However this eyebrow pencil is so good I’ve pretty much done my brows every day this month.  I can’t believe the difference between this and my previously beloved e.l.f eyebrow pencil – they don’t even compare!  Not only is the shade perfect for me, the precise tip makes it so easy to fill and define my brows (hence the name).  I’ve heard others say that this is a dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz – not having tried it, I can’t confirm but if that’s true, but I see why everyone was going crazy over them if they are indeed similar.

Letdown:

NYX HD Concealer: I’ve been researching new concealers for a while and I had heard some good things about this one.  Unfortunately this did not work for me.  The reason: it’s ridiculously drying!  It seemed a little dry when I initially applied it but it only got worse as the day went on.  I used this to cover blemishes so I can’t imagine using this as an undereye concealer – it would totally emphasize and enhance any fine lines.  So this was a disappointment and the search for a new concealer continues…

Maggie’s love: Pet Kind Wild Pacific Salmon Treats

Maggie wanted to join in and share her love for the month.  She’s really been enjoying these salmon treats that I found at Homesense for $6.99.  Love that these are a Canadian product and made with wild pacific salmon.  And they stink so of course Maggie just loves them.  This is the second bag we’ve gone through and I haven’t seen these again at Homesense, so I’m going to have to track down a retailer here that sells them.

What were your loves and letdowns for March?

Thanks for reading!

Loves and Letdowns – May

Well I figured it’s about time I jump on this bandwagon, because why not?  I love reading other bloggers monthly favorites posts as it’s such a good way to learn about new products! Basically I’ll be sharing the products I loved throughout the month, as well as those that were letdowns and just didn’t work for me.  Pretty much the same as a favorites and unfavorites post but I thought I’d switch up the words a bit because I’m different, like this goat:

I laughed way too hard at this – hope it made you giggle too! 🙂

Enough about goats, on to the topic at hand:

LOVES:

NYX Butter Gloss – Tiramisu ($7.99 CAD)

I picked up this gloss a few weeks ago at London Drugs and I’ve been using it every day since.  It’s the perfect pinkish nude for every day use!  I find it works great on it’s own or on top of a brighter lip color to tone it down.  I love the formula – it’s super creamy, not sticky and glides on smoothly.  It smells delicious as well, I’m not sure how describe it (maybe like a vanilla cupcake?) but not overly sweet.  I’ll definitely be picking this one up again and I’d love to try the other shades at some point as well.

Maybelline Volum’Express The Colossal Mascara ($8.99 CAD)

Its been a long time since I’ve ventured out to try a new mascara; for years I was happy using L’Oreal’s Voluminous Carbon Black mascara.  Then something changed and it began to flake and smudge on me and I was crushed.  I’ve been in search of a replacement and so far this one has stood out the most.  It has the natural bristle brush that I like and it lengthen and thickens my lashes really nicely with very little to almost no clumps – which is really rare!  I find it flakes a little sometimes but I’m willing to live with that given it’s other benefits.  The only thing I’m not crazy about is the scent – it smells flowery.  Which I find kind of weird – mascara shouldn’t have a scent right?.  Doesn’t bother me though so I will definitely be repurchasing this one!

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Smoothing Cream ($7.99 CAD)

Lately I’ve found my hair is getting super dry, particularly around the ends.  I attribute that to my use of my curling iron on a daily basis, in addition to my hair being colour-treated.  I also tend to only wash my hair once every three days, using dry shampoo in between.  I find my hair feels and looks pretty dry during those in-between days, particularly on day 3.  I came across this and thought I’d give it a try.

This is meant to boost shine, control frizz and smooth your hair without making it feel greasy.  I take a dime sized amount, and distribute it through my ends right before I use my curling iron.  It definitely makes my curls feel smooth and sleek and I find it does help hold my curls a little longer when the humidity is present outside.  It also smells amazing – a little bit fruity but nothing overpowering.  I’m very careful to not get this anywhere close to my roots as I can see it weighing my hair down and making it super greasy (it also recommends against doing so right on the bottle).  So far I’m loving this and would recommend it!

L’Oreal 12 Hour Infalliable The Super Slim Liquid Eyeliner ($11.99 CAD)

THIS.IS.AMAZING!!! Best liquid eyeliner pen I’ve ever used, hands down and I have tried them all from the super cheap drug store versions to the higher end brand-name types.  Nothing beats this.  It is the only liquid liner that I’ve tried that truly stays on all day long and does not budge.  Yet it is simple to remove at the end of the day using my regular eye makeup remover!  I’m just blown away by this! I also love the super slim tip, it makes it very easy to get  precise line!  I have a bad habit of pressing down too hard on the tip when I’m applying liner and damaging it.  The tip on this is sturdy enough that I have yet to damage it (although I am trying to be more gentle!).  It’s also very pigmented and build-able – if you don’t get a thick enough line to begin with you can easily go overtop of it without it dragging and erasing the previous line.  If you wear liquid liner and you haven’t tried this yet – go out now and buy this!  I can’t rave enough about this, I’m in love!

The Original Beauty Blender ($26.00 CAD)

Okay, I really didn’t want to like this.  Previously I’ve used Beauty Blender knock-offs and convinced myself that there really wasn’t much difference between them and the original.  The thought of paying close to $30 for a makeup sponge seemed ridiculous.  However, I took the plunge over a month ago and ordered one to see what all the hype was about.  And at first, I wasn’t crazy about it. But the more I used it, the more I grew to like it and eventually love it and now I’m not sure I can go back to the knockoffs.  I feel like I’ve used and abused this and it’s practically in the exact same condition it was when I bought it.   No rips and no tears, unlike the cheaper versions where that occurred within a couple of weeks of use.  I can also get every trace of makeup out of it when I wash it which is impressive because I usually go an entire week of use before giving it a good cleanse.  It also applies my foundation beautifully and I’m loving it for applying mineral makeup! So I suppose I’m a convert now.  Which I’m okay with because I see the light now – this thing is really great!

LETDOWNS:

Essence I Love the Stage Eyeshadow Base – $3.99 CAD

I have super oily eyelids and I usually have trouble trying to find a primer that keeps my eye makeup set all day and doesn’t crease.  Unfortunately this was another one to ad to the fail pile.  It was super cheap so I’m not too crushed but it sure would have been nice if it had worked!  Despite the fact that it did basically nothing to stop my eyelids from creasing, I also hated the formula.  It’s super thick and dry and very difficult to blend!  The color is a little odd too – it has an orange/yellow tint which I’m guessing is meant to hide any discoloration and even out your lids but the problem is if I got this anywhere near my eyebrows it turned them orange!   Won’t be repurchasing this one!

Urban Decay Pore Perfecting Complexion Primer Potion – $37.00 CAD

In my hunt for the perfect primer I picked this up a few months ago, used it for a week and it was promptly thrown into my black hole of products never to be worn again.  Which is disappointing because I used Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion for years and liked it.  Also it was pretty expensive (I should have taken it back, I forgot and now its too late). I found this did absolutely nothing to minimize the appearance of my pores and my skin was just a complete oil slick halfway through the day.  Consistency-wise it’s pretty thick and it definitely leaves a bit of a white cast on your face so I can’t see this working well for anyone with darker skin. I tried using it with different foundations and setting powders and I had the same result every time. This could possibly work for someone with super dry skin but it definitely wasn’t for me.

NYX Wonder Pencil (Light) – $5.99

This is supposed to be a 3 in 1 product that you can use as a concealer, eye brightener and lip liner.  I’ve tried it for all 3 purposes and I haven’t been impressed.  When using it to line my waterline, I could barely get any transfer.  I think part of the problem is that it’s just too hard and dry.  Same problem when using it as a concealer, I found it really highlighted any dry spots on my face, barely covered the areas that I applied it to and lasted an hour at most.  As for using it as a lip liner, I found it hard to apply – again given how hard it was, and it didn’t make any difference in the lasting power of my lipstick.  So all in all, a big thumbs down for this one.

That’s about it for May! Until next time!