Ouidad Botanical Boost Moisture Infusing & Refreshing Spray - Review

I saw a list on another bloggers website awhile back about the best curl refreshing sprays on the market and this was listed as one of them. I had high hopes for this one. It was a bust sadly.

The first thing I noticed about it was the smell. It has a really strong, spicy pungent smell. When I spray it, it makes me cough like crazy. I have to spray, hold my breath and run out the room immediately. I don't know what Ouidad was thinking when they created this product. The smell is really nasty and wicked on your throat and lungs. I don't suggest lighting a match after spraying it.

How does the product perform? Not so good. I find that it makes my hair feel soft at first but my hair looks matted in areas when I use this. It doesn't loosen nor refresh curls. After a hour or so my hair starts to feel like straw and it looks like crap. It makes my hair look flat and sometimes makes my natural curls uncurl and hang at odd angles. Sorry, no way to sugar coat it. I have used a lot and I have used a little. No difference either way.

I wish I could return it to Sephora but I have had it a few months and I just feel like a moron returning something so late.

If I need to wet my hair a smidge I sometimes reach for this as it's there, but it really does jack squat for me. I totally regret this purchase. A bottle is 8.5 fl. oz. or 250 ml and it costs $25 Canadian or $20 U.S. This may very well be the worst product that I have found this year so far.

Packaging: 8/10
Easy to Work With: 0/10
Touchable Hair: 0/10
Humidity Resistance: 0/10
Hold: 0/10
Volumizing: 0/10
Price: 0/10 for what you get in return
Ingredients: 7/10
Value for Money: 0/10
Would I buy this again? NO WAY JOSE
Overall Rating: 0/10

Bourjois Paris Volume 1 Seconde Mascara - Review

You know how sometimes you get a new mascara and it doesn't work so well at first and then it gets "good" after a week or two? That didn't happen when I tried this mascara. In fact, the opposite happened and that has never happened to me before. I have shade 61 Black.

A read a few blogs where this mascara was raved about. Greatest thing since sliced bread apparently and it was a great, fairly unknown product. I was intrigued so I picked one up. I don't remember what I paid for it, but I am thinking it was $20 Canadian. I bought it at Shoppers Drug Mart. When I first tried it, I was impressed. I got instant volume and decent length. My lashes even curled. I thought I  had a new mascara to add to my favourites list. This went on for a few days. My only criticism of it initially was that it smudged a bit.

After a week or two, I started to notice that the product wasn't working properly for me any longer. I was getting clumpy, spikey lashes. The length was gone and the volume was meh. It says right on the tube that the product is clump-free. I assure you, it is not. The formula is very black. I am also noticing that the formula sometimes seems to irritate my eyes a bit. I am not sure what the ingredients are as they are microscopically printed on a shiny, crinkly silver label under the barcode sticker. Maybe I am getting old but they are close to impossible to read.

The brush is a rubber one and I tend to prefer those, but this one is nothing special. Picture of it is below. Overall, this mascara was a great disappointment and it had so much promise at first. I have never come across this phenomenon before so quickly after opening a tube of mascara. I keep trying it to see if I am going crazy, but sure enough it works like crap now every time I use it. I don't think the tube has been opened more than a couple of months and I doubt I have even used it 20 times.

 

 

Packaging: 5/10 (Bulky and Awkward)

Pigmentation: 10/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10 first week 3/10 from there on afterwards

Longevity: 4/10

Texture: 1/10

Price: 6/10

Ingredients: ? 

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Smudge Proof: 3/10

Flake and Clump Proof: 2/10

Attractiveness of Product: 1/10

Would I buy this again? NOPE NEVER AGAIN

Overall Rating: 3/10

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick by Kate Moss in 104 and 107 - Review and Swatches

I am doing a review of some drug store makeup today! I must be feeling feverish.

Emily from Beauty Broadcast recommended these lipsticks in her 2014 Emily Awards. She has been raving about them for a while and so have other bloggers. Here is the link to Emily's post:
http://www.beautybroadcast.net/2015/02/emily-awards-2014-best-lip-products.html

Curiosity got the better of me and I bought 107. I wish makeup companies would give their shades names and not numbers, especially when it isn't foundation. I liked 107 so much I bought 104. I am thinking about getting 111 now but that will likely be it. In the picture below, 104 is on the left and 107 is on the right.

Where to begin? Smell. These lipsticks have a very strong cosmetics smell. It may be off putting for some. It bothers me a bit but I can deal with it. These are both matte shades but they are super creamy and ridiculously comfortable. If it wasn't for the smell, I would swear these were high end lipsticks. They have a nice velvet finish. The price is good too. I think I paid $7.99 Canadian for each of mine. I am sure they go up to $10 in some drugstores. I have seen them in the U.S. for $4.99. The packaging is a bit cheap but it isn't a disaster. At this price point, who cares.

It's hard to describe the colour of 104. It's a nude pink with a rum and raisin thing going on. As for 107, it's a blue red with a gorgeous red finish. It is opaque as is and one swipe will do you, but you can build it deeper if you wish. I have had several compliments on this one. While I like 104, it's a bit blah for my taste and 107 really hits the mark. They are very long lasting, especially 107, and you would think it would be the other way around! I have worn 107, had two meals and a few glasses of water and it's still on hours later! Maybe not perfect looking at that point,  but still very intense and red. The colour stays true for both of these and for me that is a big deal when we are talking about lipstick.

Swatch time! 104 is on the left and 107 is on the right.

I don't remember the last time I was this impressed by lipstick from the drugstore. There are 9 shades in this particular line. You should check them out.

Packaging: 6.5/10

Pigmentation: 10/10
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 10/10
Ingredients: ??? Wish I knew
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Comfortable to Wear: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? HELL YES
Overall Rating: 9.5/10 

Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser - Review

I am going through a strange phase right now as far as cleansers are concerned. On that note, I really need to update my blog review on my beloved Estee Lauder cleanser. They have changed the formula and its just not the same. I had a small gwp tube of this Clinique cleanser lying around and I picked it up the other day on a whim. I have used this product before, a few times over the years, and it never struck me as being anything special. Well I think they have changed the formula recently because this product is not as I remembered it.

The tube I have is pretty new. I am sure I have some old tubes somewhere in my stash. The new formula has some pros to it which I never noticed before in older tubes. It lathers like a car wash and it's actually fun to wash your face with this. Never found that previously with this product. My face is literally squeaky clean after I use this. Now, I have to say that you need to wash your face twice when you use this. I still find lots of makeup coming off of my face after I only wash my face with this once when I wipe a cotton ball with makeup remover over my skin afterwards. My skin will squeak, but it isn't clean after one wash. My face is also super comfortable and not dried out after I use this. My skin feels really nice afterwards.

I can tell though that this product isn't doing anything for my blemishes or to clear up my skin. Maybe I am speaking to soon as I haven't been using this product again for long. However, I know my skin pretty well and I can tell it isn't doing anything for my blemishes and isn't likely to. It's really gentle, maybe too gentle. I think if you had really nice skin or dry skin, or older skin that you would like this cleanser perhaps.

I am planning on using the tube I have in its entirety really soon. I am enjoying using it even if it's not doing much for me. It works great with my Clarisonic by the way. It's $24 Canadian or $20 U.S. for 5 oz.

Packaging: 8/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 9/10

Ingredients: ?

Easy to Work With: 10/10  

Travel Worthy: 10/10 

Deep Cleans: 5/10

Moisturizing: 9/10

Comfortable/Softening: 9/10

Smell: 9/10

Would I buy this again? MAYBE

Overall Rating: 7.5/10  (weighing doesn't deep cleans heavily here)

Makeup Geek MUG Eyeshadows in Latte and Bitten - Review

I recently put in a fair sized order with Makeup Geek and here are two of my spoils from the purchase. On the left is Latte and on the right is Bitten. Both are eyeshadows. The picture above was taken with the flash on my camera. The picture below is without the flash.

I don't know why I delayed ordering these two for so long. They are both fabulous, neutral colours that would be a plus to have in any makeup collection. For some strange reason, I always had the false impression that Latte was really dark - a medium to dark brown. It is described as a matte medium brown. It looks so dark on their website! Anyway, I actually think this is the perfect brown crease colour for me. It's not too light, not too dark and it has some peach in it so it warms up the crease or brow bone nicely. I feel like I am committing blasphemy here, but dare I say I like the colour of Latte better than MAC's Wedge which has been my go to neutral crease colour for years. I think Wedge might be a little more long lasting than Latte, but Latte is slightly easier to work with and I prefer the colour. Oh and of course Latte is a fraction of the price coming in at $5.99 U.S.

Here are the swatches with Latte on the left and Bitten on the right:

Bitten blends really well and it's a nice alternative for the outer "v" from your standard, garden variety dark browns. It is described by MUG to be a matte deep maroon red. To me, it's not super red and it's kind of a plum burgundy, but MUG's description is fair. I find this colour to be very long lasting.

Ages ago I did I blog post on my Top 10 Makeup Geek eyeshadows. If I were to do this list again and update it, it would include these two which means I would have to bump two out of the list. Maybe I should update that list one of these days. Let me know if you would like to see that. Here is the link if you are interested to my previous blog post: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2013/09/top-10-makeup-geek-mug-eyeshadows.html

I really love both of these colours as you can tell. I have a fair amount of other newly acquired MUG products to show you soon!

Packaging: 10/10  (the are palette refills so nothing to get excited about but they serve their purpose)

Pigmentation: 9/10
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Longevity: 8/10 Latte and 10/10 Bitten
Colour Stays True: 10/10
Texture: 8/10
Price: 10/10
Ingredients: 10/10
Travel Worthy: 10/10
Attractiveness of Product: 10/10
Would I buy this again? HELL YES
Overall Rating:  9.5/10

Living Proof Perfect Hair Day 5-in-1 Styling Treatment - Review

I started out with a small 1 oz. tube of this product that I got in a set around Christmastime from Sephora. I was so impressed that I ran out and immediately bought the full 4 oz. or 118 ml size which is $26 U.S. or $32 Canadian. Before I get into the nitty gritty, I will summarize my thoughts on this product by saying that it is the best hair product that I have discovered in years. I kid you not. I have been meaning to include it in my monthly favourites the last couple of months but I really wanted to test it out and be able to give a full review before I did that.

There is a matching shampoo and conditioner that are part of the Perfect Hair Day line of products from Living proof. While I think they are solid products, the shampoo and conditioner that is, I don't feel that you need them. This is what I meant by testing out the product. I get the same results when I use my preferred shampoo/conditioner than when I use Living Proof's. The styling product is like a lotion. Normally, I am not down with lotion products for my hair, but this one is different and is utterly amazing.

Okay, what do I love about this product. Where to start? First of all, if you use the right brush and a hair dryer, you can get fantastic volume with ease. By the right brush I mean say a round bristle brush. This product gives amazing lift to your roots. With a hair dryer, and I am pretty sure that heat is needed for this product to work optimally, you can also get your hair nice and silky smooth. Get rid of frizz etc. I have heard from some people that they have used this product without a hair dryer or as a refresher for dry hair and they too get smooth results. I haven't experimented much in that area yet, but I will keep you posted. These people don't have curly hair like me, so I will have to see for myself if that is doable.

If crazy volume and smooth hair isn't enough to get you excited, and for me that is excitement enough, this product allows you to still be able to comb your hair afterwards. In other words, it doesn't leave your hair all sticky and nasty as a lot of volumizing styling products do. Heck, if I don't wash my hair, I still have crazy volume and manageability the next day and the day after that. It really is a perfect hair day that can go on and on! You also don't need a lot of product so I reckon a full sized bottle will last me a good deal of time.

If your hair is thin or thinning, you will be amazed by how much volume this product will give you. You won't even recognize your hair. It's like an imposter head of hair showed up and sat on your head. The great thing is that Perfect Hair Day doesn't weigh your hair down or smooth it to the point to which you have sacrificed all volume in your hair as so many products do.

Jennifer Aniston is a co-owner of Living Proof and let's face it, her hair always looks good, damn good. If you have even thought about trying this product, you have to get it. If you try no other hair care product this year, spend your money on this. You'll thank me later.

Packaging: 9/10 (I would prefer a skinnier taller bottle but I like this one enough)
Easy to Work With: 10/10
Touchable Hair: 10/10
Humidity Resistance: 10/10 (so far only tested in winter)
Hold: 10/10
Volumizing: 10/10
Price: 8/10 (a bit pricey but worth every penny)
Ingredients: 8/10
Value for Money: 10/10
Would I buy this again? HELL YES BY THE CASE
Overall Rating: 10/10

March 2015 Favourites!

I know it's late, but I thought better late than never! It's March beauty favourites time!

I don't have a huge pile of things for last month, but it's all good stuff. For some unknown reason, I put my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette aside a few months ago and forgot about it. I have rediscovered how much I love the Incandescent Light and Radiant Light for subtle, yet elegant cheek colour. Dim Light is the only one I really struggle with in the set. Full review: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2014/03/hourglass-ambient-lighting-palette.html

My mini Bite Beauty Luminous Crème Lipstick in Pepper has been in constant rotation in my purse this last month. The colour is neutral but dark enough to give you some umph. Can't beat the formula. I am literally scraping the bottom of the tube as we speak. Full review: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2014/04/bite-beauty-luminous-creme-lipstick-in.html

MAC! Two blushes I dusted off this past month are Harmony and Blushbaby. Harmony is such a go to blush colour and Blushbaby compliments my colouring so well. I really like these as winter blushes even though they are appropriate all year long. Here is my previous post on some of my go to blushes, Harmony not included in this one: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2012/11/mytop-go-to-blushes-mac-blushbaby-tarte.html

I have been fascinated with the idea of spray on body lotions for some time. I am so lazy when it comes to applying body lotion and that is not a good thing. Imagine my disappointment when I read the ingredients on the labels of the Vaseline and St. Ives versions. Full of parabens and other not so good things. Then one day a month I spotted a huge display of Kiss My Face Air Kiss 2 in 1 moisturize and soothe light moisturizing lotion in my local supermarket. The ingredients are pretty good and the product works amazingly! I wish I had had it all winter long. I must stock up and buy a bunch of these before they get discontinued. Review coming soon.

I kept hearing a bunch of hype for months about how wonderful these Kate Moss Rimmel Lasting Finish lipsticks are. I broke down and I bought one for kicks. It's seriously the best lipstick at the drug store ever! I have 107. It's a blue red matte shade and it is so moisturizing. Talk about long wearing! One day recently I ate two meals and drank tons of water all day long and the lipstick was still on! Albeit a little faded, but come on. Unheard of. It feels amazing on. I have received so many compliments on it. I have to get the other colours now! You have to check these out, seriously. Full review coming soon. I might get a couple more colours so I can show them together.

Ok, I have had Clinique's Quickliner for Lips in 12 Deep Red for a dog's age. It still works great and it's perfect for my Kate Moss Rimmel lipstick mentioned above. I have to say it is the best of Clinique's lip liners. Full review: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2012/06/clinique-quickliner-for-lips-in-12-deep.html

Last, but never least, Stila's Kitten eye shadow. This is one of my all time favourite eye shadows and it is a cult favourite for good reason. No woman should be without this colour in their stash. I wore this every other day in March I think. Chuck on some black eyeliner and mascara with this and it looks like you spent forever on your makeup. Full review: http://mymakeupissues.blogspot.ca/2012/06/stila-eye-shadow-in-kitten-review-and.html 

So that was March! I have an amazing hair care product coming next and lots of other beauty delights so stay tuned!

Beautyblender Blendercleanser Solid - Review

Happy Easter everyone! I was just in the U.S. doing a little shopping trip the last couple of days. I bought some new stuff so plenty of blog posts are coming soon.

I have had this particular product for about 5 months. The Beautyblender Blendercleanser Solid that is. I was using it the other day when I realized that I have been remiss and have never done a blog review on it. In fact, I bought this on my last trip to the U.S. back in November if memory serves me correctly. I love this makeup brush cleaner. That statement pretty much sums up how I feel about it. First of all, I love the smell. It smells like the prettiest soap ever and it doesn't have a fake or chemical like smell. I would wash my body with this if it wasn't so pricey. Oh, speaking of price it's $20 Canadian or $15.95 U.S. for a 1 oz. regular disc. I got two smaller ones recently with my rewards points from Sephora and they will get used up completely let me tell you.

I haven't really touched my other brush cleansers since I started using this product. I did really like the Clinique brush cleanser or cleaner but it's hard to get a hold of and this just works better. One of the things I really like about the Blendercleanser is that the container is so small and since the product is a solid, it's fantastic for travel. I hate carrying yet another liquid with me when I go away, and this is so simple and not messy. It has a tray with a grid on it inside so that the solid soap can dry completely and not waste the product. You can simply wipe or drain out any water. Hell, I often wash my brushes right in the container. Super easy.

The Blendercleanser cleans so much faster and more thoroughly in my opinion, especially when you are dealing with big brushes covered in foundation, cover-up, cream products, blush, powder etc. It gets really deep down into the fibres and I like that a lot. It leaves my brushes nice and soft with a heavenly scent. They really feel and look clean after using this product.

I think that the price is fair when you compare it to the price of a regular bottle of brush cleaner and from an environmental perspective it's a lot less waste to put into a landfill. In fact, I just keep reusing the same container for the smaller sized Blendercleansers that I have acquired that came without a container. The Blendercleanser just disappears like a bar of soap. No waste really. You could totally use this container to house a small bar or piece of a bar soap. Heck, to house any small thin beauty item. Perhaps hair pins? The options are endless. Also, I would say that I got more uses out of one of these soaps than a huge bottle of liquid brush cleaner.

I really can't say enough wonderful things about this product. The ingredients are very decent too. It is without a doubt one of the best products that I have discovered in the last year.

Packaging: 10/10

Price: 8/10

Environmentally Friendly: 10/10

Ingredients: 9/10

Deep Cleans: 10/10

Softening: 10/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Smell: 10/10

Would I buy this again? HELL YES (the one and only for me now)  

Overall Rating: 10/10