Guerlain has recently launched their brand new matte lipsticks that feel luscious and comfortable - KISSKISS TENDER MATTE, available in 15 shades and retails for $48 each (price subject to vary from vendor to vendor). The lipsticks are housed in a chic and sleek glossy black component that has a beautiful weight to it. Everything from the formulation to the packaging screams luxury and I LOVEEEE it!! 

Below are the three shades that I have received and have swatched both on the arm and on my lips for you to see how they are. 

Of the three shades sent, my favorite would have to be 775 a true red followed by 940, the cherry red which is a shade darker. These lipsticks truly glide on effortlessly and they are all comfortable on the lip, non-drying, and is pigmented - one swipe is all it took!

What are your thoughts on these lippies? I already checked the Sephora site and some shades are already sold out, so really go and buy yourself at least one .. or MORE to try out!

Until next time, XO - M.

I've been using Quo Cosmetics since I was first wearing makeup, I still remember my first purchase from this brand, it was a cream bronzer, blush and highlight palette and I loved it so much. Fast forward now to 2020, they have relaunched their entire collection, repackaged it and reformulated it as well. I was recently sent their collection to try out and since it's been a hot minute from my last makeup tutorial I thought why not take the opportunity now! I have these beauties swatched below and I will also list out what products I've used to create the looks below.

Here is a classic before and after shot of my face - left, super tired panda circle eyed mom and right, my "effortless" clean-ed up look! To create this, I used the:

- Quo - Brow Defining Gel 

- Quo - Sheer Lip Paint (Poised)

- Quo - Pump Up The Volume Maxi-Volume (Black) 

- Quo - Golden Glow Primer 

- Quo - Skin Perfector (Golden Hour)

- Quo - Blush (Rose Water)

- Quo - Featherweight Cream Blush (Angelic)

- Quo - Cosmic Cream Shadow (Dark Matter)

- Quo - Liquid Precision Marker (Jet Black)

The only product that I used that isn't Quo is the foundation, concealer, lashes and Brow pencil (as one wasn't provided)

Below are the face and eye products that were used to create the look as well. The liquid liner is black and opaque, pigmented and can do a thin or thick line equally. The Cosmic Cream Shadow blends out like a dream and stays put all day and also layers wtihout getting caught and patchy. The Skin perfector powder is a beautiful diffused highlighter and the Golden Glow Primer is DEWY. It is like a liquid highlight so use with caution, I would not just use this directly on its own as a primer as you will end up looking like edward cullen when the sun hits - haha! I actually mixed this with my foundation and it was perfect! Lastly, the Blushes are buttery and pigmented as you can see the swatches are only one swipe. 

I decided to include swatches fo the three lipsticks for you below (oh and yes I did go darker, say goodbye to the blonde balayage hair). I used a lipbalm under the lipstick to give it a bit of shine and I really have to say its beautiful. You can see how truly pigmented they are and it only took one swipe.

Which products are you looking forward to? Have you tried anything from Quo yet? 

Until next time, XO - M.

Every Christmas, I always love to keep my eye out on the brow value sets from Benefit Cosmetics and this year the Magnificent Brow Show that is available for purchase at Shoppers Drug Mart, Sephora and TSC.ca. It comes in 4 shades (2 - Blonde, 3 - Light Brown, 4 - Medium Brown and 5- Deep Brown), it also contains 5 full sized items and retails for $66 (combined value of $160). This is such an incredible deal and you best get a hold of it if you're smart!

Attached below is a photo of the before and after of what my brows look like when I use the Benefit Good Proof Brow Pencil. That is my go-to favorite one that I've been using for a very long time and continue to repurchase. I love the triangle tip that goes from thick to thin so you can angle it how you wish to fill in the bulk of the brow and then use the thin tip to draw in the individual brow hairs. I then like to take the 24-HR Brow Setter to set the brow hairs and the small brush helps to get the smallest hairs and set them into place without giving it a crunchy texture afterwards. On days I am lazy, and just going for a natural look, I will only use the Gimme Brow that is a tinted brow gel and just run that through my brow hairs to fluff them out, give it some color and illusion of thickness and I'm ready to go!

 

Below is the list of all 5 brow products that come in the set - it is a great set that is perfect for anyone who wants to test out what brow products work for them and which formulation they want to work with, whether it be a gel/pomade formula, a thin tip pencil or the triangle angular one I spoke about above. Lastly, the two brow gels also let you see which one you gravitate towards, a small tinted one or the bigger traditional brush. 

I was recently sent the Hello Happy Air Stick Foundation from Benefit to review and test out and to be honest, I was very nervous to do so because 1) I haven't done a makeup post in a while, life working from home and caring for my toddler made it too busy to find any time 2) well, look at my skin, I am breaking out so much. For those who know me in real life or have been followers of my blog, I'm sure you can agree that you have never seen my skin like this before - Please note that I have done zero editing in any of the photos below not even in the before or after as I just want my readers to view the real me and product - put it to the real test you know? 

So, I have decided to just put my fears aside and go for it, and I am so happy that I did - just look at the before (top row) and after (bottom row). This is in shade 4 and I swiped it twice each on my forehead, cheeks, once on nose and once on chin. This foundation offers a medium coverage so I tried it as a concealer and it worked! I was able to actually cover my tired panda mom eyes! This is truly an all in one product - being portable while offering a slim packaging, it is great for storage in your vanity or makeup bag.

The scent of it is amazing as well, which is the bonus - it has the most subtle natural lavender scent but the formula itself actually has a blend of chamomile and botanical extracts. It is waterproof and blends out effortlessly on the skin and feels weightless unlike many other cream foundations I have tried before. It does not make you look cakey either so I am ecstatic that it doesn't make my skin feel congested. Below is also what I found on the site which is certainly great to know and definite bonuses!

Below is the final finished look that I created and I have to say this is a new must-have - all my pimples are gone, I swear I didn't even edit it - the discoloration on my face from the prior acne scarring is gone as well in addition to covering my dark circles. I used to say how much I missed the old formulation of their powder foundation but truly after I tried this new stick foundation out, I can sadly say I am happy to finally let go of that one - hah!

Until next time, XO - M.

I have been using Catrice Cosmetics for a while now, if you missed my last post about them you can access it here. In my initial experience with them (and my first time using Catrice), I was so happy with the formulation of their products and when I had told my friend about it she went out to buy the products I recommended and loved it as well. 

This time, I have the chance to try their new Self-Made Bae palette ($16.99) in addition to their HD Liquid Coverage Foundation ($13.99). 

The eyeshadow palette is one from a collection of 3 different pieces named Self-Made, Basic and Badass. It contains a blend of mattes and shimmers and there are 12 shades total. I used the palette to create one entirely matte eye-look, and another is a darker smokey eye featuring the shade #RoleModel.

All the swatches above are done with one finger swipe and as you can see, the mattes are pigmented and not chalky and the shimmers are buttery and beautiful. In my honest opinion you really can't do better for this price point - it actually performs better than some high-end shadows I have tried that cost an arm and a leg!

Below you will see my bare face before the application of the HD Liquid Coverage foundation and the Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer ($7.99). 

As you can see, really the difference is night and day - it gave me a medium finish - I took the photographs in two different lightings just so you can see really how full coverage I got without it looking cakey. I only needed 2-3 drops of the foundation and I buffed it onto my face with a brush. I liked how light-weight it felt and as I wore it through the day, it almost seamlessly worked into my skin to look even more natural! I wore it during the heatwave we got on the weekend and it didn't break apart or do anything weird on my skin.

Look #1 is the entirely matte eyeshadow look where I used #selfmade in the inner half of the lid, #empire on the crease, #boss in the mid lid to outer V and to deepen the outer V I used #equalpay and #hustle. 

Look #2 features #rolemodel all over the lid and #empire on the crease - quick and easy smokey eye!

Overall, I would definitely have to recommend the palette and foundation to you guys to purchase, at the price point you really have nothing to lose. It offers great pay-off and I am thoroughly excited to see what else I can try from Catrice in the future!

Until next time, XO - M.

I was so excited to learn that the cult favorite German drugstore makeup brand Catrice was coming to Canada - and to actually see this on shelves at Shoppers Drug Mart was fantastic! I have heard so much about this brand, and seen enough tutorials on YouTube to know that this is definitely a product worth trying. 

I was graciously sent the following products to review and test out, and what better way to do that then to do a makeup tutorial and do some swatches for you! 

The Catrice x EMAN collection includes 3 palettes featured below, from left to right - Eyeshadow, a Highlighter and Blush, each retailing $14.99 cad. Each palette swatched beautifully with one finger swipe onto my arm (as pictured below) and was done on my bare skin, not on top of any type of primer.  It is extremely pigmented and my goodness, I have honestly found a new drugstore favorite and the bonus is the price tag, it is actually affordable. I find that so many drugstore brands in Canada now are priced very high and is almost close to department store prices which doesn't help the budget-conscious consumer. Catrice is really shaking the drugstore market and I'm all for it!

The Eyeshadow palette - comes in 9 shades housed within a thick coardboard package with a solid mirror. It contains 5 mattes, four shimmers and are all equally pigmented and the mattes are buttery and easy to blend out. These shadows have performed better than even some high-end shadows so I am very excited to add this neutral palette to my collection (I'm all about neutrals for those who know me). 

The Highlighter palette comes in four different shades that can rightfully cater to all skin tones from fair to dark. Very pigmented with one swipe so this is definitely buildable from a subtle sheen to a blinding highlight that can be seen a mile away. 

The Blush palette is also extremely pigmented (can you see a common theme by now?) and literally requires the most gentle tap with the brush on the pan to achieve a flush of color to the cheeks. 

As for the rest of the face products that were sent to me to try out for my look include

1. Prime and Fine Multitalent Fixing Spray ($9.99) - I used this as a setting spray to seal in my look and I lasted through an entire workday with no issues. My make-up didn't budge and I did not have to touch up at all.

2. Keep Me Matt - Prime and Fine Pore Refining Anti-Shine Base - This helped my makeup not look greasy as the day went on. It filled my pores as well and created a smooth canvas for my foundation to go on. Another win!

3. Liquid Camouflage High Coverage Concealer ($7.99) - A bit thicker in consistency but blended out like a dream and covered my dark eye circles like a dream (as you can see in the photo below I don't even have a hint of panda eye bags - woo!). The concealer is also a tad peach in tone? so it worked to counter the darkness and color correct.

4. Generation Plump and Shine Lipgloss ($7.99) - LOVE this gloss, it wasn't sticky or tacky which I really like. I hate it when I feel like I have a thick paste on my lips so this one felt almost like water? weightless and comfortable with a cushion like feel. It also helped to make my lips look a bit fuller so woo!

Below I have used the palettes to create two different looks for you - on the left we have a blown out neutral smokey eye perfect for date night and on the right, an everyday look I would wear to work with a subtle cut crease. 

Honestly, every product I have tried by Catrice is a slamdunk and I am so excited to try out more products from them. For those of you have previously read my blog or know me in person, will know that I always say that brands rarely have the ability to make every product perform consistently but I think that Catrice is a true exception. Of the 7 products sent to me, I have nothing bad to say about them so truly, I want to try out even more products form them as soon as possible!

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for review, all opinions are my own.

Breaking New: the AVON x THE FACE SHOP is now live and I am super excited. This collaboration was a total shock to me and I'm not mad at it. I am so excited in fact because this means that it is a great platform for both companies to be able to showcase each others products. I'm sure alot of AVON clients may not have heard of THE FACE SHOP before, and now they can get introduced to it which is fantastic! 

I was set a few items from their collection to try! First is the skinscare set which features generous deluxe sizes of four different products to try: 

The Therapy Oil Blending Cream

Rice Water Bright Foaming Cleanser

Dr Belmur Cica Recovery Cream 

Veilment Natural Spa Black Rose Body Scrub and Cleanser 

Next, I received a box of make-up items that features products to create a nice complexion:

1. Ink Lasting Cushion Foundation - love this cushion foundation, it makes it look like second skin, a better version of me. It has a natural matte finish that is cooling on application and dries down fairly quickly and does not dry tacky. 

2. Moisture Cushion Blush - great applicator, the cushion pad itself is smaller so it can really focus on just the cheeks. It gives a natural flush to the cheeks and lasts all day.

3. Ink Lasting Primer - a gel primer that helps to minimize pores and make your makeup last all day. It is said to brighten your skin and smooth uneven texture. I liked how lightweight this was on the skin and how it dried down quick meaning no wait time for the makeup application. It did smooth out the pores on my nose/cheek area. 

4. Flat Velvet Lipstick - as the name indicates this is a velvet matte lipstick. Feels lightweight on the lips and is opaque and only requires one swipe. 

Below is all the products in action (plus my own black liner and brows)

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own. 

Marc Jacobs recently launched a concealer that I knew I had to put to the test, being that my panda eye circles need some serious patching up. This concealer comes in a range of 17 shades and acts as a your typical concealer and a touch up stick. 

This offers a medium buildable coverage and is very pigmented. In the photos below of my application, you will see that it is done with one swipe and then blurs out effortlessly and melts into the skin. I do find that I have to set it with powder just so it doesn't crease. It is not emollient or overly wet, it actually dries down to a satin matte formula. 

This is said to be able to be used under and over makeup, help blur the look of pores, fine lines and imperfections while hiding dark circles, blemishes and uneven skin tone. While I cannot speak to the fine lines I must say that it does everything it claims. In the photos below of my application I used only the concealer to even out my discolouration and my panda eyes. 

This product packaging is in a sleek container that you twist up for more product and retails for $42 cad.

I am in love with this concealer and it is a definite purchase and try! I just love how portable this is I can easily take it with me on the go.

Until next time, XO - M.

Mary Kay has recently launched the TimeWise 3D Matte Foundation ($28 cad), plus Blending Brush ($20 cad), to their line-up and, I am so excited to share with you my results! 

I have put this foundation to the test - left it on for approximately 14 hours, went through the wind, rain and eventually the scorching sun for 5-6 hours (yay for crazy weather here!). I also ran errands with my little toddler, did groceries.. went to a bridal shower for a few hours... dinner with the family and home! Results? It truly lived up to the claims of having a solid 12 hour staying power. 

For those of you who are readers of my blog, will know that I have oily combination skin, so being able to find a medium to full coverage matte foundation that works without making me look flat and cakey is a dream. In addition, finding one that is at a reasonable price range is honestly the big bonus. This new foundation checks all those boxes. It also comes in a variety of 28 shades so something is bound to match you!

Like I said above, this product offers a medium buildable to full coverage on the skin that looks natural. It still makes your skin look like skin and I find that very important. Other benefits of the foundation, as found on their site, is listed below:

- infused with their exclusive Age Minimize 3D™ Complex to help defend, delay and deliver for beautiful results, 

- includes encapsulated resveratrol, dual benefit vitamin B3 and an age-defying peptide. 

- long-lasting coverage with a flawless finish. 

- 12 hours of oil control

- weightless humidity and sweat-resistant formula

- won't settle to fine lines

- microspheres act like a sponge to absorb oils.

Below you will find the shades that were graciously sent to me swatched: 

Here I have Beige C140 applied to my face. At first, it looked a bit light but once I blended it out, it even-ed out all my discolorations on my face without having to do any color correction, and as you can see it matches my neck perfectly.  On the lips, I have their brand new Matte Lipstick in Paparazzi Pink which from May 16th to August 15, 2019, Mary Kay will donate $1 from each sale of this lipstick to the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation. These funds will support the Look Good Feel Better program and initiatives to prevent domestic violence. Therefore, with every purchase of this lipstick you really are supporting women in need.

6:30AM - Just woke up and getting ready to apply my makeup! 

8AM - first check in after makeup application, you see how much it even-ed out my skintone I loved it! It made my skin look airbrushed without piling a ton of makeup on. It is important to note that none of the photos above have any editing or airbrush on it!

2 PM - after spending all morning in the rain, wind then sun, I had to quickly head over to the bridal shower! My makeup was still lasting, usually around this time my makeup would be sliding everywhere but nope, still works! I was standing in a pretty bright party room at a condo so I look a bit lighter (apologies!). 

8 PM - back home, hair up after I gave my son a bath and put him to bed. I'm back in my own house so you can see in natural daylight how the end result looks like. A bit of the foundation did come off in the nose area but that is due to my horrid allergies this time of year and I was constantly blowing my nose. My blush, eyeshadow, highlight all stayed on my face, the foundation did not shift it at all and that's what you look for in terms of having a foundation with lasting power! 

Oh lastly, the blending brush that was created and released with the launch of these foundations - it works very well to blend out the product on the face and neck and what is great is that the foundation doesn't absorb too much or sink deep into the bristles, so you're not wasting product! Also, I really enjoyed using this brush to blend out my contour/bronzing stick! 

Until next time, XO - M.

**SPONSORED POST  (all products were sent to me for review, all opinions are my own.)

Oh man, it has been a hot minute since I have reviewed a drugstore foundation here and when I was sent this package from L'oreal I was super excited. The last foundation (L'Oreal Pro Glow Foundation) I tried from them, I loved so my expectations for them was high this time around! Everyone, meet the L'Oreal Infallible 24H Fresh Wear Foundation.

The claims for this foundation is that it provides up to 24 hours of fresh wearing foundation with a medium to full coverage. This is said to help resist sweat, water and transfer. What I appreciate is that this product goes on like water (see swatches below) - only a thin layer of foundation was needed to help color the discolouration or unevenness in my skin-tone. It is ultra buildable too so full coverage can easily be attained with another light layer which goes on effortlessly as well, theres no cakey look. This foundation comes in 30 shades.

The pump bottle is a HUGE bonus - I needed only 2 pumps to to cover my entire face. 

Next, L'Oreal also released their brand new concealer called the Infallible Full Wear Concealer which comes in 24 shades. For those of you who want the Tarte Shape Tape concealer in Canada but can't get it because it's only in the US (unless you purchase online), look no further than this. This is the more budget friendly alternative and it works just the same. It comes with a large doe foot applicator and provides an ultra pigmented and full coverage finish. I only need one application (no need to re-dip the wand) to cover my panda eye circles, and other discoloration under my nose, tzone and jaw.  It is not greasy, it dries down to a matte finish that doesn't look too dry. It feels comfortable and doesn't crease, I didn't need to set it (or bake) and it didn't move around.

Below images starting from left to right: Bare Face, only foundation on the face (shade 430), and the last two photos are with the foundation and concealer (mix of shade 360 and 365) together.  

As you can see, the finish looks really nice, this was created with one layer so it is a medium coverage. I love it so much! These two are definite recommends and must purchase items!

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own.

And L'Oreal does it again! They have created a new collection of mini palettes, there are 6 palettes total, and wow am I impressed! I was fortunate enough to be sent four of them to try and test out for you guys! If you're interested in looking at the rest of the colors in the La Petite Palette collection, then click here. 

These palettes are small, compact and ultra portable to pack in your make-up bag to take on the go with you. They are very soft and creamy, especially the satin metallic formulations. They are said to last for 12 hours (which I cannot attest to because I usually just keep my makeup on for about 8 hours, which I must say it did last that long!). They contain 4 everyday shades in one palette that work together for a cohesive look and one statement color for when you want to add a pop of color to your look. 

 I have all four palettes for you swatched below on my arm - one swipe, no primer so you can get the effect of how it looks. 

Below, I used the "Stylist" Palette to create the look for you, as you can see the blue makes for a beautiful pop of color on the lids and this was created without any base or primer. I am honestly loving how the drugstore is totally upping their game in terms of formulations and color pay-off.

One thing to note is just how beginner friendly these palettes are with how they are laid out, in terms of color coordination and how it is presented to the consumer, there would be no way to mess up or stress that the colors don't work well together! This is a definite recommend for purchase and especially at a drugstore price point of around $12 cad each. 

Which palette above is your favorite? I would love to hear from you!

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own.

When I was younger, I could get away with not having to do my brows and still looked put together, however as the years go by and I lose that density in my brows, I have come to learn that the brows really do frame the face. In the picture below, on the left you can see my brows... bare, naked with nothing on it. I do have a full face of makeup on (minus lipstick), but you can see that it just looks thin, sparse and uneven. On the right, I filled my brows in with the Benefit Cosmetics - Goof Proof Brow Pencil in shade 4.5 to help fill in the thin parts on my brow and to just finish up the face. 

The reason I go for the Goof Proof Brow Pencil is because it has a triangle applicator pencil - you can use the tip to create fine lines (as you can see in the swatch photo below), or you can use it flat to just fill out the larger areas. The formulation of the pencil is stiff, yet it evenly dispenses product and helps to give off a realistic look to the brows. 

Until next time, XO - M.

*products were sent to me for consideration, all opinions are my own.