MAKE UP
So, on the make up/cosmetics front, I've purchased quite a bit of items, all thanks to new products and/or shopping with Ashley from Flux & Xoulis!
Eyes
1. L'Oreal Voluminous Miss Manga Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black, $12.99.
After trying a few L'Oreal mascaras, I was pretty hesitant on trying this one because once again, it's a L'Oreal mascara, and I'm not the biggest fan. But after seeing it all throughout the week at Shoppers Drug Mart, on sale for $6.99 from its regular price of $12.99, I decided to add it to my shopping list. Also, thanks to Ashley from Flux & Xoulis for trying it first and claiming its one of her 'favourites,' which gave me the final push to actually try it and get it. I will admit that it's not my favourite mascara but it is decent. It's also a plus for me that it's waterproof.
2. Maybelline Pumped Up Colossal Waterproof Mascara in Classic Black, $9.99.
I own both the waterproof and non-waterproof mascara for this since it was on clearance for $5.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart because the location I go to was going through renovations so they had a lot of stuff on clear out. I've wanted this ever since it first came out and I'm liking how it applies on so far, it's pretty much like the Mega Plush, which, as you may know is one of my favourites but the wand for this isn't as flexible.
3. Urban Decay Ink for Eyes in Perversion, $24.
I got this when it was first released at Sephora, it is quite a splurge but it's waterproof. I've heard many mixed reviews on the Stila Stay All Day liner, so I decided to try this instead. I definitely like it a lot and it's very similar to the Maybelline Liner Precise that I'm always using, I feel that this UD liner is much easier to get product out than with the Maybelline one.
4. The Face Shop Lovely Me: Design My Eyebrow in Brown, $4.
I decided to finally purchase items from The Face Shop during one of the shopping trips Ashley and I went on. We had browsed around before and were both taken aback from the cheap prices, but after hearing good reviews on their products, we decided to purchase a few items. I've been looking for an eyebrow pencil for a while and after trying the Hourglass one, I was a fan on the design but not on the price. Finding this, for $33 cheaper than the Hourglass one was godsend. It works exactly as well as the Hourglass one and is much cheaper with more colour selection.
Cheeks
Urban Decay Naked Flushed in Streak, $35.
I remember when this first came out in one shade, I thought to myself "why would anyone get that?!" And well, now that there are a total of 4 shades, here I am. I had heard many good things for the shade Native, but settled on Streak after trying out the shades in store. I'm more of a matte person than a shimmer and glitter person, which explains why I would choose something with a matte bronzer. I also really like the shade for the blush since it's not as bright as the one in Native. I'm really liking that it's an all in one and is much more compact than my Nars X Guy Bourdin cheek palette, which makes it so much easier for me to carry around this summer!
Lips
1. Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, $8.99.
I already own two of these (Candy Apple & Juicy Papaya) but couldn't resist when they went on sale for $5.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart, I'm really like corals and bright pink-reds, so I settled on Wild Watermelon since it's pretty bright but not a super attention grabbing colour, I really like that they moisturize the lips and are so easy to apply on and use.
2. Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, $8.99.
Beside the favourite, 'Peach Parfait,' I had heard many good things about Tutti Frutti, and since there's no shimmer or glitter, I decided that it'd be a nice subtle shade for myself. It's not super bright and attention grabbing like Candy Apple and Wild Watermelon but it's a good everyday shade.
Face
1. Korres White Tea Facial Fluid Gel Cleanser, $26.
I really wish I jumped on the Korres bandwagon much earlier because it's pretty much impossible to find Korres in Toronto. After Sephora stopped selling their products, I found them at selected Shoppers Drug Mart locations and couldn't even get my hands on the Milk Proteins Foaming Cream Cleanser, but upon researching, the White Tea Facial Fluid Gel Cleanser didn't get bad reviews, so I decided to give it a try. I'm really liking the smell, it's really soft and nice for summer. Plus, you don't need to use a lot and it doesn't dry out the face but leaves it clean feeling and soft.
2. The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Nose Strip with Aloe, $1.
The Face Shop is THE place to go for cheap but good quality face products. I've used the Bioré nose strips and don't really think they do much but for the price I'm paying for the amount I get, I'm pretty positive that The Face Shop sells much better value ones. They sell them individually or in a package. I settled on getting individual ones because I wasn't sure if I'd like them or not. I got one with aloe because it'd soothe the skin and wouldn't be too harsh.
3. The Face Shop Volcanic Clay Nose Strip with Charcoal, $1.
After going to Iceland in January of 2013, I fell in love with using charcoal and having it as an ingredient in face products. It should be no surprise that I decided to get this nose strip as well since it's got charcoal in it and would be a nice exfoliant.
Hair
1. Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray, $29.50.
If you know me pretty well, you'd know that I'm a beach gal and I love anything related to the ocean and beach. I've never been able to deal with my natural hair (straight at the top with wavy kinks at the bottom), so I settled on purchasing a travel size bottle of this stuff since so many people rave about it, and well, here I am with the full size. It definitely works better with damp hair, but I like that it doesn't give my hair a huge crunch and doesn't completely dry it out, which many surf spray products do. It also smells good!
2. Bumble and Bumble Prep Spray, $8.50.
I have yet to try this because I'm not done using my Living Proof Prime Style Extender, but don't fret, the day will come soon when I'm using this! I settled on a travel size because I have no idea how much I'll like this. It's pretty much a primer for your hair before you start styling it.
3. Nume Classic 25mm Wand, $145.
Nume has been a brand that I've been dying to try out, all thanks to the many YouTube videos I watch and all the gurus that use it and rave about it! It's also a known fact, that their sales are ridiculous and they have so many discounts! Trust me, when I say that I would pay full price for this (I got it on a BOGO sale). This wand heats up so fast and is so easy to use, PLUS it comes with a glove to protect yourself from burning your fingers! I'm able to create waves, which was pretty hard for me to do before with my Conair hair curler. I totally recommend this product for anyone who's looking for a good hair tool to use!
4. Neutrogena Anti-Residue Shampoo, $13.50.
This is also a big favourite of many people who like to clean their hair from all the products and gunk build up in their hair. I don't use many products in my hair but feel that once in a while, I need to rid my hair from anything that has been built up in it. I usually use this once a week and you can definitely feel that your hair has been stripped of all the yucky stuff that's been collected throughout the times you've washed your hair! This is part of my 'hair growing' routine and I think it's going well so far!
Clothing
1. Babaton Gavin Coat, in Royal Navy, $225.
I've been looking for a new spring/fall jacket for a while and settled on this one since it has a water-repellant coating and wasn't like all the jackets that I've ever had before. It's also something different from what I see from everyone on campus at school. I chose a navy colour because it's not as serious as black and the other colour was a military green and I've already got a canvas jacket in that colour. I know the price is a bit steep, so I decided to wait until it went on sale (bless Aritzia for their private sales of 20-40% off).
2. Wilfred Free Anmari Dress, in Heather Tempest, $60.
This dress material has been made into so many different styles and cuts of dresses at Aritzia and I never really understood the hype until I found a cut/style that I actually liked and tried on the dress. It's a super soft and stretchy fabric, which is totally amazing. I'm loving the cut at the top, right above the chest but under the collar bone area. This dress hugs your body in every way which makes it so amazing! Once again, I purchased it during the Aritzia sale, now if only I got my hands on the other colours before they were all sold out...
3. Talula Alyssa Blouse, in Winter Melon, $40.
My sister was in need of business casual clothing and since I apparently have more of a fashion sense than she does, I settled on a camisole that could be worn on a regular basis or with business apparel. (To be honest, I'd probably wear this more). I'm liking the material, it's super soft and has adjustable straps as well as tiered layers at the bottom to add some sort of wow factor since it's simple but not too simple. Its a silky fabric, but realistically, it's just polyester.
4. Abercrombie & Fitch High-Waisted Denim Shorts, with crochet sides, $56.
Forgot the name of these shorts and its regular price but they're already sold out. Something I'm really disliking is the lack in stitching quality on the crochet sections. I threw it in the wash and right away, the threads loosened up and now the crochet is coming apart, so I need to stitch it back onto the shorts. I'm happy I purchased these when they were on sale because they're definitely not worth the regular price if this is going to happen.
5. Lululemon Speed Short *2-Way Stretch*, in Spray Dye White Blue Tropics/Black, $54.
I'm a big fan of running and exercising in general and have fallen in love with the Lululemon Speed Shorts. I love that there's a liner inside and that they fit amazing and have a great stretch. They're totally comfortable and I wear them as lounge shorts sometimes. I've had no problems with mine thus far, and would definitely pay full price for these.
Miscellaneous
1. D&G 3 L'Impératrice Perfume, $85.
I'm not a big perfume or scents person but hey, a girl should at least own a perfume. So I decided to finally look for a scent that could be called 'mine.' The visit to Sephora was during the Beauty Insiders/ 3x the points on fragrances, but the trip actually gave me such a headache on the amount of scents I had to smell, we had to leave the store and go back after a break. Originally, I had wanted something by Marc Jacobs because I thought all the scents smelled good but thanks to one of the workers at Sephora, he was able to find me something that was a subtle but sweet smell. This perfume is very fruity smelling with slight hints of sandalwood, which, is something that I'm really liking.
2. The Face Shop Face It: Milk Calcium Nail Pack, $2.
I thought it was weird that nail masks exist, but my nails have never been in the best shape after I stopped biting them, and for $2, why not try this out. It comes with 10 little covers for your nails and you leave it on for about 10-15 minutes before removing them and having your nails absorb the leftover product. I'm looking forward to trying this out.
This concludes, my haul that I've accumulated thus far. I'm sure that there will definitely be more throughout this summer, but I'm sorry that I've been MIA for quite a while. There will be a "What I'm Liking This Month" post and video coming soon after I've filmed a video for this haul, which should be up in a few days. But until then, make sure to check out my vlogs!
Stay tuned and have a great Summer!
- h.
