A Quick Drugstore Haul

Hello....


So I ran to my local Shoppers Drug to pick up some stuff I figured I might as well share what I got!

1. Extractor .... I lost the one I got in Korea, which is super cheap over there by the way. I can't live without this thing so I'm happy it was on sale :D

2. Polysporin.... the go to product for when you can't find your extractor and end up picking your face apart. yikes!

3. ROC Multicorrexion Anti age moisturizer ... I'm most excited to test drive this new cream especially because I have never dabbled in retinol products before. I've read some mixed reviews about it so we'll see how my skin reacts.

Anyway, I'm having a bad skin week and it's pissing me off ...Argghhh oh well :(

vancouver imats 2011 haul!

Last saturday I went to the vancouver imats with my bff. It was fun...

I was hoping there would be more vendors and a larger turn out but it was actually kind of lame! Oh well what can you expect from a Canadian imats :P It's still well worth it to go...

the main attractions were the makeup forever stand and nyx, both of which had a decent discount. there was a line around the room for makeup forever! Me and my bff were bad girls and totally budged the line. But we knew what we wanted so whatever we weren't holdin up counter space.

We spent a lot of time at nyx swatching and testing shades. Next year I'll definitely come more prepared for what I want. And it helps to bring your own compact mirror if you want to actually wear the testers.

 I got a bunch of nyx stuff because it's hard to find in canada, and it was so affordable!

I picked up 2 lipsticks in tea and narcissus. Narcissus is a bright barbie pink. I like bright lips in the summer :D  My bff tried tea on her lips...she's korean, and said her lips look like a poo stain lol! but I like it on my skin tone since I'm darker.

tea  |  narcissus

I also got a couple blushes, in Pinky and Copper. Pinky is again a bright pink blush, and Copper is more of a shimmery bronzer. great colors for summer. 

Pinky  |   Copper

I only picked up one eyeshadow because I'm pretty basic with my eyes, so I got this super shimmery champagne taupe color called Sparkle Cedar. I've been doing a day time smokey eye with just this shadow n a little brown in my crease, very easy to do.

Lastly, I got some random stuff, like a jumbo eye shadow pencil in Milk, a soft matte lip cream in the color London, a shimmery pink lipgloss, and a brown eyeliner from makeup forever. I picked up another smokey lash mascara too because it was only 12 bucks :D 

matte lip cream in London  |  lipgloss in Suar Pie  |   mufe aqua eyes in 2L  |  jumbo pencil in Milk

Onto brushes....

From left to right: 

Royal & Langnickel Baby Dome C108 

Royal & Langnickel Flat Smudger C446 

Royal & Langnickel Concealer C210

Crown tapered Duo Fiber Blush C427

Crown Deluxe Buffer C219

I really love all my brushes, they're my favorite of all the things I bought. I also really like the soft matte lip cream. It's like a liquid lipstick... a nice alternative if you don't want to fuss with a lipstick.

Anyways, that is all. I know I could have one a lot crazier because most ladies were loadin up their baskets with goodies....But I still think I did a fair amount of damage :D 

Sephora by OPI Dear Diary...

Hello,

Just a quick post to show off my current nails. I'm so into opaque pastel colors lately.

Dear Diary... is a soft ballet baby pink. I takes 3 coats to be perfectly opaque! A lot of work for a nail color but I think it's worth it. Dear Diary... could probably be duped by an Essie polish for those who don't have a Sephora near by.

What are your favorite pastel nail polishes for summer?

Edit! Nars Laguna vs Casino Swatch Comparison

Laguna   |  Casino/Sin Duo

So when I got back from Hawaii I must have been delusional or jetlagged or crazy or something. 


If anyone is interested in a good laugh check out my original post comparing the two Nars bronzers. I was convinced that Casino was the lighter of the two. I probably swatched them backwards. 


Anyways....


 I reswatched both bronzers and everything seems normal and on par with other swatches on the internet. 

Laguna  |  Casino

Laguna :  Matte with subtle sheen. A true brown color with gold undertones. 


Casino : More suitable for medium/olive skin tones, it is a slightly deeper more bronzed color.


In the summer laguna is barely visible on my skin. So I'm definitely using casino more. I hope that was helpful for some one! 

Review: The Body Shop Vitamin E Moisture Cream

I decided to give this moisturizer a try because it was on sale in December and I was curious to test some Body Shop products. I'm finally reaching the last bits of this product 6 months later, mind you I haven't been using this religiously everyday. I would estimate you get about 4 months worth of usage. Not bad.


Overall I wasn't disappointed by this very basic moisturizer. But I wasn't impressed either.


On the positive side it didn't break me out at all, and throughout the winter my dry skin patches totally cleared up. It has a mild, tolerable scent to it which I like because my skin is very sensitive too. I prefer to have fragrance on my inner wrists not my face thanks.

swatch of  the vitamin e cream

However, this moisturizer left a slight film on my skin, which I noticed more if I rinsed my face later on. Therefore not so great as a daytime cream, unless you want to look shiny after a couple hours. I was also hoping that it would contain more healing properties for my skin. Especially since it contains vitamin E. But if my skin was tired or red, it unfortunately stayed that way.


Yeah ...so I still used this cream as my night cream because I didn't want to waste it. But I definitely wouldn't repurchase again. There are so many other products out there that offer more for your skin than just the basics of moisturizing.

Down to the bottom of the barrel...

xxx

Makeup Using Semi Precious Goldstone

I was anticipating the mineralized skin finishes more than anything else from the MAC Semi Precious Collection... especially since I have never owned an msf before! 

I really love it a lot...

But I do find that the shimmer increases the appearance of my pores which isn't all that attractive. So I'll probably use this product more at night... or on good skin days :D 

Anyway, here's my face.

today I'm workin a sultry bronzed look. this msf really amps up your skin if you have a bit of a tan. Keep the eyes neutral and focus on the cheeks and complexion. I finished my lips with an easy pink lip tint by Korres. 

I'm also wearing :

Korres ginger & Vitamins Foundation

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Pressed powder

 NARS Casino Bronzer

 MAC  Blush in Peaches

Urban Decay naked palette

 L'oreal Voluminous Mascara

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine

that's allll for now...
xxx

MAC Semi-Precious Collection Mini Haul

Smoked Ruby e/s |   Semi Precious goldsone msf

I only got 2 things but I also really wanted the golden gaze e/s. I'm on a budget for summer though so I refrained.

Smoked Ruby is a shimmery, buttery mineralized eye shadow with deep red and black veining. I like to apply it with a wet brush to intensify the color payoff. And I wear this shadow alone for a quick sexy smokey eye. It's so effortless!

Semi Precious goldstone is a two toned mineralized skin finish. the center is a pinky peach with gold shimmer. And the outer ring is a bronze gold shimmer. Honestly I feel uncomfortable wearing shimmery bronzer for the day time. You look like a disco ball! But it's absolutely gorgeous for a night look..... but this is my first msf so I'm very excited none the less.

Swatches: 

Smoked Ruby e/s    |   Semi Precious goldsone msf center   |    outer ring

Nars Casino & Sin Duo.... and which Nars bronzer is actually darker?

I have been wanting this duo for a while so I finally got it at Sephora while I was in Hawaii...

I would describe Sin as a soft, dusty rose berry color with flecks of gold shimmer. So pretty. Casino is basically a matte gold toned bronzer. 

However....

I heard everywhere that Casino is the darker bronzer compared to Laguna. It is apparently super pigmented, where you only need a couple swipes for application. It is said to be the preferred bronzer for darker skin tones. But that is definitely not what I found to be the case.

Look at Casino swatched next to Laguna:

Sin  |  Casino  |  Laguna

No. that is not a mistake. Laguna appears darker than Casino. Maybe it's because I have had Laguna for a while, and somehow it darkens in color as it ages? Or maybe the Nars manufacturers made a mistake with my compact? I am so confused. And I didn't really notice that Casino was much more pimented. I use both bronzers with the same amount of application.

Either way, you can tell that Casino is more golden and Laguna is more bronze. Personally I do like Casino a bit more because it has a softer finish. It really warms up my skin. Laguna is fine too though.

Here I am wearing Sin & Casino...

Yeah, so no big deal. I'm not planning on exchanging the duo or anything. I just thought that it was very strange that the bronzers didn't meet the claims at all! Did anyone else see this problem?

Oh yeah... I love my new cardigan. I get compliments whenever I wear it! And it's so soft too :D 

that is all for now...

xx