April 2014 Empties!

I thought I was going to have a TON of empties this month. Sadly, it was not so. I am on the tail end of so many products, it is not funny. May Empties should be epic...I got a basket for my empties so that they aren't crashing around in the bathroom. Also, this way, I am less tempted to chuck them before I do my empties post. I keep this basket under my makeup table for ease.

Oh, a quick note. I have decided that I am not going to bother to show you guys toothpaste, deodorant, contact lens solution, hand soap or bar soap unless it is something I bought at Sephora or Lush or perhaps was an unusual or exceptional item. I am sure most of you are fine with that. That stuff can be a yawn.

Okay let's dive in with no particular order:

1. Klorane Soothing Make-Up Remover Lotion with Cornflower Water - This is often in my empties. Love this product. Very effective yet crazily gentle. Love the top pump action. I have a full blog review on this product. Replacement already purchased and in use.

2. Burt's Bees Naturally Nourishing Milk & Honey Body Lotion - I also have a full blog review on this product too. I really liked this lotion. The smell got a bit old on me near the end, but I would repurchase (in a little while). It's very moisturizing and soothing. The effects and hydration just last and last.

3. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Styling Crème - I have gone through a few of these. Don't love the product per se, it's just ok. The product doesn't give me the hold I crave and doesn't give me the softness and frizz control that I need. It works in a pinch though. I have a ton of this stuff because I am on Wen's repeat mail order list....must cancel that. I have more Wen products in my cupboard than I care to comment on. I think I need to start selling some of this stash.

4. Eos Hand Lotion in Berry Blossom - I was sent this as a promotional item. It has been in my purse for several months, if not a year??? I liked the formula but not this particular scent. This shape and size was perfect for my purse. The lid stays closed. No leaks. I would buy another scent and pop it in my purse for sure. They are a bit pricey though at around $6 each (and it's small).

5. Dr. Hauschka Rose Day Cream - My holy grail. Gone through countless numbers of these. Full review is on my blog. Replacement already purchased and in use.

6. Laura Mercier Foundation Primer in Radiance - I just love this primer so much more than all of the ones I have tried. This was a small travel size that I got for free from Sephora. It lasted me for quite some time. I have purchased the regular size already and it is in use. This helps hide blemishes and gives my skin a crazy glow under my foundation. Makes my foundation look fresh all day.

7. St. Ives Daily Hydrating Hand Cream Vitamin E - This was ok. No big whoop. It has sat on my desk at work for months. Took it on an overnight trip or two along the way. Likely will not repurchase.

8. MAC Eye Shadow in Shroom - This is one of my favourite eye shadows period. I have gone through a few of these in my day. Will be repurchasing very soon. This will be part of a Back to MAC blog which will hopefully be up shortly (just need to finish one more product...).

9. Aquafina Flavor Splash Lip Balm - What the hell is this? I said that when I bought this and then again now. I bought 3 of these as a set at a dollar store when I was killing time at a strip plaza before I had to be somewhere nearby. I have no idea where the other two went and I have never used them. I see these now at the checkout counter at Wal-Mart. This is a very minty lip balm that comes off in chunks. It does moisturize but it slides right off of my lips and it gathers up around my entire lip line. Not pretty but decided to use this up when I was bumming around the house. Will not repurchase.

10. MAC Shadestick in Beige-ing - Last, and in this case, certainly least. This was one of the worst MAC products ever...I bought this quite some time ago. The pigmentation was horrible. This creased and absorbed into my eyelid even with primer. Very hard to work with an so not creamy. Waste of money. Glad there is Back to MAC and this will be part of my latest batch to return. Oh and the product got crumbly and dry. It's like a twig right now. You can break it like chalk...

So that's it. Hope you enjoyed my latest "Empties" instalment. I promise to have more exciting items next month!

IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream in Light - Review and Swatch

I am not one of those girls who leaves the house without makeup on. By that, I mean foundation or at least cover-up and powder. Yes, call me vain, I don't care. I have no issue being seen without mascara, lipstick, eyeliner or eye shadow. Not that I look great without those things, but my skin is what concerns me most. I have never had great skin. The rest of my family has fantastic skin....that is just the way it goes I guess.

I usually don't wear makeup around the house though. I'm not that crazy. However, I would like to pop to the store, go for a walk etc. without having to put foundation on. For years, I have tried tinted moisturizers, now the BB and CC creams, and they just don't cut it on its own for my taste. I have heard a lot of bloggers waxing poetic about this new IT Cosmetics product, so I had to try it.

I got the shade Light. I would say if you are light or light to medium skinned, you could use this colour. When I first put it on, it looks a bit too light and too yellow on me, all at the same time. Once I work it in, it looks great, just like my skin colour. It's as if it adjusts to my skin tone somehow. This is the best CC cream that I have tried. If my skin is looking good, I can get away with wearing this alone. If my skin has any blemishes or problem areas, this product alone is not going to cut it. You will need to put some cover-up on over those areas. It is not full coverage enough for me when my skin isn't looking all that hot. Some bloggers have said as much so I wasn't totally shocked. The coverage in your non-blemished areas though is excellent.

On the picture above, I have the Light shade blended out on the left side of the dollop of product. It looks a tad dark for the inside of my arm, but hey it's still winter here so I have little colour at the moment. Otherwise, I think it blends it well. Where was I? Oh yeah. This product is very comfortable to wear. It's an anti-aging serum, moisturizer, foundation and CC cream all in one. You could totally skip the mositurizer if you wish when you wear this. I have done both - skipped the moisturizer and used it underneath this product. Both work for me. I have oily skin with some combination areas by the way.

This product looks really nice on the skin (in your non-problem areas). Very luminous. I think it will be especially nice for the summer. If you hate foundation, but need some medium coverage, I would recommend giving this a try. Inside the lid is a pump which so far works well for me. It does get messy in there though. In the picture below, I have the blended out product on the bottom of the dollop.

I like the way this product glides over my skin. I use my fingers, but you could use a brush too. I just find that fingers work really well with this product. Overall, I like the packaging, but the label is already lifting on the back of it. I am concerned that this tube won't last me very long. I will get back to you on that when I finish it off. I bought this on TSC (The Shopping Channel) about 6 or 7 weeks ago when It Cosmetics was having a sale. I think I paid around $49 Canadian for it and it came with a nice big brush (which I will use for other things) and a lip gloss and a tightline mascara thingy. I will do reviews on those in due course. I think that was a good deal considering everything that I got. This tube is 32ml or 1.08 oz.

Below is a picture of me wearing the product. This pic was on another blog post about a mascara from a few weeks ago. I was wearing the product though in the pic. I am sorry it only shows part of my face. In this pic, I had no cover-up on over the product. I think it is a good example of how nice this product looks. Sorry about the curlers!

I would definitely buy this CC+ cream again.

Packaging: 8/10  (the pump is messy but handy - the mess stays in the tube/lid though)  

Pigmentation: 7.5/10 

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 7/10

Texture: 10/10 

Price: 7.5/10 (on its own)

Ingredients: 10/10

Travel Worthy: 10/10 

Attractiveness of Product: 7.5/10 (only because it is not full coverage)  

Would I buy this again? Yes Indeed

Overall Rating: 8/10

Urban Decay Naked3 Palette - Review and Swatches

Sorry I have been such an absentee blogger lately. I have been working from home most evenings as well as going to work during the day. Just finishing up an annual project. It's got to be done. This has left little time for blogging as you can imagine. As promised, here is my review on the Naked3 palette by Urban Decay.

This is a tough review to do. I say that because while I find the quality of the eye shadows for the most part to be stellar, but for me, the usefulness of this palette is minimal. It's just such a sea of pink rose! I know what you are thinking and you are right. You are thinking, "Hello Alexis, it's obvious the palette is all pinks, roses and a couple of brownish mauves....what did you expect you dingledorf?" Point taken. While I can wear some pink eye shadows, if worn incorrectly or too much I can look bruised or sickly. Same holds true for many people I know.

I had to have this palette because I love Urban Decay eye shadows and I am a makeup collector. I own all of the Naked palettes. Before I get into the specifics of my review I will offer up my suggestion of whether or not to buy this palette to you upfront. If you love pink or rose eye shadows, buy this, you will love it! If you are a makeup collector and have to have the whole Naked collection, buy this!

If you want this palette for travel only, don't buy this. If you are on a budget, don't buy this. If you are new to makeup, don't buy this. If you like neutral colours on your eyes, and want to start experimenting, don't buy this. Finally, if you are looking for an all around great palette that will give you a variety of looks, don't buy this!!!

There, I said it. As mentioned, the quality of the eye shadows is fantastic for the most part. They are smooth, creamy, blend easily and most are well pigmented. The exceptions to being well pigmented are Dust, Burnout and Trick. They don't swatch well and fade very quickly. Dust is also very crumbly and causes a lot of fallout. Strange is well pigmented, but fades quickly and I just don't like it for some reason. My favourites shades in the palette are the ones on the right side, the darker ones. Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart are gorgeous. I don't have anything like those in my collection. Limit and Nooner are good crease blend out colours, especially if you are sick of using tan or beige for that purpose.

Here are the first four colours on the left. Strange (which is strange!), Dust, Burnout and Limit.

 

So from Limit going right is Buzz, Trick and Nooner.

Then Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart.

The palette comes in a metal snap case which I like. A dual end brush comes with the palette as well. The brush didn't impress me at first glance, but after I used it, I found that it really picks up the product well and can be handy to have in your brush collection.

My main beef with this palette is that no matter what look you put together with this palette, it looks pink or purple. I find you can get more of a variety of looks with the original Naked palette and the Naked2 palette. This, of course, brings me to the burning question. Of the 3 main Naked palettes, which one do I prefer? The answer for me is a no brainer. The original Naked palette is #1 followed by Naked2 and finally Naked3. I will give Urban Decay kudos for coming out with Naked3. To my knowledge there isn't another palette on the market like it, and for that, they have filled a niche. This was very creative on their part. Okay, enough babble, here are the swatches:

 

Left to right is Strange, Dust, Burnout, Limit, Buzz and Trick.

 

 

Left to right is Nooner, Liar, Factory, Mugshot, Darkside and Blackheart. 

 

Sorry I used different light in both shots, my bad. I think you get the jist of the colours though. I will definitely use this palette in conjunction with other palettes to put together looks. I just don't see me using this palette exclusively for one look very often. This palette is $64 Canadian or $54 U.S. Each shadow is 1.3g which is decent.

Packaging: 10/10  

Pigmentation: 8/10 (darker colours are better)
Easy to Work With: 8/10
Longevity: 7/10 (darker colours are better)
Colour Stays True: 10/10
Texture: 10/10
Price: 7/10 (you get a lot though for your money)
Ingredients: 7/10
Travel Worthy: 8/10
Attractiveness of Product: 6/10
Would I buy this again? Likely not
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Shadow & Liner in Classic Nude Collection - Review and Swatches

Normally, I like most, but not all, of Physician's Formula products. A little while ago one of my favourite beauty bloggers reviewed all of the Physician's Formula eye shadow palettes, mainly, the Shimmer Strips collection. She said the Classic Nude was one of the best ones. Now this particular blogger likes her drug store makeup a lot. I do not so much as many of you know. I should have taken her recommendation with a grain of salt (as I usually do). This palette is atrocious! I am not going to mince words.

Before I get the to ok, the bad and the ugly, let's talk price. I have seen this palette for as much as $18 Canadian when it is full price in some drug stores. You get 9 colours. Your money would be better spent buying just one MAC eye shadow which is around $18. Physician's Formula has nerve charging $18 for this. It's honestly worth maybe $4. I am glad to say I paid about $10 as I got it on sale.

One thing I "like" about this palette is it's size. You could easily throw this palette into a small cosmetics bag and chuck it in your purse. It has a magnetic cover which, let's face it,  can easily be dislodged in some travel circumstances. Although the packaging is cheap, it's cute with the fishnet stockings cover. There is a one-sided angled sponge tip applicator that comes with it. Come to think of it, that applicator may work better with these shadows than the MAC and Sigma brushes I have been using with this. Food for thought. I will try that, and if it works any better, I will update this blog post. I am not holding my breath though.

There are no names for these shadows and it is just as well. Many of them are practically identical in colour to at least one other "strip" in the palette. You can use these wet or dry. I tried dry. What a nightmare! You can't get hardly any colour payoff if you use them dry. You swipe and you swipe...total waste of time. If you do succeed in getting any on, the colour fades, or rather absorbs, directly into your eyelid after a short period of time. This is occurs even if you are wearing an eye shadow primer and an eye shadow base! The colours are crumbly and go on streaky whether you use them wet or dry. They feel soft to the touch though. The formula is just plain awful though.

If you use them wet, they do apply better but they still go on streaky. At least you get some to go on and you see some pigmentation. In the spirit of fairness, the two dark brown colours, when used wet, do work well as eye liners and they stay put for a decent period of time, unlike the other shades. I know these are "shimmer strips" but a matte shade would have been nice here. All of the colours blend together too easily and morph into one shade. The best thing I can recommend if you do acquire this palette is to use the dark brown colours as liner and maybe when wet, you can use some of the lighter shades as a light brow highlight or inner corner highlight. Here are the swatches when used dry (they swatch better on my arm than they apply to the eye):

 

 

 

Okay, so now for the swatches when they are wet:

 

Not a huge difference, but a slight improvement.

 

Packaging: 8/10  

Pigmentation: 3/10 (darker colours are better)
Easy to Work With: 1/10
Longevity: 1/10
Colour Stays True: 2/10
Texture: 6/10
Price: 2/10 (for what you get)
Ingredients: 8/10
Travel Worthy: 8/10
Attractiveness of Product: 2/10
Would I buy this again? NO WAY 
Overall Rating: 2.5/10

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Cleanser - Review

I bought this a couple of months ago at Upper Canada Mall. Apparently, they now have a Kiehl's store. Cool. I have never bought anything from Kiehl's until I made this purchase. One of my faithful readers recommended this product to me so I decided to try this. I am actually quite pleased with it. Some of you who have been following me for awhile know for a bit there I was having serious issues with dry, chapped, irritated, inflamed lips (think I had a serious allergic reaction to a facial soap). Anyway, I had the problem off and on this past winter, but it was no where near as bad as it was the winter before when the problem started. Ever since I started using this product I haven't any lip issues. They are back to normal. Yeah! I also moved my vaporizer into my bedroom at night so I think that helped too.

This is a foamy, white cleanser. It really lathers so you need very little. It is also non-drying which is nice, especially in winter. I find it takes off the bulk of my makeup and cleans my face quite well with one use. I frequently take it into the shower with me when I am in rush. If I wash my face with it twice, almost all dirt, oil and makeup is gone from my face. I am still getting blemishes, but they seem to be fewer, smaller and disappear faster since I started using this. I am not sure how "deep down" in the skin this product goes as far as ridding it of impurities is concerned, but I think this product would be fantastic to use with a Clarisonic. I must get one of those...

I don't find that this product does anything to shrink my pores. The Boscia cleanser that I was using before this did, so I am noticing now that the Kiehl's doesn't offer the same benefit. Kiehl's probably has a product that does that though. Must do some research....

This product has very little smell which I like. I have been using this twice a day for almost two months and I don't think I have even used 1/5 of the tube. You definitely get your money's worth. Speaking of money, I paid $25 Canadian for this. Given the amount that you get, 150ml, it was well worth the price. If you are looking for something gentle that cleans your face quite well, this may be for you.

Packaging: 8/10 (the label is loose and crinkly)

Texture: 10/10

Price: 10/10

Ingredients: 9/10

Easy to Work With: 10/10  

Travel Worthy: 7/10 (it's a bit big for travel but you could put some in a small container)

Deep Cleans: 8/10

Moisturizing: 7/10

Comfortable/Softening: 8/10

Smell: 10/10

Would I buy this again? Yes!!!    

Overall Rating: 8.5/10 

Formula X for Sephora Nail Polish in Thrilling and Meteoric - Review and Swatches

A few months back Tiffany D was wearing Thrilling and Meteoric on her nails for one of her videos. I don't fall in love with nail polish easily (despite my vast collection ahem...) but I was instantly intoxicated with those two colours. So I hopped on Sephora.com and ordered them stat. I finally got around to wearing them this past week. I don't do my finger nails very often and I only usually bother with my toes from Spring to Fall. Now that I am wearing these colours, I am more in love with them. Thrilling is one of Formula X's New Neutrals Nail Colors and is described as cloud grey. I think it has a bit of purple or lilac in it so it isn't blah at all. It's also kind of taupe. It's $13.00 Canadian or $10.50 U.S.

Here is the "swatch". I have Meteoric on my ring finger for a bit of pizazz. I have already had a number of compliments on these nail polishes. One of the reasons that I seldom do my finger nails is because nail polish doesn't last on them more than 1 day before it chips on me. Doesn't matter if I do my mails myself or I get a professional expensive manicure. I happily pay for a pedicure because they last a while on me, but manicure, forget it. Total waste of money for me. Last time I got a professional manicure was 6 years ago for a family wedding. I swore that would likely be the last time I paid for a manicure. One day and chip city.

I work all day typing on a computer and then when I am home I am doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking, cleaning, showering etc. I am not a lady of leisure. My nails go through hell. "What is the point Alexis?", you are likely now thinking. "Get back to the damn review already!"

Ok, ok. My point is that lo and behold I have had this nail polish on for a couple of days now and shock of the century, no chips!!! I know people have been extolling the virtues of these Formula X nail polishes, and I hate to say it, but they are actually worth the hype! Not one chip, not one crack!

Back to Meteoric. It is an Effects Top Coat or Transformers Top Coat. It retails for $12.50 U.S. or $15 Canadian. It is described as having black, white and rainbow glitter. So pretty! Even my husband likes my nails! The formula of both of  these is super easy to work with and very little streakiness issues to worry about. I love my O.P.I. but the formula of these Formula X numbers is superior. I have one other Formula X colour which I got for free from Sephora as a promotion back around Christmas time. Will have to try that one out too one of these days. I would definitely buy more Formula X!

Just as an FYI, I also used butter London's Nail Foundation Flawless Basecoat (which I have mixed feelings about and will do a full review on soon) and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.

Packaging: 10/10

Pigmentation: 10/10 

Easy to Work With: 10/10

Longevity: 10/10

Texture: 10/10

Price: 10/10

Ingredients: 7/10

Travel Worthy: 10/10

Attractiveness of Product: 10/10

Would I buy this again? YES!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

ELOTD - MAC's Naked Lunch, Wedge and Espresso with Swatches

Hello! I wore this look yesterday. I just slapped it together on a whim. Sorry, but the picture above does not show the shading, definition and blending that I did justice. I really need to work on my ELOTD shots. I was quite happy with how the look turned out. The look was, to me, very neutral, yet put together and classy. In other words, a "go to" keeper!

So I put MAC's Naked Lunch on the lid and the inner corner. I used MAC's Wedge in the crease and I shaded the in the outer corner and did a little "v" shape with MAC's Espresso. I topped it off with Clinique's Brush-On Cream liner in True Black and some mascara (which you can't see in this shot...damn). I didn't put anything on my lower lash but you could easily add some black or brown liner and tight line it or smudge it if you feel so inclined. Also, you could add Naked Lunch to the brow if you like or another lighter shade. I forgot.

On the top left is Naked Lunch. Bottom left is Wedge and bottom right is Espresso. Okay some swatches. I think you can tell which swatch is which I hope.

 

 

 

So that's it. Hope you liked it. If you have these colours, you should try them together. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they looked in combination.

Do you have any great MAC colour combinations that you love? If you do, please leave them in the comments section below.