So for my first post back I thought I should fill you in on what I've been obsessing over recently. This thing is makeup. Yes, I've reverted back to my early teen years and rediscovered the joys of filling my Shoppers Drug Mart basket to the brim with lipgloss, eyeshadow, and every marscara on the shelf, bringing it all home and sitting in front of the mirror for hours. But THIS time my makeup shopping habits have stepped up a notch because now I'm all about researching reviews of different products... usually in the form of a Youtube video where I can shut off my brain for 9 minutes and watch some girl in the U.S. natter away about a single beauty product. The thing I DON'T like about this Youtuber makeup trend is that the videos are so looooong, wheras I could skim through a written review in 30 seconds and decide for myself if I want the product or not. The thing I DO like about Youtube makeup reviewers is that these girls are real girls with real opinions and very real budget restrictions (ummm, hi!). The review isn't coming from a magazine where you're not sure they're pushing a product because they'e been paid to do so, and also magazine reviews sometimes leave out a lot of details and leave me wanting more information. The girls on Youtube who review products are sometimes sent free products to feature, but it seems like most of them are honest about their opinion and note that they've received free products from the company.
I recently found out that one of my good friends has also discovered a new found love for makeup, and she knows all the good products and Youtubers to watch. She's given me some advice for things to buy, and luckily we share the same concern for only buying products that have NOT been tested on animals so we both know which companies to stay away from. Check out this site to see for yourself... chances are a lot of the beauty products you have at home right now are not registered as cruelty-free.
Now on to some of my favourite products! I've bought quite a bit of new makeup recently (for my standards anyways) so some of these things I haven't gotten a chance to try out too much or form a solid opinion on, so just roll with me!
This is a newer discovery, a company called EcoTools that sells cruelty-free cosmetic brushes. And let me tell you, these things are amazing! I started with just the foundation brush (the second largest one in the picture) and I loved it, so I bought 3 more! They are so soft, use no animal hair, have bamboo handles, and best of all they are so SO cheap. I mean, like 4 dollars for one of these amazing brushes! I've seen animal hair brushes at Sephora that are like 15 dollars, why spend that kind of money on a single makeup brush?! I found EcoTools at London Drugs and Zellers, but check their website for more places to find them.
Now I'm sure you've heard of Physician's Formula before, you can buy this stuff almost anywhere. I'm not blown away by their products, but considering mineral makeup can be pretty pricey, I like this brand for its accesability and mid-level cost (this jar cost $14). This mineral foundation is good because it's a powder so it goes on smooth and does a pretty good job evening out skin tone. The brush it comes with seriously sucks so use your own brush to apply.
Ok, this 3-D Extreme mascara by Revlon is THE best shiz EVER! I've been buying it non-stop since it was first released a few years ago. It's the best! People spend so much money on mascara (in my opinion) while there are great ones for wayyyy less. This Revlon mascara is only about $8 and I buy a new one about every 2 months (apparently you're supposed to chuck out mascara after a month of use because of bacteria build up... another reason to think cheap!). I like this mascara because it goes on quite thick so I can make my lashes double thier size in just one coat. It holds a curl pretty well and lengthens too, and also stays soft on your lashes when it dries. A tip: the first week or so this mascara is a bit on the thinner side, but after that it thickens a bit from being exposed to the air. After 1-2 months it dries up so buy often!
Haha, sorry I had to throw this in there to show that I'm still alive and CHECK OUT this sexy camera!! My friend left her baby at my place so I obviously had to take some major blogging pics before she realized it's gone. I think I might need to invest in a good camera like this one...
(sidenote: Johnson & Johnson products are NOT cruelty free and I don't buy that crap, this baby oil was just in my family bathroom)
Another Revlon favourite! Revlon is definately my favourite drugstore brand. I love that they don't try to be too trendy when it comes to packaging and new products, and of course all their stuff is top notch quality. I bought this makeup for the first time last summer before I went to London and wore it EVERY day while I was there... this stuff is amazing! I never wore foundation on a regular basis before this product and I've tried others after it but no others can compare. Like I said, I wore this stuff every day in London and last summer was freakishly hot for England! It was hot everyday I was there and this foundation stays put even through sweat (AND I worked as a server so hot weather + running around fetching orders = sweaty mess). I also find that it holds well on oily skin. I have combination skin and during the day if I'm not wearing this makeup I can tell that my skin is noticably more oily without it.
Also, this stuff really blocks out EVERY flaw so use sparingly otherwise it will look like a mask! To apply a light layer use a makeup sponge dipped in water, wring it out, then apply the foundation a little at a time so you don't over do it. I also use Revlon concealer which is great, but most of the time if you use the foundation it will cover up everything so you don't even need concealer!
These 2 products I just bought a few days ago, so I don't have a full opinion on them just yet. Everyone on Youtube uses this Urban Decay eyeshadow primer so I knew it was only a matter of time before I got it too. Haven't actually used it yet, but for $22 dollars it better be worth it! The MAC prep +prime lip primer is to be worn under lipstick as a base coat. So far I really like it because I have been really getting into bright lipsticks so I needed something to lightly moisturize beforehand. This does the trick, and although it doesn't help to make the lipstick last longer, I don't mind reapplying during the day.
Ok so without liquid eyeliner I probably would never leave the house. I use this EVERY day so it's a must in my makeup kit. From past experience I don't find that there's a lot of difference between drugstore brand liquid liner, so I just stick to Revlon.
Now THIS brand really takes me on a walk down memory lane. Don't you all remember Wet n Wild?? When this and lip smacker was all we could afford from our weekly allowance? Well I definately have a new found love for Wet n Wild and I am all about thier lipsticks. The colours are just amazing! These 3 shades are from thier new long wear collection, and fyi they come with flat tips like that... I didn't just use these 3 to death! I'm most impressed with the purple-but-almost-black colour, it's so great! It's just a tiny less harsh that pure black so I could actually picture myself wearing this colour out. I just love the way dark lips look! The pink is really nice too because its a matte pink which steers away from being too "Barbie pink" if you know what I mean. The red is super vibrant and haven't tried it out yet, but I love it already!
Holy crap did I blab on a lot in this post! Lastly I want to share some makeup looks that I am in looooove with right now. Proceed and drool:
Top left is from backstage a Ashish runway show. I saved this picture for the amazing hair (ummm WANT!) but I love the clean face + heavy brushed brow look. I love it when models have bushy eyebrows and they are brushed perfectly so each hair is seperated. Know what I mean??
Top middle is from a recent Swatch ad, and I love the chola look here! Hahah! Seriously though, this girl looks fierce as HALE and you cannot deny it.
Top right... Gaga of course! It was really REALLY hard to only choose one Lady Gaga picture for this post, but I wanted to talk about her lip colour in this photo. It's an old picture, but I love how solid the colour is on the lips. Must find this exact shade!
Bottom left is from a recent editorial from Vogue Japan (I think... correct me if I'm wrong). I love the strong purple blush, I'm all for bringing back crazy strong blush from the 80's, who's with me?! Still, I think a clean face with purple blush and 2 coats of mascara would look gorgeous.
Bottom middle is from Facehunter, this girl has got all of her colours working beauttttiiifully here, ok! The purplely plum lips are perfect.
Bottom right is from some ancient photoshoot of Devon Aoki (still and always will be one of my favourite models EVER... is she still working?). I saved this photo because it's amazing, but I'm using it as makeup inspiration because I love the colour use of deep purple with grey and the green-tinged yellow. Urrg, so gorgeous! A purple lip with yellow eyeshadow and grey on the crease would be my inteperetation of this photo.
So that's it, probably the longest post I've ever made on a subject I rarely talk about on this blog! I guess I've just been keeping it bottled up in me for all these years and now I just need to talk about makeup. Next post will be about clothes, I promise. And thanks again for sticking with me after my blogging break, LOVE YOU ALL!!
